Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Angelides takes 10-pt. lead in latest poll
Reverses recent gains by Westly

The movement that Phil Angelides's California gubernatorial campaign has seen in private polls in recent days after the candidate's return to the airwaves with new advertisements seems to be confirmed in newly-released results from a poll conducted for a California TV station. The poll conducted about a month ahead of the June 6 Democratic primary shows state treasurer Angelides with a ten-point lead over his primary opponent, state controller Steve Westly. (Poll: Angelides Holds 10-Point Lead Over Westly) The movement in the polls comes after a $5 million advertising campaign sponsored by Sacramento developer Angelo Tsakopoulos and his daughter, Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis. Angelides and Westly are vying to face Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the general election in November.

Tuesday, May 9, 2006

Turkish Prosecutors Seek Cypriot Journalist
Free expression is a victim in Turkey

The Turkish campaign against journalists who write articles critical of the government has now been extended for the first time to a Turkish Cypriot journalist. Serhat Incirli, who writes for the Turkish Cypriot Newspaper Afrika, which is published in the military occupied north of Cyprus, is wanted for serious charges regarding "insult to the Turkish nation." Incirli lives in London, but the ANA reports the authorities of the "pseudo-state" in northern Cyprus are exerting pressure on his family and are seeking him so that the General Public Prosecutor of Turkey can bring charges against him.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has written an eye-opening report, titled Nationalism and the Press, on the campaign against journalists by Turkish nationalists who oppose Turkey's entry into the E.U. The CPJ writes: "Fearing a loss of Turkish independence and national identity, they have sought out sympathetic public prosecutors across the country to take the fight to journalists, writers, and academics who favor EU membership. The nationalists challenge writings or public comment they dislike, filing complaints based on loosely worded laws that criminalize the denigration of the Turkish state, its identity, and its institutions."

Earlier this year, five Turkish journalists, Murat Belge, Haluk Sahin, Erol Katircioglu, and Ismet Berkan of the daily Radikal, and Hasan Cemal of the daily Milliyet, were charged in connection with articles they wrote last year. Those articles had challenged the decision of an Istanbul administrative court to ban an academic conference on the genocide of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1917.

According to the CPJ, the five were charged under Article 288 of the penal code with attempting to influence the outcome of judicial proceedings with their writing. All except Berkan were also charged under the controversial Article 301 of the penal code with insulting “Turkishness.” If convicted, they could have faced prison terms of six months to 10 years.

Article 301 was the statute that nationalists recently used against Orhan Pamuk, Turkey’s most famous novelist, after Pamuk had spoken in a Swiss newspaper interview about the World War I killing of Armenians and Turkey’s treatment of its Kurdish minority. That case was dropped in January after a wave of protests around the world.

An Istanbul court has now dropped the charges against four of the five most recently accused journalists, but the case continues against the columnist Belge. (Murat Belge Still on Trial) Meanwhile the prosecutor is appealing the court's decision and is seeking to reinstate the charges against the four others. (Prosecutor Appeals Against Four Columnists) Belge's trial is scheduled to begin in June. (Free Speech on Trial in Turkey: Murat Belge Speaks)

Last week the Athens journalist union expressed its solidarity and support for the Turkish Cypriot Incirli. And the European Federation of Journalists has condemned the Turkish government’s decision to sue Incirli for criticizing Turkey. (EFJ Condemns Harassment of Turkish Cypriot Journalist)

But the climate in Turkey remains difficult for journalists. The CPJ says nationalist lawyers shop around for courts willing to take these cases and journalists know it is difficult to write critically about five major subjects: Ataturk, the Kurds, the security forces, the Armenian killings, and the Turkish presence in northern Cyprus.

Monday, May 8, 2006

Greek and Turkish Leaders Meet

The meeting last week between Greek Prime Minister Karamanlis and Turkish Premier Erdogan on the sidelines of a southern Euopean summit in Thessaloniki generated headlines in the Greek media, and polite and somewhat predictable comments from both gentlemen about the course of Greek-Turkish affairs. Karamanlis says Greece supports Turkey's European course but expects Turkey to fulfill its obligations to the EU process, especially in the area of religious freedoms. Rather than engage directly on this issue with reporters, the ANA quoted Erdogan as saying Turkey had embarked on a "church restoration program" and expected a restoration of two historic mosques in Athens -- revealing behind the diplomatic niceties, an ability to turn what should be a defensive posture for Turkey on its religious freedom record into an offensive foreign policy stance.

The two leaders emphasized economic cooperation, as that is one area in which they are progressing -- Greek-Turkish trade has exceeded $2 billion with a target of $5 billion soon. And Erdogan told journalists at the Ataturk birthplace in Thessaloniki (which serves also as the Turkish consulate) that the two countries hope to implement joint tourist package programs. Meanwhile, blocks away, Cypriot demonstrators were prevented by police from marching to the consulate. Karamanlis is planning a visit to Turkey to continue the dialogue. At this stage, the fact that civility exists between the two leaders in the midst of difficult issues is a plus.

Straight Talk for FYROM

Karamanlis's quoted comments to the leader of FYROM appear much more pointed. The ANA reports that FYROM President Branko Crvenkovsky told the media in Skopje after his meeting with Karamanlis at the Thessaloniki summit that Greece has done all it can to settle the dispute with its neighbor over the name Macedonia "and that Greece will not be able to strongly support FYROM's EU and NATO membership efforts if the issue remains pending." Crvenkovsky said the two leaders agreed that talks towards a settlement must take place at UN headquarters in New York. 

PASOK names Muslim candidate

The ANA reports: "Main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou, addressing the party's Parliamentary Group on Thursday, made a surprise announcement ahead of October's local elections in the country in naming Gul Karahasan, a woman member of the Moslem community, as the party's candidate for the Drama-Xanthi-Kavala supraprefecture. " Papandreou said the selection "symbolizes the essence of PASOK's policy on the cohabitation of religions and cultures." Lets see how this plays with Greek voters.

Thessaloniki Gasping for Air
Maybe they should smoke less!

Read about it in Kathimerini.

IN TOMORROW'S GREEK NEWS BLOG:
Turkish Cypriot journalist faces charges for "insult of the Turkish nation."

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