Wednesday, 18 November 2009
These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on November 18, 2009. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET
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GENERAL STAFF: FAKE DOCUMENT'S TIMING IS STRANGE
The General Staff issued a statement on the third letter sent to the
Ergenekon probe prosecutors: "The document which is attributed to the General Staff Legal Advisor's office is fake. It does not exist in our records. The timing of the letter is rather strange."
MINISTER OF HEALTH: MY TWO CHILDREN GOT SWINE FLU AND RECOVERED
Minister of Health Recep Akdag announced that also his 4-year-old daughter and 24-year-old son suffered from swine-flu.
"My daughter suffered mildly whereas my son suffered heavily from the disease. They are both well now. My wife was vaccinated because she was being treated for an immune disease," said Akdag.
MILLIYET
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CLOSURE CASE WILL MAKE TURKEY UPSIDE DOWN
Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said, "file can not be opened with
abstract allegations" while speaking to columnist Fikret Bila who announced
Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya started to examine the tappings under political parties law.
This stance of Yalcinkaya led to the question whether a new closure case would be brought onto the agenda.
Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said all the tappings were made upon judges' decision. "It has got nothing to do with the political parties law," he said.
Cicek said such an initiative would make Turkey upside down. He said,
"political and economic stability would be negatively affected if a case is
opened. Economy will be shaken. Such cases can not be opened with abstract allegations. Principle rules of the law can not be violated. Tappings are within the jurisdiction. No connection can be made with the government."
FIVE NEIGHBORS TO OCALAN
Isolation of head terrorist Abdullah Ocalan, who has been living alone on the Imrali Island for 10 years, has ended.
Five convicts, four of them PKK members and one of them a member of TIKKO organization, were transferred to a new prison that has recently been constructed on the island.
Ocalan was taken from the place he has been staying for 10 years and sent to his new room in that prison.
Ocalan will be able to meet with the other convicts for 10 hours a week.
SABAH
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DOUBLE SUMMIT WITH ITALY IN ANKARA AND ROME
Double summit which took place in capital cities of Turkey and Italy was on top of the agenda. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, who met with Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Ankara, called on EU member states to keep their promises to Turkey. On the other hand, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Rome, stressed that Italy supported Turkey's EU membership bid.
MY SON AND DAUGHTER CONTRACT SWINE FLU
Health Minister Recep Akdag said that his 24-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter contracted swine flu. He said, "I could not find an opportunity to vaccinate my daughter. My son suffered the infection severely." Akdag also stressed that 60 percent of people, who died of swine flu, was healthy people. Akdag said that Scientific Board would decide whether Feast of Sacrifice holiday would be extended or not.
OCALAN HAS NOW 5 FRIENDS
Early on yesterday, five convicts were transferred to prison in Imrali
island where Abdullah Ocalan --head of PKK terrorist organization-- has been serving life imprisonment alone. The convicts will serve heavy life imprisonment. Four of them are PKK members and one is a member of TIKKO (Turkey's Workers Peasants Liberation Army --an illegal leftist organization).
VATAN
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LIFER MURDERERS MEET IN IMRALI
Upon the decision of Europe "to end his lonely imprisonment", five convicts were sent to Imrali as friends to head terrorist Abdullah Ocalan.
Justice Ministry made the transfers early on Tuesday morning because of the reports of European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and because of the cases opened at European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Four PKK members and a member of TIKKO organization were transferred to Imrali where Ocalan stayed alone for 10 years.
Ocalan will again be alone in the cell of the prison which was renewed for four million TL. He will be able to walk in the prison yard for one hour a day with his new friends.
MY TWO CHILDREN WERE INFECTED WITH SWINE FLU
Health Minister Recep Akdag said his four-year-old daughter, Remziye,
suffered from swine flu before getting vaccinated, but escaped slightly.
"However, my 24-year-old son, Muhammet, suffered from the disease
seriously," he noted.
Akdag said his wife and he were vaccinated as he was a health personnel and his wife was using medicine because of immune problems.
"My other children will of course get vaccinated in case they are not
infected with the virus when their turn comes," he noted.
CUMHURIYET
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"CAN'T REMAIN SILENT"
Legal practitioners are gathering in Istanbul today to protest the pressure on the judiciary and the illegal phone-tapping. Chairmen and members of 47 bar associations from around the country will attend the rally which will be held in front of the Istanbul Bar Association. Protestors are expected to give the message that the country and the judiciary are under attack and no legal practitioner should remain silent to it.
An add placed on daily newspapers Wednesday by the Bar Associations, said the government's attacks and seige on the judiciary had reached unbearable levels.
The add said the arbitrary actions shook the foundations of the state of
law. "We are calling on everyone on duty in defence of the democratic, secular and social state of law," said the add.
MILITARY UNDERLINES "TIMING" OF 3RD INFORMANT LETTER
The Chief of General Staff said the 3rd informant letter's content was
purposefully rearranged and compiled by its sender from the investigation file which the military prosecutor's office sent to authorities, following its
decision for non-jurisdiction on June 24.
He said the attachments in the letter highly resembled the news about the subject of the said investigation.
The Chief of General Staff's statement pointed out that the appearance of the 3rd informant letter in the media on November 15 was not just a coincidence and its timing was strange. The Chief of General Staff said the document which is attributed to the General Staff Legal Advisor's office was fake. "Turkish Armed Forces is aware of the actions targeting itself," said the statement.
RADIKAL
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EU CRITICISM FROM GUL
President Abdullah Gul strongly criticised statements of several European leaders such as "Turkey's culture is different". Gul said, "are they going to build a new Berlin Wall after 20 years?"
FIVE FRIENDS FOR OCALAN
Abdullah Ocalan, head of PKK terrorist organization, was placed in his new ward in High Security Type-F Prison which was built on Imrali island. Also five new convicts were sent to the island: Seyhmuz Poyraz, Cumali Karsu, Hasbi Aydemir and Bayram Kaymaz from PKK, and Hakki Alkan from TIKKO (Turkey's Workers Peasants Liberation Army --an illegal leftist organization).
RICH-POOR DIFFERENCE SHOULD BE LESSENED
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who attended World Food & Agriculture Organization Summit in Rome, criticised the international inequality. Erdogan said that the condition in poor countries was miserable while there was a limitless consumption in rich countries. He added that this imbalance should be eliminated rapidly.
TURKIYE
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EVERYBODY SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR JUDICIARY
President Abdullah Gul commented on the allegations on phone-tapping
targeting the judiciary. "The confidence in justice --which is one of the most delicate issues-- should not be hurt. Utmost attention should be paid while monitoring in compliance with the law. Unlawful monitoring is unacceptable," said Gul.
OYMEN PROTESTED
The reaction to Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Onur Oymen's remarks on Dersim is growing. Oymen was protested once gain during the group meeting of his party. CHP leader Deniz Baykal backed Oymen --whom CHP Acting Group Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu invited to resign-- by coming to the group meeting together with him. It was rather striking that Kilicdaroglu did not attend yesterday's group meeting.
ZAMAN
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NO PRESSURE TO JURISDICTION, 2,000 DENUNCIATIONS ARE EVEN NOT TAKEN TO OPERATION
Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin said legal tapping procedures towards judges and prosecutors were distorted.
Ergin stressed that Supreme Court of Appeals was not tapped, and strongly criticized the allegations that there was pressure on the jurisdiction through the inspectors.
Ergin said in parallel to the rise in number of judges and prosecutors,
there was a rise in number of complaints. "Despite this", he said, "number of judges against whom legal action was taken, decreased."
210,000 NEWS WERE SERVICED FROM TSK FOR BLACK PROPAGANDA
According to the information appearing in the third denunciation letter,
"Information Support Group Command" used interesting methods to create an impact on the society.
One of them was to make media organizations report a news aiming at "black propaganda". Number of news reports serviced for it is 210,000.
YENI SAFAK
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EUROPE KNOWS ABOUT CIMBOM
A research, which was conducted by Bogazici and Madrid universities, has given surprising results. European people were asked "with which symbols do you know about Turkey?". 91.1 percent said "Istanbul", and 70 percent said "Galatasaray" (Cimbom--a sports club).
FIVE FRIENDS FOR OCALAN
Four PKK members and one TIKKO (Turkey's Workers Peasants Liberation Army --an illegal leftist organization) member were transferred to Imrali island where Abdullah Ocalan (head of PKK terrorist organization) has been serving a life imprisonment. Ocalan will be able to walk in the yard of the prison together with new convicts Seyhmuz Poyraz, Cumali Karsu, Hasbi Aydemir, Bayram Kaymaz and Hakki Alkan.
