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Turkish Press Review, 04-01-07Turkish 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 morning07.01.2004FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... SYRIA, IRAQ AND A NEW ERA BY MURAT YETKIN (RADIKAL)CONTENTS
[01] SYRIAN PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ANKARASyrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Ankara yesterday for the first ever visit by a Syrian Syrian head of state. After meeting with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Assad told reporters that Ankara and Damascus agreed on the need to preserve Iraq’s territorial integrity. “We condemn all approaches that pose a threat to Iraq’s territorial integrity,” stated Assad. Sezer also said that Syria and Turkey “share the same views on the protection of Iraq's territorial integrity and of its national unity.” Sezer later hosted a state dinner in Assad’s honor. Turkish officials also reportedly conveyed to the Syrian leader Israel’s request that Ankara act as mediator between the traditionally hostile states, along with Turkey’s agreement to fill that role. Assad’s historic visit is due to continue today. /All Papers/[02] PARLIAMENT APPROVES CORRUPTION PROBES INTO EX-MINISTERSParliament yesterday approved motions to begin probes into Koray Aydin and Yasar Topcu, both former ministers of Public Works and Housing. Under the motions, separate 15-deputy commissions will spend two months investigating corruption allegations concerning the ministers’ terms in office. If the commissions substantiate the allegations, and their conclusions are approved by the full Parliament, then the charges will next proceed to a Supreme Court trial. /Turkiye/[03] ERDOGAN TOUTS ECONOMIC PROGRESS IN 2003Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Prime Minister and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan touted the economic progress Turkey made over 2003, adding that annual inflation for the past year had been the lowest in nearly three decades. “The annual consumer price index [CPI] was 18.4% and wholesale price index [WPI] was 13.9 for 2003, which were better than even our targets,” said Erdogan. “I’m happy that our government went beyond the goals.” /Aksam/[04] EU PRESIDENT IRELAND: “APPLYING DIFFERENT ADMISSION STANDARDS TO TURKEY WOULD BE PREJUDICIAL”The European Union would contradict itself if it applied different criteria to Turkey’s membership bid than those applied to other candidate countries, said Irish European Affairs Minister Dick Roche yesterday. “A decision on whether to grant Turkey a date to begin accession negotiations should be made following an objective evaluation, not by prejudices,” he added in an interview with the Anatolia News Agency. Noting that there would be no reason not to give Ankara a date for accession negotiations as long as it meets the Copenhagen criteria for membership, Roche said, “We appreciate the government’s efforts to join the EU. We also hope for a solution in Cyprus, but Turkey will decide itself on how fast it will solve the problem.” Ireland assumed the rotating EU presidency post on Jan. 1. /Milliyet/[05] TALABANI: “BOTH MAIN IRAQI KURDISH PARTIES WANT A FEDERATION”Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) leader Jalal Talabani and Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani yesterday reiterated their desire to establish a “federation”-style government in Iraq. Speaking to reporters in the northern Iraqi city of Dokan after a meeting with Barzani, Talabani said that both parties were in full agreement over the goal of establishing a federation. “In line with a decision made in the regional [northern Iraqi] parliament in 1992, our parties favor the federation option,” said Talabani. He added that he and the IKDP leader had agreed to hold a series of contacts and exchange views with other Kurdish and Arab groups to convince them on the matter. /Turkiye/[06] CYPRUS SUMMIT TO DISCUSS FOREIGN MINISTRY PLANA summit on the Cyprus issue is expected to be held before the next meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) scheduled for Jan. 23. However, the date of the summit has not yet been set. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, and Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok are all expected to attend the summit under the chairmanship of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The summit is expected to focus on a recent Foreign Ministry plan for Cyprus. /Cumhuriyet/[07] BAYKAL: “I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY CYPRUS PLAN”Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said that he had no information on the new Cyprus plan prepared by the Foreign Ministry. Baykal added that he would meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer today, though he did not specify why. /Cumhuriyet/[08] TURKMEN LEADER: “IF IRAQI KURDS FORM A FEDERATION, THEN WE WILL DO THE SAME”Approving a Kurdish proposal to establish an Iraqi federation will effectively lead to the partition of Iraq, warned an Iraqi Turkmen leader yesterday. "In an interview with an Arabic paper, [a Turkmen] member of Iraq's governing council, Songul Chapouk [Cabuk], hinted that the [Turkmen] would declare their own 'Turkmanistan' if the Kurds looked like fulfilling their ambitions," reported British daily The Guardian. Speaking to London based Arabic daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, in remarks not quoted by The Guardian, Chapouk added that her fellow Shiite, Sunni and Arab council members were as one with her in opposing ethnic federation in Iraq. The Guardian also reported that US and British officials had promised the Kurds they could continue their semi-autonomous status after the June 30 changeover to Iraqi self-rule. "The decision, which will infuriate neighbouring states and antagonize other Iraqis, is likely to have far-reaching consequences" for Iraq's future, predicted the daily. Reporting that some 2 million Turkmen live in northern Iraq, the paper stressed that they regard Kirkuk as their own, while the Kurds "view the city as an essential part of a future Kurdish state, because of its oilfields." A move to form a federation could "mark the start of a civil war in the north – one in which neighbouring Turkey could feel obliged to intervene because of its cultural affinity with the Iraqi [Turkmen] and its fears about its own Kurdish minority," warned The Guardian. /Turkiye/[09] TRNC’S TALAT: “DENKTAS WILL CONTINUE TO NEGOTIATE ON OUR BEHALF”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC) Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Mehmet Ali Talat met yesterday with TRNC President Rauf Denktas. Speaking afterwards, Talat said that he had briefed Denktas on ongoing work to form a new TRNC government, a task given to Talat by Denktas last week. Rebuffing calls from before last month’s elections to appoint a new negotiator, Talat stated that Denktas would continue to negotiate with Greek Cyprus to reach a resolution on the island on behalf of Turkish Cypriots. “The TRNC’s president, Parliament and government should work in harmony,” said Talat. Democratic Party (DP) leader Serdar Denktas is expected to respond to a CTP coalition proposal today. In related news, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that Ankara wanted a four-party coalition in the TRNC. /Aksam/[10] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[11] SYRIA, IRAQ AND A NEW ERA BY MURAT YETKIN (RADIKAL)Columnist Murat Yetkin writes on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s visit to Ankara. A summary of his column is as follows:“Bashar al-Assad is the first Syrian president ever to visit Turkey. Yesterday, as the snow fell in Ankara, Assad and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer conveyed mutual messages of friendship. One of the three bilateral agreements signed by the presidents yesterday dealt with preventing double taxation, a move interpreted by the Foreign Ministry as an indirect sign that Damascus finally recognizes Hatay as a province belonging to Turkey. The border region was annexed by Turkey in 1939 after its citizens voted for this, but Damascus refused to accept this democratic outcome. However, under the new agreement, the Damascus administration will recognize investments made in Hatay as taking place in Turkish territory. Ankara’s warm welcome for Assad seems to have made us forget the past crises between our countries. However, most journalists still remember then President Suleyman Demirel’s visit to Damascus over a decade ago. Demirel told Bashar’s late father Hafez al-Assad that PKK head Abdullah Ocalan, the instigator of bloody terrorist attacks against Turkey, was taking shelter in Syria. He demanded that Assad immediately arrest Ocalan and deliver him to Ankara. When Assad replied that he knew nothing about Ocalan’s being in Syria, Demirel gave him a copy of Ocalan’s Damascus address and phone number as obtained by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT). I can still recall how upset Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Sharaa was at the press conference later. When the longtime leader Assad died in 2000, Turkey’s new President Ahmet Necdet Sezer attended his funeral. While Syria and other Arab countries were happy with Sezer’s move, the US and Israel made clear their displeasure with Ankara. Yesterday’s optimistic atmosphere should be considered a real development. Not friendship and dialogue, but rather a lack of these is the threat to us. Assad’s visit has handed us two opportunities: First, at Washington’s urging, Ankara now has the chance to request that Damascus change its policy on weapons of mass destruction. In addition, Turkey can also ask Syria to stop aiding Palestinian terrorist groups. If Damascus agrees to these requests, Ankara will pledge to do its utmost to build stronger political ties in the region. However, Assad doesn’t want to change Syria’s WMD policy as long as Israel itself still possesses them. Moreover, Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights is the main reason why the Syrian leader continues to assist the Palestinian groups. In the midst of the US occupation of Iraq, the political geography of the Middle East is changing. Though Assad seems to be aware of this, the question now is whether or not he’ll work to adapt his policies to these radical new conditions. In brief, Assad’s visit to Ankara seems to mark an important opportunity for the future of the region.” [12] ANKARA-DAMASCUS RELATIONSBY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Columnist Fikret Bila comments on relations between Turkey and Syria. A summary of his column is as follows: “Relations between Ankara and Damascus, which have already been improving in recent years, were lifted to a new level yesterday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s visit to Ankara. Of course our President Ahmet Necdet Sezer contributed greatly to this development. Sezer attended the funeral of Hafez al-Assad, the longtime Syrian leader and Bashar’s father, and his stance on Syria based on good will laid the groundwork for this visit. Yesterday Assad referred to Sezer’s stance and stressed that he was impressed by it. Relations between our countries have recovered quite rapidly from being the verge of war only a few years ago, and this should be taken into consideration not only in terms of Turkey and Syria, but also the Middle East in general. This should be considered a step towards establishing peace and stability in the Mideast. President Assad is adopting new reforms and also pursuing a policy of rapprochement with Turkey. Instead of sticking to old policies, he’s working to keep pace with changing world events, and Ankara is pleased with this stance. Ankara-Damascus relations seem to be directed towards both economic and political development. The Turkish-Syrian rapprochement might help to improve Syrian-Israeli relations as well. In fact, certain comments about Turkey’s being a mediator between the two are a sign of this. This rapprochement shouldn’t be considered a development which will spoil Turkish-US or Turkish-Israeli relations. On the contrary, Ankara might be able to fill a role of go-between and contribute to the atmosphere of peace and stability. The Ankara-Damascus rapprochement might not only relieve and strengthen Syria, but also prepare a basis for functioning as a bridge to make it easier for Israel to establish relations. Likewise, it will have an influence in strengthening our two capitals in terms of directing developments in the region. Developing ties based on confidence and cooperation would be beneficial for both our countries as well as the region in general.” 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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