Turkish Press Review, 07-06-12

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From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>

12.06.2007

CONTENTS

[01] TOP LEADERS TO HOLD TERROR SUMMIT

[02] SENER: “ANTI-TERROR EFFORTS WILL CONTINUE”

[03] ERDOGAN ATTENDS INVESTMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

[04] NATO’S SCHEFFER ARRIVES IN ANKARA

[05] REHN: “IF SARKOZY BLOCKS TURKEY’S EU BID, HE COULD SPARK A CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS”

[06] FALLEN SOLDIERS LAID TO REST

[07] ITALIAN FM TO VISIT TURKEY

[08] TOP JUSTICE TUGCU TO RETIRE

[09] WHAT WILL THE DECISION BE?

[10] DON’T HURT THE FALLEN

[01] TOP LEADERS TO HOLD TERROR SUMMIT

[02] SENER: “ANTI-TERROR EFFORTS WILL CONTINUE”

[03] ERDOGAN ATTENDS INVESTMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

[04] NATO’S SCHEFFER ARRIVES IN ANKARA

[05] REHN: “IF SARKOZY BLOCKS TURKEY’S EU BID, HE COULD SPARK A CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS”

[06] FALLEN SOLDIERS LAID TO REST

[07] ITALIAN FM TO VISIT TURKEY

[08] TOP JUSTICE TUGCU TO RETIRE

FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS

[09] WHAT WILL THE DECISION BE?

Columnist Oktay Eksi comments on an anti-terror summit today in Ankara. A summary of his column is as follows:

“A meeting billed as a possible turning point in Turkey’s fight against terrorism will be held today in Ankara. Among the participants will be Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Interior Minister Osman Gunes, Land Forces Commander Gen. Ilker Basbug, Gendarmerie General Commander Gen. Isik Koşaner and other concerned officials. Yesterday in Hurriyet, Fatih Cekirge wrote that Gul had talked with the General Staff about all sorts of scenarios and evaluated a wide range of possibilities and plans with Chief of Staff Buyukanit, including a possible split-up of Iraq. This means that Parliament is about to make an important decision. At this point, it would be useful to consider the situation we are facing.

After the attack on a group of gendarmes in Pulumur, Tunceli last weekend, more killings of Turkish soldiers have followed in quick succession. Now the Turkish people are quite angry, because nobody takes Erdogan seriously any more after all his statements that Turkey's patience has run out and his warnings to the US. On the other hand, the military has made all necessary preparations and is now waiting for an order to enter northern Iraq. The funerals of slain Turkish soldiers have become forums for criticizing not the terrorist PKK, but Parliament. Similarly, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener, who was at a funeral in Ankara yesterday and earlier decided not to run reelection next month, was considered to be protesting Parliament and thus applauded by the people. On the other hand, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc tried to attend the funeral in Manisa of Lt. Col. Melih Gulova but had to leave the ceremony due to an uproar. Clearly, Turkey has no time to lose. Seeing that Parliament has considered everything, it should decide on the best plan and implement it.

Let me say this: The best solution would be a military operation which would enable control of the Turkish-Iraqi border and remain in force until the problem is solved. Anything more than this would create problems. However, a ‘limited’ operation would be useful to the extent that it could create the infrastructure for a main solution. The social, political and cultural dimensions of the main solution are another issue. First and as a priority, the problem’s security dimension should be reviewed again. For many years we have seen that even if all our privates had gotten commando training, regular forces can’t be as swift as the bandit killers who have been trained as guerillas. So certain forces who have received the same training and who use the same tactics are needed. This was even tested in 1992-96. Special operation units were established, and the soldiers were organized in line with this, and very good results followed. But the officials who were leading them couldn’t keep these forces disciplined. Finally the units were dissolved, as if it was a mistake to establish a special operations group. Now we’re paying the price for our mistake through all these funerals for slain Turkish soldiers.”

[10] DON’T HURT THE FALLEN

Columnist Gungor Mengi comments on the terrorist PKK’s latest attacks and the funerals of fallen soldiers. A summary of his column is as follows:

“By now even our children know what foreign forces seek through their deadly attacks: They want the state to bow and the nation to submit to ethnic divisions. The raw anger we see at soldiers’ funerals is a kind of defiance. Whatever price is paid, if the nation and motherland stand together, no terrorist attack will make the state bow or the nation submit. This is what the uproars from the crowds at the funerals prove. But the accusations of some that the government is protecting the PKK are unfair. We shouldn’t confuse our friends with our enemies. It’s true that the government has made grave mistakes in its northern Iraq policy and fight against the PKK. It will pay for those mistakes politically. Turkey will protect itself thanks to the reflexes of its thousand-year state tradition. If we fail to stand shoulder to shoulder against these terrorists, we will lose more lives. Forces opposing the PKK shouldn’t point fingers at each other just because they have different political orientations. This would not only hurt our fallen soldiers but also embolden the killers. The anti- government slogans heard at yesterday’s funerals and the atmosphere they create should certainly have whetted the terrorist group’s appetite. We shouldn’t forget that Turkey isn’t ruled by idiots who believe that they will destroy Turkey by killing a few soldiers or officers every day. The leaders of the terrorist PKK are professionals with 25 years of experience. At this point, they even have the support of some foreign forces. Their aim is to split our society in half, Turks on one side and Kurds on the other, and to escalate insecurity and internal conflicts by forcing our leaders to make mistakes. So we should work to make sure fallen soldiers’ funerals don’t become traps which will only deepen divisions. The security meeting set to be held at the Prime Ministry today with top commanders may provide a new beginning. Passing a law authorizing the government to order a cross-border operation may put the fear into those trying to cow Turkey with terrorist acts.”

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