Turkish candidate pledges loyalty to secular principles

The Associated Press Published: April 26, 2007

ISTANBUL, Turkey: Turkey's presidential front-runner promised to uphold secular principles despite the doubts of skeptics, ahead of the start of voting Friday that highlights tensions between the defenders of secularism and the Islamic-rooted government.
"I am loyal to the republic, to secularism, to the principles of a democratic, social state ruled by law, as stated in the Constitution in essence," Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said in an interview published Thursday in the Milliyet newspaper.
The comment echoed a recent statement by military chief Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, a guardian of the secular principles enshrined in the Constitution. He had said the president must be loyal to secularism "not just in words, but in essence."
As the ruling party candidate, Gul is almost certain to win the presidency in a series of parliamentary votes that begin Friday — a prospect that has unnerved the country's secular establishment. Hundreds of thousands of people recently demonstrated for secular ideals in the capital of Ankara, and another large rally was planned in Istanbul on Sunday.
"I tried to understand them," Gul said of the demonstrators. "If they have concerns, doubts, my job is to remove those concerns. That will be my duty if I am elected president. I will strive to be the president of all citizens no matter their point of view."
Gul also told Sabah newspaper that he was committed to a strong democracy, economy and military.
The military has largely shunned the public debate, indicating Turkish democracy is on a more secure footing than in coup-prone days of the past.
Gul courted opposition and independent lawmakers, urging them to thwart plans by the main opposition group to boycott the election. Although the ruling party has supported religious schools and tried to lift the ban on Islamic head scarves in public offices, Gul has insisted he will respect the secular traditions enshrined in Turkey's constitution.
Current President Ahmet Necdet Sezer vigorously used his powers as a check on the government, vetoing a record number of legislative bills and appointments of officials deemed to be supporters of an Islamic agenda.
Gul is a close ally of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the presidency would complete their lock on political power ahead of general elections planned for November.
"Gul cannot be expected to play the role of Sezer in issuing warnings or putting on brakes," columnist Turker Alkan wrote in the Radikal newspaper.
The leaders of two small parties urged the government to hold early general elections and let a newly formed Parliament elect the president, saying the credibility of the political process was at stake and there was too much tension.
"Turkey has come to a point where it is open to provocations," Motherland Party leader Erkan Mumcu said at a news conference with the head of the True Path Party, Mehmet Agar.
The military, at least in public, has left the political wrangling to the civilians. It military staged three coups between 1960 and 1980 and pressured a pro-Islamic premier — Erdogan's mentor — out of power in 1997. Any overt attempt to intervene in this process could have a devastating effect on the economy and on the NATO member's efforts to reform society as it vies for European Union membership.
If elected, Gul will chair bimonthly National Security Council meetings, which gather the military's top brass and some Cabinet members to discuss key concerns, including homegrown threats from radical Islamic circles.
Gul's wife, Hayrunisa, wears the traditional Muslim head scarf, and secularists dislike the idea of such a religious symbol being worn in the presidential palace.
But both he and Erdogan have rejected the Islamic label. The government has shown openness to the West by securing economic stability with help from the International Monetary Fund, and seeking EU membership.
The ruling party has a majority of more than 60 percent in parliament. But the main opposition Republican People's Party — with 152 seats — said it would boycott the first round of voting. It said it would ask the Constitutional Court to cancel the vote if it proceeds without two-thirds of lawmakers present — a move that could force early general elections.
The ruling party insists only one-third of lawmakers must attend the first round.

ispanyolca/ ispanyolca ders / ispanyolca kurs 10

When is the next train to....?
¿Cuándo es el próximo tren para...?
kwando es el prok-seemo tren para...

Two return tickets to...
A single to...

Dos billetes de ida y vuelta a...
Un billete de ida a...

dos bee-lye-tes de eeda ee bwelta a...
oon bee-lye-te de eeda a...


Tourist class
Smoking / Non smoking

De clase turista
Fumador / No fumador

de klase too-reesta
fooma-dor / no fooma-dor


Is there a supplement to pay?
¿Hay que pagar suplemento?
a-ee ke pagar soo-ple-mento

I want to book a seat on the AVE to Seville
Quería reservar un asiento en el AVE a Sevilla
ke-ree-a re-serbar oon a-syento en el a-be a se-beelya

When is the first / last train to...?
¿Cuándo es el primer / el último tren para...?
kwando es el pree-mer / el ool-teemo tren para...

When does it arrive in...?
¿Cuándo llega a...?
kwando lyega a...

Do I have to change?
Where?

¿Tengo que hacer transbordo?
¿Dónde?

tengo ke a-ther trans-bordo
don-de


How long is there to get the connection?
¿Cuánto tiempo hay para el enlace?
kwanto tyempo a-ee para el enla-the

Which platform does it leave from?
¿De qué andén sale?
de ke an-den sa-le

Is this the right platform for the train to...?
¿Sale de este andén el tren para...?
sa-le de este an-den el tren para...

Is this the train for...?
When will it leave?

¿Es este el tren para...?
¿Cuándo va a salir?

es este el tren para...
kwando ba a sa-leer


Why is the train delayed?
¿Por qué sale el tren con retraso?
por ke sa-le el tren kon re-traso

Does the train stop at...?
¿Para el tren en...?
pa-ra el tren en...

Please let me know when we get to...
Por favor, ¿me avisa cuando lleguemos a...?
por fabor me abee-sa kwando lye-gemos a...

Is there a buffet on the train?
¿Hay servicio de cafetería en el tren?
a-ee ser-beethyo de ka-fe-teree-a en el tren

Is this free? (seat)
¿Está libre?
esta leebre

ispanyolca/ ispanyolca ders / ispanyolca kurs 10

ispanyolca/ ispanyolca ders / ispanyolca kurs 9

Are there any vegetarian restaurants here?
¿Hay aquí algún restaurante vegetariano?
a-ee a-kee al-goon restow-ran-te be-kheta-ryano

Do you have any vegetarian dishes?
¿Tienen algún plato vegetariano?
tye-nen al-goon plato be-kheta-ryano

Which dishes have no meat / fish?
¿Cuáles son los platos que no llevan carne / pescado?
kwa-les son los platos que no lyeban kar-ne / pes-kado

What fish dishes do you have?
¿Qué tienen de pescado?
ke tye-nen de pes-kado

I'd like pasta as a main course
De segundo, quisiera tomar pasta
de se-goondo kee-syera tomar pasta

I don't like meat
What do you recommend?

No me gusta la carne
¿Qué me recomienda?

no me goosta la kar-ne
ke me reko-myenda


Is it made with vegetable stock?
¿Está hecho con caldo de verduras?
esta e-cho kon kaldo de ber-dooras

* POSSIBLE DISHES

berenjenas aubergines

ensalada salad

espárragos asparagus

gazpacho cold cucumber, peppers, garlic and tomato soup

pisto peppers, courgettes, onions cooked in a tomato sauce

judias verdes French beans

revuelto de champiñones mushrooms with scrambled eggs

revuelto de espinacas spinach with scrambled eggs

tortilla española omelette with potato and onions

ispanyolca/ ispanyolca ders / ispanyolca kurs 9

In Turkey, a Sign of a Rising Islamic Middle Class

By SABRINA TAVERNISE
Published: April 25, 2007 (NYT)

ISTANBUL, April 24 — Turkey’s ruling party on Tuesday chose a presidential candidate with an Islamic background, a move that will extend the reach of the party — and the emerging class of devout Muslims it represents — into the heart of Turkey’s secular establishment for the first time.

The selection has focused the worries of secular Turks who fear that sexual equality, as well as drinking alcohol and wearing miniskirts, could eventually be in danger.
Abdullah Gul, 56, the foreign minister, whose wife wears a Muslim head scarf and who is Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s closest political ally, is expected to be confirmed as president by Parliament in several rounds of voting that begin Friday. That will boost Turkey’s new political class — modernizers from a religious background.
“These are the new forces, the new social powers,” said Ali Bulac, a columnist for a conservative newspaper, Zaman, in Istanbul. “They are very devout. They don’t drink. They don’t gamble. They don’t take holidays. They are loaded with a huge energy. This energy has been blocked by the state.”
Turkey is a Muslim country, but its state, founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is strictly secular, and the presidency is its most important office. The current president is Ahmet Necdet Sezer, a secularist with a judicial background whose term is expiring.
Mr. Gul, an affable English speaker who has long been his party’s public face abroad, nodded to secular concerns in a news conference in Ankara after his nomination, saying, “Our differences are our richness.” His candidacy was a concession: the choice most distasteful to the secular establishment was Mr. Erdogan himself, who deftly bowed out.
Still, if Mr. Gul is confirmed, his party would occupy the posts of president, prime minister and parliamentary speaker, a lineup that the opposition party leader, Deniz Baykal, called “unfavorable.” His party later announced that it would boycott the vote.
In the Middle East, where mixing religion with government has been seen as poisonous for modernity, Turkey’s very light blend stands out as unusual, even unique.
“This party has done more for the modernization of Turkey than all the secular parties in the previous years,” said Joost Lagendijk, a member of the European Parliament who heads a committee on Turkish issues. “They were willing to open up the system, to challenge the elite.”
The party that Mr. Gul helped found, known by its Turkish initials, AK, sprang from the Islamic political movements of the 1990s. But the AK became significantly more moderate after taking power on a national scale in 2002. Since then, it has applied pragmatic policies that helped create an economic boom and opened up the state in ways that the rigid secular elite, which relied heavily on state control, had never imagined, in part to qualify for membership in the European Union.
Although the party is publicly adamant about keeping religion separate from policy, bristling at shorthand descriptions of it as pro-Islamic, it draws much of its support from Turkey’s religiously conservative heartland. Once on the periphery, these traditional Turks are now emerging as a powerful middle class that has driven Turkey’s boom. The economy has nearly doubled in the four years that the AK has been in power, largely because it has stuck to an economic program prescribed by the International Monetary Fund.
Mr. Gul’s candidacy goes to the heart of the secular-religious debate, because the presidency is such a revered symbol with real powers — he is commander in chief and has a veto. Turkish military leaders in the past have remarked that they would refuse to visit the presidential palace if a woman in a head scarf were living in it.
“How can she now become the host of a palace that represents the very same principles?” said Necmi Yuzbasioglu, a professor of constitutional law at Istanbul University.
Mehmet A. Kislali, a columnist with the newspaper Radikal, who has contacts with the military, said: “The military should not be underestimated. Thousands of officers are watching the developments.”
But the party’s only real application of Islam has been its grass-roots approach. In practices that would be familiar to Shiite Muslims in Lebanon or to Palestinians in Gaza, women’s groups go door to door offering aid, community centers offer women’s literacy classes and sports centers give free physical therapy to handicapped children.
The question of religion aside, economic progress under the AK has been extraordinary, with a steady rise in entrepreneurship. In Istanbul, fuel-efficient taxis zip down tulip-lined streets. New parks have sprung up. The air is less polluted.
Mustafa Karaduman, a textile designer and fashion house owner, is among the new entrepreneurs. He is from Anatolia, a capital of middle-class production, and the homeland of Mr. Gul. His fashion house has turned into an empire, supplying Islamic clothing for women in Europe and the Middle East. He is 50, has seven children, and is an outspoken opponent of the miniskirt.
“My mission,” he says, “is to cover all women around the world.”

The country’s wealth has drawn more observant Turks into public life. Some religious schools now teach English, unheard of a decade ago, improving the chances of students from religious backgrounds on university entrance exams.
At the Kartal Anadolu Imam Hatip High School in a conservative middle-class neighborhood, 16-year-old girls in head scarves and sweatshirts played basketball last week in brightly patterned Converse sneakers. (Skulls were a popular choice.) Last year, 94 students were admitted to universities, up from almost none a decade ago, said Hadir Kalkan, the school’s principal, pointing to students’ career choices in marketing, broadcasting, psychology and finance. Just 14 chose to continue religious training.
The city pool and gym in the lower-middle-class neighborhood of Okmeydani is a testament to the ascendancy of the pious middle class. Few observant women attended in 1996, when the pool opened, an attendant said. Now they fill treadmills and lap lanes.
“I always wanted to but there were no places to go,” said Dondu Koc, a 46-year-old in yellow sweat pants as she pedaled an exercise bike in a room full of women on Wednesday. Before Mr. Erdogan’s stewardship as mayor of the city, there was only one public pool. Now there are three, and five are under construction.
The complex is separated by sex, an arrangement Ms. Koc likes because it lets her and other covered women pedal, jog and swim without their head scarves. But the division irritates secular Turks.
“There shouldn’t be a split like this,” said Tamis Demirel, 47, a homemaker whose hair was still wet from her swim. “We sit next to each other; we should swim next to each other, too.”
The remark seemed to answer the question of Elif Demir, a 19-year-old office clerk at a youth rally for Mr. Erdogan on Sunday. “We have no problem with women wearing miniskirts,” she said, “but why are they so bothered with our head scarves?”
That frustration took the form of a public scolding at a meeting on the far edge of Istanbul on Friday night, where a man who supports Mr. Erdogan’s party complained about what he said was weak party support for religious schools.
“What about Koran courses?” he asked a party representative. “We are looking for generations that have morality.”
The apartment where the meeting took place bore the traces of upper-middle-class life: a running machine, a washing machine and a dryer. Brightly colored scarves covered the hair of the hostesses.
The representative, Kenan Danisman, paused as the evening prayer began. He then offered some pragmatic advice. “If you transfer this prayer into practical support, in three to five years, the problems that hurt peoples’ consciences will be resolved.”
It is precisely the open question of religion’s role in society that makes secular Turks so uncomfortable. Mr. Erdogan may be explicit in his opposition to Islam’s entering policy, but what about the rank and file who are filling jobs in public administration — what is their view of sexual equality? Secular Turks worry that their conservative worldview will lead to a reinterpretation of the rules and lower tolerance for a secular lifestyle.
“People like me are not calculating the economy or what sort of policies they are making,” said Basak Caglayan, 35, a financial consultant who will be married next month. “The life we expect, we want, for our children, is changing. I worry about that.”

ispanyolca/ ispanyolca ders / ispanyolca kurs 8

chubascos
showers

despejado
clear

lluvia
rain

niebla
fog

nublado
cloudy


It's sunny
It's raining
It's snowing
It's windy

Hace sol
Está lloviendo
Está nevando
Hace viento

a-the sol
esta lyo-byendo
esta ne-bando
a-the byento



What a lovely day!
What awful weather!

¡Qué día más bueno!
¡Qué tiempo tan malo!

ke dee-a mas bweno
ke tyempo tan malo


What will the weather be like tomorrow?
¿Qué tiempo hará mañana?
ke tyempo a-ra ma-nyana

Do you think it's going to rain?
Do I need an umbrella?

¿Cree que va a llover?
¿Necesitaré paraguas?

kre-e ke ba a lyo-ber
ne-the-seeta-re pa-ragwas


When will it stop raining?
¿Cuándo parará de llover?
kwando pa-rara de lyo-ber

It's very hot
Do you think there will be a storm?

Hace mucho calor
¿Cree que va a haber tormenta?

a-the moocho kalor
kre-e ke ba a a-ber tor-menta


Do you think it will snow?
¿Le parece que va a nevar?
le pa-rethe ke ba a nebar

What is the temperature?
¿Qué temperatura hace?
ke tem-pera-toora a-the

ispanyolca/ ispanyolca ders / ispanyolca kurs 8

ispanyolca ispanyolca ders ispanyolca kurs 7

ispanyolca ispanyolca ders ispanyolca kurs 7

The wine list, please
La carta de vinos, por favor
la karta de beenos por fabor

Can you recommend a good wine?
¿Puede recomendarnos un vino bueno?
pwe-de reko-mendar-nos oon beeno bweno

A bottle...
A carafe...
of the house wine

Una botella...
Una jarra...
de vino de la casa

oona bo-telya...
oona kharra...
de beeno de la kasa



of red wine
of white wine
of rosé wine

de vino tinto
de vino blanco
de vino rosado

de beeno teento
de beeno blanko
de beeno ro-sado



of dry wine
of sweet wine
of a local wine

de vino seco
de vino dulce
de vino de la tierra

de beeno seko
de beeno dool-the
de beeno de la tyerra


Albariño smooth white wine from Galicia

Alella dry, medium-dry white wines from Cataluña

Alicante strong country reds and Fondillón, aged mature wine

Cariñena mainly red wines, best drunk young, from Aragón

Cava good quality sparkling white wine from Penedés

Cigales light, fruity, dry rosé wines from Castilla-León

Jumilla strong, dark red wines from Murcia

Lágrima one of the best of the Málaga wines, very sweet

La Mancha firm whites and reds from Castilla-La Mancha

Málaga fortified, sweet, dark dessert wine

Navarra full-bodied reds from Navarra

Penedés fine reds, rosés and whites. Home of Cava

Ribeiro young, fresh, white wines from Galicia

Ribera del Duero fruity rosés and deep distinguished reds from
the banks of the river Duero in Castilla-León

Rioja some of the finest red wines of Spain: full-bodied, rich and
aged in oak. Also good white Riojas aged in oak

Valdepeñas soft, fruity, red wines and white wines

ispanyolca ispanyolca ders ispanyolca kurs 7

ispanyolca / ispanyolca ders / spanisch / ispanyolca kurs 6

What work do you do?
Do you enjoy it?

¿En qué trabaja?
¿Le gusta?

en ke traba-kha
le goosta


I'm...
a doctor
a teacher
a secretary

Soy...
médico(a)
profesor(a)
secretaria

soy...
me-deeko(a)
pro-fesor(a)
se-kreta-rya

I work in...
a shop
a factory
a bank

Trabajo en...
una tienda
una fábrica
un banco

traba-kho en...
oona tyenda
oona fa-breeka
oon banko


I work from home
I'm self-employed

Trabajo en casa
Trabajo por cuenta propia

traba-kho en kasa
traba-kho por cwenta pro-pee-a


I have been unemployed for...
...months

He estado en el paro...
...meses

e es-tado en el paro...
...meses


It's very difficult to get a job at the moment
Ahora es muy difícil encontrar trabajo
a-o-ra es mwee dee-feetheel en-kontrar traba-kho

What are your hours?
¿Cuáles son sus horas de trabajo?
kwales son soos o-ras de traba-kho

I work from 9 to 5
from Monday to Friday

Trabajo de nueve a cinco
de lunes a viernes

traba-kho de nwe-be a theenko
de loo-nes a byer-nes


How much holiday do you get?
¿Cuánto tiempo tiene de vacaciones?
kwanto tyempo tye-ne de baka-thyo-nes

What do you want to be when you grow up?
¿Qué quieres hacer cuando seas mayor?
ke kye-res a-ther kwando se-as ma-yor

ispanyolca / ispanyolca ders / spanisch / ispanyolca kurs 6

ispanyolca / spanish / spanisch / ispanyolca kurs 5

I will confirm... by letter by fax
Lo confirmaré... por escrito por fax
lo konfeer-ma-re... por eskree-to por faks

I'm staying at Hotel...
Me quedo en el Hotel...
me kedo en el o-tel...

How do I get to your office?
¿Cómo se va a su oficina?
komo se ba a soo ofee-theena

Please let ... know that I will be ... minutes late
Por favor, dígale a ... que voy a llegar ... minutos tarde
por fabor dee-gale a ... ke boy a lyegar ... mee-nootos tar-de

I have an appointment with... at ... o'clock
Tengo una cita con... a las...
tengo oona theeta kon... a las...

Here is my card
Aquí tiene mi tarjeta
a-kee tye-ne mee tar-kheta

I'm delighted to meet you at last
Es un gran placer para mí conocerle(la) por fin
es oon gran pla-ther para mee kono-ther-le(la) por feen

ispanyolca / spanish / spanisch / ispanyolca kurs / ispanyolca ders 5

ispanyolca / spanish / spanisch / ispanyolca kurs 4

Do you have a list of accommodation with prices?
¿Tiene alguna guía de hoteles y apartamentos con precios?
tye-ne al-goona gee-a de o-teles ee a-parta-mentos kon prethyos

Is there a hotel here?
¿Hay algún hotel por aquí?
a-ee al-goon o-tel por a-kee

Do you have any vacancies?
¿Tiene alguna habitación libre?
tye-ne al-goona abee-tathyon lee-bre

I'd like (to book) a room... double
Quería (reservar) una habitación... doble
ke-ree-a (re-serbar) oona abee-tathyon... do-ble

single with bath with shower
individual con baño con ducha
eendee-beedwal kon banyo kon doocha

with a double bed twin-bedded
con cama de matrimonio con dos camas
kon kama de matree-monyo kon dos kamas

with an extra bed for a child
con una cama supletoria para un niño
kon oona kama soo-pleto-rya para oon neenyo

A room that looks... onto the garden onto the sea
Una habitación que dé... al jardín al mar
oona abee-tathyon ke de... al khardeen al mar

We'd like two rooms next to each other
Quisiéramos dos habitaciones contiguas
kee-sye-ramos dos abee-tathyo-nes kontee-gwas

We'd like to stay ... nights from ... till...
Quisiéramos quedarnos ... noches del ... al...
kee-sye-ramos kedar-nos ... no-ches del ... al...

I will confirm... by letter by fax
Se lo confirmaré... por escrito por fax
se lo konfeer-ma-re... por eskree-to por faks

ispanyolca / spanish / spanisch / ispanyolca kurs / ispanyolca ders

Mourners bury German victim of publishing house attack in Turkey, police detain 11th suspect

MALATYA, Turkey: Singing hymns in Turkish, mourners on Friday buried the German victim of this week's attack at a Christian publishing house, while local media reported police had detained an 11th suspect in the slayings.

The killing of the German and two Turks — who had converted to Christianity — highlighted the country's uneasy relationship with its minorities. Christians expressed fear that growing nationalism and intolerance could lead to more violence against them.

Police detained five people Wednesday at the scene of the attack Wednesday in the eastern city of Malatya, including one man who jumped out of the window to avoid arrest. Another five suspects were detained Thursday. Private Dogan news agency and other media reported that police detained an 11th suspect on Friday in Istanbul. Police there would not comment on the reports.

Hurriyet newspaper reported that some of the suspects told police they had carried out the killings to protect Islam. Police did not comment on the report.

The three victims were found with their hands and legs tied and their throats slit. Their faces were bruised, and the ropes had cut into their wrists.

On Friday, the Hurriyet reported that at least one victim had also been stabbed many times.

"There were so many stab wounds that we couldn't count them," Hurriyet quoted Dr. Murat Ugras as saying. "It was clearly torture."

German victim Tilmann Geske was buried at an Armenian cemetery in Malatya, overgrown with weeds. His wife and three children — aged 13, 10 and 8 — were among the mourners, who sang in Turkish to guitar music and prayed for forgiveness for the attackers. His youngest, Miriam, wept as dirt was shoveled onto his coffin.

Rev. Ahmet Guvener, the pastor at a church in the city of Diyarbakir, prayed for tolerance.

"We are part of this country, we are not foreigners here," Guvener said.

The attack added to concerns in Europe about whether the predominantly Muslim country — which is bidding for European Union membership — can protect its religious minorities.

Christian leaders said they worried that nationalists were stoking hostilities against non-Turks and non-Muslims by exploiting growing uncertainty over Turkey's place in the world.

The uncertainty — and growing suspicion against foreigners — has been driven by the faltering EU bid, a resilient Kurdish separatist movement and by increasingly vocal Islamists who see themselves — and Turkey — as locked in battle with a hostile Christian West.

"Our lives are in danger because of this mind-set," the Rev. Ihsan Ozbek, pastor of the Kurtulus Church in Ankara, told a news conference in Malatya. He said there was a "witch hunt" under way against Christians and other minorities.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who as Vatican secretary of state is Pope Benedict XVI's top aide, called the attack "an insane act by a fanatic minority."

"We must not waste the fruits of the pope's visit to Turkey, which has really brought us closer," Bertone was quoted as saying by Italian news agency ANSA.

The pope visited Turkey in November, promising greater understanding and dialogue with Islam.

Nationalists, who have long dominated public debate in Turkey, have also begun to call for Turkey to withdraw its EU bid and make its own way in the world. Some young men indoctrinated with a vision of Turkish greatness — and with a view of the West as intent on keeping the Islamic world weak — view non-Muslims with suspicion.

"The problem is our education and our media," Mustafa Efe, head of Mujde FM, or Miracle FM, a Christian broadcasting station, said after traveling to Malatya to meet Protestant pastors. "They always say Christianity is dangerous because Christians are trying to break up Turkey."

Christians make up just a fraction of 1 percent of Turkey's population of 71 million.

"There is this general atmosphere of fear — that Turkey will be segmented," said Orhan Kemal Cengiz, a human rights lawyer who represented one of the slain Christians, Necati Aydin, 26, in an earlier court case. Aydin was charged with insulting Islam and spent a month in jail after he was found distributing Bibles in the Aegean city of Izmir.

Christians and other minorities have watched Turkey's struggling EU bid with alarm. Many worry the papacy of Benedict XVI, who when he was still a cardinal spoke against Turkey's bid for membership, would only contribute to their problems.

ispanyolca / spanish / spanisch / ispanyolca kurs 3

Leave me alone.Déjame en paz. (DAY-hah-may en PASS)
Don't touch me!¡No me toques! (noh may TOH-kayss!)
I'll call the police.Llamaré a la policía. (yah-mah-RAY ah lah po-lee-SEE-ah)
Police!Policía! (poh-lee-SEE-ah!)
Stop! Thief!¡Alto, al ladrón! (AHL-toh ahl lah-DROAN!)
I need help.Necesito ayuda. (ne-say-SEE-toh ah-YOU-dah)
It's an emergency.Es una emergencia. (ayss oo-nah AY-mayr-HEN-syah)
I'm lost.Estoy perdido/a (ay-STOY payr-DEE-doh/dah)
I lost my purse/handbag.Perdí mi bolsa/bolso/cartera. (payr-DEE mee BOHL-sa / BOHL-so / cahr-TAY-rah)
I lost my wallet.Perdí mi cartera/billetera. (payr-DEE mee BOHLcahr-TAY-rah / bee-yay-TAY-rah; the last may also be said as beel-yay-TAY-rah)
I'm sick.Estoy enfermo/a. (ay-STOY ayn-FAYR-moh/mah)
I've been injured.Estoy herido/a. (ay-STOY ay-REE-doh/dah)
I need a doctor.Necesito un doctor. (nay-say-SEE-toh OON dohk-TOHR)
Can I use your phone?¿Puedo usar su teléfono? (PWAY-doh oo-SAHR soo tay-LAY-foh-noh?)

ispanyolca / spanish / spanisch / ispanyolca kurs 2

Hello (informal).Hola. (OH-lah). For the formal equivalent of hola see good morning, good afternoon, good evening below.
How are you? (informal)¿Cómo estás? (KOH-moh ehss-TAHSS?)
How are you (formal)¿Cómo está usted? (KOH-mo ehss-TAH oo-stehd?)
Fine, thank you.Muy bien, gracias. (mooey BYEHN, GRAH-syahss)
What is your name? (informal)¿Cómo te llamas? (KOH-moh tay YAH-mahss?)
What is your name? (formal)¿Cómo se llama usted? (KOH-mo say YAH-mah ooss-TAID?)
My name is ______ .Me llamo ______ . (may YAH-moh _____ .)
Nice to meet you.Encantado/a. (EHN-kahn-TAH-doh)
Please.Por favor. (POHR fah-BOHR)
Thank you.Gracias. (GRAH-SYAHSS)
You're welcome.De nada. (day NAH-dah)
Yes.Sí. (SEE)
No.No. (NOH)
Excuse me. (getting attention)Disculpe. (dees-KOOL-pay)
Excuse me. (begging pardon)Perdón. (pair-DOHN)
I'm sorry.Lo siento. (loh SYEHN-toh)
Goodbye.Adiós. (ah-DYOHSS)
Goodbye. (informal)Hasta luego. (AH-stah LWAY-goh)
I can't speak Spanish [well].No hablo español [bien]. (noh AH-blow EHS-pahn-YOL [BYEHN])
Do you speak English?¿Hablas inglés? (AH-blahss een-GLAYSS?) (informal); ¿Habla usted inglés? (AH-blah oos-TAID een-GLAYSS?)
Is there someone here who speaks English?¿Hay alguien que hable inglés? (eye ahl-GYEN kay AH-blay een-GLAYSS?)
Help!Ayuda! (ah-YOU-dah!); Socorro! (soh-COH-row!)
Good morning.Buenos días. (BWAY-nohss DEE-ahss)
Good afternoon.Buenas tardes. (BWAY-nahss TAR-dayss)
Good evening (when it's dark)Buenas noches. (BWAY-nahss NOH-chayss)
Good night.Buenas noches. (BWAY-nas NOH-chayss)
I don't understand.No entiendo. (noh ehn-TYEHN-doh)
Where is the toilet?¿Dónde está el baño? (DOHN-day ehss-TAH ehl BAHN-yoh?)

ispanyolca / spanish / spanisch / ispanyolca kurs 1

Palabras Para Preguntar / Questions to ask
A dónde Where to
Cómo How
Cuál What (singular)
Cuáles What (plural)
Cuándo When
Cuánto/a How much
Cuántos/as How many
De dónde Where from
Dónde Where
Para qué What for
Por qué Why
Qué What
Quién Who (singular)
Quiénes Who (plural)

Dear visitors from now on I am going to add some basic spanish/ispanyolca lessons to help who learns this very beatiful language.
Sevgili ziyaretçiler bugünden itibaren blogda basit İspanyolca dersleri, ispanyolca gramer konularini, ispanyolca kelimeleri, ispanyolca kurslari ile ilgili bilgileri bulabileceksiniz.

¿Esta O Ser? "ser" is used to indicate more permanent aspects of people or things, such as:
Identity
Yo soy Carla. ("I am Carla")
Profession
Il es un profesor. ("He is a teacher.")
Origin
Nosotros somos de Costa Rica. ("We are from Costa Rica.")
Religious or political affiliation
Tú eres católico ("You are Catholic?")
Time of day or date
Son las ocho. Es invierno. ("It is 8 o'clock. It is winter.")
Posession
La casa es de Juana. ("It is Juana's house.")
Nationality
Yo soy alemán. ("I am German.")
Physical aspects or characteristics of something
Las sillas son verdes. ("The chairs are green.")
Essential qualities of something or someone
Soy viejo. Eres antipatico. ("I am old. You are unpleasant.") "estar" is used to indicate more temporary aspects of people or things, such as:
Location
La silla esta en la cocina. ("The chair is in the kitchen.")
Condition or emotion that is subject to change
Estoy enfermo. ("I am sick.")
Personal observations or reactions, how something "seems" or "feels"
La cocina esta limpia. ("The kitchen is (seems) clean.")

ispanyolca Hint-Avrupa dil ailesine bağlı Romans dillerinden biridir. Dünyada en çok konuşulan üç dilden biridir. İspanyolca Latince'den geliştirilmiş ve Cebelitarık ve Bask gibi farklı bölgelerde konuşulan yerel dillerin etkisiyle bugüne gelmiştir. Bu nedenle Latince'den türeyen diğer dillere dilbilgisi ve sözcük dağarcığı açısından benzer. Dil üzerinde bir diğer önemli etki ise Endülüs Emevileri döneminden dolayı Arapçadandır.
Kristof Kolomb'a yolculukları sırasında İspanyol kraliyet ailesinin destek olması nedeniyle 16. yy.dan sonra Amerika'nın keşfiyle dil bu kıtaya hızla yayılmıştır

Turkish military says next president must be loyal to secular principles

Turkey's secularists, led by the military, fear that if Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan — or someone close to him — wins the presidency next month, the government will be able to implement an Islamic agenda without opposition.
"As a citizen and as a member of the armed forces, we hope that someone who is loyal to the principles of the republic — not just in words but in essence — is elected president," Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, the military chief of staff, told a televised news conference in the first comment by the military on the upcoming presidential elections.
"The president who will be elected will also be the top commander of the Turkish armed forces," Buyukanit said. "I carry the hope that someone with such attributes will be chosen."
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's seven-year term ends May 16. Parliament, which is dominated by lawmakers from Erdogan's party, will elect the new president early next month.
The prime minister has not yet said whether he will stand. His party was expected to announce its candidates for the position this month.
The military commands widespread respect in Turkey, however, and Buyukanit's comments were clearly intended to persuade Erdogan not to stand.
At a rally in Ankara planned for Saturday, thousands are expected to march to the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern, secular Turkey, to protest the idea of an "Islamist" taking over the post.
"Erdogan was told in very polite and diplomatic language not to become president," said Nihat Ali Ozcan, an analyst with the Economic Policy Research Institute in Ankara.
The position of president is largely ceremonial, but the head of state has powers to block legislation and makes key appointments. In the absence of a strong opposition, Sezer has blocked a record number of government-proposed bills he viewed as threatening Turkey's secular foundations as well as the appointment of several officials. Many were rejected for alleged Islamist tendencies.
Erdogan, 53, denies his party has an Islamic agenda. Since coming to power in 2002, his government has promoted Turkey's European Union membership bid, which resulted in the start of accession talks in October 2005.
The army is nevertheless suspicious of Erdogan because of his Islamic past. In 1999, Erdogan spent four months in prison for reading a poem at a political rally which the courts deemed to be inciting religious hatred.
The military, which regards itself the guardian of Turkey's secular values, has staged three coups since the 1960s and has remained influential after ceding control to civilian governments. In 1997, the military led a campaign that pressured an Islamic government — which Erdogan belonged to — out of power for what they saw as an excessive Islamist bent.
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U.S. urges Turks to show restraint on border problem with Iraq

WASHINGTON: A top U.S. State Department official urged Turkey on Thursday to show restraint in responding to attacks inside the country by Turkish Kurds operating from Iraqi territory, a senior State Department official said.
Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried issued the call for calm to Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy after the Turkish military sought government approval to launch cross border raids into Iraq to root out guerrillas from the Kurdish Workers Party of PKK, the official said.
The official asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak on the record.
Earlier State Department spokesman Sean McCormack acknowledged the legitimacy of Turkey's concern.
"Turkey faces a real threat from the PKK," he said. "It's a terrorist organization. It has killed innocent Turkish citizens. It has killed Turkish military. And it's a problem that needs to be dealt with."
But, he said, the Turkish and Iraqi governments should work together to try to resolve the problem. He noted that retired Army Gen. Joseph Ralston is trying to assist the two countries in reaching an accommodation.
"The focus should be on trying to resolve this in a cooperative way, in a joint way, rather than to resort to unilateral actions," McCormack said.
Hostilities between Turkey and Iraq would put the United States in the middle of conflict between two close allies and would deflect attention from the U.S. effort to bring stability to Iraq.
Massoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdish autonomous region in Iraq, said recently that Iraqi Kurds would retaliate for any Turkish interference in northern Iraq by stirring up trouble in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast.

Turkey's president says Islamist threat to secular establishment at highest level / istanbul-bilbao

ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey's staunchly pro-secular president said Friday that the threat Islamic fundamentalism poses to the country's secular establishment has reached its highest level — a warning directed at the Islamic-rooted prime minister, who may stand to replace him in May.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer was addressing officers of the country's military, the self-appointed guarantor of the secular regime, in one of his last speeches before he steps down as president.
"For the first time, the pillars of the secular republic are being openly questioned," private NTV television quoted Sezer as saying during a speech at the War Academies in Istanbul.
He appeared to be referring to members of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-rooted party who have questioned the definition of secularism.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul disagreed with Sezer.

"I don't think the regime is in danger," Gul told reporters in an apparent response to Sezer's comments.
Sezer argued that internal and external powers were working together with the aim of changing the regime.
"Foreign powers want to transform Turkey into a moderate Islamic republic," Sezer said without elaborating.
His words appeared to be aimed at Erdogan's government and against the European Union, which has been pressuring Turkey into curbing the pro-secular military's powers.
Turkey's secularists fear that if Erdogan — or someone close to him — wins the presidency next month, the government will be able to implement an Islamic agenda without opposition.
Sezer's seven-year term ends May 16. Parliament, which is dominated by lawmakers from Erdogan's party, will elect the new president early next month.
The prime minister has not yet said whether he will stand. His party was expected to announce its candidates for the position this month.
"As a citizen and as a member of the armed forces, we hope that someone who is loyal to the principles of the republic — not just in words but in essence — is elected president," Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, chief of the military, said Thursday.
Buyukanit's words were widely interpreted as a warning to Erdogan not to run.
The military views itself as the protector of Turkey's secular identity. The fiercely secular generals have staged three coups between 1960 and 1980, and in 1997 led a campaign that pressured a pro-Islamic government out of power.
The EU has repeatedly called on Turkey to limit the role of the military in state affairs.
At a rally in Ankara planned for Saturday, tens of thousands are expected to march to the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern, secular Turkey, to protest the idea of an "Islamist" taking over the post.
Sezer spoke of increased measures that were "rolling back" the gains of the secular republic, and said these were increasing tension in the country.
"The appointment of Islamic-minded officials to state positions is enough to understand where Turkey is being taken to," Sezer said.
Erdogan's government denies it has an Islamic agenda, but pro-secular Turks say the government is slowly moving the country toward increased religious rule.
Since taking power, Erdogan showed his commitment to future European Union membership by enacting sweeping reforms that allowed the country to start accession talks in 2005.
But he has also stoked secularist concerns by speaking out against restrictions on wearing Islamic-style head scarves in government offices and schools and taking steps to bolster religious schools. He tried to criminalize adultery before being forced to back down under intense EU pressure. Some party-run municipalities have taken steps to ban alcohol consumption.
Although largely ceremonial, the presidency has become a symbol for secularism under Sezer.
A former Constitutional Court judge, Sezer has vetoed a record number of laws he deemed to be in violation of the secular constitution and has blocked government efforts to appoint hundreds of reportedly Islamic-oriented candidates to important civil service positions.

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Royal gives her support to Turkey's bid for EU accession

By Delphine Strauss in Paris

Ségolène Royal has declared her support for Turkey's bid to join the European Union, becoming the only main contender in France's coming presidential election to endorse an enlargement deeply unpopular with voters.

"In the end, Turkey has a vocation to join Europe, provided it satisfies the membership criteria, which are not just economic and financial but also democratic," the Socialist party candidate said in a new book, extracts of which were published by Le Monde yesterday.

Her support offers a glimmer of hope to Turkey's troubled bid for EU membership which, even if it clears all technical hurdles, depends on the outcome of a French referendum promised by President Jacques Chirac in 2004 as a condition for opening negotiations.

Ms Royal added strong qualifications, saying Europe first needed a pause to stabilise its borders and "prove its concrete utility in the daily life of those it already unites".

Yet her position is sharply at odds with all other leading presidential contenders. Nicolas Sarkozy, candidate of the centre-right UMP and frontrunner in the opinion polls, has repeatedly insisted that "Turkey's place is not in the EU". François Bayrou, the europhile centrist, has echoed that opposition, arguing that Ankara's membership would end the dream of EU political unity.

"We should not make an argument of geography against Turkey: Europe is not a territory . . . but a political project," Ms Royal said. She argued Europe would gain from a show of unity between civilisations, while the prospect of EU entry would assist Turkish democrats in enacting reforms and "also help them in their combat against this state negationism that is the refusal to recognise the Armenian genocide".

Ms Royal has previously been pilloried for refusing to state an opinion on Turkey, saying her position would be "that of the French people". But now she appears to be taking risks in departing from that stance.

Opinion polls show most French voters oppose Turkish membership. Many feel previous enlargements of the EU have reduced Paris's influence and economic edge in Europe, and there is also distrust of Turkey's record on human rights, fuelled by France's 450,000-strong Armenian community

The French National Assembly enraged Ankara last year by voting for legislation that, if enacted, would make it a crime to deny that Armenians were the victims of genocide in the last years of the Ottoman Empire. Armenians say as many as 1.5m people died in 1915-1918, while Turkey says that hundreds of thousands of both Armenians and Turks died, largely as a result of civil war and famine.

Ms Royal, who wants to revive French enthusiasm for Europe by pressing for minimum social standards, said her reasons for delaying Turkish membership related "not to Turkey but to Europe". In a jibe at the UK's backing for Ankara, she said: "Who today are the warmest supporters of maximum enlargement? Those who reduce Europe to a big market with the least regulation possible."

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
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Thaw in Turkey's EU membership talks process / istanbul-bilbao

By Daniel Dombey in London and Vincent Boland in Ankara

Turkey's faltering bid to join the European Union made rare progress yesterday, when Ankara and Brussels resumed formal negotiations for the first time since the talks were partially frozen in December.

The beginning of the talks on enterprise and industrial policy was marked by a conference in Brussels attended by Ali Babacan, Turkey's chief negotiator.

It was only the second negotiating topic - or "chapter" - to be opened since Turkey's membership process began in 2005 and the first since the EU decided in December to freeze talks in eight areas because of a dispute over Cyprus.

"It is crucial to show the citizens of Turkey that the accession process is moving forward," Mr Babacan said, calling for "sustained political will on both sides".

In all, the two sides will need to conclude negotiations in 35 chapters before Turkey can become an EU member. The Commission and Germany, the holder of the rotating presidency of the EU, hope that up to three other chapters can be opened in June, in the aftermath of the French presidential election. Yesterday Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German foreign minister, proclaimed that the talks were back on track.

But expectations are low that the two sides can overcome mounting frustration with each other, spurred by EU concerns about Ankara's uneven record on domestic reform and rising anti-EU sentiment in Turkey.

Commission officials see 2007 as a year of "muddling through" ahead of Turkish elections and a Cypriot poll next year. Talks planned for coming months are on relatively "easy" topics that are neither politically sensitive nor subject to much EU law.

Even so, Commission officials worry that the possible election of Nicolas Sarkozy, the French presidential candidate, who is opposed to Turkish membership, could make progress more difficult.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
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Turkish prime minister wants to avoid tensions before presidential elections / istanbul-bilbao

ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey's premier wants to avoid tensions before presidential elections next month, he said Tuesday, with secularist circles strongly opposing his possible candidacy.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of the Islamic-rooted government, has not said whether he will run for president in May.

There is strong opposition from secularists to an Erdogan candidacy because the position — although largely ceremonial — is regarded as a bastion of secularism, and many do not want to see his wife, who wears an Islamic-style head scarf, move into the presidential palace.

"Our real goal is to focus on our country's development without tensions in our country," Erdogan told reporters before flying to Syria for a one-day visit to watch a friendly soccer match between Turkey and Syria.

"As the ruling party, we have a strategy and we will announce our candidates when the time is right."

Some secularist groups, including some unions and associations, planned to organize demonstrations in the coming weeks to declare their opposition to an Erdogan presidency.

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, a staunch secularist, will step down in May. Political parties were expected to announce their candidates after mid-April. The new president will be elected by parliament, where Erdogan's Justice and Development Party holds the majority.

On Monday, Erdogan addressed supporters during a party meeting in the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir. Some supporters want to see him rise to the top of the state in a show of force of the country's political Islamic movement, but others want to him to be prime minister for another term. His party is likely to lead polls in November.

The new president will likely be a lawmaker from Erdogan's party and is widely expected to work in harmony with the government.

Sezer, a former Constitutional Court judge, vetoed a record number of laws he deemed violated the secular constitution and has blocked government efforts to appoint hundreds of reportedly Islamic-oriented candidates to important civil service positions.

Sezer has often cautioned against "the threat of Islamic fundamentalism," an apparent reference to the appointment of Islamic-minded officials to key civil service positions and statements by officials in Erdogan's party questioning the definition of secularism.

Erdogan's government denies it has an Islamic agenda, but pro-secular Turks charge the government is slowly moving the country toward increased religious rule, threatening the secular state that was founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923 from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.

The Associated Press
Published: April 3, 2007 / istanbul-bilbao

Kurdish leader warns Turkey not to intervene in Kirkuk / istanbul-bilbao

BAGHDAD: Turkey must not interfere in the Kurds' bid to attach Iraq's oil-rich city of Kirkuk to the Kurdish semiautonomous zone, the top official in Iraqi Kurdistan said in remarks broadcast Saturday.

Otherwise, Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani said, Iraq's Kurds will retaliate by intervening in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast, where insurgents have battled for decades to establish their own autonomy.

Barzani, president of the 15-year-old Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, issued the warning after last week's endorsement by the Iraqi government of a decision to relocate and compensate thousands of Arabs who moved to the city as part of Saddam Hussein's campaign to push out the Kurds.

The government's decision was a major step toward implementing a constitutional requirement to determine the status of the disputed city by the end of the year. The plan will likely turn Kirkuk and its vast oil reserves over to Kurdish control, a step rejected by many of Iraq's Arabs and Turkmen — ethnic Turk who are strongly backed by Turkey.

"We will not let the Turks intervene in Kirkuk," Barzani said in an interview with Al-Arabiyah television. "Kirkuk is an Iraqi city with a Kurdish identity, historically and geographically. All the facts prove that Kirkuk is part of Kurdistan."

Some in Turkey have hinted at military action to prevent the Kurds from gaining control of Kirkuk.

Turkish leaders are concerned that Iraq's Kurds want Kirkuk's oil revenues to fund a bid for outright independence, not just autonomy. The Turks fear that would encourage separatist Kurdish guerrillas in Turkey, who have been fighting for autonomy since 1984. The conflict has claimed the lives of 37,000 people.

"Turkey is not allowed to intervene in the Kirkuk issue and if it does, we will interfere in Diyarbakir's issues and other cities in Turkey," Barzani said. Diyarbakir is the largest city in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast.

Asked if he meant to threaten Turkey, Barzani responded that he was telling Ankara what would happen "if Turkey interferes." He said Turkey had military and diplomatic clout, but that the Kurds had survived through the Saddam Hussein regime and that what happened in Kirkuk was "none of their (Ankara's) business."

When asked about the Turkmen minority in Kirkuk and Turkey's concern for its ethnic brethren, Barzani shot back:

"There are 30 million Kurds in Turkey and we don't interfere there. If they (the Turks) interfere in Kirkuk over just thousands of Turkmen then we will take action for the 30 million Kurds in Turkey."

"I hope we don't reach this point, but if the Turks insist on intervening in Kirkuk matter I am ready to take responsible for our response," Barzani said.

The ancient city of Kirkuk has a large minority of Turkmen as well as Christians, Shiite and Sunni Arabs, Armenians and Assyrians. Turkmen were a majority in the city during the Ottoman Empire.

Barzani said the independence and statehood for Kurds, who live in Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq was a "legitimate and legal right."

"But I am against the use of violence to reach this goal," he continued.

The Associated Press
Published: April 7, 2007

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