· EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT REPORT:  "VERY UNEVEN SITUATION".
On 25 October, the European Parliament accepted the report
drawn up by the French Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Alain
Lamassoure, regarding the "political evolution, constitutional change and
Human Rights in Turkey ", "the economic situation, the economic and trade
relations between the EU and Turkey " and also "Turkey's foreign relations".

According to the report, the situation "remains very uneven ". While
welcoming the real advances made in an extremely difficult economic
context, and in particular the courage of President Sezer in denouncing
corruption and in using his "right to veto legislation that would have
marked real democratic set-backs " the report also stresses "delays and
even set-backs ".

According to the report, "the banning of the principle opposition party,
Fazilet, showed that the political system has not been stabilised and that
changes in the legislation regarding the status of political parties are an
urgent necessity "  It calls on Turkey "to lower the eligibility threshold
set in the electoral laws and carry out an profound revision of the law on
political parties ".

"In general, a discrepancy persists between good intentions and actual
practice in the area of Human Rights, where progress is too slow: torture
and degrading treatment of detainees continue to be frequent, freedom of
expression is still abnormally circumscribed and many thousands of people
are today incarcerated for offences which, in our law, would be questions
of opinion. The principle Human Rights defence associations remain
subjected to very real legal harassment. Peaceful demonstrations are often
repressed with useless brutality. On 24 September, at the height of the
parliamentary debate on freedom of expression, a quarterly review,
sponsored by, amongst others, the President of the Court of Appeals, was
seized for having published an article critical of military institutions "
the report stresses.

Parliament deplores that "despite the adoption of a considerable number of
measures at the legislative and administrative levels and of training aimed
at eradicating torture, the overall assessment remains alarming ". It
recalls that "the Commission's worrying observation in its routine report
on Turkey for the year 2000 that the National Security Council has not
changed its role in Turkish political life ".

Parliament didn't fail to note that "the ending of the PKK's armed
terrorism has not yet been used to undertake an overall policy towards the
South-Eastern Provinces or Kurdish identity any more than the unambiguous
ruling of the European Human Rights Court been used to free Leyla Zana and
the other former DEP Members of Parliament who are still incarcerated ".
The European Parliament "insists on the necessity for creating legal
possibilities for allowing the revision of legal proceedings and sentences
passed regarding the DEP former Members of Parliament " and demands "the
liberation of Leyla Zana, holder of the Sakharov Prize of the European
Parliament as well as the other M.P.s of Kurdish origin imprisoned for
their opinions ".

The European Parliament notes "the Constitutional amendment project aiming
at partially removing the restrictions on the use of the Kurdish language "
and hopes for "an overall solution of the Kurdish problem" and calls for
"the lifting of the State of Emergency in the four provinces still affected".
 

· GHENT SUMMIT:  TURKEY'S REFORMS "WOOLLY"  
TURKISH REPLY: "DISCRIMINATION", "CONFLICT OF CIVILISATIONS".
Whereas the deadlines for candidates for membership of the
European Union are becoming more specific, the pressure on the candidate
countries to accelerate their preparations is increasing, especially in
Turkey's case. Thus the Gend summit of the Fifteen on 20 October concluded
that Turkey's efforts to meet the Copenhagen criteria were "woolly". The
Turkish Foreign Minister, Ismail Cem, taking part in the European
Conference on terrorism, organised over the same week-end by the Belgian
presidency of the EU, reacted sharply, talking of discrimination. The
Turkish daily Milliyet , moreover, headlined the event "Discriminating Europe ".

The Belgian Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt, declared, on 19 October, that
the Fifteen would shortly try to define the candidate countries that were
in the best position to join by 2004. It also stressed that the
representatives of the governments and parliaments of member states would
meet those of the 12 candidate countries during the European convention but
nothing was decided in Turkey's case. Apart from Turkey, that has the
status of candidate but has not yet started negotiations, 12 countries are
currently involved in negotiations. But the Turkish authorities insist at
being classed under the same heading.

On 24 October, Mesut Yilmaz, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister
responsible for European affairs, went one better by declaring "In the
present time, any attitude of Europe against Turkey would undoubtedly be
construed in the context of the conflict of civilisations   A European
Union that excludes Turkey would be a club of Christian nations,
representing a return to the Middle Ages   The membership of a country like
Turkey, a natural bridge between East and West, between Christianity and
Islam, would invalidate the thesis of a confrontation of civilisations,
which could lead the European Union and the United States to catastrophe ".
Mesut Yilmaz also added that Turkey should thus finally make up its mind,
that his party saw the future of Turkey as being with the West and a full
member of the EU but "unfortunately Turkey is not just us. There are many
people who are very pleased at the anti-Turkish developments in Europe. It
is high time for everyone to clarify their position, to drop their masks
and decide on the future of Turkey ".
 

· NECHIRVAN BARZANI VISITS TURKEY:  TURKISH BUSINESSMEN
TO "SHEILD"BAGHDAD. The Kurdish Prime Minister, Nechirvan
Barzani, representing the Erbil Kurdish Regional Government went on an
official visit to Ankara on 22 October to discuss the latest developments
in the region following on the 11 September terrorist attacks in the United
States, regarding which the implication of the Iraqi authorities is being
increasingly evoked. Echoing the latest speech of Prime Minister Bülent
Ecevit that "any development relative to Northern Iraq would have a
negative impact on Ankara ", Nechirvan Barzani re-assured the Turkish
authorities by reiterating his attachment to the territorial integrity of
Iraq  and asking Turkey to "stop using the Habur border post like a red
card against us ". In this connection, the Turkish authorities and the
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) which Mr. Barzani represents, have decided
to bring together a committee of technical experts to resolve the sensitive
question of them Habur border post, which services a lucrative traffic of
oil smuggling between Turkey and Iraq, from which the KDP draws much of its
own resources. Mr. Barzani also stressed that the "problem of Iraqi Kurds
should be resolved in the context of a united Iraq ".

The KDP recently refused to cooperate with the Turkish Army in its armed
incursions into Iraqi Kurdistan while Ankara seizes every opportunity for
trying to clip the wings of the Kurdish governments in office in Iraqi
Kurdistan. On 25 October, Iraq, through its UN representative Mohamed
Al-Douri, denounced an "invasion" of the North of its territory by the
Turkish Army which, according to him, was strengthening its positions there
after having brought in dozens of tanks and troop carriers into the country
at the beginning of October. Turkish troops backed by at least thirty tanks
had entered Iraqi Kurdistan since 5 October and "are at the moment building
fortifications to make their new invasion permanent " Mr. Douri indicated.

It is in this context of suspicion and tension that the Turkish
businessmen, industrialists and Exporters are preparing to visit Iraq to
take part in the Export Products Fair that begins on 1st November in
Baghdad. With 150 stands and 350 Turkish firms and/or businessmen, Turkey
has the largest representation of all countries present. Kursat Tuzmen,
Turkish Foreign Trade adviser and "official guest" to the fair and of the
Iraqi Government, will try to attract the Iraqis so that Turkish firms win
the bulk of UNO contracts. Zulfikar Dogan, economics correspondent on the
Turkish daily Milliyet, did not hesitate to speak of "a shield of Turkish
businessmen in Baghdad " to thwart any possible reprisals on Iraq by the
Americans. "And then, if our government comes to create, despite Anglo-US
opposition, a second border post with Iraq, a thing hoped for over a year,
trade will increase " the journalist concluded.
 

·  HURRIYET: EU REPORT ON TURKEY CANDIDACY SEVERELY CRITICAL.
The 24 October issue of the Turkish daily Hurriyet , under the headline "Europe
didn't appreciate " reveals, as an exclusive scoop, "the outlines of the
European Union's report of evaluation of Turkey's advance towards
determining its relations with the UE " whose official publication is
planned for 13 November coming.

Drawn up in response to the Turkish "national programme", the report is
said to contain "no material favourable to Turkey " but is said to be
waiting to take into account the latest Turkish Constitutional amendments
covering the areas of "Justice and internal affairs ". Moreover, Hurriyet
claims that the different UE bodies have already recorded the inadequacy of
the "national programme" presented by Turkey but also the fact that Ankara
has repeatedly pressured the European Commission to secure a "a report that
would raise the moral of the Turkish people ". According to the daily
paper, the outline of the report runs something like this:

- No timetable has been set for the abolition of the death sentence. The
information about military courts in the national programme is
unacceptable.
- Turkey has not carried out the commitment made in its National Programme
"constitutional clauses regarding the State Security Courts (DGM) and
reconsidering the laws applicable to the DGM". These Courts must be
reformed.
- The National Programme is fundamentally lightweight. It cannot be
considered to be a document simplifying and orienting the process. It was
not drawn up with a view to joining the European Union but as a strategy of
national development  There is no precision regarding priorities.
- The discriminations practised by Turkey towards shipping under the
Cypriote flag are not acceptable.
- Turkey's support for the UN General Secretary's efforts to end the Cyprus
conflict are unconvincing.
- There is major disagreement between Turkey and the EU regarding European
Identity, security and defence.
 

· TURKEY INVITES TENDERS FOR 40 UNMANNED AIRCRAFT:
PENTAGON: "IDEAL MOMENT FOR SELLING ARMS TO TURKEY ".
Taking advantage of a favourable moment for rearming, despite the
economic crisis raging in the country, the Turkish Army is accelerating its
major projects of arms purchases for a global amount estimated at between
5.5 and 6 billion dollars including, in particular the purchase of 40
unmanned aircraft (UAV) for a sum of $ 300 million. The Turkish authorities
have already issued an invitation to tender to American, Israeli and
Chinese firms for these planes made up of 9 systems ­ 7 tactical and 2
strategic, and hope to conclude the contract stage by December. The
American defence publication, Defence News, indicated in its latest issue
that the US Congress would most probably approve the supply of these
weapons since Turkey's importance has increased since the 11 September
attacks. Thus a Pentagon official declared "all that's needed is a sign
from President George W. Bush. The securing the coalition against terrorism
is more important than the little interests of some circles in Congress
It's the ideal moment for selling arms to Turkey ".

Furthermore, the Turkish authorities have specified that the project of
modernising Turkish tanks, initially concluded with the Israeli company
IMI, might be called into question if, by mid-November, the project had
still not gone higher that $ 550 million. A new international contract
would then be put proposed by Turkey. Moreover, Ankara is conducting
negotiations with the American firms of Bell Textron for the purchase of
145 King Cobra AH-IZ helicopters for a total of $ 4 billion dollars
(Editors Note: The project for the initial production of 50 King Cobras in
Turkey is a short term one) but also with Boeing for 4 AWACS spy planes.
Negotiations should be concluded by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the
proportion of the State budget devoted to Education in 2001 was one of the
lowest ever recorded since the foundation of the Turkish Republic:
representing 5.12% of the overall budget. (Editor's note: In 1990 it was
13.21%, in 1992 it was 14.56% and 7.13% in 2000. Result: The Ministry of
Education's budget cannot cover building projects for new schools planned
for 2002).
 

· LEGAL ABSOLUTION FOR SUSURLUK SCANDAL. On 24 October, the Court of
Appeals quashed the sentences passed on Ibrahim Sahin, former Head of the
Police Special Forces and on Korkut Eken, former officer of the Turkish
Intelligence Services (MIT), both implicated in the Susurluk scandal ­ the
road accident on 3 November 1996 that brought to light the collusion
between the State and the Turkish mafia, and the links between the Turkish
security forces in Kurdistan and the 'deep state' (euphemism for the Armed
forces). The Turkish Supreme Court ruled that there had been an "inadequate
investigation " because the request for hearings in camera made by the
accused had not been granted. Ibrahim Sahin and Korkut Eken, who had been
found guilty in February for "founding and running a gang with the aim of
committing crimes " and sentenced to six years imprisonment, and 12 other
accused, including seven policemen, one drug trafficker and two former
casino owners, sentenced to four years, will have to be retried.

The Istanbul State Security Court had, however, ruled in its verdict, that
"the activities of the gang reached frightening proportions. The guilty
should not be able to hide behind the shield of legal protection ". In its
24 October issue, the daily paper Hurriyet covered this event with the
ambiguous headline "Freedom at Susurluk ".
 

· EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTION DISGUISED AS SUICIDE BY POLICE.
An activist of Revolutionary People's Liberation Front-Party
(DHKP-C) the organisation, Yunus Guzel, was found dead in a cell at the
Istanbul Police Directorate on 23 October. He had been put in there on his
own after being arrested with 12 other people, during a police operation
carried out between 16 and 22 October. According to the Turkish police the
victim hanged himself with the sheets of his bed.

The Human Rights organisations are pointing out contradictions in the
police statements. The principle Turkish dailies, that illustrated Y.
Guzel's "suicide" with drawings based on the police statements, produced
completely different and equivocal sketches. According to the Turkish
police, the detainee, who was over six foot high, had bent his knees to be
able hang himself and die!