20 November 2006

1. "Kurdish guerillas dismiss Iraqi threats to 'finish' them in a year", Guerilla commander Sayda Hussein Afshin dismissed the minister's statements.

2. "Six Kurdish rebels, soldier killed in Turkey clashes", six Kurdish rebels and a soldier died in clashes in southeast Turkey as the army pursued militants despite a ceasefire the rebels called last month, military sources said Friday.

3. "PKK and Iraqi Kurds are 'one and the same,' Turk military believes", Turkish military officials lose faith in tripartite anti-PKK process.

4. "Patriarch warns Turks against pope 'incidents'", the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians cautioned Turks in an interview published Sunday against creating potential "unpleasant incidents" during Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming trip to Turkey.

5. "Turkey's bid to join the EU likely will be put on hold", as anti-Western sentiment builds, Europeans have soured on the idea.

6. "Pro-Kurdish politician is a favorite in French elections", French Socialist Party (PS) candidate for the presidential elections Segolene Royal was once Leyla Zana’s lawyer and had a close relationship with her reported the Turkish news paper Zaman.

1. - AFP - "Kurdish guerillas dismiss Iraqi threats to 'finish' them in a year":

KURTAK / 19 November 2006

The explosion reverberated across the mountain valley after the rocket-propelled grenade crashed into the hilltop, immediately followed by the staccato of a light machine gun.

From the base of the hill, Kurdish fighters gradually crept upwards, before flinging grenades and storming the crest, the echoes of gunfire and explosions filling the peaceful valley high in the northern Iraqi mountains near the Iranian border.

The "assault" was really just an exercise for these guerrillas from the Kurdistan Workers Party at one of their bases in the Qandil mountains. But it all may become very real if the Iraqi government carries out a promise made to Turkish government to "finish" the PKK in less than a year.

"It's time this problem was resolved," Minister of State for National Security Shirwan al-Waili told the Turkish daily Al-Zaman.

"It is not going to take long this time. We are going to finish the PKK in less than a year."

In his stone hut on a mountain side, guerilla commander Sayda Hussein Afshin dismissed the minister's statements.

"He's just being political, and is lying both to the Turks and to himself," he said. "We are not afraid. In any case there are always possibilities of attacks in every part of Kurdistan, from all four sides."

"We are always preparing ourselves."

At first glance, though, it is difficult to see how this unit of a few dozen men is going to stand up to a concerted Iraqi attempt to retake their mountain fastness.

To conserve ammunition for the exercise they loaded their weapons with older bullets, causing many to jam during the hilltop assault, and at least one RPG round misfired.

It is hard to believe that this movement has survived the concerted assaults of the Turkish military, armed with modern helicopters and artillery, since launching a guerilla war for an independent Kurdish homeland in 1984.

Sozdar Serbiliz is commander of the camp's women fighters, who make up half the force. She maintains that their guerrilla tactics and ideology allow them to compete with modern armies.

"Our goal isn't to destroy other armies. We are trying to unify the Kurdish people and protect them," she said sipping tea following a session to critique the exercise. "We are not going to have a separate state."

She said the goal was to fight for the Kurds everywhere, not just in Turkey, to have the right to freedom of thought and express their Kurdish identity.

"We don't want war," said the hardened 25-year-old guerrilla who has been fighting Turks for the past decade. "The problem is that all four states attack the Kurds and they don't accept our identity."

The PKK has fought for self-rule in mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey since 1984 in a conflict that has claimed more than 37,000 lives.

Ankara has frequently threatened to intervene militarily at the Iraqi border against PKK camps if Baghdad and Washington failed to rein in the rebel group.

Thousands of PKK members have settled in northern Iraq's Kurdistan since 1999, when the group declared a ceasefire after the arrest of their chief, Abdullah Ocalan, who is serving a life prison sentence.

The group declared a unilateral ceasefire with Turkey in September.

2. - AFP - "Six Kurdish rebels, soldier killed in Turkey clashes":

DIYARBAKIR / 17 November 2006

Six Kurdish rebels and a soldier died in clashes in southeast Turkey as the army pursued militants despite a ceasefire the rebels called last month, military sources said Friday.

Fighting erupted Thursday in a mountainous area in Bingol province after the army launched an operation against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to thwart "winter positioning" preparations, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

They said six soldiers were wounded, three by gunfire and the others in the explosion of a landmine planted by the rebels.

Security forces destroyed several militant hideouts and the operation is continuing, the sources said.

The Bingol governor's office reported fighting in the region Thursday evening, but said there were no casualties.

The PKK called a unilateral ceasefire on October 1 in what it described as an effort for a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish conflict.

But the truce, like previous ones called by the group, was rejected by Turkey, although fighting has markedly decreased since then.

More than 37,000 people have been killed since the PKK took up arms in 1984 for self-rule in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast.

3. - Turkish Daily News - "PKK and Iraqi Kurds are 'one and the same,' Turk military believes"::

Turkish military officials lose faith in tripartite anti-PKK process

WASHINGTON / 19 November 2006 / by Umit Enginsoy

Washington has been promoting a tripartite cooperation among the United States, Turkey and Iraq for countering the Kurdistan Workers Party's (PKK) presence in northern Iraq, and a prominent retired American general, a former NATO supreme commander, is leading efforts to facilitate this three-party mechanism.

But having observed how the nearly three-month-old process has evolved, Turkey's military believes that the whole game plan lacks one critical element: Iraqi Kurdish cooperation.

The only practical outcome achieved in the process is an Iraq- Kurdish-brokered ceasefire announcement by the PKK, also tacitly backed by U.S. officials as an initial step to reduce tensions.

But the truce is merely a tactical move mainly enforced by the beginning of harsh winter conditions in areas in southeastern Turkey where the PKK has been operating, and has nothing to do with good will, according to the Turkish military.

The Turkish military says the PKK must leave arms unconditionally and that it will continue with its fight "until no terrorist has been left in the mountains." Accordingly, it says the PKK's ceasefire is meaningless.

"The PKK had to stop fighting anyway because of the winter, but the PKK, backed by Iraqi Kurds, are acting as if this were a major political decision, not a move dictated by a practical necessity. Of course, we don't take it seriously," says one official. "The PKK is waiting for the spring to resume its armed attacks. And as long as we don't eliminate the PKK's presence in northern Iraq, the problem will remain in place."

In talks with U.S. officials, the Turkish military emphasizes that the PKK and Iraqi Kurds are "one and the same."

Iraqi Kurds publicly say that they see the PKK as a nuisance, but rule out military action against the group. They say the PKK problem needs to be removed through a political reform process inside Turkey.

The Americans say they lack the means for anti-PKK military action, and are extremely reluctant to resort to force, believing that such moves will disrupt stability in the Kurdish-controlled north, Iraq's only area that remains relatively calm.

But the Turkish military says that PKK has the Iraqi Kurdish leadership's full backing. Iraqi Kurds still continue to provide the PKK with arms and logistical support, it says.

One concrete example is a recent one-hour speech by Murat Karayilan, a top PKK leader, on a television station controlled by the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani.

Turkey also says that the PKK has taken over some weapons donated by U.S. forces to Iraqi Kurds.

Retired U.S. general Joseph Ralston, the former NATO commander, has visited the region twice since after his appointment as Washington's special envoy for countering the PKK in late August. He has held separate talks with Turkish and Iraqi officials.

But the trilateral anti-PKK process is faltering. The three sides have failed to meet even once because of a representation problem.

In addition to the United States, Turkey and Iraq also have appointed one official both as special anti-PKK envoy. But the U.S. and Iraqi Kurdish plan is to have an Iraqi Kurd as deputy envoy in Iraq's team. However, the Turks refuse to work with this Iraqi Kurd, seeing him virtually on the PKK's side. Turkey instead wants pressure on Iraqi Kurds.

As a result of a lack of tangible progress with the exception of what the Turkish military sees as a "fake PKK ceasefire," the Turkish General Staff has lost its faith in the tripartite process led by Ralston. The military says it is not part of the process, and that Ankara's civilian government runs the program on behalf of Turkey.

Turkey's military also is disappointed by the U.S. position. One senior military official in Ralston's team recently was quoted as telling a closed session at a Washington think tank that "Turkey should positively respond to the PKK's ceasefire."

In July, Turkey warned that it might resort to unilateral military action against PKK bases in northern Iraq after armed attacks killed scores of Turkish security force members. Staunchly opposed to such Turkish intervention, the United States then promoted the tripartite mechanism and appointed Ralston.

But Turkey's military now views Ralston as a symbolic figure only, trying to continue to lead a failing process.

4. - AP - "Patriarch warns Turks against pope 'incidents'":

ANKARA / 19 November 2006

The spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians cautioned Turks in an interview published Sunday against creating potential "unpleasant incidents" during Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming trip to Turkey.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said in an interview in the Sabah newspaper that the pope's Nov. 28-Dec. 1 trip was a great opportunity for Turkey, and he would tell the pontiff that the country belonged in the European Union, which Ankara has long sought to join.

The pope's visit to Turkey was born out of Benedict's desire to meet Bartholomew, who has his headquarters in Istanbul, once ancient Constantinople. The pontiff has been trying to foster better relations between the Orthodox and Catholics, and will meet privately with Bartholomew on Nov. 29.

Turkish authorities have said they expect protests against the pope, who angered Muslims by a speech he made in September in which he quoted a Byzantine emperor's remarks about Islam and violence.

On Sunday, more a dozen nationalists unfurled anti-pope banners during a conservative nationalist party rally in Istanbul.

"We don't want the pope in Turkey," read one banner; another depicted Bartholomew -- a divisive figure in Turkey -- and Benedict as the heads of a twin-headed snake.

Benedict has expressed regret that his remarks on Muslims had caused offense, and has stressed they did not reflect his personal opinion. He has also expressed esteem for Islam.

Bartholomew cautioned that if protests turn violent, they could cause problems for Turkey ahead of a critical EU summit in mid-December, where the EU leaders will judge Ankara's progress for membership.

"The pope has a say in all Catholic countries," Bartholomew told Sabah. "If there are psychologically unpleasant incidents, then this would be an issue in Brussels in December. Even if not at the official level, they would talk about it between themselves."

Bartholomew, however, said he would tell the pontiff that "it is not wrong for Turkey to become a member of the EU as a Muslim country because it would bring mutual richness."

"The EU should not remain as a Christian club," daily Sabah quoted Bartholomew as saying.

Bartholomew, a Turkish citizen, said the pope's trip was a great opportunity for Turkey.

"If it used badly, it would be harmful for Turkey's image," Bartholomew said. "While aspiring to be a member of the EU, we should avoid such an image."

Bartholomew, meanwhile, insisted that Turkey should reopen a Greek Orthodox theology school shut down 35 years ago.

Turkey has been resisting pressure from the EU to reopen the Halki Theological School on Heybeliada Island near Istanbul, which was closed to new students in 1971 under a law that put religious and military training under state control.

"As Turkish citizens, we pay tax, we serve in the military, we vote and we want the same rights. But it does not happen," Bartholomew said. "If Muslims want to study theology, there are 24 theology faculties. Where are we going to study?"

The seminary trained generations of Greek Orthodox leaders, including Bartholomew. Turkey does not recognize his international role and rejects his use of the title "ecumenical," or universal. It argues instead that the patriarch is merely the spiritual leader of Istanbul's dwindling Orthodox community.

"We've have this title since the 6th century. The word of ecumenical has no political content. This title is the only thing that I insist on, I will never renounce this title," Bartholomew said.

The Orthodox school issue is likely to attract attention during the papal trip.

The patriarchate in Istanbul dates from the 1,100-year-old Orthodox Greek Byzantine Empire, which collapsed when Muslim Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, today's Istanbul, in 1453.

Benedict will also meet with Turkey's president and the deputy premier, as well as the head of the country's religious affairs, a top Islamic cleric.

5. - Los Angeles Times - "Turkey's bid to join the EU likely will be put on hold":

As anti-Western sentiment builds, Europeans have soured on the idea

ANKARA / 18 November 2006 / by Tracy Wilkinson

They're calling it a train crash here, the seemingly inevitable collision between this huge Muslim nation and the Europe it has courted for years.

People gauging Turkey's once-promising program of reforms, aimed at modernizing its democracy and facilitating membership in the European Union, see a troubled landscape: Turkish writers, journalists and even a 93-year-old academic are hauled into court on charges they insulted their country. Military commanders known for staging coups make veiled threats.

Anti-Western nationalism is on the rise, conservative Islam is spreading and public opinion in favor of joining the EU has plummeted to an all-time low.

At the same time, many people in Europe have soured on the prospect of welcoming a poor, officially Muslim country of 70 million people to their 25-nation club.

On Nov. 8, the EU issued its annual progress report. It sharply criticized Turkey as failing to sufficiently improve human rights, freedom of speech, cultural rights for minority Kurds and civilian control over the military.

It seems likely that Turkey's EU bid will be put on hold — not formally suspended but frozen for possibly as long as a year. The danger, diplomats say, is the difficulty in reviving a complex membership drive after such a long hiatus.

The consequences are potentially dire for Washington and the West, not to mention Ankara. A breakdown further could strain relations between the West and the Muslim world, ending for now Turkey's perceived role as bridge between the two civilizations.

It was precisely that status that made a partnership with Turkey so appealing to Western nations.

"We will have turbulence here in Turkey, undoubtedly, but the EU will not go away unscathed," said Soli Ozel, a specialist in international relations at Istanbul's Bilgi University.

After an exhilarating start, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slowed the pace of reform, in part because of presidential and parliamentary elections next year. Aides say he is reluctant to further provoke secular nationalists, who are at once suspicious of his Islamist leanings and fearful that concessions his administration has made to the EU will erode Turkey's sovereignty.

The EU is most sharply critical of Article 301 of Turkey's penal code, a provision enacted last year and used by a group of ultranationalist lawyers to prosecute dozens of writers and academics deemed to have "denigrated" Turkish national identity or the state. Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk was among those targeted.

Erdogan last week invited a group of activists to his office and said he would consider revisions to Article 301, which he acknowledged is vague. But diplomats and senior Turkish officials said Erdogan was in fact virtually crippled by his fear of losing political ground.

6. - Kurdish Media - "Pro-Kurdish politician is a favorite in French elections":

19 November 2006 / by Vladimir van Wilgenburg

French Socialist Party (PS) candidate for the presidential elections Segolene Royal was once Leyla Zana’s lawyer and had a close relationship with her reported the Turkish news paper Zaman. The Turkish newspaper also reported that she is the favorite in the French elections. This is confirmed by news reports of the Daily Telegraph and the International Herald Tribune.

Segolene Royal recently won the nomination of the French Socialist Party for the 2007 French presidential elections. This paved the way for a female candidate from a major party to become president in France for the first time. If Royal defeats her possible competitor Nicolas Sarkozy, the French will have a “Madame la president” in addition to England, Germany and Finland.

Royal was seen as a media candidate rather than a serious rival against Sarkozy, although surveys have showed her to be a favorite candidate.
Making fun of her by calling her a “beautiful woman,” even her probable rival Sarkozy said Royal’s candidacy would be in his favor reported Zaman.

Royal is Leyla Zana’s lawyer and according to Zaman a “militant supporter of the Kurdish cause”. Moreover, she was bold enough to support Turkey’s membership to European Union, despite the French public’s views, before her party’s nomination. In 1994 Royal came to Ankara to observe Zana’s trial in a State Security Court. She defended Zana and other former deputies of the pro-Kurdish Democracy Party (DEP) at the European Court of Human Rights (EHCR) later on.

In a speech broadcast on French parliamentary television Royal mentioned that she had defended Zana. Royal said there were important developments in Turkey in human rights with its European Union membership process. “I was Leyla Zana’s lawyer. She was sent to prison only for speaking Kurdish and demanding the Kurdish flag. This is now permitted in Turkey.”

Royal hosted Zana and Orhan Dogan at the French Parliament in 2004 after they were released from prison. At the time, Zana told Agence France Press (AFP), “During my hard times, the times when I was surrounded by soldiers, only Segolene was there to support me.”

But Segolene has a predecessor. The wife of the former French president Fran?ois Mitterand's (Died in 1995) was called the “Mother of Kurds”, because of her long association with the Kurdish cause and in 2002 she opened a shopping centre in Hewler. President Miterand was also a politician of the French Socialist Party. Danielle Mitterand also supported Leyla Zana when she was prosecuted.