Turkey says threat of U.S. Iraq attack a nightmare
Mark Bentley, Ankara, March 10 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said on Sunday the threat of a U.S. attack on Iraq was proving a nightmare for crisis-hit Turkey and he would tell that to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney when he visits Ankara this month.

Cheney left Washington on Sunday for a 10-day trip to Britain and the Middle East where he is expected to rally support for eliminating what the United States sees as a threat of mass destruction posed by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

But Turkey, Iraq's western neighbour, hoping a new $16 billion IMF deal will help it out of its worst economic slump since 1945, opposes military action against Baghdad.

"An attack on Iraq will seriously affect Turkey... Turkey's economy is resting on very sensitive balances," Ecevit told the state-run news channel TRT.

"We will try to explain that to our American friends. We don't know their plans. Did they make any new decisions? When Vice President Cheney comes we'll discuss this very openly."

Washington has said Iraq must "face the consequences" if it does not allow back U.N. weapons inspectors to determine whether it is holding and developing weapons of mass destruction.

Ecevit says the threat of a U.S. operation against Baghdad is unnerving Turkish markets and deterring much-needed foreign investment to help meet IMF-backed economic growth targets.

"While the Iraq issue hangs over us like some kind of nightmare you can't expect much new investment to come to Turkey," he said.

IRAQ CONDEMNED BY BUSH
The United States has declined to say what action it is contemplating against Baghdad. President George W. Bush has condemned Iraq as part of an "axis of evil" threatening to put weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists.

Cheney is also expected to discuss the Afghan issue and rally support for a peaceful resolution to raging Israeli-Palestinian violence during his tour of 11 countries.

The U.S. vice president was due to arrive in Britain later on Sunday and is to join British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday to commemorate the passage of six months since the September 11 attacks in the United States.

Turkey says it lost more than $30 billion in revenues after the 1991 Gulf War and sees Iraq as an important future trading partner.

Turkey also fears action in Iraq might lead to moves for autonomy from its 12 million-strong Kurdish minority.

Turkish security forces have waged a decades-long war in the mainly Kurdish southeast against Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) guerrillas, which has cost more than 30,000 lives. [TT's note: U.S. State Department has included PKK in its list of "international terror organizations."]

CA Bill to form "Centers of Excellence" to teach "Armenian Genocide". California taxpayers will pay to advance Armenian cause while gagging Turkish voices. Kirlikovali: "Is this the kind of bias and bigotry we want to teach our children?"
The Turkish Times - If the California Assemblymen have their way, a new bill (California Assembly Bill 2003, or AB 2003 for short) will authorize establishment of "Centers of Excellence" in California schools to teach the alleged "Armenian genocide" alongside such thoroughly documented and historically uncontroversial tragedies as the Jewish Holocaust, Irish Potato Famine, and Cambodian Genocide. Turks demand a definitive investigation of the 90-year old allegations by an independent panel of historians while Armenian insist legislating their claims by sheer political fiat.

The bill AB 2003, introduced on February 15, 2002 by CA Assembly Members Koretz and Wyland, says it would "establish the Holocaust/Genocide Commission and would require that the commission establish the Centers for Excellence on the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide to promote education regarding the Holocaust and genocide, including, but not limited to, enabling teachers to gain the knowledge and training to effectively teach pupils about the Holocaust and genocide."

To develop a curriculum, the Centers will affiliate with the following institutions: the Armenian Education Institute, the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, the Northern California Holocaust Resource Center in San Francisco, and the Cambodian Center in Stanislaus. The local Turkish-American associations and ATAA leadership in California were not invited by the California Assembly to contribute their views in a matter that would effect them directly and seriously.

In a letter he sent to the CA Assembly, Ergun Kirlikovali, A Turkish-American community advocate in California, told the Assemblymen that "the truth surrounding the alleged Armenian genocide can be found, not in what the Armenians are saying, but in what Armenians are ignoring. Turkish suffering and dead are totally ignored in all Armenian accounts of

complicated human tragedy that took place in eastern Anatolia during World War I. Armenian uprisings are ignored. Armenian betrayals and fifth column activities are ignored. Armenian atrocities committed against fellow Ottoman citizens, mostly Muslim, and mostly Turkish, while wearing the uniforms of invading enemy armies (The Russians in the Northeast and the French in the Southeast) are completely ignored! The history of the era and area are painted black and white, with all the Armenians always white and all the Turks always black."

"Is this the kind of bias and bigotry we want to teach our children?" Kirlikovali asked the Assemblymen.

"Teaching our kids to hate and discriminate, which is exactly what these kids will feel and do in future, due to hearing only half the story from only Armenians, will only add to intolerance you are aiming to wipe out with AB 2003," Kirlikovali said.

"AB 2003 is unethical and unfair to Turkish Americans, because it only tell one side of a controversial issue. It is discriminatory against Turks. Therefore, AB 2003 is un-American!" he concluded.

U.S. Getting Closer to "Military Option" in Iraq
U.S. hawks bang the drum louder
Ahmet Ankara, The Turkish Times, March 11, 2002 - When it comes to what to do with Iraq and Saddam Hussein, Washington may not have a single ally over in Europe except Britain but the "military option" to force a regime change in Baghdad is taking shape steadily. Pentagon has already admitted that five thousand American troops are already stationed in Kuwait. Other observers claim the U.S. Army and Navy build up in the Gulf region is proceeding quietly but at a regular pace. Vice President Dick Cheney is touring the region holding hands and taking temperatures.

Ken Pollack of Council on Foreign Relations, who used to be a CIA analyst during the Gulf War and served in the U.S. National Security Council during the Clinton Administration, estimates 200,000 to 300,000 troops, between four and six divisions, 700-1,000 aircraft, anywhere from one to five carrier battle groups and three to five months of buildup would be needed for the deed. "But the campaign itself would take probably about a month," Pollack wrote in a recent Foreign Affairs article (March/April 2002).

Turkish official sources have already characterized the possibility as a "nightmare," which does not sound as though Ankara is really ready for the eventuality. The straw that will break the camel's back will be that last damning piece of evidence which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Baghdad is about to deploy some form of a "nuclear capability." Currently the consensus in Washington is that Baghdad already does possess biological and chemical capabilities, if not the effective means to deliver them at will. By refusing the return of American weapons inspectors outright, Baghdad made the job of American decision makers somewhat easier while complicating things beyond measure for Ankara.

Michael O'Hanlon of The Brookings Institution, another foreign policy expert agreed with Pollack on CNN that the final decision to hit Iraq will depend on the degree to which Washington becomes convinced that either Baghdad is about to present a direct nuclear threat for the region, or is ready to pass a "dirty nuclear" device to al Qaeda or some other terrorist organization.

There are two burning questions that immediately come to mind: 1) What would Israel do if Saddam unleashes a few dirty weapons over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem when attacked by the United States? 2) What would the "Iraqi opposition" do when bombs start hitting Baghdad?

1) It is very clear that Israel, already gasping for air under another and much fiercer round of Intifadah, this time will not sit on her hands like she did during 1991 Gulf War when Iraqi skuds started raining down on Israeli cities. A senior Israeli official told Seymour M. Hersh of The New Yorker: "if someone thinks it can hit Israel and not be hit ten times as strongly back, it is a serious issue. It won't happen again." Associates of Richard Armitage of Pentagon fear that if Israel retaliates in a massive way, America will have not only the Muslim terror organizations but the whole Arab world against her. "Three-quarters of those polled by Gallup in nine Muslim countries last month opposed the Afghan campaign, and only 18 percent said that Muslims were responsible for the 9-11 attack," The Washington Post reported. That is, even before a would-be attack on Iraq, President Bush is not winning any popularity contests in the Muslim world.

Currently Turkey is still Israel's number one ally in the region. So when push comes to shove, can Turkey be expected to stay out of trouble like she managed to do back in 1991? Does sun rise from the East?

And what would happen if, in his hour of mortal desperation, Saddam decides to lob a few missiles towards north as well?

2) The "gang of four" of the Iraqi opposition (namely, Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan; Moustafa Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party; the pro-Iranian Supreme Islamic Council for Revolution in Iraq; and the Iraqi National Accord headed by Dr. Ayad Alawi who lives here in the U.S.) continue to receive much support and attention, from the CIA and the State Department, according to various U.S. press reports. If only Iraqi National Congress and its perennial leader Ahmad Chalabi (Univ. of Chicago graduate former banker) could be convinced to step aside in order to glue a coalition between the "gang of four" and former Iraqi army officers (like Nizar Khazraji), things may work, Washington figures. Chalabi seems to be reaping the sour rewards of the reputation he has cultivated over the last decade as an "arrogant and high-handed" leader. "The factions are now meeting regularly in London," according to a US magazine report. If the "Iraqi opposition" breaks lose from Baghdad's orbit in the aftermath of a US invasion and is supported by generous international grants and donations (since structuring and rebuilding of a ruined Iraq is the next inescapable step) can this hurt stability in Southeast Turkey? Can Turkey pretend business as usual if an independent Kurdistan is declared unilaterally in northern Iraq? Does sun set in the West?

The most cheerful Thomas-Kinkade-painting to look at on this bleak landscape is drawn by Richard Perle, a veteran Washington insider who knows Turkey as well as any American official, and trusts that, above anything else, Arabs love a winner. "The moment Saddam is challenged, he's history," Perle is quoted as saying, as though Saddam was not challenged in 1991 and afterwards.

Geoffrey Kemp, director of Regional Strategic Programs at the Nixon Center is also in a rosy corner. After Saddam is gone "Syria comes to terms," Kemp claims. "The Saudis will conform. Iran will be surrounded by American forces, and the mullahs will have to make concessions to the moderates. There will be a settlement between Israel and Palestine. The end of Saddam will lead to an economic renaissance in Iraq. I'd say fantastic" -- then he quickly adds: "if it happens."

While we are staggering towards that high voltage "IF" dangerously hovering above our heads, Ken Pollack seems to be reflecting the views of the many hawks in the Bush Administration (like Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense): "If no more serious action is taken, the United States and the world at large may soon confront a nuclear-armed Saddam. At that point the danger would be obvious to all, but it would be infinitely more difficult to confront. Taking down al Qaeda should indeed be the priority of the moment, and using half-measures, such as the Afghan approach, against Saddam would be a mistake. But these should not become permanent excuses for inaction. We may tarry, but Saddam will not."

The knives are out in Washington.

As Azerbaijan Remembers Her Friends
"Jim Moody was there..."
Ercument Kiliç, ATAA President-Elect - Today's Azerbaijani citizens are the heirs to a rich history and culture. A country at the crossroads of the historic Silk Road, Azerbaijan treasures its natural and cultural diversity. The largest country of the South Caucasus, it is home, along with ethnic Azeris, to more than 70 different ethnic groups, including Kurds, Jews, Russians, Armenians, Lezghis and many others. Azerbaijan with its mild climate was among the birthplaces of mankind. Located at the heart of ancient civilizations, Azerbaijan has been invaded and fought over by many empires and rulers, including Alexander the Great, the Roman general Pompey, Genghis Khan, and Peter the Great.

Jim Moody at the Martyrs Monument in Baku, leaving red carnations on the graves of brave Azeri freedom fighters who fought and fell to the Soviet tanks.

Azerbaijan became Empire in the 11th century. Under the Seljuk rule, the immigration of Turkic tribes further strengthened the ancient and already dominant Turkic presence. Then came the Mongol invasions in the 13th and Tamerlane's conquering of Azerbaijan in the 14th century .

Between 1501 and 1736 the Azerbaijani Sefevi dynasty, founded by Shah Ismail, ruled Iran and neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan. Russia's imperial expansion in the Caucasus began in 1723 with Peter the Great. In 1796 the Russian army returned to the Caucasus and began the process of occupation of the Azerbaijani khanates, and by 1828, after two Russian-Persian wars, Azerbaijan was split into two. The northern portion is what would later become modern Azerbaijan. Since the mid - 19th century the oil industry has been flourishing in Azerbaijan. The name Azerbaijan is derived from two ancient Azeri words; "Atar", and "Patar", meaning "fire" and "nation" respectively. So the "Nation of Fires" it was, with that eternal flames bursting through the earth; what the world would later call "the oil". The first industrial oil well was drilled in 1848. In the late 19th - early 20th centuries, Baku was producing 95% of the oil in USSR and 50% of the oil in the world. It was also at that time that the Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov wrote his "Leyli and Mejnun," the first opera in the Muslim world.

When the Czar's rule ended in Russia at the end of World War I, Azerbaijan seized the opportunity to declare its independence and founded the first Republic in the Muslim East. The international community, including the United States, recognized the sovereignty of Azerbaijan as it became one of the first nations in the region to adopt a secular, democratic form of government.

At the conclusion of the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson had remarked that the Azerbaijanis he met "talked the same language that I did with respect to ideals, and the concepts of liberty and justice." Within two years of declaring independence, however, Russia again asserted its rule over Azerbaijan. In April 1920, the Bolshevik Red Army supported by Armenian armed units invaded the country overthrowing the democratic government. Azerbaijan was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union and for the next 70 years was governed under Communist rule. On September 23, 1989, Azerbaijan was among the first Soviet republics to adopt its own Constitutional Law on Sovereignty.

Soviet tanks in Baku & Jim Moody's visit
Yet, Azerbaijan's independence did not come easily. In 1990, Soviet troops invaded Baku, resulting in the deaths of more than a hundred civilians. In the end, however, Azerbaijan's pro-Moscow regime grew weaker and by 1991, popular pressure led the country to break away from Soviet rule and declare its independence.

It was then, soon after the Russian tanks had entered Baku, literally crushing hundreds of civilians that Mr. Jim Moody, a great friend of Turks everywhere, made his historical fact finding trip to Azerbaijan organized by this writer, a first in history by an American Congressman there. Through the intense, high level meetings he held with government officials as well as various factions and groupings not to mention the meetings he held with Azerbaijan's poets, authors, painters, and other artists, Mr. Moody upon his return back to the United States, helped Members of the U.S. Congress understand the key elements of the then fast-moving situation that included both Gorbachev's Perestroika, and a brewing bitter conflict with Armenia over Nagorno Karabagh, and the hundreds of thousands of refugees on both sides fleeing the conflict.A deeply moved man, Mr. Moody towered over graves of the Azeri martyrs, laying flowers on each, on a sunny January day in 1990 in Baku, deeply touching all around him and the millions who saw him in the evening news.

Moody and Crimean Turks
As Azerbaijan remembers her sad days of twelve years past, Turkish-Americans remember Mr. Jim Moody with gratitude and say: Thank you Mr. Jim Moody! Azeri Turks are not alone in paying tribute to him, though. It was also through Mr. Moody's courageous trip shortly after to Ukraine that the American media and Congress found out about the plight of the Crimean Turks. Upon arrival of Stalin in power in Soviet Union, roughly 350,000 of them had been shipped from Crimea on trains to various Central Asian countries during a harsh winter, which claimed the lives of nearly one-third.

However changing political climate of Perestroika opened the roads back home for many Crimeans a half a century later, and they came home which had become others'. So they protested the unemployment, the lack of housing and government services, and so they went on hunger strikes under the leadership of legendary Crimean leader Mustafa Cemiloglu to gain world's sympathy. That sympathy may never had come had it not been for Mr. Moody. This unassuming, down to earth American giant, as he stayed overnight in tents and in literally cardboard homes in the cold of winter with Mr. Cemiloglu and friends, experienced the sadness and the predicament of Crimeans first hand and so he reported back to America.

Crimeans thank you too Mr. Moody. God Bless.

Rahm Emanuel, Candidate for Congress, Meets Turks in Chicago
Sel Erder Yackley, The Turkish Times , Midwest Correspondent - Two dozen Turkish Americans spent an intimate hour with Rahm Emanuel, Democratic Candidate for Congress from Chicago, at Cousin's restaurant recently. Endorsed by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Chicago Tribune and the Sun Times, Emanuel is likely to win the primary and then become the next congressman from a predominantly democratic district on Chicago's north side.

Emanuel's first attempt at an elected office comes after a proven track record of city, state and national political experience and work in the private sector. Emanuel worked with Mayor Daley, former Illinois Senator Paul Simon and in President Bill Clinton's administration.

Rahm Emanuel (center) is surrounded by enthusiastic supporters of his candidacy for Congress. They are (from left) Nahide Kerimli, Ahmet Obali, John Yackley and Mehmet Celebi (TACA president).

Born and raised in Chicago, father of three children, Emanuel is young--though graying-soft spoken and energetic. Liberal on the domestic front, he champions better health care, supports more teachers in the classroom, favors protecting Social Security and Medicare, and is against gun violence.

Well-versed in international policies, Emanuel acknowledges the importance of Turkey in such a strategic part of the world. "I encourage the continuation of strong ties between Turkey and Israel and would urge European governments to admit Turkey into EU as soon as possible," he said. "Such a move would benefit the U.S. which is highly appreciative of Turkey's membership in NATO."

Emanuel said he would support the construction of the pipeline to go through Turkey. He also touched upon the Cyprus controversy as a difficult challenge and said he did not know enough about the Turkish point of view dealing with the Armenian conflict of 90 years ago

Mehmet Celebi, TACA's president promised to send him material on the Ottoman-Armenian conflict and encouraged him "to keep politicians out of the debate and analysis of historical events that took place during the demise of the Ottoman Empire." Historians, not politicians, should research and write about this subject, was the consensus of those attending the meeting.

For more information about Rahm Emanuel, please go to www.VoteEmanuel.com

Top Turkish General Slams EU
Istanbul, Turkey - A senior general said Thursday that Turkey's efforts to join the European Union were doomed to fail, and called for closer ties with Russia and Iran instead.

Gen. Tuncer Kilinc – head of the powerful National Security Council – spoke of his doubts about the EU quest at a conference on Turkish foreign relations organized by the military. The remarks were unusual because generals rarely take positions in public that differ with government policy.

"Turkey hasn't seen the slightest assistance from the EU. The EU has a negative view on the problems that concern Turkey," Kilinc said.

Kilinc said he believed that the EU would never accept Turkey. He said Turkey needed new allies and it would be "useful if Turkey engages in a search that would involve Russia and Iran."

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said Kilinc's comments were his personal views and dismissed the general's suggestions that Turkey should seek alternatives to the European Union.

"At the moment our relations with the EU are progressing smoothly," Ecevit said in an interview with CNN-Turk television.

The 15-member EU accepted Turkey as a candidate for membership in 1999, but insists that the Turks first push through major changes involving human rights and the Kurdish minority.

The EU insists on wider cultural rights for Turkey's Kurds – a move strongly opposed by many Turks, including the military and most of the government, who say it would divide the country along ethnic lines.

The Union also wants Turkey to lift the death penalty and allow more freedom of expression.

Pressure from the EU has led to tension within the government coalition, with liberals pushing for the requested changes and conservatives resisting what they consider meddling from western Europe.

Mesut Yilmaz, the deputy prime minister and leader of the coalition's relatively liberal wing, has called for a referendum on whether Turkey should enter the EU, hoping that a strong result would put pressure on conservative skeptics.

But Ecevit ruled out the idea Thursday. "No sterile debates, no early election, no referendum," he said. "Let's get on with the job."

Politicians could hurt joint Turkish-Greek bid to host Euro 2008 soccer championship
Ankara, Turkey - What to do about Cyprus has divided Turkey and Greece for decades. Now the issue threatens to jeopardize a joint Turkish-Greek bid to host the 2008 European soccer championships.

While sports issues have in the past helped both countries to improve tense relations, this time the political stalemate over Cyprus could end up sabotaging the soccer bid.

At a Cabinet meeting Monday, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Deputy Premier Devlet Bahceli seriously questioned the joint bid, the daily Milliyet reported.

"Greece is sidelining the Turkish Cypriot Republic. This will be a problem during the organization," Milliyet quoted Ecevit as saying during the meeting. [Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus] is only recognized by Turkey and is not likely to be included in the championships as it is not a member of UEFA, European soccer's governing body.

Turkish leaders are apparently concerned with diplomatic consequences of the tournament. The joint bid is expected to be discussed at a Cabinet meeting next week, said an official at the Sports Ministry speaking on condition of anonymity. Ecevit's office would not comment on the report. The head of Greece's Soccer Federation said the joint bid wouldn't work if politics was allowed to interfere.