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Turkish Press Review, 05-12-14
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
14.12.2005
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
CONTENTS
[01] CIA DIRECTOR MEETS WITH ERDOGAN, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF SECURITY
[02] TURKEY CONDEMNS MURDER OF LEBANESE DEPUTY
[03] GUL CALLS ON TURKMEN TO VOTE IN IRAQI ELECTIONS
[04] CHP LEADER BAYKAL: “EITHER THE PRIME MINISTER WILL CHANGE OR TURKEY WILL”
[05] ANAVATAN LEADER MUMCU CRITICIZES AKP
[06] ASKIN’S TRIAL TO BEGIN IN VAN TODAY
[07] POPE SLATED TO VISIT TURKEY NEXT YEAR
[08] EU CRITICIZES REPORTED DRINKING RESTRICTIONS
[09] FORMER PM ECEVIT: “THE US SUPPORTS SEPARATIST ACTIVITIES”
[10] GEN. BUYUKANIT AWARDED ORDER OF MERIT IN WASHINGTON
[11] BRITISH GSM GIANT VODAFONE WINS TELSIM TENDER
[12] BABACAN: “WE’LL REACH MAASTRICHT CRITERIA ON THE BUDGET DEFICIT, WHICH WILL BE LESS THAN 3% OF GNP”
[13] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[14] THREE ISSUES AT MIT-CIA MEETING BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
[01] CIA DIRECTOR MEETS WITH ERDOGAN, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF SECURITY
On the second day of a visit to Turkey, American Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) Director Porter Goss met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and Police Director General Gokhan Aydiner. Their talks focused on
intelligence sharing against terrorism, especially on the outlawed PKK.
Turkish officials asked Goss to take necessary measures to end the presence
of the PKK in northern Iraq and conveyed Ankara’s concerns over recent
terrorist activities. The CIA director reportedly vowed to better control
the Iraqi border to prevent militants from entering Turkish territory and
stated that work to cut off the financial resources of the terrorist group
was continuing. Goss also asked Turkish officials to cooperate in
operations against al-Qaeda. The director was also received by Erdogan.
Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT) head Emre Taner was present at
the one-hour meeting. /Hurriyet/
[02] TURKEY CONDEMNS MURDER OF LEBANESE DEPUTY
A Foreign Ministry statement yesterday expressed strong condemnation of the
assassination of prominent journalist and lawmaker Gibran Tueni in Lebanon
and offered Turkey’s condolences to the Lebanese people. Tueni, who spent
months in France fearing assassination, was killed on Monday in a car, only
a day after returning to his homeland. /Turkiye/
[03] GUL CALLS ON TURKMEN TO VOTE IN IRAQI ELECTIONS
Voting for Iraqi elections began yesterday in Turkey and 15 other
countries. Some 1 million Iraqis living abroad are expected to vote.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul called on all Iraqi citizens in Turkey to
cast ballots. “There are nearly 30,000 Turkmen in Turkey,” said Gul,
directing his call to them in particular. He added that if they didn’t go
to the ballot box then they would have no say in their cause and their
future. On the other hand, in spite of Ankara’s warnings, the Iraqi
government allowed pro-PKK parties, including the Kurdistan Democratic
Party (KDD) and Iraqi Democratic Restructuring Party, to take part in the
elections. /Turkiye/
[04] CHP LEADER BAYKAL: “EITHER THE PRIME MINISTER WILL CHANGE OR TURKEY
WILL”
Speaking at a parliamentary group meeting, main opposition Republican
People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal sharply criticized both the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. Commenting on the recent identity debates, Baykal said that the
prime minister had to absorb Turkish nationality. “The Prime minister is
totally confused,” he charged. “Either the prime minister will change or
Turkey will. He shouldn’t make Turkey suffer due to his own identity
depression.” Baykal also touched on the upcoming trial of Van Yuzuncu Yil
University (YYU) Rector Yucel Askin, saying that the CHP was watching the
case closely. /Star/
[05] ANAVATAN LEADER MUMCU CRITICIZES AKP
Speaking at a parliamentary group meeting, opposition Motherland Party
(ANAVATAN) leader Erkan Mumcu yesterday criticized the Justice and
Development Party (AKP) government about the recent identity debates. Mumcu
charged that during TV broadcasts of parliamentary group meetings, the
tapes are being changed in some provinces, and added, “The aim is a single-
voice Turkey, a Turkey where only the voice of the ruling party is heard,
where we all believe the fairy tales of the government. But this is the
seat of the opposition. This is the seat of democracy, the seat of the
people.” /Star/
[06] ASKIN’S TRIAL TO BEGIN IN VAN TODAY
The trial of Yuzuncu Yil University Rector Yucel Askin is due to begin
today in Van. The High Criminal Court yesterday sent a letter to the
administration of the hospital where Askin is being treated asking if the
rector can attend the trial. The hospital administration stated that Askin
could attend the trial under a doctor’s supervision and without handcuffs.
Askin and other nine suspects, including four professors, are charged with
corruption in a 1998 medical equipment purchase. Askin was jailed in mid
October. /Aksam/
[07] POPE SLATED TO VISIT TURKEY NEXT YEAR
A visit to Turkey is on Pope Benedict XVI’s travel itinerary for next year,
together with Germany, Poland, and Spain. According to Spanish news agency
Europe Press, the pope will visit Poland in May, Spain in July and Germany
in September. The dates for his Turkey trip have not yet been decided.
Ankara in September extended an official invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to
visit Turkey in 2006. /Turkish Daily News/
[08] EU CRITICIZES REPORTED DRINKING RESTRICTIONS
European Parliament Turkey Rapporteur Camiel Eurlings said yesterday that
proposing drinking restrictions wouldn’t help Turkey’s image. Stressing
that such restrictions conflict with the state’s secular principles,
Eurlings said, “If there are religious reasons behind these moves, this is
unacceptable.” Eurlings also said that Turkey has not been sending positive
signals lately, and added, “There is a developing impression in Europe that
Turkey is moving away from European Union norms.” /Cumhuriyet/
[09] FORMER PM ECEVIT: “THE US SUPPORTS SEPARATIST ACTIVITIES”
Former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday alleged that separatist
terrorism in Turkey was being supported through Iraq with the support of
the US. At a press conference, Ecevit said that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan was making confusing comments on religion and policy, and explained,
“First he said there is no Kurdish problem, and then he said there is. He
proposes some slogans on primary identity and a democratic republic.
Actually, young people with ideological aims used these slogans 25-30 years
ago. It’s very sad that the prime minister is using these slogans now.”
Ecevit also commented on the recent visits of the FBI and CIA directors,
and said that an official statement should be made about the reasons for
the visits. Ecevit emphasized that concerns about the US conducting
separatist activities has risen during the Bush administration.
/Cumhuriyet/
[10] GEN. BUYUKANIT AWARDED ORDER OF MERIT IN WASHINGTON
Turkish Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, visiting Washington as
the official guest of Chief of Staff of the United States Army Gen. Peter
Schoomaker, yesterday was welcomed with a military ceremony at the Fort
Myers Army Base. During the ceremony, an order of merit was given to Gen.
Buyukanit. /Cumhuriyet/
[11] BRITISH GSM GIANT VODAFONE WINS TELSIM TENDER
International mobile telecommunications giant British Vodafone Group Plc
yesterday made the highest bid of $4.55 billion in the Telsim tender, held
by Turkey’s Savings Deposit and Investment Fund (TMSF). Vodafone won the
tender after heated competition with Kuwait’s mobile telecommunications
company which made a bid of $4.53 billion in the tender. Later, in a
written statement to the London Stock Exchange, Vodafone stated that it
hoped to buy Telsim, which is Turkey’s second-biggest mobile
telecommunication operator, but predicted that this wouldn’t affect its
credit notes. Vodafone is known as the biggest international mobile
telecommunications company and operates in 41 countries and has 171 million
subscribers worldwide. World Bank Turkey Director Andrew Vorkink commented
on yesterday’s tender, saying that the tender proved that investors’
interest in Turkey was continuing. Vorkink further hailed Turkey’s
privatization program, adding that it was continuing successfully.
/Hurriyet/
[12] BABACAN: “WE’LL REACH MAASTRICHT CRITERIA ON THE BUDGET DEFICIT, WHICH
WILL BE LESS THAN 3% OF GNP”
Speaking at a conference marking the 19th anniversary of Tempo Magazine
yesterday, State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan said that Turkey’s
budget deficit would fall under 3% of gross national product (GNP) as
required in the European Union’s Maastricht criteria. “We’ll achieve the
budget deficit requirements of the Maastricht criteria this year,”
predicted Babacan. “Our budget deficit will fall under 3% of the GNP,
compared to 5% in the US.” Babacan further predicted that Turkey’s debt
would fall under 60% of GNP. “Next year we’ll reach another of the
Maastricht criteria,” added Babacan. /Milliyet/
[13] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[14] THREE ISSUES AT MIT-CIA MEETING BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the meeting between National Intelligence
Agency (MIT) Undersecretary Emre Taner and CIA head Porter Gross. A summary
of his column is as follows:
“There’s been a lot of news on the meeting between National Intelligence
Agency (MIT) Undersecretary Emre Taner and CIA head Porter Goss and its
timing. Obviously, confidentiality was in effect due to the nature of these
two institutions. So, it wouldn’t be wrong to see these reports and
interpretations as conjecture, and it would be unrealistic to expect
concrete information concerning the meeting. We can only reflect on the
main issues of this meeting and talk about three clear issues, namely, the
terrorist PKK, terrorism in general, and Iraq. The reports saying that the
meeting’s timing had a special meaning are unconfirmed, because Taner and
Gross are newly appointed and therefore its timing is normal. As for its
content, it would be wrong to assume that they discussed operational and
technical issues; rather, these issues were probably discussed in a
framework of understanding, approach and cooperation. Al-Qaeda was talked
about and cooperation against this terror group and the PKK were discussed,
with positive results. Iraq is already related to these two issues. The
issue of alleged CIA planes which stayed in Istanbul for 27 hours and the
claim that al-Qaeda suspect Louai Saka was interrogated were also up for
discussion.
Although this claim was denied a few times by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
as well, Goss’ visit brought the issue up again. When I met with Justice
Minister Cemil Cicek yesterday, he steadfastly denied the reports, saying,
‘There was no interrogation, and this is out of the question. The names of
the people who visited the mentioned person are clear. The list of these
names is at the Public Prosecutor’s Office. These claims are untrue.’ The
busy traffic between Ankara and northern Iraq led some to wonder whether
Ankara was thinking of changing the Penitence Law or the Anti-Terror Law.
Cicek answered these questions in the negative. Cicek said that during FBI
and CIA heads’ contacts in Ankara, cooperation in the fight against
terrorism might have been discussed. He added that this fight was
international in nature and that intelligence sharing between the
countries’ intelligence agencies would be natural in this respect. Stating
that such sharing is nothing new, Cicek emphasized operations in Italy and
the Netherlands. According to Cicek, these contacts and cooperative
activities aren’t extraordinary.”
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