-Caveat Lector- ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A<>E<>R The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. ---------- : From: LM <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> : To: LM-commentary <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> : Subject: LM COMMENTARY: Kurdish protests/02-17-99 : Date: Wednesday, February 17, 1999 8:38 AM : : : Who's behind the Ocalan witch-hunt? : : Dominic Standish reports from Italy on how the US government has called the : shots over the arrest of Kurdish guerrilla leader Abdullah Ocalan : : On Tuesday, Europe was unprepared for the protests launched by Kurds. Greek : embassies were invaded in Britain, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, : Russia and Belgium. Two Greek diplomatic missions in Germany were occupied, : as was the Greek consulate in Marseille in France. Forty protestors entered : the United Nations building in Geneva, and in Vienna the Kenyan embassy was : set on fire and the Greek ambassador, his wife and three others were taken : hostage. : : The protests followed Abdullah Ocalan's extradition to Turkey to face : charges of treason and possibly the death sentence. Ocalan has been seeking : an international solution to the war between the Kurds and the Turkish : state that has killed an estimated 30 000 people. After 14 years of : fighting for self-determination, Ocalan proposed a peace plan and called : for UN and EU supervision to facilitate a peace process similar to those in : Northern Ireland and Spain. : : Ocalan has discovered that unless such a peace process fits the agenda of : Western powers, especially America, it's 'peace off'. He was arrested in : Kenya's capital Nairobi on 15 February. He had previously been held in a : Greek diplomatic building for two weeks after requesting asylum with : Turkey's traditional adversary. But it seems that Ocalan overestimated : Greece and Turkey's conflict over issues like Cyprus and underestimated who : was really calling the shots: America. : : Last autumn, his requests for asylum in Syria and Russia were rejected : before he flew to Italy, where he stayed for two months. America demanded : Ocalan's extradition to Turkey. But the Italian constitution forbids : extradition to countries where the death penatly exists. Germany quickly : dropped two warrants for Ocalan's arrest to prevent extradition to Germany. : So the Italians encouraged him to leave. Rome's Court of Appeal set Ocalan : free because the German arrest warrants had been dropped. Despite being : under informal house arrest and holding a false passport, he was allowed to : leave Italy on 16 January. : : During Ocalan's Italian sojourn, Spain, France, Germany and Italy supported : the idea of an international trial to launch a peace process. The Council : of Europe began its investigations on 21 December. But US pressure meant : this plan was deprioritised. : : Turkey's position as the only Islamic member of NATO means that it has : traditionally been a key US ally. Turkey has fought against the Kurds with : US acquiescence. Incidents such as last year's invasion of northern Iraq by : 25 000 Turkish troops pursuing Kurds rarely make the headlines. But the : Ocalan issue has coincided with American and British bombings in Iraq. With : little international support for the attacks, Turkey's help has been vital. : As this war has continued over the past two months, US and UK forces have : flown from the Incirlik NATO base in Turkey to bomb within the northern : Iraq's 'no-fly zone'. : : With Turkey's support so important to America, there was no way a peace : process would be considered for Turkey's most wanted enemy. Ocalan's : eventual capture was made inevitable by a proscriptive statement from US : state department spokesman, James Rubin, on 1 February: : : 'In addition to denying terrorists such as Ocalan safe haven, refuge or : asylum, countries should take steps consistent with their national legal : system to assist Turkey's efforts to bring Ocalan to justice.' : : It may have been the Greek government that was last sheltering Ocalan : before his arrest, which is why Kurds have targeted Greek embassies for : protests. But it would be more appropriate for them to demonstrate against : the Turkish government which continues to oppress Kurds, and the US : government which is calling the shots. : : : : ------------------------------------------------------------------ : If you are not on this mailing list and would like to join, create a mail : from the address at which you would like to receive the commentaries - : : To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> : Body: Subscribe LM-commentary Yourname : : You should receive a confirmation of your subscription to the list. : : To unsubscribe, create a mail from the address at which you are subscribed : and send to the same address with - : : To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> : Body: Unsubscribe LM-commentary : : If you have problems (un)subscribing, email: : <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. : : ------------------------------------------------------------------ : You don't have to keep this Commentary to yourself. 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