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Turkish Press Review, 06-05-16Turkish 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> <style type="text_css"> <!-- .baslik { margin-right:0cm; margin-left:0cm; margin-top:1cm; font-size:12.0pt; color:#000099; text-align: justify; } --> <_style> e-mail : newspot@byegm.gov.tr <caption> <_caption> Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning16.05.2006TURKEY HONORS 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF ATATURK’S BIRTH GROUP LAUNCHES VIGIL AGAINST ARMENIAN BILL TRNC’S TALAT: “THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS MUST BE DEBATED” ANKARA, TEHRAN BOLSTER COOPERATION AGAINST PKK CB HEAD: “FLUCTUATIONS IN FOREIGN EXCHANGE ARE TEMPORARY” SENER: “$22 BLN CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICIT EXPECTED THIS YEAR, AND THERE’S NO NEED FOR A REVISION” IN ISTANBUL, BABACAN TO DISCUSS DEVELOPMENTS IN BANKING SECTOR WITH BANKING ASSOCIATION MEMBERS HISARCIKLIOGLU MEETS WITH KRETSCHMER NEW JERSEY HOSTS TURKISH FESTIVAL FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS FRANCE’S BILL BY OZDEMIR INCE (HURRIYET)CONTENTS
[01] TURKEY HONORS 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF ATATURK’S BIRTHAn international symposium marking the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Republic of Turkey, began yesterday in Ankara. Present at the gathering were President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chief Justices Tulay Tugcu, Osman Arslan, and Sumru Cortoglu from the Constitutional Court, the Court of Audits and the High Court of Appeals respectively, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and other high-level commanders, as well as foreign mission representatives in Ankara. Addressing the gathering, Sezer said that Turkish people should do their utmost to preserve Ataturk’s modern, enlightened, secular and democratic republic and follow his principles. Also speaking at the meeting, Erdogan stated that the principle of secularism was a basic and unifying factor of our republic, calling on the public to avoid contentious debate over the matter. Listing “republic,” “national sovereignty,” national state,” and “secularism” as the main concepts of Ataturk’s thought and the Republic of Turkey, Erdogan said that it was everybody’s duty to maintain and develop those preferences. /Milliyet/[02] CABINET CONVENESThe Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, convened yesterday. The meeting mainly focused on last month’s high inflation figures and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer’s veto last week of certain articles of the social security reform bill. In addition, recent tensions in markets were taken up, and State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener and Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan gave briefings about the developments. Erdogan also told the ministers about his recent visit to Indonesia. Moreover, the recent situation of Turkey’s screening process with the European Union was reviewed. Afterwards, speaking to reporters, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that there was no need to panic over the recent economic developments. /Turkiye/[03] GROUP LAUNCHES VIGIL AGAINST ARMENIAN BILLA protest was launched yesterday against an Armenian bill to be debated on Thursday by the French Parliament. The committee set up by the Labor Party (IP) against the so-called Armenian genocide claims will hold demonstrations for three days in front of the French Embassy in Ankara and the Consulate General in Izmir under the title “The Turkish-French Friendship Vigil.” A group called the Armenian Genocide Lie with Armenian Documents Grand Project 2006 Counseling Board started the same action at Place de la Concorde in Paris. Meanwhile, France’s Ambassador to Ankara Paul Poudade yesterday said that the French government was opposed to the Armenian bill set for debate at the Parliament on Thursday. /Star/[04] TRNC’S TALAT: “THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS MUST BE DEBATED”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday said that the Cyprus issue had entered a one-way street with the Greek Cypriots becoming a European Union member in 2004 as the “Republic of Cyprus.” “What has to be done now is to bring up the question: Is this Republic of Cyprus genuine or an abnormal result of the conditions emerging after 1963 or 1974?” Speaking to reporters, Talat said that the problem couldn’t be solved without the initiative of the international community, adding, “All EU member countries believe that the Greek Cypriots’ policy isn’t looking for a solution. Both those who support a solution and those who don’t are in agreement on this.” Talat also said that Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos was planning to press Turkey on its way to the EU and thus, make Turkey abandon Cyprus for its greater interest. /Hurriyet/[05] ANKARA, TEHRAN BOLSTER COOPERATION AGAINST PKKSecurity Director General Gohkan Aydiner yesterday met with his Iranian counterpart Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam at the Organization of the Islamic Conference’s (OIC) First Meeting of Security Directors General of Islamic Countries. Aydiner asked Iran to continue its operations against the terrorist PKK and signaled that Ankara is ready for any kind of cooperation against the militant group. Security units of the two countries reached a consensus about cooperating on every issue against the terrorist organization, including joint operations. Aydiner is also expected to ask Iraqi authorities to block political and ideological support for the terrorist PKK and for its leaders to be apprehended. /Hurriyet/[06] CB HEAD: “FLUCTUATIONS IN FOREIGN EXCHANGE ARE TEMPORARY”At a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of Koc Holding yesterday, Central Bank Governor Durmus Yilmaz commented on recent fluctuations in foreign exchange, saying that these were temporary. He stressed that if these fluctuations persist, then the CB could intervene. Yilmaz stated that the CB was closely following developments, adding that such fluctuations had also been seen in the past. Stressing that monetary and fiscal policies should continue to be carried out without deviation, Yilmaz added that there was no thought of changing the inflation target in the medium term. In related news, Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) Executive Board Chairman Omer Sabanci said that current account deficit, which was 6.4% last year, could be considered a risk factor. Sabanci Holding Executive Board Chairman Guler Sabanci said that the Turkish economy was on a good path, saying that there was no risk. /Sabah/[07] SENER: “$22 BLN CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICIT EXPECTED THIS YEAR, AND THERE’S NO NEED FOR A REVISION”Speaking yesterday after his meeting with an International Monetary Fund delegation chaired by IMF Turkey Desk Chief Lorenzo Giorgianni, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said that there was no need to worry about current account deficit, adding that a $22 billion deficit was expected for this year and that there was no need to revise this figure. Sener said that during the meeting with the IMF delegation, they had discussed the banking sector and mortgage system and that the delegation had expressed pleasure about developments in the sector. Asked about the social security reform bill vetoed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, he said it would again be passed by Parliament, adding that legislative authority belongs to Parliament. Commenting on recent fluctuations in foreign exchanges, Sener said that these fluctuations were within acceptable limits. He added that economic balances were set and that market mechanisms had gotten stronger in Turkey. /Aksam/[08] IN ISTANBUL, BABACAN TO DISCUSS DEVELOPMENTS IN BANKING SECTOR WITH BANKING ASSOCIATION MEMBERSState Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan is due today to meet with executive board members of the Banking Association (BB) in Istanbul. During the meeting, developments in the banking sector and European Union harmonization efforts in the sector will be discussed. Recent fluctuations in foreign exchange are also expected to be addressed at the meeting. /Milliyet/[09] HISARCIKLIOGLU MEETS WITH KRETSCHMERTurkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu yesterday met with Hansjoerg Kretschmer, the head of the European Commission delegation to Turkey. During their meeting, Kretschmer said that if Turkey successfully completes its European Union membership reforms, this would have a positive effect on business in Turkey. Saying that the business world was very important in EU talks with candidate countries, Kretschmer stressed that the screening process was going well. For his part, Hisarciklioglu stated that the first condition to protect territorial integrity was to have a sound economy. “In order to have a sound economy, first we should overcome poverty,” added Hisarciklioglu. /Turkiye/[10] NEW JERSEY HOSTS TURKISH FESTIVALAs part of the 25th Turkish-American Culture Festival, organized by the Assembly of Turkish-American Associations (ATAA), a Turkish Festival was held this week in Paterson, New Jersey. Addressing the gathering, representatives from the Turkish Consulate in New York and the ATAA stated that they are working to promote Turkish culture in the US. /Turkiye/[11] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS[12] FRANCE’S BILL BY OZDEMIR INCE (HURRIYET)Columnist Ozdemir Ince comments on the so-called Armenian genocide. A summary of his column is as follows:“Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper labeled the Armenian Events of 1915 a ‘genocide’. Some deputies in France are preparing a bill to criminalize denial of the so-called Armenian genocide. I’m certainly angry about France and the US, both of whom are using the ‘genocide’ as a political tool and can’t get rid of the fixed idea of genocide. But there are also people in these two countries working against this shell game. If this bill is passed, then France will contradict its history of freedom and make things worse while trying to erase the opprobrium of colonialism. My wise French friends are saying that comparing the Jewish Holocaust with the Armenian genocide is absolute nonsense. But they aren’t the majority among French intellectuals. Moreover they grow more intense when this issue is debated. The ‘genocide’ is so deep in their subconscious that many of them can’t get rid of it. A total of 400,000 Armenian people are integrated into France, and all of them are French citizens. France is certain about Armenians being French. This is very important. Armenian society is very influential in every field of daily life and every profession. It has a strong middle class. So it’s natural that a French person supports a French Armenian. Also it’s almost impossible to publish an article espousing the opposite view in top newspapers like Le Monde, Liberation and Le Nouvel Observateur. Le Monde published the views of Orhan Pamuk, Murat Belge, Halil Berktay and Baskin Oran, but wouldn’t publish my article even in the readers section. I wrote about the tricky maneuvers of the French and Armenians in Cukurova between 1919 and 1921. This is one of France’s most shameful eras, but nobody wants to learn about it and they even aren’t interested. Like Elisabeth Badinter, there are historians who say: ‘Turkish and Armenian historians should study if there was a genocide in Turkey or another place. But it’s not the business of the French Parliament to deliver an opinion on this issue. Moreover, legal determination of discussion about a historical event and making it criminal is unacceptable.’ But I don’t know if this will be enough to convince even her husband Robert Badinter, an influential politician, jurist and writer. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called representatives of French firms and warned them to support Turkey’s stance. I don’t think that this will work. Then France will play its European Union card. As a matter of fact, their ambassador spoke about this a few days ago. Turkey has to find another method, but it is difficult with this government.” ARCHIVE <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js"> </script> Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |