TURKEY: A ‘MEDIATOR’ COUNTRY BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI (STAR)
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday released a message marking Monday’s Aug 30 Victory Day commemoration. In his message, Sezer stressed that the Aug. 30, 1922 victory, the final battle in the Turkish War of Independence, had paved the way for the establishment of the democratic, secular and independent Turkish Republic. “Out common goal is to preserve the fundamental character of our republic,” said the message. /Hurriyet/
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday released a message to mark Monday’s Aug. 30 Victory Day Commemoration, saying that the Turkish nation has never forsaken its independence and had made the world accept its existence. In his message to mark the occasion, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the nation was proud of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). /Turkiye/
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday visited the eastern city of Mus to attend events commemorating the 933rd anniversary of the 1071 Battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert), a decisive victory of Seljuk Turks over the Byzantine Empire. “Nine hundred and thirty-three years after this victory, we are striving for unity and peace in Turkey,” added Erdogan. “The economy is recovering and there is a national will to invigorate the country.” /Star/
General Commander of the Gendarmarie Gen. Sener Eruygur yesterday handed over his post to Gen. Fevi Turkeri in a ceremony. Present at the handover were President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, and Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu. Addressing the gathering, Eruygur said that he had steadfastly served his nation for nearly 50 years. For his part, Turkeri said that one of the state’s most important missions was to protect public order, adding that the gendarmes would determinedly continue the fight against terrorism. /Milliyet/
On a visit to Giresun in the Black Sea region yesterday, US Ambassador Eric Edelman said that Turkey was working hard for its European Union membership bid. “I believe that this process will continue successfully,” stated Edelman. Asked whether Giresun is a part of the US’ Greater Middle East Initiative (GME), Edelman said, “Although a great part of its population is Muslim, Turkey is implementing democracy very successfully, and it has a potential role in the GME.” /Hurriyet/
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will send three foreign policy advisors to Israel next week. Antalya Deputy Mevlut Cavusoglu will accompany the advisors, Omer Celik, Egemen Bagis, and Saban Disli. /Hurriyet/
State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan said yesterday that negotiations with the International Monetary Fund on a new standby agreement would begin in the second half of next month, predicting that the pact could be signed for three years. He added that inflation and high public debt were still Turkey’s most pressing problems, adding that fighting these would be difficult. “It will be harder to achieve single-digit inflation,” added Babacan. /Turkiye/
Deputy Prime Minister Abdulatif Sener yesterday touted stability in Turkish markets, adding that confidence in the economy was continuing. He said that there were positive developments in inflation, growth, and other indicators, but warned that unemployment was still too high. “We must bring down high unemployment and create new jobs,” he stated. “The government will continue to pursue tight monetary policy.” Sener said that high current accounts deficit, recently cited as a concern by international observers, was being closely watched by the government. /Turkiye/
Ethiopian-born Turkish athlete Elvan Abeylegesse yesterday qualified for the women’s finals in the 1,500-meter race at the Athens Olympic Games. Abeylegesse came in fourth with a time of 4.07.10 seconds. /All papers/
Turkish wrestler Mehmet Ozal yesterday won a bronze medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Athens Summer Olympic Games. Ozal bested his Iranian rival Mesud Hashimzade to come in third. /All papers/
Crotia’s Rijeka yesterday beat Turkish football side Genclerbirligi 2-1 in the UEFA Cup second qualifying round second leg. Genclerbirligi qualified for the second round 2-2 on the aggregate. /All papers/
Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli comments on Turkey’s role in its region. A summary of her column is as follows:
“Only a few years ago, third countries used to act as mediators between Turkey and its neighbors to resolve regional problems. For example, the United States used telephone diplomacy in order to end the Kardak crisis between Ankara and Athens, and Egypt did the same to help Ankara and Damascus solve the so-called PKK problem.
Now, however, having managed to overcome its own crises, Turkey itself is assuming such a role of mediation on the international stage. Ankara’s only remaining problematic neighbor is Armenia. Therefore, Turkey is gradually becoming a ‘mediator’ country in the region.
The first case is the Arab-Israeli dispute. Ankara doesn’t have any political problems with the Palestinians. Furthermore, despite the recent chill between the Erdogan and Sharon governments, our country doesn’t have any serious problems with Israel either. Ankara recently announced that it was ready to act as a ‘facilitator’ in the Middle East peace process. The Palestinians have immediately accepted Turkey’s offer, while the Sharon government hasn’t rejected it.
During Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent visit to Tbilisi, Turkey agreed to undertake another mediation role. The Georgian president asked Erdogan’s help in normalizing his country’s relations with Russia. Our premier pledged to discuss this issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is scheduled to visit Turkey next week.
In addition, a surprising request came from Sudan. Since 2003, Arab militias have been launching systematic attacks on non-Arab tribes in the country. Meanwhile, the international community is accusing the Sudanese administration of turning a blind eye to these attacks and even supporting these militias for the sake of ‘assimilating non-Arab elements.’ Washington branded the incidents a ‘genocide.’ On his visit to Ankara last month, Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismael requested that Ankara act as a mediator between his country and the US. This was also another unexpected request. Turkey then took actions to help them overcome the crisis.
I believe the number of such cases where Turkey acts as negotiator will rise in the months to come. Our country, once a party to many regional crises, is now becoming a ‘crisis-resolving country’.”
TO OUR READERS: IN HONOR OF THE VICTORY DAY HOLIDAY, THE TURKISH PRESS REVIEW WILL NOT BE APPEAR ON NEXT MONDAY, AUG. 30. PLEASE REJOIN US ON TUESDAY.
