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Turkish Press Review, 01-06-22Turkish 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 morning22.06.2001CONTENTS
[01] SEZER IN ROMANIAPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer flew to Romania yesterday to pay an official visit at the invitation of Romanian President Ion Iliescu. Before his departure, replying to a question on the closure case of the Virtue party (FP), Sezer told reporters, "I cannot comment on the topic in a period of judgement. The decision of the court is binding whatever it is." In the first day of his visit to Romania, Sezer met with his Romanian counterpart. The two presidents discussed bilateral relations and recent developments in Macedonia. Following a visit to Costanza Hunkar Mosque, Sezer will return to Turkey this afternoon. /Turkiye/[02] ECEVIT: "NO ELECTIONS IN THE NEAR FUTURE"Delivering a speech at the group meeting of the Democratic Left Party (DSP), Prime Minister and DSP Chairman Bulent Ecevit said that allegations saying that new elections would be held in the near future bring about negative effects and influences for the political and economic life in Turkey. He said, "It is not possible to hold elections at this time. However, allegations arise concerns of the people. It is time to work, not to hold elections." Stating the legal regulations which are required by the new economic program are about to be completed, Ecevit praised the efficient efforts of the parliamentarians. /Cumhuriyet/[03] EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERSThe Constitutional Court is expected to reach a verdict on the Virtue Party's (FP) closing trial and the Council of Ministers will gather together extraordinarily today. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit wanted the coalition leaders Devlet Bahceli and Mesut Yilmaz to ensure the attendance of all the ministers to the meeting. No information concerning the agenda of the Council of Ministers meeting was given to the ministers. Following the meeting, the three party leaders which from the coalition will meet together and discuss latest developments. /Sabah/[04] FINAL DAY FOR THE FP CASEThe Constitutional Court will deliver its final judgement on the case which was opened by the Public Prosecutors in the High Court of Appeals to close down the Virtue Party (FP). The case was opened upon the allegations stating that the FP is a successor of the former Welfare Party which had been closed down because of its anti-secular and fundamentalist activities. /Cumhuriyet/[05] SCHUSSEL: "EU MIGHT NOT BE PLEASED WITH THE CLOSURE OF THE FP"The Austrian Prime Minister Wolfgang Schussel stated that EU would not be pleased with a possible closure decision for the Virtue Party (FP). After his meeting with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Schussel said, "It is necessary to be very careful in closing the political parties in the plural democratic societies. The closure decision will not be welcome very happily and it would cause a dispute. Copenhagen Criteria will be taken into consideration for such a situation. Meanwhile, Ecevit promised, "Closing the political parties will become more difficult in Turkey." Schussel received FP Chairman Recai Kutan, other political party leaders, and the State Minister responsible for Economy, Kemal Dervis. Kutan said that if the FP is closed then the FP member will organize a new party and structure. /Cumhuriyet/[06] CAKMAKOGLU: "WE WILL RESTRICT BORDER TRADE"Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said the Virtue Party (FP) should receive a financial penalty or be restricted from standing in the next elections instead of being ordered to close down. Cakmakoglu said the decision to close the party, which opposes the basic principles of democracy, would be a very severe penalty. Cakmakoglu went to Siirt from Sirnak and made investigations in the region. Visiting Governor Nuri Oktan, Cakmakoglu said he came to Siirt in order to see developments in the region, the reform of the socioeconomic situation and the activities of the Return To the Village Project. /Turkish Daily News/[07] SCHWIMMER: "ABOLISH THE CAPITAL PUNISHMENT"Delivering a speech at the congress which was held in Strasbourg for the first time in the world, with the demand of the abolishment of capital punishment all over the world, the Council of Europe Secretary General Walter Schwimmer said , "The Council of Europe members expect Turkey and Russia to abolish capital punishment." Pointing out the campaigns aimed at informing people against the execution of the capital punishment, Schwimmer said they were looking for the possible ways to initiate such campaigns in Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/[08] YILMAZ:" CAPITAL PUNISHMENT WILL BE ABOLISHED WITHIN THREE OR FOUR YEARS"Speaking to a Austrian daily paper, Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said capital punishment would be abolished within three or four years in Turkey. He said, "We have certain problems in the democratization reforms due to the separatist terrorism. It is now time to implement reforms." /Cumhuriyet/[09] VURAL'S SPEECH IN BRUSSELSThe Turkish General Secretary of the European Union (EU), Volkan Vural, said Turkey was going through a process of change and that the economic crisis was accelerating this process. In a speech during a meeting of the Turkish Special Sector Friendship Group in Brussels, Vural pointed out the necessity of political and economic reforms. /Sabah/[10] GAYDALI VOWS IMPROVEMENT IN HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUESStating that Turkey has shortcomings in the field of human rights issues, State Minister responsible for Human Rights Edip Safder Gaydali said that the country is reviewing its prospects by considering its ambition to become a full member of the European Union (EU). Participating in the opening ceremony of a seminar held by the Hacettepe University on Thursday, Gaydali stated that Turkey has taken positive steps in human rights issues. Gaydali said that Turkey has suffered from a wrong image that it is the only country that has shortcomings in the implementation of human rights. /Turkish Daily News/[11] PRISON MONITORING COMMITTEES LAW IN OFFICIAL GAZETTEThe law regarding the establishment of "Prison Monitoring Committees" aimed at inspecting and observing the functioning of prisons and reporting prison conditions to the necessary offices when necessary, was issued in Thursday's edition of the Official Gazette and put into force. According to law 4681, the monitoring committees, to be established by the justice commissions, will consist of five members and will serve for four years. According to the law the duties of the prison monitoring committees are as follows: "To inspect regular prison procedures, pay regular visits to prisons to receive information about the overall conditions, and listen to prisoners' problems and comments, to report any problems or shortcomings in the living conditions of prisoners, and any problems or shortcomings in the transfer of prisoners, safely from one prison to another, to assess their impressions in the light of the information they received from prison officials and prepare reports at least once every three months and send copies of this report to the Justice Ministry, the Prosecutor's Office, and Parliament's Human Rights Commission. /Turkish News/[12] INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION BILL ADOPTEDThe International Arbitration Bill, regulating international arbitration applications, passed the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) Plenary Session yesterday /Turkiye/.[13] TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS FALL OUT WITH EACH OTHERTHE DHKP/C terrorist organization called on PKK terrorists, whom it criticized for falling into despair, to join the revolutionary front." In a communiqué it issued, addressing the PKK, the DHKP_C criticized the PKK for not supporting the hunger strikes in prisons, and added, "The PKK is trying to seem asympathetic to the enemy to save the life of Abdullah Ocalan. It is also selling its past, character, and falling into a desperate position." _Turkish News/[14] GOLDEN WINGS REACH THEIR DESTINATIONTurkish pilot's tragic Istanbul-Cairo flight in 1914 was demonstrated by four pilots of the Turkish Air Force's (TuAF) "Golden Wings," team who have reached Alexandria. According to a statement from TuAF, Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu will participate in a ceremony to mark the Golden Wings' successful flight to Egypt, which will be held in the 11th Air Transport Main Base Command in Etimesgut. /Turkish News/[15] NATO SOLDIERS TO BE DEPLOYED IN MACEDONIAThe NATO, finally pushed the button to stop the violence which has been continuing for months, and to settle peace between the Macedonian army and Albanian forces. NATO Secretary General George Robertson said, following a cease-fire agreement between the sides, 3-5 thousand NATO soldiers will be sent to the region. Reportedly, the countries which want to take part in the NATO operation are the US, France, Britian, Italy, Poland, the Czhec Republic and Turkey. /Turkiye/[16] JOURNALISTS DISCUSS PROBLEMS IN CAUCASIAAzeri, Armenian and Turkish journalists have met in order to discuss the problems in Caucasia in a symposium entitled "Regional Problems from the Point of View of the Press." The first stage of the symposium organised by the Turkish Democracy Foundation and the Azeri Press Club in order to contribute to world and regional peace began in Baku. The problem of Upper Karabagh under the occupation of Armenia is expected to be discussed extensively during the symposium. Similar activities are predicted to be held in Georgia and Armenia for the next stages of the symposium. /Turkish Daily News/[17] ADAMANY: "TURKISH STRAITS ARE TOO RISKY""The Story of Three Seas: Integration with World Energy" Conference" ended yesterday. Director General of the BP Shipping Linda Adamany said, "BP is aware of the fact that we could not rely on the Turkish Straits alone for the oil transportation in the Caucasus region. That's why we are building the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. There is a great risk for accidents in the Straits. We cannot accept such a big risk. Authorities should try to reduce this risk." /Hurriyet/[18] "STRAITS ARE TIME BOMBS"The Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mithat Balkan, said the Turkish Straits have become time bombs thanks to the increased oil transportation passing through them. Addressing the "Story of the Three Seas: Unifying with the World Energy Conference", Balkan said Turkey is anxious about the security of the Straits. Recalling that 65 years had passed since the sign of the Montreux Treaty, and that the traffic on the Straits had increased by ten fold, Balkan said, "Turkey can not accept any risk for the Straits." /Turkiye/[19] OIL ACTION ON THE STRAITS437 non-governmental organisations attached to the Environmental Cocoon held a protest meeting yesterday to attract attention to the danger on the Straits. After the meeting held at Conrad Hotel, the activists emphasized both the danger of nuclear waste and oil transport. They have also protested the representatives of huge petroleum companies who went on a cruise on the Straits. More than a hundred boats met at Beylerbeyi Bay and toured the Straits. Chairman of the Society of Peace with Nature, Yuksel Ustun, held a press conference on the boat and said, "In order to act, we do not have to wait for the disaster to occur." /Milliyet/[20] THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR EARTHQUAKESThe 150 earthquakes warning equipment to be brought from Switzerland in August will be placed in secure places in their special carriages. The earthquake will be able to be detected prior to 7-8 seconds thanks to these devices. In addition, the dimension of the damage will be able to be determined five minutes after the earthquake has occurred. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Mete Isikara, who has been conducting this project amounting to 3 million dollars, said Istanbul would be the third city having this Rapid Reaction and Early Warning Project in the world. /Milliyet/[21] FORESTS ARE ENDANGEREDIt is reported that some 810.46 hectares have been damaged in 14 forest fires occurring in various regions of Turkey. According to the Forestry Ministry's given statement, forest fires in Duzmece village of the Osmaneli district in Bilecik were partly under control and others were fully under control. Firefighting work continues. Forest fires near Duzmece covered a 750 hectare area. Foreign ministry units, public foundations and establishments, military units, municipalities and citizens all contributed to the firefighting efforts in the region. /Turkish Daily News/[22] COOPERATION PROTOCOL SIGNED BETWEEN TURKEY AND SYRIAA cooperation protocol was signed between Turkey and Syria as a result of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meetings. Stating that the protocol constituted a turning point concerning economic and commercial relations for both countries, State Minister Recep Onal said, "The protocol is a token for mutual friendly ideas." /Cumhuriyet/[23] ADDITIONAL BUDGET ENACTEDThe Additional Budget Law which was issued yesterday, in the Official Gazette, was enacted. The Additional Budget refers to an amount of 30 quadrillion and 640 trillion TL. Accordingly, the budget for the year 2001 rose to79 quadrillion TL. /Turkiye/[24] COMPANIES SET TO RESOLVE ELECTRONIC WARFARE ROWASELSAN and Microwave Electronic Industry Crop. (MIKES) have finally ended their fierce competition over a project for the installation of electronic war systems in some 80 F-16 jet fighters. ASELSAN originally had a contract with the French Dassault company to build and install the systems into F-16s, which have been produced by the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI). Technical and financial problems emerging between the two partners forced a change in direction. Taking these developments into consideration, Chief of Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu demanded the cancellation of the tender, previously won by the ASELSAN-Dassault consortium. ASELSAN is now planning to buy 72 percent of the Mikes Company, after an examination conducted by an independent firm revealed satisfactory data. The two firms are expected to conclude a partnership and sale deal soon. /Turkish News/[25] TUZMEN CALLS BRITISH INVESTORS TO TURKEYAddressing the "Turkish-British Trade Developing Forum", the Undersecretary of the Foreign Trade, Kursat Tuzmen said Turkey will be very powerful in the near future and called upon British investors to invest more in Turkey. The representative of Thames Water, Frank Pawley also said, "Do not be affected from the negative commentaries about theTurkish economy published in the International press. These kind of articles should not prevent you from investing in Turkey. /Turkiye/[26] FOREIGN TRADE DEFICIT DECREASESAccording to the data by State Institute for Statistic (SIS), exports increased by 5.4 % in April compared to the same period last year. Turkey exported products of $2 billion 570.9 million in April. /Cumhuriyet/[27] TAX IDENTITY NUMBERS TO BECOME WIDESPREADTax identity numbers, which have been used for buying and selling real estate and vehicles, will apply to banking, insurance and other financial transactions by September 1. According to the Finance Ministry's announcement in the Official Gazette on June 19, banks which have been or will be established abiding to banking and special laws, and which have been established abroad which have opened or will open branches in Turkey (including offshore branches) will be required to ask their customers for tax identity numbers by September 1. /Turkish Daily News/[28] GRASSO VISITS ISTANBUL STOCK EXCHANGERichard Grasso, Chairman and Chief Executive officer of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), will visit the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) today. He will meet with the IMKB Chairman Osman Birsen. Grasso is holding meetings with the European stock exchanges in order to prepare a common list, which will help international investors to easily reach every market within the period of the globalization of the stock exchanges. /Hurriyet/[29] LOAN TO TRADESMANYesterday, the State Minister responsible for Economy, Kemal Dervis, the Undersecretary of the Treasury Faik Oztrak and, the Chairman of the State Banks Joint Executive BoardVural Akisik, met with the Chairmen of the Chambers of Industry of three provinces. Dervis stated that it had been very fruitful when the meeting was over.. Reportedly, Dervis said Halk Bank will gradually resume to grant loan to industrialists. Vural Akisik also said the restructuring plan of Halk Bank will be carried out at the beginning of July. /Turkiye/[30] NEW SOLUTION FOR THE STOCK EXCHANGESFollowing the Treasury's swap operation amounting to 9.3 quadrillion, the efforts concerning the establishment of the forward exchange transactions market were accelerated. Chairman of the Capital Market Organisation (SPK), Dogan Cansizlar, said the market will be active in two months. He added, "For this purpose, the SPK, Central Bank and the Istanbul Stock Exchanges (IMKB)-Takasbank have been working very hard. " /Milliyet/[31] TURKISH DOLLAR BILLIONAIRES538 billionaires, including five Turkish businessmen take place in the list of dollar billionaires prepared by the "Forbes Global" magazine in the US every year. In the list, which was prepared for the 15th time, Mehmet Emin Karamehmet came the109th with his fortune of 3.7 billion dollars. He was followed by Sakip Sabanci, who came the 116th with 3.5 billion dollars. Rahmi Koc came the 182th with 2.5 billion dollars, Ferit Sahenk the 234th with 2 billion dollars and Kemal Uzan the 312th with a fortune amounting to 1.6 billion dollars. /Milliyet/[32] THIRD ISTANBUL AVIATION FAIR READY TO STARTThe third Istanbul Aviation Festival-Hezarfen 2001 will be held on the 24 of June. The festival will be carried out at the Hezarfen Airfield. It is organized each year to increase interest in aviation. /Turkish News/[33] EGYPTIAN FILM FESTIVAL BEGINSThe Egyptian Film Festival, which will be the first for Turkey will begin in Ankara today. There will be seminars with the Egyptian directors and film critics before the screenings. /Cumhuriyet/20 MILLION TOURISTS TO VISIT ISTANBUL The Minister of Tourism Erkan Mumcu said that since there are various projects which will attract 20 million tourists to Istanbul, the state will carry out a regional planning for tourism in order to carry out these projects. /Cumhuriyet/ [34] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[35] IS THERE ANYTHING LEFT TO SAY? BY SEDAT SERTOGLU (SABAH)Columnist Sedat Sertoglu comments on a report on the State Minister Responsible for Maritime Affairs, Ramazan Mirzaoglu's desk. A summary of his column is as follows:'Ali Koknar, a Turkish lawyer living in Washington, together with his American lawyer friends prepared a project which will eliminate the possibility of The Straits from becoming an oil pipeline, will prevent the passage of nuclear and other hazardous material via this route to a great extent, and will give support to the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline in order to support Turkey. The group preparing the project reinterpreted the Montreux Treaty and stayed totally within the limits of legal rules. They sent this project to the Foreign Ministry last October. Then presented it to the attention of the Office of the Chief of General Staff through the Turkish Naval Attache in Washington. However, they have not been able to get an answer until today. This project is of great importance. It focuses on two points and says: "The US will check the binge waters of ships coming to its ports in the near future. The Maryland University professors are preparing a bill on the issue. The reason why they are preparing such a bill is that a species of clam called Zebra carried by the ships traveling to the Lakes region in the North is causing great ecological damage. If such an implementation can be the right of the US, it should be the right of Turkey as well...Therefore, we can implement the same kind of rules...A kind of jellyfish called Medusa, coming to our seas through this way, is causing damages around $400 billion to the fisherman as it prevents the reproduction of fish. The second factor is to accept the control system. That is, controlling the ships passing through the Bosphorus...The Montreux Treaty gives this right to Turkey and if she wants to, Turkey can control 15% of the ships passing through The Straits. She can line up the oil tankers at the entrance of the Black Sea, and control them. Last December an oil tanker titled Kastov passed through The Black Sea and had an accident in the Mediterranean...Following the accident experts controlled the tanker and determined that the corrosion in the broadside of the tanker was 15 times more than it should be...What if the accident had happened while the tanker was sailing through The Straits? Turkey has every right to make these controls for the safety and security of her citizens.' 'As the lining up of oil tankers at the entrance of The Straits, and continuation of these lines for a long time will increase the transport cost of Kazakh and Supsa oil to a great extent, in addition to the high rate of insurance, the companies will prefer the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline. ' Now it is time for the State Ministry responsible for Maritime Affairs, Foreign Ministry, Environment and Justice Ministries to coordinate and take action. Another good news came from Greater Istanbul Mayor Ali Mufit Gurtuna who said that all the opportunities and capabilities of the municipality would be at the service of the non-governmental organizations and that he would participate in the demonstrations to be held on Sunday." [36] TO THE LAST BY GUNGOR MENGI (SABAH)Columnist Gungor Mengi writes on the International Energy Conference held in Istanbul. A summary of his column is as follows:"A severe accident risk in the transportation through The Straits is once in two years in average. These were the words spoken by BP Shipping Director General Linda Adamany who spoke at the International Energy Conference in Istanbul. 50 thousand ships pass through The Straits every year and they are carrying 65-70 tons of oil. What does a risk every two years mean? When Exxon Valders oil tanker sank near the coast of Alaska with 40 thousand tons of the whole world rose up in arms. It took three years to cleanse the uninhabited coasts and cost $18 billion. Defending Istanbul against such a disaster is not only our right but also it is our obligation to humanity. No political or economic pressure must be able to stop us. The correct path for the Caspian oil is through Baku-Ceyhan. We can form the greatest international solidarity for The Straits. First, we will have to call on Greece, as an oil tanker accident will turn the Aegean Islands into hell. We should not forget the efforts of environmentalists sans-frontiers Greenpeace in this respect." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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