TURKISH PUBLIC OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVES REFORM PACKAGE, BOOSTING DEMOCRATIZATION
The Turkish public yesterday delivered a strong go-ahead to the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) reform package, giving the government's constitutional amendments 58 percent of the national vote, higher than opinion polls had predicted. The referendum was seen as a test for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government, which has pushed for political and economic reforms since coming to power in 2002. The government believes overhauling the military-era Constitution is a key step in Turkey's path to full democracy. The "no front" got 42 percent of the national vote. Voters flocked to polling stations early in the day to vote on the constitutional changes, designed to rework the 1982 Constitution, which was ratified in a referendum after the 1980 military coup. The vote was seen as a test of confidence for the AK Party, which has won the past three elections - two parliamentary elections and a municipal election. Overall turnout for the vote was around 77 percent. The 26-article constitutional amendment package is designed to make the military more accountable to civilian courts as well as restructure the Constitutional Court and Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) while also making reforms - such as strengthening the rights of women and children - likely to help Turkey's bid to join the European Union. /Today's Zaman, Hurriyet Daily News/
AFTER NATION FIRMLY APPROVES MAJOR REFORM PACKAGE, ERDOGAN PLEDGES BRAND-NEW, BROAD-BASED CONSENSUS CONSTITUTION
Speaking at his ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) Istanbul provincial headquarters after overwhelming approval of a major constitutional reform package in a referendum yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to launch a process today to make a brand-new civilian constitution by seeking a broad-based consensus and getting the views of all sectors of society. Stating that an advanced democracy, expanded rights and freedoms and the rule of law benefit everyone, Erdogan said, "Both those voting yes and those voting no in the referendum won. No matter if they wanted it or not, the mentality of the tutelage regime lost. The pro-coup mindset was tonight's losing party. The mindset resisting change and what it will bring lost. From now on, the tutelage regime is set to become a thing of the past." Saying that the referendum's outcome will frustrate those who favor coups, Erdogan said, "From now on, the power of the national will is to undermine dirty games." He added, "Today society's cries for justice won over those trying to cling to their privileges. Rightness and justice won. We want to build a Turkey governed by rules, not rulers." Interpreting the referendum's outcome, Erdogan said, "Our people said they want an advanced democracy, said yes to the rule of law but not the law of superiors, said yes to the supremacy of the national will, and expressed their wish for tutelage mindsets to end. Everyone should understand this strong message from the people." Hailing support from the package from various sectors of society, Erdogan said, "As a nation, we crossed a historic threshold in the struggle for an advanced democracy and the rule of law. It pleases us that together we raised the bar of democracy, law and justice in our country." Stressing that those who place their hopes in illegal gangs, terrorist groups, and shadowy centers are doomed to be disappointed, Erdogan said, "From now on, those hindering change, democratization and growth in Turkey will better understand that they can't get away with anything." Calling Sept. 12 - the date of the landmark referendum and the 30th anniversary of the 1980 coup - a milestone in the history of Turkish democracy, Erdogan also said the reform package ends the immunity of coup perpetrators from prosecution and guarantees the safety of personal information, among other things. Erdogan also said the approval is not sufficient in itself but makes a good beginning for Turkey's further democratization. Stating that the referendum wasn't a conflict between political parties, Erdogan said, "Today's yes vote is a result of our people's longing for democracy. People didn't vote on political parties in the referendum. The will shown today reflects the support that people from different political viewpoints gave to what they believe is right." Erdogan also praised those who approved the package for following their hearts and acting independently of political concerns. /Sabah, Star/
OBAMA HAILS "VIBRANCY" OF TURKISH DEMOCRACY AS EU WELCOMES REFERENDUM OUTCOME
US President Barack Obama on Sunday hailed the "vibrancy of Turkish democracy" after almost 80 percent of voters turned out for a weekend referendum on a major constitutional reform package. Some 58 percent of Turkish voters approved the package, while 42 percent opposed it. The package includes key changes to the structures of the country's top two judicial bodies, the Constitutional Court and Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors, in a bid to make the selection of the members of these bodies more democratic, as well as limits the mandate of military courts, expands freedoms and rights in various areas, and opens the way for military personnel to be tried in civilian courts for non-military crimes. The White House said Obama had telephoned Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and congratulated him on Turkey's hosting of the World Basketball Championship. After Obama made the call, the US defeated the Turkish team to win the gold medal. "The president also acknowledged the vibrancy of Turkey's democracy as reflected in the turnout for the referendum that took place across Turkey today," said a White House statement. In related news, the European Commission welcomed Turkish voters' approval of the constitutional changes. "These reforms are a step in the right direction, as they address a number of longstanding priorities in Turkey's efforts toward fully complying with EU accession criteria," said EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule. Fule said the outcome demonstrates the continued commitment of Turkish citizens to reforms in view of enhancing their rights and freedoms. "However, their impact on the ground will depend on their actual implementation," he added. "We share the views of many in Turkey that today's vote needs to be followed by other much-needed reforms to address the remaining priorities in the area of fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression and freedom of religion." He also said, "We agree with those across the political spectrum in Turkey who believe that a new civilian constitution would provide a solid base for a sustained development of democracy in Turkey, in line with European standards and the EU accession criteria." Turkey, which is negotiating its entry into the EU, still has a Constitution that was put in place following a 1980 coup, one of four military interventions that have unseated elected governments in Turkey since 1960. /Hurriyet Daily News/
ANKARA TO EU: DEEPER STRATEGIC TIES DEPEND ON PROGRESS IN NEGOTIATIONS
Turkey's growing clout in the international arena has prompted the European Union to boost its strategic dialogue with the candidate country. Yet, Ankara, highly irritated at the slow pace of ongoing membership negotiations, has said deepening strategic dialogue between Turkey and the 27-nation bloc won't happen as long as the current course of affairs on the pace of negotiations continues. Amid debates over whether Turkey has shifted its focus away from the West, Ankara has urged Brussels to treat Turkey's EU membership process with consistency, complaining of a number of negotiation chapters that cannot be opened due to objections raised on political, not technical, grounds. In Brussels on Saturday, an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers hosted by Belgium, the EU's current president, was the setting for an offer by EU foreign ministers to Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to develop a "strategic dialogue" - a clear sign of recognition of Turkey's growing role on the world scene. "The purpose of today's debate is . to recognize that as well as a candidate country, Turkey is a partner with us in many issues around the world," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said as she arrived for the meeting. Davutoglu told a press conference following the meeting that during talks with his counterparts, he had clearly expressed Ankara's dissatisfaction with the speed of negotiations. "Turkey will never accept any replacement or any alternative to the accession process," Davutoglu said, referring to the EU offer to develop a "strategic dialogue" on key world issues independent of talks on joining the bloc. "We have been involved in intense activity in the Middle East, with mediation between Israel and Syria, in Lebanon and Iraq, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, and in the Caucasus. We would like to continue this activity - as an EU candidate country that holds accession negotiations - in parallel and together with the EU. But developments in our neighborhood don't let us wait." He added, "We don't approve of the EU's use of the term strategic partner - which it also uses for China and Brazil - for us, albeit in a positive sense," he said. No concrete decisions or specific steps for future work emerged from Saturday's meeting; however, there was talk of fears that the "strategic dialogue" offer could be seen as de facto EU membership for Ankara without it having to meet the tough guidelines to join. Ashton, however, played down such concerns after the meeting. "It is not a way of putting Turkey in the room as the 28th member without them going through the process," she said. "It is about, in the areas where we work together, how we more effectively ensure that we are in dialogue and that is something we are looking at very carefully." Italy's secretary of state, Alfredo Mantica, said he wants the EU in future to invite Turkey to EU summits and high-level political meetings, while the ministers agreed that the discussion had succeeded in putting the tensions of the accession issue aside in order to focus on cooperation. /Today's Zaman/
IN WAKE OF REFERENDUM, TOP BUSINESS GROUP CALLS FOR BRAND-NEW CONSTITUTION
Turkey needs a "brand new constitution," one of the country's most influential business organizations said after voters accepted the government's proposed constitutional amendments in a Sunday referendum. "Independent of the outcome, TUSIAD (the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association) has repeatedly said the need for a new constitution will remain in place," the group said in a statement after the referendum results were announced last night. "Indeed, both the referendum process and its outcome have confirmed that the majority of the population, political parties, and civil society organizations have a common expectation of a brand-new constitution. This gives hope for efforts toward such a constitution." TUSIAD, which came under government pressure to take a stand in the runup to the vote, said the outcome reflected the will of the voters and society. A new constitution should be a "reformist societal contract" that reflects the will of citizens to live together with their differences and should set an example for advanced democracies, according to TUSIAD. On this path, what Turkey needs is "mutual understanding, empathy, dialogue and constructiveness," the group said. TUSIAD also said Turkey's process of democratization has long stumbled on three main issues: the freedoms of conscience and religion, the issue of identities, and the separation of the legislative, executive and the judicial branches. "A new constitution is expected to turn these three dividers into three unifiers," TUSIAD said. "In this respect, a new reformist constitution should take the individual as a center, should answer identity demands in line with the concept of 'equal citizenship united around common values,' solve the issues of the freedom of conscience and religion, render the parliamentary system operative with all its institutions and rules, as well as establish check-and-balance mechanisms independent of any type of tutelage." TUSIAD also said regulations governing political parties and elections should be democratized, the 10 percent national threshold in general elections should be lowered, and the freedoms of expression and association should be expanded. "The current climate of polarization should give way to one in which political parties and all sectors of society will be able to discuss the new constitution," it said. /Hurriyet Daily News/
FINLAND'S STUBB HAILS TURKEY AS ONE OF WORLD'S TOP FIVE COUNTRIES
An informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels over the weekend saw remarks recognizing Turkey's strategic importance for the 27-nation bloc, including comments by figures who had previously voiced doubts about such recognition. The most assertive remarks about Turkey's growing influence on the global stage came from Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, who hailed the EU candidate country as "one of the top five countries in the world today" in terms of foreign policy. "Arguably, today Turkey is more influential in the world than any of our member states together or separately," Stubb said Saturday. "It has a great influence in the Middle East, in the African Horn in the Persian Gulf, in Iran. It's a truly global player, and we need to work together with Turkey right now on foreign and security policy." German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said that it is important that Turkey see that Europe is serious about working together. "As Europeans, we have great interest in making sure that Turkey remains oriented towards the West and does not reorient itself," he said. Britain had already publicly expressed its opposition to France and Germany's proposal for Turkey to accept a lesser "privileged partnership" - something Turkey firmly rejects. "It would be good to see these talks speed up," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in Brussels, as having Turkey cooperating with the bloc "is a very powerful combination to have." Sweden's Carl Bildt took an even stronger stance. "There are certain countries which have fairly deep reservations, but even those countries I think recognize more than they perhaps did in the past the strategic importance of Turkey to the EU," Bildt said. "It is of course fundamentally unacceptable that countries for their own political reasons block the accession process." Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet agreed, saying that EU states now realize that "there are two most important strategic partners: the US and Turkey." /Today's Zaman/
CLINCHING SILVER, TURKEY LOSES TO US TEAM IN WORLD BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Turkey last night was unable to stop an outstanding performance by Kevin Durant, who led the United States to an 81-64 victory in the 2010 FIBA World Basketball Championship final. The Oklahoma City Thunder forward poured in 28 points to lead all scorers at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, giving Team US its first world title since 1994. Coming off a historic win over Serbia in the semifinal on Saturday night, Turkey nevertheless fell short against the US side, which took the lead early in the game and never gave it up. "Hedo," the Phoenix Suns' Hidayet Turkoglu - Turkey's highest-profile player - finished the game with 16 points, a game high for Turkey. Durant was later named Most Valuable Player in the tournament. "I'm very proud and happy to be the captain of this team and hope that my teammates go on and become great players," he said. Apart from Durant and Hedo, Argentine Luis Scola, Serbian guard Milos Teodosic and Lithuanian Linas Kleiza also made the tournament's all-star team. Lithuania took the bronze medal with a 99-88 win over Serbia, while Argentina finished fifth after an 86-81 victory against Spain. In a ceremony, the members of the US team got their gold medals from President Abdullah Gul, while Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin presented the members of the Turkish team with silvers. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also present to watch the game. Turkish team coach Bogdan Tanjevic thanked the national and local government for giving $100 million to help organize the tournament. Thanking Turkish fans for their unwavering support, he added, "They supported us very well and gave us energy all through the tournament." The silver medal finish gave Turkey's "12 Giant Men" its highest-ever showing in the World Championship, which they finished sixth in 2006. Turkey was also a silver medalist in the European Basketball Championship in 2001, also hosted by Turkey. The runner-up spot is arguably the biggest success of any Turkish team sport on the international level. "Today we are the champions of the rest of the world," Tanjevic said, laughing, "because the US is a different team." /Hurriyet Daily News/