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Turkish Press Review, 04-12-20Turkish 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 morning20.12.2004FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNSCONTENTS
[01] SEZER MEETS WITH ERDOGAN, GUL TO REVIEW HISTORIC SUMMITPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, just back from the end-week historic European Union summit in Brussels. Sezer was briefed by the top government leaders about developments at the summit, where EU leaders decided to begin membership talks with Turkey on Oct. 3, 2005, and he reportedly praised their successful efforts for a positive outcome. /Turkiye/[02] GUL: “OUR EU ACCESSION DEAL DOESN’T MEAN WE RECOGNIZE GREEK CYPRUS”The European Union's historic decision last week to start membership talks with Turkey gives it a new position in both Europe and the Islamic world, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) provincial meeting over the weekend. "Turkey is a very different country than it was just two days ago," Gul said. "The important issue is that Turkey's direction has become definite. It has entered a period of permanent stability.” Gul also added that Turkey was signing its deal to begin accession talks with the European Union as a whole and that this did not amount to recognition, implicit or otherwise, of the Greek Cypriot government. "The problems [over Cyprus] aren't over,” he stated. “There isn't a solution. Therefore, we don't recognize it[Greek Cyprus], but we’re committed to trying to find a solution to the island's problems.” Ankara says that full recognition can come only when the island is reunified under a mutually acceptable agreement. /Sabah/[03] DENKTAS: “TURKEY WON’T RECOGNIZE GREEK CYPRUS”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said over the weekend that Turkey would not recognize the Greek Cypriot administration, adding that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had kept his word to the TRNC. Speaking of the historic end-week European Union summit, where Turkey won a deal to begin accession talks, Denktas said there had been an enormous pressure on Ankara from both Greeks and Greek Cyprus to recognize the Greek Cypriot administration. “However,” said Denktas, “Turkey foiled their plans.” Stressing that Ankara had certain conditions, including not recognizing Greek Cyprus before a resolution is reached on the island, Denktas said that Turkish officials were resolved to keep their word on the matter and that there was no need for concern. The toughest bargaining during the summit reportedly took place over the Cyprus issue, with the talks even coming to the brink of collapse at one point when Erdogan began to walk away from the negotiating table. The standoff was resolved when the leaders agreed Erdogan’s verbal assurance that Ankara’s Association Agreement (Customs Union) would be extended to Greek Cyprus before Oct. 3 would be sufficient. /Turkiye/[04] SECURITY GUARDS KILLED IN MOSUL TO BE LAID TO REST TODAYThe bodies of five security guards killed during an armed attack in Mosul, Iraq late last week were brought to Turkey yesterday. A military ceremony will be held today in Ankara, and their bodies will be later sent to their hometowns for funeral services. The Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the five guards were slain while traveling from Turkey to their new duty post, the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad. The statement said that three other security guards survived the attack, in which two Iraqi drivers were also killed. Commenting on the incident, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday called the attack a “trap,” adding that Ankara would work with both the coalition and the Iraqi administration to quickly find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. /Turkiye/[05] ECHR HEAD APPLAUDS TURKEY’S IMPROVED HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD“Turkey's once widely faulted legal practices are approaching European standards,” European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) President Luzius Wildhaber told a Swiss newspaper in an interview published yesterday. “Much work remains, but Ankara has already modified laws in crucial areas,” said Wildhaber. “It is approaching our system of fundamental values, which it had strongly opposed before. Today, there are no longer any grave cases concerning such matters as people who have disappeared, executions or torture.” He added that Turkey still had a long way to go, and that it would be “absurd” to imagine that the country could change the practices of several generations in a short time. “However, Ankara has made changes in the crucial areas,” he stressed. /Hurriyet/[06] NEWSWEEK: “ERDOGAN’S REFORMS ARE MOVING ANKARA EVER CLOSER TO EU MEMBERSHIP”In an article written by Owen Matthews and Lorien Holland, Newsweek International this week hailed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a leader at the forefront of change in the Islamic world. “Erdogan's great revolution since his moderately Islamist Justice and Development Party swept to power in a landslide election victory in 2002 has been to persuade a skeptical Turkish state and politically powerful military to accept Islam as an element in mainstream politics,” wrote the two. “Though Erdogan hasn't challenged some of the most sacred shibboleths of Turkey's secularism — such as a blanket ban on wearing Islamic headscarves in schools, universities and government offices — he's the first Turkish leader in a generation to openly observe Ramadan and to attend mosque … Most importantly, Erdogan's dramatic reforms of freedom of speech, along with a systematic dismantling of the apparatus of Turkey's old police state, are moving Turkey ever closer to EU membership — signaling that it's OK to be a Muslim and a European, too.” The article also stressed that “economic prosperity, democracy and stability will create a more modern and tolerant form of Islam in Turkey… [which] could provide a strong incentive for their less-progressive neighbors one day to follow suit.” /Sabah/[07] DUTCH FM WARNS REFERENDUMS COULD DERAIL TURKEY’S EU ENTRYIn the wake of last week’s historic European Union summit greenlighting Turkey’s entry talks for fall 2005, EU Term President the Netherlands’ Foreign Minister Bernard Bot yesterday warned that referendums in France and Austria could frustrate Ankara’s accession hopes. Appearing on television, Bot said that it wouldn’t be fair to make Turkey’s EU membership dependent upon referendums, adding, “We didn’t tell Ankara in 1999 or 2002 that we’d subject its EU bid to referendums.” He further praised Turkey, saying, “Since I know Turks, I know that Turkey’s membership will enrich the EU.” /Milliyet/[08] AUSTRIAN PRESIDENT: “ALL THE EU MEMBER STATES SHOULD HOLD REFERENDUMS ON TURKEY’S MEMBERSHIP”Austrian President Heinz Fischer yesterday said that all the European Union member states should hold referendums on Turkey’s EU bid, adding that these referendums would “democratically” show the EU public’s support for Turkey’s entry. “Turkey’s EU membership is a sensitive issue both in my country and elsewhere in Europe,” he said. “I believe in the necessity of holding referendums.” /Aksam/[09] SWEDISH PM: “ERDOGAN ACCEPTED CONDITIONAL EU MEMBERSHIP”Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson claimed that at last week’s pivotal European Union summit Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had moved too quickly and thus accepted de facto conditional European Union membership. “The Turkish government accepted conditions which were unacceptable,” he said. “We didn’t want conditional membership for Ankara, but it accepted this.” Persson stressed that the EU had made a historic decision at this summit, adding however, “Our goal was to begin Ankara’s accession talks without any conditions, but Turkey showed too little backbone.” /Aksam/[10] PAPADOPOULOS GENERALLY WELCOMES OUTCOME OF SUMMITSpeaking at a press conference yesterday, Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos said that he generally welcomed the outcome of last week’s historic European Union summit. Papadopoulos claimed that if he had vetoed Ankara’s accession talks, then this could have created an opportunity for Turkey to make the effects of its 1974 Peace Operation permanent, adding that Ankara getting a date for entry talks at the summit marked the beginning of a difficult process. “If I had vetoed Ankara, then this could have prevented a Cyprus resolution,” he added. /Star/[11] IMF’S DAWSON: “THE FUND IS PROUD OF TURKEY’S ECONOMIC PROGRAM”The International Monetary Fund is proud of Turkey’s economic program, which has been both sound and successful, said IMF External Relations Thomas C. Dawson late last week. “The Turkish authorities and the Fund staff have announced … an agreement on an economic program that could be supported by a new three-year standby arrangement, which will be reviewed by management and presented to the [IMF] Board early next year,” Dawson told a regular press briefing. Also praising Brazil's standby pact, Dawson added, “Both nations I think have had a great success with their programs, and the Fund is quite happy and proud to have been associated with these very strong reform programs.” /Hurriyet/[12] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS[13] CONGRATULATIONS BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on Turkish-EU relations. A summary of his column is as follows:“Let’s congratulate Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and other members of our team in Brussels. Now we’ve moved onto an important process on our road to EU membership. Neither European nor world conditions will allow us to wait for 10 or 15 years at the EU’s door. Maybe we can become an EU member in a few years. It’s up to us. Now we have a little time before the beginning of our membership talks. We shouldn’t squander it. We didn’t win a victory, despite what Erdogan said. We only were successful. Erdogan shone like a leader and politician who swayed the world’s intentions. This might anger the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) enemies. Our political leadership should avoid missteps over domestic politics. If it doesn’t, foreign countries which don’t favor reforms in Turkey might put this leadership into a difficult situation. We should work hard with Parliament. In the past, mistakes were made. That’s why 600,000 Greek Cypriots can now hinder the development of 70 million Turks. Nobody should forget that foreign policy is no love-in, but an exercise of power and will. Leaving the negotiating table is out of the question. We will remain there to work through problems with patience and knowledge. Europe knows the difficulties and dangers it will face concerning Turkey better than we do.” [14] THE WAY TO THE WEST LIES THROUGH THE EAST BY CUNEYT ULSEVER (HURRIYET)Columnist Cuneyt Ulsever comments on last week’s historic European Union summit and Turkey’s EU membership bid. A summary of his column is as follows:“It’s clear that the decision taken on Dec. 17 is a great success for Turkey. I’d like to thank all the politicians, bureaucrats and those who made efforts on our European Union membership bid. We wouldn’t be at this stage without their efforts, intelligence and negotiating skills. This stage should be neither despised nor exaggerated. It’s just an engagement, and there’s no guarantee that this reciprocal preparatory period should end up in marriage. Negotiations are negotiations, and that’s all! Accession talks will be the most difficult stretch for Turkey to navigate in its 41 year-old EU membership bid, because in this period we will strive to transform our ways of thinking into a Western mode. Transformation is the most difficult task any society can face. But I’d like to point to something else. Ankara shouldn’t forget to do its duty to the EU, and should be ready to make efforts for this. We didn’t get our date for EU talks because we’re a European country. It’s clear that we made great efforts, but we weren’t invited because we’re a model for the rule of law. We were invited in order to answer the question whether Turkey can serve as a go-between for the direction of Western civilization and that of Eastern civilization, where Islam has emerged as an alternative since the collapse of communism. In other words the West gave us a date because it didn’t want to risk excluding Turkey after the Sept. 11 attacks. Turkey isn’t a Western country, but it’s the most Westernized country of the East. In this respect, at a time when Turkey is preparing for Western norms, it also must strengthen its relations with the East more than ever. From now on our moves over Iran, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Israel and Egypt will become more important. Turkey must bolster its relations with Russia, China and India. Otherwise we won’t have any function in the EU, and could get stuck in an EU trap.” 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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