Turkish Daily News
Today is Sunday, March 27 2005 2:13 pm GMT+2 updated at 12:00 P.M.
Last week in perspective
Sunday, March 27, 2005
On Friday, March 18, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara said Eric Edelman, the U.S.
ambassador to Turkey, resigned from his post, but the decision was a
personal one and had nothing to do with current troubles besetting
Turkish-U.S. relations.
The United Nations denied it had received an official request from the
Greek Cypriot leadership to restart talks on reunification of the divided
island of Cyprus.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, along with other Cabinet members and
high-ranking military officials, attended a series of ceremonies in
Çanakkale for the 90th anniversary of the 1915 Çanakkale naval victory.
A bill dubbed the ~Sstudent amnesty bill~T went into effect following
approval by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and its publication in the Official
Gazette yesterday, news agencies reported.
Turkish diplomats and officials killed by terrorist attacks while on duty
abroad were commemorated during a ceremony.
Mustafa Sarýgül, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Þiþli mayor,
testified before the party’s Supreme Disciplinary Board (YDK), where he was
charged with violating party bylaws during the CHP’s 13th extraordinary
party congress.
Fifteen people were still buried under the earth after a landslide on
Thursday in the Koyulshisar district of Sivas.
On Saturday, the Motherland Party (ANAP) celebrated the inclusion of
deputies Erkan Mumcu, Mehmet Erdemir, Süleyman Sarýbaþ and Mehmet Sait
Armaðan into their fold.
At the initiative of a Turkish Rotary district governor, Turkish,
Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian Rotary clubs met in Ankara for an
unprecedented joint program titled ~SCaucasus Friendship Days.~T
On Sunday, a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southernmost
main island of Kyushu, killing an elderly woman, injuring up to 400 people
and forcing hundreds to flee their homes.
Turkish officials in their messages on the occasion of the Nevroz Festival
expressed hope that Nevroz, the coming of spring, would bring peace and
happiness.
Ankara articulated that there was neither a direct nor an indirect
connection between the issue of Turkey’s recognition of the so-called
Armenian genocide and Turkey’s accession to the European Union.
CHP Izmir deputy Canan Arýtman submitted a proposal that calls for three
years of imprisonment for those guilty of forcing girls to undergo virginity
tests.
On Monday, approximately 250 people including Leyla Zana, Orhan Doðan,
Selim Sadak and Ahmet Türk, former deputies from the now-defunct Democracy
Party (DEP) attended the Nevroz celebrations in Diyarbakýr held by the
Democratic People’s Party (DEHAP) and the Democracy Platform.
In Mersin, a flag-desecration incident occurred during Nevroz
celebrations. Two children dragged the Turkish flag on the streets of the
city.
Government spokesman and Justice Minister Cemil Çiçek said neither the
present Turkish Penal Code (TCK), nor the new one included any articles that
would allow the retrial of terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK-Kongra-Gel) leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said Turkey should soon sign a
protocol extending its Association Agreement with the EU to the ten new EU
members, including Greek Cyprus.
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy Faruk Çelik said
Turkish-American ties would grow to reach a much better stage in the future
and high-level contacts between officials of the two countries can resolve
problems between Turkey and the United States
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül once again dismissed charges
that his government had slowed down reform efforts to gain membership to the
EU, saying membership in the 25-nation bloc remained a top priority.
Greek government spokesman Evangelos Andonaros said 25 members of the EU
expected candidate Turkey to fulfill its obligations before the start of
Turkish accession negotiations with the union.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat urged Russia to ease the
isolation of Turkish Cypriots and contribute to a fresh negotiation process
in order to reach a resolution on the decades-long Cyprus dispute.
Turkey called on countries having upheld Armenian allegations of genocide
to take the challenge to prove the validity of the charges and maintained
the debate was manipulated by the powerful Armenian Diaspora.
Hrant Dink, editor in chief of the bilingual (Armenian-Turkish) Agos
weekly, accused the German conservative politician Angela Merkel of using
the issue of so-called Armenian genocide as a tool to score domestic
political goals.
Speaking at a news conference upon his arrival in Istanbul, Ammar
al-Hakim, the second-in-command of the largest Shiite party in Iraq, said
the Iraqi National Council would determine the status of the northern Iraqi
city of Kirkuk.
The Office of the Chief of General Staff said the Turkish Armed Services
was determined to defend the country and its flag to the last drop of blood,
just like its forefathers, warning those who misinterpreted its patience and
aloofness.
Parliament’s Justice Commission approved an amendment proposal to the TCK
that would come into force on April 1.
Members of right-wing lodges staged a protest in Mersin against a
flag-dragging incident on Tuesday, with the group causing disturbances.
Homeland Party (YP) leader Sadettin Tantan said the TCK contained various
gaps creating loopholes that would be used by organized criminal gangs,
terrorist groups and corrupt individuals.
On Wednesday, Veteran Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktaþ criticized the
AKP policy on Cyprus and said his disagreement with the AKP government was
the reason he had decided not to seek a new term as president in upcoming
elections.
Prime Minister Erdoðan justified his government’s pro-settlement stance,
which was publicly attacked by Turkish Cypriot leader Denktaþ.
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, ending a temporary cessation of
remarks opposing Turkey’s EU bid, said that full EU membership was not the
only option for Turkey.
Individuals, groups, political parties, unions, government
representatives, universities and various organizations continued to condemn
the flag-desecration incident in Mersin and rallies were held all around the
nation protesting the incident.
Human Rights Association (IHD) President Yusuf Alataþ said the ugly attack
made on the Turkish flag had upset everybody but noted that it was important
not to exaggerate the matter by getting carried away with such provocations.
Prime Minister Erdoðan filed charges against comic magazine Penguen,
demanding YTL 40,000 in damages for putting his face on an elephant, a
monkey, a frog, a camel, a snake, a cow and a duck on its first page.
On Thursday, Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev resigned from office after
protesters stormed the presidential compound and seized control of the main
seat of state power following clashes with riot police.
The Foreign Ministry said Turkey was closely monitoring the situation of
Turks in Kyrgyzstan after street protests toppled the government there along
with work on a number of safety measures for Turkish citizens, including
possible evacuation.
Top government and military leaders assured Turkey’s Iraq policy was
coordinated among state institutions after a commander criticized the
government for not having a policy on developments in the neighboring
country.
Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos voiced his will to meet with
Turkish Prime Minister Erdoðan to discuss, ~Sthe international aspects of the
Cyprus dispute.~T
Turkish Cypriot leader Denktaþ struck back at remarks made by Turkish
Prime Minister Erdoðan and Foreign Minister Gül for criticizing his attitude
in resolution attempts for the decades-long Cyprus issue, saying that
Turkish governments have so far formed all policies of the Turkish Cypriots.
Professor Justin McCarthy, a renowned U.S. historian who came for a
several-day visit to Turkey at the invitation of the CHP, said the EU was
expecting Turkey’s confession on the so-called Armenian genocide as a
condition for accepting Turkey as a member to the club.
Journalists staged a protest in Ankara on Thursday, with the participation
of twelve different professional bodies, against the new TCK that stipulates
harsher sentences for journalistic misconduct.
The trial of former Prime Minister Mesut Yýlmaz and former Economy
Minister Güneþ Taner at the Supreme State Council continued with the
testimony of witnesses.
The editor in chief of daily Evrensel appeared in court to answer charges
filed by Prime Minister Erdoðan against his newspaper for a report published
covering protests at the SEKA paper mill.
Six independent deputies, led by Bitlis deputy Edip Safter Gaydalý, issued
a statement apologizing to the nation for a recent spate of unfortunate
incidents, including the beating of women by policemen and the dragging of
the Turkish flag on the street.
A moderate earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale shook Bingöl
shortly before midnight leaving seven people injured.
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