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Turkish Press Review, 04-08-19Turkish 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 morning19.08.2004FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…CONTENTS
[01] GUL: “FOR ITS OWN CREDIBILITY, THE EU SHOULD KEEP ITS PROMISE TO END THE TRNC’S ISOLATION”Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday met with visiting Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat and Foreign Minister Serdar Denktas to discuss recent developments on Cyprus. Speaking afterwards, Gul said that the European Union should keep its promise to end the international isolation of the TRNC, a move he said was very important for the Union’s credibility. “We believe that the EU should make concrete decisions this September on ending the isolation of the TRNC,” added Gul. “Although the Turkish Cypriots accepted the UN plan at last April’s referendums while the the Greek Cypriots rejected it, the EU hasn’t yet met the TRNC’s expectations.” For his part, Talat said that the EU’s possible decision next month could be pivotal in its stance on the issue. In related news, TRNC Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat sent a letter to UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan last week expressing his concerns about developments in the wake of the referendums. /Turkiye/[02] ALPOGAN: “WE’RE DETERMINED TO ADVANCE TURKEY'S EU BID”Ambassador Yigit Alpogan, the newly appointed first civilian secretary- general of the National Security Council (NSC), said yesterday that Turkey is determined to attain European Union membership. “The NSC will fulfill its duty for Turkey’s EU membership bid,” added Alpogan. “Ankara has met the EU’s requests for its membership and therefore we have the right to expect the EU to keep its promise.” Alpogan also said that Turkey’s membership wouldn’t be a “present” from the EU but would rather be in the Union’s own interest. /Hurriyet, Star/[03] JOINT PROJECTS, OIL AND SECURITY CONCERNS DOMINATED IRAQI HEAD’S VISITSpeaking at a press conference yesterday following Iraqi President Ghazi al- Yaver’s visit, State Minister for the Economy Kursat Tuzmen said that Ankara and Baghdad had short-, medium-, and long-term projects planned and that Turkey hoped to further boost trade ties with Iraq. Tuzmen said that during al-Yaver’s visit, Ankara’s proposals to take part in operating Iraqi oil fields through the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) had been discussed. “We conveyed our request to the visiting Iraqi officials for the development of the Gharraf oil field by the TPAO under Iraq’s postwar production model,” said Tuzmen. He also stressed that measures to provide for the safety of Turkish truckers in Iraq were also discussed during al- Yaver’s visit. /Milliyet/[04] US EMBASSY: “IN ITS FIGHT AGAINST THE PKK, TURKEY HAS HAD NO BETTER FRIEND THAN WASHINGTON”Recent reports in the Turkish press alleging that the US has turned a blind eye to the activities of the terrorist group PKK in northern Iraq are untrue, the US Embassy in Ankara yesterday told Turkish officials. A written embassy communiqué stressed that the United States, unlike European countries, has long considered the PKK and its successor organizations as terrorists and is actively engaged in efforts to restrict its activities. The US also issued a press release on Monday stating that Turkey has had no better friend in its struggle against the PKK. “The United States will continue to work with Turkish and Iraqi authorities to eliminate the PKK threat from Iraq,” the statement added. /Star/[05] TURKISH HOSTAGE RESCUED IN IRAQForeign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that Turkish truck driver Mustafa Koksal, who was abducted in Iraq several days ago, has now been rescued. Gul said that Koksal is on the way back home to Turkey, but that his co-driver Durmus Kumdereli is still apparently being held hostage. /Sabah/[06] CB REPORT WARNS OF RISKS IN INFLATION REDUCTION, STRESSES INTEREST RATES COULD GO HIGHERThe Central Bank yesterday released a report on recent economic developments, predicting that the current accounts deficit would be 3.5 or 4% of the gross national product (GNP) by year’s-end. The report stressed that the government should determinedly continue its reforms as well as tight monetary policy. It further warned about some risks in bringing down inflation, adding that interest rates could go higher. /Milliyet/[07] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…[08] A CIVILIAN SECRETARY-GENERAL... BY YALCIN AKDOGAN (YENI SAFAK)Columnist Yalcin Akdogan comments on the National Security Council’s newly appointed civilian secretary-general. A summary of his column is as follows:“A civilian secretary-general has at last been appointed to the National Security Council (NSC). Last summer the Parliament passed a series of reforms aimed at curtailing the influence of the military over politics, allowing the government to nominate a civilian secretary-general for the council. However, last year the military appointed Gen. Sukru Sariisik to the post for one year. As of August 30, Turkey's current ambassador to Greece, Yigit Alpogan, will take over the post from Gen. Sariisik and will be our country’s first civilian NSC secretary-general. That Alpagon is an experienced diplomat with extensive knowledge of international politics is a real advantage for our country. Alpagon was once a Foreign Ministry undersecretary and then was appointed ambassador to Greece. Due to the recent rapprochement between the two Aegean neighbors, Ankara had to appoint a skillful and experienced diplomat as its ambassador to Greece, one who could steer relations properly. Besides, Turkey always appoints its best diplomats to serve in Athens. Since Alpagon is such a good diplomat and a firm hand at international relations, the NSC is from now on expected to develop a more realistic and foreign policy-oriented vision. Now the most vital issue facing Ankara is our possible European Union membership negotiations. All institutions have to cooperate to help the government and support its membership bid. Alpagon is expected to establish a balance between civilian and military circles as he already enjoys good relations with both sides. Although the NSC has always been a constitutional institution, it has failed to be a democratic one. In order to become more democratic and civilian, first mentalities must change. The world has already witnessed many soldiers acting more democratically than civilians and also civilians who could be more oppressive than the military. Therefore, the question isn’t the label but the contents, in other word, the mentality 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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