Turkish Press Review, 06-08-09

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From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>

09.08.2006

CONTENTS

[01] SEZER HOSTS A BANQUET FOR SAUDI ARABIAN KING

[01] SEZER HOSTS A BANQUET FOR SAUDI ARABIAN KING

The Caspian Integration yesterday awarded Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the Reformist of the Year in Black Sea Countries. During the ceremony, Erdogan took the floor and said that their aim was to make Turkey a transit country on the East-West and North-South axis in the energy field. “Now we have Samsun-Ceyhan by-pass oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi- Erzurum natural gas pipeline and Caspian transit natural gas pipeline projects in front of us,” said Erdogan. /Cumhuriyet/[03] SAUDI FM: “TURKEY IS OUR NEW STRATEGIC PARTNER”

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said yesterday that Turkey was the new strategic partner of Saudi Arabia, adding that the visit of Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz carried great importance. “Cooperation between the two countries in the economic, social, political, and military fields will further increase,” said Al-Faisal. “Strategic relations will begin between Turkey and Saudi Arabia.” /Turkiye/[04] GENDARMERIE TOP SERGEANT KILLED IN SIRNAK LAID TO REST

Funeral ceremony was held yesterday for 38-year-old Gendarmerie Top Sergeant Levent Cevik who was killed in the southeastern province of Sirnak’s Beytussebap district on Monday. Cevik was laid to rest in Tokat yesterday. /Aksam/[05] CHP’S ANADOL: “INDIRECT MEETINGS WOULD MEAN RECOGNIZING THE TERRORIST PKK”

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Parliamentary Group deputy leader Kemal Anadol yesterday spoke on the news about the US plan to appoint a special envoy in efforts to combat the terrorist PKK and said, “Who will this envoy speak to? Ankara, Baghdad and also the PKK? We would like to know if the envoy to be appointed by the US will be a mediator between Turkey and the PKK? If such a process were to start, it would mean legitimizing the PKK and accepting the terrorist group as an official counterpart. /Aksam/[06] AGAR CRITICIZES GOVT’S TERROR POLICY

In a written statement, opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar criticized the government’s policy against terrorism, adding that the nation was waiting for nationalistic measures against terrorism. Agar stressed that the government couldn’t develop a strategy against terrorism, adding “We’ll support the government if it takes necessary measures against terrorism.” /Star/[07] REUNITING TURKMENS

Turkey brought together seven Iraqi Turkmen deputies from different political groups at a meeting in Istanbul yesterday to promote a unified position on the political process in Iraq and the Kirkuk issue. Iraqi Vice President Tariq Al Hashimi, a Sunni, was also present at the meeting, sources said. Turkish Foreign Ministry Special Representative for Iraq Ambassador Oguz Celikkol and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chief foreign policy advisor Ahmed Davutoglu met with the Turkmen deputies and Vice President Al Hashimi on Tuesday. Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC) sources declined to comment on the visit of the Turkmen group and only said that they were in Turkey for a series of unofficial meetings. Turkish Foreign Ministry officials, on the other hand, said it was a private visit by the Turkmen parliamentarians to Istanbul, and during the visit there would be some unofficial meetings with Turkish diplomats and also parliamentarians. “We are having talks with all ethnic and religious groups, without any discrimination. We are trying to contribute our utmost to Iraq for its stability and democracy,” a diplomat said. /The New Anatolian/[08] GULER: “WE CAN’T CONTROL NATURAL GAS AND OIL PRICES”

Energy Minister Hilmi Guler yesterday commented on a possible increase in electricity prices, saying, “If the issue was up to me, I wouldn’t increase prices, but we can’t control natural gas and oil prices. Guler stated that the issue would soon become clear, adding that they were continuing to work on the issue. “We can increase electricity prices,” said Guler. “We will make what the economy necessitates.” /Sabah/ [09] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[00] WHAT SHOULD BE DONE IN MIDDLE EAST?

Columnist Haluk Sahin comments on the situation in the Middle East. A summary of his column is as follows:

“New York Times daily’s columnist Thomas Friedman summarized the US’ situation in Iraq last week as follows: ‘It is now obvious that we are not midwifing democracy in Iraq. We are baby-sitting a civil war.’ It can be discussed whether the US went to Iraq for midwifing democracy. However, the ugliness which emerged after a lot of pain isn’t similar to democracy at all and it’s getting worse every day. In addition, certainly, the US is baby-sitting a civil war in our neighbor. It’s said that it doesn’t want civil war and separation, but almost nothing is done to stop the blood shed between Sunnis and Shiites. What have the US been doing in Lebanon for one month? It’s trying all sorts of tactics and working hard so Israel can reach its goals. Meanwhile, innocent civilian people and the children continue to dye. Considering the incidents in terms of its results, I can say that US President George W. Bush is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s best friend. If Ahmadinejad, who became a hero in the Islamic world thanks to the things the US has done, can vote in the US elections, he would certainly vote for Bush or Republicans! What about the American people? What will American voters do in the following Congress elections? Everything finally depends on it. If the elections result in rejection in November, all the equation might change completely. Today’s global imbalance made the entire world the prisoner of American voters’ conscience. However, they don’t know if they should vote with their conscience or fears. Thomas Friedman who has supported the war in Iraq wrote that the most reasonable thing to do would be applying the Plan B and leave Iraq with the least damage. Reportedly, democrats use this theme in their campaigns and they’re applauded greatly. This is also a danger signal. I even don’t want to think about what the Bush administration and neo-cons who have turned the Middle East into the fire can do soon in order to impress the voters who feel to have been deceived. Luckily, Turkey escaped from being the man midwife and the baby-sitter assistant of the civil war. Now, let’s see how the elections in the US will be concluded.”

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