20
November 2002
2. "Turkey's Erdogan says EU not a 'Christian club'", the leader of Turkey's new ruling party warned Tuesday the European Union should not be considered a "Christian club", as he launched a five-nation tour to promote Ankara's bid to join the EU.
3. "Erdogan rules out two-headed state administration", Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruled out the possibility of a two-headed state administration against worries that the new cabinet was formed under the premiership of Abdullah Gul. "We are members of a staff that joined our fates including especially our prime minister. I hope that nothing will spoil our unity," Erdogan said.
4. "Death toll in Turkish prison hunger strike rises to 59", the death toll in a two-year hunger strike against controversial high-security jails rose to 59 on Tuesday when another prisoner starved himself to death, a human rights activist said.
5. "No footnotes", the deadline that United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan set for both sides to reply whether they accept his proposal as a basis for negotiations expired without any response from the Turkish side.
6. "It's a European thing", the statement was blunt: Turkey is not a European country and its admission by the European Union would lead to that organization's demise. Valery Giscard d'Estaing, a former French president now in charge of drafting the EU's future constitution, made the statement 12 days ago, and it was more than a jolt.
1. - Ozgur Politika - "6 months tolerance for the government!":
FRANKFURT / MHA / 19 November 2002
KADEK Presidential Council member Osman Ocalan said “If AKP
wants to be successful, first of all it must solve the Kurdish question.”
Ocalan added that they would give an opportunity to it for 6 months.
He criticized the lack of concrete proposals for a solution of the
Kurdish question and for democratisation in the party's “Urgent
Action Plan”, saying “If AKP wants to be successful, first
of all it must solve the Kurdish question”.
Participating via telephone in the “Acilim” program on MEDYA TV, Osman Ocalan announced that they would give six months time to the new government, asking for the isolation on KADEK President Abdullah Ocalan to be lifted in order to secure a lasting peace. Drawing attention to the necessity of declaring an amnesty for guerrillas as well as political prisoners, Ocalan stated that all obstacles for a democratisation should be removed. The council member emphasized that organization for education in Kurdish should not include any limits and the laws should be re-arranged. Osman Ocalan said the following: “We have shown all our projects in the past. We will bring them before the new government too. First of all we call attention to the conditions of our leader. His freedom of speech is hindered. An-hour-limit on his visits should be lifted. The period of visits should be in accordance with the world standards. He should be given opportunity to observe all developments and have an access to his friends. We consider this stance a policy to let him rot and we will not tolerate it.”
“It began with false steps”
Ocalan stressed that without a solution international capital would not enter into Turkey, saying that the government began with false steps.
He continued to say the following: “Main problems are considered secondary. Secularism alone does not mean modernism. It is only possible when democratic needs are fulfilled. The Kurdish question is not solved. Even if AKP gets external and internal support, if it does not find a solution its success will not be possible.”
“War risks”
Ocalan made the following warning: “We will give 6 months to the government. They should deal with the problem with our Leadership within the first 3 months, and within 6 months they should take steps on general matters. If they do not do them, there will be a risk for war.” The Kurdish leader stated that Kurds could not be limited by only a region, that the Kurdish population was widespread all over Turkey and that there were Kurds in a number of economical and social organizations. “Without such a community satisfied, it is unthinkable a prosper Turkey.”
Serhildan units
Osman Ocalan asked for the people including youth and women to establish
serhildan (popular uprising) units in order to make democratic actions.
The Presidential Council member stressed the following: “There
must be democratic serhildan units in every quarters and everybody
must be active, they must not wait for an order. They must organize
marches, write on the walls etc. They must claim their Leader in Kurdistan
and Turkey. We must give a message to the new government: Our Leadership’s
freedom cannot be limited. The democratic struggle must begin with
the freedom of our Leadership and develop within the framework of
democratisation.”
2. - AFP - "Turkey's Erdogan says EU not a 'Christian club'":
BERLIN / November 19, 2002
The leader of Turkey's new ruling party warned Tuesday the European
Union should not be considered a "Christian club", as he
launched a five-nation tour to promote Ankara's bid to join the EU.
"We do not see the European Union as a Christian club and we
do not want it to be considered as such," Recep Tayyip Erdogan
told a joint news conference
in Berlin with German Foreign Minister Joshka Fischer.
The head of Turkey's Islamist-based Justice and Development Party
(AKP) said the EU, like Turkey, would be "put to the test"
on December 12, the first day of an EU summit in Copenhagen.
He repeated several times at the news conference that he hoped the
summit sets a firm date for the start of negotiations on Turkey's
accession to the 15-nation bloc.
"Turkey will be the best example of the compatability between
Islam and democracy," he said, rejecting the specter of "a
confrontation between civilizations."
Fischer called for the Copenhagen summit to issue a "clear signal"
towards Turkey, but said "whether it will go as far as Recep
Tayyip Erdogan wants, that I cannot tell you."
Erdogan also held talks Tuesday with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
in what Fischer described as "a very open atmosphere."
He is to fly from Berlin to London for talks, Wednesday morning, with
Prime Minister Tony Blair, and on to Brussels to meet European Commission
President Romano Prodi.
On Thursday, Erdogan was to visit Dublin and Strasbourg, where he
is due to visit the speaker of the European Parliament, Pat Cox.
He is accompanied by newly appointed Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis,
his aides and representatives from non-governmental organizations.
The three-day trip is part of a larger tour of EU countries, which
has already taken him to Italy, Greece and Spain, ahead of the Union's
key summit next month in Copenhagen on its historic enlargement.
Turkey wants EU leaders to give a firm date for the opening of accession
talks next year, but the pan-European bloc has so far snubbed Ankara's
demand on the grounds that it had not yet fulfilled the necessary
criteria.
Since his party's spectacular victory in the November 3 elections,
Erdogan has insisted that EU membership would be top priority for
the government, which was approved by the president on Monday.
Erdogan has also sought to allay unease in Europe at an Islamist-based
party winning in Turkey.
The new government is headed by Erdogan's right-hand man and AKP deputy
chairman Abdullah Gul as the AKP leader is legally barred from the
office due to a 1998 conviction for sedition.
3. - Turkish Daily News - "Erdogan rules out two-headed state administration"
ANKARA / 20 November 2002
Erdogan: We are members of a staff that joined our fates including especially our prime minister. I hope that nothing will spoil our unity
Warning the bureaucratic staff, Erdogan says bureaucrats should consider the price they may have to pay if they hinder our work
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruled out the possibility of a two-headed state administration against worries that the new cabinet was formed under the premiership of Abdullah Gul. "We are members of a staff that joined our fates including especially our prime minister. I hope that nothing will spoil our unity," Erdogan said.
Although Erdogan says that there would be no two-headed state administration, he also voiced his expectation that the government would take his views into consideration.
"I am very comfortable since I have my place in my people's hearts. Moreover, I believe that the government will most show respect to people's will on this issue and do whatever this will brings," Erdogan noted.
Holding the first meeting of his party's parliamentary group on Tuesday, Erdogan addressed 363 AK Party deputies in the biggest hall of Parliament and gave messages related to the coming period.
Erdogan pointed out that certain circles showed his situation as a negative picture as he could not become the prime minister. Erdogan, however, said that AK Party was not responsible for this picture. He said that this was a contradiction of the restrictive mentality that governed the country to date. "That's why, one of your duties is to save Turkey from such restrictive mentality and contradictions as soon as possible."
Erdogan stated that those who claimed that there would be a two-headed state administration could not know the AK Party members yet. Emphasizing that they would put forth a new political understanding, Erdogan said, "We see ourselves as people who are locked in success for Turkey, rather than for the sake of benefits or posts."
Stressing that various comments were made regarding the "emergency action plan" he announced over the weekend, Erdogan noted that the plan was just a part of AK Party government's actions to be made in a year.
Warning the bureaucratic staff strongly, Erdogan noted that an extraordinary period would kick off, adding that both the politicians and bureaucrats should work day and night. "Bureaucrats should consider the price they may have to pay if they hinder our work," he added.
Erdogan stated that tough days were awaiting the new ministers, asking the deputies not to challenge ministers' works. Erdogan warned the deputies not to seek personal benefits while fulfilling their duties.
Erdogan stressed that there would be a heavy parliamentary agenda
in the following period, urging the deputies to attend to the parliamentary
work properly unless they have an important excuse. He said that they
should be in unity but added that deputies were not just voting machines.
Emphasizing that the opposition's duty to inspect the government has
ended, Erdogan asked his deputies to inspect the government's work.
4.
- AFP - "Death toll in Turkish prison hunger strike rises
to 59":
ISTANBUL / November 19, 2002
The death toll in a two-year hunger strike against controversial
high-security jails rose to 59 on Tuesday when another prisoner starved
himself to death, a human rights activist said.
Imdat Bulut, who had been on strike since June last year, died on
Tuesday at an Istanbul hospital, a spokeswoman for the Turkish Human
Rights Association (IHD) told AFP. She could not say how old Bulut
was. Bulut was arrested in February 2000 for links with an extreme
left-wing underground group, the Revolutionary People's Liberation
Party Front (DHKP-C), which is believed to be main instigator of the
hunger strike.
The deadly protest was launched in October 2000 by mainly left-wing
inmates to protest the introduction of new jails in which one to three-person
cells replaced large dormitories for dozens of inmates.
The strikers say the new cells leave them socially isolated and more
vulnerable to mistreatment.
The protestors have been fasting on a rotating basis, taking only
liquids with sugar and salt as well as vitamin supplements to prolong
their lives.
Despite the rising death toll, the government has categorically ruled
out a return to dormitories in prisons, arguing that the set-up led
to frequent riots and hostage-taking incidents in the country's unruly
jails.
There are currently only about 19 prisoners on hunger strike after
several stopped fasting in the face of Ankara's tough stance.
5. - Kathimerini - "No footnotes":
ATHENS / 20 November 2002
The deadline that United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan set for both sides to reply whether they accept his proposal as a basis for negotiations expired without any response from the Turkish side. The illness of Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash does not fully justify this stance. If this were the only obstacle there would still be an answer, as everyone knows that crucial decisions are taken in Ankara.
Remarks by Turkish and Turkish-Cypriot officials on the issue leave no doubt that there is a political problem. Similarly, they leave no doubt that Ankara is trying to tie a decision on Annan’s proposal to an EU commitment that the 15 Union members will announce a date for membership talks at the looming Copenhagen summit, or at lest make a significant step in that direction.
Greece backs the Turkish demand but it’s not up to Athens to decide. Nor does Greece have any interest in backing the objectives of Turkey’s foreign policy. Greece’s position is, and has to remain, clear and unshaken. It hopes that Turkey will respond and that the negotiations will lead to a commonly accepted solution before the Copenhagen summit. But if this is not feasible, the process of Cyprus’s accession has to continue uninterrupted.
Athens has every reason to make it clear on all sides that there will be no EU expansion without Cyprus and that the lack of agreement on a Cyprus settlement cannot possibly block the enlargement process.
It is evident to almost everyone that intense diplomatic exchanges are taking place on the issue. For this reason, it is of particular significance that Greece make it clear to its EU peers that it will reject any proposal in Copenhagen that will disengage — even indirectly — Cyprus’s course from that of the other nine candidates.
The haste of the secretary-general and of the governments that are
guiding his actions is understandable. They are trying to exploit
the diplomatic momentum which has been spawned by the upcoming summit
meeting. But they cannot blackmail the Greek side to complete the
negotiations within such a short time frame. Because to believe the
leader of the breakaway state, the Turkish side will only respond
after 10 days and only if Denktash has recovered.
6. - The Washington Times - "It's a European thing":
NICOSIA / 20 November 2002
by Andrew Borowiec
The statement was blunt: Turkey is not a European country and its
admission by the European Union would lead to that organization's
demise.
Valery Giscard d'Estaing, a former French president now in charge
of drafting the EU's future constitution, made the statement 12 days
ago, and it was more than a jolt.
It was a blow to Muslim Turkey's self-esteem and to its aspirations
— an ominous portent in its relations with the European Union
and its future role on the continent. In effect, it implied the possibility
of this key ally's rejection by what one Turkish politician described
as "a Christian club."
Turkey "has a different culture, a different approach, a different
way of life. It is not a European country," Mr. Giscard said,
adding that Turkey's capital, Ankara, "is not in Europe"
and "95 percent of its population lives outside Europe."
[The boundaries of "Europe" as a cultural space have varied
during history, but a common definition of its geographic limits is
that Europe extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to Russia's
Ural Mountains, Ural River and the Caspian Sea in the east, and from
the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Mediterranean Sea, the Black
Sea and the Caucasus Mountains in the south. However, Europe and Asia
are not completely separated by water or mountains, and some geographers
insist they are part of the same continent.]
Distinctions of culture as cited by Mr. Giscard d'Estaing or based
on religion have often been mentioned by European officials behind
closed doors, but never in public. In Brussels, the seat of the European
Commission, Turkey's candidacy has often been described as a "delayed-action
bomb."
A number of officials feel that Turkey would be too cumbersome with
its huge area, population of 66 million, high birthrate, Islamic faith
and low standard of living.
Despite its small toehold on the west bank of the waterway between
the Black and Mediterranean seas, Turkey has been considered a "European
power" for several centuries, is a member of NATO and of the
Strasbourg, France-based Council of Europe, a deliberative body without
significant influence.
In 1999, Turkey was officially accepted as an EU candidate, but no
date was set for its membership negotiations.
More important, Mr. Giscard d'Estaing, head of the European Union's
constitutional convention, said the draft in progress does not include
Turkey. It stops at the European Union's expansion from the present
15 members to 25 by 2004, plus two more countries — Bulgaria
and Romania — some time later.
"We are basing everything on a Europe of 25 plus two — period,"
he was quoted as saying Nov. 8 in the liberal French daily Le Monde.
He said if Turkey was allowed to join, Middle Eastern and North African
countries would follow, "and it would be the end of the European
Union."
"Giscard drops an EU bombshell on Turkey," was a banner
headline in the English-language Cyprus Mail.
The Turkish delegate to the constitutional convention promptly branded
the blunt chairman as a "Christian fundamentalist." The
European Union's enlargement commissioner Guenter Verheugen said he
favored Turkey's desire to join the wealthy club, but without a date
for negotiations.
"The remarks of President Giscard have created a credibility
gap in the mind of Turkish citizens," he said.
The French government quickly distanced itself from the statement
of its former president. Some EU officials demanded his resignation.
In Turkey, an irate editorial writer asked: "If Jews can be Europeans,
why not Turks?"
Nonetheless, the impact of Mr. Giscard d'Estaing's statement lingers
on, and with it considerable soul-searching and an examination of
the country considered to be in both Europe and Asia.
The question asked by politicians is mainly about the timing of the
outspoken Frenchman's interview — a few weeks before the European
Union's summit in Copenhagen, at which Turkey hopes to hear a definite
date for its membership-application talks.
Complicating the issue are the recent parliamentary elections won
in Turkey by the Justice and Development Party, described as having
strong Islamic roots.
Although its leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said after the election
he would lead the party "toward Europe," many of its members
are said to be more interested in ties with Muslim states than with
aloof Europeans.
The elections prompted the conservative Greek daily Kathimerini to
conclude: "The triumph of political Islam and the ruin of traditional
political forces constitutes a milestone in Turkish politics, rather
than a political changeover."
To Soli Ozel, professor at Istanbul's Bilgi University, the last elections
"were not about Islam or whether Turkey would turn its back on
modernizing and secularism. They were about realigning Turkey's politics,
an eruption of popular wrath against the established parties."
However, Bulent Ecevit, Turkey's outgoing prime minister, warned that
the elections threatened the secular system.
Significantly, the day Mr. Giscard d'Estaing made his controversial
statement, Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, chief of the Turkish general staff, reiterated
that the army was committed to protecting the country from the dangers
of radical Islam.
The Turkish armed forces regard themselves as the ultimate guardian
of the secular republican system, founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal
Ataturk. Since 1960, the army has intervened three times to curb feuding
politicians as well as to keep leftist or Islamic groups from holding
political power.
The purges conducted by the military after the last temporary takeover
in 1980 were massive and uncompromising, but generally considered
to be salutary.
The Turkish army is regarded as a unifying, and even civilizing, force.
It takes peasants in from remote areas, teaches them to read and write,
and instills in them a feeling of patriotism.
In recent years, Turkey has been plagued by economic crises, the Kurdish
revolt in the south of the country, and stinging criticism from the
European Union of its prison conditions and human rights record.
Last August, the Turkish parliament abolished the death penalty except
in times of war — a measure applauded across Europe.
While the United States regards Turkey as a trusted and loyal ally,
in Europe Turkey's historical reputation as "the scourge of Christendom"
largely remains, mainly as a result of centuries of Turkish conquests
that were stopped only at the gates of Vienna in 1683 by a massive
charge of Polish cavalry.
Late in the 19th century, the decaying Ottoman Empire was known as
"the sick man of Europe."
An influx of Turkish "guest workers" in Western Europe during
the past two decades — now numbering an estimated 2 million,
mainly in Germany — has convinced many Europeans that Muslim
Turks do not assimilate well.
Contributing to West European criticism of Turkey is the presence
of a Turkish expeditionary corps in northern Cyprus following a 1974
invasion triggered by a Greek militarist coup trying to link the eastern
Mediterranean island with Greece.
Under the army's protection, the Turkish Cypriots have established
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey.
Greece and the Greek-Cypriot government in the southern part of the
island say the Turkish army's presence blocks efforts to find a solution
to the ethnic feud.