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Turkish Press Review, 07-10-01Turkish 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 morning01.10.2007FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…CONTENTS
[01] NEW LEGISLATIVE YEAR BEGINS TODAYParliament is set to begin its new legislative year today. Parliament’s General Assembly will gather at 3:00 pm for the special day. After singing the national anthem, President Gul will deliver the opening speech. Also, Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan will give a reception in the evening to mark the opening day of Parliament. /Hurriyet/[02] GUL RECEIVES KAZAKH PRESIDENT NAZARBAYEVPresident Abdullah Gul yesterday received his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev at the Cankaya Presidential Palace as his first official guest. Nazarbayev stopped in Turkey on the way back from the UN General Assembly in New York to pay Gul a congratulatory visit. During the meeting, the two leaders reportedly discussed regional and international issues, as well as bilateral relations. In related news, Gul will leave for Strasbourg tomorrow for a two-day visit as the official guest of Rene van der Linden, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Gul, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek and Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin, is expected to deliver a speech to PACE’s General Assembly. He will also meet with representatives of Turkish groups in Strasbourg. /Star/[03] ERDOGAN: “OUR DETERMINATION TO ERADICATE TERRORISM WILL NOT FLAG”Speaking at a press conference yesterday after returning from a trip to the US, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on a deadly terrorist PKK attack in Sirnak which killed 13 people, saying that Turkey’s determination to end terrorism would not flag. “These (attacks) will not stop our fight against terrorism,” said Erdogan. The premier added that determined anti-terror operations had pushed the PKK to target civilians. “They will pay the price for this, and our determination will continue, ” added Erdogan. President Abdullah Gul also issued a message condemning the deadly attack. /Turkiye/[04] TERRORIST ATTACK IN SIRNAK KILLS 13Members of the terrorist PKK opened fire on a minivan in the southeastern province of Sirnak over the weekend, killing 13. The terrorists ambushed the minivan, carrying 14 people to the village of Besagac, at around 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. The assault claimed the lives of seven village guards, five construction workers and one young child, while wounding two others. The wounded were taken to Sirnak Military Hospital and Beytussebap State Hospital. President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan all issued messages condemning the attack. /All papers/[05] FORMER HEALTH MINISTER AKTUNA PASSES AWAYFormer Health Minister Yildirim Aktuna lost his life on Saturday. Aktuna, who had been undergoing treatment for a serious illness, will be laid to rest tomorrow in Istanbul. /Cumhuriyet/[06] IN NEW YORK, BABACAN AND CANADIAN FM TALK TURKEY’S EU BID AND BILATERAL TIESIn the US to attend the UN General Assembly in New York, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan over the weekend met with his Canadian counterpart Maxime Bernier. The two discussed a number of topics, including Turkey’s European Union membership bid and relations between the two countries. During their meeting, Babacan said that Ankara was uncomfortable with Canada’s stance on the so-called Armenian genocide. In related news, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is due to arrive in Ankara on Friday to pay an official visit. /Turkiye/[07] SAHIN: “OUR PROPOSED NEW CONSTITUTION ISN’T MEANT TO WEAKEN SECULARISM”Speaking at a press conference before flying to Portugal yesterday, Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said that the government’s proposed new Constitution was not intended to weaken secularism. “Secularism is one of our basic pillars,” said Sahin. /Milliyet/[08] IRAQI FM: “THE MEETING OF OUR NEIGHBORS IN ISTANBUL NEXT MONTH IS VERY IMPORTANT”Speaking to the Associated Press yesterday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that a meeting of countries neighboring Iraq set to be held in Istanbul next month was very important. Zebari said that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki were among these due to attend, along with the foreign ministers of France, Italy, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. /Milliyet/FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS… [09] THE BACKGROUND TO LOCAL ISLAM, LOCAL PRESSUREBY EMRE KONGAR (CUMHURIYET)Columnist Emre Kongar comments on local Islam or local pressure. A summary of his column is as follows: “Local Islam or local pressure has recently stirred up controversy, but actually it’s a very old phenomenon. So why has it recently taken on such a high profile? Because fanatical, political radical Islam has begun to threaten Turkey’s political regime. Our people have shown scarce interest in our “democratic, secular and social state under the rule of law” or taking care of it. Then why has the threat of Islamic oligarchy recently excited public interest under the name of district Islam or district pressure? There are two basic reasons: The first and most important is that this pressure has begun to be felt everywhere, including streets, restaurants, buses and subways. People, especially women, recognized that this phenomenon has begun to threaten their daily lives. Secondly, after reelection with a higher vote margin plus the elevation of its candidate Abdullah Gul to the presidency, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), ignoring all the vital issues of the country such as our European Union membership bid, the Cyprus issue, the PKK issue and economic stability, decided to focus on drawing up a new a constitution. Fanatical, radical Islam, which has recently been gaining strength, did not gain this power by itself. We should list four mobilizing elements: 1) People’s religious feelings have been exploited by political rulers. 2) Religious sects have been getting stronger through political backing. 3) There is support from the US. 4) Black money coming from religious holdings and Arab capital has provided considerable financial support. In light of these local and foreign elements, local Islam or local pressure has begun to threaten Turkey. It is not an isolated, spontaneous development, nor one of innocent attitudes. Whether or not we bow down to local Islam or local pressure and our stance, be it meek or resolved, on defending individual rights and freedoms will determine Turkey’s future.” Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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