Turkish Press Review, 06-10-06

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

06.10.2006

CONTENTS

[01] ERDOGAN AND GERMANY’S MERKEL DISCUSS TURKEY’S EU BID, CYPRUS

[01] ERDOGAN AND GERMANY’S MERKEL DISCUSS TURKEY’S EU BID, CYPRUS

Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday met with European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn, who was paying an official visit to Turkey. During their meeting, Arinc said that EU support among Turkish citizens had plunged 70%. “We don’t see this as a mistake,” said Arinc. “We think the reason for this falling support is the EU’s double standards. Don’t hurt the enthusiasm of our nation. The reforms we implement from now on will be in line with EU criteria.” For his part, Rehn said that the Turkish nation should stay calm about Ankara’s EU bid. /Milliyet/[03] NAVY SETS SAIL FOR LEBANON TODAY, LAND FORCES TO FOLLOW NEXT WEEK

A Turkish Naval vessel with a crew of nearly 300 will weigh anchor today and head for Lebanon to join the United Nations peacekeeping force in the region. The frigate TGC Gaziantep, which will set out from the Aksaz Naval Base in the western region of Marmaris, will engage in maritime patrol duties. Vessels from participating countries will carry out the duty in rotation. The Turkish deployment will be the first by a Muslim country to Lebanon as part of the expanded UN operation. A Turkish deployment of nearly 260 soldiers, most of them reportedly engineers, will depart for Lebanon by air next Tuesday. The troops, which will be sent off with a modest military ceremony, will be under the command of a major. Turkey is not expected to offer to contribute further land forces. The Turkish contingent will be deployed in an area some 15 kilometers from the port of Tyre and will help reconstruct damaged bridges and roads. /The New Anatolian/[04] CICEK: “TURKEY’S EYES ARE STILL SET ON THE EU”

Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said yesterday that Turkey had in no way departed from its goal of being a member of the European Union. Speaking at a meeting in Berlin organized by the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD), Cicek said that Turkey had experienced great changes through a number of reforms, adding that Ankara was making intense efforts on the road to EU membership and would continue to do so. Stressing that Turkey’s membership would contribute to the dialogue between cultures, Cicek said that “privileged partnership” wasn’t an offer acceptable to Turkey. “Offers other than full membership will absolutely not be respected by our country,” said the justice minister. /Turkiye/[05] NATO COMMANDER JONES: “TURKISH FORCES CAN FIGHT THE TALIBAN”

NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Gen. James L. Jones yesterday said that Turkish soldiers have the strength to fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Speaking at a meeting on NATO’s Role in Afghanistan at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, Jones said, “I know that the Turkish forces currently in Kabul have the capacity to fight the Taliban. Now we will speak about this with Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit.” /Aksam/[06] NEW TRNC GOVT WINS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

The newly established coalition government in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) yesterday won a vote of confidence. The government led by Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer has a 10-member Cabinet and is formed by the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and the Liberty and Reform Party (Ozgur Party). Soyer’s coalition government won the vote 28-2 in the 50-member Republican Assembly. President Mehmet Ali Talat approved the coalition government two weeks ago. /Star/[07] BABACAN: “THE ECONOMY HAS A SOUND BASIS”

Appearing on television yesterday, State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan commented on recent economic developments such as the current account deficit and Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Babacan stated that the economy has a firm foundation, adding that inflation this year is expected to be less than 10%. Comparing the current budget surplus with ones in past years, Babacan said that Turkey’s budget surplus fell to 2% last year. “The rate of our debt stock to gross national product (GNP), which was 91% in 2001, fell to 55% last year,” said Babacan. “It is projected to be 50% at the end of this year.” He added that monthly inflation may be high this month, but that it could be 10% at year’s-end. Commenting on Turkey’s European Union membership bid, Babacan, who is also Turkey’s chief EU negotiator, warned that if Ankara’s negotiations stumble at the stance of the Greek Cypriots, then this could adversely affect all of Europe and regional countries. /Sabah/ [08] TUZMEN MEETS WITH FRENCH FOREIGN TRADE MINISTER

State Minister Kursad Tuzmen, who is currently visiting France as part of the Turkish Week activities organized by the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) in Paris, yesterday met with French Foreign Trade Minister Christine Lagarde. Speaking to reporters after their talks, Tuzmen said that the two countries’ trade ties were further developing and the trade volume was expected to reach over $10 billion at the end of this year. Tuzmen, however, warned about the Armenian bill before the French Parliament, saying that it could hurt those relations. “The Turkish public is very sensitive on the issue,” said Tuzmen. He also called on the French Parliament to act wisely. /Turkiye/[09] IMF DELEGATION TO ARRIVE IN TURKEY NEXT WEEK

An International Monetary Fund delegation headed by Turkey Representative Hugh Bredenkamp is set to arrive in Turkey on Monday to review recent developments in the Turkish economy as part of the standby agreement between the country and the Fund. The delegation will begin its talks in Istanbul by meeting with representatives of the private sector and then proceed to Ankara in the middle of next week to hold talks with public officials. The IMF experts are expected to complete their work and contacts in Turkey by Oct. 20. /Sabah/[10] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…[00] THIS TIME THE ACTORS ARE DIFFERENT

Columnist Nasuhi Gungor comments on discussions taking place in Turkey. A summary of his column is as follows:

“Is there tension? Yes, there is. Before we write about how long it will continue, the sources of this tension should be determined correctly. We can look for the genesis of this issue in the process of Gen. Yasar Buyukanit’s becoming chief of General Staff earlier this year. It might seem that last November’s Semdinli incident and debates over the resulting indictment had been left behind. The public prosecutor who prepared the indictment was dismissed. The then chief of General Staff didn’t find it necessary to look into the claims about future chief Buyukanit. Finally, Buyukanit became chief of General Staff. During the handover ceremony at the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), the message was given that those who attack the TSK will be called to account for it. Those who saw this claimed that it was the sign of a new tension emerging between the government and the TSK. Similarly, it seems that a certain emphasis in remarks made later justified those who made this claim. When words about ‘fundamentalism’ were aimed at the government, this justification grew sounder. However, it’s wrong to put the criticism made by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and the TSK in the same basket. The government isn’t the direct target of these criticisms. It can already be said that certain conflicts which before had been more limited and symbolic will now be discussed more loudly. Those who believe that Turkey has been ‘thrown out of gear’ since 1950 considered not only the military bureaucracy, but also the judiciary as a ‘safeguard.’ Considering the critical decisions made by the judiciary over the last decade, it didn’t make the people who believed in them ashamed. However, different voices in the judiciary recently indicate a new era. Let’s remember: The expression ‘the judiciary is the protector of secularism’ was made by top judge Osman Arslan, and it seems that it disturbed the owners of the safeguard.

It’s very important that this disturbance was reflected in the speeches of Sezer and Land Forces Commander Ilker Basbug. This time the actors and scripts on stage are different from what we’re used to. For the first time we’re experiencing a ‘meeting’ at this level. Of course, the demands to rethink and reinterpret sensitive issues of the republic aren’t new. However, the current situation is different from previous ones. Firstly, different groups support these demands for reinterpretation for different reasons. Secondly, there are important changes in the parties of the discussion and balance of power. Considering the judiciary, the change and transformation experienced by Turkey isn’t a habit that can be changed easily. Actually, it shouldn’t be surprising that different voices from the judiciary are criticized this way. The opposite stance within this structure should be followed carefully. However, those who think that this process can be overcome easily aren’t be taking it seriously.”

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