(16 Feb 1999) Greek/Nat
Greece finds itself at the centre of unprecedented protests as Kurdish demonstrators burst into Greek diplomatic buildings around Europe to protest Greece's perceived role in the arrest of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan. (pronounced OH'-jah-lan)
Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos threatened a merciless response if Kurdish protestors failed to leave the diplomatic compounds they have seized across Europe.
But his midday deadline passed without the protestors budging.
Ocalan, leader of Kurdish guerrillas fighting for autonomy in Turkey, had been in the Greek Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, before Turkey announced his arrest.
The circumstances of his arrest were unclear.
Greek authorities insisted they had no role in Ocalan's arrest, saying he left their embassy compound in Nairobi voluntarily.
Kenya also denied having a hand in his capture Monday.
It demanded Greece recall its ambassador, whom it accused of sneaking Ocalan into the country.
Dutch lawyers working for Ocalan, however, said he was physically dragged out of the embassy by Kenyan police and put on a plane for Turkey.
Ocalan, 49, has been on the run since he was forced to leave Syria last year under threat of military action by Turkey.
It emerged he had been in hiding in Russia but supporters in Greece spirited him away to Athens after the Russian Mafia threatened to kill him.
SOUNDBITE: (Greek)
"Our response will be merciless. They have to be out by 12 o'clock. This is the last deadline that we are giving them. If they don't vacate the consulates and all the embassies there is a plan being developed by the Greek government to deal with this organisation and its leadership in all of its extent throughout the world".
SUPER CAPTION: Theodoros Pangalos, Greek Foreign Minister
SOUNDBITE: (Greek)
"It is the responsibility of the government of Kenya to inform with clarity and details what Abdullah Ocalan's movements were afterwards."
SUPER CAPTION: Dimitris Reppas, Greek Government Spokesman
SOUNDBITE: (Greek)
"We brought from Mr Ocalan from Leningrad to Greece in a private plane because the Russian Mafia were threatening to kill him. The Russian intelligence informed our intelligence of this but we got there in time and we took him away without telling anyone because of the stance of (Greek) government officials".
SUPER CAPTION: Atonis Naxakis, Friend of Ocalan
SOUNDBITE: (Greek)
"We met at the Meridian Hotel and we passed on the message that I'd heard from officials in Brussels that people were going to set themselves on fire, something which colleagues of Ocalan had heard in Nairobi".
SUPER CAPTION: Failos Kranidiotis, Ocalan's Lawyer
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