www.todayszaman.com - June 9, 2008

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G8 and other nations state the need for domestic efficiency rather than applying pressure on OPEC

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Terim: We will right the wrongs next time around

Now that Obama and McCain have secured their nominations, the VP guessing game begins in earnest

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

SELMAN EÞTÜRKLER

page10 Seven reported dead in Tokyo stabbing rampage POLITICIANS AND INTELLECTUALS STRIVE TO REDEEM PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM

Hannes Swoboda

Swoboda: AK Party closure will be coup against democracy

Turkey is looking for a solution to what is likely to turn into a regime crisis sparked by a Constitutional Court decision last week that many say has inflicted significant damage on the country's parliamentary democratic system.

The top court last week overturned a constitutional amendment that would have ended a ban on the Muslim headscarf in universities, a move that has been taken to mean that the court is positioning itself above Parliament as a legislative organ.

The move sparked protests from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). On Saturday, Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan

slammed the court's decision, saying the judges had exceeded their powers. "The Constitutional Court made a decision about the content of this law passed by 411 deputies of our Parliamentö even through the Constitution clearly states the court can only carry out procedural examinations," Toptan said.

"The principle of the separation of powers has become questionable with this decision," he told a news conference. Turkey should discuss drafting a new constitution and establishing a senate in addition to a Parliament, Toptan said, adding that he planned to call main political party leaders to hold talks on the court's decision.

As a remedy that may restore the balance of power between the legislature and the judiciary, the AK Party, which convened its Central Executive Board (MYK) after the headscarf decision was issued, is planning to pass a new constitution that would regulate the "authorities and duties" of the Constitutional Court. If the AK Party fails to garner support from other political parties in Parliament, it may submit the amendment to a referendum.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, who had challenged the headscarf amendment at the Constitutional Court, said on Sunday that he was opposed to any change to the

MEHMET KAMAN

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Turkey seeks a way out of crisis

FATMA DEMÝRELLÝ, ÝSTANBUL

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The European Union's reaction in the event of the possible closure of Turkey's ruling party must be a strong one because such a measure would be a fundamental, anti-democratic coup, a senior European deputy has said.

Hannes Swoboda, vice chairman of the Socialist group in the European Parliament, said the EU should send a clear message to Turkey that until it makes its democratic intentions clear, the accession process will be in a "waiting period" if the AK Party is closed down. "I don't think Europe's reaction will be soft. A country where a top court deprives voters of their rights cannot be accepted into the EU," Swoboda said in an interview this weekend. "In the event of the AK Party being closed down, it will be a fundamental anti-democratic coup."

A prosecutor asked the Constitutional Court in March to close the AK Party, claiming it has become a "focal point of anti-secular activities." CONTINUED ON PAGE 04

‘Constitutional changes necessary to solve chronic problems' YONCA POYRAZ DOÐAN, ÝSTANBUL Kurdish intellectual Tarýk Ziya Ekinci has said as long as the Turkish military continues to play a powerful role in politics, the Kurdish problem cannot be solved, also suggesting that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) needs to change the Constitution to deal with the country's long-standing problems.

"It can either convince the state or claim its governing power and change the Constitution to handle numerous issues, including the Kurdish issue," he stated. Ekinci noted that the most recent government program of investing $12 billion in the Southeast over the next five years is not sufficient to address the ethnic and cultural demands of the Kurds.

As for main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal's recent visit to the Southeast, he said: "Baykal has been politically erased in the region. He is trying to make a comeback, but his sincerity is questionable." CONTINUED ON PAGE 06

Students take final high school exam

The High School Entrance Examination (OKS), required for admission to science, social science, police, Anatolian and private high schools, was administered to Turkish eighth-graders yesterday for the last time ever. The two-hour exam began at 10 a.m. and was taken by 913,612 students -- 468,905 boys, 444,707 girls and 899 students with disabilities. The exam is to be replaced in future years by Level Determination Exams (SBS). This year's OKS was different in format from previous years, with a narrowed scope and adjusted question composition. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

Constitution or any other reaction. Speaking to journalists at Ýstanbul Atatürk Airport on Sunday, he said: "I ask everyone to act calmly and respect the judiciary. It is wrong to turn feelings of unhappiness because of the decision into a war against the Constitutional Court."

Drafting a new constitution may be a way out of the crisis, Muhsin Yazýcýoðlu, the leader of the Grand Unity Party (BBP), said. Evaluating Toptan's proposal, Yazýcýoðlu said, "What will we change with a double parliament? Will we have changed this mentality?

We should speak courageously about the position and the state of the Constitutional Court. Will Turkey become a real state of law one day? CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

Political crisis drives up interest rates; Turkey loses $4 billion ERCAN BAYSAL, ANKARA The Constitutional Court's annulment on Friday of constitutional amendments that have indirectly abolished a "nonexistent but applied" ban on wearing headscarves at universities has begun to negatively affect the economy.

Interestingly enough it is the Turkish citizens who will pay the price for the top court's decision, which comes shortly after a global economic crisis and a closure case filed against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

The compound interest rate for bonds exceeded 20 percent for the first time in 18 months. Considering the fact that the compound interest rate was 16.2 percent in early 2008, the Treasury will have to deal with an extra 4.5 percent interest burden following an increase in interest rates to 20.74 percent.

The Treasury plans to borrow more than YTL 85 billion in the last seven months of 2008, which is YTL 3.8 billion more than the previously estimated amount. If the interest rates increase by another 2 percent, the increase in this number will double, reaching YTL 7 billion. The Treasury, slated to borrow YTL 43.3 in July and August, postponed some of its repayments -- equaling YTL 10 billion -- in this period to next year in order to reduce its burden. CONTINUED ON PAGE 07

Report: Army sets up center to manýpulate polýtýcs An entity established by a former military general has been working to influence the political and social atmosphere in Turkey, the Taraf daily reported in its weekend editions.

Called the Republican Work Group (CÇG), the organization is similar to the Western Work Group, which was known to be active in most of the events that led up to the unarmed military intervention of

Feb. 28, 1997 that overthrew the government.

According to Taraf's report, the CÇG was founded by retired Gen. Þener Eruygur, who currently heads the Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD). The daily noted that its source is an individual in the military who provided a CD on which information about the CÇG is stored in slide shows and text documents.

The CÇG, according to information on the CD,

has no legal standing and is not shown as being a part of the official organizational structure of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). It was established by Gen. Eruygur -- who was promoted to commander of the gendarmerie forces -- in 2002, when the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) was elected to power with a parliamentary majority sufficient to change the Constitution. The CÇG was founded as

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part of the gendarmerie command, but its scope of authority and responsibilities far exceed those of the gendarmerie force's duties as defined in the law.

The CÇG has initiated a number of activities, reports and events since early 2003. It has blacklisted a multitude of individuals, agencies, schools, civil society groups, business owners and public agencies and their employees for their religious affiliation. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

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NATIONAL

TODAY’S ZAMAN 03

M O N D AY, J U N E 9 , 2 0 0 8

ÝSTANBUL ANKARA ÝZMÝR ANTALYA ADANA ERZURUM EDÝRNE TRABZON KAYSERÝ

Erzurum villagers sue EÜAÞ for damage to Tortum Waterfall AA

Tortum Waterfall was the highest waterfall in Asia and Europe, and the third-highest in the world. "The visual beauty of the waterfall captivates all visitors," he said.

The water of the Tortum River, which passes through the Uzundere district, accumulates in Lake

Tortum and forms a cascade there, Özsoy said, adding: "The two-unit hydroelectric power plant erected in 1956 started generating electricity on the lake. And in 1972, they built another two units as a supplement to the plant." Erzurum Today's Zaman

KONYA ÇANAKKALE DÝYARBAKIR SAMSUN BURSA GAZÝANTEP ESKÝÞEHÝR MALATYA KOCAELÝ

29° 21° 33° 24° 26° 32° 26° 30° 25°

Clear and present coup d’état

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The Electricity Generation Inc. Directorate General (EÜAÞ) has been sued on charges of not allowing enough water to cascade from the 48-meter-high Tortum Waterfall in Erzurum's Uzundere district.

The lawsuit claimed the insufficient water flow caused the travertine to lose their natural qualities.

Lawyer Haktan Avnik, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Çaðlayan Village, said: "EÜAÞ has been damaging the Tortum Waterfall, one of the world's most beautiful waterfalls, while generating electricity in Lake Tortum. The insufficient amount of water causes the travertine to lose their natural qualities and to blacken. In the lawsuit we have filed, we demand that the May 26, 2006-dated EÜAÞ decision to decrease the amount of water it releases to the waterfall be cancelled. We demand that a sufficient amount of water falls from the cascade and that the cascade be allowed to fall naturally for four to five months a year in order to preserve this natural wonder." Çaðlayan Village Muhtar Osman Baykal complained that they had been unable to utilize their land the way they want since 2000, when the region was declared a protected area. "The waterfall is the region's most valuable asset in terms of tourism," he said. Uzundere Mayor Halis Özsoy recalled that the Tortum Waterfall

23° 24° 28° 29° 31° 21° 26° 21° 29°

By annulling the constitutional amendments that granted equal educational rights to women who wear the headscarf, the Constitutional Court has far overstepped the legal powers granted to it by the Constitution, giving rise to very grave consequences, tantamount to a regime crisis. This decision, which will be recorded with shame in the history of both democracy and law, has many grave consequences.

We will scrutinize only some of them here.

Primarily, the Constitutional Court has openly violated the Constitution by inspecting the constitutional amendments made by Parliament in terms of substance, although it is very clearly emphasized in Article 148 of the Constitution that its legal power is limited to inspecting such legislation only in terms of form. Secondly, it has rendered Parliament unable to draft legislation and has thus rendered it functionless, although the parliaments in all genuine democracies are the sole legislative power. Unsatisfied with ending the legislative power of Parliament, the court has started acting like the legislative authority itself.

Through this decision, the Constitutional Court attempted to bring a de facto end to Turkish democracy by rendering Parliament functionless, completely disregarding the fact that it is the only place where the public will becomes manifest. The phrase "Sovereignty unconditionally rests with the nation," which is the essence of Turkish democracy, has ceased to have any meaning at all, because the ruling in question has proven that the sovereignty of the court's 11 judges is superior to that of the people. It is no longer possible to call the regime in Turkey either a democracy or a republic. At best, the regime we have could be an entirely politicized full-fledged juristocracy.

Briefly, even if this is a completely unacceptable situation in terms of individual rights and freedoms, the most far-reaching consequence of the court's ruling is not its reintroduction of the headscarf ban in universities. Unless this decision and the resulting errors are not urgently eliminated, the gravest consequence will be Turkey's gradual transformation into a dictatorship of judges.

This ruling of the Constitutional Court, which has become extremely politicized in the style of the Republican People's Party (CHP), is tantamount to an open coup and is not limited to violating Article 148 of the Constitution, which gives it the right to judge and inspect parliamentary amendments only in terms of form. The court has also established itself as a co-beneficiary of Parliament's power of legislation and has even outstripped Parliament in exercising this authority, thereby violating all the fundamental values of law and democracy and many articles of the Constitution.

This ruling is an open violation of a principle mentioned in the third paragraph of the Constitution: " The understanding of the absolute supremacy of the will of the nation and of the fact that sovereignty is vested fully and unconditionally in the Turkish nation and that no individual or body empowered to exercise this sovereignty in the name of the nation shall deviate from liberal democracy and the legal system instituted according to its requirements."

Another principle highlighted in the fourth paragraph has also been disregarded: "The principle of the separation of powers, which does

BÜLENT KENEÞ b.kenes@todayszaman.com

not imply an order of precedence among the organs of state, but refers solely to the exercising of certain state powers and discharging of duties which are limited to cooperation and division of functions, and which accepts the supremacy of the Constitution and the law."

By deliberating solely from the perspective of secularism, the court has violated all other qualities of the regime -- justice, respect for human rights, democracy, rule of law -- mentioned in Article 2: "The Republic of Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law; bearing in mind the concepts of public peace, national solidarity and justice; respecting human rights; loyal to the nationalism of Atatürk, and based on the fundamental tenets set forth in the Preamble."

"The Constitutional Court shall examine the constitutionality, in respect of both form and substance, of laws, decrees having the force of law, and the Rules of Procedure of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Constitutional amendments shall be examined and verified only with regard to their form." This is another principle in Article 148 violated by the court by deliberating the case in terms of content.

Article 6, which states: "Sovereignty is vested fully and unconditionally in the nation. The Turkish Nation shall exercise its sovereignty through the authorized organs as prescribed by the principles laid down in the Constitution. The right to exercise sovereignty shall not be delegated to any individual, group or class. No person or agency shall exercise any state authority which does not emanate from the Constitution," has also been ignored with this ruling.

The ruling also openly goes against Article 7, "Legislative power is vested in the Turkish Grand National Assembly [Parliament] on behalf of the Turkish Nation. This power cannot be delegated."

In addition, the principle of Article 11, "The provisions of the Constitution are fundamental legal rules binding upon legislative, executive and judicial organs, and administrative authorities and other institutions and individuals," has been rendered null and void by disregarding Article 148.

By also disregarding Article 24, which says, "Everyone has the right to freedom of conscience, religious belief and conviction," the court attempted to restrict the freedoms granted to every member of this nation.

Having disclosed its ruling in haste before even writing its legal argument, the court acted like a lawmaker and violated Article 153, which says: "The decisions of the Constitutional Court are final.

Decisions of annulment cannot be made public without a written statement of reasons. In the course of annulling the whole, or a provision, of laws or decrees having the force of law, the Constitutional Court shall not act as a lawmaker and pass judgment leading to new implementation."

Considering all this, is it possible to describe this ruling as anything other than a "judicial coup" designed to create a regime change by suspending the Constitution?

Another worker dies in accident at notorious Tuzla shipyards NURÝ SOYLU ÝSTANBUL

Another worker died yesterday in a work-related accident at a shipyard in Ýstanbul's Tuzla district.

The Selahattin Aslan shipyard in the Tuzla district was the scene of the most recent accident, but the area's shipyards have recently been the focus of criticism in the wake of a rash of deadly mishaps linked to unsafe working conditions. Worker Ýhsan Turhan was killed early yesterday in the shipyard after being crushed by a steel plate weighing hundreds of kilograms as he was working. Turhan was rushed to Tuzla State Hospital, but physicians were unable to revive him. Ýstanbul Governor Muammer Güler, who re-

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sponded to journalists' questions regarding the frequent accidents at the Tuzla shipyards, said serious measures need to be taken at the shipyards.

"Two important meetings on shipyards will be held in Ýstanbul next week. Workers' safety will be laid on the table during these meetings. Some Turkish shipyards face problems that stem from an increase in demand in the shipbuilding sector. I am hopeful that these problems will be solved thanks to efforts made to this end," he noted. The number of fatalities from work-related accidents at the Tuzla shipyards has exceeded 20 in just the past eight months. More than 50 fatal accidents have occurred in the last seven years at the shipyards, largely due to electric shocks and falls from platforms.

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‘No clear secularism definition in Constitution’ The current Constitution does not provide a clear definition of secularism, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has said, in an interview held during his ongoing visit to the United States. Babacan was speaking Friday on National Public Radio's (NPR) "All Things Considered," hosted by Robert Siegel.

"But we also support a truly democratic system in Turkey; we also support a secular system in Turkey, which means a distinct separation between religion and state. We also believe that secularism is about religious freedoms. And now the Constitutional Court is being asked to judge if the actions of our party have been in line with the concept of secularism or not, although our Constitution does not have any explicit description of what secularism is. And the Constitutional Court has the final word on it, whether we like the outcome or not it is going to be a final decision and it will be implemented," Babacan said, when asked whether the court's Thursday ruling on the headscarf could be an indication of its upcoming decision on closure of the AK Party.

The court last week annulled the headscarf amendment on the grounds that it violated the principle of secularism enshrined in an unalterable provision of the Constitution. The headscarf amendment is among the key pieces of evidence presented by the country's chief prosecutor to the Constitutional Court to have the AK Party banned for being a "focal point" of anti-secular activities.

"As the ruling party and also as the government, we have to move and we are moving on a very strong basis of legitimacy. We have to conform with the rule of law; we have to also be very careful about separation of powers in Turkey, about the independence of the judiciary, also we have to protect the reliability of our courts," Babacan said, when asked whether his party would remain silent in the event it is banned. Ankara Today's Zaman

Turkish warplanes struck a target of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq on Saturday night, the military said yesterday in a statement on its Web site.

The General Staff said the air operation was carried out at 19:30 GMT but did not give details other than its warplanes hit the PKK target "effectively."

This year the Turkish military has regularly attacked PKK positions in the mountains of northern Iraq, where several thousand militants are believed to be holed up. The military launched a major ground offensive across the border in February, signaling a new phase in the conflict, but later withdrew its troops amid protests from Baghdad.

The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state

in 1984 with the aim of establishing an ethnic homeland in mainly Kurdish Southeast Turkey. Some 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

The European Union and the United States are keen for NATO-member Turkey, which they say is defending itself against a terrorist organization, to keep its attacks in northern Iraq limited to avoid destabilizing Iraq and the wider region. The EU and the US both classify the PKK as a terrorist organization.

There were no civilian casualties or damage to property in the latest attack, Jabbar Yawar, spokesman for Iraq's Kurdish peshmerga security forces, told the Cihan news agency on Sunday.

No residential areas were affected by the Turkish military's attack, Yawar said, noting that

some elements of the PKK might have been at the site and that the attack was launched against them.

Talabani hosts Özçelik Only a few hours before the latest attack by the Turkish military, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani hosted Turkey's special envoy to Iraq, Murat Özçelik, and Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Derya Kanbay at his presidential residence in Baghdad.

Talabani and the Turkish delegation discussed "the importance of improving relations between Iraq and Turkey and pointed out the necessity of intensifying joint efforts for building long-term relations between the two countries," a statement released by the Iraqi president's press office said, ac-

Swoboda recommends Ýstanbul for center of Black Sea union European Socialist parliamentarian Hannes Swoboda has proposed that Ýstanbul become the center of a Black Sea union proposed by his Socialist group, saying Turkey's geographical location and unique political conditions make the city the best candidate. "Ýstanbul has a special role in the Black Sea region.

It's a city with an international appeal; it's in a country that is a member of NATO and the only candidate in the region to join the EU," Swoboda, the vice chairman of the Socialist group in the European Parliament, said.

The Socialist group last week unveiled plans to create a Black Sea union between the EU and the Black Sea countries to promote regional cooperation.

Kurdish assembly debates Mistura's plan

VISIT

Syrian PM to participate in Turkish-Arab forum Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Otri will arrive in Turkey this week to participate in the third Turkish-Arab Economic Forum (TAF '08), which will be held in Ýstanbul on Thursday and Friday. The forum, under the auspices of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, will be hosted by the Al-Iktissad Wal Aamal Group in cooperation with Turkey's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEÝK) and with official support from the General Secretariat of the Arab League.

The forum will be a platform for more than 800 government officials, investors and businessmen from Turkey and Arab countries. The last forum was held in Damascus in April of last year under the patronage of Syrian Prime Minister Otri. Erdoðan had also participated in the forum and had talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the sidelines of the event.

Israel and Syria confirmed last month that they had resumed peace negotiations after an eight-year break. Israel said they began through Turkish intermediaries in February 2007. Bostan Cemiloðlu Damascus

cording to the PUKmedia Web site, affiliated with Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party.

Talabani also hosted a luncheon in honor of the Turkish delegation. Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, Iraqi Minister for Water Resources Abd al-Latif Rashid and Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Labeed Abbawi were among the Iraqi officials who attended the luncheon, PUKmedia said.

Meanwhile, Iraqi police said a civilian was killed by a roadside bomb Sunday in Baghdad.

Five others were wounded in the attack, which took place about 100 meters from the Turkish Embassy. The target was believed to be a passing police patrol, however, and not the embassy building. Ankara Today's Zaman with wires

SELMAN EÞTÜRKLER

KIRKUK

Members of the regional Kurdish Parliament in northern Iraq took part in an extraordinary session yesterday on a plan drafted by Staffan de Mistura, the UN secretarygeneral's special representative to Iraq, concerning possible processes to resolve internal boundary disputes.

Last Thursday the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) presented its first analysis to the country's government about possible processes to resolve disputes over internal boundaries. The mission said on Thursday that Mistura had presented separate analytical reports on four disputed districts -- Akre, Ninawa; Hamdaniya, Ninawa; Makhmour, Ninawa/Arbil; and Mandali, Diyala -- to five senior Iraqi officials.

Governmental organizations in northern Iraq and NGOs have reacted harshly to Mistura's proposal, the Peyamner Web site reported yesterday, noting that this reaction led the Iraqi Kurdish Parliament to hold an extraordinary session on the issue.

Mistura's proposal "is not in compliance with the Iraqi Constitution and the UN Security Council Resolution 1770 on Iraq; and it is a form of ethnic discrimination for Iraqi people," Fallah Hasan was quoted as saying in a statement by Peyamner. The statement was released on behalf of 95 deputies of the 111-seat Kurdish Parliament, the report said.

Mistura's "analysis follows a general agreement reached last December, ahead of the deadline set out in the Constitution, among the Presidency Council, with the concurrence of the Iraqi prime minister and the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government," the UN said last week.

"Everyone recognizes that progress on the resolution of disputed internal boundaries -- which we are aware are not limited to northern Iraq, with some in central and southern parts of the country -and clarification of administrative alignment must take place alongside wider political compromises that reassure the people of Iraq and solidify the unity of the Iraqi State," Mistura said then. Ankara Today's Zaman

NATIONAL

Turkish military says hit PKK target in north Iraq

PHOTO

BABACAN

M O N D AY, J U N E 9 , 2 0 0 8

‘AK Party closure wýll be coup agaýnst democracy’ contýnued from page 1 One such activity, according to the prosecutor, is constitutional amendments proposed to ease a ban on wearing headscarves at universities. The AK Party denies the charges but has announced it will observe the final ruling. The EU, which Turkey aspires to join, has issued stern warnings that closure could have adverse implications on Turkey's accession bid.

In a move that strengthened prospects for the AK Party's closure, the Constitutional Court ruled that constitutional amendments on headscarf freedom were "null and void" because these changes are in contradiction with the secular characteristic of the state. Swoboda said the Constitutional Court has the right to look into unconstitutional elements in the legislation passed by Parliament but expressed doubts, saying the latest ruling could be a "political" one.

"The Constitutional Court should of course look into the anti-constitutional character of laws. But it should not do it in a way to impede the will of the people," Swoboda said. "And of course at a time when there is a closure case against the AK Party, there is always the danger that people can imagine that this ruling is a precedent for the next verdict."

According to Swoboda, Europeans are reluctant to intervene because this is a matter for Turkish society to decide. But he added: "We are very doubtful that this is really a legal decision. At the very least it is also a political decision in addition to being a legal decision because I don't see how secularism is infringed upon by students wearing a headscarf. What is the difference between having headscarves in shops or on streets and at a university?"

Swoboda said the ruling showed once again that Turkey needed judicial reform and suggested elections and a constitutional overhaul to bring the role and the position of the military and judiciary into line with European standards, saying it could offer a way out of the current crisis.

He insisted that if the AK Party is closed down because it proposed legislation to lift the headscarf ban, this would be unacceptable. "When our courts overturn laws, they also offer hints as to how mistakes should be corrected. Going further and saying the party that proposes it should be closed is totally unacceptable. So the reaction must be very strong," he said. "I would interrupt the talks and say Turkey has to make a new constitution and show which direction it wants to go in. Then we can continue immediately."

In the event the EU does nothing, "then you would say the EU doesn't take it seriously: Democracy can be destroyed and we can continue as if nothing happened."

The EU can suspend negotiations with Turkey in the event of a fundamental breach of

democratic standards of the 27-nation bloc, but proponents of Turkish membership are worried that in the event the EU rules for a suspension, it could be very difficult to restart the accession process, given widespread skepticism among Europeans to Turkey's membership and vocal opposition by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Officials say the EU is mulling alternative forms of reacting in the event of the AK Party's closure.

The degree of sanctions in the final verdict is very likely to be taken into consideration while Brussels makes up its mind on how to respond.

Reminded of the danger, Swoboda agreed and said the talks should not be formally suspended, proposing instead a downgrading in Turkey-EU relations or a break in the accession talks, not in the process as such. "What I am suggesting is not an interruption in the

‘Populist tendencies in Europe threat to Turkey’ Changes in voting patterns of Europeans and growing populist tendencies among European politicians pose a threat to Turkey's bid to join the European Union, European Parliament member Hannes Swoboda has said.

In an interview with Today's Zaman, Swoboda, a senior member of the Socialist group in European Parliament, stated that politicians such as French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a firm opponent of Turkey's membership in the EU, are "between knowing what is in Europe's interests and appealing to the popular moods in their country, particularly in their parties."

According to Swoboda, European voters tended to trust in the vision of party leaders in the past even if they didn't agree with those leaders on every issue. "[Former German Chancellor] Helmut Kohl, for example, was in favor of Turkey's membership al-

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though 80 percent of his Christian Democrat voters were against it," he said.

"Today, voters are not so connected with parties and you don't have such personalities on top. When voters see leaders with a long-term vision on Turkey's membership, they say, 'I'll go to someone else who fights against it.' This general change in the structure of our democracies, going for short-term populist attitudes, unfortunately is preventing this long-term strategy," he said. "If we had the same voter structure after World War II, Europe would never have been built because no politician could have convinced his voters to support a union bringing together Belgium or France with Germany. It was an elite project, people followed elites.

But today, people do not follow the elites, they attack the elites. Long-term politics is much more difficult now," he stated.

process with a formal decision. … I am talking about a political signal. It could be in the form of not opening chapters or only having talks at the civil servant level, not at the political level, until a solution is found," he said.

Asked whether the European Court of Human Rights, which in 2004 rejected an application from a Turkish student dismissed from a university for wearing a headscarf, was also favoring the headscarf ban, Swoboda dismissed interpretations that the European court has backed the ban.

"Individuals should have the right to wear what they want. Whether on customary, religious or other bases, if people want to wear a headscarf, they should be free to do so. It is not up to politicians to decide. The general attitude in Europe is that there should be no pressure on individuals on such an issue," he said.

"The European court decided that it was legal for Turkey to have these kinds of limitations. It means it would also be legal if Turkey had no ban on headscarves at universities," he said. "The European court does not decide on the basis of the substance. On whether students can wear a headscarf or not, the court says it is up to Turkey."

CHP in the socialist group?

Swoboda also criticized Turkey's staunchly secularist main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), for its highly restrictive stance on the headscarf, among other things, and reiterated that with its current policies, the CHP stood in contrast with basic principles of the European socialists and would thus most likely not be accepted into the socialist group in the European Parliament.

He said -- based on his personal readings about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of both the Turkish Republic and the CHP -that he hoped Atatürk would not react in the same way the CHP does on many issues.

"We need an opposition, but I think the opposition must be forward-looking," he said.

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ALÝ ÜNAL

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Mother of the Year award accepted on behalf of mother

‘Constýtuent assembly’ proposal debated Referring to ongoing crises in the country and the inability of current political actors to find solutions to them, a sociologist well informed in politics has said Turkey’s existing problems can be settled with a constituent assembly.

He pointed out that it was high time to discuss the issue of establishing a constituent assembly. “The debates about limits of powers are of no use. They only waste the country’s time and resources. They are useful only in that they create a suitable atmosphere in which the option of a constituent assembly can be discussed,” he said.

A senior executive of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) who has legal expertise argued that several options are still at the party’s disposal. “We have not run out of options for a solution. There are two or three solutions. One of them is the constituent assembly,” he said, hinting at the possibility of the constituent assembly option becoming a hot topic in the days to follow.

A former senior AK Party executive said: “Why can’t the current Parliament do what a constituent assembly can do? I cannot accept the proposition primarily voiced by left-wing parties that only a constituent assembly can draft a constitution. A constituent assembly is to be established under extraordinary circumstances -- such as after occupations or revolutions. So I cannot comprehend why what a con-

stituent assembly does cannot be performed by Parliaments under ordinary circumstances. Do we need a conquered country or a military coup in order to make a new constitution that would address society’s changing needs?”

In this regard, the speech Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan will give at the parliamentary group meeting of his party is of particular importance. The prime minister may call on party leaders to support this option. In saying that there are two or three solutions, the AK Party executive hinted at this possibility. He stressed that consensus would be needed to establish a constituent assembly while the existing Parliament continues to operate. “There may be a need for a constituent assembly. This is theoretically possible, but there are other solutions as well. The most important point here is consensus. A broad consensus will be needed. By solving this problem, Turkey may block attempts to create a state ruled by judges. Common sense can solve it; Parliament will settle it. Turkey needs to re-establish the limits of the rule of law,” he said.

He further highlighted the importance of Parliament’s stance, and, concerning the possibility of political party leaders’ arriving at a consensus, said: “At this point, everyone has historical responsibilities. Also, Parliament’s stance is considerably important as it is a political institution that represents all parties. A common political reflex should be developed. No one can escape from this historic responsibility by arguing that the circumstances are not ripe. Crises are not necessarily followed by extraordinary rules.

The leaders, the parties and the society will be aware of the significance of this mission.”

Another senior AK Party executive maintained that the solution should be declared to the public opinion as a package. “If needed, it should be stated that the package has not been drafted to save certain parties from pending closure cases against them. Turkey’s future should be emphasized. A package of democratization and reform should be drafted to allow the nation to determine the limits of powers and authorities of Parliament, political parties and the judiciary.

This package should be declared to the nation and, if needed, elections should be held,” he said.

Starting on Tuesday, it seems that the constituent assembly option will be one of the most debated items in the repertoire of possible solutions to the country’s crises.

In a cooperative effort by the Ministry of the Interior, the European Union and the United Nations, eight new women’s shelters will be established in cities throughout Turkey.

The shelters will be constructed in Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, Eskiþehir, Gaziantep, Ýstanbul, Ýzmir and Samsun, and combined will have the capacity to house 500 women.

Currently there are 38 shelters with a capacity of 550 women being operated by civil society organizations and municipalities, although the law requires that every municipality with a population of 50,000 or greater must have shelters for women; this means there should be at least 205 such shelters.

The shelter project aims to encourage the municipalities to fulfill their responsibility in this regard. It will cost 11.8 million euros and is scheduled for completion at the end of 2009. The Ministry of the Interior will finance 20 percent of the cost, while the rest will be funded by the EU. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will give technical support to the project.

Project coordinator Nazik Iþýk emphasized that their aim is to contribute to protecting the human rights of women and assist those who have faced domestic violence, adding that

Defense of freedoms to continue Turks have mixed feelings about the Constitutional Court’s latest decision on a long-standing headscarf ban on university campuses. In addition to disappointments and harsh reactions, some people have tended to adopt a positive attitude toward it.

Some leftist women, stressing that they will continue to defend freedom, stated that they will wear a headscarf in protest of the decision.

Similarly, some women wearing a headscarf said that will advocate more freedom. “Even if they try to create polarization, tensions and radicalism, this will prove unsuccessful.

Even if we are victims because of our headscarf, we will continue to defend the freedoms of those who do not wear a headscarf,” they said.

METÝN ARSLAN ANKARA

Several legislators have hit back at the Constitutional Court, criticizing its reasoning for annulling a package of constitutional amendments that would have lifted the country’s long-standing headscarf ban on university campuses.

After the top court annulled the headscarf ruling, reportedly on the grounds that it was considered a threat to the country’s secular order, democracy and the state’s regime, many legislators harshly criticized the members of the Constitutional Court and the stance they adopted against lifting the headscarf ban. Professor Ýlyas Doðan from Gazi University, in particular reference to a news report that found wide coverage in the Turkish press reporting that the Constitutional Court annulled headscarf amendments on the grounds that they were interpreted as an attempt to change the country’s regime and hold parliamentary elections once in every 20 years instead of the current four, said: “Such attempts violate the Constitution. They cannot even feature on Parliament’s agenda.”

Professor Hasan Tunç, a constitutional law expert, agreed, adding that the top court should not have annulled the ruling based on such assumptions. “Even if deputies propose holding elections once every 20 years, the speaker of parliament will undoubtedly reject their proposal. Constitutional amendments to end the headscarf ban do not aim to distort the state’s secular order. It is not plausible to annul these amendments based on such assumptions. Laws do not allow you to hand down rulings solely based on assumptions,” he said.

Doðan, a professor of public policy, termed the top court’s headscarf ruling an “unfortunate decision.”

“Attempts to amend the Constitution to hold parliamentary elections once every 20 years and eliminate the principle of separation of powers violate the Constitution.

However, the top court’s decision has to do with freedoms and the right to education.

The state used to deprive certain people of their right to education before this ruling, and the Constitutional Court announced with its decision to annul the amendments that the state should continue its policy of discrimination. It is an unfortunate decision,” he added.

OIC aid organizations to meet to 'talk differently' in Ýstanbul The Second Consultation Meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Member States’ National Societies of Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) will take place at Ýstanbul’s Grand Cevahir Hotel June 10-14 with the participation of 57 member states.

The agenda for the meeting, to be cohosted by the Islamic Committee for the International Crescent (ICIC) and the Turkish Red Crescent, includes items related to the ICIC’s strategic direction, the International Disaster Response Law, and humanitarian values and the International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The agenda also includes the discussion, adoption and announcement of a declaration on humanitarian values.

The first consultation meeting took place May 20-21 in Jeddah. The meeting subject was “The Islamic Commission on Economic, Cultural and Social Affairs.” The second meeting’s motto will be “Now It Is Time to Talk Differently,” and after the gathering participants will release a declaration titled “Istanbul ICIC Declaration on Humanitarian Values.” This declaration will be presented to the 35th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers to be held in Kampala June 18-20, and will emphasize the paramount importance of the participation of all 57 OIC Member States’ National Societies of RCRC in the meeting for the direction of the future of the ICIC. As manmade and natural catastrophes harm people in the OIC and neighboring nations, the National Societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations aim to cooperate and share knowledge to alleviate human suffering in nations such as Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and Sudan. The meeting will also discuss peace in Muslim countries.

The ICIC, a humanitarian association within the OIC, is expected to have a more efficient and functional structure after the Istanbul meeting concludes. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman

Eight new women’s shelters to be established in Turkey AYÞE KARABAT ANKARA

Awarded the Foreign Mother of the Year award, Ursula Cuntz, the wife of German Ambassador to Turkey Eckart Cuntz, said she was accepting the award on behalf of her mother and all mothers.

Cuntz’s acceptance speech shows the International Interaction Association’s decision to select her as the mother of the year was the right one. Cuntz’s mother raised seven children but also helped needy children.

The award ceremony was attended by many people. Cuntz was presented the award by last year’s winner Athina Yenimata-Kritiku, the wife of the former Greek Ambassador to Turkey. In her acceptance speech, Cuntz noted that her mother was always a model for her and that she could find time to help other children despite the fact that she had seven children of her own to attend to. “I do not want to only be protective of my own family; I also want to help needy people,” she said.

Ambassador Cuntz congratulated his wife as well as the women, mothers and people involved in social services. “You are volunteering your time as you feel the need to. Enjoy the award,” Yenimata-Kritiku told her.

Legislators slam top court's reasoning for scarf ruling

they want to encourage the municipalities to open more shelters.

She said the eight cities were picked for their location, public transportation infrastructure, the willingness of the municipalities and in consideration of the advice of women’s associations.

UNFPA gender programs national coordinator Meltem Aðduk said although the local administrations are willing to open shelters, they don’t have adequate knowledge or experience to do so. She noted that merely opening a shelter is not enough, saying that there must be certain standards and that personnel must be well trained.

A sub-initiative of the shelter projects costing 1.36 million euros aims to fulfill the latter requirement. The personnel of the shelters will be trained as well as those running a telephone hotline for domestic violence.

According to a survey conducted by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBÝTAK) last year, although domestic violence is a widespread phenomenon in Turkey, half of the women subjected to it do not tell anyone. One out of six male university graduates are the perpetrators of domestic violence and 12 percent of female university graduates are subjected to domestic violence, revealing that the problem is not only one of the uneducated.

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BUSINESS

TODAY’S ZAMAN 07

M O N D AY, J U N E 9 , 2 0 0 8

Is Turkey’s ýnflatýon targetýng stýll relevant?

Last week the Central Bank of Turkey, with the blessing of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, raised its inflation targets, as had been widely expected. In a letter to the government, as inflation jumped to an annual rate of 10.74 percent in May, the central bank, which had missed its inflation targets by a long shot three years in a row, proposed raising the inflation target from 4 percent for 2009-2011 to 7.5 percent for 2009, 6.5 percent for 2010 and 5.5 percent for 2011. The central bank's inflation forecasts for these three years -- 6.7 percent, 4.9 percent and 4.0 percent (mid-year), respectively -- are all below the revised targets. In the letter, the bank noted that it would treat the higher targets "asymmetrically in order to contain the inflation expectations" by aiming monetary policy at keeping inflation "below the revised target path by staying close to the baseline forecasts" in its April inflation report. The government, in its reply by Economy Minister Mehmet Þimþek, promptly accepted the proposed higher targets.

Turkish Central Bank Governor Durmuþ Yýlmaz has admitted publicly that "the central bank lost its credibility due to its defeat by inflation." He has argued, however, that despite the higher inflation targets, the central bank is still committed to a tight monetary policy and that it could be raising its policy interest rates again soon, as also indicated by the summary of its Monetary Policy Committee's (PPK) May 15 meeting. The governor, who is the highest paid public official in Turkey, showed no indication that he was contemplating resignation to take responsibility for the bank's inflation-targeting failure. He has conveniently but unconvincingly argued, along with many others, that the real culprit is not the central bank but the imported inflation from soaring global energy and food prices. Is it unreasonable to suggest that the governor's salary should henceforth be tied to the central bank's performance in inflation-targeting? Why would the governor object, especially when the inflation targets are all above the bank's forecasts for the next three years?

Inflation targeting has three major benefits: (1) It improves transparency, providing for better communication and helping economic agents understand the central bank's objectives. (2) Its forward-looking nature draws attention to future inflation. (3) It makes the central bank accountable. Inflation targeting has proven to be a durable monetary strategy, compared to others such as targeting monetary aggregates or using the exchange rate as a nominal anchor. After 1990 when New Zealand made history as the first country to adopt inflation targeting, more than 20 countries have become inflation targeters. Only two of them abandoned

ASIM ERDÝLEK a.erdilek@todayszaman.com

inflation targeting, but not because of economic duress; they were Finland and Spain, which joined the European Monetary Union, for which the European Central Bank maintains an inflation target as part of its monetary strategy.

Inflation targeting began to be adopted by emerging market economies (EMEs) with flexible exchange rates, such as Turkey, at the urging of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), buoyed by the success of inflation targeting in developed countries in the early 1990s. The empirical evidence strongly suggests that inflation targeting has benefited EMEs through lower and more stable inflation, coupled with lower volatility of output growth.

According to Lars Svensson, a prominent Princeton University expert on inflation targeting: "There is no evidence that inflation targeting has been detrimental to growth, productivity employment, or other measures of economic performance. The success is both absolute and relative to alternative monetarypolicy strategies, such as exchange-rate targeting or moneygrowth targeting." But, as the critics of inflation targeting, such as Joseph Stiglitz, have argued, successful inflation targeting is presumably now becoming much more difficult as the turbulence in the international macroeconomic environment is rising, with skyrocketing energy and food prices, following the global financial crisis triggered by the US subprime mortgage meltdown.

Turkey is not the only inflation targeting country that has been missing its inflation targets. Actually, four out of seven developed economies and 14 out of 16 EMEs were, as of last month, in breach of inflation targets -- some, like Turkey, very badly. Only Brazil, Canada, Norway, Thailand and the UK were meeting their targets. Turkey and South Africa were the only inflation targeting countries with double-digit inflation, with Indonesia joining them this month. But Turkey has become the first inflation targeting country to raise its inflation targets after missing them badly and blaming its failure on imported inflation. Other inflation targeting countries such as Australia and South Africa are now heatedly debating whether they should also raise their targets.

VISIT In an earlier column ("Return of double-digit inflation and the end of inflation targeting?," May 5, 2008), I wrote that despite admitting its failure for the third year in a row to hit its inflation targets, the central bank had refused to give up either its consumer inflation target of 4 percent per annum or the practice of inflation targeting. I also noted that the inflation data for April had strengthened the likelihood of double-digit inflation's return, adding that the bank's revised forecast of 9.3 percent consumer price index (CPI) inflation for 2008 could be off the mark, just like its original forecast of 5.5 percent. The Turkish Statistics Institute's (TurkStat) inflation figures for May, announced last week, confirmed the official arrival of doubledigit inflation. The central bank had two unpleasant choices -either raise the inflation targets or kiss inflation targeting goodbye. By going with the first choice, it raised the question of whether inflation targeting is still relevant for Turkey. I believe it still is, although its chances of success even with the higher targets are not that good under the present circumstances.

We can speculate as to whether Turkey will become the first country to abandon inflation targeting altogether under economic duress. By refusing to increase its inflation target above 4 percent until last week, the central bank seemed to believe that after two or more years it would somehow succeed in hitting that target. This was a risky strategy since the longer it missed the target by larger margins, the more its inflation targeting was seen as a futile exercise.

By asking us to pay more attention to its inflation forecasts than to its inflation target, the central bank had already begun to devalue its inflation targeting. Further more, the central bank had been losing its credibility not only because it kept missing its inflation target, but also because its inflation forecasts have been quite inaccurate.

Turkey's initial 4 percent CPI-based inflation target for 20092011 was adopted under the recently expired standby agreement with the IMF, most likely at the urging of the IMF. It was arguably too ambitious a target, and perhaps the IMF should be partly blamed for that. After all, as late as 2000, Turkey suffered from inflation as high as 70 percent. The adoption of higher inflation targets along with lower primary budget surplus targets right after the expiration of the standby agreement indicates that Turkey's disinflation commitment is definitely weakened without the IMF discipline. As I have written repeatedly in previous columns, Turkey still needs that discipline as an anchor and should seek a new standby agreement for that reason.

Political crisis drives up interest rates, Turkey loses $4 billion contýnued from page 1 Meanwhile, even though funds to be released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and revenue earned from privatizations will set the Treasury at ease for the rest of the year, the central bank's total deposits have shrunk following the latest political developments. Even though the total amount of deposits was YTL 24 billion in April 2007, today they stand at YTL 3.7 billion.

Central bank: Any political uncertainty already in our data set The closure case filed against the AK Party and the Constitutional Court's latest verdict have also worried the central bank, which has included the top court's verdict on the headscarf ban at universities into its data set. Turkish Central Bank Governor Durmuþ Yýlmaz said the bank has been watching the closure case filed against the AK Party and added: "There are uncertainties, and this is a fact of life. These uncertainties do have an effect on economic activity. Our job here is to estimate the effects of these political developments and to react in accordance with these developments."

Stocks on the Ýstanbul Stock Exchange (ÝMKB) declined last week after the court decision was disclosed, the lira depreciated against foreign currencies and interest rates rose. Market experts agreed that the decline was limited as investors had expected the decision and took their positions accordingly. However, the decision still affected the market negatively as investors began to consider the closure of the AK Party to be more likely.

The ÝMKB benchmark index, ÝMKB-100, declined by 818.42 points from Thursday's closing to 39,645.54. The average loss in stocks was 2.02 percent.

Interest rates for bonds with a maturity date of Jan. 13, 2010 in the ÝMKB bonds and bills market increased to 21.79 percent in simple return and 20.54 percent in compound return, the highest rates since the beginning of 2007.

The US dollar traded in inter-bank markets at YTL 1.2470 in the early morning but then headed downwards.

Interest rates exceed 20 percent after 18 months Month January 2007 February March April May June July August September October November December January 2008 February March April June

Rate 20.4 18.9 19.8 19.1 18.8 18.5 17.6 18.6 18.3 16.4 16.2 16.5 16.2 16.7 17.5 18.3 20.7

Central administration domestic debt repayment plan (capital + interest)

Month Amount (billion YTL) June 4.3 July 25.1 August 18.2 September 5.1 October 8.0 November 18.6 December 5.8 Total 85.1

Minor increase in power demand may exceed supply The demand for electricity in Turkey can be met with the current supply, but this delicate balance may be disrupted by a slight increase in demand in the coming years, according to a report drafted by the country's main power supplier.

The Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (TEÝAÞ) recently submitted a report on projections for supply and demand of electric energy to the parliamentary commission on State Economic Enterprises (KÝTs). In this report, TEÝAÞ officials stated that they developed two scenarios, one for low demand and one for high demand. The low demand scenario assumes that the power demand will rise by 6.4 percent annually while the high demand scenario assumes an 8.3 percent increase.

TEÝAÞ officials, noting that the power demand rose by 14.5 percent in January and February, 5.6 percent in

March and April, and 9.7 percent in May of this year, indicated that given the increase in demand for the first five months of this year, the low demand scenario can be completely disregarded and that the discussion should concentrate on the high demand scenario.

In the high demand scenario, power demand will be 204 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) this year. It will be 220.9 billion kWh in 2009, 239.3 billion kWh in 2010, 259.1 billion kWh in 2011, 280.6 billion kWh in 2012, 303.9 billion kWh in 2013, 329.2 billion kWh in 2014, 356.5 billion kWh in 2015 and 386.1 billion kWh in 2016.

According this scenario, while the supply and demand balance is delicately poised when power stations under construction are taken into consideration for the current year, it will start to be disrupted in 2009 when the total reliable production capacity will be less than

the power demand, with the reserves at -2 percent.

Reserves will fall to -6.1 percent in 2010, -13.4 percent in 2011, -22.1 in 2012, -32.4 percent in 2013, -43.9 percent in 2014, -55.7 percent in 2015 and -68.2 percent in 2016.

"For this reason, necessary measures should be taken such as operating the facility overtime and making new investments," the report said.

Officials from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources noted that they have launched projects to "minimize maintenance periods of generation facilities and lines and to encourage end users to conserve" in order to maintain the supply-demand balance.

Measures designed to ensure supply security in electricity will be discussed in connection with a bill on the electricity market next week. Ankara Today's Zaman

Gül wraps up official visit to Japan President Abdullah Gül has returned to Turkey after an official four-day visit to Japan during which he met with leading political figures and discussed Japanese investment in Turkey.

"My talks with Japanese authorities focused on the economic, commercial and cultural aspects of our bilateral relations and international developments. I also had the chance to have talks with executives from leading Japanese companies," Gül told reporters over the weekend. He added that his visit to Japan would yield fruitful results in the coming days as a solid foundation has begun to be established.

During his visit Gül met with Japanese Emperor Akihito, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Japanese House of Councilors President Satsuki Eda and former Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Yohei Kono.

Gül also met with leading executives of companies that have invested in Turkey and participated in a Turkey-Japan Business Forum in Tokyo as well as an investment forum in Osaka.

Gül's visit began last Wednesday, when he arrived in Tokyo with a major trade delegation to boost economic, political and cultural ties with the county, followed by a visit with Emperor Akihito on Thursday and talks on Friday with Prime Minister Fukuda.

This was the president's first visit to Japan. He said this visit would open a new page of economic possibilities and investment potential between the two countries. Turkey's official trade volume with Japan in 2007 was $3.9, of which $3.7 billion was in Japanese exports to Turkey. Ankara Today's Zaman

LABOR

Half of Turkey's employees unregistered The rate of unregistered employment -- where workers are not registered in the social security system -- has exceeded 30 percent in Ankara, Turkey's political and financial capital, and has reached 70 percent in eastern Anatolia.

Almost half of employment in Turkey -- 46.9 percent -involves unregistered employment, and this figure exceeds 30 percent in Ankara, meaning that almost one in three workers is not registered in the social security system.

According to Labor and Social Security Ministry statistics, eastern Anatolia hits the top with a 68.4 percent unregistered employment rate, with southeastern Anatolia following with 64.6 percent. The rate of unregistered employment is 58.4 percent in the Black Sea region and 53.8 percent in the Mediterranean region. More than half of employment is unregistered even in the Aegean region, with 51.5 percent, and unregistered workers account for 48.3 percent of all employment in Central Anatolia. The lowest unregistered employment rate is in the Marmara region, Turkey's employment, commercial and industrial center, standing at 42.4 percent.

The leading cities in the list of unregistered employment are Aðrý, Ardahan, Bitlis, Hakkari, Iðdýr, Kars, Muþ and Van, with an average of 74.9 percent, which means three out of four employees in these cities are not registered. The southeastern Anatolian cities of Diyarbakýr and Þanlýurfa follow these cities with 74 percent. Unregistered workers account for 63 percent of employment in Adýyaman and Kilis; 62 percent in Bingöl, Malatya, Elazýð and Tunceli; and 60 percent in Erzurum, Erzincan, Mardin, Þýrnak, Siirt and Batman.

The rate of unregistered employment at Turkey's industrial zones is lower than the national average, standing at 40 percent in the Ýstanbul, Kocaeli and Sakarya zones and 35 percent in the Bursa industrial zone. Ankara Today's Zaman

AGRICULTURE

Small animals to be registered in database The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has developed a project costing 30 million euros to register all sheep and goats, whose combined number in the country is estimated at 32 million, in a central database.

As part of the project, which will be partially financed by the EU, all sheep and goats will be provided with identifying rings attached to their ears beginning next year. Various pieces of information about the animals, such as birth and slaughter dates and locations, will be recorded in the ministry's database. Legislation that accompanies the new project will ban the transfer, slaughter and purchase of unregistered animals that lack an ID ring.

The rings will help identify the sheep and goats in compliance with a bylaw on the identification, registry and tracking of sheep and goats. The registration database will also contain information on each sale transaction or ownership transfer of the animals. Also, all breeders will be obliged to keep a separate book to record the sales of their animals.

The records will be important in terms of tracking down and curbing common diseases amongst ruminants, while also helping to prevent animal smuggling and illegal slaughters.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will be the sole party responsible for the identification and registry of the animals. A unit under the Directorate General of Preservation and Control will oversee the information exchange between rural units through the database.

The practice of registering ruminants first began with cattle in 2001 with EU support. Ankara Today's Zaman

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08 TODAY’S ZAMAN

M O N D AY, J U N E 9 , 2 0 0 8

BUSINESS

NEGOTIATION

G8 meetýng warns of recessýon over oýl prýces -- said the statement, ahead of their meeting in Aomori.

They will share best practices and encourage more innovation in energy efficient buildings, electronic equipment and transport through the newly formed International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation, the statement noted.

The group also called on oil producers to boost investment to ensure steady supplies, but did not ask them to pump more crude, despite growing public anger over climbing fuel prices, likely to haunt G8 leaders when they meet in Japan early next month.

Speaking before a trip to Japan on Sunday, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd urged the G8 to "apply the blowtorch" to OPEC. But OPEC officials have repeatedly rebuffed such calls over the past year, saying the market remains well-supplied and that soaring prices are beyond its control. Top exporter Saudi Arabia has, however, said it will increase output this summer to help meet peak demand, a move that failed to halt oil's rise.

The ministers also acknowledged the need to push for cleaner energy in the wake of the International Energy Agency's (IEA) call for a $45 trillion energy revolution to halve carbon emissions by 2050, a goal G8 host Japan is set to push next month.

They agreed on the key role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, aiming for large-scale CCS demonstration projects in developed and developing nations.

The IEA report released on Friday, commissioned by G8 leaders three years ago, said the world would need to effectively decarbonize the power sector by building dozens of billion dollar CCS plants over the next 40 years, although world governments remain at odds over who should foot the bill.

About 190 nations are racing to craft a framework by the end of 2009 to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which binds 37 advanced nations to cut emissions by an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12. Aomori, AP & Reuters

$10 billion aid to offset prices in South Korea South Korea said on Sunday it will hand out $10.2 billion to its lowest income citizens over the next year to offset the skyrocketing price of oil, emulating Asian neighbors in targeting subsidies at the poor.

Prime Minister Han Seung-soo said at a news conference on Sunday that the government did not need to collect more tax or incur debt to fund the package, but would use surplus tax revenues from last year and a surplus expected over the next year.

"The super high oil prices are affecting not only our country but the whole world. But the difficulty is especially severe with our country that produces not a single drop of oil but is the world's fifth-largest oil consumer," Han said.

Han proposed that low income earners will get 7.18 trillion won ($7 billion) in refunds, tax rebates or subsidies. Also, state owned electricity and gas suppliers will get 1.255 billion won of subsidies to make up for losses incurred by frozen, while the industrial sectors, transport companies and public agencies will get 604 billion won to support their projects in energy conservation.

The government will ask parliament to approve revisions to at least five different laws required for the implementation of the measures. If things go smoothly, the plans will take effect July 1 for a period of one year.Han concluded at his press conference that global oil prices have exceeded the level of the previous oil shock in the 1970-80s, calculated at around $104 a barrel at today's value after adjustment for inflation. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

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AP

Energy ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) and other large nations convened on Sunday in Aomori, Japan, to look inward for solutions to oil's unrelenting rally, stating the need for domestic efficiency rather than applying pressure on a resistant Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to pump more crude.

Oil prices surged more than $10 higher on Friday to a record above $139 a barrel, the biggest ever one-day rise, raising the threat of renewed protests across Europe and potentially forcing more Asian nations to relent on costly subsidies, stoking inflation.

"The situation regarding energy prices is becoming extremely challenging," Akira Amari, Japan's trade and energy minister, warned his colleagues Sunday. "If left unaddressed, it may well cause a recession in the global economy." Amari, who launched the meeting, called for a strong message ahead of the G-8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit in July. The 11 nations gathered in Aomori account for 65 percent of the world's energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases.

"What actions we take to address the challenges that we face will have an extremely important effect in solving the global energy issue," he said.

But the G8 nations -- from the top consuming US to No. 2 oil exporter Russia, plus non-G8 nations China, India and South Korea -- could agree on little more than expressing serious concerns over oil prices, according to a preliminary statement given to reporters.

Amid a growing acknowledgement that the group of mainly consumer nations will have to find ways of tempering their own demand rather than counting on producers to pump ever more oil, the participants focused on technology, conservation and diversification.

We will continue to vigorously promote policies and measures for improving energy efficiency, the 11 nations -which account for two-thirds of world energy consumption

Iraq talks with Kuwait, Iran on shared oil Iraq, home to the world's third largest proven oil reserves, is in talks with neighboring Iran and Kuwait to reach a deal to pool shared oil fields, the Londonbased Asharq Alawsat reported on Sunday.

Iraq has entered into negotiations with Kuwait and Iran, the daily quoted Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain alShahristani as saying. "We have informed them of the necessity of signing an agreement to unify the oil fields and to move away from a situation where each side has control from its side as that will bleed these fields in an uneconomical way," he explained.

Iraq is hoping for a further output boost after oil production and exports reached a post-war high in May. The country, whose main source of revenue is oil, needs huge investments after decades of sanctions and war, but sabotage and oil smuggling have robbed it of billions of dollars and hampered reconstruction. Delays in approving a long-awaited oil law to govern the industry have also held back investment in the sector.

Asharq Alawsat did not say which oil fields Iraq was hoping to pool with its neighbors.

In the meantime, Iraq's oil minister says improved security has allowed the country to boost its oil production to pre-war levels. Oil Minister alShahristani says the increase has enabled Iraq to earn nearly $28.5 billion in revenue in the first five months of this year. Production last month hit the pre-war level of 2.5 million barrels a day. And al-Shahristani has told Iraq's parliament that in the coming five years Iraq should be able to produce between 4 and 4.5 million barrels a day. London Today's Zaman with wires

REACTION

Turkish producers say Russia hypocritical Turkish Agricultural Producers' Association (TZB) President Ýbrahim Yetkin has alleged Russian hypocrisy in banning the import of certain Turkish food products.

Noting that Russia is the destination of 33 percent of Turkey's agricultural exports, Yetkin said, "Russia is still buying produce from Syria, Iraq and Iran." He noted that Turkey was continuing to export to Europe, stressing the need for stringent controls on chemical fertilizers used in agriculture. Russia imposed temporary restrictions on the import of tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, grapes and lemons from Turkey beginning June 7.

"These plants are not safe for the health of our citizens because they contain residual pesticides, nitrates and nitrites in amounts exceeding the maximum permissible levels provided for in Russian legislation," the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Control (Rosselkhoznadzor) said. In 2007, Rosselkhoznadzor prohibited about 220 foreign enterprises from supplying food products to Russia.

The enterprises that were forbidden to export food products to Russia included 45 Chinese companies, 30 American companies and roughly 50 European ones.

The organization also complained about fruits and vegetables from Greece, Turkey and Lithuania.

A similar ban was imposed on Turkish products in 2005 by Russia. It lasted four months and was applied upon detection of Mediterranean fruit fly larvae on some products imported from Turkey. Another crisis loomed in 2006, but the imposition of another ban by Russia was averted. Russia said at the time that tomato, zucchini, lemon and tangerine imports from Turkey during February 2006 were contaminated. Ankara Today's Zaman

INVESTMENT

Hilton to unveil $1 bln drive in UK, Turkey

Oil industry explorers find new fields to conquer Four years ago, oil-industry veteran Lawrie Payne was at a loose end in his native Canada and casting around for a new business venture.

Then a contact in Britain called -- would he be interested in looking for oil in the North Sea? On the face of it, it was an odd idea. As president of Sunningdale Oil, Payne had experienced the North Sea's heyday in the 1970s, when the big oil groups invested billions in giant fields. Now it was making its swansong, with production in decline and the big boys packing up and going in search of new finds in more exotic climes.

For Payne, however, the idea struck a chord. He knew oil prices were only going one way -- up. He also knew from his time at Sunningdale that there were plenty of pockets of oil left in the North Sea too small to interest the likes of BP or Royal Dutch Shell, but just right for a smaller, nimbler group. He got on a plane to Aberdeen.

After small beginnings -- money invested by the management, friends and family, then private placings with City institutions -- Payne's group, Ithaca

Energy, quoted on the London Stock Exchange, is set to start producing oil and is drilling for more. It will pump 1,800 barrels a day by the end of the year and forecasts 25,000 a day in 2010.

It has sunk six wells, only two of which have been "dusters" -- industry slang for a dud. And all the while the rocketing oil price is making Payne's hunch look more and more clever.

"We couldn't have done this without a higher oil price, and we thought that it would go up. But we had no idea it would go up this much," he said.

Payne's North Sea adventure is a small example of what $130-a-barrel oil -- on Friday it reached $139, with many analysts predicting $150 next month -- is doing to the oil-exploration game across the globe. Fields that were once thought too small, too deep under the sea or in too dangerous a country, are being rushed into production.

Companies are also dipping into "unconventional" hydrocarbon deposits -- the sticky mountains of tar sands in Alberta, Canada and on the banks of Venezuela's Orinoco river, the "tight sands" gas re-

serves of western Australia and the methane trapped in long-disused European coal mines.

Canada is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the booming oil price. Its huge reserves of tar sands -- a sludgy mix of soil and heavy oil -- have been mapped for decades, but the relatively high cost of recovery and processing have kept them out of the mainstream oil game.

At dollars 139 a barrel, however, Alberta, the state where most of the tar sands are located, has become an oil province to rival Saudi Arabia. The Athabasca sands are thought to contain 1.7 trillion barrels of oil, nearly as much as the amount of conventional oil estimated to remain in the ground worldwide.

Big oil groups such as Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil are plowing billions into Canada, while rivals like Eni, the Italian group, are pushing into new territories. Eni recently announced the discovery of an oil-sands province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that should yield about 2.5 billion barrels.

Other UK groups are looking further afield.

Africa Oil Exploration Company, listed on the Plus

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market in London, was set up as a shell to invest in possible African wells. It recently bought into Wilton, a group with rights to an onshore heavy-oil block in Madagascar. Exxon has the rights to a larger offshore block next door.

"There's no doubt that the high oil price makes investors prick up their ears," said Africa Oil director Jock Buchanan.

It was vital to find the right types of engineering teams, he said, possession of which was one of the factors that had led his group to invest in Wilton.

"They have a great group of engineers who not only know their stuff technically but know Madagascar and Africa. There aren't many people like that around."

Payne, who has worked in the industry for 40 years, said the high prices should alert governments to the reality of oil supply.

"It's a call to efficiency. Oil is a must-have commodity, and there is less and less of it out there," he said. "We need to wake up to that fact fast."© The Sunday Times, London

According to the Financial Times on Sunday, Hilton Hotels Corporation will unveil two new developments this week. Hampton Inn, a budget inn business owned

by Hilton, will open 30 more hotels in Britain and 25 new mid-market Hilton Garden Inns in Turkey. The total cost of the projects is estimated at $1 billion.

Hilton has agreed to a management deal with HLH, a property company specializing in the hotel sector, to open the UK sites. HLH will build and own the properties and Hilton will operate them.

The new hotels, with a total of 4,000 rooms, are expected to open within five years.

A similar partnership will operate in Turkey; developer Kosifler Group will finance the new hotels and Hilton will run them. Turkey, Britan, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Russia, China and India are regarded as key expansion markets for Hilton. A report by TRI Hospitality Consulting says the hotel sector is forecast to grow by 60 percent by 2017.

The report also found that in the first three months of 2008 room revenues at budget hotels grew by 9.2 percent, compared with an 8.8 percent increase in the same period last year.

Ian Carter, president of global operations for Hilton Hotels Corporation, said he was confident that the new hotels would succeed despite an economic slowdown in Britain and around the world. In part, the target will be achieved by Hilton moving some of its brands, such as Hampton Inn and Doubletree, out of the US for the first time. Executives at Ascot are considering reviving their plans to build a hotel at the famous Berkshire racecourse. Ýstanbul Todays Zaman

08.06.2008

18:22

FOOD

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TODAY’S ZAMAN 09

MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2008

SHARON CROXFORD

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Pilafs are common all over Turkey, either made from rice or bulgur. This pilaf from Kastamonu resembles a very thick soup rather than a rice or bulgur dish, where the grains fluff apart.

Flavors come from a range of fresh herbs, including the more exotic mallow and nettle leaves that can be found in larger and specialty street markets.

Ingredients (serves 4) 200g bulgur, washed, 1 medium onion, chopped finely, several

stems each of fresh mint, parsley and dill, 1 bunch mallow, 1 bunch nettle leaves, 30g butter, 20-30g tomato paste, salt, black pepper, 500g sour yoghurt, 1 small egg, water, red pepper flakes, 2-3 stems parsley and dill (extra), chopped for garnish Method 1. Place 500ml water in a large saucepan, add bulgur, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until almost softened.

2. Chop fresh herbs, mallow and

nettle leaves finely and add to bulgur along with salt and black pepper, then continue to cook over low heat for a few minutes.

3. Mix egg and yoghurt in a small bowl, add to bulgur, continue to cook over very low heat for 5 minutes then remove from heat.

4. M e a n w h i l e m e l t b u t t e r i n small frying pan and saut onions until softened.

5. Serve in bowls and garnish with onions, red pepper flakes, chopped parsley and dill.

PHOTOS

Sour bulgur pilav (Ekþili pilav)

Meat stuffed vine leaves in a flat bread roll (Kara dolma)

PHOTO

HABÝB OGANBERDÝ

Ingredients (serves 12) For stuffed vine leaves 250g grape vine leaves 250g medium fat minced lamb 50g rice, washed thoroughly and drained 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 ½ teaspoons salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ bunch parsley, finely chopped water 60g butter, cut into pieces For serving 6 pieces large round flatbread, cut in half ½ onion, finely sliced Method 1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil, then blanch and refresh vine leaves in batches.

2. Sort through leaves and line pan with broken leaves.

3. Place minced lamb, washed rice, onion, salt, pepper, parsley and 80ml water in a large bowl and knead until a smooth consistency is formed.

4. Place vine leaves, vein side up, on a board and place a small amount of filling toward the base of the leaf.

5. Roll leaves up, bringing in the base and sides of the leaves together to form a tight roll about the size of a little finger.

6. Place in the saucepan, arranging in tight rows.

7. Place pieces of butter over the top of the leaves then another layer of broken leaves before laying a plate or similar weight over the leaves.

8. Fill saucepan halfway up with water and cook over medium-low heat until vine leaves are tender and stuffing is cooked.

9. Place 7-8 dolma in the middle of each piece of flatbread, add a few sliced onions and roll up to serve.

Notes Preserved vine leaves can be used when fresh ones are not in season; however, they will need to be soaked in warm water several times before use.

Lamb bones may be placed on the top of the vine leaves while cooking to add a more developed flavor to the dolma.

Tastes of the Black Sea region

Karabük and Kastamonu SHARON CROXFORD KASTAMONU

Cuisine in big cities like Ýstanbul represents a cross-section of many dishes known in the city for centuries along with tastes introduced by Anatolian immigrants. In the process of making the city home, many have introduced their local cuisines to their adopted

abode. Outside of the major centers, Turkish regional cuisine is rich in tradition and varied in taste. It is possible to find many familiar foods across the country, but there will often be a local twist, perhaps a different ingredient, way of cooking or serving.

At a recent feast of traditional Anatolian tastes, the cuisines of Karabük, Kastamonu,

Çankýrý and Bartýn were held under the spotlight. These regions roughly comprise the middle to eastern inland Black Sea coast areas of Anatolia. Over the next two weeks recipes presented at the feast, dishes that demonstrate features of each cuisine, will be highlighted. Today, enjoy a few of the flavors of Karabük and Kastamonu.

Vine leaves are a familiar eating expe-

Meat-filled flatbread (Etli ekmek) The following dish resembles another wellknown food found in markets, small shops and roadside vendors across much of the country, known as gözleme.

Translated to savory pancake, gözleme is flatbread generally filled with a pre-cooked or prepared savory filling then griddled over convex hotplate. This version from Kastamonu is unique in that the filling is raw before being spread on the flatbread.

Ingredients (makes 12) For flatbread, 500g flour, 1 egg, beaten, Water For filling 500g minced meat, 3 small onions, ¼ bunch parsley, salt,

black pepper, cinnamon For brushing Melted butter or margarine Method 1. Place flour in a bowl, add egg and a small amount of water and mix.

2. Continue to add water while mixing until a soft but uniform dough is formed, then knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic.

3. Allow dough to rest for 15-20 minutes.

4. Place minced meat, parsley, salt, pepper and cinnamon in a bowl and mix together.

5. Add water, mixing until a thin pastelike mixture is formed.

6. Divide dough into 12 and roll each one out until thin and round, using flour where necessary to stop from sticking.

7. Heat convex griddle pan or large flat frying pan and grease lightly.

8. Place a thin layer of meat mixture on half of the rolled out dough, fold over to make a closed half-circle.

9. Using a rolling pin, transfer filled dough to heated griddle.

10. While cooking, continue to seal edges and when browned on one side, turn over.

11. Brush with melted fat and transfer to serving dish when cooked, brushing other side with fat before serving.

rience, but this Karabük (Safranbolu) version adds a different dimension. Rolled leaves are stuffed inside the traditional flatbread (yufka ekmeði) with onion. It really turns what is often thought of as a hot starter or main eaten at the table into a meal-offering ready to go.

Here are some recipes which are adaptations of those used at the feast.

Karabük lamb (Bütün eti) Slow cooked lamb is a dish that can be found in many regions across Turkey. This version produces a succulent dish that melts in your mouth. Served on a bed of saut ed greens and herbs adds a delicious flavor.

Ingredients (serves 4) 1kg joint of lamb, cut into 200-250g pieces 45g butter water salt pepper 1 bunch of parsley, leaves plucked from stems Method 1. Melt butter in a large frying pan.

2. When foaming, add several pieces of lamb and brown all over.

3. Place browned lamb in the base of a large, deep saucepan and repeat process until all lamb browned.

4. Pour in any remaining butter from frying pan.

5. Add water to pan until half way.

6. Add salt, pepper and cook slowly over a low heat until meat very soft and tender.

7. Remove meat from pan, place on warmed service plate and cover to keep warm.

8. Reduce meat juices liquid until desired consistency, adjusting seasoning if necessary.

9. For service, sprinkle meat with parsley, pour over sauce and serve hot.

Notes The remaining meat juice can be used in pilaf or soup.

The meat juice can also be thickened to the desired consistency with wheat or cornstarch.

Note Can be served hot or cold.

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10 TODAY’S ZAMAN

M O N D AY, JUNE 9 , 2 0 0 8

NUCLEAR

DENIAL

Myanmar: No evictions from cyclone relief camps Myanmar's military government denied on Sunday it was evicting victims of Cyclone Nargis from relief camps, saying it was working on a voluntary resettlement program more than a month after the disaster.

The New Light of Myanmar, the voice of the ruling generals, quoted Prime Minister Thein Sein as saying survivors of the May 2 storm would be given aid to return home or settle in new areas. "If victims want to live in areas where relief camps are being opened, arrangements will be made to resettle them there," Thein Sein said during a tour of a relief camp on Saturday in the hardest-hit Irrawaddy delta. "In addition, the government will provide for their basic needs to a certain degree for some time," he said, adding survivors would receive food rations and farming equipment. More than a month after the storm, which left 134,000 people dead or missing and another 2.4 million destitute, many survivors have not yet been reached and Western nations and foreign aid groups say the relief effort is being hampered by the country's military rulers. In its first assessment of the junta's response to the disaster, Amnesty International said last week the government was stepping up its eviction of victims from emergency shelters, but said it was unclear whether this was official policy. Yangon Reuters

AP

Seven reported dead ýn Tokyo stabbýng rampage Witnesses say the lone attacker drove a truck into a crowd of pedestrians and then attacked passers-by with a knife in Akihabara district, known for its discount electronics and cafes, at lunchtime A man who said he was tired of life went on a stabbing rampage on Sunday in a popular Tokyo shopping district, killing seven people, Japanese media said.

The man drove a truck into a crowd of pedestrians and then attacked passers-by with a knife in Akihabara district, known for its discount electronics and cafes, at lunchtime.

“I came to Akihabara to kill people,” Kyodo news agency quoted the attacker as telling police. “I am tired of the world.

Anyone was OK. I came alone.”

The rampage came on the seventh anniversary of a massacre at a Japanese primary school, when a knife-wielding former mental patient killed eight schoolchildren and tarnished Japan’s image as a virtually crime-free society.

Six men, ranging from ages 19 to 74 were killed, as was a 21-year-old woman, Kyodo said of Sunday’s attack.

A spokeswoman for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police confirmed that at least six people had been killed and another 12 wounded during the attack in a crowded street. Police said they were unable to confirm whether or not the toll had risen to seven. Kyodo said a 33year-old man was the latest to die following the attack. “It’s pretty shocking,

REUTERS

British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith appealed on Sunday for Labour lawmakers to vote for a controversial security law this week that will extend precharge detention for terrorism suspects to 42 days from 28. The bill, which will face a vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday, has provoked outrage from civil liberties groups and risks a revolt

by Labour members that could hand Prime Minister Gordon Brown his first parliamentary defeat. "This is about doing the right thing for the country," Smith told BBC television's Andrew Marr Show. "That is why I am asking people to support this on Wednesday. It was the latest attempt by Brown's ministers and government managers to push through a change in legislation that they argue is crucial to combat a growing terrorist threat."

Defeat for Brown could critically damage his already waning authority after the loss of a formerly safe parliamentary seat, a near wipe-out in local elections, a sharp slowdown in the economy and an embarrassing U-turn on tax reform. An ICM poll in the Sunday Telegraph showed Labour 16 points behind the main opposition Conservatives on 42 percent and only five points ahead of the third-placed Liberal Democrats on 21. London Reuters

Police officers carry out investigations along a street in Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district. considering that I come here all the time,” a man told NHK television, which said the attacker was shouting as he cut down his victims.

The police spokeswoman said the man had been arrested, and Nippon Television showed footage of a slight, blood-splattered man being herded into a police car. The street, usually crowded with tourists and locals seeking cheap gadgets, was cleared by police, who searched for evidence amid pools of blood. As well as electronics, Akihabara

has become known in recent years as a center for Japan’s expansive “nerd” culture of video games, comic books and outlandish fashion -- including street performers and cafes with waitresses dressed as French maids. Although Japan has relatively little violent crime, several recent high-profile cases have raised public concern about violence, leading to increased penalties. Shooting deaths still remain rare in Japan, although there have been some recent cases involving “yakuza” crime groups. Tokyo Reuters

CONFLICT

Fighting kills at least 12 in Somalia's Mogadishu Artillery battles between allied Somali-Ethiopian troops and insurgents killed at least 12 people on Sunday around Mogadishu's sprawling Bakara Market, residents said. One witness said at least 20 mortar bombs exploded in the heart of Somalia's coastal capital as the rebels attacked advancing Ethiopian forces with barrages of rockets. "Ethiopian and government soldiers wanted to raid Bakara this morning but the insurgents confronted them, firing rockets," shopkeeper Ali Osman told Reuters by telephone. The troops responded by pounding the market with mortar shells ... one blast killed nine people, including two children and four women, in the market. Another local man, Farah Osman, said three other civilians were killed when a shell detonated near a Bakara bank. The rebels are waging an Iraq-style insurgency of roadside bombings, ambushes and assassinations against the fragile interim government and its Ethiopian military allies. Mogadishu Reuters

Rescuers from the Tokyo Fire Department give aid to a victim, left, lying on a street of Tokyo's Akihabara district on Sunday afternoon.

soil samples, examine them with a microscope and mix them with water to determine their composition, Hammond said.

The $420 million lander spent 10 months journeying from Earth and touched down on Mars 12 days ago.

Its three-month mission was proposed after the Mars Odyssey detected frozen water below the Martian surface in 2002.

This is the lander’s first attempt to analyze soil, which might contain salt left behind by evaporated water or ice.

The single-use compartment will go unused if scientists are unable to coax any particles to fall down, but there are seven others like it onboard, Hammond said. San Francisco Reuters

Israelis lambast deputy PM after Iran attack threat

PHOTO

British home secretary seeks security bill support

any activity and researchers are not sure why, NASA said in a statement.

Scientists suspect the soil may be clumped together too tightly, NASA said. “In the future, we may prepare the soil by pushing down on the surface ... then sprinkle a smaller amount over the door,” Ray Arvidson, the team’s science lead, said in the statement. Engineers are also looking for a way to shake some of the current sample down into the TEGA oven, where it would be heated and analyzed.

Scientists may send instructions to vibrate the compartment after they inspect the problem for a day or two, spokeswoman Sara Hammond said.

The lander will also gather other

AP

PLEA

This image shows Martian soil retrieved by the robotic arm of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander and released onto a screened opening of the lander's tiny testing oven.

Dirt that the Phoenix Mars Lander scooped recently from the planet’s surface may be too clumpy to be analyzed by the machine’s onboard system, NASA reported.

A robotic arm retrieved a cupsized sample of Martian dirt on Friday and placed it on the lander’s Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA, which was scheduled to spend about a week determining the soil’s water and mineral content. The TEGA features a screened opening that prevents large particles from clogging it. Only those thinner than 1 mm (0.04 of an inch) can pass through, and an infrared beam verifies whether they have entered the instrument.

The beam has not yet confirmed

PHOTO

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said he expects "absolute transparency" from Syria over allegations that a site bombed by Israel was a secretly built nuclear reactor, according to an interview published on Sunday. The International Atomic Energy Agency announced last week that Syria had agreed to a check of US assertions that the target was a plutonium-producing reactor that was near completion, and thus at the stage where it could generate fissile material for nuclear arms. The IAEA plans to visit June 22-24. "I expect absolute transparency from Damascus, also regarding other places beyond the destroyed complex to which its components may have been delivered," IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei was quoted as telling the German weekly Der Spiegel. "If concerns remain, we will record that in our report," he added. Israel has never officially confirmed September's air strike on the Al Kibar site, though it has not disputed foreign reports or US government comments on the incident. Neither the US nor Israel told the IAEA about the bombed site until late April, about a year after they obtained what they considered decisive intelligence: dozens of photographs from a handheld camera of the inside and outside of the compound. Berlin AP

Mars lander’s first soil sample may not be analyzed PHOTO

IAEA chief urges Syrian ‘transparency'

WORLD

Israeli defense officials and political pundits rounded on Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz on Sunday after he threatened attacks against Iran, accusing him of exploiting war jitters to advance his personal ambitions.

Mofaz, a former armed forces chief and likely challenger to the Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in their Kadima Party, said in a newspaper interview last week that Israeli strikes on Iran looked “unavoidable” given progress in its nuclear plans.

The remarks helped drive up oil prices by nearly 9 percent to a record $139 a barrel on Friday and drew a circumspect response from Washington, which has championed UN sanctions against Iran and only hinted force could also be a last resort.

While the White House suggested Mofaz was giving voice to the Jewish state’s fear of the Islamic republic, officials in Israel’s Defense Ministry pointed to a power-struggle roiling centrist Kadima as Olmert tries to beat off a bribery scandal. “Turning one of the most strategic security issues into a political game, using it for the internal purposes of a would-be campaign in Kadima, is something that must not be done,” Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai told Israel Radio.

The state-owned broadcaster quoted another senior defense official as saying Mofaz’s interview “did not reflect policy” and “risked making it even harder for Israel to persuade more countries to step up their sanctions against Iran.” Asked about the flurry of criticism, Mofaz aide Talia Somech said he had spoken out of his more than 40-year-long commitment to the national security of Israel” “We would like his statements to be taken at face value, and not be given alternative interpretations,” she told Reuters. Iranian-born Mofaz had served as defense minister until Olmert made him transport minister in a 2006 cabinet reshuffle. Jerusalem Reuters

ETA rebels bomb newspaper building A bomb exploded outisde a newspaper plant in northern Spain early on Sunday in an attack police blamed on ETA Basque separatists.

No one was hurt by the blast, at the back of El Correo’s printing press building in the Basque town of Zamudio at about 3 a.m.

(0100 GMT) on Sunday.

Fifty staff were in the building at the time, the newspaper said on its website (http://www.elcorreodigital.com/vizcaya/).

The bomb at our plant in Zamudio will not stop us printing and will not silence our voice, which speaks for hundreds of thousands of Basques who want to see the end of ETA, El Correo said in an editorial.

A police spokeswoman confirmed that ETA was believed to be behind the attack on El Correo, part of the newspaper group Vocento which controls the conservative national daily ABC. ETA, which has killed more than 800 people in four decades of armed struggle for Basque independence from Spain, has in the past tried to intimidate local journalists and to extort money from Basque businesses. The Basque region already has considerable autonomy, and the local government controlled by moderate nationalists wants more. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero broke off talks with ETA in December 2006 after its rebels set off a bomb that killed two people at Madrid airport. Madrid Reuters and AP

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M O N D AY, J U N E 9 , 2 0 0 8

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APPOINTMENT

Bahrain picks Jew as US envoy, local media critical Bahrain has nominated a Jewish woman to be its ambassador to Washington, the Gulf Arab kingdom's foreign minister said on Sunday, dismissing doubts about her suitability to represent the small Muslim country. Houda Nonoo's appointment as Bahrain's envoy to the United States had been rumored by local media for months, stirring intense debate about Bahrain's diplomatic aims and whether a Jew would truly represent Arab sentiment regarding top U.S. ally Israel. "Regardless of religion, first and foremost she is Bahraini, just as her father was, just as her grandfather was," Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa told reporters.

Nonoo would become the first Jew to became an ambassador for a modern Arab nation, according to the Jewish Virtual Library website. Bahrain, a US-allied island of some 1.05 million people, is home to only about 35 Jews, but they are well represented in the business community and have served at senior levels of government. Most Bahraini Jews trace their roots back to Iraqi emigrants, and at its height in the early 20th century Bahrain's Jewish community numbered at least 1,000 people. Most left after anti-Jewish attacks following the creation of Israel in 1948. Manama Reuters

Guessing game begins over Obama and McCain VP picks Few events in US presidential races spark a media frenzy like the choice of a running mate.

Now that Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain have secured their parties' nominations for the White House, the guessing game has begun in earnest.

Will McCain, who is 71, pick a youthful candidate but one also seen as fully ready to step in should health problems arise for him?

Is Obama, a 46-year-old first-term US senator, looking for vice presidential possibilities with solid foreign policy credentials to lend extra heft?

Or will he tap his former rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, for what her supporters believe would be a "dream ticket" of the first black to win a major-party presidential nomination and a former first lady who sought to become the first woman to win the White House?

The search process is already well under way for McCain, who became the presumptive Republican nominee in early March.

Last month, the Arizona senator stirred speculation he was narrowing his short list when he held a barbecue at his Sedona, Arizona, vacation home and invited three likely vice presidential contenders: former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. Obama has named a committee to lead his search. Its members are Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President

Hillary Clinton John F. Kennedy, former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder and Jim Johnson, former head of mortgage giant Fannie Mae. As Obama took his victory lap last week, the debate over whether he should choose Clinton dominated the headlines after she told supporters she was open to the idea.

Obama-Clinton ticket?

Many analysts believe an Obama-Clinton ticket is unlikely, in part because of questions about whether the two have enough of a rapport. Clinton would also bring memories of the scandal-plagued years of her husband Bill Clinton's presidency, which might undercut Obama's message of change.

"Politics can turn on a dime, so anything

is possible but I'd be shocked if he selected Hillary Clinton," said political scientist Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia.

Plenty of other names are circulating.

Among them are former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, a close adviser to Obama; Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, a decorated Marine veteran of the Vietnam War; New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Hispanic and former ambassador to the United Nations; Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Obama emphasized he was in no rush.

"I am a strong believer in doing this in a careful deliberate way outside of the dayto-day political pressures that inevitably start up during this kind of thing," he said.

For all the attention paid to the selection of a running mate, some see the job as overrated. Vice presidents attend many funerals, give advice behind the scenes and most important, serve as an understudy to the president. John Nance Garner, who served for eight years as No. 2 to President Franklin Roosevelt, was famously quoted as saying the job was not worth a "bucket of warm spit" because a vice president was expected to fall into line with the person occupying the Oval Office and lacked a separate power base.

That view of the job has changed.

Vice President Dick Cheney, a key player in the decision to invade Iraq, is viewed by many scholars as the most powerful No. 2 in US history. Caren Bohan Washington AP

Two elderly Italian nuns chained themselves to a lamp post outside the Vatican on Sunday claiming they had been wrongly expelled from their cloistered convent and wanted Pope Benedict to help them return. The two women, Sister Albina Locantore, 73 and Teresa Izzi, 79, remained in locks and chains on the edge of St Peter's Square for several hours, including the some 20 minutes while the pope delivered his weekly message and blessing. The two women told reporters they had left their convent of Carmelite nuns in central Italy for several months for health reasons but when they returned the mother superior refused to let them back in the cloistered convent. The mother superior accused them of disobedience and banished them, the nuns said. One of the nuns held up a placard reading: Your Holiness, we are neither prostitutes, nor violent, nor thieves, nor mentally infirm." Another placard appealed to the pope to investigate their case. "After 50 and 60 years of service to the Church they treat us like sacks of garbage, all because we supposedly did not obey our religious superior," Sister Albina said.

The Vatican was trying to arrange a meeting between the nuns and an official of the Vatican department that oversees convents. Vatican City Reuters

PHOTO

Elderly nuns chain themselves at Vatican

PHOTO

PROTEST

PLEDGE

Ruling Pakistan party to cut Musharraf's power Pakistan's ruling party has said it is determined to curtail the powers of the presidency in favor of parliament, whether President Pervez Musharraf likes it or not.

Staunch US ally Musharraf, facing a chorus of calls to resign, told journalists on Saturday, in his first meeting with the media for weeks, that he had no plan to quit.

At the same time, Musharraf sounded a generally conciliatory tone saying parliament, dominated by opponents since his allies were defeated in a February election, was supreme. Musharraf's fate has consumed the attention of the new coalition since the polls, despite an economy that is deteriorating rapidly and a potent threat from al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Pakistan's stock market and currency have both come under pressure because of a combination of factors, including the uncertainty over Musharraf and worry about more turmoil in the nuclear-armed country. In the meeting with journalists on Saturday, Musharraf said he would accept proposed constitutional amendments the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto aimed to push through parliament. But in what media interpreted as a warning he would not tolerate a cut in his powers, a confidentsounding Musharraf indicated he would not like to be reduced to a ceremonial head of state, saying he could not become a "useless vegetable." Islamabad Reuters

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama speaks at a rally at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Virginia.

US first lady Laura Bush, right, and Governor of the Bamiyan province Habiba Sarabi, visit the Police Training Academy in Bamiyan.

Laura Bush visits Afghanistan and urges more support First Lady Laura Bush, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Sunday, appealed to the international community not to abandon the country in the face of resurgent Taliban violence.

She arrived under tight security for an 81/2-hour visit to a country that her husband, President George W. Bush, has declared a main front in the battle against militants.

Mrs. Bush, on her third trip to the country, said it was a chance to highlight signs of reconstruction and improved women's rights since US-led forces ousted the Taliban in 2001.

Another important element of her mission was to try to shore up international commitment to the country as Afghan, US and NATO forces struggle to contain a Taliban guerrilla war.

"We don't need to be intimidated by them," Mrs. Bush told reporters on her plane heading for the Afghan capital, Kabul. "The international community can't drop Afghanistan now at this very crucial time."

It was important that Afghans understood "the rest of the world is with you and that we're not going to leave you right now when the Taliban and al Qaeda is trying to intimidate you", she said.

She said she hoped her visit would help her make the case at an Afghan donors conference in Paris next week that the international community should maintain support for Afghanistan.

The Taliban and their al Qaeda allies have vowed to step up suicide bombings in an effort to wear down Western public support for keeping international forces in Afghanistan.

Asked whether she was concerned that the international community would abandon Afghanistan, Mrs. Bush said: "I don't think they will. I just don't want them to be discouraged."

After a brief stop in Kabul, Mrs. Bush flew by helicopter to the central town of Bamiyan, where in 2001 the Taliban blew up two ancient giant statues of Buddha carved into a mountainside. In the shadow of the empty caves where the Buddhas once stood, Mrs. Bush was met by New Zealand troops who performed a traditional Maori haka dance.

The New Zealand troops in Bamiyan form one of 26 Provincial Reconstruction Teams across the country, aimed at bringing aid and development meant to undercut the insurgency.

Mrs. Bush visited a police academy in Bamiyan, the only one of 34 Afghan provinces to have a female governor, and spoke to about a dozen female police recruits.

She later inaugurated a US-funded road building project in the town and was serenaded by schoolgirls from under-privileged backgrounds such as those orphaned by war. Bamiyan Reuters

DECREE

Chavez backtracks, vows to rewrite controversial law President Hugo Chavez said Saturday that his government will rewrite a new intelligence law to calm fears in Venezuela that the decree could be used to stifle dissent. Human rights groups had criticized an overhaul of the country's intelligence services, which included a clause requiring citizens to act as informants if authorities believe they have information on national security threats. The law would have punished noncooperative citizens with up to four years in prison, raising concerns that Venezuelans would have been forced to spy on their neighbors. Chavez told supporters on Saturday that his government would soon amend the controversial law to protect civil rights. "Mistakes" were made in the decree and would be corrected, he said. "I guarantee the country that nobody will be tread upon, and nobody will be forced to say anything they don't want to say," he said.

"This is a political battle, not a legal battle." Caracas AP

Al-Maliki assures Tehran that US-Iraq security agreement will not harm Iran Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Sunday sought to ease Iranian fears over a proposed US-Iraq security deal, saying his government will not allow Iraq to become a launching pad for an attack on Iran.

Al-Maliki, on his second visit to Iran this year, was to meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later on Sunday in talks expected to focus on the security pact, which Washington and Baghdad hope to finish by mid-summer.

An aide to al-Maliki said the prime minister is offering assurances in the talks that the US presence in his country is no threat to Iran. But he will also complain about Iran's public campaign against the agreement, as interference in Iraq's internal affairs, the aide said, speaking on con-

dition of anonymity in return for giving information on the private talks.

In another issue riling ties between Baghdad and Tehran, al-Maliki -- who is Shiite -- is also like to raise once more the US allegations that Iran is arming, funding and training Shiite militiamen in Iraq. Iran has denied the charges, saying it supports Iraq's security and stability.

On Sunday, the US military in Iraq said it had captured a Shiite militant who ran an "assassination squad" in the southern city of Basra and was responsible from trafficking Shiite extremists in and out of Iran.

Al-Maliki's government has always been an ally of Tehran, and the Shiite and Kurdish parties that dominate it have longstanding close ties with the Iranian leadership. Tehran AP

CM Y K

Powerful explosion in coal mine in eastern Ukraine traps 37 miners A powerful explosion tore through a mine in eastern Ukraine early on Sunday, trapping at least 37 miners who had been making repairs to improve safety conditions in the mine, officials said. Four workers above ground were injured.

The explosion occurred around 5 a.m.

(0200GMT), some 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) underground at the Karl Marx mine in Donetsk, said Maryna Nikitina, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's industrial safety watchdog agency.

At least 37 miners were trapped underground, Nikitina said. Four workers who were above ground at the time -- three of them women -- were hospitalized with severe burns, she said. The explosion damaged two shafts and destroyed several buildings above ground, TV reports said. Rescue workers have begun trying to

get to the trapped miners, Coal Industry Minister Viktor Poltavets said in televised remarks.

The explosion of methane gas and coal was the most powerful in Ukraine's coal mining history, deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Turchynov told Interfax news agency.

The state-run mine had been declared too dangerous to operate, and the trapped miners were underground to improve safety conditions, local emergency officials said.

"The mine will likely be closed down," Turchynov said.

Ukraine has some of the world's most dangerous mines due to outdated equipment and poor safety standards. Since the 1991 Soviet collapse, more than 4,800 miners in Ukraine have been killed. Kiev AP

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EXPAT ZONE

M O N D AY, J U N E 9 , 2 0 0 8

There ýs a garden ýn every chýldhood We may not want to admit it, but our childhood memories influence our future. If we took time to do a little experiment, we would start by first taking a moment to think about our life when we were between 4 and 12 years old and remember a bad childhood experience, and then try to remember one of our best childhood experiences. Everyone in the world has experienced some form of suffering and discrimination during their childhood. Others have been influenced by past events in a negative or positive way.

You've heard people say, "Many people don't know they have baggage until they get older and have relationship issues."

Actually, everyone has some baggage.

I love the famous quote by Elizabeth Lawrence: "There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again." Often our "garden" is the place where we go to escape and seek refuge.

Whatever nationality we are, our adult attitudes, adult perspectives, adult expectations and adult view of life are all powerfully influenced by our childhood experiences and memories.

When I was growing up in the South, racial tension was at a peak.

My mother was a very open-minded person and believed in equality. If you know anything about this period of American his-

tory, you know that where I was born, Little Rock, Arkansas, was a racial hot spot. My bad experience was hearing my relatives discuss the integration of Central High School and seeing such discussions on television. I was only 3 years old when I learned that integration is easier said than done.

In 1957, a formerly all-white high school was being forced to accept black students. Nine black students, escorted by police, were blocked by large number of white students protesting in front of the school entrance. Governor Faubus refused to accept President Eisenhower's directive and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling ordering the integration of public schools. President Eisenhower had to send federal troops and the National Guard to intervene on behalf of the nine black students, who became known as the "Little Rock Nine."

The word "integration," a very long word for a 3-year-old, made a lasting impression on me. Around the world the same thing occurs just in a slightly different guise -- not always black and white.

The dilemma in Turkey right now is just one international example.

Integration, that long word, is never easy when individuals' wills and past experiences are involved.

I wonder what Rosa Parks' "garden" looks like. Imagine the baggage she had; a black woman in Alabama refusing to give up her seat at the front of the "colored section" of a bus to a white

E X PAT VO I C E

Dr. King said: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.' ... I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

Presidential candidate Barack Obama represents a new landmark. Although the US has come a long way in its quest for human rights and freedom, it is still a work in progress.

Our "garden" is not just a place to escape and be safe.

When I was a kid -- a lot more was going on and it was actually worth taking seriously. There were moral question and, ethical questions, as well as aesthetic questions.

And there's something inherently comic about the garden. It's a situation where nature always has the last word and is always pulling out the rug from under us.

Keep standing up for what you believe is important!

passenger. She defied a Southern custom of the time.

I was only 10 when President Johnson signed the Civil rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion or national origin.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was instrumental in leading many boycotts for what he believed in, was assassinated in 1968.

It's one thing signing a paper and quite another enforcing it.

It has taken another 40 years and far too many personal experiences of discrimination for that piece of paper that President Johnson signed to become truly effective.

Dr. King delivered his famous speech, "I have a dream," on Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., during a march for jobs and freedom.

Turks are standing for what they believe is right.

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

{{ PHOTO

HALÝL ÖZCAN

{{

CULTURAL CORNER

CHARLOTTE McPHERSON

Turkey retains a strong family tradition in coping with death. Comfort comes from one's own inner circle, coupled with elements of faith derived from Islamic fatalism.

O death, where ýs thy stýng?

O grave, where ýs thy výctory?

ASHLEY PERKS ÝSTANBUL

Probably the most "green" areas in big cities like Ýstanbul are not the (dismally few) parks, but rather the cemeteries.

And there is a reason for that. Ottoman tradition had always insisted that cemeteries be placed in the center of towns or cities in order that death would juxtapose life and not be regarded as some kind of taboo. It serves as a kind of permanent reminder of the adage "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." The idea behind this is that whatever our life may be, or may have been, it will inevitably end in death.

And, above all, death is not something to be afraid of. However, religion, more than anything else, seeks to assuage our fears about what is, or might be, our fate beyond that moment of slipping into eternal sleep -- or eternal nothing, depending on your point of view.

Some of you may have had the distressing experience of losing someone in your extended Turkish family and may have felt a little unfamiliar with the proceedings. Used to the Christian tradition of some delay between death and burial (or cremation, to which I will return), the fact that according to Islamic law the body must be buried within 48 hours at the absolute outside would have come as a bit of a shock.

My Turkish mother-in-law died of multiple cancer two years ago and I was, of course, in attendance at her funeral. As a Christian, I felt a little nervous participating in a Muslim funeral as well as slightly absent from the proceedings, being unfamiliar with the language and rites. Family, friends and work colleagues gathered around her coffin -- a simple pine box -- waiting for the imam to come and say prayers over her. Some tears, muffled conversations or reflective silence punctuated this solemn event. Then six pallbearers carried the coffin to Üsküdar cemetery and her final rest-

ing place. Unlike in the West, she was not buried inside the "coffin," but her shrouded body was removed and laid gently in the freshly dug grave. This is in accordance with Muslim tradition. Close family then returned to the house for a "wake" -- a buffet of food and drink -- which is also a familiar part of Western burial ceremonies.

What was striking about the event was its complete simplicity. Unlike traditional British or American funerals, for example, there was no real pomp and circumstance, no speeches, no singing and no staged ceremony. And no pious clichés either. Of course, funerals such as that organized for murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink are, because of the high profile of the deceased, more ceremonial in nature as they are events of great national and public interest. But for ordinary people such as you or me or my late mother-in-law, the whole situation is mercifully modest. I couldn't help making the distinction -- and contrast -- in my mind with the last funeral I had attended, which was in a village in France.

My then French girlfriend's mother died in a head-on car crash. I was 300 kilometers away at the time on business and so had to rush back to be at my girlfriend's side and to share in the family's grief. France being a predominantly Roman Catholic country, religious funerals are quite major affairs. With its slow procession through the village to the church, the sermons, speeches and singing and then the subsequent funeral cortege to the cemetery, it all made for a somewhat awesome experience.

The fatalism of Islam is reflected in the funeral service itself: You live your life by God's grace, and when He decides your time is up, that's all there is to it. Common to the three great religions ( Judaism, Christianity and Islam), it is believed that a person who has led a righteous and God-fearing life will go from

this world to a better "afterlife" with God and be, at last, in a state of eternal peace.

Christianity, however, has the peculiarity of an additional dimension to its teaching on what comes after physical death: the resurrection. Believing that Jesus Christ rose from death three days after his burial, Christians are taught to hope not only for a peaceful afterlife in God's presence but also that some time in the future they will be resurrected to a new life in a new heaven and a new earth. The greatest teacher on the subject was Paul -- originally Saul of Tarsus in Turkey -- who writes at length in his first letter to the church in Corinth. (You can read what he says in the Bible: 1 Corinthians, Chapter 15.)

In India, a predominantly Hindu country, cremation is the traditional way of dealing with the dead rather than burial. Cremation has become more popular again in recent years both in Europe and North America. Its history and the controversy it causes among the different faiths are interesting. Here is some background: "Most archaeologists believe that cremation was invented during the Stone Age, about 3,000 B.C. It was most likely first used in Europe or the Near East. It became the most common method of disposing of bodies by 800 B.C. in Greece and 600 B.C. in Rome.

However, other societies had other methods: In ancient Israel, sepulchers (tombs or vaults) were used for burial; cremation was shunned. The body was exposed to the air of the tomb and simply decomposed.

The early Christian church also rejected cremation, partly because of its association with pagan societies of Greece and Rome.

Christians buried their dead in graves or in catacombs (underground vaults).

In ancient Egypt, bodies were embalmed.

In ancient China, they were buried.

When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire and the followers of other religions were exiled or exterminated, burial became the only method of disposing of bodies throughout Europe.

An Italian professor named Brunetti developed the first modern cremation chamber in the 1870s. This triggered a movement towards cremation in Europe and North America which has continued to the present day. In 1886 the Roman Catholic Church officially banned cremations. Church members as recently as World War II were excommunicated for arranging them. The Eastern Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople stated in 1961, "There is no formal Orthodox rule against cremation, but there is a heavy weight of custom and sentiment in favor of Christian burial."

There are currently about 1,100 crematories and 470,915 cremations per year in North America. (See: www.religioustolerance.org) Finally, how do different societies cope with bereavement? In countries such as Turkey that retain a strong family tradition, comfort comes from one's own inner-circle, coupled with elements of faith derived from Islamic fatalism. In the increasingly therapyfixated West, however, the grieving increasingly turn to professional psychiatrists, therapists or even what are known as "bereavement counselors." (The British police force employs a number of such trained social workers.) To my mind, this reflects the decline of religion as a social and spiritual force in the West as the post-modern world looks elsewhere for meaning, support and reassurance. Faith, however, provides the believer with hope rather than despair so that one is able to say, like Paul: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" Ironically though, it is the treefilled cemeteries that are the life-giving lungs of most big cities.

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

LEGAL CORNER

BERK ÇEKTiR

Annulment of marrýage (3) Continuing from last week, today I will be writing the final part of this topic. Last week I wrote about the annulment of a marriage and gave some information on the circumstances under which a marriage can be annulled. I gave most of the significant circumstances under which a marriage could be annulled.

The final reason for the annulment of a marriage is the mental illness of a spouse. If one of the spouses has a mental illness, the other spouse may file for annulment. Here I will discuss a question from a reader and give an excerpt from his letter: "I have had epilepsy for many years caused by a car 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. Please could you tell me if this will stop me from being able to marry my Turkish partner in Turkey and could you also tell me the reason why epilepsy would have anything to do with getting married?"

Can epilepsy be a legal obstacle to marriage?

It depends. This decision is made by the court, but the courts do rely on experts' reports. In many high court decisions, the higher court overturns local court orders because the local court did not ask for a report from an expert showing the details of the disorder and the extent to which the disorder affects the marriage.

In short, it is the doctor's report that will decide this matter. If the other party takes the marriage before the court for annulment, the judge will make his decision based on a doctor's report. It might be a good idea to see a doctor prior to the marriage and get a report showing that the condition will not significantly affect the marriage.

Protection for both parties As I wrote earlier, after reading the articles about this matter, you will see that the law is actually protecting both parties. The law protects the spouse who does not have epilepsy from the spouse who does have epilepsy. The first spouse is protected from being required to stay in a marriage with somebody who did not inform them about their disorder. Please do not take this information as only applying to epilepsy.

Some mental illnesses may be much more serious. If the disorder is at a level that may make life unbearable for the spouse, the marriage may not work properly.

The second spouse (who has epilepsy) is protected against being treated unfairly. It is a fact that the practice of annulment can be abused in some cases. Sometimes the parties may have marriage problems irrelevant to any mental illness but one of the spouses may abuse the fact that the other has a mental illness and take the matter before the court as grounds for the annulment of the marriage.

If the party who has epilepsy informs their future spouse about the disorder and the disorder is not at a level that would cause serious problems for the marriage, then this topic cannot be brought before the court unless the disorder reaches a level that would make it impossible to continue in the marriage.

If the party who has the mental illness does not inform their future spouse about their disorder, then the marriage can be annulled on grounds of misrepresentation. Finally, I should note that annulments are very rare.

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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T14-08-06-08.qxd

08.06.2008

16:28

Page 1

14 TODAY’S ZAMAN

PHOTO

AP

MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2008

OPINION

The wýld, wýld East: Turkey’s constýtutýonal crýsýs CHRISTOPHER VASILLOPULOS*

The recent ruling by the Constitutional Court, chaired by Justice Haþim Kýlýç (above), contradicts the wording and spirit of the Constitution and the goal of the Constitution's makers.

Can the Constýtutýonal Court change the Constýtutýon?

ZÜHTÜ ARSLAN*

The Constitutional Court recently announced its expected decision. The written statement is very short, with just two sentences. The statement reads: "Articles 1 and 2 of Law no. 5735 dated Feb. 9, 2008 that makes amendments to the Turkish Constitution have been annulled considering provisions of articles 2, 4 and 148 of the same Constitution.

Therefore, execution of the said law is stayed." Even though the legal justification for the decision is yet to be announced, it is already apparent that it will enormously influence the political and legal landscape in Turkey.

This is the first time that the Constitutional Court has cancelled a constitutional amendment during the period in which the 1982 Constitution has been in effect. The court, which had refused to hear the previous lawsuits filed for the annulment of the constitutional amendments, this time found the annulment request valid and annulled the amendments made to articles 10 and 42.

This decision clearly contradicts the wording and spirit of the Constitution and the goal of the Constitution makers.

Those who developed the 1982 Constitution formulated Article 148 in an effort to prevent review of constitutional amendments by the court. The articled states: "The verification of laws as to form shall be restricted to consideration of whether the requisite majority was obtained in the last ballot; the verification of constitutional amendments shall be restricted to consideration of whether the requisite majorities were obtained for the proposal and in the ballot, and whether the prohibition on debates under urgent procedure was complied with." A brief review of the advisory committee and constitutional commission records reveals that the developers of the Constitution had the goal of preventing review of the constitutional amendments as to substance. Proposals with

regulations to the contrary were rejected by the committee.

The Constitution vested the authority to amend it in Parliament, which should, however, comply with the rules in regards to form. But the recent decision by the Constitutional Court openly ignored the Constitution and its authorization. This is an example of overstepping authority and violating the jurisdiction of a competent institution. The court violated the jurisdiction of Parliament. With this decision, the court has promoted itself to the position of constitution maker, just as it was during the era of the 1961 constitution. It went even further by assuming the authority to have the final say on the constitutional amendments.

If the court interpreted the expression "the requisite majority" in a way to encompass the notion of suggestibility, this would mean that any constitutional amendment which has not been approved by the court would be deemed unconstitutional because of the concepts of "laicism," "rule of law" and "social state" included in Article 2 of the Constitution. These concepts, when interpreted loosely, are so abstract and elastic that they may be inclusive of all constitutional amendments.

What should be done first?

The court, with this recent decision, has changed not only Article 148 but also Article 2, which are not supposed to be changed under any circumstances. The decision changed this article to point out that the Turkish Republic is a juristocratic state. Juristocracy is a concept that describes the rule of judges in a state. The court, which decided who was eligible for presidency last year, recently decided which amendments cannot be considered constitutional. Nine appointed judges declared a constitutional amendment that expanded

the sphere of individual freedoms and was adopted by an overwhelming majority in Parliament unconstitutional. The court seriously restricted the function of Parliament as maker of the Constitution with this recent decision. In this way, the court put its democratic legitimacy and credibility in question.

What happens next?

I had provided an answer to this question in my opinion piece published in the Zaman daily on Feb. 26, 2008, where I wrote: "It is impossible that the Constitutional Court will annul the latest constitutional amendment. Despite this, if it does so, this may have two repercussions -- one for the decision itself and one for the headscarf. The court's decision may ignite discussions on the validity of the decision itself because of the grave violation of the law. As for the headscarf ban, the decision will return the process to the point of departure. At the initial point, there is no headscarf.

There will not be such a ban unless wearing the headscarf is prohibited by a legal provision or if Parliament lifts the provision of Article 13 of the Constitution which states that fundamental rights can only be restricted by law."

In conclusion, the decision by the court is the latest move of the juristocratic siege on politics.

Undoubtedly, others will follow until the entire series of moves is complete. With this decision, it became apparent that the juristocratic passions constitute the biggest obstacle before liberal democracy in Turkey.

Turkey should now discuss how to do away with this siege. The priority of democratic politics should be to take action to eliminate the juristocratic state approach. * Dr. Zühtü Arslan is a constitutional lawyer.

dagistancetinkaya@todayszaman.com.tr

Owner on Behalf of Feza Gazetecilik A.Þ

ALÝ AKBULUT Chief Executive Officer

EKREM DUMANLI Editor-in-Chief

BÜLENT KENEÞ

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

* Professor Christopher Vasillopulos is an instructor in international relations at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Daðýstan Çetinkaya

Thýnk tank cafe´ Established on January 16, 2007 NO: 0485 Monday, June 9, 2008

Executive Editor Managing Editors

Almost all American Western films deal with the struggle between the good guys and the bad. The secret of Hollywood's successful Westerns is that the good guys always win and the town (or society) benefits. Three cheers! Real life is more difficult and complex, especially in the wild, wild East.

Consider the current constitutional crisis in Turkey. Just who are the outlaws? Who are the good guys?

According to Turkey's Constitutional Court (with the tacit support of the army and other elites), the answer is clear.

The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has come to town, threatened or bribed its citizens, taken over its businesses and otherwise violated the law. The court, acting as the incorruptible, law-abiding sheriff, will send the outlaws packing. Such is the court's view of its high noon confrontation with the AK Party. Abolishing the AK Party and overturning its "laws" are acts required by the Turkish Constitution and the rule of law in general. By so acting the court will re-establish law and order, revitalize the secular Constitution and begin a new, clean page in Turkish history.

On the other hand, the AK Party, which has won two decisive and historic parliamentary elections and secured the presidency, considers itself the good and incorruptible sheriff. The outlaws are all those who have undermined the will and the welfare of the town for decades, in the pursuit of their interests.

The AK Party believes that it serves the townspeople, the people of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, as he conceived them. It may seem difficult to take the AK Party's claim seriously, since Atatürk's legacy has long been seen to be the property of the army, the courts and the elites of Ýstanbul and Ankara.

Nonetheless, the AK Party believes it represents the people and more important, the people agree -- at least for now.

Hence Turkey's constitutional crisis concerns the classic confrontation between the two most powerful constitutional values: the democratic values, as they are reflected in the will of majorities, and the procedural and substantive values, as they are interpreted by the judiciary. All constitutions limit the will of the majority in two ways: (1) by making sure its will is expressed according to proper procedures and (2) by making sure that its will does not exceed its substantive limits. No constitutional democracy can make any law it wishes. For example, it cannot vote to execute its opposition. Nor, in Turkey's case, can it vote to impose Islamic law on its citizens. If the Constitutional Court overturned such laws or laws like them, it would be well within its constitutional authority. It would be the incorruptible sheriff, acting in the long-term interests of the Turkish people.

On the other hand, a constitutional democracy remains a democracy. The will of the people as it is expressed in legislation must be honored and respected by all citizens, especially by those privileged to hold high office. Powerful individuals may as citizens disagree with Parliament and its laws, but they cannot enlist their institutions to undermine the will of the people, except in cases where the law has violated the Constitution. Take the headscarf case as an illustration. Recently the court ruled that universities may continue to ban the headscarf despite a law which said they could not. I believe the court exceeded its authority when it overturned this law because the headscarf does not present a clear and present danger to the secular state. This does not mean that no headscarf law can be overturned. For example, if Parliament were to pass a law requiring students to wear a headscarf as a sign of their faith in Islam, I believe this law would be unconstitutional.

What matters is not the possible significance of a headscarf to an individual Turkish citizen. What matters is whether the power of the state is used to enforce a religious belief. By allowing students to wear headscarves, Parliament is letting the individual decide.

Moreover, it is preventing another state institution, the universities, from deciding for the individual. When the will of the people improperly restricts civil liberties, the court can overturn its laws.

When Parliament expands civil liberties, the court must find that this expansion presents an imminent and unequivocal threat to the integrity of the Constitution if it wishes to annul the law.

In the headscarf case, the AK Party and Parliament seem to serve both the democratic elements of the Constitution (the will of the people) and the constitutional limits (procedural and substantive) to any possible "tyranny of the majority." In this case, it seems that the AK Party is wearing the badge and the white hats.

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

Public Relations Contact Information: Publication Type: Periodical, Daily Headquarters: Today’s Zaman, 34194 Yenibosna, ISTANBUL. Phone Number: +90 212 454 1 444 Fax: 0212 454 14 97, Web Address: http://www.todayszaman.com, Printed at: Feza Gazetecilik A.Þ. Tesisleri. Advertisement Phone: +90 212 454 82 47, Fax: +90 212 454 86 33. Today's Zaman abides by the rules of press ethics.

CM Y K

T15-09-06-08.qxd

08.06.2008

18:43

Page 1

COLUMNS

TODAY’S ZAMAN 15

M O N D AY, J U N E 9 , 2 0 0 8

Judge me, judge me not The justices of the Constitutional Court are full of surprises: While expecting a verdict on the "headscarf issue," we never anticipated that it would usurp Parliament's right to legislate.

Many political observers who also know how the court works put their chips on four different verdicts, but the Constitutional Court has chosen the fifth alternative: An all-out showdown with the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Parliament.

All powers are on the lookout, searching for ways on how to invade the others' sphere of influence -- not only in Turkey but elsewhere, too. However, the latest attempt by the Constitutional Court to solidify its power by issuing a verdict is the most extreme. I don't think even the US Supreme Court justices were so adamant and stubborn and had little respect for the "doctrine of the separation of powers" when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was introducing his New Deal.

Our Constitution, adopted in 1982, gives clear mandates to all three powers and never lets any of them exceed its prescribed sphere. In the previous Constitution, that of 1961, for example, the rights of the judiciary were designed in such a way that legislators felt they could not pass a law or amend the Constitution without first getting the Constitutional Court's approval. The 1982 Constitution rectified this imbalance for the benefit of Parliament.

We know this because of the limited rights exercised by the

ÝHSAN DAÐI

FEHMÝ KORU f.koru@todayszaman.com

Constitutional Court. The court, according to the 1982 Constitution, cannot take up constitutional amendments and pass judgments on their content; it can only look at them to determine whether they have any defects in form -- i.e., whether they received enough votes at the ballot box. The surprising verdict on the headscarf issue has surpassed the limits of the Constitutional Court's sphere as envisioned in the 1982 Constitution. The judges have decided to look at the content of the two amendments recently enacted by Parliament and announced them null and void on the grounds that they are the guardians of the republic and the amendments were against the secular character of the republic.

In reality, the two articles (10 and 42) which were amended by Parliament have nothing to do with secularism. The first amendment aims at reinstating the rights of individuals before the bureaucracy, stating that all citizens deserve equal treatment by public servants. The second is to remind all and sundry that the

right to study at institutions of higher learning is the inalienable right of every citizen and that it can only be limited by law.

How can these two amendments be regarded as being against the secular character of the republic?

When the Republican People's Party (CHP) turned to the Constitutional Court to annul these two amendments, even party leaders didn't anticipate the outcome to be so harsh and clear-cut. Of course they were hopeful that the Constitutional Court would step in and insist on the legality of the headscarf ban, but they never thought the court would go so far as to usurp some of the legislature's sphere.

Some observers believe that with this verdict Parliament has no legislative power whatsoever. The separation of powers is in shambles, with the judiciary being placed above all other powers.

With a verdict on the future of the AK Party pending in front of the same justices, the Constitutional Court will be in a position to determine who rules the country and how they rule.

For some, with these two cases, the headscarf issue and the closure of the AK Party, we have only one power in Turkey: the power of the judges. The Constitutional Court's 11 justices are the most powerful people and are above the existing political system of governance.

When Roosevelt was met with strong resistance from Supreme Court justices over his liberal policies, he counterattacked by reminding them of their power's limitations. Following their insistence on resisting and sending back some laws adopted by Congress, Roosevelt took

No Comment

SAMSUN, AA

ÖMER TAÞPINAR o.taspinar@todayszaman.com

i.dagi@todayszaman.com

Washýngton and conspýracy theorýes

When wýll the bureaucratýc sultanate of Ankara be abolýshed?

With its recent decision, the Constitutional Court has created a new constitutional rule that will make the political system non-operational, a "system" that fulfills its tasks smoothly and is supposed to be formed by pieces that create harmony. The judiciary's domination over Parliament will require a redesign and a rebuilding of all the system's components. If the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is subsequently closed down, the judiciary will have acquired a position by which it will be able to dominate the executive branch as well.

The logical "fait accompli" is not operational in the execution of the constitutional system. If you commit errors, the entire system will collapse. The principle of constitutional secularism is also included in this system. The top court assumed the duty of protecting the regime, setting aside its judicial tasks. The judiciary responsible for sustaining the secular legal order has acted as a supporter of secularism with superficial and undefined tenets. Secularism is not a soccer squad; if you become party to such a discussion, you will automatically create enemies of such an ideological interpretation. In reality, is the principle of secularism not harmed by attempts of elites who rely on it to protect their interests?

We will be discussing the reasons in the upcoming days; the ability of outdated groups to resist modern developments is pretty limited. We did not have a model or another path before us; the train was derailed by obstacles set before it. We have to look for a path to alleviate the impact of the recent crash and get rid of the crisis generated by the recent decision.

There remains no order of justice that will be able to keep the entire society together, to sustain the entire system and maintain lasting harmony. What I said is not an accusation. Did a crisis of trust among the supporters of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) not follow this decision? The order has broken down; the pieces of the system have been torn apart. The judiciary does not have the ability to fix this harm and put all the pieces back together to create a brand new order. The judiciary is effective through its decisions -and not its actions -- when causing a collapse of the system.

The whole responsibility lies with the political establishment. Politicians have to fill the void left by the judiciary.

What we need most now is a political will that will make sure Turkey will overcome this crisis. If this judicial crash did not bring down the Turkish economy and society, there are two major reasons for this. First, the economy is autonomous and strong enough to not be affected by such crises. Second, there is a visible trust of the political establishment. Turkey has been reaping the fruits of political stability for the last seven years. The belief that the power behind this stability will remain that powerful is still prevalent.

The court's decision on articles 10 and 42 created a legal ground for the closure of the AK Party. This conclusion is true in terms of the trial process. On the other hand, it fortified and strengthened the popular will represented by the AK Party. Even though the court will ban the AK Party, it will have to deal with consequences contrary to the desired outcomes of this decision.

This conclusion, arrived at through logic and intellect, may make the court consider the option of not banning the AK Party.

The AK Party had committed a strategic error during this process: It stopped its efforts toward a civilian constitution. We may now ask the question, "Where were we?" and move on. The AK Party is still the only chance for stability.

In short, its rule and legitimacy has no alternative to couplovers. Therefore, it is essential to fix the problem and move on. The problem is not whether the AK Party will be closed down; the whole issue is about the ability to demonstrate that this party will remain able to move on, backed by overwhelming popular support. The AK Party will not be closed down. This should be the conclusion of those who trust in people and not in the court. Why would the court oppose a will it is unable to influence, especially when it has lost authority and legitimacy?

The conclusion that we will draw from this serious crash is that Turkey's agenda should focus on making a new constitution.

up some decisive steps to change the structure of the court. He suggested a law which would enable him to appoint five new justices in addition to the existing nine, "a persistent infusion of new blood," he said.

The AK Party does not seem to have any clear idea how to reclaim the legislature's right to amend the Constitution as it is prescribed by the 1982 Constitution. Speaker of Parliament Köksal Toptan, after a visit by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, decided to defend the body he presides over, but only suggested reintroducing a bicameral system by creating a senate. The two amendments annulled by the Constitutional Court weren't a product of the AK Party alone; in fact, the AK Party's seats in Parliament are not enough to pass constitutional amendments. Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Democratic Society Party (DTP) deputies also voted for the amendments. If passing amendments about the headscarf deserves punishment, as the chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals claims in his indictment against the AK Party, then the MHP is also a culprit.

If the AK Party is going to be closed because of its stance on the headscarf issue, the MHP also rests on shaky ground.

Normally, a court verdict settles disagreements; the Constitutional Court's verdict on the two amendments has created new and more serious disagreements. I told you at the beginning: The Constitutional Court justices are full of surprises.

Duty of polýtýcs: takýng Turkey out of crýsýs MÜMTAZ’ER TÜRKÖNE m.turkone@todayszaman.com

With its recent decision, the Constitutional Court has created a new constitutional rule that will make the political system non-operational, a "system" that fulfills its tasks smoothly and is supposed to be formed by pieces that create harmony. The judiciary's domination over Parliament will require a redesign and a rebuilding of all the system's components. If the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is subsequently closed down, the judiciary will have acquired a position by which it will be able to dominate the executive branch as well.

The logical "fait accompli" is not operational in the execution of the constitutional system. If you commit errors, the entire system will collapse. The principle of constitutional secularism is also included in this system.

The top court assumed the duty of protecting the regime, setting aside its judicial tasks. The judiciary responsible for sustaining the secular legal order has acted as a supporter of secularism with superficial and undefined tenets. Secularism is not a soccer squad; if you become party to such a discussion, you will automatically create enemies of such an ideological interpretation. In reality, is the principle of secularism not harmed by attempts of elites who rely on it to protect their interests?

We will be discussing the reasons in the upcoming days; the ability of outdated groups to resist modern developments is pretty limited. We did not have a model or another path before us; the train was derailed by obstacles set before it. We have to look for a path to alleviate the impact of the recent crash and get rid of the crisis generated by the recent decision. There remains no order of justice that will be able to keep the entire society together, to sustain the entire system and maintain lasting harmony. What I said is not an accusation. Did a crisis of trust among the supporters of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) not follow this decision? The

order has broken down; the pieces of the system have been torn apart. The judiciary does not have the ability to fix this harm and put all the pieces back together to create a brand new order. The judiciary is effective through its decisions -and not its actions -- when causing a collapse of the system.

The whole responsibility lies with the political establishment. Politicians have to fill the void left by the judiciary.

What we need most now is a political will that will make sure Turkey will overcome this crisis. If this judicial crash did not bring down the Turkish economy and society, there are two major reasons for this. First, the economy is autonomous and strong enough to not be affected by such crises. Second, there is a visible trust of the political establishment. Turkey has been reaping the fruits of political stability for the last seven years. The belief that the power behind this stability will remain that powerful is still prevalent.

The court's decision on articles 10 and 42 created a legal ground for the closure of the AK Party. This conclusion is true in terms of the trial process. On the other hand, it fortified and strengthened the popular will represented by the AK Party. Even though the court will ban the AK Party, it will have to deal with consequences contrary to the desired outcomes of this decision. This conclusion, arrived at through logic and intellect, may make the court consider the option of not banning the AK Party.

The AK Party had committed a strategic error during this process: It stopped its efforts toward a civilian constitution. We may now ask the question, "Where were we?" and move on. The AK Party is still the only chance for stability. In short, its rule and legitimacy has no alternative to coup-lovers. Therefore, it is essential to fix the problem and move on. The problem is not whether the AK Party will be closed down; the whole issue is about the ability to demonstrate that this party will remain able to move on, backed by overwhelming popular support. The AK Party will not be closed down. This should be the conclusion of those who trust in people and not in the court. Why would the court oppose a will it is unable to influence, especially when it has lost authority and legitimacy? The conclusion that we will draw from this serious crash is that Turkey's agenda should focus on making a new constitution.

CM Y K

Turkey is a proud country that strongly values its national sovereignty. Yet paradoxically, most Turks seem to lack selfesteem when it comes to Washington's power over Turkish domestic politics. Almost all Turks, from sophisticated political analysts to average citizens, believe Washington controls Turkey's domestic political dynamics. There seems to be an American plot behind everything. This creates a political environment where even the wildest conspiracy theories go unquestioned. For instance, when the Justice and Development Party (AKP) wins the general elections, the opposition blames America's plan to promote "moderate Islam" in Turkey. When the Kurds want to speak their own language, officials in Ankara blame Washington for promoting Kurdish nationalism. When there is a risk of a military or judicial coup, plotters are believed to have received a "green light" from Washington. You get the picture: Washington is behind everything.

In this conspiracy-prone political environment, any American commentary on Turkey naturally becomes the center of Turkish attention, as if the fate of the country depended on it.

Washington's shallow debate on Turkey -- where only a few people pay attention to Turkey and even fewer understand Turkish politics -- turns into an existential matter. Since Turkish pundits irrationally exaggerate the importance of a few American pundits, whatever appears in the American press gains tremendous importance in the eyes of the Turkish public. All it takes is someone in Washington to say something about Turkey for conspiracy theories to start flying around in Ankara.

Turkey, of course, is not alone in that department. The Middle East and the larger Islamic world are notorious for conspiracy theories. A Pakistani friend once told me that the fate of his country is always determined by three big A's: America, the Army and Allah, in that exact order. I told him that the same could be argued about my country. Similarly, in the Arab world, the CIA or MOSSAD are supposedly behind everything.

American, European or Israeli analysts often make fun of these "Oriental" fantasies in their own "Orientalist" way. Very few of them wonder why people in the Middle East believe in such conspiracies. Instead, they engage in cultural determinism and blame the "Arab political culture" or the Muslim "mindset" as if there was something in the Muslim DNA that made these people genetically predisposed to become conspiracy theorist.

In fact, there are some legitimate historical reasons as to why people in the Middle East feel disempowered. History has not been kind to the Middle East. Take Iran, for example. Try to convince Iranians that what happened to their nationalist leader Mossadegh in 1953 is not conducive to conspiracy theories. The whole world knows that Iran's democratically elected leader, who wanted to nationalize the oil industry, was ousted by a CIA coup. The proWestern shah was restored to power simply because London and Washington did not want to give up their economic and political interests in Iran. Such events left deep scars in the Iranian psyche. They will not be erased from the collective memory of the region in just one generation.

People in the Middle East never forget.

Yet it is equally true that blaming the West for everything develops an addiction to conspiracy theories. In time, this blame game turns into a convenient excuse for escaping national responsibility. Moreover, a country like Turkey, which was never colonized by the West, has no legitimate excuse to develop an addiction to conspiracy theories.

Turkish analysts should therefore stop over-analyzing Washington and pay more attention to their own domestic dynamics. Washington may have had some influence over Turkey during the Cold War. But today's Turkey is a much more complex place than in the 1970s. It is almost impossible to single-handedly manipulate Turkish politics, military, media, markets and society. This why Turkey needs to grow out of this idea that Washington can call the shots in Ankara. America's leverage over Turkey is marginal. And most importantly, the Bush administration cannot even decide how to react to what is going on in Ankara. It is divided between those who want to unequivocally support the democratic process and others who believe that secularism is at stake. There is a dysfunctional, lame duck administration in Washington, and Turks should not read too much into the language of US officials when they talk about the domestic situation in Turkey. At the end of the day, it will be Turkish political dynamics -- not Washington -- that will determine Turkey's fate.

T16-09-06-08.qxd

08.06.2008

15:12

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CONTINUATION

TODAY’S ZAMAN 17

M O N D AY, J U N E 9 , 2 0 0 8

CÝHAN

Turkey seeks a way out of crisis PHOTO

contýnued from page 1 Will the people’s votes really matter some day? This is what we should discuss,” he said, adding that Turkey needed a new, democratic constitution.

Another option has been suggested by Parliamentary Justice Committee President and AK Party Ankara deputy Ahmet Ýyimaya, who proposes granting Parliament the power to veto Constitutional Court decisions on legislative matters. If Parliament had such a power, Ýyimaya argues, the Constitutional Court would be relieved of the political pressure it faces in difficult times. Such a veto power could serve as a way to resolve crises caused by the Constitutional Court. Giving the last word to a representative organ that was selected by popular vote would be the most democratic action, Ýyimaya says.

The Constitutional Court’s headscarf ruling will play a central role in a separate case that seeks to close the ruling AK Party for anti-secular activities, and ban 71 members, including Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoðan, as well as the country’s president, from belonging to a political party for five years. Turkey has a history of banning political parties, and the Virtue Party (FP), seen by some as the AK Party’s predecessor, was banned in 2001 for Islamist activities.

One suggestion made by the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) to resolve the current situation was largely rejected by the AK Party. MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli on Friday said members of the AK Party who are not in the prosecutor’s indictment should set up a new party that would act like a “clone” of the AK Party and move forward with a new prime minister who would replace Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan.

Nihat Ergün, deputy head of the AK Party’s parliamentary group, replied to Bahçeli’s cloning idea on Saturday, saying it was not right for him to interfere with what Ergün said was the AK Party’s own affair. Another deputy leader of the parliamentary group, Sadullah Ergin, dismissed the cloning option, saying he did not believe their party would be shut down.

One senior AK Party source dismissed the sug-

lighten the workload of the Constitutional Court.

“I don’t agree with Toptan. A second chamber wouldn’t contribute to solving the problem; it would only work to stall the legislative process and increase tension,” she stated.

MHP Deputy Chairman Mehmet Þandýr said something was missing from Toptan’s explanation of his proposal to introduce an upper house.

“He should explain whether he offers this as a new system, or only as a reaction to the decision of the Constitutional Court. We don’t have a place for a senate in the current system. That is a better structure for another system. We will talk with Toptan in detail. If the proposal to establish a senate has the sole purpose of being a precaution against the Constitutional Court putting itself in the place of Parliament, it won’t be acceptable.”

Toptan ordered senate research

On Saturday, Parliamentary Speaker Köksal Toptan slammed the Constitutional Court’s decision, saying the judges had exceeded their powers. gestion rather fiercely, accusing Bahçeli of being part of the plot to “separate the head of the AK Party from its body.” The core motive of the Constitutional Court’s closure case was to do away with Erdoðan, the same source said.

Yýldýrým Akbulut, a former prime minister and a law expert, offered Today’s Zaman his opinion on the parliamentary speaker’s idea of re-implementing a senate. “Many democracies have an upper house. It could be a solution, though only in the

long term. A senate would act as a second filter for newly passed laws. It could work to make sure that laws are compatible with the Constitution and minimize the risk of complete cancellation of legislation. It could even completely get rid of the need to take matters to the Constitutional Court,” Akbulut said in defense of Toptan’s proposal.

However, another legal expert, Serap Yazýcý, an associate professor at Ýstanbul Bilgi University, said returning to a bicameral structure would only

The weekend’s discussion showed that for Toptan the idea of establishing an upper house was not an idea that occurred on a whim after the court decision. A closer look at last year’s parliamentary documents indicates that in December 2007 Toptan ordered a report on bicameral legislatures. The parliament’s research center prepared a report, according to which most bicameral legislatures are found in countries with presidential systems, whereas only a few parliamentary systems have legislatures with two houses. The possibility of a transition to a presidential system has also been a major issue of debate in Turkey since the late ‘80s.

Turkey’s previous bicameral system was established by the Constitution of 1961, the product of the military coup of May 27, 1960, and it was abolished by another military coup, staged by Gen. Kenan Evren on Sept. 12, 1980.

The bicameral parliament featured a regular parliament and a republican senate. Members of the senate would include some elected by the people, some appointed by the president and “natural members,” who would serve lifetime appointments in the senate while the other members would hold office for six years. Legislation passed by the regular parliament had to be approved by the republican senate. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

AP PHOTO

Mexican army soldiers train to combat drug smuggling during an exercise drill at a military base in Mexico City. top 12 international fugitives.

Weakening the Sinaloans has been a central aim of the military-backed assault that conservative President Felipe Calderon launched on drug gangs after taking office in December 2006.

Last month Calderon sent thousands of extra troops to marijuana-producing Sinaloa following a wave of police murders including Edgar Millan, one of

Mexico’s top federal policemen.

As the military squeezes the Sinaloans in their home state, violence is escalating in the northern state of Chihuahua, home to Ciudad Juarez.

Some 50 police officers have been killed in Chihuahua this year, highlighting police involvement in trafficking and cartel attempts to scare honest police out of doing their jobs, anti-

drug officials and drug trade experts say.

“There are a lot of cops on the payroll of the Vicente Carrillo organization and Guzman wants a stake in that smuggling corridor,” said Tony Payan, a drug trade expert at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Given that their pact has broken down, the gangs are setting out to kill all the people who work for the other side. Mexico City Reuters

Aftershock rocks China quake lake, 1 mln people in danger A “relatively strong” aftershock shook a massive quake-formed lake Sunday that had been threatening to flood more than 1 million people, sending landslides tumbling down surrounding mountains, a state news agency reported. The effect of the 20-second temblor on the Tangjiashan lake was not immediately known, Xinhua News Agency said. The dam of unstable mud and rocks

was under surveillance following the aftershock.

Its magnitude was not immediately known, Xinhua said. Though water had been draining from a hastily dug diversion channel for nearly two days, the lake continued to swell.

Soldiers blew up wooden houses, boulders and other debris Sunday to speed the flow of water into the spillway. Other troops were deepen-

ing the channel and digging on a second spillway on the other side of the dam.

The Tangjiashan lake, created when a landslide dammed the Tongkou River, has become a priority for a government working to head off another catastrophe even as it cares for millions left homeless from the May 12 quake that killed nearly 70,000 people. More than 1.3 million peo-

CM Y K

contýnued from page 1 In addition to blacklisting agencies and individuals, the CÇG set up something called the National Union Movement Civil Society Organization Platform, which worked with 225 civil society groups on a number of activities, including the republican rallies -- massive demonstrations organized by supposedly civil groups last year against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government in which millions expressed fears of rising Islamization.

According to the confidential CD leaked to the press, the CÇG was closely involved with university rectors in its social engineering projects. The daily reported that on Sept. 19, 2003, 15 university rectors visited Eruygur, who was then still the commander of the gendarmerie. The group talked about the growing danger of Islamization and “cornering the AK Party” until the local elections of 2004. Taraf published some of the highlights of the visit, during which the rectors said they were all ready to be the “next Kubilay,” a military lieutenant decapitated by Islamic fundamentalists in 1930. It was also on this visit that the military and university rectors decided to begin cooperating to minimize the influence of “Islamist centers” in the short term. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

Students take final high school exam contýnued from page 1 Seven percent of a students’ diploma grade will be weighted in as part of the overall OKS score this year, as Primary Education Achievement Points (ÝBP). However, those points will not be taken into consideration by 92 private schools that recruit students using OKS results.

Students with vision and hearing disabilities were allotted an extra 30 minutes for the test. The exam was administered in 49,430 classrooms across Turkey’s 81 provinces and in eight cities abroad.

Parents of students testing waited anxiously outside the exam halls, some of them praying for their children’s success and others criticizing the pressure and stress placed on students ahead of the exam. Test results will be announced on July 11. Together with their parents, the students will make a priority list of 20 schools they want to attend, between July 11-18. Beginning next year, secondary school students will take national exams at the end of every school year. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

Private coal mines pull in YTL 54 million in revenue

US sees Mexico drug gang violence getting worse A powerful coalition of drug gangs led

by Mexico’s most-wanted man is collapsing, meaning the surge in bloodshed and police killings will get worse, a senior US counternarcotics official said.

Internal conflicts, greed and pressure by Mexico’s military are causing a split among gangs from the Pacific state of Sinaloa, with each group seeking new alliances to smuggle illegal drugs into the United States.

“The Sinaloa cartel is weakened, divided ... There are internal disputes, rivalries, betrayals” the official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters in an interview. “You’re going to see more violence. It is getting worse because police are engaging, because cartels want to create fear and because of attacks between rivals. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

More than 1,400 people have been killed in drug violence this year across Mexico as cartels vie for control of lucrative smuggling routes into the United States. It is a faster rate than in 2007, when about 2,500 died during the year.

Unlike gangs that work alone, members of the Sinaloan coalition had shared trafficking routes, transport, cocaine sources and hit men, making them a formidable force that controls much of the state.

The US official said the coalition’s leader and Mexico’s most-wanted man, Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, also has split with outside allies like the boss of the Juarez cartel in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, where some 400 people have been killed in drug violence this year.

“There’s friction between Guzman and Vicente Carrillo (in Juarez). Vicente is being backed by the Gulf cartel,” he said, referring to a drug gang based in northeastern Mexico.

Carrillo, boss of the Juarez cartel, is one of Mexico’s top drug barons and listed as one of the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s

Report: Military sets up center to manipulate politics

ple live downriver from Tangjiashan, and 250,000 of them have been evacuated. Government experts, quoted by state media, had played down the threat of imminent flooding, saying Tangjiashan’s landslide-created dam should hold. But state media and officials estimated it would be a week before the evacuees could return home, even if all goes well. Jiangyou AP

The Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises (TTK) have made YTL 54 million in profits from the sale of coal extracted from mines leased to private enterprises as well as leasing contracts with these enterprises since 2004, TTK General Director Rýfat Daðdelen has said.

In 2004 Parliament passed a law allowing the TTK to lease its coal mines to private companies. The TTK then stopped production at the mines, which had been in operation since 1989, and opened tenders for 24 of them, leasing them to private enterprises. According to official estimates, 3,149,678 tons of coals can be extracted from the mines, which have approximately 43 million tons of coal reserves left, an amount that can be extracted in 10 years, and an investment worth about $40 million is needed.

TTK General Director Daðdelen, speaking with the Anatolia news agency yesterday, said coal mines run by private companies employ about 4,000 workers, with social premiums duly paid, and that they plan to boost coal production.

He noted that last year 817,000 tons of coal were extracted from the mines leased to private companies. “Private enterprises are making positive contributions to the region. Thanks to the reopening of unused coal mines, our country’s dependence on foreign interests is decreasing. Domestically produced coal ensures less foreign currency paid to foreign countries for coal purchases. Since November 2004 we have obtained YTL 9 million in leasing fees and a profit amounting to YTL 45 million from the sale of coal bought from the private companies.

This means that our loss is YTL 54 million less. I have a positive view of the private sector,” he said. Zonguldak Today’s Zaman

TSKB wins Financial Times sustainable banking award The Turkish Industry and Development Bank (TSKB) on Sunday won the Sustainable Emerging Markets Bank of the Year Award from the Financial Times Sustainable Banking Awards. Since 1950, the TSKB has devoted itself to the concept of sustainable development and environmental conservation, and it has earned a reputation in Turkey for pioneering the adoption of corporate governance and socially responsible policies.

TSKB disburses environmental loans, designed to finance sustainable and environmentally focused investments. In renewable energy loans alone, the TSKB has 53 multi-million dollar projects. As the first and only Turkish-owned bank to have an ISO14001 banking certification for its environmental management systems, the TSKB uses every opportunity to create environmental and innovative financial solutions and social responsibility projects. With its Sustainable Banking Awards, the Financial Times recognizes banks that have shown leadership and innovation in integrating social, environmental and corporate governance. The program has grown in popularity, and this year the winner was selected from a record 182 entries from 129 institutions across 54 countries. The TSKB is the first and only Turkish bank to receive the award since its initiation. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

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18 TODAY’S ZAMAN

M O N D AY, J U N E 9 , 2 0 0 8

TODAY’S LEARNING TIME

QUOTE OF THE DAY

OSMAN TURHAN

elementary READING

Dear Judy,

ILLUSTRATIONS

My name is Eric Wilson. I am thirteen years old and I live in Liverpool in England.

There are five of us in our family. My father's name is John. He is an artist. He is a very smart person and he is very kind. My mother's name is Elaine. She is very beautiful.

She is tall and slim. She has long straight fair hair and blue eyes. She is a very patient woman. My brother's name is Martin. He is sixteen years old. He is chubby with brown hair and blue eyes. He is a very lazy person. My sister's name is Karen. She is fifteen years old. She is short and she has green eyes. She is a little bit bossy and stubborn.

Well, that's all about me.

Please write soon and tell me about your family.

Best wishes, Tony

PART 1: Match the adjectives given on the left with their synonyms given on the right.

PART 2: True (T) or False (F)

1. Smart __

a. Pretty

2. Eric and his family live in Liverpool.__

1) Could you _________me some money, please?

2. Kind __

b. Blonde

3. Liverpool is a city in Ireland.__

2) Some pupils can ________books from their

3. Beautiful __

c. Fat

4. Chubby __

d. Dominating

5. Slim __

e. Tolerant

6. Fair__

f. Indolent

7. Patient __

g. Clever

8. Lazy __

Activity: Borrow or Lend?

1. Eric is writing this letter to Julie. __

Choose the correct word.

“Even those who write against fame wish for the fame of having written well, and those who read their works desire the fame of having read them.”

Blaise Pascal

advanced READING

Stereotypes All Americans carry guns. Rich people are misers. If you are female and have blond hair, you are thickheaded. All black people are good basketball players. Most Russians get angry easily. Are these statements true?

Each of the above sentences is a stereotype. By definition, a stereotype is a preconceived conception held in common by the members of a group.

Essentially it is the ideas that people believe to be true for another ethnic, religious or cultural group. In most cases, people think these stereotypes are droll unless they are the ones being stereotyped.

Each of us has the right to classify and identify ourselves. You can be whomever you want. However, do others have the right to categorize us?

No one should be able to tell you who or what you are. Who has the right to

take away your identity?

The following are stereotypes I have come across during my years of writing. Some are true though many are false, at least in my eyes. Which ones do you agree with?

- Asians have high IQs. They are much more likely to succeed in school.

- African Americans are great dancers.

- French people are extremely soppy.

- Irish are alcoholics.

- Italians are supreme paramours.

- Most Germans are rigid.

- Asians know martial arts.

- Women like to clean.

- Men will always take charge in a relationship.

- Most Arabs ride camels.

After looking at these stereotypes I was wondering if we mold our stereotypes or do they mold us?

school.

4. There are five members in Eric's family.__

3) Will you________ me your umbrella till tomorrow?

4) Should I ___________him my football?

5. Eric's father, John, is an artist.__ 6. Eric thinks his father is very smart and kind.__

5) You may __________my bike, but be careful.

6) Could I _________some sugar?

7. Eric's mother, Elaine, is a beautiful and patient woman.__

7) You can __________your book to Steve.

h. Obstinate

8. Martin is a thin boy with brown hair and green eyes.__

8) Why do students __________so much money

9. Bossy __

i. Gentle

9. Martin is a hardworking person.__

10. Stubborn __

j. Thin

10. Eric's sister, Karen, is fifteen years old and she has green eyes.__

from their parents?

9) Peter won't __________his car to anyone.

10) Will your mother _________you some money?

ýntermedýate PART 1: Vocabulary Exercise

READING

W + (D-d) x TQ M x NA ?

March 12th. October 21st. January 30th.

July 1st. Obviously, these are all days of the year. Is one different from the others? Well, they are each in a different season. Are they holidays? No. Important birthdays? Nope. For me, they are just disparate twenty-four hour periods. Not much different from the other 361. For me, a day is a day.

They are all the same. Christmas? My birthday? July 4th? Just more days on the calendar. I am neither impressed nor depressed with any of them.

For normal people, certain dates bring about extreme happiness or depression. Your wedding anniversary.

The first anniversary of the death of a loved one. These are days that evoke certain emotions in most of us.

However, scientists have determined that there are days when we all are dejected. Most of these are in the winter after the turn of the new year. You are wallowing in credit card debt because of Christmas expenditures. Each day is one filled with sleet, ice, snow and cold weather. All you want to do is hide in bed under your warm blanket.

Fill in the blanks with the correct letters.

1. disparate _____ a. distinct

b. apparent

c. obvious

d. different

2. to evoke _____ a. to grow

b. to produce

c. to invent

d. to show

a. interested

b. happy

c. jealous

d. depressed

4. to wallow in _____ a. to proceed with difficulty

Dr. Adam Kennedy, by use of a formula he devised, has decided that January 24th is the lowest point of the year for most people. The following is the formula: W + (D-d) x TQ M x NA W = weather D = debt d = monthly salary T = time since Christmas Q = time since failed quit attempt M = low motivational levels NA = the need to take action

Activity: The USA; Yesterday and Today Choose the correct answer for each question.

1. Who was America's first elected president? __ a. John Kennedy b. George Washington c. George Bush 2. What does the abbreviation NATO mean? ___ a. National Atlantic Treaty Organization b. North Atlantic Treaty Organization c. Northeast Atlantic Treaty Organization 3. Which statement is true about the American education system? __

In the area of Britain where he lives, the weather around January 24th is full of low, dark clouds. By this date, a majority of people have broken their healthy New Year's resolutions, thrown away their nicotine patches, and fallen off the wagon. All the residue from holiday celebrations is long gone. The credit card bills start coming in. Research shows that this is the best time for travel agencies because people feel the need to book holidays to get them out of their gloom.

I'm not exactly sure, but I think I had a decent day last January 24th. My apologies, Dr. Kennedy.

a. It's a national system b. It's Northern and Southern system c. It's a system where local authorities are responsible for schools 4. What are two major political US parties?__ a. The Democratic and Republican Party b. The Federal and Democratic Party c. The National and Democratic Party 5. How many colonies were formed on the eastern seaboard by the middle of 18th century? __ a. 16 b. 13 c. 25

VOCABULARY Specialized Vocabulary Fashion: Catsuit (noun) it is a skin-tight one-piece garment with sleeves and long legs, and sometimes with feet or gloves, sometimes with a hood.

Poppy wore an eye-catching catsuit to the party that was admired by all.

Entertainment: Cinematographer (noun) is a person who is responsible for elements viewed through the lens, the cinematographer works closely with the director to create appropriate shots and organize the visual elements of a scene (props, extras, lighting, etc..).

Bob is working very hard at film school, he hopes to be a famous cinematographer one day.

Publishing: Spine (noun) is the back of a bound book (hard- or softcover) that connects the two covers. Also called a backbone.

The book was so old the pages had come loose from the spine.

Technology: Laser printer (noun) is a non-impact output device that burns images on paper using toner and a small laser.

Tyler purchased a new laser printer for his office at home so he could print family photographs digitally.

Architecture: Quantity Surveyor (QS) (noun) is a professional person working within the construction industry. The role of the QS is, in general terms, to manage and control costs within construction projects.

The quantity surveyor used a range of management procedures and technical tools to ensure the house was built within the budget.

Idiom of the Day Back seat driver MEANING: a passenger who criticizes the driver continually EXAMPLE: Back seat drivers can cause accidents with their constant nagging.

b. to proceed with ease c. to proceed with caution d. to proceed quickly 5. sleet _____ a. ice

b. freezing rain

c. fog

d. blizzard

6. to devise _____ a. to improve

b. to combine

c. to destroy

d. to create

7. resolution _____ a. problem

b. party

c. decision

d. rule

8. to fall off the wagon _____ a. to start smoking again b. to start gambling again c. to start drinking alcohol again d. to start biting your nails again 9. residue _____ a. waste

b. remains

c. gift

d. memory

Slang: Cream meaning: beat example: Our team creamed them badly.

Phrasal Verbs: Quieten down meaning: Fall silent example: The audience quietened down when the lights were switched off in the auditorium and the play was ready to begin.

Rein in meaning: To control someone or something to stop them causing more trouble. example: They had to rein in the minister after her dreadful performance on TV. Confusing Words In English: Bazaar vs Bizarre bazaar is a noun that is an Oriental market place, shopping quarter, marketplace or trade center.

For example: "We bought this rug at the bazaar in Marrakesh." bizarre is an adjective which means markedly unusual in appearance, style, or general character and often involving incongruous or unexpected elements; outrageously or whimsically strange; odd: For example: "Children like to wear bizarre costumes on Halloween."

CM Y K

PART 1: Vocabulary Exercise

Activity: American or British English ?

Fill in the blanks with the correct letters. For the words in bold choose if they are

3. dejected _____

1. miser _____ A person who: a. doesn't like to spend money b. who spends a lot of money c. has no money d. gives to charities 2. thickheaded _____ a. very intelligent b. handsome c. stupid d. hairy 3. preconceived _____ a. formed beforehand b. formed afterwards c. formed at the time of speaking d. formed after a person's death 4. droll _____ a. boring b. angry c. unintelligent d. funny 5. to come across _____ a. to go over b. to recognize c. to encounter d. to disguise 6. soppy _____ a. short b. honest c. reliable d. emotional 7. paramour _____ a. cook b. artist c. singer d. lover 8. martial _____ a. alien b. warlike c. deadly d. interesting 9. to mold _____ a. to grow b. to break c. to shape d. to discover

American (A) or British (B) 1) English is my favourite subject at school.__ 2) Have you seen Dick's new truck? __ 3) The park is in the center of our town. __ 4) Mr. Barnes, our caretaker, found my key. __ 5) I like French fries, they're very crispy. __ 6) Have you seen the latest movie? __ 7) I've passed this test. So I'll get my driving licence very soon. __ 8) The accident happened because the blue car's bonnet popped up and blocked the view. __ 9) Tom told me to get off the underground at Tower Hill. __ 10) They have moved into a semi-detached house. __

FRIDAY’S ANSWER KEY:

ELEMENTARY: (Reading ) 1. f 2. d 3. e 4. a 5. j 6. b 7. c 8. g 9. h 10. i (Activity) 1. a 2. d 3. b 4. b 5. b INTERMEDIATE: (Reading) 1. d 2. b 3. a 4. b 5. c 6. d 7. d 8. c 9. b 10. a (Activity) 1. c 2. d 3. b 4. d 5. b ADVANCED: (Reading Part) 1. c 2. d 3. b 4. b 5. c 6. b 7. a 8. a 9. d 10. c (Activity) 1. d 2. a 3. d 4. b 5. a (Part 1 POP Quiz Answer Key) 1. red tape 2. later 3. bad 4. Clothes 5.

Badly 6. week 7. weak 8. gets back 9. red-handed 10. roll out the red carpet (Part 2 POP Quiz Answer Key ) 1. hard drive 2. attic 3. flip-flops 4. bow ties 5. cement

In cooperation with English Time

T19-09-06-08.qxd

08.06.2008

18:48

Page 1

SPORTS

Kelly Pavlik retains middleweight titles Kelly Pavlik dominated Gary Lockett of Britain to retain his WBC and WBO middleweight titles with a third-round stoppage in Atlantic City.

Pavlik rattled Lockett in the first round with two left-right combinations. In the second, a right hand to the temple caused Lockett to stagger backwards and drop to one knee. New York, Reuters

MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2008

Singh does a Faldo to take Austrian Open title Turkish players, from the left, Nihat Kahveci, Sabri Sarýoðlu, Emre Belözoðlu, Tuncay Þanlý in a dejected mood after their 2- 0 defeat to Portugal on Saturday.

Jeev Milkha Singh of India parred all 18 holes of his final round on Sunday to win the Austrian Open by a stroke. A closing 71 for a 15-under 198 threeround total in the weather-shortened event left Singh one shot better than Britain's Simon Wakefield. Singh claimed his third European Tour title in Nick Faldo fashion, copying the six-time major champion's feat of 1987 when Faldo won the British Open at Muirfield by parring all 18 holes of the final round. Wakefield, Singh's nearest challenger overnight, began the final round four off the lead in the tournament reduced to 54 holes because of Thursday's washout. Vienna Reuters

Terim: We wýll rýght the wrongs next týme around For Terim and his team, the defeat by Portugal calls for urgent soul-searching. Strikers Nihat, Tuncay and Mevlüt were lethargic and that’s why the Turks never threatened the Portuguese defense. ‘Are these the best forwards in Turkey?’ pundits are asking

HORSE RACING

Big Brown Triple Crown dreams wilt away

OKAN UDO BASSEY ÝSTANBUL

Big Brown's Triple Crown dreams wilted in the searing heat when 38-1 longshot Da' Tara won the Belmont Stakes in a wire-to-wire shocker Saturday. Bidding to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, Big Brown sat in third for most of the race but had nothing down the stretch and finished last. Da' Tara, who lost to Big Brown by 23 lengths in the Florida Derby, won for just the second time in eight career starts and was the longest shot in the nine-horse field. Ridden by Alan Garcia and trained by Nick Zito, the dark bay won by 5 1/4 lengths over runner-up Denis of Cork. Anak Nakal and Ready's Echo finished in a dead heat for third. Elmont Reuters

Turkey coach Fatih Terim is confident his side will avoid a repeat of their opening match errors when they meet Euro 2008 cohost Switzerland on Wednesday.

“The Swiss match in Basel is obviously very important for us now,” Terim told reporters after his side lost 2-0 to Group A favorite Portugal on Saturday night.

“We will correct our mistakes and play better.

There were times when I liked the way we played tonight but other times when there was obvious room for improvement. We tried to attack and keep the match on an equal footing and I think we achieved that initially,” Terim said. “But the first goal was the turning point,” he added.

TENNIS

Match details Group A favorite Portugal made a winning start by beating Turkey 2-0 in an entertaining match in Geneva.

A fine attacking movement begun by Ronaldo on the left ended with defender Pepe charging forward, exchanging passes with striker Nuno Gomes and racing into the box to scuff the ball past Volkan Demirel for the opening goal at 61 minutes.

The Portuguese wrapped up victory three minutes into injury time when Joao Moutinho bore down on goal before feeding substitute Raul Meireles, who knocked the ball into the net with the helpless Volkan out of his goal.

Ana Ivanovic clinches first Grand Slam crown

Runaway Pedrosa wins Catalan Grand Prix

Turkey's defense looks even more vulnerable after both its central defenders were injured on Saturday.

Central defender Zan exited Saturday's opener in the 55th minute to be replaced by Emre Aþýk due to an injury he picked up while trying to stop Sabrosa near the box.

Gökhan may have saved Turkey a goal, but his injury could prevent him from playing in the remaining group games and maybe even in the latter stages, should Turkey progress.

Servet Çetin was injured early in the first half against Portugal but did not want to be replaced, he said after the game. “I'm not fine. I think it's unlikely for me to play in the match against Switzerland,” Cetin said. “I played despite an injury. I should have not risked myself, but I had to play.”

Gökhan had sustained some serious injuries

Match details Despite having the better of the match, the Swiss fell to an opportunist goal in the 70th minute from Czech substitute Sverkos.

Frei, captain and top scorer, went off with a knee injury just before halftime and came back to the bench later on crutches.

The Swiss were unlucky not to equalize when Tranquillo Barnetta hit the underside of the bar with a fierce shot and even unluckier when they were not awarded a penalty when a Czech player handled in the area. Ýstanbul/Basel Today’s Zaman

Alex Frei

Turkish expatriates in Europe make their team feel at home M.BURAK BÜRKÜK

MOTORCYCLING

Injury woes

Turkish expatriates from across Europe flooded into Geneva on Saturday to support their team in its opening match of the European Championship against Portugal.

Red and white team shirts and national flags bearing the white crescent and star were everywhere, with the colors and emotions brought by the crowds giving the city a party atmosphere that had been lacking in the buildup to the Group A game.

“It's great to see Turks from various parts of Europe,” said 21year-old Merve Koçyiðit, who rode a train from Vienna overnight.

“I saw cars with plates from Germany, France and Ýstanbul. It feels so beautiful to be here with other Turks.”

Kocyigit, who was born and raised in Austria, said Saturday's game was the first one she had ever attended and that it was a precious opportunity to feel at home while so far away from it.

There are close to 3 million Turks in Germany and many others live scattered across Europe, mostly in the Netherlands and France. There is also a small Turkish community in Switzerland.

The expatriate community have not let the players feel too far away from home since they started training in Germany last month and then during the final phase of their preparations here in Switzerland. All three friendly games the team played in

PHOTO

At last, Ana Ivanovic overcame her stage fright. In two previous major finals, Ivanovic was so overwhelmed by the setting, so shaken by the stakes, that her focus fell apart and her shots went awry.

Not on this day. Already assured of rising to No. 1 in the WTA Tour rankings for the first time, Ivanovic collected Grand Slam title No. 1 by beating Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-3 in the French Open final on Saturday. Rather than erasing the memories of those lopsided losses in championship matches against Justine Henin at Roland Garros a year ago and against Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open in January, Ivanovic used the bitterness to help her. “Many, many people ask me, ‘Oh, you want to forget last year's final?' But I don't, because it was a great learning experience,” said Ivanovic, a 20-year-old from Serbia. Paris AP

Fatih Terim

in Turkey this season, and Terim took him out soon after he collected an injury in the second half. He also did not allow Bayern Munich's Hamit Altýntop to complete the game after he recently recovered from a broken foot and is not yet fit enough to complete a high-tempo match.

Forward Semih Senturk came from the bench to replace him late in the second half as Altýntop grew increasingly tired and Turkey badly needed an equalizer. Now with a team awash with injuries, Terim knows his second match against Switzerland is extremely important. “Our second game will be almost a final between the two losing sides. They (Switzerland) also started with an unfortunate loss as the host,” Terim said. “We have two more games. We won't be losing faith and will fight until the end of it.”

For Terim and his team, the defeat by Portugal calls for urgent soul-searching. Strikers Nihat, Tuncay and Mevlüt were lethargic and that’s why the Turks never threatened the Portuguese defense.

“Are these are the best forwards in Turkey?” pundits are asking. Why did Terim prefer Tuncay and Mevlüt over Galatasaray’s Ümit Karan, Sivasspor’s Mehmet Yildiz and even Zenit St. Petersburg’s Fatih Tekke? There appear to be more questions than answers.

“What’s done cannot be undone,” Shakespeare wrote, and so it’s no use crying over spilled milk. Terim has promised his team will fare better against the Swiss and that’s exactly what all the Turks expect of them.

AP

GOLF

Host Switzerland can still reach the knockout stages of Euro 2008 despite the double blow of defeat in their first match and injury to captain Alex Frei, according to coach Koebi Kuhn.

Kuhn said he was proud of the way his Swiss side had performed in an unlucky 1-0 defeat in Group A by Czech Republic in the tournament's opening match in Basel.

“Everything is possible. This game is over, the next game is on Wednesday [against Turkey] and we are not going to give up. To the contrary, we are going to build on what we achieved today,” Kuhn told reporters after Saturday’s match.

“It is going to be important...to forget about this game,” he said. “The probability to win the group certainly has not increased.”Kuhn, whose wife is in hospital after being placed in an artificial coma following a severe epileptic fit, said Switzerland had enough chances to win the game, which the Czechs sealed with a second-half strike

by Vaclav Sverkos.

He pointed out that the Portuguese, who hosted the tournament four years ago, lost their first match and still reached the final.

The 64-year-old -- who will stand down as manager after the tournament -- said the loss of Frei, Switzerland's all-time top scorer, who will play no further part in the co-host's Euro 2008 campaign, was a disaster. But he declined to criticize the referee for a late decision not to award a penalty after Swiss players appealed for a handball by Czech captain Tomasz Ujfalusi. “You can assess the referee's performance on its merits. I do not want to comment on this at all,” he said. “I told my team they can leave this stadium with their heads held high.”

PHOTO

Besides the mounting pressure of a third round in a major championship, LPGA Championship players had to contend with searing heat at Bulle Rock on Saturday. Temperatures approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) and 54 people were treated on course by medical staff, mostly for heat-related illness. Many of the golfers also felt the heat, which continued in Sunday's final round. “It was brutal,” world number two Annika Sorenstam told reporters. “I can't remember the last time I played in this heat. I mean I live in Orlando and it doesn't even feel this hot there.” Sorenstam persevered to post a 68 for a share of third place with world number one Lorena Ochoa at 10-under-par 206, two shots behind leader Lee Jee-young of South Korea.

Maria Hjorth of Sweden was alone in second place, one shot off the pace. Maryland Reuters

Swiss still hopeful despite setback

PHOTO

Searing heat takes toll at LPGA Championship

M.BURAK BÜRKÜK

GOLF

Local favorite Dani Pedrosa streaked away to win the Catalan Moto GP on Sunday for his second victory of the season. The 22-year-old Honda rider got off to a flying start as he passed pole-position holder and world champion Casey Stoner before the first bend.

He set a circuit record on the second lap and never looked back. “It has been a difficult weekend but I started very quickly and was delighted with the race,” Pedrosa told Spanish state television. I have won here at 125 and 250cc categories, and now I have won at MotoGP so am particularly pleased.

Yamaha's Valentino Rossi fought back from ninth on the grid to hold an entertaining duel with Ducati's Stoner for second place. Barcelona Reuters

CM Y K

Germany were played in fully attended stadiums with thousands of Turkish expatriates in the stands. Likewise, lines of fans could be seen outside the field where the team was training in Nyon.

“I drove for five hours to come here from Stuttgart. I came to show my support for the team and for my country,” said Feridun Þentürk, wearing a hat with red and white stripes, a red jacket and red shoes, standing in the center of the main fan zone in Geneva.

“When away from home, we miss the unity we feel here now,” said Senturk's brother-in-law standing next to him.

Small groups of Turkish fans were strolling the streets, fully covered with red and white, the colors of the Turkish national flag.

Another man from Germany had parked his red van just outside one of the main squares in the city. Tüncel Genç said he had bought the 37-year-old vehicle on an online shopping Web site minutes after Turkey qualified for the tournament by beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0 last November. He decorated the inside of it just like a traditional home from Turkish countryside and put flags everywhere. “I was going to do this in the World Cup two years ago if Turkey could join. But it did not happen,” said Genç regretfully. “But we qualified for the European Championship.

And I am here now with my friends.” Ýstanbul/Geneva Today’s Zaman

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08.06.2008

15:27

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Dutch warn fans orange wigs may be fire risk Dutch fans have been warned that some of their favorite orange wigs could be a fire hazard at Euro 2008, the Dutch government has warned. The Dutch Food and Goods Authority concluded after research that about 30 percent of the orange wigs and boas could easily catch fire when near a cigarette or a lighter. Amsterdam, Reuters

AP

WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2008

PHOTO

Group C: Italýan and Dutch teams hampered by ýnjurýes Giorgio Chiellini (R) and Simone Perrotta look at a ball during a training session of the national team.

PHOTO

REUTERS

Italy and Netherlands will be relieved to play for real today after a string of injuries in training upset their Euro 2008 preparations. Dutch winger Arjen Robben will miss their Group C opener against the world champions in Berne because of a groin problem while Ryan Babel is out of the tournament and forward Robin van Persie is struggling for general fitness. The Italians have been almost as unlucky with captain Fabio Cannavaro out of the finals after tearing ankle ligaments the week before last and fellow defender Christian Panucci suffering a knee injury.

However, Panucci, who was not in the squad for the World Cup triumph two years ago, thought he could recover in time. “I really don't want to miss the first game. I think I'll manage to be available and I will do everything to be there,” the 35-year-old told reporters.

Even without the injuries, Italy's starting lineup is far from clear after coach Roberto Donadoni experimented in the 3-1 win over Belgium last month, his only friendly in the fortnight leading up to the tournament.

Dutch coach Marco van Basten has plenty of thinking to do after Robben's injury in Saturday's training. Babel, who could have filled in for Robben, never made it to Austria and Switzerland due to an ankle problem but midfielder Wesley Sneijder has got the all clear after an ankle knock. Striker Van Persie, who had an injury-plagued season for Arsenal, is a big doubt having trained alone for two weeks before joining the squad sessions on Wednesday. Zurich Reuters

French coach Domenech (R) looks at Franck Ribery as he leaves the field before the end of a training session.

French coach wants to avoid fall in lake France launch a new era in tentative fashion when they kick off their Euro 2008 campaign against Romania today. The 2006 World Cup runnerup, facing a daunting task in a tough Group C also featuring Netherlands and world champion Italy, is unsure what to expect from its first major finals in more than a decade without Zinedine Zidane as playmaker.

With the balding maestro now retired France needs to find a new talisman and the right balance between ageing stalwarts and exciting youngsters. There is room for hope with winger Franck Ribery ready to take over Zidane's role and 20-year-old striker Karim Benzema determined to prove himself on the big stage.

But concerns persist after a struggle to qualify, timid performances in warm-up games and the thigh injury sustained by captain Patrick Vieira that will sideline him in Zurich today. “That match will throw us into the tournament or into the lake,” France coach Raymond Domenech told reporters.

The Romanians, who won their qualifying group ahead of Netherlands, have a solid defense well protected by defensive midfielder and captain Cristian Chivu.

Coach Victor Piturca will attempt to catch the French on the counter-attack with proven finisher Adrian Mutu, who has scored 17 goals in his last 20 qualifying matches.

France is likely to take a cautious approach. Zurich Reuters

Group C fixtures Today Zurich 19:00 Romania vs. France Today Berne 21:45 Netherlands vs. Italy June 13 Zurich 19:00 Italy vs. Romania June 13 Berne 21:45 Netherlands vs. France June 17 Zurich 21:45 France vs. Italy June 17 Berne 21:45 Netherlands vs. Romania Note: All times Turkish and all the games will be aired live on atv and Lig TV.

CM Y K