TURKEY: A GEOPOLITICAL CROSSROADS BY FRANCIS RONALDS/WASHINGTON
DATE=6/20/95
TYPE=INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
NUMBER=4-08412
TITLE=TURKEY: A GEOPOLITICAL CROSSROADS
BYLINE=FRANCIS RONALDS
TELEPHONE=619-3937
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=PHIL HAYNES
CONTENT= // ACTUALITIES AVAILABLE FROM AUDIO SERVICES //
ANNCR: WELCOME TO INTERNATIONAL FOCUS ON THE VOICE OF AMERICA,
A WEEKLY PROGRAM THAT PRESENTS A VARIETY OF VIEWS ON
ISSUES AND EVENTS OF GLOBAL CONCERN AND INTEREST.
CART: FOCUS THEME (ESTABLISH FULL AND LOSE UNDER)
INTRO: THE TURKISH PARLIAMENT, UNDER THE STRONG LEADERSHIP OF
PRIME MINISTER TANSU CILLER (CHEE'-LER) IS PRESENTLY
DEBATING NEW LEGISLATION SOME ARE CALLING THE "DEMOCRACY
PACKAGE". BUOYED BY VICTORY IN LOCAL ELECTIONS EARLIER
THIS MONTH, MRS. CILLER'S COALITION HOPES TO AMEND THE
COUNTRY'S CONSTITUTION, PUT IN PLACE DURING A BRIEF
MILITARY TAKEOVER IN THE EARLY 1980S. HER PRINCIPLE
ADVISER, EMRE GONENSAY (GUH'-NEN-SAI), SAYS IT IS TIME
FOR CHANGE:
TAPE: CUT ONE -- GONENSAY (0:11)
"WE HAVE TO HAVE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM. AND THEN WE
HAVE TO IMPROVE OUR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION LEGAL
FRAMEWORK. I'M CONFIDENT WE WILL DO THIS."
INTRO: THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS WOULD NOT ONLY
STRENGTHEN TURKEY'S DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS; THEY WOULD
ALSO ALLAY CONCERNS IN EUROPE ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS IN TURKEY, PAVING THE WAY FOR APPROVAL OF A
NEW CUSTOMS UNION BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT. REFORM IN
TURKEY IS IMPORTANT FOR MANY REASONS. FIRST, IT HAS THE
ONLY ESTABLISHED DEMOCRACY IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD AND
REMAINS THE SOUTHEAST BASTION OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC
TREATY ORGANIZATION. ALSO, WITH THE END OF THE COLD
WAR, TURKEY HAS BECOME A KEY CROSSROADS BETWEEN EUROPE
AND THE NEWLY-INDEPENDENT STATES OF THE FORMER SOVIET
UNION, WITH VITAL LINKS TO THE NATIONS OF THE BALKANS
AND THE MIDDLE EAST AS WELL. TO LOOK AT TURKEY'S NEW
ROLE IN THE WORLD, HERE IS FRANK RONALDS.
HOST: GRAHAM FULLER SAYS THAT TURKEY'S POSITION IN THE WORLD
HAS CHANGED IMMENSELY SINCE THE END OF THE COLD WAR. A
FELLOW AT THE RAND CORPORATION IN WASHINGTON, D-C, MR.
FULLER IS AUTHOR OF THE BOOK, "TURKEY'S NEW
GEOPOLITICS":
TAPE: CUT TWO -- FULLER (1:10)
"TURKEY IS NO LONGER ISOLATED AT THE END OF EUROPE BUT
THE CENTER OF A NEW GEOPOLITICAL AREA THAT STRETCHES --
OF COURSE WITH TIES TO THE WEST, BUT ALSO TO THE
BALKANS, CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS -- RIGHT INTO THE
TURKIC AREAS OF CHINESE TURKESTAN. TURKEY IS ALSO
INVOLVED NOW MORE TO THE SOUTH THAN EVER BEFORE, BECAUSE
OF ITS INVOLVEMENT IN IRAQI POLITICS THAT RESULTED FROM
THE GULF WAR. ALSO, TURKEY HAS LONG TALKED ABOUT THE
POSSIBILITY OF SELLING WATER TO THE ARAB STATES. IT HAS
DECENT RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL. I THINK AFTER A PEACE
SETTLEMENT BETWEEN THE ARABS AND ISRAELIS, THAT TURKEY'S
ROLE IN ISRAEL, SYRIA, JORDAN, IRAQ, WILL BE MUCH
GREATER THAN BEFORE. AND, OF COURSE, TURKEY IS DEEPLY
INVOLVED IN RUSSIA ECONOMICALLY. SO EVEN IF THERE IS
SOME GEOPOLITICAL RIVALRY BETWEEN TURKEY AND RUSSIA OVER
CENTRAL ASIA, TURKEY IS ONE OF THE LARGEST LONG-TERM
INVESTORS IN THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY, AND IS ENGAGED IN MANY
PROJECTS THERE. SO TURKEY IS REALLY NOW THE CENTER OF
ITS OWN NEW, VERY BIG GEOPOLITICAL WORLD."
HOST: ADDED TO ITS POSITION AS A GEOGRAPHICAL CROSSROADS IS
TURKEY'S POSITION AS THE ONLY WELL ESTABLISHED DEMOCRACY
WITHIN THE ISLAMIC WORLD. PROFESSOR HEATH LOWRY IS
CHAIRMAN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NEAR EAST STUDIES AT
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY IN NEW JERSEY:
TAPE: CUT THREE -- LOWRY (0:30)
"I THINK TURKEY'S SUCCESS, BOTH ECONOMICALLY AND
POLITICALLY, ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF HER
ISLAMIC NEIGHBORS. TO THE EXTENT THAT TURKEY SHOWS THAT
SECULARISM, DEMOCRACY AND WESTERNIZATION ARE FULLY
PRACTICAL IN A SOCIETY WHOSE POPULATION IS 99 PERCENT
MUSLIM, I THINK THAT THIS CAN ONLY BE A VERY USEFUL
MODEL FOR ALL OF THE ISLAMIC COUNTRIES IN THE REGION."
HOST: SOME 50 MEMBER STATES MAKE UP THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE
ORGANIZATION. PROFESSOR BERNARD LEWIS, ALSO OF
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, POINTS OUT THAT MANY ISLAMIC
COUNTRIES HAVE EXPERIMENTED WITH DEMOCRACY AND SOME HAVE
MOVED IN THAT DIRECTION BY HOLDING CONTESTED ELECTIONS.
HOWEVER, PROFESSOR LEWIS SAYS, ONLY TURKEY HAS
REPEATEDLY CARRIED OUT CONTESTED ELECTIONS.
THE CREDIT FOR BUILDING MODERN TURKEY GOES PRIMARILY TO
KEMAL ATATURK, WHO FOUNDED THE TURKISH REPUBLIC IN 1923.
BUT PROFESSOR LEWIS SAYS THAT ITS SUCCESS ALSO HAS
HISTORICAL ROOTS. PROFESSOR LEWIS IS THE AUTHOR OF
MANY ACCLAIMED BOOKS ON ISLAMIC HISTORY, INCLUDING "THE
EMERGENCE OF MODERN TURKEY":
TAPE: CUT FOUR -- LEWIS (1:12)
"TURKEY IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW MUSLIM COUNTRIES THAT HAS
ENJOYED UNINTERRUPTED SOVEREIGN INDEPENDENCE FOR
HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF YEARS. AND THE TURKS THEREFORE
RETAIN THAT HABIT OF ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR
OWN DECISIONS, FOR THEIR OWN AFFAIRS, WHICH I WOULD SAY
IS AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT OF DEMOCRACY. WHERE THE
NATIONAL INTEREST IS PRIMARILY TO WIN SOVEREIGN
INDEPENDENCE, FREEDOM COMES TO MEAN COLLECTIVE FREEDOM,
NATIONAL FREEDOM, AND THERE IS A DANGER THAT THE NOTION
OF INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM WILL GET LOST. AFTER A LONG
STRUGGLE AGAINST FOREIGN RULERS, IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET
ACCUSTOMED TO THE IDEA THAT ANY FURTHER COMPLAINTS MUST
BE ADDRESSED TO COMPATRIOTS, NOT TO PEOPLE FAR AWAY.
AND OBVIOUSLY, MANY COUNTRIES THAT HAVE NOW BEEN
INDEPENDENT FOR HALF A CENTURY OR MORE ARE HAVING
DIFFICULTY ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT WHATEVER HAPPENS IS
THEIR AFFAIR, AND THAT THEY CANNOT GO ON BLAMING
IMPERIALISM AND OTHER OUTSIDE AGENCIES. THE TURKS HAVE
NOT HAD TO GO THROUGH THAT PHASE. SO THAT AT LEAST WHEN
THEY TALK ABOUT FREEDOM, THAT IS WHAT THEY MEAN."
HOST: PROFESSOR LEWIS POINTS OUT THAT TURKEY HAS BEEN COMPARED
TO JAPAN, WHICH BEGAN TO MODERNIZE AND INTRODUCE
ELEMENTS OF DEMOCRACY DURING THE SO-CALLED MEIJI
RESTORATION, TOWARD THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY:
TAPE: CUT FIVE -- LEWIS (0:34)
"THERE ARE BOOKS PUBLISHED COMPARING THE TURKISH AND
JAPANESE EXPERIENCES. THERE ARE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN
COMMON. BOTH WERE INDEPENDENT STATES, BOTH SUDDENLY
WERE SUBJECTED TO THE DEVASTATING IMPACT OF EUROPEAN
POWER -- IN THE CASE OF JAPAN, AMERICAN POWER. AND BOTH
FOUND IT NECESSARY TO RESPOND TO THIS BY TRYING TO
MODERNIZE AND ULTIMATELY DEMOCRATIZE THEIR OWN
INSTITUTIONS. THE TURKISH ROAD TO DEMOCRACY HAS BEEN
VERY DIFFICULT AND BESET WITH PROBLEMS. BUT THEY HAVE
PERSEVERED, AND THEY HAVE CONTINUED."
HOST: UNDER KEMAL ATTATURK, THE STATE DOMINATED THE ECONOMY.
STATE INSTITUTIONS WERE STRONG, BUT THE ECONOMY SUFFERED
PERIODIC CRISES. IN THE EARLY 1980S, TURGUT OZAL
(EHR'-ZAL), AS FINANCE MINISTER, PRIME MINISTER AND
PRESIDENT, INTRODUCED FREE MARKET REFORMS, WHICH LED TO
HIGH RATES OF GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE DECADE. BUT THE
STATE SECTOR REMAINED LARGE. EMRE GONENSAY, A FORMER
ECONOMICS PROFESSOR WHO IS NOW PRINCIPLE ADVISER TO
PRIME MINISTER CILLER, SAYS THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT IS
CARRYING ECONOMIC REFORMS A STEP FURTHER:
TAPE: CUT SIX -- GONENSAY (1:30)
"WE HAD A CRISIS IN MARCH, 1994, WHICH WAS REALLY A
RESULT OF ALMOST 15 YEARS OF PUBLIC SECTOR DEFICITS.
OVER THE LAST YEAR, WE HAVE REESTABLISHED CONFIDENCE IN
THE TURKISH ECONOMY. OUR CURRENT ACCOUNT SITUATION
SWUNG FROM A DEFICIT OF ALMOST EIGHT-BILLION U-S DOLLARS
TO A THREE-BILLION-DOLLAR SURPLUS IN 1994, AND WE ARE
GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER SURPLUS NOW IN 1995. WE ARE NOW
READY TO ATTACK SO-CALLED STRUCTURAL REFORM, WHICH
REALLY BOILS DOWN TO PRIVATIZATION -- THAT IS, REDUCING
THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE STATE IN THE ECONOMY DRASTICALLY.
WE HAD TO HAVE AN UMBRELLA LAW WHICH WOULD HELP PUSH
THIS THROUGH. THAT LAW TOOK ALMOST A YEAR IN
PREPARATION AND IN PASSING THROUGH PARLIAMENT. IN THE
NEXT SIX MONTHS OR SO, WE INTEND TO PRIVATIZE SOME MAJOR
COMPANIES AND ALSO SOME NOT SO MAJOR COMPANIES WHICH ARE
IN THE STATE SECTOR. NOW, HAVING REMOVED SOME OF THESE
PROBLEMS, WE SHOULD ENJOY EVEN GREATER GROWTH. ALSO, I
THINK THE ECO-POLITICAL SITUATION CHANGES IN THE 90S
WILL HELP US, BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO BE A MEMBER OF THE
EUROPEAN CUSTOMS UNION."
HOST: THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION PROPOSED A
CUSTOMS UNION WITH TURKEY TO TAKE EFFECT NEXT JANUARY
1ST. WHAT WILL BE THE ADVANTAGES OF THE CUSTOMS UNION
FOR TURKEY AND FOR THE E-U? EMRE GONENSAY SAYS THERE
ARE MANY:
TAPE: CUT SEVEN -- GONENSAY (1:32)
"FOR TURKEY THE ADVANTAGE IS THAT TURKEY WILL PUT
HERSELF IN A DEFINITE FRAMEWORK OF COMPETITION,
EFFICIENCY, ANTI-TRUST LAWS, COMPETITION NORMS, AND
THEREFORE THIS WILL HELP DYNAMIZE THE TURKISH ECONOMY.
WHATEVER PROTECTION THAT REMAINS NOW VIS-A-VIS EUROPE
WILL BE REDUCED TO ZERO, AND THAT WILL SPUR TURKEY ON.
IT WILL SPUR ITS GROWTH PATH. AS FAR AS EUROPE IS
CONCERNED, THEY WILL HAVE ACCESS TO A MARKET OF
60-MILLION PEOPLE -- NOT ONLY THAT, WITH ALL THE
ASSOCIATIONS OF TURKEY: THE BLACK SEA ECONOMIC
COOPERATION PROJECT, THE ECONOMIC COOPERATION
ORGANIZATION. TURKEY WILL BE IN AN IDEAL POSITION NOT
ONLY TO INVEST AND SELL, BUT TO DISTRIBUTE FROM TURKEY
TO ANOTHER HINTERLAND OF PERHAPS 300-MILLION PEOPLE.
THAT'S THE ECONOMIC ASPECT. BUT THE POLITICAL ASPECTS
ARE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, BECAUSE TURKEY IN EUROPE MEANS
THAT TURKEY CAN PLAY AN EVEN GREATER ROLE IN STABILIZING
ALL THESE AREAS THROUGH ECONOMIC COOPERATION, THROUGH
CREATING ECONOMIC INTERDEPENDENCE, HELPING IN A
STRATEGIC WAY FOR THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF THESE
AREAS."
HOST: PROFESSOR BERNARD LEWIS EMPHATICALLY AGREES THAT THE
CUSTOMS UNION WILL BE A BIG STEP FORWARD, BOTH FOR
EUROPE AND FOR TURKEY:
TAPE: CUT EIGHT -- LEWIS (1:12)
"TURKEY IS NOW THE MEETING PLACE OF EUROPE AND ASIA. IT
IS PART OF THE 51 OR 52-NATION ISLAMIC BLOC, WITH WHICH
IT HAS MAINTAINED ON THE WHOLE VERY FRIENDLY CONTACTS.
IT IS ALSO PART OF THE NEWLY EMERGING TURKISH WORLD. WE
HAVE BECOME ACCUSTOMED FOR A LONG TIME TO TALK OF THE
ARAB WORLD, MEANING THE 20 OR SO NATIONS WHICH SHARE THE
ARABIC LANGUAGE AND HAVE A SENSE OF ARABIC IDENTITY.
AND FOR A LONG TIME, TURKEY WAS THE ONE TURKISH STATE --
THE ONLY OTHER TURKIC PEOPLES BEING INCORPORATED IN OTHR
EMPIRES, MAINLY THE SOVIET UNION, SOME IN IRAN,
AFGHANISTAN AND CHINA. BUT NOW, THE FORMER SOVIET
REPUBLICS HAVE BECOME INDEPENDENT AND FIVE OF THEM ARE
PREDOMINANTLY TURKISH. THEIR TURKISH IS NOT THE SAME AS
THE TURKISH IN TURKEY BUT THEY ARE CLOSELY RELATED
LANGUAGES, AND THERE ARE GROWING CONTACTS BETWEEN THEM.
SO THE COURSE OF TURKISH CONTACTS WITH THE TURKISH WORLD
ON THE ONE HAND, WITH THE ISLAMIC WORLD ON THE OTHER,
AND ITS KEY POSITION BETWEEN THE BALKANS AND THE MIDDLE
EAST, I WOULD SAY THAT IT WILL HAVE VERY CONSIDERABLE
SIGNIFICANCE."
HOST: ALTHOUGH THE EUROPEAN UNION RECOGNIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF
CLOSER TIES WITH TURKEY, BOTH ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL,
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT IN STRASBOURG HAS WARNED THAT IT
WILL NOT APPROVE THE CUSTOMS UNION UNLESS TURKEY WORKS
TO IMPROVE ITS HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD. THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY HAS BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT TREATMENT OF TURKEY'S
LARGEST ETHNIC MINORITY, THE KURDS. THE GOVERNMENT IN
ANKARA CLAIMS THAT THE KURDS ARE TREATED FAIRLY, BUT
ALLEGES THAT THE KURDISH WORKERS PARTY, OR P-K-K, IS
NOTHING MORE THAN A MARXIST TERRORIST ORGANIZATION WHICH
HAS WAGED A LONG AND BITTER CAMPAIGN TO ESTABLISH A
SEPARATIST STATE IN SOUTHEASTERN TURKEY. AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL, THE LONDON-BASED HUMAN RIGHTS
ORGANIZATION, DOES NOT DEFEND THE P-K-K, BUT
NEVERTHELESS CHARGES TURKEY WITH SERIOUSLY VIOLATING THE
RIGHTS OF MANY KURDS. MARYAM ELAHI IS A MIDDLE EAST
SPECIALIST WITH THE WASHINGTON BRANCH OF AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL:
TAPE: CUT NINE -- ELAHI (0:52)
"WE HAVE SAID THAT THE P-K-K IS AN ARMED OPPOSITION
GROUP. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE GUERRILLAS AND THAT THEY
HAVE ALSO VIOLATED AND ABUSED HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS AND WE
HAVE ALSO APPEALED TO THEM TO RESPECT INTERNATIONAL
HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMANITARIAN LAW. BUT THE (TURKISH)
GOVERNMENT MANIPULATES THE WHOLE SITUATION WITH THE
P-K-K TO TRY AND GET OUT OF RESPONDING TO THEIR OWN
OBLIGATIONS. THEY HAVE RATIFIED INTERNATIONAL TREATIES.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ABOUT WHOM WE ARE VERY CONCERNED, WHOM
WE BELIEVE ARE PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE, ARE PEOPLE WHO
ARE ACTIVE IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT, PEOPLE WHO DO
NOT IN ANY WAY ADVOCATE VIOLENCE AND WHO ARE THEREFORE
THE SUBJECT OF INTIMIDATION BY THE GOVERNMENT."
HOST: THE KURDS, WHO HAVE NEVER HAD AN INDEPENDENT NATIONAL
STATE, ARE BY FAR THE LARGEST ETHNIC MINORITY IN TURKEY,
MAKING UP ABOUT ONE-FIFTH OF THE POPULATION OF OVER
60-MILLION PEOPLE. THEY SPEAK AN IRANIAN, RATHER THAN
AN ALTAIC, LANGUAGE. WHILE THE P-K-K LAUNCHED ITS
CAMPAIGN IN 1984 TO ESTABLISH A SEPARATE STATE IN
SOUTHEASTERN TURKEY -- SOMETIMES DESCRIBED AS PART OF
KURDISTAN -- RELATIVELY FEW KURDS NOW LIVE IN THE
REGION. THE KURDS ALSO LIVE IN PARTS OF IRAN AND IRAQ,
WITH SMALLER NUMBERS IN SYRIA AND THE CAUCASUS REGION.
PRINCETON PROFESSOR HEATH LOWRY DOES NOT SEE TURKEY'S
KURDISH PROBLEM AS AN ETHNIC ISSUE. HE SAYS THAT TURKEY
HAS HISTORICALLY DISTINGUISHED ITS VARIOUS MINORITIES ON
RELIGIOUS, RATHER THAN ETHNIC, GROUNDS:
TAPE: CUT TEN -- LOWRY (1:21) (-0:14)
"THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF TURKS AND KURDS WERE SUNNI
MUSLIMS. THERE WERE NO IMPEDIMENTS TO MARRIAGE AND A
GREAT DEAL OF INTERMARRIAGE BETWEEN TURKS AND KURDS HAS
GONE ON FOR 600 YEARS. (BEGIN OPT) SO MANY PEOPLE WHO
MAY CONSIDER THEMSELVES TURKS KNOW THAT THEY HAD A
KURDISH GRANDMOTHER OR A KURDISH GRANDFATHER, AND THIS
COMPLICATES THE PROCESS FURTHER. (END OPT) THE
OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE KURDS, WHO LIVE IN THE WEST
OF THE COUNTRY, HAVE BEEN THERE FOR A GENERATION OR MORE
AND ARE FULLY ASSIMILATED MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY. THE
REGION OF THE SOUTHEAST, WHERE THE DISTURBANCES HAVE
BEEN GOING ON FOR THE PAST DECADE, IS AN AREA THAT
BASICALLY HAS BEEN LEFT OUTSIDE THE MAINSTREAM OF
TURKISH SOCIETY IN THE PAST SEVEN YEARS. IT'S REMOTE,
MOUNTAINOUS; IT'S FAR FROM THE MAIN URBAN CENTERS. AND
MANY OF THE PROBLEMS RELATE TO VERY LIMITED ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITY AND A FEELING THAT ONE IS LEFT OUTSIDE THE
MAINSTREAM OF THE COUNTRY."
HOST: ON MARCH 30TH, TURKEY SENT 35-THOUSAND TROOPS INTO THE
SO-CALLED "NO-FLY ZONE" OF NORTHERN IRAQ, WHERE THE
P-K-K HAD ESTABLISHED BASES FROM WHICH ITS GUERRILLAS
LAUNCHED ATTACKS INTO SOUTHEASTERN TURKEY. THE TURKISH
MILITARY OPERATION CAUSED CONSTERNATION IN EUROPE, AND
AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS THE TROOPS WERE WITHDRAWN. BUT MANY
TURKISH KURDS HAVE BEEN ARRESTED ON CHARGES OF SPREADING
SEPARATIST PROPAGANDA. EVEN YASAR KEMAL, TURKEY'S MOST
FAMOUS NOVELIST, WHO IS AN ETHNIC KURD ALTHOUGH HE
WRITES IN TURKISH, HAS BEEN CHARGED UNDER ARTICLE EIGHT
OF THE COUNTRY'S ANTI-TERROR LAW.
GRAHAM FULLER, OF THE RAND CORPORATION, THINKS MOST
KURDS PREFER TO REMAIN A PART OF TURKEY SO LONG AS THEY
CAN MAINTAIN THEIR ETHNIC IDENTITY. HE BELIEVES THAT THE
P-K-K WOULD LOSE WHAT INFLUENCE IT HAS IF KURDS WERE
GUARANTEED GREATER RIGHTS TO USE THEIR LANGUAGE FREELY:
TAPE: CUT ELEVEN -- FULLER (0:55)
"[OPT] A LARGE NUMBER OF TURKISH KURDS DO LIVE IN THE
WESTERN PART OF TURKEY. PROBABLY AT LEAST HALF OF THEM
DO. [END OPT] MY FEELING IS THAT VERY FEW OF THE KURDS
IN TURKEY REALLY WOULD WANT TO SEPARATE FROM TURKEY.
BUT JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE INTEGRATED DOES NOT MEAN THAT
THEY DO NOT HAVE THEIR OWN ETHNIC ASPIRATIONS. THEY
WANT THEIR IDENTITY TO BE RECOGNIZED, THEY WANT THE
RIGHT TO USE THE KURDISH LANGUAGE FULLY, IN EDUCATION,
IN TELEVISION, IN RADIO AND POSSIBLY EVEN IN THE AREA OF
POLITICAL PARTIES. SO I THINK EVEN THOSE KURDS WHO LIVE
IN THE WESTERN PARTY OF TURKEY, AND WHO HAVE A BETTER
ECONOMIC LIFE, SHARE THESE SAME GOALS. IN FACT, THEY
MAYBE ARE MORE ADVANCED IN THEIR THINKING ABOUT
DEMANDING THESE CULTURAL RIGHTS. SO I DON'T THINK THE
PROBLEM IS SIMPLY AN ECONOMIC ONE AT ALL. IT'S MUCH
MORE A QUESTION OF IDENTITY."
HOST: ACCORDING TO EMRE GONENSAY, ADVISER TO PRIME MINISTER
CILLER, THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT HAS LONG CONCENTRATED ON
WIPING OUT ILLITERACY, THE KURDS INCLUDED. TODAY, OVER
90 PERCENT OF THE MEN IN TURKEY ARE LITERATE IN TURKISH,
AND OVER 70 PERCENT OF WOMEN. KURDS HAVE ALWAYS HAD
FULL POLITICAL RIGHTS AND MANY LEADERS OF THE TURKISH
REPUBLIC HAVE BEEN KURDS. FIVE YEARS AGO, KURDS WERE
PERMITTED TO PRINT THEIR OWN NEWSPAPERS AND OTHER
PUBLICATIONS. THEY DO NOT YET HAVE THEIR OWN RADIO OR
TELEVISION BROADCASTS, BUT DEMOCRATIC REFORMS PROPOSED
BY THE GOVERNMENT WILL GRANT BROADER FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION. MR. GONESAY SAYS CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM, NOW
BEING DEBATED IN PARLIAMENT, MUST COME FIRST:
TAPE: CUT TWELVE -- GONENSAY (0:41)
"TWENTY-ONE ARTICLES ARE INVOLVED, AND THEN THE CO-ALLED
ARTICLE 8, WHICH DEALS WITH FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, THAT
WILL BE THE NEXT. AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT THESE REFORMS
WILL BE ENACTED DURING THE NEXT MONTH OR SO, INCLUDING
ARTICLE 8. OUR AIM IS TO HAVE FULL FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION AND LIMIT IT NO MORE THAN ARTICLE 10 OF THE
HUMAN RIGHTS CONVENTION OF EUROPE. IT IS FOR OUR OWN
SAKE, BY THE WAY, THAT AT THIS TIME, AT THIS POINT IN
HISTORY, WE SHOULD PUT ALL THESE THINGS BEHIND US AND
SUCCEED WITH THIS REFORM."
HOST: BEYOND DEMOCRATIC REFORMS, MR. GONENSAY IS ANTICIPATING
NEW THINGS FOR TURKEY AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. AMONG
THEM, HE SEES GREAT NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPANDED
GLOBAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION IN WHICH TURKEY WILL PLAY A
MAJOR MEDIATING ROLE:
TAPE: CUT THIRTEEN -- GONENSAY (1:01)
"AFTER THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION, A VAST AREA --
CENTRAL ASIA, THE CAUCASUS, THE BALKANS, THE MIDDLE EAST
-- IS BECOMING PART OF THE WORLD ECONOMY AND TURKEY IS
LOCATED STRATEGICALLY AT THE CROSSROADS OF ALL THESE
AREAS AND HAS RELATIONS, ECONOMIC RELATIONS, WITH ALL
THESE. WE ARE NOT ONLY GEOGRAPHCIALLY CENTERED AT THE
CROSSROADS OF THIS AREA, WHICH MAKES TURKEY AN
INTERESTING POINT FOR MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY AND
DISTRIBUTION, BUT WE HAVE ALL KINDS OF LINKS TO THESE
COUNTRIES THAT HAVE EXISTED FOR CENTURIES. THERE ARE
CULTURAL, LINGUISTIC, RELIGIOUS, HISTORICAL, EVEN FAMILY
TIES. SO WE ARE IN ALL OF THIS AREA, WHICH WILL HELP
ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND WHICH WILL HELP TURKEY'S
POSITION AS A KEY LOCATION FOR THAT ECONOMIC
COOPERATION."
CART: THEME MUSIC (ESTABLISH FULL AND TAKE UNDER ANNCR)
ANNCR: YOU HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO INTERNATIONAL FOCUS ON THE
VOICE OF AMERICA. OUR PROGRAM, ON TURKEY'S NEW ROLE AS
A CROSSROADS BETWEEN EUROPE AND ASIA, WAS WRITTEN AND
NARRATED BY FRANK RONALDS AND EDITED BY PHIL HAYNES.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED BY ________ AND OUR
DIRECTOR WAS ________. JOIN US AGAIN AT THIS TIME NEXT
WEEK WHEN WE TAKE AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT ANOTHER SUBJECT OF
GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE, ON INTERNATIONAL FOCUS.
CART: THEME MUSIC (UP AND HOLD FOR TIME)
NEB/FR/PCH
20-Jun-95 4:40 PM EDT (2040 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
|
