13 November 2002

1. "Ocalan: After five weeks lawyers may visit again", after five weeks during which they were not permitted to see their client Abdullah Ocalan’s lawyers today were allowed to visit him.

2. "Turkish party leader to meet EU leaders to push candidacy", the head of the Islamist-based party set to form Turkey's next government will meet EU leaders later this month to push Ankara's bid to join the European Union, the Danish EU presidency said Wednesday.

3. "Turkish press optimistic about UN blueprint for Cyprus", Turkey's mainstream press Wednesday welcomed a make-or-break UN plan to end the 28-year division of Cyprus, highlighting the blueprint's acceptance of the island's breakaway Turkish community as an equal partner in a future tate.

4. "Main obstacles of Turkey on the path to EU", there might be jubilation in several European capitals after the publication of the EU Commission report on expansion and the recent Brussels summit, but in Turkey the mood is rather more subdued. Reaction to the EU's failure so far to recommend a date for the start of EU-Turkey accession talks has been one of frustration. Many are citing the report as proof that the EU is nothing more than a "Christian Club".

5. "Turkey's Islamic leader sets sights on PM post", barred from contesting elections, he says he will seek to amend the Constitution and become premier.

6. "Duran Kalkan: Freedom struggle must be improved", Duran Kalkan,member of KADEK Presidential Council, stated that their President Abdullah Ocalan's isolation was a stance taken by dominant powers against the problems of the people, their longing for a democratic solution, adding that democratic struggle must be improved in every area and people must struggle against it.

1. - International Initiative - "Ocalan: After five weeks lawyers may visit again":

COLOGNE / 13 November 2002

After five weeks during which they were not permitted to see their client Abdullah Ocalan’s lawyers today were allowed to visit him.

Over the past days there had been massive protests by Kurds demanding the end of the isolation conditions of the Kurdish leader.

As soon as we receive more detailed information on their visit we will inform the public.

2. - AFP - "Turkish party leader to meet EU leaders to push candidacy":

COPENHAGEN / 13 November 2002

The head of the Islamist-based party set to form Turkey's next government will meet EU leaders later this month to push Ankara's bid to join the European Union, the Danish EU presidency said Wednesday. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, head of the Justice and Development Party, "expressed the wish to meet me and naturally I accepted this meeting which will be held at the end of November," said Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Lagging EU candidate Turkey has yet to be given a date to start formal accession negotiations, amid ongoing EU concerns over its human rights' record and signs that other political and economic norms do not meet EU criteria. EU leaders have repeatedly hinted that the country will not be given a date to start accession talks at a landmark EU summit next month, despite such a request from Ankara based on a raft of reforms it passed in August.

These included abolishing the death penalty and granting increased rights to the Kurdish minority, in a last minute effort to secure an agreement before the end of the year to open negotiations. The European Union recently welcomed the reforms, saying they had brought forward a date for the start of accession talks, but without providing any guarantee as to when they could open.

Rasmussen reiterated that the 15-member body would reach a position on Turkey's candidacy at the Copenhagen summit next month at which 10 other countries are expected to be formally invited to join the bloc.

3. - AFP - "Turkish press optimistic about UN blueprint for Cyprus":

ANKARA /13 November 2002

Turkey's mainstream press Wednesday welcomed a make-or-break UN plan to end the 28-year division of Cyprus, highlighting the blueprint's acceptance of the island's breakaway Turkish community as an equal partner in a future tate. The plan, which was presented to Greek and Turkish Cyriot leaders Monday, foresees Cyprus's reunification as a Swiss-style confederation of two equal component states within the European Union.

"We find the proposal satisfactory in two respects: both for those who want reconciliation and for Turkish Cypriots who want to live in their own country independently," wrote commentator Oktay Eksi in the mass-circulation Hurriyet daily. "The plan satisfies (Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf) Denktash's longstanding demand for two separate and sovereign states," he argued. The liberal daily Radikal hailed what it described as a generally positive response from both communities on the island as well as their Greek and Turkish sponsors.

"Unbelievable but true: initial response to UN plan positive," the paper headlined. Its commentator Ismet Berkan welcomed the "rare" convergence of opinion between all four parties. "Maybe for the the first time, we are this close to a deal in Cyprus. One cannot say how close we are, but there is no doubt that a positive atmosphere is prevailing."

Another liberal daily, Milliyet, said the UN blueprint deserved serious consideration and called on all sides to be ready to make concessions if they wanted a deal. "It would be like seeing only the empty half of the glass if the two communities viewed the proposals negatively because they only focussed on the aspects they didn't like," wrote the paper's commentator, Sami Kohen. "If people really want reconciliation, they should sit down at the table and negotiate in a serious manner in a spirit of give and take. It is obvious that reconciliation is impossible without giving something in return."

UN chief Kofi Annan has given the two communities just seven days to accept the blueprint as a basis for negotiation, amid efforts to secure a settlement in time for a reunifying Cyprus to be accepted as a member of the European Union in its next enlargement round. The European Union says it is keen to see a deal done within just 30 days -- in time for a key summit of the bloc in Copenhagen on December 12 to 13, which is due to finalize the list of new members. The target date is supported by Greece, although it acknowledges it will be difficult to meet, and suggests an April summit in Athens where an enlargement agreement is due to be formally signed would be a more realistic deadline. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey occupied its northern third in response to an Athens-engineered coup in Nicosia seeking union with Greece.

4. - Financial Times - "Main obstacles of Turkey on the path to EU":

13 November 2002 / by Theo Georgiou *

There might be jubilation in several European capitals after the publication of the EU Commission report on expansion and the recent Brussels summit, but in Turkey the mood is rather more subdued. Reaction to the EU's failure so far to recommend a date for the start of EU-Turkey accession talks has been one of frustration. Many are citing the report as proof that the EU is nothing more than a "Christian Club".

The EU is accused of being bias in its approach towards mainly muslim Turkey even though the country has been striving for EU membership since the 1960s, as well as being one of the founder members of the parallel Council of Europe. Turks believe their country has a right to join the EU because they are as much European as the French or Italians.

It is certainly true that there do exist forces inside the EU which view the European project from a Western-Christian perspective. Remarks made by the CDU challenger in the run up to the recent German general elections show this to be the case. Speaking at the German Embassy in London in May Edmund Stoiber said that he did not want "Europe" to end on the Turkish-Iraqi border. But the underlying concerns of the EU as a whole are not to do with religion rather they are connected with politics and economics.

Turkey has experienced four military interventions in the last four decades, a record amongst European countries. The first, in 1961, resulted in a constitution which was relatively democratic yet it created the National Security Council, a body which gave the army an institutionalized role in politics. The second, in 1971, wrestled back some of the libertarian gains of the previous decade. The third, in 1980, temporarily dissolved Parliament and closed down political parties. The use of torture, never uncommon in Turkey, thereafter became widespread and systematic. The last, in 1997, eased the pro-Islamist RP party out of power, in what many have described as a "post-modern" coup.

It should be said that the situation now with regards to civil and political liberties is in no way as adverse as it was in the 1980s. The reform package hurriedly passed through Parliament in August of this year represents the latest in a series of attempts by the Turkish establishment to bring Turkish laws in line with European ones. Amongst other things the package abolishes the death penalty in times of war or near war and allows for the teaching and broadcasting of Kurdish-two key demands of the EU. It also contains measures which give more rights to minorities with respect to setting up cultural foundations. Compared to previous years these steps were radical indeed.

Yet, restrictions on freedom of thought remain even though a number of relevant articles of the Turkish penal code, which in the past led to the imprisonment of people for criticizing state policies, were amended. Turkey continues to have prisoners of conscious (though their numbers are in dispute) and one of them, Akin Birdal, who had been released from prison last year, was banned from standing in last Sunday's elections. The recent EU Commission progress report on Turkey further pointed to the inflated role of the military in politics saying little progress has been made in this field thus far. In short, though important steps have been taken other legal and constitutional changes are needed not to mention their implementation.

One of the biggest obstacles to Turkey's membership of the EU is connected to the state of her economy. Turkey is heavily in debt owing nearly $200 billion to domestic and foreign lenders. Because Turkey has such a huge debt burden a very large part of the state budget is used up to pay it off and as a result there is little money left to stimulate production as well as for education, health and infrastructure programs. Interestingly, whilst Turkey has been receiving much by the way of loans from the IMF and World Bank, she has been attracting very little direct investment. Turkey ranks 44th in the world in terms of foreign capital investment behind Bolivia, Angola and Vietnam. Without this investment it would be difficult for Turkey to catch up with "Europe".

Deterioration of the economy has led to a growing gap between the rich and poor in society. The wealthy are getting wealthier because they are lending money to the state and receiving high interest payments in return. The poor are getting poorer because of high levels of unemployment (17 percent) and inflation, which, though falling is still very high, at 37 percent. The minimum wage is set at just $100 a month and even the income of the average Turk is around $2,000 per annum-a tenth of the EU average. Endemic poverty forces a lot of young people to forego education and to work -- 78 percent of children, of working age or below, do not attend school resulting in 21 percent of the under 18s being illiterate.

In addition to the above there is also the issue of Cyprus. Turkey continues to insist on a confederation or "two sovereign

states" solution, which goes against the letter and spirit of successive U.N. resolutions on the matter. The October EU Brussels summit conclusions say any settlement must be linked to U.N. decisions, and must conform with the "acquis communitaire", in other words a bi-zonal, bi-communal federal state with one sovereignty, one international personality and one citizenship. Within this framework compromises could be made on, for instance, the type of federation to be put in place, (in some federative systems the centre is vested with more/fewer powers and competencies than in others), the size of the Turkish and Greek Cypriot statelets and the length of the transition period.

If Turkey is to join the European Union it will only be after she takes substantive steps to remedy the above. The question though is what should be done to create the conditions in which this is more likely to happen.

One view is that Turkey should be given an unconditional date for the start of accession talks in the next few months because she has in fact gone all or most of the way in meeting the Copenhagen criteria. This has been the official view of the incumbent Turkish government (a new one has yet to be established) and state, and the opinion of a few others outside Turkey whose overriding concern is to do with Turkey's strategic role in the region. It is something that is not however shared by the EU Commission, human rights groups, in fact nearly everybody else, including some people inside Turkey.

Another view is that Turkey should be given a date but only after she meets the Copenhagen criteria because that was the case with the other candidate states. Approaching Turkey any differently would give the impression that she has been treated more favorably, and would moreover put a question mark on the EUs sincerity about human rights. Recent political bans (or confirmation of earlier ones), even as Turkey was strongly lobbying for EU membership, shows that the country has some way to go until it can be called a fully functioning democracy.

A third approach would be to offer a conditional date for the start of accession talks with 2004 perhaps being the best time, because by then Turkey is also expected to have implemented the measures outlined in the 2000 EU Accession Partnership document (a kind of roadmap for membership). This seems to be the best approach for four important reasons. One, it would give Turkey and her new government a strong incentive to meet all the criteria and to show more flexibility on Cyprus and the Aegean (as required by the Helsinki summit conclusions), because failure to do so would postpone even further the commencement of the talks. Secondly, it would give a boost to pro-EU forces inside Turkey and enable them to show that they support the implementation of the Copenhagen criteria in full. Thirdly, it would lead to an increase in the level of foreign direct investment, which Turkey badly needs in order to create a more sustainable economy, and one better prepared for EU membership. Finally, and most importantly, it would demonstrate to Turkey and her people that the EU is still genuinely interested in Turkish membership.

The above strategy does of course carry with it certain risks. What if Turkey fails to meet the Copenhagen criteria, even by the end of the extension period? This would invariably trigger another Turkey-EU crisis and both sides will be back to square one. The next two years, maybe even months, will certainly be telling.

* The author, Theo Georgiou, has a Masters degree in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford, U.K. He is now working on a book on Turkish-Greek relations in the context of the EU.

5. - Los Angeles Times - "Turkey's Islamic leader sets sights on PM post":

Barred from contesting elections, he says he will seek to amend the Constitution and become premier

ANKARA / 13 November 2002

Setting the stage for a confrontation with this nation's pro-secular President, the leader of an Islamic-rooted party that won recent elections has suggested he would seek to surmount legal obstacles and become the next prime minister.

Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), was banned from running in the Nov 3 election because of a 1998 conviction on sedition charges.

But he pointed out to reporters here that Parliament could amend the Constitution, allowing him to assume the premiership of this officially secular but predominantly Muslim nation of 68 million people.

'Certain anti-democratic situations will be remedied,' he said. 'It is the duty of the political establishment to overcome a problem that contradicts the national will.'

His remarks came a day after President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, a former judge, made clear his opposition to any moves to tamper with the Constitution.

'Rather than politicising the law, politics should be conducted in conformity with the law,' he said at an official function that also was attended by Mr Erdogan.

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 by Kemal Ataturk, who imposed a secular and European-oriented vision on the Muslim nation.

The Turkish military has guarded that policy since, even driving the country's first democratically elected Islamist-led government out of power in 1997.

The AKP, which during the campaign carefully avoided mention of Islam and focused instead on pocketbook issues, is poised to form Turkey's first single-party government since 1987 after winning control of the 550-seat Parliament.

The party is four seats short of a two-thirds majority needed to amend the Constitution without having to resort to a referendum.

Mr Erdogan was convicted in 1998 of religious sedition after publicly reciting a poem the government regards as radical.

Several scenarios are being debated by AKP leaders to clear the way for him to become prime minister. One plan would involve amending a law under which only elected members of Parliament qualify for the post.

Another idea would be to wait until his ban on holding public office expires in March and then call by-elections, in which he would win a seat in Parliament.

But that in turn would require amending another article of the Constitution, which specifies that a person convicted of carrying out or promoting 'ideological' or 'anarchic' offences be barred from the legislative body.

In either case, the AKP must agree on a candidate within its ranks to fill the post for at least the short term. The most widely touted choice is the party's deputy chairman, Mr Abdullah Gul, who is popular with the rank and file.

The AKP is expected to submit a name soon after Parliament convenes tomorrow.

Since the AKP's victory, Mr Erdogan has been behaving like the prime minister and is being treated with respect by Western leaders - buoyed by his pledges to accelerate reforms that would secure Turkey's membership in the European Union (EU) and to abide by a fiscal reform programme that is being funded by the International Monetary Fund.

He is set to begin a tour of European capitals today to lobby leaders on EU accession.

6. - Kurdish Observer - "Duran Kalkan: Freedom struggle must be improved":

Duran Kalkan,member of KADEK Presidential Council, stated that their President Abdullah Ocalan's isolation was a stance taken by dominant powers against the problems of the people, their longing for a democratic solution, adding that democratic struggle must be improved in every area and people must struggle against it.

FRANKFURT/MHA / 11 November 2002

Duran Kalkan, member of KADEK Presidential Council, stated that their President Abdullah Ocalan’s isolation was a stance taken by dominant powers against the problems of the people, their longing for a democratic solution, adding that democratic struggle must be improved in every area and people must struggle against it. Participated by telephone in the “Acilim” program on MEDYA TV the other day, Kalkan commented first of all on the fact that Abdullah Ocalan had not been given permission to meet with his lawyers for four weeks. The Council member expressed that the treatment towards Ocalan had been changed according to the general situation in Turkey, saying that it was a sign how the election was unjust and how much repression was exerted on the people. Kalkan stressed that they had warned before, now what was to be done was to improve democratic struggle in every area.

“Peace identified with our President”

Kalkan said that everybody must learn a lesson from it, that is struggling for democracy and freedom all the more and improving it, adding the following: “Repression and torture are their historical means, they have exerted them before the elections, they continue after the elections. They prevented the free will of the people from being represented in the parliament. Many thought that it was a normal election but their negative stance against our Leadership reveals the naked reality. We must see the regime as what it is and develop a true stance against it. We must embrace the peace and freedom struggle more firmly. The struggle for peace, democracy and freedom is identified with our President. It is a whole with our President’s struggle. It must be reclaimed by the people, people must work to tear repression and torture apart everywhere. Everybody must do his/her best on the matter. We are warning. It is not true to be limited with only asking for. Women, youth, broad sections of people must develop their peace and freedom struggle at the same time asking freedom for President Apo.”