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Turkish Press Review, 04-02-11Turkish 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 morning11.02.2004ERDOGAN: “DENKTAS’S WITHDRAWING FROM NEGOTIATIONS IS OUT OF QUESTION” DENKTAS, PAPADOPOULOS AND ANNAN DISCUSS CYPRUS PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE CYPRUS ISSUE FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER: “IT WOULD BE A GRAVE MISTAKE TO OPPOSE TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP BECAUSE OF RELIGIOUS REASONS” EC REPRESENTATIVE TO TURKEY KRETSCHMER: “YOU’VE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS” GERMAN AMBASSADOR PRAISES RECENT POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN CYPRUS IPUK REPRESENTATIVE SALIH: “TURKISH TROOPS MUST PEACEFULLY LEAVE IRAQ” FINANCIAL TIMES: “AMNESTY’S VIEWS ON TURKEY’S HUMAN RIGHTS WILL BE A CRUCIAL TEST FOR THE COUNTRY’S EU BID” FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... RELATIONS WITH EU BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE) TANGO IN THE SECURITY CONFERENCE BY GURAY OZ (CUMHURIYET)CONTENTS
[01] SEZER TO TRAVEL TO IRANPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer is scheduled to travel to Iran next week to attend the D-8 meeting of eight developing Islamic countries. Sezer is also expected to meet with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Khatami there. /Cumhuriyet/[02] ERDOGAN: “DENKTAS’S WITHDRAWING FROM NEGOTIATIONS IS OUT OF QUESTION”Answering questions of reporters yesterday on board of the airplane on his way back from South Korea to Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas’s withdrawing from negotiations was out of question. Asked about his expectation from the Cyprus talks in New York, Erdogan said, “At the moment we expect what we want to get. If it does not happen, we will do what is necessary. I believe that solution of this has to be put forward by protecting both Turkey’s and TRNC’s interests and the other side’s interests, too.” Asked what he thought about his visit to South Korea, Erdogan said that he had seen Koreans very excited about Turkey. “Among the countries to which we had visited so far, meetings among the sectors in which businessmen showed great interest were held in South Korea,” added Erdogan. /Milliyet/[03] GUL RETURNS TO TURKEYAfter completing his official contacts in Poland, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday returned to Ankara. Speaking to reporters at Esenboga Airport, Gul said that his visit was very important and fruitful. Stressing that during his meetings with Polish officials, bilateral relations had been taken up, Gul said that they had agreed to bolster economic and trade relations. He also pointed to Poland’s fully support to Turkey’s European Union membership. /Turkiye/[04] DENKTAS, PAPADOPOULOS AND ANNAN DISCUSS CYPRUSTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas, Greek Cyprus leader Tassos Papadoulos and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday hold a two-hour meeting in New York to discuss the Cyprus issue. TRNC Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat, Foreign Minister Serdar Denktas also participated in the meeting. Speaking before the meeting, Denktas said that both sides would tell about possible changes they want to be made to the plan. Denktas, Papadopoulos and Annan are expected to meet again today. Speaking afterwards, UN Speacial Envoy to Cyprus Alvaro de Soto said that the discussions were constructive. “Annan wanted both sides to continue negotiating,” said de Soto, adding that he hoped an agreement to be reached, but that there was still time for it. In related news, addressing the UN Security Council before the meeting, Annan said that if both sides agree, some changes could be made to the UN plan. He further stated that the UN plan would ease Turkey’s European Union membership bid. /Aksam/[05] PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE CYPRUS ISSUEUpon a motion given by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Parliament is set to debate recent situation of the Cyprus issue today. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is expected to brief on the developments on the matter. In related news, Gul yesterday met with Cabinet ministers including State Ministers Abdulllatif Sener and Mehmet Ali Sahin, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu. During the two-and-a-half-hour gathering, a preparatory work was done for Parliament today’s session on Cyprus. /Turkiye/[06] FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER: “IT WOULD BE A GRAVE MISTAKE TO OPPOSE TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP BECAUSE OF RELIGIOUS REASONS”Speaking to the International Policy Magazine published in France, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin stated that it would be a grave mistake to oppose Turkey’s European Union membership because of religious reasons. De Villepin warned that refusing Turkey because it is a Muslim country would only incite hatred among societies. /Cumhuriyet/[07] EC REPRESENTATIVE TO TURKEY KRETSCHMER: “YOU’VE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS”The European Commission Representative to Turkey Hansjorg Kretschmer yesterday stated that the Turkish government recently made significant progress on its path towards the EU membership. “You’re on the right track,” said Kretschmer. “If Turkey goes on like this, there is no reason for it to fail.” /Cumhuriyet/[08] GERMAN AMBASSADOR PRAISES RECENT POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN CYPRUSGerman Ambassador to Turkey Wolf Ruthart Born yesterday praised recent positive developments regarding the Cyprus issue, adding that he had believed a resolution could be reached by May, when Greek Cyprus is scheduled to join the European Union. He stated that the Cyprus issue was an “ethnic approach problem.” Born further criticized the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, saying that there were conflicts between its Iraq and Cyprus policies. /Aksam/[09] BAHCELI VISITS BAYKALAs part of his tour of political party leaders to exchange views on the Cyprus issue, Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli yesterday visited main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal. After the meeting, CHP Deputy Chairman Onur Oymen told reporters that the gathering had been very fruitful. He added that both parties shared similar views and they would continue to carry out contacts on the matter. /Turkiye/[10] IPUK REPRESENTATIVE SALIH: “TURKISH TROOPS MUST PEACEFULLY LEAVE IRAQ”Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) high-level official Berham Salih yesterday met with Turkey's Special Envoy to Cyprus Osman Koruturk in Ankara. Salih argued that the Turkish troops must peacefully leave northern Iraq, reiterating the Kurdish claim that Kirkuk belonged to Kurds. “Kirkuk is a part of Iraqi Kurdistan,” claimed Berham. “The people of Kirkuk should find a democratic solution to the current administrative problems.” Salih also informed Turkish officials about IPUK’s plans on Iraq’s reconstruction, stressing that his organization also supports Iraq’s territorial integrity. /Cumhuriyet/[11] FINANCIAL TIMES: “AMNESTY’S VIEWS ON TURKEY’S HUMAN RIGHTS WILL BE A CRUCIAL TEST FOR THE COUNTRY’S EU BID”The head of Amnesty International began a weeklong visit to Turkey yesterday to put a spotlight on the country's human rights record - an issue central to its hopes of joining the European Union, stated the Financial Times. The daily quoted Amnesty’s Secretary-General Irene Khan as saying that she was “encouraged” by human rights reforms introduced by the Turkish government. “Khan will hand a memorandum outlining Amnesty's concerns to Erdogan on Thursday,” added the Financial Times. “Amnesty's view on Turkey's human rights reforms will be a crucial test of its ambitions to join the EU. Turkey's membership credentials will be assessed in December at a summit in Brussels, when member states will decide whether to start formal accession negotiations with Ankara. Khan said the pre-accession work done by Erdogan's government was bearing fruit, but she was unsure whether the need for reform was “internalized” at all levels of the administration.” /Cumhuriyet/[12] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[13] RELATIONS WITH EU BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on Turkey’s relations with the EU. A summary of his column is as follows:“We are focused on the Cyprus issue due to its urgency and deep relation with the EU. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan even paid a useful visit to South Korea but we shouldn’t forget that the most important matter for us is the EU. Even the most urgent and important developments shouldn’t distract our attention. Turkey can’t have any other vital issue other than the EU membership bid. This way the quality of life to be led by the following Turkish generation will be determined. It’s also the most important development of our history of innovation because it will show that we have finally reached the level of contemporary civilization. 25 European countries might take offense, thinking that we have deprived Europe of the importance we attached to the US and even UN concerning the Cyprus issue. We know that they’re sensitive. Therefore Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul should tour the European capitals. They should be in continuous contact with European statesmen and businessmen so there won’t be something unpleasant in December 2004 both for the EU and Turkey. The real politicians of Europe comprehended it. However, preventing such unpleasant situations are possible by starting membership negotiations with Turkey as well. The tension is at its peak on the eve of great events. We should get used to consider such a complicated atmosphere natural. This is the conflict between those favoring the contemporary civilization and preferring to remain at the conventional line.” [14] TANGO IN THE SECURITY CONFERENCE BY GURAY OZ (CUMHURIYET)Columnist Guray Oz comments on the conference on security in Munich. A summary of his column is as follows:“While anti militarists protested the war, belligerents discussed the past end planned the future. The 40th ‘Conference on Security’ was held Munich last weekend. The German Police Union was in the opinion that the conference was nothing more than a prodigality. Both the organization and the security of the conference were costly for Germany. If only it is worth for ‘security.’ If you ask ‘whose security?’ the answer could be ‘the security of the new world order, the eternal declared system and the market economy, which even found its place in the European Union draft constitution. The system, according to the claim, is under the heavy and dangerous attack of ‘terrorism’ and it should be protected by force. This is what ‘security’ and security conferences are for. What is the aim of this conference? The aim of this conference is to discuss policies on security in depth, ‘declare’ reciprocal positions, handle regions that pose a threat, drawing political and theoretical limits of sharing, sometimes kissing and sometimes biting the other side. Certainly, another aim is also to show the newcomers, observing the conference, the new world order in depth and inform them. The main subject of the conference were the situation in Iraq, NATO’s position in Afghanistan and the question on whether it can have a role in Iraq or not and of course Palestine. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was one of the most important people attending the conference. Rumsfeld parried reporters’ questions. It’s not an easy job. Could it be easy to come across with those who have tolled their doubts before the war, and to claim your opinions with the same stubbornness after it came out that the attack in Iraq was based on a big lie? ‘We have reached a good point in our searching but we also couldn’t find a big store of weapons, our works are going on. President Bush set up a research commission on the CIA reports’ said Rumsfeld. You attack first and afterwards look whether the information is true or not. It is difficult to make policies based on lies. It is difficult if those who strip you as a liar are not only the people on the streets but also experienced European politicians, who you labeled as ‘old’ and acted against their interests in Iraq. For this reason, Rumsfeld is careful with his wordings. ‘Every country should do what it finds right to do, but it should also envisage to live with its consequences,’ says Rumsfeld. But the most cheerful moments were his answer to the question of a correspondent from Suddeutsche Zeitung: ‘Could you remove your doubts on the EU army?’ He laughed and said, ‘There is no other army like the European army.’ The parties attending the Security Conference in Munich made tango. They didn’t have another chance. They had to share and reach an agreement at the same time.” 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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