April 9 2002

1. "Turkish president approves EU reforms", President Ahmet Necdet Sezer approved Monday a set of laws expanding civil liberties that aim to strengthen Turkey's struggling bid for European Union membership.

2. "National Security Council (MGK) of Turkey allows Kurdish broadcasting but says no to education in Kurdish", the stance of the Turkish National Security council on Kurdish broadcasting has become clearer with its latest statement. It has declared that it is not against broadcasting in Kurdish but that education in Kurdish should not be allowed.

3. "That song was not sung for nothing", the 'singing' incident at the Bitlis garrison intensified the confusion the civilian segment of society has been suffering from. It seemed difficult to decide whether the Kurdish speakers were the enemy or friends. In the end, the military too stopped resisting. Turkey has overcome yet another psychological obstacle.

4. "Iranian ambassador says "certain elements" trying to harm ties with Turkey", Iran's Ambassador to Turkey Mohammad Hoseyn Lavasani here Monday [8 April] said certain elements are trying to harm Tehran-Ankara relations by bringing up media reports on the arrest of a Turkish opposition member in the Islamic republic.

5. "Ethnic Roots May Be at the Bottom of Hoteliers' Woes", Turkey: Sudden opposition surprises Armenian American and his wife.

6. "DGM acquits pundits", fourteen members of the Pundit and Artist Initiative have been acquitted by the Ankara State Security Court (DGM), the Anatolia news agency reported on Monday. Members of the initiative have issued press releases, and have organized meetings and demonstrations to protest the opening of the maximum security F-type prisons, causing them to be tried at the DGM on charges of aiding and providing shelter to terrorist organizations.

1. - AFP - "Turkish president approves EU reforms":

ANKARA, 08 April 2002

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer approved Monday a set of laws expanding civil liberties that aim to strengthen Turkey's struggling bid for European Union membership.

The nine-article package, passed by parliament last month, incorporates into law some of the constitutional amendments adopted in October to improve the country's much-criticized human rights record.

The amendments open the way for the Kurdish minority to publish material in their mother tongue, set tougher criteria for banning political parties, relax conditions for establishing civic associations and facilitate the organization of public demonstrations.

Another notable change, which aims to combat torture, stipulates that any compensation Turkey is ordered to pay by the European Court of Human Rights for "torture, inhumane and cruel treatment" is to be paid by the person responsible.

An EU membership candidate since 1999, Turkey is the only country among the 13 hopefuls that has not yet fulfilled the union's political criteria in order to be able to open accession talks.

The Ankara government has failed to reach an agreement on a key EU norm -- the abolition of the death penalty for all crimes -- and has so far been reluctant to take steps to legalize broadcasts and education in Kurdish.

Turkey wants to have the date for the start of its accession talks set by the end of the year, but EU officials have refrained from making clear pledges on the demand.

2. - KurdishMedia.com - "National Security Council (MGK) of Turkey allows Kurdish broadcasting but says no to education in Kurdish":

London, 09 April 2002 / by Robin Kurd

The stance of the Turkish National Security council on Kurdish broadcasting has become clearer with its latest statement.

It has declared that it is not against broadcasting in Kurdish but that education in Kurdish should not be allowed.

In a statement it was said that, [broadcasting in Kurdish] is not necessary but we are not against it". It is now assumed that the government will come make a decision in the coming weeks. The coalition government, with the different parties not being able to agree on the issue, especially with the stiff resistance put up by the Nationalist Action Party (MHP), some sort of agreement should be expected now that the army has made it clear that it does not oppose broadcasting in Kurdish.

It is important to note that the Army has put heavy emphasis on the words such as "limited" and "under controll". On the isue of education in Kurdish, the Army’s answer is clear, that it will not allow it.

Kurds in Turkey and elsewhere can expect the Kurdish broadcasting issue to be watered down. What the Turkish State has in mind is to have limited broadcasting in Kurdish on the State channel TRT, or GAP TV, which is the State owned channel for the ’east’. If or when Kurdish broadcasting in Kurdish becomes reality, the Kurds then should expect Turkish propaganda, in Kurdish.

This, however, should not be dismissed. It is a big step for Kurds to get an official recognition of their language and existence. This is a positive step for a republic built on the notion of total homogenity on all aspects.

Like a heroin addict, the erosion of the Turkish States’ dogmatic ideology, Kemalism, is bound to be painful. However limited, seen from the Turkish point of view it is a big step. It is now upon Kurds in Turkey to push and agitate peacefully with strategic activities such as the petition for education in Kurdish which will trap the Turkish State in a corner as it will not be able to crack down on such peaceful and legitimate demands.

3. - Turkish Daily News - "That song was not sung for nothing":

9 April 2002 / by Mehmet Ali Birand

* The 'singing' incident at the Bitlis garrison intensified the confusion the civilian segment of society has been suffering from. It seemed difficult to decide whether the Kurdish speakers were the enemy or friends. In the end, the military too stopped resisting. Turkey has overcome yet another psychological obstacle.

Turkey has cleared yet another extremely important psychological obstacle. According to a CNN TURK report, the General Staff's adopting a more flexible stance regarding Kurdish broadcasting, means that this country has taken yet another realistic step in the right direction on the Kurdish issue.

This may not change much in practice. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) MED TV and Barzani's Northern Iraq-based TV channel have already been broadcasting in Kurdish. Playing Kurdish songs has been free anyway. Seen from this angle, the steps that have been taken may not be seen as something very significant. However, these steps have a major symbolic value.

With these steps, the Turkish Republic indicates that it has rid itself of its "complexes" regarding the Kurdish language, that it now has more self-confidence than in the past.

Until now, we have not been able to come to terms with the Kurdish language. We just could not decide whether Kurdish speakers would be friendly or hostile if they got the right to broadcast TV programs in Kurdish.

We were divided on this issue. Some of us shuddered whenever we heard the word "Kurd" because they saw this as a threat directed against the country's unity and integrity.

Some other members of our society, meanwhile, saw that "being of Kurdish origin" and "speaking Kurdish" was a person's natural right. They believed that more restrictions would be imposed on this issue, the greater the reaction might be in the long run.

Society was confused on this issue as well as its individual members.

The echoes of the Kurdish song sung at the Bitlis gendarmerie garrison last week, made that confusion all too clear.

Some in the media displayed their astonishment, carrying the kind of headlines that boiled down to the following: "Oh my God, a song was sung in Kurdish even on the garrison premises!" It was as if they were saying, "Despite the fact that it is so dangerous, the Kurdish language has managed to penetrate even the garrison!" There were even those who predicted that the garrison commander was not likely be promoted to a higher rank in the future.

The astonishment was so great that the Bitlis governor created the impression that we are faced with some major event, something very shameful. He insisted that no song was sung in Kurdish, and that the song had been in the Azeri dialect. Anxious officials made such hasty statements as if they were trying to cover up an "error" they have made.

This strange attitude stemmed from the gap between the official policy and what the society considers to be normal. It would be easier if we did not make this such a big issue. For society, there is no "Kurdish language" problem anymore.

The problem is in Ankara's mind.

However, opinions cannot be freely put forth, because of the fear that these will go against the official policy.

Here, I want to refer to the media attitude as well.

The big media has adopted the kind of attitude that renders the resolution of the problems more difficult rather than facilitating it. When you declare, in big bold headlines that the "The People's Democracy Party (HADEP) mayor sings in Kurdish, and deputies applaud him," that gives people the impression that there is something unnatural about this incident; and, when you add, at the end of that news report, the sentence, "The district governor did not react to it," you undertake the role of a judge.

Thus an incident which should be seen as something natural, gains new dimensions. People become confused.

If the society and the authorities relaxed, the Kurdish problem would be eased. It would be easier to find solutions.

During the Sept. 12 period, being Kurdish was almost considered a crime. Children could not be given Kurdish names. Village names were changed. Kurdish songs could not be heard.

What happened?

The Kurdish problem is not over. In fact it continues to grow. During the Ozal period, Kurdish speaking and listening to Kurdish became free.

What happened? The Kurdish problem did not grow.

Now, Kurdish broadcasting will become free and you will see that Turkey will not be split up. On the contrary, the relations will ease further.

In this respect, the Turkish Armed Forces' abandoning their rigid old stance in favor of a more flexible approach, constitutes an extremely realistic step in the right direction.

4. - BBC Monitoring Service - "Iranian ambassador says "certain elements" trying to harm ties with Turkey":

Ankara, 8 April 2002

Iran's Ambassador to Turkey Mohammad Hoseyn Lavasani here Monday [8 April] said certain elements are trying to harm Tehran-Ankara relations by bringing up media reports on the arrest of a Turkish opposition member in the Islamic republic.

In a meeting with the leader of Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Iranian envoy stressed that Iran and Turkey currently have good relations, and reiterated that Iranian officials have rejected the reports.

Lavasani said Iran and Turkey have been cooperating in different fields which include the project to transfer Iranian gas to Turkey, and branding the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) and Kurdistan's Workers Party (PKK) as terrorist organizations.

Erdogan, for his part, voiced pleasure at the good level of relations between Iran and Turkey and called for measures to diversify bilateral relations in all enterprises.

He said Iran and Turkey's mutual campaign against their opposition groups has reinforced solidarity among the two countries, which will consolidate regional peace and stability.

Iran had earlier on Sunday rejected as "baseless" reports in the Turkish media that Iran has arrested a leading PKK member, stressing the reports were meant for propaganda purposes.

Source: IRNA news agency, Tehran, in English 1420 gmt 8 Apr 02

5. - Los Angeles Times - "Ethnic Roots May Be at the Bottom of Hoteliers' Woes":

Turkey: Sudden opposition surprises Armenian American and his wife.

VAN, 08 April 2002 / by Amberin Zaman

Nestled beneath snowcapped mountains along the border with Iran, this area wrapped around a vast lake and brimming with archeological treasures is among Turkey's best-kept secrets. So why not open a hotel here for adventurous travelers, tour operator Victor Bedoian from Arizona wondered during a visit in 1998.

After several years of meticulous planning and plenty of encouragement from the Turkish government, Bedoian did just that in March 2001. Two months later, police in Van told Bedoian and his wife, Kristy, that the couple could not operate the hotel.

"There's only one reason," said Bedoian during a recent interview here. "It's because I'm an ethnic Armenian." He's probably right. Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians remain bitterly divided, much of the anger traced back to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Armenians in eastern Turkey around the time of World War I. Turkey denies charges of genocide and says many of the dead fell victim to starvation and exposure while fleeing wartime fighting.

The neighboring nation of Armenia's refusal to recognize its existing borders with Turkey also feeds the anger, as does Armenia's occupation of territory claimed by this nation's closest regional ally, Azerbaijan.

Here in Van, where some of history's bloodier clashes between Turks and ethnic Armenians took place, some residents still fear that Armenians who fled will one day return to reclaim their lost property.

The local branch of the Nationalist Action Party is at the forefront of a campaign to portray Bedoian as an Armenian agent whose "sinister agenda," according to local party boss Coskun Tatar, is to sow the seeds of "a greater Armenia" in Van by buying property in Van province.

Media reports have accused Kristy Bedoian of links with ethnic Kurdish rebels who long fought Turkish troops in the region.

"We are not against foreign investment; that would be really stupid," said Feyat Erdemir, a spokesman for the ultranationalist party. "But this man has different intentions, he is a mischief-maker."

Yet, when Victor Bedoian first approached Turkish officials in 1999 about the possibility of investing here--together with 10 American partners, none of them ethnic Armenians--"they promised us the moon," he said. Operating licenses, work permits, all were swiftly issued amid smiles and piping hot glasses of tea.

"Having an Armenian freely operating here would have been a great propaganda tool for Turkey," noted Kaan Soyak, co-chairman of the Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council, which is seeking to promote trade and cultural exchanges between the two ethnic groups. "They blew it."

In May 2000, the couple opened a carpet showroom in Van to "test the waters" and made national television headlines as the first foreigners to invest in the largely Kurdish-populated region. "People were really thrilled to have Americans here, they knew we would help the local economy," said Kristy Bedoian, 49.

Her husband said it was only after he bought the hotel, paying $700,000, that his troubles began.

Police began to visit the premises repeatedly, demanding to see the couple's papers and grilling Victor Bedoian about his ancestry. Employees were threatened and asked why they were "working for those Armenians." Pressures escalated last May when Bedoian was informed that his residency application had been rejected and he was no longer authorized to do business in Turkey. As a result, all of his other permits were rendered invalid.

The couple could get no further explanation from officials. Rumors were rife in Van that the provincial governor was opposed to their presence because of Bedoian's Armenian roots. Fearing official reprisal, friends began to stay away from the hotel.

Last July, police entered the hotel and kicked out a group of foreign tourists who were trying to check in. In November, while the Bedoians were in the United States, police evicted employees and sealed the hotel's doors.

When pressed for an explanation, Gov. Durmus Koc declined to comment. A senior Turkish official who requested anonymity said the Bedoians' case did not "reflect Turkey's national policy" and was a "local problem."

During an official visit to Turkey in December, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell pressed national leaders to resolve the issue. A senior U.S. official familiar with the case terms the treatment of the Bedoians "outrageous."

"All it does is scare away foreign investors and tarnish Turkey's reputation, which admittedly isn't that great anyway," said the official, who asked not to be identified.

However, further prodding from the Bush administration has yielded no results, and U.S. officials say there is little else they can do.

Bedoian disagrees.

"If America wanted to fix this problem, it could do so right now," said Bedoian, 48. "We are facing systematic persecution by the Turkish state, and the American government, our local senators and representatives have all abandoned us."

Privately, many Turkish and U.S. officials argue that the hotel's name--Vartan, the Armenian word for victory--lies at the root of Bedoian's woes.

"It's like waving a red rag at a bull," said Haydar Celik, the hotel's 26-year-old Turkish manager. "Local sensitivities have been inflamed."

Bedoian said he named the hotel after his only son and had no political agenda. "That stuff happened nearly a hundred years ago," he said of the widespread Armenian deaths. "It's time to move on, the accusations are insane."

Born in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York, Bedoian is a second-generation American. His grandmother was spirited out of central Turkey during the wartime violence by Turkish neighbors after her family "disappeared," as he puts it.

Bedoian hardly fits the stereotype of the revenge-seeking nationalist. Describing himself as "an ex-bum until I discovered Christianity," he defied family pressure to marry "a nice Armenian girl" and instead chose Kristy, a Scottish American from Alaska. They opened a travel agency in Wickenburg, Ariz.

When the couple first decided to set up a business here they had no inkling of the troubles that lay ahead.

"It made perfect sense at the time," Victor Bedoian recalled. "It was a ground-level opportunity to bring in American tourists for cultural tours."

Bedoian has launched four lawsuits against the governor and government agencies over what the couple says is the illegal revocation of the hotel's licenses and denial of his residency. Hearing dates have not been set for the cases. The couple has vowed to keep returning on tourist visas until justice is done.

"The irony is that Armenians back home kept calling us traitors, warning us that it would all go horribly wrong," said Kristy Bedoian. "Sadly, they proved to be right in the end."

6. - Turkish Daily News - "DGM acquits pundits":

ANKARA / 9 April

Fourteen members of the Pundit and Artist Initiative have been acquitted by the Ankara State Security Court (DGM), the Anatolia news agency reported on Monday.

Members of the initiative have issued press releases, and have organized meetings and demonstrations to protest the opening of the maximum security F-type prisons, causing them to be tried at the DGM on charges of aiding and providing shelter to terrorist organizations.

Public prosecutor Talat Salk said that there was no evidence revealing that the suspects had ties with terror organizations.

"There are no criminal elements in their press releases. The protests of the suspects were democratic reactions. It is possible to see examples of it in every democratic country," Salk said.

Meanwhile, poet Sukru Erbas, one of the suspects, said that they had gathered with humanitarian concerns and had protested the opening of F-type prisons with a series of activities.

The F-type prisons have been a controversial issue since their opening. These maximum security prisons are specially built for inmates convicted of terrorist and gang crimes and they have one or three inmate cells.

The State says that overcrowded dormitories were used as doctrine centers and that they had lost control over the older prisons.

Meanwhile, human rights advocates and inmates claim that they are now vulnerable to human rights abuses and that the system aims at isolating the inmates.

Turkey's prisons are often accused of being places where systematic torture is applied.