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Turkish Press Review, 05-02-21
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
21.02.2005
ERDOGAN: �TURKEY AND THE US ARE
STRATEGIC ALLIES�
IN TRNC POLLS, TALAT�S PARTY EMERGES
WINNER
DENKTAS: �TURKISH CYPRIOTS ARE NOT A
MINORITY ON THE ISLAND�
BAYKAL CUTS RIBBON ON ALAWITE WORSHIP
CENTER
DYP�S AGAR CALLS FOR EARLY ELECTIONS
BARZANI: �REGARDLESS OF TURKEY, KURDS
HAVE THE RIGHT TO FORM THEIR OWN STATE�
NSC SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW AIDE
TURKISH AMBASSADOR LOGOGLU LAMBASTES
WSJ �SICK MAN� EDITORIAL
IMF�S DEPPLER: �LET EVERYBODY TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THE INCENTIVES SCHEME�
FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM
THE COLUMNS
IMPORTANT MESSAGES FROM ELEKDAG
BY TUFAN TURENC (HURRIYET)
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: �TURKEY AND THE US ARE STRATEGIC
ALLIES�
[02] IN TRNC POLLS, TALAT�S PARTY EMERGES WINNER
[03] DENKTAS: �TURKISH CYPRIOTS ARE NOT A
MINORITY ON THE ISLAND�
[04] GEN. OZKOK TO VISIT EGYPT
[05] BAYKAL CUTS RIBBON ON ALAWITE WORSHIP
CENTER
[06] DYP�S AGAR CALLS FOR EARLY ELECTIONS
[07] BARZANI: �REGARDLESS OF TURKEY, KURDS HAVE
THE RIGHT TO FORM THEIR OWN STATE�
[08] NSC SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW AIDE
[09] TURKISH AMBASSADOR LOGOGLU LAMBASTES WSJ
�SICK MAN� EDITORIAL
[10] IMF�S DEPPLER: �LET EVERYBODY TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THE INCENTIVES SCHEME�
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE
COLUMNS
[12] IMPORTANT MESSAGES FROM ELEKDAG
BY TUFAN TURENC (HURRIYET)
[01] ERDOGAN: �TURKEY AND THE US ARE STRATEGIC
ALLIES�
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the weekend
visited the southeastern province of Gaziantep and held a
banquet for local businessmen there. At the dinner, Erdogan
rebuffed recent media reports alleging troubles in
Turkish-US bilateral relations. �Some members of the foreign
and domestic media are trying to say that Turkey is having
problems with the US,� said Erdogan. �However, this isn�t
the case. Our strategic partnership is here to stay. Ankara
is focused on the content of Washington�s official
statements. As US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
recently stressed, Turkey and the US are strategic
partners.� Erdogan also spoke out on last week�s surprise
resignation of Culture and Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu,
charging that Mumcu had never contributed to the Justice and
Development Party (AKP) government. �In criticizing him, we
should review his record,� said the premier. �Unfortunately,
Mumcu hasn�t made a single positive contribution since being
appointed Cabinet minister, so his resignation is no loss
for us.� /Aksam/
[02] IN TRNC POLLS, TALAT�S PARTY EMERGES WINNER
Some
150,000 Turkish Cypriots yesterday cast their ballots for
new members of the 50-seat Republican Assembly. Prime
Minister Mehmet Ali Talat�s Republican Turkish Party (CTP)
emerged the winner of the elections with 25 deputies in the
Parliament, a seven-seat gain. A new coalition government is
expected to be formed in the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC), officials said. The other parties represented
in the new Parliament, the National Unity Party (UBP) led by
Dervis Eroglu, Serdar Denktas�s Democrat Party (DP) and the
Peace and Democracy Action Party (BDH) headed by Mustafa
Akinci, won 18, six and one seats respectively. Following
the announcement of unofficial results, Talat told reporters
that that the historic elections and their outcome would
play a pivotal role in the future of both the TRNC and the
entire island. Pointing to his party�s success in the polls,
Talat stated that his government would embrace all Turkish
Cypriot citizens and try to forge a nationwide consensus.
/Hurriyet/
[03] DENKTAS: �TURKISH CYPRIOTS ARE NOT A
MINORITY ON THE ISLAND�
Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas
said yesterday that if peace talks on the island resume,
Turkish Cypriots should sit at the negotiating table as a
partner equal to the Greek side. Stressing that Turkish
Cypriots should own their state, freedom and sovereignty,
Denktas said they would continue their efforts for a
settlement. �However, we cannot make concessions from our
sovereignty,� said Denktas. �We have never been a minority
and never will be.� /Turkiye/
[04] GEN. OZKOK TO VISIT EGYPT
Chief
of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok will travel to Cairo today
to pay an official visit at the invitation of Egyptian
Defense Minister Hussein Tantavi. During his two-day stay,
Ozkok is scheduled to meet with his Egyptian counterpart
Hamdi Vehibe and other high-level officials in a bid to
develop bilateral military relations and cooperation. Ozkok,
the first General Staff chief to visit this country in seven
years, is also expected to be received by President Hosni
Mubarak. /Turkiye/
[05] BAYKAL CUTS RIBBON ON ALAWITE WORSHIP
CENTER
Opposition
Republican Peoples� Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal
yesterday opened the largest-yet worship center for Alawites
in Mersin. �Mevlana Rumi, Yunus Emre and Haci Bektasi Veli
encouraged tolerance in Anatolia even while a dark age held
sway over Europe,� added Baykal. /Aksam/
[06] DYP�S AGAR CALLS FOR EARLY ELECTIONS
Opposition
True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar said yesterday that
current conditions call for Turkey to hold elections in the
near future. At a meeting with his party members in Bursa,
Agar said that during his ongoing tour of Anatolia citizens
have shown great interest in him and his party, adding that
with each passing day, the DYP was growing more powerful.
Agar later proceeded to Balikesir. /Turkiye/
[07] BARZANI: �REGARDLESS OF TURKEY, KURDS HAVE
THE RIGHT TO FORM THEIR OWN STATE�
The northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk is Kurdish, claimed
Iraqi Kurdish Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani
yesterday. �Kurds won�t allow Turkey to interfere in their
internal affairs,� added Barzani. �We have the right to form
an independent Kurdish state.� In related news, Iraqi
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) leader Jalal Talabani
said, �No government can be formed without us.� /Star/
[08] NSC SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW AIDE
National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Yigit
Alpogan over the weekend appointed a new deputy chairman to
the NSC�s research branch for the economy, culture, science
and education. Fusun Aslantosun was appointed to the new
post. /Milliyet//
[09] TURKISH AMBASSADOR LOGOGLU LAMBASTES WSJ
�SICK MAN� EDITORIAL
Turkish Ambassador to Washington Faruk Logoglu over the
weekend sent a letter to The Wall Street Journal lambasting
last week�s controversial editorial by editor Robert L.
Pollock, a piece whose claim that anti-Americanism in the
Turkish media exceeds even that of the Arab world led to a
transatlantic firestorm. In his letter, Logoglu cited Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan�s efforts both to improve
bilateral relations and make the Turkish public appreciate
this. Logoglu denounced Pollock�s editorial, which revived
the old �sick man of Europe� slur, saying that it entirely
ignored the richness of the longtime Turkish-US friendship.
He also expressed his dissatisfaction with the financial
daily�s view of bilateral relations. /Cumhuriyet/
[10] IMF�S DEPPLER: �LET EVERYBODY TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THE INCENTIVES SCHEME�
International Monetary Fund European Department Director
Michael Deppler over the weekend delivered a speech at a
panel held by the Turkish-American Scientists and Scholars
Association (TASSA) at George Washington University in the
US capital. �The progress of Turkey�s economy program
depends on the government�s successful policies,� said
Deppler. �Although the reform process has recently been
accelerated by the country�s EU membership bid, there are
still a great many reforms left to do.� Stating that
equality of opportunity is very important for Turkey�s
incentives program, Deppler stressed that everybody should
be allowed to take advantage of these incentives. /Sabah/
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE
COLUMNS
[12] IMPORTANT MESSAGES FROM ELEKDAG
BY TUFAN TURENC (HURRIYET)
Columnist Tufan Turenc comments on the Iraq issue. A
summary of his column is as follows:
�I know that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his
staff will ignore the suggestions given by Sukru Elekdag,
the experienced diplomat who once served as Turkey�s
ambassador to Washington. However, the Turkish public should
hear his vitally important suggestions. Elekdag recently
said, �The elections in Kirkuk had many defects.� He charged
that the polls were held without oversight, ignored census
results, and that 20% of the nation didn�t vote. He added
that such an election couldn�t be considered valid, but that
unfortunately the world had accepted it. Stating that the
elections in the northern city of Kirkuk and the province of
al-Tamim were held under particularly bad conditions,
Elekdag said Turkey should press on this issue. As you may
know, the last one-and-a-half years have seen efforts to
settle Kurdish immigrants in Kirkuk. Things are so out of
joint that even the Americans, who at first took no notice
of this, are concerned and warned that such efforts were
illegal. However, when Kurds threatened that they would
boycott the elections, the US fell silent.
In the elections in northern Iraq, Kurds won 59% of the
votes while the Turkmen got 16%. Ankara mildly criticized
the situation but then was obliged to accept the situation.
So, what should Turkey do now? �Firstly, we should request
that the UN send a delegation to the region to investigate
if the elections were legal or illegal,� said Elekdag.
Secondly, we should request the cancellation of the election
results and the implementation of a census, if it�s
determined that the region�s population structure was
altered. The Kurds and Shiites might not accept this. This
way we can send the message that Turkey is following the
situations and is not mere onlooker to developments.
Thirdly, Arabs who say that Kirkuk is Arab land should get
involved. For Elekdag, there are two dangers awaiting Iraq:
firstly, that the Shiite-Kurdish alliance will strengthen
increase the Sunni opposition, leading to a civil war.
Secondly, Iraq could become a headquarters for al-Qaeda. The
following should be done to prevent this: the US should get
the UN involved in Iraq, withdraw its forces in accordance
with a timetable and include the forces of Islamic countries
which don�t border Iraq. Elekdag shows that Iraq will become
a hot potato for the entire world.�
ARCHIVE
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