24 August 2004

1. "Color and language phobia should be overcome", M. Vahit Gunes, the manager of a private school where Kurdish language will be taught in Turkey’s southeastern Diyarbakir province, said that "people should overcome their color and language phobia".

2. "Two mass graves were found in not Kosovo but in Bitlis!", two mass graves of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)'s guerrillas were found in Tatvan district of Bitlis.

3. "Nazime's Husband Burned Her to Death", Van Women's Association (VAKAD) and the Human Rights Association (IHD) analyzed 21-year-old Nazime Alir's death.

4. "Cyprus has no wish to veto Turkey's bid for EU accession", Cyprus will not block Turkey's bid to join the European Union but Ankara must do more to resolve the problems of the divided Mediterranean island, President Tassos Papadopoulos said Monday.

5. "EC to Ask Turkey for More Steps on Democracy, Hurriyet Says", the European Commission in an October report will ask Turkey to strengthen women's rights and help thousands of Kurds return to their homes in the country's southeast, the daily Hurriyet said, citing unidentified European Union officials.

6. "EU promise to Turkey should be kept", France is widely seen as the leader of EU member countries that oppose Turkey’s joining the bloc.

1. - Bianet.org - "Color and language phobia should be overcome":

"Nearly 200 people, including 86 women, had signed up for the Kurdish language courses so far, but they did not accept application of children younger than 14 years."

DIYARBAKIR / 23 August 2004

M. Vahit Gunes, the manager of a private school where Kurdish language will be taught in Turkey’s southeastern Diyarbakir province, said that "people should overcome their color and language phobia".

Speaking to the A.A correspondent, Gunes said that "nearly 200 people, including 86 women, had signed up for the Kurdish language courses so far, but they did not accept application of children younger than 14 years".

"The colors of our signs and notices which we hang for advertisement were made a matter of polemics. We hardly understand it. People should overcome their color and language phobia," he said.

Gunes added that courses would start on September 1st.

The Turkish parliament has recently passed a bill allowing broadcast in mother tongue and different dialects in an effort to meet the EU political criteria.

2. - DIHA - "Two mass graves were found in not Kosovo but in Bitlis!":

BITLIS / 23 August 2004 / by Kerim Celik

2 mass graves of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)'s guerrillas were found in Tatvan district of Bitlis. Uniforms, skulls, and 'Mekap' branded shoes that PKK guerrillas wear as it is known in the graves that remained from 1994. It was asserted that while 13 PKK guerrillas' corpses were put into the grave that was located on slope of Kender Daðý Mountain, 19 guerrillas were burned in the grave that was located on Bindaki Mountain where 30 civilians' corpses were left in 1994 according to a villager's claim.

The witness said he went to 'massacre' area 2 years before and human bones were still there.

Like Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq that had repercussions, two mass graves were found in Bitlis as a receipt of 15 year-combats. In mass grave that is located on Kender mountain of Karuka village 2 corpses were burned by a herdsman encircling by stones and rocks and for this reason it can be easily noticed among the other corpses. The mass grave that one can arrive after a 3 hour- walk from Karuka village was closed with stones and rocks. Settling down on the region where some corpses were scattered by means of melting snow is prohibited by soldiers.

A Claim; 'They were executed binding their hand'

The second mass grave is located on the peak of Bindaki Mountain. According to the claim, 19 guerrillas were burned to these mass graves after the combat that started in 1994 and continued 3 days. It was asserted that there are 'þutik' belt that guerrillas wear, guerrilla clothes and bones in this mass grave and that bandoliers were used in executions to bind guerrillas' hands.

While detailed information about the mass graves could not be got, 3 villagers who did not want to give their names due to security problem said:

"Many soldiers and guerillas were killed in 1994 operations on Bindaki, Kender Mountain and the area Ware Mahmut of Komik Field. More than 13 guerillas that were caught dead on Karez Mountaina were burned in hollows by soldiers and guards. Moreover, in June, a group of herdsmen saw and told us that at least19 guerillas were executed with automatic weapons by soldiers and guards and then they were burned in hollows."

Villagers said human bones were there for more than 10 years but nobody had brave enough to deal with the issue.

'Civilians were slain as a whole'

A 60 years old herdsman asserted that in the same period, nearly 30 civilians were slain as a whole, in the plain of the area Ware Mahmut that located in Komik Field. Elder man talked as follows:

"Uniformed people and civilians come to the area Ware Mahmut in Komik Field that is 10 or 15 km far away from mass grave in 1994 summer. This summer because of the armed conflict in region, we could not go to upland, but we heard gun sounds after awhile. After along time when armed conflict settled down, I went to pasture my sheep to there. I saw nearly 30 civilians bodies. The bodies were concealed with sticks and twigs. Then I leaved there. 2 years ago I went there again the bones of people still were there."

3. - Bianet.org - "Nazime's Husband Burned Her to Death":

Alir asked for help from the officials before she was murdered. The subgoverner is now full of regret. The villagers and headman didn't either help her, who applied to the prosecutor police numerous times saying she was faced with violence.

VAN / 23 August 2004 / by Burcin Belge

Van Women's Association (VAKAD) and the Human Rights Association (IHD) analyzed 21-year-old Nazime Alir's death. Her husband burned her to death. The research by VAKAD and IHD, once again demonstrated the extent of violence women face and the urgent need for women's shelters.

The research team stressed the fact that Nazime Alir had to return to her husband because she could not take her two sons to her parent's house. "Many women who undergo violence are killed or are constantly faced with violence because of similar reasons," said the researchers.

Alir had applied to the local police station a month before the murder, and to the sub-governor four days before. She had also gone to the prosecutor's office numerous times.

Her husband Ferzende Alir had once been ordered to keep away from the house for six months. The two formally got married in 2000, although in 1999 Nazime had received hospital reports for undergoing intensive physical violence.

Sub- governor Omer Ozcan did not help Alir who came to him with bruises on her face and asked for a place to stay, saying he is "faced with similar requests all the time."

"There was no place I could have sent her to," said Ozcan. "I could not have prevented what happened even if I had sent her somewhere."

Ozcan, who had to face with his conscience after Alir's death, said a commission, made up of local state and religious officials, had completed infrastructure studies. He said they would organize a joint workshop with women's groups.

Nazime Alir's children were sent to the Social Services Children Protection Institution with the efforts of VAKAD and IHD.

He spilled the fuel-oil and informed the local governor

Ferzende Alir spilled fuel-oil on Nazime Alir in a field near the village and burned her to death. He later called the sub-governor and informed him about the murder.

VAKAD and IHD said the families of Ferzende and Nazime, the police station, the local governor and religious official; the prosecutors, governorship and other local officials all had a responsibility in the murder.

The research team, made up by members of VAKAD and IHD, met with Nazime Alir's brother Ekrem Ceylan, her relative Omer Bubabet, village headman Salih Agu, the village's religious leader, Ferzende Alir's father Cavus Alir, the villagers, sergeant Kadir Ates, sub-governor Omer Ozcan, and prosecutor Mustafa Baklaci.

According to the research team's report, village headman Salih Agu said Ferzende Alir worked in Istanbul, did not give money to his wife and family, and constantly beat Nazime Alir.

"One day before the murder, they called from the local police station and said Nazime was there. I took the village's religious leader with me and went to the police station. When Nazime saw me, she started shouting and saying she did not want to go back to her father's house. We took Nazime to a house in the village that night. Next day Nazime returned to her home by herself. When we went to the police station, we saw that Nazime had bruises on her face."

Nazime Alir's brother Ekrem Ceylan said his sister was constantly beaten by Ferzende Alir.

Ceylan said they had gone to the local police station and prosecutor's office.

"I have to go back home for my children," Nazime told the prosecutor, according to Ceylan. He added:

"I heard Nazime went to the prosecutor's office, the district official and the police station with a bruised eye. If that is true, and if these people did not do anything, I will file complaints against the head of the police station, the chief prosecutor and the district official. I will also file complaints against the village headman and the villagers who were seeing the bad things happening to Nazime, but who did not do anything about it."

4. - AFP - "Cyprus has no wish to veto Turkey's bid for EU accession":

NICOSIA / 23 August 2004

Cyprus will not block Turkey's bid to join the European Union but Ankara must do more to resolve the problems of the divided Mediterranean island, President Tassos Papadopoulos said Monday.

Papadopoulos dismissed suggestions that the internationally-recognised Greek Cypriot government would use its veto to prevent Turkey gaining a date for the start of EU accession talks when its case is reviewed in December.

As an EU member since May 1, Cyprus could theoretically use its power of veto and wreck Ankara's European ambitions.

"Our basic policy is not to exercise the veto, our wish is that Turkey will help us with its own stance ... we don't want to pose an obstacle to its EU accession," Papadopoulos told reporters before leaving to attend the final stages of the Olympic Games in Athens.

Although the Greek Cypriot leader said Turkey's membership of the EU would be a "positive step" in efforts to solve the island's 30-year division, he urged Ankara to cease its "separatist policy" towards Cyprus.

He also hinted that his government would push for a link between solving the Cyprus problem and Turkey's EU accession if Ankara continued to support two separate entities on the island.

"I don't think anyone would expect us to watch idly while this policy is promoted without having the right to request a link with Turkey's EU accession and a Cyprus solution," said Papadopoulos.

The self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is recognized only by Ankara while the Greek Cypriot administration is the internationally recognised government of Cyprus.

A reunification plan for Cyprus, voted on both sides of the island in April, was scuppered by a strong "no" vote by Greek Cypriots.

The failure ensured that the Greek Cypriots alone joined the EU in May.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey occupied the island's northern third in response to a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at uniting Cyprus with Greece.

5. - Bloomberg - "EC to Ask Turkey for More Steps on Democracy, Hurriyet Says":

24 August 2004

The European Commission in an October report will ask Turkey to strengthen women's rights and help thousands of Kurds return to their homes in the country's southeast, the daily Hurriyet said, citing unidentified European Union officials.

The EU will decide in December if Turkey has done enough to start membership talks. Europe's leaders say they'll refer to the commission's report when making their decision.

Turkey, which wants to begin the talks early next year, must also pass a new penal code, bolster rights for non-Muslims and take more steps to eradicate torture before December, the commission will say in its report, according to Hurriyet.

Turkey may only win conditional approval from the commission to start the talks and would be ``well advised'' to press on with reform of its democracy before October, Hansjoerg Kretschmer, the head of the EC's office in Ankara, said last month.

6. - NTV/MSNBC - "EU promise to Turkey should be kept: France":

France is widely seen as the leader of EU member countries that oppose Turkey’s joining the bloc.

23 August 2004

The European Union should keep its promise to Turkey regarding being given a date to open accession negotiations, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said Sunday.

It would be in keeping with the EU’s objectives if it recognised Turkey’s efforts to comply with the bloc’s requirements, Barnier was quoted as saying in an interview with the Greek newspaper To Vima Sunday.

Turkey’s European perspective was to the benefit of the EU, he said.

“It would be to the benefit of the EU as much as to Turkey having this great country adopt an economic and political development model as close as possible to Europe,” he told the paper.

He also said that Turkey had made great progress in its bid for membership since 1963 when it signed the European Community agreement. This progress, he said, was “rightfully appreciated by the European Commission.”

Turkey still had more to do to meet all of the membership criteria of the bloc but that Turks have admitted that fact, Barnier said.