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‘TURKEY, TATARSTAN TO ESTABLISH TIES

IN ALL FIELDS’President Abdullah Gül said onSaturday that Turkey and Tatarstan,

despite not having much history of coop-eration, should take new joint initiativestogether in as many fields as possible.

Speaking at the Turkish-Tatar BusinessForum in Kazan, which was also attend-ed by Tatar President Mintimer Shaimiev,Gül said: “The world has changed.Relations get developed and brothers dis-cover each other. New cooperative proj-ects are being established in all fields.”

The two presidents toured the standsof Turkish firms and received informationabout investment opportunities and proj-ects as well as on Turkish companies thathave invested in Tatarstan. CONTINUED ON PAGE 07

AK PARTY ROLLS UPSLEEVES FOR CIVILIAN

CONSTITUTION

The ruling Justice and DevelopmentParty (AK Party) has stepped up ef-

forts to replace the current Constitution,drafted under military rule, with a morecivilian one, a project it previously shelveddue to political turmoil in the country.

Last Friday Prime Minister RecepTayyip Erdoðan said his party would ac-celerate efforts for a civilian constitutionshortly after the upcoming local elec-tions, slated for March 29. The party hasdevised two alternative plans to pass thenew constitution in Parliament. The par-ty will pass the new civilian constitutionin Parliament either as a whole or infragments. The final version will be pre-sented to the public in a referendum.

The AK Party geared up in 2007 to pre-pare a new civilian constitution that couldmeet the country’s contemporary needs.The current Constitution is the target ofharsh criticism as it does not meet present-day needs. The AK Party formed an inde-pendent commission, headed by ProfessorErgun Özbudun, to prepare a draft of anew civilian constitution. CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

REFORM

ÇATLI VICTIM OF 'CONVOLUTED' LINKS,

CLAIMS YAÞAR ÖZA mafia leader who is serving a jail sen-tence for his involvement in the 1996

Susurluk affair, which exposed links betweenthe Turkish state, the criminal underworldand Turkish security forces, has saidAbdullah Çatlý, another mafia boss who waskilled in a car accident in 1996, was actuallyassassinated. Çatlý, a leader of the ultrana-tionalist Grey Wolves group, was killed in the1996 traffic accident near the northwesterntownship of Susurluk. The incident revealedthat Çatlý actually worked for the state, car-rying out intelligence units’ “dirty work.”

Yaþar Öz, currently serving jail time forhis a gang membership conviction thatarose from the Susurluk investigation, onFriday made a six-page statement, follow-ing the court appearance on Friday ofMehmet Aðar, who was police chief at thetime of the Susurluk incident. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

RISING NATURAL GASPRICES CAUSE ROW

AMONG BTC PARTNERS

The recent increases in the price ofnatural gas have caused a row among

the partners of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan(BTC) oil pipeline, which transportsAzerbaijani oil to international markets.

Because the price increases have al-so raised operation costs for BOTAÞInternational Limited (BIL), a branch ofthe Turkish Pipeline Corporation (BO-TAÞ) that operates the Turkey sectionof the BTC, it asked that part of theserising costs be covered by BTC Co.,the main operator of the pipeline. BTCCo. rejected BIL’s request, advising itto use liquid fuel from the pipeline,sold for $18 per barrel. CONTINUED ON PAGE 07

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The military, the driving force behind Turkey’scordial relations with Israel, had remained onthe sidelines as a war of attrition deepened

between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan and theJewish state in the aftermath of the prime minister’s dra-matic Jan. 29 walkout in Davos in protest of Israel’sGaza policies. But this weekend, the General Staff mayhave alarmed Israel -- which had considered the mili-tary’s hands-off policy a comforting sign that theTurkish government was not backed by the state estab-

lishment in its fierce criticism of Israeli policies -- bybreaking its silence to chide an Israeli commander overwhat it said were unacceptable charges against Turkey.

When Erdoðan stormed off the Davos panel aftertelling Israeli President Shimon Peres that he knows“very well how to kill people,” the military avoided get-ting involved in the debate, saying only that it acts “in linewith national interests” in its relations with militaries ofother countries. It was less a sign that Erdoðan’s senti-ments were shared in the military headquarters and morea declaration that cooperation with Israel would remainunaffected by the growing spat with the prime minister.

But the military has red lines on the basis of whichit defines Turkey’s national interests, and Israeli LandForces Commander Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi appears tohave crossed these lines when he urged Erdoðan to“look in the mirror” before attacking Peres overIsrael’s 22-day offensive in Gaza. He was quoted byIsraeli daily Haaretz as saying that Turkey, which, hesaid, massacred Armenians during the World War Iera, represses Kurds in the modern day and stationstroops in northern Cyprus, was in no position to criti-cize Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands.

In a statement that came even before any move

was made by the Foreign Ministry, the GeneralStaff said Mizrahi’s remarks were untrue and com-pletely unacceptable and demanded that the Israelimilitary provide an explanation. Suggesting thatmilitary cooperation with Israel could be at stake,the statement said, “The comments have beenassessed at the kind of level that could damage thenational interests between the two countries.”

Although Turkey and Israel are partners in tradeand Turkey is a popular destination for Israeli tourists,the backbone of Turkish-Israeli ties is the militarycooperation between the two countries. CONTINUED ON PAGE 04

ERCAN YAVUZ, ANKARA

ÝSMAÝL ALTUNSOY, ANKARA

The people of Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan should learn from their past mis-takes and work for a future of friendship and peace, Arbil Gov. Nevzat Hadi

said at a meeting of the Abant Platform in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil yesterday.“The border between Turkey and Iraq is Iraq’s door to Europe, and that door

has never been and will never be closed,” Turkish Consul General in MosulHüseyin Avni Botsalý, also attending the Abant Platform’s 18th conference on

“Searching for Peace and a Future Together.” The conference began yesterday inArbil with the participation of over 200 intellectuals from Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan.

In his opening remarks, Gov. Hadi underlined that the decision forpeace and friendship rested with the people. “This is why we have to be re-alistic and we should not cause each other to worry. The people ofKurdistan are ready for peace,” he said. BY AYÞE KARABAT CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

Message of Abant Platform: Northern Iraqand Turkey should learn from the past

page11 Election fraud in Iraq

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

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2009 WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM TL 1.50

Turkish and Armenian businessmenanxiously await normalization ofrelations, says Kaan Soyak of TABDC

The late Azerbaijani poet BakhtiyarVahabzadeh reiterates love forTurkish people before death

0306 13 Temperaturesexpected to dropnationwide

Army quits hands-off policy in Israel rowISRAELI COMMANDER TAKES CONTROVERSY TO LEVELS INTOLERABLE FOR THE MILITARY

TURKISH-ISRAELI MILITARY TIES TO CONTINUE DESPITE STRAINS PAGE 04 JEWISH BUSINESSMAN EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE IN TURKISH DEMOCRACY PAGE 04

The Abant Platform, a prominent discussion forum known for addressing pressing issues challenging Turkey, convened in Arbil to hold its 2nd conference on the Kurdish issue.

FATMA DEMÝRELLÝ, ÝSTANBUL

T01-16-02-09.qxd 15.02.2009 16:46 Page 1

columns

PRESS REVIEWM O N D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 6 , 2 0 0 902

’Washington hasn’t set a very good example inrecent years. And with so much on the line, it’stime to begin doing things differently.US President Barack Obama Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan Albert Einstein’F OOD FOR THOUGHT

There are some people saying, “Cut offties with Israel,” but we do not share thatunderstanding.

Q UOTE OF THE DAY

If at first the idea is notabsurd, then there is nohope for it. ’W ORDS OF WISDOM

TODAY’S ZAMAN

star: “History will write Davos,” read a front-page headlinein the daily yesterday, quoting remarks from Prime Minister RecepTayyip Erdoðan, who commented on his walkout from a session onGaza during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos lastmonth after a confrontation with Israeli President Shimon Peres. “Idid what I should have done in Davos as the prime minister of theTurkish Republic. However, my speaking on the issue further wouldconstitute abuse of it. History will write about Davos. But criticismsuggesting that my Davos reaction weakened Turkey’s diplomaticpower are not right,” Erdoðan said.

bugün: “Note to Israel: Know your place,” read the daily’smain headline yesterday, which said that the Turkish ForeignMinistry and General Staff were alarmed by the remarks of IsraeliMaj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi. Last week, Mizrahi said Erdoðan shouldhave “looked in the mirror” before attacking Peres in Davos and

that Turkey was not in a position to criticize Israel’s occupation ofPalestinian lands when it stations troops in northern Cyprus. Healso accused Turkey of repressing its Kurdish citizens andmassacring Armenians during World War I. The Turkish ForeignMinistry sent a diplomatic note to Israel over Mizrahi’s remarkswhile the Turkish General Staff demanded an explanation from theIsraeli General Staff for Mizrahi’s remarks, reported the daily.

sabah: A front-page story in the daily yesterday coveredPresident Abdullah Gül’s visit to Tatarstan on the third day of hisvisit to Russia on Saturday. Speaking at the Turkey-TatarstanBusiness Forum, Gül said: “In the past, we knew nothing aboutyou, and you knew nothing about us. Now, the world haschanged; brothers are finding each other. New opportunities forcooperation have emerged in all fields.” Gül said he was veryproud to be the first Turkish president to pay a visit to Tatarstan.

press roundup

Erdoðan’s electionpromise: civilianconstitution in April

On his way to Sivas, PrimeMinister Recep Tayyip Erdoðanhad to answer a question from acollege student at the airport:“When will you abolish the coupconstitution?” Obviously society

is curious about this despite the fact that the civil-ian constitution is not currently on the politicalagenda. Erdoðan provided a clear response to thequestion. He pledged that they would address thisissue in April, right after the upcoming local elec-tions. Thus, the drafting of a new constitution willbe the first act of Parliament after the local elec-tions. This is not something Erdoðan promisedduring his party’s previous election campaigns.However, this is not something he said for no rea-son. I believe that he will mention this issue in thecoming days of his party’s election campaign. Itwould not be a surprise if the issue of a civilianconstitution became a strong promise of theJustice and Development Party (AK Party).Unfortunately, Turkey seems to be unable tomake a constitution under normal circumstances.

ZAMAN MUSTAFA ÜNAL

Who will influencethe Ýstanbulites?

The AK Party’s Kadir Topbaþ, theincumbent candidate for themayoral office of Ýstanbul, is ondefense. The Republican People’sParty (CHP) mayoral candidatefor Ýstanbul, Kemal Kýlýçdaroðlu,

is on offense. One of them is explaining his proj-ect proposals, while the other is announcing cor-ruption files. One of them is playing the role ofthe rural underdog; the other is playing the roleof a member of the aristocracy. One refers to hispast as a civil servant; the other stresses that he isa boss. So who will influence the voters? Seventypercent of Ýstanbul’s residents came from ruralareas. Kýlýçdaroðlu meets with ordinary people.Mayor Topbaþ says he came from a wealthy fam-ily. Who can say that this will not influence theÝstanbul elections? As you can see, politics arenot influenced by figures, numbers and projectsalone. It is useful to hear the voice of thestreets. If Kýlýçdaroðlu masterfully manages thisprocess, he will certainly make quite a reputa-tion that could lead to the erosion of Baykal’simage even if he does not win the election.

SABAH MAHMUT ÖVÜR

Village guards

For years we have been expect-ing the complete abolition of thevillage guard system. But reportsare now indicating that 10,000additional guards are being re-cruited. It is impossible to remain

optimistic. The opposition reacts to the decisionof recruitment by arguing that it is an electionmove by the AK Party and, of course, they areright. But, frankly, criticism, compared to the coremistake in this issue, is rather insignificant. Ishould recall that this institution should alreadyhave been abolished years ago. I am not sure ifyou recall this, but the full title of the guards was“temporary and voluntary village guards.”Despite this title, nobody is talking about theneed for abolishing this institution after 25 years.Besides, the practice is gaining wider acceptanceand its size is still expanding. Yes, this idea was abad one from the beginning. Is it possible tocombat terrorism by arming a group of people?Is there any idea more dangerous than the onedividing the people into pro-state and anti-stategroups and igniting a conflict between them?

BUGÜN GÜLAY GÖKTÜRK

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Streets in Ankara were adorned with flowers and heart-shapedornaments on Valentine’s Day, when couples express their lovefor each other in different and interesting ways around the world.

A recent statement by a commander in the Israeli army inresponse to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan’swalkout from Davos last month after a confrontation withIsraeli President Shimon Peres over the Gaza tragedyseems to have further strained relations between Turkeyand Israel. In remarks published in the Haaretz daily lastweek, Israeli Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi said Erdoðan shouldhave “looked in the mirror” before attacking Peres andthat Turkey was not in a position to criticize Israel’s occu-pation of Palestinian lands since it stations troops innorthern Cyprus. He also accused Turkey of repressing itsKurdish citizens and massacring Armenians during WorldWar I, prompting a reaction from both the TurkishGeneral Staff and the Foreign Ministry, which on Saturdaysummoned Israeli Ambassador Gabby Levy overMizrahi’s comments. With Turkish-Israeli relations nowfacing another hurdle, there is widespread curiosity aboutthe course relations will take in the future, whether theywill deteriorate further or recover from this latest crisis.

Milliyet’s Fikret Bila warns that Turkish-Israeli rela-tions may enter a crisis era again if the Israeli govern-ment and Israeli General Staff make statements in de-fense of Mizrahi’s remarks. “The Turkish General Staffwas careful to remain outside the debates surroundingErdoðan’s Davos walkout. It simply settled for sayingthat the important thing was Turkey’s national inter-ests. It was natural to expect the Israeli General Staff toshow the same care. However, the Israeli major generalnot only failed to show the necessary caution towardthe issue but also made a speech that could severelydamage Turkish-Israeli relations,” says Bila. In his view,the question to be asked now is whether Mizrahi’s re-marks reflect his personal views or the views of theIsraeli General Staff. He says if those were his personalviews, the Israeli government or the General Staffshould take the necessary steps to placate Turkey, but ifMizrahi was commissioned to make public Israel’s offi-cial views, then Israel will stand up for this statementand Ankara will show a reaction accordingly.

Bugün’s Erhan Baþyurt interprets Mizrahi’s remarksas a confession of the atrocities Israel carried out inGaza: Around 4 million Palestinians who were displacedfrom their homelands have been living in camps for 60years; Jerusalem, the West Bank and Golan Heights areunder Israeli invasion, and Israel kills women and chil-dren under the guise of a fight against terrorism. “TheGaza tragedy consumed Erdoðan’s patience, andMizrahi’s reckless remarks consumed the tolerance ofthe Turkish General Staff, which has been maintainingit for a long time. Instead of setting up traps for itsfriends, Israel should try to develop honest relationswith its friends. Losing a friendship that spans over halfa century with Turkey will cause Israel to lose much. Ithink it is time for diplomats to take the helm to restoreties. There is a need to tone down discourse in bilateralrelations and refresh confidence,” suggests Baþyurt.

According to Hürriyet’s Ferai Týnç, the reasonMizrahi can easily make such harsh and reckless state-ments against Turkey is the results of the Israeli generalelections held recently in which right-wing parties won.She thinks the victory of the right-wing parties, whichmade no promises of peace, created an environment inIsrael that makes it easier for hawks such as Mizrahi tomake such harsh statements in defense of Israeli policies.

Turkýsh-Israelý

relatýons face

another hurdle

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Tension rises on anniversary of Öcalan’s arrestHundreds of supporters of the terrorist PKK organization gathered in Mersin to protest the arrest of Abdullah Öcalan and throw stones at police.

Tension was high in a number ofTurkish cities yesterday as thousands of

supporters of the outlawed KurdistanWorkers' Party (PKK) marked the 10th an-niversary of the arrest of the terrorist organi-zation's leader, Abdullah Öcalan.

Police in the predominantly Kurdishcity of Diyarbakýr broke up a group of 1,500protestors after they defied orders to dis-perse during a march. Protesters hurledstones at police and barricaded roads in thesoutheastern city. There were no immedi-ate reports of injuries in the clashes.

Öcalan was captured in Kenya in February1999 while being transferred from the GreekEmbassy to Nairobi's international airport. Hehas been held as the sole inmate on the prisonisland of Ýmralý since then. The PKK, listed asa terrorist organization by the EuropeanUnion, the United States and Turkey, has ex-pressed concern about Öcalan's health andwants an end to his solitary confinement.

Police tried to disperse the crowdedgroup in Diyarbakýr with tear gas. In re-

sponse, protestors blocked BayýndýrmýkStreet with garbage cans and attacked thepolice with stones.

Shop owners had to shut down theirstores in the southeastern city of Batman out

of fear that their shops would be damagedamidst tension between protesters and thepolice. The police stepped up security in thecity in a move to prevent any clashes.

The southern province of Mersin also sawfierce clashes between police and demonstra-tors, who were joined by young supporters ofthe terrorist organization. The PKK has beenthe target of harsh criticism for using childprotesters at its demonstrations.

Police responded to stones hurled byprotesters with tear gas and fire houses.Sources said a few police officers were in-jured in the clashes. A woman who wascleaning the balcony of her house wasslightly injured after a stone shot by a pro-tester with a slingshot hit her on the head.The woman was immediately rushed to anearby hospital. Doctors said she was notin serious condition. Turkey's eastern andsoutheastern provinces frequently seedemonstrations over rumors fabricated bythe PKK that Öcalan is being mistreated inprison. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

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ÝSTANBUL 4°ANKARA 8°ÝZMÝR 8°ANTALYA 14°ADANA 14°ERZURUM -2°EDÝRNE 4°TRABZON 11°KAYSERÝ 4°

KONYA 3°ÇANAKKALE 5°DÝYARBAKIR 11°SAMSUN 9°BURSA 3°GAZÝANTEP 9°ESKÝÞEHÝR 2°MALATYA 8°KOCAELÝ 2°

NATIONAL 03TODAY’S ZAMANM O N D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 6 , 2 0 0 9

Temperatures expected to drop nationwideCold weather is expected tohave a negative effect on dai-ly activities all across the

country this week, with temperaturesfalling by 4-6 degrees Celsius.

State meteorologists have an-nounced their forecasts for the com-ing week and say the Marmara,Aegean and central and easternAnatolia regions have been buffetedby cold fronts moving into the coun-try from Siberia and the Balkans forthe past few days, with temperaturesin some cities far below zero.

Cold winter nights are also ex-pected to set in, with the formation ofice expected in many regions andsnow forecast for Ýstanbul. While alarge part of the country will be affect-ed by snow, the highest elevations inÝstanbul are expected to see a mix ofsnow and rain and coastal areas willsee cold weather and heavy rainfall.

Over the weekend the lowesttemperatures were seen in Ardahan,dropping to minus 13 degrees Celsius.Other lows around the region were

minus 9 degrees Celsius in Kars andminus 5 degrees in Erzurum and Aðrý.

Snow levels reached 40 centime-ters in Aðrý, 8 centimeters inArdahan and 6 centimeters in Kars.Meteorologists said the cold frontwill remain in the eastern regionsthroughout the week.

Precipitation will be particularlyheavy in the eastern Marmara region,the central and eastern Mediterraneanregion, eastern parts of central Anatoliaand the Black Sea region, according tometeorologists. Ice is expected in themorning and evening in central andeastern Turkey. Motorists in these areasare advised to be very cautious andaware of adverse conditions.

Municipal authorities in a numberof cities, including Zonguldak, Bartýn,Tokat, Gaziantep, Kilis andAdýyaman, warned local residentsabout the risk of floods and carbonmonoxide poisoning from malfunc-tioning heating systems.

Meteorologists also warned thatavalanches may occur in some east-ern provinces, such as Erzurum, Van,Aðrý, Bitlis and Hakkari.

Cold winter nights are expected to set in across the country this week, with icy roads expected in manyregions. Meteorologists also warned that avalanches may occur in some eastern provinces.

EMRULLAH BAYRAK ANKARA

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As western Turkey faces harsh winter weather conditions, in the villageof Cevizpýnar in southeastern Mardin province temperatures exceedingthe seasonal average have caused plum and almond trees to flower.

Area farmer Ali Arpa says they did not expect the trees to bloomfor several more weeks. "We expected the plum trees to flower inApril, but we were surprised when the flowers appeared thismonth," he said. "If the weather continues like this, fruit trees maymature as well. But if the weather gets colder in the coming days, allof the flowers may freeze. We're praying that it won't be cold."

Each agricultural product is best at its proper time, he em-phasized, but in the past few years the natural balance hasbeen disturbed, causing trees to ripen in an untimely manner.Sometimes farmers are not able to yield anything at all fromcrops that ripen in the wrong season, he said.

"For three or four years there's been a serious drought problem.The trees from which we used to reap tons of fruit haven't given usanything in recent years," Arpa said. "When there's no rain, naturallytrees don't bear fruit. There wasn't enough rain again this year. Theearly flowers have thrown us into anxiety." Mardin Today’s Zaman

Plum, almond trees bloomtwo months early in Mardin

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NATIONALM O N D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 6 , 2 0 0 904 TODAY’S ZAMAN

A leading businessman and a prominentmember of Turkey's small Jewish community

said he does not share the concerns of some circlesover the Justice and Development Party (AKParty) government's alleged intentions to bringhard-line Islamic rule to Turkey, stressing his be-lief in the power of Turkish democracy.

Ýshak Alaton, 81, who spoke to The NewYork Times in an interview published on Feb. 13,said: "We are too open a society for that. Theyare using this to create a new scarecrow. Our his-tory has been full of scarecrows."

Since the AK Party came to power in 2002,there has been widespread skepticism amongsome staunchly secular circles that the partywants to bring Shariah rule to Turkey, an argu-ment the AK Party, which started Turkey'sEuropean Union accession talks, strongly rejects.

"Turkey has been a democracy for years, and,unlike in Russia, which tried to erect the structures ofdemocracy overnight after the Soviet Union's col-lapse, cramming democracy down people's throatsin one painful gulp, the adjustment in Turkey hasbeen much more gradual. We've been able to digestour democratic values. You should be very hopeful,"Alaton told The New York Times.

Alaton, who began selling heating systems inthe 1950s and expanded his business into con-struction, gyms and resorts, building up a multi-million-dollar empire, the Alarko Group, said theTurkish Republic has been good to him and thathe has not been discriminated against for being amember of the Jewish community.

"I never felt I was ostracized for being Jewish,"he said. "I've had a pleasant life and steady growth."

Alaton's remarks come at a time when therehave been heated debates over whether anti-Semitism is on the rise in Turkey, followingTurkey's strong reaction toward Israel in the wakeof a three-week war it launched against Gaza. TheIsraeli attacks claimed the lives of more than 1,300people and injured thousands of others, drawingworldwide condemnation and protests.

Alaton said he has been trying to changethe attitude of Jews in Turkey who, like otherreligious minorities, keep a low profile and stayout of politics, because he wants to prove thattheir community is useful to society.

He said a rabbi was once asked by a Turkish uni-versity to teach Muslim theology students about theOld Testament, but community members were hesi-tant, apparently concerned that such exposure couldcause them harm, and it took Alaton an entire yearto convince them to approve the request.

"What are you afraid of?" asked Alaton,eventually winning their approval. A chair wasthen established at Marmara University's the-ology faculty for this purpose.

The renowned businessman also said he de-veloped his taste for democracy in Sweden,where he worked as a welder in the early 1950s.He said he quickly fell in love with the SocialDemocrats, who preached social equality andworkers' rights, when such concepts barely exist-ed in Turkey. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

Turkish-Israeli relations, in particular the coun-tries' strong military and arms procurement ties,are not expected to receive a serious blow de-spite an Israeli military commander's harsh criti-cism of Turkey over many taboo topics -- includ-ing the alleged Armenian genocide, the Kurdishissue and the Turkish military presence inCyprus -- a retired Turkish general has said.

"As long as Israel disowns the general's criticismof Turkey, the Turkish military is not expected to takeunilateral action, such as the suspension of militaryties, independent from the political authorities'stance. Israel is unique in the sense that it has beeneasily providing necessary military technology toTurkey," said the same retired general, who servedon the Turkish delegation which prepared the docu-ments that led to agreements between Turkey andIsrael in 1996, formally establishing military and de-fense industry relations between the two nations.

Under the military agreements, Turkeyand Israel, sometimes with the participation ofJordan, hold biannual high-level military-to-military meetings. Those meetings, dependingon the schedule of both countries as well asthe bilateral and regional political climate, maysometimes take place just once a year.

In reaction to the latest standoff which has, thistime, brought the militaries of both countries to thecenter of a fierce, ongoing war of words, the TurkishArmed Forces (TSK) may cancel those meetings ormay not allow Israel to take part in this year'sAnatolian Eagle exercises, which are held at a train-ing range in the central Anatolian city of Konyaonce or twice a year, usually once in June.

"We may expect such sanctions to be put intoforce by the Turkish military against Israel, but I donot expect a suspension of all military ties withIsrael," predicted the retired Turkish general.

The same source, speaking to Today's Zaman,recalled an earlier TSK statement that stressed theimportance of relations with Israel to Turkey's na-tional interests in the wake of Turkish Prime MinisterRecep Tayyip Erdoðan's dramatic walkout from ameeting in Davos, Switzerland, in late January duringa debate with Israeli President Shimon Peres overIsrael's Gaza assault, a three-week offensive in

which over a thousand people were killed. At the center of the current crisis between

the US's close allies in the Middle East, Turkeyand Israel, are remarks made by Israeli GroundForces Commander Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi, whowas paraphrased in a Haaretz feature on Fridayas saying during a lecture at the TacticalCommand College last Tuesday that TurkishPrime Minister Erdoðan, who has been viciousin his criticism of Israel since Operation CastLead began, should first look in the mirror.

He spoke about the Kurdish conflict inTurkey and Armenian allegations of genocidetaking place under the Ottoman Turks duringWorld War I. Mizrahi also pointed to the ongo-ing Turkish military presence, which he de-scribed as Turkish occupation, in Turkish-dom-inated northern Cyprus, Haaretz reported.

The Israeli military, on Saturday, disassociated it-self from the critical remarks Maj. Gen. Mizrahi madeabout Turkey, after Ankara described them as unac-ceptable and demanded urgent clarification.

The Israeli army statement came soon after theTurkish Foreign Ministry summoned IsraeliAmbassador to Turkey Gabby Levy on Saturday andhanded him a note of protest, denouncing Mizrahi's

remarks and saying they "distort reality and are ex-cessive, unfortunate and unacceptable."

The note warned that such remarks"can harm national interests in relationsbetween the two countries."

"We expect the Israeli General Staff, which webelieve places importance on relations with theTurkish Armed Forces, to clarify the issue," it added.

Israel is thought to be Turkey's second-biggest partner after the US in terms of militaryprocurement relations, but the former ranks firstin supplying technologically poor Turkey withinformation on high technology.

This is despite the fact that the Israeli gov-ernment sometimes refuses to transfer certaincritical technologies to Turkey in projects con-tracted to Israeli companies, a problem thathas increasingly become an element of frustra-tion in Ankara since 2003.

The major projects that Turkey has contracted toIsrael include around $1 billion for the ongoingmodernization of US-made M60 A1 tanks inTurkey's inventory, the now completed F-4(equipped with Popeye missiles) and F-5 fightermodernization projects and a supply of unmannedaerial vehicles (UAVs) purchased from Israel.

Their cooperation includes modernization by Israel of thecombat tanks used by the Turkish military, sale of Israeli mili-tary equipment, including unmanned vehicles for military patrolof the border with Iraq against infiltrations by the outlawedKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and permission for Israel touse Turkish air space for training purposes.

About an hour after the General Staff's statement, the ForeignMinistry said it had summoned the Israeli ambassador over Mizrahi'scomments. The ministry called in Israeli Ambassador Gabby Levy inprotest of the comments. "The relevant statements of [Maj. Gen.] AviMizrahi are ungrounded and unacceptable and as such we have re-quested an urgent explanation from Israeli authorities," the ministrysaid in a statement. "The Israeli ambassador was indeed called in andheard the Turkish objection, and it was passed on to Jerusalem," aspokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry said.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) was swift in disowningMizrahi's remarks, which were made at an international conference.In a statement later that day, the IDF said the remarks could be in-terpreted as criticism of Turkey's past. "The IDF spokesperson wish-es to clarify that this is not the official position of the IDF," it said.

The issues Mizrahi mentioned in his remarks are all very sensitiveto Turkey, and its military, often in contrast to the government's moreliberal stance, promotes a strictly nationalist policy on all the three is-sues. In the end, it is the military that enforces the policy towards thePKK, stations troops in Cyprus and, although it took place at the timeof the Ottoman Empire, it was military commanders who oversaw themass deportations of Armenians in eastern Anatolia.

But experts say the rare criticism of Israel by the Turkish militarydoes not mean the military has changed its mind on its cooperationwith the IDF. "The General Staff's reaction is not so surprising," saidÖzdem Sanberk, a former undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry."The Israeli remarks, which are quite controversial, came from a mem-ber of the Israeli army. Thus, it is natural that the Turkish General Staffexhibits the reaction that it regards necessary."

Erdoðan's outburst in Davos boosted support for his Justiceand Development Party (AK Party) ahead of the local elections inMarch 29. Although there is little evidence that the military isequally impressed by Erdoðan's fierce criticism of Israel over its

treatment of the Palestinians, the General Staff's statement onSaturday is a sign that the government and the military do notdiffer as much as some in Israel may have expected.

"Military relations are a component of foreign policy, like businessties, and it is not possible for the military to assume a different policy inits relationship with another country's military in way that would devi-ate from the governmental policy," said Nihat Ali Özcan, a lecturerfrom the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV).

Turkish experts warn that the tension in Turkish-Israeli ties could beirreparable if it is not contained. And deterioration in ties will serve nei-ther Turkey nor Israel, but an unexpected actor -- Iran -- says Sanberk."From now on, Israel and Turkey have to manage well the tension be-tween them if they do not want Iran, which is a very professionalchess player in diplomacy, to increase its clout in the region," he said.

*Emine Kart in Ankara contributed to reporting.

Army scraps hands-off

polýcy ýn row wýth Israel

Leading Jewishbusinessman hasfull confidence inTurkish democracy

The General Staff said Israeli Land Forces Commander Avi Mizrahi’s remarks could “damage national interests between the two countries.”

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The Turkish Cypriot police press office an-nounced over the weekend that Kývanç

Aktuð, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) representative in the Turkish Republicof Northern Cyprus (KKTC), has been arrested oncharges of human smuggling.

Aktuð (65), H.A. (46) and three Iraqi citizenswho had illegally entered the KKTC with helpfrom Aktuð and H.A. were arrested in a joint op-eration by the KKTC and the UK's SovereignBase Areas Police Service on the island, a state-ment from the KKTC Police Office said Saturday.

The police say that Aktuð and H.A. were pro-viding entrance of Iraqi and Palestinian people tothe KKTC from ports and airports after beingbribed. Then, by violating a first-level forbiddenmilitary zone, police say, the two were taking thosepeople to southern Cyprus without getting permis-sion from authorities. This illegal activity continuedfrom October 2008 to Feb. 12, the statement said.

Aktuð's Human Relief Mission (HRM) washandling the cases of "between 500 and 600"asylum seekers in the north for the UNHCR,Greek Cypriot media recently reported.

Meanwhile, a statement from the KKTCpresidency underlined that Aktuð was ap-pointed by the UN, but not by the KKTC.Turkish Cypriot authorities had cooperatedwith him upon the UN's request, it said.

Aktuð's arrest is new evidence that inter-national organizations' cooperation with KK-TC authorities is necessary and appropriate in-stead of those organizations independentlylaunching activities in northern Cyprus, thestatement said. Ankara Today's Zaman

UNHCR official in KKTC arrested forhuman smuggling

NEWS ANALYSIS

TODAY’S ZAMAN

Lale Sarýibrahimoðlu

Turkish-Israeli military ties to continue despite serious strains

The results of last week's Israeli elections,showing gains by right-wing parties, have

"painted a very dark picture" for the future, PrimeMinister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan has said.

Stating that Israel's tough stance against thePalestinians was failing, Erdoðan urged the nextIsraeli government to re-evaluate its policies andactions toward the Palestinians and to lift its em-bargo on the Palestinians.

Analysts say Israel is as split as thePalestinians and the prospects of the twomaking peace are dimmer than ever.

"Unfortunately we have seen that the[Israeli] people have voted for these [rightist]parties and that makes me a bit sad," Erdoðansaid of the Israeli election results, in an inter-view with Reuters and two Turkish newspaperslate on Friday. "Unfortunately the election haspainted a very dark picture."

"With the cease-fire, the embargo should belifted. The Palestinian people should be freed fromthe open-air prison they are living in right now;this is against human rights," he said.

Israel's military campaign, which ended in a Jan.18 truce, triggered protests from its ally Turkey thatculminated in a shouting match between Erdoðanand Israeli President Shimon Peres at the WorldEconomic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Predominantly Muslim but officially secular,NATO member Turkey has a unique position inthe region as it has close ties with Israel andArab countries as well as with Washington.

Some diplomats and analysts say Turkey's roleas a mediator in the Middle East,and in particular as a neutral nego-tiator between Israel and Syria,suffered short-term damage be-cause of Erdoðan's fierce criticism ofIsrael and defense of Hamas.

However, Erdoðan said he be-lieved that Turkey's fierce censure ofIsrael's offensive in the Hamas-ruledGaza Strip would not end its role asa peace mediator in the Middle East.

"I don't think that way ...Turkey is a strong country that

has a [unique] international position," saidErdoðan, speaking on his plane while returningto Ankara from a campaign trip to Sivas.

"We were not the ones who wanted this nego-tiations role. In negotiations between Syria andIsrael, both countries wanted Turkey to be the me-diator; that is why we took part in it. The samehappened with the Israeli and Pakistani talks."

He said critics had misunderstood Turkishforeign policy if they thought the government

was siding with Hamas or wasagainst Israel. Turkey wantedpeace in the region and was de-fending the helpless, in this casethe civilians in Gaza, he said.

He said the ruling Justice andDevelopment Party (AK Party),which has roots in political Islam,had restored Turkey's influence inthe world and it was only naturalthat Turkey should use its newfoundstrength to help solve crises from theCaucasus to the Middle East.

Erdoðan received a hero's welcome in Turkeyand praise in the Arab world after his outburst inDavos, where he accused Israel of "knowing verywell how to kill," but has raised eyebrows amongWestern diplomats who asked whether Turkeywas turning away from the West.

In a phone call expected soon with US PresidentBarack Obama, Erdoðan said he would urge him totake a different approach toward the Middle Eastthan the Bush administration.

"I am expecting President Obama to be thevoice of the voiceless and the protector of theunprotected," he said, while again defendinghis criticism of Israeli authorities.

"We have to distinguish between two things-- the Israeli people and the Israeli government. Isay the same to my people. I see anti-Semitismas a crime against humanity," Erdoðan said. "Ihave also said that while anti-Semitism is acrime against humanity, Islamophobia is also acrime against humanity. I have said that theJewish people should take part in fighting thiskind of prejudice." Ankara Today's Zaman with Reuters

Erdoðan sees gloomy picture in Israeli election results

Recep Tayyip Erdoðan

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However, this work was shelved when a clo-sure case was filed against the AK Party in Marchof last year on charges of anti-secularism.

Following the Constitutional Court’s rul-ing not to disband the AK Party in late June,the governing party decided to speed up ef-forts to replace the constitution. But efforts tothis end were stalled again, this time by ap-proaching local elections, on which the rulingparty has concentrated all its attention. TheAK Party is expected to re-focus on its workon a new constitution that will respond to theTurkish people’s expectations for improveddemocratic rights following the elections.

However, the party is still worried that themain opposition Republican People’s Party(CHP) may take the new constitution to theConstitutional Court to have it annulled after itis passed by Parliament. Thus, the governingparty called on Parliament Speaker KöksalToptan last year to establish a parliamentaryconsensus commission to work on the newconstitution. The CHP, however, refused tosend any representatives to the commission.

The AK Party then criticized Toptan, say-ing the parliament speaker had adopted apassive stance on the passage of a new con-stitution. The party told him to take initiativeand figure out another method to facilitatethe adoption of the new civilian constitution.

Toptan then decided to set up a com-mission of 100 deputies and 50 representa-tives of civil society organizations who

would contribute to the preparation of thenew constitution. The AK Party, however,believes a consensus within such a crowdedgroup will take several years and may even-tually end in the weakening of efforts.

Two alternative plans by AK Partyfor new constitutionIn April AK Party officials plan to adopt one oftwo approaches to passing the new constitu-tion. According to the first plan, the AK Partywill attempt to reach a consensus on the parlia-mentary approval of the constitution. The partyis hoping to receive the support of the staunch-ly-secular CHP, which is famous for takingmany bills passed by Parliament to theConstitutional Court for annulment.

The second plan is to divide the new constitu-tion into pieces and have Parliament pass it in seg-ments, starting with articles that are not expectedto arouse much disagreement between parties.

The ruling party is uneasy with the CHP’sattitude, as the main opposition party has re-jected nearly every proposal forwarded to it onthe passage of the new constitution.

Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek previ-ously complained in an interview with Today’sZaman that changing the Constitution inTurkey had become next to impossible be-cause of the stance of the opposition.

“We would like to change every single arti-cle of the Constitution, except the four un-changeable articles. And we are the only partythat is prepared to do this. However, desire is

one thing and reality another,” Çiçek had said,adding that changing the constitution has nowbecome as difficult as moving a mountain.

Burhan Kuzu, the head of the Parliament’sConstitutional Commission, told Today’s Zamanthat they had received suggestions from a num-ber of academics from various Turkish universi-ties and representatives from the Turkish Unionof Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TO-BB) and the Turkish Industrialists andBusinessmen’s Association (TÜSÝAD).

“I don’t think Turkey is in need of acouncil other than Parliament to prepare aconstitution. Parliament is entitled and quali-fied to do this,” he added.

What do opposition parties say?The CHP isn’t even considering contributing to ef-forts by the AK Party to change the Constitution.Furthermore, it has threatened to take any newconstitution to the Constitutional Court for annul-ment if it is passed by Parliament. CHP parliamen-tary group deputy head Kemal Anadol said hisparty would extend support to the governing partyonly for the amendment of the article dealing withlegal immunity for parliamentary deputies.

Democratic Left Party (DSP) deputy chair-man and Denizli deputy Hasan Erçelebi, onthe other hand, said in late December that theCHP should no longer rely on the DSP’s sup-port for its attempts to block attempts at a newconstitution. Earlier this year the CHP ap-pealed to the Constitutional Court to cancelconstitutional amendments that would havelifted a ban on headscarves on university cam-puses, but it was able to do this only with thebacking of the DSP. Without the DSP’s back-ing, the CHP, which has 97 seats in Parliament,will lose its ability to appeal to the court. Anypetition filed with the Constitutional Court forthe annulment of constitutional amendmentsneeds to be signed by 110 deputies.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) offi-cials recently announced that they would backthe AK Party’s efforts to change theConstitution except its first four articles.

The pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party(DTP) backs the replacement of the currentConstitution with a more civilian one withoutany conditions.

AK Party rolls up sleeves for civilian constitution

The Ergenekon case has re-vealed corruption in the Turkishmedia. Close relations betweenpro-coup generals and managersand owners of certain newspa-pers have been revealed.

The damage done to thecountry by corruption in the me-dia-politics-business triangle isnow becoming more evident. Theheads of two newspapers,Hürriyet and Taraf, have madeanalyses of Turkish media.

Ertuðrul Özkök, editor-in-chief at the Doðan MediaGroup's Hürriyet, has writtenon a long-forgotten issue, me-dia reliability, saying, "It is goodthing there are reliable and spe-cialized journalists in this coun-try." Speaking on condition ofanonymity to avoid media criti-cism, a politician who is also acommunications expert pointedto the growing need for a reli-able, uncorrupted and free me-dia in Turkey.

The same politician stressedthat Turkish media had failed tocreate a system of checks andbalances and that it has becomeparty to grave mistakes. "If wehad a real media playing its actu-al role, Turkey would have gottenrid of its bonds years ago. Thereare some media organs failing topromote peace and stability andprovoking military coups. Thereare media groups failing to takemeasures against the tendency ofbecoming holdings. It is impossi-ble to trust a journalism to putpressure on politicians with thesupport of the military for thesake of a holding's interests."

Özkök cites some examplesof what he believes is necessary:The Turkish Statistics Institute(TurkStat) recently announcednational industrial data lastweek. Referans, the DoðanGroup's paper focusing on eco-nomic affairs, detected someflaws in the announced dataand helped TurkState correctthe figures. As another example,he noted that Kanal D and StarTV, two TV stations owned by

the Doðan Group, held a reliefcampaign for Gaza, collecting atotal of TL 4.5 million.

Özkök attributes the correc-tion in the TurkStat data to expertjournalism and the success in thecampaign to reliable journalism.This is an excerpt from Özkök'scolumn: "Those who think thatjournalism is all about theErgenekon case and the publica-tion of some information withoutquestioning the accuracy of thesereports should read this essayvery carefully." The assertive col-umn concludes: "It is a goodthing that there is independentmedia; it is good to have reliableand expert journalists."

A friend of mine, who is al-so a communication expert, saysthese two examples are, ofcourse, important; but he asks,"How many articles has Özkökpenned or read on expert, reli-able journalism during hisrather lengthy career?

If our media had focused onreliable and expert journalism,would Turkey have followed suit?

The editor-in-chief of theTaraf daily made a more preciseanalysis on this issue: "The hold-er of the key at the door throughwhich all coup-lovers, pro-juntaactors and death squads withinthe state and gangs have flowninto our lives is the media of thiscountry. This door is openedwith the permission of that me-dia. That media conceals themost disgusting and terrifyingcrimes. That media presentsmurderers as heroes. That mediaassaults those who try to protectthe people of this country. Andthe real structure of that mediais never revealed."

The writer of these sen-tences, who has been in thisprofession for 25 years, startedhis career by struggling againstinaccurate reports in the media.

If there were no ZamanGroup, Turkey would neverhave gotten rid of the mediathat fabricates false reports up-on the instructions of generals.

It will be impossible to change the Constitution withoutthe support of the main opposition party because chang-

ing the Constitution is not a majority issue but a matter of rec-onciliation, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek said yesterday.

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency yesterday, Çiçeksaid his party would be focusing on drafting a new constitu-tion to replace the current one, which was prepared by gener-als after a military coup in 1980 and adopted in 1982. Hestressed that the 1982 Constitution, despite having beenamended countless times, was still a source of controversy andthat most of the society has demanded a new constitution.

Çiçek said the ruling Justice and Development Party(AK Party) was continuing its work on drafting a newconstitution. Recalling the reactions to the AK Party's ear-lier efforts to create a new constitution, Çiçek said: "Theycriticized our method as being wrong. Then we said,'Then you bring us a draft, and we will support it.' Ourpurpose here is to finish this, not to start a new polemic."

He emphasized that the main opposition RepublicanPeople's Party (CHP) also had to participate in the effortsto draft a new constitution. It would be impossible tochange the Constitution without the support of the mainopposition party. ... You can pass it with your majority, butit would cause controversy and tension in the society, justlike the 1982 Constitution. This would hurt Turkey.Unfortunately, the main opposition party has perceived thepossibility of a general constitutional change negatively. Itis still not clear how much change it will support. Wepassed the Public Inspection Law. The ConstitutionalCourt annulled it, saying it had no basis in the Constitution.We will create a constitutional amendment regarding thePublic Inspection Law." Ankara Today's Zaman with wires

Çiçek: We must work withCHP to make constitutionalchange happen

Turkey needs reliable, uncorrupted and free media

The above statement was made by a leftist deputy.Noting that the tension between the CHP and the AKParty has increased following assertive statementsover the CHP's strongholds in Ýzmir and Çankaya,this senior politician argues that at this point, defeatin these strongholds would not be as damaging asthe party's probable defeat in Ankara.

What makes Ankara so important? He says:"Melih Gökçek, who has been serving as mayor forthree consecutive terms, won the election becauseof divisions within the leftist parties in 1994 and1999. In 2004, in addition to divisions between left-ist parties, growing interest by center-right voters inthe AK Party was also influential. In an environment

where all these factors now seem to be missing,Gökçek should not win. If he does, a defeat will bethe end of both Deniz Baykal and the CHP because itwill be attributed to the failure of the CHP and itscandidate to fulfill popular demands."

I recall the CHP's role as a state party used toprevent the emergence of an alternative leftist party.

The leftist deputy goes on to draw attention tothe results of the 22 July, 2007 elections: "The 1point increase in its votes was discussed for days.Baykal has not appeared before the media for daysbecause the 21 percent vote was considered a de-feat. Amid discussions indicating that the CHP wasunable to represent the left, it also became evident

that the DSP [Democratic Left Party] had made agrave tactical mistake. The DSP would have been acenter of attraction for leftist voters if it had notbeen an accomplice of the CHP. The DSP will re-place the CHP as the leader of the left if it over-comes its internal disagreements and divisions."

Leftist votes will not be divided in Ankara becausethe DSP has not nominated a candidate. The MHPand the Felicity Party (SP) will work hard to steal votesfrom the AK Party. Under these circumstances, theCHP should normally secure a victory in Ankara.However, the CHP's candidate, Murat Karayalçýn is re-portedly planning to withdraw from the race after pub-lic surveys showed that he would not win.

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‘Election defeat in Ankara will be the end of Baykal and the CHP'

A bill amending the parliamentary bylaws will be onParliament's agenda next week. Despite the fact that therelevant commission has already completed its work, thecontent of the new bylaw is being kept confidential.

In addition to party representatives, a number of bu-reaucrats and experts contributed to these works.Commission members included Salih Kapusuz from theJustice and Development Party (AK Party), Ali Topuzfrom the Republican People's Party (CHP), NevzatKorkmaz from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)and Selahattin Demirtaþ from the Democratic Society

Party (DTP). They have not said a word about theagreed-upon version because if the agreement isharmed, the amended version will most likely never en-ter into effect. However, it appears the new bylaws arequite different than the existing ones. So what are the dif-ferences? More importantly, will they meet the expecta-tions of the ruling party and the opposition parties?

The AK Party, which complains about the relative inef-ficiency of the current assembly, attributes this ineffec-tiveness to the complex composition of the Parliament.While there were two parties in Parliament in the previous

term, there are now four parties. Because of this, the rul-ing party is unable to ensure the discussion of importantbills, including the Commercial Code and the Law ofObligations. The Commercial Code, which was broughtonto the assembly agenda after a consensus, has beenwithdrawn after obstructions by the MHP. The AK Party doesnot dare attempt to pass this bill despite its majority inParliament because it may take two years to pass the draftas a law under the existing parliamentary bylaws. For thisreason, the passage of the new version of the bylaws will beout of the question if the current consensus is undermined.

Difficult to amend Parliament's internal bylaws

PM Erdoðan (L) said his party would accelerateefforts for a civilian constitution with the help ofParliament Speaker Köksal Toptan (R).

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Kaan Soyak, co-founder and co-chairman of theTurkish-Armenian Business Development Council(TABDC), has said Turkish and Armenian businesspeople are waiting for relations between their twocountries to see normalization so they can go aheadwith new projects that will benefit both sides.

One of these projects is the establishment of aqualified industrial zone between Turkey andArmenia for cooperation in the textile sector.

Noting that Armenia is active in the textiles busi-ness abroad, Soyak said they also have an effectivemarketing network in the United States.

“We can use this to the advantage of both sides.… In Turkey, we have machines and fabrics, andthere is a labor force in Armenia. It is possible to pro-duce cost-effective textiles and sell them in theUnited States without taxes and customs tariffs.”

With that aim, the TABDC has been work-ing with US congressmen for years to map outthe details of the project.

“But we are waiting on the improvement ofTurkey-Armenia relations,” Soyak added.Fortunately, increased and open diplomatic trafficbetween Turkey and Armenia has signaled that thereare more efforts under way to normalize relations be-tween the two countries. Turkey closed its borderwith Armenia and severed diplomatic links withYerevan in a show of solidarity with Azerbaijan overArmenia’s occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh insouthwestern Azerbaijan in the early 1990s.

Speaking with Monday Talk, Soyak elabo-rated on these issues and more.

There seems to be increasing dialogue be-tween Turkey and Armenia, although there havenot yet been any concrete steps for normalizingrelations. Do you expect a breakthrough soon?

President Abdullah Gül’s visit to Yerevan inSeptember last year marked a new era in Turkey’srelations with Armenia. But no immediate furthersteps were taken in October or November to nor-malize relations. However, serious contacts start-ed by the end of January and they are continuing.Foreign ministers from both sides are talking fre-quently. The Turkish side wants to set up a jointhistorical commission to review past events, butthe Armenian side wants to see the normalizationof relations and the establishment of diplomaticrelations first. Meanwhile, some minority na-tionalists in the Armenian diaspora believe thisslow progress is to their advantage. Some claimthat the Armenian side is using delays as a tacticand waiting for the genocide resolution to bepassed in the US Congress first. Claims regard-ing the Turkish side are about delaying normal-izing relations with Armenia to first see whetherthe US administration recognizes the genocideon April 24. If there are such tactics on the bothsides, they will not bring any positive develop-ments. Now is the right time for both sides to sitdown, settle all existing problems and not leaveany burdens for future generations.

You mentioned that only a minority of theArmenian diaspora thinks of benefiting fromslow progress in improving relations betweenTurkey and Armenia. But most Turkish peoplewould think that the Armenian diaspora is unitedon its negative stance. Who is correct?

Indeed, a majority of the Armenian diasporasupports the normalization of relations betweenArmenia and Turkey and the opening of bordergates, as well; however, this group will remain silentif there are no concrete steps taken for normalizingrelations between Turkey and Armenia. And thehard-line, nationalistic part of the diaspora will beheard much more because they speak so loudly.

You mostly deal with the business develop-ment side of the border issue. What opportuni-ties would opening the border bring, given per-sonal relations between Turks and Armenians?

Armenia is a small country, but they have alarge diaspora. There are two effective diasporas inthe world: One is the Jewish diaspora and the oth-er is the Armenian diaspora. And the Armeniansare much closer to the values of Anatolia. We can

see almost all Anatolian traditions in the lives ofArmenians even today, even if they are born in theUnited States or Europe. Who would think thatArmenians would serve irmik helvasý during theirfunerals like Turks do? Armenians are very re-spectful of Islamic traditions, as well as religiousholidays. The very first phone calls always comefrom my Armenian friends when there are Islamicreligious holidays or holy nights. Armenians are al-so very sensitive to Middle Eastern problems anddeeply empathize with the problems of thePalestinians. They are also extensively engaged inthe business world of the Arab countries -- an ad-ditional value to Turkish business circles that arewilling to do business in the Middle East.

What would change in the lives of theArmenians if the border were opened?

Armenia would benefit quite a lot financiallyfrom the opening of the border, since they current-ly have to purchase materials through Georgia,further increasing their costs. Armenia is a land-locked country. It is an economically poor country.And there are a lot of people who left Armenia.The population has decreased to 1.5 million from 3million. When they are poor, the public is easilymanipulated by nationalist sentiments. But thepublic is so fed up with their economic difficultiesthat they are ready for the opening of the border.The Armenian public will feel more relaxed andthey will be free to visit Anatolian cities once theborders are opened. For example, they wouldstart spending their weekends in Anatolian citiessuch as Kars, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraþ andMalatya. Diaspora Armenians would be very hap-py to regularly visit their ancestral cities.

What is the current trade volume betweenTurkey and Armenia and what is the expectedrise after the border gates are opened?

The trade volume is currently about $100 mil-lion a year and it is expected to increase to $300million. This may not be considered a high volumefor businessmen in Ýstanbul, but this amount is im-portant for businesses in the southeastern and east-ern provinces of Turkey. Take the tourism sector, forexample; it is one of the areas in which Turkey maymake significant gains, especially in the area of reli-

gious and cultural tourism. The records show that400,000 European and American Armenian touristsvisited Armenia last year. These are people who canafford expensive visits, people in the Armenian di-aspora. If they spend $100 a day, it would add up to$40 million. And if they stay for three days, thenyou have $120 million in a year. This may not bea noteworthy amount for the businessmen in Ýs-tanbul, but it is important for businessmen inBatman or other southeastern provinces inTurkey. It is important for those regions even ifthe amount is an extra $5 million a year.

What do you think are the most lucrativesectors for Turkish and Armenian businessmen?

One sector is textiles. Armenia was the produc-tion center of textiles in the former Soviet Union.Armenia is still active in the textiles business abroad.They have a very effective marketing network in theUnited States. We can use this to the advantage ofboth sides. One idea is to develop a qualified indus-trial zone or free zone in both Turkey and Armenia.In Turkey, we have machines and fabrics, and thereis a labor force in Armenia. It is possible to producecost-effective textiles and sell them to the UnitedStates without taxes or customs tariffs.

Isn’t there a need to pass legislation in theUS Congress to do that?

Yes, there is. We have had initiatives in that re-gard. We had meetings with both US Rep. RobertWexler, co-chairman of the US-Turkish Caucus inthe US Congress and Frank Pallone, co-chairman ofthe US-Armenian Caucus in the US Congress.

When did you have those meetings?Since 2001, we have explained to them about

our project to establish a qualified industrial zonebetween Turkey and Armenia. Turkish andArmenian textiles associations would need to paya visit to the US Congress to map out the detailsof the project, but we are waiting on the improve-ment of Turkey-Armenia relations.

Isn’t this a hard task considering that theCongressional Caucus on Armenian Issues supportsthe bill on the recognition of the “genocide”? Doyou think the group would be willing to back such adevelopment? The Armenians in Armenia say thatthe diaspora does not really care about the improve-

ment of relations between Turkey and Armenia.We believe the US-Armenian Caucus in the

US Congress can also work for the economicbenefit of the Republic of Armenia aside fromtheir traditional political agenda. The people ofArmenia are in need of economic openings morethan other openings today and this has to be un-derstood well by the members of the US-Armenian Caucus in the US Congress.

When you try to put public pressure onTurkish or Armenian diplomats regardingnormalization of relations, what is the mostdifficult situation you face?

We have been involved in Armenian-Turkishrelations for about 12 years and our experiencehas shown us that there are no bilateral relationsbetween Armenia and Turkey, but there has al-ways been third-party involvement. There weretimes that all the existing problems were about tobe solved but there were hands involved that in-fluenced the processes negatively in the past.Turkish and Armenian businessmen are anxiouslywaiting for positive developments on the diplo-matic front so we can go forward with our proj-ects. There is a need for the people of these coun-tries to determine their own future. Once the bor-der opens, many problems between the twocountries can be discussed and solved in the com-missions that will be established.

Do you think the online petition circu-lated by Turkish intellectuals offering anapology for the “great catastrophe” of 1915,to which several thousand Turkish citizensadded their names in support, has had anyeffect, positive or negative, on the process ofnormalizing relations?

I agree with President Gül’s remarks inthis regard. Every person can define his or herthoughts freely. On the other hand, all kindsof statements in favor or not in favor of the pe-tition have an influence on the process. I can-not say negative or positive but it certainly hasan effect. Negotiations between Armenia andTurkey have progressed very far as of today, soI personally think both governments wouldwelcome all public diplomacy efforts.

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‘Turkýsh and Armenýan busýnessmen

awaýt normalýzatýon of relatýons’

PROFILEKaan SoyakWorking tirelessly for

normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations

He co-founded the Turkish-Armenian BusinessDevelopment Council (TABDC) in 1997 and heis co-chairman of the organization, togetherwith Arsen Ghazarian, who is based inYerevan. Soyak is also the co-chairman andco-founder of the US-Turkish-ArmenianBusiness Council and the Turkish-ArmenianBusiness Council in the European Union inBrussels. Also co-founder and CEO of TrusaConsulting Services in the United States, herepresents several US-based security firms onbiometrics, pipeline security, tracking, securedata transfer and secure surveillance systemsin the Middle East, Turkey and the Caucasus.In addition to his efforts to facilitate relationsbetween Armenia and Turkey, he is currentlyworking on interfaith dialogue between differ-ent religious institutions and promoting US-Turkish-Iraqi Kurdish economic relations.

‘Nabucco may well pass through Armenia'And what about the Nabucco project? Is Armenia a likely participantin the project if its relations with Turkey are being normalized?As we all know, due to political problems between Armenia and Turkeyand Armenia and Azerbaijan the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline projectbypassed Armenia and passed through Georgia at an extra 20 percentcost. The inclusion of Armenia in the Nabucco project is definitely onthe table. I assume parties are waiting for the normalization of rela-tions between Armenia and Turkey to advance in this regard.

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TPAO, Chevron to cooperate in Black Sea

The Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) hasaccelerated its talks with US oil company Chevron over

joint exploration for oil off the Black Sea coast. The Anatolia news agency reported on Sunday that the

TPAO, which had been in contact with Chevron for the lastfew months, expected to sign an oil exploration deal withthe company soon. Chevron had previously announced itwas interested in conducting oil exploration off Turkey'sBlack Sea coast. Official negotiations started in January withofficials from both sides meeting in Turkey to discuss thedetails of a possible partnership. If the TPAO and Chevronagree, Chevron will be the second US company involved inoil exploration in the Black Sea region. Last year the TPAOsigned a deal with Exxon Mobil Corp. -- another US oilcompany -- for the joint exploration and development of oiland natural gas off Turkey's Black Sea coast. The TPAO hasalso been in touch with Brazilian oil company Petrobras forthe same reason. The TPAO expects to share the risks of oilexploration in the Black Sea with an experienced oilcompany. This is what led the corporation to partner withExxon, the world's largest publicly traded international oiland gas company. TPAO Vice President Yurdal Öztaþ saidnegotiations with Chevron are continuing without anyproblems. Underlining that some time was needed for eachside to make certain points clear, Öztaþ said they expectedto reach an agreement with the company in the end. "I hopewe will eventually reach an agreement. We are receivingpositive signs to this end," he noted. Öztaþ said the sizeof the investment in oil research in the Black Sea wouldbe around $500 million, emphasizing that thegovernment saw great importance in such a project.

The TPAO official said the recent decline in oil prices inglobal markets would not have any adverse impact onTurkey's projected investments. "Oil prices may currently belower than before in global markets. But this does not meanthat the prices will stay fixed at the same level. It is expectedthat oil prices will increase again, and giant oil companies aremaking plans in line with such a possibility," he said.Meanwhile, Öztaþ said they looked forward to starting oil andnatural gas exploration in Iraq and that the TPAO wouldcontinue to meet with interested companies. He saidcompanies from Japan, India, Russia and Italy were interestedin cooperating with the TPAO in Iraq. The TPAO is one of 15companies in the world granted a license to explore for oiland natural gas in Iraq; the corporation was also invited tosubmit tenders for the exploration and management ofeight giant oil fields in Iraq. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

TÜGÝK: We expect recoveryin markets by May

Gökhan Gökten, an executive board member ofthe Young Businessmen's Confederation of

Turkey (TÜGÝK), has said the group expects to see arecovery in Turkey's markets from the effects of theongoing global financial crisis by May.

Speaking in Hatay on Sunday, Gökten said the crisishad done its greatest damage in the construction sector inTurkey, but that the confederation expected a recovery inthis sector following the latest drop in mortgage interestrates. Some companies have had to delay their projectsdue to financial difficulties, he acknowledged; however,he added that such news should not make people losehope. He said they expected to see recovery in thecoming months. The construction sector, in particular,will recover by May, he added. This recovery will pave theway for revivals in other sectors, he explained.

With regard to the port of Ýskenderun in Hatay,Gökten said it was located in a strategically critical positionand that this gives it the potential to become the center ofone of the most prominent energy routes in the world inthe near future. "The Ýskenderun port is a door opening tothe Middle East," he said, noting that a well-establishedinfrastructure in Ýskenderun would turn it into a center ofattraction in the region. Gökten also stressed theimportance of healthy privatization for the port. "Economicstability can only be achieved with well-establishedtrade relations, and we are improving trade relationsin our region," he added. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

Minister: Turkey wants touse water as peace envoy

Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroðlu saidon Saturday that Turkey aimed to use water as a tool to

spread peace. "It is Turkey's goal to use and share water fairlyand employ it to serve all of humanity," Eroðlu said, speakingat the inauguration of the first Ýstanbul Water Forum.

The minister said a decline in water resources was acommon problem seen throughout the world and that theworld should solve this problem through collaborationbetween officials and financial authorities seeking concretesolutions. "Our president [Abdullah Gül] has invited thepresidents of 23 countries to this forum, and prime ministersand relevant ministers have also been called," he said, notingthat this was the most comprehensive water forum everhosted by Ýstanbul. The first Ýstanbul Water Forum isconsidered a rehearsal for the city, which is going to hostanother prominent water forum in March. The Fifth WorldWater Forum is going to take place in Ýstanbul between March16 and 22. Serving as a stepping stone toward globalcollaboration on water problems, the World Water Forum is aunique platform on which the water community and thepolicy and decision makers from all regions of the world canlink together, debate and attempt to find solutions to achievewater security. The World Water Council's World Water Forum,organized every three years in close collaboration with theauthorities of the hosting country, is the largest internationalevent in the field of water. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

When the BTC Co. asked BOTAÞ tostop hiring personnel as a way to keep

costs low, the parties ended up in court. Thepartners are pursuing their cases whilecontinuing to negotiate to arrive at a settlement.

The BTC pipeline was first proposed in1992 to transport oil from the Caspianregion, particularly Azerbaijani oil, toEuropean and world markets. After a longperiod of negotiations, the construction ofthe pipeline started in September 2002 andwas officially opened in July 2006 when thefirst oil tanker was filled in Ceyhan.

The total length of the pipeline is 1,768

kilometers, and its section in Turkey is 1,072kilometers. In addition to the strategicimportance of the pipeline, the annual incomefrom the pipeline depends on the capacity andwill be between $140 million and $200 millionbetween the first and 16th years, and between$200 million and $300 million between 17th and40th years. According to last year's data, theBTC Co. paid 35 cents per barrel of oil thatpassed through the pipeline to BIL and 20 centsto the Treasury. The Turkish PetroleumCorporation (TPAO), a partner in the project,gains income from production of oil.

While Turkey attaches great importance tothis project, the partners of the BTC are now in

disagreement. As Today's Zaman has learnedfrom sources close to British Petroleum (BP) --BP has 31.1 percent share in the BTC -- and BILthat there has been incompatibility among thepartners for some time, and this row surfacedwith the recent litigation. BIL accuses the BTCCo. of "not caring for the rising operationcosts of the pipeline and of trying to controlthe management of the entire pipeline."

When the recent 73 percent increase inthe price of natural gas increased BIL'soperation costs to an unbearable level, BILasked the BTC Co. to share the costs. The BTCCo. replied that BIL could buy oil from thepipeline for $18 per barrel for the operation of

the pipeline. Last month, BIL referred theissue to arbitration. Negotiations reportedlyare under way. Meanwhile, BIL maintainedthat the BTC Co. had previously requiredthem to use natural gas for producingenergy for the operation of the pipelinebecause using oil "causes environmentalproblems and creates much noise."

However, when the natural gas pricesrose, the BTC refrained from sharing therising costs. The BTC denies the claims. Itsays that it just wants BIL to employpersonnel effectively. BTC officials arguethat the BTC is using its right to veto and isentitled to meddle with BIL's management.

Rising natural gas prices causerow among BTC partners

Most economic and financial news headlines last week, amid theseemingly interminable global crisis, were occupied by the twonew initiatives of the US government in fighting the crisis, neitherof which was well received by financial markets. Earlier in theweek, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced theObama administration's new bank bailout plan, which was widelycriticized for its lack of details. Later in the week, the US Congressenacted, after much partisan acrimony, a massive fiscal stimuluspackage to jumpstart the economy. This $787 billion package iscontroversial not only ideologically and politically between thosewho favor and those who oppose higher government spending,but also among professional economists, who are sharply dividedabout its beneficial and harmful effects. The meeting of G-7finance ministers in Rome at the end of the week, aimed atavoiding economic nationalism and setting the stage for April's G-20 economic summit in London, also made the news.

But no less newsworthy was the striking public testimony ofNational Intelligence Director Dennis C. Blair, who oversees all 16 USintelligence agencies, including the CIA, on Feb. 12 before the USSenate Select Committee on Intelligence. In his Annual ThreatAssessment of the Intelligence Community, Mr. Blair identified, to thesurprise of some members of the committee, the global economiccrisis and its potential geopolitical repercussions -- not internationalterrorism, as had been the case during the Bush administration -- asthe major near-term security threat to the US. Mr. Blair, a formerRhodes scholar and retired four-star admiral, stated that the longerthe duration and severity of the crisis, which originated in the US andrapidly engulfed the rest of the world, the greater the chances ofserious harm to US strategic interests. His chilling and soberingassessment of the potentially harmful strategic and securityconsequences of the crisis for the US can be generalized for the entireworld. Although he did not spell it out, implicit in Mr. Blair'sassessment was the danger of armed conflicts between nations underthe stress of the economic crisis as it turns into a strategic crisis.

Mr. Blair, the principal intelligence advisor to PresidentBarack Obama and the National Security Council, soundingmore like a political economist than a military analyst, noted thatthere is still no end in sight to the crisis, now more than a yearold. We do not even know whether the worst is already over oris still to come. A survey last week by the Business Council andthe Conference Board showed that the pessimism of the chiefexecutives of top US companies about the crisis is increasing, asthey expect it to continue into 2010. Earlier in the week,International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-

Kahn cautioned that the major developed countries are "alreadyin depression," warning that the "worst cannot be ruled out." Inthe latest survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted in earlyFebruary, almost a third of US respondents believed that the USwas already in a depression rather than a recession, somewhatsurprising if you recall the saying that "a recession is when yourneighbor loses his job, a depression is when you lose yours." TheUS unemployment rate in January was 7.6 percent under theofficial definition, or 13.9 percent under the broader definition,not 25 percent as in the Great Depression of the 1930s.

If the worst is yet to come, warned Mr. Blair, then the currentcrisis could rival the economic crises of the 1920s and '30s in itsdisastrous political as well as economic consequences in terms ofwidening political instability and rising violent extremism. As astark example, on the same day Mr. Blair testified, theInternational Crisis Group warned in its report "Tajikistan: Onthe Road to Failure" that rising social unrest and potential faminecaused by the economic crisis could turn Tajikistan, Central Asia'spoorest nation, which survived a civil war during 1992-1997, intoa failed state. Also on the same day, the World Bank in its policynote "The Global Economic Crisis: Assessing Vulnerability with aPoverty Lens" warned that the economic crisis threatened tobecome a human crisis, with as many as 53 million more peoplein some 40 countries in danger of falling into poverty.

After summarizing the most recent forecasts about the depth ofthe crisis and the attempts of governments in the US and elsewhereto deal with it, Mr. Blair emphasized the downside of risks stillfacing the world economy. "Time is probably our greatest threat,"he warned, adding that "the longer it takes for the recovery tobegin, the greater the likelihood of serious damage to US strategicinterests." These risks appear, according to Mr. Blair, particularlytroublesome next year in terms of "a wave of economic crises" inemerging market economies (EMEs), which would require eitherurgent bilateral or multilateral help from major developed nationsor international institutions. But the prospects of such help couldevaporate in the increasingly malign global environmentexacerbated by developed nations' own beggar-thy-neighbor

policies, which could spread to EMEs. These policies refer to tariffand non-tariff barriers to imports, subsidies for exports anddomestic industries and competitive currency devaluations thatcould unleash "a wave of destructive protectionism."

Mr. Blair's thesis is that the deepening economic crisis inEMEs could cause worsening anti-regime political instabilityleading to anti-state demonstrations and government changes inthe midst of violent extremism. The political fallout for developedcountries, themselves at odds each other due to self-destructiveeconomic nationalism, could include massive refugee flows fromEMEs mired in domestic violence if not civil war.

Mr. Blair's frank assessment of the challenges and risks facing theUS can be summarized as follows: (1) Because the global crisis startedin the US, much of the rest of the world holds the US responsible forit. (2) The cause of the crisis is viewed as the US's free-market policies,especially excessive greed and risk-taking as well as inadequateregulation of US financial markets. (3) The crisis and the blame for ithave increased anti-US and anti-free market sentiments around theworld. (4) The economic and moral stature of the US in guiding andensuring globalization through open trade and investment, which isin the US's national interest, has been eroded by these sentiments.Although Mr. Blair did not mention them, earlier anti-US sentimentscaused by the Bush administration's controversial post-Sept. 11policies of anti-terrorism and aggressive unilateralism had diminishedmuch of the US's prestige and moral standing around the world evenbefore the eruption of the global economic crisis. So, now it's doublyhard for the US to restore its favorable international reputation, evenunder the Obama administration, which has realized andacknowledged much of the damage done by the Bush administration.

Mr. Blair believes that its adverse international perceptionnotwithstanding, the US still can and should a play a critical role inmanaging the crisis through international cooperation. Through theG-20, which has acquired a dominant role in global economicgovernance starting with the November G-20 economic summit inWashington and expected to continue with the next summit on April2 in London, the US, which has an impressive record in domestic andinternational economic crisis management, can seek the constructiveinput of major EMEs, especially China. That would be crucial toprevent the crisis from spiraling into wider geopolitical tension andaccelerate the recovery from the crisis before it turns into a full-blownglobal depression. But I am sure Mr. Blair realizes that the newlyenacted fiscal stimulus package's blatantly protectionist Buy Americanand Hire American measures, exposing US economic nationalism,set a bad example for other nations amid charges of hypocrisy.

Global crisis threatens international securityASIM

ERDÝLEKa.erdilek@todayszaman.com

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The BTC pipelinetransports oil from

the Caspian region,particularly

Azerbaijani oil, toEuropean and world

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As G-7 countries met in Rome overthe weekend to discuss strategies toavoid the threats posed by what many

see as the dawn of a new era of protectionism,which is commonly believed to have been thetrigger of the Great Depression, TurkishForeign Trade Minister Kürþad Tüzmen was inMoscow discussing ways to promote tradebetween Russia and Turkey and to ensure thatrecent diplomatic rows would not spill out intotrade wars between the two countries.

Tüzmen used the opportunity to warn of thethreats posed to the global economy by creepingprotectionism, especially to developing countries.

"Protectionist policies and the destructivecompetition that they cause will make theeconomic stagnation in the world morepermanent and they will do particular harm todeveloping countries," he said on Sunday.

Speaking with specific reference toRussia, he stressed the importance ofgrowing trade relations between Turkeyand Russia, which went from about $4.5billion in 2000 to $38 billion in 2008.

"No mutual or regional problem exists thatTurkey and Russia cannot overcome with aconstructive perspective. Every year manycommercial products with combined value largerthan the GDPs [gross domestic product] of 120

countries pass between the twocountries' customs and arepresented to Turkish and Russiancustomers," Tüzmen toldreporters. "We must avoid anyattempt that will interrupt this.The relations between the twocountries and their weight in theworld have reached a level thatcannot be shaped by the smallinterests of narrow-mindedgroups and paradigms that belongto the past."

While Tüzmen discussed these matters inRussia, the G-7 finance ministers pledged toavoid resorting to protectionism as they try tostimulate their own economies in the face of theworld's worst economic crisis since the 1930s.

The meeting, which ended Saturday,marked the international debut of USTreasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

He assured his counterparts thatPresident Barack Obama's $787 billionplan to resuscitate the economy, approvedFriday, would not violate in any way theUnited States' commitment to free trade.

Geithner, who was among friends andcolleagues he had worked with from his days atthe Federal Reserve, appealed to the "common

imperative" to sustain open trade."These are global challenges

and it is imperative that we worktogether to address them,"Geithner told reporters afterward."An effective global response willrequire sustained action bygovernments working withinternational financial institutions."

The meeting's host, ItalianFinance Minister Giulio Tremonti,affirmed "strong agreement"

among the ministers on rejecting protectionism."It is a concrete danger, not only for

economies that depend heavily on exports,"he said. Even as gloomy economic newspiled up -- with Europe sinking deeper intorecession and the G-7 itself saying the crisiswould continue at least through the end ofthe year -- the ministers touted in theirfinal statement "the exceptional measures"that had been "collectively taken."

The meeting was largely an affirmation ofactions already being taken -- from theimportance of stimulus packages to the need toisolate bad assets -- but the final statementdidn't indicate how that would happen.

"I do think a huge volume of effort has beentaken and the markets are reacting in a better way

than before," said Luxembourg Prime MinisterJean-Claude Juncker, who attended the meetingas president of the group representing the 16countries that use the euro currency. "This is anongoing process. Maybe this sounds like arepetition ... but you have to put it in perspective."

German Finance Minister Peer Steinbruecksaid concrete progress on such measures asdrafting regulations on hedge funds must bemade at the Group of 20 summit in Londonon April 2, bringing together leaders ofthe industrialized nations with risingeconomic stars like China and Brazil.

Germany and Japan -- net exporters -- wereespecially keen to see the group endorse efforts tofight protectionism, Steinbrueck said, noting that40 percent of German output was export-driven.

"This is the reason why we are the mostaffected by this worldwide recession,"Steinbrueck told a news conference.

Looking ahead, the ministers hoped tomake progress on drafting common principalsof transparency within four months, in time forthe G-8 summit in Sardinia in July.

The recommendations from Saturday's G-7meeting -- attended by ministers from Britain,Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and theUnited States -- are expected to influencethat gathering. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

Major sovereign wealth funds are holding offbig investments abroad expecting markets to

fall further this year, with some focusing oninvesting at home to stimulate economies in thewake of a global crisis, a survey showed. Seniorexecutives of some of the world's biggest funds saidthey held off any substantial investment for now andwere generally cautious, particularly with bailing outdistressed firms, according to a survey by FinancialDynamics International published on Sunday.

"SWFs are broadly adopting a very cautiousapproach to the current market, expecting bettervalue to materialize later during the year," the surveyfound. The funds see attractive opportunities inWestern European stock markets thanks to lowerprice-earnings ratios, and in Brazil, China and part ofCentral America, but they would wait until marketsfurther drop, the survey found. "We are ready to re-enter the market in a major way -- but not for severalmonths given that we are sure prices are onlyheading down," the survey quoted an unnamedsenior executive at a fund as saying. Kuwait Reuters

SWFs hold off foreignbuys, invest at home

Turkmenistan will export 10 billion cubicmeters of gas per year to Iran, which in

turn will help develop a gas field in its neighborunder an agreement announced on Saturday, anofficial Iranian news agency reported.

The two energy powers, whose ties were strainedlast winter after Turkmenistan halted gas sales to Iran,agreed to boost cooperation during an official visit byTurkmen leader Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov toTehran. Iran sits atop the world's second-largest naturalgas reserves after Russia, but international sanctionsimposed on Tehran over its disputed nuclear activitiesand other issues have slowed development of its owngas exports. Under the deal, Iranian companies woulddevelop a natural gas field in Turkmenistan and inexchange gas from this field would be exported tothe Islamic Republic, Iran's official IRNA newsagency said. It named the gas field as Bolutun.

"According to this agreement 10 billion cubicmeters of gas will be exported to Iran per year from theBolutun gas field," Iran's Oil Minister GholamhosseinNozari said. He said the two sides had yet to reach afinal agreement on the price of the exported gas, IRNAreported, giving no details on when the accord wouldtake effect and gas exports start. Turkmenistan, CentralAsia's biggest gas producer, is seen as one of the keysuppliers for the planned Nabucco pipeline fromTurkey to Austria, designed to ease Europe'sdependence on Russia for gas supplies. Iran has longsought to promote itself as a transit route for oil andgas from central Asian states but the United States,which has not had diplomatic ties with Tehran since1980, has been pushing for alternative export channels.Iranian radio earlier quoted Berdymukhamedov assaying Turkmenistan wanted Iran to help indeveloping new gas resources in his country andin building a new gas pipeline. Tehran Reuters

Iran, Turkmenistan reachgas export deal

A top Kuwaiti oil official says crude oil prices areunlikely to rise above $40 per barrel, even if

OPEC decides to enact a production cut of as much as 2million barrels per day at its meeting next month.

Moussa Marafi, a member of the SupremePetroleum Council, the highest oil policy-making bodyin Kuwait, told Annahar newspaper Sunday that oilprices are being pressured by a surging US crudeinventories, quota noncompliance by some OPECmembers and continued pumping by non-OPECproducers.OPEC members have agreed to cutproduction by 4.2 million barrels from Septemberlevels. But the cuts have failed to support oil prices,with the March delivery oil contract settlingFriday at slightly over $37 per barrel. Kuwait City AP

Kuwaiti official: Oil to stayaround $40 a barrel

BUSINESSM O N D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 6 , 2 0 0 908 TODAY’S ZAMAN

Chinese President Hu Jintao brought a150 million yuan ($21.95 million) aid gift

to Tanzania on Sunday on the penultimateleg of a tour intended to cement China's tieswith Africa despite the global slowdown.

Met by trumpets and dancers on arrival in Dares Salaam, Hu repaid the hospitality with a 120million yuan aid package for mainland Tanzaniaand 30 million for the Zanzibar islands.

"The traditional friendship between China andTanzania ... can be viewed as an exemplaryrelationship of sincerity, solidarity and cooperationbetween China and an African country, and for thatmatter between two developing countries," Hu said.

The Chinese leader, who has already been toMali and Senegal, witnessed the signing of the aid

deals with Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete.Hu winds up his trip on the Indian Ocean

island of Mauritius in a carefully-selected tourof nations that rank outside Africa's economicand resource heavyweights.

Analysts say it is a deliberate message thatBeijing, whose trade with Africa has shot up tenfoldthis decade to $107 billion last year, wants to engageright across the continent, even with smaller nationsand in sectors beyond oil and mining.

The visit is also meant to reassure Africathat China will not ditch its new allies at a timeof global economic slump. Zanzibar officialssaid their portion of the aid announced onSunday would be for IT and television services.

Later on Sunday, Hu was to sign various

economic deals with Kikwete, including amemorandum of understanding with China's EXIMBank on providing loans for unspecified projects,according to a Tanzanian government programme.

In Senegal, he signed $90 million in aidand loan deals. In Mali, he laid the first brick ofa "Friendship Bridge" that he termed China'slargest gift to West Africa.

At least 40 Chinese firms invest in Tanzania. In 2007, trade between the two countries rose 48

percent on the previous year to $800 million.Hu heads to Mauritius on Monday, where China

has extended more than 800 million yuan ($117.1million) in preferential loans since the islandformalised diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1972 againstthe advice of western powers.

Last year, China and Mauritius signed agreementon a $730 million Chinese Economic and TradeCooperation Zone -- which Mauritius says willgenerate a total of 40,000 jobs -- to be located justnorth of the capital Port Louis. Building on the 211-hectare site is to start this year, making it Mauritius'sbiggest foreign direct investment.

Pitching itself as a gateway between Africaand Asia, Mauritius says the trade zone will offerthe Chinese a logistics platform for projects inAfrica and provide it access to Africa's regionalCOMESA and SADC trading blocs.

"We can be the outpost to the continentthey so desperately want," Raju Jaddu,chairman of the Mauritius Board ofInvestment told Reuters. Dar Es Salaam Reuters

Chinese President Hu offers lavish aid to Tanzania

Þimþek lauds Turkey’s response to global economic crisisWhile addressing Justice andDevelopment Party (AK Party) members

in the party's campaign office in Eskiþehir onSaturday, State Minister Mehmet Þimþekpraised the manner in which Turkey hasreacted to the global economic crisis.

Þimþek noted that there is an ongoingprocess of change and transformation inTurkey as the government works to make thecities more habitable and modern. He arguedthat there are good developments in Turkeydespite the global economic crisis.

"Turkey is currently resisting the global crisis in amanner never seen before. The exchange rates haveincreased, but inflation and interest rates are

declining," he said. "There was not such resistance inthe past. I remember 1994. There was no global crisis,and it was a perfectly normal period. But Turkeyfaced a big financial crisis. Exchange rates increased.After the decisions of April 5, what have they sold?Treasury bonds with 90 days maturity and with aninterest rate of 406 percent. This is what happenedalso in 2001. The interest rates jumped 7,000 percentand the annual average was 138 percent.

"What happens now, in contrast? The interestrate is 15 percent despite the ongoing global crisis.Even the Central Bank of Turkey set an interest rateof 13 percent. The inflation rate is still in single digits.All of this shows that Turkey is reacting to a crisis likea developed country for the first time. In developed

countries, interest and inflation rates drop whendemand is shrinking. This is a first for Turkey. Why?Because the government has undertaken seriousstructural reforms for the last six years."

Þimþek indicated that compared with previousyears Turkey's share in the world economy hasincreased considerably and that Turkey hasemerged as an important player in the region andin the world. He noted that Turkey producedabout 1.2 million vehicles last year and exported80 percent of them and that 90 percent of itsimports were from European countries.

"Currently, they cannot buy our cars.Consequently, our car production is decreasing. Thisin turn causes a fall in industrial production, capacity

utilization rates and exports. Yet, we still tellindustrialists not to lay off personnel as they wouldhave done in the past because we will help you," hesaid. "There are several important bills pending inParliament. We suggest that if companies do nothave the need for some of their employees becauseof shrinking demand, the Treasury may compensatetheir costs from the unemployment fund. This is anovel development. In this way, when the worldstarts to normalize in the future, Turkey canpreserve its competitive power by not laying offits qualified workforce. Moreover, we willincrease the part-time funds by 50 percent. Weare doing this to support the nonfinancialsector," he said. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

Gül called on the businessmen of bothcountries to do more business, seek common

goals and cooperate in all fields, rather than just inindustry and construction. "The trade volumebetween Turkey and Tatarstan was $27 million in2002 and it reached $3 billion in 2008. This isunbelievable progress in five years. I believe sucheconomic relations will continue," he said.

"President Shaimiev and I agreed on encouragingmore investments in our respective countries," headded. Shaimiev said Turkey and Tatarstan shouldcooperate in different areas and show the world howthey can establish a strong partnership. "There hadbeen intentions to meet and discuss what we could dotogether in the past. Today our doors are open toTurkey. We would like to benefit from Turkey'sexperience in different fields," he stressed. He saidthe two countries have the potential to expandmutual cooperation. He also thanked Gül for hisvisit, which marked the first-ever visit by a Turkishpresident to Tatarstan. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

‘Turkey, Tatarstan shouldestablish cooperation’

A general view of theG7 finance ministersand central bank governors meeting in Rome.

Kürþat Tüzmen

mýnýster tüzmen joýns G-7

calls to fýght protectýonýsm

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Highly decorated tables like those seen atweddings and formal events are starting tobecome increasingly popular in regular homes

for everyday meals. These days, tables are oftendressed up with special laces, various beads and awide range of place settings and napkins.

Welcoming guests into your home doesn't stop atmaking delicious food. In fact, how food is served is everybit as important as how the meal actually tastes. And theold etiquette rules of "fork on the left, knife on the right,glasses three centimeters behind the plate" just don't cutit any more. Where you place your forks and spoons is, ofcourse, important, but methods of decorating tables havechanged a great deal over time. The TV program"Yemekteyiz" has emphasized table decoration to remindpeople in Turkey about the importance of this subject.Suddenly there has been a realization that the gorgeoustables we are used to seeing at weddings and eveningfunctions can also be prepared for guests you have athome. In fact, these days young women even gather spe-cial table decor related items in their trousseaus, not justtableware sets and silverware. Tablecloths, laces, beads,special kinds of service plates, napkins, napkin holders,etc. -- many companies, despite the financial crisis atmos-phere, can't even fill orders as fast as they are coming in.

All over the world, the way a table is prepared for ameal is seen as very important. In fact, there are evennames who have based their careers on this. One of theseis famous American personality Martha Stewart. InTurkey, though she is not nearly as widely known, there isSelin Kutucular, who has written a cookbook and is a foodstylist. In any case, we spoke with her and collected somenotes for you on the latest trends in table decoration.

Tableware and tablecloths are essential for the de-sign of a table, but these days, other details are in thespotlight. For example, napkin holders: It used to be thatgood napkins would be folded into a triangle or squareand placed either on the plate itself or right next to theplate. These days, though, napkins are being placed innapkin holders; it doesn't matter what kind. They can besilver, studded with stones, shiny or even plastic. Whatmatters is that these napkin holders are in fashion rightnow. Napkins are pulled through the napkin holder andthen placed, according to the general style of the table,either on top of a plate or right next to it. These days inTurkey, larger grocery stores carry napkin holders. Or ifyou want, you can make your own out of metal wire andany pretty beads you might have lying around home.

As for centerpieces, these are no longer the salads,dolmas or pickled foods we used to see before. No, theseare now candles and fresh flowers. As for the appetizerswe mentioned above, nowadays we see them offered

separately to people alongside the main meal, but on spe-cial service plates. Of course, we are talking about theevening meal here. If you are talking about lunchtime,then these special service plates can be placed in the cen-ter of the table along with the main meal, and everyonecan put as much as they want onto their plates.

Another aspect to note on table decor is that peopleare using many plates and special service elements thataren't a part of their regular tableware sets. Uniquelyshaped salad bowls, cake plates and appetizer holders --these sorts of service plates and holders are particularlyuseful when it comes to breakfast time. Olive holders thatare shaped like long boats are perfect in that they don'ttake up much space and they look so chic. And very pop-ular right now are mono-colored charger plates peopleplace underneath their regular plates, especially in silver.

This year, linen tablecloths are also extremely pop-ular, in mono-tones or with prints. If your tablewareis very highly designed and you have lots on yourtable already, you might want to consider a mono-colored linen tablecloth for a calmer look.

You can also use the lace and needlework you al-ready have at home to decorate your table beautifully.After all, placing a lace covering on top of a mono-col-ored satin tablecloth looks wonderful. You can alsoscatter some colored leaves or colored stones in thecenter of your tablecloth, according to the season andthe decor of your table. Or you could even scatterthese carefully between plates, for a very colorful look.Think about using fresh fruit as a decor item, too. Atable can be filled with color immediately through afew gorgeous, well-placed plates of fresh fruit.

These days, every table has its own style.Kutucular's suggestion on this subject is to try and cre-ate harmony between what you are serving and theway your decor is arranged. For example, you coulddecorate your table in a sea or water theme if you areserving seafood or with copperware from Anatolia ifyou are serving classic Anatolian fare.

For tea parties, you can offer up a wide variety offood and still make sure that waste doesn't occur. Oneidea is to fill the table with different plates of offeringsand let people prepare their own plates -- rather thanpreparing one for them -- thus ensuring that peopletake only what they want, so food is not wasted.

One more suggestion from Kutucular: Guests appre-ciate meaningful gestures. For example, each plate couldhave its own flower, a name card or some sort of mes-sage. And of course, the most important detail that mustnever be forgotten is the principle of hospitality. The hos-pitality of a host or hostess is just as important as the de-liciousness of the food or the beauty of the table decor.

GÜLÝZAR BAKÝ ÝSTANBUL

FOOD 09TODAY’S ZAMANMONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2009

CM Y K

DELICIOUS MEALS CONSUMED AT GORGEOUS TABLES

Every table has itsown style. Try and

create harmony between what you

are serving and theway your decor is

arranged. For example, you coulddecorate your table

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T09-15-02-09.qxd 15.02.2009 14:45 Page 1

WORLDM O N D AY, FEBRUARY 1 6 , 2 0 0 910 TODAY’S ZAMAN

Prospects for a stable truce in Gazaran into trouble on Saturday whenIsrael insisted on the release of a kid-

napped soldier and Hamas accused the Jewishstate of deliberately wrecking negotiations.

Israel has tied a full opening of its bordercrossings with Gaza -- a Hamas condition for acease-fire -- to the release of Gilad Shalit, heldcaptive in Gaza since 2006 when he was seizedin a cross-border raid “The prime minister’s po-sition is that Israel will not reach understand-ings on a truce before the release of GiladShalit,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s officesaid in a statement. Palestinian officials had re-ported significant headway in the indirect talks

mediated by Egypt to achieve a longer-termcease-fire after Israel’s 22-day offensive againstGaza in December and January.

Hamas, the party that runs Gaza, had said ear-lier last week that most stumbling blocks had beenovercome and a cease-fire would be announced onSunday, but a Hamas official told Reuters thiswould not now happen Osama Hamdan, a Hamasrepresentative in Lebanon, told Al Jazeera televi-sion that Israel’s raising of the Shalit issue was “aprogrammed operation to make the deal fail.”

“We consider that this kind of Israeli procrasti-nation is for the aim of achieving more objectivesand wasting more time and effort. But our positionis still as it was, and what was agreed has to be im-

plemented fully. Otherwise Israel will bear theconsequences of any failure,” Hamdan said.

Post-election landscapeHamas wants Israel to free hundreds ofPalestinians held in its jails in exchange forShalit. But it wants talks on a prisoner swapdeal and the opening of Gaza’s crossings totake place after a cease-fire announcement.

Fragile cease-fire declarations by both sideson Jan. 17-18 ended the war in Gaza after athree-week Israeli offensive, launched with thedeclared objective of halting rocket fire from Gazainto its southern towns. Some 1,300 Palestiniansand 13 Israelis were killed during the fighting.

The cease-fire has largely held but Israel hasresponded to sparse cross-border rocket fire withair strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza.

Olmert’s office said any decision on thecease-fire talks would be made while taking intoaccount “the new political circumstances” afteran Israeli election produced a strong showing forright-wing parties in parliament Israeli mediasaid Olmert was hinting he would consult hawk-ish Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, favored toform the next government. Hamas official Taheral-Nono told Reuters from Cairo that effortswere under way to try and overcome what hecalled “Israeli obstacles” that were delaying theannouncement of an agreement. Jerusalem Reuters

The Afghan government will take partin a US strategic review of the war in

Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai saidon Sunday in a sign of increased coopera-tion at a time of strained relations.

Karzai recently sent PresidentBarack Obama a letter with a proposalthat Afghanistan join a war review cur-rently under way. The US special envoyto Afghanistan and Pakistan, RichardHolbrooke, said at a joint news confer-ence that Obama had “welcomed thesuggestion.”

Karzai said his foreign minister,Dadfar Rangin Spanta, would head thedelegation. The US has several reviews ofthe situation in Afghanistan under way,and it was not immediately clear which

one Afghan officials would take part in.The US is studying the situation in

Afghanistan at a time of spiraling vio-lence. Taliban attacks have spiked the lastthree years, and militants have swept upwide areas of countryside that the Afghangovernment has not been able to control.

Obama has said the US will increaseits focus on Afghanistan and draw downforces in Iraq under his watch. The US iscontemplating sending up to 30,000 moretroops to bolster the 33,000 already inAfghanistan. Karzai told the news confer-ence he was “grateful” for an agreementannounced Thursday betweenAfghanistan and the US military thatAfghan forces would take on a greaterrole in the planning and execution of mis-

sions with the aim of reducing civilian ca-sualties. He said he hoped the agreementwould “reduce civilian casualties and pre-vent nighttime raids.” Overnight raids byelite US Special Operations Forcescause many of the civilian deaths thatKarzai has repeatedly denounced, butthe agreement made no mention thatsuch targeted missions would end.

In recent weeks, Karzai has publiclypressed the US to use Afghan troops onnighttime raids to prevent civilian casual-ties, criticism that has added to recenttensions in the US-Afghan relationship.

The Afghan president said in an in-terview Friday that he has not yet spo-ken with Obama over the phone sincethe US president’s inauguration. Kabul AP

Afghanistan to take part in US strategic review

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Afghan leader Karzai (right) speaks during a news conference with Richard Holbrooke,the US special representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan, in Kabul on Sunday.

Palestinian women chant slogans as they hold pictures of prisoners jailed in Israel during a protest calling for their release at the International Red Cross building in Gaza City.

Libyan leader MuammarGaddafi has called on Libyans

to endorse his proposal to dismantlethe government and give the oilwealth directly to the country’s 5 mil-lion people.His plan to hand oil rev-enues directly to Libyans had run upagainst opposition from senior offi-cials, who stand to lose their jobs in agovernment purge. Gaddafi wants torid the state of what he says is entrenched andwidespread corruption. Officials including PrimeMinister Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi andCentral Bank Governor Farhat Omar Bin Guidarahad told Gaddafi in November the move could do

long-term damage to the OPECmember country’s economy.“Do notbe afraid to take directly the oil moneyand the responsibility to create theright government structures that fur-ther the interests of the people,”Gaddafi told representatives ofLibya’s Basic People Congresses(LBPCs).LBPCs are the backbone ofLibya’s Jamahiriya regime. They are

effectively the country’s top executive and legisla-tive bodies. They represent people at district andvillage levels across the country and vote laws andgovernment’s policy. But in practice, Gaddafi de-cides on key policy, particularly on oil. Tripoli Reuters

Venezuelans voted on Sundayon a reform proposal that

would allow President Hugo Chavezto stay in power for as long as hekeeps winning elections, his secondbid to extend his rule after a decadein power. Chavez, a socialist whosays he needs at least another tenyears to complete his revolution,holds a slim edge in polls but manyVenezuelans remain undecided. A former soldierwho often challenges US influence, Chavez lost avote in December to lift term limits and if he loseshis second try he would have to leave office in2013 or find another way to change the rules.

Booming fireworks, car horns andrecordings of military bugles playedfrom trucks woke up residents inCaracas, where Venezuelans startedlining up at the polling stations be-fore dawn. Spearheaded by a stu-dent movement, the fragmentedopposition’s campaign slogan is“No is No,” referring to Chavez’sfailed 2007 effort to rewrite the con-

stitution so he could extend his rule in theOPEC nation. Confident of victory this time,Chavez said on Saturday a win would reinforcehis mandate to create a socialist state and chal-lenge Washington in Latin America. Caracas Reuters

An Iranian official says a man has set himselfon fire in front of the country’s parliamentbuilding. Some local news media reported onSaturday that the man was a disabled 1980sIran-Iraq war veteran and died after he sethimself ablaze because a lawmaker refused todiscuss his problems. But on Sunday, IranianParliament Speaker Ali Larijani said the manwas an ex-convict who wasn’t a war veteran.He said the man set himself on fire onSaturday -- but didn’t elaborate. War veter-ans are highly respected in Iran, but somecriticize the government for not payingenough attention to their needs. The 1980-88Iran-Iraq war claimed an estimated 1 millionlives on both sides. More than a half millionIranians are disabled war veterans. Tehran AP

SELF-IMMOLATON

Iranian sets himselfablaze at parliament

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s politi-cal fortunes suffered a new blow as an opin-ion poll showed support for his ruling LabourParty sliding seven points to 25 percent. TheComRes poll for the Independent on Sundaynewspaper gives the main oppositionConservative Party a 16-point lead with theirrating at an unchanged 41 percent. Labour al-so is only three points ahead of the muchsmaller Liberal Democrats. Brown, who mustcall an election by 2010, appeared to be mak-ing headway against his rival in recent polls,as voters approved of the steps the govern-ment was taking to tackle the financial crisis.With Britain now officially in recession, joblosses on the rise and billions of pounds oftaxpayers’ cash being pumped into banks,what has been dubbed as the “Brownbounce” may be over. However, voters re-main unconvinced that Conservative leaderDavid Cameron has what it takes to solveBritain’s economic problems. Only 35 percentof those polled said he had the answers topull Britain out of recession with 45 percentsaying he did not. The level of anger at thebig bonus culture in the financial sector wasalso reflected in the poll, with 84 percent of those surveyed saying there should be a legal limit on pay in banks which have been bailed out with public money. London Reuters

RATING

Britain’s Brown suffers new opinion poll blow

Emergency officials say fire ripped through anapartment building in southern Russia killing 15people. Officials say the fire destroyed about two-thirds of the three-story building before it couldbe put out. Seven people were taken to hospital.Investigators said they were looking into arsonor careless use of electric heaters as possiblecauses for the fire early on Sunday. Nearly 100people living in the building in Molodyozhnyvillage in the Astrakhan region were evacuatedto a nearby school. Deadly blazes at schools,hospitals and residential buildings in recentyears have revealed official negligence and rampant violations of fire safety rules. Moscow AP

BLAZE

Russian apartment building fire kills 15

US officials looking into irregularities in theearly portion of the $125 billion US-led effortto rebuild Iraq have expanded the inquiry toinclude senior US military officers who over-saw the program, The New York Times re-ported on its Web site. Citing senior govern-ment officials with whom it conducted inter-views, as well as court documents, the Timesreported that investigators had subpoenaedthe personal bank records of a colonel, nowretired, in charge of reconstruction contractingin Iraq in 2003 and 2004, when the operationexpanded greatly in scope to repair Iraq’s in-frastructure. Investigators were also examin-ing the activities of an Air Force lieutenantcolonel who was a senior contracting officerin Baghdad in 2004, the Times said citing twofederal officials involved in the inquiry. Bothmen, who worked in a civilian contracting of-fice, said they had nothing to hide from in-vestigators, and the newspaper said it wasstill unclear what evidence there might beagainst them. But officials told the Times sev-eral criminal cases in recent years pointed towidespread corruption within the operation runby the men being investigated. Part of the in-quiry focuses on information given to them byDale Stoffel, a US arms dealer and contractorwho was shot dead on a road north of Baghdad in 2004, the Times said. New York Reuters

REPORT

US officers probed on Iraq rebuilding

Muammar Gaddafi President Chavez

Can President Hugo Chavez run again? Venezuelans decide in vote

Gaddafi urges Libyans to back his oil income proposal

Gaza truce deal stalls

over Israelý hostage

T10-16-02-09.qxd 15.02.2009 16:04 Page 1

Iraqi officials nullified electionresults in more than 30 pollingstations due to fraud in last

month’s provincial balloting, but thecases were not significant enough to re-quire a new vote in any province, theelection chief said on Sunday.

Faraj al-Haidari said final results ofthe Jan. 31 voting would be certified andannounced this week.

Preliminary official results announcedFeb. 5 showed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s ticket swept to victory over Shiitereligious parties in Baghdad and southernIraq -- a strong endorsement of his crack-down on Shiite extremists.

Voters in 14 of the 18 provinces werechoosing members of ruling provincialcouncils in an election seen as a dress re-hearsal for parliamentary voting by theend of the year. Al-Haidari said his com-mission had looked into fraud allegationsfrom across the country and would an-nounce the findings along with the certi-fied results. But he added “we won’t can-cel” the election in any province.

He told The Associated Press thatthe polling stations where ballots werenullified were scattered in all 14provinces but he refused to say wherethe largest number was found. He did

not say how many ballots were affected.One official, who spoke on condition

of anonymity because he was not sup-posed to talk about the vote to media,said the most widespread fraud appearedto have been in Diyala province, whichhas large Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish com-munities and an ongoing insurgency.

A coalition including the Iraqi IslamicParty, the largest Sunni political group, ledin Diyala with 21.1 percent of the vote fol-lowed by a Kurdish alliance with 17.2 per-cent, according to preliminary results.

Al-Maliki’s coalition finished fourthin Diyala with 9.5 percent.

US officials have been closely watch-ing the Diyala results for signs of frictionbetween Arabs and Kurds, who are thebiggest community in the far north of theprovince. The Kurds were hoping that astrong Kurdish showing in those areaswould bolster their case for incorporatingthe territory into the Kurds self-ruled re-gion. Also Sunday, a bomb hidden in agarbage pile killed one person and in-jured 18 others in Sadr City, the BaghdadShiite neighborhood that had been aShiite militia stronghold until the Iraqiarmy took over the area last spring.

A roadside bomb in another predomi-nantly Shiite Baghdad neighborhood,

Talibiyah, missed a passing police patrolSunday and injured three civilians, said apolice official, speaking on condition ofanonymity because he was not author-ized to talk to media.

Sunni militants have kept up their at-tacks against Shiites, hoping to re-ignitethe kind of sectarian conflict that en-gulfed the country two years ago. A seriesof bombings against Shiite pilgrims head-ing to the holy city of Karbala killed 60people and wounded 170 last week.

In response, the Iraqi governmentstepped up security, adding 5,000 plain-clothes military personnel to the morethan 30,000 already deployed to protectShiite pilgrims on their way to Karbala, 50miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad.

Police arrested a would-be suicidebomber south of Baghdad on Sunday whohad explosives under his clothes and saidhe was planning to target pilgrims headedto Karbala, said a police official, speakingon condition of anonymity because he wasnot authorized to talk to the media.

The pilgrims are headed to Karbala tocelebrate today’s end of 40 days ofmourning that follow the anniversary ofthe seventh-century death of the ProphetMuhammad’s grandson Hussein, one ofShiism’s most revered saints. Baghdad AP

Sen. Roland Burris admitted in a docu-ment released on Saturday that former

Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s brother asked him forcampaign fundraising help before the gover-nor appointed Burris to the Senate.

The disclosure is at odds with Burris’testimony in January when an IllinoisHouse impeachment committee specifi-cally asked if he had ever spoken toRobert Blagojevich or other aides to thenow-deposed governor about theSenate seat vacated by Barack Obama.

State Rep. Jim Durkin, the impeach-ment committee’s ranking Republican, toldThe Associated Press that he and HouseRepublican Leader Tom Cross was to asklater on Sunday for an outside investigationinto whether Burris perjured himself.

Burris issued a statement Saturday say-ing he voluntarily gave the committee aFeb. 4 affidavit disclosing the contact withRobert Blagojevich because “there wereseveral facts that I was not given the op-

portunity to make during my testimony tothe impeachment committee.”

The affidavit, released on Saturday byBurris’ office, said Robert Blagojevichcalled him three times -- once in Octoberand twice after the November election --to seek his fundraising assistance.

Robert Blagojevich’s attorney saidhis client believes one of the conversa-tions was recorded by the FBI.

Burris, a Democrat like the former gover-nor, said he told Robert Blagojevich he wouldnot raise money because it would look likehe was trying to win favor from the governorfor his appointment. But he said he did askthe governor’s brother “what was going onwith the selection of a successor” to Obamain the Senate and “he said he had heard myname mentioned in the discussions.”

It’s the second time Burris haschanged his story. In an unsolicited affi-davit to the impeachment committee onJan. 6, Burris said he had only one limit-

ed conversation with the governor beforeaccepting the Senate appointment.

Then, appearing before the committeeJan. 8, he said he told former Blagojevichaide-turned-lobbyist Lon Monk last sum-mer that he was interested in the post.

The governor appointed Burris, a formerstate attorney general, to the Senate seat onDec. 30, three weeks after federal agents ar-rested Blagojevich on a complaint alleging hehad tried to trade the appointment for cam-paign cash or a high-paying job. The stateHouse impeached Blagojevich and the stateSenate removed him from office on Jan. 29.

Senate Democrats in Washington, in-cluding Majority Leader Harry Reid ofNevada and Dick Durbin of Illinois, initiallysaid they would not seat anyone appointedby Blagojevich but eventually relented. Onecondition of their acceptance was Burris’ im-peachment committee testimony under oaththat there were no “pay to play” promises ex-changed in his appointment. Springfield, Ill. AP

US Sen. Burris confirms request for Blagojevich donation

North Korea offers possible olivebranchto the United States

North Korea is ready to improve relations with“friendly” countries, the communist country’s

No. 2 leader said on Sunday ahead of a visit by USSecretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Asia.

The remark by Kim Yong Nam, North Korea’sceremonial head of state, could be an olive branchto Washington before Clinton’s trip -- even thoughit came amid reports the North is gearing up totest-fire a long-range missile in an apparent at-tempt to grab President Barack Obama’s attention.

Clinton was scheduled to depart laterSunday on a trip to Japan, Indonesia, SouthKorea and China.

“We will develop relations with countries thatare friendly toward us,” Kim told a national meet-ing held as part of celebrations on the eve of the67th birthday of leader Kim Jong Il, according to theNorth’s official Korean Central News Agency.North Korea has also been escalating tensions withthe South, declaring all peace pacts with Seoul deadin anger over the hard-line stance South KoreanPresident Lee Myung-bak has taken toward it.

In Seoul, outgoing US nuclear envoyChristopher Hill met with his South Koreancounterpart to discuss Clinton’s trip and height-ened tension on the Korean peninsula. Seoul AP

Australia mournsbushfire victims

Australia mourned the victims of deadlybushfires at church services across the coun-

try on Sunday while the government vowed tocreate an early warning system to try to avoid arepetition of the disaster. The fires in the state ofVictoria, the worst natural disaster to hit thecountry in more than a century, have left at least181 people dead, a death toll that is expected torise. The bushfires destroyed more than 1,800homes and left 7,000 people homeless.

In the town of Wandong, where severalpeople died, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd paidtribute to the community for its efforts duringa memorial service. “You, as this community,full of courage, reliance and compassion, Isalute each and every one of you,” he said.

Authorities said it would be weeks beforethey would be able to say that the fires aredefinitely put out. Controlled burning wascarried out over the weekend in an effort tostop the fires from spreading.

Victoria state’s emergency response centresaid on Sunday eight fires were still burning, fourless than on Saturday, and although some wereproducing a lot of smoke, cooler temperatures andfavorable winds were helping the firefighters.

“We had favorable conditions overnightwhich has allowed us to go in and do a lot ofwork,” a spokesman said. Sydney Reuters

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Preliminary official results announced Feb. 5 showed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s ticket swept to victory over Shiite religious parties in Baghdad andsouthern Iraq -- a strong endorsement of his crackdown on Shiite extremists

Roland Burris, named to fill the US Senate seat once held byObama, has disclosed he was asked for campaign contributions.

Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki’s allies finished first in races for ruling councils in Baghdad and 8 other provinces during the recent provincial elections.

Electýon commýssýon

confýrms Iraqý poll fraud

WORLD M O N D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 6 , 2 0 0 9 11TODAY’S ZAMAN

Wealth

should be

a means,

not an end

One benefit of living in a rich country is that wecan pay psychologists and professors to explainwhy wealth doesn’t make us very happy.

It’s true. Researchers have found that once peoplecan meet basic needs, psychological dividends fromadditional money steadily decrease. Making $100,000does not make you twice as happy as making $50,000.

So why does losing money, and the prospectof losing money, make us so miserable?

The short answer is that it doesn’t have to. Ifyou think about money in the context of what eco-nomics says about true fulfillment, having less of itshouldn’t be quite so painful. With our retirementsavings cut in half, vacation plans scrapped, car pur-chases postponed and debt up to our nostrils, let ushearken to the good news of happiness research.

It is possible to lead a full, meaningful, con-tented life without a Cadillac Escalade in thedriveway or a second home in Aruba.

We knew this, of course. Jesus, Buddha and oth-ers told us. We always forget it in the fat years andbegin remembering when the rouge rubs off andthe vanities go up in flames. But now science provesit, more or less. A growing body of research suggeststhat money, if not the root of evil, is not the fount ofsatisfaction, either. And many of our feelings aboutmoney and financial loss are flat-out irrational.

“There is more to life than just consumption,” saysAmitava K. Dutt, a professor of economics at theUniversity of Notre Dame who’s teaching a coursecalled “Consumption and Happiness.” “Sometimeswhen we are forced to consume less, good things canhappen, although it’s pretty bitter medicine to take.”

Three decades ago researchers discovered that,on average, people in poor countries were prettymuch as happy as people in wealthy countries solong as they had shelter, heat and food. Developednations were richer in pocket than in spirit.

But within each country, richer people re-ported more satisfaction than poorer people nomatter their absolute level of possessions. Thekey was status, having more stuff than one’sneighbor, whether in goats or swimming pools.The unhappy had less than what their peers hador what advertisers suggested was adequate.

More recent investigation has found that the nega-tive emotions that investors feel when losing moneyare more intense than their pleasure when gaining anequal amount. Neither of which is rational. Yourneighbor’s lifestyle, no matter how luxurious, has zeromaterial effect on you. If you weren’t over the moonwhen the 401(k) went up $50,000, maybe you should-n’t need therapy when it crashes by the same amount.

Last month The New York Times illustratedthe tendency to focus on relative wealth. ReporterPeg Tyre profiled a couple in Darien, Conn.

The husband lost a Wall Street job. The familyeconomized by replacing a full-time nanny withan au pair and taking less-expensive vacations.They still resided in an upscale town, belonged tothe country club, had paid off their mortgage andhad saved money for their kids’ college.

Even accounting for setbacks, they lived bet-ter than 99 percent of everybody who ever exist-ed. Yet they were stressed and worried.

In the grand scheme, money is less important thanother assets anyway, happiness experts say. In the longrun, friendship, marriage, education, sex, group mem-berships and exercise all promote happiness in waysthat mere income and consumption cannot.

“I’m thinking about how thankful I am formy friends and family,” a top money managertold me in November, during the worst of thefinancial crash. It was half gallows humor, aWall Street cynic’s way of saying: I just gotwiped out. But it also signaled the shifting val-ues that often accompany economic slumps.

“My advice is to start rethinking where we aregetting our message about the appropriate levels ofconsumption,” says Omar S. Dahi, an assistant pro-fessor at Hampshire College in westernMassachusetts who also teaches a consumption andhappiness course. “I would say it is highly influencedby the media. It is highly influenced by advertising.This crisis for some people is an opportunity to reallyrethink some of those things.” This is not to mini-mize the pain of recession. Losing a house or a job ispsychologically devastating, far worse than stock-market losses or temporarily lower income.

And we shouldn’t reject wealth and growth alto-gether. Rising gross domestic product (GDP) isstrongly associated with what does matter: lower in-fant mortality, better health, longer life spans and bal-anced government budgets. Wealth is a means tohappiness, not an end. Bank statements and stickerprices make it easy to keep consumption score. Thereis no Dow Jones friendship index. But Albert Einsteinhad it right. “Not everything that can be countedcounts,” he said, “and not everything that counts can be counted.” © The Los Angeles Times, Washington Post

OPINION

TODAY’S ZAMAN

By Jay Hancock

Australian PM Kevin Rudd hugs fire volunteer CindyFlannery and baby Sharna in Melbourne on Sunday.

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Politics and disasters -- such as a dignitary’s visit, a blazing fire, aplane crash, a bomb explosion, etc. -- around the world affect ourlives daily. Then-Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Turkeyin December 2004 marked a monumental event in and of itselfas he was the first Russian head of state to visit Turkey in 32 years.

We all know that things that happen in our lives can befunny and good or sad and disappointing. Life is unpre-dictable and full of many surprises, twists and turns.

For 70 years, a nation, for the first time in history, tried toeradicate all concept of God from society. Many of you will re-member the eventful day in 1988 when Soviet leaders not on-ly realized they had failed, but put the process in reverse.Major policy changes were under way. Mikhail Gorbachev be-lieved that religion had a positive role in Soviet society.

Coming from a culture where a film nearly always has a positiveending, I found myself usually using up a whole pack of tissues whenI used to go to the cinema here. The films my friends took me to wereso heartrending, heartbreaking and tragic. They were real tearjerkers.

For some reason, it didn’t seem to have the same impacton my Turkish friends. They would be moved, but not neces-sarily disturbed by the film.

Again, I found it had the same impact on me when I readsome of the books that my Turkish friends were talkingabout, books like “The Brothers Karamazov.” At one point, Iwondered if I would be able to finish the whole book. Thecharacters lived in such hardship. It was full of twists and turns.

Although the book is very thought provoking, the spiritual dra-ma of moral struggles concerning faith, doubt, reason and man’sfreewill reveals how you have to face the consequences. If you arenot familiar with the book, it describes a case of patricide, exploringthe murdered man’s sons, who each share a varying degree of com-plicity. The closer the family ties, the more complex the relations.

In previous decades, Turks and Russians have, to some

degree, shared some similarities in their life experiences andlifestyles. For years, each shared in the practice of a generalacceptance of the society around them.

A couple of decades ago, traveling by road or train across thevast land of central Russia and central Asia, I was never far froma church’s bell tower or a mosque’s minaret. As you travel, yousee villages cut off from each other. They seemed to have notchanged much over the decades, or even longer. As you ap-proach the villages, you observe that the buildings have notbeen maintained. Crosses are knocked off and domes strippedand damaged. Weeds have grown up and cover gaps in the walls.Through the politics of the day, lives experienced twists and turns.

If you travel beyond Ankara toward eastern Turkey, youwill see similar scenarios where towns have been vacated.Villages, where families once lived and children played, arenow only ruins. For whatever reason, families have moved tolarger cities for work and the hope of a better life.

Political relations have their own twists and turns: Turkish andRussian relations have been bloody and bitter in the past. There havebeen strong differing views on each nation’s role in the Eurasia ques-tion, the dismemberment of Ottoman Turkey and the Cold War. On

the other hand, more recently, views on Iraq and Gaza are similar.As a new twist in relations, Turkish President Abdullah Gül

has made great strides in forging a deeper working relationshipbetween the Russian Federation and Turkey, and some peoplehave been surprised by this new twist and turn in politics. Itdefinitely signifies a remarkable turnaround in bilateral relations.

The Game of Life Twists & Turns is for kids ages 8 and upwho enjoy the freedom of making their own choices in life!The game allows players to, let’s say, test drive different lives,take their chances and experience the twists and turns of reallife, e.g., jobs, money, marriage, children and all sorts of un-expected events -- just like real life!

But life is unlike the game -- you have to live with theconsequences of the twists and turns.

“Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations --entangling alliances with none.”

-- Thomas Jefferson

Note: Charlotte McPherson is the author of “Culture Smart: Turkey, 2005.” Pleasekeep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure this column is ahelp to you, Today’s Zaman’s readers. Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com

Arriving in Turkey in late autumn1997 and speaking not one word ofthe language, I was nevertheless

aware that hooking into the popular musicscene was one of the many possible ways to tryand get in touch with a country’s culture. I havepretty eclectic tastes in music, from classical tojazz, soul and R&B -- the traditional form, notthe modern-day aberration -- to rock. I alsolike opera, so Queen, for example, constituted aperfect blend of classical and rock traditions.I also happen to believe that Abba was oneof the most perfect formulaic pop groupsever conceived and is far superior to the syn-thetic Spice Girls. In Turkey, I discoveredBarýþ Manço very early into my new life here.

On a long drive with my boss down toKemer in his gorgeous Ferrari-red BMW M3,he played a double CD compilation ofManço’s albums through the car’s state-of-the-art sound system, and I was instantlyconverted. Manço was born on Jan. 2, 1943,although he preferred to celebrate his birth-day on Jan. 1, which suggests not only a senseof humor but, perhaps, a sense of destiny.

He himself always celebrated his birthdayon Jan. 1, whether it was because it is the firstday of the year or because it is a holiday, noone knows for sure. To express the general de-sires of the time, he was named Barýþ, mean-ing peace. He was, above all, a world-renowned pop singer, but was also prominentas a journalist, TV producer and traveler. Hecomposed over 200 songs, many of whichwere translated into Greek, Japanese, Hebrew,English, French and Dutch, as well as sungand recorded by many other artists. Mançowas one of the most popular personalitiesin Turkey, and his sudden, untimely deathon Jan. 31, 1999, deeply affected all his fans.

What makes his music accessible to an ex-pat like me from Western Europe was that hecombined traditional Turkish music with rockinfluences, creating a new trend in Turkishpopular music that continues to this day.Ekrem Düzgünoðlu, for example, could per-haps be considered as following in Manço’sfootsteps. The globalization of music -- theability to download music from the Internet toyour computer, mp3 player or iPod -- has de-mocratized popular music in an unprecedentedway. I regret that I never had the chance to seehim live in concert as he died, unexpectedly, onJan. 31, 1999. “Barýþ” means peace, and fromwhat I have heard of his music and seen of hisTV programs, he was appropriately named. Hisbrother, on the other hand, is named Savaþ,meaning war! Chalk and cheese? I don’t know,but among the many projects he set up inmemory of his brother, there was the conver-sion of his house built -- along with anAnglican Church -- by the English Whittallfamily on Yusuf Kamil Paþa Street, Moda,Kadýköy, into a museum and what he (Savaþ)describes as a Turkish culture house. Thehouse is beautiful, built mainly in what wemight call a “nouveau” Ottoman manner,largely of paneled wood and brick, along withpleasant grounds dressed in greenery and,perhaps it is due to Manço’s essential spirit,but one gets a feeling of peace and repose justwandering around the house and grounds.

Apart from the house, the main culturalcenter in Kadýköy is also named after Manço,where there is a theater, studios, an art galleryand a cafe-restaurant. And it is not only inTurkey that Savaþ aimed to commemorate hisbrother. According to an insert on his BilkentUniversity site: “His [Savaþ’] projects includerenaming a street in Liege, Belgium after BarýþManço, the place where he had made a second

home for 36 years. If this is accomplished, itwill be the first time that a street in WesternEurope has been named after a Turkish artist.”

There are times when we should perhapsreflect upon what constitutes a fulfilling andfulfilled life. Be it in our own country or cultureor, as is the case for so many of us, a “foreign”or even an “alien” culture -- depending uponyour experience and viewpoint -- how can wemake our mark? Foreigners are here as busi-nessmen, consultants, teachers or diplomatsand so on, but they are all trying to promotetheir own agendas or import ideas or objectivesand engage in cultural exchange mechanismsthat -- it is hoped -- will contribute to the evo-lution of Turkey in today’s world. It has a lot todo with influence, but in some cases with infat-uation! We are here because there is a need forour experience and expertise or because Turkeyrecognizes the gaps in its business or educa-tional infrastructure. Whatever the case, theterrain is vast and the opportunities endless;however, we need to recognize that the mod-ern-day intervention of foreign business andacademic expertise is no longer a matter of col-onization but, at the most extreme, of coercion.Many of us are here to persuade Turkey to dobusiness in a certain way that conforms to ourpreconceptions of what constitutes goodbusiness or education practice and gover-nance or that fits our established paradigms inphilosophy or practice. All is not as it seems.

Manço was, above all, an ambassador ofpeace, dialogue and detente through themystery and magic of his art: music. His mu-sic reminds me of Leo Ferre in France, whohad an almost identical mix of musical influ-ences and surprisingly muscular political pro-posals. Music is a mesmerizing medium, asBob Geldoff proved through his Live Aid mu-sical concerts on behalf of the oppressed andobvious losers in the increasingly indigenousinfighting of a number of African states.There is, in the times in which we live, amedium that moderates our lives and medi-ates between often disparate people or per-sons, and that is music. You might not be ableto agree with me on a philosophical or politi-cal point, but you may -- against all odds --find yourself on my side of the table around aparticular musician, composer or pop singer.

Supporting soccer teams creates a compet-itive and divisive social paradigm, and in to-day’s increasingly aggressive society, fans fightfans and make a mockery of what is supposedto be “the beautiful game.” There is nothingbeautiful about soccer today. It is ugly, viciousand, above all, money-driven, choreographedand hypocritical. This is true as much on thefield as on the terraces. But this is not my point.What I am trying to show, through the exam-ple of the late lamented Manço, is that there isa way that can be followed that prioritizespeace over war, art over artifice and life overliquidation. Sign up for what is positive in yourlife -- sing the songs that motivate you -- how-ever badly! -- be inspired by whatever artistfloats your boat. Manço managed to fuse tradi-tional Turkish music with what he had per-ceived to be the up and coming popular musicthrust: rock-and-roll. And he wasn’t wrong.Manço’s legacy remains one of the mostprestigious in the modern Turkish hall of fame.

If you have a few minutes, and are visit-ing Kadýköy, try and find your way down toModa and visit the lasting contribution tothe memory of one of Istanbul’s greatestsons, Manço. If you can’t manage that, seeif you can pick up a copy of his posthumousdouble CD, and thus get a taste of just howunique and, in an extraordinary way, ubiq-uitous he really was. The two brotherswere named “War” and “Peace.” Who won?

ASHLEY PERKS ÝSTANBUL

On Wednesday I responded to a letter from K., whohas been facing problems due to her partner becom-ing a guarantor to a third party.

The letter from K. reads as follows: “I put all my moneyinto my partner’s bank account, as we believed it was easierfor him to purchase the house. We had a lawyer draw up le-gal papers to confirm that I had done this and that the mon-ey was mine. My partner in the meantime stood as guaran-tor for a friend to gain a loan from [a bank] to buy some mo-torbikes and we found out in November that our bank ac-count had been blocked until we could come up with 7,000pounds to unblock it. We have got a lawyer acting for us,arranged by my partner, and he will take the friend in ques-tion to court on Feb. 17. I feel that as I am a British citizenand unaware of finance loans and the legal stuff that goeswith them it is totally unfair that I have to suffer the way I amright now and that my money is being withheld from me.”

First some remarks before we get into the subject.The following sentence is interesting for me: “We

had a lawyer draw up legal papers to confirm that Ihad done this and the money was mine.”

I am really wondering what kind of document thisis. Is this a set of legal documents made on some plainpaper without any guarantee? Money is something thatis supposed to belong to the person who holds it unlessyou have an escrow agreement or some other type of le-gal relation. I have an odd feeling about this and I wouldappreciate it if you could send a copy of this documentto me. This document might work in your favor if youwant to recover your 7,000 pounds from your partner.

“I feel that as I am a British citizen and unaware offinance loans and the legal stuff that goes with them itis totally unfair that I have to suffer the way I am rightnow and that my money is being withheld from me.”

This defense might not be the best idea to submit before acourt. I won’t say it is useless, but you are supposed to knowabout the risks you are taking. When you put some money intosomebody else’s account, you won’t be in a position to arguethat this is unfair and that your partner did something wrong.

Straightforward answer: Dear K., I should note that thereis not much to say about this case. Apparently there is anagreement with the bank and your partner has his signatureon it as a guarantor. I also understand that there is no questionabout signatures or the contents of the agreement with thebank and this makes things even harder. At the end of the day,your partner is a guarantor and he is responsible for the debt.He will be able to request your money back from the debtor.

Possible defensesAs I said, there is not much to argue about in this

case. However, you may try the following.First defense: I have a strong “if” at the beginning of

the following sentence. If the bank did not cover this issueclearly, the guarantor should be responsible for the capitalbut not for the interest. In other words, the guarantor isnot equally responsible as the debtor. This means that youshould be able to save some part of your money, at least.

Second Defense: Did you manage to get a copy ofthe agreement with the bank? If your partner has notreally signed all the pages or does not have a propersignature on the guarantee agreement, then you mayhave a chance at recovering your money.

Third defense: Try to find the assets of the debtor.The bank may either go after the assets of your part-ner or the debtor. If you can locate some assets of thedebtor the bank may seize his assets and release yourmoney. I should underline that it is at the sole discre-tion of the bank to decide whether to go after the as-sets of the debtor or the guarantor first.

I wish I could help more. For the future, I will translate aTurkish saying: “If you have extra money, become a guaran-tor. If you have extra time, become a witness in a court case.”

NOTE: Berk Çektir is a licensed attorney at law and available to an-swer questions on the legal aspects of living in Turkey. Send en-quiries to b.cektir@todayszaman.com. The names of the readers aredisclosed only upon written approval of the sender.DISCLAIMER: The information provided here is intended to give basic legal in-formation. You should get legal assistance from a licensed attorney at law whileconducting legal transactions and not just rely on the information in this corner.

Responsýbýlýty

of a guarantor (2)

Lýfe ýs full of twýsts and turns

CULTURAL CORNERCHARLOTTE

McPHERSON

BERKÇEKTiRLEGAL CORNER

PHOTOS

TODAY’S

ZAMAN

{ EXPAT VOICE {

Manço was, above all,

an ambassador of peace,

dialogue and detente

through the mystery and

magic of his art: music.

His music reminds me

of Leo Ferre in France,

who had an almost

identical mix of

musical influences

and surprisingly

muscular political

proposals

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

WAR AND

PEACE

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The Turkish film “Üç Maymun” (Three Monkeys),a drama by auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan that won theCannes best director prize, will be running in theWorld Competition for feature films at this year’sMiami International Film Festival. The film, whichis also in the running for the fest’s InternationalFederation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) prize, is theonly Turkish title featured in the festival. The 26th festival will take place March 6-15.

‘Three Monkeys’ runningfor award at Miami festival

COMPETITION

The Nottingham-based English rock bandTindersticks will be coming to Ýstanbul this week fora rare performance at the Cemal Reþit Rey (CRR)Concert Hall. The band, known for their uniquesound characterized by a blend of orchestral backing,lounge jazz and soul and the smoky baritone voice offront-man Stuart A. Staples, will take the stage Wed-nesday night as part of the ongoing world tour fortheir latest album, “The Hungry Saw” (2008).

Tindersticks to make rare Ýstanbul appearance

CONCERT

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Leonard Cohen willrelease "Live in London," his first new album in fiveyears, on March 31 via Columbia, Billboard reportedon its Web site. The set was culled from his July 17,2008, performance at London's O2 Arena duringhis world tour last year. The 26-track "Live inLondon," which will be available both as a double-disc CD and DVD, includes Cohen classics like "If ItBe Your Will," "I'm Your Man" and "Hallelujah."

Leonard Cohen to releasefirst album since 2004

ALBUM

“Pazar: Bir Ticaret Masalý” (Market: A Tale of Trade)by Ben Hopkins, “Ara” (Between) by Ümit Ünal,“Ulak” (The Messenger) by Çaðan Irmak and“Mustafa,” documentary maker-journalist CanDündar’s much-debated documentary drama aboutthe life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, are amongTurkish titles to be featured at this year’s NurembergTurkish-German Film Festival. The festival will un-leash its 14th edition from Feb. 26 to March 8.

Turkish titles to get festscreening in Nuremberg

FESTIVAL

CM Y K

The late Azerbaijani poet BakhtiyarVahabzadeh, who died on Friday at the age of

84, highlighted his love for Turkey and the Turkishpeople one last time during a recent meeting withProfessor Ahmet Saniç, the Turkish rector of Baku-based Qafqaz (Caucasus) University, who visitedthe late poet at his home just days before his death.

“I love Turkey and the Turkish people verymuch,” Vahabzadeh told Saniç during the visit,which was one of Vahabzadeh’s last meetings be-fore his death, the Cihan news agency has reported.

Vahabzadeh, a promi-nent poet revered not just inhis homeland but through-out the Turkic-speakingpart of the world, died onFriday at his home in theAzerbaijani capital of Baku.He had been in poor healthfor the last few months,news agencies said.

A farewell ceremony for Vahabzadeh, who re-ceived the honorary title of Azerbaijani People’sPoet in 1985, was held Saturday at Baku StateUniversity and was followed by his burial in theAlley of Honor, the Azeri Press Agency (APA) re-ported. Azerbaijani President Ýlham Aliyev, govern-ment and state officials, prominent figures from cul-tural circles and intellectuals were among themourners who attended the ceremony, APA said.

Top-level Turkish politicians expressed theircondolences over Vahabzadeh’s death over theweekend. President Abdullah Gül, in a message toPresident Aliyev, said the death of Vahabzadeh wasa great loss for not only the Turkic world but for theentire world of literature. “He served as a bridge be-tween the countries and communities of the Turkicworld. Vahabzadeh will always be remembered withrespect as one of the most outstanding names in lit-erature and will live on through his work,” Gül said.Renowned poet, scholar and essayist Vahabzadehwas born in Shaki in northwestern Azerbaijan in1925. He moved to Baku in 1934 and studied philol-ogy at Baku State University. He became an assis-tant at the same department and completed his doc-torate, writing his thesis on famous Azerbaijani poetSamed Vurgun. He served for many years at thesame university as a professor of contemporaryAzerbaijani literature, and he also served as a deputyin the Azerbaijani parliament from 1995 to 2000.

Vahabzadeh published over 70 books of poet-ry, 11 scholarly books, more than 20 long poemsand hundreds of articles on literature. He wasmainly popular in Turkey for his article “YelKaya’dan Ne Aparýr?” (What Does the Wind Stealfrom the Stone?), which was published in theVarlýk literary journal in reply to critics of the divanpoet Fuzuli. Vahabzadeh’s articles and poems alsoappeared in the Turkish review magazine TürkEdebiyatý for years. Besides poetry, Vahabzadehalso penned stories in verse and plays and madeliterary translations. He wrote numerous lyrics,many of which were set to music, and wrote playssuch as “Ýkinci Ses” (The Second Voice),“Yaðýþdan Sonra” (After the Rain), “Artýð Adam”(Waste Man) and “Vicdan” (Conscience).

His works have been translated into Russian,English, French, German, Persian and Spanish aswell as into Turkic languages and the languages ofthe former Soviet republics. He received theCommodore Medal of the Romanian Ministry ofCulture in 2002 for his poetry book “BenimGaribim” (My Poor). Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

Poet Vahabzadeh reiterates love forTurkey before death

Peter Gabriel has rejected an offer to per-form at the Academy Awards this week

after the veteran British rocker learned hewould have just a minute to sing his Oscar-nominated tune from Disney's "WALL-E."

Gabriel and composer Thomas Newmanwill compete for the best song Oscar on Feb. 22with "Down To Earth," a tune from the hit Pixarcartoon. The other two nominees are a pair ofcompositions from "Slumdog Millionaire." Thesongs are scheduled to be performed as a med-ley during the televised ceremony, which lastyear ran for almost three and a half hours. Thedownsizing left Gabriel underwhelmed.

"I don't feel that is sufficient time to do the songjustice, and I have decided to withdraw from per-forming," Gabriel wrote in a letter to the Academyof Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "Even thoughsong writers are small players in the filmmakingprocess, they are just as committed and work just ashard as the rest of the team and I regret that thisnew version of the ceremony is being created, inpart, at their expense," he added in the letter, whichwas forwarded to Reuters on Thursday by moviestudio Walt Disney Co., which owns Pixar.

A spokeswoman for Pixar said Gabriel's with-drawal was "polite," that he was not angry, andthat he would attend the ceremony in Hollywood.It was not clear who would perform the song in-stead. Gabriel and Newman won a pair of GrammyAwards last week for their work on "WALL-E," ahit movie about a robot. Los Angeles Reuters

Gabriel spurns Oscarsover downsized set

“Ankara is a city in which one caneasily observe all kinds of reflectionsof the formal ideology of the state

and the effects of every new decision by thevarious institutions can be seen directly herefirst hand,” says Ankara-based contemporaryartist Ferhat Özgür, whose photographs andvideos exploring the relationship between ur-ban life and the individual are currently ondisplay at the Yapý Kredi Kazým Taþkent ArtGallery in Ýstanbul’s Beyoðlu district.

Özgür, who started working on theseconcepts around nine years ago, is primarilyinterested in the transformation of big citiesand the way these changes are reflected inthe everyday lives of city residents. Eventhough he is a graduate of Gazi University’spainting department and still continues topaint, he has been drawn to photography,video and installation work since the ’90s.

Although the photographs and some ofthe videos in the show have been showcasedin various local and international exhibitionsand biennials, the artist explains that he want-ed to see their overall effect when displayedtogether in this exhibition. Featuring 10 pho-tographs and four videos, all of the pieces inthe show deal with the question of “how thecity shapes the individual” and “what reac-tions these individuals have to this process.”

“There should be an image created in thisshow; a person who enters this gallery andmeets me for the first time should leave herewith a certain image in his mind,” Özgür saysin an interview with Today’s Zaman. Most ofhis work is nourished from his birthplace ofAltýndað, a district in Ankara that is listed asthe world’s 25th most crowded slum area. “Idepict the sorrows, pains and expectations ofthe residents in these areas,” the artist says,adding that he shoots “fictional frames.” “Ido not take snapshots of the actual thingsgoing on, but rather decide on one composi-tion and the models in it beforehand,” he ex-plains, adding that even though the shots arefictional, they still have a semi-documentaryquality since he uses the real city as a back-ground and all of his works underline thetransformation of urban areas.

The oldest piece in the exhibition, titled“Today everybody is in the garden,” is a familyphotograph showing all the family memberswith T-shirts on which there are objects thateach of them identify with. The mother iswearing a shirt with a broom on it while thedad is wearing one with a bottle of wine. Theelder brother is wearing the symbol of themedicine company he works for and theyounger son has a basketball on his shirt.“There are typical family photos that are takenin studios with nice landscape pictures in thebackground and all the members dressed per-

fectly. This is also a family photograph, but it istaken within their life,” he explains.

The four videos included in the show alsohave something of a documentary quality sincethey depict the “harsh realities” of life. Onevideo focuses on the Maltepe Bazaar in Ankara.All kinds of clothing and electronics, such as cellphones and car stereos, are sold in the bazaarsix days a week, but on Mondays the giantroom-sized stands are wheeled out to a car parkbecause on those days the bazaar only hostsfruit and vegetable vendors. This migration ofvending spaces is the subject of one of thevideos in the exhibit. Another takes place in ajunkyard and depicts the story of three youngmen who have been working there for 15 years.

The artist is also very careful about gettingthe permission of the people he uses in his

photographs and videos and he tries his bestto depict their stories respectfully. “I alwaysget permission from the people I photographand explain to them what I am trying to do.Whoever they are, I respect these individu-als,” he stresses, adding that even showingthem in an overly sentimental way, withemotional music in the background, for ex-ample, would be disrespectful.

But he fails to follow the same rule in an-other one of his videos in the exhibit. The videoshows a young girl wearing a black chadordancing to techno music. “Even if the city ischanging, there are certain things that won’tchange, such as the belief systems of the indi-viduals,” Özgür explains. However, the artistdid not bother to find a woman who actuallywears the chador to play the role in this film,thus obscuring the sincerity of its message.When asked why he did not find someone fromreal life, he says such a person would likelyhave refused to participate in his video.

Özgür, who organizes workshops on theproblems of contemporary art at HacettepeUniversity’s fine arts faculty, has penned anumber of articles for various art magazinesand newspapers. Titled “Þehir Defteri” (TheNotebook of the City), Özgür’s latest showwill run through March 15 at the Yapý KrediKazým Taþkent Art Gallery. For more infor-mation, visit www.ykykultur.com.tr andwww.ferhatozgur.blogspot.com.

Ferhat Özgür delves into relationshipbetween individual and city

RUMEYSA KIGER ÝSTANBUL

PH

OT

OB

AH

AR

MA

ND

AN

Contemporary artist Ferhat Özgür’s solo exhibi-tion “Þehir Defteri” is on view until March 15 atthe Yapý Kredi Kazým Taþkent Art Gallery in Ýstanbul.

Ferhat Özgür

BakhtiyarVahabzadeh

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ABDULLAH BOZKURTOKAN UDO BASSEYFATMA DEMÝRELLÝ EMRAH ÜLKERKERÝM BALCIÝBRAHÝM TÜRKMENYASEMÝN GÜRKANPINAR VURUCUHELEN P. BETTSFARUK KARDIÇYAKUP ÞÝMÞEKHAYDAR DURUSOY

ALÝ ODABAÞI

OPINION14 TODAY’S ZAMAN M O N D AY, F E B R U A R Y 1 6 , 2 0 0 9

President Abdullah Gül's visit to Russia mayindicate a new era in Turkey-Russia relations.Dailies reported that Gül's visit to Russia

could extend Turkey-Russia relations beyond eco-nomic activities. If the reports are true, both sidesagreed to establish relations on military and techno-logical cooperation. It is no secret that the Turkish mil-itary has long been trying to end its dependence onUS technology. Instead of buying technology fromabroad, Turkey wants to produce it within the country.

Perhaps the real motivation behind the agreementwith Russia is Turkey's long-lasting effort to bringtechnology to Turkey and to produce key weaponssystems and aircraft in Turkey. Reports on Gül's visitdo not indicate that both sides have talked about anylevel of political cooperation on international issues.

However, international communities may interpretthat the visit itself carries a political message aboutTurkey's intention to establish better relations withRussia on every level, including economic, political andcultural cooperation. Furthermore, when a state dealswith Russia, it can hardly escape Russia's political andeconomic influence. Not to mention that increasingeconomic relations with Russia will eventually lead topolitical cooperation. Knowing that Turkey is prettymuch dependent on Russian gas supplies, if Turkey'sdependency on Russia is extended to the level of mili-tary technology, nuclear power and space technology,Turkey in the future may find itself in a position to sup-port Russia on certain political issues.

In addition, Russia under Putin's leadership hasbeen pursuing a foreign policy strategy that requiresuniquely skilled diplomats to figure out what comes nextafter taking the initial step. There is little doubt thatTurkey's foreign policy perspective hasn't been shiftedfrom the West to the East, but Turkey's domestic and for-eign policy limitations do not allow it to make whateverforeign policy decisions it wants to make. In terms of do-mestic problems, i.e., Kurdish problems, neo-nationalistproblems and economic difficulties, Turkey has to beclose to the EU and the US to find better solutions. In ad-dition, Turkey's foreign policy engagements with the EUcalmed its domestic problems. Any sign of breaking awayfrom the EU would worsen its domestic politics.

It is still too early to claim that Gül's visit toMoscow might be a sign that Turkey is breakingaway from the EU; however, since 2007, because oflack of interest, the Turkish prime minister and presi-dent have almost forgotten how to go to Europe, cre-ating an incentive to question whether Turkey isbreaking away from the Western camp.

In terms of Turkey-US relations, Turkey's depend-ence on US support on every level -- including coopera-tion in fighting terrorism and political, economic and mil-itary cooperation -- limits Turkey's ability to be a dancepartner with Russia. Because of the March 1, 2003 crisisbetween Turkey and the US, Turkey's every foreign policystep is under the radar of the US. Concerning Russia, theUS's first priority in this region is to prevent Russianinfluence in the south Caucasus, Turkey and the BlackSea region. Given that Russia and Iran have close rela-tions, the US does not want Turkey to establish rela-tions with Russia that resemble Russia-Iran relations.Therefore, from the US perspective, Turkey's relationswith Russia should be limited to economic ties andenergy dependency. Anything beyond this, i.e., estab-lishing relations to transfer Russian military technolo-gy to Turkey, could alarm the US government.

Although the details of the cooperation to trans-fer Russian military technology are unknown, thesymbolic meaning of having such relations is badenough to irritate US foreign policy makers.

*Dr. Emre Uslu is an analyst working with theJamestown Foundation, a Washington-based think tank.Önder Aytaç is an associate professor at GaziUniversity's department of communications and workswith the Security Studies Institute in Ankara.

Daðýstan Çetinkayadagistancetinkaya@todayszaman.com.trThýnk tank cafe

Closer to

Russýa, farther

from the West?

Feb. 17 marks the first anniversary of theindependence of Kosovo. The independ-ence of Kosovo was the last episode in

the process of violent disintegration of theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Perhapsit is an ironic coincidence that the last chapter ofthe Yugoslav drama was played out in Kosovo,where everything started. In fact, the illegal andviolent abolition of the federal autonomous statusof Kosovo by Serbia's regime under Milosevic in1989 and the introduction of apartheid-type poli-cy against the majority population of Kosovomarked the first act in the process of dissolutionof the communist Yugoslav federation. The restwe all know.

The democratically elected Assembly of Kosovodeclared independence after nine years of interna-tional administration and about two years of inten-sive negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia. Thenegotiation process was designed and directed bythe international community, with the crucial roleplayed by the United Nations and the EuropeanUnion. The declaration of the independence ofKosovo was based on the plan designed by thespecial envoy of the United Nations security-gener-al, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari.

The independence of Kosovo has been recog-nized so far by 54 countries around the world. TheRepublic of Turkey was among the first countriesto recognize Kosovo's independence. Moreover,Turkey's great contribution to the stability andprosperity of Kosovo is much appreciated by thepeople of Kosovo. Panama was the most recentcountry to recognize Kosovo on Jan. 16 of thisyear. New recognitions are expected in the weeksand months ahead. The independence of Kosovohas been recognized by the neighboring countriesof Kosovo (with the exception of Serbia). It has al-so been recognized by the overwhelming majorityof the regional countries, as well as EU and NATOmember states. The swift recognition of Kosovo'sindependence by regional countries as well as thegreat majority of the EU and NATO member

states has been vital for the stability of Kosovo andthe region. The EU and NATO countries, particu-larly the biggest ones, bear the biggest burden inkeeping the region stable. The process of integra-tion in the EU and NATO serves as a point of ref-erence for each country of the western Balkans formeasuring their overall political and economicprogress. These facts make the recognition ofKosovo by the great majority of the EU and NA-TO countries even more meaningful.

The maturity of the Kosovo's leadership and ofthe population in smoothly managing the process oftransition from international administration to inde-pendence has been highly praised by the interna-tional community. The people and leadership ofKosovo are demonstrating an admirable courage toleave the tragic past behind and create a new begin-ning. Kosovo's relations with its neighboring coun-tries are excellent. The Kosovar leadership has alsodemonstrated a strong will to make a new begin-ning in its relations with Serbia. It is not easy to for-get the tragedies and sufferings the people ofKosovo went through. The memories of masskillings, rapes, massive deportation and burning oftowns and villages are still fresh. Yet, it would be aneven greater crime to become a hostage of thesememories. We cannot change our past, but we canchoose the way we think about it. Therefore, weshall not allow our bitter experience to shape our vi-sion about the future. Determined to pursue thisgoal, the Kosovo government offered a friendshipand cooperation treaty to Serbia last year. We re-main hopeful that both countries at some point inthe future will normalize their relations.

On the domestic front, the institutions ofKosovo have taken important steps to integratethe Serb ethnic minority living in Kosovo. Morethan 40 laws and sub-legal acts (alongside a newconstitution) dealing with the position of Serbs inKosovo have been adopted by the Assembly ofKosovo during the last year. These legislative in-struments are derived from the Ahtisaari Plan, andenshrine huge guarantees for the protection ofSerbs who live in Kosovo. In fact, more than halfof the provisions of the comprehensive plan pre-

pared by President Ahtisaari are related to theprotection of ethnic minorities in Kosovo, particu-larly Serbs. Based on the Ahtisaari package,Kosovo has created an incomparably advanced le-gal framework for protection of the rights of ethnicminority communities. There are reserved seats forSerbs and other ethnic minorities in the KosovoAssembly and every other public institution. Thereare two Serb ministers in the government ofKosovo. Serbian is an official language in Kosovo.According to the legal framework on local admin-istration, Serbs enjoy great autonomy in dealingwith their affairs, such as education, health care,security and so on, in the areas where they have asizable presence. Finally, the total autonomy of theSerbian Orthodox Church is rigorously protected.This permissive legal structure has produced posi-tive outcomes. Yet, there is still much to be done.The majority of Serbs from Kosovo still refuse tointegrate into Kosovo's public life. They fail to un-derstand that they have no better alternative thanlooking to Kosovo as their country and benefitingfrom the opportunities presented to them.

The other ethnic communities which livein Kosovo, such as Turks, Bosnians and Roma,are very well integrated in Kosovo's public life.Similarly with the Albanian majority, theyhave strongly supported the independence ofKosovo and are playing a significant role inbuilding a democratic and prosperous life inour country. They serve as an excellent exam-ple of how different ethnic communities cantogether build a democratic society that re-spects diversity and protects human dignity.

Besides international recognition and fosteringa multiethnic society, strengthening the rule of lawand economic development have been identified aspriority issues for the Kosovo government. TheKosovo government is determined to strengthenthe rule of law and democratic institutions. The de-ployment of the EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX),which started in December of last year, was wel-comed by Kosovo's institutions and people. Thismission will support the national police and justicestructures. It is expected that this mission, together

with the NATO-led peacekeeping forces, will be in-strumental, particularly in strengthening the rule oflaw in some parts of northern Kosovo. The inter-section of organized crime and illegal political activ-ities tends to pose a challenge to the rule of law andconstitutional order in this area, where the Serbianminority lives in significant numbers.

The economic situation is another big chal-lenge for the government. Accelerating theprocess of privatization of the formerly state-owned and socially owned enterprises, constantlyimproving physical and legal infrastructure forforeign investment and participating in regionalinitiatives have been some of the new steps un-dertaken to boost economic development. Thecurrent economic growth rate of the Republic ofKosovo is around 5 percent. The DonorConference on Kosovo, which took place inBrussels in July, gave an important impetus toKosovo's economy. About 1.2 billion euros werepledged by 37 donor countries and 16 interna-tional organizations. The legal infrastructure re-lated to economic activities is in full compliancewith advanced international standards. The newfiscal policy is very favorable for foreign invest-ments. The corporate tax, for example, has beenreduced from 20 percent to 10 percent. Kosovohas also applied for the membership in the WorldBank and the International Monetary Fund(IMF), and it is expected that it will join these twobodies during the first half of this year. Kosovo isalso committed to pursuing its goal of joiningother international organizations and initiatives.

On the first anniversary of its independence, weare happy to see that the birth of the state of Kosovowas not only a realization of legitimate aspirations ofthe people of Kosovo. It was also an indispensablecontribution to the stability of the region. Despitemany challenges and difficulties, the progress madeis commendable. Kosovo is capable, ready and deter-mined to become a contributor to regional and inter-national peace, democracy and progress.

*Bekim Sejdiu is chargé d'affaires of the Republic ofKosovo to Turkey

BEKIM SEJDIU*

PHOTO

REUTERS

Feb. 17 marks the first anniversary of Kosovo's independence, declared after nine years of international administration and around two years of intensive negotiations with Serbia.

Celebratýng one year of

ýndependence of Kosovo

EMRE USLU & ÖNDER AYTAÇ*

T14-16-02-09.qxd 15.02.2009 15:31 Page 1

Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, prime minister and leader of the Justice andDevelopment Party (AKP), and main opposition Republican People'sParty (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, last month and last week, respec-tively, visited Brussels and attended talks with European Union repre-sentatives. There is no doubt that the necessity felt by both Erdoðan,after four years, and Baykal, after five years, to visit Brussels has to dowith the fact that 2009 is a critical year for Turkey-EU relations. IfAnkara fails to speed up reforms and to extend the customs union toinclude Greek Cyprus, and if peace negotiations between Turkish andGreek parts of Cyprus do not go anywhere, the member states thatstrongly oppose Turkish membership are likely to put pressure on theunion to suspend accession talks with Ankara. In order to avoid suchan eventuality, it is important for Ankara not only to continue with re-forms but also to warm its relations with Brussels. That is why bothvisits were most welcome by the Europhiles in Turkey.

Baykal's visit actually carried far greater significance thanErdoðan's, since progress toward accession cannot be achieved with-out reforms being supported by the opposition. Clearly, reforms thatpaved the way for the start of accession talks in 2005 were achievedwith the support of the CHP. Similarly, reforms have stalled sincethen partly because the CHP has actively opposed them. The CHP's

negative stance on reforms has been such that many find Baykal'spromises in Brussels to back reforms unreliable and suspect this is justa move to gain votes in the coming local elections in March. Why?

It is sufficient to remember the basics of Baykal's performancesince 2004. In foreign policy, he opposed the Annan plan for a com-prehensive solution on Cyprus that was put forward by the UnitedNations and supported by the EU, called on Erdoðan to refuse toaccept the "framework for negotiations" adopted by the EuropeanCouncil and demanded the extension of the military operationsagainst the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq so asto target the Kurdish regional government. On the domestic front,he seized every opportunity to incite the military against the demo-cratically elected government. He invited the military to stop theelection of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül to presidency just be-

cause his wife wears a Muslim headscarf. He backed the statementplaced on the Office of Chief of General Staff Web site on the nightof April 27, 2007, opposing Gül's election. He participated in massdemonstrations, which turned out to be organized by people in-volved in the Ergenekon gang, which is currently on trial for chargesof provoking a military intervention. Arguing it would otherwiselead to "clashes," he put pressure on the Constitutional Court tohalt the presidential election by, without any constitutional basis,requiring that two-thirds of the deputies attend.

Baykal strongly opposed the initiative by the AKP to adopt a newand democratic constitution to replace the current one drawn up bythe military regime in 1982. He claimed constitutions could only berenewed by "revolution." He appealed to the Constitutional Courtagainst the amendments adopted by Parliament with nearly four-fifths majority to lift the headscarf ban for university students, and se-cured their abrogation. He agitated in favor of the closure case at theConstitutional Court against the AKP, which had received 47 percentof the national vote in the parliamentary elections of 2007. He op-posed the amendment of Article 301 of the penal code, the biggest re-striction on freedom of expression. He appealed to the ConstitutionalCourt against the Law on Foundations, which aimed at broadening

the rights of foundations. He opposed the law that aimed to legalizebroadcasts in Kurdish. Last but not least, he declared himself to be anadvocate for the Ergenekon gang, claiming the case against it aimedat nothing other than silencing the opposition.

As the local elections in March approach, the same Baykal is at-tempting to broaden the popular appeal of his party by enlistingveiled women and sheiks of religious brotherhoods, and promisingQuran courses for every quarter in the cities. In this effort, he visitsBrussels, accuses the Europeans of failing to understand his concernfor secularism and promises to support reforms that do not conflictwith his authoritarian understanding of secularism. Considering histotally unprincipled performance ever since assuming leadership ofthe CHP in 1992, it would be foolish to believe in his sincerity.

One explaining factor for the AKP's increasing share of thenational vote is surely Baykal and his party's sinking credibility.This is very unfortunate for the country, which is much in needof a strong, credible and principled social democratic alterna-tive. Baykal, however, has no chance of coming to power otherthan through a military intervention and interim regime. Thebest he can do for his party and country is to resign from partyleadership and take his clique away with him.

We are in Arbil for the 18th meeting of the Abant Platform.This is my second visit to Arbil, the capital of the regionalgovernment of Kurdistan in northern Iraq. For some rea-son, we find it strange to say "Kurdistan." When we hadfirst come here to discuss the preparations for the meeting,this strangeness was much more striking. I think we aregetting accustomed to it. Isn't that interesting?

In the region, with a population of about 4 million, Kurdsare the dominant group. Thanks to the new framework follow-ing the invasion of Iraq, they have acquired an autonomous,federative political entity in the region. We know that this iswhat they have been fighting for for years.

The issues that still come as problems to us have been seam-lessly solved. In all central areas, three and even four languagesare being used: Arabic, Kurdish, Turkmen and English. You cansee this on traffic signs and advertisements.

The political atmosphere here is unpredictable. Those whofollow the course of developments today are able to see that thedays ahead will bring new developments. The Arbil of two

months ago is not the same as the Arbil of today. In my earlier vis-it, the people here had much more self-confidence. They weremore hopeful about their position, which they tried to shape ac-cording to their own wills. Today, there is widespread skepticismamong them in the midst of ambiguities.

It seems that two important developments led to this situa-tion. One of them is the expected change in US foreign policy withthe departure of the Republicans following November's presiden-tial elections in the United States. It is necessary to mention that,according to many observers, including me, the top priority ofDemocrats in the US will be the recovery of the economy and theimprovement of the US's damaged image worldwide. To achievethis, the US will change some of its policies in the Middle East,which seems to be the most problematic area in the world. One ofthese changes will be to reduce its interests in the region. This notonly disturbs the northern Iraqi administration deeply, but alsoIsrael. I think the aim of Israel's war on Gaza, which started onDec. 27, 2008, and its possible larger and more fatal attacks in thefuture, is to keep the US attention on the region.

Israel not only want the US's attention to remain in the re-gion, but also for the US to strike Iran as soon as possible. Atleast, it wants to have full US support behind itself if it decidedto attack Iran. Now the Israeli propaganda machine is spread-ing allegations suggesting that al-Qaeda gains power by carry-ing out attacks in Iraq in cooperation with Iran. When the USdecided to invade Iraq in 2003, it brought forward two excuses.

One of them was weapons of mass destruction allegedly in thehands of Saddam Hussein and the other was that Saddam wassupporting al-Qaeda terrorism. Two of the arguments turnedout to be lies, as senior US officials later confessed. Now thesame lies are being made up for Iran.

The second development is the elections that took place inIraq a while ago but did not include the Kurdish region. IraqiPrime Minister Nouri al-Maliki shook hands with Americans onimportant matters prior to the election and the Arab componentwalked away with a practical victory. The envisaged Sunni-Shiiteconflict weakened to a large extent. It is said that a kind of "Arableague" has formed following the elections, as opposed to aSunni-Shiite resolution. This is a formation that causes theKurdish regional administration to pause and think.

There are positive sentiments toward Turkey from most ofthe regional administration. Here Turkish companies, schoolsand health initiatives have a great deal of prestige.Organizations that take the most hard-line stance against theKurdish issue in Turkey -- whose names we learned one by oneto our surprise -- are hard at work and taking on tenders here.

As Abant, political developments and internal conflicts areoutside of our area of concern. All we wanted was for the twosides to meet one another and understand each other's prob-lems and sensitivities. Of course, the region is in need of peaceand stability. But it is important to get acquainted and under-stand one another before setting out for peace.

COLUMNS M O N D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 6 , 2 0 0 9 15TODAY’S ZAMAN

CM Y K

The past haunts you. As Kurdish lawyer Sezgin Tanrýkulu says, "Untilthe bones of the deceased are found, the mourning of the relatives willnot end." No matter how much time has passed, the truth chases you.

When I read the words of Adnan Ekmen, a Kurdish former ministerresponsible for human rights who was a Republican People's Party (CHP)deputy some 12-13 years ago, in an interview a few days ago, I was caughtby a memory. I remembered the dark days of 1996, when I visited him inAnkara at his ministerial "headquarters," a simply decorated room. My in-terview with him then, done for the Milliyet daily, was all about extrajudi-cial killings, "disappearances," torture and missing persons.

I recall he tried to be as sincere as he could without saying much, avoid-ing the heart of the matter. He must have felt my dissatisfaction becausewhen we were about to say goodbye, he mumbled something like "Look,Yavuz, these are scary times; I feel often like an alien here, unwanted."

I was relieved, finally, when I saw him voicing his long-hidden frus-tration about those horrible times in a rare interview with the Yeni Aktüelweekly that contained shocking revelations about a crime, a massacre ofKurdish peasants, long believed to be linked to state security forces.Confirming these suspicions, he points out that "Ergenekon cannot bedealt with unless you go past the eastern shore of the Euphrates River."

Like many others these days, Ekmen calls for decisive action inclearing up some 5,000 cases of extrajudicial killings.

Then, he goes on to describe the real background of a "sym-bolic" case of dirty warfare in the predominantly KurdishSoutheast, the Güçlükonak massacre.

Although his revelations open a new page in facing the truth,almost no interest, perhaps unsurprisingly, had been shown tothe story in the Turkish press.

In a nutshell, what happened was the following: On Jan. 12, 1996,military units raided two Kurdish villages in Þýrnak province and de-tained six former rangers, accusing them of helping the outlawedKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Three days later, five peasants werepicked up from their village, Koçyurdu, and taken into custody at theTaþkonak security facility where the six other detainees were being kept.

Then, that day, all of the detainees were put on a minibusand released. But, this minibus was then stopped, and they weremassacred using machine guns. After the massacre, they were allburned in the vehicle. Shots were heard, but peasants who triedto approach the scene were stopped at gunpoint by soldiers.

While top commanders claim it was an act perpetrated by the PKK,there has been no word from the organization taking responsibility.

Let us listen to how ex-minister Ekmen recalls it in the interview: "The incident was not at all as security forces told us. The area where

the incident took place was totally under the control of security forces; itwas impossible for the PKK to launch any action there. Furthermore, se-curity forces had the identity cards of the massacred! People wereburned, but somehow no harm occurred to their ID cards!"

"I gathered bureaucrats at the ministry; we discussed what could bedone. I called a tribe leader whom I trusted in Güçlükonak. He told methat though he had never met me, he had known my father and grand-father and therefore could not lie to me, so he could only confirm what Ihad heard and that what security forces told us was not true at all."

"I asked him if he could tell us the truth if we went there. 'Itis impossible. You are a minister, but we live here. If we tell thetruth, we cannot protect ourselves; neither can you'."

Tansu Çiller was prime minister then. Deniz Baykal was the deputyprime minister. Ekmen met Baykal, who told him to prove what he hadto say to people, but if he could not, he should not bother to say any-thing. Ekmen then suggested to Baykal that it would perhaps be better ifhe could meet Çiller. Baykal told him Çiller was busy those days.

The case was scrutinized by a group of human rights activiststhose days, and they were sentenced to jail, but their casebounced back from the high court.

But the relatives took the charges to the European Court ofHuman Rights and managed to have Turkey sentenced, after aseven-year struggle, to pay for damages.

Ekmen spoke out because he was encouraged by theErgenekon case and the chain of the revelations it has unleashed.Do I think the Ergenekon case can achieve any success in shed-ding light on all the criminal layers of the past without peoplebeing forced to confess, without the sensitivity of the media?

Does Baykal have nothing to say about this? About otherthings he knew? What about Çiller, the ministers of the left orthe right and the former military chiefs of those times?

Is there anybody out there? If a symbolic case of a human rights violation is to be treated

with silence like this, I do not think the Ergenekon case or any-thing similar has much of a chance.

A symbolýc bloodbath

case: Güçlükonak

No Comment YAVUZBAYDAR

y.baydar@todayszaman.com

ÞAHÝNALPAY

s.alpay@todayszaman.com

Best Baykal can do for hýs party and country

‘Searchýng for peace together’

GAZA, REUTERS

ALÝBULAÇ

a.bulac@todayszaman.com

T15-16-02-09.qxd 15.02.2009 16:36 Page 1

CM Y K

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Gregorian Calendar: 16 February 2009 C.E. Hijri Calendar: 21 Safar 1430 A.H. Hebrew Calendar: 22 Sh'vat 5769calendar@todayszaman.com

LEISUREM O N D AY, F E B R U A R Y 1 6 , 2 0 0 916 TODAY’S ZAMAN

Ambulance: 112 Fire: 110 171 Police: 155 156 Maritime: 158 Unknown numbers: 118 Turkish Airlines: 444 0 849, U.S. Embassy: 0312 455 5555 U.S.

Consulate: 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 3605tr

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Sudoku

Crossword

HOW TO PLAY? : The objective of the game is to fill all the blank squares in a gamewith the correct numbers. There are three very simple constraints to follow. In a9 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

Today is the anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol enteringinto force in 2005. Kyoto is a protocol of the international

Framework Convention on Climate Change with the objectiveof reducing emissions of gases known to trigger climatechange. It was agreed upon at the third conference of the par-ties to the treaty on Dec. 11, 1997, when they met in Kyoto.The Turkish Parliament approved the protocol on Feb. 5 of thisyear. Signing the Kyoto Protocol does not put an additional bur-den on Turkey until 2012. Turkey was not a party to the conven-tion adopted in 1992, when the Kyoto Protocol was negotiated,and it is not currently included in the agreement's Annex B,which includes 39 countries that are obliged to reduce their

greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. Today is the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il (b.

1941). Kim Jong Il is the son and successor of longtime NorthKorean leader Kim Il Sung. After his father's death in 1994, hemanaged to retain power and turned his country into one of themost isolated nations in the world. In 2002, US President GeorgeW. Bush declared North Korea part of an "axis of evil" along withIran and Iraq. Recently Kim Jong Il managed to convince US au-thorities that North Korea is giving up its nuclear ambitions.

Today is Independence Day in Lithuania. On this day in1918, Lithuania declared its independence. Lithuania became arepublic of the Soviet Union in 1940 after a deal between Stalin

and Hitler. It again declared its independence on March 11, 1990.On this day in 1959, Fidel Castro was sworn in as the

new prime minister of Cuba following his overthrow ofFulgencio Batista. This started half a century of socialism,frequently dictatorial rule by Castro over Cuba and sub-sequent socialist struggles in Latin America.

On Feb. 16, 1999, the leader of the terrorist KurdistanWorkers' Party (PKK) organization, Abdullah Öcalan, was appre-hended in Nairobi and brought to Turkey. The subsequent judi-cial process convicted Öcalan of murder and terrorism andsentenced him to capital punishment; however, the sentencewas later commuted to life imprisonment. By Kerim Balcý

Cem Kýzýltuð

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MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3-DÝSTANBUL: Levent Cinebonus Kanyon:10:45 13:00 15:15 17:30 19:45 22:00 Fri/Sat:24:15 Kadýköy Cinebonus Nautilus: 11:3014:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00ANKARA: Cinebonus Panora: 11:00 13:0015:15 17:30 19:45 22:00 Fri/Sat: 24:15ÝZMÝR: Cinebonus Balçova Kipa: 10:3012:45 15:00 17:15 19:30 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00ANTALYA: Cinebonus Migros: 11:45 14:1516:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15

THE CURIOUS CASE OFBENJAMIN BUTTONÝSTANBUL: Caddebostan AFM: 10:3014:15 18:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:20 KadýköyRexx: 11:00 14:15 17:30 20:45 BeyoðluYeni Rüya: 11:15 14:30 17:45 21:00Esentepe Cinebonus Astoria: 11:15 13:1514:30 16:30 18:00 20:00 21:30 Fri/Sat:23:30 ANKARA: Ata On Tower: 12:0013:45 15:00 18:15 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:00Bilkent Cinebonus: 11:00 14:15 17:4521:15 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ÝZMÝR: CinebonusKonak Pier: 11:15 14:30 18:15 21:30Fri/Sat: 24:00 ANTALYA: CinebonusMigros: 11:00 14:30 18:00 21:30

movýe guýde

‘My Bloody Valentine 3D’

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Mournful Peruvian entry "LaTeta Asustada" (The Milk ofSorrow) won the coveted

Golden Bear award for best picture atthe Berlin Film Festival on Saturday.

The first Peruvian film in competition atthe annual cinema showcase, the story re-volves around Fausta, the product of a rapeinflicted on her mother during two decadesof rebel violence in which around 70,000people died or disappeared. After her moth-er's death, the virtually silent Fausta (playedby Magaly Solier) is determined to bury herin her native village but in order to do somust confront the malaise that afflicts herlike a sickness. The title is based on the ideathat Fausta's mother passes sorrow on toher daughter through breast milk.

"This is for Peru. This is for our country,"director Claudia Llosa told the awards ceremo-ny. "I hope more women will be encouraged bythis," she added at a press conference. "Weneed more women directors, actors, we needmore women in films."

Although the slow-paced picture wasnot among the favorites to scoop the mainaward from 18 films in competition, it islikely to be a popular winner. It includesthe premise that Fausta has inserted a po-tato inside herself to prevent her from be-ing raped like her mother, and hauntingsongs add to the magical realist feel.

The backdrop of violence in Peru in

the 1980s and 1990s is omnipresent de-spite never being portrayed. The countrywas shattered by wars by guerrillas seek-ing to impose communist rule, and in re-sponse the military and police commit-ted widespread human rights abuses.

On a big night for South America,Uruguay's "Gigante" picked up two prizes.Like "The Milk of Sorrow," the picture is low-

budget and slow-paced, and follows a super-market security guard who becomes obsessedby a cleaning lady and begins to stalk her. Itshared the runner-up Silver Bear with Germanentry "Alle Anderen" (Everyone Else) and theAlfred Bauer award for innovation in filmmak-ing along with veteran Polish director AndrzejWajda, who presented "Tatarak" (Sweet Rush).

The best director prize went to Iran's

Asghar Farhadi for "Darbareye Elly" (AboutElly), a popular film about middle-class Iranianswho cause disaster when, in order to upholdstrict social conventions, they layer lie upon lie.

The best actress Silver Bear was wonby "Everyone Else" lead Birgit Minichmayrfrom Austria, and best actor was awardedto Malian Sotigui Kouyate for "LondonRiver." It recounts how two people lookingfor children missing in the 2005 Londonsuicide attacks forge an unlikely friendship.

Films starring well-known actors werelargely shunned, although "The Messenger," inwhich Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster playarmy officers who tell next of kin that lovedones died in combat, won the screenplay SilverBear. "It [The Messenger] deals with a side ofwar that is the soldier's perspective," Fostersaid. "What are the true results of war? That'sbeneath politics and that's just human loss.Everyone in this room can relate to loss."

Berlin's main competition was seen asweak by critics. Apart from "The Messenger"and Renee Zellweger's witty 1950s comedy"My One And Only," big Hollywood namesfailed to shine. "Mammoth," starring GaelGarcia Bernal, tackled this year's hot-topic issueof globalization, but was panned by critics, aswas minimalist fashion spoof "Rage" in whichJude Law plays a cross-dressing model calledMinx. "Happy Tears" had a far-from-happy re-ception, despite Demi Moore and Parker Poseyplaying the lead roles. Berlin Reuters

Peruvýan fýlm ‘The Mýlk of

Sorrow’ wýns at Berlýnale

Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa reacts during a photocall with the Golden Bear statuette for bestpicture after winning the award for her film, “The Milk of Sorrow,” at the 59th Berlin Film Festival.

PHOTO

REUTERS

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17TODAY’S ZAMANM O N D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 6 , 2 0 0 9CONTINUATION

Öz said Çatlý was "killed" in that accident because of his"convoluted" relationships and that the accident was "fictitious."

Aðar is standing trial over his role in the Susurluk af-fair. He faces a possible jail sentence over accusations of"establishing a criminal gang" during his term as policechief. He appeared before a court for the first time in the 13years after the start of the Susurluk investigation on Feb. 9,after years of shielding by his political immunities grantedto him by his parliamentary membership.

Öz in his Friday statement claimed that Aðar, in his post aspolice chief, had ordered him to set up a gang. He also threatenedAðar that he might "end his silence that has lasted for 13 years."In his statement, Öz said he was lucky to be alive despite his rela-tionship with Aðar, though he was in jail. He claimed that Çatlýand other figures like him such as Mahmut Yýldýrým and TarukÜmit were "taken out" because of their complex relationships.

Öz's statement mentions another anecdote from 1996:Öz was in a room with Aðar, who was on the phone withthen-Prime Minister Tansu Çiller, when Aðar said, "Thehero is standing next to me right now."

Aðar: We used Öz for intelligence on PKKAðar, in his testimony in the Susurluk case on Feb. 9, saidthe police department used Öz for acquiring informationon the Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) human traffick-ing activity. Öz's statement that he had been instructed byAðar to set up a gang might now put Aðar in a difficult de-fense position. During the hearing on Feb. 9, Aðar deniedthat he had facilitated issuing gun licenses and green pass-ports -- which do not require a visa to Schengen countries-- to Öz and Çatlý. In his statement, Öz said he was givenall these and a police license plate by Aðar. Sources saythat Ankara 11th Higher Criminal Court hearing theSusurluk trial might call Öz to testify.

Öz was sentenced to four years on charges of member-ship in an organized crime gang and to 15 years for heroinsmuggling. He was released after seven years and sevenmonths in jail. He was arrested again on Aug. 9, 2007, follow-ing a shooting that occurred in a Cyprus casino that belongsto him. Öz is not the first person to claim that Çatlý was notvictim of an accident but an assassination. Former SpecialOperations Unit member Ayhan Çarkýn made the same claimon a television program he joined a few months ago.

Meanwhile, drug lord Sami Hoþtan, who was in prisonover charges related to Ergenekon, a clandestine terroristorganization nested within the state hierarchy and accusedof attempting to overthrow the government, was detainedagain late Friday night, shortly after his release from prisonin the Ergenekon investigation by a court, which cited "in-sufficient evidence for the release."

Hoþtan was detained in a police operation codenamed"Anaphor," which investigated organized crime and smug-glers. Hoþtan was transferred to Ýzmir on Sunday to testifybefore the prosecutor on the Anaphor investigation.

Çatlý victim of ‘convoluted' links,claims Yaþar Öz

Yener Yermez, who is currently serving a life sen-tence for stabbing businessman Üzeyir Garih to

death, claimed he was forced to watch a video of the mur-der of the Jewish businessman for 10 days in order to fullymemorize his role, the Sabah daily wrote yesterday.

Yermez was recently brought from the prison where hewas being held to Ýstanbul to testify in the Ergenekon case,the trial of a clandestine terrorist organization charged withattempting to foment chaos and undermine stability in orderto trigger a coup. He claimed in his testimony that he was co-erced into assuming responsibility for the murder in the faceof death threats and stated that he had testified in court aboutthe threats but that the court had ignored his testimony.

"I did not commit the murder. After the murder, they shutme in a room for 10 days and made me memorize my role.During that period, I was accompanied by a beautiful ladycalled Meral. They told me that they would give me $1.5 mil-lion if I agreed to claim responsibility for the murder. Theythreatened to kill me and my family if I declined," Yermez said.

Garih was found murdered in a Muslim cemetery inÝstanbul's Eyüp district in August 2001.

In a letter he sent to some newspapers in the past,Yermez said Ümit Sayýn had offered him money to claimresponsibility for the murder. Sayýn is currently incarcer-ated as a suspected member of Ergenekon.

"We were drinking tea with Meral at Pierre Loti Caféwhen Meral received a phone call. She said she would gomeet somebody and told me to wait for her at the café untilshe returned. When she was late, I started to walk toward theEyüp Cemetery and saw a man lying on the ground in blood.There I saw Meral and another man," Sabah quoted Yermezas saying in his testimony to Ergenekon prosecutors.

"Another day, Meral took me to a house in theGaziosmanpaþa district. They made me watch a videothere. It was Garih's murder. Meral and that man werestabbing Garih. After I watched the video several times,they told me that they would give me money if I assumedresponsibility for the murder. Otherwise, they would kill meand my family. They said police were searching for meeverywhere and that I needed to surrender to the police. Ideclined and left for Kayseri, where my family was residing.However, the police caught me in the Kayseri bus station. Iwas taken back to Ýstanbul by the police. I met Ümit Sayýnat the Forensic Medicine Council. He said they would giveme $1.5 million. However, I didn't receive any money fromanyone," Yermez added. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

Yermez: I was forced towatch Garih murder video to memorize my role

CM Y K

We are in the capital city of the Kurdistan re-gional government of northern Iraq. This nameKurdistan sounded absurd to me until two daysago. Within the last two days, I and the morethan 100 Turkish intellectuals who came to Arbilto attend the 18th Abant Platform Meeting,have heard this name so many times that it hasstarted to become familiar. This is a name thatTurkey recognizes by way of extension: We rec-ognize the state of Iraq and the constitution ofthis state refers to a certain region of its domin-ion as Kurdistan. I am counting the number ofTurkish intellectuals who start to pronounce thisname without hesitation. It is growing.

Logic does have a geography. What is quitelogical in Ankara seems quite illogical here. Iused to laugh at the Greeks who were ready torecognize Macedonia but only with anothername, and I have never realized that this might

resemble what I was doing when I -- well, I wasnot an exception -- was referring to theKurdistan regional government as the regionalnorthern Iraqi government.

The Abant Platform opened my eyes. The Abant Platform is unquestionably the

strongest civil society organization in Turkey. Itbrings together intellectuals from different ide-ological positions, schools of thought and po-litical lines. It is a platform par excellence. Insuch platforms, problems are not solved.Agendas and principles are set. The intellectu-als who participate -- and even those who donot -- feel obliged to write about the issuesdiscussed in these platforms, and the finalstatement of the platform is usually taken as aset of principles for further discussion by theparticipants of the meeting. For me, the great-est contribution of the platform is the simplefact that it brings that number of people to-gether and provides the peaceful venue for ahealthy discussion and networking.

I am a bit ashamed to confess that, but I hadnever been to Iraq before, let alone to Arbil. But Iam not naïve about Kurds and the Kurdish culture.I have been to almost all the cities of our Southeast,

and let me suggest that the Kurds of Kurdistanhave a lot to learn from the Kurds of Turkey whenit comes to cuisine and courtesy. But we have a lotto learn from the Kurds of this region also.

Here is what I learned in two days:1. From the Kurds in the streets, I learned

that Kurds care about non-Kurdish issues also.They are, to some extent, fed up with the factthat Turks speak to them -- and these are thepeaceful ones -- only about Kurdish terroristsand the Kurdish problem. They want to speakabout the global economic crisis, the Palestinianissue, the Davos incident … and, oh … particu-larly Ergenekon. (This might have a part ofKurdish problem in it, I know. But the reasonwhy the Kurds of Kurdistan are interested inthis issue is not the Kurdishness of the issue; it isbecause they care about the fate of the Justiceand Development Party [AK Party].)

2. From the Turks that came with the delega-tion I learned that we all loved Kurds. We werelooking for a chance to pronounce that love andincidentally that chance came on a St Valentineweekend. Professor Mümtaz'er Türköne's quota-tion from Kurdish-origin intellectual of Turkishnationalism Ziya Gökalp was enough to summa-

rize the feelings of the delegation: "A Turk thatdoesn't love Kurds is not a Turk, and a Kurd thatdoesn't love Turks is not a Kurd."

3. From the first session of the program, Ilearned that in the minds of the Turkish partici-pants the Kurdish issue is a part of a greater re-gional-global issue of identity-value-civilizationperception whereas the sole Kurdish participant,Fred Eseserd, regards the Kurdish issue of Iraq asan Iraqi issue. Dr. Ýbrahim Kalýn of SETA claimedthat the world needed a new value-centered poli-cy understanding instead of the existing interest-oriented one. "The artificial map of the MiddleEast is creating problems for the last century," hesaid. Ali Bulaç was even more critical of the estab-lished norms: "The name Middle East has to berevolted against. If you accept the naming of an-other, you accept to be dominated by the name-giver. Turkey was named as the southern-flank ofNATO in the past, and nowadays it is named as abridge between East and West. Tell me, can sucha country decide its own positions?" he asked,with obvious answers following.

The Abant Platform is a good andbreathtaking teacher. I will continue tobrief the lessons I took.

The soul of Abant: speakýng about the dýfferences

Emine Erdoðan, wife of Prime MinisterRecep Tayyip Erdoðan, directed harsh

criticism at the most recent Israeli attacks onGaza, saying that no children of any motherin the world deserves to be pounded by mis-siles or phosphorus bombs.

A three-week-long Israeli war on Gaza beganin late 2008 and stretched into January of thisyear, claiming the lives of over 1,300 Palestiniansand wounding thousands more. Almost half ofthe casualties were children and women.

Speaking at the inauguration of a jointTurkish-Qatari workshop on "Women andDevelopment" in Doha on Sunday, EmineErdoðan said the screams rising from Gazawere heard by people living in places fromBerlin to Riyadh and from London and Paristo Cairo. While perhaps not everyone had thesame reaction, what happened in Gaza left itsmark on everyone's memory, she said.

"A very great drama and a heartbreakingtragedy took place before the very eyes of hu-manity in the world of the 21st century," said

the first lady, expressing regret that it wasgetting harder and harder to speak of justiceand children's and women's rights.

She called on women to unite in order tomake heard the voice of compassion so thatmothers do not cry and homes are not de-stroyed anywhere in the world.

Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned,spouse of Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad BinKhalifa Al-Thani, also spoke, calling for co-operation between the women of Turkey,Palestine and Qatar to highlight the Gazatragedy. She said a roadmap should bedrawn for the development of Gaza andmaintenance of its security.

Turkish State Minister for Women andFamily Affairs Nimet Çubukçu, who wasamong the participants in the workshop, saidthere should be more women around the ta-bles where decisions of war are made. "I hopethose women will put their signatures underwar decisions with shaking hands in order notto send their sons to war." Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

Gaza tragedy leaves mark on Doha workshop

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan tar-geted the main opposition Republican

People's Party (CHP) and certain media organiza-tions he accuses of being aligned with them as hespoke in election campaign rallies in Sinop andAmasya over the weekend.

Erdoðan said that the "[CHP-] affiliated media"confuse lies, slander and defamation with freedom,and reiterated his call for a boycott of such media.

"Do not allow the newspapers that produce falsenews to enter your home," he said. Recalling that thegovernment had extended the scope of the press law,Erdoðan complained that the papers in questionfailed to respect the press law even as they claimed tovalue press freedom. He accused the CHP with beingresponsible for such "affiliated media."

"For years, you have been trying to survive,assume office and eliminate your rivals with the helpof the affiliated media, but you were unable do this.What has the nation told you? [That] the nation willhave the final say and [make the] final decision. Allplots have gone up in smoke. Those newspapershad run, concerning me, the headline, 'He cannoteven become a muhtar.' Yet my nation made

Erdoðan the prime minister. This is the sort of themedia we face. These media organizations are sup-porters of the CHP," the prime minister said.

The situation between the CHP and said mediaorganizations was exceedingly obvious, Erdoðanasserted, saying that they helped one another andshared a common understanding. "They understandeach other in Ýstanbul, Ankara and Ýzmir. But you willnot prosper on March 29 [the date of upcoming localelections], as cheaters never prosper. This is becausewe are a party established not by the media, but bythe nation," he said, referring to his own ruling Justiceand Development Party (AK Party).

Erdoðan addressed a crowd of about10,000 in Amasya, where the AK Party's rate ofelectoral support was roughly 50 percent in thelast election. Some carried placards reading,"Amasya's Beloved, Have a Happy Valentine'sDay." Erdoðan also criticized some recentpolitical initiatives launched by the CHP, say-ing: "Will this nation not ask whether the elec-tion has revived your senses back? On March29, the famous apple of Amasya will fall onyour head." Samsun, Amasya Today's Zaman

‘Pro-CHP media will not prosper in March 29,’ says PM

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At the conference, Salahaddin UniversityPresident Muhammad Sadik underlined thatuniversities play a critical role in the improve-ment of science and the use of science for thepublic good. "But this task is not easy to perform;this is why we are hoping to cooperate more in-tensively with Turkish universities. This meetingof the Abant Platform will be so important to thejoint future of both countries," he said.

Political science professor Mümtaz'erTürköne stated in his opening remarks that theplatform had hosted meetings abroad beforebut that at this meeting the platform membersdid not feel as if they were in a foreign country.

"We are home; we don't feel like we are ina foreign country. This is due to your hospitalityand also because we are the children of thesame land. We are the people who find happi-ness in the same things, we share the same val-ues. This is why we are considering this Abantmeeting as the most important one," he said.

"We are all Kurds," Türköne said to em-phasize the similarity between the two nations."For example, I am from Sinop, the northern-most part of Turkey. But I am a Kurd, too. Ithink like a Kurd, I feel like one and I will dielike a Kurd." The academic spoke about ZiyaGökalp, an ethnic Kurd who was a theoreticianof Turkish nationalism. Quoting Gökalp'sadage, "Turks who do not like Kurds are notTurks and Kurds who do not like Turks are notKurds," Türköne said, "The political approachesat the state level may be different, but this prin-ciple is the measure of the people."

He also recalled the existence of some mapslabeling Turkey's Southeast as part of a"Kurdistan," saying that those maps are a dreamto some people while a nightmare for others.

"But let's face the reality, the biggestKurdish city in the world is Ýstanbul. There aremore Kurds there than anywhere. This is whywe are partly Kurdish, partly Turkish," he said.

He also spoke about the Abant Platform,saying it stood for democracy, tolerance and di-

alogue, and was welcome to all sorts of ideas aslong as they were in line with the platform's op-position to violence. Speaking about the plat-form's previous meeting on the Kurdish ques-tion, Türköne recalled that it had underlined theimportance of education in one's mothertongue, general amnesty for Kurds who aremembers of the separatist terrorist Kurdistan

Workers' Party (PKK) and further democratiza-tion. He said that not only these essentials, butalso establishing a good relationship with theKurdish regional administration of northernIraq was a crucial element of any solution to theKurdish question, adding that this was whythey were in Arbil for Abant's 18th meeting.

The Kurdish question is not only Turkey's prob-

lem, but also a problem for Iraqi Kurds, since the is-sue has serious effect on the relationship betweenthem and Turkey, he said: "What we want to un-derline is that the problem is one [belonging to] thestate. There is no problem between the Kurdish andTurkish peoples. This is a political problem. We aretrying to change our state, and we need your contri-bution to the solution of this problem."

Northern Iraq and Turkey should learn from the pastcontýnued from page 1

contýnued from page 1KERÝMBALCI

k.balci@todayszaman.com

Over 200 intellectuals from Turkey and Iraq attended the Abant Platform's 18th conference on "Searching for Peace and a Future Together."

T17-16-02-09.qxd 15.02.2009 16:49 Page 1

CM Y K

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell themBenjamin Franklin said it first.” David H. Comins

Transportation in TurkeyREADING

advanced

TODAY’S LEARNING M O N D AY, F E B R U A R Y 1 6 , 2 0 0 918 TODAY’S ZAMAN

Today in history (Feb. 16)2005 The Kyoto Protocol, aimingto slow down global warming,came into force.1989 Eyüp Can became Europeanprofessional flyweight boxingchampion.1959 Fidel Castro was sworn in asCuban prime minister at the age of32.

Yesterday in history (Feb. 15)1989 Soviet troops started to pullout of Afghanistan, nine years af-ter they invaded the country.1961 A Belgian 707 jet airlinercrashed seconds before landing,killing 73 people.1942 British forces in Singaporesurrendered to the Japanese, seven

days after Japanese troops first

stormed the island.

1940 Turkish politician Ýsmail Cem

Ýpekçi was born.

Riddle of the day

What has a neck, but no head?

Did you know?Manhattan Island of New York

City was purchased for $24 from

the Algonquian Indians in 1624.

*Please send in your riddles and jokes

to learningenglish@todayszaman.com

When I woke up, I looked at the clock. It was 8:30. I had anexam at 9 o’clock. I didn’t hear the alarm clock. I got upquickly. I had no time for breakfast. I left the house in a hur-ry. I looked for a taxi but there were no taxies around.Suddenly, I saw one of my neighbors, Mr. Brown, in his car.I said: “I have an exam today. I’m late. I can’t find a taxi. Canyou give me a lift?” He said, “OK.” I got in the car. Mr.Brown asked, “What time is your exam?” I replied, “It’s at 9o’clock.” Mr. Brown said: “It’s 7:45 now. You don’t have tohurry.” I was surprised. I looked at my watch again. It wasreally 7:45. So, I got out of the car and returned home.

I had breakfast. I had some milk, cheese, olives, butterand honey. Then, I looked at the clock. It was still 8:30. Ichecked it. It had stopped. I changed the batteries and itstarted to work again. Then, I left home and caught thebus. I arrived at the school at 8:45. I went to the class-room. There was nobody in the classroom. I went to thestaff room and looked for my teacher. He wasn’t there, ei-ther. I asked another teacher. He said: “Your teacher hada slight accident. He is going to come in the afternoon.You are going to take your exam in the afternoon.”

ELEMENTARY Part 1: 1. b 2. d 3. g 4. a 5. c 6. e 7. f Part 2: 1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F5. T 6. F 7. F INTERMEDIATE Part 1: 1. i 2. g 3. a 4. h 5. j 6. e 7. c 8. b 9. d 10. fPart 2: 1. T 2. T 3. F 4. T 5. F 6. T 7. T 8. F 9. T ADVANCED Part 1: 1. c 2. h 3. a

4. b 5. g 6. d 7. f 8. e Part 2: 1. T 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. T 6. T 7. T Part 3: Across 3. degenerate 4. scent6. roam 9. conclusion Down 1. real 2. free 4. show 5. tuxedo 7. marsh 8. top Proverb: If wishes werehorses, beggars would ride. Riddle: a yard

FRIDAY’S ANSWER KEY

Proverb of the dayPut the following words into the correct order to find the proverb that means “peo-ple of the same sort are found together”:feather / together / a / birds / flock / ofJoke of the dayAn American man, a Russian man and an African man were all up in a hot-air bal-loon together. After a few minutes, the Russian man put his hand down throughthe clouds. "Aaah!" he said. "We're right over my homeland.""How can you tell?" asked the American."I can feel the cold air." he replied.A few hours later the African man put his hand through the clouds. "Aaah, we'reright over my homeland." he said."How do you know that?" asked the Russian. "I can feel the heat of the desert."Several more hours later the American put his hand through the clouds. "Aaah,we're right over New York."The Russian and the African were amazed. "How do you know all of that?" theyexclaimed.The American pulled his hand up. "My watch is missing."

Transportation in Turkey is simplymind-blowing. By mind-blowing, Imean amazing, terrible, efficient, inef-ficient, quick and incredibly slow.Especially as a foreigner, a quickglimpse of Ýstanbul alone shows howvaried transportation is. It certainlytakes a few weeks and a lot of ques-tions to figure out all the possibilities.

My personal favorite is theminibus. Formally the dolmuþ, theminibus operates much in the sameway and displays many of the samequestionable driving tactics. As I amhanding my money, the driver willusually take the money, give change,switch gears with the clutch, hold thesteering wheel, smoke a cigarette andprobably have a conversation withfriend on his cell phone. It’s amazingwhat you can do with two hands.

The normal buses are fine andthey’re usually fairly quick. The onlyproblem is rush hour. Rush hours arethose times in the morning and in theevening when everyone is commuting

to and from work -- the traffic is aw-ful! During these times, the normalbuses can be quite slow. This is whyI’ve become a huge proponent of themetrobus. Yes, the metrobus can bevery crowded during rush hour, butit’s still very fast. That’s the beauty ofit -- the metrobus always goes thesame speed; it doesn’t matter whattime it is or how many people ride!

Lastly, the tramways and themetro are great, but are usually onlyconvenient if you live in central Ýs-tanbul. As I live on the outskirts ofthe city, I find myself using the nor-mal buses and minibuses more of-ten. In addition to local transporta-tion, you can also get buses goingeverywhere in the country. It suretakes a long time, but the price cancertainly save you a lot of money. Insum, there are certainly no short-ages of options -- in fact, with theakbil, you can ride most of thesesystems with the same payment.Just make sure you avoid rush hour!

ýntermedýate

The examREADING

One day at a busy airport, the pas-sengers on an airliner are seated,waiting for the cockpit crew toshow up so they can get under way.The pilot and copilot finally appearat the back of the plane and beginwalking up to the cockpit throughthe center aisle. Both appear to beblind. The pilot is using a whitecane, bumping into passengersright and left as he stumbles downthe aisle, and the copilot is using aguide dog. Both have their eyescovered with huge sunglasses.

At first the passengers do notreact, thinking that it must besome sort of practical joke.However, after a few minutes theengines start revving and the air-plane starts moving down the run-way. The passengers look at eachother with some uneasiness, whis-pering among themselves andlooking hopelessly to the hostessesfor reassurance. Then the airplanestarts accelerating rapidly and peo-ple begin panicking. Some passen-gers are praying. As the plane getscloser and closer to the end of therunway, the voices become moreand more hysterical.

Finally, when the airplane hasless than 20 feet of runway left,there is a sudden change in thepitch of the shouts as everyonescreams at once, and at the verylast moment the airplane lifts offand is airborne. Up in the cockpit,the copilot breathes a sigh of reliefand turns to the pilot, “You know,one of these days the passengersaren't going to scream and we'regoing to get killed!”

Blind pilotsREADING

Part 2: True or False

1. ___ The writer got up late that morning.

2. ___ The writer took a taxi to go to school.

3. ___ Mr. Brown asked the writer, “What time is your

exam?”

4. ___ The writer’s clock had stopped.

5. ___ The writer arrived at the school fifteen minutes

before the exam.

6. ___ When he went into the classroom, the class

room was full of students.

7. ___ The writer’s teacher had an accident.

Part 3: Unscramble the following words

to find the names of groceries1.ptarce ___________

2. hiracarm ___________

3. tunacir ___________

4. girfed ___________

5. senetlivio ___________

6. kabecoso ___________

7. dorabwer ___________

8. orrmir ___________

9. tempocur ___________

10. holtepene ___________

Part 1: Vocabulary

Match the words on the left from the passage with

their meanings on the right.

1. hurry a. small

2. suddenly b. give a free ride in a car

3. give a lift c. answer

4. reply d. teachers’ room

5. staff room e. need to do something quickly

6. slight f. quickly and unexpectedly

Part 1: VocabularyMatch the words on the left from the passage with their

meanings on the right.

1. crew a. (for an engine) run quickly

2. aisle b. passage between rows of seats

3. cane c. feeling of happiness when something un

pleasant stops

4. stumble d. taking a deep audible breath

5. rev e. in a state of extreme excitement

6. accelerate f. level of a sound

7. hysterical g. start to go faster

8. pitch h. all the people working on a ship or plane

9. sigh i. hit your foot against something while you

are walking

10. relief j. stick

Part 2: True or False

1. ___ The pilot and copilot appeared to be blind.

2. ___ The copilot had a white cane in his hand.

3. ___ The copilot hit the passengers while he was

walking.

4. ___ The pilot and copilot had huge sunglasses.

5. ___ The passengers began to panic when the air

plane started accelerating.

6. ___ The voices of the passengers started to lower

when the plane got closer to the end of the runway.

7. ___ Everyone started to scream when the plane

stopped.

8. ___ The copilot said, “We’re going to get killed if

the passengers don’t scream.”

Part 1: Vocabulary

Match the words on the left from the passage with their meanings on the right.

1. mind-blowing a. a look at something for a very short time

2. efficient b. person who supports an idea

3. glimpse c. doing something well with no waste of time, money, etc.

4. switch d. intensely affecting the mind or emotions

5. clutch e. parts of a town or city that are furthest from the center

6. commute f. change

7. proponent g. pedal in a car or other vehicle to change gear

8. outskirts h. travel back and forth regularly by bus, train, car, etc.

Part 2: True or False

1. ___ The writer thinks transportation in Turkey is neat and regular.

2. ___ The writer travels by metrobus the most.

3. ___ The writer finds minibus drivers amazing.

4. ___ Minibus drivers smoke when they drive.

5. ___ During the rush hour, normal buses don’t run.

6. ___ The writer likes the metrobus because it goes the same speed even in rush hour.

7. ___ You can use the tramways and metro all over Ýstanbul.

8. ___ According to the writer, transportation in Ýstanbul and Turkey isn’t very expensive.

I n c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h F a t i h C o l l e g e

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CM Y K

Anelka's hat-tricksaves Chelsea in cupNicolas Anelka rescued Chelsea's FA Cup hopeson Saturday, scoring a hat-trick in a 3-1 victoryat Watford to avoid a shock fifth-round exit. Intheir first game since Luiz Felipe Scolari wassacked and with replacement manager GuusHiddink watching in the stands, the Blues fellbehind to the Championship (second division)strugglers when Tamas Priskin netted with 21minutes remaining. Priskin's goal came com-pletely against the run of play but Anelka equal-ized six minutes later from close range and be-fore Watford could regroup he headed in a crosstwo minutes later. The France striker completedhis treble in stoppage time to make Chelsea thefirst side through to the quarterfinals. The day'sother ties ended all square with Premier LeagueBlackburn Rovers and Fulham relieved tostill be in the competition. Watford Reuters

SOCCER

Wales marches on in Six NationsWelsh hopes of winning successive SixNations championships for the first time in 30years remained alive on Saturday but theywere pushed all the way by England in an ab-sorbing 23-15 win in Cardiff. MartinJohnson's Englishmen, showing a vast im-provement on the previous week's under-whelming 36-11 victory over Italy, houndedthe champions but never once led as a try af-ter halftime from Leigh Halfpenny and fiveStephen Jones penalties proved decisive.Sluggish France kept Scotland at bay in a farless pulsating match with a 22-13 win in theday's early game in Paris. London Reuters

RUGBY

Efes subdues ColaTurka in TBL thrillerVisiting Efes Pilsen trounced Beþiktaþ Cola Turka94-82 in Beþiktaþ Cola Turka's arena on Saturdayin the men's Beko Turkish Basketball League(TBL) to maintain its lead in the 18-team league.Efes led 26-25 in the first period, 54-34 in the firsthalf and 75-64 in the third period before runningriot in the fourth for a resounding victory.Beþiktaþ Cola Turka's Jimmy Baxter was the over-all top scorer with 24 points. Following thematch, Beþiktaþ fans protested Efes Pilsen'scoaches, who trained Beþiktaþ Cola Turka lastyear. They particularly shouted slogans againstKaya Peker while cheering their former playerKerem Tunçeri. Before the match, players paid aone-minute homage to Professor Yaþar Sevim,the former head of the training department at theTurkish Basketball Federation (TBF), who diedlast week. Other TBL results on Saturday were asfollows: Türk Telekomspor 102, Antalya KepezBelediyesi 90; Mutlu Akü Selçuk Üniversitesi 66,Galatasaray Cafe Crown 88; Darüþþafaka CooperTires 69, Casa TED Kolejliler 53; and AntalyaBüyükþehir Belediyesi 82, Pinar Karþýyaka 79. Inthe Turkish Women's Basketball League it was:Bahçeþehir Burhaniye Belediyesi 76, MersinBüyükþehir Belediyesi 106; Beþiktaþ Cola Turka96, BOTAÞ Spor 83; Fenerbahçe 82, Galatasaray55; and Tarsus Belediyesi 63, SamsunBasketbol Kulübü 73. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

BASKETBALL

Eto'o double rescues Barca from defeatSamuel Eto'o scored twice to help Barcelonarally from two goals down to draw 2-2 at RealBetis on Saturday, stretching its Primera Ligalead to 13 points. Barca has 60 points from 23matches while Valencia climbed to third on 38after a 1-1 home draw with Malaga, whichmoved above Atletico Madrid into sixth spot.Barca has struggled at Betis in the pastdecade, winning twice in 10 matches and los-ing five including a 3-2 defeat last season in agame they led 2-0. Guardiola left Lionel Messiand Thierry Henry out of his starting line-upand Betis took advantage. Osasuna extendedits unbeaten run to four matches with a 0-0draw at eighth-placed Deportivo Coruna butthe Pamplona-based club remained 17th, onepoint above the relegation zone. Madrid Reuters

SOCCER

In his first race this year, Olympicstar Usain Bolt won the 400 meters

in 46.35 seconds at the JamaicaCamperdown Classic on Saturday.

He slowed in the last 50 meters, smil-ing while looking right and left in winningthis event for the second straight year.Bolt refrained from his famed celebratorydance at the finish. Instead, he was greet-ed by his masseuse for a rubdown.

“The first 300 meters of the race wasgood, but the last 100 meters need somework,” Bolt said. “I am not really in the bestof shape, but I'm happy I got through it.”

Bolt led a Jamaican sweep, withYohan Blake second in 46.88 andRicardo Chambers third in 46.98. Themeet at Stadium East drew more than2,000 international athletes.

Bolt won the 400 in 45.92 last yearand set a personal best of 45.35 in2003. Michael Johnson holds the worldrecord of 43.18, set in 1999.

Usain broke two world records atthe Beijing Games in winning the 100meters in 9.69 seconds and the 200 in19.30. He also helped Jamaica winthe gold in the 4x100 relay.

Bolt won Jamaica sportsman of2008 on Friday. He also took the IAAFmale athlete of the year award andJamaica's athlete of the year. Kingston AP

Seven-time Tour de France win-ner Lance Armstrong finished

10th in the prologue at the Tour ofCalifornia on Saturday in the firstNorth America race of his comeback.

Armstrong, who made his comebackdebut three weeks ago in the TourDown Under in Australia, finished infour minutes, 37.17 seconds, 4.2 secondsbehind prologue winner FabianCancellara of Switzerland.

"It's a new sensation because I haven'ttrained for efforts like that," Armstrong saidafter completing the 3.9-kilometer coursearound California's state Capitol.

"We changed the time-trial positiona little bit, so it's the first time I got to goas hard as I could with a new position.All in all, I wanted to be top-10, top-15,so I have to be pretty happy."

Cancellara, a former two-timestime trial world titlist, won in 4:32.9seconds, with American LeviLeipheimer, twice defending racechampion, second in 4:34.11. Third wasAmerican David Zabriskie in 4:35.55.

Armstrong, the 130th starter in afield of 136, attracted massive atten-tion. He rode steadily in a tight tuckedposition and received the largestcheers on the overcast start of nine-day race's fourth edition.

"The crowd was amazing, they werelike it was Australia," Armstrong said.

"People are excited, but I don't thinkthey're as excited as I am. I'm glad to behere and appreciate the support."

Cancellara, who won the 2007Tour de France prologue, averaged50.294 kph. Sacramento, Calif. Reuters

Armstrongfinishes 10th

in prologue

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2009

SPORTS England's Laura Davies saved her best golf for the weekend, going 11-under-par over the final two rounds to win the Women's Australian

Open on Sunday for the second time. Davies, the 2004 champion, shot afinal-round 5-under 68 to go with a 67 Saturday for a one-stroke victory

over Spain's Tania Elosegui at the Metropolitan Golf Club. Melbourne, AP

Laura Davies wins 2nd Australian Open

Usain Bolt

Bolt startsseason with abang in 400m

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It was the best of weekends. It was theworst of weekends. The FenerbahçeYellow Canaries and their faithful fol-

lowers were grinning after their biggest win inthe Turkcell Super League this season. TheGalatasaray Lions and their disillusioned fanswere groaning after another heartrending per-formance. We saw the joy of one team and thecontinued and prolonged anguish of another.

That was the tale of two big Ýstanbul teamsafter their week-20 Super League action onSaturday. The lethargic Lions lost 1-0 away to agutsy Antalyaspor in the afternoon, while thehigh-flying Canaries hammered haplessHacettepe 7-0 at the Fenerbahçe ÞükrüSaraçoðlu Stadium in Ýstanbul in the late game. Itis worthy to note that this was also the highestscore in the Super League this season after Ýstan-bul Büyükþehir Belediyesi crushed Kocaelispor 5-0 in week 16 and Eskiþehirspor bashed ÝstanbulBüyükþehir Belediyesi 6-1 in week 18.

Ironically, it was the Canaries' first victory infour outings in the season's second half -- andthey won with style, flair and panache. With fivegoals in the first half and two in the second, thefinal score resembled that of a handball gamemore than soccer and, at times, it was difficult totell who the goal-scorers were.

Brazilian captain-playmaker Alex De Souzaopened the scoring for the Canaries after just10 minutes, slotting a pass from striker SemihÞentürk into the back of the net.

Alex doubled the score in the 14th,Uruguay defender Diego Lugano made it 3-0in the 35th, Semih made it 4-0 in the 41st andDeivid De Souza scored the fifth goal for theCanaries in the 45th. Semih was on target inthe 48th to make it 6-0, and man-of-the-match Alex hit a hat-trick 10 minutes later toseal the score: Fenerbahçe 7, Hacettepe 0.

The Canaries were pilloried from all sides bythe doomsayers in local media having drawn 0-0at home with Trabzonspor in the opening matchof the season's half, playing to a 1-1 home drawwith Gaziantepspor and then losing 2-0 to Ýstan-bul Büyükþehir Belediyespor in a "mini" Ýstanbulderby the weekend before last. Saturday's re-sounding win was, therefore, a timely warning tofriends and foes alike that the Canaries may bedown, but they are definitely not out.

"I am very happy we won," embattledFener coach Luis Aragones said, adding, "Butwe have to continue our winning ways."

Earlier this season Fener trailed Galatasaray by

as many as 10 points. Now both rival teams areequal on points. That's the way the cookie crumbles.

Lions bite the dustAt the Lions camp it was the same old story-- moaning and groaning instead of roaringafter the defending champions were beaten1-0 by "Þifo" Mehmet's Antalya lads at thepacked-full Atatürk Stadium.

Ahmet Kuru scored the only shot of thegame in the 60th minute, capitalizing on thesleepwalking Lions defense to slot the ball intothe right corner of the net. The result means thatGalatasaray has not beaten Antalyaspor in eitherof their two meetings this season. Their en-counter in week three at Ýstanbul's Ali Sami Yen,the Lions' den, on Sept. 13, 2008, ended 1-1.

"I am proud of my players," diminutivecoach Mehmet said after the match. "And wecan only get better," he added.

Saturday's defeat means the Lions haveonly earned four points from a possible 12 inthe season's second half. They lost 2-0 away toSivas in week 17, beat the Denizlispor Roosters

2-0 away in week 18 and drew 1-1 at homewith Kayserispor the weekend before last.

Already ousted from the Fortis Turkish Cup,the Lions may as well forget the league title. Andwith this dismal form the Lions stand little-to-nochance against French powerhouse Bordeaux inthe UEFA Cup Round of 32. The first leg is atBordeaux's Stade Chaban-Delmas on Wednesdayand the return leg will be in Ýstanbul on Feb. 26.

Galatasaray coach Michael Skibbe isblaming everything and everyone except him-self for the team's freefall. "We have been hithard by injuries this season," he said after theAntalya debacle on Saturday, adding, "Theabsence of [suspended Brazilian playmaker]Cassio Lincoln was badly felt." Skibbe has al-most run out of excuses and if Galatasaray iseliminated from the UEFA Cup the youngGerman should be ready to face the music.

Elsewhere in the Super League onSaturday, struggling Ankaragücü stunnedvisiting Gaziantepspor 3-1 in the capital,while Eskiþehirspor and Gençlerbirliðishared the spoils after a 0-0 draw.

Tale of two traditionalTurkish title contenders

The Fenerbahçe Yellow Canaries hit hapless Hacettepe for seven and are now equal on points with defending Turkish league champion

Galatasaray, which bit the dust painfully at Antalya’s Atatürk Stadium

ELATION -- Fenerbahçe players celebrate one of their seven goals against Super League whipping boy Hacettepe.

OKAN UDO BASSEY ÝSTANBUL

FALL FROM GRACE -- Players of defending champion Galatasaray again leave the pitchwith their heads bowed after their 1-0 away defeat by Antalyaspor.

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WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16 , 2009

Oscar host Jackman: Celebration is keyHugh Jackman says he knows the Oscars ceremony isn't about him, but he'd

better enjoy it all the same. "Celebration is the key. I'm certainly going to havea good time. If I'm not going to have a good time, how the hell is anybody

else?" said Jackman, less than two weeks before the Feb. 22 ceremony. LA, AP

A restaurant worker was accused oftrashing the place in an attempt to get

fired and collect unemployment compensation.A criminal complaint filed last week said a 35-year-old man showed up at a Qdobarestaurant and started throwing browniesand cookies on the floor. The man then wentinto the kitchen and threw pots and pansaround, then went into a storage area andthrew boxes of hot sauce on the floor. Policesaid the man told them he was trying to getfired and couldn't collect unemployment if hesimply quit. Madison, Wis. AP

Man hoping to get firedallegedly trashes eatery

Police said two roommates began fightingover a parking space over the weekend,

and the dispute ended when one man bit offthe other's earlobe. Officer Kevin Krebs said itappeared that the victim came home andparked in a spot preferred by his roommate,starting the fight. Police said a 25-year-oldman was treated for the ear injury andreleased from the hospital. Krebs said doctorswere unable to reattach his right earlobe. Theman was booked on an assault charge. Bailwas set at $250,000. Milwaukie, Ore. AP

Man loses earlobe infight over parking spot

A man in Washington state made sure apair of burglars didn't get away with his

three flat-screen televisions -- he moved theirgetaway car. Patrick Rosario was in thebasement of his Bellevue home when he heardthe burglars upstairs. The Seattle Times says the32-year-old Rosario, who had been laid off fromhis job as a Washington Mutual manager, called911 while he sneaked out of the house. He saw awhite van sitting in front of his house with themotor running and the keys in the ignition, andhe got in and drove it to a friend's house. Policesay the burglars left the televisions, a laptopcomputer and a jewelry box by the door andtook off on foot. The sheriff's office said noarrests had been made. Bellevue, Wash. AP

Burglary victim drivesoff in thieves' van

A high school student's keen eye hascaught a state test error that managed to

slip past teachers, test coordinators and otherstudents for almost a year. Geoffrey Stanford,17, discovered during a Kansas writing testlast week that an essay question concerninggreenhouse gases incorrectly used the word"omission" for the word "emission,"prompting the Wichita East High Schooljunior to point out the error. "I thought,‘Surely they're not talking about leaving outcarbon dioxide altogether.' It just didn't makesense," Stanford said. "It had to be a mistake."The state Department of Education has e-mailed a corrected version of the essayquestion to test coordinators around the state,but the incident already has caused a lot of redfaces at the department, which used acommittee of more than 30 state teachers todevelop the test almost two years ago. Thequestions had been tested in 50 high schoolslast spring. "You hate that sort of thing tohappen, but it happens," said Karla Denny, anEducation Department spokeswoman andformer English teacher. "We're human." Noone before Stanford had reported the error,Denny said. Stanford said he is careful withhis written work and called himself a "sticklerfor grammar and vocabulary and the correctuse of words." "It annoys me when I seemistakes," he said. Stanford's discovery hascaught national attention, even earning him anappearance Sunday on the Fox News Channel's"Fox and Friends" morning show. "It's beenhilarious, because I just never thought it wouldget to this point," he said. "Some people aresaying, ‘Good job,' and some are giving me alittle grief about it." Wichita, Kan. AP

Error on test spotted by student 1 year later

Words give brain handle on feelings, scientist saysBrain scientists are starting to understand some-thing poets, songwriters and diarists have long

known: putting feelings into words helps ease the mind."It is a pretty well-established finding that this

occurs, but we don't know why," Matthew Lieberman ofthe University of California, Los Angeles, said onSaturday at the American Association for theAdvancement of Science meeting in Chicago.

"When you put feelings into words, you are turn-ing on the same regions in the brain that are involvedin emotional self-control," Lieberman said.

"It regulates distress," said Lieberman, who studiesthe brain using technology known as functional magnet-ic resonance imaging or fMRI, which highlights brainregions as they become active. Lieberman's findings arebased on studies in which healthy subjects lie in an MRImachine and view emotionally evocative pictures, such

as scared or angry faces. Study participants touch a but-ton corresponding to a word that expresses that emotion.

When study subjects put feelings into words in this way,the researchers noted increased brain activity in the ventro-lateral prefrontal cortex, a brain region known for dampen-ing negative emotions. At the same time, they saw decreas-es in activity in the amygdala, the brain machinery responsi-ble for processing feelings about relationships and emotionslike fear, rage and aggression. Lieberman said this mayexplain why many teenagers and others take up pen andpaper when they are filled with angst.

"I think it certainly could play a role in why people ofany age write diaries or bad lyrics to songs," he said.

"That is certainly a possibility."Lieberman said he is now doing studies to see how

putting words into feelings might help people who fearspiders or have anxiety disorders. Chicago Reuters

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Beaches may harbor staph bacteria, US study shows

Beaches may harbor staph bacteria, US study shows

Swimmers at crowded public beaches arelikely to bring home more than a bit of sandin their bathing suits, according to US

researchers, who said as many as one in three swim-mers may be exposed to contagious staph bacteria.

They said people who swim in subtropical marinewaters have a 37 percent higher risk of being exposed tostaph bacteria, including an antibiotic resistant staph knownas Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

"We think that people are the instruments for bring-ing their organisms into the water and leaving it behind,"Dr. Lisa Plano of the University of Miami told reportersat the American Association for the Advancement ofScience meeting in Chicago. "I don't know if that is theonly source. The bacteria may still be in the sand leftover from other people, but we haven't studied that.These are things we plan to do in the future."

People who have open wounds or are immune com-promised have the greatest risk of infection, she said. Inone experiment with more than 1,000 bathers on a pop-ular Florida beach, people spent 15 minutes dunkingthemselves in the sea, then bringing sea water back withthem in a jug. They then tested the water for staph andMRSA and found 37 percent of the samples containedstaph, and 3 percent of those contained MRSA. "I don'tthink you should fear going to the beach," Plano said,particularly if they take a few simple precautions.

She recommends people shower before going tothe beach, to keep from depositing their own germsinto the water. And she suggests they shower oncethey leave, to wash off any pathogens. "If you don'tgo into the water with a gaping wound, you should befine," Plano said. Chicago Reuters

Researchers say people who swimin subtropical marine waters havea 37 percent higher risk of beingexposed to staph bacteria, includingan antibiotic resistant staphknown as Methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus, or MRSA

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