Turkish Press Review

ISTANBUL

 Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

Tuesday’s newspapers dedicated their front pages to news stories that a security zone will be created in Syria to shelter Turkey’s almost two million Syrian refuges.

“This is the plan,” was VATAN’s headline, featuring a map of the possible buffer zone along Turkey’s southern frontier.

According to the daily – which cited Washington Post and Wall Street Journal as sources – Turkey and the U.S. negotiated almost for 10 months for the creation of the security zone.

VATAN writes that the buffer zone deal is in exchange for the opening of Turkey’s Incirlik base to U.S. aircraft – close to the Syrian border. The newspaper also added that the demarked area would not be officially called a buffer zone, as there was no UN decision on it.

“The security of the region will be provided by U.S. and Turkish forces,” the daily wrote.

HABERTURK also wrote about Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s Monday interview with CNN where he backed the idea of a security zone.

“Turkey is hosting two million refugees. It is time to create a security zone for refugees to take shelter in their own borders,” he was quoted as saying by HABERTURK.

His remarks came after Turkish jets bombed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) camps in northern Iraq and launched attacks against Daesh in Syria last week.

“Safety zone is ok,” was YENISAFAK’s headline, quoting U.S. media reports that Ankara and Washington had agreed to create a safety zone in the border.

The daily claimed that the zone would be “a safe place” for around 2 million Syrian refuges after the area was cleared of Daesh forces.

In other news, Turkish newspapers also covered coalition talks between the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which will be held today in Ankara.

HURRIYET claims that the two political parties were close to an agreement on six of 10 items that they were discussing.

According to HURRIYET, a new presidential system – which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had pushed for ahead of the country’s June 7 general election – and disagreements on Turkey’s foreign policy are the main obstacles between the two parties.

The AK Party gained the largest share of parliamentary seats (258) in the June 7 general election.

Erdogan asked Davutoglu to form a new government on July 9.

If no coalition appears within this period, the country will have to hold an early election, most likely in the second half of November.

However HABERTURK claimed that the AK Party and CHP were discussing five main topics.

According to the daily, “Democratization, foreign policy, solution process [between Turkey and Kurds], the supremacy of law and judicial independence,” are the main items that will be discussed.

HABERTURK wrote there was common ground between the two parties: “Both parties defend the change of 12 September laws [Turkey’s existing constitution was formed after 1980’s junta].”

“AK Party wants a 7 percent [electoral] threshold while CHP favor a 5 percent,” the newspaper wrote.

In economic news, financial newspaper DUNYA reports that the religious Eid al-Adha festival in late-September was pushing up meat prices, leading to speculation that Turkey may import meat from Poland and the Czech Republic.