ANF, – Kurds everywhere have organised rallies to mark the 15th anniversary of what has became commonly known as the “international conspiracy” against Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. In Europe like in Turkey and Kurdistan, thousands will take to the streets once again to ask freedom for the Kurdish leader and an end to the policies of denial and war against Kurds.
Öcalan had explained and written himself about what and how the international conspiracy came about. It eventually led to his extradition to Turkey on the 15th of February 1999. But it actualy begun on the 9th of October 1998 with his departure from Syria. It would be an odyssey through Europe which will take him to Athens, Russia and Italy. From there the Kurdish leader was forced to return to Russia and once again to Greece. Its end came with his kidnapping from Kenya.
“I talk of an international conspiracy -has written the Kurdish leader – because the whole course of events, in which a coalition of powers from four continents took part, as well as political intrigues and economic interests, also contained a complex mix of betrayal, violence and deception”.
Öcalan recalled that “The prime objective of the leading player – the USA – was undoubtedly to liquidate our liberation movement. With their Greater Middle East project the US planned to fan the flames of nationalism and create new, small nation-states in order to maintain control of the Middle East for decades to come”.
Of course, he added, “in a project of this nature there is no room for liberation movements. This is the direct link between the Greater Middle East project and my being handed over to Turkey. Events since 2003 bear me out in this respect. Confronted with a balance that offers a choice only between the international ruling powers or regional reactionary forces, the fact that we embody a third, true alternative makes us a target for ideological and political attacks”.
Öcalan also pointed out that there were two further goals of relevance. “On one hand – he wrote – it was hoped that my death or my reaction to abduction would push the situation into an ethnic conflict, that is to say war between Turks and Kurds. On the other hand there was also an economic dimension to this political conspiracy”.
The European States claim over and over that they stand for democracy and human rights. However in that winter of 1998 they barred all their doors against the Kurdish leader (sadly history would repeat itself earlier this year when the presidential plane of Bolivia head of state, Evo Morales, was denying permission to land by many European countries, acting on orders by the U.S.) and didn’t undertake any real attempt to play a constructive role in solving the Kurdish question.
On the contrary, they simply submitted to the will of the US and NATO and as an arena for the conspiracy took on an unhappy, dramatic part. That fact gives yet another demonstration of the true face of the European system.
Firat News Agency