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Turkish Press Review, 01-05-28
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
28.05.2001
CONTENTS
[01] BUSY SCHEDULE IN THE TGNA
[02] ECEVIT: "VILLAGE-CITY PROJECT WILL BE
REALIZED"
[03] CEM SPOKE TO "WELT AM SONNTAG"
[04] DENKTAS TO DESIGNATE NEW PM MONDAY
[05] TURKEY'S RESERVATION IN ORGANIZATION FOR ISLAMIC
CONFERENCE
[06] DEMIREL: " THE BALKANS NEED PEACE"
[07] BLACKSEAFOR DRAFT LAW IN PARLIAMENT
[08] PAPANDREOU: "THE US SUPPORTS GREECE"
[09] TURKEY TO ATTEND EU CANDIDATE COUNTRIES MEETING
[10] RUMSFELD TO VISIT TURKEY
[11] HASAN GEMICI EXPLAINS 'SOCIAL SUPPORT PROJECT'
[12] KUTAN ASSURES VURAL OF SUPPORT IN EU MEMBERSHIP
EFFORTS
[13] OKSUZ TO ATTEND CONFERENCE IN LISBON
[14] ARMED STRUGGLE IN BATMAN
[15] MID-EAST RAILROAD MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
[16] NATO SHIPS VISIT IZMIR
[17] EARTHQUAKE LOANS TO BE USED
[18] TURK TELEKOM'S DIGITAL SERVICE TO START IN AUG.
[19] LONG TERM TREASURY BONDS TO BE ISSUED
[20] TURKEY TO REPAIR OTTOMAN RELICS
[21] ISTANBUL PROMOTED ON KOHL'S MARRIAGE
[22] FIGARO MAGAZINE PROMOTES TURKEY
[23] CHAIRMAN OF THE RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS YILMAZ IN SKOPJE
[24] RELIGIOUS CEREMONY IN CAPPADOCIA
[25] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE
COLUMNS
[26] DIALOGUE IN CYPRUS BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
[01] BUSY SCHEDULE IN THE TGNA
Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) will
continue to debate the "Radio and Television Bill" this
week. Meanwhile, an advisory committee consisting of members from all
five parties in Parliament will convene either today or Tuesday to set
the working hours and agenda of the Parliament for the week. Parties
will continue efforts to reach a consensus on a proposed
Constitutional amendment. A sub-committee has reached a compromise on
the amendment of the 51 articles. Another bill, "Technology
Development Regions Bill" will be debated at the Planning and
Budget Commission. /Turkiye/
[02] ECEVIT: "VILLAGE-CITY PROJECT WILL BE
REALIZED"
Stressing he is supporting village-cities to be
established in rural areas, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said,
"This year will be a breakthrough for village-cities."
Yesterday, Ecevit paid a visit to the villages in the eastern province
of Erzurum. He met with 41 villages' administrators and explained his
village-city project. Talking to reporters, Premier Ecevit denied the
rumors of a cabinet revision. /Turkiye/
[03] CEM SPOKE TO "WELT AM SONNTAG"
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said Turkey will not
accept the Greek-Cypriot Administration's full EU membership. Cem
added that there are some circles within the EU that still do not want
to see Turkey in the EU, because she has predominantly Moslem
population. Cem answered the questionlike views of former German
Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel in the German weekly "Welt am
Sonntag" under the heading "Does Europe need Turkey?".
Cem said capital punishment was not being carried out for 20 years in
Turkey. Cem especially stressed that Turkey did not give a timetable
for starting negotiations for full EU membership. Regarding the
potential EU membership of the Greek-Cypriot Administration, Cem said
Turkey cannot accept the representation of all Cypriot people only by
the Greek side. "We favor a solution that can be accepted by all
nationalities on the island," Cem added. /Hurriyet/
[04] DENKTAS TO DESIGNATE NEW PM MONDAY
President Rauf Denktas of the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus(TRNA) said he will designate a new prime minister on
Monday. Speaking to reporters after he was presented by Prime Minister
Dervis Eroglu the resignation of the National Unity Party(UBP),
Communal Liberation Party(TKP) coalition government, Denktas said he
will meet with leaders of all political parties on Monday and
designate a new prime minister in view of his discussion with the
leaders. /Turkish Daily News/
[05] TURKEY'S RESERVATION IN ORGANIZATION FOR ISLAMIC
CONFERENCE
Turkey put reservation on the common sanctions to
be imposed on Israel which were included in the joint communique
issued after the Organization for Islamic Conference(OIC). At the
concluding remarks of the summit, the break of all political relations
and bring difficulties in the way of the economic relations with
Israel was demanded as long as agressions and blockade against
Palestinian people and administration continued. Turkish officials
stated the application of this article will not produce positive
results. /Milliyet/
[06] DEMIREL: " THE BALKANS NEED PEACE"
The "Balkans Political Club's Establishment
Meeting" was held in Sofia, with the initiatives of former
Bulgarian President, Jelu Jelev. Famous old and new politicians from
Balkan countries, including former President Suleyman Demirel
participated in the meeting. After the meeting, Demirel told reporters
Mr. Jelev's initiative is very important. Stressing the peace in the
Balkans has been the most important topic for years, Demirel said,
"For the establishment of peace, nations in the region should
better know each other ." /Turkiye/
[07] BLACKSEAFOR DRAFT LAW IN PARLIAMENT
The bill on establishment of the Black Sea Naval
Cooperation Task Group(Blackseafor) was presented to Turkish
Parliament on Friday. In order for the application to be put into
force, the agreement must be approved by at least four countries'
Parliaments. Six Black Sea countries, that is Turkey, Russia, Ukraine,
Romania, Bulgaria and Georgia, signed the Blackseafor agreement on
April 2, 2001, in Istanbul, envisaging cooperation in a joint naval
force that will be available for humanitarian and environmental
operations. /Turkish Daily News/
[08] PAPANDREOU: "THE US SUPPORTS GREECE"
Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou evaluated
his US visit to the Greek daily Kathimerini. Papandreou said the US
stance over the Cyprus issue was in line with the Helsinki decisions.
Stating Washington and Athens agreed that the solution of the Cyprus
problem did not constitute a prerequisite for the Greek Cypriot
Administration's entry to the EU, Papandreou said, "The US
officials explicitly stated that although they desired Cyprus to enter
the EU after a permanent solution is reached on the island they do not
view it as a prerequisite." He said upon the questions on
Turkey's possible negative reactions to the Greek Cypriot
Administration's entry to the EU that "Greece can cope with all
kinds of reactions. However she is taking all necessary precautions to
establish positive relations with her neighbors." Additionally,
he said non-EU countries could not join the decision making mechanisms
of the rapid reaction force to be formed by the EU. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] TURKEY TO ATTEND EU CANDIDATE COUNTRIES MEETING
A meeting of EU candidate countries' Parliament
speakers is to take place in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.
Turkey's Deputy Parliament Speaker Nejat Arseven is to represent
Turkey together with the Turkish Co-Chairman of the Turkey-EU Joint
Parliament Commission Kursat Eser. /Turkish Daily News/
[10] RUMSFELD TO VISIT TURKEY
US Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, will visit
Turkey on June 4. After attending the Southeastern Europe Defense
Ministers' meeting in Thesselonika, Rumsfeld will come to Ankara and
later visit Incirlik airbase in Adana. Rumsfeld will discuss the
European Security and Defense Identity(ESDI), Iraq, Missile Defense
System and regional issues during his negotiations with Turkish
officials in Ankara. The EU is preparing to exclude Turkey from the
European Army, so the US support for Turkey's inclusion bears great
importance. Rumsfeld, on the other hand, will request the cooperation
of Turkey against Saddam's policies. /Hurriyet/
[11] HASAN GEMICI EXPLAINS 'SOCIAL SUPPORT PROJECT'
State Minister Hasan Gemici reported that one of
the social programs of the economic program, the 'Social Support
Project' that will receive $500 million in financial aid from the
World Bank, is nearly ready with its general framework. In his
statement Gemici pointed out that with the contributions of the
'Social Help and Solidarity Support Fund' they have been working with
the World Bank for two months. He also added that the project will
have three main steps which will help children who are poor and not
able to continue their education and cannot benefit from health
service because of poverty. /Turkish Daily News/
[12] KUTAN ASSURES VURAL OF SUPPORT IN EU MEMBERSHIP
EFFORTS
Virtue Party (FP) Chairman Recai Kutan said that
his party would give the most concrete and strong support for the
Prime Ministry's Secretariat-General for European Union in its efforts
to achieve membership. Speaking at a meeting held by the FP's foreign
relations desk, where Secretary-General for the EU, Volkan Vural, also
delivered a speech, Kutan said that he and his associates had been
against joining the EU some years ago. "But we have come to see
over time that some common values began to dominate the EU. These
values are the ones we are aspiring to accomplish. And we should have
them not because the EU wants them, but more importantly because our
people deserve them." Vural said for his part that the next few
years were very important for Turkey. He emphasized that integration
with Western institutions was a long-held objective of the Turkish
foreign policy. /Turkish News/
[13] OKSUZ TO ATTEND CONFERENCE IN LISBON
Transport Minister Enis Oksuz visits Portugal on
May 28 to attend the Transport Ministers European Conference in
Lisbon. Pan-European integration, land transport, and a number of
transport policies will be discussed during the meeting. /Turkish
News/
[14] ARMED STRUGGLE IN BATMAN
A Hizbullah militant attacked a police car in
Batman. The terrorist was killed during the struggle and two policemen
were wounded. /Cumhuriyet/
[15] MID-EAST RAILROAD MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
A conference is to be held between June 4-6 by the
railroad organizations from several Middle East countries. Iraq will
also attend the conference for the first time in 20 years after it was
announced on Jan. 2 this year that Turkey- Iraq railroad would be
reopened. One of the topics to be discussed is the potential for
carrying goods and passengers by rail between Turkey and Iraq.
Representatives from the railroad administrations of Turkey, Iran,
Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon will attend the conference. /Turkish
Daily News/
[16] NATO SHIPS VISIT IZMIR
NATO Mediterranean Permanent Sea Mines Counter
Measures Force ships have arrived in the Izmir Harbour. The squadron,
which includes ships from Turkey, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece and
Italy will remain in Izmir until June. /Turkish News/
[17] EARTHQUAKE LOANS TO BE USED
Loans committed to be extended to Turkey by the
international credit institutions following the earthquake in the
Marmara region two years ago are being used in slices. Following the
release of the $500 million-European Investment Bank's loan last year,
Saudi and Kuwait Fund Loans and United Arab Emirates loans will be put
into effect this year. First portion of the loan extended by Saudi
Arabia worth $34million out of $138 million, will be spent in Marmara
region to re-construct the infrastructure network. /Turkiye/
[18] TURK TELEKOM'S DIGITAL SERVICE TO START IN AUG.
State landline monopoly Turk Telekom General
Manager Ibrahim Hakki Alpturk said yesterday in Ankara that digital
cable TV broadcasting services would start in August, and this will
raise the number of channels and interactive services will also be
available. /Turkish News/
[19] LONG TERM TREASURY BONDS TO BE ISSUED
The Treasury will issue bonds with longer than one
year due date. There will be no need for domestic borrowing this
month, since all debt repayments were completed for this month.
/Milliyet/
[20] TURKEY TO REPAIR OTTOMAN RELICS
The Foreign Ministry has announced that it has
speeded up plans to put Ottoman relics and antiques in Kosovo under
protection and to restore these and has criticized Saudi Arabia,
without naming this country for destroying age-old Ottoman mosques and
replacing them with new ones. A statement from the Foreign Ministry on
Friday said the Religious Affairs Directorate in Ankara had agreed to
provide the fund required to restore the tomb of Murad I. This is
considered the most important Ottoman site in Kosovo, and is in a
state of serious despair today. The statement said that a team would
travel to Kosovo at the end of this month to conduct preliminary
research into the requirements for restoring the tomb. /Turkish News/
[21] ISTANBUL PROMOTED ON KOHL'S MARRIAGE
The marriage of the son of the former German
chancellor Helmut Kohl to the daughter of Turkish businessman Kemal
Sozen was the spot news in the German media. Thanks to the marriage,
the promotion of Istanbul was made. German TV Channels contributed to
the promotion of Istanbul by filming the Ciragan Palace and the
Bosphorus. /Milliyet/
[22] FIGARO MAGAZINE PROMOTES TURKEY
The Figaro Magazine devoted 48 pages to Turkey in
its latest issue published in Japan. The magazine promoted Turkey's
historical and touristic regions, as well as Turkish cuisine.
/Turkiye/
[23] CHAIRMAN OF THE RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS YILMAZ IN SKOPJE
The Chairman of the Religious Affairs, Mehmet Nuri
Yilmaz, traveled to Skopje, capital of Macedonia. Yilmaz stated they
would restore the Mustafa Pasa Mosque which was damaged by the 1963
earthquake. He met with the representatives of the Turkish community
living in Skopje. /Cumhuriyet/
[24] RELIGIOUS CEREMONY IN CAPPADOCIA
The Istanbul Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch
Bartholomeus held a spring religious ceremony in Cappadocia.
Bartholomeus said the ceremony helps Christians and Muslims come
together and added, "Instead of resurging bad memories, we'd
rather take lessons from the past and improve our relations."
/Cumhuriyet/
[25] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE
COLUMNS
[26] DIALOGUE IN CYPRUS BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on the recent
developments in Cyprus and the relations with Turkey and the EU. A
summary of her column is as follows: "My friends in Cyprus are
complaining that Cyprus is in the news whenever there is a problem on
the Island. They would like their voices to be heard in Turkey. When
the European Union will take the Greek-Cypriot membership into
consideration their complaints and joys will be mentioned more often
in the newspapers. Following the banking crisis and the disputes
between the Government and the security forces Command people had
demonstrated in the streets. They were not happy with their government
and in return reacted against Turkey. A solution cannot be found by
ignoring their problems. The National Security Council will take up
the Cyprus issue today. Following the incidents of last year it was
decided to take measures strengthening the feelings of national unity.
However, national unity does not mean only to suffer and accept what
the Administration says. National unity can be safeguarded only by
voluntary unions around common projects. It cannot be guaranteed by
instructions. The European Union is a common project. It is the most
important national project both in Turkey and in Cyprus. I do not
believe that Turkish Cypriots will accept to participate in this
project as a minority as Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou
said. Organizing resistance movements controlled from above instead of
providing democratic platforms where Turkish Cypriots can be heard
more clearly is in no way different than communicating via telegraph
in the internet age. If the European Union is a goal in Turkey, we
have to use the same language and means on the Cyprus issue. This
means defending their arguments in European platforms. The political
powers in the TRNC instead of bickering among themselves, should
direct their energy towards Brussels and Strasbourg, explain their
views, requests to everyone and if necessary meeting trying to
convince them individually and have them accept the fact that the
Turkish Cypriots cannot be reduced to a minority on the Island .
Today, it is not possible to reach a solution by escalating a problem.
It is time to learn the method of dialogue among partners as the one
seen between the US and the EU."
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