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Turkish Press Review, 05-07-25
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
25.07.2005
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER, ERDOGAN PRAISE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
[02] GEN. TOLON: “THERE ARE SOME CIRCLES IN THE COUNTRY TRYING TO DISTURB THE PEACE”
[03] AGAR CRITICIZES AKP GOVT’S EFFORTS AGAINST TERRORISM
[04] FISCHER: “WE SHOULD PROVIDE ANKARA WITH POSSIBILITIES FOR ITS EU BID”
[05] 82ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE TREATY OF LAUSANNE CELEBRATED
[06] ZEBARI: “AN OPERATION AGAINST TERRORISTS IN IRAQ FROM TURKEY, OR ANOTHER NEIGHBORING COUNTRY, IS UNACCEPTABLE”
[07] SENER: “PRIVATIZATION IS A STATE POLICY”
[08] TURKEY NAMED BEST VACATION BARGAIN
[09] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[10] TURKEY’S POSSIBLE CROSS-BORDER OPERATION BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)
[01] SEZER, ERDOGAN PRAISE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
In a message marking the 97th anniversary of the lifting of press
censorship, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said that freedom of the press
depends upon taking necessary legal measures and the press acting with the
consciousness of responsibility. Sezer added that the press could do its
work in countries where its freedom is guaranteed under the law and its
independence is protected. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his
message marking the occasion that the press has the responsibility to
respect the rights of people in line with the ethics and principles of the
profession. /Hurriyet/
[02] GEN. TOLON: “THERE ARE SOME CIRCLES IN THE COUNTRY TRYING TO DISTURB
THE PEACE”
First Army Commander Gen. Hursit Tolon said yesterday that though for years
Ankara had tried to warn the world how grave is the threat posed by
terrorism, Turkey was subjected to a double standard. Tolon said that the
nation had lost about 30,000 of its own citizens in the fight against the
terrorist group PKK. “There are some circles in the country trying to harm
the peaceful atmosphere,” added Tolon. He further criticized the US
opposition to a possible cross-border Turkish operation against PKK
terrorists in Iraq. /Turkiye/
[03] AGAR CRITICIZES AKP GOVT’S EFFORTS AGAINST TERRORISM
Opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday criticized
the government’s policy before the recent terrorist bombings in Kusadasi,
charging that for the last two years it had ignored the warnings of
security forces. Agar stated that he hoped Turkey wouldn’t face such terror
bombings ever again, adding that his party would take measures to prevent
such attacks if it comes to power. /Aksam/
[04] FISCHER: “WE SHOULD PROVIDE ANKARA WITH POSSIBILITIES FOR ITS EU BID”
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said yesterday that Ankara should
be given possibilities to facilitate its European Union membership bid.
Speaking to German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Fischer said that he wanted
to prevent opposition Christian Democratic leader Angela Merkel becoming
the country’s chancellor since she is opposed to Turkey’s EU membership bid,
adding that this was of concern to him. “We should provide Ankara with all
kinds of possibilities so it can join the EU in the future,” he added.
Early German elections are set to take place in September, and Merkel is
the leading contender for the chancellorship. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] 82ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE TREATY OF LAUSANNE CELEBRATED
The 82nd anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne was celebrated yesterday
throughout the country. Speaking at a panel marking the occasion,
opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said that
the treaty signed in the early days of the republic has recently gained
importance. “The Treaty of Lausanne is the only agreement from that time
which is still in effect,” said Baykal, adding that the landmark pact was
the work of the Turkish nation. /Turkiye/
[06] ZEBARI: “AN OPERATION AGAINST TERRORISTS IN IRAQ FROM TURKEY, OR
ANOTHER NEIGHBORING COUNTRY, IS UNACCEPTABLE”
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said yesterday that a possible
operation against Iraq from Turkey, or from Iran or another Arab country,
would be unacceptable. Speaking at a meeting with top Iraqi officials in
Amman, Zebari said that US troops in Iraq were ready to capture PKK
terrorists in the country, warning that Turkish troops conducting military
operations in northern Iraq could destabilize the country. Zebari further
stated that the PKK terrorists were in a region out of the control of the
Kurdish government and that these terrorists would be caught by US troops
if they try to move elsewhere. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] SENER: “PRIVATIZATION IS A STATE POLICY”
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said yesterday that privatization
was a state policy in Turkey. Speaking at opening ceremonies in Sivas over
the weekend, Sener said that the privatization process of an institution
was determined by the work of related institutions. “Privatization
shouldn’t be considered the sale of a loss-making company,” said Sener.
“The goal of privatization is to boost employment and lighten the burden of
the government.” /Milliyet/
[08] TURKEY NAMED BEST VACATION BARGAIN
German company ADAC announced over the weekend that it had found Turkey to
be the best vacation bargain among the eight most popular European
countries among tourists. The company analyzed 37 different top holiday
destinations and 49 holiday packages, and prices for goods from ice cream
to museum entrance fees, and from taxi rides to coffee. According to these
criteria, Turkey was found the top holiday bargain, followed by Greece and
Croatia. /Sabah/
[09] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[10] TURKEY’S POSSIBLE CROSS-BORDER OPERATION BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)
Columnist Semih Idiz comments on a possible Turkish cross-border operation
in northern Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:
“The issue of whether or not Turkey will conduct a cross-border operation
against the terrorist PKK’s camps in northern Iraq is being taken
seriously. The US and Britain are following this issue very closely because
these countries are now in Iraq militarily. However, the European Union is
also involved because it’s considered certain that such an operation would
put the Kurdish lobby in Europe in play as well. Obviously those who are
trying to hinder Turkey’s EU membership will try to benefit from this
operation, just like they used the issue of the so-called Armenian
genocide. What’s more, Arabs are also involved in the issue as well. All
the operations carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in northern
Iraq in the past, which were considered to be based on just cause even by
the US, were condemned by the Arab League. Of course now everybody forgets
that not only Kurds, but also Arabs were against Turkey’s entrance into
Iraq even if under American command following the US invasion of Iraq. In
sum, everybody is discussing the effects of a possible military operation
by Turkey in northern Iraq. It seems nobody is viewing this positively
because nobody thinks that this will be a simple operation as it was in the
past.
Everybody says that if such an operation occurs, it will have serious
repercussions on the regional level and on Turkish-US and Turkish-EU
relations, both of which are very sensitive these days. People also say
that the fact that Turkey will base this operation on Article 51 of the UN
Charter on ‘self-defense’ won’t be able to dispel this fallout. People also
believe that if Turkey enters northern Iraq, it will face peshmerga and
American forces. Meanwhile, these remarks of a Western diplomat about Turks
summarize the general opinion among foreigners: ‘Your problem isn’t there,
but within yourself. Even if you carry out 50 cross-border operations, you
can’t escape from this truth.’ Arab diplomats I spoke to agreed with this.
At this point, so many questions could be asked, including: The US and
Britain are invaders in Iraq, so why are they giving lessons to us? However,
no matter how angry they are, military and civilian planners shouldn’t be
emotional, but realistic. Obviously, if Turkey finds it necessary, it would
conduct such an operation. Many people already want one to counter the
increasing PKK attacks. However, if some people think this will cost
nothing and lead to a happy ending, I must say that they are mistaken.”
ARCHIVE
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