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Turkish Press Review, 06-01-31
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
31.01.2006
GUL TRAVELS TO LONDON
TO ATTEND AFGHAN CONFERENCE
CABINET DEALS WITH TAX
CUT, MIDEAST AFTER PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS
CHP LEADER BAYKAL: “THE
WORLD NEEDS SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC THOUGHT”
AT CIRAGAN PALACE,
GATES SAYS MICROSOFT TO START “MY FIRST
COMPUTER CAMPAIGN” IN TURKEY
FRENCH FM TO VISIT
TURKEY, DISCUSS BILATERAL ECONOMIC TIES
TALAT: “THE WHOLE WORLD
OPPOSES GREEK CYPRUS FAILING TO WORK FOR
A CYPRUS RESOLUTION”
PAPADOPUOLOS URGES UN
SECRETARY-GENERAL TO DISPATCH HIS
SPECIAL ENVOY
PROSECUTOR SEEKS PROBE
INTO RECTORS, YOK CHAIRMAN
WILSON: “THE SUCCESS OF
THE CYPRUS ACTION PLAN DEPENDS ON STEPS
BY GREEK CYPRIOTS”
BOMB AT
TURKISH-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION IN ADANA
INJURES FOUR
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM
THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
WOLFENSOHN’S MESSAGE
BY MUHARREM SARIKAYA (SABAH)
CONTENTS
[01] GUL TRAVELS TO LONDON TO
ATTEND AFGHAN CONFERENCE
[02] CABINET DEALS WITH TAX CUT,
MIDEAST AFTER PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS
[03] CHP LEADER BAYKAL: “THE
WORLD NEEDS SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC THOUGHT”
[04] AT CIRAGAN PALACE, GATES
SAYS MICROSOFT TO START “MY FIRST
COMPUTER CAMPAIGN” IN TURKEY
[05] FRENCH FM TO VISIT TURKEY,
DISCUSS BILATERAL ECONOMIC TIES
[06] TALAT: “THE WHOLE WORLD
OPPOSES GREEK CYPRUS FAILING TO WORK FOR
A CYPRUS RESOLUTION”
[07] PAPADOPUOLOS URGES UN
SECRETARY-GENERAL TO DISPATCH HIS
SPECIAL ENVOY
[08] PROSECUTOR SEEKS PROBE INTO
RECTORS, YOK CHAIRMAN
[09] WILSON: “THE SUCCESS OF THE
CYPRUS ACTION PLAN DEPENDS ON STEPS BY
GREEK CYPRIOTS”
[10] BOMB AT TURKISH-AMERICAN
ASSOCIATION IN ADANA INJURES FOUR
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE
COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[12] WOLFENSOHN’S MESSAGE
BY MUHARREM SARIKAYA (SABAH)
[01] GUL TRAVELS TO LONDON TO
ATTEND AFGHAN CONFERENCE
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday
flew to London to attend a conference to
lay out new strategies and targets for
Afghanistan’s political and economic
transformation over the next five years.
Speaking before his departure, Gul said
that last year’s Afghan elections had
been an important mark of progress,
adding that now the international
community should deal with the country’s
economic and social problems. “The
completion of the political process
doesn’t mean that everything is all
right,” said Gul, adding that Ankara
placed importance on the conference due
to its historical and humanitarian ties
with Afghanistan. The foreign minister
also stated that he would meet with US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Touching on Turkey’s new action plan on
Cyprus, Gul said that the plan had been
welcomed by many countries. /Milliyet/
[02] CABINET DEALS WITH TAX CUT,
MIDEAST AFTER PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS
The Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday evaluated
issues on Turkey’s agenda. After the
meeting, government spokesperson Cemil
Cicek said that a bill to cut corporate
tax from 30% to 20% has been opened for
signatures. He said that the new
situation in the Middle East after the
Palestinian elections was also discussed
and that attaining peace there was
important for stability in the region.
“There is a difference between today and
yesterday,” he said. “The issues should
be evaluated calmly. The peace process
should work. Turkey has close relations
with both sides of the dispute. We will
try to continue this trust.” /Star/
[03] CHP LEADER BAYKAL: “THE
WORLD NEEDS SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC THOUGHT”
George Papandreou, the leader
of the Greek Socialist PASOK party,
yesterday was elected the Socialist
International’s new president at its
meeting in Athens. Turkish main
opposition Republican People’s Party
(CHP) leader Deniz Baykal addressed the
meeting, saying that a solution in the
Middle East can be achieved only by
establishing democratic culture, and
added, “The world needs social
democratic thought.” Baykal emphasized
that efforts should be made to stop the
spread of weapons of mass destruction,
and called on Middle Eastern countries
to cooperate with the UN. /Sabah/
[04] AT CIRAGAN PALACE, GATES
SAYS MICROSOFT TO START “MY FIRST
COMPUTER CAMPAIGN” IN TURKEY
Speaking yesterday at a press conference
at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul,
Microsoft founder and Chairman Bill
Gates said that the company would
initiate a “My First Computer Campaign”
in cooperation with Turk Telekom and
Intel. Touching on Turkey’s progress in
the information technology field, Gates
said that he believed these advances
would continue in the years to come. He
stressed that Microsoft was continuing
to develop new programs with its
partners in Turkey, adding that the
campaign was a part of this. “We want to
reach 80% of households in Turkey,” said
Gates. Asked about Microsoft becoming a
“dinosaur” company, Gates stated that
although the company has faced many
difficulties, it has also long been the
leader of its sector. Later, meeting
with university students at the Turker
Inanoglu Maslak Show Center, Gates
predicted that Turkey would experience
the digital revolution. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] FRENCH FM TO VISIT TURKEY,
DISCUSS BILATERAL ECONOMIC TIES
French Foreign Minister Pilippe
Douste-Blazy is to arrive in Ankara
today to pay an official visit. During
his two-day visit, Douste-Blazy is
expected to be accompanied by a group of
leading French businessmen. Douste-Blazy
will discuss bilateral economic ties
with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul, State Minister
for the Economy Ali Babacan, and Health
Minister Recep Akdag. /Milliyet/
[06] TALAT: “THE WHOLE WORLD
OPPOSES GREEK CYPRUS FAILING TO WORK FOR
A CYPRUS RESOLUTION”
Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat
said yesterday that the whole world had
shown its displeasure at Greek Cyprus
failing to take steps for a resolution
on the island. Talat said that Greek
Cypriots didn’t want the UN, the
European Union, or other international
blocs or countries to end the isolation
of the Turkish Cypriots. “They even work
to worsen the isolation of the Turkish
Cypriots,” said Talat. “And this makes a
resolution more difficult.” Talat stated
that the Greek Cypriots weren’t
promoting peace on the island, and that
they rejected Turkey’s proposals. “They
don’t respond to UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan’s requests,” added Talat.
“They believe that as a member of the
European Union, they can play a role as
an international actor.” /Turkiye/
[07] PAPADOPUOLOS URGES UN
SECRETARY-GENERAL TO DISPATCH HIS
SPECIAL ENVOY
Acting quickly after the
release of Turkey’s Cyprus action plan,
last Friday Greek Cypriot administration
leader Tassos Papadopoulos called UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan and asked
him not to wait until May’s Greek
elections to send his special envoy to
Cyprus to push for a resolution on the
island. Also speaking yesterday,
Papadopoulos said that their stance on
Turkey’s plan has yet to be determined.
/Star/
[08] PROSECUTOR SEEKS PROBE INTO
RECTORS, YOK CHAIRMAN
The Ankara Prosecutor’s Office
has asked the Board of Higher Education
(YOK), via the Education Ministry, for
permission to investigate comments made
by YOK Chairman Erdogan Tezic and 77
university rectors during the trial of
Van Yuzuncu Yil University Rector Yucel
Askin. The office decided there were no
grounds to investigate remarks by
Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader
Deniz Baykal. Reports say the office is
deliberating whether or not to look into
comments made by Turkish Industrialists
and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD)
member Mustafa Koc about the same case.
/Turkish Daily News/
[09] WILSON: “THE SUCCESS OF THE
CYPRUS ACTION PLAN DEPENDS ON STEPS BY
GREEK CYPRIOTS”
US Ambassador to Ankara Ross
Wilson yesterday hailed Turkey’s new
action plan for Cyprus as “very
important,” adding that now it was the
Greek Cypriots’ turn to take steps. “The
success of the action plan will depend
on steps by Greek Cyprus,” said Wilson.
“The Greek Cypriot administration should
show the UN secretary-general the basis
it will use to take steps for a
resolution.” /Star/
[10] BOMB AT TURKISH-AMERICAN
ASSOCIATION IN ADANA INJURES FOUR
Four people were injured
yesterday by a bomb attack at the
Turkish-American Association in Adana.
The four reportedly have no
life-threatening injuries. /Hurriyet/
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE
COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[12] WOLFENSOHN’S MESSAGE
BY MUHARREM SARIKAYA (SABAH)
Columnist Muharrem Sarikaya comments on
the meeting in Davos of James D.
Wolfensohn, the Mideast Quartet’s
special envoy for Gaza disengagement,
with Turkish officials. A summary of his
column is as follows:
“There was a special meeting in Davos
last week. One participant in this
meeting was Mideast Quartet Special
Envoy for Gaza Disengagement James D.
Wolfensohn, and the others were Turkish
Union of Chambers and Commodity
Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat
Hisarciklioglu, with his colleagues, and
Palestine Economic and Social
Cooperation Coordinator Vehbi Dincerler,
a former state minister. The reason for
this meeting was the recent
ground-shaking elections in Palestine.
Hisarciklioglu is particularly
interested in the elections due to the
Project of Industry for Peace.
Hisarciklioglu’s aim is to ensure the
quartet’s full participation in the
project and provide it with annual
support of $3 billion. During the
meeting, Wolfensohn asked how many
people would be employed if the project
is implemented. When he learned from
Hisarciklioglu that there would be at
least 6,000 workers, he expressed his
pleasure. Then Wolfensohn spoke about
the elections and said that if one Hamas
member says that he would kill a deputy
due to his views, this poisonous
atmosphere could spread. Then he noted
that the West had financially supported
the Palestinian state’s reform and
added, ‘The impression that I got is
very clear; if Hamas continues this
[violent] stance, the West will cut off
its aid. Then not even soldiers or
police can be paid.’
Wolfensohn stressed that if Palestine
seeks economic support from Arab
countries, such as Syria and Iran, the
deadlock would deepen. Even if he didn’t
say it directly, he suggested to the
TOBB delegation and Dincerler that
Turkey should work hard to use its
influence on Palestine. Another
impression that the participants had is
that unconditional dialogue will
continue with the quartet, as mentioned
by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. However,
this carries one condition: Hamas will
establish a coalition government with
Fatah, an independent prime minister
will be appointed, or technocrats will
form the government. Likewise, such
statements started to come from Hamas a
few days ago. People are also talking
about the fate of TOBB’s Erez Industrial
Project, the first steps for which were
taken by Palestine and Israel with the
participation of Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul. If Hamas takes steps in
line with decisions taken during the
meeting with the participation of the
G-8 in Britain, Erez’s future will be
guaranteed. Otherwise, the future of the
project will be unclear. Therefore,
Ankara should strengthen the basis it
achieved in Erez. If it fails to do
this, it will miss a key opportunity in
the region.”
ARCHIVE
The news and articles issued in the Turkish Press Review
may be quoted from provided due acknowledgement is made.
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