"It should not be forgotten that chief of General Staff is the commander of the Turkish Armed Forces. He has to protect this institution against unfair, groundless and harsh attacks. Today will the commander, who holds the position of chief of General Staff, keep his silence on this issue, to which Mr. Prime Minister already reacted to and rejected?" wrote Ba
bu
, addressing ?zel.

Ba
bu
's letter came after the landmark ruling released Aug. 5 in the Ergenekon coup plot case. The court ruled for the conviction of more than 250 people on charges of attempting to topple the government, while jailing Ba
bu
for life.

Ba
bu
recalls Erdo
an's remarks on case

"Some of those at the Turkish General Staff headquarters have been [convicted for being] the managers of a terror organization and others have terror organization member status. The Turkish Armed Forces' supreme headquarters is a terror organization's headquarters [according to the verdict]. The Turkish Armed Forces' commander is the manager of a terror organization. Let's stop here, take a breath and ask justifiably these questions: Mr. Prime Minister said on HaberT?rk channel on Feb. 1, 2013 that 'Yes, it's is a serious and unforgivable mistake to call active and retired generals members of a terror organization. If they [those who call generals terrorists] see their status as safe now, history will not forgive them. The Turkish Armed Forces is an organization but not a terror organization. It's a constitutional organization.' However, in a decision given around six months after this speech, the 13th High Criminal Court announced that some of the high-level officials at the General Staff headquarters are 'members of a terror organization' and some of them, including the chief of staff, are 'managers of a terror organization.' What will be thought and written about those holding the majority in Parliament failing to make the necessary amendments to prevent the historic mistake of the court and not making these amendments in the future?" asked Ba
bu
.

Ba
bu
cited Professor Sami Sel?uk and Professor 0
zzet ?zgen?'s remarks saying that the chief of General Staff is accountable to the Prime Minister and ruling out any terror accusations against the chief of General Staff.

"The chief of General Staff is appointed by the President upon the Cabinet's suggestion. The public wonders about the opinions of the Cabinet members, who proposed the appointment of the 26th Chief of General Staff and who worked with him, as well as Mr. President, who approved this proposal and worked with the chief of General Staff, over the remarks of these two respected legal experts," Ba
bu
wrote.

The verdict trial, which decided the fate of 275 suspects at the end of the five-year process, resulted in hundreds of years of imprisonment in total and several aggravated life sentences for a series of the country's high-ranking army members, journalists and academics.

Ba
bu
criticized the high security measures, disorganization and inhuman conditions during the trial in his letter. He wrote that the court's decision not to allow the relatives of the suspects inside the courthouse increased the tension in the country.

"The court's decision was mistaken in terms of its methods. It should be declared in an open trial and announced to the public with its justifications," Ba
bu
added. The courtroom was filled with deputies, press members and lawyers. Security measures were abnormally strict? the lawyers climbed on the bench to see the suspects. Were we being tried in our own country or in an enemy country? Or was the court seeing us as an enemy? What was the court expecting the suspects to do?" he added.

Ba
bu
said some of the suspects could not hear their sentences and had to ask the court to repeat it. Retired Gen. Ba
bu
said he walked off the courtroom when the release of Osman Y1
ld1
r1
m, who was involved in several attacks, including the fatal State of Council shooting, was read.

"When the release of suspect Osman Y1
ld1
r1
m is read, I thought that it would be an insult to my personality to stay in this room and I stood and walked off the room while applauding the decision," he said.

[10] Kilicdaroglu says specially authorized courts "illegitimate"

He was apparently referring to the recent controversial ruling by a specially authorized court that convicted a former top commander and more than 250 other people on charges of attempting to overthrow the government of Turkey.

"Specially authorized courts do not exist in democracies. Rulings made by specially authorized courts are not legitimate in democracies. The judiciary needs to be independent and impartial; the judiciary should not be in the hands of the political authority," K1
l1
?daro
lu said in an interview with Do
an news agency Aug. 9 in the eastern Anatolian province of Tunceli, his hometown, where he was observing Eid al-Fitr.

Decisions made by the martial law courts in the aftermath of the Sept. 12, 1980 military coup d'?tat were not accepted by the conscience of the society, K1
l1
?daro
lu said. He also said a court established after the May 27, 1960 coup against the Democratic Party (DP) government led by late Adnan Menderes that sentenced the toppled prime minister, Menderes, to death, was not a "natural" court and the decisions made by it were not accepted by the conscience of society either.

"The extraordinary courts do not deliver justice; the extraordinary courts fulfil the orders of the political authority; that's why we do not consider the decisions made by these courts legitimate. We do not consider the judges serving there as judges either. No offense. If you limit the right to defence, then should we consider him a judge? Should we consider that court as the court that delivers justice?" K1
l1
?daro
lu said.

[11] Columnist argues on AKP-Gulen community quarrel about 2014 polls

"Behind the argument between the AKP [Justice and Development Party] and the [Fethullah Gulen] community, which started as a polemic among newspaper columnists and grew on social media, lie calculations for the crucial year of 2014 when first the local and then presidential elections will be held. According to the AKP's estimates, the community can steer a proportion of 6% of the votes in the elections. There are indications in the political corridors that starting in autumn, the process between the AKP and the community will take shape around the 6% share of the cake.

The first clear indication of the AKP-community row appeared in the national media through columnists. Mehmet Barlas in the Sabah daily asked why Today's Zaman, which is among the media organizations close to the community, did not publish the advertisement that had been placed by Oscar winning actors in The Times, to which Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had strongly reacted.

Barlas accused media organizations close to the community, and principally Today's Zaman, for publishing harshly critical comments targeting the government during the Gezi protests. Ekrem Dumanli, editor-in-chief of the Zaman newspaper, responded to Barlas: "Are you the party spokesman?" and then the polemics continued with the participation of other newspaper columnists. Thereafter, Orhan Kemal Cengiz's article in Today's Zaman titled "How does Erdogan fall from leadership" led to mutual recriminations that bordered on a fight, which were then transferred to social media. The hashtag started by AKP supporters, "Zamannewspaper, get yourself together," won third spot in Turkey's top news agenda.

Frozen Since 7 February

It is pointed out in the political corridors that the Gezi protests has reignited what the AKP supporters had called the "7 February coup" tension, which had cooled off after rising to a peak when MIT [National Intelligence Organization] Director Hakan Fidan was called to give evidence. It is stressed that Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc's visit to Fethullah Gulen, when the former accompanied Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in his US trip, had not been positive. Following this development, decisions to carry out an operation within the police force and to shut down Gulen's teaching institutions that came in tandem have brought the row out into the daylight, it is pointed out.

Six Percent Cake

People in the corridors say calculations over 2014 when two critical elections will be held constitute the political background of the media row that erupted with these developments. According to the information obtained, the AKP calculates the proportion of voters who are guided by the community as 6%. It is stressed within the AKP that the community has estimated the proportion of votes it guides as between 15-20%, but that this does not reflect the truth. The AKP said of the community's vote capacity: "They clearly worked toward a 'yes' in the 12 September referendum. The hoja [Gulen] announced that 'even the dead must vote.' Then they supported us in the 2011 elections. What we have established is an electoral proportion of around 6%."

Gul Dimension

According to the AKP, President Abdullah Gul's indecision about whether to seek another term is another factor that has triggered the fight. According to the AKP's expectations, questions over how Gul's political future will take shape and if Erdogan becomes a presidential nominee, who will he nominate as his successor for the AKP and the government will also keep on fueling the fight and give it new dimensions.

Even Half Percent is Vital

It is regarded as certain in the AKP that the fight that has unfolded will continue until after the two elections in 2014. Expectations are voiced by the AKP that this fight will carry on with its news dimensions starting in autumn when the solution package and the issue of the new constitution will be on the parliamentary agenda. However, it is said that bearing in mind that the president will be chosen by the public and that a 50+1 percent vote is required, no opportunity for voter support for Erdogan will be sacrificed. It is said: "Even half a percent is vital for us." Evaluations are also being made within the AKP that the one-year period during which the two elections will take place will be very stressful due to the troubles being experienced with the community, but that in the last instance a division of paths will not be risked."

[12] PetroChina to join giant Iraqi oilfield

China is already the top foreign player in Iraq's oilfields. A deal at West Qurna, which is around 50 km northwest of the southern oil hub of Basra, would boost its dominance and could make PetroChina the biggest single foreign investor in Iraqi oil.

West Qurna is central to Iraq's oil expansion plans, with enough reserves to pump more than 5 million barrels per day (bpd), and it could rival the world's biggest producer, Saudi Arabia's Ghawar field, when its two phases are running fully.

"PetroChina will participate in developing the field," an industry source with direct knowledge of the deal with Exxon said on Friday.

The agreement would be announced in weeks, the source said, but declined to give further details on how the world's two most valuable listed energy firms would work together in Iraq. Both PetroChina and Exxon declined to comment.

PetroChina already partners BP at Rumaila, now Iraq's largest producer, and operates the Halfaya and al-Ahdab fields. The company was the first foreign firm to sign an oil service deal in Iraq after U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein.

Baghdad signed a series of service contracts in 2009 that committed international oil companies to raising Iraq's oil output by 2017 beyond 12 million bpd - more than Saudi Arabia produces now.

Infrastructure and security problems have since forced the government to cut the target to 9 million bpd by 2020. The issues are so acute Iraq could report a year-on-year output fall for 2013, its first after two years of robust gains.

Despite the frustrations, Exxon, which holds a 60% stake in West Qurna-1, has made steady progress with minority partner Royal Dutch Shell and the field, a $50 billion investment project, is pumping around 480,000 bpd.

[13] Turkey, Japan take important step toward reaching free trade accord

The report prepared by the Joint Study Group, has been finalized and is ready to be sent to the Japanese side, the Turkish Economy Ministry said in a statement released on its website last week.

Japan and Turkey agreed to look into the possibility of negotiating a bilateral free-trade agreement in July 2012 during ?a
layan's Japan visit, in order to develop trade volume, which totalled $3.9 billion in 2012.

The statement said that after the Japanese side completes the internal approval process of the report, the countries will be ready to pass to the subsequent phase of beginning FTA negotiations.

The group's report reflected authorities' previous remarks regretting that the trade volume between the two countries was below the real potential. Turkey especially wants to balance its trade ties with one of the largest economies in the world.

Turkey conducted only $332 million in exports to Japan last year, figures that were dwarfed by Japanese exports to Turkey totalling $3.6 billion. "A free trade to be negotiated between the parties is expected to deepen the economic relations and enrich the investment and cooperation opportunities as well as boosting bilateral trade ? which currently weigh against Turkey ? while turning it into a more balanced structure," the report said. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

YH

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