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Turkish Press Review, 07-10-15Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning15.10.2007CONTENTS
[01] CABINET SET TO SIGN MOTION FOR CROSS-BORDER OPERATION INTO N.IRAQA motion to give authorization for a cross-border operation into northern Iraq will be opened for signature at today’s Cabinet meeting. Parliament’s weekly meeting will focus on the second round of voting on changes to the Oct. 21 constitutional referendum and the motion for a cross- border operation. The motion is expected to be submitted to Parliament today or tomorrow at the latest. /Hurriyet/[02] ERDOGAN TO VISIT IZMIRPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by six Cabinet ministers, will travel to Izmir today to attend the opening of a symposium on healthcare issues. Erdogan will leave Izmir after hosting a dinner for delegates from the Bureau of International Exhibitions (BIE), who are in Izmir to participate in the symposium and deliver speeches. Izmir is currently vying to host the BIE’s Expo 2015. /Turkiye/[03] CHIEF OF STAFF BUYUKANIT WARNS RESOLUTION COULD DO LASTING DAMAGE TO TURKISH-US TIESTurkey's top general yesterday warned that military ties with the US will be irreversibly damaged if the House of Representative passes the Armenian resolution. Chief of Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit said that a key congressional committee's approval of the measure last week had already strained ties between the two countries, adding that Turkey’s military ties with the US will never be the same. _Sabah[04] TURKISH ARMENIAN PATRIARCH: “WE OPPOSE THE RESOLUTION BEFORE THE US CONGRESS”Mesrob Mutafyan, the patriarch of Turkish Armenians, yesterday said that the Turkish-Armenian community is opposed to the resolution concerning incidents of 1915 set to be considered by the full US House of Representatives. Speaking to reporters while visiting the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre, Antalya, he said that the resolution was domestic political fodder in the US, adding that the issue is irrelevant to Turkish citizens of Armenian origin. He said they are all opposed to the resolution. /Hurriyet/[05] BUSH ADMINISTRATION TRIES TO SOFTEN BLOW OF ARMENIAN RESOLUTIONWhile Turkey discusses further measures to block passage of the Armenian resolution in the full US House of Representatives, the US is trying to minimize its fallout. In Moscow, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the Bush administration was urging lawmakers to oppose the measure. "First of all, we'll keep working to try to prevent it from winning on the [House] floor... It will be tough," Rice told reporters. "But we are certainly working to try to minimize any concrete steps that the Turkish government might take … restricting the movement of our forces or the like. And I'm hopeful we can prevent that, because I think we and Turkey both understand the importance of the strategic relationship." _Sabah[06] TRNC PRESIDENT TALAT TO VISIT UN’S BAN KI-MOONTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday left for New York to meet with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Before his departure, he told reporters, “Instead of new proposals, I have some ideas to clarify. But in the course of the discussion I can bring up some new ideas.” /Turkiye/[07] EU PROGRESS REPORT SET TO CRITICIZE PROGRESS ON REFORMSThe European Union progress report on Turkey set to be released on Nov. 6 is expected to criticize what the EU sees as a lack of progress on legal reforms to protect the freedoms of religion and expression. It also will repeatedly urge a lowering of the 10 percent election threshold required to secure seats in Parliament. Following the pattern of recent years, the report is also expected to condemn the attacks of the terrorist PKK. _SabahFROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... [08] TURKISH-US TIES NEAR THE BREAKING POINTBY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)Columnist Semih Idiz comments on the passage of the Armenian resolution last week by the US House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee. A summary of his column is as follows: “Last week I had the opportunity to sound out the situation in Washington for three days. Circles close to the administration and Turkey analysts at leading think-thanks told me that the Bush administration was taking Ankara’s warnings over the Armenian resolution very seriously. The way the administration rushed US Defense Undersecretary and former US Ambassador to Ankara Eric Edelmen to visit Ankara, along with Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried, is proof of that. But at this point the Bush administration has become a ‘lame duck.’ Democrats who support the Armenian resolution, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are carrying out a merciless war of attrition against the Bush administration. US experts fault the Bush administration’s failings for the situation. Supporters of the resolution have been attacking the administration’s argument that US interests could be damaged. They claim that Turkey is bluffing, adding that Ankara, well aware of the importance of its ties with the US, won’t shoot itself in the foot. Armenia is also pressing ahead with its lobbying efforts. Armenian Premier Serzh Sargsyan is planning to travel to Washington on Wednesday. According to Washington insiders, Sargsyan has two goals: First, he reportedly wants to counter the Bush administration’s argument that if Congress passes the resolution, an improving dialogue between Turkey and Armenia would suffer a setback. He will reportedly say that brief contacts at certain international platforms do not constitute dialogue. Secondly, he will argue that Turkey’s claim that its stance on the events in 1915 is more sincere is ‘artificial.’ Following the murder early this year of Hrant Dink, which ended up benefiting the Armenian lobby, the suspended jail sentence handed down last week to his son Arat Dink �" just as the committee was considering the resolution �" also helped those who support the resolution. Pointing to this case as well as our controversial Article 301, Sargsyan is expected to claim that Ankara’s proposal to establish an impartial commission of historians is disingenuous. In summary, Ankara has to prove that it’s not bluffing. Otherwise, steps which don’t really hurt the US will obviously be used by the Armenian lobby. Anyway, in this atmosphere, recent efforts by the US State Department’s Nicholas Burns to revive strategic ties seem dead. On the contrary, ties between the two countries are growing more frayed and nearing the breaking point. We’ll see whether this will be bad or good for the two countries.” Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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