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Turkish Press Review, 05-02-10
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
10.02.2005
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN PLEDGES AID FOR ASIAN DISASTER REGION
[02] GUL HAILS MIDEAST PROGRESS, STRESSES LEGAL BASIS FOR TROOPS ON CYPRUS
[03] GREEK JUSTICE MINISTER VISITS TURKEY
[04] FM’S TAN: “COMPLAINTS OF ELECTION IRREGULARITIES SHOULD BE MADE BY IRAQIS THEMSELVES”
[05] NYT CONTRIBUTOR SEES “LOOMING POSSIBILITY” OF TURKISH INTERVENTION IN N.IRAQ
[06] AGAR: “TURKEY FACES DOWN ALL ITS TROUBLES”
[07] TURKISH PUBLIC OVERWHELMINGLY BACKS EU ENTRY, SAYS POLL
[08] AZERBAIJAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS ANKARA
[09] MINORITY BUREAUS TO BE ESTABLISHED
[10] FOX STATEMENT TRIES TO COOL “24” CONTROVERSY
[11] PROPOSAL FOR STUDENT PARDONS HEADED FOR PARLIAMENT
[12] 2006 BUSH BUDGET EARMARKS $35 MLN FOR TURKEY
[13] TUZMEN, TUNISIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FORESEE TREBLED TRADE
[14] SENER: “THERE’S NO DELAY IN THE IMF-BACKED PROGRAM”
[15] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[16] RICE RESTORES RELATIONS BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[01] ERDOGAN PLEDGES AID FOR ASIAN DISASTER REGION
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday traveled to the Maldives, the
fourth leg of his five-nation tour of the disaster region in south Asia. At
a press conference at the Maldives’ airport, Erdogan pledged that Turkey
would send more aid to the region to help heal the wounds of the survivors.
As part of his contacts in the country, Erdogan met with President Maumoon
Abdul Gayoom. During their meeting, the two leaders spoke about what Turkey
could do to help the country overcome its difficulties in both the short
and long terms. The Turkish premier is expected to proceed to Sri Lanka
today before returning to Ankara. /Turkiye/
[02] GUL HAILS MIDEAST PROGRESS, STRESSES LEGAL BASIS FOR TROOPS ON CYPRUS
Minority factions in Israel and Palestine shouldn’t be allowed to derail
recent positive developments, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told a press
conference yesterday. “It is pleasing that Tuesday in Sharm el-Sheikh
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
agreed to end the violence which has plagued the region for more than five
years,” he added. Gul also stressed Turkey’s willingness to contribute to
the Middle East peace process. “We would focus on development projects in
Palestine,” said Gul. “In March, the heads of the Turkish, Israeli and
Palestinian chambers of trade will meet in Ankara to discuss ways of
strengthening commercial and economic ties.” Asked about statements this
week by Nikos Anastasiadis, visiting leader of the Greek Cypriot Democratic
Mobilization Party (DISI), saying he expected a gesture from Turkey such as
withdrawing its troops from Cyprus, Gul replied, “Our army is under the
command of our government and Parliament. All decisions are political. If
our army is there, it is the will of the government and Parliament, and its
deployment is based upon international agreements.” He added, “Turkey will
not recognize the Greek Cypriot administration before a final solution is
found. However, we can meet with Greek Cypriots and do not shrink from
dialogue, especially if it contributes to solving the problem.” /Star/
[03] GREEK JUSTICE MINISTER VISITS TURKEY
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek yesterday met with his Greek counterpart
Anastasios Papaligouras. Cicek told reporters that Ankara and Athens has
seen intensive cooperation in recent years, to the great benefit of both
countries. “We also discussed bilateral legal cooperation, including the
training of judges,” added Cicek. For his part, Papaligouras said, “We
spoke about how Greece, as an EU member, can convey its experiences on
technical issues to Turkey.” He also reaffirmed Athens’ supports for
Ankara’s EU membership. /Star/
[04] FM’S TAN: “COMPLAINTS OF ELECTION IRREGULARITIES SHOULD BE MADE BY
IRAQIS THEMSELVES”
It is “fact” that there were some irregularities in the recent Iraqi
elections, Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan told a press conference
yesterday in Ankara. He said that complaints over the irregularities should
be made by Iraqi groups themselves and in a democratic way. Tan lamented
that some Iraqi groups had not participated as much as had been hoped and
added: “We consider this to be something that needs an urgent and fair
remedy.” Asked about claims by some Kurdish leaders that Ankara was
intervening in Iraq’s internal affairs, Tan said, “Iraq is one of Turkey’s
neighbors, any fire there would bother us too.” /Cumhuriyet/
[05] NYT CONTRIBUTOR SEES “LOOMING POSSIBILITY” OF TURKISH INTERVENTION IN
N.IRAQ
Washington sees Turkish military involvement in northern Iraq as a “looming
possibility,” wrote Sandra Mackey in a guest opinion column for yesterday’s
New York Times. Mackey, a journalist and author, said that military
intervention would be diplomatically risky for Turkey, and also emphasized
Ankara’s concerns about Kurdish autonomy in northern Iraq. /Sabah/
[06] AGAR: “TURKEY FACES DOWN ALL ITS TROUBLES”
Opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday met with
Spanish Ambassador to Ankara Luis Ferdandez de la Pena. Erdogan told
reporters that the two had discussed bilateral relations as well as
Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Stressing the DYP’s longtime
unwavering support for Ankara’s EU membership, Agar said that Turkey was a
strong country which overcomes all the difficulties it faces. For his part,
the Spanish ambassador reiterated his country’s support for Turkey’s EU
membership and promised that it would continue. /Turkiye/
[07] TURKISH PUBLIC OVERWHELMINGLY BACKS EU ENTRY, SAYS POLL
The Turkish public overwhelmingly backs Turkey’s European Union membership
bid, according to a new public opinion poll. Over 70% of Turkeys surveyed
said that if a referendum were held on the bid they would vote yes, while
only 16.2% said they would vote no. In the survey, conducted on 6,700
people age 18 and over, 55.5% also said they believed EU membership would
improve their lives. /Turkiye/
[08] AZERBAIJAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS ANKARA
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammedyarov is set to arrive in Ankara
today to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. The two top
diplomats will discuss ways to boost bilateral relations as well as address
regional and international issues. /Turkish Daily News/
[09] MINORITY BUREAUS TO BE ESTABLISHED
As part of the Eighth European Union harmonization package, the government
will establish minority bureaus within provincial governors’ offices to
facilitate minority-related bureaucratic procedures. The government’s
Reform Monitoring Group made up of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Justice
Minister Cemil Cicek and Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu recently agreed
to set up these bureaus to help minorities deal with bureaucratic processes,
a responsibility previously held by sections of the Security Forces
Directorate General. /Milliyet/
[10] FOX STATEMENT TRIES TO COOL “24” CONTROVERSY
US television network Fox yesterday released a statement trying to defuse
the controversy over a storyline in its hit series “24” portraying a
fictional Turkish-American family of “sleeper” terrorists. “Our intent was
not to offend anyone,” said the statement. Turkish Ambassador to Washington
Faruk Logoglu also sent a letter to the NBC television network expressing
his disappointment over the series “The West Wing” depicting Turkey as a
country which punishes women who commit adultery by beheading. /Hurriyet/
[11] PROPOSAL FOR STUDENT PARDONS HEADED FOR PARLIAMENT
A proposal for student pardons will be presented today to the Parliament
Chairmanship. The pardon would reverse the dismissals of all students from
universities since 2000, no matter the reason. The proposal covers 224,000
students, and Education Minister Huseyin Celik said that the government is
expected to back the proposal. /Milliyet/
[12] 2006 BUSH BUDGET EARMARKS $35 MLN FOR TURKEY
In his 2006 budget plan sent to Congress earlier this week, US President
George W. Bush earmarks a total of $35 million for Turkey, including $10
million to promote human rights and economic stability, and $25 million to
support anti-terrorism efforts and military modernization. In addition, the
US State Department budget proposes $203 million for NATO allies and
coalition partners, with Turkey and Poland slated for the largest share. If
approved by Congress, the budget would also give $20 million to promote a
reunited Cyprus, with emphasis on strengthening the island’s economic
integration. /Aksam/
[13] TUZMEN, TUNISIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FORESEE TREBLED TRADE
Over the next three years Turkey and Tunisia hope to boost their bilateral
trade volume between from $300 million to $1 billion, said State Minister
Kursad Tuzmen yesterday. After meeting with Tunisian Foreign Minister
Abdelbaki Hermassi in Ankara, Tuzmen stated that this increase was expected
in the wake of the two countries’ recent free trade agreement. “We’re
bullish on tripling the trade volume to $1 billion,” said Hermassi. /Aksam/
[14] SENER: “THERE’S NO DELAY IN THE IMF-BACKED PROGRAM”
Appearing on CNN Turk yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener
said that there was no delay in Turkey’s International Monetary Fund-backed
program, as there is a clear timeline for each step to be taken. “There’s
no need to rush,” he added. “The government is making good progress with
the IMF. Work is expected to be completed in the initial months of 2005.
Everything will take place under our control, per the timeline.” /Milliyet/
[15] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[16] RICE RESTORES RELATIONS BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen comments on US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s
remarks in Europe. A summary of his column is as follows:
“After the US invasion of Iraq, Condoleezza Rice, who was then national
security advisor, criticized many US allies’ opposition to the war, saying,
‘France should be punished, Germany ignored and Russia forgiven.’ At that
time, US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld made his infamous statement
about the so-called ‘new Europe,’ including Britain and Poland, versus ‘old
Europe,’ mainly France and Germany. The US felt it couldn’t trust old
Europe anymore. Indeed, the stance taken by certain European countries then
– France in particular – against the Bush administration and Washington’s
criticisms of it led to an unprecedented transatlantic crisis. This week
Rice visited Europe as secretary of state, and she used a different style
in her speeches in order to mend fences with US allies. Speaking in Paris,
Rice said that old disagreements should be solved, emphasizing the common
values shared by the US, France and Europe. She added, ‘It’s time to open a
new chapter in our relationship.’ Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Michel
Barnier spoke of a new stage in relations and working together for a better
world.
Is the chilly relationship between the US and France thawing? Rice’s
remarks on her tour of Europe show that repairs of the transatlantic divide
have begun. Rice’s conciliatory messages show this. We have to wait and see
if Rice’s remarks signal a real change of policy in the Bush
administration. However, we can see signs of such a trend already. This
goes for Europe, especially France. Paris is acting more flexibly and
pragmatically concerning Iraq. French officials mentioned their pleasure at
the recent elections and support for the government in Baghdad. Like
Germany, France believes in broad cooperation to establish stability in
Iraq. Meanwhile, it would be good for Turkey to take seriously the views of
US allies in the interests of greater cooperation and bridging the
transatlantic divide. In spite of certain disagreements with Europe,
particularly France, we should follow a stance which stresses an active
relationship with Washington.”
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