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Turkish Press Review, 04-07-20Turkish 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 morning20.07.2004FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN VISITS FRANCEPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday traveled to France to pay a three-day official visit. Before his departure from Istanbul’s Esenboga Airport, Erdogan remarked that that the visit would be his first as prime minister. Stressing that some 400,000 ethnic Turks were living in France, Erdogan said that they served as a bridge between the two nations. He added that his contacts with French officials would focus on Turkish-EU relations and that he would seek their support for Ankara’s European Union membership bid. Speaking to reporters en route, the premier stated that he was opposed to a “conditional yes” being given to Turkey’s membership during the December EU summit. He said that neither any of the current EU members nor any present candidates had ever faced such a hurdle. In Paris, Erdogan firstly met with his French counterpart Jean-Pierre Raffarin. After their meeting, Raffarin told reporters that France would read the read the EU Commission’s fall report on Turkey and then decide on the matter. In addition, Erdogan met with representatives of the Turkish community living in the country. Today he is expected to be received by President Jacques Chirac. /Sabah/[02] COHN-BENDIT: “TURKEY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PREVENT CLASHES BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONS”Daniel Cohn-Bendit, head of the European Parliament’s Green group and a member of the Turkish-EU parliamentary friendship group, said yesterday that Turkey was an opportunity for the European Union to prevent clashes between civilizations. In an interview in French daily Liberation, Bendit expressed full support for Turkey’s EU membership. He said that Turkey had been undergoing sweeping changes for its EU bid. Stressing that Europe had the capacity to unify all common values, Bendit called terrorism a grave international threat that aimed at causing conflicts between civilizations. “We must oppose such a development, and Turkey’s EU membership would give us an opportunity for that,” said Bendit. /Turkiye/[03] GUL TRAVELS TO TRNC TO MARK 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF CYPRUS PEACE OPERATIONForeign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday travelled to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to attend today’s celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation. Speaking before his departure, Gul said that the TRNC had entered a new era, adding that now Turkish Cypriots had expanded opportunities. “The Turkish Cypriots’ expectations will sooner or later turn true,” predicted Gul. “No one can prevent this any longer.” He also called on businessmen from both Turkey and other countries to invest in the TRNC. Later, Gul met with TRNC President Rauf Denktas in Nicosia. Speaking afterwards, Gul said that the international embargo on the TRNC should be brought to an end and added that Ankara was following developments on the issue closely. /Cumhuriyet/[04] ON CYPRUS OPERATION’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY, ARINC, OZKOK REITERATE TURKEY’S SUPPORT FOR TRNCParliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday released a statement marking the 30th anniversary of the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, saying that Parliament’s support for the Turkish Cypriots would be unwavering. Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok also released a statement marking the occasion, saying that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) would always support the Turkish Cypriots, who had proven their will for peace by accepting the UN Cyprus plan in referendums earlier this year. /Turkiye/[05] TALAT: “NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN A RESOLUTION ON CYPRUS”In a statement marking the 30th anniversary of the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat said yesterday that nothing was more important than reaching a resolution on the island, adding that ending the TRNC’s isolation would further this goal. Talat reiterated that the Turkish Cypriots had proven that they would soon join the world at large. /Turkiye/[06] NSC SECRETARY-GENERAL: “TURKISH CYPRIOTS HAVE PROVEN THEIR WILL FOR A RESOLUTION, AND THE GREEK CYPRIOTS SHOULD FOLLOW SUIT”National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Gen. Sukru Sariisik yesterday travelled to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to attend commemorations of the 30th anniversary of the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation. Speaking before his departure, Sariisik said that the Turkish Cypriots had proven their good will for a resolution on the island by accepting the UN Cyprus plan in April referendums, adding that now it was the Greek Cypriots’ turn to prove their will for a resolution. He added that the international embargo on the TRNC should be brought to an end. Later, Sarisik met with TRNC President Rauf Denktas. Speaking afterwards, Denktas said that this year would be his last marking the operation as president, adding that next year a new president chosen by the nation would attend the celebrations. Denktas reiterated that there were two nations on the island, not one. “We proved this fact by accepting the UN Cyprus plan,” he added. /Milliyet/[07] POWELL INVITES FEMALE DEPUTIES TO US VISITUS Secretary of State Colin Powel yesterday issued an invitation to female Parliament deputies from both the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) to visit the United States. The three-week visit is reportedly being organized as part of the US’ Greater Middle East Project in the belief that women will play a leading role in the development of Mideast countries. /Turkiye/[08] AUSTRIA COULD EXTRADITE CAKICI IN TWO WEEKSFugitive from justice Alaattin Cakici, who has been held in an Austrian jail since his capture last week, is expected to be extradited to Turkey shortly. Officials from Vienna’s Higher Court said yesterday that after completion of the necessary procedures. Cakici would be sent back Turkey in two weeks at the latest. If Cakici is extradited to Turkey, reportedly he might testify at the Supreme Court trials of former Premier Mesut Yilmaz and former State Minister Gunes Taner, as Cakici was believed to have had a key role in the incident behind their charges. /Turkiye/[09] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[10] CONDITIONAL YES BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)Columnist Derya Sazak writes about Turkey’s EU membership bid. A summary of his column is as follows:“France and Germany are the two key countries for Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Chirac and Schroeder’s common policies were influential in setting the date of Ankara’s appointment with the EU at this December’s summit. Both leaders proposed waiting until the end of 2004 for Turkey to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria and accordingly, the EU is now waiting for us to complete our path. A similar process is expected to take place in December. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) believes that it has completed all the necessary reforms, expecting the EU Commission to issue a positive report on Turkey’s bid. In addition, the atmosphere was positive during last month’s NATO summit in Istanbul. Despite Chirac’s slamming Bush for interfering in Turkey’s EU bid, as the US president said that Turkey ought to be given a date by the EU for eventual acceptance into the Union, the mood of the summit was generally optimistic on Ankara’s bid. However, France also underscored that Germany’s attitude on the issue would weigh heavily on its own policy. The first confusing statement in the wake of the summit came from German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who recently said that a ‘conditional yes’ might be given to Turkey at this December’s EU summit. Berlin’s ruling Social Democrats are currently facing problems as Schroeder’s poll numbers are in free fall. According to Ozan Ceyhun, a member of Schroeder’s Social Democrat Party (SPD), the chancellor’s message on Turkey isn’t negative at all. Ceyhun believes the SDP’s misfortunes have had nothing to do with the party’s Turkey policy. If the fall EU progress report is positive, our membership negotiations might begin next year. Let’s hope that France won’t shift its position. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s current visit to this country will be key in making the situation clearer.” [11] MESSAGES FROM EUROPE BY NURAY BASARAN (AKSAM)Columnist Nuray Basaran comments on Turkey possibly getting a date from the EU for membership negotiations. A summary of his column is as follows:“German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s latest statements and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s current visit to Paris have put our European Union membership bid at a crossroads. With the drift of domestic political expectations, the issue of our EU membership seems to be a ‘heaven or hell’ scenario. Turkey’s EU perspectives have a host of meanings. Firstly, we have an ideal of high civilization shaped around EU and American values. In other words, there is a close relationship between the ‘modern civilization’ criteria laid out by Ataturk and EU values. We should make this ideal come true by adopting, assimilating and implementing a system of values, something we have been doing for nearly 200 years. The EU is facing us as an economic, political, social and cultural institutional organization established around these values. If Turkey can reach its aim of political integration, it can also effect social and cultural integration in the near future. However, certain discussions of social and cultural integration are stuck on concerns about the future of the Turkish- EU relationship. Actually the key problem concerns getting stuck on decisions on the process of political integration. The most critical issue in terms of messages both from France and Germany is that their views about political integration don’t coincide with Turkey’s expectations and the government’s priorities. France is undecided due to social and cultural concerns and Germany is also hesitant because of the politics of population and relations. Other EU member countries are similarly undecided as well. This impasse on our date expected to be given during the December EU summit should be resolved, but there are problems. For this reason, meetings between Turkey and other countries turned out to be bargaining sessions. Their outcomes might not be overcome easily either in terms of foreign political projections or domestic political expectations.” 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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