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Turkish Press Review, 06-02-27
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
27.02.2006
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: “WE’VE INVITED IRAQI LEADERS TO TURKEY IN ORDER TO HALT THE PROVOCATIVE ACTIONS IN IRAQ”
[02] BUYUKANIT: “WE’LL CONTINUE TO FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM AS LONG AS TERROR EXISTS”
[03] GONUL: “TURKISH-ISRAELI DEFENSE TIES CONTINUE AS IT WERE BEFORE HAMAS VISIT”
[04] MEHMET AYDIN ADDRESSES ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS MEETING IN QATAR
[05] PARLIAMENT’S FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHAIRMAN: “IT’S TIME FOR TURKEY TO PAVE THE WAY TOWARDS PEACE”
[06] ANAVATAN LEADER MUMCU: “GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE SENSITIVE AGAINST THE IMPOSITIONS ON CYPRUS”
[07] GREEK FM: “GREEK SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU BID ISN’T UNCONDITIONAL”
[08] IRAQI PM TO VISIT TURKEY
[09] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[10] DOUBLE GAME BY ERDAL SAFAK (SABAH)
[01] ERDOGAN: “WE’VE INVITED IRAQI LEADERS TO TURKEY IN ORDER TO HALT THE
PROVOCATIVE ACTIONS IN IRAQ”
Speaking at a meeting of his party in Istanbul at the weekend, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized provocative actions in Iraq,
saying that these actions spoiled the friendship between the groups in the
country. “There is a provocative action in Iraq, which creates a conflict
between the Sunni and the Shi’ite” he said. Erdogan invited the Iraqi
leaders and the leaders of the neighboring countries to Turkey in order to
search the ways for halting this provocation. The premier stated that
Ankara explained the leaders of the US, Britain, and the coalition forces
what should be done in Iraq, adding that protecting Iraq’s territorial
integrity was one of those. Erdogan stressed that he didn’t lose his hopes
concerning Iraq, and added, “We’ve invited Iraq’s neighboring countries to
discuss what we can do. Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari will come
to Ankara on Tuesday to discuss the issue. We’ll also meet with the Sunni
leaders.” Later, addressing another party meeting, Erdogan said that the
headscarf issue could be solved with social agreement without creating any
tension. /Turkiye/
[02] BUYUKANIT: “WE’LL CONTINUE TO FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM AS LONG AS
TERROR EXISTS”
Land Forces Commander Yasar Buyukanit, who was in Diyarbakir over the
weekend, yesterday visited Diyarbakir Governor Efkan Ala with the
accompanying commanders. During the meeting, Buyukanit said that as long as
terror exists, Turkey’s fight against terrorism would continue. “We hope
not to see terror on this geography anymore because the citizens of this
region, not Istanbul, face certain difficulties due to terrorist attacks,”
he said. “We wish that the citizens of the region coexist by overcoming
their economic problems.” /Sabah/
[03] GONUL: “TURKISH-ISRAELI DEFENSE TIES CONTINUE AS IT WERE BEFORE HAMAS
VISIT”
Speaking in Kayseri yesterday, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul commented on
recent Hamas visit to Ankara, saying that there weren’t any negative
developments between Turkish-Israeli defense relations. “Relations between
the two countries are continuing as it were before the visit.” Gonul stated
that Hamas visit was between parties not governments. Touching on the
project of modernizing M-60 tanks, Gonul said that the first model was made
in Israel, but others would be made in Kayseri. /Turkiye/
[04] MEHMET AYDIN ADDRESSES ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS MEETING IN QATAR
State Minister Mehmet Aydin, who is currently in Qatar to attend a meeting
of the Alliance of Civilizations, made an opening speech at the meeting.
Aydin said that the world needed such projects as the Alliance of
Civilizations, adding that the leaders of the western world should see the
reasons lying under the recent cartoon crisis. “The cartoon crisis is a
complicated issue,” he said, adding that the events and reactions to these
were similar with two icebergs, adding that prejudices against Islam were
under these icebergs. /Turkiye/
[05] PARLIAMENT’S FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHAIRMAN: “IT’S TIME FOR TURKEY TO PAVE
THE WAY TOWARDS PEACE”
Debates over the Hamas political leader Khalid Mashaal’s recent visit to
Turkey as the guest of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) continue.
Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission Chairman Mehmet Dulger spoke about
this visit which was criticized by opposition parties and said, “A country
which is in a fragile as Turkey should have a thorough knowledge of what is
going on around it. It’s time for Turkey to pave the way towards peace.
Turkey is considered to be a country which can put an end to conflict
between Israel and Palestine. We can gather the sides which have
disagreement.” /Star/
[06] ANAVATAN LEADER MUMCU: “GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE SENSITIVE AGAINST THE
IMPOSITIONS ON CYPRUS”
Opposition Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) Party leader Erkan Mumcu over the
weekend reacted to the separation of the aid regulation prepared by the
European Union Commission from the direct commerce regulation and the
reduction of the aid to 129 million euros which was planned as 259 million
euros, saying, “Anyhow, this aid was waiting for a long time within the
initiative of Greek Cypriots. This isn’t new; the government should have a
sapient stance at this point, because the Cyprus problem isn’t an issue
which can be regarded as the domestic matter of the EU. From Turkey’s
standpoint, Cyprus issue’s real platform is the UN. So, the government
should be sensitive and careful against the direct impositions or against
the EU’s impositions. /Hurriyet/
[07] GREEK FM: “GREEK SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU BID ISN’T UNCONDITIONAL”
Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bayonnakis said that Athens' policy of
supporting Turkey’s possible European Union membership continued but warned
that this support wasn’t unconditional. In an interview with Greek daily To
Vima, Bayonnakis said Greek support for Turkey’s EU perspective was a
strategic choice and emphasized that the recent reshuffle in the Greek
Foreign Ministry wouldn’t cause a change in the government’s policy with
regard to support for Turkey’s EU bid. “Greek support in that regard is
clear. Our foreign policy is in the direction of supporting Turkey’s EU
perspective,” said Bayonnakis. The Greek foreign minister, however, said
Greece’s support wasn’t unconditional and noted that there were some
criteria that Turkey had to fulfill in return. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] IRAQI PM TO VISIT TURKEY
Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Caferi will come to Ankara upon the invitation
of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey’s concerns on Iraqi army’s
maneuvers in Northern Iraq, which began with the conflict of sects in Iraq,
will be conveyed to Caferi. Caferi to whom premier’s letter of invitation
was forwarded by Turkey’s Special Representative to Iraq Ambassador Oguz
Celikkol will come to Ankara for the second time. /Milliyet/
[09] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[10] DOUBLE GAME BY ERDAL SAFAK (SABAH)
Columnist Erdal Safak comments on the Cyprus issue and Turkey’s stance. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“This week we’ll witness ‘meaningful’ developments concerning the Cyprus
issue both in the European Union and the United Nations. The picture is as
follows: the EU applauded Turkish Action Plan on Cyprus, but the Greek
Cypriots scored the goal under Austria’s arbitration. Austria says that
it’s trying so membership talks can be opened under a few headings during
its term presidency which will last until July, but it also it’s kicking
Turkey under the table by using Greek Cypriots’ foot. Unfortunately, our
friends in the EU are used as a tool in this game. The most recent example
of this was seen at the EU Committee of Permanent Representatives
(COREPER). After the EU Commission stated that it was ready to open
membership talks under the first heading (Science and Research), Greek
Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos went to Vienna. Austrian Prime Minister
Wolfgang Schussel supposedly asked him not to use its right to veto and
Papadopoulos accepted this on condition that two regulations concerning the
EU’s support for Turkish Cypriots are separated. Now, let’s inform you on
these regulations. Following the referendum in April 2004, the EU prepared
three regulations for supporting northern Cyprus: Green Line, Direct Trade
and Financial Aid. The first of them permitted the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cypriot (TRNC) goods’ export to the EU through the Greek Cypriot
administration and came into force in August 2004. The second of them freed
the trade from TRNC to the EU. The last of them made it free to give the
aid of harmonization from the EU to Turkish Cypriots. Direct Trade and
Financial Aid regulations were associated with each other. They would be
either accepted or rejected together. The majority of votes was necessary
for the first of them and the unanimity was needed for the second one.
Greek Cypriots didn’t want to be considered as the party hindering the
financial aid to Turks and they also wanted two regulations to be separated
to prevent the trade from TRNC harbors which would mean the actual
recognition.
When the issue turned into a deadlock, Turkey announced the Action Plan on
Cyprus. This package envisaged to bring the membership talks to life under
the UN leadership and lift all the restrictions mutually. Britain, Italy
and Spain applauded this and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn
supported this. Meanwhile, Greek Cypriots were prepared to kill Turkey’s
plan. They were hopeful about Austria and waiting for the time to open
membership talks with Turkey. In this conjuncture, Papadopoulos said that
if two regulations are separated, he wouldn’t use his right of veto. Then,
Austria brought to the issue to COREPER as the so-called mediator and two
regulations were separated! What’s more, the acceptance of Trade Regulation
was stipulated on a few conditions: return of Maras to Greek Cypriots,
carrying out the trade from Magosa under the control of EU Commission,
freezing the transactions about Greek Cypriot goods on the north, seeking
unanimity instead of majority of votes in COREPER decisions, in other words,
making the Greek Cypriot support a condition in every step. The strangest
thing is that Britain, Italy and Spain which supported Turkey’s plan
accepted Greek Cypriots’ demands without saying a word. What’s more,
Papadopoulos said that the EU owes him ‘thank you’, as he didn’t use his
right to veto. Meanwhile, Austria, which won a so-called diplomatic victory,
invited Ankara to open membership talks under the heading of ‘Science and
Research.’ If I were Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul or State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan, I wouldn’t
accept this invitation. Membership talks can be delayed for a few months in
order to give an answer to Schussel’s double game. What would we lose?”
ARCHIVE
The news and articles issued in the Turkish Press Review
may be quoted from provided due acknowledgement is made.
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