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Turkish Press Review, 03-04-10Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr><LINK href="http://www.byegm.gov.tr_yayinlarimiz_chr_pics_css/tpr.css" rel=STYLESHEET type=text/css> e-mail : newspot@byegm.gov.tr <caption> <_caption> Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning10.04.2003FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…CONTENTS
[01] SEZER: “POSTWAR BALANCES IN IRAQ SHOULD NOT THREATEN THE REGION”Speaking yesterday at a closed session of a conference held at Istanbul’s War Academy, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said that new balances formed in Iraq after the war should neither threaten its neighbors nor endanger the stability which Turkey wants to see re-established in the region as soon as possible. “Turkey will support Iraq in its path to democratization,” he said. “When Iraq starts to advance on the way to democracy, Turkey will be one of the first countries to support it as its most steadfast partner.” Sezer stated that Turkey had explained to its allies its sensitivities about the northern Iraqi cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, and reiterated to them that protecting Iraq’s territorial integrity, political unity, and independence were still Ankara’s priorities. He added that Turkey didn’t want to send troops into northern Iraq for military reasons alone. “We know that terrorist groups in the region won’t pass up any chance to act against Turkey, so we’ve told our allies of our concerns,” Sezer added. /Milliyet/[02] ERDOGAN, GUL MEET WITH GREEK COUNTERPARTS DURING SEECP SUMMITPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdulllah Gul yesterday met with European Union Term President Greece’s premier and foreign minister, Costas Simitis and George Papandreou. The leaders attending the sixth summit of the heads of state and government of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Belgrade, Serbia- Montenegro gathered during a recess following the opening ceremony to discuss the Cyprus issue. After the meeting, Erdogan said that both sides should act in the spirit of self-sacrifice, and that common ground could be reached on the issue. /All Papers/[03] ERDOGAN: “THE UN SHOULD PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE IN POSTWAR IRAQ”After completing his contacts at the sixth heads of state and government summit of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Belgrade, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday returned to Ankara. Speaking to reporters at Esenboga Airport, Erdogan said that he had held very productive meetings with the Balkan leaders at the summit. Regarding the Iraq war, the premier stated that the Turkish government placed great importance on making sure humanitarian aid got to the Iraqi people. He said that injured Iraqis would receive treatment at Turkish hospitals and that a transport carrying medical aid and food had been sent to Iraq. Reiterating that Iraq’s territorial integrity must be maintained and that its natural resources belonged solely to the Iraqi people, Erdogan added, “The United Nations should play an active role during the Iraq’s postwar reconstruction process.” /Turkiye/[04] GUL: “WHATEVER THE OBSTACLES, TURKEY WILL FULFILLITS[05] RESPONSIBILITIES ON ITS WAY TO THE EU”Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) summit in Belgrade, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul brushed aside Turkish media reports of an alleged conversation between top German and Danish officials during last year’s European Union summit in Copenhagen reportedly discussing ways to frustrate Turkey’s EU membership bid. “These kinds of things happen from time to time,” said Gul. “The important thing for Turkey is to fulfill its responsibilities and then to put pressure on the EU [on its membership bid].” Stressing that there was no turning back from the path to Turkey’s membership for either the EU or the nation itself, Gul added, “The EU could put many other obstacles before us, but we would overcome them all.” Speaking on the Iraq war and the progress of Kurdish forces towards the northern Iraqi cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, Gul said, “I am sure that Turkey’s concerns will be taken into consideration.” /Turkiye/[06] GUL SET TO VISIT DAMASCUS THIS WEEKENDForeign Minister Abdullah Gul is set to fly to Damascus this weekend in order to discuss recent developments on the war in Iraq with his Syrian counterpart Farouk al-Shara. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is also expected to visit Damascus following Gul’s visit. /Milliyet/[07] IMF HEAD KOEHLER: “IF TURKEY CARRIES OUT THE REFORMS[08] SET OUT IN ITS LOI, THE ECONOMY SHOULD STAY ON A HEALTHY TRACK”International Monetary Fund Managing Director Horst Koehler declared yesterday that if Turkey carries out structural reforms stipulated in its new letter of intent (LOI), then the nation’s economy would continue on its current healthy track. “They have a realistic chance if they implement what they said in the LOI, that growth continues,” Koehler told Reuters. Koehler further stated that if the war in Iraq ends soon, its negative effects on Turkey’s economy would be limited. He also praised Turkey’s efforts to decouple the economy and politics, and its reforms to the banking system. Koehler also predicted that the world economy would grow about 3% this year. /Aksam/[09] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…[10] AS BAGHDAD FALLS TO AMERICAN FORCESBY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)Columnist Derya Sazak writes on the apparent end of the Iraq war. A summary of his column is as follows:“US tanks yesterday moved into Firdos Square in central Baghdad, and military leaders declared the Iraqi capital’s fall. US soldiers helped a group of Iraqis topple a 40-foot statue of Saddam, a historic incident symbolizing the end of Saddam’s 35-year reign. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has vanished. Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf abruptly ended his regular press briefing. Without any significant resistance, Baghdad fell to American forces. If American soldiers had been patient enough to wait for 24 hours, the journalists at Baghdad’s Palestine Hotel would have not been the victims of aggressive US bombing. Reuters reporters were killed by their allies! The US Army murdered these reporters, violating international principles of journalism, which grant all reporters the right to access information. The US press, meanwhile, recently evaluated the Turkish military’s stance on the Iraq war. In a news analysis by Washington Post foreign service correspondent Philip Pan, it was stated that the Turkish Army faced a tough choice in northern Iraq. ‘Turkey considers Kurdish control of the Iraqi oil fields a security threat, and if the Kurds enter either city, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok will face the most important decision of his 44-year military career: whether to order an invasion of northern Iraq that could lead to clashes between his troops and those of the United States and its Kurdish allies,’ said the US daily. Reviewing Ozkok’s military career, Pan wrote that the Turkish general had spent several years in Brussels as Ankara’s NATO representative, and that diplomats and officers who worked alongside him said he was more supportive of democratic reform and strong ties with the United States and Europe than many of his colleagues. ‘The US position has put Ozkok in a difficult spot,’ said Pan. ‘So far, he has played a moderating role within the military, but retired generals who have worked closely with him said he is under pressure from senior commanders who want him to be more forceful with the United States. “There are many people who think he should be more aggressive,” one general said.’ Washington and Ankara are currently asking themselves similar questions: If the National Security Council (NSC) had adopted a more persuasive or even forceful position, could it have convinced the Turkish Parliament to approve the proposal allowing deployment of US troops at Turkey’s military facilities? Could Turkey have persuaded the US that it should enter northern Iraq alone? Will newly emerging Kurdish formations in northern Iraq trigger separatist movements in bordering Turkey? Will Turkey alter its policy that the establishment of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq would constitute a ‘casus belli’? Pan’s analysis shows that it is high time for Ankara to determine clearly its postwar Iraq policy. Turkey should seek solutions to these problems, regardless of possible future provocations. Since we’ve already said publicly that this is not our war, we should contribute to efforts to establish peace in the postwar period. As a matter of fact, peacekeeping will be the more difficult war for the US to win!” [11] BAGHDAD AND THE NEW ORDERBY TUNCAY OZKAN (AKSAM)Columnist Tuncay Ozkan comments on the current situation in Iraq and possible developments in the region in the future. A summary of his column is as follows:“With the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue, the phase of the war of taking Baghdad and Iraq has to a great extent ended. However, neither Saddam nor his family, nor the forces attached to them have turned up. Can this war be considered finished without their capture? It’s impossible for Saddam and his men to escape and hide in Iraq for very long. At any rate, nobody thought that the US would lose this war. But what will happen now? Will there be more resistance within Iraq? Analysts say that from now on, it will no longer be a war of armies. Time will tell what those who favor Saddam or the Iraqi nation will do concerning Iraq and how they will respond to US and British soldiers. They will either surrender or else fight them using guerilla tactics. If the predictions of the US and other Western sources prove accurate, Saddam will use his chemical and biological weapons because the US justified its overthrowing Saddam and invading Iraq on the existence of these weapons. They have never put forth seizing Iraq’s oil or other natural resources as a rationale. However, the conclusion is foregone, because now Iraq is in the hands of the US and Britain. Now the US is effectively Turkey’s neighbor. Turkey is uneasy about the Kurds’ advance with US forces towards Arbil and Kirkuk. Not the Turks or Kurds, but rather the US will decide when this uneasiness will end. Everybody should be sensitive about how long the Turkish establishment will resist the US’ determined aims. Will the US stop with Iraq? Will there be similar conflicts with Iran or Syria? Then what will Turkey’s role be? The developments of the last month and what lies in the future depend on the overturning of the status quo. Now we can expect new borders, approaches and policies. Every country and authority is trying to determine their place and stance towards the new order. Turkey will be affected directly by these changes. Developments following from the establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq or Iraq’s territorial integrity breaking down will shape the situation here. A breakdown in Iraq’s territorial integrity and its national and unified state structure would trigger a total change in all Turkey’s policies and regional values. The formation of federal-type states in the region would also make Turkey very uneasy. Turkey should also decide how it should deal with the European Union in terms of such developments. Turkey should certainly convince the US concerning its stance against the establishment of a Kurdish state. Otherwise, future developments might lead to disaster. This situation applies to both Turkey and the US. There might be new regional conflicts, huge ones carrying sweeping changes. The Kurdish groups in the region should be disarmed following the war, and the US should make sure of this, so as to head off future regional conflicts. The participation of Turkey and Iraq’s Turkmen is critical in terms of the administration of Iraq. Turkey’s investment in terms of shaping the Middle East should be increased, as is only proper. The US should never let the future of Iraq be shaped or the expulsion of the Turkmen from Kirkuk or Arbil without listening first to Turkey; this would be wrong. Turkey should also attend closely to its relations with Iran, Syria and Russia, and be prepared for regional surprises.” ARCHIVE <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js"> </script> Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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