-Caveat Lector-
>From ArabicNews.CoM
Israeli group mediates gas line deal in the Caspian Sea bypassing Iran to
Turkey
Regional, Economics, 2/22/99
The Israeli Merhaf group specialized in energy has played the role of the
broker in the project signed by Turkmenistan last Friday to erect a line
for natural gas transportation from the Caspian Sea to Europe and Turkey.
The Israeli daily Haaretz said on Sunday that Turkmenistan authorized the
realization of this project which is estimated at a cost of US $ 2.5
billion to " General Electric Finance" and "Bechtel Enterprises" Groups.
Chairman of Merfah group Yusi Mayan said Israeli engineering experts will
take part in erecting the said project.
On Sunday Iran refused the agreement signed by Turkmenistan and viewed it
as unacceptable.
The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Hamid Rida Asefy said that
what Turkmenistan has done is a violation to principles advocated by the
countries overlooking the Caspian Sea, thereby this agreement is "
considered as unacceptable."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
<<Well, now they've got more to be concerned about than Cyprus. A<>E<>R
>>
>From Reuters
Monday February 22 6:55 AM ET
Turk President Calls Greece 'Outlaw State'
<Picture: Reuters Photo>
Reuters Photo
By Steve Bryant
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Suleyman Demirel said Monday that
Greek support for Kurdish rebels fighting an armed campaign in Turkey meant
Greece should be classed a state that sponsors terrorism.
Turkey has launched a drive in Europe to make Greece account for harboring
Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan.
Turkish commandos captured Ocalan last week in the Kenyan capital Nairobi
where he had been hiding in the Greek embassy. Three Greek ministers
resigned in the ensuing row.
``Greece should be added to the list of countries that support terrorism
and harbor terrorists. A country like that can only be described as an
outlaw state,'' the Anatolian news agency quoted Demirel as saying. It was
quoting from the text of an interview he gave to Philippines television in
Manila.
Each year the State Department releases a list of countries it says sponsor
terrorism.
In the interview Demirel also warned Athens that Turkey could take
unspecified measures if Greece continued what he called its illegal support
for Ocalan's rebels.
``We reserve the right given to us by international law to take the
necessary precautions if Greece chooses to continue its illegal behavior,''
he said.
The president's warning appeared backed by a daily newspaper publishing
what it said were admissions from Ocalan that Greece had provided his
rebels with rockets and other arms.
Turkey has demanded that the European Union hold Greece to account for why
it was protecting the guerrilla, a man Ankara says was responsible for more
than 29,000 deaths in 14 years of armed conflict for self-rule in the
mainly Kurdish southeast.
European Union foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg Sunday discussed the
affair, which has sparked Kurdish protests across Europe and Turkey. But
there was little sign of the bloc condemning Greece as Turkey demands.
According to Hurriyet, a daily with close ties to the Turkish security
establishment, Ocalan has told Turkish prosecutors that Greek support for
his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) was long-term and substantial, .
``Greece has supported the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) for years,'' the
paper quoted Ocalan as saying. ``Greece even helped us with weapons and
rockets.''
The dispute adds to other simmering rows between Turkey and Greece, ranging
from territorial claims in the Aegean Sea to the status of the divided
island of Cyprus.
Turkey and Europe have drifted apart since the EU refused to consider
Turkey as a potential member at a summit in 1997.
Inside Turkey, Kurdish shopkeepers in a busy district of the main city in
southeast Turkey shut their stores Monday in response to a guerrilla call
for protests at Ocalan's arrest.
Police with megaphones ordered them to open for business. Business life in
other parts of Diyarbakir, home to around a million people, went on as
normal.
Diyarbakir is the administrative center of the southeast, where sporadic
violent pro-Ocalan protests have erupted.
His guerrillas have vowed to carry on their armed campaign.
Their political wing had distributed leaflets in Diyarbakir Saturday
ordering all shops and offices to close Monday for three days.
``Those not joining the protest will be punished,'' the leaflets said.
Security authorities say Diyarbakir and the surrounding area under
emergency rule are closed to the foreign press.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
>From Agence France Presse
Turkey closes one gate on Iranian border over Kurdish protests
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, Feb 22 (AFP) - Turkey on Monday closed one of its gates
on its border with Iran following Kurdish protests across the border over
the capture of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, local authorities in
the eastern Turkish province of Van said.
The gate in the Esendere town of the southeastern Turkish province of
Hakkari would be closed for an undetermined period.
The Kapikoy border gate in Van, meanwhile, would remain open.
"There are no problems with the Kapikoy gate. Our commercial ties with Iran
are continuing. The gate is open," Van governor Abdulkadir Sari told
Turkjey's NTV news channel on Monday.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
>From IRNA
thr 043
greece-turkey
greece dismisses ocalan's confessions as ''turkish propaganda''
athens, feb. 22, irna -- the greek government monday rejected turkish
allegations that greece was supporting terrorism as a ''plot..that
will not pass.''
greek government spokesman dimitris reppas said the ''plot was
expected. it is not ocalan who is speaking but turkish propaganda...
it will not pass.''
reppas was commenting on remarks made by turkish president
suleyman demirel who currently on a visit to the philippines said
greece should be included in the list of countries that support
terrorism and described greece as an outlaw.
the turkish daily hurriyet reported today that pkk-leader ocalan
who is in a turkish top-security prison has confessed that greece
provided military support to his guerrilla organisation.
ocalan reportedly said that greek secret service agents tried
to help him while he was in hiding in the greek ambassador's
home in kenya.
greek is in the grip of a political crisis after ocalan was
abducted under mysterious circumstances in the kenyan capital
nairobi last week after being sheltered for two weeks at the
residence of the greek ambassador.
prime minister costas simitis sacked three top ministers of
his government and also the chief of the intelligence services.
but opposition parties are calling for the resignation of
simitis himself.
meanwhile, the sunday weekly paper ''to vima'' has disclosed that
simitis himself spoke to ocalan by phone when the pkk-leader arrived
in athens in january.
simitis reportedly told ocalan that greece will not grant him
political asylum and that he must leave the country.
ocalan is quoted by the paper saying that ''andreas would not have
done this to me.'' he was referring to the late greek prime minister
andreas papandreou.
meanwhile, the retired greek naval officer andonis naxakis, the
man who brought ocalan to greece from russia, is to appear before an
investigating magistrate tuesday to answer questions on the ocalan
affair.
nk/rr
end
::irna 22/02/99 17:35
thr 016
turkey-ocalan-press
daily comments on consequences of capture of ocalan
tehran, feb. 22, irna -- the english-language 'iran daily' monday
criticizing the capture of kurdish leader abdullah ocalan said that
the arrest will not end the insurrection question for ankara, it could
on the other hand set in motion a series of unforeseen events, which
might be just the beginning of the ocalan file.
the daily was referring to the familiar greek general xenephon's
march to the sea, four centuries before christ in which after
encountering them he did his best to avoid them. xenephon wanted to
get home and warring with the kurds was not on his agenda.
''the capture of abdullah ocalan should put iran, iraq, syria
and the greater muslim world on high alert. denials from ankara and
tel aviv aside, tracing this affair over the past six months,
clarifies the danger of the israeli-turkish-us-alliance,'' pointed
out the article in the perspective column of the daily.
furthermore, ''turkey's september threat to invade syria was the
first step in finally running ocalan to ground in nairobi. perhaps
it is not the last maneuver aimed at much wider regional objectives.
that he was nabbed through persistent israeli and u.s. surveillance is
a perception that no amount of public relations magic will remove,''
added the paper.
what have the turks given as a quid pro quo? is the consequence
for a prostrate iraq, unable to defend itself from almost daily
u.s.-british aggression and serial invasions from turkey into iraqi
kurdistan? asked the paper.
are these the hallmarks of an attempted dismemberment of that
country? questioned the daily asking if anyone doubts ankara has its
yes on the iraqi oil fields or that the israelis would not benefit
from the turmoil such an eventuality would provoke in the muslim
world?
would europe cower in the face of such an american-backed land
grab? what of oft-repeated turkish assurances that its border with
iran is not being exploited by the israelis? why is turkey allowing
itself to be transformed into a bulwark against greater regional
interests, as was iraq 20 years ago? are some of the questions posed
by iran daily in conclusion.
fh/ks
end
::irna 22/02/99 12:17
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A<>E<>R
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