Ecevit says he will not negotiate with Kurds loyal to Ocalan

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ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) -- Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit on Sunday ruled out the prospect of autonomy for southeastern Turkey, where Kurdish rebels have fought for independence for nearly 15 years.

"A dialogue need not be formed with minority groups who want to partition Turkey," Ecevit said during a news conference.

Ecevit also said he refused to negotiate with rebels loyal to the imprisoned Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Turkish forces captured Ocalan in Kenya last week and brought him back to Turkey to stand trial on terrorism charges.

Last week's Turkish incursion into northern Iraq, aimed at striking PKK bases, has ended, Ecevit said, but he left open the possibility that the Turks could return.

"As long as the authority vacuum continues in northern Iraq, our army feels it necessary periodically to engage in hot pursuit actions," Ecevit said.

Iraq, which has not controlled the remote northern mountain area since the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, has objected to the Turkish incursions.

Turkish forces began their strikes at rebel bases in Iraq shortly after Ocalan's capture Monday night. The arrest touched off a wave of protests in several European cities.

Many of the demonstrations were held at Greek embassies because Kurds believed the Greeks had aided in Ocalan's arrest.

But Ecevit chided Greece for secretly sheltering Ocalan at its embassy in Kenya for two weeks.

"I hope Greek politicians may come to realize that dialogue with Turkey would be a much safer way of addressing common problems than giving support to terrorism," Ecevit said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem called on Greece to explain its actions regarding Ocalan in order to "regain trustworthiness" in the eyes of its Aegean Sea neighbor.

Ocalan, who founded the PKK, is the sole prisoner on an isolated Turkish island where he is being held until his trial. He faces the death penalty if found guilty.

Correspondent Jerrold Kessel and Reuters contributed to this report.

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