Iran has summoned the German charge d’affaires in Tehran to protest the fact that Abdolrahman Haj-Ahmadi, the leader of the militant Kurdish group PJAK, is now in Germany.
IRNA reports that in the absence of the German ambassador, Iran’s Foreign Ministry called upon the charge d’affaires to explain the PJAK leader’s presence in Germany.
The Foreign Ministry reportedly described PJAK as having caused death and injury to numerous Islamic Republic citizens in recent years. The ministry said that in view of "international commitments to the firm and indiscriminate fight against the ominous phenomenon of terrorism,” Haj-Ahmadi’s presence in Germany could only be interpreted as an encouragement to terrorists.
The Mehr News agency reports the Iranian Foreign Minister has called upon his German counterpart to take immediate action with regard to the the PJAK leader’s presence in Germany. The reports adds that the German Foreign Minister has indicated the issue is a legal one and, upon receiving the necessary evidence, he will pursue the matter accordingly.
Haj-Ahmadi was briefly detained in Köln in December of 2009 in connection with Turkey’s dissident Kurdish organization, PKK operations.
In recent weeks, Iran has targeted the border regions of Iraqi Kurdistan with artillery attacks on the grounds that it is sheltering PJAK bases. The attacks have caused several deaths and injuries on both sides.
The Iraqi Foreign Minister has called on the Islamic Republic to end the artillery attacks.
