ANTI-TERROR EFFORTS
BY MURAT YETKIN (RADIKAL)
Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended
a meeting of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry
(ISO) chaired by ISO Chairman Tanik Kucuk.
Addressing the gathering, Kucuk praised the
government’s well-run economic program, but
complained about high input costs. “We don’t
have the power to compete internationally with
these high input costs,” he said. “Energy prices
in other countries are one-third of ours. Our
situation is worse than even during the 2001
crisis.” Also addressing the gathering, Erdogan
said that only discussing the problems of the
business world wouldn’t be enough, that
solutions also need to be sought. “Of course
there our problems, but you can’t compare
today’s economic indicators with the past,” he
said. “Our exports more than doubled.”
Commenting on his recent meetings with
representatives from the textile, confection,
and leather sectors, Erdogan stated that the
government cut the value-added tax (VAT) for
these sectors following the meetings. “The
government should be appreciated,” added
Erdogan. /Turkiye/
Speaking at a press conference yesterday,
Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan spoke on
the recent European Union initiative to put
forward political criteria as preconditions to
begin negotiations on each topic during Turkey’s
EU talks, saying that harmonization with the
political criteria and negotiations should run
parallel to each other. “There are expressions
in the negotiations framework document in line
with this,” he said. “Making a direct link on
harmonization with the EU’s political criteria
and negotiating process is contrary to the
philosophy of the negotiating process.”
Commenting on the recent health situation of
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who underwent
surgery due to inner ear problems earlier this
week, Tan said that Gul would leave the hospital
when his doctors discharge him. /Turkiye/
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener yesterday
commented on the recent controversy over
appointing a new Central Bank governor, saying
that it would be better if a name for the post
was clear. “In many countries new names are
declared when the departing governor’s term in
office is finished,” he said. In related news,
Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) leader Erkan Mumcu
criticized the government on the issue, saying
that the government didn’t have the courage to
publicly declare who it wants at the post. Main
opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)
deputy leader Kemal Anadol criticized the
government’s handling of the situation as
“clumsy.” /Milliyet/
An
international symposium entitled “Global
Terrorism and International Cooperation” hosted
by the General Staff’s Center of
Excellence-Defense Against Terrorism starts
today at Ankara’s Bilkent Hotel. Top military
officials from 82 countries including chiefs of
staff and top military officials from NATO
member states as well as the chairman of the US
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace, and
South Korean Chief of General Staff Gen.
Sang-Hee Lee will attend the summit. At the
summit, which will have four sessions,
participants will seek ways to forge stronger
international cooperation against terrorism.
/Aksam/
The days of staying at home for
a whole Sunday during the census will be a thing
of the past, said State Minister Besir Atalay
yesterday. Atalay, speaking at the Ninth
Research Summit at the Istanbul Hilton
Convention Center, said that the two-year
“citizenship number” system, combined with a
detailed database of addresses and voting ages,
could replace the stay-at-home census in coming
years. The minister emphasized the importance of
obtaining accurate population data. “Everything
needs to be based on concrete data,” said
Atalay. “The source of information is crucial in
assessing value of information itself.” He
underlined, however, that extreme attention
needs to be given to methodology of the data
collection. “Transparency will be the key to
boosting faith in the research methodology.
There should be common standards for the whole
sector. This means that the Researchers’
Association has an important role to play,” said
Atalay. /The New Anatolian/
US Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State Gordon Gray yesterday came to Ankara to
discuss Iran issue. Gray reportedly yesterday
met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
foreign policy advisors and then had a lunch
with a group of deputies, and had contacts at
the Foreign Ministry. Iran was the topic A of
the meetings. Washington wants Iran to be
isolated due to its nuclear program, and also
expects Turkey to put pressure on Iran. After
the meeting, Gray told a press conference that
the US backs diplomatic efforts to find a
peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis
but doesn’t rule out military options. After
being asked whether the US would have any
military requests from Turkey if the diplomatic
process fails, Gray said that it would not.
/Cumhuriyet/
A
group of US senators led by Sen. John W. Warner,
chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee,
are now visiting Turkey as part of a regional
tour. The six-senator delegation will meet with
Prime Minister Erdogan as well as some deputies
to discuss Iraq, Iran, bilateral relations and
defense cooperation. The delegation, which also
earlier met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim
Jaafari and civil and military US officials,
will leave Turkey tomorrow. /Star/
Columnist Murat Yetkin comments on new
initiatives in the fight against terrorism. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“Parliament’s Interior Affairs Commission will
start discussing a new high-level structure for
the fight against terrorism today. This new
structure, envisaged to be established under a
bill sent to the Parliament earlier this month
with a Cabinet decision, is called the
‘Directorate General of Security Affairs’
(GIGM). When the GIGM is established, ‘ensuring
coordination between institutions leading the
fight against terrorism’ will be included in the
duties of the Prime Minister’s Office. The aim
is defined as ensuring that the office takes a
more effective role in issues of security and
the fight against terrorism. As the GIGM will
also do the secretariat work of the High
Anti-Terror Commission (TMYK), it will work
under the directions of Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul, who chairs the commission. A
structure to ensure coordination in anti-terror
efforts and work as connected to the political
authority was expressed in a press conference
organized by Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen.
Ilker Basbug last July. Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan didn’t welcome this idea at that
time and decided to revive the TMYK, which was
established eight years ago. Appointing Gul to
head the TMYK showed the government’s concerns
on the fight against terrorism and the work of
harmonization with European Union laws in
coordination. As a matter of fact, the first
meeting of the TMYK after many years was held
around the time last October when we started our
EU talks. During a National Security Council
(NSC) meeting last October, a new stance was
taken which takes developments in Iraq into
consideration, dominated in the fight against
terrorism and Kurdish terrorism. Then during a
December NSC meeting, a proposal was delivered
to the government so the TMYK could be more
functional and have a secretariat. Following a
February NSC meeting, the government decided to
raise the level of the Chairmanship of Security
Affairs to the level of directorate general and
give it more authority. Then the bill was sent
to Parliament this month.
The
authorities which were given to the GIGM in the
bill to be debated by Parliament’s Interior
Affairs Commission are as follows:
Conduct the Prime Minister’s Office’s relations
with the institutions in charge of domestic and
foreign security and anti-terror efforts and
ensure coordination among these institutions,
when necessary * Do investigation and research
into issues concerning domestic and foreign
security and anti-terror efforts, evaluate them
and present proposals * Compile and evaluate
information on issues which are subject to
martial law and a state of emergency (OHAL) in
regions where martial law and OHAL were declared
and ensure coordination on these issues *
Conduct the secretariat services of councils
which were established on issues concerning
their duties Carry out similar duties given by
the authority
This
bill will start to be debated on an interesting
day. An international symposium, organized by
the Center of Excellence-Defense against
Terrorism with opening remarks by Chief of
General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok today will bring
together such international names as US Joint
Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Gen. Peter Pace
and Afghan President Hamid Karzai and also
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Erdogan. Maybe
this coincidence shows the real agenda of
Ankara. According to soldiers, when anti-terror
efforts are mentioned, not only the fight
against PKK should come to people’s minds. The
real problem should be defined as Kurdish
separatism and on the political level. Time will
show if this new structure will meet this need.”
