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Turkish Press Review, 07-08-02Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning02.08.2007CONTENTS
[01] SEZER MEETS WITH OPPOSITION PARTY LEADERSPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday separately received main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal and opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli. Sezer congratulated Bahceli for passing the 10% threshold and thereby getting into Parliament. For his part, Bahceli thanked Sezer for the meeting and said that he would work to make sure Turkey’s next president is elected through compromise, adding that if necessary they could also nominate a candidate. /Aksam- Turkiye/[02] YAS CONVENESThe Supreme Military Council (YAS) yesterday convened at the General Staff headquarters to discuss the promotion and retirement of Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) personnel as well as personnel involved in reactionary movements, separatism or corruption. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was welcomed by Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit. Later the YAS members visited Anitkabir, Ataturk’s mausoleum, led by Erdogan. After the ceremony at Anitkabir, the YAS members attended a luncheon hosted by Naval Forces Commander Yener Karahanoglu, whose term in office is due to end soon. /Turkiye/[03] ERDOGAN TO MEET WITH NEW AKP DEPUTIESFollowing his Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) landslide July 22 election victory, capturing 341 seats in Parliament, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to meet with his party’s new deputies tomorrow before the swearing-in ceremony in Parliament. Erdogan is expected to brief the deputies on the AKP’s principles and goals and his expectations of them. /Turkiye/[04] ANKARA FILES COMPLAINT WITH OSCE OVER AUSTRIA’S HANDLING OF PKK TERRORISTAustria’s explanation to Turkey of why it sent Riza Altun, a terrorist PKK leader living in Europe, to Iraq, was unsatisfactory, and so Ankara has filed a complaint against Vienna to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Levent Bilman yesterday. He added that they would file a parallel complaint with the United Nations. “I can’t say that we received a satisfactory statement from Austria,” said Bilman. “Austria sending a person wanted with a red notice and under a European arrest warrant is unacceptable.” Bilman also said that they had asked Iraq to extradite Altun but have yet to get a response. In related news, Bilman said that the itinerary of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s upcoming visit is not yet set but that he is expected to visit Turkey for three days starting next Monday. /Cumhuriyet/[05] BAYKAL: “THE AKP LEVERAGED ITS RULING PARTY POSITION TO ENSURE ITS VICTORY”Speaking at a meeting of his party’s Central Executive Board (MYK) yesterday about the July 22 general elections, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) had taken advantage of its ruling party position to win a second term. But the CHP, Baykal added, tried to win using its own resources as a party. Baykal reiterated that Turkey’s next president should be elected through compromise, adding that he expected Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to keep his pledge made before the general elections to do this. /Milliyet/[06] RETIRED CHIEF OF STAFF OZKOK: “TOUGH POLICIES ON NORTHERN IRAQ WON’T HELP US”Speaking yesterday to the Anatolia news agency about recent developments concerning northern Iraq, former Chief of General Staff retired Gen. Hilmi Ozkok said that tough policies wouldn’t help Turkey deal with the issue. Ozkok stated that Turkey’s policy on northern Iraq was clear and had been carried out from the start, adding that Turkey supports Iraq’s territorial integrity and the fair distribution of its national wealth among Iraq’s various groups. He further stressed that the northern Iraq issue was entirely “political,” adding, however, that the military and security aspects of this were clear. /Sabah/[07] EU TO ISSUE TURKEY PROGRESS REPORT ON NOV. 7The European Union Commission will issue its latest progress report on Turkey on Nov. 7. The EU reportedly has four expectations of Turkey, and if it takes positive steps on these " including changing Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), the law on charitable foundations and the law of the court of accounts, and establishing an ombudsman system " the report will be positive. But if the report is negative, countries opposed to Turkey’s EU membership such as France will be able to push the Commission to take unfavorable decisions on Turkey. /Hurriyet/FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... [08] NO SURPRISEBY OKTAY EKSI (HURRIYET)Columnist Oktay Eksi comments on media leaks of an alleged joint Turkish-US operation in northern Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows: “Not even two days after AKP Deputy Egemen Bagis, who is known to be active in shaping the ruling party’s policy towards the US, told The Sunday Telegraph that the US should understand that Turkey is ready to enter northern Iraq even if it means conflict with Washington, we faced a new fiasco. When syndicated Washington Post columnist Robert Novak, supported by the state-within-the-state, wrote that high-ranking US officials were discussing a joint military operation against terrorist PKK leaders together with their Turkish colleagues, another plan targeting the terrorist PKK went into the dustbin. Now the PKK leaders can go on about their business untroubled. But we can’t say that that is something new. Because we’ve lost count of these fiascos. In fact, it wasn’t a fiasco. Our strategic ally is taking Turkey, which is trying to protect its national unity, for a fool. This is also proven by press reports. Let’s take a look: In a May 8, 2003 telephone conversation, Richard Myers, then chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked by his then counterpart Gen. Hilmi Ozkok why they didn’t seize the terrorist PKK’s arms, and this was his answer: “We will disarm and neutralize the PKK (KADEK). We are preparing plans to do so. Maybe Turkish soldiers won’t have to be in northern Iraq then.” But more than four years, this plan has yet to materialize. When President Bush decided to invade Iraq, everything, including the operation, was completed in nine months. Another quotation comes from a June 26, 2004 column by Hurriyet’s Sedat Ergin. According to Ergin, President Bush sent a letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 13, 2003, just a week before the Iraq war started, saying that they wanted to use Turkish airspace during the war. He also said that they shared Turkey’s sensitivities over northern Iraq and that they would work together to prevent northern Iraq from becoming a shelter for the terrorist to attack Turkey. But efforts towards this end also have yet to be seen. Leaving aside the US seizing the terrorist PKK’s arms, the PKK is actually using US weapons against us right now. As the situation is so clear, it’s no surprise that news of the top- secret operation was leaked to the press.” Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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