Ocalan capture: Mossad kills 3 Kurds in Berlin
Regional, Politics, 2/18/1999

Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has announced in a statement to the CNN that PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is being held on an island in Marmara sea, in western Turkey

Turkish television on Wednesday showed Ocalan tied to a chair on board a private plane which took him from Kenya to Turkey. The Turkish authorities on the other hand, prevented Ocalan's lawyers from entering Turkish territories upon their arrival in Istanbul on Tuesday night from Holland.

German lawyer Preta Bouler said that the Turks prevented her and two of her Dutch colleagues from leaving the plane and confiscated their passports and travel cards and then evacuated them following hours of investigations.

Meanwihle, the Kuwaiti daily al-Sabah reported on Monday that the US played a key role in the capture of Ocalan. The paper added that Ocalan is now in an isolated prison in "Amrali" island near Istanbul and that he was put in a special cell under continued control, while gunboats and special operations commando teams are imposing strong guarding measures on the island.

The Kuwaiti paper added that a three- judge judicial commission will be formed to inquire Ocalan and that he may be sentenced to death. For its part, the Turkish Daily News said strong security measures have been taken in the main Turkish cities, especially in the ports, airports and main squares, especially in Istanbul.

Meanwhlie, Israel has decided to close its diplomatic missions in Europe, following the attack made on its consulate by Kurds in Berlin. The attack resulted in killing three Kurds and another 16 were reported as wounded.

An Israeli official told the AFP that the closure of the Israeli diplomatic missions in Europe is a security measure that "we cannot comment on." One of the Kurds' leadesr, Mousa Kamal, stressed the involvement of Israel and its intelligence system, the Mossad in capturing Ocalan and handing him over to Turkey.

In a statement to the al-Sharq radio on Wednesday, Kamal added that information available so far indicates a conspiracy in the arrest of Ocalan with the participation of several sides, including Israel and the US.

Israeli prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israeli security men in Berlin opened fire on Kurds who tried to break into the Israeli consulate there. Netanyahu added in a press conference he held in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, that tens of Kurds climbed the walls of the consulate. Israel justified the shooting as having prevented the taking of hostages, and stated that their early reports indicated an attempt by the Kurds to take the weapons of the security personal at the site.

Netanyahu did not deny the recent news reports on security cooperation between Turkey and Israel. He asserted the two sides' cooperation in the field of fighting "terrorism."

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that no Israeli casualties were reported in the consulate incident. An eyewitness said that opening fire on the Kurds was made without prior warning, SANA reported.

Previous Stories:
  Reactions to Ocalan arrest   (2/16/1999)
  Greek government statement of Ocalan   (2/16/1999)
  Greece announces it is not responsible for handing Ocalan over to Turkey   (2/16/1999)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search