12 March 2002

1. "Kurdish group denies reported US military mission in northern Iraq", the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) denied Tuesday a press report that US military personnel recently carried out a reconnaissance mission in northern Iraq ahead of a possible strike. "It's a pure lie," a PUK official told AFP here, commenting on the report published the same day by the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat.

2. "Turkey: Kurdish paper reports five corpses found with gunshot wounds", the People's Defence Forces Command has announced that they have found corpses of five persons, including a civilian and four others wearing guerrilla uniforms, were found dumped in a pit near Baskaya (?Asilme) village in Cizre, Sirnak [southeastern Turkey].

3. "Justice Ministry's Ertosun: 86 prisoners continue on death fasts", Ertosun complains that YOK and SSK are not cooperative with the Justice Ministry for the construction of prisoner wards for providing health treatment to prisoners

4. "Government braced for fresh Turkish dam row", a new project by a British company to build a dam in Turkey is expected to put the Government on an embarrassing collision course with environmentalists this week.

5. "Have we been singled out?", columnist Oktay Eksi comments on a recent chorus of allegations from certain circles in Turkey that the EU has taken a stance against Turkey and turned a blind eye to its concerns.

6. "Cheney on his way to Ankara", columnist Derya Sazak comments on US Vice President Dick Cheney’s planned visit to Turkey scheduled for March 19.

7. "Ecevit takes the matter into his own hands", the debates on the European Union that have been continuing for a while, have toughened gradually.

8. "Turkey's European nightmares", only a minority of Turks are categorically against the EU. And another minority is for it. The majority's position is a "yes, but..." So is the military's. The entirety of last week's debate in Ankara was not as complex as its partiality who Says Turkey is not a stable country? Two centuries plus two decades is a long enough time for stability.

1. - AFP - "Kurdish group denies reported US military mission in northern Iraq":

DAMASCUS / March 12

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) denied Tuesday a press report that US military personnel recently carried out a reconnaissance mission in northern Iraq ahead of a possible strike. "It's a pure lie," a PUK official told AFP here, commenting on the report published the same day by the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat.

The PUK, an Iraqi Kurdish opposition group led by Jalal Talabani, "does not favor foreign plots to topple the regime" of President Saddam Hussein, he said when asked of US threats of military action against Baghdad. "We seek a democratic change in Iraq; we do not want that a dictator (Saddam Hussein) be replaced by another one," he added. The official said Talabani was expected to arrive in Damascus Tuesday evening for talks with the Syrian leadership, saying there were "no problems" between the PUK and Syria, which also opposes any US strike against Iraq.

Quoting Iraqi opposition sources in Damascus, Al-Hayat said more than 40 US military officers and experts recently spent around 10 days inspecting military positions in the Kurdish areas of northern Iraq, including two airports, "in the framework of the preparations for military operations". The Kurdish areas of northern Iraq have been under the control of the PUK and another Iraqi Kurdish opposition movement, the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (DPK) of Masud Barzani, since 1991. The DPK could not be reached for comment on the Al-Hayat's story.

2. - BBC Monitoring Service - "Turkey: Kurdish paper reports five corpses found with gunshot wounds":

Text of report by German-based Kurdish newspaper Ozgur Politika web site on 12 March
The People's Defence Forces Command has announced that they have found corpses of five persons, including a civilian and four others wearing guerrilla uniforms, were found dumped in a pit near Baskaya (?Asilme) village in Cizre, Sirnak [southeastern Turkey].

According to the statement released by the People's Defence Forces Command, empty cartridges fired by G-3 and M-13 guns, which are used by the Turkish Army, were found around the pit where the bodies were found. It noted that nylon cords were also found near the pit, adding that the five were most probably executed by a counterguerrilla squad.

The People's Defence Forces Command also said that the images of the corpses were recorded by a camera and a video camera and urged international human rights organizations to launch a probe into the matter.

The command also noted that they could provide assistance to identify the bodies if they received any application.

3. - Turkish Daily News - "Justice Ministry's Ertosun: 86 prisoners continue on death fasts":

Ertosun complains that YOK and SSK are not cooperative with the Justice Ministry for the construction of prisoner wards for providing health treatment to prisoners

SAADET ORUC / March 12

The number of prisoners continuing their death fasts in protest of the prison conditions has decreased to 86, after 48 prisoners lost their lives and 235 were released to obtain medical treatment, a leading Justice Ministry official said.

Briefing the Turkish Daily News, the head of the Prison Department of the Justice Ministry, Ali Suat Ertosun, stated that a total of 86 prisoners from nine organizations continued their hunger strikes in 13 different prisons.

Fifty hunger-striking prisoners are under medical treatment in hospitals, Ertosun stated.

Meanwhile, 38-year-old Yeter Guzel starved to death on Sunday, becoming the 48th person to die in the hunger strikes.

Currently 15 prisoners in F-Type prisons are using their rights to make phone calls, while 34 of them are taking part in open visits, Ertosun said.

Some 42 prisoners in the F-Type prisons are using their right to visit the library, he said.

Ertosun also stated that the control of Dursun Karatas, the leader of the terrorist Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), on the prisoners charged with having links with the organization had not been stopped.

The European Union is closely monitoring the situation in Turkish prisons, EU sources told the Turkish Daily News.

Some 235 prisoners were released for six-month terms to continue their medical treatment.

Three of the prisoners have returned to prison to complete their sentences after a six-month-long postponement.

The Turkish Human Rights Foundation's (TIHV) Metin Bakkalci expressed sadness for the successive demise of the prisoners.

YOK, SSK to refuse wards for prisoners

Ertosun also complained that the Supreme Education Board (YOK) and Social Security Institution (SSK) were not cooperating with the Justice Ministry for the construction of wards for health treatment to the prisoners.

"We want the university training hospitals and SSK to prepare wards for the prisoners, but both YOK and SSK refuse to do so. The Health Ministry is cooperating with us in a proper way on the issue," Ertosun said.

Every month, the Justice Ministry sends written demands to these two institutions, SSK and YOK, for the construction of wards.

"In fact, we want to have single rooms for the medical treatment of the prisoners," Ertosun said.

The number of prisoners charged with being linked with terrorist organizations is 8,243, while 1,067 have been imprisoned on charges of being members of crime gangs.

The total number of the prisoners in Turkey is 57,681, Ertosun said.

Stating that they wanted to build more prisons, Ertosun said that they were unable to find proper sites for the construction of new prisons.

"We plan to construct regional prison complexes, such as the one planned in Sincan with a capacity of 500 prisoners," Ertosun said.

However, there is a problem finding proper sites, he added.

4. - The Independent - "Government braced for fresh Turkish dam row":

By Saeed Shah / 11 March

A new project by a British company to build a dam in Turkey is expected to put the Government on an embarrassing collision course with environmentalists this week.

The construction group Amec will come under fire for its part in building the dam ­ known as Ilisu II after an earlier controversial project in Turkey ­ which threatens to displace 30,000 people by flooding the area around Yusufeli in the north-east of the country. Campaigners say it will also destroy the habitats of endangered species and wash away important archaeological sites.

Amec is seeking British government support through the Department of Trade and Industry's export credit guarantee scheme, to insure itself against non-payment by the Turkish authorities.

The application, to cover Amec's £68m share of the £590m Yusufeli project, is awaiting a decision by Patricia Hewitt, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. If approved it will, in effect, mean Amec's work on the dam will be underwritten by the taxpayer.

The consortium is led by Spie, a French engineering company that is 46 per cent owned by Amec.

In November last year Balfour Beatty was forced to pull out of the consortium behind the Ilisu dam in south-east Turkey, despite having the backing of Tony Blair, after admitting the barrage did not meet environmental, social or even financial criteria.

This week Friends of the Earth will begin a campaign against Amec's involvement with Yusufeli, which is on the Coruh river that flows through Turkey to Georgia.

If the dam is built it will submerge the homes of 15,000 people, mostly from the Georgian ethnic minority, according to the pressure group. A further 15,000 will be displaced when their fields and roads disappear under water.

The historic town of Yusufeli will be completely or partly submerged, as will 17 other towns and villages. Much archaeological heritage would be lost, including Yusufeli's Barhal church, Ishan fortress and church, Demirkent fortress and church, Cevreli-Meydan citadel and Kilickaya fortress. The area surrounding the Coruh river is rich in wildlife, including endangered species such as red vultures and brown bears.

Friends of the Earth said the local people were not being consulted and they felt intimidated by the Turkish secret police. There were rumours that the town of Yusufeli would be bulldozed this summer.

Tony Juniper, director designate of Friends of the Earth, said: "It is a basic right to be asked if you're going to be flooded out of your home without compensation.... The British taxpayer should not be involved in bailing out dodgy projects in developing countries."

The barrage, which will have an electricity generating capacity of 540 megawatts, also threatens the downstream supply of water to Georgia and could lead to erosion of its Black Sea coastline.

Barclays and the French bank BNP Paribas are the two main financiers to the Yusufeli dam. Barclays will face protests over its role.

Amec's Yusufeli application will attract close political scrutiny and there is a suspicion that Downing Street will intervene to push it through. In the post-11 September world, secular Turkey's support in the campaign against terrorism and "rogue states" is considered vital.

Nick Welsh, spokesman for Amec, said: "We will not participate in the Yusufeli project unless environmental, social and other related issues have been fully examined to appropriate internationally recognised standards."

Friends of the Earth said Amec and the Export Credit Guarantee Department had refused to release the environmental impact assessment and the resettlement action plan on Yusufeli. The pressure group is now considering going to the courts to gain access to documents.

A spokeswoman for the ECGD said it was awaiting more information on the wider impact of the scheme from the Turkish government.

She said: "Cover will only be considered if key inputs, including social, environmental and human rights, are properly addressed and the financial risk is acceptable."

5. - Hurriyet - "Have we been singled out?":

March 12

Columnist Oktay Eksi comments on a recent chorus of allegations from certain circles in Turkey that the EU has taken a stance against Turkey and turned a blind eye to its concerns. A summary of his column is as follows:

“Following some recent statements by Turkish politicians and officials arguing that the European Union gives short shrift to Turkey’s concerns on certain sensitive issues, there are signs that tensions between a number of Turkish officials and the EU are increasing. The mindset behind these remarks and allegations is that the EU has always been against Turkey and turned a blind eye to its concerns. Is that really the situation?

Let’s review the facts:

We don’t deny that the EU has little sympathy for Turkey and moreover has a number of prejudices against it. However, when we look more closely at the situation, we see that these prejudices are neither as strong nor as deep as we think.

Some circles think that the Turkey is the only country which the EU has imposed demands on. They allege the EU is trying to provoke our citizens of Kurdish origin by insisting on their right to learn and broadcast in their own mother tongue and that it doesn’t care about Turkey’s territorial integrity.

In fact, this is not the case at all. Historically speaking, the EU has always insisted on the same standards in its relations with candidate countries. Says one EU document: ‘The judiciary must be independent, freedom of expression must be extended, new reforms must be made to improve central and local administrative systems and minorities must not face any discrimination.’ It has also insistently rebuked those countries which failed to take action on these issues.

What happened in similar past situations?

For example, in 1999 the EU warned Bulgaria that it found the government’s efforts to socially integrate its minority Roma (Gypsy) population ineffective and inefficient. Since then, it has continued to press Bulgaria on other problems such as corruption and a lack of transparency in public administration.

Moreover, Poland and Slovakia had similar experiences with the EU. They have been warned by the EU about widespread corruption, problems in the judiciary, violence against women, the rights of minorities, the independence and freedom of the press...etc.

As you see, Turkey has not been singled out…”

6. - Milliyet - "Cheney on his way to Ankara":

March 12

Columnist Derya Sazak comments on US Vice President Dick Cheney’s planned visit to Turkey scheduled for March 19. A summary of his column is as follows:

“US Vice President Dick Cheney arrived Sunday in London, the first stop on his 12-nation tour that will focus on the war against terrorism, recent developments in the Middle East and possible US military intervention in Iraq. Cheney is scheduled to visit Turkey on March 19 as a part of his Mideast tour.

Cheney’s stated wish to meet with the Turkish chief of General Staff as well as the prime minister and foreign minister has increased suspicions in Ankara that he will bring a ‘military action plan’ against Iraq to the table during his visit.

One senior US official’s remarks before Cheney’s departure from Washington signaled the US’s expectations and plans over Iraq:

‘We believe that Iraq poses a major threat to the region and to its neighbors. The US wants the current regime in Iraq to change. Turkey is a close ally to the US. We have strong cooperation with Turkey on intelligence, financial, legal and military matters. If we decide to take military action against Iraq, the only problem between the US and Turkey would be the issue of timing.’

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit recently reiterated his concern on TRT 1 along these lines:

“Regardless of whether or not Turkey actively participates, a possible US intervention in Iraq would adversely affect the Turkish economy. We cannot expect additional foreign investment as long as the problem of Iraq hangs over the region like a cloud.”

Ankara’s concerns are understandable, but it is not clear whether the Bush- Cheney administration is taking these concerns seriously. The US administration is now trying to protect newly emerging balances in the wake of the war in Afghanistan, which it also considers a ground for further actions against terrorism. ‘God bless the coalition,’ said US President Bush in a 6-month commemoration ceremony held yesterday for victims of the Sept. 11 terrorism at the White House. Just before Bush’s address at the high-profile ceremony, Turkey’s Ambassador to Washington Faruk Logoglu delivered a speech condemning last year’s terrorist attacks.

The question as to which country will take over the command of the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan after the British contingent’s duty ends, and what to do if Iraq doesn’t open its doors to United Nations weapons inspectors, leapt to the top of the agenda at Cheney’s meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday. Both issues closely concern Turkey.

The issue of Saddam is knocking on Turkey’s doors again!”

7. - Turkish Daily News - "Ecevit takes the matter into his own hands":

Opinion by Mete Belovacikli / 12 March

The debates on the European Union that have been continuing for a while, have toughened gradually. That's why Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has been working overtime. Calling a leaders summit following the discussions between MHP leader Devlet Bahceli and ANAP leader Mesut Yilmaz, Ecevit stressed to his two partners the importance of surviving the coalition. The picture put forth is such; ANAP cannot defend the EU outside of the government. On the contrary, MHP cannot pave the way for the collapse of the government with its anti-EU stance. That's why the standing of these two parties side by side is a necessity for the survival of the government.

Ecevit is trying to proceed on the EU path by making cooperation sometimes with his partners while sometimes with the opposition on the basic discussion topics such as the abolition of the death penalty, broadcasting and education in the Kurdish language. However, he adopts a stance targeting to proceed, rather than to discuss every time.

One of its recent examples has been experienced in the issue of broadcasting in Kurdish.

The government asked for the opinions of security units, especially from the military, for the ongoing preparatory studies on this issue and requested them to evaluate the issue in the dimension of the anti-terrorism struggle.

Limited and controlled permission According to the information we obtained from Prime Ministry sources, the General Staff stated that broadcasting in languages other than Turkish might be allowed on the condition it would be limited and controlled. The opinions of the other security units are also alike.

The practices in European countries were taken as examples in the studies pertaining to this issue. The Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) presented a report on this issue. As a result, it has been determined that the practice in France is the closest choice for Turkey. Taking into consideration that France state radio and televisions were broadcasting in the Corsican language for 20 minutes in certain hours and days of the week, it has been agreed that the same solution could be applied to Turkey.

Accordingly, it has been reported that a TV channel tied to state radio and television TRT, and "Turkey's Voice" radio might broadcast a program with social and cultural content in Kurdish. However, it should be remembered that the final decision will be given by the Cabinet.

That's why the diplomatic method applied by Ecevit should be paid attention to while the studies on the adaptation laws are going ahead. The method enables Turkey to do its "home assignments" on one hand, while targets to remove the image of ANAP, which pretends to struggle alone and overcome all the obstacles on the EU path by itself. Indeed, the best response to those who make politics over the theses of "Soldiers do not want," or "Soldiers want it this way," is the aforementioned common opinion of the security units, including soldiers.

8. - Turkish Daily News / Zaman - "Turkey's European nightmares":

Opinion by Burak Bekdil / March 12

Only a minority of Turks are categorically against the EU. And another minority is for it. The majority's position is a "yes, but..." So is the military's. The entirety of last week's debate in Ankara was not as complex as its partiality

Who Says Turkey is not a stable country? Two centuries plus two decades is a long enough time for stability.

At the end of the 18th century, Ottoman Turks were divided over European aspirations of Sultan Selim III. More than two centuries after, Republican Turks, too, are divided over the country's long, difficult journey into Europe.

More than two decades after a Turkish Foreign Minister (Mr. Hayrettin Erkmen) lost his Cabinet seat because of a censure motion that claimed his efforts for EU membership would distance Turkey from the Muslim club and merge with the (evil) West, and only two weeks after an e-mail scandal strained Turkey's ties with the EU, government and military leaders in Ankara found themselves battling over the remarks of a top Turkish general.

Many of Turkey's bigwigs remained speechless last week when Gen. Tuncer Kilinc, secretary general of the powerful National Security Council (MGK), said that Turkey's efforts to join the EU were doomed to fail and called for closer ties, instead, with Russia and Iran. "I believe that the EU will never accept Turkey," Gen. Kilinc said. "Thus Turkey needs new allies and it would be useful if Turkey engages in search that would involve Russia and Iran." That was hot stuff, really...

Apparently "who said" was as much important as "what was said and when." Mr. Kilinc is no ordinary general. By August 2003, he will take over as Air Force Commander. Nor is the MGK an ordinary security office.

The contents of Gen. Kilinc's statement were puzzling in one, but not two ways. True, many Turks would agree with him on the EU part, but why Russia and Iran as new strategic allies? It is no secret that the Turks have for centuries perceived all of the empire, communist and post-Glasnost Russia as elements of a serious foreign threat in this part of the world. Even stranger was the reference to Iran, public enemy number one for Turkish liberals and the military, for its not-so-secret efforts to boost radical Islamic elements in Turkey. Gen. Kilinc must know something the others do not for suggesting a country that President George W. Bush considers as part of an "axis of evil." Or will Turkey soon seek an alliance with North Korea too?

Gen. Kilinc's statement came at the time of a bitter debate over Turkish efforts to meet EU requirements on, among others, human rights. It was also interesting that Gen. Kilinc's boss, Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu, called the EU "a geopolitical must for Turkey" in a speech he made on the same day as the Air Force general made his controversial statement. Odd? There is more.

A chorus of politicians, including Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, reiterated that Turkey's future was in Europe. Mesut Yilmaz, deputy prime minister and leader of the coalition's liberal wing, proposed a referendum on whether Turkey should join the EU, hoping, possibly, that a strong result would put pressure on conservative skeptics. For Mr Yilmaz, all that anti-EU talk was "a nightmare scenario."

So what exactly was Gen. Kilinc's statement? It is out of the question that a Turkish general just feels like saying something on a very sensitive political matter without prior approval of his superiors. And it would be naivety in the extreme to believe that Gen. Kilinc was speaking for himself only. The picture as a whole -- Gen Kilinc's absolutely negative perspective and Gen. Kivrikoglu's caution -- should tell something.

Only a minority of Turks are categorically against the EU. And another minority are for it. The majority's position is a "yes, but..." So is the military's. The entirety of last week's debate in Ankara was not as complex as its partiality. The message from Turkey's de facto rulers was that Turkey wholeheartedly sees its future westwards. But it is not prepared to pay a membership fee that it considers too high.

Turkey's late President Turgut Ozal, the architect of the country's full membership adventure, once said that this was going to be a long, difficult journey. "They will do a lot to deter us," he said. "We should not give up." He may be quite right.