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Turkish Press Review, 06-01-31Turkish 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 morning31.01.2006GUL TRAVELS TO LONDON TO ATTEND AFGHAN CONFERENCE CABINET DEALS WITH TAX CUT, MIDEAST AFTER PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS CHP LEADER BAYKAL: “THE WORLD NEEDS SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC THOUGHT” AT CIRAGAN PALACE, GATES SAYS MICROSOFT TO START “MY FIRST COMPUTER CAMPAIGN” IN TURKEY FRENCH FM TO VISIT TURKEY, DISCUSS BILATERAL ECONOMIC TIES TALAT: “THE WHOLE WORLD OPPOSES GREEK CYPRUS FAILING TO WORK FOR A CYPRUS RESOLUTION” PAPADOPUOLOS URGES UN SECRETARY-GENERAL TO DISPATCH HIS SPECIAL ENVOY PROSECUTOR SEEKS PROBE INTO RECTORS, YOK CHAIRMAN WILSON: “THE SUCCESS OF THE CYPRUS ACTION PLAN DEPENDS ON STEPS BY GREEK CYPRIOTS” BOMB AT TURKISH-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION IN ADANA INJURES FOUR FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS… WOLFENSOHN’S MESSAGE BY MUHARREM SARIKAYA (SABAH)CONTENTS
[01] GUL TRAVELS TO LONDON TO ATTEND AFGHAN CONFERENCEForeign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday flew to London to attend a conference to lay out new strategies and targets for Afghanistan’s political and economic transformation over the next five years. Speaking before his departure, Gul said that last year’s Afghan elections had been an important mark of progress, adding that now the international community should deal with the country’s economic and social problems. “The completion of the political process doesn’t mean that everything is all right,” said Gul, adding that Ankara placed importance on the conference due to its historical and humanitarian ties with Afghanistan. The foreign minister also stated that he would meet with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Touching on Turkey’s new action plan on Cyprus, Gul said that the plan had been welcomed by many countries. /Milliyet/[02] CABINET DEALS WITH TAX CUT, MIDEAST AFTER PALESTINIAN ELECTIONSThe Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday evaluated issues on Turkey’s agenda. After the meeting, government spokesperson Cemil Cicek said that a bill to cut corporate tax from 30% to 20% has been opened for signatures. He said that the new situation in the Middle East after the Palestinian elections was also discussed and that attaining peace there was important for stability in the region. “There is a difference between today and yesterday,” he said. “The issues should be evaluated calmly. The peace process should work. Turkey has close relations with both sides of the dispute. We will try to continue this trust.” /Star/[03] CHP LEADER BAYKAL: “THE WORLD NEEDS SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC THOUGHT”George Papandreou, the leader of the Greek Socialist PASOK party, yesterday was elected the Socialist International’s new president at its meeting in Athens. Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal addressed the meeting, saying that a solution in the Middle East can be achieved only by establishing democratic culture, and added, “The world needs social democratic thought.” Baykal emphasized that efforts should be made to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and called on Middle Eastern countries to cooperate with the UN. /Sabah/[04] AT CIRAGAN PALACE, GATES SAYS MICROSOFT TO START “MY FIRST COMPUTER CAMPAIGN” IN TURKEYSpeaking yesterday at a press conference at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, Microsoft founder and Chairman Bill Gates said that the company would initiate a “My First Computer Campaign” in cooperation with Turk Telekom and Intel. Touching on Turkey’s progress in the information technology field, Gates said that he believed these advances would continue in the years to come. He stressed that Microsoft was continuing to develop new programs with its partners in Turkey, adding that the campaign was a part of this. “We want to reach 80% of households in Turkey,” said Gates. Asked about Microsoft becoming a “dinosaur” company, Gates stated that although the company has faced many difficulties, it has also long been the leader of its sector. Later, meeting with university students at the Turker Inanoglu Maslak Show Center, Gates predicted that Turkey would experience the digital revolution. /Cumhuriyet/[05] FRENCH FM TO VISIT TURKEY, DISCUSS BILATERAL ECONOMIC TIESFrench Foreign Minister Pilippe Douste-Blazy is to arrive in Ankara today to pay an official visit. During his two-day visit, Douste-Blazy is expected to be accompanied by a group of leading French businessmen. Douste-Blazy will discuss bilateral economic ties with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan, and Health Minister Recep Akdag. /Milliyet/[06] TALAT: “THE WHOLE WORLD OPPOSES GREEK CYPRUS FAILING TO WORK FOR A CYPRUS RESOLUTION”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat said yesterday that the whole world had shown its displeasure at Greek Cyprus failing to take steps for a resolution on the island. Talat said that Greek Cypriots didn’t want the UN, the European Union, or other international blocs or countries to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. “They even work to worsen the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots,” said Talat. “And this makes a resolution more difficult.” Talat stated that the Greek Cypriots weren’t promoting peace on the island, and that they rejected Turkey’s proposals. “They don’t respond to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s requests,” added Talat. “They believe that as a member of the European Union, they can play a role as an international actor.” /Turkiye/[07] PAPADOPUOLOS URGES UN SECRETARY-GENERAL TO DISPATCH HIS SPECIAL ENVOYActing quickly after the release of Turkey’s Cyprus action plan, last Friday Greek Cypriot administration leader Tassos Papadopoulos called UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and asked him not to wait until May’s Greek elections to send his special envoy to Cyprus to push for a resolution on the island. Also speaking yesterday, Papadopoulos said that their stance on Turkey’s plan has yet to be determined. /Star/[08] PROSECUTOR SEEKS PROBE INTO RECTORS, YOK CHAIRMANThe Ankara Prosecutor’s Office has asked the Board of Higher Education (YOK), via the Education Ministry, for permission to investigate comments made by YOK Chairman Erdogan Tezic and 77 university rectors during the trial of Van Yuzuncu Yil University Rector Yucel Askin. The office decided there were no grounds to investigate remarks by Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal. Reports say the office is deliberating whether or not to look into comments made by Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) member Mustafa Koc about the same case. /Turkish Daily News/[09] WILSON: “THE SUCCESS OF THE CYPRUS ACTION PLAN DEPENDS ON STEPS BY GREEK CYPRIOTS”US Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson yesterday hailed Turkey’s new action plan for Cyprus as “very important,” adding that now it was the Greek Cypriots’ turn to take steps. “The success of the action plan will depend on steps by Greek Cyprus,” said Wilson. “The Greek Cypriot administration should show the UN secretary-general the basis it will use to take steps for a resolution.” /Star/[10] BOMB AT TURKISH-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION IN ADANA INJURES FOURFour people were injured yesterday by a bomb attack at the Turkish-American Association in Adana. The four reportedly have no life-threatening injuries. /Hurriyet/[11] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…[12] WOLFENSOHN’S MESSAGE BY MUHARREM SARIKAYA (SABAH)Columnist Muharrem Sarikaya comments on the meeting in Davos of James D. Wolfensohn, the Mideast Quartet’s special envoy for Gaza disengagement, with Turkish officials. A summary of his column is as follows:“There was a special meeting in Davos last week. One participant in this meeting was Mideast Quartet Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement James D. Wolfensohn, and the others were Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu, with his colleagues, and Palestine Economic and Social Cooperation Coordinator Vehbi Dincerler, a former state minister. The reason for this meeting was the recent ground-shaking elections in Palestine. Hisarciklioglu is particularly interested in the elections due to the Project of Industry for Peace. Hisarciklioglu’s aim is to ensure the quartet’s full participation in the project and provide it with annual support of $3 billion. During the meeting, Wolfensohn asked how many people would be employed if the project is implemented. When he learned from Hisarciklioglu that there would be at least 6,000 workers, he expressed his pleasure. Then Wolfensohn spoke about the elections and said that if one Hamas member says that he would kill a deputy due to his views, this poisonous atmosphere could spread. Then he noted that the West had financially supported the Palestinian state’s reform and added, ‘The impression that I got is very clear; if Hamas continues this [violent] stance, the West will cut off its aid. Then not even soldiers or police can be paid.’ Wolfensohn stressed that if Palestine seeks economic support from Arab countries, such as Syria and Iran, the deadlock would deepen. Even if he didn’t say it directly, he suggested to the TOBB delegation and Dincerler that Turkey should work hard to use its influence on Palestine. Another impression that the participants had is that unconditional dialogue will continue with the quartet, as mentioned by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. However, this carries one condition: Hamas will establish a coalition government with Fatah, an independent prime minister will be appointed, or technocrats will form the government. Likewise, such statements started to come from Hamas a few days ago. People are also talking about the fate of TOBB’s Erez Industrial Project, the first steps for which were taken by Palestine and Israel with the participation of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. If Hamas takes steps in line with decisions taken during the meeting with the participation of the G-8 in Britain, Erez’s future will be guaranteed. Otherwise, the future of the project will be unclear. Therefore, Ankara should strengthen the basis it achieved in Erez. If it fails to do this, it will miss a key opportunity in the region.” ARCHIVE The news and articles issued in the Turkish Press Review may be quoted from provided due acknowledgement is made. <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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