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Turkish Press Review, 03-04-18Turkish 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> e-mail : newspot@byegm.gov.tr <caption> <_caption> Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning18.04.2003FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...CONTENTS
[01] GUL TO TRAVEL TO RIYADH FOR CONFERENCE ON POSTWAR IRAQForeign Minister Abdullah Gul is set to travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia today to attend a meeting where regional leaders will discuss the future of postwar Iraq. While there, Gul is also expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings, including one with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al- Sharaa. /Turkiye/[02] GUL: “TURKEY WILL CONTINUE ITS EFFORTS TO REACH A JUST AND LASTING RESOLUTION ON CYPRUS”After completing his contacts at yesterday’s European Conference, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul spoke to reporters at the Turkish Embassy in Athens. Gul said that Turkey would continue its efforts to reach a just and lasting settlement on Cyprus. Concerning UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Cyprus plan, Gul said, “The important thing is to ensure a lasting resolution, and if Annan’s plan serves this aim it can be considered.” Regarding Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis’ scheduled visit to Greek Cyprus, the foreign minister stated that as Greece was currently European Union term president, such a visit was normal, and that if Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) political party representatives wanted to meet with Greek leaders, then they could accept Simitis’ invitation to visit the south. Addressing Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massud Barzani’s recent statement claiming that “Kirkuk is a Kurdish city,” Gul said that the city now belonged to Iraq, but that in the past it had been Turkish. After returning to Ankara last night, Gul told reporters that Turkey was determined to become an EU member and that it would fulfill all its responsibilities towards that end. /Turkiye/[03] DENKTAS: “THE EU MADE A MISTAKE BY SIGNING ACCESSION ACCORDS WITH GREEK CYPRUS”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said yesterday that the European Union had made a mistake this week by signing accession accords with Greek Cyprus, but that this development wouldn’t change the situation on the island. “If we had accepted the UN Cyprus plan, and joined the Union within the framework of this plan, then we would no longer be a sovereign nation,” he stated. “Our answer to this injustice will be to prove our determination to the whole world to protect our country.” Denktas added that Greek Cyprus had maintained an unjust economic embargo on the TRNC for many years, and that now by joining the Union it was trying to hurt the TRNC once again. /Sabah/[04] ANNAN: “A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY HAS BEEN MISSED ON CYPRUS”A unique opportunity has been missed to reach a resolution on the island of Cyprus, said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday. Speaking at a European Union enlargement conference in Athens just one day after Southern Cyprus signed its EU accession accords, Annan said that he believed that the UN Cyprus plan presented to both sides earlier this year could still be the basis for a solution on the island. “I share the disappointment at the prospect of Cyprus joining the Union as a divided island,” he stated, referring to May 204’s scheduled full accession for Greek Cyprus alone. “I believe that the UN plan is just and balanced, and that it may still constitute a basis for a resolution on the island.” He stated that both sides had missed a great opportunity, but that he had no doubt that an agreement would eventually be reached. Annan added that the EU’s enlargement process had not yet concluded. /Aksam/[05] GROSSMAN WARNS IRAQI KURDISH GROUPS TO WATCH THEIR WORDS, SAYS NO US REQUEST FOR TURKISH PEACEKEEPERSUS Undersecretary of State and former US Ambassador to Turkey Marc Grossman yesterday stated that contrary to recent media reports, the Bush administration had not requested military assistance from Turkey to help maintain peace and stability in Iraq. Referring to recent hostile remarks made by Iraqi Kurdish groups against Turkey, Grossman underlined that these groups needed to be more careful about their statements on Turkey and northern Iraq. He added that the Iraqi Kurds should also refrain from making remarks which could provoke PKK terrorism or any other separatist movement in Turkey. In addition, Grossman denied recent reports alleging that the Bush administration did not want Turkish construction companies to take part in Iraq’s reconstruction. “There will be a fair competition among various companies, including Turkish ones,” said the US diplomat. /Hurriyet/[06] WASHINGTON POST: “KURDS ARE REDRAWING MAP OF NORTHERN IRAQ BY MEMORY, WITH FORCE”In a news analysis by staff writers Daniel Williams and Karl Vick, the Washington Post yesterday stated that the new map of Iraqi “Kurdistan” was being drawn through politics, blood and ethnic conflict. “On Tuesday, Kurds from the neighboring village of Indijah came to Muntasir, an Arab hamlet a few miles south of [the key city of] Kirkuk, and told the Arabs they had 24 hours to leave,” said the Post. According to the US daily, in Kirkuk, local officials are taking a more measured approach to ethnic tensions. “One of the men, Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan [IPUK] Interior Minister Faraidoon Abdul Qadir, listened to an ethnic Turkmen couple who had been told by Kurds that they must give up their home,” wrote the reporters. “He sent them away with a security squad to confront the ruffians. The other mayor, Kamal Kerkuki, a native of Kirkuk and member of the political bureau of the rival Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party [IKDP], said the people who have poured into Kirkuk since it was liberated -- including Kurds displaced by Hussein's Arabization campaign -- have been told to leave. Property disputes will be settled by judges, he said.” /Hurriyet/[07] ISRAEL PLANS TO RE-OPEN MOSUL-HAIFA OIL PIPELINEIsrael has proposed that Turkish construction firms renovate and put back into service the Iraq-Israel oil pipeline running from Mosul in northern Iraq to the Israeli port city of Haifa. This pipeline, which has lain unused for over a half-century since Israel declared independence, would be a commercial rival to the existing Iraq-Turkey pipeline running from Kirkuk in the country’s north to the southern Anatolia city of Yumurtalik. Nihat Ozdemir, head of the Turkish Contractor’s Union, said that in the long run resurrection of the Mosul-Haifa line would deal an economic blow to Turkey. “But right now it’s only a proposal,” he stated. “There’s no final decision yet.” He added that whereas the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline has an annual capacity of fully 80 million tons, the Mosul-Haifa line could carry only 5 million. /Turkiye/UGul[08] IKPD HEAD BARZANI: “KIRKUK IS A KURDISH CITY, NOT A BARGAINING CHIP”Iraqi Kurdish Democratic Party (IKPD) leader Massoud Barzani said yesterday that Kirkuk was a Kurdish city and that it wouldn’t be used as a bargaining chip. “Turkey wants to use Kirkuk as an economic base and it believes that if Kurds seize the city, this would help them to establish an independent Kurdish state,” claimed Barzani. “They believe that a state can’t be founded without Kirkuk.” Barzani added that if Turkish troops were to enter northern Iraq, the region’s ethnic Turkmen would pay the price. /Sabah/[09] IMF EXECUTIVE BOARD SET TO CONCLUDE FOURTH REVIEW, DECIDE ON $700 MLN LOAN TRANCHEAt its meeting today, the IMF Executive Board is set to conclude the fourth review of Turkey’s economic program and decide on the disbursement of a $700 million loan tranche. Sources believe that the IMF has already decided to release the loan, since Turkey has successfully fulfilled all the necessary conditions. The Fund is also expected to issue a report evaluating recent developments in Turkey’s economy. After ending the current review, an IMF delegation is set to soon visit Turkey to begin the fifth review. /Star/[10] OZGUR WINS GOLD MEDAL, SAHBAZ WINS SILVER IN EUROPEAN WEIGHTLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPFollowing on similar victories by their teammates in both the women’s and men’s competitions, Turkish weightlifter Aysel Ozgur yesterday won a gold medal and Sule Sahbaz a silver at the 16th European Women’s Weightlifting Championship held in Loutraki, Greece. /Aksam/[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[12] GONUL: “WE SHOULD MEET THE US REQUESTS” BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Columnist Fikret Bila comments on Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul’s stance on US requests from Turkey on Iraq’s reconstruction. A summary of his column is as follows:“Does the US have certain requests from Turkey such as our deploying soldiers for peacekeeping purposes? Yesterday Ankara was all abuzz with this question. When I met with him, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul told me, ‘Reporters asked me if NATO had requests from Turkey and I said no. However, NATO and the US are different. The US has desires, but it hasn’t made any formal request. It’s asking in what ways and how much we can contribute to Iraq’s reconstruction and stability in the postwar period. It wants to determine our contributions with a long and detailed list. The list includes soldiers, nuclear weapons experts, ballistic missile experts and technical staff ready to repair buildings. We will evaluate this issue.’ ‘It’s not clear who will meet the expenses required by our contribution and how,’ he added. ‘We will evaluate this issue as well.’ When asked if Turkey should meet these requests, Gonul replied, ‘Of course we should. Even if we can’t, we should give a positive answer. Iraq’s reconstruction and stability are very important as well. Turkey would be glad to contribute to this cause.’ From this point forward, Ankara will work to strengthen its relations with the US. Turkey wants to take all the steps which will give it a proper role in postwar Iraq. This is what I understood from Gonul’s approach. Ankara has taken important steps so the bad feelings caused by our rejection of US troop deployments will be quickly dispelled and it intends to continue this process. The US requests of Turkey show that the half-century Turkish-US relationship didn’t go up in smoke with our rejection of the deployments. As long as we don’t jump at our own shadow, the US will need Turkey’s help and support every day and we should act with this understanding constantly in mind.” [13] THE US AND THE FUTURE OF THE MIDDLE EAST BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on the postwar period in Iraq and wider US designs for the future of the Middle East. A summary of his columns is as follows:“The United States appears to have hit very troubled waters in re- establishing peace and order in Iraq. Long years of dictatorship have swept away all of the normal political and administrative structures in the country. And now the US is trying to set up a ‘democratic’ regime headed by a group of people who have spent most of their lives in exile. But these figures are by now strangers to the country and are not likely to be welcomed by the longtime native Iraqis. For instance, Ahmad Chalabi, on whom the US is putting a lot of its cards, is a man who is covered by charges of corruption up to his neck. People like Chalabi are unlikely to treat the already repressed and impoverished Iraqis any better than they were before. The US can’t bring democracy to Iraq. In fact, it doesn’t even want to. Just a regime loyal to Washington would be fine. The US will be done with Iraq as soon as the Bush administration makes certain that other Middle Eastern countries swallow its plans concerning the country’s new regime. Following up on Iraq, the next target will be Syria together with Lebanon. Jordan, however, is both an ally of both the US and Britain. It has never been involved in Baathist racism. But for Syria, things don’t look well right now. Damascus may be harboring Saddam Hussein and his close aides. If these rumors prove true, Washington wouldn’t hesitate to turn Syria into a second Iraq. In any case, after gaining a substantial foothold in the eastern Mediterranean the US will have its sights set on Iran. Such a plan would require intense diplomatic groundwork. I wonder if Turkey’s political and bureaucratic organs are ready to handle such a project.” 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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