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x0x Turkish news for week ending 20 June 2009

[Best when viewed with the courier font.]

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A service of the TURKISH RADIO HOUR, producer of:

TURKISH CULTURAL PROGRAM
Saturdays at 6:00 P.M.
KUSF FM 90.3, San Francisco

Also tune to

ORIENT EXPRESS
Tuesdays at 10:00 P.M.
KKUP FM 91.5, CUPERTINO

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Ahmet Toprak edited today's news. Your host is Murat Temeltas.

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NEWS

Edited by Okan Kolak

* Turkish daily Hurriyet reports that Turkish
State Minister and chief negotiator for European
Union talks Egemen Bagis said on Sunday there is
no option for Turkey's European Union accession
talks besides full membership.
Stressing that Turkey would never accept
"privileged partnership" proposals, Mr. Bagis
said, "Turkey will either be a full European Union
member, or it will never be a member of the
Union." Such proposals have no legal grounds, and
Turkey is already in Europe with the Customs Union
Agreement, and its membership in European
institutions and organizations, Mr. Bagis added.
In related news, also reported by Turkish daily
Hurriyet, the European Union will keep its
promises to Turkey, said Finnish Prime Minister
Matt Vanhanen on Sunday. Mr. Vanhanen added that
a European Union without Turkey is unthinkable.
Stating that no matter how difficult and long the
accession process may be, he added that there is
no turning back from full membership.

* According to Hurriyet Daily News, Turkish
Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmet Davutoglu wrapped
up a visit to Afghanistan on last Saturday
pledging more support for the nation including
during Turkey's presidency at the U.N. Security
Council.
Mr. Davutoglu met President Hamid Karzai during
his visit to Afghanistan, where Turkey has around
730 soldiers in a NATO-led military force, as well
as Afghan Foreign Affairs Minister Rangin Dadfar
Spanta.
Mr. Davutoglu said Turkey completed 550 projects
including 42 schools and many hospitals and
vocational training centers in Afghanistan in the
last three years.
Mr. Davutoglu's office announced Thursday Turkey
plans to host two international gatherings in the
coming months aimed at boosting support for
conflict-torn Pakistan and Afghanistan.

* Organized by the Palestine Platform and the
International Gaza Reconstruction Commission, the
First International Gaza Reconstruction Conference
began in Istanbul on Wednesday with the attendance
of more than 1,000 businesspeople and
representatives of non-governmental organizations
from 30 countries, reports the Turkish daily
Turkiye.
Speaking at the opening of the conference, Erol
Yarar, the head of the Palestine Platform, called
for more financial support for Gaza reconstruction
efforts. Mr. Yarar said that the Gaza
Reconstruction Commission has carried out
feasibility studies on 460 projects worth $300
million for Gaza's reconstruction, has prepared
projects and is seeking support
Also speaking on the first day of the conference,
ruling Justice and Development Party Deputy Irfan
Gunduz said that Turkey expects the international
community to lift the embargo on Palestine and
Gaza and give back the territories under
occupation to Palestinians.
Also the chairman of the Turkish Group at the
Parliamentary Union of the Organization of the
Islamic Conference, Mr. Gunduz said Turkey has
consistently condemned Israeli violence against
Palestinians. Mr. Gunduz also said Turkey expects
international organizations like the UN, NATO and
the European Union not to remain silent in the
face of the tragedy in Palestine and Gaza but
instead to take action.
Mr. Gunduz also said that Turkey would continue to
help meet Gazans' humanitarian and other needs,
and exert every effort to end the tragedy in
Palestine.

* According to the Turkish daily Sabah, Turkish
President Abdullah Gul next week will pay a
weeklong official visit to China at the invitation
of his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, the Turkish
Presidential Press Office announced on Wednesday.
A large delegation including State Minister for
the Economy and Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan,
State Minister for Foreign Trade Zafer Caglayan
and Interior Minister Besir Atalay as well as
bureaucrats and businesspeople will accompany
President Gul during the visit, which will begin
on Tuesday in Beijing.
Mr. Gul will seek to diversify fields of bilateral
cooperation between Turkey and China while also
exchanging views on regional and international
affairs during his meeting with Mr. Hu, the office
said.

* More than 100 generals and admirals, including
chiefs of staff of NATO and UN member states, will
gather at the Silk Road 2009 Flag Officers Seminar
in Istanbul next Tuesday and Wednesday, reports
the Turkish daily Hurriyet.
The theme of the seminar will be the cooperation
of NATO and its partners on the bloc's 60th
anniversary. Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen.
Ilker Basbug is expected to deliver the opening
remarks.

* Turkish daily Turkiye reports that dozens of jet
fighter pilots from the US, Britain, Jordan, the
United Arab Emirates and NATO AWACS pilots, along
with their Turkish counterparts from the Turkish
Air Force, are engaging in mock aerial battles
over the central Anatolian province of Konya as
part of the Anatolian Eagle 2009/2 military
exercises.
A total of 83 jets, most from Turkey, are engaging
in live bombing and strafing in a realistic
training environment with simulated surface-to-air
missiles confronting aggressors.
The exercises are similar to the Red Flag
exercises at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The
aerial battles are recorded on tape so that pilots
can study errors that could have killed them in
real combat. The drills that started on June 8
will continued through Friday.
Warplanes taking part in the drills include F-16s,
Mirage-2000s, F-4s, and Eurofighters.

* Turkish daily Turkiye reports that Turkey is set
to host next year's UN Conference on the Least
Developed Countries, the fourth such gathering
since 2001.
Currently, 49 countries with a combined population
of 610.5 million are identified as
"least-developed countries."
The conference aims to significantly improve the
human conditions of people living in these
countries throughout the world.
It provides a framework for a strong global
partnership to accelerate sustained economic
growth and sustainable development in these
countries, to end marginalization by eradicating
poverty, inequality and deprivation there, and to
enable them to integrate beneficially into the
global economy.
The conference's overarching goal is to make
substantial progress toward halving the proportion
of people living in extreme poverty and suffering
from hunger by 2015 in line with the UN Millennium
Declaration and promote the sustainable
development of the least-developed countries.

* Anatolia News Agency reports that two Turkish
ministers traveled to Bosnia-Herzegovina to
integrate a restored Ottoman-era bridge Tuesday.
The 17th century stone bridge was partly destroyed
in World War II. Reconstruction works had begun in
2004.
The Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency
funded the 2-million-euro reconstruction effort.

* Turkish daily Sabah reports that Turkish Culture
and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay attended on
Monday the opening ceremony of four hotels built
by Turkish contractors in Turkmenistan's Avaza
Tourism Zone on the Caspian coast.
The opening was also attended by Turkmen President
Gurbanguly Berdimohammedov, and numerous other
high level officials and tourism industry leaders.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Berdimohammedov
thanked Turkish businesspeople for their
investments in his country, adding that his
government would continue to ease visa, tax, and
customs requirements to promote such investments.

* Turkish daily Cumhuriyet reports that Turkish
High Council for Science and Technology, chaired
by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, convened
on Wednesday in the Turkish capital Ankara.
Sixteen Cabinet ministers, including Deputy
Premiers Cemil Cicek and Bulent Arinc, State
Minister Mehmet Aydin, and Professor Nuket Yetis,
the head of the Turkish Scientific and
Technological Research Council, attended the
meeting as well.
Addressing the council, Mr. Erdogan stressed the
importance the government places on research and
development. Stating that Turkey is feeling the
global economic crisis to a certain extent, Mr.
Erdogan called the crisis environment an
opportunity to restructure the nation's
sustainable development plans.
Mr. Erdogan Reiterating his determination to focus
on the opportunities presented by the crisis
rather than its threats. Mr. Erdogan also said
that Turkey should attract more foreign
researchers from across the world, calling the
current number of such researchers employed by
Turkish universities inadequate.

* Turkish daily Sabah reports that the Airports
Council International in Europe has named Turkish
capital Ankara's Esenboga Airport the best airport
in Europe in the 5-10 million passenger category.
The council announced the Fifth Annual ACI Europe
Best Airport Awards on Wednesday in Manchester,
Britain.
The awards cover four categories, recognizing
achievement in core activities such as customer
service, retailing, security, and environmental
awareness.

ARTS AND CULTURE

Edited by Colleen Clark

* The New York Times globespotters.blogs reports
that the walls of buildings in Istanbul's hip and
lively Beyoglu district increasingly have become
canvasses for young graffiti and stencil artists.
The art has been provocative, enigmatic, and
fantastical.
Now the municipal administration of the district
is one of the sponsors of an exhibit entitled
Morphosis, which gathers about 25 young street
artists to create a free-form installation piece
in a previous derelict seven-story building called
Banker Han on Banker Street, a little street
parallel to Bankalar Avenue below the Galata
Tower. The area was formerly the banking and
insurance center of Istanbul.
The works range from wall sized murals to smaller
if not stylistically more discrete works. The
exhibit runs through July 13 and is open Monday
through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
A bonus is spectacular views from the roof of the
building of the Bosphorus and Byzantine buildings
and Ottoman era mosques on the south side of the
Golden Horn.
See more at:

http://globespotters.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/bringing-istanbuls-street-art-\
indoors/

* Also in Beyoglu is painter Selim Karadana's
latest exhibition "Distorted Shadows" on display
at Yakup Tavern, according to a story in Hurriyet
English. The unusual venue reflects Mr. Karadana's
goal of opening the doors of art to the public.
Yakup Tavern is a venue frequented by local
Beyoglu artistis and art buffs. The tavern on
Asmalisescit is mostly renowned for its selection
of tradition Turkish food and drink.
When asked about the title of his venue, Mr.
Karadana claims his paintings resemble the many
shadows, or false appearances, that society has
adopted. The bands dominate most of his abstract
work, changing color and shape as they seemingly
descend to Earth. Cubic shapes and sharp edges
mostly appear in blue, his favorite color.
That is not a surprise given his undying love for
the sea and particularly the island of Bozcaada.
As he lives on the island for part of the year,
many of his works seem to illustrate the island's
natural life.
The use of mixed media like mirrors and point
touches of phosphorous are unique to Mr.
Karadana's work. While this chemical element
shines in the dark, mirrors placed at various
points on the painting aim to include the viewer
in the canvas.
Mr. Karadana offers fresh insight to those already
familiar with Turkish abstract painting and a
passionate eye to novices. Besides his canvas art,
writing poetry is another ambition for Mr.
Karadana, who has been an artist and teacher
nearly 30 years.
If you visit do not forget to take a copy of the
exhibition catalogue, where you can also read his
latest poems, which are full of his zest for life.
The exhibition is open through June 30.
See more at:
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/lifestyle/11880665.asp

* A third exhibit is also ongoing not far away in
Tophane. Hurriyet Daily News, the English edition
of the Hurriyet paper, reports that Outlet
Independent Art Space, which has been a breath of
fresh air in Istanbul's contemporary art scene for
its distinctive works by Turkish and foreign
artists, is presenting its last exhibition of the
season through July 4.
"No Room for Panic" includes pieces by Ayse
Topcuogullari, Berat IsIk, Mehmet Ali Boran, Ceren
Oykut, Bengu Karaduman and Evrensel Belgin,
diverse artists who came together in one show to
depict lives and worlds affected by militarism.
Downstairs in the Outlet Project Room, visitors
can see Mustafa Kunt's installation "Zonk Zonk"
and Ozlem Gunyol's T-shirt designs, which were
inspired by Kunt's work.
"Zonk Zonk" emphasizes the effect of our cultural
experiences on our conceptualization of images and
the T-shirts designed to go along with the
installation carry these images into daily life.
"No Room For Panic" is on view through July 4.
See more at:
http://hurarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr/goster/haber.aspx?id=11483611&tarih=2009-04-23

* Hurriyet Daily News reports that one of the most
loved films at the Golden Boll International Film
Festival in Adana recently was "On the Way to
School". Its Turkish title literally says "Two
Languages, One Suitcase." The film will continue
being talked about long after it has screened at
movie theaters because it confronts ongoing
problem in Turkey.
The two down-to-earth directors, Ozgur Dogan and
Orhan Eskikoy, who have worked together for more
than six years making socio-political films, have
also featured at other festivals and won awards.
"Although we have many films I think it will be
easy for us to make our voice heard after the
Golden Boll International Film Festival," Dogan
said.
The film won two awards at the festival: the Film
Critics Association, Best Film and the Yilmaz
Guney Award. The directors of the film have shot
many documentaries over the years but "On the Way
to School" is their most successful, according to
them.
The story is of a young teacher from Denizli in
western Turkey who goes to teach in a primary
school in a village in eastern Turkey. He finds
himself in a village where no one speaks Turkish,
only Kurdish. His astonishment grows when he
discovers that he has no water in his small
apartment adjacent to the one-classroom school.
The idea for the film came when Dogan and Eskikoy
were editing a film on hunger strikes in 2003 and
a friend who was a teacher in Bingol came to visit
them and told them about the tough situation in
Bingol.
The directors, who are both civil servants,
started shooting the film after a five-year wait.
They filmed from September 2007 until June 2008.
All the people in the film are real-life
characters. Dogan and Eskikoy traveled to Urfa and
Mardin first to find a teacher who was teaching
kids who could hardly speak Turkish.
After they had talked to nearly 40 teachers in
they found their subject in Demirci village in
Siverek, about halfway between Urfa and
Diyarbakir. A young man waiting in the hall of the
teacher's lodge was sitting with his head in his
hands and looking despondent. The moment they saw
him in that situation they knew he was the teacher
they were looking for. They propositioned him to
take part in their film and he agreed. "We also
went to the village ask for permission from the
villagers." Dogan said.
Emre Dogan, the young and confused teacher, was a
person who could relax in front of the cameras and
he was more idealistic than the other nominees.
The directors placed their cameras in specific
parts of the classroom for the indoor shots and
sometimes waited for a moment to come. "We choose
four prominent characters and built up the story
mostly around them. The parents of the students
sometimes joked around with Emre saying we were
also learning a second language, meaning Kurdish,"
Dogan said. Even though Emre became a little
withdrawn in the village, still the children and
parents admired him. Some of the parents took
their kids and registered them in a bigger primary
school in Ziverek, in order to continue their
education.
The film premiered at this year's Istanbul
International Film Festival, was screened in
Diyarbakir and later at the Amsterdam Documentary
Film Festival.
"The people in Diyarbakir showed a great interest
in the film. Everyone who has seen the film in
Diyarbakir has been through the same thing as
those students," Dogan said. He said in Amsterdam
people liked it a lot, too. "We have not heard a
single criticism."
See more at:
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/lifestyle/11888763.asp

* SineMardin Film Festival, which is organized in
the southeastern city of Mardin, will be an
international experience for the first time this
year. Starting Saturday June 20 and continuing
until June 26, the festival will host
internationally acclaimed filmmakers and
screenwriters from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine
throughout the week, according to a story in
Hurriyet English.
Now in its fourth year, SineMardin is expanding
its territory by collaborating with ArteEast, a
New York-based cultural institution that focuses
on Arab film. Invited participants include Ossama
Muhammad, Noma Orman, Orwa Nyrabia, Anmar Hijazi
and writer Khaled Khalifa - as well as young film
students.
The festival will offer viewers a selection of
feature films, shorts and documentaries, as well
as interviews and conferences focusing on other
nations' film sectors and cultures. The festival's
scope is expanding each year as it draws interest
from around the world. When the festival was first
organized, there were no movie theaters in the
city. The event's efforts to develop a film
culture in the city have led to the opening of the
first and only film facility in Mardin last year.
This year, the festival will also have open-air
movie theaters hosting film screenings. "We are
trying to bring back the nostalgia of the old
times, so we decided to set up two open-air movie
theaters in the city," said Zihni Tumer, one of
the event organizers. Tumer said the festival
hopes to expand to Damascus in 2010.
Besides films and conferences, the festival hosts
important names in film, including Nuri Kino, a
Swedish director of Turkish origin who has won the
Golden Palm award with his documentary
"Assyrisska" and also works as a journalist in
Sweden.
Syrian film pioneer Omar Amiralay, currently
living in Paris, will also participate. Amiralay
was awarded with a special prize at the Locarno
International Film Festival for his movie "A Plate
of Sardines," about the Golan Heights under
Israeli occupation.
The festival will also provide space for people
who want to participate in educational activities
around film studies. As in previous years, the
Mardin Film Association will host a Short Film
Atelier under the name of the Mardin Film
Workshop, an eight-week course.
In total, there will be 12 short films and 15
feature-length films. The event's opening ceremony
is being organized in the historic Erdoba
Residence on Saturday and will include a screening
of the film "My Marlon and Brando."
The film festival's program really kicks off on
Sunday, when regular film screenings and the
"Regarding Other's Pain" conference start, and the
festival features an American Documentary Showcase
and the conversation with Swedish director Nuri
Kino.
See more at:
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/lifestyle/11904201.asp

* The Anatolia News Agency reports that
preliminary preparations have been completed for
the launch of a Kurdish language and literature
faculty at Artuklu University in the southeastern
province of Mardin.
The school, one of 23 founded approximately two
years ago, is aiming to be "the Middle East's
greatest social-science university." It takes its
name from the Artuqid dynasty, which left much
historical heritage to the city. A faculty of
Assyrian language and literature will also be
established on campus.
Prof. Serdar Bedii Omay, the university's
president, said the campus will be built on about
1,060 acres of land along the Mardin-Diyarbakir
highway. Omay said they plan to finish
construction in five years and are receiving great
support from Mardin's business community and
philanthropists, as well as from the government.
The campus will contain a mosque, an Assyrian
chapel and a small Yezidi temple. "Historically,
Mardin has been the primary university center of
upper Mesopotamia, a city that was home to 13
centers of learning in the 19th century. This
tradition of science will live again on our
campus," Omay said, adding that the university is
a 30-year-old dream come true for Mardin
residents.
The president said they have determined the vision
and horizon of Artuklu University as a
social-sciences university and are hoping it will
grow into an international educational
institution, offering courses in languages used in
the Middle East. The science and literature
faculty will feature Kurdish, Arabic, Persian and
Assyrian departments.
The rector added that they will establish the
faculty this year after final approval is obtained
and that they plan to accept 20 students in 2010.
Artuklu University has signed agreements with
Dohuk and Kerkuk Universities in northern Iraq for
Kurdish-language education and with Damascus
University in Syria for education in Arabic. In
exchange, Artuklu will collaborate with those
universities to establish their Turkish language
and literature faculties.
See more at:
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/11855647.asp

* An unprecedented weekend events dubbed The
Sounds & Colors of Turkey will take place in New
York that celebrates Turkish music and culture.
Three shows will be presented with the highlight
being an admission-free show at Central Park's
SummerStage, which will bring together for the
first time one of the largest-ever assemblies of
musicians from Turkey on an American stage.
It will include Mazhar Fuat Ozkan, Painted on
Water featuring Sertab Erener & Demir Demirkan and
Husnu Senlendirici with the Greek musician
Vassilis Saleas.
The Central Park show will be preceeded by a
Turkish-Greek night in Astoria, Queens featuring a
rare Husnu & Saleas full-on concert on June 26 and
conclude with an afterparty on June 27 featuring
the mighty Brooklyn Funk Essentials with Husnu
Senlendirici at City Winery.
See more at:

http://dirtylinen.wordpress.com/2009/05/27/istanbulive-the-sounds-and-colors-of-\
turkey-june-27-new-york-ny/

EXCHANGE RATE

EXCHANGE RATE for the U.S. dollar in New Turkish Liras: 1.55

WEATHER

High and Low Temperatures in Degrees F, Weather

Ankara, in central Turkey----------: 93/59 Partly Cloudy
Antalya, on the Mediterranean------: 88/79 Mostly Sunny
Istanbul, in northwestern Turkey---: 82/66 Mostly Sunny
Izmir, on the Aegean---------------: 86/70 Mostly Sunny
Trabzon, on the Black Sea----------: 82/66 Thunderstorms

Seawater temperatures

Black Sea measured at Trabzon 72
Marmara Sea measured at Tekirdag 66
Aegean Sea measured at Izmir 72
Mediterranean Sea measured at Antalya 73

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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