"Europe's public figures press Turkey's case
Empowering Europe:
by MARTTI AHTISAARI, JOSCHKA FISCHER, MABEL VAN ORANJE, MARK LEONARD
Barring a last-minute change of heart, European heads of government will sign off this month on a new agreement to beef up the European Union’s foreign policy machinery by strengthening the role of the EU High Representative. This change is long overdue...Europe's public figures press Turkey's case
This is to us. A private guarding the Hrant Dink murderers...Via Hürriyet.
New president must be elected unless amendment package changes
The leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Deniz Baykal, yesterday said the Supreme Election Board (YSK) must decide on holding new presidential elections if the constitutional
Turkish Islam, i guess:) Found in Beşiktaş, VIA
Turkey could rethink insult law
Turkish President Abdullah Gul calls for changes to a controversial law against insulting Turkish identity.Praising Gül, PACE warns military not to interfere in politics
EU-Turkey relations full of misperceptions, report says
Turkish army chief warns government on EU reforms
BUYUKANIT WARNS AKP ON CONSTITUTION, DTP ON PKK - Eurasia Daily Monitor
Hrank Dink case and 301; to support or not to support the AKP
Cengiz ÇANDAR
Intellectual support to AKP conditional on EU
Mehmet Ali Birand
EKREM DUMANLI: Where were we with the EU?
Heightened political tension during the election campaigns damaged Turkey-European Union relations the most.Turkey resolution at Euro Parliament 'a new approach'
The European Parliament rapporteur for Turkey Ria Oomen-Ruijten's first resolution on EU-Turkey relations was approved by the Committee on Foreign Affairs in Brussels yesterday.The majority...
EU council welcomes Gül
Mehmet Ali Birand
An EU message from Gül
Murat YETKİN
Yusuf Kanlı: Two dangers ahead
Depending on how the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will act, Turkey may face two very hot issues, if not crises, in the very near future. One is the upcoming Oct. 21 referendum on a constitutional amendment allowing for the direct election of the president and the other is the new “civilian” constitution drive of the ruling party. While the potential threat posed by the Oct. 21 referendum could easily be averted by the AKP, it appears for the time being that the ruling party has no such intention because it is apparently afraid that should it touch the text to be voted on by the nation, it might not be able to fulfill its pledge to the nation on the popular election of the president...
The Islamic case for a secular state -II-
MUSTAFA AKYOL
The AKP, secularism and the third path
Shoshana BEKERMAN
Yusuf Kanlı: Turkey and the EU
We keep on stressing that Turkey needs European Union membership as much as the EU needs Turkey but neither is obliged to each other. At the end of the day we will either forge a marriage of convenience or part our ways but remain good friends. Complaints of our people of the EU's insensitivity to matters of great importance for Turkey and some adamant criticism of our country by some leading European politicians are creating a rather gloomy picture as if Turks are ready to give up their bid for EU membership. Perhaps there are many shallow people in Europe who would not realize the impacts of such a development on strategic interests of the old continent and thus applaud such a probability,Roth complains of 'undemocratic stance' against elected deputies
A senior German parliamentarian yesterday criticized any attempts to sack deputies who were democratically elected in Turkey. Claudia Roth, deputy chairwoman of the Turkish Caucus in the...
Opposition criticizes constitutional amendments
There is growing feeling of unease among political parties with regard to the government-proposed constitutional amendments. The opposition parties, the Republican People's Party (CHP) and...
Government seeking changes to Article 301
The government will change the much-criticized Article 301 of the penal code that penalizes insulting “Turkishness” before the release of Turkey's European Union Progress Report in early...
Erdoğan: AKP government guarantor of secularism
Just a day after Chief of Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt's strong reference to the principle of secularism, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday gave assurances that his government...
IHSAN DAGI: Is Kemalism compatible with democracy?
I know this question is straightforward, but it is one that we have to ask and answer if we are really interested in identifying and removing the obstacles before the democratization process.
ANDREW FINKEL: One Kurdish problem, two Kurdish answers
Earlier this week, I stood in a primary schoolroom in Diyarbakır, and among our topics of conversation was what the children wanted to be when they grew up.
Another rejection from the Council of Europe? by HİLAL ELVER
The Sub-Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recently rejected the list of candidates nominated by Turkey to replace former judge Rıza Türmen at the European Court of Human Rights.
How to avert another presidential crisis?
Following heated and lengthy discussions about whether Turkey may turn into a country like Malaysia, we now have another hot agenda item that is likely to spark no less debate than the Malaysia riddle: the public referendum scheduled for Oct. 21.
The transition toward the EU
by ERGUN BABAHAN, SABAH
President Abdullah Gül, who showed the importance attached to the EU process by paying his first foreign visit to Strasbourg, will be a facilitative element for the efforts exerted by the government on the way to EU accession.
Gül drops hints over changing Article 301
by HASAN CEMAL, MİLLİYET
When President Abdullah Gül said in his speech in Strasbourg, “As Turkey fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria, its negotiations with the EU over accession to the Union kicked off,” he proved that Turkey’s positive sides prevailed over the negatives in the last five years.
The EU and secularism
by NURAY MERT, RADİKAL
It is just a dream to expect Europeans to contribute to the issue of secularism in Turkey. The concept of secularism set itself apart from being just an issue of separation of religion from state affairs after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The commerce of fear
by MÜMTAZ’ER TÜRKÖNE, ZAMAN
For the last few years Turkey has been undergoing a sharp-edged transition that the majority of the public has not even noticed.
Who is responsible for the failure in N. Iraq?
by NASUHİ GÜNGÖR, STAR
Turkey ignored the link between the Kurdish problem it has been experiencing domestically for years and the ongoing developments just beyond the border.
Agenda
by GÜLAY GÖKTÜRK, BUGÜN
I am not the only person who is bored with the repercussions of issues carried by newspapers onto the national agenda. Turkey has already gotten over this stage.
Where do we want to place women?
by İSMET BERKAN, RADİKAL
According to the vision of former President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and some other stern secularists, women wearing headscarves should stay at home, be deprived of their right to higher education and become housewives without occupations.
