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Turkish Press Review, 08-05-02Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning02.05.2008CONTENTS
[01] PRESIDENT GUL VISITS MACEDONIAPresident Abdullah Gul left for Ohrid, Macedonia yesterday to attend the 15th Summit of Presidents of Central European States. Gul will be the special guest of the summit, which will take place today and tomorrow. He is also scheduled to hold talks with several presidents at the summit. Tomorrow Gul will proceed to the capital Skopje, where he will meet with his Macedonian counterpart Branko Crvenkovski and exchange views on Turkish- Macedonian relations as well as regional and international developments. Gul is also scheduled to meet with the Macedonian Parliament speaker and prime minister. The president is expected to return home on Sunday after visiting Ottoman-era sites in Macedonia. Before leaving yesterday, Gul told reporters at Ankara's Esenboga Airport that he was visiting at the invitation of Macedonia's president. Gul said he would also hold bilateral talks with presidents at the summit about both bilateral relations and regional and international problems. Asked about clashes between security forces and workers on May 1, the president said that everybody would learn a lesson from the incidents and celebrations next year would be better. He also praised unions' last-minute decision canceling plans to gather in Istanbul's Taksim Square. /Cumhuriyet-Turkiye/[02] IRAQI VP MEETS WITH GUL, ERDOGANMeeting yesterday with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, visiting Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi discussed cooperation between Turkey and Iraq in the fight against terrorism as well as operations against the terrorist PKK. Hashemi was also received by President Abdullah Gul. During their meeting, Gul asked him to enable Turkish firms to bid in tenders for oil exploration in Iraq. /Aksam/[03] WORKER-POLICE CLASHES MARK MAY 1 IN ISTANBULTurkey's major labor unions and other civil organizations were planning to celebrate May 1 at Istanbul's Taksim Square, but police did not allow them, due to security concerns. Labor Day, a day of celebration for many workers around the world, was a difficult day for many Istanbulites as the roads around the city's main square were closed to traffic and many commuters were either stuck in traffic or caught in clashes between the police and demonstrators. Officials stated that some 500 people were taken into custody. Opposition parties and labor unions condemned what they called excessive use of force by police and criticized the government. On the other hand, worker celebrations in other parts of the country were peaceful and calm. /All Papers/[04] US' CASEY: "THE FREEDOM TO DEMONSTRATE IS A BASIC CIVIC RIGHT"Asked about incidents of political violence and tight safety measures during yesterday's May Day celebrations in Turkey, US State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey stressed the right to demonstrate, so long as such demonstrations are peaceful. "Certainly, we would encourage all countries to allow people to demonstrate peacefully and responsibly; that is a basic right of citizenship in a democratic country," he said. "Of course, those who are demonstrating also have the right, or have the responsibility to make sure that, as they express their views, they do so in a peaceful manner and don't engage in violence." /Milliyet/[05] BABACAN: "ANKARA CAN DEVELOP TIES WITH THE N.IRAQI ADMINISTRATION IF IT DISTANCES ITSELF FROM THE PKK"A Turkish delegation headed by Ahmet Davutoglu, the prime minister's chief foreign policy adviser, met yesterday with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Nechirvan Barzani, the premier of the northern Iraqi Kurdish administration. The meeting was also attended by Turkey's Special Envoy to Iraq Murat Ozcelik and high-ranking officials from the Iraqi government and Kurdish administration. A statement issued by the Iraqi Presidency said that the Turkish delegation and the Kurdish administration discussed issues that have recently caused tension in relations. The two delegations drew up a list of measures to eliminate barriers to developing relations, said the statement. Commenting on the visit, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan told reporters that Ankara wanted to develop ties with the northern Iraqi administration, adding that the administration's stance on the terrorist PKK was key to this. If they can distance themselves from the terrorist group and show their goodwill, Ankara can establish better dialogue, said Babacan, adding that Turkish-Iraqi relations should not get mired on the PKK issue. /Turkiye/[06] BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA FM MEETS WITH BABACANBosnia-Herzegovina's Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj, currently paying an official visit to Turkey, yesterday met with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan. The two top diplomats said that ties between the two countries are rooted in history and expressed their willingness to boost relations. Alkalaj also attended a conference at the Eurasia Strategic Studies Center (ASAM) and was received by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. /Turkiye/[07] US REPORT DETAILS TERRORIST PKK ACTIVITIES IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIESA new US State Department report praised Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's meeting with US President George W. Bush last November as an important step in the fight against terrorism and also lauded intelligence sharing between the two countries. The annual report on terrorism, released Wednesday, also covered propaganda activities of the terrorist PKK and its role in illegal smuggling, money laundering, and protection rackets. The report also detailed the terrorist group's activities in European countries where it has a presence. /Star/[08] EURASIAN ECONOMIC SUMMIT BEGINSThe three-day 11th Eurasian Economic Summit yesterday started in Istanbul. Speaking at the meeting, Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan said Turkey is the most important energy corridor for Eurasia and stressed the importance of the region for Turkey. Also addressing the meeting, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce head Murat Yalcıntas and said that Turkey's EU accession bid should have a Eurasian dimension. Arguing that the process of globalization was making the world's borders gradually disappear, he added, "No country can develop in isolation from the rest of the world." US Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson also spoke at the meeting, saying that US investors hope to cooperate with Turkey in the area of nuclear energy. Touching on Iraq's natural gas reserves, Wilson said, "The US wants to strengthen Turkey's ties with Iraq." /Sabah/FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… [09] MAY 1 AND THE MIDEASTBY MEHMET ALTAN (STAR)Columnist Mehmet Altan comments on May 1 and the Middle East Quartet of the US, Russia, European Union and the UN. A summary of his column is as follows: "What did we do yesterday? We followed developments and anxiously hoped the day would go by without any injuries or troubles. May 1, which has become something like a folk celebration in developed countries, here still evokes the four horsemen of the apocalypse. There are still many things which embarrass us. Besides the tension over May 1, I followed another issue, that is, the Middle East Quartet. It was founded in order to find a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli issue, and its activities increased after Hamas was elected to power in Palestine. For example, two years ago, the quartet agreed to send direct temporary financial aid to the nation in order to alleviate its financial crisis. Last year, after Hamas secured the Gaza Strip, the quartet decided during a meeting held at the US Embassy in western Jerusalem that Tony Blair would be its new high-level mediator with the region. Yesterday, when we were experiencing the discomfort of May 1 here, it was reported the quartet would meet in London. Reportedly, the US secretary of state will hold meetings with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on this opportunity. It seems there will be new developments in the Middle East. In London, besides the quartet, the meeting of Contact Committee for Helping Palestinians will also be held. This is another organization founded after the 1993 Oslo accords, through Norway's initiative. It has both full and associate members. Among the former are the US, EU, Norway and the World Bank. Until recently we have been neither a full nor an associate member, but we were invited to the London meeting. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will attend, and I will be there too. Given both the quartet and the committee meeting, we can see that for a few days developments in London will be key for the Mideast. While traveling with Babacan, I hope to ask him about the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Sunnis and Shiites, and Turkey's position in the Middle East." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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