|
|
Turkish Press Review, 07-08-13
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
13.08.2007
CONTENTS
[01] AKP TO DECIDE ON PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TODAY
[02] ERCIYES HOSTS MHP’S 18TH VICTORY CONVENTION
[03] PORTUGAL: “ TURKEY ’S EU TALKS WILL CONTINUE”
[04] PKK MINE IN SIIRT INJURES 13
[05] ITO HEAD: “FOR THE SAKE OF ECONOMIC STABILITY, LET’S AVOID CONTROVERSY OVER NEW PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION”
[06] JOURNALIST TO SEEK HELM OF NEW DEMOCRAT PARTY
[07] TUZMEN ANNOUNCES CUT IN CUSTOMS DUTIES AMONG TURKEY , IRAN AND PAKISTAN
[08] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[09] THE IRAQ PROBLEM ISN’T CONFINED TO THE PKK
[01] AKP TO DECIDE ON PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TODAY
Turkey’s likely next president is expected to be emerge from meetings
today of the Cabinet and the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP)
Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK). The AKP’s presidential
candidate will be announced tomorrow or Wednesday. Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul is seen the frontrunner, while Besir Atalay, Murat Basesgioglu
and Vecdi Gonul are other possibilities. Gul’s candidacy this spring was
rejected by the opposition parties, leading to early general elections and
a stronger mandate for the ruling AKP. The first round of the presidential
election will be held next Monday. In addition, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, who was appointed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer to form a new
government, will continue working this week to draw up a list of new
Cabinet ministers. /Turkiye/
[02] ERCIYES HOSTS MHP’S 18TH VICTORY CONVENTION
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) held its 18th Victory Convention in
Mt. Erciyes in Kayseri over the weekend with the attendance of thousands
supporters. Speaking at the gathering, MHP leaders said that Turkish
nationalists would continue to serve the country under the party’s roof.
MHP leader Devlet Bahceli was unable to attend the convention due to
scheduling conflicts. /Milliyet/
[03] PORTUGAL: “ TURKEY ’S EU TALKS WILL CONTINUE”
In the wake of taking over the European Union term presidency from Germany
last month, Portuguese officials said yesterday that Turkey ’s EU
accession talks would continue with good will. Stating that Turkey has
great importance for the future of the bloc, they underlined the
country’s strategic position as well as its role in improving relations
with the Islamic world. /Turkiye/
[04] PKK MINE IN SIIRT INJURES 13
Terrorist PKK militants yesterday detonated a roadside mine in Eruh, Siirt
as a minibus carrying army personnel was passing by, injuring 13. The
injured were sent to Siirt Military Hospital for treatment. Following the
incident, security forces began a crackdown in the region. The terrorists
have killed some 80 soldiers since the beginning of this year, most in
roadside bomb attacks on military vehicles. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] ITO HEAD: “FOR THE SAKE OF ECONOMIC STABILITY, LET’S AVOID
CONTROVERSY OVER NEW PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION”
Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) head Murat Yalcintas said over the
weekend that last month’s general elections had been triggered by
problems with the presidential election in May, and added, “The people
have shown their will here. Now what we have to do is to respect this.
Anyone from inside Parliament or elsewhere has the right to run for
president.” In a statement, Yalcintas said that the people had chosen
stability and that they didn’t want this hard-won stability to be lost,
adding that the Turkish business world didn’t want anything to endanger
economic progress, stall reforms or hurt the nation’s atmosphere. /Sabah/
[06] JOURNALIST TO SEEK HELM OF NEW DEMOCRAT PARTY
Journalist Nevval Sevindi is the first to announce her candidacy to run the
recently formed Democrat Party (DP). Sevindi said over the weekend that in
her candidacy she would emphasize new policies, new faces, and new
aims./Star/
[07] TUZMEN ANNOUNCES CUT IN CUSTOMS DUTIES AMONG TURKEY , IRAN AND
PAKISTAN
State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said over the weekend that under the new
Economic Cooperation Organization Trade Agreement (ECOTA) just ratified by
the Iranian Parliament, customs duties among Turkey , Iran and Pakistan are
set to be cut. Stating that preferential trade among the three countries
will go into effect early next year, he added, “I’m expecting a boom in
Turkey 's trade with Iran and Pakistan .” /Aksam/
[08] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[09] THE IRAQ PROBLEM ISN’T CONFINED TO THE PKK
BY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)
Columnist Semih Idiz comments on recent developments concerning Iraq . A
summary of his column is as follows:
“The Iraq problem is forcing Washington to take steps which it should
have taken some time ago. The latest UN resolution which aims at
strengthening its role in Iraq is an important indicator of this. Another
sign came in the recent remarks Washington ’s Ambassador to the UN Zalmay
Khalilzad made to The Washington Post. Khalilzad said that Washington
supports the resolution and wants to hold a conference of Iraq ’s
neighbors under UN auspices. Turkey is part of that group, which also
includes Saudi Arabia , Iran , Kuwait , Jordan , and Syria . Its inclusion
of Iran and Syria clearly shows the US desperation over Iraq .
Khalilzad’s saying that the US needs regional support to bring the Iraqis
together, because it would be difficult for it to achieve this alone, also
confirms this.
In this context, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s visit to Ankara
last week takes on added importance, because Baghdad is trying to get used
to the possibility of US forces withdrawing from Iraq . Iraqi officials
know that if US forces leave their country they would face their neighbors,
and they should have good relations with these countries. Maliki’s
statements in Ankara were welcome in Washington but bothered the Iraqi
Kurds; on the other hand, the way Maliki’s handshake with Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran disturbed US President George W.
Bush should be seen as part of this larger story.
It’s clear that among Iraq ’s neighbors, the most important countries
in terms of security are Turkey , Iran , and Saudi Arabia . Syria , Jordan ,
and Kuwait have humanitarian importance, because most of the millions of
refugees who fled Iraq found refuge in these countries. These developments
also show that Turkey shouldn’t see the Iraq problem as being confined to
the PKK. If Ankara fails to see the whole picture, this makes it risk being
excluded from the emerging new balances.
But these developments should give pause to the Iraqi Kurds, whose thoughts
about the PKK have started to diverge from Washington ’s. The way the PKK
continues to take shelter in northern Iraq will make it hard for Turkey to
contribute to stability in Iraq . This would in turn make it likelier that
the Kurds, not Turkey , will grow isolated in the region. In fact, the
Iraqi Kurds should know that their stance on the PKK makes things difficult
for the US . So they should understand that they won’t benefit from
antipathy towards Turkey or the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).”
|