7 March 2006

1. "Two policemen killed in suspected Kurdish attack in Turkey", two policemen were killed and five others injured in southeast Turkey Monday when suspected Kurdish militants attacked their van, in the latest episode of mounting violence in the mainly Kurdish region, local officials said.

2. "Turkey's Kurds want official status for language, broader rights", Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party called on the government Monday to give Kurdish the status of an official language and scrap legal restrictions barring Kurdish representation in parliament.

3. "Military disturbed by accusations against Buyukanit", claims against Land Forces Commander Buyukanit stir up Ankara. Van chief public prosecutor's accusations against general of interfering with judiciary, and other crimes, disturb military.

4. "Germany to push Turkey to implement Ankara", Germany will support efforts to lift Turkey’s restrictions on Cypriot ships, Germany's Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee has said, adding that Turkey's refusal to permit ships flying the Cyprus flag to enter its ports is contrary to international and European rules.

5. "Two defense deals with Israel scraped by Turkey", Turkey's military and procurement authorities have scrapped two defense deals with Israel due to contract breach and “a change of Turkey's operational requirements.”

6. "Turkey's vested geopolitical interests", last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari paid a one-day visit to Turkey, prompting an angry Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to call the trip "illegal." The Iraqi President said he was troubled that the Prime Minister did not tell other officials who are still negotiating over the new government about it. Yet, when Jalal Talabani, "the" Kurd of Iraq, is disgusted with Mr. Jaafari's visit to Ankara, one could not stop but thinking whether his reaction to the Iraqi prime minister were only a disguise to cover up his irritation of the Turks.

1. - AFP - "Two policemen killed in suspected Kurdish attack in Turkey":

DIYARBAKIR / 6 March 2006

Two policemen were killed and five others injured in southeast Turkey Monday when suspected Kurdish militants attacked their van, in the latest episode of mounting violence in the mainly Kurdish region, local officials said.

Two assailants, believed to be members of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), opened cross-fire with rifles on the van while it was driving through the center of the city of Batman, the sources said, adding that a security operation was under way to hunt them down.

Two policemen sustained serious injuries and died shortly after in hospital.

In a separate incident earlier Monday, a passer-by was injured when a time bomb exploded under the car of an army officer, parked outside his home in the town of Idil, near the borders with Iraq and Syria.

The authorities suspect the blast was the work of the PKK, which has often carried out similar attacks in the past as part of a armed campaign in the southeast.

At the weekend, a radical Kurdish group which the authorities say is a cover-up for the PKK, claimed responsibility for a bomb attack targeting a police building in the western city of Izmir, which left one person injured.

The Kurdish conflict in Turkey has claimed 37,000 lives since 1984 when the PKK took up arms for Kurdish self-rule in the southeast.

Unrest in the region has significantly escalated since June 2004 when the PKK called off a five-year unilateral ceasefire with the government.

2. - AFP - "Turkey's Kurds want official status for language, broader rights":

ISTANBUL / 6 March 2006

Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party called on the government Monday to give Kurdish the status of an official language and scrap legal restrictions barring Kurdish representation in parliament.

The Democratic Society Party (DTP) also criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for failing to follow up on promises for a democratic solution of the Kurdish conflict and urged both the army and Kurdish rebels to halt armed action in the conflict-torn southeast.

"Violence should not be seen as an option in politics," the statement said, stressing that the Kurdish minority did not have ambitions to break away.

"All restrictions on the Kurdish language should be lifted and it should be given the status of an official language along with Turkish in regions where Kurds live.

"The political parties law, primarily the election threshold, should be revised so that everybody can use their right to political representation," it said.

Even though Kurds have been able to win parliamentary seats on the ticket of mainstream parties, pro-Kurdish parties have failed to overcome the 10-percent national threshold required to enter parliament.

The DTP also reiterated a long-standing appeal for a general amnesty for rebels from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been waging a bloody separatist campaign in the southeast since 1984.

Unrest in the region has increased since June 2004, when the PKK called off a five-year unilateral ceasefire.

Keen to boost its democratic credentials and join the EU, Turkey has in recent years lifted the emergency rule in the southeast and allowed the Kurdish language to be taught at private courses and used in public broadcasts.

It is also compensating villagers who have been displaced and suffered material losses during the conflict.

But Kurdish activists say the reforms are inadequate.

The conflict has claimed some 37,000 lives, ravaged the already meager economy of the southeast and forced millions of already poor peasants to migrate in mass into urban slum areas.

3. - The New Anatolian - "Military disturbed by accusations against Buyukanit":

ANKARA / 7 March 2006

Claims against Land Forces Commander Buyukanit stir up Ankara. Van chief public prosecutor's accusations against general of interfering with judiciary, and other crimes, disturb military.

Asserting Van's Public Prosecutor's Office has exceeded limits of authority, General Staff plans to file complaint against Van's chief public prosecutor with Justice Ministry.

After developments discussed at General Staff's headquarters, Chief of General Staff Ozkok visits PM to convey military's view that issue being politicized.

The military is disturbed by accusations leveled by Van's chief public prosecutor against Land Forces Commander Gen. Buyukanit related to the Semdinli bombings in November.

Highly critical Van's Public Prosecutor's Office, the General Staff is planning to file a complaint against Van's Chief Public Prosecutor Ferhat Sarikaya with the Justice Ministry and launch legal proceedings against him for "exceeding the limits of his authority."

Recent developments were discussed at the General Staff's headquarters yesterday and later in the day Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok paid a visit to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at his office to convey the military's view that the issue is becoming politicized.

Background to the events

Following the bombing of a bookstore in Semdinli, Hakkari in November, two non-commissioned officers, reported to be serving as intelligence officers in the region, were taken into custody and arrested. Gen. Buyukanit then made a statement about one of them, saying, "I know him and he's a good man." But the rest of Buyukanit's statement, which reads as, "but if he's made a mistake he'll face charges for it," wasn't reported by the media.

Van's Chief Public Prosecutor Sarikaya, who first came into the public eye through an investigation into a case against Van Yuzuncu Yil University (YYU) Rector Yucel Askin last year, was assigned the investigation into the mysterious bombings.

Sarikaya requested the General Staff launch an investigation into Buyukanit on charges of "establishing a criminal group, preparing fake documents and misconduct in office" while he was serving in the region between 1997 and 2000.

In a commission set up in Parliament to probe the incidents in Semdinli, Sarikaya used as evidence statements made by Mehmet Ali Altindag, a businessman from Diyarbakir. Altindag claimed that a former chief public prosecutor of the now abolished State Security Court (DGM), two former Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) members-turned-informers, a former chief of Corps Command, a senior colonel, a major and a captain formed a gang and that they masqueraded as a pro-PKK group. He also claimed Buyukanit, who was then Corps commander, was aware of this.

Van's Public Prosecutor's Office sent the case file to the General Staff Military Prosecutor's Office as it lacks jurisdiction over the case. However the General Staff has yet to receive it.

Buyukanit's response

Gen. Buyukanit ended his silence on the issue over the weekend, and said, "I would be honored to go on trial for such reasons."

Making a public statement, Buyukanit said, "If this is the case, let them take me to court. I'll represent myself in court. I've dedicated my life to the task of protecting the integrity of the Turkish Republic and this is a great source of pride to me. I've been fighting in the mountains until now for this cause. I'll let my feelings be known when I appear in court."

Meeting of General Staff

The recent developments were discussed at a meeting at the General Staff's headquarters yesterday with Chief of General Staff Gen. Ozkok, Land Forces Commander Gen. Buyukanit and some senior generals present. They argued that the incident is a plot which is becoming a highly politicized issue and decided that Ozkok would convey the military's views to the government following the meeting.

Following the meeting, that lasted about one-and-a-half hours, Ozkok requested an appointment with the prime minister. At the meeting, which took place at 3 p.m., Ozkok conveyed the military's views on the issue to the government. Having complained about Van's chief public prosecutor's attitude, Ozkok backed Buyukanit.

4. - Financial Mirror - "Germany to push Turkey to implement Ankara":

7 March 2006

Germany will support efforts to lift Turkey’s restrictions on Cypriot ships, Germany's Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee has said, adding that Turkey's refusal to permit ships flying the Cyprus flag to enter its ports is contrary to international and European rules.

According to an official press release, Tiefensee, whose country assumes the EU Presidency in January 2007, met with Cypriot Communication and Works Minister Haris Thrasou on the sidelines of the Informal Meeting of EU Transport Ministers in Bregenz, Austria.

During the meeting, Thrasou referred to Turkey's refusal to allow Cyprus-flagged ships enter its ports and to refuse permission to Cypriot aircraft to use its air space. The minister referred in particular to a recent incident when the Turkish ports authorities denied access to a Cyprus-flagged cargo ship, "Able F", to dock at the port port of Mersin, in southern Turkey.

The Cypriot Minister asked Germany to intervene in the direction of Turkey in order to lift this ban which, he pointed out, violates Ankara's obligations to the European Union.

Tiefensee noted that Turkey's stance is violating both European and international rules, adding that the Cypriot government can count on Germany's support in the efforts to terminate the restrictive measures applied by Turkey against Cypriot ships and aircraft.

Turkey, whose troops occupy Cyprus' northern part, does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus and refuses to apply EU regulations extending them to include Cyprus, an EU member since May 2004.

5. - Turkish Daily News - "Two defense deals with Israel scraped by Turkey":

WASHINGTON/ANKARA / 7 March 2006

Turkey's military and procurement authorities have scrapped two defense deals with Israel due to contract breach and “a change of Turkey's operational requirements.”

Analysts said they see no political motive behind the cancellation of a high-value strategic reconnaissance program and anti-radar drones.

“The reconnaissance program has been cancelled due to persistent breaches on the part of the supplier and, separately, the Air Force has come to the conclusion that it no longer needs the drone systems,” a senior military official said.

After more than three years of intense and occasionally bitter disputes with the Israeli suppliers of the drone systems, the Ankara government has decided to cancel the strategic reconnaissance program and sue for damages, accusing the manufacturer of repeatedly failing to fulfill contractual obligations. Israeli sources said the Israeli Air Force was fully satisfied with the system and that “they are a very discriminating customer." One source said that there are now three international customers for LOROP, including South Korea, which signed a $50 million, multi-year contract in December 2005 to equip its F-16s with the strategic reconnaissance system.

Also in February, Turkey's Air Force decided to scrap a deal for the purchase of a batch of 24 anti-radar drone systems from another Israeli supplier. The original contract for the IAI/MBT Harpy killer drone dates back to 1999.

6. - The Washington Times - "Turkey's vested geopolitical interests":

7 March 2006 / by Tulin Daloglu*

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari paid a one-day visit to Turkey, prompting an angry Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to call the trip "illegal." The Iraqi President said he was troubled that the Prime Minister did not tell other officials who are still negotiating over the new government about it. Yet, when Jalal Talabani, "the" Kurd of Iraq, is disgusted with Mr. Jaafari's visit to Ankara, one could not stop but thinking whether his reaction to the Iraqi prime minister were only a disguise to cover up his irritation of the Turks.

Clearly, some fear that Turkey is waiting for the right opportunity to cross the border into Northern Iraq. And the right time might be an Iraqi civil war. Did Turkey invite Mr. Jaafari, who enjoys the support of the most anti-American cleric, Muqtada Sadr, to enflame Iraq's already troubling domestic affairs? Regardless of speculation, a civil war in Iraq would not mean that Turkey would definitively and unilaterally invade Iraq's territory.

National Intelligence Director John Negroponte was open and blunt in warning that an Iraqi civil war could create broader conflict in the Middle East. "If chaos were to descend upon Iraq or the forces of democracy were to be defeated in that country. . . . This would have implications for the rest of the Middle East region and, indeed, the world," he told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week. What's more, there is no ocean between Iraq and Iran. And, if Iran's influence is increasing in the region in large part because of its nuclear capabilities, and would only be enhanced by chaos in Iraq, the question becomes what to do about both Iraq and Iran. Therefore the Bush administration shows no sign of even considering a withdrawal. Yet, let's assume the worst case scenario. In the event of an Iraqi civil war, will Turkey be a friend or a foe? Will it repeat its 2003 decision not to accommodate the U.S. request to open a front into Northern Iraq via Turkey?

A lot has changed since 2003. Although Turkey refused to be a throughway for the U.S. to invade Iraq, it later granted all of the U.S.' requests, from opening its air space to providing humanitarian aid to the Iraqis. Last December, it was granted the right to start the accession talks with the European Union. It has also accomplished another "first" -- for the first time, the Organization of the Islamic Conference elected a Turk, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, as its secretary general. In fact, the Arab League and the Iraqi Kurdish leadership opposed Turkey sending troops into Iraq, as it was formerly an imperial power.

But if civil war breaks out, it would be wrong to assume that Iraq's borders could contain the trouble. The trouble in Iraq will threaten not only Turkey, but also Europe, the United States and even Arab states. Finally, think about the Kurds. If there is a civil war, will al Qaeda let the Kurds remain peaceful -- the most loyal friends of America, who also happen to be the most secular? Or will the mahdi militia -- militia members of Muqtada Sadr -- allow Kurds a peaceful exit? After all, the Iraqi Kurdish leadership is determined to include "Kirkuk" to Kurdistan and mahdi militias are fighting against it in Kirkuk for some years now.
The Turks will not be the real danger to the Kurds' existence if things go worse in Iraq. On the contrary; they face many serious threats to their existence. Therefore, it is time to stop pre-judging Turkey's next moves before seeing what the other players in the region -- the U.S., the Europeans and the Arabs -- do next. The others need to assess the stakes and their courses of action. A civil war would be a dream come true for Osama bin Laden. Some may assume that it would also be a victory for Turkey, because it would have an excuse to cross the border into Northern Iraq and crush the Kurds. However, why would a country that insists on a modernization process and that is on the path to EU membership suddenly decide to give up everything and declare war? What is its strategy? It is one thing to speculate. It is another when speculation becomes reality. If that happens, Turkey should not face make-it-or-break-it kinds of deals.

* Tulin Daloglu is the Washington correspondent and columnist for Turkey's Star TV and newspaper. A former BBC reporter, she writes occasionally for The Washington Times.