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Turkish Press Review, 06-02-01Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr><LINK href="http://www.byegm.gov.tr_yayinlarimiz_chr_pics_css/tpr.css" rel=STYLESHEET type=text/css> e-mail : newspot@byegm.gov.tr <caption> <_caption> Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning01.02.2006ERDOGAN: “I’VE FULFILLED MY OBLIGATIONS ON MY ASSETS AND I CAN ACCOUNT FOR EVERY LIRA” GUL: “I HOPE GREEK CYPRIOTS WILL LOOK CLOSELY AT OUR CYPRUS ACTION PLAN” EU ENLARGEMENT COMMISSIONER REHN: “A SOLUTION MUST BE FOUND FOR CYPRUS” PUTIN: “THE TRNC’S EFFORTS FOR PEACE SHOULD BE REWARDED” BAYKAL: “ERDOGAN DIDN’T KEEP HIS WORD ON DECLARING HIS ASSETS” DYP LEADER AGAR: “LET’S DECLARE ALL OUR ASSETS” CB: “INFLATION WILL DROP EVEN IF INTEREST RATES EASE” IMF: “TURKEY PROVES THAT A COUNTRY CAN KEEP FISCAL DISCIPLINE AND STILL GROW” FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... WHILE THE PRIME MINISTER SPOKE BY ISMAIL KUCUKKAYA (AKSAM)CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: “I’VE FULFILLED MY OBLIGATIONS ON MY ASSETS AND I CAN ACCOUNT FOR EVERY LIRA”Speaking at his party’s group meeting yesterday, Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the recent controversy over his financial assets, saying that he had fulfilled all his obligations in this regard and could account for every lira he has. “The law makes it clear that who should declare his assets and where,” said Erdogan. “I should say that these declarations of assets should be made on the basis of confidentiality, and neither the person declaring his assets nor the authority receiving this information has the right to disclose it.” Touching on Turkey’s European Union membership bid and recent economic developments, Erdogan said that Turkey had fulfilled the Maastricht criteria before joining the EU. Erdogan stated that though the criteria required a budget deficit of 3%, Turkey’s had never been on sounder footing. /Milliyet/[02] GUL: “I HOPE GREEK CYPRIOTS WILL LOOK CLOSELY AT OUR CYPRUS ACTION PLAN”Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, currently in London to attend a conference on Afghanistan, said yesterday that Turkey would boost its economic aid to Afghanistan from $10 million to $100 million. Later, speaking to reporters, Gul said that Ankara had presented a concrete, well-developed, and detailed action plan on Cyprus to the whole world, adding that he hoped the Greek Cypriots, who he accused of premature negativity over the plan, would examine it in detail. “I urge this,” he said. “Otherwise, a resolution on the island will remain elusive and hopes for a resolution will fade.” Gil further called on Turkish Cypriots living in London to invest more and visit their home country, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). /Turkiye/[03] EU ENLARGEMENT COMMISSIONER REHN: “A SOLUTION MUST BE FOUND FOR CYPRUS”European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn yesterday met with Greek Foreign Minister George Iacovou at the EU Foreign Ministers Council meeting in Brussels. Iacovou told Rehn that he was uncomfortable about the EU Commission’s support for Turkey’s Cyprus action plan. Rehn replied that the Cyprus issue couldn’t continue this way and that a solution was urgently needed. Iacovou said that the issue would be brought up at the EU and that Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos would visit EU Term President Austria later this month. Rehn and Iacovou also exchanged views on the legal efforts for financial support and direct trade regulations for Turkish Cyprus. /Hurriyet/[04] PUTIN: “THE TRNC’S EFFORTS FOR PEACE SHOULD BE REWARDED”Speaking at a press conference at the Kremlin yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the efforts for peace of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) should be rewarded. Putin said that the TRNC’s determination to reach a Cyprus resolution was clear. “There is a basis for economic projects between Russia and the TRNC,” he said. “However, in carrying out such projects we should not harm our relations with Greece or Greek Cyprus, nor harm the balance on the island.” Asked whether Russia’s Cyprus policy had changed, Putin said that it hadn’t, adding that Russia was pursuing a “balanced” Cyprus policy designed to make it trustworthy to both sides. /Milliyet/[05] BAYKAL: “ERDOGAN DIDN’T KEEP HIS WORD ON DECLARING HIS ASSETS”Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, currently in Athens to attend a meeting of the Socialist International, yesterday accused Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of failing to keep his word on declaring his assets. “He said that he wouldn’t declare his assets, but rather his views on the issue,” said Baykal. “The most pathetic thing for a politician is to run away and hide from the nation. That’s what Erdogan has done. He can’t deceive anyone by reading some articles and blaming the CHP, saying that it’s the only party which has a bank.” Baykal added that his party would present a bill to Parliament to end the secrecy of politicians’ assets. /Milliyet/[06] DYP LEADER AGAR: “LET’S DECLARE ALL OUR ASSETS”Opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday called on all political leaders to publicly declare their assets and said, “The prime minister turned this issue into tension between the ruling and opposition parties and covered it with partisanship. This wasn’t right. Let’s clear away all legal and constitutional hurdles on this issue in Parliament. The leaders should gather and do what has to be done. The prime minister’s style is vicious.” In related news, opposition Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) leader Erkan Mumcu said, “The prime minister turned this hugely important issue into a partisan debate. He led the issue astray. A minister from his own Cabinet made misrepresentations about the property of a leader. Now he can’t change the subject by speaking about the dignity of politics. It’s such a sorry situation to use Ataturk’s will as fodder for partisan debate.” /Hurriyet/[07] CB: “INFLATION WILL DROP EVEN IF INTEREST RATES EASE”Turkey may see price inflation move higher in the first quarter of the year, but interest rates should resume their downward trend in the second quarter, according to Turkish Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti. The CB said on Tuesday it expects inflation to keep falling for the next year and a half even if short-term interest rates ease in 2006. The government aims to lower inflation to 5% this year and to 3% next year, said Serdengecti. /Turkish Daily News/[08] IMF: “TURKEY PROVES THAT A COUNTRY CAN KEEP FISCAL DISCIPLINE AND STILL GROW”Speaking at a conference in Poland, International Monetary Fund First Deputy Managing Director Anne Krueger said yesterday that Turkey proved that a country could grow while maintaining fiscal discipline. She stated that inflation in Turkey fell to 8% last year from 70% in 2002. “Turkey’s inflation fell to singledigits after three decades,” she added. “Turkey has achived economic growth together with fiscal discipline.” /Turkiye/[09] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[10] WHILE THE PRIME MINISTER SPOKE[11] BY ISMAIL KUCUKKAYA (AKSAM)Columnist Ismail Kucukkaya comments on yesterday’s Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) group meeting. A summary of his column is as follows:“I was at the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) group meeting at Parliament yesterday. The room was very crowded and there was nowhere to sit. Almost all the state ministers and deputies were there. Only twice have I seen a meeting like this. The most enthusiastic AKP group meeting was held following the November 2002 elections and the other was the first group meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan as prime minister. Not only politicians, but also journalists were interested in yesterday’s gathering. When Erdogan started to speak, one of the deputies whispered to me that his TV ratings were higher. However, I don’t know if this is a good thing. Another journalist joked that we were waiting for the property owner and a deputy asked who was the initial owner of the property. We all laughed. As soon as Erdogan entered the hall, all the deputies stood up to applaud him. This was a sign. His speech was also punctuated by applause, seven times. However, it wasn’t a speech which thrilled people or got huge applause. I guess the deputies’ expectations weren’t met. If Erdogan had declared his assets, they would have been. But, like other people, I thought that this wasn’t to be. Erdogan stayed the course on the assets issue, just like on immunity. This amounts to not lifting immunity and not declaring his assets, while calling on everybody urging Erdogan – especially reporters – to do so, so all politicians and bureaucrats can declare their assets. If everybody declares his assets, Erdogan wouldn’t be indifferent to it. In my opinion, the style of Erdogan’s speech didn’t look good and he should have kept his cool, because loss of control causes damage. In addition, Erdogan started to blame the media over a story in Yeni Safak. According to that report, Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan and a political party and its leader have an enormous fortune. Erdogan denied this, but the die has been cast. Meanwhile, Erdogan supported Unakitan, but Unakitan was unconsoled.” ARCHIVE The news and articles issued in the Turkish Press Review may be quoted from provided due acknowledgement is made. <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js"> </script> Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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