Former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema has revealed that the United States, under President Bill Clinton, pressured Italy to hand over Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan to Turkey in 1998, confirming US involvement in the international plot* against the Kurdish leader. Speaking to Erem Kansoy in an exclusive interview, D’Alema shared that Clinton personally called him, demanding that Italy comply with Turkey’s request for Öcalan’s extradition, while Öcalan was in Rome as a political asylum seeker for two months.
“President Clinton said, ‘You must hand over Öcalan to Turkey,’ but we responded with a firm ‘No.’ It was not easy to say no to the United States, especially as their allies,” D’Alema explained, noting the immense internal pressure Italy faced from political leaders and the media at the time. As the Prime Minister and leader of the Democratic Party of the Left, D’Alema strongly resisted this pressure, advocating for Italy’s sovereignty in the decision. Despite the US backing Turkey, Italy ultimately refused to cooperate.
D’Alema also recounted how the US consistently backed Turkey’s approach to the Kurdish issue, which undermined any prospects for a peaceful resolution. “I know Öcalan was committed to a peaceful solution, but the Turkish government, with US support, was not ready to accept this process,” he said, highlighting the difficult political climate that obstructed efforts towards peace.
Reflecting on the current situation, D’Alema strongly condemned the inhumane treatment of Öcalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999. He called for Öcalan’s immediate release, noting his potential role in a peaceful resolution to the conflict between the Kurdish people and the Turkish government. “Öcalan could play a crucial role in a peaceful resolution to the conflict. His continued imprisonment is both politically and morally unacceptable,” D’Alema added.
Öcalan, imprisoned on Turkey’s high-security İmralı Prison Island for nearly 26 years, has been detained under total incommunicado since March 2021. Since the anniversary of the international conspiracy last year, Kurds and their supporters—including Nobel laureates—have been sustaining a global campaign for Öcalan’s freedom and a peaceful solution.
D’Alema urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to release Öcalan and engage in a genuine solution to the Kurdish issue, based on respecting Kurdish rights. “The Kurdish issue will not be resolved through nationalist policies but by granting the Kurds their rights. This was my belief 25 years ago, and it remains my belief today,” he stated.
The international plot refers to the 1998 operation, known as the ‘international conspiracy’ by Kurdish sources, that led to the capture of Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Öcalan was forced to leave Syria on 9 October 1998 and sought refuge in several countries before eventually arriving in Italy. During his time in Rome, the United States, under the leadership of President Bill Clinton, pressured the Italian government to extradite Öcalan to Turkey. The plot indicates the involvement of multiple international actors, including the US, who supported Turkey’s efforts to capture Öcalan and suppress the Kurdish movement. The full interview with Massimo D’Alema, along with a documentary on this period, can be watched on Erem Kansoy’s Political Dialogue programme.
