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Turkish Press Review, 07-08-06
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
06.08.2007
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER EXPECTED TO ASSIGN ERDOGAN TO FORM GOVT
[02] IRAQI PM TO VISIT ANKARA
[03] YAS DISMISSES 23 OFFICERS FROM ARMY FOR DISCIPLINARY OFFENSES, EXTREMISM
[04] SARIGUL CRITICIZES DEMIREL’S DEFENSE OF CHP’S BAYKAL
[05] BRITISH HISTORIAN PRAISES TURKEY
[06] CUSTOMS BURDEN TO BE LIFTED FOR 18 ISLAMIC COUNTRIES
[07] TURKEY TO TAKE OVER BLACKSEAFOR COMMAND
[01] SEZER EXPECTED TO ASSIGN ERDOGAN TO FORM GOVT
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is due today to receive Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. During the meeting, Sezer is expected to assign Erdogan to
form Turkey’s next government, its 60th. Following the July 22 elections,
Erdogan visited Sezer and presented him the current government’s
resignation. /Turkiye/
[02] IRAQI PM TO VISIT ANKARA
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is due to arrive in Ankara tomorrow to
pay an official visit. Maliki will be accompanied by a 30-member delegation,
including five government ministers. During his visit, Maliki is expected
to pledge to take concrete steps against terrorism in line with Turkey’s
requests and to make the Iraqi government’s first declaration that the
PKK is a terrorist group. Maliki and Turkish officials are also expected to
sign an agreement on cooperation in counter-terrorist efforts. The
agreement stipulates that neither country will give shelter to terrorists
who commit terrorist acts against the other. If the Iraqi government agrees
to sign the agreement, two other pacts on the economy and energy are also
expected to be signed. /Milliyet/
[03] YAS DISMISSES 23 OFFICERS FROM ARMY FOR DISCIPLINARY OFFENSES,
EXTREMISM
Decisions made at last week’s Supreme Military Council (YAS) meeting,
held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have
been announced, making public the promotions and dismissals of officers in
the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) following the approval of President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer. At the end of the four-day meeting, according to a statement
issued by the Office of the Chief General Staff, a total of 23 members of
the military were dismissed from the TSK, 13 for disciplinary reasons and
10 for Islamic extremism. Thirty-four generals and admirals received
promotions to a higher rank, 45 colonels and navy captains were elevated to
the rank of general officer, and the term in office of 40 generals was
extended for another year. /Today’s Zaman/
[04] SARIGUL CRITICIZES DEMIREL’S DEFENSE OF CHP’S BAYKAL
Visiting Trabzon, Mustafa Sarigul, the mayor of Istanbul’s Sisli district,
yesterday criticized Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal
and his team. Asked about former President Suleyman Demirel’s recent
expression of support for Baykal, Sarigul said that Demirel must have felt
sorry for the people being dragged across the floor by politics and that he
was trying to save them, but that such efforts are futile. Sarigul stated
that even Demirel can’t get them back on their feet. He added that
Demirel was a good politician, but he wouldn’t have said such things if
he knew the situation better. /Hurriyet/
[05] BRITISH HISTORIAN PRAISES TURKEY
Speaking to London’s Sunday Times, expatriate British Historian Norman
Stone yesterday praised Turkey as a “wonderful place,” adding that he
became a “Turkish nationalist” as soon as he stepped off the plane.
Stone, a former Oxford professor who has been teaching in Turkey for the
last 10 years, said of Turkey’s political scene, “The thing is that the
secularist Turks are asking for our support, and we should understand them
when they say they don’t want women wearing bags on their heads!” He
added, “Ataturk was a great man. He knew no society can become civilized
unless it stops women wearing bags over their heads.” /Cumhuriyet/
[06] CUSTOMS BURDEN TO BE LIFTED FOR 18 ISLAMIC COUNTRIES
Turkey is preparing to gradual remove customs barriers with 18 Islamic
countries by establishing a preferential trade system. It is set to remove
high customs and non-tariff barriers with agreements to be signed next
month with the following countries: the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh,
Morocco, Guinea, Iran, Cameroon, Qatar, Libya, Lebanon, the Maldives,
Malaysia, Egypt, Pakistan, Senegal, Syria, Tunisia, Uganda and Jordan. The
“Preferential Trade System between Members of the Organization of the
Islamic Conference” project will be implemented after the framework
agreement is signed. /Sabah/
[07] TURKEY TO TAKE OVER BLACKSEAFOR COMMAND
The Turkish Naval Forces is set today to take over command of the Black Sea
Naval Cooperation Group (Blackseafor) for a term of one year. A ceremony to
mark the handover from Russia’s Naval Forces Command will take place at
the Golcuk Naval Base in northeastern Anatolia. /Today’s Zaman/
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