ANKARA, June 7: Turkey's state broadcaster began airing programmes on Monday in minority languages that will include politically sensitive Kurdish, in a landmark step designed to please the European Union.

TRT-3 television broadcast a 30-minute programme in Bosnian featuring news headlines, sport, traditional Bosnian music and a short nature documentary, all with Turkish subtitles. Earlier, state radio also broadcast a programme in Bosnian.

In coming days broadcasts will also be in Turkey's two main Kurdish dialects, by far the most important both numerically and politically, and in Arabic and Circassian.

Turkey lifted its ban on broadcasting and teaching in minority languages in 2002 under pressure from the European Union, which Turkey aspires to join. But until now no programmes have been shown because Turkey's political and military establishment fear encouraging minority languages could threaten national unity.

"This (change) was a necessity...It is fitting for Turkey to move forward boldly, in a free, democratic atmosphere," said Salih Kapusuz, deputy leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party.

The government hopes the changes will help persuade EU leaders at a summit in December to launch accession talks, long delayed by concerns over Turkey's human rights record, including its treatment of the large ethnic Kurdish minority.

Kurdish is especially sensitive because of a separatist campaign in the mainly Kurdish southeast in the 1980s and 1990s that claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people, mainly Kurds.

Turkey has an estimated 12 million Kurds out of a population of 70 million. Initial reaction to the broadcasts from Kurdish community leaders was cautious. "This is a step forward but it is not enough for Kurdish demands and it will not stop people watching private television channels broadcasting from outside Turkey," said Seraffettin Elci, a prominent Kurdish politician.

He was referring to satellite broadcasts made mainly from Europe by groups with ties to PKK rebels based in northern Iraq. One liberal academic, Dogu Ergil of Ankara University, said the inclusion of languages such as Bosnian in the programming seemed designed to minimise the impact of Kurdish broadcasts.

"There was no demand from the Bosnians in Turkey for this measure. They are so few and they want to be integrated fully into Turkish society," he said. -Reuters