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Turkish Press Review, 07-03-02Turkish 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 morning02.03.2007CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: "THE NATION NEEDS PEACE AND HAPPINESS"Addressing people in the southeastern city of Adiyaman yesterday at an opening ceremony for schools and village clinics, Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan said that since the nation needs peace and happiness, the government would continue to ignore the negative remarks of naysayers. Saying that the government was working to develop Turkey's 81 provinces, Erdogan stated that Adiyaman was no longer distant from Ankara. "There's a government in Ankara which is working to solve the problems of the people of Adiyaman," he said, adding that the government wasn't ignoring the problems of Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Malatya, or Elazig. Erdogan further stressed that the government would adopt a new system for irrigation which would help to save water. /Turkiye/[02] ERDOGAN SPEAKS WITH AHMADINEJAD ABOUT IRAQPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday spoke on the telephone with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, currently in Khartoum, Sudan for an official visit, in a discussion focused mainly on Iraq. Erdogan reportedly said that the countries of the region, especially Turkey and Iran, should cooperate and consult more to help establish security in Iraq. In related news, Erdogan also called Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who is undergoing treatment in Amman, Jordan after an illness, and expressed his get-well wishes. Talabani said that he believed that Turkey and Iraq would soon solve their mutual problems through cooperation. /Star/[03] BABACAN: "REGARDLESS OF THE EU, TURKEY WILL MOVE AT FULL SPEED AHEAD"Turkey's chief European Union negotiator Ali Babacan yesterday said that whether the European Union opens chapters for negotiations with Ankara or not, Turkey will move at full speed ahead. "The problem is when the EU will be ready for Turkey, not Turkey being ready for the EU," he said. "We will fulfill all the criteria by 2013." Speaking at a Turkey-EU Consultation meeting held in Brussels, Babacan said, "We will continue to work on all 35 chapters of the EU whether they are opened or not. We're resolved to move at full speed ahead. We've started working even though some chapters are frozen. We will announce a timetable this month, and all of our work will be finished by 2013." /Hurriyet/[04] IN WASHINGTON, TURKISH DEPUTIES MEET WITH EDELMANA delegation of deputies, currently in Washington to lobby against the Armenian genocide resolution before the US Congress, yesterday met to discuss the issue with Eric Edelman, the US undersecretary of defense for policy and former ambassador to Ankara. Later, the deputies met with the directors of B'nai B'rith, a US Jewish group. /Sabah/[05] IN BOOKLET SENT TO US CONGRESS, TURKISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY MAKES CASE AGAINST ARMENIAN RESOLUTIONSpeaking at a press conference yesterday, Justice and Development Party (AKP) Istanbul Deputy Egemen Bagis said that a booklet using documents from the Turkish Historical Society (TTK) has been sent to US Congressmen to help make the case against the Armenian resolution now before the House of Representatives. Also speaking at the press conference, AKP Diyarbakir Deputy Aziz Akgul stated that the resolution was full of misinformation, adding that the booklet provides documentary evidence that there was no genocide. For his part, Bagis also stated that US Muslim leader W.D. Mohammed is due to arrive in Turkey next week, saying that he would help to prevent the passage of the resolution in Washington. /Turkiye/[06] LAGENDIJK: "THE AKP'S STANCE ON THE EU IS QUESTIONABLE"EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee Co-Chair Joost Lagendijk yesterday met with opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar. During their meeting, Lagendijk expressed suspicion about the ruling Justice and Develoment Party's (AKP) stance on EU accession, saying, "The AKP portrays itself as it were an EU supporter." At the meeting, Lagendijk asked Agar what his views are of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), the Kurdish and the Armenian issues, the military's role in politics, and the DYP's strategy for this year's general elections. /Hurriyet/[07] BARZANI: "WE HAVE NO PROJECTS ABOUT KURDS IN TURKEY, IRAN, OR SYRIA"Speaking yesterday to a magazine published in northern Iraq, Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani said that he had no projects concerning Kurds in Turkey, Iran, or Syria, adding that these people would prepare their own course. He further stated that the Kurdish problem in Turkey should be solved peacefully and politically, adding that military operations couldn't be a solution. /Cumhuriyet/[08] SCIENCE COUNCIL TO DISCUSS GLOBAL WARMINGGlobal warming and climate change are due to be discussed next Wednesday at the Supreme Council of Science and Technology (BTYK). The meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During the meeting, scenarios concerning global warming, the effects of climate change, and measures to help counter this will be discussed. Erdogan will deliver the meeting's opening speech. /Turkiye/FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... [09] BOTH THE EU AND BABACAN ARE GLADColumnist Muharrem Sarikaya comments on State Minister Ali Babacan's recent remarks and Turkey's relations with the EU. A summary of her column is as follows:"Probably the best answer which can be given concerning the process of Turkey's EU membership bid is as follows: Both the European Union and chief EU negotiator and State Minister Ali Babacan are glad. As was reflected at the 22nd meeting of the Turkey-EU Joint Consultation Committee (KIK) in Brussels, the result of this is that the EU, which has certain problems with its constitution and is also dealing with elections, doesn't want to be kept busy with Turkey. Even if letters are expected from Turkey in order to open the chapters on statistics, economic and financial policies, financial control, management and industry, it can't be said that the EU wants this very much. The situation isn't so different concerning Babacan, either, because in almost all the countries which have become full EU members, the governments which guided the negotiating process were later voted out of office. It shouldn't be seen as strange that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government is glad that negotiations were frozen before an election year. During yesterday's KIK meeting, where Babacan criticized civil society for excluding them, he said that they had determined their new strategies in January and that they would announce early next month the timetable for work to be carried out by 2013. Joint Parliamentary Commission Co-Chairman Joost Lagendijk, whom I met at Esenboga Airport this week when he came to Ankara to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told me that both sides are putting the brakes on the process and will restart things when their respective elections are over. Actually, the atmosphere was similar during yesterday's KIK meeting. Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchange (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu, en route to Brussels for the meeting, said that he wasn't expecting much progress before next year. He criticized the government's method of working during the EU membership process. During the KIK meeting he criticized the government for excluding non-governmental groups during the EU membership process and said that EU membership was a long process but that officials only care who will run for office or visit the ministry. Stating that Turkey's foreign policy problems wouldn't be limited to the EU, Hisarciklioglu added that there would be elections in the US next year and our region and that the rift between Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq would put Turkey in a difficult position. According to Hisarciklioglu, there is a movement from the global world for a new world order, and thanks to this change Russia, India, China and South Korea took the greatest share of total world production. Meanwhile, Turkey started to meet most of the needs for industrial goods of countries from Morocco to Kazakhstan. In addition, the countries which make the largest investments in Turkey are EU member countries. However, the greatest danger in Turkey is that unemployment and politics will outweigh everything else. Hisarciklioglu added, ‘The sun is rising from the east again. It has passed through China and India, and now it will rise over Turkey. We can't afford to miss this opportunity'." 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