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Turkish Press Review, 06-01-24
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
24.01.2006
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
CONTENTS
[01] GUL: “TURKEY WILL CONTINUE TO EXERT EFFORTS TO FIND A SETTLEMENT TO THE CYPRUS ISSUE”
[02] ERDOGAN ASKS PUTIN’S SUPPORT FOR CYPRUS ISSUE
[03] ANKARA’S PLAN TO DRIVE GREEK CYPRIOTS INTO A CORNER
[04] MGK SECRETARY-GENERAL ALPOGAN: “TURKEY IS UNEASY WITH IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM”
[05] CABINET DISCUSSES NEW POSSIBLE CYPRUS INITIATIVE, BIRD FLU
[06] AGCA TO BE FREED IN 2010
[07] TURKEY-BRAZIL BUSINESS COUNCIL TO BE SET UP
[08] VORKINK: “EU MEMBERSHIP TALKS STRENGTHENED STABILITY OF THE TURKISH ECONOMY”
[09] GOVT TO EMPLOY 100,000 PERSONNEL
[10] EU APPROVES TURKEY’S ACCESSION PARTNERSHIP DOCUMENT
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[12] A PHILOSOPHER’S BITTER END BY TAHA AKYOL (MILLIYET)
[01] GUL: “TURKEY WILL CONTINUE TO EXERT EFFORTS TO FIND A SETTLEMENT TO
THE CYPRUS ISSUE”
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that Turkey had always been a
step ahead in efforts to find a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus.
Speaking to reporters at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport upon his return from a
visit to Brazil, he stated that Turkey wanted to reach a solution under the
supervision and leadership of the United Nations. Stressing that Turkey had
always been active to find a settlement, Gul added that those efforts would
continue. The foreign minister is expected to hold a press conference in
Istanbul today to announce Ankara’s new proposals on the Cyprus issue.
/Turkiye/
[02] ERDOGAN ASKS PUTIN’S SUPPORT FOR CYPRUS ISSUE
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday telephoned Russian President
Vlademir Putin. During their talks, Erdogan asked Putin to lend support to
Turkish side’s ongoing efforts to find a settlement to the Cyprus issue and
to end Turkish Cypriots’ international isolation. /Turkiye/
[03] ANKARA’S PLAN TO DRIVE GREEK CYPRIOTS INTO A CORNER
Ankara is getting prepared to host British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on
Thursday. Britain, which has exerted efforts but couldn’t overcome the
difficulties created by the Greek Cypriots during the European Union Term
Presidency, is getting prepared to take new steps and support Turkey’s
thesis for “the reciprocal abolishment of isolations.” Straw is willing to
make pressure on Greek Cypriots for a solution. Straw will discuss details
of the new Cyprus in Ankara. The EU Negotiation Framework Document
envisages that Turkey should recognize Greek Cyprus before the negotiations
are completed and open its ports to Greek Cypriot ships within 2006. In
spite of the EU’s pressures, Turkey suggested “opening harbors in return
for the removal of the EU’s embargo on the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC)” for a solution. The proposal, which Ankara put forth in May
2005, was supported by Britain and the US. Within this term, Straw’s visit
is viewed as “Britain’s activating the EU.” Turkey’s suggestion was
submitted to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. After meeting with Straw,
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will go to Davos, Switzerland on Thursday to
participate in the three-day World Economic Forum (WEF). Erdogan will hold
a bilateral meeting with Annan on Friday, during which the Cyprus issue
will be on the agenda. Ankara’s aim is to resolve the issues of ports and
isolations before June and remove the obstacles before the negotiations.
/Star/
[04] MGK SECRETARY-GENERAL ALPOGAN: “TURKEY IS UNEASY WITH IRAN’S NUCLEAR
PROGRAM”
Iran is the main topic during the contacts of National Security Council
(MGK) Secretary-General Yigit Alpogan, who is currently in Washington as
the guest of Stephen Hadley, US National Security Adviser. According to the
diplomatic sources, Alpogan will explain Ankara’s stance at his meetings.
It was reportedly stated that Alpogan said that Turkey would be the most
suffering country if Iran makes nuclear weapons. Alpogan said that Turkey
is uneasy with Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “Any move apart from peaceful
purposes makes us feel annoyed. Therefore, Turkey supports the efforts by
the US and the European Union Big 3. Turkish authorities are expressing
Turkey’s stance on every occasion. This is Ankara’s position on Iran’s
nuclear activities and this issue is separate from Turkey’s bilateral
relations with Tehran,” Alpogan added. Alpogan also yesterday met with US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] CABINET DISCUSSES NEW POSSIBLE CYPRUS INITIATIVE, BIRD FLU
During yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a number of issues, including a possible new
initiative on the Cyprus issue and bird flu, were discussed. Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul briefed the cabinet members on the new initiative.
The Cyprus formula, formed by Ankara to open Turkish ports and airports to
Greek Cyprus, was taken up at the meeting. /Milliyet/
[06] AGCA TO BE FREED IN 2010
State prosecutors declared yesterday that Mehmet Ali Agca would be released
from jail on Jan. 18, 2010. Agca, who is the murderer of journalist Abdi
Ipekci and assassin of Pope John Paul II, returned to jail last week upon
Turkey’s Court of Appeal’s order. /Turkish Daily News/
[07] TURKEY-BRAZIL BUSINESS COUNCIL TO BE SET UP
During Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s visit to Brazil, a letter of intent
was signed for the establishment of Turkey-Brazil Business Council. A
statement issued by the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) said that
within the framework of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s visit to Brasilia,
Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, a letter of intent was signed between the Sao
Paulo Industry Federation (FIESP) and the DEIK on Jan. 20, 2006 for the
establishment of Turkish-Brazil Business Council. /Aksam/
[08] VORKINK: “EU MEMBERSHIP TALKS STRENGTHENED STABILITY OF THE TURKISH
ECONOMY”
World Bank Turkey Director Andrew Vorkink said yesterday that beginning
European Union membership talks strengthened Turkey’s economical, social
and political stability, predicting that 2006 wouldn’t be difficult as long
as the EU talks continued. Vorkink stated that with the improvement of
atmosphere of investment in Turkey, the investors who went abroad began to
return to the country, adding that EU membership talks with Turkey played
an important role in this. He stressed that owing to the economic stability,
Turkey’s situation became more predictable. “The interest of foreign
capital, especially from Europe will continue,” he added. “Europe will grow
by 2%, but Turkey is more attractive since it will grow by at least 2.5
fold.” Vorkink stressed that inflation and growth targets for this year
were realistic and predicted that the current accounts deficit could be
easily managed in 2006. /Aksam/
[09] GOVT TO EMPLOY 100,000 PERSONNEL
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said yesterday that the government
decided to employ about 100,000 new personnel to the public. Sahin stated
that the Cabinet decided to hold an examination as it did in July 2004 to
employ new staff. In related news, Sahin said that a draft to establish
development agencies in order to boost investments would be discussed in
Parliament. /Sabah/
[10] EU APPROVES TURKEY’S ACCESSION PARTNERSHIP DOCUMENT
The European Council declared yesterday that Turkey’s EU Accession
Partnership Document had been approved. During their gathering in December,
the EU foreign ministers agreed on the document which underlines Turkey’s
commitments to be implemented both in short and middle terms. /Turkiye/
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[12] A PHILOSOPHER’S BITTER END BY TAHA AKYOL (MILLIYET)
Columnist Taha Akyol comments on former Socialist People’s Party (SHP)
leader and former minister Aydin Guven Gurkan who passed away last weekend.
A summary of his column is as follows:
“Of course, I’m talking about former Socialist People’s Party (SHP) leader
and former minister Aydin Guven Gurkan, who was a philosopher. He passed
away during this weekend and unfortunately, as his wife Serap Aksoy said,
he was offended to politics, when he died. It’s also saddening that those
who ended the political life of the left’s greatest brain now say that
they’re very sorry. I called his best friend, offered my condolence and
suggested him to publish Gurkan’s speeches and articles in a book. He said
that this book would be published in three separate volumes and that it
would be easy, as he collected them when he was alive. I was relaxed by
these words. All the excessive views are dangerous. They narrow the heads
and make it difficult to live together. However, moderation and consensus
can’t be ensured through ‘advice.’ ‘Main movements’ which prevents the
people from thrown into extremities are necessary; central left and central
right. Modern societies which became a nation are based on these two wings
as the main political movements. The social democracy gathers together and
represents the masses who feel to have been unjustly treated due to such
reasons as the lack of income and cultural differences in a society,
produce solutions and thus include them into the ‘system’ and makes peace
between them and the main body. A typical example of this is that the
Spanish Socialist Party could keep the ethnic nationalism limited in
certain regions as Bask and Catalonia. The social democracy played an
important role in the West in terms of preventing the wars of class.
However, we lacked such a social democrat mass party which would attach the
differences into the main body. This situation creates problems in terms of
social integrity and the functioning of democracy. Besides his moral and
intellectual virtues, Gurkan was a politician who was aware of this
function of the social democracy. I met with him in 1984, when he became a
deputy. I was working at a journal as an editor. He used to visit me there,
I used to learn his opinions and thus our friendship developed. He was one
of the people who defended the concept of ‘modern social democracy.’ He
used to analyze former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit’s movement of ‘Left of
Center’ with this understanding and saw this as the model of a ‘left in
harmony with the public.’ Indeed, the left and the Republican People’s
Party (CHP) should analyze why they were never integrated with the public
and how the ‘Left of Center’ succeeded it but then wasted it. Gurkan will
enlighten such a search for social democracy in Turkey with his works to be
published. I commemorate him with respect and grace.”
ARCHIVE
The news and articles issued in the Turkish Press Review
may be quoted from provided due acknowledgement is made.
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