ARTICLES

The Science Research Foundation In Its 15th Year Of Service

With its Kemalist, democratic, contemporary, progressive, and nationalist identity with respect for sacred values, the Science Research Foundation (SRF) aims to produce an intellectual youth that will illuminate the future of Turkey. It is clear that in order to raise our national culture above the contemporary level of civilization we stand in need of future generations who love their country and state and have been filled with virtue with Turkish-Islamic moral values. Our foundation is convinced that such a young generation will give rise to a great Turkey that will lead the Turkish-Islamic world under an umbrella of peace, security, love and compassion.

The SRF community has dedicated itself to the major responsibility it has assumed of describing the thinking and principles of Ataturk to the public and our young people, and of constantly raising the awareness of our nation along these lines. In the light of that objective, the SRF has held and still arranges many panels, conferences, symposiums and scientific meetings.

Another major campaign initiated nationwide and globally by the SRF is its series of "The Collapse of the Theory of Evolution and the Fact of Creation" conferences. The SRF community is aware that materialist philosophy, which destroys social values and prepares the intellectual foundation for separatist terrorism, represents a major danger to Turkey's survival. It therefore regards enlightening the Turkish public as to the invalidity of materialist philosophy and its alleged scientific basis, the "theory of evolution," in the face of science, as an important responsibility.

To that end, the SRF initiated an intensive cultural campaign in 1998, dealing with the defeat of the theory of evolution in the face of science. This campaign has arranged more than 1,200 scientific conferences both in Turkey in general and in the international arena, from Canada to Malaysia, from Kazakhstan to South Africa, and from the USA to Great Britain. The SRF is continuing with its activities in the cultural arena, both domestically and internationally, including conferences, exhibitions, multi-visual displays and free book distribution. The SRF community is determined to continue these activities until the theory of evolution, the sole basis of materialist philosophy, has been consigned to the waste bin of history.

At the same time, the SRF is also arranging political and cultural conferences with the aim of protecting the country's interests and ensuring that the Turkey in which we live becomes a world leader in the 21 st century. The objective of these conferences, attended by eminent Turkish politicians, academics, retired military officers, civil society organization administrators, writers and journalists, is the rise of the Turkish Republic.

Since this magazine has adopted the name and subject matter of "The Turkish-Islamic Union," in this section we shall be looking at various conferences held by the SRF uniting the Turkish-Islamic world in love, brotherhood and solidarity.

Due to its state experience, and the fact it is the heir of the Ottoman Empire, which administered different nations in peace, and has a young, democratic, modern and well educated population, the SRF regards the Turkish Republic as the vanguard of the Turkish-Islamic world. We believe that Turkey will soon assume a major responsibility in the construction of the peace, well-being and justice for which the world longs. In the light of this objective, the SRF will continue in the service of the Turkish nation, as it has for the last 15 years.

www.srf-tr.org

CONFERENCES

TURKISH LEADERSHIP OF THE TURKISH-ISLAMIC WORLD WITH THE OTTOMAN VISION AND THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE CRITIQUE CONFERENCE

A conference titled the "TURKISH LEADERSHIP OF THE TURKISH-ISLAMIC WORLD WITH THE OTTOMAN VISION AND THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE CRITIQUE" was held by the SRF at the Istanbul Sepetciler Kasri on Saturday 9 October, 2004.

This meeting, attended by eminent Turkish intellectuals, academics, politicians, retired military officers, journalists and writers, set out the steps needing to be taken under Turkish leadership in order for the suffering and chaos in the Middle East to come to an immediate end.

Among the speakers were SRF Chairman TARKAN YAVAS, Istanbul University Faculty of Economics member PROF. OMER AKSU, former Armed Forces Academy commander and member of the Halic University teaching staff R. BRIGADIER GENERAL HALIL SIMSEK, Ankara University Faculty of Law member PROF. ANIL CECEN, and Chairman of the Foundation on the Preservation of National Values ALTUG M. BERKER.

In addition, a large number of ministers and members of Parliament, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, TRNC President Rauf Denktas, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin, Transport Minister Binali Yildirim, Minister of State Ali Babacan and Minister of State Gurdal Aksit, sent telegrams regretting that due to pressure of work and prior engagements they would be unable to attend and congratulating the members of the SRF on their work.

Tarkan Yavas
(SRF Chairman)

SRF Chairman Tarkan Yavas, who gave the opening address at the conference, emphasized that throughout history the Turkish nation had acted as the spiritual leader of the Turkish-Islamic world and shared common values with the region. Tarkan Yavas said: "As a country with a very good knowledge of the problems of the region, Turkey is in a key position with regard to ending the wars, chaos and suffering currently being experienced in the Caucasus, the Balkans, and particularly the Middle East. Turkey's glorious legacy makes us responsible to all mankind for filling the world with peace, love and brotherhood."

Prof. Omer Aksu
(Member of the Istanbul University Faculty of Economics)

In the first part of his address, Prof. Omer Aksu, who chaired the meeting, stated that there was internal conflict and friction within the Western world itself, and that Turkish leadership in the Middle East needed to be evaluated in that light. Aksu went on to provide information about the historical roots of that conflict, saying: "Conflict and friction between Roman-German and Jewish-Anglican alliances are today again emerging in the Middle East. With the implementation of the plan proposed under the name of the Greater Middle East Initiative, the aim is an environment of terrible chaos in the region."

Retired Brigadier General Asst. Prof. Halil Simsek
(Former commander of the Armed Forces Academy, member of the Halic University academic staff)

In his speech on the future of the Middle East and its ramifications for Turkey, Retired Brigadier General Halil Simsek provided substantial information of a military nature and said: "There is still an unjustified war and state of terror caused by this going on in the region." He then provided information about the geographical, geological and geopolitical situation and features of the Middle East, noting the birth of the three divine religions in this region, and the crucial nature of the land, air and maritime routes linking three continents, and that due to 2/3 of the world's oil reserves being located in the region the Middle East was one of key importance.

Prof. Anil Cecen
( Ankara University Faculty of Law member)

Prof. Anil Cecen began his address with the words, " Turkey's agenda should be the Middle East, not the EU," and stated that international balances were today heading eastwards. He noted that the Atlantic Alliance, of which Great Britain, the USA and the Jewish lobby in New York are members, sought to keep Turkey as a bridge between the Middle East and Europe. "Europe does not want to become a party in the Middle East. It therefore intends to maintain Turkey as a buffer zone in the region," said Cecen, who also stated that the frontiers of the Greater Middle East Initiative were the Ottoman hinterland.

Altug Berker
(Chairman of the Foundation on the Preservation of National Values)

Altug Berker began by saying: "The power vacuum that arose in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Balkans at the beginning of this century will be filled by the Republic of Turkey, the historical heir to the Ottoman legacy," before going on to recall that the just, tolerant and peaceful administration Turkish administration under the Ottoman umbrella had for centuries represented a source of peace and happiness in a region now inhabited by the suffering and fear.

THE FOURTH CYPRUS CONFERENCE OF THE SRF "OUR NATIONAL CAUSE: CYPRUS" CONFERENCE

On Saturday 27 March the SRF added another to its list of conferences dealing with Cyprus. Titled "Our National Cause: Cyprus," the conference, held at the Sepetciler Kasri, was attended by retired Turkish Armed Forces officers, journalists, writers, academics and many other well known figures.

With its exhibition hall and d�cor including imperial edicts, doors and decorations, the conference held a flavor of and longing for the Ottoman times. The pre-conference Janissary band display, which has now become a tradition for the SRF, provided the guests with emotional moments.

TRNC President Rauf Denktas participated by means of the teleconferencing system and set out his valuable views. Addresses were also given by SRF Chairman Tarkan Yavas, former Turkish Cypriot Peace Force commander R. General Necati Ozgen, Istanbul University teaching staff member Prof. Omer Aksu, Marmara University Faculty of Law States and Maritime Law Department head Prof. Ferit Hakan Baykal, and Chairman of the Foundation on the Preservation of National Values Altug Berker.

Guests Attending the Conference

Among the well known and respected figures attending the conference, in addition to the speakers themselves, were: Retired Brigadier General Servet Comert, Retired General Staff Colonel Neset Ikiz, Retired Brigadier General Adnan Tanriverdi, Sami Ozey from daily Vakit, Aydogan Vatandas from Aksiyon magazine, Istanbul Governor's Office Turkish World Coordinator Metin Ozkan, Prof. Cemal Anadol, Suleyman Dogan from daily Ortadogu, Suat Gun from daily Once Vatan, Rahim Er from daily Turkiye, Ahmet Bayatli from the Iraqi Turkmen Front, Prof. Umit Arinc, Trust Movement Chairman Samim Uygun, Retired Supreme Court member Ziya Sagdur, Retired Colonel Bahattin Beyaz, Retired Colonel Ilhan Ciloglu, and former member of Parliament Emre Kocaoglu.

"We Trust Our People and the Turkish Nation"

In his address given over the teleconference system, President Denktas drew attention to the game sought to be played with the Annan Plan, and said: "We trust our people and the Turkish nation . we believe that governments will not be taken in by the Greek Cypriots." The president then went on to say that Enosis and the turning of the island of Cyprus into a Greek dagger had to be prevented, and continued:

"As Mr. Koruturk said, if Cyprus falls to the enemy, Turkey will cease to be a country open to the seas. If the EU wants Turkey, if it is really going to admit it, then it must not bring up the Cyprus issue as an obstacle. If the Cyprus problem is to be an obstacle to any side then that is the Greek Cypriot side, Greece. They started the problem. They are the side who have not resolved it for 40 years. It is they who are playing games to achieve their aims by taking it to the EU despite the 1960 agreements. We trust our people. We trust the Turkish nation."

"The National Culture Must Be Protected"

Another speaker, SRF Chairman Tarkan Yavas, stated that in the conferences they had held on the subject of Cyprus and in related books, magazines, documentaries and articles they had published, the SRF had emphasized that the Turkish Cypriots were not alone and that the Turkish nation stood behind its Cypriot fellow-nationals. He then went on to say:

"The SRF believes that the future of the Turkish Cypriots lies in the protection of their national culture. If that culture is protected, then the Cypriot Turks can play a very important role as the vanguard and representative in the European Union of the Muslim Turkish world. If, however, that national culture is not protected then there is the danger of the Turkish Cypriots being gradually assimilated. In the face of that danger of assimilation we believe in the need to follow a major cultural policy to strengthen the Turkish Cypriots, and the SRF is ready to make any contribution it can."

"There Is a Ring of Fire Around Turkey"

Istanbul University's Prof. Omer A. Aksu, who also attended the conference as a speaker, gave an address on the importance of Cyprus to Turkey. He also said that there was a ring of fire around Turkey, and that the problems in Northern Iraq and Cyprus, and the separatist activities in Southeast Anatolia, showed that Turkey stands in the most risk-filled region in the world.

"Civil Society Organizations Must Unite"

One of the most loyal defenders of the Cyprus cause, retired General Necati Ozgen, former commander of the Cyprus Turkish Peace Force, gave an address in which he stated that the intention of the Greek Cypriot side was wrong. He said that the Greek Cypriots issued chauvinistic statements against the Turks, and that they had no intention of finding a solution. General Ozgen also stated that reactions on the subject of Cyprus should not be separate and individual, and completed his address by saying that civil society organizations needed to react as one.

" Cyprus Is Our Justified Issue"

In his address, Marmara University Faculty of Law States and Maritime Law Department head Prof. Ferit Hakan Baykal said that Greece was attempting to obtain its wishes regarding Cyprus by playing the EU card. He then stated that Turkey was in the right as regards Cyprus, but that it had been unable to express this. ". Had it been a European country instead of us, then things would have been very different," he said, drawing attention to the double standards being employed against Turkey.

"A Cultural Bridge Must Be Built between Cyprus and Turkey"

Chairman of the Foundation on the Preservation of National Values Altug Berker emphasized the need to protect and strengthen the Turkish Cypriot national awareness. He continued:

"The Turkish Cypriot is emotionally and intellectually united with the motherland which has done all in its power to protect him for decades. It will be possible to maintain this unity by protecting and reinforcing the Cypriot Turk's national awareness with a cultural policy .

A cultural bridge extending from Cyprus to Turkey and from Turkey to Cyprus must be built. We believe that if this is done then the problems today being experienced on the negotiating table will have no effect in the long term."

"PERSPECTIVE ON THE BALKANS AND THE OTTOMAN VISION" CONFERENCE

The "Perspective on the Balkans and the Ottoman Vision" conference held by the SRF on 22 September, 2003, at the Istanbul Ciragan Palace was the subject of considerable interest. Speakers from Turkey and the Balkans once again stressed that the world needed a new Ottoman Empire.

Balkan Muslims demonstrated enormous interest in the conference, at which the political, social and cultural problems facing the Muslims of the region were expressed. Speakers at the conference were: Sancak Mayor Suleyman Uglagin, Democratic Turkish Party of Kosovo Secretary General Mahir Yagcilar, Mufti of Xanthi Mehmet Emin Aga, former advisor to the president of Bosnia-Herzegovina Prof. Cemaluddin Latic, Macedonian Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission Chairman Cevat Huseyni, Ankara University Faculty of Law member Prof. Anil Cecen, High Islamic Institute of Sofia teaching staff member Prof. Ibrahim Tatarli, advisor to the Macedonian Culture Minister Prof. Ferit Muhic, Prof. Mustafa Kahramanyol, Chairman of the Foundation on the Preservation of National Values Altug Mustak Berker and SRF Chairman Tarkan Yavas.

The Balkans Long for the Ottomans

Former Culture Minister Agah Oktay Guner gave a brief address to the conference in which he stated that he did not look at the Balkans through nostalgia-tinted spectacles, and said:

"Beginning with Sultan Murat, all the Ottoman sultans built a civilization of tolerance in the region. The Ottomans spent twice the amount they took in taxes on investment in the region. At the basis of the Ottoman civilization in the Balkans was the Islamic conception that made us what we were. When the Ottomans withdrew from the region, however, oppression in the Balkans began. Under a guise of Pan-Slavism, imperialism, the most ruthless ideology in the world, transformed the region into a river of blood. It gradually brought all the Balkans under its control. The Balkans, in which chaos still prevails, long for a new Ottoman Empire."

Kosovan Muslims Expect Help from Turkey

In his address he gave in Turkish, Democratic Turkish Party of Kosovo Secretary General Mahir Yagcilar, representing the Kosovan Muslims at the conference, said that there was still tension in Kosovo and that the Serbs had taken away the Muslim population's basic rights and freedoms, that historical artifacts dating back to the Ottomans had been one by one destroyed since they could not be protected, that the necessary education could not be provided in Turkish schools due to a lack of sufficient personnel and the religious instruction lessons in particular were gravely insufficient.

Sancak Mayor Suleyman Uglanin, attending the conference on behalf of the Sancak Muslims, said that there was a desire to systematically eliminate the 550,000 Muslims living in the Sancak region, but that the Muslims had never made any concessions with regard to their culture.

Mufti of Xanthi Mehmet Emin Aga, attending from Western Thrace, stated in his address, which was frequently interrupted by applause, that there was an attempt to spread the seeds of division among the Balkan Muslims, whereas there was actually no need to distinguish between Albanian, Turk or Bosnian, and that all the Muslims living in the Balkans had to unite around a single objective.

The Problems of the Bulgarian Muslims Continue

High Islamic Institute of Sofia teaching staff member Prof. Ibrahim Tatarli, participating from Bulgaria, said that the Rights and Freedoms Movement founded by Bulgarian Muslims had been successful in the recent elections and had joined the coalition, receiving two ministerial positions and six deputy ministerial posts. However, he also stated that they were still at the beginning of the road and that the vacuum in national and spiritual education left over from Communist days still persisted. Ibrahim Tatarli then went on to say that as a Muslim he was greatly distressed by the destruction of mosques, the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, in the Balkans.

In his address, former advisor to the president of Bosnia-Herzegovina Prof. Cemaluddin Latic stated that a permanent solution to the Balkans question had still not been found. Latic recalled that following the withdrawal of the Ottoman Empire from the region, Serb killers in the Balkans had murdered 5 million Muslims, and that the fact that the Balkans could again turn into a river of blood should not be ignored.

Macedonian Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission Chairman Cevat Huseyni expressed his happiness at being in Istanbul, regarded as the center of the Islamic world. Huseyni then stated that with the fragmentation of the Eastern bloc, the Muslims of Macedonia had been left defenseless, that war could break out in Macedonia at any moment, and that a permanent peace in the region was essential.

Participating as a speaker at the conference, Ankara University teaching staff member Prof. Anil Cecen said that a great vacuum had arisen in the region in the wake of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. As a result of that vacuum, he continued, two world wars had taken place and millions of people had died.

"RELIGIONS DENOUNCE TERRORISM" CONFERENCE

On 23 June, 2003, the SRF held an international conference in Istanbul titled "Religions Denounce Terrorism." A large number of prominent Muslims, Christians and Jews from Turkey and worldwide were invited to the conference, either as speakers or as observers, and representatives of all three religions were invited to exchange views on this important topic and to send out a joint message.

Emphasizing the distorted nature of the concept of "terror in the name of religion," the SRF aims both to provide an effective response to the radical and aggressive thinking that threatens our world, and also, by stressing the common moral values of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, to contribute to understanding, tolerance, dialogue and cooperation among members of these three religions. All three religions command peace, love and brotherhood, and condemn violence, terror and oppression. Starting from this basic truth, by coming together in this way sincere believers will make a considerable contribution to the environment of peace, security and brotherhood so longed for in the world.

A Common Approach against Materialism

The SRF acts out of the belief that mistaken world views and moral conceptions lie at the root of a great many problems both worldwide and in Turkey. There is a close correlation between political conflicts, wars and injustice in society and people's ethical conceptions. When we look at which ethical conception these problems are the consequence of, we find ourselves face-to-face with materialism. This philosophy assumes that life on Earth is entirely the product of coincidences. It suggests that man is a living thing that evolved from animals, and that he progresses only by means of conflict.

People who adopt this philosophy will inevitably be selfish. They will regard life as an arena in which struggles of self-interests are waged ruthlessly, and will regard such virtues as altruism, compassion and honesty as unnecessary. This worldview, which claims to be scientific by way of Darwin's theory of evolution, is enormously influential in our time. Both in totalitarian ideologies such as communism and fascism, and in the moral degeneration in modern societies the destructive effects of materialism can be seen.

Since materialism turns people solely in the direction of material values and away from spiritual ones, it also destroys national sentiment, and therefore represents a major threat to nations' survival.

It is for that reason that the SRF has for years been engaged in a wide-ranging cultural service in order to broadcast the erroneous nature of materialist philosophy and its intellectual foundation, Darwin's theory of evolution, to both Turkey and the world as a whole.

One of the important facts emerging from this intellectual struggle against materialism is that believers in all three faiths are united and in the same lines against materialist philosophy. Jews, Christians and Muslims believe that we were created by Allah and must live according to the truths revealed by Him, which are extremely important common moral values. The SRF believes in the need for the members of all three faiths to act in concert on the basis of these shared values.

It is essential for members of all three faiths to cooperate not solely against materialism, but also in inflicting an intellectual defeat on such harmful ideologies as communism, fascism and racism, and in the resolution of such problems as poverty and social injustice.

The SRF's Ottoman Vision

On this subject one very important element that inspires the SRF and gives it its perspective is the Ottoman vision that occupies a significant place in the foundation community's worldview. The Ottoman Empire of which we are the heirs went down in history for the tolerance it showed to Christian and Jewish communities at a time when the world was full of intolerance and religious persecution. The welcome afforded by the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II to the Jews who were unjustly expelled from Spain, and the care shown them, is a most important history lesson that should never be forgotten.

Christian and Jewish Ottoman subjects always remembered the tolerance shown them by the Sublime Porte with gratitude. It is also an indisputable historical fact that they made a great contribution to the Ottoman Empire. Jews and Christians who served at court or came to occupy important positions in Ottoman society made a significant contribution to the growth and strength of this major world empire.

The SRF is of the opinion that the fact that the Ottomans let the members of all three religions live together in peace and toleration sheds significant light on present-day world problems.

For instance, in Palestine, which has been in a state of constant conflict and chaos since the early 20 th century, an environment of peace and security that lasted for centuries had been established throughout the course of Ottoman rule. In Jerusalem under Ottoman rule Christians worshiped in their churches, Jews in their synagogues and Muslims in their mosques, and the three faiths co-existed in peace. Re-adoption of the Ottoman vision will again make it possible for the bloodshed in Palestine to cease and for the picture of peace and brotherhood that prevailed in the Ottoman period to emerge once more.

The SRF Vision Regarding Inter-Faith Cooperation

In the approach described so far, the SRF has initiated a major cultural service campaign on the subject of inter-faith dialogue and cooperation, one which it is determined to maintain.

Members of the SRF are ready to assume all forms of responsibility falling to them in this regard, and to make all kinds of sacrifices.

A number of principles to which the SRF community have devoted themselves may be set out as follows:

• The SRF community is ready to engage in all forms of cultural cooperation with Jews and Christians in the light of the shared truths and values in which members of all three religions believe. In particular, the community is keen to make all sorts of arrangements when it comes to its cultural activities describing the existence of Allah, the error of atheist philosophies and the beauty of religious moral values, and to place these at the service of Christians and Jews.
• The SRF is a prominent defender of the rights of Jewish and Christian Turkish citizens, and will always remain so. The SRF community is ready to provide all forms of intellectual and social support so that Jewish and Christian citizens can live in peace and security, and practice and represent their faiths as they wish.
• The SRF is completely opposed to any statement or actions aimed at harassing Jewish and Christian communities in Turkey or anywhere else in the world. It strongly opposes anti-Semitism, in other words hatred of Jews, a barbaric ideology of hatred directed towards members of that faith.

Conclusion

The SRF believes that the development of mutual tolerance and understanding between members of the three faiths, and cooperation between them on the basis of shared values, is an important step that can change the world in the 21 st century.

The last two centuries were filled with the bitter fruits of the deception of mankind by materialist philosophy. Traces of that philosophy can be seen in the world wars, in genocide, in ethnic conflicts, in communist or fascist totalitarianism, and in moral degeneration and collapse. Yet advances in science and thought undermine materialism and its variants, and show mankind that it does not inhabit this world by chance, but by the benevolence of Almighty Allah. Rather than a "clash of civilizations" among Jews, Christians and Muslims, who share this basic belief, there must be "peace and solidarity among civilizations." The need for cooperation between civilizations is unavoidable if the incidents of terror and violence being experienced in the world today are to come to an end.

The SRF is determined to work towards the construction of this peace and cooperation, both in Turkey and worldwide.

The following verse from the Qur'an represents the essence of Muslims' perspective on Christians and Jews:

"We believe in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you. Our God and your God are one and we submit to Him." (Qur'an, 29: 46)

"THE GENUINE SOLUTION FOR MOSUL, KIRKUK AND THE TURKMENS" CONFERENCE"

A Solution for Mosul, Kirkuk and the Turkmens

The conference titled "The Genuine Solution for Mosul, Kirkuk and the Turkmens" took place in Ankara on 4 June, 2003, and attracted wide interest. Former Culture Minister Agah Oktay Guner presided over the session as chairman of the conference, arranged by the SRF. Deputy Chairman Recai Kutan and Temel Karamollaoglu participated in the meeting in the name of the Felicity Party (SP), which was also attended by representatives of the Turkish world, members of Parliament, academics, retired military officers, civil society organizations and journalists. In addition, members of Parliament from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and senior officials from the Great Union Party (BBP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) also demonstrated considerable interest in the conference.

We Forgot the Turkmens of Iraq after 1926

In his opening address, former Culture Minister Agah Oktay Guner underlined the importance of the SRF activities aimed at protecting basic rights and freedoms in the oppressed region of the Islamic world, and said, "Others take over the lands of those who do not know their history. Historical awareness must not be imprisoned in text books."

We Have Been Unable to Explain the Turkmen Cause to the West

Kirkuk Foundation General Secretary Prof. Suphi Saatci said that he had witnessed many of the massacres perpetrated in Kirkuk, and had lost his mother and two siblings. Saatci said that Turkey needed to support the presence of the Turkmens in Iraq by assuming the role of an older brother, and stated that because of the weakness of the Turkish lobby in the USA they had experienced difficulties in describing the Turkmen issue to the USA and the West.

AKP Istanbul member of Parliament Prof. Nevzat Yalcintas then described the measures the AKP government was thinking of taking regarding the Turkmens' legitimate cause, and explained why the second bill have not passed through Parliament. Yalcintas stated that he knew the area very well and was familiar with the problems facing the Turkmens, and went on to comment:

"The fundamental rights and freedoms of our Turkmen cousins must be placed under protection. Israel is engaged in covert activity in the region. As an extension of this, Kurdish State project is emerging onto the stage. The objective is bringing Northern Iraq under control. They may raise the subject of terror again within this project, but it is still not too late. Support can be given to the legitimate cause of the Iraqi Turkmens through intelligent foreign policy maneuvering."

The Turkmens Must Apply to the ECHR

In his address, Marmara University Faculty of Law States and Maritime Law Department head Prof. Ferit Hakan Baykal said that it was at this stage impossible for Mosul and Kirkuk to become part of Turkish territory again, but that the support provided for the TRNC could easily be given to this region, too. Baykal also underlined that the Iraqi Turkmens could regain the rights taken away from them in the event that they applied to the European Court of Human Rights.

Mufti of Xanthi Mehmet Emin Aga, in Ankara to support the Iraqi Turkmens, said in his address that there is good in all things for Muslims and went on to say, in summary: "There may be something auspicious in what we see as evil, and evil in something we regard as auspicious. In our religion, there is something auspicious in any event that has taken place. We must therefore look forwards, not backwards. Allah reveals promises and glad tidings in the Qur'an. Let nobody be in any doubt that the moral values of the Qur'an will prevail on Earth and that the problems facing all Islamic territory, including the Turkmens of Iraq, will be resolved in the near future. We must therefore never lose hope."

Broad Participation from all Sections of Society

The "The Genuine Solution for Mosul, Kirkuk and the Turkmens" conference organized by the SRF brought together people with widely differing views. The following names stood out at the conference, in which the military, politicians, academics and journalists took great interest: SP Deputy Chairman Recai Kutan, former Culture Minister Agah Oktay Guner, East Turkistan Foundation Chairman Retired Brigadier General M. Riza Bekin, former Minister of State Baki Tug, BBP Deputy Chairman Ebubekir Yigit, United Caucasian Council Chairman Enver Kaplan, former Health Minister Halil Sivgin, Parliamentary Human Rights Commission Chairman Mehmet Elkatmis, Turkish Authors' Association Chairman Nazif Ozturk, Kirkuk Foundation General Secretary Prof. Suphi Saatci, Iraqi Turkmen Solidarity Association Chairman Prof. Ekrem Pamukcu, Mufti of Xanthi Mehmet Emin Aga, former Motherland Party (ANAP) Education Minister Vehbi Dincerler, True Path Party (DYP) Deputy Secretary General Mehmet Gokturk, Chairman of the Foundation on the Preservation of National Values Altug Berker, Turkey-Kyrgyzstan Association Chairman Retired Colonel Suleyman Merdanoglu, daily Ortadogu proprietor Zeki Saracoglu, MHP General Administrative Board member Y�lma Durak, Retired Brigadier General Mehdi Sungur, Republican People's Party (CHP) member of Parliament Huseyin Gulen, Milli Gazete foreign affairs desk chief Huseyin Altinalan, many representatives from overseas, international news agency Ankara representatives, AKP members of Parliament, former ministers and members of Parliament, and academics from various universities, who all attended the meeting held by the SRF to support the legitimate cause of the Iraqi Turkmens.

"A GENUINE SOLUTION FOR CYPRUS" CONFERENCE

Devotion to national and spiritual values were once again stressed at the "Genuine Solution for Cyprus" conference held by the SRF on 3 May, 2003. A 160-member delegation, consisting of members of Parliament from Turkey, former ministers, retired military commanders, academics, civil society organization officials, writers, journalists and a Janissary band, attended the conference by private plane laid on by the SRF. TRNC President Rauf Denktas was the honorary guest.

The Muslim-Turkish World in Lefkosa

Emotions ran high at the conference, held on Turkish Festival Day, 3 May, addressed by Iraqi Turkmen Association Chairman Ekrem Pamukcu, East Turkistan Foundation Chairman Muhammed Riza Bekin, Mufti of Xanthi Mehmet Emin Aga and TRNC President Rauf Denktas. (The conference was broadcast live by TRNC State Television Company Bayrak TV. The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation also devoted wide coverage to it.)

Denktas: "We Are Grateful to Turkey"

TRNC President Rauf Dentas, who received a several-minute-long standing ovation from the Turkish delegation, began his address by thanking the SRF for its support for the Cypriot cause.

Denktas then went on to state that the Turkish Cypriots had suffered enormous oppression between 1963 and 1974, and that they had spent every day in expectation of liberation by Turkey. He stated that they had been reborn with the Cyprus Freedom Operation on 20 July, 1974, and thanked the SRF and everyone who supported the Cypriot cause.

In his address, SRF Chairman Tarkan Yavas said that Cyprus could be regenerated with the regeneration of national and spiritual values, and went on to state that the SRF would fulfill every duty given to it on that subject with great determination.

AKP Balikesir member of Parliament Turhan Comez gave a brief address saying that the Muslim Uyghurs in East Turkistan, the Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace and the TRNC were all natural parts of Turkey, and that Turkey had a historic responsibility to protect its fellow Turks there.

Iraqi Turkmen Association Chairman Ekrem Pamukcu, East Turkistan Foundation Chairman Muhammed Riza Bekin, Chairman of the Foundation on the Preservation of National Values Altug Berker, daily Turkiye columnist Rahim Er, Girne member of Parliament Ertugrul Hasipoglu, Turkish Parliamentary Constitution Commission Chairman Prof. Burhan Kuzu, former Culture Minister Agah Oktay Guner, Mufti of Xanthi Mehmet Emin Aga and R. Brigadier General Adnan Tanriverdi all gave addresses drawing attention to the importance of national and spiritual values. The conference came to an end with an awards ceremony.

Janissary Band Concert in Lefkosa Square

The sound of a Janissary band was heard on Cyprus for the first time since Ottoman days at the event held by the Science Research Foundation.

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