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March 1, 1999

Letters Editor
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036

Dear Ms. Greenfield:

The editorial "Greece's Turn" (Washington Post of February 26) is an extraordinary distortion of the facts involved in the Addullah Ocalan case. Over the past 15 years the Turkish military has killed over 25,000 Kurds, death squads have assassinated hundreds of Kurdish leaders, scorched earth military tactics have resulted in the destruction of 3,000 villages and have caused the displacement of 3 million Kurds from their homes. This is a story of horror that far exceeds anything that has happened in Kosovo where the Post has championed U.S. intervention.

Now that Mr. Ocalan is being held in solitary confinement on an island without access to legal counsel, and almost certainly subject to brutal interrogation, you chose not to highlight the true stakes involved--namely that a U.S. NATO ally is trampling over all legal norms and is denying its own people, Kurds and non-Kurds alike, the basic standards of justice that we take for granted in this country. To deflect international opinion from this grisly story, Turkey has resorted to the classic devices of totalitarian propagandists by seeking to blame others. You have cooperated in Turkey's game by citing allegations against Greece produced under duress by Mr. Ocalan and ignoring the statement of Prime Minister Simitis clarifying the Greek position on the Kurdish issue, including an unequivocal commitment to fight terrorism.

Greece's commitment to anti-terrorism is not in doubt. What is in doubt is a commitment by the Post to human rights and decent, civilized treatment for the Kurds.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMSincerely,

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMEugene T. Rossides

March 3, 1999

Mr. Steve Coll
Managing Editor
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036

Dear Mr. Coll:

I am writing with regard to the article "Allegation Halts Arms Sales to Greece" published in the Washington Post on February 27. What is comment-worthy about this article is not its contents. This was well written and documented as might be expected from its authors, Thomas Lippman and David Ottaway, both of whom are familiar with the issues concerned.

There are two unusual aspects to the article. First, the decision to run on the front page a foreign news story that was to all intents and purposes dead. As the State Department spokesman made clear on March 1, the investigation had already cleared Greece before the story was written. It certainly had no connection whatever to the Ocalan case.

Secondly, the headline "Allegation Halts Arms Sales to Greece" was misleading. The story itself made clear this was no longer the case. A much more accurate headline would have been "Greece Cleared of Tech Transfer Charges."

From the article it is clear that an Administration official was involved in this article. It seems that the Post was maneuvered by the Administration on this occasion.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMSincerely,

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMEugene T. Rossides

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