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Turkish Press Review, 06-12-29
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
29.12.2006
[00]
NSC DISCUSSES TURKEY'S EU BID, CYPRUS
The National Security Council (MGK) yesterday convened under the
chairmanship of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The council discussed a
number of issues, including Turkey's European Union membership bid and
Cyprus. It was stated at the meeting that the EU making the Cyprus issue an
obstacle to Turkey's membership process was unacceptable. A statement
issued afterwards stressed that Ankara expected the EU not to put forward
any criteria for Turkey which it hadn't also asked of other candidate
states. "The EU sharing this understanding with us is a sine qua non for
the continuation of our accession talks," added the declaration. /Hurriyet/
CONTENTS
[00]
[01] PRESIDENT APPROVES 2007 BUDGET
[02] ARINC: "184 DEPUTIES WILL MEET THE QUORUM TO ELECT THE NEXT PRESIDENT"
[03] GREEK PM EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR TURKEY'S EU BID
[04] BABACAN SAYS ELECTION DISPUTES HURT THE ECONOMY
[05] REHN: "A TRAIN CRASH IN TURKISH-EU TALKS HAS BEEN AVOIDED"
[06] VATICAN: "TURKEY IS A BRIDGE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST"
[07] NEW DIMENSION OF THE CRISIS
[08] TO OUR READERS
[01] PRESIDENT APPROVES 2007 BUDGET
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday signed the 2007 Fiscal Budget Law.
Meanwhile, in the wake of a hectic schedule of debates for next year's
budget, Parliament began an 11-day holiday for the Feast of the Sacrifice.
The deputies will resume work on Tuesday, Jan. 9. /Turkiye/
[02] ARINC: "184 DEPUTIES WILL MEET THE QUORUM TO ELECT THE NEXT PRESIDENT"
Commenting on recent disputes regarding next May's presidential election,
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday denied claims that Parliament
needed a quorum of 367 deputies to convene for the election. He stressed
that 184 deputies would fulfill the quorum for a Parliament session to
elect the president, and that whichever candidate gets 276 votes would be
the new president. Arinc stated that certain circles have objected to
Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan possibly running for president and have sought
various alternatives to prevent that. "Their justifications are running out,
" said Arinc. On the other hand, two opposition parties, the Republican
People's Party (CHP) and the Motherland Party (ANAVATAN), announced
yesterday that their deputies would boycott the Parliament session on masse
if Erdogan seeks the presidency. /Sabah-Turkiye/
[03] GREEK PM EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR TURKEY'S EU BID
Speaking to German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung yesterday, Grek
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said that Greece supported Turkey's
European Union perspective, adding that there were persuasive reasons for
this. "An EU member Turkey would benefit everyone," said Karamanlis. "If
Turkey fulfills its obligations to the EU, then the final result should be
full membership. I emphasize this because some circles in the Union make
complex comments about Turkey's situation after it carries out its all
responsibilities." Asked if Turkey was being "rewarded" by the suspension
of eight of its accession chapters, Karamanlis said that it wasn't. "Turkey
is under control," added Karamanlis. /Milliyet/
[04] BABACAN SAYS ELECTION DISPUTES HURT THE ECONOMY
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, State Minister for the Economy
Ali Babacan said that arguments over next year's elections were hurting the
economy, adding that foreign investors were surprised by these disputes.
"Things will be better for us next year, not worse," said Babacan, adding
that some people were trying to cast a shadow over Turkey's economic
successes. "These approaches are incompatible with patriotism," said
Babacan. "Our economic successes have been hailed by the whole world, but
are still being criticized. Political and ideological goals are behind
this." /Aksam/
[05] REHN: "A TRAIN CRASH IN TURKISH-EU TALKS HAS BEEN AVOIDED"
European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn yesterday stated that a
possible "train crash" in Turkish-European Union negotiations had been
avoided. In a guest column published in Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat,
Rehn indicated that the EU's door was open to southeastern European
countries, including Turkey. Commenting on Finland's EU Term Presidency in
his article, Rehn said, "The EU foreign ministers, led by their Finnish
counterpart Erkki Tuomioja, have taken a decision on how to carry forward
the negotiations with Turkey, and a train crash has been avoided so far."
/The New Anatolian/
[06] VATICAN: "TURKEY IS A BRIDGE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST"
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said yesterday that
Turkey was a bridge between the East and the West. Speaking to La
Documentation Catholique magazine, Bertone said that Pope Benedict XVI's
meeting with Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his recent visit to Turkey
would be a good reference for Turks to use during their European Union
accession process. "Turkey has been a partner of Europe for a long time,"
said the cardinal. "Helping Turkey serves Europe's own interests." /Star/
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS
[07] NEW DIMENSION OF THE CRISIS
Columnist M. Ali Kislali comments on terrorist PKK head Abdullah Ocalan and
the stance of Turkey, EU and US on the issue of terrorism. A summary of his
column is as follows:
"Inmate PKK head Abdullah Ocalan's remarks from Imrali island through his
lawyers, whom he can meet with comfortably, add a new dimension to the
crisis in the country. According to ace Cumhuriyet reporter Mehmet Faraç
who follows these issues closely, Ocalan says that he can't be manipulated
through small concessions, much like Shining Path leader Abimael Guzman,
who is in prison in Peru. Ocalan said that he wanted Turkey to benefit from
him, but not as simply as it is now. He also said that he had called for a
‘democratic solution' and repeated his threat that he would unleash the
terrorist group if the developments that he expects don't take place. I
tried to understand how Ocalan could convey this threat from prison to the
public. Even experts who have fulfilled the most important duties of
attorneys can't explain it. However, Ocalan has certain approaches that his
Peruvian counterpart lacks. He's controlling his group from prison and
nobody can explain how he can do it in the penal system. Saddam Hussein can
only call on Iraqi society to unite through his lawyers. However, Ocalan is
ushering in a new era with his threats about what the group will do if his
formula isn't accepted. He also explained the dimension of the contribution
that he'll make to their struggle in northern Iraq and threatened Turkey
with ‘40 million Kurds.'
People concerned with the issue and officials must be following and
evaluating the campaign from Imrali. However, members of the media aren't
told about all this. According to what we've been told up to now, the
terrorist group, which is carrying out an armed conflict in order to shape
Turkey's democratic structure according to his own wishes, has established
a headquarters in the territory of one of our neighboring countries. When
members of the group find it appropriate, they enter our territory, kill
our soldiers and return to the headquarters. Certain books examining this
issue say that terror won't stop unless this foreign support is ended.
However, Turkey can explain its problem neither to Kurdish groups there,
nor to the US which controls them. The people responsible for the fight
against PKK, consisting of two retired Turkish and US generals, are waiting
for a conclusion. Now, everybody knows the US' situation in Iraq. So nobody
should expect something from the US which might disturb the Kurds. In
addition, people are curious about what these two retired generals have
done and will do. If you follow the various dimensions of developments and
efforts on the issue, you can see that the US is applying to European Union
members, as it is helpless to aid Turkey. Moreover, another important issue
is that the EU avoids taking even the smallest measures against the PKK,
even though the PKK is on its official list of terrorist groups. While
Turkey's rulers are waiting for help from the US and the EU, our society is
feeling comfortable, thinking that real owners of this struggle will do
what is necessary at the right time."
END
[08] TO OUR READERS
In observance of the Feast of the Sacrifice holiday, there will be no
Turkish Press Review next Monday through Wednesday. Please join us again
after the New Year, on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007.
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