18 October 2001

1. "Toll in Turkish hunger strike hits 41", a Turkish prisoner on a hunger strike against controversial jail reforms died on Thursday in the northwest city of Izmit, bringing to 41 the death toll in the year-old protest, a human rights group said.

2. "Turkey asked to lead Islamic peace troops", European diplomats want Ankara to consider heading UN force to provide post-Taliban security in Afghanistan

3. "IKV invites EU to act sincerely towards Turkey", Chairman of the Financial Development Foundation (IKV) Meral Gezgin Eris while holding talks in Brussels has called on the EU to adopt a sincere and constructive position with regard to Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.

4. "European Force Will Not Be Ready by 2003-Study", Europe's chances of forming a 60,000-strong Rapid Reaction Force by the year 2003 are virtually nil, a leading think-tank said on Thursday.

5. "Middle East Is World's Top Arms Buying Area-Report", the Middle East, the globe's biggest cauldron of unrest, spends more on arms than any other region of the world and looks set to be the top buyer for years to come, a leading think-tank said on Thursday.

6. "Turkish police detain 37 Kurdish activists", Turkish police have detained 37 people, most of them young activists from the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party (HADEP), after raiding a party function in the western province of Izmir, the party said on Thursday.

1. - AFP - "Toll in Turkish hunger strike hits 41":

ISTANBUL

A Turkish prisoner on a hunger strike against controversial jail reforms died on Thursday in the northwest city of Izmit, bringing to 41 the death toll in the year-old protest, a human rights group said.

Ali Ekber Baris, a 30-year-old father of one, died in a hospital in Izmit, where he had been transferred from jail after his health deteriorated, a spokeswoman for the Human Rights Association (IHD) told AFP. The inmate, jailed for membership in an extreme left underground group, was on the 170th day of his protest fast, she added.

The toll in the strike, which began last October against the introduction of new jails with cells for a maximum of three people, involves both inmates and associates fasting in solidarity outside prisons. Another hunger striker died last month in an Istanbul hospital from burns suffered when he set himself ablaze to denounce a police crackdown on a funeral procession for a fellow striker.

The protestors say the new prison cells, which replaced large dormitories housing up to 60 people, deepen social alienation and leave prisoners more vulnerable to mistreatment. The government introduced the new jails in December last year in a bid to restore order and security in its troubled and crowded prisons, where riots and hostage-taking incidents had become commonplace.

On September 10, a suicide bomber protesting the new jails blew himself up in downtown Istanbul, also killing two policemen and an Australian tourist and injuring about 20 people.

2. - The Guardian - "Turkey asked to lead Islamic peace troops":

European diplomats want Ankara to consider heading UN force to provide post-Taliban security in Afghanistan

ANKARA / by Jonathan Steele

Turkey is being asked to consider sending troops and possibly taking overall command of a mainly Islamic peacekeeping force to provide security in Afghanistan once the Taliban regime has been replaced, European diplomats say. The force would be under the mandate of the United Nations.

Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, is expected to raise the issue when he meets the Turkish prime minister, Bulent Ecevit, in Ankara this morning. The idea of a UN force with predominantly Is lamic contingents, first disclosed in the Guardian last week, would be a precedent-setting departure for the world body. It has been gathering pace in the last few days as the United States and other western governments focus on the danger of a security vacuum in Kabul if the Taliban regime collapses.

They fear chaos and revenge killings if forces from the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance were to capture the capital. Northern Alliance troops come from the Tajik and Uzbek minorities, while the largest group in the capital were Pashtun before the latest crisis. Many Pashtuns have fled in the last three weeks but thousands are believed to remain.

"As a member of Nato, Turkey is the obvious candidate to lead an Islamic force," a British official said last night. Turkey has a large professional army with long combat experience in the battle against Kurdish separatists, though its human rights record is patchy. It also has extensive international peacekeeping experience from Bosnia and Kosovo.

Other countries being mentioned as key participants in the suggested force include Morocco, Bangladesh and Jordan. Jordan's King Abdullah saw the prime minister in Downing Street on Tuesday.

The king is understood to have been keen to offer troops for the US-led military campaign in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington. But he had second thoughts when he saw the strength of feeling in the Islamic world about the air strikes and President Bush's call for a "crusade".

A peacekeeping force under a United Nations mandate would be a separate issue, which Islamic countries could accept. Jordan, with a highly professional army, took a ma jor role in the UN peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone, and also has experience from Bosnia. Although Islamic countries would dominate the force, other nations, including Nato members, would be expected to provide logistics and intelligence support.

The idea for Kabul to be demilitarised and given United Nations protection revives a plan first mooted towards the end of the communist regime of Mohammed Najibullah in 1992. But it never got off the ground because key commanders in Najibullah's army defected and mojahedin forces took over the city with virtu ally no shots fired. After these forces turned against each other in a frenzy of ethnic killing, and later, when the Taliban emerged and captured Kandahar, the idea of demilitarisation for Kabul with its ethnically mixed population and symbolic importance as the seat of government was again raised by UN envoys trying to broker an end to the civil war.

A UN force is strongly backed by Lakhdar Brahimi, the former Algerian foreign minister who is Kofi Annan's special representative for Afghanistan. Mr Brahimi is in Washington for discussions with the Bush administration. He would recruit members for the force if the idea is accepted. Mr Brahimi is also trying to help to negotiate a broad-based government for Afghanistan to replace the Taliban regime.

The Northern Alliance has offered to provide security for Kabul or even not to send its troops into the city if the Taliban falls, but this is not considered a good enough guarantee for Kabul's citizens.

The plan for a UN Islamic force is that it would move in after a Taliban collapse. But if it is put together quickly and effectively its existence might encourage the Taliban to withdraw and hand over control peacefully if they have not yet been defeated or collapsed.

Earlier yesterday, before flying to Turkey, Mr Straw met other European foreign ministers in Luxembourg to review the bombing campaign and the problem of delivering aid.

The ministers dropped a section in the draft declaration prepared for the meeting which said it was important that the delivery of aid be seen as "neutral and impartial" - implicit criticism of the American air-dropping of aid which has been widely seen as a propaganda effort.

3. - Turkish Daily News - "IKV invites EU to act sincerely towards Turkey":

Chairman of the Financial Development Foundation (IKV) Meral Gezgin Eris while holding talks in Brussels has called on the EU to adopt a sincere and constructive position with regard to Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. According to a statement issued by the IKV, Eris held talks with EU Commissioner for Enlargement Gunther Verheugen, Turkey Desk head Michael Leigh and several European Parliament members and put across certain important points, saying:

Despite the economic crisis and other adverse conditions, the work being done in accordance with the National Program is progressing with resolve and EU accession work has accelerated.

Following the terrorist attacks on the United States, it became obvious that the concept of terrorism needed to be redefined and terrorism fought through international cooperation. As a country that has suffered terrible losses in the fight against terrorism, Turkey has clearly shown through the attitude it has adopted vis-a-vis developments in the world its position in the international community.

In today's world, in which there is talk of a clash of civilizations, Turkey is the only country that has shown that Islam is compatible with democracy and economic development. The whole world should now perceive Muslim, secular and democratic Turkey as a model. It is high time the EU issued concrete and unequivocal messages regarding Turkey's full membership of the EU. From the point of view of proving that the West is not anti-Islam and that a country with Muslim values can be within the EU, this is an ideal opportunity for accelerating Turkey's membership.

Eris also said that the effort shown in getting the National Program pledges put into effect and in complying with the political criteria in order to get accession talks started proved that Turkey was serious about getting into the EU.

Eris also stated that Turkey had made considerable advances towards economic integration with the EU despite receiving no help whatsoever from the EU. Eris further called on the EU to make good its pledges of financial and technical support so that Turkey could have its candidacy process needs met. Eris also said they were expecting the Commission to act faster over the integration process and called for Turkey to be treated on an equal basis with other candidate countries in the shaping of the Europe of the future. Eris criticized the EU for only criticizing Turkey's bad points and not picking up on the brave steps taken towards EU integration and called on the EU to change its attitude of constant criticism in order not to dash the hopes of 80 percent of the Turkish people, who still had faith in the EU. "The EU should change is prejudicial attitude and adopt a more constructive approach as well as send positive signals regarding the future," said Eris.

4. - Reuters - "European Force Will Not Be Ready by 2003-Study":

LONDON

Europe's chances of forming a 60,000-strong Rapid Reaction Force by the year 2003 are virtually nil, a leading think-tank said on Thursday.

``There is a prospect of failure ahead,'' argued the International Institute for Strategic Studies. It said the proposed force lacked the finance, troops and weaponry needed to tackle the world's hot spots.

In its annual ``Military Balance'' report, the Institute's most scathing attack was reserved for the European Union (news - web sites)'s ambitious plan to set up a force capable of deployment within 60 days for a period of up to a year.

The Institute said: ``There is little if any ground for optimism,'' and it suggested that the European Union should aim at 2012 as a more realistic start-up date for the force.

``Large-scale increases in European defense spending are not taking place and are politically inconceivable in the near-term. Thus the achievement of full operating capability by 2003 seems unlikely,'' it concluded.

Defense spending keeps sliding in the three main European economies. This year it is set to fall 8.6 percent in France, 11.8 percent in Germany and 6.1 percent in Britain.

Turkey sought to block plans for the new force, which member countries insist will not replace or undermine NATO (news - web sites) but allow Europe to police its own back yard better.

The European Union was irritated by demands from Turkey to have a bigger say in the new decision-making of the force even though Ankara is outside the EU.

But the problems do not stop there. The hardware of war is in woefully short supply, as are the soldiers.

Only Britain, with two, and France, with one, operate any aircraft carriers in Europe.
The Institute said: ``A European expeditionary force could be guaranteed permanent airborne early warning coverage -- but only with one aircraft.''

The United States has 50 large ships dedicated to sealift. The European Union has two small ships.

``The deployment to Kosovo of 40,000 troops took some five months: certainly not rapid and almost disqualifying itself as a reaction,'' the Institute scathingly commented.

And armed forces are severely overstretched across the continent already. Britain has about 40 percent of its army deployed or preparing for operations. ``It is hard to see how any significant extra commitment can be taken on,'' it concluded.

5. - Reuters - "Middle East Is World's Top Arms Buying Area-Report":

LONDON / by Paul Majendie

The Middle East, the globe's biggest cauldron of unrest, spends more on arms than any other region of the world and looks set to be the top buyer for years to come, a leading think-tank said on Thursday.

The United States is the world's biggest exporter of arms, now accounting for almost half of global deliveries. Next in line is Britain. Russian deliveries are rising sharply.

In its annual review of the world's military balance, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said new orders rose in 2000 for the third year running but deliveries fell.

``The Middle East will probably remain the main destination for global arms exports for the foreseeable future,'' it said.

The turbulent region accounts for 40 per cent of the world market. The largest customer is Saudi Arabia which took deliveries worth $7.3 billion.

``However, with no significant new transfer agreements signed in 2001 and the Saudis' declared intention to concentrate resources on personnel and training, this figure is unlikely to increase in coming years,'' the Institute said.

The United Arab Emirates are set to be another giant Middle East purchaser with a $6.4 billion agreement to buy 80 F-16 fighters from the United States.

But there were big buyers among developing nations -- China took arms deliveries worth $1.6 billion, Egypt $1.3 billion and Taiwan $1.2 billion.

Worldwide, arms deliveries fell to $29.3 billion from $37.2 billion in 1999. But new orders rose for the third year running -- arms transfer agreements totaled $36.8 billion.
The world's last surviving superpower is the market leader by a long way when it comes to supplies.

Major U.S. exports in 2000 included 53 F-16s to Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan and Singapore, over 350 armored combat vehicles to 11 countries, a frigate to Turkey and two amphibious ships to Spain.

Among global exporters, Britain came second with 17.4 percent, including 76 Challenger tanks to Jordan and five Hawk aircraft to Indonesia after a European Union (news - web sites) arms embargo was lifted at the end of the East Timor (news - web sites) conflict.

And Russia proved to be a market force to be reckoned with in the post-Cold war era.

It reported arms sales of $3.5-4 billion in 2000, with India and China its main customers and Iran shaping up as one of the biggest in the future.

6. - AFP - "Turkish police detain 37 Kurdish activists":

ANKARA

Turkish police have detained 37 people, most of them young activists from the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party (HADEP), after raiding a party function in the western province of Izmir, the party said on Thursday.

The raid took place on Wednesday in Cigli town on the eighth day of a seminar aimed at giving leading members of HADEP's youth branches a political education, the statement said. Police give no reason for the clampdown, it added. Among the detainees were 30 leaders of HADEP youth branches as well as other activists and guests attending the seminar.

"We strongly condemn this raid ... and call for the immediate release of our friends," the statement said. HADEP members are often persecuted by Turkish authorities, accused of being linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged a 15-year war for self-rule in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey. The party, which campaigns for Kurdish cultural freedoms, denies the charges. However, it risks being banned in a pending case in which it is accused of alleged association with the PKK.