PRESS RELEASE

ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY IN TURKEY AND SAVE PRESIDENT ABDULLAH OCALAN'S LIFE: APPEAL TO THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT

80 MPs, of centre-left and Rifondazione Comunista, among them Mantovani and De Cesaris (Rifondazione Comunista), Pezzoni (DS), Leccese (Verdi) and Bianchi (PPI) send their appeal to the Italian Government because during the OSCE-meeting and in next Helsinky EU-meeting it will be discussed the problem of death penalty in Turkey and salvation of President Ocalan's life.
The appeal said that our country has got a special responsability in working for this aim and that following the sentence of the Court of Rome declaring asylum to Ocalan.
Appeal concludes that Ocalan's salvation and abolition of death penalty in Turkey, together with respect of human rights and strating of a peace process, it is forcibly proposed in perspective of integration of Turkey in UE.

Rome, 18 november 1999

CAMERA DEI DEPUTATI

APPEAL TO ITALIAN GOVERNMENT

The undersigned MP, undertaking to save PKK President Abdullah Ocalan life and to start the peacefull and negotiated solution of the Kurdish issue in Turley, according to the decision passed in Foreign Commission of the Parliament, ask to high Institution of our country to, at time of OSCE-meeting and waiting for the next EU meeting in Helsinky, the possibility of the abolition of death penalty in Turkey and the following garantee to save Abdullah Ocalan's life.
We believe that our country has got a special responsability to work for this, after the recent sentence of the Court of Rome that declared asylum to Ocalan.
I general, we believe that unilateral statements to stop the armed struggle by PKK, its proposal of democratic solution of Kurdish issue within the Turkish state, the recognization of cultural and political identity of Kurdish people, can represent a usefull ground to the solution of bloodly conflict, that produced death of thousand of victims and milions of refugees.
Until today, Turkish authorities did't take any concret move in the way of opening the dialogue.
Abolition of death penalty and salvation of Ocalan could represent a first step to start a dialogue between the parties.
In this aim we appeal to forcibly discuss about this, together with the problem of the respect of human rights and the starting of peaceful process, in the perspective of the integration of Turkey in UE too.

Signatures:
80 Italian MP (Giordano, Mantovani, Cangemi, Lenti, Boghetta, Cento, Leccese, De Cesaris, Malentacchi, Nardini, Bovato, Rossi, Vendola, Valpiana, Pezzoni, Trabattoni, Ruzzante, Izzo, Bracco, Lucà, Maselli, Bonito, Cennamo, Cardano, Carboni, Cappella, Cherchi, Chiamparino, De Piccoli, Benvenuti, De Biasio, Dedoni, Bielli, Vignali, Aloisio, Acciarini, Altea, Nappi, Sciacca,Buffo, Capitelli, Guerra, Giannotti, Novelli, Raffaldini, Veneto, Oliverio, Panattoni, Penna, Carli, Cesetti, Petrella, Attili, Alveti, Olivo, Occhionero, Olivieri, Bianchi, Voglino, Boccia, Risari, Casinelli, Castellani, Palma, Duilio, Del Bono, Miedda, Durratelli, Ferrari, Frigato, Riva, Pennacchi, Ruggeri, Ciani).