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Turkish Press Review, 06-11-10Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning10.11.2006FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS…CONTENTS
[01] NATION TO COMMEMORATE ATATURKTurkey today will commemorate Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of Turkish Republic, who passed away 68 years ago at Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace. Ceremonies around the nation and Turkish missions abroad will remember Ataturk, with a special moment of silence at 9:05 a.m. The first commemorative ceremony will take place at Anitkabir, Ataturk's mausoleum in Ankara. A delegation led by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will lay a wreath at Ataturk's tomb. All flags will fly at half-mast until sunset, and sirens will sound at the moment Ataturk died. Top officials, including Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other political party leaders, as well as Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, have all issued messages marking the day. The president stated that the founder of our republic, savior of our country, great commander, revolutionary and statesman Ataturk will never be forgotten, and that the nation is proud to have such a leader. All Papers_[02] BUYUKANIT WARNS AGAINST PROVOCATIONSChief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit yesterday attended a press reception in Ankara hosted by General Staff Secretary-General Major Gen. Salih Zeki Colak. Speaking to reporters, Buyukanit warned citizens against possible provocative action during former Premier Bulent Ecevit's funeral to be held tomorrow. Commenting on military officials' occasional remarks, the top commander said, "We don't talk about domestic politics. We only talk about concerns of national unity and the regime." Stressing that Turkey faces a number of issues today, Buyukanit added, however, that the nation could overcome all these problems through self-confidence. /Turkiye/[03] TURKEY CONDEMNS ISRAEL'S ATTACK ON CIVILIANSStressing that Israel was using disproportionate force on Palestinians, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday called on the country to stop its operations against innocents. Addressing lawmakers in Parliament, Gul said this week Israel killed some 50 innocent Palestinians and urged the international community not to simply sit and watch these tragic developments, but to take concrete steps to stop the violence in the region. Furthermore, Gul warned that such bloody attacks sow hatred among people and hence threaten Israel's own security. /Turkiye/[04] TAN: "THE CYPRUS ISSUE SHOULDN'T BE USED AGAINST TURKEY'S EU BID"Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said that the Cyprus issue was not Turkey's responsibility, adding that the issue shouldn't be used against Ankara's European Union membership bid. Asked about the additional protocol, Tan stated that there was a confusion in the EU about the protocol as well as Turkey. "Turkey didn't declare that it would implement the protocol by signing it," he said. "It only declared its will. Thus, the responsibility lies on both sides. We've fulfilled our responsibilities up to now, but this has not been appreciated. They shouldn't expect us to take steps." /Cumhuriyet/[05] EP PRESIDENT: "TURKEY'S PROGRESS REPORT IS FAIR AND OBJECTIVE"European Parliament President Josep Borrell said yesterday that the EU's progress report on Ankara released on Wednesday was "fair and objective," adding that the report had to be tough. "We have to encourage Turkey in its reform process," he said. Borrell stated that the EU should adopt a serious stance towards Turkey on the issue of human rights. /Aksam/[06] EUROPEAN MEDIA: "THE PROGRESS REPORT IS AN ULTIMATUM"The European media yesterday weighed in on the European Union's progress report, saying that it was a challenge and warning to Turkey. British daily The Independent stated that the EU had warned Ankara to give ground on the Cyprus issue, adding that the Union's diplomats were still hopeful about a Cyprus resolution before the EU summit to be held next month in Brussels. The newspaper further claimed that part of Ankara's negotiations on Cyprus could be suspended. The Times of London stressed that the report marked the first time the EU had delivered an ultimatum to a potential EU member. Italian daily La Repubblica also called the report an ultimatum from Brussels. French daily Le Figaro commented that Turkey and the EU were preparing for next month's EU summit to settle up with each other. /Cumhuriyet/[07] BAYKAL: "THE SECTIONS ON CYPRUS IN THE PROGRESS REPORT ARE UNACCEPTABLE"Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday returned from Chile, where he had been attending a meeting of the Socialist International. Commenting on the European Union's progress report on Ankara released on Wednesday, Baykal said that the sections in the report on Cyprus were unacceptable. "The EU is trying to put pressure on Turkey and to get concessions from it," he said. "Making Cyprus resolution a precondition (for membership) is unacceptable." /Cumuriyet/[08] CB HEAD: "NEXT YEAR'S ELECTIONS POSE A RISK"Central Bank Governor Durmus Yilmaz said yesterday that next year's elections posed a political risk, adding that if they affect the nation's inflation targets, then the Central Bank could respond to this by raising interest rates. In related news, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan took issue with Yilmaz's remarks, saying that there was no such risk and that 2007 budget wasn't prepared with populist concerns. /Milliyet/FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS… [09] OUR ESTEEM FOR ATATURK GROWSBY HIKMET BILA (CUMHURIYET)Columnist Hikmet Bila comments on Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. A summary of his column is as follows: "Mustafa Kemal Ataturk grows greater and greater in our esteem. Apparently, he was a greater person than we thought and learned, but we didn't realize it. This fact seems more striking when one looks at what has happened in Turkey and the world since he died. Let's think about the days back when Ataturk was alive. Have you ever thought about the leaders who directed the world between the day Ataturk established the Turkish Republic and the day he died? Tens of millions of people were suffering under Stalin for the sake of communism in Russia, under Mussolini for fascism in Italy, under Hitler for Nazism in Germany, and under Francisco Franco in Spain. They were all presented as the founders of regimes which would last for a thousand yeas. All the pressure, massacres and racial discrimination had already started when Ataturk was still alive. The situation in Russia, Italy and Germany was like this, and other countries were little different. For example, in France, which is considered a beacon of democracy, political parties were being closed down and thinking was considered the greatest crime. The young Turkish Republic was the only light in this darkness. While Europe was suffering from darkness, Ataturk's Turkey was implementing the revolutions of enlightenment one by one. On the threshold of a unique development, people were becoming ‘individuals' from ‘citizens' and for the first time on this land, women were realizing that they were also human beings too. When Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco were organizing book burnings, steps were being taken for education and books were being presented to the people in Ataturk's young republic. Ataturk died 68 years ago. Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, etc. have all died, too. Let me ask you a simple question: Which of these are remembered now with praise? They are remembered only with hatred. The regimes they carried out genocide for, thinking that they would last for a thousand years, no longer exist. However, Ataturk's regime is still here and some people in Turkey and the world are still carrying out unbelievable games in order to cast a shadow over this historical fact. They are encouraging reactionary attitudes in the Turkish Republic which were seen in Europe in the 1930s. They're also attacking Ataturk in order to reach their aim. That's why Ataturk's esteem is growing. The attacks against him only increase his stature. Those who can't see this should visit Ataturk's mausoleum, Anitkabir. They will see. Those who don't want to see it can look at another side." [10] END OF AN ERA IN THE USBY HALUK SAHIN (RADIKAL)Columnist Haluk Sahin comments on the US midterm elections. A summary of his column is as follows: "Actually the results were quite predictable, but many people chose to be cautious. I'm talking about this week's US midterm elections, which ended an era. With their votes on Tuesday the American people put an end to the neocon dominance represented by Vice President Dick Cheney and (now outgoing) Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. This will be felt all over the world. I said that it was easy to guess the results. I'm talking from an objective viewpoint. There are four issues which made the Republicans lose votes. Even one of them could lose votes. The first is the Iraq war. American voters could see at last that the war is lost and that it was a true fiasco in every aspect. Lost wars can lose votes. The second issue is corruption. The scandals showed that the Republicans worked as a machine to enrich people who are already wealthy. Corruption loses votes. The third incident was Hurricane Katrina. Everybody was surprised how incompetent the government was in helping its citizens in need. The view after the hurricane was appalling. Injustice and clumsiness also loses votes. You can add duplicity, the last factor that lost votes. Remember that the loudest defenders of ethics were revealed as the most corrupt. Don't forget the tricks of the religious right who supported George W. Bush. Duplicity loses votes. Despite all this, analysts were cautious, because the psychological point the American people are at was unclear. They withdrew from the Republicans, who could mobilize their supporters if they would see this. And they were also afraid that the Democrats would fail at the last minute. But it didn't happen, and an era which won't be remembered fondly came to a close. I think that this change is good for the world and the US. This could also be a good development for Turkey. It just has to review its traditional policies based on the Republicans and Pentagon. Turkey has to see this development objectively. The world is changing whether we want it to or not." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |