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Turkish Press Review, 04-05-03Turkish 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 morning30.04.2004FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS <brCONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN MEETS WITH HIS FRENCH, GERMAN COUNTERPARTS AT EU EXPANSION CEREMONYPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met separately with his French, German and Greek counterparts, Jacques Chirac, Gerhard Schroeder and Costas Karamanlis respectively, during his visit to Dublin, Ireland, to attend a ceremony marking the accession of 10 new European Union member countries, including Greek Cyprus. During his meeting with Karamanlis, Erdogan discussed his visit later this week to Greece. Ireland is currently the EU term president /Milliyet/[02] US CONGRESS TO CONSIDER RESOLUTION URGING END TO TRNC’S ECONOMIC ISOLATIONA resolution calling on both the Bush administration and the European Union to take measures to end the economic and political isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was presented to the US House of Representatives late last week. The non-binding resolution, co-sponsored by two Republicans and two Democrats, praises Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his “brave leadership” in supporting the UN-backed unification plan for Cyprus. The bill further urges Turkish Cypriots not to give up hope for a united island and EU membership and lauds their overwhelming approval of the UN plan. The move came ahead of TRNC Premier Mehmet Ali Talat’s meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Tuesday in New York, and the resolution is set to face a vote during Talat’s visit. /Turkiye/[03] IN HISTORIC US VISIT, TRNC’S TALAT TO MEET WITH POWELL, ANNANTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat is set to travel to the United States today for a landmark four-day visit, during which he will meet with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York. Talat is also expected to meet with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington tomorrow to discuss lifting the economic embargo from the TRNC. The premier is also due to meet with officials from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Speaking to reporters before his departure, Talat said that international isolation of the Turkish Cypriots should be brought to an end. “I know we cannot achieve this in three days, but eventually we must do so,” he added. /Aksam/[04] BELGIAN PRINCE VISITS TURKEYBelgian Prince Philippe accompanied by Economy Minister Hefientje Moerman and a delegation yesterday arrived in Istanbul. During his meetings, ways will be sought to strengthen Turkish-Belgian economic ties. /Turkiye/[05] GERMAN FM PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU BIDSpeaking in the current issue of German newsmagazine Der Spiegel, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer reiterated his country’s support for Turkey’s European Union membership bid. “Saying that Turkey can’t join the EU no matter what would be a grave error,” warned Fischer. “This would mean sowing instability in Turkey, something which would also damage our own interests.” He stated that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was trying to forge a modern Islam in Turkey, adding that it could constitute a bridge between the West and the East. /Milliyet/[06] DUTCH PM: “OUR DECISION ON ANKARA’S ACCESSION TALKS WILL BE A FAIR ONE”Speaking to reporters yesterday, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Balkenende said that the European Union would be fair this December in deciding whether or not to begin accession talks with Ankara. Netherlands is due to be the EU’s term president during the year-end summit, succeeding Ireland. “In making a decision we will consider Turkey’s economic and geopolitical aspects, but the most important thing is that we will be fair,” added Balkenende. /Cumhuriyet/[07] BABACAN: “THE LIRA MAY FURTHER RISE OR FALL DUE TO THE FLOATING EXCHANGE RATE”Appearing on television yesterday, State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan said that since Ankara’s policy was one of free exchange rates, the Turkish lira could further depreciate or appreciate, adding that there was no need to worry about such fluctuations. Asked about his exchange rate prediction for year-end, he said that he had none due to the free rates. “Our government doesn’t have any exchange rate commitment or prediction for this year,” he added. /Aksam/[08] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS[09] A DATE FOR NEGOTIATIONS BY COSKUN KIRCA (MILLIYET)Columnist Coskun Kirca comments on the Turkey’s prospects for getting a date from the European Union for membership negotiations. A summary of his column is as follows:“Will the European Union give Turkey an exact date at the end of this year for starting membership negotiations? Firstly, getting a date is no guarantee that these negotiations will actually end in membership, though the 1963 Ankara Agreement is still in effect! Under this agreement, after Turkey’s period of preparation and transition, the period of the customs union would be passed and this goal thereby achieved. This way Turkey was able to largely comply with the common trade policies. None of the countries which became EU members last weekend could have gone so far forward in their relations with the EU. Actually the EU countries accepted Turkey’s membership at that time. For this reason, the acceptance of Ankara’s candidacy at the 1999 Helsinki summit was a declaration. So a date for membership negotiations would be nothing new. After the referendums on Cyprus, Turkey thought that both itself and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) should be rewarded by it getting a date for membership. The Turkish nation is also fixed on this expectation. If the EU doesn’t give us a date at the end of the year, the Turkish nation will react very harshly. At this point, the EU has two alternatives. One is to accept us as a member in good faith, and the other is to keep Ankara in suspense for a long period of time, all the while pushing for great concessions required for membership. However, both of these alternatives require the EU to give Ankara a date. I guess the EU countries can see this obligation. Turkey should make clear to the EU countries which concessions we could never accept, to prevent the impression that we’ve left our future in the EU’s hands by waiting at its threshold. One firm principle is that we can neither give up nor violate the pillars of our indivisible state. Secondly, we will neither accept the accusations of Armenian ‘genocide,’ nor apologize to them, nor give them land or compensation. Thirdly, they shouldn’t request from us anything that would violate our principle of secularism.” [10] WHITHER THE EU?[11] BY CUNEYT ULSEVER (HURRIYET)Columnist Cuneyt Ulsever comments on the EU’s expansion. A summary of his column is as follows:“With 10 new members and a population swellýng by 75 million, the European Union this weekend became a giant with 25 members, a population of 450 million and 20 official languages. I’m always asking myself whether I will ever see Turkey within the EU ranks. Some are pleased about EU’s expansion, whereas other are worried. The latter stress that the EU has forsaken real Europe within itself and will lose its cultural and social structure and its real identity. Some also think that the economically strained former communist members will cause trouble for their more developed EU partners. They also fear that unemployed masses will spread across the EU. Some are right in stressing that the Eastern European members with their low birth rates won’t bring dynamic labor, but will instead add to the EU’s burden. I’m watching the EU’s path to a new future. Will its new colors complement each other or will they clash? This truly concerns me. The technology ushering in the 21st century threw colors away. Now there is glut of colors which is unstoppable. One can’t put these color differences back into Pandora’s Box. You either turn it into a harmony of colors or bungle the whole thing like a child in primary school learning to paint. The last two decades of the 20th century put an end to the two-tier economy, but one colored liberal democracy didn’t end. The conflict between the rich and the poor didn’t serve Marx’s thesis within countries, but he remains correct about clashes between states. There will be conflict as long as Islamic countries in the Middle East supply 64% of the world’s energy, but use only 4% of it. The essence of the drama of Western civilization and Islamic civilization is a mass of conflicts based on economic sharing. I think one of the greatest projects of the 21st century is the synergy between Turkey, a Muslim-majority country, and the EU, a product of Western civilization. Turkey is the key to the 21st century, while the door is the EU itself.” 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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