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Turkish Press Review, 06-08-22Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr><LINK href="http://www.byegm.gov.tr_yayinlarimiz_chr_pics_css/tpr.css" rel=STYLESHEET type=text/css> <style type="text_css"> <!-- .baslik { margin-right:0cm; margin-left:0cm; margin-top:1cm; font-size:12.0pt; color:#000099; text-align: justify; } --> <_style> e-mail : newspot@byegm.gov.tr <caption> <_caption> Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning22.08.2006ON A TIGHTROPE BYCONTENTS
[01] NSC DISCUSSES SENDING SOLDIERS TO LEBANON AND TERRORIST PKKThe National Security Council (NSC), convening under the leadership of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, yesterday discussed sending soldiers to Lebanon as well as the terrorist PKK. Outgoing Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and Gendarmerie General Commander Fevzi Turkeri attended the NSC meeting for the last time. During the gathering, security in the country was discussed and Turkey’s determination in the fight against terrorism was underlined. It was also stressed that Ankara welcomed the recent UN resolution to halt the Lebanon conflict, and the importance of boosting diplomatic efforts for permanent peace and stability was emphasized. During the meeting, it was also decided that Turkey would continue to provide humanitarian aid for Palestine and Lebanon. /Turkiye/[02] GUL: “IF WE DEPLOY TROOPS IN LEBANON, THEY WON’T BE INVOLVED IN CLASHES”Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday clarified Turkey’s stance on the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon and also he responded to opposition parties’ criticisms on the issue. Speaking after yesterday’s meeting of the National Security Council (MGK), Gul said, “If we decide to contribute, the mission to be assumed by our troops absolutely won’t involve clashes between domestic components, and they won’t assume a role in disarming the armed groups.” Stating that all the leaders in the region he has spoken with made clear requests for Turkey to send troops, Gul said that Turkey was also aware of its historical responsibility on the issue. Meanwhile, Gul will go to Syria today and convey important messages. He is expected to urge Syrian President Bashar Assad to take action to positively influence Hezbollah, and will also meet with his Syrian counterpart Waleed Al Muallem. /Sabah/[03] OZKOK PAYS FAREWELL VISIT TO GULOutgoing Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok yesterday paid a farewell visit to Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul before the midday meeting of the National Security Council (NSC). Speaking afterwards, Gul said that he had had the opportunity to work with Ozkok during his tenure in office. Gul stated that the Foreign Ministry and General Staff were working closely with each other, adding that they hadn’t discussed the issue of sending soldiers to the peacekeeping force to be deployed in Lebanon. /Milliyet/[04] GREEK FM ROLANDIS: “WE ALWAYS REJECTED SOLUTIONS”Former Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Rolandis on Monday confessed that the Greek Cypriots have passed up possible resolutions of the Cyprus problem seven times since 1974. Speaking to Greek Cypriot daily Alithia, Rolandis said, “Greek Cypriots have wasted time, and the current government has done nothing for three-and-a-half years and has missed opportunities for a Cyprus solution.” He criticized the Greek Cypriots’ rejection in 2004 of the latest peace and reunification plan put forward by UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan and added, “Trains don’t always pull into the station, but when the train arrived we let it go.” /Hurriyet/[05] MERKEL: “TURKEY HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS”German Prime Minister Angela Merkel yesterday held a press conference in Berlin and spoke about Turkey’s role in attaining peace in the Middle East. “Turkey can play an important role in the Middle East peace process,” said Merkel, adding, “So the European Union is in contact with the Turkish government.” Merkel also said that Turkish-German relations will be discussed during her visit to Turkey set for October. /Star/[06] FOREST FIRES RAVAGE AEGEAN, MEDITERRANEAN REGIONSFires raging through almost 1,000 hectares of forest, principally along the country’s southern and western coasts, are threatening nature and causing panic, with authorities reporting yesterday that there were over 90 fires nationwide over the weekend. Firefighting teams worked hard to extinguish fires in 20 areas in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions, and late yesterday another fire broke out in Bodrum, one of Turkey’s major holiday resorts, and teams were working to put it out. The fires were around Antalya and the Selcuk district, and Izmir, an area also known for faith tourism. /The New Anatolian/[07] THIRD ROUND OF GOVT, CIVIL SERVANTS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING TO BEGINThe third round of collective bargaining between government officials and civil servants’ labor confederations is due to begin today. Memur Sen Chairman Ahmet Aksu said that he predicted government officials would propose a 25% pay hike and added, “This could be a good raise.” He added that the civil servants’ labor confederations wanted their pay to keep pace with inflation. In the first and second rounds of collective bargaining, it was discussed how the losses this year would be compensated for, but participants decided to discuss the issue in subsequent meetings. /Aksam/[08] S&P ANALYST: “IF TURKEY CONTINUES ITS STRUCTURAL REFORMS, THIS WILL POSITIVELY AFFECT ITS CREDIT”International Credit Rating Agency S&P Turkey analyst Farouk Soussa said yesterday that if Turkey continues its structural economic reforms, this would positively affect its credit note. Saying that rating agencies placed importance on permanent measures and structural reforms, Soussa added that S&P wanted Turkey to pursue these reforms. Soussa stressed that Turkey was among the countries most affected by recent fluctuations in the international markets, adding that the situation of the Turkish economy was better since the fluctuations waned and capital inflow increased. “However, external imbalances in the economy, which make Turkey more fragile in the long term, are continuing,” he cautioned. /Aksam/[09] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS[10] ON A TIGHTROPE[11] BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Milliyet’s Fikret Bila comments on the possibility of Turkey sending troops to Lebanon. A summary of his column is as follows:“The process of sending troops to Lebanon is going ahead speedily. Ankara is one of the leading actors making diplomatic efforts on the issue. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has had contacts with all countries directly or indirectly involved in the Lebanon issue. Following his visits to Lebanon, Israel and Palestine, Gul will leave for Syria today. During his talks, all sides expressed their desire to see Turkish troops in Lebanon. This seemed to be a common will. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan also expressed his requirements on the matter. The main reason for this common will is that Turkey is the sole country in the region to be able to carry out dialogue with Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Turkey is acting very carefully not to ruin that position. In order to preserve the equilibrium it established, Ankara is trying to go ahead like a tightrope walker. Ankara declared its technical conditions to the world and regional countries to send troops. It’s leaning towards sending troops for humanitarian aid and logistical support. It wants a mission far from the clashes. But the risk of clashes is not zero, and the government knows it. For this reason, Ankara first wants a overall truce to be ensured in Lebanon. During his visits to the regional countries, Gul especially focuses on this. Gul and his accompanying delegation, during their talks, underline that the Palestine issue is the fundamental problem, and a comprehensive and permanent settlement in the region can only be ensured through progress on this issue. This is a good approach. Providing a permanent peace in Lebanon depends on the stances of the sides directly or indirectly involved in the issue -- Israel, Syria and Iran. Ankara gave that message to Israel. And today, Gul is expected to give the same message to Syrian officials. Ankara wants Syria to urge Hezbollah to follow a wide-ranging truce. On the other hand, during his contacts in Israel, Gul emphasized that the situation in Gaza and the West Bank is an important factor for a permanent cease-fire in Lebanon. That means that the continuation of the cease-fire in Lebanon and providing peace in south Lebanon following the deployment of UN forces depends on no new negative developments on the Palestine issue. For example, if Israel begins a new operation in Gaza or the West Bank, or attacks by Hezbollah or Hamas take place, then the UN peace forces deployed in the region will be in a very difficult position. So a permanent peace in Lebanon depends on the Palestine issue to be involved in the peace process. Ankara is conscious of this fact, and other neighboring countries and the sides should also be. If steps aren’t taken in line with that, the risk for the UN troops, including Turkish ones, will grow bigger, and peace in Lebanon will be unattainable.” [12] AN INVITATION FOR TALABANI, AND A LOOK AT THE REGIONBY ERGUN BABAHAN (SABAH)Columnist Ergun Babahan comments on northern Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:“Senior statesman Bulent Ecevit once said that he didn’t understand why the US helped to capture terrorist PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan back in 1999. If we look at developments in the region during and after the war in Iraq, then it’s not difficult to understand the reasons for this. We can say that the real reason was not to have a Marxist organization in the way and opening the way for northern Iraqi Kurdish leaders Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani. Ocalan wouldn’t cooperate with the US. But now the Iraq war is over, and the country is about to slip into a civil war. Washington’s closest ally in the region after Israel is the Kurdish state in Iraq. The US government, which couldn’t stop the conflict between the Sunnis and Shiites, is trying to secure the future of the Kurdish state. The Shiites know it well that a Kurdish state surrounded by Iran, Turkey and Syria would have no future. The most important condition for the survival of the Kurdish state is that it have good relations with Turkey. That’s why the US is considering various policies. The first aim is to prevent a Turkish military intervention in northern Iraq. The request to appoint a special coordinator in the region is proof that there is a US policy for the Kurds in the region. As Milliyet communist Semih Idiz pointed out, Washington seems to want Turkey to sit at the table with a PKK which has laid down its arms. Because of its rich natural resources, it is natural that Washington has a project for the region. The US is the only superpower in the world and wants to redraw the map of the region which was developed after World War I. This is how a world empire acts. The important thing here is what Turkey wants. Is Ankara ready to tolerate a Kurdish state in northern Iraq? If Ankara is ready for it, then it has to fulfill its requirements. It would be paranoid to claim that we have a strategic partnership with the US but that the US has started initiatives to divide Turkey into small pieces. So we have to be clear in not only our stance toward a Kurdish state in northern Iraq, but also in our cooperation with the US.” ARCHIVE <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js"> </script> Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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