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).

PM pledges to uphold democracy in face of closure case

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) would defend democracy as fiercely as it had up to this point, despite a closure case facing the party.

"The process that we are involved in will not in the slightest lessen our fervor for serving the country or dampen our struggle for democracy," he told an AK Party parliamentary group meeting yesterday. The ruling AK Party, re-elected to power last summer with 47 percent of the vote, is currently facing a closure case in the Constitutional Court for alleged Islamist activities.

Erdoğan warned that the closure case could have severe economic and political consequences. "Politics cannot avoid its duty of finding a solution to the issue," he said. He also stated that he had full confidence that democracy would emerge stronger than ever at the end of this process, adding that he thought all political parties should contribute to that end. "Everybody should know that water doesn't run uphill. Turkey cannot be turned back on its journey towards democracy," he said. He noted that his party had started its political journey saying "more democracy, more wealth for all of our citizens," and underlined that despite the closure case, the AK Party would continue to act as an interpreter of the nation's mind, conscience and feelings.

"We will continue to produce solutions and remedies for all of the country's issues, from constructing highways for 81 provinces to roads for 40,000 of Turkey's villages, from issues of production, employment and competition to the health of our people," he said. He also stated that his government had plans to speed up political reforms required to join the European Union after they had been stalled for months. He said Parliament next week would pass an amendment to Article 301, a penal code article criticized by the EU and human rights groups as limiting free speech.

"We have taken a step regarding Article 301, which has always produced controversy. Other steps that will bring Turkish democracy forward will follow this on a fast track," he said, without elaborating. Erdoğan said the EU process remains a priority for the government. "The important aspect about the EU for us is that it is an important platform for bringing our democracy up to universal standards. For this reason, it is impossible for our government to fall into lethargy concerning the EU process. The universals standards [of democracy] are above the target of full membership," he noted.

"The process from now on will once more show our government's determination on the EU path. We will have the opportunity to evaluate the road map [with Manuel Barroso and Ollie Rehn] for the future," he said. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn will visit Ankara on Friday for talks amidst these troubled times for the AK Party.

Closure case against AK Party

The Constitutional Court agreed last week to hear a case brought by a chief prosecutor to have the AK Party shut down, arguing that it is trying to create an Islamic state.

The prosecutor has also called for 71 AK Party officials, including Erdoğan, along with President Abdullah Gül, to be banned from politics for five years. The AK Party denies the charges. The case is expected to take months, and the threat of protracted political instability has unsettled financial markets. The government abandoned plans on Monday to make changes to the Constitution to head off the closure threat after failing to secure the support of the MHP, whose backing would be needed to push constitutional changes through Parliament.

Meanwhile, the AK Party Disciplinary Board issued a warning to Konya deputy Hüsnü Tuna. Board chairman Kastamonu deputy Hakkı Köylü released a statement after their meeting, saying that they decided to give a warning to Tuna for his claim that the headscarf ban would also be lifted in public buildings. Köylü said Tuna, who made this speech during a visit to the Konya Journalists Association, needs to speak more carefully as, even if these are his personal ideas, a deputy should obey the rules of conduct of the party. In related news AK Party member Turhan Çömez, a former deputy from Balıkesir, was expelled from the party.

AK Party considers all possibilities in closure case

The meeting lasted six hours and was chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was given full authorization for the steps he would take in connection with the closure case. The AK Party has decided to seek consensus in Parliament over constitutional amendments it has been planning to implement in response to the case. If consensus cannot be reached, Prime Minister Erdoğan will most likely opt to hold early elections as a solution. Thus, the likelihood of Turkey's holding early parliamentary elections has become more likely.

The AK Party will not act alone in its fight against the closure case being heard at the Constitutional Court. It will take its proposals pertaining to constitutional articles that regulate party closures to Parliament, suggesting that this amendment should be made in concert with some legal reforms, mainly requested by EU officials.

Senior AK Party officials are, however, certain that they will get no backing from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and its small partner, the Democratic Left Party (DSP). This also appears to be the case with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) as it has recently stipulated that it will only support the AK Party if Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) is not changed. The ruling party proposed a change to the article to Parliament yesterday, putting into doubt MHP support, which has made clear that if the article is discussed in Parliament, relations with the AK Party would be severed.

What was discussed at the meeting

The MKYK meeting ended with a resolution for negotiations with opposition parties to be held immediately. Prime Minister Erdoğan said that this process would be managed with a limited number of party officials. The board gave Erdoğan full authorization to take any necessary steps. While the majority of board members stated that the backing of opposition parties should be sought for constitutional amendments and democratization packages, seven or eight members urged party management to "proceed with amendments even if no one offers their support," a move that would lead to a referendum. However, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek and former Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu voiced legal concerns about the referendum process, and this idea was subsequently abandoned.

After the meeting Deputy AK Party Chairman Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat issued a statement saying: "We will soon meet with opposition parties. We have decided to manage the litigation in its natural course, and our chairman will set up working groups to do this. We discussed the public's concerns about the future. It is obvious that in addition to litigation, this process will have wide-ranging political and economic repercussions. Of course, the litigation will run its course, but it is the duty of political institutions to take measures to safeguard the stability, peace, unity and integrity of the country against the political and economic consequences of this process."

Fırat stressed that the only place where a solution to the current crisis could be found is Parliament. "No one can expect political institutions to remain indifferent to a process which may cause irreparable losses and damage to the country and the nation and result in the disruption of political and economic stability as well as a weakening of our unity. As the AK Party, we have resolved to act with full awareness of this responsibility. In order to develop a solution which will serve to strengthen our legal system and democracy, our search for conciliation with political institutions will continue. As the AK Party, we have never been and never will be involved in useless conflicts. We hope that other political parties will be as sensitive to the common interests of the nation," he said.

Two alternatives for early elections

PM Erdoğan and a limited number of senior party executives will work on the party's initiative. Once ready, it will be sent to the CHP, the MHP, the DSP and the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP). The party will pay special attention to revitalizing the EU process. If the AK Party garners no support from other parties for the constitutional amendments, it will refrain going further with the amendments. Instead, the ruling party will give a green light to early parliamentary elections. Senior AK Party executives have two alternatives in mind about early elections. The first option is to hold early general elections simultaneously with municipal elections slated for March 2009. The second alternative is to postpone the municipal elections to a date in the fall and hold both elections simultaneously.

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Abdullatif Şener's silent return

Former Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Şener, who did not run for Parliament in the July 22 elections but has continued to serve as a member of the AK Party's MKYK, attended the board's meeting after a prolonged absence. Şener, whose name has been mentioned in connection with new political parties, cautioned party members to "refrain from tension and conflict." His attending the meeting is regarded as an indication that he will not be involved in new political parties during this process. Politicians close to Şener noted that his involvement in alternate political parties may be perceived as treasonous among AK Party supporters, leading Şener to side with the AK Party to highlight his stance. "I will try to convey my ideas and suggestions to ensure that this process is managed in a healthy manner," Şener told reporters before the meeting.

Bahçeli calls on Erdoğan to give up EU fascination

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli has said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan should seek solutions for the country's problems in the Turkish Parliament, not in EU corridors.

Bahçeli, speaking at his party's parliamentary group gathering yesterday, claimed Erdoğan is hoping for help from the European Union on a closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). "Erdoğan should immediately realize that the Turkish Parliament, not the EU, is best venue to solve our problems.

He should seek solutions for the country’s problems in the Turkish Parliament, not in EU corridors, and take concrete steps to this end,” he noted.

Bahçeli asserted that Erdoğan uses the will of the people as a gun against judicial bodies and hopes for help from the EU against the closure case opened against his party.

“He is trying to intimidate everyone by using the votes the party received in last year’s general elections. He is stuck on the idea that he has no responsibility for the current atmosphere of crisis in Turkey. It is sad to witness that the AK Party administration hopes for help from the EU,” he said.

Bahçeli, accusing the AK Party of not being able to make up its mind on constitutional amendments that are meant to make party closures more difficult in Turkey, said the governing party has not yet adopted a road map on a new set of regulations which would make party closures more difficult.

“The AK Party officials could not get past conspiracy theories and decide on a rational stance and plan for the troubled path ahead of Turkey. Calls and initiatives for common sense from nongovernmental organizations failed to move the governing party to make a decision on the constitutional amendments,” he said.

The AK Party is planning to introduce a series of constitutional amendments which will make party closures more difficult following a case filed against it by Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya last month on the grounds that it has become “a focal point of anti-secular activities.”

“We have always believed that party closures are not a valid solution in politics. The MHP does not need any advice from anyone on the planned constitutional amendments. Those who try to assist us with advice should know very well that we do not need the advice of those who act as servants to political powers for petty interests,” Bahçeli remarked.

Bahçeli also noted that his party is against any amendment to Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which has been used in the prosecution of intellectuals, journalists and activists for “insulting Turkishness”.

After years of foot dragging, the government finally submitted a proposal to Parliament on Monday to amend the notorious article, stipulating that future prosecution under the infamous law will require permission from the president. Earlier proposals said permission should be issued by the justice minister or by a committee of specialists.

“We will use every democratic means to fight an amendment to Article 301. If the prime minister resorts to making such amendments with the objective of saving his party from closure, then the AK Party will have come much closer to becoming a center of activities against Turkey’s unity,” he said.

Bahçeli also commented on a fight that broke out between groups of students with conflicting ideological beliefs at Akdeniz University on Sunday. “It is wrong to present such a conflict as a fight between supporters of the MHP and the Kurds,” he said.

Underlining that there are circles who try to associate Turkish nationalists with such fights, he noted that such incidents have no relation to his party.

“These are provocative acts. MHP supporters will never be instruments in such intentional acts. No one can claim that there is a conflict between followers of the MHP and the Kurds in Turkey. I call on the government, the governor of Antalya and the rector of Akdeniz University to investigate Sunday’s fight,” he added.

MHP Antalya provincial officials removed from office

Meanwhile, the MHP Antalya provincial administration was removed from office following clashes between student groups at Akdeniz University on Sunday.

MHP Deputy Chairman Tunca Toskay said they took this action to prevent games from being played with his party. “It is presented as if Sunday’s fight between students at Akdeniz University was triggered by the MHP. But I know officials from the MHP Antalya provincial office very well. They are sorry about this incident,” he said.

Toskay also noted that Sunday’s fight proved that separatist and terrorist activities are in their final stages.

Baykal Turns down Erdoğan’s call for support

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said on Tuesday it was not the job of politics but of the judiciary to find a way out of the recent tension created by a court case filed against the government party.

Baykal, speaking to his party's deputies on Tuesday, responded to a call Prime Minister's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made yesterday to look for a solution to a court case to shut down his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

The Constitutional Court agreed last week to hear a case brought by a chief prosecutor to have the AK Party shut down, arguing that it is trying to create an Islamic state. The prosecutor also called for 71 AK Party officials, including Erdoğan, along with President Abdullah Gül, to be banned from politics for five years. The case is expected to take months, and the threat of protracted political instability has unsettled financial markets.

Erdoğan on Saturday stated that he would like to see opposition parties support the AK Party in the case, expressing his opinion that “politics should look for a solution.”

Baykal on Tuesday said: “If there is a violation, the solution is to be found not by the politician but by the judiciary. Nobody should try to distort this fact. The law does not create chaos; trying to break the law does,” he said.

He also criticized the comments of foreign diplomats on the closure case. “If this is a state of law, what is it to you?” he said, addressing international reactions to the case. “Leave us alone; let us solve our own problem by ourselves.” He also raised the question of why the international community had remained silent previously when the Welfare Party (RP) was being shut down. He claimed that although the RP was an Islamist party, it still protected national interests. “Now they say do not touch Tayyip. They are saying that the AK Party’s closure is against their interests,” Baykal stated.

He noted that the principle of secularism in the Constitution was added in order to ensure that the republic of Atatürk would live on without being distorted. “We are all mortal. What’s important is Atatürk’s republic surviving without being ruined.”

İstikbal blocks electromagnetic waves with Biocare fabric

İstikbal, a subsidiary of leading Turkish conglomerate the Boydak Group, has developed a new fabric that blocks 98.5 percent of electromagnetic waves and heralds it as an innovative product with potential applications in both homes and industry.



The company started out with research and development at its Kayseri facilities with the aim of producing a fabric not injurious to health using nanotechnology that would provide healthier sleep for consumers. However the project yielded unexpected results, creating a fabric that can be used in a wide range of fields from construction to the defense industry. The "Biocare" fabric blocks electromagnetic waves from electronic appliances such as mobile phones, microphones, microwave ovens and wireless communication devices.

İstikbal held a press conference yesterday to introduce the fabric at which Chairman Memduh Boydak said they would begin on May 1 to use the fabric in mattress and quilt production for domestic and foreign markets. "The products will be exported to the United States first," he said, adding that while the fabric for consumer use would exported to the US simultaneously with the domestic Turkish release, the company preferred that Biocare in its non-consumer forms -- such as for the defense industry -- be released in Turkey first.

Boydak said the fabric was the result of a quest for innovation, noting Biocare's potential application in the production of communication cables, maternity clothes and a myriad of other products.

The executive also noted that his group was one of Turkey's leading firms and had one of the highest rates of successful patent applications. He added that they had allocated $12.5 million to R&D last year and planned to spend $15 million this year. In response to a question, Boydak said they were going to use Biocare in mattresses first, as it is their field of expertise, and development of the product for other fields would depend on the demand in those sectors. He also said the company was in talks with representatives of more than 20 different sectors about Biocare.

Boydak said the high-tech fabric would be produced at their Boyteks facilities -- Turkey's second-largest mattress fabric producer, with an annual production capacity of 3.5 million square meters -- in Kayseri.

İstikbal executive board member Bekir Boydak, responsible for marketing, said the new innovation would increase their competitiveness in developed countries in particular.

İstikbal Vice General Manager for Technical Developments Mesut Yiğit explained the concept behind Biocare, highlighted that increased daily usage of electronic and electrical devices such as mobile phones and electricity transformers generated non-ionized electromagnetic waves that caused many problems, from stress to sleep disorders and headaches. "We launched studies for Biocare to protect humans from these waves at least while they are sleeping," he said. Yiğit said the studies lasted one year and 150 people were involved in Biocare's research and development, under a YTL 1 million budget. The fabric was produced by using nano-technology fibers through a special knitting method. Yiğit said no chemicals had been used in the production of the fabric and he added it could be machine-washed and ironed.

Yiğit said the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) had certified that the fabric blocked 98.5 percent of waves between the frequency of 500 kilohertz and 6 gigahertz. The Germany-based Hohenstein Institute has certified that Biocare reduces bacteria on it by 99.95 percent.

As part of the project, 130 different fabrics were produced and the final product was tested by many domestic and international institutions including the National Research Institute of Electronics and Cryptology (UEAKE), the TÜBİTAK Bursa Test and Analysis Laboratory (BUTAL), Ege University, Fatih University, Erciyes University, the SATRA Technology Center and the European School for Industrial Mathematics (ESIM).