20 August 2004

1. "We are fighting against the PKK: Rice", the US was trying its best to weaken the Kurdish rebel organisation the PKK by using non-military means, President George Bush’s national security advisor said Thursday.

2. "High Stakes for Turkey and the West", in December the Europeans must make a fateful decision: whether to give Turkey a definite date to begin negotiations to enter the European Union.

3. "Turkish PM to send top advisers to Israel", Israel is currently upgrading 170 Turkish M-60 tanks, 54 F-4 fighter planes, and 48 F-5s under a multi-billion dollar agreement, in addition to a number of military activities including the exchange of pilots, mutual visits, and joint military maneuvers.

4. "Police attack toward the members of TAYAD", members of Association for Aid and Solidarity with Prisoners' Relatives (TAYAD) who went to Hacibektas to attend the Haci- Bektas-i Veli Remembrance and Culture Activities asserted that police attacked them.

5. "2005 EU Projected Aid to Turkey: 300 Million Euros", discussions between the European Union (EU) and Turkey will intensify in September as the EU is expected to agree upon dispersing 300 million euros of financial aid to Turkey for 2005.

6. "Kurds and Christians in Iraq", Suspicion. Threats. Violence. Pressure. These are some of the things faced by non-Arab or non-Muslim minorities in Iraq, as can be gleaned from two articles appearing recently in the Arab press.

1. - NTV/MSNBC - "We are fighting against the PKK: Rice":

The US would continue to work with Turkey to combat the rebel organisation, Rice said.

20 August 2004

The US was trying its best to weaken the Kurdish rebel organisation the PKK by using non-military means, President George Bush’s national security advisor said Thursday.

The US considered the PKK a "terrorist organisation" and wanted to prevent it from carrying out any attacks against Turkey, Condoleezza Rice said.

“We are holding talks with the Turkish government over measures to be taken on both sides of the border in responding to threat posed by these unorganised power,” she said.

Rice vowed that the US would continue to work with its ally Turkey to develop even more powerful and effective measures to combat the PKK but admitted that the US was suffering from lack of resources on the ground in Iraq. She stressed that Turkey was a strong and powerful ally of the US, a full member of NATO, and a bridge between the western world and Muslim countries.

2. - The Washington Post - "High Stakes for Turkey and the West":

20 August 2004 / by Morton Abramowitz* and Richard Burt

In December the Europeans must make a fateful decision: whether to give Turkey a definite date to begin negotiations to enter the European Union. That outcome remains uncertain. The United States has a profound interest in it, but no say; it can, however, have a voice. It must be an effective one.

Yes or no, the stakes are enormous -- for Turkey, Europe and the United States. In the case of Turkey, the accession process would transform the economy, society and political culture of a large, critically located country with enormous promise. Similarly, Turkey's accession would transform the European Union and what happens under its new constitution. For the United States, starting Turkish accession negotiations would fulfill a long-held strategic goal of placing a key ally in a prosperous and stable Europe while also contributing to reform in the greater Middle East. A "no" could push the Turkish economy into depression, undermine its surprising political stability and reverberate across the Muslim world.

Washington has been an enthusiastic advocate of Turkish membership since 1991 and has not been shy in making its views known. It played an important role in the European Union's establishment of a customs union with Turkey in 1995. Now Europeans -- including those in favor of Turkish accession -- are warning that a strong, public U.S. push in support of Turkey could backfire. This is not surprising. After all, Europeans would foot the bill for E.U. accession, not Americans.

The political sensitivity surrounding this issue in Europe is intense. This is not an easy topic for European leaders. Many European governments are prepared to begin the accession process in 2005 provided the European Commission finds that Turkey has met the necessary basic criteria. But large sections of European publics are opposed. French President Jacques Chirac supports beginning the accession process, but more than 60 percent of the French and even many senior figures in Chirac's own party remain opposed. Similarly, in Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is a firm advocate of Turkish accession, but his political opponents have urged an alternative, nonmember relationship for Turkey.

This year two factors make strong U.S. advocacy especially problematic. First, the debate within Turkey is fierce and treacherous because the right wing is using the issue to win broad support. Second, in the wake of the Iraq war, European public skepticism about U.S. motivations limits the ability of the United States to be an effective public advocate on many foreign policy issues.

If the United States is to have an impact, it has to pursue a differentiated, carefully targeted and (dare we say) nuanced approach, as we have proposed in a new study by the Atlantic Council of the United States. One, U.S. public advocacy of Turkish accession should be directed at those E.U. states where it can make a difference, most notably the new members in Central Europe, such as Poland. In countries such as France and Germany -- where government leaders support Turkish accession but face strong domestic opposition -- the U.S. strategy should be one of quiet encouragement. America should studiously avoid anything that can make the jobs of those politicians even more difficult. The United States should also reach out to the human rights community and other key constituencies in Europe with the message that Ankara has come a long way and that accession helps address remaining concerns about building a civil society in Turkey.

Next, while only the European Union can judge whether Turkey has met its criteria for beginning talks, the United States can contribute to a more positive atmosphere. In particular, it should work to ensure that the continuing division of Cyprus is not an issue. It can encourage Turkey to keep making clear its determination to be constructive. It should also push the Greek Cypriots not to hold Turkey hostage to the Cyprus issue and to make clear that their opposition to the U.N. settlement plan in the April referendum was not indicative of any broader unwillingness to reach an agreement with the Turkish Cypriots.

Finally, and perhaps most important, the United States must stress to all countries the strategic dimensions to Turkish accession: It will anchor Turkey firmly in the camp of Western democracies, in contrast to Turkey's neighbors in the Middle East. In this way, the United States can add a valuable perspective to the European focus on the sensitive internal question of how to accommodate a big new member of the European Union. A strong, democratic and prosperous Turkey -- bordering Iraq, Syria and Iran -- will serve American and European interests alike and speak volumes about the inclusiveness of the West and its determination to say no to the clash of civilizations.

*Morton Abramowitz, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, was U.S. ambassador to Turkey from 1989 to 1991. Richard Burt is chairman of Diligence LLC and has served as assistant secretary of state for Europe and U.S. ambassador to Germany.

3. - The Jerusalem Post - "Turkish PM to send top advisers to Israel":

19 August 2004 / by Metehan Demir

In a surprise move, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is preparing to send his top three advisers to Israel to repair ties, with a clear message that the Jewish state holds a unique place for Turkey.

Erdogan's harshly-worded statements against Jerusalem since the assassination of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in March had eroded ties with Israel.

Egemen Bagis, Omer Celik, and Saban Disli, advisers who accompany Erdogan on every visit to abroad and are known as his right arms, helping him to shape vital foreign policies, will arrive in Jerusalem on August 30. The trip is to take place just a month before Erdogan's planned visit to Syria.

A Top Turkish government official told The Jerusalem Post that the advisers' visit is meant solely to deliver the message of Erdogan's good will toward Israel directly to his counterpart, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Fatih Altayli, a prominent columnist for the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, commented on the visit in an article in Thursday's edition, referring to the advisers as Erdogan's "three aces". Their visit seems to be an attempt to normalize ties between the two allies, Altayli wrote.

Some have suggested that pressure from the United States and American Jewish lobbies might have played a role in convincing Erdogan and his advisers that relations with Israel shouldn't be allowed to remain in poor shape.

Erdogan's statements over the past several months brought the two countries to somewhat of a crisis. In addition to Erdogan's description of Israel's military operations against Palestinian terrorists as "state terror," the Turkish government show of Ankara's disapproval of Israeli policies in the Gaza Strip by temporarily recalling its ambassador to Tel Aviv for consultations, and appointing a senior diplomat to head its consulate in Jerusalem.

In July, Erdogan also refused to meet visiting Industry, Trade, and Labor Minister Ehud Olmert, whose visit had already been postponed once, without explanation, by the Turks. In November, Erdogan turned down a request by Sharon for a brief visit, citing a full schedule.

Turkey's deep military and economic relations, and common interests, with the Jewish state are based on billions of dollars' worth of joint tenders and strategic cooperation. Turkey is Israel's main regional ally. The two nations signed two military cooperation accords in 1996, which drew harsh criticism from Muslim countries. Israel is currently upgrading 170 Turkish M-60 tanks, 54 F-4 fighter planes, and 48 F-5s under a multi-billion dollar agreement, in addition to a number of military activities including the exchange of pilots, mutual visits, and joint military maneuvers.

4. - DIHA - "Police attack toward the members of TAYAD":

ANKARA / 19 August 2004

Members of Association for Aid and Solidarity with Prisoners' Relatives (TAYAD) who went to Hacibektas to attend the Haci- Bektas-i Veli Remembrance and Culture Activities asserted that police attacked them.

It was asserted that police attacked to the members of TAYAD who went to Hacýbektas to attend the Haci- Bektas-i Veli Remembrance and Culture Activities as an annual ritual when they got off from Hacibektas. According to the information, police stopped the members of TAYAD and wanted to control their identification cards and the members gave their IDs to police. But police said 23 people did not give their IDs and started to beat i-billion dollar agreement, in addition to a number of military activities including the exchange of pilots, mutual visits, and joint military maneuvers.

5. - Zaman - "2005 EU Projected Aid to Turkey: 300 Million Euros":

20 August 2004

Discussions between the European Union (EU) and Turkey will intensify in September as the EU is expected to agree upon dispersing 300 million euros of financial aid to Turkey for 2005.

Current projections indicate that the EU plans to give Turkey a total of 1.05 billion euros of aid between 2004 and 2006.

While 250 million euros will be given in 2004 for recognized projects, 300 million euros for 2005 and 500 million euros for 2006 are forecasted.

The primary purposes of the financial aid will be to assist with Turkey's EU harmonization procedures, economic and social adaptation, removal of interregional instability and encouraging the country's economic performance.

6. - Arutz Sheva - "Kurds and Christians in Iraq":

20 August 2004

Suspicion. Threats. Violence. Pressure. These are some of the things faced by non-Arab or non-Muslim minorities in Iraq, as can be gleaned from two articles appearing recently in the Arab press.

An August 4th article in the Daily Star, a Lebanese English-language newspaper, opened thus:

"Wherever Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi went during his tour of the Middle East in the past 10 days, he was asked by Arab journalists to comment on reports regarding alleged Israeli infiltration into northern Iraq, the specific purpose of which is to conduct operations against Iran and Syria and, in exchange, help the Kurds achieve their dream of an independent state.

"A week ago a Palestinian newspaper, Al-Manar, quoted unidentified sources as saying that Jalal Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, had secretly visited Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other senior Israeli officials and discussed with them steps to declare an independent Kurdish state.

"Even some Arab officials seem to believe the allegations. Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Sharaa proposed at the last meeting of foreign ministers of countries neighboring Iraq to include in the final communique a clause expressing concern about Israeli penetration into northern Iraq. Iraq's delegate at the meeting objected, saying that his government had no evidence of such penetration. However, despite the denials and the failure of the accusers to produce any evidence, many in the Arab press continue to treat the alleged Israeli presence in Iraqi Kurdistan as a foregone conclusion. "

The article, entitled "Iraq's Kurds Are Not Collaborating With Israel", by a London-based Iraqi political commentator, Kamran Karadaghi, was intended as a "defense" of the Kurds. In order to justify their objections to Kurdish independence, both Turks and Arabs are using the "collaboration-with-Israel" card.

In fact, Karadaghi interviewed Mahmoud Othman, chief negotiator with Iraq for the Kurdish Democratic Party, who "expressed belief that Turkish circles were the main source for [the story of Israeli intervention in Kurdistan] (an allegation that was also made in the Turkish press). Othman says he is not alone among Kurdish politicians in thinking that Ankara is trying to alienate the Kurds from Iran, Syria and the Arabs in general, in order to force them to be dependent solely on Turkey."

But Kurdish leaders "are used to such accusations and convinced that this is not the last time they will be accused of collaborating with Israel," the Iraqi analyst wrote.

Unlike the Kurds, who maintain semi-autonomy in Iraq's north, many Iraqi Christians are simply fleeing Muslim allegations and physical attack.

"Forty thousand Iraqi Christians have left Iraq since a wave of church bombings killed at least 10 people two weeks ago," Iraqi Minister for Displacement and Migration Pascale Isho Warda told the London-based Saudi-backed A-Sharq Al-Awsat earlier this month. The figure reported by Ms. Warda, the only Christian member of the Iraqi government, represents more than 5% of the total Christian population in Iraq.

According to a report in Asia News, many Iraqi Christians seek refuge, ironically, in the Kurdish areas of Iraq, as well as in Jordan and Syria. Many of them also eventually make their way to the expatriate Iraqi communities in Australia or Sweden.