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Turkish Press Review, 07-06-22
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
22.06.2007
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN, GUL BRIEFED ON TERRORISM AT OFFICE OF GENERAL STAFF
[02] SENER MEETS WITH SEZER, WILSON
[03] US STATE DEPT SPOKESPERSON: “WE HAVE FAITH IN TURKEY’S SECULAR DEMOCRACY”
[04] US SPECIAL ENVOY RALSTON: “I’D LIKE TO SEE KURDS IN NORTHERN IRAQ OUSTING THE PKK”
[05] GERMAN PRESIDENT HONORS TWO TURKISH WOMEN WITH MEDALS OF MERIT
[06] CHP CALLS ATTENTION TO EUROPE
[01] ERDOGAN, GUL BRIEFED ON TERRORISM AT OFFICE OF GENERAL STAFF
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
yesterday visited the General Staff to be briefed on terrorism, and
especially the recent state of domestic security operations and claims that
the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) lacks equipment effective in countering
terrorist PKK mines. Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit was
accompanied by other top commanders at the meeting. Erdogan and Gul were
also briefed on the presence of the terrorist PKK in northern Iraq. After
departing from the Office of the General Staff, Erdogan appeared on
television and commented on a possible cross-border operation, saying that
the government was in contact with all security forces. “We’re taking
some steps and holding meetings,” he added. /Hurriyet/
[02] SENER MEETS WITH SEZER, WILSON
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener yesterday met separately with
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and US Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson. Sener
and Wilson reportedly discussed Turkey’s ties with the US and the
European Union besides developments in northern Iraq. Following his
meetings, Sener declined to give any information about his contacts.
/Hurriyet/
[03] US STATE DEPT SPOKESPERSON: “WE HAVE FAITH IN TURKEY’S SECULAR
DEMOCRACY”
During his daily press briefing, upon a question about the meeting held in
Hudson Institute last Wednesday, US State Department Spokesperson Sean
McCormack said that he had no information about the issue but made a
general comment saying, “And as in the Turkish Government and we have
faith in Turkey's secular democracy and we believe that that secular
democracy is supported by all aspects of Turkish political life, including
the Turkish military and by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his
government.” /Cumhuriyet/
[04] US SPECIAL ENVOY RALSTON: “I’D LIKE TO SEE KURDS IN NORTHERN IRAQ
OUSTING THE PKK”
US Special Envoy for countering the terrorist PKK retired general Joseph
Ralston yesterday said that the Kurds in northern Iraq should adopt a more
effective attitude against the terrorist PKK, adding, “I would like to
see the Kurds in northern Iraq oppressing the terrorist PKK and ousting
terrorists. Speaking at a think-tank in Washington, Ralston said that the
PKK was a terrorist organization which kills innocent people and added,
“You can’t indulge them. Everybody, including the US, should treat them
as they are, as murderers.” Recalling that the US doesn’t favor a
possible cross-border operation by Turkey, Ralston said, “I hope Turks
would take into consideration their long term interests, not short term
ones.” /Star/
[05] GERMAN PRESIDENT HONORS TWO TURKISH WOMEN WITH MEDALS OF MERIT
German President Horst Koehler yesterday honored two Turkish women named
Zulfisiyah Kaykin and Seyran Ates with medals of merit for their work on
women rights. Kaykin was chosen as a recipient of the German Medal of Merit
based on her efforts to bring together people of different religious,
ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Kaykin, who is the Executive Director of
Duisburg Religious Affairs Turkish Islamic Union, established an
association of parents and organized countless cultural activities.
Meanwhile, Ates received the German Medal of Merit for her efforts in
helping battered women and women forced to get married. /Turkiye/
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS...
[06] CHP CALLS ATTENTION TO EUROPE
BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on Turkey’s EU bid and political parties’
stance on the issue. A summary of her column is as follows:
“Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said yesterday
that the European Union membership was still Turkey’s goal and thus
called attention to the issue. Isn’t it strange? Is the CHP, which had an
anti-European stance recently, turned its direction towards Europe? Baykal
added that when the CHP comes into power, it would advance on this road by
protecting Turkey’s rights. As both the ruling and opposition parties
started to use this issue as a tool for domestic politics, the European
train was about to take its place at the locomotive museum. Just at that
time, CHP freshened Turkey’s EU bid. Political parties should take their
stance clearly on this issue. The parties who oppose to Europe should do
this as well. Only this way, discussions can be held on a correct basis.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to prevent analyses which are examples of
gossip and ignorance and develop reasonable suggestions for harmonization
with the EU.
A difficult, but important summit about the EU started in Brussels
yesterday. A great many bargaining is made in order to ensure the operation
of the EU and these bargaining also concern Turkey. If Europe can solve its
institutional problems, the enlargement would be able to follow a stronger
path. Meanwhile, what was the recent situation for us? The Justice and
Development Party (AKP) fallowed the EU process with Brussels’ support.
It thought that even if the negotiations are hindered, we would open
negotiation chapters and do what is necessary, and thus adopted the
technique of delaying. I would like to ask in how many months Turkey could
elect its negotiator. When other members’ negotiator and the
institutional structure of performing negotiations were clear, the AKP
avoided the issue. This situation showed that it did not believe in this
issue, didn’t it? During the work of harmonization, Turkey should have
prepared its middle and long term national program. This was another sign
of its lack of belief, but it couldn’t announce it to the public, because
it was unable to see Europe’s own crisis and its possible reflections on
Turkey. There is not a single party in Turkey which seriously deals with
Turkey’s EU bid and which consists of a staff studying Europe and
producing politics accordingly. The EU turned into a file which would be
found by the parties in front of them when they come into power. In
addition, the parties are not courageous enough to neither close it, nor
deepen it.
The CHP calculated that it would see this file in front of it one day and
thus it’s making preparations. I wish this was not the case and the CHP
expressed its views on the issue more openly. Relations with the EU cannot
be continued on the basis of rights with the understanding that they can
tell whatever they want and we would find an answer to them. Speaking at
the National School of Administration (ENA), EU Commissioner Olli Rehn
reserved half of its words to Turkey the day before. He emphasized that
Turkey was important both for Europe’s stability and security and its
economic future. He said that it would be the new government’s duty to
show its capacity to harmonize with the EU and accelerate the negotiations.
It would be insufficient for those who want to come into power only to say
that their goal is EU membership. We have the right to learn why this is
the situation and what would be done or not done towards this end.”
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