25 November 2004

1. "A better European bridge to Turkey", by Valerie Giscard d'Estaing.

2. "EU dampens Turkey's hopes for membership", the European Union said on Wednesday that its member states will make their own decision on whether Turkey has fulfilled conditions to start membership talks despite a favourable view by the European Commission which had boosted Ankara's hopes.

3. "EU dampens Turkey's hopes for membership", Turkey's independent Human Rights Association reported 692 cases of abuse in the first six months of 2004, down from 972 over the same period in 2003. In some cases, security officials suspended victims by their arms or used electric shocks on them.

4. "Anti-Landmine Campaign in Kurdish Region", a group of activists has launched a grassroots anti-landmine campaign in the mostly Kurdish populated southeastern part of Turkey where landmines and other abandoned explosives have killed hundreds of people since the beginning of the war in 1984.

5. "Two Children and a Man Killed", it was the most recent of frequent explosions in Hakkari, an area heavily polluted by anti-personnel landmines and other unexploded ordinances during the conflict between PKK guerrillas and Turkish security forces. The bombs are deemed a serious problem.

6. "Cyprus festering", the countdown to the Dec. 17 summit brings an increase in EU pressure on Ankara to recognize the Greek Cypriot government before a decision on whether to open membership negotiations is made.

1. - Financial Times - "A better European bridge to Turkey":

25 November 2004 / by Valerie Giscard d'Estaing*

Turkey's possible entry into the European Union provokes passionate debate and a wide variety of arguments. Jacques Chirac said on October 26 in Berlin: "My sincerest wish is that we can arrive at the end of this process - which will take 10 to 15 years - with the possibility of accession." Yet 64 per cent of French people surveyed say they are against Turkish entry.

Let us try to bring a little reason to this debate. What is the fairest and most appropriate way to organise relations between Turkey and the EU in future decades?

First, the promises already made to Turkey. Those commitments were made in the 1960s, when the question was whether Turkey would enter the Common Market, which was exclusively economic. They were fulfilled when the EU signed a customs union treaty with Turkey in 1995.

Second, opponents are often accused of refusing to countenance Turkish entry for reasons of religion. We must be categorical on this point: this is not an argument for the acceptance or rejection of Turkey's application.

Would Turkish accession to the EU prevent the country from sliding into Muslim fundamentalism? Nobody knows. The intensity of religious conviction depends on internal factors, but also on feelings of solidarity with neighbouring Muslim countries. It might seem more natural to the Turks to form partnerships with these neighbours than to change their legislation to comply with distant Brussels.

So is Turkey a "European State", in the words of the EU's treaty and the draft European constitution? The National Geographic Atlas of the World puts it in Asia. Turkey still has a small European enclave, but this represents only 5 per cent of its territory and 8 per cent of its population. Turkey has a short border with its two European neighbours, Greece and Bulgaria; a very long border with Syria and Iraq, the Middle Eastern countries that once belonged to the Ottoman Empire; and a shared border with Iran and Armenia.

Turkey's population of close to 73m is greater than that of any of the European states except Germany. United Nations demographic forecasts state that, in 20 years, Turkey would be the biggest state in the EU in terms of population, which by then will have reached 89m. Turkey's revenue per head is half the average of the 10 newest members and only a fifth that of the other 15. The structure of Turkey's economy, while it has made substantial progress, is still far from the European norm. Agriculture accounts for 14 per cent of gross domestic product.

The current uncertainty and scepticism about the European project is due to lack of clarity. Progressive enlargement has led to increasing unease. Europeans need to strengthen their identity. No "European patriotism" can exist until European citizens realise they belong to a single entity.

The European Convention sought a clearer definition of the foundations of this entity: the cultural contributions of ancient Greece and Rome, Europe's pervasive religious heritage, the creative enthusiasm of the Renaissance, the philosophy of the Age of the Enlightenment and the contributions of rational and scientific thought. Turkey shares none of these. This is not meant to be pejorative. Turkey has developed its own history and its own culture, which deserve respect. However, the foundations of Europe's identity, so vital to the cohesion of the EU today, are different. Turkey's accession would change the nature of the European project.

First, it could not be an isolated case. There is already a queue forming to the east and west. Morocco would probably be tempted to follow Turkey's example. This could result in a process of permanent enlargement, destabilising the operations of the European system and removing its original rationale.

Second, Turkey carries such weight in terms of scale and population (and will carry even more in the future) that it would become the major decision-maker in the EU, creating an imbalance in a structure that is already very fragile and designed for other purposes. Constitutions are not catch-all formulae to which we can simply add the names of new arrivals. The European constitution that is waiting to be ratified was not designed to accommodate a power the size of Turkey.

What is most surprising is the way most European leaders have let themselves be drawn into a simplistic choice between agreeing to negotiations on Turkey's accession to the EU and closing the door in its face.

If the only solution Europe can come up with is allowing entry to the Union or antagonising its partners, the EU is doomed to slide into a regional version of the UN, designed for meeting, dialogue and certain specific co-operative projects. It would have no identity, no common will and no role to play. The world would evolve without Europe.

Negotiations with Turkey should not, therefore, focus on accession but should explore the links that the EU can forge with its largest neighbours. Article 57 of the proposed constitution would allow the EU to negotiate privileged partnership agreements with its neighbours. Next month, the council of ministers should decide to open negotiations to establish a common area of economic prosperity and permanent structures for political co-operation, which would create just such a partnership between Turkey and the EU.

This is the kind of constructive and realistic attitude that would allow for progress. It would respond to Turkey's expectations without jeopardising the fragile construction of the EU, which has not yet adjusted to the institutional and budgetary consequences of the latest enlargement. This proposal should be actively supported by France to bring about a unanimous decision.

We have been concerning ourselves with Turkey a good deal recently. Is it not time to give more thought to Europe?

* The writer is former president of France and was president of the European Convention.

2. - AFP - "EU dampens Turkey's hopes for membership":

THE HAGUE / 24 November 2004

The European Union said on Wednesday that its member states will make their own decision on whether Turkey has fulfilled conditions to start membership talks despite a favourable view by the European Commission which had boosted Ankara's hopes.

Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, also urged Ankara to pass several outstanding reforms and stressed that the EU would be "very strict" in assessing Turkey's merits for ultimate membership.

"Member states are free to decide for themselves whether the Copenhagen criteria are fulfilled ... Member states are master of the field," Mr Bot told reporters after EU officials held talks here with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.

The October 6 report by the commission, which said Turkey had fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria and recommended the opening of accession talks, would serve only as a basis for the EU leaders' ultimate decision on December 17, Bot said.

His remarks followed comments by Gul, who argued that the favourable view of the commission, the EU executive arm, was the only condition set for the opening of accession talks with his country in an EU decision of 2002.

"Since the commission report is there and there is a clear-cut recommendation, it's our right to see all member countries honour their signatures," Gul said.

Wednesday's talks between Gul and the so-called EU "troika" - comprising the current Dutch presidency, the next one, Luxembourg, and the European Commission - was the last high-level meeting between the two sides before the crunch December 17 decision.

The EU side was represented also by Luxembourg's foreign minister Jean Asselborn, Dutch European Affairs Minister Atzo Nicolai and the EU's new enlargement chief Olli Rehn, who described Turkey's bid as " "ey priority" f the new commission.

Bot put pressure on Ankara to adopt and put into practice before December 17 six outstanding laws aimed at expanding the freedoms of non-Muslim foundations and civic associations and at improving judicial procedures.

He said the rights of non-Muslim minorities in Turkey remained "a reason of serious concern" for the EU. Gul responded with a pledge to resolve any outstanding problems.

Bot said that if EU leaders make a favourable decision on Turkey's bid, they would stick to their pledge to open the negotiations without delay "sometime in 2005." The talks are widely expected to last about 10 years.

Turkey's opponents, who maintain that the vast and relatively poor Muslim nation is not fit for EU membership, say Ankara should be given a special partnership status rather than full membership. Turkey has categorically rejected such a prospect.

While the British and German governments have expressed strong support for Ankara, another EU heavyweight - France - remains sceptical amid a deep rift among its leadership.

Bot said Wednesday that "it's up to Turkey to prove that it's able and willing to fulfil all the conditions for membership." He warned that "the EU will be very strict" in assessing Turkey's compliance with the bloc's norms before the country is allowed in.

Turkey has often complained that harder conditions are being set for its bid than for other candidates. It has been irked, for example, by several recommendations the European Commission made in its October report.

The document said that accession talks with Turkey would be open-ended and mentioned the possibility of permanently barring Turks from moving freely in the bloc. Another thorny issue is Ankara's refusal to acknowledge the internationally - recognized Greek Cypriot government of EU member Cyprus, which, for its part, has hinted it could use its veto power to block Turkey's bid. "We hope that the situation will be settled before we open negotiations," Bot said in reference to the Turkey-Cyprus row.

3. - AP - "Turkey Still Hasn't Stamped Out Torture":

ANKARA / 25 November 2004 / by Suzan Fraser

It seemed an obvious case of police brutality: a young man beaten senseless by officers in an argument over littering.

Yet it's the injured party, Kemal Yaradilmis, who has found himself in the dock, facing charges of disobedience, verbal abuse and threatening behavior.

"The case is turned upside down," said Kemal's mother, Sehriban Yaradilmis.

Under intense pressure from the European Union, Turkey has carried out dramatic rights reforms in recent years. But cases like that of Yaradilmis indicate the country has a long way to go before satisfying the prosperous bloc, which Turkey desperately wants to join.

While incidents of torture, the violation for which Turkey is most notorious, have fallen sharply, reports of police abuse and failure to enforce reformed laws remain common.

Last month the European Union took the historic step of recommending Turkey be put on the path to full EU membership. But the bloc attached stiff conditions to admission, specifically human rights reforms.

"Although torture is no longer systematic, numerous cases of ill-treatment, including torture, still continue to occur and further efforts will be required to eradicate such practices," an EU report said.

Turkey's independent Human Rights Association reported 692 cases of abuse in the first six months of 2004, down from 972 over the same period in 2003. In some cases, security officials suspended victims by their arms or used electric shocks on them.

Kemal's collision with police came when he tossed a cigarette butt on the pavement while walking past a police station.

An officer told him to pick it up and threatened to "make him eat it." When Kemal failed to obey, he found himself staring at the tip of a machine gun, his family and a human rights group say.

Kemal ran and the officers chased him, taking sticks from a hardware store along the way. They grabbed his 17-year-old brother Hasan, mistaking him for Kemal, the boys' mother said.

"One held me by my collar, while the other beat me with the sticks," said Hasan, whose arm was fractured. As he broke away, the officers fired three shots, which did not hit him.

Sehriban said police then raided their home, dragged Kemal out, and beat him in the street. He too suffered a broken arm, along with injuries to his head and other parts of his body, the Human Rights Association said.

The court rejected two attempts by the family to prosecute police saying the boys resisted arrest and police had used "necessary compulsory force," according to court papers.

The most egregious police brutality takes place behind bars, activists say.

Despite the reforms, there continue to be cases of prisoners being beaten, hosed down with pressurized cold water, threatened with death and deprived of sleep, said Umit Erkol, of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey.

The government declared "zero-tolerance" for torture in 2002. Among key initiatives, Turkey shortened pretrial detention; gave detainees wider access to lawyers; increased sentences for those convicted of torture or ill-treatment and abolishing laws that allowed such sentences to be suspended or commuted into fines.

The result has been a marked decrease in torture, but "that doesn't mean that the issue of torture has been resolved," said Selim Kalic, of the Ankara branch of the Human Rights Association.

In Kemal's case, which opened last week, police say the young man threatened police with a pocket knife and that four officers were injured trying to arrest him and his brother. Hasan faces trial in a special juvenile court, lawyer Ilke Isik said.

The family, meanwhile, says they will seek justice at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, if the boys are found guilty.

"I have to turn to Europe to get justice," Sehriban said. "Europe remains our only hope."

4. - Bianet - "Anti-Landmine Campaign in Kurdish Region":

It's estimated that at least 50 people, mostly women and children, have died or been wounded this year alone as a result of landmines and abandoned unexploded ordinances in Hakkari. Recently, two children and an adult were killed and three others wounded.

HAKKARI / 25 November 2004

A group of activists has launched a grassroots anti-landmine campaign in the mostly Kurdish populated southeastern part of Turkey where landmines and other abandoned explosives have killed hundreds of people since the beginning of the war in 1984.

"Women and children continue to die at an alarming rate because of explosives that were planted during the war," said Rojbin Tugan, spokeswoman for the Hakkari Anti-Landmine Awareness Campaign.

"Although clashes between Turkish security forces and PKK militants have subsided, the landmines still cast a dark shadow over our future."

Local hospital officials estimate that at least 50 people, mostly women and children, have died or been wounded this year alone as a result of landmines and abandoned unexploded ordinances in the Hakkari province.

Most recently, two children and an adult were killed and three others wounded in an explosion on October 5, 2004 in the Gelisen village of the Semdinli district in Hakkari, on October 5, 2004

"You cannot walk down the streets of Hakkari without seeing a child who has lost an arm or a leg to a landmine or a buried grenade," she said.

"Every week more children are maimed, adding to the toll of little innocent victims."

There are no known statistics or maps that show the number and locations of these planted and abandoned explosive devices. The group plans to conduct research to identify dangerous areas, keep statistics on casualties, and launch a public awareness campaign aimed at educating women and children on how to recognize and avoid dangerous places.

Adding to the urgency of the situation are the pending plans to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Kurds who were displaced during the war. The European Commission, in its October 6, 2004 report, urged Turkey to facilitate and expedite this process with international cooperation.

But unless there is an extensive survey and removal effort throughout the region, such a move could have devastating consequences, with the number of casualties from hidden bombs certain to increase when destroyed villages are repopulated, Tugan said.

The Hakkari Anti-Landmine Awareness Campaign is appealing to the Turkish government to heed the calls by the Commission, make good on its commitments under the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty and sign other relevant international conventions and make the necessary changes in the country's laws.

The group is also seeking aid, expertise and solidarity from local and international human rights activists and anti-landmine campaigners.

5. - Bianet - "Two Children and a Man Killed":

It was the most recent of frequent explosions in Hakkari, an area heavily polluted by anti-personnel landmines and other unexploded ordinances during the conflict between PKK guerrillas and Turkish security forces. The bombs are deemed a serious problem.

HAKKARI / 25 November 2004

An explosion killed two children and a man and wounded three more people on October 5, 2004 in what is known as "the Serhatkale Camp" near the Gelishen village of the Semdinli district of the Hakkari province.

Turkish government forces established the Serhatkale Camp in 1998 to combine five villages for security reasons. The population of the camp is 400 people living in 100 houses. It is impoverished.

The explosion occurred on a road in front of a house belonging to Mr. Bayram Aslan. An unexploded ordinance, believed to be a cannon shell lodged beneath the ground, caused the explosion.

Those killed were 12-year-old Selam Deren, 14-year old Hadi Yildiz and 24-year-old Bayram Aslan, all of whom died instantly. A three-year-old child, Sehriye Aslan, along with 60-year-old Ayse Aslan and 23-year-old Seyfi Güven, was wounded. The wounded were taken to the Hakkari State Hospital and are under treatment.

Except for Mr. Bayram Aslan, Mrs. Ayse Aslan and Sehriye Aslan, the casualties were from separate families and live in nearby houses. Their presence there was a coincidence. They were passing on the roadway used by all camp residents.

The loss of lives has created a deep sadness in the community, and increased the terror of abandoned unexploded ordinances and landmines. Many villagers say that they were afraid to go around the village for their daily tasks.

It was the most recent of frequent explosions in Hakkari, an area heavily polluted by anti-personnel landmines and other unexploded ordinances during the conflict between PKK guerrillas and Turkish security forces. The situation is a major concern to the region's residents. The bombs are deemed a serious problem because many internally displaced persons (IDP) are trying to return to their villages and normal lives.

These explosives must be surveyed and removed. As a first step, the areas that are suspected of being mined or having unexploded ordinances must be immediately marked with clear signs, understandable to area inhabitants, and entry to these locations must be banned.

Equally important is a public information campaign, in the language of the region, to create awareness among people about landmines. The approach to the language and style of the campaign is especially important, because many women and children in the area are illiterate and understand only Kurdish.

The use of new landmines must immediately end. After armed clashes, trained elements of security forces should be sent to the area to look for and remove any unexploded devices.

The ultimate goal needs to be complete elimination of such explosives. To that end, it is crucial that the government live up to its duties and responsibilities under the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty.

6. - Turkish Daily News - "Cyprus festering":

The countdown to the Dec. 17 summit brings an increase in EU pressure on Ankara to recognize the Greek Cypriot government before a decision on whether to open membership negotiations is made

ANKARA / 25 November 2004

Pressure on Turkey to acknowledge the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot administration, one of the 25 members of the European Union, became even stronger on Ankara yesterday when the union’s top officials told Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül that the issue must be settled before a critical summit in mid-December, which will decide whether to start accession talks.

“We said that the matter should be resolved before the summit,” Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, told a news conference in The Hague after an EU Troika meeting with Gül.
The EU Commission recommended on Oct. 6 to EU leaders that long-delayed accession talks with Turkey begin, as the country has sufficiently fulfilled the necessary criteria. The 25 EU leaders will decide whether to open the talks at a summit on Dec. 17.
Yesterday’s meeting with the Troika, comprising foreign ministers of the Netherlands and Luxembourg and the current and next term presidents of the EU as well as new Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, had special importance as it was the last high-level talks between Turkey and the EU ahead of the critical summit.

The Greek Cypriot leadership has hinted that it could use a veto against the opening of accession talks with Turkey at the December summit, although observers agreed this was unlikely. But non-recognition continues to be an irritant in Turkey’s EU bid.
Gül, when asked at the news conference whether Turkey would recognize the Greek Cypriot government if given a go-ahead to start the accession talks, said Ankara would continue to work for a solution but said this did not depend solely on Turkey, lamenting that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s reunification plan, which he said was the only way to solution, had failed because of a Greek Cypriot rejection in an April 24 referendum.

“Turkey did its best for the success of the plan,” he said.
In Ankara, however, leader of the Socialist group in the European Parliament aired a warning to Ankara on the Cyprus issue similar to that of Bot during a visit here.
Martin Schulz, whose Socialist group supports Turkey’s membership bid, pointed to complications in Turkey’s EU bid that could stem from not recognizing the Greek Cypriot administration. “The problem should be resolved by Dec. 17,” said Schulz in a media interview.
News reports said the United States, a supporter of Turkey’s membership, has also advised Ankara to extend recognition to Greek Cyprus ahead of the Dec. 17 summit, saying recognition or a strong sign to that effect would significantly boost Turkey’s prospects to get a positive decision for the opening of talks.
U.S. officials in Ankara, however, denied the report.
Turkey is unwilling vis-a-vis any recognition of the Greek Cypriot administration, awaiting instead steps from the international community to end the international isolation of the Turkish Cypriots after they voted in favor of a U.N. plan for reunification of the island in an April 24 referendum.

Talks after screening

Turkey is expected to get the green light to start accession talks at the December summit, but the timing still remains unclear, with France reportedly preferring them to begin in late 2005 or early 2006 but with others like Germany pushing for a closer date.
Both Bot and Enlargement Commissioner Rehn said a pre-talks screening period, aimed at checking the compatibility of Turkish regulations with those of the EU, was likely to precede formal membership talks, if the EU leaders agreed to open the talks in December. The accession talks would then start “without delay,” probably in summer of 2005, Bot said.

Ankara has initially opposed a screening, a process aimed at checking the compatibility of Turkish regulations with those of the EU, describing it a “pretext” to delay talks, but, having seen the European determination to go ahead with it, subsequently said it should not last more than three months so that accession talks can start in the first half of 2005.
Bot said such a process would be useful, and Rehn announced that the commission was ready to start the screening as soon as possible following a positive decision at the December summit.

Luxembourg, which will hold the EU presidency in the first half of 2005, is prepared to host initial screening talks starting in March, The Associated Press said. More formal negotiations would being during Britain's presidency, in the second half of the year.
The Troika also raised remaining expectations from Ankara in the run-up to the December summit and cited situation concerning rights of non-Muslim minorities in Turkey. “It continues to be a serious source of concern,” Bot said.
In a sign of widespread European misgivings about Turkish membership, the EU Commission said on Oct. 6 that the talks would be an open-ended process whose outcome cannot be guaranteed, rattling Ankara.
Gül, in a reference to the commission’s conditions, said he had told the EU Troika that some parts of the commission’s report required clarification. But the EU defended its proposal, with Rehn saying that the wording of the Oct. 6 report tipped the balance between concerns in Europe and Turkey’s expectations.