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 On Thursday, head of the Prime Ministry's human rights department, Assistant Professor Vahit Bıçak, unveiled a new initiative to inform the Turkish people of their individual rights and freedoms by promoting a booklet the department prepared on the rights possessed by people accused or suspected of having committed crimes.
(Turkish Daily News, Sunday, August 28, 2005)
On Aug. 19, a decision by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK/Kongra-Gel) to declare a unilateral one-month cease-fire was ignored by Turkish officials, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's spokesman Akif Beki refusing to comment on the move.
In a joint statement, several nongovernmental organizations in Diyarbakır expressed support for statements made by Erdoğan when he was in the city on Aug. 12.
Police spokesman Ramazan Er said the police department wants the same authority and powers as their European counterparts in fighting terrorism.
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said the government was pursuing the wrong anti-terrorism policy against the PKK, adding that democratic improvements were not the answer.
Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat dismissed the possibility of a Greek Cypriot veto blocking the opening of Turkey's accession talks with the European Union and said Turkey would not open its ports to Greek Cypriot ships unless the isolation of Turkish Cyprus is ended.
German politician Elmar Brok, chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, said he believed EU-aspirant countries such as Turkey and Ukraine should be offered privileged partnership, which he said would provide them with a European perspective.
On Sunday, McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen won the inaugural Turkish Grand Prix, but Renault's title favorite Fernando Alonso stole second place following a mistake by Raikkonen's teammate Juan Pablo Montoya.
Former Democracy Party (DEP) deputy and leader of PKK/Kongra-Gel Zübeyir Aydar admitted that incarcerated PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan was the motivation behind the cease-fire announcement.
Erdoğan said the Kurdish problem was a different issue from PKK terrorism, noting that the government would not confuse the two.
Former DEP deputy and one of the leading members of the new pro-Kurdish group the Democratic Society Movement (DTH), Selim Sadak, said the leader of the PKK/Kongra-Gel should be seen as an interlocutor.
A suspect was killed and two policemen were injured in clashes in Trabzon overnight as police tracked down three PKK terrorist suspects following a tip-off. The PKK is not generally active in the northeast of the country.
Germany's conservative opposition leader Angela Merkel said objections to Turkey's membership would not be a priority issue in its election campaign for the upcoming polls on Sept. 18.
Insurgents in Iraq kidnapped a Turkish engineer. With this latest incident, four Turks have been kidnapped within the past month and are currently been being held hostage in Iraq.
Two children drowned and a woman was reported missing after being swept away by floodwater following torrential rain in the Yozgat province in central Turkey, local officials said.
Culture and Tourism Minister Atilla Koç filed a complaint against the satirical magazine Penguen (Penguin), asking for YTL 20,000 in compensation for emotional damages incurred. The complaint filed in court by Koç's lawyer, Mustafa Yılmazcan, cited an article written by Mansur Şebboy in the magazine, and said the article called Koç "minister for distraction," "minister responsible for creating an agenda" and "minister for making fun of."
On Monday, Justice Minister Cemil Çiçek, speaking after a Cabinet meeting, said anti-terrorism efforts were always at the top of the government's agenda and that they would continue to consult and coordinate with all relevant state bodies.
Close to 50 well-known artists and authors voiced support for Erdoğan's initiative to resolve the Kurdish problem through more democracy.
Baykal continued to criticize statements made by Erdoğan on the Kurdish issue, claiming the prime minister's attitude would eventually lead him to negotiate with Öcalan.
Germany's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) said Turkey's membership would not be a top issue in its campaign for the Sept. 18 elections but underlined it still favored a privileged partnership that falls short of full membership.
Four people were killed in a landslide triggered by heavy rain in the Black Sea province of Rize.
On Tuesday the National Security Council (MGK) gathered the top political and military leaders of the country under the chairmanship of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, agreed to fight terrorism by implementing social, economic and cultural measures to alleviate regional inequalities and to fully utilize international and domestic cooperation opportunities in accordance with the Constitution and the law.
Anatolia news agency Chairman of the Board and General Manager Hilmi Bengi said that broadcasters need to pay attention to the quality and content of their shows instead of competing with rivals to score higher ratings with "sweet but empty" shows.
On Wednesday, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök said the biggest threat faced by Turkey today was terrorism and the separatist group that used terror as a tool, adding that the entire nation needed to stand united against it and accept its responsibilities.
Singer Bülent Ersoy publicly accused Baykal of asking for money in exchange for lifting a ban against her performing, with Baykal retorting that he would file a compliant against the singer for attempting to blacken his name.
Opposition leaders said that a statement released after the MGK meeting on Tuesday was full of implicit warnings for the government, which was told to behave in accordance with the Constitution.
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy Nezir Nasıroğlu said all nongovernmental organizations in the Southeast should voice their support for Erdoğan because he was the first leader to acknowledge the Kurdish problem.
Turkey expressed its satisfaction over the completion of a unilateral pullout operation initiated by Israel, as Erdoğan personally congratulated his Israeli counterpart, Ariel Sharon, via the telephone, for the evacuation of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip.
Ankara prosecutor Mustafa Kelkit sent eight officials of the now-defunct Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) to the Ankara 11th Criminal Court to answer charges as part of an investigation into a final DEHAP statement that referred to Öcalan as "sayın," which is a sign of respect in Turkish -- similar to "sir" in English.
Gaziantep Governor Lütfullah Bilgin announced that he had asked the Interior Ministry to launch an investigation into potentially negative behavior on the part of Gaziantep Deputy Chief of Police Mazlum Kırmızı. Daily newspapers published video images and photos of Kırmızı, 55, with two foreign women, which drew negative reactions from the city administration and the police department. On Thursday, head of the Prime Ministry's human rights department, Assistant Professor Vahit Bıçak, unveiled a new initiative to inform the Turkish people of their individual rights and freedoms by promoting a booklet the department prepared on the rights possessed by people accused or suspected of having committed crimes.
Matthew Bryza, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, said Turkey should cooperate more closely with authorities in both Europe and Iraq by providing specific information and intelligence, which would require Ankara to go a step beyond its current practice of presenting lists of the most wanted members of the outlawed PKK in these countries for arrest and extradition. U.S. Chargũ d'Affaires in Ankara Nancy McEldowney said the United States was committed to working together with Turkey to eliminate the PKK in northern Iraq but suggested that Ankara remain patient as the problem is being dealt with.
A group of women calling themselves "peace mothers" arrived in Ankara to talk to Erdoğan and Özkök, but were allowed to see neither.
Opposition parties slammed the stance of the government on wage talks between it and public sector unions, with Saadet (Happiness or Contentment) Party (SP) deputy leader Lütfü Esengün calling on the unions to walk out of the negotiations. |
