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Turkish Press Review, 07-11-23Turkish 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 morning23.11.2007CONTENTS
[01] GUL RECEIVES EP’S TURKEY RAPPORTEURPresident Abdullah Gul yesterday received the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, Ria Oomen-Ruijiten. After their meeting, Ruijiten stated that Gul had told her the government would use its strong public mandate to advance Turkey’s European Union reform process. Ruijiten also said that she and Gul had had an open and positive meetingl. /Star/[02] ERDOGAN RECEIVES TOP GERMAN MIGRATION OFFICIALPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday received Maria Boemer, the German commissioner for migration, refugees and integration, and told her his concerns concerning arrangements for family unification in German immigration law. Pointing to attacks seen over the last year on the German- Turkish community and their property, Erdogan said that better measures were needed to protect against and prevent such attacks. /Cumhuriyet/[03] DEFENSE MINISTER GONUL BRIEFS EU OFFICIALS ON CROSS-BORDER MOTIONDefense Minister Vecdi Gonul, at this week’s European Union defense ministers Troika Meeting in Brussels, briefed EU officials on the motion approved by Parliament last month authorizing the government to launch a military operation into northern Iraq. Other matters reportedly discussed at the meeting included defense issues and the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). /Turkiye/[04] TURKEY-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE CONDEMNS PKK TERRORIST ATTACKSThe Turkey-Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee yesterday unanimously condemned all the terrorist activities of the PKK. After the group’s meeting in Ankara, Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee Co-Chair Joost Lagendijk and the commission’s Turkish co-chair, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Yasar Yakis, held a joint press conference. “I want to state that the PKK is a terrorist group and I firmly condemn PKK terrorism,” Lagendijk told reporters, adding that Europeans had seen over the last several years how terrorism can also hit their neighbors, with the attacks in Spain and Britain. Stating that he opposes moves to close Turkey’s Democratic Society Party (DTP), Lagendijk said, “The DTP was told to put a distance between themselves and the terrorist PKK and to give strong messages that they are against terrorism.” Lagendijk also met with the head of the Terrorism Victims Association, Hamit Kose, and an accompanying delegation at Parliament. /Star-Aksam/[05] IRAQI KURDISH PARTY OFFICIAL URGES PKK TO LAY DOWN ITS ARMSThe Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party will not allow the PKK to take actions to push the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) into launching an operation into northern Iraq, said Safeen Dizayee, the IKDP’s head for external affairs, yesterday. Stressing that the IKDP is taking tight security measures in the region to protect their people, Dizai warned the PKK to watch its step. He also urged the terrorist PKK to lay down its arms and declare a ceasefire, adding that they were ready to take efforts to ensure peace in the region. /Milliyet/[06] ITALIAN FM: “TURKEY HAS A RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF”Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema, at the opening of the Fourth Turkish-Italian Forum in Istanbul alongside his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan, yesterday expressed his support for Turkey’s fight against terrorism. Stating that Turkey has been subject to an intolerable series of terrorist attacks which must be opposed with international support, calm and self-control, D’Alema said, “Turkey is doing this the best way possible, with the grasp of a true democratic country.” He added, “I have said many times that attacks coming from Iraqi territory are completely unacceptable. Concerted international effort is needed to confront this issue. Turkey has a right to defend itself. I have never questioned this, and I never will.” Touching on Turkey’s European Union bid, D’Alema said, “The EU has a decision on Turkey. Turkey is an EU candidate country. It’s candidate country and will become a member.” For his part, Babacan said that after the EU makes Turkey part of the bloc, it will thereby have the potential to become a global power. /Hurriyet/[07] BRITISH JUSTICE MINISTER STRAW ARRIVES IN ANKARABritish Justice Secretary Jack Straw yesterday arrived in Ankara. Straw will visit several departments at the Turkish Justice Ministry and is expected to meet with his Turkish counterpart Mehmet Ali Sahin today before proceeding to Istanbul. /The New Anatolian/[08] GREEK CYPRIOT MEP: “THE DTP SHOULD PUT ITSELF AT A DISTANCE FROM THE TERRORIST PKK”Marios Matsakis, a Greek Cypriot deputy at the European Parliament, yesterday condemned terrorism and the terrorist PKK. Matsakis, on a visit to Ankara for a Turkey-European Union Joint Parliamentary Commission (JPC) meeting, told reporters that he wanted the Democratic Society Party (DTP) to put itself at a clear distance from the terrorist PKK and condemn its attacks. He called terrorism a “cancer” on the modern world. /Milliyet/[09] RULING PARTY DEPUTIES TO HOLD RETREATAs part of its traditional meetings, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies will start a party retreat today in Kizilcahamam, Ankara. During the weekend gathering, the deputies will discuss the terrorism issue and the government’s efforts to end the terrorist PKK’s attacks. Cabinet ministers are expected to brief them on the issue. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also attend the meeting. /Sabah/FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… [10] ARE WE READY FOR A POST-PKK ERA?BY NASUHI GUNGOR (STAR)Columnist Nasuhi Gungor comments on the terrorist PKK. A summary of her column is as follows: “Developments in Turkey on terrorism could bring many changes. A debate recently started over whether certain areas within the state - for example, intelligence agencies - had played a role in the process of the terrorist PKK’s emergence. It would be unfair to make such a debate ‘institutional, ’ but it should also be conducted in a productive way. Maybe the PKK could have reached this point as a result of multiple balances within the state. One could even say that even if they didn’t play an active role in its formation, certain areas of the state use the PKK for domestic and foreign political fodder and have manipulated and transformed it. Today a vitally important process is starting. Of course it’s not easy to wipe away such organizations. But it’s also clear that the PKK is in troubled waters. Leaked comments from convicted PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan show that the group is losing power in certain areas within the state. Ocalan, an 11th-hour convert to the idea that Turkey can’t become a moderate Islamic country, actually talks about areas his group cooperates with. A similar idea was also recently mentioned by the Democratic Society Party (DTP), and it signaled that it was closer to protecting the secular order than the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). This idea, brought up by the DTP before this summer’s general elections, was interesting, and depicted the DTP as a child of this system itself. I have no doubt that the PKK decline disturbs certain circles which have seemed very upset about terrorism and always condemn the group. Because the PKK and associated groups - for example, defunct parties such as the Democratic Party (DEP) and the People’s Democracy Party (HADEP) and now the DTP - actually were used as tools in the hands of certain powers in Turkey. Recent developments at least weaken these tools. The strongest sign of this fact came in the July elections. Now people are looking towards the local elections set for next spring. Probably the DTP will either win or lose in certain important centers. Maybe it would be better to evaluate the public pressure on the DTP and calls to close it through such a lens. If Turkey can manage its problems related to northern Iraq, maybe it will be able to gain unprecedented maneuvering room. Here let me underline that the problem isn’t only the PKK or terrorism. We lack the means to know how to fight these problems in their natural spheres of activity, but at least we have the intention and courage. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili told President Abdullah Gul this week that these places were extensions of Turkey. These words are very important, because they mean that Turkey could take a very broad area of activity. Now it’s time to evaluate this using good analytical tools and game theory.” Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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