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Turkish Press Review, 06-02-01
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
01.02.2006
ERDOGAN: “I’VE FULFILLED MY
OBLIGATIONS ON MY ASSETS AND I CAN ACCOUNT FOR
EVERY LIRA”
GUL: “I HOPE GREEK CYPRIOTS
WILL LOOK CLOSELY AT OUR CYPRUS ACTION PLAN”
EU ENLARGEMENT COMMISSIONER
REHN: “A SOLUTION MUST BE FOUND FOR CYPRUS”
PUTIN: “THE TRNC’S EFFORTS FOR
PEACE SHOULD BE REWARDED”
BAYKAL: “ERDOGAN DIDN’T KEEP
HIS WORD ON DECLARING HIS ASSETS”
DYP LEADER AGAR: “LET’S DECLARE
ALL OUR ASSETS”
CB: “INFLATION WILL DROP EVEN
IF INTEREST RATES EASE”
IMF: “TURKEY PROVES THAT A
COUNTRY CAN KEEP FISCAL DISCIPLINE AND STILL
GROW”
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE
COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
WHILE THE PRIME MINISTER SPOKE
BY
ISMAIL KUCUKKAYA (AKSAM)
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: “I’VE FULFILLED MY
OBLIGATIONS ON MY ASSETS AND I CAN ACCOUNT FOR
EVERY LIRA”
[02] GUL: “I HOPE GREEK CYPRIOTS WILL
LOOK CLOSELY AT OUR CYPRUS ACTION PLAN”
[03] EU ENLARGEMENT COMMISSIONER REHN:
“A SOLUTION MUST BE FOUND FOR CYPRUS”
[04] PUTIN: “THE TRNC’S EFFORTS FOR
PEACE SHOULD BE REWARDED”
[05] BAYKAL: “ERDOGAN DIDN’T KEEP HIS
WORD ON DECLARING HIS ASSETS”
[06] DYP LEADER AGAR: “LET’S DECLARE ALL
OUR ASSETS”
[07] CB: “INFLATION WILL DROP EVEN IF
INTEREST RATES EASE”
[08] IMF: “TURKEY PROVES THAT A COUNTRY
CAN KEEP FISCAL DISCIPLINE AND STILL GROW”
[09] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE
COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[10] WHILE THE PRIME MINISTER SPOKE
[11] BY ISMAIL KUCUKKAYA (AKSAM)
[01] ERDOGAN: “I’VE FULFILLED MY
OBLIGATIONS ON MY ASSETS AND I CAN ACCOUNT FOR
EVERY LIRA”
Speaking at his party’s group meeting yesterday,
Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader and
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed
the recent controversy over his financial
assets, saying that he had fulfilled all his
obligations in this regard and could account for
every lira he has. “The law makes it clear that
who should declare his assets and where,” said
Erdogan. “I should say that these declarations
of assets should be made on the basis of
confidentiality, and neither the person
declaring his assets nor the authority receiving
this information has the right to disclose it.”
Touching on Turkey’s European Union membership
bid and recent economic developments, Erdogan
said that Turkey had fulfilled the Maastricht
criteria before joining the EU. Erdogan stated
that though the criteria required a budget
deficit of 3%, Turkey’s had never been on
sounder footing. /Milliyet/
[02] GUL: “I HOPE GREEK CYPRIOTS WILL
LOOK CLOSELY AT OUR CYPRUS ACTION PLAN”
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul,
currently in London to attend a conference on
Afghanistan, said yesterday that Turkey would
boost its economic aid to Afghanistan from $10
million to $100 million. Later, speaking to
reporters, Gul said that Ankara had presented a
concrete, well-developed, and detailed action
plan on Cyprus to the whole world, adding that
he hoped the Greek Cypriots, who he accused of
premature negativity over the plan, would
examine it in detail. “I urge this,” he said.
“Otherwise, a resolution on the island will
remain elusive and hopes for a resolution will
fade.” Gil further called on Turkish Cypriots
living in London to invest more and visit their
home country, the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC). /Turkiye/
[03] EU ENLARGEMENT COMMISSIONER REHN:
“A SOLUTION MUST BE FOUND FOR CYPRUS”
European Union Commissioner for
Enlargement Olli Rehn yesterday met with Greek
Foreign Minister George Iacovou at the EU
Foreign Ministers Council meeting in Brussels.
Iacovou told Rehn that he was uncomfortable
about the EU Commission’s support for Turkey’s
Cyprus action plan. Rehn replied that the Cyprus
issue couldn’t continue this way and that a
solution was urgently needed. Iacovou said that
the issue would be brought up at the EU and that
Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos
would visit EU Term President Austria later this
month. Rehn and Iacovou also exchanged views on
the legal efforts for financial support and
direct trade regulations for Turkish Cyprus.
/Hurriyet/
[04] PUTIN: “THE TRNC’S EFFORTS FOR
PEACE SHOULD BE REWARDED”
Speaking at a press conference at the Kremlin
yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said
that the efforts for peace of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) should be
rewarded. Putin said that the TRNC’s
determination to reach a Cyprus resolution was
clear. “There is a basis for economic projects
between Russia and the TRNC,” he said. “However,
in carrying out such projects we should not harm
our relations with Greece or Greek Cyprus, nor
harm the balance on the island.” Asked whether
Russia’s Cyprus policy had changed, Putin said
that it hadn’t, adding that Russia was pursuing
a “balanced” Cyprus policy designed to make it
trustworthy to both sides. /Milliyet/
[05] BAYKAL: “ERDOGAN DIDN’T KEEP HIS
WORD ON DECLARING HIS ASSETS”
Main
opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)
leader Deniz Baykal, currently in Athens to
attend a meeting of the Socialist International,
yesterday accused Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan of failing to keep his word on declaring
his assets. “He said that he wouldn’t declare
his assets, but rather his views on the issue,”
said Baykal. “The most pathetic thing for a
politician is to run away and hide from the
nation. That’s what Erdogan has done. He can’t
deceive anyone by reading some articles and
blaming the CHP, saying that it’s the only party
which has a bank.” Baykal added that his party
would present a bill to Parliament to end the
secrecy of politicians’ assets. /Milliyet/
[06] DYP LEADER AGAR: “LET’S DECLARE ALL
OUR ASSETS”
Opposition True Path Party
(DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday called on all
political leaders to publicly declare their
assets and said, “The prime minister turned this
issue into tension between the ruling and
opposition parties and covered it with
partisanship. This wasn’t right. Let’s clear
away all legal and constitutional hurdles on
this issue in Parliament. The leaders should
gather and do what has to be done. The prime
minister’s style is vicious.” In related news,
opposition Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) leader
Erkan Mumcu said, “The prime minister turned
this hugely important issue into a partisan
debate. He led the issue astray. A minister from
his own Cabinet made misrepresentations about
the property of a leader. Now he can’t change
the subject by speaking about the dignity of
politics. It’s such a sorry situation to use
Ataturk’s will as fodder for partisan debate.”
/Hurriyet/
[07] CB: “INFLATION WILL DROP EVEN IF
INTEREST RATES EASE”
Turkey may see price inflation
move higher in the first quarter of the year,
but interest rates should resume their downward
trend in the second quarter, according to
Turkish Central Bank Governor Sureyya
Serdengecti. The CB said on Tuesday it expects
inflation to keep falling for the next year and
a half even if short-term interest rates ease in
2006. The government aims to lower inflation to
5% this year and to 3% next year, said
Serdengecti. /Turkish Daily News/
[08] IMF: “TURKEY PROVES THAT A COUNTRY
CAN KEEP FISCAL DISCIPLINE AND STILL GROW”
Speaking at a conference in
Poland, International Monetary Fund First Deputy
Managing Director Anne Krueger said yesterday
that Turkey proved that a country could grow
while maintaining fiscal discipline. She stated
that inflation in Turkey fell to 8% last year
from 70% in 2002. “Turkey’s inflation fell to
singledigits after three decades,” she added.
“Turkey has achived economic growth together
with fiscal discipline.” /Turkiye/
[09] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE
COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[10] WHILE THE PRIME MINISTER SPOKE
[11] BY ISMAIL KUCUKKAYA (AKSAM)
Columnist Ismail Kucukkaya comments on
yesterday’s Justice and Development Party’s
(AKP) group meeting. A summary of his column is
as follows:
“I
was at the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP)
group meeting at Parliament yesterday. The room
was very crowded and there was nowhere to sit.
Almost all the state ministers and deputies were
there. Only twice have I seen a meeting like
this. The most enthusiastic AKP group meeting
was held following the November 2002 elections
and the other was the first group meeting with
Recep Tayyip Erdogan as prime minister. Not only
politicians, but also journalists were
interested in yesterday’s gathering. When
Erdogan started to speak, one of the deputies
whispered to me that his TV ratings were higher.
However, I don’t know if this is a good thing.
Another journalist joked that we were waiting
for the property owner and a deputy asked who
was the initial owner of the property. We all
laughed. As soon as Erdogan entered the hall,
all the deputies stood up to applaud him. This
was a sign. His speech was also punctuated by
applause, seven times. However, it wasn’t a
speech which thrilled people or got huge
applause.
I
guess the deputies’ expectations weren’t met. If
Erdogan had declared his assets, they would have
been. But, like other people, I thought that
this wasn’t to be. Erdogan stayed the course on
the assets issue, just like on immunity. This
amounts to not lifting immunity and not
declaring his assets, while calling on everybody
urging Erdogan – especially reporters – to do
so, so all politicians and bureaucrats can
declare their assets. If everybody declares his
assets, Erdogan wouldn’t be indifferent to it.
In my opinion, the style of Erdogan’s speech
didn’t look good and he should have kept his
cool, because loss of control causes damage. In
addition, Erdogan started to blame the media
over a story in Yeni Safak. According to that
report, Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan and a
political party and its leader have an enormous
fortune. Erdogan denied this, but the die has
been cast. Meanwhile, Erdogan supported
Unakitan, but Unakitan was unconsoled.”
ARCHIVE
The news and articles issued in the Turkish Press Review
may be quoted from provided due acknowledgement is made.
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