POLICE ACCUSSED OF KILLING JOURNALIST, RELEASED

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Five policemen who were standing trial under arrest, on grounds of causing the death of journalist Metin Goktepe by torturing him during detention, have been released Friday. The attorneys of Goktepe and his friends protested the verdict.

The policemen who were in prison for 17 months were released by prison but barred from leavinng Turkey. The trial was adjourned to January 29, 1999. Policemen Kose, Suayip Mutluer, Saffet Hizarci, Fedai korkmaz and Metin Kursat were released from the Afyon prison at 15.25. Their friends who were waiting for them in front of the prison chanted God and made the wolf sign of the ultra nationalists.

(Goktepe , a young journalist, was taken under detention at a Stadium by police when he was covering a demonstration on January 8, 1996. The next day his body was found in a nearby park. The verdict on his murder was made 800 days later.

At the end of the trials, the policemen who beat Goktepe to death, was ruled to stay in prison for 2 years and four months. The court which acquitted 6 policemen, found guilty the 5 others of not "Deliberate murder" but of "Killing unintentionally." The Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty’s Forensic Medicine Department had determined that Goktepe was killed of brain trauma.

Officials had then said that Goktepe had died because he fell from the gate of the garden. However the Istanbul Governorate launched an investigation and initially prepared a file including 48 policemen-nta)

(All dailies;Dec12)

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GOVERNMENT CRISIS

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President Demirel said that there was a government problem rather than a crisis and that "The government before this one was a minority. This matter is not about a single party or many parties. Once it gets the vote of confidence, it is a government."

Asked if a probable minority government to be formed by Ecevit will be capable of solving the problems, Demirel said "What counts is a vote of confidence. If it receives one, it does not matter if the government is from a party of 10 deputies or 150 deputies."

The search of Ecevit to form a government caused a total war of tactics among political parties and eyes are now on Monday’s meeting to be held between DSP leader Bulent Ecevit and CHP leader Deniz Baykal. Now CHP assumed the tactic of "Let us wait and see." The majority of CHP deputies think that refusing Ecevit would be wrong. Now there is a tendency among those to pave way for a unity among these two social democratic parties.

However the leading Motherland Party (ANAP) feels disturbed of such a likelihood.

(Radikal,6;Dec12)

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NEW TRICK OF APO

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Abdullah Ocalan in a surprising move on the day when the EU summit started, announced that he will leave the leadership of PKK. This announcement has been interpreted as a maneouver to influence the decision to be made by the Council of Europe.The jusitfication of Apo was to pave way for the restructuring of his organization.

In an interview he gave to Il Manifesto, Apo said that he is leaving his leadership to influence the decision to be made about him by the Council of Europe on December 16 and called on Italy to forward the Kurdish issue to the European platform.

Meanwhile two Italian prosecutors questioned Apo for entering Italy with a faked passport. Apo told them that he came to Italy together with Italian Communist deputy Mantovani.

ASSURANCES BY ITALIAN AMBASSADOR

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Italian Ambassador to Ankara, Massimiliano Bandini said that, to implement any solution to be decided by the Council of Europe on Abdullah Ocalan, Ankara has to give its consent. Bandini said that Rome- Bonn , Ankara and Moscow were still holding contacts on the issue.

Meanwhile, Sergio Mustilli, the Chairman of the commission that is reviewing Apo’s demand of asylum said that deciding on the issue will take a lot of time and they had no hurry. In an exclusive interview, Mustilli told Radikal daily that all the documents related to the political asylum of Apo have not reached them yet and even in that case deciding on the issue "May take hundred years." He also said that he wished, Apo would never come to Italy.

Meanwhile, Italian PM Massimo D’Alema said that Ocalan was a political leader.Speaking to Newsweek magazine, D’alema said that "Ocalan is definitely a political leader, rather than an ordinary criminal. But at the meantime many independent sources say that his political party had carried out terror actions. Therefore people being accused of such crimes (as killing innocemnt) should be tried. But at the same time, Turkey should be demanded to respect human rights and the rights of the Kurdish people."

(Radikal,7,9,Zaman,12;Dec12)

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COMMENTARY / ISMET BERKAN / RADIKAL

THE ACCOUNTS OF ÇANKAYA

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"... The most important duty of the post-election parliament is to elect the new president on May 2000. (...) It is expected that who will be the prime minister after April 18 (the election date-nta), will be the new president. (...) But do not forget how Hikmet Çetin had become the chairman of the parliament. (At that time) two big parties had not conciliated with each other and in the last minute a candidate, being given no chance before, had become the speaker with the negative preference of the other parties.

If there will be no conciliation on the new president, a similar consequence may arise. In this situation, the Çankaya Kiosk (the residence of the President –nta) can be occupied by a member of the smaller parties. But, according to me, whoever will become the president will lose efficiency in the politics. If you think that the possibility of the formation of a strong government after the election is weak, you will see that the potential for the deep disturbances of Turkey is growing.

For this reason, whoever thinks that the coming days will be better than before, makes a mistake. (December 11, p.3)

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TURBAN BAN CAUSES SACKING OF PROSECUTOR

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The chief prosecutor of Yozgat province was exiled to Istanbul , because he sued the Rector of the Istanbul University who refused to admit turbanned (head-scarf worn in a political Islamic fashion-nta) student to classes. The chief prosecutors of Bursa and Diyarbakir were also exiled to Istanbul as low-ranking prosecutors. The prosecutor of Edirne who signed a similar decision backing the turban was exiled to Trabzon.

The Higher Education Board terminated the profession of Prof.Dursun Kocabas, who participated in a rally for freedom to wearing turban on October 11. The YOK also decided to expel from the profession, 19 academicians who supported Odabas. YOK will finalize its decision on December 16.

(Radikal,1,5;Dec12)

On the first day of the summit, the lobbying made by France for Turkey were outstanding. Spokesman of the French Presidency, Catherine Colonna told a press conference that Turkey was a candidate of EU for 35 years. Chirac’s efforts for Turkey’s membership continued through the summit. He told Simitis that concrete steps were needed to bring Turkey closer to EU. However Athens which kept on creating obstacles against Turkey at all meetings, rejected Chirac’s proposals. Simitis said that his country will insists on not going beyond the scope of the decisions taken at the EU foreign ministers meeting.

Daily Zaman: the topic of the summit without Turkey, was again Turkey.

Diplomatic sources say that the EU leaders who are seeking a new Turkey strategy, will place considerable emphasis on Turkey during their meetings. Meanwhile Jos Maria Robles, the Speaker of the European Parliament, said that the Apo issue will not be taken up.

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"Turkey has not been in the Vienna Summit like the Luxembourg Summit. But there has been a lot of talk about Turkey in Vienna. Last week, the declaration which was adopted by the European Parliament on Turkey, constitutes the first example of "intervention to the domestic problems of another country". Furthermore, it comprises "the threats to Turkey".

Especially, a series of proposals on "the Kurdish problem" constitutes a historical interference. For this reason we have to quote the main points of this declaration.

In the declaration, besides the Kurds, the term "minorities" has been mentioned.

So, for the first time, EU, does not limit itself with the Kurds. These proposals go beyond the interference to the domestic problems of a country, but aim to "divide a country". The declaration demands constitutional rights for those who are being described as the minorities (...)

(In the declaration) the need for "the democratic reforms and the human rights" is underlined. These are the most reasonable passages of the declaration. But even in these passages, Turkey is being criticized in a such style that a reaction arises.

It’s true that Turkey does not do its homework, but the expressions are too heavy.

The main reaction of Turkey is against the call for an "International Conference for the Kurds". But what escapes from the attentions are the proposals of EU for the concrete solutions (of this problem). These proposals can be summarized as the followings:

"To call for a cease fire with PKK and stop attacking the Kurdish targets".

That means that Turkey is being matched with a terror organization.

"To abolish the emergency in the Southeast and to give an end to the system of village guards."

"To set free those who were arrested in accordance with the 8^th Article of the Penal Code, including Leyla Zana". (The 8^th Article of the Penal Code prescribes to punish the those who spread propaganda for dividing Turkey. Leyla Zana is one of the former deputies of DEP (Democracy Party), a party which was closed down by the Supreme Court for the reason of trying to divide Turkey –nta)

"To give the freedom to the parties of the Kurds and to adopt a quota system for them."

"To carry out investment in the (Southeast) region to ensure the economical and social development."

"To make the changes in the Constitution for the solution of the Kurdish problem and for ensuring the rights of the minorities, the human rights and the development of democracy."

"To give equal opportunities to all the social groups, including the Kurds, and to give constitutional guarantee for the cultural rights of them."

" To improve the relations of Turkey with its neighbors, mainly with Greece".

You see, they are interfering into everything... They are attacking our right of sovereignty. Is there any difference of it from the Sevres (The Sevres Agreement: An agreement signed at the end of the First World War, in which the Ottoman Empire had been forced to sign. According to this agreement The Ottoman Empire would be divided to the sub-states on ethnic bases –nta). This attitude pushes the democratic rights we long for backwards.

But the most dangerous thing is that: "Turkey may shut its doors to the outside world."

(December 11, p.15)

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ECONOMY

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THE HOPE IS EXPORTS

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the package of economic measures of the government produced support to the work braches in crisis and a call of common sense to the banks.

The government launched its urgent economic measures package to overcome the economic bottleneck. A fund of 35 trillion TL will be transfered to Eximbank to provide cheap-cost loans to exporters. The bank whose capital has been increased by 1 billion dollars, will meet all the demands for credits. The 200-million-dollar-limit which the Central Bank did not so far made available to Eximbank, will be launched. The cotton held by such organizations as TARIS and CUKOBIRLIK, will se sold to textile producers on a 6-month term, free of interests and on global prices. Contacts will start to facilitate exports to Russia, with Rubels and TL. Dynamism will be injected to the luggage trade. PM Yilmaz said that "Passing the banking law is a must."

(Milliyet,1,10,Zaman1,Radikal,1;Dec12)

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TWO FACES OF TURKEY

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Because of the economic crisis, unemployment and poverty is increasing in Turkey. However hundreds of thousands of people from Turkey are set to travel abroad for luxury new year tours.

Ibrahim Ates, the leader of the Foundation to Help the Needy, said that official data set the rate of those in poverty at 14.2 %, but this rate was much more higher. Ates said, the poorest 20 % of the population got only 4.9 % of the national income while the richest 20 % got 54.9 % (More than half of the national income). The difference between the rich and poor is now 11.2 times, from 9.6 times in 1987. "22 million people are living on the border of poverty and 12 million people, on the border of famine. The share of employees in the GNP fell to 20 %, while the share of rentiers and employers exceeds 60 %." He said.

As Turkey’s foreign money reserves are melting, 300 thousand people are set to tspend the new year abroad.

(Zaman,eko;Dec12)