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Turkish Press Review, 05-03-17Turkish 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 morning17.03.2005FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…CONTENTS
[01] SEZER: “I’LL PAY A VISIT TO SYRIA AS PLANNED”President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said yesterday that he would travel to Syria on April 12 to pay an official visit as scheduled. “Of course I will go,” Sezer told a reporter asking about his plans, which came under scrutiny in the midst of international pressure on Damascus to withdraw its troops from Lebanon. The visit is aimed at reciprocating a landmark trip last year by Syrian President Bashar Assad to Turkey. On Monday, commenting on the visit, US Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman said that Washington hoped Ankara would join the international consensus on Syrian troop withdrawal. In related news, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that Turkey was already acting together with the international community on the Syria issue, adding that Ankara was carrying out its consultations and discussions with both allies and neighboring countries to reach a peaceful settlement on the matter. Gul added that Edelman’s remarks had been misunderstood and that US officials had already clarified the matter. /Turkiye/[02] ERDOGAN REITERATES CRITICISM OF MEDIAIn an address to his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) parliamentary group, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday reiterated his criticism of the nation’s media, accusing them of exaggeration and even fabricating stories. “Exaggerated stories irritate our citizens,” he said. “The media shouldn’t forget the psychological effects of what they report. The media must support security forces so as to protect and promote our country’s national interests.” Erdogan was accused by Turkish journalists of infringing press freedom after he blamed media coverage for triggering European condemnation of a recent police clampdown on an Istanbul demonstration. Erdogan's criticism followed earlier accusations that the press was reporting baseless stories about Turkish-US relations. /Cumhuriyet/[03] ISRAEL INVITES ERDOGANIsraeli Ambassador in Ankara Pinhas Avivi on Tuesday conveyed an official invitation for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to visit Israel. Reportedly, Erdogan is preparing to visit both Israel and Palestine. /Aksam/[04] CICEK MEETS ISRAELI COUNTERPART IN JERUSALEMJustice Minister Cemil Cicek yesterday met in Jerusalem with his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni. Cicek emphasized the need for joint action to counter genocide, fascism, anti-Semitism, and fear of both Islam and Christianity. Emphasizing the historical bonds between Turks and Israelis, Cicek said, “The Ottoman Empire opened its doors for Jews who were exiled from Spain, and Jews were also saved in Turkey during World War II.” Cicek also attended the opening of a new genocide museum in Jerusalem. /Star/[05] AKP, CHP DEPUTIES MEET WITH RUMSFELDA Turkish delegation consisting of five Justice and Development Party (AKP) and three Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies yesterday attended meetings in Washington that included talks with US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. US-Turkish relations were discussed, and US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz expressed US worries about recent developments in Syria. Turkish parliamentarians for their part stated that Turkey attaches great importance to its relations with regional countries and has good relations with its neighbors. “There are issues that we can handle together as friends and allies,” replied Wolfowitz. “If your relations with Syria are on good terms, we request that you use this position to convince Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.” Meeting with officials from the US State Department and the White House, the Turkish delegation communicated to Washington that one of the major reasons for anti-Americanism in Turkey is the continued presence of the terrorist group PKK in northern Iraq. The parliamentarians also communicated Turkey’s perspective on the so-called Armenian genocide allegations and the need to end the isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), and they asked for US assistance on the latter issue. /Milliyet/[06] THREE MORE POLICEMEN SUSPENDED OVER PROTEST CLAMPDOWNThree more policemen yesterday were suspended as part of an investigation into a recent clampdown on a women’s demonstration. The three officers were found to have used disproportionate force against demonstrators in the March 6 protest in Istanbul. So far a total of six policemen have been suspended over the incident, which was harshly criticized by the European Union. /Hurriyet/[07] CONTRA BUYUKANIT, FOREIGN MINISTRY ASSERTS COORDINATION OVER IRAQThe Foreign Ministry yesterday stated that ministry and military officials are in coordination about Turkey’s policies in Iraq. Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit earlier this week criticized the government’s policy in Iraq and charged that Turkey had no policy for the region. /Milliyet/[08] NEW TRNC GOVERNMENT WINS VOTE OF CONFIDENCEThe new coalition government of Mehmet Ali Talat’s Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and Serdar Denktas’s Democrat Party (DP), established last week, yesterday won a vote of confidence by 29 votes in the 50-seat Republican Assembly of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). After the vote, Prime Minister Talat said he would hold the post for a short time, as he would be running for the presidency in elections set for April 17. /Turkiye/[09] ANOTHER CHP DEPUTY RESIGNSOpposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Sanliurfa Deputy Turan Tuysuz yesterday resigned from his party. Charging that there was no democracy in the party, Tuysuz claimed that 25-30 more deputies might also resign from the party in the coming days. Tuysuz was among 15 deputies censured by the CHP Disciplinary Board for supporting Mustafa Sarigul’s leadership challenge of CHP Chairman Deniz Baykal during an extraordinary party congress in January. With this latest resignation, the number of CHP deputies in Parliament has fallen to 168, and the number of independent deputies climbed to 13. /Hurriyet/[10] EP: “TURKEY HAS MUCH TO DO TO IMPROVE WOMEN’S RIGHTS”The European Parliament’s Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee held a hearing yesterday on the role of women in Turkey’s social, economic and political life. State Minister Responsible for Women’s Rights Guldal Aksit attended the meeting, where EP officials underlined that although Turkey had made significant reforms on women’s rights, there are still serious shortcoming in implementation. Aksit told EP officials that work is still continuing to establish a Parliament commission on women’s rights and gender equality. /Cumhuriyet/[11] PRESS GROUPS SEEK SUSPENSION OF NEW TCKTurkish press groups have launched a campaign to halt the implementation of a new European Union-backed penal code, warning that it could severely restrict freedom of the press. The new penal code may result in "many arbitrary prosecutions ... and pack prisons with journalists," some 15 professional press organizations wrote yesterday in an open letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They also stressed that the new law would deal a great blow to freedom of the press and cause regression in the sector, which they said is already suffering from censorship. The push to suspend and amend the law comes only two weeks before it is to come into force, on April 1. /Aksam/[12] ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR: “THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA CREATED THE GENOCIDE ISSUE”Armenian Ambassador to the European Union Viguen Tchitechian said on Tuesday that the genocide issue had been created by Armenians living abroad in the diaspora. Speaking to the European Parliament’s Interparliamentary Cooperation Commission meeting in Strasbourg, Tchitechian said that he did believe a “genocide” had occurred, but added that the responsibility for this should not be put on the shoulders of modern Turkey and the Turkish nation. Stressing that some 3 million Armenians were living in Armenia, while some 5 million others were living abroad in the diaspora, Tchitechian stated that the diaspora had made the matter into a problematic issue. /Turkiye/[13] UNAKITAN RINGS OPENING BELL OF NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGEOn a visit to New York, Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan yesterday rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange together with NYSE Chief Operating Officer Robert Britz and his assistant Noreeen Culhane. Unakitan will hold meetings today with US finance officials to discuss recent developments and the privatization process in Turkey. /Sabah/[14] FT: “TURKEY'S HOPES OF STARTING EU TALKS COULD BE HELD HOSTAGE TO THE CROATIA ISSUE”The European Union’s decision to delay Croatia’s EU membership talks due to Zagreb’s failure to hand over a war crimes suspect to the UN could end up derailing and delaying Turkey’s own membership talks, reported the Financial Times yesterday. “There are growing fears among EU diplomats that the dispute could escalate, and that Turkey's hopes of starting its own membership talks on Oct. 3 could be hostage to the resolution of the Croatia issue,” said the piece. “Some EU diplomats believe that Austria – which is skeptical about Turkish EU membership – would use its veto to block the start of talks with Ankara unless Croatia had already joined the queue.” Austria, among other EU members, supports the start of Croatia’s EU talks as scheduled, the article added. The piece also quoted a EU official as saying he doesn’t think that Turkey will be allowed to start its talks before Croatia. /Aksam/[15] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…[16] A FEW NOTES ON SEZER’S VISIT TO SYRIA AND EDELMAN BY IBRAHIM KARAGUL (YENI SAFAK)Columnist Ibrahim Karagul comments on the US ambassador’s public image and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer’s upcoming visit to Syria. A summary of his column is as follows:“Considering the range of his activities, his statements which violate the decorum of democracy, and his interest in Turkey’s internal affairs, Eric Edelman acts more like a colonial governor than an ambassador. Since his appointment as US ambassador to Turkey, Edelman’s actions have always caused discomfort among the public. His latest ‘suggestions’ on Sezer’s upcoming visit to Syria had the same impact. Edelman is probably the least-liked and trusted American ambassador in Turkish history, and his reputation is not likely to recuperate. Edelman’s actions have exceeded his diplomatic mission. His ‘interest’ in nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the Turkish media and ethnic minorities make him go beyond his role as an ambassador. His presence here has never contributed to Turkish-American relations, and it never will. If we want to address the reasons for anti-Americanism, Edelman must be issue one. As long as Edelman stays in Turkey, the chill wind disturbing bilateral relations will last. Why are Edelman and his supporters in the Turkish press bothered by Sezer’s visit to Syria? Isn’t Syria an independent state recognized by the United Nations? Don’t our government and people have the ability to decide which countries we should visit? Is our foreign policy decided by Edelman and his chorus among the Turkish media? Do we have to ask for their permission? Do we have to act in accordance with the common interests of Israel and the US? Is Turkey not an independent nation? In fact, Syria isn’t what’s at stake. The ultimate plan is to corner and control Turkey in order to use it as a hitman. The Vietnamese were terrorists, according to the US. Latin America, China, Libya and the USSR were also terrorists. And now Iran and Syria. But if they abandon their policies based on opposing the US, they will no longer be called terrorists. Instead, they will be lauded as models of democracy for the Middle East. If Turkey develops an independent foreign policy, prioritizes its own interests, and strengthens its ties with Africa, Asia and the Middle East, who knows whether the US will declare Turkey a terrorist or not? Isn’t more than half of the world already a threat for the US? Who can guarantee that those who serve Turkey’s interests won’t be declared terrorists? How much progress has the US made in Turkey with this policy? How many people have they convinced? The truth is, they have failed before, and they’ll never succeed.” 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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