July 14, 2008
July 12, 2008
"Assassination Plot Against Army Chief Revealed
Assassination Plot Against Army Chief Revealed
Former Chief of General Staff retired Gen. Hilmi Özkök was the target of a planned assassination, which was prevented when the US Secret Service discovered the plans, a newsweekly reported this week.
According to the newsweekly Yeni Aktüel, in the year 2003 a rift between top army generals arose over their differing stances on the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government. In this period, hawkish Naval Commander Adm. Özden Örnek and Air Force Commander Gen. Ibrahim Firtina became closer to Gendarmerie Commander Gen. Sener Eruygur, now under arrest on charges of having plotted a coup. All those involved have since reached the ends of their terms in office.
Forming an alliance with Ergenekon
Some media outlets, particularly those owned by the Doğan Media Group, as well as staunchly secularist circles, continue to downplay an ongoing operation into the Ergenekon gang, a shadowy crime network accused of plotting to overthrow the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, describing the investigation as the government's retaliation for the closure case filed against it.SABAH Newspaper English Edition - National - Here is Ankara behind the closed doors
Continue reading ""Assassination Plot Against Army Chief Revealed" »
July 09, 2008
"Hrant Dink, Ergenekon, and the saucy Turkish media
Hrant Dink, Ergenekon, and the saucy Turkish media
Cengiz ÇANDARBlocked and blurred, Dink trial feeds sense of despair
Attending proceedings of the Hrant Dink murder trial has always been a painful experience. For those of us journalists whose careers have been full of experiences of the never-ending legal and illegal processes against Turkey's intellectuals -- free speech "violations" or assassinations -- it is like a watching the same movie and knowing how it will end.Continue reading ""Hrant Dink, Ergenekon, and the saucy Turkish media" »
July 07, 2008
Taraf daily at the center of political tension
Some people are buying extra copies of Taraf in order to support the circulation while some are distancing themselves from it as they believe it has become a tool in the battle between AKP and Secularist front. It is hard to have a third position as the political polarization increases regularly. Still, it is also hard to be at an equal distance to these poles. There seems to be some violations in the way people are detained and the prosecutor seems to be too slow. However, not a single person who was arrested in the course of Ergenekon seems 'clean' politically. Even if they weren't involved in a concrete gang, they were vocal hate mongerers. They are all responsible for the creation of anti-liberal, coup smelling, anti-EU happenings. Some liberals are already getting soft on some journalists such as Mustafa Balbay, and I am quite certain that he did not do anything more than his job but could anyone hear any good from him, one single positive idea? He had been working incessantly against an elected government in an environment of coup preparations...
As the polarization intenses, pseudo-liberals are changing sides. Some columnists, such as Can Dündar has begun to question Ergenekon case. His whiny style makes romantic cases for especially women readers, but democratic struggle needs more...
Turkey: Recently launched paper at the forefront of political controversy
Thanks to its precocious reporting, Taraf, a small, Turkish daily paper launched last November, has found itself at the center of a brewing political storm.In its inaugural year, Taraf published a chain of stories divulging the army's efforts to overthrow the government's ruling party.
General Staff asked for confidential documents from daily Taraf
The General Staff has asked a newspaper to hand over confidential military documents it received, claiming the documents were illegally leaked to the press and published, reported daily Taraf Friday.
Demonstrators hold banners during the trial of suspects charged with the killing of Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink at a Turkish court in Istanbul July 7, 2008. Banner reads "We all are witnesses. We want justice.
" REUTERS/Fatih Saribas (TURKEY)Protests as open hearing in Dink case begins in Turkey
A Turkish court in Istanbul began on Monday the first open hearing of the assassination case of a Turkish-Armenian journalist. Protesters held demonstrations near the court during the trial of suspects."Continue reading "Taraf daily at the center of political tension" »
July 06, 2008
"Media, news manipulated on Ergenekon, say media experts...
In some cases, media might even be a manipulator. It doesn't need to be manipulated:)
Media, news manipulated on Ergenekon, say media experts
While the repercussions of the Ergenekon investigation are being felt amid the current political turmoil caused by the closure case opened against the ruling party, media analysts say theNews editor bites government
There is a monumental case before the courts in Turkey to shut down the ruling party, so it may come as something of a surprise to learn that some people are just too impatient to wait for the judges to do their worst.The amazing adventures of the Ergenekon mates
Mustafa AKYOLContinue reading ""Media, news manipulated on Ergenekon, say media experts..." »
July 02, 2008
First time in Republic's history!
Those former soldiers who were planning a coup are arrested. I don't think many will be sentenced in the Ergenekon case and it really took a long time to start the next step but it is a good sign for sure...
July 01, 2008
Another anti-Ergenekon move
Latest Ergenekon arrests: two retired generals, journalist, ATO head
Paper soldiers
Jun 26th 2008 | ANKARA AND ISTANBUL
From The Economist print edition
A leaked document exposes the army’s campaign against the ruling party
ON THE evening of March 4th, a black Mercedes swept into the Ankara headquarters of Turkey’s land-forces command. It was carrying Osman Paksut, the second-highest judge on the constitutional court. His assignation with the land-forces commander, General Ilker Basbug, was meant to be secret—all the security cameras were cut off as he entered and left the building—for it came at a highly delicate moment. The secular opposition had just petitioned the court to overturn a law passed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to allow women to wear the Islamic-style headscarf at universities.
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Turkish police have detained two retired generals, a leading businessman and a senior journalist, hours ahead of the first hearing in a closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
Police escort journalist Mustafa Balbay, center, the Ankara representative of pro-secular Istanbul daily Cumhuriyet, before a medical check in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 1, 2008. Turkish police detained 24 people including two retired military commanders Tuesday during raids against an alleged network of extreme nationalists accused of plotting to topple the government, according to media reports.
(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)A coup foiled in Turkey?
ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images
If you haven't been paying attention to Turkey, this news may come as a shock. Turkish police have arrested 24 people for allegedly plotting a coup against the government. Among the accused are two retired generals and the head of Ankara's chamber of commerce.
Article |Turkey and the army
Mavi Boncuk |Turkey and the armyPaper soldiers
Jun 26th 2008 | ANKARA AND ISTANBUL
From The Economist print edition
A leaked document exposes the army’s campaign against the ruling party
ON THE evening of March 4th, a black Mercedes swept into the Ankara headquarters of Turkey’s land-forces command. It was carrying Osman Paksut, the second-highest judge on the constitutional court. His assignation with the land-forces commander, General Ilker Basbug, was meant to be secret—all the security cameras were cut off as he entered and left the building—for it came at a highly delicate moment. The secular opposition had just petitioned the court to overturn a law passed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to allow women to wear the Islamic-style headscarf at universities.
June 27, 2008
"The CHP is a disgrace to social democracy..
The CHP is a disgrace to social democracy (1) by HALUK ÖZDALGA
The Republican People's Party (CHP) entered the autumn 2002 elections favored as the most likely winner, but instead finished a distant second, capturing about only half the seats won by the newly formed Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
Continue reading ""The CHP is a disgrace to social democracy.." »
June 21, 2008
"Armed Forces Party’s plan to straighten out society...
TÜSİAD’s constitutional convention move by MÜMTAZ’ER TÜRKÖNE
The Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD) is one of the most renowned and respected interest groups in Turkey.Armed Forces Party’s plan to straighten out society by YASEMİN ÇONGAR
The ‘türbanists,' the Kemalists and liberals
With itFor many years now there have been political clashes between two groups that I have categorized -- perhaps somewhat incorrectly -- as the "türbanists" and the Kemalists.In democracies the military doesn't run the country, it serves the country.
Continue reading ""Armed Forces Party’s plan to straighten out society..." »
Bülent Ersoy, Ergenekon, Tuzla, University exams- bad news roundup before good news from Euro 2008
Before broadcasting more good news from EURO 2008, here are some more pessimistic fragments from Turkish society. Right at the moment of euphoria, Erkan likes to experiment messing up:) Especially self-experimental in that sense. A few days ago NYT published a piece on Russian (women) (tourists) in Turkey (Free and Flush, Russians Eager to Roam Abroad - NYTimes.com) and before it got attention from 'natives' (including me), its biased structure was hightlighted by Christian and Jess. Here is Jess' piece:
Just look at this, will ya? Thanks, NYT, thanks a lot. Could you possibly contextualize a little more?
In the mean time, our Bülent Ersoy got herself into real mess: Up to four and a half years
The BBC reports that the popular tran-sexual Turkish singer Bulent Ersoy will face up to 4 and a half years in prison for questioning the Turkish military’s actions in North Iraq on a popular American Idol type television show last February.
Her statement:
June 18, 2008
"Is Turkey Headed for a Coup?...
Is Turkey Headed for a Coup?
All Turks want is peace and prosperity, but they may soon have to stand up to the generals.
by
by
Grenville Byford
............So far, the Turks are not headed for the streets. What they really want is peace and quiet, and economic opportunity for themselves and their children, a prospect AK Party's successful stewardship of the Turkish economy has finally started to offer. They will not thank anyone for upsetting the apple cart. This, I suspect, is why we have yet to see the normally pugnacious Erdogan breathing fire and defiance. Reflecting his supporters' views, he would rather not put the last five years of progress at risk. The question is whether Turkey's secular establishment—its courts, bureaucracy, and generals—will cede at least some power gracefully, or decline to give an inch and chance the people's reaction.
The EU has made clear that the removal of a duly elected government, and therefore any constitution permitting it, is unacceptable in a nation seeking membership. The Bush administration is sitting on the fence. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, standing beside Turkey's AK Party Foreign Minister Ali Babacan earlier this month, said: "Turkey will, of course, resolve its issues through its democratic process." Sadly, there is nothing inevitable about it. Someone should ask Rice whether she supports Turkey having a "democratic process" at all...........
Turkey's judicial-political crisis , Kirsty Hughes
Turkey's political and democratic troubles are deepening. The country's domestic problems are grave enough, but an additional complicating factor is that few of its putative friends and partners abroad are able or wish to exert a positive influence on the direction of events.
Rand corporation designs four scenarios for Turkey's future
Faced with a difficult dilemma due to the ongoing closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, the United States should underscore its strong support for TurkishJune 11, 2008
Urgent support needed for Mehmet Bal
Bal, a conscientious objector, is arrested for refusing to return to his unit. He was manhandled in the military detention facility where he spent the night. The Human Rights Association plans to protest the incident.
Bia news servıce
10-06-2008
Mehmet Bal, a conscientious objector, who announced his conscientious objection during his nine and a half month long military service, left his unit, and later acquitted of the accusation of “disobeying orders and alienating people from military service”, was arrested by police at Arnavutköy in İstanbul on Sunday (June 8).
He was taken to the 2nd Motorized Military Police Station Company Command.
Lawyer Gülseren Yoleri, the head of the Human Rights Association (İHD) İstanbul branch met with Bal after he spent the night in the station and determined that he was manhandled and the guards attempted to wake him up by pouring water over him.....
There will be at 13:00 in front of Galatasaray High School in Istiklal Street today.
May 28, 2008
"AK Party and YouTube share the same fate
AK Party and YouTube share the same fate
How interesting it is that this wave of bans on the Internet emerging from the Turkish courts comes at the same time that the court case aimed at seeing the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) shut down is on the agenda. It appears that it is the same mindset involved in both of these arenas!What is happening in Turkey?
Turkish politics is on the brink of a new era as whatever the outcome of the Constitutional Court's ruling on the Justice and Development Party (AKP), a new political landscape will emerge after the changes enforced, argues Senem Aydin Düzgit in a 22 May commentary for the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).Conceptualizing Turkey right: Post-Islamism vs. neo-secularism
Pinar K. TREMBLAYDoes the West care?
Does the West care about democracy in Turkey? The answer is, surely, yes. Both the EU and the US would certainly like to see democracy consolidated in Turkey.The new ‘reactionaries’ of modern Turkey
It has become clear that some representatives of state institutions are the new reactionaries of modern Turkey. They resist change at the expense of not only democracy and rule of law but also of their own legitimacy. A judiciary that loses its impartiality is suicidal.Continue reading ""AK Party and YouTube share the same fate" »
April 12, 2008
"Barroso pushes Turkey on reforms
Barroso's talk was calculated, sympathetic and diplomatic. He was determined not to talk on the current AKP trial but he could not resist to tease Turkish secularists at one particular moment. When he was talking about political miracles he had witnessed, he said "I hope secularists won't accuse me being religious when I use the word miracle" :)
Barroso pushes Turkey on reforms
On his first visit to Turkey as Commission President, José Manuel Barroso said he was confident that two more chapters in the accession talks with the country could be opened by July, while stressing that Turkey still has "a long way to go" before fulfilling EU membership conditions.
Oh well, AKP is lazy for sure. 19 of 114 promised promised laws since 18 April 2007 has been created.
April 10, 2008
Special Barroso coverage - II; Barroso welcomed as Google Groups banned now...
Although I have access right now, it is widely reported that Google Groups subdomain is banned (see ie. Google banned in Turkey!).
In the mean time, Hürriyet reports that Turkish military sends messages (through special Turkish political sign language) to Barroso that it was upset with Barroso's statement before his visit.
EU commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (R) and Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan review a guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony in Ankara April 10, 2008. Barroso is in the Turkish capital for talks with top Turkish officials.
REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)
EU commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (C) is welcomed by Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan (L) at the entrance of Erdogan's office in Ankara April 10, 2008. Barroso is in the Turkish capital for talks with top Turkish officials.
REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)
EU's Barroso Urges Turkey to Press Ahead With Reforms | Europe | Deutsche Welle | 10.04.2008
Top EU officials meet Turkish PM amid renewed reform efforts
rpp is worse than a rotting political carcass
just a short note for anybody anywhere who had hopes about the repuıblican peoples party of ever serving some use in turkey's future:the supposedly left wing party that did absolutely nothing to liberate any sector of the society, including labor, from the restraints of the military constitution of the 1982 coup d'etat, now reached the point where it prides itself on stopping the debates on the article 301 of the penal code that is universally recognized as a stumbling block before freedom of expression in the country.
Turkey’s turmoil, the EU’s reaction
by Katinka BaryschPolitical turmoil is nothing new in Turkey. After six years of unusual stability, tensions have mounted since early 2007. The army threatened to topple the AKP government in case it made Abdullah Gul president. Gul did become president, and the AKP emerged strengthened from an early election. Now the chief prosecutor has pushed a case in front of the constitutional court that threatens to ban the AKP because of its alleged anti-secular activities, most notably ending the ban on women wearing headscarves in universities.
Some more items related to Turkish politics....
Continue reading "Special Barroso coverage - II; Barroso welcomed as Google Groups banned now..." »
April 08, 2008
friends and enemies of Turkish military are listed....
and retired army officials are its best friends, according a newly leaked file....
all NGOs with a real civil substance are labelled as suspicious... A Hürriyet news sums up. They are suspicious because they have fundings from US or EU sources. And in the mean time, as Taraf states Turkish Army itself got funding from the EU for a project....
this file was prepared in March 2006 by a high level army official and it hasn't been denied by the Chief of Staff office...
This list also has a strong anti-semitic undercurrent. Check out that....
Continue reading "friends and enemies of Turkish military are listed...." »
"Turkish ruling AKP submits 301 proposal to parliament
Turkish ruling AKP submits 301 proposal to parliament
The Turkish government is planning to give the mandate over implementation of the controversial Article 301 of the Penal Code to the President, a spokesman said. CNN Turk reported the ruling party AKP submitted its proposal to the parliament."Continue reading ""Turkish ruling AKP submits 301 proposal to parliament" »
April 04, 2008
"Government is overthrown, Parliament should claim democracy
Government is overthrown, Parliament should claim democracy
Cengiz ÇANDARS&P cuts Turkey's credit outlook
The credit rating agency's surprise move reflects concerns on the country's political instability and effects of the global credit squeezeAnd the show trial begins...
Mustafa AKYOLFace the trial, slam the coup cycle, go for democracy
Cengiz AKTARContinue reading ""Government is overthrown, Parliament should claim democracy" »
March 19, 2008
Turkish status quo fights back - III "The state versus the people"
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| YAVUZ BAYDAR / March 19, 2007 | |
| AK Party's majestic failures and the only way out | |
| Show TV anchorman Ali Kırca had a major shock on air the other night. The subject was the results of a poll (of some 250,000 people) held after the prosecutor's move to disband the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). | |
| But when the poll revealed that support for the AK Party was at around 70 percent, Kırca was not smiling anymore. He had to cut the segment short and move on to something else. This leaves me yet again with a bitter smile. Large segments of the mainstream media have returned to the ugly basics: Apologists defend party closures with even stranger arguments than the prosecutor; some of the pundits clearly display their contempt for democracy. Those are the same ones who will later cynically apologize in case of yet another backlash, as they did after the failure of legal but clumsy attempts to weaken the AK Party before the July 22 elections last year. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE... The state versus the people by JOOST LAGENDIJK Efforts by one of the country's top prosecutors to close down the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) are a clear example of the mindset that is still dominant within the Turkish judiciary. | |
Continue reading "Turkish status quo fights back - III "The state versus the people"" »
Turkish status quo fights back - II
Turkey blocks YouTube access - CNN.com
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey blocked access to the popular video-sharing Web site YouTube on Thursday in response to a video clip deemed insulting to the country's revered founding father, state-run media said."
EU says move to ban ruling Turkish party 'undemocratic'
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn criticised a request from Turkey's chief prosecutor to ban the country's governing Justice and Development Party (AKP), saying it is not in line with the democratic standards expected of potential EU member states.
Turkey's President Abdullah Gul greets his supporters as he attends a ceremony marking the 93rd anniversary of the end of Gallipoli campaign in Gallipoli, March 18, 2008.
REUTERS/Umit Bektas
March 10, 2008
Youtube becomes a site of mysterious intelligence battles!
Hürriyet notes that a fourth video is released in Youtube which reveals some off the record talks of senior officials. We are into some intelligence battles whose details may never be known....
Key general asks for discharge
A top general in the Office of the Chief of Staff has asked for his discharge following the release of critical comments made by him on the recent military incursion in northern Iraq on
Secular demonstrators chant slogans during a rally marking International Women's Day in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 8, 2008. A demonstrator wearing a head band with a slogan reads that: 'We are following your path. We are guards of the republic' and waves a Turkish flag with a poster of modern Turkey's founder Ataturk on it.
(AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta)WOMEN IN TURKEY; Violence and Lack of Education
Continue reading "Youtube becomes a site of mysterious intelligence battles!" »
March 06, 2008
Some civilians seem to be wanting more military action...
Main opposition parties, MHP and CHP, immediately questioned the troop withdrawals from Northern Iraq. With a blend of anti-americanism and AKP, the opposition declared that this withdrawal happened because of US orders. While Turkish political sphere has turned to be a haven for free floating conspiracies and speculations, opposition received an unexpected rebuke. Their discourse implies that the Turkish army is in fact not independent. I don't believe the opposition intended to mean that. Their obvious target was the ruling party, AKP. But this led an unlikely confrontation: the army vs. MHP and CHP. The latters were not supposed to be seen against military and ironically the army and AKP are seen to be on the same side, at least for a short moment of political exchanges....
Continue reading "Some civilians seem to be wanting more military action..." »
Turkish Intelligentsia to government: You have no more excuses
Intelligentsia to government: You have no more excuses
A group of intelligentsia in Turkey has warned the government to keep its word on European Union accession reforms, daily Milliyet reported yesterday. “Elections and presidential are over. You accomplished your mission on your privileged issue of headscarf. Now you have no excuse not to embrace the EU project, which you have ignored for three years,” read the memorandum prepared by the group that includes academics, artists, and journalists. “Keep your word!” the memorandum demanded of the government....Continue reading "Turkish Intelligentsia to government: You have no more excuses" »
February 11, 2008
"Plans to topple gov’t using civilians
Turkey votes to lift head-scarf ban, but battle continues | csmonitor.com
Journalist and educator Alper Görmüş has said his conviction about the military's plans of using civilian forces to uproot Turkey's ruling party from power has been proven once again by the recently published words of a retired general.
Hürriyet sums up the first day after the legislation in Anatolian universities and laments on the foreign news agencies' portrayal of Turkish women.
Alper Görmüş: Plans to topple gov’t using civilians
Journalist and educator Alper Görmüş has said his conviction about the military's plans of using civilian forces to uproot Turkey's ruling party from power has been proven once again by the recently published words of a retired general.Fear, division and confusion
My colleague Mehmet Ali Birand chose an abrupt and clever title for his article last Friday. "That's enough…" he seems to shout, writing about the story of his dear lawyer, Meral Müren. When they met in Ankara recently, she -- described as "a true intellectual and a true follower of Atatürk's reforms" by Birand -- told him tearfully, "If you think that I have the least right to ask anything of you, I ask you to protest what they're doing to this country."Are they second republicans or second kemalists
A currently ongoing headscarf debate has indeed become a litmus test for discerning democrats from pseudo-democrats and liberals from pseudo-liberals. There was really no need for a litmus test to check the democratic credentials of the oligarchy, as their track record is well known.The litmus test has helped us observe how some so-called liberals, democrats and some second republicans (a new generation of liberals) reacted in a given situation rather than talking in abstract concepts....................February 06, 2008
"What happened to Article 301?
Hens are pictured in Telceker village of Dogubeyazit, eastern Turkey in 2006. Turkish authorities said Tuesday that bird flu has been detected in poultry in a village in the northwest of the country, the Anatolia news agency reported.
(AFP/File/Mustafa Ozer )
What happened to Article 301?
As you may recall, in the first days of last month, Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Şahin said work on proposals to alter Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) had been completed and that these proposals were to be presented within one week at the latest to the Turkish Parliament.
January 26, 2008
"Conservative modernization and lifting the headscarf ban
Conservative modernization and lifting the headscarf ban by MÜMTAZ’ER TÜRKÖNE
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's address before students who will carry on their graduate studies in foreign countries should be viewed as an example for the deep roots of conservative politics.
Turkey's Tugba Karademir performs during the women's Short Skating Programme at the European Figure Skating Championships in Zagreb, January 25, 2008.
REUTERS/Nikola Solic (CROATIA)
And more in headscarf ban, Ergenekon trial and even more:)
Continue reading ""Conservative modernization and lifting the headscarf ban" »
January 17, 2008
Gov't's Alevi initiative; never ending turban controversy; TR-US relations and more...
Turkey Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (4th L sitting) attends a fast-breaking dinner in Ankara January 11, 2008. Erdogan tried on Friday to reassure Turkey's Alevi Muslim minority, who often complain of official discrimination, that their rights are fully respected and that they are a valued part of the nation.
REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Erkan's note: One angle I might be interested in Alevi initiative is that the State might start codification of Alevism. Even if the government wants to do something positive for Alevi constituencies, the problem is to find out what to do. Unlike Sunnism, Alevism is unorthodox, more based on oral traditions and too difficult to homogenize at this state. In the coming days, there might be some moves towards making Alevism a codified religious practice. Just an idea...
Alevis’ dilemma
As part of efforts to eliminate distrust of the state among the country’s Alevi community, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended an Alevi fast-breaking dinner last week where he sought to reassure the Alevis that their rights are fully respected and that they are a valued part of the nation.December 20, 2007
"EU opens new chapters in Turkish talks
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ali Babacan (L) and his Portugal's counterpart Luis Amado, whose country currently holds the rotating Presidency of EU, attend a joint news conference after holding talks over the Turkish adhesion to the European Union in Brussels, December 19, 2007.
REUTERS/Sebastien Pirlet (BELGIUM)
EU opens new chapters in Turkish talks
The European Union agreed Monday to open two more of the 35 negotiating chapters that Turkey must complete to join the bloc this week, the EU's Portuguese presidency said. The two chapters –Turkey takes fresh step towards EU membership
Turkey took a fresh step towards EU membership Wednesday with the opening of new policy talks, as Foreign Secretary Ali Babacan stressed that "provocation" from some nations would notHeadscarves, generals, and Turkish democracy
The ongoing debate on a new Turkish constitution has the potential to decide the future of the country. It could make the democratic process irreversible and dramatically increase Turkey's chances of becoming a member of the EU.
STATE OF THE UNION Irrelevant Europe By: Sinan Ülgen | The Wall Street Journal The magic of the EU used to be its ability to forge a common vision, transcending narrowly defined national interests. That magic is vanishing as the resurgence of national priorities undermines the EU's reputation as a credible and reliable actor.
EU Presidency Statement on the military actions undertaken by Turkey on Iraqi territory |
| Date: 2007-12-17 |
| |
| The Presidency of the EU expresses its concern over the recent military actions undertaken by Turkey on Iraqi territory. |
Continue reading ""EU opens new chapters in Turkish talks" »
" Turkish Press Welcomes Air Strikes on Kurdish Rebels
Guardian Back together again Contrary to appearances, Ankara and Washington are now more closely aligned than at any time since the Iraq crisis started. Reconciliation, sealed with a bombing run Air raids on Kurdish separatists have more political significance than military, says Simon Tisdall
On sign: "Northern Iraq." Source: Al-Mustaqbal, Lebanon, December 17, 2007 VIA
(AFP/File/Mustafa Ozer)