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Turkish Press Review, 05-07-04Turkish 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 morning04.07.2005ERDOGAN, KARAMANLIS LAY FOUNDATION FOR NATURAL GAS PIPELINE ERDOGAN TO ATTEND CONFERENCE IN US WORLD ARCHITECTS MEET IN ISTANBUL TALAT: “PAPADOPULOS DOESN’T WANT ANY SETTLEMENT ON THE ISLAND” TUZMEN: “WE WILL MAKE TURKS LIVING ABROAD EXPORTERS” TUNISIA URGES NEW INVESTMENTS FROM TURKISH ENTREPRENEURS BAYKAL ACCUSES AKP OF PURSUING “OPPRESSIVE POLICY” TO SILENCE PARLIAMENT NEW BILL FROM FRIENDS OF THE ARMENIANS WASHINGTON POST: “EUROPE CAN’T AFFORD TO EXCLUDE TURKEY” MORGAN STANLEY: “TURKEY IS A MODEL COUNTRY FOR EUROPE” FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS IRAQ’S DISSOLUTION IS ACCELERATING BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN, KARAMANLIS LAY FOUNDATION FOR NATURAL GAS PIPELINETurkish and Greek Prime Ministers Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Costas Karamanlis met yesterday in Ipsala to lay the foundation of a natural gas pipeline to be constructed between the two countries. During the ceremony on the middle of a bridge over the border-straddling Meric River, the two leaders said that the pipeline, which will connect rich natural gas fields in the Caspian and Central Asia to Europe, would also serve the cause of regional peace and contribute to the development of bilateral ties between the two countries. The 300-kilometer pipeline from Bursa in Turkey to Komotini in Greece is expected to be operational next year, and will later be extended to Italy as part of the Southern Europe Gas Ring Project. In related news, Karamanlis reportedly welcomed his Turkish counterpart’s invitation to Turkey in the coming days, which would be the first visit of a Greek premier in 46 years. /Turkiye/[02] ERDOGAN TO ATTEND CONFERENCE IN USPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to attend a conference in Sun Valley, Idaho to begin tomorrow. Erdogan is expected to address the gathering as the highest-level speaker and speak on Turkey’s democracy. The two-day conference, which is known for producing corporate mergers, brings together top-level media representatives and businessmen. /Star/[03] WORLD ARCHITECTS MEET IN ISTANBULSome 7,000 architects yesterday met in Istanbul as part of the 22nd World Congress of Architecture. During his opening speech to the gathering, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Istanbul was pleased to host famous architects from all over the world. Pointing to the city’s history of 2,600 years, Erdogan said that Istanbul had problems just like other world metropolises. The head of the congress Suha Ozkan, State Minister Kursad Tuzmen and Greater Istanbul Mayor Kadir Toptas also addressed the gathering. Furthermore, International Union of Architects President Jaime Lerner delivered a speech expressing his hope that the gathering would be very fruitful. /Turkiye/[04] TALAT: “PAPADOPULOS DOESN’T WANT ANY SETTLEMENT ON THE ISLAND”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat said over the weekend that Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopulos’ stance did nothing to help reach a settlement on the island. In an interview with Greek To Vima published yesterday, Talat said that the Cyprus issue was an important and urgent matter for Turks and Greeks as well as the European Union. Stressing that current situation could not continue for long, Talat said, however, that a resolution was not dependent only on Greek Cypriots, but also on Papadopulos himself. He is not interested in a settlement and does not want to share the ruling power with Turks, said the TRNC president. “Turkish Cypriots’ relations with international community have been cut,” he added. /Star/[05] TUZMEN: “WE WILL MAKE TURKS LIVING ABROAD EXPORTERS”“Our aim is to increase our exports and help Turkish living abroad improve their income level,” said State Minister Kursad Tuzmen yesterday. “I believe that Turks living abroad can contribute a great deal to Turkey’s exports. These people know the countries they live in very well, and most of them are employers now. Therefore, we should marshal this resource so as to boost our exports.” Under this initiative, Tuzmen will hold meetings with organizations established by Turks living abroad, and give Turkish citizens applicable legislative and technical information on relevant export issues. /Aksam/[06] TUNISIA URGES NEW INVESTMENTS FROM TURKISH ENTREPRENEURSTunisian Ambassador to Ankara Mohammed Lessir over the weekend touted his country as an important center of investment for Turkish industrialists and businessmen. “Our government is ready to do its utmost to improve bilateral relations,” he said. “We have streamlined the procedures for foreign investors, and our two countries also signed a free trade agreement which will improve commercial ties.” Tunisia is currently seeking Turkish businessmen who will invest, especially in the Tunisian textile sector. /Aksam/[07] BAYKAL ACCUSES AKP OF PURSUING “OPPRESSIVE POLICY” TO SILENCE PARLIAMENTOpposition Republic People’s Party (CHP) head Deniz Baykal over the weekend accused the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of pursuing an “oppressive” policy to silence the Parliament. “Parliaments are not platforms for approving everything submitted by the ruling party without any negotiation or debate,” he said at a news conference marking the end of the legislative year. “Today, we’re warning the government to give up this attitude. But tomorrow, it will be the Turkish nation itself who will call the AKP to account for what it has done to this country.” /Milliyet/[08] NEW BILL FROM FRIENDS OF THE ARMENIANSCongressman Adam Schiff, a California Democrat and friend of the Armenian lobby, presented a draft resolution late last week to the House International Relations Committee calling on Ankara to end its economic embargo against Armenia and to open their shared border. Schiff criticized Turkey’s decision to close its border with Armenia, calling it a “violation of international standards for free trade.” “It is time to step up pressure on Turkey to lift the draconian blockade of Armenia,” added Schiff. Another friend of the Armenian lobby, Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone, also said that Washington should pressure Turkey to open the border. Schiff said that he got a promise from the committee’s chairman, Republican Congressman Henry Hyde, that the bill would be discussed. Political observers said that the so-called genocide allegations and the border bill would be discussed together in the committee. /Cumhuriyet/[09] WASHINGTON POST: “EUROPE CAN’T AFFORD TO EXCLUDE TURKEY”Suspending the European Union’s enlargement would cause serious problems to both Europe and the US, warned the Washington Post yesterday. “Instead of pursuing a policy of invasion, Western Europe has used the prospect of membership in the European Union to help transform the countries of Central and Eastern Europe into stable market democracies,” wrote Ivo Daalder and James Goldgeier in a news analysis. “The crisis in Europe that has emerged in recent weeks, first with the rejection of the European constitution by voters in France and the Netherlands and then with the breakdown of budget negotiations at last month's EU summit, has put the brakes on talk of continuing the enlargement process. The consequences of turning inward will not be temporary – nor confined to Europe alone. The growing resistance to enlargement is shortsighted. Turkey offers the more immediate challenge. While voters in France and the Netherlands made clear that they did not want Turkey to join their Union, can Europe really afford not to continue on a path that would lead to membership for the first primarily Muslim country? Consider what might be lost. Because of the need to satisfy the EU's criteria, Ankara's leaders have already undertaken extraordinary reforms. Failure in Turkey might well inflame Muslim populations throughout Europe. And while many Europeans fear that Turkish membership brings Europe to the borders of Iran, Iraq and Syria, Europe cannot hope to play a stabilizing role in the broader Middle East if it does not help Turkey succeed.” /Cumhuriyet/[10] MORGAN STANLEY: “TURKEY IS A MODEL COUNTRY FOR EUROPE”International investment bank Morgan Stanley stated in a new report that although Turkey has a gross national product (GNP) that is only half that of some European countries’, it can be a model country for Europe owing to its new reforms and economic policy. The report stated that developed European countries have forgotten the advice they gave to developing countries about how to turn structural defects and globalization into opportunities. Europe has grown more protective about globalization and it will not be able to solve structural problems, warned the bank. It also added that “Old Europe” would become more dynamic through growth, and protective measures will make Europe lose ground. Contrary to Europe, Turkey will fulfill the Maastricht criteria by the end of the year with single-digit inflation, lower interest rates and high growth, predicted the bank. “During the [European Union accession] negotiations, Europeans will realize the strategic importance of including Turkey,” added the report. /Hurriyet/[11] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS[12] IRAQ’S DISSOLUTION IS ACCELERATING BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)Columnist Semih Idiz comments on the latest developments in Iraq and Turkey’s Iraq policy. A summary of his column is as follows:“With Ankara so focused on its relations with Brussels, the government seems to have forgotten about Iraq and the latest developments in the war-torn country. Various Western sources have recently confirmed that Kurdish groups are still pursuing an oppressive policy against ethnic Turkmen groups and the Arab population. However, Turkey currently seems to have no choice besides being nothing but an onlooker to these developments. Things are getting complicated in not only northern but also southern Iraq, because Shiite groups are also pursuing a separatist policy. According to the New York Times, Shiite leaders are demanding that the new Iraq constitution, which is expected to be passed by Aug. 15, to grant Shiite groups with autonomy, particularly in oil-rich regions. “We want to destroy the central administration which links the entire country to Baghdad,” Bakr Al-Yasin, a prominent Iraqi Shiite leader, told the Times. Kurdish groups will of course embrace this idea. Al-Yasin stated that they are demanding an independent parliament, autonomous ministries and a defense force of their own, like Kurdish groups in the north. Shiites see Kurds as an example, as the latter has already managed to fulfill its wishes. In related news, certain Shiite leaders have reportedly started an initiative for a referendum addressing the issue of “autonomous Shiites.” This referendum is expected to be parallel to the one this October on the new Iraqi constitution. As the chaos is growing in Iraq, Washington has finally understood how Turkey was correct in its warnings about separatist movements. However, it may be too late for the region... Ankara initially opposed the idea of federal Iraq, but then had to accede to the idea. Under the current circumstances, we might even be forced to accept a confederation in Iraq or maybe something even worse...” 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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