TRKNWS-L Turkish Daily News (April 19, 1996)

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

Turkish News Directory

CONTENTS

TURKISH DAILY NEWS / 19 April 1996

[01] MIT tells Yilmaz: Hizbollah's threat made up by foreign spy agency

By Hayri Birler

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- Information that a team of six assassins from Hizbollah had infiltrated into Turkey from Iran to kill former Prime Minister Tansu Ciller in a bomb attack was sent to Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) by a foreign spy agency but is regarded here as a "fabrication," informed government sources told the Turkish Daily News.

The sources who asked for strict anonymity said the MIT had informed Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz that the information received from abroad should be carefully evaluated and should be confirmed. the MIT later concluded that the information was a "fabrication," but in view of the fact that the target mentioned was Ciller, the intelligence agency advised authorities to step up security in many sensitive areas and protect possible target persons.

According to sources from the prime ministry, an "urgent" message was received from "a foreign intelligence agency" on April 11, 1996. The message said a secret meeting was held in early April in Tehran under the chairmanship of Ayatollah Ahmed Cenneti. It was decided in the meeting that Ciller should be assassinated in a bomb attack and that a six-man team be dispatched to Turkey. The message said the assassins entered Turkey and stayed at a hotel in Istanbul identified as Tandogan Hotel.

The MIT evaluated the message and presented a report to Prime Minister Yilmaz on April 12. The evaluation said the message "could have been fabricated to steer Turkey's relations in view of some recent foreign developments but added in view of the sensitivity of the claims security should be stepped up around Ciller. Ciller was informed of the situation by Deputy Prime MInister Nahit Mentese, who is from the True Path Party wing of the Cabinet.

A MIT investigation revealed that the Tandogan Hotel mentioned in the message is not in Istanbul but is in Ankara. Further investigations showed that no Iranian had stayed in the hotel in the month of April. Despite this, security measures were stepped up and the investigation was expanded.

Sources form the Prime Ministry said the fabrication was an effort by foreign sources to influence Turkey's foreign policy while it was leaked to the press under domestic political considerations.

The sources added: "The spy crisis between Turkey and Iran has created certain tensions between the two countries. The tip off may be designed to further fuel the tensions between the two countries. There may also have been an attempt to dampen the negative reactions at home and abroad regarding the military training and cooperation agreement between Turkey and Israel.

Besides this the fact that the Israeli raids against Hizbollah targets in Lebanon started on the same day as the message was received may have been designed to prevent negative reaction against the Jewish state." The sources said the information about the Hizbollah assassins was not obtained from Israel's intelligence agency Mossad. They added that if the information had been obtained from Mossad, it would have strengthened the views that it was a fabrication and may have been totally disregarded. They said Mossad would have the sense not to send such a message directly and added that the information was sent to Turkey by "another intelligence agency." The sources who also evaluated the fact that the message had been leaked to the press said this had more to do with domestic considerations. They drew attention to the fact that the claims that Ciller may be assassinated coincided with the mounting allegations that she and her associates have been involved in corruption and irregularities during their rule. The sources added: "When the public learns that Ciller is being threatened by the Islamic terrorist organization Hizbollah, people will immediately draw conclusions with the fact that the pro-Islamic Welfare Party has also launched a drive to have a probe started against Ciller and finish her off. Thus there will be questions about the seriousness of allegations brought by Welfare about Ciller which in return will create confusion in the public mind and thus the charges against Ciller will evaporate. As a matter of fact, that is exactly what is happening." Meanwhile, the Turkish Daily News learned that MIT chief Sonmez Koksal met with President Demirel on April 17 and briefed him about the latest developments and informed him about the Hizbollah reports.

In a related development special anti-terrorism teams stepped up security in and around Turkey's airports as well as other sensitive areas, the semiofficial Anatolia news agency reported Thursday.

[02] Demirel heralds 'new Silk Road' in Romania

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- President Suleyman Demirel, in Romania for a working visit, heralded on Thursday the "new Silk Road" that started at the Black Sea port of Kostanza (Kostence).

"The port of Kostanza is one of the most important in the world," he said. "It is the gateway where European goods can be transported to Central Asia and China. This is a kind of Silk Road. There are boat tours between Kostanza-Samsun and Kostanza-Istanbul. This is an important international project," he said.

Kostanza, a free trade area, hosted both Demirel and his Romanian counterpart Ion Iliescu. After visiting the port, the two presidents came to Site Neptune, 45 kilometers away from the city, where they held bilateral talks.

"The high level meetings between Turkey and Romania contribute to the understanding between the two peoples and Turco-Romanian ties, which provide a model to the whole world," Demirel said before he left for Romania. He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay and State Minister Yaman Toruner.

Demirel said that the Turkish minority in Romania the best treated minority in the Balkans, according to Turkish diplomats provided a bridge between the two countries.

Demirel has opened the Mecidiye School, a historical building, which is named after the Turkish village of Mecidiyekoy near Kostanza.

"This opening is a display of Turco-Romanian friendship, as well as a sign of respect for the right to education of minorities," Demirel said.

He said that the two Balkan countries, Romania and Turkey, would intensify contacts for peace and stability in their region.

[03] Greek Cyprus closes airspace to Turkey-bound Israeli fighter jets

ANKARA- Greek Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides has sent Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres a message indicating that they will not allow their airspace to be used by Israeli jets heading for Turkey, the Anatolia news agency quoting Greek Cypriot radio reported on Thursday.

The message was reportedly sent following a meeting of the Greek Cypriot council of ministers in which Turkey's recent military accord with Israel was evaluated, Anatolia said.

Under that accord Israeli fighter jets will be able to do training flights in Turkey.

Clerides' message was also said to indicate that in the event that there is a violation of Greek airspace by Israeli jets this would lead to a "crisis" in the "friendly relations with Israel." In a separate report from Nicosia, Anatolia quoted Greek Cypriot government spokesman Yannis Cassoulides as announcing that they had received assurances from Israel that its military accord with Turkey would "not have any detrimental effects" for the Greek Cypriots.

Briefing reporters, Cassoulides also indicated that the Turkish-Israeli accord had nothing to do with the "Joint Defense Doctrine" the Greek Cypriots have concluded with Greece.

Anatolia also quoted Greek Cypriot papers as expressing serious misgivings over the fact that the Turkish accord with Israel had strengthened Turkey's strategic placing in the region.

[04] US court refuses to release PKK activist Kurd

By Ugur Akinci

Turkish Daily News

WASHINGTON- A US District Court in Washington D.C. refused on Wednesday to release the pro-Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Kurdish activist known as "Kani Xulam" who is accused of passport fraud under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1542: False Statement in Application for a United States Passport. Xulam lied that he was a U.S. citizens named "Steven Barry Citron" to get a passport and social security card in 1986. The federal felony in question carries up to a 10-year jail sentence and $250,000 penalty.

Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson, at the end of a two-and-a-half hour pretrial hearing decided that there was "probable cause" and "extreme risk" that Xulam might fail to return to the court if released. She decided Xulam be held without bond. The next hearing will be held in 10 days.

Xulam, who in the past also used such names as "Steven Barry Citron," and "Sereno Citron," was born as "Namet Gunduz," or, "Namet Abdulgafar Gunduz," in Diyarbakir on July 22, 1960. He ran the office of the American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN), a non-governmental organization that consistently defends PKK views although denying a formal link with an organization that the U.S. State Department consistently refers to as "a vicious terror organization." Members of AKIN, Xulam included, were observed in the past carrying PKK flags during demonstrations, including President Demirel's recent visit to Washington, and a hunger strike AKIN held last year in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Xulam's attorney Daniel S. Alcorn argued that his client could not go back to Turkey if released since this citizenship was already revoked. Turkish sources could not confirm Alcorn's allegation. Alcorn said he would soon file a motion to transfer the case from California to Washington D.C., due to the "convenience" such a move would present for the witnesses and the defendant.

During the hearing, many previously unknown facets of Xulam's past life were revealed by defense witnesses Mrs. Kathryn Porter; Sister Pat Krommer; and Joseph Aldridge. But at the end, Judge Robinson concluded that although the witnesses had a great deal of loyalty to Xulam, their commitment was not necessarily reciprocated by the defendant who in the past hid his true identity from all of them. Thus she refused to believe that Xulam would keep his word and not flee the United States if released from detention.

Among the personal documents that special agents for the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) found at the AKIN office when they arrested Xulam April 13 was a Turkish passport bearing his picture; and a University of Toronto library card, again with Xulam's picture. The library card, like the Turkish passport, was issued to "Namet Gunduz." According to information released at the hearing, Xulam traveled six times between Canada and the United States using his Turkish passport. His first travel was in 1980; the last in 1986. He used B-1 or B-2 tourist visas, valid for 30 to 90 days. In 1986, Namet Gunduz vanishes from the screen and reappears as Steven Barry Citron the name of a child who was born in 1961 but died in a car accident in 1963 (see TDN, April 17 for a detailed story of his ID changes). Xulam received a passport and social security card issued to that name as well.

Tripp

Special Agent Scott Tripp testified that it is very unusual for an American to receive social security (SS) card for the first time at age 25, since Americans need their SS numbers for a variety of functions, including paying taxes, opening bank accounts, university applications, even for employment. It is a "quasi-national identity card," Tripp said.

In 1988 Xulam changed his name once again to "Sereno Citron" and used his 1986 passport as proof of U.S. citizenship in order to get a new passport under his new name. Later, in 1993, he amended his name to his present name, Kani Xulam.

During the testimony of defense witnesses Kathyrn Porter, wife of Rep. John Edward Porter (R) of Illinois; and Sister Pat Krommer, a sister from the Order of St. Joseph and also a consultant for a lawyers' alliance for human rights, it became clear that both witnesses helped Xulam adjust to Washington although they knew very little about his personal and family background.

Mrs. Porter, for example, confessed that she knew neither the first nor the last names of several "family members" that Xulam introduced to her. One of his "brothers" was employed By Rep.

John Porter at his congressional office as an intern even though Mrs. Porter could not remember his name and last name.

Intervention of Shattuck

A second brother living in California was arrested by Turkish police when he went to the Southeast to visit their "mother," whose name and last name again could not be recalled by the witnesses. Both Porter and Sister Krommer mediated on behalf of Xulam and got in touch with the office of John Shattuck, who was then employed as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs (the name of his office has changed since then). Shattuck, in turn, called the U.S. Embassy in Ankara for help, as a result of which Xulam's "brother" was released.

Both Mrs. Porter and Sister Krommer also told the judge that "false identity" was not uncommon among refugees who are scared that their families back home might be punished for their opposition to home governments. Both said they were not aware that Xulam had used a number of other identities in the past, but they did not seem to be bothered by it either.

Sister Krommer

Sister Krommer, for example, said when she met Xulam in California in the summer of 1991, Xulam did not tell her that he had lived in Canada before. "But I'm not surprised," the nun said. "I vaguely recall he said he was brought (to the United States) when he was a small child and raised here." Xulam told her that his father had brought him. But Krommer never asked his father's name. Xulam never told her that he had changed his name three times in the past. "But that does not disturb me," Krommer maintained "since refugees change their names regularly. It is not uncommon."

Mrs. Porter

Mrs. Porter, who introduced herself as an anthropologist besides being the president of the Human Rights Alliance, said Xulam was first introduced to her by Armenians in Washington.

"It's best not to ask details" about the personal pasts of refugees since reliving the past might be a "painful experience" for them, Porter said. She said she never pressed Xulam for more information about his background. "It's best not to cause pain," she said.

Porter said over the years she and Xulam "became very good friends" and that she still calls him on the phone "once a week or maybe more." She said she entertained Xulam "many times ...

maybe ten times" at her home. Yet despite that intimacy she never inquired about his past, she said. When she started to talk about "genocide against Kurds in Turkey," Judge Robinson warned Xulam's attorney to "direct (Porter's) attention to the case." Porter said she relied on Xulam to learn what was happening in Southeast Turkey. "He is one person I depend on to follow up on news stories" about Kurdish villages burned in Turkey, she said.

All witnesses described Xulam as a "very reliable" person, who was "very prompt" with his appointments and followed up on his contacts, who was "passionately committed" to the cause of human rights. All three said they would be willing to take the personal responsibility of making sure that, if released, Xulam does not flee the country and shows up for his hearings at the U.S. District Court. But Judge Robinson was not impressed.

The hearing was followed by about twenty Kurds, Turkish and American journalists, and U.S. human rights advocates including a representative of US Helsinki Commission.

[05] Turkey hopes Washington will close PKK's front organization in the US

ANKARA- Turkey hopes Washington will close U.S. offices of reputed Kurdish terror groups, Turkish Ambassador to Washington Nuzhet Kandemir was quoted by Reuters as saying on Wednesday.

Kandemir's remarks at a lunch with reporters in Washington came after U.S. authorities arrested Kani Xulam, an alleged leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), on charges of passport fraud.

Xulam, whose real name is believed to be Namet Gunduz, and who was arrested following a tip-off from the Turkish Embassy in Washington, was ordered on Wednesday to be held in a D.C. jail without bond.

At the lunch, Kandemir said that the Washington-based American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) which Xulam heads is a front for the PKK which the United States considers a terrorist organization.

He said PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan had publicly identified the Washington AKIN office as part of the PKK network and he acknowledged that Turkey had alerted U.S. authorities to Xulam's presence.

Kandemir said Turkey had not specifically asked Washington to shut down AKIN.

But "PKK offices are operating under the name of cultural associations or information networks" and the U.S. argument at the recent anti-terrorism summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, for shutting down offices and funding of the radical Islamic group Hamas should apply also to the PKK, he said.

Xulam "has worked here very hard with all the anti-Turkey lobbies for years (and is) a very effective guy," he said.

The embassy follows AKIN activities closely, including fund-raising, and shares that with U.S. officials, said the envoy, adding: "We have been very unhappy with a lot of activities of AKIN on a daily basis which were very harmful to Turkish interests and this administration knows (that) quite well." The ambassador also denied that the Turkish government had asked for Xulam's arrest and extradition. He told journalists: "If we wanted to have him arrested or extradited to Turkey, we would have done so easily within the last three years given Xulam's activities aimed at harming U.S.-Turkish relations." Just as the United States asks the Syrian government to shut down the so-called "cultural organizations" of Hamas in Syria, the U.S. government should show the same concern and sensitivity to cultural organizations like AKIN that work as an extension of terrorist groups, Kandemir said.

In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Valinda Jones said Xulam had a powerful motive to flee the country because the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service was investigating his status, which is believed to be illegal, and he could be deported to Turkey.

Federal Court Magistrate Deborah Robinson accepted prosecutor's arguments and rule that Xulam, who has operated under at least four identities, must remain in detention because he presented "an extremely serious risk of flight." Xulam was arrested last Friday by the State Department's Diplomatic Security service after a two-month investigation.

U.S. agents began their probe when they were asked in February to verify Xulam's passport. Officials said they discovered that he had obtained a passport in the name of Steven Barry Citron, then had it amended in the name of Kani Xulam.

Agents visited a nursing home in Pennsylvania to interview the grandmother of Citron, who verified that her 18-month-old grandson and his mother, father and sister were killed in a car crash in Louisiana in 1963, officials said.