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Turkish Press Review, 08-10-15Turkish 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 morning15.10.2008CONTENTS
[01] GUL ATTENDS OPENING OF FRANKFURT BOOK FAIRThe number, diversity and quality of books published in Turkey are on an upward trend, said President Abdullah Gul yesterday. Speaking at the opening ceremony of Germany's 60th Frankfurt Book Fair, Gul lamented how a number of writers have been lost to terrorism. Saying that pressure and restrictions on writers and books are falling away, Gul added, "Turkey is a country which has largely fulfilled the European Union criteria on freedom of speech and respect for cultural diversity through economic and political reforms, especially in recent years." For his part, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that he hoped the fair would help Turkey bridge cultures and continents. Stating that EU integration cannot be done without Turkey, Steinmeier said that Turkey plays an important role in peace efforts in both the Middle East and the Caucasus. Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk also attended the ceremony and delivered a speech. /Milliyet/[02] ERDOGAN: "DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS MUST PLAY A ROLE IN ENDING TERRORISM"At his ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) group meeting, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday spoke about the fight against terrorism. Responding to the criticisms of the government, Erdogan said that people living in Turkey are equal members of the same nation, with none superior to the other. Saying that law and democracy won't be hurt during counterterrorist efforts, Erdogan said that all sectors of society agree that terrorism cannot be defeated by security measures alone. Erdogan said that Turkey must also use diplomacy in these efforts, adding, "We're doing work which includes all the related actors - the Iraqi central administration, the US and the regional administration in northern Iraq. If such steps weren't taken before, this was a mistake." /Cumhuriyet/[03] STATE ISSUES APOLOGY FOR DEATH OF PRISONER IN CUSTODYJustice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin apologized yesterday to the family of Engin Ceber, an activist who allegedly died due to injuries sustained in a beating by police and prison guards. Sahin told reporters that an investigation of claims that Ceber was tortured and killed in prison had been completed, and that 19 officials, including two guards at Metris Prison, where Ceber died, plus one senior officer and a doctor who filed a report on Ceber's condition without seeing him, have been suspended. "In the name of my state and government, I apologize to his loved ones," said Sahin. "We'll spare no effort in finding those responsible. Of that there should be no doubt." /Hurriyet/[04] MORE MEETINGS ON ANTI-TERRORISM EFFORTS HELDA fourth round of meetings led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on anti-terrorism efforts was held yesterday, with Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug and other high-level state and military officials in attendance. Terrorism's diplomatic, political, sociological and economic and legal aspects were discussed at the six-hour gathering, said a statement released afterwards. Plans to form a new unit to coordinate anti- terrorist efforts in the Interior Ministry were also discussed, and the ministry's theater of operations is expected to expand with that unit. "Civilian influence in anti-terrorist efforts is expected to rise through the planned unit," it stated./Star-Aksam/[05] TURKISH DELEGATION HOLDS CONTACTS IN BAGHDADA delegation led by Turkey's Special Envoy to Iraq Murat Ozcelik yesterday held talks in Baghdad with Massoud Barzani, the leader of the northern Iraqi regional administration. After the two-hour meeting, Ozcelik said the talks had been positive and that Turkey had conveyed to the other side security proposals. Ozcelik and his delegation also met separately with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad. During the meeting, Maliki expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in a terrorist PKK attack on a Turkish military outpost, adding, "We're ashamed of the PKK using Iraqi territory (as bases for attacks). This menace has to be eradicated, and what needs to be done towards that end must be done." /Aksam/[06] OPPOSITION LEADER BAYKAL CRITICIZES GOVERNMENTMain opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday urged Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan to respond to his calls to abolish parliamentary deputies' legal immunity. Speaking at his party's parliamentary group meeting, Baykal accused Erdogan of ignoring deaths in prisons, citing suspects imprisoned under the Ergenekon probe for more than a year before facing a judge, and said democracies must take care of such issues. Baykal also lashed out the government's handling of terrorism, saying that the AKP had underestimated the terrorist threat and tried to forge good relations with groups backing terrorists. /Hurriyet/[07] BAHCELI LASHES OUT AT GOVT'S TALKS WITH N.IRAQ ADMINISTRATIONSpeaking to his party's parliamentary group meeting yesterday, opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli criticized the government's new talks with the regional northern Iraqi administration on fighting the terrorist PKK, and reiterated his proposal for a buffer zone in the region. He accused the government of abdicating its responsibility to fight terrorism. He also urged the government to use its recently extended authority to conduct cross-border operations in northern Iraq. /Turkiye/[08] AMNESTY FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS PASSES KEY HURDLEParliament's Education Commission yesterday approved a government proposal that would allow students who were dismissed from university for whatever reason to resume their education. The bill, would include students from as far back as 1995, is expected to be passed by the full Parliament next week. /Hurriyet/[09] WORLD BANK HEAD PRAISES TURKISH ECONOMYTurkey's strategic importance in terms of its location is pivotal, and its economy has grown stronger, said World Bank President Robert Zoellick this week. "Turkey is of great importance for the economic and political stability of its region," he said in a statement during fall meetings of the bank and the International Monetary Fund. "In recent years, Turkey has taken important initiatives towards stability in its region and achieved it." Stating that Turkey has seen a remarkable economic transformation in recent years, he added, "Thanks to the recent years' structural reforms, now Turkey has a more solid and shock-proof financial system, and the country's influence on world markets is rising." Saying that Turkey could be part of a new G-7 group, along with China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, Zoellick explained, "The new G-7 countries should convene from time to time and try to find solutions to global economic problems in cooperation with the IMF and World Bank." In related news, Turkey gets the biggest share of World Bank program loans compared to other loan-holding countries due to its performance in the use of project and program loans, WB officials said. /Turkiye/FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… [10] A GLOBAL GOVERNMENTBY ERDAL SAFAK (SABAH)Columnist Erdal Safak comments on the Turkey's efforts to win a seat on the UN Security Council for 2009-2010 and the global financial crisis. A summary of his column is as follows: "Five years of Turkish campaigning to win a temporary seat on the UN Security Council for 2009-2010 are about to end. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and his staff have been lobbying in New York, where elections are set to start tomorrow. Besides Turkey, other candidates in the Western European Group are Iceland and Austria. Two out of these three countries will be elected. The math is simple: We have to get two-thirds of the votes from 192 UN member countries, meaning 128 countries. Members of the Organization for the Islamic Conference (OIC) have pledged their full support, along with many countries in Africa, the Pacific, Caribbean, Central Asia, Europe, and Latin and Central America. In addition, Turkey's mediation in Syrian-Israeli talks, and its active role in the Iraq, Iran and Lebanon issues and in the Caucasus, have made it a hub for global diplomacy. If the promises of support and praise for Ankara's moves are reflected in the ballot box, Turkey should win more than the needed 128 votes. But no matter the outcome, two-year Security Council membership shouldn't be Turkey's diplomatic goal. We should think bigger and expand our vision, because the deck is being reshuffled on the world stage, and roles are being reassigned. The fallout of the financial crisis will not only be economic, as the political order will also change radically. In other words, a new world will come out of this crisis. We can already begin to see it. German Finance Minister Peer Steinbruck said that the US will lose its status as a world financial superpower. French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said that the world won't be the same. Martin Schulz, chairman of the Socialist Group in European Parliament, said that we're witnessing the end of American sovereignty. The new order and era will require new international institutions. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown wants a new Bretton Woods order, whereas French President Nicolas Sarkozy is suggesting global economic and political reforms. The number of countries signing onto the EU-US action plan to end the panic on stock exchanges has promoted stability, and is also the first test of efforts for international restructuring in the new era, and it passed successfully. This will probably include a revised G-8. As you know, the G- 8 still consists of the US, Japan, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Russia. Sarkozy, who will likely lead economic and political reform initiatives, argues that the new G should reflect the balances of globalization and the post-crisis era, and so its numbers should swell to 14. Under this, the rising powers of China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa would be invited. I can take no issue with this. But who do you think Sarkozy is suggesting as the 14th member? Egypt! Yes, Egypt! French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner went to Cairo last weekend to deliver Sarkozy's suggestion. So what about Turkey? Nobody mentions Turkey. Turkey's economy ranks number 17 in the world, with a gross domestic product of $657 billion, whereas Egypt is number 52 with just $128 billion. I don't think that Turkey, which is among the world's top 20 economies, will just sit and watch these efforts, but instead should go into action before this new order is finalized, because it will become a kind of global government." 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