NEW HOPE IN THE MIDEAST
BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Addressing Parliament yesterday during debates over the
2005 fiscal budget, which later passed, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey’s current economic success
was the result of a climate of confidence, adding that both
exchange rates and the political situation are steady. “The
most important indicator of our sound economy is the new
Turkish lira” coming on Jan. 1, said Erdogan, adding,
however, that some circles were trying to cast aspersions on
it. “They claim that the new lira will fuel inflation, which
isn’t true,” he said. Touching on the Cyprus issue, Erdogan
said that including 10 new European Union members into
Turkey’s Customs Union with the EU wouldn’t mean recognizing
Greek Cyprus. “We can no longer protect the interests of
Turkish Cypriots by insisting on policies of non-settlement
and remaining passive,” he said. “Turkey must take
courageous steps and always be one step ahead.” He stressed
that the most unfair criticism coming from the recent
historic EU summit concerned Cyprus, adding that the island
was a national cause for the government, which will not
tolerate any efforts to jeopardize the interests of Turkish
Cypriots. Asked if there would be changes in his Cabinet,
Erdogan declined to be specific, saying only that he would
do what is needed when appropriate. He is widely expected to
reshuffle six or eight Cabinet members. /Aksam/
Addressing Parliament yesterday during budget debates, opposition
Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal
criticized the government’s economic policies, claiming that
the economy isn’t as rosy as the government makes it out to
be. “Our debt, current account and trade deficits are
increasing,” said Baykal. “Real interest rates are not
falling. Investment is shrinking and unemployment is
rising.” He stressed that the macroeconomic instability was
continuing, and commenting on Ankara’s new standby agreement
with the International Monetary Fund, asked, “Would such an
agreement be signed if the economy could stand on its two
feet? The government has agreed to shackle itself for
another three years.” Touching on the Cyprus issue, Baykal
said that if a resolution is reached by next October, when
Ankara is due to begin its European Union accession talks,
there would be no problem, but that this was a best-case
scenario. “No Turkish government has the right to sacrifice
Cyprus,” he added. “Neither the CHP nor the nation will
allow it.” /Milliyet/
The fiscal 2005 budget was approved yesterday by Parliament with 346
deputies voting for and 152 against. The budget is the first
to be prepared using the new Turkish lira (YTL), with
expenditures set at YTL 155.6 billion, revenues at YTL 126.5
billion, and the deficit at YTL 29.1 billion. /Turkiye/
Yesterday 13 Turkish citizens returned from south Asia via a private
plane provided by the Foreign Ministry. The survivors of the
disaster-hit region, including soccer players Emre Asik and
Umit Davala, arrived in Istanbul last night. However, as yet
no contact has been established with some 40 other Turkish
citizens believed to have been in the affected region, said
officials. /Aksam/
A process has begun aiming to end the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC), charged TRNC President Rauf Denktas
yesterday. Denktas also said that he would not stand as
candidate in April’s presidential elections, but added that
he would continue his struggle against those seeking to
unite Cyprus with Greece. /Star/
US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is expected to arrive in
Turkey on Sunday to discuss a number of issues, including
the upcoming Iraqi elections and the Cyprus issue, with
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan is expected to tell Armitage that Ankara expects the
US to take concrete steps against the PKK/KONGRA-GEL
terrorist organization in northern Iraq. /Cumhuriyet/
The Minimum Wage Commission yesterday announced the new monthly minimum
wage of TL 350 million net, TL 489 million gross, set to go
into effect as of Saturday, Jan. 1, 2005. In addition,
during Monday’s last Cabinet meeting of 2004, the government
announced that it would increase Social Security Authority
(SSK), Social Insurance for the Self-Employed (BAG-KUR) and
agricultural workers’ retirement pensions by a total of
12.36 percent this year, in two incremental hikes in January
and July. /Turkiye/
Reyhan Balandi, a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy
from Afyon, yesterday officially resigned from the party.
She had submitted her resignation to Prime Minister and AKP
leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan before Dec. 17, she said, adding
that she had waited for the end of the European Union
summit. With her resignation, the number of AKP seats in
Parliament fell to 367. /Sabah/
Turkey’s Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the new secretary-general of the
Organization for the Islamic Conference (OIC), yesterday
pledged that the organization would play a more active role
in promoting world peace. At a ceremony in Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia where he took over the post from his predecessor
Abdulvadid Belkaziz, Ekmeleddin stated that a number of
reforms would be made to ensure that the OIC it works more
actively and efficiently, adding that the organization would
take a greater interest in world events. He remarked that as
a first step, a delegation would be sent to observe
Palestine’s presidential elections set for Jan. 9. /Turkiye/
Wanted drug smuggler Nurettin Guven, who has been sought by Turkey and
France through Interpol, was arrested in Britain last week.
Officials said that despite Turkey’s request to extradite
Guven, Britain released him after an investigation. Guven
was also involved in the Susurluk scandal and faces
sentences of 15 years in Turkey and 10 years in France for
drug smuggling. /Hurriyet/
Columnist Turker Altan comments on Turkish-US relations. A summary of
his column is as follows:
“We’re angry with the Americans, and not without reason.
They treated our soldiers as prisoners of war by putting
sacks on their heads, they’re failed to act against PKK
terrorists, they don’t care about the killings of Turkish
truck drivers or kidnappings of Turkish businessmen, and
they’ve failed to keep their promises. However, don’t you
think that there’s a deliberate message behind these acts? I
guess Washington wants to say to us, ‘We’re friends and
strategic allies, but you didn’t hold up your end. You left
me standing alone when I was going to war, and didn’t keep
your promises. I’ll support you just as much as you
supported me.’ It would be a diplomatic faux pas for the US
to say it openly, but this is their indirect message to us,
that is, ‘You reap what you sow.’ Behind this stance, there
is the desire to discipline us by taking the wind out of our
sails. The US wants to say, ‘Our work in Iraq isn’t finished
yet. The situation might get worse. You’ll either cooperate
with us, or a Kurdish state will be established in northern
Iraq with the PKK still there.’ The US is ignoring our
requests, which might indicate that a long bargaining
process is continuing.’
The US has plans not only in Iraq, but also in the Middle
East and North Africa. Maybe it’s strong enough to fulfill
these plans without Turkey. However, if it works with
Turkey, which is the most developed and strongest country in
the region, it can get what it wants more easily and at a
lower cost. Maybe the US has its own calculations, but we
should solve our own problems and shouldn’t expect
everything from the US just because it holds the power in
Iraq. For example, we blamed the US, Iraqi Kurds and Arabs
when five Turkish security guards working for Iraq’s Turkish
Embassy were killed recently. Our accusations may be
correct, but we should also blame ourselves a little.
Everybody in Iraq put their head in the lion’s mouth,
particularly Turks. In such an atmosphere, were we right to
dispatch security officials in a car? Did nobody think that
these officials would be targets? Was it so difficult to
send them to Baghdad Airport with five plane tickets or in
an armored vehicle? I don’t blame anybody. Of course the
responsible people thought about these issues as well, and
maybe they were hindered by red tape. How right is it to not
do what we can but then blame the US?”
Columnist Sami Kohen writes about recent developments in the Middle
East. A summary of his column is as follows:
“Right now we’re seeing some signs of positive
developments in the Middle East. Although considered
separately they may seem minor, taken together these events
make up a larger positive picture. Thus, the timing of
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s visit next week to Israel
and the Palestinian territories is important. New
developments could see Ankara take the role of ‘facilitator’
in the Mideast peace process.
Let’s look at these developments:
Following the death of Palestinian leader Yassar Arafat
in November, a number of new initiatives have been launched
to resume the peace process along with preparations for
electing his successor. The first step came from British
Prime Minister Tony Blair, who recently paid a visit to the
region. * Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) leader
Mahmoud Abbas is expected to win the presidential elections
set for Jan. 9. Israel is signaling that it intends to
establish dialogue with a possible Abbas administration, as
the PLO leader is well known for his moderate and pragmatic
views. * The Sharon government has released 159 Palestinian
detainees as a show of goodwill. Egypt had previously set an
Israeli spy free. * Abbas has clearly staked out a position
against violence, saying he believes the Palestinian people
have nothing to gain from spiraling violence in the region.
* As part of their security cooperation, Israel and Egypt
have agreed to work together to shut down cross-border
tunnels dug by Palestinian militants. President Hosni
Mubarak called Sharon ‘a leader who is capable of
establishing peace in the region.’ Sharon announced that
Israeli settlers in Gaza would start withdrawing from the
region in February.
All these developments are signs that we can expect
significant developments in the Mideast after Abbas is
elected the Palestinians’ new leader. For the time being, of
course there’s no point in being overly optimistic, as many
uncertainties, ambiguities and obstacles remain to cope
with.
However, it’s clear that there’s a change in the air, and
even such minor developments hold out the hope of better
things …”
