11.   Turkey holds Ocalan responsible for the deaths of thousands of people during the Kurdish insurgency.

12.   Turkey has been battling a bloody Kurdish insurgency in its eastern provinces for the past decade.

13.   The US assistant secretary of state for European and Canadian affairs discussed human rights in Turkey and the Kurdish insurgency in talks Tuesday with top Ankara officials.

14.   Turkey, which faces its own Kurdish insurgency, is opposed to any moves to boost Kurdish autonomy across the border in Iraq.