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13 08 19Gold up 0.9 percent at $1,211.30, hitting another new record high, as the dollar remains weak

Y o u r Wa y o f U n d e r s t a n d � n g T u r k e y

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2009 WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM TL 1.50

page10 EU hails new era as treaty goes into force

Lions take on Panathinaikos at Ali Sami Yen

DAVUTO�LU, CALMY-REY DISCUSS NEW REFERENDUM

IN MINARET ROW

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto�lu has had talks with his Swiss counterpart, Mi-

cheline Calmy-Rey, on how to contain growing global protests against a controversial referen-dum to ban construction of minarets. The two ministers have discussed a new referendum to reverse the ban as an option to ease tensions simmering in the aftermath of the weekend vote. Speaking on Wednesday to reporters in Athens, where he attended a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Davuto�lu said he had told Calmy-Rey that the referendum could spark a crisis similar to the one that erupted following the 2006 publication of caricatures in Denmark insulting the Prophet Muhammad. CONTINUED ON PAGE 04

TENSION

US ASKS TURKEY TO SEND MORE TROOPS

TO AFGHANISTAN

Ankara and Washington have been hold-ing discussions on a US demand that its

NATO ally Turkey send more troops to war-torn Afghanistan, the top US diplomat in Turkey disclosed on Wednesday, while stating that the US has asked for a “speci� c number” of troops although he declined to name that number.

US Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey spoke with a small group of journalists at a round-table meeting in Ankara only hours af-ter US President Barack Obama unveiled his new strategy on Afghanistan in a long-awaited speech delivered at the US Military Academy at West Point. During the meeting, Jeffrey clearly indicated that US expects Turkey to be “more � exible” on the de� nition of tasks to be carried out by their mission in Afghanistan. CONTINUED ON PAGE 04

DIPLOMACY

MORNINGSTAR: TEHRAN NOT IN A POSITION TO BECOME PART OF ENERGY PROJECTS

Iran is not currently in a position to take part in new energy projects in the south-

ern corridor, including plans to enable the transportation of Iranian gas through Turkey, US special envoy for Eurasian energy affairs Ambassador Richard Morningstar said on Wednesday. In an assessment of projects to transport Iranian gas through Turkey, Morn-ingstar noted that it is not a new development and that Turkey and Iran have been working on a gas project since the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline. CONTINUED ON PAGE 07

IRAN ROW

SERVET YANATMA / HASAN HACI, ATHENS

EM�NE KART, ANKARA

OBAMA FACES TOUGH SELL WITH AFGHAN TROOP PLAN PAGE 11

Human rights activist Rag�p Zarakolu says the Cage plan, a military plan that plotted to assassinate non-Muslim fig-ures and detonate explosives in museums in order to scare the public is the most terrify-ing action plan he has seen during his career.

Cage plan is terrifying, says rights activist

Recent clashes in both eastern and western cities of Turkey between Kurdish and Turkish groups do not appear to be coincidental and are more than likely to be proof of a Kurdistan Workers' Party and Ergenekon partnership.

Recent incidents reveal Ergenekon-PKK partnership

The government is preparing to appoint new deputy governors for European Union affairs in all of Turkey's 81 provinces, a new step to boost Ankara's trou-bled bid to join the 27-nation bloc, Chief EU negotiator Egemen Ba��� said.

New deputy governors to boost Turkey's EU bid

GENERAL STAFF DESTROYED EVIDENCE

IN PROBE OF FORMER COLONEL

A new voice recording allegedly belonging to Brig. Gen. H�fz� Çubuklu, the General Staff's legal advisor, has suggested that the general and his team -- made up of a colonel and two members of the Legal Advisory Department of the General Staff -- destroyed some documents on mili-tary computers that would have been strong evidence against former Air Forces Judicial Undersecretary Col. Ahmet Zeki Üçok. The former colonel was demoted last month for reportedly issuing false medical reports to celebrities to help them avoid compulsory military service. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

Ç�ÇEK'S PLOT PUT INTO OPERATION IN

ERZ�NCAN, CLAIM SECRET WITNESSES

A military plot believed to have been drafted by Col. Dursun Çiçek, with the ulte-rior motive of undermining the power of the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the faith-based Gülen movement, had been put into opera-tion, two secret witnesses have claimed during their testimony to a public prose-cutor, according to the Star daily. The plot was exposed in a Turkish daily in June. According to the plot, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) had a systematic plan to destroy the image of the AK Party government and the Gülen movement in the eyes of the public, to play down the investigation into Ergenekon. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

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Prosecutors conducting an investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine network charged with plotting to overthrow the government, will

question three generals who are mentioned in a journal detailing plans to stage a coup d'état not only about their alleged actions mentioned in the journal, but also over various other documents obtained in the investigation. On Tuesday, former Land Forces Commander Gen. Aytaç Yalman, former Air Forces Commander Gen. �brahim F�rt�na and former Naval Forces Commander Adm. Özden Örnek, all of whom retired in 2004, were called to testify to Ergenekon prosecutors. The three men will testify on coup plans nicknamed Moonlight, Blonde Girl and the Glove, all mentioned in a journal detailing plans against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) allegedly kept by Örnek. The three former force commanders are being ac-cused of having plotted to force Gen. Özkök to resign based on a document titled “Opera-Son” -- a word play that might mean “end of the opera” in Turkish and sounds like the word for “operation” -- found among digital documents seized from Ergenekon de-fendant retired Gen. Hur�it Tolon, who was formerly in command of the 1st Army Corps, during a search of his house. In the document, a large number of gen-erals at the time including F�rt�na, Tolon, Gen. Fevzi Türkeri, Gen. Oktar Ataman, Gen. Çetin Do�an and several others are depicted as making an effort to force Özkök to resign and to devise a strategy to overthrow the AK Party government. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

Three former generals, whom prosecutors conducting the ongoing investigation into Ergenekon believe took part in army plots to overthrow the Justice and Development Party government, will have to give answers to a list of critical questions

about their alleged actions, including queries on whether they tried to oust the top army commander at the time

ERGENEKON TRIAL

Prosecutors will ask former Land Forces Commander Gen. Aytaç Yalman (L), former Naval Forces Commander Adm. Özden Örnek (C) and former Air Forces Commander Gen. �brahim F�rt�na whether they made plans to topple the government and unseat former Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök.

Generals to reply to ev�dence

other than coup d�ary

BLONDE G IRL WATCHING THE SEA SPARKLE UNDER THE MOONL IGHT BY HÜSEY �N GÜLERCE PAGE 15

FAT�H VURAL / B�RA ERDAL, �STANBUL

Latin Grammy-winning Canadian flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook to make first-ever appearance in Turkey

CMYK

‘F O O D F O R T H O U G H T

Who can isolate Iran? This is something that’s impossible. The most strategic part of the world is the Middle East.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Prime Minister Tayyip Erdo�an

‘Q U O T E O F T H E D AY

The biggest concern of bigots and the narrow-minded is the expansion of freedoms.

‘WORDS OF WI SDOM

Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

columns

On the agenda for Turkey: A leftist partyRAD�KAL ORAL ÇALI�LAR

Turkey’s need for a pro-people, freedom-backing, real left political party is at its highest level in “recent history.” There is a need for a party which high-lights the main points that people agree on and can focus on unions rather than divisions, that wants democracy, that every citizen who sees him or her-self as on the left and on the side of democracy can embrace, that perceives injustices in our nation as the most urgent topics to be addressed and that, in addition to all this, can avoid being squeezed into a tight space by marginal, socialist jargon. Turkey, which is undergoing great change and transfor-mation, urgently needs an active, dynamic, realis-tic and pro-change political party which sees pursu-ing solutions to Turkey’s problems as its main goal. There are many people who think it is already too late for all this. But in politics, it is never too late. Now is the time to roll up our shirtsleeves.

Kemalists to IndiaSTAR ERGUN BABAHAN

If it were me in the place of our ad-ministration, I would arrange for to-urs of India, not only for the Kema-lists in our nation, but also one fac-tion of the Kurds. I would let them go and see for themselves the rea-

lities of India, the world’s largest democracy. After all, the population of India is approximately 1.2 bil-lion, which makes it the world’s second most popu-lated country. What’s more, it’s not a unitary state. And the status of their official language is not like Turkey’s; they have 22 different languages which are all recognized in different capacities. Our Kema-lists would practically faint if they heard the statis-tics on this one. Not only that, but they have also di-vided the country into 28 different states and eight union territories for the purpose of easing the mana-gement of the country. Every state has its own par-liament and its own ruling cabinet. There is no one in India who says “How happy I am to be a Hindu” or who is required to say such a thing. No one talks about how the speaking of a certain language rat-her than another could divide the country, or abo-ut how the country could be lost. People generally respect one another. No one thinks about separati-on. This is because they know that it is to their uni-on that they owe their strength in the world today.

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Turkish charitable organizations such as Kimse Yok Mu, Cansuyu and the Humanitarian Aid Foundation provided aid on the occasion of Eid al-Adha to Palestinian refugees and orphans residing in refugee camps in Lebanon.

haber türk: “Withdraw your money from Switzerland, transfer it to Turkey,” the daily said in the headline of its lead story yesterday, quoting remarks from chief EU negotiator Egemen Ba-���, who appealed to Arab and Muslim businessmen to protest a minaret ban passed in Switzerland. “The minaret ban will lead our peers in Muslim countries who have money in Swiss banks to re-consider their decisions to keep their money there. The doors of the Turkish banking sector are always open to them,” Ba��� said.

taraf: “From black money to black politics,” the daily said in the headline of its main story yesterday, quoting remarks from ethnic-Turkish Swiss politician Atilla Topta�, who com-mented on the banning of minarets in Switzerland following a referendum on Sunday. Behind the minaret ban, there lies we-alth which came from black money and concerns of losing this

wealth, Topta� told the daily, adding that he was still in shock about the results of the referendum. Saying that Switzerland has become a rich country thanks to the black money flowing into its banks, he said the recent agreement with the US to share infor-mation on US citizen-held accounts led to concerns about the cease of this flow, which led to increasing xenophobia.

sabah: In a front-page article yesterday, the daily quoted remarks from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo�an criticizing the opposition parties, which are against the government’s democra-tization initiative, which seeks to expand the rights of Kurds. “The biggest concern of bigots and the narrow-minded is the expansi-on of freedoms. So, they are disturbed by the prospects of peace and development of democracy,” said Erdo�an, who spoke at the parliamentary group meeting of his party on Tuesday.

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What were the Swiss thinking?ZAMAN AHMET TURAN ALKAN

The same Swiss who have beco-me uncomfortable seeing minarets, who fear their own religions are be-ing interfered with and who believe they are dealing with a reality which is “anathema to general custom and

tradition” could have taken up this business in a much simpler and more effective way: a court decisi-on. I don’t know if there is anyone in Switzerland like our own Sabih Kanado�lu, but did no one ever con-sider taking the minaret case to the Swiss high court? I guess what we can take away from all of this is that the Swiss really don’t know how to approach these types of problems. They see their own public order as the best in the world, and then they take a topic like the minaret one to referendum and are exasperated by the results. People sometimes need to look at how other nations deal with their problems.

Sw�tzerland’s

tarn�shed �mageCriticism continues to rain down on Switzerland, which banned minarets in the country following a referendum held on Sunday, with many finding the move a severe blow to religious freedom and human rights. While some analysts put the blame on Swiss politicians for failing to inform the public about how this ruling on minarets co-uld put the country in a difficult situation and tarnish its image, others liken the arguments of minaret opponents to those of the headscarf ban supporters in Turkey.

Milliyet’s Sami Kohen interprets the referendum re-sults in Switzerland as an indication of public reaction in the country against Muslim communities, their beliefs, traditions, culture and lifestyles, noting that it is also a sign of the hatred and anger the ultranationalist and ra-cist circles in the country feel towards minorities, which they see as “foreign” and “the other.” In Kohen’s view, the emergence of the minaret crisis in Switzerland is a paradox because Switzerland is a country that managed to establish balance and harmony in domestic politics and seems like a multicultural nation that hosts many in-ternational institutions such as the United Nations. Re-ferring to the French Liberation newspaper, which said Switzerland was infected with the European virus, Ko-hen says the country showed that it was infected with the virus of discrimination, lack of tolerance, xenophobia, Is-lamophobia and populism. He states that this virus has infected many European countries which are known to be very democratic and modern such as France, Holland, Denmark and Austria. “Hard-line rightist parties in the-se countries foment fear and display their anger and hat-red of Muslims frequently to the public, and this results in the strengthening of radical religious movements in the-se countries, deepening polarization,” suggests Kohen.

Interpreting the referendum result in Switzerland as an apparent violation of human rights and freedom of re-ligion, Bugün’s Gülay Göktürk likens the minaret debate in the country to the headscarf debate in Turkey becau-se the arguments used by opponents of minarets and he-adscarves are the same. “Minarets are not mentioned in the Quran. Minarets are not a religious symbol but a po-litical symbol. If minarets are allowed in the country, this will be followed by the call to prayer and then a state of Shariah,” cites Göktürk as the argument of minaret op-ponents in Switzerland, which are the same as the argu-ments of the headscarf ban supporters in Turkey.

Sabah’s Erdal �afak criticizes Swiss politicians for failing to enlighten the public and leaving the stage to rightists, thinking that the public would not support the minaret ban. The results of the referendum, hence, sho-wed how these politicians were not interacting with the public, says �afak. “Now, they are looking for ways to fix this mistake, fearing the retaliation that may come from the Islamic world and fearing being isolated from the in-ternational community. I’m sure they’ll find a way to re-verse this,” says �afak.

CROSS READER

FATMA D��L� ZIBAKf.zibak@todayszaman.com

03TODAY’S ZAMANT H U R S D A Y, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9NATIONAL

�STANBUL 13°ANKARA 11°�ZM�R 17°ANTALYA 17°ADANA 19°ERZURUM 7°ED�RNE 13°TRABZON 16°KAYSER� 13°

KONYA 9°ÇANAKKALE 14°D�YARBAKIR 14°SAMSUN 17°BURSA 15°GAZ�ANTEP 15°ESK��EH�R 9°MALATYA 10°KOCAEL� 14°

CMYK

Turkish aid in Indonesia leaves lasting impression

Brotherhood between eastern and western Turkey strengthened

with Eid al-Adha visitThousands of people, including leading Turkish businessmen Hac� Boydak, Faruk Güllü, Haz�m

Sesli, Ahmet Sait Kavurmac� and Re� k Aydo�an, trav-eled to eastern regions of the country during Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacri� ce) with the Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There) charitable association, visiting ar-eas to cheer up residents and to help strengthen rela-tionships between eastern and western Turkey.

During the four-day Eid al-Adha, participants visited the residents of eastern provinces, including Diyarbak�r, ��rnak and Van, in their homes, giving meat to every house-hold as an Eid present. The residents from the eastern prov-inces thanked those coming from western regions of Turkey and said the bridge of brotherhood between eastern and western Turkey has been strengthened through these visits.

While stating that it is honorable to travel a long way to visit people in the East during Eid, Diyarbak�r Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Galip Ensario�lu stressed, “These people [who came to the eastern prov-inces for Eid] strengthened the unity and solidarity of Tur-key through the bridge of brotherhood they made.” Noting that improving dialogue between the people of eastern and western Turkey is of the utmost importance, Ensario�lu said they appreciated that the visitors from the West left their homes during Eid to celebrate with people in the East.

Batman Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chair-man Mehmet Teymur also said the visit proved that there is brotherhood between western and eastern Turkey, add-ing that “they made a gesture to the people of the region. They showed their love and respect for the people by visiting homes. We want such events to continue and to gradually increase. I hope our businessmen [from eastern Turkey] will go to visit those in need in western regions.”

Expressing that he found the visits very positive, ��rnak Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Osman Geli� said it was important that the visitors saw ��rnak with their own eyes, not through the media. “We are looking forward to other visits. Visits should not be limited to Eid visits. We cannot get to know each other only through the media, and it would be nice for us to go to western regions,” he added. While thanking the organizers, Van Industrial Businessmen’s Association Chairman Mehmet Çalda� said people who arrived from the west witnessed the lives of eastern people and that they got to know each other.

Necla Hattapo�lu, chairperson of a Diyarbak�r wom-en’s association, Hamdullah Sivri, chairman of a Van aid association, and Mehmet �ahin, chairman of a Mardin trade association, also expressed their support for such events and said activities such as this were more morally than materially satisfying. �stanbul Today’s Zaman

The assistance of Turkish people and aid associations in healing the wounds of Ban-da Aceh, a port in Indonesia, the world’s

largest Muslim country, badly hit by a tsunami in 2004 that left 300,000 dead and millions homeless, has left a permanent mark in the city’s infrastruc-ture and made lasting impressions on local people.

Residents of Banda Aceh who were impover-ished following the tsunami expressed their grati-tude during the distribution of sacri� cial meat at Eid al-Adha (the Feast of the Sacri� ce). Some families only have a monthly income of $100-150 and can afford meat just once a year. Charitable associations and individuals also look after orphans who lost their families during the tragedy � ve years ago.

Donations from Turkish people were used to renovate 1,050 residences, three schools, the city’s largest public hospital and numerous mosques. Turkish civil society organizations also provided emergency aid such as tents and food shortly after the tsunami hit.

Homes in a village built by the Turkish Red Crescent (K�z�lay) called K�z�lay Lampuuk Village were seen as exemplary in their standards.

“Turkey was one of the � rst countries in the world to provide for victims,” Ayd�n Evirgen, the Turkish ambassador to Indonesia, told the Anatolia news agency. Evirgen said that various Turkish civil

society organizations had helped victims in Banda Aceh, and although � nancial aid from Turkey had been far below that of other countries, Turkey had been very successful in revitalizing the region. “All this was appreciated in Indonesia,” he added.

Evirgen also noted that one of the biggest contributions by the Turkish people to those of

Banda Aceh was psychological rehabilitation. “They see our country as a trustworthy and friendly country. Culturally, the most comfort-able country here is Turkey,” Evirgen underlined.

The Turkish Red Crescent has launched proj-ects at a Red Crescent center to help Indonesians heal their psychological wounds, particularly wom-

en and children. Psychological counseling is of-fered by local Indonesian doctors every day of the week. There are educational activities in the cen-ter, too. “One can renovate buildings and repair physical establishments but repairing psychologi-cal damage is extremely dif� cult. The center has undertaken a very important task in this sense,”

Evirgen said, assessing the center’s activities.Turkish aid associations have also helped earth-

quake victims in the capital, Jakarta, and Padang since Banda Aceh. “This has raised Turkey’s pro� le in Indonesia. All this has caused Turkish people to be regarded with affection here,” Evirgen added.

Indonesian of� cials request Turkish schools for every city“We want a Turkish school in every city in Indo-nesia,” Turkish Ambassador to Indonesia Ayd�n Evirgen quoted Tau� k Kiemas, the Indonesian par-liament speaker, as saying at the Turkish Embassy while addressing Turkish aid workers and of� cials who had come to Indonesia because of Eid al-Adha.

“There has been notable progress in Indone-sia, and yet Turkish businessmen have not dis-covered Indonesia. Indonesian of� cials have re-peatedly praised Turkish schools here,” Evirgen said. “I visited Kiemas to congratulate him on his new post as parliament speaker, and we talked about the Turkish schools here. He said Indone-sia had reached a new horizon due to the suc-cess of Turkish schools in international science olympiads. Evirgen said Kiemas requested that every city in Indonesia have a Turkish school and kindly asked for priority to be given to his home-town, Palembang. �stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

Boydak Holding executive board head Hac� Boydak visited families in Diyarbak�r with the Kimse Yok Mu charitable association.

The assistance of Turkish people and aid associations has made a lasting impression on the local people of Indonesia’s Banda Aceh, which was hit by a tsunami in 2004, leaving 300,000 dead and millions homeless. Turkish Ambassador to Indonesia Ayd�n Evirgen (left in the first photo) said Indonesian officials want a Turkish school in every city in Indonesia.

Edited by | İHSAN DAĞI Middle East Technical University, Ankara

Published by | SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research

The Emergence of the ‘Government’s Perspective on the Kurdish Issue Ü M İ T C İ Z R E

The Rise and Decline of the Turkish “Deep State”: The Ergenekon Case S E R D A R K AYA

A Research Note on Islam, Democracy, and Secularism A H M E T T. K U R U

Peacemaking between America and the Muslim World: A New Beginning?N AT H A N C . F U N K

Turkey in the UN Security Council: Its Elections and Performance B E R D A L A R A L

Mapping the Pathways: Public Perception and Kurdish Question C E M A L E T T İ N H A Ş İ M İ

The Kurdish Question: The Reasons and Fortunes of the ‘Opening’ C E N G İ Z Ç A N D A R

Globalization and the Crisis of Authoritarian Modernization in Turkey H A S A N K Ö S E B A L A B A N

Democracy in Muslim Contexts: What Africa Can Bring to the Discussion? L E O N A R D O A . V I L L A L Ó N

Insight Turkey is a peer-reviewed academic journal covered by major indexing and abstracting systems and databases.

We welcome unsolicited manuscripts and article proposals.

For subscription and editorial inquiries you may contact us at insight@insightturkey.com

AN INSIGHTFUL REFERENCE FOR TURKISH POLITICS & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

CURRENT ISSUE: VOL. 11 NO. 4 2009

New Kurdish Initiative: Ready for a Solution?

Muslim Democracies: Changes and Challenges

Turkey in the UN Security Council

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04 TODAY’S ZAMAN T H U R S D AY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9 NATIONAL

CMYK

France has said it hoped the years-long con� ict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway mountain

region of Nagorno-Karabakh would be resolved “in months”. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said during a meeting of Europe’s main security body he was con� dent on Tuesday that a deal could be reached. The Organization of Se-curity and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has picked up the pace this year to clinch a peace agreement.

“In a peace process it is very dif� cult to force the door or to push too hard because this is very fragile,” he told reporters. “I am con� dent it will be done. Immediately? No. In the coming months? Yes.” France, Russia and the United States form OSCE’s Minsk group, which is leading peace negotiations. On Tuesday, they met the Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers in Athens and issued a statement saying progress had been made. “They stated the willingness of their countries to complete the work,” said the statement read by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Athens Reuters

Kouchner: Nagorno-Karabakh may be resolved in months

In West Point, New York, Obama an-nounced he would deepen the US involvement in Afghanistan, sending 30,000 more troops to � ght the Taliban. He also called for additional commitments from US allies and pledged to strengthen ties with Pakistan, where al-Qaeda and Taliban � ghters have been based.

Jeffrey, first of all, emphasized his coun-try’s great appreciation of Turkey’s diplomatic efforts vis-à-vis Afghanistan and Pakistan, its contribution to these two countries on eco-nomic and political fronts and its contribution to Afghanistan through its hundreds of non-combat troops as part of the NATO-led Inter-national Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

“But again, we’ll be asking for the Turks and for all of our allies to do even more,” Jeffrey said.

“What we’re asking of all of our allies is to pro-vide additional troops and to take on additional roles, particularly in protecting the population. We think that’s an extremely important mission and that’s at the core of our request. So we are look-ing at speci� c numbers, but we’re not releasing the numbers because the numbers are a question for discussion,” he replied when asked to elaborate on what he meant by “do even more.” He con� rmed that US of� cials have already shared this “speci� c number” with Turkish of� cials at “very high levels” during talks, both in Ankara and Washington, ad-mitting that the issue would likely be on the agenda of a White House meeting between Obama and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo�an on Dec. 7.

“First of all, every soldier in Afghanistan is a combat soldier in the sense that everybody has to carry a weapon and is subject to attack

by the Taliban. The speci� c missions to be car-ried out are something that is determined within NATO,” Jeffrey said when asked whether US has been asking Turkey for combat-troops.

When reminded of Ankara’s unwillingness to send combat troops, Jeffrey noted that every NATO member has been implementing its own “caveats,” imposed by contributor nations that restrict where their troops can be deployed or their range of tasks. He said he was not aware of the details of what speci� c missions are needed in Afghanistan, adding: “What I do know is gen-erally we want fewer caveats from everybody, we want more � exibility in carrying out the mis-sion. But the main mission is protecting the Af-ghani people, which is a mission that the Turkish troops are doing. We want to enhance that.”

Jeffrey’s remarks came a day before to-

day’s meeting in Brussels where Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto�lu will join his colleagues from NATO in order to discuss the US’s expectation that its fel-low NATO member-states supplement the buildup in Afghanistan with up to 10,000 of their own troops and military trainers.

In early November, Turkey, which was already supporting the ISAF with around 800 non-combat troops, took over the leadership of the Kabul Re-gional Command from France for a year. The num-ber of non-combat Turkish troops at the Kabul Regional Command has gradually been increased to 1,800 due to the assumption of the rotating lead-ership. So far, Turkey has consistently voiced its determination to refrain from sending any combat troops to Afghanistan, but it is yet not clear whether it will respond positively to the latest US demands.

US government asks Turkey to send more troops to Afghanistan

The government is preparing to ap-point new deputy governors for Eu-

ropean Union affairs in all of Turkey’s 81 provinces, a new step to boost Ankara’s troubled bid to join the 27-nation bloc, State Minister Egemen Ba���, who is also the chief negotiator for EU talks, has said.

Ba���, speaking to a group of journal-ists on the sidelines of his talks with se-nior EU officials -- including Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn -- in Brussels on Wednesday, said the new appoint-ments will be made soon. He said the EU process would gain new momentum if local administrators are also included in the efforts to bring Turkish standards into line with those of the EU. “In every province, there will be a deputy gover-

nor who will be in charge of EU affairs. We are working with the Interior Ministry. We will send about 150 EU experts into the provinces. The EU membership process is now making an impact throughout Turkey,” he said.

Turkey opened accession negotiations with the EU in 2005, but there has been lim-ited progress since then due to a dispute over Cyprus and objections in certain EU countries against Turkish accession. Surveys show pub-lic enthusiasm for EU membership has de-clined considerably in Turkey in recent years. Ba��� said new units are being created within the Prime Ministry’s Secretariat-General for EU Affairs -- the main state body that specializes in coordinating the process of harmonization with the EU’s extensive regulations, called the acquis communau-taire -- to better deal with the technical requirements of the membership process.

The chief negotiator also said the EU Commission’s latest progress report on Tur-key, released in autumn, showed that Turkey was in a good situation compared to previous years. Noting that past reports extensively highlighted issues of freedom of speech and human rights violations, Ba��� said this year’s report has noted progress in all these � elds. “There is nothing in the progress report that would make us ashamed now,” he added.

Ba��� also claimed that there are more obstacles in Turkey than in Eu-rope towards Turkey’s accession, say-ing illegal anti-government groups are hindering the process. “There are criminal groups trying to hinder the EU member-ship process. We are very determined, as the government, and will not allow this,” Ba��� said, in apparent reference to the shadowy Ergenekon network.

Among the areas in which Turkey has long been resistant to complying with European standards is its arms acqui-sition business, still lucrative despite the economic crisis. Added to the problem is the Turkish military’s autonomous status that allows its heavy involvement in politics. A current trial of coup plotters that includes some retired generals and active of� cers has raised expectations that this will pave the way for an end to the military’s tradition of staging coups.

Although the deep state or Ergenekon trial has started, there has been no talk or intention to inves-tigate Turkey’s problematic arms acquisition methods that have been conducted in a secret fashion while leaving the heavy � nancial burden on the taxpayer.

There has been no scrutiny in Parliament over arms buying, thus preventing a debate on the rationale of arms purchases. Turkey’s Undersecretariat for the Defense In-dustry (SSM), though af� liated to the civilian authority, has long been controlled by the military in a de facto fashion. This is despite the fact that the existing laws also dictate that a clear boundary be set between the user, i.e., the mili-tary and the buyer, i.e., the SSM or the civilian authority.

Due to the absence of transparency in the arms pro-curement process, Turkey’s inventory is sometimes � lled with arms that are not necessary in meeting today’s threat perceptions of asymmetric warfare. While Turkey contin-ues buying conventional arms, such as submarines, there are not adequate level of arms such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), attack helicopters and other intelligence-gathering equipment required in an effective � ght against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a war secu-rity forces have been waging for the past 24 years.

Existing laws that regulate methods of arms purchasing, meanwhile, have frequently been violated due to the absence of any civilian democratic oversight of arms buying.

However, there are some legal steps being taken that may finally pave the way for the judicial process to start investigating arms-buying methods in Turkey.

Ahmet Boynue�ri, an electronics engineer working for the SSM since its creation in 1985, has made some im-provement in his legal battle since 2006 for the prosecution of 11 former senior and junior level of� cers. He claimed that they caused serious losses to the country’s economy when they violated the existing laws that set out guidelines for the establishment of a sound Turkish defense industry base.

Boynue�ri � led a complaint back in April 2006 with the Military Prosecutor’s Of� ce of the Turkish General Staff as well as with the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Of� ce, to inves-tigate 11 of� cers, including two former chiefs of staff and a service commander, over charges that they violated the law by intervening in many arms acquisition projects such as the Israeli modernization of M 60 tanks, and F-4 and F-5 jet fighters. He claimed that these officers used their in-fluence in contracting the tenders to specific companies preventing a fair negotiating process from taking place thus hindering the creation of a sound local defense in-dustry infrastructure. Turkey is dependant on foreign coun-tries for about 75 per cent of its critical arms technologies.

Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül stated that there was no need for an investigation into the of� cers sub-ject to Boynue�ri’s complaint and Ankara Chief Prosecu-tor’s Of� ce did not initiate an investigation either.

However, Boynue�ri stubbornly re-initiated his legal proceedings last month through the 11th and 13th heavy criminal courts in Ankara and �stanbul, which are in charge of the Ergenekon case, to have his complaints merged with the deep state trial. Some names included in his allegations are currently being tried by the court on charges of inciting armed action to unseat the government.

There are now reports that inspectors from the Finance Ministry will initiate an examination of his claims.

In a parallel process, Boynue�ri applied recently to the Strasbourg-based International Court of Human Rights over charges that the Turkish General Staff and the Ministry of Defense prevented an investiga-tion based on his claims about the Turkish officers.

Regardless of whether the criminal court will decide to merge Boynue�ri’s claims with the Ergenekon investiga-tion, the fact that he initiated a legal process over Turkey’s seriously problematic arms purchases is a step forward in opening a comprehensive debate on the future of the issue.

It is worth bearing in mind that without the strength of the arms that they are carrying, the military cannot stage coups that deal a serious blow to any country’s moves towards democratization.

Bureaucrat’s legal

� ght �n arms deals

LALEKEMAL

loglu@todayszaman.com

MUSTAFA ÜNAL BRUSSELS

Davuto�lu, Calmy-Rey d�scuss

new referendum �n m�naret row

“Unless timely measures are taken, the issue could snowball instantly and turn

into a global crisis,” Davuto�lu told Calmy-Rey when they met on Tuesday afternoon.

He told reporters that Calmy-Rey was aware of how important the issue is and add-ed that he sensed that the Swiss minister was ready to take measures to address the situa-tion. When holding a new referendum on the ban was discussed, Calmy-Rey did not rule it out, saying such options are available. A new referendum requires 100,000 signatures de-manding a new public vote to reverse the ban.

The proposal to reverse the ban with a new referendum has supporters among the European Greens as well. In remarks to Swiss state television on Tuesday night, European Greens co-chair Daniel Cohn-Bendit said that a referendum to reverse the decision should be held in one year’s time.

The minaret ban is a slap in the face to Muslims, and the issue should be taken to the polls again in a year, he said. “Democracy doesn’t always come up with the right answer. During World War II the vast majority of Ger-mans were opposed to Jews,” he added.

Speaking to Today’s Zaman on the mar-gins of the OSCE gathering on Tuesday, Calmy-Rey said her government did not back the ban. She said she was herself shocked by the referendum result, in which 57.5 percent voted in favor of the minaret ban, but added that this should not be interpreted as a sign of anti-Muslim sentiment in her society.

The foreign minister said the tension could be attributed to the global � nancial crisis and the ensuing � nancial dif� culties people were facing. “We must increase dialogue to get to know one another better, and to learn more about each other’s culture. We need to do this not just with Muslims, but with other religious communities as well,” she said, noting that there were 400,000 well-integrated Muslims living in Switzerland who were able to perform their religious duties without any problem.

Swiss voters adopted the ban in a ref-erendum on Sunday, defying the govern-ment and parliament, which had rejected the right-wing initiative as violating the Swiss constitution, freedom of religion and a cherished tradition of tolerance.

Turkey has joined an international chorus of critics of the ban, which included the UN Com-

missioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and European human rights watchdog the Council of Europe, with Turkish leaders saying the ban is in violation of inherent rights. In a speech on Tuesday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo�an said such rights should never be put to referen-dum. The Foreign Ministry called on Switzerland to correct the situation in a statement released on Tuesday. President Abdullah Gül said the ban showed how Islamophobia was spreading

in Europe and opposition leaders lashed out at Europe, saying the ban was a “black stain” on Europe’s record of human rights and freedoms.

Davuto�lu requested a last-minute change in the text of his speech at the OSCE gathering on Wednesday when he found out that the earlier text did not in-clude any reference to the minaret ban. The revised text included a paragraph, say-ing that the Swiss ban was not in line with

freedom of religion, protection of which is a key responsibility for the OSCE.

In a sign that the Swiss referendum could set an example across Europe, Italy’s far-right coalition partner Northern League said Italy, too, should adopt legislative changes to allow referendums on issues that are currently not put to public vote. The Northern League’s proposal, however, is not ex-pected to receive support from other parties.

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Turkey’s relations with neighboring Greece will further improve under the new govern-ment of Prime Minister George Papandreou, the architect of a rapprochement with Tur-key in the late 1990s, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto�lu said yesterday.

Davuto�lu, who had a 45-minute meet-ing with Papandreou on the margins of a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said he expected serious positive developments in

Turkish-Greek relations that will also have implications for the eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus. He did not elaborate. Noting that there are issues of disagreement be-tween the two countries, Davuto�lu added: “But there are more issues in which we are in agreement. What is important is to focus on the wide opportunities of cooperation.”

Speaking after his talks with Papandreou, Davuto�lu said the Turkish and Greek sides shared their visions for the future of ties dur-

ing the meeting. “I see a very strong ground to boost Turkish-Greek relations,” he added.

Davuto�lu said high level political dialogue between Turkey and Greece would increase and that economic rela-tions would be strengthened.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo�an sent a letter to Papandreou on Aug. 30 out-lining a set of proposals to clear disputes, including the deep-seated territorial dis-agreements in the Aegean. Hasan Hac� Athens

Foreign minister sees bright era ahead in Greek ties

cont�nued from page 1

New deputy governors to boost Turkey’s EU bid

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Egemen Ba���

Gov’t to restore Tunceli’s name, find missing graves of rebellion leaders

‘Only so many lines can be wiretapped’ Disappointed by CHP, Alevis seek new political choices

Alevis are looking for new political choices, as one in� uential Alevi leader

has announced plans to join a new political party following offensive remarks from main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Onur Öymen.

Alevi-Bekta�i Federation (ABF) Chairman Ali Balk�z announced on Monday that they would consider joining a new political party, as they might collaborate with the Social Demo-cratic People’s Party (SHP). SHP leader Hüseyin Ergün has said that they will become a party for the masses with the participation of the Alevis.

Ergün has been engaged in talks with the leaders of the Dec. 10 Movement, which was launched by the Confederation of Revolution-ary Workers’ Unions (D�SK). Their spokesman, Burhan �enatalar, had said that the CHP is no longer a social democratic party and that Tur-key, therefore, needs a new party to � ll this gap.

The leaders of the Dec. 10 Movement in-clude R�za Türmen, a former judge at the Euro-pean Court of Human Rights, D�SK Chairman Süleyman Çelebi, �brahim Kabo�lu, a profes-sor of law, and former Ambassador �lter Turan, as well as academics Ahmet �nsel, Mithat San-car, Fuat Keyman and Erol Kat�rc�o�lu.

The SHP’s Ergün, who has also been talking with independent deputy Ufuk Uras, also said that they will make their party’s new manifesto public by the end of the year. He added that they will review their name, bylaws and party program too.

“When there is a right choice, everything will change,” Ergün said regarding the situa-tion, which he termed a “lack of alternatives” for the Alevi citizens.

In a Nov. 10 session on the government’s plans to solve the Kurdish issue, former diplo-mat and CHP Deputy Chairman Öymen made a speech in Parliament in which he said: “Didn’t mothers also cry at the time of the Sheikh Said Rebellion? Didn’t mothers also cry at the time of the Dersim Rebellion?” in response to the gov-ernment’s use of the phrase “Let no more moth-ers cry” as part of its efforts to end the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) campaign of terror. His words left Alevis, who traditionally give consid-erable support to the CHP, infuriated.

At the same time, Öymen’s remarks brought the 1938 events that took place in Dersim, today known as Tunceli, into the lime-light. The issue has long been glossed over. The Kurdish name of Dersim was changed to Tunceli in 1935. The government in 1937 formed a restructuring plan for the city, to evacuate it and issue permits to grant residency in the province. Members of a group that re-belled against the plan were executed by the state. Tunceli now has the lowest population among all of Turkey’s provinces.

‘Radical democrat’The new movement, which includes the ABF, SHP and leaders like independent deputy Uras, has no name yet. Sancar once said that it could be named the “New Left Center Party.”

They had their � rst meeting on July 4 and another on Sept. 13. They are expected to have their bylaws completed in January.

Uras said that the party will be a movement basing itself on “equal citizenship rights.” He also said that they will be an alternative to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

“The alternative to the AK Party will emerge from our left movement, not from a structure that supports Ergenekon,” Uras said, referring to a neo-nationalist gang believed to be the ex-tension of a clandestine network of groups with members in the armed forces which was plot-ting a coup against the government.

D�SK Chairman Çelebi voiced similar views.“As the Dec. 10 Movement, we had ex-

pressed very clearly four years ago -- before the Ergenekon investigation started -- that we are against all kinds of coups and anti-demo-cratic moves,” Çelebi said adding that he will represent himself, not D�SK, in the new party.

Regarding the views of the movement on eco-nomic matters, Bilgi University Professor Kat�rc�o�lu said they defend the free market economy and sup-port some state interference in the system.

He said Balk�z’s statements have been in-terpreted as though there is a certain agree-ment on the issues, but they are still working on the principles.

Kat�rc�o�lu, who is also a columnist at Taraf daily, said that the new movement is “left” and “social democratic” but the best description of it should be “radical democratic.”

His explanation regarding this de� nition is:“No matter what social background peo-

ple have, we would like to be a movement of conscience and justice for the people who were disadvantaged by the present system; be they Alevis, Kurds, religious people, job-less, Roma people or anyone else.”

Information Technologies and Communication Board (BTK) head Tayfun Acarer has stated

that it is impossible for the Telecommunications Ad-ministration (T�B) to wiretap and monitor the phone conversations of 72 million people, an allegation di-rected at the T�B by some groups.

Stating that such paranoid accusations are false, Acarer said: “For one thing, T�B does not monitor many conversations. What’s more, they have 80 people on their staff. It is impossible to listen to the conversations of 72 million with such a small group of people. And it is not T�B which monitors conver-sations. It’s the police department, the gendarmerie or the National Intelligence Agency [M�T].”

He also said there have been recent attempts to make completely legal wiretapping orders look as though they are illegal. He said it was impossible for an illegal interception to be accepted as evidence in court. “Everyone should be happy, since T�B was founded and the legislation on legal interceptions has gone into force. I am very comfortable. If they need to monitor my conversations, that means I am such a person whose conversations should be monitored.”

Reiterating that T�B does not monitor phone conversations, Acarer explained: “Wiretapping is done by the M�T, the police or the gendarmerie. They � rst � le a request with a prosecutor, who in turn re-lays this to a court. If the judge issues a warrant, the decision is relayed to T�B. If the T�B decides that the judge’s warrant is in line with legislation, it will al-

low wiretapping. In this case, the institution that requested to wiretap a certain phone line gets the permission and does this by its own devices. T�B’s responsibility here is to inspect whether the judge’s warrant is in line with current legislation or not.”

Telecommunications Minister Binali Y�ld�r�m had also stated that it is impossible to track the phone conversa-tions of 72 million people, in the face of such allegations. “For one thing, in Turkey, there are more than 185 million phone conversations taking place every day. This amounts to more than 4 million hours. To be able to monitor 4 mil-lion hours, 2 million employees should work eight hours a day, including Saturday and Sunday. In other words, we would have to assign all public servants to this job. … The claim that the entire population’s phone conversations are being monitored is impossible in reality.”

CMYK

Fethi �im�ek

European citizens wiretapped more than Turkish citizens

As the row continues between the gov-ernment and several judges over claims that a chief public prosecutor and mem-

bers of the Supreme Court of Appeals have been wiretapped for a long time as part of an ongo-ing probe into the clandestine organization Er-genekon, research conducted by the Ministry of Justice has revealed that several mature democ-racies in Europe are involved in more wiretap-ping than Turkey. The ministry addressed the claims by revealing the amount of wiretapping in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.

A study on the amount of the wiretapping in European democracies revealed that Turkey’s wiretapping law is based on French law. France is the most wiretapped country in Europe. In a comparison made with France, the UK, Ger-many and Italy, Turkey fared much better than these countries in the wiretapping of public of-� cials and citizens suspected of criminal activity.

Wiretapping was made legal through laws adopted in Germany in 1968, Austria in 1974, Switzerland in 1979, the UK in 1985, Italy in 1988 and France in 1991. The Law on Fighting Criminal Organizations adopted by Turkey in 1999 also made wiretapping legal. However, the grounds for wiretapping were reduced through a change in the law in 2004 during the Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) tenure.

Research undertaken by the Ministry of Jus-tice has revealed that the period of wiretapping is limited to six months in Turkey. This period was nine months before the AK Party came to power in 2002. Nearly 70,000 people are wire-tapped in Turkey every year. The AK Party re-duced the number of wiretapped people through a change in the law in 2004. The ministry has also discovered that security forces complain about the six-month time limit on wiretapping criminal and drug traf� cking organizations as these organizations’ activities are constant.

To wiretap, a court ruling is a must. The wire-

tapping records are destroyed in the case that no crime is detected. If the chief public prosecu-tor’s of� ce decides that there was no need for the wiretap, they have to inform the person in ques-tion that they were wiretapped and tell them the reason, duration and the result of the wiretapping in a written form within 15 days. Consequently, those who believe that they were wiretapped without a reason can sue for compensation.

The destruction of the wiretapping records in European countries has stricter applications. If a person in the UK has suspicions that he was be-ing wiretapped, after he � les a complaint, the in-

terception of communications commissioner can inform the person in question whether they have been wiretapped and the results of the wiretap-ping. The French government does not have to inform people about the details of the wiretap-ping. In Germany, the government has to inform a person that they have been wiretapped after the investigation has been completed; however, there are many exceptions to this rule. The Italian government does not have to reveal the details of the wiretapping. As a result of its research, the Ministry of Justice has summarized the situation of wiretapping in other countries as such:

The United Kingdom: The initial approval for a wiretapping operation is given for two months. This period can be extended for six months at a time if it is found to be in the interests of the country’s security or economy. There is no time limit on wiretapping in the UK. In emergency situations, security forces can wiretap without court approval if a court decision has not been made within two days. The person under sur-veillance can be wiretapped at any location.

Germany: Initial approval for the wiretap-ping of an individual is given for three months, and their of� ce is permitted to be wiretapped for four weeks. If the reasons for the initial wiretap-ping operation continue, permission can be ex-tended for three-month periods. As in the UK, there is no ultimate time limit in wiretapping. In emergency cases, decisions about wiretapping are made within three days.

France: Legally, wiretapping can be done through an executive order or judicial deci-sion. In the event there is proof of a crime, an executive order can be converted to a judicial decision. With an executive order, wiretapping can be done for four months, but can be ex-tended by an additional four months if neces-sary. Judicial permission for wiretapping can be given for a period of 12 months. There is no ultimate time limit on the wiretapping in France. Wiretapping can be done everywhere. Nearly 30,000 people are wiretapped in France every year. The government also monitors the Internet data of 100,000 people.

Italy: Legally, wiretapping can be done through executive order or a prosecutor’s deci-sion. Of all the European Union countries, Italy wiretaps through executive orders the most. In Operation Clean Hands alone, when the Italian judiciary attempted to uncover one of the big-gest corruption scandals in Italian politics, 5,000 people were wiretapped. Prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro, who was in charge of the investigation, said not wiretapping criminals is the same as giving them a Ferrari to escape.

NATIONAL T H U R S DAY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9 TODAY’S ZAMAN05

Justice Ministry research reveals that several democracies in Europe wiretap more than Turkey does.

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ERCAN YAVUZ ANKARA

As part of its democratization initiative, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government

is preparing to restore the Kurdish name of the eastern province of Tunceli and � nd the missing graves of rebel-lion leaders in the region and inform their families.

Since Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Onur Öymen last month defended the vio-lent suppression of a rebellion in 1937 in the Alevi-dom-inated province of Tunceli, the Dersim Rebellion has occupied the agenda of the country, with many ques-tioning the background of the rebellion and the violent way it was suppressed.

During a speech in Parliament on Nov. 10 criticizing the government’s Kurdish initiative, which seeks to expand the rights of Kurds in Turkey to alleviate and ultimately end the separatist terrorism of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Öymen said: “Didn’t mothers also cry at the time of the Sheikh Said Rebellion? Didn’t mothers also cry at the time of the Dersim Rebellion?” in response to the gov-ernment’s use of the phrase “Let no more mothers cry” as part of its efforts to end the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) campaign of terrorism.

Öymen’s remarks led to an outcry among the Alevis.Visiting Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo�an at the Prime Ministry on Tuesday, a delegation from Tunceli headed by Tunceli Education and Health Foundation

President Kaz�m Ar�k made two requests to Erdo�an. One of their requests was for the restoration of the name Dersim in place of Tunceli and the other was for the missing graves of the rebellion leaders Seyit R�za and Sheikh Sait to be found.

During the meeting, Interior Minister Be�ir Ata-lay, AK Party deputy leaders Hüseyin Çelik and Salih Kapusuz and AK Party deputies Reha Çamuro�lu and �brahim Yi�it of Alevi origin were also in attendance. Taking notes of the Alevi requests, Erdo�an told the del-egation that the government would hold two more Al-evi workshops in addition to the � ve already held so far and added: “A declaration will be prepared after these workshops. I think your requests will be included in this declaration. We will make short, medium and long-term studies regarding the Alevis’ problems. In time, you will see your problems being solved one by one.”

Speaking to Today’s Zaman, Kapusuz said the Alevi delegation’s requests were just and right. “It is possible to meet these demands. But the prime minister did not say these demands will be immediately ful� lled but he said he will take a close interest in the issue.”

Following the meeting, Erdo�an asked Atalay whether it was possible to change Tunceli’s name to Dersim. Atalay said it could be done through a law and no referendum was needed for a change. Upon this, Erdo�an ordered the preparation of a draft law that will make the name change possible. Ercan Yavuz Ankara

A delegation from Tunceli visiting Prime Minister Erdo�an requested that Tunceli’s name be restored to Dersim and that the missing graves of the rebellion leaders Seyit R�za and Sheikh Sait be found.

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SEL�M KUVEL ANKARA

Turkish university to begin operations in Nigeria

DTP: Country in danger because Öcalan placed in smaller room Barkey: Gov’t plan far-reaching step for Kurdish problem

A US political expert considers the demo-cratic initiative, launched by the govern-

ment with the goal of achieving a solution to Tur-key’s Kurdish problem by granting more rights and freedoms to Kurdish citizens, as the most comprehensive attempt at solving the problem.

“The democratic initiative, which is a real opportunity for the resolution of the Kurdish problem, is the most comprehensive and con-sistent initiative that has been carried out,” said Henri Barkey, an expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a professor of international relations on leave from Lehigh University, in a conference titled “Kurdish Opening in Turkey: Origins and Fu-ture?” at the Carnegie Endowment in Wash-ington, D.C., on Tuesday. He stressed that since the end of Turgut Özal’s presidency in 1993, there had not been any serious non-mil-itary attempts to solve the Kurdish problem in Turkey. Although he does not know whether it will be successful or not, Barkey said the cur-rent Kurdish opening is the most inclusive step concerning the Kurdish question since then. “It has signaled a change in the mentality to-wards this issue. It is important.”

Commenting on the factors that triggered the start of the democratic initiative, Barkey indicated the war in Iraq and US plans for withdrawal from Iraq and emphasized the dramatic change in Tur-key’s politics vis-à-vis northern Iraq. “The rela-tions between Turkey and the Kurds in northern Iraq have changed in the last year, and Turks and Kurds have become closer,” he said.

Barkey also stated that the outlawed Kurd-istan Workers’ Party (PKK) is not backed by the local Kurds in northern Iraq and argued that the PKK realized violence is useless. He talked about National Intelligence Organiza-tion (M�T) Undersecretary Emre Taner’s visit to northern Iraq in the early 2000s and said the democratic initiative had not been launched recently but rather some years ago.

Backing away from the initiative is impossibleBarkey also pointed out the change in mental-ity occurring in the Turkish military and re-called the statements of Chief of General Staff Gen. �lker Ba�bu� that said it was impossible to reach a solution to the Kurdish question through military means.

It is widely argued that without a peace-ful solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey, the candidate country’s full � edged European Union membership is not seen as possible, said Barkey, stressing that there may be some problems in the process as well as some in its procedure, but that stepping back from the ini-tiative was impossible.

Furthermore, Steven Cook from the Coun-cil on Foreign Relations, a think tank in the US, claimed that Turkey’s steps that ensure the po-litical stability of northern Iraq will be welcomed and supported by the US administration and added that the Kurdish problem, however, has always been seen by the US as a domestic issue for Turkey. He also underlined that the four im-portant points that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo�an will discuss with US President Barack Obama on his visit to Washington on Dec. 6 are Afghanistan-Pakistan, �ran, Armenia and An-kara’s relations with the Kurdish administration in northern Iraq. �stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

Nigerian Turkish Nile University (NTNU), a Turk-ish university, will open its doors to students on

Dec. 9 in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.The NTNU is the product of a network of Turkish

high schools in various Nigerian states including Ka-duna, Kano, Lagos, Abuja and Yobe.

Stating that a university campus must sit on at least 1,000 decares of land under Nigerian law, NTNU Vice Chancellor Levent Alt�ntop told the Anatolia news agency that the land for the NTNU was provided by the Nigerian president and the foundation of the university was laid on Jan. 20.

After the completion of the university buildings, the Nigerian government granted the university its license, allowing it to begin operations on Dec. 9.

“We took the chairman and several of� cials from the National Universities Commission [NUC] of Ni-geria, which functions the same as the Higher Educa-tion Board [YÖK] in Turkey, to Turkey and visited a

number of Turkish educational institutions. After see-ing our institutions, the NUC of� cials approved the of� cial opening of the NTNU within a year. Our uni-versity, one of 41 private universities in Nigeria, will start its � rst academic year with 400 students. Cur-rently about 300 students, 40 of whom are Turkish, have enrolled at the university, and the enrollment period is still continuing,” Alt�ntop explained.

Pointing out that there will be 10 departments, in-cluding science, engineering and management facul-ties, at the university, Alt�ntop noted they have hired 15 Turkish lecturers with advanced English levels and plan to hire Nigerian lecturers as well.

The vice chancellor further said that they aim to increase the educational level of not only Nigerians but also others residing in Africa and added that they plan to open a faculty of medicine within two years to meet the demand of Nigeria and Africa in health issues. �stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

The pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) has begun to portray the living condi-

tions of imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan as the priority of the Kurd-ish people and urged the government to improve his living conditions immediately, warning that anything to the contrary would drag the country into clashes.

“The �mral� system should be abandoned im-mediately and not used as a tool to blackmail and threaten [others]. [Doing otherwise] will take the country to a dangerous point,” DTP leader Ahmet Türk said at a press conference yesterday. The con-ference was also attended by several DTP deputies.

Öcalan is serving a life sentence in a prison on �mral� Island, located off the coast of �stanbul. He was the sole inmate until recently, but eight other convicts have now been transferred to the island, and he was placed in a different cell.

Öcalan’s lawyers claim his new cell is six-and-a-half square meters, compared to the old cell’s 12 square meters. The new cell’s window is reportedly high and cannot be looked through unassisted. Öcalan, in his latest meeting with his lawyers last week, warned that his new prison conditions are harming his health.

In a written statement released on Monday, the

PKK also depicted Öcalan’s new cell as a “death hole” and claimed that the aim of the move is to kill him. The same statement also suggested that they consider Öcalan’s health to be the health of the “Kurdish nation.”

In order to protest the conditions Öcalan is in, illegal and violent demonstrations began across the

country on Nov. 27, the anniversary of the estab-lishment of the PKK terrorist organization.

“There are certain issues on which the Kurds are sensitive. The � rst and foremost of these is Öca-lan and his living conditions,” Türk said.

He urged the European Committee for the Pre-vention of Torture (CPT) to pay an immediate visit to the island to examine Öcalan’s new living condi-tions. The CPT has already visited the island four times and prepared reports critical of his situation.

Türk claimed that the recent changes were made to “improve” Öcalan’s situation but in real-ity do the exact opposite. He also suggested that a commission should be established by civil society organizations and politicians to visit Öcalan.

“The conditions under which Öcalan will con-tribute to peace should be created,” he said.

Türk claimed that Kurds take personally all posi-tive and negative approaches to �mral�. “�mral� serves as a mirror for the process that the government has described as the democratization initiative. If this process is to turn into a real democratization process, one prerequisite must be met: �mral�,” he said.

He further added that a process in which Öca-lan is ignored and neglected and dialogue is blocked will not serve to solve the problem, but rather will deepen it. “While conditions on �mral� get worse, talks about a process are not convincing,” Türk said.

The government at the end of the summer launched an initiative to solve Turkey’s decades-old Kurdish question and termed the process the de-mocratization initiative.

The government chose “More freedom for ev-eryone” as the slogan of the initiative and it fre-quently underlined that it will never consider dis-cussing the issue with the PKK, saying the only party with a voice in this process is the nation itself.

The government also suggested that the de-mocratization initiative will take place in several phases and as one of the very � rst steps, there will be mechanisms established such as an anti-dis-crimination institution which is to monitor claims of discrimination. Another government plan is to have names of settlements and geographical places revert to their original Kurdish names.

Türk described these government attempts as “tactics to delay the matter.”

“The question is whether to recognize the exis-tence of Kurds in the Constitution,” he said.

Türk also claimed that the government aims to “eliminate the dynamics of Kurds with the assis-tance of foreign powers.”

“The government, instead of developing elimi-nation plans with foreign forces, should develop solutions with internal dynamics immediately and without any further delay,” he said.

CMYK

Ahmet Türk

Recent �nc�dents reveal

PKK-Ergenekon partnersh�p

Recent clashes in both eastern and western cities of Turkey between Kurdish and Turkish groups do not appear to be coincidental and are more than likely to be proof of a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Ergenekon partnership.

These incidents started on Oct. 30 and have since systematically escalated. In a recent meet-ing with his lawyers, jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan stated that the Turkish state is trying to destroy him, perhaps cause his death by gradual-ly poisoning him. On the day Öcalan said this to his lawyers, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto�lu was in Arbil speaking to Massoud Barzani, head of the Iraqi Kurdish regional government. Up to that point, Öcalan had made statements sup-porting the government’s democratic initia-tive that seeks to end terrorism by giving more rights to the country’s Kurds. However, after the government’s plan for a rapprochement with northern Iraq, Öcalan turned against the demo-cratic initiative, believing that the government is working to eliminate the PKK by establishing dialogue with northern Iraq. Following Öcalan’s statements about others allegedly planning to kill him, the Kurdistan Democratic Confedera-tion (KCK) -- the PKK’s urban arm -- started provoking incidents across the country.

The places where these incidents occurred also hint that they have been carefully picked. Mersin, where the � rst incidents began, is a pilot city for Ergenekon, which is remembered for the burning of Turkish � ags in the Nevruz celebrations -- a spring festival marked mainly by Kurds -- of 2005. Later, it was revealed that Ali Kutlu -- now a suspect in Ergenekon -- gave Turkish � ags to children and told them to burn them to foment chaos. An unidenti� ed witness

and a former Ergenekon member who testi-� ed to prosecutors conducting the Ergenekon investigation also con� rmed that the 2005 � ag burning incident was organized by the group. According to this, Ergenekon members that in-� ltrate groups of opposing views provoke them to make sure there are clashes.

Eastern cities saw demonstrations orga-nized by the KCK, but in the West, there were other kinds of protests and even attempts to lynch Kurdish individuals. Last week, an inci-dent in Çanakalle Bayramiç occurred. The � ght, which started out as a discussion between two men over a woman, turned into a Kurdish-Turkish clash. A similar � ght between Turkish and Kurdish groups on Apr. 27, 2008 resulted

in the death of one person. A probe into that incident showed that most of the main suspects were from outside Sakarya, brought to town just to start incidents. Like the events of 2008, recent clashes between Democratic Society Party (DTP) members and nationalist groups have shown that the Ergenekon-PKK link is � rmly in place. Both organizations are working to sabotage the democratic initiative and Tur-key’s dialogue with northern Iraq.

In these incidents, the primary subject of these groups’ cell organizations is to turn frivo-lous brawls into lynching attempts, playing peo-ple with ethnic differences against each other. The common target here also shows that the two groups have complex and strong links.

The Nigerian Turkish Nile University will open its doors to students on Dec. 9 in the capital city of Abuja.

TODAY’S ZAMAN NATIONALT H U R S DAY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 906

The head of the DTP’s �zmir branch alleges that an attack on a DTP convoy was planned, not a momentary reaction.

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‘We try to restrain dangerous groups’The head of the DTP’s �zmir branch has ac-knowledged that there is a risk of provoca-tion but noted that his party always tries to restrain those groups that it has influence over. Speaking about incidents in �zmir when nationalists attacked a DTP convoy on Nov. 23, he said: “They [DTP affiliated groups] called us. Told us ‘let us go there and give them the answer they deserve.’ We don’t want to allow such things. We don’t want to undermine peace. Everyone should contrib-ute to the peace process, but unfortunately, there are those who cause tension.” He also said the �zmir convoy attack was not a momentary reaction; on the contrary, it had been planned. He said, however, his party was having difficulty stopping clashes and incidents occurring in the East. “These are their democratic demands. Of course, we are not on the side of violence and fighting.” Kubilay said, and also criticized the police for not intervening in a timely manner to pre-vent the events in �zmir.

‘Serious provocation in �zmir events’Yavuz Alphan, head of �zmir Martyrs’ Fami-lies Human Rights and Solidarity Associa-tion, said the events in �zmir occurred due to intense provocation and warned national-ist groups against using families of soldiers killed in clashes with the terrorist PKK. He said he was deeply saddened by the inci-dents and criticized the protestors for chant-ing slogans like, “Martyrs don’t die; the coun-try cannot be divided.” He said those who never visited their association or the home of a family whose child or children were slain should never use such words. Alphan said violence would never get anyone anywhere. Terror should have been axed in 30 years. We should act with common sense,” he said.

AY�E KARABAT ANKARA

Human Rights Foundation to set up data bank for missing persons

The Turkish Human Rights Foundation (T�HV) is planning to establish a data bank

for the relatives of people who disappeared in southeastern Anatolia during the 1990s. During those years, some suspects in the Ergenekon case -- the investigation into an underground terrorist organization -- were posted in the Southeast as state of� cials, when many extra-judicial killings took place. According to various human rights organizations, during the ‘90s around 17,000 people were the victims of extra-judicial killings and approximately 1,500 people disappeared, most of them whilst in custody.

T�HV chairperson and forensic expert �ebnem Fincanc� Korur said the importance of a data bank which includes a DNA bank was par-amount. She said that the T�HV has started to collect information on 150 people. For that, the organization will receive support from various other civil society groups like the Human Rights Association (�HD), Solidarity Association for Bereaved Families (YAKAY-DER) and the As-sociation of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUM-DER). “Digs should be done scienti� cally. Most of the times, bulldozers go into an area where the bodies of the missing persons might lie. They destroy evi-dence because they lack the know-how,” Korur said. Emine Dolmac� / Melik Duvakl� �stanbul

NEWS ANALYSIS

TODAY’S ZAMAN

Melik Duvakl�

CMYK

Jordan, Turkey sign free trade deal, scrap visa requirements

Turkish President Abdullah Gül and Jordan’s King Abdullah II signed a long-awaited free trade agreement

on Tuesday as part of of� cial talks to further economic relations between the two countries.

“The free trade agreement, which was sig-ned today, is key to enhancing bilateral eco-nomic cooperation and boosting trade as well as investments between Jordan and Turkey,” a statement from the palace quoted the king telling Gül. “The two sides discussed efforts to strengthen cooperation in the � elds of trans-port and energy,” the statement added.

The free trade agreement abolishes all tariff and non-tariff barriers on trade while aiming to strengthen economic, technical and industrial

cooperation between the two countries. The go-vernments also agreed to scrap visa requirements.

Turkey has been negotiating a free trade deal with Jordan since 2005. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo�an and his Jordanian counter-part, Nader Dahabi, agreed last month in Ankara to sign the agreement before the end of the year.

A statement by the Turkish Foreign Trade Ministry stated yesterday that the agreement will contribute to commercial relations with an aim to increase annual trade volume between the two nations from $486 million as of the end of 2008 to $1 billion within two years. Trade betwe-en the two countries in the � rst half of this year exceeded $150 million, while Turkish invest-ments in Jordan were estimated at $90 million.

Gül participated in a ceremony on Wednes-day to inaugurate a $990 million plan to extract 100 million cubic meters of water a year from the 300,000-year-old Disi aquifer in southern Jordan. The four-year project is being carried out by Tur-kish construction giant GAMA.

Gül is on a three-day visit to Jordan until Dec. 3. Even though he had a busy schedule, the president found time to visit some impor-tant places in the country. While in Jordan, the president visited a memorial for Turkish martyrs. He then visited the tombs of Prophet Joshua and Prophet Muhammad’s compani-on Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah. Gül and the delegation accompanying him later had lunch in a hotel by the Dead Sea. �stanbul Today’s Zaman

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Unemployment to increase from pharmacy closures

Sugar workers fight privatization with newspaper ads

TurkStat changes data release procedures

Livestock breeders left with unsold animals after Eid

A written statement released on Wed-nesday by the Trade Union of Public

Employees in Health and Social Services (SES) states that a decrease in medicine pri-ces to be implemented on Dec. 4 will lead to the closure of 7,000 pharmacies and an inc-rease in unemployment in the health sector.

The statement, released yesterday by SES, is in response to a price decrease of 2,750 me-dicines that will go into effect on Dec. 4, which will leave many pharmacies strapped for cash as medicine that has already been bought at higher prices from pharmaceutical companies will need to be sold for the newer lower price -- sometimes less than half the previous price.

The statement criticized the recent de-velopments in health policy in the name of cost cutting, stressing that “an approach that increases check-up costs, puts a price on primary care, withholds rights from health workers and transforms public hospitals into businesses will not cut costs but rather create a catastrophe in the health sector.”

“These new implementations in the name of cost cutting will lead to 7,000 clo-sed pharmacies, a loss of jobs and restricted access to health services for citizens. As a solution, instead of nationalizing pharmaci-es we want pharmaceuticals to lower their prices and subsidize the losses incurred from the new lower prices,” added the statement. “We, the 24,000 pharmacists who want to continue providing health services to our citizens, want the catastrophe-creating cost-cutting measures to stop. We will not be sub-ject to footing the unjust bill for these measu-res,” stressed the statement.

International Pharmaceutical Fede-ration (FIP) President Kamal Midha has sent a letter to Health Minister Recep Ak-da�, asking him to support pharmacists by not putting them at risk for closure as a result of these harsh regulations.

Midha, who met with Akda� at the 69th International FIP Congress in November, sent a letter regarding the new price changes for medicines, noting that this regulation would not only affect pharmacists but also the public at large. “If this situation endangers pharma-cists’ businesses, then it will affect the services that patients receive, and patients may lose trust in their pharmacist. I ask that if steps are to be taken, we tread carefully. If you would like your decisions to be successfully implemented, it is important that you consult with pharmacies linked to the Turkish Pharmacists Union [TEB]. I respect the decisions that your government has made, but as FIP president, I would like to respectfully say pharmacists are vital to the public health of a nation.” �stanbul Today’s Zaman

�eker-��, the union representing workers in the sugar production business, placed

full-page ads in the Wednesday editions of a number of national newspapers to present the-ir case in their rejection of the privatization of the state’s sugar re� neries.

The ads were titled “An open letter to our pri-me minister.” The ads pointed out that sugar wor-kers are eager to make Turkey a leading country in the global sugar production market and are ready to make any sacri� ce for the sake of this goal. Ho-wever, the sugar workers claimed, the privatizati-ons will present a serious obstacle to reaching this aim by triggering the closure of at least 18 sugar re� neries, pushing over 350,000 beet farmers out of business, causing nearly 9,000 workers to lose their jobs and all in all making Turkey fully depen-dent on foreigners for its sugar needs.

The ads called on the government to bring abo-ut a series of reforms to increase ef� ciency rather than selling off its re� neries, such as increasing the capacity utilization of facilities and “transferring to-tal ownership of sugar re� neries to beet producers, as in the US and Europe.” �stanbul Today’s Zaman

The Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) has made several important changes in the calen-

dar and procedures of some data releases for 2010.Accordingly, in� ation and foreign trade � gu-

res, which are currently disclosed at 5 p.m., will be announced at 10 a.m. TurkStat currently an-nounces key � gures to the public after the mar-kets are closed to avoid investors’ knee-jerk re-actions without full and satisfactory information.

Meanwhile, starting in 2010 the central bank will be responsible for releasing the re-sults of tendency surveys in the manufacturing industry, like capacity utilization rates. Addi-tionally, the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) will be respon-sible for recording and announcing � gures on company openings and liquidations.

The consumer and producer price indexes will continue to be released on the third day of every month. If the third day of a month falls on the weekend, the data will be disclosed on the next working day. Foreign trade statistics will also continue to be announced on the last working day of the month. Similarly, no change has been made in the calendar of revealing the industrial output numbers. This set of data will be released on the 8th of every month or the clo-sest working day if it is a weekend day.

TurkStat will start preparing new data series in the new year, including sector-speci� c wastewater statistics, labor participation rates by province and construction sector turnover. Ankara Today’s Zaman

Unexpectedly low animal sales during Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacri� ce) have left

breeders in a dif� cult situation with many unsold animals, stated Nazif Karabulut, president of the Union of Red Meat Producers in Konya.

High feed prices, drought and the trade of smuggled animals, compounded with unsold lives-tock left over from Eid al-Adha, have led to dif� cul-ties for livestock breeders. According to Karabulut, the decreased purchasing power of customers along with the high prices of livestock this year led to a tro-ugh in sales. “We haven’t been able to meet our sales goals and are very disappointed right now,” he said.

He highlighted that charitable organizations also contributed to the low sales as citizens in these dif� cult � nancial times preferred to donate their sacri� ces to the needy -- a cost of TL 280 compared to TL 500 for animals sacri� ced for con-sumption by the customer. “Breeders who didn’t heed our warning to lower their prices were left with many unsold animals,” he added.

Chamber of Butchers President Mehmet Cengiz noted that they expected a drop in the price per ki-logram of lamb to TL 14 compared to TL 16.5 before the Eid al-Adha holiday. �stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

Morningstar: Iran not in position to take part in energy projects

Antibiotics consumption reaches $5.5 billion in last five years

Morningstar, who was in Turkey for of� cial talks, responded to journalists’ questions after a meeting with Turkish Energy and Natural Resour-ces Minister Taner Y�ld�z.

“We have been constantly saying that, in our opinion, Iran is not in a position to become a part of any new projects in the southern corridor. If the relations with Iran are normalized and nuc-lear issues are resolved then it will of course be a positive development,” he said, adding that this situation will be to Turkey’s advantage thanks to the important and powerful role it plays in the region. The US also wants Iraqi gas to be trans-

ported through the Nabucco gas pipeline, he said.Turkey supports the normalization of rela-

tions between Iraq and Iran, Y�ld�z said, adding that Turkey is ready to do its own part in this re-gard. Both Iran and Turkey will allow gas trans-portation through their territories, the minister said, stressing that Turkey is determined to beco-me a crossroad for energy transportation.

Asked about the project to build a nuclear plant in Turkey, Morningstar stated that the US absolutely supports Turkey’s decision to construct a nuclear power plant, stressing that they want the tender for the project to be done through open tender procedures. Speaking on the sub-

jects discussed in the meeting with Morningstar, Y�ld�z said possible ways to increase trade volu-me between Turkey and the US in line with the-ir strategic partnership was also on the agenda. Cooperation opportunities between the two co-untries in oil exploration in Turkey or a third co-untry were also discussed during the meeting, the minister added. Y�ld�z said Iraq will organize 10 tenders in the � eld of oil exploration. The Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) will attend four of these tenders alone and remaining six with a consortium, he said, adding that the TPAO might establish consortiums for one to two tenders with American companies. �stanbul Today’s Zaman

Turkish Pharmacists Union (TEB) Secretary-General Özgür Özel revealed that Turkey has

consumed TL 7.6 billion worth of antibiotics in the past � ve years, adding that public expectations and pressure on physicians add to the above-average consumption of antibiotics in Turkey.

Özel, speaking to an Anatolia news agency reporter yesterday, noted that Turkey’s consump-tion of antibiotics is higher than many European nations, and that according to data from the past � ve years the most consumed antibiotics are for a broad spectrum of uses. He noted that antibiotics were mostly used for upper and lower respiratory tract infections.

According to the data supplied by Özel, Turkey consumed TL 7.6 billion, or $5.5 billion, worth of antibiotics in the period from January 2005 to Oc-

tober 2009, which adds up to more than 1 billion boxes. He added that 95 percent of medicines sold in Turkey are paid for by various social security ins-titutions and that on average TL 1.4 billion per year was spent by the government for medicine consu-med in the last � ve years.

Speaking on the social habit of using antibiotics, Özel said: “The sick tend to scan and treat themsel-ves with antibiotics, especially in cases of upper res-piratory tract and urinary tract infections. The pati-ents’ expectations and the pressure they put on the doctors have a great role to play in the number of prescriptions written for antibiotics. Moreover, doc-tors who don’t want to damage the patient-doctor relationship also fall into the same trap and will prescribe antibiotics needlessly. The same applies to pharmacists, who for the same reasons dole out

antibiotics without prescriptions.” He added that this is an especially critical problem in rural areas, highlighting, “The basic approach to antibiotics -- much like the rest of the world -- should be that a doctor prescribes them when they are needed and a pharmacist then � lls the prescription.”

As regards the general health situation in Turkey and its effects on antibiotics consumption, Özel noted, “Besides the habit of prescribing anti-biotics, consuming more than Europe shows that, much like other developing nations, we are more susceptible to infections.” He stated that access to clean drinking water, living in healthy dwellings and having adequate nutrition also affected antibi-otics use. According to Özel, the biggest problems in antibiotics use is that patients stop the treat-ment halfway through. �stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

President Abdullah Gül and his wife, Hayrünnisa, are pictured visiting the grave of Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah. Gül signed a long-awaited free trade agreement with Jordan on Tuesday as part of talks to increase economic cooperation between the two countries.

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contýnued from page 1

Richard Morningstar

CMYK

TL / €

TL / $

US$/JP¥

EU/JP¥

EU/US$

86,70

130,85

1,5092

Light C. Oil

Gold

Copper

79,33

1193,50

318,45

Native Native ForeignForeign

Number of Shares M.cap Number of Shares M.cap

8,5

26,2

9.6

51.6

47.03

33.67

52.97

66.33

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Price ($) Way Change (%) High Low

DailyChange (%)

MonthlyChange (%)

YearlyChange (%)

TurkDEX

US$/JP¥

EU€/JP¥

CloseDaily

Change (%)Monthly

Change (%)Yearly

Change (%)YTD

Change (%)1-Y

Av.VolumMCAP

(million TL)Country Change

(%)Level

MERKO 1,33 15,65%

AKSA 1,83 10,91%

DGZTE 3,20 10,34%

HURGZ 1,72 8,18%

ECILC 2,01 7,49%

Daily Change (%)Price (TL)Ticker

GRUND 0,52 -7,14%

FROTO 8,25 -3,51%

PETKM 6,35 -2,31%

TOASO 4,00 -1,96%

PEGYO 0,50 -1,96%

Daily Change (%) Yearly Change (%)Price Price (TL)Ticker

KOZAA 286,6 5,0 468,18

GARAN 200,9 5,3 106,34

ISCTR 128,1 5,3 45,40

ECILC 125,7 2,0 146,47

THYAO 93,1 4,9 358,72

Ticker

P/E: Share price divided by earnings per share is a measure of the price paid for a share relative to the income or profit earned by the firm per share.EV/EBITDA: Enterprise value divided by earnings before interest, tax and amortization; “t” stands for trailer and means the data over the last four quarters.(*) Yesterday's closing(**) Updated at 6 p.m. by GMT+2Disclaimer: The information in this report has been prepared by BMD, Bizim Securities from sources believed to be reliable. All the information, interpretations and recommendations covered herein relating to investment actions are not within the scope of investment consultancy. Therefore investment decisions based only on the information covered herein may not bring expected results.

Mcap TL

P/E 2006/12

P/E 2007/06t

P/E 2007/09t

EV/EBITDA 2006/12*

EV/EBITDA 2007/03t*

EV/EBITDA 2007/06t*

ÝMKB 100 ÝMKB 30 ÝMKB IND RETAILER BIMAS CARFA BOYNR KIPA

1,34 22.113,2

2,43 9.572,2

1,82 3.747,2

1,80 5.727,0

1,70 5.278,8

0,83 10.420,0

1,14 1.787,5

0,78 1.104,2

1,84 68.274,7

Hang Seng H.Kong

Nikkei 225 Japan

Cac 40 France

DAX Germany

FTSE 100 UK

Dow USA

NASDAQ USA

S&P USA

BOVESPA Brasil

İMKB-100

İMKB-30

İMKB-IND

İMKB-BANK

DJIMT

46.084 1,6% 1,6% 89,4% 71,5% 259.376 1.558

58.340 1,6% 1,6% 88,1% 66,7% 211.978 1.176

34.197 1,7% 1,7% 84,2% 72,9% 70.268 493

101.738 1,9% 1,9% 110,7% 81,7% 119.865 716

10,00 1,8% 1,8% 42,1% 40,9% - 0,44

58,400 2,10%

1,5135 0,17%

2,263 1,5%

1,502 1,3%

-- -- -- 6.695,8 4.554 1.320 95 727

13,9x 13,1x 11,2x 243,8x 63,3x -97,7x 15,0x -19,5x

9,9x 9,4x 8,5x 301,9x 56,5x -556,5x 5,9x -10,0x

9,5x 9,1x 8,4x 329,8x 50,3x -212,0x 4,9x -8,7x

6,2x 4,9x 7,6x 29,3x 41,8x 16,4x 6,1x 39,8x

6,8x 5,5x 7,5x 30,8x 39,0x 19,8x 5,6x 71,6x

6,6x 5,3x 7,6x 28,1x 36,9x 20,4x 4,8x 34,2x

1,1% 79,89 78,25

1,8% 1193,50 1193,50

0,8% 319,80 314,05

VolumesNo data expectedCALENDAR AT A GLANCE

08 TODAY’S ZAMAN T H U R S DAY D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9 BUSINESS

Gold sets new record,

r�sk appet�te boosts sharesEuropean stock markets took a breath-er Wednesday following big gains the previous day as investors awaited key

economic news out of the US. Meanwhile, gold struck another new record high as the dollar remained weak.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 9.10 points, or 0.2 percent, at 5,303.07 while Germany’s DAX fell just over a point to 5,775.35. The CAC-40 in France was 3.28 points, or 0.1 percent, higher at 3,779.02.

Wall Street was also poised to open steady after a solid advance on Tuesday -- Dow futures were down 5 points, or 0.1 per-cent, at 10,456 while the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 futures fell 0.4 point to 1,108.

Markets are awaiting a raft of economic news over the coming couple of days, includ-ing Thursday’s monetary policy meeting of the European Central Bank and Friday’s US nonfarm payrolls report for November -- the jobs data often set the tone in the markets for a week or two. If over the week inves-tors conclude that the US economy is losing steam, then that could well pave the way for an end of year bout of pro� t-taking following an eight-month bull run.

The main piece of economic data Wednes-day will be the monthly US jobs survey from the ADP payrolls � rm -- markets take a close look at the data to see if they have to revise their expectations for Friday’s of� cial govern-ment report. At the moment, the consensus in the markets is that November payrolls fell by around 120,000 but the unemployment rate held steady at a 26-year high of 10.2 percent.

So far this week, investor jitters related to Dubai’s debt problems have calmed down amid hopes that Dubai World, the govern-ment investment company, will have around $26 billion worth of its debts restructured. Last week, the company -- with a total of $60 billion worth of debt -- sent shockwaves around global � nancial markets when it said it was looking to postpone forthcoming debt payments until May.

The hope in the markets is that the fear of contagion that gripped investors

last week will not materialize. Earlier, Asian stocks powered ahead as

they responded to the continuing recovery in Europe and the US On Tuesday, stocks were helped by an easing of tensions re-lated to Dubai’s debt problems and further encouraging US economic data, particularly from the housing sector. Tokyo shares closed nearly 1 percent higher as investors gave a muted thumbs-up to the Bank of Japan’s new measures to offer cheap loans to commercial banks. The Nikkei 225 stock average was up 36.74 points, or 0.4 percent, at 9,608.94.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 176.42,

or 0.8 percent, to 22,289.57 and South Ko-rea’s Kospi jumped 21.91 points, or 1.4 percent, to 1,591.63. Australia’s benchmark advanced 0.9 percent and China’s Shanghai index climbed 1.1 percent.

Oil prices hung above $78 after a big jump overnight while gold, which Tuesday broke above $1,200 an ounce surged to a new record of $1,218.40. By early afternoon London time, oil was trading 57 cents lower at $77.80 while gold was up 0.9 percent on the day at $1,211.30.

Commodity and energy prices are mostly priced in gold so invariably strengthen when the dollar is on the retreat, particularly against

the euro. By early afternoon London time, the dollar was up 0.5 percent on the day at 87.18 yen while the euro was steady at $1.5084.

Currency traders are on the lookout to see if the euro can push back up towards last week’s 16-month high of $1.5144. If it does so, then it could start to target its all-time highs above $1.60.

“There is potential in the short term for some further upside but with the European Central Bank meeting this week, there is bound to be some concern about the high level of the euro with respect to European exporters and this could weigh,” said Michael Hewson, an analyst at CMC Markets. London AP

Mineks again securing Arab funds to plow Turkish fields

On the rebound from plans run ashore amidst the global � nancial storm, Mineks International

is back in action, securing new Arab funds to develop Turkish agricultural technologies.

Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of a tournament at the National Golf Club, Bülent Göktuna, chairman of the board of directors of the Mineks International M&A consultancy � rm, said Mineks had withdrawn from the Vision3 project. Announced last November, the strategic alliance be-tween three major Gulf banks to bring a $9 billion in-vestment trust to Turkey -- particularly in investment

in the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) -- hit the rocks when the banks were affected by the continued spiral of the � nancial crisis. Mineks decided to work directly with other investment funds to � nd new sources of funding and their pursuit has borne fruit.

“As Mineks, we continued our pursuit of [sover-eign wealth funds],” Göktuna said, announcing that they had neared an agreement with a new Arab in-vestment fund. Declining to disclose the name of the investment group, Göktuna did comment: “It’s an Arab investment group. Right now we’re looking at companies active in the private Turkish agricultural sector. Our main focus here is on the companies who have developed themselves in terms of grain produc-

tion. The second group [comprises companies focus-ing on the production of] seeds. This is followed by fruits or vegetables and then animal husbandry.”

Göktuna explained that they were thinking of entering the � eld either through a merger or acquisition and then as a second stage, bring the technologies developed in Turkey to the Gulf and northern Africa and develop agriculture there. The investment is to begin with $200 million and, sparing any new disasters in the global markets, is expected to grow to $9 billion in the next two to three years, Göktuna said. The Turkish agricul-ture sector is rather developed, he noted, and the only thing that has prevented � rms from grow-

ing has been � nancing limitations -- which can be solved with the procurement of such a large investment fund, he said. “I can see that these companies could just explode in size with an in-vestment, an injection of cash like this,” he said.

Göktuna also spoke about plans for new in-vestments in solar energy, saying Mineks had reached an agreement with the world’s biggest producer of solar panels and that they were planning to reach the same stage soon with a Bahraini company. “They want to invest here [in Turkey]. We’re aiming for a 200 megawatt solar investment. Investments will be made in areas like Konya, Ni�de and Antalya,” he said.

MÜS�AD head: bubble economies not sustainable

‘Crisis in Dubai unlikely to influence Turkish iron and steel sector’

Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (MÜS�AD) Chairman Ömer Cihad

Vardan has said the debt crisis that erupted recently in Dubai has revealed once again that bubble econ-omies cannot be sustained for a long time.

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Vardan stressed the importance of the real sector in the economy. “The latest developments in Dubai have shown us again that bubble economies are not sus-tainable and do not help economies progress. It should not be forgotten that the main components of the economy are the real sector, production in line with demand and the buying and selling of goods in real terms,” he said, adding that he hoped this event would serve as a strong warning, especially for the � nancial sector.

Assessing Turkey’s situation in overcoming the global � nancial crisis, Vardan noted that Turkey has worked to rise above the adverse effects of the crisis through proactive policies and realistic planning. “It is not possible to think that Turkey, with the 17th largest economy in the world and sixth largest in Europe, along with its foreign trade volume of ap-proximately $340 billion, would remain unaffected by global developments. Thus, as was expected, Turkey suffered as a result of the crisis,” he said. However, he added that improvements have started to take place both in capacity utilization rates and the industry production index along with a recovery in global demand, all of which will have a positive impact on Turkey in the days to come.

Asked about whether there will be a new crisis, he asserted that the prediction of an eruption of a new crisis does not stem from real market indica-tors as it is all speculation. “In this regard, the up-swing in prices of especially gold and oil has reached noteworthy levels. However, the decisions made in both G-20 meetings and the International Monetary Fund [IMF]-World Bank meetings are being deci-sively pursued by the governments, and it seems that it will prevent any possible crisis from taking place again.” �stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

Dubai’s economic meltdown and the restruc-turing of its debt have raised concerns over the

Turkish iron and steel sector, as Dubai was among the largest importers of Turkish iron and steel.

In an attempt to allay worries, Steel and Iron Pro-ducers Association (DÇÜD) Secretary-General Veysel Yayan told the Anatolia news agency on Wednesday that Turkey’s iron and steel exports -- especially to neighboring countries -- are on the rise and that they are not pessimistic about the year ahead.

Even though an important share of the sector’s ex-ports used to go to Dubai, exports to Dubai have been declining since the end of the global � nancial crisis, Yayan said. “Exports to Dubai dropped by one-third over time. This decline led several � rms to North Af-rican or other countries. We predict that the impact of the debt crisis in Dubai will be very limited on the sector. We do not expect a sharp decline in exports,” he said, adding that the effect of the crisis has been minimal on the iron and steel bourse so far.

According to data provided by the �stanbul Steel and Iron Exporters Union, Egypt imported the largest amount of Turkish iron and steel in the January-Oc-tober period of this year. Exports to Egypt amounted to 2.28 billion tons at a cost of $1.03 billion. Exports to the United Arab Emirates, which used to rank � rst in previous years, decreased by 69 percent in the � rst 10 months of the year compared to the same period of last year, and totaled 1.54 million tons. With a 188 percent increase in exports in the � rst 10 months of this year over the same period of 2008, Iraq came in third, after the UAE. Total exports of Turkish iron and steel companies to Iraq totaled 672,000 tons.

Libya also imported signi� cant amounts of iron and steel from Turkey. Annual exports to the coun-try were on average 40,000-45,000 tons in previous years; this � gure climbed to 546,000 tons in the � rst 10 months of this year. Yemen, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia all increased the amount of iron and steel they import from Turkey. �stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

Gold broke $1,200 an ounce, surging to a new record of $1,218.40 yesterday. By the afternoon gold was up 0.9 percent on the day at $1,211.30.

ROBERTA DAVENPORT ANTALYA

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JERUSALEM, THE AL-AQSA MOSQUE AND THE CITY OF

ACRE

JERUSALEM-- Jerusalem is a city that three major religions all see as very important. It is a city which people have not wanted to share for thousands of years now, a sacred city. In the year 1517, the Ottomans took Jerusalem, and it remained under their jurisdiction for another 400 years. During these years, Sultan Süleyman the Magni� cent commissioned some important walls, fountains and large gateways in Jerusalem. In short, it was a period during which much construction was completed and even sped up in Jerusalem. In fact, the historical walls still standing and encircling Jerusalem today were built during Sultan Süleyman’s time. Also, it was the Ottomans who gave the city the name it still holds in Turkish: Kudüs-u �erif.

The land of Jerusalem is one in which mosques, church-es and synagogues stand side by side. There is the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Wailing Wall and the Armageddon Church.

The open markets of this sacred city are places where people from all three of the major religions try to earn a living.

Our � rst stop was the al-Aqsa Mosque. This mosque lived out its � rst golden age during the times of the Prophets Da-vid and Solomon. And after Prophet Muhammad came and prayer became mandatory, the early Muslims turned toward it when praying. Two years after the Hijra, during which Prophet Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina, the Angel Gabriel revealed verses of the Quran that changed the direction of prayer from the al-Aqsa Mosque to the Kaaba, a cube-like structure in the center of Mecca. To this day, Mus-lims turn in the direction of the Kaaba while praying.

The most sacred mosques in the world are the al-Harem Mosque in Mecca, the Nabawi Mosque in Medina and the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said that prayers performed in these three mosques are more valued than prayers done in other mosques.

The second golden age of the al-Aqsa Mosque came during the reign of the Caliph Umar. During the Crusades, the mosque was taken over by Crusaders and used as a church. When Sala-huddin Ayyubi, popularly known as Saladin, came into Jerusa-lem, the al-Aqsa Mosque was re-opened as a mosque.

Near the structure of the al-Aqsa Mosque is the Dome of the Rock, topped with a golden dome. This octagonal shaped mosque has inside it a rock from which the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven.

Fethullah Gülen, a famous Turkish scholar of Islam, de-scribes the miraculous atmosphere of peace and serenity

contained in the al-Aqsa Mosque in those times as such: “During that time period, the al-Aqsa

Mosque and the Kaaba rose high upon or-ders that came from the sky, bursting forth

as if from the ground into the air. The sacred mihrabs and minbars opened

their wings for the ages… It became a literal ‘paradise on earth,’ a holy and sacred spot. It is such a great spot that you can hear the voice of the Prophet Adam resound-ing within it, and you can feel the breath of Prophet Solomon around it. Under the dome, the words spoken by the

Prophets David and Solomon echo.”“Yes, if only this sacred spot could speak, and if it could

relate the events it has witnessed throughout the past, as well as everything it goes through today. Perhaps if it could do this, the faithless friends of the mosque would come to their senses” Gülen says.

Our next stop was the Wailing Wall. Everyone is searched on their approach to this wall, held sacred by the world’s Jews. In the year 70, the Romans destroyed Solomon’s Tem-ple for the second time and killed or drove out many Jewish residents of the city. The only part to remain of the second temple was what is now called the Wailing Wall. The wall is 100 meters long and 20 meters high. And so, with their tal-lith shawls on their shoulders and kippahs or yarmulkes on their heads, Jewish men come to pray here, right next to the al-Aqsa Mosque. Some of the Jewish men here wear fedoras and long black coats, swaying and repeating their prayers. Religious, married Jewish women are careful to wear heads-carves over their hair. In fact, some wear wigs, which are very popular among Orthodox Jewish women in general. Orthodox Jewish families often see to it that their children receive a mostly religious education. At the same time, members of the Orthodox community often vote for the more conservative parties in Israel.

Near the Wailing Wall are many tunnels. Some of these run near and under the al-Aqsa Mosque. In fact, there was a great worry in the Muslim world that these tunnels might be used to ap-proach and harm the sacred al-Aqsa Mosque from underneath.

Christianity also holds Jerusalem in high esteem. The route last walked by Jesus Christ was through the city of Jeru-salem and the site where Christians believe he was cruci� ed is now home to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Our next stop was the historic city of Acre. A short walk through Acre feels like a walk through a real Ottoman city.

The city of Acre is home to the Akko Tower, a major land-mark. After being taken over by the Byzantines, the Mamluks and the Ottomans, this tower fell into the hands of the British.

Other Ottoman masterpieces include the Jezzar Ahmet Pasha Mosque. Its architectural style is a clear sign that it is an Ottoman mosque. On Leyletu-l-Qadr, the 27th night of Ramadan, visitors have the opportunity to see a hair from the beard of Prophet Muhammad here. Other strands of the Prophet’s beard are held in various places throughout the world, including Konya and �stanbul. The grave of Jez-zar Ahmet Pasha is located in the courtyard of this mosque.

This beautiful mosque is a direct reminder of the presence of the Ottomans in these lands. The buildings are still the same, the soil beneath us is still the same, it is only the people who have changed. The Jewish population of this city, only around 500 in the 1500s, rose to around 85,000 by the time of World War I.

In the evening hours, we met with the mayor of Acre. He told us that “wherever you look in our city, you will see traces of the Ottomans. In fact, these Ottomans structures encompass the most important sections of Acre. There are other subjects of which we are very proud here. In this city, Muslims, Bahais, Jews and Christians all live in peace together. These aren’t merely words. Let’s take a look at the city council as an example. There are four Arab mem-bers on this council and, in fact, one of them is my assistant. And I would also like to add that the Arab population of the city makes a full quarter of the city’s population. This is not a small group at all.”

With Acre behind us, we headed straight for the city of Yafa (Jaffa or Haifa). This port city has many Ottoman mas-terpieces left over, with many beautiful mosques and mina-rets grabbing our attention. One of the historical mosques here is the Mahmudiye Mosque. There is also a very his-torical clock tower that resembles ones in Jerusalem and Acre and was built in 1906 on the occasion of Sultan Abdül-hamit II ascending to the throne of the Ottoman Empire.

The land of Jerusalem is one in which mosques, churches and synagogues stand side by side. There is the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Wailing Wall and the Armageddon Church. The open markets of this sacred city are places where people from all three of the major religions try to earn a living

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The clock tower and Ottoman

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EU hails new era as treaty goes into force

The European Union hailed the start of a new era on Tuesday night after its Lisbon reform treaty went into force,

carrying with it the bloc’s hopes of becoming a more powerful force on the world stage.

The treaty, which aims to make decision-making smoother, creates a long-term president and enhances the powers of the EU foreign pol-icy chief, is intended to give the 27-country bloc more political clout to match its economic weight.

Portugal, which held the rotating EU presi-dency two years ago when the treaty was signed, held a ceremony for key EU of� cials on the banks of the Tagus River to mark the day. “This is the day of the Treaty of Lisbon, a day of new beginnings,” said Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates.

“We can now show the world that the EU will be better prepared for the challenges ahead of us,” said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Rein-feldt, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency. Briton Catherine Ashton started work immediately as foreign affairs chief. Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy takes over as president of the Council of EU leaders on Jan. 1.

But the impact of the changes under the treaty will not be felt overnight and the EU has struggled to assert itself as emerging powers such as China become more in� uential fol-lowing the global economic crisis. “The con-struction of Europe needs to be legitimized at all times,” Van Rompuy said, adding that the treaty was a “powerful tool for us to tackle the challenges of our time.”

Although the Union is an important political and trading bloc representing nearly 500 million people, its leaders have often looked divided dur-ing the eight years it took to negotiate and ratify the Lisbon treaty. They reached agreement on the appointment of Ashton and Van Rompuy only at the last minute last month, and critics say

the choice of two leaders who are little known even in the EU raises questions about how the EU will raise its global pro� le.

“I think it is good that the rest of the world reminds us that they would welcome some peo-ple with ideas and some drive. Unfortunately it is not a widely felt view in the EU,” said Daniel Gros of the Centre for European Policy Studies.

New rules The Lisbon treaty changes the rules on how de-cisions are reached by the EU because decision-making has become unwieldy since the accession of 10 countries, mostly from eastern and central Europe, in 2004 and two more in 2007. It hands more power to the European Parliament, which shares some legislative responsibilities with the European Commission -- the EU executive and a powerful regulatory body. Member states’ lead-

ers retain a lot of power.“I’m delighted that we now have the right

institutions to act and a period of stability, so that we can focus all our energy on delivering what matters to our citizens,” saidEuropean Com-mission President Jose Manuel Barroso. The Commission said the EU would now focus on “managing a smooth exit from the economic and � nancial crisis,” which opinion polls suggest is the main concern of voters, many of whom re-gard the EU as out of touch with ordinary people.

Central to economic recovery will be reduc-ing member states’ bloated budget de� cits and deciding when to stop emergency � nancial mea-sures that were used to prop up the economy. Gross domestic product is expected to rise by only about 0.7 percent in 2010 and of� cial data show unemployment is expected to rise above 10 percent in the EU next year. Lisbon Reuters

Russian proposal on security gets cautious responseAmerican and European of� cials identi� ed potential problems with Russia’s proposal

to overhaul security agreements spanning western and central Asian countries.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev outlined his country’s plan in letters sent to Western leaders over the weekend, and Russian of� cials at a meeting of foreign ministers from the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) de-scribed the proposals as a vital post-Cold War reform.

But Britain noted the plan made no mention of arms control, human rights or new security threats, which Britain’s ambassador to the OSCE, Ian Cliff, said were ”all vital elements to the debate on security.” Others said that the region’s existing security structures should be bolstered instead of searching to create new ones.

“My take is that European security has been very well managed by three organizations over the past 60 years -- the OSCE, the European Union and NATO -- so one would have to prove the value

added of new security structures on top of this,” Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said. The cool response came amid dampened expectations over hopes that OSCE delegates would issue a po-litical declaration on a new security agreement that

would cover much of the northern hemisphere.US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

did not attend the talks in Greece, nor did the for-eign ministers of Britain and Canada. James Stein-berg, a deputy US secretary of state who did, gave

a measured response to Medvedev’s letter and said Washington was studying the document.

“Like other leaders, President [Barack] Obama re-ceived President Medvedev’s letter containing a draft European security treaty on Saturday,” said Steinberg. “We are studying this proposal carefully and we wel-come the opportunity to continue dialogue that has been taking place within the OSCE.” However, Stein-berg said reforms should not affect the role of NATO -- a common concern expressed by some alliance mem-bers when discussing security changes.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pro-moted Medvedev’s letter as a way of improving cooperation between the former Cold War foes. “There is a need to undertake decisive steps to over-come remaining dividing lines in the Euro-Atlantic region,” Lavrov said. “[It] seemed so achievable right after the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago. We can only blame remaining prejudices and inertia for the fact that it has not been achieved.” Athens AP

TODAY’S ZAMAN WORLDT H U R S DAY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 910

TRIAL

Son of Gotti eludes conviction fourth timeThe trial of John “Junior” Gotti on murder and racke-teering charges ended in a mistrial on Tuesday, allow-ing the prominent mob � gure to elude conviction in his fourth racketeering trial in � ve years. John A. Gotti, 45, the son of late notorious Gambino crime family boss John J. Gotti, escaped conviction on charges of ordering or taking part in the drug-related killings of two men in 1988 and 1991 and racketeering con-spiracy that included murder, kidnapping, robbery, extortion and drug dealing. US District Judge Kevin Castel declared a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a decision on any charge. Gotti bowed his head and rubbed his eyes upon hearing the judge declare a mistrial, while family members cheered and cried in the courtroom’s gallery. “Why me? I am blessed. I can’t complain,” Gotti told reporters outside the courthouse. “I am walking out the door. I am going to have a healthy and happy Christmas.” US Attorney in Manhattan Preet Bharara said in a statement the of� ce was evaluating whether to retry the case. Gotti’s previous trials in 2005 and 2006 on similar charges all ended in hung juries. His lawyer said Gotti was once a high-ranking member of the Gambinos but 10 years ago. Prosecutors say Gotti, nicknamed Junior, took control as street boss of the Gambinos from his father, who was known as the “Te� on Don” for his many years of evading criminal conviction. New York Reuters

SCANDAL

WH gate-crashers went without invitationCopies of e-mails between the White House party crashers and a Pentagon of� cial undermine their claims that they were invited to President Barack Obama’s � rst state dinner. Tareq and Michaele Salahi pressed the friendly Pentagon aide for four days to score tickets to the big event. By their own admission in the e-mails, they showed up at the White House gates at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 24 without an invitation -- “to just check in, in case it got approved since we didn’t know, and our name was indeed on the list!” But the Secret Service has said they weren’t on that list and that it erred by letting them in anyway. In an e-mail sent just hours after last week’s dinner to Pentagon of� cial Michele Jones, the Salahis claimed a dead cell phone battery prevented them from hearing Jones’ voice mail earlier that day advising them they did not make the guest list. A collection of e-mails be-tween the Salahis and Jones was obtained on Tuesday night by The Associated Press from a source who got them in a manner that con� rmed their authenticity. Last week’s White House gate caper has captivated a capital where high-end social life and celebrity erup-tions frequently enliven the day-to-day business of governing. Congress also is about to hold a hearing. President Barack Obama and � rst lady Michelle are described as angry. Washington AP

OPTIMISM

‘Croatia may move further on EU path’European Union president Sweden plans one more round of entry talks with EU candidate Croatia this month, a Swedish diplomat said on Tuesday, in a boost for Zagreb’s efforts to wrap up accession negoti-ations next year. The former Yugoslav republic, which hopes to join the 27-nation EU in 2012, resumed talks in October after a 10-month stalemate due to a bor-der dispute with EU neighbor Slovenia. It has since had two negotiating sessions to make up for lost time. “We don’t know the date and the number of chapters on the agenda, but our intention is to organise one more accession conference,” Sweden’s ambassador to Croatia, Fredrik Vahlquist, told a news confer-ence. Candidates have to clinch agreement on entry terms in 33 policy areas or chapters. Croatia has so far opened talks on 28 chapters and closed 15. Some of the toughest areas are still ahead, notably on judicial reform and competition policy, which concerns the fate of ailing shipyards kept alive by high state sub-sidies. “Croatia is moving in the right direction, but a few important challenges are still ahead. They include � ght against corruption and organised crime, coop-eration with the UN war crimes tribunal and tenders for shipyards,” said chief EU envoy to Croatia Paul Vandoren. Zagreb Reuters

PROPOSAL

US spy Pollard: Kill Hamas prisonersAn American convicted of spying for Israel is reportedly proposing that Israel kill Hamas pris-oners rather than swap them for a captive Israeli soldier. The Jerusalem Post daily reports that Jon-athan Pollard says Israel should kill one Hamas prisoner every day until the militant group frees Sgt. Gilad Schalit. Pollard, who is serving a life sentence in the US for his 1985 spy conviction, also says he’d refuse to be exchanged for “ter-rorists.” The paper said Wednesday that Pollard made the remarks to Israeli ultranationalist activ-ist Moshe Feiglin who visited him in a prison in Buttner, North Carolina. Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers are believed to be nearing a deal to swap 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for Schalit, who has been held in Gaza since 2006. Jerusalem AP

Fellow Iraqi turns tables on Bush shoe-thrower Zaidi

UK warns EU not to stifle City of London

An Iraqi reporter imprisoned for throwing his shoes at US President George W. Bush

found himself on the receiving end of a similar footwear attack in Paris on Tuesday. Muntazer al-Zaidi, whose � are-up against Bush last De-cember turned into a symbol of Iraqi anger, was speaking at a news conference to promote his campaign for victims of the war in Iraq when a man in the audience hurled a shoe at him.

It hit the wall next to his head and a scuf-� e ensued in the audience, television footage showed. French media said the attacker was an exiled Iraqi journalist who spoke in defense of US policy, accusing Zaidi of siding with a dicta-torship, before throwing his shoe.

Zaidi’s own outburst summed up the feelings of many Iraqis about the US military invasion of their country and the ensuing bloodshed and sectarian killing. Millions of people around the world saw im-ages of him shouting “this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog,” during a news conference by the former US leader, before throwing his shoes at him.

Zaidi, a television reporter, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for assaulting a head of state. This was later reduced to one year and he was released in September. He has alleged that he was tortured by guards after his arrest. Paris Reuters

Britain has warned its EU partners not to sti� e the City of London’s � nancial services industry

with excessive regulation, responding to concerns that France will push for tighter rules at its expense.

“London, whether others like it or not, is New York’s only rival as a truly global � nancial center. No other center in Europe offers the same range of ser-vices: banking, insurance, fund management, law and accountancy,” � nance minister Alistair Darling wrote in The Times. “It is in all of Europe’s interests that they prosper alongside their close European partners,” he added in an article published on Wednesday.

His comments come after French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday that the nomina-tion of a French commissioner in charge of EU mar-kets will help continental economic ideals prevail over the discredited Anglo-Saxon model. Sarkozy blamed the reputedly free-wheeling Anglo-Sax-on model for the global economic downturn and hailed the recent appointment of Michel Barnier, a former agriculture minister in his government, as EU internal market commissioner. Finance minis-ters from the 27-country European Union met on Wednesday to discuss de� cit reduction and � nan-cial regulation folllowing the global credit crisis.

Britain has chaired the G-20 group of rich and emerging nations this year and has stressed that tougher rules must be coordinated glob-ally to prevent one region from being disadvan-taged. Darling said that new rules on � nancial regulation must not undermine the functioning of the single European market.

He said national supervisors, such as Brit-ain’s Financial Services Authority (FSA), must remain responsible for supervising individual companies. London Reuters

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov (R) chats with his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner (2nd L) in front of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (C), Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian (2nd R) and US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg after their meeting at the 17th Ministerial Council of the OSCE in Athens.

The treaty, which aims to make decision-making smoother, creates a long-term president and enhances the powers of the EU foreign policy chief, is intended to

give the 27-country bloc more political clout to match its economic weight

Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates delivers his speech as the flag of his country is seen on the screen (L) with European flag (R) during the inaugural session of the new European treaty at the Belem Tower in Lisbon. The EU hailed the treaty as the start of a new era.

Former Belgian Prime Minister and European Union President Herman Van Rompuy (R) poses for photogra-phers with Socrates as he arrives for a ceremony to mark the start of the EU ’s Lisbon reform treaty.

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Muntazer al-Zaidi (R) reacts as a shoe is thrown at him during a news conference in Paris in this video grab obtained on Wednesday.

11TODAY’S ZAMANT H U R S D A Y, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9WORLD

CMYK

Pak�stan’s

next � ght

NEW YORK -- The terrorist sanctuary in the South Waziristan region of Pakistan’s tribal frontier with Afghanistan is coming apart. It took a while for the Pakistani army to move against the region’s rising violence and chaos, but its campaign in South Wa-ziristan is making progress.

The campaign’s immediate impact consists in Pakistan’s determination to establish its authority in the area. But the window for the military to � ll the power vacuum will be open only brie� y. The terrorists have shown before that they can take a punch, strike back and even rebuild their networks.

Indeed, even as the Pakistani army launched operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Salvation) in Oc-tober, a dozen devastating terrorist attacks in Paki-stan’s major cities demonstrated the reach of the South Waziristan militants. In a few instances, se-nior army and intelligence of� cers were targeted outside their homes in Islamabad, despite extensive security measures in and around the capital.

The Oct. 11 attack on army headquarters in Rawal-pindi was the most daring of all -- and sent shudders across the military command, because the terrorists knew the layout of the military and security buildings. But this inside knowledge also worked against the militants, because it demonstrated what was at stake for the country at large. No large street protests against the military operation in South Waziristan have been reported from anywhere in Pakistan.

But success in South Waziristan is only the starting point for dealing with the problem. Mili-tant hubs are scattered throughout the sparsely populated tribal areas, including the North Wa-ziristan, Orakzai and Mohmand regions. Moreover, violent militancy has now spread into Pakistan proper. Southern Punjab is seeing a rapid growth in the number of religious fanatics, and rooting out the problem there is much more challenging than acting in the Pashtun tribal areas.

Many militants in Punjab worked closely with the Pakistani intelligence services for years, and their in-frastructure is dispersed and hidden in various towns and villages. The army, which recruits heavily in the Punjab, will not use force there in the way it is doing in the tribal areas. Only a concerted law-enforcement effort, with the full support of the intelligence services, can succeed in the Pakistani heartland.

The deep security crisis in Pakistan is mirrored across the border in Afghanistan, which offers a mod-el of what not to do. The Afghan Taliban, removed from power and routed from the country by the end of 2001, needed only a few years to revive itself, owing to the failure of the Afghan government and its inter-national backers to rebuild and stabilize the country.

A critical factor in the Taliban’s revival was the ha-ven that it found in the distant reaches of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and the support that it continued to receive from elements within Pakistan. This time, as the Afghan Taliban are expelled from Pakistan, NATO and Afghan forces must be ready to take them on.

Observing the � ghting in Pakistan, the United States, Afghanistan and India, expect the Pakistani army to take on both the Afghan Taliban and the Pak-istani militants. But thousands of � ghters are thought to be dispersed in the Pashtun tribal areas of Pakistan, with many of them focused on operations in Afghani-stan. The cross-border movement of radicals suggests the importance of international cooperation.

Moreover, alliances among radical groups are constantly shifting, a re� ection of tribal traditions and opportunism. Outsiders watching these shifts, and the Pakistani government’s handling of them, have been unable to discern a consistent pattern that would explain Pakistani policy. But here, regional pol-itics must be taken into account, especially the con-tinuing rivalry between India and Pakistan.

At every stage of the lengthy con� ict that has brought the US into the region, Pakistan has sought to limit Indian in� uence in Afghanistan. Indeed, India’s growing in� uence and investment in Afghanistan is disturbing to Pakistan’s national security apparatus. Ultimately, the dynamics of Afghan politics will determine Afghanistan’s fate. But a collaborative India-Pakistan effort to stabilize the country could work wonders.

For both Pakistan and India, Afghanistan risks turning into a new disputed territory, like Kash-mir, where con� ict has damaged both countries for more than 60 years. In Afghanistan today, they have an opportunity to reject that precedent and act on their mutual interest in stability.

Pakistan must be able to focus internally on its future. Financially insolvent and politically paralyzed, Pakistan needs international help to bring devel-opment to its liberated tribal areas and hope to the young people -- 65 percent of the population -- who live there. For India, stability in Pakistan and Afghani-stan would ease its rise to global economic power. Both countries should take advantage of the opportu-nity for cooperation provided by the Pakistani army’s campaign against Waziristan’s militants.

*Hassan Abbas is a senior advisor to Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government’s Belfer Center. © Project Syndicate, 2009.

OPINION

TODAY’S ZAMAN

Hassan Abbas

Obama faces tough sell with Afghan troop plan

President Barack Obama’s national security team headed to Congress on Wednesday to sell lawmakers

on his dramatic escalation of the Afghan war, which his � eld commander said would make a “huge difference.”

Rising combat deaths and military costs have sapped US public support for the eight-year-old war and Obama’s 30,000-strong troop increase plan has prompted protests from left-leaning leaders of his Democratic Party ahead of next year’s congressional elections.

Within hours of Obama’s speech an-nouncing the extra troops would arrive within months -- delivered as Wednesday dawned in Afghanistan -- top US and NATO com-mander Gen. Stanley McChrystal set off on a battle� eld tour to rally his forces.

Speaking to his commanders by video-phone, McChrystal promised a dramatic change in strategy, faster training of Afghan troops and renewed emphasis on winning public support for the Afghan government.

“I think it is going to make a huge difference,” he told reporters. “I think we’ll be in great shape.”

Later on Wednesday, top Obama administra-tion of� cials were in Congress, where they were grilled from Democrats dubious of escalating the war and Republicans suspicious of Obama’s call for an 18-month timeline to begin withdrawing.

In his televised speech on Tuesday, Obama said the goal of raising US troop lev-els to nearly 100,000 was to step up the battle against the Taliban, secure key centers and train Afghan forces so they can take over, al-lowing for a US withdrawal.

Allies were also expected to send more sol-diers, with Obama saying “the common security of the world” was at stake.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged coalition countries to back Obama’s plans. French President Nicolas Sarkozy wel-comed the plans, but did not immediately

commit France to following suit.French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner

said that “for the moment” France had no need for additional soldiers in the areas where it was operating in Afghanistan.

Poland said it might send 600 more troops to boost its contingent of 2,000.

Shorter timelineThere was no initial word in the morning from President Hamid Karzai, who has had a fraught relationship with the Obama admin-istration amid his re-election which involved widespread voter fraud.

But after meeting Karzai, McChrystal said the Afghan president backed the plan. “It was really positive. The president was very upbeat, very resolute.”

Karzai is due to announce the makeup of his new government in coming days, and Washington says it is watching closely for signs he will combat corruption and appoint competent ministers.

Obama’s pledge to start bringing US troops home in 2011, provided conditions on the ground allow it, may help him contain rebellion among Democrats but drew swift condemnation from Republicans, who argue setting withdrawal time-lines emboldens the Taliban and undermines support for US-backed governments in Af-ghanistan and Pakistan.

Congressional committees sched-uled hearings on Wednesday and to-day to review Obama’s revised strat-egy, estimated to cost $30 billion this � scal year. Obama has the authority to send the soldiers but Congress must approve the cost.

Secretary of State Hillary Clin-ton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, are scheduled to appear before Congress.

McChrystal, who had recommended sending 40,000 more troops, will testify next week. His tour of the battle� eld on Wednes-day would take him to his � ve regional com-mand headquarters across the country to meet troops and explain the steps ahead.

Troop moves from JanuaryMajor US troop movements are likely to be-gin in January and all 30,000 should be in place by the end of August, far faster than planners had earlier suggested and in line with McChrystal’s request for reinforcements before the summer � ghting season.

Other NATO members are ex-pected to commit between 5,000 and 7,000 additional troops, al-though some of them are already deployed as part of the alliance’s 42,000-strong contingent.

In his speech, Obama also fo-cused on Pakistan, saying a cancer had taken root in its border region with Afghanistan and promised US help to end it. Some of� cials in Islamabad fear the US surge in Afghanistan will fur-

ther destabilize their coun-try. Washington/Kabul Reuters

Iran releases five detained Britons from yacht, radio saysIran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have released � ve Britons detained in the Gulf

after their yacht apparently strayed into Iranian waters, state radio said on Wednesday.

Britain stressed the � ve men, detained on Nov. 25, were civilians and called for their speedy release. A senior Iranian of� cial warned on Tues-day that Iran would take serious measures against the � ve if it proved they had “evil intentions.”

“After getting necessary guarantees, Iran re-leased the � ve,” the Guards said, state radio reported.

“We reached the conclusion that they en-tered Iran’s territorial waters by mistake.”

The Foreign Of� ce in London could not con-� rm the yachtsmen’s release.

“We are seeking urgent clari� cation with our colleagues in Tehran as to whether these reports are correct or not,” a spokesman said.

Britain and Iran are at loggerheads over Iran’s nuclear program, which Washington and its Eu-ropean allies fear is a cover to build bombs. Iran insists its nuclear work is aimed at generating power to meet booming domestic demand.

Hard-line President Ahmadinejad accused Britain on Tuesday of “tainting the tranquility” of Iran’s talks with six major powers over its nuclear activities, state television reported.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the detention of the � ve Britions was not politically motivated.

“Britain exaggerated about the detention of the � ve. They wanted to use this case to pressure Iran,” Foreign Ministry spokes-man Ramin Mehmanparast told semi-of� cial Mehr news agency.

Iran also accuses the West, particularly Brit-ain and the United States of fomenting the post-

election unrest in the Islamic state. London and Washington deny the claim.

The June 12 presidential vote returned hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power with a wide margin, his reformist opponents cried foul and thousands of Iranians took to the streets in the biggest anti-government protests in the 30-year history of the Islamic Republic.

The election dispute also exposed deep rifts within the normally opaque political and religious establishment.

Three Americans who crossed into Iran from Iraq in July are still in detention and face spying charges. Their families say they were hiking and strayed across the border accidentally.

Iran seized eight British Royal Navy sailors and seven marines off its coast in 2007. They were released after 15 days. Tehran Reuters/AP

US soldiers patrol in the center of Kabul on Wednesday. US President Barack Obama (below), in a defining moment of his presidency, an-nounced that he will deepen the US involvement in Afghanistan by sending 30,000 more troops to fight the Taliban militants in the country.

Iran on Wednesday released five British sailors who were de-tained last week. The photograph shows unidentified crew mem-bers and passengers before the yacht departed for a Dubai race.

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Afghans not impressed by troop surgeThirty thousand more US troops for Afghani-stan? Esmatullah only shrugged.

”Even if they bring the whole of America, they won’t be able to stabilize Afghanistan,” said the young construction worker out on a Kabul street corner on Wednesday morning. “Only Afghans understand our traditions, ge-ography and way of life.”

US President Barack Obama’s announce-ment of a massive new escalation of the eight-year-old war seemed to have impressed no-body in the Afghan capital, where few watched the speech on TV before dawn and fewer seemed to think new troops would help.

Obama said his goal was to “disrupt, dis-mantle and defeat” al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and “reverse the Taliban’s momentum.”

The extra US forces, and at least 5,000 expected from other NATO allies, would join 110,000 Western troops already in the country in an effort to reverse gains made by the extremist militants, at their strongest since being ousted in 2001.

Shopkeeper Ahmad Fawad, 25, said it would not help.

“The troops will be stationed in popu-lated areas where the Taliban will somehow infiltrate and then may attack the troops,” he said. “Instead of pouring in more soldiers, they need to focus on equipping and raising Afghan forces, which is cheap and easy.”

For many, the prospect of more troops meant one thing: more civilian deaths.

“More troops will mean more targets for the Taliban and the troops are bound to fight, and fighting certainly will cause civilian casual-ties,” Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai, a former Afghan prime minister, told Reuters.

“The civilian casualties will be further a blow to the US image and cause more indigna-tion among Afghans.”

‘Nothing really new’By late morning, the Afghan government had yet to issue an official response to Obama’s statement. President Hamid Karzai has in the past said he favors additional Western troops, although he wants Afghan forces to take over security for the country within five years.

Although Obama pointedly addressed Afghans, telling them the United States was not interested in occupying their country, par-liamentarian Shukriya Barakzai said she was disappointed because the speech contained little talk of civilian aid.

“It was a very wonderful speech for America ...but when it comes to strategy in Afghanistan there was nothing really new

which was disappointing,” she told Re-uters from her home.

”It seems to me that President Obama is very far away from the re-ality and truth in Afghanistan. His strategy was to pay lip-service, and did not focus on civilians,

nation-building, democracy and human rights.”

Other Afghans, hardened by decades of war and wary of

foreign forces whom have for years fought proxy

battles in Afghanistan, were skeptical of the US intentions.

Kabul money chan-ger Ehsanullah won-dered why US forces had managed to find former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but had yet to locate al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden or Taliban leader Mullah Moham-mad Omar, who both fled US troops in Af-ghanistan in 2001.

“This is part of America’s further occu-pation of Afghanistan,” he said. Kabul Reuters

Rising combat deaths and military costs have sapped US public support for the eight-year-old war and Obama’s 30,000-strong troop increase plan has prompted protests from left-leaning leaders of his Democratic Party ahead of next year’s congressional elections

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TODAY’S ZAMAN EXPAT ZONET H U R S D AY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 912

CMYK

NOTE: Today’s Zaman intends to provide a l ively forum for expatr iates l iv ing in Turkey. We encourage you to contact us at voice@todayszaman.com and share your experiences, questions and problems in al l walks of l i fe for publ icat ion in Today’s Zaman.

I’m out and about in �stanbul trying to buy new clothes for the winter before returning to Cappadocia. Unfortunately things are not going well. Already I’ve been in the shopping mall for two hours, purse primed, credit card at the ready, but so far I’ve not managed to make it to even one of the checkout tills.

Before I go any further I’d better put up my hand and con-fess that this is not a new problem. It’s hardly surprising that I have trouble making a purchase in Turkey since I’ve never been good at shopping anywhere (unless it’s for books, of course, in which case I never come home empty-handed). It’s just that living in Turkey -- and more speci� cally living in Göreme -- has added a whole new layer of dif� culty to the matter.

Before, the problems were obvious. I’m short, which means that “ready-to-wear” skirts and trousers are always too long for me and I have to try and imagine what they’d look like after I’ve

hacked off roughly 20 centimeters of trailing material. Then I’m blessed with the sort of � gure that the kind would call curvy and the unkind fat, which means that dresses that � t snugly on one part of my body completely fail to pass over another part of it.

So far, so bad. The trouble is that since moving to Göreme,

I’ve discovered a whole lot more reasons why nothing is ever quite buyable. Let’s look at what this season has to offer us women. Three-quarter-length sleeves, for example. Hmm, � ne if you live in centrally heated, hermetically sealed snugness, but not quite so wonderful if you’re living in a draughty (code for cold) cave-house and doing your best to hold the heating bills at a level that won’t leave you so poor you have to dress in rags for the rest of the year. The same goes for the sort of trendy cardies that button up only to mid-bust level and then � are away to the waist. Lovely to look at but apparently designed in de� ance of the sole purpose of a cardigan which, one would have thought, was to pile on another layer of coziness.

Then there are the plunge necklines (or at least the moder-ately plunging Turkish versions). Place one of these in my shop-ping trolley and which of my neighbors would I be able to visit

to show off my new purchase? Ditto anything with holes cut out of it, or cropped to uncover the knees.

Even footwear has a nasty habit of tripping me up. It goes without saying that anything with a heel, let alone anything with a scary stiletto version, would result in instant ankle-breakage as soon as I stepped out of my front door. Forget prettiness and style. What I need is something sturdy with the sort of grip more normally associated with mountaineering combined with absolute waterproofness and preferably a bit of warmth. Is that really too much to ask?

So I amble miserably round and round the stores fending off over-enthusiastic salespersons on all sides. It’s coming up for clos-ing time now and still my basket is empty. Ah well, at least there’s a handy branch of Remzi Kitabevi (bookshop) just across the way.

Pat Yale lives in a restored cave-house in Göreme in Cappadocia.

When someone tells you that they work in tourism, do you really appreciate what that entails and what kind of person you’re talking about? Amongst other things,

you need to be extremely � exible and have a sense of adventure to survive in the sector, Corinna Sommer-Boncuklu explained. Corinna’s the perfect example of how to make working in tour-ism a success. After doing a variety of jobs (she’s a trained nurse and was a marketing assistant in a German bank and an au pair in Italy), she took the plunge in 1993, starting out as a repre-sentative in Majorca and was transferred to Turkey in 1994. She hasn’t looked back since.

A challenge if ever there was one“Living abroad has changed the way I think and my perception of the world,” Corinna pointed out, adding that “working in a country is, of course, quite different to visiting, and I’ve always loved making friends with the locals and discovering how they think and live. I’ve lived in different countries such as Sri Lanka and Spain. I’ve seen lots of different lifestyles and met very rich and very poor people, and both are still close friends. I’ve also learned a lot about different religions; what most impressed me when I was working in Sri Lanka was that on the same street you � nd a mosque, a church and Hindu and Buddhist temples. Even now, after being in Turkey for 15 years, I still discover something new about the people, the culture and the country every day.”

On a professional level, you learn more about the sector with each job. “Tourism is such a vast sector that offers a wide range of job opportunities to suit all kinds of people,” she highlighted, add-ing that “it has always been important for me to develop my career no matter what I’m doing, and in my � rst job I had the chance to work in different departments of the company. I started out as a representative and then transferred to of� ce-based work. As I stayed with them for 12 years, I was able to learn what it meant to be a sec-retary, a cashier and a member of the airport crew. I also worked in their � ight department and in customer service. Later on, I was also an assistant manager, an area manager. Every year the company of-fered several seminars, and I made a point of attending at least one.”

But it’s no bed of roses“There are downsides to working in tourism, however,” she ex-plained, adding that “the most frustrating aspect of tourism is seasonal contracts, which mean constant job insecurity. Most people are on seasonal contracts in Turkey, and after the sum-

mer they never know whether they also have work for the winter. Even if they do manage to get winter work, they

also end up having to take non-paid vacations, depend-ing on bookings. Representatives have at least two

months’ unpaid vacation each year, and hotel staff

quite often only work three weeks out of four every month in the winter. If they don’t work, they don’t get paid, of course. You can’t talk about working in tourism without highlighting the terrible hours we work sometimes. I’ve worked 20 hours a day even though my contract stated that we wouldn’t be paid overtime for extra hours or for working weekends and public holidays. I’ve even ended up working New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day at times. As many as 80 percent of new staff don’t last their � rst season, but I stuck it out because I could see the bene� ts of working in tourism.”

Then there’s the effect that a job in tourism has on your pri-vate life. “At � rst I only socialized with other people who worked in tourism. Luckily my husband also works in tourism, so there’s never a problem if one of us comes home really late. It would be very dif� cult to have a relationship with someone who worked outside tourism because of the long hours in general or because of the night shifts we have to do sometimes. Another potential problem is that even if your partner also works in tourism, you could actually � nd yourself separated for half the year depending on where your company sends you that season.”

Emerging market: Wedding tourismThe Antalya region is associated with package holidays, so is there anything new on the horizon? “Wedding tourism is be-coming more popular,” Corinna pointed out, adding that “ac-cording to recent � gures, from 1998 to 2009, the sector expanded by 400 percent worldwide, and every year an estimated 650,000 couples choose to get married and to honeymoon abroad. As

�stanbul will be the European Capital of Culture next year, it’s expected that around 65,000 couples will come to Turkey to get married and spend their honeymoon here.”

Do couples really need to go through a specialist agency? “Get-ting married abroad can be a bit of a mine� eld as the rules and regula-tions vary from country to country,” she explained, adding that “some people who come to Turkey just want help with the paperwork, and as the wedding ceremony is in Turkish, they often need a translator, too. All the couples I helped get married in Turkey while working at my last company told me that they couldn’t have done the paper-work, health checks and blood tests without help from someone who knew what they were doing and who could speak Turkish.”

So why are more couples choosing to get married in Turkey and not somewhere more exotic like Seychelles or Las Vegas, the wedding capital of the world? “Most couples have been to Turkey before and love the country,” she highlighted, adding that “for couples from Europe, it’s also cheaper to get married in Turkey than in Seychelles or Las Vegas. And, of course, Turkey also offers a wide range of romantic locations where one can get married and then go on a honeymoon. Last year Wedding City, based in An-talya , organized 23 weddings, and their most recent venture is to offer week-long group weddings in Demre, the site of the Church of St. Nicholas, at speci� c times of the year, for example during European or Russian Christmas. Other than locations, Turkey also has many administrative advantages: It only takes a few days (not months) to get the necessary paperwork processed before getting married in Turkey; couples don’t have to wait weeks to get their marriage license (they are given it right after the ceremony); and there’s no minimum residency requirement in Turkey.”

One major criticism of the mass tourism sector is that a lot of the income generated stays outside the country. Now that Turkish companies -- as opposed to the larger, well-established foreign vacation companies -- are getting involved in wedding tourism, it’s more likely to have a positive impact on the local economy. “There are no speci� c � gures available for this sector of the tourism market yet,” she explained, “but it would be fair to estimate that businesses such as local � orists, hotels, caterers or car rental services could double their annual incomes this way.”

Despite the ups and downs of working in tourism, Corin-na continues to be enthusiastic about her profession. She recently started working for a Turkish company -- Polente Tours -- which, offering beach vacations and cruises around the country, also organizes special interest vacations such as gol� ng, history, art or religious tourism. “As last year was the year of St. Paul, they started a tour to places St. Paul went when he was in Anatolia, and they’re enthusiastic about orga-nizing tailored vacations for both groups and individuals,” she explained. It looks like Corinna won’t have a dull moment.

For more info on getting married in the Antalya region, visit: www.weddingcity.com

CAVE LIFEPAT YALE

Confess�ons of a fa�led shopper

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Corinna Sommer-Boncuklu is the perfect example of how to make working in tourism

a success. After doing a variety of jobs, she took the

plunge in 1993, starting out as a representative in

Majorca and was transferred to Turkey in 1994. She hasn’t

looked back since

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‘It’s expected that around 65,000 couples will come to Turkey to get married and spend their honeymoon here,” says Sommer-Boncuku’

Corinna Sommer-Boncuklu

THERESA DAY ANTALYA

CULTURE&ARTS T H U R S DAY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9 TODAY’S ZAMAN13

CMYK

Paris-based Turkish artist Selçuk Demirel will be showcasing his most recent drawings at an exhibiti-on that opens tomorrow at Gallery Nev in �stanbul’s Beyo�lu. Titled “Yüzde Yüz” (Hundred Percent), the show features over 50 pieces Demirel has crea-ted under various themes such as “Who are we?,” “Where does the body end?” and “Why don’t chips have brains?” The show will run through Jan. 2 at the gallery on the � fth � oor of M�s�r Apartman�.

Selçuk Demirel questions ‘who we are’ in new show

Nostalgia 77, the brainchild of brilliant English producer Benedic Lamdin, will take to the stage for an extraordinary night of funk-jazz at �stanbul’s Ghetto Club this week. Creating a magical space with funky jazz compositions in the spirit of Ho-race Silver, Don Cherry and Sun Ra, Nostalgia 77 will present its intriguing mixture of free, spiritual jazz and period tempos in their performance, sche-duled for Friday at 10:30 p.m. Ticket price: TL 30

Lamdin’s Nostalgia 77 to bring funky jazz to Ghetto

“Das Wunder von Bern” (The Miracle of Bern), German � lmmaker Sönke Wortmann’s 2003 box of� ce hit, will be shown this week at the Goethe Institut in �stanbul as part of the center’s weekly � lm program. The � lm, regarded as a portrait of post-war Germany, tells the story of a German family and the unexpected West German victory in the 1954 World Cup Final in Bern, Switzerland. The admission-free showing is slated for Friday at 7 p.m.

Wortmann’s ‘Miracle’ comes to Goethe Institut

Philip Glass, the proli� c American composer who won the best original music Oscar for the score he composed for the 1999 movie “The Truman Show,” will be in �stanbul next week for an eagerly anticipated performance at the Cemal Re�it Rey (CRR) Concert Hall. Glass will present a program titled “Etudes for solo piano” at his recital, scheduled for Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets, priced at TL 26, can be purchased at Biletix sales points.

Philip Glass to play his own works at CRR concert

EXHIBITION

CONCERT

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CONCERT

The race for Hollywood � lm honors picked up pace on Tuesday when a key indepen-

dent movie group unveiled Spirit Award nomine-es, giving dramas “Precious” and “The Last Stati-on” � ve nods each, including best movie.

Joining them among best � lm nominees for the awards that often spotlight indie movi-es competing for Oscars were romantic comedy “(500) Days of Summer” and immigration dra-mas “Amreeka,” and “Sin Nombre.”

Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, who plays an abu-sed young woman in “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire,” and Helen Mirren in “Last Sta-tion,” about the last year in the life of Russian wri-ter Leo Tolstoy, were given nods for best actress. Jo-ining them were Gwyneth Paltrow in drama “Two Lovers.” The race for lead actor pits Joseph Gordon-Levitt in art house hit “(500) Days of Summer,” aga-inst veteran Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart” and Colin Firth in critical hit “A Single Man.”

“Last Station” earned nods for Michael Hoffman as best director and best screenplay, as well as vete-ran Christopher Plummer for supporting actor. “Pre-cious” brought nominations for director Lee Daniels, actress Mo’Nique in a supporting role, and screenw-riting for Geoffrey Fletcher. “Crazy Heart,” the tale of an outlaw country singer named Bad Blake (Bridges), was among several � lms that earned three nominati-ons apiece, and it earned debut � lmmaker Scott Co-oper nods for best � rst feature and � rst screenplay.

The Spirit Awards are given out by Los An-geles non-pro� t group Film Independent. The awards will be shown live on US cable TV chan-nel IFC on March 5. Los Angeles Reuters

‘Precious,’ ‘Station’ top Spirit Award nods

�stanbul’s annual Contemporary �stanbul art fair is launching its fourth edition today at

�stanbul’s Lüt� K�rdar International Convention and Exhibition Center when it opens its doors to the public following yesterday’s invitation-only preview.

Running through Dec. 6, the four-day inter-national fair offers a wide range of works in vari-ous disciplines such as painting, sculpture, pho-tography, installation, video and new media art. CI’09 brings together 73 art galleries, art institu-tions and artist initiatives to showcase works of art by 306 artists from Turkey and abroad.

This year the fair’s organizers are aiming to widen the scope of the event with the additi-on of 12 established art institutions such as the �stanbul-based Sak�p Sabanc� Museum, the Ak-bank Art Center, �stanbul Modern, the �stanbul Foundation for Culture and Art (�KSV) and the Do�ançay Museum, founded by renowned Tur-kish contemporary abstract artist Burhan Do-�ançay. The fair is expected to attract more than 50,000 visitors. �stanbul Today’s Zaman

Contemporary �stanbul unveiling fourth edition

Turkey bid its last farewell to late � lmmaker Ahmet Uluçay on Wednesday with a funeral

in the central Aegean hamlet of Tepecik near Kütah-ya, where the self-taught director was born and rai-sed and developed a lifetime passion for cinema.

Uluçay, best known for the critically acclaimed “Karpuz Kabu�undan Gemiler Yapmak” (Boats out of Watermelon Rinds), died Monday afterno-on at �stanbul’s Çapa University Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for a brain tumor and pneumonia for the past two months. He was 55. Uluçay was buried at the Tepecik village ceme-tery following noon prayers on Wednesday.

Uluçay was born in 1954 in Kütahya and was � rst introduced to the world of cinema in 1960, as a primary school student, when a traveling movie pro-jector came to his village for a few days. In only a few years, Uluçay was screening movies to fellow villa-gers through a makeshift movie projector in a ma-keshift theater he and one of his friends built in a stallion. This story is told in his 2004 feature “Boats out of Watermelon Rinds,” which was loosely based on the director’s own childhood.

For the past two years Uluçay had been wor-king on his much-anticipated sophomore featu-re, “Bozk�rda Deniz Kabu�u” (Seashell in a Waste-land), which he planned on completing around late 2008, but could not as he had to battle serious he-alth problems along the way, including a major bra-in surgery. When Uluçay’s health deteriorated follo-wing the completion of the � lm’s winter scenes in April 2008, the � lm remained incomplete.

On Tuesday, during a special ceremony for Ulu-çay at the Emek Theater in �stanbul’s Beyo�lu, well-known � lmmakers Ezel Akay and Mustafa Alt�ok-lar said they would be pleased to take part in a colla-borative effort to complete Uluçay’s “Bozk�rda Deniz Kabu�u” as a way of paying their tributes to the late director. “I’m sure many of my fellow � lmmakers would like to take part in this effort, too. We should gather around this subject if there is anything that can be done about ‘Bozk�rda Deniz Kabu�u.’ That would be a good � nale for Ahmet and a contribution to cinema,” Akay said. �stanbul Today’s Zaman

Farewell to Uluçay as directors ponder taking on incomplete film

makes first-ever appearance in city linked to his music

Latin Grammy Award-winning Ca-nadian � amenco guitarist Jesse Cook, praised for his energetic stage shows,

is currently in �stanbul for his � rst-ever appea-rance in Turkey this week. Cook is performing at the ��-Sanat Cultural Center tonight at 8 p.m.

Considered to be one of the best represen-tatives of modern � amenco music, Cook is also known for his collaborations with such prominent names as B.B. King, Ray Charles and Diana Krall. Having released seven records so far, Cook’s most recent album, “The Rumba Foundation,” delves into the origins of “rumba � amenca” in Cuba.

Cook said he was excited about his � rst-ever trip to �stanbul, which he has always considered to be somehow connected to his music. “Becau-se it is a place where East meets West. Many ti-mes I have considered naming my albums ‘Cons-tantinople,’ and I did once name a song of mine ‘Byzantium Underground’,” Cook said during an interview with Today’s Zaman.

What led you to explore the musical traditi-ons of Colombia on your latest album?

When I � rst started working on “The Rum-ba Foundation,” my idea was to explore the ro-ots of � amenco’s “Ida y Vuelta” forms. Originally, the rumba part of “rumba � amenca” came from Cuba. The “Colombiana” part came from Colom-bia. My � rst contact with Colombian music was through Carlos Vives’ work. There is something very infectious about the way he blends traditio-nal Vallenato and Gaita music with popular mu-sic. I began to wonder what these music forms would sound like if they were blended with rum-ba � amenca. I wrote “Gaita,” “Santa Marta” and

“Bogota by Bus” and was really happy with the results. But it wasn’t until I actually went to Co-lombia and recorded with “Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto” that the tracks really became airborne.

What was your original inspiration for playing music? Why did you pick up the gui-tar, in particular?

When I was very young my mother used to play her Manitas de Plata records at our home in France. She tells me I used to run around the ho-use strumming the guitar trying to sound like him. My � rst teacher was a � amenco guitarist, later my Dad retiring to Arles where he was neighbors with Nicolas Reyes of the Gipsy Kings, all of these things probably contributed to my interest in, and eventually devotion to, this type of music.

How have your experiences recording your latest album affected you as an artist?

I was very excited to hear rumba � amenca mixed with vallenato, cumbia and gaita music. I don’t think it has ever been done before. I am very thankful that in this life I have been given the luxury of being able to chase my dreams. And how sweet it is when one of my crazy no-tions actually bears fruit.

Do you have any new projects in mind for the future?

More touring. More writing. I would like to still be giving concerts when I’m an old man.

What new perspectives on your music do you get from your live performances?

Every time I � nish recording a CD, I � nd myself confronted with the daunting task of trying to represent live, with four or � ve musici-ans, the music I created in the studio using un-limited tracks and musicians. As of yet, we have never resorted to using sequenced tracks or pla-

ying to a DAT tape. Every sound that comes off the stage is being played live, although many of us are doing double duty, playing several instru-ments during the show or playing acoustic ins-truments equipped with synthesizer interfaces, which helps us to achieve a bigger sound.

You have performed with many different artists throughout your career. Who has had the most lasting infl uence on your work?

I have to acknowledge the in� uence of the Gipsy Kings. Although these days I am mixing music of many different backgrounds and cul-tures, rumba � amenca is still a big part of what I do. And for me, the Gipsy Kings’ particular

style of rumba was seminal. I learned so much from their music. The way they were able to take what might be considered a folkloric tra-dition and transform it into such a powerful and universally embraceable sound.

Aside from other musicians, where do you draw inspiration from?

I have been inspired by my travels. My previo-us album, “Frontiers,” drew inspiration from a pe-riod where my wife and I moved to Seville, Spa-in. “Nomad,” the CD before “Frontiers” was pro-duced by traveling to Egypt, Spain, England and the United States. I � nd it very inspirational to re-cord music in foreign countries, to immerse myself in another musical language. It forces me to re-examine my own musical assumptions and habits.

This will be your � rst concert in Turkey. What are you impressions of the country?

This will be my � rst trip to Turkey. I am re-ally looking forward to it. My favorite roomma-te in college was from �stanbul. We were very close. I have always considered �stanbul to be somehow connected to my music, because it is a place where East meets West. Many times I have considered naming my albums “Constan-tinople,” and I did once name a song of mine “Byzantium Underground.”

How will you select the set list for your concert here? What can your audience ex-pect from your performance?

I will be playing a mixture of old and new songs. I have recently discovered a Facebook group called “Turkish Fans of Jesse Cook.” I was quite surprised. I did not realize that people in Turkey knew my work. So knowing that there may be fans of different periods of my career, I will try to cover songs from each of my CDs.

RUMEYSA KIGER �STANBUL

Jesse Cook

CMYK

dagistancetinkaya@todayszaman.com.trDaðýstan Çetinkaya

´Thýnk tank cafe

TODAY’S ZAMAN OPINIONT H U R S DAY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 914

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OKAN UDO BASSEYFATMA DEMÝRELLÝ EMRAH ÜLKERABDULLAH BOZKURTÝBRAHÝM TÜRKMENYASEMÝN GÜRKANPINAR VURUCUHELEN P. BETTSFARUK KARDIÇYAKUP ÞÝMÞEKHAYDAR DURUSOY

ALÝ ODABAÞI

Established on January 16, 2007 NO: 0929Thursday, December 3, 2009

COUNCIL OF STATE= LEGISLATIVE + EXECUTIVE + JUDICIARY

There are inequalities in education all over the world, for basically cultural and social reasons. But no civilized coun-try in the world would attempt to make a legal defense of

the inequalities in education. Therefore, inequality in education can continue only implicitly and latently. All around the world law func-tions to eliminate open -- if any -- and implicit inequalities, and its legitimacy is dependent on this function. However, with the deci-sion of the Council of State on Nov. 25, 2009, the judicial system in Turkey has openly defended the institutionalization of inequality in education, which is another form of social inequality. The Council of State’s decision to cancel the recent decision to apply equal coef-� cients for all secondary school graduates will be a nasty gift to the annals of world education from Turkey as an example of a country where inequality in education is legally defended and justi� ed.

The most important characteristic of the modern state is, from the perspective of sociology of education, its ability to introduce equal educational opportunities to all social strata, making education accessible by all. Traditionally, Turkey had an egalitarian education system that did not deny higher education to anyone depending on his/her social class or the type of the high school they graduated from. But in 1999 the Higher Education Board (YÖK) introduced a system of using dif-ferent coef� cients and weighted “secondary education success points” (AOBP), and put an end to the egalitarian structure of education in Turkey. As the results of this decision became appar-ent over the next few years, even some of those who defended this decision admitted that the coef� cient system must be abolished.

The Council of State’s 2009 decision indicates a reverse direction in all aspects from YÖK’s 1999 coef� cient decision. YÖK at the time did not hide the fact that it actually intended to block certain high schools. Today we are in 2009, some 10 years after that decision. During that time, doz-ens of scienti� c reports have demonstrated the destruction caused by the coef� cient system, and there are even some international reports about this matter. The Council of State’s argument that there cannot be a causal relationship between its coef� cient system and the decline in demand for vocational high schools is clear proof that it is completely and voluntarily blind to all the statistics and qualitative data that accumulated during the last 10 years.

‘Orientation’ a la 1909It is an anachronism that in order to defend its decision, the Council of State refers to the “orientation” principle of the National Educa-tion Law of 1973. For the Council of State, the students’ choosing a high school type at the age of 13 or 14 can be regarded as a legitimate justi� cation for a strict guidance and separation system, which is ac-ceptable only to the positivist education psychology of 1909, which would treat children as nothing but objects. At the very early stages of the development of psychology as a scienti� c branch, some psy-chologists argued, based on some tests about success in natural sci-ences, that children’s “probable destinations” should be determined and they should be trained (oriented) accordingly. Before too long, about 21 years later, the colleagues of these psychologists admitted that neither those tests nor those psychologists could be trusted.

The � aw of these psychologists was in basing their ap-proaches on an incorrect philosophical assumption, or more spe-ci� cally, metaphysics. According to this approach, a child can be considered an object which can be controlled and whose actions can be predicted. But a child is not an object; his/her interests may change over time. Therefore, to set an education destiny for an individual according to his/her performance in childhood and never to allow him/her any form of compensation is unten-able from a pedagogical perspective. The interviews with people who attend and graduate from vocational high schools make it very clear that these students do not attend vocational high school just to learn a profession, but also to prepare for higher education. Under current legislation, the de� nition of vocational high schools is suitable for this. The Council of State’s attempts to treat the perspectives of these students and their parents as wrong with references to the orientation principle of the education sys-tem and to create a predestined course of education based on their “pos-sible destinations” deserve to be treated as an outdated example of the positivist approach. This approach treats the child as an object and is based on a wrong metaphysics, and therefore, believes that it

is entitled to guide the child and set a predestination for him/her.It would be unfair to expect the Council of State to have pro-

found information about the philosophical aspects of education, which requires specialization. But, how can they issue � nal decisions without consulting experts, even for show? Leaving aside the philo-sophical aspects of the matter at hand, the council should have some technical knowledge about its decision, shouldn’t it? The justi� ca-tion it provided for its decision makes it clear that the Council of State does not know the technical details of the differential coefficient system used in university entrance exams. The er-rors of facts in the decision -- for instance, it wrongly says that the coefficient in the new system is 0.5, while the correct figure is 0.15, and also it wrongly says that the coef� cient was implemented at 0.3 and 0.5 starting in 1999, while in reality it was originally 0.2 and 0.5, and was later changed 0.3 and 0.8 -- are indi-cations that it was made based on prejudice and without knowledge.

Creating castesIt is flawed to adopt a normal high school and vocational high school dichotomy. According to this system, a gradu-ate of a science high school who was trained in science and math will be disadvantaged in the university entrance exam if s/he wishes to enroll in a sociology, international relations or law department due to the coefficient system. Similarly, a graduate of a social sciences high school will be disadvan-taged when s/he wants to attend a medical faculty. Therefore, the system of differential coefficient application is not just a problem concerning vocational high schools, but is an issue of concern for all students. Since it concerns everyone, this matter must be radically solved. Education experts assert that it is wrong in terms of orientation to build solid walls within the education system. Today, many universities do not force

their students to specify a department during admission but expect them to make up their minds about the department in the � rst or second class.

The economy has started to distance itself from overspecializa-tion but tends to emphasize the need for individuals who have re-ceived good general education and who are informed about many things, and many education systems around the world, particu-larly in the European Union, place greater emphasis on lifelong learning. But it is a basic contradiction for the judicial system in Turkey not to allow the porousness of the education system. This creates a structure which prevents people from developing and acquiring different skills, and eventually leads to an auto-matic system making poor students proletarian and unskilled.

Higher education opportunities ‘in the field’Another issue is the opportunities available to vocational high schools. The Council of State argues that it is wrong to say that the decision blocks vocational high schools, since the gradu-ates of these schools are basically oriented to higher education in their own � elds as they are entitled to attend the vocational schools of universities (MYOs) without taking any exam. How-ever, students from vocational high schools and their parents do not view this right to attend vocational schools without an exam as a meaningful opportunity. The respectability of the MYOs has been considerably damaged in the eyes of the general public. Anyone who graduates from a normal high school can attend an MYO without any disadvantage in the scoring system. So these schools do not provide any privilege to graduates of vocational high schools. Moreover, the damage caused to the higher edu-cation system and to the vocational high schools by this right to attend a MYO without an exam is well known. This is even ac-knowledged in a report titled “Turkey’s Higher Education Strat-egy,” prepared when Erdo�an Teziç was YÖK president. Fur-

thermore, vocational high school graduates also seek to attend four-year undergraduate programs. However, the Council of State does not seem to hear these demands and tells these students: “You have very good opportunities. You have the right to attend an MYO without an exam.”

Education system entrusted to the Council of StateIn its reasoned decision, the Council of State underlines that it has acted with a view to preserving the stability, harmony and integrity of the education system. These phrases remind one of the justi� cations voiced by the generals of the military coup of 1980, implying that the government and YÖK fail to preserve the harmony of the education system and therefore the judiciary has stepped in to ful� ll this duty. The Council of State notes that the targets mentioned in the Eighth Five-Year Development Plan should not disrupt the integrity and harmony of the education system. But these targets do not contradict the basic principles of the education system, and this can be scientifically proven. Already, these plans are prepared with extensive participa-tion and scientific support from specialized committees.

In sum, the Council of State oversteps its powers and author-ities to assume and use those of the legislative and the executive -- without having to deal with the costs of being the executive -- and tries to preach what should be done or what should not be done in the education system. Moreover, they do this not for the sake of removing some inequalities, but to ensure that the existing ones are maintained. As the judiciary con-tinues to defend the caste system in education, the meaning of the education system and the existing legal system is lost.

*Dr.Bekir S.Gür is an instructor in the department of Computer Engineering at Karabük University, Turkey.

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ÇIBEK�R S. GÜR*

Protesters gather in front of the �stanbul Bar Association in demonstration against the Council of State decision dated Nov. 25, 2009, which opened the way for the institutionalization of inequality in Turkey’s educational system.

CMYK

COLUMNS T H U R S D AY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9 TODAY’S ZAMAN 15

Res�gnat�on

�s not only

for Germans

The Sw�ss vote and the l�m�ts of mult�cultural�sm �n Europe

The v�ew from

the m�naret

The Swiss vote last Sunday to ban the building of minarets in new mosques in Switzerland came as a shock to many. Some dismissed the vote as a trivial issue. Only half of the Swiss citizens, they argued, par-ticipated in the referendum, and about 58 percent of those said no to the minarets. In other words, not all Swiss condoned the act. After all, the referendum will be taken to higher courts both in Switzerland and Europe, and it could be overturned. But the decision to restrict religious freedom in a provocative manner by one of the most liberal societies of Europe is fraught with prospects beyond the minaret issue.

The repercussions of the Swiss vote will be felt at three levels, and all three are vital for the future. The � rst is the prospect that the rac-ist elements within European politics will be invigorated. The vote has already mobilized right-wing political parties which have an aversion to foreigners and minorities in Europe. Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who is fast becoming Europe’s most visible Islamophobe and an ad-vocate of blatantly racist policies, has already called for a similar ban in the Netherlands. The Swiss vote could set a precedent for such extreme views to be seen as part of the mainstream when in reality they are no less discriminatory and in� ammatory than anti-Semitism and racism. I will not be surprised if the extremists in the UK, Austria, Germany, France and other European countries will start similar campaigns.

Secondly, the Swiss vote will have far-reaching repercussions for the future of Muslims in Europe. If European Muslims in Switzerland,

a supposed bastion of liberalism and tolerance at least legally if not so-cially, can be singled out as potential threats, what can we expect in other countries where failed government policies and exclusivist leg-islation have already alienated disempowered Muslim communities?

The Swiss Muslim community, which numbers around 400,000, is probably the most peaceful and well-integrated group in Europe. We have hardly seen any individuals or groups causing political or social trouble in the country. If they are seen as suspect and their religious rights severely undermined, what kind of a message would this send to other Muslims of Europe? Even perfect integration will not suf� ace to give a space for civility toward Muslims in the middle of Europe?

The logic of the anti-minaret campaign is � awed because it con-fuses integration with assimilation and discrimination. The Swiss MP Ulrich Schlüer, one of the architects of the referendum and the cam-paign, told the Los Angeles Times that the minaret is “a political sym-bol against integration; a symbol more of segregation, and � rst of all,

a symbol to try to introduce Sharia law parallel to Swiss rights.” How and when has the minaret, an integral part of mosque architecture for centuries and across the Muslim world, become a symbol of “political Islam”? From now on, are we supposed to treat the cross a symbol of fundamentalist Christianity?

Thirdly, the Swiss vote will affect the fate of pluralism in Europe and the future relations between Muslim and Western societies. The Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor wrote in the Guardian in 2007 that multiculturalism has become suspect and inextricably linked with Islam because “almost every reason for toleration’s apparent fall into disrepute concerns Islam.” The rising tide of Islamophobia, a concern for all human and civil rights groups, is directly related to the larger debate about the future of pluralism and multiculturalism in Europe.

In an alarming way, “Islam” as an ideological category has be-come part of a public debate in certain European corners to determine how far pluralism and multiculturalism will go. We had a trial case of this in the 2004 French decision, this time by the government, to ban headscarves in public schools. Like the Swiss vote, the attempts by the French to justify the ban went beyond girls covering their heads in public schools. The debate became � xated upon the “soul” of France and Europe. Not surprisingly, “Islam” and “Muslims,” again as abstract ideological categories, were presented as the eternal other of Europe.

When in 2007 Louise Arbour, the then United Nations High Com-

missioner for Human Rights, said bigotry and prejudice, especially in regard to Muslims, were common in Europe, many dismissed her remarks as an overstatement. But she insisted that Europeans “are shocked at times when it is pointed out that bigotry, prejudice and ste-reotyping is still sometimes very present in their attitude to others.” The myopic view that the civilized nations of the world have left all traces of racism and discrimination in the past is not only arrogance but also deadly ignorance. The Swiss vote is a painful reminder that no one can take freedom and rights for granted, even in Europe.

What is encouraging is that many conscientious Swiss and Eu-ropeans have reacted against to the ban and will take action together with Swiss Muslims. Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Hu-man Rights, said the ban was “discriminatory, deeply divisive and a thoroughly unfortunate step for Switzerland to take and risks putting the country on a collision course with its international human rights obligations.” The Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt suggested that the UN reconsider its presence in Geneva, home to its second largest of� ce, if the Swiss high courts did not overturn the vote.

The Swiss vote is disturbing. But it is also an excellent opportunity for Swiss Muslims and others to rally behind the principle of human rights and civil liberties. This is a golden opportunity for everyone from the Catholics and Protestants to the secular to demonstrate that the future of multiculturalism in Europe will not be dictated by fear and mistrust.

“With this step I want to allow the government to continue its successful work and prevent further damage to the armed forces.”

These were the words of former Labor Minister Franz J. Jung of Germany when he announced his resignation after accepting political responsibility for withholding details about an air strike in Kunduz, Af-ghanistan, in September that had resulted in civilian and child casual-ties. (German and international agencies reported this week that the death toll from the air strike has reached 142.)

The scandal and resignation are not about the German-ordered bombing and the deaths of civilians in Kunduz but about communication in the Defense Ministry, which tried to conceal information from prosecu-tors and the people for weeks. Jung’s position was further weakened after a report suggested that commanders on the ground did not adhere to the rules of engagement. The scandal was sending all the wrong signals when Germany needed a sober foreign policy debate.

Jung, defense minister at the time, quit a day after the army’s chief of staff and the deputy defense minister resigned over the incident. The German of� cials’ resignations due to the cover-up raise the questions: Could this teach other politicians across the globe a lesson, perhaps even the chief of General Staff in Turkey and the junta plotting to kill civilians, children and non-Muslim citizens of Turkey? Can we expect any of our generals to step down any time soon after multiple revela-tions about plots, documents, extra-judicial killings and discoveries of caches of weapons and ammunition?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “A minister who is respon-sible for giving such false [information] and misinformation to the Par-liament has no place in the Cabinet.” Her government, therefore, has managed to get rid of this whole affair quickly and gain political room to distance itself from Jung and his staff’s alleged cover-up.

So what about our General Staff, which covers up many plots, killings, the mistreatment of civilians and ethnic and religious groups? It retains of� cers who are accused of having terrorized, tortured and killed a multi-tude of civilians in the Southeast and other places. It has failed to pass on information to prosecutors and courts about Ergenekon and the Cage plot. Who will assume the political and legal responsibility for the internal lack of communication and cooperation between the government, judicial and military of� ces? Who will adhere to the ethics of work and responsibil-ity among the elected government and their of� cers under the Ministry of Defense, the prime minister and Parliament? Could we too rapidly re-move those who are alleged to be members of the latest junta in order to distance the Turkish military from further damage?

Resignation is the ethical and formal act of quitting an of� ce or position one holds. It is voluntarily stepping down from a position in honor when one fails to ful� ll the expected obligations. Someone can make a personal decision to exit a position when he or she may not be eligible for or capable of the tasks at hand, too.

However, rejecting calls for resignation or, more correctly, not even heeding any calls by the wider public, has been seen as a method of cen-sorship used by the General Staff in Turkey. Several military of� cers who spoke or acted somewhat freely about the junta and dark dealings within the military have recently lost their lives. Not the plotters but the whistle-blowers are investigated and charged by the military. Moreover, � ve navy of� cers who were implicated either in the formation or revelation of plots by Ergenekon have mysteriously committed suicide in their of� ces or homes.

Junta members’ involvement in sexual and prostitution schemes to blackmail people, actions to secure elections for their candidates whom they assume would cooperate to further their regime in the future, the military’s inadequate response to terrorist attacks on the military outpost at the border in spite of receiving intelligence about the assaults, its failure after several cross-border interventions to eliminate terrorist camps and leadership for almost two decades, its utilization and supervision of death squads in the Southeast and other parts of the country, its schemes to re-move legitimately elected presidents and governments, its numerous ex-tortions and smuggling of people, drugs and arms and improper � nancial dealings, and much more that � lls the � les of ongoing Ergenekon trials -- all this is not enough to bring the implicated military staff, who are still in their posts, to retire or be removed in today’s Turkey.

The junta embedded in the military may escape any legal measures today, but future generations will de� nitely pursue and prosecute them. They should see that resignation is also a valid and ethical option for them. Rank and re-sources are entrusted to them only so that they may serve the public, not their own illegitimate interests. After all, resignation is not only for Germans.

I live in a Bosporus-side community in �stanbul where morning and night, the chimes of bells from one of the local churches joins the call from the minaret in marking the rhythm of the day. If I stroll to the shoreline, I see on the distant horizon two domes separated by 1,000 years of history -- the Church of the Divine Wisdom (Aya So� a) and the Blue Mosque, all part of a harmoni-ous skyline. What better vantage point, you might think, to look down my nose at the decision by a handsome majority of voters in far away Switzerland to revel in intolerance and forbid the future building of minarets. And yet I am feeling far from smug.

Condemnation of the Swiss referendum has been near univer-sal. From the Vatican to the United Nations, from the Organiza-tion for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to the Swedish presidency of the European Union, from the editorial columns of The New York Times to the Euro-phobic headlines of Vakit, statements of horror and incredulity have been swift. “An example of growing anti-Islamic incitement in Europe by the extremist, anti-immigrant, xenophobic, racist, scare-mongering ultra-right politicians who reign over common sense, wisdom and universal values,” said Ekmeled-din �hsano�lu, secretary-general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), managing to hit pretty much all the stops. Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, the Swiss justice minister, described the ban as contravening the European Convention on Human Rights but also an attempt to stir up trouble. Although she did not use the word “Er-genekon,” she portrayed it as a malicious provocation, an attempt to stage a “proxy war” between native Swiss and Muslim immigrants.

Adding my own reedy voice to this vast international chorus of dismay is, I admit, a low priority. Instead, I have been asking myself “What if…” It is, of course, most unlikely that Turkey would imitate the Swiss habit of direct democracy and hold a referendum on wheth-er there should be a freeze on building new churches on Turkish soil or whether they regard missionary activities as a form of militant Christi-anity. However, there are enough recent opinion polls to give Turkey pause for thought and to ask if what is happening in Switzerland is not simply a re� ection of what has long been the case in its own backyard.

A recent study published by Ali Çarko�lu and Ersin Kalayc�o�lu of Sabanc� University records that 59 percent of those surveyed believed those from different religions should not be allowed to propagate their beliefs in public and 54 percent should not be allowed to do so in print -- levels roughly comparable to 57 percent of the Swiss who voted to ban the minaret. In his column yesterday Orhan Kemal Cengiz makes the all too obvious point that minority religious communities in Turkey -- not immigrants but people whose ancestors were born on Turkish soil -- have experienced all too real dif� culties in repairing their own places of worship and preventing their land and property from being taken over by the forestry commission or simple seizure. The Radikal newspaper recently (Sept. 30) splashed a public survey which suggest-ed that sizeable portions of the Turkish public wanted no contact with people who did not believe in the exact same God as themselves and certainly did not want them living in the house next door.

Some of the worst manifestations of intolerance in Turkey as in Switzerland have been calculated provocations. In Turkey the stakes have been higher and more violent, including, one suspects, the mur-der of the Armenian editor Hrant Dink or the brutal killings of three Christians in Malatya in 2007. The latest round of newspaper accusa-tions point to a conspiracy within the military to stage a series of vio-lent incidents intended to terrorize Turkey’s non-Muslim communi-ties as part of an attempt to discredit the current government.

However, the government does itself no favors by being cow-ardly about addressing discrimination at home. If Turkish of� cialdom is openly critical of what has happened in Switzerland (Minister for EU Affairs Egemen Ba��� suggested with perhaps a touch of facetious-ness that Islamic petrol wealth should � ee the bankers of Zurich for the gnomes of �stanbul), then it should wage war on racism in Turkey itself.

To take one horrendous example after the murders in Malatya, according to the US State Department’s International Religious Free-dom Report: “The governor of Malatya was initially hesitant to per-mit the burial of the German victim in Malatya. He told the German victim’s widow that no Christian should be buried in the country’s soil. After negotiations between German and Turkish government of� cials, the victim was buried in a private Armenian cemetery in Malatya.” It is one thing to blame Ergenekon for the country’s woes, and another for the country to serve at Ergenekon’s beck and call.

The Ergenekon case has entered a new phase with the summoning of three force commanders from 2004 to tes-tify as “suspects.” Until now people were being tried for laying the groundwork for a coup but now it is time to try people for attempting a coup. This stage is very important. For the � rst time ever in Turkey people will be prosecuted for trying to overthrow the legitimate ruling power by stag-ing a coup. This is very important because Turkey cannot democratize until it settles it account with coup and junta supporters. Former Land Forces Commander Gen. Ay-taç Yalman, former Air Forces Commander Gen. �brahim F�rt�na and former Naval Forces Commander Adm. Özden Örnek were � rst brought to public attention in 2007 when the Nokta magazine published excerpts from diaries con-taining information about coup attempts. Örnek claimed the diaries did not belong to him. Both former Chief of General Staff Gen. Ya�ar Büyükan�t and current Chief of General Staff Gen. �lker Ba�bu� back him up. However, Er-genekon prosecutors had the diaries examined by experts. Four experts found that the source of the diaries was the computer of the “Naval Commander” and its author was “Adm. Örnek” and the person who made the last modi� -cation was the “Naval Forces Commander.”

The three force commanders were requested to tes-tify after a particular development in the Ergenekon case last week. The presiding judge, Köksal �engün, said to the prosecutors, “As far as I know there is no investigation into the coup attempt, is there?” to which the prosecutors said: “The Ay����� (Moonlight), Yakamoz (Sea Sparkle) and Eldiven (Glove) coup attempts constitute the essence of the case. We are trying the coup attempts in that case. That is the essence of the second case.”

Those who are trying to disrupt the Ergenekon case and

protect the suspects are having an increasingly hard time doing it. I know that when the trial of the coup planners be-gins they will start a campaign saying: “It is not a crime to be involved in a coup attempt. How can there be a case against a coup that did not even take place?” As if there can be a trial for a coup that did take place. But all these efforts are in vain because the dirty and bloody structure they are trying to hide is becoming a bit more exposed and torn each day. How will they be able to conceal and cover every aspect? On the � rst day of the holiday two colonels and one lieu-tenant colonel were arrested in relation to the Cage Opera-tion Action Plan. Don’t think lightly of it for it had plans to secretly place explosives in a submarine at the Koç Museum and detonate it while a large group of students were visiting.

The executive editors of dailies such as Hürriyet, Mil-liyet, Vatan and Ak�am all chose to ignore the Cage plan. But when three of� cers were arrested some of them could not continue to stay silent. Güngör Mengi from Vatan re-membered responsible reporting and said, “We made a mistake in discretion due to extreme cautiousness.” Reha Muhtar protested saying, “If this isn’t news then what is?”

Another development happened yesterday. It was decided that separate indictments will be prepared for the loaded 15 light anti-tank weapons and ammunition found on land owned by Ergenekon suspect Bedrettin Dalan’s �stek Foundation in �stanbul’s Poyrazköy district and the Cage Operation Action Plan. In a new report released by the European Parliament that was debated yesterday, the point that the Ergenekon case is an opportunity for democ-racy and law was underlined once again and it was also noted again that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) interven-tion in politics and foreign policy was alarming. This is not a story. In other words it’s not a children’s fairy tale about a “Blond Girl watching the Sea Sparkle under the Moonlight when a man wearing a Glove brings her a Cage.”

An entire society has awakened and even the Eu-ropeans have opened their eyes. We are tired of fairy tales. We announce this especially to all pro-status quo policeman and the well-regarded individuals who insist on protecting junta supporters.

No Comment

Blonde G�rl watch�ng the Sea

Sparkle under the Moonl�ght

IRAQ, AP

�BRAH�M KALIN

i.kalin@todayszaman.com

MUHAMMEDÇET�N

cetin.m@todayszaman.com

ANDREWFINKEL

a.finkel@todayszaman.com

HÜSEY�NGÜLERCE

h.gulerce@todayszaman.com

Today is the International Day of Persons with Dis-abilities. On Oct. 14, 1992, at the end of the Decade

of Disabled Persons, the UN proclaimed Dec. 3 as a day of annual observance to promote the continuation of in-tegrating the disabled into general society. In 1997, Aus-tralia renamed this observance as the International Day of People with a Disability in recognition of the abilities and achievements of people living with disabilities.

Today is the anniversary of the official end of the Cold War. On this day in 1989, US President George Bush and

the secretary-general of the Soviet Union’s Communist Party, Mikhail Gorbachev, came together in Malta and de-clared an end to the Cold War.

Today is Heart Transplant Day. This day commemo-rates the anniversary of the first hearat transplant, which was performed in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1967 by Dr. Christiaan Barnard.

Today is Sir Rowland Hill Day, observed by the philatelists of the world. This day commemorates the birthday of Sir Row-land Hill (1795-1879), the British teacher and social reformer

who campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal sys-tem. He is usually credited with forming the basic elements of modern postal service, including the invention of the postage stamp. In 1997 the British Royal Mail started the Rowland Hill Awards for philatelic innovation, initiative and enterprise.

Today is Advocate’s Day in India. Celebrated annually on Dec. 3 by the community of lawyers in India, this day marks the anniversary of the birth of Rajendra Prasad (Dec. 3, 1884-Feb. 28, 1963), who was the first president of the Republic of India and a very eminent lawyer himself.

16 TODAY’S ZAMAN T H U R S D AY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9 LEISURE

E208:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show09:00 Umutsuz Evkad�nlar�10:00 The Martha Stewart Show11:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show12:00 The Rachael Ray Show13:00 Dedikoducu K�z14:00 The Martha Stewart Show15:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show16:00 The Rachael Ray Show17:00 Umutsuz Evkad�nlar�18:00 The Martha Stewart Show19:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show20:00 Family Guy21:00 Heroes22:15 Hung23:00 The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien24:00 Hung01:00 The Jay Leno Show02:00 The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien03:00 Heroes04:00 Family Guy

CNBC-E17:55 The Simpsons 18:50 The Jay Leno Show 20:00 Leverage 21:00 The Closer 22:00 Coco Chanel 01:15 The Jay Leno Show 02:15 The Closer 03:15 Coco Chanel

GOLDMAX07:50 The Addams Family09:35 Wall Street (1987) 11:40 Where's Marlowe?13:25 St. Elmo’s Fire15:15 Camille17:00 Year of the Dog18:40 Addams Family Values20:15 I'll Sleep When I'm Dead22:05 The In-Laws23:50 Oscar and Lucinda02:00 Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls03:50 3 Women

MOVIEMAX06:25 The Brothers Solomon 08:05 Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise 09:40 Daddy Day Care 11:20 Walking Tall: Lone Justice 13:05 The Jane Austen Book Club 15:05 Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 17:55 Ratatouille20:00 Made Of Honor21:55 Warm Springs00:05 Hostel II01:40 Catacombs03:10 South Of Heaven, West Of Hell05:25 Ratatouille

MGM MOVIES06:50 Castaway08:50 Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean10:30 The Group13:05 The White Buffalo14:45 Smile16:50 What Did You Do in the War Daddy?18:50 King of the Gypsies20:45 Witness for the Prosecution22:45 Dead Man's Gun Season 2/5: Sisters of Mercy23:35 Dead Man's Gun Season 2/6: Hangman00:25 The Long Goodbye03:00 What Did You Do in the War Daddy?05:40 Garwood: Prisoner Of War

COMEDYMAX08:00 American Dad08:30 Til Death09:00 The Cosby Show10:00 According to Jim11:00 Everybody Loves Raymond12:00 The Office13:00 The Game13:30 30 Rock14:00 American Dad14:30 Til Death15:00 The Cosby Show16:00 According to Jim17:00 Everybody Loves Raymond18:00 3rd Rock from the Sun18:30 The Game19:00 The Cosby Show19:30 30 Rock20:00 American Dad20:30 Til Death21:00 According to Jim21:30 Everybody Loves Raymond22:00 The Office23:00 Californication23:30 Weeds00:00 Til Death

TRT Tour�sm Rad�o

00:00 Identification and Programming 00:25 Music 07:25 Identification and Programming07:30 Music 08:30 News (English, French, German) 08:40 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 10:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 10:45 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 12:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 12.45 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 15:00 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 15:15 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 18:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 18:45 Live Broadcast (English, French) 21:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 21:45 Live Broadcast (English, Greek) 23:58 Identification

Broadcast Areas:

Alanya FM 94.4Ankara FM 100.3Antalya FM 92.1Ayval�k FM 101.1Bodrum FM 97.4Fethiye FM 103.1�stanbul FM 101.6�zmir FM 101.6Kalkan FM 105.9Kapadokya FM 103.0Ku�adas� FM 101.9Marmaris FM 101.0Pamukkale FM 101.0Trabzon FM 101.5

tv gu�de

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“Türkler Ç�ld�rm�� Olmal�: Görev Afrika”

NE�EL� HAYAT�STANBUL: Bak�rköy AFM Carousel 11:15 13:50 16:20 19:00 21:30 Beyo�lu CineMajestic 11:30 12:45 13:45 15:00 16:15 17:30 18:45 20:00 21:15 22:30 Beyo�lu AFM Fita� 10:30 11:40 13:00 14:20 15:40 17:00 18:20 19:40 21:00 22:20 23:40 Levent Cinebonus Kanyon 11:15 12:00 13:45 14:30 16:30 17:15 19:15 20:00 22:00 22:45 24:45 Ata�ehir 10:30 12:45 15:00 17:15 19:30 21:45 24:00 Caddebostan AFM 10:40 12:00 13:20 14:40 16:00 17:20 18:40 20:00 21:20 23:15 Kozyata�� Cinebonus Palladium 11:00 12:15 13:30 14:45 16:00 17:15 18:30 19:45 21:00 22:15 23:30 ANKARA: Cinebonus Bilkent 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 24:15 Ata On Tower 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:15 15:15 17:30 19:45 22:00 24:00 �ZM�R: Alsancak Karaca 12:15 14:30 16:45 19:00 21:15 AFM Bornova Forum 11:00 13:30 16:00 18:30 21:15 23:45 Cinebonus Konak Pier 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 24:00 ANTALYA: Lara Prestige 11:30 12:45 13:45 15:00 16:00 17:15 18:15 19:30 20:30 21:45 22:45 Cinebonus Migros 11:15 13:45 16:15 19:00 21:45 24:15 AFM Laura 12:00 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 23:45

TÜRKLER ÇILDIRMI� OLMALI: GÖREV AFR�KA�STANBUL: Bak�rköy Cinebonus Capacity 11:00 13:00 15:15 17:30 19:45 22:00 24:15 Beyo�lu CineMajestic 11:30 13:45 16:00 17:45 18:30 19:45 21:00 21:45 23:00 Beyo�lu AFM Fita� 10:40 12:50 15:10 17:30 19:50 22:10 �i�li Megaplex Cevahir 11:00 12:00 14:15 15:20 16:30 19:00 21:30 23:00 Ata�ehir 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 24:30 Kad�köy Rexx 11:15 13:15 15:15 16:15 17:15 18:15 19:15 21:15 ANKARA: Cinebonus Bilkent 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 24:00 Ata On Tower 11:00 13:15 15:30 17:45 20:00 22:00 24:00 Cinebonus Panora 11:00 13:20 15:30 17:40 19:50 22:00 �ZM�R: Agora Balçova 11:00 13:15 15:30 17:45 20:00 22:15 Konak AFM Passtel 11:15 13:45 16:00 18:30 21:15 ANTALYA: Lara Prestige 12:30 14:45 17:00 19:15 21:30 Cinebonus Migros 11:45 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 24:00

VIAGGIO SECRETO�STANBUL: Beyo�lu Pera 12:00 14:15 16:30 18:45 21:00

Mr. D�ploMAT!Crossword

Sudoku

ACROSS 1 Coins of the

realm 6 Instrument

in an Italian orchestra

10 It goes through loops

14 Outboard motor’s locale

15 How perfec-tionists do things

16 Radio- message ender

17 Irritating to the nose

18 Bounce from the bar, say

19 How worka-holics often work

20 Where the deer and the antelope play

23 Cover a lot of ground?

24 Campfire remnant

25 Palindromic ABBA hit

26 Animal’s pouch

29 Downey of “Touched by an Angel”

31 Bagged beverage

33 Notable historical spans

35 Photogra-pher’s need

37 Part of the back of the mouth

41 Not the least bit off

44 Louisiana

marsh 45 Kind of effort 46 Take for a

bride 47 Work bit 49 Bit of

sediment 51 ’Twas in the

present? 52 Seasonal

affliction 55 School

conveyance, often

57 Parisian papa 59 Neil Diamond

hit 64 Heavenly

garden on earth

65 Color for a wolf or whale

66 Butterlike spreads

68 “Zounds!” cousin

69 “Take some!” 70 It’s

heaven-sent 71 Durbeyfield

of fiction 72 Was in debt 73 Smelly

smokeDOWN 1 Pro bono TV

spot, briefly 2 Write

indelibly 3 Rome burned

during his reign

4 Small hindrance, as in plans

5 Make desirable

6 Compensa-tion for a wrong

7 Resounding defeat

8 Ottoman title

9 Declare under oath

10 Gaucho’s cow-catcher

11 Bob famous for his sausage

12 Turn loose 13 Classic

Joyce Kilmer poem

21 Quarter-rounded molding

22 Case of the sniffles

26 Romanian’s neighbor

27 Vocal solo, sometimes

28 Good at dodging questions (Var.)

30 Kicked in, as chips

32 Acknowledge frankly

34 There may be a spat about it

36 Having very

keen vision 38 Regiment or

patrol 39 Son of Jacob

and Leah 40 Senate tally 42 Kind of

engine 43 High guy in

Dubai (Var.) 48 Avid 50 Stable hands 52 British jour-

nalist’s street 53 Fraternal club 54 Iris layers 56 Toss about,

as petals 58 Enthusiastic

approval 60 Means

justifiers, at times

61 Relative of a rabbit

62 Game of chance

63 Carol, e.g. 67 Give voice to

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

© 2009 Universal Uclickwww.upuzzles.com

EASY

EASY

HOW TO PLAY? : The objective of the game is to fill all the blank squares in a game with the correct numbers. There are three very simple constraints to follow. In a 9 by 9 square Sudoku game:

Every row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order Every column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order Every 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include all digits 1 through 9

tr

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Ambulance: 112 Fire: 110 171 Police: 155156 Maritime: 158 Unknown numbers: 118 Turkish Airlines: 444 0 849 U.S. Embassy: 0312 455 5555 U.S. Consu-

late: 0212 2513602-3-4 Russian Embassy: 0312 439 2122 Russian Consulate: 0212 244 1693-2610 British Embassy: 0312 455 3344 British Consulate: 0212

293 7540 German Embassy: 0312 455 5100 German Consulate: 0212 334 61 00 French Embassy: 0312 455 4545 French Consulate: 0212 292 4810-11 Indian

Embassy: 0312 438 2195 Pakistani Embassy: 0312 427 1410 Austrian Embassy: 0312 419 0431-33 Austrian Consulate: 0212 262 9315 Belgian Embassy:

0312 446 8247 Belgian Consulate: 0212 243 3300 Egyptian Embassy: 0312 426 1026 Egyptian Consulate: 0212 263 6038 Israeli Embassy: 0312 446 3605

Gregorian Calendar: 03 December 2009 C.E. Hijri Calendar: 16 Dhul-Hijjah 1430 A.H. Hebrew Calendar: 16 Kislev 5770 calendar@todayszaman.com

949

CMYK

HARD

Cem K�z�ltu�c.kiziltug@todayszaman.com

HARD4

3

8

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5 6 8

7

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4

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5 8

9

7

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1

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6

2

1

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2

5

6

8 9 6

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7 1 9 2

3

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9

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1 9 3

4 5 6

8 7 2

6 4 2

7 9 8

5 3 1

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3 2 1

4 9 6

3 6 7

2 1 9

5 4 8

9 2 4

8 7 5

1 6 3

5 1 8

6 3 4

9 7 2

7 2 4

9 8 1

6 3 5

3 8 9

2 5 6

4 1 7

1 6 5

7 4 3

2 8 9

1 4 7

5 8 3

2 9 6

2 3 6

1 9 4

5 8 7

8 5 9

6 7 2

4 3 1

9 7 4

6 3 2

8 1 5

3 6 5

8 7 1

4 2 9

2 1 8

9 4 5

7 6 3

7 5 1

3 6 8

4 2 9

9 4 8

7 5 2

6 1 3

3 2 6

1 9 4

5 8 7

Imagine indulging in a passionate goodbye with someone, only to turn the corner and bump into him five minutes later. That sums up

the experience of watching the season premiere of the medical comedy “Scrubs,” which, after seeming-ly wrapping up for good last spring after eight years, makes an inexplicable return as a hybrid reincarnation/sort-of spinoff of its former self.

After Season 8’s touching finale, which tied up ev-ery story line, no one seems more nervous for reaction about “Scrubs” 2.0 than the people who make the show. “‘Scrubs’ will be back, but in a new incarnation. ... I know many of you will have very strong opinions on this topic,” series star Zach Braff, who plays J.D., wrote on his MySpace page back in May, adding, “Don’t hate it until you see what [executive pro-ducer Bill Lawrence] comes up with.”

The first few minutes of Tuesday’s premiere takes place at some vague point in the future. Sa-cred Heart Hospital has been torn down, replaced by a new hospital built on the campus of a medical school, in which implausible -- but hopefully hilarious -- medical melodramas will surely play out.

Some of the show’s original cast members (John C. Mc-Ginley as Dr. Cox, Donald Faison as Turk) have stayed behind as teachers, while others make guest appearances (including Sarah Chalke as Elliot, now J.D.’s pregnant wife, and Ken Jen-kins as Dr. Kelso); and the real action focuses on a group of four new, and of course much younger, faces.

Yet having members of the previous cast remain even temporarily -- Braff will only appear in six episodes -- weighs

down the premiere. As great as it is to see J.D. and his BFF Turk have a glorious, slow-motion reunion while “Guy Love”

-- the power ballad from Season 6’s musical episode -- plays in the background, the inside jokes detract from

getting to know the new characters.The veteran actors are clearly having a blast, but

it feels too much like college students who crash the high school party. The best part of a new show is the

mystery and discovering hidden depths to odd characters, so there’s a bit of a letdown here.

While this “Scrubs” is technically “new,” we’re already well-versed with the characters’ quirks; such as knowing Dr. Cox does indeed have a heart, despite telling a class in the first

episode: “Turns out you’re not actually medical students at all. You’re all murderers and assassins

that have been sent here to try to kill my patients.”Not enough time is spent on the “Scrubs” 2.0

cast to tell whether they’ll be any fun, though the most promising are Denise (Eliza Coupe) and Drew

(Michael Mosley). Both are brilliant yet incapable of emotion, so naturally they start a torrid affair. Lucy (Kerry

Bishe), a socially inept student, takes over from J.D. as narra-tor of the series through her inner monologue.

By the second episode, there are fewer fantasy sequences -- thereby moving away from a signature “Scrubs” device -- though the plot is familiar as the naive Lucy puts blind faith in a sketchy patient. This happened to other characters one or two or seven times in seasons past -- and luckily, they’re all right there to help.

Conventional wisdom suggests the audience will find comfort in the familiar original characters. In reality, the best plan is to go forward. We’ve said our goodbyes; it’s time to move on. © The Washington Post 2009

EMILY YAHR WASHINGTON

The original cast of NBC’s “Scrubs.” The medical comedy re-turns with a spin-off of its former self, featuring a new group

of characters, played by four new and younger actors.

Fresh faces obscured �n

re�nvented comedy ‘Scrubs’

CONTINUATION T H U R S DAY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9 TODAY’S ZAMAN 17

CMYK

Cage plan is terrifying, says rights activist

Human rights activist and publisher Rag�p Zarakolu says the Cage plan, a military plan which was exposed earli-

er this month that plotted to assassinate non-Muslim � gures and detonate explosives in museums in order to scare the pub-lic and make them turn against the ruling party, is the most ter-rifying action plan he has seen during his career as an activist.

In an interview with Today’s Zaman last week, Zara-kolu, who is the deputy chairman of the Human Rights Association (�HD), said: “We have been following such things as human rights defenders. Even for us this was unbelievably horrendous.”

Zarakolu also criticized the government for turning back on earlier positive steps in the � eld of freedom of thought and expression after the year 2005, such as an amendment to Article 8 of the Anti-Terrorism Law that introduced a new de� nition of “terrorism,” making it possible for as few as two people who are jointly engaged in what is de� ned as “pro-paganda against the indestructible integrity of the state” to be tried as terrorists. He said it is this attitude of compromi-sing in the face of militarist tendencies that was responsible for documents such as the Cage plan. He said attacks against Alevis in Çorum and Kahranmanmara� in the late 1970s and in Sivas in 1993 show that such plans are highly provocative. He also classi� ed these as crimes against humanity.

Referring to illegal groups inside the armed forces, he said: “If some groups have the freedom to commit crimes and if the-se groups are accepted as being above the law then we can’t speak of the state in question as a land of rule of law or a de-mocratic regime or a republic. This is a shameful situation.” Zarakolu says privileged groups having the freedom to com-mit crimes as they wish is a cancer, saying this situation owes it existence to the militarism of the Constitution which was the product of the Sept. 12, 1980, military coup.

Freedom of speechAs a publisher, Zarakolu has frequently been a victim of vio-lations of freedom of speech. N. Mehmet Güler’s book “De-cisions More Dif� cult than Death,” which was published by Zarakolu’s Belge Publishing, was taken of the shelves by a co-urt ruling which charged the author and the publisher with spreading propaganda on behalf of a terrorist organization. This was followed by a lawsuit against the publisher on May 29, 2009. Zarakolu said he was involved two similar cases be-fore. In the � rst case, he found himself before a court in 1982 for publishing Dido Sotiriu’s “Farewell Anatolia” -- a bestsel-ler in Turkey for many years. He was � nally acquitted. In 2004, he was once again in court for publishing George Jerjian’s “The Truth Will Set Us Free: Armenians and Turks Reconciled.” He was sentenced to six months in prison which was commuted to a monetary � ne for violating Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) -- which criminalizes defaming the Turkish nation -- and another law that criminalizes insulting Atatürk. Zarako-lu, who is against paying such � nes on principle, has appealed the ruling. He also notes that the ruling makes him the � rst per-son to be � ned under Article 301 after the article was changed to make it more dif� cult to convict individuals under it.

Zarakolu also made a call to Erdo�an, saying unconditio-nal freedom of expression and publishing has to be guarante-ed to ensure the success of any democratic initiative. Zarako-lu also recommended the government add a new article to the Constitution that says, “Freedom of thought and expression cannot be restrained for any reason.” Zarakolu said the United Kingdom has ensured this without a written constitution, whi-le the United States has done so under the First Amendment. He said it would be much more signi� cant if such a change oc-curred under the rule of Prime Minister Erdo�an, who himself was jailed for several months in the past for reciting a poem.

‘Suspects were tortured at Lice boarding school’

A witness who testi� ed to Diyarbak�r public prosecu-tors recently about unsolved murders in the Southeast

in the 1990s claimed that he saw many suspects being tortu-red by soldiers at a boarding school in the Lice district of Di-yarbak�r. Ramazan Akçiçek asserted that he was also tortured at the school, in 1994. “There were 10 people. We were put in the bathrooms of the Lice boarding school. We were tortured. When I woke up one morning, I saw that some of my friends were not there. The soldiers said they were taken away. I did not see them again,” the witness reportedly told prosecutors.

The bones of three of the missing suspects -- Mehmet Se-lim, Hasan Örhan and Cezair Örhan -- were found in the Ba�-c�lar village in Diyarbak�r in 2003. Their bones were sent to the �stanbul Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) for an analysis, but mysteriously got lost en route. “Everybody was taken into the bathrooms, one by one. They were subjected to unimagi-nable torture. The Lice boarding school was called ‘the home of torture’ in Diyarbak�r. People accused of supporting the terrorist organization [the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK] were detained and tortured at the school. I saw Selim and the Örhan brothers at the school. They were tortured the same night they were brought to the school. Hasan Örhan told the soldiers that his son was also a soldier. He begged them not to torture him any more. One night, the soldiers blindfolded us. When our eyes were uncovered, we saw that there were now only three people in the bathroom,” Akçiçek stated.

According to the witness, he saw Cezair Örhan later in one of the rooms at the boarding school. “I asked him what had happened to them. He said the soldiers made them wear peshmerga clothes and said they would be fre-ed in the mountains the next morning. Cezair was crying. He told me to tell his relatives about him if I was freed. Then I returned to the bathroom. The next morning the soldiers told us that the Selim, Cezair and Hasan had been taken away. I did not see them again,” Akçiçek noted.

Çiçek’s plot put into operation in Erzincan, claim witnesses

Generals to respond to evidence other than coup diary

General Staff destroyed evidence in probe of former colonel

The armed forces also hoped to gather support for members of the military arrested as part of the Ergenekon probe. Dozens of Erge-nekon members, including businessmen, mem-bers of the military and journalists, are currently incarcerated while standing trial.

The plot also aimed to show followers of the Gülen movement as being engaged in ille-gal acts. “We will enable the discovery of wea-pons, ammunition and documents at the add-resses of Gülen’s followers as if they were mem-bers of a terrorist organization. The movement will be named ‘Fethullah’s Armed Terrorist Or-ganization’ [FSTÖ], and investigations into its

members will be carried out by military prosecu-tors,” read the plot.

Two secret witnesses, interrogated recently by an Erzurum public prosecutor, claimed that they were offered a bribe by three members of the military -- one major, a lieutenant colonel and a sergeant major – to plant weapons at the addresses of Gülen’s followers. The three mem-bers of the military were arrested and put in jail last month.

“I met a man named Kerim, who works for the intelligence unit of the gendarmerie, at a res-taurant. He put pressure on me to plant wea-pons at the addresses of Gülen’s followers. I said I would not do it. He took out a check from his

pocket. The check was for TL 800,000. He said he knew how much my family needed the mo-ney. Then he asked me to place a hand gun and illegal books and documents in the bag of a man named Y�ld�r�m,” one of the secret witnesses, dubbed Erzincan, told the prosecutor.

Col. Çiçek was arrested last month for sus-pected membership in a clandestine terrorist or-ganization but was released after being brie� y detained. He was also arrested and released in July. The witness also said his family was threa-tened by a public prosecutor. “Prosecutor Hüse-yin asked me why I did not comply with the or-ders. He said I had a family and that my resistan-ce could result in their deaths. He threatened me

several more times and said my family would be killed if they were implicated in the planting of weapons and illegal documents at the addres-ses of Gülen’s followers,” continued the witness.

Another secret witness, dubbed X, cla-imed that he was asked by a lieutenant co-lonel, Ersin, to blame police of� cers for mu-nitions that would be discovered. “They told me to testify to prosecutors that ammuniti-ons unearthed in [a lake close to] Çatalarmut [village in Erzincan] were placed there by the police. I refused to do so. They said they wo-uld � nd a job for me and give me TL 10,000.” A large cache of munitions was discovered in the lake on Oct. 27. �stanbul Today’s Zaman

It is also mentioned in the Tolon do-cument that the generals would en-

sure that Gen. Yalman was appointed at the August Supreme Military Council (YA�) me-eting that year. It wasn’t clear what year the document was from, but the three former for-ce commanders were called to testify concer-ning their alleged activities between 2001 and 2004. The document also noted that it would be impossible to go on with the coup plan if they failed to force Özkök to resign, asking all generals to exhort the utmost effort to make that resignation possible.

Sources say that the prosecutors will not only question the generals on the alleged dia-ries or the Tolon document, but also similarly incriminating entries from a journal kept by Cumhuriyet daily writer Mustafa Balbay, who is also a jailed defendant in the Ergenekon tri-al. Yalman’s name also frequently appears in these entries. The prosecution also has reason to suspect that Yalman was the general who pushed for a story published in Cumhuriyet on May 23, 2003, reporting that younger of� -cers in the military would like to see an overt-hrow of the government.

Earlier, Özkök testi� ed as a witness in the investigation. In the third indictment, Özkök’s response to a question on the May Cumhuriyet story -- which claimed that yo-unger of� cers who were uneasy about the go-vernment complained to Özkök in a collec-tive letter about the government’s tendenci-es they deemed to be unsecular -- was that although he knew that some in the military were unhappy about the government, he did not have the impression that they were plan-ning to resort to such methods.

Indictments on Cage and PoyrazköyMeanwhile, reports say that the prosecuti-on will be submitting two new indictments to the court hearing the Ergenekon trial. So far, three indictments covering various operations conducted in the course of the investigation have been accepted by the �stanbul 13th High Criminal Court. Charges arising from more recent operations, including the discovery of a weapons cache in �stanbul’s Poyrazköy dist-rict in April and a document named the Cage Operation which laid out the generals’ plans

to assassinate various non-Muslim commu-nity leaders to foment chaos, will be included in the new indictments. The prosecutors will submit two separate documents for each in-cident.

According to the Cage operation, which was retrieved from a CD seized from the of-� ce of retired Maj. Levent Bekta�, who is cur-rently under arrest over suspected links to the Poyrazköy arms excavation, Ergenekon was planning to assassinate non-Muslim commu-nity leaders.

The CD was found along with many ot-hers in Bekta�’s of� ce during a police raid in April, which came after the discovery of mu-nitions on land owned by the �stek Foun-

dation in Poyrazköy the same month. The CD exposed the group’s plans to assassina-te Turkey’s prominent non-Muslim � gures and place the blame for the killings on the AK Party as part of the Cage Plan. The desired re-sult of the killings was an increase in internal and external pressure on the party, leading to diminishing public support for the AK Party.

Various supplies of munitions have been found hidden in shanty houses or buried un-derground since the start of the investigation into Ergenekon, apparently taken out of the arms depots of the TSK.

The Ergenekon investigation itself started in June 2007 with the discovery of weapons in a shanty house in a district of �stanbul. Since

the start of the investigation, hand grenades, explosives, light anti-tank weapons, rocket launchers, Kalashnikov ri� es, assault ri� es, thousands of bullets and various other muni-tions have been discovered in secret depots or buried underground in various cities inclu-ding Eski�ehir, Ankara and Sapanca.

In April of this year, a large cache of mu-nitions including 10 light anti-tank weapons, 20 percussion bombs and bullets was uneart-hed on land owned by Ergenekon suspect-at-large Bedrettin Dalan in Poyrazköy. Dalan was in the US during the wave of detentions and discoveries, which started on Jan. 7, 2009. He still has not been captured and is believed to be abroad.

Üçok was appointed as a disciplinary of-� cer. The voice recording posted anonymo-usly online on Wednesday suggested that Çu-buklu called his team for a meeting immedia-tely after civilian prosecutors insisted on exa-mining the General Staff computers used by Üçok. Üçok was previously one of the military prosecutors conducting an investigation into secret meeting places of of� cers and War Aca-demy cadets known as command centers, or Karargah houses.

In the recording, the voice allegedly be-longing to Çubuklu is heard saying compu-ters at the General Staff were not “cleaned up.” A member of the Legal Advisory Depart-ment of the General Staff expressed confusion over whether to send the computers to civili-an prosecutors. “I am not sure, indeed. We are worried that they may be leaked to the press,” the voice says. Col. Ne�et -- identi� ed only by

his � rst name -- suggests that they should claim that the do-cuments in the computers be-long to the Operations Unit if they are leaked to the press.

The team later starts de-termining which computers at the General Staff were used by Üçok to erase “con� denti-al documents” from them. The member of the Legal Advisory Department says civilian prose-cutors lack technical knowledge and will believe what an analy-sis to be conducted by police of-� cers suggests. “I believe it would be bene� ci-al if police prepare a report that says the com-puters are ‘empty,’” the member remarks.

Çubuklu orders his team not to submit any documents to civilian prosecutors that were prepared by software company Ha-

velsan. “These are Havelsan’s documents. They were pre-pared by Havelsan. These are things that should not be sent. They were omitted. We need to have a closer look [at the documents],” the general no-tes. Another participant of the meeting, named Olcay, war-ned the team to be extra ca-utious when deciding which computers or documents to give to civilian prosecutors. However, no detailed infor-mation was available as to the

rank or position of Olcay. “We should not overlook a critical thing related to the inves-tigations. Beware that all of these documents will be read by police line by line. They will later be sent to the counterterrorism depart-ment. If we overlook a critical document, we

will be in trouble,” he warns. Hereupon, Col. Ne�et suggests that they prepare a report to be submitted to civilian prosecutors which will read “No document belonging to Col. Üçok was found.” Olcay, however, � nds the suggestion “dangerous” because such a re-port could place the General Staff in a dif� -cult position.

The team then continues to examine the documents and decides to send some of them to civilian prosecutors, which they tho-ught would not cause any problems for the General Staff.

The member of the Legal Advisory De-partment says Çubuklu would “talk” directly to the prosecutors if they insisted on being sent more documents. “They may be insistent. In this case, we will communicate with these guys on a higher level. H�fz� Pasha will inter-vene and ask what their problem is. That’s it!” he remarks. �stanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

cont�nued from page 1

cont�nued from page 1

Navy Commander ADM�RAL ÖZDEN ÖRNEK

Former Land Forces Commander GEN. AYTAÇ YALMAN

Air Forces Commander GEN. �BRAH�M FIRTINA

cont�nued from page 1

Ahmet Zeki Üçok

EM�NE DOLMACI �STANBUL

MEHMET GÖKÇE D�YARBAKIR

CM Y K

TODAY’S LEARNING T H U R S D AY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 918 TODAY’S ZAMAN

8th & 9th GRADERS

The Anatolian Shepherd is native …….(1) Asia Minor. It protects flocks andserves ……… (2) a shepherd's compan-ion. On the high Anatolian Plateau, sum-mers are hot and very dry and winters are…….. (3). The Anatolian Shepherd dog isable to live outside all year round. For cen-turies the ancestors of the AnatolianShepherd were used as combat dogs……. (4) war and for hunting. It was par-ticularly valued for the victorious battles itcould fight with wolves. The Turks wouldput a spiked color on them to protect…….. (5) necks from getting bit by preda-tors who attacked their charges.As a sheepdog, it was bothered by neitherfatigue ……. (6) bad weather. Today it isstill used as a sheep dog as well as a guard

dog. The Anatolian Shepherd is veryclosely related to the Kangal dog andsome people even declare all Turkishshepherd's, i.e., the Kangal dog, to be onebreed, the Anatolian Shepherd; however,………(7) true Turkish Kangal dogs aresaid to be a separate breed from thegeneric Turkish shepherd's dog. The iso-lated historical conditions of the Sivas-Kangal region has resulted in the develop-ment of the Kangal dog as a distinctbreed, which has been declared the na-tional dog of Turkey and a national treas-ure. The true Turkish Kangal dogs are firstand foremost still primarily working shep-herds. The export of pure Kangal dogsfrom Turkey has been controlled and now……. (8) virtually forbidden.

COMPLETE THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN DÝLÞAD AND EMILY BY USING THE WORDS IN THE BOX.

Dilþad: Well, we could fly ………… (1) Ankara in-

stead …….. (2) taking the bus. It's the fastest option.

Emily: But if we fly, we'll miss ……… (3)

on the landscape.

Dilþad: Oh! Right. It's a good …………… (4) you are

making there. Airplanes are out, then. We've already

rented a car. How ……………. (5) hitchhiking?

Emily: You are not kidding, are you? That

sounds dangerous. I'….. (6)pass.

Dilþad: The only other options are the train or a bus.

Emily: I'd ……….. (7) to see what a

Turkish train is like.

Dilþad: They're not as nice …….. (8) buses.

I disapprove of what you say, but I willdefend to the death your right to say it.

(paraphrasing Voltaire)

The highest result of education is tolerance.

Helen Keller

It is easy to be tolerant of the principles of other people if you have none of your own.

Herbert Samuel

* QUOTES ABOUT TEACHERSTHE MOST POPULAR TOY OF THE 20TH CENTURY

L a s t w e e k ’ s a n s w e r s : 1 - B , 2 - A , 3 - B , 4 - C , 5 - B , 6 - C / 1 - A , 2 - C , 3 - B , 4 - B , 5 - C , 6 - C , 7 - A , 8 - A

Overview of Rubik's cube:It seemed simple enough. You would pick

up the Rubik's cube and turn it a few times.The goal was to make each side a solid color,as it was when you first took it out of the box.After a couple of hours, you realized you weremesmerized by the puzzle and yet no closer tosolving it. This exact situation happened tomillions of people in 1980 as the Rubik's cubebecame an obsession around the world.

Who created the Rubik's cube?Ernö Rubik is the one to praise or to blame,

depending on how frustrated you got with theRubik's cube. Ernö Rubik was born on July 13,1944 in Budapest, Hungary. Rubik combinedthe divergent talents of his parents (his fatherwas an engineer who designed gliders and hismother was an artist and a poetess) to becomeboth a sculptor and an architect.

Fascinated with the concept of space, Rubikspent his free time -- while working as a profes-sor at the Academy of Applied Arts and Design inBudapest -- designing puzzles that would makehis students think in new ways about three-di-mensional geometry. In the spring of 1974, justshy of his 30th birthday, Rubik envisioned a smallcube, with each side constructed of moveablesquares. By the fall of 1974, his friends had helpedhim create the first wooden model of his idea.

At first, Rubik just enjoyed watching howthe squares moved as he turned one section and

then another. However, when he attempted toput the colors back again, he ran into difficulty.Oddly entranced by the challenge, Rubik spent amonth turning the cube this way and that wayuntil he finally realigned the colors. When hehanded other people the cube and they too hadthe same fascinated reaction, he realized hemight have a fun toy puzzle on his hands.

A world obsessionRubik's cubes instantaneously became an in-

ternational sensation. Everyone wanted one. It ap-pealed to youngsters as well as adults. There wassomething obsessive about the little cube. Whilemillions of people were stumped, frustrated andyet still obsessed with their Rubik's cubes, rumorsbegan to circulate as to how to solve the puzzle.

While some Rubik's cube owners were sofrustrated that they began smashing open theircubes for a peek inside (they hoped to discoversome inner secret that would help them solve thepuzzle), other Rubik's cube owners were settingspeed records. Starting in 1982, the first annualInternational Rubik's Championships were heldin Budapest, where people competed to see whocould solve the Rubik's cube the fastest. Thesecompetitions are places for "cubers" to show offtheir "speed cubing." The current world record is8.72 seconds, held by Yu Nakajima of Japan.

To date, more than 300 million Rubik'scubes have been sold, making it one of themost popular toys of the 20th century.

DOCTOR!

Doctor, doctor I've lost my memory!When did this happen?When did what happen?

Doctor, doctor I think I'm a rubber band.Why don't you stretch yourself out on the couchthere and tell me all about it!

Doctor, doctor everyone thinks I'm a liar.I can't believe that!

Doctor, doctor I need something to keep myfalling hair in.What about a matchbox?

Doctor, doctor I keep seeing double.Please sit on the couch.Which one?

Doctor, doctor I keep seeing an insect spinningaround.Don't worry, it's just a bug that's going around!

Doctor, doctor I think I'm a moth.Get out of the way, you are in my light!

THE ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate option.

1. A) to B) too C) two2. A) if B) as C) as if3. A) hot B) very C) cold4. A) on B) onto C) in5. A) them B) their C) theirs6. A) or B) so C) nor7. A) the B) a C) an8. A) is B) were C) are

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Read the article about "Rubik's cube".Are sentences "right" (A) or "wrong" (B)?If there is not enough information to answer "right" (A) or"wrong"(B), choose "doesn't say" (C).

1. It is not as difficult as it seems to solve the Rubik's cube.A) right B) wrong C) doesn't say

2. Millions of people around the world manage to solve the Rubik's Cube puzzle in only a couple of minutes.A) right B) wrong C) doesn't say

3. Ernö Rubik designed the Rubik's cube with the help of his parents.A) right B) wrong C) doesn't say

4. Ernö Rubik became a professor at a university in the spring of1974.A) right B) wrong C) doesn't say

5. After he had scrambled the Rubik's cube, it took Ernö Rubik about four weeks to rearrange it.A) right B) wrong C) doesn't say

6. Some people tried to dismantle the Rubik's cube in the hope of solving it.A) right B) wrong C) doesn't say

7. The first world record of solving the Rubik's cube was set by a Hungarian student.A) right B) wrong C) doesn't say

A small cube that obsessed the world

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T18-03-12-09.qxd 02.12.2009 14:20 Page 1

T H U R S D AY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9

SPORTS Arsenal looking to buy players in JanuaryArsenal will be seeking new players in the January transfer window

because of Robin van Persie’s long-term injury, manager Arsene Wenger has said. Wenger had said earlier that he was unlikely to spend and

was happy with the squad but losing the Dutch striker for four to five months with an ankle injury has changed his thinking. London, Reuters

Absence of hostTiger Woods a hottopic at Sherwood

Already qualified Lions take on Panathinaikos at Ali Sami Yen

The conspicuous absence of tournament host Tiger Woods from this week’s Chevron World Challenge was a major talking point for the play-ers as they prepared for today’s opening round.

World number one Woods pulled out of the event on Monday, citing injuries from a mysterious car crash outside his Florida home last week, and his non-attendance here was de-scribed as a bitter disappointment by his peers.

“It’s a real shame,” European number one and world number four Lee Westwood told Reuters on the putting green at Sherwood Country Club on Tuesday.

“It’s a shame for the tournament, a shame for the sponsors and a shame for Tiger because I’m sure he would have liked to be here. It’s cer-tainly a little strange without him but everybody knows that it would have been very dif� cult for him to play this week with all the publicity.”

Woods, the greatest player of his generation and one of the world’s most recognizable � gures, has dominated news headlines since crashing his SUV into a � re hydrant and a neighbor’s tree in the early hours of Friday morning.

The full � eld is: Stricker, Westwood, Har-rington, Paul Casey, Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk, Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Cink, Sean O’Hair, Glover, Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas, Zach Johnson, Yang, Mike Weir, Justin Leonard and Graeme McDowell. Thousands Oaks, Calif. Reuters

Strong start pushes Heat over Blazers The Miami Heat took control from the start to record a 107-100 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA on Tuesday. Michael Beas-ley scored a season-high 27 points and Dwyane Wade had 18 points and 12 assists for Miami. Beasley was 8 of 15 from the � eld and 11 of 12 for free throws as the Heat shot 53.3 percent from the � eld. Greg Oden grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds and scored 13 points for Portland, which shot .391 in losing its third consecutive game. The Blazers were without forward La-Marcus Aldridge, who has a bruised right knee. Miami scored the game’s � rst seven points on the way to a 32-28 lead at the end of the � rst quarter. Other NBA results: Boston 108, Char-lotte 90; Washington 106, Toronto 102; New York 126, Phoenix 99; Miami 107, Portland 100; LA Lakers 110, New Orleans 99. Portland, Ore. AP

Man United and Villa advance to Cup semis Defending champion Manchester United ad-vanced to the League Cup semi� nals by beating Tottenham 2-0, while Aston Villa won 4-2 over Portsmouth. Man United mid� elder Darron Gib-son struck twice in the � rst half in a rematch of last season’s � nal that was won by United in a penalty shootout. Anderson was the creator of the 17th-minute opening goal, surging forward before cut-ting inside to lay the ball into the path of Gibson, whose low shot crept into the corner of the net. The second came at the end of a � owing move started by Park Ji-sung and continued by Dimitar Berbatov, who picked out Danny Welbeck and played a one-two with Gibson. The Northern Ireland mid� elder struck high into the net from the edge of the area. At Fratton Park, Portsmouth took the lead in the 10th when Villa’s Stiliyan Petrov sliced a corner into his own net, but the visitors replied immediately through Emile Hes-key. England winger James Milner struck in the 27th and Stewart Downing added a third goal on his � rst Villa start in the 74th. Kanu gave Villa a late scare by pulling one back, but Ashley Young made sure of victory with a fourth goal to send Martin O’Neill’s side through. London AP

The unbeaten Galatasaray Lions, who have already quali� ed for the UEFA Europa League

Round of 32, host Greek side Panathinaikos in their Group F game � ve at �stanbul’s Ali Sami Yen Sta-dium this evening.

The fact of the matter is that any match between a Turkish and Greek side has much at stake because there is always everything to play for -- national pride, prestige as well as bragging rights. And so even though the Lions already have a ticket for the next round in their pocket, they are taking this eve-ning’s game very seriously.

Galatasaray Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard is back at the helm after a brief visit to the Netherlands on Friday to see his ill, pregnant wife. The Dutchman as a result missed the Bursa match, where his team was not only beaten 1-0 but also dropped from sec-ond to fourth in the domestic league standings.

Rijkaard, therefore, knows more than everyone that the patience of the fans and anyone associated with Galatasaray has run thin. Hence nothing other than a win over Panathinaikos today will appease the irate fans, who are already hopping mad and looking for an opportunity to explode.

Galatasaray humiliated Panathinaikos 3-1 on Matchday 1 in Athens, but the Lions cannot afford

to rest on their laurels because the Greek side will be all out for vengeance today. Since that home defeat to Galatasaray on Sept. 17, Panathinaikos has won its last three European games by the same score: 1-0.

A win today would con� rm Galatasaray as the group leader, while a draw would be enough for Panathinaikos to qualify for the Round of 32.

The Galatasaray Lions are undefeated in 10 Euro-pean matches this season, with seven wins and three draws. In their � ve home games, they have won four and drawn one, with 18 goals for and only two against.

However the Galatasaray Lions have been expe-riencing a goal drought ever since Czech striker Milan Baros broke his foot during the “mother of all derbies” against the Fenerbahçe Yellow Canaries on Oct. 25.

Galatasaray assistant coach Johan Neeskens said after the loss on Wednesday that the team’s loss in form was because it started the season too early.

Stand-in Congo striker Shabani Christophe Nonda has failed to deliver. Against Bursa on Friday, Galatasaray tried Harry Kewell, Arda Turan and Ab-dul Kader Keita upfront, but that also did not work.

“We started playing matches on June 22,” the Dutchman said. “We have played more matches than every other team in the league. But we have to overcome this mentally and otherwise,” he added.

No ifs or buts! Rijkaard, therefore, must come up with solutions against revenge-seeking Panathinaikos today.

CMYK

GROUP F standings P W D L GF GA Pts

Galatasaray 4 3 1 0 11 3 10*

Panathinaikos 4 3 0 1 4 3 9

D.Bucharest 4 1 0 3 2 8 3

Sturm Graz 4 0 1 3 1 4 1

Live on Euro Futbol20:05 Galatasaray vs. Panathinaikos

OKAN UDO BASSEY �STANBUL

Galatatasaray players during a training session ahead of their UEFA Europa League against Pan-athinaikos at �stanbul’s Ali Sami Yen Stadium this evening.

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Efes Pilsen at home to Rytas, Fener Ülker goes to Barcelona

It is incumbent upon Efes to take revenge on third-placed Rytas because the �stanbul side was beaten on the road by Rytas in their Euroleague Group B open-

er at the packed Siemens Arena on Oct. 22. Fener needs to go down � ghting even if it loses to Barca

Efes Pilsen, the reigning men’s Beko Turkish Basketball League champion, hosts Lithuanian side

Lietuvos Rytas in their Euroleague Group B game at �stanbul’s Darü��afaka Ayhan �ahenk Spor Hall this evening.

Fenerbahçe Ülker, last season’s Turkish league runner-up, faces an up-hill battle when it takes on rampaging unbeaten leader Regal FC Barcelona on the road in Group A.

Efes is the team to beat in the domes-tic league, but the fact of the matter is that things are just not going its way in Europe. With a miserable 2-3 record, the same as Serbian side Partizan, Efes Pilsen still faces an early exit threat from the Euroleague unless it beats the Lithuanians today.

Furthermore, it is also incumbent upon Efes to take revenge on third-placed Rytas (3-2) because the �stanbul side was beaten 77-70 on the road by Rytas in their Euroleague Group B opener at the packed Siemens Arena on Oct. 22.

Efes Pilsen beat winless Entente Or-leanaise 77-64 in �stanbul last Wednes-day to keep its hopes for survival alive. And it is worthy to note that Efes won that match as a result of teamwork, with Bostjan Nachbar banging in 12 points, Igor Rakocevic nine and Charles Smith, Mario Kasun, Bootsy Thornton and Sinan Güler all scoring eight. Such a team effort is what Efes needs this evening to bring down Lithuania’s Rytas.

Rytas was beaten 91-84 by unbeaten Unicaja in Malaga, Spain, last Thursday. But despite the defeat, Arturas Jomantas had 16 points, Bojan Popovic and Dejan Borovn-jak 15 each, Milko Bjelica 12 and Steponas Babrauskas 11 for Rytas. These are the play-ers Efes must watch closely this evening.

Fener at BarcelonaFenerbahçe Ülker (3-2) is third in Group A, and it is the wish of every basketball lover in this country that Fener beat Royal FC Barce-lona (5-0) away this evening and hand the Catalans their � rst Euroleague defeat.

However, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Barcelona is not only the reigning UEFA Champions League soccer champion but is also one of the best basketball teams on the European continent. And the team is not only winning, it is also winning with � air.

Barcelona taught Italian side Montepas-chi a good basketball lesson last Thursday, winning 84-65 in Siena to hand the Italians their � rst Euroleague loss of the season. Boni Ndong was the top scorer for Barcelo-na with 19 points, followed by Pete Mickeal with 14 and Juan Carlos Navarro with 12.

These three sharpshooters could be a thorn in the � esh for Fener, and so the �stanbul side should not let them loose.

Fener stunned Zalgiris Kaunas 84-78 in Lithuania on the road last Wednesday to catapult itself into contention in Group A and improve its record to 3-2. Ömer Onan scored 13 points for Fener, Gordan Giricek and Semih Erden had 12 apiece, while Ömer A��k and Emir Preldzic scored 10 each.

No game is ever won or lost before it is actually played. So Fener should go out this evening and do what has to be done. And even if it loses, it should go down � ghting.

Other Euroleague match-ups today: Montepaschi vs. Cibona Zagreb; Asvel Basket vs. Zalgiris Kaunas; Union Olimpija vs. Maccabi Electra; Panathinaikos vs. AJ Milano; EWE Baskets vs. Asseco Prokom.

Live on SkyTürk20:00 Efes Pilsen-Lietuvos Rytas

Live on Spormax21:34 Regal Barcelona-Fenerbahçe Ülker

A scene from the Fener-FC Barcelona Euroleague opener in �stanbul. The two teams meet Barcelona today.

Donatas Zavadskas (L) of Lithuania’s BC Lietuvos Rytas vies for the ball with Charles Smith of Efes Pilsen during their Euroleague match in Vilnius on Oct. 22.

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Tiger Woods, who suffered facial cuts and brief-ly lost consciousness after crashing his SUV outside his Florida home on Friday, is not play-ing in this week’s Chevron World Challenge.

OKAN UDO BASSEY �STANBUL

CMYK