The following are translated excerpts from the Turkish press.
RADICAL ISLAMISTS ARE BECOMING MORE POWERFUL IN TURKEY
Known as the "Shadow CIA," STRATFOR, a private intelligence organization, published a report about recent political and security issues in Turkey on August 23. The report reveals the rising power of the Fethullah sect in education, security, intelligence, judiciary, media and business.
The report also says that the governing party, the AKP, was reluctant to act boldly to implement its Islamic agenda in the beginning, but they are now more up-front; it is obvious that they represent the Islamists in Turkey.
http://haber.gazetevatan.com/turkiyede-dinciler-gucleniyor/324946/1/Gundem
TERRORISM CANNOT BE STOPPED SOLELY WITH WEAPONS
After Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks that "the government does not sit at the negotiation table with terrorists," President Abdullah Gül made some interesting remarks on the same issue: "The duty of a state is to end terrorism and terrorist organizations. All state institutions, particularly the armed forces and the security department, are charged with eradicating terrorism, and preventing terrorism from causing new casualties and eliminating this threat…..Terrorism cannot be countered only by weapons; it must be fought by mobilizing all resources. Neighboring countries and other allies should contribute to Turkey's fight against this trouble."
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/15628852.asp?gid=233
TURKEY GOES BEYOND ESTABLISHED MENTALITY IN GREECE
Turkey's decision--to no longer consider its longstanding dispute with Greece over certain territorial waters as a cause of war-- was covered widely by the Greek media. Athens was shaken by the news, announced by Sabah Daily, that [Turkey's] new National Security Policy document would not consider Greece's extension of its territorial waters to the 12-mile limit as an act of war. "Turkey is changing its strategy to reset its relationship with its neighbors, wrote Greek newspaper Ethnos.
http://www.sabah.com.tr/Dunya/2010/08/25/atina_ve_moskovada_kirmizi_kitap_yankisi
HAVEN'T THEY MET WITH ÖCALAN?
During a party rally in Sivas, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responded to charges that his government was associating with the PKK, a terrorist organization. Erdoğan said: "The Justice and Development Party [AKP] government does not sit down with terrorists; it neither bargains nor negotiates. Haven't the Motherland Party [ANAP], the True Path Party [DYP], and Nationalist Movement Party [MHP] met the head of the terrorist organization that stopped Öcalan's execution?"
http://haber.gazetevatan.com/iddialar-uzerinde-durmam/324894/9/Siyaset
HANEFI AVCI AND THE SUPPORTERS OF FETHULLAH GULEN
"Are sects governing Turkey? Is the judiciary independent? Is Turkey ruled by law? Does the judiciary derive its powers from the statutes of a democratic state or from political authority?" Hikmet Çetinkaya debates and discusses these questions. He discusses the sect issue considering the experience of Hanefi Avci, former Chief of Police of Eskisehir.
"The actual reason for me to ask these questions is not the fact that I have started reading former Chief of Police of Eskisehir, Hanefi Avci's book named "Halic'te Yasayan Simonlar - Dun Devlet Bugun Cemaat" [in English: Simonians living at the Golden Horn - Past State, Present Sect]."
"Surely Avci has written a must-read book that sheds light on our recent history. Avci's speaks frankly with the public about his book's subject, the Susurluk incident that "revealed the organized armed powers within the state." I wrote about this in my book "Ergenekon'dan Susurluk'a [in English: "From Ergenekon to Susurluk"] at length. I also mentioned who the sect's sheik collaborated with."
"Hanefi Avci says that the sect, or, in other words, the supporters of Fethullah Gulen, have taken over the state and that his phone is being tapped. These are realities that everybody with common sense knows!"
"Professor Aysel Eksi called me via the newspaper's operator and told me that a journalist from Canada's CBC [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation] TV wanted to conduct an interview with me. Ten days later the people from the CBC TV came and we talked."
"Within a few hours supporters of Fethullah living in Canada got wind of my conversation with Aysel Eksi and called CBC to make the following recommendation: 'We will cover all your expenses and will assist you with setting up interviews in Turkey.'
This incident has exactly four witnesses."
"Knowing that I was the first journalist who uncovered what skeletons that they had in their closet, they wanted to cunningly prevent me from speaking. How are they doing this? Just like they did to Hanefi Avci, an honest, believing, devout Chief of Police."
"He isn't afraid to speak out. I have never met him personally. Avci, in his book, provokes an outburst of fury among the Fethullah Gulen supporters, who soon set out to oppose him, tapped his phone and put him under close watch. After, he says with respect to Chief of Police Assistant Emin Aslan, who is being detained on a counter-narcotics charge: 'I do this job, not him.'"
"Don't be surprised if tapes of Avci show up on sectarian websites soon!"
"Security General Directorate's intelligence service is watching everyone 'who opposes the sect.'"
"These are the same units that are tapping the [phones of] the CHP, the Cumhuriyet Daily and other newspapers.
Look at what Hanefi Avci says in his book: 'Unfortunately, it is not very easy to cross this sect. In a way it is at the mercy of Hodja Fethullah. However, before all else these need to be done. The phone taps of the intelligence service need to be seriously investigated. The wiretapping operations of the police, the gendarmerie and the MIT (national intelligence agency) need to be checked. All judges and prosecutors of the special authorized courts need to be replaced by judges and prosecutors of equal status. Without realizing this, no adversary of the sect can enjoy freedom; their lives won't be safe.'"
"Eskisehir Chief of Police, Avci, who is known for his religious but candid personality and who served as assistant to the Chief of Intelligence Service, says this, not I. Who is going to listen to this voice? The President, the Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior, or the Minister of Justice? Who? We have a very grave allegation!"
"Although it is quite easy to trace information, documents and images spread on websites, the reasons why they are not found appear clearly in Hanefi Avci's writings. And Avci says: 'Who knows how many ministers', how many general managers', how many commanders' and their wives' and children's images they have. Claims about judges and prosecutors concerning these kinds of images, similar events always show the same address: the sect.'"
"According to Avci, everything happens within the plan and program of the sect, at the religious baron's commands.
The sect's high-level bureaucrats in the police force are pulling the strings of the judges. They beleaguered every place.
Police officers, prosecutors, judges support the sect. All these statements come from a police chief who grew up in the Isik Evleri! [The Isik Evleri translates as "the light houses," meaning the schools in Fethullah Gulen's doctrines are taught.]
"How does civil fascism come about? Just like Hanefi Avci tells us. Do we need to say more?"
http://en.cumhuriyet.com/?hn=167872
REACTION TO DEMIRTAS BOYCOTT CALL
The business roundtable of Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakır criticized the leader of the Peace and Democracy Party [BDP], who said, "Voting 'yes' is immoral." Chamber of Diyarbakır Merchants and Craftsmen Chairman Alican Ebedinoğlu said they would vote "yes" on Sept. 12 despite the boycott call of the BDP.
http://www.turkiyegazetesi.com/haberdetay.aspx?haberid=459328
ANKARA PROSECUTOR STARTS PROBE INTO POLICE CHIEF'S BOOK
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office will begin a probe into a book by Eskişehir's police chief that allegedly exposes the infiltration of the police force and other state departments by the religious Fethullah Gülen movement.
The office will determine whether or not an investigation should be launched into "Haliç'te Yaşayan Simonlar: Dün Devlet Bugün Cemaat" (in English: The Religious Devotees of Haliç: Yesterday They Followed the [Secular] State, Today They Belong to a Religious Congregation), by Eskişehir Police Chief Hanefi Avcı.
Another probe into the book by the Interior Ministry is already ongoing for the same reason.
Avcı said he decided to write the book about the movement's leaders and imams after the chief advisor to the prime minister ignored all the evidence against the organization that had been accumulated.
The police chief further complained that his phone calls were being illegally monitored.
The book includes a narrative of Avcı's personal experiences, as well as his previous claims regarding the Gülen movement's infiltration of the police force, the gendarmerie and the National Intelligence Organization [MIT].
FETHULLAH GULEN'S SECOND CALL FOR YES
Gulen explains his reasons to say "Yes" in the referendum on his website, www.herkul.org .
Gulen says: "Even Turks living in the [United] States should go to Turkey, and if they can, they should get 10 – 20 Turkish citizens of Turkey to vote 'Yes' in the referendum."
He continues: "We are in equal distance with every political organization. We are not supporting persons who do right things for the State [of Turkey], we are supporting their actions. So, they can be Baykal or Bahceli. The important thing is the action they take. We previously supported Ecevit, Demirel, and Ozal not because of their personalities and ideology, but because of their moves for the good of the state [of Turkey]."
