Turkish press
8 May 06
Quotes package from BBC Monitoring, in Turkish 8 May 06
Kurdish issue
Hurriyet (centre-right) “The PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] is
torpedoing the steps being taken for the integration of Turkey just as
much as it is torpedoing the struggle of Kurds living in Turkey to
gain a political identity. It is preventing internal peace. Actually
it is trying to keep up pressure not only on Turkey but also on the
northern Iraq administration. The PKK’s presence in Iraq is seriously
threatening Iraq’s stability.” (Commentary by Ferai Tinc)
EU
Milliyet (centrist) “As the Erdogan government plucks up courage, pays
attention and continues to be decisive about the EU, the support
Washington gives Turkey in the EU capitals will become stronger too
In the eyes of the Bush administration, a government that takes Turkey
ahead on the path to the EU is contributes directly to the USA’s
ideological fight that was determined by 11 September.” (Commentary by
Yasemin Congar)
“In recent days, looking at the performance of the AKP [ruling Justice
and Development Party], the Europeans are frequently saying that
‘Turkey has turned its back on the EU and begun going in the wrong
direction’ However I do not think the issue is just about the ‘the
AKP turning its back on the EU’.
There is an increasing antagonism in Turkey against the West. I see
this even in my own environment. Of course in the West, there are
those who do their best to incite that because they have learned how
to provoke the Turks, who easily get into a rage.” (Commentary by
Semih Idiz)
Zaman (moderate, pro-Islamic) “‘Deep’ Europe wishes both to block
Turkey’s path to membership as soon as possible and prevent people of
Turkish origin [in the European countries] getting strong positions in
politics. Turks who came as workers must stay workers! A formula must
be found that it will both stop these two developments and at the same
time appear to be acting with good intentions The Armenian ‘genocide’
formula comes out of this confused of mind of the Europeans.”
(Commentary by Selcuk Gultasli)
Cumhuriyet (secular, Kemalist) “Both the West and some Islamist
politicians who want to bring an Islamic order [to Turkey] are uniting
on common ground (and with a common target): that there be no
Ataturkist republican, the Kemalist philosophy be removed and the
Turkish Armed Forces be prevented from acting as the guardian of the
Ataturkist idea and secularism However in Turkey, an Islamic order
spreading out everywhere, from villages to suburbs, is gradually
creating a big danger for the West, which it was unable to predict in
advance. The Islamist social and political groupings are inwardly
producing an anti-Western, even an anti-imperialist formation.”
(Commentary by Erol Manisali)