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Turkish Press Review, 08-07-15Turkish 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 morning15.07.2008FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNSCONTENTS
[01] PRESIDENT GUL RECEIVES FORMER ECHR JUDGE TURMENPresident Abdullah Gul yesterday received Riza Turmen, former Turkish judge on the European Court of Human Rights, at a luncheon. Afterwards, Turmen said that he had been invited by the president and added, "We have an old friendship. We've known each other since the president was taking part in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). We shared our memories." He added, "The president follows developments at the ECHR very closely and also places great importance on Turkey's European Union accession." Stating that he had the chance to share his experience on this issue, Turmen said that they also discussed globalization's influence on the law and how to bring European standards to Turkey. /Aksam/[02] CHIEF PROSECUTOR ANNOUNCES FILING OF ERGENEKON INDICTMENTIstanbul Chief Prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin yesterday announced the filing to Istanbul's 13th Major Criminal Court of a long-awaited indictment stemming from the Ergenekon probe, accusing 86 people of establishing a terrorist organization and plotting to overthrow the government. "The indictment includes 86 suspects, 48 of whom are in prison," Engin told a press conference. He said the 2,455-page indictment accuses the suspects of establishing and being members of an armed terrorist group, attempting to overthrow the government by force, inciting people to armed insurgency, possessing and using explosives, instigating a deadly attack on the Council of State and bombing of daily Cumhuriyet's Istanbul offices in 2006, possessing secret documents on state security, recording confidential personal data, encouraging military disobedience, and inciting public enmity and animosity. The prosecutor is seeking life sentences on the charges of establishing a terrorist group and plotting to overthrow the government. The court has 15 days to decide whether to accept the indictment, Engin said. He added that the contents of the indictment will only be released if it is accepted by the court. Responding to criticisms that the indictment had taken more than a year to file, he said, "It was an extensive probe and there was a huge volume of documents and many suspects." The prosecutor also tried to clarify what the indictment meant by "terrorist organization," saying, "Under Article 1 of the Anti-Terror Law, those who are convicted of endangering the existence of the Turkish Republic, weakening, destroying or seizing the authority of the state, eliminating fundamental rights and freedoms, or damaging the internal or external security of the state and public order are considered perpetrators of terrorism." /All Papers/[03] GOVT SPOKESPERSON CICEK: "THESE TWO COURT CASES HAVE TURKEY IN A VISE"Two major court cases are holding Turkey in a vise, said government spokesperson Cemil Cicek yesterday. "On one side there's the closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), and on the other there's the Ergenekon probe," he told reporters after a Cabinet meeting. "Turkey is being held in a vise by these two cases. Foreigners ask us about the cases. Before Turkey was seen as a country with good prospects, but now it's seen as facing a cloud of uncertainty. We want the closure case concluded as soon as possible to lift this cloud." Asked about opposition parties' criticisms of the Ergenekon indictment, Cicek said, "The indictment hasn't been released, nothing's been said about its contents." He added, "In democratic countries, preliminary investigations are kept confidential. A number of matters unrelated to the principal cause of the indictment were left out of yesterday's official statement (about the indictment). I have no way of knowing what the opposition is harping about." /Aksam/[04] ATO HEAD AYGUN RELEASEDAnkara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) Chairman Sinan Aygun was released from prison last night, ending two weeks of detention under the Ergenekon probe. "I was a guest of the Turkish state for 14 days," Aygun said. "With your leave, today I'm not talking much. I will make statements following the ATO Assembly meeting on Tuesday." Aygun has not been charged with a crime. In related news, applications for the release of two retired generals, Sener Eruygur and Hursit Tolon, have been rejected. /Cumhuriyet/[05] TOP COURT CHIEF JUSTICE GIVES NO DATE ON CONCLUSION OF AKP CLOSURE CASEConstitutional Court Chief Justice Hasim Kilic yesterday declined to say when the case seeking the closure of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) may conclude. "It's not possible to give an exact date," he told reporters at a reception marking France's Bastille Day, and added that members of the court are awaiting a rapporteur's report on the case. Asked how the conclusion of the case might affect the country, Kilic said, "Turkey is a great country. We have faced such problems before. Turkey overcame all of them. There's no need to be concerned." /Turkiye/[06] TURKISH DIPLOMATS CONVENE IN ANKARANearly 150 Turkish ambassadors and representatives from all over the world will gather in Ankara today to discuss the nation's foreign policy at a four-day conference on "Turkish Foreign Policy: Tendencies and Priorities." They will deal with the foreign policy aspects of issues such as energy, security, and environmental and water problems. The conference, chaired by Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, also aims to strengthen coordination between Ankara's Foreign Ministry and its missions worldwide. /Turkiye/[07] FORMER DEPUTY PM SENER BUSY ORGANIZING NEW PARTYVeteran politician and former Deputy Premier Abdullatif Sener is stepping up efforts to form a new political party. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Sener said that he would speed up work on forming his party and meet with figures from both the center-right and center-left next week to put together a team. Following his resignation from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) last week to start his own political party, Sener got warm welcomes on visits to both Agri and Konya. He is planning to pay a visit to Denizli tomorrow. Sener has already been rebuffed by current AKP deputies. /Cumhuriyet/[08] TRNC'S TALAT TO MEET WITH UN SECRETARY-GENERAL TODAYTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat is expected to meet with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today in Berlin. Ahead of a planned meeting between Talat and Greek Cypriot administration leader Dimitris Christofias, Talat and Ban are set to discuss efforts to unite Cyprus. /Today's Zaman/[09] US NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR TO VISIT TURKEYUS President George W. Bush's National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley will pay a visit to Ankara on Thursday. Hadley will meet with President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A high-level US security delegation, currently in Ankara, yesterday went to the Cankaya Presidential Palace to confirm preparations for the visit. /Milliyet/[10] ENDING NEARLY TWO-YEAR VACANCY, IRAN FILLS AMBASSADOR'S POST IN ANKARAAfter leaving the post vacant for nearly two years, Iran has now appointed an ambassador to Turkey. Since Iranian Ambassador in Ankara Firooz Daulatabadi finished his term in Turkey at the end of 2006, Iran has been conducting its relations with Turkey on the level of charge d'affaires. Bahman Hosseinpour, Iran's new ambassador to Turkey, was formerly consul general in Istanbul. Hosseinpour is expected to soon present his letter of credentials to President Abdullah Gul. /Hurriyet/FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS [11] THE CASE HAS ENDED, BUT THE PROSECUTOR DOESN'T KNOW!BY MEHMET Y. YILMAZ (HURRIYET)Columnist Mehmet Yilmaz comments on recent developments in the ongoing Ergenekon probe. A summary of his column is as follows: "Yesterday, while waiting for news of the Ergenekon indictment, I was reading through the newspapers. Sabah daily's Mehmet Barlas wrote, 'Members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) shouldn't look at Abdullatif Sener like Turhan Comez. Sener isn't setting up a gang or a group plotting a coup, but just a political party.' When I read that, I said to myself, 'Alas!' 'While I was waiting for the indictment, was the case filed and concluded, and I missed it?' Then, in a fluster, I looked at some small papers friendly to the AKP. Yes, all of us were asleep at the wheel! The case was filed, the trails were concluded, sentences were handed down, and the Supreme Court of Appeals approved the verdicts! Because in those papers, there was no doubt as to just who was convicted of which crimes. Then, at that very moment, Istanbul's republican chief prosecutor appeared live on TV! Apparently, he also had no idea about thee developments! If he had followed the AKP media, he could have found out that the trial had already ended, and he wouldn't have kept the media and its fleet of broadcasting vans so busy. I found this very strange, how the prosecutor didn't know what was going on, when even European Parliament Greens member Cem Ozdemir already knew. Ozdemir, thanks to his extensive knowledge of European law, even knew the sentence that would be handed down: If we hadn't banned the death penalty, they would have been executed! P.S.: I remembered some things I heard back when I was studying criminal law. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Everyone has the right to a fair trial in open court. The prosecution has to prove its claims. And the like …" Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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