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Turkish Press Review, 08-01-21Turkish 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 morning21.01.2008FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNSCONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: “WE’RE MENDING BROKEN DREAMS”Speaking at his Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) youth branches congress in Antalya yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the headscarf issue, saying, “The mothers and fathers of this country have long cried, and their dreams were terribly broken until our government came into office. And now we are mending their broken dreams. Now our youth love their country more.” He added, “We’ll found nine more universities this year, so there won’t be any cities without universities. We’ll take another step: We’ll establish some pilot cities where there’ll be just universities. We’ll take a new step in urban design.” Later, speaking to the Turkish Hotels Federation (TUROFED), Erdogan said that tourism investment is facing many hurdles. He added that Istanbul has reached an impasse in attracting conventions and needs new investments. Stating that Turkey can bring in 50 million tourists a year, Erdogan said there are plans to make Antalya a convention mecca like Istanbul and that some state meetings will be held there. He also said that some tourist destinations like Uludag need fresh promotion. /Hurriyet/[02] SLAIN JOURNALIST DINK COMMEMORATEDHrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist whose assassination one year ago shocked the nation, was commemorated on Saturday in ceremonies and protest rallies in cities around the country. Thousands of demonstrators gathered at the spot outside the offices of Dink’s newspaper in central Istanbul where he was gunned down by a hard-line nationalist teenager. /All Papers/[03] BAYKAL CRITICIZES PRIME MINISTER OVER PLANS TO MOVE CB TO ISTANBULMain opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plan to move the Central Bank headquarters from Ankara to Istanbul. “This move would bring no economic benefit,” he said. “The premier can’t give any reason to justify the move, and t would cost at least $100 million. Almost all the bank employees are against this. The law in question is clear. Why do you want to take this institution, which exercises the most basic authorities of the state, out of Ankara?” /Aksam/[04] SUDAN’S BASHIR TO ARRIVE IN TURKEY TODAYSudanese President Omar el-Bashir is set to arrive in Ankara today to pay an official visit at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. During his three-day stay, BasHir and Gul are expected to discuss bilateral ties and regional and international issues, including Sudan’s Darfur issue. /Sabah/[05] CELIK REPRESENTS TURKEY AT GEORGIAN PRESIDENT’S SWEARING-IN CEREMONYGeorgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who was reelected early this month with more than 53 percent of the vote, was sworn into a second term yesterday. During his swearing-in ceremony, Saakashvili pledged to work hard to ensure Georgia’s territorial integrity and bring prosperity to the country. Turkey was represented by Education Minister Huseyin Celik at the ceremony. Celik also met with his Georgian counterpart and exchanged views on strengthening educational cooperation between the two countries. /Turkiye/[06] CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF BUYUKANIT VISITS LONDONChief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit yesterday went to London as the guest of his British counterpart Gen. Richard Dannat. Buyukanit, in his official contacts starting today, is expected to meet with top Defense Ministry officials. During these meetings, Turkey’s cross-border operations into northern Iraq against the terrorist PKK will be discussed. /Hurriyet/[07] UNESCO DELEGATION IN ISTANBUL NEXT MONTHAn UNESCO delegation is scheduled to visit Istanbul early next month. During their five-day stay, the three-member delegation is expected to work on large projects planned for the city and the condition of its historical sites. In line with the group’s work, Istanbul’s place on the list of World Heritage Sites will be reviewed. /Milliyet/[08] JOURNALIST KORYUREK DIES IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENTVeteran journalist, public relations expert and renowned sports writer Cuneyt Koryurek died on Saturday in a traffic accident. He was 77. Koryurek will be laid to rest today in a funeral in Istanbul. /Milliyet/FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS [09] BRAINSTORMING ON HEADSCARVESBY ISMET BERKAN (RADIKAL)Columnist Ismet Berkan comments on the headscarf issue. A summary of his column is as follows: “Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan got nervous after the statements of the Supreme Court of Appeals chief public prosecutor and then the Council of State. He said that everybody should know their position. Of course, it’s important under the rule of law that everybody knows their position. This also applies to Erdogan. He also should know where he should stop and try not to go beyond it. You know the reason for all this noise; debates over the headscarf issue and efforts to lift the headscarf ban at universities. Now people are talking about changing the Constitution and going beyond a 1989 Constitutional Court ruling. I’d like to reiterate that under the relevant law, students are free to wear whatever they want at universities, so long as their attire does not break the law. Despite the law, under the Constitutional Court ruling, headscarves are banned. Rightist governments have long argued that actually there’s no legal ban on headscarves, but that rectors and the Board of Higher Education (YOK) banned them illegally. They must have abandoned this position, or why would a constitutional amendment be necessary? Let’s say that there was a constitutional amendment was made, not in the useless way the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) suggested, but as Professor Ergun Ozbudun and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) suggested, saying that the right to education can’t be violated due to a headscarf. If such a phrase were added to the Constitution, do you think that the ban would be automatically lifted? It wouldn’t. Probably a student wearing a headscarf would be expelled, and then the issue would go to the Administrative Court. In other words, a judicial process lasting for a few years would start. Actually the Council of State would decide if the ban would end. Let’s say that the rector of a university lifted the ban, following a constitutional amendment. This time a Kemalist student would apply to the court, complaining of ‘religious pressure’ from students wearing headscarves. Then the Council of State, who was scolded by Erdogan, would again make the decision. Neither democracy nor freedoms come down from the sky. They must be fought for. But fighting isn’t enough. You should convince most of the public that your cause is justified. Politicians inclined to free, democratic ideas aren’t enough for democracy and freedoms. Without judicial support, a fight for democracy and freedom can’t be won. Democracy can’t be brought in a country whose judges aren’t democratic.” Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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