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Turkish Press Review, 08-12-02Turkish 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 morning02.12.2008CONTENTS
[01] GUL EXPECTED TO AGAIN MEET WITH SARKISIAN UNDER CAUCASUS PLATFORM UMBRELLAA preliminary organizational meeting of the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform led by Turkey will take place this Thursday and Friday in Helsinki, Finland as part of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit. The first meeting will focus on technical issues, to be followed later by high-level meetings bringing together heads of state and foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. President Abdullah Gul and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian are expected to meet as part of those planned meetings, in the wake of their first meeting this September when Gul came to Yerevan to see a World Cup qualifying match. This also means that Turkey and Azerbaijan will sit down at the same table with Armenia to discuss their differences. The Caucasus platform is expected to be modeled on the platform of countries neighboring Iraq, which meets twice a year and has no secretariat. /Sabah/[02] BRITAIN'S BROWN PRAISES ERDOGAN'S MEDIATION BETWEEN INDIA , PAKISTANBritish Prime Minister Gordon Brown praised Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's efforts to defuse tension between India and Pakistan in the wake of last week's terrorist attacks in Mumbai. India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of complicity in the attacks. Pakistan denies the claims, but the tension is continuing to escalate. Premier Erdogan spoke to leaders of both countries over the weekend and also to Brown. Erdogan told Brown that in his conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, he had stressed the gravity of the situation and called for more international initiatives to solve the issue. In response, Brown thanked Erdogan for his efforts, saying that they were aware of the seriousness of the situation. He said the international community needs Erdogan, as Turkey has good relations with both countries and so could influence them to help defuse the tension. /Sabah/[03] SOUTH KOREAN PM VISITS ANKARAPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with his South Korean counterpart Han Seung-Soo at the Prime Ministry with an official ceremony. Afterwards, Han was received by President Abdullah Gul at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. Erdogan later hosted a dinner in Han's honor. /Milliyet/[04] SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT BEGINS VISITS TO TURKEYSri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday arrived in Turkey for an official visit. Rajapaksa is scheduled to hold separate meetings with President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan today. Proceeding to Istanbul tomorrow, Rajapaksa will also meet with representatives of the defense and maritime industries and other Turkish businessmen. /Hurriyet Daily News/[05] BLAST AT AKP ISTANBUL OFFICE WOUNDS NINEA blast occurred yesterday at the entrance of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) branch in Istanbul's Sisli district. The explosion wounded nine, including two police officers. Prime Minister and AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly condemned the attack, adding, "Fighting with guns is not the way to seek freedom in democracy." /Star/[06] SUPREME MILITARY COUNCIL TO CONVENE TODAYThe Supreme Military Council (YAS), chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will convene today. Issues expected to be discussed at the regular annual meeting include personnel, education and disciplinary problems within the Turkish Armed Forces. /Aksam/[07] ADANA MAYOR RESIGNS FROM AKPAdana Greater Municipality Mayor Aytac Durak yesterday resigned from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). In a letter, Durak, who is also head of the Turkish Union of Municipalities, told Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he was leaving the party due to Erdogan's recent statement that the mayoral candidacies will be subject to a survey of party members, calling this unacceptable. /Cumhuriyet/[08] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…[09] A UNIVERSITY FOUNDED!BY MEHMET Y. YILMAZ (HURRIYET)Columnist Mehmet Yilmaz comments on newly established universities around the country. A summary of his column is as follows: "Newspapers this week reported on what opening a new university in Turkey amounts to. Ardahan University, among 23 universities recently founded, has no buildings, no students, and no faculty! The rector, his deputy and the engineering faculty dean spend their nights in a guest house of a public institution concerned with rural affairs, and do their work in a single room belonging to the institution! Ardahan has no building suitable for a university, and when they will get one is unknown. One has been rumored for about three years. This is another typical example showing that a university can't be founded just by passing a law in Parliament! A university means more than a building, three deans, and some students! Unfortunately, many universities recently opened around the country for political reasons are in similar shape. Such shortages of scholars and poor physical conditions may be enough to turn a university into a high school. Here are some of our questions: Who will teach the students? Is the faculty qualified? Will the students have libraries? Will the students be offered extracurricular activities in line with their personal abilities and interests? Is the environment around the university good enough to contribute to its vision? Such sham universities have no good answers for these questions. They serve no purpose besides cranking out new university graduates who can then join the ranks of the unemployed!" [10] CANDIDATES WITH VISION NEEDEDBY ERGUN BABAHAN (SABAH)Columnist Ergun Babahan comments on local elections scheduled for next March. A summary of his column is as follows: "Turkey is getting ready for new local elections, and the candidates are gradually appearing. Public officials are leaving their posts so they can run. Meanwhile, people quit or switch parties, just like in previous elections. Of course, politicians have the right to choose their parties, but they shouldn't compromise their principles. Such moves have hurt the image of politics. People should act more sensitively on such issues now. As for the candidates, local administrations create the greatest opportunities to train political leaders nationwide. Belkis Kilickaya, our Paris correspondent, said that Mayor Bertnard Delanoe is the front-runner to take the presidency someday. The leftist mayor elected by rightist Paris proved he's a national player through his management of various projects, including building beaches in the city and starting a system of public bicycle rentals. So in selecting candidates, the parties shouldn't think about winning elections only in one place, but with the understanding that they're grooming the nation's future leaders. Today the mayors of such cities as Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Adana, Denizli, Mersin, Diyarbakir and Trabzon are contenders to be the leaders of tomorrow. Political leaders don't grow in gardens. Local leaders who deal with people closely and see problems on the ground, and who are interested in all kinds of national problems and try to improve people's lives, will be received in Ankara like people who've earned Phd degrees. So in the process of selecting candidates, party leaders and officials are also concerned about grooming future leaders, at least in certain regions. If local leadership positions are considered a university of politics and local assemblies are established in line with this, this would be an investment in our country's future. Then high-quality governance which starts at the local level has the potential of spreading throughout the country." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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