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Turkish Press Review, 04-10-11Turkish 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 morning11.10.2004CHILEAN PRESIDENT TO VISIT TURKEY ERDOGAN: “TURKEY IS PROMOTING UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONS” BAYKAL: “MISGUIDED GOVERNMENT POLICY HAS OPENED UP THE FLOODGATES TO FOREIGN PRODUCERS” WARRANT ISSUED FOR PEKER’S ARREST 10 TURKISH HOSTAGES RELEASED IN IRAQ GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER: “BLOCKING TURKEY’S EU BID WOULDN’T BE EASY” STEFANOPOULOS: “TO GAIN EU MEMBERSHIP, ANAKRA MUST FIRST RECOGNIZE GREEK CYPRUS” VERHEUGEN: “DESPITE SOME RISKS, TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP WILL BE BENEFICIAL” CHIRAC: “FRANCE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO VETO TURKEY’S ENTRY INTO THE EU” AUSTRIAN CHANCELLOR: “TURKEY’S EU ENTRY MUST BE CONSIDERED VERY CAREFULLY” SENER: “ECONOMIC GROWTH HAS BEGUN TO CREATE JOBS” ANTALYA HOSTING WATER CONFERENCE “YAZI TURA” WINS GOLDEN ORANGE AWARD 100,000 RUN ISTANBUL MARATHON FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS EUROPE FACES ITSELF BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET) WHAT WOULD ATATURK SAY ABOUT THE FLOOD IN ISTANBUL? BY MEHMET BARLAS (SABAH)CONTENTS
[01] CHILEAN PRESIDENT TO VISIT TURKEYPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer is set to host his Chilean counterpart Ricardo Lagos, who is scheduled to arrive in Ankara today to pay an official visit. Lagos’ visit will be the first-ever from Chile at this level. During his four-day stay, bilateral and international issues are expected to be taken up with Turkish officials. /Hurriyet/[02] ERDOGAN: “TURKEY IS PROMOTING UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONS”There is one road that Turkey can choose as a modern and developed nation, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an address at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace to the Bogazici University Association over the weekend. “The real struggle is now upon us,” he said. “Turkey is working hard to promote understanding between civilizations. We must cooperate to take the necessary steps on our path, because the cost of failure would be grave not only for us but indeed for all of humanity. We’re trying to prevent any possible clash of civilizations.” /Star/[03] BARZANI ARRIVES IN ANKARAIn the runup to a population census in Iraq expected to begin soon, Turkish officials called on Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani to visit Ankara to hold a series of meetings on the situation in Iraq. Barzani arrived in the capital last evening and is set to meet today with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Barzani is expected to be warned mainly about attempts to change the demographic makeup of Kirkuk and recent intelligence concerning cooperation between Kurdish peshmerga and the terrorist group PKK/Kongra-Gel in northern Iraq. /Turkiye_[04] BAYKAL: “MISGUIDED GOVERNMENT POLICY HAS OPENED UP THE FLOODGATES TO FOREIGN PRODUCERS”Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Deniz Baykal over the weekend lashed out at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) economic policy, accusing the government of opening Turkey’s markets so much that foreign manufacturers can now sell whatever they want without any restrictions, hurting Turkish producers in the process. Baykal said that those who voted for the AKP were now disappointed with it. “The government has failed to find solutions to the problems of farmers, tradesmen and pensioners,” he added. _Sabah[05] WARRANT ISSUED FOR PEKER’S ARRESTHours after ordering his release due to lack of evidence, a court issued an arrest warrant for alleged mafia boss Sedat Peker, his brother Atilla Peker and 22 other individuals. Peker and several of his men were arrested last week under charges of forming and being members of criminal organization, aiding and abetting, kidnapping, seizing goods with force, and making false documentation. After a lengthy interrogation, the judge of the 12th Night Court decided to release him early Saturday morning. The police search to find Peker and his associates after the new warrant was issued is continuing. /All Papers/[06] 10 TURKISH HOSTAGES RELEASED IN IRAQArab news network Al Jazeera yesterday reported that 10 Turkish workers taken hostage in Iraq 40 days ago have been set free. It stated that the 10 employees of construction company Vinsan had been released after company officials announced that it was suspending operations in Iraq. /Turkiye/[07] GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER: “BLOCKING TURKEY’S EU BID WOULDN’T BE EASY”Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos said yesterday that it wouldn’t be easy to block Turkey’s European Union membership bid. “We will decide at the December EU summit whether or not to veto Turkey beginning its accession talks,” said Papadopoulos, adding that while Greek Cyprus could support Ankara’s EU bid, first certain obligations had to be fulfilled. /Cumhuriyet/[08] STEFANOPOULOS: “TO GAIN EU MEMBERSHIP, ANAKRA MUST FIRST RECOGNIZE GREEK CYPRUS”Greek President Costis Stefanopoulos said yesterday that Athens would support Turkey’s European Union membership, adding, however, that there were obligations it had to fulfill under international law, including recognizing Greek Cyprus. “When Turkey becomes an EU member, it will act in accordance with international law,” he said. “Under international law, first Turkey needs to recognize Greek Cyprus.” /Cumhuriyet/[09] VERHEUGEN: “DESPITE SOME RISKS, TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP WILL BE BENEFICIAL”Speaking to German magazine Der Spiegel for this week’s issue, European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said that despite some risks, Turkey’s EU membership would be beneficial to the Union. “With Turkey’s membership, the EU will play an important role in world politics,” he predicted. Verheugen stressed that the Cyprus issue should be resolved for Turkey to join the Union, adding that the Turkish Cypriots should not be punished for accepting a UN reunification plan earlier this year. /Milliyet/[10] CHIRAC: “FRANCE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO VETO TURKEY’S ENTRY INTO THE EU”France reserves the right to veto Turkey's entry into the European Union, French President Jacques Chirac told French state television over the weekend. “The French Parliament would be consulted on the issue of Turkey's membership,” said Chirac. “At any moment France can withdraw, apply a veto, or refuse. We are totally free. It is the French people who have the last say through the method of referendum.” In related news, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said over the weekend that his government was in favor of having a parliamentary debate on Turkey's entry. /Hurriyet/[11] AUSTRIAN CHANCELLOR: “TURKEY’S EU ENTRY MUST BE CONSIDERED VERY CAREFULLY”In a guest op-ed written for Austrian daily Kornen, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel yesterday urged his fellow European Union leaders to very carefully consider Turkey’s possible entry into the European Union. Schuessel argued that the current data on Turkey was insufficient to fully analyze the impact of its entry, stressing in particular the migration issue and the price tag of Turkish integration. “The cost of Turkey’s entry has been calculated at 10-28 million euros, but nobody knows how to pay for this,” wrote the chancellor. “Turkey’s qualifications are inadequate to start its membership talks but if the EU decides to do so, then the talks must be very open and clear.” Schuessel had previously said that his party would favor beginning talks only if the outcome was something less than full membership. /Sabah/[12] SENER: “ECONOMIC GROWTH HAS BEGUN TO CREATE JOBS”Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said yesterday that the nation’s high growth rate had recently begun creating new jobs and bringing down unemployment. “Unemployment began to fall in the second half this year,” he stated. “If this trend continues, we will have fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria concerning unemployment.” Sener stated that Turkey was among the world’s 20 largest economies. Touching on the current accounts deficit, Sener predicted that it would fall by the end of this year. He also predicted that Turkey would attract $2 billion in foreign capital by year’s-end. /Turkiye/[13] ANTALYA HOSTING WATER CONFERENCEWater issues in the Middle East will be the subject of an international conference beginning today in Antalya. In addition to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Güler, over 150 experts from Middle Eastern countries, Turkey and Europe are expected to attend the meeting. /Turkiye/[14] “YAZI TURA” WINS GOLDEN ORANGE AWARDThe 41st Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival concluded yesterday with an awards ceremony. Director Uger Yucel’s “Yazi Tura” (Heads or Tails) was chosen the best full-length film of the year.[15] 100,000 RUN ISTANBUL MARATHONThe 26th Eurasian Marathon was held in Istanbul over the weekend with the participation of some 100,000 runners from around the world. Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin and Greater Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas started the race. Kenyan runner David Kiptanui and Russian Swetlana Demidenko won the marathon in the respective men’s and women’s categories. /Sabah/[16] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS[17] EUROPE FACES ITSELF BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on Turkish-European Union relations. A summary of his column is as follows:“For the first time we’ve had the chance to examine the progress report prepared by the European Commission in detail. We’ve read it, asked questions about it and thought about it. We’ve confronted ourselves. After I interviewed Romanian President Ion Iliescu, a young tour guide told me, ‘We can’t become a member of the EU. We still throw cigarette butts on the streets.’ While listening to him, I realized how much Romania has changed. Romanians couldn’t see the difference caused by the EU membership process, but I did. These days I hear similar comments in Turkey. People say, ‘The EU won’t accept us as members.’ However, now I see that we’ve passed the critical threshold. Now we can face each other on a rightful basis, one founded on the Copenhagen criteria, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Aren’t discussions of minority rights a part of this process? We realize that certain groups are frustrated in the exercise of certain rights and understand that that’s why they talk about ‘minority rights.’ When some people say, ‘Minorities should bow to the majority. Minorities should believe what the majority considers appropriate for them,’ certain others fortunately reply, ‘If we live together here, I and those unlike me have and should enjoy equal rights.’ We’ve been confronted with our taboos due to our EU membership bid, and this situation guarantees change in Turkey. Europe is experiencing the same confrontation. Turkey was the most important issue discussed by the European Parliament last week. When the commission said that membership negotiations could start, everybody had something to say, but the words of Graham Watson from the Socialist group were the most interesting: ‘Our discussions about Turkey’s participation and our approach towards Turkey will show us the meaning of being a European in the 21st century.’ Meanwhile, Greens Group leader Daniel Cohn Bendit told conservatives, ‘You condemn Turks due to the adultery issue, but we struggled so much with you on this issue. You spoke with us to make sure the adultery clause was not removed. If the adultery issue wasn’t in the final penal code, it’s because of progressives like us.’ We’re at the beginning of an exciting adventure with Europe. We’ll change, and will change others in turn.” [18] WHAT WOULD ATATURK SAY ABOUT THE FLOOD IN ISTANBUL? BY MEHMET BARLAS (SABAH)Columnist Mehmet Barlas comments on recent discussions about Ataturk. A summary of his column is as follows:“It was inevitable that a discussion would start on whether Ataturk would be pleased about the prospect of Turkey’s European Union membership. Would there be such discussions in other countries? I don’t know. Maybe some American intellectuals have considered what George Washington would say about the US invasion of Iraq. I wonder if British columnists tried to divine William the Conqueror’s views on Britain’s bid to enter the European Common Market (ECU), but being rejected twice. Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk died in 1938. World War II hadn’t even begun. Ataturk couldn’t know that one day France and Germany would use the same currency (the euro). The World Trade Center in New York had neither been build nor destroyed the year Ataturk died. Not to mention nuclear bombs, antibiotics, genetic engineering, the Internet, the collapse of the Soviet Union and free trade with China… Mao hadn’t even come to power in China when Ataturk passed away! Then there was a British mandate in Iraq, the father of the overthrown Shah was reigning in Iran, as did Franco in Spain, Mussolini in Italy, and Chamberlain in Britain. Churchill wasn’t prime minister. The term ‘Iron Curtain’ entered the dictionaries eight years after Ataturk’s death and fell out of use 52 years later. Feeling gratitude towards Ataturk and trying to understand what Ataturk would think about the problems of today are two different things. One could try to answer the questions of what Ataturk would do and act accordingly, but this has nothing to do with politics or scholarship. Furthermore, since Ataturk was a politician, it is also possible to form different ideas for different situations assuming his views for various conditions. Would Ataturk have entered NATO? Would Ataturk enter into a stand-by agreement with the IMF? What would Ataturk say about the recent flood in Istanbul? What I want to say is this: Instead of trying to understand Ataturk’s attitude towards the EU, it is better to express our own views about the EU. Not even the UN existed in 1938.” 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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