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Turkish Press Review, 07-03-23Turkish 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 morning23.03.2007CONTENTS
[01] EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT MUBARAK VISITS ANKARAEgyptian President Hosni Mubarak yesterday visited Ankara for a two-day working visit as the official guest of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. After the meeting, Mubarak and Sezer held a joint press conference. Sezer said that they had agreed to establish an official framework to handle all aspects of relations between the two countries. Mubarak, for his part, said that Turkey and Egypt were approaching developments in the Middle East from the same perspective and were in agreement on the need to establish a free and independent Palestine. After the meeting with Sezer, Mubarak met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit. /Aksam-Hurriyet/[02] ARINC TO VISIT PORTUGAL NEXT WEEKParliament Speaker Bulent Arinc is due to travel to Portugal next Wednesday for a three-day official visit upon the invitation of his Portuguese counterpart Jaime Gama. On the first day of his visit, Arinc is expected to meet with Turks living in Portugal and later attend a dinner hosted by Turkey's Ambassador to Lisbon Kaya Erdem. On Thursday, Arinc will meet with Gama to discuss a number of issues, including bilateral relations. After being received by Portuguese President Cavaco Silva, Arinc will then return to Turkey. In related news, Arinc sent a letter to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressing Turkey's concerns over the resolution on the so-called Armenia genocide, and stressed close ties between Turkey and the US, warning that recognition of the Armenian allegations would damage these relations deeply. /Turkiye/[03] BUSINESSMAN, PHILANTHROPIST KADIR HAS PASSES AWAYLeading businessman and philanthropist Kadir Has passed away yesterday after a heart attack at the age of 86. Has was born in 1921 in Kayseri and graduated from Bogazici University in 1942. He was among the richest people in Turkey and one of the founders of Akbank. He was also well known for the charities he championed. Through his HASVAK foundation, established in 1991, 21 schools were founded. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday called Has' son to pay his condolences and said that he was deeply saddened with the death of the charitable businessmen. Has will be buried in a state ceremony tomorrow. /Turkiye/[04] ISTANBUL MAYOR TOPBAS VISITS ROME FOR EU ANNIVERSARYIstanbul Greater Municipality Mayor Kadir Topbas is now in Rome, Italy for ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the 1957 Treaty of Rome, which laid the groundwork for the European Union. Topbas, who attended the opening ceremony yesterday, will attend a meeting of EU Committee of the Regions today. /Hurriyet/[05] BAYKAL REITERATES HIS OPPOSITION TO PM ERDOGAN BECOMING PRESIDENTAppearing on television yesterday, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal reiterated his view that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan shouldn't become president, comparing him to extremist Austrian politician Joerg Haider, in that despite having won elections he was unable to form a Cabinet. Baykal further claimed that Erdogan had used the respectful term "Mr." for the terrorist PKK head, but that rather than responding to the claims, Erdogan is accusing him of dwelling on the past. "There is no difference between saying this (‘Mr.') in 2000 or 2007," added Baykal. /Sabah/[06] DYP'S AGAR MEETS WITH EU AMBASSADORSOpposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday met with the ambassadors of European Union member states at a luncheon. Addressing the group, Agar commented on May's presidential election, saying that the tension as the election approaches should be alleviated. Agar further stressed that the stance of his party is more conciliatory than that of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). /Sabah/[07] EU OPENS SECOND CHAPTER OF TURKEY'S TALKSAfter opening Turkey's first membership negotiation chapter on Science and Research in October 2005, now, 17 months later, the European Union is preparing to open a second chapter, the one dealing with policies of business enterprise and industry. The EU Commission announced that the chapter would be opened next Thursday. /Sabah/[08] ARMENIAN FM: "IF TURKEY WANTS TO MAKE A GESTURE, IT WILL OPEN ITS BORDER"Speaking at a press conference in Yerevan yesterday, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said that he had gotten Turkey's invitation to attend the reopening ceremony of the restored Akdamar Church in Van, but that the closed border could create great difficulties for Armenian visitors. "If Turkey really wants to make a gesture, it will open its border," said Oskanian. He declined to say whether a delegation would attend the ceremony or not. /Milliyet/[09] MESROB II: "THE IMPACT OF ARMENIAN RESOLUTION WOULD BE NEGATIVE"The resolution on the so-called Armenian genocide now before the US Congress will be of no use to anybody, said Patriarch of Turkish Armenians Mesrob II yesterday. Mesrob II added that no move that would have a negative impact on dialogue between the two nations could be called reasonable. /Milliyet/FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... [10] A EUROPEAN DREAMColumnist Sami Kohen comments on the 50th anniversary of the European Union and its future. A summary of his column is as follows:"Recent evaluations of the EU, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Sunday, are being discussed like the perennial half-empty, half-full glass. Some call the EU a success story, while others say it's an unrealized dream. As I see it, the active EU overweighs its passivity. In other words, the glass is nearly full rather than empty. Of course we can reverse the recent headline of Britain's The Independent and find 50 reasons to criticize the EU. Politically, the EU has been stumbling. Its members even can't agree on a constitution. They can't ensure unity in dealing with foreign policy issues, either. Moreover, we see that the EU isn't satisfying many people economically either. Unemployment, stagnancy and conflicts with minorities range among the chronic diseases of the Union. All this is true… But it would be wrong to evaluate the EU only from this perspective. The EU is one of the biggest projects of the 20th century, and it is historic that this project was realized despite all bumps on the road. The EU, first envisaged as the European Steel and Coal Community by France and Germany after World War II in order to make peace, is now a great power on the continent with 27 members and a population of 500 million. Ensuring peace, stability and cooperation, the EU has brought an unprecedented unity to Europe. Meanwhile, it revolutionized the understanding of borders. A new order with free movement of people and goods was created. Today, the EU is a power which is competing with the US and sometimes gets ahead of it. One of the most important features of the Union is that it attaches great importance to values such as democracy, human rights and social security. According to an analysis in Newsweek, the EU is a more attractive model than the US for the world. In short, the EU is a European dream … although it seems that it has yet to fully come true on its 50th anniversary. Today, the EU's shortcomings, blemishes and weaknesses are being discussed. Among these are the facts that it has yet to become a real political unity and that it lacks influence in the international arena. In fact the EU needs a new vision to determine its function and role ahead. We will see how far the declaration set to be issued in Berlin on Sunday will achieve this. More frankly, the EU has to answer this question: Will it stay an economic union or will it become a political, strategic power, or even a second pole in the world after the US? If it chooses the second option, it will have to enlarge and assume more effective global powers. This closely concerns Turkey, because based on the EU's reply to this question, it will decide whether or not to include Turkey …" Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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