31 August 2001

1. "Turkey's economy shrinks", the financial crisis that has gripped Turkey since the beginning of the year has had a dramatic effect on economic output.

2. "Iraq accuses Turkey of border incursion", Iraq on Thursday accused Turkey of making a new foray into its northern territory, and called on Ankara to "immediately" withdraw its troops, a spokesman for the foreign ministry said. "Turkish troops, backed by combat helicopters and elements of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Massoud Barzani on August 25 and 26 staged a new incursion in the north of Iraq under the pretext of chasing elements of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)," said a ministry spokesman.

3. "Let hundreds of thousands march", Ocalan said that the banning of HADEP's September 1 meeting in Ankara was not legitimate and continued: "Warriors for peace must be more courageous and determined than those who want war... We'll go to jail by the 100,000s, 200,000s if necessary."

4. "We denounce the killing of Ebu Ali Mustafa", PKK Council of Leaders and PKK Middle East Representation office condemned the killing of Secretary General of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ebu Ali Mustafa by Israel.

5. "Turkish Armed Forces changing gradually", Opinion by M. Ali Birand.

6. "Turkish show puts twist on reality TV", in a new twist to reality television, a Turkish show is pitting two middle class couples against each other to see who can survive on the country's minimum wage of $84 a month.

1. - BBC - "Turkey's economy shrinks":

The financial crisis that has gripped Turkey since the beginning of the year has had a dramatic effect on economic output.

The country's gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 9.3% year on year in the second quarter, official figures have shown.

The government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are aiming for a 5.5% contraction in gross national product - which includes money earned overseas - for the whole of 2001.

The second-quarter figure will add further fuel to the perception that Turkey's crisis has much further to run, despite recent increasing optimism from government and policymakers.

International aid

The IMF and the World Bank are lending Turkey $15.7bn to support a recovery programme built around a floating currency.

International investors have put Turkey in the firing line since fears emerged about the state's solvency earlier this year.

The collapse in sentiment caused an exodus of investors, which in turned has provoked slumps on the country's financial markets.

The government has promised to get its house in order.

Painful change

But change is proving painful. Since the Turkish lira was forced to float in February this year the currency has lost about half its value against the US dollar and an estimated 600,000 workers have lost their jobs.

In June, the IMF suspended its loan programme following allegations of government foot-dragging on agreed reforms.

The programme was restarted in July with the release of a loan tranche after one of the government's main opponents of the IMF plan was sacked.

Doubts remain, however, on the ability of Turkey's coalition government to push through painful reforms.

Opposition to IMF-mandated reforms has already caused considerable political unrest.

2. - AFP - "Iraq accuses Turkey of border incursion":

BAGHDAD

Iraq on Thursday accused Turkey of making a new foray into its northern territory, and called on Ankara to "immediately" withdraw its troops, a spokesman for the foreign ministry said. "Turkish troops, backed by combat helicopters and elements of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Massoud Barzani on August 25 and 26 staged a new incursion in the north of Iraq under the pretext of chasing elements of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)," said a ministry spokesman.

The spokesman, cited by the official INA news agency, called on the Turkish government to "withdraw immediately its troops and end its hostile acts contrary to principles of international law and the UN charter." Iraq charged in late July that Turkey had made an incursion across its northern borders and called on the Arab League to intervene. Turkey's army frequently launches operations in the north of Iraq against the PKK rebels, who have used the territory as an operations base since the end of the Gulf War in 1991.

US and British planes patrolling northern and southern exclusion zones aimed at enforcing the military restrictions imposed on the Iraqi regime after the war are also based at Incirlik, Turkey, to protect Kurdish populations.

3. - Kurdish Observer - "Let hundreds of thousands march":

Ocalan said that the banning of HADEP's September 1 meeting in Ankara was not legitimate and continued: "Warriors for peace must be more courageous and determined than those who want war... We'll go to jail by the 100,000s, 200,000s if necessary."

PKK Council of Leaders member Osman Ocalan said that it was necessary to be willing to pay the price for peace, adding, "We'll go to jail by the 100,000s, 200,000s if necessary. We must be very courageous and determined; warriors for peace must be more courageous than those who want war."

Speaking by telephone on the "September 1 Special" on MEDYA TV the other evening, Ocalan commented on the prohibition of the September 1 World Peace Day gathering in Ankara planned by the People's Democracy Party (HADEP). Ocalan said they greeted the ban of the meeting with sadness and denounced the prohibition, saying it sprung from the resistance against peace in Turkey and the character of the oligarchic system. Ocalan stressed that the words, "Peace at home, peace in the world" uttered by Mustafa Kemal had never been put into practice by the oligarchic system, adding, "And this is the attitude taken against the meeting. No rationale can give this prohibition legitimacy. It in not legitimate."

'We must be brave'

Ocalan underscored that they were insistent on peace and stressed that one must be ready to pay every price for this. Ocalan continued to say the following: "Every Kurd must become a peace activist. We must be very courageous and determined; warriors for peace must be more courageous than those who want war. Don't fall into hopelessness. Engage in many various peace activities, with demonstrations such as marches, panel discussions, and meetings. We will begin declaration of national and political identity activities soon. We'll go to jail by the 100,000s, 200,000s if necessary. We will do it so well that prisons will become nonfunctional. The Kurdish people and their Turkish friends must display this courage and break Turkey's resistance against peace. We say to our people on this basis: Rise up for peace! March for peace without recognizing any obstacle. Say, if I must die for this, then I accept this too."

'We are debating war also'

"If despite this, Turkey says 'I don't want peace, I will solve the problems through war,' then the Kurdish people must be ready for war also," Ocalan said. He continued to add the following: "If Turkey insists on rejecting peace, we will respond. Let me state clearly that we are debating war also. Everyone is provoking us and Turkey, but despite this, we put forth our will for peace. This is because of our strength. Let's not push Turkey into an environment of war again. This will be prevented by mutual effort. If war starts, there will be thousands of deaths and material and moral destruction on both sides. Who will take the responsibility for this? Therefore, we say that a response absolutely must be given to the PKK's peace policy."

Call to officials

Ocalan said that, according to information that had reached them lately, there had been debates in Turkey concerning the necessity of some type of military intervention, but noted that this would make it even more difficult to overcome existing problems. Ocalan said that Turkey's dead end sprung more from the parliament, which was formed in accordance with war, than from the military, adding, "Turkey urgently needs to go to election and form a democratic parliament."

Ocalan reminded the listeners that Turkish military forces had carried out a broad operation against them in the Haftanin region two days ago and added the following: "This policy must finally be abandoned. One cannot put tanks and cannons against those calling for peace. We also carried out a struggle against your very great military forces. They know us, and we know them. Let's test each other for peace, not war. We are calling on all officials of the Republic of Turkey to show the courage for peace, to use their talents for peace, and to abandon a stance of resistance against peace."

'Woman's colors must be reflected'

Zeynep Sozda, a member of the party assembly of the Free Women's Party (PJA), also participated by telephone on the "September 1 Special" on MEDYA TV. Sozda stressed the determination of Kurdish women to continue their efforts for peace and said that they would advance in the women's struggle with peace activities in Turkey and abroad for the establishment of an honorable life in Kurdistan. "Along with the marches to be held in the country, Kurdish women have a responsibility to participate with women from other nations in festivals being prepared in Europe so that they be held with the color of women. Women must secure the strongest participation possible in the September 1 activities and festival," Sozda said.

September 1 call from captives

PKK captives in all prisons of Turkey and Kurdistan sent greetings to the PKK's 6th National Conference and called on everyone to meet in Ankara on September 1 World Peace Day. Serdar Erdogan and Cetin Arkac, releasing a written statement in the name of all PKK captives, said, "We, the thousands of party members who are have fallen captive in the struggle for peace and liberty and are in prison, greet the PKK's 6th National Conference with all determination and enthusiasm." The statement said that the 6th Conference, held at a time when there was an insistence on no solution and demands for peace were being ignored, had presented a solution to all of the problems. The statement continued to make the following call: "We, the captives of the struggle for peace and liberty, call on all our families, relatives, and close ones to participate shoulder to shoulder with our people for the mass march to be held in Ankara on September 1 to shout words of peace."

4. - Ozgur Politika - "We denounce the killing of Ebu Ali Mustafa":

PKK Council of Leaders and PKK Middle East Representation office condemned the killing of Secretary General of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ebu Ali Mustafa by Israel.

FOREIGN NEWS CENTER

PKK Council of Leaders condemned the killing of Palestinian leader Ebu Ali Mustafa by Israel. The message released under the title of "To Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Resisting Palestinian People" emphasized on the sorrow for the killing of Secretary General Ebu Ali Mustafa. The statement said that Ebu Ali Mustafa was a distinguished politician and man of case, adding "he was a exemplar person who devoted himself to struggle, proved himself, had a great experience, a self-made man."

The Council of Leaders underscored the devotion of the Palestinian leader to the unity and brotherhood of peoples. The message greeted the resistance and search for freedom of the Palestinian people once again. PKK Leaders stated that this bloody killing by the Israeli state is inhuman and denounced the assasinations of leaders and politicians severely.

A blow to peace

On the other hand PKK Middle East Representation Office sent a message to the Central Committee of Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine, saying "We curse the assasination of resisting leader Ebu Ali Mustafa by occupier Israel and share the same deep sorrow." The message attracted attention that PFLP has come to its place of today with its unyielding resistance and revolutionary line.

The statement expressed that Palestinian and Kurdish youth struggled against Israil shoulder by shoulder, adding that the guns which assassinated Ebu Ali Mustafa is at the same time directed against the freedom cases of oppressed peoples.

The Representation Office wrote in its message, "We express our condolences to the community of PFLP and his family and relatives. We will always be on the side of the just case of the Palestinian people."

5. - Turkish Daily News - "Turkish Armed Forces changing gradually":

Opinion by M. Ali Birand

The Turkish Armed Forces are slowly changing. In the past they would follow developments and intervene when the conditions presented themselves. Now, instead of a coup, they determine the direction of day to day policies at the source. As long as the civilian cadres fail to plug the gaps in the running of the country, this influence will continue.

The Turkish Armed Forces are known to the public to be the most disciplined and best organized institution in the country and one that knows what it wants and what it is doing. This has not changed. Even those critical of its position turn to this institution when things get bad and when chaos in the country increases, and they ask it to sort things out.

The TSK is seen to be some kind of last resort assurance. The principle reason for the military being seen like this is the incompetence of the civilian leadership and the resulting political vacuum. You may well ask: "Both the army and the civilian cadres are made up of Turks, so how is it that the army is trusted and the politicians are not?" There are hundreds of replies that could be given to this. The matter I want to touch on is different.

I want to talk about the change I have observed in this institution, which has so much say in the running of the country. The TSK of the 21st century appear before us having changed in many respects. What has not changed are its basic attitudes: That Turkey does not become a theocratic state, reacting sensitively to the threats created by the country's mosaic makeup and preserving territorial integrity. In other words, ensuring the perpetuation of a structure that has adopted Ataturk's principles (secular democracy and Western values).

All officers are groomed to achieve this end from the moment they accept their commission. Their education and training are based on the tenet: "Ataturk founded this country and has commissioned you with protecting it. Act accordingly..." Young officers see themselves the protectors of Turkey (within the context of the tenets above). Young civilian university graduates on the other hand have not had such an education. Both these groups of young people see Turkey quite differently from each other. The problems thus stem from their different images of and responsibilities towards Turkey.

Change increasing gradually

The attitudes held by both these groups of young people are gradually becoming more and more different. The TSK took great pains to be seen outside of politics between the 1960s and 1980s, but they monitored events closely. They would occasionally issue a warning, but apart from that never contributed to the formulation of day-to-day policies. On the whole, they were content with just watching. They never entered into much dialogue with the political cadres running the country. They would wait and intervene only when they considered that things had gotten out of hand.

That is how they behaved right up until the Sept. 12, 1980 coup. The situation changed with the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the demise of the Soviet Union. Western values (democracy, human rights etc) came to the fore. The era of military coups had come to an end. The TSK also moved with the times. It gave up its former approach. In order to not have to wait and ultimately intervene militarily, it developed the method of intervening at the point when policies are formulated. "New mechanisms" were placed in the 1980 Constitution and the laws. The General Staff added articles that practically afforded them the right of veto in areas they deemed "sensitive'. Thus, they managed in one respect to be able to monitor laws as they were being prepared and work to formulate policy.

It achieved all this by enhancing the National Security Council (MGK). Thus it became able to check up on the formulation and pursuit of day-to-day policies in areas it deemed sensitive. An interesting aspect to this is the lack of pressure and force when it comes to sharing powers and authority. In one respect, it used its prestige and value in society. Furthermore, civilian politicians also consented to this power sharing. They believed that they could share responsibility with the military and act without having to look over their shoulders all the time for the next coup.

This is how things led to today's national security debate. It would be pure fantasy to think that this situation is going to change suddenly because of EU membership. Even if some things change in form, the TSK's weight behind the scenes will continue until the civilian administration reaches a level that no longer creates vacuums. We have no other choice in this transit period than to learn how to live with the TSK and how to prevent mutual recriminations, and this includes the TSK.

6. - AP - "Turkish show puts twist on reality TV":

ISTANBUL

In a new twist to reality television, a Turkish show is pitting two middle class couples against each other to see who can survive on the country's minimum wage of $84 a month. Contestant Engin Ozden walks for four hours each day from the studio to work to save 35 cents in bus fare.

His competitors, Hikmet and Suzan Kocaibrahimoglu, eat stale bread and sit under a street lamp at night to conserve electricity. They have each lost about 20 pounds since the show started August 1. Suzan Kocaibrahimoglu hasn't used deodorant in a month.

"It is impossible to live on this money," said Suzan Kocaibrahimoglu. "It is a kind of torture."

"They are like one of us"

But the show, broadcast daily on private Channel D television, is reality for hundreds of thousands of Turkish families struggling to make ends meet on a minimum wage that loses value almost every week as the Turkish lira plummets against the dollar. Since the start of a February financial crisis, the lira has lost about half its worth.

Half of the country's 65 million people live on a monthly income of less than $200, far below the poverty line of $474 a month for a family of four.

The couples' televised struggle has made them heroes to many Turks, who have long felt that they have been suffering in silence and are being ignored by politicians who many believe are corrupt and the cause of the financial crisis.

"They are like one of us, same difficulties, same misery," said Fikri Tektas, a janitor working in a building near the studio.

Hikmet Kocaibrahimoglu said he has received dozens of phone calls thanking him for dramatizing the nation's struggle. People have also approached him in the street to shake his hand.

They say "we are supporting you because you are showing our difficulties," Hikmet Kocaibrahimoglu said.

The television station says the show, which is broadcast at midnight, is among the country's most popular, but refuses to release any figures on viewership, saying it is a trade secret.

August's competition was the second installment of the show. The July contestants tied.

No kissing

As part of the daily 30-minute show, the two couples live in apartments filled with cameras and microphones. When they go out for work, a camera crew follows them.

Both couples buy stale bread for 3 1/2 cents a loaf, one-third of the normal price, and carry free water in buckets from a nearby mosque to save on utility bills. Their telephones ring constantly with relatives and friends calling to offer words of support, but the couples never make outgoing calls.

The contestants are required to buy a newspaper each day and watch a movie and read a book during the contest.

Contestants are not allowed to accept discounts.

"It is really difficult and requires lots of sacrifice," said Hikmet Kocaibrahimoglu. Even a 17-cent ice cream cone is a luxury, he said.

Turkey is a conservative, overwhelmingly Muslim country and the couples have been extremely careful not to kiss in front of the cameras, which are everywhere, except the bathrooms.

In real life, Hikmet Kocaibrahimoglu is a finance manager at a private company. His wife does not work.

Engin Ozden owns a restaurant in Istanbul while his wife works at a bank. Both couples are middle class, earning about six times the minimum wage.

The couple who spends the least money during the month without exceeding the minimum wage will win an apartment, a car and a one week trip to Europe. The show ends on Thursday, but the winner will not be announced until Sunday.

"They are lucky. Most Turks are stuck with minimum wage for life, and there is no award awaiting them," said Menekse Yucel, an unemployed secretary looking for a job.