29 May 2001

1. "Turkey to block EU defense plans unless given "reasonable" role: Cem", Turkey will hold firm in blocking EU plans to use key NATO military assets unless it has more say as to how they are shared, Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said in comments published Tuesday.

2. "Turkey wants 'permanent solution' for Cyprus pre-EU", Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said on Monday that the admission of Cyprus into the European Union without a 'permanent solution' to the 38-year-old problem on the eastern Mediterranean island would have very negative consequences.

3. "South heating up again", South Kurdistan has once again begun to heat up. It has been revealed that the Turkish military has taken up war positions in the Kanicenge region of South [Iraqi] Kurdistan in the past three days and that flights of Turkish war planes have intensified in the Soran region.

4. "PUK leader refers to Iran as only supporter of Iraqi Kurds", Leader of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Jalal Talebani in the city of Suleymaniyeh Friday night referred to the Islamic Republic of Iran as the only supporter of the Iraqi Kurds during their hard times.

5. "Israel, Turkey fail to agree on water price", Israel and Turkey have again failed to conclude an agreement on the supply of water to the Jewish state.

6. ""Terrorist" accusation proved to be unfounded", in France a case which was opened 8 years ago against PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) on the grounds that it is a "terrorist organization" resulted in acquittal. According to the verdict neither PKK is terrorist nor its actions. Now it is expected that Interior Minister annuls the ban circular and banning countries Germany and England follow it.

1. - AFP - "Turkey to block EU defense plans unless given "reasonable" role: Cem":

ANKARA

Turkey will hold firm in blocking EU plans to use key NATO military assets unless it has more say as to how they are shared, Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said in comments published Tuesday.

"Turkey is not prepared to allow the use of these capabilities and assets it shares (in NATO) unless it has a right to participate reasonably in their use," Cem wrote in a commentary published in the Financial Times. Cem's remarks coincided with the opening of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Budapest, where the deadlock between the two Brussels-based organizations is expected to be taken up. Turkey, which has the largest NATO army after the United States and is home to strategic military bases, says EU access to NATO assets should be decided on a case-by-case basis and not "guaranteed and permanent", as the EU wants.

Access to NATO strategic planning is considered vital to the creation of an EU rapid reaction force, due to be in place by 2003 to carry out humanitarian and peacekeeping operations in trouble spots like Kosovo. Ankara wants guarantees that it will not find itself shoved to the sidelines in the event that the European Union deploys its planned force in hotspots close to its borders. Cem stressed that Turkey, a candidate for EU membership, was not against the project, but argued that the EU had ignored past NATO decisions on the issue.

"NATO members agreed in Washington in April 1999 that EU access to NATO resources would be subject to 'a case-by-case decision by the North Atlantic Council'," Cem wrote. "The problem lies in the fact that the (EU) Nice summit ignored the decisions made by NATO in Washington. NATO is being asked to reject the decisions it reached ... and instead accept rules that were later drawn up by the EU," he added, referring to an EU meeting in December.

Cem likened the EU demands to a donor-recipient relationship in which the recipient wants to set the terms. The foreign minister said Turkey had proposed a solution under which the non-EU members' right to participation would be limited to cases of vital security interest or geographic proximity. Defenders of Ankara's position say the rough security environment in which Turkey is situated justifies its demands for a say in future operations, most of them likely to be in the country's proximity. Turkey borders the volatile Balkans and Caucasus regions, with which it has close ethnic bonds, as well as Iraq.

Foreign observers say Ankara's objections also reflect fears that the EU might intervene in conflicts to which Turkey is a direct party -- such as on the divided island of Cyprus and its territorial disputes in the Aegean with EU member Greece. A senior European military official told the Financial Times that the deadlock reflected "a real problem of trust between us and Turkey." "The longer this dispute drags on, the greater the chance Turkey could jeopardize our progress," he warned. Some observers have suggested that the wrangling could have a negative impact on Turkey's candidacy for European Union membership. But Cem remarked, "This is not a dispute between Turkey and the EU. I believe a solution can best be found within NATO."

2. - Turkish Daily News - "Turkey wants 'permanent solution' for Cyprus pre-EU":

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said on Monday that the admission of Cyprus into the European Union without a 'permanent solution' to the 38-year-old problem on the eastern Mediterranean island would have very negative consequences.

"A permanent solution cannot be reached without the acknowledgement of northern Cyprus as an independent state," Ecevit said in a speech marking his completion of two years in office.

The Greek-Cyriot southern Cyprus, recognised internationally as the "Republic of Cyprus," wants to join the EU but Turkey, which also hopes to join the 15-nation bloc, has backed Turkish Cypriot demands for recognition as a separate state before Cyprus's EU entry.

Ecevit, speaking the day after parliamentary elections in the Greek Cypriot part of the island, said Turkey had not changed its stance towards Cyprus.

"The Turkish side has always demonstrated a constructive attitude in the... negotiations initiated by the United Nations secretary-general," he said.

U.N. proximity talks on the island's future stalled last November when Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas, backed by Ankara, decided to boycott the talks unless he was given full recognition as an equal partner in the negotiations.

Turkey is the only country which recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The Greek Cypriot administration is one of the leading candidates to join the EU in its next wave of expansion, and the pro-European Greek Cypriot Communist party AKEL, winner of Sunday's election, is expected to keep up the momentum of the membership bid.

Ecevit did not comment directly on the election, but reiterated Turkey's opposition to Cyprus joining the EU before the Cyprus problem is resolved on terms sought by the north.

"It is necessary to state here once again that the admission of Southern Cyprus into EU full membership without a permanent solution to the Cyprus problem will create extremely negative results," Ecevit said.

3. - Ozgur Politika - "South heating up again":

South Kurdistan has once again begun to heat up. It has been revealed that the Turkish military has taken up war positions in the Kanicenge region of South [Iraqi] Kurdistan in the past three days and that flights of Turkish war planes have intensified in the Soran region.

It has been learned that while on the one hand Turkey is working to develop civilian organization in South Kurdistan, on the other hand, the number of MIT (Turkish national intelligence) members in Zaxo and Suleymaniya has been increased.

Additionally, it was announced that another meeting was held between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Turkish officials. No details of the meeting, however, were included in the statement.

It has been reported that the Turkish military massed troops in the Botan region and closed off all roads. The military activity by the Turkish state in the region, following Iraq's attempts to take up positions for a possible assault, is creating sensitive balances for the Middle East policy that the US is trying to implement.

People's Defense Unit: There is a slander campaign

Meanwhile, the People's Defense Forces (HPG), which are the guerrilla force of the PKK, made a statement concerning Mehmet Arda, code name Karker, who was killed last week by contra forces in Dersim. The statement made from the People's Defense Forces Main Headquarters said: "In this period in which our own defense forces are experiencing a qualitative and quantitative growth, some foci based on profiteering-gang circles are making initiatives to deceive the public with false propaganda and a set of scenarios that there is desertion and dispersal among our forces."

The statement continued to say the following: "The most striking example in this framework is the incident that happened in Dersim state. One of our past militias in Dersim state who later moved together with our military forces because he was being sought, Mehmet Arda code name Karker, departed from our people's defense forces of his own will last year and decided to stay in his own environment and to protect himself. This person of ours was killed by a bullet to the head in the Goymemis village of Dersim." The HPG stressed that not only did this incident have nothing to do with them but that the person who had been killed was "their own person" who had contributed labor to the struggle.

The HPG statement continued to say that it was clear from many angles that the incident had been planned as a contra event but that it was necessary to study it more seriously for the details to become clear. "Determining the guilty stands before us as a duty," the statement said.

The HPG statement continued to say: "Especially our patriotic people in the region and his close circles will be of an important contribution to us in enlightening this incident. It is necessary on this matter for all our patriotic people to be on alert against this type of events, to take a stance when appropriate, and be cautious against enemy propaganda that has no base."

4. - IRNA - "PUK leader refers to Iran as only supporter of Iraqi Kurds":

SANANDAJ

Leader of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Jalal Talebani in the city of Suleymaniyeh Friday night referred to the Islamic Republic of Iran as the only supporter of the Iraqi Kurds during their hard times.

Addressing a group of Iranian industrialists, he said, "The Islamic Republic have helped Iraqi Kurds over the past few years when those countries, which today call themselves as our friends, were supporting the crimes committed by the Baathist regime."

He further referred to chemical bombardment of Halabcheh and attack on Arbil by the Baathist forces as examples of black days of the Iraqi Kurds over the past few years.

The Iraqi Kurds are still in need of Iranian assistance, Talebani said reiterating that Kurds will never forget the support given to them by the the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He further called for presence of Iranian experts in various industrial, agricultural and technical fields in the Iraqi Kurdistan.

Although economic situation of the Iraqi Kurds has improved through implementation of the UN resolution 986 (oil for food deal), Kurdistan will not become a developed region without Iranian aid, he added.

"Today, we have access to sufficient financial credits but unable to absorb them and we hope that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as before, would help the Iraqi Kurds spend such existing credits," Talebani stressed.

Meanwhile, the first trade and industrial exhibition of Iran's Kurdestan Province was opened in Suleymaniyeh in the presence of the PUK leader and the Iranian delegation.

86 industrial and manufacturing units from different parts of the Islamic Republic are displaying various potentials of Iran in the exhibition.

Members of the political bureau of the PUK and leaders of the Iraqi Kurdish parties attended the inaugural ceremony of the exhibition which was warmly welcomed by local Iraqi Kurds.

Asadollah Barkhordari, a commercial official in Kurdestan Province told IRNA that the
objective of the exhibition is to introduce Iran's great industrial potentials to people in northern Iraq.

5. - Middle East Newsline - "Israel, Turkey fail to agree on water price":

ANKARA

Israel and Turkey have again failed to conclude an agreement on the supply of water to the Jewish state.

Once again, the sticking point was price.

Turkish officials said the gap between the two sides remains significant. They said Israel offered 15 cents per cubic meters while Ankara insisted on nothing less than 20 cents per cubic meter.

An Israeli delegation held talks with Turkish officials late last week in an effort to complete a water agreement. The delegation returned to Israel and plans are underway for a Turkish delegation to travel to Israel.

Officials said the goal is to reach an agreement by July for Israel to purchase 50 million cubic meters of water annually for up to 10 years.

6. - Kurdish Observer - ""Terrorist" accusation proved to be unfounded":

In France a case which was opened 8 years ago against PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) on the grounds that it is a "terrorist organization" resulted in acquittal. According to the verdict neither PKK is terrorist nor its actions. Now it is expected that Interior Minister annuls the ban circular and banning countries Germany and England follow it.

PARIS / by Hasan Deniz

The case against PKK on the grounds that it is a "terrorist organization" resulted in acquittal. So one of the "terrorist" accusations against PKK proved to be unfounded. Now it is expected that Interior Minister annuls the ban circular and banning countries Germany and England follow it.

In the case a number of Kurdish politicians were tried. The Chief Public Prosecutor Roger Le Loire has claimed that PKK was a "terrorist organization" and its actions in France were "terrorist actions".

The Prosecutor withdrew his charges

But Prosecutor Le Loire submitted his opinion that Kurds are not guilty to Chief Public Prosecution Office in 1998 after investigating the claims meticulously. Nevertheless the dossier has remained on shelf for 3 years. And the statement of reasons was notified to the lawyers of the Kurdish defendants on May 11, 2001.

"PKK did not make any violent actions"

The statement analysed all activities of PKK in Kurdistan, Turkey and Europe from the date it was established to 1998. The statement emphasized that PKK did not make any violent actions in France and there were not any evidence for corroborating the charges, giving a detailed information on the identity and life of PKK General Chairman Abdullah Ocalan.

The statement took up all accusations against Kurdish associations one by one: "Although it is clear that Kurds make organizations in France, and it is evident that Kurds gave donations to such organizations, there are no evidence as to violent or terrorist actions."

A case of 8 years

At the framework of "Red-Pink Operation" started by Le Loire in 1993 all Kurds in France were intimidated and a number of Kurdish associations, houses and workplaces were busted. A lot of Kurdish people were detained. Le Loire depended his indictment on reports of forces protecting borders of France Security Directorate. Two weeks after the operation making a speech in the Parliament, the "most radical" Interior Minister Charles Pasqua made harsh statements against PKK and requested for it to be banned. Now being tried for corruption, Charles Pasqua declared PKK as an illegal organization and banned it, deciding individually. With it France was the first European country which banned PKK de facto.

What will happen?

After the acquittal now the statue of PKK in France comes on the agenda. Political observers call attention to the fact that PKK should continue its activities under its own name, this would be an important response to the peace efforts of Abdullah Ocalan.

Faruk Doru from Kurdistan Information Bureau said the following: "In the past France attacked organizations and institutions feeling attracted to Kurdistan national liberation movement unjustly. And in return it signed a number of economic agreement with Turkey. But intensive efforts of both French public opinion and Kurdish people paved the way for the acquittal. As for the ban on PKK, in fact there were not too severe measures.

In the past representative of PKK did not have any difficulty to express himself/herself in the media or meeting in the Parliament. The acquittal proves the legitimacy of the struggle of Kurdish people. After the acquittal, that PKK asks French government for official recognition is a legitimate right. There is no risk for identity announcement of our people."

The acquittal on French media

One of the most important interpretation of the acquittal was the title as "Red-Pink changed into White Cabbage". All newspapers, foremost Le Monde and Liberation, gave extensive place to the acquittal. Stating "changing into White Cabbage", Le Monde reminded the well-known French idiom which is used ironically when one does not attain one's goal. Le Monde called attention to the fact that French police and prosecutors could not find any evidence for their claims against PKK. Daily newspaper Liberation, for its part, used the title "Finally Ends the Kurdish Trial after 8 years".