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Turkish Press Review, 04-08-05Turkish 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 morning05.08.2004CONTENTS
[01] YAS MEETING ENDS WITH A BANQUET GIVEN BY SEZERThe Supreme Military Council’s (YAS) three-day meeting to discuss promotions and dismissals ended yesterday with a banquet given by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also present at the banquet. The decisions of the council would be presented to Sezer today and then would be announced to public. /Aksam/[02] TWO TURKISH HOSTAGES FREEDAfter Turkish truck drivers agreed to halt deliveries to US forces in Iraq, two Turkish hostages, Abdurrahman Demir and Sait Unurlu were freed yesterday, according to the Arab satellite network al-Jazeera. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul also confirmed that the captives had been freed. “The two Turkish hostages in Iraq have been released,” said Gul. “The good news has made us happy.” He also added that the Turkish truckers should not get into polemics about their business in Iraq and can continue their work with contentment. The International Transporters' Association (UND) announced earlier this week that it halted deliveries to US forces in Iraq in hopes of freeing other captives after the release of a video showing masked gunmen killing the Turkish worker Murat Yuce. The firms for which Demir and Unurlu worked, namely, Oztur International Transportation and Kahramanli International Transportation, had also announced earlier this week that they would stop doing business in Iraq in order to save the hostages. /Aksam/[03] TUZMEN: “WE HAVE TO DO BUSINESS IN IRAQ EVEN IF IT’S RISKY”State Minister Kursat Tuzmen yesterday said that the Turkish businessmen and firms must continue to do business in Iraq. Stating that the Turkish companies provided the Iraqi people with services before and during the war, Tuzmen stressed that these companies must continue to do so after the war. He also added that he respected the recent decision of the International Transporters' Association (UND) to halt deliveries to the US forces but regarded it as a temporary one. “We need to find permanent resolutions to our problems,” Tuzmen said. /Hurriyet/[04] US STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN BOUCHER: “WE WON’T MAKE ANY CONCESSIONS TO HOSTAGE-TAKERS IN IRAQ”The US State Department yesterday issued an official statement vowing not to make concessions to hostage-takers in Iraq. State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said that the US-led coalition of peacekeeping troops shared the suffering of the families of hostages, including the Turkish captive Murat Yuce who was killed by the Iraqi militants, adding that the coalition forcers were united in their resolve to make no concessions to terrorists. Criticizing the recent decision of the International Transporters' Association (UND) to halt bringing supplies to the US forces in Iraq, Boucher stressed that the association must recall the “grand objective” which is Iraq’s reconstruction. “We strongly condemn the kidnapping and murder of innocent civilians,” the statement said. “We share the suffering of the families and sacrifices of those governments whose citizens have been kidnapped and so brutally treated. We also reaffirm our solidarity with Iraqi people who have been the main target of fanaticism and terrorist attacks.” As for companies responding to hostage-taking by withdrawing from Iraq, Boucher said, “We have recognized all along that companies, even countries, have to make decisions based on the safety of their personnel sometimes. And so, we recognize that. We don't object to it.” In related news, a group from the US Embassy in Ankara visited the UND yesterday and expressed their grief over the recent killing of the Turkish hostage Yuce. /Hurriyet/ [05] UND: “OUR DECISION ISN’T A POLITICAL ONE”The International Transporters' Association (UND) Executive Council Chairman Cahit Soysal yesterday stated that the UND’s recent decision to stop bringing supplies to the US forces in Iraq should not be regarded as a political one. “The UND also believes that it must continue to do business in Iraq, however the security must be established first.” Soysal also expressed that the UND was very happy that the other two hostages were freed by the Iraqi militants after its decision to halt deliveries to US forces in Iraq. /Hurriyet/ [06] EU’S INDEPENDENT COMMISSION: “TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP IS INEVITABLE”The European Union Independent Commission which was established five months ago in Brussels to offer its views on Turkey’s EU membership bid prepared a report stating that Ankara’s membership negotiations must be initiated. The commission is expected to release its report on Sept. 6, which states that Turkey’s EU membership is inevitable. The report stresses that Turkey’s membership will help Europe overcome the clash of different civilizations, criticizing the European Christian Democrats’ opposition to the country’s membership on the grounds of the differences between the Christian and Islamic cultures. /Hurriyet/[07] GERMANY, BRITAIN TO PROMOTE TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP BIDGerman Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is to promote Turkey’s EU membership bid by calling on the German newspapers to support Ankara during Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Berlin on Oct. 3. Schroeder is expected to stress that Turkey’s EU membership talks must be started as soon as possible. Erdogan is to travel to Germany to receive a respect and friendship award entitled “Quadriga” given by a German private organization. Schroeder, who will present the award to Erdogan, is expected to praise the efforts of the Erdogan government towards democratization. In related news, high-level bureaucrats from the British Foreign Ministry are planning to pay visits to the EU capitals to tout Turkey’s membership bid. /Hurriyet/[08] AGRICULTURE MINISTER GUCLU MEETS WITH HIS AFGHAN COUNTERPARTAgriculture Minister Sami Guclu yesterday met with his visiting Afghan counterpart Seyyed Hussain Anwari. Speaking afterwards, Guclu said that Ankara was ready to provide all kinds of technical and manpower suport to Afghanistan. Guclu stressed that friendly relations between the two countries were suspended between 1977 and 2001 due to negative political developments in Afghanistan, adding that Turkey had undertaken an active role in reconstruction of Afghanistan after 2001. For his part, Anwari said that he appreciated Ankara’s support in reconstruction of his country and added that Afghan people wanted to further develop relations with Turkey. Anwari is due to leave Ankara tomorrow. /Turkiye/[09] INDUSTRY AND TRADE MINISTER: “OUR GOVERNMENT’S GOAL IS TO ACHIEVE 4% INFLATION BY 2007”Industry and Trade Minister Ali Coskun said yesterday that he welcomed low inflation and predicted that inflation would be 7% by the end of this year, adding that the government’s goal was to achieve 4% inflation by 2007. Coskun added that the economy continued to grow and predicted that interest rates would further fall in the future. /Turkiye/[10] FIFTH CONVENTION OF WORLD TURKISH BUSINESSMEN TO BEGIN IN SEPTEMBERThe fifth Convention of the World Turkish Businessmen is to begin in Ankara on Sept. 30. The convention would be headed by Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu and is expected to end on Oct. 1. The meeting aims to create synergy between the businessmen. /Turkiye/[11] IMF DELEGATION TO LEAVE ANKARA TOMORROWInternational Monetary Fund Turkey Desk Chief Riza Moghadam, who is currently in Ankara accompanied by a delegation, yesterday met with officials from the Treasury Undersecretariat, the Finance Ministry, the State Planning Organization, and the Central Bank to discuss recent economic developments and the new economic program. The delegation is due to leave Turkey tomorrow. /Turkiye/[12] SYRIA TO ACCEPT TURKISH VISITORS IN RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS WITHOUT VISASyrian Director General of Immigrants and Passports Hani Ismail yesterday announced that his country was to accept Turkish visitors during the religious holidays without visa and passport for 48 hours. He also added that Turkish industrialists and businessmen would be allowed to get their visas at the Turkish-Syrian borders if they had the necessary documents about their business, approved by the relevant Governorship. /Star/[13] TURKISH-IRAQI FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION CHAIRMAN: “IRAQI MARKET IS INDISPENSABLE”Turkish-Iraqi Friendship Association Chairman Mehmet Emin Deger said yesterday that it was difficult to put into practice the decision of the International Transporters’ Association (UND) which announced earlier that it would stop bring supplies to US forces in Iraq. Deger called the Iraqi market “indispensable” and added that Turkey could stop bring supplies to US forces if Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait decides to stop bring supplies to Iraq. /Aksam/[14] FROM THE COLUMNS … FROM THE COLUMNS … FROM THE COLUMNS[15] ISLAMIC INQUISITIONBY ERGUN BABAHAN (SABAH)Columnist Ergun Babahan comments on the developments in Iraq and Islam. A summary of his column is as follows: “It seems that the developments in Iraq went beyond the conflict of religions and turned into a conflict between sects. Columnist Omer Celik made one of the best evaluations about Iraq. Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy Celik made the following warnings: ‘The Islamic world should be clearly determined to draw a line between itself and religious terrorism. It is obvious that some people want the Islamic world to experience the Middle Age, which other religions went through. They try to create an inquisition, which doesn’t exist in Islam. A group of murderers hide under the guise of religion. This is the most serious test in history for the Islamic world. A huge history and a civilization will fall into darkness if this test won’t be completed successfully.’ Turkey has a special mission at this point. The importance of secularism increases in a period where discussions about moderate Islamism are brought into the agenda over and over again. It should also be shown that in this geography, within the framework of the freedoms in the constitution, people have the freedom of religion and thought without intervening other’s spaces. People traveling through Turkey, will see that modernism reached even small towns of central Anatolia. Of course Turkey should be on alert against religious fanaticism. Turkey, praising itself of being a bridge between the Eastern and Western civilizations, is moving forward to become a modernized Muslim country. Turkish women have the freedom which no women in other Muslim countries have. This environment doesn’t give religious terrorism the opportunity to find a base in this country. Of course there are people willing to make Turkey experience the dark period of the Middle Age, but despite its gaps, the civilization level which Turkey reached at is a proof of the republic’s strong foundations in this country. Even if Turkey’s young and dynamic population can’t find a job despite their efforts at the universities, they find the solution in a modern society instead of being overwhelmed by strayed ideologies. A similar way for our neighbors would reassure Turkey and Islam, but the experience in Iraq showed that this change couldn’t be made with US pressure from outside. This change requires patience. Turkey can have a role in this change through trade.” END 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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