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Turkish Press Review, 04-06-07
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
07.06.2004
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN MEETS WITH TALAT, DISCUSSES RECENT DEVELOPMENTS CONCERNING CYPRUS
[02] ERDOGAN TO HOST BANQUET FOR EU STATES’ AMBASSADORS IN ANKARA
[03] GUL TRAVELS TO EGYPT
[04] KARAMANLIS: "WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT TURKEY'S STEPS TOWARDS EU MEMBERSHIP"
[05] IMF DELEGATION TO HOLD CONTACTS IN ANKARA
[06] DE SOTO: “PAPADOPOULOS DIDN’T MAKE ANY CONCRETE PROPOSALS FOR REUNIFYING CYPRUS”
[07] PAPANDREOU: “ANNAN’S CYPRUS REPORT IS REALISTIC”
[08] OECD MEETING ON SMEs CONCLUDES
[09] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS
[10] DYNAMICS OF CHANGE BY YASEMIN CONGAR (MILLIYET)
[01] ERDOGAN MEETS WITH TALAT, DISCUSSES RECENT DEVELOPMENTS CONCERNING
CYPRUS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday received visiting Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat to
discuss recent developments concerning Cyprus, including a push to end the
TRNC’s international isolation. During their talks, Erdogan said that
Turkey would always stand by the Turkish Cypriots and strive to bring the
TRNC’s isolation to an end. Later, Erdogan received Istanbul Governor
Muammer Guler and Police Commissioner Celalettin Cerrah. In related news,
Erdogan is due to travel to the US tomorrow to attend a G-8 meting on Sea
Island, Georgia expected to focus on the US’ Greater Middle East
Initiative. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] ERDOGAN TO HOST BANQUET FOR EU STATES’ AMBASSADORS IN ANKARA
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to host a banquet tonight for
the European Union member states’ ambassadors to Ankara. During the
gathering at the Erdogan’s official residence, the premier is expected to
tout Turkey’s reforms on its road to EU membership. /Turkiye/
[03] GUL TRAVELS TO EGYPT
In the runup to the mid-month Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
foreign ministers meeting, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday flew to
Egypt to hold a series of contacts with Egyptian officials. Gul is
scheduled to be received by President Hosni Mubarak and meet with Arab
League Secretary-General Amr Musa. Their meetings are expected to be
focused on the Iraq, Middle East and Cyprus issues. In addition, Gul will
seek Cairo’s support for Turkey’s candidate for the OIC helm. /Turkiye/
[04] KARAMANLIS: "WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT TURKEY'S STEPS TOWARDS EU
MEMBERSHIP"
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said yesterday that Ankara would
continue to support the steps Ankara has taken for its European Union
membership bid. Speaking in Austria yesterday, Karamanlis said, "Everybody
will benefit from Turkey being an EU member." Touching on the Cyprus issue,
Karamanlis called on both sides to do their best for the reunification of
the island, adding, "That way, both the Turkish and Greek Cypriots will
benefit from the opportunities provided by the European Union."
/Cumhuriyet/
[05] IMF DELEGATION TO HOLD CONTACTS IN ANKARA
An International Monetary Fund delegation headed by Turkey Desk Chief Riza
Moghadam is set to hold contacts in Ankara tomorrow towards the completion
of the eighth review of Turkey’s economic program, which is due to end next
year. The delegation, which arrived in Istanbul last week and met with
business leaders and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), is also
expected to discuss a successor to the program between Ankara and the Fund
before leaving on June 19. IMF Executive Director Willy Kiekens and
European Director Michael Deppler are also to attend the meetings in
Ankara. The IMF is due to release a $660 million credit after the
completion of the economic program. /Milliyet/
[06] DE SOTO: “PAPADOPOULOS DIDN’T MAKE ANY CONCRETE PROPOSALS FOR
REUNIFYING CYPRUS”
Former UN Cyprus Envoy Alvaro de Soto yesterday criticized Greek Cypriot
leader Tassos Papadopoulos, saying that in the countdown to Greek Cyprus’
May 1 European Union accession Papadopoulos had failed to make any concrete
proposals for the reunifying the island. “He said he was willing for
reunification, but didn’t put forth any concrete proposals,” said de Soto.
“He has no idea what efforts for reunification should be.” /Cumhuriyet/
[07] PAPANDREOU: “ANNAN’S CYPRUS REPORT IS REALISTIC”
George Papandreou, the leader of main Greek opposition party PASOK and
former foreign minister, said yesterday that UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan’s recent Cyprus report was realistic. Speaking to Greek daily To Vima,
Papandreou stated that the leaders on Cyprus should speak sincerely with
their peoples and not shrink from “brave decisions” for a settlement on the
island. Also criticizing Greek Premier Costas Karamanlis, Papandreou called
that it was a “great error” to have separated the Cyprus issue from Turkish-
Greek relations. “Athens has stripped itself of one the best weapons of its
foreign policy,” said Papandreou. The PASOK leader’s statements reportedly
caused annoyance in the Greek Cypriot administration, as Annan’s recent
Cyprus report criticized Nicosia for its negative and uncompromising
stance. /Star/
[08] OECD MEETING ON SMEs CONCLUDES
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
ministerial-level conference on small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs)
in Istanbul ended yesterday with a final declaration issued by the Turkish,
Italian, Brazilian and Portuguese delegations. Their countries are due to
take joint action to prepare a pilot project in the automotive by-industry
under the Emerging Regional Markets Technology Transfer Network (REMTECH)
project and are due to present a joint action plan this December during an
OECD SMEs working group meeting in Paris. The REMTECH project will be open
to the participation of all countries, whether OECD members or not. Turkish
Ministry of Industry and Trade Undersecretary Adem Sahin said that the
conference aimed to encourage entrepreneurship in the global economy and
revamped SMEs, adding that 606 delegates from 64 countries including 31
OECD members had attended the conference. /Anatolia News Agency/
[09] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS
[10] DYNAMICS OF CHANGE BY YASEMIN CONGAR (MILLIYET)
Columnist Yasemin Congar comments on Turkey’s dynamics of change concerning
the Cyprus issue and relations with the EU and Washington. A summary of her
column is as follows:
“I will deal with various issues in this piece but they all have a common
denominator, namely, Turkey’s agenda for change. Let’s start with the
Cyprus issue. The recent report prepared by UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan
is a turning point in both Cyprus’ history and the international
community’s view of Turkey’s Cyprus policy. In short, the report fingers
the Greek Cypriot administration for the failure to find a solution for the
island. Annan stated that the Greek Cypriots rejected not only the
agreement document, but also the solution itself. In addition, Annan
praises the Turkish side’s stance in favor of a solution but adds that it
was late in this constructive stance. Even if Ankara considers the European
Union mistaken to have guaranteed the Greek Cypriot administration
membership even without a solution and so removed any incentive for them,
Annan’s statements show that the Turkish side was late to grasp the
encouraging atmosphere of becoming an EU member. Then Annan announced that
there is no longer any reason to continue the Turkish Cypriots’ isolation.
However, he also asked that the existing UN Security Council resolutions on
Cyprus not be violated and that no policy tending towards making the
division of the island permanent should be encouraged. What will happen
now? Washington – which welcomed Annan’s plan warmly, thinking it
establishes a base for ending the Turkish Cypriots’ isolation – wants to
announce steps towards this end before US President George W. Bush’s
official visit to Turkey on June 26.
Bush is planning to meet leaders of different religious groups before the
month-end NATO summit in Istanbul. Bush will of course mention the issue of
the Heybeliada Seminary of Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos. Maybe this
school can’t be opened in the next couple of weeks, but Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan can immediately signal his political will on this
issue. This is Washington’s expectation.
Washington considered the PPK terrorist organization’s renewed call for war
old news, because US officials know that the organization has never had a
peaceful, terror-free political identity. For this reason, the PKK has
always had a place on the US list of terrorist groups. Even if this is the
case, the PKK’s latest threat might have large consequences both in terms
of Turkey’s EU agenda and relations with the US. The US might not have a
military initiative to erase the PKK presence from northern Iraq before
Bush’s visit to Turkey. Washington officials are stressing the surprise
element in a possible initiative against the PKK and refusing to speak
about timing. In addition, the US thinks that the way to head off problems
in Turkish-EU relations due to the PKK is to continue efforts to address
shortcomings in implementing the Copenhagen criteria.”
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