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Turkish Press Review, 05-12-23
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
23.12.2005
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER, OZKOK AND ERDOGAN ISSUE MESSAGES MARKING 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF KUBILAY ASSASSINATION
[02] ERDOGAN: “REPORTS OF ALCOHOL RESTRICTIONS ARE BASELESS”
[03] TOP STATE OFFICIALS MEET FOR DISASTER CRISIS MANAGEMENT
[04] FORMER TRNC PRESIDENT DENKTAS ADDRESSES PARLIAMENT
[05] PROSECUTOR LAUNCHES PROBE INTO COMMENTS ON RECTOR ASKIN’S TRIAL
[06] ISRAELI CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF VISITS ANKARA
[07] SECURITY FORCES CARRY OUT ANTI-CORRUPTION OPERATION IN KAPIKULE
[08] ECHR APPEARS TO RECOGNIZE TRNC PROPERTY COMMISSION
[09] SENER CRITICIZES CB’S MONETARY AND EXCHANGE RATE POLICIES, CLAIMING THEY TIGHTENED THE ECONOMY MORE THAN NECESSARY
[10] SERDENGECTI BRIEFS TBB ON TURKEY’S INFLATION TARGETING
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[12] FEAR OF THE THRESHOLD BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)
[01] SEZER, OZKOK AND ERDOGAN ISSUE MESSAGES MARKING 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF
KUBILAY ASSASSINATION
In a message issued to mark the 75th anniversary of the assassination of
Lt. Kubilay by religious extremists in 1930, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
yesterday said that the historical insurgency should remind the nation to
guard against fundamentalists harming society while it should also work to
ensure Turkey’s progress. Also observing the anniversary, Chief of General
Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok called the incident a turning point for Turkey.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Kubilay had an important
place in Turkish history as a symbol of determination. Opposition
Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal is due to travel to
Menemen, Izmir to attend commemoration ceremonies there. /Milliyet/
[02] ERDOGAN: “REPORTS OF ALCOHOL RESTRICTIONS ARE BASELESS”
Appearing on television yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
dismissed widespread press reports about alcohol restrictions as baseless
rumors. “Such false reports don’t serve the interests of the nation,” said
Erdogan. “These things (restrictions) don’t exist. I am very bothered by
this. I am being accused of saying things I haven’t said. My colleagues
face the same thing.” Erdogan said that only change made was to transfer
the authority to issue liquor licenses from state officials to local
municipalities. /Milliyet/
[03] TOP STATE OFFICIALS MEET FOR DISASTER CRISIS MANAGEMENT
A briefing on disaster crisis management convened yesterday at the National
Security Council (NSC) Secretariat General. In addition to Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, present at the gathering were Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul, Cabinet ministers, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok
and force commanders, as well as other high-level officials. Following
officials’ briefings, an exercise was held to practice how to cope with a
possible earthquake disaster in the Marmara region. /Turkiye/
[04] FORMER TRNC PRESIDENT DENKTAS ADDRESSES PARLIAMENT
Former Turkish Republic President of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf Denktas
yesterday called on Parliament to reject the Additional Customs Union
Protocol, which he said would lead to the recognition of Greek Cyprus as
the sole legitimate government of the island. Denktas, at the invitation of
main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal,
addressed Parliament. His presentation also brought together many
politicians, such as former President Suleyman Demirel, Parliament Speaker
Bulent Arinc, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli,
Democrat Socialist Party (SHP) leader Murat Karayalcin, and also many
deputies. Denktas expressed pleasure over both Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s remarks that Cyprus is a
national interest that cannot be abandoned. “However, Turkish Cypriots see
that such statements aren’t enough, and so we’re worried,” said Denktas.
“The European Union is asking Turkey to give the whole island to the Greek
Cypriots.” He added that the TRNC is the only thing preventing the Greek
Cypriots from taking Cyprus altogether, but it faces the whole world trying
to destroy the republic. /Star/
[05] PROSECUTOR LAUNCHES PROBE INTO COMMENTS ON RECTOR ASKIN’S TRIAL
The Ankara Prosecutor’s Office yesterday launched an investigation into
comments made on the trial of Van Yuzuncu Yil University Rector Yucel Askin
as a possible attempt to influence members of the judiciary. Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s
Association (TUSIAD) and the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) of
violating the Constitutional by taking sides and commenting on the ongoing
trial. Board of Higher Education (YOK) Chairman Erdogan Tezic was also
among those who had publicly sided with Askin. Addressing a gathering on
Tuesday, TUSIAD Supreme Advisory Council Chairman Mustafa Koc criticized
the treatment accorded Askin. /Sabah/
[06] ISRAELI CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF VISITS ANKARA
New Israeli Chief of General Staff Gen. Dan Halutz arrived in Turkey
yesterday. During his meetings, issues such as developments in Syria and
Iraq and military cooperation between Turkey and Israel were discussed. It
was reportedly said that the current issues between the countries are an
unmanned aerial vehicle contract and the modernization of F-4 fighter jets.
Halutz met with Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer, and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul.
[07] SECURITY FORCES CARRY OUT ANTI-CORRUPTION OPERATION IN KAPIKULE
Security forces yesterday carried out an operation at the Kapikule border
gate, taking into custody 46 customs officials and 27 police officers won
charges of taking bribes and smuggling. State Trade Minister Kursat Tuzmen
told reporters that the operation aimed at ridding the department of bad
elements, adding that they would put a halt to illegal trade. Furthermore,
he stated that the operation would not target innocent workers. /Turkiye/
[08] ECHR APPEARS TO RECOGNIZE TRNC PROPERTY COMMISSION
In a key decision on Greek Cypriot property claims yesterday, the European
Union Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg appeared to recognize a
newly founded property resolution commission in Northern Cyprus. The ECHR
ruled in the case of Myra Xenides-Arestis that Turkey had violated the
“protection of property” and “right to respect for the applicant’s home” of
the European Convention on Human Rights, but did not order immediate
compensation for Turkey. Legal experts interpreted the ECHR’s not ruling
for immediate compensation from Turkey, and asking for a remedy in three
months’ time, as a move towards recognizing the newly founded independent
property resolution commission in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC). The Turkish Foreign Ministry said yesterday in a statement that the
court’s decision had demonstrated that the Turkish Cypriot property
arrangements, carried out under a new law, were well justified. /The New
Anatolian/
[09] SENER CRITICIZES CB’S MONETARY AND EXCHANGE RATE POLICIES, CLAIMING
THEY TIGHTENED THE ECONOMY MORE THAN NECESSARY
Appearing on CNN Turk yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener
criticized the monetary and foreign exchange policies of the Central Bank,
saying that over the last four years, inflation was lower than the target.
“The CB has implemented a policy which tightened our economy more than was
needed,” said Sener. “The CB has instruments to raise the foreign exchange
rate. If it buys $40 billion instead of $21 billion, then the exchange rate
will be higher.” /Milliyet/
[10] SERDENGECTI BRIEFS TBB ON TURKEY’S INFLATION TARGETING
Speaking at a meeting of the Banks Association of Turkey (TBB) yesterday,
Central Bank head Sureyya Serdengecti briefed the participants on the
inflation targeting regime and developments under this regime since 2002.
Serdengecti stressed that next year the CB would try to put inflation in
harmony with the target. Serdengecti further stated that Turkey had taken
important steps in the independence of the CB. /Aksam/
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[12] FEAR OF THE THRESHOLD BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)
Columnist Derya Sazak comments on the issue of the election threshold. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“This week’s Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD)
meeting in Ankara was important, because President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
advocated lowering the election threshold to 7-8%. Meanwhile, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to criticisms of TUSIAD’s High
Advisory Council (YIK) Chair Mustafa Koc on the current cases against Van
Yuzuncu Yil University Rector Yucel Askin by saying that they were
violating the Constitution and called on public prosecutors to look into
this. It was unfortunate that the public prosecutor’s office started an
investigation into Koc and Board of Higher Education (YOK) Chairman Erdogan
Tezic. It’s important that the Justice and Development Party (AKP)
government started to be criticized by TUSIAD, one of the institutions
which provided the ruling party with great support up to now. In the past,
some other political parties went against TUSIAD. For example, TUSIAD
played a key role in the process which caused the government established by
Bulent Ecevit to withdraw in 1980 due to by-elections. Interestingly,
Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Zeki Sezer targeted Erdogan’s criticisms
of TUSIAD the most. Zeki Sezer accused Erdogan of wanting to be a despot,
and added that the prime minister showed that he lacks democratic
understanding and is very far from the concept of civilian society by
calling on TUSIAD to make evaluations only within its sphere of interest.
By saying that criticisms of the process of Askin’s trial were violations
of the Constitution, Erdogan put himself into the position of public
prosecutors and judges. If he’s sincere about the independence of the
judiciary, he will work to end the chairmanship and membership of the
justice minister and undersecretariat at the Higher Board of Judges and
Public Prosecutors and see that the Investigation Board, currently attached
to the Justice Ministry, is attached to the Higher Board of Judges and
Public Prosecutors.
Meanwhile, nobody is disturbed that half of the voters aren’t represented
in the Parliament. Erdogan defends this unfair election system, which
provided the AKP with the advantage of two-thirds representation with one-
third of the votes in the fall 2002 elections. The ruling party might want
to keep the 10% threshold in order to maintain its majority in Parliament
in the 2007 elections. Interestingly, the Republican People’s Party (CHP)
is also insisting on the threshold. Trying to hold elections by taking
refuge behind the shield of threshold and immunity only serves to shame
democracy.”
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