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Turkish Press Review, 03-04-29Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr><LINK href="http://www.byegm.gov.tr_yayinlarimiz_chr_pics_css/tpr.css" rel=STYLESHEET type=text/css> e-mail : newspot@byegm.gov.tr <caption> <_caption> Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning29.04.2003FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...CONTENTS
[01] SEZER APPROVES MERGER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM MINISTRIESPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday signed into law the merger of Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministries. The merger legislation, containing legal arrangements regarding the ministries’ unification as well as a reorganization plan, was easily passed by Parliament earlier this month. /Cumhuriyet/[02] NEW ZEALAND GOVERNOR-GENERAL VISITS TURKEYPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday met with New Zealand Governor- General Sylvia Cartwright, who is currently paying an official visit to Turkey. Cartwright said that despite the great geographic distance between Turkey and New Zealand, a tragic meeting in Gallipoli 88 years ago had since led to the forging of close and unique ties between them. She stated that her country wanted to further its relationship with Turkey. Cartwright, the official representative of Queen Elizabeth on the island nation, then met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Deputy Parliament Speaker Ismail Alptekin. /Aksam/[03] US CONGRESSMAN WEXLER MEETS TURKISH OFFICIALSCongressman Robert Wexler, a member of the US House of Representative and co-chair of the US Congress’ Turkish Friendship Group, yesterday met with Turkish officials in Ankara. He began his contacts by visiting Parliament Foreign Affairs Commission Chairman Mehmet Dulger along with opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul Deputy Onur Oymen. After the meeting, Wexler told reporters that he had had very fruitful and comprehensive talks with the parliamentarians, adding that he strongly supports the further development of Turkish-US relations. “We discussed the recent state of bilateral relations and what we can do to make them better, ” he said. For his part, Dulger said that he had conveyed Turkey’s desire for a democratically conducted reconstruction process in Iraq. He added that they had exchanged views on the role of Turkish businessmen during the physical reconstruction process. Speaking to reporters, Oymen said that Wexler had asked what kind of message Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul would carry during his visit to Syria today and whether Turkey was shifting its foreign policy direction. He replied, “I told Wexler that Turkey has always had contacts with its neighbors and so this visit was nothing out of the ordinary.” I also, said Oymen, reminded Wexler that during a tense period in Turkish-Syrian relations – due to Damascus’ support for the PKK terrorist group – the US secretary of state visited more than Syria 20 times but Ankara not once. He added that he had told Wexler that Turkey wants to see signs at the Iraqi frontier stating “Welcome to Iraq” rather than “Welcome to Kurdistan,” which currently greets visitors to northern Iraq. Wexler was then received by Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. /All Papers/[04] IPUK REPRESENTATIVE SALIH: “TURKEY IS A GOOD MODEL FOR IRAQ”Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) high-level representative Behram Salih arrived in Ankara yesterday to hold a series of contacts with Turkish officials. “During Iraq’s reconstruction period, we need the help of our friends, especially Turkey, which is a secular and democratic country,” said Salih. “The secular, democratic structure of your nation is a very good model for us.” Stressing that Turkmen were also part of the Iraqi nation, Salih said, “Iraq’s ethnic Turkmen, like the Kurds, have for many years been crushed under the wheels of Saddam’s regime. They have a right to sit at the table during negotiations [on Iraq’s future].” /Turkiye/[05] GUL TO VISIT DAMASCUSForeign Minister Abdullah Gul is set to fly to Damascus, Syria today to discuss recent developments in northern Iraq with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa. Gul is also expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his visit, which had originally been scheduled for earlier this month. Gul said yesterday that Turkey would cooperate with Syria and Iran in order to ensure stability in the region. /Aksam/[06] CABINET DISCUSSES TURKEY’S EU BIDTurkey’s European Union membership bid was discussed at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that the government would present the sixth EU harmonization package to Parliament next month. The new 10-article harmonization package proposes legislative revisions to the Anti-Terrorism Law, the Election Law, and the Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) Law. “Turkey’s joining the EU is one of our most important goals,” said Cicek. “The AKP government will do whatever is needed to prevent any delay in the nation’s EU membership bid.” Cicek said that at yesterday’s four-hour meeting, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul had briefed the Cabinet on Turkey’s EU accession to help further the discussion. Cicek said that the government had come to the end of an action plan and is set to release a report on the results next month, adding that Parliament’s General Assembly and the public would soon be briefed about pertinent developments. /Aksam/[07] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO DISCUSS REPORT ON TURKEY TODAYThe European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission is set to begin today to debate its annual report on Turkey as prepared by Dutch EP Deputy and Christian Democratic Group member Arie Oostlander, and then will summit it to the full EP. Oostlander is well known for his anti-Turkish views, which are evident in the report. For instance, he claims that Turkey’s Kemalist philosophy constitutes an obstacle to Turkey’s European Union membership. Kemalism represents the views of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern republican Turkey. The report also asserts that drastic changes are needed in Turkey’s state structure. Turkey’s Permanent Representative to the EU Ambassador Oguz Demiralp has called the report biased and inaccurate. /Aksam/[08] VERHEUGEN: “TURKEY’S EU ACCESSION TALKS MAY BEGIN IN 2005”Speaking to the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission yesterday, EU Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said that Turkey’s EU accession talks could begin in 2005 should the country meet the necessary political requirements. Verheugen stated that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government was taking needed EU accession reforms seriously, but that role of the military in Turkey should be reconsidered and regulated. “Turkey’s EU accession is both economically and geostrategically appealing for the Union,” added Verheugen. “But this process isn’t without its difficulties.” Today the commission is due to begin debating a report on Turkey’s EU accession progress. /Hurriyet/[09] DENKTAS: “FOR 40 YEARS, FOREIGN INTERFERENCE HAS BLOCKED RESOLUTION ON CYPRUS”Foreign interference has blocked any resolution on Cyprus for the last 40 years, said Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas yesterday. “If the parties had been left alone, they would have been able to solve all their problems by now,” stated Denktas. Asked about a proposal for special courts to resolve land ownership disputes between Turkish and Greek Cypriots, Denktas said that everything depended on mutual exchanges and compensation for losses and that if difficulties arose, he might consult foreign intermediaries. In order to solve traffic problem on the borders, added Denktas, less than a week after the TRNC opened up its border gates with its southern neighbor, bilateral meetings with the Greek Cypriots were necessary. /Aksam/[10] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[11] EXPECTATIONS OF THE NSC BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on tomorrow’s National Security Council meeting. A summary of his column is as follows:“Everybody is expectantly awaiting tomorrow’s National Security Council (NSC) meeting. As our nation is suffering under many problems, in particular the high cost of living, it cannot bear confusion at the summit of the state. We don’t know the exact agenda of the meeting, we just know that domestic issues will be discussed, although Turkey has many challenges in the foreign policy arena as well. The final responsibility belongs to the government and elected officials. However, our bureaucracy and many institutions have failed because our relations with the US have broken down, to Turkey’s great disadvantage. I had no idea that our bureaucrats and diplomats, with years of experience in the world’s top capitals under their belts, stood opposed to the US! They argued at every forum that a war could be pursued only in compliance with international law but that nine-tenths of wars flouted this rule. A foreign policy formulated under the shadow of ideological obsessions and ignorance can only spell disaster. Foreign policy ultimately rests on nothing but national interests. We expect tomorrow’s NSC meeting to take decisions which will brighten our nation and fill it with hope. We know that both the European Union and the world at large are closely following our NSC meetings, so we expect our government and parties to proceed wisely.” [12] ARE WE READY? BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)Columnist Sami Kohen writes on Turkey’s EU membership bid. A summary of his column is as follows:“Businessman Sarik Tara recently organized a meeting on Turkish-European Union relations and invited prominent diplomats, businessmen, scholars and writers to attend. Turkey’s Secretary-General for EU Affairs Murat Sungar and Assistant Ambassador Ahmet Acet both delivered speeches at the gathering. As a matter of fact, Tara has previously held similar meetings to move Turkey’s EU accession bid forward. Why he felt it necessary to hold another such meeting right now is all too obvious. Since the Iraq war has dominated our country’s agenda in recent months, Turkey’s relations with the EU have seemingly been relegated to the back burner. Ankara apparently lost enthusiasm concerning its relations with Brussels. However, if we’re truly determined to join the Union, our politicians will have to strive mightily in the months to come. All political and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) should step up to play their parts so as to help this country fulfill the EU’s political and economic criteria. As a matter of fact, recent statements by EU officials have left me encouraged. First of all, earlier this month EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said that Turkey’s membership negotiations might begin in mid-2005. However, in order to achieve this goal, the Turkish Parliament should pass political reform packages at once and also take immediate steps to push progress on the Cyprus issue. According to Sungar and Acet’s speeches at the above meeting, Turkey’s Secretariat General for EU Affairs has already drawn up a number of significant plans to accelerate our country’s accession bid. The Justice Minister has just received the sixth reform package, a series of proposals designed to bring about radical changes to Turkey’s laws in line with the EU’s Copenhagen criteria. This package is expected to be presented to the Parliament in the near future. The Secretariat General is currently working on our National Program. If the government manages to complete it by the end of June, the EU’s upcoming progress report will probably show appreciation for Turkey’s efforts, which will in turn boost our standing within EU circles. As Economic Development Foundation (IKV) former Chairman Meral Gezgin Eris stated at the meeting, Ankara should accelerate its efforts with the understanding that 2004 is a firm deadline. People often ask whether the EU is ready to accept Turkey. However, the question cuts both ways: Is Ankara ready to do whatever is necessary to fulfill its commitments?” ARCHIVE <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js"> </script> Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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