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

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm ()zeti
stem the anti-regime activities of religious
fundamentalist movements.
Noting that there has ~en no change
in the tension being experienced
between the military and civilian wings
of the MGK, one of the commanders
said, "Nothing that had not been voiced
out in the open in the past was articulated
during the meeting. What was left to
say anyway?"
'
At its Feb. 28 meeting, the MGK had
demanded, along with many other steps,
the introduction of an eight-year compulsory
education scheme. This has
caused a dispute within the coalition
with the semor partner Welfare Party
(RP) in oppositIOn since this would lead
to the closmg of the junior-high levels
of the clerical schools. Prior to the
MGK's April26 meeting. RP leader and
Prime Minister ~ecmenin Erbakan discussed
this issue with his coalition partner
Tansu Çiller. During that meeting,
True Path Party tDYP) leader and
Depul¥ Prime Minister Çiller put f~':lh ,
conditIOn to continue WIth the coahtlon
government, telling Erbakan that the
partners must jointly present to the
Parliament a "go\'ernment-spons~red
bill" introducing eight-year "contlnuous"
compubory education. Erbakan
agreed to this, although it is no secret
that his party opposes the scheme. But
other RP officials told the press,
"Presenting to Parliament a government.
sponsored bill to this effect would not
cause a change in our stance. We would!
obstruct it during parliamentary
debates."
The latest MGK meeting began at the
preSidential palace at 3:00 p.m. and was
chaired by President Süleyman Demirel.
First, the National Intelligence
Organization (MIT), Interior Ministry
and Foreign Ministry undersecretaries
gave information to the MGK members
about events of the past month involving
Turkey's internal and external security.
Significant external political
developments which dire~tly
pertain to Turkey's secunty
were discussed as well as law ,
and order throughout th~ country.
In this context, the sItuation
in eastern and southeastern
Anatolia was also discussed.
MGK members agree~
that in those regions the secun"
ty forces had been successful
in the fight against the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK), and. that ~e level
,of security estabbshed m th.e
region by now would penmt
the implementation of the economic,
social and cultural
"suPP'?rt programs" .prepared
speCially for the regIOn. They
decided that these programs
must be launched as soon "'s
possible.
1be MGK members also
reviewed the planned mea'iures
for the forthcomin~ May Day
celebrations. IndiVidual ministries
willlist the names of
thosecivil servants who do not
show up for work on Thursday,
May l, and have no valid
excuse.
At the end of the initial part
of the MGK meeting, Tourism
Minister Bahattin Yücel was
invited into the room. He provided
information about expectations
of the tourism sector for
the summer of 1997, as well as
the security measures involved.
The MGK decided that the
measures successfully implemented
in tourism resorts to
ensure tourist safety in 1996
should be maintained and
expanded in 1997.
~n the MGK members
completed debates on this specific
item, Yücelleft the room
and Justice Minister ~evket
'Kazan was invited inside.
Kazan gave information about
the implementation of earlier
MGK decisions regarding the
problems involving the country's
prisons. When it became
apparent that a large portion of
these decisions could not be
implemented due to a lack of
Justice Ministry funds, the
MGK decided that extra budgefall
funds sbould be allocated
to the ministry for this purpose.
During this part of the meeting,
no conversation took place
between Kazan and the military
about the investigation the ministry
has launched into Erzurum
regIOn gendar:t:nerie comm~der
Gen. Osman Ozbek's publtc
criticism of Erbakan and the
RP. Neither the military nor
Kazan made any reference,
direct or indirect, to this incident.
After KaZan left the room.
the MGK startin~ dealin~ with
the most crucial Item on Its
agenda. MGK Secretary-
General Gen. tlhan KIltç provided
information about the
stage reached in the implementation
of MGK decision 406,
,that is, the anti-fundamentalist
measures package the MGK
had recommended to the government
on Feb. 28.
Klllç underlined the unsatisfactory
nature of the stage
reaclied in the implementation
of the measures the MGK had
sought against the anti-regime
activities of the fundamentalist
movements "which are aimed at
creating an anachronistic platform
against the Turkish
Republic which the Constitution
describes as a democratic and
secular welfare state devoted to
Kemalist nationalism which
upholds the rule of law."
Interior Minister Meral
Aqener said that the eight-year
"continuous" basic education
was not an issue which concerned
her own ministry. She
said that for the implementation
of all the rest of the Feb. 28
measures package they had prepared
and sent to the provincial
governors and security directors
a timetable. She said that thë
schools and hostels being used
for fundamentalist activities
would be detennined in one
month's time, and that due procedures
regarding the administrators
of these facilities would
be completed in two months'
time.mspectionofKonm
courses would be completed in
one month' s time. In two
months it would be determined
whether there were any active
religious cult centers or retreats
and, in four months' time, due
measures would be taken
against these. The names of the
members of fundamentalist
movements and terrorist organizations
who have penetrated the
state. if any, would be determined
in two months and due
action would be taken against
them in six months. Referring to
the MGK demand for the
implementation of the "Reform
Laws" such as the Dress Code,
she said that checking would be
done on a pcnnanent basis with.
no time limit.
Members of the military
wing of the MGK said that adequate
steps had not been taken
in the past month to check on
fundamentalist activities. that
.such activities continued despite
the internal memo the Interior
Ministry had sent to the provincial
officials. They played two
videos. one involving "An
enemy of God," a controversial
theatrical play perfonned in
Erzurum triggering bitter
remarks from the regiQp' s gendarnlcrie
commander Ozbek,
and the other depicting street
scenes from Istanburs Fatih
district teeming with peo{>le
dressed in an anachronistic
manner in violation of the Dress
Code. The commanders criticized
also the way the RP
deputies had turned this year' s
pilgrimage to Mecca into a
political show. In the face of
this criticism, Erbakan remained
silent. Deputy Prime Minister
Tansu Çiller spoke out, sayinj!;
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