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Turkish Press Review, 05-08-03
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
03.08.2005
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER, TALAT MEET TO DISCUSS CYPRUS ISSUE
[02] ERDOGAN MEETS WITH TALAT TO DISCUSS CYPRUS
[03] GUL: “THE EU TERM PRESIDENT ACCEPTED THE SUPPLEMENTARY DECLARATION”
[04] FRENCH PREMIER: “TURKEY CAN’T BEGIN EU ACCESSION TALKS WITHOUT FIRST RECOGNIZING GREEK CYPRUS”
[05] EU COMMISSION: “RECOGNIZING GREEK CYPRUS ISN’T A PRECONDITION FOR TURKEY TO BEGIN ITS EU TALKS ON OCT. 3”
[06] KARAMANLIS POSTPONES VISIT TO ANKARA
[07] US STATE DEPT: “WE’RE WORKING WITH OUR ALLY TURKEY TO FIGHT THE TERRORIST PKK”
[08] PATRIARCH IS “ECUMENICAL,” SAYS STATE DEPT
[09] IMF’S BREDENKAMP, ASO HEAD DISCUSS TURKISH ECONOMY
[10] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[11] NEW CONDITIONS FROM THE EU BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
[01] SEZER, TALAT MEET TO DISCUSS CYPRUS ISSUE
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday met with visiting Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat to discuss recent
developments on the Cyprus issue and the recent signing of the additional
Customs Union protocol. During their meeting, Sezer urged the international
community, the United Nations and the European Union to end the TRNC’s
isolation. “We expect concrete steps on the issue,” he said. Speaking at a
press conference following their meeting, Sezer said that there were two
separate states and nations on the island, adding that these two nations
could co-exist peacefully. Sezer stated that the Greek Cypriots didn’t want
a resolution based on the equality of both sides. Sezer stressed that
Turkey would continue to support the TRNC in all areas, adding that the
Turkish nation would stand by the Turkish Cypriots. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] ERDOGAN MEETS WITH TALAT TO DISCUSS CYPRUS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday received visiting Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat to discuss
the Cyprus issue. Speaking before their meeting, Erdogan said that Turkey
would continue to stand by the TRNC in its struggle. “I believe that they
will succeed,” he said. Erdogan also said that there had been a number of
positive recent developments on the Cyprus issue. For his part, Talat said
that he and his countrymen appreciated the importance of Turkey’s support.
/Turkiye/
[03] GUL: “THE EU TERM PRESIDENT ACCEPTED THE SUPPLEMENTARY DECLARATION”
Speaking yesterday before flying to Saudi Arabia to attend the funeral of
Saudi King Fahd, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul criticized Greek Cypriot
leader Tassos Papadopoulos’ recent claim that the supplementary declaration
to the Ankara Protocol issued last week by Ankara was not legally valid.
“The supplementary declaration has been accepted by the European Union term
president,” said Gul. Britain currently holds the rotating EU term
presidency. /Turkiye/
[04] FRENCH PREMIER: “TURKEY CAN’T BEGIN EU ACCESSION TALKS WITHOUT FIRST
RECOGNIZING GREEK CYPRUS”
French Prime Minister Dominique Villepin yesterday claimed that Ankara
couldn’t begin its European Union accession talks before recognizing Greek
Cyprus. Speaking to Europe 1 radio, Villepin called it “inconceivable” to
consider beginning talks with a country which doesn’t recognize an EU
member state. In related news, Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman George
Koumoutsakos also said that an EU candidate state not recognizing a member
state could pose a problem. /Milliyet/
[05] EU COMMISSION: “RECOGNIZING GREEK CYPRUS ISN’T A PRECONDITION FOR
TURKEY TO BEGIN ITS EU TALKS ON OCT. 3”
European Union Commission spokesman Amadeu Altafaj yesterday took exception
to recent remarks by French Prime Minister Dominique Villepin about
Turkey’s EU talks, saying that on the contrary, recognizing Greek Cyprus
wasn’t a precondition for Turkey’s EU talks to begin on Oct. 3. Altafaj
said that Turkey had met all conditions to begin its talks, adding that the
recognition issue should be addressed by the United Nations, not the EU.
/Sabah/
[06] KARAMANLIS POSTPONES VISIT TO ANKARA
Greece Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis yesterday postponed his visit to
Turkey, but cited no reason for the delay. Greek Prime Ministry officials
stated that Karamanlis may visit Turkey in October, but without specifying
a date. Karamanlis’ visit would have been the first by a Greek prime
minister to Turkey in 46 years. The statement followed Turkey’s
supplementary declaration to the Ankara protocol, saying that signing the
protocol did not mean recognition of Greek Cyprus. /Star/
[07] US STATE DEPT: “WE’RE WORKING WITH OUR ALLY TURKEY TO FIGHT THE
TERRORIST PKK”
Talks and collaborative efforts with Turkey and Iraq will continue to fight
the terrorist PKK threat, said US State Department acting spokesman Tom
Casey on Monday. “As it has been our longstanding policy, we consider the
PKK a terrorist organization,” Casey told a regular press briefing. “We
cooperate very closely with the government of Turkey on the [PKK] issue. We
are working with them and our friends in Iraq to ensure that the PKK does
not have safe haven or is not able to conduct activities out of northern
Iraq. There are ongoing discussions on this all the time and we'll be
continuing to work with our Turkish friends as well as our Iraqi friends to
see those objectives carry out.” Asked about Turkish media allegations that
the PKK and the US were colluding to “weaken the prestige” of the Turkish
Army, Casey said, “Turkey is a good friend of the United States. It's a
fellow NATO ally. We have extremely good relations with Turkey. We
certainly look forward to those continuing and we are certainly not engaged
in any effort to undermine the authority of the Turkish government or any
of its component institutions.” /Star/
[08] PATRIARCH IS “ECUMENICAL,” SAYS STATE DEPT
Asked on Monday about a dispute between the Turkish government and Fener
Greek Patriarch Bartolomeos, US State Department acting spokesman Tom Casey
erroneously referred to the patriarch as “ecumenical.” “You know, we
support the ‘ecumenical’ patriarch in Istanbul and talk with the Turkish
government on a regular basis about the Patriarchate,” said Casey. “And
certainly … the United States is committed to religious freedom, not only
in Turkey but around the world. And we certainly would encourage the
government of Turkey and all governments to provide the maximum opportunity
for people to freely express their religious beliefs and opinions.” /Star/
[09] IMF’S BREDENKAMP, ASO HEAD DISCUSS TURKISH ECONOMY
International Monetary Fund Turkey Representative Hugh Bredenkamp yesterday
met with Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ASO) Chairman Zefer Caglayan to
discuss a number of issues, including recent economic developments. During
their meeting, Bredenkamp said that he was pleased with the state of the
Turkish economy. Speaking afterwards, Caglayan said that he had told
Bredenkamp that Ankara had to implement further legal reforms without
delay. Caglayan also said that they had discussed a report prepared by the
ASO on unemployment and income distribution. /Hurriyet/
[10] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[11] NEW CONDITIONS FROM THE EU BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
Columnist Fikret Bila comments on proposed new conditions for Turkey to
start its European Union membership talks on Oct. 3. A summary of his
column is as follows:
“Last week Turkey signed the additional Customs Union protocol, which was
the final condition put forth by the European Union to start our membership
talks. Now there is no obstacle to Turkey starting its membership talks on
Oct. 3. However, before the ink of Ankara’s signature even had the chance
to dry, the EU started to imply new conditions. The declaration signed by
Ankara states that by signing the protocol it doesn’t thereby recognize the
Greek Cypriot administration. Now this seems to have become a problem
already. Will certain voices from the EU create new conditions for Turkey?
Considering the policy followed by the EU up to now, this is entirely
conceivable. Although EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn stated that
now there was no problem for starting our membership talks, dissenting
remarks came from France and Austria. French Prime Minister Dominique de
Villepin yesterday said that our membership talks wouldn’t start unless
Turkey recognizes the Greek Cypriot administration. Similarly, Austrian
Deputy Prime Minister Hubert Gorbach said Turkey seconded this idea.
Obviously these remarks will be supported in European public opinion. What
will happen if we face the requirement to recognize the Greek Cypriot
administration before Oct. 3?
Turkey accepted the EU’s requests and met the conditions until we got a
date for starting membership talks. We took steps, trusting the EU’s
promises and international law and procedures. However, the EU not only
failed to keep its promises, but also stipulated new conditions to Ankara
at every stage. Although the additional protocol was signed, some people
say that it wasn’t enough and that Turkey should recognize the Greek
Cypriot administration. But the reason for the EU making the Cyprus issue a
problem comes from the EU itself. The EU made the mistake at the beginning
by ignoring the Zurich and London agreements. The EU took in the Greek
Cypriot administration before the Cyprus issue was solved. While doing this,
it ignored the fact that the Greek Cypriot administration had rejected UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s plan, while the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC) accepted it. Although the Turkish side accepted it, it was
punished, whereas the Greek Cypriot administration was rewarded though it
didn’t deserve it. Now the Greek Cypriot administration is the source of
the most of the chief problems on this issue. Now the EU is trying to solve
the problem that it itself created by putting it on Turkey shoulders.
However, the EU and individual European countries have to be trustworthy.
The EU has to be trustworthy instead of stipulating new conditions, by, for
example, lifting the embargo on the TRNC, releasing the financial aid as it
promised, and putting pressure on the Greek Cypriots. However, the EU isn’t
moving, but on the contrary trying to come up with new conditions. How can
our relations continue in such an atmosphere bereft of trust? Before Turkey
is cheated again, the EU should keep its promises, including starting our
membership talks.”
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