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Turkish Press Review, 07-09-06Turkish 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 morning06.09.200760TH GOVERNMENT WINS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY MEETS WITH BABACAN NEW JUDICIAL YEAR BEGINS TODAY PROPOSAL BY TRNC'S TALAT REJECTED BY GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... A NEW CHAPTER IN TURKISH-EU RELATIONS? BY IBRAHIM KALIN (TODAY'S ZAMAN)CONTENTS
[01] GUL HOSTS FIRST RECEPTION AT PRESIDENTIAL PALACEPresident Abdullah Gul yesterday hosted his first reception at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. Among those attending the event were Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Cabinet members, the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) deputy leaders, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli, and Democratic Society Party (DTP) members. Gen. Erdal Ceylanoglu represented the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) at the reception, along with three lieutenant generals and 14 brigadier generals. No members of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) attended, but the Democratic Left Party (DSP) was represented by Emrehan Halici. Several ambassadors were also present at the event. /Sabah/[00] 60TH GOVERNMENT WINS VOTE OF CONFIDENCEAs expected, the 60th government, formed under Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, won its vote of confidence in Parliament yesterday. Of 535 deputies taking part in the vote, 337 deputies voted in favor of the confidence motion and 197 voted against. One deputy abstained. After the vote, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave a speech thanking the assembled deputies. Stating that one of his government's main goals is to raise the prosperity of the Turkish people, Erdogan said that another objective is to ensure that justice is done throughout the country. Following the vote of confidence, Parliament went on recess until Oct. 1. Afterwards, Erdogan and his Cabinet members visited Anitkabir, Ataturk's mausoleum.[02] BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY MEETS WITH BABACANBritain firmly condemns the terrorist PKK's activities and appreciates Turkey's efforts to combat it through cooperation with the Iraqi government, said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband yesterday. "Within this context, we'll support both governments," he added. Miliband also said that Britain supports Turkey on the Cyprus and the European Union issues. In talks with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan, Miliband discussed such issues as the EU, Iraq, the terrorist PKK, Cyprus and regional policies. The foreign secretary was also received by President Abdullah Gul. /Cumhuriyet/[00] NEW JUDICIAL YEAR BEGINS TODAYMarking the beginning of the new judicial year, a ceremony will be held today at the Supreme Court of Appeals. The court's chief justice, Osman Arslan, is expected to deliver an opening speech to the ceremony. Turkish Bar Association head Ozdemir Ozok is also scheduled to speak. In related news, Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin issued a message marking the day, stating that it was the Turkish judiciary's responsibility to provide that laws have a firm legal basis and that Turkey's legal system serves universal justice and human rights. /Turkiye/PROPOSAL BY TRNC'S TALAT REJECTED BY GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday met with Greek Cypriot administration leader Tassos Papadopoulos to discuss forming technical committees towards finding solutions on the island. The two leaders met at the residence of Michael Moller, the UN secretary-general's special representative on Cyprus. Speaking at a press conference afterwards, Talat said that he had proposed that full negotiations start following a preparatory process of two or two-and-a-half months with an eye to producing a solution by the end of 2008, but Papadopoulos had rejected this. Talat stressed that Papadopoulos believes that several committees should be formed and these committees should try to solve the Cyprus issue, adding that the time for this wasn't certain. "None of the committees planned to be formed were actually formed," added Talat. /Milliyet/ FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... [03] A NEW CHAPTER IN TURKISH-EU RELATIONS?BY IBRAHIM KALIN (TODAY'S ZAMAN)Columnist Ibrahim Kalin comments on Turkish-European Union relations after last month's reelection of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). A summary of his column is as follows: "Everybody from Ankara to Brussels is asking this question: With the Justice and Development Party (AKP) strengthening its position in government and Abdullah Gul as the new president, will Turkey renew its efforts to gain full EU membership? No matter how the AKP and the Turkish people answer the question, much still depends on what happens next in Europe. As I've said many times before, neither Turkey nor the EU is a static entity. As their negotiations continue, both sides change their positions on issues. The reason is simple yet important: the reforms introduced as part of the negotiation process are already having an impact on Turkish society. At the same time, they are changing Europe's perception of Turkey. Politics, economics, the legal system, universities and civil groups are all responding to the changes brought about by our current engagement with Europe. The responses range from full support to stiff opposition. This is perfectly proper. However, everyone knows that the debate isn't so much about joining the EU as what course Turkey will take in defining itself in the coming decades. With the current political reshuffling in Europe, EU leaders may never bring themselves to accept Turkey as an equal partner. Like the French presidential election earlier this year, Turkey will continue to be a testing ground for European politicians. Other European politicians may follow French President Nicolas Sarkozy's lead to use opposition to Turkey's EU membership as part of a conservative domestic agenda. Besides political games, right now there is more tension in Europe than in Turkey over multiculturalism and accepting the realities of globalization. The EU's so-called ‘enlargement fatigue' is just one aspect of the problem. Like other citizens of the world, Europeans are having a tough time adjusting to the demands of current shifts in power. There is greater demand for power-sharing from outside entities; the new immigrant communities in Europe, emerging markets, international competition from high-tech industries to universities and new regional developments are all forcing Europe as well as other leading political actors to act as fair distributors rather than jealous aggregators of power. Today, European universities have to compete with their American counterparts. The competition goes way beyond the US; India, China, Russia and other emerging regional powers are all part of the new power- sharing regime. Europe is likely to respond to this new reality in multiple ways. As in France and Germany, political leaders with clearly conservative and inward-looking agendas may come to power and oppose Turkey's EU membership. Other smaller countries like Austria may act as the voice of a belligerent and xenophobic current against Islam and Muslims in Europe. As we saw with the Danish cartoon crisis, freedom of the press may become a tool to provoke Muslim sensitivities. The recent publication of several cartoons about the prophet of Islam in a Swiss newspaper is a dangerous sign. The real danger, however, is that every time Europe fails to cope with the hard realities of globalization, it will turn to Islam, Muslims and, yes, to Turkey's membership to clear its conscience. The whole argument over Europe becoming a ‘Eurabia' is just one aspect of this dangerous trend. It's no secret that Europe has a love-hate relationship with the current world order. The emerging patterns of power-sharing have led to serious soul-searching among Europeans to find a new role for Europe. The question is whether this process will result in opposing Turkey's EU membership. European politicians with a narrow agenda may see a lot of potential in this move. Can Turkey stand against this tide? It can if it can manage to be a part of the debate rather than just a bystander. Turkey can't afford to merely watch the current debate in Europe and leave the final decision to the Europeans, because Turkey's relationship with Europe goes beyond the EU. This means spending a great deal of political and intellectual capital to make Turkey's voice heard in Europe. We hope that our chief negotiator and new foreign minister, Ali Babacan, will take up the issue with the full seriousness it deserves." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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