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Turkish Press Review, 04-06-11

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

11.06.2004

TURKEY TO CO-SPONSOR NEW DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE DIALOGUE ERDOGAN SEEKS BUSH’S SUPPORT FOR CYPRUS RESOLUTION ANNAN BRIEFS ERDOGAN ON UN CYPRUS REPORT GUL SIGNALS SHIFT IN TURKEY'S POLICY ON IRAQ PARLIAMENT COMMISSION APPROVES HEAVY SANCTION COURTS CHIRAC: “AS A MAJOR POWER IN ITS REGION, TURKEY WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE GME” ISTANBUL STRAITS TO BE CLOSED DURING NATO SUMMIT CoE’S SCHWIMMER: “THERE’S NO LONGER ANY NEED TO CLOSELY MONITOR TURKEY’S HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION” IMF’S DEPPLER PRAISES ANKARA’S IMPLEMENTATION OF ECONOMIC PROGRAM FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... IF THE EU DIDN’T EXIST… BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)

CONTENTS

  • [01] TURKEY TO CO-SPONSOR NEW DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE DIALOGUE
  • [02] ERDOGAN SEEKS BUSH’S SUPPORT FOR CYPRUS RESOLUTION
  • [03] ANNAN BRIEFS ERDOGAN ON UN CYPRUS REPORT
  • [04] GUL SIGNALS SHIFT IN TURKEY'S POLICY ON IRAQ
  • [05] PARLIAMENT COMMISSION APPROVES HEAVY SANCTION COURTS
  • [06] CHIRAC: “AS A MAJOR POWER IN ITS REGION, TURKEY WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE GME”
  • [07] ISTANBUL STRAITS TO BE CLOSED DURING NATO SUMMIT
  • [08] CoE’S SCHWIMMER: “THERE’S NO LONGER ANY NEED TO CLOSELY MONITOR TURKEY’S HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION”
  • [09] IMF’S DEPPLER PRAISES ANKARA’S IMPLEMENTATION OF ECONOMIC PROGRAM
  • [10] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
  • [11] IF THE EU DIDN’T EXIST… BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)

  • [01] TURKEY TO CO-SPONSOR NEW DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE DIALOGUE

    Together with Italy and Yemen, Turkey is set to co-sponsor a new program called the “Democracy Assistance Dialogue” formed within the framework of the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative (commonly known as the Greater Middle East Initiative) during the just-concluded G-8 summit in the US. The project aims at supporting democratic organizations and processes, increasing literacy, training some 100,000 teachers and taking steps to develop free trade in Islamic countries. According to the White House, Turkey will also co-host the dialogue’s first meeting later this year. /Turkiye/

    [02] ERDOGAN SEEKS BUSH’S SUPPORT FOR CYPRUS RESOLUTION

    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with US President George W. Bush during the G-8 summit on Sea Island, Georgia to discuss a number of issues, including Cyprus. During their meeting, Erdogan said that Ankara wanted US support for reaching a Cyprus resolution. The premier stated that Ankara had done its best for a resolution in recent months, adding that now he hoped for US contributions. Erdogan and Bush are expected to discuss the issue in detail at the NATO summit in Istanbul on June 28-29. Erdogan is also due today to attend the state funeral of former US President Ronald Reagan. Later, the premier is to fly to Chicago to attend a symposium on the Middle East. /Turkiye/

    [03] ANNAN BRIEFS ERDOGAN ON UN CYPRUS REPORT

    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York to discuss the Cyprus issue. Speaking afterwards, Erdogan said that they had also exchanged views on Iraq and that Annan had briefed him on the Cyprus report he recently presented to the UN Security Council. “I thanked him for his positive remarks in the report about Ankara’s efforts for a resolution,” he said. “I said that Ankara wanted Annan to continue his efforts to bring the international isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus [TRNC] to an end.” /Hurriyet/

    [04] GUL SIGNALS SHIFT IN TURKEY'S POLICY ON IRAQ

    Speaking yesterday to Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that Ankara was changing its policy on Iraq, mentioning in particular its relations with the two major Kurdish groups in the north. "In the past, Turkey has helped these groups," said Gul, referring to the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) and the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK). "We have helped better their situation, and they know this and have many times expressed their gratitude to us." A representative from Ankara recently met with IKDP head Massoud Barzani, said Gul, and IPUK head Jalal Talbani has been invited to Ankara. Gul added that Turkey would not allow any change in the demographic makeup of Kirkuk, a major city in northern Iraq. Addressing the issue of terrorism, Gul said that several thousand PKK terrorists remained in northern Iraq and that talks were continuing with US officials on how to deal with this. "Sending troops to Iraq at this stage is out of the question," said Gul. "The US has certain proposals regarding Incirlik Airbase [near Adana, Turkey]. We'll consider these in line with our current agreements [with the US]." /Milliyet/

    [05] PARLIAMENT COMMISSION APPROVES HEAVY SANCTION COURTS

    Parliament’s Justice Commission yesterday approved a bill to establish heavy sanction courts to replace the recently abolished State Security Courts (DGMs). Speaking to the commission, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that the bill had been prepared by taking into consideration rulings of international human rights tribunals, practices in Europe and Turkey’s own situation. The DGMs were abolished through a reform package passed by Parliament last month. /Turkiye/

    [06] CHIRAC: “AS A MAJOR POWER IN ITS REGION, TURKEY WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE GME”

    Speaking at a press conference yesterday on Sea Island, Georgia, at the conclusion of the G-8 summit there, French President Jacques Chirac said that as a major power in its region, Turkey could contribute to the US’ Greater Middle East Initiative (GME). “Turkey is an important country,” added Chirac. “It has recently made considerable progress in modernization and liberalizing its economy.” /Turkiye/

    [07] ISTANBUL STRAITS TO BE CLOSED DURING NATO SUMMIT

    The Istanbul Straits will be closed under security measures for the NATO summit on June 28-29 in Istanbul. Concerning the decision, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül said that approval had been obtained from all country signatories of the 1936 Montreux Convention, which governs traffic in the straits. /Milliyet-Turkiye/

    [08] CoE’S SCHWIMMER: “THERE’S NO LONGER ANY NEED TO CLOSELY MONITOR TURKEY’S HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION”

    Following a number of recent strides and reforms, there is no longer any need for close monitoring of Turkey's human rights situation, said the head of Europe's leading human rights watchdog yesterday. Council of Europe (CoE) head Walter Schwimmer was in Ankara for a one-day visit to meet with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and discuss a joint Justice Ministry-CoE project for penal reform and judicial modernization. Speaking to reporters, Schwimmer also hailed the recent release of four former Democracy Party (DEP) deputies and the beginning of broadcasts in mother tongue languages, saying the moves had brought Turkey closer to European Union membership. The CoE is expected to make a decision on lifting monitoring of Turkey on June 21. /Milliyet/

    [09] IMF’S DEPPLER PRAISES ANKARA’S IMPLEMENTATION OF ECONOMIC PROGRAM

    International Monetary Fund Turkey Desk Chief Riza Moghadam and Europe Desk Chief Michael yesterday met with State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin, and Industry and Trade Minister Ali Coskun. Speaking afterwards, Deppler praised Turkey’s determined implementation of the nation’s IMF-supported economic program, adding that it was bearing fruit due to this successful implementation. “There is no reason for Turkey not to succeed,” he said. He also praised the government’s banking and taxation reforms. Deppler praised recent falls in interest rates, adding however that they were still high. He also warned about high public debt and said that the nation’s production needed to be brought up further. /Hurriyet/

    [10] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...

    [11] IF THE EU DIDN’T EXIST… BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)

    Columnist Sami Kohen comments on what would happen if the EU had never existed. A summary of his columns is as follows:

    “If the European Union didn’t exist, would these things have happened? In other words, would Turkey be involved in such a comprehensive reform program, amending so many of its laws and making so much effort? We all know that if we weren’t trying to get a date for EU membership negotiations, we couldn’t have made these changes so quickly. It’s a fact that our aim of EU membership and reaching European standards has been the main motivation for our reforms. Those who want to maintain the status quo and consider integration with the EU risky might view the role played by the EU factor as an imposition. For example, let’s consider the recent decision to release four former Democracy Party (DEP) deputies. There might not be a direct link between the independent judiciary’s ruling and the EU’s requests. However, it’s also clear that the EU factor caused a radical change of mentality in various public institutions as well as society. Now Turkey is mature enough to implement these decisions and policies by itself.

    Actually modernization through reforms is not a new aim for Turkey. This trend dates back to the Tanzimat Period [in the 1840s] and continued with reforms in the republican era. In other words, the process started long ago. While many other countries in the region, particularly those in the Islamic world, were just bystanders to the spectacle of modernization, Turkey had the chance to make openings in this direction owing to its geography, history and culture. For example, Turkey’s desire to be included in the United Nations accelerated its transition to a multiparty system. Being a member of such international organizations as the Council of Europe has helped Turkey to boost its political and social standards. Finally, the meaning and vision of being a European Union member has become a strategic goal, and our EU motivation became an opportunity for Turkey to advance rapidly to modernization. Most other countries in the region don’t have this privilege. It’s well-known that countries in the broader region extending from Morocco to Afghanistan don’t want these modernization and democratization drives imposed on them. In truth, democracy isn’t a product to be ’exported’ to the region. First of all, these nations and their leaders must be determined to effect change.”

    ARCHIVE

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