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Turkish Press Review, 04-05-14Turkish 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 morning14.05.2004FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNSCONTENTS
[01] SEZER STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING TURKISH LANGUAGESpeaking yesterday in Karaman at the 44th Turkish Language Festival and ceremonies honoring legendary 13th century poet Yunus Emre, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stressed the need for sensitivity and care in the use of the pure Turkish tongue. “We should always remember that by continuing the development of Turkish, we can raise our nation’s stature and stress our culture’s universal character,” said the president. /Cumhuriyet/[02] PARLIAMENT PASSES YOK BILLAfter 18 hours of debate, a controversial bill proposing amendments to the Board of Higher Education (YOK) law was approved yesterday by Parliament. The bill was sent to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer in the late afternoon to be signed into law. However, political circles are expecting Sezer to veto the bill and send it back to Parliament to be re-debated. If the bill is re- approved by Parliament without any change, then the president is obliged to sign it, but he also has the right to send it to the Constitutional Court for review. /Aksam/[03] LEBANESE PREMIER HARIRI: “IN TIME THE TRNC WILL BE RECOGNIZED”Lebanese Prime Minister Refik Hariri, who is currently paying a visit to Turkey at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, yesterday completed his contacts in Ankara and proceeded to Istanbul. In a press conference, commenting on the push for recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Hariri said, “After conferring with other Arab nations, in the coming days Lebanon will take necessary steps on Cyprus.” Stressing that Turkish side had done its best to reach a settlement on the island, Hariri said that his country would follow up Ankara’s efforts on the matter. He added that Turkish-Lebanese political relations were continuing at their high level and that both sides would also try to strengthen trade ties. /Turkiye/[04] ERDOGAN, GUL CONSIDER NATO’S AFGHAN TROOP REQUESTForeign Minister Abdullah Gul and Foreign Ministry bureaucrats yesterday discussed with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan several current issues, including Cyprus, Afghanistan, Iraq and the European Union. NATO’s request for Turkish troops in Afghanistan was also considered. A decision was reportedly reached that Turkey could send 100 military and civilian forces on the condition that they be based in Takhar in the Afghan northeast. /Milliyet/[05] REGIONAL PARLIAMENT SPEAKERS URGE PUNISHMENT FOR PRISON TORTURERSYesterday’s final declaration of the meeting of parliament speakers from countries bordering Iraq urged that the perpetrators of the recent Iraqi prison torture scandal face punishment. The declaration, which was signed by Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc among others, also expressed support for continued anti-terrorist efforts. /Milliyet/[06] DENKTAS PROPOSES BROAD-BASED TRNC GOVERNMENTTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas yesterday suggested that the government be re-formed with a tripartite coalition, one adding in the National Unity Party (UBP) to the current Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and Democratic Party (DP) coalition. “A triple coalition is better than a double one,” he said. “It would be good if we can achieve this.” /Turkiye/[07] VERHEUGEN: “TURKEY CAN’T BE CHEATED OUT OF A DECISION”Speaking at a panel in Brussels yesterday, European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen warned against any delay in a decision expected later this year on whether to start membership negotiations with Turkey. Ankara should not be "cheated," said Verheugen, adding, "I strongly warn against the idea that [the EU] could postpone the decision ... You cannot tell the Turks for 40 years: 'You have a European vocation but unfortunately, you are not a democracy... do that and we will warmly welcome you.' And now they are doing it and we now we tell them: 'We're very sorry. We did not believe you could do that and therefore we have to change our policy'." He also stated that there was an inseparable link between Ankara’s EU membership and the development of the Turkish democracy. The EU is set to decide at its December summit whether or not to begin membership talks with Ankara. /Turkiye/[08] PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE SWEEPING PENAL CODE REVISIONSParliament is set to debate a drastic revision of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) in the coming days. A Parliament Justice Commission sub-group has completed some nine months of work on the bill and reduced its size from 500 articles to 350. Speaking to reporters, Commission head Koksal Toptan said that the new code would be the most modern in Europe. Stressing that the commission would press the full Parliament to consider the bill this year, Toptan stated that he hoped that cooperation between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) would ensure smooth passage for the measure. The bill proposing sweeping changes to the current code, which has remained largely unchanged for 78 years, is set to be discussed in the public for one month and then taken up at the Justice Commission in mid-June. /Turkiye/[09] YILMAZ TESTIFIES AT PARLIAMENT CORRUPTION COMMISSIONFormer Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz yesterday testified at a Parliament commission investigating charges of corruption in TURKBANK bids during his term of office. In addition, the commission decided to send former government Ministers Husamettin Ozkan and Recep Onal to the Supreme Court with charges of misconduct in office. /Star/[10] MARDIN HOSTS ABRAHAMIC RELIGION AND PEACE SYMPOSIUMMardin yesterday hosted a seminar on “Religion and Peace in Light of the Prophet Abraham” organized by the Intercultural Dialogue Platform. Among those attending were Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu, Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos, Istanbul Chief Rabbi Ishak (Yitzhak) Haleva, Eastern Orthodox Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud, Turkish Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II and Religious Affairs Directorate deputy head Muhammed Sevki Aydin. The symposium started with the Muslim call to prayer and continued with hymns sung by a chorus with Muslim, Jewish and Christian members. /Cumhuriyet/[11] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS[12] BLAIR’S VISIT BY NURAY BASARAN (AKSAM)Columnist Nuray Basaran comments British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s visit to Turkey next week. A summary of her column is as follows:“British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s visit to Turkey will come at a very important time. Britain is certainly still one of the most influential actors in international relations. This visit should be seen through the lens of discussions on the European Union’s Constitution, a looming possible decision on a NATO role in the Middle East and Iraq, the fallout from the photos of torture in Iraqi prisons, and Britain’s role. Britain is one of the key countries paving the way for Turkey’s EU accession talks, but unfortunately it’s not on the front lines. Its efforts to put the Iraq coalition under a NATO umbrella are not limited to Blair. Britain, like the US, isn’t ready to consider an Iraq exit strategy and so is planning to take an extensive role in Iraq’s reconstruction. Will Britain, with its historical experience of a presence on Arab soil, be able to achieve more success than the US? Britain’s place in our own history and politics was always unique. It had influential trade platforms and an important role behind the scenes in revolts against the Ottoman Empire. Turkey’s position and approach to regional issues is the most important concern for Britain now. Thing are changing in Iraq nowadays. The instability in southern Iraq has spread to the north. That means that the security of the Kurds is also threatened. Turkmen are also being threatened by Arabs. Anger in the country is on the rise as the June 30 sovereignty handover and the NATO summit near. Britain has important, dangerous and risky ideas that also include opportunities for Turkey, and sees it as a powerful partner in the region. What kind of a plan does Turkey have for the meetings next month, which could determine our country’s destiny? ” 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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