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Turkish Press Review, 07-01-29
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
29.01.2007
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: "ARTICLE 301 COULD BE CHANGED"
[02] CICEK: "ARTICLE 301 COULD BE CHANGED IF NECESSARY, BUT IT'S NOT A PRIORITY"
[03] WB HEAD WOLFOWITZ VISITS TURKEY
[04] ANKARA REBUFFS NOTICE TO RENEW OIL CONTRACTS WITH N.IRAQ RATHER THAN BAGHDAD
[05] SWEDISH MINISTER FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS DUE IN ANKARA
[06] MESSAGE ON KIRKUK FROM NORTHERN IRAQ
[01] ERDOGAN: "ARTICLE 301 COULD BE CHANGED"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday traveled to Ethiopia to
attend an African Union Summit set to discuss climate change. Erdogan is
expected to brief the gathering on Turkey's efforts to fight global
warming. Speaking to reporters before his departure, Erdogan responded to a
recent declaration by Bogazici University professors calling for the
abolition of Article 301 after the murder earlier this month of Hrant Dink,
a Turkish journalist of Armenian descent, saying that the government wasn't
thinking of doing away with the article altogether. "Many countries have
similar laws," said Erdogan. "You need to look at all sections of the law
carefully and not ignore them." Erdogan further stressed that he had urged
the academics to rethink their proposal and that they would understand that
it is not coherent. The premier added, however, that the government was
open to suggestions for changes to the article and that he had discussed
the issue with non-governmental organizations. "But the NGOs couldn't reach
agreement among themselves," added Erdogan. /Sabah/
[02] CICEK: "ARTICLE 301 COULD BE CHANGED IF NECESSARY, BUT IT'S NOT A
PRIORITY"
Speaking at a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)
yesterday, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that Turkish Penal Code (TCK)
Article 301 could be changed if necessary, but that the issue wasn't a
priority for Ankara. "This law went into effect in 2005," said Cicek. "We
didn't say that it couldn't be changed." Cicek further stressed that while
some people want Article 301 to remain, others want to abolish or change it,
adding that people should clearly share their views on the issue with the
government. /Milliyet/
[03] WB HEAD WOLFOWITZ VISITS TURKEY
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, a sometime defender of Turkey and
former deputy defense secretary now paying his first visit as head of the
WB, yesterday had talks with top Turkish officials in Istanbul. After
meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Dolmabahce Palace,
Wolfowitz exchanged views on the Turkish economy and the WB's relations to
it with State Economy Minister Ali Babacan during a luncheon. Afterwards,
Wolfowitz told reporters that he had had very fruitful talks both with
Erdogan and Babacan, adding that the Turkish economy was doing well and the
WB was happy to work together with Ankara as a partner. Concerning Turkey's
European Union membership bid, Wolfowitz said that Turkey's membership
would serve the interests of both the country and the bloc. For his part,
Babacan said that Turkey would continue its efforts for privatization and
structural reforms, adding that the country's stability and reliability had
made Turkey attractive to global capital. /Turkiye/
[04] ANKARA REBUFFS NOTICE TO RENEW OIL CONTRACTS WITH N.IRAQ RATHER THAN
BAGHDAD
The Iraqi National Oil Company (SOMO) has sent notices to Turkish companies
who export oil products to neighboring Iraq, saying they should contact
northern Iraqi officials if they want to continue to do business with the
Iraqi company. Confirming the incident, State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said
that those who wanted to "test Turkey" would pay a price. Stressing that he
had sent a letter to the Iraqi government, Tuzmen conveyed Ankara's concern
over the matter, saying that the move could negatively affect the oil trade
between the two countries. In related news, commenting on the matter, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also told reporters that Ankara's counterpart
in such issues was certainly the central government in Baghdad. /Hurriyet/
[05] SWEDISH MINISTER FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS DUE IN ANKARA
Swedish Minister of European Affairs Cecila Malmstrom will arrive in Ankara
today to hold talks on Turkey's European Union accession talks. Malstrom
will have meetings with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Turkey's European
Union chief negotiator Ali Babacan, and Turkey's State Minister responsible
for women asd family matters Nimet Cubukcu. The Swedish official will also
visit Istanbul and meet with representatives of various non-governmental
groups. /The New Anatolia/
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[06] MESSAGE ON KIRKUK FROM NORTHERN IRAQ
Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on her conversation with a Kurdistan
Democratic Party foreign relations official about Kirkuk and Turkey's
stance on the issue. A summary of her column is as follows:
"I don't know if the Iraqi Kurds realize that nobody agrees with them that
Kirkuk should be attached to the north. However, obviously, besides Iraqi
nationalists of various ethnic and religious backgrounds, many countries
are closely following developments on this issue. I hear many Iraqi say
that if Kirkuk is attached to Kurdistan, there would be huge consequences,
and that Turkey's stance on the issue supports them in their negotiations
with the Kurds. Of course, nobody expects or wants a military intervention
from Turkey. However, people also attach importance to political and
diplomatic efforts to ensure Iraq's territorial integrity and say that
Turkey's position helps during the negotiations. Arab countries and Israel
are saying that Iraq's territorial integrity should be protected and steps
which might sow instability in Kirkuk should be avoided. In such an
atmosphere, I asked Safeen Dizayee, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)
official responsible for foreign relations, how they're planning to deal
with the Kirkuk issue.
As Dizayee has worked as the KDP's representative to Turkey for many years,
he understands Turkey's concerns. During our conversation, he stressed the
importance of establishing dialogue between Turkey and the northern Iraq
administration. He said that we should talk to each other, discuss certain
issues and look for solutions. When I asked if the end-year referendum in
Kirkuk could be postponed, he said in sum, ‘We have a while until the
referendum. However, the Iraqi constitution lays out the matter. The
constitution will be obeyed. Kirkuk is in the region of Kurdistan,
historically and geographically. We want this issue to be clarified. In
other words, we want to prove that Kirkuk belongs to the Kurdistan region.
We don't say that Kirkuk is a city of Kurds. After the referendum, Turkmen
and Arabs from Kirkuk will continue to live in the region.' When I asked
about reports they were moving Turkmen and Arabs out of the region and
bringing in Kurds to replace them to alter the city's demographic makeup,
he said these reports were overblown and that Kurds who were moved away
from the region between 1991 and 2003 were simply returning.
I asked him if he can't see that their insistence on the Kirkuk issue will
cause instability and that some people say Kirkuk could be a second
Jerusalem in the region. I told him that such a source of instability would
threaten the entire region and asked him if he thinks that Turkey's worries
on the issue come from its hostile feelings against Kurds. ‘We should talk
to each other seriously, discuss problems mutually and try to work together
for a good outcome,' he replied. ‘We place great importance on Turkey.
Turkey is an important power in our region. We want to establish good
relations with Turkey. We know that establishing good ties suits our
interests. And I hope that it would suit Turkey's interests to do so. Today
there are more than 300 Turkish companies in northern Iraq. Turks play the
most important role in our improvement. We consider these relations
valuable.' Then I also asked him if he knows that the issue of the
terrorist PKK is making things worse. ‘We've had relations with Turkey for
a long time,' he said. ‘We've fought, along with Turkey, against the PKK in
northern Iraq. Now we're continuing these efforts'."
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