HIGHLIGHTING WOMEN’S ISSUES
BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government yesterday
decided to send the sixth European Union harmonization package
to Parliament within a few days, just after this week’s Cabinet
meeting. At its meeting yesterday, the ruling party’s Central
Decision and Executive Board (MKYK) decided that the package
should be sent sooner rather than later, and that there was no
need to wait for a National Security Council (MGK) meeting near
month’s-end. The government had previously pledged to pass the
package by July 1. Briefing the board, Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul said that in order not to miss the EU train this time,
Parliament should pass the harmonization package as soon as
possible. “Italy will assume the EU term presidency on July 1,
and the EU will release a progress report at the end of 2004, so
we should act very quickly to implement structural reforms,” he
added, referring to the EU’s scheduled review of Ankara’s
accession progress on that date. He said that Turkey had to take
a resolute stance on its prospective membership. “If we fail to
carry out the reforms necessary for our EU bid, then we will
fall short of our goal,” he warned. In related news, Prime
Minister and AKP leader Erdogan said that the package would be
on Parliament’s agenda this week, adding that there was no
problem regarding the issue. /Milliyet/
A groundbreaking ceremony was held yesterday in Ankara for
the first stage of the Ankara-Istanbul Fast Train Project.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
said that after the early years of the republic, the nation’s
railways had been sadly neglected. But, he pledged, “Now we’re
beginning initiatives to revive our railways.” The rail work to
be completed by the end of 2005 will enable travel between
Turkey’s two principal cities in just over three hours, cutting
in half the current time of six hours or more. /All Papers/
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday telephoned his
Palestinian and Israeli counterparts to hail the restarted peace
process and urge further steps for progress. Speaking to
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), Erdogan
said that Ankara welcomed the Palestinian administration’s
recent reform efforts in the light of the “road map” for peace.
Later, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told Erdogan in their
phone conversation that he hoped for progress towards a peaceful
settlement, but insisted that first terrorism in the region must
end. Last week both Abbas and Sharon made public declarations as
the first step of the US-supported road map for peace. /Turkiye/
One of the largest 21st century projects of the European
Union is to begin Turkey’s accession negotiations and integrate
it into the EU, proclaimed Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio
over the weekend. Speaking to the Brussels-based Turkish news
agency ABHaber, Palacio stated that the EU had a very important
rendezvous with Turkey next December, adding that its EU
accession would send a powerful message to the international
community. “The EU is not a ‘Christian club,’ and Turkey is a
unique Muslim country for its secular establishment and respect
for human rights,” said Palacio, belittling the predictions of
some that Ankara’s EU accession would be “the end” of the Union.
Palacio said that an overwhelming majority of Turks favored EU
membership, but added that the government should at once pass
necessary reforms to fully comply with the Copenhagen criteria.
/Hurriyet/
Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos said yesterday that
the European Union and Greek Cyprus had worked together to
prepare a recent economic package for the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC). “The EU can’t do anything without our
approval,” said Papadopoulos, whose nation is due to join the
Union in a little less than a year. “We came up with the package
together.” Papadopoulos said that while the media had depicted
new trade arrangements with the TRNC as being an EU affair only,
in reality the EU was in constant consultation with Greek Cyprus.
“All trade from the TRNC will be done through Greek ports,” he
added. TRNC President Rauf Danktas last week complained that the
package fell short of actually lifting the illegal economic
embargo on his country. /Aksam/
Parliament’s Anti-Corruption Commission has requested that
three prominent members of the 1999-2002 Democratic Left Party
(DSP)-led coalition government appear before it to respond to
allegations of corruption within their administration. From the
DSP, former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and former Deputy Prime
Minister Husamettin Ozkanhave reportedly been summoned, though
Ecevit says the commission has not contacted him. In addition,
former junior coalition partner Motherland Party (ANAP) leader
Mesut Yilmaz has also been asked to appear. Their testimony
would take place over this week and the next. Ecevit’s coalition,
Turkey’s longest ever, was unseated last fall by the now ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP). /Cumhuriyet/
The Democratic People’s Party (DEHAP) held its second
extraordinary general congress in Ankara yesterday to elect a
new party leader. Outgoing DEHAP leader Mehmet Abbasoglu
delivered a speech urging the government to make legal changes
to allow members of the outlawed terrorist Kurdistan Freedom and
Democratic Congress (KADEK) to return to Turkey by laying down
their arms. Sole leadership candidate Tuncer Bakirhan, who has
served as a commission head in the party, was elected the new
DEHAP chairman. /All Papers/
Yesterday environmentalist group Fighters for Nature staged a
protest in Istanbul of what it sees as an excessive number of
tanker ships passing through the Bosphorus straits under lax
regulation. In a statement, Chairman Zafer Murat Cetintas said
that through protesting the group hoped to bring attention to
the threats faced by the straits, adding that it opposed in
particular the Russian Federation’s insistence on passage
without delay. “Our protests will continue against commercial-centric
demands,” said Cetintas. “The ever-increasing tanker traffic
worries us greatly. Parliament should address this dangerous
situation at once.” /Turkish Daily News/
Some 10,000 Turks living in Belgium yesterday gathered in the
capital to celebrate 40 years of living in the country. Present
at the Brussels celebration as guests from the Turkish
government were State Ministers Besir Atalay and Mehmet Aydin.
Speaking to the gathered expatriates, Aydin said that Ankara
stood by Turks living in Brussels, adding, “As our founder
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk stated many years ago, many challenges
remain before us.” For his part, Atalay said that the government
placed great importance on Turks living abroad, adding that they
had played an important role in Turkey winning last month’s
Eurovision Song Contest. Turks living in Belgium and Germany
were credited with helping singer Sertab Erener win decisive
votes in the historic victory, Turkey’s first. /Aksam/
Turkey returned to the top of Euro 2004 qualifying Group
Seven on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Slovakia. The Turkish
football team had won its opening three games, but then in April
fell to second after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of England.
Victory against Slovakia moved Turkey to 12 points from five
games. Turkey's Nihat Kahveci scored the only goal of the game
in Bratislava, after 12 minutes. /All Papers/
Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli writes on Foreign Ministry
Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal’s visit to the US later this week. A
summary of her column is as follows:
“This will be a critical week for Turkish-US relations.
Ankara is striving mightily to mend bilateral relations, which
were strained in the wake of Turkey’s refusal of US troop
deployments for the Iraq war. This week’s most important event
will be Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal’s visit to
Washington, where is expected to convey important messages. In
particular, he is due to present a letter plus a report to US
President George W. Bush. The letter was written by Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and focuses on two important
issues, namely, Turkey’s stances on the Iraq war and the Middle
East peace process. ‘Our Parliament’s refusal of US troop
deployments should be understood as a democratic act and
reflection of the nation’s will,’ writes our prime minister.
Erdogan also expresses Turkey’s support for the ‘road map’
promoted by the Bush administration to solve the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. ‘Turkey is ready to cooperate with the US in the
Middle East,’ adds Erdogan. ‘The interests of both our countries
lie in further cooperation. Let bygones be bygones, and let us
focus on our common future.’
The letter also states that Turkey is ready to soften its
‘red lines’ policy in northern Iraq. Erdogan underscores that
Turkey will take into consideration the new facts on the ground
in the postwar period. Ziyal is to discuss the details of this
issue in Washington, but just what are these ‘new facts’? They
refer to the role to be played by Iraqi Kurdish groups. Ziyal is
expected to underline Turkey’s ‘no-concession’ policy once again,
making clear that the establishment of an independent Kurdish
state in the region would be regarded as a ‘casus belli.’
However, he is also to tell US officials that Turkey would not
oppose the establishment of ‘an autonomous Kurdish zone’ or ‘a
Kurdish federation’ in the region, provided that no concessions
are made from Iraq’s territorial integrity.
The second document in Ziyal’s briefcase is a report prepared
by two Foreign Ministry officials on their recent visit to Iraq.
The report stresses that the US has failed to establish a new
system, and that in consequence the country is being wrecked by
political and social chaos. It also underlines that the absence
of a stable political system together with the US image as an
‘invader’ runs the risk of plunging the region into even deeper
crises and problems. Ziyal is expected to suggest to Washington
that it cooperate more closely with Ankara, owing to Turkey’s
greater familiarity with Iraq’s social structure.
If Ziyal’s mission proves to be successful, Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul is expected to follow in his footsteps. Ankara is
now holding its breath and waiting for the results of this
pivotal visit.”
Columnist Derya Sazak comments on the plans of a prominent
Turkish women’s group. A summary of his column is as follows:
“The Association for Supporting and Educating Women
Candidates (KA-DER) is due to hold a conference on “Seeking
Solutions for Women’s Issues” in Istanbul this coming weekend,
June 14-15. During the conference, such problems will be
discussed under four working group categories:
Women in Turkey’s economy and business life * Education for
women and girls * Ending violence against women Women in
politics and decision-making processes
KA-DER Chair Ayse Hatip Dicleli said that the results of the
conference would be followed for one year by a 10-person follow-up
committee, and that issues showing progress would be presented
to the public in a report next January. The draft reports for
the upcoming conference decry the persistence of discrimination
against women in every field, and in particular in politics. In
spite of KA-DER’s efforts, representation of women in both
Parliament and local administrations has been falling.
Today, among 179 countries, Turkey ranks 140 in terms of
women’s representation in elected government posts. In last
fall’s elections, 24 female deputies were elected to the 550-member
Parliament, or just 4.3% percent. This rate is even below that
in 1935, 4.6%, when female deputies were elected for the first
time. More than 30% of Turkey’s qualified work force and
university graduates are women, but this has failed to translate
into similar representation among our decision-makers. Today
Turkey has not even a single female governor, and just one woman
mayor. The parties have so-called ‘women’s assemblies,’ but
these are only for show, and the Cabinet has just one female
member.
However, the ‘Peking + 5’ document, to which Turkey is a
signatory, and our European Union membership process both oblige
us to end all forms of discrimination against women. The way to
reach this goal in male-dominated societies is to take special
measures. During this weekend’s conference, KA-DER will urge the
preparation of a constitutional package for gender equality, one
making mandatory at least 30% women’s representation and
participation in party administrations, local assemblies and
Parliament. Towards this end, it will suggest amending the
Political Parties and Elections Law.
Turkey can never be truly modern without implementing such an
‘affirmative action’ program. At this weekend’s conference, KA-DER
will turn women’s issues into a social crusade. And they will
have my support.”
