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Turkish Press Review, 04-09-28Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: 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 morning28.09.2004FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: “AKP POLICIES ARE HEALING THE COUNTRY’S WOUNDS, ONE BY ONE”Speaking yesterday at the third Justice and Development Party (AKP) Consultation and Assessment Meetings taking place in Kizilcahamam, Ankara, Prime Minister and AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the government and the nation were moving closer together and that AKP policies are healing the country’s wounds, one by one. “The AKP has made a wonderful start, but you have to realize that many problems remain to be addressed,” said the premier. “The most important duty of politicians was to tear down the artificial walls erected between the state and nation.” The AKP gathering, attended by Central Executive Council (MYK) members and parliamentary deputies, will last for three days. /Aksam/[02] EU DIPLOMATS WELCOME NEW TCK’S EXPANDED FREEDOM OF EXPRESSIONEuropean Union diplomats yesterday praised the just-passed Turkish Penal Code (TCK) and its expansion of the freedom of expression. The diplomats reportedly said that the new TCK laid the groundwork for a more modern system of law, stressing however that by itself it would not be sufficient. “Mentalities also need to change, and implementation is very important,” said one diplomat, adding that the new TCK was the fruit of 10 years of work. /Cumhuriyet/[03] GUL: “TURKEY IS READY FOR ITS EU TALKS”Turkey is ready to start its European Union accession talks, said Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday in an interview with CNN International. Stating that Ankara had made important strides in its EU bid, Gul said, “We fulfilled the criteria for EU accession and these will be reflected in the [October] progress report.” Asked whether US Secretary of State Colin Powell had promised cooperation against the terrorist group PKK in northern Iraq, Gul said that he had no doubt that US forces would take action against the terrorist group. /Star/[04] PAPANDREOU: “I’M SURPRISED BY RECENT POSITIVE CHANGES IN TURKEY FOR ITS EU BID”George Papandreou, leader of main Greek opposition party PASOK, said yesterday that he had been surprised by Turkey’s recent positive changes towards its European Union membership, citing specifically the military’s reduced political role. “Ankara has also adopted new laws to end torture,” said Papandreou, a former longtime foreign minister, adding that Turkey’s EU membership aspirations had helped spur these positive developments. /Milliyet/[05] CZECH PRESIDENT: “THERE’S NO GOOD REASON TO QUESTION WHETHER TURKEY IS PART OF EUROPE”Debates over whether or not Turkey is part of Europe are shows of excessive vanity, said Czech President Vaclav Klaus yesterday. During his current visit to Spain, speaking to Spanish daily El Pais, Klaus said that no one had the right to own Europe. Stressing that the European Union was a marriage of interests, not love, Klaus said that the continent had never been a unified whole. He stated that Turkey would not belong to Europe if the EU is focused on discrimination and institutional standardization. “But if the EU is moving ahead to institutional flexibility, then why not have Turkey with its open society, democracy and freedom among us?” asked the president. The Czech Republic joined the EU this May. /Turkiye/[06] WASHINGTON POST: “THE PKK_KONGRA-GEL IS FALLING APART”An article in yesterday’s Washington Post reported that many militants in the terrorist PKK_Kongra-Gel currently taking shelter in the Kandil (Quandil) Mountain in northern Iraq were fleeing the group or planning to do so. Stressing that the group was disorganized and falling apart, the article characterized its members as lethargic, homesick or ill. "We were living on the mountain without any hope," said one militant who fled the group. The daily also noted, however, how the terrorist group had conducted a number of attacks in Turkey this summer. "Iraqi forces have too many things on their plate" to fight in the Kandil range, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, told the Post, adding, however, "The new Iraq definitely will not tolerate the presence of armed foreign militias on its territory." /Turkiye/[07] ITALIAN AMBASSADOR: “TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP SHOULD BE UNCONDITIONAL”Italian Ambassador to Ankara Carlo Marsili said yesterday that in light of its accomplishments and progress, Turkey should be admitted to the European Union unconditionally. Speaking at a conference organized by the Turkish- Italian Chamber of Trade in Bursa, Marsili stated that Ankara had fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria, citing in particular its recent passage of the new Turkish Penal Code (TCK). “I believe that the EU Commission progress report on Turkey due to be released next month will be positive,” said Marsili. He further stressed that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had put forth great efforts for Turkey to get a date from the Union at December’s EU summit. /Cumhuriyet/[08] FRENCH FINANCE MINISTER CALLS FOR REFERENDUM ON TURKEY’S EU BIDThe question of whether Turkey should be allowed into the European Union should be put to a referendum, French Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said over the weekend. “At best, Turkish membership cannot come in less than 15 years,” he told French radio. According to Sarkozy, if Ankara completes its accession talks, a referendum should be held “in order to find out what the French think.” French Foreign Minister Michel Barnie also echoed Sarkozy’s views, saying that a referendum should be held after the completion of Turkey’s membership talks. /Star/[09] US PLANS $30 MILLION GRANT TO TRNCA seven-member delegation from US consulting firm BearingPoint yesterday arrived in the Turkish Republic of Northern to see the nation’s economy firsthand and determine how best to help it. A statement made by US government officials said that the delegation’s work would last some four weeks within the framework of a planned $30.5 million financial aid package to the TRNC to support its economic growth and spur unification of the island. /Turkiye/[10] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[11] DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on efforts to establish democracy in the Middle East and Turkey’s role in these. A summary of his column is as follows:“The US president told the UN General Assembly that though blood had been shed in Afghanistan and Iraq, the US had brought democracy to those countries. I wonder what sort of a regime the US means when it says ‘democracy’? Obviously it doesn’t mean the democracies of Western Europe or North America. Parties and elections seem enough for them because in communist or fascist regimes, there’s only one party and elections don’t bring such parties to power. However, if more than one party emerges from restrictions and elections are also held, this is not sufficient to call it a democracy. Democracy requires certain conditions beyond these. It’s a way of living. Communities and nations in the Greater Middle East don’t know such a life. They’ve never experienced it. It’s even hard to say that they want to live in such a regime because nobody opposing the current regimes champions democracy. Turkey lies outside the borders of this Greater Middle East. However, it’s reached democracy according to the Copenhagen criteria, but these criteria haven’t been applied yet. Consequently, the US said that its mission to establish democracy in the Greater Middle East certainly extends to promoting democracy particular to Asia or Africa. In order to ensure this, it told all these countries that the US’ efforts are legal. Actually Bush explained the Pax Americana. Our nation’s policy is to correctly determine where and how to take part in this Pax Americana.” [12] POST-SUMMIT PREPARATION BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)Columnist Sami Kohen writes on Turkey’s role in the international community. A summary of his column is as follows:“Ankara is discussing the post-summit period, in other words, the long hard days after December when Brussels decides on starting Turkey’s membership negotiations. Are our negotiations in the bag? What will happen after Dec. 17 when the EU Commission is set to hold the crucial summit? Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his colleagues are quite optimistic about the future, so they are currently working on a ‘post-summit plan,’ one including a nationwide campaign to educate the public about EU norms and regulations. According to high-level officials, the closer Turkey gets to the EU, the more difficult Ankara’s tasks become. We will have to conform to and embrace countless criteria covering a wide range of areas, from health and agriculture to education and the environment. Therefore, Ankara will have to assign numerous expert teams with specific tasks in order to fully implement its reform packages. More importantly, the Turkish nation will have to understand that it has already entered a period of radical transformation during which it will have to digest many changes and cast aside its old habits and weaknesses. In this respect, it is both necessary and useful to plan the post-summit period. Our society should know what it will have to face in the future and prepare for it… Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s address to the United Nations General Assembly last week proved Turkey’s determination to undertake important roles in the international community. Gul laid out Ankara’s stances on such key issues as the Middle East peace process, terrorism, and racism, underlining the intermediary role that Turkey is ready to play between the West and the world of Islam. Along these lines, he called on the UN to give Turkey a seat on the Security Council in 2009-10. As a matter of fact, now there are a host of reasons for the UN to take Gul’s call seriously. Turkey is becoming a ‘hub’ country, drawing the world’s attention to its efforts and roles on the international stage. Our country is signaling that it’s ready and resolved to do more in the future.” 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 |
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