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Turkish Press Review, 06-07-03
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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e-mail :
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Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
03.07.2006
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] YOK HEAD, MEMBERS, AND UNIVERSITY RECTORS TO MEET WITH SEZER
[02] ERDOGAN VISITS ERZURUM
[03] GUL TO TRAVEL TO US FOR TALKS ON IRAN ISSUE
[04] ERDOGAN: “NOW IT’S THE EU AND GREEK CYPRIOTS’ TURN”
[05] BAYKAL: “SOMEONE WHO FAILED TO ADDRESS CORRUPTION CLAIMS AGAINST HIM CANNOT BE PRESIDENT”
[06] UN’S GAMBARI TO URGE SIDES FOR CYPRUS RESOLUTION
[07] TRNC’S TALAT TO MEET WITH GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER
[08] IRAQI FM ZEBARI VISITS TURKEY
[09] EU TERM PRESIDENT FINLAND’S FM: “WE SHOULD HELP TURKEY”
[10] IAEA'S ELBARADEI TO VISIT TURKEY
[11] BABACAN: “CB AND GOVT WILL TAKE NECESSARY MEASURES FROM NOW ON”
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[13] YEREVAN’S FUTILE EFFORTS BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)
[01] YOK HEAD, MEMBERS, AND UNIVERSITY RECTORS TO MEET WITH SEZER
Board of Higher Education (YOK) Chairman Erdogan Tezic, YOK members, and
rectors of a number of universities are due to meet today with President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer to present a report proposing solutions to problems
facing higher education in Turkey. The report to be presented to Sezer was
prepared by the Strategy Development Commission. /Milliyet/
[02] ERDOGAN VISITS ERZURUM
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended his ruling Justice
and Development Party's (AKP) second provincial congress in Erzurum.
Addressing the congress, Erdogan said that the nation wanted results rather
than talk. He stated that after completing the provincial congresses, the
AKP would begin preparations for its next general congress. Touting his
government’s accomplishments during its three-and-a-half years in power,
Erdogan said that they would continue to make efforts to further develop
the country. He also attended a number of openings in the city. /Turkiye/
[03] GUL TO TRAVEL TO US FOR TALKS ON IRAN ISSUE
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, accompanied by a group of diplomats, will
fly to the US today to have talks with US officials, especially on the Iran
issue. The foreign minister is expected to meet with Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and Stephen Hadley, the president’s national security
advisor. During his three-day stay, Gul will also exchange views on the
recent developments in the Middle East, the Cyprus issue and the fight
against the terrorist PKK. /Turkiye/
[04] ERDOGAN: “NOW IT’S THE EU AND GREEK CYPRIOTS’ TURN”
In a weekend interview with cable channel Euronews, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey had done its duty on the Cyprus issue,
adding that now it was the Greek Cypriots’ and European Union’s turn. He
stressed that unless the international isolation of the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is ended, Ankara would not consider signing the
additional protocol, under which Turkey is to open its airports and harbors
to Greek Cypriots. Regarding the EU's warning that it could suspend
Turkey's talks if the protocol is not implemented, Erdogan said, “It
doesn’t matter,” adding that Ankara would always back Turkish Cyprus. He
also called on Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration to sit at the
table for talks under the auspices of the United Nations to find a
settlement to the Cyprus issue. /Sabah-Turkiye/
[05] BAYKAL: “SOMEONE WHO FAILED TO ADDRESS CORRUPTION CLAIMS AGAINST HIM
CANNOT BE PRESIDENT”
Appearing on television over the weekend, main opposition Republican
People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal criticized Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan possibly running for president, saying that someone who
hadn't addressed corruption claims against himself could not be president.
Baykal said that if Erdogan wanted documents proving corruption, he should
look at the reports of the State Supervision Agency (DDY). Commenting on
plans to form alliances between parties, Baykal called such alliances just
before general elections "insincere." The presidential election is set for
May 2007, and the next general elections for that November. /Sabah/
[06] UN’S GAMBARI TO URGE SIDES FOR CYPRUS RESOLUTION
United Nations Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari,
during his visit to the island this week, is due to urge Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot
leader Tassos Papadopoulos to seek a resolution on the island. He is also
expected to urge both sides to resume talks between themselves and that if
they don’t accept this, the UN will not help with a Cyprus resolution for
two years. /Milliyet/
[07] TRNC’S TALAT TO MEET WITH GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat and
Greek Cypriot administration leader Tassos Papadopoulos will meet today for
the first time in two years. The meeting will be at the residence of
Michael Moller, the UN secretary-general's special representative and head
of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), and is to focus on the
missing persons issue. The Talat-Papadopoulos meeting will be the first one
since Greek Cypriots rejected a UN-sponsored plan to establish a new
partnership state. Christophe Girod, the newly-appointed third member of
the Missing Persons Committee, will also take part in the gathering.
/Hurriyet/
[08] IRAQI FM ZEBARI VISITS TURKEY
Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari yesterday came to Ankara. Zebari
will meet with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul and will also be
received by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer. After these meetings, Zebari will proceed to Istanbul to take part
in the opening ceremony of Iraq’s new consulate general there. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] EU TERM PRESIDENT FINLAND’S FM: “WE SHOULD HELP TURKEY”
In an interview with Greek Daily Elefterotipia, the European Union’s new
Term President Finland’s Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomiojan said that it was
early to speak about Turkey’s EU membership. “Negotiations have just
started,” said Tuomiojan. “This is the beginning of a long period which
will connect Turkey with the EU. The issue of whether Turkey is prepared or
not shouldn’t occupy us. Instead, we should focus on helping Turkey to
realize reforms. Turkey is a European country and when it fulfills the
membership criteria, it will be adopted with pleasure among us.”
/Cumhuriyet/
[10] IAEA'S ELBARADEI TO VISIT TURKEY
As part of his efforts to find a peaceful settlement to the Iran issue,
International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohamed ElBaradei is set to pay a
visit to Turkey at the invitation of Energy and Natural Resources Minister
Hilmi Guler. ElBaradei will attend a ceremony to mark the anniversary of
the Turkey’s Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK). During his talks with Turkish
officials, including Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Iran’s nuclear program
issue, as well as Turkey’s plans to build nuclear power plants, will be
taken up. /Turkiye/
[11] BABACAN: “CB AND GOVT WILL TAKE NECESSARY MEASURES FROM NOW ON”
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, State Minister for the Economy
Ali Babacan commented on criticisms of the government concerning recent
fluctuations on the markets, saying that both the Central Bank and the
government would take necessary measures from now on. Conceding that there
has been a lack of communication up to now, Babacan added that
communication between institutions could have been better. The minister
stressed that markets had calmed down, adding that it could go on like this
or certain risks could come. Commenting on relations with the European
Union, Babacan said that relations with the EU would be revisited in
October. “We have the Cyprus problem ahead of us,” he said. “Everyone wants
this problem to be solved as soon as possible. We’re all on the same train
and if we face a train crash, this will hurt all of us.” Also commenting on
relations with the International Monetary Fund, Babacan said that Turkey
was in full agreement with a visiting IMF delegation, adding that letter of
intent (LOI) could soon be signed. /Star/
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[13] YEREVAN’S FUTILE EFFORTS BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)
Columnist Semih Idiz comments on Armenia's efforts not to grow more
isolated, as Turkey and surrounding countries strengthen their cooperation.
A summary of his column is as follows:
"Armenia believes in the bad state of Turkish-US relations and thinks it
can take advantage of the international situation. However, it couldn’t
help being excluded from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project, which is
very important for its interests in the European Union and the US. So now
Armenia is exerting most of his efforts to hinder another project between
Turkey, Georgia and Armenia, the Kars-Ahilkelek railway project. If this
100-kilometer railway worth $400 million can be laid, Azerbaijan and Turkey
will be connected through a railway over Georgia. This situation would make
any resurrection of the Kars-Gumru railway line irrelevant. In addition, it
would further deepen Armenia’s isolation in the region. Yerevan has set its
strong Armenian lobby in the US in motion and started to move on a bill in
Congress banning the issuance of credit for the Kars-Ahilkelek project by
US financial institutions.
Officials from the EU Commission have been saying since the beginning of
this year that the EU wouldn’t support this project financially. As a
matter of fact, as Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan stated recently,
the countries pursuing this project don’t need the EU or the US in terms of
finding money. Yerevan saw this and now started to send certain signals
that it's ready to make important concession so the country’s isolation
doesn't get worse. Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian visited
Tbilisi last week and, when he saw that he would be unable to convince the
Georgian government to give up Kars-Ahilkelek line, made an interesting
suggestion. As Armenian journalist Emil Danielyan wrote on the ‘Eurasia
Insight’ website, Oskanyan said that if this project was given up, Turkey,
Georgia and Azerbaijan would be use the existing Gumru railway line on
Armenian territory without Armenia’s participation. In other words, Yerevan
stated that he was ready to provide the ‘right of free entry.’ Of course,
the three countries which have serious problems with Armenia could never
accept this suggestion. It would also be hard for the Armenian people to
accept this. If Yerevan considers the issues at the root of its isolation
more realistically, instead of making such useless suggestions, it would
better serve their long-term interests. However, it can’t do this as a
country with its eyes fixed on the past, rather than the future.”
ARCHIVE
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