Turkish soldiers patrol the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Feb. 25, 2002. Boot camp for the first recruits of Afghanistan's new army began on Monday. International troops from five countries are conducting the training. The five countries are Britain, Italy, France, Germany and Turkey.

US, Britain, Turkey plan session on Afghan force
Evelyn Leopold, UNITED NATIONS, March 1 (Reuters) - Turkey, edging closer to formally agreeing to command an international security force in Afghanistan, has called a meeting with U.S. and British officials next week to discuss remaining military and financial concerns, U.S. and other diplomats said on Friday.

The session is expected to be in Ankara late next week but the precise date has not yet been set. The envoys were hopeful a formal announcement would follow within days of the session, so troop contributors could finalize plans before Britain relinquishes leadership of the force in mid-April.

Turkey for weeks has expressed a number of concerns including the scope and future of the mandate for the troops. The 17-nation force with some 4,500 soldiers, mainly from NATO nations, is stationed in Kabul and its environs.

"If they want us to undertake this task, of course there will be some requests and conditions on our part," Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said in Ankara on Thursday.

Diplomats said conditions remaining included assurances of U.S. assistance in extracting the peacekeepers if they become endangered by hostile forces. Turkey also wants some financial assistance for its troops, which have to increase from the current 260 soldiers to the largest block in the International Security Assistance Force, known as ISAF.

"These appear to be acceptable," one envoy said.

The force is mandated by the U.N. Security Council until June but not organized by the world body, which means troop contributors pay for their own upkeep.

Rapid Reaction Force?
The issue, however, is not extending the mandate of the force, now restricted to Kabul, but expanding it to other cities, as advocated by U.N. officials and the new interim Afghan administration, headed by Hamid Karzai. None of this would occur until June at the earliest and U.S. and British officials have given Turkey assurances it would not be taken by surprise. Britain and France intend to reduce their troops in April but Germany may increase them.

The United States, which had previously objected to peacekeepers being stationed in other cities, is now contemplating an increase in troop size -- either through the formation of a rapid reaction force or letting peacekeepers go to Mazar-i-Sharif in the north, the diplomats said.

But the U.S. military opposes sending international troops to areas where it is still tracking down remnants of the ousted Taliban regime and the al Qaeda network, held responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

While the United States is helping to train a new Afghan force, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said this would take some 18 months. Something, he said, had to be done in the meantime to prevent the country from disintegrating into chaos with rival anti-Taliban factions competing for power.

Yilmaz Reacts Harshly to European Parliament
BRUSSELS, Feb 28 (A.A) - State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said on Thursday that decisions taken by the European Parliament earlier in the day were ''nonsense'' and ''invalid'' for Turkey.

Yilmaz who is currently in Brussels to attend meetings of the European Convention, assessed two decisions taken by the European Parliament this morning.

In one of these decision, the European Parliament refers to the so-called "Armenian genocide," and in another, calls on Turkey not to ban the People's Democracy Party (HADEP).

''We cannot accept these decisions. It is not possible for such decisions to create de facto consequences,'' he stressed.

Turkey is not represented
Yilmaz emphasized, ''the European Parliament is a forum in which Turkey is not represented and Turkey's opinions are not expressed. Turkey has always defended that parliaments which are political forums, did not have the mission of judging the history. This mission can only be carried out by independent and impartial scientists. However, Armenian lobbies have been trying continuously to exploit the parliaments.''

Recalling that such allegations were included in the Turkey Report of the European Parliament in 2000 and similar proposals were rejected in 2001, Yilmaz said, ''such contradictory attitudes and decisions overshadow the European Parliament's credibility and consistency. These decisions should not affect Turkey's approach to the European Union (EU) negatively. These decisions have revealed once again the importance of our further improving relations with the EU and finalizing our EU membership process. In a European Parliament in which Turkish parliamentarians are included, such manipulations would be prevented more easily.''

Compromise, yes. Historical lies, no.
''Those who are exploiting the European Parliament, also aim at hampering efforts expended by the Compromise Commission, an initiative of non-governmental organizations between Turkey and Armenia. Turkey is in favor of compromise on every issue; however, a compromise cannot be based on historical lies and mistakes. If the European Parliament wants to bring historical facts to the light, it should call on Armenia to open its archives to scientists,'' he said. ''Meanwhile, those taking a decision about the HADEP, are aware of the fact that the government could not intervene in the judgment in Turkey. We are respectful to independence of judgment in other countries. Therefore, we have the right to expect the same attitude from other countries. This decision does not have any value except for being a desire. If the European Parliament wants to do something useful, it should ask both the EU Commission and the Council of Europe why they have not yet included terrorist organization PKK and illegal Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) in the list of terrorist organizations. Decisions taken by the European Parliament today are nonsense,'' he added.

Cyprus talks resume, decisive negotiations expected
NICOSIA, March 1 (Reuters) - With European Union membership looming, Cyprus peace talks resumed for a decisive phase on Friday with rival sides expected to delve into specifics of a settlement framework.

Heralded by a western diplomat as a "month of building bridges," President Glafcos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader, and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas met for little under two hours at a United Nations compound in Nicosia away from the media spotlight.

The pace of the talks has been forced by Cyprus's impending EU membership and the illness of Denktas, who said on Wednesday he may need heart surgery in six to 12 months.

Denktas declined to comment on the substance of Friday's talks. "In this exercise, unless there is an agreement on all topics, it cannot be said that any topic has been agreed upon," he told journalists after the meeting.

A Greek Cypriot source said there was a general exchange of views but would not elaborate. "The two leaders reaffirmed they would meet every Tuesday and Friday."

The two leaders, who have wrestled inconclusively over the Cyprus logjam for decades, are to go into the nitty-gritty of a settlement framework ranging from territorial discussions to the constitutional framework of a future state which will reunite the partitioned island.

The talks resumed after a 10-day break. "Logically, this round should see effective negotiations and be more substantive," the Greek Cypriot source said.

Leaked excerpts of past discussions and official statements by the two sides have signaled that little has changed in the positions which have made a settlement elusive for years. A key point of dispute is the legal form reunification will take, whether it will be a two-state union sought by Turkish Cypriots, or the bizonal bicommunal federation Greek Cypriots want.

Cyprus's Greek Cypriot-led government, the island's only internationally recognized government, is racing through its EU membership preparations and Brussels is expected to take a decision later this year to include it in the next enlargement wave.

The Mediterranean island has been divided since a Turkish [intervention] in 1974. The [intervention] was triggered by a brief Greek Cypriot coup backed by the military junta then ruling Greece. A Turkish Cypriot state in northern Cyprus is recognized only by Ankara.

Turkey, which has seen its own EU bid delayed for years partly because of the situation on Cyprus, has said it could "annex" the northern territories if the island is admitted.

U.S. Congressmen Visit Turkey
TUSIAD - Washington Office, February 26-A delegation of the U.S. Congressmen, who are also members of the Caucus on U.S.-Turkish Relations and Turkish-Americans, arrived in Turkey to hold meetings with top Turkish officials, such as Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Speaker of the Parliament Omer Izgi. The delegation consisted of Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL), the head of the group and the co-chair and co-founder of the Caucus, Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) and Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO). The meetings between the U.S. Congressmen and Turkish officials focused on strengthening the U.S.-Turkish partnership on issues such as terrorism and policies towards Afghanistan, defense, energy, Iraq, Israeli-Turkish relations, the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, the Caucasus region, and the upcoming U.S.-Turkey Econo-mic Partnership Commission meeting of February 26-27.

During his meeting with the Congressmen, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit reiterated that Turkey opposed a U.S. attack on neighboring Iraq, due to various political and economic reasons. "I believe the problem of Iraq can be solved without any military intervention," Ecevit said. In return, the delegation assured that the U.S. would always take Turkey's views into consideration with respect to Iraq. "Our first message to Turkey is to convey our appreciation, considering Turkey's support for the U.S. in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks." Wexler told journalists, and added, "We are also aware of the losses Turkey suffered during the Gulf War. That is why we are here to improve our economic cooperation."

The delegation received a briefing from the military officials on Turkey's combat against the separatist group Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) between 1984 and 1999. The Congressmen also traveled to Incirlik Airbase in south of Turkey to meet with the U.S. military officials. The U.S. uses Incirlik Airbase to patrol the northern no-fly zone in Iraq, which was originally set up in April 1991 to protect the Kurds in northern Iraq. In addition, the delegation met with the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Robert Pearson, to discuss U.S.-Turkish cooperation with respect to war on terrorism and other important bilateral issues.

The visit of the U.S. congressional delegation came immediately after the introduction of a congressional resolution by Congressman Wexler that commends Turkey and Israel for their strong partnership and crucial support of America's war on international terrorism. Co-sponsoring Representatives Ander Crenshaw (R-FL), James Moran (D-VA), Mark Foley (R-FL), and Tom Lantos (D-CA) also joined Wexler to introduce this bipartisan resolution.

Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to come to Turkey as part of a tour of Iraq's neighbors early next month. His planed trip is seen as a bid to rally regional support for a possible strike on Baghdad. (Sources: Turkish Daily News-Cumhuriyet-Congressman Wexler's website)

Ex-Diplomat Robert Strausz-Hupe Dies
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) - Robert Strausz-Hupe, former U.S. ambassador to Turkey, NATO, Belgium, Sweden, and Sri Lanka, has died of a stroke and cardiovascular disease. He was 98.

Strausz-Hupe was also a professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and its journal Orbis. He died Sunday at his home in Newtown Square, near Philadelphia.

Born in Vienna, Strausz-Hupe saw firsthand the destruction caused by World War I. He came to the United States in 1923 and served as an adviser on foreign investment to financial institutions.

He began writing and lecturing to American audiences on ``the coming war'' after Nazi troops entered Vienna in 1938. He was invited to talk at the University of Pennsylvania and later took a faculty position there.

Strausz-Hupe wrote several books on international affairs. His first major work, "Geopolitics: The Struggle for Space and Power," published just as the United States entered World War II, became a best seller in its genre.

In a short article to appear in the spring 2002 issue of Orbis, commenting on the current war on terrorism, he wrote, ``I have lived long enough to see good repeatedly win over evil, although at a much higher cost than need have been paid. This time we have already paid the price of victory. It remains for us to win it.''

Former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig, a trustee of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, called Strausz-Hupe "a brilliant geo-strategic thinker and writer."

Dr. Ulgur
Dr. Ulku Ulgur, Chairman, ATAA Board of Trustees, expressed his condolences and said "I am saddened to learn about the death of Ambassador Strausz-Hupe. During the formative years of Assembly of Turkish American Associations he was one of our valuable supporter."

"He understood the significance of our organizational work for the future of Turkish- American relations and encouraged us to move forward. Amb. Strausz- Hupe met with us on numerous times in Turkey and USA.

One of which I remember distinctly, in his residence in Turkey, during a breakfast meeting, after brilliantly analyzing Turkish Eurepean relations he said 'I am more than convinced that Turkey is destined to become a great regional power again; if they ignore this reality it will be their tragic mistake,'" Dr. Ulgur said."