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Turkish Press Review, 06-07-25
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
25.07.2006
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER, ARINC RELEASE MASSAGES MARKING 98TH ANNIVERSARY OF END OF CENSORSHIP
[02] ERDOGAN: “THE PROBLEMS IN THE MIDEAST WILL CERTAINLY BE RESOLVED”
[03] GUL TO TRAVEL TO ITALY FOR MIDEAST PEACE CONFERENCE
[04] TURKISH AND US MILITARY OFFICIALS START TO DISCUSS ANTI-PKK MEASURES
[05] TURKEY CALLS ON OIC TO URGE A CEASEFIRE
[06] LEBANESE AMBASSADOR: “TURKEY SHOULD BE PART OF THE PEACE FORCE”
[07] IRANIAN AMBASSADOR: “WE ARE COOPERATING WITH TURKEY AGAINST TERRORISTS”
[08] WILSON: “THE US ADMINISTRATION IS ACTIVELY SEEKING WAYS TO FIGHT THE TERRORIST PKK”
[09] 1,200 TURKISH CITIZENS EVACUATED FROM LEBANON BY NAVAL FORCES
[10] BAYKAL CRITICIZES GOVT’S ANTI-TERRORIST PERFORMANCE
[11] TURKISH, US REPRESENTATIVES SIGN PACT TO BOOST BUSINESS TIES
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[13] TURKEY’S NEW ROLE IN THE MIDEASTBY HASAN CELAL GUZEL (RADIKAL)
[01] SEZER, ARINC RELEASE MASSAGES MARKING 98TH ANNIVERSARY OF END OF
CENSORSHIP
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday released a statement marking the
98th anniversary of the end of press censorship, saying that the press
should be free. Sezer stressed that the press, one of the pillars of
democracy, was indispensable. In his message to mark the day, Parliament
Speaker Bulent Arinc stated that press institutions should act with
responsibility, adding that they should be free and impartial. In related
news, Sezer will leave for Hungary today upon the invitation of his
Hungarian counterpart Laszlo Solyom. Sezer will have talks with Hungarian
officials on regional and international issues concerning Turkey and
Hungary, as well bilateral relations and cooperation opportunities.
/Cumhuriyet/
[02] ERDOGAN: “THE PROBLEMS IN THE MIDEAST WILL CERTAINLY BE RESOLVED”
Speaking in Balikesir yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
expressed his belief that the problems in the Middle East would certainly
be resolved, adding that Israel would sit at the negotiating table with
Palestine and Lebanon. “There is no other way,” he said. “If a solution
can’t be found, then the sides will face serious harm. Hatred leads
nowhere. Israel and Palestine should solve their problems with bilateral
understanding.” Saying that innocent children were being killed in the
Middle East, Erdogan added that bridges and power stations were being blown
up while nature suffers harm as well. The premier added that he had spoken
about the issue with US President George W. Bush, adding that a foreign
ministers’ meeting would be held in Rome tomorrow with the participation of
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. “Foreign Minister Abdulah Gul will
also attend the meeting,” said Erdogan. Answering questions about a
possible military operation against the terrorist PKK in northern Iraq,
Erdogan said that they couldn’t just stand and watch terrorism. /Turkiye/
[03] GUL TO TRAVEL TO ITALY FOR MIDEAST PEACE CONFERENCE
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is due today to travel to Rome to take part
in an international conference on ending the violence in the Middle East.
Ways to secure a cease-fire in the region, opening up a secure corridor for
humanitarian aid, and deployment of an international force will be
discussed at the conference to be held tomorrow. Gul will deliver a speech
at the conference, which will end with a joint declaration the same day.
The United States, Russia, Britain, France, Germany, EU Term President
Finland, Spain, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as Turkey will all
be represented at the conference. The UN secretary-general and World Bank
president will also attend. /Aksam/
[04] TURKISH AND US MILITARY OFFICIALS START TO DISCUSS ANTI-PKK MEASURES
Turkish and US military officials are starting to discuss measures to be
taken against the terrorist PKK presence in northern Iraq, in the wake of
Turkey signaling a possible military operation. Talks between the US and
Turkey will be held in Ankara and Baghdad simultaneously. The talks in
Ankara will be held between US Gen. Peter Satten and the General Staff.
/Aksam/
[05] TURKEY CALLS ON OIC TO URGE A CEASEFIRE
Turkey and Iran yesterday called on the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) to hold an extraordinary session to urge an end to the
aggression in the Middle East. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad discussed the idea during a telephone
conversation. “Firstly, regional countries should provide humanitarian aid
for the Lebanese people and the OIC should be active in developing
cooperation in the regional countries for a cease-fire,” said Erdogan.
/Sabah/
[06] LEBANESE AMBASSADOR: “TURKEY SHOULD BE PART OF THE PEACE FORCE”
George Siam, Lebanon’s ambassador in Ankara, yesterday said that his
country would be glad to see Turkey in a peacekeeping force for the Middle
East. A possible peace force is being discussed to be formed after a cease-
fire is reached in the region. /Milliyet/
[07] IRANIAN AMBASSADOR: “WE ARE COOPERATING WITH TURKEY AGAINST
TERRORISTS”
Firooz Devletabadi, Iran’s ambassador in Ankara, said yesterday that
Turkish and Iranian military officials are cooperating in the fight against
the PKK. “Military officers of both countries are working together,” said
Devletabadi. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] WILSON: “THE US ADMINISTRATION IS ACTIVELY SEEKING WAYS TO FIGHT THE
TERRORIST PKK”
Speaking at a meeting of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity
Exchanges (TOBB) yesterday, US Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson said that
the US administration was actively working on ways to fight the terrorist
group PKK. “I assure you that the US is working to take more effective
measures in the fight against terrorism,” said Wilson. Wilson further
commented on the recent Turkish-US strategic vision document, saying that
with the document, relations between Washington and Ankara had been
reevaluated. Wilson further said that he appreciated Ankara helping the
evacuation of people from Lebanon. /Hurriyet/
[09] 1,200 TURKISH CITIZENS EVACUATED FROM LEBANON BY NAVAL FORCES
Some 1,200 Turkish citizens stranded in Beirut due to Israel’s bombings
were evacuated yesterday from Lebanon by a troop carrier of the Naval
Forces Commandership sent from the port of Mersin. SAT and SAS commandos
took security measures before the troop carrier came closer to the shore.
Turkey’s Ambassador to Beirut Irfan Acar said that they had evacuated about
2,000 Turkish citizens from Beirut in the last two weeks. “The carrier has
everything to meet the needs of the people,” he added. /Milliyet/
[10] BAYKAL CRITICIZES GOVT’S ANTI-TERRORIST PERFORMANCE
Speaking in Divrigi yesterday, main opposition Republican People’s Party
(CHP) leader Deniz Baykal criticized the government’s policies, saying that
it had no determined stance against the terrorist group PKK. “The
government passed a law, but released arrested terrorists,” added Baykal.
/Star/
[11] TURKISH, US REPRESENTATIVES SIGN PACT TO BOOST BUSINESS TIES
In Ankara yesterday Turkish and US representatives signed for a project to
enhance bilateral business ties. Rifat Hisarciklioglu, chairman of the
Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), and US Chamber of
Commerce Executive Board member John Bachmann were the signatories. In his
keynote speech at the ceremony, Hisarciklioglu said that their strong
friendship and alliance are the main pillars of the Turkish-US
relationship. “We have to enhance relations between our nations, and trade
and investments will contribute to this,” he stated. “Turkey’s exports to
the US are only equal to 0.03 percent of overall US imports, or a total of
$1.7 trillion last year. The bilateral trade volume between Turkey and the
United States was only $10 billion last year.” Hisarciklioglu added that
problems Turkish businessmen face in getting US visas also have a negative
impact on bilateral trade. /Star/
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[13] TURKEY’S NEW ROLE IN THE MIDEASTBY HASAN CELAL GUZEL (RADIKAL)
Columnist Hasan Celal Guzel comments on Turkey’s new role in the Middle
East. A summary of his column is as follows:
“Two developments which occurred last weekend show that a new era has begun
and that Turkey should turn this to its advantage. The first of these
developments is that US President George W. Bush telephoned Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan from the US and gave the message that the necessary
things will be done against the terrorist PKK, and US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice also told Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul that the US
understood the situation’s gravity and made commitments about fighting the
terrorist PKK. US officials have made similar promises before, but this
time we can see that the US knows of the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) units
preparing for the cross-border operation and grasps the Turkish
government’s determination on this issue. The second development is that
Turkey was invited to the Lebanon conference to be held in Rome tomorrow
upon Rice’s request. Both of these developments should be seen as positive
for Turkey. However, I want to emphasize that we shouldn’t be deceived by
these developments by making concessions from protecting our national
security and interests. In addition, clearly Erdogan and Gul have a
determined stance on these developments and Turkey will intervene with
military units. In other words, when Turkey showed that it would put its
military might behind its foreign policy, it started to be considered an
important political actor in the Middle East. However, we want to draw
Erdogan and Gul’s attention to the background of this maneuver here. The US
might try to hoodwink Turkey by delivering a few PKK terrorists or bombing
a camp already cleansed from peshmergas. The US might want to keep Turkey
away from a cross-border operation and move it to the Israeli-Lebanon-
Palestine triangle. Any armed operation in northern Iraq would thereby be
prevented. In addition, the US might sincerely want Turkey to take a strong
role in Middle East politics. It might have seen that there can be no
result in Iraq only with the Kurdish card and that Turkey is the most
important element to provide peace in the next stage.
In this evaluation, Turkey’s interests are important. We can catch the
opportunities that we missed due to Turkey’s rejection of the deployment of
US soldiers before the Iraq invasion in March 2003. While determining
Turkey’s new role in the politics of the Middle East, we have to decide if
Turkey will continue its century-old passive foreign policy without taking
any risks, or will it want to become a ‘regulating force’ by taking risks
and put its armed forces behind its foreign policy, conscious that it’s the
only ‘central country’ in the region? I think it should fill the power
vacuum in the region without any hesitation and boldly undertake our new
role on this issue. This way we can protect our security against the
terrorist PKK without giving up the cross-border operation and then seek to
be the leader of the peacekeeping force to be established in the Middle
East. In the latest developments, the PKK operation to be jointly conducted
with the US wouldn’t hinder Turkey’s new role in the region, but strengthen
it. In short, we should both provide our security and become a regulating
force in the Middle East. We expect Erdogan and Gul to turn this situation
to their advantage and rapidly make the necessary decision.”
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