PKK kidnappers demand Germany changes tack on Kurds

Three German tourists kidnapped by Kurdish rebels in Eastern Turkey will not be released until Germany renounces its policies against the guerrillas, according to a statement from the captors. The three were captured by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, as their 13-strong group set up camp, ready to climb Mount Ararat.

The area is to the north of the main conflict zone, where the rebels are fighting for a Kurdish homeland. The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, America and the EU, says its captives are in good health.

Germany has recently banned a Kurdish TV station, and last year, extradited two PKK militants to Turkey.

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