16 May 2002

1. "Turkey OKs Media Bill Criticized as Restrictive", legislation: Opponents say it will bolster monopolies and hurt the nation's EU bid. An official calls it 'a dark stain' on democracy.

2. "Turkey's Kurds Find Little Respite From Terror", the war on terrorism isn't aiding efforts to free Leyla Zana, who was imprisoned for wearing Kurdish garments at a political rally and saying, "I am taking this oath for the brotherhood of the Turkish and Kurdish peoples," after being inducted as a member of the Turkish parliament.

3. "Justice Minister Turk: 'OHAL is the easiest'", top justice officials: 'It is a union [EU] that will demand more, as we continue to give... Is it clear where they will stop?'. TDN feels the pulse of justice officials on the Copenhagen criteria.

4. "Iraqi Kurds treat Bush plans with suspicion", under the shadow of Saddam Hussein's artillery and tanks, rival Kurdish leaders ruling northern Iraq are coming under increasing pressure from the US to end their often violent feuding and unite in preparation for an eventual US-led assault against the Baghdad regime.

5. "Denktas: June solution for Cyprus unlikely", while the talks were open and sincere, there was little chance of a breakthrough in negotiations to healing the rift between turkish occupied part of Cyprus and the U.N. regognised Republic of Cyprus by June, the Turkish Cypriot leader said.

6. "Turkish leftists in court over EU e-mail scandal", a Turkish court began Wednesday hearing a case against the leader of a small Maoist party and his aide accused of leaking confidential e-mails from the EU commission's Turkey representation, the Anatolia news agency reported.

1. - Los Angeles Times - "Turkey OKs Media Bill Criticized as Restrictive":

Legislation: Opponents say it will bolster monopolies and hurt the nation's EU bid. An official calls it 'a dark stain' on democracy.

ANKARA/ by Amberin Zaman / 16 May 2002

The Turkish parliament approved a controversial bill Wednesday that critics charge will further curtail press freedoms, strengthen media monopolies and weaken the country's bid to join the European Union.

Under the new law, Turkey's media barons will no longer be barred from bidding for government contracts. This, critics charge, will make newspaper, radio and television owners more vulnerable to government pressure as they seek to snap up lucrative projects or acquire stakes in state-owned companies earmarked for privatization.

The law will also require Internet sites to submit content to government censors before it can be posted or updated. Under the controversial provision, both Web site owners and Internet service providers will be subject to heavy fines should content be deemed threatening to national security, sexually explicit or libelous. Internet providers have protested the bill by blacking out their home pages and shutting down their services for a day. The law "will deal a serious blow to the Internet in Turkey," a coalition of media and information technology groups said in a statement.

"It is against the spirit of the Internet.... The result will be like burning a blanket to catch a flea," the statement said.

Turnout Wednesday was low in parliament's 550-member chamber, with only 292 lawmakers showing up for a stormy 10-hour session during which opponents and sponsors of the bill frequently hurled insults and nearly came to blows.

Islamist opposition parties, a frequent target of the staunchly pro-secular mainstream press, led the protest, but 202 deputies from the three-party ruling coalition voted in favor of the bill, easily securing its passage.

The head of the Turkish government broadcasting watchdog agency, who is among the most vocal critics of the bill, termed it "a dark stain on Turkish democracy."

"The press will become a vehicle for promoting the interests of its owners and their allies in the government. It is a disgrace," said Nuri Kayis, whose agency will come under greater government control as a result of the bill, which increases the number of government-appointed members on its board.

One of the law's chief beneficiaries is Aydin Dogan, a media baron whose stable of national newspapers, television channels and magazines rakes in more than 60% of the country's advertising revenue. Dogan makes no secret of his desire to bid for government contracts. In a recent interview, he vigorously defended the bill, saying it would make media ownership more transparent and prevent it "from falling in the hands of dangerous groups, who hide behind front companies."

Yilmaz Karakoyunlu, the minister in charge of broadcasting, said the bill would be "improved" after its passage.

But opposition lawmakers said such a move was unlikely amid mounting speculation that the government of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit might fall, forcing early parliamentary elections. What the new law fails to change are existing bans on certain Kurdish-language broadcasts it considers separatist. Owners of numerous radio and television channels in Turkey's largely Kurdish southeastern provinces have been frequently fined and their broadcasts banned for airing Kurdish music.

The European Union is demanding that Turkey lift such bans as one of the conditions for beginning membership negotiations with the Ankara government. An EU spokesman said the bill was "a step back" for democratic reforms in Turkey. Turkey's president, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, vetoed the bill when it was first approved by the parliament last year. But under the constitution, he is powerless to block it a second time and can only appeal for its annulment by the courts.

2. - Strategic Allies / U.S. - "Turkey's Kurds Find Little Respite From Terror":

By Steven Stycos / 16 May 2002

The war on terrorism isn't aiding efforts to free Leyla Zana, who was imprisoned for wearing Kurdish garments at a political rally and saying, "I am taking this oath for the brotherhood of the Turkish and Kurdish peoples," after being inducted as a member of the Turkish parliament.

Turkey, which will lead the international peace-keeping force in Afghanistan, has a military cooperation pact with Israel and will provide a crucial support base should the US invade Iraq. Turkey is also a major purchaser of US arms, including a pending $4 billion deal to buy King Cobra helicopters from Providence-based Textron (see "Torture is the issue," News, December 14, 2000). These factors cause the NATO's member allies to overlook well documented human-rights violations in the moderate Muslim nation, according to Kani Xulam, director of the Washington, DC-based American Kurdish Information Network.

Although Amnesty International USA opposes the helicopter sale because the weapons have been used to terrorize Kurdish civilians -- like those represented by Zana, in southeastern Turkey -- Xulam predicts that the US State Department will approve the sale. "The war on terror has made Turkey more favorable [to the US] than ever before," he says.

Although Turkey calls itself a democracy, "Turkish authorities continue to commit gross human-rights violations against the country's Kurdish minority political parties with primarily Kurdish membership routinely encounter harassment," according to Amnesty. "Police regularly raid local party offices and detain party members and supporters. Many of the detainees have been tortured, disappeared or killed."

Bogac Guldere, a political counselor at the Turkish embassy in Washington, DC, disputes Amnesty's assessment. Kurds do not face discrimination in Turkey and many play prominent political roles, he says. Guldere says Zana had direct links to the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK, which the Turkish government calls a terrorist group. No country has a perfect human-rights record, says Guldere, and Turkey, unfortunately, is no exception.

Using Zana as a symbol of what's happening to Kurds in Turkey, Xulam is pushing a congressional resolution calling for her freedom. The former parliament member has served eight years of a 15-year sentence. On Sunday, May 5 -- Zana's 41st birthday -- activists at Brown University gathered with Xulam to call for her release. The same geopolitical factors, however, are complicating the resolution drive.

Despite the difficulties, Xulam has gathered 49 congressional supporters for the resolution to free Zana, including US Representatives William Delahunt, Barney Frank and James McGovern of Massachusetts. Local Kurdish activist Mehmet Akbas says he will soon be asking US Representatives Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin to sign on.

3. - Turkish Daily News - "Justice Minister Turk: 'OHAL is the easiest'",

Top justice officials: 'It is a union [EU] that will demand more, as we continue to give... Is it clear where they will stop?'. TDN feels the pulse of justice officials on the Copenhagen criteria.

SAADET ORUC

Basic points related to the implementation of the Copenhagen criteria may be faced with a judiciary barrier, according to expressions used by top judicial officials.

As the Foreign Ministry and the European Union secretary-general work on the political criteria for the EU, it appears as though the judicial circles are uneasy with the proposed steps to be taken for the gradual improvement of Kurdish cultural rights.

The four basic points being worked out by diplomats, are the abolition of Emergency Rule (OHAL) and the death penalty, as well as granting the right to learn in the mother tongue and broadcasting in Kurdish.

In an exclusive interview with the Turkish Daily News (TDN), Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk commented on the efforts to accelerate the Copenhagen criteria.

A top Turkish prosecutor and a senior Justice Ministry official also updated the TDN on the position of the judicial circles regarding the Copenhagen criteria.

Despite Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk's optimism over the realization of some of the EU reforms, the leading prosecutor as well as the top Justice Ministry official, concentrating on foreign political issues, harshly criticized the efforts related to the Kurdish cultural rights issue.

Turk stated that the easiest of the four priorities for the EU would be the lifting of the Emergency Rule (OHAL).

"In the first stage, the number of the cities where OHAL has been implemented, can be reduced to three cities. It will be initially discussed at the National Security Council (MGK)," he said.

The Foreign Ministry and the EU secretary-general continue to work on the Copenhagen criteria. A leaders' summit is expected to be held on the issue, soon after Prime Minister Ecevit recovers from his illness.

The DYP is the main barrier

Concerning the death penalty, Justice Minister Turk expects Tansu Ciller's True Path Party (DYP) to cause the biggest obstacle.

"It is not only the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) which opposes the abolition of the death penalty," Turk said, reminding that Turkey is awaiting the decision of the European Court of Human Rights due to the requirements of the interim measure, regarding the case of Abdullah Ocalan who was sentenced to death.

"Will the Ocalan file be kept at the Prime Ministry forever? Of course not! Ocalan has become the symbol of the pains, but the parliament should be giving the final decision by considering the aim that there should not be more martyrs given," Turk said.

Meanwhile, the senior Justice Ministry official reacted against the efforts of the Foreign Ministry, while the top prosecutor was disturbed by remarks made by Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, where the two urged for reforms to pave the way to the EU.

"It is a union [EU] that will demand more, as we continue to give... Is it clear where they will stop?" top Justice officials ask.

Regarding broadcasting and education in Kurdish, justice officials have urged that the word "Kurdish" not be used.

As a small anecdote on Kurdish education and broadcasting, in a recent gathering with Western justice officials in Germany, the Turkish participant was lectured about the need for education in Kurdish. The official told the participants of the meeting that Kurdish, with its 100-word capacity, could not be a language appropriate for such an education.

4. - The Financial Times - "Iraqi Kurds treat Bush plans with suspicion":

Northern Iraq / 13 May 2002 / by Guy Dinmore

Under the shadow of Saddam Hussein's artillery and tanks, rival Kurdish leaders ruling northern Iraq are coming under increasing pressure from the US to end their often violent feuding and unite in preparation for an eventual US-led assault against the Baghdad regime.

The two main factions, the Kurdish Democratic party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), insist they have no idea when or how the US will launch its military campaign.

They believe Washington has agreed in principle that the goal is to establish a federal and democratic state recognising Kurdish autonomy, rather than replace Mr Saddam with another, this time pro-western, dictator. But they are nervous about what the US may attempt.

"We cannot be expected to be dragged into a half-baked adventure without a clear outcome," Barham Saleh, prime minister of the PUK regional government, told the Financial Times.

The stakes are high. Western officials say Mr Saddam has launched a military build-up in the north, reinforcing tanks that could move into the PUK capital of Sulaimani and the KDP stronghold of Arbil within an hour. The US military last month said Baghdad had also moved more anti-aircraft batteries north of the 36th parallel that marks the boundary of the no-fly zone established by the US and its allies in 1991.

Most PUK-held territory, including Sulaimani, lies outside the no-fly zone. For this reason both factions are anxious to stress that they are not committed to any US scheme and no military preparations are under way.

The Kurds are suspicious of US intentions, feeling they have been betrayed at least twice before. In March 1991, shortly after US-led forces drove Iraqi troops from Kuwait, then president George Bush exhorted the Iraqi people to "get rid of Saddam". The Kurds rose in revolt, but no help came. Iraqi forces drove 2m refugees into Turkey and Iran and destroyed hundreds of villages.

In 1996 Iraqi forces advanced again with impunity, this time invited by the KDP to strike back at the Iranian-backed PUK, which was driven out of Arbil.

"Nothing imminent is on the horizon, but the confrontation is growing," said Mr Saleh. "We are cautious. Iraqi tanks are less than an hour away. We cannot take unnecessary risks. This is not an intellectual exercise, but one of life and death. We want to see the blueprint before we commit ourselves."

Nonetheless, talks held with US officials in Germany between KDP leader Masoud Barzani and PUK leader Jalal Talabani, their first meeting in 16 months, appear to have made progress. Both sides described them as positive. The meeting followed two recent visits to northern Iraq by Ryan Crocker, US assistant secretary of state.

"The US has promised that our people would not face another catastrophe," commented Jawher Namak, a senior KDP politburo member. "But we do not have complete guarantees. To what extent President Bush is serious about the future I don't know."

The two Kurdish strongmen agreed in Germany that the KDP and PUK would reopen offices in each other's capitals. They also discussed reuniting the two administrations, reconvening parliament and holding elections within the next nine months.

Their territory is nicely carved into two distinct areas with their own governments and armies, but people and commerce can move between them.

A degree of co-existence has been established with the rest of Iraq under the control of Mr Saddam, who sells oil and electricity to the north while receiving water for free. Kurds with no political affiliation travel regularly to the rest of Iraq, for trade and medical treatment. This weekend Arbil's football team played in Baghdad as part of the national league.

The KDP and PUK have developed civil administrations and fostered a moderate amount of political freedom, especially in the media. Islamic parties exist on the margins, but women can choose whether to observe Islamic dress code and alcohol is widely sold. Despite a general sense of insecurity - many people have suitcases packed, ready for instant flight - there is also substantial investment in the region in construction and telecommunications.

For the Kurds, the most important territorial objective is to gain control of Kirkuk, historically a Kurdish city but one that Kurds allege is still being ethnically cleansed by the Baghdad regime. The Kirkuk area, Kurds say, also holds 60 per cent of Iraq's oil reserves.

"What Kurd can dare say I give up on Kirkuk," declared Sami Abdul-Rahman, KDP deputy prime minister. "It would be like the Palestinians giving up on Jerusalem."

5. - NTV / MSNBC - "Denktas: June solution for Cyprus unlikely":

While the talks were open and sincere, there was little chance of a breakthrough in negotiations to healing the rift between turkish occupied part of Cyprus and the U.N. regognised Republic of Cyprus by June, the Turkish Cypriot leader said.

16 May 2002

The direct intervention of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan into the Cyprus dispute appears to have made little impact, with Denktas saying that he hadn’t put forward any new proposals.

Speaking to NTV after a three hour working dinner with Annan and Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides on Wednesday night, Denktas said it was unrealistic to expect a resolution of the differences between the two states on the island by June.

“We may work until the end of the year,” he said. “We will do our best.” The June deadline is linked to the European Union announcing that it will be concluding negotiations with the Greek Cypriot administration over its entry into the bloc at that time. Turkey are opposed to Cyprus’ acceptance into the EU, scheduled for next year, without a full settlement of the divisions between the two states on the island.

“The Greek Cypriots are not the legal government of the island. ... We cannot come to terms with that,” Denktas told NTV after the dinner, underscoring the Turkish Cypriot position that no international agreements can be entered into that do not take into consideration the existence of the "TRNC". Associated Press quoted Annan as saying that, “We had a good meal and a good discussion,” though added that he would not give any further details of the three hour meeting.

Earlier on Wednesday, the UN Secretary General met with Denktas for more than an hour, after which the Turkish Cypriot leader had sent out a more positive message over the June deadline for breaking the deadlock between the two states, saying he was optimistic that a solution could be found by the middle of the year.

6. - AFP - "Turkish leftists in court over EU e-mail scandal":

ANKARA / May 15

A Turkish court began Wednesday hearing a case against the leader of a small Maoist party and his aide accused of leaking confidential e-mails from the EU commission's Turkey representation, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Dogu Perincek, the chairman of the Labour Party (iP), and his deputy, Hasan Yalcin, are charged with illegally obtaining, forwarding and publishing e-mail messages from Karen Fogg, the EC representative in Turkey. In Wednesday's hearing, Perincek argued that Fogg worked against Turkish interests and claimed he had "done a service to the country and the nation" by disclosing her electronic correspondence.

"The court should immediately acquit us," Perincek, known in Turkey for his anti-Western views and conspiracy theories, said. The judge adjourned the trial until a further date to confer with the justice ministry on the nature of the charges against the defendants. If convicted, Perincek and Yalcin could both face a prison term of between one and three years. The e-mail scandal broke in February when Perincek claimed to have obtained e-mails sent to Brussels by Fogg, although he has not explained how.

He alleged that the e-mails showed that Fogg was a spy working against Turkey. The scandal prompted European Commission President Romano Prodi to call Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit to express his dismay. EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen demanded that Turkey improve security at the EC mission.