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

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
~ ' INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, MONDAY,MARCH 3, 1997 --r:f
I Erbak an 'p'l'ays" ,D'own u"'""" i, not ooly a form of gov"",.1
ment but a way of life and the guarantee
of democracy and social peace.
· T k "It has been decided that it is im-
COupDanger In ur ey ' possible to stepbâck from our under-
Agence France.Presse
ANKARA -Prime Minister Nec-
,TIt:ttin Erbakan of Turkey attempted
Sunday to calm fears of a coup, denying
',illYrift between the politicalleaders of
:lis party and the military, which has
ordered the government to crack down
on Islamic militants.
Mr. Erbakan said there was no "di-
'vergence of views" between the gov-
,erning coalition, led by his pro-Islamic
Welfare Party, and the influential armed
forces, the self-styled defenders of mod-'
ern .Turkey's secular tradition.
The prime minister's comments fol-
'lowed a marathon meeting of the National
Security Council on Saturday at
which the army is believed to have
'given Mr. Erbakan a last chance to rein
,in Islamists who have outraged secular
opinion w,ith a series of provocative
'rallies and pro-Islamic measures.
, According to press reports SundaY,1
,the military handed Mr. Erbakan a 20-
•poi~t .list of me.asl!res aimed at halting;
creepmg IslamIC mfluence in Turkey
;and thwarting alleged Iranian efforts to
des~abilize the Turkish government.
The plan included a ban on propa-
'ga'ida on pro-Islamic television and radial
tighter restrictions on religious
dress and measures to prevent Muslim
militants from entering the state administration.
The military also demanded a strict
application of eight laws upholding the'
secular priOl:iples of Turkey's constitution
and the closure of Koranic teaching
institutions that are controlled by
fundàmentalists.
But Mr. Erbakan, speaking before a
party meeting, denied there was a split
with the military: "The commanders in
'chief of the Turkish Army, the governing,
coalition partners and the president of
the republic are in perfect harmony. '
"If you read the statement carefully,
you will see that there was a total convergence
of views of all the members on:
the preservation of peace and calm in
Ihe country," Mr. Erbakan said, dis-:
missing media reports of the meeting as'
"chattering. " ,
President Suleyman Demirel warned
Mr. Erbakan last week that he would
accept no deviation from the country 'si
'secular tradition, fueling .speculation~
that the military was losing patience. '
-Military Warns Prime Minister :
,\'tephen Kinzer of The New York:
TI/Iles reported earlier:
'
A terse stàtement released Saturday;
after the National Security Council:
meeting, although issued in the name of
all participants, constituted an extraordinary
public warning by the military to
Mr, Erbakan's government. ,
The statementsaid the council had,
decided that' 'no steps away from the:
contemporary values of the Turkish Re-:
'public" would be tolerated. .
"It has been decided that destructive
and separatist groups are seeking to
weaken our democracy and legal system
by blurring the distinction between the
secular and the anti-secular," it said, "It
has been decided that in TurkeY. sec-
standing of the' social and legal principles
which form the structural core of
the state, and that out-of-date measures,
Islamist Leader Dénies Rift With Army ;~~~~~~ :~~~~~~~ee~ft~ ~~:\~~~t
system."
The statement also said that since
Turkey is campaigning to become a
member of the European Union, "it is
necessary to end all speculation which
may lead to suspicions about our democracy
and damage Turkey's image and
'prestige abroad."
Since Mr. Erbakim took office in
June, his government has taken steps
.that, while mainly symbolic, have conflicted
with Turkey's image as a bastion
of secularism.
Mr. Erbakan and some of his leading
advisers have encouraged young people
to attend religious academies, sought to
permit religious observances in government
buildings and military' bases. and
:advocated the construction of large
mosques in areas of Istanbul and Ankara
'that are known as centers of secularism.
After the National Security Councif
:session, politicalleaders said' they pre:
sumed that Mr. Erbakan would now talarentélPpt:tite.
L'armée'.'
met le holà
en Turquie
Une vingtaine de
medU~ pour contrer
. '
Lap011Mée~LamMte.
Gardienne traditionnelle de
lalaïcité républicaiße, l'ar~
mée nirque a dicté àla co3.I.ition
islarno-conserv~tI:ic~ il~"p'QU'
voirùoe vingtaine clemesureS nier en ffifnirnise 'la .portée.
très stricteS,de!>tinéesà mettrd Pour garantir une laïcitéà leurs
un coup d'arrêt à la mont~ d~ yeux en danger, les militaires
l'iSlamisme. Ces dispositions,' exigent une application plus
rendues publiques hier d,aitsla stricte de lois déjà existantes
.pressemais décidéeSvendredi ' mais qui n'étàient plus entière- .
lors de la réunion du Conseil ment respectées.
national de sécurité, instance, Parmi ces dernières figurent
regroupantleshau):sdirigeants l'interdictitm du port de coscivils
et militaires du pays, re- tUrnes islaniiques, la préémi-
,présentent un ultime avertisse- .nence du. mariage civil sur le
ment au ~rernier ministre et mariage religieux et l'interdicleader
du Refah (Parti de la tion de toute politisation de la
prospérité, islamiste), Nectnet- religion. Lesmilitaires annontin
Erbakan, bien que ce der- cent aussi la mise sous étroite
survêilläö.cè' des èhaînes de té-
'Iévision et dés radios islamistes
- où toute propagande procharia
(loi coranique) sera in-
.terdite -, et des organisations
,financières contrôlées par les
confréries religieuses.D'autres
mesures visent à prévenir l'infiltration
de militants fondamentalistes
dans l'appareil de
l'Etat. Les militaires s'attaquent
aussi aux écoles 'reli~
gieuses destinées à former des
imams' qui se sont multipliées
depuis une décennie; une
20