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Turkish Press Review, 08-09-26Turkish 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 morning26.09.2008CONTENTS
[01] GUL HOLDS A SERIES OF MEETINGS IN NEW YORKPresident Abdullah Gul, currently in New York, yesterday met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Among those who attended the meeting were UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe, Turkey's Permanent representative to UN Ambassador Baki Ilkin and Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ertugrul Apakan. Gul met with President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Lebanese President Michel Sleiman at the UN Headquarters. Gul attended the opening session of the High-Level Meeting of the Millennium Development Goals and delivered a speech on a round-table meeting on hunger and poverty. Gul said that Turkey decided to create a strategic fund of $50 million to support the World Food Program of the UN and other assistance programs. In related news, Gul attended a reception hosted by Ilkin at the Turkish House. Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu attended the reception. Gul also met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Turkish House./Turkiye-Milliyet/ [02] BAYKAL MEETS WITH TOPTANMain opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday met with Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan. Baykal reportedly explained the reasons why the CHP won't assign members for the conciliation committees to be set up, and said that CHP can support some constitutional changes as long as they are convinced. Pointing to resignation of Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) head Zahid Akman coming up in a fraud case involving the Lighthouse Foundation, a German-based Turkish charity group, Baykal said that CHP has expected Akman would resign. /Aksam/[03] KILICDAROGLU, FIRAT DEBATE IN PARLIAMENTThe ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy leader Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat defended himself against claims regarding his trade affairs made by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) parliamentary group deputy leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in a live debate yesterday in Parliament. Journalist Ugur Dundar moderated the debate, where neither side could claim a clear victory. Following the debate, Kilicdaroglu reiterated that Firat must resign, and Firat repeated that Kilicdaroglu must call himself a slanderer. /Hurriyet/[04] AKP DEPUTY RESIGNSRuling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Yozgat Deputy Yasar Ozturk resigned from his party yesterday. Ozturk was known with his close ties with former AKP Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener who resigned from his party to form a new political establishment. Following Ozturk's move, AKP's number of seat in Parliament fell to 338. /Cumhuriyet/[05] BASBUG HOSTS FAST-BREAKING DINNER FOR MARTYR FAMILIESChief of General Staff Ilker Basbug, with his wife Sevil Basbug, yesterday hosted an iftar fast-breaking dinner for martyr families residing in Ankara at the Gazi Officer's club. Many high-ranking military officers, including commanding officers of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), were also in attendance at the dinner. During the dinner, Basbug had conversations with families and also showed close interest in martyrs' children and talked to them. A statement by the General Staff said, "Our martyrs who lost their lives for the Turkish homeland and nation were commemorated with respect and gratitude at the dinner." In related news, as part of the new communication strategy of the General Staff to provide regular and correct information on military issues for media members, the first weekly information briefing for defense reporters of the media will be held today at the General Staff headquarters. /Turkiye-Sabah/[06] SIMSEK: "TURKEY'S ECONOMY IS LIKELY TO GROW BELOW TREND 2008 AND 2009"Turkey's economy is likely to grow below trend this year and next mostly as a result of the global financial crisis, State Minister Mehmet Simsek told Reuters on Wednesday. Stating that the impact of the financial crisis on the economy had been diminished by a combination of economic reforms and fiscal discipline, he added, "But it will not escape unscathed. Quite clearly for this year, like last year and possibly next year we may have somewhat sub-trend growth. It is not the end of the world." Simsek defined trend economic growth as being around six percent over the medium to long- term. "In the first half of 2008, the economy grew 4.2 percent, he said. In the second half of the year, he believes growth will be around 4 percent," he added. /Star/[07] THE FIRST TURKISH-MADE WARSHIP TO BE LAUNCHED TOMORROWThe first Turkish-made warship Heybeliada will be put to sea tomorrow with an official ceremony at Istanbul Naval Shipyard Command. Heybealiada will be launched by Navy Commander Admiral Metin Aytac. The ship was built as part of MILGEM (Milli Gemi) project, Turkish corvette program. It aims to build modern littoral combat warships with indigenous capability and highest technologies. Heybeliada is scheduled to be operational by 2010, when it will start undergoing full sea trials before being officially commissioned. As part of the project, a total of twelve warships (eight corvettes and four frigates) will be built for the Turkish Navy. Some of the warships are also planned to be exported. /Sabah/FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… [08] WHY DO WE MAKE SHALLOW POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS?BY MAHMUT OVUR (SABAH)Columnist Mahmut Ovur comments on yesterday's live debate between Dengir Mehmet Mir Firat, deputy leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, deputy parliamentary leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). A summary of his column is as follows: "There are two issues on the civilian politics' agenda. One of them is yesterday's claims of fictitious export during the live debate between Dengir Mehmet Mir Firat, deputy leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, deputy parliamentary leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). The other one is the debate between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Dogan Media Group owner Aydin Dogan which started on the basis of the fraud case involving the Lighthouse Foundation. The politics which has become polarized for the last four years is getting tougher. Actually both parties seem to be very pleased with this situation, because we're experiencing a period in which the politics can't find a solution to the country's basic problems. For example, we should get rid of the Constitution of September 12, but we can't prepare a new constitution. Politicians who don't meet for this purpose also don't want to settle their accounts with the coups. There's no effort to amend the Political Parties and Elections Law, either. Think about the Alawi issue. The two parties can gather together about this issue in the easiest way. Isn't it meaningful that they hadn't taken a common step about this for many years? Finally, I wonder what the leaders of these two parties think about the request of Kurdish people to be educated in their own mother tongue. There was a duel between Firat and Kilicdaroglu at Parliament yesterday. What was the result? Nothing… But the political class was perhaps pleased with this result. The CHP has been closely following recent discussions about the corruption issue, because its opposition isn't based on such values as secularism and republic, but on documents for the first time. The CHP wants this process to continue. As for the AKP, it also seems to be very pleased with this. Although the corruption related with Saban Disli, deputy leader of AKP, and the fraud case involving the Lighthouse Foundation shook the AKP a little, the fight against the Dogan Media Group provoked the party grassroots so much that the speeches made by Erdogan at district branch congresses each weekend created great expectations, compared to the past, and received considerable support. So these debates provided the party grassroots with dynamism and the duel which started at the Parliament is a part of this process. Everybody knew that it would yield no result, but nobody has objected to this duel. Although the people appreciated that two important politicians, Firat and Kilicdaroglu, gathered together, it wasn't considered politically meaningful. So why did they do this? They did this, because this was the only thing that the civilian politics could do at a time when even the Parliament wasn't operating." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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