November 27, 1998, Friday
Italy presses Germany over Kurdish leader
By James Blitz in Rome and Ralph Atkins in Bonn
Italy yesterday stepped up pressure on Germany over the fate of Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdish Workers' party (PKK), insisting Bonn had a "moral responsibility" to file an order for his extradition from Rome.
Lamberto Dini, Italian foreign minister, made the comments before a meeting in Bonn today at which Gerhard Schroder, German chancellor, is expected to propose to Massimo D'Alema, Italian prime minister, ideas for resolving the dispute.
Mr Dini said further delay by Germany in issuing an extradition order for Mr Ocalan would "damage the fight against terrorism".
His remarks heightened the tension between Bonn and Rome following Germany's announcement last week it would refrain from seeking Mr Ocalan's immediate extradition - even though he is wanted in the country in connection with a murder and leadership of a terrorist organisation.
Yesterday there was no sign of Bonn softening its line.
A possible solution could be to bring Mr Ocalan before a court in Italy under a 1977 European convention on terrorism.
Alternative political solutions might be extradition to Turkey under certain conditions - particularly over the death penalty - or to a third country.
Bonn's dilemma is acute because of the threat of violent clashes erupting in Germany if Mr Ocalan were to be transferred to the country.
There are about 400,000 Kurds in Germany and a large Turkish population.
Mr Schroder is seeking to improve the often frosty relations between Germany and Turkey, including supporting its eventual membership of the European Union. The EU this week condemned Turkey's threatened boycott of Italian goods after Rome's court of appeal rejected Turkey's request for extradition of Mr Ocalan.
However, Mr Dini warned Germany that its attitude on the Ocalan issue "does not conform" with the fact it had issued warrants for the arrest of the PKK leader.
Mr Dini referred to this week's ruling by Britain's House of Lords that General Augusto Pinochet, the former Chilean dictator, was not immune from prosecution following an extradition request from Spain. "That is how the system should work and we are asking Germany in the Ocalan case to move in line with the position on Pinochet."
Mr Dini's latest published remarks were seen as unnecessarily inflammatory in Bonn. Initially, Germany thought Italy would use the PKK leader's arrest as an opportunity for a new, wide- ranging approach to the Kurdish problem.
It was taken aback by Mr Dini's later assertion that Mr Ocalan had been detained because of the German arrest warrant.
But Bonn has been careful to leave itself room to manoeuvre and has not ruled out reactivating its extradition request.
Louis Proyect (http://www.panix.com/~lnp3/marxism.html)