12 April 2005

1. "Turkish group sounds alarm over rise in racism", some 200 Turkish intellectuals have criticised a rise in racism and nationalism they say threatens relations between Kurds and Turks, in an open letter that appeared in all main national papers on Monday.

2. "Turks Turn to Flag, Nationalism as EU Talks Loom", anyone visiting Turkey in recent weeks might be forgiven for thinking the country had just gone to war or at the very least won a major soccer tournament.

3. "Erdogan rejects 'Kurdish minority' concept", PM Erdogan gives important messages on both the Armenian and Kurdish issues. While saying that he is waiting for an 'Armenian apology' from 11 countries using the 'Blue Book' as a reference for genocide claims, Erdogan also rejects any talk of a 'Kurdish minority'.

4. "Two Kurdish rebels killed in Turkey clash", two Kurdish rebels were killed in fighting with Turkish security forces in the mainly Kurdish southeast of the country, security sources said Monday.

5. "Despite U.S. pressure, Turkish pres. set for Syria visit", Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's visit to Syria will go on despite U.S. pressure.

6. "EU Prepares New Plan for Cyprus", the Greek Cypriot administration's uncompromising attitude towards the Cyprus problem has forced the European Union to establish a new plan to find a solution to the Cyprus problem.

1. - AFP - "Turkish group sounds alarm over rise in racism":

ANKARA / 11 April 2005

Some 200 Turkish intellectuals have criticised a rise in racism and nationalism they say threatens relations between Kurds and Turks, in an open letter that appeared in all main national papers on Monday.

"In light of recent events we believe an attempt to hamper the peace process and democratisation of our country is being made," said the letter signed by journalists, artists, musicians, academics and non-governmental organisations.

The letter referred to an incident last week where an angry crowd of 2,000 tried to lynch five militants who had been handing out leaflets on prisoner rights at a market in the northeastern city of Trabzon.

The youths had been mistaken by tradesmen and shoppers for Kurdish activists rumoured to have burned a Turkish flag, and whose lives were saved at the last second by the police.

An outrage against the Turkish flag that took place during celebrations of the Kurdish new year March 21 in the southern city of Mersin sent a wave of nationalist fervour through Turkey.

"The reaction to this incident carried out by a group of children has slipped, with the help of state authorities, toward racism and nationalism," said the letter, which accused both Turkish and Kurdish nationalists of fostering mass hysteria.

As part of its efforts to meet European Union democratic norms, Turkey has granted new cultural rights to its 10-million strong Kurdish minority.

Negotiations for Turkey's adhesion to the EU are set to start in October 2005, with Ankara's poor record on human rights one of the key issues cited by those who oppose its bid to join the 25-member bloc.

2. - Reuters - "Turks Turn to Flag, Nationalism as EU Talks Loom":

ANKARA / 11 April 2005 / by Gareth Jones

Anyone visiting Turkey in recent weeks might be forgiven for thinking the country had just gone to war or at the very least won a major soccer tournament.

Public buildings, homes, buses, taxis and private cars have been festooned with the national flag, depicting a white Islamic crescent moon and star against a red background.

Rallies and protests featuring the flag have been held across Turkey. In the eastern city of Erzurum, the German ambassador was prevented from cutting a cake decorated with the Turkish flag on the grounds it could signify disrespect.

This outpouring of patriotic fervor was sparked by neither war nor soccer but an incident last month in which youths tried unsuccessfully to set fire to a Turkish flag during a pro-Kurdish demonstration in the port city of Mersin.

An overreaction? Turkey's military General Staff did not think so. It issued a statement vowing to defend the nation to its "last drop of blood." Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan announced sternly that the flag was a sacred symbol for Turks.

Security officers detained the 13- and 14-year-old boys accused of setting fire to the flag, along with nine others.

The flag-waving has raised some awkward questions about Turks' state of mind as they prepare for the start of talks in October to join the European Union, a club founded on the rejection of nationalism that enjoins its members to share sovereignty and focus on common values.

"Turks are feeling cornered, besieged from outside and betrayed from within. The explosion was waiting to happen. In Mersin, somebody simply lit the match," said Dogu Ergil, head of the liberal think-tank TOSAM.

The perceived threats from outside include EU pressure on a range of sensitive issues including Cyprus as well as U.S. troops in neighboring Iraq. Inside Turkey, he said, people fear "betrayal" by Kurds and other ethnic or religious minorities.

TROUBLING SIGNALS

The reaction to the Mersin incident is just one of a number of signals troubling advocates of Turkey's EU membership.

Adolf Hitler's anti-Semitic tract "Mein Kampf" has shot onto the best-seller lists. Turkey's best-known novelist Orhan Pamuk has received death threats for backing Armenian claims of genocide at Turkish hands in World War One. A government minister said Christian missionaries threaten national unity, even though only a tiny handful of Turks have converted.
The Constitutional Court struck down a law allowing foreigners to buy real estate, and the president threw out a bill ending restrictions on foreign ownership of national broadcasters, saying it would harm national interests.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has vowed to press ahead with those two laws. But the impression from these incidents is of a country succumbing to paranoia and conspiracy theories and trying to retreat into its shell, diplomats say.

"The perception gap between Turkey and the EU is wider than at any time since the AKP came to power (in November 2002)," said one Ankara-based European diplomat.

The diplomat noted that nationalism is a founding principle of the Turkish Republic and viewed as a very positive force, while Europeans are far more mindful of its destructive power, which led to the decision to set up an EU in the first place.

"Turkey did not go through the catharsis of World War II. To reject nationalism here is to reject the republic and (its founder Kemal) Ataturk. This difference in experience can feed a sense of incompatibility between Turkey and Europe," he said.

Emin Sirin, an independent member of the Turkish parliament, said the Turks' "pressure cooker" discontent stemmed mainly from a sense of hurt pride over the EU's treatment of their country.

DOUBLE STANDARDS

The EU has said Turkey will face a tougher negotiation process, with much stricter monitoring of its reforms, reflecting widespread unease in the wealthy bloc about admitting the relatively poor Muslim nation of 70 million people.

"Turks see double standards ... Europe has a colonial governor attitude toward us," Sirin told Reuters.

Even if Turkey successfully completes the lengthy entry talks, French voters could block its membership in a referendum promised to them by President Jacques Chirac. Germany's Christian Democrat opposition, which could come to power next year, actively opposes Turkish accession.

Sirin said Turks felt more vulnerable because EU reforms threaten to emasculate the army -- the country's most respected institution -- and could hamper efforts to crack down on Kurdish separatist guerrillas still active in the southeast.

Hasan Unal, a nationalist-minded professor at Ankara's Bilkent University, said the benefits of Turkey's strong economic growth were failing to reach many Turks.

Many AKP deputies fear that Turkey will have to make more concessions to the EU on the vexed issue of Cyprus, he said, adding that such nationalist concerns helped account for a steady trickle of defections from the party in recent weeks.

But TOSAM's Ergil took a more optimistic view, noting Turks' continued strong support for EU membership in opinion polls.

"There is no going back (on reforms). A good government will have to explain clearly to the Turkish people what is at stake."

3. - The New Anatolian - "Erdogan rejects 'Kurdish minority' concept":

ANKARA / 12 April 2005

PM Erdogan gives important messages on both the Armenian and Kurdish issues. While saying that he is waiting for an 'Armenian apology' from 11 countries using the 'Blue Book' as a reference for genocide claims, Erdogan also rejects any talk of a 'Kurdish minority'

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan touched on two sensitive issues for the Turkish public yesterday during a speech in Oslo, Norway.

Erdogan said that Turkey is waiting for an "Armenian apology" from 11 countries using the "Blue Book" as a reference for the so-called Armenian genocide, and rejected the concept of a "Kurdish minority."

The prime minister warned both the Turkish people and the international community not to confuse the PKK terrorist organization with the Kurdish people in general, while speaking to Turkish people living in Norway.

"'Kurd' is something different from the 'PKK'," he said. "A Kurd is a citizen of my country, the Republic of Turkey. I feel all the ethnic groups in Turkey to be the same as myself. On the other hand, the PKK is a terrorist organization. But it would be wrong to say that all Kurdish people are members of the PKK,” he continued.

He also added that the most important identity, the "superior identity," for all people living in Turkey was citizenry in the Republic of Turkey.

Red lines

Erdogan said that Turkey has three "red lines," which he listed as "ethnic nationalism, regional nationalism and nationalism based on religion." He continued, "We will not make any concessions towards these three red lines."

Warning that there were some forces in the West wanting to divide Turkey, Erdogan said: "I apologize for saying it, but the West, with some of its forces, is trying to divide Turkey."

Erdogan interrupted a person in the audience when he began to ask about the "Kurdish minority" in Turkey. "There's no such concept as a Kurdish minority in Turkey," said the prime minister. “Kurds are one component of our country. All of them are very sincere citizens of my country,” he added.

To strengthen his remarks, Erdogan gave his family as an example of Turkey's ethnic diversity: “I'm from Rize. My wife is from Siirt. I was elected deputy from Siirt. I got 85 percent of the votes. My votes came from the Arabs, Kurds, and Turks of Siirt.”

Erdogan called on all citizens of Turkey to work to better understand each other. "The problem is to understand one another and not to give opportunities to forces which try to drive us apart,” he said.

Erdogan awaits apology for Armenian claims

Turkey will send a letter to 11 countries which have used the "Blue Book" as a reference for the so-called Armenian genocide to ask them for an apology, Erdogan yesterday told reporters in Norway.

Erdogan said, “We, both the government and the opposition, have made a challenge. Turkey is opening its state archives to everyone. If the genocide claims are true, we are ready to square with our history. But if there's no proof in support of the genocide, Armenians should do the same.”

The prime minister said that the letter was prepared by Parliament and would be signed by all 550 deputies. "We'll send the letter to 11 countries, which used this book as a reference. We'll demand apologies from these countries,” he said.

Meanwhile, the claims of a so-called Armenian genocide will be debated at Parliament tomorrow.

4. - AFP - "Two Kurdish rebels killed in Turkey clash":

DIYARBAKIR / 11 April 2005

Two Kurdish rebels were killed in fighting with Turkish security forces in the mainly Kurdish southeast of the country, security sources said Monday.

The clash erupted late Sunday when soldiers on patrol in a rural zone of Sirnak province came across a group of rebels from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the sources said.

Several guns and hand grenades were found with the dead rebels.

The PKK waged a a bloody campaign for self-rule in southeastern Turkey between 1984 and 1999 before declaring a unilateral ceasefire.

The group, which changed its name twice in three years and recently reverted to its original name, called off the truce last June, raising tensions in the region.

5. - Al Jazeera - "Despite U.S. pressure, Turkish pres. set for Syria visit":

Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's visit to Syria will go on despite U.S. pressure.

12 April 2005

The Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is set to begin a two-day visit to neighbouring Syria on Wednesday, in defiance to unrelenting pressure from the U.S. for Ankara to keep its distance.

The April 13-14 visit, which has long been in the making, was originally expected to be the latest in a string of routine bilateral contacts between the two countries, but took on a different significance with the latest political upheaval in Lebanon.

As the international community pressured Syria to withdraw from Lebanon, the United States asked Turkey to side with its western allies.

"What can be said on Syria is that the international community is completely unanimous" on a Syrian withdrawal, U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Eric Edelman, said last month. "We hope Turkey will join the international community."

Turkey supports a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, but also says it wants to contribute to developing good neighborly ties in the conflict-torn Middle East.

Edelman's call, which came at a time when relations between Turkey and U.S. 'cooled' due to differences over Iraq, was largely interpreted as a warning for Sezer to drop plans to visit Damascus.

However, Sezer announced that he would go ahead with the visit, in a stance that has been hailed by his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad.

"Turkey denied other countries the opportunity to interfere in its decision. This is the most important side of this visit," he told Turkey's CNN-Turk news channel in remarks translated to Turkish.

According to Mustafa Aydin, an international relations expert at Ankara University, strong ties between Turkey and Syria are not against U.S. interests.

Developments in the Middle East as well as flourishing bilateral ties are expected to dominate Sezer's talks with Assad and Syrian Prime Minister Naji Otri.

Assad told CNN-Turk that he would discuss with Sezer the role of the United States and European countries in the region, which he said resembled "the colonial era."

"We can reduce the dangers to a minimum only if we act together. The dangers are threatening all of us.

"They started with Iraq, now they are threatening Syria and other countries... They are trying to interfere in Turkey's affairs," he said.

Turkey and Syria have greatly improved their stormy ties since 1998, when they came to the brink of war over Ankara's accusations that Damascus was sheltering separatist Kurdish rebels fighting the Turkish government.

Tensions eased when Damascus expelled Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan and signed a security deal with Ankara, pledging to stop supporting Ocalan's Kurdistan Workers' Party, better known as the PKK.

The high point in the improved relationship was a visit by Assad to Turkey in January last year, the first by a Syrian head of state.

"Syria is an extremely important neighbour for Turkey. Ankara wants close contact with Syria in order to keep Kurdish rebels in check and to have a supporter in its policy concerning Iraq," Aydin said.

Turkey has made increasing overtures to Syria since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, both neighbors sharing concerns that the post-war Iraq may break up and spark new turmoil in the region.

Despite the improved ties between the two countries, two sticking points remain: the waters of the Euphrates, which has its source in Turkey, and the status of Turkey's southern Hatay province, formerly Alexandretta, which Syria still claims.

6. - The New Anatolian - "EU Prepares New Plan for Cyprus":

12 April 2005

The Greek Cypriot administration's uncompromising attitude towards the Cyprus problem has forced the European Union to establish a new plan to find a solution to the Cyprus problem. The EU Commission and European Parliament have started work on a new plan to persuade Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos to sit at the negotiating table, according to news published in Greek Cypriot and European media.

The plan foresees the exclusion of Papadopoulos within the EU if he refuses to comply. The plan is also said to require that Turkey open its harbors to Greek Cypriot ships, and that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) be allowed to trade directly with EU countries. According to the reports, the plan also includes an expectation that Turkey withdraw some of its forces from the island in a "gesture of good will."

Among short-term stipulations in the plan are to give "observer status" to two Turkish Cypriot deputies at the EP and to provide 259 million euros in financial aid to the country. The plan also foresees the election of an EU representative on the Cyprus problem who would work with the UN.

Turkey and the TRNC are expected to maintain their positive attitudes and to base their policies on the principle of the establishment of a united Cyprus.

Greek administration's list of proposals

On the other hand, the Greek Cypriot administration is expected to declare tomorrow its demands for changes to be made to the Annan plan. Greek Cypriots had previously assured an EP mission to their territory that they would declare their proposals.

Three items within the Greek Cypriot proposal package are considered important:

-To draw a "roadmap" plan consisting of deadlines for the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from the island.

- To preclude any restriction on Greek Cypriots owning properties on the northern part of the island.,

- To give the Karpaz region, the northeastern "panhandle" of the island currently part of the TRNC, to the Greek Cypriots.