Baykal warns decision to retry PKK leader Ocalan would "break" Turkey

The European Court of Human Rights is expected to reveal its decision tomorrow as to whether former PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan should be retried. Leader of the Republican People's (CHP) Party, Deniz Baykal, said this in reference to the expected decision: "The decision to retry Ocalan would break Turkey. It is unacceptable. We will not accept it." In a speech at a CHP meeting, Baykal reminded members that representatives of world media will be in Turkey for the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, and warned with some strong words: "They will try to portray those in the right as being in the wrong, the guilty as the innocent, and then they will try to force Turkey to accept the decision." Baykal: We've already lost 30,000 people Baykal went on: "We have lost 30,000 war heroes in the fight with the PKK. Teachers, babies, soldiers, police, innocent people, elderly, civilians...all killed. No one can expect that we will greet the order to 'retry' very naturally. Ocalan himself accepted that he was guilty in court, and apologized. Now some people are saying 'If Europe says retry him, we'll retry him. The law has not changed, we'll try him and it'll be over.' They are trying to get us ready. No, we will not go along with the plan to retry him, this ruling makes us uncomfortable."  Government reaction to decision vital Baykal maintained in his speech that since there was no law saying that the decision of the European Human Rights Court must be implemented immediately, and that the actual final word was up to the Committee of Government Ministers, that the government should do everything possible to keep Ocalan from being retried. Stressing that the decision to retry Ocalan would divide Turkey and hurt Turkish relations with the EU in the long run, Baykal said this finally: "On this question, the government must act like a European government. Being European doesn't mean giving in to every demand, it means finding and acting on your rights." Â