Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-02-16
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, February 16, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT HANDLED THE OCALAN AFFAIR PRUDENTLY AND
RESPONSIBLY
[02] THE EXILED KURDISH PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT CALLED FOR THE
WITHDRAWAL OF THE KURDS OCCUPYING THE GREEK EMBASSIES AND
CONSULATES
[03] OCALAN WAS ABDUCTED BY TURKISH AGENTS
[04] THE OCALAN AFFAIR TURNS INTO A THRILLER
[05] TERRORIST OPERATIONS BY KURDS IN 10 GREEK EMBASSIES AND
CONSULATES
[06] PANGALOS: THE GREEK POSITIONS ARE BEING VINDICATED BY THE
DEVELOPMENTS
[07] THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF KENYA ISSUED CLARIFICATIONS ON THE
OCALAN AFFAIR
[08] STATEMENTS MADE BY THE NEW DEMOCRACY SPOKESMAN ON THE OCALAN
AFFAIR
[09] STATEMENTS BY A KURDISH SPOKESMAN ON THE OCALAN SEIZURE BY
TURKISH AGENTS
[10] THE PENTAGON CRISIS HANDLING GROUP MEETS TO DEAL WITH THE
SITUATION
[11] GREECE'S NEW MILITARY CHIEF OF STAFF IS GEN. PARAGIOUDAKIS
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[12] THE ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY DENIED INFORMATION OVER THE
ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT OF ISRAEL IN THE OCALAN ARREST
[13] OCALAN WAS TAKEN TO IMRALI ISLAND
[14] THE KURDS ISSUED A FIVE-POINT PACKAGE OF DEMANDS
[15] PKK CALLS ON THE KURDISH PEOPLE TO EXERCISE VIGILANCE
[16] PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS' STATEMENT ON THE OCALAN AFFAIR
[17] GREECE RECALLS ITS ENVOY FROM KENYA
[18] PRESIDENT OF GREECE DEPARTS FROM AUSTRIA TOMORROW
[19] US CONGRESSMEN TO VISIT GREECE ON THURSDAY
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT HANDLED THE OCALAN AFFAIR PRUDENTLY AND
RESPONSIBLY
The Greek government handled the Ocalan affair prudently and
responsibly in order to protect the interests of the country and
made the right choices aimed at avoiding to create further risks
for Ocalan, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, who
condemned the occupation Greek embassies and consulates around the
world by Kurds. Mr. Reppas said that such actions are hostile
actions against Greece.
The Greek government spokesman stated that the fact that the
plan of the Kurds to occupy Greek embassies and consulates was not
handled in time is an issue concerning the governments and the
responsible authorities of each country that have the
responsibility to protect the foreign diplomatic missions.
The government spokesman announced that Ocalan's request to
stay in Greece could not be accepted under any circumstance but
the Greek government had offered him shelter in Kenya for
humanitarian reasons. He said that he was absolutely safe there
but his decision to move to another country in consultation with
the Kenyan authorities was unfortunate. Mr. Reppas stated that the
Greek government has no responsibility whatsoever and announced
that Athens almost persuaded certain African states to allow
Ocalan to move to their territory. Mr. Reppas said that this plan
was not implemented and added that it was the choice of Ocalan
himself.
The Greek government spokesman made it clear that the Kurdish
problem is an international problem and must be resolved with
political, diplomatic and peaceful means and can not be turned
into a Greek-Turkish problem.
[02] THE EXILED KURDISH PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT CALLED FOR THE
WITHDRAWAL OF THE KURDS OCCUPYING THE GREEK EMBASSIES AND
CONSULATES
The exiled Kurdish Parliament president Yassar Kaya in a
press conference he gave in Athens, called on the Kurds, who have
occupied the Greek embassies and consulates around the world, to
withdraw and free the hostages they are holding.
He said to reporters that the occupiers do not know exactly
what goes on and pointed out that it is not possible to control
all those who have resorted to such actions, while he attributed
the embassy and the consulate occupations to the wish of the Kurds
to find out the whereabouts of their leader.
The representative of the Kurds did not determine what will
be their next reactions. Governing socialist party of PASOK
parliament deputies Stelios Papathemelis and Kostas Badouvas were
present in the press conference. Mr. Papathemelis spoke of "stupid
and idiotic handling" and stated that it will be the biggest shame
in the modern Greek history if Ocalan is in the hands of the
Turkish authorities.
[03] OCALAN WAS ABDUCTED BY TURKISH AGENTS
Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan is in the hands of the Turkish
secret services after a movie-like abduction from Kenya where he
was staying at a Greek house.
The arrest of Ocalan was announced by Turkish prime minister
Bulent Ecevit avoiding to give more details. The Turkish prime
minister characterized Ocalan's arrest as a success of the Turkish
secret service, MIT, stressing that the operation was made
possible with top secrecy and with the coordinated moves of the
secret services.
The Kurdish leader had expressed the wish last night to go to
The Hague to request political asylum from the Dutch government.
Ignoring the advise of the Greek ambassador to Nairobi, Ocalan
insisted in his request and in cooperation with the authorities of
Kenya a convoy was organized to bring him to the airport. However,
on the way to the airport his car changed course and moved toward
an unknown destination. At 3 o'clock in the early morning hours of
today, he was brought to Istanbul accompanied by Turkish agents on
board a private plane and from there he was taken to Ankara.
[04] THE OCALAN AFFAIR TURNS INTO A THRILLER
The Ocalan affair has turned into a thriller. According to
foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos the Greek government for
humanitarian reasons had agreed to host Ocalan in a Greek house in
Kenya for a period of 12 days.
Yesterday evening, Ocalan announced to the Greek ambassador
in Nairobi that he intends to go to The Hague to request asylum
from the Dutch government. In spite of Greece's advises to the
opposite, Ocalan insisted in his views and a convoy was organized
to bring him to the Nairobi Airport. During the short trip to the
airport the car with the Kurdish leader changed its course and
disappeared to an unknown destination.
The Greek government has no information on the fate of Ocalan
and asked for official information from the foreign ministry of
Kenya. Also, the Greek government has briefed the EU president on
the issue while at the same time has asked the US government for
relevant information.
[05] TERRORIST OPERATIONS BY KURDS IN 10 GREEK EMBASSIES AND
CONSULATES
Tragic events were caused by small groups of Kurds in many
European countries. Kurds forcefully occupied the Greek embassies
in Bonn, London, Vienna, Brussels and The Hague as well as the
consulates of Greece in Hanover, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and
Stuttgard.
In Vienna, Greek ambassador Mr. Gennimatas is being held by
the Kurds, while in The Hague armed Kurds hold hostages the wife
and the 8yearold child of Greece's ambassador to Holland Mr.
Angelakis. The small boy is being threatened with hand grenades.
Foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos condemned those actions
as acts of extreme brutality and called on the PKK leadership to
order its members to leave the Greek embassy and consulate grounds
they have occupied around the world as they regarded Greek
territory. Mr. Pangalos gave them until 12 at noon today warning
them that the Greek government prepares a plan aimed at dealing
with this organization and its leadership.
[06] PANGALOS: THE GREEK POSITIONS ARE BEING VINDICATED BY THE
DEVELOPMENTS
The developments concerning the Kurdish leader Abdullah
Ocalan as well as the occupations of 10 Greek embassies and
consulates justify the prudent and according to the international
principles behavior of the Greek government and constitute a big
lesson for all those who exploit patriotism in a systematic way
for their own personal benefits.
The statement was made by foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos
in the press conference he gave this morning saying that the
events underway give an overwhelming response to all those who
tried to make Greece part of the Kurdish problem. "The events give
an overwhelming response to all those wherever they are as they
clearly prove that Greece should not have become a part of this
conflict which concerns us as human beings and as members of the
world community but it was not and should not become our affair",
said Mr. Pangalos.
Mr. Pangalos said that Greece is against the separatist
movements, the armed revolts and the acts of violence and
terrorism but it supports the protection of minorities, human
rights and democratic freedoms. He said that those are the
principles Greece has always implemented in the case of the
Kurdish problem which Athens has repeatedly brought before the
international community but unfortunately our interlocutors did
not assume their responsibilities.
On Ocalan's move after he left Syria the Greek position was
that his presence on Greek territory would not have been useful to
the struggle of the Kurdish people and the recognition of its
rights, while it could also hurt the safety, stability and peace
in the region. The transformation of the Kurdish problem, which is
an international problem of human rights and an internal problem
of Turkey, into a Greek-Turkish dispute would have only benefited
the enemies of the Kurdish people and democracy, said the Greek
foreign minister.
On the asylum request by Ocalan, Mr. Pangalos said that based
on articles 7, 8 and 11 of the 1996/1991 law which regulates the
free movement in the EU, every subsequent asylum request made is
referred to the country that received the initial asylum request.
Mr. Pangalos said that even if Ocalan has filed such an
application it was the obligation of the Greek government, based
on the Greek law and the international agreements, to send this
application to Italy to be examined with the initial application
that was submitted to this country.
After Ocalan's failed attempt to go to Holland, Greece faced
the humanitarian obligation to allow his airplane to land on Greek
territory for refueling but Greece stated to him that he is not
welcomed and allowed the plane to depart for Kenya. Ocalan, said
Mr. Pangalos, stayed in Kenya for 12 days and Greece offered him a
place to stay for humanitarian reasons.
[07] THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF KENYA ISSUED CLARIFICATIONS ON THE
OCALAN AFFAIR
Kenya's foreign minister Bonaya Godana issued clarifications
on the Ocalan affair at noon today. Specifically he stated that
his country's authorities knew that Ocalan was in a building of
the Greek embassy in Nairobi and demanded from the Greek
diplomatic authorities to take Ocalan to another country. From
this point on no one knows what happened, said the Kenyan foreign
minister, stressing that his country did not play any role
whatsoever in the developments that led to the Kurdish leader's
abduction and his subsequent arrival in Turkey.
Ocalan's Italian attorney stated at noon today that he met
with his client in Nairobi on Sunday and in the meeting it was
made known to him that the Kurdish leader had secured guarantees
from the Greek diplomatic authorities to protect him until a
country offers him political asylum.
[08] STATEMENTS MADE BY THE NEW DEMOCRACY SPOKESMAN ON THE OCALAN
AFFAIR
Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy spokesman
Aris Spiliotopoulos condemned categorically the occupations of
Greek embassies and consulates across Europe by Kurds and made an
appeal to them to end them immediately.
There is no doubt that the government handling of the Ocalan
affair was not only strange but dangerous at the least, added Mr.
Spiliotopoulos.
[09] STATEMENTS BY A KURDISH SPOKESMAN ON THE OCALAN SEIZURE BY
TURKISH AGENTS
In statements he made to the mass media the spokesman of the
Solidarity Committee for Kurdistan in northern Greece insinuated
that there was a Greek government involvement in the abduction of
Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan by Turkish secret agents in Kenya.
Speaking outside the ministry of Macedonia-Thrace building,
where about 20 Kurds have gathered since yesterday, their
spokesman Haki Pirs associated the arrest of Abdullah Ocalan with
the arrests of Kurds in Athens. He said that the statements made
by foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos are not adequate and
characterized as games all that happened after the Kurdish leader
left Syria.
[10] THE PENTAGON CRISIS HANDLING GROUP MEETS TO DEAL WITH THE
SITUATION
The Greek Pentagon crisis handling group holds a special
meeting to deal with the situation, while separate meetings are
being held to examine the information coming from the Greek
embassies in Europe.
The Greek government had a communication with German foreign
minister Joshka Fischer, as Germany currently holds the rotating
EU presidency. Also, it contacted the US ambassador to Athens to
determine the conditions under which Ocalan's traces were lost in
Kenya.
In Athens, police have received orders to break up every
Kurdish protest demonstration held in a public place.
[11] GREECE'S NEW MILITARY CHIEF OF STAFF IS GEN. PARAGIOUDAKIS
Greece's outgoing chief of staff Gen. Athanasios Tzoganis has
handed over the command to his successor Gen. Manoussos
Paragioudakis during a ceremony held today at the national
defense headquarters.
In his address, Mr. Paragioudakis stated that "our major
national problems, with absurd claims by Turkey on our sovereign
rights and in Cyprus, demand unity for the realization of our
mission and the achievement of our common goals."
Gen. Paragioudakis, formerly chief of the Army General Staff,
was named by the Cabinet as the new head of Greece's armed forces
in November.
Gen. Tzoganis will retire with the title of honorary chief of
the general staff, after having completed the longest permissible
term in the post.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[12] THE ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY DENIED INFORMATION OVER THE
ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT OF ISRAEL IN THE OCALAN ARREST
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman categorically denied
mass media reports alleging that Israel was involved in channeling
information that led to the arrest of Kurdish PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan.
According to a statement issued by the Israeli foreign
ministry, the government of Israel denies in the most categorical
way that it had any involvement in the issue.
It should be noted that the German mass media, citing
information from the western secret services circles, have
mentioned that the Israeli secret service Mossad offered decisive
assistance to the Turkish agents in the hunting down of the
Kurdish separatist leader Ocalan.
[13] OCALAN WAS TAKEN TO IMRALI ISLAND
Kurdish PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is on Imrali island,
according to the Turkish private television station ATV which
added that the government of Kenya with a statement it has issued
points out that the Greek government knew the final destination of
the Kurdish leader.
According to the Turkish television station, Ocalan was
brought to Istanbul with the private jet of Turkish politician
Cavit Caglar and from there he was taken to the town of Badirma
where he boarded the frigate "Zafer" that took him to Imrali
island which was a place of exile in the past.
Turkish government spokesman Sukru Gures avoided to comment
on the news and stated that for the moment he can not give more
details.
[14] THE KURDS ISSUED A FIVE-POINT PACKAGE OF DEMANDS
Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos, who is on a formal
visit to Austria, stated that the Kurds have sent a letter with a
five-point package of demands which has reached him, the Austrian
government and other governments as well.
According to MPA information, this letter includes a five-
point package of demands, and among others the Kurds want
guarantees that Ocalan will not be harmed and also demand that the
Kurds, who have occupied the Greek embassies and consulates around
the world, will not be brought to justice.
[15] PKK CALLS ON THE KURDISH PEOPLE TO EXERCISE VIGILANCE
The Central Committee of the Kurdish Workers' Party, PKK,
issued an appeal to the Kurdish people to exercise vigilance and
display preparedness on the "vital and sensitive" issue that arose
after the abduction of Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan in Nairobi
by Turkish agents.
In the statement is also mentioned that no one should
undertake actions at his or her initiative and await for the
briefing and call for action that will follow.
It is underlined that the situation is unclear and dangerous
and for this reason the governments of Kenya and Greece have to
give the necessary explanations.
As it is mentioned, yesterday afternoon Kenya police officers
asked Ocalan, who was in the Greek embassy in Kenya, to follow
them alone and did not allow to anyone of his comrades to go with
him.
[16] PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS' STATEMENT ON THE OCALAN AFFAIR
Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos, who is on formal visit
to Vienna, stated that Greece has no responsibility over the way
the Ocalan affair has developed.
Meanwhile, a group of Kurds attempted this morning to storm
the Imperial Hotel where president Stephanopoulos is staying but
this was averted at the last moment by police.
For security reasons, Mr. Stephanopoulos' scheduled visit to
the Greek-Orthodox church of Vienna was canceled in spite of the
tight security measures that were in effect in the area.
According to information, the Greek president will cut short
his formal visit to Austria and will return to Greece tomorrow.
[17] GREECE RECALLS ITS ENVOY FROM KENYA
Greece's ambassador to Kenya George Kostoulas, was recalled
from Nairobi by the Greek government at noon today, stated
Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos during a
parliamentary address tonight.
Meanwhile, Kurdish protesters, some of them armed with hand
grenades, continue to occupy the Greek embassies in Bonn, London,
Vienna, Brussels and the Hague, and the Greek consulates in
Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Stuttgart.
[18] PRESIDENT OF GREECE DEPARTS FROM AUSTRIA TOMORROW
The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos
will depart from Austria tomorrow, where he conducted an official
two-day visit, the first by a Greek head of state to the Austrian
capital.
In light of the event that took place, where Kurdish
protesters took over the Greek embassies in various European
capitals and cities, among them Vienna, Mr. Stephanopoulos'
scheduled visit to Grazt has been canceled.
Greece's Ambassador to Vienna has been taken hostage, along
with another diplomat, a clerk and three members of the embassy's
staff. Austrian President Wolfgang Schussel has stated that a
breakthrough could occur in the negotiations within the following
hours.
The Greek President did visit the National Library of
Austria, which has the largest collection of Greek papyri and the
third largest in Greek manuscripts, and the historical ethnic
Greek neighborhood in Vienna, where the Orthodox Cathedral stands.
[19] US CONGRESSMEN TO VISIT GREECE ON THURSDAY
A 12-member delegation of U.S. Congressmen will visit Greece
on Thursday, February 18, in order to meet with Greek government
officials on political and economic affairs and defense and
security issues.
The delegation, led by Nebraska Republican Douglas Bereuter,
is on a six-day tour of the region and, in addition to Greece,
will also visit Belgium, France, Cyprus and Turkey.
The Athens talks are expected to focus on the security
situation in the eastern Mediterranean, relations between Greece
and Turkey and prospects for a resolution of the Cyprus issue.
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