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Turkish Press Review, 03-09-12Turkish 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 morning12.09.2003ERDOGAN PLEDGES MEASURES TO IMPROVE EDUCATION SYSTEM FOREIGN MINISTER GUL TO VISIT GEORGIA FOREIGN MINISTRY MOURNS LOSS OF SWEDISH FM LINDH AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTER GULIYEV VISITS ANKARA SUPREME COURT POSTPONES DEHAP ELECTION FRAUD HEARING US DELEGATION VISITS ANKARA TO DISCUSS PKK_KADEK ISSUE UNAKITAN: “FRENCH INVESTORS HAVE GREAT INTEREST IN TURKEY’S PRIVATIZATION SLATE” IRAQ GOVERNING COUNCIL DELEGATION MEETS WITH TURKISH OFFICIALS WB REVISES 2001 FIGURES, MAKING TURKEY 20TH LARGEST WORLD ECONOMY CB HEAD SERDENGECTI: “WITH SINGLE-DIGIT INFLATION, WE CAN STRIKE SIX ZEROS FROM THE LIRA” STATE MINISTER BABACAN: “AMERICAN LOAN IS UNRELATED TO OUR SENDING SOLDIERS TO IRAQ” FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... WILL THE US KEEP ITS PROMISES? BY HASAN CEMAL (MILLIYET)CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN PLEDGES MEASURES TO IMPROVE EDUCATION SYSTEMIn a televised address to the nation last night, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged that in line with Turkey’s goal of joining the ranks of modern nations, the government and people would act together to raise the quality of Turkey’s education system. Pointing to the new school year starting next week, Erdogan said that Turkey had a dynamic young population with some 19 million students. Stressing that education was a fundamental measure of the progress and development of nations, Erdogan underlined that his government placed great emphasis on educating its citizens. The premier stated that this year some 77 million books would be given to primary school students, adding that a new state program could see private schools teaching 10,000 poor students. He also pledged a series of reforms to raise the quality of higher education in the interest of building a freer and more productive society. At the close of his speech, Erdogan called on Turkey’s citizens to put their trust in the state and his government. /All Papers/[02] FOREIGN MINISTER GUL TO VISIT GEORGIAForeign Minister Abdullah Gul is set to travel to Georgia next Friday to meet with his Georgian counterpart Irakli Managharishvili as well as Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze. Gul is also expected to be received by State Minister Avtandil Jorbenadze to discuss bilateral relations and recent regional developments. /Anatolia News Agency/[03] FOREIGN MINISTRY MOURNS LOSS OF SWEDISH FM LINDHThe Foreign Ministry yesterday joined the ranks of shocked European institutions and citizens alike in mourning the sudden death of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh. In a statement, the ministry expressed its condolences to Stockholm, recalling the late diplomat’s work to further both Turkish-Swedish and Turkish-European Union relations. The statement also condemned the inexplicable attack which led to Lindh’s death. Lindh, Sweden’s most popular politician was 46. /Anatolia News Agency/[04] AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTER GULIYEV VISITS ANKARAAzerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev yesterday arrived in Ankara to hold meetings with Turkish officials. Guliyev first met with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline and possible Turkish troop deployments in Iraq were among the issues discussed. Today, he is expected to be received by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. /Cumhuriyet/[05] SUPREME COURT POSTPONES DEHAP ELECTION FRAUD HEARINGTurkey’s High Court of Appeals yesterday postponed until Sept. 29 a hearing in a case involving alleged electoral fraud that has rattled financial markets and raised the prospect of political instability. The court ruled in favor of a request from the small, ethnically Kurdish Democratic People’s Party (DEHAP), which is accused of forging electoral documents, for a delayed start to allow more time to prepare its case. If the court rules against DEHAP, constitutional experts say the Supreme Board of Election (YSK) could in theory cancel last November’s general elections which brought the Justice and Development Party (AKP) to power. The markets fear this could jeopardize economic and political reforms, imperil a $16 billion funding deal with the International Monetary Fund and disrupt Turkey’s plans to begin European Union accession talks in 2005. But analysts say the YSK is more likely simply to cancel DEHAP’s votes, a move which would effectively lower the 10 percent threshold required to win seats and allow another party which fell just short of that barrier to enter Parliament. Under such a move, the ruling AKP would lose some seats in Parliament but retain its overall majority. Many expect the court to rule against DEHAP, but the administrative YSK would have the final say on what action, if any, to take on the election results. /Turkish Daily News/[06] US DELEGATION VISITS ANKARA TO DISCUSS PKK_KADEK ISSUEA delegation from the US State Department, Pentagon and intelligence services yesterday arrived in Ankara to discuss the PKK_KADEK issue with Turkish officials. The seven-member delegation led by the State Department’s Lynn Pascoe is set to begin its meetings today at the Foreign Ministry. Ankara is expected to make clear its concerns over the issue, underlining that Washington should take firmer measures to eliminate the terrorist group in northern Iraq. Turkish officials will also brief the delegation on developments since the recent passage of an amnesty law designed to encourage terrorists to lay down their arms. /Sabah/[07] UNAKITAN: “FRENCH INVESTORS HAVE GREAT INTEREST IN TURKEY’S PRIVATIZATION SLATE”Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan said yesterday that French investors were showing great interest in Turkey’s ongoing privatization initiatives and were moreover closely following domestic economic developments. In Paris, Unakitan told reporters that he had briefed a group of French investors about Turkey’s economy and privatization slate and also answered their questions. Some of the investors were already interested in making investments in Turkey, Unakitan noted. “They said that they were impressed by our economy’s gradual improvement and the establishment of economic and political stability,” he added. /Anatolia News Agency/[08] IRAQ GOVERNING COUNCIL DELEGATION MEETS WITH TURKISH OFFICIALSEven as Ankara continues its discussions with Washington over a possible Turkish troop deployment in Iraq, yesterday it hosted a delegation from Iraqi’s Governing Council headed by the body’s current President Ahmad Chalabi. Through earlier this week Chalabi stated that the council opposed the deployment of more foreign soldiers, he gave warmer messages during his meetings with Turkish officials. Following talks with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and other diplomats, Chalabi said that their discussions had been fruitful and comprehensive, adding that the council aimed to build bonds of cooperation with Turkey concerning politics, the economy and security issues. Regarding Turkish troop participation in an Iraq international stabilization force, Chalabi said that contacts and dialogue on the issue would continue. He added that the duty of inviting soldiers to Iraq rested with the United Nations, not the Governing Council. /Turkiye/[09] WB REVISES 2001 FIGURES, MAKING TURKEY 20TH LARGEST WORLD ECONOMYIn revised World Bank 2001 economic figures released yesterday, Turkey emerged as the world’s number 20 economy in terms of size. The WB had previously ranked Turkey’s economy as number 18. In upcoming 2003 figures, however, the nation is expected to climb to number 17 or 18 due to rapid economic growth over the last two years. /Aksam/[10] CB HEAD SERDENGECTI: “WITH SINGLE-DIGIT INFLATION, WE CAN STRIKE SIX ZEROS FROM THE LIRA”Speaking at a conference on monetary policy in Kayseri yesterday, Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti said that with an expected fall in inflation to single digits by the end of next year, the CB would move to eliminate six zeros from the Turkish lira. Serdengecti stressed that striking the zeros would be a delicate political process requiring careful timing. “The CB’s most important aim is to ensure domestic price stability,” Serdengecti told the gathering. “I believe that inflation will fall next year and then we can get rid of zeros.” He chracterized the move as a decade in the making, adding that he was keeping Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan informed about the issue. /Milliyet/[11] STATE MINISTER BABACAN: “AMERICAN LOAN IS UNRELATED TO OUR SENDING SOLDIERS TO IRAQ”The issue of Turkey sending troops to Iraq is not related to a likely $8.5 billion US loan, said State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan yesterday. Speaking to a conference, Babacan said that the loan was tied to Turkey’s continuing economic reform process and its general cooperation in Iraq’s reconstruction. “But the deployment issue is a separate matter,” stated Babacan. Though the exact date for signing the loan agreement has yet to be set, added Babacan, it will follow a 15-day waiting period to allow any objections. Citing unnamed sources close to the matter, a Reuters report yesterday said the loan would likely be signed later this month during meetings in Dubai. /Anatolia News Agency/[12] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[13] WILL THE US KEEP ITS PROMISES? BY HASAN CEMAL (MILLIYET)Columnist Hasan Cemal comments on promises made by the US to secure Turkey’s sending soldiers to Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:“Will the US keep its promises to Turkey? Will it stop the PKK from using northern Iraq as a base against Turkey? Will it render the PKK powerless and deliver the terrorists to Turkey? For its part, Ankara has kept all its promises. Parliament passed the repentance law and democratization reforms. Now it’s the US’ turn. ‘During my visit to Washington, I told the US our expectations,’ said Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. ‘I gave this example: If you said there were 100 al Qaeda members in Turkey, what would you expect from us? Now since you’re the force power in Iraq, this is what we expect from you.’ These fair expectations are continuing. During a conversation with a fellow government minister, Gul said, ‘To date, the US hasn’t delivered a single terrorist from northern Iraq to us. I don’t know why. However, I’ve gotten the impression from unofficial meetings that if we don’t accept the proposal to send our soldiers to Iraq, the US won’t deliver any terrorists. It’s waiting for our decision to send soldiers.’ Reliable sources from the Foreign Ministry told me that the US is leaving the PKK terrorists in northern Iraq’s Mt. Kandil region untouched. It thinks moving against them might cause more problems. However, it’s also made promises to Turkey. It knows that sooner or later it must do something. Clearly it wants to send Ankara the following message: ‘We’re very busy in Iraq and we don’t have enough soldiers there. But if you send your soldiers in, we’ll use our troops to attack the PKK.’ The conditions set up by the US are crystal clear, that is, send your soldiers so we can fight against the PKK. Politics is cruel. Balances are based on interests, and sometimes double standards leave their marks on international relations. Should we send soldiers to Iraq? And if we send them, what conditions should we demand? If we don’t, how can we handle being excluded from the postwar Iraq table? How would spoiled relations with the US affect our security and economy? Obviously it wouldn’t help. In addition, if we help to establish stability to Iraq, both our future regional position and bilateral relations with Iraq would improve. Ankara is now discussing the pros and cons of all these questions. However, most probably the final decision will be in favor of sending our soldiers to Iraq.” 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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