TDN

[kurdeng at aps.nl]

 US: PKK is involved in drug trafficking

"We are concerned about dramatic flow of drug trafficking through
Turkey and other nations in the region some of which has

been associated with some individuals who are members of the PKK."

By Ugur Akinci

Turkish Daily News
  _________________________________________________________________

WASHINGTON- A senior U.S. Administration official admitted that PKK
members were among those involved in drug trafficking through Turkey.
Ambassador Robert Gelbard, assistant secretary of state for
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, during a briefing
at the Foreign Press Center said, "We are concerned about dramatic
flow of drug trafficking through Turkey and other nations in the
region some of which has been associated with some individuals who are
members of the PKK."

Gelbard also noted that the volume of trafficking in the region was
going up. "We remain concerned, quite concerned, about the increased
level of trafficking through Turkey in significant part because
there's been significant increase in [drug] production coming through
in that direction." Another problem which concerns the Administration
is money laundering in Turkey.

"We remain seriously concerned about the problem of money laundering
in Turkey," Gelbard said and added that the Administration had
"conveyed that to the Turkish government recently.

I understand and have been told that Turkish government has intended
to move forward with legislation ratifying 1988 Vienna Convention when
a government is formed, just as I understand that's the case in
Austria. I think that would be appropriate seven years after the
agreement was approved."

Clinton quiet on Syria's role

Despite all the rhetoric put forward by the Administration, Washington
has been quiet on Syria's alleged role in assisting the PKK. President
Clinton, for example, in his Oct. 22 talk at the United Nations did
not mention Syria among the terrorist nations.

"To take on terrorists, we maintain strong sanctions against states
that sponsor terrorism and defy the rule of law, such as Iran, Iraq,
Libya and Sudan.

We ask them today again to turn from that path." Some observers claim
that the United States is ready to look the other way as long as Syria
is engaged with the U.S.-sponsored "peace process" in the Middle East.

  _________________________________________________________________

 US commends Turkey for amending Article 8

Customs union membership deemed possible if conservative EP members
show up on Dec 14

By Ugur Akinci

Turkish Daily News
  _________________________________________________________________


WASHINGTON- The U.S. Administration commended Turkey on Monday for its
recent adoption of amendments to Article 8. The U.S. State Department
spokesman Nicholas Burns issued the following statement:

"The United States is pleased to note that on October 27, Turkey's
Parliament approved legislation amending Article 8 of the
Anti-Terrorism Law. We congratulate the Turkish government,
Parliament, and people on this important and positive step forward for
democracy and human rights in Turkey."

On Oct. 27, Mr. Burns again commended Turkey's decision to release
former DEP deputies Ahmet Turk and Sedat Yurttas from jail. A
department press statement said, "We are pleased that two of the
former [DEP] deputies have been released from prison pending final
resolution of their cases."

"We await with interest the outcome of any retrials or appeals which
may be made to Turkey's fully independent courts or to the Court of
Human Rights of the Council of Europe. The Government of Turkey has
said that it would respect a decision by that Court," Burns said.

A senior State Department official the TDN talked with said he was
still concerned that the Socialists and Greens in the European Union
may not see the release of the two former DEP deputies and the
amendments to Article 8 as enough to change the anti-Turkish votes on
Dec. 14, when the European Parliament will vote to ratify Turkey's
European customs union membership.

"However, I also believe that the European Parliament is looking for
an excuse to admit Turkey. So it will all come down to whether the
participation ratio will be high on the day of voting.

Because those who show up are usually the Socialists and Greens (of
the Parliament). Socialists especially have a good group discipline."
If the conservative members who want Turkey show up for voting then
the customs union might well become a reality for Turkey, the official
added.
  _________________________________________________________________

 Article 8 amended without opposition



Discretion: Under the newly-amended version, judges will have
discretion in the commutation of prison terms to fines or suspension

of punishments

By Sinan Yilmaz

Turkish Daily News
  _________________________________________________________________

ANKARA- Jurists have begun criticizing the new version of the amended
Article 8 of the Anti-terrorism Law on the grounds that there is not
much difference between the old and the new. Under the newly-amended
version, judges will have discretion in the commutation of prison
terms to fines or suspension of punishments.

At present, the number of people who have been jailed on charges of
violating this article has reportedly been determined as 152. Also the
number of convicts whose punishments have not yet been upheld by the
High Appeals Court is around 2,600. There are more than 5,000 pending
cases which have been filed under the charges.

The amendments concerning Article 8, which has been seen as one of the
biggest obstacles before Turkey prior to its entrance to the customs
union, were put on the parliamentary agenda immediately and changed
accordingly. It is now the government's duty to bring these changes to
the attention of the European Parliament and public.

The True Path Party (DYP) has given the go-ahead to the amendment of
this article at the end of bargaining over the formation of the new
government. However, it is not happy with the new changes. According
to the DYP, even a minor change in the law has meant making
concessions to terrorism, but the party has remained silent.

Although the Republican People's Party (CHP) was aware that the
amendments would not even satisfy its own jailed grassroots, it had to
approve the new version of the article with the purpose of benefiting
from it as a propaganda tool before entering the customs union.

Motherland Party (ANAP) never wanted Article 8, which it invented, to
be altered. According to ANAP, the changes were a type of amnesty.

Writers, publishers, journalists, scientists, politicians and
socialists who were affected the most since the Anti-terrorism Law
became effective have remained silent as the law amending Article 8
was passed. When the draft law concerning the amendment of this
article was sent to the parliamentary commissions, nothing was heard
from the Human Rights Association, the Contemporary Jurists
Association, the Union of Bar Associations, trade unions, publishing
houses or journalists' organizations.

Thus the bill was passed in Parliament with only the opposition of
ANAP.

The new changes will not affect the status of most of the people in
prisons. Those who have been convicted under only one single charge
will be set free after serving a short period of imprisonment.

Under the amended version of Article 8, the minimum punishment has
been set at one year imprisonment and the maximum at three years. This
punishment may either be commuted to a fine or suspended. In any case,
the judge who is to hear such cases will have full discretion in
determining the amount of punishment. Following the enactment of the
law amending the controversial Article 8, within one month the courts
must re-examine the cases which they heard earlier and render their
decision in view of the amended version of the article. There has been
no such a development yet.

The common view of the jurists who oppose the new changes is the issue
that those inmates who will have to stay in prisons for years will not
benefit from the law under any conditions. For example, Ismail Besikci
has been given a 65-year prison term which has become final. The total
punishments against him amount to nearly 200 years.

Under the new changes, the finalized prison term against him will drop
to 35 years and those which have not yet become final to 100 years.
Isik Yurtcu, editor of daily Ozgur Gundem, is one of those inmates who
faces the same situation.
  _________________________________________________________________

 Ankara condemns Russia for the Kurdish meeting

Turkish Daily News
  _________________________________________________________________

ANKARA- Turkey handed a protest note to the Russian ambassador in
Ankara on Tuesday, following the meeting of the so-called Kurdish
"parliament-in-exile" in Moscow.

Omer Akbel, Foreign Ministry spokesman, described the meeting as
"seriously overshadowing and damaging to Turco-Russian relations."

"We have learned with deep sorrow that the meeting started on Monday,
despite our earlier expectations that Russia would act with
determination in accordance with our mutual relations," Akbel said in
a written statement.

Akbel recalled that Turkey warned Russia before the meeting of the
Kurdish "parliament-in-exile."

The Turkish Embassy in Moscow earlier handed two protest notes to the
Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry.

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 * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0)