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Turkish Press Review, 05-12-30
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
30.12.2005
FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�
CONTENTS
[01] MGK DISCUSSES INTERNAL MIGRATION PROBLEM
[02] ERDOGAN: �IF LIFTED, THE IMMUNITIES OF EVERYONE, NOT ONLY POLITICIANS, SHOULD BE LIFTED�
[03] BAYKAL CALLS ERDOGAN �OPPORTUNISTIC,� SAYS MOST IMPORTANT TRAIT OF POLITICIANS IS RELIABILITY
[04] AGAR CRITICIZES 2006 BUDGET
[05] PARLIAMENT APPROVES LAW FOR FOREIGNERS TO OWN PROPERTY IN TURKEY
[06] TALAT: �I�M READY TO GIVE MARAS�
[07] COURT RELEASES VAN RECTOR ASKIN ON HIS OWN RECOGNIZANCE
[08] LAGENDIJK SAYS CALLS FOR HIS PROSECUTION ARE POLITICAL PROVOCATION
[09] TOBB: �EMPLOYMENT COSTS SHOULD BE REDUCED TO CREATE JOBS FOR 5 MLN UNEMPLOYED�
[10] FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�
[11] NOT TOO LATE FOR THE AKP BY HALUK SAHIN (RADIKAL)
[01] MGK DISCUSSES INTERNAL MIGRATION PROBLEM
During the year�s last gathering of the National Security Council yesterday,
the outcome and impact on the region of Iraq�s Dec. 15 elections, terrorism
and problems created by internal migration were discussed. An official
statement released after the meeting said, �The council did comprehensive
evaluations of the protection of the unitary structure of our state and its
character under the Constitution and also of measures needed in order to
counter separatist and terrorist dangers, and the need for cooperation and
coordination between state institutions was also highlighted.� MGK members
also reviewed measures to resolve socioeconomic problems created by
internal migration. /Star/
[02] ERDOGAN: �IF LIFTED, THE IMMUNITIES OF EVERYONE, NOT ONLY POLITICIANS,
SHOULD BE LIFTED�
Appearing on television this week, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
that if immunities to prosecution are lifted, this should be done for
everyone enjoying this privilege, not only politicians. �Otherwise,
politicians will be in a difficult position,� he said. He stated that
lifting only politicians� immunities would be a step which would harm
politics. Also addressing Turkish Industrialists� and Businessmen�s
Association (TUSIAD) criticisms of the trial of Van Yuzuncu Yil University
Rector Yucel Askin, Erdogan said that justice was for everyone in the
country, not only for certain people. Asked whether he wanted to be
president in the 2007 elections, Erdogan said that this wasn�t under
consideration right now. /Milliyet/
[03] BAYKAL CALLS ERDOGAN �OPPORTUNISTIC,� SAYS MOST IMPORTANT TRAIT OF
POLITICIANS IS RELIABILITY
Speaking to reporters yesterday, opposition Republican People�s Party (CHP)
leader Deniz Baykal criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who
said at this week�s budget debates that he had changed and improved,
calling Erdogan �opportunistic.� Baykal stressed that the most important
trait that politicians should have is reliability. He further criticized
Erdogan�s �aggressive stance� at the debates in Parliament, saying that a
prime minister should foster respect and added that this attitude proved
that Erdogan was losing his popularity. /Milliyet/
[04] AGAR CRITICIZES 2006 BUDGET
Opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday criticized
the 2006 budget passed by Parliament earlier this week. Speaking at a press
conference, Agar said that a budget giving nothing to the people had been
approved. Claiming that situation of low income citizens was getting worse,
the DYP leader stated that they were disappointed. He added that a growth
which raises unemployment had never been seen in any economy before.
/Turkiye/
[05] PARLIAMENT APPROVES LAW FOR FOREIGNERS TO OWN PROPERTY IN TURKEY
Parliament yesterday approved a law to enable foreigners to own property in
Turkey under certain restrictions. Under the law, the land purchased cannot
exceed 2.5 hectares but can be increased to 30 hectares by Cabinet decree.
Foreign foundations, associations, cooperatives, communities and groups are
not allowed to purchase real estate in Turkey. The Cabinet can restrict
purchases of land by foreigners and foreign companies in areas which are
strategically important in term of agriculture, energy, irrigation, or
protected habitats or that possess religious or cultural significance. The
law will be retroactive to this July 25. /Turkiye/
[06] TALAT: �I�M READY TO GIVE MARAS�
Speaking to the Associated Press, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat said that he is ready to give the Maras
area to the Greek Cypriots if the sanctions imposed on the TRNC are
abolished. �I am ready to give Maras in return for abolishing all the
sanctions imposed on the TRNC. I don�t want anything else,� said Talat. He
said that they made the same offer to the Greek Cypriots before but got a
very negative answer. Maras, a suburb of Gazimagusa, was evacuated in 1974.
/Cumhuriyet/
[07] COURT RELEASES VAN RECTOR ASKIN ON HIS OWN RECOGNIZANCE
At his second hearing yesterday, Turkish judges released Van Yuzuncu Yil
University (YYU) Rector Yucel Askin on his own recognizance but will
continue trying him. Askin is being tried on charges of being involved in
fraud in a tender and forming a crime gang, and he was held in detention
until yesterday�s hearing. Askin did not attend Thursday�s hearing. Last
week he was acquitted on separate charges of keeping unlicensed and
unregistered antiquities, but the Van Chief Public Prosecutor�s Office has
said he will appeal the ruling. Rector Askin was hospitalized on Nov. 13
following the suicide of YYU Deputy General Secretary Enver Arpali, who was
staying in the same prison ward as him. His continued incarceration had
attracted nationwide criticism. /The New Anatolian/
[08] LAGENDIJK SAYS CALLS FOR HIS PROSECUTION ARE POLITICAL PROVOCATION
A probe launch by Turkish prosecutors to determine whether he should be
prosecuted for insulting the Turkish military in remarks he made earlier
this month is �no surprise,� according to senior European Union Parliament
member Joost lagendijk, who said the real surprise was that a group of
nationalist lawyers initiated the call last week for his prosecution. He
described the lawyers� attempt as part of a �political provocation.� The
legal move is supported by nationalist circles in Turkey who are against
the country�s EU process and eventually will do nothing but strengthen the
hands of anti-Turkey circles among the European bloc, he said. /Turkish
Daily News/
[09] TOBB: �EMPLOYMENT COSTS SHOULD BE REDUCED TO CREATE JOBS FOR 5 MLN
UNEMPLOYED�
The Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) yesterday
issued a declaration following its meeting led by TOBB head Rifat
Hisarciklioglu, saying that employment costs should be reduced in order to
create jobs for 5 million unemployed. The declaration further stated that
Turkey�s investment incentive system exacerbates regional imbalances and
encourages unproductive private sector investments and so should be
changed. The declaration added that judicial reform should be adopted as
soon as possible and tourism policies revised. The TOBB declaration further
proposed that measures to boost trade should be taken. /Aksam/
[10] FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�
[11] NOT TOO LATE FOR THE AKP BY HALUK SAHIN (RADIKAL)
Columnist Haluk Sahin comments on the ruling Justice and Development Party
(AKP). A summary of his column is as follows:
�Frankly, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is lucky. No matter how
often it makes mistakes, later it gets the chance to gain back the points
which it lost. The latest episode in the crisis of freedom of impression is
an example of this. Everybody can see how grave the situation is. Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul compared the harm from the trial of Orhan Pamuk with
that wreaked by �Midnight Express.� As a person who experienced and
examined that harm, I can say that the huge damage done by that film
against Turkey and the image of Turks was more than the impact of a
hydrogen bomb! So, Turkey is now in that situation again due to certain
people. Now it�s an even worse situation, because before the tracks of
�Midnight Express� were worn off, this bomb was thrown at us. However, it
seems that the AKP government still has a chance to salvage something, of
course if it takes necessary steps without delay. People already said that
certain articles of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) (for example, Articles 288,
301 and 305) weren�t in sync with Turkey�s European Union bid and that they
would cause many headaches when they come into force. But certain people
ignored these warnings and said that when the implementation starts, you�ll
see that this isn�t the case. Then, as soon as they used these articles,
booby traps hidden inside started to go off.
At this point, the AKP�s chance came up. If forging a common view was left
to the natural course of events, this might have taken too much time.
Fortunately, this group of lawyers who are against the EU stepped in. They
showed their aims by filing so many complaints that only the blind couldn�t
see the grave mistakes in these articles. And now, both Erdogan and Gul say
that an amendment might be necessary. Obviously, the government has certain
defects which caused Turkey to suffer such a crisis concerning the issue of
freedom of speech. However, they won�t understand the worst point; they
might blame that group of lawyers and those who�re against the EU in
general. Even European Union-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Commission Co-
chairman Joost Lagendijk protected them by saying that the government
shouldn�t be blamed, because this is a conspiracy of people opposed to the
EU. Leading Western newspapers protected the AKP on this issue as well. The
government might gain points �by foiling the conspiracy of EU enemies.�
It�s not too late. This is what I call luck: Sometimes, those who want to
harm you actually end up helping you.�
ARCHIVE
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