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Turkish Press Review, 07-03-09
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
09.03.2007
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN DEDICATES MASS HOUSING IN NEVSEHIR, URGUP
[02] TURKEY TO TAKE COMMAND OF 3 UN PEACEKEEPING FORCES
[03] ANTI-TERROR ENVOY BASER MEETS WITH US' RALSTON
[04] ISTANBUL TO HOST MEETING ON IRAQ
[05] EU COMMISSIONER REHN PRAISES THE TSK'S CAPABILITIES AND PROFESSIONALISM
[06] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER CALLS GUL'S UPCOMING ATHENS VISIT "HISTORIC"
[07] AZERBAIJAN HOSTS TURKISH DIASPORA MEETING
[08] EU COMMISSION'S WALLSTROM ADDRESSES PANEL IN ISTANBUL
[09] TUSIAD DELEGATION VISITS ARINC
[10] WOMEN'S MEETING AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
[01] ERDOGAN DEDICATES MASS HOUSING IN NEVSEHIR, URGUP
Premier Erdogan yesterday visited the central Anatolian city of Nevsehir to
attend the grand opening of mass housing built by the Turkish Housing
Development Administration (TOKI). Addressing crowds, Erdogan said Turkey
is moving into a brighter future step by step. Touting his government's
achievements during its rule, Erdogan called on people not to pay any heed
to anti-modern mentalities, adding that he doesn't believe they will
retreat from democracy, stability and reform. After attending a panel
entitled, "Women in Our Society" at the Cappadocia Culture and Art Center,
the premier also visited Urgup, and then returned to Ankara. /Hurriyet-
Turkiye/
[02] TURKEY TO TAKE COMMAND OF 3 UN PEACEKEEPING FORCES
Turkish troops are expected to take over command of three international
peacekeeping forces in the coming months. First the Kabul Regional
Commandership in Afghanistan will be handed over to Turkish command nest
month. Then in May, Turkish troops will take over the Kosovo South Mission
Force Commandership for 12 months. In addition to these two important posts,
the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is expected to succeed Germany in commanding
the UN Marine Fleet deployed in Lebanon. /Turkiye/
[03] ANTI-TERROR ENVOY BASER MEETS WITH US' RALSTON
US Special anti-terror Envoy Joseph Ralston, in Turkey for a brief visit,
yesterday met in Istanbul with his Turkish counterpart Edip Baser to
discuss the fight against terrorism. No statement was made after the
meeting, and Ralston later returned to the US. /Sabah/
[04] ISTANBUL TO HOST MEETING ON IRAQ
Ankara stated yesterday that the idea of organizing a meeting in Istanbul
on Iraq's security has been accepted by the parties involved. Speaking to
reporters, Foreign Ministry spokesman Levent Bilman said that an initial
meeting on Iraq will be held tomorrow in Baghdad, adding that it will be
followed by a gathering of foreign ministers in Cairo. Turkey's special
representative to Iraq Oguz Celikkol is expected to attend the technical
meeting. Stressing that the Istanbul meeting would be the third held within
this framework, Bilman said its exact date has not been set yet. However,
he said that the United Nations' five permanent Security Council members
and the G8 nations might participate. /The New Anatolian/
[05] EU COMMISSIONER REHN PRAISES THE TSK'S CAPABILITIES AND
PROFESSIONALISM
Speaking to journalists in Brussels yesterday, EU Commissioner for
Enlargement Olli Rehn praised the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), saying that
he respected the capabilities and professionalism of the Turkish army,
whose mission is to protect the country and participate in peacekeeping
operations. Asked if the TSK night seek to influence May's presidential
election, Rehn said that he saw no reason for such interference.
/Cumhuriyet/
[06] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER CALLS GUL'S UPCOMING ATHENS VISIT "HISTORIC"
Appearing on television yesterday, Greek Defense Minister Evangelos
Meymarakis said that Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's visit to Athens
scheduled for March 28-29 would be "historic." He further stated that the
visit would be no ordinary one. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] AZERBAIJAN HOSTS TURKISH DIASPORA MEETING
The First World Azerbaijan and Turkish Diaspora Groups Officials Forum will
be held in Baku, Azerbaijan today. Set to attend the gathering hosted by
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
State Minister Mehmet Aydin and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
President Mehmet Ali Talat. In addition, 450 other Turkish world
representatives from countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, Russia,
and Iraq are also invited to the meeting. The talks are expected to focus
on developing strategic cooperation between Turkic-speaking communities and
countries, and ways of promoting Turkish history and culture. Efforts
against the Armenian allegations, the Karabakh and Cyprus issues, and the
situation of Iraqi Turkmen will also be taken up at the meeting. A final
declaration is expected to be released at the end of the gathering.
/Turkiye-Cumhuriyet/
[08] EU COMMISSION'S WALLSTROM ADDRESSES PANEL IN ISTANBUL
European Commission Vice President Margot Wallstroem yesterday attended a
panel in Istanbul held to mark March 8, International Women's Day.
Addressing the gathering, Wallstrom said that Turkish Republic founder
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk considered women's freedom and equality preconditions
for sweeping social change. She stressed that she hoped Turkish women would
participate more in elections, adding that she favors a quota system.
/Milliyet/
[09] TUSIAD DELEGATION VISITS ARINC
A delegation from the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association
(TUSIAD) led by the group's Chair Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag yesterday visited
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc. During the meeting, asked if Arinc would
run for president this May, Yalcindag declined to comment. For his part,
Arinc said that the issue seems to have staying power, adding that he
values TUSIAD's input. He further stressed that the TUSIAD delegation
thought that the presidential election should be harmonious one. /Milliyet/
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[10] WOMEN'S MEETING AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on a meeting she attended in Brussels about
women. A summary of her column is as follows:
"Today, Nawal al-Saadawi has to go on the road, in spite of the tiredness
of her age, as she is more than 70. Al-Saadawi, an Egyptian feminist, human
rights activist, former parliamentarian, socialist and famous woman of
letters, was declared �sinful' by al-Azhar University due to her latest
book. The �intellectual elite' want her to be punished severely, and al-
Saadawi says that this means death. We attended the meeting organized by
the European Parliament's Socialist Group, the Turkish Industrialists' and
Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) and the Association of Women
Entrepreneurs in Turkey (KAGIDER) at the EP in Brussels, and there we
discussed steps taken by the Turkish women on the path to Europe. Then we
listened to al-Saadawi during the meeting of European socialist women. She
said that her grandmother told her that Allah meant justice, love and
freedom, and that then she wrote a play. In the play, there were two gods;
one was her grandmother's god, and the other was the god of ideologies. She
said that she criticized dogmas in her play, and the target of these dogmas
was women. Al-Saadawi said that they want to use her book in order to
justify their injustices. She added that she would leave her country and
surrender if she were sure that the court would be fair. However, she said
that she knows that this won't be the case, because it would be a trial
against creative thinking. She also said that an international court should
be convened at the EP so she could be tried by independent judges, authors
and scholars. Al-Saadawi wants support and help against dogmatism and
intolerance and for creativity. She also said that no matter where she is,
if the decision is taken, they might kidnap her and bring her to the court.
The EP's Socialist Group will bring the issue to European Commission
Chairman Jose Manuel Barroso, and the EP will call on the Egyptian
government to stop the pressure on al-Saadawi. We should give her Turkey's
support in the name of freedom of thought, belief and solidarity between
women.
The EP celebrated International Women's Day with the slogan of �Catching
Equality: 50_50' 50 years after the Treaty of Rome. Among these
celebrations, Turkish women also told about their struggle for equality.
The second such meeting held at the EP this year became more interesting
with the participation of Vladimir Spidla, the European Commission's
employment and social affairs commissioner. Emine Bozkurt, the Dutch
Socialist parliamentarian and Parliament rapporteur on the situation of
women in Turkey, described the improvement in women rights in Turkey as a
good example of the effective, determined cooperation between Turkey and
the European Union. Talking about the situation of women in Turkey were
Nukhet Hotar Goksel from our ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP),
TUSIAD Gender Equality Committee Chairman Feryal Menemenli, KAGIDER's
Gulseren Onanc, Nebahat Akkoc from the Women's Center (KA-MER), Meltem
Akkoc, a UN official responsible for the project on women's participation
in education and social life in Turkey, and Selma Acuner from Ankara
University's Women Studies Research Center and a European Women's Lobby
Executive Board member. Particularly things done by the government and non-
governmental groups in Turkey for education and against domestic violence
and campaigns for this were in a better situation than in many European
countries. Don't think that they don't need it, because European
parliamentarians and representatives of women's movement said that domestic
violence is rising anew in Europe and are seeking legal measures against it
on both the national and European Union levels and drew Barroso's attention
to the issue."
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