301 finally reaches Justice Commission

Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan on Monday said he had signed a proposal to amend an anti-free speech article in the penal code and had forwarded it to the parliamentary Justice Commission.

The bill, which amends the infamous Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), was sitting in Toptan’s office awaiting his signature while he was on a visit to China.

Article 301 criminalizes the concept of insulting “Turkishness,” whose legal definition is quite vague. Many intellectuals, academics, journalists and writers have faced charges of violating 301 after voicing criticism of official state ideology. The European Union and rights groups have demanded a change, saying 301 is a major obstacle to freedom of speech in the country.

At a press conference he held yesterday in Parliament Toptan said although the bill was submitted to his office for signature in his absence, Deputy Parliament Speaker Güldal Mumcu, a member of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), had thought better of it “for known reasons” and “entirely of her own accord” to wait until Toptan returned. Members of the European Parliament had also criticized Mumcu for stalling on the submission of the bill.

Mumcu had been criticized for delaying 301's referral to Parliament on purpose. Media reports claimed that Mumcu's decision to wait for Toptan indicated the CHP's reluctance to amend the law. Mumcu had denied all reports suggesting that she personally supported the anti-democratic version of 301.

The proposal would require the permission of the president to launch a 301-related lawsuit against an individual over words spoken or written. Toptan said he believed it would be more appropriate to give this authority to the justice minister. He also criticized placing such a responsibility on the shoulders of the president, who holds a politically neutral office. "This could leave the president in very difficult situations," he said. He also stated that the permission should be reserved not for a lawsuit, but for the earlier stage of launching a probe.

Indeed, the necessity of presidential permission for 301 litigation has attracted much criticism from all quarters. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is currently on a visit to Qatar, responded to the criticism yesterday. "We did that [proposed presidential permission] to build confidence," Erdoğan said, speaking to journalists in Doha. "The justice minister is a political figure," he noted, adding that this could undermine confidence in the neutrality of a decision to launch a 301-related suit.

Meanwhile, the opposition parties, the CHP and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), announced on Monday that they would not be supporting the government's planned changes to 301.

Speaking to the press in Parliament in the afternoon, CHP deputy leader of the party's parliamentary group Hakkı Suha Okay said: "Everything about this bill, from its submission, the way it was drafted, its tone, everything about it is wrong. It is out of question for the CHP to support this."

He claimed that the change was being proposed due to EU pressure. He also said endowing the president with the authority to provide permission to launch 301-related lawsuits was a huge mistake. He said this would put pressure on the president regarding 301 charges filed against "some neo-Ottomanist and pro-EU" intellectuals.

MHP parliamentary group deputy leader Oktay Vural also said his party would do its best to prevent the law from being adopted. "We think this proposal runs against the spiritual and national values of the Turkish nation and its sovereignty," Vural stated.

Given the number of seats the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has in Parliament, Vural said it might not be possible for the MHP to stop the law from being adopted. Vural called on AK Party deputies to remember the parliamentary oath they took when they were sworn in and vote against the bill. He also said the proposal to leave the decision over whether to start a lawsuit over a 301 investigation to the president was a "political assassination." He stated that the president's office has to preserve the integrity and the solidarity of the country and that it was wrong to turn it into a place where decisions are made over whether acts insulting this integrity should be legally followed up on or not.

Vural accused the AK Party of having transformed the will of the nation into a will that bowed to the wishes of foreigners.

Article 301 is relatively new as it was introduced on June 1, 2005, to replace Article 159 of the old penal code. It was hoped that the new article would ensure freedom of opinion. The article was passed as part of reforms adopted by the government as a condition for the country's admission to the European Union. However, it soon became clear that Article 301, like its predecessor 159, had become the frequent subject of court cases.

Italian artist’s remains returned to her hometown

“I would like to extend my thanks to the whole Turkish nation for the affection they have shown us. I also want to thank Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the messages he released regarding my sister’s murder,” said the Italian artist’s sister, Antonietta Pasqualino, who took her sister’s body to Italy. The Italian artist, Giuseppina Pasqualino di Marineo, also known as Pippa Bacca, was found dead on Saturday in a forested area in the industrial town of Gebze. She was hitchhiking to the Palestinian territories dressed in a wedding gown as part of her “Brides on Tour” project, aimed at pleading for peace in conflict areas.

Di Marineo was hitchhiking with a friend who was also wearing a wedding gown. The two left the Italian artist’s hometown of Milan on March 8 and hitchhiked to Turkey together. They separated in İstanbul shortly before di Marineo went missing, with the aim of reuniting in Beirut.

She was last seen or heard from on March 31 in Gebze and was missing since then. A suspect, identified as Murat Karataş, confessed to the murder during police interrogation and was being held in prison.

The Italian artist’s sister, Antonietta, carrying her sister’s remains, was sent off from Esenboğa Airport in the capital for Atatürk International Airport in İstanbul by representatives from the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) and the Mor Çatı (Purple Roof) association, which offers protection to female victims of violence or physical abuse.

ÖDP Chairman Ufuk Uras, in a press statement, expressed grief over di Marineo's murder.

"Dear Pippa, we are here together with you. We are here for peace, justice and humanity. You were killed by a man who spoke our language. Our sorrow will be eased a bit if we promise to exert our utmost to eradicate violence inflicted against women in this country. Good-bye, Pippa," he said.

Antonietta, in response, thanked the Turkish people for the affection they had showed her and her sister. "I would like to extend my thanks to everyone. I hope I visit Turkey the next time for a holiday, not for such a tragic event," she said.

The funeral for di Marineo will be held on Saturday in her hometown of Milan.

A group of British drummers who hitchhiked in Turkey for three months as part of their world tour said a single person's mistake cannot be attributed to the whole Turkish nation.

"It is a great misfortune that the Italian female artist was murdered in Turkey before she got to experience the great comfort of Turkish hospitality," said 25-year-old Lauran Brownen.

Brownen said he and his friend Tod Whatlinen, 26, were accommodated by Turkish villagers during the three months they spent in Turkey. "We adored the hospitality and sympathy of the Turkish people. We arrived in Turkey with the aim of spending one month in different provinces, but in the face of people's indescribable hospitality, we stayed there for three months," he said. He also expressed sorrow upon hearing of the Italian artist's murder. "I am deeply saddened that she faced such a destiny. But one person's mistake should not and cannot be attributed to a whole nation," he said.

"We traveled through dozens of Turkish provinces such as İstanbul, İzmir, Denizli, Nevşehir, Ürgüp, Kayseri, Ankara, Konya, Muğla and Antalya. Most of the people whom we met during our journey didn't know English, but they did their utmost to help us. I still cannot forget the taste of the soups I ate in Turkey. We were always greeted with affection and respect by Turkish people. They showed us greater affection than our own compatriots," noted Brownen.

Meanwhile, Gebze Mayor İbrahim Pehlivan announced yesterday that the residents of Gebze would offer an apology to di Marineo's family and the Italian nation.

"We strongly condemn the Italian artist's murder in the name of all Turks. We were deeply saddened to witness that an activist who was pleading for peace in conflict areas was killed in our town. We wish to continue her project. We want to pay a visit to the Italian Embassy to extend our apologies to the Italian nation," he said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered its condolences in a written statement released yesterday. "A suspect confessed that he had committed di Marineo's heineous murder and was handed over to justice. We offer our condolences to the Italian artist's family, relatives and the whole Italian nation," read the statement.

Soaring food prices in Turkey give officials food for thought

Consumer budgets were dealt yet another blow by soaring food prices on staples such as rice and wheat, while record-breaking oil prices have continued to push the prices of almost all other items up for the average household's budget.

And Turks are no exception when it comes to feeling the global pinch of soaring food prices: Rice alone has risen 130 percent in the last three months in Turkey, a figure that was only 68 percent worldwide last year.

Last week, dispatches recorded numerous riots in a dozen countries, signaling social unrest and instability. According to the World Bank, food prices have risen 83 percent in the past three years. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was asked to provide a comprehensive relief package to alleviate the crisis, while the United Nations World Food Program is trying to collect on commitments but falling dramatically short of its target. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization says world cereal stocks this year will be the lowest since 1982.

Economists are trying to decipher what is really happening in the commodities market as officials scramble to address growing public tension over the high cost of food items. Greg Barrow, a senior public affairs officer at the World Food Programme (WFP), expressed this uncertainty in comments to Today's Zaman, saying it was "very difficult to predict precisely how high food prices are going to rise and how long they are going to stay at elevated levels." He also warned, "The effect on markets is already having an impact on the lives of the poorest, hungriest people, and the WFP faces an urgent need for increased donations to its budget in 2008 to meet a shortfall of half-a-billion US dollars, which has arisen as a result of the food price increases."

More than 73 million people in 78 countries depend on food aid, delivered mainly by the WFP. However in recent years the amount of aid has decreased due to increased food scarcity.

Rioting in response to rising food prices broke out recently in Egypt, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, Senegal, Ethiopia and Haiti. According to the World Bank, 33 countries are at risk of social upheaval because of rising food prices. The armies of Pakistan and Thailand have been called to take measures to prevent looting and theft from fields and food warehouses. World Bank President Robert Zoellick called on governments to rapidly honor commitments to provide the WFP with the $500 million in emergency aid it needs by May 1. "It is critical that governments confirm their commitments as soon as possible and that others begin to commit," Zoellick said. He repeated his warnings on Sunday after a meeting of the bank's policy-setting committee and expressed frustration over slow progress. He said international finance meetings are "often about talk" and urged them "to put our money where our mouth is to help hungry people."

Turkish officials are trying to reassure the public that the government is taking all measures to protect consumers from the pinch of the global food crisis. Turkish Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Mehdi Eker said, "There is no need for alarm from the Turkish perspective," adding that "we have enough wheat and rice in stock to meet demand through the new harvesting season." The ministry is taking precautionary measures to control prices and prevent speculators from raising food prices artificially. Agricultural Products Office General Director İsmail Kemaloğlu signaled a change for the first time in their import policy, saying: "We will continue to import grain during the harvesting season."

The policy change met with a wave of criticism from producers in Turkey. Fearing that imported grain would drive prices lower to farmers' detriment, associations representing producers and farmers expressed their disapproval at the government's policies. Union of Turkish Agricultural Chambers President Şemsi Bayraktar said, "I'm concerned that importing during harvest season will harm our producers and disrupt the internal balance."

In the meantime, Turkish Minister of Foreign Trade Kürşad Tüzmen said yesterday that the government wanted "price increases balanced well with the market." Speaking to the Anatolia news agency he said that although there was "increasing demand for food worldwide, we don't see a radical change in food demand in Turkey." He also cautioned speculators about spreading undue fears and taking advantage of consumers, saying, "We won't let our people be milked by market speculators."

What change took place and led to the current increases in world food prices? There is no single answer to that question. Barrow explains: "These [reasons] include the relatively high price of oil, which adds to the cost of using agricultural machinery, the cost of transporting food, an increase in the cost of fertilizer production. There has also been a dramatic increase in demand from the growing economies of Asia -- mainly India and China -- where demand for grain has increased as wealth has increased and tastes have changed, with consumers eating more meat and dairy products. Adverse climatic conditions in some of the world's biggest grain producing countries, like Australia, have led to a drop in production levels. Finally, the shift in big producing countries like the United States toward biofuel production has added to the pressure on prices as fields that were once used to grow crops for human consumption are now growing food to generate biofuels."

The US government was a target of blame at IMF and World Bank meetings over the weekend. Many officials singled out aggressive US policies pushing corn-based ethanol and other biofuels as deepening the food crisis. On the other hand, the US is pointing a finger at China and other developing countries experiencing a strong demand for food. While admitting biofuel is a contributing factor, US officials are highlighting rising energy prices as a contributing factor to soaring food costs.

Asked about the root cause of the price hikes, Joachim von Braun, general director of the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), explained to Today's Zaman: "The price of food and the value of natural resources such as land and water needed to produce have changed for the long run. The current high prices may be excessive, but we need to get used to high prices." According to Von Braun, "the main forces are high demand because of high economic growth -- and that is good -- high oil prices and third, bad policies, especially neglect of agricultural investment for many years and ill-designed, too-aggressive biofuels policies." He urges "a major initiative for agricultural productivity," saying: "Governments need to increase their public support of agriculture and give incentives to the private sector. The increased tendencies to ban exports and increase import subsidies hinders sharing [during] the scarcity around the world, and this needs coordinated international action."

Almost everyone agrees that the price hikes are likely to stay with us for a long time. Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University in London's Centre for Food Policy, thinks the hikes are permanent. Responding to a question posed by Today's Zaman on what could be done to alleviate the food crisis, he said: "This is very difficult. There is a policy divide; some argue that we merely need to increase production using new high-tech methods such as genetic modification. Others including [myself] think we will have to develop new food systems based on ecological principles." Lang suggests "we will have to reduce meat consumption, be very careful not to allow biofuels to compete for food over land use, reduce food waste and be more equitable."

Rising food prices is causing another interesting development in the world economy -- a reverse wave of protectionism. Countries usually impose trade barriers to imports to protect local industry and boost exports. This time the opposite is happening. Recently, at least a dozen of 58 countries have reduced tariffs to food imports and erected barriers to exports in hopes of restraining food prices domestically and moving toward "self-sufficiency," according to the World Bank. India started to restrict grain exports while decreasing taxes on edible oils, corn and butter. Egypt followed suit and halted rice exports for six months as of April 1. Turkey is also cutting import taxes on wheat to 8 percent from 130 percent and to 0 percent from 100 percent on barley to reflect the policy change on the food market. Aside from short-term measures, government sources in Turkey are saying revitalized irrigation plans for the giant Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) are in the works.

Milan to cooperate with İzmir on EXPO 2015, says Marsili

Italian Ambassador to Turkey Carlo Marsili has said that Milan Mayor Letizia Moratti had accepted a suggestion he made previously that Milan and İzmir, the two cities that were competing for EXPO 2015, should cooperate regardless of who ended up the winner.

Milan was chosen to become the host city for EXPO 2015 last month. Ambassador Marsili told Today's Zaman that he had sent a letter to the mayors of both cities before the vote and that winner Milan is now ready to cooperate, with a certain number of projects in common targeted for EXPO 2015. "In May we will go to Milan with a delegation from İzmir to start discussions to make this commitment concrete," said Marsili.

Marsili spoke with Today's Zaman before his trip to Italy to cast his vote in this weekend's early elections and observe the setting up of the new government. "I am going to Italy to remind the new government and the new foreign minister of Italy's very important engagements with Turkey," he said. The engagements Marsili refers to include the Annual Bilateral Governmental Summits to be held between Turkey and Italy. The first of these summits was to take place this spring, but due to a government crisis in Italy, and to some extent in Turkey, the summit did not make it onto the agenda. The Italian ambassador said this summit, of the type which Italy holds with Britain, Germany, France and Spain and that Turkey has with no country at all, would be a signal to other EU countries that Turkey is one of the most important of European countries for Italy and with which Rome has decided to have these summits every year. "The new government should do its best to arrange this summit either before the summer or at latest between the end of September and October," Ambassador Marsili said. Speaking about Turkish-Italian initiatives that need to be continued, Marsili has in mind the Dialogue Forum, which will mark its fifth session next November in Italy; the Media Forum, which was initiated last year in December in İstanbul and will continue as an annual event; and finally a prospective Italian-Turkish University to be built in İstanbul.

The Italian ambassador noted Italy and Turkey's common areas of interest and underlined the importance of the new government in Italy not underestimating them. "We have common interests in several geographies in the world. The Balkans are very important for Turkey and for us. We recognized the independence of Kosovo, as did Turkey. We have a military presence in the Balkan states, as is the case of Turkey. In the Middle East, Iraq's integrity and a possible peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians is important for us and for Turkey, and we should not forget Afghanistan, where both of our countries have troops and are committed to a peaceful situation," Marsili explained.

Asked about possible changes in Italy's foreign policy if the governing coalition changes in the Sunday elections, Marsili said that Italian foreign policy, especially regarding European Union issues, is bipartisan and had showed a consistency in past changes of government. "As far as Turkey is concerned, there was no change in our policy of supporting Turkey's EU membership in the last elections, and there won't be one in this election. We are absolutely against the so-called privileged partnership. We want the full integration of Turkey into the union, and we want a weightier Mediterranean presence in the union. The only way to make this is to have Turkey with us. For us it is a must, not an option. For us, the EU without Turkey is an incomplete EU," Marsili said, adding: "Of course [Silvio] Berlusconi has personal feelings about the Turkish prime minister. This is something unique and is based on a personal friendship."

Commenting on a slowdown of EU reforms in Turkey over the last one-and-a-half years, Marsili said the slowing down is sensed by all Europeans, but also that the reasons are understood. "It is inevitable in an electoral year, when you have to elect a new Parliament and a new president of the republic and when you have numerous political issues, that the reform process will slow down. I hope and believe that this process will again find its impetus as before. We have already received good signals of this," Marsili said.

Having mentioned the cooperative good relations between Turkey and his country, Ambassador Marsili returned to the issue of the letter he sent to the mayors of Milan and İzmir and explained that it was the only problem between the two countries and that he wanted to change the competition into a positive and not a divisive one. "You know, people asked me what city I stood for. Of course, I am the ambassador of Italy and I supported Milan. But my wife, who is Turkish, was for İzmir. This was also known in Milan, and I felt like someone who was undecided. The best way to get out of this was to forge cooperation between the two cities," he told Today's Zaman. Asked whether he expects any change in his post after the elections, "I was nominated to this post by Berlusconi, and [Romano] Prodi confirmed my position. So I hope I can stay here," Marsili replied.

Erdoğan: Turkey will lighten EU's load

Turkey will not be increasing the weight of the burden the European Union has to carry, but will instead lighten it, the prime minister has said.

Speaking at the 24th meeting of the Turkey EU Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan noted that even when Turkey-EU relations are going through somewhat difficult times, the JCC is continuing to meet to produce results and solutions. Erdoğan said European Commission President José Manuel Barroso's visit to Turkey has been very positive. He said during talks with Barroso, the two leaders found the opportunity to comprehensively assess all aspects of Turkey's EU accession process.

"Turkey does not have the slightest reservation, hesitation or question mark about its EU accession. I absolutely do not agree with criticism that the process has lost pace and that there has been a slowdown in reforms. Turkey is continuing with the same excitement and determination, despite all developments to prevent it and crush its motivation," Erdoğan stated.

He again strongly rejected the vague concept of a "privileged partnership," mentioned on more than one occasion by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy as an alternative to full membership. "In actuality there is no such expression as 'privileged partnership' anywhere in the EU acquis. What does this mean? I always say this is about changing the rules in the middle of the game, and unfortunately two countries have been leaders in promoting this. They also wanted to win over some other countries to their side. Have they managed to do this yet? No, not so far," Erdoğan said.

Stating that the issue was one of confidence, Erdoğan noted that on Dec. 17, 2004, when Turkey was given a date for the start of accession talks, 75 percent of the Turkish people supported membership in the EU. Today this number is down to 59 percent. "The reason for this loss of confidence is the statements made by our EU friends. But we do believe we have something to offer to the EU. We are coming to lighten the load of the EU, not increase it."

Erdoğan also recalled that in December 2006, EU foreign ministers agreed to suspend talks with Turkey on eight chapters due to Turkey's refusal to recognize the Greek administration of the divided island of Cyprus, an accepted member of the bloc. "It is impossible for us to accept this. Is Turkey European or not, you are constantly asking this question? If you are talking geography, then Turkey is European, and at the same time Asian. This is a [source of] richness for Turkey."

Turkey is ahead of some EU countries

Erdoğan also said not all countries accepted to the EU were geographically part of Europe, adding that Turkey was even ahead of some member states in economic and political reforms.

"Today there is a Turkey that is ahead of at least 10 of the members of the European Union. Currently we are ahead of a majority of these in terms of fulfilling the Copenhagen and Maastricht criteria."

He also said despite attempts to crush Turkey's motivation to complete accession talks for full membership, such as a French initiative to eliminate the word "accession" in a European Council report in December 2007, Turkey had never turned such things to its own advantage. "We never produced excuses as the government or hid behind excuses," he stated.

The prime minister also noted that he believes two more negotiation chapters will be opened under the EU term presidency of current incumbent Slovenia. "I hope that these will be completed in a brief period."

Uneasy public rallies behind AK Party

Turks are uneasy and unhappy at their country's prospects against the backdrop of a case filed by Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya to close down the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), a new opinion poll has revealed.

The poll, conducted by the Ankara-based MetroPOLL Strategic & Social Research Center, found an overwhelming majority of the Turkish public (71.6 percent) does not want the court to close the AK Party. Among those polled 68.4 percent viewed the case negatively, while only 27.4 percent saw it as a positive development.

Respondents were also asked about their faith in the high judiciary and expectations of the Constitutional Court's decision. Almost 50 percent of those polled said their confidence in the high judiciary had eroded because of the case, whereas 24.1 percent said their confidence level had increased; 18.4 percent saw no change in their attitude. According to poll results, a majority sees the case as "political" rather than "legal" -- 56.2 percent responded that the case was purely political, while 12.6 percent said it was both political and legal. Only 21.7 percent agreed that the case was based solely on legal grounds.

The MetroPOLL public opinion survey found that 65 percent of Turks see the AK Party as no threat to Turkey's secular regime, while 28.2 percent disagree.

The survey also probed respondents about when a party should be closed down. Of 1,204 people polled, 37.5 percent expressed dissent against closing a party by court decision, while 35.1 percent said "resorting or encouraging violence" should be a necessary criterion in adjudicating the case in court. The mere 22.8 percent remaining considered "speeches and actions that conflict with the law" enough to close the party down. The poll concludes that 48.2 percent of the public believes the pending case at the Constitutional Court was filed due to the speeches and actions of the AK Party's top management. A nearly equal number of people do not share this view.

When asked about their expectations of the Constitutional Court, 40 percent of those canvassed said they expected the AK party to be closed down; an equal number of people said the opposite. The poll results point to another sign of eroding public trust in the judicial system -- 34.4 percent drew a connection between the closure case and Ergenekon, the code name for an official investigation into a neo-nationalist gang believed to be the extension of a clandestine network of groups with members in the armed forces and bureaucracy; 43.4 percent did not agree with this premise.

The Turkish public also seems to be strongly against the inclusion of President Abdullah Gül in the chief prosecutor's indictment. About 60 percent thinks the case is illegal. According to the Turkish Constitution, the president is only subject to the Constitutional Court in the case of crimes such as high treason. A little over 50 percent favor a referendum to amend the Constitution, making party closure very difficult; 40.5 percent indicated they would vote against such a change in a referendum.

Pollsters also questioned the public about their voting behavior. If an election were held on the day pollsters made their calls, the AK Party would have led the vote count with a whopping 50.2 percent, higher than in the last election, where the AK Party won 47 percent of vote in a landslide victory. On the other hand, the Republican People's Party (CHP) would have received 12.4 of percent of votes cast and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) would have garnered 7.2 percent. These figures are especially alarming for the MHP, as this indicates the party would be out of Parliament, failing to reach the 10 percent threshold.

The survey also tackles the question of a voting shift in the event of an AK Party closure: 21.1 percent of the public signaled willingness to change their vote if the AK party were closed down, and voting changes would occur in all parties across the board. The poll predicts 22.5 percent of AK Party voters, 17.2 percent of CHP voters and 17 percent of MHP voters would vote for a different party if the AK Party were to be shut down. Sixty-four percent of AK Party voters said they would either cast an invalid vote, or they were undecided as to what they would do. About one-third of AK Party voters said they might vote for another party.

When asked the identity of their favorite politicians, an enormous 37.3 percent said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Gül followed Erdoğan's lead with 12 percent and CHP Chairman Deniz Baykal was favored with 4.1 percent, while only 3.3 percent named MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli as their pick.

MetroPOLL conducted the telephone survey from April 5-8 with the participation of 1,204 randomly selected people in 26 provinces. The poll has a sampling error of +-2.8 percent.

Southeastern NGOs urge PM to push for EU process

A group of representatives of 17 civil society organizations from southeastern and eastern Anatolia arrived in the capital on Tuesday to share their views on economic and democratic solutions to Turkey's Kurdish question with the president, prime minister and opposition politicians.

The group's visit comes amid recent tension sparked by conflict between the police and Kurdish protestors during the spring festival of Nevruz celebrated in March and recent fights between pro-Kurdish and nationalist student groups on some university campuses.

Representatives from the civil society groups met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and visited the Democratic Society Party (DTP) yesterday to share their observations and findings on the Kurdish question, as detailed in a report they presented to Erdoğan.

The group also has plans to meet with opposition parties the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Republican People's Party (CHP); however, the exact day and time for these meetings was not yet clear as of yesterday. Representatives of the civil society groups underlined the importance of the EU process during their talks yesterday and expressed the opinion that the primary solution to the Kurdish question, as well as other problems Turkish democracy is dealing with, lay in remaining committed to Turkey's negotiations with the EU.

During their meeting with Prime Minister Erdoğan yesterday, representatives of the group raised concerns about escalating tension in the region after the Nevruz celebration and demanded that the government take democratic, social and economic measures to fend off the growing danger of violence, sources said.

After Nevruz celebrations on March 21, clashes between the public and security forces occurred, resulting in three deaths. Clashes have continued since then, and the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) has called for a popular uprising in the region.

They also shared economic suggestions they believe could help improve the situation in the Southeast, stressing that financial measures alone would not be adequate to address this deep-rooted problem. In order to make the outcome of economic measures permanent, developments in the economy should be backed by democratic and social reforms, they said. Such reforms include the right to education in Kurdish. On this point, an unpleasant exchange took place between Sezgin Tanrıkulu, the head of the Diyarbakır Bar Association, and Prime Minister Erdoğan. Tanrıkulu claimed that Turkey's refusal to allow Kurdish in schools for the Kurdish population was a political problem. "The right to receiving an education in one's mother tongue is for minorities only," Prime Minister Erdoğan said in response. Under Turkish law, Kurds are not defined as a minority. Tanrıkulu and Erdoğan exchanged harsh remarks during the meeting, and the discussion ended with Tanrıkulu angrily walking out of the room. The rest of the delegation finished their talks with the prime minister 20 minutes later. The group did not issue a press statement after the meeting.

Content of the report

Civil society organizations operating in the region suggest in their report constructing an airport in Diyarbakır and accelerating irrigation projects already under way as part of a major sustainable-development project expected to create jobs for approximately 50,000 people. The report also calls for introducing sector-specific incentives for businesses and investors in the region and suggests tax relief for employers, tax reductions for investors, long-run and low-interest export credits for entrepreneurs of the region, the establishment of qualified industrial zones and incentives for businessmen from outside the area who are prepared to move their factories to the region.

The report also underlines the necessity of clearing the area of land mines and making it available for agriculture. The report warns that economic measures would help solve the problem only to a certain extent and states that economic development without democratic reforms would be meaningless. Introducing more freedoms, such as the right to education in Kurdish, something which the prime minister was not enthused about during yesterday's talks, the report said would pave the way for a solution to the Kurdish question.

There were also problems between the delegates themselves which surfaced even before the visit to Ankara began. Only one night before the visit, he Human Rights Association (İHD) announced that it would not join the delegation, saying that solutions proposed in the report were too focused on the economy. Organizations represented in the delegation include the Diyarbakır Chamber of Trade and Industry, the Diyarbakır Trade Exchange, the Diyarbakır Bar Association, the Diyarbakır Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (DİSİAD), the Southeastern and Eastern Anatolia Businessmen's Association (GÜNSİAD), the Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUM-DER), women's organization KAMER and the Turkish Doctors' Union (TTB).