This period of increased PKK propaganda, I need to make this sharing for remembering what is terrorism and what is hypocrisy.. (All of the these dead children of Kurdish village guards who fight with Turkiye against PKK in pics and hundreds more are killed by the PKK in their villages) The 23-year-old German spy, nicknamed Dilsoz Bahar, is among the PKK members who were killed in Turkish strikes which targeted PKK bases and hideouts in northern Iraq, says a report A young German citizen was reportedly among PKK terrorists, who were killed in Turkey's air strikes on bases and hideouts, belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, in northern Iraq, said a recent report. In the report, the slain German was identified as Kevin Joachim, a 23-year-old member of the German intelligence service, BND. According to the report, Joachim, nicknamed Dilsoz Bahar, travelled to northern Syria three months ago in May to train Kurdish People's Protection Unit, or YPG, forces, who have taken up arms against ISIL since spring 2014. After spending two months alongside Kurdish militia in Kamisli province, Joachim set out to the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq in July for another training mission on behalf of German intelligence service, BND. The report did not clarify which PKK bases the BND spy had been located in when he died on July 6. He is believed to have been killed in the PKK camp, which is near Kalatuka village, known as a central base used by agents serving for BND. Joachim is one of seven German intelligence members who were assigned to teach PKK terrorists a classical guerilla-type campaign, ways to influence people's opinions and beliefs and make small bombs, the report said. It is uncertain whether or not the remaining six other German agents died in the Turkish air raids. GERMANY BIDS TO COVER-UP TRAINING MISSION FOR PKK German government hatched a plot for its spy's body to travel back home through Turkey as Turkish authorities did not allow the funeral transfer at the Habur border crossing. BND has planned to make out that Joachim is one of the European fighters who were killed while battling ISIL alongside Kurdish forces in northern Syria, hoping Turkey would allow the funeral transfer. The secret plan has failed, as the border authorities said that Turkey only allows crossing of funerals through the border for its citizens. His body was dispatched to his hometown of Karlsruhe, in southern Germany, for funeral service via Vienna after having been taken to Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region. A hard-hitting report from Turkey's national intelligence organization, or MIT, stated that German spies were sent in February for a long-term undercover mission. German spies have been tasked with teaching PKK members classical guerilla-type campaign, ways to influence people's opinions and beliefs and make small bombs during the training operations which take place in Kalatuka base during the week, according to the report. It also revealed that BND spies mingle freely with the locals to collect intelligence every weekend in the northern province of Suleymaniyah. BND spies are not the only ones on the mission in northern Iraq, because several agents from Iran and Israel are based in the Qandil Mountains for undercover operations, the report said. Turkey has carried out hundreds of strikes on the terrorist organization's bases on both sides of the Iraqi-Turkish border. Turkish media says 771 PKK terrorists have been killed in raids in northern Iraq and Turkey itself, since the Turkish air forces resumed its strikes late July. The strikes against PKK positions in northern Iraq, which began on July 22, were the first since March 2013, when a ceasefire was called. The PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU, and the US, is said to have nearly 2,500 members based in Turkey itself and 9,000 abroad. For decades, it has been fighting for a Kurdish self-rule in the Southeast. The bloody campaign, continuing since the 1980s, has left over 40,000 people dead, including Turkish police officers and soldiers. Ocalan's Capture: A Timeline October 1998: Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the PKK, left his terror base in Syria after Turkey threatened to invade Syria. He arrived in Italy the following month by way of Russia. What follows is an account of the rest of his saga as provided by Greek officials. 12 October-12 November 1998: Ocalan spent about a month illegally in Russia before he flew to Rome on November 12 on a false passport. Ocalan himself alleged in an interview with the Moscow newspaper Kommmersant that he was forced to leave Russia after the government cut a deal with Turkey, securing promises of economic aid and cooperation over the breakaway republic of Chechnya. 5 November 1998: Abdullah Ocalan asked Russia for political asylum. The Russian Parliament, dominated by Mr. Yeltsin's Communist and nationalist opponents, unanimously backed the appeal to the President to grant Mr. Ocalan asylum, with 298 deputies in favor and 1 against. The lower house of Parliament urged President Boris N. Yeltsin to grant the request. ''In this complex situation,'' Mr. Ocalan said in a signed appeal to the Russian Parliament, ''I wish to link my fate with my allies and am therefore officially asking that you grant me political asylum in the Russian Federation... I have always wanted and now want to come to Moscow. In the past year our side has worked intensively to bring about such a visit. But because of the complicated situation in our region I have had to take an urgent decision to move.'' Turkey says Ocalan has been in hiding in a Moscow suburb since fleeing Syria. Ocalan's statement suggested he had not been in the Russian capital but gave no hint about his current whereabouts. (NYT) 12 November 1998: Ocalan surrenders to police in Rome upon arrival, asking for political asylum, which he is ultimately denied. He leaves Italy on January 16. For the next two weeks, his whereabouts are unknown. 13 November 1998: Italian officials said Ocalan was arrested. 16 November 1998: Turkey wants Italy to extradite Ocalan. Germany also has a warrant out for his arrest on homicide charges. But Mr. D'Alema, a former Communist who was appointed Prime Minister last month, is under pressure from leftists in his coalition to offer Mr. Ocalan political asylum. He noted that Italian law prohibits extradition of suspects to countries that have the death penalty. Turkey has capital punishment, though it says it will soon abolish it. ''We do not want someone who organizes terrorism in Italy,'' Mr. D'Alema said. Members of Mr. D'Alema's Government met with Turkish officials who were in Rome for a European ministerial meeting. (NYT) Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz called Ocalan a murderer and a terrorist and said any country harboring him was unworthy to be termed a country of justice. 17 November 1998: Italian PM D'Alema claimed the Kurdish issue is an ancient and complex problem and in its entirety could not be regarded solely in a terrorist context. He implies that the PKK is a legitimate repsentatie of the Kurdish people. His comments were interpreted in the Italian press as being inclined toward the granting of political asylum, though the Prime Minister stressed that Ocalan's case would be considered by the relevant commission of the Interior Ministry. Most Italian parties in Mr. D'Alema's coalition Government oppose Ocalan's extradition. Germany has an international arrest warrant out for Ocalan but Germany's Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, a Green Party member, said the Ocalan case was a matter for Italy and Turkey to resolve. (NYT) 21 November 1998: An Italian court of appeals rejected Turkey's request for the extradition of Ocalan. Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said after hearing the court's ruling said ''Italy is attempting to make peace with terrorism... It faces the danger of earning Turkey's eternal hostility... The Italian Government is making mistake after mistake. Every mistake will certainly have a very heavy price.'' The Turkish Defense Minister, Ismet Sezgin, told Reuters that Turkey might reconsider military industry projects with Italy. The United States, which requested that Italy extradite Ocalan to Turkey, has also expressed its opposition to political asylum for him. The Italian Court of Appeals originally said Mr. Ocalan would have to remain in Italian custody pending an arrest warrant from Germany. But Germany, which issued a warrant for Ocalan on homicide charges in 1990, said that it would not for the moment press Italy for his extradition. "Beyond the legal aspects of extradition," a German Government spokesman, Uwe-Karsten Heye, said, ''there is a complex political problem which can hardly be treated justly as a matter of formal international extradition procedures.'' (NYT) 24 November 1998: Italy puts pressure on Germany to ask for the extradition of terrorist leader Ocalan wanted in Turkey, but the German Justice Ministry said it had no plans to do so. Italy has refused to extradite Abdullah Ocalan to Turkey. Germany has two arrest warrants for the rebel but has shown little interest in asking for extradition. Italy has ''clearly indicated that when a country sends an arrest warrant, as a consequence, it then must proceed with extradition,'' said Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini. 27 November 1998: Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema calls for terrorist leader Ocalan to be tried in an international tribunal, after Germany refused to have him extradited from Italy. Mr. D'Alema spoke after talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. Germany has charged Ocalan, leader of the PKK, with arson and incitement to murder. Turkey wants him to face terrorist charges. Italy had hoped the case could be settled by sending Ocalan to Germany, where there is no death penalty. The German and Italian heads of government Gerhard Schroeder and Massimo D'Alema met in Bonn. The German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, said that Germany will not ask for the extradition of Abdullah Ocalan, from Italy. Mr Schroeder said he wanted to maintain the peace between the Turkish and Kurdish populations in Germany.(BBC News) 28 November 1998: PKK militants said that they had shot down a Turkish army helicopter, killing more than a dozen troops. Ocalan, under house arrest in Italy, issued a threat on Friday that his guerrillas could escalate their 14-year attacks against Turkey. 30 November 1998: The Political Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe stated that it harshly condemned the terrorist activities of the PKK separatist organization. 1 December 1998: Abdullah Ocalan, who has been in Rome for 20 days, asked Italy for asylum status. The official application by Ocalan was handed over to the Italian Justice Ministry by his advocates Saraceni and Pisapia, who are also deputies of the Greens Party. (Aksam) Italian Defense Minister Carlo Scognamiglio said that the chief of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan must be immediately expelled. In remarks to the Italian daily La Republica, Scognamiglio expressed pessimism over the suggestions for an international tribunal, saying that this was a long process. The Head of the Legal Affairs Department of the Council of Europe in Strazbourg, Candido Cunha, said that the approval of all 40 members was needed if a special court to try to Ocalan were to be established within the organization. Cunha added that the establishment of such a tribunal would need a common political will. Diplomatic sources said that the issue of how Ocalan should be brought to justice will be on the agenda of a meeting of the Council of Europe Representatives Committee on December 8. (Sabah) Turkey condemned Greece over the remarks made by Prime Minister Costas Simitis which confirmed Athens' support for the PKK. "We condemn this attitude which is incompatible with contemporary principles of human rights, law and justice. Greece has to follow the attitude adopted by the world against international terrorism," a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. (Sabah) The Speaker of the Greek government, Dimitri Reppas, siad that Greece would support Italy's possible granting of asylum to Ocalan. Reppas claimed that Ocalan and the PKK was not a Turco-Greek issue. He continued the issue was directly related to the European Union (EU). Reppas noted that they welcomed Italy's policy concerning Ocalan. Greece tries to internationalise the PKK issue. Spanish newspaper El Mundo claimed that there were three alternatives for the Italian government regarding the issue of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. One of the alternatives, which was to grant political asylum, has little chance of success, the newspaper noted. The second alternative, which was to try the PKK leader in an international court, did not receive positive support from most of the EU member countries. The strongest alternative was to send Ocalan to a third country such as Russia, Austria or Spain. Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini telephoned his Turkish counterpart, Ismail Cem, and told him that he wanted to end the diplomatic scuffle between the two countries through face-to-face talks. Cem explained to Dini Turkey's reaction towards the recent decision agreed on by the prime ministers of Italy and Germany concerning the trial of Ocalan in a European court. Cem emphasized to Dini that the Ocalan issue should not be taken out of the legal context. Cem stressed that Ankara wants Italy to extradite Ocalan so that he may be brought to trial in Turkey. Cem rejected a European initiative to eventually bring Ocalan before an international court outside Turkey. Cem called on the countries concerned to abide by international law, the conventions which they have signed and their commitments to combatting terrorism. Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema, speaking in a radio interview, said that Rome will not be left with any other choice but to deport the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan if it fails to find a country willing to try Ocalan. D'Alema also admitted that he considered Ocalan a terrorist. Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz criticized both Italy and Germany, noting that both Rome and Bonn were being slammed by their own people, and accused the two countries of violating the rule of law. He called on the Bonn government to "either try or extradite" Ocalan if Italy hands him over to Germany. White House Spokesman John Lockhart said that the capture of the PKK leader was a 'big step' in the struggle against international terrorism. Washington expends efforts to prevent Italy from granting Ocalan political asylum and to have him extradited to Turkey and tried there. (Milliyet) In a letter to President Clinton, 6 members of the US Congress reminded the President of US obligations concerning the struggle against terrorism and asked him what kind of steps he had taken for the extradition of Ocalan to Turkey. In the letter by three Democrat and three Republican members of the House of Representatives it was said that they believed the Clinton administration would make all possible efforts for the extradition of Ocalan, conforming to the government's devotion to the struggle against international terrorism. (Hurriyet) The Italian Reconstruction Communist Party leader, Fausto Bertinotti met terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan. After the meeting Bertinotti said that Ocalan wanted Italian and foreign press members to understand the reasons for his arrival in Italy. An agreement signed between Turkey and Italy on September 22 1998, on "Terrorism, Organized Crimes, the Laundering of Illegal Profits, Coooperation in Combatting Drug Trafficking, and the Smuggling of Humans" was ratified by the Council of Ministers. The agreement which was published in the Official Gazette yesterday, stated that both countries are aware that the above-mentioned factors and other crimes influence the two countries and endanger the comfort of the citizens in addition to their security. (Turkiye) 2 December 1998: As a result of a survey carried out in Italy, 61.5 % of Italians want the extradition of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Italian Prime Minister D'Alema said "Italy is discussing a thesis to try Ocalan in an international court. If it cannot be achieved, another thesis to send Ocalan to a third country will be assessed". Jozias Van Aartsen, the Dutch Foreign Minister, fiercely criticized the demands to try Ocalan before an international court and implied that since Ocalan was a terrorist criminal, he could not be tried before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Stating that efforts should be made to extradite Ocalan to Turkey, Minister Aartsen said: "Italy and Germany are flawed in their views concerning the trial. The court at issue (The Hague) does not try terrorist criminals. The functions and duties of the Court of Justice are completely distinct. The case of Ocalan does not fall within the category of war criminals." (Milliyet) The Chairman of the Italian Parliament's Control Committee of Secret Services, Franco Frattini, claimed that if the leader of the PKK terrorist organization Abdullah Ocalan is not extradited, the PKK will turn Italy into a bloodbath. Frattini made a statement to a leading Italian newspaper, La Stampa, yesterday and said that Russian Prime Minister Primakov had admitted Ocalan into Russia in order to help Syria. However, following Turkish pressure, Russia had had to organize Ocalan's Rome visit. Frattini noted that Russia aimed to weaken Italy and Turkey, which are two NATO allies. (Milliyet) The Turkish Ambassador to London, Ozdem Sanberk, in his speech at the House of Commons harshly criticized Italy, blamed her for showing hospitality to a terrorist leader. Sanberk said that Italy should attach more importance to international law than to its political concerns. Sanberk also criticized EU Commissioner Jacques Santer, who had reacted against Turkish protests against Italy. ONE OF THE BLOODIEST TERRORISTS: The Wall Street Journal said that Europe was acting in a two-faced manner concerning the Ocalan issue and treated him as a statesman. Michael Ledeen, an expert of the American Enterprise Institutions, said in his article in the paper that Ocalan, who was the one of the bloodiest terrorists in the world and the chief of the terrorist organization which had murdered thousands of people, was staying in a NATO-member country and was treated as a statesman by Europe. The Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Uluc Ozulker, said that they exchanged views about the recent Turco-Italian crisis and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had explained Turkey's policy on Abdullah Ocalan. He added that Turkey did not apply an official embargo against Italy and would never do so. On the other hand, the Minister of State, Sukru Sina Gurel, said for his part that there was a strong reaction by the Turkish nation against Italy. 3 December 1998: Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said "If Italy does not extradite Ocalan to Turkey, then it can try and punish him within its legal system". ANKARA HAS HARSHLY REACTED AGAINST THE ITALIAN AND GERMAN STANCE: Acting Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel summoned the German Ambassador to Ankara, Hans Joachim Vergau, to the Turkish Foreign Ministry yesterday. Gurel said: "We told our European friends how the Turkish government is evaluating efforts to turn the Southeastern problem into an ethic problem and an international issue". Gurel pointed out that Turkey would never accept any initiatives to bring the PKK issue to an international platform and noted that the PKK problem and the Southeastern problem should not be mixed. GERMAN MINISTER: "PKK IS A HARMFUL MOEMENT": German Ministry of Interior, Otto Schilly turned down the suggestion "to lift the ban on the activities of the PKK in Germany" given by the Greens. Schilly said that the PKK organization acted with violence, so they would not allow such harmful movements in Germany. A NATO official, answering questions posed by Turkish journalists on the stand of NATO with regard to the "Ocalan crisis", stated that the Ocalan crisis was a legal problem between Turkey, Italy and Germany and that NATO will not be a party to the issue. The official added that the Alliance wanted to see the problem solved in the shortest possible time, stressed that Ocalan was in custody in Italy and expressed their belief that the Italian government was acting with the best of intentions. (Cumhuriyet) Ironically, the NATO, which was indifferent before the PKK leader's case, became an anti-terror organization after the 9/11 attacks. FALSE PASSPORT INVESTIGATION: Italian prosecutor Giancarlo Capaldo started an investigation on the leader of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan with charges of entering the country with a false passport. The role of Communist deputy Roman Mantovani, who brought the terrorist leader from Moscow to Italy, is also being considered in the "false passport" investigation. Italy cannot start any investigation about the PKK's terrotist actiities in Turkey, Middle East and European countries. 4 December 1998: Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini said that Italy and Germany were trying to determine in which country to try the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Dini pointed out that it was actually a contradiction in terms to say that even though Germany has issued a warrant for the arrest of Ocalan, Germany did not want his extradition. Dini added: "However, we can understand Germany's stance". Dini, who spoke during the Parliamentary Assembly of the Western European Union (WEU), claimed that Turkey was acting without examining the legal aspect of the issue. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit reported that a promising dialogue had begun with Italy. Ecevit said: "A cordial meeting was held between our Minister of Justice and Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Minister of Foreign Trade who had come to Istanbul for the Galatasaray-Juventus match. This dialogue is quite a pleasant development." Ecevit also said: "Apparently the Italian government perceived that its approach towards Ocalan is implausible for Turkey. Turkey's attitude in this matter has been conducted to Italy by every means. This attitude is gradually yielding results." (Hurriyet) The Leuven University in Belgium prohibited a meeting to be held by members of the PKK terrorist organization on Sunday. According to a statement made by Belgian security forces, the Rector of the University prohibited the meeting, the Anatolia news agency reports. Following the prohibition, the Rector of the University said that he was subject to many threats from PKK members. Italian newspaper La Repubblica claimed that D'Alema said that Ocalan would be tried in Italy. The newspaper stated that there was not enough time for Italy to establish an international tribunal before December 22. The newspaper described D'Alema's initiatives to find a country for the trial of Ocalan as impossible. 6 December 1998: BERLUSCONI: "ITALIAN GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS THE TERRORISTS": The Italian main opposition leader and chairman of the Forza Italia Party Silvio Berlusconi sent a message to State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas on the occasion of the general elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and said that they fully supported Turkey over the Ocalan crisis. Berlusconi noted that the left-wing government in Italy did not take lessons from history and was supporting a terrorist organization instead of struggling against it. The European Union term-president and Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wofgang Schussel, said at the end of the first day's session of the EU Council yesterday in Brussels that the PKK was a terrorist organization. He added the EU would not take a joint decision about Abdullah Ocalan and would not start any initiatives about him. Schussel stressed that they would not like to damage their relations with Turkey. French officials also stated that the PKK was a terrorist organization. Ocalan, met Italian journalists in his villa where he had been ordered to stay. Representatives of the Corriere della Sera, La Stampa and La Republica newspapers met Ocalan. It was also reported that Ocalan gave an interview to the German ZDF TV channel. Turkish Embassy officials in Rome showed their reaction to the Italian administration saying that Ocalan should be prevented from holding a press meeting. Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, went to Brussels to attend the NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs meetings. Before his departure Cem said that he would explain to his counterparts that Turkey is anxious about Italy's becoming a centre for a terrorist organization. He added that Ocalan's settlement in Rome not only damages Turco-Italian relations but also harms ties with NATO. 9 December 1998: Terrorist Abdullah Ocalan asked to be sent to Iran if he was going to be deported from Italy. Talking with journalists at the villa where he is detained, Ocalan said that he wanted to be tried by an international court, and threatened Rome that his supporters would regard his trial in Italy as a betrayal. Abdullah Ocalan said: "If you do not grant me political asylum, or do not try me in an international court, send me to Iran." The statement came after the visit of the Iranian Foreign Minister, Kemal Harazzi to Rome. It is believed that the Italian government discussed deportation of Ocalan to Iran with the Iranian Foreign Minister. (Hurriyet) The US Secretary of State prepared an informative note on Abdullah Ocalan and the PKK and sent it to press institutions within the European Union (EU), the Middle East, South Asia countries and Turkey. According to the US Embassy to Ankara, the report tells about the terrorist activities of the PKK organization immediately after it was established by Ocalan. It was also pointed out in the report that the terrorist organization had launched attacks on civilian targets such as children, teachers, the elderly and villagers. According to Italian press agencies, Abdullah Ocalan's villa was searched upon the instruction of French and Italian judges. Agencies reported that French judge Jean F. Ricard and Italian Green's Party deputy, Luigi Siriaco, attended the search during which documents on black-money and drug smuggling events were looked for. It was reported that at the end of the search some documents and phone numbers were seized. Meanwhile, it is reported that French judge Jean F. Ricard questioned Ocalan about the activities of four PKK terrorists. Ricard put questions to Ocalan about the events in which "terrorists killed pro-PKK civilians, entered France with false passports and maintained financial support to Kurds living in France". (Sabah and Milliyet) In Istanbul, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem told a press conference yesterday that the idea for an international tribunal for the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan appeared to be losing support. "Ocalan's trial in an international court without Turkey's consent will be nothing other than a commedy" Cem said upon his return from the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. Cem noted that during his meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini outside the summit, he had emphasized Ankara's determination to have Ocalan extradited to Turkey and try him according to Turkish laws. He also criticized Italy for continuing to treat Ocalan as a guest, and said that he had told Dini that Italy should not become 'the centre' of a terrorist organization and 'a trampoline' for terrorism. Italian Minister Dini said that Italy itself might try Ocalan. Italy could conduct the trial in accordance with a 1972 Council of Europe protocol allowing for the transfer of trials from one member nation to another, Dini said. In making the decision, officials would be taking into consideration the possible risk of terrorist attacks, he added. The Syrian President Hafiz Esad, who had been compelled to cease his support for the PKK and Ocalan due to the enormous campaign by Ankara against Syrian-sponsored terrorism, went back on his word. It was reported that the Damascus administration had not taken any serious steps to fulfill the requirements of the "Adana Agreement" endorsed on October 20, whereas it still sheltered 800 terrorists who should have been extradited to Turkey long before. In this respect, it was noted that Syria sought ways to benefit from the recent shift in the Turkish political agenda and the mitigation of the ever-present crisis. It was also reported that the Syrian administration had gradually slackened her efforts towards decreasing the presence of the separatist terrorists in Syria. Turkish daily Milliyet's Yalcin Dogan criticized the Italian media in his column in Milliyet newspaper. Dogan claimed that "The Italian media, which is a human rights and democracy lover, fails". He added, "All Italian newspapers are full of Apo's statements. The Italian media is queueing to interview the bloodiest terrorist of the 20th century. The questions asked in an interview with a criminal cannot be biaised in an effort to prove him right. Ankara officially objected to this view yesterday by the Turkish Ambassador to Rome, Inal Batu. Rome answered that Ocalan cannot go abroad but he is not under arrest. And that he can contact whomever he wants." Professor Howard Tolley, the renowned American human rights expert, said that Italy should try Ocalan herself. Speaking in a conference held at Istanbul University, Tolley said: "Italy refused the extradition of a criminal to the US on the ground that there was capital punishment in Virginia. Then, after obtaining the promise that the criminal would not be sentenced to death, she accepted the extradition. A terrorist must certainly be tried. That may be either before a national or international court." /Cumhuriyet/ A French magistrate yesterday interrogated the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan for a second time in the suburban Roman villa where he is being held. In his two-hour interrogation, prosecutor Jean Francois Ricard was seeking information on a number of PKK-related incidents in France, including extortion and other criminal activities. Ocalan's lawyer Luigi Saraceni and Judge Serenella Siliacom were also present during the questioning. Ocalan will also be interrogated by the Italian authorities concerning the forged passport he was using when he entered Italy. 10 December 1998: The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, who returned home from a meeting of the NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs yesterday, said at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport that he had reported Turkey's worries concerning Italy's attitude to the PKK terrorist organization. Cem said: "I stressed Turkey's anxiety on Italy's becoming a base for a terrorist organization. I and my Italian counterpart agreed that Italy and Turkey should be continuously in contact to overcome our mutual problems." (Sabah) One of the most famous jurists in Italy, Stephano Rodota, said that Italy was not a state of law anymore. In his statement in La Repubblica newspaper Rodota said if Ocalan's extradition was not possible in line with "The European Convention Against Terrorism" then he should be tried in the country that he had sheltered in. Being against the idea of forming a special court to try Ocalan, Rodota added that the Constitution had become illegal in some political centres in Italy. (Hurriyet) 11 December 1998: German Minister of Justice Herta Daeubler-Gmelin described the trial of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Germany as a second degree solution. Daeubler-Gmelin made a statement to a weekly German magazine, Stern, and noted that it would be more 'rational' to hold this trial at an international or a European court. Daeubler-Gmelin pointed out that there were many models to try the PKK leader and said: "This trial could also be possible at a war criminals tribunal established by a resolution of the UN Security Council in The Hague" for Yugoslavia, the Anatolia news agency reports. Dini says "If we try Ocalan in our own country, we might be the target of some serious actions by the organization." Dini added the possibility of trying Ocalan in a third country was gradually weakening and implied that the issue of an international court would no longer be on the agenda from then on. After meeting with his Danish, Swedish and Norwegian counterparts, Dini said: "Ocalan is left over and we have to act in conformity with the law." It was reported that Ocalan would be cross-examined by two Italian prosecuters today, in particular concerning his illegal entrance into the country and for Ramon Mantovani,the Communist MP who arranged his coming to Italy. Ocalan will also answer questions concerning his claims about the assassination of the Pope. 13 December 1998: A march jointly organized by the British Turkish Federation and London Turkish Islam Association protested to the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and Italy. The march, which started in front of Hyde Park and was attended by nearly 1,000 people, ended in front of the Italian Embassy to London. People shouted slogans such as "No Way to Terrorism" and "Stop Terrorism". A declaration, which was prepared by the march committee, noted that Ocalan was a terrorist and a murderer of 30,000 people and should be extradited to Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reports. Turkish institutions and associations in The Hague, the Netherlands organized demonstrations against the PKK terrorist organization to condemn its bloody activities. Thousands of Turkish citizens attended the meeting and criticized Italy which refused to extradite Ocalan to Turkey. They also criticized the European countries which supported the separatist terrorist organization. At the end of the meeting it was asked to ban the PKK activities in the Netherlands. (Sabah) Abdullah Ocalan can freely give interviews to the European media and the PKK's TVV chanells, MED TV. Ocalan, participated in a live programme on the MED TV by telephone and stated that he had severed all his ties with the PKK. He added: "If the guerillas want to continue what I have been doing for 15 years, I do not have anything to do with them." However he did not clarify whether he would continue his efforts in the political arena or yield his influence within the PKK. (Turkiye) Turkey's attorneys made an appeal against the Italian Minister of Justice, Oliviero Diliberto. Augusta Sinagra, the attorney who has been representing Turkey since the beginning of the Ocalan case, presented a file against Diliberto that said he was affecting the court with his personal views. (Cumhuriyet) The leader of the terrorist PKK organization Ocalan has begun to renounce his past. He stated that he was not to blame for the death innocent people who were killed on his instructions. He blamed the members of the PKK for these incidents. Ocalan who participated in a live broadcast on "Restructuring" by MED TV, complained that his sacrifices were going unnoticed, and blamed the terrorists for not using their brains. He suggested the terrorists in the mountains leave their arms if they were to fight as they did during the past 15 years. He added that if they were to continue guerilla warfare without any changes it was pointless. He stated that the organization had to change. (Turkiye) 14 December 1998: The Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Ambassador Necati Utkan, said that Greece has been supporting the PKK terrorist organization since the very beginning and noted that Turkey condemns this Greek stance. Replying to a question, Utkan stated that Greece was continuing to be non-adherent to international agreements, which she has signed, and said that this was against UN resolutions and international law, the Anatolia News Agency reports. Turkish Chief of the Turkish General Staff, Gen.Huseyin Kivrikoglu, who is receiving foreign ambassadors paying him courtesy visits in Turkey, held a meeting with the Iranian Ambassador to Turkey, Muhammed Lavasani yesterday. Gen.Kivrikoglu and Lavasani mainly discussed the issues of terror and security. When Gen.Kivrikoglu received the Ambassadors of NATO-member countries in Turkey, he expressed his disappointment over the stance of Turkey's allies towards terrorism. He criticized the Western stand over the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lamberto Dini said that it was nothing new that PKK chief Abdullah Ocalan was trying to distance himself from the organization but he should first explain the past. Speaking at the International Politics Institution in Milan he said that Ocalan's statements regarding himself and the organization belonged to the past but not to the future. He noted that there were not the necessary conditions to give the right of political asylum. (Turkiye) US experts on conflict resolution, who attended a conference on "Common interests based on economic cooperation" in Istanbul, said that the capture of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Rome was an opportunity for Turkey. The Deputy Chairman of the International Conflict Resolution Programme of Colombia University, David Phillips, said in a statement to the daily newspaper 'Milliyet', that Ocalan should be extradited to Turkey and should be tried due to his crimes committed against humanity. He added: "Even though the Italians are launching initiatives to establish a criminal court, they are two-faced when a war criminal arrives in their country". (Milliyet) The German Ambassador to Ankara, Hans Joachim Vergau, noted that the PKK leader should be extradited to Turkey. Touching upon the good relations between Turkey and Germany during a conference on "Germany, Turkey and Europe" at the Aegean University in Izmir, Vergau said: "The PKK terrorist organization is prohibited in Germany. The Federal Government cannot want Ocalan to be extradited to Germany. Ocalan should be extradited to Turkey and should be tried". (Milliyet) In the December issue of Executive Intelligence Review (EIR) magazine published in the US, an analysis stated that "Britain used the Ocalan card against Turkey, scratched the Kurdish issue, did not regard Ocalan as a terrorist, and supported the convening of an 'International Kurdish Conference' within the framework of the EU. The analysis by John Brewda takes up the developments starting with Ocalan's arrival in Rome and the terrorist activities of the PKK. Brewda wrote that Britain took dramatic steps in protecting the terrorist PKK, far beyond supporting the efforts in convening a "Kurdish Conference". To prove his standpoint, Brewda stated that on November 26 Lord Rea, from the British Chamber of Lords, went to Rome and expressed that Britain was closely concerned with the matter and added that he did not act for himself but spoke for Secretary of Foreign Affairs Robin Cook. The EIR stated that this was not the first time Britain supported the establishment of a Kurdish state. In 1998 Foreign Minister Robin Cook had said that they were prepared to welcome the foundation of a Kurdish state which would be proclaimed after the collapse of Iraq in 1998. The EIR also noted this was an old story and Britain and France supported Kurdish insurgency and separatism even during the Ottoman Empire. /Turkiye/ The US Ambassador to Rome Thomas Foglietta stressed that Ocalan was a terrorist and the leader of a terrorist organization and said: "To try Ocalan is the common aim of the US and Italy. Foglietta who was appointed to the US Embassy to Rome last year, in his statement published on the newspaper La Repubblica, said that Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema shares the opinion with them that Ocalan is a terrorist. He added that Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs Lamberto Dini had also mentioned the possibility of trying Ocalan in Italy. "Our aim is to try Ocalan and I believe we shall succeed in doing so" he said. (Turkiye) Turkish State Minister of Human Rights, H.Sami Turk, noted that there were no international courts where the PKK leader Ocalan could be tried. Turk said: "Ocalan is primarily responsible for many massacres. The responsibility for the activities of the terrorist organization also belongs to him. He must naturally be tried before the Turkish courts. There is no international court to try Ocalan. If there is, that will be a special court and this is obviously against human rights." (Hurriyet) 15 December 1998: Italian officials from the Prime Minister's Office and Foreign Ministry made a brief statement yesterday and said that Italy had not even considered the made-up hypothesis of expelling the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to Albania. Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz was quoted yesterday as saying that Turkey and Italy are discussing the possibility of sending Ocalan to Albania for trial to resolve their dispute over his extradition. But Italy and Albania denied the report. In Tirana, the Albanian Minister of Information Mussa Ulqini also denied there had been any discussion of Ocalan coming to Albania. /Hurriyet/ The Head of the Italian Security Office, Alessandro Pansa, said in a statement yesterday that the main resource of the PKK terrorist organization was drug smuggling. He added: "A great part of the drugs which enter Italy are being provided by the PKK". The Italian Finance Ministry also announced that the PKK was also engaged in the smuggling of immigrants in addition to drug trafficking. These remarkable statements by the Italian Security Office and Finance Ministry took place in the "Il Giornale" newspaper published in Italy. Alessandro Pansa also noted that there were many proofs which indicate that the PKK has been marketing drugs for many years. /Hurriyet/ The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lamberto Dini, said that the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan could be tried at an international tribunal with the approval of Turkey. Replying to questions put by the BBC, Dini stated that according to an agreement ratified at the Council of Europe in 1972, for the trial of an accused person in another country, the signatory countries should extend their approval. /Hurriyet/ The leader of the PKK terrorist organization Abdullan Ocalan said that if a political solution to his problem could not found, he was ready to leave Italy. Ocalan added: "I came here for political reasons. If I cannot be accepted politically, I will leave". Ocalan noted that he preferred the right of political asylum to be granted to him. /Hurriyet/ The US Ambassador to Ankara, Mark Parris, said that America was determined to see Abdullah Ocalan tried, adding that they understood Turkey's sensitivity to the usage of the expression "minority". During a dinner with to members of the Diplomatic Correspondents' Association, Parris noted that the establishment of an international court for Abdullah Ocalan's trial was out of the question. Parris claimed that the Ocalan issue did not affect the structure or procedure of NATO although both Turkey and Italy were members of the organization. The PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan made a statement saying that he "had abandoned violent activities", this is not realistic. The Belgian "Le Libre Belgique" newspaper reported that Ocalan called his men "cut-throats" in his statement to MED-TV. The newspaper noted that Ocalan tried to show that he was changed but he could not rid himself of the responsibility of his "repulsive actions" that he had been involved in for 15 years. Meanwhile, the French "Le Soir" newspaper attracted attention to the fact that Ocalan had accepted the Turkish government's "terrorist" accusation about himself in his statement on MED-TV. (Aksam) 17 December 1998: An Italian court on Wednesday lifted restrictions on PKK chief Abdullah Ocalan, reportedly allowing him to leave the country. Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said that Turkey would appeal against the court decision if there were no conditions on Ocalan's release. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, gathered with leading officials at the Turkish Foreign Ministry to evaluate the situation and the Turkish Ambassador to Rome, Inal Batu, went to the Italian Foreign Ministry to obtain an official clarification of the court ruling. The Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Necati Utkan, said that the decision had created questions in people's minds as to Italy's legal process. The Minister of Defence, Ismet Sezgin, evaluated the decision as a tragic one both with regard to international law and relations. The Head of the Turkish Police Department, Necati Bilican, said that it seemed that Italy had prepared the ground for Ocalan to travel to another counrty. The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lamberto Dini, said on Wednesday that Ocalan would either be tried in Italy or he would be expelled from the country. Also, the Spokesman for the German Minister of Justice, Bernhard Boehm, said that the Bonn government still wanted to see Ocalan brought before an international tribunal despite Wednesday's decisions. The leader of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan, was released by the Court of Appeals in Rome yesterday. Ocalan was taken from his villa to an unknown location yesterday night. Turkish security sources note that the new residence of Ocalan could be in Rome or near Rome. They point out that in order not to sever his relations with Italian political circles, Ocalan prefers not to leave the region. The so-called representative of the PKK in Europe, Akif Hasan, stated that Ocalan was considering going to a third country. Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema said yesterday that a decision on Ocalan would be given in the next few days. The Italian Ambassador to Ankara, Massimiliano Bandini, who replied to questions put by the 'Sabah' daily newspaper, recalled that Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini had said Ocalan would be either deported or be tried. Bandini said: "I do not know which alternative will be chosen". /Sabah/ The former French President's wife, Danielle Mitterrand, paid a visit to the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan yesterday in his villa. It is reported that Danielle Mitterrand, accompanied by some supporters of the PKK terrorist organization and the Chairman of the Italian Peace Association 'Asopace', Luisa Morgantini, held a one-hour meeting with Ocalan. No statement was made regarding the meeting. /Sabah/ The US administration has stated that the decision to release the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is very disturbing. US State Department Spokesman James Rubin held a press conference yesterday said: "The release of Ocalan is a blow in the struggle against international terrorism". Rubin noted that US officials had held contacts with high-level officials in the Italian government and wanted them not to release Ocalan, on the contrary, they wanted Ocalan's trial. Rubin pointed out that he had re-discussed the Ocalan issue with Germany, Italy and Turkey in the light of the new developments. /Sabah/ Italy could not find the support that she expected from the European Union (EU) Council concerning the trial and extradition of the chief of the PKK terrorist organization. Diplomatic sources pointed out that the decision accepted yesterday at the Committee of the Delegation of the EU Council did not meet the Italians' expectations. The same sources noted that the final decision was very different from Italy's suggestion. It was also added that the Committee stressed in its decision that the tecnical and legal sides of the European agreements would be examined to solve the problem. /Turkiye/ 18 December 1998: The Italian Foreign Ministry and Italian Secret Police stated that the Court of Appeals in Rome released the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is still lodging in his villa in Infernetto, Rome. The Italian Foreign Ministry made a statement yesterday morning upon an official application by the Turkish Ambassador to Rome, Inal Batu; the statement said that Ocalan had not left Italy and was still in his villa. The Foreign Ministry pointed out that the headline in the 'Unita' newspaper, a publication of the Communist Party, which claimed that 'Ocalan left Italy' was not correct. Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema held a meeting concerning Ocalan with Interior Minister Rosa Russo Jervolino, Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini and Justice Minister Oliviero Diliberto two days ago. During the meeting, D'Alema noted that the decision of the Court of Appeals in Rome did not change anything. On the other hand, among the countries to which the PKK leader Ocalan can go, are Sweden, Ukraine, Holland and South Africa. Some sources close to the Italian Interior Ministry claim that South Africa is most likely. (Hurriyet) Abdullah Ocalan's lawyers, Giuliano Pisapia and Luigi Saraceni sent a letter to the Italian Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior Affairs asking Ocalan to be granted the right of political asylum in accordance with Article 10 of the Italian Constitution. Ocalan's lawyers pointed out that Ocalan preferred to stay in Italy instead of going to a third country. /Cumhuriyet/ President Suleyman Demirel laid the foundation of a geothermal power-station in Ilgin, Konya yesterday. At the ceremony, Demirel said that Turkey was a strong democratic country and it was an effective country in its region. Regarding Ocalan's release Demirel said that there was no country in the world that could give shelter to the murderer of 30,000 people otherwise they would be a partner in these massacres. Turkey was determined to continue following Ocalan wherever he went. (Cumhuriyet) The former deputy of the Democratic Party (DEP), which was abrogated, Sedat Yurttas, said that recent statements by Abdullah Ocalan had caused a great reaction within the PKK. Yurttas recalled that Ocalan's statements putting the responsibility for the violent activities on members of the organization, had caused anger within the PKK. He added that the PKK chief claimed that he could not take steps together with his party because of certain ideological differences between them. Ocalan said that he had abandoned the thesis of a united Kurdistan and he was for a solution within the borders of Turkey, noted Yurttas; he added that the organization depended for its struggle on violence and that Ocalan had reached the point where he could break his ties with the PKK. Ocalan's statements on MED-TV insulting his militants caused uneasiness and "leadership" discussions had arisen inside the organization. (Cumhuriyet) "La Derniere Heure", the Belgian daily, reported that the decision by the Rome Court of Appeals to release Ocalan was "surprising", whereas "La Libre Belgique" drew attention to the fact that this decision did not mean a total escape for Ocalan. Meanwhile, The Times reported that the decision aggravated Turkey. /Aksam/ Turkey, yesterday, demanded the re-arrest of the leader of the terrorist PKK organization Abdullah Ocalan who was released by the Rome Court of Appeals. Turkey's Italian lawyer Augusto Sinagra in his letter to the High Court of Appeals recalled that Ocalan was arrested following a tip off on November 12 in Rome on Turkey's demand and subsequent request for his extradition. Sinagra mentioned the expression stated in the judgement concerning the preservation of Turkey's right to demand the extradition of Ocalan. Sinagra also noted that rescindment of the extradition demand by the German Federal Court would not affect Turkey's continuing demand for his arrest or extradition. He asked the Italian Minister of Justice Oliviero Diliberto, to take the same initiatives towards Turkey's demand as he has taken towards Germany's extradition demand and ask the judiciary to re-arrest Ocalan. /Milliyet/ German press evaluated the decision to release Ocalan as 'surprising' and added that Italy had put itself in a tight spot. The "Suddetsche Zeitung" newspaper wrote that Ocalan preferred to stay in the district of Infernetto which meant 'small hell". Noting that it was impossible to grant him political asylum, the newspaper said: "The troubles of Italy will increase". ARD television stated that the sentence of the court had divided Italian public opinion. In the news it was pointed out that preserving Turkish-Italian relations was more important than protecting a terrorist organization. On the hand, "Frankfurter Rundschau" drew attention to the fact that the possibility of trying Ocalan at an international tribunal was fading away. In the editorial in Stuttgarter Zeitung it was stated that this was a surprise move by Italy and that the Italian government searching for ways to get rid of a Stalinist terrorist. In the editorial it was said: "To release someone responsible for the deaths of many people is easy for Italy, but it is not something that can be accepted by Turkey." /Milliyet/ Many European newspapers have devoted wide coverage to the release of the leader of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan. The German 'Bild' newspaper said: "One of the most dangerous terrorists is now free again. Italy, which did not extradite Ocalan to Turkey due to Turkey's death penalty law, is setting him free. On the other hand, Germany, which first issued a warrant for Ocalan's detainment in prison, later said that it did not want him. The result is that relations with Turkey have further deteriorated and there has been a great blow to the struggle against international terrorism". Augsburger Allgemeine: Bonn clearly admitted its failure. The Foreign Ministry noted that the establishment of a tribunal to adjudicate on the Ocalan case is not in their hands; the Justice Ministry Spokesman stated that a country willing to try Ocalan should be found. These are all shameful. The Guardian: The release of Ocalan was very surprising and Turks have reacted against this decision. Ocalan went to Italy on November 12 on condition that he would not be extradited to Germany or Turkey. The Independent: Italy released the leader of the PKK terrorist organization which has claimed the lives of 30,000 people and the Turkish nation has strongly reacted against this decision. The PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, has written a letter to Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson and thanked him for his support. Ocalan, who wrote his letter in Turkish and sent it to Persson via the 'Aftonbladet' newspaper, said: "Your assistance will play an important role for the solution of the Kurdish problem. If our problems of status in Italy are solved, I would like to meet you". Ocalan claimed that Olof Palme was killed by right-wing groups, which are against peace. He said that Olof Palme had not wanted Sweden to be a NATO member and had been an important peace-supporter. Meanwhile, Ocalan, who made a statement in Turkish to the Greek Meda TV channel by phone, said that he was disappointed over the stance of the Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, who had closed the door of Greece to him. Ocalan said: "I like the Greek nation very much". /Hurriyet/ Fifteen PKK militants, tried for their membership of a terrorist organization, were sentenced to imprisonment of between 10 months to 5 years by the 14th Criminal Court in Paris. The court sentenced Lokman Tas to five and Idris Durmus to three years, both of whom were among the leading staff of the PKK in Europe and had been seized during a joint operation conducted by the French and Italian Police in August 1998. The criminal file of the above mentioned militants had been prepared by Jean Francois Richard, the French coroner who cross-examined Ocalan last week in Rome. (Aksam) 21 December 1998: Ocalan will be tried today in his absence at the State Security Court in Ankara. The first session of the trial, at which five more suspects have been tried, was held on 13 October 1997. Turkey's legal complaint against the Italian Minister of Justice, Oliviero Diliberto, on 14 December by her lawyer, Augusto Sinagra, was rejected by the Public Prosecutor of the Republic in Rome. Turkey's lawyer, Augusto Sinagra said that Abdullah Ocalan could not leave Italy until the legal procedure concerning his application for political asylum were ended. Sinagra pointed out that Ocalan could be handed over to Turkey with the claims of international drug smuggling, bribery, collecting money by force and attacking civilians which do not foresee the application of the death penalty. (Cumhuriyet and Turkiye) The Il Giornale newspaper published in Italy claimed that the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was ready to leave Italy. The newspaper said that the possibility that Ocalan may go to Libya was not likely due to the harsh reaction of the US. The newspaper noted that Ocalan might go to South Africa and that Britain does not want Ocalan. If Ocalan goes to London, he may be arrested, the newspaper added. Cem Ozdemir and Alper Oktem note in their article in the Milliyet daily newspaper today that following the capture of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Italy, there have been many reactions in Turkey against the stance of European countries and the recent decision to release Ocalan. The common point of comments made on this issue is that Europe has secret plans aimed at Turkey. Is Europe benevolent towards the PKK in order to play its Kurdish card? Are there European aims to develop an alternative Kurdish policy against that of the US? The developments observed following the capture of Ocalan, and reactions by the Italian and German governments and nations do not give us the impression that Europe has a Kurdish plan. Even though Ocalan has gone to Italy with the support of some Italian politicians, it is evident that the Italian government is acting in a confused manner. The Italian government is knocking on the door of Germany by stating that Ocalan's capture was based on the German demand for extradition. Germany has abandoned its demand of extradition and does not want Ocalan. The Italian Foreign Minister has gone to Moscow to research into ways of sending Ocalan back to Russia. According to rumors, Italy even proposes his transfer to the US. These irremediable initiatives by European governments show us that they have no conception of a solution regarding this unexpected incident. On the other hand, half of the European countries are not even interested in the issue. If there were a plan, more coordinated efforts would have been seen. (Milliyet) Turkey warned Germany after statements had been made to the effect that the Kurdish issue was their problem too and attempts had been made to move the Southeastern problem of Turkey into the international arena. The German Ambassador to Turkey, Hans Joachim Vergau, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Turkey's views and concerns were explained to him in detail. According to information received from diplomatic circles, Vergau (who was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) was asked to give an explanation on his and German Government representatives'statements reflected in the press. It was also pointed out that efforts to move a problem concerning a region of Turkey into the international arena caused reaction in Turkey. /Sabah/ The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lamberto Dini, said that the Abdullah Ocalan issue was being solved. Dini noted that if Ocalan was not given political asylum by Italian judicial authorities, he would be immediately expelled. The Public Prosecutor of the Italian Republic in Rome, Giovanni Malerba, said that there was the risk of Abdullah Ocalan fleeing away and that he should be arrested. He added that Ocalan could be handed over to Turkey depending on the crimes that he had committed in the past. Malerba officially asked the Rome Court of Justice to take the necessary measures due to the possibility of Ocalan's escape. He noted that there were six arrest warrant for Ocalan and some trials in Turkey. Malerba pointed out that Ocalan could be handed over to Turkey depending on three investigations which do not foresee the application of the death penalty. (Aksam and Cumhuriyet) The Secretary-General of the Italian Foreign Ministry Umberto Vattani and Turkish Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Ambassador Faruk Logoglu, held a meeting yesterday at the Turkish Embassy in Rome. During the meeting, the extradition of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to a third country and the recent statements by Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema were discussed. The Turkish Ambassador to Rome, Inal Batu, and Minister Counsellor Ahmet Gurkan were also present at the meeting. No detailed information was given about the meeting. /Sabah/ 22 December 1998: YILMAZ: "ITALY MOVES IN ZIGZAGS": Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said that Italy should stop moving in zigzags and should act as a state of law. Yilmaz replied to questions from Italian journalists at Ankara's Esenboga Airport and said that no response to Turkey's demand for the extradition of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has been yet received. Yilmaz pointed out that before receiving an official reply to Turkey's demand, it would be illegal to discuss other alternatives. /Sabah/ PISAPIA: "OCALAN IS READY TO LEAVE": Giuliano Pisapia, the lawyer of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, said that Ocalan understood that his presence in Italy was creating problems and therefore if the possibility of the establishment of an international tribunal is not forthcoming, he was ready to leave Italy. Delivering a speech on RAI 3 Radio yesterday morning, Pisapia noted that Ocalan came to Italy to demand political asylum and he was ready to be tried at an international tribunal. /Sabah/ Il Borghese and L'Expresso, the leading Italian magazines, wrote that Ocalan is an outrageous baby-killer. Displaying the photograph of a shot baby on the cover, Il Borghese asked the Italian government whether they were still considering "giving the right to political asylum to this murderer", whereas L'Expresso noted that it was then publicly known that Ocalan is a baby-killer. /Hurriyet/ 23 December 1998: It is claimed that at the end of the summit held at the Turkish Embassy in Rome, both sides reached a framework agreement on Ocalan's extradition to Turkey with a "formula in stages". The Undersecretary of the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Umberto Vattani, and the Deputy Undersecretary of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Faruk Logoglu, the Turkish Ambassador to Rome, Inal Batu and other Turkish and Italian senior officials attended the meeting. Evaluating the meeting to Aksam newspaper Ambassador, Batu said, "Turkey did mnot make any bargain on Ocalan's extradition with Italian officials. If the chief of the terrorist organization is handed over to a third country Turkey's requests will be met. Since the begining of the crisis this is the most useful meeting that has been held with Italian officials, since they are no longer talking about organizing a Kurdish conference. " Meanwhile, Italian "La Stampa" newspaper claimed that, depending on Ankara, Libya, Sudan and Somalia were among the countries that Ocalan could be sent to. The report added that both Turkey and Italy were for Ocalan's removal from Europe. Land Forces Commander, Gen.Atilla Ates, noted yesterday that the Western countries, which are quick to give lessons on human rights, have been safeguarding a murderer of innocent people and said: "This issue constitutes an example for all mankind". The leader of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan, has been released by the Court of Appeals in Rome. Gen.Ates attended a ceremony during which honorary medals were presented to two Generals who have been successful in operations carried out in Southeastern Anatolia. Gen.Ates said that in recent years, terrorism was again on the stage with the support of foreign countries, was out to demolish the Republic of Turkey. /Milliyet/ "SOUTH AFRICA IS NOT RELATED TO OCALAN": The South African Ambassador to Ankara, Thomas Wheeler, stated that he had read claims that the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan may go to South Africa in newspapers and said that these were all speculations. Wheeler noted that Italy had taken no initiatives with South Africa to this end. Replying to a question asking if Ocalan fled to South Africa, what would his country do, Wheeler said: "Again, this is all speculation, all I can say is that South Africa is a member of Interpol". (Milliyet) SECRET SERVICE: D'ALEMA LIED TO HIS NATION: The Chairman of the Secret Services Control Commission of the Italian Parliament, Franco Frattini, said that Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema, his Deputy and some Ministers lied to the Italian nation concerning the issue of the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Frattini noted that the statements which claim that Italy had no information regarding the arrival of Ocalan in Rome were not accurate and said: "I cannot hide my bewilderment towards the reactions of some parliamentary members". /Milliyet/ "OCALAN TO BE HANDED OVER TO TURKEY ON CONDITION" The German SAT 1 television station claimed that PKK chief Abdullah Ocalan would be handed over to Turkey. The TV news reported that the Italian court would hand over Ocalan to Turkey on condition that he was not going to be tried under threat of the death penalty. According to Italian legal authorities Italy was ready to negotiate Ocalan's extradition to Turkey with Turkish officials. /Aksam/ HEAVY COST OF THE BOYCOTT: During his visit to Ankara, the Italian Minister of Industry and Trade, Pier Luigi Bersani, evaluated the cost of the economic boycott . Turkish officials announced Italian firms had lost $ 200 million by the end of one month boycott. Bersani noted that Italy had a lot to do to re-construct its relations with Turkey. He added that it was decided that Turkish and Italian industrialists would hold a round-table meeting at the end of January. Bersani noted that he asked Turkish officials to calm Turkish public opinion. Attending the banquet given by Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen (TUSIAD) in Istanbul, Bersani pointed out that they did not want the Turkish-Italian business relations to be damaged as a result of the Ocalan issue. He gave a guarantee to Turkish businessmen that political asylum could be given to a person who was charged with committing terrorist crimes. /Cumhuriyet/Turkiye/ PANGALOS VISITS PKK CAMP: The Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dimitri Pangalos, visited the Lavrion camp of the PKK terrorist organization in Athens. Pangalos addressed PKK terrorists as "our guests" and said, "We are together with you. We will make every effort to help and to send you to your own territories." Greece claimed that Lavrion was a refugee camp although PKK terrorists were trained in the camp. /Aksam/ "IS THERE ANY OVERSIGHT ON OCALAN?" -BY CAN ATAKLI: Can Atakli, a journalist from the Sabah daily newspaper says in his article today: "The PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan will leave Italy today or tomorrow. There are many rumours regarding the countries to which he may go, including North Korea, South Africa, Lithuania and Hungary. Almost two months have passed since Ocalan left Syria. Now let's have a look at the past and see the cost of the Ocalan issue for Turkey. Initially, Land Forces Commander Gen.Atilla Ates warned Syria and told Syrian officials to give up protecting Ocalan. At that time, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz was in the US and was attending a UN meeting. But he did not say anything about this issue. At the same time, Barzani and Talabani were discussing 'the Kurdish problem'. During those days, the President clearly warned Syria and said that Turkey would take every necessary measure including war. The policy of frightening worked wonderfully. Syria did not know how to act. Afterwards, Ocalan left Syria, then went to Russia and finally Italy. The PKK leader Ocalan, regarded as a terrorist by the whole world, has not gained the status of a 'political leader'. The issue has been on the agenda of the European Union (EU). It is possible that further events will more tedious. Turkey should renew its policy, which has started successfully, although later it became impracticable. /Sabah/ 24 December 1998: D'ALEMA DENIES HELPING OCALAN: Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema yesterday denied reports that his government was involved in negotiations to send the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to a third country, saying Ocalan was free to go where he pleased. Italian RAI state television said Ocalan's departure would occur in a matter of hours or at the most, days. Meanwhile, the litte suburban neighbourhood of Infernetto, where Ocalan has been staying while in Rome, was crowded with visitors late Tuesday as security in the area was further beefed up by the Italian authorities. Ocalan said earlier that he was preparing to leave the country, apparently submitting to pressure following a move by Italian authorities in which all restrictions that had been placed on Ocalan were lifted. There have been various rumours concerning Ocalan's next destination, But Italian newspapers said recently that he is most likely to go to a Baltic republic or an Eastern European country. Meanwhile, Ankara has been maintaining its attitude concerning the extradition of Ocalan. "A third country possibility for Ocalan is out of the question for us" Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan told reporters yesterday at a weekly press briefing. Utkan noted that Turkey might have to wait due to 'some reasons beyond its control' before it could reach its ultimate objective of extraditing Ocalan. "What is important for us within that waiting period is that the separatist leader be prevented from continuing his terrorist activities. But the recent interviews he gave to various press organizations show that he can continue with his actions despite the restrictions imposed on him" Utkan complained. /All papers/ ANKARA: "WE WANT OCALAN": The Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ambassador, Korkmaz Haktanir, said yesterday that Italy was seeking ways to expel the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to a third country. The Russian Ambassador to Ankara, Alexander Lebedev, was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry two days ago. During the meeting between Haktanir and Lebedev, it was discussed that Ocalan might go to Russia. Lebedev said: "Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Prime Minister Primakov made an official decision that Ocalan could not be sheltered in Russia. I can guarantee that the PKK leader will not be allowed to enter Russian territories". Meanwhile, the Sudanese Ambassador to Ankara also visited the Turkish Foreign Ministry yesterday and said: "The arrival of Ocalan in Sudan is out of the question". /Milliyet/ RUSSIAN TV: "OCALAN HAS COME BACK": The Russian state-run TV channel ORT put forth an important allegation yesterday night and claimed that the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has come back to Russia. The channel noted that during an operation jointly carried out by Italian and Russian intelligence services, Ocalan has been brought to Russia. However it was not declared that whether Ocalan was brought to Moscow or another city. The Turkish Ambassador to Moscow, Nabi Sensoy, said that he did not believe in this probability. /Sabah/ OCALAN THANKS HIS GREEK FRIENDS: The chief of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan, said that the support that Greece gave to him played an important role in his arrival in Europe. According to the Greek "Eksusia" newspaper Ocalan claimed that there was a great support for the terrorist organization in Greece. He pointed out that although Kurdish and Greek people had intense feelings for each other, he was afraid of going to Grece and Greece was afraid of hosting him due to the reaction of Turkey. The sympathy and friendship that Greece showed to him encouraged him to go to Europe, Ocalan said. He added that if he did not have Greek friends with him, he would never go to Europe. /Aksam/ CRITICISM AGAINST PANGALOS: According to a written statement issued by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, Theodoros Pangalos' visit to the Lavrion camp near Athens was criticized. The statement recalled that Pangalos made claims against Turkey in his speech at the camp. It was added that Pangalos was aware that PKK terrorists were being trained in the camp. /Cumhuriyet/ 25 December 1998: BELGIAN PRESS: "OCALAN POISONED ITALIAN POLICY": The 'La Libre Belgique', one of the leading newspapers published in Belgium, said that Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema exerted great efforts to get rid of the leader of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan. The newspaper described Ocalan as a 'hot potato' which burnt Italians' mouth. The newspaper claimed that Ocalan would soon leave Italy and pointed out that Ocalan poisoned Italian policy and diplomacy. The newspaper stated that D'Alema was disturbed with the stance of Germany and Turkey and said that the Italian Foreign Ministry was evaluating every opportunity to solve the Ocalan problem. The newspaper added that Ocalan might go to Ukraine or another Baltic country or Lebanon. In Ankara, Turkish Justice Minister Hasan Denizkurdu yesterday said that Italy was 'massacring justice' by trying to send Ocalan away even before considering a Turkish request for his extradition. "All the principles of justice have been violated since Ocalan arrived in Italy" Denizkurdu said, vowing that Turkey will "follow him wherever he goes. Turkey's extradition request remains in place". /Turkiye/ OCALAN CALLS FOR US HELP: The Voice of America which airs the official policies of the Washington Administration broadcast an interview held with Ocalan who led to a 'mini crisis' between the US and Turkey. Ocalan called for support to solve the Kurdish problem from the Washington Administration which described him as a terrorist and asked that he stand trial. He added that if he leaves Italy, it will not be because he is deported. He stressed that he did not want to quit the PKK but that he was tired of the arbitrary behaviour displayed by some of his members. /Hurriyet/ THREE CONDITIONS FROM OCALAN TO ITALY: Bargaining with Italy in going to a third country, Ocalan demands protection, a continuance of his political activities, and recognition by the conference of a political title. Ahmet Yaman, the representative of ERNK, said: "Ocalan may leave Italy for another country only on the condition that his life will be protected of his life, the possibility to continue his political activities exists, and that there is recognition of his political identity and that he not be a refugee." Giuliano Pisapia, Ocalan's lawyer, noted that Ocalan could go to former Soviet republics but it was difficult to be sure about the provision of his security in these countries. In this respect, the Corriere Della Sera daily reported that, most recently, Denmark and Finland were offered as alternatives to Ocalan and wrote: "Denmark and Finland can be perfect choices to this end. For they are close to the Kurdish propaganda centers. They are situated so that it is easy to be in touch with MED TV in Brussels. Above all, there is an established respected Kurdish community in these countries." Meanwhile, La Stampa noted that Ocalan had been promised an international conference on the Kurdish question after his leaving the country. /Milliyet/ MOSCOW GUARANTEES ANKARA: Russian officials said that the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is not in Russia and is not expected in the country any time. "Abdullan Ocalan is not and will not be on the territory of the Russian Federation" Foreign Ministry Spokesman Vladimir Rakhmanin was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency. Rakhmanin was responding to Russian television reports on Ocalan's whereabouts. /All papers/ MITTERRAND SUPPORTS OCALAN: Danielle Mitterrand, widow of the French former President Francois Mitterrand, asked European Union (EU) countries to reach a compromise to give Abdullah Ocalan political asylum in "Europe". Head of the France-Libertes, Mitterrand, noted that the Ocalan issue not only belonged to Italy but it also belonged to Europe. She called the EU to give Ocalan political asylum immediately. /Sabah/ ITALY REJECTS HOUSE ARREST FOR OCALAN: Giovanni Melarba's, the Italian lawyer resposible for presesnting Turkey's petition in court for the extradition of Ocalan; had the request made to put Abdullah Ocalan under house arrest rejected by Italian Minister of Justice, Oliviero Diliberto. In his report Diliberto pointed out that there was no need to take Ocalan under watch. /Sabah/ EUROPEAN DOUBLE STANDARD: PINOCHET AND OCALAN -BY ISMET GIRITLI: Ismet Giritli, a journalist from the Turkiye daily newspaper, says the following in his article today: "Britain and Italy, which are two full EU members, have different stances concerning the extradition of General Pinochet and the terrorist Ocalan demanded by Spain and Turkey respectively. This shows once again that they implement a 'double standard' regarding the Human Rights Law. A Spanish judge has demanded that Pinochet be arrested and extradited to Spain. Similar extradition demands also came from France, Switzerland and Belgium. On the other hand, Germany and Italy, which are afraid of Ocalan and his gangs in Europe, refrain from using the "Universal Judgement Right" and are remote regarding the extradition of Ocalan to Turkey. If Italy does not try Ocalan and allows him to go to a third country, which Turkey does not permit, the most moderate reaction of Turkey should be to recall the Turkish Ambassador to Rome, which is unfortunate for Rome where the European Law originated". /Turkiye/ 28 December 1998: OCALAN DOES NOT WANT TO LEAVE EUROPE: It is reported that Abdullah Ocalan wants to go another European country from Italy, which helped him bring his terrorist activities to a political ground. It is added that Ocalan prefers a European country which does not have close economic and political ties with Turkey. It is reported that Ocalan has struggled in order not to go neither to Libya nor to South Africa. Meanwhile Italian Democratic Catholics Centre Party (CCD) deputy, Maurizio Ronconi, said that Ocalan would not welcome the new year in Italy. Ronconi noted that Ocalan would be hosted by another country in the new year. Although he did not announce which country would accept Ocalan, diplomatic circles predicted that Ocalan would be sent to Libya. /Turkiye/ ITALIAN PATIENCE IS OVER: The patience of Italy, which is seeking ways to get rid of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, is over. The Italian Justice Ministry Undersecretary and Greens Deputy Franco Corleone evaluated the developments following Ocalan's arrival in Rome and said that the incident put forth the weakness of political and legal unity of Europe. He noted that a European Constitution was needed, otherwise no solutions could be found to the problems such as the Ocalan issue. Corleone, in an interview with the Corriere della Sera newspaper, criticized the German Interior Minister Otto Schilly and the Foreign Minister and Greens Leader Joschka Fischer, who did not act in line with the Italian policy regarding the Ocalan problem. Corleone stated that Ocalan was ready to go to a third country and added that however he did want to give up his political struggle. /Aksam/ 29 December 1998: TURKEY'S REQUEST REJECTED: The Court of Appeals in Rome yesterday took up a recommendation by Italy's justice minister, ruling against a Turkish request to order the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan back to jail. Turkey wants Ocalan jailed to prevent him from fleeing the country while Italy is considering Ankara's request to extradite Ocalan on charges that do not carry the death penalty. Italy has so far refused to extradite Ocalan to Turkey for trial on terrorism charges, citing laws that prevent it from extraditing suspects to countries where they face the death penalty. Italy's justice minister last week rejected Turkey's request to jail Ocalan, but the final say rested with Rome's appeal court. Ocalan is reportedly negotiating with a number of governments outside the European Union (EU) to take him in. /All papers/ OCALAN NOT WANTED IN BELGIUM: Belgium, which was mentioned among the countries Ocalan would be sent to, has sent him a message asking him not to come to Belgium through various channels. On the other hand it was claimed that Felemez Basboga, a member of the so-called parliament was holding talks to prepare the grounds for Ocalan's stay in one of the Scandinavian countries. A member of Christian Democrat Party, Baccini said that the hospitality Italy has shown to Ocalan must come to an end. In another development, Ocalan who showed every effort to stay in Europe wants to use his chance to the last point. Sources in Rome say that US stand on the matter has left Italy in a tight spot and add, "No other European country would easily welcome Ocalan who became a problem for Russia, Italy and Germany."/Turkiye/ LEADERSHIP CRISIS IN PKK: After Abdullah Ocalan seized in Italy the leadership crisis in the terrorist organization is increasing. It is pointed out that there are serious clashes in the organization and there will be breakings inside the organization. It is learned that Ocalan's recent statements insulting members of the organization caused great reactions and there are two different groups against Ocalan. /Aksam/ 30 December 1998: OCALAN ON ITALIAN RAI 1 TV: News on the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been staying in a villa in the Infernetto town, Rome, were broadcast on the Italian RAI 1 TV channel yesterday. Ocalan stated that he was pleased over being in Italy and said: "I came here to announce the Kurdish issue to Europe". Noting that he wanted the so-called Kurdish problem to be solved through peaceful means, Ocalan added: "I wish that 1999 will be a year of peace. My arrival in Rome is a step taken to this end". /Turkiye/ 31 December 1998: 'GREECE PROTECTING TERRORISM': Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem made a strong criticism against Greece, accusing the country of recently undertaking a 'concerted anti-Turkish campaign' waged by Greek poiticians from all points on the political spectrum. "Greec is the main supporter of all acitivities aimed against Turkey's territorial integrity" Cem said, adding that Athens was providing support and shelter for the separatist terrorists who fight against Turkey. The Foreign Minister said that Ankara was informing the international community about Greece's misconduct and its violations of international agreements that both it and Turkey had signed. Among the violations, Cem cited Athens as having committed were the repression of ethnic minorities in Greece, particularly of the ethnic Turkish-Muslim minority in Western Thrace. /All papers/ 4 January 1998: EU'S OCALAN GAME: European Union (EU) countries insist on not calling Abdullah Ocalan by the term "terrorist" and support Ocalan's statement that he had abandoned his weapons and would make politics. Ocalan's official request for political asylum from Italy will be decided on 23 February. If a negative result ensues, Ocalan will have the right to object to the decision. Thus Ocalan has the chance to stay in Rome with the support of the EU. Behind closed doors, most of the EU countries are in full agreement with the Rome administration, on the Ocalan issue but in front of the public they act as if Italy is standing alone. This is another dimension of the European game against Turkey. If Ocalan is granted a political identity in Italy, then the PKK will be incorporated into the EU. /Turkiye/ 'OCALAN WILL LEAVE ITALY': The Italian newspaper, Corniere della Serra, said under the headline "Last hours of Ocalan in Rome" that the leader of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan, had met representatives from one of the former Soviet Union republics in his villa in Rome. According to the newspaper, the said country was ready to provide the conditions demanded by Ocalan. The newspaper noted that the Italian government was planning to announce the news after Ocalan leaves Rome and goes to a third country. Meanwhile, the Ocalan issue continues to create problems for the Italian coalition government. One of the partners of the coalition government, Social Democrat Party leader Enrico Baselli, made a statement to the Il Giornale newspaper criticizing the policy of the government regarding the Ocalan issue and said that Ocalan should be deported as soon as possible. Basseli stated that the Italian government has not exerted itself sufficiently to find an ideal solution to the Ocalan problem and said: "Ocalan has never given me the impression that he is a peaceful leader. His new year message confirms my opinion". Baselli stated that he has never regarded the idea of the establishment of an international tribunal to try Ocalan as serious. He also said that while there were serious problems regarding the former Yugoslavia, it was not realistic to establish an international tribunal for the PKK leader. /Sabah/ OCALAN THREATENS ITALY: Threatening Italy which is seeking another country to send him to, the PKK leader Ocalan said: "No one can impel me to leave. You are the ones who brought me here. Unless you can solve the question of peace, we will invade Europe through immigration." Meanwhile, the Italian media drew attention to the fact that Massimo D'Alema, the Italian Prime Minister, had begun to pay the price of sponsoring Ocalan. "Il Giornale" reported that Ocalan had cornered D'Alema and reminded its reader that although the Prime Minister had promised to solve the problem three weeks ago, hitherto efforts had not generated any solutions. /Hurriyet/ 5 January 1998: PKK REPORT FROM BARZANI: The leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Union, Mesut Barzani, prepared a report about Abdullah Ocalan and extended it to Italian officials. In his report Barzani told how the terrorist organization had kidnapped civilians and killed them in northern Iraq, how they had plundered villages and hampered the Food Aid programme of the United Nations (UN). The report put the responsibility for the bloody terrorist activities in Northern Iraq on Ocalan and asked Italy to try him as soon as possible. The report was sent to the Italian Prime Minister, Minister of Justice, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministers of Justice of all EU member countries. /Hurriyet/ ITALIAN LAWYER CRITICIZES ROME ON OCALAN: Augusta Sinagra, the lawyer hired by Turkey to persuade the Italian authorities to extradite the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, criticized the authorities in Rome for giving too much flexibility to the terrorist leader. Speaking to an Italian daily, Sinagra said that he had submitted a detailed portfolio to the Italian authorities explaining why Ocalan should be handed over to Turkey. The lawyer stressed that the documents he gave the authorities included the practical possibility of Ocalan's extradition to face charges in Turkey that would not require the death penalty. He also said that Ocalan's lawyers will have to submit their client's defence to the court by January 9, after which the judges will make a decision on the case. The Italian Parliament on January 13 will vote on a draft resolution on whether or not to extradite Ocalan to Turkey. /All papers/ MED-TV BROADCASTS INSTEAD OF TRT-INT: The Turkish Radio and Television International (TRT-INT) broadcast was cancelled and the MED-TV channel started broadcasts in the town of Basel in Switzerland. Turkish citizens reacted strongly to this situation. One of the administrators of the Basel district. Dr. Ralp Lewin, said that MED-TV broadcasts would continue and TRT-INT broadcasts could also be restarted. Lewin added that he did not accept the accusations of links between the "terrorist organization" and MED-TV, calling it the "Kurdish Cultural Television Channel". Meanwhile, the Turkish Ambassador to Bern, Erdal Tumer, sent a memo to the Swiss Minister of Foreign Affairs to protest against the decision. /Hurriyet/ 6 January 1998: D'ALEMA WANTS OCALAN TO LEAVE ITALY: Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema said that if Abdullah Ocalan did not leave Italy within 20 days, he would be sentenced to life imprisonment. D'Alema added that Ocalan would leave Italy even without a passport. He noted: "We understand that Ocalan cannot control the PKK anymore. His men continue their terrorist activities although Ocalan promised me that they would not carry out any such activities in Italy." Pointing out that the Italian Ministries of Justice and Interior Affairs should resolve Turkey's extradition application within 20 days, D'Alema added that if they decided not to extradite Ocalan to Turkey then they should try Ocalan in line with Article 14 of the Geneva Convention because of the crimes that he had committed in Turkey. He stressed that if Ocalan did not want to leave Italy, he would run a high risk of being sentenced to life imprisonment. /Hurriyet/ US AMBASSADOR AGAINST OCALAN INTERVIEW ON VOA: Mark Parris, the US Ambassador to Turkey, denounced the broadcast of an interview with Ocalan on the Voice of America (VOA). Parris sent a telegraph to M.Albright and other US officials in order to prevent the broadcast of the interview, emphasizing that this would counteract US foreign policy targets. Parris said: "Assigning a platform to a terrorist by means of a broadcast against Turkey, the VOA will prove that America cannot distinguish between a terrorist leader and a legal human rights activist. Who will be the next `political leader' interviewed on the VOA? Ebu Nidal or Bin Ladin? Will the VOA choose its guests from the Foreign Ministry list of terrorists from now on?" /Sabah/ NOTE TO SWITZERLAND CONCERNING MED-TV: Turkey reacted strongly against the MED-TV broadcasts in the Basel region of Switzerland. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note to Switzerland yesterday. The Swiss Ambassador to Ankara was yesterday summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and asked to stop the MED-TV broadcasts immediately and restart TRT-INT broadcasts. /Hurriyet/ 7 January 1998: ANKARA TO `WAIT AND SEE' ON OCALAN: Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan yesterday said that Ankara would 'wait and see' how the situation pans out after the Italian Prime Minister's recent remark that the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan could face trial in Italy. "We may have to wait and witness new developments either this week or early next week" Utkan told reporters at the Foreign Ministry yesterday in Ankara. Assessing the current situation which Ankara and Rome have reached in their relations, Utkan said that it was wrong to treat a terrorist as a partner in dialogue. He said Ocalan, ever since his arrest in Rome on November 12, 1998, has been able to control his outlawed organization. /All papers/ TURKISH AMBASSADOR TO ROME: ITALY BEGINS TO SEE THE TRUTH: Commenting on Italian Prime Minister D'Alema's statement telling Ocalan either to go or face life imprisonment, Turkey's Ambassador to Rome, Inal Batu said,"Finally, they begin to see the truth. It would have been much better if these developments had taken place before any tension had occurred in the relations between the two countries." Prime Minister D'Alema's words to the effect that Ocalan either would have to leave Italy or face life imprisonment exploded like a bomb and led to comments that the government was threatening Ocalan.In another development, Daniele Verga, the Counsellor at the Italian Embassy in Ankara was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and was asked what D'Alema meant by this statement. The Italian press headlined the Prime Minister's reaction. /Hurriyet/ MED-TV SCANDAL SOURS TURCO-SWISS TIES: A recent move by a private cable television company in Basel, Switzerland to take the Turkish TRT-INT channel off the air and replace it with the pro-Kurdish Med-TV has inflamed diplomatic ties between Ankara and Bern. The action took place on January 2 and sparked angry reactions from the Turkish community in Basel. A written statement by the Foreign Ministry yesterday said that Turkish diplomatic officials in Bern had taken the initiative in consulting the Swiss authorities. The statement also said that the Swiss Charge D'Affaires in Ankara had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry yesterday. Turkey has called on Switzerland to halt Med-TV broadcasts in Basel. /All papers/ OCALAN'S BODYGUARD CAUGHT WITH HEAVY WEAPONS: Ahmet Sahin, who came to Istanbul on the instructions of Ocalan in Italy, was caught as he was planning an attack on Sehit Ahmet Police Precinct, using heavy weapons. A false identity card was found on him and he stated that he had worked as bodyguard for Ocalan for years and the instruction to plan an attack was given by Ocalan himself. The police stated that Sahin was also responsible for the death of Cetin Yildiz in 1996 because he had confessed to the actions they had carried out. /Hurriyet/ 8 January 1998: CEM CRITICIZES ROME AND ATHENS: Ismail Cem, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, evaluated Turkish foreign policy matters in 1998 in an interview with the Hurriyet daily. Cem said: "Greece apparently supports the separatist PKK and the terrorist Ocalan. This support continues not only in the terrorist PKK camps in Greece but also in the statments of Prime Minister Simitis. Just as the Greek Cypriot Administration has been ridiculed by Europe over the question of S-300 missiles, Greek support for terrorism will be too. Turkey's candidacy for full membership to the EU has been prevented solely by the Greek veto among 15 other members. Yet in the last instance, the EU unmannerly follows an indiscriminatory policy towards Turkey and departs from its own commitments. Above all, Turkey's membership of the EU depends on the Turkish economy's recovery from some pathologies like high inflation and her appropriation of Europe's democratic criteria. These are by no means concessions. Surprisingly, the Italian government has recently violated its own tradition and conception of law, and turned Rome into a center and shelter for terrorism. The initiatives launched by the Italian and German Prime Ministers to bring the Kurdish question onto an international platform and to organize a relevant conference within the framework of the EU have been failed. However, we are assessing these statements and circumstances with prudence for eventually they might be temporary rather than a permanent state of mind." /Hurriyet/ PROTEST AGAINST OCALAN: Authors and intellectuals of Kurdish origin reacted against Ocalan's insulting speech towards Kurds and members of the PKK organization in his statement on MED-TV. Thirty-three Kurdish origin intellectuals issued a written statement saying: "To insult other people is against human rights, international law and agreements and also it is against human dignity. Broadcasting such words through MED-TV is against broadcasting ethics." Meanwhile, in "Ozgur Politika" (Free Politics) newspaper, the publication of the PKK terrorist organization in Germany, these thirty-three intellectuals who critized Ocalan, were threatened. /Cumhuriyet/ OCALAN'S LAST DAYS IN ITALY: After Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema's statements yesterday there is an expectation that the chief of the terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan, will leave the country. The Italian "Il Giornale" newspaper reported that Ocalan asked for two more days last Wednesday to decide whether to go to South Africa or not. It was pointed out that Ocalan's departure from Italy is awaited with bated breath; it is to be noted that there are no problems in relations between Italy and South Africa, thus neither Turkey nor the US would react to Ocalan's departure from that country. Meanwhile, the Italian "Il Manifesto" newspaper said that Italian Prime Minister D'Alema forced Ocalan to leave the country. /Sabah/ 11 January 1998: OCALAN STILL IN ITALY: The Italian "La Republica" newspaper quoted Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema, saying that Abdullah Ocalan should leave Italy as soon as possible otherwise he would be tried. The newspaper claimed that Turkey did not want the extradition of Ocalan and wanted Ocalan to be as far as from the Mediterranean as possible. It was reported that Italy was still in contact with the former Soviet Republics in order to find a place for Ocalan. /Aksam/ ITALIAN INITIATIVES FOR OCALAN NOT SUCCESSFUL: According to information received from circles close to the New Communist Party by the daily 'Hurriyet' newspaper, the invitation of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to Italy had been planned two years ago. With the election of Massimo D'Alema, a post-Communist leader, as the Italian Prime Minister, the process was in progress. Ocalan was to be promoted to the Italian public during OCALAN BEGS RUSSIA The PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, has issued a similar statement in Moscow to the ones he had previously made in other countries. Ocalan begged Russian Prime Minister Yevgeni Primakov to remove the obstacles in the path of granting him asylum. Ocalan, who made a statement yesterday through ERNK, the political wing of the PKK, said that he urged Russia, Italy and Greece to grant him asylum. Ocalan expected special sensitivity on the part of Primakov and urged him to consider the Duma's point of view on this issue. /Sabah/ GREECE: "WE DO NOT WANT ANY TROUBLE WITH TURKEY" Nearly 150 members of the PKK terrorist organization, who gathered in front of the Greek Parliament building yesterday in Athens, held demonstrations demanding that the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, be granted asylum. Security was tight and the police took one PKK member into custody. The Greek Government Spokesman, Dimitris Reppas, said that Greece rejected Ocalan's demand for asylum and pointed out that Greece was determined not to increase the strain on already-frayed Turkish-Greek relations. Reppas said: "We do not want Ocalan in Greece". /Sabah/ FOREIGN PRESS ON OCALAN: A leading newspaper published in Belgium, Le Soir, said yesterday that the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, who could not find any place to stay, had become tired. An article in the newspaper entitled 'The endless journey of the unwanted man' stated that the Turkish government was determined to find him, even if he were in Hell. The article added that Ocalan had been abandoned. /Sabah/ PKK protesters take over Greek embassies across Europe and in Kenya in protest against the arrest and extradition to Turkey of their leader, Abdullah Ocalan. The Greek embassy in London's Holland Park is cordoned off, with around PKK activists barricaded inside. Similar protests were mounted overnight in Denmark, Switzerland, Moscow, Vienna, and Bonn. LONDON: OCALAN IS AN VIOLENT TERRORIST: The British Foreign Office called Ocalan "violent terrorist" in its written statement issued and said that Britain was always opposed to both PKK terrorist activities and every terrorist activity. It was also noted that the PKK had not ceased its terrorist activities. 17 February 1999: Criticised by both friends and enemies, Greece faces charges of betrayal and incompetence over its dealings with the PKK leader now in Turkish hands. "Greek officials had been sheltering Abdullah Ocalan, the rebel Kurdish leader, at the Greek ambassador's residence in Nairobi, but "lost" him in still unexplained circumstances as he was driven to the airport in the Kenyan capital. During an emergency debate in parliament, deputies from the governing socialist Pasok party called for the resignation of their own Foreign Minister, Theodoros Pangalos. Even the stock market dipped two percentage points amid general dismay at the debacle and fears that the government would be destabilised. "This is the most humiliating moment in Greece's history," one Pasok deputy told Greek television. Greek newspapers reported that Mr Ocalan had told his lawyer during the frantic attempts to gain political asylum that he was caught between Turkey and Greece "the bandit state on the one hand, and the comedy state on the other". Pasok MP Costas Bandouvas, who had led a lobbying effort for Greece to grant asylum to Mr Ocalan, called a news conference to denounce a "disgrace and stain" on the reputation of modern Greece. Some Pasok officials have called for a full parliamentary inquiry into the role played by the government in the whole affair. (Paul Wood, "Ocalan fallout hits Greece", The BBC News, 17 February 1999). OCALAN TO FACE TURKISH JUSTICE: Ocalan, the leader of the PKK terrorist organization, is finally in the hands of Turkish authorities following a 15-year-long terrorist campaign against the Turkish State. Ocalan was brought to Turkey early on Tuesday on a 'special flight', apparently from Kenya. He had reportedly been 'hosted' at the Greek Embassy complex in Nairobi for between 10 and 12 days and was turned over to Kenyan authorities late on Monday night. Flanked by the country's Intelligence Chief, Senkal Atasagun, at a press conference in the Cabinet office, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit told reporters at the beginning of his remarks announcing Ocalan's capture: "The separatist terrorist organization's leader Ocalan has been here since three o'clock this morning. We had promised that the State would catch him; we have kept our promise. He will pay the price for his deeds in the independent Turkish courts" Ecevit said. Ecevit made an appeal to the remaining terrorists of the PKK to lay down their arms and surrender. Ecevit gave assurances that active PKK members would benefit from an extension to the Repentance Law, which is currently on Parliament's agenda. Ocalan's capture marked a historic moment in the 15-year-old struggle against the PKK, which has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people including more than 5.000 civilians. The incident also indicated the unwillingness on the part of European governments to grant political asylum to Ocalan. The US Embassy in Ankara denied reports of their Intelligence having helped Turkey. "The US denies that it was involved in any way in bringing Ocalan to Turkey" a written statement from the Embassy said. The Foreign Ministry in Ankara yesterday summoned 21 Ambassadors, including those from the US, Holland, Finland, Italy, Israel, Germany, Russia, Greece and Sweden, and told them about the latest developments regarding Ocalan's transfer to Turkey. The Foreign Ministry thanked the governments of those Ambassadors for cooperating with Turkey against terrorism. The Ministry also asked them to tighten security around Turkish premises in their countries. Following Ocalan's capture, security was tightened throughout Turkey. To deter any PKK attack, police beefed up security at sensitive sites in Ankara and Istanbul. Meanwhile, Kenya bitterly criticized the Greek Ambassador to Nairobi for getting involved in activities 'incompatible' with his diplomatic status and for deceiving Kenyan officials, asking Athens to recall him. It was later learned that Greece had closed its Embassy in Nairobi. PKK DEMONSTRATIONS ABROAD: Greek Embassies throughout Europe were stormed by PKK protestors early yesterday after word spread that Ocalan had left the Greek Embassy in Kenya. PKK protestors burst into the Greek and Kenyan Embassies in Vienna and took five hostages at the Greek Embassy, including the Ambassador, Austrian police said. The protesters threatened to set the Kenyan Embassy on fire unless their demands for talks were met. Protesters in The Hague stormed the Greek Ambassador's Residence and held three people hostage, who reportedly included the Ambassador's wife and child. In Denmark, a Kurdish woman who was among 30 demonstrators at a similar protest in front of the Greek Embassy in Copenhagen set herself on fire and was seriously burned. About 40 supporters of Ocalan broke into the UN's European Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Dozens of Kurds burst into the Greek Embassy in Moscow as well. But following negoations with the Greek Ambassador, they were taken away in police vans. Germany also saw a number of protests, with the Greek Embassy in Bonn being taken over. In Athens, police detained 80 Kurdish demonstrators. Kurds have occupied the Greek Embassy in Brussels, along with other Greek premises in EU capitals. LEADERS WELCOME CAPTURE OF OCALAN: President Suleyman Demirel said in a written statement that Ocalan's capture was a 'very important phase' in Turkey's 15-year-old struggle against the PKK terrorist organization. Demirel extended his congratulations, particularly to the Government, the General Staff and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT). He urged all Turkish citizens to contribute to the preservation of the unity of the Turkish State, emphasizing that no power can defeat the State. Motherland Party (ANAP) Leader Mesut Yilmaz and Republican People's Party (CHP) Leader Deniz Baykal expressed their optimism about solving problems in the Southeast, while other leaders simply congratulated the Government. Virtue Party (FP) Leader Recai Kutan evaluated the development, saying it was 'wonderful news'. True Path Party (DYP) Leader Tansu Ciller said: "This incident will be a good example to the world". NEWS WHICH FLASHED ACROSS: Television and radio channels throughout the world announced the news concerning Ocalan's capture in news flashes. German and Greek TV channels stopped their broadcasts to announce the news. The BBC gave over many hours in its broadcasts yesterday to the news of Ocalan. Meanwhile, French news agencies presented Ocalan as the first news item in their broadcasts. American newspapers, the "Washington Post", the "New York Times" and "US Today" devoted wide coverage to Ocalan's capture and the demonstrations by PKK members outside the Greek Embassies and Consulates in Europe. EUROPEANS CALL ON TURKEY: Berlin: German Interior Minister Otto Schily said that they had not requested but that they had merely called on to Turkey to allow international representatives follow Ocalan's trial and not to apply the death penalty in the verdict to be given at the end of the trial. Paris: French Minister of Foreign Affairs Hubert Vedrine said in his written statement that Turkey should respect the principles of the State of Law in all the procedures concerning Ocalan. Southern Greek Cyprus: The administration announced the capture of the terrorist as a very "sad" event. Southern-Cypriot representatives criticised PKK demonstrations held outside Greek Embassies in Europe. Bulgaria: The Bulgarian Ministry of Interior Affairs announced that they would not permit any PKK demonstrations in Sofia or any other region of Bulgaria. EU: The European Union Foreign Affairs Commission discussed Ocalan yesterday and urged Turkey to preserve impartial judgement concerning Ocalan. It was also remarked that international representatives should attend the Ocalan's trial. The Head of the Commission, Hans van den Broek, said that the EU would have no role at that point but they could only ask Turkey to start a legal trial procedure as soon as possible. /Milliyet/Turkiye/ PKK APPLIES TO HUMAN RIGHTS COURT: The Dutch lawyer for the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, has claimed that Ocalan was seized by force in the Greek Embassy in Kenya and brought to Turkey and therefore they will apply to the European Court of Human Rights. The Dutch lawyer, Britta Bohler, said that the arrest was contrary to the regulations and added: "We are very concerned about the future of Ocalan in Turkey. We do not know where he is nor how he is being interrogated or tried". Meanwhile, Ocalan will be tried in State Security Court No.2 in Ankara charged with 'treason' under the 125th article of the Turkish Penal Code. Since he is allegedly responsible for the deaths of 30,000 people, he faces the death penalty. /Hurriyet/ US WELCOMES OCALAN'S DETENTION: The Clinton Administration evaluated Ocalan's enforced return to Turkey as an important diplomatic success and an opportunity to begin diplomatic reforms in Turkey. The US has always supported Turkey in her struggle against the PKK and the Clinton Administration was satisfied with Ocalan's eventual capture. Washington now requested that Turkey bring Ocalan to trial and also calls PKK terrorists to abandon their terrorist activities. The US administration wants Turkey to take advantage of her diplomatic success in solving the Kurdish issue and to begin economic and social reforms in the Southeastern region. (Milliyet) GREECE CANNOT JUMP OVER THE HURDLE: The Greek government is in a difficult situation due to the failure of her policy concerning Ocalan. Athens never openly showed sympathy to Ocalan; she began encouraging EU countries to shelter Ocalan but she refused to be directly involved in the issue. In the last stages of the Ocalan crisis it was understood that Greece was playing a leading role. Diplomatic analysts said that Greece made a grave error by making the hurdle cross-bar too high in an issue directly related to Turkey. (Milliyet) PKK IS IN PANIC: A great panic afflicted the PKK terrorist organization immediately after Abdullah Ocalan was captured. The PKK's main Headquarters Commander, Cemil Bayik, made a call to the PKK members asking them to remain calm. It is reported that a serious leadership struggle could break out between Cemal Bayik and Osman Ocalan. Intelligence services predict that the struggle will be bloody. (Milliyet) KENYA: "WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE" The Kenyan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bonaya Godana, said after they had learned that Abdullah Ocalan was in the Greek Embassy in Nairobi, they had asked Greek officials to remove him from Kenya. He added, "Kenya is not responsible for and has no role in the issue. The Greek Ambassador to Nairobi accompanied the leader of the terrorist organization on his departure from Kenya by plane." /Turkiye/ REPPAS: "OCALAN IS RESPONSIBLE": In Athens, Greek Government Spokesman Dimitris Reppas said yesterday that "Ocalan himself is responsible for his capture", and ruled out any responsibility on the part of the Greek Government. Reppas said that Ocalan himself had chosen Kenya as a destination and that the Greek Embassy there 'only helped him to find a compound'. The Greek government is being criticized by opposition parties and backbenchers within the governing Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) because of their policy on Ocalan. Meanwhile, the Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini demanded that Ocalan be prosecuted according to the rules of democracy and law. In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday denied a report that Israel's MOSSAD helped Turkey track down Ocalan. TIME HAS COME FOR ACCOUNTS TO BE MET - BY OKTAY EKSI: In his column in Hurriyet Oktay Eksi is commenting on the capture of Abdullah Ocalan. A summary of his column is as follows: The capture of Ocalan has solved at least one problem; in other words,the search for a place which would harbour him. He will have to stay in the country where he was born and raised, benefitting from its advantages only to then betray it. This is the last thing he may have wished for because during the day he will have to answer to the demands of Justice and at nights to the haunting questions of babies, innocent teachers, women, and elderly people he had ordered to be killed...He should have understood that he was no more than a mere terrorist in the eyes of the world, when he was expelled from Syria... It is ironic that, had the Italians given Ocalan to Turkey on condition that he should not be executed, Turkey would have had to abide by that condition and after sentencing Ocalan to imprisonment for a few years would have had to release him. Now Turkey has the opportunity to bring him to justice with no conditions attached...The capture of Ocalan is a turning point in the fight Turkey has waged against terrorism. The capture of his right hand-man, Semdin Sakik, signalled the beginning of the collapse of the PKK terrorist organisation. But this most recent development, the capture of Ocalan and his being handed over to Turkish justice, is proof that the nightmare of terrorism caused by the PKK has come to an end. Therefore, the members of this terrorist organization still in the mountains should see this reality for what it is and surrender to the Turkish authorities in order to benefit from the "Repentance Law"... They should prove that they are clever enough to benefit from this law and Turkish officials should demonstrate to the world they they are wise enough to take the necessary steps all Turkish people want for freedom. (Hurriyet) OCALAN IN TURKEY -BY HIKMET CETINKAYA: The leader of the terrorist PKK organization has been brought to Turkey from Kenya. The supporters of Ocalan who were fed by terrorism in the Southeasern region of Turkey, are angry at the US and Israel while crying at their TV broadcasts from Brussels, and labelling Italy and Germany as traitors...Not two months ago, the European Union countries were preparing to rejudge the Lausanne Treaty. The Prime Ministers of Italy and Germany had initiated efforts to bring the PKK problem before the EU, to be able to try Ocalan in an 'international court'. Research to transfer the problem to a political platform in Europe began five years ago. All countries were providing support and making contributions to build up the needed infrastructure. They were trying to put both political and economic pressure on Turkey..... The strength of the Republic of Turkey has shown itself once more by the capture and tnansfer of Ocalan to Turkey...The Turkish Prime Minister, Bulent Ecevit, called on the militants of the PKK still in the mountains to surrender, during his press conference. Turkey is one step ahead and has demonstrated its strength to the international community. Now Turkey should ameliorate its bad record of human rights, improve her democracy, and remove the imbalances in income distribution...We hope that the European countries have learnt the true nature of the organization from yesterday's demonstrations by the PKK held in Europe....Ocalan will account for the murders he has committed in independent courts. (Cumhuriyet) 18 February 1998: OCALAN UNDER ARREST: Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit confirmed that PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was currently being detained under tight security, "an island in the Marmara Sea" under tight security, referring to the prison-island of Imrali. Ecevit added that Ocalan was caught with a Greek-Cypriot passport belonging to a Greek Cypriot national but bearing Ocalan's pictures. The passport, issued by the Greek-Cypriot Immigration Department, belonged to a journalist named Lazaros Mavros, a columnist working for the Greek Cypriot daily "Fileleftheros". It is reported that Mavros is currently the head of the association "Solidarity with Kurdistan" and had contributed to the setting up of the Kurdish Parliament-in-exile. Ecevit noted that Ocalan would initially be interrogated over a period of two days. Ocalan is charged with countless murders, violent attacks, drug smuggling and cooperation with foreign nationals in order to subvert the Turkish State. The Prime Minister stressed that the Turkish justice system will not allow any outside intervention in its proceedings. Meanwhile, President Suleyman Demirel on Wednesday called on the nation for solidarity. Speaking to journalists, Demirel said that no one should dare to disturb peace and stability in Turkey. Demirel added that in the course of the last four months Europe had seen that the PKK is a terrorist organization. He said that anyone attempting to support Ocalan would only be sharing in his murders. /All papers/ PKK'S VIOLENT ATTACKS IN EUROPE: The arrest of notorious separatist chief Ocalan sparked riots and demonstrations throughout Europe. Four pro-PKK protestors were shot and killed while trying to force their way into the Israeli Consulate yesterday. At least 15 people were injured in the shooting at the four-storey building near Berlin's largest Turkish neighbourhood, police said. People were injured both in and out of the Consulate. After the incident Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the shooting occured when dozens of PKK supporters tried to storm the Consulate, using hammers and clubs. Israel immediately ordered all of its Consulates and Embassies in Europe closed. In Bonn the Ministry of Interior Affairs increased security at the likely targets of PKK attacks after demonstrators occupied Greek Consulates throughout the country. European governments feared they would continue to feel the brunt of PKK outrage during Turkey's expected trial of Ocalan on terrorism charges. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder issued a statement using pro-PKK Kurds to stop their illegal actions which were not acceptable under any circumstances. In Russia, PKK supporters protested for two hours outside the US Consulate. PKK supporters in Switzerland continued occupying several diplomatic offices and launched a new protest, pushing their way into the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees early on Wednesday. In London, 40 Ocalan supporters held a man hostage inside the Greek Embassy for a second day. More than 150 supporters sang, shouted and banged drums overnight in the busy main roads. PKK militants and supporters started storming Greek outposts early Tuesday after learning that Ocalan had been arrested at the Greek Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. Breaking down doors and smashing windows, protestors occupied Greek Embasies and consulates in at least 21 European cities on Tuesday, and briefly occupied Consulates in Vancouver, British Columbia and Sidney, Australia. PKK demonstrations took place in a number of Istanbul neighbourhoods. In the Gazi district, a group of demonstrators congregated in the evening in the central square, after which they threw molotov cocktails, setting fire to one municipal bus, four cars and two waste disposal lorries. There were clashes between demonstrators and police officers, and a number of demonstrators were taken into custody. In another development in Istanbul, a group of demonstrators set a public bus on fire. Extensive security measures were taken in that neighbourhood as well. /All papers/ OCALAN: "I AM AT YOUR SERVICE": The Turkish security forces who captured the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan through a successful operation in Kenya recorded every minute of the operation. The National Intelligence Service (MIT) distributed the video film, obtained on the plane which brought Ocalan to Turkey, to all TV stations yesterday. The film, displayed live on the CNN as well, reveals that the Turkish special forces treated Ocalan in quite a professional and gentle manner. In the first conversation between Ocalan and a Turkish official, the PKK leader made some quite interesting statements. Ocalan said, "I love my country. My mother was also a Turk. I am ready to do any service if given the chance. I will accept to undertake any task with all my heart. Nobody tortured me. I love Turkey and the Turkish people. I believe that I will perform good services on their behalf." /Hurriyet/ FOREIGN REACTIONS TO OCALAN'S CAPTURE: The capture of the outlawed PKK organization leader Abdullah Ocalan has sparked different reactions throughout the world. In a written statement Washington said that they welcomed the latest development concerning Ocalan and it was a success for Turkish security forces. The statement condemned the violent protests by Ocalan's supporters in Europe and called for an end to them. Ocalan's capture made front-page headlines in newspapers around the world. The French press was mostly supportive of Turkey, with the majority of dailies referring to Ocalan as a terrorist leader. The daily "Le Monde" said Turkey had captured Ocalan but the protestors' attacks against the Greek Embassies in Europe took up more space. "Le Figaro" also criticized the PKK for not renouncing terrorism. The Russian press also focused on the Embassy attacks, warning that the incidents might lead to further terrorist assaults. The capture of Ocalan was the major issue in the British press on Wednesday. The issue made the headlines in the mainstrean British dailies and most of them wrote editorials in which they expressed criticism of the PKK but called for a fair trial for Ocalan. "The Times" described Ocalan as a "brutal Marxist terrorist." "The Guardian" described Ocalan as an "egomanical, bloody leader". The "Independent" also made clear that Ocalan's capture was a great success. The capture of Ocalan also reverberated across the Greek press. The `Katimerini' reported that it is Greece which has lost the most prestige due to the Turkish special forces' operation. `Eleftorotopia' demanded that Pangalos, the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, resign after the tragicomedy displayed by the Greek administration. `Etnos' wrote that the Greek government's policy on Ocalan had ended in a complete fiasco. The Italian `Corriera Della Sera' said that the capture of Ocalan was shameful for Italy and all the European governments should accept the defeat, whereas `La Stampa' said that Ocalan is a terrorist and Turkey would never let him shelter anywhere. /All papers/ DIPLOMATIC ATTACK BY TURKEY: Turkey is supporting her military victory in the capture of Ocalan with a diplomatic attack. The Turkish Ambassador to London, Ozdem Sanberk, and the press counsellor are being invited to numerous media organizations to state their opinions. Sanberk has broken a record by appearing on 20 broadcasting organizations ,TV stations during the same day, among them the BBC, CNN, ITV, and Channel Four. (Milliyet) ATACANLI: "TURKEY HAD NOTED DOWN THE ATTITUDE OF GREECE": Sermet Atacanl, Deputy Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday that the developments which took place after the capture of the chief of the separatist terrorist organization PKK should be a lesson for certain European countries, describing relations between Greece and the chief of terrorist as "a serious development." He added that it was seen that Ocalan had been taken to Kenya by an arrangement of the Greek government and had been hosted as a guest for a period of time. Nothing that Turkey would issue a broader statement about the attitude of Greece concerning the recent developments, Atacanli said that the withdrawal of the Turkish Ambassador from Greece was out of question. Atacanli recalled that Turkey was against terrorism wherever it came, Anatolia news agency reported. LAST WARNING FROM GERMANY: German Minister of the Interior Schilly issued a final warning to the PKK terrorists concerning the occupation of Consulates. He said, "These actions could result in deaths. Take note of the incident in Berlin and avoid participating in such actions"./Milliyet/ HARSH REACTION AGAINST EP: The report issued yesterday by the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Commission of the European Parliament concerning the capture of the terrorist chief provoked reactions. The Turkish Permanent Representative to the European Union (EU), Ambassador Nihat Akyol, accused the European deputies of displaying a "prejudiced attitude" towards Turkey by trying to give advice on how to try a terrorist. "What the EP should do is not to interrogate Turkey but address our fellow-EU-member, Greece, on the most recent activities of this terrorist. Turkey is a State of Law, where each Turkish citizen has the right to a just trial". /Turkiye/ 19 February 1998: ECEVIT: "DO NOT INTERVENE IN TURKEY'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS": Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit issued a statement concerning the prosecution of Ocalan yesterday, which sparked debates at an international level. Evaluating the resignations within the Greek government, Ecevit said, "A state which attempts to intervene Turkey's internal affairs will face disruption in her own internal concerns as well. The Greek case proves this fact. Thus, serious turmoil has begun within the national political spheres of those countries which have been supporting the separatist PKK organization for years. I hope others will also evaluate the recent developments in the same way, and avoid any outright intervention in Turkish concerns." Noting that full responsibility for the Ocalan prosecution case and other procedures concerning his trial enter the jurisdiction of the independent Turkish courts from now on, Ecevit emphasized that no guarantee can be given that Ocalan will not be sentenced to death. He said, "It is impossible to give any such guarantee. Turkey has not applied the death penalty for 18 years. Yet I cannot tell you what may happen in the future. As the Democratic Left Party (DSP), we are against capital punishment. However, that has nothing to do with the current situation. I cannot answer any question concerning the judiciary because the courts are fully independent in Turkey." Prime Minister Ecevit also added that it is of no consequence whether the European Court of Human Rights consider the State Security Courts (DGMs) independent or not. Ecevit said, "What is crucial here is that they comply with our Constitution. Nobody can question the independence of the judiciary in Turkey. Our DGMs are able to operate fully-independently" /Cumhuriyet/ ATTACK ON TURKISH TRAVEL AGENCY: A molotov cocktail was thrown into a Turkish travel agency in Liege, Belgium. The bomb caused damages. Officials stated that supporters of the separatist organization had thrown the bomb. In another development, the Turkish Embassy in Brussels called on the Turks in Belgium to be careful in the face of provocation./Sabah/ PKK TARGETS TURKS: PKK violence was yesterday directed against Turks in Germany. The separatists attacked and wounded five Turks with iron bars in Heilbronn and Munster. Moreover, PKK terrorists threw Molotov cocktails at the offices of Turks in Nurnberg, Stuttgart, Bremen, Bielefeld, Lohne, Freiburg and Bunde. PKK members clashed with Greek Security Forces who aimed to prevent their demonstration in front of the Turkish Embassy in Athens. (Hurriyet) BAYKAL: "THE WEST CANNOT INTERVENE": Remarking that both the world and Europe had failed to achieve good marks when it came to Ocalan, Deniz Baykal, the Chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP), stated, "At the moment, ethically, the West has no right to approach this question by belittling the Turkish judicial process while forgetting its own notable deficiency of legal prudence and its own gigantic contradictions." Baykal argued that Turkey should use the current evolution as an opportunity to reveal her own identity and her own conception of law and humanity. Reiterating that his party is ready to give Parliamentary support to the passing of the "Penitence Bill" still pending on the agenda, Baykal said, "These vital decisions should be made as soon as possible. The sources that nourish terrorism must be permanently eliminated. The economic and social measures to ensure this should be taken. To this end, we really have to make a rapid, comprehensive and serious start." (Cumhuriyet) THREE PRISONERS BURN THEMSELVES: The protests carried out by PKK militants against Ocalan's capture are still in progress. Very recently, three imprisoned militants burnt themselves. Meanwhile, during numerous events throughout the country, three policemen and nine demonstarators were wounded. (Cumhuriyet) KAVI: "TERROR PREVENTS TURKISH-EU MEMBERSHIP": Husamettin Kavi, Chairman of the Turco-European Union (EU) Joint Consultation Committee, said that due to terrorism, Turkey had had difficulty harmonizing with EU standards. He added that Turkey had spent $ 60-70 billion over the last 15 years on the struggle against terrorism. Yesterday, Kavi met European MPs in Istanbul to whom he said that the EU always criticized Turkey on political grounds but the organization itself did not run the Customs Union process. He added, "For the last fifteen years Turkey has spent all her foreign loans on the struggle against terrorism but she has not achieved enough investment in the Southeastern region. Turkey should attain EU standards. However, for his part, the EU should strengthen the Customs Union." Kavi invited the MPs to the Turco-EU Joint Consultation Committee meeting to be held in March in Istanbul. /Hurriyet/ PKK REALITY IN FRENCH SENATE: The French Minister Responsible for European Affairs, Pierre Moscovici, said that the activities of the separatist PKK organization were condemned throughout Europe and added that France had started a legal procedure against the organization concerning protection rackets. Speaking in the French Senate, Moscovici said that the Southeast Anatolian issue should not be confused with the PKK problem. (Aksam) BAYIK TO REPLACE OCALAN: During a congress to be held by representatives of the so-called Kurdish Parliament-in-exile in the upcoming months, it is reported that Cemil Bayik will replace the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. A representative who blames Europe for the capture of Ocalan said: "We will do our best to end the incidents; however, Europe should be put in the picture. Ocalan should be tried in an international tribunal not as a terrorist but as a war criminal". (Milliyet) ASALA-TYPE TERRORIST ACTIVITIES: The PKK terrorist organization has determined a new 'operational strategy' following Turkey's successful capture of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, and is preparing for a wave of new assaults against Turkish diplomats. Osman Ocalan, who made a statement on behalf of the PKK Central Committee, called upon PKK supporters to increase their activities in Europe and Turkey. Ocalan said: "Every kind of action is legal". (Milliyet) CLASHES IN BATMAN: Members of the separatist terrorist organization have begun violent attacks throughout Turkey due to Ocalan's capture. There were fierce clashes between Security Forces and PKK members yesterday in Batman. Military sources announced that 10 PKK members were wounded and 120 were taken into custody. Also, a member of the Security Force and nine civilians were wounded during the clashes. Meanwhile, there were clashes last night between Security Forces and PKK members in Ceyhan, Adana. It was also reported that there were demonstrations in Mersin. (Aksam) REACTIONS AGAINST DEMONSTRATIONS IN GERMANY: The Head of the European Police Union, Hermann Lutz, has said that militants involved in terrorist activities in Germany should be deported. Lutz made a statement on 'Saarlaendischer Rundfunk' radio yesterday saying that meetings should be held with Turkey in order to establish the legal basis from which to deport PKK supporters. Lutz noted that European politicians should cooperate in preventing terrorist activities. /Milliyet/ Bild: A German newspaper, Bild, devoted wide coverage to the capture of the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, and the demonstrations held throughout Europe, saying 'It is enough'. The newspaper stated that Germany had neither captured Ocalan nor extradited him to Turkey; however, all the attacks seemed to be focussed on Germany. Frankfurter Rundschau: The newspaper noted that it has been observed that the conflicts affecting Anatolia could also be seen in Wilmerdorf, Berlin. Wall Street Journal: An article in the newspaper said that a terrorist was now in the hands of Justice. The article pointed out that the whole world had seen the real face of the supporters of the terrorist organization, who take innocent people hostage and raid Embassies. The article asked the Italian government, which was demanding a just trial of Ocalan, why they had not implemented these rules while Ocalan was still in Italy. Washington Post: Turkey celebrates the capture of Abdullah Ocalan. Ocalan's four month flight ends in Kenya. New York Times: Now, after the capture of Ocalan, Kurds should cooperate with the US to topple Saddam and make peace with Turkey. Turks have finally declared their victory against terrorism. Katimerini: The government is seriously wounded. Pondiki: I am ashamed of being Greek. Many things can be forgiven; however, incidents which happened concerning Ocalan could never be forgiven. Vradini: Traitors..They handed Ocalan to Turkey on the orders of Simitis. The government should immediately resign. La Libre Belgique: The newspaper mainly explained the PKK threat for Germany. The newspaper quoted Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit as saying that Turkey would prove herself as a state of law. Le Monde: The three first pages of the newspaper were devoted to the Kurdish problem and the Ocalan issue. The newspaper questioned the cooperation of both Israel and Kenya in the operation to capture Ocalan. Liberation: The French judge, Jean Francois Ricard, who interrogated Ocalan in Rome, was to issue an order to arrest Ocalan prior to his capture. Le Figaro: The newspaper stated that Kurds were exporting their conflict to Europe. It also underlined the Israeli-Turkish cooperation in the matter. /Milliyet/ Le Soir: Turkish Intelligence Services seized Ocalan in front of Greek diplomats who had tried to protect him. The Independent: Turkey is a State within the world. Ankara should be included among the influential capitals. Turkey is a "good player" in the world politics. Rus Izvestia: Turkey has guaranteed to respect Ocalan's legal rights. Kenya Daily Nation: Kenya closed its Embassies and Consulates in 34 countries in case of PKK attacks. Jerusalem Post: The Kurdish issue starts now. This is not merely a Turco-Kurdish issue but, at the same time, it is the problem of whole Europe. /Hurriyet/Turkiye/ US WANTS FAIR TRIAL: The US administration recalled its call for a fair and independent trial of the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan. US State Department Spokesman James Foley noted that Ocalan should be tried according to international norms. Meanwhile, French President Jacques Chirac made a statement prior to his US visit and said that he believed that Ocalan would be tried according to the principles of a state of law. Syrian Foreign Minister Faruk El Sara, who is visiting Russia, noted that Ocalan was Turkey's internal affair. He added: "No one has the right to intervene in Ocalan's trial". /Milliyet/ OCALAN SHAKES GREEK AND KENYAN GOVERNMENTS: The capture of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan continues to send shock waves through countries. Three key members of the Greek cabinet, including Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, resigned yesterday following the request of the Prime Minister, Kostas Simitis. Other Ministers who presented their resignations were the Interior Minister and the Public Order Minister. Following these resignations, Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said that the Greek people have rid themselves of Ministers who 'openly supported terrorism'. Meanwhile, Kenya reshuffled its Cabinet yesterday in a long-awaited overhaul apparently hastened by the outcry over its dubious role in the seizure of Ocalan. The government announced that Finance Minister Simeon Nyachae had been demoted to the Ministry of Industrial Development. It said Immigration Chief Frank Kwinga had been fired, possibly because of reports that Ocalan and several aides were able to sneak into the East African country under falsified passports. /All papers/ OCALAN TO BE TRIED ON THE ISLAND OF IMRALI: Abdullah Ocalan will be tried by Ankara State Security Court (DGM) on Imrali Island, where he is currently being held. Ocalan faces the death penalty in the case filed in Ankara DGM. Ocalan will be interrogated by DGM prosecutors on Imrali Island, situated in the Marmara Sea. /All papers/ PROMOTION AND TERROR -BY SEDAT SERTOGLU: Columnist Sedat Sertoglu comments on the prejudiced approach of foreign journalists and widespread misinformation on the Southeastern problem. A summary of his column is as follows: "Following the capture of Ocalan the foreign press has flown to Turkey. They are asking our opinion on the matter.... The foreign press is interested in two main points: first, will the trial be open to the public and in line with the legal system and, secondly, what will Turkey do now that it has achieved a great victory as a State by capturing Ocalan?...We are telling them that it will be a most fair trial and the laws will be meticulously implemented. When we reply to their questions with the question "What must it do?" they start talking a little shyly about the creation of an independent State or Federation. We are trying to tell them that it is impossible and that we are preparing for a General Election where a voter in Diyarbakir has the same vote as another voter in Istanbul and everybody is equal.Then, they attempt to say that we must hold a referendum to ask the Kurds their opinion. We reply that "Why not ask the same question to the whole population,not only Kurds?". This idea does not appeal to them. They believe that all Kurds in Turkey want a separate state... When we give them the names of deputies of Kurdish origin in Parliament they are puzzled.... We try to explain the geographic location of Turkey to them and point out the situation of Kurds living in Iraq, Iran and Syria. Had it not been for this terrorist organization, which received outside support, the situation in Southeastern Turkey would have been much better. With an end to terrorism, new schools and hospitals would be constructed, and new investments would be made in the region. Great steps would be taken concerning the question of human rights... We are trying to tell them that they have to separate the PKK from the Kurdish question. The PKK does not represent the entire Kurdish population. It is free to speak Kurdish in Turkey and Kurdish casettes are released in Turkey....All these questions show that Turkey has a great problem in explaining itself. Although an important one, it is not new." /Sabah/ 22 February 1998: ECEVIT: "DO NOT INTERVENE IN TURKEY'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS": Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit held a press conference for foreign journalists together with minister of Foreign Affairs Ismail Cem yesterday in Ankara. In answering to a question, Ecevit stated, "There is no correlation between Turco-EU relations and the Abdullah Ocalan issue. European governments should not put pressure on Turkish courts. We cannot accept such an outrage; this would be very discreditable to the Turkish courts and Turkish judiciary system as they are totally independent." Further questioned, Ecevit remarked that the Repentance Bill would be discussed after the 18 April elections in Parliament. Regarding Greece's complicity in the in Ocalan issue Ecevit said, "If Greece had had no relations with the PKK, there would not have been such political turmoil today in Greece. It is known that there are PKK camps in Greece and Ocalan had a Greek-Cypriot passport when he captured. Greece should realize that she should not intervene in Turkey's internal affairs." Also, Ismail Cem invited Greece to be an "honourable and good" neighbour. Ecevit said in answer to a question that the operation in Northern Iraq had already been completed but if the Turkish government found it necessary, there would be further operations in the region. /Sabah/Aksam/ FIRST CONFESSIONS FROM OCALAN: Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the terrorist PKK organization, began to give vital information concerning international support for the outrageous activities of the PKK. Following his conveyance to Turkey via a successful operation carried out by Turkish Special Forces, Ocalan drew a detailed account of Greek material and logistic support for PKK terrorism in his first affidavit before State Security Court Attorneys and several other state officials in Imrali Prison. Ocalan said, "I was supplied with the diplomatic Greek-Cypriot passport, which I was using when I was captured, by Greek officials. Greece has supported the PKK movement for years. At Lavrion Camp near Athens, Greek military officials trained PKK militants in guerilla techniques and explosives. Moreover, Greece always sponsored us in terms of both weapons and missiles." Ocalan also remarked that he had been personally aided by the Russian right-wing radical leader Vladimir Jirinovski as well. Ocalan's cross-examination has been carried out by the State Security Court Attorneys, Nuh Mete Yuksel, Talat Salk and Hamza Keles; officials from the Chief of General Staff, the National Intelligence Service and the Police Organization have also attended his inquisition. It is reported that Ocalan will be brought before the National Security Court Judge tomorrow. Meanwhile, Nuh Mete Yuksel, one of the State Security Court Attorneys, declared that it is impossible for Ocalan to benefit from the "Penitence Law", which is expected to be enacted by Parliament immediately the elections in April. (Hurriyet) GREECE OPENS ITS ARMS TO A TERRORIST: Greece stated that it will grant the right of political asylum to one of the three terrorists who accompanied Ocalan. In a statement he made to a news agency the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesman did not give any information as to the identity of the terrorist. /Turkiye/ US WANTED OCALAN ALIVE AND UNHARMED: The US, which contributed greatly to the operation to bring the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to Turkey, wanted Ocalan's delivery to Turkey without being wounded. Ankara, which has already decided to try Ocalan, gave the green light to Washington's demand and the operation was successfully carried out. Meanwhile, Turkey has stated unequivocally that the final decision on Ocalan is completely in the hands of the judicial system. /Milliyet/ ISRAEL: "WE DID NOT HAVE ANY ROLE IN THE OCALAN OPERATION": The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ariel Sharon, said that his country in no way participated reponsibility in the operation in Kenya during which the chief of the terrorist organization Abdullah Ocalan had been captured. Meanwhile, an unindentified expert from the American Intelligence Service (the CIA) said to the New York Times Newspaper that they had been working in cooperation with the Turkish Intelligence Service (MIT) since early January. They added that the CIA, MIT and the Greek Intelligence Service had participated in the operation. They also pointed out that MOSSAD, the Israeli Intelligence Service, had not had any role in the operation. /Sabah/ D'ALEMA APPLIES TO EU: The Italian Prime Minister, Massimo D'Alema, wanted the European Union (EU) to urge Turkey to spare the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's life if he is found guilty of terrorism. The Spanish 'El Mondo' newspaper quoted D'Alema as saying that Europe should call on Turkey to give Ocalan a just trial. D'Alema added: "This is because Europe is against the death penalty. Also, Europe should seek a solution to the Kurdish problem". (Cumhuriyet) DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST TURKEY CONTINUE: Demonstrations condemning the capture of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan by Turkey continued yesterday in various countries including Iran, northern Iraq, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden. Meanwhile, 380 people who had participated in demonstrations in various districts of Istanbul were taken into custody yesterday. Members of Istanbul Security Office's Anti-Terrorism Department have tightened their security precautions. In an additional development, the Greek Honorary Consulate in the Iskenderun district of Hatay has been evacuated. Two days ago, a handbag, thought to contain a bomb, had been placed in front of the Consulate. It is reported that Honorary Consul Alexandra Glyptris has been in Istanbul for a while. /Cumhuriyet/ `OCALAN MET PANGALOS AND SIMITIS': A PKK terrorist, Semsi Kilic, who accompanied the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan during his trip from Italy to Russia, Greece and Kenya, talked about Ocalan's capture and said that they did not know that they were being taken from Greece to Kenya and they only learned the reality of the situation on the plane. Semsi Kilic wrote an article in 'Ozgur Politika' newspaper (Free Politics), a pro-PKK publication, and blamed Russian Prime Minister Primakov for his negative attitude towards Ocalan. Kilic remarked that while they were in Greece, Ocalan had met the Greek Prime Minister Simitis, Foreign Minister Pangalos, the Ministers of the Interior and of Public Order and the Chief of the Intelligence Service. Kilic stated that Greek officials told Ocalan that they would find him a third country. Kilic said that Ocalan arrived in the Greek Embassy in Nairobi on February 1 and stayed there until the day he was captured. (Milliyet) `WE ALWAYS PUT THE BLAME ON TURKEY': The Sunday Telegraph newspaper published an article written by Kevin Myers yesterday. The article entitled 'We always put the blame on Turkey' noted that the Ottoman Empire has been shown in an unfair light throughout history and recalled that the Ottoman Empire never discriminated against the minorities. The article stated that the British react negatively to the word 'Ireland'; the world reacts in the same way when Turkey is mentioned. (Milliyet) SANBERK: "THE TRIAL WILL BE FAIR": Turkey's Ambassador to London, Ozdem Sanberk, who was invited onto "Breakfast With Frost', a talkshow programme broadcast on BBC TV, said that no one should doubt that the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, would face a fair trial. The Ambassador noted that there was no discrimination between Kurds and Turks in Turkey. Replying to a question on whether Ocalan is able to meet a lawyer, Sanberk said: "He has the right to have a Turkish lawyer, the same as other Turkish citizens". /Milliyet/ `EP DECISION IS POLITICAL': German parliamentary member Renate Heinisch, who submitted a positive report on Turkey to the European Parliament in order to remove any obstructions to Turkey's participation in the "European Union Education and Youth Programmes", said that the reason for Turkey's exclusion from these programmes was entirely political. He added that further developments would depend on the smooth running of the Ocalan case. Heinisch noted that decisions in the European Parliament were mostly made according to trends as opposed to logic. He pointed out that Greek parliamentary members and the Communists in particular were against Turkey's participation. /Cumhuriyet/ MED-TV BROADCASTS TO BE INVESTIGATED IN BELGIUM: It is reported that the Belgian Ministry of Internal Affairs is going to launch an investigation into MED-TV broadcasts. It is said that the Belgian intelligence service STAATSVEILIGHEID recorded MED-TV broadcasts during the last few days in which there are announcements urging for demonstrations against the capture of Ocalan and for terrorist activities to begin against Turks. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Luc Vandenbosche, said that they would not permit such propoganda to be transmitted via tv stations and warned those involved in MED-TV about their responsibility for any violent action against Turks in Belgium. MED-TV is part of the PKK media network in Europe. (Aksam and Sabah). FACTS THAT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED - BY EMRE KONGAR: In his column in Cumhuriyet, Emre Kongar writes about the facts that should be borne in mind concerning the Ocalan affair. A summary of his column is as follows: "We have to bear in mind some facts so as not to make any mistakes while revelling in the excitement of the capture of Ocalan and his return home to stand trial. First of all, the Southeastern problem is not only a Kurdish issue; the Kurdish issue points only to a group of problems within a web of problems. Besides the Kurdish issue, there are the problems of 'regional development', 'the unjust distribution of income', 'human rights', 'the intervention of foreign powers concerning oil in the Middle East', 'the conflict overwater with our neighbours', and 'the problem of security stemming from the desires of those states trying to establish their regimes in our country' and many more could be cited. Secondly, the Kurdish problem, only a part of the Southeastern problem, is not only made up of the attacks of the PKK terrorist organization. In addition to the PKK, there are the problems of ultra-nationalism, employment, education, international drug trafficking, feudal system and the village guard among others. Within this complex web of problems the attacks of PKK have overshadowed the others it initiated a hot war... The leadership within the PKK is of importance but up to date there is no significant proof of Ocalan's leadership qualities. Therefore, the expectation that these attacks would stop are not realistic...The success of Turkey in capturing Ocalan and bringing him home will be achieved by correctly evaluating the international conjuncture... Turkey should show the same success in the arena of international law and politics. " 23 February 1999: Turkish President Suleyman Demirel described Greece as an outlaw state which sponsored terrorism. He said Turkey reserved the right to act if Greece continued its irresponsible behaviour. Turkey has called on the European Union to take action against Greece for protecting Mr Ocalan before his capture in Kenya. A Turkish newspaper said Ocalan told his interrogators that Greece had supplied weapons and training to his PKK rebel movement. (Turkey brands Greece 'outlaw state', The BBC News, 23 February 1999) DEMIREL: GREECE IS A A 'ROGUE STATE' Ankara has delivered a strongly-worded warning to Greece to cease supporting separatist terrorism aimed at the territorial and national integrity of Turkey and declared that Ankara 'reserves the right to self-defense'. President Suleyman Demirel, on a state visit from Turkey to the Philippines, declared during an interview with the Philippines' official TV network that, if Athens does not act 'like civilized law-abiding countries should' and continues failing to respect its commitments under international law, 'Turkey reserves the right emanating from international law to take any precautions necessary for self-defense". Demirel, who long remained silent on attempts by the Greek Government to deliberately provide a secret shelter in Kenya for Ocalan, has finally stormed at Greece, calling it a 'rogue state that has to be put on the list of countries supporting terrorism and harbouring terrorists'. Commenting on the President's remarks, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit in Ankara said that Demirel's sensitivity on terrorism is an assurance of the survival of the Turkish State. "The whole world is fully aware of Greece's support for PKK terrorism. It is perfectly natural for us to react to the Greek attitude at the highest level of the State" Ecevit added. "I hope Greek politicians may come to realize that dialogue with Turkey would be a much safer way of addressing our common problems than by lending support to terrorism" Ecevit said. /All papers/ BONN: "PKK MUST BE THWARTED": Otto Schily, The German Minister of the Interior, claimed that the logistic support for the terrorist PKK organization must be eliminated in a determined struggle throughout Europe. Schily said, "Guided entirely by the principle of the rule of law, we are fighting against a terrorist organization. We will be able to succeed in eliminating the logistic support for the PKK if, and only if, we tackle the issue throughout Europe." Schily also noted that Turkey has a historic opportunity to resolve the Kurdish question. /Milliyet/ PAPANDREU: "WE PROVIDED HUMANE AID TO OCALAN": Yorgo Papandreu, the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, has argued that the support they provided to the PKK leader Ocalan included "humane aid". Noting that no country, including Greece, had granted the right of political asylum to Ocalan, Papandreu confessed that they had supported him in his search for a place to shelter but they had failed to accomplish that goal. /Aksam/ PKK AT THE TOP OF THE TERRORISM LIST: The `US News and World Report' placed the PKK at the top of the list of the most outrageous terrorist organizations in the world over the last ten years. The journal also commented that "Ocalan will no doubt be found guilty of both terrorism and massacres." According to data provided by the journal, the PKK is the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world with 3,575 terrorist actions in the past decade. /Aksam/ GERMAN INTIMIDATION FOR SEPARATISTS German courts, by sentencing one of the suspects of the occupation of the Greek Consulate to a year in prison have warned the supporters of the terrorist organization. At the first trial held, sentence was passed immediately on the 28 year old supporter of the terrorist organization, accused ofviolating the security of a dwelling, wounding others, and opposing the police forces. /Sabah/ DEMONSTRATORS INTERFERED WITH A LIVE BROADCAST The "Afternoon" news programme, broadcast live by Netherlands' TV third channel was raided by a group of PKK supporters. During the raid, broadcast live on tv, the militants read a statement in which they said that they wanted the terrorist organization to be recognized politically by the government and requested it to apply political pressure to ensure a fair trial./Sabah/ PKK DEMONSTRATIONS IN IRAN Following the capture of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan by Turkey, demonstrations are continuing unabated in Iran as well. During the incidents yesterday, six people died in the Kurdish region of Iran. Meanwhile, Turkey closed the border gate with Iran at Esendere. On the other hand, the Swiss Foreign Ministry's Undersecretary responsible for both Europan Affairs and and the Council of Europe, Franz von Daeniken, said that no country has the right to presume to give lessons to Turkey on the Ocalan issue. Daeniken noted that he believed that Ocalan would be justly and fairly tried under state law. He added: "Switzerland does not believe that Ocalan will face the death penalty. The recent activities in Europe have clearly shown that the PKK is a terrorist organization; the PKK and its leader have never represented Kurdish society". /Hurriyet/ EU REBUKES GREECE At the European Union's (EU) Foreign Ministers' meeting in Luxembourg, Greece was rebuked for her support of the PKK terrorist organization. At the end of the meeting, the Council issued a report declaring that Athens' attitude had been contrary to EU norms. EU sources remarked that Athens had been especially criticized by Spanish, Dutch, British and German deputies. It was stressed that the Ocalan issue is not a Turco-EU problem. /Aksam/ GERMAN PRESS ENRAGED AGAINST OCALAN The leading German political magazines, "Der Spiegel" and "Focus", found room for the demonstrations by Ocalan's supporters on their covers. Both magazines drew attention to the PKK members' violent attacks in Germany and other European countries. They wanted demonstrators involved in the violence to be punished severely and claimed that these demonstrators should even be deported from Germany under German law. /Aksam/ THE US: SUCCESS BELONGS TO TURKEY The White House Speaker, Joe Lockhart, said that the US played role in the capture of Abdullah Ocalan and his conveyance to Turkey. Although it had been claimed that the US Intelligence Service (CIA) reported to Turkey that Ocalan was staying in the Greek Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, the US Secretary of State, Medaline Albright did not make any comment on the issue. /Aksam/ SANBERK PUTS "THE TIMES" NEWSPAPER ON ITS GUARD Turkey's Ambassador to London, Ozdem Sanberk sent a letter to the "Letters to the Editor" corner of the The Times newspaper, forewarning the newspaper of the possible context of future letters sent by members of the general public. Sanberk asked the newspaper not to issue news which would inflame Kurdish groups living in England and also in Europe. Sanberk noted that following the capture of Ocalan, neither newspapers nor TV stations had reported any news concerning Ocalan's crimes or why he would be tried. Drawing attention to the measures taken to improve the economic situation within the Eastern and Southeastern regions, Sanberk said that these measures could be made more effective once the terrorist organization has completely collapsed. /Aksam/ OCALAN'S INTERROGATION CONTINUES With his detention period extended to 10 days, the interrogation of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is continuing on the island of Imrali in the Marmara Sea. Authorities have further stepped up security measures in the area, with local police and gendarmerie forces beginning to control entrance into the Mudanya district along the sea's southern coast. All the inhabitants of Imrali Island, including livestock, have been completely evacuated. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit last weekend pledged leniency for PKK members who are still active. If they surrender now, Ecevit said, they will benefit from the Repentance Law that is to be renewed after the General Elections in April. Yesterday, Temel Kocaklar, the Governor of Batman, said that he had received a number of appeals from PKK members hoping to benefit from the law. Kocaklar noted that those who turn themselves in will be given job training while they are in prison and will be integrated back into society after they are released. Meanwhile, a group of lawyers have applied to Istanbul State Security Court (DGM) to serve as Ocalan's defence. The 15 lawyers, who are registered to the Bar Associations in Istanbul, Izmir and Diyarbakir, were told that a response to their requests could be made as early as Tuesday. Among those who have applied to the DGM are senior members of the Human Rights Association (IHD). Meanwhile, the European Court of Human Rights will discuss the application filed by Ocalan's attorneys today and a decision is expected to be declared tomorrow. /All papers/ US OFFICIALS ADMIT HELPING TURKEY In two separate articles published in major US newspapers, anonymous US officials reportedly admitted US intelligence had provided support to Turkey in the capture of the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan. An article published in The New York Times on February 20, entitled 'US Played Key Role in Capture of Kurd', by Tim Weiner, and another article published by The Washington Post on February 21, entitled 'US Tip off to Turkey Led to Capture of Ocalan' by Vernon Loeb, both indicated that 'US officials' had shared information with Turkey concerning the location of Ocalan. /All papers/ NEW PERIOD OF GOODWILL WITH ITALY Turco-Italian economic relations, badly damaged by the Ocalan issue, have been activated again. It is reported that Italian firms will take part in some important projects to be implemented in Turkey, in order to break partly the embargo imposed by Turkish firms against Italy during the time when that country sheltered the terrorist chief, Abdullah Ocalan. It is also noted that Italian firms are highly interested in three important projects in Turkey including the six PSR and SSR systems to be established in Yesilkoy, Yalova, Karadag, Karcik and Esenboga airports the planned purchase of 145 helicopters, and the modernization of the Eregli Iron-Steel Facilities. /Turkiye/ BRUSSELS WARNS MED TV Pro-PKK channel MED TV was put under the spotlight by European countries following the appearance of Murat Karayilan, Osman Ocalan and Cemil Bayik, leading PKK figures, on programmes in which they called for resistance to Turkish security. Besides a warning issued by the Belgian Interior Ministry, London also intensified its monitoring of MED TV. /All papers/ RED ALERT FOR PKK TERRORISM The 'red alert' sounded following a circular sent to security units and to the offices of all governors. in which the measures which could be taken to prevent the attacks by the PKK terrorist organization were explained clearly. A 'Crisis Desk' was established within National Security Council and the Interior Ministry in addition to a "Close Watch Group' at the Security Directorate General. It was stated that illegal organizations might engage in provocative actions on the anniversaries of 'World Women's Day'on 8th March, 'the Gazi events on 12th March', 'the Nevruz Holiday on 21st March', and 'the Kizildere incidents on 30th March'. /Sabah/ REACTION FROM ATHENS: CLAIMS ARE ARROGANT The developments unravelling with the capture of Abdullah Ocalan have escalated the tension between Greece and Turkey to dangerous levels. The statements by Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, and President Suleyman Demirel requesting that Greece be added to the list of countries who support terrorism sparked a reaction from Athens. Greek Government Spokesman Dimitris Reppas, in a statement yesterday, said that no other word but 'arrogance' could be used to define Turkey playing the role of prosecutor while it occupied half of Cyprus, and violated human rights constantly. In another development, retired Navy Commander Andonis Naksakis and Haralambos Stavratakis who was dismissed as chief of the Intelligence Organization have begun to be interrogated. /Sabah/ US AIR FORCES COMMANDER IN TURKEY The Commander of the US Air Force, General Michael E. Ryan arrived yesterday in Turkey on an official visit. General Ryan visited his Turkish counterpart General Ilhan Kilic yesterday in Ankara. Kilic said after the meeting that they had exchanged views on military issues involving Turkey and the US. Ryan also visited Ataturk's Mausoleum and met the Deputy Chief of General Staff, Hilmi Ozkok. /Aksam/ 24 February 1998: OCALAN IS CHARGED WITH TREASON Abdullah Ocalan, the chief of the outlawed PKK who is being held on the south Marmara island of Imrali, was formally arrested on Tuesday following the completion of his interrogation. Ocalan has been charged with treason, particularly in reference to a speech he made on the pro-Kurdish MED-TV, and numerous counts of murder in the southern city of Adana and its environs over the recent years, Ankara State Security Court (DGM) Judge Mehmet Maras announced. Ocalan's first trial session will take place on Wednesday on the island itself by the Ankara DGM. The other DGMs have already tranferred thousands of files on Ocalan, the Diyabakir DGM alone sending nearly 1,400. Meanwhile, Turkey has been facing intense international pressure for a fair trial for Ocalan. On Tuesday, it slammed a recent statement to that effect by the European Union (EU), rejecting any intervention in its independent judiciary. In response to the EU statement issued on Monday, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued its own statement, stating that Turkey is a State of Law and is complying with its international legal responsibilities. "The Turkish Judiciary is independent; trials are fair and transparent and, in principal, court hearings are open to the public. Depending on the judges' decision, everyone, regardless of whether they are Turkish or foreign, can watch them. However, there are no circumstances under which we can accept the questioning of the independence of our courts," the Ministry statement said. In a further development, the Governor of the Emergency Rule Region (OHAL) has prepared three separate announcements calling on active PKK members to surrender to the authorities now that Ocalan has been captured. The appeals are aimed at the terrorists themselves, their families and the inhabitants of the region. They will be written down and distributed to the most distant regions of the Southeast by helicopters. OHAL Governor Aydin Arslan said that, in Diyarbakir, members had already begun laying down their arms. /Milliyet_Aksam_Turkiye/ PANIC IN ATHENS The reverberations from President Suleyman Demirel's veiled warning against Turkey's western neighbour, Greece, for sheltering terrorism continued to spread yesterday. During his flight home on Tuesday from the Philippines, Demirel answered questions on the plane and stated that Athens supported terrorism. He added Turkey reserved the right of self-defence for acts carried out by Greece in support of the terrorist activities conducted by the PKK. Demirel stressed that whoever was supporting those who murder innocent people, had blood on their hands and repeated his call for active PKK members to surrender as soon as possible. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit announced that Turkey was stepping up lobbying efforts at an international level to have Greece included among those countries which support terrorism. However, he did not give any detailed information about what specifically was being done by Turkey. Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry criticized the European Union for turning a blind eye to Greek actions as an EU country which, after being caught red-handed, had confessed to being the accomplice of a terrorist organization. A Foreign Ministry statement released on Tuesday stated that there can be no explanation for, on the one hand, the EU's silence towards Greece's acts and, on the other, its pressure on Turkey to allow her judiciary system to be monitored. The statement said that Ankara would continue its fight against terrorism and would take any steps necessary to ensure the peace of the nation. The political parties in Turkey have been critical of Greek support for PKK terrorism. The Leader of the the Republicab People's Party (CHP), Deniz Baykal, said yesterday at his party meeting that Greece ought to assure Turkey that it would accept its wrong-doing. Additionally, it ought to guarantee Turkey that it would not support Turkey's enemies anymore. Democratic Turkey Party (DTP) Chairman Husamettin Cindoruk stated that Greece should reassure Turkey by closing down the training camps in its territories and end its support of terrorism. The Motherland Party (ANAP) Deputy Chairman, Bulent Akarcali, declared that Greece had been carrying out anti-Turkish activities for years and that these activities were not limited to support for terrorism alone. On the other hand, there has been chaos on the Greek side. Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis convened an emergency meeting of the Defence and Foreign Affairs Council yesterday. According to the Greek press, the meeting discussed how to react to a possible incursion by Turkey. The Greek Army also went on a state of alert and the Greek Navy was also said to have increased its patrols. Meanwhile, a former Greek Navy Admiral, Adonis Naxakis was interrogated by a prosecutor in Athens for bringing Ocalan illegally to Greece a few weeks ago. /Milliyet_Turkiye_Aksam/ DEMONSTRATIONS AT HOME AND ABROAD FOLLOWING OCALAN'S CAPTURE: Demonstrations have continued unabated in many parts of the world following Ocalan's capture by Turkey. It has been claimed that 18 people had died by the end of the demonstrations against Turkey in Senendec, Iran. According to the opponents of the regime in Iran, police had opened fire against the people who were demonstrating in protest at Ocalan's capture by Turkey; many were wounded and 270 demonstrators were arrested. Germany has begun trial procedures immediately against Kurdish demonstrators who occupied Greek Embassies and Consulates last week. One of the protestors received an eight-month prison sentence, while three others were given between five and six months for an assault on the Greek Embassy in Stuttgart. Italian authorities stepped up security against any incident that may occur during Wednesday's national basketball game between Turkey and Italy. PKK supporters had carried out protests in Rome. There were also clashes both in rural areas and urban centres in Turkey the week after Ocalan was captured. Security forces continued their operations in the rural areas of the Souheastern provinces of Siirt and Sirnak, killing 14 terrorists. There were also incidents in central Diyarbakir. A group of police officers was fired upon as they tried to persuade store owners to unlock and reopen their stores. In Batman, attackers threw a hand grenade into an elementary school, destroying the Ataturk bust in the school yard and shattering the windows. /Turkiye/Milliyet/ CALLS FOR BLOODY RERISALS BY MED-TV: The PKK broadcasting organization Med-TV, based in London, began to call on the supporters of the PKK all around the world to engage in bloody reprisals following the capture and conveyance of Ocalan to Turkey. An example of this was issued on 9 February 1999, declaring, " We have nothing to lose in an climate where we have no leader. We have to carry on our actions in the most ruthless way possible until he is either released or his safety is guaranteed by international organizations. All military, political, economic and social institutions in Turkey should be assumed to be targets."/Sabah/ A CAMPAIGN BY TURKS LIVING ABROAD AGAINST MED-TV: The 'Crisis Desk' formed at the Prime Ministry decided that a campaign against MED-TV ought to be started by the Turkish community abroad. Turks living in those provinces or cities where MED-TV broadcasts are received, are to protest to the local administrations that the inflammatory programmes broadcat by the said television channel ought to be stopped. It was reported that, in Belgium, a great number of Turks had already asked the local authorities to stop MED-TV broadcasts and that these requests were being considered. It was also learnt that the Belgian Government had relayed the complaints to the English Government as the broadcasts were made from England. /Sabah/ RELATIONS WITH EUROPE BECOMING STRAINED - BY SAMI KOHEN: In his column, Sami Kohen writes about the after-effects of the capture of Ocalan and how they were differently interpreted in Turkey and Europe. A summary of his column is as follows: "It seemed likely that the effects of the post-Ocalan period would be seen in relations between Greece and Turkey and then in Turco-European relations. After the links betweeen Greece and the PKK were revealed, Ankara hardened its stance towards Athens and warned that it would take the necessary measures to protect itself if the Simitis Administration did not change its policy... We shall see what the coming days will bring concerning these relations. However Ankara expects its European friends to show the right path to Greece. It is disturbed that the EU remains silent over Greek complicity in the matter and, what is more, tries to interfere in the Turkish legal system.... The reactions seen European countries over the capture of Ocalan have puzzled the Turkish public. Some European politicians, and in general the European press have turned a blind eye to Ocalan's terrorist activities and taken it on themselves to defend him. Europeans were more interested with the demonstrations taking place in their own countries and somehow related the PKK with the Kurdish question. As if this was not enough, Europe has begun a campaign against the Turkish legal system which will try Ocalan and requested both a 'fair trial' and to send 'foreign observers' to the trial. Furthermore, it asked for a political solution.... Expecting a different official approach from the EU, Ankara therefore raised its voice against its European friends...Recently, many Turkish officials, led by Prime Minister Ecevit stated that the trial would be fair, foreigners could be allowed as spectators but not as observers, and any interference which would cast a shadow on Turkey's sovereign rights would not be permitted." OCALAN, KURDISH INTELLECTUALS AND US - BY A.TANER KISLALI: Prof. Ahmet Taner Kislali, a columnist in the `Cumhuriyet' daily, reflects on the possibility of a reconciliation between Turkish and Kurdish intellectuals, which will rely upon a consensus on the founding principles of the Republic. Kislali writes: "There are two important faults- one made by us and the other by those intellectuals of Kurdish origin. To begin with, my friend Serafettin Elci, a former Kurdish-origin MP and a well-known Kurdish intellectual, told me years ago that the Turkish Republic would be compelled to consider Kurdish intellectuals as counterparts when it realized that the armed struggle against the PKK would fail in time. Yet he became the one who failed; Turkey succeeded in struggling against PKK terrorism and Ocalan. Now the Kurdish intellectuals are admitting that the ethnic terrorism of the PKK has always led to an impasse. It is easier to see faults from outside. Dursun Atilgan, the Chairman of the German Ataturkist Thought Society, sent me a long letter, in which he draws attention to two points. First of all, he says that Prime Minister Ecevit's reply to European efforts to enforce a legal control over the trial procedure of Ocalan has become effective. Ecevit had stated that Europe is the last to have the right to speak on this issue. Atilgan also notes that the PKK attacks in several European cities have helped Europeans to understand what an outrageous organization the PKK is. However, Atilgan emphasizes a second point as well. He claims that those video films of Ocalan concerning his conveyance to Turkey, where he is shown as being somewhat helpless, made no positive impact on the European public. Atilgan mentions that many of his German friends tell him that it would have been sufficient if Turkey had shown that the terrorist was alive and had declared that he would be tried justly. Instead of showing Ocalan, Turkey ought to have shown those doctors, teachers, women and children massacred by the PKK. This country belongs to all of us. We should learn from our former errors. The state should not consider that the issue has ended and interpret the capture of Ocalan as the final chapter; we still have a long way to go. On the other hand, our intellectuals of Kurdish origin, who are to lead their own people, should accept the virtue of backing away from committing errors. There is just one denominator on which we are to agree: a single country, a single flag, and a single official language. This is the prerequisite for accepting the legitimacy of both `sub-cultures' and `sub-identities'. This is the prerequisite for us to maintain that the `national identity' is also a synthesis of various sub-cultures, and there can be no `national culture' without sub-cultures. " 25 February 1998: OCALAN: "GREECE, SYRIA, IRAN AND GERMANY SUPPORT PKK": During his first hearing, Abdullah Ocalan said that dirty games had been played on Turkey and he was ready to declare them. Ocalan accepted that armed demonstrations had been initiated by he himself. He added: "The PKK has two camps in Greece where PKK members are trained. The Greek Intelligence Service has provided a significant amount of support to me." Claiming that underhand games had been played on Turkey, Ocalan declared that Syria, Iran, Greece and Germany had all helped the PKK. Ocalan rejected claims of drug smuggling by his organization but, he added, the PKK had carried out a protection racket aimed at smugglers. Apologizing to both the Turkish and Kurdish people, Ocalan said: "I made mistakes. However, for some time after that, the militants have been out of my control. I was responsible for the deaths of 35,000 people. Now, I urge the organization not to shed any more blood". Ocalan pointed out that HADEP had had close ties with the PKK, but the party had acted too much against the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey. "To establish an autonomous Kurdistan was my dream at first, but later my ideas changed when I saw Kurdish and Turkish people living together in peace in Turkey where both nations have the same rights," Ocalan said. Regarding his capture, Ocalan said: "After I had left Syria, I went to Greece but Greece did not keep its promise to give shelter to me. So then I went to Russia, which refused to grant me political asylum. Later, I travelled to Italy, which took the decision to arrest me if I did not leave the country. As a result, I held a meeting with the Greek authorities and they promised to take me to Kenya and later to South Africa. However, I was captured in Kenya." Finally, Ocalan complained that all those countries which had seemed to help him, had, in fact, used him to fulfill their own hidden agendas. Meanwhile, the Prime Ministry rejected claims that Ocalan had not been given permission to meet his lawyers. According to a Prime Ministry statement, Ocalan would meet his two lawyers today. The statement added that if the lawyers appealed to the relevant departments of the Public Prosecutor's Office, this would be implemented in line with the Law. "All the necessary measures have been taken to facilitate the duties of the lawyers. It is not true that Ocalan's lawyers' lives are at risk." Ankara's Second State Security Court (DGM) announced that Lawyer A.Zeki Okcuoglu from the Istanbul Bar and lawyer Hatice Korkut from the Izmir Bar are going to meet Ocalan today. Furthermore, 60 more lawyers have already applied to the Ankara DGM to defend Ocalan. /Milliyet/Sabah/ TURKEY INCREASES ITS PRESSURE: While Turkey harshly rebukes European countries which support the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in the meantime, it says that it is ready to share its experiences regarding the struggle against terrorism. Ankara has conveyed a report on the PKK and its leader Ocalan to all related European countries, saying that she was ready to cooperate in the struggle against terrorism. Germany was sent messages which stated that the worst reprisals by PKK terrorists were being carried out in Germany in the aftermath of Ocalan's capture, and advised the German government to take stringent security measures. The messages also called on Germany to deport PKK militants from the country. /Hurriyet/ EU REQUESTS SOLUTION: The European Parliament tried not to muddle the Ocalan issue with the Kurdish issue at a meeting held yesterday in Brussels. The European MPs decided that Turkey should begin the process of solving the Kurdish issue through political channels by positively utilizing the capture of Ocalan. They claimed that separatism and cultural nations were completely different from each other and they accepted that the Kurdish issue was an international one. The EP announcement will be declared and voted on tomorrow. In the meantime, it has been announced that the European Union (EU) Troika will visit Turkey. First, the Political Directors and later the Troika Ministers will arrive in Turkey, it has been reported. The expected visit will take place on 3 March. Ludger Volmer, the State Secretary of Germany, spoke on behalf of the EU Council, pointing out that "the international community had failed to try Ocalan." Volmer said, "The PKK has damaged its own respectability through its terrorist activities; it does not represent the Kurdish people." /Cumhuriyet-Milliyet/ EP CONDEMNS TERRORISM: Hans van den Broek, a member from the European Parliament responsible for Foreign Affairs, said that they should support Turkey in its struggle against terrorism. Broek noted that they condemn every type of terrorism and declared that Turkey's territorial integrity could not be questioned. /Hurriyet/ GREECE ON NSC'S AGENDA: The main theme of the National Security Council (NSC) meeting, to be held today at the Presidential Palace under the chairmanship of President Demirel, is the recent developments which have revealed strong links between Greece and the terrorist PKK organization. Along with the question of Ocalan and Greek support for separatist terrorism in Turkey, it is reported that the Council will also discuss the possible security measures to be taken with regard to the forthcoming elections and the recent governmental attempts to expedite industrial and financial investments in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia. On the other hand, it is also claimed that the issue of `Penitence Law', which was prioritized by Prime Minister Ecevit's statements immediately after the capture of Ocalan, may also become one of the topics to be debated in today's meeting. Meanwhile, yesterday evening, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit received General Ergin Celasin, the General Secretary of the National Security Council. It is reported that, during the one-hour meeting, General Celasin informed the Prime Minister about the Council's agenda. ECEVIT GIVES WARRANTY TO OCALAN'S LAWYERS Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit declared that the government will ensure that the lawyers of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the terrorist PKK organization, will be able to fulfill their duties in complete freedom. Ecevit noted that during his meeting with President Demirel at the Presidential Palace, they had discussed the trial procedures for Ocalan and he had informed the President about the specifics of the issue. Ecevit said, "From now on, Imrali is under the control of the judical authorities. A variety of medical measures have been taken for Ocalan, so that there is no need for anybody to worry about his health. Our state will provide Ocalan's lawyers with every means necessary to carry our their legal and defensive duties in full freedom. There is no reason for anybody to concern themselves with this process as well. The lawyers demanded that their lives be placed under the protection of the state. We are taking every necessary precaution to that end." /Turkiye/ "ATHENS SHOULD BE REPROACHED" Paul Henze, a famous US foreign policy specialist, described the PKK leader Ocalan's affidavit concerning Greek support for PKK terrorism as a scandal, noting that the US will definitely be responsive to the issue. Henze said, "If it is proved, in line with Ocalan's claims, that the PKK is sponsored also by Greece as well as Russia and Syria, nobody will have the right to blame Turkey for any further developments in the matter." /Turkiye/ 2,000 PKK MEMBERS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY IN IRAN The People's Fighters' Organization, a group opposing the regime in Iran, claimed yesterday that, following the demonstrations in the Senendec district of Western Iran, 2,000 PKK members had been taken into custody. The organization also implied that young people had been killed during the demonstrations and a state of emergency had been announced in the district. It was earlier declared that 18 people had died during the demonstrations in Senendec; however, the Iranian government has denied this claim. /Hurriyet/ US EXPERT: PKK CANNOT FIND NEW OCALAN A US expert on Turkey from the Washington Institute, Alan Makovsky, said that in the aftermath of Ocalan's capture, the PKK would be divided and the terrorist organization would not be able to find a new leading figure. Makovsky, who was replying to questions put to him by The Voice of America (VOA) radio station, said that he thought that Turkey would not permit any foreign TV channels to broadcast the Ocalan case apart from Turkish channels. Makovksy noted that Turkey wants to demonstrate that its judicial system is open and fair. /Hurriyet/ TURKEY ADMONISHES GREECE The Turkish Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman, Sermet Atacanli, said yesterday that there would be no solidarity with the countries which support terrorism. Atacanli noted that Turkey expects Greece to openly condemn the PKK terrorist organization and sever its relations with the PKK. Atacanli pointed out that proof of the support lent by Greece to the PKK has been demonstrated time and time again since the beginning of the 1980s. Atacanli stated that if Greece continues to facilitate PKK activities, Turkey will take any precaution necessary. /Aksam/ JENKINS APOLOGIZES TO TURKEY In his article in 'The Times' newspaper published in Britain, Simon Jenkins, who drew a parallel between Turkey and Serbia, and hoped for Turkey to be bombed, sincerely apologized to Turkey following the harsh reaction of the Turkish nation. Jenkins issued a written statement yesterday and protested that he had been misunderstood. Jenkins pointed out that the internal problems of a country ought not to be intervened in and said: "If separatism is on the agenda, every initiative to be taken should fall upon that country". He said that he actually wanted to criticize the mentality of Western countries which are growing used to bombing as a means of problem-solving. /Aksam/ VISA FOR GREEK CITIZENS Ankara has begun to implement strict measures against Athens, which is alleged to be a supporter of terrorism. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has finalized its procedures to re-implement a visa requirement for Greek citizens wishing to enter Turkey. This issue will be deliberated during high-level meetings in the upcoming days. Turkey lifed the requirement for Greeks to obtain a visa in 1985, when the late Turgut Ozal was the Turkish Prime Minister; at the same time Athens wanted the European Union (EU) countries to ensure that it became more difficult for Turks to obtain a visa. /Hurriyet/ ANKARA DGM ON OCALAN Ankara State Security Court (DGM) yesterday separated the files concerning the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan from other files, so that Ocalan will be prosecuted on his own. The hearing of one, of the trials, in which Ocalan has been prosecuted 'in absentia', was held yesterday in Ankara. The other defendant at the trial, Yalcin Kucuk, and his lawyers were present at the hearing. In a new development, the European Court of Human Rights has rejected a demand by Ocalan's attorneys to take precautionary measures related to his prosecution, the Anatolia news agency reports. PRO-OCALAN DEMONSTRATIONS: Widespread and stringent security measures are in place in Istanbul in order to prevent out-breaks of violence in the city on the part of supporters of the imprisoned PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan. The result has been a series of incidents in outlying districts such as Gazi Mahallesi, Bagcilar, Bahcelievler and Kucukcekmece. By Wednesday afternoon, 62 people had been arrested for involvement in illegal demonstrations and throwing Molotov cocktails. Yesterday, massive pro-Ocalan demonstrations were held in Germany and Italy. In Rome, PKK supporters from across Europe marched in support of Ocalan. Organizers claimed some 25,000 people, mainly Italian supporters of the PKK, took part in the action. Police reinforcements guarded sensitive sites in Rome, such as the downtown office of Turkish Airlines, which was attacked by demonstrators last weekend. In Berlin, 10 PKK demonstrators were taken into custody for carrying guns. The demonstration was organized to commemorate the three PKK supporters who were killed by Israeli security officials last week while trying to enter the Israeli Embassy in Berlin. /All papers/ "MEASURES AGAINST GREECE": Kohen wrote in his column in Milliyet newspaper today about the "start" given by President Suleyman Demirel concerning Greek-PKK links. Following his message to all related authorities, Ankara is now in the process of preparing new plans and efforts via Turkish diplomacy. Kohen pointed out that the main aim of Turkey is to make known Greek-PKK relations and the support that Greece has been giving to the PKK for many years. In order to attain the target, Kohen added, Turkey will follow both an indirect and a direct way. The indirect way is that Turkey has already sent documents which prove Greek-PKK complicity to Turkey's neighbouring countries, international institutions and to the global public opinion. As a next step, Turkey will remind these countries and international institutions of their responsibilities against terrorism; it is planned to call for the convening of a NATO meeting. Within this scope, the role of the US is very important. Turkish authorities hope that Washington will be eminently persuasive (and pressurize) Athens through diplomatic channels. In a direct way, Kohen remarked that Greece will be monitored very closely watch following admonition issued by President Suleyman Demirel. The attitudes expected to undergo a change in the Simitis Administration are as follows: the support given to the PKK and Athens' responsibility in the issue ought to be acknowledged; previous attacks (against Turkish diplomats in the past) ought to be investigated; PKK camps and offices ought to be closed down; and "Kurdish refugees" who are active against Turkey ought to be expelled or closely guarded. Otherwise, Turkey will freeze her relations with Greece, visas will be required by Greeks wishing to enter Turkey, Greek activities in Turkey will be closely monitored, the issue of the Western Thrace will be put on the agenda, the Confidence-Building-Measures to prevent military tension in the Aegean will be postponed and the slightest provocation by Greece in the Aegean will meet a harsh response. Sami Kohen added another point saying that Turkey evaluated relations between Greek and Southern-Cyprus in conjuction with the PKK and Ocalan. The Greek-Cypriot Administration's attitude, from now on, is going to be effective in determining Turkey's Cyprus policy. /Milliyet/ THE HEAVY DEFEAT OF EUROPE - BY ZEYNEP ATIKKAN: Zeynep Atikkan, a columnist in the `Hurriyet' daily, reflects on the recent developments in Turco-EU relations. Atikkan writes: "The Luxembourg discrimination document has encouraged an atmosphere in which even a `neighbor and ally' can sponsor terrorism. Furthermore, Turkey and Greece have come at the brink of a very serious, tense situation. Who is responsible for that? A both prejudiced and problematic mentality has excluded Turkey from the reconstitution of Europe through a series of `reasons' expressed in Luxembourg. The post-Luxembourg process was marked by efforts to place Turkey on a second ring to be formed in the periphery of the EU. The inventors of the `second ring' thesis ornamented their rhetoric with that stereotyped expression, `We will ensure very special, close relations with Turkey.' I know that the consultants to most of the European Foreign Ministers share this view. Yet it is impossible to continue Turco-EU relations on such a footing: that mentality, which assigns Turkey a role in the `second ring' due to cultural prejudices, has recently received a serious blow. Europe, with no common foreign policy, has tried to design a foreign policy against Turkey which eventually brought two neighbours to breaking point. Now it is hard for Europe to use the word `terrorism'; it is unable to reproach Greece and it is unable to accept its own complicity. Europeans should read the Luxembourg discrimination document, which recoiled on themselves. In turn, Turkey's success is rooted in the fact that she never credits hatred and hostility. Thus, the values which Europe left behind have never been disgraced in this land. The league of the global world is determined not only by economic power but also by the values adopted by a country. What Europe ought to do now is to knock on Turkey's door and insist that she become the 12th candidate. There seems to be no other solution on the horizon." 26 February 1998: DEMIREL: "GREECE HAS CAUSED COMPLICATIONS IN THE EAST": President Suleyman Demirel has noted that the problems in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions of Turkey originated from the Ottoman period and Greece had caused further complications in these regions. Demirel, who received the Head of the Executive Board of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Trade, Salih Boyaci and an accompanying delegation at the Presidential Palace yesterday, said that if the current economic trend in Turkey continues over the next 10 years, income per capita could increase to $10,000. Boyaci said, for his part, that development in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) could only be achieved through Turkey's contributions. /Sabah/ GREECE HELPS OCALAN'S AIDES LEAVE KENYA: Three PKK terrorists, female associates of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, left the Greek Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya yesterday to be taken to the airport. The three terrorists had been holed up in the Greek Embassy for nearly two weeks. Leaving for Greece on a private plane with them was the Greek Ambassador to Kenya, Giorgos Kostoulas, who has been recalled to Athens at the request of the Kenyan government. The Athens branch of ERNK, the political wing of Ocalan's PKK, earlier identified the women as Semse Kilic, Melisa Deniz and Nudgan Deria. Speaking to reporters, Pavlos Apostolodis, the General Secretary to the Greek Foreign Ministry, said that Greece would give political asylum to one of the Kurds, a woman, while another would receive refugee status and still another would go to Belgium. In Athens, a crisis desk has been set up to direct the operation and Prime Minister Costas Simitis is closely following developments, the Anatolia news agency reports. CETIN CALLS ON EUROPE TO BE WARY OF TERRORISM: Turkish Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin has forewarned European countries about the dangers of terrorism and said that, by giving shelter to PKK supporters, they were endangering their own safety and encouraging terrorism. Speaking in the House of Commons, Cetin noted that Turkey's 'no official contact' policy with the EU was still intact. "Unless the EU recognizes us officially as a candidate along with the others, we are not going to back down from our policy" Cetin stated. Cetin added that the EU was wrong to tell Turkey it cannot join before the Cyprus problem is solved. "It is not only our problem, Greece and the Greek Cypriots are also part of the problem, but the EU has not told them to solve the problem before joining", he pointed out. /All papers/ US AND EU CAUTION GREECE: Greece, recently charged with supporting the PKK terrorism for years, is subject both to harsh criticisms within the EU and faces the danger of being placed on the US list of `countries sponsoring terrorism'. The EU countries' Ministers of the Interior, who have recently met in Bonn, criticized Greece unequivocally due to her support for the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Meanwhile, the US has launched initiatives both in Brussels and Athens, warning EU authorities that if Greece maintains her supporting attitude towards PKK terrorism she will probably be placed on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism. It is reported that the EU Ministers have demanded that Greece gets rid of her `Turkey paranoia', while a high-level US official said, "The attitude of the Washington administration to those sponsors of terrorism is very well known; however, we can neither give a specific deadline to Athens nor discuss this issue in public." /Hurriyet/ ATHENS: "THERE IS A RISK OF CLASHES": Greek Defence Minister Akis Cohacopulos said yesterday that there was a risk of clashes between Turkey and Greece. He claimed that Turkey wished to increase tension in the Aegean and on Cyprus. Meanwhile, the Government Spokesman, Reppas said that Greece was in a state of high alert against a probable attack from Turkey which would want to change the balance in the region. /Aksam/ GERMANY CONDEMNS PKK TERRORISM: During the German Federal and Provincial Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Bonn, PKK terrorist activities which have been going on in Europe since last week were condemned. The statement concerning the activities read: "Germany condemns every terrorist activity carried out by PKK members. These activities are a great threat to the peace of Europe." After the meeting, the German Ministry of Interior Affairs, Otto Schilly, said that they were determined to struggle against PKK terrorism and that Germany, as a State of Law, will accelerate its criminal proceedings. Schilly also added, with regard to the pro-Kurdish MED-TV, that the TV channel did not broadcast in Germany but had its two stations in London and Brussels. The issue of banning MED-TV broadcasts, noted Schily, had to be seriously looked into by London; the result is expected to be the banning of the TV station. Meanwhile, PKK supporters caused panic among German people and also in other European coutries. One of the leading weekly German magazines, "Stern", dealt with PKK terrorism in its latest issue, reporting the panic among people in the German nation. The magazine pointed out that the German people's view of the PKK had taken a negative turn in the aftermath of the recent incidents. It was reported that the true identity of the PKK had revealed itself as a very dangerous terrorist organization which was now understood by Germany. /Turkiye/ OCALAN HAS $2.5 MILLION: The PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, has given a 36-page affidavit to the State Security Court Attorneys on Imrali, in which he made a number of critical remarks. Ocalan stated, "My initial purpose was to establish an independent Kurdish State. However, then, I realized that this was an apparent folly and I gave up this idea. I understand that terrorism is wrong. I regret the deaths of 35,000 people, including 10,000 martyrs. The financial funds of the PKK are maintained by the European branches of the organization; yet I personally have 2.5 million dollars." Ocalan also argued that the PKK does not directly smuggle drugs but collects extortion money from smugglers. /Hurriyet/ LAWYERS MEET OCALAN: Two lawyers for the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, met him yesterday in prison on Imrali Island where he is being held; the meeting lasted 20 minutes. A judge was present and questions were restricted to Ocalan's health, a member of the legal team said. On their way to the meeting, a mob shouting anti-PKK slogans threw stones at the bus the lawyers were being transported in. "Allegations that the lawyers were in any danger are groundless" regional Governor Orhan Tasanlar said. Turkish authorities have stressed that Ocalan is being treated well. One of the prosectors who has been interrogating him, Nuh Mete Yuksel, told reporters in Ankara yesterday that Ocalan was in 'very good condition'. Security along the coast near the prison island is tight, with police guarding the jetties and sea and air traffic restricted. /All papers/ LOGAN: "JUDICIARY CANNOT BE AFFECTED": The British Ambassador to Ankara, David Logan, said yesterday that the capture of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan had caused international interest in the matter to emerge. Logan noted that there could be no foreign intervention in the judicial system. Logan stated that the future of the PKK leader would be determined during the judiciary process and pointed out that there was no need for the Turkish government to intervene in this process. Logan indicated that Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's remarks on the issue were pleasing and added that the judiciary process should be fair and transparent. /Sabah/ PRO-PKK DEMONSTRATIONS CONTINUE: Supporters of the PKK terrorist organization continued to demonstrate in support of Abdullah Ocalan yesterday. The major protests took place in Iran, Lebanon and Australia. In Tehran, more than 1,000 Kurds protested outside the Turkish Embassy, calling for Ocalan's release. Meanwhile, about 1,000 people demonstrated outside the Turkish Embassy in Beirut, shouting pro-Ocalan slogans and calling for revenge against Ankara. In Melbourne, more than 400 protestors staged a peaceful demonstration to demand a fair trial for Ocalan. /All papers/ ANNOUNCEMENT TO ACTIVE PKK MEMBERS: Announcements, which request that active PKK members surrender to the Turkish Security Forces, have been prepared by the Hakkari Governor and have been distributed by helicopter over the mountainous regions. The leaflets read: "Intense terrorist activities in the region are the main reason for your lack of unemployment, lack of uneducation and lack of health. Living in the mountains does not solve any of these problems but only causes new grief. Now, the Turkish State will guarantee you a new opportunity for you to start a new life and serve your country. Come and surrender. The Repentance Law will be legalized to meet your expectations. Do not persist in wrong-doing." /Turkiye/ GREECE IMPEDES EXPORTS FROM TURKEY Greek customs officials are commiting arbitrary treatments due to the strain between Greece and Turkey following the capture of the terrorist PKK leader Ocalan. Very recently, Greek officials prevented the conveyance of 11 buses, to be exported from Turkey to Germany, over the Greek territory. /Hurriyet/ WESTERN PROBLEM - BY TAHA AKYOL: Taha Akyol, a columnist for Milliyet daily newspaper, says the following in his article today: "The European Parliament has overwhelmingly rejected a proposal for an 'International Kurdish Conference' describing this issue as 'Turkey's affair'. This is a good development. Mehmet Ali Irtemcelik, an Istanbul deputy candidate for the Motherland Party (ANAP), says that we should not feel complacent. There may be heavier pressures by Europe on Turkey, he adds. It is also pleasing that the European Parliament is urging the PKK to give up violence and increase its respect for public order. Europeans remember the importance of public order when they were confronted with PKK terrorist activities. However, the real target of PKK terrorism is Turkey and public order is also essential for Turkey. Turkey will certainly struggle against terrorism and protect peace and stability. Of course, political pressures on Turkey will increase, however, Turkey's strength will also be augmented. Turkey, whose share in the global economy has been boosted due to the market economy, can now use economic pressure on European states. The most recent and best example is Italy. Turkey has the strongest Army in the region apart from Russia; the struggle against terrorism has further increased the strength of the Turkish Armed Forces". 27 February 1999: The Greek Government said on Friday it would guarantee political asylum and protection for two female bodyguards of Abdullah Ocalan. The two women and another female bodyguard with a Belgian passport were removed from the Greek diplomatic compound in Nairobi, Kenya, in an operation personally led by the secretary-general of the Greek Foreign Service. Along with a Greek intelligence officer, Savvas Kalenderidis, who was sent to Nairobi to protect Mr Ocalan, they are claiming that the PKK leader was misled by the Greek Government and forced against his will to leave the safety of the embassy compound. .. Turkey says the Greek Government organised training camps for PKK rebels and that it supplied ground to air missiles for use against the Turkish security forces. (Paul Woods, Greece dogged by Ocalan affair, The BBC News, 27 February 1999) 1 March 1999: SIMITIS CRITICIZES OCALAN SUPPORTERS: Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis criticized ultra-nationalist Greeks who support the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, as well as PKK members who blame him for delivering Ocalan to Turkey. Simitis said: "The Greek government has extended humanitarian aid to a certain extent. However, it would have been a tragic error for the Greek government to let Ocalan enter the country. We had earlier announced that we would not be a channel for those who want to harm Greece". /Sabah/ FILE OF TREACHERY: The Turkish Government has recently prepared a file concerning European support for the terrorist PKK organization by 30 European politicians and state oficials at different times. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that, in the past, Greece sent 20,000 Kalashnikov automatic rifles and 30 Stinger missiles to the PKK for its terrorist activities. To this end, many Greek officials have held meetings with both Ocalan and several PKK militants in order to arrange the flow of Greek aid to the terrorist organization during and after the late 1980s. It is reported that together with a number of Greek Generals, Mihalis Haralambidis, an advisor to Greek Prime Minister Papandreu and a Greek Intelligence Service agent at the time, went to Bekaa Valley in Lebanon and met Ocalan in 1988. Following the introductions, during which General Dimitis Matafias had been appointed responsible for Greco-PKK relations, Greece sent 20,000 Kalashnikovs to the PKK camp at Bekaa. Moreover, Greece granted the PKK 30 Stinger missiles, which she had received from the US due to her NATO membership, in order to be used against Turkish helicopters. On the other hand, it is also stated in the file that a number of German, Italian and British politicias and state officials have been helping PKK over the last 10 years, including the German Federal MP Heinrich Lumner, Hannover Mayor Grunewald, British MP John Austin Walker, Lord Avebury, and the Italian Communist MP Montovani. /Hurriyet/ MED TV SUPPORTERS SEIZED: Two persons, charged with transmitting Med TV broadcasts, the voice of the terrorist PKK, to imprisoned PKK militants, were seized in Mugla. The accused persons confessed in their first affidavit that they had informed PKK militants about the recent developments in the organization in the aftermath of the capture of its leader, Abdullah Ocalan. /Hurriyet/ BURNS: "GREECE MADE A MISTAKE": The US Ambassador to Athens, Nicholas Burns, has said that Greece committed a grievous error in hiding the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in its Nairobi Embassy. In a statement to 'To Vima' newspaper published in Athens, Burns expressed US concerns over the Greek efforts to hide Ocalan and said: "Greece and Turkey should stop the rhetorical war". Meanwhile, Greek Foreign Minister Yorgos Papandreu and US State Secretary Madeleine Albright will meet in the upcoming weeks following a request by Athens. /Turkiye/ D'ALEMA WANTS A FAIR TRIAL: The Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema has wished for US President Bill Clinton to put pressure on Turkey for a fair trial of the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan. D'Alema will go to Washington on Friday. In a statement to the 'Il Messaggero' newspaper published in Italy, D'Alema said: "Italy is against terrorism and supports Turkey's territorial integrity. However we cannot overlook democratic principles". /Turkiye/ RADU: "MOST OF THE KURDS DO NOT SUPPORT PKK": An expert from the Foreign Politics Research Institute, Michael Radu, has noted that most of the Kurds in Turkey and in Europe do not support the PKK terrorist organization and its leader Abdullah Ocalan. Radu said that the ideology and activities of the PKK were not in line with democracy. Radu said that it was very humiliating for a human rights organization to deal with the rights of Ocalan instead of those of the victims of terrorism. /Turkiye/ BULLETINS FOR TERRORISTS: Following the capture of the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, by Turkey, the Emergency Rule Region has begun to distribute bulletins to PKK terrorists in rural areas by helicopter. The bulletins urge the PKK terrorists to surrender themselves to security forces. /Turkiye/ SPECIAL RETINA-SCANNERS FOR OCALAN: ASELSAN will produce retina-scanning equipment using NATO technology to help guard the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan. This equipment, which has the capability of recognizing people, will be deployed at various points on Imrali Island. After this equipment is put into service, everyone on the Island will be determined by a retina scan and only those personnel vetted by this equipment will be able to enter the area. /Sabah/ PKK BROADCASTS FROM A GERMAN RADIO STATION: The "Radio Freies Stuttgart" radio station, which broadcasts from Stuttgart with state support, allows the PKK two hours broadcasting time every Saturday. The station, which receives 200,000 DM from the Provincial government every year, broadcasts under licence and allows the PKK to broadcast in Kurdish under the title of "Redaktion Kurdistan". Evaluating the situation as a scandal, one of the leading newspapers in Germany, the "Bild", opposed the fact that the station allows PKK to broadcast using taxes collected from German citizens. In the newspaper report, it was said that the PKK broadcasts ought to be cut as soon as possible. /Milliyet/ OCALAN'S AIDES BECOMING A HEADACHE FOR ATHENS: After sheltering the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, top Greek officials assisted in the international conspiracy that led to the terrorist leader's capture by Turkish commandos, an Ocalan associate alleged over the weekend. "We will not forget that our leader was captured with the help of Greek officials" said Semsi Kilic, who was granted political asylum in Greece. The allegations could extend the political nightmare for Greece, which flew Kilic and two other Ocalan aides from Nairobi, Kenya, on Thursday. Greek officials had hoped that helping Ocalan's allies would end the fallout that followed the arrest of the PKK leader on February 15. Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in front of the Prime Ministry building on Saturday, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that Ocalan's lawyers had been disappointed after failing to find any evidence of torture on Ocalan and had, therefore, cut their visit short and left Imrali Island. Ecevit also criticized the Greek government for bringing three of Ocalan's aides from Kenya to Greece last week and granting them political asylum. "This act cannot be pardoned" he said. /All papers/ 2 March 1999: FEAR FEELING IN GREECE: The Speaker of the Greek Parliament, Apostolos Kaklamanis, said that there had always been the risk of a "flashpoint" between Turkey and Greece; however, he added, in the aftermath of the recent Ocalan issue this risk has been increased. In the statement issued in the Greek "Ta Nea" newspaper, Kaklamanis said that tension between the two countries had been greatly increased, adding, "Following the Ocalan issue our position at an international level has been undermined. The Kurdish issue belongs to the whole of Europe, not only to Turkey. Turco-Greece relations should be saved from "Kurdization". The armed Kurdish strategy aims to draw Greece, or any other neighbouring country, into war with Turkey. We created the Kardak islets crisis, S-300 missiles crisis and finally the Ocalan crisis with Turkey. I should note that Greece has been guilty of these faults since the Turko-Greek war in 1897." Meanwhile, Government Spokesman Dimitri Reppas, said in a press meeting yesterday that they had been shocked in the face of claims by the secretary to the chief of the terrorist organization, Dilan Kilic. Reppas added that the US was uneasy concerning the Greece extension of political asylum to two female PKK terrorists. /Aksam/ "PKK TRIES TO TUMBLE SIMITIS": In line with its efforts to become a hegemonic power within Greek politics, the terrorist PKK organization now implements a new strategy based on the tragedy of those Kurds who flew from Iraq to Greece. In this respect, the Greek government tried to obstruct in vain the `Greek Solidarity with the Outraged Kurdish People' concert, organized yesterday by the PKK in the middle of Athens to this end. "The PKK does not represent the Kurdish people" said Dimitris Reppas, the Greek government Speaker, charging those Greek ultra nationalists who still support the PKK with "treason". What is more interesting than that is Reppas's statement that "the PKK is trying to knock Simitis down". /Sabah/ UTKAN PRESENTS A LETTER OF CREDENTIALS: Necati Utkan, the former Foreign Ministry Spokesman, who has replaced the Turkish Ambassador to Rome, Inal Batu, presented his letter of credentials to the Italian President yesterday. The new Turkish Ambassador to Rome, who was received by the Italian President, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, held a 20-minute meeting. During the meeting, Scalfaro said that Turkey was a friendly country and added that Turkish President Suleyman Demirel was a prominent statesman. /Hurriyet/ A STATEMENT WHICH CONCERNS ATHENS The former Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, has said that Athens had no choice but to hand over the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. In a statement to the Greek private Mega TV channel, the Editor-in-Chief of the Elefterotipia newspaper, Serasim Fidanidis, claimed that Pangalos had made this statement during a Congress of the European Socialist and Social Democrat Parties in Milan, Italy. Fidanidis noted that Pangalos' statement was also announced by the Swedish News Agency to the world. Fidanidis stated that if Pangalos confirms this statement, Athens would created have more complications for itself. /Hurriyet/ ILKIN: "GREECE SHOULD ABANDON ITS SUPPORT FOR THE PKK" Turkey's Ambassador to Washington, Baki Ilkin, held a press conference yesterday and said that Greece should abandon its support for the PKK terrorist organization in order to normalize relations between Turkey and Greece. Ilkin added: "Turkey and Greece have been two NATO allies for 45 years. They have already promised to safeguard each other's territorial integrity. Even though Greece has signed international agreements to cooperate in the struggle against terrorism, Greece continues to support PKK terrorists". Ilkin noted that Ocalan would definitely have a fair and clear trial. Ilkin also thanked the US for its support in the struggle against terrorism. /Turkiye/ TURKEY CONTINUES ITS INITIATIVES OF CONDEMNING GREECE Turkey continues its initiatives in the EU to condemn and make the other countries condemn Greece for the support it gives to the terrorist organization, the Anatolia news agency reports. Nihat Akyol, the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the EU, will meet Von Kyaw, the Permanent Representative of Germany, which is the term-president of the EU at the moment, and will convey the messages of Turkey. `ATHENS SHOULD APOLOGIZE': The Western Thracian Turkish Union has said that Greece should completely give up supporting terrorism and extend the rights of Western Thracian Turks recognized by the Lausanne Treaty. The Head of the Union, Aydin Gencer, said in a written statement that Greece had overlooked many international agreements including the organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Paris Charter. Gencer added: "While the human rights of Western Thracian Turks are violated in the middle of Europe, Greec has no right to give human rights lectures to Turkey or Western Thracian Turks". /Turkiye/ TERRORIST OCALAN: Ozgur Politika, a pro-PKK publication, in its recent issue described Abdullah Ocalan as the leader of the terrorist organization. Following many complaints bt its readers, the newspaper apologized to the readers and said that it had been a technical error. Meanwhile, the Turkish Ambassador to Bonn, Tugay Ulucevik, has remarked that following Ocalan's capture, the German press pursued a misguided policy towards Turkey. Ulucevik held a press conference on the recent developments in the Ocalan issue and his trial in Turkey. Many members of the German press attended the conference. Ulucevik said that the recent violent activities of the PKK terrorist organization had displayed the real face of the PKK which Turkey had known for years. /Hurriyet/

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German spy dies in Turkish raids on PKK bases: report (The PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU, and the US ??)

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