TRKNWS-L Turkish Daily News (March 25, 1996)

From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>

Turkish News Directory

CONTENTS

TURKISH DAILY NEWS / 25 March 1996

[01] 'Peace offensive' from PM Yilmaz for Greece

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, in a key policy statement on Sunday, called on Greece to enter into "unconditional talks" with Turkey on all problems relating to the Aegean, and said Ankara was open to the settlement of these disputes even if this involved seeking the help of "third parties." This reference appeared to open the path to taking Aegean disputes to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Yilmaz's remarks appeared to mark a radical change in Turkish policy towards the issue of settling disputes with Greece pertaining to the Aegean.

Analysts speculated that the prime minster's announcement was part of a combined Turkish-European Union effort aimed at trying to get Greece to lift its veto over EU credits in order for the customs union accord Ankara concluded with the EU to work properly.

They point to the fact that the undersecretaries of the Italian, French and German foreign ministries were in Ankara for talks last week, and suggest a link between these and Yilmaz's announcement on Sunday.

They also point to the fact that this intense diplomatic activity comes just before a proposed Turkey-EU Association Council meeting next week in Brussels which will be deemed meaningless if Greece insists on vetoing customs union adjustment credits earmarked for Ankara.

Ankara has until now opposed any suggestion of going to The Hague, arguing that these disputes should be settled bilaterally given the unique nature of the Aegean Sea, where some Greek islands are only a stones throw away from the Turkish mainland.

Addressing a crowded press conference in Ankara, Yilmaz indicated that Turkey was going though a tense period in relations with Greece.

"The latest crisis has demonstrated once again that the present state of Turkish-Greek relations is fraught with dangers," he said Yilmaz was clearly referring to the crisis in March when the two countries came to the brink of war over a disputed rocky islet which is uninhabited and known as Kardak to the Turks and Imia to the Greeks.

"The fundamental interests of both countries lie in peace and cooperation, not in confrontation. We both stand to benefit from developing friendly and neighborly relations," Yilmaz said.

Yilmaz said that Turkey and Greece had to break what he called the "cycle of conflict" they were locked into.

"The failure to settle the existing problems creates an environment conducive to the eruption of new crises. This vicious circle must be broken at some point," Yilmaz said.

He indicated that the current problems between the two countries had to be taken up with a new and realistic approach, by "isolating them from the emotions stemming from history and the chains imposed by short-term temporary considerations." "An eventual settlement on the Aegean issue will only be viable and lasting if it is built on the fundamental rights and legitimate interests of both countries. For that reason we should discuss our differences on the basis of mutual respect and with a willingness to reach a compromise," Yilmaz said.

Going on to declare that Turkey has always respected the inviolability of the borders of all her neighbors, including Greece, Yilmaz said that Ankara, in a similar vein, had no intentions of altering the status quo in the Aegean "through unilateral steps, or to make gains by de facto actions." "An essential aspect of Turkey's position on the Aegean issue is respect for the status quo in the Aegean which was established through international agreements," Yilmaz said.

"If Greece also adopts these principles it will be much easier to reach mutually acceptable solutions than is generally thought," he added.

"I am therefore calling on Greece to enter into negotiations without preconditions, with a view to settling all the Aegean questions as a whole," Yilmaz said.

"The search for a comprehensive and lasting solution will be conducted on the basis of respect for international law and the international agreements establishing the status quo in the Aegean. The talks could be started on an exploratory basis and will not prejudice the respective positions of both sides regarding the substance of the issues," he said.

"When it comes to peaceful means of settlement which would be appropriate to the special nature of the Aegean question, Turkey does not rule out from the outset any method based on mutual acceptance. We have no prejudices in this respect. Accordingly, we are prepared to discuss with goodwill appropriate third-party methods of settlement. The form, conditions and legal requirements of such methods can be taken up in detail in the course of talks," Yilmaz said.

Prime Minister Yilmaz went on to underline the importance for the two sides to "rise to the occasion" and to "take utmost care to avoid being tempted by petty political gains and a dangerous opportunism, if the peace process is to succeed." He said that concurrent with the initiation of a process of peaceful settlement Turkey was also ready to negotiate and conclude an "Agreement of Friendship and Cooperation" with Greece which would contain the basic principles governing the relations between the two countries.

"Likewise, simultaneously with this process, I also propose to start talks in this transitional period with a view to bringing about a swift agreement between the two countries on a comprehensive set of confidence-building measures related to military activities," Yilmaz said.

"As our Greek friends frequently say, 'actions speak louder then words.' I, therefore, propose action, not words," he added expressing his sincere hope that Athens would "not let this historic opportunity slip away."

[02] Fourth Turkish Assembly held in Ankara

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- President Suleyman Demirel said on Sunday that after the collapse of walls between the former Soviet bloc and the West, the Turkish world had emerged as a plane-tree which could not be put back in the bag or neglected.

Making the opening speech at the Turkic States and Communities Assembly, organized by the Turkic States and Communities Friendship, Brotherhood and Cooperation Foundation (TUDEV) with the aim of evaluating and further strengthening ties between those countries, President Demirel pointed out the Turkish world that had emerged with the collapse of the Soviet Union, saying that the veil covering this Turkish world had been lifted by this development, and there was no reason for concern about this.

He continued that from the Adriatic to the South China Sea, across 11 million square kilometers, there were 200 million Turks who said that they came from the same origin, race, religion and had the same traditions and stories.

"The Turks that say those sentences only want to live in peace and happiness and cooperation with their brothers in these lands. Is this not an innocent hope? I cannot imagine a bigger fault than a mentality that misunderstands this cooperation and see this innocent hope as a political action that could provoke concern," Demirel said.

He praised the developments of the last four years, saying that those communities which had lived without contact for more than a century had embraced each other, especially their intellectuals, scientists and experts in the field of art and culture.

True Path Party leader Tansu Ciller said during the conference that the reorganization of the Turkish world was a second Renaissance, and a repeat of the Ergenekon legend, a very famous story in Turkish history that tells of the reunion of Turks. Ciller hoped that this second Renaissance would bring peace to the world.

Ali Talip Ozdemir, the state minister responsible for the media, said that state-run Turkish Radio and Television's "Avrasya" channel aimed to strengthen ties between Turkic states in its programs. He added that in the near future, the Turkic states would be able to participate in this channel with their programs. He pointed out that in this way the channel would become a joint channel of Turks.

Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said in his message to TUDEV that he repeated his support once again to everybody who tried to further develop the ties between Turks.

State Minister Ayvaz Gokdemir said that he hoped the flags of Turkish states, including the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, would be in the air forever.

The Nationalist Movement Party leader Alparslan Turkes, who is also the chairman of TUDEV, said that the acceptance of Turkish as the official language in Turkic states would strengthen the position of these states among the other countries of the world.

Turkes presented Demirel with a walking stick with a wolf's head and a carpet displaying a picture of the famous poet Fuzuli, both of which had once given to Turkes by a high-ranking Azeri official, as well as a plaquette.

Scores of high-ranking bureaucrats, ambassadors, delegates and Turkish representatives from many countries attended the meeting.

[03] Germany has an arrest warrant out for Ocalan, prosecutor says

Reuters

BONN- Germany said for the first time that it had had a warrant out for the arrest of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan since 1990, breaking its usual silence on a struggle to rein in Kurdish separatists.

The federal prosecutor's office said on Saturday it was seeking Ocalan's arrest on terrorism and murder charges in connection with the killing of disloyal Kurds. Ocalan is now in Syria, whose government gives him shelter.

Ocalan is suspected of having personally ordered the killings of Kurdish opponents during the 1980s, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said. He leads the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party).

The spokeswoman was answering questions on a report in Sunday's weekly Bild am Sonntag.

Authorities also believe Ocalan is directly responsible for several spectacular waves of attacks on Turkish premises and violent clashes with police since 1993 which led to the PKK, already banned in Turkey, being outlawed in Germany.

Bilt am Sonntag quoted Germany's development minister Carl-Dieter Spranger was quoted as saying Bonn was no longer prepared to accept Syria letting Ocalan run the criminal activities of his PKK.

The paper said Spranger had told Syrian President Hafez al-Assad that Germany found Ocalan's activities on Syrian soil intolerable.

Spranger was quoted as saying that Ocalan's presence in Syria "burdens and damages" relations with Germany and the EU.

"Germany will only be prepared to cooperate more intensively on development when Syria stops protecting those responsible for terrorist activities, murder and arson," he said.

Evidence against Ocalan emerged during the trial of several Kurds in Dusseldorf between 1989 and 1994 in connection with the murder and attempted murder of Kurds disloyal to the PKK in Lebanon and in Germany, the prosecutor's office said.

It did not make the charges against Ocalan public at the time.

In August a senior German anti-extremism official visited Ocalan in Syria to try to persuade him to end the violence, but with little success.

Last Saturday more than 300 people were hurt as police tried to stop thousands of Kurds attending a banned rally in Dortmund.

The PKK has been fighting a bloody separatist war against Turkey since 1984 for independence or autonomy in the southeast of the country and has used violence in Germany, where some 500,000 Kurds live, to draw attention to its cause.

This week Ocalan warned Germany, which supplies arms to its NATO ally Turkey, not to support Ankara's war against the PKK.

"This war is not your war and don't mess with the PKK, he said. "We don't want to fight against you as well. But if you come to us as enemies, you will suffer great losses."

Some 700 police searched Germany's main reception centre for asylum seekers on Saturday but did not find an explosives and arms cache which they suspected Kurdish militants had put there.

They were looking not only for weapons but also an illegal PKK office and evidence of drug dealing and concealing stolen goods. But after searching the accommodation of 300 mostly Kurdish asylum seekers, they found only PKK propaganda.

[04] Turkish premises firebombed in Germany and Austria

BONN\VIENNA- Unidentified attackers firebombed a Turkish shop in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen overnight, police said on Sunday.

Two petrol bombs were thrown through the window of the import-export trader and set fire to the display before being extinguished by a passer-by. Two men were seen walking away from the scene.

Turkish premises have been the target of dozens of attacks over the last three years, mostly from Kurdish separatists but also from other Turkish militant groups and German right-wing extremists.

A week ago hundreds of Kurds blocked motorways and fought pitched battles with police trying to stop them attending a banned demonstration in Dortmund.

But a heavy police presence and sweeping bans put a damper on the week's Kurdish New Year celebrations, and widespread violence which authorities had feared did not materialize.

Elsewhere two Turkish cultural centres in a Vienna suburb suffered fire damage on Sunday when unknown attackers ignited petrol in front of the buildings.

Vienna police said they had no idea who was behind the attacks, which took place in the early hours of Sunday morning.

No one was hurt, but police reported fire and smoke damage to the two buildings. Nearby cars were also damaged in the first blaze.

Ambassador Bleda sees France and Turkey hand in hand on threshold of 21st century

France has helped to mould Turkey's long term objectives, which Bleda says will lead to the harmonization of Turkish laws with those of Europe.

Both France and Turkey uphold the indivisibility of Iraq and hope that Iraqi Kurds will reach an understanding with Baghdad, as there is no imaginable alternative, and one cannot envision the division of the nation.

There is no common definition of "cultural rights" in Europe, nor does it appear that there will be one soon.

[05] Turkish ambassador criticizes media for "fiction marketing," as well as manipulation and disinformation.

by Yasemin Dobra-Manco

Turkish Daily News

PARIS/ISTANBUL- During a recent interview with the TDN at the Turkish embassy in Paris, Turkey's ambassador to France, Tansug Bleda, discussed the influence of the French secular model on Turkey since the pre-Republic days, and current bilateral and economic relations, as well the perspectives of the two nations on the Kurdistan Peoples' Party (PKK) and Kurdish issue.

Solidarity on fighting terrorism

When asked how France views some of Turkey's domestic matters, the ambassador stated that France is one of two nations in Europe which has outlawed the PKK terrorist organization, and thus supports Turkey's fight against terrorism.

On the issue of Kurdish cultural rights, France has encouraged Turkey to follow French practices so that problems which are raised by Kurds in Turkey can be resolved, and wind in the sails of radicals reduced. France, for example, provides education in local languages where communities of Basques, Corsicans, and Bretons are found, if there is sufficient demand by students. There is also five minutes of evening news coverage, which is broadcast in the local language of the different regions of France.

The French have expressed the view that perhaps with more Kurds exercising their cultural rights, an atmosphere which may nourish the PKK might be eliminated. Turkey has explained that there is no such link. Pressure has also been placed on Turkey to ensure that operations conducted in the region in pursuit of the PKK do not violate human rights. Bleda states that had there not been a problem with the PKK, the problem of human rights would not be a primary issue.

The ambassador maintained that the theme of human rights has been used by various groups, including the media, as a means of distancing Turkey from Europe. Groups in France, besides France Liberte (headed by the late French president's wife Danielle Mitterrand), which have accused Turkey of mistreating its Kurdish population, include ACAT, Reporters Without Borders, Amnesty International, and the Kurdish Institute. One of the aims of the Kurdish Institute (whose funding from the French government was cutoff) is to create a single Kurdish language, perhaps so that one day there will be a unified common Kurdish language of a "hypothetic Kurdish state," says Bleda.

Bleda states that because every country has conditions and structures which are unique to itself, what is done in France may not be possible in Turkey. There are up to 30 different languages spoken in Turkey, he points out. In the specific case of Kurdish, the ambassador noted that Kurdish language education would be more difficult because there in no such a thing as a sole Kurdish language, and because there is no Kurdish language which has the vocabulary that is needed for contemporary and modern education.

Asked about the future of Kurdish separatism, the ambassador replied that France is against the creation of a Kurdish state in the region which would destabilize the whole area. Just as Turkey upholds the territorial integrity of France and other nations according to international law, both France and Turkey uphold the indivisibility of Iraq, and hope that Iraqi Kurds will reach an understanding with Baghdad, he stated. There is no imaginable alternative, as one can not envision the division of the nation, he remarked.

After explaining the French and Turkish official position on the Kurdish issue, Bleda discussed some of the unofficial positions of various groups in France, which wish to have a say in the matter. One such organization is France Liberte, where Danielle Mitterrand has played an outspoken and active role in supporting the cultural and political rights of Kurds. Bleda states that such organizations tend to link the issue of terrorism and cultural rights, where acts of terror are seen as part of a liberation movement. For various reasons, some groups can not view the two matters as inseparable. "They believe that anyone who takes up arms is right for fighting a just cause," he explained.

No definition of "cultural rights"

"We have tried to explain that there is no racism or unequal division or treatment of Kurds in Turkey. Every one is an equal citizen." Since the Treaty of Lausanne, three minority groups were recognized in Turkey (Greek, Armenian and Jewish), and there has not been a question of granting cultural rights or recognizing cultural identities, Bleda explained.

In Europe itself, there is no common definition of "cultural rights," nor does it appear that there will be one soon, he maintained. "Despite this, many nongovernmental organizations are fueled by propaganda, and whether knowingly, or unknowingly, they are being used by the PKK."

Perhaps when terrorism has ended, and it is no longer linked to the Kurdish issue by certain groups, Turkey can allow for broadcasting in local dialects and languages, he commented. But, for the time being, while terrorism is being fought, any official changes on this issue will make terrorists look as though they are righteous freedom fighters, rather than terrorists, stated Bleda. "If broadcasting in Kurdish is not restricted in the future, it will not be due to pressure brought on by arms," Bleda concluded.

Bleda believes that soon the NGO's who have been supporting the PKK will understand that they have been supporting an international narcotics and smuggling ring, which has preyed upon children in their own countries. "Not only that," he adds, "the PKK have acted as racketeers in European society by extorting protection money with threats." The ties between the sale of drugs and arms transactions are already well known.

The ambassador says that he has explained to Europeans that Turks do not have a problem with Kurds, but with the PKK terrorist organization. He stresses that there is no discrimination against Kurds, pointing out that many Kurds live side by side with Turks and many Kurds have attained prominent positions in the government. In addition, Turkey spends millions on humanitarian aid to help Kurds in northern Iraq, and continues to assist 30,000 Kurdish refugees in camps who fled Iraq during an exodus in 1989.

Turkey is also ready to launch new projects and make enormous investments in the southeast region; however, the PKK is an obstacle to this, targeting construction sites and killing doctors and teachers. Just as Turkey has made progress with the Southeast Anatolian Project (GAP), it would also like to implement other road, water, and electricity projects, but has been hindered. Unfortunately, he says, the underdevelopment serves the interests of the PKK, who can gather militant recruits from Turkey's poor and backward areas. The sanctions on Iraq have made economic matters worse, Bleda says, preventing goods from being sold to neighboring Iraq, adding to the hardships of the people of southeastern Turkey.

Misinformation in the media

Discussing the problems of misinformation on the Kurdish issue, Bleda gave the example of the Kurdish Institute which is being used by certain circles to influence the media in a biased fashion against Turkey. The ambassador gave an example of how his opinions were hardly aired in a recent French program, despite his being invited to offer them, whereas those of the head of the Kurdish Institute received greater attention. Similarly, only a brief segment of a long interview with Foreign Minister Under-Secretary Onur Oymen was aired recently on the US television network CBS.

The ambassador criticized some portions of the French media for "fiction marketing," as well as other media in Europe for manipulation and disinformation. He states that, "Sometimes it is difficult for the media to express the truth if it does not fit what they believe." The ambassador gave other examples from the German media, and recent material used in The European, which was proven to be fictitious.

Looking at future relations between Turkey, France, and Europe, Bleda is optimistic; however, Bleda states that Europe must overcome the fictitious image of a negative Turkish identity, and see Turks for who and what they really are. They should learn to accept Turkey, as a predominantly Muslim nation, but also one which from its conception has built a nation based on democratic principles, secularism, and universal values. Unlike Germany, for instance, where an effort to instill democracy was made, "Turkey was not forced to be a democracy, it chose to become one," Bleda emphasizes.

France as a secular model

Examining French-Turkish relations historically, Bledaexplains, means examining Turkish relations with Europe. Turkey's ties with France go back to the 1520s when France sent its first ambassador to Istanbul. Historically, there have been many significant exchanges, he states, and France has influenced Turks, not only during the Young Turk movement, and the Republican period, but also during the Tanzimat period of the Ottoman Empire. Ataturk was greatly influenced by the French Revolution and widely read French texts. The model of the French secular system is partly responsible for Turkey's Western orientation, and therefore, "there are similarities between our structures and philosophies of our nation-states," Bleda underlines.

"Today we are two modern states which share the same fundamental values, such as secularism, democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law." Thus, this enables Turkey and France to have similar perspectives, analytic outlooks and approaches as well as an understanding of matters.

Bleda also drew attention to the very important role France played in 1921, before the founding of the Turkish Republic. This was during the time of the "Ankara Agreement," when France became the first Western nation to recognized the government of the Grand National Assembly as the rightful representative of the nation. The 75th anniversary of this event will be celebrated in October. Historic documents show the establishment of close relations with French state officials during this period.

Giving a specific example of shared perspectives, the ambassador focused on the French and Turkish government's views on cultural identity. The ambassador stated that historically France, like Turkey, does not recognize ethnic minorities based on language including Basques, Corsicans and the people of Brittany.

This similar structural outlook, combined with a Jacobin philosophy (stressing the indivisibility of the state) draws Turkey and France close as nations, Bleda noted.

Ongoing relations

French-Turkish relations have continued to develop to the present day. However, in the 1980's the expansion of relations slowed for about 4-5 years, due to a subject not directly tied to Franco-Turkish ties, but to Armenian related issues.

Ties improved when Mitterrand appointed Etienne Manach, a former instructor at the Galatasaray Lycee in Istanbul, as a special envoy to Turkey in 1984. As a result of Mitterrand's efforts and desire to improve bilateral relations, numerous exchanges and visits followed, which encouraged closer cooperation between the two countries. In 1992, Mitterrand visited Turkey twice. Bleda believes that current ongoing relations are perhaps the best they have ever been and expects the planned visit of President Jacque Chirac later this year to further enhance the relationship.

Commenting on economic relations, Bleda pointed out that there are now 176 French firms operating in Turkey and France is the second largest investor in the country. The volume of trade exceeds $2 billion annually, with an estimated $1.5 billion worth of goods imported to Turkey from France, and $700 million worth of Turkish goods exported from Turkey to France. This year between 250,000 and 300,000 French tourists are expected to visit Turkey.

Bleda named several organizations working to enhance relations, such as the Turkish-French Business Council, OCIFT (Franco-Turkish Organization for Cooperation and Investment), CEFT (Centre Economique Franco-Turc), and the Commission Mixte Franco-Turc.

To some extent, Turkey views its relations with the EU as a type of French-Turkish joint project, he said. Since 1963, France has played a significant role in Turkey's relations with Europe, as well as helped Turkey to join the customs union. The ambassador also highlighted the role France played in the European Parliament, as well as its role in helping to lift the Greek veto on the customs union agreement between Turkey and the EU.

France has thus helped to mold Turkey's long term objectives, which Bleda says will lead to the harmonization of Turkish laws (such as those regarding intellectual property), with those of Europe. This will further enhance Turkey's cooperation with Europe in various fields such as telecommunications, transportation, environment, as well as the continued development of cultural and political ties. With time, the ambassador believes that more and more French firms will be investing in Turkey.

One of the most important ongoing cultural projects between France and Turkey is the creation of the French- language Galatasaray University outside of Istanbul in Riva, where the Turkish authorities have allocated a spacious campus area. The French government will participate in the realization of this important project, which will serve as an educational link, while promoting cultural relations between the two countries with an emphasis on technology, administration and European Union studies.

In the area of defense cooperation, the ambassador confirmed that high level talks are aimed at strengthening the relations between the armed forces of both nations. It has recently been reported that Turkey may participate in some consortia in France that produce military equipment, while production projects of some military systems in Turkey are also being evaluated.

In the political arena, there are no significant problems between the two countries, he stated, as both nations share similar outlooks in international platforms. Although on the issue of Bosnia there were differences of opinion, with time France has adopted many aspects of the Turkish point of view.

As one of his concluding remarks, the ambassador stated that once Turkey is fully accepted and admitted into the European Union, a message will be sent throughout the world, "that universal values are what is essential." In the meantime, Bleda sees France and Turkey building upon their relations "hand in hand" in the 21st century, while committed to sharing common contemporary values.