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Turkish Press Review, 06-01-30
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
30.01.2006
ERDOGAN: “I DIDN’T SAY THAT
I WOULD DECLARE MY ASSETS”
GUL: “TURKEY’S NEW ACTION
PLAN ON CYPRUS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO
REACH A CYPRUS RESOLUTION AND IT SHOULDN’T
BE MISSED”
BAYKAL TO VISIT ATHENS
EU SAYS TESTS REVEAL H5N1
STRAIN OF BIRD FLU FOUND IN NORTHERN CYPRUS
EU IS PUTTING PRESSURE ON
TURKEY ABOUT IRAN
IACOVOU: “WE CAN VETO
TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP IF NECESSARY”
BILL GATES IN ISTANBUL
TERM OF OFFICE OF NATO’S
SENIOR CIVILIAN REPRESENTATIVE IN AFGANISTAN
IS EXTENDED
PARLIAMENT FACING SOME
CONTOVERSIAL BILLS THIS WEEK
TUZMEN: “THIS YEAR WE HOPE
TO INCREASE OUR EXPORTS TO $80 BILLON”
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM
THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
ANKARA’S SELF-CRITICISM
BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: “I DIDN’T SAY THAT I
WOULD DECLARE MY ASSETS”
[02] GUL: “TURKEY’S NEW ACTION PLAN
ON CYPRUS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO REACH A
CYPRUS RESOLUTION AND IT SHOULDN’T BE
MISSED”
[03] BAYKAL TO VISIT ATHENS
[04] EU SAYS TESTS REVEAL H5N1
STRAIN OF BIRD FLU FOUND IN NORTHERN CYPRUS
[05] EU IS PUTTING PRESSURE ON
TURKEY ABOUT IRAN
[06] IACOVOU: “WE CAN VETO TURKEY’S
EU MEMBERSHIP IF NECESSARY”
[07] BILL GATES IN ISTANBUL
[08] TERM OF OFFICE OF NATO’S SENIOR
CIVILIAN REPRESENTATIVE IN AFGANISTAN IS
EXTENDED
[09] PARLIAMENT FACING SOME
CONTOVERSIAL BILLS THIS WEEK
[10] TUZMEN: “THIS YEAR WE HOPE TO
INCREASE OUR EXPORTS TO $80 BILLON”
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE
COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[12] ANKARA’S SELF-CRITICISM
BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)
[01] ERDOGAN: “I DIDN’T SAY THAT I
WOULD DECLARE MY ASSETS”
Speaking at a meeting of his party at the
weekend, Justice and Development Party (AKP)
leader and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan commented on arguments about his
assets, stressing that he didn’t say that he
would declare his assets this week.
“Although I didn’t say this, the newspapers
wrote such news,” he added. Erdogan said
that the government was aware of its
responsibility in the foreign policy, adding
that it also carried the responsibility of
the history and the civilization it
represented. Erdogan said that some circles
criticized the government’s stance on the
Cyprus issue, but Ankara, with its positive
policy, proved that Turkey wanted a
resolution on the island. Erdogan stated
that with the new action plan, Ankara would
be a step ahead of Greek Cyprus. Touching on
Turkey’s European Union membership bid,
Erdogan said that he wanted AKP deputies to
expand their work throughout the country. In
related news, opposition True Path Party
(DYP) leader Mehmet Agar said that Erdogan
should declare his assets. /Hurriyet/
[02] GUL: “TURKEY’S NEW ACTION PLAN
ON CYPRUS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO REACH A
CYPRUS RESOLUTION AND IT SHOULDN’T BE
MISSED”
Speaking to Greek daily
Elefterotipia yesterday, Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul said that Turkey’s new Cyprus
action plan was an important opportunity to
reach a resolution on the island, adding
that it shouldn’t be missed. Gul stated that
with the new action plan, Ankara aimed to
strengthen stability and cooperation in the
Mediterranean region. “Just and permanent
peace on the island, which is acceptable by
both sides, can create new fields of
cooperation,” said Gul. “We desire to create
an atmosphere of confidence and economic
development on the island.” Gul added that
the current situation of the eastern
Mediterranean required cooperation between
Turkey, Greece, and between Greek and
Turkish Cypriots. The foreign minister
stated that Ankara was hopeful for a Cyprus
resolution within this year, but added that
the Greek Cypriots needed to brief the UN on
their views about the Annan plan. Gul added
that Ankara was ready to open its ports and
airports to Greek Cyprus, but expected at
the same time that the isolation of the
Greek Cypriots would be brought to an end.
In related news, British Foreign Minister
Jack Straw said that he and European Union
Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn
welcomed Ankara’s new action plan, but added
that the proposals in it weren’t accepted
yet. “We’ll carefully examine the proposals
in the plan,” said Straw. /Turkiye/
[03] BAYKAL TO VISIT ATHENS
Main opposition Republican
People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal
will go to Athens today to participate in
the Socialist International (SI) meeting to
be held on Jan. 30-31. A statement issued by
the CHP Headquarters said that
Vice-President of SI, Baykal will hold
bilateral meetings with the directors of the
SI and the leaders of SI member parties. New
president of Socialist International will be
elected at the meeting. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] EU SAYS TESTS REVEAL H5N1
STRAIN OF BIRD FLU FOUND IN NORTHERN CYPRUS
The European Union yesterday
said that the H5N1 virus, which causes bird
flu on winged animals, was observed in the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The
European Union said that tests conducted in
a British laboratory on samples from birds
in Northern Cyprus had revealed they had
died of the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus
and that two EU experts would leave for the
area to investigate the situation.
/Cumhuriyet/
[05] EU IS PUTTING PRESSURE ON
TURKEY ABOUT IRAN
Iran is aggravating tension
with the European Union and the US by not
negotiating about its nuclear activities and
in the meantime, the EU is putting pressure
on Turkey to be clear on its stance about
Iran. The EU sources say, “The crisis with
Iran is deepening. But Turkey’s statements
are same with its statements, which were
made five months ago. Turkey has to raise
the tone of its statements so that the
pressure put on Iran should be successful.”
Ankara, which doesn’t want to run counter
neither to international community nor to
Iran, is having trouble on its Iran policy.
Foreign Ministry sources say that Turkey is
in favor of diplomatic solution. /Aksam/
[06] IACOVOU: “WE CAN VETO TURKEY’S
EU MEMBERSHIP IF NECESSARY”
Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister George
Iacovou said yesterday that Greek Cypriot
administration could veto Turkey’s European
Union membership if necessary. Speaking to
Greek Cypriot daily Simerini, Iacovou
criticized British Foreign Minister Jack
Straw’s visit to the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus and his positive stance
about Turkey’s new Cyprus action plan.
Iacovou claimed that Straw’s stance created
problems between Britain and Greek Cyprus.
/Turkiye/
[07] BILL GATES IN ISTANBUL
Microsoft Corp. Chairman and the world’s
wealthiest man, Bill Gates, yesterday
arrived in Istanbul where he met with Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a group of
businessmen at a dinner. Gates will
introduce the Turkish edition of Microsoft’s
Windows XP Starter, a product for computer
users at the beginner stage. He will address
some 2,500 Turkish students at a ceremony at
Turker Inanoglu Maslak Show Center. /Star/
[08] TERM OF OFFICE OF NATO’S SENIOR
CIVILIAN REPRESENTATIVE IN AFGANISTAN IS
EXTENDED
NATO's Senior Civilian
Representative in Afghanistan Hikmet Cetin’s
term in office is extended once again by
NATO and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Cetin, former Parliament Speaker, is the
highest-level political representative of
NATO in Afghanistan where it has held the
command of the International Security and
Assistance Force (ISAF) since August 2003.
/Cumhuriyet/
[09] PARLIAMENT FACING SOME
CONTOVERSIAL BILLS THIS WEEK
Parliament will have a busy
schedule again this week with debates on a
bill regulating social security allowances
and another one that would allow former
Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan to serve
his sentence at home. The full parliament
will work from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. this week
and will debate some bills but will not
carry out inspections. /The New Anatolian/
[10] TUZMEN: “THIS YEAR WE HOPE TO
INCREASE OUR EXPORTS TO $80 BILLON”
State Minister Kursad Tuzmen
said yesterday that Turkey’s total exports,
which were $36 billion in 2002, reached
about $73.4 billion in 2005 and predicted
that exports would continue to further
increase this year. “This year we hope to
increase our exports to $80 billion,” he
said. Tuzmen added that Turkey’s foreign
trade volume increased to $190 billion from
$87 billion. /Aksam/
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE
COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[12] ANKARA’S SELF-CRITICISM
BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)
Columnist Semih Idiz comments on the
elections held in Iraq in December 2005. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“Our survey show that Turkey’s current Iraqi
policy consists of determinations, wishes
and suggestions. However, before writing on
this, let’s announce that as soon as the new
government is established in Iraq, Ankara
will invite Jalal Talabani who is expected
to reelect the president. Ambassador Oguz
Celikkol, our new Special Representative to
Iraq, is also expected to visit Baghdad and
northern Iraq to deliver Turkey’s
determinations, wishes and suggestions soon.
Ankara admitted that new Iraq will be
federative and Kurds will participate in
this with an autonomous status. In addition,
it seems Ankara admitted that the Turkmen
aren’t as strong as they seem and their
total population doesn’t surpass 1.5
million, as the election results showed.
Officials stated that the Turkmen didn’t
constitute a homogenous block and that the
Iraqi Turkmen front might have harmed the
Turkmen by appearing ‘very close’ to Ankara.
Ankara also suggested the Turkmen to follow
the path of the Movement of Rights and
Freedoms Politics of Bulgaria.
Shortly, Ankara thinks that these elections
showed the picture of the country. At this
point, wishes start to operate. Even if it’s
federal, Ankara wants that particularly the
Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs
are attached to Baghdad and Iraq maintains
its territorial integrity. Ankara said that
a government of consensus between Shiites,
Sunnis and Kurds with a broad basis was a
must. Meanwhile, electing Jalal Talabani the
president again should be considered a
blessing, because this situation gives
responsibility to Kurds to protect the
country’s territorial integrity. As for the
suggestions, the most serious suggestion
made by Ankara to all the parties is about
Kirkuk. As National Security Council
Secretary General Yigit Alpogan stated in
Washington last week, Ankara thinks that a
mistake to be made in Kirkuk could destroy
the political structure which is tried to be
established in Iraq. For this reason, Kurds’
expectations on the issue should be curbed.
Concerning the referendum which is planned
to be made in 2007 for Kirkuk’s status,
Ankara said that the Constitution’s article
concerning the issue should be changed or
the referendum should be postponed to next
elections. Ankara thinks that if it has to
be made necessarily, then it should be made
not only in Kirkuk, but also throughout the
country. These are Turkey’s stance and
expectations. Time will show how much of
this will be realized.”
ARCHIVE
The news and articles issued in the Turkish Press Review
may be quoted from provided due acknowledgement is made.
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