The measures, aimed at getting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to lay down arms, are part of a "democratic opening" plan for the benefit of the country's estimated 12 million Kurds, he told parliament.

Also planned is the creation of an independent commission charged with investigating human rights violations, notably in the southeast of the country, where the majority of Kurds live.

"This commission will publish as quickly as possible the conclusions to its investigations," the minister said, insisting that the government's "slogan" for the Kurdish plan was "more freedom for everyone".

It is the first time concrete measures have been revealed since the summer, when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) originally announced its initiative.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also expected to address parliament Friday, before the opposition make their own case against the plan they argue undermines national unity.

The Turkish government has already attempted to improve Kurdish cultural rights, notably by allowing the creation of a Kurdish television channel.

Earlier in the week the government submitted to parliament a bill envisaging lenient sentences against minors who are caught in pro-PKK demonstrations.

The PKK have been fighting for self-rule in the mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984 in a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.

In the past Kurdish names of towns have been dropped and the use of Turkish names enforced.