On Ocalan's expulsion to Italy

Leader of the Kurdistani Workers Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan has announced that he left the region for Italy to foil a plan to "drag Syria, Lebanon and the Kurds into a war aimed at undermining the struggles of all of us."

In a statement to the Lebanese magazine al-Shera, Ocalan added, "What is taking place of aggressions against Iraq is but part of the aggressive scheme in the region, part of which was carried out and another part was not because of our recognition of the grave situation."

Ocalan stated that by coming to Italy he was able to "foil a devilish scheme and should he have stayed in the region, the aggression would have targeted Syria, Lebanon and the whole region." He said, "It is the only scheme to have full control on the region. It is the Turkish-Israeli alliance which is supported by America and Britain."

He indicated that, "From inside Turkey erupts the keenness for a new Ottoman Empire, whose interests totally coincide with those of Israel and the US.