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Turkish Press Review, 02-09-09Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>09.09.02Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] SEZER, IZGI ISSUE MESSAGES TO COMMEMORATE ERTUGRUL GAZIIn a message issued to mark the 721st Ertugrul Gazi Commemoration and Sogut Festivals, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer lauded Ertugrul, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, as an honest, courageous and effective statesman. This far- sighted leader believed in the importance of the Turks founding a powerful state which exercises its sovereignty with peace and tolerance, Sezer added. In his message issued for the occasion, Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi declared that Ertugrul Gazi had proven that people from different cultures can live together peacefully. /Turkiye/[02] BAHCELI PARTICIPATES IN ERTUGRUL GAZI COMMEMORATIONSSpeaking at 721st Ertugrul Gazi Commemoration and Sogut FestivalS over the weekend, Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader and Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli said that the Turkish nation should be self-reliant. “Other nations won’t trust us if we don’t demonstrate our self-reliance,” he stated. “Our national identity is our power.” He added that even as it prepares for its role in the future globalized world order, the Turkish nation should never forget its history. Also present at the festivals were Great Union Party (BBP) leader Muhsin Yazicioglu, Culture Minister Suat Caglayan, State Minister Tayyibe Gulek, and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chairman Murat Mercan. /Turkiye/[03] ECEVIT: “CERTAIN CIRCLES ARE TRYING TO BRING DOWN THE DSP”Speaking at a campaign rally in Van yesterday, Prime Minister and Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit charged that certain circles were conspiring to bring down both himself and the senior coalition leader DSP. I will fight till the end to improve Turkey’s lot, he added. Ecevit also attended the opening of a village-city project in nearby Dorutay. /Aksam/[04] DYP AND ATP DECIDE TO FORM ALLIANCEThe True Path Party (DYP) and the Enlightened Turkey Party (ATP) yesterday decided to form an alliance for the forthcoming early elections. At a meeting held to announce the decision, DYP leader Tansu Ciller said that an important step had been taken for the alliance on the center- right and that Turkey was looking for power, unification and stability. Calling on all nationalists to stand in alliance during November’s polls, Ciller said, “We are so happy to see the late Alparslan Turkes’s son and ATP leader Tugrul Turkes cooperating with us.” For his part, Turkes said that Turkish citizens wanted a unified politics rather than a divided one. /Turkiye/[05] CILLER VOWS TO PUSH HEALTH CARE REFORMSTrue Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller yesterday attended a meeting in Ankara organized by members of the DYP’s Women’s Committee Representative. Claiming that the DYP was the only party which boasts a staff capable of solving Turkey’s current problems, Ciller pledged to the citizens to push reform in the health care sector when her party comes to power. She said that all citizens would be issued a “blue card,” and that if they cannot afford healthcare, they would be treated free of charge at any hospital. “Certain parties are scared of what November will bring, and so they are trying to postpone the elections,” she added. /Turkiye/[06] DENKTAS: “WE WON’T BACK DOWN ON THE ISSUES OF EQUALITY AND SOVEREIGNTY”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas yesterday flew back to Cyprus from a meeting in Paris with Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Speaking to reporters upon his return, Denktas declared that the Turkish Cypriot side would not back down on the issues of equality and sovereignty. Denktas added that he had asked Annan to work to redefine the Cyprus issue. /Hurriyet/[07] IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT: “TURKEY SHOULDN’T HELP THE US TO CARRY OUT AN OPERATION”In an address to Turkish journalists at a Turkish-Iraqi Friendship Association meeting in Baghdad over the weekend, Iraqi Vice President Taha Yasin Ramazan predicted that Turkey would be adversely affected by any United States military intervention in Iraq. “Turkey shouldn’t help the US to organize such an operation,” said Ramazan. “Turkey and Iraq are two close neighbors which share a common history and religion. That’s why Turkey should be cautious about the US’ policies towards Iraq.” /Star/[08] TALABANI AND BARZANI MEND FENCESAfter meeting for the first time in almost two years, northern Iraqi political leaders Iraqi Kurdish Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani and Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) leader Jelal Talabani recently concluded an agreement to end the longstanding rivalry between their two groups. According to a statement issued by the IKDP, Talabani briefed Barzani on the meetings he had with Turkish and US officials last week. /Cumhuriyet/[09] WORLD BANK FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE MEETINGS TO CONCLUDE THIS FALLThe World Bank’s ongoing Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) meetings, a series of gatherings meant to draw up a CAS document determining the total amount of financial assistance to be extended to Turkey for the period 2003- 05, are expected to be completed this fall. The CAS documents describe the WB’s strategy based on an assessment of priorities in a country, and indicates the level and composition of assistance to be provided based on the strategy and the country's portfolio performance. The Turkish government expects the bank to extend approximately $4.5 billion for the projects it has planned for 2003-05. These projects will primarily focus on certain prior issues such as reducing poverty and narrowing the economic gap between various social classes. The gatherings are being held with the participation of all related institutions such as the State Planning Organization (DPT) and the Treasury. /Cumhuriyet/[10] TOURISM JUMPS IN AUGUSTThe number of tourists visiting Turkey in August reached 1.91 million, representing a 19.3% jump over the same period last year, according to official statistics released over the weekend. Germany was the country to send the most visitors to Turkey last month, at approximately 445,000, the figures added. /Star/[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[12] TURKISH WOMEN AND THE EU BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on a letter sent by Anna Karamanou, the chairperson of the European Parliament’s Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities, to seven parties in Turkey. A summary of her column is as follows:“A new bargaining chip has been put on the table for our dealings with the European Union: women. If I were you, such a development would also fill me with feelings of rebellion and nervousness. However, I am on the side of women and their calls for democracy, freedom, equal rights and the rule of law. Therefore I was pleased with the letter, sent by Anna Karamanou, who chairs the European Parliament’s Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities, to seven parties in Turkey, requesting that their candidates’ lists give much more room to women candidates. Stating that women were underrepresented at the Turkish Parliament and that the percentage of women deputies was woefully small, the letter added, ‘All the members of our commission are concerned about this situation.’ The letter also emphasized that the equality of men and women was a priority principle of democracy and that this principle was a condition for Turkey’s EU membership. The letter also reminded the parties that the condition of boosting the number of women in Parliament appeared in Turkey’s Accession Partnership Document. Yesterday our newspaper carried an opinion column by Oktay Eksi which I agreed with until its last paragraph. In the piece, he emphasized that Turkish women had much more active roles in social life than women living in many Western countries but that they remained excluded from the politics. He then asked, ‘So why haven’t Turkish women been able to achieve the same scale of participation in politics?’ Eksi, an open-minded person who certainly favors the equality of the sexes, answered this in an unexpected way: ‘When women need a diploma to get a job, they don’t shrink from the work and risk needed to achieve this. But if they are looking to advance within a particular field or profession, they expect this to be handed to them on a silver platter.’ This is entirely off the mark. Our women do in fact work hard in the field. They deal with every kind of work, including cleaning party buildings, handing out announcements, organizing meetings, collecting money and conducting outreach campaigns. Can one possibly belittle the work done by women from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Anatolia? Didn’t the fieldwork carried out by women contribute to the Welfare Party’s (RP) coming to power? Women worked very hard at organizing when people thought that the Motherland Party (ANAP) was the hope of Turkey, didn’t they? Moreover, it’s not easy for women to transcend their traditional social roles and go into politics with a political party, but still they are succeeding. However, when election time comes around, women are preemptively pushed off the candidates lists in order to make room for those who have more power and the money, and unfortunately men are way ahead in these respects. However, I do agree with Eksi’s call for women to continue to struggle. Women should put forth more effort, and in fact many are doing just that. A large number of women’s organizations recently established the Women’s Coalition Initiative, with the undertaking of the Organization for Supporting Women Candidates (Ka-Der). A ‘No Vote!’ campaign was started against those parties which aren’t reserving places for women candidates. Women are now being encouraged to become candidates. The number of women on the primary candidates lists exceeded 500, the highest number so far in the history of the Republic. I believe that these efforts will bear fruit. Yet, is being a woman sufficient to reflect women’s points of view concerning political issues? No, but equality in representation is an important opportunity and a first step.” [13] THE MOST IMPORTANT WEEK ON THE ROAD TO ELECTIONS BY MUSTAFA BALBAY (CUMHURIYET)Columnist Mustafa Balbay writes on political parties’ deputy candidate lists to be delivered to the Supreme Election Board (YSK) this week. A summary of his column is as follows:“This week we will witness the most important days on the road to November’s elections. All of the political parties have to hand in their deputy candidate lists to the YSK by this Wednesday, Sept. 11. After that we will have three main subjects on our agenda: inter-party tempests and disputes, attempts to cancel the elections by disappointed deputies who proved unable to claim their desired places on candidate lists, and the YSK’s response to certain applications. Today, let’s have a look at this first subject. Political parties always find it difficult to draw up their candidate lists. Parties on the rise suffer from having to weed through an overabundance of prospective candidates while also protecting the party’s best interests, while those on the wane have difficulty finding qualified figures. The Justice and Development Party (AKP), besides its ‘pro-Islamic’ stance, has become the major center of gravity on the center-right. Those who burned their bridges with the Motherland Party (ANAP) have flocked to the AKP, and most of them have a good chance of being elected. Whereas the Nationalist Action Party’s (MHP) situation is proving to be quite unusual. The leading figures coming after the MHP’s chairman, Devlet Bahceli, are not at the top spots of the lists in their election districts. Concerning ANAP, one can say that it will first assess the current situation after its recent meltdown, and then try to prepare a list from the leftovers. In short, the picture isn’t terribly promising for ANAP. Yet ANAP leader Mesut Yilmaz may still have a few tricks up his sleeve. A similar case also holds true for the Democratic Left Party (DSP). Prime Minister and DSP Chairman Bulent Ecevit is continuing to make strategic moves. We can expect surprising developments in the DSP over the days to come. New Turkey Party (YTP) leader Ismail Cem thinks that his party has enough time before Nov. 3. The True Path Party (DYP) is well aware that it is losing sway on the center-right, and it has already announced that it would enter elections in alliance with the party of Tugrul Turkes, the son of former MHP leader Alparslan Turkes, namely the Enlightened Turkey Party (ATP). The Republican People’s Party (CHP) is the most attractive party on the center-left. However, it has its own concerns about candidate lists. The week we are in now is very likely to give birth to very strange developments.” Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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