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ANKARA: Turkish Press Review

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  • ANKARA: Turkish Press Review

    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

    --Boundary_(ID_/lvetWpT0EAJgM0WJrV3vw)--
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