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Turkish Press Review, 03-09-24Turkish 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 morning24.09.2003FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…CONTENTS
[01] SEZER URGES END TO BARRIERS TO INVESTMENTSpeaking at a meeting of the Kayseri Chamber of Trade yesterday, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said that it was the state’s duty to lift obstacles blocking entrepreneurs’ contributions to the nation’s economy. “We should support our businessmen in order to boost production and investment,” said Sezer. He also said that continued full implementation of the nation’s International Monetary Fund-supported economic program would boost the country’s confidence, adding that the government’s determination should not flag. Later, speaking at Cumhuriyet University in Sivas, Sezer said that universities were basic institutions of the state and so should not be beholden to any interest group. He further urged the state to lengthen the period of mandatory education from eight years to 12. /All papers/[02] ERDOGAN TO VISIT TEHRAN IN OCTOBER, SAYS IRANIAN AMBASSADORFiruz Dolatabadi, Iran’s ambassador to Ankara, said yesterday that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would visit Iraq in the near future. Denying allegations that Erdogan had postponed an expected visit to Tehran, Dolatabadi said that the visit was expected to take place in the second half of October. He added that Iranian President Mohammed Khatami was scheduled to visit Turkey in December or next January. /Turkiye/[03] GUL HOLDS BILATERAL CONTACTS IN NEW YORK DURING UN MEETINGSForeign Minister Abdullah Gul, who is currently visiting New York to attend annual meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, continued a series of contacts yesterday. He met with members of the Federation of Turkish- American Associations during a luncheon held in his honor. Stressing that the Iraqi nation had suffered greatly, Gul said these tribulations should be brought to an end. The minister stated that the question of whether or not Turkey should send troops to Iraq was still under consideration. “When the government makes a decision on the matter, it will be debated in Parliament,” said Gul. I’m sure that this time the parliamentarians won’t reject our proposal and the government will not fail again,” he added, referring to a proposal on US troop deployment rejected in March. As part of his bilateral meetings, Gul also met with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. During their talks, Gul reportedly told his Israeli counterpart that Turkey condemns terrorism, but also disapproved of the excessive use of force. Urging Israel to improve the Palestinians’ living conditions, Gul stated that there was no alternative to following the Middle East road map to peace and that this opportunity shouldn’t be missed. Concerning the Israeli Cabinet’s recent decision to seek the expulsion of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Gul said such a move would not help to bring peace to the region. In addition, speaking to reporters, Gul said that an agreement regarding the sale of Turkey’s Manavgat water to Israel was almost ready and that Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler was expected to visit Israel next week to hold contacts on the matter. /All Papers/[04] EDELMAN: “TURKEY ISN’T OBLIGED TO SEND TROOPS TO IRAQ IN RETURN FOR LOAN”US Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman yesterday visited Ali Talip Ozdemir, a parliamentarian and leader of the Motherland Party (ANAP). During their talks, Edelman stressed that the $8.5 billion US loan deal signed by Ankara on Monday did not oblige Turkey to send troops to Iraq. He added, however that the loan package did require Ankara to continue to implement its International Monetary Fund-supported economic program without any deviation as well as to cooperate, in a broad sense, with Washington on Iraq’s reconstruction. /Cumhuriyet/[05] PENTAGON ADVISER PERLE DOWNPLAYS IMPORTANCE OF TURKISH TROOPS IN IRAQ, SAYS ANKARA-WASHINGTON COLLABORATION CONTINUESTurkey sending troops to Iraq is not central or vital to reconstruction efforts there, and could even be harmful, said an influential Pentagon adviser yesterday. Speaking at a seminar on "Turkey at the Crossroads" at the American Enterprise Institute, Defense Policy Board member Richard Perle said that while the US would “welcome some outside help” in Iraq as “a good thing,” large numbers of foreign troops coming into the country was not important and could even be a hindrance. “If we internationalize this in bringing large numbers of outside troops, it would probably delay the date at which we pass to the Iraqis … responsibility for their own security, ” warned Perle, when asked about bringing in Turkish soldiers. Also speaking about Turkey’s rejection this March of US troop deployment for the Iraq war, Perle said he regretted the incident as a lost opportunity to “cooperate in the liberation of Iraq.” But he downplayed its long-term impact, attributing the decision to the “newness” and “lack of experience” of the then just-elected Justice and Development Party (AKP) government. “We had a small glitch in the [Turkish-US] relationship,” he added. “We’ve passed that now. I expect we can go back to work closely together. That has already begun. And I see no lasting obstacle to that collaboration.” /Cumhuriyet. Zaman.com /[06] IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER STEPS BACK FROM OPPOSITION TO TURKISH TROOPSDuring his ongoing contacts in New York, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is holding important discussions on the Iraq issue. Yesterday, during meetings with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, who had previously stated his opposition to any Turkish troop deployment in Iraq, Zebari changed his position, reportedly at the request of Washington. Zebari is said to have told Gul that a solution to the troop deployment issue should be found that would satisfy all sides, including Ankara, Iraq’s Governing Council, and the coalition forces. /Turkiye/[07] CB GOVERNOR SERDENGECTI: “THIS YEAR WE CAN ACHIEVE INFLATION BELOW 20%”Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti yesterday predicted that the nation could achieve annual inflation of less than 20% this year, adding that a climate of confidence was vital in order to later bring inflation into the single digits. “For the first time in our history, a government is determinedly fighting inflation,” he said. Also touching on the $8.5 billion US loan agreement signed on Monday, Serdengecti stated that the loan would help to reduce Turkey’s high trade deficit. /Hurriyet/[08] TOP COMPANIES JOIN FORCES ON TELECOM, LOTTERY PRIVATIZATIONSTurkey’s two largest companies, the Koc and Sabanci groups, yesterday announced they were joining forces to work on the privatization of Turk Telekom and the Milli Piyango national lottery. A joint statement said the companies’ collaboration would bring vitality, dynamism and a positive atmosphere to the Turkish economy. /Sabah/[09] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…[10] BETWEEN THE PAST AND THE FUTURE BY SUKRU SINA GUREL (CUMHURIYET)Columnist and former Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel writes on Turkey’s past and current Iraq policies. A summary of his column is as follows:“We call the present period of history ‘today,’ a moment between the past and the future. We should study and learn from our past mistakes and strive our utmost for a better future. That’s what today means: a period of taking stock and effective planning. Our decisions and moves are shaped according to our understanding of the present. Individuals and societies which fail to develop a rational understanding of their time cannot make wise decisions. Today is the day we should evaluate our country’s past Iraq policies and develop new strategies for the future by taking into consideration current developments in the region. If you want someone to make decisions in your own favor, the first thing to do is to make them forget the past. Therefore, under today’s circumstances, we should first remember our history. Here are some questions: During the Ecevit government, what did Ankara decide to do in case of a possible US intervention in Iraq? Turkey refused to participate in a possible US military intervention in the region. However Ankara decided to, if necessary, independently send its forces into northern Iraq to crack down on the Kurdish separatist movement. 2) If Turkey entered northern Iraq on its own, what would it gain or lose? Washington would probably put extreme pressure on Ankara to withdraw its forces from the region. In addition, certain EU circles would almost certainly fiercely oppose such a move. However, I believe that, as time passed, both the US and the world would recognize how the chaotic situation in Iraq required the assistance of our forces. Therefore, Ankara would both protect its territories and help the Iraqi people to establish peace and stability without backing an unjustified war. What has ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) done on the Iraq issue? What kind of decisions has it taken so far? Forgetting Ankara’s past decisions, the AKP government chose to bargain with Washington. It first allowed US forces to prepare for a war within our territories, and then refused to back them. On March 1, our government got stuck between the nation’s will and the promises it made during its unofficial talks with US officials. It was the AKP government’s inexperience and incompetence which led to Washington’s great disappointment. Turkey seemed like a country unable to keep its promises. Would it be a correct policy today for Turkey to send its troops to Iraq? Deploying our troops to Iraq would be a mistake. We’re talking about an unjustified occupation by US and British forces. If we send our troops there, our soldiers would serve nothing but American interests. What should we do now? Turkey might still contribute to the international decision-making process on Iraq. Because of our strategic importance, nobody can shut us out of this process. However, Ankara should never allow foreigners to decide about our future. We cannot trust foreigners with our national interests. But by making rational and effective decisions, our country might gain an active role in Iraq’s reconstruction. 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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