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Turkish Press Review, 05-10-20
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
20.10.2005
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN TO TRAVEL TO PAKISTAN
[02] PREMIER TO MEET EU LEADERS IN GREAT BRITAIN
[03] CICEK: “RECTORS MADE A SHOW OF PROTEST”
[04] AGAR CRITICIZES NEW AKP PERSONNEL REFORM PROPOSAL
[05] NSC SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS PARLIAMENT CONSTITUTION COMMISSION HEAD, DISCUSSES TERRORIST ATTACKS
[06] ANAVATAN HOLDS FIRST GROUP MEETING IN PARLIAMENT
[07] 112 TO BE NEW NUMBER FOR ALL EMERGENCY CALLS
[08] FENER GREEK PATRIARCH TO MEET WITH CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT MEPs AT CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL
[09] BULGARIA LENDS SUPPORT TO TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP
[10] TRNC’S SOYER: “GREEK CYPRUS IS STEPPING UP PRESSURE”
[11] KYRGYZ GOVT DELEGATION FLIES DIRECTLY TO TRNC
[12] EU SCREENING PROCESS BEGINS
[13] EU COMMISSION HEAD: “IF TURKEY MAKES PROGRESS ON HUMAN AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS, ITS EU TALKS CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED”
[14] US STATE DEPT: “BE PATIENT ON IRAQ”
[15] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[16] ANKARA’S EXPECTATIONS FOR IRAQ BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
[01] ERDOGAN TO TRAVEL TO PAKISTAN
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to travel to earthquake-stricken
Pakistan this morning. Erdogan, accompanied by a number of Cabinet
ministers, deputies and reporters, will meet with his Pakistani counterpart
Sevket Aziz late in the afternoon. Tomorrow, after visiting Muzefferabad,
the most devastated region from the quake, Erdogan is expected to have
talks with President Pervez Musharraf. The Turkish premier will also donate
financial aid collected in Turkey to the quake survivors. /Turkiye/
[02] PREMIER TO MEET EU LEADERS IN GREAT BRITAIN
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit Great Britain next week
to attend the European Union heads of state and government unofficial
summit in Surrey. Erdogan will meet with his EU counterparts for the first
time since Turkey began its EU accession talks on Oct. 3. The Cyprus issue
is expected to dominate the talks, and the Turkish premier will urge the EU
leaders to keep their word on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC), including an end to its international isolation. In addition,
Turkey’s screening process will be another topic up for be discussion at
the meetings. During bilateral contacts, Erdogan will extend Ankara’s
gratitude to EU leaders who supported Turkey in the runup to Oct. 3.
/Turkiye/
[03] CICEK: “RECTORS MADE A SHOW OF PROTEST”
After a three-and-a-half-hour meeting, the Board of Higher Education (YOK)
yesterday extended its full support to Yucel Askin, the arrested rector of
the eastern Anatolian province of Van’s Yuzuncu Yil University. Speaking to
reporters, YOK head Erdogan Tezic said that Askin was paying the price for
modernizing a university under the threat of radicalization by some Islamic
sects, adding that the rectors would set out for Van on Sunday to show
solidarity with Askin. Then rectors also paid a visit to Justice Minister
Cemil Cicek. Calling on all people in the country to trust in the justice
system, the minister told reporters that he was pleased with the visit, but
added that some 50 rectors coming to his ministry was a kind of show
protest. Askin was arrested on corruption charges earlier this week.
/Sabah/
[04] AGAR CRITICIZES NEW AKP PERSONNEL REFORM PROPOSAL
True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday criticized the Justice
and Development Party (AKP) government’s new personnel reform bill,
claiming that the proposal would violate the Constitution. “The government
aims to sow partisanship,” added Agar. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] NSC SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS PARLIAMENT CONSTITUTION COMMISSION HEAD,
DISCUSSES TERRORIST ATTACKS
National Security Council Secretary-General Yigit Alpogan yesterday visited
Parliament Constitution Commission head Burhan Kuzu to discuss a recent
wave of terrorist attacks. During their meeting, Alpogan said that the
Turkish nation had suffered from terrorism for a long time, adding that
necessary measures should be taken to prevent further attacks. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] ANAVATAN HOLDS FIRST GROUP MEETING IN PARLIAMENT
The Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) yesterday held its first group meeting in
Parliament under the chairmanship of its leader Erkan Mumcu. Addressing the
gathering, Mumcu criticized the government, saying that there were
alternatives in Turkish politics, and ANAVATAN is one. Mumcu further stated
that his party would not criticize all actions of the government, and that
it would accompany its criticisms with constructive proposals. “We’ll
support initiatives which will help the nation,” he added. /Star/
[07] 112 TO BE NEW NUMBER FOR ALL EMERGENCY CALLS
As part of Turkey’s European Union harmonization process, the Interior
Ministry has sent a circular to governors to lay the groundwork for a new
system for emergency calls. Under the new system, all emergency phone
numbers -- security (155), ambulance (112), firefighters (110) and forest
fire (167) -- will be consolidated to just one number, 112, as in EU
countries. /Turkiye/
[08] FENER GREEK PATRIARCH TO MEET WITH CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT MEPs AT
CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL
Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos and member of the European People’s
Party - European Democrats (a Christian democrat umbrella group) are to
meet today in Istanbul for their ninth annual dialogue conference. The
prime ministers of Austria, Serbia and Croatia, the Bulgarian deputy
Parliament speaker, and representative of the world’s Christians, Muslims
and Jews will attend the two-day gathering. /Star/
[09] BULGARIA LENDS SUPPORT TO TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP
Bulgarian Prime Minister Georgi Pirvanov yesterday said that his country
gives full support to Turkey’s European Union membership. Speaking in
Washington during a meeting with President George W. Bush, Pirvanov stated
that Turkey’s membership was important for both for Bulgaria and the EU
itself. “We support Turkey’s full membership in the EU,” he added. /Star/
[10] TRNC’S SOYER: “GREEK CYPRUS IS STEPPING UP PRESSURE”
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Ferit Sabri Soyer
yesterday said that the Greek Cypriots, using the advantage of their
European Union membership, are trying to use the issue of the unilateral
opening of Turkey’s ports to them as pressure during Ankara’s EU
negotiation process. Soyer added, “Both our policy and the Turkish
government’s policy, which we determined together, is a proper policy,
which is for a mutual end to all restrictions.” /Star/
[11] KYRGYZ GOVT DELEGATION FLIES DIRECTLY TO TRNC
A delegation from Kyrgyzstan yesterday arrived in the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on a direct flight at the invitation of TRNC Foreign
Minister Serdar Denktas. The delegation is composed of 15 Kyrgyz deputies
and three deputy prime ministers. During their stay in the TRNC, the
delegation is expected to express support for bringing an end to the TRNC’s
isolation. /Milliyet/
[12] EU SCREENING PROCESS BEGINS
Turkey is taking another big step on the way to the European Union. The
screening process, meaning the harmonization of Turkey’s laws with the EU’s
acquis communautaire, is beginning today with the screening of the science
and research chapter. Turkey’s chief negotiator Ali Babacan yesterday went
to Brussels for the screening process with a 30-member delegation. During
the screening process, which is expected to last for a year, a preliminary
screening will be done for each chapter along with Croatia, another EU
candidate. A detailed screening will follow for Turkey only. After one
chapter of the detailed screening is completed, the commission will submit
its report on the issue to the council, asking whether the negotiations
should begin. /Aksam/
[13] EU COMMISSION HEAD: “IF TURKEY MAKES PROGRESS ON HUMAN AND WOMEN’S
RIGHTS, ITS EU TALKS CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED”
European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said yesterday that
if Turkey achieves progress in such fields as human rights and women’s
rights, its recently begun accession negotiations could be successfully
completed. Barroso stated that Turkey’s talks would be fair and objective,
adding that the issue of human rights was very important. He stressed that
the final goal was Turkey’s full EU membership and that he hoped it would
join the Union one day. Barroso further stated that the EU was gaining
strength through expansion and that Turkey’s joining would aid in this
goal. /Milliyet/
[14] US STATE DEPT: “BE PATIENT ON IRAQ”
James Jeffrey, the US State Department coordinator for Iraq, yesterday
asked the countries neighboring Iraq, including Turkey, to put pressure on
Iran and Syria. At a press conference held in Washington, asked what the US
expects from Turkey and other ountries neighboring Iraq after its weekend
constitutional referendum, Jeffrey made a call on these countries to
support the democratic process there. Jeffrey praised Turkey’s role in Iraq
as “very beneficial,” and said that dialogue among Turkey, Iraq and the US
is continuing against the terrorist PKK. In related news, Foreign Ministry
spokesman Namik Tan yesterday said that it would be beneficial if an
observer delegation under UN supervision monitored the December
parliamentary elections in Iraq. Asked about how the constitutional
referendum, Tan said that the process had been followed. Tan also cited how
the US was one of the first countries to recognize the PKK as a terrorist
group, and added, “We expect our ally to fulfill its responsibilities”
concerning the PKK in northern Iraq. /Aksam-Star/
[15] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[16] ANKARA’S EXPECTATIONS FOR IRAQ BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
Columnist Fikret Bila comments on Ankara’s expectations concerning Iraq. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“Iraq hasn’t announced the outcome of its referendum on a new constitution.
It’s investigating suspicious vote tallies. The US-Iraq administration
developed strange rules and interpretations so the outcome would be
approval and then carried out a referendum with less strange rules. It was
announced unofficially that the result was positive with Shiite and Kurdish
votes, and then the official announcement was postponed due to doubts.
Eventually it will be declared that the public approved the constitution.
Actually, the Shiites and Kurds accepted it and the Sunnis rejected it.
Ankara isn’t very happy with the constitution voted on in the referendum.
This constitution is far from Ankara’s expectations. Turkey has two basic
goals concerning Iraq: Iraq’s integrity and not putting Kirkuk under the
Kurdish administration. On the first goal, Ankara favors Kurdish leader
Jalal Talabani’s being Iraq’s president and Sunnis’ participation in the
referendum. It expects that Kurds, having the presidency, won’t seek
immediate independence. Even if the Sunnis refused to participate in the
referendum, they have declared their will. Ankara thinks the Sunnis can be
the ‘glue’ between the Shiite Arabs and Kurds. That’s why Ankara wants them
to participate in the December parliamentary elections. How realistic is it
to expect that Sunnis, who formed the base of the Saddam administration to
a great extent, will function as a ‘bridge’ with Shiites, who expect to
enter office following the Saddam era and so aren’t part of the insurgency,
and the Kurds, who are the closest friends of the US?
Ankara envisaged a special status for Kirkuk. It was buttressing this view
with the thesis that all the Iraqi people own its natural resources. It was
against putting Kirkuk under Kurdish administration. However, the
constitution voted on envisaged a referendum in Kirkuk in 2007. It’s also
known that Kirkuk’s demographic makeup was changed in favor of the Kurds.
In this case, Kirkuk might be attached to the Kurdish administration.
Ankara’s new goal concerning Kirkuk is that the new parliament following
the December elections will change the draft constitution. Ankara expects
that all of its concerns will be addressed with such changes, but it’s
questionable how realistic this expectation is due to current conditions.
Ankara also thinks that a ‘unity of goals’ should be established for Iraq’s
Turkmen, that is, the Turkmen should work for the same goal even if they
belong to different parties or organizations. Under these circumstances and
expectations, it’s difficult for Ankara to fulfill its goals concerning
Iraq.”
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