EVERYBODY’S RESPONSIBILITY
BY MURAT CELIKKAN (RADIKAL)
Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga yesterday arrived
in Ankara to pay an official visit at the invitation of her
Turkish counterpart Ahmet Necdet Sezer. As part of her
contacts, the Latvian president had talks with both
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc and Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul. Speaking at the official inauguration ceremony
for the Latvian Embassy, Vike-Freiberga pointed to the
beginning of a new era in bilateral relations. After meeting
with Sezer, the
Latvian president remarked that her country
became a NATO member one year ago. “We want to further
develop our relations in several realms as an alliance as
well,” she added. In the evening, Sezer hosted a dinner in
honor of the guest president and her husband at the Cankaya
Presidential Palace. /Hurriyet/
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to travel
today to Afghanistan to pay an official visit. As part of
his two-day stay, the premier is expected to meet with
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and former King Muhammad Zahir
Shah and then tomorrow visit the headquarters of the
International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF),
currently under Turkish command. He will also have talks
with NATO Afghanistan Senior Representative Hikmet Cetin and
ISAF Commander Gen. Ethem Erdagi. After meeting with Turkish
citizens and businessmen in this country, Erdogan will
return to Ankara. He will be accompanied on this trip by
Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, Health Minister Recep Akdag,
Istanbul Deputy Egemen Bagis and Adana Deputy Omer Celik.
/Turkiye/
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said that
the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government was
determinately continuing its work on the road to European
Union membership. Speaking to his party’s parliamentary
group meeting, Erdogan criticized opposition Republican
People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal’s recent remarks on
the matter. Stressing that the government was carrying out
its work normally in line with the established timetable and
that there were no problems in EU relations, Erdogan said,
“Trying to create a false expression is not appropriate. It
only harms the country.” He added that the topic was a
national cause. /Turkiye/
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday issued a
message thanking outgoing Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas for his valuable
contributions to the TRNC. “We’ll never forget your
contributions,” said Arinc. “The Cyprus cause and your name
are synonymous.” /Turkiye/
Appearing on CNN Turk yesterday, European Union
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that he
foresees no new criteria for Ankara before beginning its EU
accession talks on Oct. 3. “If Turkey signs the additional
protocol of the Ankara Agreement, we’ll not put forth new
criteria for its EU talks,” he said. “But Ankara should
fulfill all the required criteria.” Barroso stressed that
the Turkish nation wants to join the EU and the Union also
wants Turkey’s membership. “Therefore, we need to gain the
support of the public in the various EU member states,” he
said, adding that this could be difficult. /Milliyet/
Turkey signed an agreement with Israel yesterday to buy
10 spy planes from the country. The agreement will cost $183
million to Ankara. In related news, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan is due to travel to Israel on May 1-2 to pay
an official visit. During his short stay, Erdogan is
expected to meet with his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon
and Israeli President Moshe Katsav to discuss bilateral
relations. /Sabah/
Speaking at his party’s group meeting yesterday,
opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz
Baykal criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who
recently warned that there were attempts within the European
Union to divide Turkey, adding that Erdogan had recognized
this fact too late. “Erdogan’s late recognition cost Turkey
dearly,” he said, adding that the premier needed to brief
both the Parliament and the CHP on the reason for his
statements. Baykal criticized what he called Erdogan’s
“conflicting” stance on the nation’s EU bid. “The premier’s
attitude against Ankara’s EU membership has undergone a
rapid change of late and as an opposition party, we need to
know the reason why,” he added. /Cumhuriyet/
Asked about the electoral victory of Mehmet Ali Talat in
the weekend presidential elections in the Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), US State Department spokesman
Richard Boucher said on Tuesday, “We did do a statement
yesterday that congratulated him on his victory in the
Turkish Cypriot elections. ... Turkish Cypriots exercised
their right to select a leader of a community. It was a
free, fair and democratic election. We welcome the
reaffirmation by the Turkish Cypriots of their commitment to
a comprehensive solution and to the reunification of Cyprus
and we look forward to working with all interested parties
to that end.” Later, asked whether more concrete steps would
be taken to end the TRNC’s isolation, Boucher stated, “[Our]
policy ... didn't really depend on the election of a
particular person; it depended on the Turkish Cypriot
attitude in trying to maintain a positive Turkish Cypriot
attitude towards reaching a solution ... as they voted in
the referendum. And so this is probably another sign that
they do maintain that attitude and I would expect that our
efforts to support the Turkish Cypriot community to try to
help them overcome some of their difficulties, that those
will continue because it is important for them to remain
committed ... to see the practical benefit in seeking
reunification.” Boucher declined to comment on the outgoing
TRNC President Rauf Denktas not seeking another term.
/Turkiye/
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Agri Deputy
Cemal Kaya yesterday resigned as a parliamentary deputy in
order to clear his name in court against corruption
allegations, but a parliamentary majority still needs to
approve his resignation. Speaking at a press conference in
Parliament, Kaya said that he was regretfully resigning as a
deputy in order to defend his innocence. Commenting on the
matter, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he
respected Kaya’s honorable decision and urged all AKP
deputies to attend the vote. “After clearing himself, our
door is always open to our friend,” added Erdogan. /Sabah/
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek yesterday submitted a draft
of amendments to the new Turkish Penal Code (TCK), set to be
put into force on June 1, to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. During a gathering in Parliament, including
Erdogan, Cicek, Parliament Justice Commission Chairman
Koksal Toptan, and ruling Justice and Development Party
(AKP) deputies, as well as bureaucrats and experts, the
amendments were taken up. /Turkiye/
Prior to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to
Israel starting on May 1, the Turkish Union of Chambers and
Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) will host Israeli and
Palestinian businessmen next Tuesday and Wednesday in
Ankara. While the Israeli delegation will be headed by
Israeli Union of Manufacturers head Shraga Brosh, Ahmet
Azzghayar, the head of the Federation of Agriculture,
Commerce and Industry Chambers, will chair the Palestinian
delegation. “As political efforts are continuing to seek a
solution to the region’s problems, business circles must
also get closer to each other,” said TOBB Chairman Rifat
Hisarciklioglu. In related news, the TOBB was yesterday
visited by a Latvian delegation of businessmen led by
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga. Hisarciklioglu and Latvian
Commerce and Industry Chamber head Janis Leja signed a
cooperation agreement to boost bilateral relations between
the two institutions. For his part, Industry and Commerce
Minister Ali Coskun said that the two countries had improved
their relations, especially during Latvia’s struggle for
independence and its European Union membership bid, and
would sustain good relations in the future. /Sabah,
Hurriyet/
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler and
International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Claude
Mandil yesterday unveiled the IEA’s energy report on Turkey
with a presentation at the ministry headquarters. Mandil
said that Turkey has made much progress in the field of
energy over the last few years, and Guler emphasized that
the government had taken important steps towards the
formation of a liberal, competitive market. /Star/
The Investment Advisory Council will assemble in Istanbul
on April 29 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. A report on last year’s progress will be
presented during the meeting, which will also be attended by
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Rodrigo de
Rato, World Bank Managing Director Shengman Zang and
European Investment Bank Chairman Philippe Maystadt. /Star/
Columnist Taha Akyol comments on former Democracy Party
(DEP) member Orhan Dogan’s rejection of ethnic politics. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“Former DEP member Orhan Dogan held out a peaceful hand,
so I’m holding out my own hand in order to greet him. But I
can’t do the same for Osman Baydemir, because he’s still
indulging in blood trade and terror.
A couple of days ago, Dogan gave an interview to Mehmet
Ali Birand on CNN Turk. What he said during the interview
was remarkable. First of all, Dogan demanded that all of
society rid itself of arms and eschew violence. He claims
that ‘ethnic politics’ is no longer valid.
Dogan says that the Kurds don’t want autonomy. They want
to be a part of Turkey, and they have respect for the
unitary state structure of Turkey and the Turkish flag. As
long as the Kurds embrace these fundamentals, any problem
can be solved. In fact, the problem occurs when some people
try to attack them and demand autonomy. Turkey can’t be
divided into ethnic groups. Whether the Kurds say ‘we will
leave’ or Turkey tells them to leave, the results will be
terrible. The Kurds see this. They don’t want to separate
from the society.
The Democratic People’s Party (DEHAP) can only get around
5 percent of the votes in elections, because most Kurds
don’t subscribe to the narrow, tribal world of ‘ethnic
nationalism.’ DEHAP officials every so often argue that they
aren’t an ethnic party, but their fanatical approach reveals
their true aims. But Dogan’s words don’t seem to be mere
slogans. He’s clearly looking for a way to escape the
narrow, tribal approach of ethnic nationalism. If he
succeeds in doing so, any problem could be solved.”
Columnist Murat Celikkan comments on the refugee issue. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“On Monday night an office was opened in the Tunel
district of Istanbul for a nongovernmental group called the
Refugees Commission which will provide refugees in the city
with legal and social support. Thousands of refugees, the
victims of such hardships and catastrophes as wars, ethnic
disputes and poverty, are of great importance not only to
our country but also to the entire world as globalization
and local conflicts displace more and more people each day,
depriving them of their basic rights. These refugees are
growing in number.
According to the 1951 Geneva Convention, every state is
obliged to grant these people equal rights with its own
citizens. However most refugees in Turkey cannot enjoy these
rights because Ankara ratified the convention with a
reservation that it will accept only Western refugees.
These people have been waiting on our soil for years,
hoping that the United Nations will one day give them the
status of refugees. Those who feel great desperation are
sometimes ensnared by human traffickers. Turkey has recently
pledged to prepare a new Refugees Law as part of its efforts
to harmonize with the European Union acquis.
The Helsinki Citizens Association (HYD), which is
operating the Refugees Commission, and the Heinrich Boll
Foundation will hold a symposium at Istanbul’s Bilgi
University this weekend to discuss this issue. The aim of
the symposium will be to provide a platform for
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to exchange information
on the refugee laws and regulations. In addition,
international analysts will discuss Turkey’s current
situation, comparing it with international practices and
standards. The gathering is also expected to ensure the
participation of the relevant NGOs in the law-making process
and launch a Europe-wide campaign in Istanbul, as the
applicable laws and regulations are still among the most
reactionary ones. The participants will probably also
criticize UN practices, since the organization can sometimes
violate even its own main principles when it comes to
refugees. The symposium will also prepare an advisory text
for both the UN and our government to guide them towards
good and fair implementation.”
