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Turkish Press Review, 05-12-02
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
02.12.2005
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: “THE TSK IS OUR GREATEST SAFEGUARD”
[02] PM TO TRAVEL TO AUSTRALIA TODAY
[03] CELIK: “41 PROVINCES WANT UNIVERSITIES”
[04] IRANIAN FM’S VISIT TO ANKARA
[05] IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT MEETS GUL
[06] BARZANI: “KIRKUK WILL JOIN THE KURDISH REGION IN 2007”
[07] EUROPEAN REFORM CENTER: “TURKEY’S SCREENING PROCESS IS OFF TO A GOOD START”
[08] RICE POINTS TO TURKISH-US STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
[09] BABACAN: “WE NEED A SOUND FISCAL SYSTEM IN ORDER TO TAKE OUR PLACE IN THE GLOBAL SYSTEM”
[10] IMF TO DISCUSS FIRST AND SECOND REVIEW OF ECONOMIC PROGRAM NEXT WEEK
[11] WB’S VORKINK, IMF’S BREDENKAMP ADDRESS THIRD INTERNATIONAL FINANCE SUMMIT
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[13] FROM GUL’S PERSPECTIVE BY ISMAIL KUCUKKAYA (AKSAM)
[01] ERDOGAN: “THE TSK IS OUR GREATEST SAFEGUARD”
At this year’s final Supreme Military Council (YAS) meeting, the fight
against separatist activities was stressed. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul put a reservation on the decision
to discharge four personnel from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). During the
YAS meeting, a comprehensive evaluation of security issues was done. Recent
developments in Iraq, and especially the status of Kirkuk in terms of
security, were evaluated. Also the consequences of Kurdish leader Masoud
Barzani’s visits to the US and other countries were discussed. At the
meeting Erdogan was briefed on military readiness and modernization
projects. After having lunch at the General Staff Headquarters, YAS members
visited Anitkabir, Ataturk’s mausoleum, where Erdogan signed the
commemorative guestbook. Erdogan wrote, “While preparing our Republic with
pride and enthusiasm for the future, with fully 85 years behind us, the
broad experience and superb capabilities of the TSK are valued as our
greatest safeguard.” After the YAS meeting, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
and his wife Semra Sezer hosted a dinner for YAS members and their wives at
the Presidential Palace. Premier Erdogan also attended the dinner.
/Cumhuriyet/
[02] PM TO TRAVEL TO AUSTRALIA TODAY
After touring African, Asian and Gulf countries over the course of this
year, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan today will fly to Australia and
New Zealand to pay an official visit. During his nine-day trip, Erdogan,
accompanied by a large delegation of businessmen, first will stop in New
Zealand and then proceed to Australia on Thursday. The premier is scheduled
to have talks with his New Zealand and Australian counterparts as well as
economic circles to promote bilateral relations. /Turkiye/
[03] CELIK: “41 PROVINCES WANT UNIVERSITIES”
Education Minister Huseyin Celik yesterday said that the government had
determined 15 provinces where it would establish universities in line with
objective criteria. During debates at Parliament’s Education, Culture,
Youth and Sport Commission on 15 new universities proposed by the
government, Celik said that no new universities had been founded in the
country for a decade, adding that the current ones failed to meet demand as
shown by how some 70,000 Turkish students were going abroad for their
education. Stressing that fully 41 provinces had actually asked for
universities, Celik added that they made the list through objective
criteria rather than emotional ones. /Sabah/
[04] IRANIAN FM’S VISIT TO ANKARA
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, visiting Turkey 16 years after
serving as ambassador to Ankara, had a busy schedule yesterday. Mottaki
yesterday met with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Parliament Speaker Bulent
Arinc, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, main opposition Republican
People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, and former Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit. Baykal reportedly stressed that countries should respect the
principle of non-interference in each other’s politics, with Mottaki
replying that he agreed. He also invited Baykal to visit Tehran. After the
meeting with Ecevit, Mottaki said, “I am pleased to meet one of Turkey’s
eminent statesman.” The Iranian foreign minister also met with former
President Suleyman Demirel. /Star/
[05] IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT MEETS GUL
Iraq’s Vice President Adel Abdulmehdi yesterday paid a visit to Ankara in
the runup to the Dec. 15 Iraqi elections. The reason for Abdulmehdi’s
Ankara visit was reportedly to thank Turkey for its impartial stance.
Abdulmehdi, a Shiite candidate for the prime minister’s post, met with
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. Gul expressed Turkey’s support for
the political process there and reiterated that Ankara will continue to
call on all Iraqi groups to actively participate in the elections.
/Cumhuriyet/
[06] BARZANI: “KIRKUK WILL JOIN THE KURDISH REGION IN 2007”
Speaking at a meeting in the province of Salaheddin yesterday, Kurdish
leader Massoud Barzani said that Kirkuk would join the northern Iraqi
Kurdish region in 2007. Barzani stressed that the elections set to be held
on Dec. 15 would be a turning point for Iraq, adding that the Kurds needed
to succeed in these elections for Kirkuk to join their region, as otherwise
their advantages could be wiped away by Shiite and Sunni votes. “This could
sow chaos in Iraq,” said Barzani. “We have to be realistic. Independence is
the right of Kurds, but we lack access to ports connecting us to other
countries so we shouldn’t stay isolated in our region.” /Sabah/
[07] EUROPEAN REFORM CENTER: “TURKEY’S SCREENING PROCESS IS OFF TO A GOOD
START”
The European Reform Center yesterday issued a report on Turkey’s European
Union membership process. The center, one of Europe’s leading think-tanks,
said that Turkey had begun the screening process very well and had
successfully passed through the two chapters on education and culture and
science and research. Stressing that the screening would include 35
chapters and would be a hard process, the report also noted that Turkey was
in a better situation than certain eastern European countries regarding
harmonization. /Star/
[08] RICE POINTS TO TURKISH-US STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Following the approval of the Senate, Ross Wilson, appointed by President
George W. Bush as the new US ambassador to Ankara, yesterday took his oath
of office in a ceremony at the State Department. Former US Ambassadors to
Ankara Robert Pearson, Mark Parris and Marc Grossman, as well as Turkey’s
current Ambassador to Washington Faruk Lologlu, were present at the
gathering. Speaking before the ceremony, US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice said that Turkey was a country that carries critical importance for
the US, adding that for that reason, Washington appointed its most
experienced diplomats there. Pointing to the importance of strategic
relations with Turkey, Rice noted that US backing for its European Union
membership would continue. Furthermore, delivering a speech, Wilson said
that his post in Turkey would be very interesting and challenging, adding
that he would do his best to further develop Turkish-US relations.
/Turkiye/
[09] BABACAN: “WE NEED A SOUND FISCAL SYSTEM IN ORDER TO TAKE OUR PLACE IN
THE GLOBAL SYSTEM”
In his opening speech at the Third International Finance Summit yesterday,
State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan hailed the government’s recent
tax cut of 10% as an important step, adding that it was also ready to cut
the value-added tax (VAT), but it first needs to see lower unregistered
employment. “We haven’t seen that in the last three years,” he said.
Babacan said that the recent tax cut was a government incentive to the real
sector, stressing that Turkey needed a sound fiscal system in order to take
its place in the global economy with a sound economy. /Aksam/
[10] IMF TO DISCUSS FIRST AND SECOND REVIEW OF ECONOMIC PROGRAM NEXT WEEK
International Monetary Fund External Affairs Director Tom Dawson said
yesterday that the Fund’s Executive Board would discuss the first and
second review of Turkey’s IMF-supported economic program next Friday. The
IMF is expected to release a $1.6 billion credit tranche when the reviews
are completed. Commenting on a recent 10% tax cut, Dawson stressed that
Turkey should achieve a 6.5 primary surplus next year, adding that he hoped
the tax cut wouldn’t hinder this. /Milliyet/
[11] WB’S VORKINK, IMF’S BREDENKAMP ADDRESS THIRD INTERNATIONAL FINANCE
SUMMIT
Speaking at the Third International Finance Summit yesterday, World Bank
Turkey Director Andrew Vorkink praised Turkey’s recent economic progress,
saying that one day it could be “Europe’s tiger.” Also addressing the
summit, International Monetary Fund Turkey Director Hugh Bredenkamp said
that Turkey had been implementing strict fiscal policies for the last three
years, adding that the only risk was the high current accounts deficit.
Bredenkamp added that Turkey had begun to talk about elections, stressing
that structural reforms should continue to be implemented. /Milliyet/
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[13] FROM GUL’S PERSPECTIVE BY ISMAIL KUCUKKAYA (AKSAM)
Columnist Ismail Kucukkaya comments on his meeting with Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul. A summary of his column is as follows:
“During a meeting with our Editor in Chief Serdar Turgut, Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul made interesting statements yesterday. Gul said that Turkey’s
former consulate in Mosul would be reopened and that Middle East Director
General Huseyin Avin Botsali would be the Mosul consul general. Gul said
that Turkey had been meeting northern Iraq’s needs, including security, for
many years and cited examples. ‘If there is reconstruction going on there
today, this is thanks to Turkey’s help,’ he said. ‘Nobody can ignore our
efforts and exclude Turkey from today’s reconstruction. Northern Iraq is
our area, our hinterland. Our priority is Iraq’s territorial integrity.’
From Gul’s words, we can see that Turkey will act like an older brother to
Kurds in the region. We clearly felt a change of policy. Turkey found a new
role for itself from the situation in the region, and now our state
officials’ former and future meetings with the US following contacts with
Kurdish leaders can be understood better. Gul explained the new formulation
of Turkey’s relations with the countries in the region as follows:
‘Problems were provoked both in Turkey and there in the past. Now we’re
trying to solve problems before they become serious.’
Gul visited Damascus two weeks ago rather suddenly. When we asked him about
it, he said, ‘Permission to do interrogations of five important officials
on [former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik] Hariri’s assassination was
requested, and Syria gave this permission. Among them are people close to
the Syrian administration. This was a vital development for solving the
problem and our contribution.’ Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister
Manouchehr Mottaki and Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdul Mahki are in Ankara.
When we asked him about his meeting with Mottaki, Gul seemed very pleased
with the visit. On his Iraqi counterpart, Gul said, ‘It was surprising to
see that he supports Turkey’s European Union membership bid. His support
was beyond my expectations. He told me that we were representing the East
and the entire Islamic world and that our EU bid had gained a vital
dimension.’ Gul added that he told his guest that Iran should boost its
cooperation with the EU trio, that is, France, Germany and Britain.
Following our meeting, Gul explained Turkey’s current situation broadly,
from the economy to diplomacy. He explained the formula for becoming a
country with a say on the world stage as follows: ‘Nobody can hold back
Turkey if we have a strong military organization and economy and a
democratic structure. We’re progressing along this road. When you add the
EU perspective to this, you can see what Turkey will look like in 10
years’.”
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