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Turkish Press Review, 07-03-29
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
29.03.2007
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN ADDRESSES ARAB SUMMIT IN SAUDI ARABIA, CALLS FOR PEACE AND STABILITY IN IRAQ TO BE ENSURED
[02] FM GUL: "TURKEY HOPES ARMENIA WILL AGREE TO SET UP A JOINT COMMISSION OF HISTORIANS"
[03] ARINC: "A PERSON WHO IS ELIGIBLE UNDER THE CONSTITUTION WILL BE ELECTED PRESIDENT"
[04] BAYKAL: "TURKEY'S NEXT PRESIDENT MUST EMBRACE THE CONSTITUTION"
[05] FORMER NATO COMMANDER JONES HAILS TIES BETWEEN ANKARA AND WASHINGTON
[06] EC DELEGATION HEAD PIERINI: "WITHOUT CIVIC CONTACT BETWEEN TURKEY AND THE EU, ANKARA'S EFFORTS COULD BE WASTED"
[07] TUSIAD HEAD YALCINDAG: "CHANGING TURKEY'S COURSE WOULD BE POLITICAL SUICIDE"
[08] ETHNIC POLICY TRIGGERS NATIONALISM
[01] ERDOGAN ADDRESSES ARAB SUMMIT IN SAUDI ARABIA, CALLS FOR PEACE AND
STABILITY IN IRAQ TO BE ENSURED
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, currently in Saudi Arabia to attend a
two-day Arab summit as the guest of Saudi King Abdullah, yesterday
addressed the gathering. Erdogan commented on the need for peace and
stability in the Middle East, saying that everyone was injured by the
constant stream of deaths in Iraq. Erdogan further stated that stability
and security should be ensured in Iraq as soon as possible. "Protecting
Iraq's political unity and territorial integrity has vital importance for
regional peace and stability," he said. "The possibility of Iraq's division
is an unacceptable and tragic scenario." Afterwards, Erdogan held bilateral
meetings with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas, and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Speaking after their
meeting, Talabani said that they had discussed a number of issues,
including the Iraqi city of Kirkuk and terrorism, adding that their meeting
had been positive and constructive. "We resolved to solve problems through
dialogue," he added. /Turkiye/
[02] FM GUL: "TURKEY HOPES ARMENIA WILL AGREE TO SET UP A JOINT COMMISSION
OF HISTORIANS"
In a guest op-ed entitled "Politicizing the Armenian Tragedy" published in
US daily The Washington Times yesterday, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
urged officials in Yerevan to take up Turkey's offer of setting up a joint
commission of historians to explore what happened to Turkish Armenians at
the end of World War I. "With regard to the Armenian allegation describing
the tragedy that befell them as genocide, the question, from the point of
view of international law, is whether the Ottoman government systematically
pursued a calculated act of state policy for their destruction in whole or
in part," wrote Gul. "The answer to this question can only be established
by scholars who have the ability to evaluate the period objectively,
working with the full range of available primary sources. Hence Turkey made
a proposal to Armenia in 2005 to establish a joint commission of historians
to find out once and for all what really happened, and how it took place.
Turkey has no difficulties in facing its past. All Turkish archives,
including the military archives of the period, are open to the entire
international academic community. However, important Armenian archives are
not. We eagerly await a positive response from Armenia, agreeing to
establish this joint commission and declaring its readiness to accept its
conclusions. We are also prepared to work together with other parties to
conduct this research. I hereby extend an invitation to any third country,
including the United States, to contribute to this commission by appointing
scholars who will earnestly work to shed light on this tragedy and open
ways for us to come together. The establishment of such a commission will
also help shape an atmosphere conducive to the normalization of Turkish-
Armenian relations." Gul also touched on the Turkish-US ties, writing,
"Today, as the United States and its allies confront critical challenges
around the world, there is perhaps no nation more at the forefront of our
collective efforts than Turkey. Our strategic partnership spans a wide
range of global challenges, from helping secure Iraq and Afghanistan to
preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, promoting
energy security and fighting terrorism in our region and beyond." /Turkiye/
[03] ARINC: "A PERSON WHO IS ELIGIBLE UNDER THE CONSTITUTION WILL BE
ELECTED PRESIDENT"
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday flew to Portugal to pay an
official visit upon the invitation of his Portuguese counterpart Jaime
Gama. Speaking before his departure, Arinc commented on May's presidential
election, saying that a person who has the qualifications laid out in the
Constitution would be elected president. "The Parliament is a party on the
issue, since it will elect the next president," he said. "Turkey will have
a very good president." He further added that provocative acts could hurt
Turkey. /Turkiye/
[04] BAYKAL: "TURKEY'S NEXT PRESIDENT MUST EMBRACE THE CONSTITUTION"
Addressing the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) yesterday, main
opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal commented on
May's presidential election, saying that if a person fails to embrace the
Constitution he shouldn't be elected president, adding that cooperation
between institutions should be ensured on the basis of the Constitution.
Also commenting on November's general elections, Baykal said these
elections would be an opportunity for a new economic program to be
implemented. Baykal further stated that if the CHP comes to power after the
elections, it would reduce the primary surplus target from 6.5% to 4%,
adding that it would also implement a sector- and company-based incentive
policy. /Sabah/
[05] FORMER NATO COMMANDER JONES HAILS TIES BETWEEN ANKARA AND WASHINGTON
Addressing an American-Turkish Council (ATC) meeting in Washington
yesterday, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander of the US European Command
James Jones, whose term in office recently ended, said yesterday that
relations between Turkey and the US were invaluable, adding that both
countries should be careful about each other's sensitivities. Deputy Chief
of General Staff Gen. Ergin Saygun also attended the meeting. /Sabah/
[06] EC DELEGATION HEAD PIERINI: "WITHOUT CIVIC CONTACT BETWEEN TURKEY AND
THE EU, ANKARA'S EFFORTS COULD BE WASTED"
Speaking at a meeting on the European Union and Turkey, Marc Pierini, the
head of the delegation of the European Commission in Turkey, yesterday said
that contact between various sectors of Turkish society and Europeans was
of vital importance to dispel misunderstandings about Turkey. Otherwise, he
warned, even if officials and bureaucrats complete the negotiations,
popular referendums in EU member states could doom Turkey's EU hopes.
/Milliyet/
[07] TUSIAD HEAD YALCINDAG: "CHANGING TURKEY'S COURSE WOULD BE POLITICAL
SUICIDE"
Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) head Arzuhan
Dogan Yalcindag yesterday said that even if a coalition government emerges
from general elections later this year, nobody could change Turkey's course,
which is oriented to the European Union and has brought permanent economic
stability closer. "Turkey has scored important successes with the anchor of
the International Monetary Fund and the EU," he said. "Now society expects
this course to continue. So no matter what kind of government emerges from
the general elections, nobody wants to go off-course. Doing so would be
political suicide." /Hurriyet/
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[08] ETHNIC POLICY TRIGGERS NATIONALISM
Columnist Ardan Zenturk comments on nationalism in Turkey and Bulgaria. A
summary of his column is as follows:
"Is it mere coincidence that young people from immigrant families living in
the poor suburbs of Paris fought with the police and set cars on fire? No,
because as soon as politicians like Nicolas Sarkozy, whose presidential
campaign is based on the hatred of others, have a say in Europe's future,
more serious developments follow. Georgi Koritarov, a leading Bulgarian
journalist I spoke with at a café in Sofia, talked about the right-wing
politicians who appeal to his country's nationalism. He said that Bulgaria
faces problems created by right-wing parties which can't produce modern
ideologies or adapt to the present day and so desperately take refuge in
nationalism. He added that nationalism in Bulgaria comes from right-wing
politicians' impotence and directly threatens Turkey. You could use these
remarks and apply them to just about my country with a few changes. However,
Nadejda Mihailova, known as the strong foreign minister who carried
Bulgaria to the European Union, said that he was against religious and
ethnic discrimination in society. He said that rapid changes and openings
for minority movements lie at the root of rising nationalism in Europe and
Bulgaria. Mihailova added that if a minority movement seems to be moving
towards blocking the rights of the majority, nationalism rises in response.
This situation is not only based on unqualified politicians who argue that
they talk on behalf of majorities and use nationalism to score political
points. At the same time, it comes from the majority's criticism of never-
ending requests from those who consider themselves a ‘minority,' and who
produce ethnic-based policies and always request tolerance. Actually,
something Hasan Aziz, the mayor of the Bulgarian town of Kircali, said
shows that Turks living in Bulgaria understood this very well. Aziz said
that the EU would never support a party which produces an ethnic policy. He
added that Bulgaria's Movement for Rights and Freedoms doesn't want to be
known as a Turkish movement, but as a political party embracing Bulgaria.
Let's think about this. All these discussions took place in a city in
Bulgaria, a country which doesn't fight terrorism and constantly have to
bury fallen soldiers. Bulgaria is a unitary state which successfully took
its multicultural situation to its Parliament and joined the EU. The
Movement for Rights and Freedoms led by Ahmet Dogan is a Bulgarian
government coalition partner. On the other hand, Bulgaria is experiencing a
process where this Turkish movement is turning into a Bulgarian party. In
this regard, this is a very important experiment for Turkey."
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