www.todayszaman.com - June 5, 2008

T01-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

19:16

Page 1

%

&

###'

$ ' $ '

!

"

!

!

" + & % # ( ' ! # ( $ # ) " ' &

!9" "

5

$

$

- 5 *++6 -

5#

"

5

5

5 57 8

"#$%

5

>#? #>7

7

.

! @A

@A

. B

. @A .

9 .

-

C

.

<+ .

53

9 -

.

B 5

-

. % ! & / ! ' 0

- 1 "#$% 2 % - 3 $

0

*++,

"

2 4 & 24'

"#$% 5

24

5

!9" "

! "

#

$

% &"#$%'

(

( ) *++,

"#$%

-

#

! "# $

0

7 0

0 !

0 F ! 2 > # H

0

I # &I #'

5C

5 # H @

0 - 7 %

(=+

I #

7

$ *++;

7 $

8

@D AE

F @D AE 8

::

8

5C

8

F

- -

0 5

- 1 " 8 @D AE

G G

. % ! & / ! '

*++( @D AE

G

"#$% $ #

.

#

59

5

5

5

7 & 7 '

:+ ;( 2 - * :*

2

:*

:< )=

%

! "#$%&

' ! %!' ' "#($#) *$#

%

I "

C

C 9

> .

2 $ "

0 ?7

* ::6

> 9 $

:;

L

" %

2 $ F -

! @

C I 5

0

5 "

7 ! 2

>

7 5

%

?

7 5 :; +++

:) +++

#

"

$

Featuring news and articles from

!

"

> !

- ! &$9!'

-

0

- 7

$9! % I

J K

$9!

-

! ! 3 9

I 7

!

0 &@ !'

0

T02-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

15:43

Page 1

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

# $ % #

+ !

(,

)

#

/ '

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

" #

+

#

! "

C

/ 3 I $

M .

7 3

:++

4 3

"

::+

-

3

8 &

' #

-

"#("/

!9" "

+, ! , " ( ' ' % !,$ - .

> !

- ! &$9!' . % ! & / ! ' $9!

-

M

-

" 7

/ A $9!

*++(

$9!

N= )

/ A M

$9!

-

7 - J

$9! / A

$9!

5

% H 2 @

/ !

$9!

M

N= ) 5 $9!

5

2 / A -

5 9

$9! % $ 2 G A

0

G A

M

$9!

G A - 5C

M O G A

$

5

$9!- G A 2 / H 7

$9!

9 $9!

0

5C

$9! M C 0

5 7 - # KP $9!

$9!

KP $9!

57

$9!

$9!

5 KP $9!

KP

"

Q

R

> / G1 V>/

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

&

'

( ) *

!

!

! !

#

(

#$ "% & '

-

'

#

3 F

2 ! &29!' % I P

- 0

/

5

Q/ C - ! R !// 5 9

/

0 5

5

/

C

/

/

O C

!!"#$

! %0

5

5 -

0 9 % 7

%

" 7

%

1 ! #0

57

$9! 5 -

> !

- ! &$9!' / A M

$9!

N= )

#

$9!

/ A G

$9!

")2#0

4

" !

- F !

!

>

! - 8

T 5

9

9

5

(3 0

5 # H

5 -

8

. % ! & / ! '

U@ $ 7 <: / !

! 2 > # H

:( , 0

*+

*++,

8

8 F

?7 3

" $

% !

8 "

>

8

%

8

8

"

- 8

8

> I

> ?7

8

8

!" '& $# !,' % '$)# / ' ,' " ($ #

' !! ' ! #!' $)'# '

-

: (, 2

:+ ;(

7

* :*

:< )=

> $!

: :)

!!

: 6+ 7

$! < =+

- -

:) ;)

*++<

(

, =

( , 6 )

*++*

C $ " I

*++* I

# *++( *++< C $ $ 4

CM Y K

0

#

*++6

!

. ; 5

8

8

# *++6

5

?#4 5#

- -

F

5

S

. % ! & / ! '

M

2

/ ! &

'

$

$

/ !

O

B

8

/ !

T03-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

18:55

Page 1

NATIONAL

TODAY’S ZAMAN 03

T H U R S D AY, J U N E 5 , 2 0 0 8

27° 30° 29° 29° 32° 22° 29° 26° 30°

KONYA ÇANAKKALE DÝYARBAKIR SAMSUN BURSA GAZÝANTEP ESKÝÞEHÝR MALATYA KOCAELÝ

29° 26° 34° 26° 31° 33° 30° 31° 31°

AA

ÝSTANBUL ANKARA ÝZMÝR ANTALYA ADANA ERZURUM EDÝRNE TRABZON KAYSERÝ

KERÝM BALCI

Alanya opens Europe's largest aqua park Sealanya, which boasts the title of Europe's biggest aqua park, will open the gates to one section of its facilities today in the Alanya district of Antalya.

Sealanya Manager Bülent Özsavaþ talked to the Anatolia news agency, noting that there are only three aqua parks in the world that are bigger than Sealanya, two in the US and one in Japan. Özsavaþ said Sealanya is an important project as it is the largest aqua park in Europe, adding that water parks require a lot of investment and are difficult facilities to operate. He noted that there are 15 pools at Sealanya, six of which will be used for dolphin shows, swimming with dolphins and animal-assisted therapy for disabled children. There will also be pools for manta rays, sharks and seals. Özsavaþ said they are using seawater for the pools, filtering the water with 11 large filtering units. "Sealanya, which cost us 12 million euros, will contribute to improving the economic condition of the residents of Alanya," he stated. Özsavaþ said the dolphin show and therapy center of Sealanya will open today, adding that there are 12 dolphins in this section -- five of them will perform in the shows, three will be used for therapy and four will swim with visitors. He noted that the dolphins are handled by 10 professional trainers. "There are some reservation requests [for the therapy center] that we have already received from Europe," he noted.

Sealanya Operating Manager Pýnar Tungar, in a phone interview with Today's Zaman, stated that there are two main sections in Sealanya, the Dolphin Park and the Seapark, adding that the Dolphin Park opens today and the Seapark in late June. Tungar said one of the innovations that the park introduces is a tropical reef, which is a pool with various tropical sea life, including coral and tropical fish. She noted that visitors will have the chance to go diving in this pool and observe these creatures in their underwater environment.

Tungar said another interesting attraction they have is the shark pool, in which visitors will be able to dive in steel cages to view the sharks. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

E-scream ÜMÝT PITIR, CÝHAN

In celebration of Environment Day on Thursday, some 20 million people, including Education Minister Hüseyin Çelik, spent their day cleaning up the streets. The Ministry of Education asked all schools to substitute a day of class with cleaning up the environment in an effort to raise the students' awareness of environmental protection. Joining primary and secondary school students were volunteer parents, teachers and a number of university students.

Van, Minister Çelik's own constituency, took the cleaning very seriously. The minister, on his way to the official ceremony to mark the event, titled "Clean Turkey and Clean Waters" and held on Akdamar Island in Lake Van, frequently stopped his car to greet students cleaning the coast and chat with them. Çelik gave a speech on the island, standing next to a recently renovated church there. He noted that the ministry decided to hold this day in order to raise awareness of environmental cleanliness because adults had gotten used to looking the other way. Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association (TURMEPA) Chairman Asaf Güner, also in attendance, said his association has for many years worked to clean Turkey's waters and that it is very happy to see so many students concerned about the environment. Van Today's Zaman

k.balci@todayszaman.com

PHOTO

PHOTO

Children get day off from school, clean up environment

Over 20 million people are spending their day today cleaning up the streets.

Turkish world's children gather in Ýstanbul Ýstanbul's Beþiktaþ Ýnönü Stadium yesterday hosted the 14th Turkish World Children's Festival, organized by the Turkish World Research Foundation, with attendance by the Turkish parliament speaker, deputies, the Istanbul governor and hundreds of children.

Delivering a speech during the opening ceremony, Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan said Turkey had previously received many students from all around the world for National Sovereignty and Children's Day on April 23. "We also hosted 550 students from 110 countries of the world during the Sixth International Turkish Language Olympics last week. And now we are together with Turkish children from different countries of the world. Turkey is a country where children of the world open their arms for peace. This is an honor for us," stated Toptan. Ýstanbul Governor Muammer Güler said Atatürk's statement "Peace at home, peace in the world" is being realized through these kinds of activities, adding that Ýstanbul plays the role of a capital of peace. The festival brought 650 children from 19 countries, with 450 Turkish students also participating. The activities included the children performing their traditional folk dances.

Turkish World Research Foundation President Turan Yazgan also gave an address for the event, saying, "I am proud to host this joyful and lovely event, where children of the Turkish world gather." Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

CM Y K

I have been in Germany for the last few days, participating in the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum on "Media in Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention." I learned the term e-scream from Dr. Ammar Bakkar, chief editor of Alarabiya.net and head of new media at MBC Group. Dr. Bakkar spoke at a workshop titled "Terrorists Online," and said "e-scream" came from his observation that the sounds of extremists were louder on the Internet than the sounds made by moderates (I don't like the terms "extremist" and "moderate" but won't enter into semantics here.)

The message is clear: al-Qaeda people are e-screaming and there is no counter-voice to balance, convince or silence them.

The "Terrorists Online" workshop was a real success, and representing Today's Zaman in the forum, I have to say that this was one of the rare occasions I felt myself learning about an issue I thought I was an expert on. Usually, semantic constructs do not attract my attention because more often than not, their contents are empty. But this time, terms like "Electronic Jihad" "UBL (standing for Usama bin Laden)" "Virtual Terrorist Training Camps" and "al-Fiysbukiyyun [the Facebook-ists]" helped me a lot as means of categorization of knowledge.

Bakkar had a perfect example on how the Web sites created by al-Qaeda sympathizers worked: A 2008 movie named "Untraceable." This is a movie directed by Gregory Hoblit and is about a cat-andmouse chase between FBI agent Jennifer Marsh and a seemingly untraceable serial killer who posts live videos of his victims on the Internet. The tagline of the movie reads, "A cyber killer has finally found the perfect accomplice: You." The killer posts live videos on the Internet and creates a mechanism so that the more the Web site is visited, the sooner the victims are killed.

Dr. Bakkar's message is that extremist sites, news of terrorist attacks, video recordings of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri are all on-demand and the people who watch, read, publish or broadcast them are unconsciously becoming terrorist collaborators.

The intrinsic symbiosis between terrorists and journalists has been discussed for over a decade now. The journalists look for more blood, the terrorists supply it; the terrorists look for more coverage and the journalists supply it. This is a dilemma and it seems unsolvable.

The same dilemma haunted the Turkish press, on a seemingly less important but more local and immediate issue.

In the press we breathe life and kill "epistemological personalities"; the images, so to say. Journalistic neutrality is a utopia (or should I say "lie") and according to their convictions, media groups decide whom to promote and whom to denigrate. The problem in the Turkish media is that we have an e-screaming reality here in Turkey as well: The ulusalcis, anti-democrats and supporters of the closure case against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) shout more. Columnist Ahmet Selim from Zaman had created a beautiful term for this concept: Clamorous Minority.

Observers of Turkey should take this reality into account: Former Ambassador of Sweden in Ankara Ann Dismorr fell into the same mistake when she claimed that many members of the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (TÜSÝAD) supported the closure case. I am not trying to correct Ms. Dismorr's mistake here. I am trying to suggest that the clamorous minority's screaming is not only disturbing us, but also distorting Turkey's image abroad.

Today's Zaman is a good cure -- surely not the only one -- to the mental poisoning created by this loudly screaming minority.

19:15

Page 1

04 TODAY’S ZAMAN

T H U R S D AY, J U N E 5 , 2 0 0 8

Ankara weighing challenges of probable Obama period EMÝNE KART ANKARA

Turkey. Ankara firmly favors the resolution of the Iranian nuclear dispute via diplomatic means.

Kýnýklýoðlu said he believed that McCain would not ignore regional partners' stances on the Iran issue, particularly that of Turkey. "He would not like to repeat mistakes made ahead of the Iraqi war by ignoring regional partners," he said.

Egemen Baðýþ, a top foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, sounded confident concerning probable effects of the outcome of US presidential election over US policy toward Turkey.

"Whoever is elected in the end, we will respect the outcome of the US citizens' will in compliance with our stance asking for respect for democracy in Turkey. Nonetheless, sitting in the presidential chair has always made one better understand Turkey's strategic importance to the US and its people, no matter what the president's ideology may be," Baðýþ, in charge of the AK Party's foreign policy affairs, added.

PHOTO

AA

As Barack Obama takes a huge stride toward becoming the first black US president, the relative unpredictability of changes in US foreign policy in the event of his eventual presidency has led to concern in the Turkish capital -- particularly due to Obama's inexperience compared to other candidates and his clear support for the official recognition of an alleged genocide of Armenians in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination on a promise of hope and change for Americans weary from years of war. Obama's victory sets up a November election contest against Republican John McCain that looks to be a clash of generations as well as a debate on Iraq, The Associated Press said yesterday -- summarizing what the con-

a deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), told Today's Zaman yesterday.

Obama says he would withdraw US troops within 16 months of taking office in January 2009. Some analysts say that this is a disadvantage for Turkey as a quick withdrawal of US forces would leave it to deal with a neighbor in an even deeper quagmire.

Kýnýklýoðlu, who was head of the German Marshall Fund's Turkey office before being elected to Parliament in July 2007, believes that a quick withdrawal is not in favor of US interests and that any move to withdraw if Obama is elected would be on a small scale in order to satisfy domestic expectations in the US. On the Iranian issue, another important foreign policy issue of close interest to Ankara, Obama and McCain have very different approaches.

McCain backs much tougher financial and trade sanctions against Tehran, while Obama's position is open to dialogue and seems closer to

test between Obama and McCain means for the US. As for Turkish decision makers and politicians, there are a number of reasons to take into consideration while weighing between possible McCain and Obama terms. Apparently, McCain's experience, including his knowledge of Turkey's strategic importance for Washington as well as his friendly attitude toward Turkey concerning Armenian allegations of genocide, make him a more favorable candidate for Ankara. Nevertheless, Turkish officials have ruled out such a choice while also playing down any kind of uneasiness with Obama's foreign policy rhetoric.

"This is an issue for US Democrats, and Turkey does not have any particular preference between Obama and McCain. Obama's remarks on the Armenian issue are actually not very different from those of past presidential candidates. It is a strong possibility that he will try to be more balanced on this issue once elected," Suat Kýnýklýoðlu,

NATIONAL

VISIT

Abkhazia cool to Turkish mediation in dispute with Georgia Sergey Shamba, foreign minister of the breakaway region of Abkhazia, yesterday ruled out a hypothetical mediation of Turkey between his region and the Georgian government while criticizing Ankara for pursuing a Tbilisicentered policy rather than favoring the rights Sergey Shamba of the Abkhaz people.

Shamba was in Ankara on Monday for a private visit at the invitation of the Caucasus-Abkhazia Solidarity Committee. He did not have any talks with Turkish government officials and diplomats since Ankara does not officially recognize the breakaway region. Shamba did, however, meet with officials from the Russian Embassy in Ankara.

Speaking with a group of Turkish journalists yesterday, asked whether he would like to have Turkey mediate between Abkhazia and Tbilisi, he said such a proposal had been made in the past. Not only Turkey, but also Greece, Ukraine and the EU are willing to mediate. However, an environment of insufficient confidence persists, Shamba added.

All of these countries, including Turkey, focus on the protection of the territorial integrity of Georgia, he said. They, however, say nothing about the people's right for self-determination, he emphasized.

Abkhazia, in the mountains above the Black Sea, is currently at the center of a dispute between Moscow and Tbilisi over Georgia's intention to join NATO and Russian support for its rebel regions. Russian soldiers patrol between Abkhazian and Georgian forces under a 1994 UN cease-fire which allowed Moscow to station up to 3,000 soldiers in the region. It reinforced its peacekeepers this year, saying Georgia was preparing to invade - an assertion Tbilisi denies. Servet Yanatma Ankara

GERMANY

Two more fires break out at Turkish homes Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan (L) and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, with their wives Emine Erdoðan and Mihriban Aliyev in the background, are seen together.

Turkey, Azerbaýjan to step up energy cooperatýon contýnued from page 1 The pipeline transmits Azeri gas through Georgia to Erzurum in eastern Turkey. The amount of gas transported through BTE currently stands at 6.3 billion per year.

When the amount is increased as part of a new phase of the project, Turkey will be able to meet its growing natural gas needs from Azerbaijan.

Erdoðan said a certain amount of gas could also be supplied to Nabucco, a planned pipeline to transport natural gas from Central Asia to Western Europe. "It may be possible to supply some gas to Nabucco. We discussed this issue as well," said Erdoðan.

The Nabucco pipeline is planned to transport natural gas from Turkey to Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. It will run from Erzurum in Turkey to Baumgarten an der March, a major natural gas hub in Austria. The pipeline, which is hoped to reduce European

troops from Nagorno-Karabakh. Erdoðan said Turkey will continue to support Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue in the future.

He also said the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline and the Baku-TbilisiCeyhan oil pipeline projects show how strong the relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are. A planned railway that will link Turkey and Azerbaijan via Georgia are another piece of the cooperation, he noted.

According to Erdoðan, the fact that the meeting took place in Nakhichevan has a "message to the region and the world" about the depth of friendship between Turkey and Azerbaijan. "Our solidarity will continue with the same determination and same faith."

On the economic front, the prime minister said the two countries aimed at increasing the trade volume from $1.2 billion to $3 billion in the next couple of years. He also noted that

dependence on Russia for natural gas, is backed by the United States and the European Union.

Officials said the two countries also agreed for Turkey to provide electricity to Nakhichevan and launch direct flights between Ýstanbul and Nakhichevan and between Baku and Kars.

Erdoðan said he discussed the issue of visa requirements for Turkish citizens traveling to Azerbaijan with Aliyev, adding that a consensus emerged, without elaborating. Officials said the two leaders agreed to ease visa restrictions.

Erdoðan is the first Turkish prime minister to visit Nakhichevan, a landlocked Azerbaijani enclave sharing a common border with Turkey, in 16 years. Turkey and Azerbaijan cooperate closely on regional issues. Turkey closed its border with neighboring Armenia after it invaded Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan. It refuses to normalize its relations unless Armenia withdraws its

Turkey is the leading foreign investor in non-oil sectors of Azerbaijan, with the amount of Turkish investments having reached $5.5 billion.

Aliyev said the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum projects were important in uniting Azerbaijan and Turkey. He praised Turkish companies' activities in his country, adding that more opportunities emerged for Nakhichevan from his talks with Erdoðan.

"We share happiness together; we are saddened together when there are injustices and we intervene in problems together," Aliyev said. "Our enemies are the same, our friends are the same."

Erdoðan said Azerbaijan backs Turkey's bid to get temporary representation at the UN Security Council in 2009-2010 and that Turkey supports Azerbaijan's drive for a seat on the council in 2011-2012. The two countries also support each other's position in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), he said.

charges, says it wants the case to be concluded as soon as possible because prolonged uncertainty causes damage to economic and political stability.

The foreign minister said his party had always sought "legal and international legitimacy" in its actions. "This means making sure your acts are acceptable to the international community.

This means legitimacy that wins the hearts and minds of the people," he said. Babacan is the first senior Turkish official to visit the United States since the closure case was launched against the AK Party in March. The issue is expected to figure in talks with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other US administration officials.

Brent Scowcroft, a former national security advisor to US President George W. Bush, told the same session that he did not want to interfere in Turkey's internal affairs, but added, "The US certainly hopes that

Ali Babacan

PHOTO

The Constitutional Court's decision in an ongoing closure case against the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will be final and it will be implemented whether or not it is agreeable, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has said.

"Like it or not, whatever decision the Constitutional Court makes, it will be respected," Babacan said at an address at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, on Wednesday. He said it was important to ensure that principles such as the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary be respected. "The decision will be final and it will be complied with," he said.

Babacan's AK Party faces closure on the grounds that it has become a "focal point of anti-secular activities." It is not clear when the court will hand down its ruling on the case and the process is expected to take months. The AK Party, which denies the

AA

Babacan: Court ruling on closure case will not be challenged

Turkey can resolve its constitutional issues in a manner that allows the government to continue its current path of dynamic development." Scowcroft also said developments in Turkey were "important to its neighbors, the European Union and the United States."

CM Y K

Babacan was vague when he was asked to clarify what he meant last week, when he complained that the Muslim majority, in addition to religious minorities, in Turkey faces problems in the area of religious freedoms. "We have to face the truth. If we don't talk about the problems, we cannot find a solution," he said. "We have done a lot, but we are not perfect. We have to admit this.

There is still a long reform list ahead of us," he said.

Babacan recently said he stood behind his comments, which sparked criticism from the opposition.

He did not explain what the problems were, but many believe one of them is a ban on wearing the Muslim headscarf in universities. The government passed constitutional changes in Parliament to ease the ban, but the opposition appealed to the Constitutional Court regarding the amendments. The court is expected to announce its verdict today. Washington Today's Zaman

Two units occupied by Turkish families in the same apartment building in the German city of Mainz were set on fire within 24 hours, leading to the hospitalization of several individuals for smoke poisoning, news reports said yesterday.

The incidents took place in Ebersheim, a village south of Mainz, on Monday and Tuesday, reports said. The first fire broke out when a stroller in front of the apartment inhabited by the Aksungu family on Monday evening was set on fire. Aksungu's flat is on the third floor of an eight-story building.

Approximately 22 hours later, another stroller in front of the Siraz family's apartment was set ablaze on Tuesday evening. Siraz's flat is on the sixth floor.

A German woman was poisoned and hospitalized as a result of the second fire, while 16 people, including two German police officers, were hospitalized following the first blaze, reports said.

Last month a Turkish minister wrote a letter to Germany's integration minister requesting that he reveal the causes behind a series of fires that had broken out in Turkish homes and shops in Germany in recent months. The letter from State Minister Said Yazýcýoðlu followed media reports suggesting German judicial officials have been preparing to close their files on a tragic fire that killed nine Turks without determining its cause. The blaze in the southwestern German city of Ludwigshafen on Feb. 3 killed nine Turks, all from the same family. Ankara Today's Zaman

COOPERATION

Sweden's giant defense contractor opens Ankara office Saab, which is Sweden's largest defense contractor, yesterday opened an office in Ankara, where a meeting on defense technology cooperation between Sweden and Turkey was hosted on the same day. Saab is one of the largest aerospace firms in Europe, with 2007 sales totaling $2.82 billion. About 81 percent of Saab's sales in 2007 came from defense operations and 19 percent from civil system sales.

Swedish Ambassador to Turkey Christer Asp hosted a reception at his residence yesterday evening for the opening of the Saab office in Ankara. Earlier in the day, during a meeting called "Sweden-Turkey Defense Technologies Day," Asp said his country is a "reliable partner" for Turkey in the defense sector.

Speaking at the same gathering, Murad Bayar, head of the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM), said Turkey has been planning to form a partnership in international markets with Sweden concerning defense industry products and projects. Ankara Today's Zaman

AA

04.06.2008

PHOTO

T04-05-06-08.qxd

T05-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

19:14

Page 1

NATIONAL

TODAY’S ZAMAN 05

T H U R S D AY, J U N E 5 , 2 0 0 8

PHOTO

COURTESTY OF TARAF

Footage shows possible new suspect in Dink murder

Newly discovered images from a security camera, raised suspicions about involvement of another suspect in the murder of Hrant Dink.

Newly discovered images from a security camera that captured the murderer of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in January 2007 show a second suspect at the crime scene on the day of the murder, news reports said on Wednesday.

Dink was shot dead outside his newspaper’s Ýstanbul office in broad daylight on Jan. 19, 2007 by an ultranationalist teenager. The 15 others cited as suspects in the ensuing investigation are currently pending trial, with seven of them under arrest; but the investi-

gation also revealed that some in the gendarmerie forces knew about the plot long before the murder took place. The Ýstanbul police are facing similar accusations. The next trial of the suspects is scheduled for July 7.

The new discovery shows that the hit man, O.S., was not alone on the day of the murder, a claim that has been voiced a few times by the prosecution during the course of the trial in the past year, but not proven until now. The footage is from the security camera of a nearby bank; it was unclear as to why the footage had

not been seen by the police earlier.

The recording shows a second person standing in front of Dink’s office building before and during the shooting and then disappearing down a side street after the murder. The police have so far failed to identify the person in the footage.

For most of the time he stands there, the man has his backed turned to the building but appears to be turning around a few times to check whether anyone is coming out of it. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman

Ball in high judiciary’s court for coup diaries case FATÝH VURAL

The investigation into the alleged coup diaries of a former navy commander that were uncovered last year by the Nokta newsweekly has been expanded after a prosecutor applied to the Supreme Court of Appeals and former Nokta Editor-in-Chief Alper Görmüþ voiced his determination to push the case further Asked if he expected the prosecutor to make a move like going to the Supreme Court of Appeals, Görmüþ said “not really” but that there had been “a chance” of that happening because the prosecutor had stressed the importance of the allegations for the public.

Prosecutor Süleyman Aydýn, who applied to the Supreme Court of Appeals on May 14, had previously asked for the further investigation of the diaries and to hear from witnesses, but his demands were rejected by the judge on grounds that the case was solely concerned with libel charges.

In his appeal this time around, Aydýn said the court’s acquittal decision was not legally appropriate because the accused was not given an opportunity to prove his charges: “… Before all the investigations into the ill intentions of the defendant and whether or not there is objectivity, the defendant should have been given the right to prove his charges.”

The prosecutor also indicated that important evidence had been disregarded by the court. The evidence that Aydýn stressed is the report about an original CD containing the diary excerpts that was proven to have come from a computer Adm. Örnek might have used.

Even though Örnek denied the journal published by Nokta belonged to him, a technical investigation conducted by police information technology experts as part of the ongoing Ergenekon investigation -- a probe into an illegal neo-nationalist deepstate group known as Ergenekon -- determined that the digital excerpts were initially copied from a computer at the naval forces headquarters.

According to unconfirmed reports, the Ergenekon gang was planning a 2009 coup against the government and has links to some influential active generals. Örnek, who has reportedly kept a journal since 1957, is said to have recorded details about the former military commanders’ plan to stage a coup, codenamed

PHOTO

contýnued from page 1

Former Nokta Editor-in-Chief Alper Görmüþ talks to reporters after a police raid on the newsweekly’s headquarters last year.

“Blonde Girl,” in 2004, but the plans were abandoned because the plotters could not find support in the military’s lower ranks; the US attitude at the time; and the democratic stance of then-Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök.

The journal also suggested that gendarmerie commander Gen. Eruygur then planned a coup by himself, code-named “Moonlight.”

Eventually, Nokta’s owner shut the magazine down after a police raid of its of-

fices following the journal’s publication.

During one of his trials, Görmüþ asked the court to bring forward President Abdullah Gül and Özkök as well as some journalists, particularly Hasan Cemal, who held an interview with Gül when the latter was foreign minister and said “coup attempts had been known within the state” to provide evidence.

Aydýn also noted Görmüþ did not have to reveal his source of news according to Turkey’s press law.

In his application to the Supreme Court of Appeals, Görmüþ’s lawyer, Ümit Kardaþ, is demanding an expansion of the investigation into whether or not the coup diaries are genuine.

“As a result, force commanders who have been suspected of planning coups came under illegal protection,” the petition stated.

Even though a number of individuals and groups filed criminal complaints with the Ankara Prosecutor’s Office, no investigations have so far been launched into the Nokta report.

Survey: Turkish women victims of workplace abuse Seven of every 10 women working in Turkey have encountered psychological harassment at their workplace, a survey conducted by a private consulting company has concluded.

The Prometheus Consultant Company survey, which polled 1,200 people between the ages of 20 and 60 employed in the private sector, looked for patterns of “psychological and emotional aggression directed against individuals.”

Seventy-three percent of women respondents answered yes to the question of whether they had been “psychologically harassed” during their lifetime, while only 35 percent of the male respondents answered in the affirmative to the same question.

The survey found that overall, five out of every 10 private sector employees -- and seven out of every 10 women -- have been subject to psychological harassment at some point during their work life. The number of individuals psychologi-

cally harassed at some point was highest in the age groups 20-30 and 50-60.

Women are most often harassed by their superiors (69 percent), then by colleagues of the same standing (23 percent), followed by their subordinates (8 percent). Men reported the highest rate of harassment by colleagues of the same level in the company (56) percent, then by their superiors (40 percent), followed by their subordinates (4 percent.).

In general, superiors perpetrate psychological harassment in the workplace. The survey also found that women managers harassed women employees in lower positions. The duration of psychological harassment was longer for women, showing that female employees spend more time resisting psychological aggression directed against them than men do.

Respondents listed the methods of emotional harassment they have been subjected to

as: actions undermining one’s confidence or causing them to feel useless; attacks regarding personal characteristics; isolation; humiliation; interrogation over personal life issues; ignoring; forcing; yelling; humiliating remarks about one’s family; damaging one’s reputation; causing embarrassment in front of teammates; and creating stress and openly displaying dislike of another employee. Women resist and report harassment more often than do men, who have higher rates of suffering without complaint.

The report also showed that most companies do not view emotional aggression as a crime and that their human resources departments are not equipped to handle such issues.

The respondents listed the consequences they have suffered as the following: questioning personal abilities, hatred of superiors, lower levels of commitment to the company, lower motivation,

CM Y K

negative influence on family and friends, and depression and drug abuse. In contrast, some said the experience taught them a lesson in standing up for one’s self and not giving up.

Victims of psychological abuse at work typically speak to friends outside the workplace for support. Most of the time, they avoid projecting the situation at work on their families. Taking legal action is usually the last step for a majority, only before quitting.

Psychological harassment is most frequent in competitive sectors, including finance, retail, media, communications and education, and is often directed at successful individuals. The report also said that psychological harassment, widespread in Turkey although not treated as a crime because so little is known about it, negatively impacts employee productivity and performance, costing companies millions of dollars. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman with wires

FEHMÝ KORU f.koru@todayszaman.com

My adventure wýth cell phones I was the first victim of cell phone wiretapping on record in Turkey. My cell phone was tampered with years ago.

I was having dinner with two friends of mine at a restaurant not too far from the capital’s political district. Parliament was just a stone’s throw away, and many party headquarters were right across the road from where we were having our dinner.

My dinner guests were journalists by profession, but had an interest in politics deeper than many of us; one was serving as a member of Parliament then and the other became a member of parliament later.

When I returned home after a lengthy discussion of current political issues, including some embezzlement claims against the ruling party, a surprise call was awaiting me. Another friend reached me from his home phone and notified me that he had listened to the whole conversation between me and my friends in the restaurant over the phone. When he picked up his ringing phone he heard us talking and he listened to our conversation for almost an hour.

I suspected that somebody wanted to show us that not even our most private conversations were immune from eavesdropping. While we were discussing political issues, they activated my cell phone from afar and made a friend listen to our conversation -- so I thought.

My adventure with a cell phone was covered by almost all the newspapers in Turkey at the time, and the authorities announced that cell phones were the most secure devises and that it was almost impossible to tap them or use them as bugs or listening posts. It was my duty to find a recent experiment in the US Congress that was conducted by infamous hacker Kevin Mitchnik. Using two cell phones in two different rooms, Mitchnik demonstrated that the devices could be used as bugs as well as a listening post.

I then thought they made my friend listen to us deliberately by activating my cell phone from a distance. But, without letting anyone know, I have always held the suspicion that I activated my own phone to call the most recently dialed number in my call log by pressing the “YES” button accidentally.

This happened in May 1999.

Nine years to the month later a public outcry was raised when a newspaper published a private conversation between a governor who recently lost his position and was summoned back to Ankara and the secretarygeneral of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Önder Sav. One newspaper published the conversation between governor and the politician verbatim. The CHP leaders became furious and claimed that the new party headquarters must have been bugged by the police, labeling the incident as our “Watergate.” As happens every time an event is called a “Watergate,” they also demanded that some political heads roll.

If certain media outlets hadn’t taken up the issue from the hands of the CHP leaders and gone after the event to extract political victories of their own -- not to stand in solidarity with the CHP -- the event wouldn’t have stirred a large public interest. But some pundits wrote articles asking Interior Minister Beþir Atalay to resign and large-circulation dailies accused the government of listening to everybody, everywhere at all times.

With my own cell phone wiretapping experience in mind, I suspected there was an easy explanation for what had happened.

We now know what had happened. The newspaper that started the whole incident with its news on the conversation between the governor and the CHP secretary-general disclosed their source, which was confirmed by two phone companies: A reporter tried to reach Sav to ask him a question regarding his views on a certain issue. After telling the reporter that he was busy, Sav, rather than pushing the “NO” button on his cell phone, pushed “YES.” In the ensuing 44 minutes, the reporter took notes of Sav’s conversation with the governor.

It is too much to endure jokes by stand-up comedians and comic magazines afterwards. The CHP, as a serious political party, has been relegated to the status of a buffoon and its secretary-general has become a laughingstock. There have been all kinds of cracks circulating on the Internet.

Meanwhile the most injured by the incident were the newspapers that went in to rescue the CHP when the paper that published the conversation between the governor and the secretary-general of the CHP disclosed what really happened. Major papers jumped at it with their accusatory fingers, saying it was a shameful lie, only to find out that their reliance on the CHP was wrong. The papers also lost face and their commentators became laughingstocks among their own crowd.

What we didn’t know 10 years ago has become public knowledge now: Tapping telephones and listening to conversations is a piece of cake. The most prone to eavesdropping among devices is the cell phone. Cell phones can be used as a relaying post from a distance as long as they are on. There are a variety of listening gadgets in the hands of different intelligence services in Turkey and they also use satellites for the same purpose.

If you have a cell phone, you must be ready for surprises. This I learned almost 10 years ago, and this is what the CHP and some CHP-supporter media learned only recently -- with a price.

T06-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

19:14

Page 1

06 TODAY’S ZAMAN

T H U R S D AY, J U N E 5 , 2 0 0 8

TAEK tries tick sterilization to prevent further tick-borne disease SELÝM KUVEL ANKARA

The Turkish Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK) has taken a step to prevent a rise in the tick population through a male sterilization and release program, a method scientists expect will help prevent further cases of tick-transmitted disease.

TAEK officials announced that they have started sterilizing ticks collected from regions where people have died from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) -- a tick-borne viral disease that often proves fatal -- in order to con-

trol the number of ticks that spread CCHF and other infectious diseases. The technique utilizes a form of irradiation to destroy or seriously debilitate the testes of the male insects.

“We have collected many ticks from regions where there have been incidents of CCHF-related deaths. We have sterilized them and then released them back to the wild. These sterilized ticks will continue to copulate, but will not be able to reproduce or will produce unviable larvae. With this method, we expect to see a significant decrease in the number of

ticks carrying CCHF,” said a TAEK official.

The same official noted that using insecticides against ticks is not an effective way of curbing their population in the long term.

“These insects often develop resistance to such insecticides over time,” he added.

Meanwhile, a man from northern Samsun province died on Tuesday at a hospital where he was being treated for CCHF. Seyit Yalçýnkaya, who was living in the Armutlu village of Asarcýk district, was sent to Ondokuz Mayýs University Hospital last week after he

was bitten by a tick while working in his garden.

Yalçýnkaya’s death is the 17th fatal case of CCHF in four Turkish provinces, namely Samsun, Çorum, Tokat and Amasya, this year. The number of tick bite cases increase as the weather gets warmer and people engage in more activities outdoors. In the past five years, 94 people have died in Turkey from CCHF. People who have come into contact with a tick should be monitored for 10 days following contact and seek professional medical care if symptoms of fever, headache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea present themselves.

Government ýntroduces new antý-hoolýganýsm býll A government bill submitted to Parliament on Wednesday aims to restructure the country’s regulations on sports matches and events by taking measures to end violence and hooliganism at soccer games

PHOTO

MAHMUT BURAK BÜRKÜK

ALÝ ASLAN KILIÇ ANKARA

Violence can erupt even between fans of the same soccer team at Turkish stadiums.

The government has introduced a new bill to restructure the country’s regulations on sports matches and events, with measures that are hoped to end violence and hooliganism at soccer games.

The bill, which was submitted to Parliament yesterday, seeks to amend the current legislation at the top by introducing jail sentences for administrators and others who fix games, offer extra bonuses to players or allow doping for better performance, while imposing fines on fans using profanity in their slogans. If the bill is passed, fans found guilty of profanity and violence will not be allowed into domestic stadiums or to attend games played abroad.

The bill makes it a crime to use flammable, combustible, sharp or pointed objects during football games, to chant slogans that violate the rights of personhood or family and to behave in a way that threatens peace and security during sports events.

The bill makes it obligatory for sports clubs with more than 50 registered members to appoint a number of fan representatives chosen from among their team’s supporters and inform their local police station of the identity and address of these individuals.

Fans who have been convicted of hooliganism will not be flown to matches of Turkish teams played abroad to prevent displays of behavior that might result in sanctions imposed upon the team.

The bill also introduces fines between YTL 500 and YTL 1,000 for fans who enter the pitch during

Ýstanbul international hemophilia congress a record success ROBERTA DAVENPORT ÝSTANBUL

The World Federation of Hemophilia’s (WFH) 28th World Congress, hosted by the Hemophilia Society of Turkey, is winding down to a successful conclusion in Ýstanbul today.

The conference began on June 1 at the Lütfi Kýrdar Convention & Exhibition Center. The event was a huge success, drawing a record 4,200 participants, Sabrina Bayne, communications manager for the WFH, told Today’s Zaman on Thursday.

Delegates included a strong contingency of Turks, in addition to international participants from over 115 countries.

Hemophilia is a hereditary disorder that damages the blood’s ability to clot. The conference program includes sessions on medical advances aiding in the diagnosis, treatment and testing of bleeding disorders, in addition to psychosocial and quality of life issues, a WFH press release issued earlier this week said. Sessions and paper presentations were led by distinguished international researchers, physicians and community leaders.

If left untreated or not treated properly, hemophilia can lead to continual pain, disability, isolation and premature death.

Over 5,000 Turks suffer from hemophilia, according to the Hemophilia

Society of Turkey’s Web site. “A lot of issues [faced by hemophiliacs and persons with other bleeding disorders] in Turkey are basically the issues in a number of other countries around the world,” Bayne said, citing insufficiencies in treatment, assessment and patient registration as major problems. Ýstanbul was chosen as the location for the biennial congress four years ago, when the Hemophilia Society of Turkey, a WFH National Member Organization (NMO), successfully won the bid to host the conference, Bayne said. Ýstanbul was chosen over Milan. The congress is held in a different country every two years, “so that we can get more participants and also help the [hosting] NMOs in their own planning and activities,” she noted.

“The real focus, the basis of our mission, is treatment for all,” she said. The WFH defines its “Treatment for All” motto as meaning that all people with bleeding disorders should have access to safe and effective treatment until there is a cure and that, meanwhile, safe products, proper diagnosis, management and care by trained specialists should be available.

The 27th World Congress was held in Vancouver in May 2006. The upcoming 29th conference in 2010 will be held in Buenos Aires. The WFH’s Web site can be accessed at www.wfh.org.

a game, in addition to three to six-month stadium bans, which can be extended to a full year if the offense is committed multiple times.

It also brings a YTL 1,000 fine for first-time offenders who harass or provoke administrators, players, officials or fans of another team not only in the stadium where a game is played but also in areas near the venue. “Profane slogans,” as well as slogans considered to include religious, racial, ethnic, gender or political discrimination are also described as an offense in the bill. The fine will be YTL 2,000 for repetition of these offenses. Stadium bans of up to a year are in store for first-time offenders and up to two years for repeat offenders. If the offender is a member of a fan club, the fine will be increased to YTL 3,000.

Game rigging and doping Turkey already has laws regulating unethical and illegal methods of manipulating the results of a game, including game rigging, player bonuses and doping, but these regulations are restructured in the bill. The bill introduces jail sentences of five to eight years for referees convicted of match fixing. Players or administrators who accept material or monetary bribes will face jail sentences of three to five years or a fine equal to five times the amount acquired by the offender.

Players who use illegal substances, and masseuses, trainers or administrators who fail to comply with doping analysis procedures will face jail sentences from one to three years as well as fines equivalent to a 5,000 day jail sentence.

NATIONAL

Top court set to rule on headscarf amendment today The Constitutional Court may deliver its verdict today on a legal challenge to a constitutional amendment that allows women to wear the Muslim headscarf on university campuses.

The court last week announced it would discuss on June 5 the fate of the amendment passed by the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) earlier this year to lift the headscarf ban at universities. The court challenge to the headscarf amendment was filed by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

The AK Party defends the right to wear the headscarf at universities as a matter of religious and personal freedom, saying that some two-thirds of Turkish women cover their heads. The CHP claims allowing the headscarf is the first step in creating an Islamic state.

The court’s rapporteur last week submitted his opinion that the challenge should be rejected, but experts doubt this will be the case.

“I don’t think the court will rule any differently than in 1989. It will not open the doors to headscarves,” said Ali Tekin, a lecturer at Ankara’s Bilkent University, speaking to The Associated Press on Wednesday. Tekin was referring to a previous ruling upholding the ban on headscarves at universities. At the time, the court ruled that headscarves violated secularism.

A ruling upholding the ban would give “a strong negative indication concerning the [ruling] party’s closure,” Tekin told the AP. The outcome of the headscarf case is viewed as being closely connected to a state prosecutor’s attempt to disband Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan’s AK Party on grounds that it is a “focal point of anti-secular activities.” The AK Party’s attempt to lift the headscarf ban has been seen as the catalyst for the closure case launched against it. The indictment against the party is filled with references to the headscarf. The AK Party rejects the charges of anti-secular activities and says the case is politically motivated. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman

Suspected al-Qaeda members face up to 20 years YAHYA ÖYLEK VAN

The prosecutor assigned by the Van Police Department to an investigation into alQaeda operations in Turkey has completed his indictment, filing a lawsuit with the 3rd Van High Criminal Court demanding 10-20 years of imprisonment for most of 31 suspects.

The suspects will be tried at the court on July 22 on charges of “being a member of the alQaeda armed terrorist organization.” Among the suspects in prosecutor Çetin Akkaya’s indictment is the alleged “emir” of the organization’s Van branch, Ýbrahim Þen, who was captured on the Pakistani-Afghan border in 2002 by Pakistani soldiers and handed over to the US Army.

In his 121-page indictment, the prosecutor accuses all of the 31 suspects, four of whom are in custody, of membership in a terrorist organization.

He also charged two of them with unauthorized possession of weapons to serve the organization’s purposes. The suspects will be charged with crimes defined in Articles 314, 53, 58, 63 and 5 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).

As a result of the Van Police Department Counterterrorism Bureau’s six-month effort, a number of houses in Van, Ýstanbul and Adana were revealed to be al-Qaeda cells; they were raided by police on Jan. 18. During the operations, 41 suspects were taken into custody. Following initial interrogation, six of them were arrested and jailed. However two of the arrestees were later found to be innocent and released, and Akkaya also concluded that there was a lack of grounds for legal action against 10 of the original 41 suspects.

Restoration of Ýstanbul's Süleymaniye area in progress YASÝN KILIÇ ÝSTANBUL

Restoration in Ýstanbul’s Süleymaniye area, which faces the risk of being excluded from the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has sped up. The massive restoration project, being jointly carried out by the Eminönü Municipality and KÝPTAÞ, a housing company with a special emphasis on social projects, envisages the restoration of hundreds of old buildings in Süleymaniye’s eight neighborhoods.Eminönü Municipality Mayor Nevzat Er said 200 houses in the area will be restored by the end of 2008. IOnce the Süleymaniye project is complete, the area will be more integrated with the rest of the city and the area’s historical texture will be preserved.

Restoration has been accelerated in Ýstanbul recently because the city will serve as the European Capital of Culture in 2010.

CM Y K

T07-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

19:13

Page 1

BUSINESS

TODAY’S ZAMAN 07

T H U R S D AY, J U N E 5 , 2 0 0 8

OECD singles out closure case as major drag on Turkish economy contýnued from page 1 The Central Bank of Turkey, which raised its benchmark interest rate last month for the first time since 2006, said on May 28 that it is ready to continue raising rates in a "measured" way to counter the risk of rising inflation caused by high oil and food prices.

The OECD report said that "approximately two-thirds of annual inflation in Turkey was due to exogenous food and energy price increases" and noted that core inflation stayed below headline inflation. That seemed to be in line with the central bank's explanations given the other day.

"The chances of higher inflation in the short term are increasing because of uncertainty in the global economy and because of energy prices,'' the central bank said. "The Monetary Policy Committee [PPK] stands ready to raise interest rates in a measured fashion if necessary."

The OECD report acknowledged the measures taken by the government and says "additional initiatives on fiscal transparency and rules and structural reform would help increase confidence and accelerate the economic upturn." It asked the Turkish government to stick to its medium-term fiscal plan announced in May. "If the government sticks rigorously to this plan without any slippage, and supplements it with confidencebuilding safeguards such as effective spending ceilings, this initiative could help preserve a rigorous fiscal stance."

The report also noted that a major revision of national accounts in March put gross domestic product (GDP) 30 percent higher than when previous calculation methods were used and reduced the net public debt/GDP and current account deficit/GDP ratios to more benign levels. It said the move did not exert any positive impact on Turkey's credit rating and risk premia. "One rating agency even downgraded Turkey's rating outlook in April," it added.

The OECD, founded in 1961 from an organization formed to administer

Marshall Plan aid after World War II, monitors the world's developed countries and seeks to coordinate domestic and international policies. The report stressed that headwinds causing the ongoing slowdown in activity in the OECD area are likely to continue, including cooling housing markets and high commodity prices. Weakness has been most marked in the United States. However, despite buoyancy during the first quarter of 2008 in Japan and Germany, the slowdown is set to generalize across virtually all OECD economies. There is also some slowdown outside the OECD area, albeit partly induced by policies aimed at restraining inflation.

The OECD published its evaluation on conditions in major economies on the world in the outlook as follows: "US activity is essentially flat through 2008 and then picks up thereafter as housing adjustment ends, credit conditions normalize and the effects of past monetary ease are felt. With substantial capacity slack and under the assumption of unchanged commodity prices, inflation moderates significantly.

Robust export growth, on the back of recent dollar depreciation, helps to narrow the external deficit to around 4.5 percent of GDP next year."

"Eurozone activity is restrained through the current year by tighter credit, squeezed real incomes, lower export market growth and market share losses. Growth gradually recovers as these factors fade, though falling housing investment remains a drag throughout. Despite currency appreciation, inflationary pressures are strong and, with capacity use moving just slightly below its normal level, it is only towards the end of the projection period that inflation reverts to 2 percent.

"Japan has been less directly affected by financial turmoil but growth is held back in the near term by slower export growth, weak household incomes and some hesitancy on the part of firms to invest. As growth regains momentum, inflation also gradually moves up to reach a rate around 0.5 percent."

The economic volume of Turkey's mortgage sector may hit $150-200 billion if the mortgage system begins to operate effectively, Capital Markets Board (SPK) President Turan Erol said yesterday. Erol was speaking at a summit on Turkey's real estate potential in the coming 100 years organized by the Association of Real Estate Investment Companies (GYODER) in Ýstanbul.

Erol said the volume of the mortgage sectors in developed countries were fairly high. He noted that the mortgage sector in the US was equal to 70 percent of the national income by value and that this number was around 50 percent in Western European countries. He added that in developing countries such as Turkey this rate was around 25-30 percent.

"Despite these rates [25-30 percent], which are very conservative figures, we can still say the mortgage sector may hit $150-200 billion in Turkey," he said.

The SPK president explained that they had played an important part in the preparation process of the law on mortgages, which passed last year and is still being gradually implemented. He said they chose to do this because they believed the SPK had a crucial task to assist developing financial markets. He noted that some have accused the SPK of focusing only on the financial side of the mortgage system and not paying attention to the supply side. He stressed that this criticism was off the mark because real estate investment trusts existed before the mortgage law and had already reached a level at which they were meeting demand.

However, he said interest rates are still too high in Turkey but that there was still room for developing the sector through real estate investments trusts. Erol also said investment in infrastructure financing is another important issue for Turkey. "We are planning a structure similar to real estate investment trusts," he said.

At the same meeting GYODER President Bekir Cumurcu said interest rates had gone up and that construction costs were still rising. As a result, he explained, expectations in the sector had been distorted and potential buyers had postponed their purchasing decisions. He said under these circumstances large urban transformation and renovation projects, especially in major cities, are important fields that strong local and foreign investors should cooperate on. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

OECD cuts growth forecasts in US and euro zone The combination of financial market turmoil, sharply higher oil and commodity prices and cooling housing markets is battering global growth and boosting inflation, making it harder for policy makers to gauge the right response, a Paris-based think tank said Wednesday.

In its twice-yearly outlook, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development cut its forecast for economic growth in the US and the 15-nation euro region for this year and next and warned of a combination of weak growth and high inflation across developed economies. "OECD economies have been hit by strong gales over the recent past and it will take time and welljudged policies to get back on course," Jorgen Elmeskov, acting head of the OECD's economic department, said.

"We underline that monetary authorities throughout the OECD area need to be cautious," he said in a Paris press conference. Economic growth in the 30 developed economies in the OECD will slow to 1.8 percent this year and 1.7 percent next year. That compares with a December forecast of 2.3 percent in 2008 and 2.4 percent in 2009. The global outlook is being dragged down by the US economy, which will expand just 1.2 percent this year and 1.1 percent in 2009, the OECD predicts. That reverses its previous forecast that the world's largest economy would recover to 2.2 percent in 2009 after 2 percent in 2008. It said that the "odds have improved" that the financial crisis has passed its peak, but the effects on growth are likely to linger.

Policy makers may have to get used to the sharply higher commodity prices, driven by demand from the fastgrowing economies of China and India, and should resist calls for tax cuts to counter rising food and energy prices, it said. "Globalization is no longer exerting the same influence," said Elmeskov. "It used to be the case that the penetration of cheap manufactured products from non-

OECD areas was a rather potent disinflationary force, but that has recently become strongly counterbalanced by the impact of emerging market demand on commodity prices."

More generally, the OECD said signs that inflation expectations are drifting higher should call for caution.

The agency said impact of the oil price shock combined with the financial turmoil is "difficult to estimate," compounding "the risk of policy errors."

Central banks could err "in both directions," the OECD said, recommending the major banks leave interest rates unchanged this year. Policy makers should be wary of repeating the stagflation experience of the 1970s and 1980s, when loosening interest rates fueled inflation. At the same time, overly tight monetary conditions could hurt the economy when it needs support. In the US, the current "stance should be maintained until the recovery takes hold," the OECD said.

The European Central Bank should "maintain interest rates at their current level" of 4 percent for the 15-nation euro region, the OECD said. The ECB has not moved rates since last June. Economic growth in the euro area will drop to 1.4 percent in 2009 after 1.7 percent this year, the OECD said. In December, the OECD forecast a pace of growth of 1.9 percent this year and 2 percent in 2009.

In Japan, weakening growth and deflation risks "argue for keeping monetary policy on hold." The OECD raised its expectation for Japanese growth to 1.7 percent this year, from 1.6 percent and reduced its forecast for 2009 to 1.5 percent from 1.8 percent. In Britain and Canada "large policy rate cuts are warranted" as the economies are "likely to experience sharper falls in output" than other OECD countries. The OECD also produced reports on nonmembers China and India. It said the Chinese economy will slow to 10 percent this year and 9.5 percent in 2009 as exports decline. Paris AP

EPDK fails to collect large portion of fines ERCAN YAVUZ ANKARA

PHOTO

TARIK ÖZTÜRK

CB acknowledges 4 percent target ‘unattainable’ in short term Turkey's 4 percent year-end inflation target has officially been declared unreachable in an open letter sent Tuesday

by Central Bank of Turkey Governor Durmuþ Yýlmaz to Economy Minister Mehmet Þimþek, The letter noted that the target must be revised to 7.5 percent for 2009 and 6.5 percent for 2010, suggesting a 5.5 percent target for 2011. It stated that the target for this year would take longer than anticipated to achieve and that the longstanding 4 percent figure "no longer seems to serve as a nominal anchor," adding that the new inflation projections will be used in the budget preparations of 2009 through 2011.

Durmuþ indicated in the letter that recent studies increasingly support the stance that rising food and energy prices "reflect the structural changes in the global economy rather than temporary cyclical factors. Projections made by international institutions also suggest that food and energy prices may continue on an unfavorable course." In light of these considerations, the central bank will continue to implement a tight monetary policy, at least during the coming three years, the letter noted.

In the April 2008 inflation report letter, the central bank again mentioned that the 4 percent target could take longer than envisioned to achieve, adding that Turkey's economy is strongly connected to the global economy. In the 2005 letter to the economy minister, the central bank had also predicted revisions. "Since inflation has been observed above the medium-term target for a considerable period, the meeting agenda also covered the issue of target revision," the letter stated. It went on to say that changing the target for the end of 2008 would not be appropriate, since doing so would be a clear violation of the accountability principle, as indicated by the Monetary Policy Committee (PPK), which made the decision on the latest interest rate hike last month.

Regarding targets for 2009 and thereafter, the letter also cited the PPK's assessments on revisiting the interest rate issue toward the end of this year simultaneously with the budget preparations, given the uncertainty surrounding food and energy prices as well as the global economy.

The letter noted that the central bank is an advocate of the idea that medium-term inflation is determined to a large extent by food and energy prices and that the global economy is one of the major factors behind inflation increases. The letter stated that the central bank has adopted the stance that a more gradual movement toward 4 percent inflation is more in keeping with Turkey's economic pace and developments in the global economy.

‘Mortgage sector may hit $200 billion’

The Energy Market Regulatory Agency (EPDK) was only able to collect YTL 9.5 million of YTL 1.97 billion of fines imposed on 3,128 real and legal entities in 2007, with the majority of these penalties imposed on gas stations.

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Hilmi Güler yesterday responded to a written query from deputy Turan Çirkin. He acknowledged that the EPDK had largely failed to collect the fines from gas stations and other entities and was now filing lawsuits to recover the money. Of the total 3,128 fines, 2,480 were given to gas stations. The stations were mainly fined for lacking the required documentation or the absence of a sales license. In addition, 156 oil distributors were fined for delivering oil that did not meet technical criteria, the minister noted.

Furthermore, certain oil giants were among the firms penalized by the EPDK. The Petrol Ofisi had been fined YTL 498 million, and the same company's subsidiary, ERK Petrol, was fined YTL 100 million. OPET had been fined YTL 160 million last year, while Turkuaz had been fined YTL 213 million. Total Turkey saw penalties of YTL 62 million, while Shell and BP's Turkey-based companies were fined YTL 46 million and YTL 65 million, respectively.

Meanwhile, the EPDK closed 2,100 gas stations across Turkey for selling unlicensed oil in 2007.

Güler noted that of those receiving fines, 45 stations had made shipments without recording them, while 63 stations had acquired gas from sources other than their main distributor. Another 20 stations had been fined for filling up cars directly from tankers or other sources outside of the station, and 55 stations had been involved in gas market operations outside of their licensing limits.

Furthermore, 74 stations had sold fuel in rural areas without a license, while 13 stations had violated lube oil regulations and 40 stations had sold unregistered oil.

Doðan says no plans to sell POAÞ

Durmuþ Yýlmaz Meanwhile, the central bank yesterday released its outlook statement, including its evaluations of May inflation figures, which had climbed to two-digit levels. It said the rise was largely attributable to soaring food and energy prices, adding that the trend of upward inflation will continue through the summer and indicating that Turkey should be prepared for higher inflation rates in the middle term.

In the last quarter of the year, however, the bank estimated that inflation will once more begin a downward trend. As of May, the outlook statement noted, 7 percentage points of the annual infla-

tion rate stemmed from high food prices.

Assessing the revision decision of the central bank, representatives of the banking industry noted that the bank will pursue a more conservative monetary policy. In a written statement yesterday, Oyakbank said the new targets will have "a more efficient reference role" in shaping the expectations. The statement noted that Oyakbank expects the central bank to increase the key interest rates by 50 basis points at the next PPK meeting, which will be held on June 16. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

Turkey's Dogan Holding said on Tuesday it has no plan to sell its stake in Petrol Ofisi (POAÞ) after analysts cited a rumour that it was unloading its shares in the fuel retailer.

Petrol Ofisi shares rose more than 10 percent earlier in the day on the rumours, but later paired the gains to close 5.26 percent higher at 6.0 lira. Shares in Dogan Holding, which has said it is interested in bidding in upcoming privatisations, closed 6.76 percent higher at YTL 1.58. "It is not on the agenda to sell shares in Petrol Ofisi to OMV or any other company," Dogan Holding said in a statement. A Petrol Ofisi official, who declined to be named, told Reuters earlier the company had no information. Dogan, a media-to-energy conglomerate, sold a 34 percent stake in Petrol Ofisi to Austria's OMV in 2006 for $1.1 billion and the two companies run the retailer together. An OMV spokesman said on Tuesday there were no sale talks. "We are not in talks to buy or sell a stake in Petrol Ofisi," OMV spokesman Thomas Huemer. Ýstanbul Reuters

T08-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

19:18

Page 1

08 TODAY’S ZAMAN

T H U R S D AY, J U N E 5 , 2 0 0 8

AA

Gül visiting Japan to reap fruits of historic friendship of Turkey" in Japan, important promotional events and said 2010 will be designated the "Year of Japan" in Turkey, an effort to boost cultural exchange.

Gül's visit includes a host of meetings with Japanese officials and businessmen with whom the president will be making a sales pitch for more direct investment in Turkey, which currently stands at almost $7 billion from Japan. Foreign Trade Minister Kürþad Tüzmen and Economy Minister Mehmet Simþek are also accompanying him. Gül will meet with the CEOs of major Japanese corporations and talk with leaders of trade and commerce organizations.

The president is going to have meetings with major business organization Nippon Keidanren (Japanese Business Federation), the governmentsupported Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). Large industrial firms and investors such as Toyota, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, Itochu, Mitsui, Isuzu and Sojitsu Chubu will also participate in the meetings. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

PHOTO

contýnued from page 1 Gül added that investment and trade relations between the two countries at present are negligible.

Speaking about the visit, the president said it was of crucial importance for economic relations to be invigorated. "This is not impossible," he said, adding that Turkey's harmonization process with the EU was on track, a development which shows that the free market mechanism is working in Turkey. He said such conditions reduce risks involved in investment to minimum levels and that Turkey also has the dynamism of an emerging economy. "We have to explain these benefits because the Japanese are very careful and enter into a business only after carefully assessing the situation," he said. "But when they decide, they set their minds to it."

Apart from investment, tourism between Turkey and Japan is not at desired levels. Some 17 million Japanese spend their vacations abroad every year, but only around 170,000 choose Turkey as their destination. Gül called activities held in 2003, the "Year

A GLANCE

Hummer on rocky road as GM drives for efficiency General Motors may sell off its gas-guzzling Hummer people carrier after the car manufacturer acknowledged that higher fuel prices are likely to be permanent.

Rick Wagoner, the chief executive, told shareholders of General Motors on Tuesday that it would cut total production by 500,000 cars because rising oil prices had triggered a structural shift that has drawn Americans away from buying large vehicles. Wagoner said: "These [fuel] prices are changing consumer behavior and changing it rapidly. We don't believe it's a spike or a temporary shift. We believe it is, by and large, permanent."

He also said that he was closing four plants in Wisconsin, Ohio, Ontario and Mexico in the next two years as the Michigan-based company moves towards developing smaller and more fuel-efficient

Yearly Change (%)

YTD Change (%)

MCAP (million YTL)

1-Y Av.Volum

İMKB-100

39.929

-1,3%

-8,1%

-13,4%

-28,1%

203.303

1.295

İMKB-30

48.503

-1,5%

-10,3%

-15,3%

-31,2%

144.735

992

Nikkei 225

İMKB-IND

35.337

-0,7%

-4,3%

-5,5%

-12,9%

71.818

356

Cac 40

İMKB-BANK

73.243

-1,9%

-13,6%

-20,4%

-39,0%

75.723

698

DAX

DJIMT

10,85

-0,9%

-4,0%

-0,5%

-8,4%

109

0,55

FTSE 100

Daily Monthly Change (%) Change (%)

USA June 4 ent app. in of Unemploym t report/unemp rate Employmen A USA US in dit cre y Consumer duction of German pro A Industrial Trade of US Wholesale

EU€/JP¥

48.825 1,252

-2,30% 1,05%

move to manufacture smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles would be a permanent measure. The company is planning to introduce a plug-in electric car to showrooms within two years. The Volt car runs on an electric motor and has a small engine to recharge its batteries.

The American car industry has been forced to cope with sliding demand and surging costs over the past few years.

Manufacturers such as General Motors and Ford have been trying to reduce their operating costs so that they can compete with their more successful Asian rivals such as the Japanese carmaker Toyota.

Wagoner said that the GM board had approved production of a new small Chevrolet car at a plant in Lordstown, Ohio, in mid-2010 and the Chevy Volt electric vehicle in Detroit. © The Times, London

cars. About 10,000 workers will be affected by the closures. As part of its efficiency drive, General Motors has begun a strategic review of the future of its Hummer sports utility vehicle that could include either a partial or complete sale of the brand.

The Hummer is an iconic American vehicle, marketed as an off-road four-wheel drive car that can withstand severe weather conditions. General Motors has boasted that it can wade or "ford" through 24 inches of water at 5 miles per hour and cope with rocky and uneven surfaces.

The overall production cuts announced

by Wagoner will result in General Motors trimming the number of cars it makes from 4.2 million to 3.7 million a year, and reduce costs by about $1 billion. The company is trying to strip out $5 billion worth of costs in the next three years. Wagoner said the

Country

Change (%)

Level

H.Kong

-1,04

24.123,3

Hang Seng

TurkDEX US$/JP¥

Japan

1,59

14.435,6

France

-1,50

4.908,9

Germany

-1,09

6.942,9

UK

-1,63

5.958,7

USA

0,28

12.439,0

NASDAQ

USA

0,86

2.014,0

S&P

USA

0,28

1.381,5

Brasil

-1,43

69.010,3

BOVESPA

70.20 57.33

51.1

7.09

9.52

Native

Foreign

Number of Shares

Native

M.cap

Daily Close Change (%)

Number of Shares

Monthly Change (%)

Yearly Change (%)

Ticker

Price

Daily Change (%)

Ticker

US$/JP¥

123,87

4,03%

CCOLA

12,70

-4,51%

ISCTR

124,3

5,0

-28,88

YTL / €

1,907

0,0%

-1,9%

8,7%

EU/JP¥

882,70

3,65%

DYOBY

0,49

-3,92%

GARAN

113,5

5,6

-47,14

YTL / $

1,234

0,0%

-2,7%

-6,2%

EU/US$

3,56

ECILC

4,06

3,57%

CIMSA

4,82

-3,60%

AKBNK

57,6

5,6

-33,50

AGYO

1,61

3,21%

TOASO

4,38

-3,52%

DOHOL

49,3

1,6

-27,03

YKSGR

16,30

3,16%

IHEVA

2,98

-3,25%

VAKBN

48,9

2,1

-48,08

ÝMKB 100

ÝMKB 30

ÝMKB IND

P.CHEM.

TUPRS

PTOFS

PETKM

AYGAZ

--

--

11.642,3

6.184,3

2.369,8

1.170,1

863,7

12,6x

12,5x

11,8x

7,9x

9,2x

12,6x

24,7x

3,0x

8,8x

11,2x

11,0x

5,6x

6,8x

9,2x

12,9x

1,5x

EV/EBITDA 2006/12

8,3x 8,1x

8,4x 8,3x

8,7x 7,7x

6,0x 6,6x

6,9x 7,2x

8,7x 5,3x

12,9x 6,5x

1,5x 5,2x

EV/EBITDA 2007/03t

7,6x

7,5x

6,9x

6,0x

6,1x

5,1x

4,9x

5,6x

EV/EBITDA 2007/06t

8,3x

7,0x

6,9x

6,2x

6,3x

5,1x

5,2x

6,1x

Mcap YTL

--

P/E 2006/12 P/E 2007/06t P/E 2007/09t

CM Y K

Price ($) Light C. Oil Gold Copper

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has completed its first in-country modification of a 737-700 into an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) platform for Turkey's Peace Eagle program, the leading American aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, announced yesterday. In a written statement yesterday, Boeing noted that the accomplishment followed two years of extensive work at TAI's Ankara facilities. The modifications included the installation of a reinforced section on the upper fuselage that supports a Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) antenna, the statement underlined. TAI also installed several other antennas, consoles, cabinets, wire bundles, ventral fins, power distributions systems, heat exchange panels and cooling ducts to modernize the aircrafts. The Peace Eagle program includes four 737 AEW&C aircrafts together with ground support segments for mission crew training, mission support and system maintenance.

Boeing modified the first aircraft at its facilities in Seattle and TAI is undertaking the modification of the remaining three aircrafts in Turkey. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

M.cap

7,75

Price (YTL) Yearly Change (%)

TAI completes first AEW&C modification

300-gram bread loaves up to YKr 85 in Ýstanbul

Foreign

2,27

Volumes

DEFENSE

29.80

21,7

DGZTE

Price (YTL) Daily Change (%)

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has entered a restructuring process aimed at decreasing loan costs in order to increase its competitiveness other international loan-providing organizations, Treasury Undersecretary Ýbrahim Çanakcý. Speaking to the Anatolia news agency yesterday in Jeddah, where he was attending at the IDB's 33rd Board of Governors meeting, Çanakcý said that like other financial institutions, the IDB was going through hard times due to global financial turmoil stemming from a fierce liquidity squeeze. The bank began a study last year to prepare a roadmap to thwart the hurdles of the current turbulence and as a result, the bank has decided to reform itself into a simpler and more specialized institution, he said. The undersecretary added that the bank had obtained the top credibility grade of 3A from almost all international credit-rating agencies, "which means IDB has the chance of borrowing from international financial markets for the most suitable conditions." He noted that Turkish companies have so far taken a total amount of $3.8 billion in loans from the IDB, mostly to finance commercial activities. Meanwhile, the IDB Board of Governors decided to increase the paid-in capital of the bank to $19.2 billion, IDB President Ahmed Mohamed Ali said, while summarizing the decisions made during yesterday's meetings. He noted that the bank had established a $1.5 billion fund to combat the global food crisis and will use it in projects that will be carried out in 26 member countries. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

RAISE

42.67

CLEBI

Ticker

The top managers of 18 multinational companies, steering combined wealth of over $750 billion, are coming together in Ýstanbul on June 18 to participate in a meeting of the Investment Consulting Council. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan will preside over the meeting. The First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) John Lipsky and the World Bank Vice President and Treasurer Graeme Wheeler are also expected to attend. In a written statement yesterday, the Treasury Undersecretary said the council had gathered four times since it was spearheaded by the Turkish government in 2004. "The meeting aims to bring about an international perspective to studies to improve the investment environment in Turkey," the statement read. It underlined that the decisions crystallized in these meetings have helped Turkey in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in recent years. The companies scheduled to send representatives to Ýstanbul for the meeting are Alshaya, American International Group (AIG), Cisco Systems, Citi, Danone Group, Eldorado Gold Corporation, Fiat SpA, Finmeccanica SpA, Hyundai Motor Company, Indesit Company SpA, ISCAR Ltd., ITOCHU Corporation, MANGO. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

IDB loan conditions more competitive now

Dow

AT CALENDAR

Money masters to convene in Ýstanbul

FINANCE

PHOTO

Outraged by new details about Yahoo Inc.'s efforts to complicate Microsoft Corp.'s takeover bid, activist investor Carl Icahn says he believes Yahoo's board will have to be fired to lure Microsoft back to the bargaining table. Icahn asserted in a Tuesday interview with The Wall Street Journal that Microsoft is unlikely to renew its courtship as long as Yahoo Chief Executive Jerry Yang and the company's eight other directors remain on the job. "I'm very cynical about many of the boards and CEOs in this country, but even I am amazed at the lengths that Jerry Yang and the board went to entrench themselves in this situation," Icahn told the Journal.

Icahn filed plans nearly three weeks ago to lead a shareholder revolt against Yahoo's board, which includes Yang, who co-founded the Internet pioneer 14 years ago. Yahoo on Tuesday set the date for its showdown with Icahn by scheduling its annual shareholders meeting for Aug. 1 in San Jose.

The company has already delayed the meeting twice since the Microsoft saga began. Until Tuesday, Icahn had been holding out hope that Yahoo's board would avert a shareholder mutiny by renewing talks to sell the Sunnyvale-based company to Microsoft. The software maker withdrew an oral offer of $47.5 billion, or $33 per share, a month ago after Yang sought $37 per share, or about $52 billion. But Icahn told the Journal he has concluded that Yang and Yahoo's board have antagonized Microsoft too much to get a deal done. He made his remarks after reviewing internal Yahoo records that were unsealed by a Delaware court judge Monday.

Icahn, who has spent more than $1 billion so far to acquire a 4.3 percent in Yahoo, indicated he would give further details on his campaign to overthrow the board in the next day or so. The Associated Press has left repeated messages with Icahn in recent weeks. In a statement, Yahoo said its board has been "crystal clear" about its willingness to explore any Microsoft proposal that "was in the best interests of its shareholders. To that end, Yahoo has engaged in extensive discussions with Microsoft over the last several months, culminating in Microsoft's decision not to pursue an acquisition of Yahoo. Mr. Icahn's assertions ignore this clear factual record." A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment Tuesday. Since the takeover talks unraveled, Microsoft and Yahoo have acknowledged discussing an online search deal that wouldn't meld the two companies together completely.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft still hasn't ruled out reviving an attempt to buy Yahoo in its entirety.

The mudslinging between Icahn and Yahoo will likely get messier before the matter comes to a shareholder vote. In Tuesday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Yahoo estimated it will spend about $12 million fighting the battle. Icahn's latest attack on Yahoo's board came after court documents illuminated Yang's efforts to increase the costs of a potential Microsoft acquisition. San Francisco AP

Close

MEETING

AP

Icahn believes Yahoo board must be ousted

BUSINESS

126,34 878,00 3,58

Way

Change (%) 126,34 878,00 3,58

High 126,34 878,00 3,58

Low 126,34 878,00 3,58

P/E: Share price divided by earnings per share is a measure of the price paid for a share relative to the income or profit earned by the firm per share.

EV/EBITDA: Enterprise value divided by earnings before interest, tax and amortization; “t” stands for trailer and means the data over the last four quarters. (*) Yesterday's closing (**) Updated at 6 p.m. by GMT+2 Disclaimer: The information in this report has been prepared by BMD, Bizim Securities from sources believed to be reliable. All the information, interpretations and recommendations covered herein relating to investment actions are not within the scope of investment consultancy. Therefore investment decisions based only on the information covered herein may not bring expected results.

The Ýstanbul Chamber of Bakers (ÝSTFO) increased bread prices in the city from YKr 80 to YKr 85 on Tuesday, the same day a new regulation increasing the minimum weight of a loaf of bread from 150 grams to 300 grams goes into effect. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs had ordered in March that a loaf of bread may not be less than 300 grams and that any bigger loaf must be prepared by multiples of 50 grams. ÝSTFO Chairman Fahri Özer announced the new bread prices at a press conference in Ýstanbul yesterday. A loaf of 350 grams will cost YTL 1. A kilogram of bread will cost YTL 2.85. Özer blamed the municipalities for the recent rise in bread prices since they are producing more than a million of bread at lower prices to help those with lower incomes. He said because of the municipalities' social investments in bread production, the city's ovens are only operating at around 30 percent of their capacities. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

19:10

Page 1

TRAVEL

TODAY’S ZAMAN 09

THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2008

The Mecca Mosque

The 16th Century Charminar Mosque, Hyderabad

CÝHAN

04.06.2008

The Taj Mahal

PHOTO

T09-05-06-08.qxd

India has long held a special place in the hearts of Anatolia's people. For this reason, we've decided to visit this country, and in particular, Kolkata's "Caliphate Committee," an organization of particular importance to Turks during the Turkish War of Independence.

The Caliphate Committee was originally established with the intent of helping the Ottomans and the people of Anatolia. Photographs taken in 1920 and 1922 hang on the walls of the Caliphate Committee's office. During those years, members of this committee got together to send financial and spiritual assistance to the Ottomans during the Turkish War of Independence. The goal of this committee was to display the prominence and importance of their ties to the caliphate as well as to help inform and support the extensive Muslim population in India. Women and young girls were also involved to join the campaigns run by the Caliphate Committee, gladly handing over their golden bracelets, earrings and other valuables in support. For Indian Muslims, the existence of the Ottoman state was a matter of pride and honor.

During our visit to this Kolkata center, the members of the Caliphate Committee were convened for a meeting. We asked committee head Javit Ahmet Han why Muslim Indians supported the people of Anatolia during the Turkish War of Independence. He said: "We were answering the efforts of the Ottoman caliphate to remain independent with what assistance we could provide. It was a campaign aimed at supporting all of the Turkish people at the time. There were very strong ties between our people and we were all fighting the same enemy during that period; we were all at war against British hegemony. So we had overlapping interests and, in the name of this struggle, we wished to combine our strength and put together a fortified resistance. During that period, in our nation of India, there was an administration run by the British colonizers and it was around this time that steps and moves against this administration began to rise up in our country, eventually leading to our own struggle for independence. A great wave of emotion swept over our people, with people giving whatever

EROL POLAT

Love for the Ottomans and Turkey lives on in Kolkata, India new face. Compared to many other large Indian cities, Hyderabad is more orderly, cleaner and better planned.

With a population of around 8 million, nearly half of Hyderabad is estimated to be Muslim. The last Muslim leader of Hyderabad, Nizam Osman Ali Khan, visited Ýstanbul during the reign of Abdülhamit II. Osman Ali Khan, who was highly influenced by what he saw in Ýstanbul, decided to name his palaces in Hyderabad "Çýraðan" and "Çamlýca" upon his return. For around 400 years, the "Nizam" administration of India ran large parts of the southern regions of this nation. In order to foster even better relations with the Ottomans, Osman Ali Khan had his son, Moazzam Jah, marry Nilüfer Haným, the daughter of Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecit II. The Nizam leaders spoke Farsi.

We meet with one of the leaders of Hyderabad's Support of the Caliphate Muslims, Muhammed Ikbal Khan.

"During that period, in fact even after He spoke about his memories of the its collapse, the Ottoman Empire repast and the Caliphate Committee's acmained very popular in Muslim countivities at the time: "At that time, I was tries in particular. For example, I still 13 or 14 years old. During the reign of wear an Ottoman fez. Simply in order the Ottoman Empire, we used to hear a to display the influence of the lot about the Turks from our elders. We Ottomans, the fez was worn as a sign gathered together money; but of course, of the Ottomans in Egypt, Morocco, since we were just children, we didn't Syria, Hyderabad and throughout varireally understand where exactly our ous regions of India and in other money was going. Nonetheless, we Muslim countries. We now have hopes worked as much as we could and did for Turkey to be both an Asian country everything we could to support Turkey. with great honor as well as a devel"Our people believed then in the Muhammed Faruk, oped European country, God willing." strength of the Turkish people. India, as member of the Caliphate The Mecca Mosque in it was, saw the Turks as one of the Committee Hyderabad is the city's largest and greatest sources of support for its own most famous mosque. It stands very people. Turks were heroes for our people. We respected them very much. During that period, we close to Charminar. As noon approaches on Friday, knew the Turks well. Of course, as I said, I was a child then great crowds head to this mosque for prayer. The and didn't understand very much. Whenever any news came mosque has a wide and open-air courtyard in which from the Turks or whenever a caravan would come carrying up to 10,000 people can pray together at a time. The information, we would work as much as possible mosque is named after Mecca because stones that decand gather together money for them. We met in orate its walls were brought over from Mecca.

Next we took a one-and-a-half-hour flight to western mosques and all prayed that they remain strong."

Continuing to follow traces of the India's city of Mumbai. We found ourselves thinking fondly of Ottomans in India, we headed for Hyderabad the Muslims we met in Kolkata and Hyderabad and about how next. After two flights, we arrive in much love and respect they had for the people of Anatolia -Hyderabad from Kolkata. This city's symbol and can't help but wonder when exactly Turkey will return the is the famous 16th century Charminar favor it owes Ikbal Khan's nation. I wonder, have we forgotmosque. Hyderabad is the capital of ten India, which, apart from Indonesia, has the world's largest India's Andhra Pradesh state and Muslim population? What if these 150 million or so Muslims is often referred to as India's are waiting for a voice, for some assistance from Turkey?

PHOTOS

SAÝM ORHAN

One of the many beautiful structures in Hyderabad.

CM Y K

MAP

they had -- food, clothing and money -- to help Turks and contribute to their War of Independence. As it was, we already had the strong ties of religion between our peoples. Because of this, we already felt our siblinghood and we already had warm feelings for each other's nationalities. When we were told that our siblings in Turkey needed our help, we immediately did everything we could to start up a campaign of assistance."

Another member of the Caliphate Committee, 84-yearold Hajji Muhammed Faruk, adores the Ottomans and wishes they were back in power. He is just one of thousands of Indian Muslims who love Turkey and who want to see Turkey as a leader in the world. Along with his five sons and two daughters, Faruk loves Turkey and everything about it.

Travel tips Visa: India requires visas from Turkish citizens. You can obtain your visa from either the Indian Consulate in Ýstanbul or the Indian Embassy in Ankara for $40. Visas are also required for Americans, British, Canadians and citizens of many other nations.

How to go: Turkish Airlines has regularly scheduled flights leaving Turkey for two major cities in India: New Delhi and Mumbai. The Ýstanbul-New Delhi flights are on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. and cost 519 euros, taxes not included. The Ýstanbul-Mumbai flights leave on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 6:50 p.m. and cost 519 euros, taxes not included.

Where to stay: You really shouldn't difficulties finding the right hotel for your budget in India. Rooms range from $20 a night to $300-400 a night.

Cuisine: Indians love hot and spicy food so if you're not a fan of spices, you may have a difficult time here. Of course, you can always find international cuisine options at large five-star hotels.

What to pay attention to: Make sure the food and water you consume and drink are clean. Choose your restaurants carefully and look for higher hygiene standards; if you don't, you might find yourself falling terribly ill. Also, you need to protect yourself from mosquitoes since malaria is a big problem in India.

When to go: Since India has such a large land mass, its climate changes quickly. There are three seasons: hot, rainy and cooler weather. Note that the humidity is often very high, making it difficult for people not used to it. In general, though, the best months to visit most everywhere in India are between November and February.

T10-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

19:01

Page 1

10 TODAY’S ZAMAN

T H U R S D AY, JUNE 5 , 2 0 0 8

Clinton asks: ‘What does Hillary want?’

Barack Obama looks to unýfy Democrats after hýstorýc výctory

NEWS ANALYSIS

By Anne E. Kornblut TODAY’S ZAMAN

No meeting scheduled They talked early on Wednesday, and Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama told her he would like to “sit down when it makes sense for you.” But no meeting was scheduled.

Both Obama and Clinton will address a pro-Israeli lobbying group on Wednesday morning in Washington as Obama begins to focus on the November election. McCain wrapped up the Republican nomination in March. “This has been a long campaign and I will make no decisions tonight,” Clinton said.

“In the coming days I’ll be consulting with supporters and party leaders to determine how to move forward with the best interests

of our party and my country guiding my way.”

Obama lavished praise on Clinton after beating her. “Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign not just because she’s a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she’s a leader who inspires millions of Americans,” he said. “Our party and our country are better off because of her, and I am a better candidate for having had the honor to compete with Hillary Rodham Clinton,” he said.

McCain kicked off his race against Obama with a rally in Louisiana where he sought to distance himself from Bush and questioned Obama’s judgment. He called Obama a “formidable” opponent but one who had not shown a willingness to put aside partisan interests. “He is an impressive man, who makes a great first impression,” McCain, 71, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, said of Obama. “But he hasn’t been willing to make the tough calls, to challenge his party, to risk criticism from his supporters to bring real change to Washington. I have.”

Obama questioned the extent of McCain’s independence and tried to link him to Bush.

“While John McCain can legitimately tout moments of independence from his party in the past, such independence has not been the hallmark of his presidential campaign,” he said. “There are many words to describe John McCain’s attempt to pass off his embrace of George Bush’s policies as bipartisan and new.

But change is not one of them.”

Obama, 46, is serving his first term in the US Senate from Illinois and would be the fifth-youngest president in history. He was an Illinois state senator when he burst on the national scene with a well received keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic convention.

His grueling battle with Clinton split the party, with blacks, young people and more educated and higher-income voters backing Obama, while Hispanics, older voters and white working-class voters backed Clinton.

“I think it’s way overdue and I think it’s about time,” Devin Williams, a 21-year-old African American hotel clerk in Houston, told Reuters.

“This is a great step, we had African Americans before who didn’t have much of a chance to win but now we have someone who can win.” Washington Reuters

PHOTO

contýnued from page 1

REUTERS

The win by Obama, son of a black Kenyan father and a white mother from Kansas, marks a milestone in US history. It comes 45 years after the height of the civil rights movement and follows one of the closest and longest nomination fights in recent US political history Clinton told New York members of Congress she would be open to becoming Obama’s vice presidential running mate, and her backers turned up the pressure on Obama to pick her as his No. 2. The win by Obama, son of a black Kenyan father and a white mother from Kansas, marked a milestone in US history. It came 45 years after the height of the civil rights movement.

It followed one of the closest and longest nomination fights in recent US political history. Clinton, who would have been the first woman nominee in US political history, won more than 1,900 delegates.

Obama clinched the win after a wave of more than 70 uncommitted delegates announced their support on Tuesday, pushing his total to 2,156, according to MSNBC count.

Five months of state-by-state delegate selection concluded on Tuesday with Obama winning Montana and Clinton capturing South Dakota. More party leaders and uncommitted officials are expected to back Obama on Wednesday as the party tries to rally around the nominee for what promises to be a tough election campaign with McCain.

“I am committed to uniting our party so we can move forward stronger and more ready than ever to take back the White House in November,” Clinton told a cheering crowd of supporters in New York City. But she made no public overtures to Obama.

The two are expected to meet soon to discuss the looming election campaign and Clinton’s role.

US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama walks onstage with his wife, Michelle, at his South Dakota and Montana presidential primary election night rally at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota on Tuesday.

Democrats in Turkey happy with Obama's win at primaries ABDULLAH BOZKURT ÝSTANBUL

With Senator Barack Obama securing his party's nomination over Senator Hillary Clinton following a long uphill battle, Democrats living in Turkey are cheerful that the primaries are finally over.

They are now focusing on winning back the White House from the Republican administration.

Democrats Abroad Turkey Chairman Brooks Emerson said: "The news was well-received. After all, Obama took more than 60 percent in our global presidential primary this February." Speaking to Today's Zaman, Emerson noted: "On the heels of our highly successful, and historic, global primary, we

now turn to the general election. United together, we as democrats will work to get out the vote."

Asked about how he feels about the prospect of Democrats winning the White House, Emerson says: "As Americans living in Turkey, we are all too keenly aware of the US's image overseas and the damage that has been done by this Republican administration. We simply cannot afford a third Bush term." He also criticizes Senator John McCain, the Republican candidate, noting, "He has promised us nothing but a third Bush term on the economy, a health care system that leaves many families behind and a long-term American troop presence in Iraq." Emerson is quite hopeful that

Democrats will take back the White House.

At the time this news report went to print, Senator Clinton did not officially concede her candidacy.

Emerson cautions: "I feel it's my duty to say that today we continue to have two Democratic candidates for president. Senator Clinton has as of yet not conceded." He emphasizes, however, that Senator Obama has obtained the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination as the Democratic candidate for president of the United States.

Democrats in Turkey are now redirecting their efforts into the voting campaign. "Our main goal is to find every American citizen living here in Turkey and encourage them to vote this

November," Emerson says, adding, "Our sole purpose from now until the election is to Get Out The Vote (GOTV)!" Democrats have opened up a chapter of Democrats Abroad Turkey in Ankara and hope to have one in Ýzmir as well. Democrats are trying to get out the word to Americans living in Turkey that Democrats Abroad Turkey is here to serve them and that www.votefromabroad.org was created to make requesting their absentee ballot fast and easy. "As was the case with the senate in 2004, I believe this election could be decided by the absentee ballot. There are enough Americans living abroad who want the change that their ballot could bring," Emerson says.

Should Obama pick Clinton for his number two?

PHOTO

Now that he has sealed the US Democratic presidential nomination, should Barack Obama choose vanquished rival Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate? Clinton says she is open to the idea and her supporters have begun a lobbying campaign. “I’d like to see it,” said California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Clinton backer.

The Obama campaign was keeping its options open. “It’s way too early to be talking about that,” Obama senior strategist David Axelrod told reporters, while praising her as an “incredibly formidable person.” Politically, an Obama-Clinton ticket may make some sense. Clinton proved a powerful draw for white working class voters, women and Hispanics, many of whom have told pollsters they would not vote for Obama under any circumstances.

Having her on the ticket might prove a unifying force for Democrats and give Obama the edge he needs to defeat Republican John McCain in the November election. Backers of such a union see advantage in a ticket that has the potential of drawing 100 percent of Democratic support. Democratic strategist Doug Schoen, who worked in Bill Clinton’s

AP

STEVE HOLLAND

Hillary Rodham Clinton White House, said integrating Clinton into Obama’s campaign, whether as vice presidential running mate or not, must be done seamlessly or the Democrats will have trouble winning. “She’s got a substantial claim on the vice presidential nomination,” said Schoen. “That’s obviously Barack Obama’s call, but

the polling I’ve seen shows that if she’s on the ticket, she adds swing states” that could go either way.

Clinton herself, speaking to cheering supporters in New York on Tuesday, appeared to be jockeying for the job by repeatedly bringing up the 18 million people who voted for her, about the same number as

voted for Obama. “I want the nearly 18 million Americans who voted for me to be respected, to be heard and to no longer be invisible,” she said. She said she would consult party leaders in coming days about her path forward, and that her main goal was to make sure Democrats got the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House. A Clinton choice could carry significant risks.

She is consistently viewed negatively by more than 40 percent of Americans, and many independent voters might be scared off by the idea of bringing her and her husband back to the White House.

A sign of the type of scrutiny the Clintons could come under emerged in a Vanity Fair magazine article this month that drew attention to some of the business deals he has used to amass a $109 million fortune less than eight years after leaving office. “Obama would benefit from her enthusiastic involvement in his campaign,” said Merle Black, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta. “I don’t think that would require her to be the vice presidential candidate, because that opens up a huge set of issues that would certainly affect his administration in ways that I think would be undesirable,” he said. Then there is the chemistry question. Washington Reuters

WORLD

For 16 months and 14 days, she had been a presidential candidate. For six years before that, a senator and candidate-in-waiting. So now, as her campaign ended in defeat Tuesday night and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., appeared before her supporters, what would she do next?

But, characteristically measured and noticeably upbeat, Clinton did not explain her next move when she addressed her supporters in the dingy basement gym at Baruch College.

If her speech seemed a valedictory, she did not say she was ending her campaign. If she lavishly praised Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., -who “inspired so many Americans to care about politics and empowered so many more to get involved” -- she did not endorse him.

“Now the question is, where do we go from here? And where we need to go as a party?” Clinton said. “It’s a question I don’t take lightly. This has been a long campaign, and I will be making no decisions tonight.”

A woman of goals, Clinton was selecting her next target, considering her options -- and striving, still. Her audience, a small but select core of donors and New York supporters, urged her to go to all the way to the convention -- shouting “Denver! Denver!” -- and their ambition for her was reflected onstage.

She gave a strong, strikingly selfless speech, recalling the working-class voters -nurses, farmers, teachers, miners -- she met on the road during the campaign, and promising to work for them in terms that rang even more true in the absence of a campaign ahead.

“You know, I understand that a lot of people are asking, `What does Hillary want?’ “ she said halfway through her speech here. Emphasizing each word, as if to make light of the question, Clinton repeated, “What does she want?”

“Well, I want what I have always fought for in this whole campaign. I want to end the war in Iraq,” she said. “I want health care for every American. I want every child to live up to his or her God-given potential ... and I want the nearly 18 million Americans who voted for me to be respected, to be heard.”

She continued: “I have an old-fashioned notion, one that’s been the basis of my candidacy and my life’s work, that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their own dreams. This nation has given me every opportunity, and that’s what I want for every single American.”

During a long, tense ride home from South Dakota on Monday night, Clinton sat quietly with her husband at the front of her campaign plane. Her aides and reporters warily kept their distance.

But Tuesday night, it hardly seemed like an end to a losing campaign. Clinton’s aides walked the crowd sharing exit poll numbers from South Dakota -- where, after doggedly campaigning while everyone asked her about her plans to drop out, she won. When the returns for Montana came in later, she had lost there, but for now she basked in her second victory in three days, after Puerto Rico.

But victories in two out of three primaries neatly captured the paradox she faced as she prepared to depart the campaign with, by her count, more popular votes and numerous states in her win column.

“So many people said this race was over five months ago in Iowa,” she said, “but we had faith in each other. And you brought me back in New Hampshire, and on Super Tuesday and in Ohio and in Pennsylvania and Texas and Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, and South Dakota. I will carry your stories and your dreams with me every day for the rest of my life.”

As for the future, she said that “ in the coming days, I’ll be consulting with supporters and party leaders to determine how to move forward with the best interests of our party and our country guiding my way.”

Ever the good pupil, Clinton mentioned her Web site the way her advisers spent months begging her to do. “This has always been your campaign, so to the 18 million people who voted for me and to our many other supporters out there of all ages, I hope you will go to my Web site, at HillaryClinton.com,” she said, soliciting suggestions for her next move.

Her campaign staff played mood music, the loudspeakers blaring Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” again and again. The audience got the hint; even the microphone check, a few minutes before Clinton arrived, elicited applause. And when it was over, in the ladies’ room, one woman cried while another said it was the best speech she had ever heard Clinton -- nearly an ex-candidate -- give. © The Washington Post 2008

Page 1

TODAY’S ZAMAN 11

T H U R S DAY, J U N E 5 , 2 0 0 8

TERROR

Suicide blast on convoy kills 2 Afghan children A suicide car bomber rammed a car into a convoy of NATO-led forces in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing two Afghan civilians and wounding three alliance soldiers, police officers said. The attack occurred on a road in Spin Boldak's town which lies on the border with Pakistan. Smoke could be seen rising from the site of the incident and soldiers had cordoned off the area, the officers said. In a separate suicide attack in the southeastern province of Khost, another bomber drove a car into a government building, provincial governor Arsala Jamal said. He had no more details. The attacks come amid rising violence in Afghanistan since 2006 when the ousted Taliban started to regroup. The al-Qaeda-backed Taliban have vowed this year to focus more on suicide strikes as part of the insurgency against the government and foreign troops stationed in the country. More than 140 suicide attacks happened last year in Afghanistan, a copy cat of the insurgents in Iraq, and so far this year, such attacks have gone up higher compared to this time in 2007. Civilians in Afghanistan mostly have been victims of suicide attacks. Kandahar Reuters

POLLS

West wary ahead of fresh Kenya election test Foreign ambassadors urged Kenya on Wednesday to prevent more violence in forthcoming elections for five parliamentary seats that many fear could be a new flashpoint after this year's post-election crisis.

The June 11 by-elections are intended to fill seats where two legislators were shot dead and another two constituencies remained undeclared during the chaotic aftermath of the east African nation's disputed December election. The fifth seat is in the constituency of Kenya's newly-elected parliamentary speaker. Already, campaigning ahead of next week's vote has been marred by scuffles, fraud accusations and bitter rivalry between candidates for the two parties of President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Some fear there will be open fighting again among grassroots supporters of the various candidates, even though Kibaki and Odinga now form a coalition government. "We would like to take this opportunity to urge political leaders to publicly denounce all forms of violence, ethnic incitement and electoral malpractice," 12 ambassadors to Kenya said in a statement issued on Wednesday. The envoys from Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan, said their participation as observers of the byelections did not represent an endorsement of Kenya's electoral commission, which was discredited by the dispute over the Dec. 27 poll. Nairobi Reuters

RULING

Part of Japan nationality law unconstitutional Japan's Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday against a law that denied citizenship to children born out of wedlock to Japanese fathers and foreign mothers, a court official said.

Japan's top court ruled in favor of 10 Japanese-Filipino children suing for citizenship in Japan. The children were split into two separate cases, one filed in 2003 and one filed in 2005. The suits were filed by Filipino mothers who had proved the fathers of their children were Japanese, the report said. "The court rejected the previous rulings," a court spokesman said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy, referring to the Tokyo High Court's decisions in 2006 and 2007 that denied the children Japanese citizenship. He declined to give further details.

But the Wednesday decisions backed up even earlier rulings by the Tokyo District Court that the marital status of the parents had no bearing on nationality, and that denying the children citizenship violated constitutional guarantees of equality for all. Nationality in Japan is determined by bloodline rather than place of birth, though foreigners may apply to become citizens. Many ethnic Koreans, for instance, have been born in Japan but retain the Korean nationality of their parents. Tokyo AP

US ships to leave Myanmar area after aid rejected

A Myanmar family still living in a house that was destroyed by cyclone Nargis.

The US military ordered navy ships loaded with relief aid off Myanmar’s coast to leave the area on Thursday after the country’s xenophobic junta refused to give them permission to help survivors of last month’s devastating cyclone. Adm. Timothy Keating, the top US commander in the Pacific, ordered the USS Essex and accompanying vessels to depart the Myanmar area after what he said were 15 separate attempts in recent weeks to get the junta’s authorization to help with relief efforts. Myanmar’s state media has said it feared a US invasion aimed at seizing the country’s oil deposits. The ruling generals also have forbidden the use of military helicopters from friendly neighboring nations, even though the aircraft are vital for rushing supplies to isolated survivors in the Irrawaddy delta. This has forced aid agencies to scour the world for civilian military-grade helicopters, and bring them in at dramatically higher costs. The UN has estimated 2.4 million people are in need of food, shelter or med-

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, threatened by possible impeachment, is reconciled to stepping down before he is hounded out of office, according to a senior adviser to the new government. US ally Musharraf, who came to power as a general after a coup in 1999, has probably got a matter of weeks, at most a few months, before the curtain falls, political insiders say.

"He is prepared to go and go with dignity," said the source close to the leadership of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which heads the 2-month-old coalition government. "We will try to make it very dignified," the PPP source said, adding it was politically difficult to be seen helping the disliked president as such a stance risked losing popular support. Although Musharraf has been a staunch ally in the US-led war on terror and launched a peace initiative with India, his exit is unlikely to disturb either so long as Pakistan stabilizes.

The United States has good communications with Musharraf's successor as army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, and the PPP-led government is following through on the peace process. Islamabad Reuters

Suicide bomber hits Baghdad; 3 US soldiers killed in northern Iraq

Israel halts fuel to Gaza after depot attack Israel suspended fuel deliveries to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Wednesday after a mortar fired

by Palestinian militants struck the territory’s only fuel depot, wounding a Palestinian worker. “Fuel deliveries were frozen after the mortar hit,” said Gil Karie, a spokesman for the Israeli District Coordination Office, which oversees deliveries to Gaza. “They are checking the situation ... We don’t know yet if it will open again today, or at what time.”

Deliveries of European Union-funded fuel to Gaza’s sole power station were not affected by the freeze at the Nahal Oz depot because no deliveries had been scheduled for Wednesday, an EU official said.

Israel has reduced fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip since Hamas Islamists seized the coastal territory in June 2007. Israel has suspended fuel deliveries in the past after militant attacks.

Meanwhile, an Israeli human rights group said on Wednesday that Israel has allowed four of seven Palestinians who were awarded prestigious US fellowships to leave the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip to apply for visas to the United States.

“Israel allowed the four Fulbright students to travel to the US Consulate in Jerusalem for visa interviews. They will return to Gaza later in the day and remain there until their visas are finalized,” the human rights group, Gisha, said.

“Three Fulbright students have yet to receive Israeli approval to travel to the Consulate,” Gisha added. A US Consulate spokeswoman was not immediately available to comment.

The United States said on Monday that it had erred by not approaching the Israeli government earlier to help the seven students from Gaza who had been selected for the prestigious US government scholarship.

Israel tightened its cordon of the Gaza Strip after the Hamas Islamist group took over the coastal Mediterranean territory nearly a year ago. Israel gives few Palestinians, other than some who are gravely ill, permission to leave.

The US State Department last week told the seven their Fulbright grants had been withdrawn, but that decision was subsequently reversed. Gaza Reuters/AP

Palestinians wait in line to fill up canisters of cooking gas outside a gas station in Gaza City.

REPORTS

‘Musharraf might quit to avoid impeachment'

ical care as a result of the storm, which the government said killed 78,000 people and left another 56,000 missing.

More than one month after Cyclone Nargis struck, the French aid agency Doctors Without Borders said its staffers were still finding remote areas in the delta that have not received any assistance from Myanmar or international sources.

Souheil Reaiche, the group’s mission chief in Myanmar, said the affected population is higher than UN estimates because among survivors found are migrants and others not officially registered by authorities.

Speaking in Hawaii, Keating said the US unsuccessfully tried to persuade Myanmar’s leaders to allow ships, helicopters and landing craft in to provide additional disaster relief. The ships were in the region for international exercises. Keating made them available to help with relief efforts for last month’s cyclone, and they were deployed near Myanmar in case they obtained permission to enter the country’s waters. Yangon AP

AP

WORLD

PHOTO

18:57

AP

04.06.2008

PHOTO

T11-05-06-08.qxd

A suicide bomber killed at least 13 people in an attack on a senior police officer in Baghdad on Wednesday and gunmen shot dead three US soldiers in northern Iraq, officials said.

The US military said separately that at least 10 decaying bodies had been found in a sewer shaft in east Baghdad, apparently victims of sectarian violence about two years ago.

US and Iraqi officials have been highlighting an improvement in security in Iraq that has led to sharp drops in violence and in attacks on US soldiers five years after the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein. But US commanders have stressed that security improvements are fragile and reversible.

The suicide bomber drove a truck towards the house of police BrigadierGeneral Nadhim Taeih, in northern Baghdad, killing at least 13 people and wounding 52, police said.

Police said the blast destroyed Taeih’s house. His nephew was killed and other relatives were seriously wounded in the blast, Interior Ministry sources said. It was unclear if Taeih himself was injured. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has improved his standing by cracking down on Shiite militias in Basra in the south and Baghdad and al-Qaeda in the north. US and Iraqi military officials say al-Qaeda is on the run in Iraq but remains a threat.

An old woman who was wounded in the blast told Reuters Television a number of houses had been destroyed in the blast. “It was catastrophic ... I don’t know what we did to deserve this.

Is it a punishment from God?” she asked, at al Kindi hospital in Baghdad.

The three American soldiers were killed by small-arms fire in the town of Hawija, 210 km (130 miles) north of Baghdad, the US military said. It gave no further details.

In May, the number of US soldiers killed fell to 19, the lowest monthly death toll in a five-year-old war that has so far claimed the lives of more than 4,000 American soldiers. US military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Steve Stover said Iraqi police and US soldiers, acting on a tip, found the decaying bodies of between 10 and 12 people in a sewer shaft in the New Baghdad area of the capital on Tuesday. Baghdad Reuters

Washington tells Syria not to restrict UN nuclear investigators

Mugabe uses food as weapon in election, human rights group says

since the bombing, would allow in United Nations The United States on Wednesday demanded inspectors on June 22-24 to pursue the inquiry.

Syria give free rein to UN nuclear investigators Informed diplomats said Syria would let inspectors after diplomats said Damascus would bar access to examine the al-Kibar site in its northeast desert, but some sites Washington believes are linked to a senot go to three other locations believed to house facret atomic reactor. The United States says Syria cilities or equipment for producing plutonium from was close to completing a reactor with North fuel from the reactor. That prompted Korean help that could have yielded Gregory Schulte, US ambassador to plutonium for nuclear arms before it the IAEA, to demand that Syria not was bombed by Israel last hinder agency investigators in any September. The UN nuclear watchway. “The United States welcomes dog began an inquiry after receiving the announcement that the IAEA US intelligence documentation in will visit Syria and stands ready to April. International Atomic Energy support a rigorous IAEA investigaAgency director Mohamed tion into Syria’s clandestine nuclear ElBaradei said on Monday that activities,” Schulte said in a stateSyria, which had not responded to ment sent to Reuters. Vienna Reuters IAEA requests for explanations Mohamed ElBaradei

to the charge that it was using food for politiPresident Robert Mugabe’s government cal advantage in the election race. “The deciis using food as a weapon ahead of sion to let people go hungry is yet another atZimbabwe’s June 27 presidential run-off tempt to use food as a political tool to intimielection, US-based group Human Rights date voters ahead of an election,” said Tiseke Watch said on Wednesday. The accusation Kasambala, the rights group’s researcher for came a day after CARE International said the Zimbabwe. President Mugabe’s government had ordered it to government has a long history of suspend its operations in using food to control the election Zimbabwe over allegations it outcome. Zimbabwe’s once proswas backing opposition leader perous agricultural sector has colMorgan Tsvangirai’s presidenlapsed since 2000, when Mugabe’s tial campaign. It denies the government began seizing thoucharge. Other humanitarian sands of white-owned farms as groups have been told to stop part of a land redistribution politheir work for the same reacy designed to help poor blacks. sons, the government said on Robert Mugabe Johannesburg Reuters Wednesday. It did not respond

CM Y K

T12-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

18:56

Page 1

12 TODAY’S ZAMAN

T H U R S D AY, J U N E 5 , 2 0 0 8

EXPAT ZONE

Buýldýng rage In the UK, it started with road rage, the frenzied over-reaction of some drivers to the congestion on an overcrowded island.

Soon road rage was giving way to trolley rage, as furious supermarket customers drove wheeled baskets at each other in arguments over must-have but undersupplied consumer luxuries. Now "rage" is everywhere: in banks and post offices, in school playgrounds and cinema queues. So omnipresent is "rage," in fact, that many public offices now carry notices warning that abusive customers will be prosecuted.

It would be nice to think that Göreme could sail on, happily exempt from such ugly manifestations of modernity.

Sadly, though, I fear we may be on the verge of an outbreak of building rage, as erstwhile reasonable people are driven to distraction by incessant sawing and hammering.

"I wouldn't mind if he said it gently, but he came at me

with a shovel!" wailed a friend whose neighbors had had their fill of his building work. I bit my lip and nodded sympathetically while simultaneously thinking how much I would like to wake up and not have to listen to the sound of stone carving coming at me from three sides. The worst time was Ramadan when, in an attempt to beat the coming of winter, some builders started work at five in the morning as soon as they'd eaten their breakfast. We both agreed that the neighbors who'd called time on that one that had been well within their rights.

But the day-to-day building work? How else is it ever to be completed unless we all rein in our instincts to complain?

When I first came to live in Göreme I sometimes wondered why I found it so beautiful when much of the old village lay in ruins. That is hardly the case any longer, though, as one by one the stone houses are bought up and converted into hotels.

CAVE LIFE PAT YALE The noise of the building work aside, I can't quite decide if this is a good or a bad thing. Certainly it means that many more locals are able to earn a decent living out of tourism.

It also means that properties that were on their last legs have been brought back into circulation. On the other hand, it also means that the old parts of the village could soon be little more than tourist enclaves, stripped of authentic local

life as all but the poor, the elderly and the foreigners move out. Recently I visited Santa Fe in the US, a town I had been told was extremely beautiful, but which I found utterly devoid of atmosphere, its center little more than one glorified, upscale gift shop. Is this what will happen to Göreme, I found myself wondering, and, if so, won't the baby have been thrown out with the bathwater?

In the meantime, we have another five months of building season to get through without anybody resorting to actual fisticuffs. One other small problem I note in passing. My front gate is starting to look awfully shabby, but is it really any worse than it was before, or has all the new construction given me ideas above my station?

Pat Yale lives in a restored cave-house in Göreme in Cappadocia.

MEHMET DEMÝRCÝ

Shoppýng ýn Sultanahmet: Hey, lady! You need to buy a …?!

The first stop for most tourists in Turkey is Sultanahmet, the heart of the Old City. Its maze of streets has seen history in the making for 2,000 years. Its worldfamous mosques and monuments entice visitors to marvel at their wonders. But gawking at the creations of Constantine and the accomplishments of the Ottomans can be overwhelming. Eyes weary of the glories of the past turn to the comfort of the more prosaic present.

Most tourists decide to take some time to indulge in that favorite holiday treat -- shopping.

Sultanahmet is willing to oblige. Tourism is a serious business here, essentially supporting an entire interwoven community. When a German couple buys several boxes of lokum (Turkish Delight) or a Dutch businessman purchases a hand-knotted carpet or an Italian fashion model buys a luxurious leather jacket or a backpacking pair of Americans stops for köfte and raký, energy is pumped into the underlying economy of the area. The salesman buys groceries for the family, the restaurant manager pays the utilities, the carpet dealer pays his rent. So life goes on.

Because of its dependence on tourism and the apparent willingness of tourists to part with their money, over the years, Sultanahmet developed a slightly unsavory reputation quite apart from its obvious delights. There developed a practice so common that it was even given a specific term in Turkish: hanutçu, "catching the customer." When I first came here as a tourist, it seemed as though behind every historic site there lurked an aggressive tout, fishing for his commission. About six years ago my husband jokingly timed the intrusions on a four-block stroll down the tramway street of Divan Yolu -- less than every two minutes -- it was a very, very, very slow walk.

Drawing on Turkey's normally well-justified reputation for hospitality and friendliness, unscrupulous touts had specialized in luring unsuspecting innocents into the shops with which they had commission agreements. Spying a suspected foreigner, they would often literally step in front of the targeted victim, perhaps grab an arm, and offer at least one of the following lines. I include some of my internal reactions and actual comments over the past eight years.

"Where are you from?" (And do you have any idea where on earth that place might be?)

"What is your name?" (Which when repeated was generally mispronounced.)

"We have a flying carpet." (Mildly funny only the first time.) "I can help you spend your money." (This was at least a bit amusing the first time if the gent said it with a smile.)

"It's almost free!" (If that one's true, I'll eat my hat.)"What do you expect before you come to Turkey?" (Huh? Expected what? I read the guidebook!)

"How many camels do you want for your beautiful daughter?" (Twelve white young ones -- I used to live in Saudi Arabia!)

"Can I ask you a question?" (I loved that one because I could say, "You just did," and have time to scoot away while the tout was rendered momentarily speechless in trying to figure out what that meant.)

"How are you liking Turkey?" (Much less now that you are bothering me.)

"Hey, lady, you need to buy a …" (Before he finished, I was down the street!)

Today's tourists don't need to worry as much about being so heavily pressured. The situation on the sidewalks has changed. Thanks to government

PHOTOS

VIRGINIA LOWE ÝSTANBUL

Thanks to government regulations and stiff fines imposed over the past few years, it is now far easier to walk and window-shop in the Sultanahmet region without the former level of continual harassment. regulations and stiff fines imposed over the past few years, it is now much more possible to stroll and window-shop without the former level of continual harassment. Once in a while a tout will still pop out from seemingly nowhere, but it is now easier to walk away. If the shopper doesn't pause to get caught in the net of words and stop to chat, the fellow is no longer legally permitted to tag along down the street. It is also illegal for the man to touch his hoped-for customer. Now the verbal annoyance is pretty much limited to the front of shops. A truly aggrieved shopper should offer to report the offender (noting the name of the aggressor and affiliated shop) to the tourism police or to any of the Zabita (police dealing with fair market practices); the latter wear blue uniforms and have a badge saying "Zabita." A fine of YTL 56 will be a major cut into the tout's daily commissions for bringing in customers. Once one would have to get up face-to-face and say, "Go away!" -- but the threat of a fine seems to be a more peaceful solution.

Shopping advice: After successfully avoiding the lures cast out by hopeful merchants, you shoppers might want to first negotiate the "streets" of the Grand Bazaar. Here are more than 4,000 shops with rows of glittering gold, stunning silver, highly decorated ceramics, racks of butter-soft leather jackets and almost everything else you can imagine. Be sure to carry a notebook in which to record the look, price and location of any items your heart desires. Don't feel embarrassed about

asking for a business card and making notes on it. Then return to Sultanahmet armed with your purchase plans and an estimate of prices.

With list in hand, stroll through the quieter Arasta Bazaar just down the steps to the left of Sultanahmet Camii (the Blue Mosque) to do a bit of comparison-shopping. But don't stop your shopping there! Walk up and down some of the nearby streets. While you stroll you may also discover a few nice eateries where you can relax and perhaps get more advice about local stores which offer the goods you have in mind. Java Studio, across from Mavi Ev Hotel, has great coffee, tea, milkshakes and second-hand English-language books.

Sometimes making the choice of which of the multitude of shops to enter or what questions to ask can be rather daunting. For more timid shoppers, tourists and expats alike, who want to avoid the confusion of the bargaining process mentioned in an earlier article by Kristina Kamp, there are alternatives. Rather than taking up with someone met casually on the street, you might prefer hiring a personal shopper. Reliable assistance can be found on Internet sites such as IstanbulPersonalShopper.com. A personal shopper can guide you through the mazes of the Grand Bazaar or lead you elsewhere as you like.

If you know and trust someone who calls the Old City home, that person can give you guidance, too. The following are some of my personal recommendations from nine years of experience as first a tourist and more re-

cently a resident: All offer honesty, low-key sales pitches and quality products and speak quite understandable English. You might get even a better deal if you say you came to them because you read this article!

For carpets and kilims: (DO shop around before making a purchase!)

1. Noah's Ark (Ticarathane Sk. No. 11. Tel.: [212] 511 8050). A family-run business, it's around the corner just off Divan Yolu (the tramway street) before you get to the Hippodrome. Ask for Mosaic Restaurant -Noah's Ark is across the street. The brothers call their offerings "music for the eyes."

2. E & S Textile Arts and Rugs (Hüdavendigar Cad. No. 10/2 . Tel.: [212] 527 4007). This well-designed store is on the tramway a short walk down the hill from Sultanahmet, around the curve from the Gülhane tram stop and just before the BÝM grocery store. It is a little out of the way but offers both knowledgeable charming young carpet salesmen and a growing variety of smaller textiles such as bedspreads, pillowcases and tablecloths.

3. The latter goods and some nifty souvenirtypes can also be found at Fatih Gallery. (Küçük Aya Sofya Cadessi, No. 39B. Tel.: [212] 517 3451).

Only a block and a half toward the sea from the bottom of the Arasta Bazaar, a fancy tea set or hanging glass lamp here is about half the price found elsewhere. Well worth the extra two minute walk.

4. Çorlulu Alipaþa Medresesi, (Yeniçeriler Cad. No. 36/5, Beyazýt. Tel.: [212] 513 1510).

Again this place is a bit out of the way unless you are already up at the Grand Bazaar. If you don't feel much like walking, take the tram to the Beyazýt stop (Beyazýt/Kapalýçarþý), get off the tram and walk toward Sultanahmet. The medrese is on the left hand side, through a large stone archway. Owner Abdullah is married to an American and has some very high-end carpets.

For jewelry: 1.

Dying for diamonds and gold? Go to Vieri, a relatively new shop whose manager, Antonio, is eager to please. (Mimar Mehmet Aða Cad. No. 29/A. Tel.: [212] 459 6758). Walk down the stairs from the Blue Mosque, through the tea garden and across the street.

2.

Seeking simple silver? Silverado, presided over by Vakkus Aslan, is a very narrow shop chock-full with delightful goods at great prices. (Divan Yolu Cad. 34/A. Tel.: [212] 511 3625). Easy to find, it's to the left of the Sultanahmet tram stop.

Last but not least: For truly excellent prices on handcrafted wearable textiles, try Lodos Fashion Line, (Küçük Aya Sofya Caddesi, No. 7. Tel.: [212] 527 8456).

Specialties there are individually designed boots, hats and purses made from felt, silk and kilim. A friend of a friend reported getting a lovely caftan from shop-owner Isabelle for only YTL 50, an item often sold at "best sale" price of at least YTL 80.

That's just the beginning. Ready, set, GO! Start shopping!

NOTE: Today's Zaman intends to provide a lively forum for expatriates living in Turkey. We encourage you to contact us at voice@todayszaman.com and share your experiences, questions and problems in all walks of life for publication in Today's Zaman.

CM Y K

T13-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

15:37

Page 1

CULTURE&ARTS

TODAY’S ZAMAN 13

T H U R S D AY, J U N E 5 , 2 0 0 8

Early electronic music instrument makes splash at Garajistanbul

‘Chiko’: the mean streets of Hamburg EMÝNE YILDIRIM ÝSTANBUL

German-Turkish film director Özgür Yýldýrým's debut feature, "Chiko," which premiered at this year's Berlin Film Festival, is a well-crafted crime drama that tells us the same wretched story we have been constantly fed for the past 30 years.

Notorious cinematic bad-boy Fatih Akýn's production company, Corazon, produces and German heart-throb Moritz Bleibtreu supports as a designer-dressed mafia boss.

Chiko (Denis Moschitto), whose real name is Ýsa (Jesus in Turkish), is a street-smart German Turk who wants more for himself than what his poverty ridden life can ever offer him.

Together with his best friend -- who also has a rather religiously referential name, Tibet (Volkan Özcan) -- they romp and stomp the streets of Hamburg trying to find ways to make quick cash. When the duo finally gets access to the local weed-dealer, Brownie (Moritz Bleibtreu), they hit the jackpot. Brownie will give them a trial run. Not on the streets, but from an apartment, they will have to sell a significant amount of hash to new customers.

A clever and fast-paced montage shows us that the boys manage to get hold of a diverse range of individuals who will buy the hash. Perhaps this is a mini-collage of the changing population of Germany. The boys and their next-door neighbor, a Turkish prostitute named Meryem (Turkish for Mary), who also happens to be on Brownie's payroll, do not form the Holy Trinity, but a rather grimy ménage à trois. Of course, things start getting out of control when Tibet starts to sell small amounts of Brownie's hash on the streets in order to make a small profit to pay the hospital bills of his sick mother. When Brownie catches on, Tibet is sacked, with some violent repercussions from Brownie's henchmen, and Chiko is kept on as Brownie's go-to guy.

As Chiko climbs the ladder of the Hamburg underground, under the wings of Peanuts -- sorry, I meant Brownie -- he must start con-

fronting himself. Will his new glitzy apartment, Mercedes Benz and trophy lady-friend Meryem be enough for his happiness? Or will there be a cost to his growing aggression and uncontrollable violence? And, most importantly, will Chiko and Tibet, who are by now sworn enemies, ever become friends again?

In his interview with the Radikal daily, Özgür Yýldýrým notes that his characters could have been from any ethnic origin and the fact that they're Turks living in Germany does not have much relevance to his story. Yýldýrým is astutely correct: apart from a few Turkish dialogues here and there, the film boldly refrains from indulging in any culturally specific elements commonly attributed to films from the young generation of Germany-based Turkish filmmakers. "Chiko" is the tragedy of any young man from an underprivileged class who finds himself compelled to the life of

The Garajistanbul performing arts platform will celebrate the 89th anniversary of the invention of the theremin -- one of the earliest electronic musical instruments and the first musical instrument played without being touched -- with a special program this Friday.

The "Past, Future -- Ýstanbul Theremin Gettogether" event will begin at 1:30 p.m. with a screening of Steven M. Martin's 1993 documentary "Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey" for music academy students and theremin enthusiasts.

The film recounts the life of Russian inventor Leon Theremin and the musical instrument he introduced to the world in 1919. Featuring a series of monologues by Clara Rockmore (a theremin player), Robert Moog (a famous manufacturer of synthesizers) and several other musicians, the film chronicles Theremin's life and the influence of his instrument on world culture.

World-renowned thereminist Pamelia Kurstin will hold a free workshop and a panel discussion with Turkish thereminists Alper Maral, Murat Ertel and Rahman Altýn following the film's first showing.

At 10:15 p.m., Kurstin will perform a recital, to be followed by other theremin performances by Turkish acts, including the experimental band Baba Zula.

One of the oddest-looking musical instruments in the world, the theremin has two metal antennas that sense the position of the player's hands. These antennas help the player control audio oscillators for frequency with one hand and volume with the other, creating an electronic sound that has come to be associated with mystery, thriller and sci-fi movies, particularly in the late 1940s. The instrument found great success as the "eerie" background sound in films such as Alfred Hitchcock's "Spellbound" (1945), Billy Wilder's "The Lost Weekend" (1945), Robert Siodmak's "The Spiral Staircase" (1945), Delmer Daves' "The Red House" (1947) and Robert Wise's "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951). Theremin eventually found itself a place in the world of in rock 'n' roll, thanks to bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys in the '60s, and Portishead in the '90s. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

crime glamorized by early Scorsese films. And although Yýldýrým's film does not really illustrate anything we haven't already learned from the "Sopranos," the young director exploits several ingredients that deserve attention.

Yýldýrým's use of on-the-fly camera shots tinted with a specific Dijon-mustard tone, his tightly knit editing and his musical choices, composed mainly of hip-hop tunes, create a gritty atmosphere in the seemingly quiet suburban streets of Hamburg and the right kind of documentary-feel. Chiko's existence is utterly hardcore and the viewer grasps that this ill-fated boy could be any Tom, Dick or Harry that lives down the street. Everyone knows a Chiko in his or her life; he's incredibly intelligent, but too dumb to realize that his days of thunder will be limited.

Moschitto provides the right amount of melancholic yet cheeky expression to pull off a role that has the potential for many cliché pitfalls. Bleibtreu enjoys his immensely psychotic role, which seems to be inspired by a cross between Joe Pesci and Al Pacino. Reyhan Þahin should be applauded for unapologetically pulling off a mediocre prostitute role without ever seeming cheap. Özcan, on the other hand, is such a drama-queen throughout the film that you're not quite sure if he's really a street urchin or a crybaby with a really bad haircut.

"Chiko" provides slick and decent entertainment for a young audience, even though it stumbles over the inevitable rocks of didacticism toward the end. Filmmakers should refer more to Shakespeare and discover how he ever-so-subtly evades teaching a lesson without giving up any climatic gusto.

Zealous Yýldýrým is sure to get more mature in his cinematic language over the years and thus present us with better-made films, that is, as long as he doesn't lose that passionate determination he's shown us in "Chiko."

David Byrne rocks New York building David Byrne, whose band Talking Heads once sang about "Burning Down the House," is now playing the building. Using a revamped antique pedal organ, Byrne has transformed the empty Battery Maritime Building into a musical instrument that visitors can play.

The "Playing the Building" art installation centers on the organ, which sprouts colorful tubes that lead to metal beams, columns, pipes, electrical conduits and other elements of the building. Pressing a key triggers different sounds throughout, such as clanking hammers on pipes or a motor vibrating against ceiling beams.

"When people sit down they start looking around and noticing that when they play, different things start happening around the space," Byrne said of his creation. "It's really that moment when people just see that they're doing it themselves, that's a really wonderful moment," the musician said while clanging and high-pitched sounds filled the air. Byrne explained the work by saying there are sound-producing elements in large industrial spaces and it seemed obvious that they "could be organized." The installation, which originally was on display in Stockholm a few years ago, will be in New York until Aug. 10. New York Reuters

Adam Sandler raises hair in new film ‘Zohan’

ALBUM

Evcil adds flute flavor to tango in new album The latest album by Turkish flautist Bülent Evcil, a compilation of the musician's flute renditions of tangos, is out through the Kalan Music label.

"Tango Zamaný" (Tango Time) features 11 tracks, including compositions by Astor Piazzolla, George McCarthy and Cecil Rivera. Evcil, praised by great flautist Sir James Galway as "one of the most outstanding flautists of his generation," is accompanied

by Lior Kretzer on piano throughout the album.

FESTIVAL

CONCERT

Van Morrison to headline Stockholm Jazz Festival

Say and Kopatchinskaja to give two concerts

Grammy-winning performer Van Morrison will be one of the headline acts at this year's Stockholm Jazz Festival, The Associated Press reported. Festival spokeswoman Liisa Tolonen said the Irish soul singer will join US punk rocker Patti Smith among the 30 acts scheduled to appear at the four-day festival, which starts on July 16 in the Swedish capital.

The festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and is expected to attract around 25,000 people.

Turkish pianist-composer Fazýl Say and Moldovan violin virtuoso Patricia Kopatchinskaja -- who frequently collaborate in concerts, premieres and recordings -- will perform two concerts in Ýstanbul this month. The duo will take to the stage for two consecutive nights, June 26 and 27, at the Enka Open-air Theater to present a program that features pieces by Beethoven, Ravel and Bartok, as well as Say's "Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 7."

CONCERT

Pink Martini set for summer gig in Ýzmir Pink Martini fans in Ýzmir will get a chance to listen to the "little orchestra" live at the Babylon Alaçatý club next month when the ensemble performs a gig there on the night of July 5. The 13member band, which has a huge fan base in Turkey with their diverse repertoire ranging from ancient Samurai songs to Cuban tunes from the '30s, will take stage at 11:30 p.m. Tickets, priced at YTL 39, can be purchased at www.biletix.com.

CM Y K

Comedian Adam Sandler has played a wedding singer, a waterboy, a firefighter pretending to be gay, and the devil's son. So it was likely just a matter of time before he ended up playing a tough-as-nails Israeli commando who secretly wants to be a hairdresser -- the wacky premise behind "You Don't Mess With The Zohan," his new comedy debuting in US on Friday.

Sandler, who hails from Brooklyn, New York, said the inspiration for "Zohan" dates back to his childhood when he heard stories about how tough the Israeli army was. "As a Jewish kid, you were proud of that. So I admired them." Later in life, Sandler said he hung out with many Israelis in California. "An Israeli guy who used to cut my hair, and I just thought it'd be funny to see an Israeli soldier, a bad-ass fearless warrior who had a secret dream of wanting to do something else, but was embarrassed to share it with anyone," Sandler said.

Co-written by Sandler, Judd Apatow and Robert Smigel, "Zohan" features a large ensemble cast that includes John Turturro and Chris Rock.

Sandler portrays the title character who fakes his own death so that he can disappear to New York City and pursue his dream. But his violent past soon catches up with him, and Zohan finds himself in the middle of another war, this time between immigrant Israelis and Palestinians. Los Angeles Reuters

T14-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

18:46

Page 1

14 TODAY’S ZAMAN

THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2008

OPINION

Turks and Kurds [2]: We need more than good faýth Despite some ethnic elements in it, I tend to call the Sheikh Said insurgency a religious rebellion because of the prevailing conditions at the time. The demands of the Kurds included taking part in the central administration and keeping their former order and traditional religious life intact.

The characteristics of the insurgency were consistent with the traditional structure and history of the Kurds. Even though they lived in this area in the form of tribes and clans, opinion leaders and religious personalities had always played significant roles in the settlement of disputes and the resolution of disagreements within the local communities. Some Kurdish nationalists refer to this situation as the primary reason for the failure of the Western states to allow for the creation of an independent Kurdish state. Actually, they might be regarded as right in their assertion. The official argument that the British sponsored the Sheikh Said insurgency may be invalidated via this assertion alone. Besides, there was full agreement between Kurdish intellectuals and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk during the Independence War and the foundation of the republic. By virtue of this agreement, Kurds were considered one of the two main constituents of the state. Atatürk described Turks and Kurds as two brother nations of the Islamic world. This agreement was violated by the abolishment of the caliphate and the introduction of the 1924 constitution, which was designed as a project to create a modern Turkish nation out of the Muslim population in Anatolia. The differences were overlooked to make a transition to a new system. Kurds were the last nation that remained loyal to the caliph. For the Kurds, the abolishment of the caliphate represented the removal of religion from public life. We have to ponder the issue within the context of that time. This alone is a plausible explanation of the Sheikh Said insurgency.

I do not think that any of the Kurdish insurgencies since 1923 were popular uprisings seeking to create an independent Kurdish state. A basic examination shows that shortly after the breakout of the incidents, Ýsmet Ýnönü attempted to implement previously devised policy plans vis-à-vis the Eastern region.

Under this project, forced migration measures were introduced and nomadic Turks were settled in predominantly Kurdish areas. The banning of the Kurdish language, the introduction of the law requiring the use of last names, the translation of geographical locations' names into the Turkish language and the removal of the Kurds from bureaucratic posts were all products of this era. If we add the modernization attempts on religious life to this list, we may better understand the Ýnönü Era. It should be noted that Ýnönü attended the Lausanne Conference as the representative of two peoples. During the negotiations he stated: "The Grand Assembly administration represents both Turks and the Kurds because the legitimate representatives of the Kurds are now in Parliament. They participate equally in the administration of the country under equal entitlements with the Turks."

The same Ýsmet Paþa made some quite contradictory remarks following the Sheikh Said insurgency: "Nationality is the only means of bondage in this country. The other elements are not influential vis-à-vis the Turkish majority. Our job is to make all in this country Turkish. We will remove and eliminate the elements opposed to Turks and Turkishness. What we will seek first in those who will serve in this nation is whether they are Turks and pro-Turkish." In this way, the Kurds, who had been inhabitants of Mesopotamia for 5,000 years and loyal subjects of the Ottoman state for more than four centuries, were overlooked and ignored and further subjected to assimilation. Therefore, we have to make a proper analysis of the practices during the Republican era where the issue was called a Kurdish problem. The Eastern reform plan introduced by Ýnönü has left negative imprints among the Kurds. I think that the period between 1924 and 1946 may be considered the reason for Turkey's failure to make progress in this regard.

With his authoritarian approach during his term, Ýnönü insulted a nation that had felt the pride of involvement in the Independence War and divided it while attempting to unite.

I should recall the role played by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, an active figure during the War of Independence. Nursi never remained indifferent to the Kurdish question and made frequent recommendations and advices in every opportunity to resolve the problem. He traveled to a number of places to identify problems and tried to unite the people in his sermons

PHOTO

AP

ABDÜLBAKÝ ERDOÐMUÞ*

If the Turkish Republic insists on remaining an ethnic state and stays committed to the current political system, it is unlikely that there there will be a solution to the Kurdish problem. and speeches. He also drew attention to the question in his writings in the early 20th century and further cautioned the authorities: "If these intricate problems are not cured and our wounds are not treated by specialized hands, our diseases will become chronic and gangrenous. Our scholarly, social and administrative problems need to be identified immediately and all material and spiritual issues need to be resolved so that we will not have to deal with more serious troubles that will shake our very existence and drag us to the brink of collapse."

Furthermore, Said Nursi also gave warnings to the Kurds in his response to the letter allegedly addressed to himself by the Kurdish Liberation Organization: "The Turkish nation has assumed leadership of the Islamic world for centuries.

Fighting against the sons of this nation is not permissible. We are Muslims! We are brothers to them. We cannot be part of a clash between brothers. This is not allowable under our religion. Fighting is permissible against external enemies. It is not allowed within the country. Our only way to get through is to rely on the Quran's precepts and advice and to crash our biggest enemy: illiteracy. Drop your attempts, because they will remain abortive. Thousands of innocent women and men may perish because of a few murderers."

Warning signs overlooked The same troubles are prevalent today. The transfer of the problems by the authorities of the time who overlooked these warnings to subsequent generations has become a traditional state policy. I am particularly sad because the followers of Nursi also ignore the problem. The question has never been hidden or forgotten. It is out there. I call everybody to reconsider, understand and comply with these statements by Nursi.

July 22 shows that we share a common fate. Actually, Said Nursi is a figure who represented a different line in Republican history. He adopted a unique political stance and resisted modernism with his works, which constituted an Islamic project. He was a figure of liberty and knowledge in his time. He staged his struggle for freedom and liberties in reliance on knowledge, faith, bravery and honor, rather than coercion, force, violence or politics.

These were what made him Bediüzzaman. He did not embrace the violent fiqh that forms under "cultural" Islam or the tenets of

political Islam that sought transformation through power. Instead, he identified the core problem of the Islamic world in different areas. He sought to find the lost in the place where they had been lost. What had really been lost was not sovereignty or the caliphate, it was Islamic civilization. Indeed, a nation that does not rely on its own civilization may not have a future. Bediüzzaman, who was aware of this fact, did not spend his energy on the domination of political Islam or on fights between brothers. His evaluations and recommendations are still valid and fresh. We currently face similar problems. The resolution of these problems is nothing different from what Nursi had offered 100 years ago. I believe that people in the current world are in need of his statements and views more than the people of the past were.

We may resolve the Kurdish problem before it is too late.

However, to do this, we need more than good faith; we need strong dialogue and further actions. Kurds do not seek the partitioning of Turkey. We have seen in the 2007 elections that the social structure in southeastern Anatolia is not different from other parts of Turkey. The Kurds showed the same attitude when they made it clear that they shared the same fate with the vast majority of Turkey. Despite this, Kurds are still associated with Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorism. The July 22, 2007 elections once more showed how strong the bonds between the Kurds and the Turks are. The Kurds made it clear that they strongly favored the integrity of the country and the promotion of common denominators without compromising their demands, rights and requests. It is not sufficient to attribute this stated preference to the piety of the Kurds or the conservative-democratic identity of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Of course, religion is the common denominator of this society. The Kurds, by voting for the AK Party, underlined that they did not seek separation from the country.

By voting for the AK Party, they also proved that they had distanced themselves from the terrorists. This is very important.

The AK Party's democratic perspective, more consistent with historical and cultural values, may be seen as sufficient for the Kurdish support. However, AK Party authorities should note that they will most likely lose this support when they become captive to chauvinist policies. Such a situation will reinforce radical pursuits among the Kurds.

The 2007 general elections were a good opportunity for the

dagistancetinkaya@todayszaman.com.tr

Owner on Behalf of Feza Gazetecilik A.Þ

ALÝ AKBULUT Chief Executive Officer

EKREM DUMANLI Editor-in-Chief

BÜLENT KENEÞ

Ankara Representative Diplomatic News Editor Business News Editor Culture & Arts Editor Features Editor Chief Copy Editor General Manager Chief Marketing Officer Deputy Chief Marketing Officer Brand Marketing Responsible Manager and Representative of the Owner

*Abdülbaki Erdoðmuþ is a retired mufti and a former Diyarbakýr deputy.

Daðýstan Çetinkaya

Thýnk tank cafe´ Established on January 16, 2007 NO: 0483 Thursday, June 5, 2008

Executive Editor Managing Editors

Kurds to express their opinion about the best method to resolve this long-standing question. I think that the Kurds did not miss this opportunity. It could be said that the DTP is not viewed as the venue for a solution anymore because it has lost its extensive support. However, it should also be noted that the discourse promoted by the ruling party, as well as by the opposition, that makes reference to abstract notions such as unity and solidarity is not enough to effectively deal with the problem. It is necessary to know the real reasons behind the problem and to understand the reactions that arise from these reasons. It is necessary to be ready to embrace the issue in all its dimensions.

We have to start with the causes. It is essential for Turkey to enhance its political system and democracy. The separatist Kurds should also drop their ambitions for an independent state. Even though demands for federation or confederation are reasonable calls in a democratic order, they are not applicable to our case.

They do not have the potential to create any good for the Kurds. We have to determine our choices and demands based on our common destiny. The political powers must take the necessary steps to achieve this. The society should also remain calm vis-à-vis Kurdish demands and receive them with tolerance so that hatred and rage can be replaced by peace and trust.

Everything can be discussed within a democracy. However, I view inciting hatred among the people as the worst forms of partition and separatism. I think this is the greatest danger. I have to note that if the Turkish Republic insists on remaining an ethnic state and stays committed to the current political system, there will be no resolution of the Kurdish problem. The limited advances seen in recent times are not adequate for resolving the Kurdish problem. The approach of the authorities to the problem has been improper since the beginning. Kurds are not a minority in Turkey; they are one of the two founding nations of the republic. The problem is not about minority rights; it is about the rights of one founding people. However, we see that nothing much has changed at the current point, which is the culmination of a series of reforms and democratic steps.

ABDULLAH BOZKURT OKAN UDO BASSEY FATMA DEMÝRELLÝ EMRAH ÜLKER KERÝM BALCI YONCA POYRAZ DOÐAN ÝBRAHÝM TÜRKMEN YASEMÝN GÜRKAN PINAR VURUCU HELEN P. BETTS FARUK KARDIÇ YAKUP ÞÝMÞEK BEYTULLAH DEMÝR HAYDAR DURUSOY ALÝ ODABAÞI

Public Relations Contact Information: Publication Type: Periodical, Daily Headquarters: Today’s Zaman, 34194 Yenibosna, ISTANBUL. Phone Number: +90 212 454 1 444 Fax: 0212 454 14 97, Web Address: http://www.todayszaman.com, Printed at: Feza Gazetecilik A.Þ. Tesisleri. Advertisement Phone: +90 212 454 82 47, Fax: +90 212 454 86 33. Today's Zaman abides by the rules of press ethics.

CM Y K

T15-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

16:57

Page 1

!& #( !,' " ($ , $ "'0 #'* ')$##$#).

7

!

0 &@ !' ! 2 > # H % K

:* ;)

% K &

: =++ '

@ !

I

/ O 4 T @ !

N:*

;=

?

5

5 0

% K

B

= 6 0

!

:;

I *+:*

I /

C

5

5

#

!

G :,6+ ! 2 # H

. G # H

B

G - 9

/

0

/

C -

G

/ C ! &!//'

# H . **

C

. % ! & / ! '

/ 2!

!

/

/ !// *++) # H

% K

/ /

# H

B

'#!

;

$ !,' < , $!0 ! * ( *= # ' # &

2

%

#

T

$

I

;+

-

0

" ; +++

:+ +++

=+

0

>da U^^S bd__[h Xb Pc aXbZ

8

2

-

? F 4

"

&4 "' 4

>

#

C

M

4

"

<XcXVPcX^] P]S PSP_cPcX^] Xb cWT fPh ^dc ?

9

F

CdaZTh cPZTb bcT_b

8

6)

5

5 C

> ! @A

? F 4 $

$ $ /

!

?F

? F "

-

7

?F " 2 #

4

0 7 ?F

?F%!

4

"

? F &4 "' ?

F % "

&?F %"' ?

F # !

&?F#!'

0 6[^QP[ aTb_^]bT Xb P \dbc

0

8

- C # % &. )' 5/ 9 T 3 $ #

5

8

>

#

?F#! $ F F &$F F '

0

C

# H # H

C *++)O # H

/ > /

8

!// %

# H

4

! #

7 > &7# ' > / !

&

« T¬¬

­'

#?

/ I # H

/ 4

0 # H

/ O C @ !

$! ' & "! .

" *' ' !,' '>

C

T 5

® ®

®

0 ®5 C

" B

I B

S

I

B ®

S

-

0

IA A % H &@ # '

Q

F 4 K /K A :,6=R

2 QF

4 K R

S 2

57 A A A5 Q" 7 > R

5C

¯5 F

- 7

S # 2 2 . > 9 K I E K M S ®

5C

B

5

C

C

B

S

5>

5 S

5 - -

@ 9

0 B

9

9 5 S

S

C

0

S I

C

B

®

®

- 8

8

B

4

57

O5

#

. % ! & / ! '

*++* !

-

-

5

5

5M 5

-

0

5 -

- O5

$

/ !

/ !

/ !

5 -

-

5

& 9S' 5#

5

/ !

S

-

: (

A -

:,*)

I

/ !

>

2

/ !

I

F 3 :,,; / !

*++*

5 5 5 5 ! 2 > # H -

F # > /

I -

F /

2 4

.

I

2

.

2 0 # H

#

C

/ !

$

/ !

T16-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

14:25

Page 1

16 TODAY’S ZAMAN

THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2008

LEISURE

tv guýde

Gregorian Calendar: 5 June 2008 C.E. Hijri Calendar: 1 Jumada al-Thani 1429 A.H. Hebrew Calendar: 02 Sivan 5768 calendar@todayszaman.com Today is Ascension Day in Orthodox Christian churches. The day celebrates Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven, which Christian’s believe occurred 40 days after his resurrection from the dead. Western churches celebrated Ascension Day on May 1 this year.

Today is World Environment Day. This day was established in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. The UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action through World Environment Day. It is hosted every year by a different city and commemorated with an international exposition throughout the week that includes June 5. The slogan for this year’s World Environment Day is “Kick the Habit!

Toward a Low Carbon Economy,” based on the fact that climate change is becoming the defining issue of our era.

World Environment Day 2008 will highlight resources and initiatives that promote low carbon economies and lifestyles, such as improved energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, forest conservation and eco-friendly con-

movýe guýde

‘Shine a Light’

88 MINUTES ÝSTANBUL: Niþantaþý Citylife: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Caddebostan AFM: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:50 Fri/Sat: 24:20 ANKARA: Cinebonus Panora: 12:00 14:35 17:00 19:25 21:50 Fri/Sat: 24:15 ÝZMÝR: Konak AFM Passtel: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:30 ANTALYA: Cinebonus Migros: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:15

sumption. The main international celebrations for 2008 will be held in Wellington, New Zealand.

Today is Constitution Day in Denmark. This day commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the constitution of 1849 that made Denmark a constitutional monarchy and commemorates the constitution of 1953, adopted on the same day.

Today is Liberation Day in Seychelles. This day celebrates the initial resolution leading to the actual independence of this archipelago nation of 158 islands in the Indian Ocean on June 29, 1976.

Previously Seychelles was a British colony and it is a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations.

On this day in 1967 one of the fateful wars between the Arab states and the State of Israel began. The SixDay War, or the June War, as it came to be known, was fought between Israel and its Arab neighbors Egypt, Jordan and Syria. The nations of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Algeria also contributed troops and arms to the Arab forces. Israel won the war in only six days

E2

with clear victories on all fronts and occupied the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. For the first time in their history of enmity with Israel, the Arab states lost lands from their own lands and this changed their perceptions of Middle Eastern politics and their strategies for dealing with Israel.

Today is the anniversary of the birth of two influential Western economists: Adam Smith (1723-1790) and John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946). Scottish economist Adam Smith’s celebrated treatise “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” was the first serious attempt to study the nature of capital and the historical development of industry and commerce among European nations. Keynes is regarded rightfully as one of the most influential economists of the 20th century. His ideas profoundly influenced the economic policies of most non-Communist governments after World War II (1939-1945). The approach to economic policy based on his theories is known as Keynesianism or Keynesian economics. By Kerim Balcý

SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE ÝSTANBUL: Maçka Cinebonus G-mall: 11:30 13:45 14:45 18:00 19:45 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:00 24:00 Kadýköy Cinebonus Nautilus: 11:00 13:00 14:30 18:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:45 ANKARA: Ata On Tower: 11:00 14:15 15:30 17:30 18:45 20:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ÝZMÝR: Cinebonus Konak Pier: 11:15 13:00 14:30 16:15 17:45 21:00 Fri/Sat: 24:15 ANTALYA: Cinebonus Migros: 11:00 12:45 14:30 16:15 18:00 19:45 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:45

FUNNY GAMES US ÝSTANBUL: Etiler AFM Akmerkez: 11:10 13:50 16:20 19:00 21:50 Caddebostan AFM: 10:50 13:20 15:50 18:20 21:30 Fri/Sat: 00:00 ANKARA: Cinebonus Panora: 12:30 14:50 17:10 19:30 21:50 Fri/Sat: 00:15 ÝZMÝR: AFM Passtel: 10:50 13:30 16:00 18:45 21:15

THE ORPHANAGE ÝSTANBUL: Maçka Cinebonus G-mall: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:30 Kadýköy Cinebonus Nautilus: 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ANKARA: Cinebonus Bilkent: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15

LA ZONA ÝSTANBUL: Beyoðlu Alkazar: 12:30 14:30 16:45 19:15 21:30 Altunizade Capitol Spectrum: 14:15 16:30 18:50 21:30

SHINE A LIGHT ÝSTANBUL: Ýstinye AFM Park IMAX: 11:00 13:45 16:30 19:15 21:45 ANKARA: AFM Ankamall IMAX: 11:30 14:10 16:45 19:25 22:00

Sudoku

AP PHOTO

The British prime minister’s dull-as-dishwater image is getting a revamp from an unlikely source -- US-based comic book publisher Marvel. Gordon Brown, who has been in the political doldrums of late and is often described as buttoned-down, is depicted in a heroic light in “Captain Britain and MI13,” a new comic that shows the prime minister helping stave off an attack of evil, green-skinned aliens.

The space invaders, known as the Skrulls, have even managed to penetrate the British Cabinet, impersonating at least three Cabinet secretaries, but Brown manages to coordinate the ultimately successful efforts to fight them off. To do so, he works with a fictional intelligence agency known as MI13 that seems closely modeled on MI5, the real British domestic agency, and MI6, the overseas intelligence agency that is the home base of fictional spy James Bond.

It is all quite a makeover for Brown, who has been tumbling in national opinion polls since taking over for the more charismatic Tony Blair less than a year ago. Saving the world from alien domination, even in a comic book, can

ÝSTANBUL: Þiþli Megaplex Cevahir: 11:30 13:30 15:30 17:45 19:45 21:45 Caddebostan AFM: 11:20 13:40 16:20 18:40 21:00 Fri/Sat: 23:30 ANKARA: Ata On Tower: 11:45 13:45 15:45 17:45 19:45 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ÝZMÝR: Cinebonus Konak Pier: 10:30 12:45 15:00 17:15 19:30 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00

A scene from “Captain Britain and MI13,” depicting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (R). only burnish your reputation. So it is no surprise to find that the comic was written by a Brown fan, Paul Cornell, a successful novelist and television writer who has penned episodes of the popular show Doctor Who. “I do admire the prime minister,”

Cornell said Tuesday. Cornell said Marvel comics often have real-life politicians as characters, but he said the Brown cameo appearance is not likely to be repeated. He said he was happy to portray Brown as an effective leader.

“He’s marshaling the troops, showing

leadership and acting heroically,” he said of the alien-busting Brown.

Cornell wanted to make sure that readers understood he was basing the fictional character on the real prime minister. He told the artists drawing the comic to make sure the character actually looked like Brown, who is shown in the comic wearing his customary dark business suit and tie rather than the formfitting lycra bodysuits often worn by comic book stars.

The issue of the comic with Brown has proved popular in the US, where its first printing sold out quickly last month, leading to a rushed second printing, said Arune Singh, sales coordinator with Marvel Entertainment in New York. He said the comic book should be available for sale now in Britain, where the Brown connection has generated a raft of free publicity on television and newspapers in the country.

In real life, Brown is under intense criticism from Labour Party backbenchers who fear he is likely to lead the party to a landslide defeat when the next general election is called. He has suffered a number of reversals in recent weeks, sparking rumors that he may soon face a challenge for the party leadership. London AP

Cem Kýzýltuð

Mr. DýploMAT!

482

c.kiziltug@todayszaman.com

HARD

HARD

7 2

7

4

4 1 7 5 6 2 9 3 8 9 6 5 3 8 1 7 4 2 2 8 3 7 9 4 6 1 5 7 5 6 8 1 9 3 2 4 3 9 4 6 2 5 8 7 1 1 2 8 4 3 7 5 6 9

8 9

3 4 4

5

1

482

Crossword

7

8

1

3

1

5

1

3

7

8

1

6

5

7

4 2 1 8 9 6 5 3 7 6 7 3 2 1 5 4 8 9 9 8 5 3 7 4 1 2 6

2 9

2

5 1 6 7 3 2 9 4 8 7 4 9 6 5 8 3 1 2 2 3 8 9 4 1 7 6 5

4

1 7

4

2

3

6

EASY

1 6 7 4 2 9 8 5 3 3 5 2 1 8 7 6 9 4 8 9 4 5 6 3 2 7 1

8

8

7

9

6

5

2

5

4

5

Yesterday’s Solution

2

3

7

HOW TO PLAY? : The objective of the game is to fill all the blank squares in a game with the correct numbers. There are three very simple constraints to follow. In a 9 by 9 square Sudoku game: Every row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order Every column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order Every 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include all digits 1 through 9

travelers’ s.o.s

EASY

5 6

Cnbc-e 18:10 The King of Queens 18:50 The Simpsons 20:00 Scrubs 20:30 My Name is Earl 21:00 The Closer 22:00 Master of Science Fiction 24:00 Scrubs 00:30 My Name is Earl 01:00 The Closer 02:00 Masters of Science Fiction

Hallmark 07:30 Jane Doe: Yes, I Remember It Well 09:15 McLeod's Daughters 10:00 Mystery Woman: Redemption 11:45 Mary and Tim 13:30 Jane Doe: Yes, I Remember It Well 15:15 McLeod's Daughters 16:15 Mystery Woman: Redemption 18:00 Mary and Tim 20:00 Ruby's Bucket of Blood 21:30 And Never Let Her Go 23:15 The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence 01:00 Ruby's Bucket of Blood 02:30 And Never Let Her Go

Comedymax 08:00 Rules of Engagement 08:30 Frasier 09:00 For Your Love 09:30 Courting Alex 10:00 Two Guys and a Girl 10:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:00 Ugly Betty 12:00 America's Funniest Home Videos 12:30 The Game 13:00 Still Standing 13:30 American Dad 14:00 Rules of Engagement 14:30 Frasier 15:00 For Your Love 15:30 Courting Alex 16:00 Two Guys and a Girl 16:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:00 Ugly Betty 18:00 America's Funniest Home Videos 18:30 The Game 19:00 Still Standing 19:30 American Dad 20:00 Rules of Engagement 20:30 Frasier 21:00 Two Guys and a Girl 21:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 22:00 Ugly Betty 23:00 Curb Your Enthusiasm 23:30 American Dad 00:00 Rules of Engagement

TRT Tourýsm Radýo

9

2

8

08:00 Geppetto 09:35 Hoot 11:15 Emotional Arithmetic 13:00 Trade - Welcome to America 15:15 Goodbye Bafana 17:20 Déjà Vu 19:40 Inside the Actors Studio 20:30 Little Miss Sunshine 22:30 Ira and Abby 00:25 Venom 01:50 The Eye: Infinity

radýo guýde

6 3 9 2 4 8 1 5 7 5 4 1 9 7 3 2 8 6 8 7 2 1 5 6 4 9 3

4 4

Goldmax 08:05 Stage Fright 09:55 When Time Ran Out...

11:45 The Color Purple 14:20 Oh, God! 16:00 Broadcast News 18:15 It Takes Two 20:00 Five Days One Summer 21:50 She’s the One 23:30 Othello 01:35 Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood 03:00 Alien Resurrection

Movýemax

Brýtýsh PM helps save world from alýens ýn comýc book

CHIKO

5

08:00 Rachael Ray Show 09:00 Ellen DeGeneres Show 10:00 The Martha Stewart Show 11:00 Rachael Ray Show 12:00 Ellen DeGeneres Show 13:00 Hollyoaks 13:30 Rachael Ray Show 14:30 The Martha Stewart Show 15:30 Rachael Ray Show 16:30 Ellen DeGeneres Show 17:30 Hollyoaks 18:00 The Martha Stewart Show 19:00 Ellen DeGeneres Show 20:00 Cheers 20:30 Hollyoaks 21:00 CSI: NY 22:15 The Tudors 23:00 Late Night with Conan O’Brien 24:00 World Series Poker 01:00 The Tudors 02:00 CSI: NY

Ambulance: 112 Fire: 110 171 Police: 155 156 Maritime: 158 Unknown numbers: 118 Turkish Airlines: 444 0 849, U.S. Embassy: 0312 455 5555 U.S. Consulate: 0212 2513602-3-4 Russian Embassy: 0312 439 2122 Russian Consulate: 0212 244 1693-2610 British Embassy: 0312 455 3344 British Consulate: 0212 293 7540 German Embassy. 0312 455 5100 German Consulate: 0212 334 61 00 French Embassy: 0312 455 4545 French Consulate: 0212 292 4810-11 Indian Embassy: 0312 438 2195 Pakistani Embassy: 0312 427 1410 Austrian Embassy: 0312 419 0431-33 Austrian Consulate: 0212 262 9315 Belgian Embassy: 0312 446 8247 Belgian Consulate: 0212 243 3300 Egyptian Embassy: 0312 426 1026 Egyptian Consulate: 0212 263 6038 Israeli Embassy: 0312 446 3605

CM Y K

00:00 Identification and Programming 00:25 Music 07:25 Identification and Programming 07:30 Music 08:30 News (English, French, German) 08:40 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 10:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 10:45 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 12:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 12.45 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 15:00 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 15:15 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 18:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 18:45 Live Broadcast (English, French) 21:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 21:45 Live Broadcast (English, Greek) 23:58 Identification

Broadcast Areas: Alanya FM 94.4 Ankara FM 100.3 Antalya FM 92.1 Ayvalýk FM 101.1 Bodrum FM 97.4 Fethiye FM 103.1 Ýstanbul FM 101.6 Ýzmir FM 101.6 Kalkan FM 105.9 Kapadokya FM 103.0 Kuþadasý FM 101.9 Marmaris FM 101.0 Pamukkale FM 101.0 Trabzon FM 101.5

T17-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

19:22

Page 1

. / / 0

/

1 >

> !

- ! &$9!'

-

! . % ! & / ! '

$9!-

8

#?

!

2

! .

*++6B

!

G 7 $9!

-

M

- #? !

0

#? :+ 5

5

!9" "

!

! *++=

/ !

.

*++6

" :6 *++;

- 0

-

% (

"( "

%

?

%

$

8 @72

>

#?

#

8

! $ & $/'

7 2 8

@72

7 2

@72

!

> !

- ! &$9!' 7 @ G 7

. %

! & / ! ' 7

!

2

%

! / !

7 -

-

!

/ !

I I H

7

!

2 59

$9!

C

- -

!

5 $9!

!

7 - !

2

2

&9 00'

C 6+

7

9 00 T 5% -

2

Q

R 5 + $

2 3 * 0

0 3± VF 3

#!$#"'( % / )' F

$9!- 7

J K

# °K K

-

!9" "

@ ! :,;+

" 2 *; ! 2 > # H

0

0

5@ !

0

0

0 5 I

9

9

@ ! 5C

@ !

5 I

/

# >

5

5 I T 5"

C

C / @

$ 5 9

5#

#

F

# 8 C

5 I

* +

) * + /4 *

#

% & * +/<

=

=

*

>

=

=

= ? @ = Q > \ 9 0 J K 7 9

I -

5C

2

5 !

2 # H $9! I

°K K -

4 + $

5 6 /

+ 0 ' 7 0

> !

- ! &$9!'

N= )

/ A M

:+

7 / A

$9!

$9!

2 9

:

9 M

" 2 *< *++6

J K 7 9

%

9 M

9 ? 2 $

9 M 2 9

- J K 7 9

9 M

9 M

2 9

-

"

J K 8

-

+ $

$9!

G 7 $9! @

2 SK K

/ A G

/ A

7 ! / A

$9!

M

N= ) 4 2

$

$

7 $

$9!-

<,

$

<; !

! 3

$

$

$9! / A $

$9!

0

$

$

$9!-

/ A 3 !

2 /

! $9!-

/ A

$

!

! 3 $

$

$9!

CM Y K

J 2 P

C ! &>!'

$

9 T 5

M

#

$9!

C

$9!- / A

$

$

! $ Q $/R

5 + $

7 * 9 < (

( S

S

2 ;

S

5

S

5

S

S

5C

5 + $

T18-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

14:29

Page 1

18 TODAY’S ZAMAN

T H U R S D AY, J U N E 5 , 2 0 0 8

TODAY’S LEARNING TIME

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed but that he cannot believe anyone else.”

George Bernard Shaw

OSMAN TURHAN

elementary READING

Marie Curie

ILLUSTRATIONS

Marie Curie was a great scientist. She was born in 1867 in Marja Sklodowska in Warsaw, Poland. Her mother and father were teachers. Her mother passed away when Marie was only 10 years old.

Mary was a very good student. She loved science, math and language classes. She and her sister Bronya wanted to go to college.

But in those days, only men could go to college in Poland. The girls had to go to France to study. The family didn't have enough money for both of the sisters to go. So Marie worked as a teacher in Poland. She sent money to Bronya to pay for medical school in Paris. After Bronya became a doctor, she helped her sister.

When she was 24, Marie became a science student at the Sorbonne, a university in Paris. Even with her sister's help, she did not have much money. She lived in a small room near the college. It had no lights, no water, and no heat. Sometimes Marie had only bread and tea to eat.

Marie studied hard and graduated in 1894. A year later, she married Pierre Curie. Pierre was also a scientist. They worked together for many years. Their most important discovery was radium.

Today, doctors use the rays from radium to treat cancer. The Curies won a Nobel Prize for their discovery. This is the highest award for a scientist. Marie Curie was the first woman to receive this award.

When Marie Curie was 39, Pierre died in a road accident.

But she continued their studies. Curie became the first woman professor in France. In 1911, she won a second Nobel Prize. But years of working with radium ruined her health. She died of cancer in 1934. Her daughter Irene continued Curie's work. She also received a Nobel Prize. Sadly, Irene also got cancer and died at a young age. Both women gave their lives for their work.

Activity: Which word?

PART 1: Write the correct words into the blanks from the vocabulary below.

Choose the correct words to complete the sentences.

1. Kevin: Where are you ......... today? (a) go (b) gone (c) going (d) goes 2. Linda: I really want to go .......... (a) shops (b) shopping (c) shop (d) shopped 3. Kevin: What's ......... with the shops here? (a) wrong (b) incorrect (c) false (d) funny 4. Kevin: That's true but you have to ......... a long time for a bus. (a) go (b) expect (c) wait (d) await 5. Kevin: Oh dear. Are you going to wait any .......... (a) quicker (b) slower (c) shorter (d) longer

scientist

graduated

award

treat

rays

1. Marie Curie was a ____________. She studied the world around her.

2. The sun gives out ____________ of light.

3. Radium is used to __________ cancer, but too much radium can cause cancer.

4. The Nobel Prize is a prize that people receive when they do something very special. It is an important ____________.

advanced READING

How to meet Mr. Right Are you particular when it comes to men? You want a handsome and industrious man. You want him healthy and from a good family. He must be reliable and intelligent.

Faithful and humorous. Enjoys the same hobbies. These are some of the qualities that you and most other women are looking for in men. There is one small item I left out, however.

The most important one even though most girls won't own up to it. You want a man with money. Lots of it.

You can live without some of the above benefits, but cold hard cash is paramount. There are a couple of small problems. Where are these men? And how do you meet them?

You are single, and spend a lot of time at bars and nightclubs prowling for Mr. Right. This Mr. Right must have a comfortable balance in his bank and checking accounts. A mansion in the countryside would also be nice. The first thing you should do is to place yourself in the surroundings where these men hang out. Frequent the neighborhoods where the wealthy live.

Take your dog for a walk there.

Have coffee at the same cafes they go to. Shop at the same markets.

Men will start to recognize you, be familiar with you, and maybe even pursue you.

Another tip for meeting a rich man is to take up the same hobbies that the rich enjoy. Learn how to play golf. Involve yourself with local charities. Get a part-time job at the local country club. This will give you exposure to the wealthy men who drink and play there.

Getting involved in the local political scene is another way to snare a rich man. Male-dominated political organizations are usually full of men with money .

Women everywhere are looking for their soulmate, and preferably one that might ease the financial burdens placed on these single women. It doesn't require a college degree to find these men. You only need to know where they convene.

It may seem like a lot of work, but it might just pay off in the long run.

So take a chance women!

Vocabulary Exercise: Fill in the blanks with the correct letters.

Activity: Develop Your Vocabulary

1. particular _____ a. selective b. easy c. impulsive d. bossy 2. industrious _____ a. describes an architect b. hard-working c. lazy d. rich 3. to own up to _____ a. to possess b. to buy c. to lend d. to admit 4. paramount _____ a. a bit important b. most important c. not important at all d. insignificant 5. to prowl _____ a. to hunt for b. to discover c. to meet d. to murder 6. to hang out _____ a. to execute b. to work c. to congregate d. to pray 7. to pursue _____ a. to happen b. to catch c. to push d. to chase 8. to take up _____ a. to give a ride to b. to collect c. to learn d. to teach 9. to snare _____ a. to catch b. to find c. to marry d. to make enemies with 10. to pay off _____ a. to erase a debt b. to be beneficial for c. to shut up by paying money d. to blackmail

Choose the correct words for the clues given.

5. Marie Curie finished her studies at the university. She ____________.

PART 2: Put the statements below into the correct chronological order by putting numbers 1 through 5 into the blanks. a. Bronya became a doctor. ______ b. Curie and her husband discovered radium. ______ c. Marie became a teacher in Poland. ______ d. Pierre Curie died in an accident. ______ e. Curie and her husband won the Nobel Prize. ______

ýntermedýate Vocabulary Exercise: Fill in the blanks with the correct letters.

READING

Do you dread going to work?

Has your job got you down? Are you so exhausted when you arrive home from work that you are inutile as far as having engaging conversation with the wife and kids? Do you feel that no matter how much sleep you get, you never seem to get enough? Does the thought of work make you dread Sunday nights?

People get tired at work due to the emotional situations they encounter during the day. If you work eight hours, and those eight hours are filled with anxiety and fear, then you will surely feel tired after one or two hours.

People who manage to contain these emotions are the ones who feel more alert at the end of the day.

Researchers claim that it is good to have a certain amount of stress during the working hours. How you handle this stress determines how you will feel at the end of the day. If you face a traumatizing situation at work, and this causes your mind to fill with negative thoughts, these thoughts will

overwhelm your brain, and you will feel physically tired after only a few minutes. Working under such conditions can totally drain you, making you feel fatigued the rest of the day.

Even if you don't work much during the course of a day, negative emotions can tire you out quickly. Try to listen to yourself talk, and see if you are a negative thinker. After doing something you enjoy doing for several hours, you don't feel tired because you

Activity: Work Related Vocabulary Complete the sentences with the correct words.

1. Neil got ___________ for stealing the boss' briefcase. a. promoted b. sacked 2. I was ___________ because the company closed the department. a. made redundant b. interviewed 3. Sam retired last month after a very successful ___________ as a heart surgeon. a. job b. career 4. Bill has a _________ job working forty hours a week in a hospital. a. full-time b. part-time 5. I am going to apply ___________ a job as a circus clown. Being a

had positive feelings about what you were doing. Listening to certain music or playing certain sports can produce more stress than a normal work day, but you don't feel tired because you enjoyed what was transpiring.

It is obvious that if you can think positively about your work, you won't feel so exhausted at the end of the day.

It's not the number of hours that we work, but the emotions you feel while working that drains your vitality.

poet is no fun. a. to b. for 6. Great! I get my ___________ on Friday so we can go out and spend some money. a. paid b. salary 7. Most people in the UK ___________ when they are 65. a. finish b. retire 8. Susie works ___________ sales and marketing, doesn't she? a. for b. in 9. I resigned ___________my job mainly because I was bored. a. from b. with 10. If you're out of ___________, life can be hard. a. employment b. work

VOCABULARY Specialized Vocabulary Fashion: Bow Tie (noun) is a fashion accessory, popularly worn with other formal attire, such as suits or dinner jackets. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar in a symmetrical manner such that the two opposite ends form loops.

Little Pete learnt how to put on his bow tie.

Entertainment: Crew (noun) it refers to the people, such as production assistants, or those that work on a movie shoot in and around the talent providing lighting for the set, communications between trailers, camera operators, sound operators.

The film crew worked very hard on the new series of 24.

Publishing: Blurb (noun) A short quote or announcement used to promote a book.

She wrote a good blurb for her friend's novel.

Technology: Network (noun) is a group of connected computers that allows people to share information and equipment.

Many schools have a Local Area Network and are also connected to a Wide Area Network, such as the World Wide Web. Architecture : Cement (noun) A substance made by burning a mixture of clay and limestone.

Cement is one of the ingredients used in concrete.

Idiom of the Day Catch someone red-handed MEANING: to discover someone doing something illegal or wrong.

EXAMPLE: I caught him red-handed trying to break into my car.

1. to get someone down ______ a. to murder someone b. to depress someone c. to hit someone d. to steal something from someone 2. inutile _____ a. harmless b. boring c. useless d. useful 3. engaging _____ a. interesting b. uniting c. loving d. betraying 4. to dread _____ a. to look forward to b. to feel sorry for c. to not care about d. to fear greatly 5. anxiety _____ a. amusement b. fatigue c. distress d. unhappiness 6. to contain _____ a. to control b. to store c. to put inside d. to find 7. traumatizing _____ a. very stressful b. exciting c. fantastic d. disgusting 8. to drain _____ a. to increase your energy b. to exhaust your energy c. to fuel your energy d. to leak out 9. to transpire _____ a. to sweat b. to swear c. to happen d. to disappear 10. vitality _____ a. money b. energy c. nervousness d. job

Phrasal Verbs: Ask in meaning: when you ask somebody in, you invite someone into your house, office etc. example: Don't leave them standing on the doorstep; ask them in!

Ask out meaning: When you ask somebody out, you ask somebody to go to the theatre, a restaurant, etc, with you. example: Jerry's too scared to ask her out. Have you asked her out yet?

Slang: Down meaning: drink quickly example: Let's go to a bar and down a few beers.

Confusing Words In English: Later vs Latter Later is an adjective it means at an advanced point of time.

For example:. The results of the election were reported later than everybody expected they would be.

Latter is an adjective it means more recent For example: Given a choice between good health and comfort or wealth and misery, I choose the former over the latter.

CM Y K

1. opposite of child; a grown-up; a mature person ___ a. adult b. style c. pair 2. physical or mental exertion; labor; attempt ___ a. effort b. directory c. offensive 3. pertaining to the world and nature around us ___ a. delicious b. immediate c. environmental 4. one who makes or alters garments ___ a. engineer b. tailor c. aisle 5. of publicizing; of advancement; of encouragement; of fostering; of an enterprise ___ a promotional b. measurable c. civic

ELEMENTARY: (Activity) 1. b 2. c 3. a 4. b 5. a INTERMEDIATE: (Reading Part) 1. c 2. a 3. a 4. d 5. c 6. d 7. c 8. b 9. c (Activity) 1. knave 2. heir 3. liar 4. generous 5. careless 6. extravagant 7. miser 8. rich 9. clever 10. selfish ADVANCED: (Reading Part) 1. c 2. d 3. c 4. a 5. d 6. c 7. d 8. b 9. a 10. c 11. c (Activity) 1. a 2. a 3. b 4. b 5. b 6. a 7. a 8. a 9. b 10. a

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER KEY:

In cooperation with English Time

T19-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

19:17

Page 1

SPORTS

Eriksson takes over as Mexico coach Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson was named as the new Mexico coach on Tuesday the day after leaving Premier League club Manchester City.

“I'm very proud to be the coach of the Mexican national team,” the former England coach told reporters in a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese. “I accepted because it's a big challenge. Our target is the World Cup. ” Mexico City, Reuters

Playmaker Arda: Attack ýs the best form of defense OKAN UDO BASSEY ÝSTANBUL

Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro had surgery on his left ankle on Wednesday and is expected back in action in two months. The operation lasted a half hour and Cannavaro was calm and smiling afterward, the Italian football federation said. Cannavaro tore ligaments in Italy's first training session at the European Championship on Monday. The operation was performed at Pelikangasse private clinic in Vienna under the supervision of Italy team physician Andrea Ferretti, with assistance by another Italian doctor and Real Madrid's physician. Vienna AP

SOCCER

FIFA rankings of 16 teams in Euro 2008

TENNIS

Kuznetsova ends Kanepi run to make Paris semis Russian fourth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova ended the dream run of Estonian Kaia Kanepi at the French Open on Wednesday with a 7-5, 6-2 victory, sealing a place in the semifinals for the second time in three years. Kanepi, the first Estonian to reach the last eight of a grand slam event, led 4-2 in the first set but 2006 runner-up Kuznetsova hit back to win it and then eased through the second. World number 49 Kanepi powered ahead in the first set and had a point to lead 5-2 but the former US Open champion broke back immediately and one more break in the 11th game helped her to pinch the opening set. Another break in the third game of the second set knocked the fight out of Kanepi and Kuznetsova eased through to a semi-final against the winner of the all-Russian match between seventh seed Elena Dementieva and Dinara Safina, seeded 13. Paris Reuters

ATHLETICS

Pettigrew banned after admitting to doping Former world 400-meter champion Antonio Pettigrew has been banned for two years after admitting he used prohibited substances, the US AntiDoping Agency (USADA) said. Pettigrew, 40, who has retired from competitive running, said last month during the trial of former coach Trevor Graham that he had used performance-enhancing drugs. USADA said all Pettigrew's competitive results since January 1997 would be annulled and added he had also voluntarily surrendered his 2000 Sydney Olympics 4x400-meter relay gold medal and his 1997 and 1999 world championship relay golds. The decision could lead to the US team losing their 4x400-meter world record of 2:54.20 set in July 1998. Pettigrew ran the race with Jerome Young, Tyree Washington and Michael Johnson. On Tuesday Johnson said he was shocked by Pettigrew's admission and was returning his 2000 Olympic 4x400-meter gold medal because it was tainted. Raleigh, N. Carolina Reuters

PHOTO

Italy captain Cannavaro undergoes operation

REUTERS

For Turkey coach Fatih Terim, attack is the best defense; luckily, his players agree with that strategy. Turkey playmaker Arda Turan said Terim inspires the team's offensive style, which he believes will be the best way to not concede goals at the European Championship.

“I think offense is the best defense,” Arda said in a news conference at the squad's training base near Geneva. “If we attack strongly, then our rivals will have to defend against us. We will try to score and be aggressive. That's the influence of our coach.”

Arda will likely play in central midfield and try to get the ball in behind opposition defenses to forward Nihat Kahveci. Emre Belözoðlu and Hamit Altýntop will be on either flank to allow Arda to drive forward, with Mehmet Aurelio in a holding role behind them to provide security on any possible counterattacks.

The 21-year-old Arda has been known to drift out of games late in the second half due to being physically weaker than his teammates, but he says he has toughened up and improved his tackling.

“I think I managed this during the past season. My team was not capable of being on the offensive side all the time, so I know how to defend as well,” said Arda, who scored seven goals and set up many more as Galatasaray won its 17th Turkcell Super League title this season.

Terim also believes his midfield will prove resilient during the tournament. “Very few teams have the kind of midfield that we have,” Terim said.

Hamit, who had a brilliant first season with Bayern Munich, was reportedly a doubtful starter for Turkey's Group A opener against Portugal on Saturday due to a hamstring injury. But the 26-year-old midfielder said he is fit to play.

“Of course, I have some pain after training,” Hamit said. “But I don't have any problems now. I know I will be ready on Saturday.”

After Portugal, Turkey will play co-host Switzerland on June 11 and the Czech Republic four days later.

SOCCER

FIFA world rankings of the 16 team participating in the Euro 2008 finals (June 7-29) in Austria and Switzerland: 3. Italy; 4. Spain; 5. Germany; 6. Czech Republic; 7. France; 8. Greece; 10. Netherlands; 11.

Portugal; 12. Romania 15. Croatia; 20. Turkey; 24.

Russia; 28. Poland; 30. Sweden; 44. Switzerland and 92. Austria. Nyon Reuters

Plenty has changed in the two decades since the NBA finals last were contested between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, and not only the arenas where it's contested.

The rivalry that made NBA lore has largely been ignored in recent years.

Back in the days of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, you couldn't think of one without the other -- those players or their teams.

“We talked about it every day,” Johnson said on Tuesday. “Actually, Larry probably will feel the same way. During the regular season, that's all we watched. Where are the Celtics? Did they win last night?” With the Lakers and Celtics meeting again today in the NBA finals, the NBA got Johnson and Bird together on a conference call to talk about the way things were then. But it's so long ago, it has no relevance today.

“It doesn't mean anything now, and there's nothing that's similar now,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “The coaching staffs aren't the same, the philosophy of basketball isn't the same. The towns are still the same. A lot of the same type of people. Beantown is still Beantown, that's for sure. But they've won a baseball World Series now, so they're not so bedraggled.”

Back in the mid-1980s, when they met for the championship three times in a four-year span, Los Angeles and Boston had the most important rivalry in American pro sports. It lasted through three cities, starting with the Celtics' sweep of the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959, and more than 25 years. Now it's been almost that long since their last meeting, in 1987, also Boston's most recent finals appearance.

So while veterans such as Paul Pierce and Bryant can talk of Kevin McHale's hard foul takedown of Kurt Rambis in 1984, or Johnson's baby sky hook to pull out a victory in Boston in 1987, the younger players in this series have no memories of anything special between the teams. Waltham, Mass. AP

Terim says transfer news distracting Terim also believes that reports of player moves may be distracting during the European Championship. Fenerbahçe announced last Friday that it has agreed to acquire midfielder Emre from English Premiership side Newcastle United. The club said talks would start soon to decide how much Emre would be paid.

Emre’s move after three years in the Premier League stirred up reactions at home, especially among those supporting his former team Galatasaray, an archrival of Fenerbahçe.

Terim said publicity could affect Emre's performance at this month's Euro 2008. “It's very bad timing,” Terim added.

‘If we attack strongly, then our rivals will have to defend against us.

We will try to score and be aggressive. That's the influence of our coach,’ says Arda

China's Liu Xiang may not be fit for US meet, coach says

Portuguese national team trains in front of 12,000 fans Portugal's Euro 2008 preparations were given a lift when a fanatical crowd of 12,000 turned up for an open practice session at the Maladiere Stadium.

A roar went up when the squad and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari emerged and an even better reception greeted ball-playing winger Cristiano Ronaldo when he stepped out alone seconds later. The stands were awash with Portugal's red and green colors as fans paid 15 Swiss francs ($14.55) apiece to watch the team practice at the home of first division side Neuchatel

Xamax. The majority of the supporters belonged to the large Portuguese community in Switzerland. Another open session is scheduled for Sunday, the day after Scolari's side launches it Group A campaign against Turkey in Geneva. Co-host Switzerland and Czech Republic are the other teams in the section.

Tuesday evening involved light training and an informal practice game but nothing which revealed any of Scolari's tactics.

“We are the only team that has paid training sessions but we're also the only one that will

have training in front of 12,000 people,” the squad's technical director Carlos Godinho told reporters. “It was the only chance for fans to see their idols close up before the Turkey match because security has been tight at their lakeside hotel since their arrival on Sunday.”

The five-star Beau Rivage is an elegant, early 20th century building on the water's edge of Lac Neuchatel but has been turned into something of an eye-sore with black canvas sheets on makeshift wire fences preventing fans from looking in before Tuesday's open session. Neuchatel Reuters

It’s official! Gökhan joins Black Sea Storm Striker Gökhan Ünal, chased by all the big Ýstanbul clubs, has officially joined the Trabzon Black Sea Storm from central Anatolian side Kayserispor.

A statement from the Trabzon club said, “Everything about Gökhan, including the transfer fee, has been finalized and he is now one of us.”

The Trabzon club signed a four-year deal with Gökhan later on Wednesday.

Gökhan arrived in Trabzon on Wednesday morning to the cheers of about 500 diehard Trabzon fans, who carried him high on their

shoulders and chanted songs of glory.

The 26-year-old Gökhan, who emerged from the Gençlerbirliði youth team, was the Turkcell Super League’s goal king in the 200506 season, having scored 25 goals that season.

His goal scoring ability was also apparent in European competitions, where he scored six goals in eight games for Kayserispor during the team’s UEFA Intertoto Cup campaign in the 2005-06 season, in which Kayserispor became the Turkish team to qualify for the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman

CM Y K

AA

Chad have been thrown out of the African Nations Cup after African soccer's governing body blamed them for causing an unnecessary postponement of their World Cup qualifier against neighbors Sudan last weekend. The Confederation of African Football said Chad's soccer federation had been given assurances of their safety ahead of the match in Sudan but still refused to travel citing the border tension between the two countries. CAF said on Tuesday they would no longer consider Chad's results towards a place in the Nations Cup. FIFA postponed Saturday's game and has yet to set a new date, but took no against Chad. The qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup also decide the 16 finalists for the 2010 African Nations Cup finals in Angola.

Chad would have to finish in the top two in their group for the decision to have any impact, which also includes Congo and Mali. Cairo Reuters

NBA finals renews Celtics-Lakers rivalry missing for decades

PHOTO

African federation kicks Chad out of cup

PHOTO

SOCCER

MAHMUT BURAK

THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2008

Gökhan Ünal (L) during the signing ceremony.

Liu Xiang, China's best hope of athletics gold at the Beijing Olympics, needs time to recover from a tight hamstring and might not be fit to run in his final warm-up meet in the US this weekend, his coach said.

The 110-meter hurdles world champion and world record holder's preparations for his Olympic title defense have been seriously disrupted by the injury, which caused him to withdraw from the Reebok Grand Prix in New York last weekend.

The 24-year-old, currently receiving treatment in southern California, had planned to run in only two meetings in the US before returning to Beijing to acclimatize before the Aug. 8-24 Games.

Coach Sun Haiping, however, said it was by no means certain that Liu would take part in the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday.

“Please be patient and give him some time to recover,” he told Wednesday's Oriental Sports Daily.”Now he can only take the treatment and try his best to recover in Los Angeles. If he is fit enough he will run in the Eugene meeting,” he added. “If not, he will have to pull out. The fundamental thing is to ensure he does not get any injuries.”

Along with basketball player Yao Ming, Liu is China's best-known sportsman and the opening ceremony and high hurdles are the most highly-anticipated events of the Games for many Chinese. Sun had earlier tried to play down the problem, saying Liu's withdrawal from the New York meeting had been precautionary. “It's an overstatement to call it an injury,” Sun told Titan sports newspaper this week.”

His legs move and he would have easily raced within 13.20 seconds had he entered.”Beijing Reuters

T20-05-06-08.qxd

04.06.2008

15:28

Page 1

Man who robbed 'Lost' star Holloway jailed A man who robbed "Lost" star Josh Holloway and his wife at gunpoint in their Hawaii home has been sentenced to 13 to 30 years in prison for his three-week crime spree. The sentence was imposed on Tuesday against 23-year-old Ruben Royce after he pleaded guilty to multiple charges in February. Honolulu, AP

Movie actress Sharon Stone will not be invited to next week's Shanghai Film Festival, state media said on Wednesday, as the row over her "bad karma" comments about last month's earthquake shows no sign of going away. Media reports had said the film festival would ban Stone from attending its events on a permanent basis, but an official from the organizing committee said merely that "she is not among the list of guests

to be invited," the China Daily said. The 50year-old star of "Basic Instinct" attended last year's festival as the image ambassador for the French cosmetic giant Christian Dior, which has since pulled advertisements featuring Stone from stores across China.

In Stone's initial remarks made on the red carpet at the Cannes film festival, she called the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism -- whom China reviles as a traitor

-- a "good friend." After mentioning the Tibet unrest she said: "And then all this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and I thought, is that karma -- when you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"

Chinese bloggers, who were particularly active in criticizing the West over its attitude towards Tibet, exploded in anger over Stone's comments. More than 69,000 people died in the May 12 earthquake. Beijing Reuters

PHOTO

Sharon Stone not on Chýna fýlm festýval guest lýst

AP

WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2008

Mel Ferrer and Audrey Hepburn arrive in Rome after they were married in this Sept. 29, 1954 photo.

Mel Ferrer, once married to Audrey Hepburn, dies at 90 Actor-filmmaker Mel Ferrer, the onetime husband of Audrey Hepburn who co-starred with the screen icon in "War and Peace," directed her in "Green Mansions" and produced her film "Wait Until Dark," has died at age 90, a family spokesman said on Tuesday. Ferrer, who also appeared with Hepburn on Broadway for her Tony Award-winning turn in "Ondine," died in his sleep on Monday surrounded by relatives and friends at his family's ranch in Carpenteria, California, near Santa Barbara, the spokesman, Mike Mena said.

The lanky, gaunt Ferrer first appeared on Broadway as a chorus dancer in 1938. After suffering a bout of polio, he worked behind the scenes in radio, TV and film before making his big-screen acting debut in the 1949 drama "Lost Boundaries" playing a fair-skinned black doctor passing as white. Delving as it did into the sensitive subject of post-war American race relations, it was a risky role that "had a huge impact on him and his commitment to civil rights," Ferrer's son, Mark, recalled of his father.

But he is best remembered for his role as the lame puppeteer in the 1953 musical "Lili" with Leslie Caron, the same year Hepburn made her big-screen breakthrough opposite Ferrer's friend Gregory Peck in "Roman Holiday," which earned her a best actress Oscar. Ferrer and Hepburn married in 1954 and appeared together that year in the Broadway production of "Ondine," for which she won a Tony as best actress for playing the water sprite just weeks after receiving her Academy Award.

They also co-starred in the 1956 movie adaptation of the Leo Tolstoy novel "War and Peace" -- she as Natasha Rostov and he as Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. So intent was Hepburn on remaining near her husband that shooting of her Paris scenes in "Funny Face" were timed to coincide with Ferrer's filming of the French movie "Elena et les hommes," in which he co-starred with Ingrid Bergman. Although he appeared in over 100 films and made-for-TV movies, Ferrer viewed himself less as a screen actor than as a creative talent behind the camera, his son told Reuters.

As a filmmaker, Ferrer directed Claudette Colbert in the 1950 mystery "The Secret Fury" and Hepburn in the 1959 romantic adventure "Green Mansions," set in the jungles of Venezuela. But the couple enjoyed a more successful collaboration in the 1967 thriller "Wait Until Dark," which he produced starring Hepburn as a blind woman pursued by killers out to silence her as a potential witness. That role earned Hepburn her fifth and final Oscar nomination.

Their marriage -- the first of five for Ferrer (he was married twice to Frances Gunby Pilchard) -ended the next year. Their only child, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, 47, is a filmmaker who directed the 2001 documentary "Racehoss." Ferrer suffered a heart attack following their divorce, and Hepburn largely retired from Hollywood. She died of cancer in 1993.

Born in New Jersey, the son of a surgeon and a prominent New York socialite, Ferrer dropped out of Princeton University to work as an actor in summer stock, beginning a lifelong attachment to live theater.

With fellow actors Peck and Dorothy McGuire, he co-founded the La Jolla Playhouse in 1947, which is still running. His sister was the famed cardiologist Dr. M. Irene Ferrer, who helped refine the cardiac catheter and electrocardiogram. Los Angeles Reuters

CM Y K