February 23, 1999
Web posted at: 12:24 a.m. EST (0524 GMT)

In this story: Team of attorneys offers services Turkey cautious about Ocalan's health EU ministers to discuss fallout RELATED STORIES, SITES

ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) -- In proceedings shrouded in secrecy, Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan is expected to make his first appearance before a security court judge for charges and formal arrest.

The proceedings, closed to the public and press, were expected to take place Tuesday on the island prison where Ocalan is the sole inmate, guarded by elite commandos.

Under Turkish law, charges must be brought after a suspect has been detained seven days. Monday was Day 7 for Turkey's most-wanted man.

While Turkey begins formal proceedings against the rebel leader, interior ministers from 11 European Union countries are to meet in Bonn Tuesday to discuss the fallout from Ocalan's capture and examine how to deal with his Kurdistan Workers Party, also known as the PKK.

Ocalan was returned to Turkey a week ago after being nabbed in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi by Turkish commandos. His rebel army has waged a nearly 15-year war for Kurdish autonomy that has claimed an estimated 37,000 lives.

The 49-year-old rebel leader so far has not had access to an attorney, which has drawn criticism from international human rights groups.

Team of attorneys offers services

A team of 15 lawyers -- including several members of Turkey's independent Human Rights Association -- told the court Monday they were ready to represent him.

One of the lawyers, Eren Keskin, said Ocalan's family had asked the team to defend him.

Turkey has insisted the trial will be fair and told outsiders not to interfere, but human rights groups are concerned about a trial in state security courts that include military judges.

On Monday, the European Union urged Turkey to strictly safeguard Ocalan's rights. The Kurdish leader, who was already being tried in absentia at the time of his capture on charges of terrorism, could face the death penalty if convicted.

Turkey cautious about Ocalan's health

At one point during his five-month search for asylum after being expelled from Syria, Ocalan claimed to suffer heart problems. A checkup during a stay in Italy last year found no problems.

But Turkey is clearly sensitive about the issue. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit told reporters Monday there a three- member team of doctors, led by a cardiologist, was standing by on the prison island.

A group considered to be the political wing of the PKK, the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan, claimed the doctors were drugging Ocalan to "make him weak, drowsy and make him suffer without leaving any traces."

The group provided no evidence to support its assertion, but threatened violence if the rebel leader is harmed.

"If one cell of his body is hurt ... we vow to burn the Turkish Republic with our own fire," it said.

EU ministers to discuss fallout

As the judicial process against Ocalan moves ahead in Turkey, EU officials planned to meet Tuesday to grapple with the repercussions of his arrest within their borders.

The PKK is believed to have a presence in several EU countries. German officials estimate the group has 11,000 members and between 30,000 and 40,000 sympathizers there out of a total Kurdish community of half a million. The PKK is banned in Germany.

A German government spokesman said that Tuesday's meeting of EU interior ministers would take place in a secret location in Bonn for security reasons. The tight security comes after a wave of often violent protests by Kurds across Europe following Ocalan's arrest.

Kurdish protests in Germany culminated in Israeli security guards shooting dead three Kurds who tried to storm the Israeli consulate in Berlin last Wednesday.

The Berliner Zeitung newspaper quoted German Interior Minister Otto Schily as complaining of "communication problems" leading up to Ocalan's capture.

In a preview of an article to appear on Tuesday, it said Germany was annoyed it had not been given advance warning of the fugitive rebel leader's arrest.

The protests prompted right-wing parties to demand tougher controls on non-German citizens convicted of crimes in Germany and have boosted their campaign against government plans to relax German citizenship laws.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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