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Turkish Press Review, 07-06-27
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
27.06.2007
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER: “THE BURGAZ-DEDEAGAC PIPELINE WOULD POLLUTE THE AEGEAN”
[02] TURKEY OPENS TWO CHAPTERS AT EU ACCESSION CONFERENCE
[03] TOP COURT REJECTS “ECUMENICAL” TITLE
[04] ERDOGAN: “THE AKP’S ELECTION VICTORY CAN’T BE STOPPED”
[05] CHP’S BAYKAL VISITS “REPUBLICAN STRONGHOLD” IZMIR
[06] YILMAZ PLEDGES TO UNIFY CENTER RIGHT
[07] ISTANBUL HOSTS OECD FORUM
[08] BDDK HEAD CRITICIZES SALES OF TURKISH BANKS TO FOREIGN INTERESTS
[01] SEZER: “THE BURGAZ-DEDEAGAC PIPELINE WOULD POLLUTE THE AEGEAN”
The Burgaz-Dedeağaç oil pipeline, set to be built by Russia, Bulgaria and
Greece through Thrace, would pollute the Aegean and moves should be taken
to avoid this, said President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday. Speaking at the
10th Energy Conference, organized in Istanbul by the Foreign Economic
Relations Council (DEIK) and Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA),
Sezer added that the Turkish Straits should no longer be used as an oil
transportation channel, but efforts are needed to ensure that new
environmental problems aren’t created while trying to fulfill this goal.
He added that the Nabucco pipeline, which will carry natural gas from
Azerbaijan and other countries to Turkey and then on to Europe, would soon
be operating and that this would contribute to Europe’s safe natural gas
supply. Also speaking at the conference, Energy Minister Hilmi Guler
commented on the meeting this week between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a Black Sea Economic
Cooperation (BSEC) summit. Guler said that Putin was a very clever person
and Russia was putting its card on the table but that Turkey is playing its
cards close to its chest. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] TURKEY OPENS TWO CHAPTERS AT EU ACCESSION CONFERENCE
Turkey yesterday opened two new chapters in its European Union accession
negotiations, namely statistics and financial control, at the third
Intergovernmental Conference held in Brussels. Due to a blocking maneuver
by France, a third expected chapter, on economic and monetary policy, was
excluded from the agenda of yesterday’s meeting. Expressing Turkey’s
displeasure at France’s move, State Minister Ali Babacan, Turkey’s
chief EU talks negotiator, said that Ankara was dissatisfied with the
technical excuses cited for the action, adding that the EU shouldn’t
allow member states to drag unrelated matters into the negotiations. He
also expressed his hope that the economic and monetary chapter will be
opened during Portugal’s EU term presidency, set to begin next week.
/Milliyet/
[03] TOP COURT REJECTS “ECUMENICAL” TITLE
The Supreme Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the Istanbul-based Fener
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, which has been allowed to remain within
Turkish territory since the republic was founded, holds the status of a
minority and that the patriarch’s use of “ecumenical” (universal)
lacks any legal basis. The ruling was included in a verdict upholding a
lower court decision acquitting Patriarch Bartholomeos of charges of
illegally barring a Bulgarian priest from conducting religious services.
The court also upheld the acquittals of other top church leaders on the
same charges. Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomeos claims he has
spiritual authority over the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians, but
Turkey rejects any Vatican-like status for the patriarch and says he is the
religious head of the local Greek community of around 3,000. “A sovereign
state granting special status to minorities living in its territory would
be unconstitutional,” ruled the court. /Hurriyet-Turkish Daily News/
[04] ERDOGAN: “THE AKP’S ELECTION VICTORY CAN’T BE STOPPED”
Campaigning in the central Anatolian town of Nigde yesterday, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the main opposition Republican
People’s Party (CHP) has never once ruled Turkey single-handedly, adding
that nothing can stop his Justice and Development Party (AKP) from again
emerging the victor in next month’s elections. He also asked rhetorically
if those who don’t respect the nation can really be nationalists and if
those don’t the republic can be republicans. Erdogan added that the AKP
had vowed not to damage Turkey’s dignity and that the July 22 elections
would prove this. /Star/
[05] CHP’S BAYKAL VISITS “REPUBLICAN STRONGHOLD” IZMIR
Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday attended a
series of opening ceremonies in the Aegean coastal city of Izmir.
Addressing crowds, Baykal praised Izmir as an exemplary bastion of
awareness of the republic and democracy, adding that the city is one of the
strongest defenders of the secular Republic of Turkey. Baykal also
expressed his hope for a bright new future for Turkey following next
month’s elections. /Milliyet/
[06] YILMAZ PLEDGES TO UNIFY CENTER RIGHT
Former Premier Mesut Yilmaz, an independent candidate from the Black Sea
coastal city of Rize, yesterday visited his hometown. Speaking to crowds,
Yilmaz pledged to do his best to unify the center-right parties when he
regains a seat in Parliament in next month’s elections. /Turkiye/
[07] ISTANBUL HOSTS OECD FORUM
The second Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
World Forum on statistics, knowledge and policy, “Measuring and Fostering
the Progress of Societies,” will start in Istanbul today. The three-day
conference is co-organized by the OECD, Turkey’s State Planning
Organization (DPT) and the Turkish Statistical Institute (DIE). More than
900 participants from 120 countries will meet at the gathering. /Turkish
Daily News/
[08] BDDK HEAD CRITICIZES SALES OF TURKISH BANKS TO FOREIGN INTERESTS
Turkish banks starved for capital often try to solve this problem by
selling their banks, said Banking Supervision and Regulation Board (BDDK)
Chairman Tevfik Bilgin yesterday. Speaking at the First International
Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI) Interregional Conference, Bilgin
said that the Turkish banking system had made great progress over the last
six years but that still much remains to do. Bilgin added that the ruling
party and a host of other factors, including the Turkish people, were
vitally important in how far banking has gotten today. He added that nobody
can ignore the people’s good sense, the taxes they have paid, the loans
they have used and their contribution to banks in the years since the 2001
economic crisis. /Cumhuriyet/
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