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Turkish Press Review, 07-12-11Turkish 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 morning11.12.2007CONTENTS
[01] CICEK: “THE GOVT HAS NO PLANS FOR AN AMNESTY”Government spokesperson Cemil Cicek yesterday said the government has no plans for a new amnesty law. After yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Cicek said that a number of legal arrangements had been discussed at the gathering. Asked about a new European Union foreign ministers’ document in which references to Turkey’s accession were removed, Cicek brushed off its significance. “Turkey doesn’t place all its hopes and developments on relations with the EU,” he said. “We’re already an EU country.” He added that Turkey’s membership bid would continue with undiminished spirits. /Cumhuriyet/[02] BABACAN: “TURKISH-US COOPERATION WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE PKK TERRORISM ENDS”Addressing Parliament yesterday, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said that recent decisions made by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President George W. Bush to fight the terrorist PKK are being put into practice step by step. Saying that cooperation between military and political officials against the PKK has begun, he added that they expect this cooperation to continue until the PKK terrorism comes to an end. Touching on the Baghdad administration’s promise to cut off the PKK’s financial support, he said that this pledge will be watched closely. /Star/[03] GEN. BASBUG RECEIVES CHINESE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFFChinese Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Zhang Li yesterday visited Land Forces Commander Gen. Ilker Basbug. Zhang was received by Basbug with an official ceremony at Land Forces headquarters, and he signed the official Land Forces Guestbook. Zhang and his delegation will leave Turkey tomorrow. /Turkiye/[04] JORDAN’S KING ABDULLAH DUE IN TURKEY TODAYJordan’s King Abdullah will visit Turkey today as the official guest of President Abdullah Gul. According to a press release, Abdullah will pay a one-day working visit to Ankara, and issues such as relations between Turkey and Jordan and regional and international issues concerning the two countries will be discussed. Abdullah is also expected to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. /Turkiye/[05] BAYKAL VISITS APPEALS COURT HEAD PROSECUTOR, CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CHIEF JUSTICEMain opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday visited Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya and Constitutional Court Chief Justice Hasim Kilic at their offices. Baykal said that unfair interference in the judiciary threatens not only the dispensation of justice but also social peace and stability. /Aksam/[06] OZCAN NAMED NEW HEAD OF BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATIONProfessor Yusuf Ziya Ozcan has been named the new chairman of the Board of Higher Education (YOK). President Abdullah Gul appointed Ozcan, of Middle East Technical University’s (ODTU) Sociology Department, to the post. Ozcan is also an advisor to the head of the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TUBITAK). /Aksam/FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... [07] WHAT AN AMNESTY WOULD BRINGBY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Columnist Fikret Bila comments on Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal’s criticism of a possible amnesty for the terrorist PKK. A summary of his column is as follows: “Main opponent Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday visited Milliyet’s Ankara bureau. We spoke with Baykal along with CHP General Secretary Onder Say, and deputy group chairs Kemal Kilicdaroglu and Hakki Suha Okay, and Baykal had preparations for dealing with the terrorist PKK on his mind. ‘The prime minister is giving certain signals,’ said Baykal. ‘He’s giving messages that arrangements will be made to bring down PKK members from the mountains. It’s as if they’re preparing for an amnesty law or de facto amnesty. But these preparations are being done behind closed doors. If an amnesty law or de facto amnesty is passed, this will have dire consequences. Those who support this would all be in the same boat. Why would this be done? What would be asked in return? The answers to these questions are still unclear. At a time when the entire world believes Turkey justified in its fight against terrorism, granting an amnesty would be a grave mistake.” Speaking about remarks made by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Cabinet ministers on the issue, Baykal said, “Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek and Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin say there will definitely be no amnesty and that any special arrangement is out of the question. But Erdogan says just the opposite. He talks about preparations and an arrangement. He says that it would be more effective than the old ‘return to home’ arrangement which actually led terrorists back to the mountains. There is a huge contradiction between Erdogan and his Cabinet ministers. Erdogan is involved in secret preparations, and even the Cabinet ministers have no information about it, or someone is lying.’ Saying that an arrangement based only on the ruling party’s majority would be wrong, Baykal said, ‘The fight against terrorism is a national problem. This issue should be approached in a way that is above the parties. One shouldn’t say, “I have the majority and so I’ll do it.” For arrangements in such areas, a national consensus should be reached and the state’s national policy should be established. So the government should hear the views of opposition parties too. It should bring the issue to Parliament and seek a consensus among all the parties.’ Baykal said that he got the impression from Erdogan that some deal will be reached with the PKK and that contact had been made, adding, ‘The prime minister’s statements reflect efforts to sway or contact the terrorist group. We’ve seen this before. Turkey passed ‘return to home’ laws and arrangements to release convicted terrorist head Abdullah Ocalan were even made. These were blocked by the CHP. We know these methods. The PKK hasn’t given up its politicization project, and it’s using terrorism to reach its goal. Amnesty would only encourage the terrorist PKK and discourage our security forces, who risk their lives to fight terror. There would be no other result." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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