28 May 2007

1. "Council of Europe experts meet jailed Kurdish leader", rights experts of the Council of Europe (CPT) met jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan this week on a Turkish island after allegations that he had been poinsoned, the pan-European body said Friday.

2. "Iraq urges Turkey to resolve PKK issue politically", Iraq urged its northern neighbour Turkey on Sunday to pursue diplomatic means as it attempts stop armed Kurdish rebels operating out of northern Iraq.

3. "Rebel mine derails freight train in Turkey", a mine planted by Kurdish rebels in eastern Turkey derailed several freight train cars on Friday when it exploded, but nobody was hurt, local security forces said.

4. "Two soldiers wounded in landmine blast in Turkey", two Turkish soldiers were wounded in eastern Turkey Saturday in a landmine explosion blamed on Kurdish rebels, the army said in a statement.

5. "Suspected Kurdish rebels attack convoy of police chief", suspected Kurdish guerrillas set off a remote controlled bomb on Friday as a convoy of the police chief of an eastern city was passing, local media reported.

6. "Bombings in Turkey Heighten Security Concerns", recent bombings have Turkey concerned about Kurdish rebels.

7. "Turkey president vetoes vote plan", Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has vetoed a constitutional change which would have let the public elect the country's head of state.

8. "Turkey at the crossroads", Turkish political parties on the centre left and centre right have responded to the recent series of mass rallies by uniting in opposition to the ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP) as the political spectrum becomes dangerously polarised between Islamists and secularists.

9. "Turkish Media Ramps Up Anti-Kurdish Attacks", as the sectarian warlords seek to undermine governments around the region, the Turkish media and the military in Turkey seek to escalate the level of criticisms leveled on the Kurdish Regional Government.

10. "Turkey's troubles run deep", nothing divides Europeans more than the issue of Turkey's role in Europe and her possible entry into the EU. And, following a devastating bomb blast in Ankara this last week and mass demonstrations to protest the influence of Islamic-oriented political activities, Turkey represents a true crossing point for the world - not just geographically but also ideologically.

1. - AFP - "Council of Europe experts meet jailed Kurdish leader":

STRASBOURG / 25 May 2007

Rights experts of the Council of Europe met jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan this week on a Turkish island after allegations that he had been poinsoned, the pan-European body said Friday.

"Aspects of this prisoner's situation considered by the delegation included his conditions of detention, the application in practice of his right to receive visits from his relatives and lawyers, and his state of health," the council said.

Experts of the council's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) visited Imrali Closed Prison on Sunday and Monday.

The next day the delegation also held talks with Turkish Justice Minister Fahri Kasirga and provided him with its preliminary observations, a committee statement said.

The visit came after Kurds ended a 39-day hunger strike in Strasbourg to press demands for an examination of their leader by independent experts.

Ocalan's lawyers allege after having his hair analysed that he had been poisoned, possibly by toxic metals.

The 58-year-old Kurdish leader was also said to have been experiencing breathing and skin problems, as well as pains severe enough to interrupt his sleep.

The allegations prompted Turkish authorities to order new analyses which according to Turkish judicial officials found that they were baseless.

The committee statement said that the CPT delegation "examined the treatment of (Imrali Closed Prison's) sole inmate, Abdullah Ocalan".

The visit was carried out by head delegate Marc Neve, a lawyer and CPT member, and Jean-Pierre Restellini, specialist in internal and forensic medicine and also a CPT member.

They were assisted by Timothy Harding, psychiatrist and director of the University Institute of Forensic Medicine, Geneva, and Fabrice Kellens, Deputy Executive Secretary of the CPT.

On May 12, more than 14,000 Kurds expressed their support for the hunger strikers in a Strasbourg protest. A petition launched throughout Europe was signed by more than 100,000 people and backed by members of the European Parliament.

Ocalan, who is the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), was sentenced to death in a high-profile trial in 1999 for treason, but his sentence was later commuted to a life sentence, which he is currently serving.

The PKK has waged a strong campaign in the mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984.

In May 2005, the European Court of Human Rights upheld a ruling in favour of Ocalan, saying that he had been unfairly tried by a Turkish court, and urged Ankara to retry him.

2. - Reuters - "Iraq urges Turkey to resolve PKK issue politically":

BAGHDAD / 27 May 2007

Iraq urged its northern neighbour Turkey on Sunday to pursue diplomatic means as it attempts stop armed Kurdish rebels operating out of northern Iraq.

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih told reporters after meeting with a Turkish delegation in Baghdad that Iraq would not accept a breach of its sovereignty.

"We spoke about what are perceived to be security threats to Turkey coming from Iraqi territory. We emphasised the need of dealing with the perceived threats based on established channels between the governments of Iraq and Turkey," he said.

Turkish envoy Oguz Celikkol said a number of issues had been discussed, including Ankara's growing anger at recent violence it blames on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The Turkish rebel group has thousands of fighters in the mountains of northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.

"Iraq is our neighbour and what happens here is important to us. We aren't here to discuss one matter but all the matters that concern the two countries," he said.

Last month Turkey's armed forces chief called for a military operation into Iraq to quash PKK rebels, but Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Friday that parliament had no current intention to approve military action.

Last Tuesday, a suicide bomber killed six people in Ankara but the PKK denied involvement. A day later six soldiers were killed when their vehicle was blown up by a landmine believed to have been planted by the guerrillas.

More than 30,000 people, most of them Kurds, have been killed since the PKK took up arms to fight for a Kurdish homeland in Turkey in 1984.

3. - AFP - "Rebel mine derails freight train in Turkey: security forces":

ANKARA / 25 May 2007

A mine planted by Kurdish rebels in eastern Turkey derailed several freight train cars on Friday when it exploded, but nobody was hurt, local security forces said.

They said the attack occured near Genc in the eastern Bingoel province, derailing and damaging seven freight cars.

The separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) often attacks freight trains in eastern Turkey, a region that has seen most of the fighting since the rebels' insurrection began in 1984. Some 37,000 people have been killed in the violence.

The PKK is also suspected of having planted a mine which exploded on Thursday near the Iraq border, killing six soldiers and wounding 10 others.

Earlier Friday, police said it had arrested 26 people, mostly university students, in central Turkey in a sweep aimed at PKK rebels.

The operation follows a suicide attack in Ankara Tuesday which killed six people.

PKK denied any involvement in the attack.

4. - Reuters - "Two soldiers wounded in landmine blast in Turkey":

ANKARA / 26 May 2007

Two Turkish soldiers were wounded in eastern Turkey Saturday in a landmine explosion blamed on Kurdish rebels, the army said in a statement.

The explosion occurred during a security sweep on mountainous terrain in Tunceli province, said the general staff said in a statement on its Internet site.

The mine was planted by the "terrorist organization", it added, using the official jargon for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Landmine attacks have become a hallmark of the PKK which has been fighting for self-rule in Turkey's mainly Kurdish east and southeast since 1984 in a conflict that has claimed more than 37,000 lives.

The rebels are also suspected of having planted a mine which exploded Thursday near the Iraqi border.

The death toll from the explosion rose to seven soldiers when one of the 10 wounded died at an Ankara hospital, the Anatolia news agency reported.

The PKK is also believed to be behind two landmine attacks in eastern Turkey on Friday, one of which targeted the convoy of a senior police official and the other derailed a freight train. No one was injured in these attacks.

Earlier Saturday, Istanbul police announced that they had arrested 10 people, among them a suspected suicide bomber, in operations against the rebel group.

The sweep in Istanbul follows a suicide bomb attack in the capital Ankara on Tuesday which killed six people and injured more than 100.

Turkish officials said the method of the attack and the explosives used tallied with past practices of the PKK, but the rebel group has denied any involvement.

5. - AP - "Suspected Kurdish rebels attack convoy of police chief":

TUNCELI / 25 May 2007

Suspected Kurdish guerrillas set off a remote controlled bomb on Friday as a convoy of the police chief of an eastern city was passing, local media reported.

The police chief and his entourage survived the attack in the eastern city of Tunceli unharmed, CNN-Turk and NTV televisions reported.

Meanwhile, Turkey's foreign minister said Friday that it was not getting enough support from the United States in its fight against Kurdish rebels who operate from bases in northern Iraq.

"We hope the level of cooperation from the United States against the guerrillas will increase," Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said. "It is not at the desired level right now."

"We have the right to expect help from the United States in Iraq against the guerrillas," he said.

6. - Deutsche Welle - "Bombings in Turkey Heighten Security Concerns":

Recent bombings have Turkey concerned about Kurdish rebels

25 May 2007

Turkey has responded to recent bombings by suspected Kurdish rebels with tough talk and arrests. The security situation could further complicate Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

Six Turkish soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb Thursday in southeast Turkey near the border with Iraq. The attack on the military vehicle came two days after a suicide bomber killed a half dozen people in downtown Ankara.

Turkish political leaders have blamed Kurdish rebels affiliated with the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK.) Twenty-six people, most of them students, have been arrested for alleged involvement in the attacks, according to media reports on Friday.

The PKK has denied any involvement in the recent attacks, but Turkish officials said the method of the bomb attack and the type of explosives were similar to past PKK attacks.

Mending ties to EU

The violence comes at a bad time for Turkey. The new French President Nicolas Sarkozy has made it clear he continues to oppose Turkey's bid to join the EU. Instead, he has proposed a Mediterranean union between Turkey and its neighbors.

"I don't see how you can be a candidate with one opinion and a president with another," he said during a press conference in Brussels this week. "I don't think that Turkey has a place in the Union."

France has said it would consider vetoing Turkey's entry into the EU. Turkey began negotiations in 2005.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan reportedly phoned Sarkozy on Thursday, in an apparent conciliatory gesture, according to Reuters.

In his first call to Sarkozy since his election, sources in Erdogan's office quoted the prime minister as congratulating the French president on his victory in the polls and told him that the two needed to work directly with each other, according to Reuters.

"We must not communicate via media statements," Erdogan was quoted as telling Sarkozy. "(We must) work together with direct talks."

Sarkozy reportedly offered his condolences for a bomb attack in Ankara on Tuesday and said he wanted to work together to overcome their common problems, according to Reuters.

Erdogan also noted France and Turkey cooperate on economic, political and military issues and that Turkey is already a NATO member.

Too soon to say if Turkey belongs in EU

Talks continue about Turkey's place in the EUBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Talks continue about Turkey's place in the EU

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the European Commission plans to continue accession negotiations with Turkey and said it was too soon to judge whether Turkey belonged in the 27-member bloc.

"We have a sound negotiating mandate with Turkey and the Commission's view is that we will continue the accession negotiations with Turkey because it is in the interests of both the European Union and Turkey," he said at a news briefing.

"If we succeed, if Turkey succeeds, Turkey can become an even more important bridge of civilizations than it is today," Rehn said. "And the time to judge whether Turkey has been able to meet the conditions of EU accession is in the latter stages of the accession process."

Turkey has general elections scheduled for July 22 to decide a political conflict between the Islamic-leaning government and the military-backed secular establishment.

Military needs to show restraint

The recent bombings further complicate Turkey's domestic and foreign politics. The PKK is thought to have launched the attacks from hideouts in northern Iraq.

Turkish army chief Yasar Buyukanit last month called for a military operation into Iraq to quash PKK guerrillas.

The United States and Iraqi Kurdish leaders oppose the idea. A Kurdish Iraqi official recently warned that talk of such a move would signal a "dangerous escalation" of the situation. The US has also urged Turkey to show restraint, fearing a cross-border operation could disrupt efforts to stabilize war-torn Iraq.

Attacks blamed on rebels continued Friday when a bomb derailed seven cars of a freight train in southeast Turkey. No injuries were reported.

Police arrested 26 people, most of them university students belonging to the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), media reported on Friday. Eight of the arrested are women who were preparing attacks, local authorities were quoted by the Anatolia news agency as saying.

The PKK has fought for an ethnic homeland since 1984, and Ankara blames it for 30,000 deaths.

7. - BBC - "Turkey president vetoes vote plan":

ANKARA / 25 May 2007

Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has vetoed a constitutional change which would have let the public elect the country's head of state.

The amendment was prompted after secular opposition lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary vote to elect the Islamist ruling AK Party's candidate.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul withdrew his candidacy and the government called early general elections for July 22.

Under the current system, the president is elected by parliament.

8. - Al-Ahram - "Turkey at the crossroads":

ISTANBUL / 25 May 2007 / by Gareth Jenkins

Turkish political parties on the centre left and centre right have responded to the recent series of mass rallies by uniting in opposition to the ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP) as the political spectrum becomes dangerously polarised between Islamists and secularists.

Tens of thousands of secularist Turks gathered in the Black Sea port of Samsun on Sunday in the latest in a series of rallies to protest against the ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP) and what they see as its plans to erode the principle of secularism enshrined in the Turkish constitution.

The rallies took on an added meaning after the Turkish military intervened on 27 April to try to prevent Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul from becoming the country's next president, a move which forced the JDP government to call early general elections on 22 July. Last week the organisers of the rallies announced that the protest in Samsun would be the last of its kind and that they would now await the results of general elections.

Last week there were signs that at least one of the goals of the rallies had been realised. For the last 25 years, the Turkish political spectrum has been fragmented primarily between supporters of powerful individuals rather than on ideological grounds. Speakers at the rallies had repeatedly called for secularist parties to unite against the JDP. Earlier this month the leaders of the two main centre-right parties, the True Path Party (TPP) and the Motherland Party (MP) announced that they were merging. Last week the tiny Democratic Left Party (DLP) reached an agreement with the main opposition Republican People's Party (RPP).

Both the rallies and the resultant mergers have been dismissed by the AKP.

"Putting 40 rotten eggs together doesn't make a good one," said Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

Privately, JDP officials remain confident that they will win the 22 July elections.

"The only question is how big our majority will be," said one JDP official.

At the last elections in November 2002 only two parties, the JDP and the RPP, succeeded in crossing the 10 per cent threshold for representation in parliament. As a result, the JDP took two thirds of the seats even though it had won only one third of the popular vote.

There are currently no reliable public opinion polls but most observers expect that the merger of the TPP and MP will enable the resultant new party to cross the 10 per cent threshold together with the RPP and the JDP, which will almost certainly once again be the largest party in parliament; the only question is whether it will win enough seats to form a government.

The key is likely to be the ultra-nationalist Nationalist Action Party (NAP). In the 2002 elections it won 8.4 per cent of the national vote. Like the JDP it draws most of its support from the poorer, less-educated proportion of the population. Over the last two years there has been a rapid rise in an aggressive, and often violent, nationalism in Turkey. But NAP leader Devlet Bahceli has been largely invisible and his lacklustre public image has conspicuously failed to capture the popular imagination. It is currently unclear whether the rise in nationalism will result in a large enough transfer of votes from the JDP to the NAP to enable it to cross the 10 per cent threshold at the 22 July elections. But if four parties are represented in parliament, the JDP will probably lose its majority.

Even if the JDP is returned to power with a majority of seats, it is very unlikely to win a majority of the popular vote. JDP officials often appear to fail to understand the difference between being the largest party and representing the majority of the people.

"If we have a majority in parliament, then we have the support of the mass of the people. It is as simple as that," said one high- ranking JDP member of parliament.

But the anti-JDP rallies of the last two months have demonstrated not only that there are many people who are opposed to the JDP but -- for the first time in recent Turkish history -- that they are prepared to take action. At the rally in Samsun, Turkan Saylan, the chairwoman of the Association for Contemporary Living, one of the main organisers of the protest, declared: "we are opposed to both Sharia law and military coups."

But there is also little doubt that, regardless of whether or not the protesters represent -- as they claim -- the majority of the population, there are several powerful forces prepared to support them from behind the scenes, including a substantial proportion of the Turkish community and the staunchly secularist Turkish military. Yet the JDP appears unaware of the dangers of what appears to be a deepening social polarisation. Privately, JDP officials insist that, if they win the general election, they will once again try to have Gul appointed as president.

In recent weeks, the JDP has pushed through a number of legislative changes to make it more difficult for candidates representing predominantly Kurdish parties to win seats in parliament. Yet the sense of exclusion and a feeling that they are treated as a subject people rather than equal partners in the Turkish state have long been two of the main factors fuelling separatist Kurdish violence. Even if the JDP believes that the fears of the secularists are exaggerated, the number of people who have taken to the streets in recent months is evidence that the fears need to be addressed, not ignored or dismissed. At a time when there still has been no concerted attempt to solve the Kurdish problem, the country cannot afford another deep division in society. But at the moment the JDP and the secularists who have been taking to the streets appear to be moving further apart, not coming together.

9. - Kurdish Aspect - "Turkish Media Ramps Up Anti-Kurdish Attacks":

26 May 200 / by Martin Zehr

As the sectarian warlords seek to undermine governments around the region, the Turkish media and the military in Turkey seek to escalate the level of criticisms leveled on the Kurdish Regional Government. It is seeking to define the Kurdish liberation movement as equal to the political Islamist terrorists, like al-Qaeda. It has sought to define the PKK as a terrorist group, rather then a national liberation struggle with broad-based popular support. In spite of the accusations of PKK involvement in the recent bombing in Ankara the PKK leadership has denied any involvement.

Beyond attacks on the PKK in Turkey, the Turkish media is trying to discredit the Kurdish Regional Government, so it can justify military operations against the people and the nation of southern Kurdistan. The media, such as the Turkish Daily News seek to deny the legitimacy of the Kurdish Regional Government to justify military operations into Kurdish Autonomous Region. Such actions would constitute a violation of Turkish-Iraqi borders and would be an escalation of Turkish military operations against Kurdish peoples.

This issue is deserving of a mass and popular support of recognition for the Kurdish nation and peoples.One thing not needed right now is another invasion and a new Turkish-Kurdish military conflict. People in the United States should particularly send letters to their Congressional delegation and support the withholding of any military aid to Turkey until it withdraws its troops from the border region and engages the KRG in direct negotiations. Other stories in Turkish press have sought to create an illusion that there is no unity among Kurdish peoples for national independence and that the KRG is seeking to turn over members of the PKK to the Turkish military.

There are many things that are not clear. One thing is clear, and that is that statements from the Turkish media have their own agenda. Statements made by the KRG should be referred in order to confirm or deny such stories officially. There continues to be an expression of a wide variety of views on Kurdish ezines. This is also important in the conversation, so that open input remains a fundamental principle. Likewise, there need be no panic regarding the contents of various articles until they are confirmed. It is becoming clearer every day that the intent of such rumors and stories is to undermine the unity that exists in all of Kurdistan today.

People referring to KurdishAspect.com will benefit from their timely reports made daily. it continues to demonstrate responsible journalism and the highest calibre of integrity in behalf of the Kurdish people and nation.

10. - AXcess News - "Turkey's troubles run deep":

CAPE TOWN / 27 May 2007 / by Daniel Silke

Nothing divides Europeans more than the issue of Turkey's role in Europe and her possible entry into the EU. And, following a devastating bomb blast in Ankara this last week and mass demonstrations to protest the influence of Islamic-oriented political activities, Turkey represents a true crossing point for the world - not just geographically but also ideologically.

For a country whose political ethos - established over the last century - has been one of secular nationalism, it is not surprising that any possible drift towards a more religious state or political representation should cause ripples of concern throughout the secular establishment.

The country literally is a bridge between Europe and the Middle-East - and between Judeo-Christian values and Islam. Its sensitivity has been enhanced by events in Iraq and Iran and its courtship by the West as a bulwark against Islamic Fundamentalism. In addition, the West views Turkey as the model Moslem state where a separation of Mosque and State go hand-in-hand with secular Islam.

Somehow, though, for all the good that Turkey provides the West, it seems increasingly isolated. The question remains whether the West is doing enough to aid and assist Turkey in what is likely to become an increasingly tough battle as elements try to destabilize this bastion of Islamic Democracy.

Recent statements by the new French President, Nicholas Sarkozy only serve to complicate the matter. And, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has, herself, shown little enthusiasm for the Turks to join the EU. A Sarkozy/Merkel axis preventing Turkey's EU progress will be a very powerful lobby to combat.

By stymieing Turkish efforts to join the EU, Conservative Europeans run the risk of alienating an Islamic population sympathetic and congruent with Western values. Indeed, the Turkish economy has transformed itself over the last decade and has adopted many more free-market style policies that should be welcomed by the likes or Sarkozy and Merkel. Instead, the Turks must be wondering what else they can do to impress upon the most powerful European players of their bona fides in the debate over joining the EU club.

Demonstrations across the country over the last few weeks have pointed to a distinct desire on the part of the Turkish people to remain secular in political orientation. But, the sometimes over-bearing military have clearly (as usual) played their hand in supporting this.

To continue to be rejected by Europe's power-layers will not help the secularists. Instead, it feeds into the hands of more religious political players who will see this as another example of western bias against Muslims.

Ironically, the fiercely secularist Military - who seemingly might not stop at anything to protect the separation of Mosque and State - may also hurt the very Turkey they wish to preserve. Any heavy-handed tactics can drive voters into the hands of Islamists.

For Europe – and especially for France and Germany - the thought of a possible new member of the club with a population of over 71m - is too much to bear. Turkey's potential power can diminish that of the existing members. And it is no secret that tens of thousands of Turks have their bags packed just waiting for the EU membership to usher in an open-border policy.

This is the key question. Is it better to keep Turkish hopes of EU succession dashed and thereby avoid integrating a modern and secular Islamic nation or would open borders flood Western Europe, whittle away French and German domination and spread Islam even further in Paris, Berlin or Amsterdam?

This is risky business. Unfortunately for Europe, it is now becoming increasingly popular for political parties to campaign to limit enlarging the EU club. The Liberal ethos of the EU has always been tenuous - but no more so than offer the EU constitution was rejected to soundly by European voters over the last few years.

Ultimately, Europeans politicians (even the Sarkozy/Merkel team) will need to find an exit strategy to accommodate Turkey's entrance. In the interim. Turkish secularists - and the Military - will have to resist any temptation to force their lifestyle on the traditionalists in that society.

Turkish politics is now becoming much more global. It is a country under scrutiny and every action dissected and analysed. In the months and years to come, few other countries will receive more attention and analysis than the Turks. The proverbial tight-rope is being walked - just a pity the judges aren't a little more generous. Any slip and there will surely be no second chances.

* Editorial Note: Daniel Silke is an independent political analyst and keynote speaker based in Cape Town. He can be reached at polanalyst[at]gmail.com