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Turkish Press Review, 00-11-23Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>23.11.00Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS[02] SUMMIT FOR CYPRUSPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer will meet with President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus(TRNC) Rauf Denktas tomorrow at the Presidential Palace to comprehensively discuss the Cyprus issue. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, the Chief of General Staff Huseyin Kivrikoglu, Minister of National Defense Sabahattin Cakmakoglu and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will attend the meeting as well. The developments regarding the inclusion of the Cyprus issue into the Accession Partnership Document and the statements of the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which were rejected by the Turkish-Cypriots, but supported by the Greek-Cypriots, will be discussed at the meeting. At the summit a decision will be taken for the conditions under which the Turkish-Cypriots will attend the next round of the proximity talks. /Milliyet/[03] ECEVIT: "THE EU DECEIVED TURKEY"The leader of the Democratic Leftist Party (DSP) and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday addressed his party's parlamentary group meeting. Mr. Ecevit said that if a solution on the Cyprus and Aegean issues cannot be reached the Turkey's expectations, Turkey's reaction will not be only verbal. Emphasizing that the EU did not keep its promise given to Turkey while accepting Turkey's EU candidacy at the Helsinki Summit on Dec.10, 1999, Premier Ecevit said, "The EU deceived Turkey. Turkey cannot give concessions. EU countries are already aware of Turkey's concern over these two vital issues." Pointing out that Europe does not consist of only the EU countries', Mr. Ecevit said, "EU members do not have a monopoly of being European. Turkey has been European for the last 600 year."/Turkiye/[04] BENDIT: "TURKEY'S REACTION IS JUSTIFIED"Delivering a speech at the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission's 46th meeting, French Co-Chairman Daniel Marc Cohn Bendit said Turkey is right about its reaction against the inclusion of the so-called Armenian genocide into the report on Turkey at the European Parliament. Stressing that the report offended Turkey, Mr. Bendit said the EU has certain shortcomings in its understanding of democracy./Turkiye/[05] PAPANDREOU CHANGES HIS STANCEGreek Foreign Minister George Papandreou toughened his stance yesterday leaving his moderate attitude towards Turkey. Mr. Papandreou said the approval of the Accession Partnership Document may be postponed to a date when Sweden takes the EU term-presidency. He said Greece will approve the Document, if it includes all the conditions clearly presented in the EU Helsinki Summit decisions. He said Turkey's reactions against the Document are extreme. /Milliyet/[06] TURKEY CONDITIONALLY PARTICIPATES IN THE EUROPEAN ARMYTurkey announced she will contribute to the "European Army" on condition that she will also take part in the decision-making process for the operations. Minister of National Defense Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said Turkey is ready to contribute to the Rapid Reaction Force by sending 6,000 soldiers, 36 aircraft, one submarine and two frigates. /Cumhuriyet/[07] ROBERTSON IN TURKEYNATO Secretary-General George Robertson yesterday arrived in Turkey. Mr. Robertson will be received by Premier Bulent Ecevit in Ankara today. Tomorrow, he will attend the "European Defence and Security Identity (ESDI)" conference organized by TESEV in Istanbul. /Turkiye/[08] DEMIREL-ECEVIT MEETINGFormer President Suleyman Demirel visited Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday. After the meeting, stressing that he informed Ecevit before the meeting to be held on Nov.26 in New York to end the Middle East clashes, Mr. Demirel said, "One of the most important issues in the region is the Israeli-Palestine conflict. I am a member of the five in the commission formed to find a solution to the clashes. I will leave for the US on Saturday. I briefed the Prime Minister on the developments." /Star/[09] WOUNDED PALESTINIANS IN ANKARA47 Palestinians wounded during the clashes with Israelis, were brought to Ankara yesterday. The wounded Palestinians are receiving medical treatment in Numune and GATA hospitals. /Star/[10] CEM'S VISIT OVERSHADOWED BY DETENTION OF TURKISH JOURNALISTSForeign Minister Ismail Cem's short visit to Israel was overshadowed when three Turkish journalists were detained by Israeli police yesterday after a search at the entrance to the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's office. A major security alert was declared at Barak's office when an X-ray machine detected used tear gas grenades and bullets and shell cases in the journalists' luggage. The journalists were released folowing an interrogation. Speaking to the Anatolia News Agency, the Turkish journalists said that they had collected the used grenades and bullets as a 'souvenir' from the clashes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. /Turkish Daily News/[11] UKRAINE SIGNS NINE COOPERATION PROTOKOLS WITH TURKEYUkrainian President Leonid Kuchma arrived yesterday in Turkey on the invitation of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Mr. Kuchma will meet today with Mr. Sezer, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Parliamentary Speaker Omer Izgi. Nine cooperation protocols will be signed with the Ukrainian officials including military and nuclear issues. President Kuchma attended yesterday a press conference. Mr. Kuchma said they are concerned about the Blue Stream project that will go beneath the Black Sea and transport natural gas from Russia to Turkey. Mr. Kuchma said the project may negatively affect the ecological balance in the sea. It would be more rational to add a new pipeline along the existing one. Mr. Kuchma denied the claims that the shortage of natural gas in Turkey stems from Ukraine's extensive use of gas from the pipelines. Mr. Kuchma said Ukraine did not use gas from the pipeline reaching Turkey. Mr. Kuchma said he hoped Turkish fishermen would not enter their territorial waters thereby causing unfortunate incidents.To prevent such events, extensive cooperation is needed by the parties. He said regarding Turkey's tank tender, "Our tanks are technologically superior and their prices are affordable. If we lose the tender it will not be a great loss for us, but this decision will not be an economic one." Mr. Kucma further said Ukraine supports Ankara's initiative to establish the Caucasian Stability Pact. /Cumhuriyet/[12] BAYKAL LEAVES FOR GERMANYLeader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Deniz Baykal, yesterday flew to Berlin at the invitation of the Turkish Research Center and German Foreign Politics Institute. Mr. Baykal will deliver a speech at the opening of "Turkey's Strategic Importance as a European Partner" meeting. /Turkiye/[13] EC REPORT ON ECONOMIC ESTIMATES IN TURKEYEuropean Commissioner responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Pedro Solbes, stated the developments in the candidate countries for full EU membership. Mr.Solbes said the developments in the Turkish economy positively affect the average development rate of the candidate countries. According to the document announced by Mr. Solbes, the Turkish government successfully implements the economic stabilization program, hence the decrease in the interest rates caused an increase in domestic demand. The government's estimates regarding the inflation rate were convincing. The data put forth by the EC report estimates the inflation rate at the end of 2000 will be 55 %. The rate will decline in 2001 to 22 % and finally in 2002 to 15 %. /Milliyet/[14] STRUCTURAL REFORMS CONFERENCEA conference titled "Structural Reforms for a Stable Growth" will be held in Istanbul on November 29. During the conference to be organized with the cooperation of the World Bank, Treasury Undersecretariat and the Turkish Banks' Union, an economic report prepared by the World Bank will be taken up. /Hurriyet/[15] 400 TRILLION TL TO BE COLLECTED BY STANDARD OF LIVING TAXThe Government has rolled up its sleeves to put a new package of reforms into implementation. The standard of living tax presented to the Plenary Session of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) was approved yesterday. Finance Minister Sumer Oral stated that through this method, they aimed to collect an income of 400 trillion TL. /Hurriyet/[16] QUALITY AWARDS"The National Quality Awards 2000" granted to Eczacibasi Artema Armature Group Joint Company in large- scale category, and Ata Investment Securities in Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (KOBI) category. /Aksam/[17] SCIENCE CENTER IN ISTANBULWith the initiative of the Science Center Foundation, a Science Center will be built within the Yildiz University Campus. The center will comprise 18,000 square meters of closed area. An auditorium, an Imax cinema, gardens, archeological exhibitions, aquapark and a planetarium will be in the Center. /Aksam/[18] A TURKISH FILM IN THE NEW YORK FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVALA young Turkish film director Gulnihal Antepli is chosen to take part in the New York International Film and Video Festival. She will participate in the festival with her documentary "The Colors of Darkness". The film will be shown between Dec.1-11 on Broadway in New York. /Cumhuriyet/[19] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS[20] LET US NOT BE INCITED BY PROVOCATIONS BY SEMIH IDIZ (STAR)Columnist Semih Idiz comments on the recent developments in Turco-EU relations. A summary of his columns is as follows:"Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit is correct. At present, Turkey is faced with various provocations coming from Europe. The visit by Armenian President Robert Kocharian to Athens and the statements he made with his Greek counterpart Kostas Stephanopoulos reveal that these provocations will go on for some time to come. In another development, news appearing in the Russian Press show that a group of Russian Armenians have plans directed at Northeast Anatolia. They are after pipe dreams such as forming a government-in-exile, forcing Turkey for compensation, and returning to their historical land. They are dreaming, but others are encouraging them. On the other hand, Ocalan case has begun to be tried at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and Kurdish organizations settled in Europe and their supporters can be expected to participate in this current of provocations. Some are trying to get Turkey into trouble by stirring up Armenians, Greeks and Kurds. The reason for provocations is to draw harsh reactions from the opposite side and use it for one's own interests. The greater the reaction, the greater the success of the provocation. Therefore, at present Turkey has to stay calm and collected and not give in to provocations as those working against the country are turning every single nervous statement to their advantage. They are saying, 'You intend to take them into the European Union but they have not changed at all. The old threatening Turk is the same.' Recent articles I have read reveal that the Greek-Armenian axis is pleased with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's latest statement saying that Turkey would review its relations with the European Union. They believe that the farthest they can move Turkey away from the West the more it will be to their advantage. The reason for this is simple. They would like Turkey to be ousted as the strategic ally of the West. They know that with its present strategic location, Turkey cannot be ignored by the West. The day before yesterday, an editorial in 'Wall Street Journal' titled 'Stop Thrashing Turkey' appeared. I was surprised when I read the article. It was in favour of Turkey and I thought,' Now the Greeks and Armenians will allege that Turkey has bought off Wall Street Journal'. The editorial strongly supports Turkey's views on all Turkey's arguments, whether it regards Armenians, Cyprus or the EU. For example, it gives the number of Armenians who died in the First World War as 600,000 saying that these were the losses suffered during the War in armed conflicts, due to sickness and other causes. It claims that Greece is the one which has to pay compensation to Turkey for its invasion of Anatolia in 1919. It goes on to blame Europe with short-sightedness by turning its back on Turkey which had served Western security during the Cold War. It seems that some are disturbed by continual thrashing of Turkey as this country holds great importance and is indispensable for them. In short, I would like to say that Turkey is not alone in the world as some suggest. Therefore we have to be calm as the British, cautious as the Danish and do not give in to provocations." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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