[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 63 (Friday, May 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E771-E772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 10TH PRESIDENT OF THE TURKISH REPUBLIC

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. GEORGE R. NETHERCUTT, JR.

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 2000

  Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Speaker, Turkey is undergoing a peaceful 
transition of power,

[[Page E772]]

which has received little attention in this country. Last Friday, the 
Turkish parliament secured the necessary support to vote Ahmet Necdet 
Sezer, a former top judge as the 10th President of the Turkish 
Republic. He will officially assume his post on May 16th.
  This development was viewed positively by the European Union and 
western circles. President-elect Sezer is known as an outspoken 
advocate of democratic reforms and a staunch defender of secularism.
  His accession to the presidency was also well received at home. 
According to a public opinion poll, he enjoys 81 percent popular 
support. According to the same poll, 75 percent of those polled believe 
that he would be a successful President.
  Mr. Speaker, Turkey is well known as a dependable and strategically 
located NATO ally, but the State Department's 1999 report on global 
terrorism, which was recently released, highlights Turkey's 
contributions to curtail terrorism, perhaps one of the biggest threats 
to our security in this new millennium.
  In 1999 Turkey not only captured Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the 
vicious PKK which was responsible for the death of tens of thousands of 
people, but also was successful in thwarting the activities of the 
leftwing Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) as they 
prepared to inflict damage on U.S. targets.
  The report details the Turkish police's successful operation against 
the terrorist group in a shootout on 4 June as the terrorists prepared 
unsuccessfully to fire a light antitank weapon at the U.S. Consulate in 
Istanbul from a nearby construction site. Authorities also arrested 
some 160 DHKP/C members and supporters in Turkey and confiscated 
numerous weapons, ammunition, bombs, and bomb making materials over the 
course of the year, dealing a harsh blow to the organization.
  According to the report, Turkey also made significant progress 
against Islamic terrorism, as Turkish authorities continued to arrest 
and try Islamic terrorists vigorously in 1999. The report states that 
militants from the two major groups--Turkish Hizballah, a Kurdish group 
not affiliated with Lebanese Hizballah, and the Islamic Great Eastern 
Raiders-Front--managed to conduct low-level attacks.
  There were at least two attempted bombings against Russian interests 
in Turkey during 1999. On 10 December authorities discovered a bomb 
outside a building housing the offices of the Russian airline Aero-Flot 
in Istanbul. The bomb weighed approximately 14 kilograms, was concealed 
in a suitcase, and was similar to a bomb found on the grounds of the 
Russian Consulate in Istanbul in mid-November. Turkish officials 
suspect that Chechen sympathizers were responsible.
  While most of our NATO allies have benefited from the end of Cold 
War, experts maintain that since 13 of the 16 possible conflicts in the 
world are in Turkey's neighborhood, Turkey has not benefited from a 
peace dividend. We must continue to support and nurture the friendship 
we have with the Republic of Turkey, a close ally that continues to 
shoulder a heavy burden for regional peace and security.

                          ____________________