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Turkish Press Review, 06-03-30
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
30.03.2006
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN GOES TO SAUDI ARABIA FROM SUDAN
[02] ARINC TRAVELS TO FINLAND FOR OFFICIAL VISIT
[03] FOREIGN MINISTRY WORKING TO CLOSE ROJ-TV
[04] INTERIOR MINISTER CONDEMNS INCIDENTS IN DIYARBAKIR
[05] DYP LEADER AGAR: �TURKEY CAN PROTECT ITS INTEGRITY�
[06] PACE: �TURKEY AND THE US ARE CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT ALLIES FOR EACH OTHER�
[07] US ASSISTANT SEC�Y OF STATE BRYZA: �WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF WEAKENING MONTREAUX�
[08] KRETSCHMER: �THE TURKISH NATION BEING MUSLIM ISN�T AN OBSTACLE TO TURKEY�S EU MEMBERSHIP�
[09] ARMENIAN FM: �WE HOPE TURKEY OPENS ITS BORDER DURING ITS EU PROCESS�
[10] IMF DELEGATION TO ARRIVE IN TURKEY FOR BUDGETARY ISSUES
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[12] DEMOCRACY ISN�T EASY BY TURKER ALKAN (RADIKAL)
[01] ERDOGAN GOES TO SAUDI ARABIA FROM SUDAN
Ending his official visit to Sudan, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
yesterday proceeded to Saudi Arabia. Erdogan is accompanied on his visit by
State Ministers Besir Atalay and Mehmet Aydin. Erdogan and his delegation
were welcomed by officials from the Turkish Embassy as well as Organization
for the Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary-General Ihsan Ekmeleddin, a
Turkish scholar. During his stay in Saudi Arabia, Erdogan will meet with
Ekmeleddin to discuss a number of issues and hold a joint press conference.
/Turkiye/
[02] ARINC TRAVELS TO FINLAND FOR OFFICIAL VISIT
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday travelled to Finland at the
invitation of his Finnish counterpart Paavo Lipponen to pay an official
visit. Speaking before his departure, Arinc commented on recent incidents
in Diyarbakir around funerals of PKK terrorists, saying that some were
trying to use the funerals to spread terrorist group propaganda. �However,
they failed to do this,� said Arinc. �The events were disappointing, but
now they are under control.� Arinc stated that though not many people
participated in the incidents, great harm was done. He added that those
behind the incidents would be found. /Turkiye/
[03] FOREIGN MINISTRY WORKING TO CLOSE ROJ-TV
Claims that Roj-TV has a role in the recent incidents of Diyarbakir, which
occurred under the pretext of funerals of PKK terrorists, have moved the
Foreign Ministry. Speaking at a weekly press conference, Foreign Ministry
spokesperson Namik Tan said the ministry was working to get the Danish-
based channel shut down. �Evidence that Roj TV promotes, encourages and
directs terrorist activities is being forwarded to the authorities of the
related countries, firstly to Denmark.� said Tan. /Star/
[04] INTERIOR MINISTER CONDEMNS INCIDENTS IN DIYARBAKIR
Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu yesterday said that the incidents in
Diyarbakir occurred due to provocations of Roj-TV by supporters of
terrorism. In a written statement about the incidents, Aksu said, �An
illegal meeting and demonstration march was organized by supporters of the
terrorist PKK by the provocation and inspiration of Roj-TV, the broadcaster
of the separatist organization. The aim of the planners and activists of
this incident is to destroy the unity and integrity of our country. As I
have said many times before, no one can reach their aim by organizing
terrorist activities. Our security forces will expose the planners and
activists, bring them to justice, and impose the appropriate penalties.�
/Star/
[05] DYP LEADER AGAR: �TURKEY CAN PROTECT ITS INTEGRITY�
Opposition True Parth Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday attended his
party�s Fifth Region Meeting in Izmir. Touching on recent incidents of
violence and demonstrations of terrorism supporters, Agar said, �I am
speaking to mindless people who want to divide Turkey. Turkey will protect
the integrity of its 70 million citizens from any threat. This can be in
either Diyarbakir, or Adana, or Mosul [Iraq] if necessary.� Agar expressed
his sorrow over the recent incidents in Diyarbakir and also criticized the
government�s economic policies. /Turkiye/
[06] PACE: �TURKEY AND THE US ARE CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT ALLIES FOR EACH
OTHER�
Addressing the 25th meeting of American-Turkish Council (ATKC) and Turkish-
American Business Council (TAIK) in Washington yesterday, US Joint Chiefs
of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace said that Turkey and the US were two
crucially important allies for each other, adding that Washington was very
pleased to have an ally such as Ankara. He said that he understood the
civilization in Turkey while he was in Istanbul. Stressing that PKK was a
terrorist group, Pace said that this group had killed thousands of soldiers
and citizens over more than three decades, adding that after a stable
government is established in Iraq, Turkish, US, and Iraqi officials could
work together to eliminate the PKK presence from northern Iraq. �This
doesn�t satisfy Turkish officials, but this is the right solution to the
issue,� he said. Pace further stated that Iraq�s territorial integrity was
a shared goal. /Milliyet/
[07] US ASSISTANT SEC�Y OF STATE BRYZA: �WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF WEAKENING
MONTREAUX�
US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matt
Bryza said yesterday, �The US is seeking to strengthen security in the
Black Sea, but has no intention of putting a hole in the Treaty of
Montreaux.� Speaking in Washington at the 25th Annual Conference of the
Turkish American Business Council (TAIK) and American Turkish Council (ATC),
Bryza said, �We need to make clear our aims in the Black Sea. We have no
intention of doing anything to remove or to weaken the Treaty of Montreaux.
And we also don�t want to cause strains with Russia.� /Cumhuriyet/
[08] KRETSCHMER: �THE TURKISH NATION BEING MUSLIM ISN�T AN OBSTACLE TO
TURKEY�S EU MEMBERSHIP�
Speaking at the reopening ceremony of the Mugla Culture House restored by
the Mugla Municipality, European Union Commission Ankara Representation
head Hansjoerg Kretschmer said that Turkey was protecting its cultural
heritage while taking strides into the future. Saying that he was impressed
by the natural beauties in Turkey, Kretschmer commented on Turkey�s
European Union membership bid. �The fact that the Turkish nation is Muslim
isn�t an obstacle to Turkey�s EU membership,� he added. /Aksam/
[09] ARMENIAN FM: �WE HOPE TURKEY OPENS ITS BORDER DURING ITS EU PROCESS�
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said yesterday that Yerevan
supports establishing diplomatic relations with Turkey. �The Turkish-
Armenian border is the only closed border in Europe,� he added. �We don�t
have any preconditions for opening the border. We hope Turkey will have to
open its border to Armenia during the European Union process.� Touching on
the so-called Armenian genocide, Oskanian said, �Prime Minister [Recep
Tayyip] Erdogan�s proposal was to say to Europe, �We�re following the
issue.� There�s no need to research the issue again.� /Milliyet/
[10] IMF DELEGATION TO ARRIVE IN TURKEY FOR BUDGETARY ISSUES
A delegation from the International Monetary Fund is due to arrive in
Ankara tomorrow to discuss budgetary issues. The delegation is expected to
meet with Turkish officials to discuss recent economic developments in
Turkey, including budgetary expenditures. The IMF may be concerned about
the government�s tax cut on textile products as well as its raise for civil
servants since it considers these a deviation from fiscal discipline.
/Sabah/
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[12] DEMOCRACY ISN�T EASY BY TURKER ALKAN (RADIKAL)
Columnist Turker Alkan comments on the concepts of secularism, democracy
and Islamic law. A summary of his column is as follows:
�Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the Arab world to adopt
democracy, human rights, the rule of law, gender equality and pluralism.
Although most of the Arab leaders at the meeting were silent, I think they
were laughing silently. It�s easy to say these words, but how can they be
achieved? Is democracy possible without secularism? Is there a theocracy
which is administered with democracy anywhere in the world? Can you say
that holy scripture is our constitution and then establish a democratic
administration? Islamic law and democracy can�t exist together. If Erdogan
and the US are to suggest democracy to Arabs, they should have started by
proposing secularism. Proposing democracy without setting secularism as its
first condition can�t be serious. The same holds for gender equality. How
can you ensure gender equality while continuing the traditional concept of
religion? If a man can marry four women, if it�s religiously permissible to
beat his wife, if a woman can get inheritance that�s half of her husband�s
and if women�s testimony doesn�t count as much as men�s, how can you ensure
gender equality? How can you break the patriarchy which has been continuing
for thousands of years? The answer to this question is very simple and
clear: by bringing a secular legal order, just like Turkey did many years
ago, and just like Erdogan objected to for so long!
We love giving lessons on democracy and women�s rights to Arabs. Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul made similar speeches during last year�s Organization
for the Islamic Conference (OIC) summit as well, of course without
mentioning secularism. Of course, democracy is possible without secularism,
just like in Iran. The latest operation of the Iraqi president reminds us
of our own Sept. 12, 1980 military coup. Moderate professors are fired and
put in jail, women are forbidden to work after six o�clock in the evening,
Western music and films are banned� This is democracy based on Islamic law.
Recently, we marked the anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli. Reporters
with strong religious tendencies issued publications and talked about the
Anzacs, the British and the poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy. However, they didn�t
mention Mustafa Kemal Ataturk�s name even once. Their enmity comes from the
fact that he brought secularism to this country. However, if that
secularism hadn�t existed, today�s democracy wouldn�t have existed either,
and Erdogan and Gul couldn�t have given lessons on democracy in Arab and
Islamic countries. I�m not saying that the democracy can never exist in the
Islamic world or in Arab countries. As Erdogan says, this can happen. The
entire issue is about spreading a pluralist structure and a secular concept
in these countries. However, this won�t happen easily. We know this because
we tried it and continue to try.�
ARCHIVE
The news and articles issued in the Turkish Press Review
may be quoted from provided due acknowledgement is made.
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