Greece has traditionally adopted a supportive attitude to all elements hostile to Turkey.

PKK is no exception to that.

Members of several illegal organizations, including PKK separatists, who left Turkey often without proper travel documents following the military takeover of 1980, took refuge in Greece to reside at Camp Lavrion in the vicinity of Athens.

ERNK and Kurdistan Committee branches have been set up in Athens in 1985 and 1986.

Kurdish separatist activities are presently being carried out by a militant of Turkish citizenship named Hasan Daº. Periodical meetings are held by separatist organisations and propaganda activity is intense. Some minor publications continue to appear.

A group composed of one New Democracy Party and three PASOK parliamentarians, some journalists and retired generals visited PKK camps in Bekaa Valley in October 1991 during New Democracy Government.

- On the occasion of Nevruz ("New Day" : yearly spring celebrations of 21 March), a group of Greek politicians have organized on 20 March 1992 a joint press conference with the ERNK in the Bekaa Valley. Lefteros Verivakis, Dimitris Vounatsos and Elizabeth Papazoi, three members of the Greek Parliament

from the PASOK Party were among those who participated in the conference. It has to be underlined that these politicians had met with Abdullah Öcalan, leader of PKK, prior to the press conference during which they made declarations in support of the terrorist activities against Turkey. Spokesman of the Greek New Democracy Party was also included in this group of PKK supporters.

- In February 1993, a group of Greek parliamentarians (PASOK deputies Alexandra Damianidi, Theodoros Kacanevas, Pangiotis Sguridis, Yorgos Prasayannakis, former Defense Minister Orestos Papastratis and former Agriculture Minister Mashos Gikonoglu) and Hacilotis who is the representative of the Archbishop of Greece, have visited the so-called Kurdish Diaspora Assembly in Brussels. They have reportedly exchanged views with the Kurds on the subjects of the "genocide" committed by the Turkish army, providing support to the Kurds and raising public awareness about the Kurdish issue. They visited the UN office in Brussels to submit a petition against Turkey. During this visit three deputies from the New Democracy Party read out a message where they declared their solidarity with the "Kurds" and expressed that "Greeks and Kurds were fighting together against the aggression of the common enemy".

- On 8 July 1993, the Greek government has permitted ERNK; the affiliated organization of PKK, to hold a press conference on the island of Cos which is located only few miles from the Turkish coast. A retired admiral of the Greek navy and representatives of some Greek political parties have reportedly participated to this press conference.

The terrorist group was thus given the opportunity to declare publicly its intention to perpetrate terrorist attacks in touristic regions of Turkey.

- ERNK was also permitted by the Greek authorities to carry out a poster campaign aiming to prevent the flow of tourists to Turkey. Furthermore, on 20 July 1993, the "Kurdistan committee" in Athens has sent to all travel agencies in Greece a declaration signed by ERNK announcing that the "Kurdish attacks" in the touristic regions of Turkey would continue.

- According to press reports, Papathemelis, then Minister for Public Order, has received a PKK delegation on 10 October 1993.

- In November 1993, the visit of five Greek parliamentarians (Nora Kaceli, ÿlias Papailias, Dimitris Vounatos, Panayiotis Kamenas and Maria Mahera) to Diyarbakìr (Turkey) was announced by the press as having taken place upon the invitation of ERNK Office in Athens. The press reports have also indicated the purpose of the visit as expressing "support of the Greek people to the fight of the Kurdish people for freedom".

- Following the wave of PKK terrorist attacks on Turkish targets in several European cities on 4 November 1993. Turkey has requested Greece to ban PKK and its affiliate organizations and stressed that the attitude of Greece in this regard would have a determining effect on the future course of bilateral relations. State Minister Papandreou, to whom this request was conveyed by the Turkish representative in Athens, gave a negative reply.

- Four Greek parliamentarians (Leonardos Hadziandreou, Costa Boduvas, Michael Galenianos and Maria Mahera) participated to the Convention of DEP held in Ankara on 12 December 1993. In their speeches they expressed support for "the war of the Kurds". They used the same expressions at the press conference they held when they returned to Athens. It has to be underlined that Greek parliamentarians made provocative statements against the territorial integrity of Turkey not only in Greece but also while they were visiting Turkey.

- An association named "Greek-Kurdish Friendship Association" organized on 18 December 1993 in Athens, a meeting of support to the "Kurdish people". The said Association carries out activities aiming to provide "financial, moral and diplomatic support to the Kurdish people".

- A Greek NGO named "League for Peoples Rights and Liberation" has launched on 17 January 1994 a "campaign of solidarity with the Kurdish people". Mihalis Haralambidis is the President of this NGO. He is also a member of the Central

Committee of PASOK. At the press conference organized for the inauguration of the campaign, he was accompanied by Damyanos Vasiliyadis, President of the Greek-Kurdish Friendship Association and Themas Stogoropoulos, a retired ambassador. At the said press conference, the objective of the campaign was declared as collecting 200 million Drahmas to provide financial support to the "struggle of Kurdistan". The posters which are used in this campaign contain a map where southeastern Turkey is represented as "Kurdish territories".

- On 22 January 1994, the municipality of Dedeaºaç and the "Endohora" periodical have jointly organized a meeting called "the Kurds".

- Greek support to PKK is channelled not only through NGO's. Municipalities also play a role in the forefront. At a press conference held on 22 March 1994 in Athens, eight mayors have declared that their support for the liberation of "Kurdistan" was not only moral but also material.

- A Kurdish refugee named Serim Murat declared in an interview published in "Rizospastis" daily of 20 March 1994, that the Greek authorities were lenient towards persons like him. In fact, Mr.Sgurides, Deputy Speaker of the Greek Parliament, declared to the Greek Cypriot daily "Simerini" of 27 March 1994, that "all Kurds persecuted by the Turkish State are accepted to Greece as refugees".

- It has been established that a number of PKK terrorists have entered the Turkish territory from Greece. The Turkish television "TRT-2" broadcasted on March 1994 a program on the subject. In the said program. Hasan Yìlmaz (code name: Hasan Daº), the PKK representative in Athens, has declared the following to a newsman named Cevat Taylan:

"We take under our protection the Kurds who come to Greece. These persons are free to go to serve in the Kurdish military (this means they are free to join the PKK ranks). In fact, many of them insist on joining the military. However, we impose certain conditions. We do not send there the persons who are not suitable for the service."

- Two persons named Çìnar Gündoºdu and Aladdin Hasan were sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment on the grounds of enabling certain Kurds to enter Greece illegally. They were later on released by the decision of a higher court. They were presented in the press reports as "Kurdish patriots and refugees". Press reports indicate that they are members of the ERNK office in Athens.

- The PKK has opened on 5 April 1994 its second office in Athens under the name of "The ERNK Representation in Greece and in the Balkans". The office's address is "Vasilisis Sofias No.4". The other PKK office in Athens is operational at the address od "Ipokratus 72" under the name of "Greece-Kurdistan Committee".

At the opening ceremony of second PKK office, Mr.Ali Sapan, a publicly known PKK member, read out the message of Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the PKK. Ali Sapan has also declared that they would intensify their attacks against touristic targets in Turkey. Mr.Panayiotis Sguridis, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and four parliamentarians (Dimitris Vounatsos, Mijhalis, Galeneanos, Yiannis Stathopoulos and Maria Mahera) have participated in the opening ceremony. Mr.Haralambidis, member of the PASOK Central Committee took also part in the ceremony.

The flag of the PKK was placed in front of the ERNK office. The PKK flag remained in that place for a period of ten days.

- Four PKK terrorists who were caught after having perpetrated a bombed attack in Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, confessed that they had been trained in camps located in Greece and sent to Turkey to perpetrate terrorist acts.

- On 25 June 1994, Mr.Kostas Boduvas, a PASOK deputy, participated in the demonstration organized by the PKK in Frankfurt.

- On 5 July 1994, the Greek authorities permitted PKK to open a "Kurdish Red Crescent Society" in Athens. Mr.Bantouvas, a PASOK parliamentarian, Mr.Rumbakiotis, Deputy Chairman of Athens Bar Association and the representative of the Greek Red Cross took part in the opening ceremony. The objective of the society has been declared as "offering medical treatment to Kurdish guerrillas wounded in the ongoing war in the Turkish Kurdistan and helping spouses and children of the Kurdish guerrillas who are in Turkish prison."

- On 20-21 September 1994 PASOK Deputies Mr.Kostas Banduvas, Dimitris Vounatsos and Hristos Kipouros and retired Admiral Mr.Naksakis who is known as an emminent supporter of PKK and Mr.Dimitris Martos, representative of the "League for Peoples Rights and Liberation" participated in a Pro-PKK meeting organized in Sofia. The said Greek representatives once again expressed their views for the support to PKK.

- On 17 November 1994, 22 Greek Deputies stated that they sent a letter to the European countries condemning the arrest of Kani Yìlmaz in London, representative of "ERNK" for Europe.

Mr. Sguridis, Deputy Speaker of Greek Parliament, PASOK Deputies, Kostas Banduvas, Dimitris Vounatsos, New Democracy Deputies, Mr.Kamenos and Mr.Mihail Galenianos were again among the said 22 Signatory Deputies.

- At the end of November 1994, 31 PASOK Deputies became signatories of the letter sent to the Greek Foreign Minister for the issuence of an entry visa to Greece for Kani Yìlmaz.

- Furthermore, campaing against Turkish tourism have been carried in parallel to the aforementioned activities in Greece.

- Greece has permitted Revolutionary Populist Communist Party (DHKPC), a branch of Dev-Sol to open a bureau in May 1995.

- On 14 June 1995, six Greek parliamentarians representing the main stream Greek political parties (except the Communist Party) visited the leader of terrorist organization in Syria and expressed their support for the "struggle of PKK" and honored him with a shield. The said Greek parliamentary delegation was headed by the Deputy Speaker of the Greek Parliament.

- The statements made after the above-mentioned responsible visit by the Deputy Speaker of the Greek Parliament Mr. Panagiotis Sgouridis and the Government Spokesmen Mr. Elefteros Venizelos were controversial.

While Mr. Sgourides stating that, the mixed Parliamentary delegation was representing the Greek Parliament and terrorist organization PKK is being recognized as a "Political Party", Mr. Venizelos termed the visit of the Greek parliamentarians as their personal initiative and claimed that the government is not responsible from the activities of the Greek MPs.

- Also in June 1995, Mr. Ya_ar Kaya, "President of the so called Kurdish Parliament" together with two of his supporters visited Athens and welcomed as if he is an official dignitary received again by Mr. Sgouridis, Deputy Speaker of the Greek Parliament and realized meetings with some of the Greek MPs, and spoke at a largely covered press conference.

- USA has made various representations to Greek Government regarding the stand of the Greek Government on terrorism.

In this regard, in the report prepared by the State Department and presented to the Congress on "Patterns of Global Terrorism 1994" it is stated that Greece became the venue for large number of terrorist attacks and that Greek authorities made little progress against terrorist groups, due to ambivalent government attitude toward counter terrorism.

- We are informed that USA, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Sweden and Finland, as countries sending tourists to Greece, have made a collective representation to the Greek Government regarding lack of political will of the Greek authorities in the struggle against terrorism.

- Turkey is closely monitoring the Greek Government's attitude towards PKK.

* · We have warned the Greek Government not to lend any support to this organization and asked them to fulfill their international obligations in combat against terrorism.