TURKISH-US RELATIONS
BY CUNEYT ULSEVER (HURRIYET)
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will pay first
presidential visit to Russia after the
establishment of the Federation of Russia.
Foreign Minister will accompany Sezer during his
visit to Russia. The bilateral relations between
the two countries, which were raised to
multi-dimensional cooperation, as well as the
Cyprus issue, the PKK and Iran will be debated
at the meetings. Energy issues and pipeline
projects including Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline
project will dominate Sezer’s meetings with his
Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. /Cumhuriyet/
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said yesterday that
Turkey was playing a key role for a peaceful
settlement concerning the Iran issue. Speaking
to reporters following a Cabinet meeting in
Ankara, Cicek said that in addition to a number
of bills, the Iran issue was taken up at the
gathering. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul attended the meeting after completing his
contacts in Iran and returning to Turkey late on
Sunday, and he briefed on his visit, expressing
his hope that the issue would be resolved
through peaceful means. /Turkiye-Milliyet/
Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said
that local administrators including bureaucrats,
governors and mayors should become in dialogue
with people rather than carrying out their
duties from the offices. Speaking at the Third
International Conditional Cash Transfer
Conference in Istanbul yesterday, the premier
said that administrators should try to solve
issues by keeping close ties with citizens.
Stressing that the poverty in the world would be
discussed and attendances would exchange views
on the issue during the gathering, Erdogan said
that his government was working for prosperity
of both Turkey and the world. Pointing to the
recent campaign of Girls to School, the premier
said that thousands of girls had begun to go to
school and their families had also been
financially supported. /Turkiye/
Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with
Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman M. Taha in
Istanbul. Speaking to reporters after their
talks, Erdogan said they had the chance to
discuss further steps to enhance bilateral ties
and also review a meeting of defense ministers
scheduled for next month in Turkey. /Turkish
Daily News/
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc is scheduled on
Thursday to visit the Danish capital of
Copenhagen to attend the European Union
parliament speakers’ meeting. In addition to
delivering a speech at the gathering, Arinc will
also have talks with his European counterparts.
Furthermore, Arinc is expected to meet with
Turkish community living in Copenhagen and
Turkish businessmen. /Turkish Daily News/
Rahsan Ecevit, former deputy
leader of the Democratic left Party (DSP) and
the wife of former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit
who is currently under treatment in hospital,
yesterday met with ninth President Suleyman
Demirel as the first stop on her campaign to
form an election coalition of all parties both
from left and right against the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP). Welcoming Ecevit’s
efforts, Demirel told reporters that there was
no retirement in politics, adding, “A politician
always remains a politician.” Rahsan Ecevit is
expected to visit Republican People’s Party
(CHP) leader Deniz Baykal today at the CHP
headquarters. /Sabah/
True
Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar said
yesterday that his party was already in
coalition with people including workers,
farmers, civil servants, craftsmen and artisans.
Dismissing recent initiatives in politics, Agar
said that the public was aware how they would
reach the true path. Stressing that he was the
sole leader who was not defeated by Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Agar said that
the Justice and Development Party (AKP) had
beaten all others. He added that he wanted to
see the recent efforts of former politicians as
the transfer of their political experiences
rather then returning to active politics.
/Sabah/
During a visit to Austria, the
European Union’s next Term President Finland’s
President Tarja Halonen, said yesterday that the
EU should help Turkey to fulfill its membership
criteria. At a meeting with her Austrian
counterpart Heinz Fischer, Halonen said that
Turkey could join the union as soon as it
fulfills necessary requirements. Stressing that
she hoped that Ankara would not delay in
implementing harmonization reforms, adding that
Turkey was a great country and its membership
could be an advantage for the union. /Turkiye/
The European Union Commission
yesterday officially approved to open an office
in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC). The office will ensure its contact with
Brussels via EU Representative in Greek Cyprus.
Under the decision, four-five staff will be
assigned from the department of the EU
Commission for Enlargement. The EU’s 139
millions of financial aid to the TRNC will be
transferred to infrastructure projects and
non-governmental organizations. /Sabah/
A Greek top military official
is set to pay an official visit to Turkey first
ever. Chief of General Staff Adm. Panayotis
Hiofotis will arrive in Turkey at the invitation
of his Turkish counterpart Gen. Hilmi Ozkok late
next month. Both countries’ officials lay great
importance to this highest-level visit to
develop military ties between the two
neighboring countries. /Milliyet/
Officials from Turkey and the European Union
Commission started exploratory talks yesterday
for the screening of Turkish legislation on
transport policy, one of the 35 chapters on
which Turkey and the EU will hold accession
talks. The session in Brussels will last for
four days. /Turkish Daily News/
European Commission
Representative Hansjoerg Kretschmer yesterday
said that he wouldn’t make comments on the
Democratic Society Party’s (DTP) statement “We
can’t put distance between us and the PKK” made
at the congress, even though he called on DTP to
put distance between the terrorist PKK.
Kretschmer said, “There’s nothing we can do, I
can’t comment, but I can note.” Kretschmer, who
went to Van yesterday, wasn’t welcomed by any
officials at the Ferit Melen Airport. Stating
that they regularly visit different parts of
Turkey, Kretschmer said, “We have previously
visited Van and Hakkari within this context.”
“We evaluate political reforms made via these
visits,” he said, “For this purpose, we will
hold various contacts in Hakkari and Semdinli.”
In related news, the European Commission is set
to appoint French diplomat Marc Pierini as their
new representative to Turkey, diplomatic sources
said on Monday. The French diplomat is expected
to come to Ankara in November following the
departure of current European Commission
Representative to Turkey Hansjoerg Kretschmer
for his new post as EU representative to
Afghanistan. /Cumhuriyet-The New Anatolian/
The
partners in the Turkish Cypriot coalition
government-the Republican Turkish Party (CTP)
and the Democrat Party (DP)-performed well in
the local and interim elections held in the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on
Sunday, according to the final results released
on Monday. While two vacant posts in the TRNC’s
Parliament were filled by CTP candidates in the
interim elections, the DP made a surprise rise
in the local elections by winning the
municipality of the capital, Lefkosa. By winning
the two vacant Parliament seats, the CTP
increased its number of seats from 23 to 25 out
of a total 50 seats and attained majority in
Parliament to become the ruling party. /The New
Anatolian/
The Central Bank (CB) started
to sell foreign exchange and purchase Turkish
lira from the markets to halt the rise of
dollar. With the first purchase of YTL
yesterday, 500 million YTL was withdrawn from
the market. CB Governor Durmus Yilmaz said
yesterday that the CB would play a more active
role on both foreign exchange and interest
rates. Saying that with the decisions of the
Monetary Policy Council, the CB aimed at
minimizing the adverse effects of the
fluctuations in the international markets on the
Turkish economy, Yilmaz added that the CB
decisions would reduce the effects of these
fluctuations. He stressed that decreasing
portfolio investments were leaving the country
due to global conditions. Yilmaz stated that
growth in consumer products was dropping, adding
that this would become clearer in the upcoming
weeks. “Slowdown in consumer and investment good
imports are expected,” said Yilmaz. /Turkiye/
Chairman of the Turkish Union
of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB)
Rifat Hisarciklioglu yesterday commented on
Central Bank starting to sell foreign exchange
to the market and purchase YTL from the market,
saying that the CB decision was correct.
Hisarciklioglu stated that the CB measures taken
against recent fluctuations were very important
steps in ensuring confidence in the markets and
reducing atmosphere of uncertainty. He stated
that when quality and dimension of fluctuation
is considered, not only the CB, but also other
economic organizations should take measures,
adding that series of measures were needed to
increase the competitive power and reduce
current account deficit and that discrimination
between domestic and foreign investors should be
ended. /Turkiye/
The
agreement on NABUC-CO project, which aims to
transfer natural gas to European Union member
states through Turkey, was signed yesterday in
Vienna. The project, which would transport
natural gas from Azerbaijan and Iran to Europe
through Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary, is
expected to start fully operating in 2011. The
planning and construction stage is expected to
be completed in 2005-2007. Austrian Energy
Minister Martin Bartenstein and European Union
Commissioner responsible for energy Andris
Piebalgs signed the agreement on behalf of the
EU, and Turkish, Bulgarian, Romanian, and
Hungarian energy ministers signed it on behalf
of their countries. /Turkiye/
Worldwide known Turkish music producer Arif
Mardin, 74, yesterday died of cancer in New York. Arif
Mardin, who has 12 Grammy Awards and worked with
famous artists such as Barbara Streisand, Bette
Midler, The Bee Gees, and Phil Collins,
yesterday died at his home in New York. Mardin
will be laid to rest in Istanbul this week.
/Sabah/
Columnist Cuneyt Ulsever comments on Turkish-US
relations. A summary of his column is as
follows:
“Turkish-US relations should be considered at
least on three dimensions:
1.
Diplomatic relations between the Foreign
Ministry and State Department,
2. Military
relations between the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK)
and Pentagon,
3. Leadership relations between
the US President and Turkish President or Prime
Minister.
These
relations generally don’t contradict with each
other, but complement each other. Of course,
leaders’ relations determine the main direction
of relations, but three-dimensional relations
sometimes might be different. Now, the US is
trying to settle the relations on two
perspectives:
1.
Turkey is important for the US more than every
time.
2. However, according to the US’ perspective,
the Prime Minister’s office isn’t confident in
terms of establishing a common policy.
In
this period, the ‘frozen leader relations’ is
the most-preferred form of relation between the
President and Prime Minister. Although Turkey’s
rejection of US troop deployment for the Iraqi
war in March 2003 shook the US’ confidence, now,
the diplomatic relations are very warm.
This
difference derives from the Foreign Ministry’s
great success in ‘comprehending the world.’ The
undersecretaries and advisors at the Office of
the Prime Minister are very sentimental about
the relations with the US, and thus, they are
ideologically blind. However, the Foreign
Ministry makes certain analyses lacking
sentimental perceptions and ideological
preferences and adopts cooler and more realistic
approaches than the US’ approaches consisting of
ideological fanaticism in terms of the Iraq and
Iran issues. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul also
seems to be in harmony with the Foreign
Ministry. I have harshly criticized Gul in March
2003, but now I think he’s the most successful
statesman in this period and he even represents
the tradition of government in the most correct
way. Now, the military relations look like a
closed box the most in the Turkish-US relations.
Military relations were considerably weak during
the period of March 2003, but the TSK cold heal
this wound to a great extent thanks to its
diplomatic efforts. The Anti-Terror Law will
determine the dimension of military relations.
If the amendments in the law strengthen the
military, Pentagon will come closer to the TSK.
US President George W. Bush’s way of
interpreting the new US Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman’s power will have a deep impact on
these relations.”
