Turkish Daily News
Opinion by Mehmet Ali Birand
Jan18, 2001
[email protected]

The Leaders Summit did not produce the results expected by a certain segment of
society and by the market. What was expected was a full consensus between the leaders
on the National Program necessary to create a new Turkey. The impression we had from
the authorities participating in the summit meeting is that the completion of the Program
will probably take place next spring. But there is no point in despairing. The first two
steps have already been taken. Now we have the Kurdish issue, which is still unsolved. In
the meantime, the meeting provided some interesting points. For instance, the National
Program will never be handled in leader's summit meetings. It will be directly addressed
by Cabinet. And the Program will not be debated by the National Security Council (MGK)
either. Only those parts of the Program concerning security issues will be on the MGK
agenda. In this way, the criticisms pertaining to the proposed changes in the MGK's
status will have been blocked. And here is the current situation of certain issues of
sensitivity:

Abrogation of 312

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli stated his reservations
regarding the issue, but as a result of his partners Bulent Ecevit and Mesut Yilmaz's
insistence, he conceded to its abrogation in the medium-term in a manner that will
"observe the values protected by this Article and be in line with EU standards."

Abolishing of capital punishment

Plans to abolish the capital punishment were met by resistance from the MHP. It was
agreed after debates that "in the short-term, the moratorium on the execution of capital
sentences will continue and in the medium-term, the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) will be
amended, during which EU standards will be observed."

Broadcasting and education in Kurdish

On that, Bahceli took up a clear stance. He stated that it was impossible to grant
individual cultural rights and the right to educate and broadcast in one's mother tongue.
Faced with this blockade, Ecevit and Yilmaz told Volkan Vural, Secretary-General
responsible for EU affairs, to find a new formula. At that point, the most interesting
development was the General Staff's signaling that it will soften its stance on the same
issue. According to a high-ranking official participating in the meeting, the military wing
said, "it will not have a big opposition to education and broadcasting in the mother
tongue in the medium-term provided that terrorism is over." The same official also says
that though Bahceli seems to be extremely rigid on the issue, hopes for finding a solution
are yet to be dashed.

Cyprus

The EU has placed the issue among the political criteria. But leaders say Cyprus cannot
be seen as a political criterion and agreed that it would be sufficient to cite phrases
reiterating Turkey's already known views on the issue in the Program's section
containing "wishes."

To be settled next spring

The current situation we have now is that Turkey has failed to prepare a program which
will reciprocate the Accession Partnership Document, that is, show how and when
Turkey will fulfill the reforms required in the Document. Cyprus is a particular point of
contention. It was a very big warning for Turkey when the EU Commissioner Responsible
for Enlargement, Gunter Verheugen, said in a recent press conference that as long as
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), remained as a Turkish territory, it can
never be an EU member, while the Greek Cypriots were quite close to becoming a full
member. It was showing the priority the European Union is attributing to Cyprus. In the
coming weeks, the most important debates between the coalition partners will be on
Cyprus and broadcasting-education in mother tongue. The impression arising from the
Leaders' Summit was to the effect that Turkey would not hurry to submit the National
Program to the EU and would wait for the Framework Regulation to be announced by the
EU by the end of February. In sum, Turkey has entered a period of reform. With great
doubt and concern, it took its first few steps. There are still two big steps yet to be taken.
It is clear that, even if delays occur, this process is irreversible.

Mehmet Ali Birand's article is translated by TDN staff
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com