The first group of Kurdish militants to withdraw from Turkey under a peace process entered northern Iraq on Tuesday, and were greeted by comrades from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), in a symbolic step towards ending a three-decades-old insurgency.

The 13 men and women, carrying guns and with rucksacks on their backs, arrived in the area of Heror, near Metina mountain on the Turkish-Iraqi border, a Reuters witness said.

PKK fighters began leaving their positions in southeast Turkey on May 8 after a ceasefire declared by jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan in March to end a conflict that has killed 40,000 people and ravaged the region's economy.

"We ask the Turkish side to be sincere with us so we can achieve the common interest," said Ciger Gewker, who spoke on behalf of the arriving militants.

"The next step is up to Turkey. If they deal with our move in a positive manner it will be quicker," he said.

Some 2,000 PKK guerrillas are based in Turkey and will join several thousand of their comrades in their bases in northern Iraq in a process expected to take several months.