Headlines:
Summary
of the political and economic news in the Turkish press
OFFICE
OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION
ERDOGAN
WARNS NEW GOVERNORS OF FORCES SEEKING PROVOCATION
There are some trying to stir unrest in Turkey through stressing
our differences, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday.
He made the remarks to 14 governors newly appointed or transferred
at the Prime Ministry, with Interior Minister Besir Atalay also
in attendance. Stating that there have always people wanting to
throw the nation into disorder, and there always will be, he added,
"Leaders who cannot work for the people's future can no longer
called successful or respectable administrators. In the past we,
the Turkish people, have suffered great pain. Our government, stressing
democracy, human rights, and the rule of the law, never want the
people to experience such problems again." He added, "Units
of the state and governors should be more sensitive, careful and
aware." Afterwards, Erdogan went to Rize, his hometown, to
attend a number of activities. /Star/
PM ERDOGAN URGES CALM, COMPROMISE IN LEBANON
Working to help end the recent political tension between Lebanon's
government and opposition parties, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
yesterday telephoned Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nebih Berri and
Prime Minister Fuad Siniora to urge restraint and compromise. Erdogan's
talks focused on possible ways to end the tension. The political
crisis exploded into violence on Wednesday when supporters of Lebanon's
Hezbollah-led opposition blocked roads in Beirut to enforce a strike
called by labor unions protesting the government's economic policies
and demanding pay raises. The strike escalated into street confrontations
between supporters of the rival camps. About a dozen people were
injured. On Thursday, the violence spread outside the capital. The
Turkish premier on Wednesday also telephoned his Syrian counterpart
Bashar al-Assad on the issue. Erdogan is expected to continue his
efforts to ease the tension in Lebanon. /Turkiye/
BABACAN VISITS EU PRESIDENT SLOVENIA
After completing his contacts in Strasbourg, Foreign Minister Ali
Babacan yesterday proceeded to Ljubljana, Slovenia to attend the
11th European Forum. He also met with President Danilo Turk, whose
country currently holds the rotating term presidency of the European
Union. In addition, in a guest column in Slovenian daily Dnevnik,
Babacan wrote that after completing its accession process, Turkey
wants full European Union membership with rights and responsibilities
equal to all other member countries. Turkey's full membership is
closely related to the vision of a future in which the EU is a global
actor, added Babacan. An EU with Turkey in its ranks will also be
a source of inspiration for other regions in the world, by proving
that differences can come together around common values and interests,
he wrote. /Turkiye/
TUZMEN: "THROUGH TRADE WITH IRAN, TURKEY CAN HELP
COVER ITS FUEL BILL"
In Iran for an official visit, State Minister for Foreign Trade
Kursad Tuzmen was received yesterday by Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad. During the meeting, Ahmadinejad expressed his country's
desire to import wheat from Turkey. Stating that Turkey also needs
rice, Tuzmen said if the necessary technical conditions are met,
Turkey can trade its wheat for Iranian rice. Afterwards, predicting
that Turkish construction work and investment in Iran would rise
in the years to come, Tuzmen said this has great importance for
bilateral trade ties. "Turkey's oil and natural gas expenses
this year will reach $43 billion," he said. "Thanks to
such investments and business relations, Turkey can regain a substantial
portion of the money spent on oil and natural gas." Touching
on the pressure on Turkish banks to limit their trade relations
with Iran, Tuzmen said, "This is unacceptable for Turkey. Turkey
will continue to trade with Iran," He added that Ahmadnejad
had also proposed cooperation in the banking sector, and an agreement
on financing for a Van railway project had been reached. Tuzmen
also met with his Iranian counterpart Massoud Mirkazemi.
/Hurriyet/
BARROSO: "THE EU SHOULD CONTINUE FAIR NEGOTIATIONS
WITH TURKEY"
European Union Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso yesterday attended
the 11th European Forum in Ljubljana, Slovenia. In a session discussing
Turkey's future in the EU, Barroso said that Turkey needs both full
democracy and "democratic secularism" to get into the
EU. He criticized a state prosecutor's case seeking the closure
of Turkey's ruling party, saying it was irregular and called into
question the state's structure. Saying secularism can't be imposed
by force, he added, "We're concerned about recent developments
in Turkey. After visiting there, I was convinced that Turkey need
to be closer to the EU and that the EU should continue fair negotiations
with Turkey." /Sabah/
TURKEY AIDING MYANMAR AFTER CYCLONE DISASTER
Turkey has decided to send $1 million in aid to cyclone-struck Myanmar,
the Foreign Ministry said yesterday. The statement said that a team
from the Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) has been sent to the Southeast
Asian country, which was hit by a devastating cyclone on Monday,
to asses the situation. /Turkish Daily News/
FORMER US DIPLOMAT: "CIVILIAN RULE FOR TURKEY IS KEY"
Former US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nick Burns
yesterday said that a government structure ruled by civilians is
very important for Turkey's future. In a speech to the Sakip Sabanci
Conference at the Brookings Institute in Washington, Burns also
said that Turkey had left the era of military interventions behind
it. /Sabah/
TUSIAD MEMBERS MEET WITH AUSTRIAN PRESIDENT
Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD)
Chairwoman Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag and Vice Chairman Ferit Sahenk
were received yesterday by Austrian President Heinz Fischer. During
their meeting, Fischer reportedly said that Turkey shouldn't feel
discouraged about its EU bid. Afterwards, Yalcindag said that they
hadn't discussed political developments in Turkey or the closure
case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). /Star/
ISTANBUL HOSTS FORMULA ONE'S TURKISH GRAND PRIX
Formula One's Turkish Grand Prix will start today with practice
runs. In the grand prix, the fifth race of the year, qualifying
runs will be held on Saturday, and the race will start at Istanbul
Park on Sunday. Istanbul will also host GP2 and Porsche Mobil 1
Supercup races. This is the fourth time Istanbul has hosted the
race. Kimi Raikkonen (Mercedes McLaren) was the winner of the first
Turkish Grand Prix, followed by Felipe Massa (Ferrari) in 2006 and
2007. /All Papers/
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