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Turkish Press Review, 04-02-23Turkish 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 morning23.02.2004FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNSCONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN ANNOUNCES AKP MAYORAL CANDIDATES FOR MARCH LOCAL ELECTIONSPrime Minister and Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday announced his party’s mayoral candidates for the March 28 local elections: Melih Gokcek for Ankara, Kadir Topbas for Istanbul, Taha Aksoy for Izmir, Menderes Turel for Antalya, Ahmet Kucukler for Erzurum, Ibrahim Karaosmanoglu for Kocaeli, Tahir Akyurek for Konya, Aziz Duran for Sakarya and Mahmut Aslan for Mersin. Speaking before the AKP Political Academy graduation ceremony, Erdogan said that the AKP had kept the promises that it made before the November 2002 general elections and pledged that this would also continue after the local polls. “Turkey will enter a new era of great change after these elections,” added the premier. /All papers/[02] GERMAN CHANCELLOR SCHROEDER ARRIVES IN TURKEYHosting a German chancellor for the first time in over a decade, Ankara yesterday welcomed Gerhard Schroeder for a two-day official visit. According to Foreign Ministry sources, on the table for discussion during the German leader’s contacts with Turkish officials will be bilateral relations, Turkey’s European Union membership bid, NATO’s upcoming Istanbul summit as well as the issues of Cyprus, Iraq, the Middle East and Afghanistan. Schroeder is expected to reiterate Berlin’s support for Turkey’s EU membership and signal his satisfaction at Ankara’s efforts to reach a Cyprus settlement. Schroeder is accompanied by a delegation of representatives from the German government along with businessmen, including Vural Oger and Kemal Sahin, two Turks living in Germany. Schroeder is set to travel to Adana with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend the opening ceremony of a Sugozu thermal power plant constructed jointly by Turkish and German firms. After completing his contacts in Turkey, Schroeder is set to travel to the US. /All Papers/[03] GERMAN PRESIDENT RAU: “IT’S TOO EARLY FOR TURKEY TO JOIN THE EU”Even as German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder began a historic visit to Ankara, German President Johannes Rau claimed yesterday that it was “too early” for Turkey to become a member of the European Union. Speaking to German magazine Super Illu, Rau said that Turkey could only be integrated into the EU after fully implementing the EU criteria. Stressing that the implementation of reforms to the freedoms of religion and the press were very important, Rau stressed that this process might take some years. /Turkiye/[04] GUL’S MOSCOW VISIT TO BEGIN TODAYForeign Minister Abdullah Gul is set to travel to Moscow today for an official visit. During his trip, Gul is expected to meet with various Russian officials to discuss issues of bilateral relations, including security and energy issues. /Turkish Daily News/[05] DENKTAS: “WE MIGHT NOT REACH A RESOLUTION BY MAY”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas cautioned yesterday that a resolution for Cyprus might not be reached by May, when Greek Cyprus is scheduled to join the European Union. “We may reach an agreement by December, when the EU will decide whether or not to begin accession talks with Turkey,” predicted Denktas, adding that the two sides could also hold separate referendums in December, rather than this April, as had been stipulated under the current negotiations. Denktas charged that due to its status as a “guaranteed” EU member, Greek Cyprus would try to oppose changes to the UN Cyprus plan sought by the Turkish Cypriot administration during the talks which began last week. He added that he was working in harmony with TRNC Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat. In related news, Denktas is set to meet with Greek Cyprus leader Tassos Papadopoulos tomorrow. /Aksam/[06] PRODI WELCOMES ANKARA’ S EFFORTS ON CYPRUSEuropean Commission Chairman Roman Prodi said yesterday that Ankara’s cooperation towards finding a settlement to the Cyprus issue would be reflected practically in Turkish-EU relations. Speaking to Spanish daily El Pais, Prodi stated that there were two important topics on the Union’s agenda for 2004, namely approving a EU Constitution and dealing with Turkey’s EU bid. Commenting on German opposition leader Angela Merkel’s recent offer to Ankara of a “special partnership” with the EU (rather than membership), Prodi rebuffed the notion, saying the commission was not seeking new formulas and that no such proposal was even being considered. /Turkiye/[07] VERHEUGEN PRESSES GREEK CYPRIOTS TO BE MORE COMPROMISINGAccording to Greek Cypriot daily Alithia, European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen recently warned the Greek Cypriots about the possible negative fallout of a failure of the two sides on the island to reach a settlement despite the recent rash of international efforts. The Greek Cypriot daily reported that Verheugen visited Cyprus on Feb. 19 not only to show the EU’s support for the current negotiations but also to press the Greek side to be more compromising. “The Greek Cypriots shouldn’t be complacent, thinking that they’re going to join the EU no matter the talks’ outcome,” the daily quoted the EU commissioner as saying. “There are a number of countries ready to create new political obstacles for [Greek] Cyprus if they see the Greek Cypriots side doing less than their utmost in the talks. If Turkey fails to receive a beginning date for its membership negotiations this year due of lack of a solution on Cyprus, the situation will probably worsen. Ankara might then lose control, thus leading to the Turkish military’s gaining greater influence in politics. Such a development would adversely affect not only Cyprus but also the entire Mediterranean region.” /Hurriyet/[08] BAHCELI: “NO CONCESSIONS SHOULD BE MADE ON CYPRUS”Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli over the weekend lashed out at the government’s Cyprus policy, accusing it of betraying Turkey’s “national cause.” “There are certain people in this country who want to sell off Cyprus to Brussels for the sake of EU membership, even though there’s no direct link between the EU’s Copenhagen criteria and the Cyprus issue,” claimed Bahceli. “Cyrus is a national cause from which no concessions should be made.” The MHP, formerly a government coalition party, currently has no seats in Parliament. /Turkiye/[09] GENERAL STAFF CONDEMNS RUMORS ABOUT SABIHA GOKCENThe General Staff’s Office over the weekend condemned a recent spate of rumors claiming that Sabiha Gokcen, Ataturk’s adopted child and the world’s first woman fighter pilot, had been of Armenian origin. In a written statement, the office called Gokcen an invaluable symbol for Turkish society, underlining that throwing such a symbol open to doubt or suspicion would be harmful to the country’s integrity and national values. Gokcen passed away three years ago. /Turkiye/[10] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS[11] THE CYPRUS ISSUE AND TURKEY’S ROLE BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the Cyprus issue and Turkey’s role in it. A summary of his column is as follows:“The pressure on Turkey over the Cyprus issue has yielded results. The EU’s threat amounted to, ‘If you don’t reach a consensus, you won’t get a date for EU membership negotiations, and the embargo won’t be lifted.’ Thus, Ankara made Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas sit down to the negotiating table. This made Turkey’s situation and position understandable. The EU got results with its policy of ‘influential threats’ on the Turkish side, but didn’t consider a stick for the Greek Cypriots. The EU had guaranteed EU membership for the Greek Cypriots on May 1 whether a settlement is reached or not. Now Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos and Athens are acting complacently. They’ve rejected Turkey’s sine qua non suggestions, saying that these are contrary to UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan’s plan. At least they have nothing to lose. They are preparing for the May 1 accession ceremonies. Ankara accepted all the EU’s conditions, so now it lacks any power over the Greek Cypriot administration, beyond hoping that the US will do something. Neither Papadopoulos nor Athens wants a solution before May 1. The greatest risk they might take is bringing Annan’s plan to referendum. The referendum campaign has already started. A poll of Greek Cypriots shows that 61% are opposed to any agreement. These developments put the lie to those who say, ‘The Turkish side is fleeing the table and doesn’t want to negotiate.’ This was one of the goals of the Turkish side. However, Turkey and the TRNC should have sought certain guarantees after these results. For example, what would happen if the Greek Cypriots walk away from the table and reject referendum? In this case would it be guaranteed that Ankara would receive a date for membership talks and the embargo on the TRNC would be lifted? What’s more, is there a plan B to block the Greek Cypriots’ May 1 membership? What would happen if both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides were to walk away? In this case, again would Turkey get a date from the EU? Will the Cyprus issue be a condition and hindrance for Turkey’s membership? It seems the domestic and foreign forces and spokesmen who have put pressure on Turkey up to now should do the same to the Greek Cypriot administration.” [12] PROMISE UNFULFILLED BY MUMTAZ SOYSAL (CUMHURIYET)Columnist Mumtaz Soysal comments on Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:“Washington isn’t getting good news from Baghdad. The United States, which had said that it would end its occupation and transfer power to the Iraqi people at the end of July, now can’t gauge what kind of a country it would leave behind. It is clear that the American troops won’t really withdraw and that actual dominance will remain in US hands. On the other hand, power should be handed over to the Iraqis. But which Iraqis? In the beginning, it was said that a state structure divided into 30 ‘provinces’ would be formed instead of a federation of three or four federal states based on ethnicity or religious sects. This was needed so as to reassure Turkey and Iran and to show that Iraq’s territorial integrity would be preserved. Plans called for elections via caucuses to form a national parliament. As a matter of fact, this process had already begun in some provinces with a Shiite majority. However, firstly the Kurds and everyone else in Iraq’s Governing Council objected to this model, and the occupiers were completely confused as what to do. The recent news shows that the Coalitional Authority led by Paul Bremer has decided to form a provisional government with less debate on its representative nature than the Governing Council and that the provisional government should run the elections. Washington, which is considering sharing this plan with the United Nations, is now seeking Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s support. In short, the Iraq campaign, which has reached a nadir on security doe to assassinations and attacks, is also now stuck into a swamp politically. The part of this turmoil that concerns Turkey is that Washington’s promise to eliminate the PKK in the region is not being kept. Saying, ‘Don’t get involved. We can handle this,’ Washington was already delaying it. The excuse is that the US lacked sufficient forces in northern Iraq to conduct such an operation. It is unknown when and how it will provide forces. The truth is that such an attempt carrying the danger of turning into a guerilla war with great losses daunts the United States. Thus, the possibility that the occupying forces will withdraw from the country, leaving the PKK in that turmoil. I hope Turkey, which sees that the military job has again been left to itself, makes the necessary preparations.” 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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