www.todayszaman.com - June 10, 2008

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Kerkenes Daðý, a pioneering archaeological site in Central Anatolia, awaits more visitors

TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2008 WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM YTL 1.50

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Famous authors recount Turkish literature's history

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that the UN should play a key role in Cyprus dispute

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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

page05 Önder Sav’s remarks cause rift in CHP

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AK Party urges Parlýament to take up challenge

NEWS ANALYSIS

By Abdullah Bozkurt TODAY’S ZAMAN While household debt in Turkey has increased dramatically in the last couple of years, the ratio of debt to total disposable income is still in the low figures, the latest data show.

According to the Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO), debt shot up to 29.5 percent of total income last year, from 7.5 percent in 2003. In most Western countries, however, households are facing worse challenges than those in Turkey, with the number of bankruptcies in Western countries skyrocketing. In Canada for example, many aren't keeping their heads above water, with total household debt at a record $1.1 trillion and consumers owing 124 percent of their real disposable income. In the US, the figure is equally worrisome: With consumer credit reaching $2.56 trillion in April, US household debt ballooned to 136 percent of disposable income last year, according to the Federal Reserve. CONTINUED ON PAGE 07

Erdoðan is to choose among tough options ranging from inaction to defying the court ruling on the headscarf. Some of his deputies say Parliament should declare the ruling a seizure of its powers by the judiciary and block the verdict's implementation the moment and suggested that the government expected the parliamentary speaker to first stand against the breach of Parliament's authority by the judiciary.

"There has been an intervention into the authority of Parliament here. Parliament's area of responsibility has been narrowed," he said, noting that even critics of the AK Party had admitted as much. "Before considering the senate idea, we first need to address the broader questions regarding Turkey's democracy posed by the ruling."

Erdoðan has so far been reluctant to comment on the top court's verdict, which said last week that amendments to a couple of constitutional articles to allow women to wear a headscarf at universities -- passed by 411 votes in the 550-seat Parliament -- were null and void because they contradict the secular characteristic of the state. The ruling sent shockwaves through Turkish politics not because the court disagreed with the ruling and opposition parties who voted for the amendments, but because it ruled on the substance of a constitutional amendment despite clear constitutional provisions stating that it can review such amendments only on procedural grounds. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

ARMAMENT

GLOBAL WEAPONS SPENDING UP DESPITE TALKS

High gas prices fuel driver protests worldwide

TOPTAN BAFFLED BY CRITICISM OF SENATE PROPOSAL Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan, who on Saturday proposed a bicameral legislature for Turkey as a way to fend off future political crises caused by high judiciary decisions, said yesterday that he did not understand why he was being "punched from all over" for stating his opinion. The Constitutional Court last week overturned a constitutional amendment that would have ended a ban on the Muslim headscarf at universities, a move that sparked protest from many politicians, including Toptan, who said the judges had exceeded the bounds of their authority. CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has told the visiting Iraqi prime minister that the US military presence is the main cause of Iraq's problems, making clear his opposition to a US-Iraqi security pact.

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Khamenei says US presence in Iraq is main problem

Spanish truck drivers smashed windshields and Portuguese truckers blocked roads on Monday as protests over rocketing global fuel prices spread across Europe. In France, truckers stopped trucks from entering Spain in the border town of Perthus and 200 trucks slowed traffic into Bordeaux to demand the government allow truckers to buy diesel at a discounted price. Demonstrations and strikes across Asia have already forced fast-growing countries such as India, Malaysia and Indonesia to raise fuel subsidies to ease the pain of high prices. SEE STORIES ON PAGE 06

Kurdish group takes anti-PKK operations to European court

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A London-based Kurdish group has filed a lawsuit against Turkey at the European Court of Human Rights, claiming that its strikes against the outlawed PKK in northern Iraq caused deaths and material damage in the Kurdish-run region.

Featuring news and articles from

rallies

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan will take the floor today in Parliament for a critical address expected to reveal his party's plans on how to resolve a systemic crisis besetting Turkey since the Constitutional Court threw out a set of amendments passed in Parliament to ease a ban on wearing headscarves at universities.

Though his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has declined to announce a strategy, party officials are increasingly demanding that Parliament take action because the court ruling is an intervention into Parliament's realm of authority.

"This is not a problem of the AK Party alone; it is a question of the principle of the separation of powers," said government spokesman Cemil Çiçek after a Cabinet meeting. "Do we still have a separation of powers? This has to be clarified. Where is Turkey's democracy going? What is the standard of democracy? These are the first questions we need to address," he said. Çiçek said a proposal from Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan to create a senate was not on the government's agenda at

HOUSEHOLD DEBTS RISE, BUT NOT A MAJOR CONCERN

Lawyers, activists kick off protests against Musharraf Thousands of Pakistani activists and lawyers gathered in major cities on Monday to kick off a series of protests aimed at pressuring the new government to restore judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf.

Global weapons spending continued to grow last year, but there are increased hopes for arms control talks, with much depending on the US, the world's largest arms spender, a Swedish think tank said Monday.

In its annual report, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said the start of serious discussions on arms control and disarmament will happen in the next 12 months because of "a broadening consensus ... that more serious and effective arms control and disarmament measures" need to be implemented. CONTINUED ON PAGE 08

BUSINESS

TÜRK TELEKOM REVENUES UP 13 PCT Turkey's telecommunication giant, Türk Telekom, announced its 2008 first quarter results for the first time as a publicly traded company yesterday, showing a 13 percent increase over the same period of 2007.

Commenting on the results Türk Telekom CEO Paul Doany said, "We are continuing with our efforts to improve our company under this additional responsibility we have recently undertaken as one of the leading listed companies on the Ýstanbul Stock Exchange." Shares in Türk Telekom have been listed on the Ýstanbul Stock Exchange since May 7. CONTINUED ON PAGE 07

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F OOD FOR THOUGHT

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Q UOTE OF THE DAY

I endorse him [Barack Obama] and I will throw my full support behind him. We will make history together.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

CROSS READER

Would reýnstatýng a býcameral system prove useful ýn Turkey?

A proposal by Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan to establish a senate in addition to Parliament to lighten the workload of the Constitutional Court has raised questions over whether a bicameral structure would prove useful for Turkey. Many interpret Toptan's proposal as an attempt to prevent the top court from overstepping its authority, especially after its move last week to annul a package of constitutional amendments that would lift the country's long-standing headscarf ban on university campuses.

Sabah's Hasan Bülent Kahraman mentions a period in Turkey's past when it had a double-Parliament structure.

"Turkey's previous bicameral system was established by the Constitution of 1961 and it was abolished by the Constitution of 1982. The senate was a control mechanism [over Parliament]," he says. Kahraman, emphasizing that members of the senate would include some elected by the people and others appointed by the president, notes that the senate of the past differed in various ways from Parliament.

"For example, though it is sufficient to be literate for a person to be elected to Parliament, one was required to have graduated from an institution of higher education to be elected to the senate," he states. Kahraman also argues that Toptan's proposal to establish an upper house of parliament brings under the spotlight the problem of controlling Turkey's liberal parliamentary system. "Turkey's previous bicameral system was established as a control mechanism.

We have not debated sufficiently how a parliamentary system should be controlled [since the abolition of the senate]. It is no use turning a blind eye to our problems; we should resume discussions on what control of democratic legislative and executive bodies means," he remarks.

Yeni Þafak's Kürþat Bumin points out the timing of Toptan's two-chamber parliamentary system proposal; he says this proposal came at a surprising time, when the country is going through a turbulent period. "Toptan has stated that he favors reinstating Turkey's bicameral structure as it will lighten the workload of the Constitutional Court, and in this way, it will not be the focus of such frequent debates," he notes. He also says he cannot figure out why certain columnists are so eager to support Toptan's idea of establishing an upper house. "Some columnists argue that a healthy bicameral structure will reinforce the democratic structure in Turkey. They say we will come to realize that we need to implement Toptan's proposal in the days ahead. In short, the idea of reinstating a two-chamber parliamentary system has already excited some of our columnists," he concludes.

Radikal's Murat Yetkin, on the other hand, says a strong and healthy senate would strengthen Turkey's democratic structure. "The idea of establishing an upper house has been debated by politicians and intellectuals for some time. Toptan was the first politician to give voice to this proposal, and in my opinion, the parliament speaker is in the appropriate position to make such proposals. We may debate whether it is the right time to discuss such proposals or how such a proposal could be implemented at a time when the Constitutional Court is dealing with a closure case filed against the ruling Justice and Development Party [AK Party]. But, I believe restoring the bicameral structure will reinforce democracy in our country. It will prevent an excessive workload from burdening the Constitutional Court," notes Yetkin. He also argues that the Law on Political Parties and the Election Law should be revamped for better functioning of the senate. "Those who claim that the senate will slow down the passage of laws should realize how much time and energy the current parliamentary system loses [in passing bills]. For me, Toptan's proposal is worth being taken into consideration," he remarks.

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PRESS REVIEW

W ORDS OF WISDOM

The AK Party supports secularism and also believes that secularism is about religious freedoms.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan

Nothing is impossible.

Some things are just less likely than others.

Jonathan Winters

press roundup AA

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Guardians of secularism NAZLI ILICAK, SABAH The Constitutional Court has extended the scope of its authority since the 1970s. Constitutional amendments made to prevent the top court from overstepping its authority have so far not proved effective. When the 1961 Constitution was to be replaced with a new one in 1982, a clause that the top court can examine only procedural flaws in constitutional amendments was included in the constitution. Despite this, the Constitutional Court have at various time violated this principle and decided to examine constitutional amendments based on content. What we need to do now is to change the structure of certain institutions that define themselves as "the guardians of secularism" with a comprehensive amendment of the constitution.

Currently an overwhelming majority of the society favors advocating the secular republic. Yet some consider allowing covered girls to receive higher education an anti-secular act. Some others, on the other hand, think it is a necessity of the freedom of religion and conscience.

Legitimacy and a crisis of representation YUSUF KAPLAN, YENÝ ÞAFAK Turkey's most pressing problem is not the failure to recognize the basic rights and freedoms of certain factions and minorities; the most pressing problem is actually the failure to recognize the rights and the existence of the social majority that makes up the backbone of the nation. And in a country where the national backbone is being crushed, there is of course no way to prevent a situation where certain minorities possess incredible amounts of power, while other minorities are subjected to strange forms of pressure.

In other words, it is completely clear that there is something very abnormal going on here. The most incomprehensible abnormality at hand is the fact that the very forces that represent the political, economic, cultural and intellectual aspects of the nation's majority have had their rights to dialogue and determination very nearly completely stolen away from them or simply eliminated.

The Bicycle Riders' Association organized a bicycle tour on Sunday between Ýstanbul's Taksim and Harem areas to mark World Environment Day. Minister of Environment and Forestry Veysel Eroðlu rode a bicycle from Taksim to the Bosporus Bridge.

zaman:

Hannes Swoboda, the vice chairman of the socialist group in the European Parliament, was quoted by the Zaman daily yesterday as saying, "A country where the public's votes are ignored cannot be a member of the EU," referring to the annulment of a package of constitutional amendments by Turkey's top court that would have lifted the country's decadesold headscarf ban on university campuses. The Constitutional Court should, of course, look into the anti-constitutional character of laws, but it should not do so in a way that impedes the will of the people, Swoboda said, adding: "At a time when there is a closure case against the AK Party [Justice and Development Party], there is always the danger that people can imagine that this ruling is a precedent for the next verdict."

radikal:

"Here is Radikal's call: Real democracy, right now!" read the headline of the daily's top story yesterday, in which Radikal called for real, functioning democracy to get rid of the current atmosphere of crisis in society. "Real democracy is the name of a regime that is resistant to coups d'état. It advocates secularism and the rule of law. It guards ethnic and political identities and religious and philosophical views. It is based on respect for human rights and advocates equality of all citizens before the law. It is based on the sovereignty

of the nation and aims to restore a transparent and accountable system," the article argued.

star:

"Holiday of death at shipyards," read Star's lead headline yesterday, referring to a paid day off granted to workers at shipyards in Ýstanbul's Tuzla district after another worker was killed in a work-related accident at one of these shipyards. The workers were given a day off to keep them from staging demonstrations against the death of their coworker. The area's shipyards have recently been the focus of criticism in the wake of a rash of fatal accidents linked to unsafe working conditions. Fourteen workers have been killed in work-related accidents in the last six months in these notorious shipyards.

taraf:

An entity established by a former military general prepared a report for former President Ahmet Necdet Sezer to help him decide which university rector candidates he should appoint two years ago, according to the Taraf daily's top story.

Called the Republican Work Group (CÇG), the organization penned a report in which rector candidates were evaluated in terms of their views on the ban against women wearing the Muslim headscarf on university campuses. The candidates who advocated freedom for covered women in universities were not recommended as university rectors by the organization.

BBC News

Reuters

Turkish jets hit PKK target in N. Iraq why such air strikes are useless because they do not have any effect on us," PKK spokesman Ahmad Danas told The Associated Press. The PKK, which is seeking autonomy for Kurds in southeastern Turkey, is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and EU. More than 30,000 people have been killed since the group began its armed campaign in 1984. Turkey has accused Iraq of failing to stop the terrorists using its territory as a safe haven.

Call to mobilization ÞAMÝL TAYYAR, STAR Sabih Kanadoðlu, former chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals, said this at a panel held on Feb. 18 at Ankara's Baþkent University: "The administration is carrying the country toward a religious autocracy. The justice system needs to be used as a weapon against this. The justice system is the most effective weapon available in the protection of secularity." Þener Eruygurdu, who has still not accounted for his own past coup role, commented: "I agree with these words of yours completely." As for former Foreign Minister Mümtaz Soysal, here's what he said: "We will hit these people, and rightly so, and in the end, we will win. A giant attack will begin. There should be an announcement of our mobilization." In the meantime, the most serious support for these factions creating policies that use military terms, such as "weapons," "attack" and "mobilization," has come from the Constitutional Court. The court has subsequently violated the Turkish Constitution and announced a decision that annuls constitutional changes that would have guaranteed freedom in the Turkish higher educational system.

A democratic call for sobriety MEHMET METÝNER, BUGÜN

turkey ýn the foreýgn press

Turkish warplanes have bombed a Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) target in northern Iraq, the Turkish military says. A statement on the military's Web site said jets hit a PKK target "effectively" in the Zap region on Saturday night. A PKK spokesman said the strike hit empty bases, causing no casualties. Turkey has launched a number of attacks against outlawed PKK bases in recent months, several of them across the border in Iraq.

"The fighters do not have fixed bases. That is

columns

Turkish lira falls 1.2 pct on politics, global markets Turkey's lira fell 1.2 percent and bond yields rose to a new 17-month high on Monday, hurt by weak global markets and political uncertainty at home over a court case aimed at closing down the ruling party. At 0730 GMT the lira traded at 1.2500 against the dollar, compared to an interbank close of 1.2345 on Friday. The yield on the Jan. 13, 2010 benchmark bond traded at 21.19 percent, compared to levels around 20.58 percent on Friday. Asian stocks fell on Monday, and

CM Y K

European markets also opened lower. "We expect the outflows to continue because of political instability," said Omer Unveren, a trader at Finansbank, adding that he saw the lira trading in the 1.24-1.26 range on Monday.

Last week Turkey's top court overturned a government-led reform to allow students to wear the Muslim headscarf at university, a move analysts said increased the chances that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will be banned for Islamist activities in a separate case.

As Constitutional Court President Haþým Kýlýç has noted already, the decision by the top court to annul the lifting of the ban against headscarves in Turkish universities has been an unpleasant and sad subject for some factions of society, while other factions are overjoyed. But the fact that certain factions of Turkish society are so filled with feelings of desire for revenge against other factions truly does not bode well for our social unity. It is as though we are all spectators at a gladiator match, looking on as the fighters in the center of the arena face off, while we, the spectators, shout back and forth "secularity!" "religion!" But, as President Abdullah Gül has already commented, religion and secularity -- or even religion and democracy -- don't contradict each other. Of course, this whole situation depends on what perspective you have on this all. If you view things from a totalitarian-ideological perspective, your understandings of religion and secularity stand against each other like enemies.

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ÝSTANBUL ANKARA ÝZMÝR ANTALYA ADANA ERZURUM EDÝRNE TRABZON KAYSERÝ

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KONYA ÇANAKKALE DÝYARBAKIR SAMSUN BURSA GAZÝANTEP ESKÝÞEHÝR MALATYA KOCAELÝ

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Wýth Ankara ýn a mess, we need Turks abroad to do more PHOTO

Turkey is passing through a fateful crossroads in her history. This is a painful voyage and at times we are losing our temper. The Constitutional Court is indeed overstepping its constitutional limits, but it also is filling a gap that needed to be filled. I would personally prefer other means --an elected body maybe -- but the fact that no government did anything to fill that gap is not the fault of the Constitutional Court.

The discussion in Ankara is painful, but it is also healthy. We will indeed lose some time; but hopefully we will gain a lot in the way of consolidation of democracy and separation of powers. This is an illness to be cured, and the medicine is bitter; but the complaint should be about the illness, not about the medicine.

Troubled at home, troubled in the world! Having lost the free space for politics in Ankara, the government, understandably, looked for room to maneuver abroad. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan's heavy schedule was tiring for journalists. We even had this optimism that the frozen EU reforms would be revived and the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) would re-launch its project for a new constitution. But in the end, what the government asked from the Westerners turned out to be "support for the AK Party in the name of support for Turkish democracy."

That is fine, but as the battleground was widened to include Western capitals, the "closure-ists" looked for ears in those capitals, too, and found several.

This is so shameful: The ulusalcýs (ultra-nationalists), who demonized the AK Party as the protégée of the Americans, are now asking Americans to overthrow the AK Party! Those who once produced conspiracy theories claiming that the Turkish governments are first selected in Washington and then "elected" in Turkey are now asking for "unnatural de-selection."

That is shameful on the part of the perpetrators, but it is also harmful for the image of Turkey. The Turkish economy is already highly dependent on the flow of foreign investments and low long-term interest loans. Turkish foreign policy is formulated with a West-bound (not bound by the West) orientation and the membership bid for the EU is the engine of not only the political and economic reforms in Turkey, but also its global strategic mobility. Image deterioration is detrimental for all these "indispensables."

Kyrgyz people, who settled in Van, celebrated a festival to pass their traditions on to future generations.

Festival helps Kyrgyz people pass traditions to next generations A festival held every June in the Ulupamir village of eastern Van's Erciþ district helps Turkey's Kyrgyz residents pass their traditions on to future generations.

Kyrgyz people, who settled in Van's Ulupamir district after migrating from Afghanistan's Pamir Plateau in 1982, are trying to hold on to their traditions with a festival they hold every June. The seventh Pamir Festival was held on Sunday and was attended by Van Governor Özdemir Çakacak. Çakacak, who attended the festival with his wife, Kevser, said the festival is of great importance for Kyrgyz people living in Turkey as it helps them preserve their cultural values and pass them on to further generations. "Turks headed for different regions around the world after they left their homeland of Central Asia. Peace, fraternity and solidarity have reigned in our country since Turks first entered Anatolia in 1071," he noted. Çakacak, stating that there have always been people who attempted to distort the atmosphere of

peace in Turkey, said they have not been successful.

"The Turkish people will never let these people achieve their objectives. We have lived in this land in peace and fraternity for centuries. Such festivals are great opportunities to show the sense of unity and fraternity prevailing in our beautiful country," he added.

Pamir Culture and Solidarity Foundation President Kasýmbek Varol also said Turkish society will never allow the country's unity to be damaged.

"As Mustafa Kemal Atatürk [the founder of the Turkish Republic] said, our objective is to reach the level of higher civilizations. We will do our best to this end," he noted.

The festival was attended by thousands of citizens as well as Kyrgyz Consul General in Ýstanbul Ruslan Kazakbaev, Van Police Chief Salih Kesmez, Ercis district governor Ferhat Kurtoðlu, Doðubeyazýt district governor Cemalettin Demircioðlu, Patnos district governor Tuncay Dursun and Erciþ Chief Public Prosecutor Bestami Tezcan. Van Today's Zaman

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The president of a labor union announced on Monday that workers at shipyards in Ýstanbul's Tuzla district will stage a one-day strike in an attempt to prevent further fatalities at the facility. Harbor, Shipyard and Ship Construction and Repair Workers' Union (Limter-Ýþ) President Cem Dinç said yesterday during a speech that workers at the shipyards will go on strike on June 16 to draw attention to unsafe working conditions at the shipyards and to prevent further work-related accidents there. He was speaking at a protest held by shipyard workers following the death of another worker in a work-related accident in one of Tuzla shipyards.

Worker Ýhsan Turhan, 35, was the latest victim of a work-related accident at the shipyards. He died early Sunday after being crushed by a steel plate weighing hundreds of kilograms. Turhan was rushed to a nearby hospital but physicians were unable to resuscitate him.

"Workers at shipyards will go on strike for the first time. Our workers even work on Sundays, though they should take at least one day off per week," said Dinç.

He also expressed sorrow over Turhan's death, saying: "If regulations had been properly implemented, Turhan would be alive now. We have decided to go on strike on June 16 to prevent more deaths at the shipyards," added Dinç. The number of fatalities from work-related accidents at the Tuzla

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Workers at notorious Tuzla shipyards to go on strike

Workers at Tuzla shipyards will go on strike on June 16 to draw attention to unsafe working conditions. shipyards has exceeded 20 in just the past eight months. More than 50 fatal accidents have occurred in the last seven years, largely due to electrical shocks and falls from platforms. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

CM Y K

KERÝM BALCI k.balci@todayszaman.com

The Turks have this beautiful proverb: "The arm is broken, but it is kept within the sleeves." I learned an even more radical one lately: "Don't criticize me in front of the foreigners; take me to an isolated place and kill me there!" This is the Turkish sense of honor about their private issues and these private issues are being disclosed these days.

I am not arguing that Turkey shouldn't have let the Europeans "intervene" in its domestic politics. That is, as I wrote recently, inescapable under the international agreements we signed with the EU. But the fact that both the AK Party lobbyists and their ulusalcý antagonists are exposing Ankara's political pandemonium is not helping Turkey at all.

Not all foreign diplomats and politicians are able to understand that this is an internal crisis Turkey can and will pass through anyhow. That is the bitter medicine we needed to take to mature our democracy and extract from a merely electoral democracy a culture of democracy.

We need our Turkish and Turkey-loving friends in Western capitals to tell their contacts that Turkey will come out of this "necessary evil" more powerful and peaceful. They may be critical of the AK Party, but they can still advocate the AK Party's right to exist. Let me give you an example. Zeyno Baran, an influential Turk in Washington, penned "A Muslim Manifesto Against Violence and Tyranny in the Name of Islam" together with Mustafa Akyol, a columnist and young intellectual, in which they claimed that religiously observant people can also be secular. Though I have criticized some of Baran's activities in the past, I have to appreciate the wisdom she and Akyol showed in this case. The synthesis of a Muslim nation with a secular government is the image Turkey is trying to "market" in the West and the East and that is the kind of lobbying Turkey expects from her sons and daughters abroad.

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Kurdish group takes anti-PKK operations to European court A London-based Kurdish group has filed a lawsuit against Turkey at the European Court of Human Rights, claiming that its aerial strikes against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq caused deaths and material damage in the Kurdish-run region.

Britain's Guardian newspaper said the legal claims have been brought by the Kurdish Human Rights Project (KHRP) on behalf of Muslim and Chaldean Christian villagers who say they lost their homes during Turkish air raids last October and December. The Turkish military has launched several aerial strikes against the PKK targets in northern Iraq since December and there was a major ground offensive in February, the largest in a decade. Cross-border operations are also occasionally backed by shelling across the border. The military did not confirm

any cross-border attacks before December.

Ankara says the operations strictly target the PKK, designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

There have been no credible reports of civilian casualties from the cross-border attacks thus far.

But the KHRP claims that Turkish attacks have caused deaths. Kerim Yýldýz, the organization's director, told the Guardian that their allegations are based on a fact-finding mission to the area this spring. "We have been told that Turkish shelling and bombing caused civilian deaths and injuries, and damage to livelihood, farmland and property," he said. "In Iraq I witnessed some of these atrocities and also saw that civilians have been traumatized [and] ... displaced. The military operations have compromised the human rights of Iraqi civilians," he told the Guardian.

A Turkish embassy spokesman in London, however, disputed the claims. "To my knowledge there were no civilian casualties [in northern Iraq]. But there were some civilians who complained that they had lost livestock," the spokesman told the newspaper.

According to the Guardian, the case against Turkey will test the limits of the court's jurisdiction, although it has a precedent. A 1995 case, also brought by the KHRP, resulted in the Strasbourg court establishing the principle that Council of Europe states could be held accountable for human rights abuses committed beyond their borders -- even outside of Europe. The KHRP failed on that occasion, however, to prove that Turkish soldiers had killed seven shepherds found dead in northern Iraq.

Turkish Land Forces Commander Gen. Ýlker

Baþbuð said last week that Turkey was coordinating with Iran in some of the cross-border attacks -- the first official confirmation of such cooperation -- particularly when the operations take place in areas close to the Iran-Iraq border.

The United States also cooperates with Turkey in the cross-border operations by providing intelligence about the PKK in northern Iraq and air space clearance for the Turkish jet fighters taking part in assaults. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, speaking after talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week in Washington, reiterated that Ankara and Washington were in close coordination against the PKK threat. Rice, for her part, reiterated that the PKK "is an enemy of Iraq; it's an enemy of the United States, it's an enemy of Turkey; it's an enemy of the region." Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

The president of the Turkish Red Crescent has said humanitarian aid organizations should continue to provide aid to those afflicted and should also do more than is expected of such organizations.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (ICRC) of Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) member states will gather today for their Second Consultation Meeting at Ýstanbul's Grand Cevahir Hotel.

The Islamic Committee of the International Crescent (ICIC), the international aid organization of the OIC, is cosponsoring the Ýstanbul meeting in cooperation with the Turkish Red Crescent. ICIC Vice President Ömer Taþlý spoke with Today's Zaman and said: "We train people to deal with natural disasters and teach them what precautions they should take before and during these disasters. But who will prepare these people to deal with wars?"

Noting that wars are a reality in today's world, Taþlý, who is also the president of the Turkish Red Crescent, said: "The world is full of conflicts and wars. Who is to help the civilians caught in these wars? How will they protect themselves from the effects of war? If you claim that civilians can be protected by international law and by the current system, this thesis has been proven false in Iraq, Palestine, Azerbaijan and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the early 1990s."

Saying that the current situation of the world's aid organizations is not strong enough to end the suffering of innocent civilians, Taþlý state that the ICIC plans to start a new initiative and try a new approach. "We decided to use the motto 'Time to talk differently,' thinking that we want to take a different approach and do something that has never been done before. We wanted to go beyond the ordinary. Although universal values have already been well defined and elaborated, and although civil society organizations, the United Nations, the ICRC and everyone else have gotten together, none have managed to prevent the loss of 600,000 civilians in Iraq."

Considering the world's human tragedies, something must be wrong, Taþlý said. "We need to identify our mistakes and fix them.

Had our mistakes been resolved using what is at our disposal today, we would not be observ-

ing the tragedies unfolding in Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan. It appears that there is something missing in the United Nations, in international law and in our understanding of human rights; we want to contribute to humanity by addressing this problem."

Saying something new is not enough, the ICIC vice president said: "We need to get rid of our prejudices first. We need to unlearn what we have learned." Taþlý cited some countries' hesitation to participate in the meeting as an example of prejudice, adding that the first step to ameliorating the situation is to speak up. "We have already begun our struggle by organizing this meeting here in Ýstanbul."

Topics on the agenda include the strategic direction of the ICIC, international disaster response law, and humanitarian values and international humanitarian law (IHL). Emphasizing the role of the Turkish Red Crescent, Taþlý said: "The Turkish Red Crescent has taken an active role in the ICIC, especially in the last five years. We have said what no one else has dared to.

The Turkish Red Crescent harbors no prejudice; it does not fear telling the truth."

The ICIC, Taþlý says, wants to note that even though the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia is accepted as the 21st century's biggest disaster, killing 350,000 people, 600,000 Iraqis have been killed by a man-made disaster.

"Which, then, is the 21st century's biggest disaster? We want everyone to discuss this."

The ICIC vice president said some have accused him of taking a political stance.

"We have never been interested in politics.

Rather, this prejudice stems from people labeling words they like as being apolitical and words they don't like as being political.

This, however, is not the reality. Everyone should be considered equal. We ask everyone to empathize with the people they help. None of our demands are political."

International humanitarian aid organizations should take a larger initiative to solve and prevent human tragedies on earth, Taþlý said and added, "If you do not take action, fearing it will be political, you'll end up doing nothing."

Criticizing the current understanding of humanitarian aid, Taþlý said: "We should be proactive in the face of disasters.

Trying to prevent the source of people's agonies in addition to ending the agony itself, caused by both natural and manmade disasters, is not a political stance."

PHOTO

ÝSMAÝL KOCABIYIK ÝSTANBUL

ÝSA ÞÝMÞEK

‘Aýd organýzatýons should do much more worldwýde’

ICIC Vice President Ömer Taþlý says aid organizations should train people to deal with natural disasters, instructing them on what measures they should take before and during these events.

Moscow says UN should be central address for Cyprus resolution FARUK AKKAN MOSCOW

Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that the UN should play a key role in a settlement of the Cyprus dispute.

"Russia welcomes the dialogue that has resumed between the sides and will actively support efforts aimed at its development and successful completion," the Russian minister said yesterday at a joint press conference with visiting Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou, adding that the central role in the Cyprus problem settlement should belong to the UN. Lavrov also said Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias would visit Russia in the second half of the year. Russia, traditionally an

ally of the Greek Cypriots, has long been blocking a resolution drafted by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that criticizes the Greek Cypriots for their rejection of a UN reunification plan in 2004 and calls for international efforts to ease isolation of the Turkish Cypriots.

Former president and current Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin raised eyebrows in February by scolding Europe for having double standards on Turkish Cyprus and Kosovo.

Putin had said it was shameful for Europe to recognize Kosovo but not the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), which declared its independence in the early 1980s. Back in April, a senior Russian official met with Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat and expressed op-

timism that new efforts to revitalize reunification efforts after a failure in 2004 will pay off.

Contacts between Russia and the Turkish Cypriots are rare. The April visit by Vladimir Titov, deputy undersecretary of the Russian Foreign Ministry, was at the time interpreted as a sign of Russian willingness to become involved in a new process to restart reunification talks. Lavrov and Kyprianou, meanwhile, also reiterated their governments' shared stance concerning unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo, which is internationally backed, including by Turkey.

Kosovo's independence has failed to promote stability in the region, Lavrov said. "Russia and Cyprus have a common vision of the situation surrounding Kosovo. Independence unilat-

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erally proclaimed by the Serbian province has failed to improve stability in the region," he noted.

For his part, Kyprianou said his Greek Cypriot government would not recognize Kosovo, saying that the decision on Kosovo "should be reached within the UN framework and with Serbia's direct participation."

In an interview with a Russian magazine, Kyprianou was earlier asked whether the Cyprus issue and the Kosovo question could be compared. "Each case has its own particularities, and comparing such matters is a simplified approach, which could lead down dangerous lanes," the Greek Cypriot minister was quoted as saying in response by English-language Greek Cypriot online daily Financial Mirror.

NATIONAL

LALE SARIÝBRAHÝMOÐLU loglu@todayszaman.com

Gendarmerýe: tool for mýlýtary to manýpulate cýtýzens A fresh report leaked to the press has brought into the spotlight yet another military activity to manipulate politics through the Gendarmerie General Command (JGK), a paramilitary force controlled by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) although in theory subordinate to the Interior Ministry.

Turkey's Taraf daily reported on June 7 the existence of a group set up in 2002 following the abolition of the so-called Western Work Group, which had been involved in activities within different segments of society, ultimately leading to the overthrow of the coalition government in 1997 over its alleged plan to infringe upon the country's secular character. According to the Taraf report, the Republican Work Group (CÇG) was set up within the JGK, replacing the Western Work Group, following the election of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in the November 2002 elections.

The new group, established by former JGK commander retired Gen. Þener Eruygur, who currently heads the Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD) -- which was behind the so-called republican rallies of last year to undermine the AK Party -- has been involved in activities to influence politics and the social atmosphere in Turkey.

Eruygur was appointed JGK commander in 2002, the year the AK Party entered office.

Not surprisingly, the group's goal has been to overthrow the government that the secular establishment perceived as a threat to the secular order of the nation, utilizing the judiciary and academics as well as other segments of society.

The Taraf daily cited its source as an unnamed military officer who provided a CD on which information about the CÇG is stored in slide shows and text documents.

Eruygur's name was also implicated in a failed coup attempt called "Ayýþýðý," according to the alleged diaries of former Naval Forces Commander retired Adm. Özden Örnek, published in the now-closed Nokta newsweekly.

The Taraf daily continued its report on June 8, noting that university rectors as well as NGOs have been among those working in cooperation with the CÇG. The CÇG, according to information on the CD, has no legal standing and is not shown as being a part of the TSK's official organizational structure.

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 affiliations, Taraf said.

The latest Taraf report has once again underlined for us the military's ongoing activities, usually using the gendarmerie as a tool, to influence and monitor the public. This activity bears the potential to further destabilize the political atmosphere, as has been the case with the recent court decision on headscarves.

There has been a deep belief in Turkish society that behind last week's Constitutional Court ruling that a legal change allowing women attending universities to wear headscarves was unconstitutional was a campaign led by the military-led secular establishment.

The change, proposed by the AK Party in cooperation with the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and passed by Parliament in February, was turned down on the grounds that it violated the principles of secularism enshrined in Turkey's Constitution.

What has been striking, among other things, is the military's use of the JGK in its campaign to influence citizens from every walk of life with the aim of maintaining its power within the political system.

This is despite the fact that the JGK's area of jurisdiction and responsibilities far exceed those of its duties as defined by law.

Theoretically, as far as security, public order services and duties are concerned, the JGK is a military security force operating by all appearances subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in times of peace, and under the command of the Land Forces as part of the TSK in times of war.

In practice, however, the JGK is a TSK component operating under the command of the General Staff, as confirmed by its duties in the armed forces, organizational precepts, budget, system of promotion, and personnel training and education.

The fight against domestic threats, as posited by the Constitution, aims at maintaining the order of the state, its democratic and secular nature and its integrity. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, whereas defense against external threats falls under the responsibility of the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense.

However the TSK also intervenes in matters of domestic security, using the gendarmerie as stipulated by a number of laws and internal memos.* *Lale Sarýibrahimoðlu, "Almanac Turkey 2005, Security Sector and Democratic Oversight," published by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) and DCAF.

Israeli officials: Israel, Syria talks set to resume Indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria are scheduled to resume this week in Turkey, Israeli officials said on Monday. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel favored moving to direct talks but it was unclear when that would happen. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faces a growing corruption investigation that could force him from office. "We expect the Israeli team to be in Turkey shortly," said Olmert spokesperson Mark Regev. Regev declined to give a specific date, but senior Israeli officials said the talks were scheduled to resume this week. Regev declined to comment on any timeline for starting direct talks between the Israeli and Syrian delegations, but he said, "When talks move to direct talks, that would be a sign of significant progress." Syrian and Turkish officials had no immediate comment. Israel and Syria said last month they had launched indirect peace talks mediated by Turkish officials, the first negotiations between the two sides in eight years.

Syria wants the full return of the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. Jerusalem Reuters

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Top court’s decision result of its fear, academics say A Constitutional Court decision last week that many say has inflicted significant damage to Turkey’s parliamentary democracy is the result of the court’s own insecurities, said Professor Baskýn Oran, a political scientist who ran as an independent social democrat candidate in the last elections, during a panel discussion on Sunday.

In addition to Oran, human rights group Mazlum-Der President Ayhan Bilgen, Democratic Society Party (DTP) deputy Hasip Kaplan, Revolutionary Socialist Workers’ Party (DSÝP) deader Doðan Tarkan, former Welfare Party (RP) deputy Mehmet Bekaroðlu and Turgay Oður, a spokesperson for the Young Civilians (a civil society movement against military intervention in politics), participated in the panel discussion, titled “Coups Forbidden in Democratic Zone” and organized in Ankara on

Sunday by the Young Civilians.

Last week, the top court overturned a constitutional amendment that would have ended a ban on the Muslim headscarf at universities, a move that some have taken to mean the court is positioning itself above Parliament as a legislative organ. Commentary and reactions have varied since the ruling was issued, with academics and politicians continuing to search for a way out of the current crisis.

Oran said during Sunday’s discussion the court decision to annul the headscarf freedom amendment was made out of fear of losing its status. “The court’s decision is an indicator that the military cannot stage coups in Turkey anymore,” he said.

Bilgen said a coup d’état in Turkey did not count as an extraordinary or exceptional situation, stating his belief that democracy was only a

theater play in Turkey. He said that as long as Turkey lacked an influential opposition and the current legislation on political parties remained in place, political actors would continue to stage this play. He said a firm stance showing one’s support of and commitment to 100 percent civilian politics, with no military intervention whatever the country’s circumstances, was the only formula capable of preventing military interference in Turkish politics, adding that no improvement could possibly be made otherwise.

Kaplan said in his speech that all segments of the society, includýng the right and left-wing groups, had suffered from military takeovers.

Kaplan said countries including Greece, Spain and Portugal had tried the individuals responsible for coups or junta movements once civilian governments took power, adding: “These countries

changed their laws. But Turkey is still being ruled by the Constitution made after the Sept. 12 coup.”

He said the last act of the play had to be the drafting of a new constitution on which all sides agreed.

Bekaroðlu said the Constitutional Court judges’ decision was a coup, not unlike the coups d’état staged in the past. “The court’s decision is undoubtedly a coup d’état,” he said. He said Turkey needed a formation that would protect Turkey’s political structure, as the Constitutional Court remained the institution with the final say. “We will see many more coups if people continue to want democracy only for themselves.”

Oran also noted that Turkey was undergoing a serious process of polarization, adding that the court’s decision indicated that the Constitutional Court would not allow legislation similar to the headscarf amendment. Ankara Today’s Zaman

Speaker says he is baffled by criticism of senate proposal AA

Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan, who yesterday traveled to Athens to attend a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, has said he can’t figure out why he was harshly criticized for his proposal on drafting a new constitution and establishing a senate in addition to Parliament PHOTO

contýnued from page 1 “The Constitutional Court made a decision about the content of this law passed by 411 deputies of our Parliament, even though the Constitution clearly states that the court can only conduct procedural examinations [of such laws],” Toptan said. He suggested Turkey discuss drafting a new constitution and establishing a senate in addition to Parliament, adding that he planned to call on main political party leaders to hold talks on the court’s decision.

Toptan’s comment came in response to a journalist’s question yesterday in Athens, where he was attending a meeting of Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC). He noted then that he was glad to see his suggestion being widely discussed.

Saying that a majority of European Union member countries had upper houses in their parliamentary structures, he admitted that Turkey’s own experience with a senate, before coup generals abolished the body in 1980, had not been entirely productive. “But if you look at the senate’s structure in that time, about 15 were assigned by the president. Nearly 35-37 of the senators were lifelong members. This form that does not fit into a contemporary democratic system. It was impossible for that senate, set up in that way, to work effectively.”

“I think the senate could be a filter on the path leading to the Constitutional Court,” Toptan said. “This way it would both contribute to legislation and minimize the issues being referred to the Constitutional Court. I am not saying the functions of the Constitutional Court should be redefined to be entrusted with the senate; that is not possible from the point of view of constitutional law or from a political outlook.”

Toptan said the Constitutional Court’s workload was excessive; a complaint often voiced by the court members themselves. “I think the fewer conflicts referred to them, the better it would be. But I do not mean to limit the scope of the issues that should be referred to the court. I am merely suggesting minimizing the necessity of referring issues to the court.”

A conservative Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy has called for a meeting on CHP Secretary-General Önder Sav’s much-debated remarks about hajj and the Prophet Mohammed, while others in the party have expressed their desire for the whole situation to fade into the past. CHP Konya deputy Atilla Kart yesterday asked for a meeting of the CHP’s parliamentary group to discuss Sav’s comments made a few weeks ago. Kart, in his petition, stated that Sav’s remarks do not reflect the CHP’s stance.

Sav’s remarks about the Prophet Mohammed and the Muslim pilgrimage of hajj sparked harsh criticism from many in Turkish society. When an 80-year-old man informed Sav of his plans to go on hajj, the politician replied: “Don’t give your money to Arabs. If you go there, Mohammed will not allow you to return [meaning he would die there].”

However, some CHP deputies have also been critical of Kart. Deputy Þahin Mengü said CHP members should support each other at times like these and that personal ambitions should not prevail over party interests.

“It is an absurd demand at a time when we most need to support each other. Going after personal benefits with such attempts is not behavior appropriate for a CHP member,” Mengü was quoted as saying by the ANKA news agency.

Yýlmaz Ateþ, CHP deputy leader, said he wished Sav had never made such remarks.

Sav had made the comments at a meeting on May 16 while on a visit to Ankara’s district of Elmadað. Ömer Aðakurt, the district’s mayor, spoke to the media for the first time after the incident, saying that the meeting was open to the public and that there was no secret recording done, in response to allegations to the contrary.

Aðakurt also said Sav’s remarks were not intended to offend anyone and that he was just joking around. The mayor stated that there is nothing to apologize for. “If you listened to the whole conversation, you would see that there is nothing insulting the hajj, the Prophet Mohammed or Arabs. The conversation is a heartfelt one full of humor,” Aðakurt noted. He stated that he and most of the CHP members are good Muslims who respect the hajj and those who go on it, adding that he personally pays visits to many people going on hajj. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

South Korean army chief of staff to visit Turkey

Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan, who attended a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in Athens yesterday, shakes hands with Greek Speaker of Parliament Dimitrios Sioufas.

He also dismissed views expressed by some academics that the Constitutional Court’s functions are being taken away as “completely baseless and outside the realm of reason and logic.” He also said his proposal did not aim to set up a senate overnight. Emphasizing the opinion that Turkish politics would benefit from the discussion of fundamental issues such as the possibility of a senate, Toptan said he was glad to hear his idea being discussed but did not understand why he was being assailed from all directions for his proposal. “This is what I wanted; I want for it to be discussed.

But we need to avoid behavior and words that

could hurt each other while we discuss things.”

Bar association president on dual-house proposal Meanwhile, academics and legal professionals continued to express views on the possibility of introducing an upper house to the Turkish Parliament. Ankara Bar Association President Ahsen Coþar said in a written statement yesterday that a bicameral legislature was incompatible with Turkey’s realities and needs.

The statement said a bicameral system had both benefits and disadvantages to offer but

that in general, bicameral parliamentary systems lessened the legislature’s efficacy.

Regarding the recent Constitutional Court decision, the statement said no judicial ruling, not even those issued by high courts, was immune to criticism or discussion. “However it is impossible to accept some reactions made to the decision, published by some press organs close to the current government -- characteristic of insults and threats -- that were incompatible with the law, democracy and press ethics.”

Coþar’s statement called on the press to avoid such attitudes. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

Key suspect mentions another figure in Malatya killings Emre Günaydýn, the key suspect in the killings of three Christians at a publishing house in eastern Malatya province last year, has mentioned another person who may have played an indirect role in the Malatya killings.

At the seventh hearing on the murders in Malatya yesterday, Günaydýn indicated that a bald man who came to his father’s sports club gave him information on missionary activities and Alevism. At the beginning of the hearing Günaydýn had said he would not answer any questions from the victims’ attorneys regarding his role in the killings of Christian Turks Necati Aydýn and Uður Yüksel and Christian German national Ekkehart Geske, who were tied to chairs,

Önder Sav’s remarks cause rift in CHP

stabbed, tortured and brutally murdered on April 18, 2007. The publishing house the victims worked for printed Bibles and Christian literature.

Suspects Salih Gürler (20), Cuma Özdemir (20), Hamit Çeker (19) and Abuzer Yýldýrým (19) were captured as they were attempting to flee the crime scene. Günaydýn was captured at the scene after being badly injured by a fall while trying to escape.

During cross examination Gürler had said he did not kill anybody but put just a rope around Aydýn’s neck without killing him. Günaydýn objected and said Gürler tried to kill Aydýn, but that he had been unable to do it. Gürler responded, “If I wanted to kill him, he was tied up and there was nothing stopping me from doing it.”

In a previous hearing Günaydýn had claimed that when they entered the publishing house, Aydýn was praising Christianity and insulting the Prophet Mohammed and that he and Aydýn then began cursing each other. He said he cut his hand during a squabble with Geske and that he only slapped Geske. But he stressed that he was not involved in murdering Geske or the other victims. He had said he saw Gürler and Özdemir stabbing the victims.

The hearing started with the reading of additional charges being introduced against the suspects, including taking hostages. The suspects’ attorneys did not submit a defense on these charges, saying they were no prepared and that they would

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present their defense in the next hearing.

This time, some of the relatives of the victims were also present at the meeting. Their lawyers asked the court that the children of the victims should be included in the case because they were harmed. The court accepted the request.

The wife of one of the victim’s, Suzanne Geske, was also present for the hearing. Ekkehart Geske’s lawyer, Ýbrahim Kali, said they had a report on the victim’s two children, who they said had been emotionally scarred by the incident. Kali also said the report prepared by the child psychologist would be presented as additional evidence in a YTL 630,000 lawsuit against the Interior Ministry over its handling of the case. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

South Korea’s Army Chief of Staff Gen. Lim Choung-bin is scheduled to arrive in Turkey later this week as part of a regional visit to the Middle East, the South Korean Army has announced. Lim’s first stop in the region was Saudi Arabia, where he arrived on Sunday for a four-day visit. He is expected to arrive in Turkey on Thursday. “This is the first visit by the South Korean top commander of ground troops to the Middle East since 2004,” the South Korean Army said in a news release, The Korea Times, an online newspaper reported.

After arriving in Turkey on Thursday, Lim will meet with Turkish top military officials, including Land Forces Commander Gen. Ýlker Baþbuð, the report said, noting that the Turkish military is planning to present one of its top military decorations to Lim. Lim will also meet with Turkish arms acquisition officials to promote exports of South Korea’s advanced weapons systems, including the XK2 Black Panther main battle tank, The Korea Times quoted an anonymous South Korean army source as saying.

“Seoul and Ankara are in negotiations over the sale of the amphibious XK2 tank, which carries an indigenous 120 mm/55-caliber smoothbore gun and can reach a speed of 70 kilometers per hour on paved roads. Turkey wants to seal a contract with South Korea for licenses to build the Black Panther tanks, developed by Seoul’s Agency for Defense Development and 20 domestic defense firms led by Rotem, a unit of Hyundai Motor. Ankara Today’s Zaman

One soldier killed by land mine in Southeast One soldier was slain and four others were wounded yesterday in the southeastern town of Þemdinli when a mine planted by the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) exploded as their military unit conducted reconnaissance in the area.

The soldier who died was identified as Pvt. Ahmet Dursun from the central Anatolian city of Kayseri. A large-scale operation was launched to find the terrorists that planted the mine after the explosion.

Meanwhile, two terrorists were killed in military operations against the separatist terrorist group in the eastern city of Tunceli. Their guns and ammunition were also seized by security forces during the operations. The deaths occurred Sunday evening during a clash between the terrorists and security forces in the rural Ovacýk district of Tunceli.

A large number of helicopters and land troops were deployed to the area after the clash. Cobra helicopters bombed possible hideouts of terrorists throughout Monday. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

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High fuel price protests disrupt two Indian states Indian police used water canon and batons in Kashmir on Monday to disperse hundreds of government employees protesting over fuel price rises, while a general strike also shut down the northeastern state of Assam.

Elsewhere in the country, though, life continued as normal as protests over last week’s rise in fuel prices appeared to taper off.

India increased petrol and diesel prices by around 10 percent last Wednesday, after the cost of subsidizing fuel in the face of record-breaking crude prices had brought state oil companies close to bankruptcy.

With less than a year to go to elections, the government’s communist allies and the opposition called for protests against the move, but many people complained that strikes in several states last week had only made a difficult situation worse. The fuel price blow was also cushioned after several state governments announced duty cuts of between 2 and 5 percentage points, although Kashmir has not yet announced any duty cuts and Assam made only a tiny cut in sales tax.

In Kashmir, dozens of people were also detained after government employees gathered outside the office of the state’s chief minister in the heart of Srinagar

to protest against the fuel price rise. Roll back price of petrol, diesel and cooking gas, the protesters shouted before being dispersed by police. A four-day strike called by private transport operators demanding an increase in passenger fares and freight charges also forced thousands of people to walk to work.

Officials said the government would deploy buses and other vehicles to offer rides after the strike threw about 75,000 vehicles off the roads across the state.

In the northeastern state of Assam, tribal groups called for a 12-hour shutdown, or bandh, on Monday accusing the government of inept han-

dling of oil prices. Offices, banks, shops and schools were closed and traffic stayed off the road.

The government has no concern for the common people, the coalition of tribal groups from Assam’s hill areas said in a statement. “This will force tribals into starvation.” The strike seemed to enjoy popular support. “It is a genuine issue,” said Naba Pathak, a government clerk in Guwahati. “And people irrespective of caste, religion and political affiliation should support this bandh.” Public transport operators have also urged the state government to revise passenger fares quickly. Srinagar Reuters

PHOTO

AP

Food, fuel supply fears as European truckers strýke

US gasoline rises above $4 a gallon for first time The US average price for a gallon of regular gasoline topped $4 for the first time, a survey issued on Sunday by the travel group AAA showed. AAA’s survey showed a national average price of $4.005 per gallon, up from $3.67 a month ago and $3.10 a year ago. “The record crude and gasoline prices have taken a bite out of US motor fuel demand and cut sales of gas-guzzling pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles in favor of smaller cars that use less fuel per mile,” said Geoff Sundstrom, AAA’s fuel price analyst. AAA expresses the same degree of shock and concern that consumers all

over the United States are feeling as gasoline prices reach this very high level, said Sundstrom.

The upcoming national presidential and congressional elections ought to reflect the concern in the policy debates that are about to take place.

While Americans cringe at the price of gasoline, they are still paying far less than drivers in many nations, including most European countries. Britain, France and Germany each have average gasoline prices that are at least double the average price in the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Los Angeles Reuters

Spanish truck drivers blocked the border with France to all goods traffic on Monday as fuel price protests in Spain, France and Portugal raised fears of food and petrol shortages. Spanish and Portuguese drivers began indefinite strikes, and lines of trucks up to 8 km (5 miles) long formed on the French side of the border after Spanish picketers smashed the windscreens of foreign goods drivers who tried to enter Spain.

French and Spanish truckers also staged ‘goslow’ protests, causing tailbacks of 30 km in Bordeaux, France, and 20 km or more around Madrid and Barcelona. The drivers were all demanding action to offset the effect of high oil prices, now at record highs of over $139 per barrel.

Spaniards fearing fuel shortages queued to fill their tanks and 40 percent of gas stations ran out of supplies in Spain’s hardest hit region, Catalonia, according to one industry group.

Long lines formed at Spanish and Portuguese supermarkets after truckers said they could run out of fresh food in days. “No one is earning enough money to eat any more: not the truckers, not the fishermen, nobody, and someone has to find a solution,” said Jaime Diaz, president of Spain’s National Road Transport Confederation.

Price demands Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero postponed a major speech on the economy to grapple with the first big strike to hit Spain during its worst economic slowdown in 15 years.

But his Socialist government said there would be

Hard hit Spain Few places in Europe are suffering more than Spain, the euro zone’s fourth largest economy, where truckers and fishermen have been hit by soaring fuel costs as recession looms.

Spanish consumer demand is shrivelling as the end of a decade-long housing boom coincides with the global credit crunch and soaring inflation. Zapatero on Saturday blamed the European Central Bank for a recent jump in oil prices and market interest rates, saying its president, Jean-Claude Trichet, had to show more prudence. Trichet last week said interest rates could rise next month. Madrid Reuters

Malaysia's leader pledges to ease public burden after price hike Malaysia’s leader announced plans Monday to trim financial allowances for government ministers and enforce other cost-cutting measures after raising gasoline prices by 41 percent last week.

The unexpectedly sharp hike in fuel prices led to sporadic protests nationwide, with opposition groups calling for a mass demonstration next month to urge the government to reverse its decision. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi moved to calm public anger Monday by announcing plans to save nearly 2 billion ringgit ($600 million) through steps such as cutting entertainment allowances for Cabinet ministers by 10 percent from next month.

Authorities will also defer purchases of assets, limit trips for officials and downscale government events, Abdullah told a news conference. “The government feels the pain of the people and the leadership must show a good example in facing this challenge,” he said.

Abdullah said the government is considering the possibility of cutting road toll fees and boosting financial aid for underprivileged groups.

The pump price of gasoline rose Thursday by a whopping 41 percent to 2.70 ringgit ($0.87) a liter, or 10.23 ringgit ($3.30) a gallon. Diesel prices shot up 63 percent to 2.58 ringgit ($0.80) per liter. The government has defended the cut in fuel subsidies as crucial to ensure the country’s long-term economic viability as global oil prices hit record highs and showed no signs of abating.

Badawi has earlier pledged that the government will speed up cash rebates to car and motorcycle owners, enlarge the list of controlled items to keep costs down and put more buses on the roads to boost public transport. Like other Asian countries, Malaysia had faced a spiraling fuel subsidy bill that could have been more than 56 billion ringgit ($17 billion) this year due to rising world oil prices. Still, despite the increase, Malaysia’s gasoline prices remain lower than other Asian nations such as Singapore, Thailand and India.

In addition to the fuel hike, Malaysia also increased electricity tariffs from July by as much as 26 percent for some consumers. The energy price hike is a politically risky move for Badawi, who is fighting for his political survival after his ruling coalition’s shock election losses in March.

The move is expected to push inflation to a 10-year high of around 5 percent, up from 3 percent now, and slow consumer spending and hurt Malaysia’s economic growth. Badawi has said the revised energy prices would save the government 13.7 billion ringgit ($4.4 billion), part of which will be used to help subsidize rising food prices. Kuala Lumpur AP

South Korea truckers may add to president's anguish

Oil dips after record $11 surge to new high Oil eased on Monday after the biggest one-day price gain in the history of the market left traders and analysts divided over the explanation.

US light, sweet crude for July delivery fell by $1.42 to $137.12, while Brent futures dropped $1.81 to $135.88.

US prices surged by nearly $11 on Friday to a new record above $139 a barrel, taking two-day day gains to more than $16 a barrel and reversing two weeks of losses.

Frantic buying was triggered by a range of factors, including a forecast by investment bank Morgan Stanley that oil prices could top $150 a barrel by the July 4 U.S. holiday, as well as by a falling U.S. dollar.

Goldman Sachs’ global head of commodities research Jeffrey Currie on Monday reinforced Morgan Stanley’s view, telling a conference demand for oil is weak, but supplies are even weaker.

“I would suggest that the likelihood of that happening sooner has increased tremendously ... some time in summer,” Currie said with reference to oil at $150.

Oil’s six-year rally has gathered pace this year, with futures markets climbing by around 40 percent since January.

The weakness of the U.S. currency has been a major factor behind this year’s commodity price gains as dollardenominated raw materials are relatively cheap for non-dollar buyers and offer investors a potential hedge against inflation. The dollar plunged on Friday after U.S. economic data showed the biggest jump in the U.S. unemployment rate for 22 years, dent-

no electricity or petrol shortages as truckers picketed distribution centres and called for a minimum haulage tariff to counter a 35 percent rise in fuel costs over the past 12 months. In Portugal, one group of truckers threatened to block the main roads running south to the Algarve tourist region to prevent goods reaching the area.

Demonstrations and strikes across Asia have already forced fast-growing countries such as India, Malaysia and Indonesia to raise fuel subsidies to ease the pain of high prices.

Police used water cannon and batons in Kashmir on Monday to disperse hundreds of government workers protesting over fuel price rises, while a general strike shut down the northeastern state of Assam. Surging prices have pushed inflation to record highs in Asia and the 15-member euro zone, forcing central banks to threaten to raise interest rates.

FOCUS

South Korean truckers voted on Monday whether to strike over high oil prices, a move that could choke transport and pile more woes on a president whose policies have already sparked mass street protests.

Lee Myung-bak, who in December scored the biggest landslide in an open presidential election in South Korea, has seen his support nosedive after only 100 days in office due to anger over a U.S. beef import deal, jeopardising his businessfriendly economic reform plans.

Lee is bracing for one of his toughest weeks in office with the possible transport strike and a major street protest planned for Tuesday.

He is expected to announce within days a cabinet reshuffle aimed at showing the public his government has learned from its mistakes and will take a new path.

“This is a critical juncture,” said Lee Nae-young, a professor of political science at Korea University.

During the race for the presidency, Lee’s strength was his can-do image, first fostered when he ran Hyundai Construction and later enhanced when he transformed Seoul as its mayor.

Now, it has become a weakness, with analysts saying the public sees him as an arrogant CEO trying to force through change instead of listening to the concerns of the people.

“I hope the current crisis can be a wakeup call for his presidency,” the political science professor said.At the weekend, Lee’s government tried to win back support by unveiling a plan to hand-out $10.2 billion to its lowest income citizens over the next year to offset the skyrocketing price of oil -taking a page from Asian neighbours in targeting subsidies at the poor.

The leader of the union representing about 13,000 truckers and transport workers said that may not be enough and his members could strike later this week. Seoul Reuters

ing expectations the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates.

By contrast, Jean-Claude Trichet, head of the European Central Bank, mooted the prospect of higher interest rates in the euro zone, pushing the single European currency higher against the dollar. Trichet has managed what no war, no hurricances, no OPEC has ever managed to do, Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix said, with reference to oil’s lurch higher.

Speculation?

While many commentators say there is now a large speculative element in oil prices, the major bulls say fundamentals of supply and demand will remain tight for the foreseeable future.

They say supply will struggle to grow and demand will stay high, driven by developing countries, even if high prices have reduced consumption in the West, notably in the world’s biggest energy consumer the United States.

“What’s driving this ultimately is compound consumption. You can’t put 40 million cars a year on the road and think we’re going to consume less,” said Greg Smith, who manages $500 million in futures as the head of fund Global Commodities in Australia.

OPEC ministers have said they see no need to pump more oil as there is enough oil in the market.

Saudi Arabia, the only OPEC member with capacity to boost output quickly and significantly, has repeatedly said there was no fundamental explanation for this year’s oil rally. London Reuters

CM Y K

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TODAY’S ZAMAN 07

AA

T U E S D AY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 0 8

MANUFACTURING

PHOTO

BUSINESS

Industrial production increases in Turkey

Türk Telekom revenues up 13 percent contýnued from page 1 The company's first quarter revenue for his year amounted to YTL 2.4 billion, an increase of 13 percent over the same period of 2007. Türk Telekom's operating profit grew 24 percent to YTL 666 million in the first quarter of 2008, compared to the same quarter last year. Doany said, "We are proud of the achievements realized thus far by our staff across all departments." He added: "Today Türk Telekom not only offers fixed line, broadband and mobile access services, but also creates value for customers and business partners with achievements in software products, IT services and content

development." Türk Telekom is also investing in its distribution channels and customer care systems.

The telecommunications industry in Turkey has been booming over the last decade. Avea, Türk Telekom's mobile arm, registered steady subscriber numbers over the last twoand-a-half years. Their broadband market grew threefold from 1.5 million at the end of 2005 to 4.95 million by the end of the first quarter of 2008. It was the highest broadband growth in Europe. The company has vowed to continue to invest to enable even faster Internet access speeds.

As of March 31, Türk Telekom had 18 million fixed access tele-

phone lines, 4.95 million ADSL connections and 10.5 million GSM subscribers. The company has a modern network infrastructure covering the whole country and offers a wide variety of services for residential and commercial customers all over Turkey.

Apart from its 81 percent share in Avea, one of three GSM operators in Turkey, Türk Telekom owns 99.9 percent of TTnet, Argela, Innova, IES/Sebit and AssisTT. It also has a minority share in Albtelecom, an Albanian telecommunications operator. Fifty-five percent of Türk Telekom's shares belong to Oger Telecom and 30 percent belong to the Turkish Treasury. The remaining 15 percent are publicly traded.

The Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) yesterday released data that indicated monthly industrial production in April had increased as a whole by 6.3 percent compared to last year's figures.

The institute attributed the increase to vehicle, trailer and semi-trailer manufacturing, accounting for 54.4 percent of the index, also noting that Coca-Cola, refined petroleum products and tobacco products accounted for 15.6 percent.

According to the Monthly Industrial Production Index (with the base year 1997 = 100), composed from the production information of 2005, "important industry items" according to ISIC Rev.3, reached 149.4, increasing by 6.3 percent in April of 2008.

In the "sub sectors" level of industry, the mining sector index went from 103.9 to 102.8, decreasing by 1.1 percent.

The manufacturing industry sector index rose from 139.5 to 148.9, a 6.7 percent increase.

The electricity, gas and water index jumped from 173.6 to 182.7, increasing by 5.2 percent.

When the four-month average for 2008 is compared to last year, the total industry sector index increased from 136.4 to 145.6, a 6.7 percent rise.

The mining sector, beginning with 93.9, rose to 101.0, increasing by 7.6 percent.

An increase was also seen in the manufacturing industry sector, which went from 134.8 to 143.5, a 6.5 percent jump.

The electricity, gas and water sector likewise went up, starting with 177.9 and ending at 194.0, an increase of 9.1 percent. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

ELECTRICITY

China power shortages concern for Olympics

with news reports that they posted record profits in the last quarter. Unlike US banks, they did not suffer from subprime mortgage losses.

For example, Turkey's second-largest private lender, ?? Bankas?, posted a 51 percent rise in first-quarter unconsolidated net profit to reach $444 million, helped by strong lending growth. It said net interest income rose 32 percent to $741.5 million, and total lending rose 14 percent from the end of last year to $ 31.2 billion. Their rival Akbank posted a 61 percent rise in first-quarter net profit to reach $578 million, helped by one-off items, and said loans grew 11 percent from the end of 2007.

Another major advantage, analysts stress, is the healthy consumer appetite in the retail market simply because the market is not saturated. Adding to that, a very dynamic and young population in Turkey presents a great market for potential investors. Major cell phone operators in Turkey are enjoying profit windfalls thanks to booming consumer demand in a young consumer sector.

Nevertheless, Turkish consumers have started to feel the pain caused by the international rise of oil and food prices. This showed itself immediately in inflation figures that reached 10.74 percent -- a double-digit number for the first time since April of last year.

The number of defaults on credit card payments rose 88 percent in the first quarter, reaching 139,895, while consumer credit defaults rose 160 percent to 32,927. While the rate of increases was quite high, the total number of defaults is not yet at an alarming level.

PHOTO

contýnued from page 1 Household debt in Turkey has jumped from 1.9 percent to 11.7 percent of total gross domestic product (GDP), according to an ATO press statement released on Sunday. Analysts point out that the figure is still very low when compared to the 61 percent figure in the Eurozone. Household debt amounts to between 5 and 10 percent of GDP in the four biggest emerging economies -Brazil, Russia, India and China. Central bank figures recorded total Turkish household debt at $80 billion last year, including mortgages. In comparison, Americans are now carrying $975 billion in credit card debt, with a nearly 20 percent increase over the past two years.

Approximately half of all American cardholders carry a balance, instead of paying in full every month. One-third of Turkish consumers carry balances on their credit cards.

In Turkey there are around 27 million credit card holders and over 56 million credit cards.

Mortgages were $22 billion in March, up 10 percent over the December total, while credit card debt increased by 3.4 percent to some $20.5 billion over the same three-month period.

As an emerging market, Turkey stands out as quite an attractive market for investors, primarily because the consumer market is unsaturated and there is significant room for financial maneuvering. The global credit squeeze has not affected Turkish banks much because of the structural layout of the finance sector. While many banks in the US and Europe have incurred great losses, Turkish banks are jubilant

EÞREF AKGÜN

Household debt increases, but not a major concern

State news agency: China utilities ordered to ensure power supplies as Olympics approach China's state-owned electric utilities have been ordered to ensure reliable power supplies for the Olympics and reconstruction from last month's devastating earthquake, amid signs coal supplies are running short, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

The report Sunday said China's big power generators, China Huadian Corp., China Guodian Corp. and China Power Investment Corp., had been asked to ensure enough power "regardless of cost."

Consumers were also asked to use power sparingly to help prevent shortages, Xinhua said.

China faces chronic power shortages, especially in the summer and winter peaks for cooling and heating. Electricity grids are being further stretched by damage to transmission facilities from winter snowstorms and from the May 12 earthquake in central China, which killed nearly 70,000 people and devastated entire communities in Sichuan province.

China relies on coal to power nearly three-quarters of its electricity. Utility companies let coal stocks run low after Beijing froze electricity rates last year to contain inflation but let market-set coal prices continue to rise. With the cost of coal at record highs, power generators are trying to avoid losses by purchasing less.

Nationwide, the country has stockpiles of coal at its major power plants to last about 11 days, the report said, citing statistics from the State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

But in the region surrounding Beijing, reserves were below 1 million tons, or only enough to last six days, it said.

With the Olympic games due to begin Aug. 8 in Beijing, coalmining regions have been ordered to run at full capacity to boost coal output and ensure enough power, the report said.

Recent efforts had focused on restoring power supplies to the region damaged by last month's earthquake.

China's State Grid Corp., the country's biggest electricity distributor, was cutting transmissions from Sichuan to other provinces and arranging for more power to be sent to regions still facing shortages due to the disaster, Xinhua said.

It said the company was due to finish repairs on quake-damaged facilities in Sichuan by Tuesday.

Despite the alarm over potential shortages, so far brownouts have only been seen in southern China's Guangdong province, the report said. Shanghai AP

BUDGET

Treasury registered YTL 8 billion surplus

Domestic defense manufacturing reaches 41 percent The head of Turkey's major arms procurement body has stated that 41.6 percent of the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) defense needs are currently being met by domestic production, while 50 percent is the goal by 2011.

Murad Bayar, head of the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM), spoke to the Turkish-language Journal of Defense and Aviation, noting that Turkey started to invest more in the defense sector following an arms embargo imposed upon it because of its 1974 intervention in Cyprus.

Established in 1985, the SSM not only has projects to meet the needs of the Turkish military but also has been involved in research and development projects with universities, Bayar said. In these projects the priority is given to systems integration, rocket control systems and electronic war and information systems, he noted.

Bayar stated that there were 180 projects costing $24 billion to meet the long-term defense and security needs of Turkey and that new projects are in the making.

In terms of the defense budget Turkey ranks 20th in the world and fifth in Europe, with $11.3 billion in annual expenditures.

Bayar noted that Turkey was aiming at 50 percent domestic production of defense products, adding that to be able to reach that goal a defense industry strategy has been developed. He also stated that a credit system needs to be developed to finance these projects.

"Our defense industry's exports totaled $3 billion from the period of 1997 through 2007. In 1997 our exports totaled only $138 million and with our improvements it reached $350 million in 2006 and $420 million in 2007," he indicated.

Bayar also pointed to Turkish firms working in the defense industry, noting that about 100 medium and large companies, including ASELSAN and Otokar, develop projects for the industry.

He said Turkey's participation in the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (/JSF) Program would cost about $10.7 billion. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a singleseater, single-engine, stealth-capable military strike fighter, a multi-role aircraft that can perform close air sport, tactical bombing and air superiority fighter missions.

Turkey became the seventh international partner in the JSF Program, joining the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands,

Canada, Denmark and Norway in 2002. Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for involvement in F-35 production, and the aircraft will be produced under license in Turkey by the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).

Under the agreement, TAI will produce a minimum of 400 center fuselages. Bayar said seven domestic firms, including TAI and ASELSAN, would take part in the project, financing about 50 percent of it.

TAI is one of only two international suppliers to Northrop Grumman Corporation, the other being Denmark. TAI was authorized by Northrop Grumman Corporation to commence fabricating subassemblies for the first two F-35 production aircraft.

It is anticipated that TAI after 2013 will also produce 100 percent of the F-35 under license from Lockheed Martin Corporation, as was the case with the F-16 Fighting Falcon program Peace Onyx I and II. Turkey also intends to incorporate in the distant future several Turkish designed and manufactured electronic systems into the F-35 platform. Ankara Today's Zaman

CM Y K

According to provisional data released yesterday, the Treasury earned YTL 23.2 billion in revenue on a cash basis in May, spent YTL 13.7 billion in non-interest expenditures and realized a primary surplus of YTL 9.5 billion in the same period.

Including YTL 1.6 billion in interest expenditures, the Treasury cash balance realized a YTL 8 billion surplus. The figure contrasts sharply with April figures, when the Treasury cash balance was negative, registering a YTL 4.7 billon deficit.

The Treasury said that in May it realized a YTL 1.8 billion net debt payment, consisting of YTL 4.3 billion in net external borrowing and a YTL 6.1 billion net domestic debt payment.

Within the same period, due to changes in exchange rates, Treasury accounts decreased by YTL 602 million.

Consequently, the net increase in Treasury accounts in May was realized at YTL 7.6 billion.

In the first five months of 2008, YTL 82.9 billion in revenue was earned on a cash basis, and non-interest expenditures accounted for YTL 65.6 billion. Accordingly, the primary surplus was YTL 17.2 billion. Interest expenditures amounted to YTL 18.6 billion, and the Treasury cash balance registered a YTL 1.4 billion deficit. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

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18:16

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08 TODAY’S ZAMAN

T U E S D AY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 0 8

World stock market stumbles amid jobbless rate

AP

Faced with record-high oil prices, the world's leading economies and oil consumers have pledged greater investment in energy efficiency and green technologies to control their spiraling thirst for petroleum.

In a joint statement, energy ministers from the Group of Eight countries -- joined by China, India and South Korea -- also urged oil producers to boost output, which has stalled at about 85 million barrels a day since 2005, and called for cooperation between buyers and producers.

But with little prospect for a production surge soon, the focus of Sunday's meeting in Japan was on what wealthy nations should do to rein in consumption, while reducing carbon emissions blamed for global warming. "We also have to address too the demand side of the equation," said John Hutton, Britain's business secretary. "We will do that through new measures to improve energy efficiency [and] accelerate our moves to a new, low-carbon form of energy generation."

The 11 nations account for 65 percent of the world's energy consumption and face record-high oil costs. Prices gained 8 percent Friday to $138.54 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Energy experts say most producers have little ability to expand output. The exception is Saudi Arabia, which could increase output by about 2 million barrels a day.

The president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Chakib Khelil, has said that the cartel will make no new decision on production levels until its Sept. 9 meeting in Vienna. The nations meeting Sunday said they would set goals in line with International Energy Agency (IEA) recommendations for a vast expansion of investment in renewable energies and energy efficiency.

For instance, the G8 countries -- the United States, Japan, Russia, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada -- pledged to launch 20 demonstration projects by 2010 on so-called "carbon capture and storage," which would let power plants run on cheap, abundant coal, then catch emissions and store them under the ground. But there were clear rifts on another technology promoted by some as an answer to oil dependence: nuclear energy. The carefully worded joint statement called for assurances on safety and security of nuclear materials. The United States, Canada and Britain said they were determined to build new reactors. Japan also has ambitious nuclear goals. But Germany said it has not changed its decision to phase out nuclear power. Aomori AP

CALENDAR

AT A GLAN

CE

Global weapons spending up contýnued from page 1 "Voices from across the political spectrum are coming to recognize again the value of arms control in the face of looming threats to humankind," SIPRI Director Bates Gill said in a statement. "It is clearly in the interest of citizens and governments alike to take pragmatic and positive steps in the right direction."

Gill said disarmament by the largest nuclear powers -- Russia and the US -- will be particularly important in coming years and hoped they would take decisive steps.

"The priorities of the next US administration will have a critical role in shaping the progress for arms control," he said.

The report said international mili-

Yearly Change (%)

YTD Change (%)

MCAP (million YTL)

1-Y Av.Volum

-7,1%

-11,9%

-29,7%

191.751

1.298

Hang Seng

-8,2%

-13,5%

-32,5%

134.701

994

Nikkei 225

-4,5%

-14,5%

70.144

355

Cac 40

-18,1%

-40,0%

67.537

699

DAX

-9,3%

108

0,55

FTSE 100

39.062

-1,5%

İMKB-30

47.553

-1,2%

İMKB-IND

34.698

-2,0%

-6,7%

İMKB-BANK

71.993

-0,6%

-10,8%

DJIMT

10,75

-2,3%

-6,5%

0,0%

TurkDEX EU€/JP¥

47.925 1,249

tary spending hit $1.34 trillion in 2007, about 6 percent more than in the previous year. The US used more money on weapons last year than any other year since World War II, $547 billion, up 3.4 percent from 2006. Britain came next with $59.7 billion, followed by China, which pushed past France into third place with $58.3 billion, SIPRI said.

Regionally, Eastern Europe increased military spending the most, mainly because of high spending by Russia, which used $35.4 billion on weaponry, up slightly from $34.7 billion.

In December, Moscow suspended its participation in the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which SIPRI said posed the greatest challenge yet to the treaty that limits the number of conven-

Country

Change (%)

H.Kong

0,61

24.402,2

Level

Japan

-2,13

14.181,4

France

0,28

4.808,9

Germany

0,43

6.833,0

UK

-0,08

5.902,0

Dow

USA

0,95

12.329,0

NASDAQ

USA

-0,65

1.977,5

USA

0,58

1.368,6

Brasil

-0,21

69.642,0

S&P

-0,98% -0,36%

BOVESPA

tional weapons on the continent.

The Swedish arms watchdog said the world's eight nuclear powers together had more than 25,000 nuclear warheads at the beginning of 2008, of which more than 10,000 were available for delivery by missiles and aircraft.

It did not include North Korea on that list, saying it could not verify that North Korea has weaponized its nuclear capability.

Russia had 5,189 operational warheads in January 2008, while the US had 4,075 and both countries are developing new weapons as they modernize their forces.

Britain, France, China, India and Pakistan were also developing new missile systems capable of delivering nuclear weapons, SIPRI said. Stockholm AP

70.39 57.32

50.3 42.68 29.61

21,2 7.02

9.44

Native

Foreign

Number of Shares

Native

M.cap

Daily Close Change (%)

Foreign

Number of Shares

Monthly Change (%)

Yearly Change (%)

M.cap

Ticker

Price

Daily Change (%)

Ticker

Volumes

US$/JP¥

106,26

IHEVA

3,42

6,87%

DYOBY

0,44

-10,20%

GARAN

171,0

3,3

-45,99

YTL / €

1,961

1,9%

0,3%

9,0%

EU/JP¥

166,67

ASYAB

3,10

3,02%

TUDDF

9,60

-7,69%

ISCTR

86,3

4,9

-30,59

YTL / $

1,241

0,6%

-1,9%

-7,8%

EU/US$

1,5683

SNGYO

4,06

2,01%

TAVHL

9,15

-7,58%

TCELL

56,1

9,0

-27,46

CLEBI

8,95

1,70%

PNSUT

5,60

-6,67%

IHEVA

41,8

3,4

24,82

IHLAS

0,67

1,52%

TATKS

3,18

-6,47%

AKBNK

28,2

5,3

-36,49

Ticker

Consumer confidence falls in Britain Consumer confidence in Britain has slumped to the lowest level in five years, with one in five people saying they have no spare cash to spend, the British Retail Consortium said Monday. A new government report said producer price inflation is now nearly 9 percent. Britain has experienced a double whammy of rising inflation and a slowing economy, with prices of fuel and food straining household finances while fear of inflation has constrained the Bank of England from giving any relief in the form of lower interest rates.

Consumer prices were up 3 percent in April, a full point above the government's target.

The report by Nielsen and the consortium found that 60 percent of respondents thought job prospects were either not so good or bad, up from 50 percent a year ago. Fifty-seven percent expected their personal finances to be not so good or bad over the coming 12 months, up from 46 percent six months ago.

Three-fourths said this is not a good time to spend on things they want or need, and one in five said they have no spare cash for discretionary spending.

The Office for National Statistics reported Monday that output prices for manufactured products rose 1.6 percent in May compared to April, taking the annual rate to 8.9 percent. Input prices were up 27.9 percent in the year to May, compared to 24.3 percent in April, the report said. London AP

Iran faces high inflation

İMKB-100

US$/JP¥

SPENDING

NEIGHBOR

Daily Monthly Change (%) Change (%)

Close

across Asia and confounded central bankers in the region who are struggling to keep prices at bay without totally snuffing out growth.

China's central bank on Saturday raised the amount lenders much keep in reserve by a full percentage point, the largest rise of the year, as policymakers try to stop the flow of speculative money into the country that could exacerbate an already high inflation rate.

Institutional investors, who have relatively long time frames and large portfolios, are losing patience with Asia, where underlying inflation is at its highest since 1991, according to a report from State Street Global Markets.

Equity capital flows into Asia excluding Japan last month were a fifth of what they have been over the last 10 years, while flows into the Eurozone are running at close to a record pace, said State Street, which tracks 15 percent of the world's tradable assets. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

PHOTO

G8 turns into green to cope with oil spike

Turkey June 10 ilization of Capacity Ut USA it Trade defic June 11 1 COREPER PPI of China (poss.)

2 COREPER

bility overseas slammed Asian stock markets, which were still trying to recover from doubledigit inflation rates in some parts of the region.

Japan's Nikkei finished 2.1 percent lower, its largest decline in two weeks, with exporters such as camera manufacturer Canon, Inc. and automaker Honda Motor Co. paving the way lower. Honda lost 3.4 percent while Canon tumbled 4.4 percent on fears that nervous consumers will rein in spending. The MSCI index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside of Japan fell 1.1 percent by mid-afternoon, taking year-to-date losses to 11.2 percent.

Shares in the tech-heavy TAIEX in Taiwan declined 1.8 percent, while Korea's KOSPI was down 1.3 percent. Financial markets in Australia, China, Hong Kong and the Philippines were closed for public holidays.

The climb in oil prices has fueled unease among investors about accelerating inflation

points on Friday while the yield on the Jan. 13, 2010 benchmark on Monday rose to 20.58 percent, a 17-month high. Ýstanbul's share decrease is, however, more attributed to recent political uncertainty with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

The factors depressing the market, namely inflation and the global economic downturn, are not going to just go away, said Lee Young-su, a market analyst at Daewoo Securities in South Korea. The US unemployment rate posted its steepest one-month rise in 22 years, figures on Friday showed, increasing fears of a replay of the 1970s when a spike in inflation coincided with a period of stagnant economic growth.

In their biggest one-day increase ever, oil prices jumped almost $11 on Friday, sparking the largest single-day sell-off on Wall Street since February 2007. The combination of soaring energy prices and signs of economic insta-

Asian stocks fell the hardest and government bonds climbed on Monday after oil prices surged to a record high of $139 a barrel on Friday and then came down to $135 a barrel as of yesterday.

The UK and major European stock markets were expected to open as much as 1 percent lower, according to financial bookmakers, as high oil prices took their toll on expectations of consumer demand and business investment.

The European stock market on Monday maintained, with the London stock market gaining 0.42 percent, French shares adding a marginal 0.01 percent and German shares slipping slightly by 0.10 percent.

The lira traded at 1.2470 to the dollar early on Monday compared to an interbank close of 1.2345 on Friday, equaling a 1.2 percent fall. Ýstanbul's main share index, the Ýstanbul Stock Exchagne (ÝMKB), fell 2.02 percent to 39,645.54

BUSINESS

Price (YTL) Daily Change (%)

ÝMKB 100

Price (YTL) Yearly Change (%)

ÝMKB 30

ÝMKB IND

P.CHEM.

TUPRS

PTOFS

PETKM

AYGAZ

--

--

11.146,5

6.106,6

2.221,0

1.048,1

788,2

11,9x

11,6x

11,5x

7,7x

9,2x

12,0x

22,4x

2,7x

8,3x

10,4x

10,7x

5,4x

6,8x

8,8x

11,7x

1,4x

EV/EBITDA 2006/12

7,8x 8,0x

7,8x 8,1x

8,5x 7,6x

5,8x 6,4x

6,9x 7,2x

8,3x 5,1x

11,7x 5,9x

1,4x 4,9x

EV/EBITDA 2007/03t

7,4x

7,4x

6,7x

5,9x

6,1x

4,8x

4,4x

5,3x

EV/EBITDA 2007/06t

8,1x

6,9x

6,8x

6,0x

6,3x

4,9x

4,7x

5,7x

Mcap YTL

--

P/E 2006/12 P/E 2007/06t P/E 2007/09t

CM Y K

Price ($) Light C. Oil Gold Copper

135,71 897,50 3,60

Way

Change (%) -2,04 0,23 -0,70

High 138,25 908,90 3,66

Low 135,15 897,50 3,60

P/E: Share price divided by earnings per share is a measure of the price paid for a share relative to the income or profit earned by the firm per share.

EV/EBITDA: Enterprise value divided by earnings before interest, tax and amortization; “t” stands for trailer and means the data over the last four quarters. (*) Yesterday's closing (**) Updated at 6 p.m. by GMT+2 Disclaimer: The information in this report has been prepared by BMD, Bizim Securities from sources believed to be reliable. All the information, interpretations and recommendations covered herein relating to investment actions are not within the scope of investment consultancy. Therefore investment decisions based only on the information covered herein may not bring expected results.

Iran's annual inflation rate rose to more than 25 percent in May, the central bank said, highlighting a growing economic problem facing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ahead of next year's election.

Consumer prices in the world's fourth-largest oil producer have been climbing steadily over the past year or so, fuelled by profligate spending of an influx of petrodollars combined with interest rates well below inflation, economists say.

The year-on-year rate reached 25.3 percent in the year to May 20, up from 24.2 percent in April and 16.6 percent in the same month of 2007, according to central bank statistics.

Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005 on a pledge to share out Iran's oil wealth more fairly but the conservative president has come under fire from many lawmakers, media and the public over failure to rein in rising prices.

The president has dismissed the criticism, arguing rising inflation is a global problem and saying his government is tackling the issue.

The central bank said on its Web site www.cbi.ir that prices rose by 1.7 percent in the Iranian month to May 20 following an increase of 3.1 percent the previous month. Average inflation over the past year compared with the previous 12-month period was 19.8 percent, the central bank said, up from about 12 percent in mid-2005. Tehran Reuters

AGRICULTURE

Argentina strike could push food prices up Argentina, one of the world's biggest breadbaskets, should be rolling in cash as world food prices soar.

Instead, soy, wheat and corn have sat for weeks in silos as farmers protesting new export taxes suspended sales. Farmers officially lifted their strike Sunday night in a last-ditch effort at a third round of talks. But their three-month standoff with the government has already paralyzed the rural economy, caused scattered food shortages and tanked the new president's popularity.

And continued stalemate could spike global grain prices at a time when food costs are already high.

Still, experts say grain prices won't rise forever, and many warn that Argentina may be missing its shot at that record revenue -- and headed for economic crisis.

"They are killing the goose that lays the golden eggs," said Claudio Loser, a former Latin America director at the International Monetary Fund.

Farmers meet Monday with a national ombudsman who has offered to broker the crisis, but the government has not yet agreed to join talks.

Argentina is one of the world's top four providers of soy, corn, beef and wheat, and rising farm exports -up 48.2 percent since 2003 -- helped the country rebound from economic meltdown in 2002, driving five years of more than 8 percent annual growth.

Exports stood to climb even higher this year, as international soybean prices jumped about 26 percent and corn prices about 34 percent between January and June. To tap those gains, President Cristina Fernandez decreed a new sliding-scale tax on March 11, boosting rates on grain exports as prices rise. Current export taxes on soy, for example, jumped to 46 percent from 35 percent, and would top 50 percent if prices swelled above $600 a metric ton.

The move was meant to tame inflation by trapping exports in Argentina, driving down local prices and encouraging cultivation of stocks like wheat and cattle, which have been abandoned for more lucrative soy. Buenos Aires AP

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TODAY’S ZAMAN 09

TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2008

TERRY RICHARDSON

TRAVEL

PHOTO

The mountaintop of the ancient city at Kerkenes

Kerkenes Daðý AA

A pioneering archaeological site and eco-center in Central Anatolia

Travel tips How to get here: Nearest airport: Ankara, regular flights from most Turkish cities. Regular buses from Ankara and other Turkish cities to Yozgat, then by minibus to Sorgun, Sorgun to Kerkenes by taxi.

Where to stay: With your own transport, the Çamlýca, set in a pretty pine forest outside Yozgat, is comfortable Tel.: (354) 217 5300. Or try the Öðretmen Evi in Sorgun Tel.: (345) 415 2146 Web sites and contact numbers: www.kerkenes.metu.edu.tr or Kerkenes House in Þahmuraltý village Tel.: (354) 421 5154

PHOTOS

Visitors at Kerkenes Daðý

PHOTO

TERRY RICHARDSON

TERRY RICHARDSON YOZGAT

If you have even heard of Kerkenes Daðý, let alone visited it, I would be most surprised -even though it is one of the most exciting archaeological sites in Anatolia. Neither the "Lonely Planet: Turkey" nor the "Rough Guide to Turkey" give it a mention (to compound this omission, they both fail to even mention the nearest town and provincial capital, Yozgat). "The Blue Guide," to its credit, does have an entry on Kerkenes -- albeit only seven lines. This sixth century B.C. Iron Age settlement is not marked on any maps (though the mountain it is built on is), nor does it have official status as a "site" -- there is neither a ticket booth nor an admission charge here. But despite its relative remoteness -- it lies midway between Ankara to the west and Sivas to the east and 130 kilometers north of Cappadocia -- this site is well worth making the effort to look around. Not only is there a fascinating and beautiful mountaintop ancient city to explore, it is also possible to visit the excavation team's base in the lovely village of Þahmuraltý at the foot of the mountain -- and wander around the bold and exciting eco-center project attached to it.

The excavation/research project and the eco-center are run by a couple of genuine enthusiasts. Geoff Summers lectures in the Settlement Archaeology Graduate Program at the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) of Ankara and is associate professor of archaeology at New York's Buffalo University. Françoise Summers is director of the eco-center at Kerkenes and lectures in the architecture department at ODTÜ.

To make the most of a visit, it's definitely best to contact them first via their Web site; in case they are not planning to be on site the day you wish to come, they may be able to change their plans to suit. At the very least check out their excellent Web site for background information on Kerkenes -- apart from Blue Guide's sparse coverage you'll struggle to find anything else written on this remarkable site.

Geoff and Françoise first began working at Kerkenes way back in 1993 and Françoise tells me, "We were supposed to be here for two years and look," she waves her arms proudly at various ingenious elements of her eco-center, "15 years later we're still here!"

Françoise is a fluent Turkish speaker and clearly has great rapport with the villagers who work alongside her in the eco-center. Its aim is to promote sustainability and help prevent the rural to urban migration trend that is draining countless villages across Anatolia. But what does this mean in practice?

Solar power (using old satellite dishes covered with

reflective foil and ingenious pipe-work) is used instead of bottled gas to produce jams and bottled vegetables, and organic tomatoes and peppers thrive out of season in solar heated greenhouses. Waste paper is compressed into fuel briquettes, which can be used as fuel for stoves instead of wood. Energy conservation trials include the use of straw-bricks in the construction of houses (this material is both locally available and is an excellent insulator) and that almost forgotten but most traditional of "eco-friendly" Anatolian building materials -- mud-brick -- is being tested as an alternative to factory produced clay bricks. The recently completed solar building remained warm with "eco-energy" even in the harshness of an Anatolian winter and a drip irrigation system for organically fertilized fields has also proven successful. If you tire whilst wandering around the center, you can relax on chairs made from recycled tractor and truck tires. It's low-key yet innovative stuff and above all practical -- in a way that the ever pragmatic Anatolian villager can appreciate.

A recent discovery It's hard to believe that this extensive settlement, enclosed by seven kilometers of city wall pierced by seven monumental gates, did not receive any attention from archaeologists until 1993. It had been "found" as early as 1928. A German archaeologist, Schmidt, traveling around remote Anatolia on horseback in search of Hittite sites, came across Kerkenes. But when he realized it was not an important Hittite city he abandoned his exploratory excavations and moved on.

One of the big problems for today's archaeologist (apart from the chronic under-funding, it, like all but the Some of the "sexiest" sites, receives) at Kerkenes few artifacts found at is that, despite the size of the setKerkenes tlement, little in the way of artifacts have been discovered. This is partly because the city was only occupied for some 40 years.

The massive area covered by the settlement, its rocky nature and the limited manpower available meant that exploration of the site relied, initially at least, on hi-tech methods rather than the more traditional digging of excavation trenches.

Geoff and his team used geophysical survey methods to explore what they had found -- a lengthy process that included measuring magnetic signals from the underlying geology and using a scanner to gauge the electrical resistance of the ground -- the latter process involving painstakingly taking two readings every meter. Remote and manned balloons were brought in to fly over the

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site and take aerial photographs and a handheld GPS used to refine the surveying of some of the structures found. This information was fed into a computer and the latest software used to generate plans and even virtual reality images of what this mountaintop city would have looked like 2,500 years ago. Look in the dig-house in the village and you will see some of the results of this labor of love.

Kerkenes is not all about the latest hi-tech archaeological wizardry though. Up on the mountain ambience is all. A soft breeze, frogs croaking in moss-ringed pools, wild pear trees in bloom, cuckoos calling and wheatears flashing their white rumps on rocky outcrops and wild flowers carpeting the ground. It's a deliciously bare, sparse landscape of rolling mountains, given texture by shadows lying in hollows and ravines.

The famous ancient Greek historian Herodotus mentions this place. He knew it as Pteria. As to who exactly lived here, behind the mighty 10-meter-high walls whose outline can still be clearly traced circling the mountaintop, that remains something of a mystery. We know that it was destroyed -- probably by the legendarily wealthy Lydian king, Croesus, in 547 B.C. -- and so thoroughly ruined (you can see evidence on the site of masonry from the city walls and gate, superheated, contorted and metamorphosed by the flames of the conquerors) that it was never reoccupied. It seems that Pteria, founded circa 600 B.C., was actually a colony, including statues of their deities. Pteria/Kerkenes was originally allied with the Medes who, around 550 B.C., merged with the Persians under the aegis of King Cyrus, to form the Achaemenid dynasty. Goaded on by the Delphic Oracle, who had told him in typically ambiguous fashion that if he were to attack the Persians, "a mighty empire would fall." Croesus marched east from his capital at Sardis in western Anatolia.

Although he may have succeeded in destroying the city of Cyrus' allies, Pteria/Kerkenes, Croesus' celebrations were short-lived. He was defeated soon after in a battle near Pteria. The still enraged Persian king, Cyrus, then tracked the routed Croesus all the way back to Sardis -- and destroyed it. Thus a mighty empire did indeed fall -- that of Croesus!

Standing on a tumulus at the very top of the site, it's hard to imagine that when Pteria was built, one of the major materials used in its construction was wood -- from the thick forest which then carpeted these hills -- juniper, oak, black pine and beech. Geoff tells me that when he came here he expected to find a neo-Hittite site (the Hittite capital at Hattuþa is only 73 kilometers away) and indeed Geoff and Erol Özen (former director of Yozgat Museum) recently found a Hittite stone quarry just 20 kilometers away -- replete with the impressive remains of stone lions. There is so much research yet to be done both at Kerkenes and in the area -research that will slowly help us piece together this shadowy period of history and add another chapter to our book of knowledge of Anatolian civilizations.

09.06.2008

18:22

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10 TODAY’S ZAMAN

T U E S D AY, JUNE 1 0 , 2 0 0 8

AFTERMATH

Rogue bullet sends US envoys to Rwanda by bus Top UN ambassadors were forced to hitch a bus ride from Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda on Sunday after a security guard accidentally shot a hole in their plane. The Security Council ambassadors had been visiting violent eastern Congo during a trip to promote peacekeeping operations and other efforts to end some of the most intractable conflicts in Africa. "They were boarding the aircraft to come back to Kinshasa. UN security have to surrender their weapons on the plane. He (a guard) was doing a safety check and there was an accidental discharge," said Kemal Saiki, spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, the world body's biggest. "The crew thought that something may have been damaged so they decided not to fly," Saiki said, speaking in Goma, Congo. The head of the UN mission in Congo, Alan Doss, told reporters that an investigation would be undertaken. Other eyewitnesses at the scene said the bullet, which made a loud bang inside the aircraft, went through the floor of the plane and touched a cable. "The envoys and journalists accompanying them travelled by bus across the border to Rwanda, where their plane was to pick them up," Saiki said. After a four-hour bus ride through the mountainous terrain of Rwanda, the delegation was stuck for hours at the Kigali airport after US aviation fuel firm Caltex demanded $20,000 up front for fuel from the group. Kigalý Reuters

starting hours before the stabbings. “I want to crash the vehicle and, if it becomes useless, I will then use a knife.

Goodbye, everyone,” Kyodo News agency quoted one message as saying.

That was followed chillingly several hours later, the report said, by a message sent from Akihabara via cell phone that read: “It’s time.” The killing started 20 minutes later. The reported messages gave Japan a limited glimpse into the mind of man accused of one of the worst knife attacks in Japanese history. Police say the assault was the deadliest stabbing assault in Tokyo in recent memory.

Kato said he had “gotten sick of the world,” police said, but investigators are still trying to find out his motives and

Lawyers, actývýsts kýck off protests agaýnst Musharraf Thousands of Pakistani activists and lawyers gathered in major cities on Monday to kick off a series of protests aimed at pressuring the new government to restore judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf.

The so-called “Long March” is expected to culminate in a rally and prolonged sit-in at the capital, Islamabad, later in the week -another headache for the 2-month-old government, already struggling with militancy and serious economic problems. The protests

by Pakistan’s lawyers’ movement, which spearheaded opposition to Musharraf’s rule last year, could intensify calls for the US-allied former army strongman to resign.

But it could also widen rifts within the coalition that came to power after February elections, ending eight years of military rule.

The main ruling party of Asif Ali Zardari, and its largest partner, ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N party, have failed to resolve differences over how to reinstate the judges. Sharif’s party intends to

participate in the protests.In Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial capital, Sabihuddin Ahmed, the deposed chief justice of the high court in the southern province of Sindh, saw off a convoy of dozens of vehicles headed on Monday to the main gathering point of the rally, the central city of Multan.

“Today is the historic day that the lawyers and judges have come out to protect the country and the constitution,” Ahmed said. Some 4,000 political activists from parties including the PML-N gathered and chanted slogans such as “Go, Musharraf, Go!” and “Musharraf is an American dog!”

Security forces were also out in large numbers, but the rally was peaceful. Karachi Bar Association secretary Naeem Qureshi said convoys of lawyers from other cities including Hyderabad, Nawabshah and Sukkur will merge with the Karachi procession, all heading to Multan. About 370 miles (600 kilometers) north of Karachi, a convoy of some 350 lawyers and political workers left the city of Quetta for Multan. Before leaving,

the lawyers, wearing black armbands, gathered outside Quetta District Bar where they chanted anti-Musharraf slogans. Outside the Multan District Courts, a group of lawyers hung a large effigy of Musharraf, kicked it, beat it with sticks, and set it ablaze.

Musharraf ousted dozens of judges in November during a burst of emergency rule imposed as he faced legal challenges to staying on as president. The move outraged lawyers and his political opponents, who were already angry over an earlier attempt by the president to depose the chief of the Supreme Court. After they won the elections, Zardari’s and Sharif’s parties promised to restore the judges but they have not agreed on the mechanics. Sharif has argued the judges’ restoration should be simple _ essentially done through an executive order from the prime minister. But Zardari has wanted to link the judges’ return to a major package of constitutional reforms that not only would affect the judiciary but also would weaken the presidency. Karachi AP

BLASTS

US lawmakers have offered to ease conditions tied to a $1.4 billion drug-fighting plan for Mexico and Central America after the Mexican government called it a threat to sovereignty. Mexico has rejected the so-called Merida Initiative proposed by President George W. Bush because of demands by the US Congress that the aid -- which includes helicopters and encrypted communication devices -- be subject to monitoring. US lawmakers also want to include human rights oversight in the three-year package, which Mexico says is unacceptable. Mexico is also upset by plans to reduce the dollar amount of aid from the original proposal. But at a meeting of US and Mexican lawmakers in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey on Sunday, both sides agreed to try to save the drug plan and soften the conditions. Monterrey, Mexico Reuters

Man nabbed after protest on roof of Labour’s Harman A protester was in police custody on Monday after he camped out all night on the roof of Labour Party Deputy Leader Harriet Harman’s south London home, forcing her to move out.

The 49-year-old from the Fathers 4 Justice protest group scaled the building at the weekend to demand divorced fathers be given better access to their children. The man, who has not been named by police, joined another protester who was still on the roof early on Monday.

A 49-year-old man who came down from the roof is in custody, a Scotland Yard spokeswoman said. A second man remains on the roof.

The protest was the latest in a line of high profile stunts by the group, which has included heckling then-Prime Minister Tony Blair in the House of Commons in 2006. On Sunday, police surrounded Harman’s house in Herne Hill and waited for the two costumed men, who said they had enough food for a week, to come down.

Harman told reporters as she moved out: I don’t think it is fair to the police resources to be tied up outside my house because of this demonstration when they could be doing other important policing work. “I also think it is unfair on the neighbors, so we are moving out,” she said, adding that although the protesters said they wanted to meet her they had made no attempt to do so. London Reuters

Hamas cautious on reconciliation with Fatah faction

Supporters of Jamat-e-Islami Party gather before the start of a cross-country rally in Karachi on Monday. Hundreds of Pakistani lawyers and political activists gathered for the start of a cross-country rally to demand the restoration of judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf.

PROPOSAL

US lawmakers try to save Mexican drug fight plan

Two Fathers 4 Justice campaigners, Mark Harris and Jolly Stanesby (no left to right available), protest on the roof of the home of Harriet Harman.

PHOTO

Algeria bombs kill 12, including French engineer Two bombs exploded on Sunday at a railway station east of Algiers, killing 12 people including a French engineer, diplomats and security sources said. It was the first time since the 1990s that a French citizen has been killed in political violence in Algeria, where al-Qaeda-aligned rebels have carried out a string of deadly bombings in the past two years. The attack was the third deadly strike in five days. The bombs went off at close intervals in the town of Beni Amrane in Boumerdes province, around 50 km (30 miles) from the capital, the sources said. Eight soldiers accompanying the Frenchman working for French water engineering company Razel, two firemen and an unidentified man also died when their convoy hit the bombs planted next to the station, according to one security source. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Three employees of the same French company were injured last September in a suicide car bomb attack claimed by al-Qaeda's North African wing, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Several French firms working in Algeria sent home employees' families last year when al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al Zawahri, called for the group's supporters in North Africa to cleanse "their land of Spaniards and French." Algiers Reuters

the reason why he chose Akihabara, or whether he had planned the criminal act over the past few days as reported.

Agents searched his apartment in an area about 150 kilometers (100 miles) southwest of Tokyo. Government officials scrambled to respond. The ruling coalition held an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to come up with ways to secure crowded public spaces, and the government is considering limiting access to large knives like the one used on Sunday.

“Obviously, the suspect possessed the knife without a legitimate reason,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said. “I think we have to seriously consider what we can do to step up the restrictions.” Tokyo AP

AP

Police arrest Kato (2nd R) in Tokyo's Akihabara district in this image taken from TV.

The man suspected of killing seven people in a knifing rampage in Tokyo foretold the mayhem in a series of messages posted to the Internet, including one just before the attack saying, “It’s time,” police and media reports said on Monday.

Tomohiro Kato, accused of ramming pedestrians with a truck on Sunday and then stabbing 17 bystanders in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, posted a string of messages on an Internet bulletin board from his cell phone, a police spokesman said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing protocol, refused to release the messages, but news reports said they were posted in a threat titled, “I will kill people in Akihabara,”

REUTERS

MISHAP

REUTERS

Villagers in southern Greece sifted through the rubble of homes and businesses for valuables and belongings on Monday, a day after a strong earthquake killed two people and injured dozens of others. The tremor measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale struck 54 kilometers (33 miles) south of the western port city of Patras on Sunday, injuring 125, destroying homes. Hundreds of villagers spent the night in tents, in cars or sleeping bags in town squares, too scared to return to their homes, as aftershocks continued through the night.

"We are destroyed," said a resident of the village of Valmi, one of the hardest hit, who did not want to be named. "The quake was so strong that even graves opened up." A Reuters photographer said more than half of the village's 46 homes had collapsed. "There is a tent wherever there is space," said Reuters photographer Yiorgos Karahalis. Shopowners are cleaning up smashed glass to get their businesses going again and trying to get their lives back on track. Three hundred tents were sent to the region for about 250 people who are estimated to have been left homeless. In the village of Kato Achaia, also hard hit by the quake, one man was killed when a building collapsed and an elderly woman who was taken to hospital with injuries died of a heart attack. Authorities said most of those hospitalized had minor injuries. There were no foreigners among them. Valmi - Greece Reuters

Man behind Tokyo stabbings posted messages on Internet PHOTO

Greek villagers sift through quake-hit homes

WORLD

PHOTO

T10-10-06-08.qxd

Four Pakistani police die in ambush by militants Suspected militants killed four policeman in an ambush near Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar on Monday, a police official said. The militants armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles opened fire on a police van then threw an explosive, setting the vehicle alight, in an attack about 10 km (6 miles) south of Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province. “Four policemen have been killed in an attack that happened well after midnight,” police officer Nasir-ul-Mulk Bangash said. He suspected it was a revenge attack, after police killed a militant during a clash last week in the nearby town of Nowshera. Separately, four children were killed in an explosion in the northern town of Chitral late on Sunday.

Police said it was investigating the cause of the blast.

Pakistan has seen a wave of militant violence, most of it in the

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country’s northwest and the adjoining lawless tribal belt on the Afghan border and hundreds of people have been killed since the middle of the last year. The violence had subsided after Pakistan’s new government to came to power after defeating allies of President Pervez Musharraf in an election in February, and began peace negotiations with militants.

Although similar pacts the past have failed to curb militancy, the government hopes the tribal leaders can use their influence to rein in militants and stop violence in Pakistan and cross-border infiltration into Afghanistan. The United States and some of Pakistan’s other allies fear deals with militants will free up Taliban and al-Qaeda militants, who fled to Pakistan after the fall of Taliban regime in late 2001, to intensify their war against the West in Afghanistan. Peshawar Reuters

The leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip played down on Monday the chances of quick reconciliation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction. “Things are still at the beginning and it may take a long time,” said Ismail Haniyeh, whom Abbas dismissed as prime minister of a Hamas-led unity government last June after the Islamist group routed secular Fatah from the Gaza Strip. Abbas’s call last week for “a national and comprehensive dialogue” has been welcomed

by Haniyeh, though aides to Abbas said there was no change in his demand that Hamas give up control of the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh said any dialogue should be held “without conditions. There should be no winners and no losers.”

Haniyeh cited resistance from Israel as a factor that could delay reconciliation. US President George W. Bush is pushing Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to strike a deal on Palestinian statehood this year. But Israel has said it could review its ties with Abbas if he were to mend relations with Hamas, which refuses to renounce violence or recognize the Jewish state. The flurry of debate on relations between Hamas and Abbas’s Fatah movement coincided with Palestinian commemorations of the Israeli capture of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967 and the first anniversary of the fighting that saw Hamas rout Fatah forces in Gaza and take control there. Gaza Reuters

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09.06.2008

15:08

Page 1

CULTURE&ARTS

TODAY’S ZAMAN 13

T U E S D AY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 0 8

Basel art fair wraps up after some major sales

Journalist and television program producer Ayþe Böhürler, the director of the upcoming documentary "Turkish Literature from Orkhon Inscriptions to the Nobel Prize."

Bejan Matur

Rasim Özdenören

Vedat Türkali

Hilmi Yavuz

Selim Ýleri

PHOTO

TURGUT ENGÝN

Elif Þafak

ALÝ PEKTAÞ ÝSTANBUL

This year's Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's biggest publishing industry gathering, in which Turkey will be featured as the guest of honor, is only a few months away.

While a national executive committee that oversees preparations for the fair is working on the projects it has deemed compatible with the slogan, "Turkey with All Its Colors," the Culture and Tourism Ministry is shooting a film that will chronicle the entire history of Turkish literature.

Journalist and television program producer Ayþe Böhürler and her team are behind the "Turkish Literature from Orkhon Inscriptions to the Nobel Prize" documentary, which will recount a history of Turkish literature through the assessments of famous Turkish writers and poets. The English-German bilingual documentary will be aired on German television stations and will be screened at the Turkish pavilion throughout the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The documentary project was shaped in Böhürler's mind last year. While visiting the pavilions of other countries during last year's fair, she realized the lack of visual materials at the Turkish pavilion. "I'm looking at the whole thing from the visual perspective, as I'm a TV producer. Three-hundred-thousand people visit this fair and they will be introduced to Turkish literature. A project that would introduce our literature in a film format with all the aspects of our literature and not by focusing on individual writers was needed," she said.

‘Orhan Pamuk didn’t give us an appointment’ Böhürler said that she benefited from many references while forming the list of the poets and

From Orkhon Valley to the Nobel Prize: Turkish literature headed for Frankfurt writers to be included in the documentary and that she chose the figures with an objective approach. "Considering Turkish literature to be a river, we tried to include all the names that have been important stops on the way and that have brought a change that helped Turkish literature cover a greater distance," she noted. She held interviews with many living masters, such as Hilmi Yavuz, Elif Þafak, Vedat Türkali, Doðan Hýzlan, Rasim Özdenören, Bejan Matur and Ahmet Altan. Yet she maintains that they still have gaps to fill. Complaining that they couldn't make an appointment with Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, she stressed: "This is a great setback for us. There are certain indispensable names that must be included in this documentary, such as Fazýl Hüsnü Daðlarca, Ahmet Oktay, Ýlhan Berk, Gülten Akýn and Ülkü Tamer. We are planning on holding another shooting session. President Abdullah Gül will also make an appearance, giving his views."

The documentary opens with the first written source of the Turkish language, the Orkhon inscriptions; drops by the era of "Kutadgu Bilig" by Yusuf Has Hacip -- an 11th century Uyghur scribe from the city of Balasaghun, the capital of the Karakhanid Empire; and continues its journey with the Ottoman divan poetry. The documentary dwells more heavily on the republican era and modern Turkish literature, while emphasizing how distinctive the Turkish language is. It also touches on Turkish literature's Eastern-Western synthesis.

Böhürler noted that mostly foreigners would view the documentary and that they therefore they had to present it in a way that would not be boring for the majority of the audience, adding that they aimed to create an orderly work on Turkish literature.

Documentary shooting sessions were held in a number of historical sites in Ýstan-

FILM SCREENING

RECITAL

Circassians recount life in adopted homeland

Pianist Toros Can to play Schubert, Ligeti

The Osmanlý Bank Museum in Ýstanbul will this Thursday present the documentary "Küllerinden Doðmak" (Born from the Ashes), directed by Enis Rýza, in two showings as part of its weekly program.

The 2007 film is an 83-minute account of the lives of the Circassians in various regions of Anatolia following their forced immigration from the Caucasus in the 19th century. The admission-free showings are set for 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tel.: (212) 334 2270

Turkish classical pianist Toros Can, a concert and recording artist with numerous awards in international piano competitions, will take stage on June 19 for a recital at Ýstanbul’s Akbank Art Center. Can, who is currently serving as a lecturer with the Eskiþehir Anadolu University conservatory, will present a program featuring Shubert's "Sonata in A minor Op. 42" and Ligeti's "Musica Ricercata" at the recital, which starts at 8 p.m. Ticket price: YTL 10

FESTIVAL

Korcia, Portal, Wendeberg at ‘Festival Encounters' Three world-renowned musicians, violinist Laurent Korcia, clarinetist and bandoneon player Michel Portal and pianist Michael Wendeberg, will tonight share the same stage at Ýstanbul's Topkapý Palace, performing the first concert in a series called "Festival Encounters" as part of the Ýstanbul Music Festival. The diverse repertoire of the concert, which starts at 8 p.m., will feature pieces by Bartok, Ravel, Brahms and Gershwin. Ticket price: YT 50, YTL 40

bul, such as the Sepetçiler Palace and the Malta Mansion, to further publicity for these sites. The only thing that upset her, she says, is that they were unable to shoot in Anatolia.

‘There are many things we sought but couldn’t get’ There is something Böhürler underscores very emphatically: "Our function here is to establish equilibrium and be objective; and only to reflect our literature [as it is.] I did not want even the 'p' of politics to get involved in this documentary in any fashion. We focused only on literature, not on political discrepancies. We neither favored nor neglected anybody. The highquality literature of a single country; the good literature of a single country has been recounted."

The screenplay was written by Selahattin Yusuf and is currently being reviewed by many writers. What type of music will be used in the soundtrack has yet to be decided, although it will probably mostly comprise symphonic music. Böhürler said that they were making use of advanced technology, adding: "There are many things we sought and couldn't get, that made us say, 'We wish we could have…' We couldn't realize many things we aspired to, partly because of limited budgetary possibilities and partly due to the circumstances. We might receive criticisms, but we are doing this only for [the] publicity [of our literature]," she said.

The documentary might turn out a different experience for foreigners, but even before the editing is finished, it has clearly moved its producer: "Most of our writers are lonely; void of support and try to do everything on their own. It's a difficult thing to be a writer in Turkey. Intellectual labor still doesn't receive the level of respect it deserves in Turkey."

‘Brokeback Mountain' to get opera remake The New York City Opera has commissioned Charles Wuorinen to compose an opera based on "Brokeback Mountain," the 1997 short story by Annie Proulx that became the basis for a 2005 movie that won three Academy Awards.

The opera is scheduled to premiere in spring 2013, City Opera said Sunday. It will be City Opera's second Wuorinen premiere, following "Haroun and the Sea of Stories," which was based on a Salman Rushdie novel and opened in October 2004. "Ever since encountering Annie Proulx's extraordinary story I have wanted to make an opera on it, and it gives me great joy that Gerard Mortier and New York City Opera have given me the opportunity to do so," Wuorinen said in a statement. "Brokeback Mountain" is a cowboy romance about two ranch-hand buddies who start a homosexual affair when they meet on the fictional mountain in 1963. New York AP

Mary J. Blige to sing at Stockholm jazz fest Organizers say Grammy-winning soul and hip hop singer Mary J. Blige will perform at this year's Stockholm Jazz Festival. Festival spokeswoman Liisa Tolonen said on Monday that Blige will join Irish singer Van Morrison and US singer-songwriter rocker Patti Smith as the headline acts at the four-day festival that starts on July 16. The Bronx-born singer canceled a performance earlier this spring in the Swedish capital for what organizers said was "technical reasons."

The Stockholm Jazz Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and is expected to attract around 25,000 people. It is one of Sweden's biggest music events, and has previously hosted stars such as Lauryn Hill, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie. Stockholm AP

Panda kicks Sandler’s ‘Zohan’ at box office

CONCERT

Three days to first-ever Mark Knopfler concert The countdown to Mark Knopfler's first-ever Ýstanbul gig is nearing its end as there are only three days left until the highly anticipated concert, scheduled for Friday night at the Turkcell Kuruçeþme Arena. Knopfler, the legendary lead guitarist and vocalist of the popular swing and blues band Dire Straits of the 1970s and '80s, will be on stage at 9 p.m. for the concert, which will be his 62nd gig in his ongoing world tour. Ticket price: YTL 100

CM Y K

Art Basel, the largest international fair of contemporary art, wound up Sunday after registering some major sales but with a suggestion that the overall market may be slowing in reaction to the world's financial turmoil. The show management's final report said the results were "outstanding" and that all participants "considered it a very good year," but it gave no overall sales figures.

Headlines were chiefly made by Roman Abramovich, the Russian multibillionaire and owner of Chelsea soccer club, who topped the list of collectors present. Abramovich appeared to have stayed below his spending spree last month in New York, where he paid $120 million at Sotheby's record-breaking auction, including $86 million for the top lot, a Francis Bacon triptych. In Basel, he bought one of Alberto Giacometti's elongated woman sculptures for $14 million, according to The Art Newspaper's special Basel edition. The sale of a Lucian Freud, "Girl in Attic Doorway," for $12 million to an undisclosed buyer was also confirmed.

The organizers said their surveys showed that "all the exhibiting galleries were able to find buyers for their works." The 300 participating galleries offered works by more than 2,000 artists, priced between a few thousand and millions of dollars.

Despite the positive report of the organizers, the weekend edition of The Art Newspaper headlined, "Market keeps moving, but the brakes start to go on." "A frazzled economy and boom-market pricing transformed souls of last year's buyers into browsers," it said. "Much of the slow-up was blamed on Americans who opted to stay home."

Management said that 75-80 percent of the sales went to Europe and that there had been a "marked increase in collectors and curators of the Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern and Russian art scenes." Organizers counted some 60,000 visitors to the show. Basel AP

Moviegoers across North America were in a fighting mood during the weekend, cheering the family cartoon "Kung Fu Panda" to the top spot at the box office. DreamWorks Animation's Jack Black comedy about a panda who dreams of martial arts glory handily earned an estimated $60 million during its first three days, distributor Paramount Pictures said on Sunday. The firms had hoped for an opening in the high $40 million range.

But it was not a complete knockout. Columbia Pictures' Adam Sandler comedy "You Don't Mess with the Zohan," in which the comedian plays an Israeli commando-turned-New York hairdresser, opened at No. 2 with $40 million. "Kung Fu Panda" ranks as DreamWorks Animation's third best opening, after 2007's "Shrek the Third" ($122 million) and 2004's "Shrek 2" ($108 million). In addition to Black, whose character Po is a would-be Dragon Warrior, the voice cast includes Dustin Hoffman as a Yoda-type Svengali, and Ian McShane as a villainous kung fu master. Los Angeles Reuters

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18:17

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T16-10-06-08.qxd

09.06.2008

14:01

Page 1

16 TODAY’S ZAMAN

LEISURE

TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2008

tv guýde

Gregorian Calendar: 10 June 2008 C.E. Hijri Calendar: 6 Jumada al-Thani 1429 A.H. Hebrew Calendar: 07 Sivan 5768 calendar@todayszaman.com

E2 Today is Portugal Day. This day commemorates the establishment of a republican form of government in Portugal in 1910, when the monarchy that had been in power since the 11th century was overthrown in a bloodless revolution. On this same day in 1580 the Portuguese poet Luís Vaz de Camöes died. Hence, the country’s national day and Camöes Memorial Day are celebrated on the same day. Camöes is best known for his epic poem, “Os Lusiadas” (The Lusiads).

Today is the Day of Affirmation of Argentina’s Rights over the Malvinas in Argentina. Malvinas, or the Falkland Islands in English, are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean located about 500 kilometers from the coast of Argentina. The islands are a self-governing Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom, but have been the subject of a claim to sovereignty by Argentina since the British invasion of 1833. In pursuit of this claim in 1982, the islands were invaded by Argentina, precipitating the two-month-long undeclared Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom, which resulted in the defeat and withdrawal of Argentine forces. June 10 was already Malvinas Day before the war and Argentineans decided to readopt this day as the Day of Affirmation of Argentina’s Rights over Malvinas. Even today the dispute is not over and Argentina uses this opportunity to reiterate its claim on Malvinas.

movýe guýde

‘Death Defying Acts’

SUPERHERO MOVIE ÝSTANBUL: Þiþli Megaplex Cevahir: 11:00 12:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 22:00 Caddebostan AFM: 11:40 13:50 16:25 18:40 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:25 ANKARA: Cinebonus Bilkent: 11:45 13:45 15:45 17:45 19:45 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ÝZMÝR: Konak AFM Passtel: 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 ANTALYA: Cinebonus Migros: 11:30 13:30 15:30 17:30 19:30 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:15

21 ÝSTANBUL: Beyoðlu Emek: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Kadýköy Cinebonus Nautilus: 11:15 13:45 16:30 19:00 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15 ANKARA: Ata On Tower: 11:15 13:45 16:30 19:15 21:00 22:00 ÝZMÝR: Konak AFM Passtel: 10:45 13:30 16:15 19:00 21:45 ANTALYA: Cinebonus Migros: 11:15 13:45 15:00 16:30 17:45 19:15 22:00 Fri/Sat: 24:15

Today is Army Day in Jordan. This day marks the proclamation by Sherif Hussein of Arabia’s independence from Ottoman rule in 1916. Ironically, this day is also the day the Jordanian army lost control of the West Bank in the Six Days War of 1967.

Today is the Day of National Reconciliation in the Republic of Congo. This event commemorates the official conference in 1991 that started a transition to multi-party democracy. For two decades preceding Congo’s 1991 national conference, the country was firmly in the socialist camp, allied principally with the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc nations.

Today is Lidice Memorial Day in the Czech Republic and among Czechs living all around the world. On this day in 1942 the Nazi German troops invaded the thenCzechoslovakian village of Lidice, executed all the male inhabitants and deported all women and children to Germany for “re-education.” All deported villagers subsequently perished in concentrations camps. This was one of the most remembered atrocities of World War II. On this day in 1946, the Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) was founded under the presidency of Sedat Simavi, then editor-in-chief of the Yedi Gün weekly and later, founder of the Hürriyet daily. The TGC is not a union of journalists, it rather tries to form and

maintain the ethical principles of journalism, preserve and lobby for the freedom of press and expression and help new journalists educated into the profession.

This week is Traditional Hacý Bayram Veli Commemoration Activities Week. Celebrated by the Altýndað Municipality of Ankara, this week honors the late 14th and early 15th century Sufi and poet Hacý Bayram Veli (1352-1429). Writing his poems in Turkish, Hacý Bayram became an influential figure in making Turkish a widely spoken language in Anatolia. His Sufi insights are endorsed by both the Sunni and Alevi traditions.

French writer Pierre Loti (b. 1850) died on this day in 1923. Pierre Loti (Julien Viaud) frequented Ýstanbul between 1876 and 1913. He fell in love with the Ottoman city, as well as an Ottoman lady. In his eyes Ýstanbul was the symbol of the East and of love. He paid short visits to Bursa, Ýzmir and Edirne, too. His name is given to a street in Ýstanbul’s Sultanahmet district and to a coffee shop overlooking the Golden Horn from Eyüp.

On this day in 2000 Syrian President Hafez alAssad passed away. Assad was the president of Syria for three decades, in which the power of the country’s central government was stabilized and consolidated after decades of coups and counter-coups. He was succeeded by his son, Bashar al-Assad. By Kerim Balcý

Bollywood movýe stars feast on prýzes at ‘Oscars’

ÝSTANBUL: Maçka Cinebonus G-mall: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Caddebostan AFM: 11:20 13:40 16:00 18:40 21:00 Fri/Sat: 23:20 ANKARA: Cinebonus Panora: 11:00 12:50 15:00 16:00 17:15 18:15 19:30 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ÝZMÝR: Cinebonus Konak Pier: 10:30 12:45 15:00 17:15 19:30 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00

ÝSTANBUL: Niþantaþý Citylife: 11:00 12:30 14:00 15:30 17:00 18:30 20:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:00 24:30 Kadýköy Cinebonus Nautilus: 11:30 13:15 15:00 18:15 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:45 ANKARA: Ata On Tower: 11:00 13:00 14:30 16:15 17:45 19:30 21:00 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ÝZMÝR: Cinebonus Konak Pier: 11:00 14:00 15:30 17:00 18:30 20:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:00 ANTALYA: Cinebonus Migros: 11:00 12:15 15:30 18:45 20:15 22:00 Fri/Sat: 23:45

88 MINUTES ÝSTANBUL: Maçka Cinebonus G-mall: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Caddebostan AFM: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:50 ANKARA: Cinebonus Panora: 12:00 14:35 17:00 19:25 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15 ÝZMÝR: Konak AFM Passtel: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:30 ANTALYA: Cinebonus Migros: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30

Sudoku

Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan in a scene from the Bollywood movie “Chak De! India.” the Netherlands and Singapore. “It’s the biggest celebration of the Indian movie industry,” said Sabbas Joseph, director of Wizcraft Entertainment, which helped organize the awards ceremony.

Prominent among Sunday night’s

early winners were Viveik Oberoi, who captured the award for the best performance in a negative role for “Shootout at Lokhandwala,” and Govinda, who won for best performance in a comic role for “Partner.”

Song and dance numbers were highlights of the evening, helping heighten anticipation for the naming of the big four awards closing out the night: best actor and actress, best director, and best movie. Seven films had contended for best picture: “Guru,” “Chak De! India,” “Jab We Met,” “Om Shanti Om,” “Life In A Metro,” “Partner,” and “Taare Zameen Par.” “It’s not about competition, it is about fraternity,” Abhishek Bachchan, a contender for leading actor, said as he entered the awards hall, which was mobbed by fans. Other big names of Bollywood, including Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Dia Mirza, Zayed Khan and Priyanka Chopra, also paraded down a green carpet, substituting for red in a bid to spread awareness about global warming.

The Mumbai-based Indian film industry, commonly called Bollywood, churns out some 800 Hindi-language movies a year -- three times Hollywood’s production rate. Hundreds more films are produced in southern India. Bangkok AP

Cem Kýzýltuð

Mr. DýploMAT!

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c.kiziltug@todayszaman.com

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

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Hallmark 07:30 Dynasty: Behind the Scenes 09:15 McLeod’s Daughters 10:00 Spies, Lies and Naked Thighs 11:45 My Louisiana Sky 13:30 Dynasty: Behind the Scenes 15:15 McLeod’s Daughters 16:15 Spies, Lies and Naked Thighs 18:00 My Louisiana Sky 20:00 Wild at Heart 21:00 The Red Sneakers 23:00 The Book of Ruth 00:45 Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer 02:30 The Book of Ruth

Comedymax 08:00 30 Rock 08:30 Frasier 09:00 For Your Love 09:30 Courting Alex 10:00 Two Guys and a Girl 10:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:00 Ugly Betty 12:00 America’s Funniest Home Videos 12:30 The Game 13:00 Still Standing 13:30 American Dad 14:00 30 Rock 14:30 Frasier 15:00 For Your Love 15:30 Courting Alex 16:00 Two Guys and a Girl 16:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:00 Ugly Betty 18:00 America’s Funniest Home Videos 18:30 The Game 19:00 Still Standing 19:30 American Dad 20:00 30 Rock 20:30 Frasier 21:00 Two Guys and a Girl 21:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 22:00 Ugly Betty 23:00 Californication 23:30 American Dad 00:00 30 Rock

TRT Tourýsm Radýo

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18:10 Married with Children 18:50 Two and a Half Men 20:00 The Simpsons 21:00 Desperate Housewives 22:00 Mona Lisa Smile 00:30 The Simpsons 01:30 Desperate Housewives 02:30 Mona Lisa Smile

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08:20 Annapolis 10:05 The Architect 11:40 Little Miss Sunshine 13:30 Hoot 15:05 Jade Warrior 16:55 Dear Wendy 18:55 Inside the Actors Studio 20:00 The Illusionist 22:00 Idiocracy 23:35 The Eye 2 01:15 Jade Warrior 02:55 The Namesake 03:35 Code 11-14

Cnbc-e Bollywood’s brightest stars and about 2,000 of their enthusiastic fans stayed up into the early hours of Monday in the Thai capital to see the film “Chak De! India,” carry off top honors at one of the Indian film industry’s glitziest awards ceremonies.

“Chak De! India,” with an inspirational theme pegged to women’s field hockey, won a slew of top awards from the Indian International Film Academy: best director for Shimit Amin; best actor for Shah Rukh Khan; best story; and best screenplay -shared with “Life in a Metro.” The popular and critically acclaimed film’s lock on the big awards was broken only by the best actress honors won by Kareena Kapoor for “Jab We Met.” As many as 600 million people worldwide had been expected to watch the awards ceremony, which is staged abroad to promote Indian films to an international audience. The awards were launched in 2000, with earlier ceremonies were held in the United Arab Emirates,

SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE

1

Goldmax 07:10 Road to Perdition 07:40 Private Benjamin 09:25 The Wrong Man 11:10 Hope Floats 13:05 When Time Ran Out...

14:55 The Hunted 16:30 Five Days One Summer 18:20 A Cock and Bull Story 20:00 Bye Bye Love 21:50 Head Over Heels 23:20 The Day After Tomorrow 01:20 Sleepless 03:15 Klute

Movýemax

DEATH DEFYING ACTS

8

08:00 Rachael Ray Show 09:00 Ellen DeGeneres Show 10:00 The Martha Stewart Show 11:00 Rachael Ray Show 12:00 Ellen DeGeneres Show 13:00 Hollyoaks 13:30 Rachael Ray Show 14:30 The Martha Stewart Show 15:30 Rachael Ray Show 16:30 Ellen DeGeneres Show 17:30 Hollyoaks 18:00 The Martha Stewart Show 19:00 Ellen DeGeneres Show 20:00 Cheers 20:30 Hollyoaks 21:00 Footballers’ Wives 22:15 Big Shots 23:00 Late Night with Conan O’Brien 24:00 Poker Royale 01:00 Big Shots 02:00 Footballers’ Wives 03:00 CSI: NY 04:00 Poker Royale

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

CM Y K

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

Broadcast Areas: Alanya FM 94.4 Ankara FM 100.3 Antalya FM 92.1 Ayvalýk FM 101.1 Bodrum FM 97.4 Fethiye FM 103.1 Ýstanbul FM 101.6 Ýzmir FM 101.6 Kalkan FM 105.9 Kapadokya FM 103.0 Kuþadasý FM 101.9 Marmaris FM 101.0 Pamukkale FM 101.0 Trabzon FM 101.5

T17-10-06-08.qxd

09.06.2008

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09.06.2008

15:21

Page 1

18 TODAY’S ZAMAN

T U E S D AY, J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 0 8

TODAY’S LEARNING TIME QUOTE OF THE DAY

OSMAN TURHAN

elementary READING

Sandra Miles

ILLUSTRATIONS

Sandra Miles is twenty-five years old and she is a cook. "I like my job a lot because I love cooking. But it is tiring because I work from ten o'clock until eight every day," she says.

Sandra doesn't get up very early. Her day starts at nine o'clock. She gets up, takes a shower and then drives to work. She arrives at the restaurant at ten o'clock, then she starts to make salads and desserts. At half past eleven, she takes a break for lunch, then from twelve o'clock until five, she cooks for the customers. And then, she cleans the kitchen.

She finishes work at eight o'clock, then she meets her friends. They usually go to the cinema or a Chinese restaurant in the evening.

In her free time, Sandra likes to visit her parents or to go fishing with her brother.

She also loves swimming.

"I have a great job and I feel very happy with the way I live," says Sandra.

Activity: Responses Find the best answer.

1) I'd like you to meet my husband. a. Why? b. I'm pleased to meet you. c. Sure not.

2) Would you like to come to dinner next Friday? a. I'm afraid, I can't. b. Unfortunately not. c. Certainly not.

3) Thank you very much for all your help. a. No matter. b. Don't mention it. c. It's not worth it.

4) Could you tell me the way to the station, please? a. Yes, I could. b. Yes. c. Yes, of course.

5) My name is Jonathan. How do you do? a. How do you do? b. I'm fine, thank you. c. All right.

6) May I open the window? a. I'd rather you didn't. b. Not at all. c. No. 7) Give my love to your grandma. a. Yes, sure. b. Yes, I will. Thank you. c. Yes, please.

8) I think you've taken my bag by mistake. a. What a shame. b. Pardon. c. I'm so sorry.

9) Happy New Year. a. OK. b. The same to you. c. Yours too.

10) Lovely day today, isn't it? a. Yes, it is. b. Yes, it's so. c. Yes, of course.

PART 1: READING COMPREHENSION Crossword Puzzle Instructions: Complete the sentences with the information given in the text and fill out the puzzle.

ACROSS 3- She likes to go _______________ with her brother.

5- Sandra is a _______________.

7- She finishes work at _______________ o'clock.

9- She arrives at the _______________

at ten o'clock.

10- Sandra doesn't get up very_____.

DOWN 1- As a free time activity, Sandra loves _______________.

2- Sandra and her friends sometimes go to the _______________.

4- She _______________ cooking.

6- After she finishes her work, she tidies the _______________.

8- Sandra feels _______________ about her lifestyle.

ýntermedýate READING

Horoscopes Every morning millions of people open their newspapers or magazines and read the horoscopes pages. On these pages, they read about what will happen to them. These predictions are generally called horoscopes, although the real horoscope is the calculation the astrologer makes before he makes the prediction.

There is no evidence that an astrologer can predict someone's future.

There is, however, a great deal of evidence that an astrologer can predict certain important events such as when it will rain, how long it will take plants to grow, and other events to do with nature.

The first astrologers were priests.

They studied how the sun, the moon

and the planets moved in the sky and thought this made certain events happen on Earth. From this, it was a short step to thinking everything on Earth was caused by the way the stars moved in the sky, even though there

was no real evidence for this.

The priests then invented the signs of the zodiac and said that what happened in our lives was caused by the sign under which we were born.

The Chinese and Western zodiacs are similar but not the same. Whereas the Chinese talk about the year they were born as "The Year of …" and name the animal the year is named after, in the Western zodiac, people refer to the name of the sign and say "I'm a Leo," or ask "What sign are you?"

Although believing in astrology does not hurt most people, for others it can be very dangerous. They will not do anything without studying their horoscopes. There have even been world leaders who would not make decisions until they had studied their horoscopes.

PART 1: Vocabulary Complete the sentences using the words below.

Horoscopes Calculations Astrologer Zodiac Sign 1. Many people read magazines for their __________________.

2. A good __________________ can read the future.

3. Give me a __________________ to show that you understand me.

4. This answer isn't correct. Have you done your ______________ properly?

5. There are twelve signs of the __________________.

PART 2: Organizing Ideas Put the sentences below into the correct order (according to the text order) by writing the numbers 1-5

Activity: Find the correct opposites of the words in bold.

1) What's the opposite of to break? ___ a. to join b. to fasten 2) What's the opposite of early? ___ a. soon b. late 3) What's the opposite of to lose? ___ a. to forget b. to find 4) What's the opposite of over? ___ a. downstairs b. below 5) What's the opposite of rough? __ a. sharp b. heavy 6) What's the opposite of heavy? ___ a. light b. soft 7) What's the opposite of to learn? ___ a. to know b. to teach 8) What's the opposite of high? ___ a. under b. low 9) What's the opposite of to start? ___ b. to begin a. to stop 10) What's the opposite of to push? ___ a. to tow b. to lift

Choose the correct answer. d. to build

c. last

d. first

c. to search

d. to look for

c. under

d. above

c. hard

d. smooth

c. easy

d. smooth

c. to forget

d. to understand

c. beneath

d. down

c. to go on

d. to continue

c. to pull

d. to send

VOCABULARY Specialized Vocabulary Fashion: Baseball cap (noun) is a type of soft cap with a long, stiffened and curved peak and it is worn by men, women and children.

Peter usually wears his red baseball cap when he goes sailing.

Entertainment: Editor (noun) is the person who cuts the film. The editor orders individual scenes into a complete, coherent story.

The director and producer, with approval from the studio, hired the editor for the important position.

Publishing: Leaflet (noun) is a printed sheet folded vertically in the center to produce four pages.

Sian picked up a leaflet at the cinema showing the new films for summer.

Technology: Software (noun) any program/application that helps operate the computer or accomplish certain tasks.

The music studio was fully equipped but lacked some software.

Architecture: Atrium (noun) in modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and has a glazed roof and/or large windows.

Many impressive modern offices often have an atrium usually situated immediately beyond the main entrance doors.

next to each letter.

c. to mend

Idiom of the Day Break a leg MEANING: good luck - mainly used in the theater EXAMPLE: Before going on stage, Kelly's friend yelled ‘break a leg.'

a. In the early days, priests were astrologers who looked at the sun, the moon and the stars and told people about the future. _____ b. The Chinese system uses years named after animals and the Western one uses monthly signs. _____ c. They also said the planets made everything happen on Earth and invented the twelve signs of the zodiac. _____ d. Many people like reading their horoscopes in the newspapers. _____ e. The Chinese and Western zodiacs are similar but not the same. _____

Phrasal Verbs Pack away meaning: Put something where it belongs example: I packed away the suitcases in the loft after we had emptied them.

Read on meaning: When you read on, you continue reading after having stopped. example: Read on to see what happened.

Slang: Eat meaning: bothering example: The problem is really eating away at me.

Confusing Words In English Ablution vs absolution Ablution is a noun which means the washing of one’s body; washing, bathing, cleaning, bath, lavation.

For example: "Because of the heat, he felt the need for a daily ablution."

Absolution is a noun it means the freeing from sin, guilt, or blame; or a declaration that frees a person from guilt or punishment for sin.

For example: "The priest gave absolution to church members which always makes the parishioners feel a great deal better."

CM Y K

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.

Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” Helen Keller

advanced READING

History’s dictators When I hear the words "ruthless dictator", several thoughts immediately come to mind. A couple of old bosses. My ex-wife. An uncle that I fortunately only saw once a year. On the serious side, as a young man, I haven't had the opportunity to live, observe and analyze history's greatest dictators - Stalin, Hitler and Mao. Each of these infamous beings were directly responsible for millions of deaths either through war or mass extermination.

They were each completely evil, though their exploits do provide fascinating reading for nonfiction perusers like myself.

Before these dictators rose to power, Lenin and Trotsky were the instigators of the Russian Revolution, the downfall of Czar

Nicholas II, and the seed of communism. Few people realize that these two may have been the most brutal and merciless men in modern history and accountable for the eventual demise of the Soviet Union.

- In the period 1917-1922, Lenin and Trotsky were directly responsible for the deaths of more than 5 million men, women and children at death camps and by mass execution.

- The Russian Revolution, instigated by Lenin, was a total act of barbarism. Replacing the Czar was a complete step backwards.

- In the Russian countryside, Soviet peasants desperately tried to keep their property, and eventually were executed by the millions. Their villages were burned, and then bombed with chemicals.

- Lenin's Bolsheviks destroyed an already dormant Russian economy. By 1920, the ruble had lost more than 96 % of its value.

- The cities ran out of food due to the Marxist ideals.

- The massive famine of 19211922 was intentionally started by Lenin and Trotsky. More than 5 million people died because of the famine.

By the year 1932, the reins of Russia were in the hands of Stalin and his butchers.

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

1. ruthless _____ A person with no: a. morals b. name c. money 2. infamous _____ Famous for being: a. funny b. beautiful c. stupid 3. to exterminate _____ a. give birth to b. to erase c. to help grow 4. exploit _____ a. deed b. murder c. execution 5. peruser _____ a. author b. magazine editor c. reader 6. instigator _____ a. cook b. trigger c. inventor 7. barbarism _____ a. kindness b. stupidity c. carelessness 8. dormant _____ a. vibrant b. active c. inactive 9. famine _____ A lack of: a. water b. sleep c. food 10. rein _____ a. control b. precipitation c. evil

d. ambition

d. evil d. to lend money to d. ruler d. proof reader d. king d. extreme cruelty d. greedy

d. energy d. goodness

Activity: World Trivia Choose the correct answer.

1) What's the longest river in the world? __ a. Danube b. The Nile c. Ganges d. Amazon 2) Where is Broadway? __ a. in New York b. in Los Angeles c. in Boston d. in San Francisco 3) Where and when did the Olympic Games start? __ a. in Paris in 1900 b. in Amsterdam in 1928c. in Athens in 1896 d. in Antwerp in 1920 4) Who laughs last, ... __ a. laughs never b. laughs always c. laughs best d. laughs sometimes 5) What's the name of a famous desert in the USA? ___ a. Green Valley b. Death Valley c. Silicon Valley d. Sahara 6) How old was the Queen Mum when she died? ___ a. 101 years b. 95 years c. 100 years d. 99 years 7) Who was the first man on the moon? ___ a. Neil Armstrong b. Sigmund Jähn c. German Titow d. Juri Gagarin 8) What is the biggest shark on earth? ___ a. Tiger shark b. White shark c. Hammer shark d. Whale shark 9) In which film did Leonard di Caprio not act? ___ a. Titanic b. Romeo & Juliet c. Armageddon d. The man with the Iron Mask 10) In which flag can you see the Union Jack? ___ a. USA b. Canada c. Australia d. South Africa

YESTERDAY’S ELEMENTARY: (Part 1) 1.g 2.i 3.a 4.c 5.j 6.b 7.e 8.f 9.d 10.h 2) 1.F 2.T 3.F 4.T 5.T 6.T 7.T 8.F 9.F 10.T (Activity) ANSWER KEY: (Part 1.lend 2.borrow 3.lend 4.lend 5.borrow 6.borrow 7.lend 8.borrow 9.lend 10.lend INTERMEDIATE: (Part 1) 1.d 2.b 3.d 4.a 5.b 6.d 7.c 8.c 9.b (Activity) 1. b 2.b 3.c 4.a 5.b ADVANCED: (Part 1) 1.a 2.c 3.a 4.d 5.c 6.d 7.d 8.b 9.c (Activity) 1.b 2.a 3.a 4.b 5.a 6.a 7.b 8.b 9.b 10.b

In cooperation with English Time

T19-10-06-08.qxd

09.06.2008

18:14

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T20-10-06-08.qxd

09.06.2008

13:58

Page 1

Rafael Nadal teaches Federer tennis lesson In the end Roger Federer, like the incredulous crowd at Roland Garros, had no choice but to salute Rafael Nadal. The irrepressible Spaniard put a shell-shocked Federer firmly in his place with a brutal 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 demolition to complete the most lopsided French Open men's final victory for 31 years. Paris, Reuters

Ethiopian world record holder Kenenisa Bekele tuned up for his Olympic defense by running the fourth-fastest 10,000 meters ever at the Prefontaine Classic.

Bekele in a near-solo performance clocked a crowd-pleasing 26:25.97 in his final 10,000 meters before Beijing's August Olympics. "I did my best," Bekele said on Sunday. "It's tough. I

can't push more (faster) than this time."

Only Bekele and compatriot Haile Gebrselassie have run faster. He was attempting to break his 2005 world record of 26:17.53 in his first outdoor US appearance.

Chinese 110-meter hurdles gold medalist and world record holder Liu Xiang, however, left questions about his Beijing preparations

after a false-start disqualification.

He was disqualified for a false start after moving slightly at the beginning of his race. The false start was the second of the competition, meaning his automatic disqualification.

US world pole vault champion Brad Walker showed his pre-Olympic fitness by soaring to a national record of 6.04 meters. Eugene, Oregon Reuters

PHOTO

Bekele runs fast 10,000 but Lýu dýsqualýfýed

AP

WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2008

BMW Sauber Driver Robert Kubica, of Poland, celebrates after winning the Canadian Grand Prix.

Kubica takes maiden F1 win in Montreal

It all starts with a dream...

PHOTO

Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce

REUTERS

Robert Kubica grabbed his first Formula One victory and the overall points lead on Sunday after Lewis Hamilton made a huge mistake that took him and world champion Kimi Raikkonen out of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton, who got his first F1 win in Montreal last year, slammed his McLaren into the rear of Raikkonen's Ferrari in the pits early in the race, taking out both leaders and giving the 23-year-old BMW Sauber driver a clear road to victory in his 29th F1 start.

It was a great day for the BMW Sauber team, winning for the first time in its 42 races as an F1 team and sweeping the top two spots with Nick Heidfeld finishing second, well ahead of Red Bull Racing's David Coulthard in third.

As Kubica crossed the finish line 16.4 seconds ahead of his teammate -- so far that the runner-up wasn't even in sight on the 2.71-mile track - - a member of his team said on the radio, "That's a historic win, Robert. You are leading the championship points."

The Polish driver's simple answer: "Thanks."

But he did show his excitement in the cockpit, pumping one fist in the air and then the other. Then hugging everyone within reach after getting out of his car.

But, even after finishing second twice this season, Kubica likely would have still been looking for that first win if not for Hamilton's surprising pit road gaffe.

Hamilton started on the pole for the second straight year at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and led until the safety car came out and the leaders pitted on lap 19 of the 70lap race. That followed Adrian Sutil parking his Force India entry on the grass alongside the track. Montreal AP

Celtics hold off Lakers, widen NBA Finals lead

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Paul Pierce, darting around the parquet floor with ease, scored 28 points, Boston's defense mobbed Kobe Bryant long enough and unknown Leon Powe scored 21 points as the Celtics held off a remarkable Los Angeles rally for a 108-102 win over the Lakers on Sunday night.

The Celtics had to work every second to get the win and take a 2-0 lead in these trip-down-memory-lane NBA finals.

The Lakers trailed by 24 with less than 8 minutes to go, but pulled to 104-102 on two free throws by Bryant with 38.4 seconds left. But Pierce made two free throws, then blocked a jumper by Sasha Vujacic, and James Posey made two free throws with 12.6 seconds left to ice it for Boston.

"I think we got kind of complacent with the lead," Pierce said. "We weren't staying aggressive. We let them pick up their pressure. We stopped guarding. We got to take a lesson from this fourth quarter to keep playing regardless of the score and finish the game."

Pierce wasn't slowed by a sprained right knee suffered in the series opener, when he was carried from the court and plopped into a wheelchair. The Boston captain paced the Celtics, who are back in the finals for the first since 1987, when Larry Bird was the main man and gasoline cost 91 cents per gallon.

As usual, Boston's Big Three -- Pierce, Ray Allen (17 points) and Kevin Garnett (17) -- were the ringleaders but Powe, a second-year reserve had the game of his career, adding his 21 points in 15 minutes that may make him a Celtics fan-favorite for life. Boston AP