Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-02-18
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, February 18, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THREE MINISTERS DISMISSED FROM POSTS OVER OCALAN AFFAIR
[02] PANGALOS: I HANDLED OCALAN CASE THE BEST WAY I COULD
[03] GREEK FM: IF OCALAN HAD LISTENED TO US, HE WOULD BE SAFE NOW
[04] DUTCH FINANCE MINISTER ARRIVES IN ATHENS TODAY
[05] DELEGATION OF US CONGRESSMEN ARRIVES IN GREECE TODAY
[06] GREEK PARLIAMENT RATIFIES TREATY OF AMSTERDAM
[07] CHRISTODOULOS: I DON'T BELIEVE WE HANDED A MAN OVER TO THE
ENEMY
[08] MACEDONIA-THRACE JOURNALISTS UNION ISSUES APPEAL OVER OCALAN
[09] PAPANDREOU: RECENT EVENTS HAVE COMPROMISED NATIONAL PRIDE
[10] MERRIL LYNCH: OCALAN AFFAIR WILL NOT HURT GREEK MARKET
[11] MR. PAPADOPOULOS' PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE OCALAN AFFAIR
[12] THE PRIME MINISTER WILL MAKE STATEMENTS SOON ON THE
GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE
[13] CABINET RESHUFFLE BY THE PRIME MINISTER
[14] KARAMANLIS: THE PRIME MINISTER SHOULD RESIGN
[15] PETSALNIKOS: MY CONSCIENCE IS ABSOLUTELY CLEAR
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[16] OCALAN INCARCERATED AT THE ISLAND OF MARMARA
[17] VIDEOTAPE RELEASED OF OCALAN, HANDCUFFED AND WRETCHED
[18] EURODEPUTIES DELEGATION TRAVELS TO TURKEY
[19] ALBANIAN PREMIER SPEAKS TO THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY
[20] TURKEY SHOWED A SECOND VIDEO WITH OCALAN
[21] THE TURKISH ARMY LAUNCHED A NEW MILITARY OPERATION IN
NORTHERN IRAQ
[22] ABOUT 1.000 KURDS JAILED IN TURKEY ARE ON A HUNGER STRIKE
[23] 20 KURDS ARE LIVE BOMBS AND READY FOR SUICIDE MISSIONS IN
TURKEY
[24] OCALAN APPEALED TO THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
[25] KURDISH PROTESTERS STILL OCCUPY GREEK EMBASSY IN LONDON
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THREE MINISTERS DISMISSED FROM POSTS OVER OCALAN AFFAIR
Greece's Minister of Foreign Affairs Theodoros Pangalos,
Minister of the Interior Alekos Papadopoulos and Minister of
Public Order Philippos Petsalnikos have been removed from their
posts by Prime Minister Kostas Simitis who asked for their
resignation during today's Cabinet and PASOK Political Secretariat
meeting.
After the three ministers submitted their resignations, the
Premier thanked them for the up-to-date cooperation.
Following the shake-up, government spokesperson Dimitris
Reppas said that the government will look into attributing
responsibilities to all those who, beyond any sense of
responsibility , brought the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to Greece.
A press briefing will follow later in the day.
[02] PANGALOS: I HANDLED OCALAN CASE THE BEST WAY I COULD
Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, who resigned
earlier this morning from his post following the Prime Minister's
request, stated that the Ocalan matter was a very difficult case
"which I handled in the best way I could.
"It had subjective parameters which were beyond my control
and concerned the existing international reactions and Ocalan's
own choices," Mr. Pangalos added.
The Minister made the aforementioned statement immediately
following his scheduled meeting with Slovakia's Foreign Minister
and prior to his departure from the Foreign Ministry.
When asked if, and to what degree, the Premier Kostas
Simitis was aware of the handling of the Ocalan case, Mr. Pangalos
responded "of course, it was done with his knowledge", while,
commending on alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou, he
stated that he was not briefed since he was outside the country at
the time and added that "it would be best if he didn't speak on
matters which he doesn't know."
Regarding the statement made by interior Minister Alekos
Papadopoulos (he also resigned) who said that he had made a
different recommendation for the handling of the case, Mr.
Pangalos stated that at that point there was no one and nothing
to handle, and pointed out that there was no difference of
opinion.
He further referred to those who brought the PKK leader to
Greece and stated that they acted criminally against the nation
and are responsible for Mr. Ocalan's present plight.
Mr. Pangalos had one piece of advice for his not-as-of-yet-
named successor: "watch your back".
[03] GREEK FM: IF OCALAN HAD LISTENED TO US, HE WOULD BE SAFE NOW
Abdullah Ocalan would be safe now if he had listened to us,
stated Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos during an
interview with an Athens daily.
Mr. Pangalos, who was removed from his post by the Prime
Minister today, defended his policy and expressed his surprise
over certain choices made by the PKK leader. Moreover, Mr.
Pangalos insinuated that the United States secret services traced
Mr. Ocalan through is mobile phone. He also referred to Kenya by
stating that "that country was a stopover, it was other African
countries with which we negotiated for the granting of political
asylum (to Mr. Ocalan)."
[04] DUTCH FINANCE MINISTER ARRIVES IN ATHENS TODAY
The Netherlands' Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm is to embark on
an official visit to Athens today where he will be received by
his Greek counterpart Yiannos Papantoniou with whom he will
discuss Agenda 2000 issues .
The Royal Netherlands embassy in Athens, in cooperation with
the Hellenic-Dutch Association of Commerce and Industry, will host
a business meeting tomorrow evening at the Athens Hilton.
[05] DELEGATION OF US CONGRESSMEN ARRIVES IN GREECE TODAY
A 12-member delegation of U.S. Congressmen is to visit
Greece today, 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.
[06] GREEK PARLIAMENT RATIFIES TREATY OF AMSTERDAM
The Hellenic Parliament ratified the Amsterdam Treaty with
246 votes in favor, 19 against and nine abstaining, wrapping up a
five-day debate.
Deputies from both the ruling PASOK party and the main
opposition New Democracy agreed that the Treaty constitutes a step
ahead, which should be followed by other moves in the Common
Foreign Policy and Defense Policy sectors.
[07] CHRISTODOULOS: I DON'T BELIEVE WE HANDED A MAN OVER TO THE
ENEMY
The Archbishop of Athens and All of Greece Christodoulos
stated that he doesn't believe Greece "handed a man over to the
enemy", referring to PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan who was captured
in Kenya by Turkish commandos.
Following his meeting with the Minister of National Defense
Akis Tsochatzopoulos, the Archbishop also stated that if things
happened just as a section of the press reports, "then this is
really a strike against our credibility, tradition and human
rights."
[08] MACEDONIA-THRACE JOURNALISTS UNION ISSUES APPEAL OVER OCALAN
The Journalists' Union of Daily Newspapers of Macedonia
and Thrace has issued an announcement concerning the recent
capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan by Turkish commandos,
wherein it expressed the concern that his life could be in danger,
and that he will not be afforded a fair trial.
The announcement was forwarded to the International
Journalists' Federation, prompting it to demonstrate its concern
for the maintenance of fundamental humanitarian principles and for
the respect of democratic and human rights, especially in the
Ocalan case and, overall, the plight of the Kurdish people.
It was also sent to international organizations and the
United Nations, calling on them to declare "that the observance of
these fundamental principles is the very least demand the world
has of Turkey", and to journalists of Turkey and their unions,
urging them to honor their profession by surrounding Ocalan's fate
with publicity and maintaining a constant and unwavering focus on
this case.
"We believe that the leadership of Turkey itself should also
receive this message, as it now stands before the opportunity to
prove that it does not succumb to revengeful impulses but, rather,
it opts to serve those humanitarian principles which befit
civilized countries," the announcement also read.
[09] PAPANDREOU: RECENT EVENTS HAVE COMPROMISED NATIONAL PRIDE
Greece's alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou has
issued a written statement wherein he challenges all those
involved in the Ocalan case to undertake their responsibilities
publicly, a move that has been construed as a call for the
resignation of Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos.
Moreover, Mr. Papandreou asked that the National Council of
Foreign Policy be convened and stressed that the recent turn of
events have compromised the country's authority and undermined
the hospitable Greek people's sense of dignity and pride.
[10] MERRIL LYNCH: OCALAN AFFAIR WILL NOT HURT GREEK MARKET
Greek markets are not expected to be negatively swayed by the
Ocalan case that has rocked the country's political world,
according to Merril Lynch, which does not forecast any substantial
or long-term effect in the economy.
Moreover, the financial organization advises that any
temporary "weakness" in the national currency's parity should be
seized as an opportunity by investors, as the state's economy
continues its "upward climb" in light of the Economic and Monetary
Union convergence.
[11] MR. PAPADOPOULOS' PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE OCALAN AFFAIR
The facts related with the Ocalan affair were presented by
Alekos Papadopoulos in a press conference he gave after the
announcement of his resignation from minister of interior. Mr.
Papadopoulos stressed that he handled the issue within the
framework of his authority with every sense of responsibility.
He stated that the Greek secret services had been involved in
the case only up to the point when the procedure for Ocalan's
transfer to Kenya started and added that the National Information
Service is an autonomous agency that administratively belongs to
the ministry of interior. He said that after Sunday night he had
no involvement in the case but last Monday he decided to submit
his resignation not because he had any responsibility over the
issue but for reasons of sensitivity.
Referring to the events of Friday, January 29, he said that
while he was on a formal trip to Marocco he was informed by the
minister of public order that there is information according to
which, Ocalan was in Greece. He said that the responsible agencies
of the airport and the police officers there did not inform anyone
on the issue and that the control tower did not inform the Greek
secret service agents at the airport that an airplane was about to
arrive coming from Russia. The National Information Service agents
realized that there was a fourth individual that remained on board
the plane for a couple of minutes. He then left the plane and took
off by car. They assumed that it was Ocalan but they did not have
time to react.
Mr. Papadopoulos said that he contacted the foreign minister
and the minister of public order and stated to them that according
to his opinion there should be arrests of all those responsible
namely, those who brought Ocalan to Greece in the first place and
those who were responsible for security at the airport of Athens.
Mr. Papadopoulos said that Ocalan himself decided to go to
Minsk in Belorus and that a plane would be there to take him to
Rijeka and from there to Holland. However, the authorities in
Minsk did not allow his plane to land and it was forced to go to
the island of Corfu and from there to Kenya. Last Friday, it was
obvious that Ocalan had to be removed from the Greek ambassador's
residence where he was staying in Kenya, while the procedures were
being completed for him to be taken to a neighboring country which
was going to grant him political asylum.
Based on the available information, there was a problem of
cooperation. On Sunday, both the Greek embassy and the residence
of the ambassador had been surrounded by Kenyan security forces
and by certain white individuals and it was obvious that the life
of Ocalan was in danger and there was no way out.
Mr. Papadopoulos stated that he suggested to the foreign
minister, the minister of public order and the prime minister that
in order to avert Ocalan's arrest the issue had to be publicized,
while high level contacts were necessary to take place with the
foreign minister of Kenya in order to take Ocalan to a third
country. Mr. Papadopoulos stated that since then he had no
involvement whatsoever and no information on Monday's developments
adding that he learned about the arrest of Ocalan by Turkey the
same way with everybody else.
[12] THE PRIME MINISTER WILL MAKE STATEMENTS SOON ON THE
GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated that the
prime minister will soon make statements on who will be placed at
the ministries of foreign affairs, interior and public order after
the resignations of Theodoros Pangalos, Alekos Papadopoulos and
Philippos Petsalnikos respectively.
Mr. Reppas stated that the prime minister asked for the
resignations of the three ministers. When called to comment on the
responsibility of the prime minister in the Ocalan affair, Mr.
Reppas stated that the prime minister has no responsibility
whatsoever as he did not have any involvement and he did not
handle the issue himself. Mr. Reppas said that the government has
members with specific responsibilities and authority.
Mr. Reppas said that the government has stood by the struggle
of the Kurdish people but unfortunately a distorted picture has
been created, underlining that there are responsibilities that
belong to plain citizens who got involved in the creation of the
problem, pointing out that there are illegal actions, misdirection
of government agencies and negligence of agencies in exercising
their duties.
The Greek government spokesman pointed out that Ocalan is now
held in Turkey and what is most important is to win guarantees on
his life and the conditions under which he is held. He said that
the international community and especially the European Union have
an obligation to safeguard the implementation of the principles of
law in this case as dictated by the humanitarian principles. Mr.
Reppas said that the European Union can not remain a simple
observer but it should be the guarantor for a fair handling of
Ocalan.
Responding to a question on the pictures shown by the Turkish
television on the conditions under which Ocalan is held, he stated
that they show the reality and do not correspond to a country that
wants to belong to the developed world and become a member of the
European Union.
[13] CABINET RESHUFFLE BY THE PRIME MINISTER
Prime minister Kostas Simitis will proceed with a government
reshuffle after the removal of foreign minister Theodoros
Pangalos, minister of interior Alekos Papadopoulos and minister of
public order Philippos Petsalnikos.
According to government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, those who
disregarded any sense of responsibility and brought the Kurdish
leader to Greece illegally involving the country in the Ocalan
case will be accountable for their actions.
[14] KARAMANLIS: THE PRIME MINISTER SHOULD RESIGN
The prime minister is the one who should resign, underlined
right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader Kostas
Karamanlis as soon as he was informed of the removal of the three
ministers during the meeting of the ND parliamentary group.
Mr. Karamanlis raised the issue of early elections indirectly
saying that New Democracy does not have the ability to impose them
but it can be certain that it can win them whenever they take
place.
[15] PETSALNIKOS: MY CONSCIENCE IS ABSOLUTELY CLEAR
Philippos Petsalnikos stated in a press conference he gave
after the announcement of his resignation from minister of public
order that his conscience is absolutely clear regarding the Ocalan
affair.
Mr. Petsalnikos referred to the events that took place until
the arrest of the PKK leader and stated that he submitted his
resignation after a request made by the prime minister, adding
that he does not want anyone to think that he had any
responsibility in the issue.
He said that on Friday, January 29 he was informed by the
deputy commander of the National Information Service Mr.
Loukopoulos that there is a likelihood for Ocalan to have entered
Greece and immediately he had a telephone communication with
minister of interior Alekos Papadopoulos and minister of foreign
affairs Theodoros Pangalos.
He said that preparations had been made for arrests if it was
deemed necessary, but Mr. Pangalos announced that a meeting was
scheduled for later in the evening of Saturday, January 30 with
Ocalan himself who was staying at the house of his Greek friends.
Mr. Petsalnikos stated that he informed himself the chief of the
National Information Service Mr. Stavrakakis on the issue and
ordered him to return immediately to Greece from Romania where he
was on a visit.
Mr. Stavrakakis handled the issue and Ocalan apparently was
persuaded that it was not a solution for him to stay in Greece and
agreed to leave the country and go to Minsk from where a plane was
going to take him to Holland but this plan was not successful and
he returned to Greece in the early morning hours of Monday. Since
Monday evening, when he left for Kenya, the ministry of public
order had no involvement whatsoever in the affair.
Mr. Petsalnikos stated that on Friday, February 12 he was
called at the office of interior minister Alekos Papadopoulos and
he was informed that there is fear that Ocalan, who was staying at
the Greek embassy in Kenya, would be discovered and procedures
were in progress for his transfer to another country. The next day
it was decided that four National Information Service agents were
going to be sent to Kenya for security reasons as the Greek
embassy and the ambassador had no protection there. On Sunday,
February 14 Mr. Petsalnikos was informed that the four were being
closely watched and there was an increased danger for Ocalan to be
discovered. Since the evening of that day, Mr.Petsalnikos said
that he had no information and no contacts on the issue probably
because it was being handled by the foreign ministry.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[16] OCALAN INCARCERATED AT THE ISLAND OF MARMARA
The PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is being incarcerated at the
island of Marmara, off the coast of Turkey, according to Turkish
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, who also added that the prisoner
will soon be tried and will have Turkish counsel.
Meanwhile, a Turkish lawyer representing Mr. Ocalan was
arrested last night in Istanbul, according to the French news
agency AFP.
At the same time, Turkey's President Suleiman Demirel
thanked those involved in Mr. Ocalan's capture operation and
called on the county's youth who have "fallen into the traps of
terrorism, to seek shelter with the Turkish state's system of
justice."
[17] VIDEOTAPE RELEASED OF OCALAN, HANDCUFFED AND WRETCHED
A videotape was released yesterday by Turkey, showing the
leader of the PKK Abdullah Ocalan handcuffed and wretched, with
his eyes taped shut.
The video, which was taken inside the plane transporting Mr.
Ocalan to Turkey after his capture in Kenya, is obviously edited;
it shows him wincing, responding to his masked captors who
politely prompt him to speak and repeatedly ask him if there is
anything he needs. The Turkish commandos informed the PKK leader
that the tape is rolling.
"You can tape me and broadcast it since you haven't tortured
me," Mr. Ocalan
said. "I love my country. My mother was a Turk. If there is
anything I can do, I will do it. Don't ask me anything else."
Speculation abounds that the PKK leader was drugged during
the videotape.
[18] EURODEPUTIES DELEGATION TRAVELS TO TURKEY
A delegation of European Parliament deputies is to travel to
Istanbul today, in order to present a the EU parliament's
resolutions on the Abdullah Ocalan case.
Greek Euro-MP Alekos Alavanos, representing the Coalition of the
Left and Progress, will represent the European Parliament at the
joint committee meeting with the Turkish national assembly.
The committee calls for Mr. Ocalan's trial to be fair and
public, for the accused to be given the right to choose his own
lawyer and that European Parliament members be allowed to visit
him.
It also reminds Turkey of its obligations as a member of the
Council of Europe not to apply the death penalty.
[19] ALBANIAN PREMIER SPEAKS TO THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY
Albanian's Prime Minister Paskal Milo told the Macedonian
Press Agency that a positive outcome of the Rambouillet talks
between Serbs and the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo will be the
onstart of a process that would lead to a final closure of the
Kosovo issue.
Moreover, Mr. Milo told the MPA that his country will view
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic as the main party
responsible should the talks fail, and stressed that Albania will
accept the international community's resolutions and choices.
The Albanian premier views the presence of NATO in Kosovo as
a fait accompli, since NATO in Kosovo would serve as a warranty
not only for the enforcement of a potential Rambouillet agreement,
but also as a means that would ensure peace and stability in the
region throughout.
[20] TURKEY SHOWED A SECOND VIDEO WITH OCALAN
The Turkish television showed a second video with Kurdish
leader Abdullah Ocalan who was handcuffed, visibly shaken and with
two Turkish flags at the background.
Meanwhile, according to the Turkish Union for Human Rights
350 members of the legal pro-Kurdish party HADEP have been
arrested in Istanbul.
[21] THE TURKISH ARMY LAUNCHED A NEW MILITARY OPERATION IN
NORTHERN IRAQ
Turkish prime minister Bulent Ecevit stated that the Turkish
army has launched a military operation in northern Iraq against
the PKK rebels, according to the French agency AFP.
The Turkish newspaper "Hurriyet" writes that in the military
operation participate 10.000 soldiers, Cobra helicopters and F-4
fighter jets. Prime minister Ecevit denied that this operation is
related with the arrest of the Kurdish separatist leader and added
that it will not last long.
Iraq protested against the Turkish military operation that
takes place on its territory and called on the United Nations to
intervene in order for the Turkish troops to be withdrawn.
Meanwhile, a new attack was launched against the Kurds of PKK
in south-eastern Turkey.
[22] ABOUT 1.000 KURDS JAILED IN TURKEY ARE ON A HUNGER STRIKE
The protests against the arrest of Ocalan continue in the
Turkish jails with hunger strikes and attempts by Kurds to set
themselves alight. About 1.000 Kurdish inmates in Turkish prisons
are currently on a hunger strike.
Meanwhile, a Kurd attempted to commit suicide in the Nazili
Prisons, while another Kurd attempted to set himself on fire in
the Jeihan Prisons.
[23] 20 KURDS ARE LIVE BOMBS AND READY FOR SUICIDE MISSIONS IN
TURKEY
Twenty members of the Kurdish PKK, the majority of them
women, are in Turkey for suicide missions according to the Turkish
newspaper "Milliyet".
The Turkish newspaper cites information coming from secret
services and publishes the names of 20 PKK members characterizing
them as "live bombs", while it also mentions that trained for
suicide mission is also Ocalan's companion Ayer Kaya.
[24] OCALAN APPEALED TO THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
A group of lawyers headed by German Brigite Beler from
Amsterdam made a appeal to the European Court of Human Rights
concerning the arrest and the conditions under which Kurdish
leader Abdulah Ocalan is being held in Turkey. The group
characterizes the arrest as illegal and calls for Ocalan's
release.
In case he is not released they demand that urgent measures
should be taken for his personal safety as Turkey is known for the
violations of human rights on its territory.
According to Ms. Beler, there are reasons to fear that Ocalan
will be mistreated and that even his life will be in danger,
stressing that for this reason the European Court for Human Rights
is called to intervene urgently.
Meanwhile, newly elected Council of Europe Parliamentary
Assembly president British Liberal Sir Russel Johnson expressed
strong concern over the way the arrest of Ocalan was made and
whether he will be treated by the Turkish authorities in
accordance with the European Treaty on Human Rights. He added that
for this reason contacts with the Turkish government have already
started to allow the arrival of a Council of Europe delegation
that will witness the conditions under which Ocalan is being held.
[25] KURDISH PROTESTERS STILL OCCUPY GREEK EMBASSY IN LONDON
The Greek embassy in London continues to be occupied for as
third day, with a clerk being held hostage, by Kurds who are
protesting -the capture of their leader Abdullah Ocalan.
The protesters said they have began a hunger strike and were
prepared to set themselves on fire if police tried to force them
out.
According to London's police Chief Superintendent Anthony
Wills, storming the building is not an option the authorities are
considering at the moment.
The hostage, Haralabos Patsouris, is reportedly well, albeit
anxious to go home.
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