Turkish press 28 Mar 05

BBC Monitoring Service – United Kingdom
Mar 28, 2005

The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and
commentaries published in 28 March editions of Turkish newspapers
available to BBC Monitoring

EU

Hurriyet [centre-right, largest circulation] “The policies of those
who have working to pressure Turkey into signing the [Customs Union]
protocol [effectively recognizing the Republic of Cyprus] now seem to
have gone wrong… Brussels, which wants the Customs Union Agreement
extended to cover the new members of the EU, including the Greek
Cypriot administration, is facing a signing crisis… In order for the
protocol to come into law, Turkey and the EU will have to sign it at
the same time. This signing procedure, which European officials want
to happen as soon as possible, is very difficult and complex in terms
of their [the EU’s] own procedure.” (Commentary Ferai Tinc)

Radikal [centre-left] “In every country that has moved towards the EU,
supporters of the status quo try to activate such nationalist
sensitivity [as seen recently in Turkey over the flag-trampling
incident]. However this must not stop the caravan reaching its
destination. In this respect, Turkey has come to a critical
stage. What I have often tried to say in this column is that the
government too has allowed itself to be dragged into this rising
nationalism only a couple of days after 17 December [when the EU gave
Turkey a date for starting entry talks]. (Commentary by H. Bulent
Kahraman)

Cumhuriyet [secular, Kemalist] “Behind people’s embracing the Turkish
flag after the Mersin events [where a couple of young Kurds tried to
trample on the Turkish flag], there is an uprising against being
oppressed, against what have happened in northern Iraq, Cyprus. My man
does not want to be economically and politically oppressed; this is
the message he sends by embracing the flag. He shows his flag against
the insistence of the USA and the EU. He says that he opposes
imperialism to the last drop of his blood. Everybody must read this
well.” (Commentary by Erol Manisali)

Yeni Safak [liberal, pro-Islamic] “First of all, one must certainly
say that the government cannot abandon the EU goal. There is not and
cannot be any such option. The EU does not mean everything to Turkey
but we are well aware how this goal’s being weakened even a little bit
would cause Turkey to become introverted and encourage the oppressive
tendencies. The tension we have seen recently must be a lesson. The
nationalist wave, which is rising through rehearsed events and
preparing for further events, makes it necessary to embrace this goal
much more strongly.” (Commentary by Yasin Dogan)

Armenian genocide issue

Hurriyet “The reason we have not been able to refute the Armenian
slanders [about alleged genocide against Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire] is obvious. It is because we do not know what happened in
1915-16. Since we do not know, we cannot tell the world the
realities. More sadly, we do not have a strong belief that we are in
the right, that we did not carry out the genocide that the Armenians
claim. As with almost every subject, we prefer the ease and laziness
of staying uninterested in engaging in a struggle.” (Commentary by
Tufan Turenc)

Kyrgyzstan

Milliyet [centrist] “Change in Central Asia is both inevitable and
very risky! Chaos bearing the signs of a nomadic past, radical
[social] explosions and ethnic conflict are possible. Change must
succeed by being very well directed.” (Commentary by Taha Akyol)

“It has not yet become clear how the power struggle in Kyrgyzstan will
turn out but already the question ‘Whose turn is it next?’ has come
onto the agenda. However, the real big question is what kind of a
future is waiting for [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin, who has
been watching these events in Russia’s backyard with a horror mixed
with helplessness.” (Commentary by Osman Ulagay)

Zaman [moderate, pro-Islamic] “Even if his intention is not sincere,
the words of [former Kyrgyz leader Askar] Akayev are true: Kyrgyzstan
was not ready for this. With a people who have not adopted the basic
theories of democracy, the institutions of democracy cannot be
invigorated. The reality that the peoples have shown the will to
topple current oppressive and degenerate regimes does not mean that
they want democracy and they will claim democracy. The common feature
of Iraq, Lebanon and Kyrgyzstan is the handicaps in participatory
democracy in these countries. Because of their demographic divisions,
these countries have to be ruled by either dictatorships or
coalitions.” (Commentary by Kerim Balci)