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Ocalan Warns of Renewed Warfare if Turkey Rejects Talks Offer
Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has warned Turkey of renewed warfare if it sticks by its refusal to negotiate to end nearly two decades of conflict. In remarks carried by the Internet edition of the Ozgur Politika daily, Ocalan said his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) would wait until September 1 to see whether Turkey was ready to sit down and talk with rebels. "If (Turkey) does not change its attitude, they (PKK rebels) will take care of themselves. Roads will be blocked, fighting will break out, the tourism industry will collapse. They will have to do these to live," he said.
| And the Turks will have to kill all of them they can find. So sad. |
His threat came as two PKK rebels turned themselves in to Turkish authorities to benefit from an amnesty in return for laying down their arms. However, Ocalan told Ozgur Politika that Turkey was forcing the PKK into war by excluding its leadership from the amnesty. "They are leaving 100 people out in this odd, provacative law. Everyone should know that there are at least 500 people are loyal to each leader," he said. "They (Turkish officials) are saying 'They (PKK rebels) cannot stay in Iraq, Iran'. This amounts to calling them back to Turkey to fight," Ocalan said. "If war starts, hundreds will die in the first stage. Then tens of thousands will die." The amnesty law has been eagerly awaited by the United States which has made clear its wish to purge northern Iraq of PKK fighters.
| We sure as hell don't want them. We have enough terrorists to worry about. |
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-08-08 |
