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Turkish Press Review, 04-12-22Turkish 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 morning22.12.2004FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN TELEPHONES BUSH ABOUT ATTACKS ON TURKS IN IRAQPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday telephoned US President George W. Bush urging him to do all he could to investigate last week’s attack on a convoy in Mosul, Iraq which left five Turkish security guards dead. Stressing that the US should also begin work to end the presence of the terrorist group PKK_Kongra-Gel in northern Iraq, Erdogan proposed a tripartite meeting in Turkey with the coalition forces and Iraq interim government to discuss the security situation. The US president replied that he had ordered his staff to do their best to look into the attack on an official Turkish escort. Erdogan also told Bush about last week’s historic European Union summit. For his part, Bush expressed pleasure at Turkey’s EU membership moving ahead at the summit. In related news, the Foreign Ministry and US officials are reportedly working together to investigate last week’s deadly attack. Stating that it had been carried out by an Iraqi terrorist group, one US official said that following the recent US offensive into Fallujah, insurgents from there had moved to Mosul, making the latter a very dangerous place. /Turkiye/[02] ERDOGAN TO VISIT SYRIA; GUL TO TRAVEL TO ISRAEL, PALESTINEPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to travel to Syria today in an attempt to take the first steps of economic cooperation between the two neighbors, following the success of diplomatic initiatives to solve bilateral political problems. Analysts say that Turkey and Syria will enter a new period of political and economic friendship as Damascus has succeeded in taking effective measures together with Ankara against the terrorist PKK_Kongra-Gel. Among the issues to be discusses during Erdogan’s visit are developments in Iraq, the Middle East peace process, and Syrian-Israeli relations. In related news, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is scheduled to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories at month’s end. Gul is expected to tell both parties that Turkey will lend its full effort to the upcoming elections in Palestine, and also to any peaceful efforts to solve their conflict. /Sabah/[03] CONSUMER, CORPORATE TAX CUTS ANNOUNCED BY GOVTPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener and Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan yesterday held a press conference unveiling the details of a sweeping new tax package. Buoyed by last week's agreement on the start of accession talks with the European Union, Erdogan announced broad tax cuts to attract more foreign investment to the country and modernize its outmoded tax system. Erdogan said that the Value Added Tax (KDV) rates for food, health and education would be reduced from 18% to 8% as of next year. He also outlined reductions in two different types of income tax, one levied on wages and the other on personal earnings, noting that the two rates would be merged in 2006. Under the package, the corporate tax rate will also be cut from 33% to 30% as of Jan. 1. ''Our purpose is to establish an effective tax system to crack down on the unregistered economy and to collect taxes more efficiently,” he said. “We have taken very important steps on this issue over the last two years. Our government has shaped its tax targets along three basic principles. First of all, we need comprehensible tax regulations. Secondly, a stable and confidence-building tax system is essential. And our third principle is the establishment of sound and effective tax management.” /All Papers/[04] EU COMMISSION HEAD: “THE EU WILL COMPLETE TURKEY’S SCREENING PROCESS BY OCT. 3”European Union Commission Head Jose Manuel Barroso yesterday said that the EU would complete Turkey’s legislative screening process by Oct. 3, 2005, when Ankara is scheduled to begin its EU entry talks. “The date for beginning the screening process will be determined according to the commission’s preparations,” he said. “During this process, we’ll gauge how well Turkey has harmonized its own laws with the Union’s acquis communautaire.” Ankara reportedly wants the screening process to begin in April, while the EU favors May. /Milliyet/[05] BALKANENDE URGES BOTH SIDES TO RESUME CYPRUS TALKSEuropean Union Term President the Netherlands’ Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende yesterday called on both the Turkish and Greek Cypriots to resume talks to reach a resolution on the island. Addressing the EP, Balkenende urged both sides to take up UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s offer to take up negotiations again, provided the desire is mutual. He added that no opportunity should be passed up to reach a Cyprus resolution. /Star/[06] LUXEMBOURG FM: “OCT. 3 WILL BE A KEY DATE FOR ANKARA”Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asseborn said yesterday that he welcomed Ankara’s prospective European Union accession talks, adding that the date they are set to begin, Oct. 3, 2005, was very important. Asseborn stressed that Ankara was expected to take necessary steps to recognize Greek Cyprus before that time. He also said that his country had always supported Turkey’s EU membership and entry talks. Luxembourg is due to take over the EU term presidency on Jan. 1. /Aksam/[07] WASHINGTON REITERATES SUPPORT FOR ANNAN’S CYPRUS PLANThere is a plan to solve the Cyprus problem, namely that of UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan, and the US supports it, said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher yesterday. Prompted by reporters to clarify how Washington wants the Cyprus issue to proceed, Boucher stated, “The Turkish Cypriots voted in favor [of the Annan plan in a referendum in April]. The Greek Cypriots voted against. We would like to see the parties resolve their differences on that basis [Annan’s plan].” /Cumhuriyet/[08] DYP’S AGAR URGES THAT PERPETRATORS OF DEADLY MOSUL ATTACK BE FOUND, PUNISHEDAt a press conference yesterday, True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar called on Turkish, Iraqi and US officials to find and punish the perpetrators of last week’s “traitorous” attack on an official convoy in Mosul, Iraq, which left five Turkish security guards dead. Stressing that the slaying had been a trap directly targeting Turkey, Agar said that his party and the nation would not forget the incident and wanted to see the murderers punished. /Hurriyet/[09] AUSTRIAN PM PROPOSES REFERENDUM ON TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIPFollowing last week’s historic European Union summit, Austria, a country opposed to Turkey’s EU membership, has stepped up its efforts to derail Ankara’s bid. Austrian Prime Minister Wolfgang Schussel said yesterday that he would propose holding a referendum in his country on Turkey’s EU membership and would welcome the support of other political parties on the matter. /Turkiye/[10] SUPREME COURT HEARINGS OF ERSUMER, CAKAN CONTINUEThe hearings of the two former energy and natural resources ministers, Cumhur Ersumer and Zeki Cakan, continued yesterday at the State Supreme Court. During their third hearing, the two ministers denied all charges of corruption during their terms in office. Ersumer said that he had served the state honorably, but was now being treated like a terrorist. For his part, Cakan claimed that he was fighting a politically motivated plot and that contrary to allegations, there had been no bidding during his tenure. The trial is expected to continue today. /Turkiye/[11] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…[12] DEADLY AMBUSH AND COUNTER-MEASURES BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the slayings last week of five Turkish security guards in Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:“Last week’s killings of five Turkish security guards in Mosul, Iraq caused great sorrow in Turkey. Afterwards, the government started to investigate the incident as well as explore additional security measures. There’s a Coordination Council established by the General Staff, Foreign Ministry and Directorate General of Security to determine and implement new security measures for Turkish visitors to Iraq. This council has a center at the Habur Border Gate. Security officials told me about these security measures: 1. Military planes will be allocated for transportation when required 2. There will be no independent entrances, except for secure convoys on certain days of the week 3. When appropriate, personnel will be carried on commercial flights through Jordan This tragic incident offers important lessons for security. Ankara has been working on new measures, most importantly concerning the allocation of planes. In addition, the Foreign Ministry has diplomatic initiatives in both Baghdad and Washington. It’s pushing the Iraqi Foreign Ministry and the coalition to find the perpetrators of this crime and deliver them to justice. This was also conveyed to Ankara’s US and Iraqi embassies. Ankara is hoping to clear up the killings as soon as possible. Other efforts to investigate the incident are continuing. Reports from civilian and military authorities overlap each other. Ankara is glad that US soldiers saw the incident from a tower, killed two of the attackers, and sent a division of soldiers to intervene. In addition, the injured were taken to a US military hospital, and the US also helped to transport the bodies of the slain, which shows that the US has no bad intentions. The attackers’ method and style and their dancing around the vehicle afterwards led Ankara to suspect terrorist al-Zarqawi’s group. However, Ankara is also trying to finger not only the direct attackers, but also those behind them. Ankara also thinks that the attackers and decision-makers might be different. Incidents in Iraq continue to raise Ankara’s concerns. The Iraq issue is on the top of security officials’ agenda.” [13] COLUMNISTS, TAKE NOTE! BY SERDAR TURGUT (AKSAM)Columnist Serdar Turgut comments on Turkey’s foreign policy. A summary of his column is as follows:“Before the US invasion of Iraq, some columnists who misunderstood the domestic debate accused me and other columnists who favored Turkish help for the operation of being pro-American. However, I did an analysis of US policies so that they could understand the issue, and concluded that sometimes it was right to cooperate with the bad guys. A British statesman – I think it was Lord Palmerston – once said that Britain has no sworn enemies or perpetual friends, but it does have perpetual and sworn interests. Back then I was trying to say that Turkey also should adopt this principle, but some columnists didn’t understand this, because they thought that Turkey should have sworn enemies. However, while advocating Turkish forces going to Iraq with the US, I argued that this would serve Turkey’s sworn and perpetual interests. If Turkey has a firm stance on Iraq, we wouldn’t face the danger of a PKK resurrection or brazen attacks like the recent deadly one in Mosul. One has to see this: ‘It is not Europe which determines Turkey’s future, but Mosul.’ With the game in Mosul, ‘only Turkey’s sworn interests are being attacked.’ Europe, which many in Turkey now praise, would do nothing but support those who attack Turkey’s interests in Mosul. It’s also a monumental failure that Turkey has suffered more causalities in Iraq than the countries which joined the coalition forces and that it risked all of its interests in the region by not entering the country. Great states are distinguished by their ability to know and defend their sworn and perpetual interests in every circumstance. US policies are explained by US President George W. Bush’s aggressiveness. Some 150 years ago the doctrine of America’s ‘Manifest Destiny’ laid out how the US, as a ‘great state,’ must work to preserve its perpetual interests, and every US president without exception has to act in accordance with this doctrine. Turkey also had a ‘Manifest Destiny.’ Ataturk tried to explain this to the people and wanted Turkey to fulfill the requirements to become a great state, but instead it acted as if its sworn enemies are its destiny. Maybe it’s impossible to make some people grasp what I’m trying to explain, but perhaps just one of them could.” 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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