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Turkish Press Review, 07-01-16
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
16.01.2007
CONTENTS
[01] UKRAINIAN PM TO VISIT TURKEY
[02] ARINC HEADS TO SUDAN
[03] GUL, BUYUKANIT TO PAY SEPARATE VISITS TO US
[04] SENER: "THE AKP WILL SUBMIT A MOTION TO DISCUSS DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ"
[05] IN GERMANY, CICEK DECRIES THE USE OF TERRORISM AS "POLITICAL FODDER"
[06] PANEL ON KIRKUK HELD IN ANKARA
[07] BARROSO, PRODI EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR TURKEY'S EU BID
[08] TRNC'S TALAT: "OUR STRUGGLE IS LIKE WALKING DOWN A ROAD LITTERED WITH MINES"
[09] BRITISH LAWMAKERS HOLD TALKS IN TURKEY
[10] BAYKAL'S SUGGESTIONS BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[01] UKRAINIAN PM TO VISIT TURKEY
Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych is due to arrive in Ankara
tomorrow to pay an official visit upon the invitation of Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During his stay in Turkey, Yanukovych is expected to
meet separately with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Parliament Speaker
Bulent Arinc, and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] ARINC HEADS TO SUDAN
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc started an official visit to Sudan
yesterday at the invitation of his Sudanese counterpart, Ahmed Ibrahim al-
Tahir. Speaking to reporters before his departure, Arinc said that it was
the first official visit to Sudan by a Turkish Parliament speaker. /Turkish
Daily News/
[03] GUL, BUYUKANIT TO PAY SEPARATE VISITS TO US
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar
Buyukanit are expected to visit the US separately next month. During their
visits, Gul and Buyukanit will discuss issues such as developments in the
Mideast, Iraq, terrorism, and the Cyprus issue with US officials. Gul is
expected to tell Washington that Ankara expects concrete steps from the US
against the terrorist PKK. /Turkiye/
[04] SENER: "THE AKP WILL SUBMIT A MOTION TO DISCUSS DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ"
State Minister Abdullatif Sener said yesterday that the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group administration will submit a
motion to hold a debate about developments in Iraq. Speaking after Monday's
Cabinet meeting, Sener said: "Important developments have recently been
occurring in Iraq, and all those are of interest to Turkey." He also said
that Turkey has been taking those developments seriously from the very
beginning. Sener said the assessments of Deniz Baykal, leader of the main
opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), concerning sending Turkish
troops to Iraq and recent developments in the country were of importance
for the government, adding that the government had always welcomed dialogue
with the opposition parties. /Sabah/
[05] IN GERMANY, CICEK DECRIES THE USE OF TERRORISM AS "POLITICAL FODDER"
Speaking at an unofficial meeting of justice and interior ministers of
European Union member states in Germany yesterday, Justice Minister Cemil
Cicek said that terrorism was still being used as a "political fodder" in
some countries, adding that there was no fast-operating mechanism to
counter terrorism. Stressing that terrorism was being used as a tool by
some countries to get leverage with other countries or fulfill their own
agendas, Cicek stated that Ankara could see this from developments in its
region. "There is no sufficient cooperation in taking concrete steps on the
issue," added Cicek. /The New Anatolian-Turkiye/
[06] PANEL ON KIRKUK HELD IN ANKARA
The Kirkuk 2007 Panel, organized by the Global Strategy Institute in Ankara,
yesterday discussed the future of Iraq. Iraqi Sunni, Shiite, Turkmen and
Assyrian groups attended the meeting. An advisor to Iraq's Vice President
Tariq al-Hashimi said: "The future of Kirkuk lies in national
reconciliation." Hamit Al Mutlak, deputy chair of the Iraqi Dialogue Front,
said that Kirkuk was an Iraqi city which belongs to all Iraqis. /Star/
[07] BARROSO, PRODI EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR TURKEY'S EU BID
European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso yesterday met with
Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. Speaking at a press conference
afterwards, both Prodi and Barroso expressed support for Turkey's European
Union membership bid. Barroso stressed that the talks would continue with
Ankara, but the process would be long and complicated. Prodi echoed
Barroso's remarks. /Aksam/
[08] TRNC'S TALAT: "OUR STRUGGLE IS LIKE WALKING DOWN A ROAD LITTERED WITH
MINES"
Speaking at a ceremony commemorating Fazil Kucuk, a leader of the Turkish
Cypriots' struggle for freedom, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
President Mehmet Ali Talat said that his countrymen remember Kucuk with
aspiration and longing. Saying that the Turkish Cypriots' struggle today is
like walking down a road littered with mines, he added that they are being
faced with a new structure and new conditions on the Cyprus issue.
/Turkiye/
[09] BRITISH LAWMAKERS HOLD TALKS IN TURKEY
Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee head Mehmet Dulger yesterday met with
a delegation from the British House of Common's Foreign Affairs Committee.
MP and committee member Fabian Hamilton asked Dulger to withdraw one
battalion from Cyprus as a gesture, and Dulger responded by saying: "We
already made a gesture by accepting the Annan plan in the (2004) referendum,
but on the contrary the EU has rewarded the Greek Cypriots by accepting
their membership," The delegation also said that Turkey should accept the
Greek Cypriot government and open its ports to them. Dulger said that this
issue can be discussed, but everyone knows that the Greek Cypriots don't
want to find a solution. /Hurriyet/
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[10] BAYKAL'S SUGGESTIONS BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen comments on the opposition leader's suggestions to
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on developments in Iraq. A summary of
his column is as follows:
"Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal suggested that Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold a closed session of Parliament
concerning developments in Iraq and what should be done. Baykal argued that
the proposal about ‘the authority to send soldiers' which was made to
Erdogan was a ‘historic call.' According to Baykal, the situation in
northern Iraq, preparations about Kirkuk and possible scenarios and the
obligation to fight terrorism require Turkey to be vigilant and be prepared
for every possibility. He thinks that rather than always being a country
which hopes and complains about things, Turkey should have a foreign policy
in line with its importance, power, influence and seriousness.
Speaking to me yesterday, Baykal called on Erdogan to hold a closed session
in Parliament and said that Erdogan and the government shouldn't talk
nonsense. ‘Mr. Erdogan has been hoping and complaining about things for a
while. He has certain criticisms of the US. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
also says that Turkey is making preparations for all contingencies. When
the prime minister of a country such as Turkey opens his mouth, he should
do what is necessary. If they bring the Iraq issue to Parliament, we can
discuss the issue in detail. If they consider it necessary, we could give
them the authority to send soldiers. They shouldn't talk nonsense, but be
serious. Turkey should have a legal basis with the capacity to back up what
it says. Parliament hasn't given the authority to send soldiers. This
authority was given before but it wasn't used. Its time has expired. Now,
if there is a need, I call on them to come to Parliament, hold a general
session and get the authority.'
Baykal added that the government ignored his warnings before the March 1,
2003 motion on the eve of the Iraq war but that now it's started to
complain. ‘Turkey should have taken measures south of the Iraqi border,' he
said. ‘We proposed this. In addition, there was no need to get permission
from anybody. If measures had been taken south of the border with enough
military units, today the problems that they complain about wouldn't have
existed. Turkey needs this. This need could have been explained to the
world. If Turkey had taken this measure, the border could have been
controlled more easily, terrorists wouldn't have infiltrated the border,
the demographic makeup in Kirkuk wouldn't have been ruined, and sacks
wouldn't have been put on the heads of Turkish soldiers. We suggested this
to Parliament. However, the government didn't heed us. Now it's only crying
and making wishes and complaining. Turkey shouldn't be governed like this,
and it's not a good picture.' Baykal also said that these suggestions don't
contradict the rejection of the March 1, 2003 motion. He added, ‘As
expected, the March 1 motion didn't give the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) the
right to launch an operation with the US. That motion envisaged deploying
American soldiers in Turkey. We rejected the entry of American soldiers
into Turkey and accepted sending Turkish soldiers. Our position today is no
different'."
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