stanbul to
bid for 2020
German police launch probe
into apparent suicide of former
Fenerbahçe keeper Robert Enke
Plot colonel sent to court to
be arrested over acton plan
KAZIM PIYNAR / MUSTAFA TURAN, ÝSTANBUL
Col. Dursun Çiçek, whose signature appears on a
military plot aimed at destroying the country’s rul-
ing party and a faith-based civil society group, tes-
tified to civilian prosecutors on Wednesday, 19 days after
he was summoned for testimony on a probe launched into
the notorious plot. The colonel arrived at the Beikta
courthouse in stanbul early in the morning in civilian at-
tire. He was accompanied by five other members of the
Col. Dursun Çiçek
arrived at the Beikta
courthouse in civilian
attire on Wednesday
accompanied by
military officers, who
prevented photographers
from taking a picture
of the colonel.
CONTROVERSIAL WEB SITE PLAN
PRODUCED BY CLANDESTINE BÇG
The establishment of Web sites to back the
Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) psychological war-
fare against civilian groups was part of a plan devised
by the West Study Group (BÇG), a clandestine group
formed within the army, according to a report that
appeared in the Bugün daily on Wednesday. The BÇG,
which categorized politicians, intellectuals, soldiers
COURT ACCEPTS INDICTMENT AGAINST SCANDAL-PRONE TOP JUDGE OSMAN KAÇMAZ PAGE 17
06 efforts sincere, historic
State Minister Çelik: Alevi
workshop
The government’s efforts to solve the
problems of Alevis are both historic
and sincere, Minister Faruk Çelik, who
is coordinating a series of workshops
bringing together intellectuals and
representatives of the Alevis, has said.
Minister Cevdet Ylmaz says
recent initiatives will contribute
significantly to economic standards
Your Way of Understandng Turkey
World’s oldest woman lives in Turkey’s Diyarbakr page06
PLOT PLANNER FACES JUSTICE
military, who also testified to the prosecutors on the plot
probe. Çiçek was interrogated as a suspect by prosecutors
conducting a probe into a clandestine criminal organiza-
tion accused of plotting to overthrow the government,
known as Ergenekon. The colonel was interrogated for ap-
proximately five hours and later transferred to court to be
arrested by the time Today’s Zaman went to press.
A military plot, on which a genuine signature of the col-
onel appears, details a Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) plan to
destroy the image of the Justice and Development Party (AK
and bureaucrats, was formed within the military dur-
ing the Feb. 28, 1997 coup -- in which the military
overthrew a coalition government led by a now-defunct
conservative party -- and continued its existence as a
civilian body after the collapse of the Refah-Yol gov-
ernment (a coalition of the Welfare Party [RP] and the
True Path Party [DYP]) in June 1997. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17
04 tough as riding two horses’ 17 over an article on Atatürk
‘Zero-problem policy as
interview
Turkey’s policy of zero problems with
neighbors is better than its highly
securitized foreign policy of the past,
but this new policy puts Ankara in the
position of a circus rider who is riding
two horses at the same time, Hale said.
Olympics
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009 WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM TL 1.50
Party) government and the faith-based Gülen movement in
the eyes of the public, to play down the Ergenekon investi-
gation and to gather support for members of the military ar-
rested as part of the investigation into Ergenekon. Dozens of
Ergenekon members, including businessmen, members of
the military and journalists, are currently incarcerated while
On Tuesday Parliament saw heated debates among deputies of the Nationalist
standing trial. Col. Çiçek is believed to be one of the key fig- Movement Party, the Republican People’s Party and the ruling AK Party.
ures in the plot row. The plot is, however, not solely the
colonel’s work. The prosecutors are investigating who gave
the colonel the order to prepare such a plan. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17
Brawl over Kurdsh
TODA Y ’S Z A MA N, ONU R Ç OB A N
ntatve domnates
debate at Parlament
The fierce battle between the oppo-
sition and government on the
Kurdish issue continued yesterday as
members of the Planning and Budget
Commission gathered to listen to Interior
P HOTO
Minister Beir Atalay, who made refer-
ences to the country’s fight against terror-
ism. Atalay said one aspect of the fight
against terrorism is that of “the veterans
and martyrs.” He said: “We value our
veterans and martyrs. We do not exploit
the situation at a martyr’s funeral; instead
we visit their families and meet their
needs. We feel it deep inside.”
Some deputies from the Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP) reacted to
Atalay’s remarks, saying he was not
making a speech on the budget but was
using “party propaganda.” Some other
MHP deputies said Atalay was being
AK PARTY SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED, SAYS EX-DEPUTY ERBA PAGE 05
Death toll from
swne flu epdemc rses
to 40 across Turkey
The number of victims of swine flu
rose to 40 in Turkey with the latest
Dursun deaths, the Health Ministry reported yes-
Çiçek terday. According to a written statement
released by the Ministry of Health, six
people, two of them children and one an
infant, died on Monday from the H1N1
virus, while four more, aged 5, 13, 26 and
another infant, have died since Monday.
One-hundred forty-five people
across Turkey are receiving treatment at
Taraf writer threatened various hospitals, 33 in intensive care
units and nine of whom are on respira-
tors, the statement noted. Among the
racism
Taraf daily’s columnist Sevan
40 who died of swine flu, 19 are report-
Nianyan, who wrote a humanistic
ed to have had chronic diseases, mak-
adaptation of Atatürk’s Address to ing them vulnerable to the H1N1 virus,
Turkish Youth, has printed reaction while 20 did not have any risk factors
e-mails filled with threats and vulgar that might have been aggravated by the
language he received from nationalists. flu, and one woman was pregnant.
Featuring news and articles from
T ODAY ’S ZAMAN , AL  Ü N AL
P HOTO
provocative. Atalay said police would
never raise a hand against the families of
soldiers who were killed and these fami-
lies would always be respected. He also
said citizens who were not involved in
terrorist acts should be treated well.
MHP deputies continued their at-
tacks by saying the euphoric celebrations
upon the recent return of some members
of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK) were not acceptable. MHP depu-
ties also reminded Atalay of his remarks
made on Nov. 10 during the discussion
of the Kurdish imitative in Parliament.
Atalay had said the Justice and
Development Party (AK Party) repre-
sented all of Turkey, and the opposition
parties interpreted the sentence as possi-
bly meaning that other parties only rep-
resented regions of Turkey. CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
While 16 out of the 40 who died of
swine flu were between 25 and 44
years of age and nine were between
five and 14, six victims were under age
4, four were between 45 and 65, three
were above 65 and two were between
15 and 24, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health
will begin vaccinating children under 5
years old and individuals with chronic
diseases starting from Monday. The vac-
cinations will take place at local clinics
(Salk Oca) and family health centers.
Professor Mehmet Ceylan, presi-
dent of the Infectious Diseases Society
of Turkey, who, along with his two
children, was infected with swine flu,
has said they overcame the virus with-
out using any medicine and warned
people not to panic. CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
‘ 02 TODAY’S ZAMAN

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

‘ Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
‘ THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009

WORDS OF WISDOM
PRESS REVIEW

colu m ns
It seems to me … that this desire [for peace They do not want peace, do not want to stop No two on earth in all Democratic
in Israel] has completely vanished, as tho- settlement construction and ... the vision of things can agree. All have initiative debates
ugh people no longer believe in it. two states, so I don’t know what they want. some daring singularity. ZAMAN MUSTAFA ÜNAL
So nally, the same democra-
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Winston Churchill tic initiative that has been being
debated amongst the public for
so many months has been car-
ried over to the oor of our Par-
liament. For this reason, all eyes
were on Parliament yesterday, and just as was ex-
pected, a “Nov. 10” debate took place. It was clear
CROSS READER from the general atmosphere yesterday that the-
re would be high tension in Parliament. Forget
FATMA DL ZIBAK
f.zibak@todayszaman.com
pr ess rou n du p the main arguments: even the preliminary deba-
tes were tense. But in the middle of all this, politi-

TODAY’S ZAMAN, SELM ÇA LAYAN

cal style and approach are so important. If a more
mature stance prevails during these talks, both
the ruling administration and the opposition will
Opposton and emerge in front. Tension is in no one’s interest.

the Kurdsh ssue Kemalism

n Parlament and ideology
Tuesday, the day the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) SABAH HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN
brought its Kurdish initiative, which aims to resolve Turkey’s
We can talk these days abo-
long-standing Kurdish problem, to Parliament for discussion,
ut four distinct kinds of Kema-
saw very harsh and unparliamentary exchanges among depu-
lism. There was the rst Kema-
ties. Parliament did not have a chance to begin talking about

PHOTO
lism of 1933-1960, there was the
the issue as discussion was blocked due to debates focusing on
second Kemalism of 1960-1980,
the date of the discussion, with opposition parties lashing out
the third Kemalism of 1980-
at the government for selecting Nov. 10 -- the anniversary of
1998, and there is the fourth kind of Kemalism
the death of the nation’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk -- to
from 1998 onwards. And all of these are appro-
bring the Kurdish issue to the oor of Parliament. Although
aches to ideology which are, as is maintained
these debates blocked discussion of the real problem, analysts
by Kemalism itself, both “innovative” and even
still nd the fact that the Kurdish problem has come to the o-
“leftist.” Actually, though, the shared characte-
or of Parliament a very promising development for Turkey.
ristics of all these types of Kemalism are, more
Yeni afak’s Fehmi Koru nds the reaction of oppositi-
than any “innovativeness” or “leftism,” a pri-
on parties regarding the date selected for the discussion of
ority placed on increasing the strength of the
the Kurdish initiative to be groundless as he says: “I wonder
state, a goal of creating an organic and class-
whether they mean to say anything can be discussed on Nov.
10 except the Kurdish initiative. Why should it not be discus- less society and a determination to continue the
sed on this day? Do they have any doubts about the fact that hegemonic dialogue already in place. It is qui-
the administration style seen as appropriate for Turkey by The Turkish charity foundation Kimse Yok Mu (Is te easy to allege, therefore, that the Kemalism
Atatürk is democracy?” He says the opposition parties may of the current period we are in does not in fact
see a disconnect between Atatürk and Kurds, but the Kurds
Anybody There) constructed water wells on the is- possess any particular qualities of freedom.
fullled the responsibility that fell on them for the establish- land of Sumatra in Indonesia. Sumatra was re-
ment of the republic. “How do I know this? From the state-
ments Atatürk made at the time. The opposition, which avo-
cently hit by a strong earthquake. ‘Zero problem’
ids discussing the issue by saying that discussing it on the day
of Atatürk’s death would disrespect him, is displaying the real
diplomacy with Athens
zaman: Preliminary discussions of the national unity who left his house on Nov. 4 to go to school, was found in an
MLLYET SAM KOHEN
disrespect toward him with its attitude,” says Koru. project, brought to Parliament by the government, began empty building near a train station Monday night. Video recor-
Radikal’s Oral Çallar nds discussion of the Kurdish with tension in the air on Tuesday, the daily said in a front- dings showed that Kang was walking with a man who appeared Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Er-
problem in Parliament a positive move, saying that brieng page story yesterday. At the center of the debate was the dis- to be around 20 years old before he went missing. Police are doan has written a letter to Gre-
deputies regarding the process and seeking their support is cussion of the issue on the 71st anniversary of the death of examining the video recordings to nd information that may ek Prime Minister George Papand-
an example of an innovative approach. “Even though the Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the nation’s founder. Deputies of lead to the arrest of Kang’s murderer, said the daily. reou in which he has proposed an
opposition parties are reacting harshly against the estab- the Republican People’s Party (CHP) held signs in protest of initiative package which aims to
lishment of a consensus on the discussion of the issue, the Interior Minister Beir Atalay while he was informing Parlia- solve the problems between these
issue’s appearance in Parliament means the involvement of
taraf: “Signature day for Col. Çiçek,” said the daily
two neighboring countries and bring some new life
ment about the democratization initiative, which is aimed at in the headline of its lead story yesterday, stating that Col.
all deputies in the process,” explains Çallar. solving Turkey’s Kurdish problem, said the daily. to relations in general. This new move by Ankara
Dursun Çiçek, who undersigned a recently discovered mi-
Another Yeni afak columnist, Ali Bayramolu, says may not have attracted overwhelming amounts of
litary action plan to destroy the government would testify
the goal of the opposition parties is to prevent the discus- attention, especially as it falls at the same time as a
sion of the Kurdish initiative in Parliament; however, he
sabah: “Security cameras to solve the mysterious death on Wednesday to prosecutors conducting the investigation
focus by Turkish diplomacy on relations with count-
of Musa,” the daily announced in the headline of its main story into Ergenekon, a shadowy crime network that has alleged
says they will not succeed in doing this. “Reactions aga- ries that border Turkey to the south and east, such
yesterday, reporting that video recordings of two security came- links within the state and is suspected of plotting to topple
inst a solution, which indirectly demand the perpetuation as Syria, Iraq and Iran. But in fact, this new initiative
ras will cast light on the brutal murder of 13-year-old Musa the government. Çiçek would be interrogated over charges
of the status quo and the spilling of blood, are important to is very important in terms of both timing and con-
Kang in the eastern province of Erzurum. The body of Kang, of devising coup plans, noted the daily.
note; however, their importance comes from the fact that tent. The chances appear high that the new Greek
they will be recorded in history. They are being smashed prime minister will respond with the same sense of
against history, and they will be smashed.” resolute desire to see all this transpire.

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 NATIONAL T H U R S D A Y, N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9 TODAY’S ZAMAN 03

STANBUL 14° KONYA 16°

ANKARA 15° ÇANAKKALE 16°
ZMR 18° DYARBAKIR 21°
ANTALYA 22° SAMSUN 21°
ADANA 23° BURSA 17°
ERZURUM 13° GAZANTEP 21°
EDRNE 15° ESKEHR 14°
TRABZON 18° MALATYA 21°
KAYSER 17° KOCAEL 14°

Selçuk University
KERM

CHAN, FETH ALTUN

dance team readies BALCI
to break record k.balci@todayszaman.com
AYDIN HIZLICA KONYA

The folkdance group at Konya’s Selçuk

University is preparing to enter the Guin-
ness World Records book as the largest dance How dd I know

PHOTO
team in the world, with roughly 4,000 dancers.
Noting that they are determined to enter the
Guinness World Records book, a team official,
Yasser Arafat?
Yesterday was the fth anniversary of the passing of
Kadir Ersan Bilgin, noted they have not yet de-
cided what type of dance they will perform in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. In Muslim funeral tra-
the attempt to achieve their record target, add- dition, the imam asks the congregation to witness the
ing that the team has practiced the folkdances “goodness” of the deceased by asking, “How did you
of Trabzon, Izmir, Gaziantep, the Caucasus, know the dead?” Arafat passed away amidst all kinds of
Akehir, Mardin, Ankara and Çankr. speculation as to the reason for his death. I did not have
Stating that many students express great the chance then to answer the imam’s nal question. The
interest in their dance group, Bilgin said, “Each fth anniversary is a good time to pay my debt to both
year, around 1,500 students join our group, and Mr. Palestine and the people of Palestine.
we expect about 3,000 more students will join Arafat was a human being. He had his strengths and
us this year for the record attempt.” The dance his weaknesses. His prime weakness was his insatiable
team aims to perfect its routine by May 2010. hunger for power, along with an unbreakable self-es-
Training in the sports hall of the university, the teem. Paradoxically, that was also his prime source of
dance team is the largest university dance team strength. That “desire to rule” overshadowed all his fears
in Turkey with 1,500 registered dancers. and weaknesses. Trapped in southern Beirut, he was en-
joying the very fact that the world was speaking about
him. Eyewitnesses remember the smile on his face see-
TODAY’S ZAMAN

ing his name in the headlines of newspapers, written in

languages that he didn’t even know. Arafat thought of
In addition to the death toll from the swine flu, 145 people across Turkey are receiving treatment at various hospitals. Thirty- himself as Jerusalem in esh and bone: Just as the peo-
three are in intensive care units and nine are on respirators, the Health Ministry reported. ple loved or hated Jerusalem, they should have loved or
hated him, too. Just as the people spoke about Jerusa-

Death toll from

lem, they should have busied themselves with stories of
PHOTO

Arafat. You cannot be indiscriminate to Jerusalem… You

shouldn’t be so about Arafat, either…
Arafat was not a psychopathic self-worshipper. His ego
was the super-ego of the Palestinian people. Back in his

swine flu rises to

undergraduate years, he joined a socialist students’ inter-
TÜ students’ solar-powered automobile ARIBA IV national group, and there he was called “Mr. Palestine.”
received the Best Newcomer award in Australia. The name would not have stuck to him had he not ab-
sconded with it. He became Mr. Palestine even before a
TÜ solar car wins Palestine existed in the mentality of the Palestinian people.

40 in Turkey
Or at least, he thought so. He was trapped under house ar-
award in Australia rest in his presidential Mukatta compound in Ramallah for
a long time. A scarcity of food, light, gas or even space did
ARIBA IV, a solar-powered automobile de-
signed by the students of stanbul Technical not bother him. He had plenty of attention. Through him,
University (TÜ), has received the Best Newcomer he believed, Palestine was once again in the headlines.
award at the World Solar Challenge (WSC) in Aus- Through him, he thought, the Palestinian cause would be
tralia. In the race, which took place on Oct. 24-31, With the death toll at 40, the Ministry says 16 of the victims were in the 25-44 kept on the global agenda for one more day.
Middle Easterners love to accuse their leaders of trea-
ARIBA IV, which was sponsored by Castrol, crossed
Australia from north to south, a total of 3,030 kilo-
age group, nine were between 5 and 14, six victims were under the age of 4, four son and Jewish ancestry. For many Arafat opponents, he
meters. The TÜ team, which won the award in their were between 45 and 65, three were above 65 and two were between 15 and 24 was at best a traitor. For some, he was an Israeli agent,
first competition, stated that they expect to finish next born of a Jewish father. The very fact that Arafat did not
contýnued from page 1 stronger against the medicine, and then the medicine attend his father’s funeral was used as “proof” of the un-
year’s race with even better results due to the great
Explaining that people rush to hospitals even will no longer be benecial,” adding that vaccination trustworthiness of his family tree. Arafat’s claim of a ge-
experience they had this year.
when their noses run, Ceylan warned people can help prevent the epidemic. nealogy going back to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be
The challenge, in which cars race from Darwin to
against panicking, stressing that hospitals can be danger- A balanced diet, increased fruit intake and plentiful upon him) may well be another Arafatic fabrication, but he
Adelaide, showcases hybrid, electric, solar, low emis-
ous for those who have not really contracted swine u. uids can help ght the u, boosting immune systems was not of Jewish origin, or a traitor at all.
sion and alternative energy vehicles. Despite facing
Stating that he and his two children contracted the to avoid contracting the u, an expert warned. Sema He may have made awful mistakes that may well be
some problems both before and during the compe-
H1N1 virus while on vacation in the US with his family, Hospital dietician Hayrettin Mutlu said individuals counted as “worse than treason,” but none did he do in-
tition, the TÜ team completed the race successfully.
Ceylan said they recovered from the disease in a week should consume fruit and fruit juice and stressed that tentionally. Leaving the negotiating table in Taba was not
The race also gave the students the opportunity to
without even using anti-u medicine. eating fruit is the best way to get sufcient vitamins and a mistake, by the way. There was no real partner at the
have a closer look at progress in the field of solar en-
According to Ceylan, who claimed that most cur- minerals. While highlighting that the most benecial table. I think his gravest mistake was to leave no “second
ergy. The TÜ solar car team, which was established
rent u patients are actually infected with the H1N1 liquid against u is water, Mutlu said mixed fruit juices, in command” names around him. Shimon Peres once told
by students in the electronic engineering department
virus, people must approach swine u as they do reg- especially juices made of orange, tangerine and lemon, me that he admired Arafat just for the fact that he turned
and which is currently composed of 20 students from
ular u. Stressing that people must be careful in us- can take the place of additional vitamin supplements, “the Palestinian crowds that never ruled themselves into a
the electronic, aircraft, control and chemical engineer-
ing Tamiu, Ceylan said, “If one keeps on taking that adding that fruit juices are better at protecting against nation that has national pride and a desire for self-deter-
ing departments, has won the Scientific and Techno-
medicine every time he/she gets sick, the virus may get u than herbal teas. stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires mination.” He did that, but at the expense of depriving the
logical Research Council of Turkey (TÜBTAK) For-
mula-G races since 2004. stanbul Today’s Zaman Palestinians of a future leadership that could represent that
national pride and state that desires self-determination.
Arafat was too inclusive… He wanted to be the leader
of all Palestinians and hence embraced even the corrupt
ones, the wrongdoers, the embezzlers, the terrorists, the

Heavy rains expected in the west, meteorology warns pacists… All found refuge in Arafat, and all paid homage
to him. But leaders are remembered by their teams. Ara-
fat’s team was, to a large extent, a parasite of the Palestin-
ian cause, and all of what he has been accused of since his
CHAN, ÖZDEMR ÖZKAN

Meteorology officials issued a
warning yesterday that a new
spate of rainfall is expected, particularly
across Turkey’s western provinces, call-
ing on local officials to take the necessary
precautions against possible flooding.
A statement issued by the State Me-
teorology Bureau said heavy rains were
expected on Wednesday in the southern
Aydn and Mula. Rainfall is also ex-
pected in the Marmara, Aegean, Medi-
terranean, Central Anatolian and west-
ern and central Black Sea regions.
With the arrival of the rain, tem-
peratures are expected to fall by four to
six degrees in the Marmara and Aegean
regions today and on Friday. Strong
winds of 40-45 kilometers per hour
thorities and residents about the pos-
sible consequences of the inclement death are in fact the sins of the people he kept around him.
weather, which could include flash Arafat was the only Palestinian leader who could
floods in metropolitan areas, prop- give concessions and continue to rule over the Palestin-
erty damage caused by flooding, traf- ian people. The Palestinians may not have yet started to
fic problems, lightning strikes, colds or miss him, but I am sure the Israelis are already looking
other illnesses caused by the sharp falls for an Arafat clone.
in temperature and carbon monoxide This is not to say that Palestinians wouldn’t do better
poisoning from heaters inside homes. without Arafat at all. The situation in Palestine in 2004 was
no better than the situation in 1954, when Arafat and his
PHOTO

Marmara region and the coastal strip of
the Aegean region while showers were
expected throughout the rest of the Mar-
mara and Aegean regions as well as in
the western Black Sea and western Medi-
terranean regions and in Ankara, Çankr
and Eskiehir later in the evening.
Heavy rains are expected to con-
tinue for the rest of the week throughout
the Aegean coastal provinces of zmir,
from the southeast known as lodos are
expected are expected in zmir, Aydn,
Mula, Denizli, Balkesir, Bursa and Ya-
lova as well as the western districts of
Antalya (Ka, Kale, Finike, Kumluca,
Kemer and Elmal); in the coastal Aege-
an provinces of zmir, Aydn and Mula,
these winds will be accompanied by
lightning and heavy downpours.
The statement warned local au-
On Monday, heavy rain that
started early in the morning in zmir
caused some homes and businesses
to flood. Streets were also inundated
with water, and the rain caused traf-
fic accidents. Some bridges in the city
were closed to traffic. Homes and of-
fice buildings were also flooded in the
Karyaka and Buca districts of zmir
province. stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
friends founded Fatah and joined the Palestinian struggle
for independence. But, once again, this is not to say that
Palestinians would do better without Arafat, either.
So how did I know Arafat? He embodied pride, para-
doxes and ambiguities, but also determination.
*I will be in the Muslim holy land for the annual pil-
grimage to Mecca, so this column will be on hiatus for
about a month. Don’t think I got laid off due to the nan-
zmir streets were inundated by heavy rain, which started on Monday. cial crisis or was stricken with swine u!

CMYK
 04 TODAY’S ZAMAN
Britain offers land to help Cyprus talks, UN says
Britain has offered to hand over almost half of
its sovereign territory in Cyprus to facilitate a
peace deal between the island’s estranged Greek
and Turkish Cypriots, the United Nations said on
Tuesday. The offer is similar to one made by the
former colonial power in 2003 and would be condi-
tional on a peace deal between the two sides. Britain
has a strategically located air base on the Mediter-
ranean island that would not be part of any deal.
“The special adviser of the secretary-general on
Cyprus, Alexander Downer, has just been informed
that the United Kingdom is renewing an offer to the
United Nations to cede a portion of its territory in
the Sovereign Base Areas [SBAs] to a reunied Cy-
prus,” the UN said in a statement. British ofcials
had no immediate comment on the statement.
The long-running Cyprus conict is a key
source of tension between NATO allies Greece and
Turkey and is hindering Turkey’s membership talks
with the EU. The Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides
Zero-problem polcy as challengng
as rdng two horses, says expert
AYE KARABAT DAMASCUS
Turkey’s current policy of zero prob-
lems with neighbors is better than
its highly defensive and securitized
foreign policy of the past, but this new policy
puts Ankara in the position of a circus rider
who is riding two horses at the same time, an
expert on Turkish politics has said.
“I think at the moment it is extremely
difcult for Turkey to have good relations
with Syria and Israel and Palestine and Is-
rael at the same time simply because of the
gap between Israel and Palestine and, I am
afraid, between Syria and Israel,” Professor
William Hale from the School of Oriental
and African Studies (SOAS), University of
London, told Today’s Zaman.
The emeritus professor is in Damascus
to discuss “the re-emergence of Turkey as
a regional player and its potential new role
regarding Europe” during a two-day con-
ference that was organized by the Danish
Institute in Damascus in partnership with
International Media Support (IMS) and
which began on Monday.
Prominent intellectuals, academics and
journalists met here to search for answers to
questions such as how Turkey’s new Middle
East policy will affect Turkey-European Union
relations; if relations with the EU and rela-
tions with the Middle East are complementary
to each other; if Turkey is looking increasingly
toward the East and south as a reaction to the
slow pace of its accession negotiations with
the EU; if the policy of zero problems with
neighbors is realistic; and what happens if
neighbors are at loggerheads with each other.
As the keynote speaker of the confer-
ence, Hale, while answering some of those
questions, made an analogy and stated that
Turkey is in a situation rather like a circus
rider who is riding two horses, with one
foot on one horse and one foot on the other
horse. “If the horses are close and going in the
same direction, he does ne. But if the two
horses go off in different directions then the
rider is in a difcult position and has difcul-
ties standing in the middle,” he said.
He recalled that there were times in the
past, too, when Turkish-Israeli relations
were not good -- even worse than today.
“For example, in the 1970s, there were sharp
reactions from the Turkish government to
Lellouche says France, Turkey reached ‘implicit deal’ on EU
French Minister for European Affairs
Pierre Lellouche has announced that his
country and Turkey have recently reached an
“implicit agreement” concerning bilateral dis-
agreements surrounding Turkey’s European
Union membership process.
Brieng members of the foreign affairs com-
mittee of the French National Assembly on Tues-
day, Lellouche said an implicit agreement was
reached during President Abdullah Gül’s meeting
with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris last
month, noting that the agreement aimed at “eas-
ing” problems concerning Turkey’s EU member-
ship process, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Gül had paid an ofcial visit to Paris last month,
where he and his French counterpart, Sarkozy, to-
gether opened an exhibition at Paris’ Grand Palais
as part of the Season of Turkey in France.
Sarkozy believes that Turkey does not belong
started peace talks in September 2008. The British
offer is a bid to help a process fraught with difcul-
ties, and which has seen many failures.
“I believe it is an offer to be welcomed as
a tangible demonstration of the goodwill and
support of the international community to the
two leaders in Cyprus in their efforts to reunify
the country,” Jose Diaz, the United Nations
spokesman in Cyprus told Reuters.
Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat
declined to comment on the British offer on
Wednesday, saying it would be taken up in detail
when the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides be-
gin discussing distribution of land as part of their
ongoing talks to reunite the island. “It appears
to be an initiative aimed at removing Greek Cy-
priot reluctance [in the reunication talks],” he
told reporters ahead of a session in the Turkish
Cypriot Parliament to discuss the Cyprus peace
efforts. Initial reactions from Greek Cypriots
William Hale
the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel.
At one point, Turkey even broke off diplo-
matic relations with Israel, but now there is
no intention of breaking relations. Relations
with Israel are too developed to allow such
a thing to happen. You have Hamas and a
divided Palestine on the one side, and the
rightist government in Israel on the other.
That makes, for the time being, two horses
going in opposite directions,” he said.
in Europe and proposes in-
stead a privileged partnership
that falls short of membership
in the 27-nation EU, while the
Turkish leadership categorically
rejects any formula that does
not include full membership in
the European bloc.
During their meeting last
month, the French and Turk-
ish presidents reached an
unwritten agreement based
on “mutual compromise on Pierre Lellouche
three issues for easing prob-
lems stemming from the parties’ positions,”
Lellouche was quoted by Anatolia as telling
members of the foreign affairs committee.
The rst compromise is an undeclared ac-
ceptance that France continues to oppose ac-
seemed lukewarm. “What Britain can do if it
wants to effectively help this process is to exert
inuence and encourage Turkey to be more ac-
commodating on the talks,” said Greek Cypriot
Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou.
The offer came as British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown was scheduled to meet Greek
Cypriot leader Dimitris Christoas in London on
Wednesday. Britain gave up Cyprus in 1960, but
retained two strategic pockets of territory -- on
prime undeveloped real estate -- which account
for about 3.0 percent of the island’s territory. The
offer would be for a handover of 45 square miles,
just under half of the 98 square miles (254 square
kilometers) that Britain now controls, the UN said.
Greek and Turkish Cypriots are attempt-
ing to find a power-sharing formula under a
federal system and settling property disputes
from years of partition. Territorial adjust-
ments, which have in previous peace blue-
Prominent intellectuals, academics and journalists met during a two-day conference that was or-
ganized by the Danish Institute in Damascus on Monday to search for answers to questions such
as how Turkey’s new Middle East policy will affect Turkish-European Union relations.
But Hale said one should be cautious be-
cause there are mixed signals coming from
Israel. “For example, Avigdor Lieberman [Is-
rael’s hard-line foreign minister] will be quite
happy if things get worse because he doesn’t
want to settle the dispute over the Golan
Heights, for example. On the other hand, you
have [President Shimon] Peres, who has re-
cently invited [Turkish President Abdullah]
Gül to Israel. We have two different messages
that send mixed signals from Israel,” he said.
Answering a question about the US ad-
ministration’s position regarding all these de-
velopments, he said it depends on who you
are talking to in the US administration. “In
Congress the pro-Israeli lobby is still extreme-
ly powerful, but I get the impression that the
Obama administration would like to have a
more standofsh policy towards Israel. I am not
sure if Hillary Clinton agrees with that. There
are mixed signals about that, too,” he replied.
Professor Hale, while commenting on
Turkey-EU relations and Turkey-Middle East
relations, stated that some people in Turkey
cession of Turkey into the EU, Lel-
louche said. “The second issue is
the continuation of [membership]
negotiations. This is in the best
interest of everybody and Turkey.
A contemporary and democratic
Turkey is in the best interest of
the EU,” the French minister was
quoted as saying by the agency.
He cited the third issue on which
the two parties agreed as a mutual
will for increasing bilateral political,
economical and strategic relations
to the highest level.
The EU opened accession negotiations with
Turkey in October 2005. Countries hoping to join
the bloc must fulll EU requirements in 35 policy
negotiating areas, or chapters. Ankara has so far for-
mally opened 11 chapters. In 2006, while blocking
CMYK
T H U R S D AY, N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9
prints been in favor of the numerical majority
Greek Cypriots, would be a key element in any
deal. Turkish Cypriots now control some 37
percent of Cypriot territory. The 2003 British
offer had been incorporated into a United Na-
tions blueprint rejected by Greek Cypriots in a
2004 referendum.
On the basis of the 2003 offer, most of the ter-
ritory Britain would have relinquished would have
gone to Greek Cypriots in the south of the island.
Only part of the British territory in Cyprus is
used exclusively for military purposes. It includes a
large number of Greek Cypriot farming communi-
ties living under British civilian administration.
The ratio of land ownership within the Brit-
ish bases is 60 percent privately owned, 20 percent
Crown land and 20 percent owned by the British
Ministry of Defense. Britain’s RAF Akrotiri air base
has been used in the past as a supply post for opera-
tions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nicosia Reuters
CHAN ,BOSTAN CEMLO LU
PHOTOS
might think that the improvement in Turkey-
Middle East relations is a response to frustra-
tion with the troubled process of accession to
the European Union, but Turkish policymak-
ers insist that these ties are simply strength-
ening each other. “In the rst place, Arab
countries are supporting Turkey to join the
EU because they see this as a way of getting
a fellow country into the EU. That is impor-
tant for them. The other thing is that Turkey’s
soft power depends largely on maintaining
its good ties with the EU. In other words, it is
through its relationship with the EU that it has
access to European capital, European technol-
ogy, etc. All these are helping develop rela-
tions with Middle East countries. I see these
policies as complementary,” he said.
He added that as a reaction to the slow
place of talks with the EU, Turkey’s rela-
tions with Russia may improve, too. “The
reaction to the slowdown of relationships
with the EU could not be just for devel-
oping relations with Middle East countries
but also with Russia,” he said.
eight chapters of the accession negotiations with
Ankara due to its refusal to open its ports and air-
ports to Greek Cypriot trafc, the European Council
said it would review the situation at the end of 2009.
France has, meanwhile, blocked another ve chap-
ters that are directly linked to full membership.
Last week, during an ofcial visit to the French
capital, where he had talks with senior ofcials, in-
cluding his counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, Turk-
ish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutolu described
the French government’s opposition to Turkey’s
European ambitions as a grave mistake. “No one
can force us to accept an option like a special part-
nership. We’re not looking for a favor or special
treatment, just for agreements to be respected. The
European Union’s key selling point is its respect for
agreements. It’s thanks to that principle that the EU
has a draw. If it loses that, it loses all its legitimacy,”
he said. Ankara Today’s Zaman with wires
NATIONAL
LALE
KEMAL
loglu@todayszaman.com
Government duty
to scrutnze
overt, covert
regulatons
The disclosure of Web sites established by the military to
back its psychological warfare against Turkish citizens and
groups from every walk of life has led to the necessity for
civilian authorities to launch a comprehensive investigation
and cancel all regulations issued by the prime minister’s of-
ce as well as by the military intended to silence the society.
The existence of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK)
Web sites was revealed in an e-mail sent by a military
officer to a number of newspapers and journalists
last week. The officer, who wished to remain anony-
mous, claimed that the armed forces established
42 Web sites as part of their psychological warfare
against “dangerous” civilian groups, which were cat-
egorized as “reactionary,” “separatist,” “pro-Justice
and Development Party [AK Party]” and “anti-TSK.”
The armed forces also monitored the activities
of more than 400 Turkish and foreign language Web
sites. The plan against Web sites was devised at the
Third Information Support Unit of the General Staff
by a number of colonels and was allegedly coordinated
by Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Hasan Isz, ac-
cording to the ofcer. Chief of General Staff Gen. lker
Babu was also reportedly informed about the plan.
The General Staff conrmed last week that it had set
up Web sites to monitor groups upon a directive that it re-
ceived in 2000 from the then coalition government headed
by late Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit. Turkish bureaucrats
then denied the existence of such a regulation. Neverthe-
less, what is at stake is Turkey’s democracy. To improve
Turkish democratic standards, it is a must for neither the
TSK nor any other institutions to engage in undemocratic
practices. To end such practices, the AK Party should
cancel all existing covert or overt regulations in-
tended to smear certain segments of society.
In addition to laws that regulate the activities of the
TSK and the Gendarmerie General Command (JGK),
which acts under the orders of the military though it
is afliated with the Interior Ministry, there have been
hundreds of internal regulations issued within both or-
ganizations, some of which have an inuence over laws.
For example, there are an estimated 500 laws and
internal regulations issued by the JGK that dene its re-
sponsibilities and duties. This security organization jus-
ties its practice of smearing the society by effectively
bypassing laws and simply issuing an internal memo.
The Security and Public Order Assistance Squads
(EMASYA) secret protocol, for example, signed between
the Interior Ministry of the related government in July 1997
and the JGK, stands as another important document that
needs to be cancelled by the current government as it pro-
vides the military authority above that of the governor.
Through EMASYA, the military took over posts tra-
ditionally controlled by the police and governors. The
gendarmerie moved from rural areas to urban ones.
Through EMASYA, a domestic security
structure was established that posits society
itself as being the greatest threat.
The European Union Progress Report released on
Oct. 14 stated that the 1997 EMASYA secret protocol on
security, public order and assistance units remains in force
unchanged. The protocol allows military operations to be
carried out for internal security matters under certain con-
ditions without a request from civilian authorities, it said.
Still, the military has a great deal of inuence in de-
scribing both internal threat perceptions and external threat
perceptions in addition to gathering intelligence separately
without coordination with other intelligence gathering or-
ganizations in the country. This is despite the fact that junta
activities within the military to unseat the government have
been disclosed while several retired generals as well as ac-
tive officers are being tried over charges of fomenting
an armed uprising to topple the civilian authority.
This reality itself poses one of the serious roadblocks
before any effort to solve Turkey’s decades-long Kurdish
question in particular and to widen democracy in general.
OIC Secretary-General
hsanolu in Baku
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
Secretary-General Ekmeleddin hsanolu is on
a visit to Baku to attend an international conference
titled “Dialogue among Civilizations: A View from
Azerbaijan,” being hosted by Azerbaijan in coopera-
tion with the OIC General Secretariat to celebrate the
40th anniversary of the establishment of the OIC.
On the sidelines of the conference, the OIC secretary-
general was today received by the president of Azerbaijan,
Ilham Aliyev. They exchanged views on various important
international and regional issues, including the Palestinian-
Israeli conict, the Afghan conict and the situation in the
Caucasus. hsanolu also congratulated Aliyev on the occa-
sion of the assumption by Baku of the title of Capital of Is-
lamic Culture for 2009. The secretary-general reiterated to Pres-
ident Aliyev the principled and unwavering support of the OIC
to Azerbaijan, in line with the OIC summit and ministerial con-
ferences on Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, which
led to the occupation by Armenia of around 20 percent of
Azerbaijani territory. stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
 NATIONAL
AK Party should be encouraged, says former deputy Erba
EMNE DOLMACI STANBUL
Fethullah Erba, a former deputy of the now-
defunct Welfare Party (RP), has praised the
ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party)
efforts to settle the Kurdish issue, calling on everyone
to support the initiative and encourage the AK Party.
There had been politicians in the past who had
exerted efforts to settle the country’s long-standing
Kurdish problem before the AK Party government
decided to put an end to the decades of pain caused
Brawl over Kurdish initiative
dominates debate at Parliament
contnued from page 1
In response, Atalay said he does not
want to be misunderstood and all he
wanted to say is that “the AK Party has the rep-
resentative power.”
The opposition has continued its negative
stance against the government’s democratic ini-
tiative, which involves expanding the rights of
the Kurdish citizens of Turkey.
The ruling AK Party brought the issue to
Parliament on Nov. 10 after months-long
public discussions in order to end the Kurd-
ish conict, which has cost the lives of about
40,000 people since 1984, resulted in more
than 17,000 unsolved murders and cost bil-
lions of dollars in military expenditure.
However, the opposition Republican
People’s Party (CHP) deputies were uneasy
about the debate, which they said should not
be brought to the Parliament on the anniver-
sary of the death of the founder of modern
Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. They said the
commemoration activities would be overshad-
owed by the debate.
Before the parliamentary discussion, CHP
leader Deniz Baykal held his party’s parliamen-
tary group meeting and harshly criticized the AK
Party’s insistence on the Nov. 10 date, as well as
the Kurdish initiative in general.
Stating that “Nov. 10 is a day on which the
ags are lowered to half-mast,” Baykal said, “A
plan that targets the accomplishments of the re-
public is being staged on such a day.
The AK Party government announced
its intention to settle the Kurdish question
through peaceful methods during the sum-
mer, but has not detailed its plan. The Kurdish
part of the democratic initiative of the govern-
ment is expected to grant cultural and linguis-
tic rights to the country’s Kurds.
During the process, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoan broke his policy of not engaging
with the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party
(DTP) -- because the DTP refuses to declare the
outlawed PKK a terrorist organization -- and
had a meeting with its leaders.
Interior Minister Atalay, who is also the co-
ordinator of the government’s Kurdish initiative,
delivered a speech on Nov. 10 in the Parliament
focusing on the targets and scope of the initia-
tive. But tensions rose when Atalay said, “The
AK Party is Turkey’s party.” Deputies from the
opposition CHP and MHP protested against
Atalay’s words by pounding on their desks.
Meanwhile, CHP deputies, led by Can-
First experience and the culture of democracy
NEWS ANALYSIS
Ali Aslan Klç
TODAY’S ZAMAN
Parliament is having heated debates, and as all par-
ties, regardless of whether they are represented in
Parliament, can agree, Parliament is experiencing a
rst in its nearly century-old history.
Until very recently, Parliament would only dis-
cuss how to solve the Kurdish issue through secu-
rity measures, but for the rst time, it has opted to
settle it via democratic means.
Firsts have their own unique unknowns. Doing
something for the rst time can also be painful. Yet
it may also be easier.
The debates waged showed that the nerves of
politics have become quite sensitive. There were
reactions that did not t the established practices
of Parliament. Signs were hung, and slogans were
chanted. Some deputies tried to block other deputies
from addressing Parliament, and some others made
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009
by the issue. Former Van deputy Erba is among those
who contributed to previous efforts at resolution as he
was included in a commission that was drafting re-
ports on the issue for the RP government. Erba was
included in the group that negotiated the release of
two Turkish soldiers who had been abducted by the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in 1996.
“We initiated a resolution process during the RP gov-
ernment. Now, I say I wish we had not. There was
a big fuss. Everybody pressured the government,” he
said, explaining the criticism his party was faced with.
CHP deputies held up banners saying “Our great leader, we follow in your footsteps,” on Tues-
day in Parliament while protesting the Kurdish initiative.
an Artman, held up banners saying, “Atam
zindeyiz,” or “Our Great Leader, We are Fol-
lowing Your Path.” There were also other ban-
ners saying, “Our Great Leader, We will Protect
Your Works” and “You Established the Repub-
lic, We Will Make it Live.”
Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali ahin
promptly warned the protestors to stop display-
ing their banners.
“This is the grand assembly, not a demon-
stration area. Please put down the banners.”
ahin also said, “Either put down the banners or
much noise by hitting their seats. The session was
frequently interrupted by uproars and arguments.
The opposition parties were tense as they did not
know about the content of the initiative. They worked
hard to prevent a discussion about the democratic initia-
tive from starting in Parliament. As justication, they ar-
gued that such a discussion should not occur on the an-
niversary of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s death on Nov. 10.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party
(CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)
harshly criticized the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AK Party). AK Party parliamentary group
Deputy Chairman Suat Klç, whose parliamentary
address opposition deputies tried to obstruct, spoke
to Today’s Zaman. Noting that the criticisms hurled
at them were worse than slander, Klç said: “They
said slanderous things that they could never prove.
Without being restrained by the principles of po-
litical ethics and statesmanship, they made a false
claim that the AK Party is cooperating with the PKK
[Kurdistan Workers’ Party]. They accuse [the AK
Party] of treason and separatism. They cannot toler-
TODAY’S ZAMAN 05
The RP continued its efforts to resolve the issue until right path. It should certainly be supported. If the
it was closed down in 1998. “We did our best then, government takes a step backwards, nobody would
but the atmosphere was not suitable. We could not do be able to give an account of the pain that would be
anything after the closure,” he said. experienced after this point. All parties should act
Stating that cross-border operations carried out with common sense and resolve the issue without
in the ‘90s showed that the solution to the issue was the concern of winning more votes,” he said.
a political rather than military one, Erba said the He also proposed that members of the PKK in the
reason the issue has not been solved for decades is Makhmur camp who have not engaged in any con-
that the international setting was not appropriate ict should be brought to Turkey in the rst phase and
in the past. “The government is aware that it has that this should be followed by legal and constitutional
to solve the issue. It is taking correct steps on the changes to be made to grant more rights to Kurds.
AA
key from its shackles,” Atalay, who calls the
issue in Parliament “A National Unity and
P H OT O
Brotherhood Project,” said.
He said the initiative is not restricted to
expanding the rights of the country’s Kurdish
population, but is about improving democracy
and therefore will result in “more freedom for
everybody.”
As the opposition attacked, Atalay contin-
ued to speak and stressed that the project does
not contain anything which would alter Tur-
key’s unitary structure.
“Nobody in Turkey can challenge the un-
changeable articles of the Constitution, the uni-
tary state, the ofcial language which is Turk-
ish, the ag featuring a star and crescent and
the national anthem,” he said, and added that
speeches in Parliament should not feed hatred in
the society but instead send messages of peace.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s set our party
politics and party’s interests aside. Let’s create a
TODA Y ’S Z A MA N, A L  Ü NA L
soft language to reinforce our feelings of broth-
erhood without excluding anybody.”
Atalay also warned that there are “lobbies”
which are fed by the conict and they “provoke”
society in that regard by saying the democratic
initiative is about dividing the country. However,
he said the initiative is about consolidating de-
mocracy in Turkey.
P HOTO
At a time when the Turkish government has
been breaking taboos by initiating a dialogue
concerning the Kurdish problem, eight mem-
bers of the outlawed PKK returned to Turkey
from the Kandil Mountains, where the PKK has
a camp, and 26 came back from Makhmur, a ref-
ugee camp in northern Iraq. But more arrivals of
the members of the PKK were suspended due to
agitation in various segments of society.
About the debate on the selection of Nov. 10
for discussing the Kurdish initiative, Parliament
Speaker ahin said Atatürk was a great leader and
one day is not enough to remember his achieve-
ments. “He is present in our daily lives,” he said.
Meanwhile, pro-Kurdish DTP deputy Gültan
leave.” Parliament then went into recess.
Kanak said it was important for Parliament to
However, the heated debate continued dur-
take up the Kurdish issue -- even though it was
ing the break and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
not openly called the “Kurdish” issue -- after so
Erdoan said the parliament speaker should
many years. She said the institution best able to
start an investigation regarding the issue.
address the Kurdish problem is the Parliament.
‘We say enough’ Parliamentary ofcials announced yesterday
that the general discussion of the issue will be held in
Atalay, who launched preliminary talks with op-
Parliament on Friday. Prime Minister Erdoan’s of-
position parties regarding the initiative, provided
cial visits to Düzce and Adyaman have been can-
a timeline of the government’s plans for the so-
celled because of the debate planned on the demo-
lution of the long-standing Kurdish issue.
cratic initiative on Friday. stanbul Today’s Zaman
“The democratic initiative will release Tur-
ate a mission for peace within a constitutional and to urge for a solution in democratic regimes.
legal framework. Of course, we will answer all of On the other hand, the image in Parliament
them. We will continue to explain this process with showed a political power that sought a solution
facts and will continue to inform our nation about it.” while the opposition resisted with secularist reexes
The MHP deputies, who were offended when and a fear of separatism.
Klç indicated that it is wrong to demand to hold a Yet, until very recently, the National Security
closed session, were further annoyed when another Council (MGK) underlined two major threats: reac-
AK Party spokesman, Avni Doan, told them they tionaryism and separatism.
were “speaking just like CHP deputies.” The opposition, which argued that the out-
Like the MHP, which failed to display any patience for dated methods should continue to be used to solve
the sake of democracy, the CHP could not accept Interior problems, was like the old MGK. The CHP, with
Minister Beir Atalay’s statement that all parties except the its emphasis on secularism, and the MHP, with its
AK Party are regional parties. The session was interrupted focus on separatism, demanded that counterterror-
when signs were held up and slogans chanted. ism should be maintained with security measures as
In response to shouts of “Open up the initia- was the case during their terms.
tive! Open up the initiative,” Minister Atalay said Parliament is a democratic venue where par-
the general session is the place where this can be ties freely express their views. However, everyone
done. Summing up his historic speech with “greater should tolerate other views as well.
freedom for everyone,” Minister Atalay called on The troubles linked to this rst parliamentary
the opposition to become part of the solution. Al- meeting are understandable if they are attributed to
though political power is an indispensable element political concerns. Yet, the lack of democratic cul-
of all regimes, the opposition should be the element ture and tolerance is not understandable.
CMYK
Time to overcome
past traumas, Arnç
says in Diyarbakr
“No matter what happens, even if we have
to drink a bitter medicine, we will do so in
order to nd healing, to reach a state of tranquil-
ity; we will do everything that is right, good and
beautiful, whatever is necessary for our country,”
State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Bülent
Arnç said during a trip to Diyarbakr yesterday.
Arnç’s remarks came during a visit to
Diyarbakr during which he participated in the
opening of the academic year at Dicle University.
Arnç also paid a visit to the ofce of Diyarbakr
Mayor Osman Baydemir, who cancelled a pre-
viously scheduled trip abroad in order to greet
Arnç and the delegation -- including Agricul-
tural and Rural Affairs Minister Mehmet Mehdi
Eker and Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu -- upon
their arrival in the province. Speaking at the
mayor’s ofce, Arnç referenced the troubles
of the poverty-stricken, troubled province and
commented hopefully about his Justice and De-
velopment Party (AK Party) government’s efforts
as part of its democratic initiative to address Tur-
key’s long-standing Kurdish problem.
Many painful incidents have been experi-
enced, but it is also important to remember that
for over 1,000 years people have lived together
peacefully on this soil, Arnç said. “We are work-
ing to carry out this project of tranquility, peace
and brotherhood in the best way. We know about
the traumas caused by history and the painful
events experienced in the past. The politician is
the one who solves society’s problems, not the
one who speaks meaninglessly. The chief aim of
politics is problem-solving. We want to carry out
those things that we know are correct as regards
this topic. And we are expecting everyone’s posi-
tive contributions to this process,” he said.
“When we talk of a democratic initiative,
when we talk of a project of national unity and
complete brotherhood, when we talk about a
project for peace and tranquility, we aim to do
this is in the best way and achieve a happy end-
ing. We all have the same goal,” he said. Even
if a medicine is bitter, it must be taken if it is to
bring about betterment, Arnç emphasized, con-
tinuing: “We are going to try to do more than
everyone else, do better than everyone else. …
We are in need of a period in which everyone’s
pain will be lessened, in which the tears will
stop. And we will do everything necessary to
bring this about.” stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
Former politician
says Demirel failed to
stand against memo
The memoirs of a former parliament
speaker and former leader of the Demo-
cratic Party, Ferruh Bozbeyli, have revealed that
Süleyman Demirel, who was the prime minister
at the time of the March 12, 1971 military mem-
orandum, failed to stand against the military,
refuting Demirel’s statements to the contrary.
When Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoan implicitly criticized Demirel for failing
to stand against the 1971 military memoran-
dum, Demirel said he quit the government in
order to keep Parliament open.
Speaking on a TV program last Sunday,
Erdoan talked about a recently unearthed
military action plan to destroy his government,
and when asked what he would do if he had
felt a coup was about to take place, he replied:
“If I feel such a threat, I will not take my hat
and leave. I will take the necessary action.”
Following Erdoan’s remarks, Demirel said
he did the right thing by leaving power when
the circumstances of the time are taken into
consideration. “I left the government in 1971 to
keep Parliament open,” he said.
In his memoir named, “Lonely Demo-
crat,” Bozbeyli explained that the 1971 military
intervention was not only against Demirel’s
government but also against Parliament. He
wrote: “Parliament was taken under military
control. The army called all the party leaders
including Demirel and gave them orders for
the establishment of a new government.”
In the memoir, which was prepared by aca-
demic and journalist hsan Da and journalist
Fatih Uur, Bozbeyli talked about those days:
“Soldiers were reading out the military memo-
randum in Parliament. Hasan Korkmazcan
from the Democratic Party said the memoran-
dum cannot be read. The parliament speaker
was allowing the soldiers to read it. Korkmazcan
stood up and left the hall saying, ‘You are doing
something against the Constitution.’ The Cabi-
net used to gather on Tuesdays and Thursdays
while Parliament used to gather on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays. March 12 was a Fri-
day, so the memorandum was read on Satur-
day. This means Parliament was called for an
extraordinary meeting so that the memoran-
dum could be read.” These remarks indicated
that not only the Demirel government but also
the entire Parliament was taken under the con-
trol of the military. Hamza Erdoan Ankara
 06 TODAY’S ZAMAN THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009 NATIONAL

Approaches to
stanbul to bid for 2020 Olympics, says sports official Atalay peace of Gülen, Dalai
C  H AN

After four unsuccessful Olympic bids, stanbul will enter

the race to host the 2020 games. Turkish government
sports ofcial Mehmet Atalay said Tuesday the country has
PHOTO
by hosting the 2005 Champions League nal and other events
and will be staging the 2010 World Basketball Champion-
Lama discussed
ships, the 2011 Winter Universiade Games and 2012 IAAF The Intercultural Dialogue Center

decided to launch another Olympic bid and believes the city’s
chances are much stronger this time. stanbul mounted failed
attempts for the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics. It sat out
the race for the 2016 Games, which were awarded last month
to Rio de Janeiro. “stanbul has changed a lot,” Atalay said.
“We feel much more condent to be in a race with other cities.”
Cities in Japan and Italy have expressed interest in the 2020
games, and Dubai and Qatar are also considering bids. South
Africa and other African countries could also enter candidates.
Bid submissions to the International Olympic Committee are
due in 2011. The IOC will select the 2020 host city in 2013.
Atalay, the former head of Turkey’s Youth and Sports Gen-
eral Directorate, said he believed the Olympics will return to
Europe in 2020 after going to South America for the rst time in
2016. “We strongly believe that we are going to have the best
bid for 2020,” he told reporters at the Sports Event Manage-
ment Conference in London. “Turkey is a big country, and it
has much potential for hosting such events. We have the his-
tory. We have the culture. We are the bridge between Europe
and Asia.” Atalay said the bid had the full backing of President
Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoan and
that 85 percent of the country’s population support the effort.
Undeterred by four failed attempts to host the Olympic Games, stanbul has an-
nounced its intent to enter the race to host the 2020 games. Atalay said Turkey has gained valuable sports experience
World Indoor Championships in Athletics. “Infrastructure- (IKULT) organized on Wednesday a
wise, stanbul has improved a lot,” he said. “Transportation comprehensive symposium on “Nonviolent
has improved. Weather pollution is almost nished. It’s one of Communication and the Contribution of Cul-
the most secure cities in Europe. We are getting experience at tures to Peace” in which the opinions and un-
organizing major events.” Atalay said stanbul could take an derstandings of Fethullah Gülen, Dalai Lama
example from Rio, which bid several times before getting the and Marshall Rosenberg on peace.
Olympics. “We will keep on until we win,” he said. The paper explaining Gülen’s ideas on
Tokyo -- which nished third in the 2016 race -- is con- peace was presented by Eyüp Beir from the
sidering trying again for 2020. Hiroshima and Nagasaki have Inter-religious Dialog Platform (FID). Beir
also announced plans for a joint bid from Japan. Several cit- stressed that Gülen always dreamed of a young
ies in Italy, including Rome and Venice, have expressed in- generation having a large intellectual capacity,
terest in bidding. Qatar ofcials conrmed Tuesday they are wisdom and spirituality and added that the co-
preparing to submit a bid from Doha for 2020, although they existence of people in the framework of gen-
are currently focusing on their campaign for the 2022 World eral human rights is very important for Gülen.
Cup. Doha tried for the 2016 Games, but failed to make Recalling Gülen’s words, “A Muslim can-
the list of nalists, mainly because it proposed holding the not be a terrorist and a terrorist cannot be a
games outside of the usual July-August period due to the se- Muslim,” Beir thinks this shows the value
vere heat in Qatar in the summer. With South Africa hosting Gülen attaches to the existence of human be-
next year’s World Cup, organizing committee chief Danny ings. “With this understanding, Gülen sees the
Jordaan says a successful tournament could foreshadow possibility of inter-religious dialogue. But his
an African Olympics in 2020. South African cities Johan- open stance to dialogue did not start after 9/11,
nesburg, Cape Town and Durban are potential candidates. rather he had already been successful in gath-
Egypt and Nigeria could also consider bidding. London AP ering people from different ideological bases
and linking them in a peaceful atmosphere,”
added Beir. He also noted that in Turkey,
Muslims, Christians and Jews have been living
without any problem for decades.
Annette Kirsch, from the Tibet House, ex-
plained in her paper the ways in which the Da-
lai Lama has developed peaceful relations with
non-Buddhists after telling his life story. Reiter-

World’s oldest woman ating that the Lama is a Nobel price laureate, she
underlined that he has advised the establish-
ment of peace in his travels around the world.
In the symposium, Marshall Rosenberg’s
approach to communication was also dis-

lves n Turkey’s Diyarbakr cussed in a presentation by Kendra Gettel say-

ing that Rosenberg divides the process of com-
munication into four different parts.

AA, MERAL ÖZDEMR

Halim Solmaz, a resident of Diyarbakr’s Theology Professor Klaus Otte praised
Beiri district, is purportedly 125 years the efforts for the improvement of dialogue
old, which if true would make her the and stated: “With dialogue we have learned
oldest known person on the face of the earth. ways of peaceful coexistence with our Muslim
rfan Erta, the head of the local birth registry fellows. Maybe there are new opportunities
directorate, conrms the record of Solmaz’s age, for scientic progress in the meanings of the
saying: “According to our records Halim Solmaz Quran and the Bible.” Ziver Ermi Cologne
was born in 1884 and is still alive. She lives in

[Beiri’s] Bismil [neighborhood].” Solmaz’s iden-
tication card says she was born on July 1, 1884,
and according to reports she had seven children
(four sons and three daughters) and is grand-
mother to 54 and great-grandmother to 150.
Mehmet Beir Solmaz, a grandchild of Halim
Solmaz, translated his grandmother’s comments
from Kurdish to Turkish in an interview with
the Anatolia news agency. Solmaz explains that
she married twice, losing her rst husband after
three years of marriage during World War I. She
then married emsettin Solmaz and moved with
him to the province of Siirt.
Her grandson explains: “My grandma is
125 years old and is now beginning to have
difculty speaking and moving around. My
mother looks after her. My grandma and
grandpa moved to a village in Siirt’s Kurtalan
district following the 1917 Russian Revolution
and stayed there for some time. Of course, they
had a very difcult life. For example, they lived
in what in those days could be considered a
cave. They also saw famine at some times.
“Later they moved to Bismil with my father,
who is an imam. That was about 20 years ago. Our
family lives across Siirt, Batman and Diyarbakr.
My grandma has 54 grandchildren from her sev-
en children, and nearly 150 great-grandchildren.
She also has great-great-grandchildren, but I
don’t know the exact number,” he said.
Offered ayran to
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Halim Solmaz explained through her grand-
son that she remembers when Mustafa Kemal
Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic,
visited the Kurtulan district long ago and also
came to the village where she lived. She said
Atatürk arrived at the village on horseback
Halim Solmaz, purportedly 125 years old, lives in Diyarbakr’s Beiri district. If her age is true, she would be the oldest known person on the face of the earth.
and that her relatives greeted him, and that
she personally offered him and his comrades
ayran. “Atatürk had blue eyes and was very
handsome. He got on a horse and was accom-
panied by cavalrymen,” she said.
Her grandson explains that there has also been
loss in Halim Solmaz’s long life; three of her chil-
dren have passed away. “My grandmother and
grandfather were married for 60 years; my grandfa-
ther passed away in 1972. When my grandmother
has enough energy to speak, she often says, ‘If only
I had died, enough already, I’ve lived a long time.’
She eats yogurt more than anything else. In the
past she always used to eat butter as well. She has
no chronic illnesses, but due to her advanced age
she depends on us for her care. I think my grandma
is the oldest person in the world,” he said.
Mehmet Beir Solmaz’s mother, Selime
Solmaz, also spoke to the Anatolia news agency
through her son’s translation, explaining that
PHOTO
Four PKK
returnees drafted
for army service
Necessary procedures for military enlist-
ment have been put into motion for four
of 34 people from a refugee camp and a terrorist
base in northern Iraq who recently surrendered
to Turkish security forces but who have not yet
completed their compulsory military service.
The newcomers, who returned to Turkey
in mid-October as part of the government’s
ongoing efforts collectively referred to as the
Kurdish or democratic initiative, have been
released with no legal attachments pending
after a brief interrogation upon their return
under Turkey’s partial amnesty law known as
the “repentance law.” Meanwhile, out of the
34 who surrendered, 15 were given Republic of
Turkey identication cards. The remaining will
be issued IDs once bureaucratic procedures
concerning their background are completed.
Four of the returnees -- three from the Mah-
mour refugee camp, identied as Bülent Aka, Musa
Tümeg and Nizar Buldan, and one from the Kurd-
istan Workers’ Party (PKK) base in northern Iraq’s
Kandil Mountains, identied as Mustafa Ayhan
she has lived in the same home as her mother- -- reportedly have not yet completed their compul-
in-law for 40 years and is her primary caregiver. sory military service. stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
“For the past 40 years she has been blind. I take
care of everything from her toilette to her food.
Sometimes she says to me, ‘Husbands used to Turkish charities
beat their spouses; brides these days are very
lucky because their husbands don’t beat them.’
prepare to deliver aid
Due to her age sometimes she forgets even to
eat and drink unless she’s reminded,” she ex-
during Eid al-Adha
plains. stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires With Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrice)
approaching, Turkish charity organiza-
tions have stepped up preparations to lend a
helping hand to Africans living in severe pov-
erty by donating sacriced animals.
Humanitarian Aid Foundation (HH),
Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There) and the
AA , A HM E T D U M A NL I

Gov’t steps on Alevi issue ‘historic,’ says Çelik
YASN KILIÇ / AYE TOSUN STANBUL
The government’s efforts to solve the prob-
lems of Turkey’s Alevi community are both
tization].” He said the Alevi workshops, seven of
which have been scheduled, seek to bring objec-
tive and correct information to the state. “With
this workshop, we want to take out the problems
Cansuyu Solidarity and Charity Foundation
launched several programs to collect money
from the Turkish public to buy sacricial ani-
an, Fehmi Koru, Hakan Albayrak, smail Küçük- mals to feed the poor in various African coun-
kaya, Mehmet Ali Birand, Mehmet Barlas, Mustafa tries. Thousands of volunteers will spend their
Karaaliolu, Nee Düzel, Oral Çallar, Ömer Laçiner, Eid al-Adha in Africa to help slaughter the ani-
Taha Akyol, Uur Dündar and Yiit Bulut. mals and distribute the meat.
P H O TO

historic and sincere, State Minister Faruk Çelik,
who is coordinating a series of workshops bringing
together writers, intellectuals and representatives
of the Alevi community, has said.
Speaking at stanbul’s Marmara Hotel yester-
day at the opening of the fth of a series of Alevi
workshops organized by the government, State
Minister Çelik said: “We are sincere, and the steps
we are taking are historic. We are not afraid of
paying whatever the cost might be [for democra-
of Alevis from a supercial ground and invite the
real sides in the problem to talk -- and know and
understand this area with a new vision.”
In the session held yesterday, the participants,
including journalists from over 40 media organs, dis-
cussed Alevi representation in the media. Some of the
well-known journalists who participated in the work-
shop were Ali Krca, Ahmet Hakan, Ali Bayramolu,
Ali Bulaç, Can Dündar, Emre Kongar, Erdal afak,
Ergun Babahan, Erturul Özkök, Etyen Mahçupy-
In his speech, Çelik stated that some Al-
evi groups were skeptical about the government’s
steps to tackle the Alevi question, while some other
organizations have been more supportive. He criti-
cized an Alevi demonstration held in stanbul on
Sunday, saying: “Some Alevi organizations prefer
to invite people to the street instead of understand-
ing and appreciating the sensitivity we are showing
here. We do not want this process to be blocked.
We are against all types of discrimination.”
HH President Bülent Yldrm said that since
his organization rst began its Eid al-Adha pro-
gram, it has seen more than 2,000 volunteers help
it distribute aid in remote parts of the world. He
added that many people are surprised when the
volunteers come to them and tell them HH is giv-
ing away meat. “People asked us why we went
there and wanted to understand our motivation.
These donations are helping Turkey build a chain
State Minister Faruk Çelik said the AK Party gov-
ernment is sincere in its Alevi initiative. of mercy,” Yldrm noted. Elif Akdeniz stanbul

CMYK
 BUSINESS
Capacity utilization up by 1.7 pct point in October over previous month
In a sign that Turkey is beginning to recover
from the global nancial crisis, the manufactu-
ring sector’s capacity utilization rate for the month
of October increased 1.7 percentage points over the
previous month, reaching 71.8 percent; however,
despite this improvement, the gure is still 4.9 per-
centage points lower than October 2008.
The Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) released
its monthly tendency survey on Wednesday, revealing
that the capacity utilization of Turkey’s manufacturing
sector weighted by production value continued its
move upwards following a 0.4 percent increase seen
in September over the preceding month.
The TurkStat report cited the shortage of de-
mand in the domestic market as the principal factor
Migros aims to
emerge from
crisis stronger
Migros, one of the biggest super-
market chains in Turkey, has ma-
naged to increase its customer base by
15 percent in 2009 over last year des-
pite the global nancial crisis thanks
to efcient campaigns and strategies,
Özgür Tort, the general director of the
company, said on Monday.
Speaking at a meeting celebra-
ting the 55th anniversary of Migros,
Tort stated that Migros, founded in
1954, had continued to lead the retail
sector amidst the crisis by strengthe-
ning its position through the pursu-
ance of innovative strategies. “Migros
has adjusted its prices with respect to
existing demand in order to deal with
the recession since the eruption of the
crisis,” Tort said, adding that the eco-
nomy can recover only by pursuing
correct and bold strategies.
The retail sector is directly related
to all sectors in the economy, Tort
said, expressing gratitude for signs of
recovery from the crisis throughout
the world. However, he added that
Migros still acts with caution when
making long-term plans, conside-
ring that overcoming the crisis will
take some time. “Our main route is
to emerge from the current crisis as
a much stronger international reta-
iler. Last year we set a goal of ope-
ning eight stores per week. By the
end of the year the number of stores
opened this year will reach 400, and
we will have achieved our targeted
growth. The number of stores over-
seas also reached 20. We are going
to open more stores throughout the
world. The total number will exceed
1,500 by the end of the year.”
Migros has managed to increase
its number of customers to 370 mil-
lion, accounting for a 15 percent rise
over last year, Tort said.
Speaking about Migros’s new
projects, Tort said the retail cha-
in will introduce an innovative
system offering lifetime guarantees
for all of its consumer goods and
accepting returns of all unopened
packages, including expired pro-
ducts. stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
Irresponsible management brings KTHY to verge of bankruptcy
TANJU ÖZKAYA STANBUL
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC)
Transportation Minister Hasan Toçay has re-
vealed that Cyprus Turkish Airlines (KTHY) incur-
red losses of TL 57 million in 2008 due to mismana-
gement, which nearly bankrupt the company.
Speaking to Today’s Zaman last week, Toçay
revealed that tickets for ights between stanbul
and northern Cyprus, worth 180 to 220 euros, were
being sold for 25 euros, incurring incredible losses.
As seats were lled, the cost of ying the planes
would also increase, a phenomenon that broke the
usual revenue rules of the airline business.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009
preventing the manufacturing sector from functio-
ning at full capacity. According to the report, 56.5
percent of companies surveyed pointed to a shor-
tage in domestic demand as the primary reason for
not operating at full capacity, while 28.5 percent
cited a lack of demand from foreign markets. Some
3.2 percent attributed the shortfall in capacity utili-
zation to nancial problems, and 3.9 percent bla-
med a shortage of domestic raw materials. Some 2
percent of respondents pointed to a shortage in raw
imported materials and 1.2 percent to labor prob-
lems as the most signicant factor preventing them
from operating at full capacity.
Production quantity increased by 2.9 percent
in October compared to the previous month, but
State Minister Hayati Yazc visited a war memorial in Baku during a trip to Azerbaijan to speak about customs requirements at the Second International Silk Road Forum.
Yazc: Customs should be eased to
make Silk Road a global route again
Customs requirements should be eased
in a bid to boost trade among the historic
Silk Road-region countries, State Minister
Hayati Yazc said in Baku on Wednesday, calling
for international cooperation to revitalize the route.
Delivering a speech at the Second Internati-
onal Silk Road Forum on the topic of “The Role
of Customs Administrations in Boosting Trade
among Silk Road Countries” in the Azerbaija-
ni capital, Yazc noted that the Silk Road went
beyond being just a trade route and had become
more of a bridge between cultures. The minister
After Erol Atakan became the new chairman of the
KTHY executive board in July, he ordered an investi-
gation into how, with the increase in the number of
passengers on planes, the cost of ying was going up.
Atakan, investigating the old nancial accounts of the
previous board, found that company management had
made agreements to sell tickets at loss-incurring prices.
As the investigation deepened, irregularities were
found in the costs of maintaining and leasing planes
and in the number of personnel, among other expen-
ses. After noticing these irregularities, the new KTHY
executive board asked for support from Turkish Airli-
nes (THY) to investigate further. After meeting with
the KKTC Ministry of Transportation, KTHY decided
manufacturers predict that it will decrease by 0.8
percent in November. During the same period, the
amount of goods sold decreased by 1.1 percent, and
those surveyed predicted that the number will inc-
rease by 0.8 percent next month. Sales prices also
decreased by 0.1 percent in October compared to the
previous month, but they are expected to increase by
0.3 percent in November. The prices of raw materials
increased by 1.1 percent in October, and next month
they are expected to increase by 0.2 percent.
The public sector’s capacity utilization rate
for October totaled 67.6 percent and the private
sector’s utilization rate was 71.9 percent. These
gures were 83.5 percent and 75.8 percent, res-
pectively, in the same month of last year.
cited the Silk Road region as the most important
economic and trade center in the world both for
the energy resources located in the region and the
energy routes conveying that energy to other des-
tinations around the world. The region’s countri-
es are among the fastest developing in the world,
with a young and dynamic population amounting
to nearly half of the world’s population, he said,
emphasizing the high potential for production
and consumption in the region. Those count-
ries account for 20 percent of total world trade,
which totaled $32 trillion as of 2008, he explained.
to stop selling tickets to resellers under old contracts
for 25 euros. The new management is expecting to
end this year with TL 60 million in losses.
More than just ticket prices
KTHY’s losses are not restricted to its underpriced
tickets. The maintenance and leasing costs of planes
and the excessive number of personnel have also ra-
ised eyebrows. While THY’s rent costs per plane ho-
ver around $240,000, KTHY paid $340,000 per pla-
ne. Moreover, the number of personnel per KTHY
plane was 150, three times more than the internati-
onal standard of 50. For a company that needs 250
people to operate, there are 700 people working, at
CMYK
TODAY’S ZAMAN 07
The contraction in Turkey’s capacity utiliza-
tion gained momentum in December 2008 when
the rate dropped to 64.7 percent from 72.9 per-
cent the previous month and then to 63.8 per-
cent in both January and February. March and
April saw a nascent recovery as the gure rose
to 64.7 percent and 66.8 percent, respectively.
The recovery continued in the following three
months with the rate rising to 70.4, 72.7 and 72.3
in May, June and July, respectively. August, ho-
wever, saw a 2.6 percent drop, suggesting that
the crisis had not yet eased, but this was coun-
tered by a 0.4 percentage point increase in Sep-
tember over the previous month, again pointing
to economic recovery. stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
AA
PHOTO
Thanks to all these factors the Silk Road is poised
to regain its ancient function, Yazc added.
Yazc called for introducing necessary mea-
sures to simplify customs requirements, stressing
the role of customs in boosting trade among co-
untries. “We need to initiate solid measures to
boost commercial activity on this ancient route
such as reducing wait times at customs and de-
veloping a common understanding in customs
procedures,” he said. The First International Silk
Road Forum was organized by Turkey last year
in Antalya. stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
an annual personnel cost of TL 24 million.
Highlighting that he noticed the severity of the-
se losses after joining the KTHY executive board,
Atakan stated: “After our investigations, we reali-
zed we had a live grenade in our laps. We will not
let the people responsible for these incredible losses
go free. We will be taking the necessary steps to sue
them for their carelessness and incompetence.”
Minister Toçay has stated that if necessary, he
will block distribution of tickets purchased under
the scope of the old contracts to resellers. Atakan
added that the new executive board will work to
make up for these losses and that they have made
ticket contracts worth 112 million euros for 2011.
Turkey, Morocco
seeking a trade bridge
A trade and investment bridge between
Turkey and Morocco organized by the
Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and In-
dustrialists (TUSKON) in a bid to boost com-
merce between the two countries kicked off
yesterday in Casablanca and will run through
Nov. 13, with the attendance of Industry and
Trade Minister Nihat Ergün along with a trade
mission of more than 80 businessmen.
Turkish rms attending the event will be
briefed trade and investment opportunities in
Morocco by the country’s ofcials. TUSKON
announced in a written statement that the com-
panies will also have a chance to have talks with
Moroccan rms operating in various sectors.
Apart from Ergün, Turkish Ambassador to
Morocco Haluk Ilcak, Casablanca Chamber of
Commerce President Hassane Berkani, Casablanca
Mayor Mohamed Sajid and TUSKON Chairman
Rzanur Meral were set to attend the meeting.
Trade volume between Turkey and Morocco
has been in an upward trend since 2004. A free tra-
de agreement between Turkey and Morocco that
took effect on Jan. 1, 2006 has also contributed to
the increase in trade between the two countries.
TUSKON also organized a Turkey-Egypt
Business Forum on Tuesday during which Rac-
hid Mohamed Rachid, the Egyptian minister of
industry and trade, said Egyptian companies are
set to make two major investments in the Tur-
kish healthcare/pharmaceuticals and construc-
tion sectors. Declining to give detailed informa-
tion, Rachid only stated that the investments
will be worth of hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Tangible steps will be taken in 2010. Detailed
information will be given in the coming weeks
or months,” he said. stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
Doan seeks new
judge in tax fraud trail
A hearing scheduled at a tax court regarding
a $3.8 billion ne issued against Doan Hol-
ding for alleged tax fraud was adjourned to a later
time due to a request from Doan Holding for
the appointment of a new judge to the case.
On Tuesday, the stanbul Stock Exchange
(MKB) temporarily halted all trading on Doan
Holding, Doan Yayn Holding, Hürriyet Gaze-
tecilik and Doan Gazetecilik stocks. A statement
from the bourse said three of the companies wo-
uld be reopened to transactions starting at 10:30
a.m. on Wednesday. Transactions were suspen-
ded due to speculation that appeared in the Tur-
kish media Tuesday morning over the sale of Do-
an newspapers, the statement said. It also added
that trading on Doan Yayn Holding would be
halted until the results of a scheduled court hea-
ring in a case led by Doan against a $3.8 billion
ne over alleged tax fraud are made public. Ho-
wever, the suspension was lifted at noon with the
MKB announcing that the Doan hearing had
been postponed until a later date, which has yet
to be set. The statement also noted Doan’s requ-
est for a new judge in the case. stanbul Today’s Zaman
Moody’s: Turkish credit
rating expected to rise
Senior Vice President of Moody’s Inves-
tors Service Kristin Lindow spoke on the
strong position of Turkey in the global economy
at the third annual Credit Risk Conference in
stanbul, noting that they expect further increa-
ses in Moody’s credit rating for Turkey.
In a conference organized by Moody’s, Lin-
dow stated that Turkey’s economy had impro-
ved in the last 10 years and experienced good
growth after the 2001 economic crisis. More-
over, Lindow stated that the risks associated
with investing in Turkey have decreased.
Noting the ination rates in Turkey, Lin-
dow said although ination rates were not so
close to the Central Bank of Turkey’s targets,
they were still at a low level. Lindow added
that Turkey had ination under control and
that it was no longer a danger to the economy.
Lindow added that they predict a favorable
increase in exports and imports in 2010. Regarding
international capital sources during the economic
crisis, Lindow added that “Turkish rms acted to
attract international capital to Turkey again. We
think that this eagerness to garner capital will
stop the outow of capital and will save Turkey
from a serious crisis.” stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
 08 TODAY’S ZAMAN T H U R S D A Y, N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9
BUSINESS

China to drop dollar peg, eyeing
major currencies to guide yuan
China said on Wednesday it will consider
major currencies in guiding the yuan, sug-
gesting a departure from an effective dollar peg
that has been in place since the middle of last year.
The reference to a new set of benchmarks for
determining the value of the yuan holds out the
possibility of a departure from recent practice, which
has seen the currency held steady since mid-2008
around 6.83 per dollar. “Following the principles of
initiative, controllability and gradualism, with ref-
erence to international capital ows and changes
in major currencies, we will improve the yuan ex-
change rate formation mechanism,” the central
bank said in a 46-page monetary policy report.
It was the rst time since the landmark re-
valuation and launching of foreign exchange
reforms in July 2005 that the People’s Bank of
Chinese October data shows
world’s workshop back in business
China has strayed from the language of keeping Chinese factory output growth surged to
the yuan “basically stable at a reasonable and a 19-month high in October, showing the
balanced level” when discussing future foreign world’s third-largest economy has rmly put the
exchange reforms in such quarterly reports. worst of the global nancial crisis behind it.
The comments come ahead of a visit to China Other gures released on Wednesday showed
next week by US President Barack Obama, and a dip in the pace of investment and loan growth as
amid growing pressure from other countries for the impact of the initial burst from a bank-nanced
Beijing to be more exible in how it handles the 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion) economic stimulus
yuan in the face of dollar weakness. package, announced a year ago, tapered off.
Ding Zhijie, a professor with the University of Exports and imports also undershot market
International Business and Economics in Beijing, forecasts, falling from year-earlier levels for the 12th
who also provides advice to government, said the month in a row. But economists said China was
change in wording shows that Beijing is ready to maintaining the momentum of its recent recovery,
end the de-facto peg to the dollar in place since which has made it a certainty that Beijing will surpass
mid-2008. “The exchange rate policy in the last its target of 8 percent growth for 2009 as a whole.
year can be viewed as an extraordinary policy for Policymakers have already asked banks to lend
an extraordinary time,” Ding said. Beijing Reuters less freely, but the consensus among economists is
‘Unemployment
threatens US economy’
Stubbornly high joblessness threatens to
that interest rates will not rise until well into 2010.
trigger loan defaults and drag on consump-
“There will be no immediate policy shift, but a
tion next year, hobbling a US economy struggling
tightening policy is the big trend as the economy is
to rebound from recession, World Bank President
growing so fast,” said Gao Shanwen, chief econo-
Robert Zoellick said Wednesday.
mist at Essence Securities in Beijing.
Zoellick warned that the US unemployment rate,
Industrial output rose 16.1 percent in the year
which jumped to a 26-year high of 10.2 percent in Oc-
to October, the fastest pace since March 2008 be-
tober, will likely remain elevated in 2010. “You’re go-
fore the global downturn brought China’s export-
ing to have problems with delinquencies of credit card
orientated factories to their knees.Trade, by con-
loans, consumer loans, people won’t be able to pay their
trast, was weaker than economists had expected.
mortgages,” Zoellick told reporters in Singapore. “Some
Exports in October were down 13.8 percent from
banks are going to continue to be troubled by bad loans.”
a year earlier, an improvement on September’s
Government stimulus spending will likely fuel
15.2 percent fall but short of the median market
economic growth through the middle of next year,
forecast of a 13.2 percent drop. And imports were
Zoellick said. After that, consumer spending and busi-
down 6.4 percent from October 2008, compared
ness investment must take the baton to boost expan-
with forecasts of a 1.0 percent fall and a 3.5 percent
sion, he said. “If you’ve got large scale unemploy-
year-on-year decline in September. Beijing Reuters
ment, if you’ve got consumers rebuilding savings and
deleveraging, I don’t think the consumer is going to
play that role,” he said. ”What’s the other source of
demand?” US gross domestic product grew an annu-
alized 3.5 percent in the July to September period after
shrinking ve of the previous six quarters. Singapore AP

REUTERS
Geithner encouraged by
moves in Japan, China Emirates mulls more

PHOTO
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geith- A380s despite delays
ner said Wednesday he’s encouraged
by efforts in Japan and China to spur Emirates airline, the biggest buyer of the “su-
domestic demand instead of relying perjumbo” Airbus A380, said Wednesday it
so heavily on American consumers is considering increasing its order for the double-
- - a shift that will contribute to more decker plane despite delays on existing orders.
stable global growth. Geithner said he
Emirates airline Chairman and Chief Executive
sees broad recognition among govern-
ments to create policies that will lead Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum told reporters
to more balanced, sustainable growth the Dubai-based carrier is looking to boost its order
and avoid the kind of dangerous im- beyond the 58 it has already requested -- the most
balances that contributed to the world booked by any airline. “We are considering that,
recession. “We’re very, very encour- actually,” he said when asked about additional or-
aged to see what’s happening here ders ahead of next week’s Dubai Air Show. “We’re
in terms of a broad reform agenda ...
actually looking at the market as very positive for
to try to produce an economy more
the next few years ... We are always one of the rst
dependent on domestic sources of
growth,” Geithner said in Tokyo on movers to take advantage of the market.”
his way to joining Pacific Rim finance For the time being, however, Emirates says it is
ministers meeting in Singapore for facing delays with some of the A380s it has already
the annual APEC summit. Tokyo AP requested. Just ve of the “superjumbo” planes
Foreign and trade ministers of APEC countries pose for a group photo with World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy (front row 4th L) during the summit in Singapore. have been delivered to Emirates so far. Sheik
Ahmed did not say how many deliveries have been
pushed back, though he acknowledged “there is
a bit of delay.” He said the changes affected de-
liveries by a matter of months, not years. Dubai AP

APEC mnsters agree global AIG CEO ready to quit

economc crss far from over
Asia-Pacic ministers warned Wednes-
day that signs of recovery in the global
economy are merely a respite, and fu-
ture growth hinges on freer trade and improved
social safety nets in Asia.
Finance and foreign ministers meeting in Sin-
gapore for this week’s annual APEC meeting are
mulling ways to keep economic recovery going
once lavish stimulus spending ebbs, while tack-
ling other regional security and political issues.
The forum culminates in a weekend sum-
mit of heads of state from APEC’s 21 econo-
mies, including President Barack Obama.
The economic crisis is “by no means over,”
warned Singapore’s foreign minister, George Yeo,
urging nations to persist in opening markets wid-
er. “There is creeping protectionism now; that is
very dangerous. It is a slippery slope, and if we’re
not careful, before we know it, all of us will be in a
much direr situation,” he told reporters after host-
ing a breakfast meeting with foreign ministers.
The ministers agreed the economic crisis is in a
respite, Yeo said, but recovery remains fragile.
APEC was founded 20 years ago to promote
greater trade and integration around the Pacic
Rim. Its scope has since expanded to encompass
a wide range of issues, and ministers Wednesday
stressed the need for action on climate change,
energy security and ensuring food security for the
millions of vulnerable poor in the region.
Boosting exports is the “best ticket” to creating
jobs, ending the recession and bringing massive
decits under control, said Thomas J. Donohue,
president of the US Chamber of Commerce. “Ex-
panding free trade across the Pacic can drive the
global economic recovery, create badly needed jobs
and advance economic and social progress in devel-
oping and developed countries alike,” he told busi-
ness leaders on the sidelines of the APEC meeting.
While Asia has 168 free-trade agreements,
work on US pacts with South Korea, Colombia,
and Panama languish in Washington.
The Pacic Economic Cooperation Council,
an APEC-afliated think tank, urged in a report is-
sued Wednesday for fundamental reforms to shift
growth away from a dependence on exports to the
US. “US consumers are not likely to drive world
demand in the medium term, and the slack will
have to be taken up in part by Asian consumption
and investment,” Peter Petri, a Brandeis University
professor who coordinated a regional task force on
the economic crisis, said in the report.
The think tank’s survey of 400 business, gov-
ernment and expert leaders in the region found
many convinced that the engines of growth are
changing -- a trend long anticipated but acceler-
ated by the relatively strong recent performances
of developing Asian nations, especially China and
India. “They are very conscious that the US is not
going to be the growth engine for the foreseeable
future, and they are thinking very hard of how to
nd other ways to generate growth,” said Yuen
Pau Woo, who coordinated the report.
“The engines of growth are shifting from the
over pay constraints
After just three months as head of battered insur-
er American International Group, Robert Ben-
US to Asia; from exports to domestic spending, es- mosche has threatened to leave his post as he strug-
pecially on social priorities and from production of gles to deal with heavy government oversight and
goods to production of services,” Woo said. restrictions on what the bailed-out company wants to
Higher spending on social needs such as pay employees, according to a published report.
education, health care, services for the aging Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter,
and welfare networks; freer trade in services, The Wall Street Journal reported online late Tuesday
and policies to promote green technologies that Benmosche told AIG’s board he was “done” with
-- all can contribute, he said. the job, although he reportedly is reconsidering his
Devoting more to those resources would help stance in the face of the board’s dismay. According to
rebalance the wide gap in US-China trade, among the people, the former MetLife CEO is frustrated with
other distortions, that helped bring on the crisis. the constraints of leading a company majority-owned
By boosting social spending, China and by the government, the paper said. The Journal said
other Asian nations could help reduce the Benmosche has complained to AIG’s board about the
need among their citizens to scrimp and save outcome of the Treasury Department’s pay review
to cover such costs, freeing them to improve which slashed pay for a number of AIG executives by
living standards and spend more. 91 percent from 2008. When the credit crisis hit last
The report estimates that $300 billion of year, the US government rescued AIG from the brink
the $28.8 trillion in regional economic activity of collapse with a loan bailout package worth up to
represents trade and other imbalances that $182.5 billion in exchange for an 80 percent stake in the
need to be redressed. Singapore AP insurer. It is one of seven big companies the Treasury
Department ordered to cut top executives’ salary and
bonuses in half, starting this month. New York AP

Jury acquits ex-Bear

Stearns managers
Daily Monthly Yearly YTD MCAP 1-Y Country Change Level
Close Change (%) Change (%) Change (%) Change (%) (million TL) Av.Volum (%)
Two former Bear Stearns hedge fund manag-
İMKB-100 48.135 0,8% 2,0% 79,6% 79,2% 274.191 1.524 Hang Seng H.Kong 0,27 22.268,2 66.54
İMKB-30
ers were found not guilty of fraud, a decision
60.834 0,7% 2,1% 77,4% 73,8% 223.939 1.163 Nikkei 225 Japan 0,63 9.870,7 50.1 53.02
İMKB-IND 35.285 0,7% 1,1% 65,4% 78,4% 73.125 462 Cac 40 France 0,31 3.797,2 46.98
that could make government prosecutors less likely
İMKB-BANK 107.584 0,9% 2,2% 105,7% 92,2% 128.690 727 DAX Germany 0,27 5.634,8 to bring criminal charges against Wall Street execu-
33.46
DJIMT 10,40 0,0% 1,5% 39,8% 46,5% - 0,43 FTSE 100 UK 0,11 5.240,9 25,2
tives for their role in the nancial crisis.
Dow USA 0,27 10.220,0 8,6 9.7
TurkDEX NASDAQ USA 0,38 1.775,1 The case -- the rst major prosecution arising
US$/JP¥ S&P USA 0,19 1.095,1 Native Foreign Native Foreign from the meltdown of major US nancial institutions
60,850 -0,12%
EU€/JP¥ 1,486 -0,07% BOVESPA Brasil 0,69 66.674,3 Number of Shares M.cap Number of Shares M.cap -- was seen as a litmus test of whether a jury, pre-
AT A GL ANCE
CALENDAR sented with evidence from emails between money
pected managers and conference calls with investors, would
No data ex Daily Monthly Yearly
Ticker Price (TL) Daily Change (%) Ticker Price Daily Change (%) Ticker Volumes Price (TL) Yearly Change (%) convict individuals for corporate collapses.
Close Change (%) Change (%) Change (%) US$/JP¥ 89,73
SNGYO 2,34 9,86% GRUND 0,52 -7,14% GARAN 160,0 5,8 123,85
TL / € 2,201 0,1% EU/JP¥ 134,55 Ralph Ciof, 53, and Matthew Tannin, 48, were ac-
EGGUB 68,50 5,38% PRKTE 2,94 -3,92% ARCLK 62,4 4,5 193,57 TL / $ 1,468 0,0% EU/US$ 1,4993 quitted of all charges on the second day of deliberations
DGZTE 3,58 5,29% KOZAA 4,95 -2,17% THYAO 58,7 4,6 326,89
by a jury in US District Court in Brooklyn, New York.
AYGAZ 5,60 4,67% SASA 0,51 -1,92% KOZAA 47,4 5,0 462,50
High Low
Ciof and Tannin left the courthouse with their smiling
ENKAI 6,10 3,39% AEFES 17,20 -1,71% SNGYO 43,8 2,3 313,48 Price ($) Way Change (%)
Light C. Oil 78,40 0,8% 78,76 76,90 wives and relatives, some of them crying tears of relief.
Gold 1099,75 -0,8% 1099,75 1099,75 Ciof and Tannin managed two funds, crammed
Copper 296,25 -0,2% 299,65 293,70
ÝMKB 100 ÝMKB 30 ÝMKB IND RETAILER BIMAS CARFA BOYNR KIPA with subprime mortgage-backed securities that lost
Mcap TL -- -- -- 6.769,6 4.592 1.286 98 794 P/E: Share price divided by earnings per share is a measure of the price paid for a share relative to the institutional and individual investors a total of $1.6
income or profit earned by the firm per share.
P/E 2006/12 EV/EBITDA: Enterprise value divided by earnings before interest, tax and amortization; “t” stands for
billion when the funds collapsed in mid-2007 at an
14,7x 13,9x 11,6x 246,5x 63,8x -95,2x 15,4x -21,3x
P/E 2007/06t 10,5x 10,0x 8,8x 305,3x 56,9x -542,1x 6,0x -11,0x trailer and means the data over the last four quarters. early phase of the Wall Street market meltdown.
(*) Yesterday's closing (**) Updated at 6 p.m. by GMT+2
P/E 2007/09t 10,1x 9,7x 8,8x 333,4x 50,7x -206,5x 5,1x -9,5x
Disclaimer: The information in this report has been prepared by BMD, Bizim Securities from sources believed
The jury on Tuesday acquitted both men of conspir-
EV/EBITDA 2006/12* 6,6x 5,2x 7,9x 30,0x 42,9x 16,0x 6,2x 43,3x
to be reliable. All the information, interpretations and recommendations covered herein relating to acy, securities fraud and wire fraud -- charges brought in
EV/EBITDA 2007/03t* 7,2x 5,9x 7,8x 31,5x 40,0x 19,2x 5,7x 77,9x investment actions are not within the scope of investment consultancy. Therefore investment decisions
EV/EBITDA 2007/06t* 7,0x 5,7x 7,9x 28,7x 37,9x 19,8x 4,9x 37,2x based only on the information covered herein may not bring expected results.
a June 2008 indictment. Ciof was acquitted of an addi-
tional charge of insider trading. New York Reuters

CMYK
 INTERVIEW THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009
RECENT INITIATIVES ASSURANCE OF
GROWTH, STABILITY, STATE MINISTER SAYS
AL ASLAN KILIÇ ANKARA
Speaking on the economic dimensions of the re-
cent initiatives taken up by the government, State
Minister Cevdet Ylmaz has said the initiatives will
improve democratic standards and function as a pledge for
economic growth and stability.
In an interview with Today’s Zaman, Minister Ylmaz
noted that they would increase public investment by 10
percent and create a fertile environment to attract global
capital. Ylmaz further added that the recent initiatives
would anchor the economy on solid ground.
Noting that the recent and courageous initiatives by
the government will address the ongoing controversies
in the country and contribute signicantly to raising eco-
nomic standards, Minister Ylmaz also said: “It should be
noted that we have been introducing new initiatives since
we came to power. We have raised our democratic stan-
dards. We have made progress in the eld of economy;
regional development has gained momentum via specic
projects. We create regional development agencies and
we also cooperate with universities as well as neighboring
countries to create new employment opportunities.”
GAP’s potential
Recalling that they have reserved a large amount of funds to
make the attractive potential of the Southeastern Anatolia Proj-
ect (GAP) more evident, Ylmaz underlined that the region has
drawn the attention of local and global capital. The state minis-
ter responsible for GAP argued that the agricultural potential in
the area where the project is being implemented will be doubled
after the introduction of modern irrigation techniques. Stressing
that the project area is suitable for planting organic corps, Ylmaz
continued: “With the growth in production, the industrial and
agricultural potential of the region will become more noticeable.
Likewise, the area is also attractive because of its tourism and
commerce potential. Thanks to this, the region gains the atten-
tion of local and global investors. The recent trends show that this
interest will grow further in the years to come.”
Minister Ylmaz, who noted that dialogue with neighbor-
ing countries and the measures taken to create a secure envi-
ronment in the country have an economic dimension, further
said: “The democratic initiative will reinforce the peaceful
environment and create a suitable atmosphere for the private
sector. We believe that the southeastern region will become
a center of interest to be heavily invested in by private sec-
tor players after the achievement of peace in the region. In
fact, the private sector is dynamic in Turkey; it only needs the
creation and provision of a suitable environment. The stable
environment, incentive policies, and trade with neighbors
will improve social welfare in the country. Regional growth is
not achievable without trade with neighbors. We learned this
fact through rsthand experience. These regions were highly
developed at times when trade was intense and vibrant. Take
ancient Mesopotamia. It was an advanced region because
trade and fertile lands made this part of the world appealing
to investors throughout history.”
The government has taken bold measures to reopen fertile
EU puts pressure on Georgia for more media freedom
ABDULLAH BOZKURT TBILISI
Georgian broadcasters and print media professionals vented
their long-held frustrations against the government at a two-
day European Union-backed conference in the capital of Tbilisi
this week. The difculty in gaining access to government-held in-
formation resources and a lack of transparency in the ownership
structure in media businesses were among the major concerns
raised by the participants, both local and foreign.
Georgia, which beats Turkey when it comes to press free-
dom, according to an index published last month by Reporters
Without Borders, had a major incident in 2007 when govern-
ment riot police raided the opposition channel Imedi and re-
voked its license although it was later allowed to broadcast. The
pretext for the raid was that the channel was fomenting unrest
and creating havoc in the country. The Saakashvili government
received a harsh rebuke from both the US and EU countries for
the agrant violation of the rules of press freedom.
Two years after that incident, the government still feels the
heat from the EU and the US administration when it comes
to an environment of media freedom in the country. Freedom
House, a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group, ranked
Georgia poorly in its annual survey, and a report by the State
Department said respect for freedom of speech, the press and
assembly had worsened during the 2007 crisis and that there
continued to be reports of “law enforcement ofcers acting
with impunity” and “government pressure on the judiciary.”
The EU is also taking steps to ensure press freedom not
only by exerting pressure on the government but also by pro-
viding funds for the development of media freedom in Geor-
gia. Last week, the head of the European Commission delega-
tion to Georgia, Per Eklund, said a new center for legal support
to the media will be opened. “The Georgian media will be un-
State Minister
Cevdet Ylmaz
says that recent and
courageous initiatives
by the government will address
the ongoing controversies in the
country and contribute significantly
to raising economic standards.
‘The democratic initiative will
reinforce the peaceful
environment and create a
suitable atmosphere for
the private sector,’
explains Ylmaz
lands to cultivation by speeding up modern irrigation projects,
the minister said, adding that they have also followed a historical
path and increased the volume of trade with neighboring coun-
tries. Recalling that the recent initiatives with Central Asia, Rus-
sia and Middle Eastern countries will increase the entire volume
of trade in the region, Ylmaz said this will serve the interests of
Turkey as well as other countries in the region.
Stressing that when the GAP project operates at full capacity,
the foreign trade dimension will become more obvious, Ylmaz
also stated that “the southeastern region was barely affected by
the ongoing economic crisis; the volume of exports from the re-
gion did not go down. Regional development is an important ele-
ment that will likely reduce the economic risks of the country.”
Noting that the benets of market diversication
have become clear with the global crisis, Minister Ylmaz
stated that Turkey’s foreign trade with Europe had been
negatively affected because the recovery of European
countries from the global economic crisis will take ad-
ditional time. Ylmaz said: “Surely Europe is important to
us, and it will remain so. We will have to seek ways to in-
crease our trade volume with European countries and our
sales to the continent; but it is not reasonable to remain
Georgia’s President Mikhail Saakashvili (C) talking to the media after casting his election ballot at a polling station in Tbilisi on Jan. 5, 2008.
able to perform its function unless it is free,” he said, stressing
that the EU will promote media freedom in Georgia.
The seminar on media freedom funded by the EU Commission
last week dealt with a number of issues in media freedom in Geor-
gia. The most pressing issue, many had said, was that the informa-
tion about media owners in Georgia “is not transparent, and often
journalists and reporters do not know the real owner of the media
company for which they work.” Some also lashed out at government
representatives who attended the seminar. They emphasized that the
Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) needs to
be more transparent in its operations and licensing procedures.
The results of a new public survey were also discussed at the
seminar, revealing that Georgia’s media are more trusted than
media in neighboring countries in the Caucasus. Forty-seven
dependent on a single market alone. Europe is being af-
fected by the crisis the most. Sadly, it is Europe that will
recover from it last. If we had not diversied our market
options, our export gures would have been smaller and
the impact of the crisis would have been greater.”
The minister stressed that Turkey is eager to improve relations
with other actors and players without making any distinction be-
tween them, noting that dialogue with the world has contributed
to Turkey’s national economy and regional development.
Ylmaz, who underlines that Turkey must grow faster de-
spite savings decits, also said: “Money is money; it does not
have an ideology or nationality. We are suffering from a sav-
ings decit. And we have to grow faster. Turkey will not be able
to achieve a faster growth rate without attracting global capital.
We will not be able to provide employment and food for our
people if we fail to secure this growth. Therefore, we have to
obtain more funds and productive capital. There has been vis-
ible growth during our administration. We have acquired a total
sum of $70 billion in foreign direct investment [FDI] so far.”
A suitable environment for global capital
Noting that the growing interest by global capital in Turkey
REUTERS
PHOTO
percent of Georgians partially or fully trusted the media, as com-
pared with 43 percent in Azerbaijan and 39 percent in Armenia.
The Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC), a net-
work of research and training centers in Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Georgia, undertook an in-depth study into the Georgian
media landscape between August and November of this year.
The study consisted of a comprehensive survey of the Georgian
public’s attitude toward the media, a series of focus groups with
citizens, interviews with top media ofcials and a media moni-
toring project to analyze the current state of Georgian TV news.
The Georgian media landscape has been the subject of an in-
tense debate. The media freedom gures are high on the agenda
of the European Union’s neighborhood policy program with
Tbilisi. Georgian ofcials say a free media is one of the most fun-
CMYK
TODAY’S ZAMAN 09
TODAY’S ZAMAN , AL ÜNAL
PHOTOS
reects trust and faith in the future and legal order of the coun-
try, Ylmaz said: “The owners of global capital choosing our
country for investment will contribute to our national economy
and serve as assurance for our international relations. This is a
positive development for Turkey’s stability as well because if
you are an investor, you would not want to make an invest-
ment in an unstable country.”
Recalling that the whole world is competing to attract
global capital, Minister Ylmaz stressed that Turkey needs
to focus on developing new projects to secure an advan-
tage in this race. Noting that the race has become even
more harder because of the ongoing global nancial cri-
sis, Ylmaz added: “There has been a drop in the amount
of movable global capital that is seeking safe haven. We
were affected by this drop. The number of global inves-
tors showing interest in our country has declined. How-
ever, once the crisis is over, global capital movement will
resume. What matters is to get prepared for this. We have
to develop appealing projects that global capital holders
will be interested in, and we have to introduce them. The
entire world is doing this. To attract global capital, even
the developed countries are working hard.”
damental tenets of a democratic society and admit more needs to
be done to expand freedom of the press in Georgia. International
observers say Georgia has the best law in the Caucasus safe-
guarding media freedom, adding that despite economic hard-
ship, the press is free but warns that polarization of the media
must be overcome. According to the survey, the results of which
were announced at an international seminar in Tbilisi, television
is very important in Georgia. It revealed the Georgians are avid
consumers of news, with 84 percent of respondents watching TV
news every day, most for between half an hour and two hours.
Although TV is the most important source of information, 86
percent of respondents read a weekly paper and 80 percent read
a news magazine at least once a month, it was revealed. There
is an ongoing divide over access to different sources of TV news
in Georgia, the survey disclosed. Most of the country can only
access Rustavi 2, Imedi TV and Channel 1 of the state-funded
Georgian Public Broadcasting. These stations are considered pro-
government by 51 percent of respondents. Tbilisi is also served
by two channels, Maestro and Kavkasia, widely considered to be
supportive of the opposition. Sixty-eight percent of Tbilisi resi-
dents believe Kavkasia represents opposition interests, and 50
percent say Maestro is also supportive of the opposition.
Most Georgians are well aware of the problems in their me-
dia sector, the survey showed. It is also seen that there is a real
desire to have a more professional, unbiased and independent
media landscape. A large majority would like to see crucial cur-
rent events being investigated by journalists without interference
either from the government or from the owners of media outlets.
Despite the Georgian media’s problems, 64 percent trust jour-
nalists and over 60 percent would be happy for their children
to go into journalism, according to the survey. Compared to the
general public, media professionals are much more uneasy about
the state of the Georgian media, the results showed.
 10 TODAY’S ZAMAN
REPORT
Obama, Japanese PM
to agree on review
The United States and Japan will agree this week to
review their decades-old security alliance to tighten
ties long term, a Japanese newspaper said Wednes-
day, as the two countries struggled to keep a feud
over a US military base from spoiling their lead-
ers’ summit. Tokyo and Washington are expected
to turn down the heat in the row during President
Barack Obama’s two-day stay from Friday, the
start of an Asian tour, but recasting the alliance as
the partners adapt to China’s growing clout will be
tough. Obama and new Japanese Prime Minister
Yukio Hatoyama, who has pledged to steer a dip-
lomatic course more independent of Washington,
will reach the agreement on reviewing the alliance
at their summit on Friday, the Mainichi newspaper
reported. The two sides would aim to wrap up the
discussions by next November when Obama will
be back in Japan for an Asia-Pacic leaders’ sum-
mit, the paper said. Hatoyama has said he wanted
to conduct a comprehensive review of the alliance,
which marks its 50th anniversary next year, to cre-
ate a multi-layered relationship long term. Obama,
in an interview with NHK public TV on Tuesday,
stressed the importance of the ties, long seen as cen-
tral to regional security arrangements. Tokyo Reuters
RAIDS
Gunships kill 10
rebels in Pakistan
Helicopter gunships shelled militant hide-outs
in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing
10 suspected ghters after the Taliban murdered
two paramilitary soldiers at an outpost in the
area. The attack on the outpost in Mohmand, one
of Pakistan’s semiautonomous tribal areas, was
the latest staged by militants in retaliation for an
army offensive against the Taliban’s main strong-
hold in Pakistan’s northwest. Militants hope the
attacks will weaken the army’s resolve and have
shown a growing willingness to target innocent
civilians in an attempt to weaken public support
for the offensive. A suicide car bomber attacked
a crowded market in northwestern Pakistan on
Tuesday, killing 26 people, the fourth such attack
in about a month. Pakistani ofcials have blamed
such attacks on the Taliban, but the group has
reportedly denied being behind at least some of
the blasts, sparking conspiracy theories and mak-
ing it more difcult for the government to convert
public anger into greater support for its crack-
down on militants. “I think the government itself
is making these blasts, or the Taliban,” Muzamal
Khan told AP Television News as he attended
Wednesday’s funeral for the victims of the latest
market bombing. Parachinar AP
POWER OUTAGE
Brazil’s largest
cities hit by blackout
A major electricity outage left tens of millions of
people in Brazil’s two largest cities of Sao Paulo
and Rio de Janeiro without power on Tuesday
night due to problems at the massive Itaipu dam
that straddles its border with Paraguay. The black-
out affected at least six of Brazil’s 26 states, hitting
the industrialized southeastern part of the coun-
try especially hard. All of Paraguay, which gets
most of its energy from the dam, was also briey
left in the dark. Three hours after the blackout,
power was beginning to be restored in some parts
of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s nancial capital and South
America’s largest city. But most of the sprawling
metropolis remained in the dark. “The exact cause
still isn’t known, but we suspect that atmospheric
problems, an intense storm, may have contributed
to or caused the transmission lines to Itaipu to shut
down,” Brazil’s energy minister, Edison Lobao,
told reporters in Brasilia, the capital. In Paraguay,
the power cut blacked out the whole country for
up to 15 minutes but electricity was soon restored,
an Asuncion resident said. Sao Paulo Reuters
PIRACY
EU: Somalis seize
cargo ship with 22
Somali pirates on Wednesday seized a cargo
ship in the Indian Ocean with 22 crew members
on board, the European Union Naval Force said.
Naval spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour said that
there are three Greeks and 19 Filipinos among the
crew of the Greek-owned Filitsa. The ship is reg-
istered in the Marshall Islands. A press release by
the EU said the ship was taken 400 miles (640 kilo-
meters) northeast of the island nation of the Sey-
chelles. It had been heading for the South African
port of Durban but has now turned around and is
heading north. Pirates have increased their attacks
since the end of the monsoon season last month.
They are now holding at least 12 ships and more
than 200 hostages. Three ships have been seized
in the last week alone. Pirates can often command
multimillion-dollar ransoms for the release of the
vessels they capture, a fortune in impoverished
Somalia. The failed state has not had a function-
ing government for a generation and its lawless
coastline provides a perfect pirate haven. Nairobi AP
Palestne’s Abbas agan
demands settlement
halt before talks
Addressing supporters of his Fatah party in Ramallah on the fth anniversary of
the death of his predecessor Arafat, Abbas said United Nations resolutions called
for there to be a ‘clear framework’ for talks to end over 60 years of conict
Palestinian President Mahmoud Ab-
bas again called for a halt to Israeli
settlement building before he would
resume peace talks with Israel, accusing it of
trying to scupper Palestinian statehood.
Addressing supporters of his Fatah party
in Ramallah on the fth anniversary of the
death of his predecessor Yasser Arafat, Ab-
bas said United Nations resolutions called
for there to be a “clear framework” for talks
to end over 60 years of conict.
“We cannot go to negotiations without a
framework. And we say the framework is UN
resolutions, meaning a return to the 1967 bor-
ders,” Abbas said. “What’s new in this demand?
“Also, we want a full stop to settlements,
including natural growth and in Jerusalem,”
the 74-year-old leader said.
Abbas added that “resuming negotia-
tions requires Israeli government commit-
ment to the framework of the peace process,
which includes halting settlement activity,
including natural growth and which includes
Jerusalem. Without this, I will not agree,” he
told supporters.
He accused Israel of trying to thwart
the internationally backed “two-state
solution” that would bring a Palestinian
state into being alongside Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netan-
yahu has ruled out going beyond a partial
limitation on Jewish settlement building in
Palestinians hold a banner during a march toward the grave of the late leader Yasser Arafat, marking the anniversary of his death,
in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Gaza’s Hamas rulers
of detaining dozens of its members on Tuesday to stop them marking the 5th anniversary of the death of Arafat.
Washington sniper Muhammad
executed for 2002 killing spree
John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind
behind the sniper attacks that left 10 dead,
was executed Tuesday night as relatives of the
victims watched, reliving the killing spree that
terrorized the Washington metro area for three
weeks in October 2002. Muhammad looked calm
and stoic, but was twitching and blinking as the
injections began, deant to the end, refusing to
utter any nal words. Victims’ families sat behind
glass while watching the execution, separated
from the rest of the 27 witnesses.
“He died very peacefully, much more than
most of his victims,” said Prince William County
prosecutor Paul Ebert, who witnessed Muham-
mad die by injection at 9:11 p.m. (0211 GMT) at
Greensville Correctional Center, south of Rich-
mond. Muhammad, dressed in a blue shirt, jeans
and ip-ops, had no nal statement.
Muhammad was executed for killing Dean
President Mahmoud Abbas
areas of the occupied West Bank not an-
nexed by Israel to its Jerusalem municipality.
Despite criticism of settlements by US
President Barack Obama, Washington
has increased pressure on Abbas in recent
weeks to resume negotiations, which were
suspended a year ago, without waiting for
further Israeli limitations on settlement.
Abbas rejects that approach and aides
say his disenchantment with Obama’s ap-
parent shift in emphasis over settlements
Harold Meyers, who was shot in the head at
a Manassas gas station during the three-week
spree across Maryland, Virginia and Wash-
ington, D.C. The shootings terrorized the re-
gion and captivated the nation, as victim after
victim was shot down while doing everyday
chores: going shopping, pumping gas, mow-
ing the lawn. One child was shot while walk-
ing into his middle school.
People stayed indoors. Those who did go
outside weaved as they walked or bobbed their
heads to make themselves a less easy target.
The campaign of terror ended on Oct. 24,
2002, when police captured Muhammad and his
teenage accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, as they
slept at a Maryland rest stop in a car they had
outtted for a shooter to perch in its trunk with-
out being detected. Malvo is serving a life prison
term in Virginia. Jarraatt, Virginia AP
CMYK
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009
was behind his announcement last week
that he would prefer not to stand in a presi-
dential election he has called for January.
Many analysts see the elections and
the threat to quit as part of a negotiating
tactic on the part of Abbas. His rivals in
Hamas, who control the Gaza Strip, have
ruled out holding elections there, leading
many analysts familiar with the situa-
tion to conclude that a vote in January is
highly unlikely.
Abbas told supporters on Wednesday
that he still had his hand extended to Hamas,
offering a reconciliation after the violent
schism that split the Palestinians in 2007.
Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza
Strip and East Jerusalem in 1967. Abbas
wants to found a Palestinian state in the two
main territories, with its capital in Jerusalem.
Abbas also said on Wednesday that
he did not want to talk again about his
desire not to seek a second term as presi-
dent in a January election.
“On this occasion, I don’t want to talk
again about my wish not to run in the up-
coming elections,” Abbas said.
“As I said in my speech, there will be
other decisions ... that I will take in light of
coming developments,” he said, in refer-
ence to his address on Thursday in which
he declared that he did not want to seek a
second term. Ramallah Reuters/AP
Cambodia rejects Thailand’s request
to extradite former Thai PM Thaksin
Cambodia refused a request from Thailand
on Wednesday to extradite fugitive former
Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra, adding fuel to a
widening diplomatic row that threatens to worsen
Thailand’s political crisis. Cambodia’s Foreign Min-
istry rejected the request just moments after a Thai
diplomat submitted it in person, saying it does not
recognize Thailand’s charges against Thaksin, who
was ousted in a 2006 coup and later sentenced to
two years in prison for graft. It said Thaksin was
toppled by the military after being “overwhelming-
ly and democratically elected by the Thai people.”
Thaksin, a billionaire former telecommunica-
tions tycoon twice elected in landslides, had been
living in self-imposed exile, largely in Dubai, before
arriving in Phnom Penh on Tuesday as a guest of
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has of-
fered him a job as economic adviser, infuriating the
Thai government. The spat looks set to undermine
WORLD
REUTERS
PHOTO
Massoud Barzani
Rights report
raps Iraqi Kurds
over minorities
The ongoing dispute between Iraq’s central
government in Baghdad and the Kurdish
authorities in the country’s north threatens to
create a “human rights catastrophe” for minor-
ity communities in the region, a leading rights
watchdog warned in a report Tuesday.
The report by the New York-based Human
Rights Watch (HRW) said the small groups in the
area -- such as Christians, Shabaks and Yazidis --
have been targeted by insurgents and are stuck in the
middle between the semi-autonomous Kurdish re-
gion and the government in Baghdad, the report said.
“Iraqi Christians, Yazidis, and Shabaks
have suffered extensively since 2003,” said Joe
Stork, deputy Middle East director at HRW.
“Iraqi authorities, both Arab and Kurdish, need
to rein in security forces, extremists and vigi-
lante groups to send a message that minorities
cannot be attacked with impunity.”
The 51-page report, released in the Kurdish city
of Arbil, criticizes the central government for failing
to protect the minority groups, but also levels a long
list of criticism against Kurdish authorities under
Massoud Barzani. It accused them of intimidating
those who resists Kurdish “expansionist plans,”
carrying out arbitrary arrests and detentions. The
report cited attempts by Kurdish authorities to win
favor with some minority groups by, for example,
paying for new places of worship.
The report said the long-standing territo-
rial dispute between northern Iraq’s Kurds and
the Arab-dominated government threatens
to erupt again. “It risks creating another full-
blown human rights catastrophe for the small
minority communities who have lived there
throughout the ages,” the report said.
Under former dictator Saddam Hussein’s
regime, hundreds of thousands of Kurds and
other minorities were expelled from their
homes and ethnic Arabs moved in, changing
the area’s demographics and ethnic balance.
After Saddam’s overthrow, Kurds have argued
much of this territory belongs to them.
The oil-rich city of Kirkuk has long been one
of the key ashpoints in this debate. Kurds claim
it as theirs, while many Arabs argue the Kurds
are trying to ood the city with new Kurdish resi-
dents to tip the balance in their favor.
The Kurdish-Arab debate over voting rights in
the city threatened to derail a key election law need-
ed to carry out Iraq’s nationwide balloting in Janu-
ary, but lawmakers struck a compromise on Sunday.
HRW also focused on the issue of the Ni-
nevah province, with its large mix of minority
groups and where Kurds have been trying to ex-
tend their inuence. Kurdish gains have alienat-
ed many Sunni Arabs there and have helped turn
the province’s capital of Mosul into one of the last
hotbeds in the insurgency, the report details.
The minorities have often been targeted by dev-
astating insurgent attacks, HRW said. It cited the
late 2008 insurgent campaign that left 40 Chaldo-
Assyrians dead and drove thousands more from their
homes in Mosul. In 2007, more than 500 members
of the Yazidi minority were killed by suicide truck
bombs in the small village of Qahataniya.Baghdad AP
any attempt by Southeast Asian leaders to project
a united front in talks with US President Barack
Obama on Sunday in Singapore, the rst-ever meet-
ing between a US leader and all 10 members of the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Thaksin’s presence in Cambodia, where he intends
to give a speech on Thursday, has red up passions
on both sides of Thailand’s political divide while
drawing attention to a border where Thai and Cam-
bodian troops have clashed in the past year.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he
regretted Cambodia’s decision to reject its ex-
tradition request but vowed to ensure the row
would not get out of hand. ”I insist the govern-
ment will take care of this rationally,” he told re-
porters in Bangkok. “We will not allow any kind
of violence, or military action between the two
countries, or even close the border, as we don’t
want to cause any trouble.” Phnom Penh Reuters
 WORLD T H U R S D A Y, N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9 TODAY’S ZAMAN 11

The twlght of
France’s republcan
EU calls summit on top jobs, no deal yet on names
The European Union will hold a ber,” the EU’s Swedish presidency said. member states and conicting visions of

REUTERS, YVES HERMAN

special summit on Nov. 19 to name
arstocracy a president and foreign policy chief, but
diplomats say agreement on the appoint-
OPINION
ments has still not been reached.
Guy Sorman* Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Rein-
feldt, who is leading consultations among
TODAY’S ZAMAN the 27 member states, said on Wednesday
the EU government leaders would meet in
PARIS -- No tumbrils have appeared in Paris’s Place
Brussels over dinner. The appointments
Reinfeldt has made clear the president of
the Council of EU leaders, a new post, is
likely to be chosen from among sitting or
former heads of government.
Diplomats say there is strong backing
for Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van
Rompuy as president, signaling they want
a relatively low-prole leader. But French
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says
what role the politicians would play in Belgian Prime
Brussels. “There are a few names that have Minister Herman
van Rompuy.
been thrown up in the air (to be president)
and we are looking at a majority candidate,
not a consensus candidate,” said one EU
diplomat, underlining the problems secur-
ing unanimous support for one person.
“The consultations are not over ...
Hopefully we can avoid major disputes at

PHOTO
de la Concorde, but a revolution may be under way in
are being made under the EU’s Lisbon former British Prime Minister Tony Blair the summit.” The EU is calling an extra
France nonetheless. Recent weeks have seen the trial of
reform treaty and are intended to give the and Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean- summit, even though it has a regular sum-
former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and the
bloc more global clout as emerging powers Claude Juncker are still in the running. mit scheduled on Dec. 10-11, because it
conviction of former Defense Minister Charles Pasqua.
such as China become more inuential fol- British Foreign Secretary David wants to speed up the appointments.
Now even former President Jacques Chirac has learned
lowing the global economic crisis. Miliband has won support to become A new European Commission, the EU
that he is not immune from prosecution. Is France’s
“After an introductory round of con- EU foreign policy chief but has said he executive, can be installed only when the
“republican monarchy,” to borrow a phrase from Jean-
sultations with his fellow heads of state is not available, leaving doubts over two jobs are lled. Any delays could cause
François Revel, about to be overthrown?
and government, Swedish Prime Minister who will be given the job. problems because it would mean the Com-
The French Revolution never actually ended the
Fredrik Reinfeldt has decided to convene Filling the jobs has been marred by mission had to operate for a prolonged pe-
privileges of France’s ruling elites. True enough, some
an extra informal summit on 19 Novem- power struggles among small and large riod on a caretaker basis. Brussels Reuters/AP
aristocratic heads rolled, but the nobility eventually re-
turned to France. When the republic replaced the mon-
archy for good, in 1875, ballots replaced birthright, but
the new governing elite believed that it possessed the
same rights and perks as the former aristocrats.
But the concept of the “republican monarchy,” which Iraqi PM warns
is mostly concerned with the mores of French presidents
and their entourages, did not really take hold until the
Fifth Republic. Once elected, the French president and
his court gain access to nancial privileges that are not
always legal. Moreover, they live behind a shroud of se-
Merkel helps French of militant threat
in run-up to vote
Iraqi insurgents will try to undermine the
crecy: How they use ofcial airplanes, the civil servants
they employ for personal service, not to mention the
mistresses, has always been more or less considered pri-
vate territory. Journalists avoided commenting on these
matters. The public either was unaware of any excesses,
or deemed the ruling elite corrupt by denition.
mark end of WWI
Sarkozy and Merkel together laid a wreath of owers at the Tomb
country’s edgling democracy in the run-up
to January’s national elections, the country’s prime
minister warned on Wednesday. Nouri al-Maliki
told tribal leaders from Baghdad’s Shiite Sadr City
district that maintaining security would remain his
top priority because the insurgent groups do not
The apex of the aristocratic republic was reached
under the Socialist President François Mitterrand,
of the Unknown Soldier and symbolically relit the perpetual ame above want the vote to be held in a secure climate.
“What has been achieved in the eld of se-
who ruled from 1981 to 1995. Unknown to the pub- it to mark the 91st anniversary of the end of World War I curity needs to be safeguarded since the enemy
lic, a government jet would ferry him to Egypt to
is continuing to try and undermine the political

REUTERS
spend weekends with his mistress and his illegitimate
process especially now that elections are immi-
daughter. Only the media elite knew, and they never
nent,” said al-Maliki, whose chances of winning
mentioned it. Chirac, who succeeded Mitterrand as
a second, four-year term in ofce after the Janu-
president, was only slightly more cautious.

PHOTO
ary vote are heavily dependent on whether he can
All this has changed. In less than a week, Pasqua was
maintain and improve the nation’s security.
sentenced to three years in jail for illegal arms trading
“The enemy does not want the election to be
with Angola. Villepin, a former prime minister for Chirac,
held in a climate of stability in which voters can
awaits judgment on charges of having organized a smear
make the best choice,” said al-Maliki, who has been
campaign against his rival for the presidency, Nicolas
in ofce since May 2006. Iraq has seen a signicant
Sarkozy. Chirac’s indictment is remarkable for the very
security improvement over the past two years, but
modesty of his supposed crime: He is suspected of having
attacks blamed by the government on al-Qaeda in
asked city bureaucrats to work for his political party and
Iraq and Saddam Hussein supporters continue to
run his electoral campaigns when he was mayor of Paris.
hinder the country’s return to normalcy.
On a lighter note, Sarkozy’s Minister of Culture Fré-
The latest high-prole attack was on Oct. 25
déric Mitterrand, the nephew of the former president, is
when 155 people were killed in a pair of bomb-
being excoriated by the media for supporting Roman Po-
ings targeting government ofces in the heart of
lanski against efforts by the United States to extradite him
Baghdad. Another pair of bombings two months
to face punishment for the rape of a minor three decades
earlier, also against the government, killed at least
ago. It turns out that this Mitterrand shared with Polanski
100 people. The attacks undermine condence in
a taste for teenagers (of the same sex in Mitterrand’s case).
the abilities of Iraq’s security forces ahead of the
So, something of a democratic revolution may be
scheduled withdrawal by August 2010 of all US
under way in France. The Ancien Régime’s support-
combat forces. The last American soldier is due to
ers call it a “populist” revolution. But it is a revolution
leave by the end of 2011, under a US-Iraqi secu-
made in the courts, not the streets.
rity pact that came into force this year.
French judges have become more independent French President Nicolas Sarkozy (C) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2nd R) lay a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Un-
known Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe during Armistice Day ceremonies in Paris on Wednesday. “The task of maintaining security must remain
than they traditionally were. Inspired by Italy’s inves-
at the top of our priorities,” said al-Maliki, who is
tigating magistrates who took aim at the maa bosses,
For the rst time since World contesting the January vote at the head of a coali-
AP, FRANCOIS MORI

and those Spanish judges who act as social redeemers,

War I, the leaders of Germany tion that groups his Dawa Party as well as smaller
some French judges are determined to democratize the
and France appeared together independent groups that include fellow Shiites and
French Republic and eradicate corruption.
at a ceremony Wednesday to commem- some Sunni Arabs. Baghdad AP
The Internet is a seminal lever in this process. Today,
President Mitterrand’s mistress and daughter could not orate the end of the conict, saying it is
benet from the media’s complicity: No state secrets, and now time to celebrate their countries’
no aristocratic excess, can escape today’s bloggers.
Is the private life of France’s elite also now to be
reconciliation and friendship.
“French-German friendship is sealed
S. Korea troops
on high alert after
PHOTO

exposed? This right to a private life, including extra- with blood,” French President Nicolas
marital affairs, has always been a sacred cow of French Sarkozy said under the shadow of the
politics. The journalists who knew about Mitterrand’s
second wife argued that it was a private matter. And
Arc de Triomphe, site of the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier. Sarkozy and Ger-
navy battle
man Chancellor Angela Merkel together South Korea’s troops went on high alert
so it would have been had he not used state funds to
provide his other family with lodgings, chauffeurs and laid a wreath of owers at the tomb and Wednesday for possible retaliation by
jets for their Egyptian weekends. symbolically relit the perpetual ame North Korea after one of its navy ships was
Today, many French journalists still resist the tempta- above it to mark the 91st anniversary of nearly destroyed and an ofcer reportedly killed
tion to expose the private lives of the political elite. But this the end of World War I. in a skirmish with the South, ahead of a visit by
is a lost battle: The bloggers do not share the journalists’ “This small ame is also ... the President Barack Obama.
ethics. Sarkozy understands the new rules of the game. As ame of hope,” Sarkozy said. The bold The clash on Tuesday along the disputed west-
soon it was known that he had an intimate relationship departure from traditional Armistice ern sea border was the rst such engagement in
with a former fashion model, he decided to marry her, Day commemorations came two days seven years, sending tensions soaring about a week
avoiding any further embarrassment. after Sarkozy traveled to Germany to before Obama travels to Seoul as part of his Asian
But aristocratic habits do not die easily, even in Sar- help fete the 20th anniversary of the tour. The exchange of re also occurred just hours
fall of the Berlin Wall. Young people wave French, German and European flags as Merkel and French Presi-
kozy’s overexposed regime. Sarkozy’s son, Jean, has al- dent Sarkozy attend Armistice Day ceremonies in the French capital on Wednesday. before the State Department announced a senior US
ready been elected to a major local government ofce at “One must learn to rise above diplomat will travel to North Korea before year’s end
the tender age of 22. Being as ambitious as the father, Jean one’s history,” Merkel said in a speech. of freedom,” said Merkel, who herself the ritual two-minute silence that to try to entice North Korea back into international
Sarkozy recently tried to have himself appointed as chair- “What happened cannot be forgotten, escaped from East Germany to the marks the end of the Great War and negotiations on nuclear disarmament. The dispatch
man of a powerful public company. Bloggers, followed by but there is a force that can help us ... West after the collapse of the wall that pays respect to all war dead. In Bel- of envoy Stephen Bosworth would mark the rst
traditional journalists, went up in arms against such bla- the force of reconciliation.” Tens of dened the Cold War. gium, which saw some of the ercest direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang
tant nepotism. Young Sarkozy withdrew. millions of civilians and soldiers were With evident emotion, Sarkozy and and bloodiest trench warfare on the since Obama took ofce in January.
France, it seems, does not yet share the real demo- killed during what was labeled the Merkel listened as the French Army Western Front during the 1914-1918 South Korean ofcials said the North Korean
cratic culture of, say, Scandinavia. French ministers have Great War between Germany and al- Choir sang the French and German war, King Albert II was leading the roy- ship was on re and heavily damaged following a
yet to be seen taking the bus or the subway to their ofc- lied nations France, Britain and its national anthems. Together, they re- al family and government ofcials in a two-minute skirmish off the west coast -- the scene
es. French ministries still occupy the former 18th-century former colonies, including the United viewed troops posted around the Arc solemn commemoration in Brussels at of two bloody naval battles in 1999 and 2002. The
palaces of the king and his nobility. States, Australia and Canada. de Triomph at the top of the Champs- the tomb of the unknown soldier. South Korean ship was only lightly damaged and
As long as the governing elite works in this splen- The last of 8.4 million French who Elysees Avenue. Some 2,000 French In Ieper, better known to soldiers there were no South Korean causalities, according
dor, one cannot expect that they will ever behave like fought in the war that tore Europe apart and German youths were taking part in by its French name, Ypres, tens of to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. South Korea’s mass-
common mortals. As Bossuet, Louis XIV’s confessor, died in March 2008, and Sarkozy wanted day-long ceremonies commemorating thousands of people lined the narrow circulation Chosun Ilbo newspaper and other media
declared to the Sun King: “You’ll die, but you are im- to use the Armistice commemoration to the end of World War I. Other nations streets of the town left in ruins during reported that one North Korean ofcer was believed
look to the future with the nation that was that served as World War I battleelds, the 1914-1918 war and now a world killed and three other sailors wounded. President
mortal.” French presidents and their elected nobility still
vanquished but which, with France, now notably Britain and Belgium, also were symbol of peace. Ceremonies were Lee Myung-bak ordered his Defense Minister Kim
bask in this decadent aura. But, like French hauteur in
has a central role in the European Union. marking Armistice Day. held around the Menen Gate war
international affairs, the end of an era may be at hand. Tae-young to strengthen military readiness.
“For us, Nov. 11 is a day of peace in Wednesday’s service at Westmin- memorial where the names of 55,000
Late Tuesday, Kim said in parliament that he
Europe and the fall of the wall is a day ster Abbey in London coincided with missing soldiers are engraved. Paris AP
*Guy Sorman, a French philosopher and economist, is the au- believed the North may take retaliatory action. “The
thor of “Economics Does Not Lie.” © Project Syndicate, 2009 president also has such concerns,” Kim said. Seoul AP

CMYK
 12 TODAY’S ZAMAN T H U R S D AY , NOVEMBER 12, 2009 EXPAT ZONE

One step at a tme

Whenever I go away from Göreme for any length of time I’m pecting to round a corner and nd -- what? -- that the mosque has of the village run up and down the slopes of two steep hills that overjoyed was I to see them, in fact, that I was itching to slap the

aware of a nervousness about going back again, a gnawing anxi-
ety about what might have changed in my absence. Why this
should be, I’m not entirely sure, since change is a normal facet of
life no matter where we live. But perhaps it’s because cities ab-
sorb change so much more easily than villages, especially when
it comes to the built environment. Of course one can still grieve
over damaging alterations to the cityscape, but in towns there’s
always so much happening that it seems easier to soak up almost
anything as part of the general busyness.
In a village, though, even the smallest change can have a dis-
proportionately large impact on its surroundings. In Göreme we’re
living in a time of full-on building mania and I’m always half-ex-
been torn down and replaced with a high-rise apartment block?
I’m not sure exactly, just that it’s an uncomfortable feeling.
So there I was, just settling back into village life and about to visit
one of the hotels to borrow their wireless Internet connection when
I rounded the corner and found to my delight that in my absence the
Belediye (municipality) had replaced the thoroughly dodgy sloping
path that ran down the alley beside my house with a brand-new
ight of steps that no one had thought to mention to me.
So what, I can hear you say? stanbul is full of ights of
steps. What’s so special about that one? Well, the truth is that
one of the worst things about living in Göreme full-time as op-
posed to just being here in the summer is that the older parts
CAVE LIFE
turn into ice rinks with the onset of snow; great for kids with
toboggans, a nightmare for everyone else. The authorities do a
good job in keeping the main roads round the village cleared,
PAT YALE
but they rarely go near the side streets which are the ones that
must be used when the women want to visit each other. In Jan-
uary and February attendance at a tea party often involves an
unpalatable toss-up between taking a long, cold diversion or
risking a broken ankle on the direct route.
The new steps are a wonder to behold, at, made of non-
slip stone rather then marble and equipped with a handrail. So
builders I found at the top blithely using them as a cutting surface
as if they’d been there forever (nor was I best pleased to nd the
handrail requisitioned to hang up the last leavings of the pekmez
so that the wasps could feast on them, but that’s another story).
Now my mind is clicking away energetically. If the Belediye has
got to grips with that alley, what’s the likelihood that it could be
persuaded to replace the treacherous steps that lead down to my
neighbor’s house, the ones installed 15 years ago at a 45-degree
angle and sans handrail, the ones that are more dangerous to
navigate than a slope with no steps at all…?
Pat Yale lives in a restored cave-house in Göreme in Cappadocia.

CHILD
A GLOBAL

CEM KIZILTU
RAISING

ILLUSTRATION
THERESA DAY ANTALYA

A question for parents living abroad: after comparing your

childhood and that of your offspring, have you tried to pre-
dict what they will turn out like? The reply is, of course,
“Who hasn’t?” But as the world is a totally different place, will they
be prepared for life in a more competitive world? Corinna Sommer-
Boncuklu, a German who lives in Antalya with her Turkish husband
and 5-year-old son Benito, is more than aware of the issues involved.
So what does being a mom entail these days? “Added to teach-
ing children social skills, we also have to prepare them for life in a
global society and economy and equip them with the skills to make
that a success,” she highlighted.
“Bringing up a child in a different country is a major challenge
because you’re always caught between cultures,” she pointed out.
These days parents not only feel they have to read up on child devel-
opment in general but living abroad also means having to re-eval-
uate almost every aspect of parenting and what that entails, with
some surprising outcomes. The most obvious hurdle is language,
and it turns out that there’s more than one benet if children learn
a second one when they’re young. “There are many different opin-
ions about whether it’s even a good idea for young children to learn
more than one language,” Corinna explained, adding: “In Germany
many people believe it’s too much for them to cope with. I disagree:
I believe it’s the best gift I can give him. People need to speak more
than one language to survive in the job market these days, and in
the future, it will be even more competitive.”
“Benito could say mummy, daddy and dog before he could walk
and instead of that being a problem, it’s really helped his cognitive de-
velopment,” Corinna emphasized, adding: “The annual check up for
kids in Germany includes a physical exam and a test of their under-
standing, hearing and motor skills. Benito has passed all of them very
easily as well as those for older kids. His pediatrician wasn’t at all sur-
prised as he’s noticed that children from multicultural backgrounds
who learn at least two languages when they’re small develop much
faster than other children. Learning more than one language means
that their brains have to work much more. From birth to the age of 3,
the brain creates many more synapses than it needs; those that are
used a lot become a permanent part of the brain, and those that aren’t
get eliminated. That will also help him when he’s an adult.”

Education: a big concern

Another concern for all parents is education. Corinna -- like all
expat mothers -- has spent a lot of time comparing and contrasting
what’s on offer abroad and at home and making decisions about
what’s really important. “Turkish and German attitudes to educa-
tion and when to start are very different,” Corinna pointed out,
adding: “In Germany the emphasis is on child development, so
outside the home there are lots of activities for babies and toddlers,
such as swimming, sports or music lessons. In Turkey that’s just
starting, and most activities for children here start when they’re 6,
at primary school. I’ve noticed that there’s also a difference in what
children do at home: in Germany, it’s quite normal for kids to do
arts and crafts, but when the neighbors’ children come to visit, it
obvious that that’s something new for them.”
Benito is in his nal year of nursery school. As there are so many
preschools in Antalya, why did Corinna and her husband choose to
send him to the International Children’s Club of Antalya (ICCA)?
“Firstly, it’s very important for Benito to have a more international
education, and we also realized that it would be a great opportunity
for Benito to learn English. Even if there had been a German nurs-
ery school in Antalya, I would still have sent him to the English-
language one. We speak German at home, so his German is already
very good, as is his Turkish, and three languages are better than
two.” Her friends in Germany, however, are worried about Benito
going to school here as Turkish diplomas aren’t accepted in Ger-
many; they think that might be a disadvantage for him in the future.
These days parents So what are the pluses of a child experiencing two different cul-
tures? “The rst one that comes to mind is the effect it has on a child’s
not only feel they personal development,” Corinna emphasized, adding: “Benito is
more open-minded than children who live in one place with parents
have to read up on from the same culture. As he’s traveled with us since he was born,
child development he’s developed an awareness of and interest in different countries and
cultures. He’s already aware of how people are different and how that
in general but living can be positive. He has lots of friends from different countries, and so
abroad also means he’s learning about different cultures and traditions rst-hand. He’s
not prejudiced; he doesn’t care where people come from, which lan-
having to re-evaluate guage they speak or what they believe in. Added to that, he’s also very
curious about the world in general. He’s always asking questions and
almost every aspect of expects detailed answers. When he was 3 -- I think that’s quite early
parenting and what -- he got interested in encyclopedias and books which explain how
things work. Above all, he isn’t afraid to explore new things.”
that entails, with some
surprising outcomes A sense of identity
A thorny issue for parents bringing up children abroad is that of
a child’s sense of identity; needless to say that’s not a problem for
Corinna. “Benito is aware that his mom and dad come from differ-
ent countries. If we ask him what nationality he is, he replies: ‘I’m
half Turkish and half German.’ My husband was born in and grew
up in Germany, so he’s used to German culture. However, when
Benito was born my husband’s family was a bit afraid I’d only teach
him about German culture. Their priority is for him to speak Turkish
and for him to know about Turkish traditions rather than for him
to be comfortable with both cultures and be able to switch between
both languages. They have no need to worry though: at home we
celebrate both Turkish and German traditions. It’s important to both
me and my husband that Benito grows up into a tolerant adult who
realizes that differences between people and culture are an oppor-
tunity to enrich his life,” she pointed out.
And what are the implications of all this for Benito’s future?
“It’s not easy to predict the future and how someone will re-
ally turn out as there are also outside factors to take into con-
sideration. For example, I can’t compare my childhood and the
inuence it had on me and what Benito’s will really have on
him as the world is completely different now. When I was small
we spent the whole day playing outside and only had to worry
about getting home before it got dark. That’s no longer the case.
Plus when I was his age, there were no computers or computer
games, and we didn’t even have a phone until I was 15. Howev-
er, I’m pretty sure that he’ll become an open-minded adult and
be able to deal with the changes and challenges he’ll encounter
in this global world when he’s older,” she concluded.

NOTE: Today’s Zaman intends to provide a lively forum for expatriates living in Turkey. We encourage you to contact us at voice@todayszaman.com and share your experiences, questions and problems in all walks of life for publication in Today’s Zaman.

CMYK
 CULTURE&ARTS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009 TODAY’S ZAMAN 13

stanbul Biennial draws record number of visitors

TODAY’S ZAMAN

Verhoeven before his

The International stanbul Biennial drew a
record number of visitors in its 11th edition,
luring some 101,000 art lovers to its three venues
throughout its two month run, the event’s organi-
PHOTO
national interest, according to the KSV. “More than
600 members of the press from 35 countries follo-
wed the event in addition to around 4,000 art pro-
fessionals, such as critics, curators and museum and
leap into Tinseltown
old tobacco warehouse in Tophane; and the Feriköy
Greek School in ili, which served as an art space at stanbul Modern
for the rst time in its history. The school had been Paul Verhoeven, the famed director of many
empty since it closed in 2003 due to a lack of students. big screen hits including “RoboCop,” “Total

zers announced on Tuesday.
This year’s attendance gures mean a solid success
for the stanbul Foundation for Culture and Art (KSV),
which has been organizing the biennial since 1987. The
total number of visitors at this year’s exhibition is more
than 10 percent higher than the gure seen in the 10th
biennial, held in 2007. That edition, which drew 91,000
visitors, was also a great success as it almost doubled at-
tendance gures compared to its predecessor in 2005,
which attracted 51,000 art lovers.
The biennial also attracted a high level of inter-
art gallery directors from around the world,” the fo-
undation said in a written statement.
The 11th biennial, held under the conceptual fra-
mework “What Keeps Mankind Alive?” under the
curatorship of the Zagreb-based curators collecti-
ve What, How & for Whom (WHW), featured 141
works of art by 70 artists and artists groups from 40
countries. Turning the city into a platform of con-
temporary art from Sept. 12 until Nov. 8, the bienni-
al showcased its exhibitions at three venues: the old
customs warehouse Antrepo No. 3 in Karaköy; the
Billed as “the most comprehensive international art
exhibition organized both in Turkey and throughout the
geographical sphere Turkey is located in” and conside-
red one of the most prestigious biennials alongside Ve-
nice, Sao Paolo and Sydney, the stanbul Biennial pre-
fers a model of display that enables dialogue between ar-
tists and the audience; it offers the work of artists indivi-
dually instead of a national representation model arran-
ged into separate pavilions for each country. The bien-
nial thus serves as an opportunity for contemporary ar-
tists to be promoted internationally. stanbul Today’s Zaman
Recall” and “Basic Instinct,” will be in stanbul this
week for a program offering a selection of his lms
at the stanbul Museum of Modern Art.
The weeklong program, titled “A Dutch
Tale,” will get under way Saturday and scre-
en six feature lms Verhoeven made between
1971 and 1983, before his grand leap into Holl-
ywood, until it wraps up on Nov. 22.
Verhoeven will be in town Saturday for the
opening session of the program, organized in
collaboration with the Dutch Consulate Gene-
ral in stanbul. The director will be in attendan-
ce at a screening of his 1973 lm, “Turkish De-
light,” on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the museum’s
movie theater. He will also speak with fans at a
panel discussion following the screening.
Other Verhoeven lms in the program are

13-year-old pianist takes

“Business is Business” (1971), “A Girl Called Katy
Tippel” (1975), “Soldier of Orange” (1977), “Spet-
ters” (1980) and “The Fourth Man” (1983). Admis-
sion will be free of charge for museum visitors. For
the full program, check the museum’s Web site:

the stage for Piano Days

www.istanbulmodern.org. stanbul Today’s Zaman

Mertol Demirelli began playing the piano when he was only 4 years old and has since had remarkable success.
The child prodigy is performing tonight’s concert at Akbank Art Center’s Piano Days, which he says might be his
last performance in the city in the near future since he is planning on continuing his education abroad
RUMEYSA KIGER STANBUL
Akbank Sanat’s ongoing Piano Days
musical series will continue this
week with a performance by child
prodigy Mertol Demirelli.
Now just 13, Demirelli began playing pi-
ano when he was only 4 years old and has
since had remarkable success. At the age of
7, he received the IBLA Grand Prize. He has
performed concerts throughout Europe and
beyond, with performances in Moscow and
Jordan already under his belt. In an intervi-
ew with Today’s Zaman ahead of his concert,
scheduled for tonight, he shared some of his
thoughts on his musical career.
Did you start to play the piano on your
own or did your family encourage you to
begin playing?
I started to play piano when I was 4 af-
ter my family signed me up for piano lessons.
But, of course, you cannot continue such a
thing without love and passion. It requires a
lot of self-sacrice.
How does it feel to have so many im-
portant international awards and to have
performed concerts in famous concert
halls at such a young age? What do you
think is the secret of your success?
To receive what I worked for, getting
applause and acclaim, of course, makes me
very happy. The biggest secret to my success
is working regularly and very hard.
How many hours do you play piano
each day?
Before this year it was three hours, but
now I have increased it to ve hours. My
dear teacher, Oya Ünler, wants me to study
more, though.
Do you compose your own pieces in
addition to the compositions you perform
from classical composers?
Yes, I have been composing from a very
young age, and I have been taking classes on
composing.
Why only piano? Will you try to play
other instruments as well, or do you alre-
AWARD
Ceylan receives one more
prize for ‘Three Monkeys’
Turkish lmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Cannes best
director prize winning 2008 drama “Üç Maymun”
(Three Monkeys) has been awarded with yet anot-
her prize this week, this time from the Council of
Europe, the Anatolia news agency said. Ceylan re-
ceived a Creativity Award on Tuesday evening at the
closing ceremony of a lm event in Strasbourg that
screened lms supported by Eurimages, the Europe-
an Cinema Support Fund of the Council of Europe.
Thirteen-year-old piano prodigy Mertol Demirelli will take to the stage this evening for a recital at the Akbank Art Center in stanbul’s Beyolu district.
ady play other instruments?
Piano is my main instrument. Aside from
the piano, I take classes on conducting and
the violin in order to compose.
Which pieces are your favorites to
perform?
I don’t make a distinction normally, but
I feel closer to the compositions of Chopin
and Beethoven.
Which concert of yours, so far, do you
think was the best?
It is hard to make a distinction among them,
but my concert at Carnegie Hall and the colla-
boration I did with dil Biret during the inaugu-
ration of the 35th International stanbul Music
CONCERT
Adrian Belew and Power
Trio set for Ghetto gig
American guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-
instrumentalist and record producer Adrian Belew
and his Power Trio will be in stanbul this week to
perform a live gig at the Ghetto Music Lounge. Be-
lew, best known for his unusual approach to gui-
tar playing, which features unusual electronic to-
nes, unorthodox playing techniques and a wide va-
riety of sonic effects, will be onstage Friday night at
10:30 p.m. Ticket price: TL 40
Festival were very special ones for me.
What kind of music do you listen to
apart from classical music?
Since my education is still continuing,
I don’t really listen to other types of music.
Sometimes I listen to jazz, though.
Do you go to school at the same time?
How are your grades? What are your fa-
vorite classes?
Yes, I go to school. My grades are very
good. Geography, history and chemistry are
my favorite classes.
In the future, do you think you will
continue your career as a pianist or do
you want to try other professions as well?
EXHIBITION
Metin Asa’s collection
on view at Paris gallery
Turkish painter Metin Asa currently displays his
newest collection of oil paintings themed aro-
und the Ottoman era, “Les Turcomanies de Me-
tin Asa,” in Paris as part of the ongoing Season of
Turkey in France series of cultural events. The col-
lection features Asa’s renditions of historical sce-
nes and artifacts on he canvases. The exhibition will
remain on view through Nov. 27 at the Galerie Ce-
lal, located on 45 Rue St Honore in Paris.
I plan to continue being a pianist, but
apart from that I also want to be a conductor
and a composer.
Do you ever get bored of performing
or the attention you receive?
No. On the contrary, it motivates me and
makes me a better pianist.
How do your friends react to you be-
ing a child prodigy?
In the past, I had some problems, but now
my classmates do not feel uneasy about this.
Is there anything you would like to add?
This year will be my last year in Turkey. I will
continue my education abroad. During today’s
concert perhaps I will say goodbye to stanbul.
FESTIVAL
‘Semum’ represents Turkish
horror cinema in Brazil
“Semum,” Turkish lmmaker Hasan Karacada’s
sophomore directing effort, billed as Turkey’s rst
alien movie, is being featured in this year’s Cinefan-
tasy international lm festival in Brazil, movie Web
site sadibey.com reported. Billed as a “Turco-Islamic
horror lm” by its director, “Semum” will be scree-
ned on Friday at the Centro Cultural Banco do Bra-
sil in São Paulo. The fourth edition of the festival
began last Friday and runs through Sunday.
‘Twilight’ leads
People’s Choice
nominations
“Twilight” shone at the nominations for the
People’s Choice Awards on Tuesday, with its
three stars, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and
Taylor Lautner each in the running for a trophy at
the event celebrating the most popular stars of lm,
TV and music. The “Twilight” movie series, which
enters its second installment on Nov. 20 with the
“New Moon” sequel, also won a nod for best
franchise among its leading seven nominations.
Voted on by the public, the awards will
be given out on Jan. 6, in one of the earliest
shows in Hollywood’s awards season. Pattin-
son, who plays vampire Edward Cullen in the
“Twilight” series, was nominated for favorite
movie actor and Stewart was nominated for
favorite movie actress. Lautner, 17, was nomi-
nated for favorite breakout movie actor.
Last year, the People’s Choice Awards nomi-
nees were announced 11 days before “Twilight”
was released. The movie went on to make nearly
$384 million at worldwide box ofces, becoming
one of 2008’s biggest surprise hits. This time,
“Twilight” will compete for favorite movie franc-
hise against “Harry Potter,” “Star Trek,” “Trans-
formers” and “X-Men.” Winners at the People’s
Choice Awards will be chosen by a public onli-
ne vote at the Web sites peopleschoice.com and
myspace.com/peopleschoiceawards. Voting for
most categories ends on Dec. 8. Los Angeles Reuters
Fatih University
announces film
competition finalists
The nalists of the third Kristal Klaket
(Crystal Clapperboard) Short Film Compe-
tition were announced this week.
Thirty-nine short lm submissions from
around Turkey have been selected as nalists in
the competition, organized by stanbul’s Fatih
University. They include 20 ctional, 10 docu-
mentary and nine animated shorts.
Stage actor Kenan Ik, the head of the jury
at the competition, stated that the selection pro-
cess had been tough because there were many
submissions, which he said was a good thing for
the development of Turkish cinema. “I am ho-
peful for the Turkish movie [industry] after se-
eing the immense interest of young people in
such events,” Ik said.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony
on Dec. 8 at stanbul’s Türker nanolu Maslak
(TM) Show Center. In addition to a crystal clap-
perboard award and a cash prize, the winners of
the competition will also win a scholarship to the
New York Film Academy. stanbul Today’s Zaman
Warhol’s Michael
Jackson portrait
sells for $812,500
A “Thriller”-era silk-screened portrait of
Michael Jackson created by Andy Warhol
has sold for $812,500 to an anonymous collector.
The artwork sold at Christie’s in New York City
Tuesday evening. Christie’s estimated that the
portrait would sell for $500,000 to $700,000. The
1984 portrait depicts a smiling Jackson in a jacket
with squiggles of red and yellow in his hair. The
auction house says the seller is an anonymous
private collector based in New York who bought
the image from the Andy Warhol Foundation in
the 1990s. It did not say who bought the artwork.
The image was one of 47 lots auctioned Tuesday,
including two other Warhol paintings. New York AP

CMYK
 14 TODAY’S ZAMAN
EUROPEAN UNION AND THE CYPRUS ISSUE
AL YURTTAGÜL*
The talks in Cyprus over the last year have
come to a halt; all eyes were turned to a
probable decision, long awaited by the
Cypriot Greeks, to be taken at the December sum-
mit in Brussels on Turkey. The Turkish side rejects
complying with the provisions of the Ankara Pro-
tocol, which requires the fulllment of obligations
arising from the customs union. Turkey insists on
sustaining this attitude and keeping its ports and har-
bors closed to Cypriot vessels and aircraft unless the
isolation imposed upon northern Cyprus is lifted.
This issue was discussed at the December 2006
summit, following failed attempts by the Finnish
presidency. At the summit, Turkey was asked to ful-
ll its obligations and eight negotiation chapters were
suspended. Part of the resolution adopted at the sum-
mit stating that developments in the years to come
would be monitored is now the source of the ongoing
discussions. Opponents to Turkey’s European Union
membership, including the Cypriot Greeks, view this
part as a deadline for the fulllment of Turkish obliga-
tions and expect tougher sanctions and measures in
case Turkey fails to meet the deadline. For this rea-
son, the number of those who are asking for a more
constructive approach from Turkey is on the rise in
Brussels. A decision from the Turkish side to change
its position is unlikely, but there is almost no chance
that the EU would adopt tougher sanctions. The
test of the “EU trump card” in the talks on Cyprus
expected by the Greeks is at the core of the matter.
Because the Greeks hope that they will be able to
use Turkey’s EU bid in an attempt to push for a
compromise from Turkey, they rejected the Annan
plan and devised their policy accordingly. Before
an assessment of whether this expectation is a re-
alistic one, I would like to shed light on the EU’s
position with regard to the Cyprus issue.
Even though its main focus is economic inter-
ests, the EU was created out of a search for lasting
peace and stability on the continent in the aftermath
of World War II; for this reason, achievement and
preservation of peace has been a primary goal since
its inception. This policy, which has played a key role
in the rapprochement between Germany and France,
has also been inuential in the achievement of inter-
nal peace in Spain and Portugal and a determining
factor in the democratization of Eastern Europe. For
this reason, the admission of Cyprus into the EU was
viewed as an opportunity to nd peace on the island.
However, sadly, the misperception held by Günter
Verheugen, now vice president of the European
Commission, and EU High Representative Javier So-
lana that Rauf Denkta was the only obstacle to the
attainment of peace on the island and the design of
the entire EU policy vis-à-vis the dispute based on this
misperception has created grave consequences.
The dismissal of the Annan plan by the Greek
Cypriots was due to their contention that they would
get full membership without achieving a resolution on
the island and that they would have a better position
in the talks because of their membership in the exclu-
sive club. This was not actually wrong. For this reason,
the EU has become part of the problem rather than
the resolution in the dispute and turned into a useful
tool in the hands of the Greeks. We will see whether
this card is still inuential and powerful in the sum-
mit scheduled to take place in December. However,
we may say that the resolution adopted in 2006 and
the suspension of membership talks with Turkey in its
aftermath makes us pessimistic on this matter.
Realization of grave mistake
However, rejection of the Annan plan and the nation-
alistic environment in southern Cyprus in the 2004
referendum was well noted by Brussels. A number of
politicians, including Verheugen, then the EU com-
missioner for enlargement, realized that a grave mis-
take had been committed by admitting Cyprus to the
EU. In a speech he made before the European Par-
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Thursday, November 12, 2009
Owner on Behalf of Feza Gazetecilik A.Þ
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liament on April 21, 2004, Verheugen openly said he
had actually been deceived. No sanction was imposed
against Cyprus, though, and there is no institutional
mechanism to do so anyway. However, Tassos Pa-
padopoulos’ defeat in the presidential elections was
partly due to the implied objection by Brussels to his
rule and stay in power. But, I should still note that
the Cyprus issue is an obstacle to Turkey’s EU mem-
bership and that the EU is unable to take action
because of its institutional weaknesses and short-
comings. I may also argue that reference to the de-
cision taken in the 2006 summit in the resolution
adopted in 2009 negatively affected the negotiation
process and raised unrealistic expectations among
the Greeks. It is now time for a discussion of a
probable resolution to be adopted at the December
summit with regard to the Cyprus issue.
Cypriot representatives in the parliament and
opponents to Turkey’s membership in the EU ar-
gue that additional measures and sanctions should
be imposed upon Turkey in case of failure to meet
the deadline. Diplomatic circles that support the
Cypriot stance but view the introduction of addi-
tional sanctions as unrealistic hold that the issue
should be discussed at the summit. They further
argue that Turkey should be warned of the con-
sequences of its failure. Some diplomats are al-
ready considering the proper response to Turkey’s
reluctance to meet its obligations. However, they are
particularly concerned about the determination of the
European Commission and the Swedish presidency
to remain calm and cautious and not to take any
steps that will be detrimental to the negotiations.
The rst confusing surprise came along with the
European Commission’s report on Turkey. In this
report, the commission did not put a strong empha-
Thýnk tank cafe´
Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias (L) and
Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat shake hands
after their meeting at a UN compound in the UN buffer
The rst confusing surprise
came along with the
European Commission’s
report on Turkey. In this
report, the commission did
not put a strong emphasis on
Turkey’s failure to fulll its
obligations under the
relevant treaties and
agreements. To this end, it
should also be noted that the
report does not include any
view or recommendations
that could be discussed at
the upcoming summit
in December
CMYK
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009
AP, STAVROS IOANNIDES
PHOTOS
zone in divided Nicosia, on June 26, 2009.
sis on Turkey’s failure to fulll its obligations under
the relevant treaties and agreements. To this end, it
should also be noted that the report does not include
any view or recommendations that could be discussed
at the upcoming summit in December. Olli Rehn’s
approach to this issue further raised concerns for the
Greeks. In presenting the report on Turkey at the
European Parliament, Rehn praised Turkey’s ef-
forts to contribute to the resolution of the Cy-
prus issue and also stressed that December 2009
should not be viewed as a deadline. He wanted
to clarify the contentious expression in the report, say-
ing that it was himself who penned the statement and
that it did not mean to impose a deadline.
Sweden, responsible for drafting the agenda
of the summit and the texts of the decisions to be
taken at the end of the meeting, seems to be con-
structive and realistic on this matter. The Swedish
presidency is particularly focused on the successful
conclusion of the negotiations on the Cyprus issue.
Carl Bildt, the Swedish foreign minister and an ex-
perienced politician, describes the ongoing talks
on the island as a historic opportunity and stresses
that the term presidency is entirely focused on the
successful conclusion of the talks. For this reason,
Sweden particularly refrains from making any
reference to the details including the controversy
on the free passage of Cypriot vessels in Turkish
ports and harbors. The Finnish presidency also at-
tempted to resolve this problem but it failed. The
German presidency abstained from dealing with
this problem because it realized that the Greek side
was unwilling to give up on its isolation policy on
northern Cyprus. Basically, Sweden is ambivalent
about the two options. They will either work hard
to make sure that Turkey complies with the provi-
OPINION
sions of the Ankara Protocol and opens its ports to Greek
vessels or focus on the successful conclusion of the talks. It
seems that Sweden will stick to the second option and re-
main indifferent to Turkey’s fulllment of its obligations.
A more active role
requested of Turkey
Considering the attitudes of the European Commis-
sion and the term presidency, it could be said that the
relevant paragraph on Cyprus will include two mes-
sages: First, the report may stress that Turkey should
take action to fulll its obligations under the relevant
treaties and agreements but offer no tough sanctions.
Secondly, the same report may also call all relevant
actors to make an effort in an attempt to successfully
conclude the talks. To this end, Turkey will most prob-
ably be asked to remain resolute to contribute to the
achievement of lasting peace on the island and as-
sume a more active role. However, it should be re-
called that resolutions at EU summits are of a collec-
tive character and reect the common denominator
of the 27 member countries shaped by their internal
dynamics. Who knows, maybe the reasonable ap-
proach held by the European Commission and the
Swedish term presidency will not be inuential. There
are many politicians who want to deliver a message
to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoan over
the Cyprus issue because of his recent visit to Iran.
This is actually what Turkey should pay atten-
tion to and concentrate its efforts on. Turkey, which
has been feeling comfortable because of the endorse-
ment of the Annan plan by the Turkish community
on the island, should follow Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutolu’s active policy on this matter as well and
develop new options toward achievement of a vi-
able resolution. This should not mean that the ongo-
ing policy is wrong. Turkey should keep focusing
on the resolution of the problem and take proper
measures against Papadopoulos’ doctrine seeking
to put Turkey in a difcult position. Compromise
will attract other concessions and do nothing but
contribute to the preservation of the state of irreso-
lution. A lasting and viable peace and resolution
will serve the interests of both Cyprus and Turkey.
It is necessary to understand Dimitris Christoas,
who holds a crucial position at the negotiation table.
Not only diplomats but also the opposition that sup-
ported the Annan plan are waiting for the December
summit and expecting the introduction of sanctions
against Turkey because of the controversy over the
ports. For this reason, it is not possible for Christo-
as not to consider this expectation before the sum-
mit. However, it appears that the two “old friends”
are aware of the historic opportunity they have and
of their responsibilities to resolve the problem. Those
who are familiar with the Cyprus issue will conrm
that Papadopoulos committed a grave mistake when
he asked Cypriots to vote against the Annan plan.
Failure in the conclusion of the ongoing talks will
exacerbate the situation on the island and make
the parties, as well as ordinary people, unfaith-
ful toward the achievement of a viable resolution.
No additional political, economic and social walls
should be constructed while there are already
plenty of other obstacles and barriers on the island.
Hopefully, the EU institutions and political
actors that have failed so far in the Cyprus issue
will act more responsibly now and not allow a dis-
cussion over deadlines and details like the Ankara
Protocol. I could argue that Mehmet Ali Talat’s
complaint suggesting that the EU’s greatest prob-
lem is their lack of knowledge on the Cyprus issue
does not apply to EU Commissioner Olli Rehn and
the Swedish term presidency. Both the commis-
sion and the presidency are aware that the exten-
sion of support for the ongoing talks carried out
under the auspices of the United Nations is the
most constructive and viable approach for the EU.
*Ali Yurttagül is a political advisor for the Greens in the
European Parliament.
Daðýstan Çetinkaya
dagistancetinkaya@todayszaman.com.tr
 COLUMNS T H U R S D AY , NOVEMBER 12, 2009
Testng tmes for Muslms, Amercans and belevers the world over
The recent murders of American service personnel at Fort Hood, Texas,
have once again raised the potential for enmity between the different
segments of US society, and between different nations. The upsurge of
anger and enmity will undoubtedly be a setback for many who have
been working hard for peace and understanding in the years since
stories of international terrorism started to spread. At that time people
started asking where peaceful Islamic voices, the voices of moderation
and tolerance over extremism and radicalism, could be found.
After Sept. 11, 2001, there were calls around the world to listen to
the moderate Islamic voice. At that time many other groups changed
their rhetoric. In contrast to those groups, the Gülen movement’s par-
ticipants (also known as the “volunteers’ service”) were well placed to
speak up because the Gülen movement had already been teaching and
practicing peace and tolerance for 30 to 40 years. Fethullah Gülen and
the supporters of the services the movement provides did not need to
change their language and attitude to become acceptable. This was one
of the most signicant factors that drew the attention of community
leaders and authorities the world over.
Just before the execrable events at Fort Hood, I was in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, for the annual Community Prayer Breakfast of the Interfaith
BRAHM
KALIN
i.kalin@todayszaman.com
Democratc
ntatve tested
On Nov. 10, a preliminary session was held at the Turkish
Parliament to discuss the democratic initiative. The govern-
ment and the opposition were supposed to discuss the ratio-
nale for having a general session on the issue. The session
turned into a political battleeld. The result is a shameful pic-
ture for Turkish democracy. I am afraid the same thing will
happen at the general session scheduled to take place today
on Friday. Will this deter the Justice and Development Party
(AK Party) government?
Emotions have been high on this issue from day one. What
is at stake is an issue that goes at least a century back. A quarter
of that century has seen blood, tears, mistrust and mismanage-
ment. Neither the government nor the opinion leaders who
support the initiative believe in miracles. When Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoan said last month that “they will do what-
ever it takes” to solve this problem, he was not being rhetorical.
The two opposition parties, the Republican People’s
Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP),
are vehemently opposed to the democratic initiative. The
CHP is a social democrat party, and one would expect that it
would support any effort to solve the Kurdish issue. A report
by Deniz Baykal on the Kurdish issue back in 1989 proposed
steps that were way ahead of what the AK Party government
is proposing today to expand the sphere of civil liberties and
democratic rights for the Kurdish citizens of Turkey. Baykal
wants to forget about that report.
The MHP is a nationalist party, and one can understand
its opposition. The MHP leadership is concerned about los-
ing the “Turkish” character of Turkish society. They see the
Kurds of Turkey as their brothers and sisters but don’t want
them to identify themselves as Kurds. It is a love-hate rela-
tionship: while they know they cannot reject the reality of the
Kurds in Turkey, they refuse to recognize that the Kurds want
to dene themselves as different.
The CHP and MHP have different reasons for opposing
the democratic initiative, but their criticisms agree on two
principal issues. The rst is that the initiative will produce
new ethnicities in Turkey. By granting certain rights such as
broadcasting in Kurdish and allowing institutes of Kurdish
studies at Turkish universities, the government will feed into
the nationalist feelings of the Kurds. This, in turn, will lead
to other ethnicity-based social movements and weaken the
social fabric and harmony of Turkish society.
The opposition is mistaken because the state-imposed
policies of assimilation, denial and intimidation have not
strengthened Turkey. Ethnicities exist, and people identify
themselves with different names and cultural traditions. Sup-
pressing these identities, as the state has done for decades,
does not make them go away. If not channeled properly, the
oppressed social and ethnic identities come back in the form
of radical political movements and terrorist organizations
such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The second criticism is that the government is talking to
the PKK and this is a major weakness in the Turkish war on
terror. The opposition claims that the AK Party government
has a secret deal with the PKK and its leader, Abdullah Öca-
lan. While Öcalan, who has been serving a life sentence in
a Turkish prison since 1999, is still the most powerful gure
controlling the PKK, government ofcials have repeatedly
said they talk only to those parties and organizations that are
legitimate. They talk to the Democratic Society Party (DTP),
but the DTP is not trusted by the two opposition parties be-
cause of its ties to the PKK.
The key issue here is the disarmament of the PKK. How
does one do it? The opposition does not propose any alter-
natives because they know there is no magic formula to end
terrorism. It is an arduous task and requires tremendous pa-
tience and prudence. The scenes in the Turkish Parliament
on Nov. 10 were certainly not a sign of prudence or wisdom.
Solving the Kurdish issue in Turkey will be more than
ending terrorism and ethnic nationalism in Turkey. It will
also usher in a new era in Turkish politics. It will eradicate
the pretexts that have been used over the last quarter of a
century to violate all laws and regulations in the name of
ghting against terrorism and protecting the state. It will
establish the rule of law in a way that will only strengthen
Turkish democracy. That’s why the stakes are so high and
that’s why the way ahead is a difcult one.
MUHAMMED
ÇETN
cetin.m@todayszaman.com
Federation for a talk about the volunteers’ service. Federation members
were especially interested in how the Turkish scholar and preacher,
Fethullah Gülen, encouraged people inside and outside Turkey to offer
apolitical and altruistic services to humanity. What we shared was not an
idealized picture of a particular individual but the meaning of his message
and the achievements of the people inspired by it. Federation members
were eager to learn how a scholar’s ideas had changed the direction of
youth, how Gülen helped Turkey through a time when political and reli-
gious strife threatened to pull it apart and how he convinced the masses
about Islam’s demand for mutual respect, caring and cooperation.
At the heart of the message of the volunteers’ service lie education,
sound morality, altruism and inner transformation. This understanding
and practice have convinced people to avoid violence, ignorance, moral
No Comment
Brngng down the wall
ANDREW
FINKEL
a.finkel@todayszaman.com
Some events have more resonance in the Turkish press than
others. A colleague who works for an international news
agency was out with his tape measure on Nov. 10, measur-
ing the column inches deployed by competing newspapers
to remind readers that it was 71 years ago to the day that the
founder of the republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, breathed his
last. A photomontage that took up nearly half the top page
put the Radikal newspaper among the frontrunners while
its liberal rival Taraf overlooked the anniversary altogether.
Yeni afak saw to it that honor was at least requited with a
two-column-long square above its nameplate while the dog-
matically conservative Vakit had a keyhole-sized picture well
down fold. The semiotic rule of thumb was that the more
critical the newspaper has been of the military, the more
restrained the spread. In the anti-government press, a stern
Atatürk was more often than not staring down the page at the
story of the visit to stanbul by Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, wondering at the fate of his legacy.
By coincidence, there was another anniversary at the begin-
ning of the week, which did not over-preoccupy Turkish news
editors no matter their political complexion. It was 20 years ago
that the Berlin Wall came down, and by contrast, the European
press peered into every nook and cranny of the past to recall
an event that redened the world. It is not all that difcult to
speculate on why Turkey appeared so unmoved. The unica-
tion of Europe promised even then to lead to the further mar-
ginalization of Turkey. A nation that had once been the West’s
lonely sentinel found itself suddenly in the middle of an unfa-
miliar world. To speak of Turkish resentment may be an over-
statement, but there is certainly a sense of alienation. Turkey
looked around and saw that the nations against which it once
defended now had a more favored status in European eyes than
CMYK
decay and corruption. The movement has aimed to inculcate peaceful,
non-violent thinking and attitudes in people through conversation, in-
teraction, compassion, education and collaboration. Gülen argues that
“only if they receive a sound education can individuals and their society
respect the supremacy and rule of law, democratic and human rights,
diversity and other cultures,” and this is why the services provided by
the movement’s participants are recognized and welcomed by various
nations and people. Gülen has convinced many to fund new schools,
where children from various segments of society not only learn, but also
become friends. The education at the schools and institutions accepts
differences and renders them valuable.
The organizing committee of the breakfast wanted to hear how
the movement’s participants had worked to establish a progressive
and prosperous society without violence, terror and destruction during
the turbulent Turkey of the 1980s. Together, we looked at the fruit that
brings recognition of the tree. The volunteers’ service demonstrates to
people that we may be powerless as individuals, but when we work to-
gether, we have the power to shape our community and history; we can
all leave our mark for good because we can all serve humanity. It con-
tributes to the creation of common public spaces in which an agreement
Senegal, Reuters
it did itself. Bulgaria, a model of Soviet rectitude, which in 1989
tried to expel its Turkish population, is now a member of the
European Union while Turkey still dangles on a string.
Turkey’s strategic importance did not diminish as quickly or
as dramatically as some commentators speculated at the time.
The end of the Cold War did not mean an end to conict in the
Balkans or the Middle East. However, the nature of Turkey’s in-
uence did indeed change. Its value was no longer simply as a
military outpost with proximity to many of the region’s hot spots;
instead it became a source of soft power in direct proportion to
undertaken reform. The more democratic, the more stable, the
more prosperous Turkey became, the greater its inuence.
One of the great obstacles to Turkey assuming this
more important role has been its own domestic turmoil
and Kurdish unrest. I have argued before that this was
a horrendous distraction back in 1989 when the Berlin
Wall came down. Eastern and Central Europe embraced
democracy at a time when Turkey was becoming more
authoritarian. Many of the paramilitary and underground
networks that Turkey labors to dismantle today were
a product of dirty ops that had a free hand in the early
1990s. So it is incomprehensible that the government’s
much delayed and even timorous efforts to normalize
“Kurdishness” have been treated by the opposition as a
betrayal. The sight of Kurdish rebels throwing down their
arms to come home -- and being joyously received -- is,
when you come to think of it, a mini-Berlin Wall moment,
an instance of people tearing down barriers. Yet this too
has shocked those who prefer conict to compromise.
It comes as a slight surprise to learn that there are
pockets of nostalgia in Eastern and Central Europe for the
state socialist system, that members of a new generation
do not necessarily associate the old regime with restric-
tions on personal freedoms. Yet at the same time, there
were Europe-wide celebrations of a spontaneous mo-
ment, 20 years ago, when people deed their rulers and
tore down a wall that was built to pen them in. It seems a
pity somehow that a Turkey that still aspires to be a part of
Europe did not feel more moved by the occasion.
TODAY’S ZAMAN 15
can be reached to share the responsibility for a whole social eld. In this
respect, through the process of interfaith dialogue between groups such
as the Interfaith Federation and the volunteers’ service, people can grow
deeper in their own faith while practicing the common virtues and ac-
complishing the shared goals that faith commends.
A few days after the Community Breakfast, the shootings at Fort
Hood and then the execution of the Washington, D.C., sniper took
place. No one can condone the despicable crimes of those two men.
Although their motives are not yet fully known, such incidents show
that we are indeed in dire need of the type of sound moral and spiri-
tual education, and benecial services, given by the volunteers’ ser-
vice and other similar groups.
Some in the press and media are already playing with re by cov-
ering the views of extremist individuals from both sides about these
particular incidents and individuals. This, too, conrms once more that
we need men and women of common sense who will not galvanize the
enmity caused by such incidents but will work to prevent further hatred,
polarization and clashes in and between societies. We need to work hard
together to disseminate the messages and teachings of academic, moral
and spiritual authorities to avoid further ignorance, violence and decay.
HÜSEYN
GÜLERCE
h.gulerce@todayszaman.com
Before
and after Çiçek
Col. Dursun Çiçek, to whom the original signature
behind the conspiracy document prepared against the
nation and democracy belongs, has nally agreed to
stand before a court. The writers of the history of de-
mocratization in Turkey will devote a special page to
the date Nov. 11, 2009. This is the day when a fresh
new start was made. A few days ago, the prime min-
ister said on a TV program that the military judiciary
should consider the forensic report and that the origi-
nal signature will resolve the problem.
The key is the problem in civilian-military relations.
The indictments prepared for the Ergenekon case, the
memo documents, the military interventions since the
May 27, 1960 coup, the Feb. 28, 1997 process and the
memos posted on the General Staff’s Web site before
the presidential elections are all signs of this problem.
Actually, the controversy over the signature is mean-
ingful because it points out the fact that the pro-junta
actors are now in a defensive mode. The juntas are il-
legal structures outside of the regular military. These
juntas, which claim the right to rule over the civilian
administration, are now appalled because they had en-
joyed a lack of accountability before the judicial system
for the last six decades. They are just not prepared for
this. They were so sure that they would go unpunished
this time as well that they did not hesitate to sign an-
tidemocratic papers and documents. They were totally
unprepared this time. The mistake they made is not
one a well-trained military ofcer would ever commit.
However, they have committed consecutive mistakes
because of a state of panic.
Consider their situation; the information on the
Web sites was in the second letter from the informant,
but they did not deny the allegations. They argued
that they had operated these sites upon instructions
from the Prime Ministry. They thought they could put
the blame on the Justice and Development Party (AK
Party). Prime Ministry immediately issued a statement
noting that they had scanned the instructions but
found no such document in their archives. The Gen-
eral Staff’s Web site posted a brief note arguing that
the instruction was forwarded in 2000. This time the
Prime Ministry requested the exact number and date
of the document. There has still been no answer. All
this is actually an insult to the honor and intelligence of
the military profession. This state of despair, which un-
dermines the image and prestige of the Turkish Armed
Forces (TSK), is now pushing the limits of patience.
Nobody has the right to erode the image and honor
of the military.
It is now time to base civilian-military relations on
a healthy footing and remove all barriers to democrati-
zation. The prime minister is right; there is no room for
emotion in this business. We cannot put trust in peo-
ple’s assurances. We need legal assurances rather than
the general’s reassurances. We need to remove the
military guardianship over the civilian administration.
The nation does not want a military eager to topple the
civilian administrations elected by popular vote. We do
not want civil servants or ofcials who insult national
values and declare our people to be the enemy. We do
not want civil servants and public ofcials who stage
a psychological war against their own citizens. Those
who want to declare innocent people as terrorists by
staging plots against them should be held accountable,
and their era of domination should come to an end.
Yes, we need legal assurances; the legal assur-
ances should include the subordination of the TSK to
the Ministry of Defense in the nal phase of the EU
membership bid. The legal assurances should include
the introduction of a new mechanism that will allow
the scrutiny of the military and the Council of State
by the State Inspection Board. Nobody should enjoy
privileges before the law. All should be held account-
able and be inspected. The legal assurance should
include the removal of the provisions of the military
code allowing military interventions. Nothing will be
the same in Turkey after Çiçek’s trial.
 16 TODAY’S ZAMAN T H U R S D AY, N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9
LEISURE

move gude
“District 9”
DISTRICT 9
STANBUL: Esentepe Cinebonus Astoria
11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 00:15 Kadköy
Cinebonus 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30
00:00 ANKARA: Ata On Tower 12:15 14:30
17:00 19:15 21:30 00:00 ZMR: Cinebonus
Konak Pier 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30
00:00 ANTALYA: Cinebonus Migros 12:00
14:30 17:00 19:30 22:00 00:15
COCO AVANT CHANEL
STANBUL: Beyolu Atlas 12:00 14:15
16:30 19:00 21:30 Kozyata Cinebonus
Palladium 11:15 13:45 16:15 18:45 21:15
23:45 ANKARA: Ata On Tower 12:45
Gregorian Calendar: 12 November 2009 C.E. Hijri Calendar: 25 Dhul-Qadah 1430 A.H. Hebrew Calendar: 25 Cheshvan 5770
tv gude
calendar@todayszaman.com E2
08:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show
09:00 Umutsuz Evkadnlar
Today is Sun Yat-Sen Day in China. This is the anniver- Samuel Doe in 1985. A counter-coup was organized by Thomas for monarchy and the throne was offered to Danish Prince 10:00 The Martha Stewart Show
11:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show
sary of the birth of Sun Yat-Sen (1866-1925), the heroic
leader of China’s 1911 revolution who is often referred to as
Quiwonkpa, but was put down in a massive show of force.
Today is Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day among women’s orga-
Carl. He took the name Haakon VII, after the medieval kings
of independent Norway.
12:00 The Rachael Ray Show
13:00 Dedikoducu Kz
14:00 The Martha Stewart Show
the “father of modern China.” Sun played an instrumental nizations, especially in the US. Stanton, (Nov. 12, 1815-Oct. 26, Today is the anniversary of the installation of Crown Prince 15:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show
role in the eventual collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. He 1902), was an American social activist and leading figure of the Akihito (b. 1933) of Japan as the 125th Japanese emperor. On 16:00 The Rachael Ray Show
17:00 Umutsuz Evkadnlar
was the first provisional president when the Republic of China early women’s movement. this day in 1989, the crown prince acceded to the throne. He is 18:00 The Martha Stewart Show
was founded in 1912 and later co-founded the Kuomintang, Today is the anniversary of the Treaty of the Durand Line, the world’s only reigning monarch with the title “emperor.” 19:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show
20:00 Family Guy
where he served as its first leader. which was signed between present-day Pakistan and Afghani- On this day in 1840, French sculptor Auguste Ro- 21:00 Heroes
Today is Republic Day in Austria. On this day in 1918, Aus- stan in 1893. Also referred to as the “Zero Line,” the Durand din was born. Rodin, best known for his sculpture “The 22:15 Hung
23:00 The Tonight Show with
tria declared itself a republic, thus ending the Austro-Hungarian Line is named after Sir Mortimer Durand, then-foreign secretary Thinker,” was the pre-eminent French sculptor of his Conan O'Brien
Empire. Its initial name was the Republic of German Austria, but of the British Indian government. time and remains one of the few sculptors widely recog- 24:00 Hung
01:00 The Jay Leno Show
the name was changed to the Republic of Austria in 1919 by the Today is the anniversary of the Norwegian referendum nized outside the visual arts community. 02:00 The Tonight Show with
Peace Treaty of Saint-Germain. of 1905 in which the people of Norway voted in favor of Today is the anniversary of the birth of Bahaullah (1817- Conan O'Brien
03:00 Heroes
Today is National Memorial Day in Liberia. This day com- monarchy. In that year Norway was peacefully separated 1892). Born Mirza Husayn-Ali in Tehran, Bahaullah is the 04:00 Family Guy
memorates the more than 2,000 civilians that were killed by from Sweden and a referendum was held to ask the people founder of the Bahai faith. The anniversary of Bahaullah’s birth
CNBC-E
the forces of the undemocratically established government of what the new government style should be. The people opted is one of the nine days of the year when Bahais suspend work. 17:55 How I Met Your Mother
18:50 The Jay Leno Show
20:00 Leverage
21:00 The Closer
22:00 Nuit de Noces
00:00 The Jay Leno Show
01:00 Leverage
02:00 The Closer
‘Up’ looks aloft, hopes for best 03:00 Nuit de Noces
05:00 The Closer

GOLDMAX
08:45 Sunshine State
11:10 Gigli
15:00 17:15 19:30 21:45 00:00 ZMR:
Cinebonus Konak Pier 11:15 13:45 16:15
18:45 21:15 23:45

KISKANMAK
pcture Oscar nomnaton 13:15 The Elephant King
14:50 A Crime
16:35 The Wind In The Willows
18:05 Chariots Of Fire
20:15 Romeo Is Bleeding

AP
STANBUL: Beyolu AFM Fita When an expanded list of 10 mov- at it that way as well, that would be great.” 22:10 Top Gun
11:40 14:00 16:20 18:40 21:00 23:40 ies competes next year for the best When the Academy announced in June 00:05 This Is Spinal Tap

Caddebostan AFM 11:30 14:00 16:30
19:00 21:20 23:50 ANKARA: Bilkent
Cinebonus 11:00 13:10 15:20 17:30 19:40
21:50 ZMR: AFM Forum Bornova 11:30
14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 23:45 ANTALYA:
Cinebonus Migros 12:15 14:30 16:45
19:00 21:15
PHOTO
01:30 The Agony And The Ecstasy
picture Oscar, director Pete Docter that the best picture Oscar nominations list 04:15 Dune
hopes his “Up” will become the first animat- would expand from five to 10, it said the
ed film since 1991’s “Beauty and the Beast” change was meant to open the field to a
MOVIEMAX
06:00 Jesus Mary And Joey
07:55 Flight Of Fury
to vie for Hollywood’s most coveted honor. wider array of movies instead of the live ac-
09:40 The Kid & I
Award show trackers say Docter has tion dramas that dominate the category. 11:25 Facing the Giants

MEZUNYET
STANBUL: ili Megaplex Cevahir 11:00
13:00 15:15 17:30 19:30 21:45 Kadköy
Cinebonus 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:00 21:15
23:30 ANKARA: Bilkent Cinebonus 11:00
13:10 15:20 17:30 19:40 21:50 00:00 ZMR:
Cinebonus Konak Pier 10:30 12:45
15:00 17:15 19:30 21:45 00:00 ANTALYA:
Cinebonus Migros 11:00 13:00 15:15 17:30
19:45 22:00
NCR ÇEKRDE
STANBUL: Beyolu Sinepop 11:30
13:30 15:30 17:30 19:30 21:15 Kozyata
Cinebonus Palladium 11:30 13:30 15:30
17:30 19:30 21:30 23:30 ANKARA: Bilkent
Cinebonus 11:30 13:30 15:30 17:30 19:30
21:30 00:00 ZMR: Cinecity Kipa Çili
11:45 13:45 15:45 17:45 19:45 21:45 00:30
AK GELYORUM DEMEZ
STANBUL: Maçka Cinebonus 11:00
12:00 13:00 15:15 17:30 18:30 19:45 22:00
00:15 Caddebostan AFM 10:50 13:20
15:45 17:00 18:10 19:25 20:35 21:50 23:00
ANKARA: Ata On Tower 11:30 13:30
15:30 17:30 19:30 21:30 00:00 ZMR: AFM
Passtel 11:00 13:30 16:00 18:30 21:00
23:30 ANTALYA: Cinebonus Migros 11:45
14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 00:00
reason to be hopeful because “Up,” about “There’s a strong likelihood that ‘Up’ 13:30 Fifty Dead Men Walking
15:40 The Brave One
an old man and a boy who float off to will be the second animated movie ever 17:55 Calendar Girls
20:00 Crank: High Voltage
South America in a house tied to helium nominated for best picture,” said Tom 21:55 Mrs. Harris
balloons, has earned wide acclaim from O’Neil, columnist for awards Web site 23:40 Anamorph
01:25 Saw IV
fans and critics, alike. www.theenvelope.com. 03:05 The Brave One
“Up” has tallied $507 million at world- The DVD version out on Tuesday 05:10 Pauly Shore is Dead
wide box offices since May’s theatrical re- comes with a number of bonus features,
MGM MOVIES
lease, and is one of the year’s best-reviewed including commentary from Docter and 06:15 Duel At Diablo
films scoring a 98 percent positive rating at co-director Bob Peterson, and an original
08:00 The Long Goodbye
09:55 Louis Armstrong: Chicago
review Web site rottentomatoes.com. short film about Dug, a talking dog who Style
11:15 Gorky Park
But the movie, which sees its DVD ver- stars in the movie. Docter said one of his 13:25 Winterhawk
15:10 The Private Files Of J.
sion land on retail shelves on Tuesday, faces early victories with the film came when
Edgar Hoover
a harsh Hollywood climate in which to soar he pitched the story to Pixar and Disney 17:15 Stagecoach
if it hopes to win 2009’s best film Oscar. Animation Studios chief creative officer 18:55 Wheels Of Terror (The
Misfit Brigade)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts
A scene from the animated movie “Up.” Its director Pete Docter hopes “Up” will become the
John Lasseter, and saw tears in the execu- 20:45 Love In The Afternoon
and Sciences has not nominated an ani- tive’s eyes. Lasseter connected to the main 22:55 Dead Man's Gun
first animated film since 1991’s “Beauty and the Beast” to vie for the best picture Oscar. 23:45 Dead Man's Gun
mated movie in its best motion picture character, the curmudgeonly old Carl, and 00:35 The Bed Sitting Room
02:10 Lenny
category since it began giving a separate Academy began giving away the film in- because that’s how his team approaches the summation of his life given at the be- 04:00 Wheels Of Terror (The
award for best animated feature in 2002. dustry’s highest honors. filmmaking. “We happen to use comput- ginning of the story, when his wife dies Misfit Brigade)
05:45 A Midsummer Night's Sex
In fact, “Beauty and the Beast” is the only Still, Docter told Reuters that Oscar vot- ers to be telling the story, but it’s first and after a childless but long, loving marriage. Comedy
animated movie ever nominated for best “I got John to cry, so that was awesome,”
ers should evaluate his computer-animated foremost about the storytelling, just like any-
picture in more than 80 years since the “Up” in the same way they view any movie thing else.” he said. “For the world to look Docter said. Los Angeles Reuters COMEDYMAX
06:00 Yes Dear
06:30 Reba
07:00 3rd Rock from the Sun
07:30 30 Rock
08:00 Rules of Engagement
08:30 Til Death

Crossword Mr. DploMAT! Cem Kzltu

c.kiziltug@todayszaman.com
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10:00 According to Jim
11:00 Everybody Loves Raymond
12:00 Arli$$
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pioneer below (deep-fried autocrat 14:30 Til Death
Berliner 53 African dish) 44 Unable to
10 Edible amulet (Var.) 12 Unhealthy make it on 15:00 The Cosby Show
beaked pods 56 Having hit the chest sound one’s own 16:00 According to Jim
14 “Mighty hay 13 Seed 46 Sock pattern 17:00 Everybody Loves Raymond
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co-star between I’s 18 Flight created by 18:30 The Game
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15 ___ parker palindrome 23 Travel 50 “... seen and 19:00 The Cosby Show
(busybody) 59 Character on randomly not ___” 19:30 30 Rock
16 Untrust- “The Cosby 25 Weakens or 51 Comic 20:00 Rules of Engagement
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17 Red Cross 60 Nostalgic 28 Small 52 Oboists need 21:00 According to Jim
initiative pathway mountain them 21:30 Everybody Loves Raymond
19 Place with a 63 “___ cost lakes 53 Fortitude
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20 Horror film 64 “Dallas” clan 30 Victory smoke 55 Like some 23:00 Will & Grace
franchise name 31 Well-groomed rumors 23:30 Weeds
street 65 Drought- 32 Troop group 56 In a group of 00:00 Til Death
21 Lunches or scourged 33 Counting-out 57 Sound made
brunches 66 “America the rhyme start by Big Ben
22 Rural road Beautiful” 34 Wheels of 61 Animal that
surface pronoun fortune? sounds
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senator’s ear, (classic card
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6 1 4 8 2 9 7 3 5 Programming
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37 Licoricelike 3 Some limo 4 7 2 9 5 2 8 3 7 1 6 4 9
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42 Clock div. fertility 8 9 5 9 4 6 3 5 2 6 9 8 1 7 4
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2 9 6 7 4 5 1 9 2 4 3 7 8 6
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21:30 News (English, French,
3 9 4 1 2 8 5 6 7 German, Greek, Russian)
1 2 6 7 8 6 1 7 5 4 3 2 9
21:45 Live Broadcast
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23:58 Identification

HOW TO PLAY? : The objective of the game is to fill all the blank squares in a game Every row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order Broadcast Areas:
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0312 446 8247 Belgian Consulate: 0212 243 3300 Egyptian Embassy: 0312 426 1026 Egyptian Consulate: 0212 263 6038 Israeli Embassy: 0312 446 3605

CMYK
 CONTINUATION
Report: Controversial Web site plan work of clandestine BÇG
contnued from page 1
The group was then attached to the Pri-
me Ministry by the new government. The name
of the BÇG was changed to the Prime Ministry
Monitoring Council (BTK).
Bugün claimed that the establishment of
Web sites that the armed forces used to back
their psychological warfare against “dangerous”
civilian groups was part of a plan devised by the
BÇG. The group collected a series of plans in the
post-coup era in a 100-page strategy document
to ght reactionaryism, also known as the “sec-
ret constitution” of the Feb. 28 process. The do-
cument was kept secret and detailed guidelines
of plans to be implemented to ght against the
so-called threat of reactionaryism in Turkey.
The existence of the Web sites was revealed
earlier this month when an unnamed military
ofcer sent an e-mail to journalists and news-
papers informing them of the matter. According
to the e-mail, the TSK established 42 Web si-
tes as part of its psychological warfare against
“dangerous” civilian groups that were catego-
rized as “reactionary,” “separatist,” “pro-Justice
and Development Party [AK Party]” and “anti-
TSK.” The ofcer also claimed that the armed
forces also monitored the activities of more than
400 Turkish and foreign language Web sites. The
Web site plan was devised at the Third Informa-
tion Support Unit of the General Staff by a num-
ber of colonels and was coordinated by 1st Army
Corps Commander Gen. Hasan Isz. Chief of
Plot colonel sent to court
for arrest over action plan
contnued from page 1
The colonel was summo-
ned for testimony by civili-
an prosecutors last month, but he
chose to not comply with the order
until yesterday. Ergenekon prose-
cutor Zekeriya Öz announced on
Tuesday that police would use for-
ce to bring Çiçek to testify as part
of the plot probe. “We called him
to testify and demanded that the
colonel be brought by police force.
But he has yet to arrive at the co-
urthouse,” Öz added.
Seven other members of the mili-
tary appeared at the Beikta courtho-
use last month to testify on the notori-
ous action plan. They were released af-
ter their testimony.
The plot, called the Action Plan to
Fight Reactionaryism, made its way
into the media in early June. The Gene-
ral Staff, however, denied possession
of the plan, saying the document was
a photocopied version. An unnamed
military ofcer mailed the original copy
to Ergenekon prosecutors last month,
which eliminated all suspicion surro-
unding the authenticity of the plot. A
forensic medical examination showed
that a genuine signature on the docu-
ment belongs to Col. Çiçek.
The unnamed military ofcer has
yet to be questioned by the prosecu-
tors. Col. Çiçek was arrested by a civi-
lian court in July on suspicion of links
to the plot but was later released after
his lawyer led an appeal. His imme-
diate release was considered contro-
versial. He had testied to Ergenekon
prosecutors at that time.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Er-
doan on Tuesday called on the ar-
med forces to not harbor any mem-
ber who is engaged in illegal and
anti-democratic initiatives. “The TSK
Military prosecutor resigns amid allegations of coerced affair
A military prosecutor who was accused by
the Vakit daily of coercing a married wo-
man into having an affair by threatening her
has resigned. The newspaper reported that mili-
tary prosecutor Col. Zekeriya Duran resigned af-
ter reports of his affair with a married woman,
which the conservative daily described as “aga-
inst human and military morality,” surfaced. The
prosecutor’s affair became publicly known when
a video showing him and his mistress was pub-
lished on the Vakit daily’s Web site, habervaktim.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009
A new report asserts that the Turkish Armed Forces illegally monitored the activity of certain Web sites in 2000.
General Staff Gen. lker Babu was also repor-
tedly informed about the plan.
The General Staff announced last week that
the Web sites were established following direc-
tives from the Prime Ministry in 2000, when the
government was led by a coalition under former
Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit. However, Ahmet
aar, who served as the Prime Ministry under-
is one of the strongest elements of our
state, and it should not be undermi-
ned. But we should not allow the pro-
tection of suspicious individuals by
our institutions. Be it the armed forces
or any other institution, they should
not harbor such members. We need
to do so in order to leave a strong Tur-
key to future generations,” he said.
‘Let Çiçek wait,
try Babu instead’
A coalition known as 70 Million Steps
against Coups staged a demonstrati-
on in front of the Beikta courthouse
yesterday, calling for the trial of Chi-
ef of General Staff Gen. lker Babu.
Protestors carried banners that
read “Let Çiçek wait, try Babu inste-
ad” and “Çiçek is here, where is Ba-
bu?” Mahmut Sürmeli, who read a
press statement in the name of the de-
monstrators, said it was the rst time Col. Dursun Çiçek arrives at a courthouse in stanbul to testify over charges that implicate him in the creation of a
a power that targeted Turkish democ- plot to undermine the ruling Justice and Development Party government by illegal means.
racy was being brought to justice.
“This is the rst time for a po-
wer which violated laws, caused
unsolved murders, executed people
and tortured individuals to be bro-
ught before the court. We owe all
of this to the chief of general staff,
Gen. Babu, who called the action
plan a piece of paper,” Sürmeli said.
Gen. Babu said the action plan
was a “piece of paper” in terms of law
during a press conference in June be-
cause what jurists had at hand was a
photocopied version of the plot.
Sürmeli also said justice would re-
ign supreme in the country only with
the trials of Gen. Babu and Col. Çi-
çek. “Sometimes a piece of paper can
end injustice. The power of the cru-
el is tantamount to that of a piece of
paper. Now our rst duty is to protect A group demonstrated in front of the Beikta courthouse yesterday, calling for the trial of Chief of General Staff Gen. lker Ba-
this piece of paper,” he added. bu. Participants carried banners that read “Let Çiçek wait, try Babu instead” and “Çiçek is here, where is Babu?”
com. In its story, Vakit also wrote that Duran was
promoted to the rank of colonel from lieutenant
colonel despite his affair with a married woman.
There were claims that the colonel had blackma-
iled the woman into having sexual relations with
him using his power as a military judge; however,
the woman denied this and said she had been
involved with Duran voluntarily. It was not cle-
ar how the footage showing Duran and his mist-
ress was obtained. Some Web sites claimed that
Duran was using the images to blackmail the wo-
TODAY’S ZAMAN
PHOTO
secretary in 2000, refuted the General Staff state-
ment and claimed that no directive was sent to
the TSK for the establishment of such Web sites.
In the meantime, dozens of Web sites that
were monitored and categorized by the TSK are
planning to seek legal redress against the ar-
med forces. A statement on www.aktifhaber.
com indicated that the Web site will le a cri-
man into not telling her husband about the relati-
onship. Duran, like the woman involved, has de-
nied any knowledge of the videotaping.
Duran was the military prosecutor in charge
when the police searched the home of retired Gen.
Hurit Tolon earlier this year as part of the investi-
gation into Ergenekon, a clandestine gang charged
with plotting to overthrow the government.
In a statement he released regarding his re-
signation, he said Vakit’s article, titled, “Lt. Col. pro-
moted to colonel despite adultery,” bore no relati-
CMYK
minal complaint against the TSK. “We are a vic-
tim of this monitoring activity. We have been
put under suspicion by some individuals within
the TSK who we believe to be neglecting their
duties. Even if a directive to monitor Web sites
was given [by the Prime Ministry], it is a crime
to implement it,” read the statement.
Mehmet Ali Aslan, an editor of www.haksoz-
haber.com, called for the punishment of those res-
ponsible for conducting the monitoring activity.
“Our site was categorized as ‘reactionary.’ Such
a categorization is used for individuals who have
a sensitivity toward Islam. We will do what sho-
uld be done against such illegal activity,” he noted.
Civilian prosecutors after
‘100 condential documents’
The Taraf daily claimed yesterday that civilian
prosecutors have so far asked the General Staff
for about 100 documents, including military plans
to interfere in politics. The documents were sei-
zed in raids, mostly as part of an ongoing probe
into a criminal organization known as Ergenekon.
Among the documents was an action plan
prepared by Lt. Gen. Nusret Tadeler aga-
inst the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party
(DTP). The document detailed a plan to un-
dermine the party. The General Staff, howe-
ver, has yet to respond to the prosecutors’ in-
quiry. Prosecutors will decide on what action
to take against the documents after the Gene-
ral Staff responds. stanbul Today’s Zaman
TODAY’S ZAMAN, SELMAN ETÜRKLER
PHOTO
CHAN
PHOTO
onship to the truth. He said he was promoted to co-
lonel automatically and without a Supreme Military
Council (YA) decision, as suggested by Vakit, when
his period of service as a lieutenant colonel ended.
Vakit had implied the YA council had ignored
what it called the lieutenant colonel’s “immoral”
affair. The woman’s husband, identied as S.Ö.,
reportedly claimed that after he petitioned the Ge-
neral Staff about the incident, the General Staff’s
legal undersecretary, Hfz Çubuklu, had warned
him to “let go” of this case. stanbul Today’s Zaman
TODAY’S ZAMAN 17
Ankara court accepts
indictment against
judge Osman Kaçmaz
A court in Ankara has accepted an indictment
prepared against Sincan 1st High Criminal Co-
urt Chief Justice Osman Kaçmaz after an investigati-
on into a series of questionable rulings made by him
stretching back to 2008. The Justice Ministry recently
requested the disbarment of Kaçmaz. A disciplinary re-
port prepared by the Justice Ministry and sent to the
Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) inc-
luded one request for Kaçmaz’s disbarment, two requ-
ests for his reassignment and four requests for a judi-
cial investigation.
Kaçmaz’s attorney, Baykal Doan, said his cli-
ent received notication of the indictment’s acceptan-
ce and that they went to the 7th High Criminal Co-
urt to review it. Doan said there was no mention of
a possible sentence for Kaçmaz in the indictment. He
also said that they will not le a lawsuit but will begin
preparing their defense. If there is a court case against
Kaçmaz, he will be tried at the Supreme Court of Ap-
peals because of his top rank as a judge.
Meanwhile, Ankara 1st Peace Court Judge Hay-
ri Keskin was also present at the courthouse. Keskin,
who recently ordered an investigation of the Telecom-
munications Transmission Directorate (TB) in order to
nd out whether or not certain judges’ phones are be-
ing wiretapped, said he had submitted his report on the
issue. Judges and Prosecutors Association (YARSAV)
President Ömer Faruk Eminaaolu had claimed that
his phones were being tapped.
The Ministry of Justice stated on Tuesday that an
investigation resulting in a decision to disbar Kaçmaz
and Eminaaolu is not related to current issues and
that there are several investigations concerning judges
and prosecutors handled by the ministry, but that only
the investigation into Kaçmaz and Eminaaolu was
detailed by the media. The ministry’s move to remo-
ve Kaçmaz has come upon the heels of a May ruling
in which Kaçmaz said President Abdullah Gül should
stand trial in a decade-old fraud case despite consti-
tutional constraints on the trial of a president for any-
thing other than high treason. Justice Ministry ofcials
emphasized that the investigations into Kaçmaz calling
for his removal should not be seen as a reaction to the
ruling over the president. stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
Taraf writer threatened
over adaptation of
Atatürk address
Taraf daily’s columnist Sevan Nianyan, who wro-
te a humanistic adaptation of Atatürk’s “Address
to Turkish Youth,” a patriotic speech calling on young
people to protect their country at all costs, published
e-mails received from irate nationalists and lled with
threats and vulgar language in his column yesterday.
In his adaptation, Nianyan replaced the rst sen-
tence of the address, “Your rst duty is to preserve and
to defend Turkish Independence and the Turkish Re-
public forever,” with “Your rst duty is to be a human
being.” The sentences: “This is the very foundation
of your existence and your future. This foundation is
your most precious treasure. In the future, too, there
may be malevolent people at home and abroad, who
will wish to deprive you of this treasure” in the origi-
nal were changed to: “The very foundation of being
human is love toward other human beings. All thro-
ugh your life, you shall consider it a duty for yourself
to teach beauty, reason and justice to people. If you
have knowledge, you will share it without expecting
anything in return.” The rest of Nianyan’s adaptati-
on was a treatise on the equality of all human beings.
However, the backlash from some among the Tur-
kish youth was spine-chilling. “We will make you wri-
te the correct version of the ‘Address to Youth’ with
your own blood. … I’ll kill you like that Hrant Dink
dog,” said one of the messages, most of whose text
was not suitable for replication here.
Another one said: “I have been praying for years to
be able to kill one of your kind when I’m on my army
duty. I would do this in cold blood and killing your ilk
would not hurt my conscience at all but would give me
honor. … You should know that we are waiting for the
tiniest spark.” Another message was the sender’s own
adaptation, “Turkish Youth! Your primary duty is to
adopt as a principle to wipe from the earth for the sake
of Turkishness and humanity the Armenians and Kurds,
that champion enmity against Turks and which are the
most debased nations on earth.”
Yet another version started: “Oh You! The despicab-
le creature who thinks himself a man because you know
how to write. You and your ilk will see the power of the
Turkish Nation very soon. Armenians and others, those
who continue their corrupted intrigues to separate the co-
untry despite all the tolerance we have shown will pay the
price they deserve to pay in the near future. Now is your
day to speak, but don’t you worry; that will change in a
year or two. The day we’ll settle accounts with you is near!
We’ll see if you can show the same courage then!! Find a
hole to hide in, you separatist PKK-supporting traitors.”
“Yours is a cowardly nation. You can write all you
want about Atatürk; you’ll never have the strength to
destroy his republic. But you and your owners who
hold your leash should remember that the thing that
can cross your immunity and protection is a 9mm bul-
let.” Other messages accused him of being a lapdog
of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoan and Islamic
scholar Fethullah Gülen. stanbul Today’s Zaman
T18-12-11-09.qxd 11.11.2009 14:12 Page 1
18 TODAY’S ZAMAN
8th & 9th GRADERS
AMAZING ASCENT: CLIMBING MT. EVEREST
Mount Everest is the tallest and
most intimidating mountain in the
world. The only way to get there is
a long and dangerous climb.
Lori Schneider is a 52-year-old fe-
male climber from the US. She recently
climbed to the top of the world.
Mike Jacobs: "How dangerous was
this adventure?"
Lori: "Oh, it's extremely dangerous.
… One fall, if you're not hooked in prop-
erly, can be deadly."
In fact, several people already died
this year on the mountain. Lori's journey
was more challenging than most. Ten
years ago, she was diagnosed with multi-
ple sclerosis (a serious medical condition).
"I thought I would be in a wheel-
chair back in 1999," she admits.
Instead, she decided to climb "The
Seven Summits," the highest peak on
each of the seven continents. Her motto
was simple: "Believe in yourself and
don't be afraid to try things."
But her challenge was great. Everest was
her seventh and most dangerous ascent. The
journey took two months. She lived in tents.
She remembers one night when they heard
a lot of avalanches. The avalanches were
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preventing the unwelcome coughing,
wheezing, fever, aching, chills and nausea
that accompany the flu, you can greatly
lessen the chances that your child will be-
come infected with this illness.
"Traditional flu prevention methods --
getting vaccinated and practicing good
hand-washing techniques -- are still the
best ways to prevent the virus from spread-
ing," says Alexis Elward, MD, MPH, pedi-
atric infectious disease specialist at St. Louis
Children's Hospital. "However, parents can
take several other precautions to prevent
children from catching the virus."
Avoiding crowds
You can help prevent the flu by staying away
from shopping malls, movie theaters or oth-
er public places during flu season. This will
limit your child's exposure to germs and re-
duce her odds of becoming sick.
"Avoiding crowded areas was found to
be an effective strategy for staying healthy
during the 1918 flu pandemic, and it re-
mains a good option today as well," Dr.
Elward says. "Because flu germs can spread
through the air, being in close proximity to
Last week’s answer key: 1-F, 2-T, 3-F, 4-F, 5-T, 6-F, 7-F, 8-T / 1-C, 2-B, 3-C, 4-B, 5-B,6-A / 1-C, 2-A, 3-C, 4-B, 5-B, 6-C, 7-A, 8-C, 9-C, 10-C / 1-A, 2-C, 3-A, 4-B, 5-B, 6-B / 1-B, 2-D, 3-A, 4-G
T H U R S D AY, N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9 TODAY’S LEARNING
* QUOTE OF THE DAY
All kids are gifted; some just open their
packages earlier than others.
coming off the Khumbu Icefall. It was an in- Read the article about the amazing ascent.
credible view. But one avalanche was deadly.
JOKE OF THE DAY
Are sentences "right" (A) or "wrong" (B)?
Some climbers were trapped in the ava- If there isn't enough information to answer "right"
lanche…and the guides got out binoculars. (A) or "wrong"(B), choose "doesn't say" (C).
We saw two climbers. They were partially
Doctor
A man goes to the doctor and says: "Doctor, please help
buried, and we heard later that the guide 1. After her climb to Mount Everest, she was diagnosed with a very seri-
me. I hurt all over."
was lost and never found again. ous illness.
The doctor asked the man to explain more.
For the last five days of the climb, Lori A) right B) wrong C) doesn't say
The man said: "When I touch my arm it hurts, when I
was on oxygen continuously. She fought
touch my leg it hurts, when I touch my head it hurts.
physical and mental exhaustion. She even 2. Out of seven summits she climbed, Mt. Everest was the first one.
Everywhere I touch, it hurts."
had to sleep with oxygen. A) right B) wrong C) doesn't say
The doctor examined the man and said, "Mr. Smith,
She says she also continually battled
your finger is broken!"
bitter cold. "On summit day, it started 3. While she was climbing to the top of Mt. Everest, she was caught in an
out below zero. Because you're so high, avalanche.
it's cold. And it got colder and colder as A) right B) wrong C) doesn't say
we went up the mountain.
MÜHENNA KAHVECÝ
The 11-hour climb that day started 4. When you are up in the mountain, the higher you climb, the colder it
in darkness. They reached the summit gets.
as dawn was breaking. After years of A) right B) wrong C) doesn't say
training, Lori finally reached the top of
the world, 29,035 feet. 5. When she reached the top of the mountain, she started crying.
Lori remembers the feeling. "My heart A) right B) wrong C) doesn't say
started beating, I can't believe I'm actually
PHOTO
here after 16 years of climbing," she says.
Lori Schneider refused to give up
hope. This amazing Wisconsin woman
is now the first person with multiple
sclerosis to conquer Mt. Everest -- and
COMPLETE THE FIVE
all Seven Summits. Mike Jacobs CONVERSATIONS
1. May I help you? a. You can't.
b. Yes, you do.
c. Yes, you are.
2. Can I see your a. It's great.
driver's license? b. I see.
c. Sure.
3. Do you always a. Yes, I am.
drive so fast? b. Uh-uh. Not me.
c. Oh, no.
a. Yes, I can,
4. Why are
but only a little.
you here?
b. On vacation.
c. In London now.
5. Pardon me, son. Can a. Yes, I did.
you tell me where the b. Yeah, sure.
hotel is? c. Oh, yes, I do.
Fill in the gaps with the appropriate option.
TIGER SHARK
The tiger shark is the fourth (1) ………… shark in the
world. It is found in warmer and tropical (2) …………
in the southern hemisphere.
The tiger shark is a fierce predator and tiger
sharks (3) ………… everything in the water, including
fish, seals, birds, turtles and even other sharks. The
REUTERS
tiger shark gets its name from the black stripes it has
when it is young. Most tiger sharks lose these stripes
as they (4) ………… older.
Like most other species of shark, tiger sharks (5)
PHOTO
large crowds is one way that many children ………… sensors on the sides of their heads. The
are exposed to the virus." sensors enable them to detect small muscle move-
ments from nearby creatures. Tiger sharks can reach
Powerful prevention tips a top speed (6) ………… around 20 mph, which is
As your family prepares for flu season, you can pretty fast (7) ………… the water!
take small steps to prevent the virus from en- Tiger sharks are extremely aggressive animals.
tering your home. For example, removing your Read the text above to decide if each sentence They are the most dangerous sharks for humans.
shoes at the door before walking inside will Tiger sharks are solitary hunters and usually do most
below about flu prevention is true (T) or false (F).
prevent you and your children from leaving a of (8) ………… hunting at night.
trail of germs on the floor, where kids often Tiger sharks usually range from between three to
crawl or play. In addition, regularly clean sur- 1. The flu especially affects young people. T F five meters in length.
faces in your home, including light switches,
door handles and the telephone. 2. Traditional methods to prevent the flu
AP
can no longer offer any solutions.
T F
Make sure each member of your family has
PHOTO
his or her own towel and washcloth. You also
may consider purchasing fun, colorful drinking 3. Once you get vaccinated, you don't need T F
straws for everyone in your family. Children to take any additional precautions.
love them, and by giving every family member
a different color straw, you can help prevent 4. Taking off your shoes at the door is a good T F
the spread of germs caused by sharing glasses. way to prevent the flu.
"Encouraging your children not to share
food at school can keep them from being ex- 5. If you keep away from crowds, you are less T F
posed to the flu as well," Dr. Elward says. likely to catch a flu.
"Ultimately, good health habits that should be
observed year-round -- not just during flu sea- 6. Movie theaters and shopping malls
son -- can help keep your family healthy." are kept clean and hygienic so there is no T F 1. A) biggest B) bigger C) the biggest
"No matter what other flu prevention way you could get infected with the flu. 2. A) forest B) seaside C) waters
methods families use, I strongly recommend 3. A)hunting B) hunt C) is hunted
getting the flu vaccination. In most cases, the 7. We should encourage our children T F 4. A) is getting B) get C) got
vaccine is 90 percent effective in preventing the to share their food at school. 5. A) had B) have C) has
flu. It doesn't prevent every cold or respiratory 6. A) in B) on C) of
infection, but it does give your child a strong 8. Precautions should be taken 7. A) around B) in C) off
T F
first line of defense against the virus." throughout the year. 8. A) them B) they C) their
CM Y K
 SPORTS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009
Efes faces tough
road task against
Olympiakos today
The going is getting tougher for Turkish
champion Efes Pilsen in Euroleague bas-
ketball this season after having been beaten
93-88 by undefeated Spanish side Unicaja in
their Group B game in Malaga last Thursday.
Efes Pilsen is on the road again this evening
as it takes on European powerhouse Olympiakos
in Greece this evening. Efes dropped to 1-2 after
last week’s defeat in Spain, meaning the stanbul
side cannot afford to lose against Olympiakos.
The important thing, however, is that Efes will
not only be up against Olympiakos this evening
but also against the boisterous and intimidating
Greek fans. And Efes has to overcome both to
avoid an early exit from Europe this season.
Bootsy Thornton scored 19 points for
Efes in the defeat against Unicaja last week,
Kaya Peker and Bostjan Nachbar 17 each and
Charles Smith 11. The fate of Efes, without
doubt, will again rest on the shoulders of these
players this evening.
Olympiakos is 2-1 and tied for second-
place after defeating previously unbeaten Lith-
uanian side Lietuvos Rytas 97-73 at home last
Wednesday. The Greek side has an abundance
of sharpshooters -- including Linas Kleiza, who
scored 20 points; Josh Childress, who netted 18;
and Milos Teodosic, who had 12 against Rytas.
Efes should not expect a warm reception in
Greece today -- there has never been one -- but
must rise to the occasion, for it has no other choice.
Other Euroleague matchups today are: Lietuvos
vs. Partizan; Lottomatica vs. Maccabi Electra; and
AJ Milano vs. BC Khimki. Okan Udo Bassey stanbul
TODAY’S ZAMAN
PHOTO
Süreyya
Ayhan
Turkish runner
Süreyya Ayhan gets
life ban for doping
Responding to an appeal from Süreyya
Ayhan and her husband, Yücel Kop, for
the reduction of a four-year competition ban
on Ayhan, the Court of Arbitration for Sport
(CAS) on Wednesday ruled instead to length-
en the ban on Ayhan to life.
A member of the Turkish national track
team, Ayhan and her coach and husband, Kop,
turned to CAS after the arbitration court of
the General Directorate of Youth and Sports
handed down the ban in hopes of securing a
reduction of Ayhan’s punishment.
Meanwhile, CAS overturned a punishment
handed down to Kop that would have prevent-
ed him from coaching for two years.
Osman Buldan, the couple’s attorney,
stated that CAS overturned Kop’s punish-
ment due to a lack of evidence. As for Ay-
han, the attorney said two controversies that
took place in 2004 and 2007 led to length-
ening the initial four-year sentence to life.
“The International Association of Ath-
letics Federation [IAAF] and the Turkish
Athletic Federation [TAF] did not object to
the legal period of time. We are waiting to
get the original documents of the decision.
In my opinion, IAAF was inuential in is-
suing this decision,” Buldan noted. Ayhan
was originally given a lifetime ban by the
TAF, and although this was reduced to four
years by the Turkish arbitration tribunal,
Ayhan appealed to CAS. stanbul Today’s Zaman
Faldo receives knighthood from Queen
Fa
Six-time major winner Nick Faldo received his knighthood from
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday, describing the honor as
beyond his boyhood dreams. “I was so delighted my family was
there to see that,” said the 52-year-old after the Windsor Castle
ceremony. “It was quite an incredible experience.” London Reuters
SOCCER
POLICE PROBE ENKE’S DEATH, TFF: We did not
even talk to Löw
The Turkish Soccer Federation (TFF)
GERMANY MATCH IN DOUBT
on Tuesday dismissed as utterly un-
founded reports that a deal had been
reached with current Germany coach
Joachim Löw to take over the nation-
al soccer team’s coaching job. “We
Enke was acquired by stanbul club Fenerbahçe in 2003-04, but was sacked immediately have not even talked to the German
coach, let alone made an agreement
after Fener lost 3-0 in the rst match of the season to stanbulspor. He also had spells with with him,” the TFF said in a state-
ment on its Web site. The TFF reiter-
clubs in Spain and Portugal before signing with Bundesliga team Hanover 96 in 2004 ated that the rumor mill was busy at
work and that any report on the new
AP, DANIEL MAURER
coach, unless it comes from them,
should not be taken seriously. It is
worth noting that Löw unsuccessfully
coached Fenerbahçe in 1998-99 and
was declared persona non grata at the
end of that season. stanbul Today’s Zaman
PHOTO
BASKETBALL
Dallas Mavs
down Rockets
The Dallas Mavericks recovered from
a slow start to defeat their Texas ri-
vals the Houston Rockets 121-103
on Tuesday. Jason Terry made 7-of-8
eld goals in scoring 24 points while
Dirk Nowitzki added 23 to help the
Mavericks overcome a 56-39 second-
quarter decit and claim their second
straight win. “We were just getting
our tails kicked and the guys got an-
gry and started playing a lot harder
Hanover goalkeeper with a lot more purpose,” Mavericks
Robert Enke reacts coach Rick Carlisle told the Houston
during a German Chronicle. “That turned it around.”
Bundesliga match Other NBA results: Orlando 93,
against VfB Stutt- Charlotte 81; Miami 90, Washington
gart in this Aug. 31,
76; Denver 90, Chicago 89; Portland
2008, file photo.
93, Memphis 79; and Sacramento
101, Oklahoma City 98. Dallas Reuters/AP
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts
BOXING
and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no
more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing. Shakespeare’s Macbeth
Kerr leads US
LPGA to victory
Germany, Fenerbahçe and Hanover 96 Cristie Kerr shot 4-under 32 on the
goalkeeper Robert Enke has died after back nine to lead the US LPGA to the
being hit by a train in an apparent sui- win in the Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge
cide, German police said late on Tuesday. on Tuesday. It was the US LPGA’s
TODAY’S ZAMAN
Enke was acquired by stanbul club Fen- fth win in the made-for-TV event
erbahçe in 2003-04, but was sacked immedi- that pits three-person teams from the
ately after Fener lost 3-0 in the rst match of US PGA Tour, Champions Tour and
the season to stanbulspor. US LPGA. The US PGA Tour leads
AP
While police continue to investigate the with seven wins and the Champions
apparent suicide of German national keeper Tour has six. The US LPGA team of
PHOTO
PHOTO
Enke, the country’s soccer federation called Kerr, Suzann Pettersen and Natalie
off training for Saturday’s friendly against Gulbis had a combined score of 6
Chile, putting the match in doubt. under on the nal nine holes to beat
On Tuesday evening, the 32-year-old Enke
Robert Enke is seen in a Fener jersey in the 2003-04 season. The picture at right shows
Enke’s photo at a mourning area in front the Hanover soccer stadium on Wednesday.
the men’s team of Stewart Cink,
died when he was hit by an express train running Fred Couples and Bubba Watson
between Hamburg and Bremen at a crossing near match against Chile on Saturday in Cologne. by two strokes and win $300,000.
Hanover. Police said the Hanover 96 player’s car, DFB President Theo Zwanziger said the fed- Combined with their $100,000 purse
parked meters away from the tracks, was unlocked eration was in mourning. “Our feelings go out A look at goalkeeper from the opening nine, the women
and his wallet still inside, leaving them to believe to his wife and family,” he said. Robert Enke’s life won the overall title by $70,000 over
that early indications “point to a suicide”. Enke, who had spells with clubs in Spain, the men. Henderson, Nev. AP
 Enke was born on Aug. 24, 1977 in
“The training planned for this morning Turkey and Portugal before signing with Jena, former East Germany. He started
has been canceled as have all interview ap- Bundesliga team Hanover in 2004, experienced his youth career at Jena Pharm before BOXING
pointments,” the German Soccer Federation a difcult time in recent months as he battled moving on to Carl Zeiss Jena.
said on Wednesday. “More information will to secure his place in Germany’s team.  The keeper joined Borussia Moen- Cotto confident
be available later in the day.”
Stomach virus
chengladbach in 1996 before moving on
to Benfica Lisbon in the first of several ahead of clash
“First indications point to suicide,” a media of- largely unsuccessful stints abroad that Miguel Cotto oozed self-belief and
cer for the Lower Saxony police had told Reuters He missed the last three World Cup qualiers also included Barcelona, Fenerbahçe
with what turned out to be an energy-sapping poise on Tuesday after making his
before adding that Enke’s body was found at a train (2003-04) and Tenerife.
stomach virus and had just returned to action ofcial arrival at the MGM Grand
crossing in Neustadt am Rübenberge near Hanover  He returned to the Bundesliga in 2004,
after almost two months out. Hotel & Casino where he will defend
“At 18:25 [1725 GMT] he was run over signing for Hanover 96.
“This is a tragedy,” Hanover President Martin his WBO welterweight title against
by a regional express train running between  His two-year-old daughter died of a
Kind told reporters. Despite not being called up for heart ailment in 2006. Filipino Manny Pacquiao. The Puerto
Hamburg and Bremen,” said police spokes- Rican, 34-1 (27 KOs), is the underdog
two friendlies against Chile and Ivory Coast this  Enke made his first appearance for Ger-
man Stefan Wittke. “The train was traveling for Saturday’s scheduled 12-round
month, even after Bayer Leverkusen’s Rene Adler many in March 2007 in their 1-0 defeat to
at the speed of 160 kilometers per hour.” Denmark. He won a total of eight caps, bout but believes his power will pre-
The player’s friend and consultant, Joerg pulled out with an eye infection, Löw had hinted
his last in Germany’s 2-0 win against vail over Pacquiao’s renowned hand
Enke was still front-runner for the starting spot. Azerbaijan in Baku in August.
Neblung, told reporters: “I can conrm this speed. “I’m prepared for the speed of
Enke, born in Jena in the former East Germany,  He was ruled out of Germany’s last
is a case of suicide. He took his own life just Manny,” Cotto told reporters while
also played club soccer for Borussia Moenchengla- three 2010 World Cup qualifiers with a
before 6 [p.m.].” Enke, 32, won eight interna- sitting on the edge of the MGM
dbach and Benca and had a brief spell at Barce- stomach virus but was still regarded as a
tional caps and was in the running to play in Grand ring. “My hand speed is pretty
lona before stints with Fenerbahçe and Tenerife. front-runner for inclusion in the World Cup
the World Cup in South Africa next year. The squad next year. equal to Manny’s. But can Manny’s
His 2-year-old daughter died of a heart ailment
news left Germans reeling and stunned the  Enke, who repeatedly tried to leave power equal Miguel Cotto’s on Sat-
in 2006. The couple adopted a 2-month-old girl in
national soccer federation (DFB). Hanover and join a bigger club to improve urday night? I am very calm. I have
May. “Germany has lost an exceptional athlete and
“The German team has learned of the death of his chances of becoming the Germany been doing this for many years.” A
a sensitive man who was a role model for many,” keeper, was linked with a possible move
Robert Enke with great shock,” said the DFB in a former WBO light-welterweight
said Lower Saxony Governor Christian Wulff. to Bayern Munich in the summer.
statement. “National team coach Joachim Löw and and WBA welterweight champion,
Hundreds of fans gathered to light candles  His last Bundesliga match was a 2-2
manager Oliver Bierhoff said, ‘We are all shocked, Cotto said he had been energized
outside the Hanover 96 ofces after learning of draw against Hamburg on Sunday.
we are speechless’.” Löw informed the squad of En- by the success of his Florida train-
Enke’s death. stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
ke’s death in a hotel in Bonn ahead of their friendly ing camp under new head train-
er, Joe Santiago. Los Angeles Reuters
CMYK
CMYK