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Turkish Press Review, 04-05-12Turkish 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 morning12.05.2004FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: “WE’VE PLEDGED TO THE PUBLIC TO TACKLE THE YOK ISSUE”Speaking at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) Parliamentary Group yesterday, party leader and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Higher Board of Education (YOK), university rectors and the Interuniversity Council of dragging out the government’s handling of the YOK issue for nearly a-year-and-a-half. Stressing that the AKP had pledged to the citizenry in campaign rallies to tackle the YOK issue when it came to power, Erdogan said that the government had included the matter in its Urgent Action Plan as well as its program. Remarking that the issue was not new but rather had persisted for 20 years, the premier stated there was a public consensus behind the review of the YOK law. Since coming to power, the government has worked sincerely and positively on the matter to find an appropriate solution, said Erdogan, adding that he could not say the same of either YOK or the Interuniversity Council. Erdogan stressed that the government’s power comes from the people, and everything would take place in line with Turkey’s democratic system. /Star/[02] YOK HEAD: “SOVEREIGNTY BELONGS TO THE NATION, NOT TO PARLIAMENT”Higher Board of Education (YOK) Chairman Erdogan Tezic yesterday said that sovereignty belongs to the nation, not to Parliament, taking issue with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent remarks asserting the reverse. “The nation exercises this sovereignty through certain institutions, not only Parliament,” said Tezic. In related news, Education Minister Huseyin Celik said that the government wanted to resolve the issue of the YOK bill without creating tension, while main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal charged that the bill issue had in fact raised tensions, adding that the government’s intervention in university administration was not required by democracy. /Hurriyet/[03] GEN. YALMAN TO VISIT DENKTAS IN TRNCLand Forces Commander Gen. Aytac Yalman is due to travel to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus today for a two-day official visit. Yalman is expected to meet with TRNC President Rauf Denktas to discuss recent developments since Greek Cyprus’ accession to the European Union. /Milliyet/[04] DENKTAS: “I THINK THE EU WILL GIVE ANKARA A DATE SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE THEIR PRESSURE ON CYPRUS”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said yesterday that since last month’s historic referendums on the island, the required steps had not been taken to recognize the TRNC, adding that he had no hope that it would be recognized anytime soon. Touching on Turkey’s European Union membership bid, Denktas predicted that Turkey would get a date from the Union to begin its accession negotiations. “I think that the EU will give a date so they can continue to press on the Cyprus issue,” added Denktas. “If they don’t give a date, this means that they won’t be able to exert pressure anymore on Cyprus.” /Cumhuriyet/[05] TALAT MEETS WITH BRITISH COMMISSIONER FOR GREEK CYPRUSTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday met with Lyn Parker, Britain’s high commissioner for Greek Cyprus, to discuss recent developments following Greek Cyprus’ May 1 European Union accession. Speaking afterwards, Parker praised Talat’s stewardship of the Turkish Cypriot nation. He added that he would work to end the TRNC’s isolation, spur its economic development and bring it closer to the EU. /Milliyet/[06] BELGIAN FM: “DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY IN IRAQ, TURKEY’S STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE FOR THE EU HAS RISEN”Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said yesterday that when Turkey has fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria, the European Union should give it a date to begin its accession talks. Speaking at a meeting of Turkish businessmen in Brussels, Michel said that due to the current uncertainty in Iraq, Turkey’s strategic importance for the EU had risen. “If the EU wants to be a global actor it should have a military capacity, so cooperation with Turkey is inevitable at this point,” said Michel. Asked about the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) role in the nation, Michel stated that it was important that Ankara prove it can preserve its secularism without the TSK. /Cumhuriyet/[07] PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION VISITS WASHINGTONA delegation of parliamentarians headed by Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Egemen Bagis yesterday met in Washington with Dan Fried, the US National Security Council’s senior director for Europe and Eurasia. The visit aimed at strengthening ties between the legislatures of the two nations. /Turkiye/[08] INDIAN CHIEF OF STAFF VISITS TURKEYIndian Chief of General Staff Adm. Madhvendra Singh yesterday arrived in Ankara to pay an official visit at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Gen. Hilmi Ozkok. After their meeting, Singh, accompanied by Ozkok, was received by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. /Turkiye/[09] FRIENDSHIP GROUP TO TRAVEL TO PALESTINEA delegation of seven deputies from the Turkish-Palestinian Interparliamentary Friendship Group headed by Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Huseyin Tanriverdi is set to travel to Palestine next week to hold a series of contacts with Palestinian leaders. Tanriverdi lamented yesterday the “tragedy” taking place in the Middle East. “We are paying this visit to refocus the attention of both Turkey and the international community on the region,” said Tanriverdi. The delegation is expected to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie and Liberation Committee Chairman Marvan Borghouti as well as representatives of non- governmental organizations (NGOs). /Turkiye/[10] ISTANBUL HOSTS EUROVISION SEMIFINALS TONIGHT, FINALS ON SATURDAYThe 49th Eurovision Song Contest is to be held on Saturday in Istanbul under a new format -- a semifinal on Wednesday to weed out the smaller countries, and the final on Saturday when the “big guns” of European music can shine. A total of 36 countries are taking part in Eurovision 2004, 22 of whom will perform on Wednesday night for 10 spots in Saturday's finals. The finals will see the 10 semifinal winners joined by host Turkey and 13 other countries, including France, Germany, Spain and Britain in a televised event whose audience is expected to top 100 million. Turkey is hosting the contest by tradition, as Turkish singer Sertab Erener took home the prize for her country last year. Like most reality TV shows, the winners will be decided through telephone voting, with the only proviso being that viewers cannot vote for their own country's entrant. This year Turkey will be represented by group Athene, with their song “For Real.” /Turkiye/[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[12] WELCOMING WASHINGTON TO CYPRUS BY KEMAL YAVUZ (AKSAM)Columnist Kemal Yavuz comments on the US and Cyprus. A summary of his column is as follows:“I already wrote last week that the Cyprus issue is more than a disagreement between the Turks and the Greeks on the island, and is in fact a struggle between the European Union and the US to lay a stake there. While admitting Greek Cypriots to the Union, the EU, the ‘owner’ of the UN plan for Cyprus, didn’t do more than say ‘well done, old boy’ to the Turkish Cypriots. In contrast, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Ali Talat was invited by US Secretary of State Colin Powell to Washington, in a meeting which brought unprecedented results. The US gave two important messages. Powell called Talat ‘prime minister,’ and despite Greek Cypriot objections, US State Deportment spokesmen Richard Boucher insisted on calling the Southern Cypriot administration the ‘Greek Cypriot administration.’ Washington also promised to support the TRNC’s representation in international financial organizations and some political platforms. The issue is obvious. In its war in Iraq the US has come to realize that its shoes, stuck in the sand, are too expansive. Knowing that it can’t set up other bases in the region to control it, Washington realized the need to have its own bases on Cyprus. US initiatives really began after the failure of the UN plan on Cyprus, which was actually the EU’s failure. It was reported that Greek administration Prime Minister Tassos Papadopoulos would say ‘yes’ for two independent states on Cyprus in return for some land from the North. Thus the EU in the South and the US in the North will share the island in peace. Another attitude is that US officials are saying that Washington recognizes Talat instead of Rauf Denktas as the leader of the Turkish Cypriots. This is hardly surprising, because a Talat advocating Ankara’s disengagement from Cyprus is a more amenable partner for US interests. The important question is, how will Turkey stay in the game? Will it be on the inside or outside? And who will decide on Turkey’s role, Ankara or Washington? We shall see.” [13] ERDOGAN’S STANCE BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Columnist Fikret Bila comments on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s stance on the Higher Board of Education (YOK) bill. A summary of his column is as follows:“Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s responses yesterday to criticisms from the Higher Board of Education (YOK) head, university rectors, the General Staff and the media on the YOK bill showed that he’s determined to get it passed. Erdogan argued that there needn’t necessarily be a consensus among institutions, rather that consensus should exist among the people. So he effectively said that consensus with YOK, the universities, the General Staff and the media is not important. His reasoning goes like so: ‘As my party is the ruling party, the majority of voters are in consensus about the regulations we’re proposing.’ This stance should be discussed in terms of how a democracy works. Democracy isn’t the same as majority rule. Instead, it’s a regime which protects the rights of minorities as well. That’s why political power is subject to checks and balances, the principle of the separation of powers is indispensable, and the use of sovereignty on behalf of the nation shouldn’t be left to just one political organ, that is, the government alone. The judicial and legislative branches are independent from the executive (the president and the government) and responsible for exercising checks on it. Democratic governance depends on the principle of consensus and it’s open to legal checks and balances. So depending only on a majority of votes and deputies -- saying, in other words, ‘I represent the national will, I can do whatever I want, whatever the Parliament decides is kosher’ -- is invalid. The Parliament is one of the organs through which sovereignty is exercised. Its decisions hold only if they accord with the Constitution; otherwise they are null and void. This is the check mechanism of the separation of powers. In this respect, a stance which neither seeks a consensus nor takes into consideration the views of other constitutional organs obviously has some problems understanding democracy. If the understanding of sovereignty and democracy Erdogan showed yesterday was correct, there would have been no need for an independent judiciary, executive and checks, or autonomous universities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the political power would have ruled the country. However, that wouldn’t be a democracy. What will happen after Erdogan’s stand? He is determined to get this bill passed. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies can easily do so. But afterwards, the president might veto it. If Erdogan doesn’t change the stance he took yesterday, the bill would be passed by Parliament again, after the veto. Then the president would have to sign it. However, he would also have the right to appeal to the Constitutional Court to overrule it. If this procedure is followed, the judiciary would have the final decision. Then we can see if the government made an arrangement appropriate under the Constitution’s principle of equality.” 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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