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Turkish Press Review, 03-08-22Turkish 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> e-mail : newspot@byegm.gov.tr <caption> <_caption> Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning22.08.2003FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… TIME TO WAKE UP BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET) CYPRUS CONFUSION AND THE EU BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI (STAR)CONTENTS
[01] NSC TO DISCUSS IRAQ DEPLOYMENT ISSUE TODAYThe National Security Council (NSC) is set to convene today to discuss a number of issues, including a possible deployment of Turkish troops to Iraq. The issue will also be taken up at next Monday’s Cabinet meeting. In line with recent decisions of the High Military Council (YAS), departing Turkish Naval and Air Force commanders Bulent Alpkaya and Gen. Cumhur Asparuk, respectively, and NSC Secretary-General Gen. Tuncer Kilinc will be attending their final NSC meeting before stepping down. /Star/[02] ERDOGAN, CB HEAD SERDENGECTI DISCUSS RECENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTSPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti to assess the overall state of the economy and discuss recent developments. Erdogan also received Banking Regulatory and Supervision Agency (BDDK) Chairman Engin Akcakoca as well as Zeki Sayin, head of the Public Banks Joint Administration Council. /All papers/[03] STATE MINISTER ATALAY PROMISES GALA CELEBRATIONS FOR REPUBLIC’S 80TH ANNIVERSARYYearlong celebrations of modern Turkey’s 80th anniversary will honor the Republic as the basis for our state and our steadfast drive towards modernity, said State Minister Besir Atalay yesterday. At a press conference outlining upcoming celebrations of Turkey’s 80th anniversary, set to begin on Oct. 29 Republic Day, Atalay said that there was great enthusiasm from all sectors of society for these events. The chief purposes of the festivities, he added, will be to strengthen national solidarity and stress the Republic’s modern, democratic, and secular nature both at home and abroad. /All papers/[04] GOVERNMENT, CIVIL SERVICE WAGE TALKS STALLTalks between government and civil service union representatives yesterday broke off without an agreement, stalling over the issue of next year’s wage hikes. Proposals brought to the table by unions Kamu-Sen and KESK were reportedly non-starters to the government. After the negotiations, KESK Chairman Sami Evren vowed to quit the talks, charging that state officials were not taking seriously the civil servants’ demands and grievances. Kamu- Sen head Bircan Akyildiz was more optimistic, saying that an agreement would eventually be reached. /All papers/[05] US SENATE DELEGATION TO VISIT TURKEYFollowing their current visit to Iraq, an eight-member US senatorial delegation led by Senator John McCain is set to visit Ankara. During the two-day visit, McCain is expected to convey a message from President George W. Bush to Turkish officials in a bid to convince them to contribute to an Iraq stabilization force. The delegation is presently making observations and holding meetings with Iraqi officials to clarify the details regarding foreign troop deployment. /Turkiye/[06] IRAQI TRIBAL HEADS, KURDISH OFFICIALS WELCOME POSSIBLE TURKISH DEPLOYMENTBefore making a decision on sending troops to Iraq, Turkish officials will receive representatives of nine Iraqi tribes, including current Governing Council President Ibrahim Al-Jaafari along with Abdurrahman Munsit El Afi, the leader of the Ubeydi, the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk’s sole Arab tribe. Turkish officials will ask the tribal leaders for their stance on a possible Turkish troop deployment in Iraq. In related news, El Afi, whose Ubeydi numbers some 750,000, yesterday said that Iraqis would not oppose Turkish troops in Iraq. In addition, Kirkuk’s Kurdish mayor and vice-mayor both stressed that the Iraqi people needed Turkish troops, as they are more familiar with local traditions as well as more tolerant than the US and British soldiers. /Turkiye/[07] IRAQ’S SUNNI LEADERS MEET WITH FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIALSAhead of a decision of sending Turkish troops to Iraq, Foreign Ministry officials on Wednesday met with a group of Iraq’s Sunni religious leaders in Ankara in a bid to explain Turkey’s reasons for possibly deploying its troops in the country. The group was told that securing the nation’s stability as soon as possible would be to the benefit of the Iraqi people. These religious leaders are said to be influential in the area known as the Sunni triangle, a territory west and north of Baghdad where reports say Turkish troops are likely to be deployed. /Cumhuriyet/[08] IRAQI BUSINESSMEN MEET WITH THEIR TURKISH COUNTERPARTSTurkish and Iraqi businessmen yesterday gathered in Istanbul as part of Turkish-Iraqi Business Council meetings to discuss bilateral trade ties. Iraqi Businessmen’s Association head Thamir Al Shikhly expressed his group’s desire to work with Turkish firms during his country’s reconstruction period. He also called on the Turkish banking sector to open branches in Iraq. /Turkiye/[09] TURKCELL TO BID ON RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQI CELLPHONE NETWORKTurkcell, Turkey’s largest GSM operator, has moved to enter a bidding process for the reconstruction of Iraq’s cellphone network, said Turkcell CEO Muzaffer Akpinar yesterday. Akpinar added that his company would play a leading role in a Turkish consortium set up especially for the bidding. It is estimated that Iraq has a telecommunications market worth some $500 million. /Sabah/[10] TURKEY, CHINA SET TO SIGN TRADE AGREEMENTTurkey and China are set to sign a trade agreement on next Tuesday, Ankara officials said yesterday. A delegation of 62 Chinese businessmen headed by People’s Republic of China Trade Minister Lu Fuyuan is currently in Turkey meeting with their Turkish counterparts to boost bilateral trade relations. /Cumhuriyet/[11] TURKEY BEATS LATVIA 86-70 IN EFES BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTThe Efes Pilsen World Cup II summer basketball tournament continued yesterday at Istanbul’s Abdi Ipekci Arena. In the first of two matches, Serbia-Montenegro defeated New Zealand by 86-64, and in the second, Turkey beat Latvia by 86-70. In today’s action, Latvia is to face Russia. /All papers/[12] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…[13] TIME TO WAKE UP[14] BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)Columnist Sami Kohen writes on the latest developments in Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:“Will Tuesday’s devastating bombing of the United Nations’ headquarters in Baghdad change the US policy on Iraq? In the wake of this disaster, domestic and foreign pressure on the Bush administration has sharply increased. UN officials have accused American forces of failing to protect their headquarters. ‘We had hoped that by now, the coalition forces would have secured the environment for us to be able to carry on … economic reconstruction and institution building,’ said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. ‘That has not happened.’ Most prominent UN officials are now arguing that the attack should be regarded as an urgent wakeup call. In addition, not only UN officials but also many other prominent figures from countries ranging from France to Russia are calling on Washington to stop acting on its own and instead establish solid international cooperation to share the tasks and responsibilities of Iraq’s reconstruction. Meanwhile, there is also considerable American support for the idea of the US cooperating with the UN Security Council. Sources in Washington say that Secretary of State Colin Powell recently offered his suggestions on this issue to President Bush. However, the question is whether the Bush administration really wants to establish full cooperation with the UN. Will Bush agree to transfer the responsibility to establish peace and stability in the region to the UN? For the time being, the answer seems to be ‘no.’ It’s unclear when Washington will change its unilateral, overconfident and arrogant policy in Iraq. All we know is that the faster the international opposition grows, the sooner might the Bush administration see the error of its ways. That’s why the UN should by no means give up, and should, on the contrary, assume a military and political role in Iraq in addition to its humanitarian mission. The international community must do its utmost to persuade Washington on this issue. Finally, our country should have some words to say to the Bush administration. Under these circumstances, Turkey can play an important role in persuading the US not to act alone.” [15] CYPRUS CONFUSION AND THE EU[16] BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI (STAR)Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli comments on Turkey’s Customs Union agreement with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) stance on both Cyprus and the European Union. A summary of her column is as follows:“The Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) missteps on the Cyprus issue began even before Recep Tayyip Erdogan rose to the prime ministry. At one point Erdogan held up the ‘Belgian Model’ as a possible solution, but quickly dropped this in the face of objections from Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas. This retreat in the early days of his political power shadowed the future AKP steps on the Cyprus issue. Both Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Erdogan have chosen to issue ambiguous statements on the issue, avoiding saying anything which could be binding. However, this careful stance wasn’t reflected in state policy, and when the government signed the Customs Union agreement with the TRNC it took the European Union very much by surprise. The Europeans’ surprise about this agreement is very natural, since it completely contradicts the AKP’s policy towards the EU. Since 1996, Turkey’s customs have been united with the EU. The Turkish-European Union Customs Union agreement not only entails the duty-free flow of goods across borders, but also obligates Turkey to abide by EU rules concerning trade agreements with third countries. However, the EU doesn’t recognize the TRNC. Thus, by signing this agreement, Turkey violated its Customs Union with the EU. Why did Ankara sign the pact with the TRNC? There are two possibilities, the first concerning a lack of information. As Erdogan’s blunder and subsequent retreat show, the AKP might not have understood the Cyprus issue at all. The second possibility is far more dire: sometimes foreign policy moves are meant to advance the ‘secret agenda’ of governments; that is, though the AKP has made its relations with the EU a top priority and constantly publicly reiterates this, actually it doesn’t want membership at all. I hope this step taken by the AKP in such a period has a better reason, one beyond my knowing.” 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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