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Turkish Press Review, 00-09-29Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>29.09.00Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] US HOUSE COMMITTEE POSTPONES VOTING ON SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION[02] BANKING REGULATION AND SUPERVISION AGENCY CLOSES THE ISTANBUL BRANCH OF CYPRUS CREDIT BANK[03] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[04] US HOUSE COMMITTEE POSTPONES VOTING ON SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTIONThe US House Committee of International Relations first modified the wording of the so-called Armenian Genocide Resolution, then postponed the voting for one week as a result of the strong negative reactions of the US and Turkish governments. The US Ambassador to Ankara, Robert Pearson delivered a speech at the convention, which has strengthened the claims of the opposing group. Republican George Radanovich who was the planner of the resolution withdrew one part of the draft which demands that American diplomats be trained on the "Armenian Genocide". Another Republican Tom Tancredo requested the inclusion of a new sentence into the draft saying "Modern Turkish state and Turkish people are not responsible for the Armenian Genocide". Democrat Tom Lantos, on the other hand, proposed a new text instead of the draft, recalling 175 million people who had suffered genocide and ethnic cleansing policies throughout the world without mentioning any specific country. This proposal was not approved, but, since the discussion was lengthy, the session was postponed until next week. /Milliyet/[05] REACTIONS TO THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILLAfter the postponement of the voting of the so-called Armenian genocide bill in the House Committee on International Relations, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem stated that "We are uneasy about the issue since it has been exploited for internal politics. We are pleased with the postponment decision. I hope the US Administration will act with commonsense." Meanwhile, a high-level official from the Foreign Ministry said, "It is not important whether the bill is changed or its voting is postponed. We are totally against the bill and uneasy over its being a matter of debate." Minister of Defense, Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said, "If the bill is approved, bilateral relations between the US and Turkey would be seriously damaged. There is nothing to be ashamed of or which can be regarded as genocide in the Turkish history. The measures that the Ottoman Empire had taken against the Armenians cannot be interpreted as genocide. The states which are trying to blame us should look at their own pasts." Minister of Justice Hikmet Sami Turk also emphasized the negative developments which the approval of the bill would lead. Stating that the approval of the bill will adversely affect the works related to the NATO alliance as well as Turkey's relations with the US, Mr. Turk said, "The aim of the Armenians is to convict Turkey in the eyes of the world and the next step would be demands for territory. Turkey is in favour of peace. However, the attempts by the Armenians will not benefit anybody. /Cumhuriyet/[06] ALBRIGHT'S STATEMENTUS Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in a statement during a panel on the 'Relations between the US and Russia' at the International Relations Committee said, "Prior to the discussion of the so-called Armenian genocide bill, I have previously said to the House of Representatives' International Relations Committee that the approval of the bill might damage the interests of the US and the mutual relations between the US and Turkey. Turkey is not only a NATO ally, but is also in cooperation with the US in the Cyprus proximity talks, in the process of Nagorno-Karabagh and in Iraq. Therefore it is very important that this bill should not go any further." /Hurriyet/[07] NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL MEETSThe National Security Council (MGK) will meet today. During the meeting, the MGK will first discuss an action plan against the so-called Armenian genocide bill prepared together by the high-level commanders, bureaucrats from the Foreign Ministry and other officials. If the the bill is approved at the US House of Representatives, the plan will be implemented. The action plan aims to preserve Turkey's honour and national and international interests, and retaliatory measures. The first article of the plan envisages the punishment of the Yerevan administration which incites hatred against Turks throughout the world and provokes certain circles for anti-Turkey initiatives. The plan will also clarify Turkey's support for Azerbaijan in the Karabakh issue. /Turkiye/[08] TURKEY AND SYRIA SIGN ACCORD ON SECURITYTurkey and Syria signed a minutes of accord concerning the cooperation on the security issues between the two countries in Ankara. The minutes of accord, signed by the Minister of the Interior Sadettin Tantan and his Syrian counterpart Muhammed Harba, concerns the improvement of the cooperation between the two countries by an exchange of information and experience. The minutes of accord foresees the holding of observations and visits by the two parties. Turkey and Syria are planning to sign a security cooperation agreement in the following months. Replying to the questions of the reporters, Syrian Minister Harba denied the allegations that Syria supported the PKK terrorist organization, and added, "Syria is a country which suffered a lot from the terrorist activities. Syria has never supported the PKK or has never been engaged in an activity against Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/[09] YILMAZ: "TURKEY WILL PROSPER WITH THE EU"The Motherland Party (ANAP) leader and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz attended the Dokuz Eylul University's opening ceremony. In the course of his speech, Yilmaz said that the EU membership would raise the living standards of the Turkish people. Giving examples from Spain and Greece which resemble Turkey in population and geography, he said: "The integration with Europe will also increase the prosperity of Turkey." /Turkiye/[10] ONAL MEETS FISCHERState Minister Recep Onal, who participated in the IMF-World Bank annual meetings in Prague, met IMF Deputy Chairman Stanley Fischer this morning. Emphasizing that Mr. Fischer praised Turkey's success in implementing its current economic program, Mr. Onal said, "To be successful in implementing the economic program, the international rating of Turkey should be high, since it is not possible to pursue the program only with foreign support." Stating that the problem of the foreign account deficit was regarded as the main issue during the meeting, Mr. Onal said, "The officials from the World Bank and IMF stated that Turkey's foreign deficit should be at a sustainable level. Minister Onal added that a new credit package amounting to $5 billion within the framework of World Bank's Country Aid Strategy (CAS) was on the agenda of the meeting. /Cumhuriyet/[11] DENKTAS' STATEMENTPresident of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf Denktas, who attended the fourth round of Cyprus proximity talks organized by the United Nations (UN) in New York, arrived in Turkey yesterday. Denktas said, "We are a sovereign State just like the Greek-Cypriot Administration. The world recognizes only the Greek-Cypriot Administration and some statements declare that Turkey is the only one that recognizes the TRNC." /Aksam/[12] PKK CALLS ON YEREVAN FOR MORE ASSISTANCEThe PKK terrorist organization asked Armenia to increase its support for accomodation. Sending a letter to the Armenian Foreign Ministry officials, Osman Ocalan, a member of the so-called Presidential Council, stressed that the terrorist organization was in troubles, especially in accomodation. Ocalan said: "We want to emphasize that we attach importance to relations with your country. We have always supported you in international arena against Turkey and so have you. However, recently, the PKK faces difficulties. We have been squelched between the two Kurdish parties and Turkish Armed Forces operations in Northern Iraq. We appreciate if you can increase the accomodation facilities in your territory for our members." It is learned that Armenian authorities have not replied to the letter yet, however, initiatives have been launched for the enlargement of the two camps close to Gyumri (Leninahan). /Turkiye/[13] MINISTRY OF MARITIME TO BE ESTABLISHEDState Minister Ramazan Mirzaoglu delivered a speech during the 2nd National Maritime Council and said that the draft law concerning the establishment of the Ministry of Maritime will be presented to the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) soon and that then the draft law would be accepted after being discussed. Mirzaoglu said, "The maritime sector ensures foreign exchange influx, contributes to the foreign payment balance and to the development and improvement in many areas. Unfortunately we could not have developed our maritime sector due to some problems that Turkey has experienced in the course of history as a Republic. We should stand as the protector of our maritime sector." Mirzaoglu added that the building of 13 ships of 240 million dollars would start in Cuba. /Aksam/[14] AMERICAN RECTOR PRAISES ESKISEHIR ANADOLU UNIVERSITYAmerican San Diego State University's Rector Prof. Stephan Weber said that he admired Eskisehir Anadolu University, where he made observations. Weber visited Eskisehir Anadolu University to sign an agreement of lecturer and student exchange between the two universities and said, "We are in cooperation with 80 universities in various countries. I was surprised to find that Anadolu University in Eskisehir is a very modern one. I will be very happy to exchange information with Eskisehir Anadolu University." /Hurriyet/[15] RUSSIAN NATURAL GAS DELIVERY TO TURKEY WILL INCREASEBulgarian Prime Minister Kostov and his Romanian counterpart Mugur met during a manoeuvre that was jointly organized by the armed forces of both countries and agreed in principal that the amount of Russian gas delivered to Turkey will be increased and Romania will export electricity to Turkey. In his statement, Kostov said that they should help Turkey to solve its energy crisis. /Aksam/[16] BAVARIAN EDUCATION MINISTER TALKS WITH YILMAZBavarian Education and Culture Minister Monica Hohlmeier came to Ankara to visit the Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate yesterday, the Anatolia news agency reported. Minister Hohlmeier had talks with Head of the Directorate Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz in his office and commented that the biggest problem with religious education in Germany and Bavaria comes from religious extremists and Islamic groups. He asked for cooperation from the directorate to help solve this problem. For his part, Yilmaz remarked that Turks in Germany had built many mosques and that the German authorities had lent both moral and material support, for which he expressed his gratitude. /Turkish Daily News/[17] TRANSPORT MINISTER OKSUZ IN GEORGIATransport Minister Enis Oksuz went to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, to attend a Turkey-Georgia Transport Commission meeting, reported the Anatolia news agency on Thursday. According to the information obtained from the Turkish Embassy in Tbilisi, the railway project which is planned to be established between Kars-Abilkelek-Tbilisi, the opening of the Cildir border gate on the Turkey-Georgia border and the development of the telecommunication system between the two countries will all be considered. /Turkish Daily News/[18] JAPANESE DELEGATION IN SANLIURFAThe Japanese Ambassador to Ankara, Shigen Takenaka, moved on to Sanliurfa after completing his contacts in Gaziantep where he had gone to be informed about the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP). The delegation of three visited Sanliurfa Governor Muzaffer Dilek at his office after visiting the GAP Development Directorate's local management and being briefed on the project. Takenaka stated that he thought that the Japanese government would consider contributing to the project in the future. /Turkish Daily News/[19] BANKING REGULATION AND SUPERVISION AGENCY CLOSES THE ISTANBUL BRANCH OF CYPRUS CREDIT BANKThe Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) has announced that it has closed the main branch of the Cyprus Credit Bank, the assets of which were seized in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) a while ago. This decision is the first closure decision of the Agency since its' establishment. The branch of the Bank was transferred to the Deposit Account Insurance Fund (MSF). It was stated that the deposits will be paid to the customers with their accumulated interests within the framework of MSF regulations. /Milliyet/[20] DECREE ON THE PRIVATIZATION OF STATE BANKSSince President Ahmet Necdet Sezer rejected the decree with the power of law on the privatization of the state banks, the government decided to send the draft law to the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM). State Minister Tunca Toskay said, after the meeting of the Council of Ministers, that the law would not be enacted until the World Bank meeting on Sept. 29 and added that the next meeting of the Bank would be in November. /Hurriyet/[21] NETONE BECOMES PARTNERS WITH SAFRON CORPORATION FUNDOne of the first internet access companies in Turkey, NetOne, signed an agreement of partnership with Safron Corporation Fund. NetOne's Director of Communications Cem Celebiler said that Safron Corporation Fund's participation in NetOne as a partner was a result of its confidence in Turkey in terms of its potential of data processing technology. Safron Group also invests in some other companies in the Middle East and Northern Africa. /Aksam/[22] THY TO START WARSAW FLIGHTSTurkish Airlines (THY) is to start scheduled flights to Warsaw. According to a written announcement made by THY, the flights will begin on October 2 and leave every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Warsaw and Istanbul and will be "non-stop". /Turkish Daily News/[23] BRONZE MEDAL IN TAEKWONDOHamide Bickin Tosun won a bronze medal in 57 kilo in taekwondo by defeating Virginia Laurens of Holland in the Olympic Games in Sydney. Tosun became the second Turkish sportswoman who won a medal in the Olympics after Hulya Senyurt who also received a bronze medal in judo in the Barcelona-92 Olympic Games. Thus, Turkey has gained four medals, three gold and one bronze, in the 27th Olympics up to now. /Turkiye/[24] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[25] HOW ISRAEL VIEWS TURKEY? BY SEMIH IDIZ (STAR)Columnist Semih Idiz writes on Turco-Israeli relations. A summary of his column is as follows:"In recent years, the relations Turkey enjoy with Israel are the most dynamic relations which can be observed in its foreign policy. It cannot be denied that these relations are of utmost importance for both countries. However, we have seen that some problems can be experienced in these relations, and the general atmosphere could change suddenly. The support provided by the Israeli Education Minister Yossi Sarid on the Armenian Genocide claims on April, it cast shadow on these relations which seemed unshakeable. It created the impression that the relations were not as strong as believed to be. When Israel was excluded from certain important defence tenders in Turkey, Israeli officials began to be worried. Although the reason for exclusion was explained to be result of the pressures by the US and France, they could not help but ask if the real reason was the statements made by Sarid? The Israeli Government which acted with the belief that they should not lose the distance they have taken in the relations overnight, swiftly stated that Minister Sarid's words reflected his own personal views and the Barak Government did not in any way shared them. We have had the opportunity to see that rapidly developing relations with Turkey have a vital importance for Israel. For example Deputy Israeli Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh did not hesitate to describe these relations as the 'milestone of regional peace and stability'. One of the leading names of the Opposition Likud Party, former Israeli Ambassador to Washington, Zalman Shoval, said that for a strong Israel good relations with Turkey were essential. Professor Aryeh Schmuelevitch from Dayan Strategic Studies Centre at Tel Aviv University, recalled that improving relations with Turkey in all areas was not a new aim for Israel. He said that it had been an important goal for Israel from the days it was established and the founder of the Israeli State Ben Gurion had attached great importance to it. Another result of these views can be seen in the views of the Israelis towards the Ottoman Empire. According to Dr. Eysal Zisser from the Dayan Centre, in every research on the issue made in Israel, the Ottomans are viewed more positively. In other words, in contrast to the historians in other countries who deliberately try to give an evil character to the Ottomans, Israeli historians are not hesitant in shedding light to the events which took place in the history of the Ottomans. In fact, they believe that historical facts should be made known while preserving the relations with Turkey they want to improve. There is no need to understand how important this development is for Turkey which finds itself alone in the international arena when the word 'Ottoman' is mentioned. At a time when some nations are trying to snatch compensations from Turkey for some incidents in the Ottoman history, the significance of the true reflection of these by historians belonging to nations other than Turks is amply clear. In short, Israel is a State which does not have any complexes regarding Turkey and Turks. Therefore, Turkey which usually finds herself alone on an international platform, does not have the luxury to rebuff relations with this important State." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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