NOVEMBER 4 PKK ATTACKS IN SWITZERLAND

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERN 005779

BUDAPEST, ANKARA, ATHENS, AND USNATO FOR PDAS
VERSHBOW

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PTER TU SZ
SUBJECT: NOVEMBER 4 PKK ATTACKS IN SWITZERLAND

REFS: A) STATE 341663; B) BERN 5719 (NOTAL)


1. CONFIDENTIAL -- ENTIRE TEXT.


2. SUMMARY: THE GOS HAS NOT TAKEN SPECIFIC
ACTION AGAINST KURDISH GROUPS AS A RESULT OF
THE NOVEMBER 4 ATTACKS ON TURKISH
ESTABLISHMENTS IN SWITZERLAND. THE TURKISH
GOVERNMENT HAS REITERATED ITS REQUEST THAT THE
PKK BE BANNED IN SWITZERLAND, BUT THE GOS SAYS
THAT THE GROUP DOES NOT FORMALLY EXIST HERE.
AS A RESULT OF THE ATTACKS, SWISS POLICE ARE
WATCHING KURDISH GROUPS MORE CLOSELY. END
SUMMARY


3. AS REPORTED REF B, A SERIES OF ARSON
ATTACKS ON TURKISH ESTABLISHMENTS WERE CARRIED
OUT NOVEMBER 4 IN SEVERAL SWISS LOCALITIES:
BERN, ZURICH, BASEL, OLTEN, SOLOTHURN, AND
BIBEREST. AN UNIDENTIFIED PERSON THREW A
MOLOTOV COCKTAIL AT THE TURKISH
EMBASSY BUILDING IN BERN; NO DAMAGE WAS
REPORTED. NO CASUALTIES WERE REPORTED IN
CONNECTION WITH ANY OF THE INCIDENTS. ONE
SUSPECT HAS BEEN ARRESTED IN ZURICH.


4. SWISS AUTHORITIES HAVE TAKEN A LOW-KEY
APPROACH TO THE ATTACKS. DFA DIVISION I (US
AND EUROPE) DEPUTY DIRECTOR PHILIPPE WELTI
TOLD US ON NOVEMBER 10 THAT THE NOVEMBER 4
ATTACKS WERE NOT AS SERIOUS AS THE JUNE 24
INCIDENTS AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THEREFORE
SAW NO NEED TO TAKE SPECIFIC ACTION OR TO MAKE
A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC COMMENT. WELTI SAID THE
DFA RELEASED A BRIEF PRESS COMMUNIQUE AFTER
THE NOVEMBER 4 ATTACKS WHICH CONTAINED THE
FOLLOWING POINTS:

-- THE DFA CONDEMNS THE ATTACKS.

-- THE SWISS GOVERNMENT WILL NOT TOLERATE ACTS
OF VIOLENCE EVEN IF UNDERTAKEN FOR POLITICAL
PURPOSES.

AS FAR AS WELTI CAN DETERMINE, THIS COMMUNIQUE
WAS IGNORED BY THE SWISS MEDIA.


5. WELTI TOLD US THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT HAD
NOT FORMALLY CONTACTED THE GOS REGARDING THE
NOVEMBER 4 ATTACKS BUT HAD REITERATED ITS
REQUEST FOR A BAN ON THE PKK IN SWITZERLAND.


6. WELTI COMMENTED THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO TAKE FORMAL ACTION
AGAINST THE PKK, WHICH HAS NO CORPORATE
IDENTITY IN SWITZERLAND. HE SAID THAT MANY
TURKISH KURDS RESIDE LEGALLY IN SWITZERLAND.
SOME PARTICIPATE IN RATHER INNOCUOUS-SOUNDING
GROUPS, E.G., SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUBS. THE
GOS KNOWS SOME OF THE GROUPS HAVE PKK TIES,
BUT THE PKK ITSELF HAS NO OFFICIAL
HEADQUARTERS. WELTI ADDED THAT THE SWISS
POLICE WERE OBSERVING KURDISH GROUPS MORE
CLOSELY AS A RESULT OF THE ATTACKS.

FLORA