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Turkish Press Review, 08-06-27
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
27.06.2008
CONTENTS
[01] GUL TO ATTEND ASTANA 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
[02] TOPTAN VISITS UKRAINE
[03] ERDOGAN TO WORK WITH LAWYER DEPUTIES ON AKP'S ORAL DEFENSE AGAINST CLOSURE
[04] MGK REAFFIRMS DETERMINATION TO KEEP UP PRESSURE ON TERRORIST PKK
[05] PACE PASSES REPORT ON TURKEY STRESSING DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS
[06] TRNC'S TALAT VISITS DISK
[07] SUPREME MILITARY COUNCIL TO CONVENE IN AUGUST
[08] TOBB, BYEGM TO PROVIDE FREE FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION TO MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
[09] ISTANBUL TO HOST NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY MEETING
[10] LET'S COME TO THE POINT
[01] GUL TO ATTEND ASTANA 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
President Abdullah Gul is set to attend celebrations in Astana, Kazakhstan
next week at the invitation of his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev
marking the city's 10th anniversary as the country's capital. In line with
the importance of Ankara's relations with the Turkic world on his first
official visit as president to Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, Gul
is also expected to meet with his Turkic counterparts as well as his
Russian and Georgian counterparts Dimitri Medmedev and Mikhail Saakashvili.
Energy-related issues in addition to bilateral ties are expected to
dominate Gul's talks. Nazarbayev decided to move the country's capital from
Almaty to Astana in December 1997. Since then, Astana has turned into the
center of the country's economic, cultural and political life, and has
become a magnet for foreign and domestic investors, showing significant
development. /Turkiye/
[02] TOPTAN VISITS UKRAINE
In Kiev yesterday, Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan visited the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier and then met with his Ukrainian counterpart Arseniy
Yatsenyuk. A Turkish parliamentarian delegation also attended the meeting.
Afterwards, Toptan told a press conference that visa procedures between the
two countries could be lifted if Ukraine agrees to this proposal.
/Cumhuriyet/
[03] ERDOGAN TO WORK WITH LAWYER DEPUTIES ON AKP'S ORAL DEFENSE AGAINST
CLOSURE
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will soon meet with his staff to
discuss the oral defense the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)
will present against a closure indictment. Erdogan will form a framework
defense text with AKP deputies who are also lawyers, as they have been
working on a preliminary defense for some time. The text will be forwarded
to the Constitutional Court next week. Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek is
expected to present the defense, in which he will stress the AKP's views on
secularism and religion. /Star/
[04] MGK REAFFIRMS DETERMINATION TO KEEP UP PRESSURE ON TERRORIST PKK
The National Security Council (MGK), chaired by President Abdullah Gul,
yesterday convened at the Cankaya Presidential Palace ahead of August's
Supreme Military Council (YAS) meeting, where key armed forces personnel
decisions will be made. According to a statement released after the six-
hour meeting, Energy Minister Hilmi Guler briefed the council about
Turkey's energy policies. Talks in Baghdad by Murat Ozcelik, Turkey's
deputy special representative in Iraq, were also discussed during the
gathering. The statement added that the MGK reaffirmed its determination to
maintain measures to counter the terrorist PKK. Cooperation with the Iraqi
government as part of Turkey's national interest will also contribute to
the stability of Iraq and the region, it said. Maximum use should be made
of domestic and renewable energy sources, it urged, and energy cooperation
with neighboring countries should be strengthened so Turkey has an
important role as a transit country and also as one developing nuclear
energy. /Aksam-Star/
[05] PACE PASSES REPORT ON TURKEY STRESSING DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) yesterday passed
a report stipulating that a monitoring mechanism for Turkey should be
reviewed, if the need arises. The report prepared by Belgian MEP Luc Van
den Brande focuses on the functioning of democratic institutions in Turkey.
"The Monitoring Committee proposes to the assembly to intensify its post-
monitoring dialogue with Turkey," says the report, "closely follow the
development of the democratic functioning of its state institutions and, in
particular, the constitutional drafting process and, if need be, seriously
consider the possibility of reopening the monitoring procedure for Turkey."
It also expresses great concern about the closure case against the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP), which could also result in political
bans on the prime minister and the president. "Regardless of the court
ruling, the case will affect the political stability of the country," the
report warns. /Turkiye/
[06] TRNC'S TALAT VISITS DISK
Visiting Turkey yesterday, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
President Mehmet Ali Talat met with Suleyman Celebi, the head of the
Turkish Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (DISK), at the group's
headquarters in Istanbul. Telling how he is set to meet with the Greek
Cypriot administration leader next Tuesday, Talat said that the TRNC wants
to start negotiations towards finding a settlement on the divided island.
For his part, Celebi urged the European Union not to show double standards
on its stance on a settlement. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] SUPREME MILITARY COUNCIL TO CONVENE IN AUGUST
The Supreme Military Council (YAS), chaired by prime minister, is set to
convene in the first week of August to decide on promotions and
appointments within the hierarchy of the armed forces. The positions of 115
generals and admirals will be taken up during the gathering. In addition,
Land Forces Commander Gen. Ilker Basbug is expected to be appointed new
chief of General Staff to succeed Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, who is retiring.
/Cumhuriyet/
[08] TOBB, BYEGM TO PROVIDE FREE FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION TO MEMBERS OF
THE MEDIA
The deputy director general of Turkey's Directorate General of Press and
Information (BYEGM), Salih Melek and Rifat Hisarciklioglu, the head of the
Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB), yesterday
signed a protocol to provide free foreign language education to members of
the media working for national as well as local outlets. A signing ceremony
held at TOBB's Ankara headquarters was attended by State Minister Mehmet
Aydın, TOBB Media and Communication Council (TOBBMIM) head Vahap Munyar,
and members of the council. Under the project, 100 members of the media â€"
half from national and half from local outlets â€" selected by governor's
offices will take foreign language course for three months, the most
successful of whom will go on to receive further instruction in London and
Washington. /Sabah/
[09] ISTANBUL TO HOST NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY MEETING
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) will hold a
meeting in Istanbul next Tuesday and Wednesday. During the Cross-Regional
Workshop for CTBTO International Cooperation meeting, representatives of 36
countries will discuss encouraging non-proliferation and efforts to boost
the number of CTBTO member states. Turkey ratified the non-proliferation
treaty in 2000. /Cumhuriyet/
FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[10] LET'S COME TO THE POINT
BY OKAY GONENSIN (VATAN)
Columnist Okay Gonensin comments on a story published by Taraf daily and
the General Staff reaction to it. A summary of his column is as follows:
"A month filled with football is over, and now we have to get back to
certain issues. During the football-filled days, certain news stories
published by Taraf daily stirred little public reaction. The most important
story concerned certain plans of the General Staff, which seemed like those
of a political party. The General Staff all but confirmed the existence of
the plans but indicated they had not been approved at the top level. Chief
of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit said that people should know who
controls Taraf's purse strings.
It's hard to conceive of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) performing actions
to influence the public and government agencies and sway the nation, just
like a party. But considering our recent history, one can't help but be not
surprised that in our current atmosphere, which lacks a democrat, secular
and progressive political power, the TSK is trying to fill this gap.
Whenever politics loses its ability to govern the country and direct the
people, in short, whenever it fails to fulfill its duty, the TSK takes this
upon itself. Unfortunately, some people still think that the necessity to
'take this upon itself' constitutes 'direct intervention' into the
government. These kinds of people still want to amass power through the TSK
in order to cover their clumsiness, impotence, and lack of vision.
Of course, we can't know if Taraf has certain 'organizational' or capital
relations outside the ones it has declared or if it's a vehicle to stir
things up. We only know that Taraf's story was confirmed and was a
journalistic success. The paper fulfilled its task of informing the public
on important issues. If Taraf or another paper becomes a tool for an agenda,
the importance of its stories will fade and its influence wane. It's not
easy to cure diseases in a political arena where the center and center-left
are completely empty, and make democratic institutions there. In hobbled
democracies, concepts will continue to be muddled."
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