"We are trying to reach a consensus within society... so that we can agree a project that will end terrorism," Atalay said, referring to the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting Ankara for 25 years.

"Our objective is to make Turkey a more democratic country," Atalay told journalists.

A report with recommendations would be given to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan when parliament resumed on October 1, he added.

The government announced last month it would undertake "courageous" reforms to improve Kurdish rights, hoping to erode popular support for the separatist PKK, which has been fighting since 1984 and is listed as a terrorist group.

But Atalay remained tight-lipped on the content of the plan, saying only that the government would put it to parliament and that for now no constitutional amendments were being contemplated.

Erdogan's Justice and Development Party has struggled to win support from civic groups and a hostile opposition, which argues broader Kurdish rights will pave the way for Turkey's disintegration.

On the other side, Ahmet Turk, head of Turkey's main pro-Kurd Party for a Democratic Society (DTP) has described Atalay's words as "much ado about nothing.

"Without a new constitution, forget about resolving the Kurdish question: they're not even able to propose an opening," Turk told CNN-Turkey.

The government has said that the Kurdish language could be introduced as an option in Turkish schools as part of its reforms.

It may also consider returning the Kurdish names of villages that have been renamed; lifting a ban on using Kurdish in political propaganda; and modifying the definition of Turkish nationality in the constitution.

But sceptics argue that a lasting settlement cannot be achieved if Ankara insists on rejecting dialogue with the PKK and fails to draw up a clear strategy to convince the rebels to lay down arms, including a general amnesty.