6 June 2003

1. "Everybody knew that Ocalan would come to Greece“, the international conspiracy case in Athens continued with witnesses of the prosecution the other day. The statement of the pilot who had taken Ocalan to Greece saying that state officials had known they would come belied the official statement of the Greek state.

2. "Turkish business leaders press for EU-related reforms", Major business groups urged the government Friday to accelerate efforts to strengthen Turkey's democracy, warning that time was running out for the country to align with European Union norms.

3. "Banned Kurdish movement members form new party to struggle for rights", mnembers of a banned pro-Kurdish movement Friday announced the establishment of a new party to campaign for the rights of the troubled Kurdish minority in Turkey.

4. "Denktas: We won't give up KKTC", the veteran leader says the EU package for northern Cyprus is tantamount to asking the Turkish Cypriot people surrender to Greek Cypriot hegemony

5. "Fee rise by Kurds stops Iraq border traffic", high fees charged by Kurdish authorities on trucks crossing from Turkey into northern Iraq halted transport between the two countries last week.

6. "I Hope Turkey Blows the Last Kiss to EU'", a European Union parliamentarian from the Netherlands told an amusing anecdote about Turkey's relationship with the EU at an international seminar held yesterday at parliament. The seminar was focusing on the role of international parliaments in the ongoing process of the EU.

7. "Turkey changes policy towards south Kurdistan", the Turkish daily Hurriyet reported today that Turkey’s policy of "red lines" towards south Kurdistan, which meant threatening with intervention if the Kurds declared independence or took the Kurdish oil-rich cities of Kirkuk and Mosul, has changed.

8. "MEPs say Turkey does not yet meet conditions for EU accession negotiations", the European Parliament has praised the progress Turkey has made towards meeting the political criteria for EU membership, but insisted the conditions were not yet fulfilled to start accession negotiations.

1. - AFP - "Banned Kurdish movement members form new party to struggle for rights":

ANKARA / 6 June 2003

Members of a banned pro-Kurdish movement Friday announced the establishment of a new party to campaign for the rights of the troubled Kurdish minority in Turkey.

The Free Society Party "will aim at the resolution of the Kurdish question in line with democratic standards and Turkey's territorial integrity," the leader of the group, Ahmet Turan Demir, told AFP.

Demir and several other founders were members of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish movement, the People's Democratic Party (HADEP), which was banned in March for links with armed separatist Kurdish rebels. HADEP has denied any such links.

Demir said the Free Society Party will focus its struggle on the lifting of restrictions on Kurdish culture and the Kurdish language as part of a broader campaign to improve Turkish democracy. Turkey has long been under fire from the European Union, which it is seeking to join, for oppressing its Kurdish population.

Turkish authorities have often seen advocates of Kurdish freedoms as supporters of an armed Kurdish rebellion for self-rule in predominantly Kurdish southeast Turkey, which has claimed more than 36,500 lives since 1984.

Ankara has only recently begun to legalize Kurdish cultural freedoms as part of efforts to fall in line with standards in the EU. The Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) is the main Kurdish political movement in Turkey, but it also risks a ban in a pending case at the constitutional court on charges of links to Kurdish rebels and for falsifying documents to win the right to run in last year's general elections.

Standing on a joint platform, DEHAP and the now-defunct HADEP came first in 13 mainly Kurdish provinces, but they failed to win seats in parliament as their share of the national vote fell short of the 0-percent threshold required.

2. - AFP - "Turkish business leaders press for EU-related reforms":

ANKARA / 6 June 2003

Major business groups urged the government Friday to accelerate efforts to strengthen Turkey's democracy, warning that time was running out for the country to align with European Union norms.

"The required legal amendments should be completed speedily and be fully put into practice. We do not have a minute to waste," 13 leading Turkish business organizations said in a full-page open letter published in major newspapers.

The EU will assess Turkey's democratization progress in December 2004 before deciding whether to open accession talks with country, the sole candidate with a majority Muslim population, or keep it in the waiting room.

Turkey, which has a secular state, is the only country among the 13 EU hopefuls which has yet to start membership negotiations. The business groups urged the government to pass through parliament as soon as possible a new set of planned reforms, which aims mainly at expanding the rights of the Kurdish minority, freedom of expression and religious liberties.

The bill, if approved, would allow private broadcasters to air programs in the Kurdish language and lift restrictions on the country's largest minority giving their children ethnic names. The draft also scraps an infamous article on "propagating separatism", which has been widely used to jail advocates of Kurdish rights.

Even though the Turkish army, which wields significant influence in politics, is officially in favor of the country's EU membership bid, some generals are said to be opposed to certain of the propesed reforms on the grounds that they could play into the hands of Kurdish separatists and radical Islamists.

"We cannot build our future on the basis of prejudices, fears and worries. If we wish to create a modern Turkey, we should continue to determinedly take bold steps to catch up with changing conditions in the world," the business groups said.

Since last year, the country has adopted a series of far-reaching reforms, but the enforcement of the new laws has been slow, and judicial and administrative authorities have come under fire for resisting their proper implementation.

3. - Kurdish Observer - „Everybody knew that Ocalan would come to Greece“:

The international conspiracy case in Athens continued with witnesses of the prosecution the other day. The statement of the pilot who had taken Ocalan to Greece saying that state officials had known they would come belied the official statement of the Greek state.

ATHENS/MHA / 5 June 2003 / by Zafer Xani

The case of KADEK President Abdullah Ocalan in Athens continued with the hearing of pilot Andres Mihas who had taken him to Greece, policemen in charge at the airport Paralanbos Ciyekcanis and Yanis Saradopulos, and control official Panagiotis Papaioannu. The witnesses emphasized that Ocalan’s enter to Greece was not hindered though it was known and that the case had no legal support that he entered the country illegally.

Policemen said that they had not known anything and there had been no problem about Ocalan’s passport. “We did not have to do anything as there was no ban. We controlled his passport and he went to VIP saloon,” said the policemen. And the pilot said, “Nobody said anything. Nobody made an explanation but they knew our coming.”

On the other hand Panayotis Papayohannu stated that there had been no flight ban on the plane that took Ocalan to Greece. “There are numbers in front of and back of the plane allowing to be recognized. If there is a ban for a certain plane, it is reported to the control center. There were no such report for the plane that took Ocalan to Greece,” said the control official.

They knew it

Ocalan’s lawyer Teodors Teodorplos reminded that Greek Intelligence Service EYP Chairman Charalambos Stavrakakis had known that Ocalan would come to Greece. “Mr Ocalan was taken from Russia by retired admiral Antonios Naxakis. And it was known by EYP. Though Mr Ocalan came to the country legally, it is claimed that he entered illegally. But the state knew it,” said the lawyer.

The case was adjourned to Friday in order to hear the witnesses Angeliki Andiriayonopulu, Nicolaus Kufudakis Eleni Navradoni, Dimitrios Kongulis, Panayottis Girigoriyu, Yuhannis Adamidis, Emanoil Prangiyadakis.

4. - Turkish Daily News - "Denktas: We won't give up KKTC":

The veteran leader says the EU package for northern Cyprus is tantamount to asking the Turkish Cypriot people surrender to Greek Cypriot hegemony

5 June 2003

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas expressed dissatisfaction Wednesday with a European Union plan proposed by Brussels on Tuesday in a bid to promote economic development and European integration in the northern part of Cyprus.

"We will never give up the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," he said.

Denktas said the EU package could not be acceptable for the Turkish Cypriot people unless it was substantially improved in a manner to conform with the realities of the eastern Mediterranean island.

"As it stands, the package is nothing but continuation of an attempt to bring us under a Greek hat," said Denktas.

The veteran Turkish Cypriot leader said he received Tuesday Andrean Van der Meer, the EU representative for the island, and asked him some heart of the matter questions regarding the EU package for north Cyprus.

"If we are required to make exports through the Greek Cypriot ports, with the permission of the Greek Cypriot administration. This is no openning, no help to us. This will be nothing but continuation of an effort to bring us under a Greek hat. If that is so, this means in order to end the embargo which was imposed on us 40 years ago because we told Greek Cypriots 'You are not the government of entire Cyprus' now we will have to concede that they are the government, or we will accept so without declaring it so... This is unacceptable," he said.

Denktas said he explained all those points to the EU envoy and was now waiting for an official reply before making any further comment on the issue.

But, he underlined that instead of telling Turkish Cypriots they would need to get documents of origin from the Greek Cypriot authorities in order to be able to make exports, the EU could assign some personnel in northern Cyprus who would issue such documents on behalf of the EU.

He said EU officials have told him that such a practice was impossible and the EU would extend a hand to Turkish Cypriots through the "recognized government of Cyprus." He said if that was the answer of the EU, Brussels must know that a hand extended to Turkish Cypriots through Greek Cypriots cannot pass into the north from the Ledra Palace checkpoint at the Nicosia buffer zone.

Greek Cypriot Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides was quoted by the Cyprus Mail as saying that the measures would be implemented in accordance with special arrangements with his government. Regarding the ambiguity of the Commission's report on ports of exit, Chrysostomides insisted that it goes without saying that Turkish Cypriot products would only be exported through the "legal ports" of the island, that is through the ports administered by Greek Cypriots.

The EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Guenther Verheugen, commented on the Commission's decision, saying, "There is a window of opportunity for a united Cyprus joining the EU by May 1, 2004."

He highlighted the Commission's readiness to assist in further efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem on the basis of the U.N. plan, which remains on the table. Denktas, on the other hand, told reporters in northern Nicosia, "You see, on my table there are some documents, the Holy Koran, but no Annan plan."

The European Commission offer consists of financial aid to the north worth 12 million euros and the easing of trade restrictions between the two parts of the eastern Mediterranean island and the rest of the European Union.

The Commission said the package of measures provides "a strong political signal of support to the Turkish Cypriot community". The package is designed to assist the north until Cyprus becomes a full member state of the EU in May 2004, after which alterations and extensions will have to be adopted. In the event of a settlement, the EU pledges a further 206 million euros to support the northern part of the island between 2004 and 2006.

The package separates aid into two areas: nine million euros for economic development, implemented through the United Nations Development Programme, and three million euros aimed at bringing Turkish Cypriots closer to the EU.

The first part is divided into: Six million euros on improvements in Nicosia, Famagusta and Kyrenia, focusing on wastewater, drinking water, sewage or rehabilitation issues and preservation of their historical heritage; two million euros in support for small and medium-sized enterprises through grant schemes and technical assistance already built on in previous bi-communal projects; and one million euros on feasibility studies to prepare the north for economic integration after a solution.

On European integration, the EU is giving 1.5 million euros to Civil Society (non-governmental organisations), half a million to trade unions by building on existing bi-communal projects, and one million euros to provide a number of seminars on the acquis communautaire, meetings with EU officials and visits to the institutions.

Concerning trade promotion pending EU accession and a Cyprus solution, the Commission proposes that the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce be given the authority to issue movement certificates for Turkish Cypriot goods. However, this is given on condition that the exporter agrees to submit any supporting evidence which may be required and accepts any inspection of the goods carried out "in the presence of the appropriate authorities." Regarding agricultural products, additional certificates are required to be issued by the "appropriate authorities."

In order to comply with EU directives on the origin of agricultural products and the absence of harmful organisms at the place of production, the Commission allocates responsibility to the EC-Cyprus Association Council which will adopt a decision on official definitions and methods of administrative co-operation.

5. - The Financial Times - "Fee rise by Kurds stops Iraq border traffic":

BAGHDAD/New York / 6 June 2003 / by
Charles Clover and Mark Turner

High fees charged by Kurdish authorities on trucks crossing from Turkey into northern Iraq halted transport between the two countries last week.

The incident underlined the extent to which the northern Kurdish enclave has been left to run its own affairs since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

The bottleneck briefly halted food shipments by the United Nations World Food Programme and was solved only after UN officials convinced local government officials to lower the fees.

Kurdish authorities have long been collecting fees from truckers at a border crossing point at Zakho, averaging $30 (&euro26, £18) a truck. A recent four-fold appreciation in the Kurdish dinar caused the fee to increase to $120-$150. Last Sunday, Turkish truck drivers refused to pay, clogging traffic at the crossing.

In spite of the UN Security Council resolution that named the US and UK as occupying powers in Iraq, the US-led Coalition Provisional Administration played little or no role in resolving the dispute, said a UN official in Arbil. "They [the Kurds] are running their own affairs here with little or no interference from the coalition," he said.

After meeting UN officials on Monday, the local government in Dohuk province agreed to lower the fee to $20, payable in dollars. Within days, traffic was "back to normal", according to the WFP.

The border crossing has been a lucrative business for the Kurdish enclave since it gained autonomy under unofficial US protection following the 1991 Gulf war.

The fee crisis raises the question of how the Kurdish enclave, which has enjoyed an economic boom for its 10 years of relative independence from Baghdad, is going to be fit back into an Iraqi state. Coalition officials have declared they would be implementing a "tariff holiday" on Iraqi trade, which seems to contradict efforts by the Kurdish administration to tax trade revenues.

A senior coalition official would not comment beyond saying: "They say the fees are intended to cover the costs of running the border, which is something we have taken note of."

Kurds regard with trepidation the allied attempts to bring their region back under Baghdad's control. But coalition officials are eager not to repeat the experience of Afghanistan, which following US liberation from the Taliban, has slid into semi-independent fiefdoms ruled by warlords, who tax vehicle traffic and resist central control.

6. - Zaman (Turkey) - "I Hope Turkey Blows the Last Kiss to EU'":

ANKARA / 5 June 2003

A European Union parliamentarian from the Netherlands told an amusing anecdote about Turkey's relationship with the EU at an international seminar held yesterday at parliament. The seminar was focusing on the role of international parliaments in the ongoing process of the EU.

Eppo Jansen, the former head of the Dutch Information Office of the European Parliament, characterized the relationship between the EU and Turkey in a story about a frog that wants a golf player to kiss him so he can be transformed into a beautiful princess. Jansen said, "I hope Turkey blows the last kiss to Europe and beautifies it." Jansen explained that the EU was not perfect but said it was a good project that brought to mind the fact that countries that had fought against each other in the 1940s were now joined together in unity.

Jansen then recounted his tale: "Two friends were playing golf. While at the first hole, a frog came up to them and to the more handsome one said: 'I'm a princess who has been put under a spell. If you kiss me, I will change into a beautiful princess and will be your wife forever.' The golfers didn't pay attention to his words. When they were at the seventh hole, the frog appeared again and repeated the same thing. Getting annoyed with this, the golfer took the frog and put it in his pocket, but the frog kept moving around in his pocket. He said angrily, 'Please -- you have to kiss me, and I will be your wife forever.' The man went on without paying him any heed. The frog said the same thing yet again, upon which the man couldn't take it any more and said: 'Hush! I'm already married. I'd rather talk to a frog than to a beautiful princess.' You may have the same kind of feelings towards Europe; however the unification of Europe, the reduction in number of national countries is really a miracle. I hope Turkey will help Europe on that matter."

Meanwhile, Luigi Narborne, counsel to the Turkey Representation to the EU Commission, pointed out that important things were being done on the issue of Turkey's adaptation to the EU. Pointing out that much distance had been covered, Narborne explained that the implementation of the laws concerning the reforms was much more important than the passed laws themselves.

7. - KurdishMedia - "Turkey changes policy towards south Kurdistan":

LONDON / 5 June 2003 / by Welat Lezgin

The Turkish daily Hurriyet reported today that Turkey’s policy of "red lines" towards south Kurdistan, which meant threatening with intervention if the Kurds declared independence or took the Kurdish oil-rich cities of Kirkuk and Mosul, has changed.

According to right-wing Turkish daily Hurriyet, which has close links to Turkey’s bureaucracy and military, Ankara is reviewing her strategy towards south Kurdistan after the conditions in the region have changed considerably after the Iraq war. The new policy was mostly shaped after the visit of a Foreign Ministry delegation to Iraq, Hurriyet wrote. Thus the new policy as reported by Hurriyet is as follows:

- The policy will include not only south Kurdistan but also Iraq as a whole. The image that Turkey’s policy is based on security worries in south Kurdistan will be removed.

- The new policy foresaw a more flexible stance towards Kurds in south Kurdistan rather than strict red lines. A warmer and sincere policy will be carried out with Kurds and the worry about a likely intervention of Turkey in the region will be removed. One of the targets will be to boost trade relations and economic collaboration with south Kurdistan. However, the position against the foundation of a Kurdish State in south Kurdistan will be maintained.

- Turkey will resume warm relations with Turkmens in Iraq, but actions that shall pave way for the impression that “Turkmens are the 5th arm of Turkey in Iraq” will be avoided.

8. - EurActiv.com - "MEPs say Turkey does not yet meet conditions for EU accession negotiations":

6 June 2003

The European Parliament has praised the progress Turkey has made towards meeting the political criteria for EU membership, but insisted the conditions were not yet fulfilled to start accession negotiations.

The report on Turkey's application for EU membership, adopted by the European Parliament on 5 June, is particularly critical over the army’s "excessive role", which is slowing down its "development towards a democratic and pluralist system". The MEPs call for the abolishment of the National Security Council in its current form and position, and for military representatives to withdraw from civilian bodies, such as the high council on education and the audiovisual media.

The report calls for comprehensive state reform and urges the Turkish government to set up a new political and constitutional system which guarantees the principles of a secular state. The report further insists that a new Turkish constitution should be based on European democratic foundations, with proper respect for human rights and the rights of individuals and minorities. It also underlines the need for Turkey to respect minority languages and religions and to build a more constructive relationship with its 12 million strong Kurdish minority.

The Parliament urges Turkey to withdraw its troops from Cyprus and facilitate the island's reunification.

The EU will reexamine Turkey's membership application in December 2004 and is ready to open accession negotiations with Ankara if it meets the Copenhagen political criteria by then.

VOTE: Turkey's progress towards accession to the EU

Report on Turkey's application for membership of the European Union

The European Parliament welcomed the progress Turkey has made towards fulfilling the political criteria for EU membership but said that the conditions for the opening of accession negotiations were not yet in place. In adopting this resolution, MEPs stressed the need for comprehensive state reform and called on the Turkish government to set up a new political and constitutional system which guarantees the principles of a secular system as well as civilian control over the military.

MEPs voiced concern over the army’s "excessive role" in Turkey, which was seen as slowing down its ”development towards a democratic and pluralist system”. They said the National Security Council should in the long term be abolished in its current form and position, while military representatives should withdraw from civilian bodies such as the high council on education and the audiovisual media. The Turkish parliament should have full control over the military budget.

Parliament denies that the Judaeo-Christian and humanist culture of Europe is a prerequisite for EU membership but insists on respect for its ”universal values of democracy, the rule of law, human and minority rights and freedoms of religions and conscience”. It also calls for a relaxed attitude to Islam and to religion in general.

A new Turkish constitution should be based on European democratic foundations, with proper respect for human rights and the rights of individuals and minorities, said Parliament, which therefore welcomed Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's intention to establish a new constitution. MEPs also said the electoral system should ensure that the parliament is fully representative. Turkey should respect minority languages and religions and it should, in particular, build a more relaxed and constructive relationship with its citizens of Kurdish origin.

Going into more detail, Parliament called for a fair retrial and the immediate release of MPs from the former DEP party, including Sakharov Prize winner Leyla Zana; for the revision of the decision by the Turkish Constitutional Court to ban HADEP; for genuine access to legal aid for all prisoners; and for energetic measures to eradicate torture and implement international standards for prisons. Effective access should be ensured for all citizens, irrespective of their origin, to radio and television broadcasting and education in Kurdish and other non-Turkish languages. Also, the Turkish authorities should facilitate the work of non-governmental organisations such as Caritas by granting them legal status. MEPs expressed deep concern over reports of women in detention, especially Kurdish women and political dissidents, being subject to frequent rape by state security agents.

On external relations, MEPs urged Turkey to withdraw its troops from northern Cyprus thus paving the way for the reunification of the island and to promote good neighbourliness with Armenia. Turkey must co-operate with its neighbouring countries Iran, Syria and Iraq in order to safeguard its borders while enabling citizens of Kurdish origin in the different countries to develop their human, cultural and economic relations.

Hurriyet also wrote that Turkey’s Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal will inform the U.S. about the new policy of Turkey, during his visit to Washington this weekend.