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Turkish Press Review, 04-09-10Turkish 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 morning10.09.2004CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN ATTENDS FUNERAL CEREMONY OF 19 WORKERS DIED IN MINE FIRE IN KASTAMONUPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended a funeral ceremony of 19 workers who died in copper mine fire in Kastamonu on Wednesday. Also present at the ceremony were Energy and Natural Sources Minister Hilmi Guler and Labour and Social Security Minister Murat Basesgioglu. /Aksam/[02] GUL VISITS ESTONIA TO SEEK SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU BIDForeign Minster Abdullah Gul, who is currently in Estonia to pay an official visit, yesterday met with Estonian President Arnold Ruutel to seek his support for Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Speaking afterwards, Gul said that Ruutel attached great importance to bilateral relations. Later, Gul met with his Estonian counterpart Kristiina Ojuland to discuss a number of issues, including Turkey’s EU bid. Speaking at a joint press conference following the meeting, Gul said that he Ankara had fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria and added that he believed that the progress report on Turkey, due to be released next month, would be just and objective. For his part, Ojuland said that his country wouldn’t prevent Turkey beginning its accession talks with Ankara. /Turkiye/[03] VERHEUGEN: “EU REPORT WILL BE FAIR AND OBJECTIVE”On the last day of a four-day visit to Turkey, European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen yesterday met with leaders of non-Muslim communities in Turkey, including representatives from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, at a meeting in Istanbul after holding talks with representatives of employee and employer unions. Verheugen has been highly positive in his comments assessing Turkey’s changes to get a green light for the talks throughout his visit, saying that although reform implementation was not complete, such delay is “normal.” Before his departure, Verheugen held a press conference at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. He said the government should take more determined steps to address concerns over torture and mistreatment and the situation in southern Anatolia, and call for measures to grant greater cultural rights to Kurds and to address underdevelopment in the region. Regarding the EU Commission progress report on Turkey to be issued on Oct. 6, Verheugen pledged that it would be fair and objective. /Turkiye/[04] BARZANI: “KIRKUK IS THE HEART OF KURDISTAN”Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massud Barzani said yesterday that Iraq’s Kurds were ready to fight to preserve the identity of the ethnically divided and oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq. “Kirkuk is the hearth of Kurdistan and we are ready to wage a war in order to preserve its identity and to sacrifice ourselves for what Iraqi Kurds have already achieved,” said the Kurdish leader. He added that Iraqi Kurds would never bargain on the matter. Kirkuk is an ethnic tinderbox of Sunni and Shiite Arabs, Turkmen and Kurds since Saddam Hussein’s topple. /Turkiye/[05] INTERIOR MINISTER WARNS NEWLY APPOINTED GOVERNORS ABOUT TORTURE AND ABUSEInterior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu called on the newly appointed governors to take effective measures to prevent torture and abuse in their regions. “Our government will make no concessions on this issue,” said Aksu. “This is a very critical period for Turkey’s democratization and improving human rights. No governor can turn a blind eye to torture and abuse in his province. Such anti-human rights must be punished severely.” /Star/[06] DUTCH FOREIGN MINISTER: “TURKEY’S PROGRESS IN THE LAST TWO YEARS IS VERY IMPRESSING”The Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, which is holding the rotating EU term presidency, Bernard Bot yesterday praised Turkey’s recent efforts aimed at fulfilling the EU’s Copenhagen criteria. “Turkey’s successes on its path otwards the EU membership is unbelievable; it has recently made significant progress,” said Bot. “If the EU gives a green light to Turkey’s membership talks, that will be a great blow on racist circles. If Ankara is excluded from the membership talks, everybody will believe that the EU does not want Turkey since the majority of its population is Muslim.” /Sabah/[07] FOREIGN MINISTRY DELEGATION TO VISIT BRUSSELSA foreign ministry delegation headed by Undersecretary for European Union Affairs Volkan Bozkir is scheduled to pay a visit to Brussels on Sept. 15 in order to promote Turkey’s EU membership bid. The delegation is expected to convey the EU Commission that Turkey has been successful in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria. Ankara expects the commission to issue a positive progress report on Turkey’s membership bid as the Turkish government has recently made significant reforms on democratization and human rights. /Hurriyet/[08] DUTCH AMBASSADOR WARNS THE GOVERNMENT ABOUT ITS ADULTERY POLICYThe Ambassador of the Netherlands in Ankara, which is currently holding the rotating EU presidency, Sjoerd Gosses yesterday said that Europeans had serious concerns over recent discussions on adultery in Turkey, stressing that adultery was not considered crime in the EU member states. “This is of course an internal affair of Turkey so we respect it,” Gosses said. “However this issue might be used as a pretext by the anti-Turkey circles within the EU in such a critical time.” /Hurriyet/[09] SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS DECIDES TO OPEN PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION FOR[10] ALLEGATIONS AGAINST OZKAYATurkish Supreme Court of Appeals Chairmanship Board yesterday decided to open preliminary investigation for allegations against Chief Judge of the Court Eraslan Ozkaya. The board released a statement following yesterday’s meeting, saying, “Supreme Court of Appeals Chairmanship Board, after examining the documents and information in a file dated Aug. 16, by a majority of vote decided to open a preliminary investigation for allegations against Ozkaya. The board charged a department director to carry out the investigation and the director would soon present a report to the Court’s Chairmanship Board. /Cumhuriyet/[11] CHP PRESENTS PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE SUNKEN SHIP IN ISKENDERUNOpposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Hatay deputy Zuheyir Amber said yesterday that his party had presented a questionnaire to the Parliament on sunken ship in Iskenderun. In related news, the Spanish government offered to help Turkey deal with hazardous waste seeping out of a ship that sank off Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Releasing a statement, the Spanish government said that it offered full cooperation to its ally Turkey. /All papers/[12] CHP CELEBRATES 81ST ANNIVERSARYThe opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) commemorated the 81st anniversary of founding of the party yesterday. Releasing a statement CHP leader Deniz Baykal said that the party had been the target of many criticisms in the few past months, because of its concerned, committed and aggressive stance on certain issues. “All effort to damage the party’s standing will be futile, and it will eventually become the ruling party.” /Cumhuriyet/[13] TPAO’S AYAZLI-1 WELL DISCOVERS NATURAL GAS IN THE BLACK SEAThe Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) Director General Osman Saim Dinc yesterday told a press conference that the TPAO reported that the Ayazli-1 exploratory well in the Black Sea offshore Turkey discovered natural gas. The Ayazli-1 well was drilled about five miles offshore in the shallow waters of the western Black Sea. “The Black Sea’s has an outstanding potential of natural gas and oil,” said Dinc. “Our work in the waters of western Black Sea will continue.” TPAO works in cooperation with the Madison Oil Turkey. /Star/[14] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…[15] SHADOW[16] BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)Columnist Derya Sazak comments on Verheugen’s visit to Turkey. A summary of his column is as follows:“Discussions about adultery, which is called as ‘irrational’ in the Western media, overshadow the positive atmosphere about the European Union Commission’s progress report on Turkey. The discussion about the reform package lost its importance with the discussions about including adultery in the Turkish Penal Code. The Constitutional Court had previously decided that adultery isn’t a crime. Even European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen counted adultery among the problems in Turkey’s EU membership bid. Not even Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ‘Western friends’ didn’t expect that Erdogan would do such nonsense. The editorial of Financial Times was really warning: ‘If the draft bill about adultery would be adopted, then suspicions about Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) Islamist roots would be refreshed and this would be in favor of those who are against Turkey’s EU membership requests. The EU summit in December will be decisive in giving Turkey a date for accession talks. This crazy idea could create a geopolitical catastrophe.’ It would be a historical mistake to turn again to the Arab geography, while countries favoring Turkey’s membership are talking about Turkey’s contributions for the prevention of a ‘clash of civilizations.’ The AKP is changing its direction for the sake of gaining the trust of its conservative members. However issues that are shaking family ties in Turkey are related to economy rather then ethics. Which family would discuss adultery while trying to find a job and thinking about a good education for their children? Who could have influenced Erdogan, who has a great concern about the people? The AKP has always invested in democracy. If the date for accession talks will be given for 2005 then hopes about social welfare will continue, but if not then Turkey would face another economic crisis and the political process will be at risk. Erdogan’s stubbornness about adultery doesn’t overshadow his EU bid, but also his dreams about Cankaya in 2007.” [17] THE CUSTOMS UNION TO BE RE-OPENED TO NEGOTIATIONS[18] BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI (STAR)Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli comments on Turkey’s EU membership bid. A summary of her column is as follows:“Eveybody is now talking about ‘negotiations.’ Ankara is waiting for the critical decision to be made by the EU Commission in December on whether to start Turkey’s membership negotiations. EU Commissioner Verheugen, who recently visited Turkey, gave optimistic messages to Ankara. However, he also underlined that there are still deficiencies in the implementation of the reforms. Among the problem issues that Verheugen underlined during his visit are the socio-economic conditions in the southeastern Anatolia, the condition of woman and ill practices regarding human rights. Therefore, Turkey may get a ‘yes.. but’ in December. Ankara is now wondering what might come after ‘but’. The negotiations, which will cover 31 main titles, will also include the Customs Union issues. Since Turkey has yet to effectively implement the free movement of services, especially this issue is expected to be discussed during the negotiations. Ankara is planning to re-open certain points to discussion, which damages the Turkish economy. The government has already determined these points and is preparing to discuss them with the European Union.” 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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