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Turkish Press Review, 06-11-15Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning15.11.2006CONTENTS
[01] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT VISITS TURKEYMacedonian President Branko Crvenskovski yesterday met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer hosted a dinner for his Macedonian counterpart, with State Minister Kursat Tuzmen and main opposition leader Deniz Baykal also in attendance. Sezer said that he considered Macedonia a worthy neighbor, and Crvenskovski, for his part, said that his visit constituted an opportunity to further his country's strategic aims. /Star/[02] ERDOGAN ADDRESSES GROUP MEETING, RESPONDS TO SECULARIST SLOGANS AT ECEVIT'S FUNERALSpeaking at his party's group meeting yesterday, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to secularist slogans chanted by crowds at former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's state funeral held on Saturday, saying that for years the nation has been preoccupied with such concepts. "Such concepts don't make poor people wealthy, contribute to Turkey's growth or enrich our democratic life," said Erdogan. "Don't divide our country with them." He further stated that his party wouldn't get embroiled in such arguments or allow such unfruitful periods again. /Sabah/[03] GUL: "WE WON'T MAKE CONCESSIONS ON CYPRUS"Speaking before Parliament's Planning and Budgetary Commission yesterday, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul addressed a number of issues, including the Cyprus situation. Rebuffing criticisms of the government's Cyprus policy, the foreign minister said that the government wasn't making concessions on the issue. Saying that Cyprus was a national cause, Gul stated that the government was trying to protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriots. He stressed that the economy of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was improving along with its political life. Also commenting on Turkey's European Union membership bid, Gul said that relations between Turkey and the EU carry strategic importance. "I don't think that there will be a ‘train crash' on our way to the EU, but if there is, everyone would be hurt by this," added Gul. Later, the budget of the Foreign Ministry was passed by the commission. /Aksam/[04] BAYKAL: "NO ONE SHOULD TRY TO PROFIT FROM ECEVIT'S FUNERAL"Speaking at his party's group meeting yesterday, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal commented on secularist slogans chanted at the state funeral of former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, saying that the nation was using these to protest the policies of the government. "When they see Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, they need to say that Turkey will remain secular," he said. Baykal stressed that the funeral shouldn't be considered a search for possible alliances among leftist parties. "No one should try to profit from Ecevit's funeral," said Baykal. "Turkey is defending itself and its republic with such slogans." /Sabah/[05] BABACAN: "NOT TURKEY, BUT THE EU IS TIRED"State Minister and Turkey's chief negotiator for European Union accession talks Ali Babacan, on a continuing tour of EU countries, yesterday met with Luxembourg's Minister for EU Affairs Nicolas Schmit. Following the talks, Babacan told reporters that the ninth reform package would be implemented soon, adding that Ankara was moving speedily on the issues of human rights and freedom of speech. Stressing that laws needed time to be embraced by the people, Babacan dismissed allegations that Turkey had lost his pace on reforms. He added that in addition to political developments, Turkey had also made reforms to its economy. Furthermore, Babacan said that during the accession talks, Turkey was moving easily in technical aspects, while facing difficulties in political matters. "The atmosphere in the EU opposing the enlargement is causing difficulty. Especially following the entrance of 10 new members, the EU is suffering from weariness," he added. Schmit, for his part, stated that he welcomed Ankara's remarks that it was open to dialogue and that he expected developments on the Cyprus issue before next month's EU summit. /Turkiye/[06] AKSU MEETS WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS IN BEIJINGInterior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu yesterday arrived in Beijing, the People's Republic of China to pay a five-day official visit. As part of his contacts there, Aksu is set to meet with Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang and other officials to boost cooperation in security between the two countries. /Turkiye/[07] SHP LEADER KARAYALCIN MEETS WITH ITALIAN PMOpposition Social Democratic People's Party (SHP) leader Murat Karayalcin yesterday said, "The Association Council is the place to discuss Greek Cypriot vessels and planes coming to Turkish harbors and airports, not [next month's European Union] summit meeting." Karayalcin was in Rome to meet with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. After the meeting, Karayalcin told a press conference that Prodi considered the EU's Dec. 14 Helsinki summit to be important and was worried about facing a deadlock there. Stating that Prodi had pointed to the importance of next year's elections in France, Karayalcin said that the European public would be influenced by these elections. /Cumhuriyet/[08] ARINC CALLS ON FRANCE TO OPEN ITS SParliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday called on France to open its archives as Turkey has in response to Armenian allegations of genocide, in an apparent reference to Algerian killings under French colonial rule. Arinc made his remarks at Parliament while opening the exhibition "Living Together Under the Heavens," on the 160th anniversary of the start of the registry of Ottoman archives. Archive documents from the Ottoman Empire are being shown at the exhibit. "Open your archives as we have done. Show the whole world what you have done in the countries where you once ruled," Arinc said. /Turkish Daily News/[09] EDUCATION PROBLEMS DISCUSSED AT SUMMITThe 17th Education Summit continued its work in Ankara yesterday on the second day of the gathering. There, education experts discussed the university and high school entrance exams. /Milliyet/FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS [10] FROM NEGOTIATION TO ARMISTICEBY HIKMET BILA (CUMHURIYET)Columnist Hikmet Bila comments on Turkish-EU relations. A summary of his column is as follows: "Eventually former US Ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke also raised his voice. This is the person who after solving the Bosnian crisis, tried to solve the Cyprus problem but left the post. Holbrooke spoke at a roundtable meeting in Brussels. The name of the meeting is interesting: ‘Have We Lost Turkey?' He asked EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn the following question: ‘Will you accept Turkey as a member if it fulfills all the conditions? Whatever Turkey does, the EU changes its conditions.' Holbrooke summarized the situation: ‘There are always hostile messages from the EU to Turkey." There's not a single mistake in the words of Holbrooke, because the EU's behavior towards Turkey is no longer a negotiation. It turned into the pressure of an armistice. Now the entire world sees that the EU requests of Turkey are voices raised from the parliaments of the member states. These aren't EU accords or requests, but horrible cries. Can the EU cry? Yes, it can. It can cry if it does something contrary to its criteria only to make Turkey kneel. Yes the EU made a big mistake two-and-a-half years ago by making the Greek Cypriots a member of the EU under the name ‘Republic of Cyprus.' The EU, which tells its candidates not to expect membership without solving even the smallest disagreements, made a divided Cyprus a member of the EU. Cyprus is the region where you face the most complex problems. The EU realized enosis (uniting Cyprus with Greece) by accepting Cyprus as a member. This is a foxy game cloaked by the concepts of democracy, freedom and human rights. Now the EU wants Turkey to accept this fait accompli by setting a deadline: ‘By Dec. 14' (the date of the EU summit).'Will Turkey accept this? It's difficult. Not every government can accept this. The rejection of this fair accompli wouldn't end Turkey's dreams of EU membership, but its acceptance would. The reason for this is that other fait accomplis will follow. The way to good Turkish-EU relations must make the EU accept what a foolish mistake it made. Will the EU accept that it made a mistake? Yes, it will. It's already aware of it. That's why it's so confused. Turkey should have a strong and determined will." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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