16 October 2001

1. "Turkish president approves reform of country's constitution", Turkish President Ahmet Sezer approved wide-ranging constitutional reforms on Monday which Ankara hopes will improve the country's bid for EU membership, his press service announced.

2. "IHD: Global war risk increases human rights violations in Southeast region", the Diyarbakir Branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD) has released its human rights violation report for September.

3. "Foreign diplomats: Ankara has assured Baghdad that no attack will take place from its territories", Turkey conveys concerns to both Iraq, US.

4. "No tolerance to peace", as meetings called "No to War" are banned, peace-lovers were attacked by the police during the press statement, and a lot of demonstrators were detained while tens of them were wounded.

5. "Turkey's defense industry sees prospects", amid a paralyzing economy, Turkey's defense industry sees the light of opportunity. The opportunity, industry sources say, is in counterterrorism systems and training.

6. "Turkey, Jordan against the transfer of US military acts from Afghanistan to Baghdad"

1. - AFP - "Turkish president approves reform of country's constitution":

ANKARA

Turkish President Ahmet Sezer approved wide-ranging constitutional reforms on Monday which Ankara hopes will improve the country's bid for EU membership, his press service announced.

The package of 34 constitutional amendments was originally adopted by parliament on October 3. Reforms of the constitution, much of which was dictated by the army in 1980 following a coup, include the abolition of the death penalty except in times of war, imminent threat of war and for terrorist crimes. Other changes make it more difficult for authorities to outlaw political parties, lift certain restraints on freedom of expression, speed up judicial and court procedures and expand the rights of trade unions and associations.

The amendments' adoption fits into government plans to have key reforms adopted before the European Commission -- the EU's executive arm -- wraps up an annual report in November on Turkey's progress towards EU membership since it was granted candidate's status in 1999.

The EU has been particularly critical of Turkey's human rights record and analysts have said the reforms still leave the country lagging behind European norms.

2. - Turkish Daily News - "IHD: Global war risk increases human rights violations in Southeast region":

The Diyarbakir Branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD) has released its human rights violation report for September. The report stated that the risk of global war had increased violations in the month. According to the report, following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack to the World Trade Center in the United States, the indefiniteness and global war risk had caused an increase not seen in the southeastern region for a while.

IHD assistant general director and Diyarbakir Branch director Osman Baydemir said that it was possible to observe the decrease in personal security, the right to live, of the disregard of torture prohibition and of the embargo on food in the region in the report. He said that they had received 138 complaints during September, and that the number of complaints in September were reminiscent of the past.

The report said that, in September, seven people became victims of unknown murders and of execution without judgement, and two people were killed by mines. On the other hand, 200 people were taken into custody and 37 of them were subjected to torture and degrading treatments. Some 83 were later arrested. The report also stressed that 28 people, who attended demonstrations, were injured and 66 people attending demonstrations were taken into custody. According to the report, while 29 newspapers and magazines were banned in the Emergency Rule Governorship region (OHAL), one theatre play was also prohibited to perform.

The report released that suicides, which have increased in recent months for various reasons, increased this month too and totally 13 people committed suicide in the region in September.

Underlining all these violations, Baydemir said that September had become a month when many human rights violations were experienced, and people in the region were worried about their future under in the shadow of the risk of global war. Emphasizing that indefiniteness and global war risk affected human rights negatively, Baydemir said, "Violations, especially of the right to live, personal security and torture prohibition had increased at an alarming rate."

Mentioning the OHAL explanation, which said that two members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) had been killed in Sirnak's Beytulsebab district, Baydemir denied the claim and said that Halit Aslan (62) and Ebuzeyt Aslan (42) were citizens who went to Beytulsebab to collect products in their field and were killed during the operation held by security forces. Baydemir said, "Despite calls for those responsible for these murders to be punished, nothing was done and the corpses were not surrendered to their relatives."

Baydemir said that, on the other hand, Hasim Beyazgul, who was deaf and dumb, was killed on Sept. 19 in Yuksek village in Van's Baskale district during an operation against smuggled diesel. Baydemir added that the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) Sirnak Branch building was bombed by unknown people on Sept. 20.

3. - Turkish Daily News - "Foreign diplomats: Ankara has assured Baghdad that no attack will take place from its territories":

Turkey conveys concerns to both Iraq, US

SAADET ORUC

Disgruntled over the ongoing internal debate in Washington concerning a possible attack on Iraq, Ankara has been expressing its concerns at every opportunity both to the United States and to Iraqi officials.

Soon after Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's remarks which he made on Sunday in an interview with NTV's Ankara representative Murat Akgun, deputy prime minister Mesut Yilmaz, this time, conveyed his worries.

As Ecevit was warning that an attack against Iraq would harm Turkey, Yilmaz was declaring his worries over the possibility of the spread of the operation into Iraq.

The more it was obvious that Ankara opposed even the possibility of an attack against Baghdad (with the frustration that in case of an offense over Iraq, the instability might be taken advantage of by the Iraqi Kurds), the more diplomatic traffic on the issue was seen.

No matter Turkish officials were evaluating the internal debate in Washington, (which was launched by one group headed by Paul Wolfowitz, deputy undersecretary of U.S. Secretary of Defense and another group headed by Secretary of State Colin Powell and the State Department) as a game won by the moderate wing led by, efforts were accelerated, taking the worst option into account.

Diplomatic contacts

According to foreign diplomats, Ankara assured Baghdad once more over its position that no attack would take place from its territories, without any strong evidence confirming an Iraqi link with the attacks.

In close contacts with the United States, on the other hand, Turkish officials expressed the Turkish position vis-a-vis Iraq.

Messages given by the Iraqi Kurds have especially been seen as reflecting their nationalistic approach more than ever, official circles say.

It is noteworthy that the State Minister responsible for customs, Mehmet Kececiler, has been complaining about the steps taken by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) along the Habour border gate and for ten days the diesel trade through the KDP-controlled area was stopped, starting up a few days ago.

The additional tax imposed by the KDP was the reason, which made the Turkish officials angry, however business circles dealing with diesel trade in the region claimed there was Considerable political reason behind the Turkish anger towards the KDP.

The political position of the Massoud Barzani-led KDP, which was defined to be nationalistic, was the main topic, raising eye brows in Ankara.

Turkey has never forgotten the potential of a possible transmission between its Kurdish-origined citizens and the Iraqi Kurds.

4. - Kurdish Observer - "No tolerance to peace":

As meetings called "No to War" are banned, peace-lovers were attacked by the police during the press statement, and a lot of demonstrators were detained while tens of them were wounded.

ISTANBUL

Peace groups were attacked by the police while making press statement "No to War" in Kadikoy in place of peace actions in Ankara, Adana, Izmir and Istanbul which were banned by Istanbul Governor Office. About thousand people from HADEP, ODP, EMEP and SIP chanted slogans against the war and opened banners in Sogutlucesme Street. Then police forces threatened the peace-lover and asked them for breaking up. But when the activists insisted on making a press statement, saying that "There are actions against the war all around the world. We condemn the stance of the state", police forces attacked on them.

44 detaniees

44 demonstrators were detained and a lot of people were wounded by sticks and dogs of the police forces. It has been reported that Ramazan Kurt, cameramen of Ulusal TV Channel, and Huseyin Likoglu, correspondent of the newspaper Yeni Safak were wounded.

Be an actor for peace

And KESK (Federal Union of Public Employees' Unions) Mersin Platform of Branches made a press statement en masse, calling on the public to force the political power to be an actor not for the war but for peace. Making the statement on behalf of the Platform, Yilmaz Bozkurt, Chairman of SES (Union of Health Workers) Mersin Branch, attracted attention that USA tried to execute its strategic plans in the Middle Asia, the Middle East and Caucasus by violent methods. Stating that for days bombs have been fallen on innocent people, Bozkurt continued to say the following: "Not only the economy but all the world is shaken. We feel the sufferings and despair of the Afghan people, because we have also witnessed the suffering and clashes." The Chairman emphasized that whereas rulers have interest in war, workers, villagers, artisans and all toilers have interest in war, calling on the government to struggle for peace rather than playing an active role in the war.

5. - Middle East Newsline - "Turkey's defense industry sees prospects":

ANKARA

Amid a paralyzing economy, Turkey's defense industry sees the light of opportunity. The opportunity, industry sources say, is in counterterrorism systems and training.

Defense executives and officials discussed the future of the industry last week. They acknowledged that Ankara will continue to maintain its freeze on major projects, which will deprive Turkish defense contractors of badly-needed revenue during fiscal 2002.

The executives at the industry meeting were instead urged to focus on defense exports. They said Turkey could export to Western and Third World countries expertise and systems against terrorism.

Analysts said Ankara must help the Turkish defense industry facilitate exports. They said the United States and European Union countries will not consider a range of security systems.

"Currently, the most experienced country when it comes to combating terrorism is Turkey," analyst Mithat Melen, who is also a newspaper columnist, said. "We never thought of marketing or selling our experience regarding terrorism. We could have formed a defense industry with our current experience."

Former Turkish Deputy Chief of Staff Gen. Cevik Bir, who also addressed the panel, agreed. He said Turkey's defense industry must be upgraded to bolster national security and adapt to changes in the global arms market.

"It is clear we have problems with the majority of our neighbors stemming from the Ottoman period," Bir said. "Turkey needs powerful armed forces. People say that while Europe was disarming, Turkey failed to follow suit. If we do not preserve our strength in the Defense Industry, the vultures will start circling."

6. - Arabic News - "Turkey, Jordan against the transfer of US military acts from Afghanistan to Baghdad":

The Turkish daily Millet issued on Sunday said that the Jordanian King Abdullah II and the Turkish President Ahmad Nacdet Cezar stressed during their talks on Saturday to recommend Iraq for avoiding stances that will result in increasing the US reactions and thereby the transfer of military operations from Afghanistan to Baghdad.

For its part, the Turkish daily Hurriet said that the Jordanian and Turkish sides said that they do not support the US bombardment of any Arab state without having evidences prove their involvement in terrorist operations.

The paper indicated that the two sides stressed that launching an operation against Iraq will create imbalance in the region and will avail the opportunity for the creation of a Kurdish state in north Iraq. A matter which Turkey will not permit.