国际英语新闻：Iran summons German ambassador over separatist leader row

TEHRAN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry Wednesday summoned German ambassador in Tehran Bernd Erbel to express Iran's protest over the leader of separatist Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), the official IRNA news agency reported.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry official notified the German ambassador of Iran's protest over the release of Abdul Rahman Haji Ahmadi, the leader of the "terrorist" PJAK group from German jail, the report said.

Haji Ahmadi was arrested at his apartment in Germany on Friday, but was released on Monday, the local satellite Press TV cited a report posted on a website affiliated to the party as saying.

Erbel voiced his country's stand against "terrorist" PJAK group and promised to convey the views of the Islamic Republic to the German government and to provide Iran with the reply, according to IRNA.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast on Tuesday criticized Germany for releasing the leader of PJAK, Press TV reported.

Iran's western provinces have been the hotbed of regular armed clashes between Iranian security forces and Kurdish militant parties, in particular separatist PJAK, an anti-Iranian Iraqi- based Kurdish group linked to Turkey's outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).