UK/ITALY: KURDS DEMONSTRATE OUTSIDE FOREIGN OFFICE WHERE BRITISH AND FRENCH LEADERS MET TO DISCUSS EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFENCE ISSUES

Record ID: 230277

  • Title: UK/ITALY: KURDS DEMONSTRATE OUTSIDE FOREIGN OFFICE WHERE BRITISH AND FRENCH LEADERS MET TO DISCUSS EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFENCE ISSUES
  • Date: 25th November 1999
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (NOVEMBER 25, 1999) (REUTERS) 1. LV/SV: PRO-KURDISH REBEL LEADER ABDULLAH OCALAN SUPPORTERS IN FRONT OF FOREIGN OFFICE WITH BANNERS AND KURDISH FLAGS (8 SHOTS) 0.47 2. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED KURD SAYING: "We are urging (British Foreign Minister) Robin Cook and people generally from Europe to lift up that sentence (death sentence on Ocalan), Kurds have always been peaceful up to now and we are trying to sort out long standing Kurdish problem peacefully. Its up to Turkey to choose right way" 1.16 3. MLV/MV: MORE OF PRO-OCALAN DEMO (3 SHOTS) 1.30 ROME, ITALY (NOVEMBER 25, 1999) (REUTERS) 4. SLV: OCALAN LAWYER LUIGI SARACENI 1.36 5. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) OCALAN LAWYER LUIGI SARACENI SAYING "I feel that every European country and the European community and its various organisations must make their voices heard. They must say and I feel it is obvious to say, that it is intolerable in a Europe moving towards the year 2,000 a death sentence can be carried out, this is completely intolerable and would signify a disintegration of a basic element of civilisation in Europe." (2 SHOTS) 2.09 6. MV: CHAIRMAN OF ERNK IN ITALY AHMED YAMAN (2 SHOTS) 2.17 7. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIRMAN OF ERNK IN ITALY (NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT OF KURDISTAN - WING OF KURDISTAN WORKERS' PARTY) AHMED YAMAN SAYING (ITALIAN) "Europe so far has been too shy in its relations with Turkey and in its communications with... 3.02 8. SV: AHMED YAMAN WITH JOURNALIST 3.08 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 10th December 1999 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM AND ROME, ITALY
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVA1KBYP8D8WI9N76EL4VII4HXF
  • Story Text: Kurds and their supporters have demonstrated in front
    of the Foreign Office where British and French leaders met to
    discuss European security and defence issues.They delivered a
    petition to Foreign Minister Robin Cook calling on Britain and
    Europe to take up the cause of rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan
    following a Turkish court of appeal's decision to uphold his
    death sentence.Ocalan's lawyer has also called on Europe to
    condemn the sentence.

    Hundreds of demonstrators lined up outside the Foreign
    Office on Thursday (November 25).They shouted slogans in
    support of rebel Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, whose treason
    conviction was upheld by a court in Ankara.

    They shouted loudly to capture the attention of French
    and British leaders meeting inside the building to discuss
    security and defence in the European Union.

    "We are urging (British Foreign Minister) Robin Cook and
    people generally from Europe to lift up that sentence (death
    sentence on Ocalan)...Kurds have always been peaceful up to
    now and we are trying to sort out long standing Kurdish
    problem peacefully.Its up to Turkey to choose right way,"
    said one demonstrator.

    An Italian lawyer for Ocalan said in Rome that he hoped a
    wave of popular opinion throughout Europe would eventually
    force the Turkish authorities to call off the execution.

    "I feel that every European country and the European
    community and its various organisations must make their voices
    heard.They must say, and I feel it is obvious to say, that it
    is intolerable in a Europe moving towards the year 2,000 a
    death sentence can be carried out, this is completely
    intolerable and would signify a disintegration of a basic
    element of civilisation in Europe," Luigi Saraceni said.

    Speaking from his office in Rome, Chairman of the ERNK
    (National Liberation Front of Kurdistan - wing of Kurdistan
    Workers' party) Ahmed Yaman said it was time for Europe to
    make stronger demands of Turkey and force them to abandon the
    death sentence.

    "Europe so far has been too shy in its relations with
    Turkey and in its communications with Turkey.Even when Europe
    said if Turkey carries out the death penalty they could not
    enter the EU, they said it in a shy way..now it is time for a
    stronger and clearer message to be given" Yaman added.

    "I feel that every European country and the European
    community and its various organisations must make their voices
    heard," Luigi Saraceni said in an interview with Reuters
    television.

    Saraceni, who defended Ocalan when the Kurdish leader was
    in Rome last year, spoke after Turkey's appeals court upheld a
    death sentence.

    "They must say, and I feel it is obvious to say, that it
    is intolerable in a Europe heading into 2000 that a death
    sentence can be carried out," he said.

    "This is completely intolerable and would signify a
    disintegration of a basic element of the civilisation of
    Europe," Saraceni said.

    Speaking from his office in Rome, Chairman of the ERNK
    (National Liberation Front of Kurdistan - wing of Kurdistan
    Workers' party) Ahmed Yaman said.

    'Europe so far has been too shy in its relations with
    Turkey and in its communications with Turkey' he said.

    'Even when Europe said if Turkey carries out the death
    penalty they could not enter the EU, they said it in a shy
    way..now it is time for a stronger and clearer message to be
    given' Yaman added.


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