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Turkish Press Review, 99-12-06Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>06.12.99Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[02] DEMIREL: "TURKISH WOMEN, THE GUARANTEE OF THE FUTURE"Turkish President Suleyman Demirel pointed out that Turkish women are the symbol of modern Turkey and the guarantors of the democratic Republic in his message to mark the 65th anniversary of the Turkish woman's right of suffrage. He further stated that the Republic was a social transformation project and that one of the most important elements of this transformation was the fact that women can participate in every area of life under conditions equal to those for men. Moreover, Demirel added, "The rights of women, which are legally present, are not able to be used in their entirety in daily life. At this point, voluntary women organizations become important." Meanwhile, the leader of the True Path Party, Tansu Ciller, issued a statement emphasizing the meaning and importance of the day in which it was said, "The Turkish woman gained her rights thanks to our great leader Ataturk. Turkish women's place in our communities makes Turkish society modern." /Hurriyet/[03] PRESIDENT SULEYMAN DEMIREL TO VISIT BOSNIAPresident Suleyman Demirel will leave for Bosnia-Herzegovina today as the guest of the Bosnia-Herzegovinan Presidential Council on a two-day official visit. In a statement issued by the Presidential Press Centre, State Minister Mehmet Ali Irtemcelik, Minister of Culture Istemihan Talay, other politicians and a delegation comprising high-ranking officials and businessmen will accompany President Demirel. During his visit, Demirel will meet the leaders of three republics which form Bosnia-Herzegovina (Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia) and discuss mutual relations as well as the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accord, which brought peace to the country. /Turkiye/[04] HARD TIMES FOR PAPANDREUWhile all of the EU countries seem to support Turkey's EU membership, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreu, who is fearful of his domestic Opposition, is issuing self-possessed declarations. Papandreu said that Turco-Greek relations and the Cyprus issue have become a part of Turco-European relations, which situation he viewed as a Greek achievement. The Greek Foreign Minister also stated that they desired the problem of Cyprus to be solved before Greek-Cypriot EU membership is finalized, however, he believes the issue should not be a precondition for such membership. /Turkiye/[05] GREECE'S CYPRUS BARGAINIt is asserted that Greece, in return for not veto-ing Turkey's EU candidancy, has asked the U.S to initiate pressure on EU countries in order to ensure Greek-Cypriot membership before the Helsinki Summit. A Greek official said that Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreu had called the U.S Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, and asked for such initiatives to be taken. /Turkiye/[06] NATO MANOEUVRES IN AEGEANDuring the 'Dynamic Mix' military manoeuvres, which will be conducted under the auspices of NATO in late May next year, Turkish war planes are planned to land at Greek military airports. It is stated that Turkish F-16s will fly over Greece under the supervision of Greek commanders and will refuel at the military airports in Larisa and Aghialu. As part of the NATO manoeuvres, this will be the first time that Turkish war planes will land at Greek military airports. /Turkiye/[07] 'WE WILL RETURN MEDALS`While debates over the execution of Ocalan are on-going, those families, who lost their relatives during the fighting with the PKK, have cried out, "We have borne our grief for a long time so as to see the execution of Ocalan. We can wait no longer. If he is not executed, we will send our medals of honour to the TGNA and the European Court of Human Rights, to your shame." /Aksam/[08] PRISON RIOTEarly on Sunday members of the Islamic Great East Raiders Front (IBDA-C) reacted with violence when soldiers attempted to carry out an unannounced search of their prison ward at Metris high security prison. The clash broke out at about 8:30 a.m. in the wing in which IBDA-C leader Salih Izzet Erdis (known as Salih Mirzabeyoglu) is being imprisoned. During the clash, 54 security personnel were wounded and the inmates took 152 soldiers hostage. While security forces were in process of organizing a raid, the rebels declared that they had ended the riot, the hostages were then released. /Turkiye/[09] 340 HOMES DESTROYED BY QUAKE IN EASTERN ANATOLIAA quake caused damage in 25 villages in the province of Erzurum and left 340 residences uninhabitable, said Erzurum Governor Derya Kadioglu. The moderate-size quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5, hit the Eastern region of Turkey on Friday, killing one man and injuring five others. The epicentre of Friday's Erzurum earthquake has been reported to be located near the Turco-Georgian border. /All papers/[10] EARTHQUAKE LOAN APPROVEDThe Council of Ministers has decided to approve the World Bank loan agreement and additional letters concerning the loan amounting to 757.53 million dollars, on condition that it will be valid after the date of signing. The decision to approve the World Bank loan of 757.53 million dollars to repair the earthquake damage was published in the Official Gazette yesterday. /Aksam/[11] TANTAN: ISTANBUL'S MAP WILL CHANGEInterior Minister Sadettin Tantan declared that everywhere in Turkey designated as being prone to earthquakes all the precautions necessary would be taken. Tantan stated, with that plan in mind, the map of Istanbul would be changed. He also said that settlements would be moved from loose ground to strong ground and construction on unstable ground would not be permitted. Not only that, the Interior Minister pointed out that in every province, two search and rescue teams similar to AKUT would be established. /Sabah/[12] NEW SEISMIC RESEARCH SHIPFollowing the Marmara Earthquake, the ensurance of a new seismic research ship has been taken up by the Supreme Planning Board. It will give a third dimension to seismic research and will act as an alternative to the Seismic-1 ship which belongs to the Mineral Research and Administration Institute (MTA) which is technologically obsolete. The new ship is expected to cost 15 million dollars. /Cumhuriyet/[13] CAKICI SHOOTINGThe sister of Alaattin Cakici, who is now under arrest in France, and her husband were shot yesterday while shopping at Akmerkez Shopping Centre. Then Gonul Cakici (Alaattin Cakici's sister) and her husband were taken to hospital. It was claimed that the aggressors were two 15-year-old youths. /Aksam/[14] BAYRAM MERAL ELECTED AGAINDuring the 18th Annual General Meeting (A.G.M.) of Turk-Is, which began on the 1st of December, Bayram Meral was re-elected Chairman with 224 votes. Four candidates from Meral's list took their places on the Executive Board; the General Chairman of Maden-Is, Cetin Altun, who was on the list of the General Chairman of Condense, Zeki Polat, took up his position within the administration. The 18th AGM of the Turk-Is (Turkish Workers' Unions' Federation), which began on the 1st of December, came to an end yesterday. /Cumhuriyet/[15] NEW CHAIRMAN OF UNION OF TURKISH TRAVEL AGENCIES (TURSAB): ULUSOYBasaran Ulusoy was elected Chairman during TURSAB's 14th Annual General Meeting. During the elections, in which a total of 1,196 votes cast, Ulusoy received 663 votes and, of the other candidates, Bahattin Yucel dotained 358 and Deniz Tufekci 437 votes. After the election, Ulusoy delivered a speech during which he said that he would carry TURSAB to the place it deserved and that they would solve their problems together in solidarity. /Milliyet/[16] GALATASARAY HIGH SCHOOL IS 518 YEARS OLDA reunion for the 1949 high school graduates was organized as part of the 518th anniversary of Galatasaray High School. Seventy-two graduates were presented with medals and experienced exciting, emotional moments during the ceremony. Former French Prime Minister, who is also the political representative of Lyon and Chairman of the Association Supporting Galatasaray High School, Raymond Barre, also attended the ceremony. The Chairman of the Galatasaray Education Foundation, Inan Kirac, presented a certificate and medal to Barre, who has worked on the French economy for many years. /Milliyet/[17] FEES FOR HIGH SCHOOLSThe government is getting ready for a new reform after introducing eight-year compulsary education. According to the reform package which has been signed by all Ministers, High Schools will charge. Following this reform students will contribute to their educational expenses. /Hurriyet/[18] OKSUZ: "GSM BIDS OUT IN JANUARY 2000"The Minister of Communications, Enis Oksuz, stated that the GSM bid, which will be competed for by three firms on the market, would most probably be organized during the year 2000. Oksuz said, "Turkcell and Telsim are still present; Three more firms will enter the running on condition that one licence remains at Telecom itself." Oksuz met Communications bureaucrats the day before yesterday concerning the privatization of Telecom and the GSM bid. Oksuz made a statement to 'Hurriyet' newspaper in which he said, "We are expecting the latest technology, low prices and service of the highest quality as a result of this competition." /Hurriyet/[19] "VESTEL WILL BE AMONG TOP THREE IN THE WORLD"The Chairman of the Executive Board of the Zorlu Holding Company, Ahmet Nazif Zorlu, stated that their target was to increase monitor and television production to 7 million units in the year 2000, from 4.5 million today. Zorlu further added, "Our aim is to make Vestel among the top three in the world. Recently, Vestel has been in the American press, which increases our motivation. During the year 2000, we will increase a production to 7 million units thanks to our self-sacrificing workers and engineers." /Aksam/[20] AWARD OF HONOUR FOR FERHUNDE ERKINThe Sevda Cenap And Musical Foundation's award ceremony was held at the Ankara Hilton Hotel yesterday. President Suleyman Demirel, Deputy Speaker of the Turkish National Grand Assembly Murat Sokmenoglu, Minister of Culture Istemihan Talay, former State Minister Hikmet Ulugbay, Public Prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals, Vural Savas, former Chief of General Staff Ismail Hakki Karadayi and many politicians and artists attended the evening. Ferhunde Erkin was deemed worthy of the Foundation's highest award due to her being the first interpreter of piano concertos by modern Turkish composers. /Cumhuriyet/[21] THE LAST OTTOMAN AUCTION OF THE CENTURYThe last Ottoman auction of the century will be held in Paris, France, today. During the auction Drouot Hall, a total of 385 Ottoman pieces, including the Big Koran that was stolen from Erzurum during the age of the Republic, will be presented for sale. Well-known collectors both from Turkey and abroad are expected to attend the auction. /Milliyet/[22] GREAT AWARD FOR TURKAN SORAYFamous Turkish artist Turkan Soray has been awarded the 'Top Prize` at the Rome Film Festival. Italian director Mario Monicelli presented the prize to Turkan Soray during the Festival's awards night. Soray stated that she was extremely happy to have received such a prize. /Cumhuriyet/[23] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[24] CATCHING UP WITH THE TIMES BY SUKRU ELEKDAG (MILLIYET)Former Ambassador Sukru Elekdag comments on the results of the OSCE Summit in Istanbul. A summary of his column is as follows:"The Baku-Ceyhan pipeline and Trans-Caspian Turkmen natural gas agreements signed during the OSCE Istanbul Summit have geo-political consequences affecting the global balance in addition to being a fuel-line between Turkey and the Caspian Basin. If these projects are carried out, the Caucasian and Central Asian States situated on a line extending from Anatolia to the Chinese borders will be politically attracted to the Western hemisphere and thus integrated into the world economy. This geographical belt coinciding with a Turkish cultural axis inevitably creates a natural Turkish hinterland in the region. The reason why such an opportunity has arisen before Turkey is that US and Turkish interests are very much the same. The primary reason for such a policy for the US is geo-strategic in nature. The primary goal of the US in the 21st century is to preserve her status as the only super-power in the world. She has to continue her control of the power balance in Eurasia. Therefore she does not want the newly-independent states to fall under the yoke of Russia. For that reason, these states have to transport the energy they are going to produce to world markets without using Russian territory. In fact, in a statement during the signing ceremony of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline protocol President Clinton said that the oil and gas projects had these aims: first, to enhance the independence of States in the Caspian region; secondly, to integrate these States with the West both politically and in terms of trade and, thirdly, to transport the region's energy resources via different routes to world markets without leaving them in the hands of only one State. The carrying- out of the venture depends upon surmounting massive political and economic problems, notwithstanding the strong support of the US. According to the oil companies the most significant issue before the project is Azerbaijan's not being able to produce the one million barrels of oil expected to be carried by the pipeline. Therefore, in a way, the success of this sheme depends upon the transport of Kazakh oil through the same pipeline. The Trans-Caspian Turkmen natural gas venture is of the utmost importance in creating a "Turkish hinterland". However, neither research nor the launching of the financial plans for the scheme have been completed as yet. In spite of these difficulties, Turkey should not lose this opportunity. Therefore, Turkish leaders should adopt the strategic vision we mentioned at the beginning of our article as their policy." [25] THE WORK OF WOMEN BY ISMET SOLAK ( HURRIYET)Columnist Ismet Solak writes on the approval of suffrage rights for women 65 years ago. A summary of his column is as follows:"I attended a discussion panel organized by the Union of Turkish Women in Denizli on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of Turkish women gaining suffrage rights. Only 25 years ago, in one the most civilized countries in the world, Switzerland, it was being discussed whether or not to grant this right to Swiss women. Ataturk never discriminated between men and women and asked of those near him not to do so. He said it should be accepted that everything on earth was the work of women. There are not many words which express the role of a woman and her real value better than these. Ataturk also said that Anatolian women, who ploughed the land, sowed seed, brought wood home from the forest, took their produce to market and sold it in all weathers, come rain or shine, with their children in their arms, were always the members of the household placing their land and others before themselves. Those who have not lived under Occupation cannot appreciate the greatness of Ataturk. Women in Denizli are very much aware of his outstanding qualities and what would have happened if he had not been the leader during the War of Independence and in the first years of the Turkish Republic." [26] THE STATUS OF TURKEY BY MUSTAFA BALBAY (CUMHURİYET)Columnist Mustafa Balbay writes on the status of Turkey before the Helsinki Summit. A summary of his column is as follows:"We are entering a difficult week. We shall start our day with the EU, go on with Greece, Helsinki and the US. This week a new milestone will be added to the last fifty years. During the establishment process following the War of Independence, Turkey knew how to swing the balance of the world to her advantage. Currently, a new 'war' of formation is being fought all over the world. The balance is being rearranged. This situation brings new difficulties and opportunities with it to Turkey. The Helsinki Summit, to be held on December 11-12, can be evaluated from Turkey's viewpoint as the race between the US and the EU to become closer to Turkey. We can use this race to our advantage. Following ythe visit of the US President to Turkey, two important situations have arisen within our relations. First, the US has proposed a "missile umbrella" over Turkey to be used against Iran, Iraq and Syria. Turkey requested this proposal to be carried out within the framework of NATO, but the US has insisted on the implementation of the project between the two countries. Secondly, an agreement was reached with the US to use nuclear energy for peace. The US is signing this agreement with every country with which she take a part in the bidding. Neither of these issues were reflected in the press. On the road to Helsinki, the US is expressing at every opportunity that she is behind Turkey. Although this may seem to contradict US-EU competition, it does not. The US knows what the EU can do and tries to point out that she is working hard for Turkey, but Europe would not budge. If the US believes that Turkey belongs to the EU, why does she want to draw up a separate agreement with her without taking NATO into consideration? Turkey was described as NATO's outlying post. We hope that the country does not turn into a Central Station due to being mentioned in conjunction with the Caucasian, Middle Eastern and Balkan countries. The EU will be busy discussing various subjects. Today, the EU General Affairs Council is meeting; the first signs of the consequences of the Summit at the end of the week will be issued from there. Until recently, Sweden did not look warmly upon Turkey's candidacy as she believed that Turkey had not fulfilled the required conditions to become a candidate. However, she has changed her attitude and decided to correct Turkey's inadequacies on the way. This leaves only Greece opposed to Turkey's candidacy. Yesterday, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreu stated that their initiatives to ensure the acceptance of their conditions before granting candidacy to Turkey will go on right up to the last minute. It should not be expected that Greece will grant Turkey a "visa" in one day. Even if she is in favour of such a decision, she would not declare it openly. They will apply pressure to get what they want; Athens' decision will become known at the last minute. " Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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