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Turkish Press Review, 06-01-06
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
06.01.2006
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] PRESIDENT SEZER: “KARZAI’S VISIT TO TURKEY IS HISTORICAL”
[02] ERDOGAN AT EMIR’S FUNERAL
[03] GULER BRIEFS SEZER ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ON NATURAL GAS
[04] “PEACE PROJECT” ON THE WAY
[05] ANOTHER TEENAGER DIES DUE TO BIRD FLU
[06] RECTOR ASKIN RETURNS TO HIS WORK
[07] ARINC SEEKS BAYKAL’S SUPPORT FOR AMENDMENTS TO PARLIAMENT REGULATIONS
[08] US: OUR POSITION ON CYPRUS ISSUE REMAINS THE SAME
[09] MUMCU: “THE GOVERNMENT COULDN’T MANAGE NATURAL GAS ISSUE DESPITE ALL WARNINGS”
[10] MORGAN STANLEY: “TURKEY’S ECONOMY WILL GET STRONGER IN THE EU MEMBERSHIP PROCESS”
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[12] AKDAG’S SUGGESTIONS ON BIRD FLU BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
[01] PRESIDENT SEZER: “KARZAI’S VISIT TO TURKEY IS HISTORICAL”
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, paying an official visit to Turkey,
yesterday was welcomed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer in an official
ceremony at the presidential palace. After the meetings, Sezer and Karzai
signed a protocol on the establishment of a ''Program Coordination Office
of the Turkish International Cooperation Agency (TIKA)'' in Afghanistan. At
a joint press conference after the signing of the protocol, Sezer noted
that Karzai's visit to Turkey was the first one by an Afghani leader since
1957. ''Karzai’s visit to Turkey is historical,'' said Sezer. Meanwhile,
Karzai stressed that Turkey has always stood by Afghanistan during good and
bad times. Afterwards, Karzai went to Turkish Parliament where he met with
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc. In his speech, Karzai pointed out that
Turkey was the first country in history to which Afghani female students
were sent. Karzai also praised NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in
Afghanistan Hikmet Cetin, and said, “He’s our brother Hikmet.” President
Sezer also held a banquet in honor of Karzai at the Presidential Palace.
Karzai met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chief of General
Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok before the banquet. /Star/
[02] ERDOGAN AT EMIR’S FUNERAL
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the funeral ceremony of Dubai
Emir Seyh Mahdum, who lost his life on his visit to Australia. State
Minister Mehmet Aydin, Justice and Development Party (AKP) General
Secretary Idris Naim Sahin and Ankara Deputy Faruk Koca also took part in
the funeral as the representatives of Turkey. Erdogan was not able to
attend the prayer in Mescid Zabil but participated in the funeral ceremony
with Jordan King Abdullah and the new Dubai Seyh Muhammed Bin Rasid El
Mahdum. After the ceremony, Prime Minister and his accompanying delegation,
visited Dubai Seyh Muhammed Bin Rasid El Mahdum in his palace for
condolence. /Star/
[03] GULER BRIEFS SEZER ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ON NATURAL GAS
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday received Energy Minister Hilmi Guler
at the Presidential Palace to discuss arguments on Turkey buying expensive
natural gas. Guler briefed Sezer on recent developments on natural gas and
alternative energy resources, adding that Turkey’s dependence on imported
resources could surpass 80% by 2020. Guler predicted that Turkey’s energy
need would increase 4 times by 2020 and that energy consumption would
increase 2.5 times by the same date, adding that the increase in prices
would make nuclear energy necessary. In related news, Sezer yesterday made
his ordinary weekly meeting with Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok.
/Milliyet/
[04] “PEACE PROJECT” ON THE WAY
An agreement for the reactivation of the Erez industry zone, located along
the boundaries of Israel and Palestine, has been signed in Jerusalem by the
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan
Shalom. By recalling the illness of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,
Shalom said: “Today is a hard day for us.” At the press conference, Gul
wished recovery for Shalom. /Star/
[05] ANOTHER TEENAGER DIES DUE TO BIRD FLU
A second teenager died from bird flu yesterday, in the first human cases of
the disease outside China and Southeast Asia. The victims from small
eastern town of Dogubeyazit, lived in the same household as infected
chickens and ate the birds after they were slaughtered as a result of
exhibiting signs of bird flu. Doctors from Van Yuzuncu Yil University
Hospital stated that 18 patients are still under treatment in the hospital.
Speaking to reporters on his arrival in eastern city Kars, Agriculture
Minister Mehdi Eker said that the disease had been detected in five
different areas in eastern Anatolia, adding that he would meet with local
governors to discuss measures to combat the bird flu. “We’re facing an
important problem. We should calmly take all measures without panicking,”
said Eker. In addition, he stated that teams continued to cull poultry all
over the region. Meanwhile, the European Union and the World Health
Organization (WHO) have sent experts to Turkey to help it tackle bird flu.
/Turkiye/
[06] RECTOR ASKIN RETURNS TO HIS WORK
Van Yuzuncu Yil University Rector Yucel Askin yesterday was back in his
office. Askin, warmly welcomed by university staff, was released from the
hospital on Tuesday. The rector currently faces charges of forming a
criminal organization to corrupt a university tender worth $25 million. The
Van Criminal Court released him last Friday pending trial. His detention on
mid-October had caused serious tension between the government and various
organizations that supported him. /Milliyet/
[07] ARINC SEEKS BAYKAL’S SUPPORT FOR AMENDMENTS TO PARLIAMENT REGULATIONS
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday visited opposition Republican
People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal to seek his support for the draft
including changes to Parliament regulations. During their meeting, Arinc
said that some 95 articles of 186 articles of Parliament regulations would
be changed and 20 articles would be abolished in order to make regulations
clearer. For his part, Baykal expressed support for the draft. /Sabah/
[08] US: OUR POSITION ON CYPRUS ISSUE REMAINS THE SAME
The US State Department said on Wednesday that its position on the Cyprus
issue remains the same. Concerning media reports about preparations of a
new plan by the US and United Nations to find a solution to the Cyprus
problem, US State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack said, “The US
continue to support UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s efforts on this
issue.” Asked whether the Annan plan will be revised, McCormack said,
“Annan is the person to answer these questions and we support him. The US
will continue to work in cooperation with him.” /The New Anatolian/
[09] MUMCU: “THE GOVERNMENT COULDN’T MANAGE NATURAL GAS ISSUE DESPITE ALL
WARNINGS”
Speaking to Turkish daily Cumhuriyet yesterday to evaluate arguments on
Turkey’s buying expensive natural gas, Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) leader
Erkan Mumcu criticized the government, saying that the government couldn’t
manage the issue despite all warnings. Mumcu added that the government
should give legal and political account of this. /Cumhuriyet/
[10] MORGAN STANLEY: “TURKEY’S ECONOMY WILL GET STRONGER IN THE EU
MEMBERSHIP PROCESS”
In a report issued by the Investment Bank Morgan Stanley, it was predicted
that in the European Union membership process, Turkey’s economy would get
further stronger and that the institutional structuring would provide
economic and political stability in the country. Touching on 2005 inflation,
which is further lower than the target, the report stressed that the
decrease in the inflation was continuing and that last year’s inflation
figure was the lowest in the last 37 years. The report further predicted
2005 growth as 6.5% and 2007 as 6.8% despite global economic stagnation.
/Aksam/
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[12] AKDAG’S SUGGESTIONS ON BIRD FLU BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the bird flu. A summary of his column is
as follows:
“Unfortunately, deaths due to bird flu cases started to be seen in Turkey,
following the East Asian countries. It’s impossible to call this only
unluckiness. We saw that people lived very close to such animals as hens in
Asia and that this situation derived from poverty. Similar conditions are
seen in rural areas of Turkey. It can be said that common characteristics
are poverty and ignorance. It’s a means of living to breed small or great
cattle in rural areas, even on the scale of houses. This is the general
activity of the rural area economy. In addition, sacrificing and eating the
meat of sick animals is also a habit among the poor people. When the
philistinism is added to this, this might cause deaths like in Dogubeyazit.
Obviously, the most influential way of struggling with the bird flu is
reorganize the economic activities and increase the level of education in
rural areas.
Health Minister Professor Recep Akdag said that the safest way was to end
these activities. When I met with Akdag yesterday, he told me that small-
scaled cattle breeding which is common particularly in rural areas should
be given up as part of a plan controlled by the Agriculture Ministry. He
said that these people should deal with another activity with the support
of the state, instead of breeding 5-10, 20 hens. He said that this was the
most influential method. Akdag said that the second method was to end
contact with winged animals and that if one has to do this, he_she should
obey the rules of this. He said that as hygienic conditions are ensured at
breeding plants and animals have no contact with outside, this risk almost
doesn’t exist. He added that other breeders should contact with animals
with masks and gloves and that the contact should be ended and officials
should be informed, when the suspicion of disease exists. He also said the
people living in villages shouldn’t hide their animals and that giving
information through radios, television and newspapers was as influential as
sending officials to risk areas and making the people living in these
regions conscious of this. Akdag also stressed the importance of briefing
the people living on birds’ migration ways. He added that the chicken
should be cooked at least on 70 degrees, hand should be washed with soap on
every stage, eggs should be washed and boiled and industrially produced
white meat products with brand should be preferred.”
THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE TURKISH PRESS REVIEW WILL APPEAR ON JAN. 16, 2006 DUE
TO THE FEAST OF THE SACRIFICE HOLIDAY.
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