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Turkish Press Review, 02-09-27Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr><LINK href="http://www.byegm.gov.tr_yayinlarimiz_chr_pics_css/tpr.css" rel=STYLESHEET type=text/css> <map name="FPMap1"> </map> <map name="FPMap1"></map> Press & Information Turkish Press Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning27.09.2002FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... THE AKP’S MANIFESTO TO ASSUME POWER BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)CONTENTS
[01] SEZER: “LANGUAGE IS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF INDEPENDENCE”In a message issued yesterday in celebration of Language Day, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated that language was a fundamental, inseparable element of national independence, asking every Turkish citizen to use it correctly so as to develop Turkey’s cultural identity. He further remarked that the creativity of a nation was directly linked to the development of its language, adding that new words should be coined to meet the needs of scientific and technological developments. /Cumhuriyet/[02] ECEVIT TO SHARON: “LIFT THE SIEGE”Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday sent a letter to Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon asking his counterpart to lift the Israeli Army’s siege against Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Ecevit reportedly said that he shared Israel’s pain at the recent resumption of terrorist attacks after a six-week period of relative calm. But, he added, one could never achieve peace and stability by surrounding Palestinian cities. Ecevit also remarked that Turkey was ready to do whatever it could to help find a solution to the problem. In addition, Ecevit also sent a letter to US President George W. Bush reiterating that sieges were no solution and asking Bush to pressure Israel to end the current siege. /Hurriyet/[03] GUREL “THE EU HAS NOT RECIPROCATED TURKEY’S POSITIVE STEPS”Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel yesterday visited Copenhagen, Denmark in the midst of his three-capital European tour to promote Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Denmark currently holds the rotating EU presidency. Gurel remarked that the Turkish Parliament had recently taken significant steps by passing a reform package to fulfill the EU’s Copenhagen criteria. Gurel stressed that despite Turkey’s great efforts, the EU had as yet failed to set a specific date for the beginning of Turkey’s membership negotiations. He also criticized the EU for failing to take positive steps on the Cyprus issue. /Cumhuriyet/[04] DENKTAS: “AS ANNAN ASKED, I HAVE TAKEN NEW STEPS”Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas told reporters yesterday that the Turkish Cypriot side had taken new steps towards a settlement to the 38-year dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots on the island. Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary-general, had told both sides at their Paris meeting earlier this month that he expected to see new steps from them in advance of their New York meeting scheduled for Oct. 3-4. Commenting on his negotiations with Greek Cypriot officials, Denktas denied claims that territory was a subject open to negotiation, adding that the map of Cyprus had not been discussed during talks. After the New York meeting, Denktas and Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides will begin the seventh round of direct starting on Oct. 11. /Cumhuriyet/[05] CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON BTC’S CEYHAN LEGConstruction on the Ceyhan leg of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline project began yesterday with a groundbreaking ceremony. In a speech delivered at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz underlined the importance of the BTC, saying that the pipeline would serve the interest of both Turkey and its Central Asian neighbors. “After its scheduled completion in 2005, the project will provide service for 40 years, ” said Yilmaz. “For the first 15 years, Turkey will receive $200 million, and then $300 million for the remaining period.” He added that the BTC would help Turkey meet its own oil needs and make it a standard-bearer into the Mediterranean oil market. /Turkiye/[06] FIFTH EURASIAN ECONOMIC SUMMIT BEGINSThe Fifth Eurasian Economic Summit yesterday began in Istanbul with the attendance of some 110 high-level bureaucrats from 25 countries. In addition to economic cooperation between regional countries, the fight against terrorism is expected to be discussed during the three-day summit. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer sent a written message to be delivered at the meeting. Stressing that the summit would contribute to new economic developments in the region, Sezer emphasized the necessity of cooperation between regional countries. “Turkey has taken very important steps to improve its relations with those countries in both the economic and commercial realms, and it will continue to do so,” Sezer added. /Turkiye/[07] PAPANDREOU: “WE WANT TO WORK HAND-IN-HAND WITH TURKEY”Speaking at the Fifth Eurasian Economic Summit yesterday, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou said that Greece wants to help Turkey with its European Union membership bid and to find its place in the Union. “We want to work hand-in-hand together with Turkey on the EU issue,” stated Papandreou. Papandreou also said that solving Turkey’s EU issues was also important in terms of Europe’s relations with Eurasia. /Aksam/[08] WOLFENSOHN: “TURKEY’S ECONOMY IS STABLE”Speaking at a press conference in Washington yesterday, World Bank President James Wolfensohn declared that Turkey’s economy was stable. Wolfensohn also said that Turkey was going through a transitional period due to its election atmosphere, but that the WB had worked hard to ease this transition. “We are working together with the Turkish government and I will meet with Turkish Economy Minister Masum Turker,” said Wolfensohn. Wolfensohn and Turker are both in the US capital to attend the annual meetings of the WB and the International Monetary Fund. /Hurriyet/[09] SADDAM HUSSEIN TO SEND MESSAGE TO SEZERIraqi Vice President Tariq Aziz will be travelling to Ankara on Sunday to deliver a message from Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. After meeting with Sezer on Monday, Aziz is also expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. Diplomatic sources said yesterday that Turkey would request from Aziz that United Nations weapon inspectors have unimpeded access to all Iraqi military facilities. In related news, Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli said yesterday that Turkey would under no circumstances accept the establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq. /Cumhuriyet/[10] IRAQI OPPOSITION GROUPS’ NEVSEHIR SUMMIT BEGINS TODAYThe “Iraq and Democracy” summit organized by the Iraqi Research Institute is to begin today in the central Anatolian province of Nevsehir. Besides representatives of Iraqi opposition groups, British, Finnish, Danish and Turkish scholars are also expected to attend the three-day meeting. Mustafa Ziya, Turkey representative for the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF), stated yesterday that the meeting would be a great opportunity for scholars to discuss a host of important issues such as Iraq’s various ethnic groups, problems regarding democracy, restructuring Iraq’s social fabric as well as recent developments in the region. /Cumhuriyet/[11] TURKEY SENDS $500,000 IN AID TO AFGHANISTANThe Turkish government recently released $500,000 to Afghanistan as the first tranche of $5 million in financial aid it had pledged to help the country’s reconstruction efforts over a five-year period. The remainder of the grant is slated to be allocated for agriculture, health and education. /Cumhuriyet/[12] TURKMEN GROUPS: “WE EXPECT TURKEY’S SUPPORT”Turkmen opposition groups yesterday reacted harshly to a draft constitution announced this week by the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) and the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP), one which proposed the establishment of a federation in Iraq in a possible post-Saddam period. “This was a one-sided decision,” said Mustafa Kemal Yaycili, a member of the Iraqi National Council and honorary chairman of the Iraqi National Turkmen Party. “Turkmen groups don’t want a federation to be established in Iraq, which would, we believe, plunge the country into a domestic war. It’s obvious that the IPUK and IKDP are out to expand their territories. We expect Turkey to support us on this issue.” /Sabah/[13] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[14] THE AKP’S MANIFESTO TO ASSUME POWER BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)Columnist Derya Sazak comments on the elections manifesto just released by the Justice and Development Party (AKP). A summary of his column is as follows:“Everything is for Turkey! The Justice and Development Party (AKP) found this title appropriate for its 72-page booklet presenting its Nov. 3 ‘elections manifesto.’ It prepared a realistic document, one absent of radical words and eccentric promises concerning Turkey’s problems. With this manifesto, AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to tell his audience both at home and abroad, ‘Why are you afraid of me? If the AKP comes to the power, our solutions wouldn’t be different from those of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Dervis.’ This time Erdogan and the AKP staff took the podium at the Grand Cevahir Hotel, the same place where the CHP had introduced its candidates. A huge screen on the back wall showed images from Erdogan’s enthusiastic elections campaign. With his two-hour presentation, Erdogan was in effect saying, ‘I’m here’ to the voters, elections ban or no. The AKP’s candidates, its Istanbul members, and young girls -- heads exposed or covered with scarves -- were embracing their leaders. At the end of the meeting, Erdogan began his tour of Istanbul and greater Anatolia, expressing his belief that he would pave the AKP’s path to power. There were enthusiastic elections campaign songs and AKP supporters chanting ‘Prime Minister Erdogan!’ Before the meeting, we spoke with Abdullah Gul. He told us that the recent developments on Erdogan were working to the AKP’s favor. Bringing up the examples of Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Kemal Dervis, the AKP is arguing that Erdogan can serve as a prime minister just like deputies and those brought into this post from outside Parliament. Obviously, however, the Constitution constitutes an obstacle to this, and Parliament cannot appoint a prime minister from outside. Thus, the AKP has to win a majority in Parliament, so they can amend the Constitution. ‘There are other ways as well,’ said Abdulkadir Aksu. ‘We can make the deputies resign and bring Erdogan to the Parliament through a by- election.’ Erdogan is struggling not to face the same situation as Joerg Haider, the Austrian politician whose party won the elections but who remained unable to become prime minister. Not clashing with Constitutional institutions, and not creating a ruckus over such issues as headscarves: this is the AKP’s elections strategy. The elections declaration was prepared in light of this strategy. Though the system is trying to exclude the AKP, it isn’t promising wholesale economic and political change. Rather, it is talking about a ‘structural change.’ It isn’t openly opposing the International Monetary Fund, and it’s telling international markets that the ‘economic program will continue.’ It emphasizes its full support for Turkey’s EU membership and such targets as a democracy in compliance with the Copenhagen criteria, a new Constitution and abolishing the State Security Courts (DGMs). So in this declaration, the AKP seems to have abandoned its fundamentalist identity. The AKP is preparing to be the party in power!” [15] WHAT WON’T HAPPEN IN CYPRUS BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI (STAR)Columnist Zeynep Gurcanlý comments on the question of Cyprus concerning the Greek Cypriots’ EU membership bid and Turkey’s possible reactions to the issue. A summary of her column is as follows:“The Cyprus issue is now at a crossroads, since the European Union is very likely to approve the Greek Cypriots’ membership bid in December, and the same question is occupying people’s minds in both Ankara and the European capitals: What will Turkey’s reaction be? Up to now, its strategy on the issue has always been this: ‘Turkey will do exactly the same thing with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) as Greece does with the Greek Cypriots.’ Even I remember Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit talking about the TRNC’s unification with Turkey. Everyone has discussed what could happen on the island, but now let’s turn the picture upside down, and try to see what won’t happen in Cyprus. First of all, neither the politicians nor the bureaucrats in Ankara actually think that the TRNC will unify with Turkey. The reasoning is that if such a thing happens, Turkey will become an immediate bordering neighbor with the Greek Cypriot side, which would be quite undesirable for Ankara, and would also thus become a direct participant in the Cyprus issue, giving up what it has long argued for, namely being a guarantor state. What Turkey really wants is not to unite with the TRNC, but to prevent the Greek side from taking control of the whole island. In order to do that, preservation of the TRNC’s existence on the island is a sine qua non for Ankara. In case of the Greek side’s accession to the EU, another thing that will definitely not happen is resolution of the problem through the EU. That is, if the EU accepts the Greek Cypriots’ membership, it won’t have an easy road ahead. If the EU sees the Greek side as the sole representative of the whole island, this will beg the question of the TRNC’s status, which is not controlled by the Greek Cypriots and consequently would not be under the EU’s control. Thus, the EU, having incorporated the island of Cyprus into itself as a whole, would come to accept implementing its laws, customs or intra-union rules and regulations only on one part of the island, thus creating a great technical problem for the EU. To this technical problem, one must add Turkey’s possible reactions, and you would then have a completely confused situation on the island. The EU is also well aware of these problems. However, it is not speaking about them so loudly. Yet, several scholars in Europe have recently begun to address them. Accordingly, the EU could accept the Greek side as the representative of only the half of the island, which would mean recognizing the TRNC’s existence on the island and the Greek side’s lack of jurisdiction over TRNC territory. As a result, more countries would come to recognize the TRNC in the international arena, and in a very distant future the TRNC would become an EU member alongside Turkey. This would surely not be accepted by the Greek side, which has been claming for the last 30 years that they are the sole possessor of the island. Now, let’s wait and see if the EU will prove capable of producing a solution proposal similar to the one spelled out in December.” ARCHIVE <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js"> </script> Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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