www.todayszaman.com - June 2, 2008

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Fethiye Çetin recounts her discovery of the realities buried deep in Turkish society in ‘My Grandmother’

MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2008 WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM YTL 1.50

Leftie Emre set to become a Yellow Canary

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Gourmets and chefs flock to Safranbolu to sample saffron-flavored dishes

Yo u r Way o f U n d e r s t a n d ý n g Tu r k e y

MEHMET KAMAN

page10 Shootings, stolen ballot boxes mar Macedonian polls CLOSURE CASE TRIGGERS DISCONTENT AMONG OVERWHELMING MAJORITY, POLL REVEALS

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Thumbs up for EU, down for closure case BETÜL AKKAYA, ÝSTANBUL A clear majority of society is uneasy about a closure case filed against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and upholds Turkey's bid to join the European Union, a new opinion poll has found.

The poll, conducted by Ankara-based MetroPOLL Strategic & Social Research Center, found that 65.6 percent of the public does not appreciate a closure case filed against the governing

AK Party. The poll also revealed that 62 percent of society supports Turkey's bid to join the 27-nation European Union. An overwhelming majority of those surveyed noted that their support for the country's EU bid had increased after a state prosecutor filed the closure case against the ruling party.

Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçýnkaya requested on March 14 the closure of the AK Party on grounds that it had become a focal point of "anti-secular activities" and a ban on 70 of its high-level officials from engaging

in politics for five years, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan as well as President Abdullah Gül, a former AK Party member.

Among those surveyed 65.6 percent viewed the case negatively while only 27 percent saw it as a positive development. A total of 75.8 percent of supporters of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), however, uphold the case filed to disband the AK Party. Around 69 percent of participants of the poll who are not CHP supporters indicated an objection to the prospect that the governing party may be shut

down. Only 25.3 percent of those polled said they wished to see the AK Party disbanded. A total of 72.5 percent of CHP supporters who participated in the survey noted the AK Party should be closed, while 21.4 percent of them said it should remain open.

A full 41 percent of those surveyed expressed the belief that the Constitutional Court will disband the AK Party, whereas 38.9 percent said the top court will not shut it down.

Respondents were also asked about their expectations of Turkey's bid to join the EU. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

Prosecutor’s statement raises eyebrows METÝN ARSLAN / AHMET DÝNÇ, ANKARA Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçýnkaya has submitted an opinion to the Constitutional Court, following a response from the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party), on a closure case against the ruling AK Party over allegations of it attempting to undermine Turkey's secular foundations, but the legal validity of the prosecutor's statement of opinion is under debate.

The prosecutor's statement, which seeks to ban 71 former and current AK Party members from party politics in addition to closing down the party, asserts that the AK Party has a secret agenda to install an Islamic state. It is a response to the party's initial defense.

Experts point to a number of problem areas regarding the prosecutor's claims. Baþkent University's Mehmet Turhan commented that the understanding that sees shutting down parties as a form of protection would never be considered democratic. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

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An increasing number of politicians have been criticizing Republican People's Party (CHP) Secretary-General Önder Sav for falsely accusing the government of having bugged his party's building and phone lines.

The CHP last week accused the government of illegally monitoring its members' conversations when excerpts from a conversation between former Bolu Governor Ali Serindað and Sav were published last Tuesday in Vakit. The daily's correspondent said he had recorded the conversation between the two, as Sav forgot to switch off his cell phone during their meeting. A document sent from land line operator Türk Telekom to the prosecutor on the case showing phone records of the Vakit daily proved that Sav's cell phone number had indeed remained connected to the Vakit daily headquarters.

Since the document was made public on Friday, the general public opinion has been in favor of an apology from Sav, if not his resignation. Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Muhsin Yazýcýoðlu told Today's Zaman on Saturday that the CHP was trying to foment a tense atmosphere in Turkey. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

BAHAR MANDAN

CHP’s Sav feels the heat from bugging fiasco

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GÜLEN TARGET OF BASELESS BUGGING CLAIMS, LAWYER SAYS

Efforts to link Fethullah Gülen's name to recent bugging claims have been described by Gülen's lawyer as a "shameless act of slander."

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BOYDAK HOLDING CONSIDERS EXPANDING INTO RUSSIA

Leading Turkish furniture manufacturer Boydak Holding has tentative plans to expand into Russia, says Chairman Hacý Boydak.

Turkish Olympics: an organizational success

The International Turkish Language Olympics, a hugely successful international event now in its sixth year, hosted 550 students from 110 countries, all ready and willing to showcase their skills in Turkish. Speaker of Parliament Köksal Toptan attended the competition's gala night at the Ýstanbul Show and Congress Center. Many commentators have said the event brought the "United Nations" to Turkey. Organized by the International Turkish Education Association (TÜRKÇEDER), the Turkish Language Olympics are the result of a full year of preparation and organization. However, students participating in the competition are the end-result of more than two decades of hard work to open schools teaching Turkish around the world.

US labels PKK drug smugglýng kýngpýn The United States, which already classifies the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as a terrorist organization, has imposed further sanctions on the group to cut off its funding under an anti-drug smuggling law. The PKK as well as a Turkish national and other foreign organizations and individuals are now on a US list of suspected drug traffickers. The terrorist organization will be denied access to the US financial system and all trade transactions involving US companies and individuals under the

Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, according to a statement released by the White House on Friday.

"Now that the PKK has been designated under the kingpin act, the penalties for doing business with them are much higher," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council. "We also now have the authority to target and designate other PKK entities and associates for narcotics activity. Before, we were limited to this group's terror activities."

The decision takes Turkish-US cooperation against

Featuring news and articles from

the PKK a step further. Washington designates the PKK as a terrorist organization, and President George W. Bush described the group as a "common enemy" during a meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan in November. Washington is also assisting Turkey's efforts to fight the terrorist group in northern Iraq by providing intelligence and airspace clearance for Turkish jet fighters, which have been hitting PKK targets in the Kurdish-controlled region periodically since last December. CONTINUED ON PAGE 04

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F OOD FOR THOUGHT

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Q UOTE OF THE DAY

I hope members of Congress return rested, because they have a lot of work left on important issues, and limited time to get it done.

US President George W. Bush

CROSS READER

FATMA DÝÞLÝ

PRESS REVIEW

columns

W ORDS OF WISDOM

Turkey's EU accession will be different from those of the others. We will not simply be the 28th or 29th member.

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan

Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all.

Alexander the Great

press roundup PHOTO

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f.disli@todayszaman.com

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CHP sufferýng from lack of credýbýlýty Recent allegations by the Republican People's Party's (CHP) that the telephone of its secretary-general had been wiretapped by the state's secret service and the content of the conversations disclosed to the daily Vakit were proven false by phone records. The fuss that the CHP and some media outlets created by accusing the government of wiretapping though they did not have any evidence has once again brought the situation of the CHP and its credibility under the spotlight.

Daily Sabah's Ergun Babahan thinks the wiretapping allegations brought forward by the CHP have acted as a litmus test in Turkey. He harshly criticizes certain newspapers that immediately accepted the CHP's allegations as truth without questioning them.

He states that Turkey is now at a crossroads in terms of how it reacts to this incident. "You will either stand up for the values of a generation that is unable to even use a mobile phone or you will put up a fight for the adoption of EU values, which you believe is a civilization project. I personally will take the second route," says Babahan. He refers to CHP Secretary-General Önder Sav, who left his mobile on accidentally, allowing a Vakit reporter to take notes on his subsequent conversations for 42 minutes.

Hasan Cemal of Milliyet says there are several parties that should be criticized over the recent wiretapping allegations. He thinks that the Vakit daily printing Sav's conversation in disregard of journalistic ethics is something that deserves severe criticism. In addition, CHP leader Deniz Baykal and other CHP officials' efforts to turn this event into a political scandal and their accusing the government of wiretapping, Cemal says, is something that needs to be condemned too. "If the CHP officials care about things like credibility and reliability, they should give an account of their actions to the public," states Cemal. He quotes a friend of his who supports the CHP as an alternative to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government as saying: "What will we do with this Baykal and the CHP officials? Can there be such ineptness? They always make a fuss over everything."

In his view, Baykal's credibility problem is not new on the political stage and this problem forms an important dilemma with regards to the democratic regime and political stability. "Those who use logic are aware of this," says Cemal.

Star daily's Mustafa Karaalioðlu thinks that the socalled wiretapping incident and the way some newspapers approached it shows that it was deliberately planned to besmirch the government just as similar cases recently have aimed to do. However, in this case, he says, Baykal was not as lucky as he used to be; he was not only mistaken but he also became the victim of a shared goal among the media outlets, their administrators and certain columnists who have worked closely with him for years. According to Karaalioðlu, Baykal has been hit by a manipulative media campaign, which he has frequently resorted to using himself. "Actually, being in the opposition is an attractive thing for a political party to win the public's support.

A party leader should not have let himself fall into such a deplorable situation," states Karaalioðlu.

Following this incident, he says the suspicions surrounding the CHP's troubled record of credibility have become indisputable.

MEHMET GÜNDEM, YENÝ ÞAFAK They came again, and this time from 110 countries. They came with love, with Turkish -- the language of love. They have been touring Anatolia for 10 days and are getting to know Yunus Emre and Mevlana Muhammed Jelaluddin Rumi in their homelands. What we see through the Turkish Olympics is the "growth of the paradigm of love."

This is at the same time a Turkish paradigm. The world has its financial, political and art centers. But no 500 youths from 110 countries go to any of those countries, speaking the same language. They speak Turkish and come to Turkey because Turkey is a candidate to become the center of love and the center of humanity in the world. They came to a highly exclusionary Turkey with its highly congested agenda of problems, its coups, memoranda, empty ideologies, chaotic incidents, a system that has hit rock bottom, "big bugs," scandals and insults heaped on all that is held sacred by the people -- especially religion… There is a miraculously beautiful something in this arrival for those willing to see.

New plot MAHÝR KAYNAK, STAR The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is being accused of having a justice and a highranking official from the opposition wiretapped although it should be busy defending itself in a case to shut it down. I wonder if the AK Party doesn't know how to act in the most politically astute way or if the operation against it is being deepened. Things will come to light over time, and we will eventually understand whether we have been watching an amateurish government or a dark conspiring force which makes a fuss out of everything. We have two choices at this point: We will either turn our back to the increasingly more advanced technological devices or ban the trade and carrying of such devices. The third way is learning how to live with these devices.

Not an end, a beginning Holding Turkish flags, children suffering from leukemia marched on Saturday from Adana's Uður Mumcu Square to Atatürk Park on the occasion of the 7th International Week for Children with Leukemia.

zaman:

“Turkey waits for an apology,” read the daily’s headline yesterday, echoing a call from many quarters for the Republican People’s Party (CHP) to apologize to the nation after its recent allegations of wiretapping were proven unfounded. The CHP accused the government of wiretapping after its SecretaryGeneral Önder Sav’s office conversations were published

by Vakit daily; however, its allegations were invalidated when it was revealed that Sav actually forgot to turn off his cell phone, letting a Vakit reporter effectively listen in to his conversations. Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Muhsin Yazýcýoðlu slammed the CHP, saying the party had perpetuated its habit of defaming people and should apologize to the public immediately. Hasan Celal Güzel, a former minister, said the so-called wiretapping incident showed the lack of dignity among the CHP’s ranks and that it is engaged in provocation.

hürriyet:

The daily’s headline yesterday covered a letter which was sent by State Minister Nimet Çubukçu to some members of Parliament who defeated a team, including blind individuals, in a friendly football match 73. Çubukçu, who organized the match on the occasion of the Week of the Disabled, congratulated the deputies for their great success in an ironic way. “We organize such

events to boost the morale of the disabled. Last year, the deputies had another match with orphans and also defeated them. We could hardly stop some children who started crying over the match results,” said Çubukçu.

star:

The daily said yesterday that CHP leader Deniz Baykal had disappeared after his allegations that the government was involved in wiretapping were proven wrong. Baykal did not go to the general assembly of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) on Saturday, although he was expected to attend. Baykal, who returned from Antalya to Ankara on Saturday, spent the entire day at home, the daily said.

sabah:

Yesterday’s Sabah covered a report on child molestation which was recently sent to Parliament by the Security Directorate. According to the report, which was named a source of shame by the daily, 1,800 children have been the target of sexual assault in the year 2007 alone. The report said that 111 of these children were harassed by their own relatives. Including figures from the first three months of 2008, the report said that 447 cases of underage sexual assault haven taken place and that one of them ended with the death of the child.

The Guardýan

Newsweek

Kurdish politician asks for dialogue with PKK month, addressed a meeting on conflict resolution held in Westminster and demanded that the PKK rebel movement, known as the Kurdistan Workers' Party, should be included in any peace process.

"I support the peaceful resolution of the problems in order for the PKK to renounce its weapons," the Kurdish politician, speaking through a translator, declared. "The bombs must stop falling out of the sky.

NAZLI ILICAK, SABAH The chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals wrote in his indictment on the closure case against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) accusing it of aiming to establish a state based on Shariah law. The good thing is that he presented the indictment to the Constitutional Court without any delay because it was obvious in the indictment that he believed the AK Party had secret intentions. In this case, the case may be finalized in August and the tense atmosphere in Turkey may well be eliminated. The members of the Constitutional Court will make their decision after deliberating the possible consequences of closing down a political party in Turkey. They will surely have other concerns in mind: Would the economy turn upside down?

Would Turkey's ties to the EU be severed? Would the Constitutional Court be able to afford such a high price? What if a closure decision causes an upsurge in AK Party votes? Briefly, the members of the court will consider these possibilities and will maybe settle for cutting the AK Party's allotment from the Treasury. And then they will assess the chief prosecutor's claims in the indictment as threats to the secular republic and try to narrow down the AK Party's political sphere to hamper all its actions.

Slandering Babacan or pillars of faith? ÖMER LÜTFÜ METE, BUGÜN

turkey ýn the foreýgn press

The prominent Kurdish politician Leyla Zana has called for dialogue to end the quarter century of conflict that has scarred south-eastern Turkey and killed more than 30,000 people. In a plea for an end to the violence, the former MP--who spent 10 years in prison for using the Kurdish language in the Turkish National Assembly--urged the government to stop bombing rebel bases inside northern Iraq.

Zana, who visited London earlier this

Rise of a Turkish paradigm

‘New face of Islam’ to be presented Back in the mid-1990s, Osama bin Laden had a problem, and it was Islam. He wanted to say the Quran gave his followers license to kill innocents --and themselves-- in the cause of "jihad." That was how he could justify his global campaign of terror. But that's not what the Muslim holy book says, and that's not the way it was interpreted by any of the great scholars and preachers of the faith.

Momentum is building within the Muslim world to reexamine what had seemed immutable tenets of the faith, to challenge what had been taken as literal truths and to open wide the doors of interpretation (ijtihad) that some

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schools of Islam tried to close centuries ago.Intellectually and theologically, a lot of the most ambitious work is being done by a group of scholars based in Ankara, Turkey, who expect to publish new editions of the Hadith before the end of the year. They have collected all 170,000 known narrations of the Prophet's sayings. These are supposed to record Mohammed's words and deeds as a guide to daily life and a key to some of the mysteries of the Quran. But many of those anecdotes came out of a specific historical context, and those who told the stories or, much later, recorded them, were not always reliable.

The speech delivered by Ali Babacan in the European Parliament allegedly proves that he aims for the establishment of a Shariah state, according to some.

Judicial authorities, editors-inchief of major newspapers, the Republican People's Party (CHP) and former President Süleyman Demirel say this. This is pure insult to the reason, conscience and dignity of humankind.

The only thing that could be extracted from Babacan's words is the inability of headscarved students to go to university. Let's push the boundaries of logic a little further by acting like an "anti-religion guided missile" and suspect that he meant that headscarved women cannot work at state institutions. All right, as I wrote yesterday, if a statesman, while debating with those who say, "Christian minorities in your country have problems," adopts a faint-heartedly conciliatory tone and notes, "the Muslim majority has problems also," he simply proves that he lacks self-dignity when it comes to national issues.

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TODAY’S ZAMAN 03

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ÝSTANBUL ANKARA ÝZMÝR ANTALYA ADANA ERZURUM EDÝRNE TRABZON KAYSERÝ

Sports club founder’s determination an example for the disabled AA

Mehmet Kaya (L) said he was not discouraged by peoples' stares nor by difficulties he encountered. we get along very well and have two children."

Kaya said his determination was a good example for his family and other people around him, adding that he has never had problems finding a job thanks to his determination. He currently works at the Konya Medical Laboratory. Rejecting the label "handicapped," he says: "Please do not

put handicaps in front of us. I never used a wheelchair in my day-to-day life, I only use it only for sports when I play basketball. I have always tried to take an active role in associations for the handicapped. We are now trying to boost the morale of our handicapped friends who have low to no expectations from life." Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

KONYA ÇANAKKALE DÝYARBAKIR SAMSUN BURSA GAZÝANTEP ESKÝÞEHÝR MALATYA KOCAELÝ

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A dream country

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Konya resident and local sports club founder and chairman Mehmet Kaya's determination and success in the face of great adversity are an example for all disabled people.

Kaya, 42, spoke with the Anatolia news agency about life as a disabled individual and the difficulties involved. He said that ever since undergoing surgery at age 1, he has been unable to feel his right leg at all, while he has very little sensation in his left leg, which he also cannot use efficiently. Kaya walks with the aid of crutches.

"I had many difficulties during my years at school. My parents used to bring me to school every morning and place me at my desk. After the day ended they would pick me up from school. I could not move anywhere until they came to pick me up. I could not even use the restroom without help. But I did not give up; I continued my struggle, confronting all of life's difficulties."

Kaya said he was not discouraged by peoples' stares nor by the difficulties he encountered at home and outside. "I began to draw pictures after I graduated from school. Meanwhile I met my wife Ayþe. I wanted to marry Ayþe so I spoke with her family, but her parents did not allow us to marry because I was handicapped. I needed to find a way to run away with Ayþe. With the help of friends, we eloped. Now married for 16 years,

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GOTEBORG -- Considering the tensions, provocations and conspiracies Turkey has been put through in the last couple of years, it is really impossible to not agree with the views voiced by the president of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB). One just can't help but to complain -- just like TOBB President Rýfat Hisarcýklýoðlu -- about the negligence toward the economy and the hindrances and impediments on the reform process which all surfaced after 2006 due to the dozens of gigantic problems awaiting solutions.

Hisarcýklýoðlu is very right to say, "Although it has the potential to become a world power, Turkey has lost much time because of inappropriate agendas. We have broken the struggling power of our country through vicious debates that bear no fruit. We now want peace, only peace!" and he is very right to not want to pay for the financial damage caused by those who overstep the bounds of their legal powers. Also, his statement "I want to underscore this: Yes, we are now a party to the debates. We are on the side of peace, stability, common sense, democracy and development. We are against fights and conflicts and any initiative launched to impede democracy and development. We want peace, we are expecting Turkey to act with common sense and to reconcile with itself" deserves to be applauded.

Yes, Turkey really wants peace because it has been sorely in need of peace in recent years.

Moreover, it needs social peace, welfare and stability. It is very visible how some official as well as unofficial institutions, the main opposition party in particular, and the media are trying to plant seeds of chaos and instability in the society every day, thereby leading the country to disaster. When one looks from a slightly wider angle, it is much better seen how the mostly artificially created socio-political problems and crises are causing deep social unrest and causing great damage to the country's vision. When we get rid of the demoralizing and tense atmosphere in Turkey, even a little, we have the possibility of assessing this grave situation in a far easier way.

I have been in the Swedish town of Goteborg for two days on account of the 61st World Newspaper Congress, the 15th World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo. Looking at Turkey, particularly from Sweden, which has been chosen, many times, the world's best country in terms of welfare standards, our sadness over the time lost by Turkey with vicious debates and unending artificial crises grows even more.

Compared with Turkey, Sweden deserves to be called a "dream country." However, what matters for countries is not having no problems; the ability to come up with effective solutions to problems is really what matters. And Sweden constitutes the best example to this end.

Having not encountered any wars for two centuries, even though Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interspersed with substantial welfare elements was shaken in the beginning of the 1990s by its aging population, growing rate of unemployment and global economic crises, its fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic change.

BÜLENT KENEÞ b.kenes@todayszaman.com

In many respects, Sweden is a country that does not fit and even confutes the preconceptions of Turkey's elitist modernists. Above all, Sweden is not a republic. It still has a king and is governed by a constitutional monarchy. Although it became an EU member in 1995, it is a country that refused to become a part of the Euro zone after a referendum conducted in the country in 2003.

Sweden's surface area is approximately half that of Turkey. It has managed to become the most peaceful and prosperous country in the world despite adverse climate conditions and its small population of 9 million. While the 70-million-strong Turkey has not even one single global brand, Sweden markets its products such as Volvo, Scania, Saab, DAF, Tetra Pak, Ericsson and Radisson SAS all around the world. Extremely successful both in the industrial sphere and the service sector, Sweden has doubled its success through its sensitivity toward environmental issues by being party to almost all environment agreements.

Contrary to Turkey's dynamism and young population with an average age of 28, the average age in Sweden is 41, but their life expectancy is also higher: 81. Despite this small and aging population, Sweden's gross domestic product (GDP) is $432 billion. This means that their gross domestic income (GDI) per capita is $36,900.

While only 1.4 percent of its GDP comes from agriculture, 29.2 percent stems from industry whereas 69.4 percent is sourced from the service sector. Parallel to this data, only 2 percent of the population works in the agricultural sector, 24 percent in the industrial sector and 74 percent in the service sector. It has very strong foreign trade with a total volume of $176.5 billion in exports and $157.2 billion in imports. It also has a foreign direct investment (FDI) stock of $200 billion, and no one lives below the poverty line.

These numbers demonstrate Sweden's welfare standards, which manifest themselves in other fields as well: 7 million of the country's 9 million people have access to the Internet.

Sweden, which owns Volvo, Scania, Saab, DAF, Tetra Pak, Ericsson and Radisson SAS, doesn't have a devastating opposition party such as the Republican People's Party (CHP), a judicial mechanism that tramples all legal principles, an army that stages a coup and issues a memorandum whenever it gets bored, deep gangs that have a long reach into the state such as Ergenekon, ludicrous debates stemming from cries of "secularism is slipping away!" separatism, claims about religious extremism or embezzlement in the billions of dollars.

The things we have and Sweden does not shatter our peace, whereas the things Sweden has and we do not cause our miserable poverty - which is the real issue that should be addressed. Despite its great potential, Turkey unfortunately still looks for peace, welfare and stability to save itself from poverty and tension.

Professor Naci Görür warns Marmara fault remains active Professor Naci Görür, a geologist from Yýldýz Technical University, has stated that gas and water emissions at the bottom of the Sea of Marmara show the fault there is active and could experience movement in the near future, producing an earthquake.

Speaking at a conference at his university on Saturday about a potential Marmara earthquake, Görür presented his analysis of a survey of the Marmara seafloor. The survey was conducted by a team of scientists led by Görür using the Nautile submarine and took place at depths of up to 1,000 meters, lasting a month and costing thousands of euros.

Görür confirmed that the seafloor fault in the Marmara is active and highly likely to generate an earthquake, sooner or later. "Don't deceive yourself.

This fault line generated earthquakes in the past. Ýs-

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tanbul was repeatedly destroyed by such quakes.

Historical buildings were destroyed and they were rebuilt again and again. There were even quakes that prompted the Ottoman sultans to leave the city. People die in this country even when an earthquake with a magnitude of five on the Richter scale strikes. What are you still debating about Marmara?" he asked. Two earthquakes that hit the Marmara region in 1999 had a death toll that ran into the tens of thousands and left almost half a million homeless. The possibility of another powerful earthquake in the region, particularly one in Turkey's most populous city, Ýstanbul, remains the subject of much speculation. The scientific community is divided on the likelihood, location and potential magnitude of future tremors. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

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Bush desýgnates PKK as drug smugglýng kýngpýn PHOTO

AP

The decision takes Turkish-US cooperation against the PKK a step further. 'Now that the PKK has been designated under the kingpin act, the penalties for doing business with them are much higher,' says Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council

contýnued from page 1 The PKK is widely believed to control most of the drug smuggling from Central Asia to Western Europe. US experts and administration officials believe that the PKK has taken advantage of Turkey's strategic location between the poppy fields of Central Asia and the vast market of Europe and has used drug smuggling to finance its activities since as early as the 1980s. The terrorist group both "taxed" the drug traffickers and directly engaged in trafficking, according to narcotics specialists. According to Interpol data, the PKK was orchestrating 80 percent of the European drug market in 1992. Other sources similarly indicate that the PKK controlled between 60 and 70 percent of the European illegal drug market in 1994.

Revenue from drug trafficking also provides a source to finance the PKK's propaganda activities.

A television station broadcasting from Denmark, Roj TV, is one of the main propaganda tools of the PKK, in addition to several so-called cultural groups. Turkey frequently criticizes European coun-

tries for turning a blind eye to PKK activities in their territory and has urged, so far in vain, Denmark to revoke the broadcasting license of Roj TV. The US Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, which became law in December 1999, targets major foreign narcotics traffickers, their organizations and operatives worldwide.

With the latest action, 75 individuals and groups have been named on the list.

"This action underscores the president's determination to do everything possible to pursue drug traffickers, undermine their operations and end the suffering that trade in illicit drugs inflicts on Americans and other people around the world, as well as prevent drug traffickers from supporting terrorists," the White House said in the statement.

In addition to the PKK, two more entities were also added to the list, namely the Beltran Leyva organization of Mexico and the 'Ndrangheta organized crime syndicate based in the southern Italian region of Calabria.

Crime experts say the Italian crime group

'Ndrangheta overtook the Sicilian mafia in the 1990s as Italy's largest drug trafficking group and has since spread throughout Europe and beyond.

Turk wanted by police for years on the list Four individuals, including Turkish national Cumhur Yakut, were also added to the list. Yakut, son-in-law of a former parliamentarian, has been wanted by the Turkish police since 2000 under four different warrants for his arrest issued by courts in Diyarbakýr, Ýstanbul and Van. His family is also under police surveillance in an anti-drug trafficking operation that has been underway since 1996.

Yakut's whereabouts are not known but media reports say he is hiding in the Arab Peninsula.

Yakut was linked in press reports to a fatal shooting in 1997 in which seven people were killed. News reports said the shooting was ordered by a drug baron who worked with Yakut.

The 56-year-old man, who is originally from the southeastern province of Diyarbakýr, is the

son-in-law of Mustafa Bayram, a former deputy from the eastern province of Van. Media reports also linked Yakut to the PKK and the Susurluk gang, a shadowy crime group revealed to have links with some state officials, including deputies, police and intelligence officials.

Other individuals are Haji Asad Khan Zarkari Mohammadhasni of Afghanistan, Hermagoras Gonzalez Polanco of Venezuela and Marcos Arturo Beltran Leyva of Mexico.

Media reports in Mexico have said a spike in drug violence in Sinaloa state this year, with some 300 people killed, could be the result a fracture between reputed cartel chief Joaquin Guzman, who is Mexico's most wanted man, and Leyva, one of his boldest operatives.

The Leyva family was widely thought to be responsible for the killing of Guzman's son in a military-style attack on May 8. President Felipe Calderon has launched a crackdown on Mexico's drug cartels, and the effort has prompted a rash of retaliatory killings of federal police. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

Swedish minister urges commitment to fiscal discipline PHOTO

While praising the Turkish government's efforts in making structural economic reforms, Sweden's Finance Minister Anders Borg has strongly emphasized the need for a commitment to fiscal discipline -- particularly in a vulnerable environment of political uncertainty.

Borg was in Ankara late last week for a twoday working visit during which he had talks with his Turkish counterpart, Finance Minister Kemal Unakýtan, Economy Minister Mehmet Þimþek and Turkish Central Bank Governor Durmuþ Yýlmaz. He also met with representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Commission delegation to Turkey.

Borg, speaking with Today's Zaman before he departed for Stockholm, reiterated his country's well-known support for Turkey's full European Union membership bid.

"We think that full membership is important because Turkey is a dynamic partner, and it's important

AP

EMÝNE KART ANKARA

Sweden's Finance Minister Anders Borg

for Europe to inject more dynamism and growth. It is also important in terms of Turkey being able to create stability to the Middle East region where it obviously plays a very important role as a role model for economic reforms and political stability," Borg said, adding that he was particularly impressed by the eco-

nomic development in Turkey over the last two years.

"From our perspective, it is also important that there is no place for complacency in these kinds of situations. There is no room to slow down the reform pace, and I'm convinced that the government and the monetary authorities are very much aware of this fact that there is a need to continue to reform both economic structures but also the institution of economic stability. I'm impressed by fiscal results, but I think it is also important to underline the need for continued fiscal discipline," Borg said.

"At these times in particular because if you do not uphold your fiscal discipline, you will be in the hands of the financial markets. I think no country that wants to decide its own destiny should put itself into that position," the minister once more stressed, in apparent reference to global economic challenges as well as to ongoing domestic turmoil that Turkey has been facing.

In late March, Turkey's Constitutional Court decided unanimously to hear an appeal from a top prosecutor to close Prime Minister Recep

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Tayyip Erdoðan's Justice and Development (AK Party) on charges that it had become a "focal point of anti-secular activity." The prosecutor has also sought a five-year ban from party politics for 71 politicians, including Erdoðan and former AK Party member President Abdullah Gül.

"I think if there is to be political instability because of the court process, that would be problematic for Turkey, obviously. But I will presume that it will be problematic for Europe as well. We are in a period of uncertainty and do not need more uncertainty. Such political instability in Turkey would be a disadvantage and problematic for Europe," Borg briefly said, when reminded of the closure case and its probable impact.

"I'm strongly convinced that the government is dedicated to continuing reforms in terms of structural dynamism, continuing privatization and openness -- but more importantly, also in terms of macro economy," he said, when asked about his observations of the government's stance concerning the future of reforms.

PHOTO

attack on the Iranian-Turkish gas pipeline," Mohammad Taghi Osanlou was quoted by Fars as saying. He identified the man as Hatm Bakhlan Lou, nicknamed "Bald Hatm," but did not elaborate.

Last week, Iranian official news agency IRNA reported that eight security personnel were killed in clashes with PJAK terrorists. The IRNA said six Revolutionary Guardsmen and two border security officials died in clashes in West Azerbaijan province near the Iran-Iraq border. It did not say when the clashes broke out or whether there were any PJAK casualties. Ankara Today's Zaman

Babacan: More than half of Turks favor EU Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has said around half of Turkey's population sees full European Union membership as a good move for the country.

Babacan's remarks came in an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung published yesterday.

"Around 50-55 percent of people believe that membership will be good for the country. Whether this number will grow or not depends upon discussions within the EU. If it is constantly discussed in a general way whether Turkey belongs to Europe or not, then this will fuel Turkish people's feeling of not being wanted by Europe," the Anatolia news agency quoted Babacan as saying in the interview.

"That's what we have been living with. EU member countries should consider whether their collective strategic interests or their domestic politics being conducted against Turkey's EU membership are more important for them," Babacan added, while also voicing the opinion that Turkey will be ready to become a full EU member by the year 2013.

Babacan, also Turkey's chief EU negotiator, was in Germany last week when he signed an agreement with German authorities to establish a Turkish-German university in Ýstanbul, stepping up cooperation between the two countries in the cultural and academic fields.

When asked if he would like to see a similar university be opened in Germany as well, Babacan said it should first be assessed whether there is a need for such a university.

But "we want to focus on the university in Ýstanbul first," he noted. The minister also declined to give an exact date for the opening of the university in Ýstanbul, as Parliament has to sign the agreement and the search for a suitable location for the university is still underway.

The university is initially planned to include four faculties -- law, sciences, culture and social sciences, and engineering. The land, building, infrastructure and operational expenses will be provided by the Turkish side. Germany will be responsible for sending German academics, providing the equipment necessary to assist in the establishment of a German language teaching center at the university, financial assistance to help pay salaries of local staff, scholarships and post-vocational training. Ankara Today's Zaman

CÝHAN

killing hundreds of PKK members and destroying a significant number of PKK camps near the border.

Neighboring Iran is also fighting an offshoot of the PKK, the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK). A Revolutionary Guards commander in northwestern Iran was quoted by the Fars news agency on Saturday as saying that a man who blew up a gas pipeline between Turkey and Iran was killed in a firefight with Iranian forces several days ago.

"In recent days we inflicted heavy losses on bandits in the area and in one fight we killed a group of seven, among them the notorious bandit behind the

determined and confirmed -- were hit with accuracy, and terrorists in the targeted facilities have been rendered ineffective. Efforts to assess the damage to terrorists are under way," the statement noted.

Thursday's attack followed several similar operations that have been conducted since December of last year. The military has regularly attacked the PKK targets in northern Iraq, and the United States is supporting the operations by providing airspace clearance and intelligence about PKK movements in mountainous northern Iraq. In February, the Turkish military launched a major ground offensive across the border,

PHOTO

The Turkish General Staff has announced that cross-border air raids last week destroyed 16 facilities of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.

Releasing video footage of the raids, which were launched on Thursday, the General Staff on Saturday said the strikes in the Hakurk region just across the border also hit areas where PKK members gather before infiltrating Turkey to carry out attacks.

It noted that the facilities destroyed include nine shelters and three equipment stockpiles. "All of the targets -- where the presence of terrorists has been

AP

Military says PKK shelters, stockpiles destroyed in Iraq

Massoud Barzani's bodyguard undergoing treatment in Turkey A bodyguard of Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani is in a private hospital in the Turkish capital receiving treatment for an injury sustained in bomb attack last week.

Kawa Ahmet Nasim was badly injured in a recent bomb attack on Barzani's forces in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, sources told Today's Zaman over the weekend. Three people were killed and many were wounded in the same attack, the same sources said, without elaborating on the exact date of the attack.

Nasim was first treated in Iraq and was later brought to the southeastern Anatolian province of Diyarbakýr. Following brief treatment in Diyarbakýr, he was brought to Ankara on a regular Turkish Airlines flight and hospitalized in a private hospital. Following a series of surgical procedures, Nasim is currently in an intensive care unit.

Meanwhile, Turkey on Saturday sent an ambulance plane to Iraq and brought six Iraqi citizens, injured in a bombing attack in the city of Tal Afar last week, along with their companions in order to be treated here, the Foreign Ministry announced. A car bomb exploded last Tuesday near a popular market in the northern Iraqi city, killing four civilians and wounding 46 others. In its announcement, the ministry also reiterated Turkey's firm will to continue humanitarian assistance to Iraqi people while harshly condemning terrorist attacks in the neighboring country. Alper Sancar Ankara

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Standýng up agaýnst everythýng new

Apparently CHP demigod Sav is only human

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CÝHAN

A member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) made the most interesting statement in regards to last week’s scandal: “He was the chairman of the Turkish Bar Association [TBB], he was the secretary-general whose legitimacy was undisputable. Önder Sav, who enjoyed absolute irreproachability and remained exempt from criticism within our party when all but him were freely criticized, will this time become unforgettable in politics.”

The same figure noted before the July 22 elections that CHP SecretaryGeneral Sav was not a good phone user. Despite our calling him numerous times, on behalf of Today’s Zaman, Sav never picked up. One time I thought he had answered, but only in error. When I told a friend before the elections that I couldn’t reach Sav, he replied that he is known as a demigod-like figure, and for this reason never responds to phone calls.

When I reminded him of this conversation more recently, my friend said: “He was known as a demigod, apparently he was a human being. If Sav, until now undisputed [in his authority], quits politics because of this recent failure, political history will witness an interesting development.”

Sav came to the fore after his offensive remarks to a CHP supporter who expressed his eagerness to perform the obligatory hajj (pil-

Önder Sav

grimage). Sav, who recommended that the supporter not spend money on the Arabs, made more offensive remarks regarding Islam and the Prophet, making himself the focus of a great deal of protest.

Another CHP figure, who underlined that intra-party unrest has been more severe than perceived from the outside, said: “An initial apology might have alleviated the social reaction. But unfortunately, neither he nor [CHP leader Deniz] Baykal resorted to this option. The wiretapping scandal exacerbated the situation. The party’s reliability and credibility have been severely undermined by this incident. Sav will not make it through this scandal. If he resists, both he and the party will lose.”

Commenting on the attitude of the media, the same figure added: “In the first scandal, the group opposed to the CHP forced the CHP to make an apology, while our supporters remained indifferent to the incident. They did not see it as a scandal. On the contrary, they extended support to the party in the second scandal as an attempt to ensure that the first scandal would be forgotten. Regrettably the media groups that support us have also lost prestige and image in this new scandal.”

Indeed, media actors are now demanding Sav’s resignation, considering his unforgivable failure and mistakes. The Akþam daily, which accused Fethullah Gülen of having conspired against the CHP via illegal networks within the police department, sought to reinforce its position by means of a sarcastic headline when it became clear the entire scandal was based on Sav’s carelessness. Stressing that the awaited report from Sav’s GSM operator is the last hope, Akþam ran the headline: “He will be either exonerated or unreachable.”

A leading figure from the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) noted: “We have the responsibility to ensure the maintenance of peace, stability and serenity in the country. If we had been focused on daily matters like the opposition, we would take advantage of this situation. We will not, but of course we will not forget this scandal that reinforces our correct position.”

I never thought Turkey was a “problem-free country” -- how could I be so naïve as to believe such humbug? According to frequently conducted opinion polls, the Turkish people complain about numerous problems, from economic hardship to bad traffic. As a political observer, I could recite quite a number of problems related to our democracy.

I am an ordinary Turk. Religion-wise, I belong to the majority. I never thought of myself as belonging to any religious sect until very recently, but with the European Union process I have become aware of my Sunni roots.

Anyhow, I am an ordinary Turk, sharing the rights and problems of the majority of the people living in Turkey.

And I feel dissatisfied with my rights related to religious freedom, as I am sure is the case with many other members of the majority of the people living in this country. I would like as much religious freedom as is enjoyed by the people of the European Union and of the United States. I don’t want to enumerate what is missing in Turkish-style secularism and what other religious rights people of this country would like to have, but I want you to be certain they are all within the framework of the secularist principles of any democratic country.

So why the fuss over Foreign Minister Ali Babacan’s words when he answered a question at a session of the European Parliament on the rights of religious minorities in Turkey? Minister Babacan said the majority in Turkey also has problems in terms of religious rights. The very next day, some pundits and politicians in Turkey started to attack the foreign minister, calling for his resignation.

They ask us, the majority, how we could complain about our religious rights when people can go to mosques and conduct their prayers freely. “Nobody forbids you from professing your beliefs, and you give alms to the needy without any difficulty as is required by religion, go on pil-

Did TRT Kurdish channel divide AK Party?

The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) Law, which will serve as the legal basis for broadcasts by TRT in the Kurdish language, stirred discussions Parliament.

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), strongly opposed to the draft, is readying itself to take the case to the Constitutional Court for judicial review. A MHP deputy, in response to a question as to why they oppose the bill, said: “It is not the right time. Is now really the best time to make such a law that will mean compromise?”

The deputy added, “They inflicted harm on this country; furthermore, the

AK Party also initiated the process of its own dissolution by this attempt.”

The assertion was actually partially grounded in fact. For the first time, the adoption of a bill took more than one week. A leading AK Party figure responded to the question as to whether the party is divided: “Some deputies may have some doubts and second thoughts. We respect these views. The vast majority of our deputies have been in their electoral districts. Besides, there is no such condition that every single draft should be adopted with overwhelming support. Different views contribute to integration rather than dissolution.”

23 sent to court for online auction fraud Twenty-three individuals detained in a recent police operation on charges of online fraud were sent to court yesterday, accused of establishing an organization with the goal of committing crime and perpetrating fraud through the use of credit cards.

According to a statement released by the Ýstanbul Security Directorate Information Crimes Desk, the group fixed auctions for various goods sold through Altivi.com In multiple operations across Turkey, police detained 23 people on suspicion of involvement in the crimes, in cities including Ankara,

Ýzmir and Ýstanbul. An Internet server, 22 hard disks, 22 laptops, 10 portable disks, six LCD televisions, 10 computers, 20 mobile phones, one air conditioner, 80 CDs and many documents were also seized by police in the operation.

Police officials monitoring the Web site’s Internet serves discovered that some employees interfered in bidding processes to enable friends to win the tenders at reasonable prices. The police also revealed that the suspects had purchased 95 of the 205 automobiles sold through the Web site so far.

Altivi.com has 600,000 members. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman

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FEHMÝ KORU f.koru@todayszaman.com

grimage without any hindrance from the state,” they say.

Graduation ceremonies at universities will soon begin; we will see students with headscarves not invited to receive their diplomas and women family members forced either to loosen their headscarves as prescribed by the military or leave the premises. Thousands of female students who would like to study at university while wearing a headscarf are deprived of that right, despite their success in the entrance exam.

A political party that has been running the country for the last six years is under threat of closure by the Constitutional Court for the anti-secular sayings and deeds of its leaders -- almost all the speeches are innocent and naïve to the extent that they could not be regarded as being against secularism in any democratic country. Its leader’s emphasis on the importance of religion between people from different ethnic backgrounds is one of the reasons cited in the party closure case indictment.

When Minister Babacan spoke about the reality that even the majority has some problems stemming from the existing religious framework, some in media have come to the fore with their “problem-free Turkey” preconception. The very same media has been criticizing the existence of small places of worship in government buildings with the contention that there are mosques nearby for those who would like to attend prayers, although the places of worship have been in service from eternity on the understanding that state employees would lose less

time in in-house worship. In some circumstances, depending on the time of the year, a believer has to perform at least three prayers during working hours.

Incidentally, those who deny the existence of religious problems experienced by the majority also close their ears to demands of the Alevis or the Kurds. The Alevis would like to conduct their prayers in specially designated prayer-houses, cem evleri, and request funding for their upkeep, for example, and those who write in criticism of Minister Babacan’s acknowledgment of the suffering by the majority ignore this peaceful demand.

They are also against the demands of the Greek Orthodox Church to reopen the Halki Theological Seminary.

The seminary was based on Heybeliada, an island in the Sea of Marmara, and trained young seminarians for the priesthood. It was closed down in 1971, and the Greek Orthodox Church in Ýstanbul has subsequently been forced to import its priests from Greece, although the Greek Orthodox Church is regarded as a local church under Turkish law.

At this point you may have had second thoughts about my sanity. Well, you’re right, but I am not wrong, either.

You’re right because this sort of people, against every kind of democratic demand, whether it comes from the minority or from the majority, cannot find any prominent place in any democratic society -- let alone in media or politics. But I am also not wrong, since many in the media and some in politics are outdated and obsolete in Turkey.

Thank God they are a tiny minority, almost extinct.

Their power comes from their positions held in the media and in politics, in some cases for more than half a century, and they seem to find it convenient to stand up against every new public demand with the fear of losing ground.

They have already lost their ground, but they don’t know it.

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INTERVIEW

Award-wýnnýng scýentýst back at work to save endangered lake

His parents took him to a child psychologist when he was six years old because they were worried about his “unusual habits,” such as bringing home insects, frogs and lizards and reading loads of information about these creatures. But the psychologist said there was no problem and that he needed “proper mentoring,” and Çaðan Hakký Þekercioðlu continued his endeavors to become a well-known conservation ecologist, ornithologist, tropical biologist and nature photographer.

On May 21, Dr. Þekercioðlu became the first person from Turkey to receive the United Kingdom’s most prestigious environmental award, the Whitley Award, in the 15-year history of the prize for his work at Kuyucuk Lake in Kars, a northeastern province of Turkey.

For Monday Talk, he provided the details of his work at Kuyucuk Lake and explained why it should be protected.

Before discussing the award-winning project, let’s first talk about you. How did you find yourself in this area of work and study?

Since my early childhood years, I have been interested in wildlife and animals. In encyclopedias, I would look at the pictures of animals and nothing else. I would have my parents read me the articles about those animals, and they were sick and tired of reading the same stories over and over again, so I was forced to read them myself. I surprised my parents by reading at the age of four and a half. I spent my childhood in Ataköy (a district of Ýstanbul), and it was greener and wilder back then. I would spend a lot of time outdoors and catch lizards, turtles, insects and frogs and bring them home. I would keep and raise them. My parents became worried and took me to a child psychologist. I mentioned in my Whitley acceptance speech that my early career in biology almost came to an early end when I was 6 years old.

Hopefully, the psychologist supported you.

He told my parents that they should encourage me. But in Turkey who would do that? They just let me be.

You’ve received some scholarships, right?

I received full scholarships to Harvard University and to Stanford University. When I went to Robert College, it was much less expensive compared to today; but I still really needed a scholarship because my family is a typical Turkish middle-class family.

Only when I was 16 we moved into this apartment out of a rental. My brother, who is eight years younger than me, won the exam and got a chance to go to Üsküdar American High School, but he couldn’t because my parents could not afford it.

Now about your project, why Kuyucuk Lake?

The project is a conservation, restoration, environmental education, research and ecotourism initiative at Kuyucuk Lake of Kars in northeastern Turkey. This lake is a globally designated important bird and biodiversity area.

We counted over 30,000 birds in one day on the lake, especially during fall migration. Throughout most of the year you’ll see thousands of birds there, except in December through February, when the lake is frozen. We have documented more than 160 bird species, and I’m sure there will be more than 200 bird species recorded as we study it more. The lake is small, but there are a lot of birds. We counted over 20,000 ruddy shelduck in September 2004. This is nearly 12 percent of the world population found on one day on Kuyucuk.

The Whitley Awards committee values projects with local impact and local support, right?

Absolutely, you would never think this is a small lake. One of the finalists of the Whitley Award was a man who was trying to save 1 million hectares of Amazon rainforest. If they just looked at the size, they would have decided differently. But they appreciated the fact that our project involves lots of local support, all the way from villagers to the mayor and the governor.

What is it that attracts this variety of birds to Kuyucuk Lake?

It is a productive wetland surrounded by intensive grazing and agriculture. It is protected from hunting and it is located right on the eastern Turkey bird migration flyway, which is one of the most important flyways in the world. Tens of thousands of birds have to rest, feed and breed there. It’s also a very clean lake, both chemically and biologically.

Have you spotted any rare birds there?

Dr. Çaðan Hakký Þekercioðlu Þekercioðlu was the recipient of two awards on May 21 -- the Whitley Award, donated by the William Brake Charitable Trust, and the United Kingdom’s most prestigious environmental award, the Whitley Gold Award, for his work at Kuyucuk Lake, in Kars province of northeastern Turkey. Þekercioðlu was born in 1975 in Ýstanbul and graduated from Robert College with highest honors. He went on to receive biology and anthropology degrees from Harvard University before obtaining his Ph.D. on a full scholarship from Stanford University in biological sciences. His doctoral research focused on the causes and consequences of bird extinctions around the world. He is the recipient of various awards and honors, including the silver medal in the fourth International Biology Olympics in 1993 and JCI Turkey’s outstanding young environmental and moral leader of the year in 2003. He is currently a senior research scientist with Stanford University’s department of biological sciences.

We spotted a few, for example, the spur-winged plover, not recorded in the area before. This bird is seen mostly in Africa, the Middle East and southern Anatolia, and only in warmer climates. The closest location where it is found is 640 kilometers away. But on April 23, I saw and photographed one, a beautiful bird that we didn’t expect to find there. Recently, we also saw six endangered and beautiful red-breasted geese, a greater sand plover, a Caspian tern and a super-rare white-tailed plover.

Right after getting your award, you went to the region again. Could you tell us what you did there?

We monitor birds. We catch birds with special bird nets that are 12 meters in length and 2.5 meters high. Birds cannot see it and they hit the net and then they dangle in the pocket. We put very lightweight rings on them, or bands as they are called in the United States.

Each ring has a unique identification number.

So various aspects of a bird’s life can be studied by being able to locate the same bird again?

Yes, the finder can use the address on the ring, give the ID number and be told the known history of

the bird’s movements. Near the Aras River, we ringed a bird which was later shot in Cyprus; we caught a hawk with an Israeli ring; we caught a bird coming from Moscow, and a swallow with a South African ring, a Turkish distance record. This is a way to determine the migration flyways, patterns of bird movements for large populations.

When did you go to Kuyucuk Lake for the first time?

September 2003, and we started the project in 2004. I go there twice a year, in spring and fall, during migration, when the area is the most biological activity.

You also travel to other regions in the world to observe and research birds. Could you tell us more about this?

I have major projects in Costa Rica and Ethiopia.

I did my Ph.D. project in Costa Rica. I received my Ph.D. in 2003, but I have continued working on the project. This year was my 10th year there. I think it’s the biggest tropical radio-tracking project. Radio tracking means putting a small radio-tracking device with an antenna on birds. They give a signal about every two seconds. So we can walk in the forest and follow an individual bird for weeks or even months.

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PROFILE

‘We counted over 30,000 birds in one day on the lake, especially during fall migration. Throughout most of the year you’ll see thousands of birds there, except in December through February, when the lake is frozen. We have documented more than 160 bird species, and I’m sure there will be more than 200 bird species recorded as we study it more’

What do you find out about birds that way?

We can tell what they eat, their habitat, nesting type and their means of survival. We found that the juvenile mortality rate was 55 times higher than adult mortality. Another interesting project relates to coffee plantations versus forests in Costa Rica.

We found that forest is three times better for the long-term productivity of the species than the coffee plantations. But no one knew this before.

Is radio tracking a new technique?

No, but tracking young birds with radio, especially in the tropics, is relatively new. Even with established methods, such as bird monitoring, ringing and bird counts you can find out things that won’t give you the whole picture.

You’ve been given 60,000 pounds as part of the award. How do you plan to spend it?

It is all allocated. When you apply for a Whitley, they ask you for a very detailed project budget. (Showing the glass rectangle prism and the paper award), these are all the awards I received personally. The money does not come to me. It goes to the society, Kuzey Doða Society, bank account. We have to buy ecological monitoring equipment and research supplies. I

have to pay the salaries of my team. We plan to hire an eco-tourism consultant with the money from the budget, and we will use it for our vehicle expenses during research in the region.

We don’t have a car but we need one, and the money is not enough to buy a vehicle because we have other priority expenses. We are field biologists, but we cannot afford a field vehicle. So we need to rent a car. I have been to 60 countries, but I have never seen more expensive car rentals than in Kars. There is no competition.

How much are the rentals?

We tried to rent a four-wheel-drive last year and they asked for YTL 250 ($200) a day. After a lot of bargaining, we got it for YTL 200. In Costa Rica, a brand new Nissan Pathfinder is $50 a day. So we usually rent a regular car which cannot take us deep into the forest, or we borrow a professor’s car; she kindly offers us her car for free quite often. And the award is for 60,000 pounds but half of it is for next year. We have to give them a report and they have to be satisfied with what we have done to release it.

Does the project in Kars have any financial support from Turkey?

No, Americans and Britons are supporting it.

They value our biodiversity more than we do.

Is there at least an increasing interest in supporting your project in Turkey?

The local government is very interested in it. The governor and the mayor are very supportive in terms of facilitating things. They will pay for the guards and the fence to protect the lake from too many cows.

The governor gave us an empty school building to use as a tourist guesthouse. The environment and forestry directorate gives us research permits. We collaborate with Kafkas University in the region.

Arpaçay kaymakam (an administrator within a province) recently gave us YTL 1,000 -- a first and a very nice gesture -- to buy a chicken wire fence and poles to use in a cattle exclosure experiment. He wants to improve our research cabin. Another positive development occurred when I was in Kars this time around. At the district office of the Ministry of Forestry and Environment, they said they will provide support for our publications.

What publications do you have other than the calendars full of beautiful photographs of birds in the Kars region?

I have published a bird watching chapter in a tourism guide for Kars, an article on birding in Iðdýr and Kars in an American bird watching magazine, many articles in Turkish magazines and newspapers, and a poster of the birds of Igdir. We are also working on scientific articles.

How are you using the funding from the Christensen Fund, one of the main sponsors of your project?

Their mission is to give seed money to encourage things which would then find local support. They want local people to show ownership of the project and support it as well.

How are things going at the local level?

The governor gave us an empty school building to turn into a guest house for eco-tourists, but there are no decent showering facilities or toilets. The building has to be cleaned and painted, and none of this is in our budget. If this is done, it will be good for the village as well because tourists could stay in the village, eat, sleep and spend their money there. This should be a task of Kuyucuk businessmen who are outside of Kars and mostly in Ýstanbul. We are trying to help their village.

I noticed that last year an Armenian project received the Whitley Award. It’s right across the border near Kars, right?

The Armenian project is about protecting and educating about storks. Actually, the symbol of Iðdýr (eastern province of Turkey) is the white stork. When I saw the Armenian project, I thought, we could have done that in Iðdýr. It’s an easy project, but it shows you the importance of marketing. Storks are not even endangered. They are declining in parts of the world, but it really is not a conservation priority. But storks get everyone’s attention, they are symbols of wetlands, and they are charismatic birds.

Why was it so important for you to save Kuyucuk Lake, outside of its ecological qualities?

Everyone has to do his or her share. If everyone saved one Kuyucuk, we would have saved 29 planets. If you do the math, 219 hectares (the area of the lake) times 6.7 billion people (world population) equals 29 times the surface area of the planet. In terms of bird numbers, Kuyucuk has 30,000 birds and the world has about 86 billion individual wild birds. That is 13 birds per person. If every person saved 13 birds, every bird would be saved. So I’m doing the job of 2,300 people!

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Search for secrets of sustaýned economýc success (II) ASIM ERDÝLEK a.erdilek@todayszaman.com

savings, i.e., eliminate chronic large current account deficits.

The report is right on target in stressing the need for microeconomic reforms, besides the requisite macroeconomic stability. "The growth of GDP may be measured up in the macroeconomic treetops, but all the action is in the microeconomic undergrowth, where new limbs sprout, and deadwood is cleared away." Microeconomic reforms, which are still incomplete in Turkey, are essential to innovative entrepreneurship through Schumpeterian creative destruction. "Governments committed to growth must therefore liberalize product markets, allowing new, more productive firms to enter and obsolete firms to exit. They must also create room to maneuver in the labor market, so that new industries can quickly create jobs and workers can move freely to fill them." Despite the enactment of supposedly far-reaching new labor market legislation, Law No. 5763, last week, Turkey still suffers from excessive barriers to free entry and exit of firms due to labor market flexibilities.

I disagree, however, with the report's skepticism about markets and multiparty democracy as requirements for sustained high growth. Its "pragmatic" approach to combine resource allocations through markets and government mechanisms seems reasonable on the surface. But, as it did in Turkey, it can lead to the crippling of markets by heavy-handed bureaucratic regulation with consequent widespread inefficiency and corruption. In implicitly attacking the much-maligned Washington Consensus "stabilize, privatize and liberalize," the report sets up a straw man. The Washington Consensus, which has evolved significantly toward a more inclusive and complex recipe for successful growth strategies since its labeling by John Williamson in 1989, has never denied the necessity of an effective government in providing macroeconomic stability and public infrastructure. Actually, in an interview, Michael Spence admitted that "there is still a lot of merit in a good deal of the Washington Consensus" and that the only departure of the re-

port from the Washington Consensus is its "somewhat different view about what government's role is and how it evolves over the course of a long period of sustained growth." In implicitly extolling the example of China, the report also undervalues the importance of multiparty democracy, economic freedom and freedom of expression in sustained rapid growth. In arguing that an autocratic government is not an obstacle, and even possibly a blessing, as long as it is capable of free internal debate to avoid or to correct bad policy mistakes, it ignores the fact most autocratic governments are ineffective and corrupt.

On a more specific level, the report explores several policies loosely categorized as accumulation (of physical and human capital), innovation and imitation (to learn to do new things and to do things in new ways), stabilization (of the macro economy through moderate inflation), allocation (of capital and labor through relative price signals) and inclusion (through equity and equality of opportunity). It favors the net benefits of an undervalued exchange rate as an export-promoting industrial policy, inspired by China's success. It also urges caution regarding full convertibility, noting that none of the 13 successful economies rushed to free up their financial accounts to capital inflows and capital outflows. It finds "a consensus that countries should open up, removing capital controls, only in step with their financial market maturity." Its argument, which sounds like a defense of China's current foreign exchange regime, that capital controls can help prevent exchange rate volatility, currency speculation, and balance of payments crises largely ignores, however, the economic and non-economic costs of such controls. An effective way to improve a country's financial market maturity would be to open its financial sector to foreign direct and portfolio investment, based on full currency convertibility, as has been proven the case in Turkey since 2002.

As for inflation, the report suggests that, under an autonomous central bank, it should be kept stable in single digits, but unconvincingly sees no benefit from bringing it to very low levels. Its position on public finances is ambiguous and dubious, since its "pragmatism" to avoid rigid rules "to take account of the economy's growth rate, and the effect of public expenditure on that growth" can easily lead to fiscal incontinence under a populist government. As I have noted in previous columns, the AK Party government might be in danger of becoming such a government.

PHOTO

AA

In last week's column, I began to discuss the answers of the Commission on Growth and Development in "The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development" to the questions on why the economies of some countries have grown faster and longer than those of others, and how their experiences can help others emulate them. I focused on the commission's background as well as mission and summarized the major findings of its report. I will now review the report's specific findings and consider their implications for Turkey. My review will be selective, given the length of the report, and based on its findings most relevant to Turkey.

According to the report, the 13 economies that have achieved at least a 7 percent annual average real rate of growth for at least 25 years since 1950 shared the following characteristics: (1) deep integration with the world economy through openness to trade, investment and transfer of knowledge and technology -- i.e., globalization, their most important common feature; (2) macroeconomic stability, with moderate inflation and fiscal discipline; (3) high resource mobility, especially of labor; (4) future orientation, with high rates of savings and investment; (5) credible and capable government committed to growth; and (6) reliance on markets and price signals for efficient resource allocation.

The report emphasizes that globalization is most essential to sustained rapid growth. Turkey's globalization, although phenomenal since the seminal January 1980 reforms, reinforced by the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) reforms since 2002, can go further, especially in opening the agricultural sector to foreign competition and investment.

Sustained rapid growth requires substantial public and private investment, which in turn has to be financed with substantial national and foreign savings. A national savings rate of 25 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) or higher has been common for the 13 successful economies. Their experiences also suggest that foreign savings are an imperfect substitute for national savings. Foreign borrowing is risky, as proven by many foreign debt crises, including those of Turkey. The report stresses "that there is no case of a sustained high investment path not backed up by high domestic savings." The lesson for Turkey is that it has to significantly increase its national savings rate and reduce its heavy dependence on foreign

AVIATION

Anadolujet helping Turkish Airlines take off Turkish Airlines (THY) has increased its average occupancy rate on flights to 85 percent from 65 percent in less than two months after launching low-cost subsidiary Anadolujet on April 23.

THY Chairman Candan Karlýtekin told the Anatolia news agency that THY was pleased with Anadolujet's performance and added that customer satisfaction was also gradually increasing. He noted that THY's punctuality had increased from 75 percent to 90 percent over the same period.

Karlýtekin said they had received some criticism for some of their decisions, such as the removal of business class services.

However, only 1.5 percent of passengers fly business class -- four or five passengers per flight -- insufficient to meet the cost of business class services on domestic flights, he noted, adding that it had resulted in losses for THY's business class services. "There is no business class in Anadolujet, and we are not thinking about changing this model until summer 2009," he added. Anadolujet now operates out of Ankara and flies to Ýzmir, Bodrum, Dalaman, Antalya, Adana, Kahramanmaraþ, Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Adýyaman, Þanlýurfa, Mardin, Diyarbakýr, Erzincan, Batman, Muþ, Van, Erzurum, Kars and Trabzon. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

REPORT

Ford Otosan overtakes Tüpraþ in export volume Ford Otosan ranked first on a list of Turkey's top exporters of 2007, increasing its exports from $2.44 billion to $3.41 billion and dethroning Turkey's refinery giant Tüpraþ, a new report has revealed.

The Turkishtime research team, operating under the supervision of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TÝM), announced the results of its "Exports 1,000 Survey," in which it cited the 1,000 best-performing exporters of the country, based on official foreign trade figures.

The report suggests that the main factor behind the relatively low 20 percent increase in 2007 exports over 2006 was the contraction in domestic demand and the relative weakening of the lira. The top company on the list, Ford Otosan, succeeded in attaining a 40 percent increase in its sales abroad, whereas the automotive industry as a whole saw only a 29 percent increase. Ford Otosan exports only commercial vehicles, particularly to European markets. Tüpraþ topped the list in 2006 but it stayed well behind Ford Otosan last year, although seeing a 9 percent increase over its 2006 exports. It was followed by Toyota, with the leading electronics manufacturer Vestel of Zorlu Holding coming fourth. Vestel had long been the unchallenged leader on export lists until just a few years ago, but it was unable to keep its top position in the face of the growing Turkish auto business.

The combined exports of the top 10 companies on the list made up 30 percent of the total exports of listed firms and 21 percent of Turkey's total exports. In other words, Turkey has 40,000 companies selling goods to other countries, but its top 10 exporters are responsible for one-fifth of Turkey's total exports. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

FOREIGN TRADE

Turkey’s exports exceed $12 billion in May

TOBB leader: Return to real issues necessary ERCAN BAYSAL - HÜSEYÝN SÜMER ANKARA

The leader of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), Turkey's top business organization, has criticized the political controversies and turmoil that have diverted attention away from the key issues on the agenda for over a year.

At TOBB's 63rd general assembly on Saturday, TOBB President Rifat Hisarcýklýoðlu targeted the government, opposition parties and the judiciary in his speech. Hisarcýklýoðlu said Turkey had wasted time with pointless debates while it should have been focusing on economic growth. "Turkey lost its competitiveness due to a vicious circle of debates," he said, adding that TOBB wants to see peace now.

Many members of the government participated in the meeting; however, there was no representative from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) only sent its deputy leader.

Hisarcýklýoðlu said the economy had fallen to low priority on Turkey's agenda after 2006 and that the reform process had stopped after that date. He emphasized that TOBB members fear a return to the economically dark years of the 1990s.

Hisarcýklýoðlu stated that businessmen, workers, farmers and small enterprises had paid the cost of the 2001 economic crisis but that those who caused the crisis had gotten away

without paying anything. "Then, who will pay for the economic costs of the ongoing political clashes in the future?" he asked, answering his own question by saying those who caused these losses would certainly not hesitate to make the people pay.

Hisarcýklýoðlu emphasized that businessmen and the public do not want to pay the costs stemming from certain people overstepping their duties, in a reference to members of the judiciary who released political statements directed against the ruling party. "Yes, we are biased, biased for peace, stability, common sense, democracy and progress; we are not on the side of fighting, conflict or any other initiatives that hurt democracy and development," he said.

The TOBB leader stated that Turkey's star has begun to shine again, emphasizing that there is a great opportunity for Turkey to be powerful. "However, do not forget that there are no second chances with opportunities," he noted, adding that everyone should refocus on business and the economy and that it is time to explore solutions rather than dwelling on problems.

He said the growth rate had declined drastically and that unemployment remains the biggest problem in Turkey. Hisarcýklýoðlu noted that the only way to overcome this problem is education, adding that if job opportunities cannot be increased, the benefits of development will not be felt, even if the economy grows at an accelerated pace. He stated that TOBB supported

the employment package that was recently passed, which aims to increase the workforce, but that it also expects reforms in vocational training.

'Debating minor problems' Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan said at the same meeting that Turkey is debating many irrelevant and minor issues while the world is watching developments in the country. "Our agenda is not conflict, controversies and pointless debates that damage Turkey," he said, adding that the government is trying to find ways to increase gross national product (GNP) to $1 trillion. He mentioned that the government had set a goal of national income per capita reaching $10,000, which, he said, would be achieved by the end of this year. "Now we are looking forward to how to increase this to $15,000," he noted.

Erdoðan recalled that tourism revenues were $18.5 billion and that foreign direct investment (FDI) reached $22 billion in 2007. He said there was criticism over declining FDI. "I am asking you, why has it decreased?" he said, noting that the reason is that international investors seek stability and that if the opposite is observed in a country, investments quickly decline.

Furthermore, Erdoðan said the government is going to maintain fiscal discipline and to avoid populist actions. "No one should expect populist moves before the 2009 local elections," he said.

Exports in May increased by 34.48 percent over the same month last year, reaching $12.3 billion.

Turkish Exporters Assembly (TÝM) President Oðuz Satýcý yesterday announced the export figures for last month at a press conference in the eastern city of Ardahan, noting that monthly exports hit an all-time high in May. The exports in the first five months climbed by 36.36 percent to $55.07 billion compared to the same period last year. Exports for the last 12 months reached $120.65 billion in an increase of 28.4 percent.

The sector with the highest export volume in May was motor vehicles and automotive spare parts, with $2.5 billion, followed by steel exports with $1.96 billion and chemical products with $1.5 billion.

Industrial exports, which make up an 89.05 percent share of total exports, increased by 34.6 percent in May, hitting $10.93 billion. Five-month industrial exports reached $48.5 billion, and year-on-year industrial exports exceeded $105 billion.

Agricultural exports grew by 32.5 percent in May, while mineral exports increased by 36.24 percent in the same period over last year. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

FURNITURE

Boydak Holding considers expanding into Russia Turkey's leading Kayseri-based furniture manufacturer Boydak Holding has tentative plans to expand into Russia.

Hacý Boydak, chairman of the holding, which employs over 3,000 employees in its 24 companies, yesterday told the Anatolia news agency, "Our company will have a presence everywhere the sun rises and sets, not only with dealerships but with individual investors as well." Russia is the first target, he added.

It has been difficult for Turkey in the past to establish a strong import and export relationship with its neighbors; however, the country is now capable of taking full advantage of its business opportunities, he said.

The holding runs numerous companies, each with a leading position in its market, such as Ýstikbal Mobilya, Ýstikbal Regina Kitchen and Bathroom, Bellona, Deco Carpet and Hes Kablo.

Boydak noted that these companies are currently more focused on the domestic market but that specialization will allow the holding to compete globally. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

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08 TODAY’S ZAMAN

M O N D AY, J U N E 2 , 2 0 0 8

After 10 years, ECB stands as vigilant as ever over world’s second largest economic area The European Central Bank celebrates its 10th birthday Monday with its reputation burnished by a steadfast stance on interest rates and quick action to supply banks with cash during the credit crisis over mortgage-backed securities. But the ECB now faces some of its biggest challenges as the euro economy faces an uncertain outlook this year. A recent economic boom appears to be trickling away and inflation -- usually low in euro nations -- has surged to recent record highs.

By refusing to slash interest rates, the bank and its president, Jean-Claude Trichet, have steered a different course from that chosen by the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, following its mandate from the Maastricht Treaty, which paved the way for the single euro currency and the bank itself.

The treaty mandates fighting inflation as the ECB's main priority, and Trichet and the other members of the rate-setting governing council have stayed firmly with that message despite criticism their stance has pushed up the strong euro, potentially hurting European exporters. "Stable prices are

essential," Trichet wrote in the foreword of a special 10th anniversary edition of the ECB's May monthly bulletin, released this week. "Not only because they protect the value of the incomes of all and particularly of the most vulnerable and the poorest of our fellow citizens, but also because delivering price stability and being credible in its delivery over the medium term is one of the preconditions for sustainable growth and job creation," he said.

The bank has kept its key rate at 4 percent since June 2007 to fight inflation that hit a record high of 3.6 percent in March and again in May, well above its stated goal of around 2 percent.

Holger Schmieding, an analyst at Bank of America in London, said the bank faces a "severe challenge" from high oil prices and signs that growth may slow. But he praised the bank for showing its moves to make large amounts of short-term credit available to banks worried about liquidity -- while clearly separating that policy from its strict, inflation-fighting stance on interest rates. "They haven't been panicked to cut rates, and the current data indicates that that was

the right response. Right now they're at a roughly neutral level of rates and they can probably stay there for quite a while," Schmieding said.

The European Central Bank came into being June 1, 1998, as 11 European countries drew closer to merging their currencies, although the official celebration will be on Monday, June 2. The euro was launched on Jan. 1, 1999 on financial markets, and euro notes and coins were introduced on January 1, 2002. The bank now controls monetary policy for 15 euro countries. Although EU officials criticize persisting differences across the bloc, they say the euro has added 15 million new jobs in the last six years by making trade and travel easier.

The euro is used by 323 million people with a gross domestic product of more than 4 trillion euros ($6.2 trillion). The ECB was founded with 11 members: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Since then, Greece, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta have joined, with Slovakia expected to enter next year.

The euro currency has recovered strongly --

some say too strongly -- from an initial slump that saw it as low as 82 US cents in 2000. Still, the ECB - as all central banks -- has its work cut out for it amid the credit crisis and high oil prices. A slew of economic reports pointing to a recession in the US have seen the dollar slump against the euro. On Friday afternoon 1 euros bought $1.55. That hikes the cost of euro exports to their main market in the US although it also helps cut the cost of dollarpriced oil imports. But the strong euro cannot keep back the full brunt of soaring oil prices. Energy and food prices are starting to hurt consumers' wallets.

High inflation is now Europe's biggest economic challenge as the ECB stays away from pushing the main lever of economic growth -- changing interest rates -- and urges governments and employers to prevent an inflation spiral by allowing large pay rises. The ECB faces a dilemma because slashing interest rates -- to encourage reluctant banks to lend -could likely fuel inflation by encouraging more borrowing. Instead Trichet is calling on euro nations to go further in opening up national markets for labor, goods and services to more trade. Frankfurt AP

BUSINESS

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Fifteen wind power plants coming to Çeþme Fifteen wind power plants at a total cost of 460 million euros will be established over the next three years on the Çeþme peninsula, an area with the highest terrestrial wind potential in Europe. The issuance of licenses for wind power plants had been halted for 10 years due to lack of transmission lines to the region. However, the Energy Market Regulatory Agency (EPDK) has approved the applications for 15 wind power plant licenses from major conglomerates, including Çalýk, ENDA, Ayen, Güriþ and Bilgin Enerji. The plants will have electric capacity varying between 10 megawatts (MW) and 50 MW. When completed the total capacity of plants in Çeþme will be 426 MW and the annual electricity production will reach 1.6 million kilowatt hours (KWh). EPDK President Hasan Köktaþ told the Anatolia news agency that this is a major step in turning Çeþme's energy potential into actual electricity.

Köktaþ said the private companies that acquired the licenses in the region would also undertake the installation of transmission lines to the national electricity grid, which, he stated, will cost around 10 million euros.

Currently there are 13 wind power plants in Turkey with 249 MW capacity; this number will climb to over 470 MW with the addition of four new power plants by the end of this year. Ankara Today's Zaman with wires

ADJUSTMENT

TEKÝN GÜRBULAK

Turkey to become fýrst class tourýsm spot KRISTINA KAMP ÝSTANBUL

Ýstanbul top in business and convention segment Our focus group comprises business travelers and convention guests, explains Reichenbach. "Ýstanbul, especially the rapidly developing and central business district of Levent, is really an excellent location for business travelers and convention guests," he underlines, adding that this segment is surely the strongest one among the Turkish fivestar industry. Therefore, all of the 249 Ýstanbul rooms, including 71 executive rooms, 21 superior suites and a Skyline Deluxe suite on the panoramic 20th floor, are tailored towards the requirements of businesspeople. All manner of meetings and conferences and every imaginable type of banquet can be completely catered in the Mövenpick Ýstanbul.

Is Ýstanbul also well equipped for big events, Formula 1, for example, which took place for the fourth time in Ýstanbul this May? "Generally, yes," Reichenbach says. "Over the last couple of years the city has made significant progress in this regard. Even I would wish to have one or two more important events here."

However, he points out that the city still suffers from serious infrastructure problems. "It shouldn't be that our clients spend three hours on a flight from Europe to Ýstanbul and then get stuck in traffic for another two hours to get to the hotel," he underlines and urgently recommends better coordination and cooperation among the city's administrative districts. "There are currently more than 20 municipalities in Ýstanbul alone. Sure, they are doing good things, but to handle the traffic problems of a big city like Ýstanbul, everyone has to pull together," he emphasizes, expressing his hope that the status of being a European Capital of

PHOTO

Turkey's five-star hotel sector is booming. Indeed, upscale Turkish hotels have become important spots for national and international business travelers and holidaymakers -- with Ýstanbul being almost shaken by a wave of new upscale hotel openings.

Frank Reichenbach, general manager of the Mövenpick Hotel Ýstanbul and the hotel chain's regional manager for Turkey, describes what it is that makes Turkish cities attractive for a number of upscale international hotel brands. In an interview with Today's Zaman he talks about the potential and difficulties of the Turkish five-star hotel sector and forecasts that "it is quality and service which will be the engine of the Turkish hotel business."

"We are a good upscale brand," Reichenbach added about the Mövenpick group. With two types of accommodation, business and conference hotels, as well as holiday resorts, the company has clearly defined its position as a first-class establishment. In Ýstanbul, Ýzmir and Bodrum there are currently three five-star hotels in operation.

Most notably, opening five years ago, the Ýstanbul location shows a capacity utilization of over 50 percent regular guests, which Reichenbach calls "more than satisfying." Around 65 percent of these are foreigners -- with the core markets being European countries, especially the UK, Germany, Switzerland and France - and approximately 80 percent of guests are business clientele.

style, the hotel ensures a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere for holidaymakers but also draws a lot of local business clientele from the bigger cities as well. "In the Bodrum region one has to get creative," and for that reason, the company introduced a special business idea that allows clients to rent the entire resort in the summer.

The Turkish market openly accepts these methods of diversification, as the Turkish director underlines. "Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is a brand highly regarded by business travelers and holidaymakers. Ýstanbul, Ýzmir, Bodrum and soon Ankara -- all in all I think, this is a good balance," he says. However, in the Mediterranean region, revenues are generally much lower and occupancy is usually around 20 percent less on average.

Quality and service against shrinking revenue

Mövenpick aims for upscale guests Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, an upscale hotel management company with 12,000 employees, represents over 90 hotels in 25 countries. Serving around 5.8 million guests per year, the international hotel group with roots in Switzerland is still forging ahead with its expansion and has a stated objective of increasing its hotel portfolio to 100 by the year 2010. With two hotel types, business and conference hotels, as well as holiday resorts, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has established a clearly defined presence in the upscale four and five-star segment. The hotel group is owned by Mövenpick Holding (66.7 percent) and the Kingdom Group (33.3 percent).

Culture in 2010 will be an effective incentive.

Nonetheless, in his opinion, Ýstanbul is currently one of the best cities for operators to have a hotel in, and he points out that over the last couple of years city tourism in Ýstanbul broke one record after the other in terms of visitor numbers. Indeed, according to a ranking done by the New Yorkbased Travel and Leisure, one of the world's most popular travel magazines, Ýstanbul is the third-best city in Europe, after Florence and Rome. It was further ranked eighth in the favorite world cities category, leaving New York and Bangkok behind.

And the market is still open for newcomers, "With regard to the rising number of city tourists, we don't have too many hotels yet in Ýstanbul," Reichenbach said, hinting that in terms of revenue, the upscale segment holds the best potential.

The Mövenpick Hotel Ýstanbul general manager knows all about his holding's establishments in the Turkish Mediterranean part as well.

Discussing difficulties related with shrinking revenue and a lack of utilization capacity in this re-

Frank Reichenbach

gion, he adds, "Well, regarding our own establishments in Ýzmir and Bodrum, we as the Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts are looking optimistically to the future." But he admits it is not easy to guarantee high capacity utilization in these regions.

For this reason, the company counts on business travelers in the Mediterranean region. The Mövenpick Hotel Ýzmir, which opened its doors in mid-February 2008, is clearly established as a five-star business hotel. The hotel has been extensively refurbished over the past two years, today offering 185 rooms, which include 38 executive rooms, 17 junior suites and a royal suite.

The exclusive Mövenpick Resort Bodrum is also business oriented; opening in the beginning of July 2007, it offers three meeting rooms equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual technology for up to 100 people as well as a business center that "is ideal for out-of-town meetings," Reichenbach explains. Centrally located and situated on the hilltop area of Bitez, with 92 generous rooms, including nine suites all decorated in Mediterranean

CM Y K

When asked what could be handy tools in raising customer profiles, he urged a shift away from the current, predominant low-cost and all-inclusive business. "Quality and service will be the engine of the hotel business" he is certain, and suggests that the government and tourism authorities can also help to ensure better standards, "for example, by distributing their stars more carefully," he says.

Quality and service is also what makes Mövenpick's secret of success. "Punctuality, reliability, security and a certain passion for detail is what marks our values," Reichenbach added, noting that the company's Swiss heritage is a point of pride. "We put additional emphasis on good food and excellent gastronomic service. In Ýstanbul, for example, we offer at least six open bottles of wine every day, and surely everyone knows our worldfamous Mövenpick premium ice cream," he adds enthusiastically. For that reason the company builds only on its long-term, owner-operator relationship and predominantly runs its hotels in the form of leasing or management contracts. "We would never do franchising, but always keep a certain influence to ensure the Mövenpick quality standards," he emphasizes. And as he underlines, these standards "marry very well" with uncompromising Turkish hospitality. "I really praise Turkish warmth. It is even better than what you experience in many European locations," he says.

Does the Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts expansion plan include adding new hotels to its lineup in Turkey? Reichenbach says "yes," while underlining that the current situation of the business is very promising. "A large and well-educated labor market, a huge domestic market, a relatively stable lira and continuous growth between 5 and 7 percent over the last several years are definitely positive location factors for investors in Turkey," he states.

For now, and as a first part of its portfolio expansion in Turkey, the Mövenpick group recently signed a management agreement with the Varan Group for a five-star business hotel in Ankara. Comprising 150 rooms and suites, it is scheduled to open in 2010. "I hope to be in the Belek/Antalya region soon. A hotel in this region should certainly be part of our portfolio.

Also, a second establishment in Ýstanbul could be interesting. Well, there are many, very exciting locations across the country," he says, speculating about possible expansion ideas.

Consumers hit by hike in natural gas prices A natural gas price rise affecting home and industrial consumers went into effect yesterday, prompting criticism from the industrial sector.

The Turkish Pipeline Corporation (BOTAÞ), the state-owned natural gas monopoly, increased natural gas prices by 7.4 percent for home consumption and by 8.3 percent for industrial consumption, the Anatolia news agency reported.

A high-level BOTAÞ official said the price hike was necessary in order to offset the surging crude oil and fuel prices in global markets, noting that BOTAÞ had tried to keep the hike to a minimum.

However, the rate hike decision drew negative reactions from several groups. Bursa Industrialists and Businessmen Association (BUSÝAD) President Mehmet Arif Özer said in a written statement that the 8.3 percent increase in natural gas prices for industry would have a devastating effect on industrialists, adding that there will also be a hike in electricity prices on July 1 which will compound the effect.

Young Industrialists and Businessmen Association (GESÝAD) President Denizhan Sezgin said members of his group had been expecting the hike, but were surprised by its magnitude. Ankara Today's Zaman with wires

POLICY

EU: RWE concessions to end investigation The European Commission welcomed proposals from the Germany energy company RWE on Saturday to settle an antitrust investigation that could have led to huge fines. RWE has proposed selling its gas transmission system network in western Germany to an independent operator, the European Union executive body said in a statement. "The Commission welcomes these proposed commitments since they would provide a structural solution for the concerns it has identified in the field of RWE's gas transmission activities," it said.

"RWE's proposal would, if implemented, constitute a structural change in the German gas sector and facilitate competition in the sector to the benefit of domestic and industrial gas customers." EU regulators launched an investigation in May 2007, using evidence collected from the company during a surprise 2006 raid. It said customers may have ultimately suffered from too little competition that helped keep prices artificially high.

RWE sells gas directly to customers, but also leases transport space to rival suppliers. Brussels AP

FOREX

‘S. Arabia will continue to peg its currency’ Saudi Arabia has no intention of depegging its currency from the weakening US dollar, Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf said Saturday following a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.

Al-Assaf said the government takes into account the kingdom's interests when making such decisions, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

"We have said more than once that we have no intention to depeg the riyal from the dollar," SPA quoted al-Assaf as telling reporters at a news conference in the western seaport city of Jiddah.

Kuwait was the first country in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia, to shun its peg with the dollar by allowing the dinar to float against a basket of currencies. The dollar's decline has pushed up the cost of imports into the Gulf, fueling inflation. The decline has also watered down the benefit of record oil prices. Riyadh AP

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MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2008

PHOTO

PHOTOS

SHARON CROXFORD

MEHMET ALÝ POYRAZ

FOOD

Page 1

Saffron pocket bread (safran ekmeði) Ingredients (Makes 24 small ovals) 10-12 saffron threads, ground with mortar and pestle 180 grams (6 oz.) white flour 1 tsp salt 20 grams (2/3 oz.) fresh yeast 100 milliliters (3½ fl.oz.) lukewarm water Method 1. Dissolve saffron in 50 milliliters (1¾ fl.oz.) warm water and allow to stand for as long as possible before making bread (minimum 15 minutes, maximum 12 hours).

2. Sift flour and salt together in a large bowl and make a well in the middle.

3. Dissolve yeast in remaining water then add to flour mixture, along with dissolved saffron and mix until a soft dough is formed.

4. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 4-5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

5. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with lightly oiled plastic film and leave to rest for about 30 minutes.

6. Divide in 24 and press out to ovals a few centimeters in diameter.

7. Heat a flat pan over a medium heat.

8. Lightly oil the pan and cook each saffron bread for 3-5 minutes.

9. Turn over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

10. Serve warm.

These small pockets are great for stuffing with griddled chicken, shredded lettuce and rocket and some saffron-flavored mayonnaise.

Traditional Anatolian tastes: saffron flavors in

Safranbolu

Zerde is a saffron flavored and colored rice pudding peculiar to Safranbolu.

During the event an exhibition of traditional and organic foods was set up in the new Safranbolu town's square. Given the town's name, saffron and saffron products were a frequent sight. Safran means saffron.

Bol translates to abundant or plentiful and the "u" just rounds out the composite word.

Safranbolu thus suggests a place where saffron abounds. And in the past Safranbolu did produce significant amounts of saffron.

These days, however, production is limited to a few small holdings and special projects.

An expert panel was drawn together to present and discuss saffron from history through to today. Turgut Kut, researcher in food culture and history, highlighted the importance of saffron in Ottoman cuisine. In the kitchen registers of Mehmet the Conqueror, 300 kilograms of saffron were ordered between 1469 and 1474. During the reign of Beyazýt II just over 100 kilograms were purchased from Safranbolu. In the famous mesir macun (aphrodisiac paste), made in the helvahanes of the palace kitchens, saffron was the dominant ingredient.

By the time of Selim II, just over half of the 218 kilograms purchased came from Chios.

True saffron comes from the stigma of the crocus flower (Crocus sativus). Each flower presents only three dark redpurple stigma for drying. Once dry, each saffron thread weighs about two milligrams. It takes about 75,000 flowers to produce 500 grams of dried threads. Whilst the size of the flowers' stigma may vary, it would take a large playing field of flowers to make one kilogram. In Turkey today, saffron is grown in Ýstanbul, Tokat, Ýzmir, Adana, Þanlýurfa as well as Safranbolu.

The quality, however, varies.

Musa Daðdeviren, owner of Çiya restaurant and researcher of local Anatolian food, demonstrated the range in quality of saffron from different countries. In a blind test, he prepared four different trays of zerde, the saffron

MEHMET ALÝ POYRAZ

The Governorship of Karabük and Safranbolu hosted the third feast of traditional Anatolian tastes last weekend, May 23-25. Organized by the Association of Anatolian Cuisine (Anadolu Halk Mutfaðý Derneði), and a joint venture with the Friends of the Kitchen Association (Mutfak Dostlarý Derneði), the Eurasian Chefs Association (Avrasya Asçýlar Derneði) and the Assos Foundation (Assos Vakfý), the annual event aims to bring together people with an interest in food culture, gourmets, chefs and food critics.

More than 100 people gathered at the various venues over the three days to discuss aspects of Anatolian cuisine, taste foods specially prepared from the regions surrounding Safranbolu and exchange ideas on how best to preserve the culinary culture and ensure that recipes, techniques and ingredients do not disappear as so much from the repertoire of Ýstanbul's Ottoman cuisine has done.

Ingredients (Serves 4) ½ tsp saffron threads 225 grams (8 oz.) strong flour 2 large eggs 1½ tsp olive oil

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SHARON CROXFORD SAFRANBOLU

Saffron pasta (safranlý eriþte)

Method 1. Infuse saffron threads in 30 milliliters of very warm water for as long as possible.

2. Sift flour onto wooden board, make a well in the center and add eggs, oil and saffron infusion.

3. Mix, using the fingers of one hand, gradually drawing in the flour, until a very stiff dough forms.

4. Knead until smooth and elastic, wrap in plastic wrap and rest in a cool place for 30 minutes.

5. Cut into small pieces and roll out until 1 lira coin thin.

6. Roll around rolling pin, slide off and cut into thin rounds, then into smaller 2-3 centimeter pieces.

7. Allow to dry for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

This pasta can be made into any shape desired, fettuccini, spaghetti or ravioli, noting that ravioli should be filled before drying.

Today's Zaman writer Sharon Croxford (far right) gets serious during the third traditional Anatolian tastes festival in Safranbolu last weekend, May 23-25. flavored and colored rice pudding. The audience of officials, gourmets, food writers, chefs and interested people tasted each of the four desserts. The test was to identify which was prepared with saffron from Iran, Spain (La Mancha), Safranbolu or an adulterated version.

Saffron has a very distinct flavor.

Described as having a hay-like aroma with honeyed, metallic undertones, saffron gives off a slightly bitter flavor to foods and, when overused, a very medicinal taste. Saffron also needs about 12 hours to fully develop its color and flavor. Good quality saffron will develop to a bright golden yellow color, poorer quality saffron to either a pale straw color or bright orange.

The most interesting point of the test was that more than half the testers voted that the zerde made with saffron from Safranbolu was fake. Only two participants correctly suspected the sample with the adulterated saffron (cleverly made from died silky corn threads): yours truly and the panel convener, journalist Ahmet Örs. A second point of interest was

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that the majority found the desserts made with the highest quality saffron, that is Iranian and La Mancha, their least favorite.

Unfortunately much of the saffron from Safanbolu is inferior. Techniques for plucking and drying the stigma by local growers are incorrect and border on adulteration. A small jar of threads will contain the favored dark red, but also an equal proportion of yellow strands, an indication that the stigmas have not been carefully removed from the stamens. Work is under way, however, to improve the opportunities for growing high-quality saffron. It is an expensive, laborintensive crop, with local demand relatively low, yet the world seems to be re-embracing this exotic spice of old. With the right marketing, there should be place amongst the spice buyers of the world for some premium quality Turkish saffron.

At the exhibition of traditional and organic foods, a number of saffron colored and flavored foods and cooking products were available. Saffron bread, eriþte (homemade pasta), yoghurt, vinegar and tea were all available for tasting.

Saffron apple vinegar (safranlý elma sirkesi) Ingredients (Makes 500 milliliters) 60-70 good quality saffron threads 500ml (17½ fl.oz.) bottle good quality apple vinegar Method 1. Grind all but 10-15 saffron threads.

2. Empty vinegar into large saucepan, washing bottle and retaining.

3. Add saffron threads and heat until just before boiling point.

4. Remove, add remaining threads, and when cold return to bottle, seal and leave overnight before using.

This vinegar can be used as the base for a vinaigrette for use with salads, chicken, fish, reductions for mayonnaise and hollandaise sauces.

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WORLD

Two leading government ministers sprang to the defense of Britain's embattled Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday, eager to quash speculation about a leadership challenge as his poll ratings tumble. Just one year after taking over from Tony Blair, Brown has been beset by a barrage of problems -- voters are punishing him over the flagging economy, soaring fuel and food prices and a botched tax reform. With media speculation rife about Brown's future on the eve of parliament returning today from its latest break, Justice Secretary Jack Straw sought to calm nerves and quell mutineers. "Speculation about the leadership, frankly, is nonsense. He is the best leader that we could possibly have and he will see us through these difficulties," the veteran minister told BBC TV. Business Secretary John Hutton made equally loyal noises, telling Sky News: "Gordon is the right leader for our party and for our government. I think unity is essential for progress in politics, so we should get behind the leader that we ourselves have chosen," he added. Brown, who last month lost a safe parliamentary seat and received an ignominious drubbing in local elections, does not have to call a national election until 2010 when he hopes the economy will have had time to recover. London Reuters

OBITUARY

Subject of ‘Lorenzo's Oil' dies at age of 30 The man whose parents' battle to save him from a nerve disease was depicted in the movie "Lorenzo's Oil" died over the weekend at his home in Virginia, having lived more than 20 years longer than doctors had predicted. Lorenzo Odone, who doctors had predicted would die in childhood, died one day after his 30th birthday, said his father, Augusto Odone. Lorenzo Odone had come down with aspiration pneumonia recently after getting food stuck in his lungs, his father said. He began bleeding heavily, and before an ambulance reached their home his son was dead, Odone said. "He could not see or communicate, but he was still with us," Odone said. "He did not suffer. ... That's the important thing." Odone was found at age 6 to have adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD. His doctors told his parents the disease -- caused by a genetic mutation that causes the neurological system to break down -- would lead to death in two years. Washington AP

Obama back on campaýgn traýl after Florýda, Mýchýgan The shift to the November presidential race against Republican John McCain comes after the party ended a lengthy furor over the disputed results in Michigan and Florida Front-runner Barack Obama turned to wrapping up the Democratic presidential nomination after a party committee dealt rival Hillary Clinton a blow by seating the disputed Michigan and Florida convention delegations at half-strength.

At a raucous all-day meeting of the party's rules panel, which was frequently interrupted by Clinton's supporters, the panel agreed on Saturday to seat the delegations from both states but cut their voting power in half. The decision in the longrunning dispute was a victory for Obama, removing one of the last stumbling blocks on his march to the nomination and preventing Clinton from significantly cutting his lead in the hard-fought race.

Only three contests with 86 pledged delegates at stake remained -- in Puerto Rico later on Sunday and on Tuesday in Montana

and South Dakota -- and Obama is about 70 delegates short of the 2,118 now needed to clinch the nomination. That means he will likely still be short of the total on Tuesday, but could reach it quickly with the help of some of the approximately 180 superdelegates -- party officials who can back any candidate -- who remain uncommitted.

"Now that Michigan and Florida have been added, we are getting close to the number that will give us the nomination," Obama said in South Dakota after the rules committee meeting. "And if we've hit that number on Tuesday night we will announce that, and I think even if we don't, this is the end of the primary season."

Voting was being held in Puerto Rico on Sunday. The territory, where Clinton was favored, has 55 delegates at stake.

Obama will hold a victory celebration after the South Dakota and Montana polls close

on Tuesday night at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota -- the site of the Republican convention in September.

The shift to the November presidential race against Republican John McCain came after the party ended a lengthy furor over the disputed results in Michigan and Florida.

Those contests, both won by Clinton, were not sanctioned by the party after a dispute over their timing and both states were stripped of their delegates. All candidates including Clinton had agreed not to campaign for the contests, and Obama was not on the ballot in Michigan.

But once Clinton won she had pushed for the delegations to be seated at full strength, hoping it would boost her popular vote total, cut into Obama's delegate lead and strengthen her argument to superdelegates that she would be the stronger candidate in November. Washington Reuters

ELECTION

Romanians size up parties in municipal polls Romanians voted for thousands of town mayors and county council members on Sunday in an election seen as a gauge of popularity for major political parties ahead of a parliamentary ballot due late this year.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) and are due close at 9 p.m. Exit polls published after closing time will focus on key races in major cities only.

Results are expected today, ahead of a runoff date on June 15. A strong showing for the ruling Liberal Party (PNL) or the opposition could give them ammunition to negotiate coalition arrangements for after the national election. Several options for future partnerships appear possible with no party holding enough public support to govern alone and the minority government of Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu struggling in opinion polls. "I haven't seen the parties shutting the door in each others' faces," said one European diplomat in Bucharest. Tariceanu's PNL might take only 11 to 14 percent, pollsters say, because of voters' frustration with its efforts to combat widespread poverty and corruption. Many Romanians have pinned their hopes for higher living standards and less graft on the prime minister, who swept to power in 2004 on a promise to fight corruption, modernize the economy and attract foreign investment. Bucharest Reuters

PHOTO

AP

SUPPORT

Ministers spring to the defense of PM Brown

Barack Obama

Front-runner Obama breaks with controversial church Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama said he has quit his Chicago church in the aftermath of inflammatory sermons that could become a lightning rod in the November election.

Obama's resignation from Trinity United Church of Christ, which he has attended for 16 years, was an attempt to put the nagging issue behind him as he closes in on the Democratic nomination to run against Republican John Mccain for the White House.

"This is not a decision I come to lightly and frankly it's one I make with some sadness," Obama told reporters during a stop in South Dakota. "Trinity was where I found Jesus Christ, where

we were married, where our children were baptized." The Illinois senator, who would be the first black US president, cut ties last month with Trinity's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, who angered many with anti-American and racially charged sermons.

Just as controversy over Wright had died down, a Roman Catholic priest mocked Obama's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton during a guest appearance at Trinity United. In his sermon, the priest, Michael Pfleger, screamed and imitated Clinton and accused her of espousing "white entitlement." Pfleger later apologized for his comments and was condemned

by Obama and the archbishop of Chicago. Aberdeen, S. Dakota Reuters

Ethnic Albanians cast their ballots in parliamentary elections in Tetovo, Macedonia, on Sunday.

Shootings and stolen ballot boxes mar Macedonia polls Shootings that led to at least one death and allegations of ballot fraud forced elections officials to suspend voting in at least 17 polling stations on Sunday, marring the start of Macedonia's early parliamentary election.

The election could prove crucial to this Balkan country's hopes to join NATO and the European Union. But even before the polls opened, the campaign was tainted by violence among rival ethnic Albanian parties and claims of fraud, with international monitors recording more than a dozen pre-election attacks.

The most serious election day violence began within hours of polls opening in the former ethnic Albanian rebel stronghold of Aracinovo, a village near the capital, Skopje, where two separate shootings left one person dead and three wounded.

Ermira Mehmeti, spokeswoman for the main ethnic Albanian party, the Democratic Union for Integration, said in one incident two party supporters were seriously wounded in a shootout with special police unit members near the village. She said one later died at the hospital. Details of the exact events were unclear, but villagers told reporters that the problems began when one person tried to vote on behalf of multiple people.

A police official confirmed the number of dead and wounded in Aracinovo, and police cordoned off the village. The State Election Commission said voting had been suspended in eight polling stations in Aracinovo, from where it had also received reports of broken ballot boxes earlier in the day.

The commission said voting had been suspended at a total of 17 polling stations around the country because of irregularities or intimidation. President Branko Crvenkovski stressed the importance of peaceful elections.

"Unfortunately since this morning, we have information of certain serious incidents in which firearms have been used" and voting was halted, he said after voting in a Skopje polling station.

"I am sorry these things happened and I want to express my hope that all this will end, that we will manage to calm the atmosphere and that we will end the day in a way that is suitable for a country with democratic potential." Skopje AP

ACCIDENT

Iranian Parliament picks Ali Larijani as speaker Iran's newly-elected parliament picked one of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's potential rivals in next year's presidential election for the influential post of speaker on Sunday, official media reported.

Ali Larijani, who quit as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator last year citing differences with Ahmadinejad over how to handle the country's atomic dispute with the West, received a clear majority of 237 votes in the 290-member legislature.

He was beaten in the 2005 presidential race but analysts expect him to run again in 2009. They say he may become a rallying point for conservative MPs who oppose the president's economic policies

and his fiery speeches against the West.

"Obviously the Majles (parliament) wanted a stronger speaker, someone who can stand up to Ahmadinejad," said one Iranian analyst, who declined to be named. Larijani's election as speaker was widely expected after conservatives, who retained their majority in a March parliamentary election, overwhelmingly backed his candidacy at an internal meeting last week.

The new parliament is dominated by moderate conservatives, including rivals of the president, and is expected to be more critical especially of his handling of the economy and failure to rein in inflation of more than 24 percent annually.

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"The way the economy is (performing) is something parliament cannot turn a blind eye to," the analyst said.

Ahmadinejad, who scored a surprise win in 2005 pledging to share Iran's oil wealth more fairly, accuses opponents of sabotaging plans to improve the economy of the world's fourth-largest crude exporter.

Larijani is part of a broad faction of politicians who, like Ahmadinejad, call themselves "principalists" to express their loyalty to the Islamic Republic's ideals. This camp also includes some who argue Ahmadinejad's verbal assaults on the West, vowing no compromise in the nuclear dispute, have further isolated Iran. Tehran Reuters

AP

One of six Russian miners trapped for two days in a Siberian coal mine after a cave-in was found alive on Sunday, and rescue teams redoubled their efforts to save the remaining workers, Russian media reported. "Once the man was lifted to the surface, he asked to have a smoke," Interfax news agency reported, adding he was suffering from dehydration and one of his ribs was thought to be broken. He was also suffering from psychological shock, Vesti-24 reported. The accident occurred on Friday at the Lenin mine in the Kemerovo region which holds the giant Kuzbass coal basin.

Seventeen people were trapped underground after the cave-in at a depth of 400 meters, but 11 of them escaped to safety. A methane gas explosion killed 110 miners at the Ulyanovskaya mine in March last year, becoming Russia's deadliest mine accident since the fall of the Soviet Union. Two months later, a methane gas blast killed 38 people at a neighboring mine, Yubileynaya, operated by the same company. Moscow Reuters

PHOTO

Russian miner found in cave-in, five still trapped

Iran's newly elected Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani (C) speaks as a group of lawmakers, rear, count the votes on Sunday.

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Convicted Hezbullah spy returns to a hero’s welcome in Lebanon Hezbullah has released the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in the 2006 war with Israel, which let go a Lebanese man who had completed a jail term on charges of spying for the group. The exchange increases speculation of progress in indirect talks between Israel and Hezbullah over a broader prisoner swap

The Essex Amphibious Group is standing by in international waters off the coast of Burma in support of Joint Task Force Caring Response.

REUTERS

Nineteen US soldiers were killed in Iraq in May, the US military said on Sunday, the lowest monthly death toll since US forces invaded to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003. The number of Iraqi civilians killed in the same month plunged to 505 after reaching a seven-month high of 968 in April, figures obtained by Reuters from Iraq’s interior, defense and health ministries showed. The US military says violence in Iraq is at a four-year low following crackdowns by US and Iraqi forces on Shiite militias in southern Basra and Baghdad and on al-Qaeda in the northern city of Mosul, its last major urban stronghold. But a suicide bombing in the town of Hit in western Anbar province on Saturday that killed the local police chief underscored the fragility of Iraq’s security. Police said a suicide bomber blew himself up at a checkpoint, killing police chief Lt.-Col. Khalil Ibrahim al-Jazzaa, nine other policemen and three civilians. “The man, who was wearing a suicide vest, asked to meet the police chief to talk about a problem. When the policemen stopped him to check him, the bomber blew himself up,” said Major Uday alDulaimi, a police officer in Hit. In Iraq’s more stable south, Australia, one of the United States’ staunchest allies, began pulling out 500 combat troops from Dhi Qar province, fulfilling a pledge by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to withdraw all troops this year. Baghdad Reuters

Myanmar defends cyclone response after US rebuke

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US troop deaths in Iraq at wartime low

PHOTOS

CASUALTIES

Myanmar’s military junta on Sunday defended its response to Cyclone Nargis after stinging criticism from the United States, while a UN official said food supplies had yet to reach at least 200,000 people.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has accused the regime of causing more deaths by stonewalling foreign aid, said on Sunday US ships cruising near Myanmar could leave in a “matter of days” if they cannot deliver relief supplies. Myanmar Deputy Defense Minister Aye Myint, in Singapore for a security conference also attended by Gates, insisted the government had acted swiftly and it was open to foreign aid with “no strings attached.”

“Through the prompt and immediate supervision of the supervisory central body headed by the prime minister and member ministers, relief camps and hospitals were opened, debris was cleared, emergency power and water supply restored,” Myint said. State media had given plenty of advance warning of the May 2 cyclone, which left 134,000 dead or missing and up to 2.4 million others destitute, Myint told the annual gathering of security and defense officials in Singapore.

The former Burma has said the rescue and relief effort is largely over and it is focused on reconstruction. The United Nations has said the scale of the devastation meant the relief phase could last six months. A major problem in delivering foreign aid has been an inability to get enough international aid workers into the worst-hit Irrawaddy delta due to visa hurdles and red tape. “We haven’t been able to get the whole mechanism going. Progress has been slow,” Hakan Tongul, deputy director in Myanmar of the UN’s World Food Program, told Reuters in Yangon.

Around 500,000 people have received some food and water since the storm struck nearly a month ago, but another 200,000 have received no international help at all, he said.

Some 45 UN visa requests were approved after junta leader Senior General Than Shwe promised last week to allow in “all” legitimate foreign aid workers, but obstacles remain.

One western aid worker said on Saturday that a two-day processing period to enter the delta area, which had been earlier cut from two weeks, had now increased to three. Speaking to reporters in Singapore, Gates, whose government is one of Myanmar’s harshest critics, accused the generals of “criminal neglect.” Yangon Reuters

OCCUPATION

Israel to build new homes in occupied West Bank Israel announced plans on Sunday to build hundreds of new homes in an area of the occupied West Bank the Israeli government considers part of Jerusalem, despite US and Palestinian calls to halt settlement expansion. The announcement came two days before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sets off Washington for a three-day visit where he will meet US President George W. Bush. The 2003 peace “road map,” reaffirmed by Israeli and Palestinian leaders at a conference hosted by Bush in November, requires a halt to all settlement activity on occupied land where Palestinians seek statehood. Housing Minister Zeev Boim instructed his office to publish a tender to build an additional 763 housing units in Pisgat Zeev and 121 housing units at Har Homa, an area Palestinians refer to as Jabal Abu Ghneim. Both sites are located on lands captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war, and were incorporated into the municipal borders of Jerusalem in an act not recognized internationally. Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Olmert’s government “talks about peace while at the same time works on undermining the basis of peace by increasing settlement activity in Jerusalem and around it.” Jerusalem Reuters

DISASTER

Colombia landslide kills at least 6, more missing Colombian emergency workers and residents used spades and rescue dogs to hunt for victims on Saturday after rains trigged a landslide that killed at least six people when it swept over a poor Medellin neighborhood. An avalanche of mud and rubble buried about 20 homes, and as many as 20 people were still missing in the latest disaster triggered by the country's intense winter season and heavy rainfall, authorities said. "We have six people dead and at least 20 people reported missing," said Camilo Zapata, director of the Medellin municipal disaster prevention office, told Reuters by telephone from the site. "We are still carrying out operations to reach the missing people," he said. Dozens of rescue workers and local residents scoured through mud and wrecked houses for victims after some heard voices of those trapped underneath their buried homes. "I was sleeping at the time and a wall in the kitchen collapsed on top of me. My mother pulled me out," John Alexander Zapata told reporters after the landslide. More than 100,000 people have been driven from their homes by the flooding that has knocked down bridges, blocked roadways and damaged crops across the country. Bogota Reuters

Nissim Nasser raises hands with Hezbullah senior official Nabil Qawouk (L) and his mother Valentine (R) upon his arrival at the Naqoura village.

A convicted Hezbullah spy returned from Israel to a hero’s welcome in Lebanon on Sunday, while Hezbullah turned over the remains of what it said were dead Israeli soldiers in what could be the first stage of a larger prisoner exchange between the bitter enemies. Israeli authorities released Nasim Nisr, an Israeli of Lebanese descent, early on Sunday after he completed a six-year sentence for espionage, driving him from a prison in central Israel to the northern Rosh Hanikra crossing. Cameramen surrounded the white van Nisr was sitting in as a blue gate swung open to allow him through the frontier.

Hezbullah official Wafik Safa told the group’s al-Manar TV station that it handed over a brown box containing what it said were the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in the monthlong Lebanon war in 2006. Nisr stood beside Safa as he spoke.

An Israeli security official said Hezbullah had agreed to turn over the remains as a “gesture” and the move was not coordinated with Israel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity surrounding the ongoing negotiations. Helge Kvam, a Red Cross spokesman in Jerusalem,

called Hezbollah’s move a “complete surprise.” The box was handed over to Israel’s army. Military doctors and rabbis were to examine the remains to confirm they belong to slain Israeli soldiers. Israeli media have said Hezbullah was believed to be holding remains from 10 dead soldiers. Sunday’s exchange added to speculation that a major swap is in the works. Hezbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah predicted last month that Israel will release prisoners it is holding “very soon.”

Israel is believed to be holding seven Lebanese in its prisons, while has been holding two Israeli soldiers it captured in a 2006 cross-border raid that sparked that year’s monthlong war. The soldiers are believed to have been badly wounded, and Hezbullah has offered no proof that they are still alive.

Israel daily Haaretz reported that Nisr admitted contacting a senior Hezbullah official as part of a 2002 plea bargain. The paper reported that he also sent photos of one of his relatives, who was a high-ranking Israeli security official. Nasr also took photographs and information about gas and electrical facilities in Israel which Hezbullah could use as targets, the paper said. In Lebanon, TV stations carried a live broadcast of his arrival.

Wearing a white shirt with blue and green strips, he hugged weeping relatives, including his mother. In brief remarks, he thanked Nasrallah and expressed his wish to see other Lebanese prisoners released.

Nisr, 39, was born in Lebanon to a Jewish Lebanese mother and a Shiite Muslim father.

Because of his Jewish ancestry, he qualified for Israeli citizenship and moved to Israel. He has a 10-year-old son from a first marriage, and two daughters, ages 10 and 7, from his current wife. Nisr was “nervous but happy,” said his lawyer, Smadar Ben-Natan.

“I certainly hope that this heralds a prisoner swap deal in the near future,” said BenNatan, who represents two of the Lebanese prisoners still held by Israel.

A larger swap is extremely emotional for Israelis because it would likely involve Samir Kantar, the longest-serving Lebanese prisoner. Kantar is serving multiple life sentences for infiltrating northern Israel in 1979 and killing four Israelis, including a 28-year-old man, the man’s 4-year-old daughter and two Israeli policemen. Many Israelis see him as especially brutal. He was convicted of killing the girl by smashing her head against rocks and then with a rifle butt. Rosh Hanikra AP

China breathes more easily as lake fears ebb

SPACE

Bomb wounds 3 in Spain’s Basque Country

Space shuttle Discovery blasted off a seaside launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday to deliver Japan’s huge new research laboratory to the International Space Station. The start of NASA’s 123rd shuttle mission was as smooth as they come, with no technical glitches and no weather issues as the countdown clock ticked down to 5:02 p.m. EDT (2102 GMT), the moment when Earth’s rotation positioned the shuttle for its most direct path to the orbiting space station. The shuttle’s twin booster rockets roared to life, joining the ship’s three hydrogen-burning main engines to catapult the 4.5 million pound (2.04 million kg) ship into the air. The load was especially hefty, with Japan’s Kibo lab tipping the scales at more than 16 tons. “While we all tend to live for today, Kibo will give us hope for tomorrow,” said shuttle commander Mark Kelly. “Now stand by for the greatest show on Earth.” Kibo, a complex that cost Japan about $2 billion to manufacture, is being installed aboard the space station in three flights. Cape Canaveral, Fla. Reuters

A bomb exploded in the Basque town of Zarautz on Sunday, slightly wounding three people, Spanish police said after highway authorities received a warning they said was made in the name of ETA rebels. The bomb was aimed at construction company Amenazar, part of a consortium building a high-speed train network that will link Bilbao, San Sebastian and Vitoria, the region’s main cities.

The blast occurred at 2.30 a.m.

(0030 GMT) in the port of Zarautz near San Sebastian, an hour after a woman phoned a warning to highway authorities claiming responsibility in the name of ETA militant separatists. Two police-

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men inspecting the area when the bomb went off were treated for damage to their hearing. Another man suffered cuts to his face.

ETA rebels said on Friday they would keep fighting for an independent Basque Country despite the arrest in France earlier this month of the man believed to be their leader, Francisco Javier Lopez Pena. ETA claimed responsibility for killing a Spanish civil guard officer by bombing a barracks in northern Spain on May 14.

The group has killed more than 800 people in four decades of armed struggle for independence of ancient Basque territories in northern Spain and southern France. Madrid Reuters

AP

Shuttle Discovery carries Japanese lab into orbit

A police officer searches the scene of a bomb that exploded in the small Basque town of Zarautz, northern Spain, on Sunday.

Fears of a devastating flood from a lake formed by last month’s Sichuan earthquake eased on Sunday after hundreds of soldiers and engineers successfully completed a channel to drain away the rising water. Authorities had evacuated 197,000 people and drawn up plans to move as many as another 1.3 million because of the risks posed by a collapse of the Tangjiashan lake, one of 30 created by landslides touched off by the quake.

Engineers were due to start draining the lake as early as Sunday, according to the official Xinhua news agency, which said the army had been able to abandon back-up plans to use dynamite to blast away debris and relieve pressure on the river feeding into the lake.

The official death toll from the May 12 quake rose slightly on Sunday to 69,016, with 18,830 still missing in remote parts of the mountainous southwestern province. More than 15 million have been evacuated from the areas hit by the 7.9-magnitude quake, China’s worst natural disaster in more than 30 years, the government added. Ten quake survivors were on board a military helicopter that crashed in foggy conditions on Saturday near Yingxiu, close to the epicentre of the quake. Yingxiu Reuters

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EXPAT ZONE

A sýngle word can make all the dýfference The marriage-age crisis is over -- or is it? In America, a state law that mistakenly allowed anyone -- even toddlers -- to marry with parental permission was repealed by a measure signed into law in May by the Arkansas governor.

Lawmakers had forgotten one word. A few months before, lawmakers didn’t realize until too late that a law they approved, intended to establish a new minimum age for marriage, instead removed the minimum age of 18 to marry entirely.

An extraneous “not” in the bill allowed anyone who was not pregnant to marry at any age with permission.

The botched law has been repealed and the correct ages reinstated. No young children attempted to marry under the 2007 law.

Polygamy, another form of marriage still practiced in some countries, is outlawed everywhere in the United States, but you can still come across it. Usually, the male followers are of some religious sect who typically marry one woman officially and take the others as “spiritual wives.” This makes the women or young girls single in the eyes of the state, which can entitle them and their children to various welfare benefits.

Recently, Texas officials investigating a potential child abuse case removed 183 girls and women from a ranch, home to a breakaway

Mormon sect linked to jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.

It’s not unusual for a man with more than one wife and for concubines to come to mind when you think of ancient civilization in the Middle East. For centuries, this form of union has existed as a type of social security system for females who needed to be taken care of.

I remember when I first came to Turkey in the late 1970s and heard about Atatürk’s reforms; it seemed remarkable what Atatürk had achieved in just 50 years. One word summarizes what Atatürk wanted for women -- opportunity.

Atatürk’s views are formally expressed in a civil and civic study textbook: “There is no logical explanation for women’s political disenfranchisement. Any hesitation and negative mentality on this subject is nothing more than a fading social phenomenon of the past. …Women must have the right to vote and to be elected, because democracy dictates that because there are interests that women must defend and because there are societal duties that women must perform.” (Afet Inan, Medeni Bilgiler, Turk Tarih Kurumu 1998) Many women around the world have felt they are second-class citizens. Their roles and statuses vary. Rarely do you hear of women happy in a polygamous setting, so it was surprising to hear the Texan women who were removed from the Texas ranch express that they

CULTURAL CORNER

CHARLOTTE McPHERSON were content in theirs.

Many foreigners are surprised when they come to Turkey and learn that a man is legally allowed only one wife. Polygamy is prohibited by law. Official weddings are civil. You can marry at age 18, or age 17 with parental consent; age 16 under special circumstances with court approval. The concept of dating as a couple is not as widely spread as in other countries.

Trends are changing, but still a marriage usually involves the family and their approval to some degree -- if you don’t want to be disowned, that is.

Just this past weekend, I attended a beautiful, small wedding of one of my staff and her American spouse. It was a romance by Internet.

After chatting back and forth, he came to Ýstanbul so they could meet each other and he could meet her family. In one word: love.

I’ve had a group of visitors this week. We spent some time at a resort on the Black Sea. As we were standing at the hotel reception desk waiting for something, the front desk manager assisting us introduced us to his friend. It was revealing to watch my guest’s response, as the manager told us in his broken English about his friend standing next to him. He said smiling: “This is Ahmet. He is 45 and he has two wives and five children.” My American friend’s jaw dropped and he was speechless. He just laughed nervously. Later, as we walked away from the desk, he turned to me and said one word: polygamy.

Truer in some countries than others, for some young women there is only one main life issue -- finding that right person. Marriage is their one avenue to power, romance and adventure. It may be the first and last move they’ll make in which they have any semblance of autonomy, just like Jane Austen’ novel “Sense and Sensibility,” set in the 1800s.

Just one last thought: “A good woman is the best thing on earth…” -- Vance Hevner Note: Charlotte McPherson is the author of “Culture Smart: Turkey, 2005.” Please keep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure this column is a help to you, Today’s Zaman’s readers. Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com

LEGAL CORNER

BERK ÇEKTiR

Readýng Turks’ mýnds through‘Valley’ PHOTO

TODAY’S ZAMAN

Termýnatýon of marrýage (1)

Experts agree that TV series “Valley of the Wolves,” despite some redeeming qualities, sets a bad example for teenagers with frequent violence and the lack of any demonstration of post-crime remorse.

PINAR TAÞ ÝSTANBUL

Nothing worked. Due to the violent content of the series, I tried to keep my son away from the television on Thursdays, when my husband, who is normally committed to playing with our son after work, was hypnotized by the “Valley of the Wolves, Ambush” series. Eventually, I found the solution to be to knock on the door of my nextdoor neighbor, who was kind of suffering from the same mania, with my son and some slices of cake in hand.

But what is it that draws him and his fellow workers to the series, so much so that Fridays were full of dialogue from the last episode of “Valley”? “The Valley of the Wolves, Ambush,” which will wrap up this Thursday, usually gets the highest ratings, including its re-runs. “It is themselves who they find so appealing in the series; it is their lives and their souls that they find,” says psychiatrist and associate professor Erol Göka, chosen “Intellectual of the Year” in 2006 by the Writers Union of Turkey with his book “The Psychology of Turks.”

“The series is incredibly successful in dealing with the setting, characters and action, and it sums up the state of the emotions of our people very well. The work of fiction also does a good job in making enemies,” says Göka, who also heads the psychiatry clinic of Ankara Numune Hospital.

On that point, Ýlham Khalilov, a psychologist from the Zen counseling center in Ýstanbul, agrees with Dr. Göka. “Every character is depicted with a particular feature. For example, Ýskender, the narcissistic head of an unknown power, has been portrayed so well that his character comes through even in the language he uses.”

The characters even evolve as we do in real life, says Khalilov, pointing to Abdulhey, the manliest man, the bravest heart of all, the one no one can catch smiling, as an example. “He was more masculine at the beginning of the series. Now he has turned into someone else.”

Khalilov also links the obsession with strong, masculine characters -- portrayed so well by protagonists Polat, Memati and others - with the lack of an authority figure at home.

In Turkey, he argues, as the father is usually at work, a dependent relationship between the mother and child exists. “For this reason the father figure is usually not prominent in the family, leading the child to look for an authority figure outside of home.” But the argument does not apply to adult men, Khalilov says.

The two experts share the same view on whether the series would ever become a bad example for teenage boys -- who are already busy building an identity and simultaneously trying to adapt to changes brought about by puberty -because it is a frequent scene of violence in which people kill with no trace of regret on their face. That fact alone would give a false idea to a young mind that killing a person is not serious and that guns are not that harmful after all.

Psychologist Khalilov plays down this option but says there are exceptions. Only mentally imbalanced individuals would be motivated by a work of fiction -- say, a movie or a story -- according to him. A healthy adult male can easily differentiate between fiction and reality, and that is the case with “Valley,” Dr. Göka believes.

The series tells the story of an intelligence officer, Polat, whose mission, given to him by men from the deep state, is to infiltrate a gang in order to get rid of it. He then ends up establishing his own gang because of corruption in the system that once employed him. Throughout this entire story, the men in his gang are depicted as heroes in terms of their loyalty to Polat, though their human side is portrayed at times.

This characterization of the men as having flaws makes the series likeable, says Khalilov.

A disturbing question, though, continues to bother the mind. It is of no harm to adult men, but what about teenagers struggling to find role models and dealing with raging hormones? That is, would the series have played into the wicked hands of those who want to use the young in

their ill-intentioned scenarios like assassinations of prominent public figures such as slain journalist Hrant Dink? The Turkish-Armenian journalist was murdered by a 17-year-old who was later found to have links to a gang. Dr. Göka disagrees with this argument, voiced by many. He even goes further by saying: “No, I don’t agree with that at all. We cannot judge a whole nation by the crimes of a few punks -- That is a crime bigger than crime itself.” What he says then is remarkable: “A Turk’s mind doesn’t understand racism. Though Turks are a warrior community, as all historians agree, they are the nation which has the greatest tolerance in the world.”

Khalilov sees a connection between the socioeconomic background and gangs. “Children of less educated and less wealthy parents are more likely to be involved in gangs. A teenager who lacks those things would look for wealth and power outside his or her family,” Khalilov says.

Göka, who deals with the community psychology of Turks in his book “The Psychology of Turks,” discusses the argument that it addresses Turks’ need for guns and that it is for that reason popular among a nation famous for its gift of forming armies. What he says is nothing new: Turks are a military society. “The wellknown trio, ‘At-Avrat-Silah,’ [Horse-WomanGun] is of great importance in our ‘historical psychology.’ The point is that it is not only the weapons, but also our ‘warrior state of mind.’ I do not know how other societies are, but Turks are like that. And we can never analyze anything correctly without realizing this feature of ours. Turks are well known in history for their warrior features. Turks, fighting without gender discrimination, fought not only for their nation; they were employed as warriors by other nations’ armies because of their well-established war tactics. Therefore it is not this relation between Turks and guns which make ‘Valley’ a must-see on Tuesdays,” Göka says, giving another perspective on Turkey’s “deep state.”

“The major part of the success of the series lies in the fact that it can make us ask questions

about some issues in order for them to come under the spotlight in a country in which a great deal of secret and suspicious business has taken place.” “To some extent, it helps to calm our paranoia [or the skeptic within].”

On the other hand, Zekayi Altun, a fan of the series, says, “I don’t think it is about the guns.”

What he finds so spellbinding in “Valley” is its scenario, which ties the latest developments in Turkey with fiction. He also dismissed the idea of guns being a “bad example” by invoking Memati’s drug problem. Memati, a picture-perfect example of a strong man in the series with his courage, is forced to use drugs during his captivity by the antagonists of the series. Polat then comes to his rescue, but by then, Memati is already a drug addict. On that point, Polat’s father, a mosque preacher, tries to encourage him to quit. The pious man functions as a messenger throughout the series, says Polat. Therefore, the series can balance its violence with a message about the results of the guns.” He adds: “For instance, in the latest episode, at least 10 minutes were spent explaining the harms of drugs. I am sure those with a tendency to imitate the crimes in the series also take their cues from what Polat’s father, who is even good to his enemy, preaches and models with his role.”

The series’ fans are not all men. Fatma Yeler, 85, used to watch it when Elif, Polat’s ill-fated lover in the series’ first season, was alive. The scriptwriter killed her in a tragic car accident.

“They fight less and are less entertaining,” Yeler says. “They have not filled the gap that Elif’s absence has left,” says another former fan, Nevin Öztürk, a 40-year-old housewife from one of Ýstanbul’s upscale districts.

The series is rated “seven and above” by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK). I ask Zekayi if his wife and young daughter watch it. “No,” he says. The series’ season finale is this Thursday. Though the questions asked above still remain unanswered, there is something for sure: Zekayi’s wife, children and I will finally catch a breather from this show this summer.

NOTE: Today's Zaman intends to provide a lively forum for expatriates living in Turkey. We encourage you to contact us at voice@todayszaman.com and share your experiences, questions and problems in all walks of life for publication in Today's Zaman.

CM Y K

I have received an interesting email from a reader related to marriage law; in particular, about obstacles to marriage. The letter reads as follows: "Hello, I am hoping that you can help me with one of the Turkish marriage laws. It came to my attention when I was reading 'additional marriage laws' that one of them said, 'Sickness: Certain medical conditions, e.g., epilepsy, also constitute a bar to marriage.' I have had epilepsy for many, many years, caused by a road traffic accident, but it is only minor epilepsy and is controlled by a low dose of tablets, so I have had no sign of epilepsy for 15 years. Could you please tell me if this will prevent my being able to marry in Turkey to my Turkish partner, and could you also tell me the reason WHY epilepsy would have anything to do with getting married? Thank you for your time. Yours sincerely, A…" Dear A, I will be responding your question after giving some detailed information about Turkish marriage law. After reading the articles about this matter, you will see that the law actually protects both parties. Under Turkish law, there are three possible ways to end a marriage. The first way is through the death of one of the spouses. In the case of death, the marriage shall end and the birth registration office shall register the living spouse as a widow. The second possibility in ending a marriage is divorce. The third possibility of ending a marriage is canceling/revoking/terminating the marriage. I will use the term "termination of marriage."

Termination of marriage is possible in many jurisdictions. Each English-speaking country may have a different word, different terminology for some certain legal terms. I would recommend you reference your native legal terminology to understand the termination of a marriage. The termination of a marriage can only be claimed under certain conditions.

If I may give some of those, a marriage can be terminated under the following circumstances: If one of the spouses is already married at the time of the marriage in question, the second marriage can only be terminated; there is no divorce. This situation is mostly seen in international marriages, where one of the spouses is from another country, and the other jurisdiction can be deceived by some falsified documents. It is almost impossible to do this in local marriages since the authorities sutomatically perform a screening through a database system.

In the case that one of the spouses does not possess mental maturity, but the marriage is somehow contracted, the marriage can be terminated. In this case, the spouse who does not meet conditions of mental maturity will not be held to any binding process.

In the case the spouses are discovered to be close relatives, the marriage can be terminated.

If one of the spouses does get married to the other spouse without knowing a very important fact, then the marriage can be terminated. This fact should be of a nature such that the claimant spouse would certainly not have married the spouse. A good example of this topic would be someone married into a family that takes part in violent activities.

Please keep reading -- I will be writing about this topic in the coming days.

NOTE: Berk Çektir is a licensed attorney at law and available to answer questions on the legal aspects of living in Turkey. Send enquiries to b.cektir@todayszaman.com. The names of the readers are disclosed only upon written approval of the sender.

DISCLAIMER: The information provided here is intended to give basic legal information. You should get legal assistance from a licensed attorney at law while conducting legal transactions and not just rely on the information in this corner.

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TODAY’S ZAMAN 13

M O N D AY, J U N E 2 , 2 0 0 8

The Fountain explores ‘essence of all existence’ in latest issue The latest issue of The Fountain magazine highlights three main topics: compassion, the roles of Mohammed and Jesus as two great prophets, and the compatibility of science and faith. The magazine, published by the US-based Tughra Books, has aimed to cover spiritual and scientific matters since it was launched in January 1993.

"Stories of the prophets are found both in the Quran and the Bible, and the prophets appear as historic figures in several other versions in literature," says the editorial column of the magazine's 63rd issue in introducing this issue's main topic. "Although these stories do not al-

ways match each other's content a hundred percent, believers read them over and over, not only to enjoy reading in itself, but also seeking lessons to learn and teach. Interestingly, a quick browse of these stories starting from Prophet Adam reveals in a sense that it is almost the same scenario put on stage in human history."

Regarding the lead article that focuses on compassion, the editorial says: "The contemporary era is not one to be proud of," with many of the atrocities humans witness on a daily basis no longer moving the viewers. As the lead article notes, "Communities and diverse groups within communities live with apparently endless anger, hatred, and detestation, pursuing plans of murder

and complete destruction that would never previously have been held possible." "In the face of such vices, the noble prophets always acted with compassion and strived to soften the hearts of those who challenged their message. In fact, compassion is the 'essence of all existence,' and despite the gloomy skies of our time, rays of a bright sun are visible on the horizon," states the editorial.

Thomas Petriano, in his article "Muhammad and Jesus -- Two Great Prophets of God," observes the same horizon, and he seeks a closer tie between two great religions of the world while speculating on the compassionate example of their prophets: "It is not hard to imagine Jesus and Muhammad as friends, linked by their love of God and their vision of a world

characterized by justice, compassion, and equality."

Hurisa Guvercin illustrates another portrayal of compassion in her piece, in which she discusses an Islamic perspective on people with disabilities.

Roberto Colella expounds on an age-long debate on science vs. faith, asking, "Is it possible for a scientist to believe?" His is an interesting contribution that increases our hopes for a world where faith and science can coexist, not as contradicting phenomena, but as two essential components of the same truth.

An article on the future of solar energy in the energy market and a health article that looks at vitamin and mineral pills are other topics covered in the bimonthly's latest edition. The magazine's Web site can be found at www.fountainmagazine.com.

KÜRÞAT BAYHAN

EMRAH ÜLKER ÝSTANBUL

Book revýew

HUGH POPE

As a girl, Turkish lawyer Fethiye Çetin knew her grandmother as an adored Muslim matriarch by the name of Seher. Then she learned that Seher had been born an Armenian Christian, Haranuþ, who, several decades before, had been seized from the clasp of her mother by a World War I Turkish gendarmerie corporal officiating over a column of Armenians being marched out of Anatolia.

"My Grandmother," now out in a translation by novelist Maureen Freely, is Çetin's compelling account of her gradual discovery of the deep contradiction between her proud nationalist education and the realities buried deep in Turkish society. The bare narrative offers few moral and historical judgments, few dates, no maps, no politics. There is also no discussion of whether the disappearance of the Armenians of Anatolia was the result of a genocide or massacres or civil war. Surprises abound: for instance, Seher came to feel great affection for the corporal as a new father. Asked why it all happened by Çetin, all the grandmother can ask back is, "What should I know?"

The fast-selling original of the book is part of a genre in modern Turkish literature that tries to make amends for the gaping hole left by the Armenians in the country's public history. The theme is dominant in both Orhan Pamuk's recent "Snow" and Elif Þafak's "The Bastard of Istanbul." Çetin's book is already required reading for students in progressive Turkish institutions like Sabancý University in Ýstanbul. Along with occasional recent exhibitions and conferences about the lost Armenians, these are part of a trend in Turkey that is grappling with a history of denial, nationalism and fears of political consequences.

Altogether eight Armenian girls ended up as new-minted Muslims in the small Turkish town where Çetin's grandmother found herself. Even her brother Horen survived to become known as a shepherd called

PHOTO

‘My Grandmother: A Memoir’

by Fethiye Çetin

A new documentary that takes a wide-ranging look at steroid abuse suggests an American culture of winning at all costs is at odds with its public condemnation of the performanceenhancing drugs. "Bigger, Stronger, Faster*," which opened in the US on Friday, features interviews with gym junkies, medical experts, US lawmakers and athletes such as former sprinters Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson and cyclist Floyd Landis.

But the documentary from the producers of Michael Moore's hits "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Bowling for Columbine" also includes comical and touching first-person accounts by director Chris Bell and his confessed steroid-using weightlifting and bodybuilding brothers. "I am basically looking at all the hypocrisy surrounding steroids," said Bell, 35, who chronicles growing up idolizing and emulating "winners" such as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. "Seeing all these larger-than-life heroes, I wanted to be like them and I did not know they were using steroids," he said. "Nobody wants to talk about steroids and I knew my brothers would tell me the truth so I started with them."

The film broadens its scope when it explores why steroids have a bad name -- they have legitimate medical purposes but it is illegal to use them without a prescription in the US -- and why America obsesses over body image. The film suggests that part of the problem is a penchant for making scapegoats out of athletes like former Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson when in fact steroids can be traced back to American Olympic teams in the 1950s and 1960s. It also points to the lack of regulation by agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration of enhancers such as legal dietary supplements, which can include stimulants. "Everything has to be bigger and better and that is part of the American psyche," Bell said. "It's not steroids that are the problem, they are a side effect of being American. The idea of steroids comes out of the idea of winning." New York Reuters

Composer hopes opera helps audiences reflect

CONCERT

EXHIBITION

Chang lends artist support to Ýzmir Philharmonic

History through Melling and Dunn's sketches

Renowned Korean-American violin virtuoso Sarah Chang will perform in the Aegean province of Ýzmir next week, lending her artistic support as a worldclass soloist to the Ýzmir Philharmonic Orchestra in its inaugural concert. Chang and the 70-member orchestra, under the baton of maestro Ýbrahim Yazýcý, will perform Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5" at the concert, scheduled for June 13 at the Ýzmir Elhamra Hall.

Panoramic sketches depicting Ýstanbul as it was in the 18th and 19th centuries, by artists AntoineIgnace Melling and Montagu B. Dunn, are on show at an exhibition at the Ýstanbul Research Institute, run by the Suna and Ýnan Kýraç Foundation. Titled "Long Stories: Ýstanbul in the Panoramas of Melling and Dunn," the exhibition runs until July 23, presenting a micro-level study of history focusing on the city's historical topography.

FILM SCREENING

Julio Iglesias, in Turkey last week for live performances in Ýstanbul and Ýzmir followed by a concert in Ankara yesterday, will wrap up his extensive Turkey tour this summer with an appearance at the upcoming Bursa International Festival.

The festival organizers announced last week that the legendary Spanish singer of love songs would take to the stage as the second act of the festival's 47th edition, scheduled to run from June 10 to July 12 in the northwestern province. The festival, organized by the Bursa Foundation for Culture, Art and Tourism (BKSTV) in collaboration with the Greater Bursa Municipality, will open with a "Three Turkish Tenors" concert. The three tenors, Hakan Aysev, Efe Kýþlalý and Hüseyin Likos, will be accompanied by the Bursa State Symphony Orchestra under the baton of maestro Serdar Yalçýn.

The second night of the festival will bring Iglesias to the Bursa Open-air Theater in what will be his fourth performance in Turkey in less than a month. British pop singer Kim Wilde will be another performer from overseas at the festival, which mainly focuses on Turkish acts.

This year's festival will have a budget of YTL 1.5 million, said Bursa Mayor Hikmet Þahin, underlining that last year's festival had cost around YTL 1 million. The festival will wrap up with a five-day international folkdance competition, where 700 dancers from 23 countries are expected to participate. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

Steroids film examines obsession with winning

Ahmet. Initially working as domestic servants, then as free wives and mothers, they kept alive customs like colored candy-bread, which they would share at Easter without letting the children know why; they labored under discrimination enough already. Everyone in town knew they were of Armenian origin.

Their official papers registered them as "converts," but they were mocked in the streets as "converts' sperm" or the "leftovers of the sword." The family is convinced this was why one talented relative was unable to take up a place in a good military school.

Translator Freely, in a valuable introduction, reckons there could today be 2 million such descendants of Armenians among Turkey's population of 75 million. More than 30 other ethnicities still survive, and this new proof of the impossibility of repressing its inherent multi-ethnicity helps explain the shrillness and sometimes schizophrenia of Turkey's one-nation ideologues. Çetin argues that all in Anatolia are of "impure blood."

The pain of the Turkish Armenians is not yet over. As a lawyer, Çetin represents the family of murdered TurkishArmenian newspaper editor Hrant Dink, cut down in January 2007 by a young man inspired by this same deep-rooted nationalism, and hailing from Trabzon, an eastern Turkish city with a history of ethnic trauma. As Çetin's grandmother warns her children, telling them not to be afraid as they pass by a cemetery, "Evil comes from the living, not the dead."

"My Grandmother: A Memoir" by Fethiye Çetin , With an introduction by Maureen Freely, Published by Verso, ISBN: 9781844671694, $14.71 in hardcover

Pera Museum to screen films by Ventura Pons

Iglesias to headline 47th Bursa festival

Spanish filmmaker Ventura Pons will be in Ýstanbul next week for a panel discussion on June 14 at the Pera Museum to follow a 10-day batch screening of his films. Five of Pons' films -- "Anita No Perd el Tren" (Anita Takes a Chance); "Menja d'Amor" (Food of Love); "un mapa" (Barcelona); "Morir o no" (To Die or Not) and "El porque de las cosas" (What It's All About) will be shown in admissionfree screenings at the museum from June 5-15.

EXHIBITION

Þahin and Akýn's latest paintings go on display Fatma Þahin and Tuba Akýn, two young artists who have been involved in modern painting for the last eight years, are currently displaying their latest works in an exhibition at the Onay Art Gallery in Beyoðlu. The untitled exhibition showcases 25 works of art that the artists have chosen to name after human acts such as "love," "kiss,""speak" and "think." The exhibition can be viewed every day between 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. until June 10.

CM Y K

Italian composer Giorgio Battistelli, who is working on an opera based on Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," said Friday that he believes operatic treatment will help people see the world's environmental predicament from a fresh point of view. "Opera makes you reflect," Battistelli said in a phone interview. Artists in general "make you see things differently, make you see things in a new light. When we see a painting by Francis Bacon or a film of Sydney Pollack, we get a very precise idea of the problems of our century."

Battistelli began work on the opera a year ago and the Milan opera house La Scala plans to present it during the 2011 season as part of celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification in 1861. "I thought it could be a good idea to deal on this important occasion with a subject that involves not only Italy but the world," Battistelli said.

The work is based on Gore's book and film about climate change, but will be told through characters and not a narrator, the composer said.

The chorus of La Scala will also figure prominently, depicting the multitudes, and Battistelli said he plans to include the figure of the former US vice president in the story. "It will be about the tragedy of our present situation," Battistelli said. "It is a great challenge, of course, to write an opera on such an unusual subject. It is certainly not the story of Romeo and Juliet." Milan AP

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14 TODAY’S ZAMAN

MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2008

OPINION

TURGUT ENGÝN

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The rhetoric that Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has designs to subversively transform Turkey into another post-Islamic revolution Iran has reached an insufferable pitch. Yet in its six years of power the AK Party has presented itself in part as a party intent on reforming a society where the church is subjugated by the state, rather than merely separate from it. The irony of the Kemalists' reaction to the AK Party's social reforms and ideology is that they have revealed themselves as dogmatic and intolerant in their efforts to cleave to the original principles of a sociopolitical philosophy that, almost a century after its founding, may now be slightly out of date. So how does a self-proclaimed moderate party in favor of EU membership and a free market economy find itself fielding accusations that it will supplant the secularist republic with an Islamic theocracy?

The Turkish Republic is young, and, so many say, susceptible to discarding democracy and secularism in exchange for those sociopolitical systems predominant in other Muslim states, such as that of the Ottoman Empire, which was abandoned a mere 85 years ago. Turks are naïve and undereducated, as vulnerable to the charismatic rhetoric of silver-tongued leaders as the children of Hamelin were to the Pied Piper's flute. And if democracy is allowed to reign too freely, then certain individuals could lure large swaths of impressionable, chisel-wielding followers out of their homes and into lines to chip away at the gains made by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

The proof is in the European pudding -since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, the West has endured an arduous process of democratization. If it has taken the West 400 years to get it together, what makes one think that Turkey can remain solidly planted in the soil of democracy and freedom after only 85 years? There are three reasons this line of reasoning is wrong. First, the world is better connected than it has ever been. While many Muslim states regulate how much information comes through the television, radio and the Internet -- Iran, for example, banned high-speed Internet in 2006 in an effort to curb the influence of Western culture -Turkey has no such sweeping, nor even creeping, regulations on information access.

The judiciary has blocked Web sites that insult Turkishness or the memory of Atatürk, but it is the AK Party that is currently trying to overturn some of these laws.

A wealth of information remains at the fingertips of all young Turks, making it unlikely that Turkey could be plunged, or even slowly submerged, into an obscure swamp of ignorance.

Part of the reason why it had taken liberal democracy in the West so long to congeal is because of this lack of connectedness. But if one has instant access to information coming out of Europe and America and analyzes it in contradistinction to the goings-on of oppressive regimes in the Muslim world, then many of the ideals of these Western regions will inevitably find their permanent place inside Turkey. Indeed, they already have. The effects of the flood of free information that began in Turkey in the last 10-15 years is irreversible, and Turkish political and social thought is far more advanced and permanent 85 years after the founding of the Turkish Republic than European thought was 85 years after the Peace of Westphalia.A second reason for the impossibility of an Islamic theocracy in Turkey is that Turkey lacks its own resources (i.e. oil) to even fund a program of political Islam. An oil-rich state like Saudi Arabia or Iran has the resources to adhere

to a political Islam devoid of basic human rights, while still surviving international criticism and/or sanctions. Saudi Arabia, which abolished income taxes in 1975, has used its oil-soaked largess in funding the building of madrasahs, universities and mosques, as well as the awarding of scholarships to the teachers and preachers who were later hired by the government into these institutions.

This oil money was also used to reward journalists and academics who reported and taught with the Saudi's strict interpretation of Islam in mind. An oil-rich state does not need to rely too heavily on taxes from its citizens. Without the ability to withhold taxes, citizens are left with little leverage in their demands for greater freedoms.

Furthermore, a handsome amount of Turkey's astounding gross domestic product (GDP) growth over the last four years is a result of foreign investment in emerging markets. A sudden, or even gradual, conversion to political Islam would spell the end of Turkey's rapid economic growth, as its perceived instability would drive investors away. It is not very convincing to say that a political party begun by self-made businessmen is willing to sacrifice recent economic leaps and bounds for a more pious, but destitute, Turkey.A third reason for the impossibility of a Turkish Islamic theocracy is the would-be reaction of the Turkish people.

Forty-seven percent of Turkish voters said yes to the AK Party in the 2007 election, but that does not mean 47 percent voted for political Islam. Ask most AK Party voters about their voting rationale and they're likely to say that a rapidly growing economy, political stability and a bad taste for the political masquerading of the secular-elite influenced them. This is not a people hoping for a theocratic state. In fact, given the chance to have both the gains made

by AK Party and the supposed theocratic government that secularists insist it wants, many of the AK Party's voters would demur. Indeed, a recent survey of Turkey's growing middle class, a large component of the AK Party's voters, revealed that of the 1,809 interviewees, 82 percent said they would not support an oppressive regime for any reason.

As Turks pre-emptively protest the AK Party and its innocuous statements, they are essentially saying that they will never let their guard down, and not letting one's guard down is healthy, democratic practice. The issue, though, is that after six years of economic reforms, a stronger push towards EU membership and a check on the secular elite's power, not letting one's guard down does not equate with party closure, especially not for reasons that almost the entire international community deems unfounded. Nor does it equate with the baseless accusations so often regurgitated by anti-AK Party secularists. In expressing their grievances with the AK Party, the secular/nationalists' weak evidence tends to be either anecdotal or emotional, which is expected considering that most of the indictment against the AK Party is based on mere statements rather than actions. Yet one must ask oneself if the AK Party's supposed anti-secular statements are really that provocative.

Discriminatory regimes fan the flames of intolerance, but a party that repeatedly calls for understanding between secularists and religionists is far from deserving the fanciful accusation that it is fueling fanatical behavior among the religious right. It is time for secular Turks to accept their country's current religious milieu and replace their paranoia with a realistic understanding of the AK Party -- one which accepts the good the party has done, while criticizing it when criticism is truly deserved. Ralph Hubbell, Ýstanbul

PHOTO

The ýmpossýbýlýty of a Turkýsh Islamýc theocracy

Even though the vast majority of Muslims in Turkey believe that wearing a headscarf is a religious duty, many headscarf-wearing students who would like to attend education institutions and activities with their headscarves have been refused this right.

Isn’t there a problem of relýgýous freedom for Muslýms?

MUSTAFA ÞENTOP*

The discussion that began following remarks by Foreign Minister Ali Babacan on the religious freedoms of Muslims in Turkey is a healthy and necessary one.

It has been observed that the European Union organs, the European Court of Human Rights and other renowned European institutions have for years remained reluctant to address the freedoms of Muslims, referring instead to the rights of non-Muslims in Turkey. It was necessary to remind the Europeans of the fact that Muslims also have some rights.

In response to Babacan's innocent remarks, some circles raised unfounded objections, objections that should be taken calmly, however, and as normal. When a statement noting that Muslims also have troubles with regard to enjoyment of freedoms in Turkey, relevant parties approach the issue relying on their own perceptions of Islam; in such a case, they simply hold that there is no problem with regard to this issue if s/he had not experienced any particular problem. Even though the approach by ordinary people to this issue from this perspective should be viewed as normal, the politicians and scholars who are supposed to evaluate the issues from a broader perspective are expected to assume a more comprehensive approach.

Religious freedom includes the freedom to hold a belief or deny any faith; the freedom to perform one's religious duties; the right to not be persecuted or condemned because of one's beliefs or lack of beliefs; the freedom to transmit religious precepts to the next generations; and the right to perform the particular prayers of one's own religion. Based on this framework, it is a realistic assessment to note that not only nonMuslims, but also Muslim believers have serious problems as regards religious freedom in Turkey. Relying on the cliché that all mosques are open to Muslim believers, a statement frequently made by former President Süleyman Demirel to prove that there is broad religious freedom in Turkey, is nothing but clear demagoguery. It is quite possible for people to not enjoy full religious freedom even while the mosques are open.

Religiosity equated with backwardness Above all, it should be noted that some Muslims are subjected to condemnation and insults because of their religious beliefs. We frequently observe that religious values as underlined in the Quran are referred to as signs of backwardness and primitiveness. Further examples can be given to make this point. It should also be noted that not only the media, but also figures from some civilian and military bureaucratic institutions, academics and politicians insult and degrade Muslims.

dagistancetinkaya@todayszaman.com.tr

Owner on Behalf of Feza Gazetecilik A.Þ

ALÝ AKBULUT Chief Executive Officer

EKREM DUMANLI Editor-in-Chief

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Ankara Representative Diplomatic News Editor Business News Editor Culture & Arts Editor Features Editor Chief Copy Editor General Manager Chief Marketing Officer Deputy Chief Marketing Officer Brand Marketing Responsible Manager and Representative of the Owner

* Dr. Mustafa Þentop is an associate professor at Marmara University.

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Thýnk tank cafe´ Established on January 16, 2007 NO: 0480 Monday, June 02, 2008

Executive Editor Managing Editors

In Turkey, Muslims also lack the opportunity to learn or teach the basic tenets of their religion. This is a very restricted sphere. For a long time, the right to learn Islam has been limited by certain restrictions and conditions. Up until recently, many people have been taken to interrogation simply because they possessed religious books in their homes and sometimes gathered together to read passages from these books. Likewise, parents are not free to teach their religion to their children. The Constitution refers to optional religious training as a right whose enjoyment is dependent on the request of the parents, whereas in practice religious training below the age of 12 is strictly forbidden. While any other training is not restricted by any age limitation, the introduction of such a limitation vis-à-vis religious training is a clear example of restriction on enjoyment of religious freedom. Is it possible to assert that there is no limitation on religious freedom despite this basic fact?

As for the performance of religious duties, unlike the common perception, there are certain limitations. For instance, the limitations on performance of salah, a daily prayer that needs to be performed by Muslims five times in a day, are very well known. Is it possible to assert that there is religious freedom in Turkey simply because the mosques are open while there are certain restrictions on the Jumuah (Friday) prayer? Can millions of students, soldiers, civil servants and many others eager to observe this weekly prayer have the opportunity to enjoy the religious freedom to attend such a prayer? Is it possible to speak of religious freedom for those who try to perform this prayer only if the tolerance of their superiors or bosses is applicable?

Finally, the discussions over the headscarf should also be recalled.

The vast majority of Muslims in Turkey believe that wearing a headscarf is a religious duty. The Religious Affairs Directorate has also reiterated this fact many times. Is not it a restriction upon religious freedom to deprive those who would like to attend education institutions and activities with their headscarves of this right? There are a number of attempts to prove that headscarf is not a religious duty, that it represents insurgency against the secular state and that it is a political symbol.

The above sketch only represents the tip of the iceberg of the prevalent problem of the Muslims who are seeking to observe their religious duties in Turkey. Just like people from different religions have some problems in regards to the enjoyment of religious freedom in Turkey, Muslims also have some troubles that need to be addressed. To this end, the statements of those suffer from these problems -- and not of the others -- matter.

ABDULLAH BOZKURT OKAN UDO BASSEY FATMA DEMÝRELLÝ EMRAH ÜLKER KERÝM BALCI YONCA POYRAZ DOÐAN ÝBRAHÝM TÜRKMEN YASEMÝN GÜRKAN PINAR VURUCU HELEN P. BETTS FARUK KARDIÇ YAKUP ÞÝMÞEK BEYTULLAH DEMÝR HAYDAR DURUSOY ALÝ ODABAÞI

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COLUMNS

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M O N D AY, J U N E 2 , 2 0 0 8

Wýll hangmen of dýgnýty blush?

Turkey has been unsettled for days because of a scandal generated by Önder Sav, the secretary-general of the Republican People's Party (CHP). The negative words he uttered against the Prophet of Muslims and the Muslim pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, were his own fault.

Those who jumped at the transcript of the voice recording published by the Vakit newspaper have become collaborators in this crime. Sav speaks to Ali Serindað, a former governor of Bolu, as if he was the head of the CHP branch in his town. I can't even imagine what would have happened if any Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy had done this. All this aside, the voice recording of the conversation in question having been obtained by a newspaper has fulfilled the function of a litmus test.

CHP leader Deniz Baykal has gotten himself into a very difficult situation -- like a wrestler whose rival got the better of him. He, of course, had the right to question how Sav's meeting with Serindað was leaked to the press. However, instead of questioning this, Baykal chose to voice the words whispered into

ÝHSAN DAÐI

BÜLENT KORUCU b.korucu@todayszaman.com

his ear by some people. He accused the ruling party, the government and the police. OK, although it is wrong to accuse any of these powers -- they can pretend to be politically struggling with them -- but the CHP tried to pin the crime on Fethullah Gülen, a person who was completely unaware of this incident.

Secretary-general Sav caused Baykal to make the gravest mistake of his life. Baykal's move to cover up Sav's insult to religious values knocked himself out instead of serving to save face.

Baykal has fallen into a situation worse than that of Constitutional Court Deputy President Osman Paksüt, who was forced to backtrack on his claims after being carried away by his

wife's excitement. Only time will show whether Baykal will have Sav "take a rest" or whether they'll both take a rest together.

Another segment unmasked by this incident is journalists.

Some of them were fueled by some groups and are categorized as "J" type journalists. Now that the incident has been exposed, we will be watching the maneuvering ability of these "Jumpers who blindly jump headlong into unproven claims."

The "G" type journalists, that is, the "Gunmen" have gone too far. These are people who shoot at others' ankles in return for $5. Those who have no feeling of shame whatsoever will backtrack one step and pretend to be "J" type journalists. And those who have completely shut down their conscience will feel the excitement of being promoted to the category of "H" type journalists, that is, the "Hangmen." And those "commanders" who already rank in the H category will get bonuses.

We keep complaining that "the politicians and bureaucrats we have never resign even after the gravest of mistakes; no one resorts to this most dignified way of behaving after

No Comment

PHILIPPINES, REUTERS

ÖMER TAÞPINAR o.taspinar@todayszaman.com

i.dagi@todayszaman.com

What ýs at stake: secularýsm?

Authoritarian groups with bureaucratic and civilian elements have been trying to prepare the grounds for a military move to remove the civilian government and abolish the elected Parliament. They long for a repetition of the military coup of May 27, 1960. The reason is exactly the same: that too much democracy erodes the power of the state elite; that people are going too far in assuming that they -- not the Kemalists’ bureaucracy -- are the source of power and sovereignty; that the government listens to the people more than to the state elite and its civilian extensions. So they incite a military coup along the May 27, 1960 model. The 1960 coup as key in understanding the current positions and debate deserves some attention.

The Democrat Party (DP) had come to power in 1950 in the first free, competitive and fair election in this country, mostly thanks to the victory of democracies in World War II and Turkey’s need to be in the democracy camp, given the apparently aggressive demands of the Soviet Union after the war.

The DP led the transition to multi-party politics and won three consecutive elections, until it was overthrown by an unconstitutional move by a military gang. Under DP rule, for the first time Turkey embraced the free market, encouraged private entrepreneurs and invited foreign capital. Furthermore, the Menderes government of the 1950s wanted to anchor Turkey in the West. Turkey became a member of NATO in 1953. (Do you notice the similarities of policies and direction then and now under the Justice and Development Party [AK Party]?) It was the DP government that first applied to the European Economic Community in 1959. The leader behind this first initiation was then Minister of Foreign Affairs Fatin Rustu Zorlu, hanged by the junta in 1961. Did he institute any unconstitutional practice as the minister of foreign affairs? Not at all; his only “fault” was to initiate an irreversible march into the European Union. The DP period was also marked by a process of extensive development projects. With roads built, factories opened, irrigation provided to farmers and credit extended, the DP era was the beginning of a revolutionary social, economic and political change. The people for the first time started to feel like citizens, not the subjects of republican sultans in Ankara. Bureaucracy started to lose its power vis-à-vis the people and its representatives.

All this proved too much to bear for the bureaucracy and its ideological allies in universities and the media. After a period of incitement and intimidation, a junta, first established in 1954 among a few adventurists, staged a coup -- a coup that was hailed by the then main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) (what a strikingly consistent line that even today remains unchanged) and the universities where law professors issued statements justifying the military takeover by the junta. It was in fact university law professors’ idea to try the DP government, all its parliamentarians and provincial administrators. (Over the years, not much seems to have changed. The universities are still the natural allies of the authoritarian elements; just remember the scene where academics in university gowns marched along with the slogans calling on the military to intervene and the university rectors bringing to mind Menderes’ fate to intimidate the current prime minister, etc…)

If we go back to 1960, as a result, all members of the DP government and all members of Parliament, including the president of the state, were put in prison on the island of Yassiada. A special tribunal appointed by the junta was set up to try them; they were tortured, intimidated and publicly humiliated. The coup was not bloodless. During the trials, seven parliamentary deputies died on the island. Prime Minister Adnan Menderes attempted suicide. At the end, the so-called tribunal passed 14 death sentences. Three of them were executed: Prime Minister Menderes, Foreign Minister Zorlu and Finance Minister Polatkan. Who were they? Were they Islamists or reactionaries?

Menderes had started his political career as a member of Parliament from the CHP at the invitation of Atatürk himself, and remained a CHP member until 1945, when he was expelled over a dispute concerning land reform. Zorlu was the son-in-law of Atatürk’s trusted Minister of Foreign Affairs Tevfik Rustu Aras. Zorlu’s marriage witness was Atatürk! Another person sentenced to death but whose execution was not carried out due to his age, then over 70, was President Celal Bayar, who was minister several times in the Atatürk era and in fact the last prime minister under Atatürk, when he died in 1938.

Those removed by a military junta supported by bureaucratic elite and its civilian extensions were close to Atatürk and committed to the idea of republic and democracy. In sum, the Democrats were neither counter-revolutionaries nor Islamists. They only wanted to rule the country by the mandate given by the people, not by the blessing of the bureaucratic elite. The bloody junta of 1960 sheds light on the sides and actors of the current struggle in Turkish politics, with lessons to be drawn not only by the people of this country, but also foreign allies and observers. Secularism is only a façade to hide behind for the state elite and their civilian allies, who have been losing their power and privileges to the people through democracy since 1950.

committing humiliating errors." Have you ever seen any columnist who gave up his pen after executing one of his friends by acting like a "hangman of dignity"? Have you seen any one lackey of interim regimes who turns red with shame?

I wonder if Mehmet Y. Yýlmaz, after his column was published on Friday, felt it impossible to mix with people again.

Will he prove to be virtuous enough to write in his column for today, "Woe unto all the years I have spent in the journalism profession. If I had applied the most basic professional principles, I wouldn't have gotten myself into such a humiliating situation"? I'm not curious about Serdar Akinan even in the slightest. I'm sure he has not and will not blush.

And for a change, I want to mention real journalists like Elmadað correspondent Murat Kaya, a very young journalist.

I wonder what Murat would say to the "great" journalists who would execute him without a moment's hesitation.

Vakit, too, deserves to be congratulated for a headline piece that has sparked resounding feedback from the media.

McCaýn versus Obama

‘Foreýgn Mýnýster of Abkhazýa’ Sergey Shamba arrýves ýn Turkey HASAN KANBOLAT h.kanbolat@todayszaman.com

The "foreign minister" of Abkhazia, located on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, Sergey Shamba will arrive in Turkey today. Shamba, who will speak at the Selimiye Caucasus-Abkhazia Association in Ýstanbul on June 2, will also hold a press conference in Ankara on June 4. The same day he will deliver a speech on developments in the region, Abkhazia and the future at the Ankara Hilton. Shamba will subsequently attend an "Abkhazian Night" in Ankara and return to his country on June 6.

The people of Abkhazia, along with other northern Caucasus peoples, resisted Russian invasion, and for this reason the Sunni-Hanefi bloc that made up 70 percent of the country's population was subjected to genocide in 1864 and 1878; they were forced to migrate to Ottoman territories. This laid the foundation for the current Abkhazian problem. Abkhazia, an autonomous republic subordinate to Georgia, declared de facto independence on July 23, 1992, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. War subsequently broke out between Georgia and Abkhazia, lasting through to 1993. The war proved destructive and exhausted the options and prospects for the coexistence of these two nations.

The Abkhazian government that took office on Jan. 12, 2005, took some aggressive steps to restructure the country's domestic and foreign policy. The visit by President Sergey Bagapsh to Turkey was postponed until fall 2007 for health reasons. Bagapsh's second visit, scheduled to take place in late October 2007, was

postponed upon the request of Turkish authorities, given the general elections due to take place in Turkey and the increased tension in Georgia. To this end, it is argued that Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Bagapsh will meet in Turkey in 2008.

Following Kosovo's declaration of independence on Feb. 17, the Abkhazian government called on the international community to recognize its independence. But the real problem for Abkhazia is the probability of annihilation. Abkhazian intellectuals are particularly concerned by an unrecognized state order, a failure to increase the already small population and Russian domination of the Abkhazian language. For this reason, the local authorities seek to maintain good ties with Turkey to offset the Russian influence and ensure their survival in the region. The upcoming visit by Shamba to Turkey is important for the future of the Caucasus. Shamba will probably ask for Turkey's mediation to resolve the problems with Georgia and its role with the aim of narrowing the scope of embargo measures against the country.

Suspension of the Georgian-Abkhazian dialogue causes escalation of tension between the parties. To maintain peace in the southwestern Caucasus and resolve the disputes between the parties, the tension needs to be gradually decreased. Russia is uneasy with the involvement of external actors (EU, US) in regional issues with regards to Abkhazia and South Ossetia. For this reason, Georgia seeks to ensure the issue remains an international one. Georgia will also benefit from Turkey's role in resolving issues pertinent to Abkhazia and South Ossetia; it will be in Georgia's best interests if the Georgian government allows the establishment of a sea connection between Trabzon and Sohum. Otherwise Saakashvili will have to meet with Russian Federation President Dmitry Medvedev to resolve these problems if he is eager to achieve their resolution by summer 2008.

CM Y K

As the Democratic nomination is coming to an end, it increasingly looks like the battle for the White House will be between Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama. Such a configuration of forces makes foreign policy, and particularly the Iraq war, the most contentious issue in the presidential campaign. Given his message of "change" Obama is willing to seriously alter the course of US foreign policy and to set clear guidelines for withdrawal from Iraq. McCain, on the other hand, is all about continuity. Obama's position on Iraq will give McCain an opportunity to portray him as a naïve defeatist ready to surrender and appease the enemy. In addition to this serious difference on Iraq, McCain is also likely to exploit Obama's willingness to diplomatically engage Iran.

Although Obama made it clear that he does not intend to engage in "unconditional" dialogue with Tehran, the McCain campaign is making the most of his alleged inexperience and willingness to talk to the enemies of the United States at all cost. Last week, addressing his supporters in Nevada, Senator McCain disingenuously asked why Obama was willing to hold "unconditional" talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while failing to sit down and talk to Gen. David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, except in congressional hearings. McCain is not the only one taking shots at Obama. He has some unsolicited company. On his recent trip to Israel to celebrate its 60th anniversary President George W. Bush injected himself into the presidential race by likening those who propose diplomatic negotiations with Iran to appeasers of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. In doing so, President Bush not only borrowed McCain's line of attack, but perhaps more importantly also breached the unwritten convention that US politics stops at the water's edge.

Given the dismal approval rates of President Bush, the last thing Senator McCain wants is to be associated with a lame duck administration and a failing presidency. Yet, McCain appears destined to being identified with the Bush administration. The reason is simple. On the two most important policy issues that will determine the result of the 2008 presidential elections -- namely Iraq and the state of the American economy -- there is not much daylight between Bush and McCain. On the economy, both President Bush and Senator McCain defend an identical position: The best policy to counter an imminent recession is to cut taxes. They both seem not to care much about the growing fiscal deficit. On Iraq, they also share the same vision. Both speak the same Churchillian language of willpower and determination. A year ago, many had written off McCain's presidential prospects because of the desperate situation in Iraq. But today the situation has changed. The success of the surge in reducing US troop casualties and Iraqi civilian deaths shored up McCain's reputation as a fighter who will not give up.

Senator McCain's unwavering commitment to Iraq is probably the main reason why Ankara is rumored to prefer his presidency over Obama's. For Turkish officials, Washington's commitment to Iraq is crucial. It is generally believed that a rapid American withdrawal from Iraq would pave the way for civil war between Arab Sunnis and Shiites.

Ankara fears that such a civil war between will push the Kurds to seal their borders in an attempt to isolate "Kurdistan" from the rest of the country. This, in turn, could lead to the real Turkish nightmare: a Kurdish declaration of independence. Understandably, this is a scenario Ankara wants to avoid at all cost. This is why McCain appears to be the safer bet in the eyes of Ankara.

Yet, Turks must beware of what they wish for. A potential McCain presidency could be very problematic for the future of Turkish-American relations for two major reasons.

One is Senator McCain's hawkish rhetoric vis-à-vis Iran.

The McCain foreign policy team has a split personality. For every realist in the McCain camp, there is one neocon who will lobby for a military campaign against Iran. An American attack on Iran would force Tehran to retaliate with terrorism in Iraq, Lebanon and Israel. The last thing Turkey needs is another war on its borders and more mayhem in the region. Second, some of the McCain advisers on Turkey will probably include names from the "B team "of the neoconservative movement. Such second-class neocons are the best friends of the Turkish deep state. They have no respect for Turkish democracy and are congenitally allergic to anything that looks remotely Islamic in Turkey. This is why the downside of a potential McCain presidency should be more carefully analyzed by Ankara.

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MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2008

LEISURE

tv guýde

Gregorian Calendar: 2 June 2008 C.E. Hijri Calendar: 28 Jumada al-Awwal 1429 A.H. Hebrew Calendar: 28 Iyyar 5768 calendar@todayszaman.com Today is Republic Day in Italy. Italy became a republic after a popular referendum held on June 2, 1946, a day since celebrated as Republic Day. The republic won with a 9 percent margin; the north of Italy voted prevalently for a republic, the south for the monarchy. The republican constitution was approved and went into effect on Jan. 1, 1948, including a provisional measure banning all male mem-

movýe guýde

bers of the House of Savoy from Italy. This stipulation was amended in 2002.

Today marks the anniversary of the coronation day of British Queen Elizabeth II. On this day in 1953 Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey in London. The queen had succeeded her father, George VI, to the throne the previous year.

E2 08:00 The Rachael Ray Show 09:00 The O.C. 10:00 The Martha Stewart Show 11:00 The O.C. 12:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 13:00 Hollyoaks 13:30 The Rachael Ray Show 14:30 The Martha Stewart Show 15:30 The O.C. 16:30 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 17:30 Hollyoaks 18:00 The Martha Stewart Show 19:00 The O.C. 20:00 Cheers 20:30 Hollyoaks 21:00 Footballers' Wives 22:15 CSI: NY 23:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 23:30 The Sarah Silverman Program 24:00 High Stakes Poker 01:00 CSI: NY

Today is the birthday of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The PLO was founded by the Arab League on this day in 1964. It was originally controlled by Egypt, though the head of the organization was Ahmad Shukayri, a Palestinian notable.

Yasser Arafat became the chairman of the PLO Executive Committee in 1969 and continued to hold that position until his death in 2004. By Kerim Balcý

‘Sex and the City: The Movie’

88 MINUTES

Koons opens fýrst major US exhýbýt after 15 years

ÝSTANBUL: Maçka Cinebonus G-mall: 11:30 13:45 14:45 18:00 19:45 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:00 24:00 Kadýköy Cinebonus Nautilus: 11:00 13:00 14:30 18:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:45 ANKARA: Ata On Tower: 11:00 14:15 15:30 17:30 18:45 20:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ÝZMÝR: Cinebonus Konak Pier: 11:15 13:00 14:30 16:15 17:45 21:00 Fri/Sat: 24:15 ANTALYA: Cinebonus Migros: 11:00 12:45 14:30 16:15 18:00 19:45 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:45

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FUNNY GAMES US ÝSTANBUL: Etiler AFM Akmerkez: 11:10 13:50 16:20 19:00 21:50 Caddebostan AFM: 10:50 13:20 15:50 18:20 21:30 Fri/Sat: 00:00 ANKARA: Cinebonus Panora: 12:30 14:50 17:10 19:30 21:50 Fri/Sat: 00:15 ÝZMÝR: AFM Passtel: 10:50 13:30 16:00 18:45 21:15

THE ORPHANAGE ÝSTANBUL: Maçka Cinebonus G-mall: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:30 Kadýköy Cinebonus Nautilus: 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ANKARA: Cinebonus Bilkent: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15

LA ZONA ÝSTANBUL: Beyoðlu Alkazar: 12:30 14:30 16:45 19:15 21:30 Altunizade Capitol Spectrum: 14:15 16:30 18:50 21:30

SHINE A LIGHT ÝSTANBUL: Ýstinye AFM Park IMAX: 11:00 13:45 16:30 19:15 21:45 ANKARA: AFM Ankamall IMAX: 11:30 14:10 16:45 19:25 22:00

Sudoku

REUTERS

A gigantic balloon-animal dog painted metallic orange watches over paintings of Popeye, a sculpture of Michael Jackson and portraits of an ex-porn star.

Celebratory, kitschy and sometimes explicit, they’re the works of Jeff Koons, considered one of the most influential living contemporary artists. And they’re on display in his first major US exhibit in nearly 15 years, which opened on Saturday at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

Many works in the retrospective show -- featuring about 60 paintings and sculptures spanning Koons’ career from 1979 through 2007 -- incorporate everyday articles, such as Hoover vacuums in glass cases, basketballs suspended in water tanks and children’s blowup swimming toys hanging from fences and chains.

“Objects are metaphors of people,” Koons, 53, explained in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “All the works are like children, you really put a lot of thought and care into them.” Koons, who has been compared to Andy Warhol, said he has drawn on his own life and interests. Enlarging everyday objects has become one of his signatures, garnering immense popularity and some criticism in highbrow art circles. “The core of my work is to have transcendence in life. You have to first be able to accept yourself,” Koons said. “Then you can take a journey which leads you to the acceptance of others.”

One of his iconic images is “Balloon Dog,” a more than 10-foot (3-meter)-high stainless steel structure. The balloon animal is for children, but Koons also called it “equestrian and mythic,” leaving the viewer to grapple with how “to deal with archetypes.”

Koons was a pioneer in his field in the 1980s, setting the stage for numerous other young artists, said Darby English, who teaches art history at the University of Chicago. At the same time, Koons has developed an intense commercial appeal. He recently designed limited edition T-shirts for the Gap clothing chain. “Koons has been an important artist for some time,” English said. “It’s hard to be ambivalent about Koons, either you love him or hate him.”

Until May, Koons held the record for the highest price paid at auction for a work by a living artist. His “Hanging Heart” sculpture fetched $23.6 million last November.

(British artist Lucian Freud’s “Benefits Supervisor Sleeping,”

SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE

Contemporary artist Jeff Koons sits by his iconic sculpture, “Balloon Dog,” during the preparation of his 2003 exhibition at the National Museum in Naples.

Hallmark

got $33.6 million at auction in May.) A similar sculpture to “Hanging Heart,” a stainless steel blue heart with bows, hangs near the Chicago exhibit’s entrance.

The exhibit has been a homecoming for the artist, who spent one year at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and opened his first major show at the Museum of Contemporary Art nearly 20 years ago. Koons also got his start in Chicago, working under Ed Paschke, who used to take him to bars and tattoo parlors to look for ideas. “The invitation to look at the world around you and use it as source material, he learned that from his experience in Chicago,” said Madeleine Grynsztejn, the museum’s director.

The show is a major coup for the Chicago museum.

Many of Koons’ works on display are so valuable that they were uninsurable, museum officials said. And Koons is a reputed perfectionist, even canceling a 1996 show at New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum because of lastminute disagreements about how the works should be presented. He oversaw and planned every inch of the Chicago exhibit’s layout. Two days before the opening, he walked around the sculptures as installers lifted statues onto pedestals and hung blowup lobsters from the ceiling.

Other highlights include paintings featuring Popeye, the Incredible Hulk and a 1988 porcelain sculpture of the King of Pop and his pet chimpanzee, called “Michael Jackson and Bubbles.” The show runs through Sept. 21. Chicago AP

Cem Kýzýltuð c.kiziltug@todayszaman.com 479

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Movýemax 07:55 Outlaw 09:40 Eight Below 11:40 The Grand 13:35 Snow Buddies 15:10 Beer League 16:40 Neverwas 18:40 Boys and Girls 20:30 The Namesake 22:45 Lady in the Water 00:40 Jadesoturi - Jade Warrior

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08:10 Strangers on a Train 09:55 The Border 11:45 Three Fugitives 13:25 Club Paradise 15:05 Barbarella 16:45 Kissing Jessica Stein 18:20 Oh, God! Book II 20:00 Stuck on You 22:05 Protocol 23:40 Hak Se Wui - Election 01:25 Freddy’s Nightmares: Silence Is Golden

07:50 Rapid Assault 09:20 Black Widow Murders: The Blanche Taylor Moore Story 10:50 Janek: The Silent Betrayal 12:20 Victory - Escape to Victory 14:15 Black Widow Murders: The Blanche Taylor Moore Story 15:50 Bobby Deerfield 17:55 Goldrunner 19:30 Any Given Sunday 22:00 Lethal Weapon 3 23:55 Kill and Kill Again 01:40 Good Guys Wear Black

Mr. DýploMAT!

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ÝSTANBUL: Niþantaþý Citylife: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Caddebostan AFM: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:50 Fri/Sat: 24:20 ANKARA: Cinebonus Panora: 12:00 14:35 17:00 19:25 21:50 Fri/Sat: 24:15 ÝZMÝR: Konak AFM Passtel: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:30 ANTALYA: Cinebonus Migros: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:15

07:30 Tidal Wave: No Escape 09:15 McLeod’s Daughters 10:00 Nowhere to Land 11:45 Though None Go with Me 13:30 Tidal Wave: No Escape 15:15 McLeod’s Daughters 16:15 Nowhere to Land 18:00 Though None Go with Me 20:00 Wild at Heart 21:00 Mystery Woman: Vision of a Murder 23:00 Inspector Morse 01:00 Hard Time

Comedymax 08:00 Til Death 08:30 What I Like About You 09:00 For Your Love 09:30 Courting Alex 10:00 Two Guys and A Girl 10:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:00 Ugly Betty 12:00 America’s Funniest Home Videos 12:30 The Game 13:00 Still Standing 13:30 American Dad 14:00 Til Death 14:30 What I Like About You 15:00 For Your Love 15:30 Courting Alex 16:00 Two Guys and A Girl 16:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:00 Ugly Betty 18:00 America’s Funniest Home Videos 18:30 The Game 19:00 Still Standing 19:30 American Dad 20:00 Til Death 20:30 What I Like About You 21:00 Two Guys and A Girl 21:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 22:00 Ugly Betty 23:00 JFL Stand-Up Series 23:30 American Dad 00:00 Til Death

radýo guýde TRT Tourýsm Radýo

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EASY

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HOW TO PLAY? : The objective of the game is to fill all the blank squares in a game with the correct numbers. There are three very simple constraints to follow. In a 9 by 9 square Sudoku game: Every row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order Every column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order Every 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include all digits 1 through 9

travelers’ s.o.s

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Ambulance: 112 Fire: 110 171 Police: 155 156 Maritime: 158 Unknown numbers: 118 Turkish Airlines: 444 0 849, U.S. Embassy: 0312 455 5555 U.S. Consulate: 0212 2513602-3-4 Russian Embassy: 0312 439 2122 Russian Consulate: 0212 244 1693-2610 British Embassy: 0312 455 3344 British Consulate: 0212 293 7540 German Embassy. 0312 455 5100 German Consulate: 0212 334 61 00 French Embassy: 0312 455 4545 French Consulate: 0212 292 4810-11 Indian Embassy: 0312 438 2195 Pakistani Embassy: 0312 427 1410 Austrian Embassy: 0312 419 0431-33 Austrian Consulate: 0212 262 9315 Belgian Embassy: 0312 446 8247 Belgian Consulate: 0212 243 3300 Egyptian Embassy: 0312 426 1026 Egyptian Consulate: 0212 263 6038 Israeli Embassy: 0312 446 3605

CM Y K

00:00 Identification and Programming 00:25 Music 07:25 Identification and Programming 07:30 Music 08:30 News (English, French, German) 08:40 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 10:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 10:45 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 12:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 12.45 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 15:00 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 15:15 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 18:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 18:45 Live Broadcast (English, French) 21:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 21:45 Live Broadcast (English, Greek) 23:58 Identification

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CONTINUATION

TODAY’S ZAMAN 17

M O N D AY, J U N E 2 , 2 0 0 8

Thumbs up for EU, down for AK Party closure case country. Of those polled, 48.2 percent said Turkey might soon be dragged into an economic crisis. Only 27.9 percent opined that Turkey would not face such a crisis.

If national elections were held today Pollsters also questioned the public about their voting behavior. If an election were held today, 44.6 percent of those polled said they would vote for the AK Party, a figure lower than the one in last summer's general elections in which the ruling party won around 47 percent of the vote. The CHP would receive 12 percent of votes cast, and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) would garner 6.6 percent.

About 49 percent of those surveyed also said they would vote for the party supported

by Prime Minister Erdoðan if the AK Party were shut down and its leader were barred from engaging in political activity.

Asked the identity of their favorite politi-

cians, 26.5 percent responded Erdoðan. This response pointed to a drop in the prime minister's popularity among society as more than 37 percent of those polled had said their favorite politician was Erdoðan in a similar survey conducted in April.

When asked what they thought of CHP leader Deniz Baykal's re-election as party chairman in late April, 72.9 percent said they did not favor his re-election. Baykal was reelected to the leadership of his party for the 10th time at a convention held on April 27.

More than 62 percent indicated that they did not believe the AK Party posed a threat to the country's secular order.

Around 27 percent, on the other hand, said they viewed the AK Party as a threat to secularism. While 33.9 percent noted secularism in Turkey is under threat, 56.8 percent said no such threat existed in the country.

A significant portion of respondents of

Sav's explanation on bugging The CHP's Sav, on the other hand, in an interview with Milliyet daily's Fikret Bila on Saturday said the document from Türk Telekom indicating that there was a 44 minute connection between his cell phone and the Vakit daily bureau was not proof of anything. He stated that not all evidence in the case had been documented yet. "The telecom document is not satisfactory. My opinion that my conversations were moni-

PHOTO

CHP’s Önder Sav feels the heat from bugging fiasco contýnued from page 1 Ahmet Gündoðdu, head of the Civil Servants' Trade Union (MemurSen), expressed a similar view, saying that the CHP "has placed all its hope in crises."

Hasan Celal Güzel, a former minister of the Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) said the bugging accusations were put forth by the CHP for the purpose of provocation. Güzel said he believed there was a link between a current closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the allegations. He said it was fairly obvious that Sav's paranoia over being monitored was actually an attempt to increase the legal pressure on the AK Party, given that a Constitutional Court member had voiced similar bugging allegations two weeks ago.

the survey expressed support for the Ýstanbul Police vis-à-vis the stance it adopted during May Day demonstrations. More than 45.2 percent said the police fulfilled its duty during the demonstrations. About 42 percent, however, noted the police was tough in its intervention.

May 1 was marked by protests and clashes between riot police and demonstrators in Ýstanbul, where more than 500 people were detained and dozens of police officers and demonstrators were injured.

The survey also revealed strong support for a new law that prohibits smoking in public places and workplaces in Turkey. A total of 84.8 percent of those surveyed said they supported the new anti-smoking law.

MetroPOLL conducted the survey from May 24-27 with the participation of 1,205 randomly selected people in 26 provinces. The poll has a sampling error of +/- 2.8 percent.

MEHMET KAMAN

contýnued from page 1 Sixty-two percent said they would vote yes if Turkey held a referendum to gauge the nation's support for its EU bid. Around 27 percent of those polled, however, do not suupport Turkey's aspiration to join the bloc.

About 45 percent of participants said they were happy in their personal lives, and 40 percent said they were unhappy.

More than 62 percent of those polled said they were not satisfied with the way things are going in Turkey. Around 32 percent, on the other hand, said Turkey is headed for a better future. While 25.5 percent of those surveyed blamed economic developments for the unsatisfactory conduct of things in Turkey, 10.9 percent blamed the AK Party and the government and 10.3 percent blamed officials and the poor governance of the country.

The survey also probed respondents about whether an economic crisis could develop in the

tored has not changed," Sav said, adding that the Türk Telekom document could easily have been falsified to reflect something other than what really happened.

However, if a document from Turkcell, the mobile phone company Sav uses, proves that the Telekom record is accurate, this still would not change the fact that my phone was bugged, Sav stated.

He said he absolutely had no recollection of having switched on the phone.

The Vakit correspondent claims that Sav got his cell phone, told him that he would not be able to speak at the moment because "I have guests," but left the phone on for 44 minutes by mistake, which is how he had been able to hear his conversation with the visiting governor.

Sav also told Bila that he suspected Vakit must have known the governor would be visiting him at that hour on that day, suggesting perhaps this was the reason why they called him at that time.

"Perhaps that's how the phone got activated as a listening device," he said.

He reiterated his party's conviction that the police force has been monitoring the CHP's conversations both through phone lines and bugging equipment in its headquarters. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

contýnued from page 1

Abdurrahman Yalçýnkaya ment will be more like a "reply" to the opinion statement rather than a "defense," Sadullah Ergin, deputy leader of the AK Party, told Today's Zaman. Ergin also said his party would not take long to produce this response to the prosecutor's statement, because AK Party leader Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan feels that the longer the case drags on, the greater the damage Turkey will sustain.

Ergin said it was ironic the AK Party, the leader of Turkey's modernization project and

Efforts to link Fethullah Gülen's name to recent bugging claims, triggered after the contents of a conversation between a senior Republican People's Party (CHP) member and a former governor were published in a newspaper, have been described by Gülen's lawyer as a "shameless act of slander."

Gülen's lawyer Orhan Erdemli said individuals hostile toward Gülen for ideological reasons were behind what he called a systematic defamation campaign against his client.

Gülen, a Turkish scholar of Islam, is a preacher with millions of followers in Turkey. Last week, the CHP claimed that its phone lines and headquarters had been bugged by groups in the police force who it said were members of the Gülen community.

Erdemli stated, "These people try to portray my client as the person responsible for any negative development in Turkey whenever they get an opportunity to do so. They also want to change the center of attention in order to hide the realities behind corruption and other illegal operations they have committed by diverting the attention to Fethullah Gülen." He added, "These baseless claims are slander [intended] to damage the reputation of my client," and denied any link between Gülen and the possibility that the CHP's phones and buildings have been bugged.

He said claims followers of Gülen's religious community had "invaded" the police force -- made in some newspapers last week -- had been refuted, with courts ordering those responsible pay damages. Some media outlets were too eager to dismiss journalistic principles such as fact-checking and documenting claims when accusations directed against his client were in question, he complained.

The CHP's claims were an attempt to damage Gülen's movement of tolerance and dialogue in Turkey, Erdemli added, expressing the opinion that the public was fully aware of what the CHP was attempting to do.

Millions at home and abroad have been inspired by the success of the Gülen movement, which promotes education, brotherhood and peace, he stated. Gülen has gained the appreciation of every segment in Turkey in addition to numerous countries around the world, Erdemli added.

Erdemli also suggested it was curious the accusations had been raised against his client at the time of the Turkish Language Olympics, in which international students from more than 100 countries compete in contests measuring their Turkish skills; an event organized by the Gülen community.

The lawyer said "the attempts of those organizations and individuals seeking to vilify Gülen have ended in fiasco." He went on: "The same newspaper that initially backed these baseless accusations by the CHP in the first place announced the next day that the ‘CHP had collapsed,' following the release of a document proving the bugging scandal bogus. This only goes to show how spineless they are and how ready to make U-turns. Without a doubt, no one will pay any attention to this campaign of defamation against Fethullah Gülen, who has dedicated his life to peace and humanity." Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

New EFC head: Turkey needs to train young philanthropists YONCA POYRAZ DOÐAN ÝSTANBUL

Prosecutor’s statement raises eyebrows "This would not be a democracy, but a fascist dictatorship." Ýlyas Doðan from Gazi University's faculty of law said the judiciary was acting as a spokesperson for the elitist circles in the establishment that refuse to respect the will of the people. He said that in a state of law, protecting the supremacy of democracy and the law was as important as protecting secularism.

Lawyers' Union Foundation head Sinan Kýlýkçaya said the fact that the prosecutor made no reference to the AK Party's preliminary defense statement in his second statement indicated that he was not being objective.

Levent Köker, a constitutional law professor, warned that closure of the AK Party could cause the European Union to end membership negotiations with Turkey.

"If the prosecutor's logic makes sense, then there is no need for courts," said Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Muhsin Yazýcýoðlu about the indictment.

AK Party sources say they will present the party's second defense as soon as possible, although it has up to a month to submit this second defense. Either the AK Party or the prosecutor can then ask for extra time.

In his opinion statement, the prosecutor repeated the charge that the AK Party sought to introduce Shariah, or Islamic law, in Turkey and said the party's initial defense constituted an attack on the judiciary.

The ruling party's second defense state-

Gülen target of baseless bugging claims, lawyer says

its EU integration process, stood accused of having become a center of anti-secular activity.

AK Party Mersin deputy Zafer Üskül said he believed the right thing to do would be to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights "because the rule of law no longer functions here." Other AK Party members say the party has not ruled out an application to the European court.

Nihat Ergün, one of the AK Party's parliamentary group deputy leaders, said: "It is simply not right to present a defense in response to such an indictment. Instead, we will treat our statement more like a reply.

We are sad to see that such important organizations in Turkey can make such basic legal errors." The content of the AK Party statement will include harsh statements answering the prosecutor's accusations.

Yalçýnkaya filed the initial indictment on March 14 on the grounds that the AK Party, in power since November 2002, was trying to destroy secularism and turn Turkey into an Islamic state.

In the petition, the prosecutor accuses the party of maintaining ties with previously banned Islamist parties from the 1990s and says AK Party supporters wedded to Islamist ideas are steadily infiltrating state structures.

Turkey's secularist establishment, including judges and army generals, has long accused the AK Party of plotting to erode the separation of state and religion, something the government denies. Secularists

CM Y K

say a recent amendment to the Constitution to lift a ban on female students wearing the Muslim headscarf at universities was further proof of this.

The AK Party says the court case is politically motivated.

Turkish courts have banned more than 20 parties over the years on allegations of Islamist or Kurdish separatist agendas. The army edged out a government regarded as an Islamist threat as recently as 1997; but the AK Party, unlike that government, enjoys public support extending beyond its heartland into the middle classes. A predecessor to the AK Party was closed down in 2001.

The AK Party could move to change the Constitution to avert possible closure, but has ruled the option out for now, saying it wants to avoid further tension.

Eight of the 11 Constitutional Court judges were appointed by former President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, a staunch secularist and critic of the AK Party. The Constitutional Court regards its duty as defending the secular principles of the republic, founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The secularist elite view the case as a last chance to stop the AK Party; given that many of the current Constitutional Court judges will retire in the coming years, the court could eventually lose its strongly secular composition. According to the Constitution, at least seven of 11 judges must vote for closure for the court to shut down a political party.

The new leader of the European Foundation Centre (EFC) has said Turkey needs to make a priority of training a new generation of philanthropists.

Emìlio Rui Vilar, who took over the presidency of the EFC from Wilhelm Krull in Ýstanbul on Saturday, said philanthropy is no longer just about social solidarity. "Philanthropy is not only about giving money but being efficient. To have good results one must be efficient in grant giving, in following, in evaluating and in learning from mistakes and being able to correct them," he said, speaking to Today's Zaman on the occasion of the 19th EFC Annual General Assembly and Conference at Ýstanbul's Swissôtel, held from May 28 to May 31.

Pointing out that Turkey has a young population compared to the aging population of much of Europe, he said the country must take advantage of this situation. Vilar noted that the Turkish foundation sector is quite dynamic and that it will provide a good source of partnerships for European foundations. "The most important financial groups [in Turkey] are assuming their responsibility through creation of foundations in many areas. This will help to create an independent sector that will contribute to education, social development and social entrepreneurship," stated Vilar.

He said philanthropy needs to adapt to today's global challenges and needs to fill the gap in services that are not provided by the government.

Vilar, president of the board of trustees of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation based in Lisbon, said the entity already has good relations with some Turkish foundations. In 2005, his foundation organized an exhibition from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation collection at Sabancý Museum, and last year it hosted an exhibition in Lisbon from the Sabancý collection of paintings mainly from the 19th century.

With the theme "Fostering Creativity," the EFC gathered more than 650 representatives of philanthropic foundations and corporate donors from around the world. They are being hosted by the Third Sector Foundation of Turkey (TÜSEV). Üstün Ergüder, chairman of TÜSEV, said his dream to have such a conference in Ýstanbul has come true. "I've desired to have this conference here for 10 years. I wanted the participants from the world, from the United States, from Europe, from Africa and other regions to come and see that there are good things being done in Turkey. I wanted them to interact with Turkish foundation heads because projects have been devised in such gatherings and forums," he told Today's Zaman.

Established in 1993, TÜSEV has more than 100 supporting foundations and has been contributing to improving civil society laws, generating research in the sector and encouraging dialogue and cooperation among private, public and non-profit actors. Turkey's Sabancý Foundation, Vehbi Koç Foundation and Aydýn Doðan Foundation are members of TÜSEV.

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18 TODAY’S ZAMAN

M O N D AY, J U N E 2 , 2 0 0 8

TODAY’S LEARNING TIME

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -it is the illusion of knowledge.” Daniel Boorstin

OSMAN TURHAN

elementary READING

Bones in our body

ILLUSTRATIONS

Can you imagine your body without bones?

No. We need our bones. We can stand because bones support our bodies. Bones also protect the soft parts in our bodies. For example, the bones in our head form the skull and the skull protects our brain.

The bones in our body make up our skeleton. The skeleton has long and short bones. It even has small bones. Did you know that we have 206 bones in our body?

In many parts, two bones come together.

There are joints. For example, your knees are the joints in the middle of your legs. We need them to move and bend. The human body has more than 70 joints.

When people, especially older adults, have problems with their joints, doctors have ways to fix them. They can also fix broken bones. But it's better to take care of yourself.

Activity: ODD WORD OUT

PART 1: Read the sentences and decide if each one is T (true) or F (false)

1. flat

house

apartment

beach

2. desk

chair

briefcase

table

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

3. screen

hard drive

monitor

diary

PART 2: Complete the sentences with the words and phrases from the text.

4. production

sales

marketing

flag

5. cream

towel

plug

pan

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Bones come together at joints. ____ There are only few joints. ___ We have joints to protect the soft parts. ____ There are about 100 bones in our body. ____ Bones hold up our bodies so we can stand. _____

Don't _______ your knees and try to touch the floor.

I sometimes have bad dreams and wake up ___________of the night.

My brother is a mechanic. He ________cars.

The heads of babies are different from the heads of __________.

Please __________ the baby when I am out.

advanced READING

Buying your first car Buying that first car is surely one of the biggest moments of a person's life. There are just so many things to consider. Your father says that Hondas are good cars. Your mom says Ford makes the best. Your best friend encourages you to buy a Toyota. A good car. What exactly is a good car? One that gets great mileage? One that isn't covered with rust in 5 years? A car with a comfortable interior? What might be significant for you may not matter to someone else.

While deciding the criteria for a good vehicle may seem difficult, deciphering what makes a certain auto bad is not. There are lists of bad cars all over the Internet."The Fifty Worst of All Time." "The 10 Worst Cars of the 20th Century." The following four vehicles were rated the worst cars of all time by the noted American magazine, Time.

The Horsey Horseless. This was the invention of Uriah Smith of Battle Creek, Michigan in 1899. To soothe the nerves of first-time drivers, a wooden horse head was attached to the front to make it look like a horse and carriage. Smith even made the

head hollow so it could be filled with extra gasoline.

The 1970 Ford Gremlin. This was the first sub-compact car, and it looked like someone had chopped the end off of an AMC Hornet. The Gremlin was cheap, but horribly deprived. It was awful to drive, and difficult to handle.

The 1982 Cadillac Cimarron. This was an insult to the good drivers of Cadillacs everywhere. After viewing Mercedes-Benz's success with lower priced sedans, Cadillac decided to come up with one of its own. The car itself was full of chintzy fabric and accessories, and became Cadillac's biggest shame.

The 1985 Yugo GV. Yugos were made in Yugoslavia, and imported into the U.S. by Malcolm Bricklin, manufacturer of the Bricklin SV1. The Yugo turned out to be the "Mona Lisa" of bad cars. The engines didn't work, the electrical system would fizzle out, and various parts would fall off of the car.

There are 96 more cars on Time's list. Maybe you had better read it over before heading out to the automobile dealerships.

ýntermedýate READING

PART 1: Reading Comprehension

A land of immigrants

Choose the best answer.

1. The lives of the 19th century European people were difficult because. a) of the peaceful relationships among the nations of Europe b) the population was going down gradually c) there were too many of them, which caused a shortage of land d) they had decided to leave their homelands for the USA 2. What is not given as a reason for emigration in the text? a) avoidance of military service. b) politics. c) the search for adventure. d) economy.

3. Approximately how much of the American population was made up of foreign-born Americans in 1890? a) one seventh. b) one third. c) a half. d) one fifth.

4. Which of the following is/are mentioned as attraction(s) of the USA in the text? a) There were opportunities to get a good education. b) Jobs were available. c) People could lead a long and healthy life. d) All of the above.

5. Which of the following is NOT true? a) The story of the American Indians is as sad as that of the slaves. b) Despite strictly limited entry, people still go to the USA hoping to find a better life. c) Religious communities found peace and isolation in the USA. d) Millions of people, most of whom were Europeans, migrated to the USA in the 18th century.

The USA is a land of immigrants.

Between 1815 and 1914, the world witnessed the greatest peaceful migration in its history. 35 million people, mostly Europeans, left their homelands to start new lives in America. Why did these people risk everything by leaving their homes and families to see what the New World had to offer? How had the Old World disappointed them?

First, what forced emigrants to make the momentous decision to leave? One major cause of the exodus among European people was the rise in population which led to land hunger. Another was politics.

Nationalism brought about increased taxation and the growth of armies, and many young men fled Eastern Europe to avoid military service. Also, the failure of liberal revolutions in Europe caused the departure of hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Physical hunger provided another pressing reason. Between 1845 and 1848, the terrible potato famine in Ireland ended in the deaths of one million Irish people and the emigration of a further million who wished to escape starvation. Following the collapse of the economy of southern Italy in the 1860s, hundreds of thousands decided to start afresh in America.

In short, people chose to leave

their homes for social, economic and religious reasons. As a result, by 1890 among a total population of 63 million, there were about nine million foreign-born Americans.

But what were the attractions? First of all, there was the promise of land which was so scarce in Europe.

Next, factories were calling out for workers, and pay and work conditions were much better than back home. Men were needed to build the long railroads, while settlers were needed to populate new towns and develop commerce.

There was space for religious communities to practice their faith in peace and comparative isolation.

This immigration meant that by around the 1850's Americans of non-English origin had started to outnumber those of English extraction. As we know, there were

the unfortunate. To start with, there were those immigrants who were brought to the land by force, the slaves, to be used as a source of cheap labor for the tobacco plantations of the South. Nor should we forget the equally awful fate of the American Indians. By 1860, there were 27 million free whites, four million slaves and a mere 488,000 free blacks.

Nowadays, the USA is still seen by millions as the Promised Land.

Gone are the days when you could buy US citizenship for one dollar.

Yet, even though entry is strictly limited, refugees continue to find freedom and people from poorer countries a better way of life. As always, it remains a magnet to the ambitious and the energetic, who are ready to commit themselves to the land that gives all a second chance.

PART 2: Synonyms

Activity: increased

retire

demoted

renew

sidelined

Match the words on the left with their synonyms on the right.

1. When I _________, I will have more time to spend with my children.

2. We wanted to _______her contract but she asked for too high a salary.

3. He was __________ last year because he didn't get on well with the director.

1. scarce

a. trade

2. commerce

b. appetite

3. famine

c. decease

4. I was _________to a junior position after the last negotiation.

4. death

d. uncommon

5. Unfortunately, costs have _________faster than we expect.

5. hunger

e. dearth

VOCABULARY Specialized Vocabulary Textiles: Gabardine (adjective) A firm, durable warp-faced cloth, showing a decided twill line He has a black gabardine kilt with satin stripes.

Tourism: Carrier (noun) Any provider of mass transportation, usually used in reference to an airline.

American Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, plans to cut thousands of jobs.

Agriculture: Pastureland (noun) Land used primarily for the production of domesticated forage plants for livestock The Amazon rain forest is disappearing at an increasing rate, with about 10,000 square miles lost mainly to pasture land, soybean plantations and illegal logging.

Ecology: Threatened species (noun) Wild species that is still abundant in its natural range but is likely to become endangered because of a decline in numbers.

The state will sue to challenge the listing of polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act Sports: Bank shot (noun) a shot where the ball is first bounced (or banked) off the backboard at such an angle that it then drops into the basket.

Alexander tied the game, 64-64, on a bank shot and was fouled by Jason Love with 14.5 seconds remaining.

Idiom of the Day Leave Someone High and Dry MEANING: To leave somebody alone to do all the work without any help at all EXAMPLE: So, Jill, Sue seems to have left you high and dry with all the dirty dishes.

Phrasal Verbs: try out sth or try sth out meaning: to test something in order to find out if it works or to decide whether you like it example: They're trying out a new security system at the bank. blurt out sth or blurt sth out meaning: to say something suddenly and without thinking, especially because you are excited or nervous example: Just before he left to board his plane she suddenly blurted out, 'I love you!'

Slang: Flaky: unreliable He is too flaky to do the work.

Confusing words in English look after vs look for To look after; means to take care of or be in charge of something or someone.

For example: "I often ask my mother to look after the children."

To look for; means to try to find something or someone.

For example: "I am looking for my keys. Have you seen them?"

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PART 1: Vocabulary Exercise Fill in the blanks with the correct letters.

1. rust _____ a. oxidized metal b. dirt 2. criteria _____ a. criticism b. information 3. to decipher _____ a. to fool b. to confuse 4. to soothe _____ a. to injure b. to bore 5. hollow _____ a. empty b. full 6. deprived _____ a. punished b. lacking 7. insult _____ a. compliment b. joke 8. chintzy _____ a. expensive b. cheap 9. to fizzle out _____ a. to die quickly b. to spark 10. to head out _____ a. to hit with your head b. to visit unexpectedly

c. manure

d. dead insects

c. rule for evaluation

d. opinion

c. to figure out

d. to undo

c. to increase in price

d. to comfort

c. occupied

d. half-full

c. using

d. evil

c. rude comment

d. trick

c. colorful

d. clear

c. to fail slowly

d. to burn

c. to sink

d. to leave for

Activity: capture / minefield / set someone's sights on / keep someone's head down / own worst enemy 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The manager is really angry. I would advise you to ___________.

I have ____________ getting promoted next year.

She upsets people with arrogant attitude. She is her __________.

We need to _________the market.

Industrial relations in our company are a real __________.

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER KEY:

ELEMENTARY: (Part 1) 1.Verb 2.Noun 3.Verb 4.Noun 5.Adjective 6.Adjective 7.Noun 8.Adjective 9.Noun 10.Adverb (Part 2) 1. Diana Frances Spencer was born on July1, 1961. 2. She was born in Norfolk, England. 3. Diana got married to Prince Charles in July, 1981, at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. 4. They had two sons. 5. Because she was kind and beautiful. 6. No, she didn’t. 7. In August, 1996. 8. She died on August 31, 1997. 9. She died in a car accident.

10. She was thirty-six years old. INTERMEDIATE: (Part 1) 1.b 2.d 3.a 4.d 5.d 6.b 7.d 8.c (Activity) 1.b 2.a 3.b 4.c 5.c ADVANCED: (Part 1) 1.b 2.b 3.c 4.d 5.a 6.c 7.a 8.d 9.c 10.b (Activity) 1.d 2.c 3.a 4.d 5.d (Part 1 POP Quiz Answer Key) 1.biting the bullet 2.between 3.among 4.another bite of the cherry 5.whole 6.piece 7.fainted 8.cave in 9.bites the dust 10.stands out (Part 2 POP Quiz Answer Key) 1.abroad 2.lamb 3.border 4.backpack 5.ram

In cooperation with English Time

T19-02-06-08.qxd

01.06.2008

18:55

Page 1

SPORTS

Rossi takes 7th straight Italian title Yamaha's Valentino Rossi consolidated his MotoGP championship lead on Sunday by cruising to his seventh consecutive Italian Grand Prix win. The five-time premium class world champion never let it go and finished over two seconds ahead of Australian world champion Casey Stoner on a Ducati. Mugello, Reuters

MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2008

Portugal warms up for Euro 2008 with victory over Georgia

Leftýe Emre set to become a Yellow Canary OKAN UDO BASSEY ÝSTANBUL

The Fenerbahçe club said over the weekend it has reached an agreement with Newcastle United for midfielder Emre Belözoðlu. Emre joined the Magpies in 2005 from Inter Milan but has started just 46 times in the English Premier League during his three years on Tyneside. The 27-year-old is still adored in his homeland and has been one of the key men behind their qualification for Euro 2008. No details of the fee have been released yet, but it is believed to be more than the 4 million pounds Newcastle paid Inter for him. Emre played over 100 times for Galatasaray and his move across Ýstanbul to archrival Fenerbahçe could be a controversial one.

Having reached agreement with the Magpies, Fenerbahçe is now keen to speak with the player himself and secure the deal. >A statement posted on the official Fenerbahçe Web site said: "Fenerbahçe reached an agreement with Newcastle United in order to sign the Turkish superstar Emre Belözoðlu. Emre Belözoðlu is one of the most accomplished Turkish players of all time, and also a member of the Turkish national team, which he helped to a thirdplace finish at the World Cup 2002.”

Although Emre is currently with the Turkish national team preparing for Euro 2008, it is believed he will sign a three-year deal with Fenerbahçe before the tournament begins. Selling Emre could signal the first part of an exodus at St. James' Park as manager Kevin Keegan begins overhauling his playing squad. Keegan has said he wants to bring in a number of players in the summer and the fee gained from selling Emre will help fund those future purchases. Emre's left foot has been compared to his Galatasaray mentor Gheorghe Hagi.

Like Hagi, Emre is short but powerful enough to hold his own in midfield. He has an instinctive eye for goal and also a very bad temper.

At just 20, Emre was heralded by former Inter and Galatasaray boss Mircea Lucescu. Romanian legend Hagi described him as a genius. Nerrazurri midfielder Gigi di Biagio called him “Diego” -- likening the little Turk to a certain Argentine who arguably became the world's greatest footballer. Small but not stocky, balanced and able to play with either foot, Emre has a combative, aggressive attitude as well as excellent technique and dribbling ability.

Emre is the embodiment of the great “Turkish Miracle,” which first saw the Galatasaray Lions win the UEFA Cup in 2000 and the European Super Cup that same year, climaxing in the summer of 2002 with the national team's run to the semifinals of the World Cup. Emre was selected by Pele as one of the FIFA 100 top players, along with goalkeeper Rüstü Reçber, who currently plays at Fenerbahçe.

As we mentioned earlier, Emre served out a useful apprenticeship at Galatasaray under the enigmatic genius of soccer maestro Hagi. Despite his relative youth, he had already won four Turkish titles, two Turkish Cups, the UEFA Cup and European Super Cup before moving to Italian Serie A's Inter Milan in 2001. But Emre inherited something besides soccer skills from Hagi: his temper.

Aggressive as a midfielder, Emre has found himself on the wrong side of referees many times in the past. A sending-off against Leeds United in the UEFA Cup semifinals forced Emre to sit out Galatasaray's victory over Arsenal in the 2000 final, and injury ruled him out of Euro 2000. He was suspended in the second-round match against Japan at the 2002 World Cup. Now a prominent member of the Turkish team at Euro 2008 that kicks off this week, Emre hopefully has learned from his past mistakes and will be an asset, rather than a liability, for the Fenerbahçe Yellow Canaries.

Goals from midfielders Joao Moutinho and Simao Sabrosa earned Portugal a 2-0 win over Georgia on Saturday in their last warm-up match before this weekend’s European Championship. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari began the match with the players most likely to start their opening game against Turkey on June 7. They also face the Czech Republic and Switzerland in Group A. Portugal, runner-up at Euro 2004 and World Cup semifinalist two years ago, went ahead in the 19th minute when Moutinho scored his first goal for Portugal with a long-range shot. On the stroke of the halftime Atletico Madrid winger Sabrosa was fouled by Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Loria and scored from the spot.

“I am satisfied. The team in the first half was better. In the second half some players opted for individual efforts,” Scolari told reporters. Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United's Champions League winning top scorer, looked off-form and was replaced in the second half. Elsewhere France couldn't score, Spain remained undefeated, and Germany needed a late goal for a comeback win over Serbia in European Championship warmup games. France was held by Paraguay to 0-0, Spain beat Peru 2-1 in injury time, and Germany topped Serbia 2-1. Romania outplayed Montenegro 4-0 with Nicolae Dica scoring twice, and Croatia drew Hungary 1-1 -- both scores by Croatia's Niko Kovac, including an own-goal. Viseu, Portugal Reuters

SOCCER

Turkish team leaves for Geneva The Turkish national team, having completed phase one of its preparations in Germany for the 2008 European Championship finals, on Sunday departed from Münster Airport for Geneva, Switzerland.

On Saturday night the team held its last practice in a small town near the German city Bielefeld under the watchful eyes of no-nonsense coach Fatih Terim. After the training session, the coach had a special chat with Emre Belözoðlu, Semih Þentürk, Nihat Kahveci, Gökdeniz Karadeniz and Tümer Metin. Ýstanbul/Marienfield Today’s Zaman

SOCCER

Injured midfielder Hamit doubtful for Euro 2008 Turkey midfielder Hamit Altýntop suffered a muscle injury in training on Friday and could miss the Euro 2008 finals, his club Bayern Munich said on Saturday. Altýntop only made his comeback the previous Sunday in a friendly against Uruguay after a two-month layoff due to a broken bone in his foot, the Bundesliga club said in a statement on its Web site (www.fcbayern.de). The 25-yearold was examined by the Bayern doctor and could miss Turkey's opening Group A match against Portugal in Geneva this Saturday, the statement said. Co-host Switzerland and the Czech Republic make up the group. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman

Bolt breaks 100-meter record at NY Reebok meet a great night for Jamaica as world Jamaican sprinters electrichampion Campbell-Brown ran the fied the Reebok Grand Prix fastest women's 100 of the year, in New York on Saturday with winning her event in 10.91 seconds, Usain Bolt setting a new 100two-hundredths of a second faster meter world record and Veronica than American Allyson Felix's 2008 Campbell-Brown posting the best. American Jenn Stuczynski fastest time of the year in the had three tries at setting a women's women's event. However, there Usain Bolt pole vault record but could not get was disappointment for China's over the bar set at 5.02 metres, winworld record holder and Olympic champion Liu Xiang, who had to with- ning the event at 4.80. Earlier this month, Bolt had draw from the 110m hurdles due to a tight ham- stunned the athletics world by running 9.76 in string. The 21-year-old Bolt announced he is a Jamaica, the second fastest time registered and genuine force in track and field's blue ribband only his third competitive race over the event by streaking home in a time of 9.72 sec- distance. Gay was gracious in defeat. onds, breaking the previous record of 9.74 post- Other top performances included world championship bronze ed by compatriot Asafa Powell last September.

Bolt, world championship silver medalist in medalist Wallace Spearmon the 200, exploded off the starting line to get an winning the men's 200 in early jump on world champion Tyson Gay and left 20.07 seconds, and Paul the American second in 9.85. “I had the idea that I Koech of Kenya recording could run the world record,” Bolt told reporters af- the fastest 3,000 steepleter his stunning win. “I was pretty confident com- chase on US soil with a time ing in here.” Bolt's brilliant performance crowned of 8:01.85. New York Reuters

TENNIS

Ivanovic in rush as Serbs run amok at French Open Serbia's Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic enjoyed starkly contrasting fourth-round wins at the French Open on Sunday while teenager Ernests Gulbis thrust Latvia on the tennis map. Second seed Ivanovic played with the urgency of a woman late for a lunch appointment as she ruthlessly dismantled Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-0, 6-0 in 54 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier. While Ivanovic's win was painfully easy, Jankovic's was just downright painful. Jankovic needed a 10-minute medical timeout after game three of the second set against Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska before she crawled past the finishing line with a 6-3, 7-6 victory. “The whole arm is a mess,” said Jankovic, who resembled a wrestler pinned to the floor as the tournament trainer massaged her arm and shoulder. Paris Reuters

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T20-02-06-08.qxd

01.06.2008

14:30

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Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller tie the knot The star of "Two and a Half Men" has moved on to marriage number three. Charlie Sheen has tied the knot with fiancée Brooke Mueller, said publicist Stan Rosenfield, who declined to give more details. The 42-year-old actor and Mueller, a real estate investor, have been engaged since last summer. Los Angeles, AP WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2008

Amazon trýbe sýghtýng raýses contact dýlemma

Dramatic photographs of previously unfound Amazon Indians have highlighted the precariousness of the few remaining "lost" tribes and the dangers they face from contact with outsiders.

The bow-and-arrow wielding Indians in the pictures released on Thursday are likely the remnants of a larger tribe who were forced

deeper into the forest by encroaching settlement, experts said. Rather than being "lost", they have likely had plenty of contact with other indigenous groups over the years, said Thomas Lovejoy, an Amazon expert who is president of The Heinz Center in Washington. "I think there is an ethical question whether you can in the end keep

them from any contact and I think the answer to that is no," Lovejoy said. "The right answer is to have the kind of contact and change that the tribes themselves manage the pace of it."

The Brazil-Peru border area is one of the world's last refuges for such groups, with more than 50 uncontacted tribes thought to live there out of the estimated 100 worldwide. Rio de Janeiro Reuters

Homeless man accused of swindling 13 women Prosecutors say a former Souderton resident posed as a music mogul on an Internet dating site and swindled more than $100,000 from 13 women all around the country. Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman said that 50-year-old Paul Krueger is being held without bail in Atlantic County, New Jersey. He was apprehended at a casino. It's not known if he's retained an attorney.

Ferman says charges include theft, deceptive or fraudulent business practices and Pennsylvania Securities Act violations. An extradition hearing is expected this week. Ferman says Krueger posed as a Grammy Award-nominated music producer but was actually homeless, his only possession a laptop computer. He told women he was starting a company to manufacture DVDs and CDs. Souderton police investigated when a woman who invested $10,000 complained to federal authorities that he had stopped returning her phone calls. Norristown, Pa. AP

Man charged for stealing wood from picnic table An Altoona man has been charged with theft and criminal mischief for allegedly stealing the wood from a state park picnic table to build a shed. Prince Gallitzin State Park authorities say they discovered the 23-year-old man loading his Dodge Caravan with wood taken from the picnic table on May 15. The park is about 73 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. According to a criminal complaint, the man told a park ranger he was taking the wood to build a shed for his stepchildren. Park Manager Dan Bickel said the table was stacked with others to be distributed throughout the park for summer use. He says about 300 to 400 picnic tables are located in the park, each valued at about $300. Patton, Pa. AP

Ticketed driver pays fine 21 years later Someone in Texas apparently had a guilty conscience, paying up on a parking ticket handed out 21 years before. The Kenosha Police Department says officers found a $6 payment for the ticket, issued Jan. 20, 1987, in a drop box. A notice on the ticket indicated that failure to pay within 120 hours would result in doubling of the $3 forfeiture. It was signed by a man who listed a Dallas address. Kenosha, Wisconsin AP

Illinois DOT plans to leave more roadkill behind The view along Illinois highways this summer should be beautiful - for the turkey vultures.

The state's transportation department says it won't be picking up as much roadkill left along roads because it spent too much of its budget during the winter. IDOT says it spent more than twice the allotted $40 million on clearing ice and snow removal because of rising fuel costs and harsh weather last winter. Dead animals in driving lanes and any deemed hazardous to motorists will be removed. But much of the rest will be left for scavengers. Kevin Gillespie of the Jackson County Health Department says the roadkill might be smelly and gruesome, but it shouldn't lead to any health risks. The department does not log the amount of roadkill it clears. Carbondale, Ill. AP

Stolen soda machine's tracks lead back to owner Police didn't have to look too hard to figure out the source of a soda vending machine found in a front yard - they just followed the tracks. Deputies from the St. Francis County sheriff's office spotted a Pepsi machine last week in the yard of a home in Hughes. A set of dolly tracks in front of the machine led back to a liquor store less than a mile away that had reported it missing. Two men in the yard fled when authorities arrived. One was arrested on suspicion of theft, fleeing on foot and obstructing government operations. The other remains at large.

About 1,800 residents live in Hughes, about 30 miles southwest of Memphis, Tenn. Hughes, Ark. AP

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