2 July 2004

1. "Five killed in suspected Kurdish bomb attack on Turkish governor", five people were killed and 24 injured Friday when suspected Kurdish rebels carried out a car bomb attack in eastern Turkey against a provincial governor, officials aid.

2. "The EU Membership Question: Now Should Be Turkey's Time", the recent Istanbul summit of NATO states underscored a dichotomy in host Turkey’s relations with the West.

3. "Turkey poses next big conundrum for EU", it may be a stroke of luck for Turkey that the Netherlands takes over the presidency of the European Union (news - web sites)'s rotating presidency on Thursday.

4. "Serdar: deadline for deal or recognition", Greek Cipriots should be given a deadline to accept a UN peace plan for Cyprus or the international community should recognise the breakaway north as a separate state, ‘foreign minister’ Serdar Denktash said in an interview broadcast yesterday.

5. "Angry Kurdish Leaders Demand Federal State", Constitution Battle lies ahead over group's status.

6. "Poor construction blamed as Turkey quake kills 18", at least 18 people died and 27 were injured when an earthquake destroyed stone and mud houses in a village in eastern Turkey.

1. - AFP - "Five killed in suspected Kurdish bomb attack on Turkish governor":

ANKARA / 2 July 2004

Five people were killed and 24 injured Friday when suspected Kurdish rebels carried out a car bomb attack in eastern Turkey against a provincial governor, officials aid.

Governor Hikmet Tan, who visited those wounded in hospital, said he believed the attack was aimed at himself. His car was badly damaged, he said.

A second bomb was defused shortly afterwards, police spokesman Ramazan Er said in Ankara.

Kurdish rebels of the former Kurdistan People’s Party (PKK), renamed Kongra-Gel, appeared to be behind the attack, according to the police spokesman.

"Our impression is that the attack was carried out by the PKK", Er told a press conference.

The PKK led a 15-year armed campaign for self-rule in Turkey’s southeast until 1999 when it announced a unilateral truce following the capture of its leader Abdulah Ocalan.

But the rebels called off the truce on June 1, and there has been a sharp rise in the number of clashes with Turkish troops since then.

The governor’s bodyguards also escaped unhurt. Those killed and injured appeared all to be pedestrians, Er added.

Some of those wounded were badly hurt and the death toll might increase, the spokesman added.

The bomb went off as the governor was on his way to work.

2. - Eurasianet - "The EU Membership Question: Now Should Be Turkey's Time":

1 July 2004 / by Sarah Repucci*

The recent Istanbul summit of NATO states underscored a dichotomy in host Turkey’s relations with the West. A Muslim nation with a secular political tradition, Turkey, on the one hand, is a highly valued asset for NATO. Ankara is set to play a key role in the alliance's efforts to contain Islamic radicalism and promote stability in Iraq and Afghanistan. On the other hand, the European Union’s attitude on the question of Turkish accession can be characterized as tepid.

Given the challenges posed by the growth of Islamic radicalism in the Middle East and Central Asia, now should be Turkey’s time to shine. Turkey is positioned like no other European state to promote stability and gradual political change in the Islamic world. Instead of seizing the opportunity, however, the EU has left Ankara dangling. This has the potential to cause a crisis of confidence among Turks if their concerns and desires are not addressed soon.

Turkey is a troubling country for the European Union. It is very poor, and yet its large population – among current EU members only Germany has a larger population -- would give it considerable weight within an expanded EU. Its record on human rights is less than perfect, and the military still casts a shadow over political life. Perhaps most significantly, Turkey is predominantly Muslim, in contrast to current member states, which are primarily Christian.

However, this is precisely the characteristic that would make Turkey a valuable EU member. As a Muslim state, Turkey can engage Middle Eastern countries in a way that current EU members would be hard-pressed to accomplish. Turkish EU membership could help establish that a fusion of Islamic and democratic principles can produce prosperity and stability. Such an example would not only aid relations with other Muslim countries, but also help the EU address issues relating to Europe's own large Muslim population.

As if to highlight its position, Turkey hosted two meetings in June: the NATO summit, and the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers. Turkey is the only country that is a member of both groups. Moreover, a Turk was elected secretary general of the latter organization this year.

The Turks have made clear that EU membership is a foremost foreign policy goal. Successive Turkish governments have instituted reforms geared specifically toward meeting EU membership criteria. Most recently, the government released from jail four prominent Kurdish politicians, and the state-run news aired its first-ever broadcast in Kurdish, all without interference from the previously interventionist military. In Freedom House's annual survey of political rights and civil liberties, Turkey has shown marked improvement since it was accepted as an official EU candidate in 1999.

Since Turkey was accepted as a candidate, the EU has delayed setting a date to start actual accession negotiations. In recent months, some EU members, France in particular, have sent Turkey discouraging signals about its membership prospects. In comments made April 8 in the French parliament, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier opposed the idea of Turkey’s entry into the EU in the near term, saying Ankara did not meet membership criteria. Such statements help create the impression that some EU members are searching for excuses to exclude Turkey.

Prior to the start of the NATO summit in Istanbul, US President George W. Bush urged the EU to quickly accept Turkey as a new member. Bush’s call drew immediate criticism from French President Jacques Chirac, who said the United States had no right to meddle in the EU’s internal decision-making process.

The EU is due to decide on setting a date for Turkish accession talks by December. If it fails to indicate when negotiations will start, the EU risks seeing a reversal of the recent momentum for reform in Turkey, and jeopardizes an important opportunity. Rather than keeping Turkey at arm’s length, the EU needs to engage Ankara in a meaningful process with clear and definitive benchmarks that lead manifestly to membership. This would solidify Turkey's place in the Western community and simultaneously signal an acceptance of, and attention to, the Islamic world.

At the same time, the EU should not make an exception if Turkey has not fulfilled all membership criteria. The Turkish government must implement the reforms required for entry: the Kurdish minority needs full rights; torture must not be tolerated; and the special status of the military in political affairs needs to end definitively.

The EU has a proven history of fostering democratic institutions in countries that are emerging from undemocratic pasts. Such a strategy could be even more effective in the case of Turkey, which, unlike the former communist states, has wavered for many years between military-dominated authoritarianism and democratic reform. The positive steps made by the current government in Ankara are driven in large measure by its desire to meet EU membership standards. As soon as Turkey has shown itself capable of implementing the necessary reforms, the EU should quickly set a date for the opening of accession talks.

* Editor’s Note: Sarah Repucci is Researcher at Freedom House, a non-governmental organization that monitors political rights and civil liberties worldwide.

3. - The Financial Times - "Turkey poses next big conundrum for EU":

30 June 2004 / by Judy Dempsey

It may be a stroke of luck for Turkey that the Netherlands takes over the presidency of the European Union (news - web sites)'s rotating presidency on Thursday.

The Dutch are Atlanticists - so any of their foreign policy decisions will always have that special empathy with Washington. Since Turkey is a vital Nato and US ally - it helps to have a like-minded country holding the EU presidency during such a crucial time.

In December, the climax of the Dutch presidency, EU leaders will decide if they should start accession negotiations with Ankara. If they do, the EU's borders will eventually stretch to Iraq (news - web sites) and Syria.

Yet, in spite of their shared Atlanticist views, both countries are changing. The once enthusiastic pro-enlargement camp in the Netherlands has given way to deep scepticism over the costs of further EU expansion and the merits of admitting a large Muslim country.

In Turkey, its traditional pro-US foreign policy is shifting, with the US no longer able to take it for granted that Turkey will deliver, as was shown last year when it refused to allow the US to base troops on its territory during the Iraq war.

However, even growing scepticism over the enlargement project in the Netherlands could play to Ankara's advantage. With the country holding the presidency, it has to be above the fray, say diplomats.

It will be some fray because over the coming months European governments and opposition parties will increasingly focus on whether or not Turkey should become a member of the EU. Diplomats and analysts say it is a debate long overdue.

"This is about what happens to European integration by bringing in such a large country," says Steven Everts from the Centre for European Reform.

"It is about the financial costs, the size of Turkey, its strategic location. The debate, however, may end up being populist."

For the moment, the omens for Turkey look moderately good, partly because Turkey has speeded up its reforms spanning judicial, ethnic, civil and social issues.

Yet, say Commission officials involved in monitoring Turkey's reform agenda, the problem is implementation of the laws. "You have a very, very small elite that cannot implement everything," says one.

"Implementation means the policeman in a tiny village will not beat the hell out of someone in prison. It is about having people on the ground. It takes time. That is why actual membership could take at least nine years," he says.

Among EU governments, the issue is not just implementation. It includes strategic considerations, with almost unqualified support for starting talks from Britain and Italy, with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder backing Turkey's membership, at least publicly. This is in spite of lingering doubts inside the Chancellery on Turkey's long-term secular credentials. These doubts, say German officials, cannot be publicly mentioned for political reasons. The opposition Christian Democratic Union opposes Turkey's membership.

Some countries, particularly the small ones, believe European integration could become paralysed if such a large country as Turkey is admitted.

It would have the same if not more votes than Germany, given that its population could rise to 80m over the next decade. "That means Turkey will have a big say in European matters. That is fine as long as we know we all share the same values when it comes to defence, human rights [and] social values," says one EU ambassador.

Austria, for example, fears Europe will lose its Christian identity, besides fanning the flames of racism.

Jan Peter Balkenende, the Dutch prime minister, was at pains on Wednesday to warn opponents of Turkish membership from trying to use religion as an excuse for keeping it out of the club. It was vital to show "fair play" towards Turkey.

The EU would take a decision "well reasoned and rock solid", based on the union's membership criteria. "We have passed the moment when we could say that because of its religion Turkey can't belong to Europe," he said.

4. - Cyprus Mail - "Serdar: deadline for deal or recognition":

2 July 2004 / by Staff Reporter

GREEK CYPRIOTS should be given a deadline to accept a UN peace plan for Cyprus or the international community should recognise the breakaway north as a separate state, ‘foreign minister’ Serdar Denktash said in an interview broadcast yesterday.

"We cannot wait forever for the Greek Cypriots to agree to the plan," said Denktash. "There should be a time limit. This time limit should not be longer than a year.

"If the Greek Cypriots still say no, we will try to ensure that the Turkish part of Cyprus is recognised internationally as a state," he said in comments translated into German and broadcast on Austrian state radio.

Peace efforts have been at a standstill since Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected a reunification plan in an April 24 referendum.

Turkish Cypriots approved the United Nations proposals with a sizeable majority.

President Tassos Papadopoulos, who was due to visit Austria and meet Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel today, has said he wants new negotiations on the UN proposals.

Turkish Cypriots have snubbed his call. "We do not want to negotiate the UN plan again because we said ‘yes’ to this plan in a referendum," said Denktash, son of veteran Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

International mediators pitching for a deal before Cyprus joined the EU were concerned that a failure could cement a 30-year partition and complicate Turkey's hopes of starting membership talks with the European Union in 2005.

Greek Cypriots, who have a veto right in the EU, say they do not intend to block Turkey's aspirations.

5. - The Guardian - "Angry Kurdish Leaders Demand Federal State":

Constitution Battle lies ahead over group's status

SULAIMANIYA / 30 June 2004 / by Michael Howard

Kurdish officials warned yesterday that the unity of Iraq could be at stake if the country's permanent constitution fails to enshrine Kurdish demands for a federal state.

"If Iraq is not federal and democratic, then unity cannot be built," Omar Fattah, the prime minister of the Kurdish regional government in Sulaim-aniya, told the Guardian. "The Kurds' status in the constitution will be absolutely crucial to our decades-long struggle for self-determination," said Mr Fattah, who filled the post left vacant by Barham Salih, Iraq's new deputy prime minister.

Mr Fattah's comments came as Iraq's Kurds, who have benefited from 13 years of de facto self-rule, greeted Monday's transfer of sovereignty in Baghdad with suspicion. "This is the only bit of Iraq that works, and that is because we are different," said another Kurdish official. "On paper we may be part of the country, but we have our own language, our own government, and look after our own security. What has changed with the transfer? The real battle lies ahead over our permanent status."

A permanent constitution will be drawn up by a national assembly to be elected by the end of the year. The constitution must be completed by autumn 2005 and approved in a referendum, after which fresh elections will be held. The interim constitution, drawn up by the governing council last March, contained guarantees that would formalise Kurds' self-rule in the three northern regions.

But the interim constitution was ignored in the new UN resolution on Iraq. Kurds blamed Shia groups including the influential Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who are opposed to regional federalism.

Affronted by the failure to secure a Kurdish candidate for the post of Iraq's president or prime minister, the two main Kurdish leaders Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani threatened to withdraw from central government and bar Baghdad officials from the Kurdish region. "We had many legitimate demands, the simplest of which was not to be second-class citizens," Mr Fattah said. "We were denied the leading positions in government, which was of great concern to us."

The boycott threat was later withdrawn. Mr Fattah said the Kurds, which comprise 20% of the population, would not move towards declaring independence. He said: "We will build a relationship with Baghdad within the context of our own federal state while re taining and guaranteeing the territorial integrity of Iraq's borders. We are still at the very beginning of the road, so now is the opportunity to choose the right direction."

He said Mr Barzani and Mr Talabani had chosen to stay in Baghdad to protect the Kurds' hard-won gains, and to ensure that central government would never again pose "a mortal threat to our existence".

Despite the guarantees of cooperation with central government from the Kurdish leadership, growing numbers of ordinary Kurds are pondering their decision to commit to the "new Iraq".

Many now question how long they can be expected to remain part of the country if the instability threatens to en gulf their largely successful - and tranquil - region.

There is wariness at the prospect of being drawn back into a central government that could be dominated by politicians from the Shia majority. Kurds have also been alarmed by the resurfacing of anti-Kurdish sentiments among Sunni Arabs and supporters of the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Radical Sunni imams in the ethnically mixed northern city of Mosul have praised the February suicide bombings in Irbil that killed more than 110 people; and racist graffiti inciting attacks against Kurds have appeared in Shia districts of Kirkuk, which is prized by the Kurds as the future capital of a Kurdistan region.

6. - Breaking News - "Poor construction blamed as Turkey quake kills 18":

2 July 2004

At least 18 people died and 27 were injured when an earthquake destroyed stone and mud houses in a village in eastern Turkey.

The earthquake caused heavy damage in Yigincal, a village near the Iranian border. Damage was also reported in nearby villages.

The Anatolia news agency reported 67 homes in Yigincal were destroyed, and that six of those killed were children younger than 10.

Television pictures showed village women wailing outside their homes, which were reduced to piles of stone, wood and mud.

The Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory put the magnitude of the quake at 5.0. Several aftershocks were reported.

The local governor, Huseyin Yavuzdemir, blamed the deaths on poor construction of the homes.

Many people leave the village in the summer for mountain pastures, which probably prevented the death toll from being higher, he said.

Yavuzdemir told the Anatolia news agency that rescue operations had been completed and the death toll was not expected to rise.

Quakes are frequent in Turkey, which lies on the active faults. Two massive earthquakes hit northwestern Turkey in 1999, killing about 18,000 people.

In March, 10 people were killed in a magnitude 5.1 earthquake that destroyed mud-brick homes in 15 villages in nearby Erzurum. Most of the dead were children sleeping in their beds.