Browse through our Interesting Nodes of the Cyprus Government Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923) Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923)
HR-Net - Hellenic Resources Network Compact version
Today's Suggestion
Read The "Macedonian Question" (by Maria Nystazopoulou-Pelekidou)
HomeAbout HR-NetNewsWeb SitesDocumentsOnline HelpUsage InformationContact us
Friday, 29 March 2024
 
News
  Latest News (All)
     From Greece
     From Cyprus
     From Europe
     From Balkans
     From Turkey
     From USA
  Announcements
  World Press
  News Archives
Web Sites
  Hosted
  Mirrored
  Interesting Nodes
Documents
  Special Topics
  Treaties, Conventions
  Constitutions
  U.S. Agencies
  Cyprus Problem
  Other
Services
  Personal NewsPaper
  Greek Fonts
  Tools
  F.A.Q.
 

Turkish Press Review, 03-11-12

Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: 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 morning

12.11.2003

ERDOGAN TOUTS TURKEY’S PROGRESS, CRITICIZES CIRCLES TRYING TO BLOCK THIS ADVANCE GUL: “WE WILL TRY TO SOLVE THE CYPRUS ISSUE BY NEXT MAY” BLAIR: “TURKEY IS RIGHTLY PRESSING FOR ITS HISTORIC EU ACCESSION” VERHEUGEN PRAISES TURKEY’S REFORMS DENKTAS: “IF THE OPPOSITION WINS BIG IN TRNC ELECTIONS, I WILL STEP DOWN AS NEGOTIATOR” PKK_KADEK ANNOUNCES DISSOLUTION; ANKARA CALLS MANEUVER MERE WINDOW DRESSING TALABANI: “WE DON’T WANT TURKISH TROOPS TO SUFFER HARM” TUZMEN: “OUR EXPORTS CAN EXCEED $48 BILLION BY YEAR’S-END” FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS… IRAQ AND CYPRUS BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)

CONTENTS

  • [01] ERDOGAN TOUTS TURKEY’S PROGRESS, CRITICIZES CIRCLES TRYING TO BLOCK THIS ADVANCE
  • [02] GUL: “WE WILL TRY TO SOLVE THE CYPRUS ISSUE BY NEXT MAY”
  • [03] BLAIR: “TURKEY IS RIGHTLY PRESSING FOR ITS HISTORIC EU ACCESSION”
  • [04] VERHEUGEN PRAISES TURKEY’S REFORMS
  • [05] DENKTAS: “IF THE OPPOSITION WINS BIG IN TRNC ELECTIONS, I WILL STEP DOWN AS NEGOTIATOR”
  • [06] PKK_KADEK ANNOUNCES DISSOLUTION; ANKARA CALLS MANEUVER MERE WINDOW DRESSING
  • [07] TALABANI: “WE DON’T WANT TURKISH TROOPS TO SUFFER HARM”
  • [08] TUZMEN: “OUR EXPORTS CAN EXCEED $48 BILLION BY YEAR’S-END”
  • [09] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
  • [10] IRAQ AND CYPRUS BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)

  • [01] ERDOGAN TOUTS TURKEY’S PROGRESS, CRITICIZES CIRCLES TRYING TO BLOCK THIS ADVANCE

    Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey has made significant progress during his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) first year in office. “However, there are some who are bothered by this improvement,” he added. Erdogan charged that though certain circles were trying to escalate every controversy into a crisis, issues could actually be easily settled using democratic means. He urged the AKP deputies to remain adamantly opposed to efforts to block Turkey’s progress or disturb social peace. /Cumhuriyet/

    [02] GUL: “WE WILL TRY TO SOLVE THE CYPRUS ISSUE BY NEXT MAY”

    Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that he was hopeful a solution to the Cyprus issue could be reached by next May, when Greek Cyprus is set to join the European Union. In Rome to meet with the EU troika – current EU Term President Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, upcoming President Ireland’s Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen representing the EU Commission – Gul gave gratitude for the praise expressed in the recent EU Progress Report on Turkey’s reforms. Pointing to Ankara’s determination to implement the reforms, Gul added that Turkey favored finding a resolution to the Cyprus issue. Addressing the meeting, Frattini expressed pleasure at Ankara’s positive approach to finding a settlement to the longstanding issue. Stressing that during its presidency Italy had always supported Turkey’s EU bid, Frattini said, “We all admire Turkey’s importance in a region that must be stable.” After completing his contacts in Rome, Gul returned to Ankara last night. /Sabah/

    [03] BLAIR: “TURKEY IS RIGHTLY PRESSING FOR ITS HISTORIC EU ACCESSION”

    The looming European Union membership of Turkey heralds a bold new era for Europe, declared British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday. "The most fundamental change in Europe for decades is taking place: enlargement to a Europe of 25 ... and Turkey now rightly pressing to enter accession negotiations," said Blair in his speech to the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London. "Europe is already the largest economic market and political alliance in the world. It will become bigger and the symbolism of Turkey, a Muslim nation and American ally, joining the EU could not be more epochal." In related news, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder yesterday told a visiting delegation from the European Turkish Businessmen’s and Industrialists’ Association that his country had been more supportive than any other European nation of Turkey’s EU membership. Speaking for the association, Chairman Esref Unsal said that Schroeder had pledged to support Turkey’s beginning accession talks in December 2004. Schroeder is expected to pay an official visit to Ankara in February. /Milliyet, http://www.number-10.gov.uk _

    [04] VERHEUGEN PRAISES TURKEY’S REFORMS

    Following a Turkey-European Union troika meeting, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen held a press conference. Praising Turkey’s reforms, Verheugen said, “For the first time a country is taking comprehensive steps for democracy. Would that every country would do the same.” Stressing that Turkey was a very important country in straddling the worlds of Islam and the West as well as a key European partner on defense and security, the EU commissioner added, “However, without implementing its reforms, a reason would be lacking to integrate Turkey into the EU.” /Turkiye/

    [05] DENKTAS: “IF THE OPPOSITION WINS BIG IN TRNC ELECTIONS, I WILL STEP DOWN AS NEGOTIATOR”

    A big opposition win in next month’s Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) general elections would prompt TRNC President Rauf Denktas to quit his post as negotiator, the TRNC leader pledged yesterday. ''If they [the opposition] win by a great majority it means the people have lost confidence in me, so why should I stay here and waste my time?'' he told Reuters. He added, however, "But I know that will not happen," predicting a decisive win for his side instead. Denktas himself is not up for re-election. European Union leaders and other figures have expressed hope that fresh blood on the Turkish Cypriot side could help reach a resolution before Greek Cyprus is due to join the EU next May. /Cumhuriyet/

    [06] PKK_KADEK ANNOUNCES DISSOLUTION; ANKARA CALLS MANEUVER MERE WINDOW DRESSING

    The PKK_KADEK terrorist group announced yesterday it was allegedly dissolving itself to set up a new group. A statement from the group said that it had been disbanded to open the way for a new and more democratic organizational structure which would allow wider participation representing the interests of the Kurdish people. Ankara, however, called the move nothing but a tactical maneuver, similar to when it switched its name to KADEK after the EU recognized the PKK’s terrorist nature. “A terrorist group can’t change its stripes by just altering its name,” said a diplomatic source. “This only shows their desperation.” Meanwhile, just days after US forces in northern Iraq exchanged fire with PKK terrorists, US officials also announced that there would be no change in American policy towards the terrorist group. /Hurriyet/

    [07] TALABANI: “WE DON’T WANT TURKISH TROOPS TO SUFFER HARM”

    Iraqi Governing Council President Jalal Talabani said yesterday that he didn’t want to see Turkish troops suffering losses in Iraq. Talabani, holder of the rotating council leadership and a prominent Iraqi Kurdish leader, told Baghdad daily Elmeda that he wanted to find solutions to Iraq’s problems with its neighbors through peaceful means. Claiming that it was not out of hostility that the council had rejected the prospect of Turkish troop deployment in Iraq, Talabani said, “Security and stability in Iraq can only be met by Iraqi security forces led by the council. We don’t want Turkish troops to suffer losses or for any crisis between our two nations.” /Turkiye/

    [08] TUZMEN: “OUR EXPORTS CAN EXCEED $48 BILLION BY YEAR’S-END”

    Speaking at a press conference at the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat yesterday, State Minister Kursat Tuzmen confidently predicted that with $40 billion in exports so far this year, Turkey was well on track to surpass $48 billion in exports by year’s-end. /Cumhuriyet/

    [09] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…

    [10] IRAQ AND CYPRUS BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)

    Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the Iraq and Cyprus issues. A summary of his column is as follows:

    “The current situation shows that from now on, it will be impossible for Ankara to follow a policy supported by military force in Iraq. It should be accepted that Iraqi Kurdish leaders Jalal Talabani and Massoud Barzani are the ones who benefited the most from the US invasion of Iraq and scored the greatest political success. Hoshyar Zebari, one of Barzani’s underlings, became Iraqi foreign minister and Talabani will visit Ankara as head of the Iraqi Governing Council, both of which vividly demonstrate their achievement. Moreover, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that the US was doing the most to protect the Kurds, their ally. It would be unrealistic to believe that in the coming days Turkey will have a place in influencing and directing Iraq’s reconstruction in line with our national interests. Turkey can’t do more than protect and defend its own political and geographical integrity.

    This situation could change only with a clear-cut US failure and the breakout of an Iraqi civil war, but Ankara wants neither of these. Obviously such chaos would only hurt us. The current conditions and results can’t be considered a success for Ankara. Nor is the situation on Cyprus any different. After accepting the political condition of the need for a Cyprus resolution, it would be difficult for us to influence or direct our European Union membership bid. The Iraq issue was left up to the US-Kurdish alliance, and the Cyprus issue was left up to the EU. Solving the Cyprus problem is no guarantee of EU membership or even getting a date for membership negotiations. After this phase, the EU might stipulate new political conditions. European leaders’ praise and warm messages about Turkey today might end up being new conditions. Ankara has so far been unable to receive a guarantee from the EU, so it can do nothing but continue to wait.”

    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
    Back to Top
    Copyright © 1995-2023 HR-Net (Hellenic Resources Network). An HRI Project.
    All Rights Reserved.

    HTML by the HR-Net Group / Hellenic Resources Institute, Inc.
    trkpr2html v1.02a run on Wednesday, 12 November 2003 - 10:51:05 UTC