17 October 2001

1. "There can be no solution without Kurds", Ocalan stated that Kurds who have been excluded during the I. World War because their unreadiness have then attained a certain level of organization and strength at every area, adding the following: "Now everybody shows that the Kurds has gained strength. This time Kurds will not be sacrificed."

2. "Former minister Kinkel: 'Turkey's being an Islamic country doesn't affect its EU membership'", in a panel organized by the Liberal Turkish-German Union (LTD), former foreign minister of Germany Klaus Kinkel said that Turkey's being an Islamic country does not affect its membership to the European Union.

3. "Feeling September 11's Pain in Turkey", a near halt in tourism is dealing yet another blow to the country's already-struggling economy. Social unrest could be next.

4. "Cyprus divided over gay rights", the split between Greek and Turkish Cypriots may be an obstacle to EU membership but so is that between the Orthodox church and the gay community, writes Helena Smith.

5. "On wich side is Turkey?", columnist Mustafa Balbay writes on the recent US operation against Afghanistan.

6. "Nearly half of Turkish 2002 expenditures to cover interest payments", nearly half of Turkish 2002 expenditures, estimated at around 98,100 trillion liras (60.5 billion dollars, 66.9 billion euros), will go towards interest payments, government figures showed on Tuesday.

1. - Kurdish Observer - "There can be no solution without Kurds":

Ocalan stated that Kurds who have been excluded during the I. World War because their unreadiness have then attained a certain level of organization and strength at every area, adding the following: "Now everybody shows that the Kurds has gained strength. This time Kurds will not be sacrificed."

Osman Ocalan, member of PKK Council of Leaders, stated that Kurds have become an important force as far as political and military organization, international relationship and activities and culture are concerned, saying "For every aspect there are sufficiency. And this is valid both for our party and other parties."

Participated by telephone in the "Cozum" (Solution) program on MEDYA TV with politician Yasar Kaya and journalist Riza Erdogan participating as studio guests on the program, Ocalan talked about the latest political developments. Commending on the operation launched by USA against Afghanistan, Ocalan said "We face with a third world war having its own peculiarities." The Kurdish leader reminded that such a war was attempted against Kurdistan a few years ago, but thanks to peaceful strategy offered by PKK President Abdullah Ocalan, it was prevented.

Policies of the new period

Pointing out that as the world in general and the Middle East in particular was arranged during the I. World War Kurds were not ready due to various reasons, Ocalan added that now it is a reality that the Kurdish people is ready as far as all areas are concerned. Ocalan emphasized that Kurds are now organized militarily, politically, diplomatically, culturally, economically etc. The Kurdish leader continued with words to the effect: "Now everybody sees that the Kurd has gained strength. Therefore they are trying to establish friendship. USA, Russia and the Middle Eastern states appreciate it. We can say that they are trying to gain the Kurds to their sides. This time Kurds will not be sacrificed."

Peace among the Kurds

Ocalan stressed that the Kurdish political groups has agreed on the thought "even if there is no national peace, at least there should be no clashes" although from time to time some organizations provoke conflicts. He continued to say the following: "For the last ten months armed clashes could have been avoided. Our party does not want war. And the demand of other forces for a civil war has become weak. But still they do not have sufficient will to establish inner peace. We say that Kurds should establish inner peace exceeding the tendency not to war. Then we can say that Kurds will not be excluded during the re-arrangement of the region."

"Unreasonable"

Commending on the Kurdish policy of Turkey, Ocalan said the following: "A federal statue gained by Kurds in Iraq will be useful for Turkey. Opposing against the Kurdish people in both South and North is unreasonable. You thread the Southern forces every hour. It is meaningless to repress the Kurds in order to prevent them to gain a federal statue. The Southern Kurds are uncomfortable from this situation. Our proposal is not conflict with the Southern Kurds but an agreement on a democratic platform. The Northern Kurds are ready for a peaceful solution. And the interest of Turkey lies in the agreement with Kurds."

Logistic service

Attracting attention that it is a deception that Turkey has said "I succeed" in the war lasted 15 years, Ocalan stated that putting an end to the conflicts is dependent on the policies of their party. The Kurdish leader, reminding that it is not in interest of Turkey to enter into the war, added that if it was as so "powerful" and "successful" as it is said, the Turkish troops should not be used in the logistic service of USA.

2. - Turkish Daily News - "Former minister Kinkel: 'Turkey's being an Islamic country doesn't affect its EU membership'":

In a panel organized by the Liberal Turkish-German Union (LTD), former foreign minister of Germany Klaus Kinkel said that Turkey's being an Islamic country does not affect its membership to the European Union.

Kinkel, who attended the panel with Independent Democrat Party (FDP) candidate deputy Mehmet Daimaguler for the Oct. 21 elections in Berlin, said: "Turkey has given hope for years for the membership of the European Union. Turkey is a member of many European organizations which I can't count. The general idea during the Luxemburg summit was that Turkey was not ready for the membership. That's why we said "no." But I am pleased to see that the government which came after us has given Turkey the membership status."

Kinkel said that after giving Turkey the membership status, Turkey should be encouraged to make more reforms and continued: "I support the membership of Turkey to the European Union. Its membership will take some time because of some problems, but the train is on its way. There are many things to be done in Turkey about human rights and economics. Turkey also has to solve its problems with Cyprus and Greece."

Kinkel said that although they are not enough, he is pleased with the reforms in Turkey and said: "I think this is an important step. The terrorist acts of Sept. 11 increased Turkey's chance because it shows once more its strategic importance. The United States has always wanted Turkey to be a member of the European Union."

FDP Board of Directors member Daimaguler told that Europe won't be able to create a common security and defense policy without Turkey. Daimaguler also said that everybody understood that dialogue should be made with Islam after the Sept. 11 acts.

3. - The Businnes Week - "Feeling September 11's Pain in Turkey":

A near halt in tourism is dealing yet another blow to the country's already-struggling economy. Social unrest could be next

ISTANBUL / by Michael Kuser

Before the terrorist attacks of September 11, Turkey was on the cusp of an economic recovery -- or so many economists thought. Now, the tough times are set to continue. Tens of thousands of small companies are going out of business, and many more thousands of workers are losing their jobs. Middle-class people have been forced to withdraw their children from private schools and move into smaller apartments. Some have resorted to selling their cars in a depressed market in a desperate efforts to pay bills and cut expenses.

Turkey, now more than ever, is a key ally for the U.S. The only predominantly Muslim member of NATO, it's also one of America's staunchest supporters in the Middle East. In sharp contrast to fence-straddling Arab allies, Turkey long has allowed its Incirlik Air Force Base to be used by British and U.S. warplanes enforcing the no-fly zone over Northern Iraq and also lately as a staging area for the campaign against Afghanistan.

The first U.S. casualty was evacuated to Turkey from Uzbekistan, where he had been crushed between two army vehicles. The Turkish Parliament recently voted to allow Turkish troops to take part in the anti-terrorism campaign and to allow foreign troops to be based on its soil.

Economically, though, Turkey is fragile. Like Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and other U.S. allies, Ankara may need aid -- on top of an expensive International Monetary Fund bailout already in progress. Turkey's woes show just how costly and precarious President Bush's attempts to build an anti-terrorist coalition in the Middle East may be.

The country has weathered an almost unprecedented economic plunge since financial and political crises last November and this February. The Turkish lira lost half its value, foreign investors fled, government ministers resigned one after another in corruption scandals, and the IMF anted up aid that required a program of reform and recovery in return.

Still, the Turkish economy contracted by 8.4% in the first half of 2001. Turkish authorities already have told IMF officials they may need additional financing and have suggested delaying a $5.5 billion debt repayment scheduled for early next year.

Before the terrorist attacks in the U.S., Kemal Dervis, who was brought in from the World Bank to direct Turkey's economy, had predicted that industry would swing into positive growth in the fourth quarter, largely because tourism remained strong. Such optimism vanished in clouds of dust and blood in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania.

The new Ritz-Carlton Istanbul, which opened in a subdued ceremony on Oct. 6, reported a 90% drop in reservations through October and November. Now, with the strikes against Afghanistan under way, even fewer people can be expected to be planning holidays in the region. The Istanbul Stock Exchange 100 index dropped 31% in dollar terms in September. "Nothing looks good these days," lamented Exchange Chairman Osman Birsen at the Ritz opening.

Worries about social unrest are rising. The World Bank has just initiated a $500 million program designed to provide a safety net for Turkey's poorest people. Even in an affluent neighborhood on Istanbul's Asian side, along the chic shopping row of Baghdad Avenue, women clutch their handbags closer than ever as purse snatchings have become common. My Turkish mother-in-law told me of seeing a couple of young girls stealing a can of Coca-Cola from a café table as a third girl distracted the diners' attention.

Analysts estimate that Turkey's unemployment rate now stands at a punishing 12% -- and is rising. A position with a foreign company no longer guarantees higher wages and job security. With top multinationals slashing employment by thousands worldwide, managers in Istanbul are being called on to cut costs.

One woman at an Internet technology firm took a day off only to have a courier show up at her home with a letter from her boss saying she was fired. A friend at an advertising agency got the bad news by e-mail. A car dealer in Istanbul reduced his staff from 120 to 60, then to 30. He would now like to cut the number in half again, but he can't afford the severance pay mandated by law. He's struggling to avoid bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, the Turkish government is looking increasingly shaky, as the three-party governing coalition's popularity has plunged. A recent poll about Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, 76, found that 85% of those surveyed believe him to be mentally and physically unfit to serve. Ecevit, who totters in front of cameras, is obviously not well. He has held on to office throughout the year by arguing there's no one else to fill his post.

Turkey is in little danger of being taken over by Islamic radicals, as Afghanistan was. The majority of Turks love their secular republic and abhor anything like the Taliban or even more moderate Saudi-type Islamic fundamentalism. And the Turkish military has always had strong public support for opposing Islamic militants.

However, authorities fear the rising star of Tayyip Erdogan, the former Islamist mayor of Istanbul who served more than a year in jail for a speech inciting religious war against the secular state. The mix of Islam and politics has become a hot issue with Osama bin Laden taunting the U.S. from his hideout in the mountains of Central Asia.

The last Islamic party to come to power took only 20% of the votes, but that was more than any other party in Turkey's fractured political scene. The concern now is that widespread discontent with the ruling coalition may be an opening for another Islamic victory at the polls - and a greater role in Turkey's politics. Or the Turkish military may simply use the latest jitters as a pretext for a crackdown on Islamic politicians.

So, with American and British special forces on the ground in Afghanistan, bombs dropping, and missiles flying, no one in Istanbul can say when life might return to normal, whatever that is. A respected artist, Fahrettin Baykal, gave me a tour of his studio in Istanbul the other day, where two smudgy brown panels contrasted with light and airy works from earlier days. He's trying to work out his own horrified response to the World Trade Center attacks. The brown murk seems to show that he's having as hard a time as the rest of Turkey -- and the world.

4. - The Guardian - "Cyprus divided over gay rights":

The split between Greek and Turkish Cypriots may be an obstacle to EU membership but so is that between the Orthodox church and the gay community, writes Helena Smith

As Cyprus canters towards EU accession an obstacle has arisen that highlight the sort of social confrontation the profoundly conservative island looks set to confront in its otherwise problem-free odyssey towards Euroland.

Last week, an unassuming Dutch Euro MP drew attention to the unexpected pitfall by announcing her intention to vote against the war-torn island's EU accession unless it improves its appalling gay rights record.

Lousewies van der Laan said that, while Cyprus has pulled off the spectacular feat of fulfilling all of Brussels' gruelling political and economic criteria, it continued to discriminate, flagrantly, against homosexuals.

"I note with regret that not all applicant countries are ready for full equality of homosexuals," Van der Laan, vice-president of the European parliament's budgetary control committee, wrote in a letter to Cyprus' EU negotiating team. "But I do expect basic anti-discrimination laws to apply. Gay rights are human rights and as such are non-negotiable."

This battle shows every sign of intensifying in the run-up to the EU's anticipated embrace of the wealthy Mediterranean outpost in January 2004.

Girding himself for the fight, Archbishop Chrysostomos, the veteran primate of Cyprus' all-powerful Orthodox church, recently made an impassioned appeal to the popular holiday resort's womenfolk to "revolt against homosexuals".

"They are depraved sinners," snapped the spiritual leader who has also pledged to "personally excommunicate the perverts" if they refuse to repent their "unnatural acts ... You must stop them."

The octogenarian primate's outburst was quickly branded as nothing short of "unchristian" by critics who point to the various "colourful acts" that bearded clerics purportedly indulge in.

Only weeks ago, the church had to swallow the public humiliation of having a senior archimandrite defrocked for his role in a sex scandal. Across the Orthodox world accusations of homosexuality are also rife amongst men of the cloth.

But the European parliament, as Ms van der Laan has now revealed, is ill-prepared to be patient on the matter of securing rights for all minorities, including gays and lesbians.

In the next 18 months, Euro MPs are expected to lobby hard for Nicosia, the world's last divided capital, to further liberalise legislation for homosexuals.

They will press for the age of lawful sexual activity amongst consenting males to be lowered from 18 to 16 years, in line with heterosexuals; for gay marriage and partnership rights to be endorsed; and for the eradication of all inequality against gays in Cyprus' overwhelmingly traditional workplace.

"Homosexuals, here, are so terrified of "coming out" that they are forced to lead unhealthy double lives, usually with lots of different partners," sighs Alecos Modinos, a gay activist who forced Nicosia to decriminalize homosexuality in 1998 after resorting to the European court of human rights.

"The discrepancy in penalization is also very strong: if you're a gay man caught having underage sex you'll get five years in prison. If you're straight, three months. One has to ask what chance do gay and lesbians have in a country like this?"

As one of the last places in the world to openly discourage gay nightlife, most homosexuals invariably flee the island, which, ironically, has come to be appreciated as the free-for-all "new Ibiza" amongst straight ravers on the international party scene.

But the church, the island's richest organisation with factories, hotels and wineries to its name, has vowed to "stand firm".

To do otherwise, says the archbishop, unveiling his logic, would be to accept that one day the EU could "tell us all to be homosexuals" in order to join the 15-nation bloc.

Back in 1997, in the midst of the church's battle to prevent same-sex acts being legalised, Chrysostomos - whose name means "golden tongue" - told me: "Homosexuality is against God's law and therefore illegal. If it is legalised it will create a lot of problems and, like smoking, will become a dangerous habit. It will encourage perversion, it will taint children ... in order to save others, the church will be obliged to excommunicate those who refuse to repent. Otherwise, we will open the floodgates of sin."

A church spokesman said the most reverend's views "had not changed an iota."

Sunny Cyprus was one of the world's last countries to outlaw homosexuality with legislation that was adopted in 1889 when the island colony was still a pink dot on the map of the British empire. It only grudgingly voted to scrap the Victorian law under threat of censure from the Council of Europe.

On the continent, Romania remains the last country to still legally discriminate against gays.

In the 1990s progressive Cypriots looked on aghast at medieval scenes of black-clad priests and nuns converging on parliament to chant "this is the island of saints not homosexuals". This time around, clerics are promising "even bigger" demonstrations.

"By giving homosexuals these sort of rights, we'll automatically diminish the ability of the Greek Cypriot National Guard to defend our community," one priest claimed. Turkey invaded and seized the northern third of the island in 1974 after a brief Athens-inspired coup aimed at uniting the island and its Turkish minority with Greece.

"People, here, believe that all their problems will be solved with the EU," said one western diplomat.

"In fact, that's when they'll really begin. The gay issue is a classic example of the kind of problem all of the accession countries will face in exacting the sort of social reform that will harmonise them with the rest of Europe."

5. - Cumhurriyet - "On wich side is Turkey?":

Columnist Mustafa Balbay writes on the recent US operation against Afghanistan.

We are on the tenth day of the operation against Afghanistan. There is no change in Turkey's stance since September 11. However, as the background is continually changing certain differences may be seen in Turkey's approach. Turkey's stance can be summarized as: 'Terrorism is a universal problem. It does not have a religion, faith, politics or geography. Everyone with a little bit of commonsense should oppose it. We stand bythe US in their fight against terrorism.'

This is a correct statement. However we have to ask, if the US is now only fighting against terrorism, or laying the foundations of the new world balances to be established in the 21st century? Apparently, the second statement seems to prevail. In this case, Turkey has to question its place in the new balances to be established. Circles who are certain to consider the national interests of Turkey may not want to share all the aspects of their opinions with the society.

When we read between the lines of the statements made by officials, our policy seems to be thus: 'The US and Britain alliance has started the war. Let us take our place by their side. They will come out victorious and in the right. This will increase our importance. We have not been able to penetrate the Central Asian countries, could not influence them properly during the last ten years.

The US will help in this respect too.' However, is that so? We have to stress the fact that it is impossible to succeed by depending upon the victory of another country. Even if it may seem to be so, you can lose what you have gained any moment. You willl be left only with your own achievements. The September 11 process has displayed once more that Turkey is the only country who is a member to both NATO and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).

A negative aspect of this characteristic may be that the OIC may view us within the framework of NATO and perceive as the sub-contractor of the West and therefore exclude us. NATO may view Turkey as a country standing in awe of the OIC and say that the country has done what it can and that they do not need any more help from it.

They too may exclude us. Thus, we will be left without getting into either side's good graces.We willl be left with the damages incurred on our economy all by ourself. Turkey will be suspended by both sides. The US may see Turkey as a support in waiting, and the Arab countries view Turkey as a country not around the table but one that is suspended. Certainly, the opposite may also come true. We may exert both powers in right places and be on the agenda of both sides. However, we have not been able to see an information which will support the second assumption.

While thinking that it may take strides on the road to Central Asia with the US, Turkey also has to take Russia into account. In all of the Central Asian countries, the largest minority coming after the local population is Russian. All of them have Russian troops within their borders and Russians occupy the most critical posts. There are Russian ministers in most of the cabinets in these countries. If September 11 incident did not occur, Eurasia Cooperation Agreement would have been signed between Turkey and Russia at the end of September. According to the agreement, joint steps would be taken by both countries in the region.

The Agreement is expected to be signed this month. It is clear that September 11 attack has influenced this will. The region Turkey is in, seems like a gun which has three or four barrels pointed to different directions, with only one trigger. When it decides to fire, aiming at a direction, it finds out that one of the barrels is turned against her.

6. -AFP - "Nearly half of Turkish 2002 expenditures to cover interest payments":

ANKARA

Nearly half of Turkish 2002 expenditures, estimated at around 98,100 trillion liras (60.5 billion dollars, 66.9 billion euros), will go towards interest payments, government figures showed on Tuesday. The Turkish budget would show a deficit next year of 27,000 trillion liras, government spokesman Yilmaz Karakoyunlu said following a cabinet meeting.

He said 43,000 trillion liras in the budget were designated for interest payments. Turkey's domestic debt stood at around 100 billion dollars in August, according to treasury figures. Revenues, on the other hand, were expected to amount to 71.100 trillion liras (43.8 billion dollars), with about one billion dollars coming from privatization.

The draft budget was based on tight financial policies, Karakoyunlu said. Turkey hopes for additional aid from international donors to recover from a severe financial bottleneck which could worsen owing to economic fallout from the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.By the end of 2001, Turkey will have received a total of 15.7 billion dollars from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in support of a program of tight economic reforms.

Ankara and the IMF agreed on a program in May as a replacement for an earlier scheme that collapsed amid a severe financial turmoil in February. The crisis, which originated in the banking sector, sent the economy into one of the worst recessions in Turkey's modern history, causing a 8.5-percent contraction in the first half of the year. The draft budget was to be submitted to parliament on Wednesday.