(16 Feb 1999) Russian/Nat
A protest by about 40 Kurds at the Greek embassy in Moscow on Tuesday, ended peacefully when they left the building.
The group had occupied the embassy in what appears to be an orchestrated move which saw similar action in London, Austria, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.
It's believed some Kurdish groups have also taken hostages at embassies which they have occupied.
The It follows the capture by Turkish authorities of Kurdish Workers Party leader Abdullah Ocalan after he sought refuge at the Greek embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
Kurdish fury at Greek involvement in the capture of Abdullah Ocalan swept across western Europe and Russia on Tuesday morning.
In Moscow the Federal Security Service - a descendant of the Soviet-era KGB - took control of the situation after the embassy grounds were stormed at around 0700 GMT.
Although reporters on the scene saw one man carrying petrol the situation didn't escalate and police said they did not enter the main building.
However the protestors were demanding to be reassured about Ocalan's safety.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"They are demanding that they will not leave the Embassy until Ocalan
has appeared on television. Maybe they will be forced to leave but they will not leave themselves."
SUPER CAPTION: Kozhar Kurdaskir, PKK representative
The Kurdish groups are protesting after their rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan's international quest for asylum ended with the announcement that he was in Turkey awaiting trial.
Ocalan's arrival marks a victory for Turkey, which has been seeking to prosecute him for waging a guerilla war for autonomy that claimed tens of thousands of lives.
He faces the death penalty if convicted.
Ocalan, whose whereabouts had been unknown since he left Rome in January, surfaced in Kenya on Monday after he left the Greek Embassy in Nairobi, which had given him secret refuge.
Ocalan had a long odyssey before he reached Turkey. After a brief stay in Russia, Ocalan left for Italy in November where he remained until January. Italy refused to extradite him to Turkey, because he faced capital punishment here.
Several European countries refused to allow his plane to land for refueling, and refused to grant him refuge fearing economic reprisal from Turkey and unrest within the Kurdish communities in Europe.
In Moscow the takeover wound down slowly as a large group left the embassy and joined other protestors behind police lines outside.
The situation was finally ended as negotiators persuaded the final occupants to leave the grounds. They were taken into police custody.
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