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Turkish Press Review, 02-09-03Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr><LINK href="http://www.byegm.gov.tr_yayinlarimiz_chr_pics_css/tpr.css" rel=STYLESHEET type=text/css> <map name="FPMap1"> </map> <map name="FPMap1"></map> Press & Information Turkish Press Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning03.09.2002FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…CONTENTS
[01] SEZER CALLS FOR MORE EFFORT TO ELIMINATE POVERTYSpeaking at the meeting of more than 100 heads of states of the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development yesterday in Johannesburg, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer called on world leaders to exert efforts to eliminate poverty, protect environment, advance human rights and improve democracy. Sezer also stated that the struggle against poverty still had the priority and that the protection of the environment was directly linked to economic and social development.Sezer also met with European Union Commission Chairman Romano Prodi. During the meeting, the president conveyed Turkey’s dissatisfaction with EU Commissioner Guenther Verhuegen’s recent statement arguing that Turkey should not expect the EU to set a specific date for the beginning of its EU accession talks at December’s Copenhagen Summit. Stating that Turkey would like to host Prodi in the post-elections period, Sezer remarked that the Turkish Parliament had recently displayed its resolve on its path towards the full EU membership by approving a reform package to improve its democracy. For his part, Prodi stated that the EU appreciated Turkey’s recent steps but wanted to see more steps taken in practice. “Turkey has recently proved its determination considering its EU membership bid,” said Sezer. “However, there are dissident voices within the EU who are opposed to Turkey’s acceptance to the Union. An official can’t speak on behalf on the entire Union. If the EU won’t set a date for Turkey’s accession talks at December’s Copenhagen Summit, then Turkey will question the sincerity of the EU countries.” Sezer is expected to meet with United States Secretary of State Colin Powel tomorrow. /All Papers/ [02] GUREL TO SEEK SUPPORT FOR EU MEMBERSHIPDeputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel will fly to Strasbourg today to seek support from the European Parliament (EP) to obtain a date for membership talks at this December’s Copenhagen summit. Commenting on European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Gunter Verheugen’s recent statement that it is impossible to set a date to Turkey for membership talks at the Copenhagen summit, Gurel said, “Turkey has fulfilled the preconditions of the EU.” He stated that Turkey had implemented very important reforms and that it expected to have a date to begin membership talks. After meeting with leaders from political groups of the EP in Strasbourg, Gurel will proceed to Brussels to meet with other high-ranking EU officials. Then, to express Turkey’s views and stance on various topics, Gurel is expected to meet with his Danish and French counterparts in Copenhagen and Paris. /Turkiye/[03] CEM: “I’M CONFIDENT YTP WILL SURPASS 10% ELECTION THRESHOLD”New Turkey Party (YTP) leader Ismail Cem confidently predicted yesterday that YTP would surpass 10% threshold in November’s elections. Cem also said that progress hadn’t been made on the issue of an alliance with Social Democratic People’s Party (SHP) and that the YTP wouldn’t form an alliance with the Motherland Party (ANAP). “If the YTP comes to power after elections in November, we will make adjustments to the current economic program with social programs,” he added. /Milliyet/[04] CEM TO ATTEND TIM’S MEETINGSNew Turkey Party (YTP) leader Ismail Cem today will be the first guest of a series of meetings organized by the Assembly of Turkish Exporters (TIM). Cem will explain his party’s production and exports policy to businessmen and academics. As part of the meetings, entitled “Exporters Ask, Leaders Answer,” TIM will host political parties’ leaders to clarify their views on economic topics before this November’s early elections. The meetings will be completed on Sept. 27. /Turkiye/[05] ANKARA DOESN’T WANT ANY SURPRISES CONCERNING THE CYPRUS ISSUEThere is concern in Ankara that United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan could propose a ‘surprise plan’ on possible solution to the Cyprus problem at the meeting to be held Sept. 6 in Paris between Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas and Greek Cypriot leader Glafkos Clerides. Commenting on the possibility of a surprise plan, Turkish Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel yesterday said that he didn’t believe Annan would make such a mistake. He also added that Turkey and the TRNC did not welcome any foreign intervention in the peace talks between the two Cypriot leaders. Recent remarks from senior European Union (EU) officials that Turkey shouldn’t expect to get a date for the start of its accession talks with the EU at the Copenhagen Summit in December, are increasingly been linked to the unresolved Cyprus issue. /Cumhuriyet/[06] TALABANI: “WE DON’T WANT AN INDEPENDENT KURDISH STATE”Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) leader Jalal Talabani yesterday told reporters that the IPUK did not wish to establish an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq. Talabani met with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Ugur Ziyal yesterday in Ankara to brief him on the recent Iraqi opposition meeting in London. According to the reports, Talabani told Ziyal that their main wish was to establish a united, democratic Iraqi government with Turkey’s support in instead of a separate Kurdish state. Appearing on a TV station yesterday evening, Talabani said that Turkey had responsibilities in northern Iraq and that it was Turkish soldiers who protected the northern Iraqi Kurdish people. /Cumhuriyet/[07] PAPANDREOU: “TURKEY SHOULD BE GIVEN A DATE TO START ITS ACCESSION TALKS”Speaking to Hurriyet daily yesterday, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, who is in Johannesburg to attend United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, said that he supported Turkey’s European Union full membership bid. “Turkey should be given a date to start its accession negotiation talks,” added Papandreou. /Hurriyet/[08] VERHEUGEN: “MY STATEMENT HAS BEEN MISUNDERSTOOD”European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenther Verheugen yesterday remarked that his recent statement on Turkey’s EU membership bid was totally misunderstood by certain circles. A European Union official spoke to the press on behalf of Verheugen in Brussels, claiming that the stories that appeared in the Turkish press on Verheugen’s statement distorted his actual words. “Mr. Verhuegen didn’t say that Turkey should not expect the EU to determine a specific date for the beginning of its accession talks at December’s Copenhagen Summit,” said the EU official. “He remarked that he didn’t think Turkey would be able to fulfill all the necessary criteria until December.” /Sabah/[09] CeBIT DRAWS GREAT ATTENTIONAll eyes have turned to CeBIT 2002, an information and communications technologies summit and fair in Istanbul. Many prominent political figures place a high premium on the fair since it focuses on new information technologies and the project of e-state. Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party Chairman Mesut Yilmaz yesterday opened the summit and delivered a speech at the ceremony remarking that the future governments should attach great importance on information technologies taking into consideration the conditions of a new century which are highly dependent on computer-based technologies. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit is expected to open the fair today. In addition, many other prominent political figures such as New Turkey Party (YTP) leader Ismail Cem and former Economy Minister Kemal Dervis will also visit the fair this week. /Sabah/[10] DYP, BBP AGREE ON ALLIANCEThe True Path Party (DYP) and the Great Union Party (BBP) principally agreed to form an alliance during the Nov. 3 elections. The BBP, reportedly will represent 15 candidates for deputy from the DYP’s list. After reaching a final agreement, the conditions of the alliance will be announced to public. Stressing that his party is a defender of the unity of Turkey, BBP leader Muhsin Yazicioglu said that citizens wanted his party to be represented in Parliament. /Turkiye/[11] SHP, HADEP AND ODP AGREE ON DETAILS OF AN ALLIANCESocial Democratic People’s Party (SHP), People’s Democracy Party (HADEP) and Freedom and Solidarity Party (ODP) agreed on details of an alliance that they plan to form before elections in November. According to the “One roof” formula, these three parties will enter November’s elections under Democratic People’s Party (DEHAP). SHP leader Murat Karayalcin met with HADEP leader Murat Bozlak yesterday to talk about the details of the alliance. /Milliyet/[12] TARANOGLU RESIGNS FROM ANAPMotherland Party (ANAP) Sakarya Deputy Ersin Taranoglu yesterday resigned from his party. With Taranoglu’s resignation, the number of ANAP’s deputies in Parliament fell to 70 and independents increased to 19. Taranoglu will reportedly act with Erkan Mumcu who joined the Justice and Development Party (AKP) over the weekend. /Milliyet/[13] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…[14] WE WILL SEE WHO IS HONEST BY OKTAY EKSI (HURRIYET)Columnist Oktay Eksi comments on the recent statement by European Commissioner for Enlargement Gunter Verheugen. A summary of his column is as follows:“As I read a lot of newspapers a day, I sometimes find it difficult to remember the name of the newspaper in which a certain statement was published. This situation is the same. Speaking to a daily yesterday, an academic said that Turkey unexpectedly took great steps and embarrassed the European Union, particularly European Commissioner for Enlargement Gunter Verheugen. It’s a characteristic of Turks to pretend not to be able to succeed, but then create a miracle. Now we will see if Mr. Verheugen and the heads of the EU countries are really as good as their word, modern and honest. To be able to understand this, we will see if they will give a date for the EU accession negotiations. However, we will remember Verheugen’s rude statements, ‘We cannot hide that we want to see the reforms being implemented before giving a date to Turkey (…) We don’t want to see the hoodwinking side of the implementations, but the truth behind them.’ We are aware of the fact that with these words, he is trying to accuse Turkey of trying to deceive the EU countries. However, we also want to see who is the ‘deceiving side.’ The basic criteria of deceiving is whether a promise is kept or not, isn’t it? Turkey promised to implement certain reforms in a certain period of time and it carried out all the political criteria. For example, it abolished the death penalty. It provided the right to learn, teach and broadcast in any language. It amended Article No.159 of the Turkish Penal Code concerning the freedom of expression in accordance with the criteria of the democratic state of law and provided the minority foundations with the rights that were not recognized before. In numerous declarations by Verheugen and the prime ministers and foreign ministers of the EU term president countries -- for example, Spain and Denmark -- stated, ‘The sooner Turkey implements these reforms, the sooner it can take a date for EU accession negotiations,’ didn’t they? Even when Parliament passed the reform laws, Verheugen said, ‘Turkey is on our side from now on,’ didn’t he? He also sent the message of ‘Turkey facilitated our efforts,’ didn’t he? Turkey doesn’t request a date immediately. It only wants to be given a date for negotiations. Speaking to the Polish channel Phoenix last September, Verheugen said, ‘Poland is being treated unfairly. Poland, having a population of nearly 40 million, takes place in this process. Thus, it’s very natural for Poland to suffer certain problems that don’t exist in any other country.’ So why does he treat Poland tolerantly and fairly, while he is intolerant towards Turkey?” [15] IS EU ABOUT TO MAKE ANOTHER HISTORICAL MISTAKE? BY HASAN CEMAL (MILLIYET)Columnist Hasan Cemal writes on Turkey’s EU membership bid and EU’s uncompromising attitude towards Turkey. A summary of his column is as follows:“Will the European Union set a date for the start of accession talks which Turkey rightfully expects? The picture is terribly promising. It is very likely that the EU will insist on neglecting Turkey’s concerns in December’s Copenhagen Summit. Is this for certain? In other words, will the EU make another historical mistake about Turkey as it did in 1997’s Luxembourg Summit? For now such a probability persists. However, this is not to say that Turkey will receive a clear no from the EU. Our Parliament surprised the EU when it quite unexpectedly passed harmonization laws this August. Now the EU is a little bit confused about the current situation. On the one hand, they are heating up the bargain by declaring their dissatisfaction with what has been done up to now, and on the other, they are trying to gain some time to make up their minds about Turkey. There are things that they openly utter, and things that they just imply. Here is what they say: Turkey has an unconvincing past that it was unable to keep most of its promises. The passage of harmonization laws is an improvement but it is of no use if Turkey fails to put it into practice. Turkey has to try harder. When it comes to what they just imply: Cyprus, elections in Germany and in Turkey, and the question of the European identity of Muslim Turkey, etc. The EU is, of course, right in certain points and wrong in others. Moreover, Turkey has far more steps to take towards the EU. But for the moment this is not the question. There are 13 EU candidates, and the EU has opened accession talks with 12 of them, except for Turkey. The question is that when the EU initially started accession talks with these 12 countries, were all of them in a better state than Turkey in terms of their economy and political situation. The answer to this question is obvious to everyone who is wise and has a conscience. So, the EU can avoid falling into another great mistake only by setting out an exact date in Copenhagen Summit for the accession talks to begin. Exclusion of Turkey from Europe will do no good both to Turkey and Europe and will not serve peace and stability in the region.” ARCHIVE <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js"> </script> Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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