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Turkish Press Review, 01-06-07Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning07.06.2001CONTENTS
[01] SADETTIN TANTAN RESIGNS BOTH FROM MINISTRY AND ANAPFormer Minister of Interior, Sadettin Tantan , who was appointed as the State Minister responsible for the Customs the previous day, resigned both from the Ministry and Motherland Party (ANAP). Tantan announced his resignation by a written statement, saying "I can not reconcile my appointment to another Ministry with my personal and political principles." /Milliyet/[02] SEZER VISITS SOUTHEASTERN PROVINCESPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer is continuing his visit covering Southeastern provinces, Diyarbakır, Mardin and Sanliurfa. During his visit, the President met with authorities and was briefed about problems of the region. Mr. And Mrs. Sezer were enthusiastically welcomed by citizens. /Turkiye/[03] DERVIS MEETS BANKS' DIRECTORS GENERALState Minister for Economy, Kemal Dervis, met with general directors and high level authorities of the banks, members of the Turkish Union of Banks, in Istanbul yesterday. After the meeting, closed to the press, Dervis said the meeting was very fruitful. The directors of banks also said the markets will be relieved by the end of June and inflation rate will begin to decrease in Fall. Meanwhile, Minister Dervis flew to Ankara following the meeting, and met with IMF European Executive Director, Willy Kiekens. Reportedly, Kiekens informed by Dervis about the banking sector. Kiekens left for Istanbul last night to meet with banking circles. /Turkiye/[04] CAKMAKOGLU IN BRUSSELSDefense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu attended the Southeastern Europe Defense Ministers meeting yesterday in Thessalonica. He met with Greek Defense Minister Akis Cohacopulos and his assistant Dimitris Apostolakis during the meeting. Thereafter, Cakmakoglu traveled to Brussels to attend the NATO meeting. /Cumhuriyet/[05] KIVRIKOGLU IN BEIJINGChief of the General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu, on an official visit to Far East, proceeded to Beijing from South Korea. During his contacts in Beijing, Gen. Kivrikoglu is expected to meet with Chinese Deputy Head of State, Hu Jintao, and Chief of the General Staff, Gen. Fu Quanyou. Gen. Kivrikoglu will then travel to Shanghai and leave the People's Republic of China on June 10. /Turkiye/[06] DENKTAS ADDRESSES TGNATurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas visited TGNA Speaker, Omer Izgi, and then addressed the parliament. Explaining the developments in Cyprus in the last 38 years, Denktas said they are struggling to implement the 1960 Treaty. Regarding the Greek-Cypriots' EU membership, Denktas said Greek-Cypriots are deceiving the EU to realize their desires. He also added the EU is trying to put the Cyprus issue as an obstacle before Turkey. /Turkey/[07] THE ESDP SCHEMEIt was reported that prior to the June 13 NATO meeting to be attended by the US President George Bush a process of disinformation concerning the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) was began and a big plot was undercovered against Turkey. Certain NATO resources and Turkish experts on the ESDP stated that contrary to a positive atmosphere tried to be created recently represented as a reconciliation between the two sides in the media, there was no compromise which would lead Turkey to change her stance over the ESDP. Experts pointed out that the statement by the Office of the Chief of the General Staff made on the day when the US Secretary of Defense Donals Rumsfeld arrived in Turkey should be interpreted as a sign of Turkey's determined stance. The statement said, "It is an inevitable compulsion that Turkey should take part in all phases including decision-making and implementation mechanisms in case of an EU operation during which the NATO facilities are used." Experts added that there were pressures on and threats against Turkey concerning the ESDP and said although the media in the EU countries recently alleged that the ESDP problem would be overcome in the June 13 NATO meeting, there was no sign of a progress thus far. /Cumhuriyet/[08] RUMSFELD: "TURKEY IS VERY IMPORTANT"The US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said the US and Turkey had very close and important relations as the partners of the coalition monitoring the no-flight zone in Northern Iraq and added, "Turkey is a very important country." Rumsfeld said to the TV channel of the US Armed Forces in the Incirlik base that the cooperation and support of Turkey was strong and added, "The cooperation we are seeing and the fine work they are doing with respect to the difficulties in the Middle East and the Caucasus. So this is an important relationship, it's an important country, and there is no question but that everything I've seen, the cooperation and the support they're providing, is just terrific." /Cumhuriyet/[09] RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IVANOV TO ARRIVE IN TURKEY TODAYRussian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov will arrive in Turkey today as the official guest of Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. Ivanov will the first Russian Foreign Minister visiting Turkey for the last nine years. Chechnya and Nagorno Karabakh will be discussed as well as bilateral relations during his visit. /Cumhuriyet/[10] PAPANDREOU THREATENS THE EUDelivering a speech at the Greek Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Policy and Defense meeting where the Greek foreign policy was evaluated, Foreign Minister George Papandreou said, "Athens will veto the EU enlargement period if the Greek Cypriot Administration's EU membership is not accepted by showing the current problem on the island as a pretext. Arguing they do not know if Turkish policy over Cyprus would change or not, Papandreou said, "Greece will assume a determined stance against Turkey and will make no concessions on the main target of making the Greek Cypriot Administration an EU member." Additionally, he denied the allegations stating a formula has been found for the solution of the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) problem and added there was no consensus reached about Turkey's situation within the ESDP thus far. /Cumhuriyet/[11] RED TELEPHONE LINE IN THE AEGEANTurkish and Greek Ministers, who met during the meeting of the Balkan Countries' Defence Ministers, decided to establish a red telephone line in order to prevent any crisis in the Aegean. Turkish Minister of National Defense, Sabahattin Cakmakoglu, and his Greek colleague Akis Cohacopulos also reached a consensus on another issue. Thus, Turkey and Greece will attend the maneuvers to be held on the Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea and Black Sea within the framework of NATO. The location of these maneuvers has not been announced yet but an agreement was reached that Turkey will command the maneuvers on the Black Sea, whereas Greece will command the maneuvers on the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea. In addition, an agreement was reached that the confidence building measures will be increased to seventeen. Meanwhile, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, and his Greek colleague, Georges Papandreau will meet on Samos and Kusadasi on 23-24 June. /Hurriyet/[12] FOREIGN MINISTRY CALLS ON TALABANI AND BARZANITurkey will directly convey her concerns over the attempts towards establishing an independent state in Northern Iraq to the Leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Jalal Talabani and Chairman of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Massoud Barzani. The exact dates for the meetings with Talabani and Barzani has not been determined yet. Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ambassador Faruk Logolu is expected to travel to Baghdad. /Cumhuriyet/[13] TGNA SPEAKER IZGI'S RUSSIA VISIT DELAYEDThe Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) Omer Izgi's Russia visit, which was expected to take place between June 3-7, was postponed. The reason for the delay has been explained as the uncertainties in the program of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. /Cumhuriyet/[14] BLAIR'S STATEMENT CONCERNING TURKEYTony Blair, who is expected to be the Prime Minister again in the elections to be carried out in England today, said "As I have said before, the membership of Turkey into the European Union (EU) will bring color in the EU. We will continue to support Turkey's membership application as before. I already know the hardworking nature of the Turkish people in England. Their contribution to the country's economy and social life is high. I appreciate it." /Hurriyet/[15] MARITIME MINISTRY TO BE ESTABLISHEDState Minister Responsible for Maritime, Ramazan Mirzaoglu, made a presentation concerning the establishment of the Ministry of Maritime at the Council of Ministers. Mirzaoglu promised that if this ministry is established, the number of ministries will not increase and there will not be a burden of new personnel for the state. He added authorities and responsibilities will be collected under the same roof and, thus, there will be a contribution to the economy. /Hurriyet/[16] NUMBER OF GERMAN TOURISTS INCREASEThe number of tourists flying from Germany to Turkey has increased by 31.7% in the first three months of this year, when compared to the same period of last year. Thus, this figure has reached 555,000. In a statement issued by the Federal Statistics Department in the city of Weisbaden, Germany, the tourists mostly fly to Antalya and the number of German tourists arriving by plane to Antalya has increased by 100% and reached 225,000.[17] KOCHARIAN TO DISCUSS TIES WITH TURKEY IN BRUSSELSArmenian President Robert Kocharian, who is scheduled to visit Brussels to meet officials from the European Union, NATO and the Belgian Government, is reportedly going to discuss Turkish-Armenian relations during his Brussels visit as well. Armenpress Agency quoted Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan as saying there would be three major topics of discussion in Brussels. Oskanyan said the three topics were, firstly, the Armenian approach to EU institutions, secondly, bilateral issues between Armenia and the EU and thirdly, political items, including Turkish-Armenian relations.SEAWOLF-2001 EXERCISE BEGINS The Seawolf-2001, one of the planned exercises of the Turkish Naval Forces, began. The exercise will be carried out in four sections and directed by Flee Commander Admiral Bulent Alpkaya. /Turkiye/ [18] IMF DIRECTOR KIEKENS IN ANKARAWilly Kiekens, the Performance Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Responsible for Europe, arrived in Turkey to meet with representatives from the Turkish banking sector. Meeting with State Minister Kemal Dervis yesterday, Kiekens was informed about the IMF's eighth review. Kiekens will meet with representatives from banking sector today in Istanbul. /Sabah/$600 MILLION WORLD BANK CREDIT FOR AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS The World Bank will provide Turkey with $ 600 million in six years for agricultural projects. Negotiations with the World Bank officials were completed and the "Strategy Letter" given by the World Bank will be signed by three Ministers. The customs duties will be evaluated for the imports of grain, animal products and fodder. Premium support for cotton, soy beans, sunflower and support for artificial insemination and fodder production will be introduced. The subsidies on fertilizers will be abolished in 2002. Direct income support will be introduced for contributing to the costs of fertilizers and diesel oil. /Milliyet/ SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET AMOUNTS TO $25 BILLION Council of Ministers convened yesterday to discuss the supplementary budget law. Finance Minister Sumer Oral said the supplementary budget is expected to be 25 billion. Interest payments will be $20.5 billion. Ministries will receive $4.5 billion from the budget. The bill on supplementary budget and Tobacco law will be submitted to Parliament by June 15. /Milliyet/ [19] TUSIAD: "WE WILL CRITICIZE OPENLY"Chairman of the Turkish Industralists and Businessmen Union (TUSIAD), Tuncay Ozilhan, said they had supported government's previous economic program, but had expressed their criticizms behind doors. He said, "Citizens reacted to this behavour and it was our most important fault. From now on we will make our reviews openly." Meanwhile, a TUSIAD delegation will fly to Stockholm to participate in the Union of European Industry and Employers Confederation meeting. /Turkiye/[20] TRADE DEFICIT DECREASED DUE TO FLOATING EXCHANGE RATESFollowing the introduction of floating exchange rates, foreign trade deficit shrank due to the revaluation of Dollar at the expense of TL. According to the figures announced by the Central Bank, balance of payments surplus reached 254 million. Foreign trade deficit dropped by 42.2% became $2.2 billion in the first three months of the year. Exports increased by 7.6% and imports decreased by 6.5%. /Milliyet/[21] FOGG: "TURKEY HAS COME A LONG WAY"European Union Representative to Turkey, Ambassador Karen Fogg, said Turkey has accomplished important developments in the legal and constitutional reform process. Fogg spoke at the conference organized by the Turkey Third Sector Foundation(TUSEV) and said the associations and foundations constitute a considerable part of the society and non-governmental organizations are a must in a democratic society. Fogg said, "We observe the developments in Turkey. The works on constitutional amendments are going well. The new Civil Law is in conformity with the EU laws. The works have been carried out with the associations and foundations within the framework of the National Programme. Have confidence in Turkish society, because they are capable to accomplish these reforms." /Milliyet/[22] CHIBBER'S COMMENTS ABOUT DERVISWorld Bank's Director to Turkey, Ajay Chibber, commented on the Turkish State Minister Kemal Dervis, with whom he had worked together when he was the Deputy Director of World Bank. Chibber said, "He was the star of the bank and the best economist among us. World Bank has lost but Turkey has become the winner. If he is given opportunity, he can succeed in a year at the most. He has the capacity to bring together all the best around. However, Dervis is not the only example. World Bank has sent many experts and officials to a lot of countries before." /Hurriyet/[23] PALMER ON TURKISH ECONOMYMicrosoft's Director, Steve Palmer, came to Istanbul to promote Microsoft's new product, XT, and "kobiline.com", which was established jointly by Koc Holding Company, Koc-Net, Kocbank, Arthur Anderson, 'Dunya' daily, Koc BRYCE and Logo Business Solutions. He said, "We consider Turkey as a perfect country in terms of improvement of the personal computer and information sectors. For us, Turkey is a country of opportunities. The opportunities here are more important than the short-term problems. The number of personal computers are expected to reach 4-5 million in the next years. We are growing very rapidly in the Turkish market, which is developing more speedily than the other countries in the world. We are glad to invest in Turkey." /Hurriyet/[24] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[25] NO AGREEMENT YET BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)Columnist Sami Kohen writes on the news regarding an agreement on European Security and Defense Policy(ESDP) between Turkey and the allies. A summary of his column is as follows:"Recently, leading newspapers in Western countries led by 'New York Times' are writing than an agreement has been reached on the controversial issue of ESDP between Turkey and the allies. Reportedly an accord has been reached on a new formula presented by Britain, with the support of the US. Despite this climate of 'early optimism' seen in the West, Turkish officials state that the news do not reflect the facts, and the new proposals were not accepted by Turkey. An experienced Turkish diplomat believes that the news may be leaked to pressure Turkey. The statement issued by the General Staff prior to US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's visit confirms that no such agreement has been reached on the issue. The Rapid Reaction Force project of the EU, defined as European Security and Defense Policy stays as a hitch to be smoothed out between Turkey and her allies. Even though the main problem is between Turkey and the EU member countries, the US is also concerned. It is important for the US not to have any discord between NATO and the EU. Therefore, Washington is trying to soften the stance of the EU in favor of Turkey. However, the US also wants Turkey to be more flexible on the issue. That is why the statement of the General Staff has created certain unrest in the US circles. At first sight the British proposal covers more conciliatory factors than the former EU stance. Turkish officials believe that a written presentation of these proposals can be considered as progress. There are some positive points in these proposals such as pledging not to intervene in the conflicts between NATO members (which in practice means the friction between Turkey and Greece). According to the new solution, if the EU wants to use NATO capabilities in a probable intervention, it will have to give the right to the non-EU member country involved to participate in this operation. Determining the participation of Turkey or other countries having similar status, in an operation near their borders where NATO facilities will not be used, is left to the EU Council. Turkey does not accept this condition, as she believes that some countries may block the decision in the Council. When taken at face value, there may not seem to be great differences of opinion. However, when the matter is discussed in detail the presence of a rift can be clearly felt. Turkey's official stance has not changed which the West views as a rigid policy. However, the ESDP issue is closely concerned with Turkey's own security and therefore the agreement reached on the issue should be firm and with open guarantees. " Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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