Serb authorities in Bosnia-Hercegovina have been ordered to pay $42m (£26m) to local Muslims for the destruction of mosques during the Bosnian civil war.
All 16 mosques in Banja Luka, the main town of the Serb-run Republika Srpska, were destroyed in the 1992-1995 war.
A lawyer for the area's Muslim community said the local court verdict was of historic importance.
Hundreds of religious buildings were destroyed in the conflict, in which about 100,000 civilians were killed.
The local court ruling came nine years after the Bosnian Islamic Community sued the Bosnian Serb government and Banja Luka city authorities for the destruction of the shrines in 1993.
The Islamic Community said more than 1,000 of its objects were destroyed or damaged during the war.
"For us, what is far more important than material compensation is that for the first time Republika Srpska has taken complete responsibility for the destruction of the mosques," SRNA news agency quoted the Islamic Community's lawyer Esad Hrvacic as saying.
The Dayton peace agreement signed in 1995 created two semi-state entities: Republika Srpska for the Serbs, and the Bosniak-Croat Federation for Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) and Croats.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Peres taps Netanyahu to form Israel's new government
By Ethan Bronner and Alan Cowell
Friday, February 20, 2009
JERUSALEM: President Shimon Peres invited Benjamin Netanyahu, head of the conservative Likud Party, to form the next Israeli government Friday following inconclusive elections 10 days ago.
Almost immediately, Netanyahu launched an appeal to adversaries to overcome their differences and form a government of national unity to meet "huge challenges" including what he termed Iran's development of nuclear weapons and its sponsorship of "terrorism" in Lebanon and Gaza.
Netanyahu will have six weeks for try to put together a government.
Israel's elections last week ended with the Kadima Party led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni edging past Likud to the top spot with 28 seats, compared with 27 for Likud and 15 for Avigdor Lieberman's far-right Yisrael Beiteinu Party, out of 120 seats in Parliament.
A stable government needs a commitment of at least 61 seats. In negotiations before Peres' announcement, Netanyahu secured a promised total of 65 seats from supporters including Lieberman's party, the ultra-Orthodox Sephardic party Shas, with 11 seats, and several smaller religious parties.
At a brief appearance with Peres on Friday, Netanyahu appealed directly to Livni and to Ehud Barak, leader of the smaller Labor Party, to meet him for discussions on forming a national unity government.
"Let us work together for the state of Israel," he said.
Livni has signalled that she is uninterested in joining any government that she does not head, and told supporters on Thursday that Kadima would probably go into the opposition.
Peres met on Friday with both Netanyahu and Livni, who hinted that her position had not changed, Reuters reported. "A large government has no value if it does not have a path," she said. Asked if she was ready to go into opposition she said: "If necessary, certainly," Reuters reported.
On Thursday, Livni said: "Today, the foundation was laid for an extreme right-wing government led by Netanyahu. This is not our way, and there is nothing for us in such a government."
She added that she "would not serve as a fig leaf for a government of paralysis."
Kadima favors continuing the peace talks with the Palestinian Authority that Livni has been leading, while Netanyahu believes that the talks have been largely fruitless and that emphasis should be placed on building the Palestinians' institutions and economy.
Lieberman's anti-Arab stands, including a demand that all Arab citizens sign a loyalty oath to the Jewish state, have alienated many in Livni's party. It is widely felt that a government with Netanyahu and Lieberman in charge would be narrowly based and unstable and would find little favor in Washington, leading to another election before long.
Netanyahu, widely known as "Bibi," is a politician of long standing in Israel. He served as Israel's delegate to the United Nations and went on to become deputy foreign minister.
After Likud's defeat in the 1993 election, he seized the party leadership and was prime minister from 1996 to 1999. When he lost the elections in 1999, he resigned his seat in Parliament and his leadership of Likud. He returned to the leadership to suffer a humiliating defeat in elections in 2006.
Friday, February 20, 2009
JERUSALEM: President Shimon Peres invited Benjamin Netanyahu, head of the conservative Likud Party, to form the next Israeli government Friday following inconclusive elections 10 days ago.
Almost immediately, Netanyahu launched an appeal to adversaries to overcome their differences and form a government of national unity to meet "huge challenges" including what he termed Iran's development of nuclear weapons and its sponsorship of "terrorism" in Lebanon and Gaza.
Netanyahu will have six weeks for try to put together a government.
Israel's elections last week ended with the Kadima Party led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni edging past Likud to the top spot with 28 seats, compared with 27 for Likud and 15 for Avigdor Lieberman's far-right Yisrael Beiteinu Party, out of 120 seats in Parliament.
A stable government needs a commitment of at least 61 seats. In negotiations before Peres' announcement, Netanyahu secured a promised total of 65 seats from supporters including Lieberman's party, the ultra-Orthodox Sephardic party Shas, with 11 seats, and several smaller religious parties.
At a brief appearance with Peres on Friday, Netanyahu appealed directly to Livni and to Ehud Barak, leader of the smaller Labor Party, to meet him for discussions on forming a national unity government.
"Let us work together for the state of Israel," he said.
Livni has signalled that she is uninterested in joining any government that she does not head, and told supporters on Thursday that Kadima would probably go into the opposition.
Peres met on Friday with both Netanyahu and Livni, who hinted that her position had not changed, Reuters reported. "A large government has no value if it does not have a path," she said. Asked if she was ready to go into opposition she said: "If necessary, certainly," Reuters reported.
On Thursday, Livni said: "Today, the foundation was laid for an extreme right-wing government led by Netanyahu. This is not our way, and there is nothing for us in such a government."
She added that she "would not serve as a fig leaf for a government of paralysis."
Kadima favors continuing the peace talks with the Palestinian Authority that Livni has been leading, while Netanyahu believes that the talks have been largely fruitless and that emphasis should be placed on building the Palestinians' institutions and economy.
Lieberman's anti-Arab stands, including a demand that all Arab citizens sign a loyalty oath to the Jewish state, have alienated many in Livni's party. It is widely felt that a government with Netanyahu and Lieberman in charge would be narrowly based and unstable and would find little favor in Washington, leading to another election before long.
Netanyahu, widely known as "Bibi," is a politician of long standing in Israel. He served as Israel's delegate to the United Nations and went on to become deputy foreign minister.
After Likud's defeat in the 1993 election, he seized the party leadership and was prime minister from 1996 to 1999. When he lost the elections in 1999, he resigned his seat in Parliament and his leadership of Likud. He returned to the leadership to suffer a humiliating defeat in elections in 2006.
Push for EU aid to struggling economies
By Chris Giles in London
Published: February 17 2009 01:39 | Last updated: February 17 2009 01:39
Austria has stepped up its campaign for the EU to aid struggling eastern European economies, with Ewald Nowotny, the governor of the central bank, telling the Financial Times “I cannot imagine a policy of benign neglect will be the last word” for countries of strategic importance such as the Ukraine.
Keen to downplay the problem as one that will bring down Austrian banks, Mr Nowotny insisted that three-quarters of the loans of his country’s banks were to EU eastern European countries with the biggest share in the relatively stable Czech Republic.
Austrian banks, he said, accounted for only 20 per cent of the exposure of western EU banks to Eastern Europe, so “therefore what is important is to see the exposure to this region as a European problem ... and not only an Austrian problem”.
On Monday, S&P, the credit ratings agency, put Ukraine on negative credit watch, as it waits for clarification of the country’s willingness and ability to fulfil the conditions of its International Monetary Fund loan.
A problem in Ukraine could trigger a “domino effect” of economic difficulties in the European Union, Josef Pröll, Austria’s finance minister warned last week.
But Mr Nowotny tried to press home the positive case for engagement with eastern European EU members, saying this would be in the collective interest of western European economies, Germany in particular. “Old Europe,” he said, had a €60bn ($76bn) trade surplus with member states further east, which was vulnerable if these economies were allowed to falter.
While Mr Nowotny insisted that Austrian banks’ loans to customers in eastern Europe were sill healthy, there is little doubt that compared to the size of the economy, Austria is more exposed to the east than other EU states.
East European loans account for 75 per cent of gross domestic product, followed by Sweden (30 per cent) and Greece (19 per cent).
Austria’s difficulties with its eastern neighbours has raised the borrowing costs of the government with the yield on Austrian 10-year government debt over 1 percentage point higher than equivalent German debt, still far below the spread in Greece, for example.
Mr Nowotny said that while markets had not differentiated different risks sufficiently within eurozone countries in the past, now “I am afraid we are going from one extreme to another”. “Markets tend to overshoot,” he added.
But the market’s assessment of higher risks in funding the Austrian government has not diminished Mr Nowotny’s desire to promote Keynesian economics on the European Central Bank governing council, an area where most other members are much more cautious.
“What we are relearning – because it is an old Keynesian position – is that if there is a deep recession, monetary policy alone is not enough and has to be supplemented by expansionary fiscal policy”.
With almost all EU countries adopting expansionary policies, he added, “the chances to be effective ... are of course much better than if countries went alone and that is one of the reasons, for me, for cautious optimism”.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Published: February 17 2009 01:39 | Last updated: February 17 2009 01:39
Austria has stepped up its campaign for the EU to aid struggling eastern European economies, with Ewald Nowotny, the governor of the central bank, telling the Financial Times “I cannot imagine a policy of benign neglect will be the last word” for countries of strategic importance such as the Ukraine.
Keen to downplay the problem as one that will bring down Austrian banks, Mr Nowotny insisted that three-quarters of the loans of his country’s banks were to EU eastern European countries with the biggest share in the relatively stable Czech Republic.
Austrian banks, he said, accounted for only 20 per cent of the exposure of western EU banks to Eastern Europe, so “therefore what is important is to see the exposure to this region as a European problem ... and not only an Austrian problem”.
On Monday, S&P, the credit ratings agency, put Ukraine on negative credit watch, as it waits for clarification of the country’s willingness and ability to fulfil the conditions of its International Monetary Fund loan.
A problem in Ukraine could trigger a “domino effect” of economic difficulties in the European Union, Josef Pröll, Austria’s finance minister warned last week.
But Mr Nowotny tried to press home the positive case for engagement with eastern European EU members, saying this would be in the collective interest of western European economies, Germany in particular. “Old Europe,” he said, had a €60bn ($76bn) trade surplus with member states further east, which was vulnerable if these economies were allowed to falter.
While Mr Nowotny insisted that Austrian banks’ loans to customers in eastern Europe were sill healthy, there is little doubt that compared to the size of the economy, Austria is more exposed to the east than other EU states.
East European loans account for 75 per cent of gross domestic product, followed by Sweden (30 per cent) and Greece (19 per cent).
Austria’s difficulties with its eastern neighbours has raised the borrowing costs of the government with the yield on Austrian 10-year government debt over 1 percentage point higher than equivalent German debt, still far below the spread in Greece, for example.
Mr Nowotny said that while markets had not differentiated different risks sufficiently within eurozone countries in the past, now “I am afraid we are going from one extreme to another”. “Markets tend to overshoot,” he added.
But the market’s assessment of higher risks in funding the Austrian government has not diminished Mr Nowotny’s desire to promote Keynesian economics on the European Central Bank governing council, an area where most other members are much more cautious.
“What we are relearning – because it is an old Keynesian position – is that if there is a deep recession, monetary policy alone is not enough and has to be supplemented by expansionary fiscal policy”.
With almost all EU countries adopting expansionary policies, he added, “the chances to be effective ... are of course much better than if countries went alone and that is one of the reasons, for me, for cautious optimism”.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Greece to woo foreign investors
By David Oakley
Published: February 17 2009 16:26 | Last updated: February 17 2009 16:40
The Greek government is to launch a charm offensive in Asia and the US to try to attract investors as record levels of sovereign debt make it increasingly hard to raise funds in Europe.
Greece, whose credit rating was downgraded last month because of rising worries over its public debt, has been forced to pay much higher yields relative to Germany to raise debt owing to the deterioration in financial conditions and rising investor concern over the health of its economy.
The country plans to issue a 10-year bond next month of benchmark size, typically about €5bn. The government will send delegations to the US and Asia ahead of fundraising. Buyers of Greek bonds are typically split between domestic and other European investors.
Spyros Papanicolaou, director-general of the Greek debt management agency, said: “We have had more difficulties in attracting investors in a deteriorating climate, so it makes sense to look for investors elsewhere. We have seen spreads with Germany rise higher than they should, as Greek public finances are not in bad shape.”
Although the Greeks have not had problems reaching their targets for debt raising, yields have risen to record levels over Germany recently. On Tuesday they were trading about 300 basis points over Germany compared with about 60bp before the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September last year.
Other eurozone countries, such as Italy and Spain, are also considering looking at attracting more US and Asian investors to buy their bonds. With more than $1,000bn of bonds expected to be issued in Europe this year, a 25 per cent increase on 2008, investors have become more choosy.
On Wednesday last week, a German 10-year bond auction failed for the second time because investors decided to buy other eurozone debt, because they could pick up extra yield.
Greece is also considering launching more bonds in dollars – and even the yen – to attract a wider pool of investors. The last time it issued bonds in dollars was in June last year. It has not issued a bond denominated in yen since it joined the euro in April 2001. The last Greek yen-denominated issue was in the 1990s, Mr Papanicolaou said.
Eurozone countries typically issue debt in their own currency, although last year Spain, Italy and Belgium issued debt in dollars. But this was because it was cheaper than issuing debt in euros, not due to a desire to attract new investors.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Published: February 17 2009 16:26 | Last updated: February 17 2009 16:40
The Greek government is to launch a charm offensive in Asia and the US to try to attract investors as record levels of sovereign debt make it increasingly hard to raise funds in Europe.
Greece, whose credit rating was downgraded last month because of rising worries over its public debt, has been forced to pay much higher yields relative to Germany to raise debt owing to the deterioration in financial conditions and rising investor concern over the health of its economy.
The country plans to issue a 10-year bond next month of benchmark size, typically about €5bn. The government will send delegations to the US and Asia ahead of fundraising. Buyers of Greek bonds are typically split between domestic and other European investors.
Spyros Papanicolaou, director-general of the Greek debt management agency, said: “We have had more difficulties in attracting investors in a deteriorating climate, so it makes sense to look for investors elsewhere. We have seen spreads with Germany rise higher than they should, as Greek public finances are not in bad shape.”
Although the Greeks have not had problems reaching their targets for debt raising, yields have risen to record levels over Germany recently. On Tuesday they were trading about 300 basis points over Germany compared with about 60bp before the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September last year.
Other eurozone countries, such as Italy and Spain, are also considering looking at attracting more US and Asian investors to buy their bonds. With more than $1,000bn of bonds expected to be issued in Europe this year, a 25 per cent increase on 2008, investors have become more choosy.
On Wednesday last week, a German 10-year bond auction failed for the second time because investors decided to buy other eurozone debt, because they could pick up extra yield.
Greece is also considering launching more bonds in dollars – and even the yen – to attract a wider pool of investors. The last time it issued bonds in dollars was in June last year. It has not issued a bond denominated in yen since it joined the euro in April 2001. The last Greek yen-denominated issue was in the 1990s, Mr Papanicolaou said.
Eurozone countries typically issue debt in their own currency, although last year Spain, Italy and Belgium issued debt in dollars. But this was because it was cheaper than issuing debt in euros, not due to a desire to attract new investors.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Turkish media group given $408m tax fine
By Delphine Strauss in Ankara
Published: February 18 2009 23:45 | Last updated: February 18 2009 23:45
Turkey’s biggest media group has once again fallen foul of the authorities, incurring a TL693m ($408m) tax fine at a time when its advertising revenues are set to weaken and its parent company wants to use its cash to expand in other sectors.
Dogan Yayin, which owns TV channels and some of Turkey’s top-selling daily newspapers, on Wednesday disclosed the fine, which is bigger than its current market capitalisation. The group, which plans to appeal, said it had also been ordered to pay back taxes of TL132.9m.
Shares fell 17.7 per cent on Istanbul’s stock exchange on Wednesday, while shares in its parent, Dogan Holding, fell 14.1 per cent.
The penalty is the latest in a string of regulatory decisions against the media and energy conglomerate, controlled by billionaire Aydin Dogan.
Its subsidiary Petrol Ofisi, a fuel distributor in which Austria’s OMV has a 34 per cent stake, faced a tax fine last year but made a deal to pay a reduced amount.
Investors worry that the group could be suffering from a public row between Mr Dogan and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, who last autumn called on his supporters to boycott Dogan publications due to coverage of a corruption scandal.
“This is normal for us. I’m not surprised,” said Dr Ragip Nebil Ilseven, chief executive of Dogan Holding. But Salih Yendi, chief of the tax authority, told Bloomberg neither the fine nor the timing of the announcement was political.
The latest fine relates to profits Dogan Yayin made when it sold its 25 per cent stake in Dogan TV to the German publisher Axel Springer in late 2006 – a partnership it extended recently, with Axel Springer gaining a board seat and a stake in Dogan Yayin.
If the fine were enforced in full, Dogan Holding – which has net cash of about $1.1bn – may have to step in to help its more indebted subsidiary.
Sinan Goksen, analyst at Expres Invest, said that could hinder the group in other projects, including its plan to bid in a 50-50 joint venture with Italy’s Lottomatica in the privatisation of Turkey’s national lottery.
Toygun Onaran, analyst at KBC Financial Products, said that even if the fine were not exacted in full, “this is making the situation unclear, and in this unclear situation nobody wants that risk”.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Published: February 18 2009 23:45 | Last updated: February 18 2009 23:45
Turkey’s biggest media group has once again fallen foul of the authorities, incurring a TL693m ($408m) tax fine at a time when its advertising revenues are set to weaken and its parent company wants to use its cash to expand in other sectors.
Dogan Yayin, which owns TV channels and some of Turkey’s top-selling daily newspapers, on Wednesday disclosed the fine, which is bigger than its current market capitalisation. The group, which plans to appeal, said it had also been ordered to pay back taxes of TL132.9m.
Shares fell 17.7 per cent on Istanbul’s stock exchange on Wednesday, while shares in its parent, Dogan Holding, fell 14.1 per cent.
The penalty is the latest in a string of regulatory decisions against the media and energy conglomerate, controlled by billionaire Aydin Dogan.
Its subsidiary Petrol Ofisi, a fuel distributor in which Austria’s OMV has a 34 per cent stake, faced a tax fine last year but made a deal to pay a reduced amount.
Investors worry that the group could be suffering from a public row between Mr Dogan and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, who last autumn called on his supporters to boycott Dogan publications due to coverage of a corruption scandal.
“This is normal for us. I’m not surprised,” said Dr Ragip Nebil Ilseven, chief executive of Dogan Holding. But Salih Yendi, chief of the tax authority, told Bloomberg neither the fine nor the timing of the announcement was political.
The latest fine relates to profits Dogan Yayin made when it sold its 25 per cent stake in Dogan TV to the German publisher Axel Springer in late 2006 – a partnership it extended recently, with Axel Springer gaining a board seat and a stake in Dogan Yayin.
If the fine were enforced in full, Dogan Holding – which has net cash of about $1.1bn – may have to step in to help its more indebted subsidiary.
Sinan Goksen, analyst at Expres Invest, said that could hinder the group in other projects, including its plan to bid in a 50-50 joint venture with Italy’s Lottomatica in the privatisation of Turkey’s national lottery.
Toygun Onaran, analyst at KBC Financial Products, said that even if the fine were not exacted in full, “this is making the situation unclear, and in this unclear situation nobody wants that risk”.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Turkey rate cut surprises markets
By Delphine Strauss in Ankara
Published: February 19 2009 23:37 | Last updated: February 19 2009 23:37
Turkey’s central bank cut its main borrowing rate by 150 basis points on Thursday evening, a much bigger step than markets had expected at a time when eastern European neighbours are considering raising rates to shore up their currencies.
Policymakers have now slashed Turkey’s benchmark borrowing rate by 525 basis points since November. The latest move takes it to a record low of 11.5 per cent. They also cut the lending rate on Thursday from 15.5 per cent to 14 per cent.
Analysts described the decision as “bold”, given the pressure on emerging currencies and Turkey’s delay in reaching an agreement with the International Monetary Fund that would boost investors’ confidence.
“This is a risky move, especially if one takes into consideration the risk of a contagion from the weakness of [central European] currencies. In this environment, the need for an IMF programme is even higher,” said Yarkin Cebeci, economist at JPMorgan.
The lira slid around 25 per cent against the dollar in 2008, mostly in the final months of the year, but has been relatively stable since the start of 2009, reflecting investors’ perception that Turkey is holding out relatively well in a troubled neighbourhood.
The central bank did not rule out further rate cuts, saying it thought inflation likely to “significantly undershoot target” at the end of the year. It said it would also take new measures to boost foreign exchange liquidity.
Policymakers were responding to growing signs of distress in Turkey’s economy, which most analysts expect will contract or at best stall in the year ahead. Recent figures show employment has hit a four-year high of 12.3 per cent , while industrial production has plunged with car manufacturers’ exports down as much as 60 per cent.
“We think that the policy rate should be lowered as much as possible this year,” said Tevfik Aksoy, economist at Morgan Stanley, arguing it would be the best chance to bring interest rates that have lingered in double digits to manageable levels in the longer term. But Turkey would also need to finalise an IMF deal and tighten fiscal policy immediately after local elections in March, he added.
Analysts at Unicredit said Turkey was among countries “in distinctly better positions” than many others in the region, adding that because domestic consumption was a big driver of growth, any scope for policy stimulus would be “especially precious”.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Published: February 19 2009 23:37 | Last updated: February 19 2009 23:37
Turkey’s central bank cut its main borrowing rate by 150 basis points on Thursday evening, a much bigger step than markets had expected at a time when eastern European neighbours are considering raising rates to shore up their currencies.
Policymakers have now slashed Turkey’s benchmark borrowing rate by 525 basis points since November. The latest move takes it to a record low of 11.5 per cent. They also cut the lending rate on Thursday from 15.5 per cent to 14 per cent.
Analysts described the decision as “bold”, given the pressure on emerging currencies and Turkey’s delay in reaching an agreement with the International Monetary Fund that would boost investors’ confidence.
“This is a risky move, especially if one takes into consideration the risk of a contagion from the weakness of [central European] currencies. In this environment, the need for an IMF programme is even higher,” said Yarkin Cebeci, economist at JPMorgan.
The lira slid around 25 per cent against the dollar in 2008, mostly in the final months of the year, but has been relatively stable since the start of 2009, reflecting investors’ perception that Turkey is holding out relatively well in a troubled neighbourhood.
The central bank did not rule out further rate cuts, saying it thought inflation likely to “significantly undershoot target” at the end of the year. It said it would also take new measures to boost foreign exchange liquidity.
Policymakers were responding to growing signs of distress in Turkey’s economy, which most analysts expect will contract or at best stall in the year ahead. Recent figures show employment has hit a four-year high of 12.3 per cent , while industrial production has plunged with car manufacturers’ exports down as much as 60 per cent.
“We think that the policy rate should be lowered as much as possible this year,” said Tevfik Aksoy, economist at Morgan Stanley, arguing it would be the best chance to bring interest rates that have lingered in double digits to manageable levels in the longer term. But Turkey would also need to finalise an IMF deal and tighten fiscal policy immediately after local elections in March, he added.
Analysts at Unicredit said Turkey was among countries “in distinctly better positions” than many others in the region, adding that because domestic consumption was a big driver of growth, any scope for policy stimulus would be “especially precious”.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Turkey's Kurdish clashes continue
Demonstrators marking the 10th anniversary of the arrest of Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan have clashed with Turkish police for a second day.
Police used water cannon and tear gas to break up thousands of stone-throwing demonstrators across south-east Turkey.
A number of demonstrators and police were injured and some 50 arrests made.
Protesters were angry that Mr Ocalan continues to be held as the only inmate on a prison island where he is serving a life sentence for treason.
In Diyarbakir, the predominantly Kurdish region's largest city, some 1,500 demonstrators confronted heavily armed riot police supported by helicopters.
Fighting also broke out in Istanbul between masked youths and riot police, the Associated Press reported.
Some of the crowds - supporters of Mr Ocalan's movement, the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - pelted military vehicles with bricks and rocks while police beat several protesters with truncheons.
The PKK has fought for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey since 1984.
It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and the United States.
Mr Ocalan was sentenced to death for treason, but this was later commuted to life imprisonment.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7891578.stm
Police used water cannon and tear gas to break up thousands of stone-throwing demonstrators across south-east Turkey.
A number of demonstrators and police were injured and some 50 arrests made.
Protesters were angry that Mr Ocalan continues to be held as the only inmate on a prison island where he is serving a life sentence for treason.
In Diyarbakir, the predominantly Kurdish region's largest city, some 1,500 demonstrators confronted heavily armed riot police supported by helicopters.
Fighting also broke out in Istanbul between masked youths and riot police, the Associated Press reported.
Some of the crowds - supporters of Mr Ocalan's movement, the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - pelted military vehicles with bricks and rocks while police beat several protesters with truncheons.
The PKK has fought for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey since 1984.
It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and the United States.
Mr Ocalan was sentenced to death for treason, but this was later commuted to life imprisonment.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7891578.stm
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