"We ask (the authorities) to let us go to Imrali," the island in northwest Turkey where Ocalan has been held since 1999, one of the two co-chairs of the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) told reporters.

Selahattin Demirtas said if he and his colleague Gulten Kisanak were given permission, "a major step would be taken" to put an end to the hunger strikes observed for the last 46 days by about 700 prisoners.

The strike involves imprisoned politicians, mayors and parliamentarians, often senior figures in the BDP, which holds about 20 of the 550 seats in the Turkish parliament, and also detainees accused of ties to the outlawed rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The justice ministry declined to comment Friday on the BDP leaders' demands but a source close to the government said the authorities were doing all they could to end the huhger strike.

On Wednesday, on the eve of the religious festival of Eid al-Adha, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin paid an unexpected visit to an Ankara prison where strikers are being held and called on them to halt their action.

"For the well-being of your body, your health, your families: give up this action," he said.

He said that the conservative Islamist-oriented government was listening to the strikers and said that Kurds appearing in court would have the right to defend themselves in their mother tongue, which is one of their demands.

But he offered no concessions on another demand: the authorisation of the use of Kurdish in all public places. This is a tough demand for the government to satisfy, even if there have been big steps forward in recent years in the area of Kurdish cultural rights.

The strikers also want better prison conditions for Ocalan.

The strike was launched on September 12 by several dozen Kurdish detainees and spread throughout the Turkish prison system. Human rights bodies say the prisoners' health is getting worse.