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Turkish Press Review, 08-07-16
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
16.07.2008
CONTENTS
[01] AT AKP GROUP MEETING, ERDOGAN LAMBASTES OPPOSITION LEADER
[02] TOP TURKISH DIPLOMATS DISCUSS FOREIGN POLICY IN ANKARA
[03] AT CHP GROUP MEETING, BAYKAL CRITICIZES ERGENEKON INDICTMENT
[04] TALAT: "UN HEAD BAN KI-MOON IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT A CYPRUS SETTLEMENT"
[05] SIMSEK: "IN THE ABSENCE OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS, TURKEY CAN REACH ITS TARGETS"
[06] US CONGRESSMAN: "OBAMA WILL NEED TURKEY'S COOPERATION FOR IRAQ WITHDRAWAL"
[07] FRENCH FM KOUCHNER: "FRANCE WILL START TWO CHAPTERS OF TURKEY'S EU NEGOTIATIONS"
[08] GENDER INEQUALITY IN TURKEY NARROWING, BUT SLOWLY
[09] ATO HEAD AYGUN: "I BELIEVE THE JUDICIARY WILL MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION ABOUT ERGENEKON"
[10] TWO TURKISH ENGINEERS KIDNAPPED IN AFGHANISTAN
[01] AT AKP GROUP MEETING, ERDOGAN LAMBASTES OPPOSITION LEADER
Speaking at his ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) group meeting,
Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan yesterday criticized main opposition
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal's statements about the
Ergenekon probe. "The masks of those trying to protect the interests of a
certain class are falling away," he said. "Once Turkey manages to get rid
of these masks, nothing can stand in its way." He added, "No one need
worry. Turkey will never fall a single step behind democracy." He also said,
"Only those who have a weak belief in the democratic state of law can
playact the lawyer for suspects of illegal groups facing allegations of
striking at this country's democratic processes." He said that such
politicians and their view of politics are doing enormous damage to
democracy and the law in Turkey. /Star-Aksam/
[02] TOP TURKISH DIPLOMATS DISCUSS FOREIGN POLICY IN ANKARA
Over 100 Turkish ambassadors and permanent representatives serving all over
the world and their Ankara-based Foreign Ministry colleagues yesterday
began a three-day conference in the capital to discuss the country's
foreign policy. Addressing the diplomats, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said
that Turkey had not strayed from its determination to become a full
European Union member, adding that it has a great deal to contribute to the
bloc. On Turkey's candidacy for a nonpermanent seat on the United Nations
Security Council, Babacan said this would be clear in the fall, and that if
elected, Turkey would help the cause of UN reform. /Turkiye/
[03] AT CHP GROUP MEETING, BAYKAL CRITICIZES ERGENEKON INDICTMENT
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal
yesterday criticized the Ergenekon indictment, some details of which were
made public this week. At his party's group meeting, Baykal said that the
indictment didn't targeted coup plotters but rather terrorists. People were
misled about the indictment, he added, and so they expected to see a
settling of accounts over Turkey's history of coups and the generals who
staged them as well as a strengthening of Turkish democracy. Because of
this illusion, he continued, people who believe in democracy, such as
intellectuals and other sectors of society, had overlooked some mistakes of
the prosecution and waited patiently, putting their trust in the
prosecutors. "And in the end, what came out of this?" he asked. "Diaries
and new interrogations to begin, based on these diaries. This case is over,
and the indictment isn't a coup indictment." Referring to a late 2005
bombing in southeastern Turkey and the subsequent prosecution of two
noncommissioned gendarmerie officers, he added, "What we went through
during the Semdinli indictment is happening all over again." /Cumhuriyet/
[04] TALAT: "UN HEAD BAN KI-MOON IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT A CYPRUS SETTLEMENT"
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat
yesterday met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Berlin. Afterwards,
Talat said that the secretary-general was pleased with the recent progress
made on the Cyprus issue. Expressing his hope that comprehensive
negotiations on the issue will start later this month, Talat said, "The
secretary-general appointed his special envoy to support solution talks,
and this indicates that he believes a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus
issue will be reached at the end of these talks. This is because under
Security Council resolutions, the secretary-general appoints a special
envoy to help solve an issue only when he believes a solution will probably
be reached." /Star/
[05] SIMSEK: "IN THE ABSENCE OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS, TURKEY CAN REACH
ITS TARGETS"
Though Turkey has been affected by the recent global economic crisis, it is
weathering it relatively well, said State Minister Mehmet Simsek yesterday.
Addressing a meeting in Ankara organized by the Independent Industrialists'
and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD), Simsek said that the crisis in the
US hasn't ended but is in fact deepening, and is being accompanied by
rising oil and natural gas prices and world banks facing some $400 billion
in losses. But despite these developments, Turkey is continuing its
structural reforms, he said, adding that in the absence of a global crisis,
Turkey can reach its economic targets. /Turkiye/
[06] US CONGRESSMAN: "OBAMA WILL NEED TURKEY'S COOPERATION FOR IRAQ
WITHDRAWAL"
If presumed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is elected
president, his first priority will be safely withdrawing US troops from
Iraq, and he will need Turkey's support in this critical task, said US
Congressman Robert Wexler early this week. Speaking to a group of Turkish
Americans, Wexler said that the Bush administration's go-it-alone policy in
the conduct of the Iraq war had harmed Turkish-US relations, but that this
would change under an Obama administration. Wexler, a founding member of
the Turkish friendship group in the US House of Representatives, also
predicted that Turkish-American relations would show great improvement
under an Obama administration. "Rather than taking unilateral decisions,
Obama will show respect for the UN and NATO," the congressman. "His term
would be a good time for US-Turkish relations." He also said that Turks
living in the US have the potential to create a lobby as well-organized and
influential as the US Jewish lobby. "Everyone talks about the strong Jewish
lobby in the US," he said. "I believe that one day Turkish-Americans could
be as strong as the Jewish lobby." /Star/
[07] FRENCH FM KOUCHNER: "FRANCE WILL START TWO CHAPTERS OF TURKEY'S EU
NEGOTIATIONS"
Speaking about France's priorities as EU term president, European French
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said yesterday, "We'll start negotiations
on two chapters with Turkey. This is France's decision." Speaking to the
European Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee, he said that even though
his personal view of Turkey's EU bid is different, the view of EU countries,
which have different expectations, will be the deciding factor. /Aksam/
[08] GENDER INEQUALITY IN TURKEY NARROWING, BUT SLOWLY
Gender inequality in Turkey is slowly narrowing, but there is still much to
do to catch up with European standards, according to a new report co-
authored by the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association
(TUSIAD) and the Turkish Women Entrepreneurs' Association (KAGIDER). The
report focuses on education, employment, and political involvement for
women, and the EU's role in reducing gender inequality. Speaking to
journalists about the report yesterday, TUSIAD head Arzuhan Dogan
Yalcindağ called on all officials and decision-makers to prioritize the
issue. Decrying the lack of women in local politics, she said, "The fact
that women are almost non-existent in local politics is an area that is
repeatedly ignored." She also said that long-term, comprehensive policies
should be developed and carried out with the cooperation of the government,
non-governmental organizations, and academics knowledgeable about gender
issues. / Milliyet /
[09] ATO HEAD AYGUN: "I BELIEVE THE JUDICIARY WILL MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION
ABOUT ERGENEKON"
Following his release from two weeks of detention under the ongoing
Ergenekon probe, Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) Chairman Sinan Aygun
yesterday declared his innocence, saying, "I have always been against the
idea of military coups." He added, "I know that democratic adjustment is of
vital importance for Turkey. I believe the judiciary will make the right
decision." In related news, Democratic Leftist Part (DSP) leader Zeki Sezer
and Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) head Rifat
Hisarciklioglu yesterday paid visits to Aygun. /Hurriyet/
[10] TWO TURKISH ENGINEERS KIDNAPPED IN AFGHANISTAN
Two Turkish engineers working for a private construction company in western
Afghanistan were kidnapped on Monday, along with their Afghan driver,
officials said. The Foreign Ministry said they were making every effort to
secure the release of the three men. /Milliyet/
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