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Turkish Press Review, 04-06-23
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
23.06.2004
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
A SMALL “GREATER MIDDLE EASTERN INITIATIVE”
BY GUNDUZ AKTAN (RADIKAL)
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN CALLS ON NATO PROTESTORS NOT TO DAMAGE TURKEY’S REPUTATION
[02] ERDOGAN VISITS AMASYA
[03] GUL: “WE SHOULD BELIEVE WHAT THE ISRAELI OFFICIALS SAY”
[04] ANKARA TELLS TALABANI OF ITS CONCERNS OVER N.IRAQ
[05] COUNCIL OF EUROPE ENDS MONITORING OF TURKEY
[06] FOREIGN MINISTRY HAILS COE DECISION TO END MONITORING OF TURKEY
[07] PARLIAMENT’S SUMMER RECESS SLATED TO BEGIN ON JULY 15
[08] IRAQI INTERIM PRESIDENT: ‘I’M OPPOSED TO CHANGES IN KIRKUK’S ETHNIC MAKEUP’
[09] BABACAN, IMF DELEGATION AGREE ON DRAFT LETTER OF INTENT
[10] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[11] A SMALL “GREATER MIDDLE EASTERN INITIATIVE”
[12] BY GUNDUZ AKTAN (RADIKAL)
[01] ERDOGAN CALLS ON NATO PROTESTORS NOT TO DAMAGE TURKEY’S REPUTATION
Commenting on opposition from various groups to Turkey’s hosting next
week’s NATO summit, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that
people’s right to protest certain events was a fact of democracy. Speaking
at his Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group meeting,
Erdogan dismissed the groups protesting the summit as “marginal.” He
underlined that freedom had limits and that all parties should avoid
actions which might damage Turkey’s reputation. “The mentality of chanting
slogans like ‘Go home’ is old fashioned and should be changed,” said the
premier. Stressing that the summit would greatly help to promote Turkey,
Erdogan stated that Istanbulites would regrettably face certain
inconveniences during the gathering. “We must take measures to ensure the
security of world leaders, which is the obligation of a good host, and we
ask everybody to bear with this.” /Star/
[02] ERDOGAN VISITS AMASYA
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday traveled to the northern
Anatolian city of Amasya to attend a festival marking the 85th anniversary
of the Amasya Declaration, one of the milestones in the beginning of
Turkey’s War of Independence. Addressing a crowd of citizens, Erdogan said
that Turkish people would forever carry the spirit of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
and his colleagues to preserve the nation’s sovereignty. /Sabah/
[03] GUL: “WE SHOULD BELIEVE WHAT THE ISRAELI OFFICIALS SAY”
Asked about recent allegations regarding Israel’s relationship with Kurdish
groups in northern Iraq, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday told
reporters that Israeli officials had assured him that these reports were
untrue. Stressing that everybody knew Ankara’s sensitivities over the
matter, Gul said, “We should believe what Israeli officials say and should
trust them. I hope our trust will not be abused.” /Hurriyet/
[04] ANKARA TELLS TALABANI OF ITS CONCERNS OVER N.IRAQ
Ankara yesterday warned Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) leader
Jalal Talabani of its concerns about Iraq’s territorial integrity, Kirkuk’s
demographic makeup, the rights of Iraqi Turkmen and the terrorist group
PKK’s activities in northern Iraq. Talabani, who is currently visiting
Turkey at the invitation of the Turkish Foreign Ministry in the runup to
the June 30 handover of sovereignty to the Iraqis, met with Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul. After their meeting, Talabani told reporters that he
was aware of Ankara’s concerns over Kirkuk and the Turkmen. Stressing that
his group supported preserving Turkmen’s rights, Talabani said that the
various peoples of Kirkuk would decide on their city’s future. He also
condemned the terrorist PKK’s activities against Turkey, calling them
attacks against democracy. /Turkiye/
[05] COUNCIL OF EUROPE ENDS MONITORING OF TURKEY
The Council of Europe (CoE) Parliamentary Assembly yesterday passed a
resolution ending close monitoring of Turkey for alleged democratic
shortcomings, boosting Ankara’s hopes of beginning its accession talks with
the European Union. The report follows on the heels of Turkey’s release of
four former Democracy Party (DEP) deputies as well as numerous legislative
reforms. “The assembly believes Turkey has in the past three years clearly
shown its will and ability to fulfill its obligations as a member of the
Council of Europe,” said the resolution. However, it urged Ankara to
further improve its human rights situation. Turkey had been under CoE
monitoring since 1996 for alleged human rights violations. /Aksam/
[06] FOREIGN MINISTRY HAILS COE DECISION TO END MONITORING OF TURKEY
The Foreign Ministry yesterday hailed the Council of Europe’s decision to
end monitoring of Turkey, saying, “Our country has now overcome a hurdle
towards starting its accession talks with the European Union.” The
statement further stressed that the government’s firm resolve to adopt EU
norms in fields such as human rights and the rule of law would continue.
/Turkiye/
[07] PARLIAMENT’S SUMMER RECESS SLATED TO BEGIN ON JULY 15
Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chairman Salih Kapusuz yesterday
met with Kemal Anadol and Ali Topuz, the deputy chairmen of the opposition
Republican People’s Party (CHP), to discuss the Parliament’s agenda and its
summer recess. During their meeting, the three reportedly decided that
Parliament would go on summer recess on July 15 after debating 18 bills,
three of which have yet to be presented to the Parliament. /Turkiye/
[08] IRAQI INTERIM PRESIDENT: ‘I’M OPPOSED TO CHANGES IN KIRKUK’S ETHNIC
MAKEUP’
Iraqi Interim President Ghazi al-Yawar yesterday visited the northern Iraqi
city of Kirkuk alongside Paul Bremer, the top US administrator in Iraq.
During his visit, al-Yawar said that he was opposed to changes in the
city’s ethnic makeup. “Kirkuk is a city where people should live together,”
he said. “Nobody should be forced to leave Iraq.” /Turkiye/
[09] BABACAN, IMF DELEGATION AGREE ON DRAFT LETTER OF INTENT
Speaking at a joint press conference with Riza Moghadam, the International
Monetary Fund Turkey desk chief, State Minister Ali Babacan yesterday said
that Ankara and the IMF had agreed on a draft letter of intent (LOI).
Babacan added that this year’s 5% growth target could be reached easily and
perhaps exceeded. “Ankara will take the necessary measures for the
continuation of the stable economy,” said Babacan. He stressed that how the
government will continue its relations with the IMF in 2005 and later,
after its current standby agreement ends, was taken up at these
negotiations. “It is important that Turkey create an economic program for
the next three years,” he said. “The content of the program is important.
We shared all our program plans that can be made with the IMF. We’ll decide
on one path and implement that program.” He added that they expected that
the IMF would complete the eighth review plans in mid-August after the LOI
was presented. For his part, Moghadam said that the government should
continue implementing monetary policy with sound fiscal measures, adding
that structural reforms to the banking sector should also continue.
/Milliyet/
[10] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[11] A SMALL “GREATER MIDDLE EASTERN INITIATIVE”
[12] BY GUNDUZ AKTAN (RADIKAL)
Columnist Gunduz Aktan comments on the Greater Middle Eastern Initiative. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“The Greater Middle Eastern Initiative (GME) is proving to be a frustration,
because the project lacks the financial resources to support its economic
planks, and this might make it unable to reach its political aims.
Countries in the region might not find this project attractive, as they
will all be under great pressure on democracy yet unable to ensure
political progress. The GME is envisaged to be implemented only by
countries which accept participation in it. In other words, there won’t be
any obligations. The project won’t be a prescription either. It will be
implemented in accordance with the different conditions in different
countries. The G-8 meeting’s decision initiating the GME can be considered
a success for US President George W. Bush. Thus, a timetable was set to
ensure the gradually increasing participation of the UN and the Iraqi
people in establishing peace and normalization in Iraq. We will see if
there will be other developments during next week’s NATO summit in
Istanbul. France and Germany have stated their opposition to NATO’s taking
on new duties in Iraq. At this point, the US might consider it sufficient
to maintain NATO’s support for the Polish troops there. Bush will visit
Ankara as part of the NATO summit, and unfortunately this visit will be
carried out under the worst conditions. The US hasn’t fulfilled its
commitments about the PKK terrorist organization. It invaded Iraq due to
the fight against terrorism. However, it caused the revival of the bloody
PKK terrorism which had previously ceased. It’s a very acute foreign policy
problem.
Iraq’s interim Constitution in effect until next January has serious
problems. Negotiations towards an actual constitution might cause a civil
war due to the excessive rights granted to Kurds. In the government to be
established under this Constitution, Turkmen are represented by the wrong
person. Meanwhile, Turkmen leaders have become the victims of strange
‘victims.’ The Kurds are altering Kirkuk’s ethnic makeup, and the
Constitution treats Turkmen as minorities alongside tiny Christian groups.
However, the Turkmen population is almost equal to that of the Kurds.
Ignoring Turkmen this way will cause serious future problems requiring
radical solutions.
In addition, gestures by the US to satisfy the Turkish Cypriots have not
gone forward. It’s not making efforts to establish direct flights to the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) or imports and exports to and
from the TRNC. The Bush administration is hoping to hold a second
referendum in Southern Cyprus and for a solution that makes the Greek
Cypriots happy. The only thing left for Bush to satisfy Turkey is
impressing the International Monetary Fund.”
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