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Turkish Press Review, 06-06-05
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
05.06.2006
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
THE AKP NEEDS TO CONVINCE
BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)
WE OFFERED IRAQ COOPERATION IN SECURITY
BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER TO TRAVEL TO MIDEAST
[02] ERDOGAN VISITS SIRNAK, MARDIN
[03] HISTORIC SELIMIYE BARRACKS OPENED TO PUBLIC FOR 1ST TIME
[04] US DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR CROUCH VISITS TURKEY
[05] TRNC'S TALAT READY TO MEET WITH PAPADOPOULOS NEXT MONTH
[06] GREEK ANALYSTS: “NO SOLUTION WILL BE FOUND AT THE HAGUE”
[07] IN DENIZLI, MUMCU CRITICIZES GOVT
[08] SOLDIER KILLED IN SIRNAK LAID TO REST
[09] CB HEAD: “I WILL NEVER FORSAKE THE BANK’S INDEPENDENCE”
[10] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[11] THE AKP NEEDS TO CONVINCE
BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)
[12] WE OFFERED IRAQ COOPERATION IN SECURITY
BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
[01] SEZER TO TRAVEL TO MIDEAST
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer tomorrow will travel to the Middle East to pay
a highest-level official visit to the region. Sezer’s first stop will be
Israel, where he will meet with his Israeli counterpart, Moshe Katsav,
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu. The
president is also set to visit the Holocaust Museum, constructed in memory
of the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. In addition,
Sezer will have talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a number
of Palestinian officials, not including governing Hamas members. /Turkish
Daily News/
[02] ERDOGAN VISITS SIRNAK, MARDIN
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended his Justice and
Development Party (AKP) provincial meetings in the southeastern Anatolian
provinces of Sirnak and Mardin. The premier stated that the AKP was against
ethnic, regional and religious nationalism. Stressing that the government
was resolved to continue with efforts to advance the country, Erdogan said
that since they came to power Turkey’s economic figures had improved.
Commenting on recent rumors of plots against him, Erdogan said he was ready
to stand up to all difficulties on the road to serving the nation.
/Turkiye/
[03] HISTORIC SELIMIYE BARRACKS OPENED TO PUBLIC FOR 1ST TIME
As part of celebrations marking the 125th anniversary of the birth of
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, the
Headquarters of the 1st Army Commandership's Selimiye Barracks on the
Bosphorus coast in Istanbul yesterday for the first time in its history
were opened to the public, including a number of distinguished guests from
the business and art worlds. The barracks were constructed in 1806 and
served as headquarters to the military as well as a hospital during the
Crimean War. A British medical team including Florence Nightingale, the
founder of modern nursing, cared for Turkish soldiers at the barracks in
1854-56. /Turkiye/
[04] US DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR CROUCH VISITS TURKEY
J.D. Crouch, deputy to US National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley,
yesterday paid a one-day working visit to Ankara. Crouch met with Foreign
Ministry Undersecretary Ali Tuygan and National Security Council (NSC)
Secretary-General Yigit Alpogan and discussed Iraq’s security, Turkish-US
relations and the Iranian nuclear dispute. After meeting with Tuygan,
Crouch told a press conference that US President George W. Bush made a very
important decision last week and put a very sincere proposal on the table
to the Iranian leadership. Stressing that the incentive package offered
would benefit Iranians, Crouch expressed hope for a positive response from
Tehran. He said once the proposal is accepted, then all the relevant sides
could sit at the negotiating table and bring diplomatic solutions to the
problem. /Star/
[05] TRNC'S TALAT READY TO MEET WITH PAPADOPOULOS NEXT MONTH
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat said
on Sunday that he and Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos will
probably meet next month to discuss the issue of missing persons. Talat, in
an interview with Greek Cypriot daily Filelefteros, said he’s ready to meet
with Papadopoulos anytime to discuss ways to revive talks aimed at reaching
a settlement on the island but also expressed his unease with Papadopoulos’
reluctance to do so to date. /The New Anatolian/
[06] GREEK ANALYSTS: “NO SOLUTION WILL BE FOUND AT THE HAGUE”
Some prominent Greek international law and foreign policy experts don't
favor Athens going to The Hague to solve its problems with Ankara.
According to these analysts, Greece can't take to The Hague just one issue
(the continental shelf) which suits it. If it tried this, it would face the
risk of paying historical compensation on many issues, they say. “The Hague
can’t be an instrument for the solution of bilateral problems," said
Professor Alexis Iraklidis of Pantion University's History and Political
Science Department. According to Iraklidis, the only instrument can be
dialogue. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] IN DENIZLI, MUMCU CRITICIZES GOVT
Speaking at a meeting of his party in Denizli at the weekend, opposition
Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) Party leader Erkan Mumcu criticized the
policies of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, claming that Erdogan would try to be elected
as president to escape his responsibilities. “But the nation will chase you,
” he added. /Sabah/
[08] SOLDIER KILLED IN SIRNAK LAID TO REST
A soldier who was killed by the terrorist PKK last week was laid to rest in
Ordu. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler, Ordu Governor
Vakkas Gozlugol, Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy leader Eyup
Fatsa, and many military officials were present at his funeral. /Sabah/
[09] CB HEAD: “I WILL NEVER FORSAKE THE BANK’S INDEPENDENCE”
Central Bank Governor Durmus Yilmaz said yesterday that he would never
forsake the bank’s independence, adding that if someone tries to intervene
in the CB, he would prevent this. “We can put forward the necessary stance
against politicians in case of intervention,” he said. Yilmaz stated that
the data point to 2006 inflation exceeding the target, adding that the 2007-
2008 target was still achievable. Yilmaz said that if the target isn’t
achieved, this wouldn’t hurt the credibility of the CB. “If we can describe
correctly why the target isn’t achieved, then our credibility wouldn’t be
hurt,” said Yilmaz. “The inflation increase in May is mostly due to
increases in the exchange rate, but it should not have been reflected in
prices immediately. All of us are in the same boat. Opportunism is
improper.” /Milliyet/
[10] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[11] THE AKP NEEDS TO CONVINCE
BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)
Columnist Semih Idiz comments on the ruling Justice and Development Party
(AKP) and its relations with the European Union. A summary of his column is
as follows:
“We would like to share Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s excitement about
June 12. Of course, it’s important that our actual membership talks with
the European Union will start. At this point, negotiations should have
started not only in education, culture and science, but also in certain
other areas. However, this hasn’t happened. So we consider (the EU meeting
on) June 12 a turning point to save the appearances in terms of the EU and
the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Starting the negotiations this way
won’t be enough to dispel the impression that the government’s enthusiasm
for the EU has fallen. Not only Europeans, but also some Turkish people and
institutions -- for example, the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s
Association (TUSIAD) -- claim this. In sum, there’s a common belief that
the reforms which were passed with great show remained just on paper. Of
course, this situation pleases certain Turks who are opposed to the EU.
However, the damage done by these people against Turkey, which still hasn’t
completed its process of modernization and development, will be understood
better after a certain period of time. So, why can’t the AKP be convincing
about its pursuit of the EU? We can list the answers to this question as
follows:
* Article 301 and the charges which were filed based on this article show
that the concept of freedom of thought hasn't been adopted, and Gul says
the article wouldn’t be changed.
* Justice Minister Cemil Cicek accused respectable academics in the country
of ‘stabbing Turkey in the back,’ thus demonstrating that the concept of
academic freedom also hasn't been adopted.
* The AKP has remained silent on issues of violence against women and honor
killings, and so relevant institutions of the United Nations had to deal
with this issue.
* Public prosecutors who filed charges against writers Orhan Pamuk and
Baskin Oran were protected on the grounds of ‘no interference in the
judicial process,’ but the public prosecutor of the Semdinli case got his
walking papers.
* An investigation was opened into Oran due to his defense in that case.
This list could easily be made longer. We know that this list will be shown
to Gul on June 12. So we're not so much interested in June 12, but its
aftermath, because what comes then will be key.”
[12] WE OFFERED IRAQ COOPERATION IN SECURITY
BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on security in Iraq. A summary of her column
is as follows:
“On Saturday afternoon a Russian diplomat was killed and four diplomatic
employees were kidnapped in Iraq. The very same hour, a suicide car bomber
killed 28 people. Over the last several days there have been so many
incidents in Iraq that have killed scores of people. When we start to talk
about the death toll, our faces grow faint and death and violence become
unexceptional. Can the responsibility for this turmoil be left to a new
government which is trying to establish itself? What will the international
community do about this? Frankly, I can’t find an answer to these
questions.
Turkey’s Special Representative to Iraq Oguz Celikkol just came back from
visiting there. Even if you're a special representative, it’s not easy to
go to Iraq. ‘I went to Baghdad with a military helicopter,' he said.
Celikkol met with US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad and Iraqi
officials, though not Jalal Talabani. Asked why he didn’t meet with
Talabani, he said that Talabani was in Sulaimaniyah and that their meeting
wasn’t scheduled. Celikkol said that Turkey was ready to contribute to
Iraq’s security. A study was already done on this. The details and depth of
this new offer aren’t certain.
Is Iraq’s security only a technical question? Is the lack of experience the
only reason for this chaos? Iraq’s security can’t be taken up independently
from the conflict of interests in the Middle East. One can’t dream of an
order in Iraq without a peace effort in the Middle East. How will this
order be established? Nobody is expecting Turkey to play such a role, but
it is important that this issue not fall from the international agenda. As
violence becomes more 'ordinary,' numbers replace the names of the dead. We
get used to it and forget about them. If we get used to the violence in
Iraq, then it will be too late if it knocks on our door.”
ARCHIVE
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