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Turkish Press Review, 08-07-09
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
09.07.2008
CONTENTS
[01] FRENCH PRESIDENT INVITES ERDOGAN TO MEDITERRANEAN UNION SUMMIT
[02] ERDOGAN SLAMS BAYKAL'S CLAIMS ON ERGENEKON PROBE
[03] BAYKAL: "THE ERGENEKON PROBE IS A SCANDAL"
[04] BAHCELI: "EVERYONE SHOULD TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT TURKEY'S DEMOCRACY"
[05] RETIRED GENERALS SENT TO F-TYPE PRISON
[06] GEN. BUYUKANIT: "TERRORISM IS THE WORST PLAGUE OF THE 21ST CENTURY"
[07] ISTANBUL HOSTS ANTI-DRUG CONFERENCE
[01] FRENCH PRESIDENT INVITES ERDOGAN TO MEDITERRANEAN UNION SUMMIT
French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday telephoned Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan to invite him to this weekend's Union for the Mediterranean
Summit in Paris. Erdogan told the French president that he would consider
attending the summit if his heavy schedule due to the country's domestic
agenda allows him. Turkey has said it would consider being part of the
Sarkozy-proposed union only if it is not a substitute for European Union
membership. In related news, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, currently in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to attend a meeting of the Developing Eight
Countries (D-8), said, "Our colleagues were there last week during work on
the final declaration of the Union for the Mediterranean Summit." He added,
"Important changes were made to the final declaration. Many components that
Turkey sought were put into the final declaration. But a technical
delegation will go to Paris on (Saturday) July 12, the day before the
summit, and attend the last session on the final declaration. There are a
number of components and there will be meetings on them, but there have
been important changes up to now." /Milliyet/
[02] ERDOGAN SLAMS BAYKAL'S CLAIMS ON ERGENEKON PROBE
Speaking to his ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) parliamentary
group meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "We
aren't lawyers for the mafia or a gang. People who showered praise on
Italy's operation Clean Hands against organized crime networks now
criticize the government over the Ergenekon probe. This stance is telling."
He was responding to main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader
Baykal's claims that the government is using the Ergenekon probe to quash
its opponents. Characterizing the probe as Turkey's version of the Italian
operation, Erdogan said, "The government will continue to carry out its
duties as assigned by the judiciary." Erdogan also criticized the
opposition for failing to make constructive criticisms or working to
improve the nation's morale. “They haven't made a single recommendation
that might point to a better way. That’s because they have none," he
said. "They don’t have any projects to tackle the nation’s problems."
He also said Turkey must sooner or later shake off the illegal remnants of
the Cold War era, and pledged to protect democracy, the rights of the
people, and the values of the republic. /Sabah-Star/
[03] BAYKAL: "THE ERGENEKON PROBE IS A SCANDAL"
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal
yesterday criticized the ongoing Ergenekon probe. Speaking at his party's
parliamentary group meeting, Baykal pointed to the lack of an indictment in
the case. "People have been taken into custody and detained for 13 months,
but they don't even know their (alleged) crimes," he said, branding the
probe a scandal. Commenting on Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan comparing the
probe to Italy's Clean Hands anti-crime operation, Baykal claimed that
there was no similarity between the two, adding, "After all, if one intends
to start such an operation, first your own hands have to be clean," hinting
at corruption claims against the premier. Calling allegations of a planned
coup to topple the government absurd, the CHP leader said, "There are only
retired generals, no soldiers and no tanks, but only computer disks. Let's
get serious." /Hurriyet-Turkiye/
[04] BAHCELI: "EVERYONE SHOULD TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT TURKEY'S
DEMOCRACY"
In a written statement, opposition National Movement Party (MHP) leader
Develt Bahceli said yesterday that Turkey is facing a dangerous political
polarization and division, adding that in such a situation everyone,
including the government, should take the responsibility to preserve
Turkey's democratic system. Bahceli also called on his party’s members
and supporters not to fall into the trap of separation and polarization and
to avoid fueling artificial differences. /Star/
[05] RETIRED GENERALS SENT TO F-TYPE PRISON
Retired Gens. Sener Eruygur and Hursit Tolon and Ankara Chamber of Commerce
(ATO) Chairman Sinan Aygun, who were arrested and taken to Istanbul's
Metris Prison last week as part of the Ergenekon probe, yesterday were sent
to an F-type prison in Kandira, Kocaeli. In addition, seven other detainees
were transferred to Tekirdag's F-type prison. In related news, an
indictment in the case will reportedly be presented by Friday to the
Istanbul Republican Chief Prosecutor's Office. Meanwhile, the Justice
Ministry has begun investigating the death of businessmen Kuddusi Okkir,
who was kept in jail for about a year as part of the Ergenekon probe before
being release due to health problems. /Turkiye/
[06] GEN. BUYUKANIT: "TERRORISM IS THE WORST PLAGUE OF THE 21ST CENTURY"
The Silk Road 2008 General_Admiral Seminar started yesterday in Antalya.
Nearly 200 people from 49 countries, including generals, admirals and
ambassadors, are attending the meeting, whose theme this year is global
security and international cooperation. At the seminar's opening ceremony,
Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit said that terrorism was the
worst plague of the 21st century, despite the lack of a common definition
for it, adding that terrorism cannot be fought effectively in the absence
of international cooperation. Buyukanit said that no type of terrorism can
be considered legitimate, no matter what ideology it espouses, adding,
"Moreover, even tendencies towards legitimizing terrorism are
unacceptable." Buyukanit said that efforts in areas such as diplomacy,
intelligence, the economy, finance, information and law are as important as
military methods in fighting terrorism, since terrorist groups act much
like international crime organizations through engaging in drug and human
trafficking, money laundering, racketeering, bootlegging, and kidnapping
for ransom. In related news, asked about Europe's failure to ban PKK
activities on the continent, EU Military Committee Chairman Gen. Henri
Bentegeat said, "Terrorism is an issue that goes beyond military matters."
Bentegeat said EU countries' sensitivity to terrorism has been known to
shift over time. For his part, Giampaolo Di Paola, the chair of NATO’s
Military Committee, said that relations between NATO and the EU must be
improved, adding, "We lack the resources to appear on the international
stage as we should. NATO and the EU should work hand in hand." /Cumhuriyet/
[07] ISTANBUL HOSTS ANTI-DRUG CONFERENCE
Some 450 anti-drug experts from 91 countries are now in Istanbul for a
conference on fighting drug smuggling and abuse. The three-day
international conference co-organized by the Turkish Police Department and
the US Drug Enforcement Administration began yesterday, and is meant to
strengthen operational strategies and information exchanges on drug
traffickers. Addressing the opening of the gathering, Interior Minister
Besir Atalay pointed to recent Turkish police successes against drug
smuggling and urged closer global cooperation and information-sharing on
criminals. He also praised the US identifying the terrorist PKK as an
organization involved with drug smuggling. /Hurriyet/
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