IPS/TURKEY/NOVEMBER 1992

[PeaceNet Middle East Team]

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: IPS/TURKEY/NOVEMBER 1992

/* Written 12:03 am  Nov 29, 1992 by newsdesk at igc.apc.org in igc:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "TURKEY: Fears expressed about the g" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Africa, southern
Title: TURKEY: Fears expressed about the growing powers of the military


an inter press service feature

by nadire mater

istanbul, nov 26 (ips) -- hopes of a more western-style democracy
have all but faded in turkey, say opposition officials and
academics, critical of one year of suleyman demirel's coalition
government and the significant role the military is playing.

''neither the people nor their representatives have any grain of
power in this country,'' said abdulmelik firat, a kurdish
deputy.   ''the premier yields before the  military. the parliament
has no will of its own. it is only a sort of a democratic
decoration.''

frequent media appearances by the chief of staff, general dogan
gures, commenting on all aspects of political and public life are
causing widespread concern, along with recent ''orders'' from the
national security council (nsc) imposing more and more
restrictions on the lives of ordinary people.

and despite pre-election pledges to resolve the kurdish problem
peacefully, 20,000 troops have been mobilised to crush the
kurdistan workers party (pkk) guerrilla group now operating in
northern iraq.

gures announced last week that the across the border military
operation would be extended to cover turkish territory, not just
in the border region but a over the whole country in a ''domestic
mission'' until ''the enemy is defeated''.

''no information is released by the government on this 'domestic
mission', said bulent tanor, a law professor from istanbul
university. ''where and how it is going to be executed, we do not
know. the chief of staff cannot and must not decide on these
matters alone.''

but gures has not confined his proclamations to domestic security
matters. this week he spoke of a ''possible balcan war'' and
called for military intervention in bosnia-herzegovnia.

''i hold ground troops and air forces capable of striking
serbian airports, and artillery batteries,'' said general gures,
in an unprecedented leap into foreign policy.

''he has no constitutional right to make statements on foreign
policy matters such as bosnia-hercegovina. he is gone too far,''
tanor complained.

political scientist dr hikmet ozdemir believes that the kurdish
situation has given the military the perfect opportunity to seize
a greater share of power. ''there is a vacuum of authority and the
chief of staff strives to fill that vacuum,'' he said. (more/ips)

turkey: fears expressed about the growing powers of the military(2)

turkey: fears (2)

''the outer border operation in iraq was out of government's
control and was completely presided by the army,'' ozdemir
continued.

''the power in the country is divided between the army and
government. either parliament is the supreme organ of power or the
nsc. if the nsc is making the decisions then parliament comes
second.''

observers believe their fears over military dominance were
confirmed by the latest communique from the nsc last week, which
further erodes the government's power.

it said: ''the trt (turkish radio and television and the ptt is
to be warned to improve the content of the broadcast directed at
the emergency case region (the kurdish provinces where troops are
fighting pkk guerrillas) and to increase the number of
transmission posts, and the foreign tvs broadcasting from
neighbouring countries must be screened.''

the nsc is a consultative body of army high command including the
chief of staff, the president and the prime minister, together
with other ministers including foreign affairs, domestic affairs
and national defence.

''the national security council cannot take executive
decisions,'' said professor tanor. ''this de facto situation is
contrary to the constitution.''

deputy firat said: ''turkey is rapidly being dragged into chaos.
people will experience brutal oppression. we, as deputies are also
under such intense pressure that even the kurdish deputies are
scared to voice any criticism.

''a wave of state terror is on the way. not only the kurds but
the turks will come under the sway of military oppression.''

talat turan, a retired army intelligence colonel, doubts that the
nsc as a whole is in command. ''not the nsc but even a narrower
circle is holding the ropes,'' he said.

the power of this inner circle was felt by tv producer mehmet ali
birand, who was sued by the chief of staff over an interview with
osman ocalan, brother of pkk leader abdullah ocalan and the
commander of pkk guerrillas in northern iraq.

interviewed by one of birand's reporters, ocalan, holding a
kalashnikov rifle, denied all the government's claims of a mass
surrender to iraqi kurds. birand was charged with showing a pkk
propaganda film.

local journalists in the south-eastern kurdish provinces who have
written stories which contradict official communiques have
received harsher punishment. (more/ips)

turkey: fears expressed about the growing powers of the military(3-e)

turkey: fears (3)

namik taranci, local correspondent for istanbul weekly gercek was
shot dead in the street in diyarbakir by an unidentified  gunman.

security agents use intimidation, violence and even murder to
prevent the istanbul daily, ozgur gundem, being distributed in
south-eastern kurdish provinces.

a volunteer distributor died in his burned out car. and
unidentified gunmen opened fire on distributors in diyarbakir,
injuring two people.

''if the 'domestic mission' includes the repression of the
civilian population, as it seems, then the free flow of
information will be obstructed,'' said ozgur gundem editor merdan
yanardag. ''that is why the kiosks are threatened by plainclothes
agents not to distribute ozgur gundem. that is why our private
distributors have been killed and their cars are burned.''

despite the disturbing developments, observers do not believe
that the military will attempt to seize power completely.

''there will be no military takeover,'' said firat. ''the
military have got all the power they need within the existing
system.'' (end/ips/np/nm/mt/92)