22
June 2007
2. "Hundreds flee homes as Turkish forces battle Kurdish fighters", hundreds of Iraqi Kurds have been forced to flee their homes after up to 30,000 Turkish soldiers massed on the Iraqi-Turkish border and launched attacks against Kurdish fighters, Iraqi border police say.
3. "Turkish prosecutor targets Kurdish leader", a Turkish state prosecutor has begun investigating Massoud Barzani, a Kurdish leader in northern Iraq, for alleged ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party.
4. "Sociologist Besikci on Trial Again", sociologist Ismail Besikci, well-known for his life-long mission of writing about Kurds, is facing yet another trial for one of his articles. Besikci had written an article for the bilingual Kurdish popular culture magazine "Esmer".
5. "Independent Candidates Not "Waste of Votes", Prime Minister Erdogan had commented that independent candidates were a "waste of votes". However, the independent candidates are there to make human rights violations visible. In the case of the DTP, they may even form a group in parliament.
6. "EU leaves Turkey decision to last minute", the European Union has not changed its "midnight Turkey" rule and has left as late as possible its decision to open three accession chapters.
1. - AKI - "Turkey: PKK Violence Dominates Political Agenda":
ISTANBUL / 21 June 2007
With almost 30 Turkish soldiers killed in attacks by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants this month, the violence in Turkey's southeast is expected to dominate talks scheduled later Thursday between prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and military chief of staff General Yasar Buyukanit. Buyukanit is expected to brief Erdogan about the latest intelligence reports conerning the crossing of militants and weapons from Iraq and both are expected to discuss the measures to be taken.
Buyukanit has said a cross border operation against PKK bases in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region is necessary to curb the violence, but Erdogan, although not totally ruling out such an option, has insisted the fight against the PKK should first take place on Turkish territory.
Both Erdogan and Buyukanit attended Wednesday's National Security Council meeting which brings together top politicians and military leaders. The meeting in Ankara was chaired by president Ahmet Necdet Sezer and lasted for four hours.
A statement issued after the meeting said participants expressed determination to pursue the fight against the PKK. “Required measures would continue to be taken irrespective of the circumstances,” the statement said.
In recent weeks both the Iraqi government and the regional Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq warned Turkey not to stage raids into their territories. Washington which considers the Kurdistan authorities a strong ally has also urged Ankara not to undertake cross-border military operations.
In its statement the National Security Council also underlined Turkey’s frustration with the European Union’s reluctantance at easing the isolation of Turkish Cypriots.
"It is unacceptable that unjust restrictions on the Turkish Cypriots remain” the statement.
The National Security Council also criticised Cyprus,
an EU member which Turkey's refusal to allow it to use its airports
and seaports is hampering Ankara's membership talks with Brussels. The
Greek Cypriot administration in Nicosia was acting as an “element
of instability” and its steps on behalf of the entire island was
described as “invalid” in the statement. 
2. - IRIN - "Hundreds flee homes as Turkish forces
battle Kurdish fighters":
SULAIMANIYAH / 22 June 2007
Hundreds of Iraqi Kurds have been forced to flee their
homes after up to 30,000 Turkish soldiers massed on the Iraqi-Turkish
border and launched attacks against Kurdish fighters, Iraqi border police
say.
Local aid agencies said Kurdish fighters had prevented them from entering
the villages, which were being targeted.
"The bombardments have forced hundreds to abandon their homes and
leave for safer areas. Some houses were looted by Kurdish fighters,
according to witnesses in the area," said Rastgo Muhammad Barsaz,
spokesman for the non-governmental organisation Kurdistan Campaign to
Help Victims of War.
"Dashati Takhe village, on the border near Zakho, is one of the
most affected areas. We have been informed of civilian causalities but
we don't know how many, as we are being denied access to the area. But
by telephone, civilians have told us they are short of food and water,"
Barsaz said.
Fear of Turkish invasion
In response to recent attacks, including a bombing in Ankara in May
that killed eight people, Turkey expanded its force along the border,
deploying additional artillery and dozens of tanks. Iraqi border police
say Turkey has 20,000-30,000 soldiers along its border with Iraq, and
has set up a special security zone that restricts movement in the area.
Iraqi Kurdish villagers living near the Turkish border fear a Turkish
invasion similar to that of 1997, when large numbers of Turkish forces
crossed the border to fight the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which
wants an independent Kurdistan carved out of northern Iraq as well as
parts of Iran and Turkey.
Turkey says the PKK is using mountain hideouts and friendly villages
in northern Iraq to train and re-supply its fighters who operate mainly
in Turkey.
Taking refuge
"The last time [Turkey invaded] hundreds of innocent people died
and we hope that won't happen again. This time, we had to flee our house
and are taking refuge with some relatives near Zakho, but we cannot
stay there long. We really don't know what to do as we've left everything
behind. We're scared that our home will be destroyed, as has happened
to some of our neighbours," said Ezdin Destan, 47, a resident of
Dashati village, near the Turkish border.
"In some neighbouring villages, Kurdish rebels have entered homes
and forced families to leave so they can use their homes as bases from
which to launch attacks and for training. One of my relatives was killed
last week because he refused to leave his house," Destan said.
Massoud Barzani
The Kurdish authorities see the Turkish attacks as an offensive against
the Kurdish people.
"Turkey has a problem with the existence of Kurds," Massoud
Barzani, president of the Kurdish regional government in Iraq, told
reporters on 13 June. "We have always advocated good neighbourliness
on the basis of mutual interests and non-intervention. Nonetheless,
we do not accept violations and threats."
Local aid agencies have called on security forces on both sides to allow
safe passage for the delivery of supplies to villagers, and have called
for more assistance to be given to displaced families in Zakho, Arbil
and Dohuk.
"We call on the authorities to prevent tension and more suffering
for innocent civilians, and we hope urgent diplomatic negotiations can
avoid further terror," Barsaz said.
On 19 June the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at a press
conference in Washington, that the US and Iraqi governments were both
opposed to Kurdish rebels using Iraqi territory for "terrorist"
actions against neighbouring Turkey.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a press conference
last week that his country should focus on the large number of militants
operating in Turkey before seeking them out in Iraq, but that the problem
should be tackled from both sides.
3. - UPI - "Turkish prosecutor targets Kurdish leader":
ERBIL / 20 June 2007
A Turkish state prosecutor has begun investigating Massoud Barzani, a Kurdish leader in northern Iraq, for alleged ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party.
The investigation, along with a reported build-up of Turkish forces near the Iraqi border, has caused Iraqi Kurdish officials to remain silently frustrated and rely solely on the Iraqi government to respond to the Turkish actions, The New Anatolian said Wednesday.
Iraqi Kurdish leaders have instituted a policy of distancing themselves from Turkish aggression, allowing government officials to respond instead.
The prosecutor's investigation will focus on Barzani's property and bank accounts in Turkey, items the Turkish government might seize if the leader is tied to the militant group.
Barzani has been a staunch supporter of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and has been critical of the Turkish government.
The newspaper said such outspoken ideas had some Turkish
officials suggesting Barzani should be targeted if Turkey launches an
operation across the Iraqi border.
4. - Bianet - "Sociologist Besikci on Trial Again":
Sociologist Ismail Besikci, well-known for his life-long mission of writing about Kurds, is facing yet another trial for one of his articles. Besikci had written an article for the bilingual Kurdish popular culture magazine "Esmer".
ISTANBUL / 21 June 2007
In another case against a writer and the print media, sociologist Ismail Besikci , known in Turkey for his enduring academic interest in Kurds and for facing both an end to his academic career and imprisonment for his books, is on trial under Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code.
Besikci had written an article entitled "We did not talk, we had it printed", and the article was published in the monthly "Popüler Kürtür Esmer". The monthly magazine's owner Ferzende Kaya and the managing editor Mehmet Ali Izmir are also on trial.
Prosecutor Remzi Yasar Kizilhan is demanding 4 to 6 years imprisonment for the three defendants.
There has been some disagreement as to which court is in charge of the proceedings, and the penal court in Bakirköy has asked the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office whether samples of the magazine have been delivered. The case will be continued on 10 December.
Complaint by General Staff
After a "secret" complaint by the Armed Forces' General Staff about an article entitled "Ghost" by Ahmet Kahraman (published in the magazine in December 2005) and another article by Ismail Besikci published on 19 January 2006, the Directorate of Criminal Offences of the Ministry of Justice had launched an investigation.
Because the head office of the magazine is in Istanbul, the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office passed the case to the Bakirköy Office in Istanbul.
Expert: No case for 301, but 216
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Artuk of the Law Faculty at Marmara University, Istanbul, was used as an expert by the prosecution. He had concluded that "the rights to inform and criticise were made use of, there was not degradation of Turkishness or the armed forces, there was no harsh criticism of the army in general, just of [Chief of General Staff] Yasar Büyükanit, and there was no crime committed under Article 301". There was thus no case opened against Kahraman.
In Besikci's case, Artuk again argued that there was no case for the application of Article 301, but that "some expressions could be interpreted as 'incitement to hatred and hostility'". Thus, Besikci and the magazine representatives are on trial under Article 216.
Besikci already on trial
Sociologist Besikci was already on trial with a demand for over a hundred years imprisonment for his books (published by Yurt Publishers) and his articles concerning the Kurdish issue which had appeared in the pro-Kurdish "Özgür Gündem" newspaper. He had been released from prison with a conditional amnesty.
Besikci has already spent years in prison, and some of
his books are still banned. He was released from prison on 12 July 1997
under the Conditional Amnesty Law No. 4304, which postponed sentences
for previous offences if he did not repeat them in the next five years.
5. - Bianet - "Independent Candidates Not "Waste of Votes":
Prime Minister Erdogan had commented that independent candidates were a "waste of votes". However, the independent candidates are there to make human rights violations visible. In the case of the DTP, they may even form a group in parliament.
ISTANBUL / 21 June 2007 / by Tolga Korkut
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had used a rally in Agri, in the east of Turkey, to call on people not to vote for independent candidates. This actually shows how worried the mainstream parties are that independent candidates may succeed in circumventing the 10 percent electoral hurdle.
It is clear that independent candidates could change a lot. It is not surprising that there was unprecedented agreement between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) when a law was passed that would force independent candidates onto the same ballot paper as all the other parties, thus making them less easy to find then before, when they had separate ballot papers.
"Money thrown into the street"?
Erdogan likened a vote given to an independent candidate to "money thrown into the street". This is an argument which many former CHP supporters have expressed. They may be dissatisfied with the CHP, but feel that voting for anyone else would not be reflected in parliament.
In a previous interview with Prof. Dr. Baskin Oran, independent candidate of the left for Istanbul's second constituency, he had summarised the functions of independent candidates as follows:
1. The first aim is to change unquestioned attitudes. The mainstream parties are all uncritical of capitalist accumulation, neo-liberal politics and extensions of the military regime.
Issues ranging from the Kurdish issue to the environment, from trade union laws to conscientious objectors, from climate change to the rights of homosexuals and a change of the constitution put into place by the 1980 military junta, independent candidates can make human rights violations visible and change attitudes.
2. The second aim is to unite those with similar attitudes. Independent candidates will not be obliged to bow to party politics and can thus engage in dialogue with other MPs.
DTP votes will not be wasted this time
Because pro-Kurdish parties have always stumbled at the 10% hurdle, the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) will not waste its votes this time by entering the elections as a party. In the 2002 general elections it had been Erdogan's AKP which had benefited most from the DTP votes that had been shifted to the next-most powerful party in the relevant constitution.
The DTP is aiming to send 30 candidates into parliament. The shared independent candidate movement is hoping for at least 5 more candidates. This means that there may be more than 35 independent candidates in the next parliament.
The DTP might even form a group once the candidates are
in parliament, and could thus also become a viable coalition partner.
It is in this light that one should consider Erdogan's comments comparing
the Bulgarian Movement for Freedoms and Rights (MFR) and the DTP (see
yesterday's article).
6. - Zaman - "EU leaves Turkey decision to last minute":
BRUSSELS / 21 June 2007
The European Union has not changed its "midnight Turkey" rule and has left as late as possible its decision to open three accession chapters.
The EU is not expected to open entry talks with Turkey
on economic and monetary policy next week due to opposition from French
leader Sarkozy.
EU diplomats, meeting on Monday and Tuesday, were not able to reach
an agreement on opening financial control, statistics and economic and
monetary union (EMU) chapters due to fierce resistance from France and
the Greek Cypriots. While France has been objecting to the EMU, the
Greek Cypriots want to block financial control. The EU plans to convene
both the enlargement working group meeting and the Permanent Representatives
Committee (COREPER) Monday; if there is an agreement new chapters will
be opened Tuesday.
Diplomats, speaking to Today's Zaman on the condition of anonymity, said they were still not sure how many chapters would be opened, but echoed the prevailing expectations that the three chapters proposed will not all, in fact, be opened. Some diplomats now say one or two chapters will be opened. France argues the EMU is directly related to the euro, the EU common currency, and cite technical issues to be tackled before opening the talks. Greek Cypriots raise the issue of non-recognition by Turkey.
France backpedaling on its promise
Many EU diplomats believe French President Nicolas Sarkozy has broken his deal with the commission, a deal reached during his visit to Brussels on May 23. When Sarkozy met with Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in late May, commission sources believe a deal was struck with the new French president not to block three chapters expected to be opened on June 26. However when the French president went back to Paris and faced criticism from the Socialists that he could not keep his promise on Turkey, he changed his mind.
Nor have expectations been fulfilled that the Greek Cypriots would not use their veto again after eight chapters were suspended last December due to port issues. Some diplomats express their disappointment that Greek Cypri-ots have again showed their will to block talks.
Since the Copenhagen Summit of 2002, the EU has continued
to make its Turkey decisions at the eleventh hour. The EU decision to
start accession talks on Dec. 17, 2004, the beginning of accession talks
on Oct. 3, 2005 and the opening of first chapter, science and research,
on June 12, 2006 were all made at the last minute and towards midnight.
The rule of "midnight decisions" has led to jokes in Brussels
among diplomats and journalists saying that "if Turkey is ever
admit-ted to the EU, it will be around midnight."