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Turkish Press Review, 04-06-29
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
29.06.2004
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] NATO PLEDGES TO SUPPORT NEW IRAQI GOVERNMENT
[02] SCHEFFER: “OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS, NATO HAS GROWN MORE DECISIVE”
[03] NATO SEEKS DIALOGUE WITH GULF AND MIDEAST COUNTRIES
[04] SEZER MEETS WITH CHIRAC, DISCUSSES TURKEY’S EU BID
[05] GUL HOLDS BILATERAL MEETINGS WITH WORLD LEADERS
[06] NATO LEADERS LEND SUPPORT TO TURKEY’S EU BID
[07] BUSH: “TURKEY IS A SOLID DEMOCRACY AND A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR THE BROADER MIDEAST REGION”
[08] SPANISH, ITALIAN PREMIERS EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU BID
[09] ERDOGAN: “IT’S A GREAT HONOR FOR TURKEY TO HOST THE NATO SUMMIT”
[10] SEMRA SEZER HOSTS LEADERS’ WIVES
[11] ISTANBUL WEATHERS ANTI-NATO PROTESTS
[12] NEW IRAQI PM ALLAWI: “THE PKK IS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION”
[13] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[14] NATO’S COURSE IN IRAQ BY NURAY BASARAN (AKSAM)
[01] NATO PLEDGES TO SUPPORT NEW IRAQI GOVERNMENT
During the first day of Istanbul’s historic NATO summit, the leaders of 26
NATO member states issued a declaration pledging to fully support the new
Iraqi government, which assumed sovereignty yesterday two days early. The
declaration said that the alliance offers cooperation to the Iraqi
government to establish peace, stability and democracy in the country.
Condemning the terrorist attacks in Iraq, the declaration warned that such
actions also threaten the security of the entire region. The leaders also
offered to train Iraqi security forces. In addition, the alliance decided
to increase NATO’s role in Afghanistan, boosting its troops there from 6,
500 to 10,000, and to withdraw its forces from Bosnia, handing over its
command of that mission to the European Union. The declaration also
welcomed the seven new NATO members who joined the alliance earlier this
year. /Turkiye/
[02] SCHEFFER: “OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS, NATO HAS GROWN MORE DECISIVE”
NATO Secretary-General Jaap da Hoop Scheffer said yesterday that NATO had
changed and become more decisive over the last 18 months. In his opening
address to the two-day NATO summit in Istanbul, Scheffer pointed out that
the summit was the first since NATO’s recent enlargement with seven new
members. "The logo of our Istanbul summit depicts a bridge, and this is no
coincidence," added the alliance leader. "Through the centuries, Istanbul
has been a real bridge – not just between continents, but also between
cultures, religions and civilizations." /Hurriyet/
[03] NATO SEEKS DIALOGUE WITH GULF AND MIDEAST COUNTRIES
At Istanbul’s NATO summit yesterday, leaders of the member states decided
to expand the alliance’s reach beyond Europe by giving a green light to the
Greater Middle East Initiative. NATO began its dialogue with Mediterranean
states in 1994, and now is offering cooperation to Persian Gulf and Middle
Eastern countries through the “Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.” The
project will be formulated in line with feedback from the countries in
question. The alliance proposes cooperation with these countries in the
areas of defense, anti-terrorist efforts and the military. In addition,
another decision was made for NATO to establish permanent representative
offices in Asia, the Middle East and the Caucasus. /Turkiye/
[04] SEZER MEETS WITH CHIRAC, DISCUSSES TURKEY’S EU BID
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday discussed Turkey’s European Union
membership bid with French President Jacques Chirac, who is currently in
Istanbul to attend the current NATO summit. During their meeting, Sezer
reportedly said that he expected France, one of the EU’s leading states, to
support Turkey’s EU membership bid. Sezer reportedly stressed that Turkey
had fulfilled the Union’s Copenhagen criteria and should be given the same
treatment as other candidates who did so in the past. He also stated that
he hoped the European Commission’s fall report on Turkey would be positive,
adding that the Union should give a date to Turkey at the December EU
summit to begin its accession talks. For his part, Chirac expressed his
country’s support for Turkey’s EU bid, and called Ankara’s membership bid
an “irreversible process.” “The Union has a 40-year commitment, and this
commitment concerns a vision related with the future of Europe,” he said,
adding that Ankara had a “historic European vocation.” Chirac said that
Turkey beginning its accession talks with the Union depended on the
European Commission report. During their meeting, Sezer also sought French
support to end the international isolation of the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Touching on Iraq, Chirac said that he welcomed the
US-led coalition’s handing over power to the new government yesterday in
Baghdad. /Aksam/
[05] GUL HOLDS BILATERAL MEETINGS WITH WORLD LEADERS
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday held bilateral meetings with
several leaders attending the current NATO summit in Istanbul. In talks
with his British counterpart, Gul urged Jack Straw to lend support to end
the international isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC). Gul also called on Britain to begin direct flight to the TRNC soon.
For his part, Straw said that both the European Union and Britain had been
working seriously on the matter. Furthermore, the Turkish foreign minister
also met with his Macedonian, Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts.
/Cumhuriyet/
[06] NATO LEADERS LEND SUPPORT TO TURKEY’S EU BID
The leaders of countries belonging to both NATO and the European Union
yesterday signaled their support for Turkey’s EU membership bid. Speaking
at a “Youth Summit” in Istanbul held before the NATO gathering there,
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said that Ankara had been implementing
the EU criteria as preconditions to begin its membership negotiations,
adding that the Union should keep its word. Greek Prime Minister Costas
Karamanlis asserted that Ankara’s rapprochement with Europe would serve to
benefit the EU and Turkey as well as its neighbors. In addition, Italian
Premier Silvio Berlusconi reiterated his support for Turkey’s membership,
saying, “I think there's a good possibility that Turkey's entry
negotiations with the Union will start in the first few months of 2005.''
Furthermore, addressing the same gathering, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan pointed to the key role of youth and their importance in bridging
different cultures. /Turkiye/
[07] BUSH: “TURKEY IS A SOLID DEMOCRACY AND A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR THE BROADER
MIDEAST REGION”
Speaking at a joint conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair
yesterday, US President George W. Bush yesterday said he welcomed the US-
led coalition’s surprise power handover to the new government in Baghdad
two days earlier than planned. He further hailed the “amazing progress” the
world had seen in the nearly three years since the September 11 terrorist
attacks and said of Turkey, "You know, Turkey is solid. There's a solid
democracy here in the broader Middle East, which is a great example." For
his part, Blair said that fighting for Iraq meant fighting against
terrorism, adding that NATO’s support towards this goal was important.
/Hurriyet/
[08] SPANISH, ITALIAN PREMIERS EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU BID
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with his Spanish
counterpart Jose Luis Rodrigues Zapatero to discuss Turkey’s European Union
membership bid. During their meeting, Zapatero expressed support for Turkey
to begin its accession talks with the EU. “You can be sure that we’ll
support your beginning your accession talks,” he said, adding that he
believed the European Commission’s fall report on Turkey would be positive.
“All of us can see Turkey’s progress.” Zapatero further stressed that
Turkey was an important country for Spain and especially praised
cooperation between the two countries in the field of aviation, adding that
this should be built on. Later, Erdogan met with Italian Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi. During their meeting, Berlusconi reiterated Italy’s
support for Ankara’s membership bid, adding that he too expected the EC
report on Turkey to be positive. The two leaders also discussed Iraq,
Afghanistan, and the fight against terrorism. /Milliyet/
[09] ERDOGAN: “IT’S A GREAT HONOR FOR TURKEY TO HOST THE NATO SUMMIT”
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday hosted a banquet at historic
Topkapi Palace for the leaders of NATO member states in Istanbul to attend
the two-day NATO summit. Addressing the gathering, Erdogan said that it was
a great honor for Turkey to host the historic summit. Erdogan stressed that
the summit was very important for him since it was his first at Turkey’s
helm. The premier further praised NATO’s recent enlargement with seven new
members. Also addressing the gathering, NATO Secretary-General Jaap da Hoop
Scheffer said that Istanbul was the most fitting revue for the summit and
added that he appreciated Turkey’s hospitality. /Aksam/
[10] SEMRA SEZER HOSTS LEADERS’ WIVES
Semra Sezer, the wife of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, yesterday hosted the
wives of leaders attending the NATO summit in Istanbul, including Laura
Bush and Cherie Blair, the wives of the US president and British premier,
respectively. Following a tea party at Ciragan Palace, Mrs. Sezer treated
her guests to a tour of Istanbul’s historical and picturesque sites. Then
they attended a fashion show spotlighting the work of designer Cemil
Ipekci. /Sabah/
[11] ISTANBUL WEATHERS ANTI-NATO PROTESTS
While the two-day NATO summit continues, yesterday anti-NATO demonstrations
were held outside the summit venue in Istanbul. During clashes with
security forces, a number of policemen and demonstrators were injured. In
addition, a group of Greenpeace activists unfurled a banner from a bridge
over the Bosphorus strait. /Cumhuriyet/
[12] NEW IRAQI PM ALLAWI: “THE PKK IS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION”
Paul Bremer, the top US civilian administrator in Iraq, yesterday
relinquished his post and handed over all documents concerning sovereignty
and authority to new Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. The handover was
previously set for this Wednesday, June 30, but due to security concerns it
was moved up two days. Addressing the handover ceremony, Bremer called it
an historic day and that in the name of the coalition forces, he was happy
to turn the sovereignty of the state to Iraq’s own people. In addition,
after assuming the government’s reins, Allawi stated that he had included
the illegal terrorist group PKK_Kongra-Gel on the country’s official
terrorist list. Commenting on the news, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
hailed the development and expressed his pleasure at the Iraqi people
taking their future into their own hands. /Star/
[13] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[14] NATO’S COURSE IN IRAQ BY NURAY BASARAN (AKSAM)
Columnist Nuray Basaran comments on the current NATO summit in Istanbul and
the Iraq issue. A summary of her column is as follows:
“The interim government set to take over Iraq on June 30 came early; it
took power yesterday unexpectedly for security reasons. I hope this
decision will benefit Iraq. Yesterday the NATO summit also started in
Istanbul. So there is both the power handover in Iraq and a change of
opinion in NATO concerning Iraq. This way a new process has started for
NATO and the US, which are both looking for concrete steps concerning the
Iraq issue. With the invitation and request of new Iraqi Prime Minister
Iyad Allawi, NATO’s course in Iraq and the office’s new mission were
determined on the first day of the summit. Of course the ground covered by
the Iraqi people on their government and the coalition transferring
administration to Iraqis are both very important. However, there’s also the
difficult side of the story, that is, solving the thousands of problems
facing Iraq, including ensuring stability and security.
The transfer of sovereignty ceremony was carried out yesterday with the
presentation of official documents by Paul Bremer, now the ex-US civilian
administrator in Iraq, to Allawi. ‘Today is a historic and joyous day long
awaited by the Iraqi people,’ said Allawi. ‘We think we can handle
security.’ Even if the Iraqi government has full sovereignty now, there are
still certain restrictions. It won’t be able to make long-term political
decisions and will have no control of foreign military forces in the
country. Important diplomatic messages were given when word of the transfer
reached the NATO summit. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari stated that
the Iraqi government considered the PKK a terrorist organization, something
both intriguing and important. There are so many things to do to make Iraq
stable again. Neither the Iraqi administration, nor the US nor NATO can do
this alone. Everybody will have to cooperate, and countries in the region
should help out. I wish there were more countries within the alliance.”
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