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Turkish Press Review, 03-09-05
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
05.09.2003
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] CABINET CONVENES IN SIVAS
[02] GUL: “I BELIVE TURKEY WILL JOIN THE EU IN 2010”
[03] ITALIAN LABOR MINISTER: “WE SUPPORT TURKEY'S EU BID”
[04] TURKISH, US MILITARIES HOLD TECHNICAL TALKS ON POSSIBLE IRAQ DEPLOYMENT
[05] DEPUTY PM SAHIN MEETS WITH US AMBASSADOR EDELMAN
[06] DEFENSE MINISTER GONUL TRAVELS TO BULGARIA
[07] ALGERIAN INTERIOR MINISTER ARRIVES IN ANKARA
[08] NEW IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER COMES OUT AGAINST TURKISH DEPLOYMENT
[09] TURKISH, US OFFICIALS DOWNPLAY IRAQI FM’S STATEMENT, SAY THEY CAN WORK OUT TROOP DEPLOYMENT ISSUE
[10] TURKEY READIES CHARM OFFENSIVE FOR IRAQI HEARTS
[11] US PLANS RAPID ACTION ON PKK_KADEK ISSUE
[12] FOLLOWING CAR ACCIDENT, GOVERNOR YAZICIOGLU PRONOUNCED BRAIN DEAD
[13] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[14] EUROPE, FRIEND OR FOE? BY TAHA AKYOL (MILLIYET)
[01] CABINET CONVENES IN SIVAS
The Cabinet yesterday convened in the central Anatolian province of Sivas
to commemorate the 84th anniversary of the Sivas Congress, a key
step in the founding of the Turkish Republic. A number of issues, including
possible troop deployments to Iraq, were discussed at the meeting. Speaking
afterwards, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the government
was working to make some changes to the Constitution, but denied that this
included any move to curtail the powers of the president, something earlier
suggested by Parliament’s Constitution Commission head Burhan Kuzu. /All
papers/
[02] GUL: “I BELIVE TURKEY WILL JOIN THE EU IN 2010”
Speaking to Austrian daily Kurier yesterday, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
said that he hoped Turkey would begin accession negotiations with the
European Union at the end of 2004 after completing the necessary
harmonization reforms. “These negotiations will last for years,” said Gul,
who paid an official visit to Austria this week. “But in the end, I believe
that Turkey will join the Union in 2010.” /All papers/
[03] ITALIAN LABOR MINISTER: “WE SUPPORT TURKEY'S EU BID”
Labor and Social Security Minister Murat Basesgioglu yesterday received
visiting Italian Labor and Welfare Minister Roberto Maroni to discuss a
number of issues. During their talks, Maroni said that his country
supported Turkey's European Union membership bid. Italy currently holds the
rotating sixth-month EU term presidency. Speaking afterwards, Maroni said
that their meeting had been very fruitful and they had discussed many
issues concerning their respective ministries. Maroni further pledged that
his country would do its best for Turkey to begin negotiations with the EU
as soon as possible. “We will continue to support Turkey at the December
2004 summit, when a decision on negotiations will be made,” he said. For
his part, Basesgioglu said that he and Maroni had reached an agreement in
principle to do personnel exchanges and information exchanges on labor,
health and security issues between their respective ministries. /Anatolia
News Agency/
[04] TURKISH, US MILITARIES HOLD TECHNICAL TALKS ON POSSIBLE IRAQ
DEPLOYMENT
Representatives from the Turkish and US militaries both began and ended
negotiations yesterday on technical details of a possible Turkish troop
deployment in Iraq. Top-level delegations from the US European Command
(EUCOM) and Central Command (CENTCOM) yesterday sat at the negotiating
table with their Turkish counterparts in Ankara to discuss the general
principles of the issue. “Our meetings ended earlier than expected, but
this shouldn’t be seen as a crisis,” said one US official. “In any case,
new delegations are expected to continue the talks soon.” Defense sources
stated that the meetings, where the two delegations agreed upon principles,
were not held to reach a full-fledged agreement, but rather to exchange
technical data to help the political decision-makers reach their final
determination. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] DEPUTY PM SAHIN MEETS WITH US AMBASSADOR EDELMAN
New US Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman paid a courtesy visit on Wednesday
to Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin. Speaking after their meeting,
Sahin said he had told Edelman that if Turkey felt it had a duty to help
ensure Iraq’s stability, it would not shrink from fulfilling that mission.
He added that he was sure Edelman would help to further Turkish-US
relations. /Anatolian News Agency/
[06] DEFENSE MINISTER GONUL TRAVELS TO BULGARIA
Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul yesterday flew to Bulgaria to attend an
international conference on southeastern Europe. During his visit, Gonul is
to meet with his Bulgarian counterpart Nikolai Svinarov and Croatian
Defense Minister Zeljka Antunovic. /Anatolia News Agency/
[07] ALGERIAN INTERIOR MINISTER ARRIVES IN ANKARA
Algerian Interior Minister Nourredine Yazid Zerhouni yesterday arrived in
Ankara to meet with his Turkish counterpart Abdulkadir Aksu. Zerhouni is
set to discuss a number of issues with Aksu today before leaving Turkey
tomorrow. /Anatolia News Agency/
[08] NEW IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER COMES OUT AGAINST TURKISH DEPLOYMENT
Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq’s new foreign minister as selected from its 25-member
Governing Council, said yesterday that he opposed the deployment of troops
from Turkey, or indeed any neighboring state, as part of a stabilization
force in his country. "It is far better for everybody to keep all of Iraq's
neighbors from conducting any peacekeeping mission, because each and every
one of them when they come into the country are bringing their own
political agenda,” Zebari told Reuters. "And this will not help to
stabilize the situation ... it could lead to destabilization.” In a
separate interview with Al-Jazeera television, Zebari, until recently a top
official in northern Iraq’s Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP),
claimed the presence of Turkish forces in northern Iraq had caused problems,
adding, “We don’t want to see more of the same.” Stating that Iraq’s Kurds
were not seeking an independent state, Zebari said he spoke for the entire
Governing Council in opposing the presence of troops from neighboring
countries in Iraq. /All Papers/
[09] TURKISH, US OFFICIALS DOWNPLAY IRAQI FM’S STATEMENT, SAY THEY CAN WORK
OUT TROOP DEPLOYMENT ISSUE
Officials from Turkey and the United States alike yesterday downplayed the
Iraqi foreign minister’s statement claiming unanimous Governing Council
opposition to Turkish troop deployment, saying that Ankara and Washington
officials would reach their own conclusions on the matter. Troops in Iraq
are coordinating their arrangements with the Governing Council, said US
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, adding that he had “confidence
that that [coordination] can be done in an appropriate fashion should it
come to Turkey being willing to provide troops.” Another US official said
that regarding the possible deployment, what Turkey wanted was key. “The
statements of [new Foreign Minister Hoshyar] Zebari and other Kurdish
leaders should be played down,” said the official. “We’re pleased with our
recent meetings with Turkish military officials, and these contacts will
continue.” Meanwhile, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said
that Zebari’s statement reflected the Kurdish politician’s own personal
views, not necessarily those of the Governing Council. “Our delegations are
working in Iraq on the matter,” he added. “We will make our final decision
in line with their reports.” In addition, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
suggested that the statement was an inappropriate expression of Kurdish
factionalism, and that in the future Zebari should take to try to represent
all Iraqis, not just Kurds. “The new Iraqi ministers should be aware that
they represent all Iraqis,” said Gul. “Before making statements, they
should consider them seriously, so as not to cause any disputes.”
/Hurriyet/
[10] TURKEY READIES CHARM OFFENSIVE FOR IRAQI HEARTS
In a bid to win the support of the Iraqi people ahead of a possible Turkish
troop deployment, Ankara is drafting a 20-point plan to stage social and
cultural activities throughout the country. The plan could include
sponsoring free concerts in Iraq featuring Turkish singers popular in the
region, such as Ibrahim Tatlises and Sibel Can. The plan also proposes the
restoration of historical sites and mosques as well as work to improve the
country’s electricity and water systems. Ankara believes that the Iraqi
people might well be more welcoming towards Turkish soldiers after these
special events and activities. Under the proposed action plan, a Turkish
delegation is reportedly expected to visit Iraq to see the latest
developments firsthand. /Cumhuriyet/
[11] US PLANS RAPID ACTION ON PKK_KADEK ISSUE
Washington recently told Ankara that it has sped up preparations on
measures to effectively crack down on the activities of terrorist group
PKK_KADEK, which last week announced that it had ended its ceasefire,
despite a recent Turkish amnesty law. A delegation of US military and
intelligence officials is expected to visit Ankara next week to discuss the
details of Washington’s plans on the issue with their Turkish counterparts.
Washington is reportedly planning to launch initiatives among EU countries
to further internationally isolate the terrorist group. /Cumhuriyet/
[12] FOLLOWING CAR ACCIDENT, GOVERNOR YAZICIOGLU PRONOUNCED BRAIN DEAD
Following a traffic accident on Tuesday, Denizli Governor Recep Yazicioglu
has fallen into a coma and been pronounced brain dead, announced Ankara
University Medicine Faculty Dean Tumer Corapcioglu yesterday. /Turkish
Daily News/
[13] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[14] EUROPE, FRIEND OR FOE? BY TAHA AKYOL (MILLIYET)
Columnist Taha Akyol comments on Turkish-European relations. A summary of
his column is as follows:
“Earlier this week in Berlin, during conversations among circles close to
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan
at a banquet thrown by the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s
Association (TUSIAD), opposition, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Deputy
Uta Zapf said, ‘For years Turkish leaders have been promising reforms but
they haven’t carried through. But this time, your prime minister
unexpectedly is fulfilling certain reforms to make Turkey European. Europe
can’t ignore this.’ In truth, our prime ministers were unable to carry
through these reforms because the state wasn’t ready and their coalitions
weren’t strong enough. The Europeans weren’t expecting such reforms from
Erdogan because they considered him a ‘fundamentalist Islamist.’ However,
through the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) one-party rule, Erdogan
signed one of the most liberal reforms packages in the Republic’s history,
thus fundamentally altering the state’s traditional military-civilian
balance and its understanding of freedom. Certain things really are
changing for us, putting us closer to Europe.
However, is Europe itself sincere? Our diplomatic history is rife with
examples of bad Europe intentions. In the last century Europe, acting as
colonialist and invader, started two world wars within itself. However, now
the German and French people, which between themselves have killed more
than 50 million people, have become friends! That Europe is the European
Union today. Some things are changing there, too, because they’ve learned
lessons from history and more importantly, their economies and lines of
communication are going beyond the borders and spurring ‘international
integration.’
Today there is a conflict within Europe about becoming a ‘Christian club,’
but it can’t tell this to Turkey openly. Erdogan thinks that religion
should have no place in the upcoming European Constitution because if it
did, Christianity would be the EU’s official religion, thus barring
Turkey’s entrance. Similarly, if Islam became our own official religion, we
couldn’t join the EU. Today multiculturalism is a ‘developed value.’ Lale
Akgun, a Muslim, ethnically Turkish German citizen, is currently a European
Parliament member from the Social Democrats. There are other such examples
in various European parliaments. Today Akgun is congratulating Erdogan for
his reforms and efforts towards Turkey’s EU membership. Of course there are
still certain circles in the EU which treat Turkey as an enemy for ‘ethnic’
reasons, but the Europes of the past and present are quite different. A
Turkey in the EU will be more powerful both economically and
strategically.”
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