Turkish Press Review

Published: 3/9/2005

ERDOGAN: â~@~POLICE MUSTNâ~@~YT LET THEMSELVES BE PROVOKEDâ~@~] All
civil servants, including security forces, must calmly perform their
duties without allowing themselves to be goaded by provocation and by
at all times keeping in mind their social responsibilities, said
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an address to his ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) group meeting yesterday. After
European leaders criticized the police clampdown on an unauthorized
International Womenâ~@~Ys Day demonstration in Istanbul and what they
termed a “disproportionate” use of force, Erdogan yesterday focused
his group meeting speech on the importance of Womenâ~@~Ys Day and
rights in general. â~@~Discrimination against women is worse than
racism,â~@~] he said. â~@~There is no institutionalized gender
discrimination in Turkey. Our culture accepts men and women as two
equal sexes, without prioritizing one over another.â~@~] Erdogan also
stressed the importance of girlsâ~@~Y education and improving the
rights of working women. In related news, Parliament Human Rights
Commission head Mehmet Elkatmis also criticized the police violence
against women protesters. However, Istanbul Mayor Muammer Guler
argued that the policemen had been provoked by the protestors, while
announcing an investigation into the “disproportionate” use of force.
Some eight policemen were identified as using excessive violence
during the demonstration and are due to be questioned. /Sabah/

ERDOGAN TO HOLD SECURITY SUMMIT TODAY

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to hold a security summit
in Ankara today. Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, Defense Minister Vecdi
Gonul and the representatives of the police, gendarmerie and the
National Intelligence Organization (MIT) are expected to attend the
summit, where the new Criminal Procedural Code (CMK) and a number of
security issues, such as a rising urban wave of purse-snatching and
theft, will be discussed. The new CMK has been criticized by security
forces as depriving them of needed tools to fight crime. /Sabah/

ERDOGAN, BAYKAL AGREE TO COOPERATE ON ARMENIAN ISSUE

Opposition Republican Peopleâ~@~Ys Party (CHP) leader yesterday
visited Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Parliament to brief
the premier on his partyâ~@~Ys plans on the so-called Armenian
genocide allegations, and he called on the government to work
together with opposition parties in Parliament on the issue. Speaking
after their talks, Erdogan stated that they had agreed to join
forces. â~@~Turkey is ready to resolve the issue. It has opened up
its state archives,â~@~] said Erdogan, calling on everybody to come
and study them. Baykal, for his part, said that the Armenian genocide
allegations began after 1975 and are politically motivated. He urged
Armenians to open their state archives as well. /Turkiye/

BAYKAL: â~@~WE OPPOSE SECOND-CLASS EU MEMBERSHIPâ~@~]

Main opposition Republican Peopleâ~@~Ys Party (CHP) leader Deniz
Baykal yesterday said that his party opposed any second-class
European Union membership for Turkey, and criticized the fact that a
chief negotiator for Ankaraâ~@~Ys EU talks has yet to be named by the
government. He also denounced Istanbul security forcesâ~@~Y violent
crackdown on women protestors over the weekend. He accused the
government of failing to take effective measures against such
incidents. /Star/

EMINE ERDOGAN: â~@~WOMEN SHOULD BE MORE ACTIVE IN THE ECONOMY,
POLITICS, BUSINESS AND THE COMMUNITYâ~@~]

Addressing a conference yesterday to mark March 8 International
Womenâ~@~Ys Day, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoganâ~@~Ys wife Emine
Erdogan lamented that women donâ~@~Yt play a larger role in
Turkeyâ~@~Ys economy, politics, business and the community, adding
that she believed women should be more active in these fields.
â~@~We have to do this,â~@~] she said. Erdogan further stressed that
women arenâ~@~Yt at the place they deserve both at home and abroad
although they are key elements of society. She added that women could
overcome these difficulties themselves, as they have the power to do
so. /Turkiye/

WORKING MOTHERSâ~@~Y RIGHTS SET FOR BOOST

Parliamentâ~@~Ys Planning and Budget Commission on yesterday,
International Womenâ~@~Ys Day, approved a bill proposing that working
mothers be allowed three hours of daily breastfeeding leave for the
first six months after birth and one-and-a-half hours a day for the
second six months. The bill also says that pregnant women who are
willing to work up to three weeks before the expected birth date will
be allowed to do so, with doctor approval. The bill would also boost
other maternity and paternity leave rights. /Star/

ANOTHER AKP DEPUTY RESIGNS

Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Yozgat Deputy Mehmet
Erdemir yesterday resigned from his party, claiming that it had
become disconnected from the countryâ~@~Ys national interests. After
the resignation, the AKP now has 362 seats in Parliament, the
opposition Republican Peopleâ~@~Ys Party (CHP) has 169, and
independent deputies occupy 11 seats. /Turkiye/

CELIK CONTINUES HIS CONTACTS IN THE US

Education Minister Huseyin Celik who is currently visiting the US,
yesterday said that he had asked US officials to send more English
teachers to Turkey, adding that Turkey was also planning to send
Turkish teachers to America. After meeting with high-level officials
responsible for education in Washington, Celik stated that the
government intended to open new 15 universities in Turkey. â~@~We
want to cooperate with the US and other countries to train scholars
for them,â~@~] said the minister. /Turkiye/

STUDENT AMNESTY BILL PASSES PARLIAMENT COMMISSION

A student amnesty bill vetoed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer last
week for failing to pass Parliament with a qualified majority of 330
votes yesterday was approved by Parliamentâ~@~Ys Education, Culture,
Youth and Sports Commission without any changes. In related news,
speaking to a Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group
meeting, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the student
amnesty was a social project from which there would be no retreat. He
also urged AKP deputies to fully attend a session of the General
Assembly next week to ensure that the bill is passed by at least 330
votes. /Turkiye/

AGAR CRITICIZES GOVTâ~@~YS â~@~WEAKâ~@~] STANCE IN TALKS WITH EU
TROIKA

Opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday
criticized what he called the governmentâ~@~Ys â~@~weakâ~@~] stance
during its meeting with the European Union Troika on Monday, adding
that this weakness had allowed the EU to impose fresh demands on
Ankara. Agar further charged that a lack of government backbone had
resulted in the Cyprus issue moving to the EU platform from the
United Nations. â~@~Iâ~@~Ym concerned about the governmentâ~@~Ys
inability to protect the rights of our nation,â~@~] added Agar. In
related news, Agar released a statement yesterday to mark March 8,
International Womenâ~@~Ys Day, saying that his party was preparing
measures to better the situation of Turkish women and promote their
political participation. /Cumhuriyet/

REHN: â~@~TURNING A NEW PAGE IN ANKARAâ~@~YS EU ACCESSION TALKS IS
RELATED TO ITS GOOD RELATIONS WITH GREEK CYPRUSâ~@~]

Addressing a meeting hosted by the Turkish Industrialistsâ~@~Y and
Businessmenâ~@~Ys Association (TUSIAD) yesterday, European Union
Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn said that turning a new page
in Ankaraâ~@~Ys EU accession talks was also related to its good
relations with Greek Cyprus. â~@~Turkey will accept the membership
of new EU members by signing the Ankara Agreement Protocol,â~@~] he
said, referring to an expansion of the Turkey-EU Customs Union to
include Greek Cyprus. â~@~This is one of the conditions of the
Council of Europe to begin Ankaraâ~@~Ys accession talks.â~@~] Rehn
claimed that Turkey hasnâ~@~Yt kept some of its promises to the EU,
adding that zero tolerance for torture should be implemented at all
levels of the state and in all regions. Speaking after the meeting,
Rehn reiterated that Turkey signing the Ankara Agreement Protocol
would accelerate its EU membership bid. Rehn also said that
Turkeyâ~@~Ys accession talks would begin on Oct. 3, as stated last
December by the European Commission. /Cumhuriyet/

TRNC PRESIDENT DENKTAS APPROVES NEW COALITION GOVT

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas
yesterday approved a Cabinet slate submitted by Prime Minister Mehmet
Ali Talat, the leader of the winning party in last monthâ~@~Ys
elections. The new government is a renewed alliance between Talat’s
Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and Serdar Denktasâ~@~Ys Democrat
Party (DP). The Cabinet includes many of the same figures who
resigned last October after the government lost its parliamentary
majority following the failure of a United Nations plan to reunify
the island. Last month Talatâ~@~Ys party won 24 seats in the
50-member Parliament, forcing it to form a coalition with the DP. In
related news, the CTP earlier this week nominated Talat to run for
the TRNC presidency. The presidential elections will be held in
April. /Hurriyet/

BABACAN: â~@~THE DATE FOR A NEW IMF STANDBY ISNâ~@~YT CLEAR YETâ~@~]

Addressing Parliament yesterday, State Minister for the Economy Ali
Babacan said that the date for a new standby agreement with the
International Monetary Fund wasnâ~@~Yt yet clear, adding that it
could be set after the passage of a handful of measures. Babacan
added that in 2003 and 2004 Turkey received $2.9 billion from the
European Union and that some of this had already been paid back.
/Cumhuriyet/   Turkish Press

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