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Turkish Press Review, 07-03-08
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
08.03.2007
CONTENTS
[01] PRESIDENT SEZER ISSUES MESSAGE MARKING INTL WOMEN'S DAY
[02] ERDOGAN STRESSES PRODUCING WORLD-CLASS SCIENCE AND STEMMING TURKEY'S "BRAIN DRAIN"
[03] FM GUL MEETS WITH QATARI COUNTERPART
[04] PERINCEK TRIAL BEGINS IN SWITZERLAND
[05] CHIEF OF STAFF BUYUKANIT HOSTS HIS MACEDONIAN COUNTERPART
[06] PARLIAMENT CONTINUES PUSH AGAINST ARMENIAN RESOLUTION
[07] TURKISH DELEGATION DUE IN JERUSALEM NEXT WEEK TO INSPECT ISRAELI DIGGING
[08] SOUTH KOREAN DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS ANKARA
[09] REHN: "IT'S TIME TO START DIRECT TRADE WITH THE TRNC"
[10] TUSIAD MEETS WITH TOP LEADERS IN ANKARA
[11] JUST KEEP QUIET!
[01] PRESIDENT SEZER ISSUES MESSAGE MARKING INTL WOMEN'S DAY
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday said in his message marking
International Women's Day that a modern Turkey can only be reached when
Turkish women claim their own problems and make efforts to reach a better
level of living. In his message, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said,
"Turkey needs a change in mentality to end practices such as discrimination,
violence, sexual exploitation, and barriers to education." Parliament
Speaker Bulent Arinc and the General Staff also issued messages marking the
day. In addition, a panel was held in Parliament to mark International
Women's Day. /Milliyet-Aksam/
[02] ERDOGAN STRESSES PRODUCING WORLD-CLASS SCIENCE AND STEMMING TURKEY'S
"BRAIN DRAIN"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended the Supreme Council
for Science and Technology (BTYK) meeting of the Turkish Scientific and
Technical Research Council (TUBITAK). Erdogan stated at the meeting, held
at the Space Research Institute of Ankara's Middle East Technical
University (METU), that the government aims to have the country engaged in
world-class research and scientific activities. "We have to create an
atmosphere of development for our brilliant young minds," said Erdogan. "So
that they can stay in their country to serve it, we have to reverse the
brain drain by not only keeping our scientists in Turkey but also inviting
qualified foreign scientists to our country. We shouldn't be afraid of this,
and should stop putting obstacles in front of these steps." /Hurriyet/
[03] FM GUL MEETS WITH QATARI COUNTERPART
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday met with his Qatari counterpart
Sheik Hamed Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani. After the meeting, Gul told a
press conference that Qatar was the biggest country of the Gulf region and
was making great strides in development. Gul also said that Qatar had given
permission to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to open a
commercial office in Doha and thanked the Qatar administration for this. Al-
Thani said that Turkey was playing an important role in the region. /Star/
[04] PERINCEK TRIAL BEGINS IN SWITZERLAND
Labor Party (IP) leader Dogu Perincek, who stands charged over remarks
saying that the Armenian genocide allegations are imperialist lies,
yesterday began his trial in Lausanne, Switzerland. In court, when asked by
the judge whether he is a fascist, Perincek said that he has spent his
entire life fighting fascism. In related news, a group of Talat Pasha
Committee members and former Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
President Rauf Denktas, who came to the country to lend support to Perincek,
told reporters that not Perincek but Turkey itself was on trial. /Sabah/
[05] CHIEF OF STAFF BUYUKANIT HOSTS HIS MACEDONIAN COUNTERPART
Macedonian Chief of General Staff Gen. Miroslav Stojanovski yesterday
arrived in Ankara at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Gen.Yasar
Buyukanit. During their meeting, the two top commanders reportedly
discussed bilateral ties and efforts to boost relations. Stojanovski is
expected to leave Turkey tomorrow. /Hurriyet/
[06] PARLIAMENT CONTINUES PUSH AGAINST ARMENIAN RESOLUTION
As part of their efforts to prevent passage of the Armenian resolution in
the US House of Representatives, a group of Turkish parliamentarians is
scheduled to fly to the US this weekend to have separate talks with members
of both the House and Senate. The six-person delegation, including (AKP)
Istanbul Deputy Egemen Bagis, who chairs the US-Turkish Friendship Group,
is expected to return to Turkey the following weekend after completing its
contacts. /Turkiye/
[07] TURKISH DELEGATION DUE IN JERUSALEM NEXT WEEK TO INSPECT ISRAELI
DIGGING
A Turkish delegation is set to travel to Jerusalem next week to inspect
Israel's controversial digging near the holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque (Temple
Mount). The delegation led by Turkey's Ambassador to Tel-Aviv Namik Tan,
includes architects, civil engineers and art historians, and they are
expected to meet with both Palestinian and Israeli officials. The issue was
first taken up during Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert's recent visit to Turkey.
/Sabah/
[08] SOUTH KOREAN DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS ANKARA
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Jang-Soo, paying an official visit to
Turkey accompanied by a delegation, yesterday met with his Turkish
counterpart Vecdi Gonul. During their talks, Gonul hailed the cooperation
between the two countries in the defense industry, while Jang-Soo said that
his country owed his freedom to Turkey. Thousands of Turkish soldiers
fought in the Korean War of 1950-53. /Turkiye/
[09] REHN: "IT'S TIME TO START DIRECT TRADE WITH THE TRNC"
European Commissioner Olli Rehn yesterday met with Greek Cypriot
administration Foreign Minister George Lillikas in Brussels. During their
talks, Rehn reportedly stated that the regulations prepared by the
commission for direct trade with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC) should be put into force, adding that talks on the matter would soon
begin between the sides. For his part, the Greek Cypriot diplomat said that
his administration opposed trade being carried out through harbors and
airports in the TRNC. He added that they did not accept the idea behind the
regulations. "The two sides on the island are depicted as equal. This is
not legally valid," he claimed. /Turkiye/
[10] TUSIAD MEETS WITH TOP LEADERS IN ANKARA
A group of members of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen'
Association (TUSIAD) led by Chairwomen Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag yesterday
traveled to Ankara to pay visits to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Premier
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP)
leader Deniz Baykal. Their talks with the top leaders focused on the
group's efforts to promote Turkey's European Union membership bid as well
as economic issues. Moreover, the TUSIAD delegation was also received by
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Labor and Social Security Minister Murat
Basesgioglu and Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan. /Milliyet/
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[11] JUST KEEP QUIET!
Columnist Erdal Safak comments on women's place in Turkey. A summary of his
column is as follows:
"Whenever women's place in politics and government is discussed, I remember
the panels hung on two thrones at the Empire Palace in Beijing. The panel
of the magnificent throne in the 600-year-old palace's Hall of Great
Harmony says not to make decisions without consulting the people. But just
next to it, in the Hall of Unity, the empress' throne says to "just keep
quiet." In other words, the empress is warned that she should never
intervene in the government. The political and democratic picture in Turkey,
73 years after women were given the right to vote and be elected, is little
different from such a mentality. That is, vote, but otherwise don't
interfere. Sure, all the parties favor more representation of women in
politics and government, but when it comes to concrete action, they fall
short. People say women can't find time for politics due to their housework
and children, but this is a lie. The fertility rate in Turkey fell from 4.3
to 2.2 over the last 30 years. Women aren't devoting themselves to their
children, unlike in the past. Some also say women aren't so willing to deal
with active politics and state administration, but this is also a lie.
Could the same women who participate in business life so intensively and
reach the peak of their professions actually be uninterested in state
administration? Some say women lack the economic freedom to be in politics.
This is both a lie and a pretext. It's a lie, because the percentage of
women who have won their economic freedom has reached levels far above 20-
30 years ago. It's a pretext, because there are many solutions to direct
women without economic freedom into politics.
All these lies and pretexts can't hide the truth. The representation of
women in Turkish politics is shameful. According to a study done by the
United Nations, worldwide women hold 17% of seats in parliaments, but only
4.4% in Turkey. Of course nobody expects our Cabinet to have an equal
number of women and men like in Spain or Sweden, but this is really a
shame. Both women's groups and European politicians suggest a ‘women's
quota' as the only solution, but most of our politicians oppose this. Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan considers it as an ‘insult to women.' What's
more, even if this proposal were made law, it couldn't apply to this year's
general elections, according to the Constitution (which delays such
provisions for a year). So this will again be left to the fairness of the
parties and their leaders. As indicated by the statements made to mark
International Women's Day, this year's general elections will be a test of
sincerity for the parties. Let's see if they prove themselves willing to
share their sovereignty, or alternately if they continue to apply the
warning on the empress' throne. Let me remind you that a joint study of the
Association for Support and Training of Women Candidates (KADER) and the UN
Development Program found that parties which fielded more women candidates
can boost their votes by 25%. The choice is the parties'!"
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