20. Dezember 2001

1. "The Bush-Ecevit Summit", in mid January Turkish prime minister Ecevit is going to meet US-president Bush. A commentary

2. "European Defense Ministers Meet", Defense ministers from southeastern Europe met on Thursday to discuss the U.S.-led war on terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and border security

3. "Turkish premier rules out early elections", Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz has stated that the coalition partners are determined not to hold elections before the year 2004

4. "Turkey detains 25 in protest on jail crackdown anniversary", Turkish police on Wednesday detained some 25 protestors planning to demonstrate for the first anniversary of a bloody crackdown on prison hunger-strikers across the country

5. "Turkish interior minister cites evidence of link among "terrorist" groups", Turkey requested extradition of 155 people including members of the PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party] and of fundamentalist terrorist organizations from Germany

6. "Turkish foreign minister pleased with EU statement", EU hopefuls in hurry after Laeken summit

1. - Milliyet -"The Bush-Ecevit Summit":

ANKARA / by Fikret Bila

On the preparations for the Bush-Ecevit summit to take place in mid-January. Ankara is preparing for the Bush-Ecevit summit expected to be held soon after the new year. The invitation extended to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit by the US President George W. Bush is viewed as recognition of Turkey's importance abroad. The invitation is being viewed as a reflection of Turkey's international stature as realized by Washington due to the policies it is pursuing concerning issues in Iraq, the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Balkans, the EU and Cyprus.

Ecevit believes that Bush has understood the importance of Turkey. The prime minister remarked that it was clear that Iraq would be an important topic during the talks. He said, 'We will express our views, as we attach great importance to the territorial integrity of Iraq. We shall relate our policies on the issue.' Ecevit will tell Bush and the US administration what a serious mistake it would be to intervene in Iraq and the problems such and intervention could lead to.

Regarding Afghanistan, Ecevit believes that the most important issue is the quick establishment of security in the country and the formation of an Afghan national army and police force with this aim. Ecevit said that in Afghanistan there were armies but as yet no national army. He believes there is urgent need it to bring together the commanders who disagree with each other in order to form a national army.

He also pointed out that Turkey was ready to help Afghanistan on the issue. In addition to Afghanistan, Iraq and the EU and economic matters Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said that the Cyprus problem would also be discussed at length. 'We will try to change their opinions regarding the issue' he said. 'We have worked hard on the issue and have started to see results. For example, the European Union is not repeating its usual stance.

We still cannot say that their basic views have changed, but they are not viewing the issue as before. We will try to get the same results in Washington. We will ask what they expect from the Cyprus dialogue process and what they want to see there. We will brief them on the facts regarding Cyprus, facts this time from our point of view.' On Iraq, both Prime Minister Ecevit and Foreign Minister Cem have repeatedly said that Turkey was opposed to a foreign intervention. Discussion on economy will focus on loosening quotas and, if possible, lifting them altogether. Ankara is hopeful about the Bush-Ecevit summit.

2. - AP - "European Defense Ministers Meet":

ANKARA / by Selcan Hacaoglu, Associated Press Writer

Defense ministers from southeastern Europe met on Thursday to discuss the U.S.-led war on terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and border security. The countries from Balkans and southeast Europe were expected to issue a statement backing the campaign against terror but it is not clear what new measures they might take.

They activated a multinational force in May to conduct peacekeeping missions in the Balkans. Turkey's Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said at the opening of the meeting that border security, the non-profileration of weapons of mass destruction, and the terrorism fight would top the agenda.

The annual meeting coincides with increased awareness of terrorist threats following the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States. "Compared to the past, regional countries are more eager in preserving the peace and stability in the region," Cakmakoglu said. "This meeting is a sign of this eagerness."

Turkey, despite fully backing the U.S.-led anti-terrorism campaign and being the first Muslim country to offer troops for Afghanistan, is deeply concerned over suggestions that the war could spread to its southern neighbor, Iraq. Turkey served as the launching pad for attacks against Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War. U.S. officials have recently accused Iraq of maintaining a germ warfare program.

Meanwhile, Balkan countries are disturbed by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld proposal Tuesday during a summit in Brussels that NATO cut its forces in Bosnia by up to a third because their police work there has begun to strain nation's needs to fight terrorism. Countries such as Macedonia fear that the new U.S. policy could hurt long-term stability in the region. NATO is leading close to 60,000 troops in three separate military operations, in Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz was scheduled to attend the meeting in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya but he canceled after it coincided with Rumsfeld's trip to Europe.

Instead, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Jack D. Crouch, attended the meeting along with defense ministers or representatives from Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Ukraine, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. Many defense ministers will hold bilateral meetings on the summit sidelines, but there are no scheduled meetings between rivals Turkey and Greece, which are at loggerheads over the use of NATO facilities by the newly created European Union army.

3. -BBC Monitoring Service - "Turkish premier rules out early elections":

ANKARA

[Announcer] Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz has stated that the coalition partners are determined not to hold elections before the year 2004. During his visit to Rize's Cayeli District, Yilmaz replied to reporters' questions on the various issues on the country's agenda... Asked to comment on the Laeken summit and Turkish-EU relations, Yilmaz said:

[Yilmaz] From the viewpoint of Turkish-EU relations, we are going through our most positive period. Various developments have led to this positive turn. One of these developments was the commencement of a new dialogue process in Cyprus upon the initiative of the Turkish Cypriot side. Then there was the conciliation reached in the two-year old conflict regarding the European Security and Defence Policy. Moreover, Turkey, within the framework of the national programme, has implemented a very serious reform package which includes constitutional amendments...

[Announcer] Yilmaz was also questioned about his approach to holding early elections.

[Yilmaz] I have already expressed my view. I believe that Mr Bahceli expressed the same view yesterday. Our agreement, as coalition partners, is to continue with this government until 2004. As you know, according to our constitution, elections are held every five years in Turkey. No government has, however, lasted over four years. We have always held early elections. For the first time, this government intends to complete its full term. Holding elections before April 2004 will not be beneficial for Turkey. On the contrary, it might endanger this atmosphere of stability we have achieved. Therefore, we intend to fully implement the economic programme and then to hold elections...

4. - AFP - "Turkey detains 25 in protest on jail crackdown anniversary":

ISTANBUL

Turkish police on Wednesday detained some 25 protestors planning to demonstrate for the first anniversary of a bloody crackdown on prison hunger-strikers across the country, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Meanwhile the country was also condemned by a leading anti-torture organisation for its failure to investigate police action following the crackdown, which left 30 prisoners and two soldiers dead in a four-day period. Wednesday's protestors intended to leave carnations at the gates of the Bayrampasa prison here -- one of many jails targeted in the December 2000 police crackdown -- but were prevented by police from approaching the complex.

After a brief press statement denouncing the prison operation, the demonstrators hurled their flowers towards the prison gates and started chanting slogans. Police moved in on the group after it ignored orders to disperse and detained some 25 people, the report said. It was a year ago on Wednesday that security forces stormed prisons around the country in a bid to break a hunger-strike launched by hundreds of inmates the previous October, to protest at the introduction of new jails with tighter security.

The four-day operation -- in which thousands of paramilitary troops raided scores of prisons -- provoked mass prison riots and left 30 prisoners and two soldiers dead, but failed to end the hunger strike, which has taken the lives of 42 people, both inmates and their supporters outside. Four other inmates have burned themselves to death in support of the strike, and another four people died in a police raid last month on an Istanbul house occupied by hunger-strikers.

Currently, some 170 prisoners are on hunger strike against the new jails, commonly known as F-type prisons, where cells for a maximum of three people replaced dormitories housing dozens of prisoners. Meanwhile the World Organisation against Torture (OMCT) condemned on Wednesday Turkey's failure to reform its legal system and punish those responsible for torture in prisons following the riots.

The Geneva-based organisation called on Istanbul to make public the results of "a full, impartial and effective investigation" into the police crackdown, as required by the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture. Until Turkey's prosecutor general launched an inquiry into the prison raids and mistreatment allegations last month, Turkish authorities preferred to investigate the conduct of prisoners rather than those of the security forces, the OMCT charged.

Backed by human rights activists, the hunger strikers say the new prisons leave inmates vulnerable to mistreatment and deepen social alienation. But the government has ruled out a return to the dormitory system, arguing that the crowded compounds had become strongholds for criminal groups, which frequently rioted and took prison officials hostage.

Turkey's critics also include the European Parliament which has consistently criticized Turkey's human rights record -- notably its stance on prisons and the death penalty -- saying it has a long way to go before meeting EU criteria on human rights that are needed to begin membership negotiations.

5. - BBC Monitoring Service - "Turkish interior minister cites evidence of link among "terrorist" groups":

BERLIN

Turkish Interior Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen said on Wednesday [19 December]: "We have evidence proving the connection of the Union of Islamic Community and Societies [organization also known as the Caliphate State] headed by Metin Kaplan with the terrorist organization Hizbullah and with Usamah Bin-Ladin."

Yucelen who is currently paying an official visit to Germany as the guest of his German counterpart Otto Schily, held a press conference at the Turkish embassy in Berlin. Speaking at the press conference, Yucelen recalled that all activities of Union of Islamic Community and Societies were banned in Germany. "Turkey requested extradition of 155 people including members of the terrorist organization PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party] and of fundamentalist terrorist organizations from Germany. We think that those who were involved in the incidents in central province of Sivas on 2 July 1993 that resulted in killing of 37 people, could be in Germany. If our intelligence units find evidence proving this, we will also request extradition of these people from Germany," he said.

Responding to a question, Yucelen told reporters: "On numerous occasions, we told the world public opinion that Turkey had struggled against terrorism for 25 years and that terrorism jeopardized the whole world. The United Nations Security Council reached a decision in the wake of the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001.

German officials decided to ban activities of the Union of Islamic Community and Societies after they thought that it would jeopardize Germany. Earlier, we informed Germany of our experiences in fight against terrorism. I believe that they have taken our sensitivity into consideration."

Yucelen said that human smuggling and illicit drug trafficking were also brought onto agenda of his meeting with Schily. Responding to a question about allegations of torture in Turkey, Yucelen said: "Torture is a crime against humanity. Earlier, I said that human rights violations would decrease by the end of 2001. No-one claims that there is torture in Turkey any more."

6. - BBC Monitoring Service - "Turkish foreign minister pleased with EU statement":

EU hopefuls in hurry after Laeken summit

LONDON / ANKARA

Is the addition of ten new countries by 2004 too ambitious?

Most EU candidate countries have welcomed the decision of the European Union summit in Laeken near Brussels at the weekend to name 10 nations, including Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Cyprus, as on track to join by 2004. But some were worried it might take too long before they qualified for accession.

The Czechs, for instance, seemed to favour a phased approach - with them near the head of the queue. "The Czech Republic will not be willing to wait for less prepared countries merely in order to see one of these scenarios, which we call the big bang, becoming reality," Foreign Minister Jan Kavan said in remarks broadcast on Nova TV.

The EU summit had commended Turkey for its constitutional reforms but said it must do more. Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit hailed the summit as "very successful" and "very positive". And he welcomed the decision to allow Turkey to participate in the convention on reform as "an important development".

Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem told Turkish NTV the summit bode well for the future. "I hope that the paragraph pertaining to Turkey, which we expect to be included in the results of the Laeken summit, will constitute the beginning of much more constructive and positive developments in the future," Mr Cem said.

Foreign Minister Ismail Cem called Belgium Foreign Minister Louis Michel on the phone on Tuesday [18 December] evening and expressed pleasure over the statement issued following Laeken summit. Diplomatic sources said on Wednesday that Cem, who called Michel on his return from Afghanistan, congratulated him for the success of the EU summit.

Spain, who will take over the EU term presidency from Belgium in the beginning of January, will hold its first meeting together with EU countries with Turkey within the scope of its meeting with EU candidate countries.

Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Akin Alptuna is expected to participate in the meeting to be held in Madrid on 8 January.