1. "Murat Karayilan on Medya Defence Zones: We are a guarantee, not a threat!", we talked to Murat Karayilan, member of KADEK Council of Leaders, about the aim of recently declared Medya Defence Zones, their extent and their probable effects on Turkey and South Kurdistan.

2. "Cem Uzan, controversial businessman and rising Turkish political star", Cem Uzan, a controversial businessman who heads the Genc (Young) party, has become an overnight political star thanks to his ready smile, easy promises and money-is-no-object campaign style in the run-up to Turkey's November 3 general elections.

3. "US pushes for Turkey EU membership", the EU leadership, defying heavy US pressure, and at the risk of infuriating Ankara, will refuse to offer any firm timetable for the Muslim country’s membership of the European club, it is believed.

4. "Turkish media gloom over EU report", Overall, Turkish commentators are pessimistic. Leaks about the European Commission's verdict on Turkey's bid for EU membership are making headlines in the country's media.

5. "Turkey urged to end solitary confinement of Kurdish leader Ocalan", the Council of Europe Tuesday urged Turkey to end the solitary confinement of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, who escaped the gallows this week but was set to spend his life behind bars.

6. "Perceived snub threatens to strain EU-Turkey ties", Turkey put on a brave face Tuesday as a European Union report quashed its hope for early negotiations on accession, but observers warned relations could sour if EU leaders fail to set a date for talks at a summit meeting in December.

---

1. - Kurdish Observer - "MURAT KARAYILAN COMMENTED ON MEDYA DEFENCE ZONES: We are a guarantee, not a threat!":

"Guerrilla forces of Kurdistan is a force for democracy.It is the guard of the democratisation process. It is a force that is capable to fulfil every duty for democratisation as a part of basic forces of democracy. It will make contributions like it has made before. Therefore it is not a threat but a guarantee."

by NURDOGAN AYDOGAN / 8 October 2002

We talked to Murat Karayilan, member of KADEK Council of Leaders, about the aim of recently declared Medya Defence Zones, their extent and their probable effects on Turkey and South Kurdistan.

-What are the reason, aim and function of Medya Defence Zones?

It is well known that we are at a period at which international powers have brought the armed intervention on Iraq into the agenda and their preparations have been continuing. The Kurdish people concerns about the possible intervention as well as the peoples in the region and the powers in the region. As it will be a violent intervention, it is clear that Iraq and South Kurdistan will turn into a battle ground. Moreover it is probable that the war will spread out to the all region. At a such a war climate, the question of pre-eminence will arise as the most important problem. We have decided to declare our control zones in order to contribute to the solution and not to be used as a reserve force on the basis of our own independent line.

It is known that every Kurdish force in the region represents an element. It is also well known that as one of the most effective element in the region, our movement and its defence force HPG are in the region. HPG's legitimate defence line will defend these areas and try to contribute to a possible solution on the basis of democratic solution line. Medya Defence Zones will serve for us not to be used as a reserve force of any power, not to be exploited in any other way and to keep the region from being used for any ambitions. Our basic method of struggle will be not aggressiveness but legitimate defence. It will not direct against any military force. It aims to guarantee a place for the Kurdish people in the re-arranged region.

The democratic line is the most effective line for solution. Therefore the Medya Defence Zones will serve for the democratic solution on the basis of legitimate defence approach. In this sense HPG will display a stance that supports democratic solution within the Medya Defence Zones as the main force of guarantee and give momentum to the initiatives to make the will of our people to be recognized in South. The Medya Defence Zones were declared in order to play a positive role for the solution, defend the interests of the people in the region as well as of our people, to prevent probable threats, to be a preventive force against massacres like Anfal and Halapca, to inform everybody that the area is within the control of our forces and to keep undesirable situations from occurring. If today the Kurdish question is a question relating to the all Middle East, to exclude KADEK which has the strongest foundation and most crowded sympathizers will mean to drag the problem to a dead-end.

Till the solution of the problems

-Could you give information where, on which bases and until when the Medya Defence Zones functions?

The Medya Defence Zones comprises Kandil, Xenere and Xakurke sections of Bradost and areas of Behdinan where our forces exist. Whereabouts of our forces are more or less known. What we do is not to cause a confusion, therefore to clarify our defence areas. Our forces has a history of 20 years. Now we make them authorized. Medya Defence Zones aim at defence and of course are not a permanent statue. When the Kurdish question is solved in South and in North threats against the Kurdish people and their values are exceeded on the basis of democratic solution line, it will cease to exist. Therefore how long they exist dependent on the situation in Iraq and South Kurdistan. We cannot determine a definite date beforehand, it is a temporary statue that should last until the problems are solved.

Besides there will be measures for a democratic system that can solve economic, social, educational and cultural problems of our people within the Medya Defence Zones and social reforms.

Both for Turkey and Iraq…

-What is the importance of the Medya Defence Zones as far as democratisation of Turkey is concerned?

The Medya Defence Zones have the aim to develop democracy in the whole region. We believe that they will play this role especially both for Iraq and Turkey. They do not constitute a threat to anybody. On the contrary, they will have a positive role for the policies to be implemented in interest of the peoples in the region and the Kurdish people. Therefore they have a supportive role, not blocking democratisation of the said countries. We must emphasize that our guerrilla forces situated there have paved the way for democratisation in Turkey. We should not forget that within the framework of opinions and orders of our Party Leadership guerrilla forces have withdrawn to the behind of the borders since September 1999. Why have we done it? We could put an end to the war and settled in Dersim, Amed, Mardin, Serhat or Botan. In fact there are some limited force there. But in order not to give provocations a chance and to give democratisation and peace a chance, to pave the ground for peace and democratisation our forces have gone to this area and settled there. Otherwise our forces might be abused by gangs and utilitarian groups etc. For it not give a chance we have withdrawn.

They are not new areas. Our guerrilla forces have been in South since 1982. Even at the period at which our struggle has been on its peak in North, guerrilla has continued to exist in South, in fact increased its number and influence. That is, the guerrilla has two main areas. In order for Turkey to democratise, the guerrilla has shifted its overwhelming force to South, therefore creating a ground for a lasting peace, stability and democratisation. This position does not have any harm to Turkey, on the contrary it has brought some benefits. And we are not a threat as far as Turkey's interests like security in Iraq and South Kurdistan etc. are concerned. If Turkey approaches with understanding and tolerance, there will no problem come from us. But if it does not show any tolerance and targets us, we will reply with the guerrilla method. Whatever attacks against us, it will be replied as such: that is legitimate defence. If there is no attack, we will not threat anybody. Moreover, we can say that from it everybody will gain as far as common interests of the peoples and democratisation.

Guerrilla forces of Kurdistan is a force for democracy. It is the guard of the democratisation process. It is a force that is capable to fulfil every duty for democratisation as a part of basic forces of democracy. It will make contributions like it has made before. Therefore it is not a threat but a guarantee. But we know that the forces in Turkey perceive it as a threat. We always say the contrary and say that it is proven by practice as well. We preserve our hopes that the peoples will live together with a vision of a democratic and free union and all forces in Turkey will see the reality clearly.

"We will reply with our guerrilla"

-On which basis does the position of HPG develop?

First of all we must say this: The Medya Defence Zones are not established against any force. At the same time it is the only force in the region that is not dependent on any power and preserves its independent line. It takes its strength from our people, from the line it depends on, its democracy, its modern and civil justice and Apoist philosophy. In this sense, there will no be harm done against forces that do not damage basic interests our people and do not target our Medya Defence Zones. But if they attack on us, violate the statue of the Medya Defence Zones and damage the interest of our people, the retailation will be done with the same violence but within the framework of legitimate defence. The position of our forces is on the basis of guerrille of course. Nobody expect from us a settled position like armies.

We are a forces originating from guerrilla. We have guerrilla traditions, experience and information, it is a terrific source of power for us. Therefore our reply will come on the basis of guerrilla tactics. Our forces are trained and know the area very well. We do not think we will experience grave problems on such matters.

Moreover legitimate defence should not be taken as isolated from masses. Today in all four parts of Kurdistan the national democratic struggle led by KADEK and its military organization HPG rely on a great political ground and a massive force. KADEK will be able to defend the zones with its military abilities. HPG has the necessary potential for it.

"The parliament in South should take care of national interests"

-What is the importance of the Medya Defence Zones as far as the existing situation in South Kurdistan and Iraq operation? How will they affect the developments?

And another aim of the Zones is to contribute to a fundamental, lasting and sound solution of the problems in Iraq and South Kurdistan. We can say that it will be effective to solve the existing problems in South. We hope that there will an agreement between forces in South on the basis of national-democratic interests of our people. We represent an independent line and are open to any solidarity, relations and dialogue and all initiatives taking the interests of our people as the main concern. We believe that we can discuss all the matters with forces and re-emphasize that we are open to dialogue with everybody.

What is important on this matter is a principled stance. It is clear that such a stance will make important contributions to a national politics and strategies. We consider a United Democratic Federal Iraq, a Democratic Federal Kurdistan a perspective for solution in today's conditions. We believe that the matter can be solved on the basis of the slogan "^Democratic Iraq, Democratic Federal Kurdistan". It is necessary to see the great importance of mobilization within a national and democratic framework. We will show the necessary sensitivity on the matter and will support all steps for unity

In this sense we consider the friendship between PDK and PUK and the common parliament a very fitting initiative. But we believe that the parliament should be an assembly concerning national interests. Otherwise we cannot accept a parliament like the one in 1992. We hope that the new parliament will learn lessons from the past, take care of national interests and take a political line concerning a solution to the Kurdish question in South as its main policy. We will support it. But we must emphasize that there should be a more democratic parliament relying on the people. We know that our opponents are mostly oligarchic, monarchic and autocratic forces. The flag of Kurds must be a flag of democracy. It is known that we criticise the Southern forces on this matter. For it to be overcome, democratic transformation and change will cause great developments. Therefore first of all we will bring a democratic climate and continue to make contributions. We will look at the all possible interventions and operations from this point of view. We consider ourselves a candidate to do our best to orientate the developments in favor

---

2. - AFP - "Cem Uzan, controversial businessman and rising Turkish political star":

AMASYA, Turkey / October 9, 2002 / by Burak Akinci

Cem Uzan, a controversial businessman who heads the Genc (Young) party, has become an overnight political star thanks to his ready smile, easy promises and money-is-no-object campaign style in the run-up to Turkey's November 3 general elections.
"I'm going to vote for him because he's young and dynamic," says Murat Gur, an 18-year-old student attending the circus-like electoral meeting of the Genc party in Amasya, 350 kilometres (220 miles) northeast of Ankara.
Cem Uzan, 42, blue eyes, tall, fair-headed, tanned, does not fit the traditional image of the serious, dark-suited Turkish politician.
Uzan and his family are currently being sued in New York by the Motorola and Nokia telephone giants for racketeering. The giant telecom firms allege that Telsim, the Uzan-owned mobile operator owes them some 2.5 billion dollars.
Meanwhile, Cem Uzan, who set up his party less than three months' ago, is running an American-like election campaign, mixing free food, balloons, pop music and promises as he criss-crossed the country with a fleet of helicopters.
Established politicians say the Genc party is a fad, but recent opinion polls suggest it could win more than 10 percent of the vote, allowing it into parliament.
"Once in power, we'll reduce taxes," Uzan tells the cheering crowd in a speech lasting less than 10 minutes.
His speech, heavily laced with fire-brand nationalist rhetoric, takes on established politicians whom he accused of "stealing money from the pockets of the people".
He promises to sell-off governement land to the homeless at bargain prices and to provide all 17 million schoolchildren with school textbooks.
He also promises to lift parliamentary immunity afforded to all 550 deputies.
Many critics contend however that he is seeking to enter parliament to win immunity and shield himself from possible prosecution relating to business matters.
"He speaks like a man. I see in him a man who'll keep his promises," says Bekir Usta, 35, a small restaurant owner.
This "good-looking man" will work wonders when it comes to replacing old-time tired politicians, he says.
Some 5,000 people turned up here for the rally, many coming two hours early.
DJs played loud music, a well-known singer crooned from a platform atop a bus as the crowd waited for the Uzan party which flew in aboard several helicopters.
He arrives, surrounded by bodyguards dressed in black, and shakes a few hands as the crowd, including many young women, surge around him.
His party includes several journalists from the Star newspaper and from four television stations owned by his family.
Authorities have just ordered three of these stations off the air for six days because of their partisan coverage of the campaign.
"All I want is a job without fear of losing it from one day to the next because of the crisis," says Murat Dikkaya, a builder who's recently been fired and who says he'll be voting for Uzan.
"Uzan is a businessman, he can govern Turkey better than those who've done it up to now," he adds, speaking of the economic crisis which hit the country 18 months' ago.
"He's robbed the United States, not Turkey. Good for him," he also says, speaking of the Motorola-Nokia scandal.
The rally is followed by a free meal as Uzan disappears aboard his helicopter.

---

3. - The Scotsman - "US pushes for Turkey EU membership":

9 October 2002

The European Union today takes a historic step towards admitting ten new member countries from central and eastern Europe, issuing "progress reports" that will pave the way for their joining by 2004.

But Turkey will be painful exception. The EU leadership, defying heavy US pressure, and at the risk of infuriating Ankara, will refuse to offer any firm timetable for the Muslim country’s membership of the European club, it is believed.

The EU Commission will release final reports on 13 candidate nations after nearly four years of negotiations. It is expected to recommend that Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia be invited to join at the EU’s year-end summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Lagging behind, Romania and Bulgaria will have to wait until at least 2007 before they can enter. But Turkey will be told to improve on its human rights record before formal membership talks can even begin.

Turkey has been an associate EU member for 40 years. But the draft report points to the torture of prisoners and inhuman jail conditions, and urges stronger civilian control of Turkey’s politically powerful armed forces.

Two months ago Turkey’s parliament pushed through a package of reforms, abolishing the death penalty and guaranteeing new rights for the Kurdish minority, that were hotly contested by Turkish nationalists. Some newspapers rolled out ecstatic headlines like "Europe Here we Come!"

Already Turkey had embarked on economic reforms demanded in return for Western loans and aid. The EU gives Turkey 175 million (£110 million) a year in "pre-accession" aid.

Washington, anxious to persuade a reluctant Turkey to back its war plans for Iraq, has made it plain it wants Turkey drawn closer into the Western bloc. "We believe Turkey’s future is in Europe," said one US diplomat in Brussels.

The US has made its views known "very forcefully" to the European Commission, hoping at least for recognition of Turkey’s "stupendous" efforts to qualify. But the EU executive is set demand Turkey goes much further, recognising rights to a free press, freedom of religion, and peaceful assembly.

Last week, in line with its new laws, Turkey commuted a death sentence for the Turkish rebel leader, Abdullah Ocalan, to life imprisonment. But European human rights advocates now want his harsh prison conditions eased.

Supporters of EU expansion believe it marks the final end of the Cold War, uniting the continent as a single political and economic unit and offering 75 million people of the 10 new members a share of the union’s stability and prosperity.

Opponents in the current 15 members fear the new, poorer arrivals will syphon off money, strain the EU budget, bring a flood of cheap imports and gridlock EU decision-making.

Today’s reports should place the ten firmly on the road to membership by early 2004, but stumbling blocks remain.

Ireland holds a second referendum on the Treaty of Nice, signed in 2000 to pave the way for expansion, on 19 October. The Irish rejected the treaty in June 2001. If they do so again, "there is no Plan B," said EU spokesman Jonathan Faull.

Cyprus is another headache. The EU hopes negotiations between the Greek Cypriot government in the South and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north will heal a 30-year divide and allow a united Cyprus to join. Without a deal, EU member Greece is threatening to veto enlargement if southern Cyprus is not admitted.

The 10 prospective members have closed almost all the 31 negotiating "chapters" on issues ranging from immigration controls to fisheries policy and consumer protection.

But left until last is the trickiest problem, how to share out the EU’s 80 billion (£50 billion) aid budget for farmers and poor regions.

Some EU members, led by Germany and the Netherlands, fear they’ll be left with a heavy bill unless the EU subsidy system is reformed first. France and Spain, which benefit heavily from the current system, fear they’ll lose out under any reform.

---

4. - BBC - "Turkish media gloom over EU report":

Overall, Turkish commentators are pessimistic

By Jonny Dymond, BBC's Istanbul Correspondent / Tuesday, 8 October, 2002


Leaks about the European Commission's verdict on Turkey's bid for EU membership are making headlines in the country's media.

The report is due out on Wednesday, but Turkey's newspapers are confident that they know what is inside the report, and they are full of reaction and advice as to how Turkey and Europe should proceed.

Turkey's media are pessimistic about its chances to get EU membership

Most of the Turkish media believe that human rights top the concerns of the European Commission.

The leading newspaper Milliyet says it is the failure to implement the legal reforms passed a few months ago, the continuing use of torture, the imprisonment of party officials, and restrictions on the right to freedom of religious expression.

Pessimistic

Several papers note that while there is praise for the efforts which Turkey has made to meet the criteria laid down by the EU as a pre-condition for membership negotiations, the commission itself has offered nothing in response.

According to one paper, there is a bright side of sorts to the commission's report - economic aid to Turkey will be increased. But that reported recommendation comes with hard words about the structure of Turkey's economy.

The commission apparently condemns the continuing problems in the banking sectors, and the overlarge role of the state.

Overall, Turkey's commentators are pessimistic about the report.

There has been no comment yet from the Turkish Government.

---

5. - AFP - "Turkey urged to end solitary confinement of Kurdish leader Ocalan":

STRASBOURG / October 8, 2002

The Council of Europe Tuesday urged Turkey to end the solitary confinement of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, who escaped the gallows this week but was set to spend his life behind bars.
Ocalan, head of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was sentenced to death for treason in 1999, but a Turkish court Thursday commuted his sentence to life imprisonment, with no chance of an amnesty, after the Turkish parliament abolished the death penalty in peacetime.
The 54-year-old Ocalan, long considered by Turkey as its public enemy number one, has been held in solitary confinement at the northwestern Imrali prison island for the past three years.
The 44-nation pan-European rights body's Committee for the Prevention of Torture called on Turkey to ease his detention conditions.
"First of all, he should be provided with a television and a telephone, as is the case in other Turkish prisons," a committee spokesman said during a press briefing in Strasbourg.
"In the longer term, he should be brought out of solitary confinement, either through his transfer to another prison, or through the transfer of other prisoners to the Imrali prison island," he added.
"Turkish authorities have told us that his transfer to another prison would threaten his safety. They have not yet given an official answer regarding bringing in other prisoners," he said.
Committee experts visited Ocalan in September 2001 and published a report stressing that periods of solitary confinement for the detainee should be kept to an absolute minimum.
Ocalan was charged with treason over the PKK's armed campaign for Kurdish self-rule in the mainly Kurdish-populated southeast of the country.
Ankara made the decision to commute his sentence as part of political reforms aimed at boosting Turkey's chances of one day becoming a member of the European Union.
Turkey, which is not among the 10 countries currently expecting to be admitted to the EU in 2004, has been demanding that the EU set a date for the beginning of accession talks.

---

6. - AFP - "Perceived snub threatens to strain EU-Turkey ties":

ANKARA / October 8, 2002 / by Hande Culpan

Turkey put on a brave face Tuesday as a European Union report quashed its hope for early negotiations on accession, but observers warned relations could sour if EU leaders fail to set a date for talks at a summit meeting in December.
In a draft report on Turkey's compliance with EU criteria, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said that while the country had made "considerable progress" it was not enough to open membership talks.
The report, which is to be published on Wednesday, dealt a blow to Ankara's efforts to obtain a date for the start of accession talks at the EU summit in Copenhagen on December 12-13 when the 15-nation European Union is to draw up its enlargement calendar.
Turkish officials refrained on Tuesday from commenting on the draft before it is officially released, but kept up their insistence for a firm date for talks.
"I cannot say anything before I see the report, but I am not without hope," Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit told reporters here.
A Turkish government source told AFP that Ankara had fulfilled the necessary criteria for accession talks. "We expect a date...from the Copenhagen summit," he said.
Meanwhile, officials from the British, Danish, French and German embassies were summoned Tuesday to the foreign ministry to explain what steps might follow publication of the report, according to diplomats.
Turkey has been pushing the EU to set a date ever since parliament in August adopted sweeping human rights reforms, including the abolition of the death penalty and cultural rights for its Kurdish minority.
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, who is responsible for EU affairs, downplayed the report as a technicality and said the decision on giving Turkey a date lay with EU leaders at the Copenhagen summit.
Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel has warned that EU-Turkish ties will suffer if no date is set in Copenhagen.
"The disappointment of the Turkish people will be so great that it will inevitably influence other aspects of relations between Turkey and the European Union," Gurel said Saturday.
According to one analyst, failure by the EU to set a date could prompt a second suspension of political dialogue between the EU and Turkey.
Ankara cut off political ties with the bloc after a 1997 summit refused to grant the country candidate status.
"If no date is given to Turkey, then the EU's sincerity will be in doubt. Turks will learn not to trust the European Union," Huseyin Bagci, a professor of international relations at the Middle East Technical University, told AFP.
He argued the European Commission had deliberately refrained from mentioning a calendar for Turkey so as not to influence early general lections there scheduled for November 3.
EU membership is expected to figure prominently in the party campaign in the run-up to the poll: Yilmaz, who heads the centre-right Motherland Party, is trying to lure votes on promises that he will get the country in the EU.
The far-right Nationalist Action Party (MHP), on the other hand, is presenting the recently-adopted parliamentary reforms as concessions that jeopardize Turkey's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The party asked the constitutional court last month to annul some of these reforms.
But the panel of judges on Tuesday unanimously rejected the MHP's plea to suspend the reforms before the judges deliver their final verdict, the court's deputy president, Hasim Kilic, told reporters.
The court will hold another session to decide whether the reforms need to be scrapped, but Tuesday's decision appeared to signal defeat for the MHP's
petition.