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Turkish Press Review, 03-09-01Turkish 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 morning01.09.2003FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNSCONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN DUE IN BERLIN FOR FIRST VISIT AS PREMIERAfter attending academic and hunting season opening ceremonies in Istanbul yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan flew to Paris to witness famed Turkish runner Sureyya Ayhan win second place in the Ninth World Championships in Athletics there. Speaking to reporters, Erdogan said that from Paris he would proceed today to Berlin, Germany for a three-day visit. Stressing that this would be his first official trip to Germany as premier, Erdogan said he would discuss with German officials Turkey’s European Union membership process and seek their continued support for the bid. Erdogan is expected to meet with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer as well as Angela Merkel, the leader of opposition party the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He is also scheduled to talk to with the representatives of Turkish associations in the country. /Turkiye/[02] ERDOGAN: “WE CAN ONLY PAY WHAT WE HAVE”Commenting yesterday on a disagreement between the government and civil servants’ unions concerning salary hikes for next year, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that if the government lacked the financial resources to meet a certain proposed pay increase, then it could not in good faith sign onto such a proposal. Erdogan stressed that the issue could only be resolved through discussions at the table. In related news, State Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said yesterday that the disagreement in the collective bargaining talks stemmed from rivalry between the four civil servants’ union confederations. Meanwhile, the leaders of the Kamu-Sen union yesterday began a hunger strike in Ankara to protest the government’s stance in the bargaining process. /Turkiye/[03] NAVAL, AIR ACADEMIES HOLD GRADUATION CEREMONIESThe Naval Academy in Istanbul yesterday held its 230th term graduation ceremony. Among the leaders attending the ceremony were President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, Education Minister Huseyin Celik, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, and other civilian and military officials. Speaking to the gathering, Naval Academy Commander Gen. Ibrahim Akin said that principles of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, would ever continue to be a steadfast guide to young officers, and he further called on these officers to always remain honest. Later, Sezer also attended the 49th graduation ceremony of Istanbul’s Air Academy. Speaking to the gathering, Air Academy Commander Gen. Sevket Dingiloglu said that the academy trained its young officers according to the principles of Ataturk. /Cumhuriyet/[04] OZKOK: “TURKEY’S FOREIGN POLICY AIMS TO PROTECT IRAQ’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY”August 30 Victory and Turkish Air Forces Day was celebrated throughout Turkey on Saturday. Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and the national air, naval, and land force commanders paid a visit to Ankara’s Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. In the evening, Ozkok hosted a reception. Speaking to reporters about Turkey’s possibly sending soldiers to Iraq, Ozkok said that NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Gen. James Jones would arrive in Ankara tomorrow to discuss the matter. “The issue isn’t only military, but also political and economic,” stated Ozkok. Asked about if he had concerns about Iraq’s territorial integrity, Ozkok replied in the affirmative, adding that Turkey’s foreign policy was intent on preserving that integrity. /All papers/[05] MHP LEADER BAHCELI: “WE CAN’T SEND TURKISH TROOPS TO A HOT ZONE IN IRAQ”Speaking to reporters in Istanbul yesterday, Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli criticized the government’s policy on Iraq. Stressing that the current situation in Iraq was very delicate, Bahceli said that sending Turkish troops to certain areas of Iraq as a part of an “occupation force” would be wrong. “It would be a huge mistake to even think of sending troops to areas west and northwest of Baghdad, areas of great turmoil, in order to re-normalize Turkish-US relations,” said the MHP leader. The MHP currently lacks representation in Parliament. /Turkiye/[06] DENKTAS: “THE TRNC JOINING THE EU WOULD AMOUNT TO ACCEPTING ENOSIS”The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) joining the European Union through rejecting Turkey’s guarantor rights would amount to accepting enosis, or the political union of Cyprus and Greece, charged TRNC President Rauf Denktas yesterday. After delivering a speech to leaders of the Turkish Lions in Istanbul, Denktas told reporters that gaining accession to the Union within the framework of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s plan was no solution at all. "The TRNC's entering the EU would mean denying Turkey's rights on Cyprus, since the Greek Cypriot side has applied to the Union to end Turkey's rights,” said Denktas. “They ignored laws." Absent a settlement on Cyprus, Greek Cyprus is due to join the EU single-handedly in May 2004, illegally on behalf of the whole island. Turkey’s 1974 peace operation was launched to counter violent Greek-backed efforts to achieve enosis. /Turkish Daily News/[07] PAPADOPULOS: “THERE CAN BE NO PERMANENT SOLUTION UNDER DENKTAS”Greek Cypriot administration leader Tasos Papadopulos yesterday claimed that no progress in Cyprus peace talks was possible as long as Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) president Rauf Denktas remains in power. “Denktas holds the view that Annan plan is no starting point for negotiations and should be taken off the table,” said Papadopulos, referring to the plan of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. “But my experience says the opposite." He added that the Greek Cypriot administration was arguing for a functional and permanent solution, not one that aimed to take away the Turkish Cypriots' rights. Remarking that the European Union regarded Turkey’s stance on the Cyprus problems as a key factor in Turkish-EU relations, the Greek leader added, “If Turkey doesn’t contribute to a solution of the Cyprus problem, then come 2004 it will have a hard time getting a date for starting its accession negotiations.” /Hurriyet/[08] CIA WARNS TURKEY OF POSSIBLE TERRORIST ATTACKSThe US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recently warned Ankara that radical Islamist terrorist groups are planning to attack diplomatic locations in Turkey. According to the CIA, possible targets are the diplomatic missions of countries which have deployed troops to Iraq. Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and security forces are reportedly conducting security drills in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Adana. According to intelligence sources, fundamentalist group the Muslim Brotherhood is expected to organize suicide bombings in Turkey. /Star/[09] SUREYYA AYHAN TAKES THE SILVER MEDAL IN PARIS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPSFamed Turkish runner Sureyya Ayhan yesterday won the silver medal in the women's 1,500-meter finals at the Ninth World Championships in Athletics in Paris. Ayhan bested 10 other sprinters to win the silver with a time of 3:59.04, while Russia’s Tatyana Tomashova took the gold medal with 3:58.52. Ayhan’s medal marked the historic first-ever win for Turkey in the championships. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Culture and Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu and Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal all travelled to Paris to see Ayhan run. /All papers/[10] ERSIN CETIN SCORES GOLD IN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPCompeting in the men's 55-kg category yesterday, Ersin Cetin won the gold medal in the 10th World Junior Freestyle Wrestling Championship held at Istanbul’s Bagcilar Olympic Sports Complex. Meanwhile, Sait Bingol won a bronze in the men’s 96-kg category by defeating Sergiy Sitingskyy of Ukraine. /Anatolia News Agency/[11] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS[12] NOTHING VENTURED[13] BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Columnist Fikret Bila comments on Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok’s weekend statements on the issue of Turkey sending soldiers to Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:“During a reception in honor of August 30 Victory and Turkish Air Forces Day, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok’s indicated that the General Staff favors Turkey sending soldiers to Iraq. Speaking to reporters, Gen. Ozkok compared the issue to the National Lottery. ‘There’s a huge difference between impossibility and possibility,’ he said. ‘No matter how many times you multiply zero, it always equals zero. It’s like a lottery ticket. If you never buy a ticket, you can never win the jackpot. However, if you buy it, you might win. This logic also applies in foreign relations, that is, a wager of zero is very dangerous.’ Ozkok was effectively saying that Ankara should be active in order to protect Turkey’s national interests and have a say in Iraq’s reconstruction. From this starting point, he considers Turkey’s sending soldiers as ‘buying a lottery ticket,’ pointing out that without a ticket, one can’t expect any return. Ozkok’s comparison can be summed up like this: ‘We should go there so we’ll have a place at the table.’ While Ozkok does emphasize the risks, he also knows the risks of not going at all. In other words, the military’s views are clear. However, the political will should be made clear, and the government and Parliament will do this. This time both Ankara and Washington are being more careful. Military negotiations will start next week, but they will be limited to non-binding exchanges of information. The government and Parliament will have to make a clear decision so this can happen. The military is aware of the difficulty surrounding this issue and it’s also following developments in Iraq which threaten even more instability, for example, conflicts between ethnic groups or religious sects, and difficulty the US is facing establishing security. They know that these conditions make it harder to make a decision. These days are more difficult for Ankara than the days of war.” 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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