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Turkish Press Review, 04-04-08Turkish 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 morning08.04.2004FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...CONTENTS
[01] TURKEY, GREECE COMMIT TO CYPRUS REFERENDUMSTurkey and Greece yesterday sent commitments to the United Nations giving their approval for April 24 referendums on Cyprus over the UN peace plan. After presenting the final version of the plan last week, UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan asked for written commitments from all sides on the issue. The two sides on the island have to give commitments to hold referendums, while the guarantor countries – Turkey, Greece and Britain – also have to commit to the referendums and then present the plan to their respective Parliaments for approval before the agreement is signed on April 29, just two days before Greek Cyprus’s scheduled EU accession. Speaking to reporters, Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said that after the plan’s approval in Parliament, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer’s approval was also needed. /Turkiye/[02] TURKEY, MOROCCO VOW TO COOPERATE IN FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISMPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with his Moroccan counterpart Driss Jettou, who is currently paying an official visit to Turkey. In a joint press conference, the two leaders stressed that they had agreed to cooperate in the fight against terrorism. /Turkiye/[03] DENKTAS: “TURKISH CYPRIOTS SHOULD BE TOLD WHAT THEY STAND TO LOSE UNDER THE UN PLAN”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said yesterday that Turkish Cypriots should be told clearly what they stand to lose under the UN Cyprus plan, scheduled for an April 24 referendum, adding that he was just the man to do this. Denktas further charged that the European Union was not acting with good will on the issue. “A Cyprus resolution is a condition for Turkey’s EU membership, but not for Greek Cyprus’,” he said. “This proves that the EU doesn’t want Turkey to join it.” He added that he wanted a resolution which protects the interests of the Turkish Cypriots but that the UN plan failed to include the Turkish side’s sine qua nons and so would not meet this test. /Cumhuriyet/[04] ARINC TRAVELS TO SYRIAParliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday left for Damascus, Syria to pay an official visit at the invitation of his Syrian counterpart Mahmoud Al Abras. After meeting with Abras, Arinc said that commonalities and friendship based on faith made up the strongest tie between Ankara and Damascus. Stressing that that Islamic world should renew itself, Arinc said that Turkey would not accept any threat to its neighbors. “Turkey will not allow any territorial breakup in this region,” vowed the Parliament speaker. /Turkiye/[05] TALAT: “I BELIEVE THAT MOST TURKISH CYPRIOTS WILL VOTE FOR THE UN CYPRUS PLAN”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat said yesterday that he believed most Turkish Cypriots would vote for the UN Cyprus plan at a referendum scheduled for April 24. “Since the plan is one which meets the needs of both sides, we can easily accept it,” he stated, adding that he found Ankara’s stance on the matter “encouraging.” But he lamented, “Despite the determination of the Turkish government, the TRNC government has yet to make a decision.” The premier also said he had welcomed the decision taken this week by Ankara’s National Security Council (NSC) to support the plan, and reaffirmed his party’s (TRNC senior coalition partner the Republican Turkish Party) group decision in favor of the plan. /Cumhuriyet/[06] VERHEUGEN: “IF THE TURKISH CYPRIOTS ACCEPT THE UN PLAN BUT GREEK CYPRIOTS DON’T, THEN GREEK CYPRUS WILL JOIN THE EU ALONE”Speaking at a press conference in Brussels yesterday, European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said that if the Turkish Cypriots accept the UN plan in an April 24 referendum but Greek Cypriots don’t, then Greek Cyprus would join the EU alone, representing the whole island. The EU commissioner urged leaders from both nations to do their best to convince their peoples to support the plan, which he called a final historic opportunity. “The alternative to this plan is no resolution at all, ” he added. /Mi/[07] PAPADOPOULOS CALLS ON GREEK CYPRIOTS TO VOTE AGAINST UN CYPRUS PLANAppearing on television yesterday, Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos said that he wouldn’t accept the UN Cyprus plan at a referendum scheduled for April 24 and called on his countrymen to do the same. He said that the risks of saying yes to the plan outweighed the benefits of saying no, adding that though the plan had been somewhat improved, it still fell short of the Greek Cypriots’ needs. /Hurriyet/[08] FRENCH FM: “FOR NOW, PARIS OPPOSES TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP”French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said yesterday that his government opposed Turkey’s European Union membership “under current circumstances.” Speaking to the French Parliament, Barnier claimed that although Ankara was carrying out certain reforms, it had yet not implemented the criteria necessary for becoming an EU member. “Turkey does not respect the conditions, even if it is preparing to do so,'' he said, adding that there was “no question'' of Turkey's joining the EU for now. Barnier became foreign minister only last week in a Paris Cabinet reshuffle. Commenting on the remarks, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said, “Such statements are not official. We have things to do in line with the EU’s progress report, and we’ll continue to do them.” /Turkiye/[09] JOINT CHIEFS HEAD MYERS: “TURKEY IS A RELIABLE US ALLY”US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers said yesterday that Turkey and the US should cooperate in all areas, not just the military, but also in politics and trade. Speaking at a Washington banquet organized by the American-Turkish Council, Myers stated that when bilateral cooperation is strengthened, a common strategy and its results would prove both effective and successful. Pointing to the importance of Turkish-US relations, Myers said that Ankara had been a very valuable friend and ally. The commander also underlined Turkey’s key role in NATO. /Sabah/[10] BABACAN: “UNEMPLOYMENT IS HIGH, BUT WE’LL REDUCE IT THROUGH INVESTMENTS”Speaking at a press conference before flying to France yesterday, State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan said that the International Monetary Fund’s Executive Board could convene nest Friday, April 16 to conclude the seventh review of Turkey’s economic program. “When the date is set, the Treasury Undersecretary will announce this,” he said. Asked about the Central Bank’s (CB) recent reduction of interest rates, Babacan replied that the CB was an independent body. Touching on last year’s banner 5.9% growth rate announced on Monday, Babacan said that increases in productivity had fueled this growth. “Unemployment in Turkey is high, but even in the US it’s 9%,” stated Babacan, adding that the government would create new jobs by increasing investments. /Hurriyet/[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[12] WOLF AT THE DOOR BY ERGUN BABAHAN (SABAH)Columnist Ergun Babahan comments on recent developments in Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:“As Iraq drifts closer to a new war, the Unites States’ interest in Turkey has risen. The revolt that was limited to Sunni areas has spread to the Shiite regions. Now Iraq has become a battlefield. Turkey didn’t get stuck in the Iraqi swamp, thanks to Parliament’s rejection of a prewar motion which would have allowed US troops to be stationed in Turkey and Ankara to send its soldiers to northern Iraq. However, Hurriyet columnist Ertugrul Ozkok predicted that a democratic regime would be formed in Iraq within a year. And according to Cengiz Candar, Baghdad was gradually becoming a safer country. Both of these predictions have falled short. After reducing its troops to about 100,000, the US government is having difficulty controlling Iraq. US commanders in Iraq want more troops, but it’s hard for the Bush administration to say yes, as it’s focused on the fall elections. The main danger for Turkey lies at this point. Washington could tell Ankara that would accept 10,000 Turkish troops in Iraq. It’s already started to give signals on this. New York Times columnist William Safire said as much. US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers gave a similar message, saying that our friendship has never been so important as now. It was of course good that the dictator next door is gone, that he has to pay for his crimes against his people. But as we look more closely at past US military interventions, it’s clear that they didn’t bring happiness to the people involved. This is seen clearly in Haiti and Nicaragua. Without grasping this, the US set off on an adventure under the guise of its fight against terrorism and ruined the region in the process. The US is also reluctant to leave the Iraqi administration to the UN. There is also doubt whether the UN would be willing to do so. Therefore, it would be a historic mistake for Ankara to join in such an adventure under US pressure. Turkey should steer clear of this swamp.” 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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