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Turkish Press Review, 04-01-14Turkish 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 morning14.01.2004ERDOGAN: “THE EU’S RESERVATIONS ABOUT TURKEY ARE NEAR AN END” GUL, AL-HAKIM DISCUSSES PROSPECT OF IRAQ FEDERATION DENKTAS APPROVES NEW TRNC GOVERNMENT BAYKAL CRITICIZES AKP GOVERNMENT ON ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM PLANS IKDP, IPUK AGREE TO UNIFY REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS US STATE DEPARTMENT: “THE PKK IS A TERRORIST GROUP BY ANY OTHER NAME” UK MINISTER FOR EUROPE: “CYPRUS RESOLUTION ISN’T A CONDITION FOR TURKEY JOINING THE EU, BUT IT WOULD EASE THE PROCESS” DYP CHAIRMAN AGAR CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT’S FOREIGN POLICY TUSIAD HEAD OZILHAN PAYS FAREWELL VISIT TO FINANCE MINISTER UNAKITAN TOBB HEAD MEETS WITH HIS PREDECESSORS FROM THE COLUMNS … FROM THE COLUMNS … FROM THE COLUMNS LET’S STOP WASTING TIME BY SEMIH IDIZ (AKSAM) A FORMULA BY HASAN CEMAL (MILLIYET)CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: “THE EU’S RESERVATIONS ABOUT TURKEY ARE NEAR AN END”Turkey’s membership in the European Union would constitute not a mere enlargement of the EU, but rather a deepening of it, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. Speaking at his Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) parliamentary group meeting, Erdogan stressed that the EU’s reservations about Turkey were near an end, adding that its objections had been reduced to just one or two issues. “The EU’s need for Turkey has taken on more importance,” said the premier. Erdogan added that the country was approaching solutions to problems previously thought unsolvable. On the Cyprus issue, Erdogan reiterated that Turkey wanted a just and permanent solution on the island, adding that Ankara continued to support the goodwill mission of the UN secretary-general. Meanwhile, Erdogan has reportedly been invited to a congress of the European Parliament’s Christian Democrat group to be held in Brussels on Feb. 4-5. Over 60 political party leaders from across Europe are expected to attend the meeting. /Turkiye/[02] GUL, AL-HAKIM DISCUSSES PROSPECT OF IRAQ FEDERATIONA delegation from the Shiite Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution for Iraq (SCIRI) headed by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the current president of Iraq’s Governing Council, yesterday met with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to discuss a possible federation in Iraq. Speaking afterwards, al-Hakim said that discussions over the federation proposal would be postponed. “We believe that the Iraqi people should determine Iraq’s future,” said al-Hakim. For his part, Gul said that no arrangement which could weaken Iraq’s territorial integrity should be allowed, adding that Turkey would host an international conference to prepare an Iraqi constitution acceptable to all groups in the country. /Milliyet/[03] GUL MEETS WITH OECD HEADForeign Minister Abdulah Gul met yesterday with Donald J. Johnston, secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Following their meeting, Gul told journalists that as an OECD member of 34 years’ standing, Turkey had made great contributions to the organization’s activities. For his part, Johnston said that Turkey had an enormous potential which it should marshal for its economy and to help attract more foreign investments. In addition, concerning the use of Turkey’s Incirlik Airbase by the US to rotate its soldiers into and out of Iraq, Gul stated that the matter was entirely transparent, with the use of the airbase allowed under current United Nations resolutions. /Turkiye/[04] DENKTAS APPROVES NEW TRNC GOVERNMENTTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas yesterday gave his approval to a new Republican Turkish Party (CTP)-Democratic Party (DP) coalition government. After receiving the CTP and DP leaders, Mehmet Ali Talat and Serdar Denktas respectively, Denktas told reporters that Turkish Cyprus’ 17th government headed by Prime Minister Talat had been officially formed. Stressing that the coalition would be a conciliatory and solution-oriented government, Talat said that they would work hard to bring peace and prosperity to all Turkish Cypriots. The Cabinet was formed by four ministers apiece from the CTP and the DP, with eight of the eleven ministers coming from outside the TRNC Parliament. Meanwhile, in congratulatory messages to new Premier Talat and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Serdar Denktas, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Ankara’s continued and unconditional support for Turkish Cyprus. /Turkiye/[05] BAYKAL CRITICIZES AKP GOVERNMENT ON ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM PLANSSpeaking to his party’s parliamentary group meeting yesterday, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Deniz Baykal criticized the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) bill on public administrative reform, threatening to withdraw from discussions over the bill as long as Omer Dincer continues to serve as a Prime Ministry undersecretary. Baykal charged that Dincer is seeking to undermine Turkey’s principles of secularism and nationalism for the sake of an Islamist administration. “The CHP can see what the AKP is planning to do with this bill, so we won’t take part in Parliament debates on it or any other forum prepared by the group which includes Dincer,” declared Baykal. He also criticized the AKP government for “hypocrisy” in alleged contradictions between the ruling party’s proclamations and its policy. /Hurriyet/[06] IKDP, IPUK AGREE TO UNIFY REGIONAL GOVERNMENTSIraq’s two main Kurdish groups, the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) and the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK), have agreed to unify their regional governments, Kurdish sources reported yesterday. The deal was reached yesterday in the northern Iraqi province of Salahaddin between the two formerly rival Kurdish groups. Under the virtual autonomy granted to them by the US after 1991’s Gulf War, the IKDP rules the northern provinces of Arbil (Erbil) and Dohuk, and the IPUK controls the northern province of Sulaimaniya. The chairman of the IPUK delegation to the union negotiations, Omar Said Ali, said that the two parties are due to hold a new meeting to distribute the ministerial posts. Under the deal, while the IKDP will hold the chairmanship of the government, the IPUK will head the parliament. /Sabah/[07] US STATE DEPARTMENT: “THE PKK IS A TERRORIST GROUP BY ANY OTHER NAME”In a public notice published in the US government’s Federal Register yesterday, the US State Department concluded that there is a sufficient basis to conclude that the PKK has again changed its name, this time to KONGRA_GEL, a terrorist group which must be added to the list of international terrorist organizations. The State Department had previously announced that the US would not change its stance towards the PKK, a group which has frequently changed names and used aliases in an attempt to obscure its terrorist identity. /Star/[08] UK MINISTER FOR EUROPE: “CYPRUS RESOLUTION ISN’T A CONDITION FOR TURKEY JOINING THE EU, BUT IT WOULD EASE THE PROCESS”Speaking at a press conference yesterday, British Minister for Europe Dennis Macshane said that while reaching a resolution on the Cyprus issue was not a condition for Turkey’s European Union membership, it would ease Ankara’s bid and make the EU’s approach to Turkey’s membership more positive. McShane also praised Turkey’s recently passed EU reforms. In related news, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ambassador to Ankara Ahmet Zeki Bulunc said yesterday that accepting the United Nations’ Cyprus plan in its current form was out of the question. “The plan would require Turkish Cypriots to give up 22% of the TRNC’s land,” objected Bulunc, adding that Turkey should continue its role as guarantor nation on the island. /Cumhuriyet/[09] DYP CHAIRMAN AGAR CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT’S FOREIGN POLICYIn a written statement, True Path Party (DYP) Chairman Mehmet Agar yesterday harshly criticized the government’s foreign policy. Agar stated that US forces has been using the Incirlik Airbase for some six months without any approval from Parliament, saying the ruling AKP should not take such a critical decision by decree without getting parliamentary approval. “The government must change this foreign policy through which it bends democratic procedures in order to satisfy certain foreign countries,” added Agar. /Turkiye/[10] TUSIAD HEAD OZILHAN PAYS FAREWELL VISIT TO FINANCE MINISTER UNAKITANTurkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) Chairman Tuncay Ozilhan, due to soon retire from his post, yesterday paid a farewell visit to Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan. During their talks, Ozilhan said that in 2004 Turkey would continue the fiscal discipline it had shown over the past year. Ozilhan said that he had expressed his views on a number of issues, including privatization, adding that Turkey should continue to take necessary steps for its European Union membership bid. /Aksam/[11] BTC CREDIT PACT TO BE SIGNEDA credit agreement for the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline will be signed in Baku, Azerbaijan on Feb. 3, reported a Kazakh news agency yesterday. The agreement is set to be signed by the BTC consortium and international credit institutions as well as related commercial banks. The amount of the credit for the pipeline, which ends in Turkey, is $1.5 billion. /Turkiye/[12] TUPRAS PRIVATIZATION UNDERWAYA consortium formed by Efremov Kautschuk GmbH and the Zorlu group yesterday submitted the highest bid for the Turkey’s largest industrial company, the state’s Turkish Petroleum Refinery Corporation (TUPRAS), by offering $1.3 billion. Efremov Kautschuk GmbH and the Anatolia Joint Entrepreneur Group of Cukurova Holding are the remaining two consortiums in the running for the tender. The former is reported to be offering $1.1 billion, while the latter’s reported bid is $800 million. /Milliyet/[13] TOBB HEAD MEETS WITH HIS PREDECESSORSTurkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu yesterday met with his predecessors at the TOBB helm, former Chairmen Ali Coskun, Yalim Erez, Mehmet Yazar, Rona Yircali, Fuat Miras, Raif Ongor and Sezai Diblan. Hisarciklioglu himself is soon to retire and join their ranks. Speaking afterwards, Hisarciklioglu said that the group had discussed recent economic developments. “We talked about what should be done to better Turkey’s economic situation,” added Hisarciklioglu. /Turkiye/[14] FROM THE COLUMNS … FROM THE COLUMNS … FROM THE COLUMNS[15] LET’S STOP WASTING TIMEBY SEMIH IDIZ (AKSAM)Columnist Semih Idiz comments on attempts to solve the Cyprus issue. A summary of his column is as follows: “No one can beat us in terms of wasting time. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented his solution plan for the Cyprus issue back in November 2002. There’s no need to mention the well-worn discussions we’ve had in the 14 months since. So what happened to make Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas, who once declared the plan a ‘dead document,’ accept that Annan’s plan is on the table? Denktas had said he would never sign the plan and normally, political consistency would require him to uphold this stance and so withdraw from the negotiations. Now the situation is very different. Nobody cares about wavering and contradictions. Meanwhile, some people imply that the Turkish Cypriots are at this point due to the ‘improvement’ of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government. Of course they are trying to save face in terms of consistency, but they still have to explain why the plan should be discussed. Actually where we are now should have been reached before the Copenhagen summit of December 2002. This would have created relief for Turkish-EU relations, prevented the appearance of a political split among the Turkish Cypriots, and stopped the spread of the widespread view that a great disagreement divides Erdogan’s government from Denktas. However, none of these things happened. It’s as if we have to be late in reaching our goal or else reach it only after discussions and fights which damage our international esteem. We see this not only with Cyprus, but everywhere. So where are we now? We’re at the point of negotiation. In other words, Annan’s plan will be negotiated with the Greek Cypriots. Of course there are many points to negotiate over A new mode of ‘living together’ will appear, one the details of which should be determined carefully. Nobody wants to sow the seeds of new discord. For this reason, we should leave aside our old discussions and create a balance between the interests of the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey and those of Greece, the EU and the US, and try to optimize them.” [16] A FORMULABY HASAN CEMAL (MILLIYET)Columnist Hasan Cemal comments on Turkey’s European Union membership bid. A summary of his column is as follows: “Yes, Turkey has taken important steps in its European Union membership bid. More than half of the job has been done in terms of the Copenhagen criteria. But if the remaining part of the job is undermined and the government continues to stall, a disappointment over starting our accession talks could be lying in wait. The first hurdle is implementing the new adjustment laws. Turkey must overcome these obstacles. For example the legal adjustments for Kurdish broadcasts have already been made but still have yet to be applied, evidently because the Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) prevented it. First the regulation was delayed, then an insufficient regulation was prepared. The government didn’t like the regulations and so sent them back to the RTUK. Also regulations on Kurdish courses were published, but there are obstacles to implementing the regulations. By the way, some difficulties regarding non-Muslim Turkish citizens are still on the agenda. On the other hand, the matter of taking the General Staff’s seat from the RTUK is also in the government’s hands. There are two other issues that need constitutional amendments and therefore are key in getting a date for accession talks. The first is abolishing the state security courts (DGMs) and replacing them with specialized courts. The second is ending the function of the General Staff’s representative on the Board of Higher Education (YOK). These two matters require constitutional amendments, but the government doesn’t have enough deputies to pass the amendments. In other words, the support of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is needed. Does the CHP not want Turkey to become an EU member? Its program does. Is the CHP not against DGMs? It’s been against them for years. Does the CHP favor a General Staff representative on YOK? I don’t think so. Well then, what’s the problem? But there is a problem. The CHP is linking this support for the government to the immunity issue. The CHP is right regarding immunity, but does this justify its right to block the constitutional amendments? The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the CHP should agree on a moderate formula regarding immunity because the AKP also has some requests which are justified. If both sides want democratization and a date for the accession talks for EU membership at the end of the year, then this seems to be the only way.” 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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