Turkish Press Review, 02-10-16

Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>

16.10.2002

CONTENTS

[01] <span style="font-family: Verdana">SEZER TO HOLD

[02]

[03]

[04]

[05]

[06]

[07]

[08]

[09]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[01] <span style="font-family: Verdana">SEZER TO HOLD

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is due to convene a summit meeting tomorrow focusing on the northern Iraq issue, which has topped Turkey’s agenda in recent days. Besides Sezer, also participating in the summit will be Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Deputy Prime Ministers Devlet Bahceli and Mesut Yilmaz, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sukru Sina Gurel. Opposition parties will not take part in the gathering. The participants will reportedly discuss whether or not to convene Parliament in an extraordinary session. /Milliyet/ <_span>

[02]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani yesterday claimed that recent Turkish statements quoted in the media concerning the status of northern Iraq had been contradictory. “On the one hand, Turkey says that Iraq’s territorial integrity carries great importance,” said Barzani. “Then on the other it brings up the rights Turkey once had in Kirkuk.” Barzani further asserted that northern Iraq’s Kurdish groups were in agreement that the status of cities such as Kirkuk and Mosul was not up for discussion since “they are all Iraqi cities.” Responding to the security concerns voiced by countries in the region, Barzani declared that the Iraqi Kurds posed no threat to either Turkey or any other country’s interests or security. /Cumhuriyet/ </span>

[03]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, fresh from attending an Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit in Istanbul on Monday, said yesterday that Iran, Syria, Irak and Turkey were united in their opposition to an independent Kurdish state being established in the region. Such a development would, he asserted, pose a threat to the security of all four countries. Khatami added that Iran supported the preservation of Iraq’s territorial integrity and was opposed to any US operation against the Baghdad regime. /Cumhuriyet/ </span>

[04]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Turkey’s efforts to have the terrorist group KADEK, the successor to the PKK, added to the European Union’s official terrorist list have yet to yield the desired results. Responding to a Foreign Ministry request on the subject, EU Term President Denmark recently declined to add the terrorist group to the list. Flying in the face of the available evidence, Denmark cited an alleged “lack of justification” for such an inclusion. Earlier this year the terrorist PKK switched its name to KADEK, just as the PKK was added to the EU terrorist list after years of efforts on Turkey’s part. /Turkiye/</span>

[05]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of United States forces in the Persian Gulf region, is due to visit Turkey next Monday. Franks is set to meet with Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and other high-ranking military officials. During their meetings, a possible military operation against Iraq, which Franks would likely to lead, is expected to be discussed. The Turkish side will reportedly express its concerns about the possible establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq in case of conflict in that country. Franks, who also commands the US operation in Afghanistan, is furthermore expected to ask Turkey to retain its command of the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan until the German-Dutch command begins next year. Last week Germany confirmed its planned joint ISAF command with the Netherlands. /Hurriyet/</span>

[06]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Speaking to Belgian daily Le Soir yesterday, European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said it remained uncertain whether or not Turkey would be given a date at December’s Copenhagen summit for the start of its accession negotiations. Commenting on the next phase of enlargement, Verheugen stated that Bulgaria and Romania would probably be invited to join the Union in 2007. He added, however, that after the admission of these two and the possible membership of Turkey and the remaining Balkan countries, he didn’t know how much more the EU could expand. He said that if the Union undertook yet another enlargement project, then Russia and the countries of North Africa and the Caucasus would soon be applying to join the Union. Verheugen also remarked that he had reached “the limits of his imagination” as commissioner for enlargement. In related news, European Commission Representative in Turkey Hans Jorg Kretschmer yesterday visited Labor and Social Security Minister Nejat Arseven. Following their meeting, Kretschmer told reporters that what sort of government was formed after the Nov. 3 elections carried paramount importance for the EU. He said that if the new government were determined to carry out reforms, then Turkey would make a great deal of progress over the next year. /Cumhuriyet/ </span>

[07]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Martin Schultz, a deputy in Germany’s ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD), said this week that Turkey’s receiving a date for EU accession talks this December hinged largely on its possible participation in an Iraq operation. “The SPD stands firmly opposed to United States intervention in Iraq,” said Schultz. “If Turkey supports and actively contributes to such intervention, this will greatly damage its chances of getting a date.” The Cyprus issue and the results of Turkey’s Nov. 3 elections will also influence the decision to come from December’s EU Copenhagen summit, he added. While the SDP held onto power in last month’s German elections in part through pledging to oppose Iraq intervention, the US has urged the EU to hasten Turkey’s membership process while also asking for Turkish support for such intervention. /Cumhuriyet/</span>

[08]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">At campaign stops yesterday in the cities of Amasya and Corum, Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli criticized Turkey’s adoption of certain European Union harmonization laws. Even though, he charged, those laws were passed only under EU insistence, “Still, however, not even that has satisfied the Union.” /Turkiye/</span>

[09]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">The Supreme Election Board (YSK) announced yesterday that the Democratic People’s Party (DEHAP) could appear on ballots in the Nov. 3 general elections. YSK Acting Chairman Ahmet Hamdi Unlu told reporters that the YSK had found DEHAP qualified to participate in the elections, adding that its ruling was final and could not be appealed. Some had charged that DEHAP lacked a presence in at least half of the towns in Turkey and thus failed to meet the corresponding legal requirement under the Constitution and the Political Parties Law to participate in elections. /Aksam/</span>

[10]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Speaking in Izmir yesterday, New Turkey Party (YTP) leader Ismail Cem said that he wanted at least one vote from every family for the sake of the future of the nation’s young people. “If you want to ensure a good future for your children, then I urge you to cast your ballots for the YTP.” Cem also said that if the YTP comes to power in next month’s elections, its style and method of administration would be markedly different from that of previous governments. /Milliyet/</span>

[11]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">During a campaign swing yesterday through the Black Sea cities of Sinop and Bartin, True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller criticized the current government’s policy on northern Iraq. Stressing that the so-called state in the region already had an army, government, currency and regional Parliament, Ciller said, “We will allow neither the establishment of this state nor the division of our own country.” Ciller further charged that the current government was causing suffering to Turkey’s people. “A DYP government will do its best to solve the country’s problems,” added Ciller. /Turkiye/</span>

[12]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal vowed yesterday that after coming to power in next month’s elections, the CHP would bring to an end the practice of parliamentary deputies’ immunity from criminal prosecution. Speaking to a campaign rally in the eastern Anatolia city of Kars, Baykal said he couldn’t understand why other political parties didn’t support this idea. Plegding to allocate $2 million to Turkey’s agricultural and livestock sectors, Baykal said the CHP was “awake to the concerns of the nation’s farmers.” Baykal added that though voting was an honorable duty, the nation was understandably anxious, so it should think carefully before casting ballots on Nov. 3. /Milliyet/</span>

[13]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Addressing a campaign rally in the Black Sea city of Samsun yesterday, Young Party (GP) leader Cem Uzan pledged that if elected, he would increase the number of Turkey’s provinces to 250 from the current 82. /Star/</span>

[14]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Speaking at campaign rallies in the Black Sea cities of Ordu, Giresun and Samsun yesterday, Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged that once it comes to power after the Nov. 3 elections, the AKP would open up new development opportunities for Turkey’s citizens. Erdogan also lashed out at those who predict that an AKP government would doom Turkey’s European Union membership bid. The AKP fully accepts all the constitutional changes related to Turkey’s EU bid, stated Erdogan. /Turkiye/</span>

[15]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Felicity Party (SP) leader Recai Kutan and Necmettin Erbakan, former chairman of the defunct Welfare Party (RP), yesterday spoke at campaign rallies in the cities of Cankiri and Zonguldak. Claiming that Turkey’s current rulers had plunged the country into debt, Kutan said that when the SP came to power, it would give its full support to the nation’s agriculture sector. He criticized the current government’s policy of acting in line with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying, “An SP government will throw all those IMF agreements into the garbage bin.” /Turkiye/</span>

[16]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">An International Monetary Fund delegation headed by Turkey Desk Chief Juha Kahkonnen, currently in Turkey to conduct the fourth review of the nation’s economic program, yesterday met with Economy Minister Masum Turker. Treasury Undersecretary Faik Oztrak and IMF Turkey representative Odd Per Brekk also took part in the meeting, where Turker and Kahkonnen discussed Turkey’s Letter of Intent (LOI). Kahkonnen is expected to hold a press conference this afternoon concerning the fourth review and then leave Turkey. /Hurriyet/ <_span>

[17]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

[18]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Columnist Hikmet Bila comments on government leaders’ recent comments on a possible US operation against Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:<_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">“Even while the Iraq wardrums beat even more insistently, our leaders are speaking in dulcimer tones: Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said, ‘The US is talking about a military operation. Even if Turkey doesn’t want to participate in this operation, it will be dragged into it. If a war which neither interests us nor is necessary for us starts and we get involved, we might face grave losses, particularly among our young people. Things are going off the rails.’ Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said, ‘Turkey has to participate in this operation in order to ensure a solution in favor of Turkey.’ State Minister Responsible for the Economy Masum Turker weighed in with, ‘I have to prepare the economy for the possibility of war. A great deal of serious work is being done concerning this issue. My basic aim is to dispel fears that the economy will go south.’ And Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said, ‘If our efforts to avert conflict aren’t successful, we should move one stage ahead. We might flex our muscle. If necessary, an operation might be on the agenda.’ If such words belonged to mere politicians, they wouldn’t be quite so important. However, these words belong to the Turkish Republic’s prime minister, deputy prime minister and defense minister, and they are all serious words. The prime minister paints a picture of Turkey being dragged into a war. Is Turkey in such a sorry state that it can be dragged into a war that it doesn’t even want? If Turkey has to fight just because its security and future were endangered as a result of recent developments in northern Iraq and thus constitute an ‘unacceptable’ situation, then why is this war ‘unnecessary’? The prime minister’s words fail to address these questions. War is a serious business, but one searches with great effort to find our leaders expressing the proper gravitas. Is this war talk the official position of the state, or just some politicians’ election gambits? Is a disaster on the horizon, or are we watching a horror movie? President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who describes Turkey’s European Union membership bid as a ‘national matter,’ held a leaders’ summit this summer to ensure that the necessary harmonization laws were passed. The coming war -- which the prime minister said that Turkey is being ‘dragged into’ -- is a ‘national matter’ as well. Moreover, it’s also an urgent matter. The president is at the same time the commander-in-chief. Sezer can take up his historic duties by convening two summits:<_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">1. Making Turkey’s stance clear by convening both the leaders in power and the opposition leaders. Showing that this issue has regional import by meeting with the Iranian and Syrian heads of states, two key actors on the Iraqi issue. <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Turkey should actually do something, instead of shouting helplessly, ‘We are being dragged’ and ‘There might be grave losses.’ War is a path that should be followed only when it’s inevitable and all peaceful alternatives have been exhausted. War is a serious business indeed.”<_span>

[19]

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Columnist Fikret Bila writes on Turkey’s stance on the Iraq issue. A summary of his column is as follows:<_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">“For the time being, there is a real dearth of information about either when or how the United States is planning to launch a military strike on Iraq. All we know is that the Bush administration is determined to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and busily gearing up for a military operation.<_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Meanwhile, Ankara wants to avoid being dragged into war and facing the catastrophic results such a development might bring. Turkey’s official views on the Iraq issue can be summarized as follows:<_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">‘In light of its Gulf War experiences, Turkey should take the initiative on the Iraq issue so as to head off developments which might threaten its national interests. While the US considers the Baghdad administration its main problem, Turkey’s principal concern is to protect Iraq’s territorial integrity and forestall Kurdish groups’ attempts to establish an independent Kurdish state in the region. In case of a US-led operation against Saddam Hussein, it will be in our best interests to cooperate with the Bush administration. However, the US’ intentions and methods would be of great importance at such a juncture. If the US doesn’t plan to act in a way contrary to Turkey’s interests, it will be very easy to form such a strategic alliance between our two countries. Under such circumstances, the only problem will be the timing of the operation.’<_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">Ankara often conveys the message that it would take any measures necessary to stop the establishment of an independent Kurdish state in the region, the occupation of Kirkuk by Kurdish groups and a flood of refugees towards Turkey’s borders. <_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana">The meetings to be held between Turkish and US officials in the days to come will carry great importance. Turkey should neither lose the initiative nor act as a mere bystander to the events unfolding in Iraq.”<_span>

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana"> <_span>

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