TRKNWS-L TURKISH Daily News (January 20, 1996)

From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>

Turkish News Directory

CONTENTS

TURKISH DAILY NEWS / 20 January 1996

[01] Ferry hijacking ends without bloodshed

Turkish Daily News

ISTANBUL- The Black Sea ferry drama reached a bloodless end late Friday afternoon as pro-Chechen gunmen, who had been holding more than 200 hostages on the ferry "Avrasya" since Tuesday evening, surrendered around 5.30 p.m. All hostages were freed as the authorities took control of the ferry. The hijackers were taken into custody and were being held at a local naval headquarters.

Istanbul experienced a very tense day while the negotiations to persuade the gunmen to surrender continued. At noon, the negotiations seemed to be deadlocked but a "happy ending" was reached late Friday afternoon.

The Avrasya approached Istanbul on Friday morning but port authorities did not permit it to enter the Bosphorus.

The gunmen nevertheless declared, in a televised phone interview, that they were determined to enter the narrow waterway.

The gunmen demanded negotiations with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the self-declared Chechen Republic, Semsettin Yusuf.

The ferry's path was blocked over the course of the day by several warships from the Turkish Navy and Coast Guard.

The Avrasya left the port of Trabzon, a major city in the Black Sea region, on Tuesday evening and had been sailing toward Istanbul since then.

The hijackers declared that their aim was to protest Russia's military campaign in Chechnia and, in particular, to secure the safe return to their country of the Chechen militia group, "Lonely Wolf," which was holding a number of hostages in a village in Dagestan.

Negotiations over the radio between the gunmen and authorities on the issue of where the ferry should anchor continued during the day. The gunmen insisted throughout these talks on their determination to enter the Bosphorus.

The 3,839-ton Avrasya, which was shadowed by coastguard and navy gunboats, finally anchored in the cove at Sogan Island near the entrance to the Bosphorus.

"We have stopped. We have no intention of doing anything now," the leader of the hijackers, Muhammed Tokcan, told a navy officer.

One of the gunmen said, "It is our decision," in reply to a question concerning Prime Minister Tansu Ciller's call "to surrender."

The same gunman, in response to a question put to him over the telephone by state-run TRT television, said that a delegation of three was already on board for negotiations. He stated that they had sent a few sick passengers back with the boat which brought the delegation.

The semi-official Anatolia news agency reported that the delegation which boarded the ferry consisted of members of the Caucasia-Abhazia Solidarity Committee.

Semsettin Yusuf told private ATV television, "We don't support or approve of this action. This is not the way to help the Chechen cause. We Chechens are not terrorists. I will do my best to secure a bloodless end to this action." He added that the request for negotiations came from the gunmen. Yusuf said the gunmen were by no means acting under instructions and that they acted entirely on their own behalf.

The gunmen said that, "We are like dynamite ready to explode. We demand the withdrawal of surrounding (warships). We will, with the help of Allah, enter the Bosphorus; we have no other alternative." The gunmen said that they didn't have food and there was a fuel shortage, and they requested clean water for the engines.

It was reported that the eight sick hostages freed by the gunmen were taken to So=A7an Island. Three of the eight were said to be Russian nationals.

Anatolia reported that from time to time the ferry turned back on its route towards the Bosphorus and was immediately blocked by coast guard boats and warships. The agency reported that in addition to the coast guard boats and warships surrounding the ferry, the route towards the Bosphorus had been blocked at five different spots.

Prime Minister Tansu Ciller, who met on Friday morning with top military and civilian officials, noted that the Avrasya had been blocked by the warships to prevent its access to the Bosphorus and described it as a significant step toward ending the ordeal. She said if the ferry entered the Bosphorus, the danger would threaten the inhabitants of Istanbul.

She added that negotiations were continuing to secure a peaceful end to the action. She said that, "There will not be any bargaining with the activists who have violated the laws of Turkey." Russian President Boris Yeltsin argued that Turkey was delaying a solution to the hijacking, and implied that force might be used against the hijackers.

Yeltsin, speaking at a press conference on Friday in Moscow, said that, "We offered assistance to Turkey to resolve the problem. However, we are not satisfied with Turkey's handling of the problem." Yeltsin, stating that there are 150 Russian anti-terror underwater teams and two Russian destroyers in the area, said that, "The majority of the hostages are of Russian origin. We can prevent a tragedy. However Turkey is slowing this down."

[02] Where do the parties stand after a month

Turkish Daily news

ANKARA- With four weeks gone by since the Dec. 24 election, the government puzzle is nowhere near a solution. The hectic rounds of meetings among the leaders of the five parties that managed to get into Parliament failed to produce a formula that would end the impasse. Although the roles the parties will play have appeared in hazy outlines, further time is needed for the picture to clear.

The month of contacts, however, was not totally wasted. It at least served to establish which models cannot be implemented.

The new process, starting after the concession of defeat by Islamist leader Necmettin Erbakan, will narrow the focus on the applicable models that would eliminate the necessity of another early election.

The positions of the parties regarding the possible coalition are as follows before the start of the new round of talks:

WELFARE PARTY: The Islamist party remains the most comfortable at the end of the four weeks, despite its failure to attract partners in the first round, taking solace in the fact that it has the largest number of seats -- 158 -- in the 550-member legislature, having left behind mainstream secularist rivals on the right and left.

The only model unacceptable to the RP is one that excludes the premiership of its leader, a possibility which Erbakan dismisses politely as not "chic" enough.

Although drawing a blank in all of his efforts to find a partner to a coalition he hoped to lead, Erbakan, nevertheless, has not buried all hopes of realizing his ambition with the Motherland Party of Mesut Yilmaz, leaving the door open for an eventual partnership if other options fail.

Returning his assignment to form the government to President Suleyman Demirel after 12 days, the Islamist leader underlined that all the options, being in the government, being in opposition or going to another early election, will be to the benefit of his party.

hopes that the trial of old and new models will result in the realization that a formula excluding the Islamists is not feasible.

ANAP : The Motherland Party, which emerged from elections with the second-largest number of votes and the third-largest number of parliament seats, remained constantly under pressure throughout the four weeks, with the business circles, mass-circulation newspapers and private television stations lobbying actively for a coalition between ANAP and Tansu Ciller's True Path Party (DYP).

While reluctant to shoulder the responsibility of committing the secular party to a marriage of convenience with the Islamists, ANAP leader Yilmaz resisted the take-it-or-leave-it attitude of the rival center-right party which refused to give up the premiership of Ciller.

ANAP, following Tansu Ciller's insistence on becoming prime minister, increased its contacts with the RP while at the same time maintaining warm relations with the Democratic Left Party (DSP).

ANAP leader Mesut Yilmaz kept the door open to a coalition with the RP within the context of a strategy aimed at showing that other coalition proposals have been tried to no avail.

ANAP's next step will be to wait for Ciller to be given the job of forming a government and to demonstrate that the "Motherpath" formula will not work.

It will then move to demonstrate that the path is also blocked for a minority government made up of ANAP, the DSP and the Republican People's Party (CHP).

Prepared to put up with the time loss that these developments would represent, ANAP will try to get the public to accept the notion of a coalition government with the RP as the alternative to early an election which, it will argue, is a waste of time for the country.

The DYP position: The DYP, which in terms of percentage came out of the elections as the third party but in terms of the number of seats in Parliament came second, has come around to calling for early general elections, arguing that this is the only way out of the current impasse which has already cost the country a month.

Announcing that it will not accept any prime minister other than Tansu Ciller in the event of a coalition with the DYP, this party has also declared that the "Motherpath" formula is unworkable.

Let alone the fact that she is not willing to accept any job other than prime minister, Ciller has gone even further by suggesting that she is after a presidential system with herself as president.

Ciller has said in so many words that she wants to enact the necessary constitutional changes for presidential elections and to go for elections in order to form a government with her at the helm.

If a coalition with ANAP is not possible, Ciller will go for a strategy of trying to bring about early elections.

The DSP position: The DSP has made a decision not to take part in any government formula. DSP leader Ecevit is saying that they will not pose difficulties for any coalition that is formed, so that the country is not left without a government. This is being interpreted as implying that they will not give a vote of confidence to any government and will choose instead to abstain from voting. The DSP is trying in this way to support the formation of a government indirectly, but without taking on any responsibility.

The CHP position: The CHP, which barely managed to pass the electoral threshold of 10 percent in the Dec. 24 elections, has said it supports the Motherpath formula and has implied that it also expects to participate in such a government. The CHP has also given up on its previous position of staying close to Ciller. It is now calling for Ciller to stop insisting on becoming prime minister.

With one month almost over in the effort to form a government, the proposals that are not possible are now apparent. The second month will show whether an acceptable formula can be found.

[03] Washington Insight: Are the security and economic interests of Turkey i

WASHINGTON- The events in war-torn Chechnya and their spill over to the Black Sea ferry hijack have highlighted the crucial importance of security in the tumultuous Caucasus, worrisome particularly to Turkey and Russia.

General Pavel Grachev, the Russian Minister of Defence, said in April 1995 that Russia could not comply with the restrictions of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty because of unrest in the Caucasus states and Chechnya. On Nov. 17, 1995, at the deadline of treaty implementation, Russia did just that. They announced that they would not comply with CFE limitations. Turkey vehemently objected to this stand. Then, a few days after the announcement, President Bill Clinton and Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Strobe Talbott reportedly sent letters to Prime Minister Tansu Ciller asking Turkey to be lenient on the noncompliance issue.

The two letters resulted in a number of interpretations in Turkey, including the possibility of a quid pro quo for U.S. support of Turkey in the European Union and for Turkish policy in Bosnia.

I asked the exact same questions here in Washington. Lynn Davis, Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, responded to the question by saying: "Turkey is a close ally and we work together on a broad range of issues.

That does not mean we always agree -- although of course we aim for that. The U.S. has supported Turkish entry into the customs union for good reason -- because we believe in greater Turkish integration in the transatlantic economy. We appreciated Prime Minister Ciller's support in Bosnia."

Conservative circles in the United States are viewing the CFE noncompliance posture of Russia in the same way as the Turkish government and the Turkish public perceives it -- that Russia's move is another manifestation of Russia's geopolitical ambitions. Isn't there a danger that the American position simply helps Russia realize these ambitions? What about U.S. interests and the stand it has taken on the issue of Central Asian and Caucasus oil?

Lynn Davis responded: "We continue to believe that the problem of the treaty's flank limits as raised by Russia should be addressed through a combination of measures agreed in a cooperative fashion and acceptable to all parties to the treaty.

The alternative to a negotiated solution on the lines I've laid out is not obvious. Would Turkey or any member of NATO benefit if Russia pulled out of the CFE Treaty? I don't think so. Or if we did not seek a solution to the flank problem? Again, this would not enhance anybody's security."

She added: "The U.S. treats CFE as a security issue in its own right. We view CFE as one element, of many, in our common effort to build stability in the Caucasus region. For example, U.S. support for a dual oil pipeline route reflected our interest in promoting the prosperity and stability of the Newly Independent States of that region -- an objective we share with Turkey." The Review Conference of the Treaty is scheduled for May 1996.

Until then, I am sure we will hear a lot more about this noncompliance issue. There are, of course, some alternatives for the resolution of the issue like accepting a portion of Russian forces in the flank area as "temporary deployments" or encouraging Russia to deploy lighter forces that do not have large numbers of treaty-limited equipment in the North Caucasus area. However, until some kind of settlement is reached on this disputed issue, it seems that anything goes, for all sides, of course.

I can't help but remember an old Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times." It seems that 1996 is surely promising to be an interesting time for Turkey internally, as well as externally, but let's hope not too interesting.

[04] Demirel assigns Ciller after Erbakan throws in towel

ANKARA- President Suleyman Demirel on Friday appointed caretaker Prime Minister Tansu Ciller to form a new government after Islamist leader Necmettin Erbakan conceded defeat in his efforts to break the deadlock brought about by the Dec. 24 general election.

Ciller, stalling until her appointment to commit her True Path Party (DYP) to an alternative coalition between the secularist parties, said "a government will definitely emerge in the framework of democratic traditions." She said she would quickly get work, but called for patience, and conciliation.

Demirel had earlier assigned the task to Erbakan, whose Welfare Party (RP) led the mainstream secular parties in the poll, grabbing 158 seats in the 550-member parliament. Ciller's DYP bagged 135 seats while Mesut Yilmaz's Motherland Party (ANAP) followed with 133. The Democratic Left Party (DSP) of Bulent Ecevit ended up with 75 seats and Foreign Minster Deniz Baykal's Republican People's Party trailed with 49.

The veteran Islamist failed to attract partners to the coalition he wanted to lead although he moderated his party's anti-secular and anti-Western stance.

The DYP, DSP and CHP all shunned the partnership Erbakan offered during his ten-day effort to put together a coalition.

Only the Motherland Party (ANAP), led by Mesut Yilmaz left the door open for a later deal if his efforts towards a center-right coalition fails.

Before her assignment by Demirel to form the new government, Ciller chaired a meeting of her party's top executives at which she stressed the fact that her party was ahead in the number of parliamentary seats, and that the government would have to be formed in keeping with democratic traditions.

She also stressed the need for conciliation and said nobody had the right to set conditions regarding the partnership.

Since the election, personal rivalries between Ciller and ANAP leader Yilmaz have prevented the formation of a center-right coalition, possibly backed by a left-wing party, despite pressures from the powerful business community and the secularist media.

DYP Deputy Chairman Ismail Kose said that, after Demirel gave the assignment to form the government to Ciller, Yilmaz and Ciller would meet to discuss the premiership problem in detail.

Kose said formation of a coalition government under the premiership of someone other than Yilmaz or Ciller could not be considered and that alternatives which excluded the third party proposal could be evaluated.

DYP officials had earlier announced that they would not accept any proposal excluding Ciller's premiership. The new position was seen as a tactic to pave the way for a meeting between Ciller and Yilmaz, who earlier had ruled out a meeting with the DYP leader unless she dropped her insistence on heading the projected coalition.

[05] EU Commissioner Abou holding talks in Turkey

ANKARA- The EU commissioner responsible for Turkey, Serge Abou, arrived in Ankara on Jan. 18 to hold talks with Turkish officials on the customs union which took affect on Jan. 1.

Abou said he will hold talks with Turkish businessmen, firms and universities to supply information on the functioning of customs union.

Asked if the Cyprus issue will be on the agenda during his talks, Abou said that all the joint issues would be discussed during his talks, as he is responsible for relations not only with Turkey, but also with Cyprus, Malta and other Mediterranean countries.

He pointed out that EU took a decision to negotiate all problems concerning the Mediterranean countries at the Barcelona Conference held a few weeks ago.

Abou said during a conference at Ankara University that the aim of the customs union was to launch a basic dynamic toward the EU. He added that Turkey was in a lucky period, as it was in the trend of dynamic economic growth.

He said "Cyprus is not a price that Turkey will have to pay for the customs union," and added that the EU was trying to conribute to solve the Cyprus problem.

He emphasized the price that Turkey must pay for joining the customs union will be economic discipline. However, he said the price would be regarded as fair for the self modernization it will bring.

Abou will meet with the representatives of economic development fund, the Turkish exporters union and EU ambassadors to Turkey during his stay.

[06] Foreign Minister Baykal raps Syria over PKK support, discounts terrorism-water linkage

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- Serving a strongly-worded warning to Syria against supporting Turkey's separatist Kurdish rebels, Foreign Minister Deniz Baykal on Friday ruled out Turkey's entering a bargain over terrorism in connection with another -- water -- issue.

In a statement to the Anatolia news agency, Baykal said providing shelter to the center of an organization waging a terroristic campaign in Turkey, endorsing and supporting it is not compatible with goodneighbor ties and rules for international relations. "Every nation has to take an open stance against terrorism. Some countries should not resign themselves to becoming a headquarters for terrorism, to turn into a confederation of terrorists. Terrorism is an enemy of humanity, of civilization, of peace and security. No one should seek any gains from it," Baykal said.

He was referring to the suspected Syrian support to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been waging a separatist war that claimed nearly 20,000 lives in southeastern Turkey since 1984. Turkey says Ocalan is residing in Syria in violation of an existing security agreement between the two countries.

Baykal said seeking influence through supporting terrorism is not acceptable.

"I want to underline this once again in all sincerity, with no accusatory or derogatory intent: The headquarters of a terroristic movement targeting Turkey is located in Damascus; Syria is consciously giving sanctuary to this terrorism center on its soil. The official (Syrian) statements have no credibility whatsoever. There is this simple fact and everybody has to see it," the foreign minister bluntly said.

The logistic support provided to separatists by Damascus has been viewed by Ankara in the context of what is seen as a Syrian strategy to force Turkey to let through larger volumes of water from the Euphrates River. Turkey, is building giant dams, hydroelectric power plants on the Euphrates, and its twin, the Tigris. The giant Southeastern Anatolia Project, to be completed early next century, also involves large irrigation schemes.

Although Turkey has undertaken to let through 500 cubic meters per second from the waters of the Euphrates, Syria and Iraq, further downstream, demand more and have been lobbying internationally for a share-out deal. Ankara, remaining averse to an international agreement dividing the waters of the two transboundary rivers between the three countries and proposing instead a three-stage plan for the "rational" use of the waters, has reacted strongly to an Arab League initiative believed engineered by Damascus.

Meanwhile Ambassador Rafi Dahham Mejwel al-Tikriti of Iraq, which has also made a demarche recently on the water issue, on Friday urged the settlement of the issue through dialogue between the interested sides and cautioned against an escalation.

"What purpose can escalation serve?" the ambassador asked in a separate statement to Anatolia. "Will the geography of the region change? I don't think so. Therefore, I think there is no way of settling the issue other than through dialogue," al-Tiriti said, adding that Baghdad had proposed technical and ministerial-level talks between the two countries on the issue.

[07] Baykal: Ankara not worried over international interest in Cyprus

ANKARA- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Deniz Baykal said on Thursday that the mounting international interest in the Cyprus issue was not a source of concern for Ankara, which wants a settlement to this long-standing problem.

Baykal indicated that Turkey supported a peaceful settlement on Cyprus and that it was cooperating with all the international organizations contributing to this process.

Baykal, who was speaking to the Anatolia news agency, said nevertheless that Turkey considered any efforts to impose a settlement from the outside as totally unacceptable.

"We believe that it is necessary for the legitimate representatives of both sides to meet with equal status and to jointly work out the settlement. Everyone can contribute to this," Baykal said.

He added that there was a de factoI situation in Cyprus today which could not be turned back.

"Peace can only come about by legitimizing this situation, and by acknowledging the sovereign equality of both sides," Baykal said.

Asked whether the United States was pressurizing Turkey for a settlement of the Cyprus problem, Baykal said that if "pressure" was being exerted for a settlement, then this would not cause any anxiety on the Turkish side.

If, however, this pressure was for the Turkish side to give up its legitimate demands, then this would be unacceptable, Baykal said.

Baykal said the international community had accorded equal status to the sides in Bosnia, which share a common language and culture.

He said that the same international community could not now refrain from according the same equality to the two sides on Cyprus, which are totally different in every aspect from ethnicity and religion to language.