Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS REVIEW-BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ-RwISTA STAMPA-DENTRO DE LA PRENSA-BASlN ÖZETi
that Ankara "should take a concrete step to
demonstrate its will for democratic reform."
Within this framework. Ciller's statement
last week that Kurdish broadcasts or
Kurdish-language lessons could be allowed
was carefully noted, although it was also
observed that Çiller has made several statements
before.
Another step, European diplomats say in
private conversation, would be changing
article 84 of the constitution, which was
invoked in stripping the parliamentary status
of the Democracy Party deputies.
Turkish diplomats have told the Turkish
Daily News that while Ankara was "not dissatisfied"
with the French government's
stance in its approach to the human rights,
some French interest groups and some parliamentarians
have made "a very biased and
unwelcome" interference to Turkey's
domestic affairs.
Ironically, Çiller's visit to France is made
at a time when the French government is
also criticized for putting civilliberties
behind interests of public security, and, also,
being involved in a "French-style
Watergate."
Last month, the French police was criticized
for hauling Bernard Tapie, a centerleft
deputy accused of fraud. out of his hed
early in morning and taken away in handcuffs.
The fact that Tapie's telephone had
been tap~d at a judge's order gave way to
more cnticism. and prompted ~he French
National Assembly to pass a bIll the next
day that the president of the both houses of
the parliamènt shouldbeinformed about
plans to tap a deputy's telephone.
Çiller's agenda
Çiller' s visit marks the upward trend in
ties which started with the visit of P.resident
Mitterrand to Turkey in 1992, Foreign
Ministry spokesman Ferhat Ataman said.
While in Paris. Çiller is scheduled to meet
Izmir-born French Prime Minister Edouard
Balladur and French Foreign Minister Alain
Juppe. She will. however, will not be able to
meet Francois Mitterrand. who is recovering
from his second prostate operation in two
years. A letter wishing a speedy recovery
was conveyed to Mitterrand by President
Sülexman Demirel on Tuesday.
Ciller, whose accompanymg delegation
includes businessmen, will also meet with
French business circles and members of the
French press.
Given the fact that France takes over the
European Union term-presidency after
Germany, Paris becomes an important capital
for Turkey.
Çiller, acutely aware of Turkey's economic
difficulties in establishing a customs
union with the EU by the end of 1995. will
stress once more that the European Eleven
should display sufficient political will to
overcome Greek objections to establishment
of ties between Turkey and Greece.
She is also expected to reiterate Turkish
objection to the membership of Cyprus in
the European Union.
An.kara i~ eager to include france in the
tripartite mechanism of consultation which
was launched last year between Turkey,
Britain and Gennany. France has signalled
that it could join in during the next meeting,
whose date is yet to be set.
Other international issues on the agenda
appear to the situation in Iraq, the flushing
of the Turco-Iraqi pipeline. the situation in
Bosnia-Herzegovina with particular stress
on the new peace plan and the conflict in the
Caucasus.
Ankara has recently rejected the request
of France on behalf of a nongovernmental
organization to transport humanitarian aid to
Armenia.
On Bosnia, Foreign Minister Hikmet
çetin earlier this week criticized a decision
by France and Britain to withdraw their
peacekeepers from Bosnia, saying this
would give the wrong message to Serbs.
Three days before Çiller's visit to Paris.
Demirel has written a letter to Mitterrand -
along with the leaders of G-7 and Russia -
urging them to put pressure on the Serbs to
accept the new peace plan. Demirel said that
the Bosnians should be given the right to
defend themselves. thus calling for the lifting
of the embargo.
On the economic front, the two prime
ministers will discuss ways to boost economic
ties, which Foreign Ministry
spokesman Ataman said had improved over
the recent years.
France has the highest foreign investment
in Turkey, Ataman said, adding that 137
French firms were active in Ankara.
Turks seem complacent as the outlawed DEP
tightens legalistic noose
Former Del1wcracy Party deputies maintain that Turkish security forces have established allumber
of 'concentration camps' ill Southeastern Anatolia of town on th~ir yearly leaves. Only the visiting DEP
By Ugur Akmel
Turkish Daily Nell's
WASHINGTON- Washington is still scorched by an,
unrelenting, humid and sticky heat wave. Close your
eyes for a moment, and you might swear you' re in
Adana. But politics never comes to a standstill in this
city even when the thermometers melt. Capitol Hill continues
to hum with one frenetic committee meeting after
another before the Congress adjourns for the August
break.
The Turkish offices are quieter. The office of the
Turkish milita~' attache is enjbying relati"e calm following
the whirlwind "isit of Land Forces Commander
Gen. Karadayl.
The embassv is also idling In lower gear.
Ambassador Kandemir left town a while ago for hls 45-
. day summer "acation
in Turkey.
Most of the counselors
are also out
(the pro-Kurdish Democracy Party which was banned.
~y the Turkish. Constitutional Court on June ]6) de]egatwn
- C0mpnsed of former Van Deputy Remzi Kar1al.
former ~ardin Deputy Ali Yigit, Kerim Nevsehir from
the KurdIsh ~uman Rights Project (KHRP al London),
and the Amencan Kurdish Information Network's Kani
Xulam - seems to be as busy as a bee.
DEP is busy in Washington
The DEP ex-deputies, who can receive the death
penalty, if they .go back to Turkey, seem to be everywhere
ln Was~IDgton thes.e days, having one meeting
~fter another With human nghts groups, NGOs, journal-
Ists (mostly non-Turkish) and selected members of the
U.S. Congress. The International Human Riohts e Law
Group ll!1R~G) and the Conference on Security and
Coopqllon m Europe (~SCE) provide ail the logistic
sùpport the DEP delegatIOn needs to spread their word
around town. And the word is "we need to end the mill-
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