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Ocalan physically and psychologically well, lawyer says

   ANKARA, March 11 (AFP) - Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah 
Ocalan is in good condition both physically and psychologically, his
lawyer, Ahmet Zeki Okcuoglu, said on Thursday.
   "I asked (Ocalan) if he had any health problems. He said 'no'. I 
asked him if he had had a heart attack and he said 'no'. He said he
was examined by a doctor twice a day," Okcuoglu said after meeting
the rebel leader on the prison island of Imrali.
   "He seemed to be pretty well psychologically. They have provided 
him with better living conditions," Okcuoglu told journalists in
Mudanya, in northwestern Turkey, where visitors embark for Imrali.
   The lawyers comments came after unconfirmed rumours that the 
health of Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK),
was deteriorating.
   Thursday's meeting, which took place under heavy security 
measures, was the second between the lawyer and Ocalan since he was
snatched and hauled to Turkey on February 16 to face trail on
charges of treason.
   "There are still deficiencies with regards to us performing our 
task of preparing the defence. Our problem is that the meetings are
being recorded," Okcuoglu said without elaborating.
   The lawyer had previously complained that his first meeting with 
Ocalan in late February had lasted only 20 minutes while masked
soldiers looked on.
   "From now on, I will see my client twice a week, on Tuesdays and 
Fridays," Okcuoglu added.
   He refused to comment on the details of his meeting with his 
client and how long it lasted. "We talked about the trial," he
said.
   Okcuoglu and his brother Selim were officially designated by 
Ocalan as his attorneys among the 15 lawyers who volunteered to
undertake the defence work.
   Selim Okcuoglu did not travel to Ocalan's island prison with his 
brother.
   Ankara holds the PKK chief responsible for about 31,000 deaths 
during the PKK's 15-year armed campaign to build a Kurdish homeland
in southeastern Turkey.
   The rebel leader could face the death penalty if found guilty. 

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