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Turkish Press Review, 07-12-03Turkish 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 morning03.12.2007CONTENTS
[01] TURKEY MOURNS VICTIMS OF ISPARTA PLANE CRASHAn Atlasjet plane, flying from Istanbul to Isparta in Turkey's southwest, crashed shortly before it was to land in central Turkey early Friday, killing all 56 people on board. Funerals were held over the weekend in Isparta, the Aegean port city of Izmir, and Istanbul. Thousands of people flocked to mosques in Isparta to pray for victims of the crash. /All papers/[02] PRESIDENT GUL VISITS PAKISTANPrior to his departure for Islamabad at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf, President Abdullah Gul yesterday said that the Turkish Armed Forces has been given the authority for a cross-border operation and that this authorization will be used within its framework. After his arrival in Pakistan, Gul’s first stop was the Turkish Embassy in Islamabad, where he and his wife attended a reception. Then they attended a dinner hosted by Musharraf. Education Minister Huseyin Celik and Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) head Rifat Hisarciklioglu are accompanying the president during his visit. /Star/[03] DEPUTY PM: “WHATEVER IS NECESSARY WILL BE DONE REGARDING A CROSS- BORDER MILITARY OPERATION”Speaking to TV channel Kanal 24, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek yesterday addressed the issue of a possible cross-border operation, saying that Turkey has persuaded the whole world that terrorism is taking shelter in northern Iraq. Cicek said that whatever is necessary will be done concerning such operations against the terrorist PKK, adding that the timing and scope of any operation would be set by the General Staff. He added, “If we accomplish our goal with one operation, it will be done once, and if 10 operations are needed, there will be 10.” He also said that people must be patient in the fight against terrorism and that developments need to be weighed carefully. /Hurriyet-Sabah/[04] FM BABACAN TO VISIT GREECEForeign Minister Ali Babacan will go to Athens tomorrow for a two-day visit. Babacan will meet with his Greek counterpart Dora Bakoyannis and Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. The sides will reportedly discuss mutual gestures on the issue of foundations in both countries, and permission to open a Turkish university in Western Thrace will be given after a law on opening private universities is passed in Greece. /Sabah/[05] US SIGNALS GREATER SUPPORT, COOPERATION AGAINST PKKSpeaking to reporters in Baghdad’s Green Zone, US Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte said yesterday that PKK is a terrorist group. “We won’t allow the PKK to harm Turkey,” he said. Additionally, Chase Beamer, spokesman for the US State Department’s European Bureau, said that European states support Turkey’s right to defend itself against the PKK, and called on the Baghdad administration to intensify its efforts to end the terrorist PKK’s attacks. In related news, US National Security Council Spokesman Gordon Johndroe said that following last month’s meeting between President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey and the US are working hard to increase intelligence- sharing against PKK terrorism. /Turkiye/[06] SWEDISH AMBASSADOR ASP: “THE EU ACCEPTS THE PKK AS A TERRORIST GROUP”Swedish Ambassador to Ankara Christer Asp said yesterday that European Union accepts that the PKK is a terrorist group, adding that due to the PKK threat the EU has a better understanding of the difficulties Turkey faces. Asp added that political solutions can only be brought about by long-term solutions and that Turkey is trying to do this. Speaking about Turkish-EU relations, Asp said that a decade ago Sweden had many doubts about Turkey’s EU membership, but the years since have seen huge changes in Turkey and now Sweden supports its bid. /Milliyet/FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... [07] POLITICS AND THE JUDICIARYBY HASAN PULUR (HURRIYET)Columnist Hasan Pulur comments on relation between politics and the judiciary. A summary of his column is as follows: “As everybody knows, political rulers don’t get along well with the judiciary. Political rulers want the judiciary to act in line with their desire … On the other hand, the judiciary’s main concern isn’t what the rulers want, but legal procedures. It’s not enough that judicial decisions are in line with the law. For political rulers can pass laws backing their views, but these laws aren’t always legal. For this reason, in modern democracies, there are constitutional courts… In Ankara last week, the government and opposition were arguing. The issue is how judges and prosecutors will be appointed, how lawyers who have been practicing for five years will pass from the front of the bench to behind it… The government wants first a written exam and then an interview… The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) finds the idea of an interview dangerous. Because the interviewers, who are Justice Ministry bureaucrats, may direct the interviews as they like and assign the candidates as they wish. * * For the time being, the problem seems to have been settled amicably. How? They agreed that in the interviews, the ability, culture and understanding of modern life of the lawyers with at least five years’ experience will be taken into consideration… Do you believe such tricks? Politicians think that judges and prosecutors are officers of the justice minister. But they are making a mistake. Although judges are often pushed into a corner between their wallet and their consciences, according to an old saying of a chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals, most of them resist to the end. The Republic of Turkey mostly owes its existence to the judiciary.” Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |