Documents and Papers

Country Updates
All papers, commentaries, programs and related content prior to January 2005 reflect the work and product of the Western Policy Center. Country Updates were offered as a concise review of major political, economic, and military developments impacting U.S. interests. The dates covered 1998 - 2004 for each area of concentration that the Western Policy Center covered.
Albania | Bulgaria | Cyprus | Greece | Macedonia, F.Y.R. | Serbia and Montenegro | Turkey

Turkey
Back to Document List

2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 |

-----------------------------------
December 21, 2004
Ankara Pleased With Outcome of EU Summit, Date for Accession Talks
Washington, D.C. - Characterizing the EU summit’s decision to begin accession talks with Turkey in October 2005 as placing the “reconciliation of civilizations between Christianity and Islam” on a “concrete base,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara did not receive 100 percent of the terms it had requested from the EU for the start of the talks, but he described the outcome of the summit as “a success.” He vowed to press forward with reforms as Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Turkey had “entered a period of permanent stability” following the decision.
The issue of Ankara’s refusal to recognize EU member Cyprus, a stumbling block that nearly derailed negotiations at the December 16-17 summit in Brussels over the terms for offering a date for talks, was resolved when Turkey agreed to sign a protocol extending its customs union agreement with the EU to all 10 new member countries, including Cyprus, before the October 3 launching of the talks. While the EU would view such a move as the de facto recognition of Cyprus, Erdogan stated that the extension of the agreement to include Nicosia would be a “technical procedure” and would be “in no way a recognition” of Cyprus. Gul asserted that it would be “out of the question” for Turkey to sign any bilateral protocol with the “Greek Cypriot administration.” Turkey has repeatedly stated that it would only grant recognition to a new political entity that might result from a comprehensive settlement for the reunification of Cyprus.
Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos said the outcome of the summit satisfied the demands of the Cyprus government “to a great extent” and “achieved what was feasible under the circumstances” with regard to the recognition issue. He described the decision concerning the customs union agreement as a “significant first step forward,” noting that it “brings about normalization, at least in the stages that it covers,” with respect to matters such as the free movement of persons and goods. Papadopoulos made clear that, if Turkey reneged on its commitment to sign the protocol by October 3, the Cyprus government “has the right to not agree to the initiation of accession talks” for Turkey at that time.
With differences between Turkey and Greece concerning the Aegean Sea in mind, the presidency conclusions issued at the summit also “welcomed the improvement in Turkey’s relations with its neighbours and its readiness to continue to work with the concerned Member States towards resolution of outstanding border disputes,” while also welcoming “the exploratory contacts to this end.” In addition, the text said “unresolved disputes having repercussions on the accession process should if necessary be brought to the International Court of Justice for settlement.”
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis maintained that Greece had achieved all of its objectives at the summit, noting that the clear European framework of rules governing Turkey’s actions would lead to “further normalization of Greek-Turkish relations.”
In response to the concern of certain EU countries that Turkish workers could flood the labor markets of member nations or that Turkey’s large agricultural sector could burden the bloc’s finances, the presidency conclusions stated that “long transition periods, derogations, specific arrangements, or permanent safeguard clauses . . . which are permanently available as a basis for safeguard measures, may be considered.” The conclusions said that “transitional arrangements or safeguards should be reviewed regarding their impact on competition or the functioning of the internal market.”
Although the conclusions retained the stipulation that membership talks would be “an open-ended process, the outcome of which cannot be guaranteed beforehand,” a phrase opposed by the Turkish government, Ankara was pleased that “accession” was designated as “the shared objective of the negotiations.” In addition, the conclusions stated that, if Ankara “is not in a position to assume in full all the obligations of membership, it must be ensured that [Turkey] is fully anchored in the European structures through the strongest possible bond.”
The conclusions also noted that, in the event of “a serious and persistent breach in . . . the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law” in Turkey, the Commission would “on its own initiative or on the request of one-third of the Member States, recommend the suspension of negotiations and propose the conditions for eventual resumption.”
The text said the European Commission would continue to closely monitor and report on Turkey’s progress toward the irreversibility of the political reform process and the full implementation of reforms, particularly those regarding fundamental freedoms and full respect of human rights, including a “zero-tolerance policy relating to torture and ill-treatment.”
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, welcoming the EU’s decision on Turkey’s accession talks, said the move reflected “Turkey’s impressive reform accomplishments” and was “a great success for both Turkey and the EU.” Washington is “confident that the accession process and Turkey’s eventual membership in the European Union will bring great benefits to Turkey and the EU,” he stated. Powell added that “a Turkey that is firmly anchored in Europe and sharing European values will be a positive force for prosperity and democracy” and will be “good for Turkey, for the broader European region, and for the United States.”
Both France and Austria said they would hold referenda on Turkey’s accession following the conclusion of membership talks, which are expected to last at least 10 years. With opinion polls in Austria indicating that only 28 percent of Austrians favor Turkey’s entry, the EU nation currently most opposed to its membership, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said he would push for an EU-wide referendum.

-------------------------------
December 17, 2004
EU Offers Negotiation Date to Turkey, with Cyprus Recognition Issue Presenting Greatest Hurdle
Washington, D.C. - At their December 16-17 summit in Brussels, European Union leaders agreed to begin accession talks with Turkey on October 3, 2005, but Ankara’s approval of the terms of the EU's offer was stalled by differences over the issue of Turkey'’s recognition of Cyprus.
EU and Turkish officials worked together to re-write the Cyprus portion of the bloc's proposal in order to reach a compromise on a timetable for this recognition. The EU had wanted Turkey to initial an agreement at the summit that would extend its existing customs union with the EU to include the 10 new member states that joined the bloc in May, including Cyprus. EU officials said the agreement could then be signed before accession talks begin, a move that would amount to de facto acknowledgement of the country. Turkey rejected this proposal, saying that recognition of Cyprus, either directly or indirectly, was "out of the question." It has said, in the past, that it will only recognize the political entity that emerges from a Cyprus settlement under the auspices of the United Nations. Turkey offered a statement of intent that it will sign an accord acknowledging Cyprus before the accession talks begin.
The EU also urged Turkey to continue its reforms, stipulating tough monitoring and inspections to ensure that Ankara carries out its promises on free speech, an end to torture, and other human rights reform. The membership talks will be "open-ended," meaning that they will not automatically lead to membership, although that will be the goal. If the talks fail to result in full membership, the EU will ensure that Turkey "is fully anchored in the European structures through the strongest possible bond." Negotiations may be stopped if Turkey backslides on completing the reforms required for membership.

---------------------------------
December 10, 2004
Countdown to Summit Decision on Accession Talks
Washington, D.C. - As the debate continued over suggestions primarily by European conservatives that Turkey be offered a partnership with Brussels that would fall short of full EU membership, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted on three conditions for the expected decision at the December 16-17 EU summit that membership talks begin: the EU had to offer Turkey full membership, a clear starting date for the negotiations, and no further criteria to be fulfilled. "Turkey has met all political conditions" for starting talks, Erdogan said.
In a joint statement, Turkey's political and military leaders said, "It is the just expectation of the Turkish nation that the EU member countries decide to open negotiations in 2005 without delay or [new] conditions, with the aim of Turkey's membership in the Union." The statement added, "It is a requirement under the EU's obligations toward Turkey that the EU clearly preserves our membership perspective . . . without creating any doubts."
European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn stated that, if the EU decides to begin accession talks with Turkey, "the clear aim is membership if the conditions for it are met," adding that "there is no Plan B." He noted that the EU had officially considered Turkey to be part of Europe since 1963, when it concluded its association agreement with Ankara, and Turkey had been a candidate for membership since 1999, giving the bloc little choice but to honor its commitment to move the country toward accession. "We have the responsibility to accept the country as a member if it fulfills the criteria," Rehn said.
European Parliament President Josep Borrell Fontelles, during a visit to Turkey, which included meetings with non-governmental organizations, representatives of non-Muslim religious groups, and local officials and civic bodies in the primarily Kurdish city of Diyarbakir in the southeast, stated that Ankara should be aware that "public opinion in Europe is currently against Turkey's becoming an EU member immediately." He said he believed European countries would "make a better decision after they learn more" about the country through the long pre-accession process, noting that he believed entry talks should begin during the first half of 2005. The EU, he said, will strengthen Turkey's political and economic ties, which will, in turn, strengthen democratic values and human rights. "A stable and prosperous Turkey is necessary for stability and peace in the Middle East," he asserted.
A second draft of the presidency conclusions prepared by the EU's Dutch presidency for the summit, according to leaks to the press, states that the screening process comparing Turkish laws to those of the EU will begin in April 2005, with accession negotiations beginning in October. The draft also reportedly suggests that EU member states can hold referenda on whether to accept Turkey into the bloc. In addition, in an apparent reference to the disputes in the Aegean between Ankara and Athens, the document states that the bilateral problems Turkey has with neighboring countries should be resolved through the International Court of Justice in The Hague if the problems have an effect on the country's accession course. It also removes the stipulation that a minimum vote of one-third of the member states would be required to endorse a suspension of the talks if Turkey backtracked on its reform process, while mentioning that the European Commission will report regularly on Turkey's progress toward a zero-tolerance policy concerning the torture and ill treatment of detainees.
Two weeks before the summit, the Turkish parliament approved the criminal procedure bill, which the European Commission, in its October 6 report on Ankara's progress toward meeting EU criteria, had said must be passed prior to the summit. The new law, to go into effect on April 1, 2005, includes provisions that establish a judicial police to handle the interrogation of suspects, grant suspects the right to have a lawyer present during an interrogation, place limits on the period suspects can be detained, and deal with police searches and the tapping of telephones.
Angela Merkel, the head of Germany's conservative opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), intensified her public opposition to Turkey's candidacy for EU membership by asserting that German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was not being honest about the risks for the EU posed by Turkish membership and accusing him of "self-deception" in his support for Ankara's entry. She maintained that the key issue was whether Turkey could be integrated into the EU, noting that attempts to build a multi-cultural society in Germany that integrated the Turks already living in the country had failed. "The EU with Turkey will be a new EU," she said, adding that "the degree of European integration achieved over 50 years must not be thrown away." Turkey's geopolitical importance, she said, is not a reason for it to be admitted to the EU.
Merkel and Edmund Stoiber, the head of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), wrote to Schroeder urging him to block the start of EU entry talks with Turkey and begin supporting a privileged partnership between the EU and Ankara instead of full membership. They asserted that Turkey's accession would "overstretch" the EU.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende sent a letter to Merkel expressing his objection to her campaign for a privileged partnership. He ruled out the likelihood of offering such a partnership at the summit since it would constitute a "change of game rules in an ongoing game."
In recent months, the CDU's overwhelming lead in polls over Schroeder's Social Democrats has diminished from 50 percent in March to 38 percent, with Schroeder's party reaching 32 percent, up from a low of 23 percent during the summer. At the CDU's annual congress on December 7, the party's leaders raised the possibility that, if the party wins the parliamentary elections in 2006, a CDU-led government could stall Turkey's membership talks by delaying the endorsement of individual chapters Turkey must conclude, corresponding to the 31 policy areas into which EU law is divided, on its way to membership.
French President Jacques Chirac has signaled that he may insist that the possibility of a status for Turkey other than full membership be included in the presidency conclusions in case talks fail, a proposal backed by Austria and Denmark, but he has said that he does not want the expression "privileged partnership" to be present in the conclusions.
Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini said Turkey will be sacrificed to Islamic fundamentalism if it is not brought into the European Union, noting that the EU should consider what it will cost the bloc if Turkey does not become a member, "instead of raising concern over what Turkey's membership could lead to."
Prime Minister Erdogan pledged that his government would remove any remaining obstacles to religious freedom in Turkey as he inaugurated a complex called the Garden of Religions, which includes a mosque, a church partitioned into Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox sections, and a synagogue, in the Mediterranean resort of Belek, near Antalya. It will mainly serve foreigners vacationing in the region. The inauguration was made possible after Turkey, in preparation for EU membership, changed laws that restricted the opening of places of worship other than mosques. Dutch Minister for European Affairs Atzo Nicolai, who attended the ceremony, urged Turkey to decrease "state intervention in worship."
Turkey is currently engaged in a dispute over the status of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians. Turkey has long refused to accept any international role for the patriarch and argues that he is only the spiritual leader of Istanbul's dwindling Orthodox community.

-----------------------------------
December 10, 2004
Raging Debate Over Cyprus Recognition
Washington, D.C. - In a letter to the Dutch EU presidency, the Turkish government stipulated that it would extend recognition to the political entity that is established through a settlement to the Cyprus problem, and not to the current Republic of Cyprus, stressing Ankara's commitment to finding a "mutually acceptable settlement."
The Turkish Cypriot prime minister, Mehmet Ali Talat, echoing Ankara's view, said it was out of the question for the Turkish government to recognize anything but a Turkish Cypriot-Greek Cypriot partnership government that would be established as a result of settlement negotiations. "Ankara will recognize only the ‘new Cyprus' and nothing else," Talat stated, adding that there was no single government in Cyprus that currently represented the entire territory and its two peoples.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an interview, talked about the possibility that Turkey would suspend the EU membership process if Brussels insisted upon introducing new conditions such as the recognition of the "Greek Cypriot government" as the government of all of Cyprus. Both Erdogan and Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said the demand that Turkey recognize Cyprus was "unjust" in view of the Turkish Cypriot endorsement of the Annan plan in the April referendum and its rejection by the Greek Cypriots. "We believe that the question of Cyprus will find a solution in the U.N.," Erdogan said, adding that "only the U.N. can ask us to recognize Cyprus, and this has nothing to do with the European Union." Stating that Turkey believed that the EU had "made a mistake" in admitting Cyprus, Erdogan said Ankara did not want to discuss the recognition issue before or during the summit, asserting that it would be addressed after the summit.
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, urged Turkey to make a move toward recognizing Cyprus before the summit. He stated during a visit to Nicosia that the Ankara agreement, which, in 1995, established the Turkey-EU customs union, "is possibly the cornerstone to finding solutions" to the issue of the recognition of all EU member states by Turkey. He said "the element of the Ankara agreement could really help" in the direction of solving the Cyprus problem, which "is not part of the Copenhagen criteria [for EU membership] but we all want to take steps which could lead to starting to improve the situation."
Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos said the reference in the presidency conclusions to Turkey's expected extension of the Ankara agreement to cover all new member states did not sufficiently address the recognition issue. He asserted that the conclusions should contain a specific reference to normalizing relations between Ankara and Nicosia. The Cyprus government is attempting to convince the EU that recognition of all new member states is a precondition for starting Turkey's accession talks required by the acquis communautaire, the body of EU laws.
European Parliament President Josep Borrell Fontelles, during a visit to Ankara, appealed to Turkey to recognize Cyprus. "In order to negotiate and hold talks with somebody, one has to recognize that person . . . and, therefore, negotiating with the EU implies negotiating with Cyprus and recognizing Cyprus," Fontelles said. He added that this recognition is not something "that should be done before these negotiations are opened, but this is implied."
Also on a visit to Ankara, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht stated that the recognition of Cyprus was not a precondition for opening talks with Turkey, but it was evident that the problem had to be solved. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said he hoped that it would not be necessary for Turkey's recognition of Cyprus to become one of the main issues at the summit.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said, "Turkey's failure to recognize the Republic of Cyprus and the presence of Turkish occupation troops in its northern sector are a paradox that is incompatible with the philosophy and the institutional and political reality that are entailed in how the European family functions."

December 10, 2004
Putin's Visit Envisions Strategic Cooperation in Security, Energy, Trade Sectors
Washington, D.C. - During a landmark visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Turkey, the first ever by a leader of Russia, Ankara and Moscow pledged to expand bilateral cooperation in the counter-terrorism, defense, and trade and economic sectors, while also considering the construction of a new pipeline that would enhance Turkey's role as a link between Russian oil and gas resources and Western markets.
The visit by Putin, accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, and Industry and Energy Minister Victor Khristenko, reflects a transformation in relations between the two countries, which have competed for influence in the Caucasus and Central Asia for centuries, but have dramatically strengthened economic ties since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Putin said he would like "to especially underscore that the two countries' approaches on the struggle against terrorism are identical," while they also have similar views on the Caucasus, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East peace process. He stated that he would like to thank Turkish officials "for the moral and political support they have extended to Russia's struggle against terrorism." Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer told Putin that Turkey was determined to cooperate with Russia in the fight against terror. The two leaders signed a declaration committing their countries to joint efforts against terrorism through bilateral "consultation and cooperation mechanisms."
The Russian leader expressed satisfaction with the position on Chechnya taken by Turkey, which recently passed a law that effectively bans private charities from sending funds to Chechnya. The week before Putin arrived in Turkey, Turkish authorities arrested nine suspected Chechen militants and three pro-Chechen Turks that police said had links to al Qaeda. Ivanov called on Ankara to take further steps to capture suspected Chechen militants that may be in Turkey and hand them over to Moscow if apprehended. Russia has, in the past, accused Ankara of tolerating the activities of Chechen rebels on its territory and failing to prevent Turkish citizens from joining their ranks.
Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul told Ivanov that Turkey would like Moscow to declare the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) a terrorist organization. Ivanov stated that the issue was under consideration by Russia. Turkey has long maintained that PKK militants receive safe haven in Russia. Gonul also discussed questions concerning maintaining stability in Georgia with Ivanov.
Putin told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Moscow was interested in defense and energy privatization tenders in Turkey, particularly a stalled tender for the privatization of the state-owned oil refinery, Tupras. Russia is also focusing on tenders for the modernization of the Turkish military, with Putin lobbying Ankara to buy attack helicopters from a joint venture between the Russian Kamov Company and Israeli Aircraft Industries.
Bilateral trade rose by 60 percent to $4.6 billion during the first half of 2004, compared to the same period in 2003, a figure that might exceed $10 billion for all of 2004 and could reach $25 billion in a few years. Turkey has a deficit in its trade with Russia resulting primarily from the purchase of Russian natural gas through the Blue Stream pipeline, which runs under the Black Sea. Fifteen years ago, bilateral trade was only $200 million. Turkey attracts more than a million Russian tourists each year, and Russia is Turkey's largest trading partner after Germany.
Putin stated that Turkey could be a transit country for Russian energy resources to other markets. While Turkey now imports 16 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia annually, Russia's gas monopoly, Gazprom, is seeking to expand its distribution network to transport gas from the Blue Stream pipeline to areas of Turkey outside Istanbul and Ankara, and eventually on to Israel. In addition, Russia is researching Turkey's potential for underground gas storage. Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said Turkey would increase the amount of gas it purchases from Russia, while Khristenko expressed Russia's desire to help Ankara build a nuclear energy plant.
At a time when the U.S.-backed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, running from the capital of Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, is nearing completion, Turkish and Russian officials discussed the potential for an alternative pipeline for the transport of Russian oil to Western markets that would bypass the congested Turkish straits. Having not yet agreed on a route for such a pipeline, they said talks on the matter would continue. Guler said Turkey preferred a route from the Black Sea city of Samsun to Ceyhan. Russia would like a pipeline to run from the Black Sea through Thrace in northwestern Turkey to the Aegean Sea.
During Putin's visit, in addition to the agreement on counter-terrorism, Turkey and Russia concluded several agreements establishing cooperation in finance, energy, and defense, which included provisions for preventing incidents at sea between the two countries' navies and for a commitment to the safety of navigation in the Turkish straits, a major outlet for Russian oil.
Turkish officials said they were disposed toward supporting Russia's bid to obtain observer status in the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

December 3, 2004
Final Stretch to Decision on EU Accession Talks
Washington, D.C. - Several weeks before the December 16-17 EU summit in Brussels, where it is widely believed that Turkey will be given the green light to begin accession talks by October 2005, the European debate on Turkey's candidacy centered on whether Ankara should be granted full membership or an alternative partnership with the bloc, the call for Turkey to recognize Cyprus, and the human rights and political reforms that remain to be legislated and implemented in the country.
A first draft of the presidency conclusions of the summit, prepared by the Dutch presidency and leaked to the press, says there is no guarantee that the open-ended process of the negotiations will eventually lead to membership, while Turkey's entry, if it is granted, cannot take place until 2015 at the earliest, since no financial provisions for a Turkish accession can be made before the budget cycle starting in 2014. The document also states that restrictions might be applied to the free movement of the Turkish labor force within the EU.
In an apparent reference to Turkey's talks with Greece to resolve longstanding Aegean disputes, the document states that the EU welcomes Turkey's commitment to good relations with neighboring countries and its readiness to continue to work with member states for a solution to "pending border differences."
There is considerable public opposition to Turkey's EU membership in France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands, countries with sizable Muslim immigrant populations and right-wing parties that are eager to exploit immigration issues in upcoming electoral campaigns. While Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul reiterated the government's firm position that it would agree to "no alternative" to full membership in the EU, advocates for a "privileged partnership" between Ankara and the bloc continued to step forward.
Former French president Valery Giscard D'Estaing, the chief architect of the EU's constitution, publicly announced his support for a privileged partnership. D'Estaing asserted that Turkey's accession to the EU would require the drafting of another constitution to replace the one awaiting ratification, which "was not conceived to welcome in a national power the size of Turkey" and would need to be amended to include limits on the influence of new member countries with large populations. He noted that Turkey's population was expected to reach 89 million by 2024, which would represent 15 percent of the EU's population and would give it 96 deputies out of 750 in the European Parliament and a dominant voice in the Council of Ministers.
Despite French President Jacques Chirac's support for Turkey's full membership, French Economy and Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who was elected on November 28 to the chairmanship of Chirac's governing Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), continued to express his opposition to Turkey's membership and his support for a privileged partnership. Sarkozy is expected to run as a presidential candidate against Chirac in 2007.
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said that, if EU leaders set a date for Turkey's accession talks at the summit, the presidency conclusions must state that these talks could lead to a status for Turkey that falls short of full EU membership. Schuessel said, "We want to have control over our labor market. This alone means that we will need a different concept that the full membership we know today." A September poll indicated that 76 percent of Austrians were against membership talks for Turkey.
Germany's conservative opposition, the Christian Democratic Union, favored in recent opinion polls though parliamentary elections are not anticipated until 2006, continues to push for a privileged partnership rather than full accession, while Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder supports full membership.
A reference to a privileged partnership for Turkey was reportedly voted out of the draft of the presidency conclusions. In addition, the document does not include a start date for accession talks.
Following Gul's November 24 meeting in The Hague with the new European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, and the foreign ministers of the Netherlands and Luxembourg, which will assume the EU presidency in January, Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot dismissed the idea that the EU develop an alternative to full membership for Ankara. He also said accession talks were unlikely to begin before the second half of 2005, during Britain's presidency, since a screening of Turkish laws was expected to take place during the first half of the year to check their compatibility with EU legislation.
Bot stated that there was still no consensus among EU countries on whether Turkey has fulfilled the membership criteria for accession and recommended that Ankara accelerate reforms in the weeks leading up to the summit. He said the EU wanted Turkey to obtain parliamentary approval for laws on criminal procedures and the judicial police before the summit, legislation that the European Commission's October 6 report had said was still pending. Bot noted that the situation concerning the rights of non-Muslim minorities in Turkey continued to be "a serious source of concern" and that four key laws, including one enacting a new penal code, had been adopted by parliament but had not yet gone into effect. In addition, Bot said the EU hoped the issue of recognizing Cyprus would be settled before accession talks begin.
In Italy, a strong supporter of Turkey's entry into the EU, the parliament held a debate on December 3 concerning its membership. In addition, one of the parties in the governing coalition, the Northern Union Party, said it would organize a protest rally against Turkey's accession two days after the EU summit concludes that would emphasize the "Christian roots of Europe."
Turkey is continuing its contacts with European officials to promote the setting of a date at the summit for talks. The first two days of December included a trip by Gul to Slovenia to meet with Foreign Minister Ivo Vajgl, and meetings in Ankara between Gul and European Parliament President Josep Borrell Fontelles and Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht.

December 3, 2004
Cyprus Recognition Looms as Stumbling Block with EU
Washington, D.C. - According to media reports, a first draft of the presidency conclusions of the December EU summit indicates that the bloc will not directly call on Ankara to recognize Cyprus. Instead, it will prod Turkey to proceed with its stated decision to extend its customs union agreement with the EU to all member states, including Cyprus, which would constitute de facto recognition of the Cyprus government as being sovereign over the entire island. No deadline is set for this recognition.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he found it "hard to understand and hard to explain" why the EU was pressuring Turkey concerning this issue, stating that both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots had promoted the reunification of Cyprus by supporting the Annan plan, while the Greek Cypriots had rejected the plan. "We have done our best in order to find a solution on the island," Erdogan said, adding that it was now the Greek Cypriots' turn "to take a step." Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, stating that Turkey is "not the reason for the problem that the European Union is now facing" with regard to the recognition issue, said Turkey would consider demands to recognize Cyprus after accession talks begin.
The recognition of Cyprus by Turkey could result in a political backlash against the Erdogan government since many Turks consider the matter to be a national issue. This recognition would necessitate ending Turkey's 21-year policy of being the sole country to recognize the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos said his government was not against the start of Ankara's accession talks, but Turkey "must comply with all its obligations toward the Union as well as Cyprus." Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Giorgios Koumoutsakos, stating that Athens still backed Turkey's entry into the EU, said Greece expects the EU to "take decisions safeguarding a process of normalization of Turkey's relations with all 25 EU member states," noting that "the major matter of Turkey's recognizing the Republic of Cyprus" cannot be disregarded. Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Evripides Stylianides asserted that recognition of Cyprus by Turkey was "an obvious legal and political requirement" for starting accession talks.

December 3, 2004
Turkish Sentiment Against U.S.-Led Offensive in Fallujah Grows
Washington, D.C. - As Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that the "excessive use of force in Iraq" was of concern to Turkey in response to the U.S.-led military offensive against insurgents in Fallujah, the chairman of the Turkish parliament's Human Rights Investigation Commission characterized the U.S. operation as "genocide" and the speaker of parliament said the offensive had violated the rules of international law.
The chairman of the parliament's Commission, Mehmet Elkatmis, who is a prominent member of the ruling Justice and Development Party, asserted that "the occupation has turned into barbarism" and "has entirely imperialist aims." He stated that "such a genocide was never seen in the time of the pharaohs nor of [Adolf] Hitler nor of [Benito] Mussolini."
Speaker Bulent Arinc said that "ending these attacks, which involve violence against civilians in defiance of all human rights conventions, would be a big contribution to world peace." In addition, Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate, attached to the prime minister's office, described the war in Iraq in a public statement as an "unstoppable humanitarian tragedy," adding that it had "turned into savageness."
A statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Ankara said that the claim that the U.S. was committing genocide in Iraq was "baseless, inflammatory, and offensive." A diplomat at the embassy also said, "Such unfounded, inaccurate, exaggerated claims are not good for relations, especially at a time of strain when Turkish public opinion is so critical of what the United States is trying to do in Iraq."
On November 30, officials from Turkey, the U.S., and Iraq met in Ankara to discuss security measures for Turkish truck drivers working in Iraq, who have been increasingly targeted in armed attacks. The death toll among these drivers has risen to at least 68, and 16 additional Turkish nationals are missing in Iraq.

November 24, 2004
Escalating Concern over Safety of Turkish Workers in Iraq
Washington, D.C. - With some 60 Turkish workers having been killed in Iraq, at least 10 of them in November alone, the Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed concern over what it described as a worsening security situation in the country and urged Turkish citizens not to travel there. Noting that ongoing clashes in Iraq have recently escalated, posing a threat to both Iraqi citizens and foreigners, the ministry's advisory said that, if Turks had to travel to the neighboring country, they should abide by security measures in place. The ministry released a similar warning in October.
The ministry stated that the number of Turks killed in attacks, particularly against truck drivers transporting goods from Turkey to Iraq, was on the rise, despite attempts by the Iraqi interim government, local Iraqi authorities, the coalition forces in Iraq, and the U.S. and British governments and their representatives in Ankara and Baghdad to curtail them. It said even convoys with escorts were being attacked and that members of the Iraqi interim government and their families were being targeted by the attackers.
On November 7, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan telephoned President Bush to express Turkey's worries over the situation. According to a report by the Anatolia News Agency, Erdogan, the same week, also conveyed Turkey's concern over the killings of Turkish truck drivers during a phone conversation with Vice President Richard Cheney, in which the prime minister also stated Turkey's unease over the U.S. military offensive on Fallujah, particularly its potential for causing civilian casualties.
Turkey has established a coordination center near the Iraqi border to provide information for Turks working in Iraq concerning the safety level of various routes, along with suggestions to drivers to prevent ambushes along roadsides. Some Turkish companies have chartered planes to transport their workers to Iraq in order to avoid the dangers posed to buses on the roads.
At a November 22-23 international conference on Iraq in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, which was attended by Turkey and all of Iraq's other neighbors, the question of border security emerged as a major issue. Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, stated that Baghdad would ask Turkey and Iran to reinforce security along their common borders with Iraq in order to prevent foreign militants from entering the country. Syria has already agreed to take measures in this regard. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Turkey welcomed Zebari's proposal.
Gul reiterated Turkey's concern over Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants based in northern Iraq, as well as the intentions of Kurdish groups in the area, which Ankara fears could move the north in the direction of independence. He called on the United States to conduct an operation to rid the area of the PKK, stating, "How much longer can [the U.S.] postpone the operation? They have lost the [support of the] Turkish people already." In a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on the sidelines of the conference, Gul conveyed Turkey's expectation that Washington take steps against the PKK in Iraq, emphasizing that their presence was a serious problem for Turkey.
As apparent follow-up to an August accord signed by Erdogan and Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, in which Tehran agreed to outlaw the PKK, Iranian security forces began apprehending PKK militants operating within Iran in early November. The Iranian government disclosed that at least one security officer had been wounded in clashes between the security forces and the PKK near the Iranian-Turkish border.

November 19, 2004
Ankara Continues European Tour as Countdown to EU Summit Begins
Washington, D.C. - One month before the European Union is to make a decision at its mid-December summit on whether to grant Turkey a date for accession talks, Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg, which will hold the rotating EU presidency the first half of 2005, said his country wanted negotiations with Ankara to take place by the middle of the year.
"I exclude the concept of a privileged partnership [for Turkey]. That is not an option," Juncker said. "That is the status quo, slightly improved. If partnership means just political [relations] and not in the institutions, that would be a lack of respect for Turkey," he noted. Juncker said that, during the 10 to 13 years of negotiations, prejudices against Turkey would be eliminated in Europe, adding that "our final target is Turkey's full membership."
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Luxembourg as part of his tour through European capitals to garner support for Turkey's bid to move forward with accession talks, appealed to the EU to treat Turkey "just as the other candidate countries are treated" and not give it "special treatment." He said that, if the EU is to become a global force, it should promote compromise among civilizations, which could be facilitated with the accession of Turkey. Erdogan added that he hoped Turkey's situation would be evaluated without the matter being made "a tool for internal politics."
French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said the French government expected accession negotiations with Turkey to begin at the end of 2005 or in early 2006 in order to give several countries, including France, time to hold referenda on the EU Constitution. In addition, Barnier said that "a preparatory period will be needed" before the opening of talks with Turkey, giving no further details.
In the Czech Republic, whose parliament has voted to support the start of Turkey's talks at the EU summit, 3,400 people signed a petition against Turkey's membership in the bloc. David Gresak, the head of the citizens' committee that organized the signature drive, said, "We want the Czech government to vote against the start of admission talks with Turkey at the EU summit," adding that the petition had been submitted to the government. He asserted that Turkey did not meet EU standards in many areas, such as human rights and the country's economic situation.
When asked at a press conference in Luxembourg if Turkey would recognize the Republic of Cyprus before the summit, Erdogan said, "At this moment, it is not a subject before the December 17 [summit] decision" on whether to grant Ankara a date for accession talks.
After he attends an international conference on Iraq in Egypt on November 22-23, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is scheduled to meet with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Foreign Minister Ben Bot of the Netherlands, which currently holds the EU presidency.

November 12, 2004
European Leaders Weigh In on EU Bid as December Summit Approaches
Washington, D.C. - Although the Dutch government, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, endorsed the opening of Turkey's accession talks with the bloc, it called on the EU to clearly state the consequences of Turkish non-adherence to its reform path in preparation for membership.
Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot and European Affairs Minister Atzo Nicolai, in a letter to parliament, said, "The government is, in principle, of the opinion that, in line with the recommendation of the Commission, the European Council can take a positive decision [to start talks with Turkey]."
The leaders of several large parties in the Dutch parliament that have expressed doubts over Turkey's entry into the EU also demanded a clearer statement of the government's policy on Ankara's accession. Maxime Verhagen, the parliamentary leader of Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's Christian Democrats, said the EU should not promise a date to Turkey for starting accession talks since such a step would "diminish the pressure" on Ankara to continue its reform process. Verhagen emphasized that his party also wanted the Turkish parliament to adopt six additional human rights laws, including one concerning freedom of association, and said Ankara needed to put an adequate mechanism in position to stamp out torture.
There are 350,000 Turks in the Netherlands, and the Dutch are becoming increasingly opposed to immigration. In addition, as the largest net contributor to EU finances, the Dutch government fears that the bloc's costs will rise significantly if Turkey joins.
The president of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell Fontelles, reaffirmed the intention of the Parliament to hold a vote, probably on December 2, regarding Turkey's bid to become an EU member. Stating that it was appropriate for the EU's only directly elected body to express its opinion on Turkey's membership, he said he would travel to Ankara the day after the vote to deliver the result to the Turkish government. The Parliament's decision on the matter is not legally required and will not be binding.

French President Jacques Chirac, while reiterating that he fully supported opening accession talks with Turkey, said "one can't underestimate the possibility that, in a few years' time, we come to realize that . . . the road that Turkey has to travel doesn't permit it to adopt all the values of Europe." Chirac added, "In that case, what has to be found is a means to create a sufficiently strong link so that there is no separation between Europe and Turkey, without there being integration."
France's conservative Union for French Democracy (UDF) has insisted, through a letter to the French parliament's speaker, that parliament hold a second special session to debate Turkey's bid to join the European Union. In addition, the UDF has called on the legislative body to vote on a proposal offering Ankara a "privileged partnership" with the EU instead of full membership, despite a previous decision by the parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission rejecting the UDF's call for such a partnership. The UDF is a junior partner in the coalition behind French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, but it is not part of the cabinet. The French parliament held a special session in October to debate Turkey's membership, but the parliamentarians held no vote.
In Germany, the leader of the opposition Christian Democratic Union, Angela Merkel, who advocates a privileged partnership for Turkey, reiterated that the country should not be admitted into the EU because its entry could overburden the current members and the differences between Turkey and the EU were too great for full membership. "Ten to 15 years is not long enough to overcome numerous differences," Merkel stated.
Claudia Roth, the chairperson of the German Green Party, which supports Turkey's EU membership, stated that Ankara's "recognition of the Kurdish identity is a key on the path leading to European Union membership." A privileged partnership, she stated, would mean "an open refusal" to Turkey and would be "worse than protecting the status quo." In addition, she asserted, "Those who do not want Turkey's entry into the EU should know that the EU process is indispensable for Turkey's democratization."
Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos said his government would work toward the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus before the December 17 EU summit "as fervently as we can." He said he believed the withdrawal of the troops was "Turkey's obligation toward the EU and Cyprus," adding that it was one of the issues Cyprus "must evaluate, with due seriousness, when the time comes for us to make a decision" at the summit on granting Turkey a date for accession talks. According to an opinion poll, 52 percent of Greek Cypriots want Cyprus to vote against the start of talks.
Cyprus Foreign Minister George Iacovou met with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Brussels to explain the Cyprus government's positions on the necessity for Turkey to recognize the Republic of Cyprus, to sign its customs union with Cyprus, to open Turkish ports and airports to Cypriot ships and aircraft, to lift its vetoes on Cyprus's participation in various international organizations, and to remove all obstacles concerning the participation of Cyprus in the EU's Common Foreign and Defense Policy. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, on November 9, told Turkey's parliament that "Turkey has no obligation to recognize" Cyprus.
The Czech Republic said it would support the start of Turkey's EU accession talks, noting that the talks would constitute an "open process" and not "a promise of any timetable when the negotiations should be completed." In addition, the Czech government said, "the result [of the negotiations] is not guaranteed."
The Turkish parliament has passed a law that removes legal snags hampering the work of non-Muslim religious foundations, establishes a judicial police, and amends criminal procedures. The European Commission, in its October 6 report on Turkey's readiness for opening accession talks, demanded that the Turkish parliament pass the legislation before the summit.

November 5, 2004
Ankara Continues Efforts to Gain Date for EU Accession Talks
Washington, D.C. - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Ankara with Claudia Roth, the co-chairperson of the German Green Party, which supports Turkey's EU bid. Roth headed a delegation of the German Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance that came to Turkey to discuss the human rights situation in the country with government officials and human rights organizations.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul met in Lisbon with President Jorge Sampaio, Prime Minister Santana Lopes, Parliament Speaker Mota Amaral, and his Portuguese counterpart, Antonio Monterio, to gain their support for accession talks.
In November and December, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc will meet with delegations from the Belgian, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish parliaments, as well as one headed by European Parliament President Josep Borrell Fontelles. A group of Turkish parliamentarians, consisting of members of the EU Harmonization Commission, will travel to Finland, France, Portugal, and Spain, while also hosting representatives of their sister commissions in the Irish and German parliaments. Members of the Turkish parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission will meet with officials in Italy and Belgium, and will host their Estonian counterparts in Ankara.
Erdogan, along with the leaders of EU candidate countries Bulgaria and Romania, went to Rome the last week of October to sign the new European Constitution. “The fact that our country is present alongside EU countries and candidates at this historic stage is of utmost importance because it shows Turkey is an inalienable part of Europe's future,” Erdogan said. The Turkish daily Milliyet noted that it was the first time Turkey had signed an EU document that referred to the Republic of Cyprus.
Reflecting the implementation of one of Turkey's key reforms in preparation for EU membership, Turkey's top security body, the National Security Council, held its first meeting on October 27 under a civilian secretary general. The former Turkish ambassador to Greece, Yigit Alpogan, assumed the position, having been appointed in August to replace a senior military officer. In a move designed to curb the military's influence on the country's politics, the Council, which brings together civilian and military leaders, has been transformed from a committee that set many of the country's policies on leading issues to an advisory body. During its meeting, the Council called on the EU to handle Turkey's accession process in the same manner as it handled other candidate countries.
Sharp divisions within the government-sponsored, 78-member Human Rights Advisory Board, an agency attached to Erdogan's office, became public during a press conference when a member of the board tore up a speech held by Ibrahim Kaboglu, the head of the board, as Kaboglu began presenting a report authored by the organization. The report criticized what it said was a lack of rights and freedoms in Turkey, and noted widespread opposition in the country to advancing cultural freedoms for ethnic Kurds and non-Muslim communities. It also said the declaration in the constitution that Turkish is the official language of Turkey was “impossible to understand,” given the country's international treaty commitments to minority rights. In addition, it said torture continued in the security services and the courts protected the accused rather than the victims of crime.
The report maintained that Turkey's understanding of minority rights has fallen behind international norms, and it proposed far-reaching amendments to the constitution and the passage of related laws in addition to the reforms Ankara has already implemented. Turkey has not yet approved a Council of Europe Framework Convention on Protection of National Minorities. It adheres to the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which grants minority status only to non-Muslim communities in Turkey.
In response to the EU's call for more cultural rights for Turkey's Kurdish community, Deputy Chief of the General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug stated that Turkey's “unitary structure” was not open to debate.
Turkey's leading human rights organization, the Human Rights Association (IHD), and representatives of the country's pro-Turkish Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) told a session of a European Parliament human rights sub-committee that systematic torture persisted in Turkey, despite the fact that the European Commission, in its October 6 report on Ankara's progress toward EU membership requirements, stated that it did not. IHD Chairman Husnu Ondul said the conclusion arrived at by his organization and DEHAP was based on the criteria put forward in the United Nations Convention Against Torture.


November 5, 2004
European Hesitance Toward Ankara's EU Accession Continues
Washington, D.C. - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced proposals in certain European countries to hold referenda on Turkey's accession to the European Union as unprecedented in the bloc's history and characterized the proposals as "clear discrimination."
The leader of the France Democracy Union (UDF), Francois Bayrou, a leading opponent of Turkish membership, said his party was pushing to initiate a second parliamentary debate on Ankara's entry, follow-up to a debate on the issue by parliamentarians in early October. The UDF, like the Christian Democratic Union in Germany, advocates a "privileged partnership" between Ankara and the EU rather than full membership for Turkey. Former German chancellor Helmut Kohl, a Christian Democrat, asserted that Turkey should be brought as close as possible to the European Union but should not be given full membership.
France's Armenian community said it would appeal to France's highest administrative tribunal, the Council of State, to request that French President Jacques Chirac oppose the start of EU accession talks with Turkey unless Ankara acknowledges that a genocide occurred in 1915-1917, when 1.5 million Armenians died during World War II. The French parliament passed legislation in 2001 stating that the deaths of the Armenians should be characterized as a genocide.
Two far-right political parties in Germany, the National Democratic Party (NPD) and the German People's Union (DVU), have launched a signature campaign against Turkey's EU membership. Udo Voigt, the chairman of the NPD, known for its anti-minority views, stated that the party rejected a multi-cultural society. The DVU, led by Gerhard Frey, is seen as an anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant party.
Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos, referring to recent activity in the Aegean by Turkish fighter jets and vessels that Athens has said constitutes a series of violations of Greek airspace and territorial waters, said, "I believe that Turkey's orientation toward the EU is genuine, but various nationalist actions that are irreconcilable with European values continue to occur." Greece is a supporter of Turkey's EU membership bid.
Former European Commission president and influential French socialist Jacques Delors asserted that a decision by the EU to deny Turkey the start of membership talks would "mean the repudiation, the rejection, of another culture and would be a sin against freedom and good sense."

November 5, 2004
Attacks Continue on Turkish Civilians in Iraq
Washington, D.C. - In the latest in a string of attacks on Turkish drivers and workers in Iraq, insurgents killed the driver of a Turkish truck in the northern city of Mosul and set the truck on fire.
Turks working in Iraq have increasingly become the targets of insurgents in the country, with several being killed in armed attacks and some being beheaded after being taken hostage. A number of Turkish companies have stopped operating in the country to save the lives of their kidnapped employees.
At least seven Turks have been among some 32 foreign civilians killed in Iraq. Many others have been attacked or kidnapped along the highway from Turkey into the country. More than 150 foreigners have been kidnapped.
Syria has lifted restrictions on Turkish shipments to Iraq via a railway linking the three neighboring countries. Ankara views the railway from Turkey to Iraq through Syria as a safe route for transporting goods to Iraq.

October 29, 2004
Germany, France Reiterate Support for Turkey's EU Accession
Washington, D.C. - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac, during an October 26 meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Berlin, reaffirmed their backing for Turkey's EU membership, though Chirac said he would adhere to his plan to initiate a referendum in France to approve Ankara's entry.
Schroeder said that he and Chirac "are both of the opinion that, on December 17 [at the EU summit]," a decision "should give Turkey the opportunity to negotiate with the European Commission with the explicit aim of Turkey joining the European Union and with no other aim."
Chirac, noting that negotiations with Turkey could last 15 years, if EU leaders grant Turkey a date for talks at the summit, said the French people "would have the last word" on Turkey's membership when the negotiations have neared their completion. "My wish," he stated, "is that Turkey join as soon as conditions allow." Chirac noted that the membership of Turkey "would be in the interest of Turkey and in the interest of the stability and democracy of the world and our region."
In response to the endorsement of Turkey's accession by the two leaders, Wolfgang Schauble, a prominent German conservative lawmaker, said, "A full membership for Turkey will dramatically worsen or, basically, destroy a real political union developed by a collective political will." Michael Glos from Germany's Christian Social Union party said, "It apparently does not matter to [Schroeder and Chirac] that in France and Germany clear majorities have spoken out against the entry" of Turkey into the bloc.
During his visit to Berlin, Erdogan attended the signing of an agreement for the $2.8 billion purchase of 36 planes from Airbus for Turkey's national carrier, Turkish Airlines. The airline said it would also be buying 15 Boeing aircraft for $982 million.
Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, during an October 26 meeting in Prague with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, stated that the Czech Republic supported the start of Turkey's accession negotiations, noting that it was "clear that this process has no guaranteed outcome, just as it did not have in our case." Gul also met with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier in Paris on the sidelines of an October 25 meeting of foreign ministers of Mediterranean countries.
Gul has sent letters to European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen and Ben Bot, the foreign minister of the Netherlands, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, requesting clarification of certain proposals in the October 6 European Commission report on Turkey's progress toward completing requirements for accession talks, including the suggestion that these talks be an "open-ended" process whose "outcome cannot be guaranteed." In addition, Gul requested that the Commission explain the explicit conditions under which the EU would suspend negotiations with Ankara. The Turkish foreign minister met with Bot in The Hague as part of his tour of European capitals to gain support for Turkey's EU membership bid.
Austrian President Heinz Fischer stated that negotiations with Turkey should start, "but under the condition that a date for its possible full-fledged membership in the bloc be clearly indicated."
Greek Defense Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos, referring to a series of actions by Turkish warplanes and vessels that Athens said constituted violations of Greek airspace and territorial waters, stated that Turkey's "attitude, in an environment of cooperation and the promotion of very good relations, is not a step in the right direction and is also unacceptable in view of the efforts being made for Turkish membership in the European Union." Acting Greek government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said Greece still backed Turkey's bid for EU membership, adding that he could "see no change in this reality."
The Turkish government said that, prior to December 17, it would "urgently" push several more reforms through parliament, which had been mentioned in the October 6 European Commission report as legislation that still needed to be passed. These reforms consist of removing legal obstacles that hinder the functioning of associations and non-Muslim religious foundations, establishing a judicial police, and amending criminal procedures and rules related to the execution of punishments.

October 22, 2004
Ankara on Campaign in Europe for Accession Talks Date
Washington, D.C. - As part of Turkey's Europe-wide campaign to urge EU leaders to grant a date at their December summit for unconditional accession talks with Ankara, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul held talks on October 18 in Berlin with his German counterpart, Joschka Fischer, who said Germany would do "everything in its power" at the summit to persuade other EU leaders to vote in favor of a date for Turkey's negotiations.
Referring to Turkey's potential EU membership, Fischer said, "To modernize an Islamic country based on the shared values of Europe would be almost a D-Day for Europe in the war against terror." It would be "the greatest positive challenge for these totalitarian and terrorist ideas," he stated.
Fischer noted that, before the September 11 attacks, he had been skeptical about the EU having borders with Syria, Iraq, and Iran, "but [the EU's] security will be defined for at least five decades in this region."
In a meeting with Angela Merkel, the leader of the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which leads in public opinion polls, Gul failed to change her view that a "privileged partnership" with the EU for Turkey instead of full membership in the bloc should be pursued. Gul said he opposed this option, maintaining that Turkey already has such a partnership through its customs union with the EU, established in 1995. "What other privileges one can think of, I don't know," he stated.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Santana Lopes, in talks in Lisbon, said they would both vote at the summit for a date for Turkey's talks. An opinion poll released in Germany on October 17 indicated that 45 percent of Germans backed eventual EU entry for Turkey, while 48 percent were opposed.
On October 26, the same day he is scheduled to meet with Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac in Berlin, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit France to address the French public on state television concerning the steps Turkey has taken to prepare for EU membership. An opinion poll released on October 10 indicated that 75 percent of the French people would vote against Turkey's accession in a referendum.
Erdogan met with the secretary general of the Organization for Cooperation and Development (OECD), Donald Johnston, in Paris on October 21, the day the OECD released a 180-page survey on Turkey's economy that praised the country's economic performance over the last three years and noted that it now had one of the fastest growing economies in the OECD. The survey's recommendations included calling on the Turkish government to improve public services and spending controls, boost privatization, and revamp the tax system to rein in the country's massive black market, which currently accounts for more than half of all jobs in Turkey.
Johnston stated that Turkey's economic performance "can only be described as stunning in terms of the turnaround from 2001 to the present," adding that "it is in the interests of Turkey and the European Union that Turkey should become a member of the EU."

October 22, 2004
Debate on Turkey's EU Accession Expands Across Europe
Washington, D.C. - A debate is underway in Italy over the desirability of holding a referendum on Turkey's bid to join the European Union. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has asserted that he would like to see the EU start accession talks with Ankara in 2005. Justice Minister Roberto Castelli, a member of Italy's Northern League, one of the four parties of the right-wing coalition government, has spoken out in favor of a referendum on Turkey's entry. Determining whether or not Turkey should join the EU, he stated, "cannot depend solely on a decision by the [Italian] government" and should be decided by the Italian people. The other parties of the coalition have said that bringing predominantly Muslim Turkey into the EU would be the best defense against Islamic extremism. Deputy Foreign Trade Minister Adolfo Urso said a referendum would be "useless and harmful."
In Austria, a country where public opinion against Turkey's accession is high, a far-right coalition partner recently threatened to leave the coalition if the country votes "yes" at the December summit to entry talks for Ankara.
European Parliament President Josep Borrell said he favored an EU-wide referendum on Turkey's entry into the bloc, asserting that he was skeptical about proposals to hold separate national referenda on the matter. Borrell said the Parliament would have its own debate on Turkey's accession on December 2.
The Greens Group of the European Parliament, staunch supporters of Turkey's entry into the EU, held its general assembly meeting in Istanbul, voicing strong criticism of stated plans by countries, such as France, to hold national referenda on whether Ankara should join the bloc. The president of the Greens Group, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, said the Greens had arrived in Turkey as "critical friends," so that issues in the country that remained to be resolved, such as the situation regarding the ethnic Kurds and other minorities, or women's rights, could be "openly discussed among friends." He said, "We must have uncomfortable discussions on, for example, Cyprus and the role of the army" in Turkey. Joschka Fischer, a Green Party member, took part in the meeting.
European Union High Commissioner for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana said Turkey's entry into the EU was needed for Europe's security, noting that the country had a "geographically strategic position in a world shaken by crises in the Middle East and the threat of global terrorism."
Assessing Turkey's commitment to full press freedom, Reporters Without Borders stated that, although legislative reforms undertaken by the Turkish government in preparation for EU membership have been "positive" for journalists, "Turkey still does not fulfill all the necessary conditions for real press freedom" and "it is still very difficult for the most critical journalists to function." The Turkish courts, it stated, "continue to impose prison sentences and exorbitant fines that push journalists to censor themselves extensively on the most sensitive subjects such as the army and the Kurdish question."
Television and radio stations are still subject to "brazen censorship" by the High Council for Broadcasting (RTUK), the organization said. The country's new penal code, it asserted, stipulated that "insult" is punishable by three months to three years in prison, with the sentence increasing if the crime is committed by means of the press. The improvements in press freedom, it stated, included the elimination of the closure of news organizations or bans on the printing and distribution of reports when the government deemed certain reporting to be a violation of the penal code.
The Conference of European Churches, which represents Protestant, Anglican, and Orthodox churches across Europe, issued a statement concerning Ankara's EU membership bid that said European churches had "deep concern about the situation of Christian minorities" in predominantly Muslim Turkey. Although Turkey's secular laws guarantee religious freedom, non-Muslim communities lack legal status and the training of their clergy in the country is banned. In addition, these communities operate under restrictions on property ownership and on receiving help from foreign churches. Hans Joachim Meyer, the head of the Central Committee of German Catholics, said, "It is a scandal that the situation of the Christian minority in Turkey plays no role for the supporters or the opponents of the country's membership in the EU."
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's special representative on human rights defenders, Hina Jilani, stated that security forces in Turkey are still resisting full implementation of democratic reforms and continue to treat human rights campaigners with suspicion. Although Jilani also praised Ankara's democratization efforts as "genuine steps toward change" at the end of a ten-day investigation into the working conditions of Turkish rights activists, she said torture persisted in the country despite serious efforts by the government to stamp out the practice. In addition, she called for easing restrictions on the peaceful assembly of civic groups.
A leading human rights group in Turkey, the Human Rights Association (IHD), stated that a sharp rise in human rights abuses occurred in the country's southeast in September, with more than one-third of detainees complaining they had been tortured by police.

October 22, 2004
U.S. Proposes Sidewinder Missile Sale to Turkey
Washington, D.C. - The Bush administration has proposed that it sell 225 AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles to Turkey in conjunction with a planned modernization of the country’s fleet of F-16 fighter aircraft. Acquisition of the missiles by Turkey would boost Ankara’s ability to contribute to NATO operations and the war on terror, while furthering the interoperability of Turkey’s weapons systems with those of U.S. forces, according to the administration.
A mandatory notice to the U.S. Congress released by the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the $96 million sale would not affect “the basic regional military balance or U.S. efforts to encourage a negotiated settlement on the divided island of Cyprus.”
The primary contractor for the heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missiles would be Raytheon Systems Corporation of Tucson, Arizona.

October 15, 2004
Ankara Seeks Changes in European Commission Report on Turkey
Washington, D.C. - The Turkish government, assessing the October 6 European Commission report recommending the start of Turkey's EU accession talks, cited references in the report to possible restrictions on the free movement of Turkish labor throughout the EU and the "open-ended" nature of the entry negotiations "whose outcome cannot be guaranteed beforehand" as elements that, in Ankara's view, contravene the principle of "fair treatment of all candidate countries" and "suggest a kind of discrimination."
Turkish government spokesman Cemil Cicek said Turkey would seek clarification from the European Commission concerning these references and would ask that the wording of the report, with regard to these points, be changed prior to December 17, when EU leaders will decide at their summit whether to grant Ankara a date for negotiations on the basis of the report.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey hoped that EU member nations would reach a decision on Turkey's accession talks "with no conditions attached" and would "allow no discrimination" regarding the outcome of the negotiating process. Erdogan said Turkey would insist on receiving the same treatment from the EU during this process that the 10 nations that joined the bloc in May received.
In Germany, Angela Merkel, the leader of the conservative main opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), abandoned plans for a signature drive in favor of a "privileged partnership" between Turkey and the EU, rather than full EU membership for Ankara, because she feared the move might be "misinterpreted." The idea of holding a signature drive was originally proposed by a member of the ultra-conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) and was backed by its leader, Edmund Stoiber.
Several conservatives stated that the collection of signatures would have been interpreted as hostility toward the 2.5 million Turks living in Germany and could have hurt the CDU at the ballot box. According to opinion polls, the CDU is well placed to win the next parliamentary elections in 2006. The president of Germany's Turkish community, Hakki Keskin, had warned that such a signature drive "would be taken as a declaration of war against Turkey and Turks living in Germany."
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who supports Turkey's entry into the EU, had sharply criticized Merkel's call for the gathering of signatures. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, a member of the Green Party, the junior partner of Schroeder's Social Democrats in the ruling coalition, had said that such a move would damage relations with Turkey and offend "a very important partner," though it would not have led to a referendum under German law. Claudia Roth, a Green Party parliamentarian, stated that she favored a referendum on Turkey's accession and that her party would submit a draft bill to the German parliament calling for the referendum.
Schroeder stated that Turkey's membership in the European Union would be "more of a security gain than a risk for the EU" and would "create a link between European enlightenment and non-fundamentalist Islam." German President Horst Koehler defended the concept of open-ended accession talks between the European Union and Turkey, asserting that the EU should "make sure that what has been achieved will not be put in danger by steps to be taken in the future."
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin asked that the French parliament's agenda be amended to allow a debate on Turkey's EU bid on October 14, which was not followed by a vote on the issue. During the debate, Raffarin stated that "neither Europe nor Turkey" is currently "ready for Turkey joining" the bloc.
Raffarin favors a referendum in France on the accession of Turkey, when it is ready for membership in more than a decade, as does French President Jacques Chirac, who supports Ankara's eventual entry into the bloc. Chirac stated that, "at any moment, France can withdraw, or use its veto . . . and at that moment negotiation [with Turkey] stops."
An opinion poll released on October 10 in France indicated that 75 percent of the French people would vote against Turkey's accession in a referendum. France fears that a start date for accession talks during the first half of 2005 could adversely influence the result of a planned referendum on the EU's first constitution and is reportedly pushing for a date during the second half of the year.
Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul have launched a tour of European capitals to push for the granting of a date for accession talks early in 2005 at the December EU summit. Erdogan will hold talks in Berlin on October 26 with Schroeder and Chirac. Gul will meet with Fischer in Berlin on October 18-19 and will hold talks with his French counterpart Michel Barnier on the sidelines of a gathering of representatives of Mediterranean countries in Paris on October 24-25. Gul will also talk to leaders in the Czech Republic on October 26 and those in Slovakia and Portugal in November. He has already met with his British and Swedish counterparts in Ankara.
On October 11, Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer signed into law the country's new penal code, widely seen as the last legislative reform required to align Turkey's laws with EU norms. Most of the changes in the code will go into effect in one year, and some will take effect in two years.
In a separate development, a Turkish court sentenced Young Party leader Cem Uzan to eight months in prison for calling Erdogan "treacherous" and "godless" at a rally in Bursa.

October 15, 2004
Germany May Lift Its Suspension of Arms Sales to Turkey
Washington, D.C. - The European Commission's October 6 report citing improvements in Turkey's human rights record and recommending that it be given a date to open EU accession talks is expected to open the way for Germany to resume arms sales to Ankara, according to German Defense Minister Peter Struck.
"I do think that the fact the EU is now heading toward membership talks [with Turkey] will and should lead to a change in opinion among those who have up to now opposed the sale of Leopard II [main battle] tanks to Turkey," Struck stated.
The German government was prepared to sell 1,000 surplus Leopard II tanks to Turkey in 1999, but Germany's Green Party, the junior partner of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats in the ruling coalition, opposed the $8.6 billion sale, citing Ankara's human rights record and treatment of minorities, such as the ethnic Kurds.
One of the joint presidents of the Green Party, Reinhard Buetikofer, suggested that the party would now drop its opposition to the sale. In 1999, "there was a civil war [and] at that time you had to be concerned that these weapons would be used in that civil war," Buetikofer stated, referring to the conflict between separatists of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Turkish government forces. The conflict largely subsided during the second half of 1999, after PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was apprehended and sentenced to death for treason, a sentence that was commuted to life imprisonment in 2002, when Turkey abolished the death penalty. Germany's arms export laws prevent sales to countries in which the weapons might be used for internal repression or the abuse of human rights.
Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, a member of the Green Party, stated that the government would decide on the basis of "changed realities" whether to consider selling Leopard II tanks to Turkey. A Defense Ministry spokesman said no formal request for the tanks had been submitted by Turkey, which is now reportedly interested in acquiring 250 main battle tanks. The spokesman said Struck would visit Turkey in November to discuss the country's military needs with Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul.
The Leopard II, manufactured by the Munich-based firm Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, was designed for combat in central Europe's open and flat regions, and it no longer suits the German military's new concept of being able to respond quickly to situations outside of the traditional NATO boundaries.

October 15, 2004
Germany Extradites Turkish Militant to Istanbul
Washington, D.C. - German police have extradited Metin Kaplan, an Islamic militant charged with masterminding a failed 1998 plot to fly an explosives-laden airplane into the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish state, in Ankara during a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the republic. Turkish authorities said the attack was prevented when police arrested 23 suspected members of Kaplan's group, the Caliphate State, the day before the ceremony.
Kaplan, a long-time resident of Cologne, was returned to Turkey on October 12 shortly after his arrest by German authorities and a German court's approval of his deportation. The court ruled that he was seen as an "identity figure for Islamic extremism" and could no longer be allowed to reside in Germany. Kaplan's group, which is banned in Germany, calls for the overthrow of Turkey's secular government in order to replace it with an Islamic state.
Kaplan served a four-year prison sentence in Germany for inciting his followers to murder a rival Islamic leader in Berlin in 1997 and had been free since May 2003.
He evaded arrest earlier this year when an extradition warrant was issued for him.
Prior to Ankara's abolition of the death penalty in June 2002, Germany had refused to extradite Kaplan to Turkey, stating also that his followers had been subjected to torture by Turkish authorities. Turkey, which has introduced measures to prevent torture, assured the German government that Kaplan would not be ill treated and would get a fair trial.

October 8, 2004
European Commission Recommends Opening Accession Talks
Washington, D.C. - The European Commission, in its October 6 report, recommended that the European Union open accession talks with Turkey, since Ankara had fulfilled the required political criteria. The decision on whether talks will begin will be made by EU leaders at their December summit in Brussels.
The Commission noted that its recommendation, which did not include a suggested start date for the negotiations, was contingent on Turkey's implementation of the new penal code, the law on associations, and legislation concerning intermediate courts of appeal, as well as adoption of the code on criminal procedure, legislation establishing the judicial police, and the law on execution of punishments and measures.
The criteria that had been met, according to the Commission, included substantial legislative and institutional convergence toward European standards, particularly after the 2002 parliamentary elections; the adaption of civil-military relations to European norms, with the government increasingly asserting its control over the military; the strengthening of the independence and efficiency of the judiciary, while implementing important changes such as the abolition of State Security Courts; the launching of public administration reform; recognition of the primacy of international and European law with regard to human rights; and the alignment of laws with international conventions and rulings, resulting in decisions such as the abolition of the death penalty.
In addition, the Commission stated, the scope of fundamental freedoms enjoyed by Turkish citizens, such as freedom of expression and assembly, had been substantially extended. Civil society had grown stronger; cultural rights for ethnic Kurds had begun to be recognized; the state of emergency had been lifted throughout the country; the process of normalization had begun in the southeast; and Turkish foreign policy was contributing positively to regional stability.
The report said Turkey "has and continues actively to support efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem," noting that Ankara had agreed to the solution to the problem put forward in the Annan reunification plan. It said relations with Greece had "developed positively," through the signing of bilateral agreements and the adoption of confidence-building measures, while a process of exploratory talks between Turkey and Greece had continued. The report also noted that Turkey remained on the black list of the secretariat of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State controls, as Cypriot vessels or vessels that have docked in Cyprus remain unable to enter Turkish ports.
Presenting the report to the European Parliament, European Commission President Romano Prodi said the Commission's green light for Turkey's negotiations was "a qualified yes," accompanied by a large number of recommendations for follow up and monitoring during the talks. He stated that "the outcome [of the talks] is not a foregone conclusion."
Prodi asserted that the EU had to ensure that developments concerning Turkey's rapid progress in the direction of democratic values and standards "really are irreversible and that they will be pursued to completion." He added, "We must tell our Turkish partners . . . that any breakdown in this process towards democracy, human rights, fundamental rights, and the rule of law . . . will automatically bring negotiations to a halt."
In the report, the Commission stated that it would recommend "the suspension of negotiations in the case of a serious and persistent breach of the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law on which the Union is founded," to be decided through a qualified majority of the European Council.
Prodi noted that a number of factors such as Turkey's size, geographical position, traditions as a regional power, population and demographic growth, infrastructure, and large rural and farming population "call for profound reflection and clear precautions in conducting accession negotiations, so as to prevent Turkey's integration from weakening the structure we have been building for over 50 years." However, he said, "we cannot imagine a future for Europe in which Turkey is not firmly anchored," noting that "we must consider the opportunities that Turkey's integration will bring us in terms of growth and prosperity." The EU, he said, "has nothing to fear from Turkey's accession."
Citing areas where further efforts are required by Turkey, the Commission noted that the implementation of reforms remained uneven; the armed forces continued to exercise influence through a series of informal mechanisms; corruption remained a serious problem in almost all areas of the economy and public affairs, despite the adoption of a number of anti-corruption measures; numerous cases of ill-treatment, including torture, continued to occur, despite an official zero tolerance policy toward such actions; and journalists and other citizens expressing non-violent opinions continued to be prosecuted, while the new penal code provided "only limited progress as regards freedom of expression."
In addition, the Commission said, there were reports of the continued use of disproportionate force against demonstrators; non-Muslim religious communities continued to experience difficulties connected with legal personality, property rights, the training of clergy, schools, and internal management; discrimination and violence against women remained a major problem; child labor was still an issue of serious concern, with trade union rights falling short of International Labor Organization (ILO) standards; considerable restrictions remained in the area of broadcasting and education in minority languages; and no integrated strategy to reduce regional disparities and address the economic, social, and cultural needs of the population of the southeast had been adopted.
Concerning the economic sector, the Commission said Turkey had made considerable progress toward achieving a functioning market economy, while economic stability and predictability had been substantially improved since the 2001 economic crisis. High inflation had come down to historic lows, political interference in economic matters had been reduced, and the institutional and regulatory framework had been brought closer to international standards.
Noting that preparations for Turkey's accession would "last well into the next decade," the Commission identified a number of issues to consider when accession talks proceed. The combined impact of the country's population, size, geographical location, and economic, security, and military potential "give Turkey the capacity to contribute to regional and international stability," leading to improving bilateral relations with its neighbors, the Commission said. In addition, Turkey would be an important "model" of a country with a majority Muslim population adhering to the principles of liberty, democracy, and respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.
The economic impact of Turkey's accession on the EU "would be positive but relatively small," due to the modest size of the Turkish economy and the degree of economic integration existing before accession, the Commission stated. Although the integration of Turkey into the EU's internal market would be beneficial, the accession of the country, as a lower middle-income nation, would increase regional economic disparities and "would represent a major challenge for cohesion policy," it said.
The migration of additional Turks to other EU countries "could make a contribution to offsetting the aging of EU societies," it said, adding that long transition periods and a permanent safeguard clause could be considered to avoid serious disturbances on the EU labor market. Turkey would need considerable time to make a number of its agricultural sectors more competitive in order to avoid substantial income losses for Turkish farmers. Turkey's accession would help to secure better energy supply routes for the EU, while the management of the EU's long new external borders would constitute an important policy challenge and require significant investment, the Commission noted.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara hoped to start negotiations during the first half of 2005. Erdogan referred to the Commission's report as "positive," stating that the Turkey did not want "different treatment" and would continue to work on its reforms in order to meet EU requirements, particularly concerning the implementation of new legislation. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said the Commission's recommendation to begin talks was "a historic step for both the EU and Turkey."
Greek government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said Greece, one of the staunchest advocates of EU accession for Turkey, believed "that a European Turkey is not only in the interests of the Turkish people, but will also contribute to the stability, security, and prosperity of our region as well as to progress in Greek-Turkish relations and the effort to find a fair, viable, and practicable solution in Cyprus."
"Among the issues on which there needs to be quicker and more productive progress are matters of particular concern to Greece," Roussopoulos said, an apparent veiled reference to the Cyprus problem and Greek-Turkish disputes in the Aegean Sea.
Cyprus government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides stated that the recommendations in the Commission's report "contain a good base on which to build." He added, "There is now a framework and a procedure in which our side can act so as to make use of the possibilities toward realizing our targets on the Cyprus issue." With respect to the vote of EU leaders in December on whether a date will be set for Turkey's accession talks, Chrysostomides said, "We do not wish to exercise the right to veto, [and] we do not wish to hamper the start of accession talks with Turkey, but basic concerns should be taken into consideration."
Read Commission report.

October 8, 2004
Cyprus Included in Turkey-EU Customs Union, No Recognition
Washington, D.C. - Turkey, on October 2, announced that it had decided to include Cyprus, along with the nine other European Union members that joined the bloc on May 1, in its customs union agreement with the EU, but it said the decision "does not imply in any way the recognition of the Greek Cypriot administration by Turkey." Turkey, which entered a customs union with the EU in 1995, has no diplomatic ties with Cyprus.
Ankara's statement said that "the Greek Cypriot administration is equally obliged, according to its Treaty of Accession with the EU to provide customs union treatment to goods coming from Turkey." The European Commission "has given written confirmation that the Greek Cypriot administration is accepting the free circulation under the customs union of goods from Turkey" as of May 1, 2004, it added.
The Turkish government also stated that Turkey remained "committed to its special relationship with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and its obligations emanating from this special relationship," noting that the EU had yet to fulfill its commitments concerning an end to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots.
The secretary general of the Cyprus Foreign Ministry, Sotos Zaheos, stated that, although he believed Turkey "would not be given an open check" for EU membership unless it recognized Cyprus, he said the lack of recognition would not mean that the Cyprus government would veto the start of Turkey's accession talks at the December EU summit.
The Turkish Cypriot prime minister, Mehmet Ali Talat, said the inclusion of Cyprus in Turkey's customs union agreement with the EU would "have serious effects on the Turkish Cypriot people because the Cyprus dispute remains unresolved." In addition, he said, if Turkey recognized the Republic of Cyprus before the Cyprus problem was resolved, "this would cause chaos for the Turkish Cypriots."
Talat noted that the European Council needed to enact the measures proposed by the European Commission, which included $321 million in economic aid to the Turkish Cypriots and provisions for allowing direct trade between the EU and northern Cyprus. He also said certain measures would be taken to protect entrepreneurs in northern Cyprus, adding that the Turkish Cypriots have already begun holding talks with officials in Turkey and Brussels concerning the matter.
On October 1, Turkey cancelled a conference providing a second dialogue between EU countries and the Muslim nations of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), scheduled for October 4-5 in Istanbul. The cancellation occurred after the current Dutch presidency of the EU said it would not attend the meeting because of Ankara's insistence that the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus should be represented, as an observer at the forum, as the "Turkish Cypriot State." The Dutch presidency had called on other EU members not to attend the meeting as well.
Turkish Cypriots were represented at the first EU-OIC conference in 2002 as the "Turkish Muslim Community of Cyprus." Turkey maintained that the term "Turkish Cypriot State" should be used at the October conference, since it was the designation for northern Cyprus decided upon by the OIC at its annual meeting in June 2004.
On October 4, Peter Scheider, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, announced that two Turkish Cypriot representatives would be permitted, for the first time, to participate in all of the assembly's sessions, including those of the General Assembly and the commissions, both of which they would be allowed to address. Scheider said the decision did not indicate recognition of the Turkish Cypriot administration, and the two Turkish Cypriots had not been granted voting rights. Cyprus Foreign Minister George Iacovou said the two would be appointed by the Turkish Cypriot political parties and would be on the list of representatives of the Cyprus House of Representatives.
Previously, the Turkish Cypriot representatives were only allowed to attend commission meetings where Cyprus was discussed and could only watch the General Assembly sessions from the audience gallery. In addition, they had to be included in the Greek Cypriot delegation.

October 1, 2004
Passage of New Penal Code Welcomed by European Commission
Washington, D.C. - After the European Commission made it clear that the passage of Turkey's new penal code would be a condition for opening accession talks with the EU, the Turkish parliament debated and passed the remaining articles of the code during an emergency session on September 26, just 10 days before the Commission was to issue its recommendation on Ankara's readiness for talks to the EU Council of Ministers.
The proposal to include a ban on adultery in the code was dropped by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), following sharp criticism of the provision by EU officials and a warning that its inclusion could have a negative effect on the Commission's recommendation.
In its October 6 report, the Commission, which had characterized the penal code as the "centerpiece" of reforms Ankara must legislate in order to meet EU requirements, is now widely expected to recommend to EU leaders that they decide at their December summit to set a date for Turkey's accession talks.
The new penal code is viewed as a major contribution to Turkey's human rights record, although critics said it failed to totally ban virginity tests, preserved an article that could be used to reduce the sentences of those who carry out honor killings, and punished consensual sex between minors. The code will go into effect on April 1, 2005.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the government would continue to work on remaining deficiencies regarding required reforms, which concerned primarily the implementation of those that had already been passed.
The debate within Europe on Turkey's accession prospects has intensified. French President Jacques Chirac backed earlier calls for a referendum in France on whether Turkey should enter the European Union by Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, and Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, widely viewed as a challenger to Chirac in the 2007 presidential elections.
Chirac made it clear that it would be unlikely for such a referendum to take place until more than a decade has passed, the time period estimated for Turkey to implement the changes required for EU membership. He said he had asked the government to look at ways to amend the French constitution so that the accession of all new EU members would be submitted to a vote in France, rather than be decided by parliament.
Chirac, who supports Turkey's entry into the bloc, said, "We share an interest in having Turkey with us. It creates the perspective of democracy and peace taking root on the entire European continent." His conservative Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) opposes Turkey's entry. Josselin de Rohan, the leader of the UMP in the Senate, said there was "a very broad agreement in the UMP" on the idea of holding a referendum on Turkey's accession.
Sarkozy said he advocated an alternative status for Turkey within the EU instead of full membership. He said his reservations over Turkey's accession stemmed from the fact that the size of its population was as large as that of the 10 new EU members that joined the bloc in May and not from the fact that it was a predominantly Muslim nation. Turkey has 70 million inhabitants now and will have 100 million by 2050, he stated. An opinion poll released on September 28 indicated that 56 percent of the French people would oppose Turkey's entry into the EU if a referendum were held now.
Sarkozy's view echoed the opinion of Angela Merkel, the leader of Germany's center-right opposition Christian Democratic Union, who wrote to other center-right leaders in the EU calling on them to block Turkey's full membership in the bloc and offer, instead, a "privileged partnership." She criticized German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who supports Turkey's EU membership, for what she said was his failure to adequately inform the German people about the consequences of its potential entry into the bloc. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said it was clear, following the September 11 terrorist attacks, "how much a European Turkey is important for our security." A poll carried out on September 28 and 29 showed that 55 percent of Germans were in favor of Turkey's entry into the EU, while 41 percent remained opposed.
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel stated that he would support the start of accession talks for Turkey if "a greater range of options" were made available "as far as the outcome is concerned." The one option at the moment, "full membership or nothing," he stated, "is too simple."
The coalition partner in Denmark, the Denmark People's Party (PPD), also called for a referendum on Turkey's eventual EU membership, noting that the country did not have a place in Europe.
Amnesty International's EU office stated that, although there was still evidence of torture and other serious human rights offenses in Turkey, Ankara's human rights record had shown "significant improvement." Dick Oosting, the head of the office, said the use of "systematic torture" by government or other authorities had stopped.

September 24, 2004
EU Ready to Make Recommendation on Accession Talks After Turkey Pledges to Pass Penal Code Legislation
Washington, D.C. - Following Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's pledge to accelerate passage of Turkey's reformed penal code, omitting the article criminalizing adultery, European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said there would be "no further conditions which Turkey must fulfill" before the Commission released its report on October 6 assessing Ankara's readiness for EU accession talks and recommending whether talks should go ahead.
Verheugen, after meeting with Erdogan in Brussels on September 23, stated that the assurances he had received from the prime minister would allow him "to make a very clear recommendation" concerning accession talks. "We have been able to find solutions for the remaining outstanding problems," Verheugen added. A decision on whether to set a date for negotiations is to be made by EU leaders at their December summit on the basis of the October 6 report.
The Commissioner also said that, following further examination by Commission experts, he was confident that there was no basis for accusing Turkey of "systematic torture," despite claims by Turkey's top human rights group, the Human Rights Association, that such torture still existed in the country.
In Brussels, Erdogan told Verheugen that he would call the Turkish parliament to an extraordinary session on September 26 in a push to finalize the new penal code before October 6. The speaker of the Turkish parliament, Bulent Arinc, confirmed that the legislative body would convene on that date. Verheugen had previously said the new penal code must become law if Turkey was to be granted a date for talks.
After reconvening on September 14, more than two weeks before its summer recess was to end on October 1, in order to pass the penal code legislation, the Turkish parliament unexpectedly recessed four days later until October 1 without finalizing the provisions of the code. The recess occurred after dissent within the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) over whether the bill criminalizing adultery should be included in the code reportedly prompted the party to withdraw the reform package from the floor and refer it back to the constitutional committee.
Jean-Christophe Filori, Verheugen's spokesman, had previously stated that an article in the penal code making adultery a criminal offense "would certainly cast doubt on the direction of Turkey's reform efforts and would risk complicating Turkey's European prospects." The EU had said that such an article would violate European standards of equality between the sexes and civil liberties. Erdogan had characterized Filori's statement as interference in Turkey's domestic affairs and had said that the EU was not "indispensable for Turkey."
Prior to Erdogan's visit to Brussels, Deniz Baykal, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), which opposed the adultery bill, had called on the parliament to reconvene on September 28 to discuss and pass the remaining articles of the penal code, stating that failure to finalize the legislation before October 6 could jeopardize Ankara's hope of opening EU entry talks.
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin stated that he did not doubt the good faith of Erdogan, "but to what extent can today's and tomorrow's governments make Turkish society embrace Europe's human rights values?" "Do we want the river of Islam to enter the riverbed of secularism?," he asked. French President Jacques Chirac backs Turkey's bid for EU membership, though his Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) is opposed to Turkey's entry into the bloc.

September 24, 2004
Military Cedes Control of Turkey’s Borders to Interior Ministry
Washington, D.C. - As part of efforts to comply with European Union laws in preparation for membership in the bloc, Turkey has agreed to shift control over the country's borders from the military back to the Interior Ministry. The Turkish armed forces have controlled the borders since 1988, when an increase in international terrorism led to a decision to transfer border control from the Interior Ministry to the military. Ankara said it would establish a Border Guard General Command, responsible to the Interior Ministry, to patrol the country’s land borders and the shores of the Black, Aegean, and Mediterranean seas.

September 17, 2004
Ankara Warns U.S. Over Attacks on Turkomans in Iraqi Town
Washington, D.C. - U.S. and Iraqi forces lifted their 12-day sustained land and air assault on the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar on September 14 and allowed some 50,000 ethnic Turk civilians to return, one day after Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that Ankara would stop bilateral cooperation concerning Iraq if the town’s Turkoman majority continued to be harmed in the attacks. Ensuring that adequate protection is being provided for Iraq’s Turkomans has been a high priority of Turkey’s post-war Iraq policy.
Turkey supplies logistical help for U.S. forces in Iraq, including the use of Incirlik Air Base in southeastern Turkey to rotate American troops in and out of Iraq. It is also a major trade and supply route into the country, with hundreds of Turkish trucks hauling goods for U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians daily from Turkey.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman and called on Washington to halt the siege of Tal Afar. Turkish officials expressed concern over the strikes, telling the ambassador that many of the more than 50 people killed in the attacks had been Turkoman civilians, while thousands had been forced to flee the offensive.
Edelman said U.S. forces had been trying to keep civilian casualties to a minimum as they targeted Iraqi insurgents in order to restore Iraqi government authority in the town, which American soldiers had been unable to enter. Located near the Syrian border, Tal Afar has functioned as a safe haven for non-Iraqi militants smuggling men and arms from Syria into Iraq and as a transit point for launching attacks elsewhere in Iraq.
The ambassador also said Washington was planning to work with the Turkish government to coordinate the delivery of Turkish humanitarian aid to Tal Afar, which Gul later confirmed.
Turkey has also expressed concern over what it considers to be efforts by Iraqi Kurds to take over northern Iraqi cities, such as Tal Afar and Kirkuk, where Turkomans are concentrated. The Turkish military has long maintained a small number of troops in northern Iraq as a buffer against Kurdish separatists that maintain bases there.
A videotape released on September 13 indicated that a Turkish truck driver, who had delivered supplies to an American base near the Iraqi town of Tikrit, had been killed by forces loyal to Abu Musab al Zarqawi. A Turkish translator kidnapped by insurgents in Iraq on July 24 was released to the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad on September 14, the same day two additional Turkish truck drivers were abducted between the towns of Kirkuk and Tikrit. On September 13, it was reported that Iraqi militiamen had released a Turkish journalist abducted in Tal Afar on September 8 and held captive for two days in northern Iraq.

September 17, 2004
Adultery Bill Withdrawn from Penal Code Reform Legislation
Washington, D.C. - Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) abandoned its proposal to introduce a bill criminalizing adultery for inclusion in the country’s reformed penal code, following the European Union’s criticism of the bill.
The proposed bill had met with protests from newspaper columnists and opposition politicians, as well as hundreds of Turkish women, who marched on parliament saying the law would discriminate against women, as had a previous law outlawing adultery that was ruled unconstitutional in 1996 by Turkey’s highest court.
The parliament reconvened on September 14, two weeks before its usual first session on October 1 following the summer recess, in order to pass all the legislation involved in finalizing the new penal code as soon as possible in view of the scheduled October 6 release of the European Commission’s report on Turkey’s readiness to begin EU accession talks. In reforming Turkey’s 78-year-old penal code to bring it in line with EU laws, the lawmakers must debate and vote on 346 articles in the code, which include those expanding civil liberties; imposing more severe punishments for offenders such as rapists, those engaging in torture, and human traffickers; recognizing rape in marriage and sexual harassment as crimes; and providing life sentences for people who commit genocide.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had repeatedly said he endorsed including criminalization of adultery in the penal code as a way to protect the family, a stance some European officials viewed as a nod toward the AKP’s conservative Islamic base.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said such legislation would undermine Turkey’s campaign for entry into the European Union. Erdogan has asserted that Turkey’s ties with the European Union will suffer if EU leaders do not set a date for the start of Ankara’s accession talks when they meet in December at the EU summit in Brussels.
As it worked on finalizing its October report, the Commission sent a senior official to Turkey the week of September 13 to investigate allegations by Turkey’s top human rights group, the Human Rights Association, that systematic torture still existed in the country. The group had presented its claims to Verheugen during his visit to Turkey the previous week. If the Commission was convinced that systematic torture existed in Turkey, “it would have serious consequences,” Verheugen stated. Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu stressed that there was no “systematic torture or other mistreatment of prisoners” in Turkey, adding that the government had a “zero-tolerance” approach to such behavior.
Five or six of the 30-members of the European Commission reportedly oppose Turkey’s accession to the EU or have serious reservations about its candidacy. Statements by two commissioners have reflected the division within the Commission on the matter.
Frits Bolkestein of the Netherlands, the EU’s single market commissioner, warned that Europe risked being dominated by Islam if Turkey became a member of the bloc, and it would mean that the defeat of the Ottoman Turks in 1683 at the gates of Vienna would “have been in vain.”
Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler of Austria wrote in a nine-page letter to fellow commissioners that doubts remained concerning Turkey’s long-term secular and democratic credentials, noting that there could be “a fundamentalist backlash” in Turkey after its entry into the bloc. Fischler also stated that Turkey was “far more oriental than European,” with a largely agrarian population that remained culturally estranged from the more developed continent.
Both Bolkestein and Fischler expressed concern over the costs of Turkey’s accession to the EU, particularly with respect to agricultural subsidies, which Fischler estimated would cost more than $13.9 billion annually.
Erdogan is scheduled to meet European Parliament leaders in Strasbourg on September 23 to answer questions on Turkey’s bid for accession talks.

September 17, 2004
Trial Resumes for Al Qaeda-Linked Terror Bombing Suspects
Washington, D.C. - Two of the nine Turkish defendants currently on trial in Istanbul for suicide truck bombings against Jewish and British targets in that city in November 2003, killing 61 people, claimed links with al Qaeda during their testimony in mid-September, as the trial of the 69 people suspected in the case resumed following a two-month adjournment for the summer.
Harun Ilhan described himself as an “al Qaeda warrior” and warned that future attacks against Turkey would take place if the country continued to support the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq and continued friendly ties with Israel. Praising the September 11, 2001 attacks against New York and Washington, Ilhan said that “our jihad will continue,” even if Osama bin Laden dies.
Adnan Ersoz stated that he “cannot speak of an al Qaeda branch in Turkey, but there are ties of mutual assistance.” He noted that Habib Akdas, a man Ilhan said was a ringleader behind the bombings, had asserted that Turkish Islamist militants received $150,000 from al Qaeda-linked groups in Syria and Iran.
Ersoz also said he had arranged a 2001 meeting between Akdas and a former top lieutenant of bin Laden, Abu Hafs al Masri. Al Masri said al Qaeda wanted to carry out an attack on an Israeli ship making a call in Turkey or on Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base, and he is believed to have arranged for Akdas to meet bin Laden in Afghanistan in 2001. Akdas was reportedly involved in the kidnapping of several Turkish workers in Iraq in recent months and was reported to have been killed in Iraq in early September 2004 in a U.S. raid.
Prosecutors are demanding life sentences for five suspects who they say played direct roles in the November bombings against two synagogues, the British Consulate, and the local headquarters of the London-based HSBC Bank. The other 64 could face sentences ranging from 4 to 22 years. Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2002 as part of its effort to prepare for EU membership. Several top ringleaders of the attacks remain at large.

September 10, 2004
European Commission in Final Review of Accession Talks Readiness
Washington, D.C. - European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen, on a four-day trip to Turkey to assess its progress on fulfilling the political criteria required for EU membership, stated that "nothing can or should postpone a decision in December" on whether Ankara should open accession talks with the bloc.
The Cyprus problem, Verheugen said, "must not influence the EU's decision," referring to the effort to reunify Cyprus and Turkey's accession negotiations as "two separate issues." In addition, the commissioner stated, the EU had never stipulated that Turkey must grant diplomatic recognition to Cyprus as a condition for opening the negotiations. However, he said, Turkey should extend its customs union agreement with the EU to include Cyprus, noting that "the issue may harm the process of talks."
Adriaan van der Meer, the European Commission's representative in Cyprus, said Turkey, during Verheugen's visit, had promised the commissioner that it would be recognizing Cyprus and including it in Ankara's customs union agreement with the EU. Van der Meer did not specify whether the Turkish government had set a deadline for this move, stating that Turkey needed to fulfill its legal obligations under the customs union agreement by recognizing all EU members.
Verheugen, who met in Turkey with government officials, ambassadors from EU countries, staff of non-governmental organizations, local authorities, the business sector, and representatives of the country's non-Muslim religious minorities, was conducting a final fact-finding tour prior to finalization of the European Commission's progress report on Turkey's readiness for opening accession talks, to be made public on October 6. The report will be the basis for the decision of EU leaders at their December 16-17 summit in Brussels on whether a date for accession negotiations will be assigned.
The Commission's report, Verheugen said, would be "fair, objective, and honest" and would take into account "the impressive progress made by Turkey" in preparing for membership. He said the report would acknowledge that "shortcomings" remained, noting that the implementation of the needed reforms had not been completed, a situation he characterized as "normal" since work on the reforms would continue after accession talks began. "My question . . . is whether we have enough critical mass to make a political judgment that implementation is on track," Verheugen stated. There will be "no new conditions" presented to Turkey as criteria for membership, he said, since the country "does not get another or tougher treatment" than other countries do.
Verheugen said the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had taken preparations for EU accession "very seriously" and had "done well the things they were asked to do" in this regard, but "much of the work" in catching up with European Union norms still lay ahead. "I'm not sure we'll have enough of a track record to allow us to make a forecast on whether Turkey will meet the criteria," the commissioner said.
Referring to the limited Kurdish-language broadcasts that have begun on state-owned radio and television and the Kurdish classes being taught in a few private schools as a "beginning," Verheugen called on Ankara to do more to advance the cultural and social rights of the country's 12 million ethnic Kurds. During a trip to the predominantly Kurdish region of Diyarbakir in the southeast, he urged authorities to improve economic conditions in the area and help tens of thousands of Kurds who were displaced from their homes during the fighting between separatist guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and government forces to return to their villages. He said the EU "gives great importance to the development" of Turkey's southeast.
With regard to the ruling Justice and Development Party's proposal to re-criminalize adultery as part of its effort to reform Turkey's penal code, Verheugen said he had raised his concerns over the proposal to Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. In an interview with CNN-Turk, the commissioner said such an action would be a mistake and "can only be a joke." "I cannot understand how a measure like this could be considered at such a time," he stated. In statements quoted in the newspaper Vatan, Verheugen said, "If Turkey tries to include crimes that are not in other countries' laws in its penal code, EU countries could interpret this as Islamic law entering Turkish law." In 1996, Turkey's top court abolished a law penalizing adultery and said, in its ruling, that the law had been used primarily against women.
A September 7 article in Britain's daily newspaper Independent stated that Verheugen's spokesman, Jean-Christophe Filori, had warned that the adultery legislation issue "could affect the perception in the EU of Turkey's reforms." The article noted that some EU officials believed that outlawing adultery could breach Article Eight of the European Convention on Human Rights, creating a new legal obstacle to beginning accession talks.
Verheugen said the government should be determined that those involved in torture will be punished in "the severest way possible." He said, during his trip, he had received complaints from one human rights organization in Turkey that torture was still systematic, though representatives of all the other organizations he had met with said there had been an overall improvement in the situation.
A nine-member independent commission investigating Turkey's potential membership in the EU, chaired by former Finnish president Martii Ahtisaari, has found that Turkey's entry into the bloc would not result in a massive migration of Turks into other EU countries. A report on the commission's findings said 2.7 million people would be expected to arrive in these nations from Turkey, which would comprise 0.5 percent of the EU's population. It said those leaving Turkey following EU accession would be more likely to include a greater number of "professional and better educated people" than was the case in the 1950s and 1960s, when Turks were welcomed into Europe from rural areas to fill labor gaps. About 3.8 million Turkish migrants currently live in Europe.
Foreign Minister Bernard Bot of the Netherlands, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency and which has been considered, along with Austria and France, to be among the countries most skeptical of Turkey's EU membership, stated that he thought accession talks should start "immediately" if it is determined that Ankara has met the political criteria. Bot said Turkey was likely to start talks in 2005 on the strength of a "positive" assessment of its progress on human rights. He noted that there was "broad support" in all 25 EU countries for opening talks next year if the European Commission's October report finds no "serious shortfalls" in Ankara's efforts to meet the required criteria.
On September 5, up to 1,000 ultra-nationalists belonging to the Grey Wolves of the Nationalist Action Party clashed with police during a demonstration held outside the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. The demonstrators were protesting Turkey's reported intention to reopen a critical Christian Orthodox seminary on the Turkish island of Heybeliada (Halki, in Greek), as part of its effort to expand religious freedom to meet EU membership criteria. The Patriarchate continues to seek to reopen the seminary, which has been closed since 1971, when the state nationalized all private institutions of higher learning. By law, all religious community leaders in Turkey must be Turkish citizens. As a result, the Christian Orthodox Church is unable to train new clergy for eventual leadership in Turkey.

September 3, 2004
No Recognition of Cyprus by Ankara in the Offing
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that any steps Ankara takes to include Cyprus in the customs union agreement between Turkey and the European Union will "never mean a political recognition" of the Cyprus government.
Though a process is underway to address the customs union issue, Gul said, "everybody knows that political recognition is out of the question."
Turkey, which is the only country in the world that recognizes the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, has no diplomatic ties with the Cyprus government. Although the European Union has put pressure on the Turkish government to include Cyprus in the customs union, Brussels has stated that the exclusion of Cyprus from the agreement will not influence the EU's decision on whether to grant Ankara a date for accession talks, expected at the bloc's December summit in the Netherlands.
Cyprus Foreign Minister George Iacovou said, "Turkey would find it very difficult to secure European Union accession without having any formal ties with fellow member Cyprus."
"How can we take a position on issues raised when we don't have an embassy in Ankara to be informed first-hand as every other country does," Iacovou stated.

September 3, 2004
Turkish Government Proposes Making Adultery a Crime
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will submit a bill making adultery a crime, as part of the upcoming penal code reform aimed at meeting criteria set by the European Union for membership in the bloc.
Women's groups protested the proposal because Turkey's top court abolished a law penalizing adultery in 1996 and said, in its ruling, that the law had been used primarily against women. The groups said reinstatement of the law would be a step backward for Turkey's image as a modern secular state. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) said it would not challenge the proposed legislation, provided men face the same penalties as women under the law.
Parliament is scheduled to convene on September 14 to debate the new penal code, which is expected to be passed by October 1, ahead of the release on October 6 of the European Commission's report on Ankara's preparedness for opening EU accession talks.

August 27, 2004
First Civilian Head of National Security Council Assumes Post
Washington, D.C. - Turkish leaders appointed the first civilian to head the country's National Security Council (MGK), a body comprised of generals and government officials through which the military, in the past, has influenced key decisions on important domestic and foreign policy issues.
Mehmet Yigit Alpogan, who has served as Turkey's ambassador to Greece, takes over the post from General Sukru Sariisik, assigned to head an army post on Turkey's Aegean coast. Legislative reforms aimed at curbing the say of the military in politics and authorizing the government to nominate a civilian as MGK secretary general were passed by the Turkish parliament in the summer of 2003 with an eye toward EU criteria regarding civilian-military relations. The reforms limited the former powers of the MGK, reducing the influence of the military over the government and giving the body more of an advisory role.
In October, the European Commission will release a progress report on Turkey's preparedness for launching accession talks with the EU. The report is expected to form the basis for the decision of EU leaders at the bloc's December summit in the Netherlands on whether Turkey will be assigned a date for opening the talks.

August 13, 2004
Terrorist Bombs in Istanbul Kill Two, Injure 11
Washington, D.C. - An Islamic group claiming links to al Qaeda and a Kurdish separatist group both said they had carried out nearly simultaneous bomb attacks on two small hotels in Istanbul that killed a Turk and an Iranian and injured 11 others. Two other bombs exploded at a storage complex for liquid petroleum gas on the outskirts of the city but caused no injuries.
Those injured in the pre-dawn hotel attacks included Dutch, Chinese, Ukrainian, and Spanish citizens, as well as a Turk and a Turkmenistan national.
In a message on an Islamist web site, the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades group said it was behind the attacks, which it stated were "the first in a series of operations which will be launched against European countries." The statement called for rejecting American policies that it said were resulting in the killings of "Muslims in Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, and the rest of the Muslim world." This group also claimed responsibility for the March 2004 train bombings in Madrid that killed 191 people.
The Mezopotamya News Agency released a statement by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, a previously unknown group, in which the group claimed responsibility for the bombings, stating that they were carried out in retaliation for Turkey's "recent operations in Kurdistan and the execution of Kurdish guerrillas."
The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, in another statement, warned tourists to leave Turkey, saying the group was planning further attacks in the country. "Taking account of the fact we shall particularly target the tourism sector, we call on all tourists to leave Turkey and those who are intending to come to change their plans," the group stated. In addition, it urged "those who invest in Turkey, locals and foreigners, . . . to withdraw and suspend their investments."
Turkish Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu suggested that police were looking into the possibility of Kurdish involvement in the bombings, noting that four alleged members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), now called Kongra-Gel, had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a July car bomb attack against the governor of the eastern province of Tunceli, in which six were killed and 23 injured. The state-run Anatolian News Agency reported Deputy Police Chief Ramazan Er as saying the police had established that the PKK was behind the blasts.
There were fears that the bombings could harm Turkey's tourist industry. The number of foreigners visiting Turkey increased 43 percent during the period from January to June this year compared to the same period in 2003. The government and investors view earnings from tourism, the country's leading source of foreign earnings in 2003, as a way to help curb Turkey's growing current-account deficit, with 16 million tourists expected this year.

August 6, 2004
IMF Releases Loan Installment, Laud's Economic Performance
Washington, D.C. - Praising Ankara's economic performance, the IMF, on July 31, approved a new $661 million installment of a $19 billion loan program for Turkey, the eighth installment under the program since it was implemented in 2001. Turkey has not yet drawn about $2 billion of the loan package, which expires in February 2005.
Rodrigo Rato, the IMF's managing director, said growth in the country had been sustained and rapid, and was likely to exceed the 5 percent target for 2004. Inflation, he said, had been lowered to single digits, improving on the 12 percent target for the year set by the IMF. The official said Ankara should observe "strict financial discipline" in order to reduce its current account deficit, currently 2.9 percent of GDP, to 2.4 percent in 2005. Rato also encouraged Turkish officials to accelerate efforts to privatize state firms and attract foreign investment, which now stands at only $500 million annually.
Turkey is expected to decide by September whether it will seek a new IMF program, following the expiration of this one. IMF Turkey Desk Chief Reza Moghadam was in Ankara the week of August 2 for talks with Turkish officials on the possible economic strategies open to the country through the IMF for the period covering 2005-2007.
Turkey's exports for July, at $5.7 billion, were about 34 percent higher than those in July 2003, continuing a strong trend in booming overseas sales.

August 6, 2004
Turkish Hostage Murder Halts Truck Deliveries to U.S. Troops in Iraq
Washington, D.C. -Turkey's truckers association, which is independent from the Turkish government, said it would stop delivering goods to U.S. forces in Iraq, following a wave of kidnappings of Turks working in Iraq and the execution of one of them by the Tawhid and Jihad group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The catering company the executed man was working for said it would withdraw all its staff from Iraq.
Cahit Soysal, head of the Istanbul-based International Transporters' Association (UND), said the organization had issued a binding decision to its members to halt services to U.S. forces until the safety of the drivers could be guaranteed. Most of Turkey's 900 trucking firms are members of UND. The stoppage affected up to 300 Turkish trucks owned by more than a dozen companies that cross into Iraq daily to carry supplies to Americans. Some 1,800 Turkish trucks that enter Iraq for other purposes continued to cross the border.
At the time of Soysal's announcement on August 2, two Turkish drivers were being held hostage by al-Zarqawi's group, another driver had been killed when Iraqi insurgents opened fire on his vehicle, and a Turkish worker and another driver were missing. Although the two kidnapped drivers were subsequently released, following a statement by their employers that the companies' operations in Iraq would be suspended, another Turkish driver has since been killed and two more kidnappings of Turkish workers have occurred.
Turkish Foreign Trade Minister Kursat Tuzmen said Turkey would continue to trade with Iraq but would impose new security measures to help protect drivers.

July 30, 2004
EU Prods Ankara to Include Cyprus in Customs Union Agreement
Washington, D.C. - EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, during talks with Turkish officials and business circles in Ankara, told the Turkish government that it had to resolve its exclusion of Cyprus from the customs union between Turkey and the EU, resulting from the lack of diplomatic relations between Ankara and the Cyprus government.
Lamy said Turkey's failure to extend the customs union agreement to include Cyprus was an important problem for the EU and would be resolved soon. The commissioner said he and Turkish officials had discussed a "pragmatic means" of settling the matter.
The commissioner also stated that the issue would have no bearing on the European Commission's report on Turkey's preparedness to begin EU accession talks, to be released in October. He praised the "huge progress" made by Turkey in its efforts to align its laws with EU norms. Lamy noted that EU investment in Turkey was below the desired level and suggested that Ankara and the bloc increase cooperation in the services sector and in government procurement.

July 30, 2004
Erdogan Discusses PKK, Economic Issues with Iran
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on a July 27-29 visit to Tehran, sought increased cooperation with Iran in the fight against guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the wake of clashes between Iranian security forces and the PKK in July near the Turkish border and accelerated attacks by the rebels on Turkish forces since June 1, when the PKK ended its unilateral five-year truce. The PKK now calls itself Kongra-Gel.
Both Turkey and Iran have large ethnic Kurd minorities and share a concern that any move toward greater autonomy by the Kurds in northern Iraq could spark separatism and unrest among these minorities. Erdogan stated that both countries advocate the preservation of Iraq's "territorial integrity."
In mid-July, an Iranian-Turkish Joint Security Committee met in Ankara to discuss enhancing security along the border between Iran and Turkey.
In Erdogan's talks in Tehran with First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, furthering bilateral economic cooperation was also high on the agenda. Iranian officials and the Turkish delegation, which included State Minister Kursat Tuzmen, said they would work toward achieving a bilateral trade volume of $5 billion annually in the coming years. In 2003, bilateral trade increased by about 90 percent, reaching $2.4 billion. Turkey's exports to Iran have already risen by 54 percent during the first half of 2004.
The officials also discussed promoting improvements in the infrastructure at gates on the Turkish-Iranian border, introducing new instruments for financing bilateral trade, furthering relations between the two countries' banking sectors, and allowing Iran to use Turkey's Black Sea ports to transport goods to European countries.
Aref stated that Turkish entrepreneurs had undertaken projects worth $130 million in Iran and the Iranian government wanted to continue cooperating with Turkey in sectors such as public works, telecommunications, and energy.
Bilateral trade relations have been damaged by a disagreement between Ankara and Tehran over the price of the natural gas Turkey has imported from Iran under a 1996 agreement. Turkey halted the imports, complaining that the quality of the gas was poor and asking Iran to reduce the price. Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler and Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh are working together to resolve the problems concerning the gas accord and will discuss the possibility of transporting Iranian natural gas to Western countries through Turkey.

July 23, 2004
Turkey Seeks France's Support for EU Bid
Washington, D.C. - With the October release of the European Commission's report on Ankara's readiness for EU accession talks approaching, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a visit to France, where opposition to Turkey's EU membership remains high among political parties and the public, to assure its leaders that Turkey has undertaken sufficient reforms to begin talks.
Despite the opposition of his ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), and its junior coalition partner, the Union for French Democracy (UDF), to Turkey's entry into the bloc, French President Jacques Chirac said, "Turkey's integration into the EU is welcome as soon as it becomes possible." He stated that Ankara had made "considerable progress" and must continue and intensify its implementation of democratic and economic reforms.
During Erdogan's July 19-21 visit to Paris, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said that France would study the Commission's report this fall "with the greatest attention." Foreign Minister Michel Barnier asserted that Turkey still had "a long way to go" before it became an EU member, although it had "been on this road for some time, preparing itself and making progress." Erdogan referred to the 400,000 Turks living in France as "a bridge between the two nations."
While the Turkish prime minister was in France, Jan Peter Balkenende, the prime minister of the Netherlands, which currently holds the EU presidency, stated in an address to the European Parliament that the decision concerning Turkey's accession talks at the December EU summit "must be arrived at honestly, under the ground rules to which we previously, in 2002, committed ourselves," meaning "strict application of the criteria laid down, but without inventing new criteria." He added, "We must not allow ourselves to be guided by fear, for example of Islam," since "raising barriers to any particular religion does not fit in with Europe's shared values."
Erdogan, accompanied to France by a large business delegation as well as State Minister Mehmet Aydin, Finance Minister Keman Unakitan, and Communication Minister Binali Yildirim, called on the support of the French business world for Turkey's EU membership, emphasizing the investment opportunities that existed through cooperation between the two countries.
While Erdogan was in Paris, Ankara agreed to purchase 36 Airbus aircraft from the Franco-German consortium based in Toulouse, France, to upgrade the fleet of Turkey's national carrier, Turkish Airlines, a deal reportedly worth more than $1.5 billion. Other possible bilateral cooperative ventures include the involvement of France in the modernization of the Turkish armed forces and the investment of French companies in the privatization process in Turkey in the sectors of nuclear energy, banking, iron and steel, tobacco, telecommunications, and the media. Erdogan emphasized the fact that Turkey will become an important terminal of the global energy market, which will open up investment opportunities.

July 16, 2004
Virginity Tests Banned in Preparation for EU Accession Talks
Washington, D.C. - The Turkish parliament's justice commission will introduce an amendment to Turkey's penal code to ban virginity tests for women, unless they are demanded by a prosecutor or judge in criminal cases. In addition, the amendment will introduce jail terms of between three months and one year for those who conduct the examinations without legal permission.
Conducting these tests on women and teenage girls has been quite common in Turkey's rural areas, although, in 1999, the Justice Ministry issued a circular restricting the procedure to gathering evidence in court cases.
Two European judges also visited Turkey in mid-July to assess the progress the country's judiciary has made in its reforms regarding issues such as the independence of the judicial system and the role played by judges and prosecutors in the system. The visit, which was follow-up to visits by European judges to Turkey last year for the same purpose, was part of the process the European Commission is undertaking as it drafts its October report concerning Ankara's readiness to begin accession talks with the EU.

July 16, 2004
Kurdish Former Lawmakers to be Retried
Washington, D.C. - In a case that will be closely watched by the European Union as Turkey works toward meeting criteria by the end of the year for opening EU accession talks, a Turkish appeals court ordered a new trial for four Kurdish former parliamentarians, their third since 1994.
The trial for Leyla Zana, Hatip Dicle, Selim Sadak, and Orhan Dogan will be held in a newly established specialized criminal court. Their first two trials were conducted in state security courts, which have been abolished as part of the country's effort to bring its judicial system in line with EU norms.
The appeals court also overturned the 1994 convictions of the former lawmakers, upheld in April 2004, on charges of links with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which led to their imprisonment over the last 10 years on 15-year sentences. No date has been set for the new trial.
The court, which ordered the release of the four in June 2004, said the former deputies did not receive a fair hearing at their original trial in 1994 or at their second trial in April 2004, which took place after the European Court of Human Rights, in a 1991 ruling, condemned the original trial as unfair.
Jean-Christophe Filori, a spokesman for European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen, said, "The Commission is upset that still a satisfactory conclusion has not been reached on the issue" of the former lawmakers. He said the European Commission welcomed the overturning of their convictions, but it would closely monitor the re-trial process.
On July 9, Turkish police said they had petitioned prosecutors to file charges against the four, alleging that they had made "separatist speeches" at political rallies they attended in Turkey's southeast, following their release from prison. In addition, the police said the four had spoken Kurdish at the rallies, which is prohibited, while also breaking traffic regulations and laws of public assembly. Their participation in the rallies was also criticized by the military.

July 10, 2004
Ankara Implements Further Reforms for EU Accession
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul stated that Turkey's National Security Council would soon, for the first time, be headed by a civilian instead of a military officer, a factor that would be taken into consideration as the European Commission prepared its report on Ankara's progress toward meeting EU criteria, to be released in October.
Gonul said the move, authorized by a law legislated in 2003, would be in keeping with laws that have already led to the removal of military representatives from the recently-banned state security courts, the Higher Education Board, and the Supreme Board of Radio and Television. Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is reportedly planning to appoint Turkey's permanent representative to the United Nations, Umit Pamir, to the position following a meeting of the Higher Military Council in early August. Media reports have said that Osman Koruturk, Turkey's special envoy to Iraq, is also being considered.
As part of its reform of Turkey's penal code, the Turkish parliament is expected to introduce mandatory life sentences for those who carry out "honor killings," the murder of girls or women for behavior that their families regard as shameful. The European Union has long urged Ankara to increase the now-lenient penalty for such killings, which occur primarily in the eastern and predominantly Kurdish southeastern regions, as part of its attempt to improve its human rights record. The parliament is expected to vote on the revised penal code, which also introduces articles that tackle gender discrimination, in September, following the summer recess.
The European Court of Human Rights, founded within the framework of the Council of Europe, rejected an appeal by a Turkish student barred from an Istanbul medical school in 1998 because she was wearing an Islamic-style headscarf. The Court said the prohibition on the wearing of such headscarves in government buildings and universities in Turkey did not violate freedom of religion and was a valid way to counter Islamic militancy.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that the ban should be overturned. The ban, which is supported by the Turkish military and other secularists, has been termed "an unwarranted infringement on the right to religious practice" by the New York-based Human Rights Watch.

July 2, 2004
EU Calls on Turkey to Extend Its Customs Union Agreement to Cyprus
Washington, D.C. - The European Union, in the presidency conclusions issued at the bloc's June 17-18 summit in Ireland, called on Turkey to extend its customs union agreement with the EU to include Cyprus. The Turkish government had already extended the agreement to the other nine countries that became EU members on May 1.
The conclusions said, "The European Council invites Turkey to conclude negotiations with the [European] Commission on behalf of the Community and its 25 Member States on the adaptation of the Ankara Agreement to take account of the accession of the new Member States." The 1963 Ankara Agreement was the original Association Agreement between Turkey and the EU. The heart of the agreement was the establishment of the customs union, which took effect on January 1, 1996.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the close of the EU summit, stated that he expected Cyprus to be incorporated into the customs union agreement but did not say when it would happen. Turkey has no diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cyprus, recognizing only the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos said that he considered the reference in the presidency conclusions concerning the customs union agreement to be "satisfactory," adding that he believed "there is no way for Turkey to avoid extending the agreement towards Cyprus."
Erdogan expressed dissatisfaction at the fact that the European Union had not yet announced its measures to ease the economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. On July 7, the EU is expected to approve a package of measures it is preparing for this purpose.

July 2, 2004
Key Support for Ankara's EU Bid at NATO, EU Summits
Washington, D.C. - Both German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac, attending the June 28-29 NATO summit in Istanbul, publicly expressed support for setting a date at the EU's December summit to begin accession talks with Turkey if the European Commission's October report indicates that the country has met the necessary criteria.
"If the [political] conditions are fulfilled, and they have improved in a way unthinkable a few years ago, we can only keep our word, which we gave 41 years ago," Schroeder said, referring to the EU's 1963 Ankara Agreement, or Association Agreement, with Turkey. Schroeder said he thought the Commission's report would be positive. Turkey was named a candidate for EU membership in December 1999.
Chirac stated that there was "an irreversible movement leading to Turkey's accession," noting that a decision at the end of the year on talks would depend on the Commission's findings.
President Bush, in remarks made on the sidelines of the NATO summit, repeated a call for Turkey's entry into the EU, stating that its membership would be "a crucial advance in relations between the Muslim world and the West," since the country is part of both. Including Turkey in the EU, Bush stated, would prove that Europe is "not the exclusive club of a single religion," and "it would expose the ‘clash of civilizations' as a passing myth of history."
In addition, the leaders of Britain, Greece, Italy, and Spain reiterated their support for setting a date for Turkey's accession talks while attending the NATO summit.
In a related development, Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos said Cyprus would not "introduce any obstacles to beginning the process of Turkey's entry into the European Union."
As the Netherlands assumed the rotating EU presidency on July 1, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, in reference to the December decision on accession talks, said, "The question is whether, by [December], Turkey will have stable institutions that safeguard democracy, the rule of law, and human rights." Balkanende stated that, as the holder of the presidency, "the Netherlands feels a responsibility to make sure that [the EU's] decision is well-reasoned and rock-solid." He asserted that the bloc "should not suddenly add new criteria" for starting the talks.
Along with France and Austria, the Netherlands is widely viewed as being among the EU members that are most skeptical about Turkey's readiness for accession negotiations.
In the presidency conclusions of the June 17-18 European Union summit in Ireland, the EU reaffirmed its prior commitment that it would open accession negotiations with Turkey "without delay" if the bloc decided at its December summit, on the basis of the October report by the European Commission, that Ankara had fulfilled the Copenhagen political criteria for the start of talks.
The conclusions also stated that the EU welcomed "the significant progress made to date by Turkey in the reform process, including the important and wide-ranging constitutional amendments adopted in May." The EU said work was still needed concerning strengthening the independence and functioning of the judiciary; protecting the exercise of the fundamental freedoms of association, expression, and religion, as well as cultural rights; furthering the alignment of civil-military relations with European practice; and improving the situation in the predominantly Kurdish southeast of the country. The bloc emphasized the importance of passing the remaining legislation required and accelerating efforts to implement reforms at all administrative levels throughout the country. It also noted that Ankara must demonstrate its commitment to economic and financial stabilization.
On June 22, the Council of Europe decided to end the monitoring of Turkey's human rights performance, citing the country's democratic reforms over the past three years. The decision by the Council's parliamentary assembly was made on the basis of a report, adopted in March by a special monitoring committee, saying that Ankara had proved its commitment to constitutional and legislative reform and no longer needed to be watched. Since 1996, Turkey had been on a list of countries the Council monitors for democratic and human rights shortcomings.

July 2, 2004
Turkey Urges U.S. to Act Against PKK in Northern Iraq
Washington, D.C. - As attacks on Turkish security forces by militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) escalated in Turkey's southeast, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged President Bush to take "concrete steps" against some 5,000 PKK guerrillas operating out of northern Iraq.
Some 2,000 of them are estimated to have crossed into Turkey since June 1, when the PKK, now known as KONGRA-GEL, ended its five-year unilateral truce. Since June 1, at least 14 Turkish officers and 25 PKK insurgents have been killed in clashes in southeastern Turkey and along Turkey's border with Syria.
Meeting with Erdogan in Ankara prior to the June 28-29 NATO summit in Istanbul, Bush stated that the U.S. would "take serious steps on the PKK issue" and would work with both Turkey and the new Iraqi government concerning the matter. Bush noted that, "what al Qaeda means for us is the same as what the PKK means for Turkey," adding that the U.S., which has placed the PKK on the State Department's list of "foreign terrorist organizations," understood Turkey's concerns. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari stated that there was no place for the PKK in Iraq.
Erdogan said the Turkish government was concerned because the U.S. had taken "no serious steps" so far concerning the PKK in Iraq.
On June 18, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman stated that he did "not anticipate any direct military action against the PKK" in northern Iraq "in the immediate future," noting that U.S. military forces in Iraq had "a very daunting challenge on the security side." He added that the U.S. was working with European and Turkish allies to "make life more difficult for the PKK members in terms of recruitment and raising money."
In his talks with Bush, which also included Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Erdogan raised concerns over the restructuring of Iraq. Ankara believes the restructuring process gives too much influence to Iraqi Kurds and grants insufficient political representation to Turkmens, Iraq's third-largest ethnic community, which has close linguistic and ethnic ties to Turkey.
Erdogan stated that Turkey was still opposed to a federal political structure in Iraq that guaranteed broad autonomy for the country's Kurds. Turkey fears that, if Iraqi Kurds consolidate their autonomy, it could rekindle separatism among Turkey's own ethnic Kurds.
Despite stringent security measures imposed in the run-up to and during the NATO summit, two days before the arrival of Bush in Turkey, a bomb on a bus in Istanbul killed four persons, while two policemen and a passer-by were injured in Ankara in a blast in front of the hotel where the U.S. president was scheduled to stay. It is believed that the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) was behind the Istanbul blast, while the Ankara attack has been attributed to the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP).
The second day of the summit, a bomb exploded aboard an empty Turkish Airlines plane on the ground at the Istanbul airport, when a cleaning crew opened a bag found on the aircraft. Three members of the cleaning crew were injured.

June 15, 2004
Ankara to Chair Organization of the Islamic Conference
Washington, D.C. - Turkey will, for the first time, chair the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at a time when it hopes to be granted a date for opening accession talks with the European Union and would like to be perceived as a geographic and political bridge between the West and Islam.
Ankara, which maintains close ties with Israel, said that it is aiming at promoting structural changes in the 56-nation organization, established in 1970, to enable it to become an effective player in global affairs amidst new international challenges.
At the June 14-16 meeting of the OIC foreign ministers in Istanbul, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, presented by Turkey as a reform candidate, became the organization's secretary general, defeating candidates from Malaysia and Bangladesh, and will hold the position for four years. The OIC's choice of Turkey to chair the organization could signal further movement toward reform within the group and within its member states.
Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, speaking at the meeting, said, "It is of vital importance that members of the OIC demonstrate the clear will to accelerate the ongoing political, social, and economic reforms in order to catch up with the contemporary age," while adopting "a realistic and case-by-case approach building on the domestic dynamics and the particularities of each country."
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was up to the OIC countries to heed calls for reform from the early June summit of G-8 leaders in Sea Island, Georgia, while Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said the Islamic world "must continue with its evolution toward more democratic, transparent, open societies." Gul added that the "Turkish experience on reform and progress can be a source of inspiration for others who want to embrace modernity, while preserving traditional values."
Although the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will maintain observer status in the OIC and will not be accorded member status, the foreign ministers decided that, from now on, the TRNC delegates at the meetings of the organization will be referred to as representing the "Turkish Cypriot state," the term used in the failed Annan settlement plan. In the past, the Turkish Cypriot observers have been considered representatives of the "Turkish Cypriot community."
It was made clear that the title "Turkish Cypriot state" does not confer diplomatic recognition on the TRNC. Turkey has not officially appealed to the OIC member countries to extend recognition to the TRNC, recognized only by Turkey. Bosnia and Thailand also attend the OIC meetings as observers.
Gul, in an address to the OIC meeting, urged the international community to establish direct economic, commercial, social, and cultural relations with the Turkish Cypriots. In their joint communiqué, the ministers called on the global community to take "immediate concrete steps" to end the isolation of northern Cyprus, while urging the OIC member states to promote "direct transport, trade, tourism, culture, information, investment, and sports contacts" with the Turkish Cypriots.
In the latest in a series of criticisms he has directed against Israel since it launched its May military drive in Gaza and killed Hamas leaders, Erdogan said the Israeli government's actions were "leading to an increase in anti-Semitism in the world." Sezer stated that Israel was engaging in the "use of excessive force" that did "not serve to any end other than further escalating tensions and harming civilians."

June 15, 2004
Netherlands Upbeat Toward Turkey's EU Reform Process, Urges Implementation
Washington, D.C. - The prime minister of the Netherlands, Jan Peter Balkanende, during a June 15-17 visit to The Hague by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said he appreciated the process of reform in Turkey over the last two years in preparation for EU accession talks. He noted that Ankara could begin talks "without delay" if an October European Commission report evaluates Turkey's preparedness for negotiations positively.
The Netherlands will hold the rotating EU presidency during the second half of 2004, beginning July 1, a period that encompasses the December EU summit, where Turkey hopes to be granted a date for starting accession talks.
Balkanende said the EU leaders' decision-making process concerning opening talks with Ankara would be "fair" and "honest." He stated that, although he welcomed Turkey's progress in legislating reforms in line with EU norms, he wanted to see equal progress made in implementing the reforms.
"We are closely following moves to decrease the political influence of the military, and recent regulations in the human rights area and in democratization," Balkanende stated. Although the steps toward reform are positive, he said "it is not possible at the moment to express a certain view before seeing the Commission's report." He said The Netherlands would be in close contact with Ankara during its EU presidency.
Erdogan stated that it would be impossible to completely eliminate problems related to the implementation of the reforms by December, noting that some current members of the EU still have deficiencies in the area of implementation.
Along with France and Austria, The Netherlands is widely viewed as being among the EU members that are most skeptical about Turkey's readiness for accession negotiations.

June 15, 2004
PKK Attacks Accelerate as Kurdish Former Parliamentarian Calls for Ceasefire
Washington, D.C. - As attacks by militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) accelerated in Turkey's southeast, Leyla Zana, one of four Kurdish former parliamentarians who were released from prison in early June, urged the guerrillas to resume for six months a unilateral truce they lifted on June 1, maintaining that Turkey had not responded with a truce of its own. The truce was implemented in 1999, following the arrest of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
Zana's appeal was made during a demonstration in the predominantly Kurdish southeastern city of Diyarbakir held by 20,000 people to celebrate the release of the former lawmakers and call for the peaceful resolution of the remaining problems ethnic Kurds face in Turkey. Thousands marched in Istanbul in a similar demonstration. Zana met with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul shortly after her release from prison.
Murat Karayilan, one of the current leaders of the PKK, now known as KONGRA-GEL, said the group would not resume its ceasefire. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected a general amnesty request for PKK militants, stating that the government had implemented steps that had never before been taken to benefit ethnic Kurds, a reference to measures such as allowing instruction and broadcasts in the Kurdish language.
In renewed violence between the PKK and Turkish security forces, at least eight Kurdish guerrillas and seven security personnel have been killed since June 1 in the southeast. On June 13, the Turkish military declared an overnight curfew in the town of Bingol after guerrillas staged a rocket attack on a club for military officers.
Security officials estimate that more than 2,000 PKK guerrillas have entered Turkey in recent months and say they are returning from northern Iraq through Iran and Syria.
On June 9, the European Court of Human Rights started to hear legal arguments for an appeal by Ocalan, who has been imprisoned in Turkey since 1999 and whose death sentence for treason was commuted to life imprisonment in 2002 when Turkey abolished capital punishment. His lawyers assert that he was treated inhumanely and was denied a fair trial in Turkey in February 1999.

June 15, 2004
Suspected Plotters of Bomb Attack at NATO Summit Held
Washington, D.C. - Turkish police, on June 16, detained four suspected Islamic militants believed to be planning a major bomb attack at the June 28-29 NATO summit in Istanbul, which President Bush and other heads of state and government of alliance nations will attend.
Those detained are suspected of being members of Ansar al-Islam, a group linked to al Qaeda. Materials for making bombs were also seized.
Police believe that the four had connections with 16 people arrested in the northwestern Turkish city of Bursa in May on suspicion of planning a bomb attack during the summit. Nine of those detained in Bursa were charged with terrorism.

June 11, 2004
EU Calls on Turkey to Extend Customs Union Agreement to Republic of Cyprus
Washington, D.C. - The European Commission has demanded that Turkey extend its customs union agreement with the EU, in place since January 1996, to include the Republic of Cyprus. Following the accession of Cyprus and nine other countries to the European Union on May 1, Turkey extended the agreement to include all the new members except Cyprus, which it does not recognize. Turkey is the only country in the world that recognizes the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as a sovereign state.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen instructed Fabrizio Barbaso, the general director of the Enlargement Directorate, to send a letter on June 4 to the Turkish government concerning the matter. The move followed a complaint by the Cyprus government, which had reportedly raised the issue during the discussions accompanying the drafting of the presidency conclusions for the EU summit in Dublin on June 17-18.
Verheugen has said that the division of Cyprus will not play a decisive role in the Commission's October report on Turkey's readiness to open EU accession talks. "Turkey has demonstrated its will to find a [Cyprus] solution on the basis of the United Nations peace plan. That counts," Verheugen said.
Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos referred to the customs union matter in a June 7 letter to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, citing it as an example of Ankara's continuing "unjustified hostile policy against Cyprus." (See Cyprus, Country Updates, "Papadopoulos Rebuts Annan Report," June 11, 2004.)

June 11, 2004
Broadcasts in Non-Turkish Languages Begin in Conformity with EU Practice
Washington, D.C. - Two years after Turkey's parliament passed legislation lifting a ban on the broadcast of languages other than Turkish, Turkey's state broadcaster, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), has launched the airing of programs in a number of mother-tongue languages and dialects used in the country, including Kurdish.
The delay in moving forward with these broadcasts was cited by the European Union in its May report on Ankara's preparedness for accession talks as one example of the government's failure to implement critical reform laws already passed. The government has, in the past, maintained that such broadcasts would promote separatism.
The weekly schedule of programs, which began the week of June 7, is Mondays, the Bosnian language; Tuesdays, Arabic; Wednesdays, Kirmanji, the most commonly used Kurdish dialect; Thursdays, Circassian; and Fridays, Zaza, another Kurdish dialect.
According to current regulations, broadcasts on state-owned stations will be limited to no more than 60 minutes a day, or five hours a week on radio, and no more than 45 minutes a day, or four hours a week on television.
TRT Director Senol Demiroz stated that the broadcaster had completed the "infrastructural studies" necessary to broadcast the programs, which include coverage of national, international, and sporting news, as well as documentaries and cultural programs.
The Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) has accelerated its preparations for regulating broadcasts in non-Turkish languages on private stations and channels, although there have been no offers from them up until now to schedule such broadcasts.
Private language institutes started Kurdish classes in April, but state schools are still not teaching the language.
On May 5, European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said "that Turkey is changing at high speed and that much of what we have been asking of them for years is now being realized." The Commission is scheduled to release a report in October on the level of Turkey's preparedness for opening EU accession talks. European Union leaders will consult the report as the basis for their decision at the December EU summit on whether Turkey should be granted a date for the talks.
Turkey's "process of negotiation [for EU accession], which will possibly be decided at the end of the year, will take a long time, and, even if the EU member-states take a positive decision, it will take some time to prepare for the negotiations," Verheugen stated.
The ambassador of the Netherlands to Turkey, Sjoerd Gosses, whose country will hold the EU rotating presidency the second half of 2004, stated that Turkey would be the only EU member that would cause "a transformation" in the bloc, because of its large population, culture, and religious and historical features, adding that this transformation would be beneficial for the European Union.
Opposition to Turkey's EU aspirations have been a focus of certain political parties and groupings in Europe during the campaign leading up to the June 10-13 European Parliament elections. These include Joerg Haider's anti-immigrant Freedom Party (FPO), part of Austria's center-right government coalition; Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel's conservative People's Party; and the ruling, conservative UMP party in France. In addition, Germany's main opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union, has long opposed Turkey's accession to the European Union.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addressing the ambassadors of EU member states to Turkey, said Ankara expected a decision to be made in December "which will facilitate opening of [accession] negotiations in the first months of 2005."

June 11, 2004
Kurdish Parliamentarians' Convictions Overturned, New Trial to Be Held
Washington, D.C. - Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals has overturned the April convictions upholding the 15-year prison sentences of Leyla Zana and three other Kurdish former parliamentarians at the end of a year-long retrial and has ordered a second retrial.
The ruling was made on the recommendation of a prosecutor who cited procedural lapses during the first retrial in one of the country's state security courts, which were abolished through a constitutional amendment passed in April to bring Turkey's judiciary in line with EU norms.
The appeals court ordered the release of the former deputies until the retrial, scheduled for July 8, begins.
Zana, Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan, and Selim Sadak have been in prison since 1994, when they were convicted of membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in 2001 that the 1994 trial had been unfair because a member of the military sat on the court, a retrial began in 2003.
In his argument before the appeals court, the prosecutor asserted that the removal of the military member of the court during this retrial should have necessitated a repeat of the entire court procedure that had occurred during the original trial, which was not done. For example, witnesses called to give evidence in the original trial had not been called for the retrial, and press and police reports presented at the original trial had not been re-introduced.
The European Commission, in a May report on Turkey's readiness for starting EU accession talks, called Zana a "political prisoner" and came out strongly against the state security court's April verdict that kept her and the other former parliamentarians in prison.

June 11, 2004
Turkey Publicly Critical of Israeli Actions Against Palestinians
Washington, D.C. - Following statements by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of "state terrorism" against the Palestinians and comparing their treatment by the Israeli government to actions against Jews under the Spanish Inquisition, the Turkish government on June 8 recalled its ambassador and consul general from Israel to Ankara for consultations.
The move, a common diplomatic maneuver to express displeasure with a host country's policies, was played down by both sides, as Turkish officials said the diplomats would return to their posts during "the course of the week," describing the consultations as "regular and ordinary."
Erdogan, attending the G-8 summit in Sea Island, Georgia, the same week, stated that Turkey has "positive relations with Israel and will continue" to do so. In addition, Israel's ambassador to Turkey, Pinhas Avivi, stated that Turkey's criticism "has not negatively affected mutual relations."
The day the recall occurred, Erdogan said, "There is nothing acceptable in Israel's violent policies. Attempts that risk innocent people's lives - whether from Israel or Palestine - are unacceptable, and any violent act will face a condemnation from us. Policies of violence and counter-violence from both Israel and Palestine have to stop."
Erdogan's criticism was directed, in particular, toward a May campaign by the Israeli Army in the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza against Palestinian militants that resulted in the deaths of about 60 Palestinians, including civilians, as well as Israel's assassinations of prominent Hamas leaders.
"We are in favor of the peace process being regenerated, and the government of Israel has not contributed to our efforts to do so," the Turkish prime minister stated.
Turkey and Israel cooperate closely in the military, intelligence, and economic sectors, with bilateral trade reaching $1.2 billion in 2002. Israeli companies are carrying out several Turkish military modernization projects, and Ankara has purchased $3 billion worth of weapons from Israel since 1996. In addition, Turkey will be shipping water to Israel under a multi-billion agreement.
At the G-8 summit, in which Erdogan participated as a guest along with the leaders of Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan, and Yemen, as well as the interim president of Iraq, it was announced that Turkey would join G-8 member Italy and Yemen in forming the "Democratic Aid Dialogue," which will contribute to the promotion of political reforms in the Middle East and northern Africa.

June 4, 2004
Conformity with EU-Inspired Reforms Postpones Trial of Terrorists

Washington, D.C. - Adhering to the May constitutional amendment abolishing Turkey's state security courts in preparation for EU accession talks, the Turkish judiciary has postponed the trial of 69 Turks charged with involvement in al-Qaeda-linked suicide bombings in Istanbul until legislation establishing new criminal courts is passed, possibly by mid-June.
The trial will be the highest-profile case in Turkey since the conviction of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999. It is also the first time alleged al-Qaeda operatives will be tried by a court in Turkey.
The suspects allegedly planned the November 2003 detonation of four truck bombs directed at two synagogues, the British Consulate, and the local headquarters of the London-based bank HSBC. Sixty-one people, including British Consul General Roger Short, were killed, and more than 600 were injured. Three alleged ringleaders of the attacks are still at large and believed to be outside Turkey.
In an indictment made public on May 31, Turkish prosecutors stated that Osama bin Laden suggested the targets that were attacked, and his al-Qaeda network later provided $150,000 to the Islamic militants who carried out the bombings.
The EU urged Turkey to close its state security courts, which have, until now, handled political and terrorism prosecutions, maintaining that they were a legacy of the country's 1980 military coup.

June 4, 2004
Kurdish Separatists Announce End of Ceasefire
Washington, D.C. - The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which now goes by the name of KONGRA-GEL, warned tourists and foreign investors to stay away from Turkey, as it announced that it was ending its five-year unilateral ceasefire on June 1. The ceasefire was implemented in September 1999, about six months after the arrest of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in February 1999.
The warning was issued one month before Turkey is to host President Bush and other leaders at the June 28-29 NATO summit in Istanbul. The group also cautioned that it would "not be responsible for the damage" if individuals chose to "invest in a conflict zone," where it would "engage in various types of activities targeting Turkish forces."
KONGRA-GEL attributed its decision to end the ceasefire to operations by Turkish security forces against its fighters over the past three months. A representative of the Turkish Human Rights Association in Diyarbakir in the predominantly Kurdish southeast stated that a total of 26 people, including both Kurdish rebels and members of the Turkish security forces, had been killed in April and May, an increase in the low-level clashes between the two that have continued sporadically throughout the ceasefire.
Reacting to the group's announcement, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan said, "What we expect of the terrorists is that they hand in themselves and their arms to security forces and be tried in court."
The day after the intention to end the ceasefire was announced, Kurdish militants opened fire on Turkish troops in the southeastern province of Tunceli, wounding a soldier near the town of Ovacik.
According to the Turkish Daily News, Turkish intelligence sources estimate that about 4,500 Kurdish rebels are camped in northern Iraq, while a few hundred operate in southeastern Turkey.
On June 1, Turkish police said they had detained 10 suspected Kurdish rebels who were preparing to carry out bomb attacks in Istanbul and in the southern city of Adana.
Some 30,000 security personnel will be deployed during the NATO summit, which will bring 3,000 delegates and 3,500 journalists to Istanbul. Security plans will include the enforcement of a no-fly zone over the city by the alliance's AWACs early warning aircraft and strict control of the shipping traffic through the Bosporus.

May 28, 2004
Kurdish Broadcasts to Begin as Part of Drive Toward EU Accession Talks
Washington, D.C. - Turkey's Reform Watch Group, responsible for making certain that Ankara legislates the remaining reforms and implements existing laws to qualify for starting EU accession talks early next year, announced that television and radio broadcasts in languages other than Turkish, including Kurdish, would begin as soon as possible.
The state broadcasting organization, TRT, said it would establish the infrastructure needed to broadcast in these languages, though "it was not possible to give an exact date when TRT will start the broadcasts." Launching the broadcasts would implement an amendment to the constitution that was passed in 2002.
Turkey would like to make as much progress as possible toward achieving its reform agenda by October, when the European Commission will release a report assessing the government's efforts to meet the criteria for accession talks. The report will be the basis for the EU's decision at its December summit in The Netherlands on whether Turkey is ready for talks.
The Watch Group, comprised of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, and Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu, also agreed that more places of worship would be opened for non-Muslims, particularly in areas frequented by tourists, such as those along the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts. The state will not build these institutions, but it will make it easier for private entities to do so on their own initiative, the government said. The EU expects Turkey to pass laws guaranteeing non-Muslim religious groups the right to own property, on which these new institutions will be built.
The Group also pledged to promote an accelerated schedule for drafting a new penal code and a press code that will conform to a package of constitutional amendments passed by the parliament in mid-May. Other reforms include establishing new specialized courts in line with EU norms to replace the state security courts, abolished as part of this package. Gul has noted that the abolition of these courts, which rejected releasing four former Kurdish lawmakers, including Leyla Zana, during a retrial, would pave the way for their release, a move sought by the EU. The foreign minister stated that Turkey did "not want to leave any excuse to the EU" that could prompt it to postpone the opening of accession talks beyond early 2005.
European Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten, referring to the EU's task of deciding at its December summit whether to begin accession talks with Turkey, said, "We cannot help but be conscious of the symbolism, at this time, of reaching out a hand to a country whose population is overwhelmingly Muslim."
Patten added, "We need to open the debate, recognizing that the beginning of negotiations with Turkey would lead to a very different Turkey and very different relations between Europe and the Islamic world." He asserted that it was not only dangerous, but also a mistake to claim that Europe "is defined with terms based on religion."
During a May 25 visit to Turkey, Dutch Economic Affairs Minister Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, whose country will hold the rotating EU presidency when the decision on accession talks is made, praised the significant progress the Turkish government has made in implementing important reforms. He and Gul signed an agreement on bilateral economic cooperation aimed at boosting Turkey's market economy and sustainable development.

May 28, 2004
Press Freedom Watchdog Protests Ankara's Actions Against Journalists
Washington, D.C. - On May 25, Reporters Without Borders, an international organization that monitors press freedom, protested a case brought by the Turkish judiciary against a Turkish journalist that resulted in a jail sentence and one against a Turkish newspaper that involved a large fine.
Journalist Hakan Albayrak was given a 15-month sentence on May 20 under a 1951 law on crimes against Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish republic, for "insulting the memory of Ataturk." On the same date, the daily Vakit was ordered to pay $605,000 in damages to 312 generals in the Turkish Army for publishing an article in which the author accused top-ranking officers of incompetence, without naming any of them.
In its 2004 annual report, Reporters Without Borders said that legislative reforms adopted by Turkey in preparation for EU accession talks have not, in practice, included any significant improvements in press freedom. "Journalists daring to criticize government institutions or to broach taboo subjects, like the role of the army in the country's political life, are censored, abusively taken to court, and subjected to heavy penalties," the organization said, noting that four journalists "are currently in jail [in Turkey] for doing their jobs."
Article 159 of the Turkish penal code states that those who "insult state institutions," through a speech, article, publication, song, or other means should face prison terms of up to three years. Reporters Without Borders maintains that press offenses should not be punishable with prison terms according to the recommendations of the United States and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

May 28, 2004
Sezer Vetoes Bill Broadening University Options for Religious School Graduates
Washington, D.C. - Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer vetoed an education bill that would make it easier for graduates of religious vocational schools, known as "imam-hatip" schools, to obtain university degrees in subjects other than divinity studies, opening the way for them to hold government jobs.
In a statement explaining his rejection of the bill, which was opposed by the military, Sezer said the "real aim" of the legislation was to encourage youths to attend religious schools. "Allowing graduates of religious schools to benefit from the same university education rights as graduates of general high schools does not comply with . . . the principles of secularism," Sezer stated.
The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who attended an imam-hatip school, responsible for training Islamic clergy, backed the law in parliament, arguing that graduates of such schools should be given an equal opportunity to continue their educations in whatever field they choose.
If the parliament passes the bill a second time without any changes, the president will have to sign it into law, but he will have the right to ask the constitutional court to declare it unlawful.
The military stated that the bill could "harm the principles . . . of secular education." It fears that the legislation could lead to a gradual Islamist infiltration into the government.

May 28, 2004
Ankara Considers Command of Afghanistan Force
Washington, D.C. - Turkey is considering assuming the six-month rotating command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in February 2005, a move that would result in an increase in the number of soldiers it currently deploys in the force from 150 to 1,500. Turkey held the command of ISAF from June 2002 to February 2003, when it deployed 1,300 troops in the country.
The 6,500-member force from about 30 countries will remain under Canadian command until August, when Eurocorps, led by France and comprised of troops from Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Spain, will assume command.
ISAF, created in December 2001 following authorization by the U.N. Security Council, was placed under the command of NATO in August 2003. It is NATO's first deployment outside Europe or North America.

May 28, 2004
World Bank Loan in Support of Financial Reforms
Washington, D.C. - Turkey has signed a $1 billion loan package with the World Bank that will be used to sustain fiscal discipline and more efficient government spending, while also establishing transparency and accountability in public administration, to help prepare the country for EU membership. The loan is back up to an IMF-sponsored $19 billion economic reform program, in place since 2001.
Half of the World Bank loan is expected to be released in June, while the other half will be available in the fall if Ankara achieves the required reforms. These include presenting a clear plan for privatizing two state banks, Ziraat and Halk, as well as legislating banking and agricultural support laws; strengthening the regulatory framework for banking; and consolidating the current stability of the banking system to position it for the country’s accession to the European Union.
The Bank said its support for Ankara "represents the World Bank's confidence in Turkey, the government's reform program, and the prospects for growth and stability" in the country. The loan is part of a $4.5 billion Country Assistance Strategy that the Bank allocated for Turkey in 2003 to support reform programs between 2004 and 2006.

May 21, 2004
Turkey, Greece Announce Major Cutbacks in Defense Expenditures
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and Greek Defense Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos, following talks on the sidelines of a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels, announced that their governments would reduce their defense expenditures and redirect the funds toward the education, health, and social welfare sectors of their respective countries.
Both Greece and Turkey have had high military expenditures over the past few decades in comparison with other NATO countries. Greece's defense budget currently stands at about 4 percent of GDP, down from 5 percent in 2000, while Turkey spends 5 percent of its GDP on defense. The average defense outlay of NATO countries in Europe is about 2 percent of GDP, while the U.S. defense budget is currently 3.5 percent, up from 2.9 percent in 2000.
Gonul said Turkey had canceled three long-running military tenders worth about $10 billion. Spiliotopoulos stated that the target of Greece's review of its armaments procurement program, which would be completed in July, would be to decrease military spending by 25 percent over the next five years, including the cancellation of two tenders.
The Turkish government is calling off tenders for 145 attack helicopters, 250 main battle tanks, and unmanned aerial vehicles, while Greece is reportedly scrapping plans to buy a corvette (convoy escort and patrol warship) and 300 armored vehicles worth a total of $2.4 billion.
Turkey was considering a purchase of King Cobra variants of the AH-1Z attack helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter Textron in Fort Worth, Texas, priced at a total of $2 billion, as well as upgraded Kamov helicopters, which Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) had teamed up with Russian aircraft maker Kamov to produce.
Turkey had also engaged in preliminary talks for a $4-5 billion tank purchase with General Dynamics Land Systems of Sterling Heights, Michigan, which produces the M1A2 tanks, as well as with French, German, and Ukrainian companies. Israel's Merkava Mark III tanks were also being considered.
General Atomics of San Diego and Israel's Elbit Systems had been competing for a $1 billion contract to provide Turkey with unmanned aircraft.
Both Turkey and Greece said they would seek to enter into future defense contracts that provided as much work as possible for their domestic defense industries.
Military analysts said the decisions of Greece and Turkey concerning their military procurement likely stemmed from the changing nature of warfare in the post-September 11 environment. Smaller, more deployable forces, rather than large stationery forces, are needed to address global terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and the threat to regional security posed by groups that engage in illegal activities, such as smuggling and trafficking in humans and drugs, and siphon the money earned into terrorist organizations.

May 21, 2004
EU Urges Turkey to Implement Reforms, Pass Further Reform Legislation
Washington, D.C. - At a meeting of the Turkey-EU Partnership Council in Brussels, the European Union presented a report that praised the democratic reforms the Turkish parliament has passed in recent months but emphasized that further action must be taken to bring political and human rights laws in line with EU norms and to ensure that all reforms legislated up until now have been implemented.
Signaling some of the points that will be considered when the European Commission draws up its October report on Turkey's progress toward meeting the requirements for opening EU accession talks in early 2005, the document stated that a number of Turkey's laws "could be interpreted so as to unduly restrict the exercise of fundamental freedoms."
While the report described the May 7 parliamentary ratification of a package of constitutional amendments as "another significant step forward," it called on Ankara to effectively implement these and other reforms. The EU stated that Turkey had long had difficulty imposing new legislation throughout the entire country, "with its sprawling geographical size and weak administration."
The document voiced concern regarding the role of the Turkish military in the country's political affairs, asserting that the Turkish parliament must exercise full control over defense expenditures. It also said the legislation permitting instruction and broadcasting in the Kurdish language had not been fully implemented since only three schools had begun Kurdish language courses and there was still no broadcasting taking place in languages other than Turkish. In addition, the EU stated that non-Muslim religious institutions continued to have problems concerning property rights.
While welcoming the total abolition of the death penalty in the constitution, the report said claims of torture and ill treatment had continued. It also expressed disappointment over the April 21 verdict by a state security court, which upheld a 1994 court decision, ordering four former Kurdish parliamentarians to serve out the remainder of their 15-year sentences for membership in the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The lawmakers included Leyla Zana, the recipient of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for defending human rights. The report urged the government to establish an anti-corruption unit within the Prime Ministry to ensure effective implementation of measures to eliminate corruption. The EU also stated that it expected the revision of Turkey's penal code to protect the rights of women regarding honor killings.
The EU gave Turkey high marks for progress made in reforming its economy, noting that productivity-led output growth, with an increase of 7.8 percent in 2002 and 5.8 percent in 2003, had remained significantly stronger than expected, while inflation had continued to decline.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who attended the Turkey-EU Partnership Council meeting, stated that the Turkish government would closely monitor and intensify the process of implementing the reform legislation. With respect to the case of Leyla Zana and the other former lawmakers, he said the government did not "have the authority to exert pressure on the judiciary."
The 25 EU member states also said the bloc was determined to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community and facilitate the reunification of Cyprus by encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriots.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen, who met with Gul in Brussels, stated that the EU would propose measures in June to facilitate trade between northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus, while also allowing "direct trade from the northern part of Cyprus to the EU."

May 21, 2004
Blair Supports Ankara's EU Membership Bid, Lifting Restrictions on Northern Cyprus
Washington, D.C. - British Prime Minister Tony Blair, on the first official visit by a British head of government to Ankara since 1990, told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Britain "wants to see Turkey in the European Union" and "supports its membership," making it clear that he favored granting Ankara a date for the opening of accession talks at the EU's December summit.
During his May 17 visit, Blair noted that the Turkish government had made "tremendous progress" over the previous few months in meeting EU membership requirements. If Ankara complies with the economic, social, and judicial Copenhagen criteria for membership, Blair stated, "there can be no other obstacles" to Turkey's entry into the bloc. The difference of religion and culture in Turkey is not a problem, Blair said, maintaining that "we now have an entirely different Turkey."
Blair views Turkey as an important strategic partner, given its geographic location, and believes Turkish membership in the EU would contribute to the bloc's security as a bridge enabling the EU to reach out to the Islamic world.
In discussions with Erdogan and Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer that also included Iraq and Afghanistan, the Middle East peace process, the June 28-29 NATO summit in Istanbul, cooperation against terrorism, and Cyprus, Blair stated that "we must now act to end the isolation" of Turkish Cypriots and pledged to work toward the lifting of trade and air travel restrictions on northern Cyprus "as soon as possible," while ensuring that EU funds are disbursed to Turkish Cypriots. Erdogan urged Britain to also invest in the tourism sector in northern Cyprus.
In a meeting that is expected to become an annual event, Erdogan and Blair agreed to expand British-Turkish efforts to bolster Turkey's EU membership preparations through periodic meetings between their foreign ministers and between technical delegations from the two countries. They also pledged to strengthen bilateral economic and cultural ties, and to cooperate to further stability in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, they signed a memorandum of understanding on enhanced counter-terrorism cooperation. Erdogan referred to the meeting as a "turning point" in Ankara's relations with Britain.
Hours before Blair arrived in Turkey for his one-day visit, four small bombs exploded outside branches of the London-based HSBC bank in Ankara and Istanbul, causing minor damage and no injuries. No one claimed responsibility for the explosions. The main branch of the HSBC bank in Istanbul was the target of suicide bomb attacks in November 2003 that also hit the British Consulate and two synagogues, killing over 60 people. Extremist militants with links to al-Qaeda were blamed for the November attacks.
Erdogan is expected to visit London in late May, while Blair will return to Turkey for the NATO summit.

May 14, 2004
Constitutional Amendments Passed to Qualify for EU Accession Talks
Washington, D.C. - Mindful of the upcoming October report by the European Commission on Ankara's readiness to begin accession talks in early 2005, the Turkish parliament passed legislation imposing further constitutional reform, including the end of the death penalty under all circumstances, the abolition of state security courts, and the removal of military representatives from the government boards that supervise the electronic media and the higher education system.
Other amendments included those rendering domestic laws subordinate to international agreements in contentious cases, giving parliament full control over the military budget, and ensuring that the equality of men and women is applied in practice. The article that allowed state seizure of media firms if they participated in illegal publications was also removed.
Amendments were made to 10 articles of the constitution, which was prepared by the military government after the 1980 coup and went into force in 1982. This is the eighth time the constitution has been amended since 1982.
When the death penalty in peacetime was abolished in Turkey in August 2002, the constitution was amended to state that "capital punishment cannot be used unless the country faces war or near-war conditions or for terrorism crimes." The new reform package removes this sentence and adds the statement that "no one can be sentenced to the death penalty." It also annuls parliament's authority to approve the use of the death penalty.
The state security courts, located in eight Turkish cities, were established in 1982 under the military government "to deal with security offenses against the indivisible integrity of the State . . ." and are seen as a creation of the military. These courts have one military judge and two civilian judges, while the prosecutor can be an army officer. In a 1998 decision, the European Court of Human Rights concluded that the presence of a military judge in these courts was a violation of the principle of the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, safeguarded in the European Convention on Human Rights.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said the new constitutional reforms were indicative of Turkey's "strong commitment" to meeting democratic standards and constituted another step toward compliance with EU membership criteria. Noting that Ankara had displayed "very impressive dynamism in modernization, democratization, and liberalization," Verheugen said he did not agree with those favoring a delay in starting accession talks with Turkey. "If you take away the European perspective from Turkey, you stop effectively the process of democratization in the country," the commissioner said. "In the long run, you will be responsible for the loss of stability and predictability of that strategically important country." The commissioner said, "Relations between Western democracies and the Islamic world . . . will be the most important question of the 21st century. Turkey can make a difference."
French President Jacques Chirac stated on May 9 that Ankara's accession to the EU would take place and "it is desirable for that to happen," noting that the integration of Turkey into European norms would be long and difficult. However, the electoral platform of France's ruling center-right UMP party states that "Turkey has no business in the European Union," which is consistent with UMP leader Alain Juppe's statement in April that "the UMP does not want to see [EU accession] discussions with Turkey at the end of the year." France is considered by many to be the country most likely to create obstacles for Turkey's EU accession, with 70 percent of the French public opposed to its membership in the bloc.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who supports Turkey's EU accession, stated that, as an EU member, Turkey would be a bridge between Europe and the Muslim world, though its bid for membership would present a "great challenge." Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero stated that the EU would assign Turkey a date for accession talks if the European Commission's October progress report on Ankara's reform process is positive.
Warning of a possible halt to Turkey's ongoing Europeanization, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that "it will not be difficult for Turkey to channel its huge potential in another direction," if the EU fails to grant Ankara a date at its December summit in the Netherlands.
Following the April 24 referenda in Cyprus and the failure to unify the country prior to its May 1 accession to the EU, European Commission President Romano Prodi said the results of the referenda would "not directly affect Turkey's interests" with respect to being assigned a date for talks, since the EU's focus in this process would be on whether Turkey has passed and implemented legislation fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria.
The Turkish parliament also passed a separate higher education bill making it easier for graduates of religious high schools, considered vocational schools for the training of clerics, to study at universities other than theological institutions of higher learning, raising the possibility of tension between the government and the military. Prior to the passage of the bill, military officials stated that such a measure could "harm the principles . . . of secular education." The military fears that the measure could open the way for a gradual Islamist infiltration into government jobs. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer must sign the bill for it to become law.

May 10, 2004
Bomb Plot to Assassinate Bush at Istanbul NATO Summit Foiled
Washington, D.C. - Turkish police said an alleged plot to bomb the NATO summit in Istanbul on June 28-29 had been warded off with the arrest of nine Turkish nationals believed to be members of Ansar al-Islam, a banned militant Islamist group that Washington says is linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network of Osama bin Laden. The U.S. has accused the group of being behind attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq.
The daily Hurriyet newspaper and other papers in Turkey said authorities suspected that three of the group's members were planning to carry out suicide attacks against President Bush at the summit, which will be attended by the heads of state and government of the 26 NATO members and other leaders. The papers also said several of the suspects had undergone training in Pakistan to prepare them for carrying out a suicide mission.
A state security court in the northwestern Turkish city of Bursa charged the men with membership in an illegal organization, following searches of the suspects' homes and workplaces in which guns, explosives, chemicals, books on bomb-making, forged identity documents, and 4,000 compact discs featuring training instructions from bin Laden were seized. Plans for an attack against a synagogue and a bank robbery in Bursa were also found.
A Turkish prosecutor also issued indictments against 12 suspects linked to al-Qaeda in connection with a March suicide bomb attack on a Masonic lodge in Istanbul that killed one of the two bombers and one other person.
Turkish authorities have been in a heightened state of security since four truck bombings blamed on a Turkish al-Qaeda cell killed 62 people in Istanbul in November. The trial of 69 suspects charged in connection with those bombings against two synagogues, the British Consulate, and a British bank is expected to begin later this month.
More than 30,000 police and other security forces are expected to be on duty for the NATO summit.

April 30, 2004
Germany Expresses Support for Ankara's EU Bid
Washington, D.C. - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, during an April 26-27 visit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Germany, reaffirmed Germany's support for granting Ankara a date to begin EU accession talks at the end of the year, if the European Commission's report on Turkey's preparedness is positive.
"It seems to me that little indicates that the criteria [for accession talks] will not be fulfilled on paper and, above all, in practice by the end of the year in such a way that a positive decision is possible," Schroeder stated. He said Erdogan could "rely on Germany's readiness to keep its word," noting that, "if Turkey harmonizes moderate Islam and Western democracy, it will increase Europe's security."
During talks with Schroeder, which also included the Cyprus issue and bilateral trade and economic cooperation, Erdogan emphasized Turkey's strong economic growth and stated that Turks were committed to "living in a democratic country in which human rights are respected." Turkey, he said, will "provide a new stimulus for economic dynamism."
Schroeder urged Germany's main opposition Christian Democratic Union not to oppose Turkey's EU membership. The party argues that Turkey's accession would overstretch the EU culturally and financially.
The chancellor praised Turkey's leaders for their support of the Annan plan for the reunification of Cyprus, which was rejected by the Greek Cypriots and approved by the Turkish Cypriots in the April 24 referenda. He said that "we must compliment Turkish politicians" for their position, while expressing regret that the effort to unify Cyprus through the plan failed. "If anyone tried to bring about a sensible decision," it was Turkey, he stated, adding that the Turkish Cypriots should not be punished because of the Greek Cypriots' action.
Schroeder and Erdogan inaugurated the Turkish-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, established jointly in Cologne by the Union of Turkish Chambers and Commodity Exchanges and the Union of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The event was also attended by Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen and Turkish Industry and Trade Minister Ali Coskun, as well as a delegation of Turkish and German businessmen.
Speaking at the inauguration, Erdogan said that integrating a country with an overwhelmingly Muslim population into Europe would "strengthen the atmosphere of dialogue and cooperation between Muslim and Christian worlds." He invited German businessmen to invest more heavily in Turkey. Schroeder said Turkish companies in Germany employed about 350,000 people.

April 23, 2004
EU Denounces Turkish Court Conviction of Kurdish Lawmakers
Washington, D.C. - AA spokesman for European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said the Commission "strongly deplores" the April 21 re-conviction of four former Kurdish parliamentarians for membership in the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) by a state security court in Ankara.
Jean-Christophe Filori added that the verdict "gives rise to serious concern in light of the [EU's] political criteria and casts a negative shadow on the implementation of political reforms in Turkey."
Leyla Zana, the 1995 recipient of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for defending human rights; Hatip Dicle; Orhan Dogan; and Selim Sadak were convicted of membership in an armed rebel group and sentenced to 15 years in jail, the same verdict and sentence they received in the 1994 trial that the European Court of Human Rights said was unfair in a ruling three years ago. The Court ordered that the four defendants be tried again, and Ankara permitted the re-trial to begin in March 2003 as part of human rights reforms it has undertaken to prepare for EU accession talks.
The defendants, jailed since 1994, will serve out their sentences, despite calls by the EU and human rights groups for their release. They will be eligible for release in 2005 since they have already served 10 years of their sentences. The defendants have said they will appeal their cases to the European Court of Human Rights a second time.
The European Parliament, in a resolution, called on the Turkish government to release Leyla Zana, stating that "this case is symbolic of the gap which exists between the Turkish judicial system and that of the European Union." The resolution stated that the decision to keep her in prison "stands in clear contradiction to the judicial reform process started by the Turkish government." The Parliament has supported Zana's efforts to increase rights for Turkey's Kurdish minority of 12 million.
The European Parliament also called for the "immediate abolition" of Turkey's state security court system and urged Ankara to "grant amnesty to all those imprisoned for their political views." Turkey's state security courts, dealing with political and security-related offenses are viewed as a legacy of the military rule that followed the country's 1980 military coup. The Turkish government is expected to propose draft legislation in late April to abolish these courts.
The European Commission will publish a report on Turkey in October that will serve as the basis for a decision by EU leaders at their summit in December on whether Ankara is prepared to begin accession negotiations with the bloc.
Filori stated that the EU regarded the four defendants as "political prisoners" since they had been imprisoned and sentenced "for having expressed opinions in a non-violent way." He said no country with political prisoners could begin accession talks with the EU.

April 23, 2004
IMF Loan Installment Approved Amid Praise for Economic Progress
Washington, D.C. - AExpressing strong support for the economic reforms Turkey has implemented, the IMF approved a new $495 million installment of an $18.6 billion loan granted under an economic support program that began in February 2002. With this seventh installment, Turkey has drawn $16.2 billion of the loan.
IMF Acting Managing Director Anne Krueger stated that Turkey's economic program had "continued to deliver impressive results." She said economic growth had exceeded program targets for the second year in a row, interest rates had fallen sharply, inflation had declined to the lowest rate in a generation, and confidence in the Turkish lira had been restored.
The inflation target the government has set for 2004 is 12 percent. The IMF predicted that inflation would be 10.6 percent in 2005.
The IMF agreed to extend its support program through February 2005, while granting Ankara's request for waivers concerning budget targets, growth of the country's money supply, and the number of jobs to be eliminated at state-owned companies.
The Turkish government promised the international lending institution that it would impose further reforms in the banking sector to bring the relevant legislation in line with EU standards, a key demand of the IMF assistance program. A weak banking system was the primary cause of a financial crisis in 2001 that led to Turkey's worst recession since World War II and precipitated the IMF loan bailout.
The Turkish-Russian venture buying a majority stake in Turkey's state oil refiner, Tupras, will complete the $1.3 billion deal in late May. The privatization of Tupras, which controls 87 percent of Turkey's refining capacity, is central to the country's privatization program under the IMF loan accord.

April 9, 2004
Slow Implementation of EU Criteria Impedes Accession
Washington, D.C. - As Ankara continued to strive toward meeting EU requirements for opening accession talks by the beginning of 2005, the European Parliament adopted a report on April 1 asserting that Turkey had not yet met the criteria for negotiations since it had not established "a clear framework for guaranteeing political, civil, economic, social, and cultural rights."
The report said further reforms must be undertaken and rigorously implemented in many areas, noting that "more far-reaching efforts than reparation and amendments are needed to enhance the coherence between legal provisions and practice, which will underline the radical and fundamental character of Turkey's progress toward membership."
The parliament also criticized "the continuing influence of the army in politics, business, culture, and education; continuing torture practices and mistreatment; the intimidation of human rights defenders; the discrimination of religious minorities; and the fact that trade union freedom is not fully guaranteed."
The parliament said resolution of the Cyprus question, based on the U.N. plan, was "of essential importance to relations between the EU and Turkey and to Turkey's membership aspirations." It called on Turkish officials "to maintain their constructive attitude to achieve a solution" in Cyprus and urged them to withdraw Turkish troops from the country. In an apparent reference to the necessity for Turkey to resolve its Aegean disputes with Greece, the parliament also said Ankara must satisfy EU principles concerning the elimination of border problems and the establishment of good relations with neighboring states.
The report asked Ankara to implement without delay the outstanding decisions of the European Court of Human Rights regarding Turkey. Though it welcomed Ankara's December 2003 payment of $1.34 million to Titina Loizidou, a Greek Cypriot, for being denied the use of her property in northern Cyprus since 1974, the report urged Ankara to implement the 1996 judgment by the Court requiring Turkey to restore the "right of peaceful enjoyment of property to Mrs. Loizidou and all other displaced persons [in Cyprus] within the framework of a viable solution."
On April 7, Michel Barnier, named France's foreign minister the week before, told the French National Assembly that he would oppose Turkey's entry into the European Union "under current circumstances," asserting that Ankara has not met the conditions necessary for becoming a member of the bloc, such as ensuring the independence of its judiciary and implementing human rights reforms.
Alain Juppe, the leader of French President Jacques Chirac's ruling, center-right Union for a Popular Movement, stated that countries on the periphery of the EU, such as Turkey, "have no business joining [the bloc], otherwise it will be diluted." Juppe said the party sought "a privileged partnership" between the EU and Turkey similar to one that would be extended to the countries of north Africa and the southern states of the former Soviet Union.

April 9, 2004
First Kurdish Courses Begin in Turkey
Washington, D.C. - The first legal Kurdish language courses have begun at a private school in the city of Batman in the predominantly Kurdish southeastern region of Turkey, as part of reforms implemented to meet criteria for opening accession talks with the EU. Two other private schools in the southeast have also received permission from the government to begin offering Kurdish courses.
In 2002, the Turkish parliament passed legislation allowing private institutions, not public schools, to teach the language of the 12 million ethnic Kurds in the country, but actual instruction in Kurdish has been delayed until now.
In November 2003, the agency regulating Turkish media said it would permit limited television and radio broadcasts in the Kurdish language only on national stations, reversing an 80-year total ban on programs in Kurdish. However, no such broadcasts have begun. Regulations approved in January 2004 stipulated that Kurdish television programs would be restricted to two hours a day and would be required to have Turkish sub-titles. No children’s programming will be allowed.
The Turkish government has banned broadcasting in Kurdish and in other minority languages since the formation of the Turkish republic in 1923, fearing that such programs might promote separatism. Kurdish was also banned as a spoken language in Turkey in 1983, but it was legalized in unofficial settings in 1991.

April 2, 2004
Ruling Party Sweeps Local Elections
Washington, D.C. - The ruling, conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan consolidated its strong mandate to govern, exemplified by its two-thirds majority in parliament, by winning about 45 percent of the votes in the March 28 local elections.
The social democratic Republican People's Party (CHP), the only opposition party in parliament, won 15 percent, while the right-wing Nationalist Action Party (MHP) and True Path Party (DYP) each won 10 percent.
The outcome of the elections was viewed as an endorsement of the AKP's focus on improving the economy, legislating sweeping reforms in pursuit of EU membership, and committing itself to resolution of the Cyprus issue, a radical departure from the Cyprus policy of previous Turkish governments. The CHP has criticized the speed with which the AKP has moved toward resolution of the Cyprus issue and its commitment to Turkey's EU accession.
Under the AKP government, which assumed power with 34.4 percent of the votes in the November 2002 parliamentary elections, only 15 months after the party was formed, Turkey has experienced a period of political and economic stability, following a series of fractured coalition governments, corruption scandals, and economic depressions that characterized the 1990s.
The AKP won the mayoral races in the capitals of 57 of the country's 81 provinces, including Istanbul and Ankara. It was victorious in Antalya, Gaziantep, Hatay, and Kocaeli, long-time strongholds of the CHP, which won the mayoral races in only 9 provincial capitals.
The party made significant inroads into the predominantly Kurdish southeast, which the pro-Kurdish Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) swept in 1999. Although DEHAP joined an alliance of several non-Kurdish left-wing parties under the umbrella of the Social Democrat People's Party (SHP) to widen its electoral base, its candidates lost mayoral seats to the AKP in five Kurdish cities. The AKP's reforms to meet EU membership criteria have included lifting a ban on Kurdish language broadcasts and education.
In the elections, the mayors of 3,184 towns and cities, as well as candidates for over 90,000 local assembly seats, were elected in the country's 81 provinces for five-year terms.

March 12, 2004
EU Delegation Optimistic About Accession Talks Date
Washington, D.C. - An "EU Troika" delegation visiting Ankara, comprised of the foreign ministers of the current and subsequent EU presidencies, European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen, and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, assured the Turkish government that the bloc would agree at its December summit to open accession talks with Ankara without delay, provided that the country has fulfilled the required membership criteria. The delegation met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to discuss Turkey's accession preparations and the Cyprus settlement negotiations.
Brian Cowen, the head of the delegation as the foreign minister of Ireland, which currently holds the EU presidency, stated that Turkey had "made great progress in legislating for reform," but he emphasized that "implementation [of the reforms] would be a key element in the EU's decision" concerning the talks. In addition, he said that "the clear preference of the EU is for the accession of a united Cyprus" to the EU on May 1. The delegation called on the parties involved in the Cyprus problem to "redouble their efforts" to achieve a settlement.
Cowen joined Bernard Bot, the foreign minister of the Netherlands, which takes over the EU presidency in July, Verheugen, and Solana in urging Ankara to impose more stringent measures to prevent honor killings, involving the murder of women by male members of their families for acts such as infidelity or childbirth out of wedlock. The Turkish parliament is currently discussing proposed legislative changes that include abolishing reductions in sentences for those who commit such killings.
The delegation cited other deficiencies in the reform process, such as court cases against human rights organizations for "insulting the Turkish Armed Forces," the continued imprisonment of four former parliamentarians from the banned pro-Kurdish Democracy Party, and obstacles that were hindering broadcasts in languages other than Turkish, particularly Kurdish. The first Kurdish-language school in Turkey was scheduled to open in mid-March in the southeastern province of Batman.
Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said the government was planning to submit a set of constitutional amendments to parliament that would be "an expression of our determination" to continue the reform process in the months leading up to the December EU summit. The amendments will deal with issues such as abolishing state security courts, which handle crimes against the state, and replacing them with courts responsible for hearing terrorist-related charges; and giving precedence to international treaties over Turkish law.
Parliament has enacted a law that restores the rights of the so-called "1978 generation," thousands of people who were arrested, tried at military courts, detained for years, and tortured following the September 1980 military coup in Turkey up until the end of 1987. These rights include being eligible to run for political office and being able to work as civil servants.

March 5, 2004
Council of Europe to Remove Turkey from List of Monitored Democracies
Washington, D.C. - Citing "remarkable progress" in Turkey's constitutional and legislative reform process over the last several years, a special committee of the Council of Europe recommended that the Council drop Turkey from a list of countries it has been monitoring for democratic shortcomings. Approval of the recommendation by the assembly of the Council of Europe, the Strasbourg-based human rights watchdog, is viewed as a formality.
The committee adopted a report that said Ankara had shown its "determination and capacity" to fulfill its statutory obligations as a Council member, noting that the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had "made good use of its absolute majority in parliament and the consistent support of the only opposition party . . . to accelerate and intensify reforms." Ankara had, it said, "in hardly more than two years realized more reforms than in the 10 preceding years," noting, for example, that the role of the National Security Council had been reduced to that of "a purely consultative organ on defense and national security."
In addition, the report referred to a real desire by both the authorities and the Turkish people to move the country in the direction of "democracy, human rights, and more recognition of individualism."
The report mentioned lapses that Turkey needed to address, such as the dissolution of political parties and the 10 percent minimum vote required for party representation in parliament, considered too high. It also called for changes in laws concerning state security courts, the creation of a citizen's ombudsman, reform of legislation on crimes of honor, and a review of laws dealing with political parties, trade unions, and the media to upgrade them to EU standards.
The president of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, in Ankara as the guest of Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, noted the "impressive progress" Turkey had made in its reform process. Cox, the first president of the Parliament to visit Turkey while in office, urged the government to ensure that the reforms passed were implemented and to focus on promoting changes in "mentalities" within the country, reflected in "islands of resistance" to movement toward Europe.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, following talks in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, said he believed the European Union would agree at its summit in December 2004 to open accession talks with Turkey, if the Turkish government continued its present pace of reforms. He praised Ankara for the "huge amount of progress" it has made in improving its record on democracy and human rights, adding that it was "in the European Union's interest for Turkey to be inside the EU."

March 5, 2004
Water Agreement with Israel Signed
Washington, D.C. - After five years of negotiations, Turkey and Israel have signed an agreement providing for Israel's purchase of 50 million cubic meters of Turkish water annually over a period of 20 years, a move described by Avigdor Yitzhaki, the director general of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office, as a “strategic and political issue.”
Although the Israeli Finance Ministry has long contended that the Israeli government can find cheaper sources of water, Sharon has promoted the agreement, asserting that Israel has “a clear interest in maintaining its strategic relations with Turkey.” Turkey has linked defense contract deals, such as the purchase of Israeli tanks and air force technology, to passage of the water accord.
Turkey's Manavgat River will be the source of the water, which will be transported to facilities near the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod in converted oil tankers. An eight-mile pipeline will be constructed to transfer the water from the coast into the national water network.
Importation of the water, expected to begin in 2007 or 2008, will enable Israel to supply water to Jordan, as it has pledged to do under its peace treaty with its eastern neighbor.

February 27, 2004
German Government Expresses Support for Ankara's EU Bid
Washington, D.C. - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, during a visit to Turkey for talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials, stated that Ankara was on the right path, through the implementation of reforms to meet EU standards, to receive a favorable October report from the European Commission concerning its readiness to begin accession talks. "There are good chances to see that at the end of the year," said Schroeder, the first German chancellor to visit Turkey in 11 years.
Based upon the October report, EU leaders will decide at their December 2004 summit whether Turkey is prepared to begin the talks following the summit.
The chancellor said Ankara could count on Germany's support, noting that it would vote at the summit "for the start of accession negotiations in a shortest time if Turkey has fulfilled all the criteria." He also stated that granting Turkey a date for negotiations would boost the country's resolve to complete further reforms.
Schroeder praised Turkey's role in promoting the resumption of Cyprus settlement negotiations, adding that its effort would have a positive influence on the EU decision in December. He noted that Turkey's "Islamic values," coupled with the "values of the European Union" would contribute to democracy in Turkey and to stability in the region.
A recent poll in Germany indicated that 54 percent of Germans favored Turkey's accession to the EU in the medium to long term. Thirty-seven percent said they opposed admitting Turkey. Germany is home to 2.5 million ethnic Turks, Europe's largest Turkish immigrant community.
The delegation led by Schroeder included a group of parliamentarians and a top official of the German Economy and Labor Ministry, who discussed ways to increase bilateral economic cooperation with Turkish Minister of Industry and Trade Ali Coskun. Also accompanying the chancellor were 13 top managers of major German firms, such as Siemens and Deutsche Bahn, the country's rail company.
More than 1,000 Turkish-German companies are operating in Turkey, comprising 40 percent of all foreign investment in the country. At a meeting of a German-Turkish Economy Forum organized by the Turkish-German Industry Chamber, Erdogan called for greater bilateral business cooperation through joint ventures between Turkish and German enterprises in third countries. The head of the German Industry Association will visit Turkey in April to discuss expansion of bilateral business ties.
Schroeder and Erdogan inaugurated a coal-fired power plant near the town of Iskenderun near the Syrian border, which was built by a German-Turkish consortium and will provide 7 percent of Turkey's electricity needs. The German investment in the project stands at $1.9 billion, the largest investment by a German company in Turkey.
Germany is Turkey's largest trading partner in the European Union, with a bilateral trade volume of $18 billion in 2002.

February 20, 2004
German Opposition Leader Against EU Membership for Ankara
Washington, D.C. - The leader of Germany's opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Angela Merkel, during a visit to Ankara for talks with Turkish officials, said the European Union should aim for a "privileged partnership" with Turkey rather than granting it membership in the bloc.
Such a partnership, she said, would include increased cooperation in the economic, cultural, educational, research, and defense sectors. Her proposal reflected the CDU's belief that Turkey does not fit within the EU economically or culturally.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Merkel's suggestion was "incomprehensible and out of the question" for Turkey, which has been a candidate for EU membership since December 1999. The European Commission will decide in October whether to recommend that European Union leaders open accession talks with Ankara after the December 2004 EU summit.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen, congratulating Ankara for urging the Turkish Cypriots to resume settlement talks, said the EU had to indicate that it was serious about offering eventual membership to Turkey, provided that it completed the necessary reforms. He noted that Turkey already enjoyed a special status with the EU by being the only candidate country to have a full customs union with the bloc.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who will arrive in Ankara on February 22 for talks, supports Turkey's bid for EU membership. His visit will be the first by a German chancellor since Helmut Kohl's trip in 1993.

February 13, 2004
Government Holds First Meeting with Amnesty International
Washington, D.C. - For the first time, Turkish government officials met with the head of Amnesty International, signaling Ankara's commitment to improving its human rights record in a bid to begin EU accession talks next year.
Secretary General of Amnesty International Irene Khan, meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu, and other officials, called for far-reaching institutional reform in Turkey to end violations of human rights. She noted that the organization, which works to protect human rights worldwide, acknowledged the progress Turkey had made in this area and wanted to encourage the government to continue in this direction.
Khan said fundamental flaws in the Turkish criminal justice system continued to perpetuate human rights violations. A memorandum from the organization that was presented to Erdogan said the government must give priority to police and judicial reform, as well as independent scrutiny of state institutions, if the process of legal reform is to be truly effective.
In particular, the organization cited continuing allegations of torture and ill treatment by law enforcement officials in Turkey, impunity for such crimes, continuing restrictions on freedom of expression and the criminalization of the peaceful expression of dissenting opinion, and violence against women.

January 30, 2004
Prime Minister Discusses Cyprus, EU Accession, Iraq in Washington
Washington, D.C. - President George W. Bush, after January 28 talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington, stated that he welcomed the prime minister's recent efforts to work toward a solution in Cyprus on the basis of the U.N. settlement plan by May 1, when Cyprus becomes an EU member.
During the meeting, which was attended by National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin Powell, the two leaders agreed that negotiations should resume as soon as possible.
In discussions that also covered Turkey's preparations for EU accession, bilateral cooperation in the war on terrorism, the Middle East, and Iraq, Bush assured Erdogan that Washington is working to prevent a break-up of Iraq that would lead to an independent Iraqi Kurd state. "The United States' ambition is for . . . a democratic Iraq that is territorially intact," Bush said. Turkey is opposed to a call by Iraqi Kurds for a federation in Iraq divided along ethnic lines, which would accord them greater autonomy.
In a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, one of four ministers who accompanied Erdogan to Washington, Powell said the United States would "make every effort to assist" U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in the process of resolving the Cyprus problem and holding referendums on the U.N. plan by May 1.
Powell said he "would get personally involved, as necessary, to work with the secretary general and the parties" to see if a settlement can be reached. He emphasized that the U.N. blueprint, put forward by Annan, is "the operative plan and the manner in which we move forward" in Cyprus. "We stand ready to use our good offices to help all the parties" during this process, he added.
The secretary of state said it was time "for all of us to put pressure on all sides" to reach a settlement, noting that Washington was in contact with both the Greek and Turkish sides, as well as Annan, concerning the steps to be taken. "We're getting close to a solution," he said.
In his discussion with Gul on Iraq, the secretary of state told the minister that the U.S. understood the difficulties associated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). He said that Washington "would be taking appropriate action to demonstrate that we share Turkey's concerns with respect to the activities of the PKK." Ankara has urged the United States to help eliminate several thousand PKK guerrillas in camps in northern Iraq near the Turkish border.
Erdogan discussed Turkey's role in the rebuilding of Iraq with Vice President Richard Cheney. The U.S. has designated Turkey as one of the countries whose companies can serve as prime contractors in reconstruction tenders in Iraq worth $18.6 billion.
The prime minister also met with Treasury Secretary John Snow, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and IMF Director Horst Kohler. In addition, he discussed ways to boost bilateral economic cooperation with Turkish and U.S. businessmen.
Other members of the Turkish delegation included Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, Economy Minister Ali Babacan, Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan, and Commerce Minister Kursat Tuzmen.
President Bush is expected to pay an official visit to Ankara in June, when he will attend the NATO summit in Istanbul.

January 23, 2004
Erdogan in Washington for Talks on EU Membership, Cyprus, Iraq
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's January 28 meeting with President George W. Bush at the White House, expected to concentrate heavily on Turkey's EU accession aspirations, Cyprus, and Iraq, will take place at a critical point in efforts to revive negotiations between Turkish and Greek Cypriots, aimed at reaching a Cyprus settlement before May 1, when Cyprus joins the EU.
Prior to the White House meeting, Erdogan will meet with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in Davos, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, to present Turkey's suggestions on revising the U.N. plan to achieve a Cyprus settlement and request the resumption of U.N.-sponsored settlement talks. Annan will then determine whether the parties in Cyprus have demonstrated the political will to negotiate a solution, as well as a commitment to put the plan to a referendum, which are the secretary general's requirements for resuming talks. The Cyprus government has expressed a desire to restart negotiations.
The prime minister will also present Turkey's revisions of the U.N. plan to Bush, who is expected to convey to Erdogan the urgency of promoting a settlement as soon as possible and the importance of Ankara's moving forward on fulfilling EU accession criteria.
Turkey's final recommendations concerning the plan will be made during a meeting of the National Security Council in Ankara on January 23, to be followed on January 24 by Erdogan's consultations in the Turkish capital with Turkish Cypriot prime minister-designate Mehmet Ali Talat and his coalition partner Serdar Denktash. Erdogan plans to meet with Turkish Cypriot negotiator Rauf Denktash in Davos on January 25 before flying to the United States.
In his discussion with Bush on Iraq, Erdogan will voice Turkey's opposition to Iraqi Kurd demands for an ethnically based federation in Iraq that would include a self-governing Kurdish zone in the north. Ankara fears that such an arrangement would promote the formation of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq.
A White House statement said Bush's talks with the prime minister would also include counter-terrorism, trans-Atlantic relations, Afghanistan, Eurasia, the Middle East, and economics and trade.
During his January 27-30 visit to Washington, Erdogan will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, Economy Minister Ali Babacan, Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan, and Commerce Minister Kursat Tuzmen.
Among the officials Erdogan is expected to meet are Vice President Richard Cheney, Commerce Secretary Don Evans, Treasury Secretary John Snow, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, and IMF Managing Director Horst Kohler.
Erdogan's U.S. visit comes at a time when Turkey is providing the use of its Incirlik Air Base as one of the military facilities that is involved in the rotation of some 130,000 U.S. troops out of Iraq and some 110,000 American soldiers into the country. Preparations are also underway for the June NATO summit, which will be hosted by the Turkish government in Istanbul and will be a topic for discussions between the prime minister's delegation and U.S. officials.

January 23, 2004
Compensation for Victims of War Against Kurd Separatists
Washington, D.C. - Turkey is preparing the way for thousands of people in the country’s predominantly Kurdish southeast to claim compensation for damages stemming from injuries or death, as well as from the destruction of property, livestock, and crops, during fighting in the region between government troops and separatist guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The conflict began in 1984 and was largely halted in 1999 with the arrest of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
As part of the Turkish government’s efforts to improve its human rights record in order to qualify for EU membership, the Justice Ministry, on January 19, published a bill stating that compensation will be paid to those who have incurred damages “from acts of terrorist organizations,” a reference to the PKK, and “from measures taken by the state in the struggle against terror.” The bill, which gave no figure for the amount of compensation, must be approved by the Turkish parliament in order to become law.
According to Human Rights Watch, by 1994, more than 3,000 villages had been destroyed during the fighting, which resulted in the deaths of over 36,000 people. A state of emergency in the southeast, limiting freedom of expression and movement, was lifted last year as part of Turkey’s progress toward meeting EU membership criteria.

January 23, 2004
German Government Views Turkey's EU Membership as Strategic
Washington, D.C. - German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, who met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul in Ankara, stated that Turkey was Europe's strategic partner whose membership in the EU should be advanced to boost the bloc's security. He noted that Turkey is more important to European security than "a missile defense system."
Fischer emphasized that Turkey's strategic importance to Europe had become even more evident since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. "If we close the doors on Turkey, we will pay a very heavy price," he said.
The minister stated that, although Turkey had made significant progress in meeting accession criteria, work still needed to be done, particularly in improving human rights. In addition, resolution of the Cyprus problem would be a very important development in the process of bringing Turkey closer to the EU, he said.
The foreign minister's trip to Turkey was largely in preparation for a visit of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to Ankara on February 23.
Germany's main opposition Christian Democrats generally oppose Turkey's membership in the EU, citing its large size, poor economic record, and cultural differences.

January 16, 2004
Turkish Base Being Used for Iraq Troop Rotation
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. has begun to use Incirlik Air Base in southeastern Turkey as one of the military facilities participating in the rotation of some 130,000 American troops out of Iraq and the transport of about 110,000 more lightly armed soldiers into the country to replace them. It is one of the largest U.S. troop rotations since World War II.
The process, also expected to involve bases in Kuwait and Germany, will be completed by May. Facilities in Bahrain, Qatar, and Spain could also be used.
In addition to being only an hour’s flight from Iraq, Incirlik is well equipped to service and refuel planes en route to other destinations, a function currently carried out by about 1,400 American troops stationed at the base as part of the U.S. Air Force’s Expeditionary Wing, assigned to the base for more than three decades. Incirlik also has the infrastructure for the temporary housing of large numbers of troops while they are in transit, having hosted an additional 1,500 U.S. military personnel involved in the patrolling of the no-fly zone over northern Iraq, who withdrew from the base in May 2003.
The accord authorizing the use of the base for the Iraq rotation was negotiated between the Turkish General Staff and the Pentagon in recent weeks to provide terms for the increased American military activity at the facility and the greater use of Turkish airspace. It was agreed upon within the framework of a June 2003 Turkish government decree that opened Turkey’s air bases and seaports to U.S. and coalition allies for logistical support for the post-war effort in Iraq. During the war, Turkey prohibited the use of Incirlik and other Turkish bases by planes conducting bombing missions over Iraq.
The accord stipulates that the rotating troops brought to Incirlik will be considered transit passengers and will not be allowed to leave the base.

January 16, 2004
European Commission President on First Visit to Turkey
Washington, D.C. - European Commission President Romano Prodi, in talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, stated that a settlement in Cyprus would "greatly help Turkey's EU aspirations" and urged the Turkish government to "use all its influence on the political forces on the island" to promote a solution before May 1, when Cyprus becomes an EU member. The visit of Prodi, accompanied by EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen, was the first by a Commission president since Turkey concluded an association agreement with the bloc in 1963.
Prodi said Turkey was "closer than ever" to the European Union, but he emphasized that the government should fully implement the democratic reforms it has already adopted, in addition to continuing with new elements of its reform agenda. The EU has called, in particular, for greater progress in establishing judicial independence and fundamental freedoms, eliminating the political influence of the military, and furthering the rights of ethnic Kurds.
In an address to parliament, Prodi stated that European public opinion was divided over the prospect of Turkey's membership in the European Union. He said that some Europeans were concerned about "the religious dimension," while others have raised the issue of the capacity of Turkey to integrate into the bloc in view of its size, demography, economic development, and geographical location. "We need to reply to these concerns," he said.
Turkey, a European Union candidate since December 1999, has not begun accession talks. At the December 2004 EU summit in the Netherlands, the EU will determine whether Ankara has met the requirements for starting talks in early 2005.

January 9, 2004
First Visit by a Syrian President to Turkey
Washington, D.C. -Just five years after Ankara threatened to take military action against Damascus because of its support for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has visited Turkey to further consolidate steadily improving bilateral ties in the economic, trade, and security sectors.
Although Syria's prime minister visited Ankara in July 2003, the first such visit in 17 years, the visit of al-Assad, accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Faruq al-Shara and Minister of Tourism Saadallah Agha al-Qalaa, marked the first by a Syrian head of state since the country gained its independence from France in 1946.
During discussions with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, and Chief of the General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, Syria and Turkey, which both have large Kurdish minorities in regions bordering Iraq, expressed concern over the request by Iraqi Kurdish leaders for greater autonomy for northern Iraq and emphasized the necessity of preserving Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The officials also discussed the Middle East peace process and Syria's proposal to the U.N. Security Council for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.
Gul, maintaining that al-Assad’s visit had launched a new phase in Turkish-Syrian relations, with the potential for cooperation in a broad spectrum of new fields, stated that Syria was important to Turkey since it was considered Ankara's "gate to the Middle East," while Turkey was viewed as Syria's "gate to Europe."
Al-Assad noted that, once Turkey acceded to the European Union, Syria would be a neighbor of the EU. He stated that this was significant since Syria aspired to being "a partner" of the EU in the future.
Israeli officials have reportedly expressed the hope that Turkey, which has strong economic and defense ties with Israel, could become a conduit for messages between Israel and Syria. A spokeswoman from the Israeli Embassy in Ankara said Israel gave Turkey a message to convey to al-Assad, and Israel's ambassador to Turkey met with Erdogan following the Syrian president's visit. Erdogan stated that he would like Turkey to help mediate peace talks between Israel and Syria.
To boost economic ties, the two countries signed agreements preventing double taxation, encouraging and protecting mutual investments, and promoting tourism during the visit. The possibility of establishing a joint free-trade zone and ways of easing the movement of people across the Syrian-Turkish border were also discussed. Trade centers will be set up in four Turkish provinces near the border, as well as a Syrian consulate in the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep, to facilitate reciprocal business activity. In addition, the two sides agreed to remove land mines along their border.
Al-Assad, accompanied by a delegation of 100 Syrian entrepreneurs, attended a meeting in Istanbul hosted by the Turkish-Syrian Business Council. The bilateral trade volume reached $1 billion in 2003.
The improvement in relations between Ankara and Damascus began following Syria's expulsion of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in October 1998. The two governments signed the Adana agreement the same month, in which Syria agreed not to provide support for the PKK or refuge for its members.
In mid-December 2003, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding establishing cooperation in combating crime and terrorism following a series of car bomb attacks in Istanbul and the extradition of 22 suspects from Syria to Turkey, who were wanted in conjunction with the attacks.
Issues between Turkey and Syria that have not been resolved are a dispute over how to share the waters of the Euphrates River, which originates in Turkey, and the fact that Syria does not recognize the 1939 incorporation of Hatay province, formerly part of the French mandate over Syria following World War I, into Turkey.

-------------------------------
December 12, 2003
U.S. Consults Ankara on Realignment of Bases, Anti-Terrorism Cooperation
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, on a visit to Ankara to discuss Washington’s plans for a global realignment of American troops and bases, stated that the U.S. military wanted to continue to use Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey as part of this realignment, designed to better respond to new threats such as terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
Grossman said new arrangements concerning Incirlik, which are being worked out through consultations with the Turkish government, would present “other opportunities in terms of training and operations.”
In May, Operation Northern Watch (ONW), involving the patrolling of the no-fly zone over northern Iraq by 50 U.S. and British warplanes from 1997 until March 2003, was formally closed down at Incirlik, resulting in the withdrawal of the planes and the 1,500 U.S. military personnel carrying out the mission. About 1,400 U.S. troops remain at the base. These troops are part of the U.S. Air Force’s 39th Expeditionary Wing, which has been assigned to the base for more than three decades. It has no aircraft and is primarily a support and maintenance unit, which services and refuels planes en route to other destinations.
During a separate visit, Gen. Peter Pace, the vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Turkish military officials in Ankara to discuss joint efforts against terrorism and cooperation in Iraq.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with President Bush in Washington on January 28 to discuss plans for further bilateral cooperation in these areas.
Turkey is one of 63 countries that are eligible to bid for U.S.-financed reconstruction contracts in Iraq worth $18.6 billion. The Pentagon announced that competition for these contracts would be limited to companies from the United States, Iraq, coalition partners, and force contributing nations. Turkey is included in the list as a “force contributing nation,” despite the absence of Turkish troops in Iraq. Turkey offered to send up to 10,000 troops to Iraq, but they were not deployed due to opposition from the Iraqi Governing Council. Albania, Bulgaria, F.Y.R. Macedonia, and Romania are the other southeastern European countries that are eligible to compete. Greece and Cyprus are not on the list.
Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek visited Washington in early December, in the wake of the four suicide bombings in Istanbul, to discuss anti-terrorism cooperation and joint security measures with Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller.
The U.S. Department of Commerce will host a series of conferences in Turkey in January 2004 on the reconstruction of Iraq as part of an effort to involve Turkish companies in rebuilding the country.

December 5, 2003
Government Links Four Bombings to Al Qaeda
Washington, D.C. -For the first time since four suicide bombings occurred in Istanbul on November 15 and 20, the Turkish government has publicly linked the attacks to al Qaeda. Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener stated on December 1 that "those who were involved in the incidents as suicide bombers and people who are related to them are seen as close to al Qaeda."
The bombings against two synagogues, the British Consulate, and the Turkish headquarters of HSBC, a British bank, killed 57 people and injured over 700. Claims of responsibility for the incidents have been made on behalf of both al Qaeda and a Turkish extremist group called the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders-Front (IBDA-C). DNA tests have determined that all four suicide bombers were Turkish nationals.
Turkish newspapers have reported that two key suspects in the bombings met with and received instructions to carry out the bombings from Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, Ayman al Zawahiri, according to a man identified as Yusuf Pulat. Pulat, captured while trying to cross into Iran, confessed to belonging to a 10-man al Qaeda cell in Turkey and was charged with "armed attempts to destroy the constitutional order," a crime analogous to treason. Reports stated that, according to police, Pulat gave the order for one of the synagogue bombings. Twenty-five other individuals have been arrested in conjunction with the attacks and charged with aiding and abetting illegal organizations.
Sener confirmed that, on November 30 at Turkey's request, the Syrian government handed over 22 suspects who had been attending religious schools in Syria to the Turkish government. One of them was among the 25 arrested and charged with aiding and abetting illegal organizations, while the remaining suspects were questioned and released without charges. The repatriation was carried out under the Adana Memorandum of Understanding on security cooperation signed by Damascus and Ankara in late 1998 following the expulsion of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan from Syria.

November 24, 2003
Bombings Kill More than 50 in Istanbul Terror Attacks
Washington, D.C. -Al Qaeda and an outlawed radical Turkish group known as the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders-Front (IBDA-C) both claimed responsibility for two November 20 truck bombs in Istanbul targeting the British Consulate and the Turkish headquarters of HSBC, a London-based global bank, killing 27 and injuring about 450.
Consul-General Roger Short and 14 other members of the consulate's staff were among those killed by the blasts, which occurred five days after synchronized suicide bombings on the Jewish Sabbath against two synagogues in Istanbul killed 6 Jews and 19 Muslims, including the attackers, and injured 300 others. A claim of responsibility was issued by IBDA-C for the synagogue bombings, along with two claims made on behalf of al Qaeda.
The attacks against British targets, five minutes apart, were timed to coincide with the visit of President George W. Bush to Britain, which has been Washington's staunchest ally in its hunt for al Qaeda militants and in the war in Iraq.
By hitting HSBC, the world's second-largest bank and the largest British bank by market value, the attacks were also designed to strike a blow to financial markets. The bank employs 3,500 people in Turkey, where it has 160 branches.
The IBDA-C, which has carried out three to four attacks a year since the 1970s, is one of several outlawed radical Turkish Islamist groups that use terrorist tactics to fight for the establishment of an Islamic republic in Turkey based on strict Sharia law. Turkey, a member of NATO and a close ally of the United States, is a secular democracy, although its population is predominantly Muslim. The founder of the modern Turkish republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, abolished the Caliphate in 1924, a significant factor in the campaign of militant Islamists against the Turkish government. In addition, Ankara has close economic and military ties with Israel.
President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair condemned the terrorist attacks in Istanbul. Blair stated that "we must affirm that, in the face of this terrorism, there must be no holding back . . . in attacking it wherever and whenever we can and in defeating it utterly." The bombings "should not lessen . . . our commitment to Iraq, he said. "On the contrary, it shows how important it is to carry on until terrorism is defeated there as well."
Bush said "Great Britain and America and other free nations are united . . . in our determination to fight and defeat this evil wherever it is found." He added that "the terrorists . . . want to intimidate and demoralize free nations. They are not going to succeed."
Investigators, using DNA evidence, determined that two Turkish nationals from the eastern province of Bingol had carried out the November 15 truck bombings against the Neve Shalom and Beth Israel synagogues. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that the two had visited Afghanistan in the past and that investigators were looking for links between them and al Qaeda. Turkish police arrested six people in connection with the synagogue bombings, which Israeli authorities are helping the Turkish security services to investigate. Several people suspected of being involved in the attacks against the British targets were also arrested.
In 1986, 22 Jews worshiping at the Neve Shalom synagogue were killed when two men believed to be affiliated with Abu Nidal's Palestinian militant organization entered the temple firing machine guns and throwing hand grenades.
There are 25,000 Jews in Turkey, a country with a population of about 70 million. Turkish Jews and Muslims have highlighted the peaceful ties the two communities have enjoyed since the 15th century, when the Ottoman Empire offered refuge to Jews fleeing the Spanish inquisition.

November 24, 2003
Iraqi Governing Council Mends Ties with Ankara, Seeks Multi-Level Cooperation
Washington, D.C. -On a visit to Ankara as the rotating head of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, Jalal Talabani, a top Kurdish leader, pledged that the new democratic Iraq would not let any terrorist group operate on Iraqi territory against Turkey or any other neighboring country.
Turkey maintains several thousand troops in northern Iraq to stem cross-border attacks by some 5,000 guerrillas of the PKK (KADEK) camped in the mountainous border area. Ankara and Washington, which both consider the PKK to be a terrorist organization, are continuing to hold negotiations on working together to eliminate the group as a threat in northern Iraq.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Talabani that the PKK presence in Iraq should be ended, adding that the Council "has responsibilities in this regard." The Kurdish leader urged Erdogan to grant a full amnesty to the PKK guerrillas in Iraq rather than the present amnesty that excludes leaders of the organization.
Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party have controlled northern Iraq since the 1991 Gulf war, and have been the focus of Turkey's fear that an independent Kurdish state could be established in the region as the new federal structure of Iraq emerges. These groups also fear that Turkey could intervene militarily if their autonomy in the north is consolidated under the new structure.
The visit to Ankara by Talabani, 10 other Council members, Iraq's Central Bank deputy governor, and six ministers was viewed as a fence-mending overture following the strong opposition of the Council, spearheaded by Iraqi Kurds, to Turkey's offer to send up to 10,000 troops to Iraq to assist the U.S.-led stabilization force.
In talks with Turkish government and business leaders, Talabani expressed the Council's desire to improve political, economic, trade, security, and cultural relations with Ankara, noting that Iraq would like to attract Turkish investment to boost the post-war reconstruction effort. The possibility of opening a second crossing point along the Turkish-Iraqi border, near the existing Habur gate, was also discussed as a way of promoting an increase in bilateral trade.
Erdogan told the delegation that Turkey expected Iraq to take measures to ensure the security of the oil pipeline from the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk to Turkey's Yumutalik facilities on the Mediterranean Sea. Efforts to make the pipeline fully operational have failed due to repeated attacks on it.
The prime minister also stated that no ethnic group in Iraq should be excluded from the political decision-making process, a reference to Turkey's concern over the weak representation of Iraq's Turkmens in the Governing Council.

November 14, 2003
No Turkish Troops to Be Sent to Iraq
Washington, D.C. - Turkey and the United States have agreed that Turkish troops will not be sent to Iraq to help the U.S.-led coalition stabilize the country, though Washington and Ankara will work together on its reconstruction.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher stated that the United States, the Turkish government, and the Iraqis recognized that the deployment of Turkish troops would not further the establishment of stability in Iraq as originally planned. He noted, however, that circumstances might change and permit their deployment in the future.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Ankara had stated that it would send troops to Iraq if the contribution "would be of use," adding that "we saw that this is not the situation."
Chief of the Turkish General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, in a rare newspaper interview, stated that Turkey had lost its say in the political reconstruction of Iraq and did not know "what shape Iraq will take." Emphasizing that Turkey would watch developments in Iraq closely, he noted that terrorist activities were on the rise in the country. "If Iraq becomes a source of terrorism," he said, "that would be of close interest" to Ankara, while a divided Iraq would have a significant effect on Turkey.
Iraq's interim foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, called Turkey's decision not to deploy troops as "wise and rational." He stated that it would help Iraq develop future bilateral relations with Turkey in trade, cultural matters, and reconstruction activities.
Although the Turkish parliament authorized the dispatch of up to 10,000 Turkish troops to Iraq during an October 7 vote, Ankara had emphasized that it would not send the soldiers unless it received an invitation to do so from the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, which publicly expressed determined opposition to their presence in the country.
Despite negotiations between Washington and the Council, the U.S. government failed to reverse the resistance of its members, who cited Iraqis' sensitivities to 400 years of Ottoman rule in the region up until World War I and their fear that deployment of troops from Iraq's neighbors could be part of a desire for external political influence in the country. There was particular opposition from the Iraqi Kurd members of the Council, who fear that a Turkish presence would threaten their current self-rule in northern Iraq.
Despite overwhelming opposition among the Turkish public to troop deployment, Turkey had hoped that its participation in the stabilization force would give it a prominent role in the shaping of Iraq's political system, fearing that Kurdish groups in northern Iraq could use their post-war political gains to move toward an independent state.
In addition, it had hoped its participation would further encourage the United States to facilitate the disarmament and eviction of some 5,000 guerrillas of the PKK (now called the Congress for Freedom and Democracy in Kurdistan, or KADEK) camped at bases in northern Iraq. Washington and Ankara, which both consider KADEK to be a terrorist organization, are continuing to hold negotiations on working together to eliminate it as a threat in northern Iraq. Gul said that Ankara was "still waiting for America to fulfill its promise" to remove the guerrillas from northern Iraq.
Four days after Turkey and the U.S. agreed that Turkish troops would not go to Iraq, KADEK announced that it was dissolving and was planning to form a broader, more representative organization, the Democratic Liberation Party, which would pursue Kurdish rights by seeking a peaceful settlement with the nations of the region.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the group could "continue its way under different names." A press report quoted an unnamed Turkish military official as stating that Turkey would keep up its military pressure on the group until all of the guerrillas either surrendered or were killed. A media report also quoted a high-level Turkish official, who was not named, as describing KADEK's move as "a cheap tactical maneuver to shrug off their terrorist image." The Turkish government does not "take it seriously," the official said. When the group's name was changed to KADEK in April 2002, representatives of the organization stated that it would peacefully campaign for Kurdish rights.

November 14, 2003
U.S. Loan Temporarily Shelved
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Economy Minister Ali Babacan stated that Turkey did not currently need to tap into the $8.5 billion loan offered by Washington, which remains on the table despite the November 7 decision not to send Turkish troops to the U.S.-led security force in Iraq.
The details of the loan, which was allocated in April and was not contingent upon Turkish troop deployment in Iraq, were finalized in September. The Turkish Council of Ministers has not yet ratified the loan agreement.
Babacan said Turkey would draw on the loan "whenever we feel the need," adding that the Turkish government did not see a need to do so "in the near future." Ankara will have a year to draw on the loan from the date it ratifies the agreement. Once it accepts the loan, the money will be disbursed in four installments of $2.1 billion over a period of 18 months.
Now that confidence in Turkey's economy is increasing due to an economic upswing in the country, the Turkish government has stated that it may be able to borrow private money on international markets at lower interest rates than the 7.5 percent offered by the United States. This positive economic trend involves appreciation of the lira, an upsurge in the Istanbul stock market, an expected growth rate of 5 percent this year, and a drop in the domestic borrowing interest rate from 66 percent in October 2002 to 30 percent in October 2003. Babacan said inflation was expected to be about 18 percent by the end of the year, slightly lower than the 20 percent target sought by the $16 billion IMF-backed economic recovery program. In addition, he stated that all of the major international rating organizations had upgraded Turkey's credit rating or outlook.
As a practical matter, the Turkish government recently drafted a law removing six zeroes from the lira as of January 1, 2005. As a legacy of inflation rates that averaged about 80 percent in the 1990s and were nearly 50 percent in 2000 through 2002, one U.S. dollar purchased about 1.5 million Turkish lira on November 14, 2003.
The World Bank stated that it expected to lend Turkey $4.5 billion over three years to help it prepare for entry into the European Union. The loan would target reform of the public sector, particularly social security, public spending, and the strengthening of the legal system; improved access to health care and education; and steps to improve the business climate. A $5 billion World Bank lending program for Turkey was in effect from 2001 until 2003. The IMF might meet in late November to consider a $500 million installment of its loan to Turkey.
Babacan stated that Turkey had signed an agreement with the European Union for a $1.2 billion grant covering the period from 2003 to 2005, in conjunction with its candidacy for membership in the bloc, and had already used the first installment in mid-October.

November 7, 2003
EU Progress Report on Turkey's Candidacy Released
Washington, D.C. - The European Commission, in an annual report on steps taken by Turkey toward meeting the requirements for entry into the European Union, welcomed Ankara's progress in accelerating needed reforms in most sectors, noting, however, that their implementation had been "uneven."
In the report, released on November 5, the Commission also stated that Turkey had "a decisive interest in providing determined support for efforts towards a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem," adding that "the absence of a settlement could become a serious obstacle to Turkey's EU aspirations." It said conditions were "favorable" for the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reach an agreement by May 1, 2004, when Cyprus formally becomes an EU member.
The Commission said Turkey's domestic reform agenda had brought "far-reaching changes to the political and legal systems," but "a clear framework for guaranteeing political, civil, economic, social, and cultural rights" had not yet been fully established. It recommended further efforts to align the country's legal provisions and practice with European norms and noted that the implementation of economic measures had been slow.
The Commission recognized progress in "bringing the framework of civil-military relations closer to practice in EU member states" by curbing the powers of the military on the National Security Council. It said there was still work to be done in reducing the role of the military in political life, citing the presence of military representatives on the Supreme Board of Radio and Television, as well as on the Board of Higher Education. It also called for full parliamentary control over the defense budget and all military expenditures.
While it praised the abolition of incommunicado detention in state security courts, the Commission said the functioning of these courts still needed to be brought fully in line with European standards, particularly with respect to the rights of the defense in court cases and the principle of a fair trial. In addition, it stated that Turkey's failure to execute numerous judgments of the European Court of Human Rights by paying compensation demanded in Court rulings or by conducting retrials recommended by the Court was "of great concern." It also said closer attention should be paid to furthering the cultural rights of ethnic Kurds, noting that, despite the passage of new laws to allow broadcasts and courses in Kurdish, these laws had so far "produced little practical effect."
Citing certain progress in eliminating corruption, the Commission stated that "corruption remained at a persistently high level and affected many spheres of public life." Though the scale of torture had declined, it said, reports about specific cases of torture continued "to cause concern."
The European Union will decide at its December 2004 summit in the Netherlands if Turkey, an EU candidate since December 1999, has made sufficient progress in its reforms to open accession talks with the bloc.

November 7, 2003
Minority Religious Issues in Turkey, Greece Re-Examined
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Education Minister Huseyin Celik said he would establish a commission to study the possibility of re-opening the Halki Theological School, a key center for the training of Christian Orthodox clergy in Turkey, but he called on the Greek government to take "mutual steps" by improving the educational system it provides for Muslims in the western Thrace region of northeastern Greece.
The seminary, dating back to the 19th century, is located on the Turkish island of Heybeliada (Halki in Greek) in the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul, where the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a legacy of the Byzantine Empire, is located. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the current spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christian world. Since the patriarch must be a Turkish citizen, the operation of the seminary, closed since 1971, is important for the survival of the Patriarchate in Istanbul.
Celik stated that the Halki school was closed because the Patriarchate refused to place the institution under the authority of the Turkish Ministry of Education in accordance with Turkish law, which requires all Islamic, Christian, and Jewish educational institutions in the country to operate under the supervision of the state.
The Patriarchate has continuously maintained that the seminary should be allowed to function autonomously, asserting that the restrictions imposed on its operation by the Turkish government constitute a breach of the 1923 Lausanne Treaty. This treaty guarantees cultural, religious, and educational freedoms for the remaining minorities in both Greece and Turkey following the population exchange that occurred between the two countries after the Greek-Turkish war of 1920-1922. Those supporting the re-opening of the seminary also maintain that its closure was a violation of the Turkish constitution and Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which deals with freedom of religion.
During the OSCE's October 2003 Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw, where the implementation of commitments to the organization regarding human rights and democracy by participating states was reviewed, the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association and the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe presented a report stating that education for the primarily Turkish-speaking, 100,000-member Muslim minority in Greece's western Thrace region "has been subject to excessive pressures and intervention" of the Greek government, with the result being that "the quality of education [has] substantially eroded." In addition, the report said that "minority schools are governed through a series of complex and controversial laws which are inconsistent both with Greece's national educational targets, as well as the delicate balance between [the] Turkish mother tongue and Greek."
In western Thrace, Muslim students in 200 public elementary schools are offered bilingual education in Greek and Turkish. If these students choose to attend public secondary schools, they will be instructed exclusively in the Greek language. There are two private secondary schools available to them in western Thrace, in which instruction is in Turkish.
Telemachos Hytiris, a spokesman for Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, stated that the Greek government is considering offering elective courses in Turkish as a second language in public secondary schools in western Thrace. In addition, he said the government would like to increase the 0.5-percent quota for the admission of students from the Muslim minority to Greek universities, while also extending the quota to technical and vocational schools of higher learning. Also under consideration is the possibility of granting the minority the right to elect managers of Muslim religious foundations and property, who are now appointed by the government. The government will continue to appoint Muslim religious leaders in western Thrace.

November 7, 2003
Caspian Pipeline Funding Receives Boost
Washington, D.C. - The World Bank's private lending arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), approved a $250 million loan for further construction of the $3.6 billion pipeline being built from Baku, Azerbaijan, to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan through Georgia. About 40 percent of the 1,000-mile pipeline has been completed since construction began in September 2002.
The IFC's move makes it more likely that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will go ahead with a $250 million loan for the project, encouraging import-export banks and other commercial lenders to join in the funding.
When completed in 2005, the pipeline will initially handle exports of Azeri crude oil totaling 400,000 barrels a day. When the pipeline is fully operational, the volume is expected to increase to 1 million barrels a day.
By transporting Caspian oil, the pipeline will reduce European and Japanese dependence on Middle East oil and provide export outlets for the oil outside of Russia. British Petroleum holds a 30-percent share of the pipeline, while other participants include Norway's Statoil, Turkey's TPAO, the U.S.'s Unocal Corp. and Conoco-Phillips, and Italy's ENI and Total. Turkey stated that it will earn about $200 million a year in transit fees associated with the operation of the pipeline.

October 17, 2003
Ankara Calls on Muslim States to Take More Active Role in Iraq
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, at a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Malaysia, called on fellow Muslim nations to assume a more active role in efforts to restore order in Iraq, amid criticism from many of the countries concerning Ankara's decision to send peacekeepers to Iraq.
At a foreign ministers' meeting preceding the October 16-17 summit of the organization, a grouping of 57 nations representing more than 1 billion Muslims, Gul stated that, since "we all attribute great importance to Iraq's territorial integrity, we can't just remain bystanders and express views." He urged his Muslim counterparts to "undertake initiative and develop a common stance" on Iraq.
Turkey is the only OIC member that has decided to send troops to assist the U.S.-led forces in Iraq. The foreign minister of Malaysia, Syed Hamid Albar, stated that most Muslim nations would refuse to participate in peacekeeping operations in Iraq unless these operations were carried out under the aegis of the United Nations. Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri said Pakistan would participate if there were a U.N. mandate for the deployment and if other Muslim nations agreed to join the peacekeeping effort.
Jordan's Foreign Minister, Marwan Al Muasher, stated that Amman did not think the introduction of forces into Iraq by nations bordering the country was "particularly helpful." He said that was the reason the Jordanian government did not send peacekeepers to Iraq and offered, instead, to train 30,000 Iraqi police in Jordan.
In addition, Jordan's King Abdullah stated, prior to the summit, that "no border country should play an active role [in Iraq] because all have an agenda."
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, representing the U.S.-installed Iraqi Governing Council at the foreign ministers' meeting, reiterated his opposition to the potential deployment of Turkish troops, noting that, as a neighboring nation, it could interfere in Iraq's internal affairs. He appealed to the OIC nations to contribute peacekeeping forces.
The Turkish government stated that the October 14 bomb attack near the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, which injured two embassy staff, would not alter Ankara's decision to send troops to Iraq. Discussions between the U.S. and Turkish governments are continuing to determine the size of Turkey's force and other details such as the location and date of its deployment.


Turkish Parliament Approves Troop Deployment to Iraq
Washington, D.C. - The Turkish parliament voted overwhelmingly to grant the government permission to send troops to Iraq for a maximum of one year, following a cabinet decision to deploy the soldiers for that length of time to help stabilize the country. All of the deputies of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) voted against the deployment, resulting in a tally of 358 to 183.
Turkey will be the first predominantly Muslim nation to contribute a significant troop contingent to Iraq for the post-war reconstruction efforts, preceded only by Albania, which has sent some 70 soldiers.
The size of the force, where it will be deployed, how it will get to Iraq, the date of deployment, the command structure, and the source of financing remain to be worked out through negotiations between the U.S. and Turkish governments. Washington has requested that Ankara send up to 10,000 troops. Media reports have suggested that Turkish soldiers could be deployed in the Sunni-dominated areas west and north of Baghdad, where pro-Saddam loyalists have continued attacks against U.S. troops, or along Iraq’s border with Syria and Jordan.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish troops would serve in Iraq “not as an occupation force but as friends and brothers of the Iraqi people to help end the transition process as soon as possible.” He reportedly told parliamentarians that Ankara had to deploy troops in Iraq “for the sake of Turkey’s own well-being and future.” The government has said that the deployment would help deal with security threats that could stem from Iraq, such as those posed by the presence of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK/KADEK) camps in northern Iraq.
Members of the U.S.-approved Iraq Governing Council (ICG), including Iraqi Interim Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zubari, have voiced their concern to Paul Bremer, the U.S. civil administrator for Iraq, over the planned deployment of Turkish troops, asserting that neighboring nations might have their own strategic interest in the country. They said the ICG had unanimously agreed to reject the presence of soldiers in Iraq from Turkey or any other neighboring country, and would release a statement to that effect while working to gain concessions from Americans that may alleviate the worries of Iraqis. Bremer can veto any decision made by the Council.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States believed that Turkish troops would contribute to the stability of Iraq, adding that Washington would be working with both the Turkish government and the ICG to determine how these troops would achieve that goal.
Spokesmen for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Iraqi Kurd groups that took control of autonomous zones in northern Iraq following the 1991 Gulf war, stated that both groups were opposed to the deployment of Turkish troops in the country, even if they stayed out of the predominantly Kurdish areas in northern Iraq. The PUK has, however, proposed that Turkey open consulates in Irbil and Suleimaniyah in northern Iraq.
A recent opinion poll indicated that about two-thirds of Turks oppose any Turkish military involvement in Iraq. The parliament’s decision sparked protests throughout Turkey.

October 10, 2003
Turkey, Bulgaria Aim at Increased Economic, Political Ties
Washington, D.C. - During the visit of Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov to Turkey to discuss ways to boost bilateral commercial and political ties, Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated that cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkey was a significant factor in the process of strengthening peace and stability in the Balkans. Sezer noted that the two countries were cooperating in the fight against terrorism.
Sezer said the members of the Turkish minority in Bulgaria and their families in Turkey had formed a "bridge" between the two countries and had played an important role in the development of Turkish-Bulgarian relations.
Purvanov thanked Turkey for its support for Bulgaria’s entry into NATO, which will officially occur at the alliance’s summit in Istanbul in May 2004. Sezer said he would be pleased "to see Bulgaria as an ally beside Turkey."
The Turkish president emphasized that the two countries were starting to realize the tremendous potential for expanded commercial and economic relations between them, while noting that bilateral cooperation was also continuing in the culture and tourism sectors.
Sezer stated that the bilateral trade volume was expected to exceed $1 billion this year, making Bulgaria Turkey’s second-largest trade partner in the Balkans. He said the interest by Bulgarian and Turkish businesses in reciprocal investments in the two countries was also increasing. Purvanov, accompanied by a delegation of Bulgarian businessmen, suggested that Turkish and Bulgarian companies cooperate on projects in Iraq.

October 3, 2003
U.S. Continues Discussions on Removing PKK Threat in Northern Iraq
Washington, D.C. - State Department Counterterrorism Coordinator J. Cofer Black, following talks with officials in Ankara, stated that the U.S. and Turkey had continued to discuss removing the threat to Turkey posed by some 5,000 militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq through "elements of statecraft, diplomacy, law enforcement agencies, and cutting of financial links."
Black said that "the United States has made it government policy to eliminate the threat presented by PKK-KADEK." In April 2002, the PKK changed its name to KADEK (Congress for Freedom and Democracy in Kurdistan). Turkey has stationed several thousand troops in northern Iraq, near the Turkish border, to prevent the PKK rebels from returning to Turkey to launch attacks.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he wanted parliament to make a rapid decision concerning Washington’s request that Turkey send up to 10,000 troops to Iraq. Turkey has asked for firm U.S. steps against the PKK prior to a decision to deploy the troops, amid widespread opposition among the Turkish public to such deployment.

September 26, 2003
Turkey, Greece Sign Treaty Banning Land Mines
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, on the sidelines of the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, jointly signed the 1997 Ottawa Convention prohibiting the use, storage, production, and distribution of anti-personnel land mines.
The move will lead to the removal of extensive minefields along the Greek-Turkish border in Thrace, which have killed numerous illegal migrants and other civilians.
In May 2003, Gul and Papandreou announced that they would simultaneously submit accords to the United Nations marking the ratification of the Convention by the Turkish and Greek parliaments. Greece ratified the treaty in March 2002, while Turkey ratified it earlier this year.
As signatories to the Convention, Turkey and Greece join 137 other nations that have joined the pact.

September 23, 2003
U.S.-Turkish Joint Plan for Dealing with PKK
Washington, D.C. - The United States and Turkey have agreed on the joint steps to be taken to deal with the presence of some 5,000 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels in northern Iraq. Both Washington and Ankara consider the PKK, which now calls itself KADEK (Congress for Freedom and Democracy in Kurdistan), to be a terrorist organization.
The details of the steps, which were not released, were worked out during talks in Ankara between Turkish government, military, and intelligence officials and a U.S. delegation headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State B. Lynn Pascoe. Pascoe stated that the two sides had "a clear plan of action" concerning the PKK, which Ankara and Washington would carry out together. He denied Turkish media reports that U.S. forces had held talks with the PKK, noting that Washington does not "talk with terrorists." He said the United States was "very sympathetic with the problems that Turkey has had" regarding the organization.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that the United States could lose its credibility in combating international terrorism if it did not crack down on PKK rebels in northern Iraq. As Turkey considers Washington's request that it send up to 10,000 troops to Iraq, Ankara has made clear that U.S. assistance in removing the threat posed by the PKK would be essential to a decision to move forward with the deployment.
On September 15, Gul stated that "there is no hurry" with respect to Turkey's decision on sending troops to Iraq. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that a decision could be made after September 19, when the government will consider the issue with the president and top military officials at a meeting of the National Security Council. A decision to dispatch troops will require parliamentary approval, which cannot take place until October, when lawmakers return to work following their summer recess. About two-thirds of Turks oppose sending Turkish troops to Iraq, according to recent polls.
PKK guerrillas waged a 15-year separatist war against the Turkish military, ending in 1999, that killed over 35,000 people. Several thousand Turkish soldiers are currently stationed in northern Iraq near the Turkish border to monitor the activities of the guerrillas camped there.
Turkish authorities hoped that the partial amnesty for PKK rebels, which went into effect in August, would result in a massive surrender of the guerrillas to Turkish police, helping to reduce the number based in Iraq. Only about 20 have turned themselves in. The amnesty offers pardons to fighters who did not take part directly in the separatist war, but it does not cover PKK leaders and requires those who surrender to become informants against those who do not.

September 23, 2003
Relations with India Intensify
Washington, D.C. - During a visit to Ankara by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the first by an Indian head of government in 15 years, the two nations agreed to establish a joint working group on combating terrorism through an exchange of intelligence, increase bilateral trade significantly, coordinate their extradition policies, and sign cooperation accords in the fields of science, information technology, and computer software.
The two sides also discussed developments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Neither Turkey nor India has decided whether it will send troops to Iraq, as requested by the United States. Both nations have called for a U.N. mandate governing further troop deployment in Iraq.
During his visit, Vajpayee stated that the fact that both India and Turkey are secular democracies was an important bond between them. India, which is about 80 percent Hindu and about 12 percent Muslim, has the second-largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia. Turkey is predominantly Muslim.
In addition, the government of India has rapidly been improving its relations with Israel, which enjoys excellent relations with Turkey through a close political, economic, and military partnership forged since 1996, when the nations signed a military cooperation agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's September 11 visit to India was the first by an Israeli head of government since diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.
Turkey has traditionally had close ties with Pakistan, India's archrival, since the founding of the Turkish republic in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. This has included the training of Pakistani military officers in Turkey.
Vajpayee, who inaugurated an India-Turkey Joint Business Summit in Istanbul during his visit, was accompanied by a 50-member business delegation. India's exports to Turkey in 2002 reached a value of $564 million, while imports from Turkey totaled only $70 million. It was agreed that the two countries would strive to increase the overall bilateral trade volume to $1 billion by 2005. In addition, direct flights have been launched from Istanbul to New Delhi, which will encourage commercial and tourist traffic between the countries.
The foreign ministers of India and Turkey will meet annually to review the progress achieved in the various areas discussed.

September 12, 2003
Measures Against Human Trafficking Ward Off U.S. Sanctions
Washington, D.C. - By taking significant steps to combat human trafficking, Turkey has avoided potential U.S. sanctions that could have resulted in the suspension of outstanding military contracts, the loss of an $8.5 billion loan, and a U.S. veto on assistance to Ankara through the IMF and the World Bank.
Turkey is a destination country for persons trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation and forced labor. It is also a transit country for victims of trafficking headed for European destinations, primarily from the countries of the former Soviet Union, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine.
In the State Department’s 2003 Trafficking in Persons Report, which assessed the compliance of 116 countries with the U.S.'s Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, Turkey was placed in "Tier 3," the least-compliant category, along with 14 other countries. The June report, covering the period from April 2002 to March 2003, determined that the governments of the countries in Tier 3 did not fully comply with the minimum standards of the Act and were not making significant efforts to do so.
As a result of the recent steps taken by Turkey to address problems noted in the report, President Bush on September 10 notified Congress that Turkey had been moved to Tier 2. The governments of the countries in this category do not fully comply with the Act's minimum standards, but they are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
The measures taken by Turkey included developing a plan to expand the model of its anti-trafficking cooperation with Ukraine to other key countries that are sources of exploited persons; drawing up a new questionnaire for visa applicants to screen more effectively for potential trafficking victims; instituting a public awareness campaign on the dangers of trafficking that includes announcements in the electronic media, seminars, and the distribution of brochures and posters; establishing training programs for police and other security officials, judges, and prosecutors on identifying and assisting trafficking victims; performing a feasibility study on setting up a 24-hour emergency telephone hotline to be used by trafficked foreigners; and engaging in a program with the International Labor Organization to eliminate child labor.
This is the first year since the Act was passed that the countries in Tier 3 faced potential sanctions, effective October 1, if insufficient steps were taken to warrant advancing them to Tier 2. They involved the withholding of certain non-humanitarian, non-trade-related assistance by the United States, which would be subject to a possible waiver. In addition, the countries could face U.S. opposition to certain types of assistance from the IMF and multilateral development banks such as the World Bank.

September 12, 2003
U.S. Loan to Ankara Cleared by White House
Washington, D.C. - The Bush administration has approved an $8.5 billion loan to Ankara intended "to support Turkey's economic reform process and to cushion the shock of the war in Iraq," according to a State Department letter sent to key committees of Congress.
Congress, which has until September 20 to lodge objections to the decision, is expected to give final clearance for the disbursement of the loan. A schedule for loan installments will then have to be worked out, followed by the signing of a loan agreement between Washington and Ankara.
The loan, which is conditional on Ankara's continued adherence to the terms of its $16-billion IMF-backed economic reform program, is to be used to service Turkey's domestic and external debts, with priority to be given to repaying debts to the United States and international financial institutions.
The State Department letter stated that Turkey had provided valuable assistance to the United States in Iraq and that another economic crisis in Turkey would damage U.S. interests in the region. It added that Washington "attaches significant importance to a strong, economically stable, and democratic Turkey as a hopeful model for the Islamic world."
A Treasury Department official stated that the aid was not linked to Ankara's pending decision on whether or not it will contribute troops to the peacekeeping force in Iraq. A decision could be made when the Turkish parliament returns from its summer recess in October.

September 5, 2003
End to PKK Ceasefire to Influence Terms for Possible Iraq Deployment
Washington, D.C. - The decision by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to call off its 1999 unilateral ceasefire on September 1 and the resultant prospect of renewed violence between PKK guerrillas and Turkish forces along the Turkey-Iraq border is expected to influence Ankara's consideration of Washington's request for the deployment of up to 10,000 Turkish troops in Iraq.
The PKK stated that what it called Ankara's failure to grant Turkey's 12 million Kurds greater political and cultural rights and the government's decision not to announce a ceasefire of its own since the end of its 15-year conflict with the PKK were the reasons for ending the truce, which the organization declared after the arrest of its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in early 1999.
Although the PKK, now renamed KADEK (Congress for Freedom and Democracy in Kurdistan), stated that a return to full-scale war with Turkish forces was unlikely, it said there could be a resumption of "low intensity warfare." There have been sporadic clashes between the organization's guerrillas and the Turkish military since the 1999 ceasefire was declared.
The Turkish parliament recently adopted measures that will lay the foundation for Kurdish-language education and broadcasting. In addition, the government has offered PKK members a partial amnesty that excludes the group's leaders and military commanders. The PKK is demanding a full amnesty that includes the release of Ocalan, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
The PKK suggested that it could reinstate the ceasefire by December if the government responded with its own ceasefire. In the past, Ankara has refused to negotiate with the group, which both Turkey and the United States have declared a terrorist organization.
Up to 15,000 people staged a demonstration in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, in the heart of the ethnic Kurdish region of the country, to call on the Turkish government to open negotiations with the PKK for a solution to the Kurdish conflict.
The Turkish General Staff confirmed in a statement that its recent discussions with Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General James Jones in Ankara covered the issue of dealing with the PKK. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul also said the issue would be addressed during subsequent talks between a U.S. delegation and Turkish authorities on the terms concerning the possible dispatch of Turkish troops to Iraq.
Some 5,000 PKK guerrillas are believed to be camped in the mountainous region of northern Iraq along the Turkish border, prompting the deployment of several thousand Turkish troops in the region to prevent their infiltration into Turkey. More than 35,000 people were killed in the 15-year conflict between PKK separatists and Turkish forces that ended in 1999, when the organization withdrew its fighters from Turkey.
Ankara is looking to the United States to take action against the PKK bases in northern Iraq. The Turkish daily Cumhuriyet stated that Turkey was upset by the perceived reluctance of U.S. forces to crack down on the PKK fighters in the region and wants to know what methods Washington will use to rid the area of the fighters.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher stated that the United States believes "that there needs to be an end to the operation of any terrorist groups in northern Iraq. The PKK is a terrorist group."
"We have taken responsibility, the coalition has, for security in that area. We have close liaison with the Turkish military and the Turkish government, and we will continue to operate in that fashion to ensure that it is not used as a base for terrorism against Turkey," Boucher added.

August 28, 2003
No Parliamentary Action on Iraq Troop Deployment Before October
Washington, D.C. - Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan stated that there were no plans to call a special session of the Turkish parliament in September to consider whether to send troops to Iraq.
If the Turkish government gives the go-ahead for the dispatch of up to 10,000 Turkish peacekeepers to Iraq, the parliament must approve the move. Therefore, a final decision on the matter cannot be made before October, when lawmakers reconvene following the summer recess.

August 22, 2003
Lawyers to File Complaint Against British Officials at ICC
Washington, D.C. - The Istanbul Bar Association (IBB) announced that it would file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague charging British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other British officials with war crimes in conjunction with the war in Iraq.
Citing news reports maintaining that 9,000 people were still missing in Iraq, the head of the IBB, Kazim Kolcuoglu, stated that British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon and former chief of the defense staff Admiral Sir Michael Boyce would also be named in the lawsuit.
The IBB's announcement was made several weeks after the Athens Bar Association filed a similar lawsuit with the ICC.

August 22, 2003
New U.S. Ambassador Assumes Post
Washington, D.C. - Eric Edelman, who served as Principal Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs from February 2001 to June 2003, arrived in Ankara in mid-August to assume his post as the new U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. He replaced Robert Pearson, who had served in Ankara since September 2000.
Shortly after being appointed, Edelman stated that Turkey and the United States needed to rebuild their "strategic partnership" in the wake of the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.
From 1998 to 2001, Edelman, 51, was ambassador to Finland. Prior to this, he served as the Senior Policy Advisor and Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State and as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
His previous assignments overseas include service from 1994 to 1996 as Deputy Chief of Mission in Prague and, from 1987 to 1989, as Political Officer in Moscow handling Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Edelman began his career as a member of the West Bank/Gaza autonomy talks delegations, continued to focus on Middle East issues as Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, and held the Afghanistan/Middle East portfolio on the Soviet desk of the State Department.
He received a B.A. in History and Government from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in U.S. Diplomatic History from Yale University.

August 15, 2003
Military Endorses Sending of Troops to Iraq
Washington, D.C. - Deputy Chief of the General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, widely viewed as the probable successor to the current chief of the general staff, stated publicly that he was in favor of sending troops to Iraq to help provide security. He added that Turkey could not "remain indifferent"to instability in the neighboring country. It was the first time that the military had endorsed sending peacekeepers to Iraq.
In an August 12 meeting in Ankara that included President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chief of the General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, and National Intelligence Agency Undersecretary Senkal Atasagun, the government joined the military in signaling a willingness to consider deploying the peacekeepers to ensure Turkey's inclusion in the U.S.-led reconstruction of Iraq.
Although Sezer did not express opposition to the deployment, his office released a statement after the meeting pointing out that, according to Article 92 of the Turkish constitution, Turkish troops can be sent to other countries if the deployment is carried out under international legitimacy, an apparent reference to a U.N. mandate. The statement added that it would be up to parliament, which must approve the dispatch of troops to Iraq, to determine whether international legitimacy for their deployment existed.
The opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) stated that it was opposed to sending the troops without "an international consensus,"while some parliamentarians from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said they would not vote for a motion that excluded the dispatch of Turkish troops to northern Iraq, where Turkey fears that an independent Kurdish state could emerge. It is expected that, if Turkish troops are sent to Iraq, they will be deployed in the central, Sunni-dominated part of the country.
Former Turkish foreign minister Ismail Cem, who now heads the New Turkey Party (YTP), not currently represented in parliament, said that dispatching the peacekeepers would cause Turkish soldiers to be targeted by separatists and terrorist organizations in Iraq.
A discussion on the troop issue will continue the week of August 18 during meetings of the cabinet and the National Security Council, composed of the top military and political leaders. The parliament will reconvene in September following the summer recess.
A recent poll indicated that 66 percent of the Turkish people oppose sending troops to Iraq.
Analysis by Stephen R. Norton, Senior Policy Advisor, Western Policy Center:
On March 1, the Turkish parliament refused to honor a U.S. request to allow American forces to open a northern front against Iraq on Turkish territory. The negative consequences for Turkey of this action, ranging from severely strained U.S.-Turkish military relations to the lack of Turkish influence on the outcome of Kurdish political aspirations in northern Iraq to lost economic opportunities for Turkish companies in the reconstruction of Iraq, have been significant.
Gen. Buyukanit's public support for sending Turkish troops to help carry out the Iraq peacekeeping mission reflects the reality that a stable and peaceful Iraq is critical for neighboring Turkey. But dispatching the soldiers is also the single most important thing Turkey could do to begin mending the rift between Washington and Ankara.
The big question is: Will the Turkish parliament approve the dispatch of the troops? The only reason for the Turkish General Staff (TGS) to go public on this issue before it comes up for a vote in the parliament is to help ensure that another negative, anti-U.S. vote does not occur, similar to that which took place on March 1.
The TGS is keenly aware that Turkey's national security interests are better served by having access, influence, and credibility in both Washington and Baghdad. The military does not control the political process, but it is pointing out the obvious to Turkish parliamentarians concerning Turkey's national security interests.
The parliament's decision regarding the troop issue will mark a turning point for U.S.-Turkish relations and for Turkish influence in Iraq, which will either get significantly better or significantly worse. The parliament would do well to vote for protecting Turkey's national interests. It is time for Turkish lawmakers to lead public opinion, rather than be led by it.

August 8, 2003
Turkey Ordered to Compensate Greek Cypriots for Property in Northern Cyprus
Washington, D.C. - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered the Turkish government to provide monetary compensation to two Greek Cypriots following judgments by the Court that found Turkey guilty of violating the European Convention on Human Rights by denying the individuals access to and use of their properties in northern Cyprus.
Michael Tymvios, awarded $9,634 in damages, said that Turkish authorities had denied him access to 51 lots in the village of Tymvou in the northern area of Nicosia. John Demades, awarded $3,266, complained that the Turkish military had prevented him from having access to his house in the Kyrenia region since 1974 and that the house had been occupied by members of the Turkish military.
In 1998, the ECHR instructed Turkey to pay $875,000 to Titina Loizidou, a Greek Cypriot woman, as compensation for denying her access to her home in Kyrenia. In June, Turkey said it would pay the damages only if its action would not be considered a precedent and if 3,000 similar cases filed by other Greek Cypriots were withdrawn from consideration by the ECHR. (See Country Updates, Turkey, "Agreement to Pay Damages in Loizidou Case," June 27, 2003.)
In the Loizidou case, the ECHR rejected Turkey’s claim that the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) should be called upon to settle the case and found Ankara responsible for the actions of the Turkish Cypriot administration since northern Cyprus is effectively controlled by the Turkish military.
On June 30, 2003, the Turkish Cypriot parliament enacted a law that will allow Greek Cypriots to apply to a Turkish Cypriot board for compensation for their properties through the court system in the north.
With regard to the outcome of the Tymvios and Demades cases, Turkey told the ECHR that it objected to the fact that the two men had not exhausted all domestic legal channels available to them since they had not applied for compensation under the new Turkish Cypriot law. The ECHR only handles cases in which those filing lawsuits have failed to successfully resolve their claims through the local judiciary system.
The ECHR’s response to Turkey was that its objection had not been raised when the admissibility of the cases was being considered by the Court and could not be taken into account now. In the past, the ECHR has declared that both the TRNC and its laws are illegal.
In addition to regarding the TRNC as an illegal entity, the Cyprus government considers the court system in northern Cyprus to be illegal since it is not part of the internationally-recognized government’s judicial system and its decisions are not binding within the framework of international law.

August 8, 2003
IMF Releases Funds, Praises Reforms
Washington, D.C. - Stating that it was encouraged by the Turkish government's recent economic reforms, the International Monetary Fund released a $476 million line of credit to Turkey under its $16 billion three-year loan pact with the country for 2002 to 2004. Turkey has already drawn about $15 billion under the arrangement.
The latest release of funds, following the IMF's fifth review of the loan agreement, had been expected in June, but it had been delayed by the failure of the Turkish parliament to pass legislation required under the agreement, which is aimed at lowering inflation, reducing the debt, and maintaining sustained economic growth.
Measures taken by parliament included initiatives to attain a primary surplus target of 6.5 percent of gross national product, a law streamlining the indebted social security system, and the designation of fiscal and structural budget targets to ensure that the government pays down a domestic debt load of about $125 billion, inflated by a bailout of crisis-hit banks.
The IMF said that the loan pact's projections of 5 percent growth and 20 percent inflation in 2003 were within reach, and that there had been concrete improvements in the banking system. Inflation was about 29 percent in June. The IMF said high real interest rates were still of concern.
The IMF also extended repayments of about $11 billion due to the Fund in 2004 and 2005 by one year to help Turkey manage its debt. The move will cut payments scheduled in 2004 from $9.7 billion to $5.2 billion and those in 2005 from $14.6 billion to $7.8 billion.
In April, the U.S. Congress approved a financial package for Turkey that gives Ankara the option of receiving either a $1 billion grant or up to $8.5 billion in loan guarantees. Washington had tied this assistance to Turkey's adherence to the conditions of the IMF-sponsored economic recovery program.
Final deliberations on this aid are expected to move forward now that the Fund has released its latest installment of Turkey's loan. Turkish officials will travel to Washington on August 18 for talks on the aid, which could be provided to Turkey in up to five installments.
The next IMF review of Turkey's economic progress is expected in late October or early November. Standard & Poor's recently upgraded Turkey's credit rating from B-/C to B/B, while Fitch Ratings said it would change the country's outlook from negative to positive in August.

August 8, 2003
General Continues to Head National Security Council
Washington, D.C. - At a meeting of the Supreme Military Council, just two days after parliament cleared the way for a civilian to be appointed secretary general of the National Security Council (MGK) by the prime minister, the government agreed to the military’s proposal that a general serve as head of the body for another year during what could be considered a transitional period.
The position, to be assumed by General Sukru Sariisik, the commander of the Fifth Army Corps, has been held by generals since the establishment of the MGK in 1980.
During the meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, top generals criticized the government for the parliamentary reform package that curbed the influence of the military-dominated MGK on Turkey’s political process. The package was deemed essential to enhancing the country’s chances of starting EU accession talks. The government stated that, although the secretary general of the MGK would remain a general for now, his influence would be reduced in accordance with the measures in the reform package. (See Country Updates, Turkey, “Military’s Influence on Politics Curbed Through New Reforms,” August 1, 2003.)
Erdogan objected to the military’s decision to dismiss 18 officers who were accused by the army of having ties with pro-Islamist groups, noting that these officers could not appeal the rulings, but he agreed to sign off on the decision.
A few days after the meeting of the Supreme Military Council, Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer signed the parliamentary reform package into law.

August 1, 2003
Military's Influence on Politics Curbed Through New Reforms
Washington, D.C. - The Turkish parliament passed a package of reforms that reduce the influence of the military on the country’s political process, a key requirement of the European Union for opening accession talks with Ankara.
The package involves changes concerning the National Security Council (MGK), which brings together the president, the prime minister, senior cabinet ministers, and the five highest-ranking generals. Initially established in 1980, the MGK has been the body through which the powerful military has asserted its decisive influence over the civilian leadership on all domestic and foreign matters that its deems critical to the security of the secular Turkish republic.
Up to now, the body’s secretary general has been chosen by the chief of the Turkish General Staff from among senior generals. From now on, the secretary general will be nominated by the prime minister and can be either a civilian or a military figure. As in the past, the president will formally appoint the secretary general, based upon the recommendation.
The secretary general will now be responsible only for administrative duties in contrast to the post’s former functions, which included monitoring and coordinating the implementation of government decisions on security matters. The MGK, whose decisions will be non-binding, will meet every two months, rather than once a month, as it does currently.
The new reforms also introduce parliamentary review of the military budget, which has, up to now, been drawn up and approved solely by the military. The review of the budget will retain a certain degree of secrecy, at the request of the military.
Although some generals have privately expressed concern over the passage of the reforms concerning the MGK, the Turkish General Staff has made no public statements on the issue. Prior to the parliamentary vote on the package, the military leadership made it known that it no longer objected to the idea that the Council could be run by a civilian.
The reform package, which also includes measures that abolish certain provisions of the anti-terrorism laws that curtail freedom of expression, classify the hearing of torture cases as an urgent matter, stipulate that military courts will no longer be authorized to try civilians in peacetime, and ease restrictions on freedom of assembly, must be approved by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer before it becomes law.
A European Union spokesman stated that the reform of the structure and functioning of the National Security Council was a significant step toward aligning civilian control of the military in Turkey with the practice in EU member states.

August 1, 2003
Rail Link with Iraq, Oil Pipeline to Re-Open
Washington, D.C. - Turkish and Iraqi railway officials signed an agreement in Baghdad to re-open a railway line that runs between the two countries through Syria in order to transport food and reconstruction supplies to Iraq four times a week.
Financed with German money, the construction of the so-called Baghdad Railway began in the late 19th century, connecting Berlin to Baghdad through Istanbul, then the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The line now runs as far as the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
In addition, Iraq will reopen its oil pipeline from Kirkuk to Turkey, which is critical to the rehabilitation of Iraq's oil industry. The pipeline will handle 200,000 to 300,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

August 1, 2003
Amnesty Approved for Kurdish Rebels
Washington, D.C. - The Turkish parliament has approved a bill granting partial amnesty to an estimated 4,500 guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, along the Turkish border, in an attempt to encourage them to lay down their arms and return to Turkey.
Some 5,000 Turkish troops are stationed just inside Iraq's northern border to prevent incursions by the rebels into Turkey. A positive response to the amnesty could result in a phased withdrawal of the troops from area.
Under the new measure, which excludes top PKK leaders, guerrillas who have not been involved in violence will be pardoned if they surrender. Those who have not taken part in armed attacks will receive reduced prison terms if they provide information about the identities and whereabouts of fellow fighters who have not surrendered. A life sentence will be shortened to nine years in prison.
The United States encouraged the granting of the amnesty, saying that it would contribute to stability in northern Iraq. Hundreds of Kurdish rebels applied for reduced sentences under a similar amnesty in 1999.

August 1, 2003
Ankara Assumes Control of SEEBRIG Politico-Military Committee
Washington, D.C. - Romania handed over the rotating two-year chairmanship of the Politico-Military Committee of the seven-nation Southeast European Brigade (SEEBRIG) to Turkey. The Committee oversees the military activities of the brigade, while also serving as a platform for diplomats and civilian defense experts from the contributing countries to coordinate and synthesize policy issues. Greece held the initial chairmanship of the Committee.
Italy also assumed the rotating two-year command of SEEBRIG from Greece, as Greek Major General Andreas Kouzelis transferred the responsibility to Italian Brigadier General Giovanni Sulis. The initial command was held by Turkey.
The Romanian port city of Costanza recently became the new rotating four-year headquarters of SEEBRIG, the only standing body of the force. Romania allocated about $7 million to build a headquarters in the city that meets NATO standards.
Plovdiv, Bulgaria, has been the brigade’s headquarters since August 1999. Following Romania, it is scheduled to rotate to Istanbul, Turkey, in 2007, followed by Kilkis, Greece in 2011.
SEEBRIG was established in September 1998, with a total strength of about 4,000 troops from Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Romania, as well as NATO members Greece, Italy, and Turkey. In May 2001, the force was declared operational for deployment in a U.N.- or OSCE-mandated peacekeeping operation led by NATO or the EU.
In October 2002, the Southeast Europe Defense Ministerial (SEDM), which consists of all the member nations of SEEBRIG in addition to Croatia, Slovenia, and the United States, offered a 3,000-member force drawn from the brigade for NATO peace support operations. NATO welcomed the offer and is still examining how the troops could be used. There are, as yet, no concrete plans for the deployment of SEEBRIG.
Although SEEBRIG has not been actively deployed, it is proving to be a politico-military success story. Through the brigade, the general staffs of seven diverse nations are focusing on joint training and planning, as military exercises using personnel from the contributing countries are conducted regularly. In addition, as these soldiers work together, they learn to trust one another and form lasting personal relationships. The force is a catalyst for improving communications and understanding in the Balkans.

August 1, 2003
Relations with Syria Broadened
Washington, D.C. - In meetings in Ankara, Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa Miro and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to work toward strengthening bilateral political, economic, cultural, and social relations. It was the first visit of a Syrian prime minister to Turkey since 1986.
Among those who met with Miro were President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler, State Minister responsible for foreign trade Kursad Tuzmen, and Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc.
The Turkish-Syrian Joint Economic Commission convened in Ankara during Miro's visit, chaired by Tuzmen and Syrian Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade Ghassan al-Rifai. Tuzmen and al-Rifai proposed that the two countries sign a free-trade agreement in order to further develop bilateral trade, which now stands at about $1 billion, and promote regional commerce.
Tuzmen also pushed for the initiation of "border trade" projects, which would increase economic activity between Turkish and Syrian towns along the two countries' mutual border. In addition, he advocated the conclusion of an agreement on the prevention of double taxation and the launching of joint investments as soon as possible.
Al-Rifai suggested that Syria, Iran, and Turkey should boost the level of their trilateral cooperation. He also stated that joint projects between Ankara and Damascus concerning irrigation and the supply of electricity should be planned.
The delegations agreed to resume negotiations regarding the two countries' dispute over the sharing of the waters of the Euphrates River. In addition, they discussed the possibility of promoting cooperation in the fields of health, transportation, industry, agriculture, tourism, and culture, while also addressing the issue of Iraq and the Middle East peace process.
The Turkish Defense Ministry announced in mid-July that it was planning to clear the landmines near Turkey's border with Syria in order to open the area to agriculture. The mines date back to 1952, when they were laid to maintain security and prevent smuggling.
Syrian-Turkish ties have improved markedly since the late 1990s, when Turkey threatened to take military action against Syria for sheltering and supporting members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), including its leader, Abdullah Ocalan. In 1998, the Syrian government expelled Ocalan, now imprisoned in Turkey.
During the past several years, the two countries have signed military and security agreements. They are still at odds over Syria's claims to Turkey's Hatay province, in addition to the water-sharing issue.
Miro was appointed head of government in March 2000 under the Syrian military regime headed by the Baathist dictator President Bashar al-Assad.

July 28, 2003
Turkey to Consider Sending Troops to Iraq
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, during talks in Washington with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and Vice President Dick Cheney, assured U.S. officials that the Turkish government was actively considering sending 12,000 to 15,000 troops to Iraq. He said the matter would have to be approved by parliament.
Powell indicated that the United States wanted Turkey to act as quickly as possible on the issue, discussed by the commander of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid, in meetings with Turkish military officials in Ankara on July 18.
Gul indicated that a broader role for the United Nations and NATO in Iraq would make approval of the troop request more palatable to parliament, adding that parliamentarians would also be seeking a specific role for Turkey in Iraq's reconstruction. In addition, the minister said Ankara needed assurance that there would be a “common understanding” between the U.S. and Turkish governments on the future of Iraq.
Gul stated that Turkey sought business contracts in Iraq concerning the supply of goods and services to the country, such as electricity, drinking water, gasoline products, telecommunications, and health care. Powell said that he expressed his appreciation for the significant offers of help from Turkey for reconstruction and humanitarian assistance in Iraq.
The secretary stated that he had encouraged the minister to work with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash in order to make progress soon toward a settlement in Cyprus.
A major objective of Gul's visit was to defuse the bilateral tension stemming from the July 4 capture by American soldiers of 11 Turkish special forces in the northern Iraqi city of Suleimaniyah who were plotting to assassinate the Iraqi Kurdish interim governor of Kirkuk. The Turkish soldiers were taken to Baghdad for questioning for 60 hours before being released. The chief of the Turkish General Staff, Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, said the incident had created an unprecedented “crisis of confidence” between Ankara and Washington.
Turkey denied that there had been an assassination plot. Rumsfeld stated in a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the allegations were accurate, but he provided few details. The U.S. and Turkey both investigated the episode, and, in a joint statement, they expressed regret that the incident had occurred and pledged to take measures to enhance future coordination and cooperation.

July 28, 2003
Israel to Import Water from Turkey
Washington, D.C. - Turkish and Israeli officials will sign an agreement in mid-August for the export of water from Turkey's Manavgat River on the country's southern coast to Israel, ending nearly five years of negotiations on the issue.
Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler will travel to Israel to sign the accord, which envisions the purchase of 50 million cubic meters of water annually for 20 years. The pricing of the water will be determined after the two sides decide which company will be awarded the tender for the project. The two governments are conducting negotiations to lower the price through the reduction of relevant taxes.
Two tankers are expected to be built to transport the water to the Israeli port of Ashkelon, from which an eight-mile pipeline will carry it to the national water supply network by the end of 2004.
A Turkish official stated that Libya and other countries had also expressed an interest in exporting water from Turkey.

July 3, 2003
Citing Separatism Concerns, President Vetoes Key Reform Measures
Washington, D.C. - Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer vetoed legislation passed by parliament as part of a package of reforms aimed at meeting EU standards for the start of accession talks with Ankara, citing concern over its impact on the integrity of the Turkish state. The EU, which will review Turkey's preparedness for talks in December 2004, had welcomed the reforms, the sixth such package passed by parliament, which included measures easing freedom of expression.
The parliament could override Sezer's veto if it returned the legislation to him unchanged after further debate, which has been done frequently in the past. He would then be required to sign the legislation or he could challenge it by referring it to the Constitutional Court
The president opposed changes to the anti-terrorism law that abolished a measure banning "separatist propaganda," which has long been used to jail writers and intellectuals advocating Kurdish rights. He stated that eliminating the measure would "create important dangers to the existence of the Turkish state and the indivisible unity of the state." The lifting of the measure had also been opposed by the army.
Another piece of legislation in the package vetoed by Sezer opened the way for new trials of activists from the country's ethnic Kurd minority who have been jailed under the clause on separatist propaganda.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has made EU membership a top priority and wants to legislate all reforms that will meet EU criteria for accession talks by the end of 2003 in order to demonstrate to the bloc in 2004 that the measures are being implemented.

June 27, 2003
Ankara Advances on Road to EU Accession Talks
Washington, D.C. - The EU invited Turkey to attend, as an observer, the bloc's October Inter-Governmental Conference (IGC) in Rome, where EU nations will begin finalizing the draft of the new European Union constitution.
The IGC is expected to finish its work by July 15, 2004, when the 15 current EU members and the 10 new members that will accede to the bloc on May 1 will begin ratifying the constitution, a process that will not be completed until 2006. Turkey, along with EU candidates Bulgaria and Romania, has participated in the meetings of the European Convention, which prepared the draft of the constitution.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, currently serving as president of the European Council, met with the leaders of the three countries at the June summit to brief them on the proceedings of the meetings and discuss their membership processes.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan updated Simitis on Turkey's efforts to initiate reforms that will fulfill EU membership criteria. Turkey is preparing a seventh reform package that is expected to dilute the military's role in politics, including the appointment of a civilian as the secretary general of the National Security Council in place of a general, a decrease in the number of military personnel serving in the Council, the elimination of military representation in many state supervisory bodies, and the initiation of government authority in determining the military's budget, which is now drawn up solely by the armed forces.
Rather than going into a scheduled summer recess on July 1, the Turkish parliament will be working in July to legislate the new package. While the EU summit was in progress, the parliament passed the sixth reform package, which abolished some laws restricting freedom of expression and permitted broadcasts in Kurdish by private radio and television stations.
The European Commission stated that the sixth package was a clear sign of Turkey's determination to go ahead with the reforms necessary for EU membership, while noting that implementation of the laws would be fundamental to the EU's assessment of whether the country has met the criteria for beginning accession talks.
Turkey is also expected, by the end of June, to release its revised National Program, which will outline the country's progress on meeting the requirements in the EU's Accession Partnership Document for Turkey.

June 27, 2003
Bases and Ports Opened for Iraq Humanitarian and Logistical Aid
Washington, D.C. - U.S. officials welcomed the Turkish government's decision to open its bases and seaports to countries providing humanitarian aid to Iraq. This would include allowing military forces involved in maintaining security in the country, including those of the United States, to use Turkish facilities while in transit.
The government stated that the offer would include accommodating those who are involved in logistical matters in Iraq, as long as their activities remained within the scope of the U.N. resolution that removed the sanctions against Iraq.
Turkey's move was viewed as a significant step toward repairing relations between Ankara and Washington after the Turkish parliament's March 1 decision not to provide territory for American troops to stage a northern front against Baghdad.

June 27, 2003
Reduced Threats Lead to Reduction in Size of Army
Washington, D.C. - The Turkish cabinet approved a proposal by the military to decrease the size of Turkey’s army by 17 percent and reduce the length of compulsory military service to better prepare its forces for non-conventional threats and save $175 million annually.
The Turkish General Staff stated that these steps were possible because of the diminished threat from the separatist guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the near-completion of the military operation against Iraq, and the achievement of relative stability in the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan. It stated, however, that possible threats still existed from unresolved disputes with Greece over the Aegean and Cyprus.
Military service in the second-largest standing army in NATO, which now has 550,000 soldiers, will be reduced from 18 months to 15 months for non-university graduates and to 12 months for graduates. Reserve officers will serve for 12 months, rather than 16.

June 27, 2003
Agreement to Pay Damages in Loizidou Case
Washington, D.C. - In a reversal of previous policy, Turkey has agreed to pay $875,000 in damages to Titina Loizidou, a Greek Cypriot woman who has been denied access to her home in northern Cyprus since 1974. Ankara has conditioned the payment on guarantees that it set no precedent for hundreds of similar cases at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which awarded the damages to Loizidou in 1998.
Turkey has, until now, refused to comply with the decision of the court, which is attached to the Council of Europe. The damages are expected to be paid by October 2004. Turkey, as a member of the Council of Europe, is expected to comply with ECHR decisions if it wishes to accede to the European Union.
Loizidou and other Greek Cypriots have sued Turkey on the grounds that Turkish military control of the northern part of the country has prevented them from having access to their properties and has resulted in a loss of income.
Since the 1998 ruling was announced, Turkey has stated that its military presence in the north did not render it responsible for Loizidou’s loss of revenue and said the complaint should instead be lodged against the Turkish Cypriot authorities. The ECHR has rejected that argument and has maintained that the Turkish Army, with its large number of troops in the north, exercised effective control over that part of Cyprus and the matter, therefore, fell under Turkey’s jurisdiction.
A bill creating a special board in northern Cyprus to deal with property disputes has been introduced into the Turkish Cypriot parliament and is expected to become law by the end of June. The function of the board will be to hear applications from Greek Cypriots who had to abandon their properties in the north in 1974. Compensation will be necessary for the expropriation of any property in the north since then. Turkey would like to see the ECHR refer cases that are similar to Loizidou’s to the board. More information.

June 20, 2003
Critical Human Rights Reform Package Passed by Parliament
Washington, D.C. - Turkey’s parliament approved a set of human rights measures that will improve the country’s chances of convincing the European Union that it is working to meet the bloc’s requirements for opening accession talks.
The legislation abolished a section of Turkey’s anti-terrorism law that authorized punishment for “propaganda against the inseparability of the state,” which prosecutors have used against the ethnic Kurd minority.
Kurdish rights were also expanded as the way was cleared to allow parents to give their children Kurdish names and to permit private television and radio stations to broadcast in the Kurdish language.
Another measure made it easier to have retrials of citizens seeking redress before the European Court of Human Rights, to which advocates of Kurdish rights jailed under the abolished anti-terrorism provision have turned.
The legislation constituted the sixth package of reforms passed by Turkey in preparation for EU membership. A seventh package is expected to be brought before the Turkish parliament this year.

June 20, 2003
Turkish Official Seeks to Mend Ankara’s Ties with Washington
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ugur Ziyal met in Washington with U.S. officials, marking the first visit by a Turkish Foreign Ministry official since the March 1 decision by Turkey’s parliament to reject the deployment of U.S. troops in the country to launch a northern front against Iraq.
In meetings with Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, and Undersecretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs Alan Larson, Ziyal presented proposals for cooperation between Washington and Ankara in the reconstruction of Iraq and in the Middle East peace process.
The proposals included contributing 1,200 to 1,800 troops to Iraq peacekeeping efforts and providing medical services, communications systems, electricity, and running water for the country. Ziyal stated that Turkish contractors and businessmen could take on work in Iraq quickly and economically, noting that they have had a strong presence in the rebuilding of Afghanistan. He suggested that Turkey use the $1 billion grant approved by the U.S. Congress earlier this year to secure $8.5 billion in loans, an alternative stipulated by Congress, and spend part of these loans in the restructuring of Iraq.
The U.S. said that it was preparing to begin negotiations with the Turkish government on the details of the loans and that Turkey’s access to the funds would be tied to its ability to meet the requirements for the release of the latest installment of its $16 billion loan from the IMF. The IMF’s review of Ankara’s performance, which will precede release of the installment, has been delayed because of the country’s slow progress in implementing economic reforms.
The officials also discussed Turkey’s EU candidacy, the Cyprus issue, Turkish-Armenian relations, and counter-terrorism efforts.
Ziyal was accompanied by the director of the operations department of the Turkish General Staff, Bekir Kalyoncu, who participated in the deputy foreign minister’s meetings but did not have separate meetings with Pentagon officials.

June 20, 2003
Closer Economic Relations with Pakistan Sought
Washington, D.C. - During a visit to Islamabad by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish and Pakistani officials agreed to boost bilateral trade, which has remained between $160 million and $170 million annually for the past five years, and increase the number of commercial flights between the two countries.
On the three-day trip, aimed at discussing regional security and expanding bilateral economic relations significantly, Erdogan was accompanied by Economy Minister Ali Babacan, Environment Minister Kursad Tuzmen, and Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim, as well as nine members of parliament and over 100 Turkish businessmen. It was the first trip by a Turkish prime minister to Pakistan since 1997, while Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf visited Turkey in November 1999.
In meetings with his Pakistani counterpart, Zafarullah Khan Jamali, and Musharraf, Erdogan asked Pakistan to establish diplomatic relations with the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by Turkey, and requested Pakistan’s backing for its membership in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The TRNC currently has observer status in the OIC.
Turkish and Pakistani representatives signed agreements strengthening cooperation in combating drug trafficking, facilitating the overland transport of goods between the two countries, and protecting the environment.
The two countries also discussed proposals to establish a joint investment bank and agreed to hold meetings of their prime ministers once a year alternatively in Islamabad and Ankara, while meetings would also take place at the ministerial and secretarial levels.
Erdogan stated that Turkey would welcome Pakistani peacekeepers in Iraq, including the Kurdish-dominated northern region of the country.
Ankara and Islamabad have had strong ties since the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 because of the close relationship between the country’s founder, Kemal Ataturk, and his Pakistani counterpart. Since then, the Turkish and Pakistani military academies have regularly exchanged students for training, even though the two countries have no direct strategic relationship.
Pakistan and Turkey are among the few predominantly Islamic countries to openly endorse the U.S.-led offensive against Al Qaeda and the remnants of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

June 13, 2003
Naples Air Command Moves to Turkey Under Alliance Restructuring
Washington, D.C. - At their meeting on June 12 in Brussels, NATO defense ministers agreed on the elements of the alliance’s new command structure, unveiling a streamlined and more flexible network of command centers to face new post-Cold War challenges, including international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The move marks the alliance’s most radical overhaul of its command structure in its 54-year history.
As part of the new structure, the air command center in Naples will be moved to Izmir, Turkey, and will be called an Air Component Command. It will operate under the Joint Force Command in Naples, as will a Maritime Component Command in the Italian city and a Land Component Command in Madrid, Spain.

June 13, 2003
European Parliament Urges Democratic Reforms
Washington, D.C. - While welcoming recent steps by Turkey toward enacting reforms required for EU membership, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the Turkish government to move forward on a number of democratic reforms if it wants to fulfill the preconditions for opening accession talks.
The members of the European Parliament (MEPs) stated that the Turkish military’s excessive role in politics was slowing down the country’s development toward a democratic and pluralist system. They noted that the National Security Council, where the military has strong influence regarding the formulation of government policies, should be abolished in its current form, while the Turkish parliament should have full control over the military budget.
The MEPs said the government should set up a new political and constitutional system that guarantees the principles of a secular system and civilian control over the military. They also urged greater respect for minority languages and religions, with “a more relaxed and constructive relationship” with citizens of Kurdish origin, including granting them access to radio and television broadcasting and education in their own language. Further measures to eradicate torture were also sought.
The assembly also called on Turkey to withdraw its troops from the northern part of Cyprus as a step toward reunification of that country.

June 13, 2003
Critical Reform Package Sent to Parliament
Washington, D.C. - A reform package that is critical to fulfilling criteria for EU membership has been sent to parliament after a delay, despite reported opposition from the military to some of its proposed measures.
The National Security Council, where the military has a strong presence, was reportedly scheduled to discuss the reforms on July 26, before their submission to parliament.
The "Sixth Harmonization Package" abolishes Article 8 of the Anti-Terror Law, which restricts freedom of expression and has been cited by many verdicts against Turkey in the European Court of Human Rights as a violation of the human rights of Turkish citizens.
The package also eases restrictions on broadcasting in languages other than Turkish, such as Kurdish, restrictions imposed on media organizations during election campaigns, and censorship of audio-visual products such as songs and movies. In addition, it allows international observers to monitor elections.

June 13, 2003
Long-Awaited Foreign Investment Bill Passed
Washington, D.C. - The Turkish parliament passed a law that is critical to encouraging foreign investment in Turkey and is considered key to receiving the next installment of the country’s $16 billion IMF loan.
The law, one of 20 that will lift the current impediments to foreign investment, abolishes minimum capital requirements for investors and the need for a special investment permit, while abandoning restrictions on the purchase of real estate by foreign individuals and firms. In case of disputes, foreign investors will be free to seek national and international arbitration, in addition to having access to local courts.
There has been a delay in the passage of a number of other laws sought by the IMF, including one reforming social security, making it likely that the mid-June review and approval of the latest $500 loan installment by the Fund will be postponed. Some of the laws were pledged by the end of April. Turkish Economy Minister Ali Babacan stated that the legislation called for by the IMF might not be passed until early July.

June 13, 2003
Powell Thanks Gul for Call for Reform Among OIC Countries
Washington, D.C. - Secretary of State Colin Powell sent a letter to Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul thanking him for his call for democratic reforms among Muslim nations represented at the late May meeting in Tehran of the foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
In an address Gul delivered at the meeting, he urged his fellow Muslim nations to follow a “new vision” that embraces transparent democratic governance, freedom, human rights, and gender equality, while rejecting corruption, ignorance, and violence.

June 13, 2003
Attack on U.S. Consulate
Washington, D.C. - A Turkish man threw two grenades into the garden of the U.S. Consulate in the southern city of Adana, shattering windows and damaging a wall, but causing no injuries. One of the grenades was defused by police.
The man, who was arrested, reportedly stated that he had carried out the action in retaliation for Israel’s helicopter gunship strike on a Hamas leader in Gaza.

June 6, 2003
Bomb Targeting Prosecutors Injures Five
Washington, D.C. - The extreme-left Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), a banned Marxist group, claimed responsibility for a bomb that injured five people in Istanbul when it exploded next to a bus carrying security court prosecutors. The state security courts in Turkey handle political dissidents and armed underground groups.
Those injured as the bus passed under a pedestrian bridge were a prosecutor, two police officers, and two passers-by. The organization was also responsible for an explosion in a café in Ankara in May that killed an apparent suicide bomber when the explosives she was carrying detonated prematurely, injuring a bystander.

May 30, 2003
Government Downplays Differences with Military
Washington, D.C. - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed recent media reports that friction was mounting between the military and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), while Chief of the General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok stated that any "differences" the military had with the government would be resolved through the normal functioning of Turkey’s democratic constitution.
Gen. Ozkok said the military had reservations about some of AKP's policies, such as the appointment of individuals it believed were Islamic-oriented to top positions in the government.
Senior military leaders have also criticized draft legislation aimed at improving Turkey's chances of starting EU accession talks, expected to be submitted to parliament the week of June 2. It includes legalizing broadcasts in Kurdish by private radio and television stations, enabling ethnic Kurds to give their children Kurdish names, abolishing a law against "propagating separatism" used to jail Kurdish rights activists, and allowing international observers to monitor elections.
Five previous reform packages have been passed by parliament over the last year-and-a- half in an attempt to move Turkey closer to the European Union. Gen. Ozkok stated that he remained committed to Ankara's goal of achieving EU membership. Deputy Chief of the General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit reiterated the military's support for membership in the bloc, stating that geopolitically and geostrategically, entering the EU was a "must" for Turkey.
In January, the general stated that the government should end its attempt to loosen restrictions on the wearing of Islamic-style headscarves in state institutions, including universities, and that it should not interfere in internal military affairs concerning the expulsion of those accused of practicing political Islam from the army.

May 30, 2003
Anti-Terrorism Cooperation with Israel
Washington, D.C. - Turkey and Israel agreed to cooperate in the war on terrorism during talks between Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz in Ankara. The cooperation will focus on working together against international terrorist organizations, such as Al Qaeda.
The officials also discussed joint initiatives in the security sector, including the supplying of the Turkish Army with unmanned drones by Israel.
Israel's defense exports to Turkey totaled $1 billion last year. Israel is currently upgrading the Turkish Army's F-4 and F-5 fighter planes, as well as 170 U.S.-made M-60 Patton tanks. The two countries signed a military cooperation accord in 1996.
Gonul proposed that Turkey host a conference with representatives of the region's countries to discuss the details of the new road map for Middle East peace.

May 23, 2003
Bomb Blast Blamed on Banned Marxist Group
Washington, D.C. - A woman believed to be a suicide bomber belonging to the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), a Marxist organization, was killed inside the bathroom of a café in Ankara when the explosives she was carrying went off prematurely, injuring a bystander.
A senior police official attributed the blast to the DHKP-C, the largest of Turkey’s extremist left-wing factions, which claimed responsibility for several small bomb explosions at a McDonald’s restaurant and a state-owned hotel in Istanbul in April to protest the war in Iraq. These attacks caused no injuries.
The group also claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack in Istanbul in September 2001 that killed two police officers and an Australian tourist in addition to the bomber.
A small bomb exploded outside the British Consulate in Istanbul in April, but no one took responsibility for it.
The United States and the European Union have placed the DHKP-C on lists of groups they consider to be terrorist organizations.

May 16, 2003
Berlusconi: Turkey Among Countries EU Needs to Achieve Equality with U.S.
Washington, D.C. - Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, which takes over the European Union presidency on July 1, stated that the EU must welcome Turkey, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine into its ranks if it wants to become a “Great Europe,” a “political and military giant” that can “face the United States on an equal footing.”
During a visit to Turkey, Berlusconi said Italy’s support for Turkey’s membership in the EU would intensify during its presidency of the bloc, and Rome would do everything possible to advance Turkey’s candidacy by promoting more concrete steps toward membership.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that the government has targeted December 2003 as the date for completing and implementing the reforms required for the start of EU accession talks, although the EU has said it will review Turkey’s preparedness for talks in December 2004, with the intention of beginning them without delay if the criteria have been met. The Turkish parliament has established a special commission that will work to harmonize Turkish laws with EU laws.
Berlusconi said Ankara should work to resolve the Cyprus issue before December 2004, adding that he wanted to spearhead an initiative, along with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, to promote a Cyprus settlement.
He noted that, under Italy’s EU presidency, he could call on Turkey to make a contribution to EU efforts in the reconstruction of Iraq and in the resolution of the Middle East conflict.
Italy was Turkey’s second-largest trading partner, after Germany, in 2002, with $6.3 billion in bilateral trade. Investments by Italian companies comprise 11 percent of the total investments in Turkey. Berlusconi was the first European prime minister to visit Turkey since Erdogan became prime minister in March.

May 16, 2003
European Parliament, European Commission Urge Continued Reform
Washington, D.C. - The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee adopted an annual progress report on Turkey’s EU candidacy that called on the Turkish government to set up new political and constitutional institutions that would guarantee the principles of a secular system and civilian control over the military.
The committee expressed strong concern over the army’s “excessive role” in Turkey’s government, which it viewed as slowing down the country’s development toward a democratic, pluralist system. It called for the dismantling of the National Security Council, with its heavy military representation, in its present form and stated that military representatives should be withdrawn from other civilian bodies such as the Supreme Council on Education.
In addition, it urged Turkey to improve its respect for human rights and the rights of individuals and minorities, its ethnic Kurds in particular, while calling for the dissolution of the Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK), the state’s media watchdog.
The committee stated that resolution of the Cyprus problem is of essential importance for the future of EU-Turkey relations, while also calling on Turkey to lift its embargo on Armenia and promote a Turkish-Armenian dialogue to overcome bilateral problems.
The report, which will be put to a vote at a plenary session of the European Parliament in June, welcomed the fact that Turkey has made important progress since October 2001 toward fulfilling the criteria for EU membership, but stated that the conditions for opening accession talks were not yet in place.
The European Commission, which is responsible for evaluating Ankara’s preparedness for starting EU accession talks, stated that many of the legislative amendments enacted by the Turkish parliament to bring Turkey’s laws in line with those of the EU were not being implemented.
The Commission will produce a report on Turkey’s progress in meeting EU criteria prior to the December 2004 EU summit, where the EU will decide whether Ankara should begin entry talks in early 2005.
In response to the EU’s appeal to Ankara to tighten its laws in order to prevent torture, the Turkish government in mid-May submitted a legal reform package to parliament that stiffens penalties for torture, including a life sentence without the possibility of parole if a death occurs as a result of torture. The legislation also stipulates that torture is a crime that can be committed by both state officials and civilians, rather than restricting the definition of torture to actions of state employees. In addition, the legislative package mandates prison terms for those convicted of human smuggling and defines genocide and crimes against humanity for the first time.

May 16, 2003
Erbakan Returns to Politics After Five-Year Ban
Washington, D.C. - Veteran Islamist politician Necmettin Erbakan re-entered political life as the newly elected chairman of the pro-Islamic Happiness Party (SP), following a five-year ban on his participation in politics for violating the country's secular constitution.
The 77-year-old Erbakan, who has led the country's Islamist movement for most of the last three decades, replaced Recai Kutan, seen as a caretaker leader of the party until the ban was lifted.
The ban was imposed in 1998 following the Constitutional Court's closure of the Welfare Party, which Erbakan headed. Elected as prime minister in 1996, he was pressured to resign a year later by the military, viewed as the guardian of Turkey's secular principles. Although he was sentenced to prison for pro-Islamist and pro-Kurdish statements, he escaped serving a one-year term under a political amnesty.
Prime Minister Erdogan was a member of the Welfare Party, which was succeeded by the Virtue Party, until it was banned in 2001. Virtue parliamentarians then split into two camps. The reformists, led by Erdogan, formed the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and sought to distance themselves from the Islamist label, while the more traditional Islamists formed SP, seeking stronger promotion of political Islam.
Although Kutan became the leader of SP, Erbakan was considered the force behind the party, which received only 2 percent of the vote in the November 2002 parliamentary elections, below the 10 percent required for representation in parliament. AKP won 34 percent of the vote and was allotted two-thirds of the seats in parliament.

Turkey
May 9, 2003
Turkey, Greece Jointly Ban Land Mines on Border
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou announced that they would simultaneously submit accords to the United Nations marking the ratification by the Turkish and Greek parliaments of the Ottawa Convention prohibiting the use, storage, production, and distribution of anti-personnel landmines.
The accords will go into effect following their joint submission, leading to the removal of extensive minefields along the Greek-Turkish border in Thrace. Greece ratified the Convention in March 2002, while Turkey recently completed the process.
A pledge by both countries to become signatories to the Convention and jointly submit the ratification documents to the U.N. was made by Papandreou and former Turkish foreign minister Ismail Cem in April 2001 as a bilateral confidence-building measure, recognizing that numerous illegal migrants and other civilians are killed by the land mines on the countries’ mutual border. The joint submission of the documents to the U.N. is unusual, reflecting a desire by both countries to signal continuing improvement in bilateral relations.
The announcement by Gul and Papandreou concerning the Convention was made following talks between the two in the Turkish coastal town of Kas, where Gul hosted a reception for the foreign ministers of the 15 EU member states and the 10 nations that will join the bloc next year. The ministers had earlier attended informal EU Council of Foreign Ministers meetings on the Greek islands of Rhodes and Kastellorizo. Gul and the foreign ministers of Bulgaria and Romania, the two other EU candidates, were briefed in Kas on the meetings by the ministers.
During his talks with Gul, Papandreou stated that he hoped the EU would decide in December 2004 to open accession talks with Turkey, adding that it was important that Turkey “now has a very clear European perspective.” Gul emphasized that EU membership was Ankara’s first priority, noting that the first drafts of laws that must be passed to qualify Turkey for accession talks had been completed. The two ministers agreed that U.N.-sponsored negotiations should resume in Cyprus, while Gul called for the lifting of the embargo imposed on northern Cyprus.

Turkey
May 9, 2003
Wolfowitz: U.S.-Turkish Cooperation in Iraq Could Repair Damaged Relations
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz characterized Turkey’s refusal to allow U.S. troops to use Turkey as a base for launching a northern front against Iraq as a "big disappointment," but he stated that the U.S.-Turkish relationship would continue to be a strong alliance. He noted that the Turkish military did not play the strong leadership role concerning the basing issue that the U.S. had expected.
Wolfowitz stated that, if Turkey and the United States can cooperate in building a free, democratic Iraq, it will "more than repair whatever damage has been done" regarding U.S.-Turkish relations.
Greater U.S.-Turkish cooperation during the war, he said, would have resulted more rapidly in the kind of stability in northern Iraq that is in the interests of both Turkey and the United States, adding that the two countries should work together to ensure that stability in the region is achieved.
The deputy secretary stated that northern Iraq should never again be a sanctuary for terrorists carrying out attacks on Turkey, an achievement that would make a Turkish military presence in the northern part of Iraq unnecessary. He reiterated that, as long as Turkey maintains a presence in northern Iraq, its activities there must be coordinated with the U.S.-led coalition.
Wolfowitz called on Turkey to support Washington’s tough messages to Syria and Iran to change their policies concerning support for terrorism, rather than promoting friendlier relations with these two countries.
With respect to the possibility of Turkey’s participation in peacekeeping in Iraq, Wolfowitz said the United States would not rule out such a role for Turkey, but Washington was currently looking to the countries that were part of the war coalition to build the core of the peacekeeping operation.
The official stated that it was "hard to see what the purpose" of a U.S. presence at Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base would be after Ankara told Washington that "Operation Northern Watch is finished, so leave." "The experience we had in Incirlik is not one to encourage us to think of it as an important installation in the future," he stated.
The United States has pulled out the 1,500 American military personnel from Incirlik who, along with British personnel, carried out Operation Northern Watch, the aerial patrol of the no-fly zone in northern Iraq to protect Iraqi Kurds up until March 17. About 1,400 U.S. troops remain at Incirlik for the purpose of servicing and refueling en route flights of U.S. military aircraft.
Wolfowitz suggested that Turkey should say that it "made a mistake" in not cooperating with the U.S. in the war beyond granting overflight rights to coalition planes after the invasion started. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded by saying that "Turkey, from the very beginning, never made any mistakes, and has taken all the necessary steps in all sincerity."
Turkey
April 25, 2003
U.S. Reduces Military Presence at Incirlik Air Base
Washington, D.C. - Following the withdrawal from Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base of 1,500 U.S. military personnel who have been carrying out Operation Northern Watch (ONW) in northern Iraq, the U.S. military presence at the base will be reduced from about 3,000 to 1,400 troops.
The formal ceremony marking the closing of ONW is scheduled for May 1, although ONW’s flights over the northern Iraq no-fly zone were suspended on March 17. All of the 50 U.S. and British planes that patrolled the zone have left the base.
The U.S. personnel that will remain on the base are part of the air force’s 39th Expeditionary Wing, which has been assigned to the base for more than three decades. It has no aircraft and is primarily a support and maintenance unit, which services and refuels planes en route to other destinations.
The United States has maintained a presence at Incirlik since 1951, and Operation Northern Watch was launched in 1997. The no-fly zone, established in 1991 following the Gulf War, was initially enforced through Operation Provide Comfort, a broader multi-national effort that provided humanitarian relief to Iraqi Kurds, until 1996.
NATO has ordered the gradual withdrawal from Turkey of alliance AWACS surveillance aircraft and Patriot missile systems, which were deployed in the country in February as part of “Operation Display Deterrence” to protect it against the potential threat from neighboring Iraq.

Turkey
April 25, 2003
Turkish Government Agrees to Participate in Post-War Reconstruction Efforts in Iraq
Washington, D.C. - Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that Turkey had agreed in principle to a U.S. request to send military and civilian experts into Iraq for post-war peacekeeping duties including reconstruction, providing humanitarian aid, and establishing security.
Gul said the U.S. was seeking experts from Turkey to deal with a broad range of areas such as communications, health care, nuclear technology, and explosives. He noted that Ankara was waiting for a more detailed request from Washington clarifying how Turkey’s contribution to the post-war effort would be financed.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted that the use of Turkish contractors and equipment for reconstruction activities in Iraq would be cost-effective, while the Turkish port of Iskenderun would be an ideal location for importing goods into Iraq. International organizations have already begun transporting humanitarian aid into Iraq through Turkey.

Turkey
April 25, 2003
Ankara Participates in Regional Post-War Forum
Washington, D.C. - Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul joined the foreign ministers of Iran, Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Bahrain in Riyadh to discuss the implications of the coalition victory in Iraq for the region.
The ministers issued a declaration calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq and the rapid formation of a government in Baghdad, noting that the coalition forces should ensure security in the country until the government is established.
They also emphasized the need to protect Iraq’s territorial integrity and called for a central U.N. role in providing humanitarian assistance, dealing with economic issues, and reconstructing Iraq. In addition, they expressed disagreement with U.S. allegations against Syria, calling on Washington to engage in dialogue with Damascus and re-activate the Middle East peace process.
Meeting with his Syrian counterpart on the sidelines of the meeting, Gul appealed to the Syrian government to avoid actions that would further escalate tension in the Middle East.
In bilateral talks with ministers of Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, Gul discussed ways to promote investments and tourism by these countries in Turkey

Turkey
April 18, 2003
Revised EU "Roadmap" Advises Turkey to Help Solve Cyprus Problem, Aegean Issues
Washington, D.C. - The revised Accession Partnership Accord between Turkey and the European Union, a roadmap for Turkey's EU membership preparations, calls on the Turkish government to "strongly support" efforts to find a comprehensive Cyprus settlement by building on the initiatives of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.
In addition, the Accord, which outlines the political, economic, and institutional adjustments Turkey must make prior to EU entry, urges Ankara to make every effort to resolve outstanding border disputes and related issues, an apparent reference to the presidency conclusions of the 1999 EU Helsinki summit, where Turkey was invited to become an EU candidate. The conclusions called on Turkey and Greece to refer their disputes to the International Court of Justice by 2004 if their efforts to resolve them have not been successful.
The document states that Turkey has accomplished reforms reducing inflation, strengthening the banking system, and helping create a more transparent economy. Among the persisting problems cited are the fact that inflation is still not at the desired level, the economy is still vulnerable to international crises, the debt burden is too high, and problems such as deficits in the budget have not been addressed.
It recommends that the Turkish government accelerate privatization of state-owned entities, reform of the financial sector, implementation of the disinflation and structural reform program agreed to with the IMF and World Bank, and market liberalization.
The Accord also notes that Turkey still faces significant human rights hurdles such as continued torture and poor prison conditions, continued widespread arrests in southeastern Turkey despite the lifting of emergency rule, restrictions on freedom of thought, expression, and association, obstacles to property acquisition by non-Muslim and non-Turkish foundations, and inadequate progress in education and broadcasting in languages other than Turkish. In addition, it expresses concern over the closure of the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party (HADEP) on charges of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The Accord provides Turkey with pre-accession financial assistance of $270 million for 2004, $324 million for 2005, and $540 million for 2006. The funds are to be used for assisting institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and respect for and protection of minorities.
Following its review of the Accord, Turkey will outline its list of priorities for meeting membership requirements in the text in its revised National Program, to be released in May. The EU may begin accession talks with Turkey in early 2005, conditioned on a December 2004 summit review of its preparedness.

Turkey
April 18, 2003
Israel Reaffirms Ties With Turkey Under New Government
Washington, D.C. - Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, during an April 14 visit to Ankara, accused Syria of harboring terrorist organizations and offering refuge to Iraqi officials.
Shalom's visit was the first by a senior Israeli official since the November formation of a government by the Justice and Development Party, a party with Islamist roots. He stated that Israel, which signed a military cooperation agreement with Turkey in 1996 that includes joint military maneuvers, attaches great importance to the dialogue it has with Turkey.
Gul had been scheduled to meet with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Shara the day before Shalom's visit to Turkey but said he cancelled the trip to focus on events surrounding the entry of Kurdish peshmerga fighters into the northern Iraqi cities of Kirkuk and Mosul. It is believed his decision stemmed from the fact that the timing of such a meeting would be poor as tension between Washington and Damascus rose amid President Bush's warnings that Syria must cooperate with the United States.
Turkey has improved relations with Syria considerably since the Syrian government expelled Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1998 and renounced support for the PKK.
The Israeli minister's talks with Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer focused on the situation in the region following the Iraq war, the view of both countries that no Kurdish state should be established in northern Iraq, the continued strengthening of bilateral economic ties, which have seen trade expand over the past year to a combined $1.2 billion, and several bilateral defense industry projects.
These projects include a $700 million contract signed in 2002 for the modernization of 170 U.S.-made M60A1 Patton tanks in the Turkish military by Israeli Military Industries. Some 800 Turkish construction workers will go to Israel to work as part of the tank deal, with the workers' wages being deducted from the funds Israel has promised to invest in Turkey.

Turkey
April 11 2003
Turkish Military Observers Sent to Northern Iraq
Washington, D.C. - The Turkish government, with U.S. approval, sent 24 military observers into northern Iraq, following the entry of Kurdish peshmerga fighters, who are allied with coalition forces, into the oil-rich cities of Kirkuk and Mosul.
The United States moved quickly to send its own units to take control of the cities, while assuring Turkish officials that the Kurdish presence would be temporary. Iraqi Kurd leaders also pledged to withdraw their fighters from the cities.
Turkey has repeatedly stated that it would not accept Iraqi Kurd control of Kirkuk, the site of Iraq's largest oilfield, with over 400 wells. Turkey fears that the city's oil resources could be used as the financial basis for the creation of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said that, in a telephone call to Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, he had agreed that Turkey could send a small "military liaison" into northern Iraq. Four 6-man Turkish observer teams have entered the region and will be posted at Kirkuk, Mosul, a site near the Syrian border, and U.S. headquarters in the north.
Powell stated that the U.S. has made clear to the various parties in Iraq that the coalition is committed to the territorial integrity of the country.

Turkey
April 11, 2003
Diplomatic Cooperation with Iran, Syria Over Iraqi Kurds
Washington, D.C. - The concern of Turkey, Iran, and Syria, all countries with large Kurdish populations, over the intentions of the Kurds in northern Iraq have been reflected in Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's decision to schedule meetings with the foreign ministers of Iran and Syria.
Despite repeated U.S. assurances to the contrary, the three countries fear that the U.S. might allow Iraqi Kurds to seize Kirkuk and form an independent state, a move that could rekindle separatist movements among their own Kurdish citizens.
Just four days after Powell's April 2 visit to Turkey, Iranian Foreign Minister Khamal Kharrazi met with Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer in Ankara. Kharrazi called for a meeting of Turkish, Iranian, and Syrian officials to discuss the future of Iraq. In addition, he told the Turkish officials that Iran did not want Turkey to send troops into northern Iraq.
Gul is scheduled to travel to Damascus on April 13 for a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Shara, who has stated that his country should join forces with Iran and Turkey to prevent a possible partitioning of Iraq by the U.S.-led coalition. Gul visited Iran in January as part of Turkey's effort to gain regional support for a diplomatic solution to the Iraq crisis.
Following the Gul-Kharrazi meeting, Turkey stated that it was not forming a tripartite grouping with Iran and Syria, countries the United States has accused of sponsoring terrorism and providing arms to Baghdad. Gul said Ankara's contacts with its neighbors were driven by the fact that all three countries have borders with Iraq, adding that the bilateral contacts would promote regional stability.

Turkey
April 11, 2003
U.S.-British Patrol of Northern No-Fly Zone Ends
Washington, D.C. - U.S. and British fighter aircraft have begun to leave Incirlik Air Base in southeastern Turkey following the March 17 suspension of Operation Northern Watch (ONW) by Washington and London, two days before the war in Iraq started.
Since 1997, the United States and Britain have provided about 50 aircraft and more than 1,400 military personnel, based at Incirlik, to carry out ONW, the aerial enforcement of the U.N.-mandated no-fly zone in northern Iraq above the 36th parallel to protect Kurds from air attacks by the Iraqi military. The U.S. contingent has been comprised of about 1,100 personnel.
About half of the people deployed at Incirlik in support of ONW have returned home, while the other half are expected to return home soon or be transferred to other regions.
The no-fly zone was established in 1991 following the Gulf War and was enforced through Operation Provide Comfort, a broader multinational effort, until 1996.
Since 1997, more than 40,000 troops have rotated in and out of Incirlik and more than 36,000 sorties have been flown over northern Iraq in support of ONW. Iraqi surface-to-air missiles and other anti-aircraft systems have frequently targeted allied planes during their sorties.

Turkey
April 11, 2003
Way Opened for Release of Last IMF Loan Installment
Washington, D.C. - Turkey signed a letter of intent with the IMF outlining economic reforms that will open the way for the lending organization to release the final $1.6 billion installment of a $16 billion loan package negotiated in February 2002 to pull the country out of a recession in the wake of two serious financial crises.
IMF Managing Director Horst Koehler stated that Turkey's economy had a realistic chance of remaining healthy if the country implemented the measures outlined in the letter.
Turkey's pledge to carry out the reforms ended a six-month delay in recommending the release of the installment, which was held up after the new government, which came to power in November, failed to meet some of the economic targets required by the IMF.
The IMF is expected on April 18 to release $700 million of the installment, which will help ease the repayment of the country's huge debt. Turkey has requested that the remainder of the funds be provided in seven installments of $500 million by December 2004.
The reforms, to be carried out through the end of 2004, include achieving a primary surplus for 2003 that is 6.5 percent of GNP; strengthening the independence of the banking watchdog, the Bank Regulation and Supervision Agency; imposing tight controls on government spending, including the elimination of 25,000 redundant positions in state-owned enterprises by the end of 2003; and carrying out a privatization plan for the state tobacco and alcohol monopoly Tekel.
Turkish Economy Minister Ali Babacan stated that proposals designed to reduce the public sector debt ranged from setting up a fund to collect cash donations or jewelry from Turkish citizens, to issuing long-term war bonds, to selling large deforested areas belonging to the Turkish treasury.
U.S. Treasury Undersecretary John Taylor stated that the vote by the United States, the IMF's largest shareholder, on the disbursement of Turkey's loan installment would be based strictly on how closely the country was adhering to its program of economic reforms and not on political considerations, an apparent reference to serious strains between Ankara and Washington over the Turkish parliament's refusal to allow the deployment of U.S. troops in Turkey to launch a northern front in the Iraq war.
Since 1999, the IMF has approved about $30 billion in below-market funding for Turkey. Over the same period, the World Bank has lent Turkey $7 billion at subsidized rates. The Turkish government has also concluded a new $1.3 billion loan program with the World Bank.

Turkey
April 4, 2003
Turkish Support for U.S. Front in Northern Iraq
Washington, D.C. - Following talks between Secretary of State Colin Powell and Turkish officials in Ankara, Turkey agreed to permit the use of Turkish territory for the transport of food, fuel, and medicine to American troops operating in northern Iraq alongside Iraqi Kurd militia.
Some 200 U.S. military vehicles that were in Turkey in conjunction with the U.S. renovation of Turkish ports and bases were slated to carry the supplies into Iraq.
In addition, Turkey agreed to allow emergency landings for coalition aircraft in Turkish territory and to permit wounded coalition soldiers to be transported to Turkey for treatment, reportedly at a military hospital at Incirlik Air Base, from which U.S. and British personnel had conducted aerial monitoring of the no-fly zone in northern Iraq until March 17.
Turkey also agreed to open its border for shipments of humanitarian aid, which will help coalition forces consolidate their control of the country.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that the measures agreed to would not require parliamentary approval.
Following negotiations by President Bush's special envoy to the Iraqi opposition, Zalmay Khalilzad, in Ankara and northern Iraq, the U.S. and Turkey have also decided to establish a coordination committee that will keep track of conditions along the Turkey-Iraq border. This will help ensure that no incidents arise that would cause Ankara to send any of the 40,000 Turkish troops amassed north of the border into northern Iraq, a move that would be opposed by both Washington and the Iraqi Kurds.
Potential incidents that could trigger the movement of Turkish troops toward the south include an attack on Turkish troops already in Kurdish areas to monitor Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) activity, massive refugee movement toward Turkey, terrorist activity in Iraqi territory aimed at Turkey, and a move by Iraq Kurds to seize the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. Powell stated that negotiations would continue to determine what the composition of the coordination committee would be.
Powell has made clear to Turkish officials that Kurdish troops fighting in northern Iraq are doing so under U.S. command and that their participation in the war will not lead to an independent Kurdish state.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that, if Turkey deems it necessary to send troops into northern Iraq, it will do so in full cooperation and coordination with the United States and the Kurdish groups in the region.
Gul called his country a partner in the U.S.-led coalition fighting in Iraq. However, Powell voiced disappointment over the Turkish parliament's refusal in March to allow 62,000 U.S. soldiers to use Turkish territory to launch a northern front in the war.

Turkey
April 4, 2003
U.S. Aid Approved for Turkey
At the urging of the White House, both houses of Congress overlooked Turkey's refusal to allow the deployment of U.S. troops on its territory to open a northern front against Iraq and approved $1 billion in aid to Ankara as part of a nearly $80 billion war budget. The grant could be used as collateral for up to $8.5 billion in U.S.-backed direct loans or loan guarantees.
In a letter to Congress, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice stated that, despite recent difficulties concerning Ankara, President Bush wanted to maintain Washington's strategic partnership with Turkey. The aid, she said, "could play a significant role in bolstering" that partnership, noting that American and Turkish soldiers had stood side-by-side on battlefields from Korea to Afghanistan.
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage also stated in a letter that it would be "particularly damaging to our diplomacy" if the aid request for Turkey were eliminated from the war budget.
The House voted 315-110 to defeat an amendment by Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) to drop the aid designated for Turkey as a penalty for what he termed "putting American and allied soldiers in harm's way." A second House amendment by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) to reduce the aid by $207 million was rejected by a vote of 312-113.
Lawmakers intend to work out the differences between the House and Senate bills and send President Bush a final bill by April 11.

Turkey
March 28, 2003
Turkish Troops Will Not Deploy in Northern Iraq
Washington, D.C. - The chief of the Turkish General Staff, General Hilmi Ozkok, announced that Turkey would not send additional troops into northern Iraq unless an extreme refugee crisis emerged in the Kurdish-administered region or Turkish troops already in the region came under attack. He also stated that any further Turkish deployment in the region would take place through coordination with the United States.
With differences over northern Iraq severely straining relations between Washington and Ankara, the United States and Britain had pressured Turkey to abandon its plans to unilaterally reinforce its troop presence in northern Iraq. Turkey has had several thousand troops in northern Iraq to quell potential PKK activities along the border since 1996, with the consent of the Iraqi Kurds.
The U.S. feared that Turkish soldiers operating outside of the U.S.-led coalition could undermine plans to assemble a northern front against Baghdad by clashing with some 70,000 Iraqi Kurd militia, whose support Washington has enlisted in the fight to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
Both President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair had warned Turkey against sending troops across the border unilaterally. The European Union had indicated that any Turkish incursion into northern Iraq could damage Turkey's EU membership prospects, while Germany and Belgium had said such a move could cause them to remove their crews from AWACS planes sent by NATO to patrol Turkish airspace.
Turkey's stated reasons for its initial intention to deploy additional troops in northern Iraq, in a buffer zone extending 12 miles from the Turkish border, had been to block the potential flow of refugees into Turkey, protect its borders from the infiltration of Kurdish separatist guerrillas, ensure the territorial integrity of Iraq, and prevent the creation of an independent Kurdish state.
Since Turkey's decision on March 21 to grant airspace rights to U.S. and coalition planes, Washington and Ankara had been conducting negotiations on the possibility of achieving a degree of coordination between U.S. forces and any Turkish forces Ankara might send into northern Iraq.
In the absence of Ankara's permission for the deployment of 62,000 U.S. ground troops in Turkey for the staging of a northern front, the number of American troops able to deploy in northern Iraq has been scaled back markedly. The U.S. has begun inserting its troops in the region by air.
The U.S. has also established a military liaison command to serve as a communications link between the Turks and the Iraqi Kurds in order to promote stability in northern Iraq and satisfy Turkish security concerns along the Turkey-Iraq border. The command will also support humanitarian assistance work in the region. The U.S. said the command, which will be based in the southeastern Turkish town of Silopi and will maintain an office in northern Iraq, will handle many of the tasks the Turkish military had planned to carry out in northern Iraq.

Turkey
March 28, 2003
U.S. Aid Package Despite Lack of U.S. Troop Deployment
Washington, D.C. - President Bush requested a $1 billion grant for Turkey that could be used as collateral for up to $8.5 billion in U.S.-backed direct loans or loan guarantees.
The request for the economic support funds is part of a $74.7 billion spending plan for the Iraq war submitted to Congress for approval, and it includes aid to other nations such as Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Oman, and a number of central and eastern European countries backing the war.
The U.S. government said the aid request was not linked to the Turkish government's decision to grant U.S. and coalition planes overflight rights for the Iraq war, or to the outcome of negotiations over Turkish troop deployment in northern Iraq. It said the funds, conditioned on continued economic reform in Turkey, were designed to help Turkey relieve balance-of-payments needs that might result from the war. Turkey's debt burden of about $160 billion, close to the nation's annual output, at interest rates ranging from 60 to 70 percent, has alarmed international creditors and financial institutions.
An earlier U.S. aid offer would have provided Turkey with $6 billion in grants and up to $20 billion in loan guarantees. That aid package was withdrawn when it became clear that U.S. troops would not be given the go-ahead to establish a northern front from Turkey.
The European Commission has proposed doubling EU financial assistance to Ankara for the years 2004 through 2006 from $532 million to $1.1 billion.

Turkey
March 21, 2003
Overflight Rights for U.S.Coalition Planes on Hold
Washington, D.C. - A parliamentary decision to grant the U.S. and coalition countries access to Turkey's airspace for planes headed for Iraq was on hold following the failure of Ankara and the U.S. to agree on the conditions of the overflights and Washington's opposition to Ankara's insistence on sending its troops into northern Iraq unilaterally, without U.S. coordination.
Turkey has demanded that detailed information be filed prior to each overflight, including the type of aircraft, its load, and its destination, while the U.S. wants to be able to use the airspace without prior notification.
In addition, there were reports that Turkish military units had taken control of several roads in northern Iraq to stem a possible flow of refugees toward the Turkish border. Turkey also fears the rise of an autonomous Kurdish state in the region. Iraqi Kurds have threatened to attack Turkish troops entering northern Iraq, sparking a mini-war behind U.S. lines.
The parliament's March 20 airspace resolution does not permit U.S. and coalition planes to land at Turkish bases, even for refueling. In addition, the U.S. and British planes that have been based at Turkey's Incirlik Air Base for the purpose of patrolling the no-fly zone in northern Iraq are prohibited from taking part in bombing raids in Iraq. The parliament did not reconsider its prior rejection of a motion calling for the deployment of 62,000 U.S. ground troops in the country to establish a northern front against Iraq.
A resolution authorizing the deployment of Turkish troops in northern Iraq for the creation of a buffer zone was approved by the parliament along with the airspace motion. As the vote was taking place, some 70,000 Turkish troops were being deployed to the Iraqi border.
Earlier negotiations on the terms of the possible deployment of U.S. forces in Turkey had envisioned the stationing of Turkish troops in a band of northern Iraqi territory extending up to 15 miles from the Turkish border, behind advancing U.S. soldiers, for the purpose of stemming the refugee flow and providing humanitarian relief.
The parliamentary action on airspace rights was taken several days after the Turkish lira fell to a record low against the dollar and the Turkish stock market dropped 11 percent, following statements by U.S. officials that a U.S. aid package of $6 billion in grants and $8.5 billion in loans had been withdrawn, in view of the parliament's rejection of the U.S. troop deployment.

Turkey
March 14, 2003
Bush Intervenes to Urge Decision on U.S. Troop Deployment and Airspace Use
Washington, D.C. - President Bush, in a letter, urged Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister-designate, to decide whether to allow the U.S. to move ground troops through Turkey and use its air bases and airspace to launch a northern front against Iraq.
The president's letter to Erdogan followed their March 10 discussion, during which the airspace matter was raised. During the discussion, Erdogan rebuffed Bush's request that he help speed up parliamentary approval of a second measure on both the troop deployment and airspace issues. The legislative body voted on March 1 to reject an initial U.S. request to allow the deployment of up to 62,000 U.S. troops in Turkey.
As Erdogan, who was appointed prime minister by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on March 11, was forming his government, he asked parliament to meet for a special weekend session, March 14 through March 17. He did not indicate whether a second vote would take place during the session.
Although any U.S. air campaign against Iraq would rely mainly on planes now based in Kuwait and other Gulf countries, planes on three aircraft carriers in the Gulf, and those on other vessels in the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, the U.S. also seeks access to northern Iraq from southern Turkey by air. If U.S. aircraft are not given permission to use Turkish airspace, Washington will have to determine whether to fly over Jordan and Israel, a route that could strain relations with Arab countries, to airlift troops and equipment into northern Iraq.
Ships have been unloading U.S. military equipment at the Turkish port of Iskenderun for weeks under a prior agreement with the Turkish government allowing the U.S. to upgrade bases and ports in Turkey for possible use in a war against Iraq. Anti-war demonstrators clashed with security forces at the port March 12 after 48 U.S. jeeps and trucks involved in the modernization activities left the port. Some Turkish parliamentarians have demanded a parliamentary investigation to ensure that the U.S. cargo being unloaded at Turkish ports does not include equipment to be used in combat.
Erdogan won a seat in parliament on March 9 by running in a by-election in the southwestern province of Siirt. Abdullah Gul, who became prime minister following the November 3 parliamentary elections, resigned March 11. Erdogan assumed the post of prime minister on March 14 after Sezer approved his cabinet.
After winning his parliamentary seat, Erdogan stated that Ankara needed more assurances from Washington on the future of Iraq before it could authorize the deployment of U.S. troops in Turkey.
Turkey has set four main conditions for allowing the deployment: (1) The Kurds in northern Iraq must not be armed with heavy weapons, particularly anti-aircraft missiles, which Ankara fears may be used against Turkish planes. (2) Immediately after the war, Kurdish fighters must be disarmed and integrated into the Iraqi army. (3) The Kurds must not be given federal status since it would establish the nucleus of a future independent state. (4) Iraqi Turkomans must be regarded as the equals of Kurds in any post-war settlement.

Turkey
March 14, 2003
Kurdish Political Party Closed Down
Turkey's Constitutional Court outlawed the country's largest legal Kurdish political party, the People's Democracy Party (HADEP), for allegedly threatening national interests through its suspected links to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a charge HADEP denies.
The court also imposed a five-year political ban on 46 HADEP members, including its former chairman, Murat Bozlak. The decision does not apply to its current chairman, Ahmet Turan Demir. The party's assets will also be confiscated.
In addition, the chief prosecutor filed a case to close another pro-Kurdish group, the Democratic People's Party (DEHAP), which served as an umbrella formation for HADEP in November's parliamentary elections.
Amid concerns in Brussels over human rights violations in Turkey, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in November pledging to ease restrictive legislation concerning political parties in order to enhance Turkey's chances of joining the European Union. The EU has urged Turkey to grant greater rights to its Kurdish population.

Turkey
March 14, 2003
European Court Rules Ocalan Trial Unfair
The European Court of Human Rights ruled that PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was not tried by an independent and impartial tribunal during his 1999 trial because a military judge was present for some of the hearings and he was only given restricted access to his lawyers.
Although the ruling of the court, which is independent of the European Union, is not binding, Turkey will come under pressure to try Ocalan again, particularly since its human rights abuses have been cited by the European Union as a key reason for the postponement of the launching of its EU accession talks until after 2004.
Turkey is planning to appeal the ruling, declaring that the court had not "thoroughly considered" aspects of the case.
Ocalan, who brought the case before the court, was condemned to death, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment last year after Turkey's parliament abolished the death penalty, a requirement for EU membership.

Turkey
March 7, 2003
Parliament Defeats Government Bid to Allow U.S. Troop Deployment
Washington, D.C. - The Turkish parliament on March 1 narrowly voted not to permit 62,000 American forces to use Turkey as a launch pad for an invasion of northern Iraq, despite the endorsement of the U.S. request by Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, the leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the cabinet.
Erdogan stated on March 6 that the government would wait for the U.N. Security Council to pass a second resolution on Iraq before asking the parliament to reconsider the request. The Security Council's debate on a new resolution could take place as early as the week of March 10.
A second parliamentary rejection of U.S. troop deployment would endanger Ankara's hopes of influencing the structure of post-war Iraq and would put the $26 billion U.S. aid package, which is linked to the troop deployment, out of reach. The package is comprised of $6 billion in direct aid and $20 billion in loan guarantees, including $324 million in Export-Import Bank credits to purchase eight Seahawk helicopters and 6 Blackhawk helicopters.
Congressional reaction to the March 1 vote was immediate. On March 5, references to Turkey were removed from a trade bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. A nearly identical bill that the House passed last year included a provision granting benefits to qualified industrial zones in Turkey. A provision regarding Turkey was also missing from similar legislation approved by the Senate Finance Committee.
Following Turkey's parliamentary vote, Chief of the Turkish General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok stated that it would be better for Turkey to join the U.S. in the Iraq war since the country would suffer consequences whether it participated or not. He noted that the aid package offered by the United States to offset Turkey's anticipated financial losses from the war would soften the conflict's impact on its economy. He added that a northern front, greatly assisted by Turkish participation, would shorten the war. His support for a second parliamentary vote on U.S. troop deployment prompted a partial recovery in Turkish financial markets, which declined 12 percent in one day immediately after the March 1 vote.
The bill rejected by the Turkish parliament, which was only three votes shy of being passed, included a Turkish government proposal to send tens of thousands of Turkish troops into northern Iraq, behind advancing U.S. forces, in order to stem the flow of refugees toward Turkey, ensure that the Iraqi Kurds, who have administered northern Iraq since 1991, do not establish an independent state, make certain that the Kurds do not take over the oil fields in Kirkuk and Mosul, and promote representation of Iraqi ethnic Turkomans in a post-war government. Iraqi Kurds have staged protests against possible Turkish troop deployment in northern Iraq.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers confirmed that a war against Iraq would be fought on fronts in both the north and the south, with or without Turkey's assistance. In the absence of Turkey's permission to open a northern front, Myers stated that the U.S. military was considering inserting a more lightly armed force than the army's 4th Infantry Division, which would have moved overland, into northern Iraq, and protecting this force with additional airpower. The 101st Airborne Division and its more than 250 helicopters could also be dispatched from Kuwait to attack targets in northern Iraq. A U.S. troop presence in northern Iraq is critical to protecting the Kirkuk and Mosul oil fields from Saddam Hussein's anticipated scorched-earth strategy.
The 30 U.S. ships carrying the armor, ammunition, and equipment of the 4th Infantry Division, which continued to wait off the Turkish Mediterranean coast after the March 1 vote, would be routed elsewhere if a second parliamentary vote did not open the way for them to disembark at Turkish ports.
Turkey has given the U.S. permission to offload some of the military vehicles and equipment from the U.S. ships at Turkish ports, but the bulk of the cargo remains on the ships pending parliamentary action. On March 6, some 30 trucks carrying U.S. Humvees, fuel trucks, and other support equipment left the southern Turkish port of Iskenderum reportedly heading for a waiting station outside the nearby city of Mardin. The U.S. cannot unload any combat equipment unless Turkey's parliament approves the deployment of the troops.
The failure of the Turkish government to push the bill through parliament, despite the overwhelming majority held by AKP in the legislative body, was attributed to the inability of the party's leaders to secure the votes promised in support of the bill, opinion polls indicating that more than 90 percent of Turks oppose a war with Iraq, Washington's insistence that the austerity program Turkey negotiated with the IMF apply to the new loans in the U.S. aid package, a U.S. demand that Turkish forces deployed in northern Iraq be restricted to providing relief for refugees, and the widespread view that a second Security Council resolution on Iraq authorizing the use of force against Baghdad was needed to legitimize an Iraq war.
On March 9, Erdogan was to run for a seat in parliament in a bi-election in the southeastern province of Siirt. If elected, as expected, he will become prime minister.

Turkey
February 27, 2003
Parliament Delays Vote on Allowing Deployment of U.S. Troops for Iraq Campaign
Washington, D.C. - The Turkish parliament was expected to vote on February 27 whether to allow U.S. troops to use Turkey as a staging area for an attack on Iraq from the north, as negotiations on the terms of a U.S. aid package and Turkish military and political concerns related to an Iraq campaign entered the final stretch.
The Turkish government notified parliament that it was prepared to permit up to 62,000 U.S. troops, 255 warplanes, and 65 helicopters to be deployed in Turkey for six months for the establishment of a northern front against Iraq and had also authorized the entry of an unspecified number of Turkish troops into Iraq in the event of war. The notification followed a February 24 agreement on these matters by the Turkish cabinet.
Turkey has been pushing for $32 billion in U.S. assistance, including up to $10 billion in grants, to offset the anticipated financial losses the country will face as a result of a conflict on its southern border. It has reportedly settled on the U.S. offer to provide a $26 billion package, including $6 billion in economic and military grants and $20 billion in loan guarantees. Sticking points have included the Turkish request for textile trade concessions in the United States and the U.S. demand that the grant funds be subject to the same conditions governing the $16 billion loan package provided to Turkey by the IMF.
Attempting to come to an agreement on the terms of the entry of tens of thousands of Turkish troops into northern Iraq during a war has also prolonged the negotiations, with Ankara seeking guarantees on the post-war structure of northern Iraq.
Turkey wants to send troops into northern Iraq to prevent the creation of an independent Kurdish state in the region, curb the movement of refugees into Turkey, and ensure that Kurdish forces do not enter the oil-rich cities of Kirkuk and Mosul, which the U.S. is expected to secure. The Turkish government has stated that Turkish forces would not be involved in any combat against Iraqi forces.
Washington has stipulated that any Turkish troops deployed in northern Iraq should come under the command of U.S. forces, a policy opposed by Turkey. Turkey also opposes U.S. plans to arm Kurdish militiamen in northern Iraq during a war and insists that the arms be collected when the war is over.
Senior officials from the two large Kurdish factions in northern Iraq, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and its rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which have administered the region since the end of the 1991 Gulf War, have warned Turkey that the deployment of Turkish troops in northern Iraq during a war, for any reason, will result in a conflict between the groups' guerrillas and the Turkish soldiers. The U.S., Turkey, and the Iraq Kurds have been carrying out discussions concerning the potential U.S. and Turkish deployment in northern Iraq.
About 5,000 Turkish troops are already deployed inside Iraq, in and around the mountains separating Iraq from Turkey. They have been there since the mid-1990s to hunt Turkish Kurd separatists based mainly along Iraq's border with Iran.

Turkey
February 21, 2003
Washington Urges Timely Ankara Decision on U.S. Troop Deployment
Washington, D.C. - The United States set a February 21 deadline for Ankara to accept its offer of a $26 billion aid package and approve the deployment of up to 40,000 U.S. troops in Turkey to launch a northern ground invasion of Iraq in the event of war with Baghdad.
On February 21, Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul stated that the government was nearing an answer on whether to allow the American troops to use Turkish bases and that an agreement would be reached in the coming days.
The Turkish government cancelled plans to hold a February 18 parliamentary session to vote on the approval of the U.S. troop deployment, saying that it would put off the long-anticipated vote until the week of February 24 as it continued to negotiate with Washington over the size of the aid package. Ankara is seeking a package totaling $32 billion to offset expected financial losses as a result of a war.
If Turkey fails to make a decision by February 21 on allowing American troops to enter the country, the Pentagon may move ahead with an alternate basing arrangement. In addition, it may divert U.S. ships carrying troops and equipment, those currently waiting off Turkey's Mediterranean coast to unload and others that are approaching the coast, to Kuwait through the Suez Canal. Such an outcome could cause a short delay in a possible start to a war.
The U.S. seeks to attack Iraq both from Turkey in the north and from Kuwait in the south in order to divide and weaken Iraq's forces. Alternatives to using Turkey as a base for a northern front include sending troops and equipment overland from Kuwait to northern Iraq, a 500-mile distance, or dropping airborne forces into northern Iraq to secure airfields that could be used as forward bases. The latter option would limit the number of troops and armored vehicles that could be brought in.
The loss of Turkey as a staging area would delay the U.S. military's ability to secure Iraqi oilfields close to the Turkish border to prevent Saddam Hussein from destroying them and would restrict its capacity to re-supply American forces with ammunition, food, and fuel.
The Turkish parliament's vote on the basing of U.S. troops is tied to U.S.-Turkish negotiations to coordinate the dispatch of some 60,000 Turkish troops to northern Iraq behind advancing American soldiers for deployment along the Turkish border to stem an anticipated flood of refugees toward Turkey. Turkey is reportedly demanding that its troops also be given the opportunity to establish positions up to 170 miles into northern Iraq, fearing that Iraqi Kurds might declare an independent state if the Iraqi leader is ousted.
About 500 U.S. military personnel arrived in Turkey on February 16 to renovate Turkish bases and ports for use in a war with Iraq. The Turkish parliament previously voted to allow the personnel to enter Turkey to upgrade the facilities.

Turkey
February 21, 2003
NATO Approves Defensive Equipment for Turkey Against Iraq
Washington, D.C. - NATO on February 19 approved the urgent deployment of AWACS early warning surveillance aircraft, Patriot anti-missile batteries, and special units that withstand chemical and biological attacks to Turkey to defend it against a potential assault by Baghdad in the event of a war.
The approval was given just days after the alliance began contingency planning to protect Turkey, a process that had been blocked for a month by France, Germany, and Belgium, arguing that it would undermine U.N. efforts to settle the Iraq crisis peacefully.
To by-pass Paris and break the stalemate, NATO had moved consideration of a U.S. request to begin planning for Turkey's defense from the North Atlantic Council, the alliance's highest political decision-making body, to its Defense Planning Committee, which has excluded France since 1966 when the country left the alliance's military command structure. Germany and Belgium then dropped their vetoes in exchange for an allied commitment to support U.N. efforts to resolve the crisis non-violently.
Under a bilateral agreement with Turkey, the Netherlands had already shipped Patriot systems to Turkey, expecting them to arrive the week of February 24. These systems, capable of being used against Iraqi Scud missiles, are to be deployed at air bases in Batman and Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkey. Most of the 370 Dutch air force personnel trained in the use of Patriots are to fly to Turkey to operate them. Germany, which has ruled out sending any of its soldiers to Turkey in conjunction with a war in Iraq, has reportedly sent one of its Patriots to the country via the Netherlands.
The forward operating base for the AWACS the alliance plans to deploy in Turkey, which are currently based in Germany, may be Konya in south-central Turkey or Aktion in northwestern Greece.

Turkey
February 14, 2003
NATO Planning for Defense of Turkey Blocked
Washington, D.C. -France, Germany, and Belgium have blocked NATO from agreeing to a U.S. request that the alliance begin contingency planning for providing defensive systems to Turkey, the only alliance country that shares a border with Iraq, in the event of a war against Baghdad. The standoff has marked one of the most serious crises in NATO's 54-year history, deepening a split between the U.S. and some European countries.
The three nations stated that such planning would be premature before U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq issued their February 14 report on the status of inspections to the Security Council, and it would indicate that the alliance had accepted the inevitability of war.
Concerned that Turkey's support for a war could invite an attack by Iraq, Ankara asked NATO for consultations regarding its defense by invoking Article 4 of the alliance's founding treaty for the first time since the alliance was established. France, Germany, and Belgium all turned down Turkey's request.
Article 4 states that the members of the alliance will consult jointly whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of a member is threatened. If all 19 members agree that such a situation exists, they could then invoke Article 5, which states that an attack on one NATO member is an attack on the entire alliance.
In January, Washington asked the alliance to send Turkey Patriot anti-missile batteries, AWACS early warning surveillance aircraft, and units trained to counter attacks using chemical and biological weapons.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated that the United States and allies that support the deployment of these defensive capabilities to Turkey would work outside of NATO, if necessary, to deliver them to Ankara. The Netherlands has already promised to provide Turkey with Patriots under a bilateral arrangement.
The split within the alliance was made more apparent when France, Germany, and non-NATO member Russia also issued a joint declaration saying that they favored extending and strengthening the U.N. weapons inspection program in Iraq in order to disarm Saddam Hussein's regime peacefully. China, which, along with Russia and France, holds veto power on the Security Council, expressed support for the declaration, jeopardizing U.S. hopes that the body will approve a resolution authorizing force against Iraq.

Turkey
February 14, 2003
Foreign, Economy Ministers Request Meetings in Washington on Iraq Crisis
Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis and Economy Minister Ali Babacan held talks in Washington on the ground rules for the possible stationing of U.S. troops in Turkey to launch a northern assault against Iraq, the strategy that will define a post-war Iraq, and the multi-billion-dollar economic aid package the U.S. is negotiating with Ankara to secure Turkish support for a war.
The talks included meetings with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Treasury Undersecretary John Taylor, Undersecretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs Alan Larson, and Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Bill Young.
Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul stated that Ankara's decision on whether to allow U.S. troops to use Turkish facilities in the event of a war would depend on the outcome of the discussions on the aid package. On February 18, Turkey's parliament is scheduled to vote on a U.S. request to station an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 troops in the country. The parliament has already voted to permit the U.S. to move forward with the modernization of three military bases, three airports, and several ports in Turkey.

Turkey
February 14, 2003
Placing Turkish Troops Under U.S. Command Rejected
Washington, D.C. - Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), ruled out placing Turkish forces under U.S. command in a war against Iraq, describing such an idea as an "insult" and "humiliation" for Turks.
The U.S. has stated that Turkish troops would have to be under the command of a U.S.-led coalition if they are involved in any operation in northern Iraq during the war. Washington and Ankara are negotiating the conditions of the deployment of U.S. troops in Turkey to open a northern front against Iraq. In addition, they have been discussing the possibility that Turkish troops would be deployed in northern Iraq along the Turkish border to deal with humanitarian problems and stem the flow of refugees northward. Turkey has stated that its troops would not go into combat in Iraq.

Turkey
February 14, 2003
Afghan Peacekeeping Command Ends
Turkey on February 10 turned over the command of the 22-nation International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), responsible for maintaining order in Kabul, to Germany and the Netherlands after an eight-month stint backed up by 1,400 Turkish soldiers.
Although Turkey's six-month mandate to lead the 4,800-member force ended on December 20, Ankara agreed to retain the command until its successors completed their preparations for assuming the responsibility for six months.
German Lt. Gen. Norbert van Heyst will be the new commander, taking over from Turkish Maj. Gen. Hilmi Akin Zorlu, while Dutch Brig. Gen. Robert Bertholee will be the deputy commander. The German contingent will consist of 2,500 troops, and the Netherlands will provide 700. Turkey is expected to reduce its contribution to about 160 soldiers.
Zorlu stated that ISAF needed to stay in Kabul for two or three more years until a new Afghan national army and police force are well established. German Defense Minister Peter Struck has proposed that NATO, currently involved in planning, communications, and intelligence in Afghanistan, take charge of the Afghan peacekeeping operation when the joint German-Dutch administration ends. Britain held the initial command of ISAF, which was first deployed in Kabul in December 2001.
Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul attended the ceremony marking the transfer of the command, along with his German and Dutch counterparts. Ankara has contributed about $430,000 toward the formation of the Afghan national army. In addition, Turkey will train Afghan officers in Turkish military schools.

Turkey
February 7, 2003
Go-Ahead Given for U.S. Upgrading of Bases for Iraq War
Washington, D.C. - Turkey's parliament voted to allow some 4,000 U.S. engineers to begin upgrading several Turkish military bases and ports, particularly the southern harbors of Mersin and Iskenderun, for a period of three months for use in a war against Iraq. Washington is planning to spend up to several hundred million dollars to modernize and expand the facilities.
The vote took place a day after Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said he would ask the parliament, on February 18, following a week-long Muslim holiday, to authorize the Turkish government to open the country to about 20,000 U.S. troops for a northern front in a war. He declared Ankara's support for Washington's plan for military action against Baghdad, but said that Turkish troops would not take part in the war.
Turkey's National Security Council, an influential advisory body comprised of top military leaders as well as Turkey's president, prime minister, foreign minister, and defense minister, had endorsed the U.S. request for the deployment of troops in Turkey, as well as their use of Turkish bases and ports. The Council announced that it had recommended that parliament make a decision "directed at taking military measures seen as necessary to defend Turkey's national interests in the face of possible unwanted developments."
Ankara is believed to be putting off the vote on U.S. troop deployment in order to assess the stance of the United Nations following a February 14 report by U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq, hoping that the U.S. will not take military action in Iraq unless the U.N. first passes a resolution authorizing the use of force against Baghdad.
In a significant shift from his past statements advocating the paramount need to maintain peace in the region, the leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that Turkey's long-term interests and security might be endangered if it remained outside of a potential war at the beginning of the operation, making it impossible for Ankara to influence developments after the war. Iraq, he said, was not taking the necessary steps for peace.
Erdogan stated that the most important priority for Turkey in any Iraq campaign would be to play a part in the decision-making on the future of Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. U.S. diplomats and senior military commanders, led by President Bush's special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, are conducting negotiations in Ankara with Turkish officials and representatives of Iraq's Kurdish groups that may result in allowing tens of thousands of Turkish troops to occupy part of northern Iraq near the Turkish border behind advancing American troops. The Turkish troops would deal primarily with humanitarian problems and would discourage refugee flows into Turkey.
Turkey has begun building up supplies of weapons and equipment along its 250-mile border with Iraq to raise its troops' "level of readiness," according to an announcement by the Turkish Army's general staff. Several thousand Turkish troops have been stationed inside northern Iraq since 1996 to pursue guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and, more recently, to protect the Turkish-speaking Turkoman minority.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Yusuf Buluc also stated that Turkey expected the United States to support its approach to a Cyprus settlement in return for Ankara's backing in an Iraq campaign.

Turkey
February 7, 2003
High-Level EU Delegation Affirms Turkey's Accession Course
Washington, D.C. - In the first high-level EU-Turkey meeting since the bloc's December 2002 Copenhagen summit, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, in his capacity as chairman of the EU's Council of Ministers, joined Foreign Minister Franco Frattini of Italy, which assumes the EU presidency in July, and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen for talks with officials in Ankara.
The talks were aimed at affirming the EU's support for Turkey's accession process and strengthening ties between Ankara and Brussels, following the decision at the summit to review Ankara's readiness for beginning accession talks in December 2004, with talks starting in 2005 if the review is positive.
Among the topics discussed in Ankara were the EU's financial assistance to Turkey, the reforms being carried out by the Turkish government in preparation for membership, the Cyprus issue, Greek-Turkish relations, developments in Afghanistan and the Balkans, and the Iraq crisis.
Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said Turkey had set the end of 2003 as the target date for meeting the requirements for beginning EU accession talks.

Turkey
January 24, 2003
Regional Conference Aims at Averting War in Iraq
Washington, D.C. - The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and Iran arrived in Istanbul on January 23 to join Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis in discussing ways to achieve a diplomatic solution to the Iraq crisis. The meeting, called by Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, was follow up to his early January tour of these countries to enlist their support for establishing a regional initiative to avoid war against Baghdad.
In a joint declaration released after the meeting, the ministers urged Iraq to increase its cooperation with United Nations weapons inspectors by providing information more actively on the country's capabilities concerning weapons of mass destruction, while also confirming its commitment to ongoing monitoring and verification with regard to weapons systems.
The ministers called on the Iraqi leadership to move toward assuming its responsibilities in restoring peace and stability in the area, noting that the countries of the region did not wish to live through the devastating consequences of another war. They did not call on Saddam Hussein to step down or go into exile as a way of avoiding a war.
The declaration also stated that the U.N. Security Council was entrusted with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, including the task of determining the level of Iraq's compliance with the Council's resolutions and ensuring their full implementation. In addition, it said that the six nations participating in the meeting remained committed to the peaceful resolution of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of all relevant U.N. resolutions to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
Yakis said the aim of the meeting was to alert Saddam Hussein that he needs to fully cooperate with the United Nations or be prepared to face the consequences, while also sending a message to the rest of the world that war should be a last resort. In the declaration, the ministers stated that their next meeting would be held in Damascus.
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Meyers, in Turkey for talks with Turkish officials a few days before the foreign ministers' summit, referred to it as a "serious initiative" that could prove helpful to U.S. efforts to force Saddam Hussein to disarm.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, who arrived in Ankara the day of the summit for talks with Turkish officials on Iraq, praised the declaration issued by the six foreign ministers, calling it a strong message to the Iraqi government that there must be full compliance with weapons inspections. Fischer, who said Berlin was concerned by the risks of U.S.-led military action in Iraq, was on a tour of the Middle East, which also included Egypt and Jordan, as part of Germany's effort to resolve the Iraq crisis peacefully.

Turkey
January 24, 2003
Negotiations Continue with Washington on U.S. Deployment for Iraq War
Washington, D.C. - Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said the government had authorized the Turkish military, based on negotiations with U.S. military officials, to estimate the number of U.S. troops needed for deployment in Turkey to establish an effective northern front in a war with Iraq.
One of the options being considered for a scaled-down northern front was a U.S. force of about 15,000 troops, he said, adding that U.S. and Turkish military planners had not yet agreed on a final plan. Washington had reportedly asked to deploy about 80,000 troops in Turkey for the war.
Yakis's statements were made following a visit to Turkey by U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Meyers for talks with Chief of the Turkish General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul on pinpointing the level of support Turkey is prepared to offer Washington in an Iraq campaign.
Following Gen. Meyers' departure from Turkey, the Turkish government's increasingly public opposition to a war accelerated with a statement by ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan urging the United States and Britain to heed the calls of anti-war protestors in their countries.
Erdogan said the Turkish government would move forward with efforts to avert a war. Polls in Turkey have indicated that from 80 to 90 percent of Turks are opposed to an Iraq war, and there have been daily anti-war demonstrations, including protests at Incirlik Air Base from which U.S. and British aircraft patrol the no-fly zone over northern Iraq.
A final decision on the use of Turkish facilities by U.S. forces was expected to be made by Turkey's National Security Council the last few days in January, a week after 150 U.S. inspectors were scheduled to complete their survey of Turkish bases and ports to determine their suitability for use by U.S. troops.

Turkey
January 24, 2003
Erdogan Overcomes Another Legal Hurdle to Premiership
Washington, D.C. - The way was once again opened for Erdogan to seek the office of prime minister when Turkey's Constitutional Court said he could be re-elected leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) after initially ruling that he had technically not been the party's leader since October 2002. The party quickly moved to re-elect him.
The initial ruling of the court nullified Erdogan's status as the head of AKP. It stated that he had automatically relinquished the post in the fall when he gave up the title of founding member of AKP, after government prosecutors sought to ban the party, saying that it carried on the legacy of the banned Virtue Party, an Islamist party. The court said, therefore, that Erdogan was not the party's leader, as he claimed, when the parliamentary elections took place on November 3. The Constitutional Court is still considering a move to close AKP.
Erdogan plans to seek a seat in parliament in a March by-election in the southeastern province of Siirt. The Turkish parliament has amended the constitution to lift the prohibition against his candidacy for parliamentarian and eventual premiership, which stemmed from a 1998 conviction for Islamist sedition.
In a separate ruling, a local court in Istanbul acquitted Erdogan of charges of favoritism in awarding contracts when he served as Istanbul's mayor in the mid 1990s.
Any recommendation on U.S. deployment would have to be sent to parliament for approval, as required by the Turkish constitution. The Turkish government continues to insist that it would sanction the use of force against Iraq only if a second U.N. resolution gives the go-ahead for a war.
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Meyers, in Turkey for talks with Turkish officials a few days before the meeting, referred to it as a "serious initiative" that could prove helpful to U.S. efforts to force Saddam Hussein to disarm. Syria has offered to host another regional peace summit in Damascus, possibly with the leaders of the countries that participated in the Istanbul meeting.

Turkey
January 17, 2003
U.S. Military Begins Inspection of Turkish Bases for War Readiness
Washington, D.C. - A group of 150 U.S. military inspectors have begun examining 10 Turkish air bases and several ports to determine their suitability for use by American forces in the event of a war against Iraq. The site survey, delayed for a month by the Turkish government after initial agreement with the U.S., was expected to last 10 days.
Turkey has not yet responded to Washington's request that Ankara grant formal permission to the U.S. to use Turkish bases and ports in conjunction with a war and allow the deployment of some 80,000 American troops that would transit Turkish territory en route to northern Iraq.
The office of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated that Ankara could make only a limited contribution to a war against Iraq because of its historic ties to the country and Turkey's status in the region.
The government said a decision on the U.S. request to open a northern front in Turkey against Iraq would come from the Turkish parliament following the January 27 report by U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq to the U.N. Security Council, raising concerns in Washington that further delay could hinder mounting a significant U.S. deployment in the country. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Meyers is expected to press the government to open Turkey's bases to U.S. troops when he visits Ankara on the weekend of January 18-19.
U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, during a December trip to Ankara, said Washington was prepared to invest several hundred million dollars to modernize Turkish military bases for use in an Iraq campaign.
The United States has formally asked for NATO's assistance if a war with Iraq occurs, including the deployment of Patriot air-defense missiles and AWACS surveillance aircraft to Turkey.

Turkey
January 17, 2003
Ankara to Host Summit on Diplomatic Solution to Iraq Crisis
Washington, D.C. - The Turkish government plans to host a summit with the participation of five countries in the region to find a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal informed the ambassadors of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Iran of Ankara's intention to send invitations to the leaders of their countries to attend such a meeting in Turkey's capital, possibly as early as the week of January 20.
In mid-January, Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul completed a tour of these countries aimed at building regional consensus to avert a war against Iraq. He sought their support in persuading Baghdad to adhere to the demands of the United Nations concerning weapons inspections.
In addition, Turkey and several Arab countries, Egypt and Saudi Arabia in particular, have reportedly accelerated efforts to convince Saddam Hussein to go into exile in order to prevent a war.

Turkey
January 17, 2003
U.S. Navy in Mediterranean Expected to Be Part of Iraq War Effort
Washington, D.C. - The U.S.S. Harry Truman aircraft carrier and a dozen other ships in its battle group have appeared in the eastern Mediterranean at a time when Washington is preparing an additional staging area in the region for a war with Iraq. U.S. Navy vessels have been largely absent from the Mediterranean since the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Exercises and contacts between U.S. Navy vessels and regional navies, largely abandoned over the last 16 months, have resumed. Two of the Truman battle group's ships made port calls in Turkey, while a delegation of Turkish officials flew to the Truman to meet its commanders. In addition, ships from the group participated in the December joint search-and-rescue "Reliant Mermaid" exercise with Turkey and Israel. The battle group has also been involved in a multipurpose exercise with the Israeli military and will be part of an air defense exercise with Israel later in January.
Any sustained U.S. carrier-based military operations against Iraq from the eastern Mediterranean would likely be supported by NATO ammunition and fuel storage facilities at Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete. The Greek Air Force base at Souda Bay, which is also used by the U.S. Navy, and the Royal Air Force base on the British sovereign base area at Akrotiri, Cyprus, would also be potential trans-shipment sites for critical supplies and spare parts needed to support air operations.
The Truman battle group has also been questioning about 50 ships a day in the Mediterranean in conjunction with the war on terrorism and has been providing escorts to ships in choke points such as the Strait of Gibraltar, where ships are vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

Turkey
January 10, 2003
Prime Minister Seeks Regional Support for Avoiding Iraq War
Washington, D.C. - During Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul's early January tour of Syria, Egypt, and Jordan, he and the leaders of these countries agreed to increase and coordinate their efforts to seek a non-violent alternative to a U.S.-led war against Iraq.
Gul's tour was conducted as Turkey continued to delay its answer to Washington's request to station up to 80,000 combat troops in Turkey as part of a regional buildup of forces for a possible war, move military equipment through two seaports, and base warplanes on at least two airfields besides Incirlik, from which U.S. and British planes currently enforce a no-fly zone over northern Iraq.
Gul said a war against Iraq would be waged at a heavy price for all countries in the region and could result in region-wide instability. He emphasized that the potential for a divided Iraq emerging from a war, with the possible emergence of a Kurdish state, was an important reason to promote a non-violent solution to the situation in Baghdad.
In meetings with Jordan's King Abdullah and Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb in Amman, officials on both sides expressed concern that both economic and political instability could be a consequence of a campaign against Iraq. The king stated that a settlement to avert war must be found through the United Nations.
In addition to sharing borders with Iraq, Turkey and Jordan are both key U.S. allies in the region that have faced pressure from Washington to provide logistical support for a war. They both receive oil from Iraq and have significant trade ties with the country, with Jordan being Iraq's largest trading partner. Both Gul and Jordanian officials expressed their hope that the U.S. would provide them with monetary compensation for the deleterious impact a war was expected to have on their economies.
Jordan has repeatedly stated that it would not allow U.S. troops to use its territory as a base for an Iraq attack, while Gul has stressed that a decision to allow U.S. troops to be based in Turkey in conjunction with an Iraq war would have to be made by the Turkish parliament after January 27, when U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq are scheduled to report their findings to the U.N. Security Council.
The Turkish prime minister also met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Prime Minister Atef Obeid in Egypt, which is also being urged by the U.S. to make its air bases available to American forces in the event of a conflict.
While Gul was in Damascus for talks with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa Miro, it was announced that Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Shara would continue bilateral discussions on preventing a war with Iraq during a trip to Ankara on January 13-14. In addition, Al-Assad was scheduled to visit Turkey in March.
Gul was to visit Saudi Arabia on January 11 to meet with King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, and was to travel to Iran on January 12.
Gul's multi-nation tour was seen as a way of indicating to the Turkish public that it has done all it could to avoid a war. It also served as a means of assessing the view of these Muslim countries toward Turkey's potential involvement in a war, given Turkey's past isolation from other Muslim countries in the region. An early January poll showed that 87 percent of Turks oppose a war against Iraq.
Turkey has upgraded its diplomatic ties with Iraq to ambassadorial level, after more than a year of chilly relations following allegations that Iraq's last ambassador to Turkey had met with one of the men who organized the September 11 terrorist attacks. The state minister responsible for foreign trade, Kursat Tuzmen, visited Iraq on January 10, along with 350 businessmen, to discuss expansion of Turkey's trade with its southern neighbor.

Turkey
January 10, 2003
Military Issues Anti-Islamic Warning to Government
Washington, D.C. - The chief of the Turkish General Staff, General Hilmi Ozkok, publicly accused the new government of encouraging Islamic fundamentalism, the first public, post-election sign of tension between the military and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), a conservative party with Islamist roots.
Ozkok was referring to Prime Minister Abdullah Gul's stated opposition to an order by the military expelling seven soldiers from the army for involvement in what it termed "fundamentalist activities."
Every year, the Turkish military purges officers suspected of having Islamist sympathies, but these soldiers have no right of appeal. Gul said that he would try to amend the law to allow the expelled soldiers to contest their dismissal. He also pledged to lift the ban on the wearing of Islamic-style headscarves by women in schools, universities, and government offices, a move Ozkok stated would be frowned upon by the military.
The military has viewed itself as the guardian of the secular principles of the Turkish state since its inception in 1923.

Turkey
January 10, 2003
Erdogan Revitalizes Ties with Azerbaijan Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan
Washington, D.C. - The leader of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Recep Tayyip Erdogan, spent five days in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan for official meetings designed to revive flagging economic and political relations with these Turkic-speaking Central Asian states that are rich in oil and natural gas.
Turkey is eager to consolidate its role as a bridge for transporting Central Asian energy resources to European and other world markets. Discussions during Erdogan's trip covered a project slated to export natural gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz reserves to Erzurum, Turkey, through Tbilisi, Georgia. The project has been delayed over concerns that Turkey's stagnating economy might make it unable to meet its commitment to purchase the gas. The construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, beginning in Baku, Azerbaijan, and ending in the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, began in September 2002.
While energy matters were the main focus of the trip, talks also covered issues such as the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, regional security, and economic and trade relations. The AKP leader was accompanied by 150 Turkish businessmen.
There has been a drop in the number of bilateral meetings between Turkey and these countries in the past few years, as Ankara focused on its preparations for meeting the EU's requirements for accession talks. In addition, Turkey's annual trade volume with Central Asia declined by 30 percent in 2001 to $830 million, including $300 million with Azerbaijan, $210 million with Kazakhstan, and $180 million with Turkmenistan.
In late December, Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss the situation in Iraq and bilateral trade relations, including Russia's gas sales to Turkey. The new Blue Stream gas pipeline running from Russia under the Black Sea to Turkey is expected to deliver regular supplies of gas by January 15.
Erdogan will also visit China from January 14-17.

Turkey
January 3, 2003
U.S. War planning Envisions Participation of Turkey in Northern Front
Washingotn, D.C. - Washington is developing plans for establishing a northern front in a war against Baghdad that would involve transporting thousands of U.S. soldiers into northern Iraq by helicopter from Turkish bases during the early stages of an invasion. A U.S. team has already visited Turkish bases to assess their readiness to receive American forces.
Once in northern Iraq, these soldiers would secure the oil fields in the region and help to stabilize the provinces controlled by ethnic Kurds in the no-fly zone, preventing these Kurds from seizing further territory. This movement of troops would occur as much larger invasions were being carried out from the west and the south. Due to the high mountains in northern Iraq, only a small number of special forces would be expected to enter the country on the ground.
In late December, U.S. Treasury Undersecretary John Taylor and State Department Undersecretary Marc Grossman met in Ankara with the Turkish state minister in charge of the treasury, Ali Babacan, to discuss an economic aid package for Turkey in the event of a war in Iraq. Turkey has reportedly asked the U.S. for $28 billion in assistance to offset damage that a war would cause in areas such as tourism and exports, and has reiterated its longstanding request that the U.S. forgive $4 billion in military loans to Ankara.
Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said that, although Ankara is exhausting all avenues to prevent a war in Iraq, the government is building up its military strength in southeastern Turkey and will play a role in such a war, despite the strong opposition of the Turkish public and business leaders.
Turkey has not yet informed the U.S. concerning the level of its participation in the war. The leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated that Turkey would make no concrete promise of support for a U.S.-led military operation against Baghdad until the January 27 release of the initial results of U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq and the passage of a second resolution on Iraq by the U.N. Security Council, expected at the end of January.
A vote by the Turkish parliament will be required to allow the use of bases by the U.S. and the deployment of American forces on Turkish soil for a war, and Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will have to approve that decision. Gul said that he would travel to Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Iran to discuss the possibility of peacefully disarming Iraq. He is also scheduled to meet with President Bush in Washington on January 24.
Israel's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, and the chief of the Turkish General Staff, Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, met in Ankara on December 24 reportedly to discuss coordination of the operations of the air and missile defenses of Turkey and Israel in the event of a war in Iraq, as well as cooperation in military training and the defense industry.
The navies of Turkey, Israel, and the U.S. held their joint annual search and rescue exercise on January 1 in the international waters off the Israeli coastline. The exercise, "Reliant Mermaid," is the fifth such maneuver between the United States and its two allies since 1998.

-------------------------------------
January 3, 2003
Sezer Opens Way for Erdogan to Become Prime Minister
President Sezer approved constitutional changes passed by Turkey's parliament that will make it possible for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), to run for a parliamentary seat in a by-election in the southeastern province of Siirt and replace Abdullah Gul as prime minister if he wins, as expected.
A by-election to repeat voting for three parliamentary seats was scheduled for February 9, following the Supreme Electoral Board's decision that irregularities had taken place in Siirt during the November 3 elections. On January 2, the head of the Board stated that the by-election might be postponed until March or April since the harsh winter weather in the region might result in a low turnout.
The constitutional changes, which were passed with strong support from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), were initially rejected by Sezer, who considered them tailored specifically to benefit Erdogan. The parliament then passed the legislation unchanged and sent it to Sezer a second time. When this occurs, the president is required by law to approve it or refer it to the Turkish public for approval in a referendum. Because of Erdogan's popularity, the public would likely have backed the amendments if a referendum had been called, prompting Sezer to approve the changes.
Erdogan was unable to become prime minister following the November 3 elections, despite the overwhelming victory of AKP, because he was not a member of parliament. Article 76 of the Turkish constitution stipulates that anyone convicted of an ideological crime cannot become a parliamentary candidate. In 1998, Erdogan was convicted of inciting religious hatred for publicly reading a poem, an act that was interpreted as advocating an Islamist revolution. Under the new constitutional amendments, Article 76 now prevents only those convicted of terrorism from running for parliament.

---------------------------------
December 20, 2002
EU Commitment to Begin Accession Talks if Criteria Met
Washington, D.C. - At the December 12-13 European Union summit in Copenhagen, the EU made a commitment to determine in December 2004 whether Turkey has fulfilled the criteria for opening accession negotiations and will launch the negotiations "without delay" if the criteria have been met. It also encouraged Turkey "to pursue energetically its reform process" and offered significantly increased pre-accession aid.
The basis for determining Turkey's preparedness for talks will be an annual report by the European Commission on the progress the country has made toward legislating and implementing key reforms, as well as a recommendation by the Commission.
The Copenhagen criteria to be met, laid down in 1993 in Denmark's capital city, include full respect for human rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and association, the freeing of all political prisoners, and greater rights for minorities; the abolition of torture; and the imposition of civilian control over the military. Torture has been outlawed in Turkey, but it is sometimes still practiced by local and regional security forces. Although Turkey has granted the right to teach and broadcast in Kurdish, it is expected to provide greater rights to Kurds.
The leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had lobbied vigorously for a definite date in 2003 for the start of accession talks and initially criticized the EU's decision at the summit. Later, Erdogan referred to the decision as a "major success" since a roadmap that was favorable to Turkey had emerged and EU-Turkey relations were progressing. Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul added that the European Union's pledge to open membership talks immediately, if the December 2004 review is positive, had made it clear that Turkey will become a member of the EU.
Public opinion was divided over the EU's decision. Some believed that the EU commitment to talks, although at a later date, was a victory, giving parliament sufficient time to complete the difficult reforms required by the bloc. Others felt that Turkey had been treated unfairly since it had passed a significant reform package in August 2002 and was in the process of moving forward toward the legislation of additional reforms.
Greece, Britain, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Portugal had backed talks starting in January 2004, while France and Germany had proposed negotiations beginning by July 2005 if criteria had been met by the end of 2004. Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, and Luxembourg had argued for a much longer timetable.
The U.S. had supported Turkey in seeking an earlier date for talks. On the eve of the summit, Secretary of State Colin Powell, in a letter to Chris Patten, the EU's external affairs commissioner, reinforced weeks of exertion by the Bush administration, backed by Britain, for the start of accession talks even if the required human rights reforms were not yet in place. The letter arrived as President George Bush was making a second round of calls to EU leaders to promote a date for talks.

------------------------------------
December 20, 2002
Leader of Turkey's Ruling Party Invited to Washington
Washington, D.C. - During Erdogan's December 9-10 visit to Washington at the invitation of President Bush, the AKP leader discussed ways that the U.S. and Turkey could cooperate in a war against Iraq in meetings with the president, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz.
Erdogan presented the demands Ankara would make in exchange for its support for U.S. military action in Iraq, while Bush, just two days before the EU Copenhagen summit, publicly reiterated strong U.S. support for the granting of a date for Ankara's accession talks by the European Union. Erdogan asked Bush for stepped-up U.S. support for Turkey's EU aspirations.
It is extremely rare for a U.S. president to meet with the leader of a country's ruling party who is not prime minister. Bush's meeting with Erdogan was part of a major diplomatic offensive on the part of the U.S. to gain political as well as military support for an Iraq campaign. In addition, it sent a clear message to Turkey's political establishment and the Turkish people that the United States wants to do business with the new government, despite its Islamist roots.
The United States is considering providing a substantial military and economic aid package to Turkey, which would help offset anticipated losses to the Turkish economy if a war against Iraq goes forward. Turkey's participation in such a war would enhance its chances of receiving long-sought debt relief for the $4 billion it owes the U.S. in military loans.

-------------------------------
December 20, 2002
Erdogan's Hopes to Become Prime Minister Thwarted
Washington, D.C. - Erdogan's plans to become prime minister were dashed by Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's decision to veto changes parliament made to the constitution that would have allowed the AKP leader to replace Prime Minister Abdullah Gul.
Parliament voted 440 to 18 to remove a constitutional clause that prevented Erdogan from seeking a seat in the legislative body in the November 3 elections, opening the possibility that he could become prime minister by running in a February 9 by-election in the southeastern province of Siirt. As a result of a decision by the Supreme Electoral Board to annul the election results in the province due to irregularities, voters will recast their ballots for three parliamentarians in the by-election. Party officials had signaled that Erdogan planned to run for one of the seats.
The clause that was removed barred candidates from running for parliament if they had been convicted of engaging in illegal "ideological and anarchic activities." In 1998, Erdogan was convicted of inciting religious hatred when his public recitation of a poem was characterized by the courts as an act of Islamist sedition.
Sezer objected to the constitutional changes, saying that they were based on "subjective, concrete, and personal aims."
Parliament must now decide whether to vote on the changes again. If they pass a second time without changes, the president has the power to call a referendum concerning the amendments, which would likely take place too late for Erdogan to run in the Siirt by-election.

----------------------------------
December 20, 2002
Turkey Lifts Objections to Use of NATO Assets by EU Force
In an agreement brokered at the Copenhagen summit, Turkey dropped its objections to the use of NATO's planning and military assets by the proposed EU military force. The move opened the way for deployment of the force in F.Y.R. Macedonia, possibly by February, to replace an alliance peacekeeping force of about 700 troops.
Turkey, with the second-largest army in NATO, had long sought assurances that the EU force would not use NATO assets against Turkish interests, particularly in Cyprus. Under the terms of the agreement, Cyprus will not take part in European Union military operations conducted using NATO assets once it has become a member of the EU.
In 1999, the EU agreed to establish a 60,000-member rapid reaction force, capable of deployment within 60 days, by mid-2003, as a central element of its European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP).
The force's first police mission will begin on January 1, 2003, in Bosnia, where more than 500 officers will take over an operation led by the United Nations. The EU has said that it would also like to lead a peacekeeping operation in Bosnia to replace the 17,000-member NATO-led SFOR peacekeeping force currently there.
The EU force will be used to carry out missions independently of NATO, if the alliance declines to lead the missions.


December 6, 2002
Reform Package Submitted to Parliament as Ankara Awaits Decision on Accession Talks
Washington, D.C. - In an effort to enhance Turkey's chances of being offered a date for starting EU accession talks at the bloc's December 12-13 Copenhagen summit, the new government presented a 32-article draft package of critical human rights reforms to parliament on December 3, just four days after it won the vote of confidence in the legislative body that officially launched it. The government wants the laws to be passed before the summit begins
The package included draft bills that focus on meeting past demands of the EU, such as enhancing freedom of expression, preventing torture, revising court procedures, granting detainees immediate access to legal counsel, allowing families to give children Kurdish names, easing restrictions on the press, civic groups, and non-Muslim religious foundations, and ending political party banning.
Parliament recessed on December 4 for Bayram, a four-day Islamic religious holiday, but is expected to resume discussion of the reform package several days before summit.
AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to go to Copenhagen the day before the summit begins to carry out last-minute lobbying for the setting of a date for Ankara's accession talks at the summit. In November, Erdogan toured 14 European capitals in an effort to convince EU leaders to offer Turkey a date in Copenhagen.
A week before the summit was to begin, France and Germany agreed to propose a conditional date in Copenhagen for Turkey to begin accession talks in 2005, subject to a European Commission report. Under the proposal, the Commission would prepare a report in the second half of 2004 on the progress made by Ankara on democratic reforms. If the report is positive, the EU would set July 1, 2005, as the date for launching talks. The proposal must be approved by all 15 member states to be adopted at the summit.
Erdogan rejected the Franco-German proposal, stating that it would be unacceptable for Turkey to wait more than two years to begin talks. He said Ankara would accept nothing less from the summit than the setting of a firm date for the start of talks and would ask that the date not extend beyond 2003.
Erdogan's trip to Copenhagen will be preceded by a two-day visit to Washington on December 9 and 10 to meet with President George Bush and other officials. The visit, just a few days before the summit, is seen as a demonstration of U.S. support for Turkey's accession process, as well as an opportunity to discuss preparations for a possible U.S.-led campaign against Iraq and Washington's desire to see a framework agreement for a Cyprus solution concluded before the summit.
Turkey has been an associate member of the European Union since 1963 and was named an EU candidate in December 1999.


December 6, 2002
U.S. Discusses Iraq Campaign Planning with Turkish Officials
Washington, D.C. - During an early December visit to Ankara to discuss Turkey's level of support for a U.S.-led military operation against Iraq with the new government, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz stated that the discussions included the possibility that Washington will invest several hundred million dollars in the upgrading of Turkish bases if it is determined that they will be used in the campaign.
Wolfowitz, accompanied by Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, said U.S. and Turkish officials had agreed to proceed with the next steps of military planning in order to make decisions concerning the basing of forces in Turkey and the improvements that would be made in Turkish facilities. Wolfowitz said the projected level of U.S. forces operating out of Turkey during an Iraqi campaign had not yet been determined.
A statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Abdullah Gul stated that Turkey's parliament, not the government, would make the final decision with regard to military matters concerning a potential campaign against Iraq, as close consultations between Ankara and Washington continued.
The deputy chief of the Turkish General Staff, Yasar Buyukanit, stated that no decision concerning Turkish support for a campaign had been made by the National Security Council when it met for the first time under the new government on November 29.
Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis stated that Turkey believed a second U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq would be necessary before any military action could be taken, in the event that Iraq does not comply with the U.N. directives on disarmament. This position is at odds with the Bush administration's view that Resolution 1441, passed by the Council in November, provides the legal authority to carry out an attack if the Iraqi government fails to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.
To encourage Turkish support for an Iraq campaign, the United States has urged the EU to set a date at the Copenhagen summit for the start of Turkey's accession talks and is considering a significant aid package to compensate for economic losses that Turkey is likely to incur as a result of such a campaign.

December 6, 2002
Turkey, Greece Envision Continued Cyprus Negotiations after Summit
Washington, D.C. - The week before the Copenhagen summit, Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis welcomed Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou in Ankara, and both officials stated that efforts to reach a Cyprus settlement should continue after the summit if a framework agreement is not achieved by then.
Yakis's statement was a departure from the position of the government of former prime minister Bulent Ecevit, which had suggested that Turkey would take strong measures, including the possible annexation of northern Cyprus, if a divided Cyprus were asked to join the EU at the summit.
Yakis stated that Turkey's position regarding the accession of a divided Cyprus was that the EU would be taking in a "very sick child." He said, however, that he was confident of the Greek Cypriot side's intention to resolve the Cyprus problem, thereby allowing Turkish Cypriots to actually participate in the European Union.
Both foreign ministers pledged to promote the conclusion of a framework agreement by the time the EU leaders met in Copenhagen.
A Turkish government statement issued following the November 29 meeting of Turkey's powerful National Security Council, the country's main decision-making body composed of the top military and civilian leaders, said the Council supported Denktash's position concerning the process of negotiating a settlement.

Turkey
December 6, 2002
State of Emergency Lifted Entirely in Southeast
Washington, D.C. - Turkey has lifted a 15-year-old state of emergency in predominantly Kurdish southeastern Turkey by ending curfews, restrictions on gatherings, and other measures in the last two provinces, Diyarbakir and Sirnak, where it remained in force. The move was welcomed by the European Union, which considered it to be a critical requirement for Turkey's EU membership eligibility.
Emergency rule was imposed in 13 southeastern provinces in 1987, three years after fighting began between Turkey's military and separatist guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The government gradually began phasing out restrictive measures in these provinces as the fighting diminished to sporadic clashes in 1999 after the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Turkey
December 6, 2002
Cancelled Election Result May Open Way for Erdogan to Be Prime Minister
Washington, D.C. - Turkey's Supreme Electoral Board has annulled the results of the November 3 parliamentary elections in the southeastern province of Siirt, a move that could provide an opportunity for Erdogan to run for parliament if the legislative body changes an article of the constitution that now bans him from running.
Under the article, Erdogan's 1998 conviction for Islamist sedition, stemming from a public reading of a poem, prevents him from being a parliamentary candidate.
A February by-election will be held in Siirt, where the electoral board found irregularities in polling that sent three deputies to parliament. Erdogan could run for the seat of one of the deputies, who was elected as an AKP candidate.
AKP, with 363 seats in parliament, is four votes short of attaining the two-thirds majority required to amend the constitution. The leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Deniz Baykal, has expressed support for amending the constitution to open the way for Erdogan to run for parliament.

Turkey
November 22, 2002
Abdullah Gul Named Prime Minister
Washington, D.C. - Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer asked Abdullah Gul, the deputy leader of the conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) and AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan's right-hand man, to form a new government, the first single-party government in 15 years.
The choice of Gul, a strong advocate of Turkey's European Union membership aspirations and close ties with the U.S., was welcomed by market watchers for his strong background in economics, providing him with the experience to deal with the IMF, and for his reputation for moderate, pro-Western views, despite the Islamist roots of his party.
Gul stated that his government would give first priority to recovery from the economic crisis and would maintain the country's focus on both its strategic partnership with the United States and its candidacy for EU membership. In a telephone call to Gul to congratulate him, President George Bush invited the new prime minister to visit Washington in 2003.
Gul, a 52-year-old former economics professor who has been elected to parliament three times, has a doctorate in economics and spent eight years working at the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He has been active in Turkey's Islamist movements since the late 1970s and served as a minister without portfolio in 1996 and 1997 in a coalition led by the now-banned Islamist Welfare Party and Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan.
Gul's pro-Western views, at odds with those of the former leader of the now-banned Islamist Virtue Party (FP), Recai Kutan, contributed to the formation of AKP in 2001 when FP was closed down by a Turkish court. Kutan and his more conservative Islamist forces, loyal to Erbakan, formed the Felicity Party (SP), while Gul joined Erdogan in siphoning off the more moderate deputies from the reformist wing of Virtue to establish AKP. SP received 2.5 percent in the November 3 parliamentary elections, while AKP received 34.3 percent.
Although AKP took 363 of the 550 seats in parliament, Erdogan was unable to become prime minister because of a 1998 conviction for publicly reading a poem that was considered seditious by a Turkish court. Despite being sidelined from the post, he is expected to play a leading role, alongside Gul, in shaping the government's policies.
Following his appointment as prime minister, Gul stated that AKP would work to show the international community that a Muslim country could be democratic, transparent, and compatible with the modern world, as it focuses on its primary goals of revitalizing the economy, gaining membership in the European Union, and promoting social welfare. He stated that AKP is a conservative party that seeks the religious freedoms enjoyed in the West, but it will not follow an Islamist agenda.
Gul said the new government believed that the establishment of a NATO-EU strategic partnership and the development of the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) were vital, adding that ESDP should include NATO countries that are not part of the European Union, such as Turkey, if the EU wished to be a credible actor in the new global security environment.
Following Gul's appointment, the Turkish lira hit four-month highs against the dollar, while interest rates also fell. Shares on the Turkish stock market rose about 50 percent in the weeks immediately before and after the elections as it became clear that AKP would have a large parliamentary majority, heralding a period of political stability.

Turkey
November 22, 2002
New Cabinet Formed and Approved Quickly
Within two days of appointing Gul, Sezer approved the new prime minister's cabinet list, with few changes, laying the groundwork for the new government to move quickly in implementing its ambitious agenda of fighting corruption, improving human rights, lowering inflation, and increasing privatization to gain the confidence of financial markets and the European Union.
The cabinet, all AKP members, was reduced to 25 ministers from 37 in order to cut state expenditure and increase the government's efficiency.
Gul appointed 35-year-old Ali Babacan, who is a graduate of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and worked as a private-sector financial consultant in the United States, to serve as economy minister. The finance minister will be Kemal Unakitan, an advisor of Erdogan's when he was mayor of Istanbul.
Yasar Yakis, a 64-year-old career diplomat and Arab expert, was named foreign minister. He has served as Turkey's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Egypt.
Vecdi Gonul, a former Interior Ministry undersecretary and a former regional governor, who is close to Sezer, was appointed defense minister.
A former police official from the southeast, Abdulkadir Aksu, will be interior minister, while Ali Coskun, a businessman and former chairman of the Turkish Union of Chambers, was appointed minister of trade and industry.
Erkan Mumcu, tourism minister in the outgoing government, who moved over to AKP from the center-right Motherland Party (ANAP) prior to the elections, will be education minister, considered a sensitive position because of the Islamic-style headscarf issue.
The three deputy prime ministers are Ertugrul Yalcinbayir, a lawyer and former member of ANAP; Abdullatif Sener, finance minister in the 1996-1997 Islamist-led government; and Mehmet Ali Sahin, one of the founding members of AKP.
Bulent Arinc, AKP's former parliamentary group chairman, was elected speaker of parliament. The speaker acts as the president's proxy during the president's trips abroad.
A parliamentary vote of confidence will be held in late November, officially launching the new government. There will be no problem obtaining this vote since it requires the support of 276 deputies and AKP holds 363 parliamentary seats.

Turkey
November 22, 2002
Economic Plan Given High Profile in Reform Agenda
Washington, D.C. - As Abdullah Gul was being named prime minister by Sezer, Erdogan made clear his role as a strong force behind Gul by announcing at a press conference a program of economic and social reforms aimed at increasing Turkey's chances of becoming an EU member.
Erdogan gave high visibility to planned economic reforms, stating that priority would be given to privatization, spending cuts, including downsizing the overstaffed public sector, and tax reform in order to meet the demands of the $16 billion IMF economic rescue program.
The AKP leader stated that the party wanted to renegotiate certain elements of the IMF program to ease hardship caused by the financial crisis, particularly in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. The government's talks with the IMF are scheduled to take place in January.
In addition, Erdogan promised to enforce more effective debt collection at banks seized during the financial crisis and to promote the rapid sale of their assets. Ali Babacan, following his appointment as economy minister, stated that AKP would focus attention on regulation of the banking sector, at the heart of Turkey's economic crisis, naming it as one of the most important factors for Turkey's recovery. He pledged to ensure that the banking watchdog would be independent from political influence.
To combat the pricing of the energy sector above world market prices and promote economic growth, Erdogan said lower energy prices would be achieved through a cut in subsidies to the state television company. In addition, energy sector operating licenses would be transferred to the private sector within three months to create competition, and mining companies would be privatized.
Erdogan also said increased incentives for businesses and manufacturers would be launched, as well as more support for low-income farmers. A program to build 9,000 miles of roads is slated to begin within six months.
Turkey's economy is showing signs of recovery due to the strict adherence of the outgoing administration to the terms of the IMF program. However, a further reduction of the budget is necessary to tackle the country's massive domestic debt load.
The AKP leader stated that stiffer punishments would be given in cases involving bribery and corruption, widely regarded as one of the causes of Turkey's economic crisis, while tough penalties against the use of torture in the penal system, a key prerequisite for beginning EU accession talks, would be taken immediately.
He also called for a relaxation of the secular laws that prohibit women wearing Islamic-style headscarves from attending public universities and called for reform of the education system.

Turkey
November 22, 2002
U.S. Encourages EU to Give Turkey Date for Accession Talks
Washington, D.C. - On November 18, President George Bush telephoned Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark, whose country currently holds the presidency of the European Union, and urged him to advance Turkey's EU candidacy, noting the importance of the December 12-13 EU Copenhagen summit in this regard.
Washington supports giving Ankara a date for starting EU accession talks at the summit. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher has stated that the United States believes Turkey's future is in Europe, and it is in the strategic interests of the U.S. and the EU that Turkey and the 15-member bloc build the closest possible relationship.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder stated on November 19 than an "extra signal" of the EU's commitment to Turkey's candidacy would be given to Ankara at Copenhagen.

Turkey
November 15, 2002
New Parliament Sworn In
Washington, D.C. - Turkey's new parliament was sworn in on November 14, eleven days after general elections that resulted in a landslide victory for the Justice and Development Party (AKP), a conservative party with Islamist roots led by former Istanbul mayor Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The parliament consists of 363 parliamentarians from AKP, just four shy of the number of deputies required for a two-thirds majority; 178 from the center-left Republican People's Party (CHP); and nine independents. It has been 48 years since representation in parliament was limited to only two parties, and it is the first time since the Turkish republic was founded in 1923 that as many as 500 of the 550 deputies have been newly elected.
The first session of parliament was chaired by CHP deputy Sukru Elekdag, the eldest member of the legislative body, with elections for parliamentary speaker expected to be held within five days of the session.
The Turkish public has welcomed AKP's proposal to discontinue the government's practice of providing fully paid housing for parliamentarians in homes built especially for this purpose by the state. AKP has proposed that the homes be sold, requiring deputies to rent or buy their own homes. In addition, the party's proposal to reduce the number of cabinet ministries from 37 to 23, with plans to decrease the number of institutions operating under the prime ministry, currently 64, is considered a popular move.
AKP and CHP have also agreed on a new set of rules concerning ethics in parliament, including requiring deputies to make full accounts of their incomes public.

Turkey
November 15, 2002
Appointment of Prime Minister Expected Soon
Washington, D.C. - Erdogan met with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on November 15 and gave him three nominees for the office of prime minister, who is formally appointed by the president. Sezer was expected to announce his choice for prime minister no later than November 16.
Erdogan cannot become head of government under the country's constitution because he is not a parliamentary deputy. He was barred from running for parliament due to a 1998 conviction for inciting religious hatred, stemming from his reading of a poem considered anti-secular by a Turkish court.
CHP leader Deniz Baykal has stated that he favors making changes in the constitution that would allow Erdogan to become prime minister. Such changes, which would require a two-thirds majority vote, or the votes of 367 parliamentarians, have been publicly opposed by Sezer.
It would be necessary to amend Article 109, which stipulates that the prime minister will be appointed by Turkey's president from among the elected deputies in parliament. In addition, it would be necessary to change Article 76, which states that anyone who has been convicted of "involvement in ideological or anarchistic activities," which includes inciting religious hatred, cannot be elected to parliament or serve in any capacity in the government, even if the individual who committed the crime has been pardoned. Under changes in Turkey's penal code in the August 2002 reform package passed by parliament, the offense for which Erdogan was convicted is no longer considered a crime.
There has been some resistance in CHP to the idea of amending the constitution to allow a non-parliamentarian to become prime minister. There are concerns in Turkey that such an amendment would gradually destroy the country's parliamentary system by encouraging those outside parliament to seek the premiership.
Baykal has, instead, stated that he would back constitutional changes that would permit Erdogan to run for parliament through by-elections. According to Article 78 of the constitution, by-elections will be held within three months if at least 28 seats in parliament, or five percent of the total number of seats, become vacant. If fewer vacancies exist, by-elections cannot be held until 30 months have elapsed from the date of the previous general elections. The five-year ban on engagement in political activity by Erdogan, which was imposed following his conviction, will end in March 2003. If Article 76 were amended to allow Erdogan to serve in parliament, he could run for a vacant seat in by-elections.
Former Turkish justice minister Hikmet Sami Turk noted that changes in election and political party laws could open the way for Erdogan to become prime minister, without any changes in the constitution.

Turkey
November 15, 2002
Erdogan Begins Push for EU Accession Talks Date
Washington, D.C. - As AKP party leader, Erdogan began a tour of European capitals for talks with EU leaders on plans to move ahead with human rights reforms in an attempt to persuade them to grant Turkey a date for the start of EU accession talks at the December Copenhagen summit.
As AKP party leader, Erdogan began a tour of European capitals for talks with EU leaders on plans to move ahead with human rights reforms in an attempt to persuade them to grant Turkey a date for the start of EU accession talks at the December Copenhagen summit.
Although he was initially slated to travel first to Athens, he began his tour in Rome on November 13 to meet with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who told Erdogan that Italy supported Turkey's bid to join the EU and said that the beginning of its accession negotiations should not be postponed beyond 2003. In Italy, where he also met with opposition leaders, Erdogan presented a nine-point list of reforms that the AKP majority in parliament will move quickly to tackle, in order to make rapid progress toward fulfilling additional EU membership criteria. CHP has said it supports AKP's reform agenda and will cooperate with the party to push the reforms through parliament.
The list of reforms includes a thorough review of the constitution to comply with EU human rights standards, implementation of the outstanding rulings by the European Court of Human Rights concerning Turkey, the removal of restrictions on freedom of expression and conscience, zero tolerance of torture, and strengthening freedom of religion, including allowing non-Muslim religious foundations to own real estate.
The AKP leader returned to Ankara the next day to meet with the EU's foreign policy and defense chief, Javier Solana, who was visiting Turkey at the invitation of Erdogan. Their discussions covered a variety of foreign policy issues, including Turkey-EU relations, the new U.N. plan to reunite Cyprus, and Turkey's role in the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). Solana also met with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal of the current caretaker government.
On November 18, Erdogan will resume his European tour by visiting Greece to meet with Prime Minister Costas Simitis and will then travel to Spain for talks with Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.
On November 20, the AKP leader is scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in London before traveling on to Brussels for discussions with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. While Erdogan is in Brussels, he will also hold talks with EU Commission President Romano Prodi and EU commissioner for enlargement Guenter Verheugen, who has stated that he does not believe that Turkey is ready to open accession talks.
Verheugen discounted, however, comments by former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who stated that admitting a Muslim country of nearly 70 million inhabitants would be the "end of the European Union" since Turkey was "not a European country." A spokesman for French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin stated that the remarks of Giscard d'Estaing, who is drafting a new constitution for the EU, do not reflect the position of the French government. Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller of Denmark, which currently holds the EU presidency, stated that Turkey could start accession negotiations when it fulfilled the criteria for membership. (See Western Policy Center remarks in theWall Street JournalNovember 112002
Other stops on Erdogan's European trip will be Ireland and Denmark, as well as a visit to Strasbourg to meet with EU officials.
In addition, Erdogan was scheduled to travel to northern Cyprus on November 16 to meet with Denktash, who was expected to return from a six-week stay in New York, where he underwent heart surgery.

Turkey
November 8, 2002
Islamist Party Gains Absolute MajorityRuling Coalition Out of Parliament
Washington, D.C. - Reflecting dissatisfaction with the country's severe economic crisis, pervasive corruption, and fractious coalition rule, Turkey's electorate gave the Justice and Development Party (AKP), a conservative party with Islamist roots, an outright majority in parliament, while excluding all other parties from the legislative body except the center-left Republican People's Party (CHP), which was not represented in the last parliament.
It is the first time since the Turkish republic was established in 1923 that an Islamist party has secured a parliamentary majority. The country has had only one Islamist-led coalition government, in power from 1996 to 1997. It was forced to resign under pressure from the military and the political establishment. It is also the first time in 15 years that any party has been in a position to govern alone without having to seek a coalition partner.
Winning 34.2 percent of the vote, AKP, headed by former Istanbul mayor Recep Tayyip Erdogan, took 363 of the 550 parliamentary seats. Deniz Baykal's CHP, the only other party to attain the 10 percent of the national vote required to enter parliament, received 19.5 percent, taking 178 seats. CHP is Turkey's oldest party, founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Nine candidates were elected to parliament as independent deputies, eight of whom are from eastern and southeastern Turkey.
The sixteen other parties that fielded candidates failed to reach the 10 percent threshold, including the three parties of the ruling coalition: Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's Democratic Left Party (DSP), with 1.2 percent; Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's center-right Motherland Party (ANAP), with 5.1 percent; and Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli's far-right Nationalist Action Party (MHP) with 8.3 percent. Former prime minister Tansu Ciller's True Path Party (DYP) fell slightly short of the threshold with 9.5 percent.

Turkey
November 8, 2002
Choice of Prime Minister Remains Undecided
Under Turkey's constitution, Erdogan cannot become prime minister since he was banned from running for parliament because of a 1998 conviction and four months in prison the following year for publicly reading a poem that a court considered anti-secular.
AKP is expected to name a candidate for prime minister, who must be formally appointed by Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the week of November 11.
There is speculation that any candidate chosen from the ranks of AKP could, in effect, be controlled by Erdogan from behind the scenes. The most obvious candidate is AKP deputy leader Abdullah Gul, a former banker who is close to Erdogan. Other possibilities include AKP founding member Bulent Arinc, a lawyer and former parliamentarian in the now-banned Islamist Welfare and Virtue parties; Vecdi Gonul, who has ministerial experience and is a friend of Sezer's; Abdullatif Sener, a former finance minister; Abdulkadir Aksu, a former cabinet minister and regional security chief; and Ertugrul Yalcinbayir, general secretary of AKP and a former member of the center-right Motherland Party.
Although AKP is four seats short of the two-thirds parliamentary majority required to change the constitution to allow Erdogan to serve as prime minister, the opposition CHP has suggested that it might support such a change.
Turkey's chief prosecutor has petitioned the Constitutional Court, the country's highest court, to close down AKP on charges that it broke election regulations by choosing a leader who had been convicted of sedition when the party was formed last year. The prosecutor has also sought an injunction against Erdogan to prevent him from continuing to head the party in violation of the regulations. The Court has given Erdogan until November 15 to prepare his defense against the case calling for his resignation as party leader.

Turkey
November 8, 2002
AKP Leader Pledges Pro-Western OrientationEU Accession as Top Priority
Washington, D.C. - Erdogan stated that he would make Turkey's bid to join the European Union the top priority of AKP. He said he had planned a tour of European capitals, beginning with Athens, and would pledge the party's commitment to political and economic reform in order to persuade EU member countries to set a date at the December EU summit in Copenhagen for the start of Turkey's accession talks.
Erdogan and the leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Deniz Baykal, who met following the elections, stated that, prior to the EU summit, their parties would cooperate on passing the reforms needed to boost Turkey's chances of beginning membership negotiations.
This declaration of cooperation on legislating reforms contrasts with the situation in the previous parliament in which the Nationalist Action Party (MHP), one of the three coalition parties, repeatedly blocked progress on major reform legislation linked to EU accession criteria. Yasar Yakis, the deputy leader of AKP who may become the next foreign minister, stated that the new government would focus particularly on eliminating torture in the detention system.
With regard to a possible U.S.-led campaign against Baghdad, Erdogan stated that AKP hoped the situation in Iraq would be resolved peacefully. He said the party would be opposed to military action against Turkey's neighbor to the south unless it had the backing of the United Nations. Yakis stated that the future ruling party's perspective on Iraq was consistent with that of the previous government.
The AKP leader said the party would stand by the commitments made by the previous government to the IMF under the $16 billion economic reform program, but it could seek a more balanced program to alleviate social hardship.
Ali Coskun, the AKP deputy chairman responsible for economic affairs, said the party would act quickly to pass the legislation required to complete the fourth review of the progress made under the IMF program, which has been delayed due to the elections.

Turkey
November 8, 2002
Chief of Turkish Military in Washington for High-Level Talks
The new chief of the Turkish General Staff, General Hilmi Ozkok, who took over the position in August, arrived in Washington the day after the November 3 Turkish elections for talks with U.S. officials on issues that included a possible U.S.-led military operation against Iraq.
While in the U.S. capital for discussions with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers, General Ozkok said Turkey's national policy was that the situation in Iraq should be resolved without a war.
Other topics covered during the general's six-day visit were U.S.-Turkish cooperation in the defense industry and Turkey's role in overcoming the impasse in attempts to finalize an agreement on the use of NATO assets by the European Union rapid reaction force.
The United States is considering providing a substantial military and economic aid package to Turkey, which would help offset anticipated losses to the Turkish economy if a war against Iraq goes forward.
General Ozkok's visit included a trip to Tampa, Florida, to meet with General Tommy Franks, the commander of the U.S. Central Command. General Franks, who met with Turkish officials in Ankara in late October, would be the commander of any action the U.S. takes against Iraq.
In reference to the absolute parliamentary majority obtained in the elections by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Ozkok stated that the election results were "the wish of the nation" and that he respected the outcome. Due to its Islamist roots, AKP is being scrutinized carefully by the Turkish military, named by the constitution as the guardians of the country's secular form of government.
The previous chief of the Turkish General Staff, General Huseyin Kivrikoglu, did not visit the United States during the four years he held the position.

Turkey
October 25, 2002
U.S. Military Planners Consult with Ankara over Iraq
Washington, D.C. - Chief of the U.S. Central Command Gen. Tommy Franks and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Joseph Ralston, in his capacity as Commander in Chief of the U.S. European Command, held consultations with military leaders in Turkey to discuss how to deal with Iraq.
While Gen. Franks stated that he and Gen. Ralston had not requested the use of Turkish airspace or bases with regard to a possible U.S.-led operation against Iraq during their visit, Turkey is expected to play an important military role in such an operation if a decision is made to act against Baghdad.
Gen. Franks, who is head of U.S. operations in Afghanistan, emphasized that Washington had made no decision to attack Baghdad. If the campaign moves forward, the general will be in charge of the operation in coordination with Gen. Ralston in his role as Commander in Chief of the U.S. European Command.
As a result of its participation in a campaign against Baghdad, Ankara would expect to be involved in setting up a post-Saddam government that protects Turkish interests, particularly as they relate to northern Iraq, where the Turkish government wants guarantees that the Iraqi Kurds will not establish an independent state or achieve a degree of autonomy that could rekindle Kurdish separatism among Turkey's 12 million ethnic Kurds. It has said that it would use military force to prevent such a state from being established. Turkey already maintains 2,000 to 5,000 troops in northern Iraq to suppress what remains of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrilla force.
In talks with Chief of the Turkish General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and other top brass, the two generals also discussed U.S.-Turkish military cooperation; the situation in Afghanistan, where Turkey is commanding the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF); the U.S.-led war on terrorism; and Middle East developments.
Turkey's participation in a war against Iraq would enhance its chances of receiving long-sought debt relief for the $4 billion it owes the United States in military loans.
Turkish officials continue to express their opposition to a war against Iraq.

Turkey
October 18, 2002
Policemen Convicted of Torture in Case Watched by EU
Washington, D.C. - In a case tracked closely by the European Union, 10 policemen were convicted in a Turkish court on October 16 and sentenced to prison terms for torturing 15 teenage boys. The teenagers were arrested in 1995 for putting up leftist posters on walls in the western city of Manisa near the Aegean port of Izmir. Observers from EU countries were in the court to monitor the trial.
There had been three previous trials for the policemen, whose sentences ranged from 5 years to about 10 years. In the first two trials, which were struck down by the country's court of appeals, they were acquitted due to lack of evidence. In the third, a guilty verdict was thrown out after the Supreme Court ruled that procedural irregularities had taken place during the trial.
The youths, ranging in age from 14 to 18, were convicted in 2001 for membership in leftist organizations, but the convictions were overturned by the appeals court, which said that their confessions had been forced under torture. The teenagers were jailed for five years awaiting trial.
The European Commission's report on Turkey's preparations for EU membership, released on October 9, cited insufficient progress toward meeting human rights and democratization criteria as a reason for not recommending that a date be set at this time for the start of Ankara's EU accession talks.
In the report, the European Commission cited the case of the policemen as an example of frequent prolonged court cases in Turkey that are often not concluded since they exceed the statute of limitations, which, in this instance, would have been June 2003.
The report also said that the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) had observed a gradual improvement in detention conditions in the Istanbul area, but confirmed that allegations of torture and ill treatment in police custody were still frequent in the area. It also cited the CTP's conclusion that allegations of torture and extra-judicial killings were especially prevalent in the southeast.
Amnesty International, in September, stated that steps taken by Turkey to reform its penal code to protect against torture had been insufficient, maintaining that torture was used by police in most of the country's 13 provinces. The organization urged Turkey to end incommunicado detention.

Turkey
October 18, 2002
IMF Awaits Post-Election Economic Reforms Prior to Next Loan Installment
Washington, D.C. - The IMF will expect the government that emerges after the November 3 parliamentary elections to carry out certain economic reforms promised by the current government before the financial organization will release the next $1.6 billion installment of a $16 billion loan.
These reforms include laying off thousands of workers to reduce redundancies in state enterprises, adopting a privatization plan for state tobacco and alcohol monopoly TEKEL, preparing direct tax reform legislation, and proceeding with additional banking reform legislation. The government was supposed to eliminate about 30,000 positions in the public sector by the end of October, but it has retired or laid off only about 18,000 state workers. The IMF will also expect the new government to continue Ankara's commitment to a 6.5 percent primary surplus.
Turkish officials raised the forecast for the country's growth in 2002 from 3 percent to 4 percent in consultation with the IMF, compared to a 9.4 percent contraction of the economy in 2001. Turkey is expected to meet its inflation target of 35 percent this year.
Following the payment of the $1.6 billion installment, hopefully by the end of the year, $1.1 billion of the $16 billion loan remains to be paid to Turkey. The IMF is expected to release the $1.1 billion in four equal installments in 2003.

Turkey
October 11, 2002
No Date Set for EU Accession Talks
Washington, D.C. - The European Commission, in its October 9 progress report on the 13 EU candidate countries, did not recommend that a date be set at this time for the start of Turkey's accession talks.
The report stated that Turkey had made noticeable progress toward fulfilling political requirements for accession, commending it for the August legislation abolishing the death penalty in times of peace and granting Turkey's ethnic Kurds the right to carry out education and broadcast in the Kurdish language. It also noted other positive economic, financial, and political reforms, such as the decision to lift the state of emergency in the two southeastern provinces where it still exists by the end of the year, progress in the reorganization of the banking and agricultural sectors, and deregulation of key markets.
However, it cited restrictions on the media, curbs on freedom of expression, religion, and peaceful assembly, the torture of prisoners, poor jail conditions, excessively long pre-arrest detention, and the need for stronger civilian control of Turkey's powerful armed forces as some of the reasons for recommending a delay in the launching of accession negotiations.
The report also stated that the Supreme Electoral Board's decision to prevent the leader of a major political party from participating in the November 3 parliamentary elections did not “reflect the spirit of the reforms.” The statement was a reference to the banning of the candidacy of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the head of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), an Islamist party that is leading all other parties in public opinion polls.
The Commission recommended th