BBC Monitoring quotes from Turkish press 17 March 05

BBC Monitoring Service
United Kingdom; Mar 17, 2005

The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and
commentaries published in 17 March editions of Turkish newspapers
available to BBC Monitoring

Hurriyet [centre-right, largest circulation] “Why was a ceremony [to
mark the killing of 6 Turkish soldiers by the British troops occupying
Istanbul in 1920] which has not been organized for 47 years been held
again? Why are the words like ‘perfidious Albion’ being used again? To
whom was this message sent? Was it the British ? Or the Americans? Or
the whole of Europe? …Or are we trying to tell the West ‘Look, if
you raise the issue of the Armenian genocide, we will open your
file?'” (Commentary by Ertugrul Ozkok)

Radikal “The UK is leading among the countries supporting Turkey’s EU
membership. In the background of [Foreign Minister Abdullah] Gul’s
visit [to the UK], there lies a report from 22 February 2005, which
was published as a result of the regarding Cyprus that House of
Common’s Foreign Affairs Commission carried out in 2004 and 2005 . In
this report, apart from a couple of points that the Turkish side would
not like, there are important suggestions to the British government
foreseeing the lifting of trade, travel and economic aid embargos on
the Turkish Cypriots. Perhaps, the most important aspect of the report
for us is that there is no suggestion that we should recognize the
Greek Cypriots.” (Commentary by Gunduz Aktan)

Turkey/ EU/ USA

Posta [tabloid] “For a while, this government was doing very well. It
knew what it wanted… and it was acting accordingly. I do not know
what happened but they have begun to resemble their predecessors. For
example, it seems that they still have not made a definite decision
regarding the EU… They have still not made up their mind about their
relations with America. Will they draw closer to Washington or to its
opponents? Is it better to be closer to the Muslim countries or be
closer to the Bush administration on some policies? …Given the
situation, of course, suspicions on the opposite side are growing.”
(Commentary by Mehmet Ali Birand)

Milliyet [centrist] “Suspicions that world developments are not being
interpreted well by [Prime Minister] Erdogan and his administration
are growing. There are many signs that the priorities and things that
can be done afterwards are being mixed up. While relations with the
USA are gradually becoming sour, good signals are not coming from the
EU either. Why is that? …Erdogan’s administration would benefit
greatly from considering the situation and getting back on its feet.”
(Commentary by Hasan Cemal)

“In the meetings I attended in recent months, organized by the NGOs
and university campuses, I have witnessed that anti-Western sentiment
is on therise. Objections have been made even by those who have been
strongly supporting EU membership… Because of the Westerners who are
looking down on us and wagging their fingers, saying ‘Do this and do
not do that’, the Turkish people are moving towards the point of
giving up its 200 hundred years old dream of becoming westernized. The
opposition, whose absence is being felt, is being formed into an
‘anti-West’ axis… And among the political elite, the complaint ‘we
are giving more than we are taking’ is being voiced.” (Commentary by
Can Dundar)

Radikal [centre-left] “Turkey must also learn a lesson from the
message that the EU has given to Croatia. The very simple example is
that if our police continue to beat women demonstrators who do not
throw stones at them or demolish things, the [EU] negotiations may not
start or may be suspended even if they do start. If Turkey weakens the
policy of `zero tolerance against torture’, which the government has
declared, and if the violations of human rights continue to increase,
the negotiations may not start… And more importantly, if the
articles foreseeing prison sentences for journalists in the new
Turkish penal Code which is to come into force in two weeks’ time are
not corrected and journalists are imprisoned, the EU [membership] may
suddenly turn into a distant dream.” (Commentary by Ismet Berkan)

USA

Yeni Safak [liberal, pro-Islamic] “ýAs you see, the USA is determined
not to give you any diplomatic way out. [Regarding the issue of the
Turkish president’s visit to Syria] the USA sends its warning a month
earlier and strictly excludes any diplomatic way out as it gives this
[warning] publicly… It can much more easily be understood that one
of the targets of Washington’s new `imperial policy’ line is
Turkey. Washington does not want Turkey to determine its own policy,
even regional, and follow it.” (Commentary by Fehmi Koru)

“The problem [of the USA] is not Syria. The problem is the plans for
taking Turkey a hostage, controlling and cornering it and using it as
a trigger man… Who can say that Turkey will also not be declared
terrorist, as it is becoming independent in the area of foreign
policy, putting its own interests first, planning for its own future,
moving away from the USA-UK-Israel camp, opening up to Africa, the
Middle East and Asia, and becoming bigger?” (Commentary by Ibrahim
Karagul)

Source: As given

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress