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Turkish Press Review, 04-11-25
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
25.11.2004
FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
CONTENTS
[01] TURKEY-EU TROIKA SUGGEST BEGINNING OF ANKARA’S TALKS IN JULY 2005
[02] ERDOGAN MEETS WITH EP SOCIALIST GROUP HEAD, DISCUSSES TURKEY’S EU BID
[03] ARINC: “IN FALLUJAH, THE US VIOLATED INTERNATIONAL LAW”
[04] GERMAN CHANCELLOR: “TURKEY’S MEMBERSHIP WILL SERVE EU INTERESTS”
[05] EU COMMISSION HEAD: “ANKARA SHOULD BE GIVEN A DATE TO START ITS MEMBERSHIP TALKS”
[06] BARZANI PUSHES FOR DELAY IN IRAQI POLLS
[07] ISRAELI DIPLOMAT VISITS ANKARA TO DISCUSS BILATERAL RELATIONS
[08] TURKISH-ITALIAN FORUM TO BEGIN TODAY IN ROME
[09] HUNGARIAN FM DUE TO VISIT TURKEY
[10] DISCUSSIONS ON NEW IMF STANDBY TO RESUME NEXT WEEK
[11] HISARCIKLIOGLU: “IF WE DON’T WANT IMF HELP, WE SHOULD PICK UP THE PACE OF REFORMS”
[12] TUSIAD DELEGATION TO ATTEND UNICE MEETING IN THE NETHERLANDS
[13] TURK TELEKOM SALE TO BEGIN TODAY
[14] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[15] EVERYONE IS HAPPY, BUT... BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[01] TURKEY-EU TROIKA SUGGEST BEGINNING OF ANKARA’S TALKS IN JULY 2005
At yesterday’s final Turkey-European Union Troika meeting at The Hague in
the runup to next month’s EU summit, high-level officials from both the EU
and Ankara agreed to begin accession talks next July. Praising Ankara’s
reforms on the road to Union membership, EU Term President the Netherlands’
Foreign Minister Bernard Bot said, “If EU leaders decide to begin accession
talks with Turkey at December’s summit, then these may begin in July 2005.”
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that Turkey had fulfilled the
Copenhagen criteria, adding that Ankara was expecting an objective,
impartial and fair decision on Dec. 17. When Bot said that Ankara should
first recognize Greek Cyprus, Gul said, “The Turkish side has sought peace
on Cyprus. However, the Greek Cypriots rejected this. A final resolution
does not depend on us, but we are open to efforts to reach a settlement.”
After completing his contacts, Gul and his delegation traveled to Rome to
attend the Turkish-Italian Forum. /Turkiye/
[02] ERDOGAN MEETS WITH EP SOCIALIST GROUP HEAD, DISCUSSES TURKEY’S EU BID
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with Martin Schultz, the
head of the Socialist group in the European Parliament, to discuss a number
of issues, including Turkey’s European Union membership bid. During their
meeting, Schultz predicted that at next month’s EU summit the Greek Cypriot
administration would not veto Ankara beginning its accession talks with the
Union, adding, however, that the possibility could not be discounted.
Schultz urged Ankara to consider recognizing Greek Cyprus, warning that
deciding not to do so could make its negotiating process more difficult. He
added that the Greek Cypriot administration should also take steps on the
issue. Schultz also praised Erdogan, saying that he supported the
government’s steps towards EU membership. /Aksam/
[03] ARINC: “IN FALLUJAH, THE US VIOLATED INTERNATIONAL LAW”
The principles of international law were violated by US military forces in
Fallujah, Iraq, making the province an unfortunate symbol of crimes against
humanity, charged Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc at yesterday’s 24th
meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly
(BSECPA). “International organizations have not only economic goals, but
should also try to contribute to world peace and stability,” he said. He
added that measures must be taken in order to crack down on terrorist
groups targeting civilians. /Star/
[04] GERMAN CHANCELLOR: “TURKEY’S MEMBERSHIP WILL SERVE EU INTERESTS”
Speaking yesterday to the Bundestag, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
praised Turkey’s role as a stabilizing factor amidst a restive region.
Reiterating his support for Ankara’s European Union membership, Schroeder
said, “Above all, Turkey’s membership is important for our political and
economic interests.” Pointing to conflicts in the region, Schroeder said
that the support of Turkey, an actor promoting stability in a troubled
geography, would also greatly contribute to Germany’s interests. He added
that he expected a positive decision during next month’s EU summit to begin
accession talks with Ankara, followed by a 10-15 year process. In related
news, Slovakian Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan said that his government had
decided to support the beginning of Turkey’s EU talks. He cautioned,
however, “The outcome can’t be guaranteed. Everything depends on Turkey’s
performance in implementing the EU criteria.” /Turkiye/
[05] EU COMMISSION HEAD: “ANKARA SHOULD BE GIVEN A DATE TO START ITS
MEMBERSHIP TALKS”
In an interview with Italian daily Coriera Della Sera yesterday, European
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that he believed that
Turkey’s membership negotiations should begin in recognition of Ankara’s
significant progress in fulfilling the EU criteria. “However, the views of
EU members who have certain sensitivities and reservations on Turkey’s
membership should also be given careful consideration,” he added. Barroso
argued that such countries should be given the opportunity to evaluate a
possible Turkish entry within their own perspective. /Star/
[06] BARZANI PUSHES FOR DELAY IN IRAQI POLLS
Nechirvan Barzani, a senior official of the Iraqi Kurdish Democratic Party
(KDP) yesterday reiterated his call for postponement of elections in the
war-torn country, now scheduled for Jan. 30. “The Iraqi Kurds are ready to
participate in polls, but weather conditions in the region where Kurds live
will be unfavorable,” said Barzani, predicting that the region would be
covered by snow by the end of January. On the other hand, Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul said earlier this week that the elections should take place as
scheduled and not exclude any part of Iraqi society. /Turkish Daily News/
[07] ISRAELI DIPLOMAT VISITS ANKARA TO DISCUSS BILATERAL RELATIONS
Israeli Foreign Undersecretary Ron Prosor arrived yesterday in Ankara.
During his stay, Prosor is expected to meet with his Turkish counterpart
Ali Tuygan to discuss a number of issues, including bilateral relations,
the Isreali-Palestinian dispute, and Iraq. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] TURKISH-ITALIAN FORUM TO BEGIN TODAY IN ROME
The Turkish-Italian Forum is set to begin today in Rome with the
participation of high-level representatives and analysts. The first Turkish-
Italian Forum, organized under the auspices of Ankara and Rome’s foreign
ministries, is to focus on Turkey’s EU membership bid on the eve of the
critical Dec. 17 summit where EU leaders are to decide on whether to start
Ankara’s membership negotiations. The three-day forum will host important
figures from the worlds of politics, the economy, culture and the media.
Beside the foreign ministers of the two countries, other attendees will
include State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan and his Italian
counterpart Domenico Siniscalco. /Sabah/
[09] HUNGARIAN FM DUE TO VISIT TURKEY
Hungarian Foreign Minister Ferenc Somogyi is due to arrive in Ankara on
Monday for an official visit. During his visit, Somogyi is expected to meet
with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to discuss a number of issues, including
Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Gul is due to seek Somogyi’s
support for beginning Ankara’s accession talks. In related news, Belgian
Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht is due to pay an official visit to Turkey
on Dec. 3-4 to discuss Turkey’s relations with the EU and Ankara’s
prospective EU talks. /Cumhuriyet/
[10] DISCUSSIONS ON NEW IMF STANDBY TO RESUME NEXT WEEK
An International Monetary Fund delegation headed by the Fund’s Turkey desk
chief, Reza Moghadam, is to arrive in Ankara next Tuesday to resume talks
on a new standby agreement. “Discussions on a new IMF standby arrangement
for Turkey were adjourned on Oct. 26 to allow time for the government to
finalize proposals relating to implementation of its macroeconomic policy
objectives and to flesh out its structural reform plans, especially
regarding tax and social security reforms and the new banking law,” said a
statement issued by Hugh Bredenkamp, the IMF’s senior resident
representative in Turkey. “The authorities have announced that they have
made good progress in all these areas. Consequently, at their invitation,
an IMF mission headed by Reza Moghadam will return to Turkey on Nov. 30 to
resume discussions on the new standby arrangement.” In related news,
Moghadam, who has been working at his post for one-and-a-half years, is due
to step down after the first round of the standby review to allow his
promotion to veteran advisor at the IMF’s European Department. /Hurriyet -
Sabah/
[11] HISARCIKLIOGLU: “IF WE DON’T WANT IMF HELP, WE SHOULD PICK UP THE PACE
OF REFORMS”
Turkey is implementing its economic program successfully despite a number
of problems and difficulties, said Turkish Union of Chambers and
Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) head Rifat Hisarciklioglu yesterday. “We will
need IMF assistance unless we can manage to complete all the necessary
reforms,” he warned. “What we seek is to help our country reach a point
where we don’t need the IMF, which is why we must accelerate the reform
process, especially in the public sector.” /Sabah/
[12] TUSIAD DELEGATION TO ATTEND UNICE MEETING IN THE NETHERLANDS
A delegation from the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association
(TUSIAD) headed by TUSIAD Chairman Omer Sabanci is due to attend next
Friday’s Chairmanship Council meeting of the Union of Industrial and
Employers’ Confederations of Europe (UNICE) at The Hague, the Netherlands.
During the meeting, the TUSIAD members plan to brief their European
counterparts on the steps taken by Turkey for its European Union membership
bid. /Aksam/
[13] TURK TELEKOM SALE TO BEGIN TODAY
The government is set to launch today the privatization process of state
land-line company Turk Telekom and is expected to seek bids through the end
of next May. The bloc sale of 55% of the company is central to the
country’s privatization program under a $19 billion loan accord with the
International Monetary Fund. “We will invite tenders for the privatization
with advertisements starting tomorrow,” said Turk Telekom head Metin Kilci.
/Cumhuriyet/
[14] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[15] EVERYONE IS HAPPY, BUT... BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen comments on the recent Egypt conference on the Iraq
issue. A summary of his column is as follows:
“A typical example of a conference resulting in a consensus is that
everybody is happy with the common declaration and the agreements reached.
This week’s conference in Egypt on the Iraq issue was considered very
successful. Turkey is particularly pleased with it because its declaration
was in line with Ankara’s wishes. The take on Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul’s speech at the conference and results of bilateral contacts were quite
positive. For example, the declaration includes Ankara’s views on Iraq’s
political future, such as protecting its territorial integrity and
establishing a united (federal and democratic) state structure. Another
important point concerns holding elections as scheduled, that is, on Jan.
30 with full nationwide participation. Although such countries as Egypt,
Jordan and Saudi Arabia seem to want a delay, Turkey is sticking with this
date and the goal of broad participation. The declaration also includes the
issue of terrorist activities in Iraq. The importance of this paragraph for
Turkey is that it forces the Iraq government to fight the PKK terrorist
group. Anyhow, the Iraq government said during the conference that it was
ready to put together a border security agreement with Turkey. Gul also
issued important messages and warnings in his speech. One of them was his
call to Iraqi Kurdish leaders not to try to alter the region’s population
makeup. This referred to recent developments in Kirkuk which Gul warned
might have dangerous results. In addition, during his meeting with US
Secretary of State Colin Powell, Gul was quick to reiterate his concerns
about the PKK. I wonder what will come of this.
This conference was held in order to discuss Iraq’s future. However,
bringing 20 countries and institutions together made for a larger agenda.
For example, the Palestinian issue was discussed at a separate meeting by
the US, the UN, the EU and Russia. The consensus reached during the
conference showed that the international community didn’t favor the US
attack on Iraq, but had taken a pragmatic stance on events there as soon as
possible. Such countries as Iran and Syria and others which have opposed US
Iraq policy like France and Russia took a more moderate and compromising
stance. French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier’s statement reflected the
realistic bent which ensured consensus at the conference: ‘We know the
stance of various countries before the war. However, now we should look to
the future. It’s our common duty to end the instability in Iraq’.”
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