Compact version |
|
Sunday, 22 December 2024 | ||
|
Turkish Press Review, 05-07-11Turkish 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 morning11.07.2005ERDOGAN: “WE TOLD US OFFICIALS ABOUT TURKEY’S SENSITIVITIES” BOSNIA MARKS 10th ANNIVERSARY OF SREBRENICA, FOREIGN MINISTRY CONDEMNS THE MASSACRE ARINC: “A FREE PRESS IS A MUST FOR DEMOCRACY” AGAR: “WE’RE READY FOR EARLY ELECTIONS” BAHCELI SAYS COUNTRY IS “UNDER SEIGE” SENER: “THE CURRENT ACCOUNTS DEFICIT CAN’T BE COVERED BY FOREIGN INVESTMENT” WB PRESIDENT WOLFENSOHN MEETS TOBB CHAIRMAN SARKOZY: “TURKEY HAS NO PLACE IN EUROPE” OECD: “TURKEY’S ECONOMY IS SLOWING DOWN” FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… SHALLOW FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: “WE TOLD US OFFICIALS ABOUT TURKEY’S SENSITIVITIES”After completing his visit to the United States, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned to Turkey last night. At a press conference at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport, Erdogan stated that he had underlined Turkey’s significance as a Muslim yet secular country in the region in his speech at the Sun Valley conference. Recalling that he also held bilateral meeting with the CEOs of large companies, Erdogan said that he had particularly emphasized that investments in Turkey would reap rewards for US businessmen. “We told US officials about Turkey’s sensitivities on terrorism,” he added. “We discussed global terrorism and possible ways to fight it. We underlined that Turkey and the US are two strategic partners whose bilateral relations must be improved further. We can share common, universal values and act in cooperation. I believe such meetings are very important for the promotion of our country. I’m glad to see that the US officials are aware of the importance of Turkey for the region." /Star/[02] BOSNIA MARKS 10th ANNIVERSARY OF SREBRENICA, FOREIGN MINISTRY CONDEMNS THE MASSACREAs Bosnians are set to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre with a ceremony today, the Foreign Ministry issued a written statement condemning the atrocity. On July 11-18, 1995 Serb militants killed some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys taken from a United Nations “safe area.” The massacre aimed to ensure there were no Muslims to reclaim Serb-occupied land in the future. “The fact that the perpetrators have yet to be caught although the incidents took place 10 years ago increases our indignation,” said the Foreign Ministry statement. “We believe that the international community and regional countries will exert every possible effort and take effective measures to prevent a possible rise of ultranationalism and ethnic atrocities on the continent.” Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is set to attend the commemoration ceremony. Prior to his departure for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Gul said that he shared the grief of people who lost their loved ones in Srebrenica. In related news, British Foreign Minister Jack Straw is also expected to attend the ceremony representing the EU’s term president and to meet with Gul there. /Turkiye/[03] ARINC: “A FREE PRESS IS A MUST FOR DEMOCRACY”Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc over the weekend issued a message to mark the 53rd anniversary of the Turkish Journalists’ Union (TGS). Underlining that the press plays a very important role in strengthening democracy and the principles of the Republic, Arinc said, “The press acts like a bridge between the state administration and nation, which has an indispensable role for democracy.” Arinc stressed that freedom of the press is a must to sustain the role of the media as a guardian of democracy and human rights. “The working conditions of our journalists should be improved,” he added. /Star/[04] AGAR: “WE’RE READY FOR EARLY ELECTIONS”True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday continued to push for early elections in Tokat’s district of Dikili. Agar criticized main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal’s recent remarks that he would respect the decision taken by the government concerning early elections. Agar said that both the ruling and opposition parties are running from early elections and that the DYP is the only party which is self-confidently ready for polls. Calling the government’s resistance of elections incomprehensible, Agar said, “Those who are afraid of the nation should not be in politics.” /Turkiye/[05] BAHCELI SAYS COUNTRY IS “UNDER SEIGE”Speaking to a gathering of Iraqi Turkmen yesterday, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Mehmet Bahceli said that Turkey was “under siege” by foreign forces. “On the one hand, some people say that Turkey won’t join the European Union, but on the other, the tendency towards keeping the process alive was adopted so Turkey can be besieged,” he charged. “Some people are trying to make Turkey ready to accept mandate and protection both politically and economically. Will the Turkish people pay the for such irresponsible policies? The nationalist movement will call them to account for this.” /Turkiye/[06] SENER: “THE CURRENT ACCOUNTS DEFICIT CAN’T BE COVERED BY FOREIGN INVESTMENT”State Minister Abdullatif Sener said yesterday that Turkey can’t cover its current account deficit by boosting foreign investment. Sener added that foreign companies which invest domestically reap revenues in Turkey and send this money back to their home countries. “Foreign companies bring neither technology nor fixed capital to Turkey,” said Sener, warning that this could create a medium-term crisis. /Milliyet/[07] FORMER WB PRESIDENT WOLFENSOHN MEETS TOBB CHAIRMANFormer World Bank President and special envoy for the Quartet for the Middle East Peace Process James Wolfensohn met with Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport on Friday. The Quartet for the Mideast Peace Process is made up of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations. Wolfensohn was briefed about the work of the Ankara Platform, a group established by Turkish, Palestinian and Israeli businessmen. Hisarciklioglu asked for his support for the first project of the platform, namely the Erez Industrial Region project which aims to create new employment opportunities for Palestinians in the region. Wolfensohn underlined that he was aware of the importance of the Ankara Platform and would play his part to promote the initiative in the international community. /Hurriyet/[08] SARKOZY: “TURKEY HAS NO PLACE IN EUROPE”French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday that the European Union Constitution had been rejected by the French public due to Paris’ support for Turkey’s EU membership. Saying that he supports the EU membership of Eastern European countries, Sarkozy added, “Since Turkey is not European it has no place in Europe.” Sarkozy is the leader of France’s ruling party and a likely successor to current President Jacques Chirac. /Cumhuriyet/[09] OECD: “TURKEY’S ECONOMY IS SLOWING DOWN”According to composite leading indicators of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Turkey’s economy is slowing down. The indicators cover various areas such as electricity production, new domestic orders, employment, export opportunities and discounted interest rates of Treasury tenders. An OECD report noted that the composite leading indicators index of the Turkish economy fell by 0.2% and 0.1% in April and May, respectively, showing a slowdown in the economy’s expansion. /Hurriyet/[10] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…[11] SHALLOW FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on the international fight against terrorism. A summary of her column is as follows:“Justice ministers of the European Union countries will meet on Wednesday in Brussels to discuss new common measures to be taken against terrorism. It seems these measures will make life more difficult for European Muslims, following the statements made following last week’s terrorist attacks in London. A multidimensional strategy is needed in the fight against terrorism, but up to now we’ve only seen rights curtailed. The US made a mistake calling its invasion of Iraq part the global fight against terrorism, and a network of information exchange couldn’t be established among security forces. The war against Iraq was reconciled with the fight against terrorism and an expectation was created that when foreign soldiers withdraw from Iraq, terrorist actions will end. Would Spanish soldiers’ withdrawal from Iraq following the terrorist attacks in Madrid protect Spain from terrorism forever? Terrorism and the US’ war against Iraq became Siamese twins. What’s more, not only radical Islamic terrorist organizations, but also the PKK and shadowy organizations which kidnap and kill people in return for huge amounts of money feed from the same vein. Obviously, the war in Iraq has nothing to do with the fight against terrorism and it won’t end when the war is over. Following the terrorist attacks in London last week, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said that this is a war against the West. Do you think this interpretation, which was made after the Egyptian ambassador to Baghdad was kidnapped and killed, is true? We should know the terrorism we are facing, but we haven’t been able to diagnose it yet. When there is no diagnosis, the medicine given for treatment doesn’t work, either. Meanwhile, rights which were gained following long struggles have been shrunk. However, masses frightened of terrorism don’t question this and embrace all sorts of unprogressive and demagogic politicians. Italy suggests that foreigners in the country should be monitored by offices of provincial governors. In addition, such measures as closing workplaces or seizing the properties of a suspects or expelling them without a court order are being discussed. A unit was established in Europol 10 days after the Sept. 11 attacks and a European extradition decision was accepted in 2002, but none of these steps yielded results. National security forces of member countries acted jealously concerning the issue of information exchange. In addition, the US’ reluctance to share information is another matter of complaint. Although Europol is better, it has always been very efficient in lawsuits filed against Turks by Greek Cypriots. The aim of the EU justice ministers is to establish common urgent response mechanisms against terrorist attacks. There are many reasons for the lack of success in the fight against terrorism, but the most important of them is confusion about its description. As long as the EU and the US focus on radical Islamic terrorism while ignoring others, we can never develop a comprehensive strategy to fight terrorism.” 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 |