ANKARA - Describing the international conspiracy against him as a "NATO-Gladio operation", PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan said: "The conspiracy was the 'key step in the realization of the Greater Middle East Project'."
It has been 24 years since the international conspiracy against PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who was held in İmralı Type F High Security Prison and has not been heard from for more than 22 months. In the conspiracy that started with the expulsion of Öcalan from Syria on October 9, 1998 and continued with his return to Turkey on February 15, 1999, many states and hegemonic powers within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which was established in 1949 under the leadership of the USA, took place. Instead of responding to the steps of Abdullah Öcalan, who was in Damascus, the capital of Syria at that time, to resolve the Kurdish question, Turkey began to put pressure on the Syrian government.
Military options for Syria were discussed at the National Security Council (MGK) meeting chaired by President Süleyman Demirel on September 30, 1998. Demirel threatened to intervene militarily in Syria on October 1. Immediately afterwards, NATO countries launched an exercise in Iskenderun, close to the Turkey-Syria border, on October 3, 1998, although it was not planned. 2,500 US troops were deployed to Iskenderun. These developments were interpreted as preparations for war against Syria, in which NATO is a part. Realizing the developments, Abdullah Öcalan decided to leave Syria on October 9, 1998.
ÖCALAN SPOKE ABOUT CONSPIRACY
Connecting to MED TV on October 15, Abdullah Öcalan said: "First of all, I would like to apologize for the fact that a comprehensive conspiracy imposed on the peoples of the Middle East, both for our people and for all Muslim countries and progressive humanity, has remained unfinished for now… They chose two venues. The plan did not work as both places did not have places to go. I can very clearly say that; If those hours had come true as they expected, it would have meant a new regional war in the Middle East.”
On the other hand, against the seizures of the forces plotting against him in Interpol's Red Bulletin with the code "Urgent" after his exit from Syria, Öcalan said: They put ten thousand soldiers on Zakho and KDP traitors attacked in Garê. They took such precautions, these are all documents. They have issued a Red Notice in the international arena, they will keep it in any country we go to, so where in the world are we going? To get rid of them, you only need to go to space or the moon. It is such a conspiracy style that there is no chance of escape.”
ÖCALAN LEFT FROM SYRIA
Öcalan also made many evaluations regarding October 9, 1998 in his evaluations in the following period. Öcalan described the process in question as the Great Gladio Conspiracy in his book “The Kurdish Question and the Democratic Nation Solution”. Öcalan, in his assessment under the heading "Exit Syria", stated that his exit from Syria, which was the beginning of the conspiracy, was connected with the NATO-Gladio operation. Öcalan said: "We cannot interpret this operation correctly without considering the disintegration in the Turkish army and Gladio. Throughout history, conspiracies are the result of line conflicts, and that hegemonic powers such as Germany, England and the USA have supported and controlled these processes from the outside. All these conspiracy events are, in essence, a reflection of the hegemonic wars waged against the peoples of the Middle East, especially Anatolia and Mesopotamia.
'I COULD NOT RELY ON SAVING MYSELF'
The PKK leader described the exit process from Syria as follows: "Before I left Syria, there was competition between these two groups again. The rivalry between those who favor dialogue with us and those who are against it, with the support of Israel and the USA, ended in favor of the NATO-Gladioist wing, that is, the faction that favors war and destruction. Just before the exit, Israeli Intelligence had indirectly given the message that I should leave Syria. I did not find it appropriate to leave. I feared that our position in Syria would be hit hard. Strategically and ideologically, I did not find this right. The war would proceed in its natural course, what was destined would happen. I was not on the fatalistic idea, but changing course by leaving aside nearly 30 years of ideological, political and military lines could not be a meaningful opposition to destiny. To be honest, I couldn't rely on saving myself."
THE ROLE OF THE USA AND ISRAEL
Expressing that the US, UK and Israel had absolute support for his exit from Syria, Öcalan said: “At that time, until my capture, Israel and the US were definitely not in favor of peace and a political solution. They insisted on the continuation of the war and the unsolved Kurdish Question, albeit with low intensity. They desperately needed this for control of the Middle East, especially the overthrow of Iraq. They could pacify Turkey and implement their own plans only in this way. Turgut Özal, Necmettin Erbakan and Bülent Ecevit were dismissed because they did not pay attention to these plans and showed a more Anatolian, nationalist and peaceful and political solution to the Kurdish Question. They were already at war. They wanted to continue the war until the end, overthrow every obstacle on their way and reach their goals. This included the complete military elimination of Kurdish reality, a kind of genocide. Unless the hegemonic powers stood behind this understanding, which is the continuation of the classical Union and Progressist line, they would never have a chance of success."
MOUNTAIN AND EUROPEAN WAYS
Pointing out that The "NATO-Gladioist" line was the basis of all the important political and social events that took place in the period from Turkey's membership to NATO until 1998. Öcalan said: "No important event, conflict or assassination could be resolved correctly without seeing the power in question. The "War of NATO" was waged against the peoples' aspirations for freedom, equality and democracy, and that the reason of war forced me to leave from Syria on October 9, 1998. There were two ways in front of me when I left Syria. The first was the mountain and the second was the European. The problem with the Syrian authorities was that I had to make an emergency exit, but they didn't seem very comfortable with my departure to Europe. It is their serious fault that they do not create alternatives in this regard. Going to Athens was not actually in the calculation. It was an opportunity and, believing in the seriousness of the friends there, I did not hesitate to take advantage of this opportunity. The question to be asked is: Did the Gladio division, which is known to be very powerful in Greece, played a role in my leaving scenario? I cannot give a definite answer to this. This issue needs to be investigated. It is possible that in the reconciliation of the USA with the Turkish administration in my delivery to Turkey, a principle agreement was reached in solving the problems with the Greeks, at least a promise was taken in this direction. It is a strong possibility that they will express their intention in this direction, especially in the solution of the Aegean and Cyprus problems. It must be taken into account that Turkey is in an unconscionable stance in this regard."
ÖCALAN HAS BEEN IN ATHENS
Stating that he was greeted by Savvas Kalenderidis, a former member of the Greek Intelligence Service, in Athens, where the plane he boarded in Syria landed on October 9, 1998, Abdullah Öcalan said: "He took me to Stavrakakis (EYP President Haralambos Stavrokakis), aviator general and Intelligence Chief, who was waiting in a room at the same airport. Stavrakakis said that I could not enter Greece, even if it was temporarily. The friends we had promised were not around. We quarreled until the evening. Coincidentally, our relationship in Moscow, Numan Uçar, stepped in. We headed for Moscow with a Greek private plane. We were able to land in Moscow and enter Russia, which was experiencing economic chaos at the time with the help of the Liberal Democrat Party Chairperson Jirinowski. But this time we came across the Chief of Russian Internal Intelligence. He was also in the mood. We couldn't stay in Russia under those conditions. I was supposedly hidden for about 33 days. The people I stayed with and took care of me were politicians of Jewish origin. I believed they were honest. They really wanted to hide me. But I could not find this method correct. During this time, both Israeli Prime Minister A. Sharon and US Secretary of State M. Allbright had come to Russia. In Russia, Pirimakov was the prime minister. All of them were of Jewish origin. In addition, Mesut Yılmaz, the Prime Minister of Turkey at the time, was also in charge.”
WHY DID ÖCALAN LEAVE FROM ROME?
Describing Russia's stance as "dishonorable", Öcalan said that he was expelled from Moscow in exchange for the "Blue Stream Project" and a ten-billion-dollar IMF loan. Öcalan described his 66-day adventure in Rome, which started after Athens, as follows: “The attitude of then Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema was honest but inadequate. He could not give full political assurance. He left our situation to the court. I was angry about this. I was determined to get out of Italy at the first opportunity. In his last statement, D'Alema stated that I could stay in Italy as long as I wanted. But this seemed like a forced attitude to me. By the way, if I'm not mistaken, it was a joint Arab initiative. They said they wanted to take it to a place they didn't explain. I did not accept it because it was not official and assured. My second trip to Russia was a mistake. But Numan Uçar's slack attitude played a role in this mistake. I set out by trusting this person's demeanor, which I still do not fully know. If I had known his aim, I would definitely not have left Rome. Leaving the NATO area with D'Alema's private plane was like going out of the frying pan into the fire. This time, the Russian Internal Intelligence took me to the airport after convincing me that the departure would be to Armenia. I think that according to the scenario prepared, they said that they said to me at the airport that I could not go to Armenian due to some reason, so I had to go to Tajikistan for a week, and that they could create an alternative within this week. They kind of deceived me and landed me in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, with a cargo plane. We waited in a room for a week without ever leaving. We returned to Moscow again. We had to apply to our Greek friends again. After a very adventurous trip, we turned our direction to Athens in two days.”
THE JOURNEY OF ÖCALAN TO AFRICA
Noting that the continuation of this process was the African journey, Öcalan said: "I was supposed to go to South Africa, establish strong diplomatic relations and obtain an officially valid passport. The fraud of the Greek state was successful in this game as well. In fact, throughout history, the democracy of the Greek people has always been deceived by this impostor, and I should have approached great tragedies knowing that I had been hurt. My belief in friendships with the naivety of a child was effective in this attitude. The drivers of the car I was in on the way to both airports during my departure from Greece made great efforts to try to notice me and to not go. They were probably low-level intelligence officers. The first one crashed the car into the plane, preventing it from going. The second one stopped the car close to the airport where we had to pass undercover, making it look like it had been broken for minutes seven times.We trusted the promises made so much that I never realized. On the contrary, I wanted to go in a hurry to see what was destined as soon as possible. The plane I was on was a vehicle Gladio used in covert operations.
'I COULD NOT COME BACK'
But before that, we had a Minsk expedition. Before going to Nairobi, I was going to transit to the Netherlands via Minsk. Again, I waited for more than two hours under the freezing cold of Minsk by private plane. The expected flight did not arrive. Belarusian airport police checked the plane for minutes. As a possibility and perhaps the last opportunity, they would drop me off at Minsk Airport. The rest was at the mercy of the Belarusian administration. What is interesting is that at that time, the Turkish Minister of National Defense, İsmet Sezgin, also paid a visit to Minsk. When the expected plane did not come, the last opportunity was missed. The return was a kind of 'white death'. I could not come back because it means die slowly. As the Gladio plane was gliding over the Mediterranean, in my next comment, I likened this departure to the transportation of the victims of the Holocaust by train. I had entered the most critical period of the genocidal regime, which was applied to a people. I saw the secret and real face of NATO during these expeditions. On the way back from Minsk, a 24-hour alert was issued to prevent the plane from landing at any European airport. It seems that there was not a single airport left to accept landing except Minsk Airport of Belarus, which was the only rebellious state at that time.
THERE WERE THREE WAYS
Three paths were laid before me in Hell in Nairobi: first, a death masquerading as a conflict for a long period of disobedience; secondly, that I obey the CIA's command and surrender; Thirdly, I will not be handed over to the already prepared Turkish special combat teams. Dilan, who was with me when I was in Nairobi, was in an uneasy mood. If she had expressed her thoughts fully and could mobilize non-governmental organizations, perhaps the conspiracy could have been partially foiled or thwarted. I found it odd that she suggested defending ourselves with a pistol. It meant suicide for us and for me. I had no intention of suicide. She was insisting that I carry the gun on me. If I had the gun on me and I tried to shoot it, this attitude would definitely mean death. Later, during interrogation, I was told that there was an order to shoot if I used a gun. They said that leaving the embassy meant death too. They stated that I took the smartest demeanor. We don't know how much truth they told.
'I INSISTED ON NOT COMING OUT'
The attitude of Ambassador Kostulas during the fifteen-day Nairobi period is worth understanding. Was he used? Or was he already prepared as part of the plan? I couldn't solve it myself. He never came to the house that was his residence before I was delivered. He was a bit harsh on the Nairobi embassy because I was kind of forced out of the embassy. But this behavior can also be dishonest. This time, Pangalos supposedly got permission to go to the Netherlands. I didn't quite believe it because the Greek special teams were waiting in ambush to forcefully attack me if I didn't leave the house. Kenyan police were prepared to do the same. Of course, the trip to the Republic of South Africa had long since remained a story of deception. Proposals such as taking refuge in the church and the UN were always dubious. I insisted on not coming out.”
'THE MOST IMPORTANT OPERATION' OF NATO
Emphasizing that no power other than the USA could organize the conspiracy process that stretched from October 9, 1998 to February 15, 1999, Öcalan said: "The role of Turkish special warfare forces in this process was only to transport me to Imrali by plane, and it in a controlled manner. The process was certainly the most important operation in NATO's history. It was a process. It was so obvious that no one could act against the plan. The exhibitors were instantly neutralized. Even Great Russia was clearly neutralized. The attitude of the Greeks was enough to explain everything anyway. The security measures taken inside and outside the house I stayed in Rome. The situation was pretty self-explanatory. They had taken extraordinary measures peculiar to captivity. They did not even let me step outside. Private security teams kept everything under control 24 hours a day, up to my door. The government of D'Alema was a left democratic government. D'Alema was inexperienced, he could not make a decision on his own. He traveled across Europe. England stated to him that he should make his own decision. It didn't show much solidarity with himself. Brussels' position was not clear. In the end, we were referred to the court. It was impossible not to see the influence of Gladio in this attitude. Italy was already one of the countries where Gladio was the strongest. Berlusconi had mobilized all his strength. He was Gladio's man. I had to leave because I knew that Italy could not take me. Of course, Turkey was made the most reliable but most satellite country of the USA and Israel in return. The process, which is claimed to be wildly globalized, was actually nothing more than the story of Turkey's surrender to global financial capitalism.
KEY STEP OF THE GREAT MIDDLE EAST PROJECT
Pointing out that the international conspiracy is the "key step in the realization of the Greater Middle East Project", Ecevit said: "I never understood why Ocalan was handed over." It was not in vain. Just as the First World War was started with the shooting of the Crown Prince of Austria by a Serbian nationalist, the "Third World War" was started with an operation against me. In order to understand the process after the operation, it is necessary to thoroughly understand what happens before and during the operation. US President Clinton held two meetings with President Hafez Assad, one in Damascus and the other in Switzerland, lasting more than four hours, to discuss the issue of my removal from Syria. Hafez Assad realized the importance of my position in those talks. He found it more appropriate for him to spread the process. He did not make any request for me to leave Syria, even temporarily. He wanted to evaluate me to the fullest as a good balancing factor against Turkey. I forced Syria to take a strategic stance, but my strength or my condition was not sufficient to achieve this. If I had been in Iran, perhaps a strategic alliance could have been developed. I could not trust Iran in that regard either; I was afraid of its traditional attitudes. Clinton and the Iraqi Kurdish leaders with whom they were associated did not see my presence in Syria appropriate for their own strategic purposes because Kurdistan and the Kurds were gradually getting out of their control. Israel was also very uncomfortable with this situation. The course of developments in Kurdistan and the loss of control of the Kurds was an unacceptable situation for them. Keeping Kurdistan under their control was vital to their plans, especially regarding Iraq. I was absolutely forced to leave and to end the line of independent Kurdish identity and freedom.”
MA / Özgur Paksoy
TOMORROW: Foci behind the conspiracy