1. "Stop the state terrorism", PKK Council of Leaders member Osman Ocalan stated that they denounced all forms of terrorism and called on Turkey to stop the state terrorism.

2. "EU should end "double standards" on terrorism", Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli [leader of the Nationalist Action Party, the MHP], has said that the EU should abandon its double standards in its attitude to terrorist organizations and should support Turkey.

3. "Turks Protest Against Saudi Arabia", about 300 Turks burned pictures of the Saudi king Saturday to protest the destruction of an Ottoman-era castle in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

4. "Who is responsible for Northern Cyprus's problems?", a commentary on current devolopments in the Cyprus question

5. "Nobody minds the repression", in spite of all obstruction the campaign for education in one's mother tongue has rapidly spread, and the other day there were crowded activities in Van, Ankara, Izmir and Denizli.

6. "Erdogan: A.K. Party still wants early elections", Justice and Development Party (AK) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that his party still wanted early elections.

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1. - Kurdish Observer - "Stop the state terrorism":

PKK Council of Leaders member Osman Ocalan stated that they denounced all forms of terrorism and called on Turkey to stop the state terrorism. Ocalan said "Turkey responds to the demands of the Kurdish people for peace, democracy and freedom by violence."

MHA / FRANKFURT PKK

Council of Leaders member Osman Ocalan drew attention to the claims that PKK should also be included to the list of terrorist organisations prepared by European Union (EU), calling on the Turkish state to give up the efforts to accuse the democratic freedom movement of Kurds of being a terrorist organisation.

The Kurdish leader said the following: "We as a party and the Kurdish people condemn all sorts of terrorism. We condemn the state terrorism and terrorism by organisations and individuals. We condemn all kinds of violence which target civilian people, increase chaos, cause instability and do not produce any solution whatever their justifications are. Our stance is clear-cut. And we want everybody understand it."

Stressing that problems could only be solved through peace and political dialogue in the framework of democratic union, Ocalan had to say the following: "We call on Turkey to change its stance, and on international forces to use their influence to force Turkey to stop the repression on the Kurdish people."

Ocalan reminded that Turkey accused European Union of not accusing the Kurdish movement of being a terrorist organisation, saying "But what Turkey should do is to give up the policies it has been carrying out since its establishment and make a self-criticism."

Since the beginning of its establishment The Kurdish leader, emphasizing that the Turkish state had denied the Kurdish people since its establishment and had implemented all sorts of oppression, continued as follows: "It is an undeniable fact that hundreds of thousands of Kurdish people have been massacred. And there have been also arrests, torture and forced migrations. What they did during the last uprising, that is the struggle led by PKK are evident. They burnt more than 4 thousand villages and fields, the inhabitants were forced to migrate under the most difficult conditions. Their number amounts to millions. Likewise hundreds of thousands people were tortured and arrested. Summary executions turned into almost a massacre, and thousands of our intellectuals, writers, villagers, workers were killed. The number of killings perpetrated by unknown murderers are also high. There also also hundreds of disappeareds, their fate are not known."

Detentions in Van Osman Ocalan also touched on the subject of detention of students in Van, saying the following: "Hundreds of students were detained only because they submitted petitions demanding education in Kurdish. Petitions are not considered a crime in democratic regimes. But the state detained the students violating its own laws. Turkey responds to the demands of the Kurdish people for peace, democracy and freedom by violence."

Call to EU Ocalan considered the resistance of the European Union against the impositions of the Turkish state a positive development, and continued with words to the effect: "We thank them. But EU should go further on. We say them that they should warn Turkey. It should say clearly that in case of the repression on the Kurdish people continue, Turkey will be included to the list of terrorist states. And it should not be influenced by the Kurdish state. We know that PKK members and sympathizers are subjected to legal investigations in European countries, they are arrested, they are prosecuted. We think that they are done under the negative influence of Turkey. Turkey's impositions forces even European democratic laws. Europe should understand it clearly and put an end to the arrests, prosecutions of and repression on the PKK members and Kurdish people."

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2. - BBC - "EU should end "double standards" on terrorism":

Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli [leader of the Nationalist Action Party, the MHP], has said that the EU should abandon its double standards in its attitude to terrorist organizations and should support Turkey.

He stressed that one should not insist on an approach to the Cyprus issue that does not take into consideration Turkey's security assessments, adding: The Turkish nation and its strong voice, the MHP, will always stand by the just Cypriot cause. Addressing the MHP Central Administrative Council meeting, Bahceli said that so long as terror is used as a means in relations between states and nations, it will be inevitable for innocent people to pay the bitter price for it. [Bahceli]

The terrorist organizations which have plagued our country for years and which constitute a potential threat to the stability of western Europe should, as soon as possible, be included within the framework of the struggle being waged against terrorism. One should bear in mind that such an effort will be a serious indication of an open, sincere and honest approach towards Turkey. Another factor that is important in our relations with the EU is the Cyprus issue.

The process whereby the EU administrations base their information on and formulate policies in line with Greek-Greek Cypriot theses is not contributing to a solution but rather exacerbating the problem when what is necessary is to develop an approach that takes into consideration the national existence of the Turkish Cypriots and their sovereignty rights in order to achieve a lasting and just solution in Cyprus...

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3. - AP - "Turks Protest Against Saudi Arabia":

ANKARA / by Suzan Fraser, Associated Press Writer

About 300 Turks burned pictures of the Saudi king Saturday to protest the destruction of an Ottoman-era castle in the Muslim holy city of Mecca. The demonstration outside the Saudi embassy signaled a rise in tensions between the two Muslim countries, both U.S. allies in the Middle East.

The 200-year-old al-Ajyad Castle was destroyed a few weeks ago to allow for construction of a trade center and hotel to accommodate pilgrims to the Mecca. Saudi officials have defended the destruction as a question of national sovereignty.

But Turkey, which emerged from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, has compared it to the Taliban's destruction last year of Buddha statues in Afghanistan and said it would lodge a protest with UNESCO - the U.N. agency responsible for the preservation of cultural heritage. ``We will make them pay the price for al-Ajyad,'' the protesters chanted. They set fire to three pictures of King Fahd, one labeling him as an ``infidel'' and another depicting the monarch as a demon.

The protesters also carried banners that read: ``Osama bin Laden equals King Fahd,'' and ``Down with Saudi Dictatorship.'' Turkey's travel agents said Saturday they would protest Saudi Arabia's ``cultural massacre'' at international fairs. ``Countries should react against Saudi Arabia and its king in the same way as they did toward the Taliban,'' said Basaran Ulusoy, head of Turkey's Travel Agents' Union. Turkey's relations with Saudi Arabia have been uneasy.

Predominantly Muslim Turkey has strict secular laws that separates religion from the state, and Turkish leaders have criticized Saudi Arabia's strict Islamic laws. In Saudi Arabia, a government-controlled newspaper on Saturday criticized what it called Turkey's ambivalent attitude toward Muslims and its ties to Israel. ``By protesting against the kingdom's decision to demolish a dilapidated structure to further expand the facilities in the holy city, Turkey has once again proved its ambivalent approach to anything that has got to do with Islam and Muslims,'' the English-language Riyadh Daily said.

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4. - Turkiye - "Who is responsible for Northern Cyprus's problems?":

ANKARA / by Ismet Giritli

In some articles it has been claimed that Cyprus was being used by the followers of Its leader Rauf Denktas Denktas and because of mistaken policies pursued, the TRNC was turned into a desert whereas the Greek Cypriot administration became an oasis. To address these claims, the TRNC Constitution and political realities must be understood.

The Constitution of the TRNC based on the Turkish-Cypriot's right to self-determination and stressing political equality was accepted on 15 November 1983 by a referendum held in northern Cyprus and after being published in the Official Gazette. According to this Constitution, the TRNC president is elected for a five-year period and he has to receive the absolute majority of the valid votes. If none of the candidates is able to attract an absolute majority, the election is repeated between the two candidates who have received the highest number of votes.

Legislation in the TRNC is carried out by a Republican Parliament comprised of 50 deputies belonging to various parties. The executive wing consists of the president and the council of ministers. President Rauf Denktas has been elected every five years since 1983 by the Turkish Cypriots. The parliament and the council of ministers is not made up by Denktas' followers but by members of various political parties.

If today the national per capita income in Southern Cyprus is over $13,000 but is $4,000 in the TRNC, it would be unjust to lay all the blame on the TRNC administration. Since its foundation in 1983, boycotts in numerous fields beginning with tourism have been implemented against the TRNC. Since 1994 this has turned into an economic embargo, and as if this were not enough, upon the request of Greek Cypriot administration the Court of Justice of the European Communities banned exports from the TRNC to the EU countries, which had made up fully 60% of its trade, while the aid extended to the Greek Cypriot administration until recently reached 9 million EUROs.

sThat this figure is due to reach 57 million EUROs before Greek Cypriot Cyprus becomes a member of the EU, and in compliance with the Constitution of the Cyprus state, Greek Cyprus is getting the share allotted for the Turkish side as well. The adverse effects of all these developments on the TRNC cannot be denied."

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5. - Kurdish Observer - "Nobody minds the repression":

In spite of all obstruction the campaign for education in one's mother tongue has rapidly spread, and the other day there were crowded activities in Van, Ankara, Izmir and Denizli.

MHA - VAN/ANKARA/IZMIR

At Van 100. Yil University activities continued. Ender Culha, Chairman of Human Rights Association (IHD) Ankara Branch brought the matter of detention of students to the Turkish Grand National Assembly Human Rights Investigation Committee while Hacettepe University students made a press statement, asking for their friends to be released.

There were activities in Izmir and Denizli as well. In Van a number of parents submitted their petitions to school administrations demanding Kurdish education. Gathering in front of Fevzi Geyik, Mustafa Cengiz, Dumlupinar, Lutfiye Binnaz Sacli and Suphan elementary schools, the parents attempted to submit their petitions but were turned down.

But some parents were reported to submit their petitions to the Fevzi Geyik. Kurdish was banned On the other hand, the students of Ataturk and Cumhuriyet Lycees marched for a while crying the slogan "We Want Education in Mother Tongue". It has been reported that after the action speaking Kurdish was banned by the school administration.

And in Altintepe, Yali and Yuniplik quarters, various groups lighted fires and danced halay, all the while crying slogans. A circular sent to all schools by Van Education Directory ordered not to accept civilian-clothed people, to identify people speaking Kurdish and to watch the gates continuously. Democracy Platform Van Democracy Platform organised press conferences on detentions. The press conferences denounced the repression on students and parents.

The conferences was attended by a number of students. Giving a talk, IHD Van Branch Chairman Abdulvahap Ertan said the following: "We consider such a stance unacceptable. The students who have expressed only the right to speak their own mother tongue should be released immediately." The matter at Parliament While in Ankara, IHD Branch Chairman Ender Buyukculha applied to the Parliamentarial Human Rights Investigation Committee, stating that police forces did not mention any legal grounds for detaining the students.

Buyukculha asked for the students to be released as soon as possible or brought before the court. The Chairman stated that submitting petitions was a constitutional right, adding that "There should be no sanction for a petition rather than accepting or rejection it." And in Ankara Hacettepe University, making a press statement, almost 100 students asked for their fellow students to be released, shouting slogans all the while and making a protest with applause. Detainees Students under detention were not permitted to meet with their lawyers and families.

The families went to Ankara Security Directorate in order to get information and were said "Your kids make PKK's propaganda at universities." In Izmir 23 parents were not permitted to enter into the Konak Education Directorate to submit petitions. Kurds, Turks, Arabians In Denizli Pamukkale University students made a press statement in HADEP Provincial premises and stated that they participated in the campaign under the slogan "The Limits of Our Language Are the Limits of Our World". The press conference was attended by nearly 700 people.

The students emphasized that they would continue their activities. Support from the democratic organisations Non-governmental organisations reacted to the repression on the campaign. The Turkish Human Rights Foundation (THIV), Education Union and Istanbul Kurdish Institute drew attention that demand for education in one's mother tongue is a human right and cannot be repressed. THIV Chairman Yavuz Onen stated that they considered the demand a basic right, emphasizing that repression could not hindered the demand.

Onen continued to say the following: "It is a vain effort, on the contrary it gives damage. Besides it is in violation to global human rights. Kurds and Kurdish are like mountains of the Turkey's geography. Can you pretend that mountains do not exist? Forests will not disappear. It is a blind alley.

sIt is extremely primitive." Alaattin Dincer, Chairman of Education Union, stressed the repression on students showed that Turkey needed more steps towards democratisation, adding that the demand is an universal human right. And Hasan Kaya, Chairman of the Kurdish Institute, said "The demand is as clear as water, as brilliant as day", and continued with words to the effect: "The rulers of this country should discuss the demand if they really consider the interests of the country and academicians should debate on it. If it has a detriment, then it will be shown scientifically. It is not possible to solve the problem only by subjective opinions."

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6. - Anadolu Agency - "Erdogan: A.K. Party still wants early elections":

ANKARA

Justice and Development Party (AK) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that his party still wanted early elections. He also said that there would be no discussions of a party leader in the AK following the warning of the Constitutional Court. ''We still want early elections because the country is now in an economic crisis and the only way out is to get rid off this government,'' he said. Erdogan also told reporters on Thursday that the court's decision didn't make people uneasy.

Felicity Party (SP) leader Recai Kutan who also responded to similar questions, said that his party was not fully satisfied by the court decision regarding the AK Party but still they regarded as a step forward. Kutan said that Article 312 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) should not exist and he defined it as a ''shame of democracy.''

He said Erdogan was punished because of the existence of this law. ''Supreme Court refused the demand of Republic Head Prosecutor who asked for the dismissal of female founding members of the party who wear headscarves. We see this as an important step for democracy,'' he commented.

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CHAIRMAN SAYS ERDOGAN'S LEADERSHIP WILL CONTINUE UNTIL END OF FIFTH MONTH STARTING FROM NOTIFICATION OF REASONED VERDICT

Constitutional Court Chairman Mustafa Bumin said on Thursday that Recep Tayyip Erdogan would continue to be the leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) until the end of the fifth month starting from the notification of the reasoned verdict of issuing a warning to the party.

When a reporter said that the decision to issue a warning to the party to exclude Erdogan from founder membership led to serious discussions and asked if he could detail the decision, Bumin said, ''do not hurry. Wait for the reasoned verdict. It is not possible for me to say anything definite about when the reasoned verdict will be finalized. One of the members will write it and then, a delegation will discuss and edit it.

We will try to write it as soon as possible. But, I think it cannot be ready before a month.'' Responding to a question, Bumin said that the brief decision could be issued in a few days. Asked if Erdogan could be a member in his party, Bumin said, 'I will not tell anything about what you want to learn from me.''

Upon a question, Bumin said that the Constitutional Court had not taken such a decision in its history before and noted that if such a decision had been taken, it was not effective in taking this decision. Asked if the Higher Election Board (YSK) had to take into consideration the decisions of the Constitutional Court, Bumin said that YSK would take into consideration the decisions of the Constitutional Court.

However, Bumin said and noted that they would make an evaluation about whether or not Erdogand had the competence to be a deputy when the time came. Asked if Erdogan's leadership would end after the notification of the reasoned verdict, Bumin said, ''reasoned verdict will be written and be notified to the party. The party is obliged to fulfil the requirements of the decisions within six months. Erdogan's leadership will continue at least till the end of the fifth month following the notification.''