Turkish Press Review

After completing his contacts in Indonesia as part of the D-8 summit, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accompanied by State Ministers Mehmet Sahin, Ali Babacan and Kursad Tuzmen yesterday returned to Turkey. Before his departure, Erdogan told reporters that through the use of good planning and their combined national incomes of about $1 trillion, the D-8 countries could become an influential power in the international arena. /Turkiye/

GUL: "WITH THE AKP GOVT, THE TURKISH NATION WILL REGAIN ITS LOST YEARS"

Speaking at an opening ceremony in Bursa at the weekend, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that under the current Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, the self-sacrificing Turkish nation would be able to regain their "lost years." Gul stated that Turkey was undergoing a great change, adding that this change was being felt in Bursa as well as in other regions. He stressed that central and local administrations working together created positive results. Later, Gul addressed a meeting of his party in Bursa, saying that some circles were trying to hinder the work of the AKP government. /Turkiye/

THREE OF FOUR SOLDIERS KILLED IN SIRNAK LAID TO REST YESTERDAY

Three of four soldiers killed in Sirnak on Friday during clashes with the terrorist PKK were laid to rest yesterday. Muhammet Binici was laid to rest in Erzurum. During the ceremony in Erzurum, 9th Army Corps Commander Gen. Hayri Kivrikoglu hailed Binici as a hero. "He fought bravely against terrorists," he added. Mustafa Coruk was also laid to rest in Nevsehir, and Mustafa Cigillioglu in Osmaniye. /Aksam/

BAYKAL: "THE NEW PRESIDENT SHOULD BE ELECTED BY A NEW PARLIAMENT"

Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal over the weekend urged the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government to hold early elections. Traveling to the Aegean province of Izmir, Baykal attended a number of openings and ceremonies in the city. Addressing crowds, the CHP leader stated that his party was getting ready for elections, adding that the public was expecting them as well. Regarding the presidential election set for next spring, Baykal said that it would serve the country’s interests if the new president were elected by a new Parliament. /Aksam/

DYP LEADER AGAR: "THE GOVERNMENT IS DEEPLY INVOLVED IN CORRUPTION"

Opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar charged over the weekend that the government was deeply involved in corruption. Speaking at his party’s meeting in Istanbul, Agar said that when the DYP comes to power it wouldn’t hide behind excuses. After the meeting, Agar told reporters that the government was a slave to its fears, hiding its desperation behind its understanding of the main opposition. /Milliyet/

GERMAN CSU SECRETARY-GENERAL: "EU NEGOTIATIONS SHOULDN’T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN FULL MEMBERSHIP"

A top official in a party close to Germany's ruling party said yesterday that the European Union conducting negotiations with candidate states shouldn’t mean that they would automatically result in full membership, adding that this was also for true for Turkey. "If Bulgaria and Romania don’t fulfill the membership criteria, then they could join the Union not in 2007, but in 2008," said German Christian Social Union Party (CSU) Secretary-General Markus Soeder. The CSU is the Bavarian sister party of Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU). /Cumhuriyet/

TRNC'S TALAT TELLS UN OF COMMITMENT TO ANNAN PLAN, COMPLAINS ABOUT GREEK CYPRIOTS

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday reiterating his commitment to Annan’s policies and criticizing the stance of Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos towards the Cyprus dispute. Talat stressed in his letter the Turkish Cypriot decisiveness to find a solution to the Cyprus problem under the goodwill mission of the UN and in line with the Annan plan. Talat criticized Papadopoulos’ recent statements to French magazine L’Express rejecting the proposed peace deal on Cyprus that carried the concepts of bi-zonality and bi-communality. /Hurriyet/

KARAMANLIS COULD VISIT TURKEY THIS YEAR

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is expected to visit Turkey sometime later this year. Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said that they were trying to set a date for the visit through diplomatic channels, adding that it could be this year. Commenting on Turkey's European Union membership bid, Bakoyannis stated that in Turkey’s EU process, a number of issues between Turkey and Greece such as human rights, bilateral relations, and religious freedom became issues between Ankara and the EU. /Sabah/

PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE BILL ENTRUSTING PRIME MINISTRY WITH SECURITY

Among other measures, Parliament this week is set to debate a bill to give the Prime Ministry the duty of coordinating institutions related to domestic and foreign security and anti-terror efforts. This week Parliament will also re-debate a bill proposing the unification of all social security institutions under one institution. The bill was recently sent back to Parliament by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. /The New Anatolian/

ARMENIANS, GREEK CYPRIOTS TRY TO BLOCK MISSILE SALE TO TURKEY

Armenian and Greek Cypriot lobby groups in the US Congress have joined forces to prevent the US selling cruise missile systems to Turkey. Sending a letter to the chairman and ranking members of the House Armed Services and International Relations Committees, four key lawmakers – Reps. Michael Bilirakis, Carolyn Maloney, Frank Pallone and George Radanovich, all known as close to the Greek Cypriot or Armenian lobby groups – urged their Congressional leaders to reexamine the missile sale, claiming that these weapons would further upset the military balance on Cyprus, and Turkey could threaten Armenia with those missiles. The planned sale of 50 AGM-84K air-to-ground SLAM-ER missile systems is worth up to $162 million. /Cumhuriyet/

POLICE CHIEF AYDINER TO ATTEND SECURITY MEETING IN IRAN

Iran this week will host a meeting of Islamic countries’ security directors. During the three-day gathering in Isfahan, police chiefs are expected to discuss the issue of crime and anti-crime efforts. A Turkish delegation headed by Security Director General Gokhan Aydiner last night traveled to Iran to represent Turkey at the meeting. Furthermore, Aydiner is expected to convey Ankara's appreciation to Iranian officials for Tehran’s recent operations against PKK terrorists. /Milliyet/

BABACAN: "EXTERNAL FACTORS LOOM LARGER THAN DOMESTIC ONES IN RECENT FISCAL SECTOR FLUCTUATIONS"

State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan, who is currently in Bali to attend the D-8 Summit, yesterday commented on recent fluctuations in the fiscal sector, saying that external factors were more influential than domestic ones in these developments. Saying that considerable fluctuations had started to be seen in the fiscal sector, Babacan added that this became clearer last week. Speaking to reporters, Babacan said that one of the external factors affecting the fiscal sector was the U.S. Federal Reserve raising interest rates by a quarter-point and declaring that possible future rate hikes would be based on the economic picture. The minister stressed that the government would determinedly continue to implement the economic program and added, "The affect of many factors on our economy in last three years was very limited, and it will continue this way." He further criticized circles claiming that the new lira had devaluated, adding that using the word devaluation in free exchange rate was a technical mistake. /Sabah/

FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...

HISTORIC CALL FROM THE PRESIDENT BY ASLI AYDINTASBAS (SABAH)

Columnist Asli Aydintasbas comments on next year's presidential election. A summary of her column is as follows: "Although the presidential election is a full year away, everybody is talking about how active President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will be in determining his successor. Sezer didn’t explain his stance on this issue, but after his interview with Cumhuriyet columnist Ilhan Selcuk, people say that Sezer doesn’t favor Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s presidency and that he is concerned about the three P's – the presidency, prime ministry and parliament – all being in the hands of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). But former President Suleymen Demirel, who also criticized Erdogan’s presidency, doesn’t have any legal authority. Under the Constitution, the Parliament elects the president. Therefore, Sezer, Demirel and the opposition will try to create a public groundswell against Erdogan becoming president. Towards this end, some think that Sezer will make a call in a "historic speech." It is expected that this speech won’t have any legal authority, but will be designed to create question marks about Erdogan’s presidency. The front against Erdogan will argue that even if Erdogan becomes president, debates will rage on. Another expectation of this front is that the AKP will lose votes in the next elections if Erdogan becomes president despite the debates. Similar discussions are taking place in the AKP. Party members state that Erdogan’s presidency will be his personal decision and that they will support him in his decision. Sources from the government emphasize that comments from Demirel or Sezer aren’t legally binding. According to these sources, it is not the moves of the anti-Erdogan front which will solve this problem, but the situation inside the AKP and the party's efforts to avoid internal divisions. The government isn't uncomfortable with the discussions on this issue having started so early. The government believes that as these debates continue, the public will slowly get used to the possibility of Erdogan becoming president."

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