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Turkish Press Review, 09-02-04

Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

04.02.2009


CONTENTS

  • [01] PRESIDENT GUL VISITS SAUDI ARABIA
  • [02] GUL: "TURKISH JEWS ARE EQUAL CITIZENS OF OUR REPUBLIC"
  • [03] ERDOGAN: "TURKEY NO LONGER SUFFERS FROM A LACK OF SELF-CONFIDENCE"
  • [04] BAYKAL: "IF I HAD BEEN TREATED LIKE THAT AT DAVOS, I WOULD HAVE REACTED THE SAME WAY"
  • [05] BAHCELI: "ERDOGAN'S DAVOS PROTEST EXCITED TURKS, BUT HIS LATER STATEMENTS WERE CONFUSING"
  • [06] ERDOGAN RECEIVES US AMBASSADOR JEFFREY
  • [07] TOPTAN INVITED TO GAZA CONFERENCE IN IRAN
  • [08] ANKARA HOSTING TERRORISM SUMMIT TODAY
  • [09] VICTIMS OF GERMAN APARTMENT FIRE COMMEMORATED
  • [10] FINANCE MINISTER IN GOOD CONDITION, SAY DOCTORS

  • [01] PRESIDENT GUL VISITS SAUDI ARABIA

    Arriving yesterday for an official visit to Saudi Arabia, President Abdullah Gul was welcomed by Saudi King Abdullah at Riyadh Air Base with an official ceremony. Gul was accompanied by his wife Hayrunnisa Gul, State Minister Kursad Tuzmen, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim, Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) head Rifat Hisarciklioglu and many Turkish businesspeople. Before attending a dinner given in his honor, Gul met with the Saudi monarch. /Cumhuriyet/

    [02] GUL: "TURKISH JEWS ARE EQUAL CITIZENS OF OUR REPUBLIC"

    Speaking to reporters before leaving for Saudi Arabia yesterday, President Abdullah Gul said every citizen of the Turkish Republic has equal rights and that Turkish Jews are no exception this, urging the Turkish public to be more sensitive to Turkey's Jewish population in protesting the recent Israeli attacks in Gaza. Asked about claims by the Israeli media in particular that anti-Semitism in Turkey is on the rise in the wake of the Gaza attacks, Gul said, "Our Jewish citizens are equal to me and you. They can also serve as deputies or president. Each and every citizen of the Turkish Republic has equal rights. Any discrimination against them is out of the question. Israel is one thing and our Jewish citizens in Turkey are another." He added, "Israel's policies toward Gaza and Palestine in general have been criticized. The prime minister explained that his criticisms were directed at Israeli government policies, not Israelis or the Jewish people. There is a need to differentiate between these issues. Everyone should know this." Gul also touched on Turkey's efforts to urge Hamas, which won the 2006 elections in Gaza, to take a proper stance on the Middle East peace process, to work to dispel the international community's concerns about it and to act as a political party, not an armed group. Turkey told Hamas the right path to pursue and the consequences it will face should it go astray, Gul said. He added that if Turkey's efforts had been supported everything in the region would have been very different now. Turkey will do whatever it can to help the Palestinians work together, he said. /Sabah/

    [03] ERDOGAN: "TURKEY NO LONGER SUFFERS FROM A LACK OF SELF-CONFIDENCE"

    At his Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke at length about reactions to his suddenly leaving a panel discussion in Davos last week after a heated exchange with Israeli President Shimon Peres, complaining of unfair treatment by the moderator. Some may underestimate Turkey and say it will pay a price for its peace policy but everyone should know that it is stronger than this, Erdogan said. "Turkey is no longer a country unable to gain prestige in line with its power in the international arena or one suffering from a lack of self-confidence," he said, adding that Turkey should take a stance proper to its power and gravity. Erdogan also reiterated his dissatisfaction with the moderator, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, saying that he had been very rude and deserved Erdogan's walkout. Touching on relations with Israel, he said, "There is no other country in the Middle East or the Balkans that is on as good terms with Israel as we are. Before all else, Israel should realize how it is speaking and with whom." Erdogan also stressed that the government would continue to deal with all domestic and international matters with the same determination. In related news, Erdogan yesterday received Sudanese Vice President Osman Taha. The meeting focused on strengthening Turkish-Sudanese relations as well as discussing ways to improve conditions in Darfur. /Turkiye/

    [04] BAYKAL: "IF I HAD BEEN TREATED LIKE THAT AT DAVOS, I WOULD HAVE REACTED THE SAME WAY"

    Last week at the World Economic Forum the prime minister was addressed harshly by his opponents and treated offensively, said main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday. "We would have reacted the same way in the face of such a situation, regardless of being in opposition to the government." Baykal told his party's parliamentary meeting. He also spoke about the Middle East, saying the only solution to the region's problems is to have Palestine recognized as a state as soon as possible. Baykal also criticized the government for its past relations with Israel and not doing more to oppose the US invasion and occupation of Iraq. /Turkiye/

    [05] BAHCELI: "ERDOGAN'S DAVOS PROTEST EXCITED TURKS, BUT HIS LATER STATEMENTS WERE CONFUSING"

    Speaking at his party's parliamentary group meeting yesterday, opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's protest of mistreatment at a seminar in Davos last week had been justified. Stating that Erdogan should show similar stances on issues such as the European Union, Armenia and Cyprus, he claimed that Erdogan's actions had excited many Turks, but then his later statements were confusing. /Star/

    [06] ERDOGAN RECEIVES US AMBASSADOR JEFFREY

    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday received US Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey at the Prime Ministry for a nearly one-hour meeting. They discussed regional and global issues such as developments in Iraq and Iran, energy security, and the Middle East peace process. Afterwards, Erdogan said that Turkey and US are strong democratic allies. For his part, Jeffrey agreed that the two countries have good relations, albeit with occasional problems. "Our countries has been working together to overcome challenges," he added. Touching on the Gaza issue, he said that there is hope for solving the problems there. Stressing the issue's importance, he said, "We have regular contacts with both Turkey and regional countries on the issue." /Star/

    [07] TOPTAN INVITED TO GAZA CONFERENCE IN IRAN

    Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has invited his Turkish counterpart Koksal Toptan to attend a conference in Tehran to discuss the recent crisis in Gaza, Iran's Fars News Agency reported yesterday. In a phone conversation with Toptan, Larijani said regional countries should seek better measures to address the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, said the agency. /Hurriyet Daily News/

    [08] ANKARA HOSTING TERRORISM SUMMIT TODAY

    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan today will chair a terrorism summit at the Prime Ministry, with Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug also in attendance. Details on a new Interior Ministry unit to coordinate anti- terrorist efforts are expected to be discussed. /Sabah/

    [09] VICTIMS OF GERMAN APARTMENT FIRE COMMEMORATED

    The first anniversary of a German apartment building fire where at least nine Turks lost their lives, including five children, was marked yesterday in both Germany and Gaziantep, the Turkish hometown of many of the victims. Federal Commissioner for Migration Maria Boehmer, Turkish Ambassador to Berlin Ahmet Acet, and Gaziantep Greater Municipality Mayor Asim Guzelbey attended a ceremony in Ludwigshafen, the southwestern German city where the fire occurred. Speaking at the gathering, Boehmer expressed her sorrow over the lives lost, adding that the tragedy had brought Germans and Turks closer together. State Minister Said Yazicioglu sent a message to the gathering, saying, "If arson was responsible, the culprits should be found as soon as possible." /Aksam-Milliyet/

    [10] FINANCE MINISTER IN GOOD CONDITION, SAY DOCTORS

    After undergoing a coronary angiogram, Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan is in good condition and could be discharged from the hospital whenever he wants, his doctor said on Tuesday. "His vitals are stable," said Dr. Ugur Erdener, who is also the rector of Ankara's Hacettepe University. Unakitan had the procedure at Hacettepe University Hospital. "He has no health problems," Erdener told reporters. Asked whether Unakitan would need surgery, Erdener said doctors did not believe one would be necessary in the short term. He also denied rumors that Unakitan had had a heart attack or suffered from arterial obstruction in the brain. "He can leave the hospital whenever he wants," Erdener said. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Cabinet members visited Unakitan yesterday. /Turkiye/
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