World

Kurd Rebel Renounces Violence

December 14, 1998 / 9:11 AM EST / AP

A Kurdish rebel leader arrested in Italy on charges of terrorism and murder has urged his followers to lay down their arms and pursue a political path toward autonomy.

Abdullah Ocalan, in an interview Sunday night with London-based Kurdish MED TV, also said he was ready to give up leadership of his Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK.

The PKK has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in southeastern Turkey since 1984 in a war that has killed 37,000 and devastated the region.

"The Kurdish guerrillas have been fighting for 15 years but this cannot continue like this anymore," Ocalan said. "They should give up their arms and they should go back to their homes."

But Ocalan added that the movement could quickly resume its armed struggle.

"If there is no way for a political solution, I say that the solution only lies with the army, the guerrilla army," he said.

"I will of course continue to play my role," he added, "but it is OK for me if someone else is prepared to take the leadership."

Ocalan gave the interview by telephone.

The rebel leader was arrested upon his arrival in Rome on Nov. 12 but Italy has refused Turkey's demands for his extradition, since he could face the death penalty there.

Instead, Italy and Germany, which also had indicted Ocalan, has proposed he be tried before an international tribunal.

Ocalan has asked for political asylum.

In a sign of a possible power struggle within the PKK, Ocalan criticized his own followers.

"I have serious criticisms. They have to correct themselves, reorganize, and restructure themselves," he said. "Being ready to give their lives (for the cause) is not enough."