Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Turkish PM: court must explain headscarf ruling
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the Constitutional Court must explain its decision to overturn a government-led reform allowing students to wear Muslim headscarves at university.
Last week's Constitutional Court ruling was the most serious setback for the Islamist-rooted AK Party since it came to power in 2002 and analysts said it increased the chances of the party being banned for Islamist activities, in a separate case.
Erdogan reiterated that the court was not authorized to examine the content of a constitutional amendment and should look only at the technical aspects of the reform.
"The Constitutional Court must certainly explain why it examined the contents of the reform in the (headscarf) case," he told a parliamentary group meeting.
The Constitutional Court normally gives reasons for its rulings after announcing the decision. The court's chairman said in this case that the justification would be announced, but not for the time being because of speculation surrounding the case. (Reuters)
Labels: Freedom of Religion, Human Rights, Turkey
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Turkish headscarf ruling blow to basic rights: HRW
A decision by Turkey's top court to annul a government reform which lifted a ban on Muslim headscarves at universities is a blow to freedom of religion and other fundamental rights, Human Rights Watch said on Saturday.
Turkey's Constitutional Court overturned late on Thursday a reform which would have allowed students to wear the Muslim headscarf in universities. Analysts said the decision increased the chances that the AK Party would be closed down for alleged Islamist activities in a separate case at the same court.
"This decision means that women who choose to wear a headscarf in Turkey will be forced to choose between their religion and their education," Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
"This is a truly disappointing decision and does not bode well for the reform process," Cartner said. (Reuters)
Labels: Freedom of Religion, Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, Turkey
Friday, June 6, 2008
Turkey's AKP discusses hijab ruling
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party has held an emergency meeting after the country's highest court overturned a government move lifting a ban on Muslim headscarves at universities.
Thursday's ruling by the Constitutional Court is the most serious setback for the party since it was elected in 2002 and may threaten its survival.
The defeated amendment is set to play a central role in a separate case that seeks to close the AK Party for anti-secular activities, and ban 71 members, including the prime minister and the president, from belonging to a political party for five years.
Friday's AK Party meeting was chaired by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister.
The meeting took place as hundreds of Turkish women wearing the hijab (headscarf) protested against the court ruling. (Al Jazeera)
Labels: Freedom of Religion, Judiciary, Turkey
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Turkish court upholds headscarf ban
Turkey's highest court has ruled that Islamic headscarves cannot be allowed at universities.
The decision is a defeat for the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, which tried to allow the wearing of scarves as a matter of religious and personal freedom.
The verdict of the constitutional court was issued on Thursday and says that amendments passed by parliament in February violated the secular principles of the constitution.
Some observers think the verdict may bode ill for the government in a separate case in which Turkey's chief prosecutor is seeking to disband the AK Party because it is "the focal point of anti-secular activities".
The prosecution also seeks to ban 71 members, including the prime minister and the president, from belonging to a political party for five years.
The Turkish lira weakened against the dollar on the news, with markets fearing prolonged political uncertainty in the European Union-applicant country.
Cemil Cicek, the deputy prime minister, was reported as saying he would comment once he had read the court's ruling. (Al Jazeera)
Labels: Freedom of Religion, Turkey
Turkish army working with Iran on PKK strikes
Turkey's military is cooperating with Iran by sharing information and coordinating strikes against PKK guerrillas in northern Iraq, a senior Turkish general said on Thursday.
"We haven't done it (coordinated strikes) for one or two months but we would do it if necessary," General Ilker Basbug, head of the land forces and the second most powerful man in the Turkish military, told reporters at a security conference.
The Turkish military has regularly attacked Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebel positions this year in the mountains of northern Iraq, where several thousands are believed to be holed up.
Turkish troops conducted a large-scale incursion across the border in February.
Iranian forces have often clashed in Iraqi border areas with rebels from the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), an offshoot of the PKK. Analysts say PJAK has bases in northern Iraq from where they operate against Iran. (Reuters)
Labels: Iran, Kurdistan, Turkey
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Report: Assad says talks with Israel need US sponsor
Syria's president said he was willing to hold direct peace talks with Israel in the future under U.S. sponsorship, laying out his vision of how negotiations could progress.
President Bashar Assad said the preliminary stages of negotiations will be conducted indirectly - both countries recently confirmed that they are holding peace talks through Turkish mediators - and that they don't need a sponsor.
"We believe indirect negotiations are sufficient at this stage as we are still negotiating to find a common ground," he said, according to United Arab Emirates newspaper interviews published Tuesday. He is on a trip to Gulf states to discuss regional issues.
"(But) we are willing to move to direct negotiations once this is reached," he said. "In later stages, they would require international sponsorship especially from the United States, a superpower that has special ties with Israel."
The Syrian leader has previously said direct talks with Israel will probably not begin until a new U.S. administration takes office. His latest comments further clarified what role he hopes the U.S. will play in the negotiations.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said neither country has asked Washington to play a role in the talks. He indicated that the U.S. wants to focus for now on the Palestinian-Israeli track which the Bush administration helped relaunch last year. (AP)
Peacemaker Turkey faces new threat
An intensifying fight between Turkey and a reorganized Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) threatens to introduce a new element of instability to the Middle East. And this at a time when some of the most serious crises in the region are taken on by regional actors, ironically with Turkey itself playing a key role as a peace mediator.
That has left the United States in a dilemma over whether to continue with its traditional policy of giving a green-light for a militaristic approach by Turkey to deal with the long-standing Kurdish issue, or to pressure its longtime ally to try harder for a political solution.
Turkish and PKK sources have claimed since the start of this year to have killed hundreds and dozens from the other side, respectively, signifying the resurgence of old hostilities in the region.
"We are at the threshold of a most critical era in terms of the PKK's influence," wrote Mehmet Ali Birand, a prominent Turkish columnist, in the May 29 English-language Turkish Daily News, acknowledging the potentially destabilizing consequences of the current conflict. (Asia Times)
Labels: Kurdistan, Turkey, U.S.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
POLITICS: Who Will Make Peace for the Peacemaker?
An intensifying fight between Turkey and a reorganised Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) threatens to introduce a new element of instability to the Middle East at a time when some of the most chronic crises in the region are taken on by regional actors, ironically with Turkey itself playing a key role as a peace mediator.
That has left the United States in a dilemma over whether to continue with its traditional policy of giving a green-light for a militaristic approach by Turkey to deal with the long-standing Kurdish issue, or to pressure its longtime ally to try harder for a political solution.
Turkish and PKK sources have claimed since the start of this year to have killed hundreds and dozens from the other side, respectively, signifying the resurgence of old hostilities in the region.
"We are at the threshold of a most critical era in terms of the PKK's influence," wrote Mehmet Ali Birand, a prominent Turkish columnist, in the May 29 English-language Turkish Daily News, acknowledging the potentially destabilising consequences of the current conflict.
While Turkey appeared triumphant after the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999, it has witnessed an escalation of attacks by Kurdish insurgents since 2007, raising fears that the country might be plunged into a new era of intra Turk-Kurd fighting reminiscent of 1980s and 1990s.
The fight between the PKK and Turkey has claimed around 40,000 lives over two decades. The PKK is considered a terrorist group by Ankara and dozens of western countries, including the U.S. and European Union members. (IPS)
Monday, May 26, 2008
Iran-Turkey gas flow halted after blast
The flow of Iranian natural gas to Turkey was halted early on Monday after an explosion hit a gas pipeline in eastern Turkey, Turkish energy officials said.
A senior military source in southeast Turkey, who declined to be named, told Reuters the blast was the work of the outlawed separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
Work to repair the pipeline, hit just after midnight, was underway and it should be operational in a few days time, said a source at state gas company Botas.
"The first results of the investigation show damage to a 30 meter (98 ft) piece of the pipeline which will need to be replaced," the Botas source told Reuters.
An energy ministry official, who declined to be named, said the blast, which he believed may have been sabotage, occurred around 13 kilometers (8 miles) inside Turkish territory.
Sabotage is common on pipelines leading into Turkey from Iran and Iraq, where Kurdish separatist militants are based.
The military source said Kurdish guerillas had detonated explosives on the Iranian-Turkish pipeline near Dogubeyazit, close to the Iranian border.
Iran is Turkey's second biggest supplier of natural gas after Russia. (Reuters)
Monday, May 19, 2008
Smoking ban leaves Turks luke warm
A law banning smoking in public places in Turkey, where two-thirds of the male population smoke, has been introduced to mixed results.
Turkish media said on Monday the ban appeared to be having little effect, with television channels showing pictures of people still smoking freely at public events marking a public holiday across the land.
The law was passed in January and prohibits smoking in government offices, workplaces, shopping malls, schools, stadiums and hospitals.
There are exemptions for special zones in psychiatric hospitals, retirement homes and prisons, with smokers allowed to light up in designated areas in hotels. (Al Jazeera)
Labels: Turkey
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Report: U.S. asks Turkey to push harder for Israel-Syria talks
The U.S. government has asked Turkey to increase efforts to advance negotiations between Israel and Syria, according to a report published by the London Arabic daily Al-Hayat on Saturday.
According to the report, the U.S. request comes in light of the recent political crisis in Lebanon, and U.S. assessments that peace between Israel and Syria will help distance the country from Hezbollah.
The report quoted a source as saying that Washington has hinted to Israel more than once the importance of progress in talks with Syria. The source added that the U.S. said they are ready to participate in talks between the countries if Turkey is able to achieve a breakthrough between them.
Last week, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he was prepared to bring about a peace agreement between Israel and Syria during his term in office, according to a report in the magazine Paris Match.
Olmert told the French weekly that his top priority was reaching peace with Syria and the Palestinians, adding that no other matter was as important or urgent for the future of Israel.
Also last week, the pan-Arab London-based daily newspaper Al Hayat reported that Turkish officials are moving to convene a three-way meeting between Israeli and Syrian representatives. The meeting would likely take place in Istabul, as Turkey continues its efforts to jump-start peace negotiations between the two countries. (Haaretz)
Labels: Israel, Syria, Turkey, U.S.
Rapporteur favors rejecting Turk headscarf case: TV
A rapporteur to Turkey's top court said on Friday it should reject a challenge to a ruling party reform which allows university students to wear the Muslim headscarf, broadcaster CNN Turk reported.
The rapporteur's report, which state news agency Anatolian said had been presented to the Constitutional Court, is not binding, but has to be presented to judges before the case can proceed.
The headscarf case is being monitored for clues to the possible outcome of a separate, more critical case which aims to close the ruling AK Party for alleged Islamist activities in officially secular Turkey.
The ruling party's move to lift the headscarf ban in universities was seen as a catalyst for the closure case, the indictment for which is packed with references to the headscarf.
Turkey's secularist establishment, made up of the army, professors and parts of the judiciary, sees the headscarf as a threat to Turkey's secular state and a symbol of political Islam. The court challenge to the headscarf amendment was filed by secularist opposition party, CHP. (Reuters)
Labels: Freedom of Religion, Turkey
Friday, May 16, 2008
New alcohol law prompts fears for Turkish bar trade
The Islamist credentials of Turkey's conservative-run government have come under renewed scrutiny over a new law on alcohol which critics claim could stop bars and restaurants from selling drinks by the glass.
The regulation, which came into force this week, bars the sale of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes outside their original packaging. Offenders could face maximum fines of more than £4,000.
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) has justified the measure as necessary to prevent unlicensed premises from illegally serving alcohol while enforcing the government's policy of banning smoking in public. Officials insist it is not designed to interfere with the bars and cafes that are integral to the vibrant nightlife of cities like Istanbul.
But critics claim it is consistent with an AKP "hidden agenda" of gradually eliminating drinking in public through a succession of escalating restrictions.
The new law also bans the presentation of alcoholic drinks as promotional prizes, a practice common in many tourist resorts. (Guardian)
Labels: Turkey
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Turkey hits Kurdish rebel bases in Iraq
Warplanes and artillery units destroyed key Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq - including a communications center - in a second day of raids on rebel positions, the military said Sunday.
Turkish troops "intensely and effectively" struck rebel targets in the Avasin-Basyan area in northern Iraq late Saturday but were careful to avoid civilians or local Iraqi Kurdish forces, the military said, without giving any casualty toll.
"All targets have been hit with accuracy and terrorists in the targeted facilities have been rendered ineffective," the military said in a statement released on its Web site.
In a separate statement a few hours later, the military said it also struck a rebel "media and propaganda" center. It gave no other details.
There was no immediate rebel response to the claims. (AP)
Labels: Iraq, Kurdistan, Turkey
Saturday, May 10, 2008
IMF approves 3.65 billion dollar loan to Turkey
The International Monetary Fund on Friday approved a 3.65-billion-dollar loan to Turkey, the final segment of a three-year stand-by credit worth nearly 10 billion dollars.
"The Turkish economy has continued to perform reasonably well despite a challenging external environment, with economic activity showing resilience and foreign direct investment inflows remaining buoyant," IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said.
The IMF executive board completed Friday its seventh and final review of the economic reforms it had demanded the Turkish government undertake in exchange for the credit, the multilateral institution said.
The board particularly praised Turkey's social security and tax reforms.
Turkey and the IMF signed the stand-by arrangement on May 11, 2005. It replaced a three-year IMF agreement in 2001 that enabled Ankara to overcome a severe financial crisis.
The current agreement expires Saturday and the Turkish government is expected to decide whether it wants to strike a new agreement with the IMF, a sensitive question amid declining demand for the institution's loans. (AFP)
Friday, May 9, 2008
Resenting austerity, Turks want no new IMF deal
Consensus is rare in Turkey, but no one seems to like the IMF.
With the country due to end its loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund on Saturday, a view is building that after 19 standby agreements since 1961, it is time Turkey cut the ties and stood on its own economic feet.
"The IMF forced Turkey to sell its profit-making banks. Soon there will be nothing to sell. What will we leave to our children?" said Mustafa Koc, 47, standing in front of dozens of Turkish flags which he sells in Ankara's central Kizilay area.
Students, trade unionists, civil servants and even businessmen are asserting that the fund's programmes have never been a real help, and with inflation in single digits and growth averaging 6.8 percent in the last five years, they say Turkey no longer needs the IMF's rigors and disciplines.
"Turkey must go its separate way with the IMF and must certainly say 'no' to a new IMF deal," Ankara Chamber of Commerce Chairman Sinan Aygun told Reuters.
"Turkey needs to implement a programme which suits its conditions and serves its own interests. There are no countries which became rich implementing the IMF's economic programmes. They are all in poverty." (Reuters)
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Olmert said ready to bring about peace agreement with Syria
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Thursday he was prepared to bring about a peace agreement between Israel and Syria during his term in office, according to a report in the magazine Paris Match.
Olmert told the French weekly that his top priority was reaching peace with Syria and the Palestinians, adding that no other matter was as important or urgent for the future of Israel.
He also said that if Israel and its enemies were to cease fighting and work together to build a common future, the Middle East could be turned into a paradise.
Earlier Thursday, the pan-Arab London-based daily newspaper Al Hayat reported that Turkish officials are moving to convene a three-way meeting between Israeli and Syrian representatives. The meeting would likely take place in Istabul, as Turkey continues its efforts to jump-start peace negotiations between the two countries.
Ankara would like both sides to commit to a signed declaration as a starting point for talks. According to the report, Turkey decided to postpone the proposed sit-down after the Syrians revealed Jerusalem's stated willingness to withdraw from the Golan Heights in exchange for peace. The newspaper added that the Syrian leadership was assuaged by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's refusal to deny or backtrack from the claims when word reached the news media in Israel. (Haaretz)
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Armenian leader condemns "genocide" before pope
Armenia's Orthodox leader on Wednesday used the pulpit of the Vatican to condemn the 1915 killing of 1.5 million ethnic Armenians by Ottoman Turks, saying the whole world should recognize it as a genocide.
"We Armenians are a people who have survived genocide, and we know well the value of love, brotherhood, friendship and a secure life," Karekin II said in a public address during Pope Benedict's general audience in St Peter's Square.
"Today, many countries of the world recognize and condemn the genocide committed against the Armenian people by Ottoman Turkey ..." the head of Armenia's Apostolic Church added, speaking in English before tens of thousands of people.
Karekin, who like the pope has the title "His Holiness," said he wanted to "appeal to all nations and lands to universally condemn all genocides that have occurred throughout history and those that continue to the present day ..."
Turkey strongly denies Armenian claims, saying that Muslim Turks also died in inter-ethnic conflict as the Ottoman Empire crumbled during World War One.
Western historians have backed Armenian claims that the killings amounted to a genocide. (BBC)
Monday, May 5, 2008
Turkish PM's office denies reports on party plans
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's office on Monday denied local media reports about his ruling AK Party's planned response to a bid to close it down for Islamist activities.
A leading broadcaster and national newspaper had said Erdogan would form a new party if the Constitutional Court shuts it down in a case which has rattled financial markets and triggered fears of months of political uncertainty.
Broadcaster Kanal D said on its website preparations for the creation of a new party were complete. It said Erdogan disclosed the information at a dinner with a small group of journalists on Saturday evening.
"The stories do not reflect the exact truth in terms of the contents of the conversation, the nature of the invitation and the list of invitees," the statement from Erdogan's office said.
"In particular some untrue statements attributed to our prime minister regarding an ongoing court case and its possible outcome are viewed as being far from well-intentioned," the statement said.
It said the so-called "road map" for the party referred to in the reports was based on the writers' assumptions. (Reuters)
Labels: Turkey
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Rice: U.S. won`t stand in way of Israel-Syria peace efforts
The United States would support a Turkish-brokered Syrian-Israeli peace drive but wants to see Damascus change its policy on Lebanon, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in remarks published on Sunday.
"We do not wish to stand in the way of any attempt to achieve peace between Israel and its neighbors including Syria," Rice told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks translated into Arabic.
"If the two sides wished to exert an effort for peace the United States would give its blessing and back these efforts. The problem is that Syria is yet to show a desire for Middle East peace especially vis-a-vis Lebanon," she added.
Syria says it received word from Turkey that Israel was willing to give back the Golan Heights in full in return for peace - one of the main issues that led decade-long negotiations to falter in 2000.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said Syria was ready to negotiate with Israel through Turkey to "find common ground" for peace, but any direct talks must wait until a new U.S. president is elected.
U.S. President George W. Bush's administration has been cool to renewing Israeli-Syrian negotiations, which collapsed in 2000 without resolving the fate of the Golan Heights, Syrian and Israeli officials say. (Reuters)
Labels: Israel, Syria, Turkey, U.S.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Turkey 'kills 150 Kurdish rebels'
Turkish air strikes in northern Iraq this week left more than 150 Kurdish rebels dead, the Turkish army says.
"According to initial estimates, this operation allowed us to neutralise more than 150 terrorists," the army said in a statement on its website.
Several senior Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) commanders may have been killed, it said. There is no confirmation.
Turkey has staged several cross-border raids into northern Iraq over the past few months in pursuit of the rebels.
The strikes, which began on Thursday and ended on Friday, were carried out against PKK guerrillas based in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, the Turkish army says.
All targeted posts in Qandil area were destroyed during the operation, according to the Turkish army's statement.
The Turkish parliament authorised cross-border operations against the PKK late last year. (BBC)
Labels: Iraq, Kurdistan, Turkey
Friday, May 2, 2008
Turkey confirms air strikes on Kurd rebels in N.Iraq
Turkish warplanes launched intensive bombing raids on Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq overnight, the Turkish General Staff said on Friday, but there were no reports of any casualties.
Turkish forces have stepped up strikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq in recent weeks in addition to operations against them in Turkey. Turkish troops conducted a large-scale incursion across the border in February.
"Turkish Air Force planes struck targets belonging to the terror group in a comprehensive and effective air operation from 2300 (2000 GMT)," the General Staff said in a statement on its website.
The military said all its planes had returned safely to base after the attack which was launched after PKK targets were identified in the Qandil mountain region. It did not make any mention of casualties.
The PKK uses northern Iraq as a base to stage attacks on Turkish territory. Turkey blames the PKK, which is fighting for an ethnic homeland in southeastern Turkey, for the deaths of more than 40,000 people.
A rebel spokesman earlier said that Turkish warplanes struck targets in northern Iraq overnight but there were no reports of any casualties. (Reuters)
Labels: Iraq, Kurdistan, Turkey
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Clashes mark May Day in Turkey
Riot police in Turkey have clashed with labour activists trying to gather in Istanbul's Taksim square to celebrate May Day.
Police used clubs, tear gas and water cannons on Thursday to disperse workers in different areas of the city.
Authorities had warned they would use force to prevent the rallies, which have been banned since 1977.
They said 505 demonstrators have been detained and six police officers were injured.
Police wearing gas masks first broke up a crowd that had gathered in front of a labour union office with the intention of walking to Taksim square, where at least 34 demonstrators were killed on May 1, 1977.
The workers then ran into the building and police blockaded it, preventing them from leaving.
The trade unions later abandoned plans to hold the march.
Suleyman Celebi, leader of Turkey's main left-wing labour confederation DISK, said: "Istanbul was transformed into a prison and unimaginable methods of violence were used to stop those celebrating May Day." (Al Jazeera)
Labels: Turkey
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Turkey approves free speech reform
Turkey's parliament has approved a government-backed proposal to soften a law restricting free speech.
Legislators voted on Tuesday by 250 to 65 in favour of the amendment to article 301 of the penal code, which many critics say is one of the biggest restraints on freedom of speech in the country.
The law has has been used to prosecute many intellectuals, including Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel laureate.
The ruling party, which dominates the 550-seat parliament with 340 legislators, was the only party that voted in favour of the amendment while opposition parties voted against it.
The amendment has to be approved by the president before it can go into effect. (Al Jazeera)
Labels: Free Speech, Turkey
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Turkey debates free-speech reform
Turkish legislators are debating a proposal to soften a law restricting freedom of speech that has been used to prosecute several writers.
A vote on the proposed amendment to Article 301 of Turkey's penal code, which bars insults to the Turkish identity or the country's institutions, is expected on Tuesday or early Wednesday.
The ruling party, which proposed the change, has a majority in the 550-seat parliament and the amendment is expected to pass.
Turkey says close to 7,000 people have been prosecuted under that law and its precursor since 2003, including Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel prize winner.
A total of 745 were convicted in that period.
The European Union has been pressing Turkey to abolish or overhaul the law as part of Turkey's campaign for EU membership.
The opposition, resentful of what it calls EU interference in Turkey's affairs, wants the law to remain intact. (Al Jazeera)
Labels: European Union, Free Speech, Turkey
Ankara takes softer tone with Iraqi Kurds
Turkey will seek closer cooperation with the Kurdish leaders of northern Iraq to curb Turkish Kurd rebels taking refuge in their region, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Monday.
Babacan's remarks signaled a softening of the Turkish stance toward Iraqi Kurds. Ankara has accused them in past of harboring militants of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
"We have had some differences ... over the PKK terrorist organization. But in the coming days, you can expect increasing contacts on various levels with the administration of northern Iraq," the Anatolia news agency quoted Babacan as saying.
Closer dialogue with the Iraqi Kurds "is important with respect to fighting the terrorist organization [PKK] and also for our economic relations and energy cooperation with Iraq as a whole," the minister said. (Daily Star)
Labels: Iraq, Kurdistan, Turkey
Iraq says Turkish air strikes "unfortunate"
Turkish air strikes on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq are "unfortunate" and will do little to address Ankara's concerns about security, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih said on Monday.
Turkey has stepped up strikes in the past week on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in remote parts of northern Iraq. It has also launched operations against rebels inside Turkey.
"It's unfortunate. Undoubtedly these military attacks are not helpful, will not do (their) job and ensure Turkish security concerns -- nor Iraqi security concerns," Salih told Reuters.
"We have been clear that we recognize the legitimate security concerns of Turkey. But we believe this can only be achieved through dialogue and cooperation between the two governments, not by unilateral military action by Turkey."
Air strikes by Turkey late last week were the biggest this year, according to Turkish military sources. (Reuters)
Labels: Iraq, Kurdistan, Turkey
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Israel open to meeting with Syrians: officials
Israel would be open to participating in a senior-level meeting with the Syrians brokered by Turkey to test the waters for renewed peace negotiations, Israeli officials said on Sunday.
Such a preliminary meeting between Israeli and Syrian representatives would be the next step in mediation efforts by Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who held talks over the weekend with Syrian President Bashar al Assad, the officials said.
That meeting could lay the groundwork for more formal talks in the future, Israeli officials said, though Erdogan could face an uphill task bringing the two sides to formal negotiations before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office next January.
The Bush administration has been cool to renewing Israeli-Syrian negotiations, which collapsed in 2000 without resolving the fate of the Golan Heights, Israeli officials said. (Reuters)
'We don't need US to okay Syria talks'
Israel does not need a green light from Washington to negotiate directly with Damascus, officials in Jerusalem told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday night.
Any direct talks would signify a dramatic change and mark the first public bilateral discussions between Jerusalem and Damascus since peace talks broke down in 2000.
Israel, however, had no official response to comments from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he was trying to initiate direct peace talks between Israel and Syria.
The Turkish prime minister made the statement after a five-hour visit to Syria where he met with Syrian President Bashar Assad and discussed the mediation efforts. (JPost)
Labels: Israel, Syria, Turkey, U.S.
Turkey targets PKK bases in Iraq
Turkish aircraft have hit Kurdish separatist targets inside northern Iraq for a second consecutive day, according to the Turkish military.
Army sources said that air attacks which began on Friday were the biggest operation against targets across the border this year.
A spokesman for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) said that Saturday's bombing had caused no casualties.
The attacks took place in the regions of Zap, Avasin-Basyan and Hakurk, close to the Turkish border, where the PKK is known to have maintained bases in the past.
In a brief statement posted on its website, the military said all aircraft had returned to their bases safely after "successfully completing their duty".
The Turkish military has carried out a series of air attacks on northern Iraq since the end of a land offensive into the neighbouring country in February.
Operations against the PKK are expected to be stepped up as spring arrives and the snow melts, making it easier to move about in the mountainous region. (Al Jazeera)
Labels: Iraq, Kurdistan, Turkey
Israel focus for Erdogan in Syria
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, as part of efforts to secure a peace deal between Syria and Israel.
Mr Erdogan said both nations had sought Turkey's help on the issue.
Mediation would begin at a low level and, if successful, progress to higher-level officials, he said.
On Thursday Syria said Israel had indicated it would be prepared to withdraw from the Golan Heights in return for peace.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has declined to comment on the reports, but Mr Olmert has said that he is interested in peace in Syria.
Israel and Syria remain technically at war, although both sides have recently spoken of their desire for peace.
The Syrian government has insisted that peace talks can be resumed only on the basis of Israel returning the Golan Heights, which it seized in 1967.
Israeli authorities, for their part, have demanded that Syria abandon its support for Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups. (BBC)
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Turkey PM in Syria on peace mission
Before his departure from Ankara on Saturday, Erdogan said that improving ties with regional countries had allowed Turkey to step up efforts to facilitate peace in the Middle East.
"The atmosphere of trust makes it necessary for Turkey to act as a mediator," he said Ankara's Esenboga airport.
Turkey is said to have secured assurances that Israel is willing to return the Golan Heights to Syria which it has occupied for more than 40 years.
Israel seized the strategically important plateau from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War, and annexed it in 1981.(Al Jazeera)
Friday, April 25, 2008
UN condemns Turkey border deaths
The strong current swept the men away, the UNHCR said, quoting witnesses.
The incident happened on Wednesday at an unpatrolled stretch of the border near the Habur crossing point, in Sirnak province, the UNHCR said.
At least one of the four was an Iranian. They were among 18 Iranians and Syrians refused entry into Iraq.
There has been no comment from the Turkish authorities.
The UNHCR says that in all, the Turkish authorities took 60 people to the Habur crossing for deportation to Iraq, but the Iraqis refused entry to the 18 non-Iraqis in the group.
The UNHCR says it is "seeking clarification from the government of Turkey on the circumstances surrounding the forced expulsion of the refugees and the tragic loss of life". (BBC)
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Turkish army says it strikes PKK group in Northern Iraq
Turkish warplanes fired on a group of Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq on Wednesday as they tried to cross into Turkey, the army said on Thursday.
The army statement came a day after a military source said at least four Turkish military jets bombed Kurdish separatist targets inside northern Iraq.
"A group of armed PKK/KONGRA-GEL terror organization members, who were trying to cross into Turkey from northern Iraq's Hakurk region, were spotted and neutralized by fire from aircraft of the Air Forces," the statement said.
It gave no further details, but "neutralized" generally means killed.
On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrilla group said Turkish planes bombed a remote part of northern Iraq but no one was hurt.
A PKK spokesman denied the Turkish army statement and said the Turkish bombing had caused no casualties among the rebels. (Reuters)
Assad confirms Israeli peace offer
Syrian President Bashar Assad said Thursday that Israel has expressed willingness to withdraw from the Golan Heights, but direct talks would not begin before a new U.S. administration takes office.
Israel declined to comment on the reported message, which Syria says was passed through Turkish mediators, but a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the country is "interested in peace with Syria."
In an interview with Qatar's Al-Watan newspaper, Assad said the United States was the only party qualified to sponsor direct Syrian-Israeli negotiations.
But he said those talks would not be possible right now because the Bush administration, "does not have the vision or will for the peace process. It does not have anything."
"Maybe with the coming administration in the United States we can talk about direct negotiations," he told Al-Watan. Syrian officials confirmed that Assad gave the interview and did not dispute its contents.
Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said Israel is also interested in restarting talks. (Reuters)
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Israel 'ready to return Golan'
Syrian media reports say Turkey's prime minister has told President Bashar al-Assad that Israel would withdraw from the Golan Heights in return for peace.
The al-Watan watan quoted "informed sources" as saying Recep Tayyip Erdogan had telephoned Mr Assad on Tuesday morning to inform him of the offer.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has declined to comment.
Israel and Syria remain technically at war although both sides have recently spoken of their desire for peace.
The Syrian government has insisted that peace talks can be resumed only on the basis of Israel returning the Golan Heights, which it seized in 1967.
Israeli authorities, for their part, have demanded that Syria abandon its support for Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups before any agreement.
The last peace talks between the two countries broke down in 2000. (BBC)
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Austria pours cold water on Turkey's EU hopes
Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik told Turkey Monday that it should not expect to automatically join the European Union and urged Ankara to pursue democratic reforms. "Austria's position remains unchanged," Plassnik told a joint news conference with her Turkish counterpart, Ali Babacan. "I have made it clear that for us negotiations with Turkey ... should be open-ended," Plassnik said, adding that accession talks should not guarantee automatic membership. "We have to explore together the exact content of our future relationship." Austria, where public opinion is overwhelmingly against Turkey's entry into the EU, had insisted that Ankara be offered an option other than full membership when the bloc gave the green light in 2005 to begin accession talks with Turkey.
Turkey says the only goal of the negotiations is full membership. Plassnik also urged Turkey to implement European values and norms in daily life. Babacan said Turkey would not deviate from its path of reform despite upcoming "challenges," an allusion to a bid by the country's top prosecutor to ban the governing party for anti-secular activity. Turkey has so far opened accession talks in only six of the 35 policy areas that candidates are required to complete amid a row over Cyprus and strong opposition to its membership in some EU countries. The EU froze negotiations on eight chapters in 2006 in response to Turkey's refusal to grant trade privileges to Cyprus, which Ankara does not recognize, under a customs union pact with the bloc. (AFP)
Labels: Austria, European Union, Turkey
Monday, April 21, 2008
Turkey under fire over laws banning insults to 'Turkishness'
"Happy is he who says: 'I am a Turk.'"
Turkey's motto is on display in schools, hospitals and military barracks. Schoolchildren recite it like the Pledge of Allegiance. It covers hillsides in southeast Turkey, where the military is fighting Kurdish separatists.
This relentlessly patriotic message, coined by Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, is backed up by law: a ban on insulting "Turkishness." But it has become a serious drag on Turkey's efforts to get its democracy into shape for joining the European Union. The EU says it's a restriction on free speech that disqualifies Turkey for membership.
On Friday, Parliament's justice panel began debating a government proposal to soften Article 301 of Turkey's penal code, which has been used to prosecute Nobel literature laureate Orhan Pamuk and other intellectuals.
Parliament is expected to approve the amendment as early as this month. But critics say it's a half-measure by a government caught between liberal opponents of the law and nationalists who see it as a cave-in to European interference. (AP)
Labels: Turkey
Saturday, April 19, 2008
United Nations launches Cyprus reunification process
The United Nations on Friday launched preparatory work between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots to pave the way for peace talks in June. Thirteen working groups and technical committees have been tasked with reaching convergence on key issues to give fully fledged reunification talks a chance to succeed.
A ceremony took place at the UN compound in Nicosia to launch a process many diplomats see as the divided island's "best chance" for ending 34 years of conflict and division.
"We have heard and said much about the current climate of optimism in Cyprus at the renewed hope for progress in the peace process. As you look at the heads of the working groups and technical committees, you see the reason for this optimism," said UN chief of mission Elizabeth Spehar. "We hope concrete results can be achieved through this process over the coming weeks that provide a solid basis for the two leaders to move forward."
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is waiting on the results from these bi-communal panels before appointing a special envoy to assist in major talks. (AFP)
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Turkish soldier dies in PKK clash
A Turkish soldier was killed during a clash with Kurdish rebels near the country's south-eastern border with Iraq, Turkish officials say.
The fighting took place in a mountainous area of Sirnak province late on Wednesday.
The military said earlier that Turkish warplanes had hit rebels reported to be trying to cross the border.
More than 30,000 people have died since the PKK began fighting for self-rule in south-east Turkey in 1984.
Turkey, the EU and US consider the PKK to be a terrorist organisation. (BBC)
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Turkish army says it strikes PKK in Northern Iraq
Turkish warplanes fired on a group of Kurdish guerrillas in northern Iraq on Tuesday as they tried to enter Turkey, the General Staff said on Wednesday.
The General Staff said in a statement the warplanes had "neutralised", generally meaning killed, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels in the Avasin-Basyan region of northern Iraq.
PKK spokesman Ahmet Danees, who is based in northern Iraq, said Turkish forces had bombed for an hour in the Zagros mountains, but that there were no casualties among the PKK.
It was not possible to independently verify the reports. (Reuters)
Labels: Iraq, Kurdistan, Turkey
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Thousands of Turks march in anti-government rally
Thousands of secularist Turks rallied in Ankara on Saturday against the ruling AK Party, which is facing a high court challenge by a prosecutor who wants it shut down for alleged Islamist activities.
Demonstrators waving red Turkish flags and pictures of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, chanted slogans against the AK Party and the European Union, criticized by many Turks for perceived meddling in Turkey's domestic politics.
Turkish TV put the numbers at roughly 20,000 people, with many coming from faraway cities.
The Constitutional Court last month agreed to hear the case calling for 71 AK Party officials, including Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, to be banned from politics for five years. (Reuters)
Labels: Turkey
Friday, April 11, 2008
Turkey jails Kurdish Nobel nominee
A Turkish court has sentenced Leyla Zana, a Kurdish politician and former Nobel peace prize nominee, to two years in prison for spreading "terrorist" propaganda, court officials said.
Zana was convicted in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir for a speech she made at Kurdish festival last year.
In the speech, she said that the Kurdish people had three leaders, Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani, Kurdish politicians in northern Iraq, and Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader.
Zana came to prominence in 1994 when she was convicted for links to the PKK, which is outlawed in Turkey.
She was released in 2004 after Turkey's appeals court overturned her conviction and that of three other Kurdish former politicians. (Al Jazeera)
Labels: Free Speech, Turkey
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Turkey to ease curbs on free speech
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey prime minister, has said that parliament will vote next week on a long-awaited bill to soften a law criticised for limiting free speech.
Article 301 aspires to protect the concept of "Turkishness" - the essence of the republic, its institutions and its accepted historical narratives - from criticism or denigration.
In practice, this has tended to mean that any critical questioning of sensitive historical issues, from Armenia to Cyprus to the Kurds, can lead to prosecution, punishable by up to three years in prison.
"I believe we will push the amendment to Article 301 through parliament next week," Erdogan said in a televised address to the parliamentary group of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Tuesday. (Al Jazeera)
Labels: Free Speech, Turkey