Turkish Press Review, 06-08-31

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

31.08.2006

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY MARKS 84TH VICTORY DAY

[01] TURKEY MARKS 84TH VICTORY DAY

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to discuss the motion for sending Turkish soldiers to a peacekeeping force in Lebanon. The motion is expected to be presented to Parliament next Tuesday. Later, after attending ceremonies marking Victory Day, Erdogan met with Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, Health Minister Recep Akdag, Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker, Education Minister Huseyin Celik, and Energy Minister Hilmi Guler to discuss the issue. In related news, Erdogan, who didn't comment on the Cabinet decision to send soldiers to Lebanon, is expected to appear on television to address the nation. The motion, which will be discussed at Parliament next week, is expected to be passed. /Sabah/[03] CHP'S BAYKAL: "TURKEY SHOULDN'T INTERCEDE IN THE JEWISH-MUSLIM WAR"

Speaking yesterday about the government's decision to convene Parliament next Tuesday to debate deploying troops to Lebanon, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said, "Turkey will be going into the middle of the clash of civilizations," adding, "How sad that this is a Jewish-Muslim war. In all honesty, Turkey will benefit if it doesn't intercede in this war." He also said, "This is the first phase of the clashes. One cannot end the world's oldest conflict by sending in a UN peacekeeping force." /Hurriyet/[04] ANNAN TO VISIT TURKEY NEXT WEEK

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is due to arrive in Turkey next Tuesday, when a motion for sending soldiers to Lebanon will be debated by Parliament. During his stay in Ankara, Annan is expected to meet with Turkish officials to discuss Lebanon, Iran, and the Cyprus issue. During his visit, Annan will be accompanied by Gen. Alain Pellegrini, the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Annan will stress the importance of boosting the number of soldiers in Lebanon for the security of the region and that this would pave the way for the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Lebanon. /Aksam/[05] UN'S GAMBARI: "CYPRUS LACKS PROPER GROUND FOR PEACE NEGOTIATIONS"

After a meeting about Cyprus held on Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council said that it favors a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue and supports Secretary-General Kofi Annan's efforts. During the meeting, UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari spoke about his impressions about his visit to the island last month and recent developments. Gambari said that the sides on the island had signed a framework agreement on July 8. He criticized both sides for not taking the steps laid out in the agreement and told the Security Council that good ground hasn't been established for peace negotiations on the island. /Cumhuriyet/[06] BABACAN TO TRAVEL TO BRUSSELS

Turkey's chief European Union negotiator Ali Babacan, who has been criticized for not holding contacts with EU officials to move Turkey's EU bid forward, is due to travel to Brussels next week. Babacan will meet will meet with Olli Rehn, the EU commissioner for enlargement. During their meeting, Rehn is expected to address Turkey's shortcomings in implementing EU reforms. He will also warn of difficulties Ankara may face as a result of it not implementing the additional protocol. /Milliyet/[07] WAGE TALKS FAIL, CABINET TO DECIDE ON HIKE

Collective bargaining between the government and civil servants' unions ended yesterday in failure. Following the sixth and final round of talks, State Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin, who chaired the meetings, said that the government was only able to grant an increase of YTL 100 for the lowest- earning public servants, and expressed his regret that no agreement was reached. Stressing that the government was careful not to provide public servants with a salary hike less than targeted inflation, Sahin said that they were trying to make sure their purchasing power would not decrease. The final decision will be made by the Cabinet following a report prepared by a Compromise Council to be established after five days of work on the matter. /Turkiye/[08] WITH NEW ENVOY, US PLEDGES TO WORK TO ELIMINATE PKK THREAT

US State Department acting spokesman Tom Casey yesterday told reporters that Joseph Ralston, a former top general newly appointed Washington's special envoy for countering the terrorist PKK group, would begin his work at the State Department in a few days. He said that Ralston was well qualified both to work the political aspects of the problem as well as to understand its security dimensions. He added that US officials were not engaged in conversations with the PKK or any other terrorist organizations. Condemning the PKK's terrorist attacks, Casey said the US was against all terrorist groups and that to end the PKK's activities they would work together with Turkish officials. In related news, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement yesterday welcoming the appointment of the senior retired US officer as a special envoy to coordinate the fight against the PKK. /Star-Turkiye/[09] EU: "TURKEY WILL BRING STABILITY TO EUROPE"

European Union Commissioner Jose Manuel Barroso said yesterday that Turkey's EU membership would bring stability to Europe. Speaking at a gathering in France, pointing to the developments in the Mideast, Barroso said that the bloc should take into consideration Turkey's strategic role in the region, adding that the country's population was mostly Muslim and it had recently fulfilled both political and economic reforms. Stressing that currently Turkey's membership was one of the toughest topics for the Union, Barroso said, "But saying 'no' to Turkey would discourage people in the country who are expecting a modern, democratic Turkey." /Star/[10] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…[00] WHICH CEASE-FIRE?BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)

Columnist Derya Sazak comments on the terrorist PKK. A summary of his column is as follows:

"The terrorist PKK is talking about the conditions for a possible cease- fire next month. The group's newspaper Ozgur Gundem published inmate PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's remarks on a cease-fire and then a declaration on a democratic solution of the Kurdish question. However as soon as the declaration was published, bombs exploded in Marmaris. Three innocent people were killed in Antalya and more than 100 were injured, many of them tourists.

The PKK, which is complaining about the war at every opportunity, has shown that it won't give up terrorism and killing innocents. Evidently, the PKK is divided into many fronts. While their spokesmen in the mountains talk about a cease-fire if the state stops military operations, its terror teams in the cities continue to kill innocents. The words of the cease-fire are now meaningless. Which cease-fire? Even terror groups like ETA and the IRA gave up mass killings like the ones in Antalya and Mersin. There are no other groups besides al-Quaeda committing such murders. These bombings came at a time when Turkey is starting to prepare to send troops to Lebanon and the prospect of an operation against the PKK camps in northern Iraq is being discussed. It is also interesting that these bombings came just as the US decided to send a coordinator responsible for issues with the PKK.

Several questions come to mind. Powers in the PKK not willing to seek a democratic solution have more weight in the group. They are making finding a solution more difficult. The Times of London wrote that Kurdish groups who favor independence are against Turkey's EU membership.

Another reason why the PKK acts this way could be that it wants to show its power in the chaotic environment in the Middle East. Thus it somehow thinks that it can gain the support of the US. These bloody actions will never gain support in the civilized world. The only way to overcome the Kurdish problem in a democratic way is to improve the culture to co-exist in an environment where arms fall silent. We condemn terrorism."

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