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Turkish Press Review, 04-05-18
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
18.05.2004
FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS
CONTENTS
[01] UK PRIME MINISTER BLAIR VISITS ANKARA
[02] FOREIGN MINISTRY EXPRESS TURKEY�S CONCERN OVER MIDDLE EAST
[03] US� RICE: �SINCE TURKEY IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN ITS REGION, IT SHOULD JOIN THE EU�
[04] SCHEFFER: �WE�LL PRESENT A NEW NATO IN ISTANBUL�
[05] WB�S VORKINK: �NO NEED FOR CONCERN OVER RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TURKISH ECONOMY�
[06] US HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT PRAISES TURKEY�S REFORMS
[07] NEW COUNCIL FOUNDED TO MONITOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS
[08] TRNC DEPUTY CEVIKEL RESIGNS FROM PARTY
[09] FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS
[10] TOWARDS DIVISION BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[01] UK PRIME MINISTER BLAIR VISITS ANKARA
British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday paid a six-hour visit to
Ankara. Blair was first received by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, and then
met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During their meeting,
Blair reportedly lent Britain�s support for Turkey�s European Union
membership bid. Praising Ankara�s reforms for EU harmonization, the British
premier said that Turkey was a European country. After the summit, speaking
at a press conference, Erdogan said that a joint action plan had been
signed proposing cooperation between Ankara and London for Turkey�s EU
membership as well as steps both economic and political by Britain to end
the isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Erdogan
added that another agreement had been signed on cooperation in the fight
against terrorism. For his part, Blair said that Turkey and Britain had a
long history of relations and would do their best to strengthen bilateral
ties. Reiterating British support for Ankara�s EU bid, Blair said that
Turkey�s membership would serve the interests of both Turkey and Europe
itself. He added that the Turkish side had taken a very positive stance
during efforts to find a settlement on Cyprus and that his country would
try to end the TRNC�s international isolation. Answering reporters�
questions on Iraq, Blair said that yesterday�s assassination of Izzedin
Salim (Osman Muhammed), the Iraqi Governing Council head, was a reason for
coalition forces �staying the course� and not �cutting and running,� adding,
�We will continue until the job is done.� Commenting on the Iraq issue,
Erdogan said that right now the situation in Iraq was not good, but that he
hoped the coalition forces would soon take necessary steps to better the
situation. �Turkey didn�t send troops to Iraq because the Iraqis didn�t
want their deployment,� stated Erdogan. �However, we have been sending
humanitarian aid to the country and we will continue to do so.� After
attending a banquet hosted by Erdogan in his honor, the British premier
left Ankara. /Hurriyet/
[02] FOREIGN MINISTRY EXPRESS TURKEY�S CONCERN OVER MIDDLE EAST
A Foreign Ministry statement issued yesterday said that Ankara was
following developments in the Middle East with great concern and urged the
sides to return to the negotiating table to resume efforts for peace.
Concerning Israel�s recent crackdown in Gaza refugee camps, the statement
expressed Ankara�s alarm and regret due to the loss of lives and
destruction of Palestinians� homes during the operations. However, the
statement said that there had been no change in Ankara�s policy towards
Israel. /Turkiye/
[03] US� RICE: �SINCE TURKEY IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN ITS REGION, IT
SHOULD JOIN THE EU�
Appearing on German television yesterday, US National Security Advisor
Condoleezza Rice said that Turkey was a good answer to those wondering
whether or not Muslims want democracy. She stated that Turkey could
constitute a bridge between the Islamic world and democracy, adding that
this was a good message for Ankara�s European Union membership bid. �Since
Turkey is an important power in its region, it should join the EU,� she
said. Rice added that Afghanistan, Iraq and other issues would be discussed
at next month�s NATO summit in Istanbul. /Turkiye/
[04] SCHEFFER: �WE�LL PRESENT A NEW NATO IN ISTANBUL�
A new NATO will be reflected at next month�s summit in Istanbul, said NATO
Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer yesterday at a conference in
Brussels organized by non-governmental organization (NGO) the New Defense
Agenda. Stressing the Istanbul summit�s importance in NATO�s development,
Scheffer said that security and stability take priority and would be
discussed at the summit. Stating that cooperation between countries in the
Balkans, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Mediterranean would be dealt
with, Scheffer said that the situation in Afghanistan would also take
priority, as it is important for global security, adding that he would like
to announce further steps for the country during the summit. Scheffer also
said that cooperation with non-NATO members would be strengthened at the
meeting and stressed the importance of Russian-NATO relations for the
security of Europe. Emphasizing that Russian President Vladimir Putin is
also expected to attend the Istanbul summit, Scheffer said that the NATO
peacekeeping forces in Bosnia would be officially handed over to the
European Union. �In Istanbul, we�ll present a new NATO, one which will
bring security wherever it�s needed,� said Scheffer. /Turkiye/
[05] WB�S VORKINK: �NO NEED FOR CONCERN OVER RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE
TURKISH ECONOMY�
Recent developments in the Turkish economy have not raised any alarm bells,
World Bank Director Andrew Vorkink said yesterday, adding that trends
affecting its currency and interest rates were coming from abroad. �Those
developments are occurring as the result of expectations that the US
Federal Reserve will raise interest rates,� said Vorkink. He stressed that
the Turkish lira was expected to stand at approximately at 1,600,000 to the
US dollar for the year. Touching on WB assistance to Turkey and initiatives
Ankara is to take over three years under the Country Assistance Strategy
(CAS), Vorkink said that the Turkish government had met the WB�s criteria
for the CAS. Vorkink further stated that the first year of this CAS program
would be completed next month. �By the end of 2004, the WB will have
extended financial assistance of more than $1.5 billion to Turkey within
the framework of CAS,� said Vorkink. Also touching on Turkey�s relations
with the International Monetary Fund, Vorkink said that Ankara had
signalled that it would put into practice a program with the IMF next year
after the completion of its current standby agreement. /Milliyet/
[06] US HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT PRAISES TURKEY�S REFORMS
In its 2003-2004 Human Rights Report released yesterday, the US State
Department praised Turkey�s rising respect for human rights and reforms
passed towards this end. The report stressed that though there were still
some deficiencies in implementation, Ankara had pledged to complete these
reforms by the end of this year. /Turkiye/
[07] NEW COUNCIL FOUNDED TO MONITOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS
An Economic Coordination Council headed by Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif
Sener has been founded to monitor economic developments more closely, the
government announced yesterday. Also serving on the council will be Finance
Minister Kemal Unakitan, Industry and Trade Minister Ali Coskun, and State
Ministers for the Economy Ali Babacan and Kursat Tuzmen. /Milliyet/
[08] TRNC DEPUTY CEVIKEL RESIGNS FROM PARTY
Nuri Cevikel, a deputy from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus�s
(TRNC) Republican Turkish Party (CTP), yesterday resigned from his party.
With Cevikel�s resignation, the number of CTP deputies in Parliament fell
to 18. The CTP is the senior government coalition partner. /Aksam/
[09] FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS
[10] TOWARDS DIVISION BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen comments on the possibility of Cyprus� permanent
division. A summary of his column is as follows:
�This week the headline of a column by Lucas Haralambos published in Greek
Cypriot daily the Cyprus Mail said, �History will judge those causing
division.� In his column blaming Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos,
who pushed his countrymen to reject the UN plan in last month�s referendums
on Cyprus, and Communist AKEL leader Dimitris Hristofyas, who supported
Papadopoulos, Haralambos wrote, �They both killed the opportunity for a
solution on Cyprus and brought division closer with their irresponsible,
erratic behavior. In the near future, Papadopoulos and Hristofyas will both
shed tears on the ruins of their irresponsibility.� The leading article of
the same daily also wrote that the Papadopoulos had lost the international
community�s support. These articles highlight the possibility of Cyprus�
permanent division in the wake of the referendums. The Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Ankara have prioritized ending the isolation and
various restrictions on Turkish Cypriots. Both the European Union and the
US have already started to take steps towards these goals. Although the
international community hasn�t yet officially recognized the TRNC, it
accepts its existence de facto. Lifting the economic embargo in particular
will relieve Turkish Cypriots and ensure their integration with the world.
Finally Turkish Cypriots who accepted the UN plan in referendums will be
able to say, �Unification isn�t so important. We can go on our own way.�
Some are saying this already.
Papadopoulos� opponents see this and so we are harshly blaming him and his
administration. So what�s Papadopoulos� strategy? He expects that when the
animus against his administration ends, the EU will start a new process of
negotiation. Is this possible? The leading article in the Cyprus Mail
dismisses this as �wishful thinking.� It really is. The Turkish side,
including Ankara, says that negotiating UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan�s
plan again or even changing it in favor of the Greek Cypriots is out of the
question. Papadopoulos� game with time, that is, his notion that sooner or
later the EU will intervene, won�t change the situation. On the contrary,
the elapsed time will harden the fact of two states on the island. In this
case, if unification happens one day, it will happen in accordance with
this new fact.�
TO OUR READERS
In observance of the May 19 Commemoration of Ataturk, Youth and Sports Day
holiday, the Turkish Press review will not appear tomorrow. Please join us
again on Thursday.
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