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Turkish Press Review, 06-12-14Turkish 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 morning14.12.2006CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN OPPOSES CALLS FOR EARLY ELECTIONSPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday criticized recent calls to hold general elections next April in advance of May's presidential election. He said that early general elections would harm the country, and the current Parliament would elect the new president. Stressing that the government had no complaints and was determined to hold elections as scheduled, Erdogan said that his government had undertaken rule for five years and would complete its term in office. He also called on everybody to obey the Constitution. /Turkiye/[02] TAN: "THE EU'S DECISION ISN'T THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS"Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said yesterday that Ankara does not see the decision made by the European Union foreign ministers on Monday set to be taken up at today's EU leaders summit as the lesser of two evils, adding that it wasn't a fair decision. Reiterating Turkey's determination not to open its ports and airports to Greek Cyprus before the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots is eased, Tan said, "The EU has once again acted timidly on the Cyprus issue." Pointing to the EU's failure to declare that a settlement of the Cyprus issue should be found under the auspices of the United Nations as well as its postponement to January of deciding whether to lift the embargo from the TRNC, he added, "The EU could take concrete steps on the issue during its General Affairs Council meeting rather than leaving it to next month. We're waiting for steps to be taken by the EU." /Sabah/[03] DYP'S AGAR URGES EARLY ELECTIONS NEXT SPRINGTrue Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar said yesterday that general elections next spring didn't mean early elections but rather ones held on time. Stressing that it was too late to amend the Constitution to lower the 10 percent election threshold, Agar added, however, that general elections should be held in April, because the public favors this rather than November, when they are scheduled. /Turkiye/[04] EU LEADERS TO MEET IN BRUSSELS TODAYEuropean Union leaders will convene today in Brussels. The summit will not officially take up Turkey's EU membership process, but leaders are expected to approve the decision made this Monday by the EU foreign ministers. Speaking to reporters, EU Term President Finland's Premier Matti Vanhanen said that as the Turkish issue had been resolved, the EU leaders could discuss other topics on their plate. Calling Turkey the most critical issue during Finland's soon-to-end term presidency, Vanhanen stated that he expected Ankara to accelerate on its path to the EU following elections in Turkey next year. /Milliyet/[05] BLAIR TO VISIT TURKEYBritish Prime Minister Tony Blair will visit Ankara tomorrow just after participating in the European Union summit in Brussels. Blair, now lobbying for Turkey during the EU summit, is expected to discuss with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recent developments on Turkey's EU bid and the Middle East prior to his tour of the region. /Hurriyet/[06] REHN: "THE EU GAVE A CLEAR MESSAGE TO TURKEY"European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn yesterday said that the EU had given a clear message to Turkey by partially freezing its membership negotiations. Speaking to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Rehn said that the EU foreign ministers' decision was a good one and added, "The EU has showed that it can find a solution without causing a big crisis on a sensitive issue like Turkey. This should be appreciated by everyone." Meanwhile, EU Term President Finland's Foreign Trade Minister Paula Lehtomaki said that Finland had done its utmost to prevent any interruption of Turkey's negotiations. In related news, EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Commission Co-Chair Joost Lagendijk praised the prospect of the EU ministers' reviewing lifting the embargo on the Turkish Cypriots next spring. /Cumhuriyet/[07] WASHINGTON BEGINS CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERRORIST PKK IN EUROPEFrank Urbancic, the US State Department's principal assistant coordinator for counter terrorism, yesterday said that the US has started a campaign to cut off the financial resources of the terrorist PKK. Stating that he and Doug Silliman, the department's director of the US Office of Southern European Affairs, had suggested to European countries that the terrorist activities of the PKK shouldn't be facilitated, he added, "The death of a single Turkish citizen in southeastern Anatolia is no different for us than the death of an American citizen in Izmir or California due to terrorist attacks." Meanwhile, US Assistant Defense Secretary Peter Rodman, after his contacts in Ankara, said, "We want to be a reliable ally of Turkey. Therefore, we're trying to give appropriate responses to the concerns of Ankara." /Star/[08] TURKEY FOREGOES EUROFIGHTER FOR F-35sDefense Minister Vecdi Gonul said yesterday that due to the Greek Cypriot administration's negative stance against Turkey, the Defense Industry Executive Committee had decided to get F-35 planes rather than Eurofighter's Typhoon plane for a $10 billion next generation warplane project. Stressing that the Eurofighter is a product of EU countries, Gonul said Turkey couldn't be a member of the European Defense Agency (EDA) as a result of a veto by Greek Cyprus. "This has become a very important factor, " Gonul added. "We have no idea how to participate in EU projects as we're not a member of the EDA." /Turkiye/FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...HOW FAITHFUL ARE THE GERMANS TO TURKEY? [09] NURI ELIBOL (TURKIYE)Columnist Nuri Elibol comments on possible developments after Jan. 1 when Germany assumes the European Union presidency, and the EU summit to be held today. A summary of his column is as follows:"European Union leaders are convening today. Neither the Cyprus issue nor Turkey is expected to top their discussions. However, Turkey is expected to be on the negotiating table, though not at the top of the agenda. I wonder if the consciences of the EU leaders are clear? Can the EU leaders, who buckle under Greek Cypriot pressures by saying they won't fulfill their obligations to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), see the ‘larger strategic picture,' as expressed by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul? Ankara is planning to react with common sense to the recent developments, and is preparing to implement its Plan B. Ankara always called the EU's decision to partially suspend Turkey's EU talks unfair, but decided not to act too angrily. The government is continuing to be loyal to the nation's EU bid. Ankara, sure of its path to EU membership, is getting ready to receive EU leaders following today's summit. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has always supported Turkey's EU bid, will visit Turkey late this week. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi is expected to pay an official visit next month. This will be Prodi's first visit to Turkey as prime minister. Germany will take over the EU term presidency from Finland, whose Cyprus initiative was appreciated, on Jan. 1. European sources saying that Germany will give priority to the Cyprus issue during its term presidency, remind the EU of its commitments to end the isolation of the, and guarantee that Germany will work for this. Steps during the term presidency of Germany, which welcomed Turkey's recent proposal on Cyprus, are being awaited with curiosity. During Germany's term presidency, Turkey will get a letter from the EU to start negotiations on three chapters. The term presidency of Germany is important, since the chance to solve problems during the term presidencies of the EU's powerhouse countries -- Britain, France, and Germany -- is high. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has an historic opportunity towards this end. Merkel could stop being stubborn and instead prioritize Turkish-German relations and friendship between the two countries. If she recognizes the benefits that Turkey could provide the EU, she could get her name in the history books. She could win the friendship of Turkey and the hearts of Turks living in Germany. Ankara's EU talks on three or four chapters could be opened during Germany's term presidency. I believe Germany should do this." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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