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Turkish Press Review, 07-10-30
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
30.10.2007
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS
CONTENTS
[01] TURKEY MARKS 84TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE REPUBLIC
[02] ERDOGAN VISITS WOUNDED SOLDIERS, VETERANS
[03] AMBASSADOR IN WASHINGTON SENSOY: “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”
[04] SYRIA, IRAN BACK TURKEY’S FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
[05] AFGHAN GEN. DOSTUM: “WE ARE ON TURKEY’S SIDE IN ITS STRUGGLE AGAINST TERRORISM”
[06] TUSIAD DELEGATION VISITING EUROPE
[07] ANTALYA GOLDEN ORANGE FILM FESTIVAL ENDS
[08] ATATURK, PEACE AND THE REPUBLIC
[01] TURKEY MARKS 84TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE REPUBLIC
The 84th anniversary of the Turkish Republic was celebrated yesterday
throughout the country. Following the traditional visit of top Turkish
officials to Anitkabir, Ataturk’s mausoleum, they witnessed a parade in
Ankara. Later President Abdullah Gul hosted a reception for high-level
state officials, military force commanders, political party leaders,
Cabinet ministers, foreign mission chiefs and representatives of religious
minorities in Turkey, as well as other guests. Famous actor Kevin Costner,
currently in Turkey to perform in Istanbul, was also present at the
reception. Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz
Baykal and other fellow deputies were not at the event. In addition,
throngs of people visited Anitkabir to pay their respects to the leader of
the War of Independence and founder of the republic. /All Papers/
[02] ERDOGAN VISITS WOUNDED SOLDIERS, VETERANS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday visited troops and veterans
being treated at Ankara’s Gulhane Military Medical Hospital (GATA),
including soldiers who were injured in a recent terrorist PKK attack in
Hakkari. Erdogan was accompanied by Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, Defense
Minister Vecdi Gonul, Interior Minister Besir Atalay and Health Minister
Recep Akdag. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] AMBASSADOR IN WASHINGTON SENSOY: “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”
In an interview with CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer on Sunday,
Turkey’s Ambassador to Washington Nabi Sensoy corrected Blitzer’s
characterization of a possible Turkish cross-border operation as
“invading northern Iraq.” Sensoy clarified, “I wouldn't like to use
the term ‘invade’ Iraq, because if there is going to be a decision to
intervene militarily in the north of the country, it will have a specific
target and a scope, and the target will be the PKK terrorist organizations
… We are trying to employ and exhaust all the diplomatic possibilities
and peaceful possibilities before we think of the last resort, which is use
… of arms.” Asked why Turkey believes that it can go into northern Iraq
and stop the terrorist PKK, Sensoy said members of the group flee to
northern Iraq after carrying out attacks in Turkey and added, “We have
lost more than 35,000 lives in the last 20 years. Now enough is enough.”
/Aksam/
[04] SYRIA, IRAN BACK TURKEY’S FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
The foreign ministers of Iran and Syria, Manuchehr Mottaki and Velid
Muallim, yesterday lent their support to Turkey’s fight with the
terrorist PKK. Speaking to reporters following their talks in Damascus, the
two top diplomats said that they were making efforts to solve the PKK issue
between Turkey and Iraq. /Turkiye/
[05] AFGHAN GEN. DOSTUM: “WE ARE ON TURKEY’S SIDE IN ITS STRUGGLE
AGAINST TERRORISM”
Gen. Rashid Dostum, deputy commander in chief of the Afghan Military Forces,
yesterday publicly released a letter of condolences for the 12 Turkish
soldiers who lost their lives in a recent terrorist PKK attack. “I
condemn these terrorist attacks and sincerely share the grief and mourning
of these soldiers’ families,” it said. “We support the Turkish
Republic’s and Parliament’s struggle against terrorism and once we ask
God’s forbearance and fortitude for the families of the fallen soldiers.
I declare that Afghanistan is on Turkey’s side and ready to help in its
struggle against terrorism.” /Cumhuriyet/
[06] TUSIAD DELEGATION VISITING EUROPE
A Turkish Industralists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD)
delegation is continuing a tour of Europe to explain recent developments in
Turkey to European Union member states. On its stop in Rome, the delegation
led by Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag, TUSIAD’s chairwoman, met with the head of
the Italian Confederation of Industrialists (CONFINDUSTRIA), Luca Corsero
di Montezemoli. Following the meeting, Yalcindag told reporters that they
had spoken about economic relations between the two countries and possible
new ventures. The delegation was then received by Premier Romano Prodi.
/Turkiye/
[07] ANTALYA GOLDEN ORANGE FILM FESTIVAL ENDS
The 44th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival ended on Sunday at a closing
ceremony in the Mediterranean city’s Cam Piramit Congress & Fair Center.
More than 160 films were shown and 62 films competed during the Golden
Orange Film Festival and the simultaneous Third International Eurasia Film
Festival. The film “Yumurta” (Egg) directed by Semih Kaplanoglu
received five awards, including Best Film. Abdullah Oguz’s “Mutluluk”
(Bliss) also won five awards, including Best Actress and Actor. In addition,
Turkish-German director Fatih Akin, whose film “Yasamýn Kiyisinda”
(The Edge of Heaven) which won the Best Screenplay at the 2007 Cannes Film
Festival, received the Best Director award at the festival. /Turkish Daily
News/
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS
[08] ATATURK, PEACE AND THE REPUBLIC
BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)
Columnist Derya Sazak comments on the 84th anniversary of the Turkish
Republic. A summary of his column is as follows:
“Turkey celebrated the 84th anniversary of the Republic at a time when
Ataturk’s saying, ‘Peace at home, peace in the world,’ is still
important and a cross-border operation against northern Iraq is still being
debated, because the terrorist PKK, which is trying to make the Kurdish
issue into a ‘separatist’ one, started to use its weapons again. The
nation’s feelings of solidarity and sadness due to victims of terrorism
tinged this year’s enthusiasm for the republic. The determination,
reflected in messages yesterday against the risk that the war and invasion
started by the US in Iraq in 2003 would draw Turkey into the Mideast swamp
due to terrorist PKK attacks, showed that everything was ventured.
In spite of Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani’s statement that if
Turkey enters Iraq, this would mean a declaration of war, Ankara showed
everybody that it was ready for anything during celebrations of Republic
Day. Following these developments, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
meeting with US President George W. Bush set for November 5 at the White
House to talk about a comprehensive operation will be vitally important.
Whatever the dimensions of any cross-border operation, Turkey shouldn’t
postpone its ‘peace at home,’ as Ataturk said.
Andrew Mango, our friend from the BBC, writes in his book ‘Ataturk: The
Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey’ that for decades the republic
has been advancing on the road to civilization and created a new nation
without departing from its ‘peaceful’ line. Mango adds that the
Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) was an example for Ataturk " an
example of adventurism which should be avoided. He also writes that CUP
leaders, who demolished the Ottoman Empire by putting it into the World War,
were Balkan guerilla supporters, but Ataturk was a statesman with an
international outlook who was able to win the War of Independence not only
thanks to his ambition and courage, but also his talent for making
realistic calculations. After the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the Republic was
declared but the issue of Mosul (in Iraq, but with traditional ties to
Turkey) was left unsolved. Turkey has been dealing with the Kurdish issue
since 1925. We should be able to protect the republic without departing
from his principle of peace at home, peace in the world. We should reach
our 100th anniversary in peace and prosperity.”
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