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Turkish Press Review, 04-02-27Turkish 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 morning27.02.2004FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN MEETS WITH BUSINESSMEN SPONSORING JUNE NATO SUMMITPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with businessmen sponsoring this summer’s NATO summit due to be held in Istanbul. Present at the meeting were Sakip Sabanci, Mustafa Koc, Bulent Eczacibasi, Ferit Sahenk, Omer Dinckok, Turgay Ciner, Basaran Ulusoy, and other businessmen. The meeting focused on preparations for the summit, set for June 28-29, and cultural activities during the gathering. In other news, Erdogan denied yesterday that he wanted the media to censor itself in its Cyprus coverage, but rather urged “self-control,” which he said was needed in order to protect the negotiating process. /Cumhuriyet/[02] GUL RETURNS FROM MOSCOW VISITAfter completing his three-day official visit to Moscow, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday returned to Turkey. At a press conference before leaving, Gul told reporters that terrorism had been a focus during his meetings with Russian officials. “I told them of Turkey’s concerns over PKK terrorists finding refuge in Russia,” said Gul. “I also asked them to add the terrorist PKK to their list of terrorist groups. The Russian leaders pledged to work on the issue.” Gul also reiterated that Turkey would do its best to fight all kinds of terrorism. /Turkiye/[03] EUROPEAN COUNCIL PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY PREPARES TURKEY REPORTThe European Council Parliamentary Assembly has prepared a report proposing that Turkey be removed from the council’s monitoring mechanism. After the report is approved, Turkey would be certified as being in compliance with the Copenhagen criteria. The report is expected to be taken up and approved during a meeting next week of the European Council Parliamentary Assembly Control Commission, and later at a full session of the European Council Parliamentary Assembly in April. Since 1996, Turkey has been under monitoring by the European Council due to allegations that it fell short of European standards concerning human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The ratification of the report will be an important step for Turkey to begin negotiations with the Union, a decision on which is due this December. /Turkiye/[04] VERHEUGEN: “TURKEY’S ACCESSION AGREEMENT INCLUDES A FULL MEMBERSHIP PERSPECTIVE”In his address to a German Social Democratic Party (SPD) meeting yesterday in Berlin, European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said that Turkey’s 1963 accession partnership agreement with the EU included the prospect of membership in the Union, thus brushing off recent arguments that Turkey should not be given full EU status. “I’d like to remind you that we’re making progress in line with an established policy when we try to bring Turkey closer to Europe,” said the commissioner. “Turkey signed a partnership agreement with the Europe Economic Community [EEC, the EU’S predecessor], in 1963, which included a full membership perspective.” Verheugen added that he was having difficulty understanding a proposal recently made by Angela Merkel, leader of the opposition German Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU), to give Turkey a “privileged partnership” status, since in his view such a partnership already exists. “Over the years, the country was told again and again that it would become a EU member,” added Verheugen. “However, at that time, Turkey was far from democratic rule and lacked the recognition of human rights. But now that it has progressed in all these areas since 1999, it’s being told that it can’t join.” /Hurriyet/[05] DENKTAS: “OUR DETERMINATION FOR TWO EQUAL STATES ON CYPRUS IS UNWAVERING”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas yesterday met for the fourth time in the current Cyprus negotiations with Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos. Speaking afterwards, Denktas said that his administration’s resolve on such issues as two equal states based on two nations was unwavering, but added that the Greek Cypriots wanted a unitary state which disregarded the facts of the island. Denktas further decried the Greek Cypriot leader’s “stubborn” stance on the issue. In related news, US Cyprus Envoy Thomas Weston is expected to arrive on the island this weekend. /Aksam/[06] TALAT: “MY GOAL FOR CYPRUS IS THE SAME AS DENKTAS’S, BUT THERE MAY BE SMALL DIFFERENCES OF APPROACH”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat said yesterday that that his goal for Cyprus and that of TRNC President Rauf Denktas were the same, but added that there could be small differences in their approaches. “We should continue the current talks,” said Talat. “On the one hand the negotiations are continuing, and on the other hand we are continuing our work for the TRNC’s harmonization to the European Union.” /Turkiye/[07] MILITARY TO WEIGH IN ON CYPRUS ISSUEDeputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug is expected to hold a press conference today to brief the media on the Cyprus issue. During the gathering, Basbug is set to lay out the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) views on the issue and the current negotiating process. /Cumhuriyet/[08] AKP MAYORAL CANDIDATES CONVENE IN ANKARAMore than 3,000 ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidates for next month’s local elections met yesterday in Ankara. Addressing the candidates and party members, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged them to work hard to serve Turkey’s citizens. He stated that his party’s aim was not merely to win the elections but also to unite the people. “If a mayor can’t solve his town or city’s basic problems like providing tap water or the sewage system, he should step down,” said the premier. “He can’t be called a mayor.” /Turkiye/[09] POLAND PRAISES TURKEY’S REFORMSPoland, one of 10 nations due to join the ranks of the European Union in May, yesterday praised Ankara’s recent reforms on its path towards EU membership. “Poland fully supports Turkey’s efforts aimed at becoming a full EU member,” said a Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman. “Our country is following Ankara’s latest reforms to fulfill the EU’s Copenhagen criteria and it appreciates them.” /Turkiye/[10] US STATE DEPARTMENT LAUDS HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRESS IN TURKEY, URGES BETTER IMPLEMENTATIONThe US State Department yesterday released its annual report on the state of human rights worldwide, including Turkey. The report underlined Ankara’s recent efforts to improve human rights and democracy, saying that it passed “extensive human rights reform packages that covered a broadening of laws on torture, impunity, access to attorneys, fair trials and freedom of speech.” The report also stated that Ankara must continue its reforms and take new measures to eliminate certain “serious problems” which can still be seen in practice. /Hurriyet/[11] IMF DELEGATION ARRIVES FOR SEVENTH REVIEW OF STANDBY PACTAn International Monetary Fund delegation headed by Turkey Desk Chief Reza Moghadam will resume discussions today in Istanbul for the seventh review under Turkey's stand-by agreement with the IMF. The mission is to meet first with Saving Deposit Insurance Fund (SDIF) Chairman Ahmet Erturk and later Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) head Osman Birsen. It is also scheduled to travel to Ankara on Sunday to meet with State Minister Ali Babacan. The delegation will discuss with these officials the remaining steps needed to achieve this year’s 6.5 percent primary fiscal surplus target. It will also discuss the detailed structural reform agenda for the program’s remainder, and in particular progress in privatization, resolving taken-over banks and accelerating asset sales, and reforming state banks. /Hurriyet/[12] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…[13] THE GREEK CYPRIOTS’ STANCE BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the Cyprus issue and the Greek Cypriots’ stance. A summary of his column is as follows:“For the Turkish public, the Greek Cypriots’ positions on Cyprus have been overshadowed by the Turkish side’s. This has kept the Turkish public preoccupied with domestic conflicts and relegated the Greek positions to the back burner. However, the Greek Cypriots should be watched closely. Yesterday’s meetings showed that the Greek Cypriot administration doesn’t want to accept that there are two nations on the island. They reject the approach of two different sovereign nations consisting of the Turkish and Greek Cypriots. The Greek Cypriots’ stance takes two founding nations as a basis. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas has said openly that Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos is digging in his heels on this issue. This signals that the principles of strengthening bizonality and taking two equal sovereign nations as a basis, considered sine qua nons by Denktas and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will be rejected. At least it seems no result will emerge with just the TRNC and Greek Cyprus talking. Would the situation change if Turkey and Greece get involved after March 22? We’ll see then. However, clearly the Greek Cypriot administration won’t accept any solution fitting Turkey’s suggestions before May 1. After this stage, it seems Ankara is hopeful about pressure coming from the EU. Erdogan has laid out three key conditions for Ankara, namely strengthening bizonality, Turkey’s guarantorship, and a straight border. He emphasized that failure to implement these might cause problems. According to the New York agreement from earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will lay things down from now on. A referendum will be held on the basis of a text determined by him. If Ankara doesn’t favor the current shape of the plan and attaches great importance to the sine qua nons, it should move quickly so serious pressure and sanctions can be put on the Greek Cypriots. Otherwise they won’t accept Turkey’s sine qua nons. For this reason, Ankara should stand with Denktas, not against him, in order to push the Turkish side’s suggestions.” [14] NATURAL ALLIES BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s just- concluded visit to Moscow. A summary of her column is as follows:“Turkish-Russian relations are moving away from mutual distrust towards a ‘natural partnership.’ This was shown this week by the first Turkish foreign minister’s visit to Moscow in eight years and both sides’ messages during his visit. ‘We’ve re-discovered you,’ said Russian President Vladimir Putin. Summing up Russia’s official stance, this sentence is reflected across all areas of relations between our countries. Moreover, as some official voices have said, there is a will to enter a ‘new era which is transparent and encourages trust, and where actions are taken with the understanding that seeking cooperation results from natural partnership.’ Trade between our countries has reached $6.5 billion. The economic indicators are good. Is everything so positive? I think so, excepting some security problems which we should be able to overcome but still play an important role in improving bilateral ties. During Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov’s visit to Turkey in 2001, Moscow and Ankara pledged security cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Moscow asked Ankara to act against those linked to terrorists in Chechnya, but this never came to fruition for either side. Security is a very sensitive element in Turkish-Russian relations. Changing the state administration, Putin ushered in a new, all-powerful presidency. Putin will never make concessions on Chechnya anytime soon. Russian-US cooperation in the fight against international terrorism is continuing. One can find see that Putin is bothered by Russian tankers being delayed in the Turkish Straits. Developments in Russia’s oil policy lie behind these complaints. Transneft stated that crude oil would be transported to Western markets via the Black and North Seas. Russian experts say that this export route would cut transportation costs and make the oil more economical. Moscow seems to insist on this policy. What about the straits? Turkey’s sensitivity on this issue is not only in our interest, but also in Russia’s. I hope that our new era of cooperation creates a basis to make Moscow share this understanding.” 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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