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Turkish Press Review, 04-05-17Turkish 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 morning17.05.2004FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…CONTENTS
[01] ARINC TO TRAVEL TO STRASBOURGParliament Speaker Bulent Arinc is set to travel to Strasbourg today to attend a three-day conference of heads of European parliaments. Arinc is expected to address the meeting. /Star/[02] BLAIR TO VISIT ANKARA TODAYBritish Prime Minister Tony Blair is due to arrive in Ankara today for an official visit. During his stay, he is expected to meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss a number of issues, including Turkey’s European Union membership bid and Iraq. Erdogan is expected to seek Blair’s support for ending the economic embargo on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Cooperation in anti-terrorist efforts and next month’s NATO summit in Istanbul are also expected to be topics of discussion. /Cumhuriyet/[03] TURKEY HOSTS EUROVISION CONTEST, PLACES FOURTHAthena, one of Turkey’s best-known bands, placed fourth in Saturday’s 49th Eurovision Song Contest, which was also hosted by Turkey for the first time. Ukrainian singer Ruslana Lyzichko won the contest for her country, receiving the crown from last year’s winner Turkish singer Sertab Erener, while Serbia-Montenegro placed second and Greece third. As the new winner, Ukraine will host Eurovision next year. Some 100 million viewers worldwide watched the contest live from Istanbul. /All papers/[04] SENER VISITS SOUTHEASTERN PROVINCESAs part of his tour of southeastern Anatolia, State Minister Abdullatif Sener yesterday visited the provinces of Diyarbakir and Mardin. During meetings with regional officials, Sener vowed to boost Turkey’s trade relations with neighboring states and to clear mines from border areas. Pointing to Mardin’s water shortage, the minister also pledged to tackle this problem. /Turkiye/[05] NEW YORK HOLDS ANNUAL TURKISH DAY PARADENew York City’s annual Turkish Day Parade organized by the Federation of Turkish-American Associations was celebrated with enthusiasm over the weekend. State Minister Mehmet Aydin and Industry and Trade Minister Ali Coskun as well as a number of parliamentary deputies attended the event. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President George W. Bush also sent messages marking the day. In addition, a message from Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat underlined steadfast efforts to end the international isolation of his nation. /Turkiye/[06] BABACAN: “WE HAVE NO PLAN TO USE $8.5 BLN US CREDIT THIS YEAR”Appearing on television yesterday, State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan lauded recent economic developments, saying that the nation’s economy was on much firmer ground now than in the past. Touching on a US credit of $8.5 billion extended for Turkey’s cooperation over Iraq, Babacan said that the government had no plan to use the funds this year. “We will use the credit when there is a need,” said Babacan. Also touching on recent fluctuations in exchange rates, Babacan stated that the high current accounts deficit had caused this, adding that the effects of these changes rates on Turkey’s debt stock were limited. Asked about capital outflow from Turkey, the minister declined to give details on the issue. He warned, however, that recent oil price increases could damage Turkey’s budget and also cause higher inflation. “If world agriculture and oil prices rise more than expected, then our government will take necessary measures,” he added. /Milliyet/[07] TALAT: “WE WON’T NEGOTIATE THE UN CYPRUS PLAN WITH THE GREEK CYPRIOTS AGAIN”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat said yesterday that he would not negotiate the United Nations Cyprus plan with Greek Cyprus again, adding that the TRNC had nothing more to give to Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos. Saying that his goal was to end his nation’s international isolation, Talat added, “We know that the TRNC won’t be recognized in the short term but we want international recognition as soon as possible.” He further criticized the European Union’s stance on the recognition issue, saying that it should be understood that the Greek Cypriots don’t represent Turkish Cyprus. /Milliyet/[08] FENERBAHCE WINS SUPER LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPTurkish football side Fenerbahce yesterday celebrated its Super League championship with a huge ceremony attended by over 50,000 fans at Istanbul’s Sukru Saracoglu Stadium. It was the team’s 15th Super League crown. Trabzonspor finished the season in second place, while Besiktas came in third.[09] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…[10] A NEW WEEK BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on possible issues facing Turkey this week. A summary of his column is as follows:“This week the crisis over the new Board of Higher Education (YOK) law is likely to end. The next two weeks will continue in this mode, then the law will be signed by the president and the issue will be closed. New arrangements will be made in line with the law. However, most people believe that the president won’t like certain parts of it and so will send it back to Parliament to be reviewed. I concur, this could happen. This way the YOK issue would be reopened next month. University lecturers will stage protests on the streets again. However, this time the NATO meeting in Istanbul will be in the spotlight, so inevitably YOK will be overshadowed. Istanbul will host prominent heads of state and government and nearly 2,000 members of the media. US President George W. Bush will explain the virtues of NATO’s supporting his ‘Pax Americana.’ He might introduce new proposals, so we should be prepared. Famous leaders of European countries will listen politely to Bush, but they may reject his ideas. There might be talk about Afghanistan and especially the Iraq issue. However, in the end there will be agreement. I hope we’ve entered a quiet and peaceful week.” [11] TWO IMPORTANT VISITS BY ERDAL SAFAK (SABAH)Columnist Erdal Safak comments on this week’s visits to Turkey of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Georgian President Mihail Saakasvili. A summary of his column is as follows:“Ankara will host two stars this week, but while one of them is on the verge of fading the other is still rising. The falling star is British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He says that he likes his job and is hopeful for a third term, but Britain’s ruling Labour Party has started to prepare itself for the post-Blair era. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has even said that the search for a successor has gained momentum. Blair’s visit is based on a decision made in the wake of last November’s terrorist attacks in Istanbul under which the two countries’ premiers will meet twice a year. Blair is the first to do so. The visit’s agenda is already set: next month’s NATO summit in Istanbul, the Greater Middle East Initiative, recent developments in Iraq, the Cyprus issue and of course Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Blair has been clear on his policies towards Ankara from the beginning, plus he is honest and has taken a favorable attitude towards Turkey. In March he said that the EU has to show its will to accept Turkey – describing it as a proud country with a Muslim majority – under the same conditions as its other members. He reiterated this on May 9, adding that it has already decided that Turkey will become an EU member, but he urged Ankara to fulfill the conditions which other members also had to complete. There are rumors that Blair will surprise Ankara by announcing his government’s decision to allow direct flights to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). We’ll see. The second guest, a rising star who came to power after a revolution, is new Georgian President Mihail Saakasvili. He has pledged to do whatever is needed to preserve Georgia’s territorial integrity, which means that two revolutions are on the way. Sakasvili will visit Ankara on May 20-21. It is said that he will offer his help in mediating between Turkey and Armenia.” 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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