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Turkish Press Review, 01-06-29Turkish 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 morning29.06.2001CONTENTS
[01] FIVE MORE LAWS ENACTED IN THE PARLIAMENTFive laws were enacted in the Parliamentary Plenary Session yesterday. The laws are on individual retirement, the establishment of a House Undersecretariat, Turkish Armed Forces' requirement of personnel, acceptance of civilian patients to the Gulhane Military Medical Academy Hospital and obligations of military defense. /Cumhuriyet/[02] TELECOM CRISIS SOLVEDThe crisis emerging due to the disagreement between the State Minister for Economy Kemal Dervis and Minister of Transport Enis Oksuz was solved yesterday. According to a compromise reached, the four members of the Telecom Executive Board, seven in total, were appointed by Enis Oksuz, two by Kemal Dervis and one by Bulent Ecevit. The new members of the executive board are as follows, Ibrahim Hakki Alpturk, Murat Sezginer, Ercument Ozcelik, Emin Murat Esen, Devrim Corbacioglu, Ziya Oztoprak and Nihat Ozdemir. The new executive board is expected to convene in the coming days. /Turkiye/[03] BAHCELI CALLS FOR POLITICAL HARMONY TO SAVE ECONOMYDeputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said political rows should be ended and harmony should be formed to implement the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-backed economic recovery program. Private news channel NTV claimed that Bahceli said on Thursday that Dervis could resign, and suggested this might be better for the country. Addressing MHP deputies in Parliament on Thursday, Bahceli warned that political wrangling would only delay the country's recovery from the crisis. /Turkish News/[04] NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL TO CONVENEThe National Security Council chaired by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will convene today. During its ordinary meeting in June, the Council will discuss recent domestic and abroad developments. /Turkiye/[05] WAITING FOR CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGEIt has been reported that, the only reason the coalition-partners decided to postpone reviewing the constitutional amendment package agreed upon by the semi-official All-Party Accord Commission to September and not see them before a postponed summer recess, was the Virtue Party (FP) closure. After having spoken with Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, as well as with the junior coalition party the Motherland Party (ANAP) leader and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz on the subject of postponing Parliament's summer recess, so that the constitutional amendments could be legislated, the opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Ms. Tansu Ciller visited coalition party the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli. Their talk lasted much longer than the 15 minutes she had with Ecevit and went on for a full 40 minutes. During her talk with Bahceli, Ms. Ciller reacted to the coalition's decision to postpone debating the amendment package until an extraordinary session of Parliament to be convened on September 17. She criticized the fact that this decision had been taken without consulting the opposition first. /Turkish Daily News/[06] DERVIS TO GO ABROADIt was revealed that the State Minister Kemal Dervis will go abroad, which was cancelled previously because of the crisis due to the determination of the Telecom administration. During his 13-day visit, Dervis will attend the World Economic Forum in Salzburg, Austria, and then will go to the US. He will attend the meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington. Following his contacts in the US, Dervis will go to London to hold meetings with the bankers there. /Milliyet/[07] EUROPE TO FOLLOW TURKEYThe Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly approved a report which foresees to continue to monitor Turkey during its session yesterday. The report, prepared by Hungarian Parliamentarian Andreas Barsony and German Parliamentarian Benn Zierer claimed that the development in human rights area in Turkey was not satisfactory. The report also expressed their regrets for the closure of the Virtue Party by the Constitutional Court. Turkish Parliamentarians gave a reaction to this report. /Turkiye/[08] BELGIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS TO VISIT TURKEYBelgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Louis Michel is to come to Ankara for an official visit on July 3. This will be the first visit made by Michel after Belgium takes over the term presidency of the EU on July 1. During his talks, he will concentrate on Turkey-EU relations. /Turkish Daily News/[09] FRENCH MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS VEDRINE TO VISIT ANKARAFrench Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hubert Vedrine, will arrive in Ankara by the end of the next month to normalize Turco-French relations following the approval of the so-called Armenian genocide bill by the French Parliament. France will send a delegation of her prominent businessmen to Turkey to convey the message that she will continue her investments in Turkey, who is currently suffering an economic crisis. The Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and his French counterpart Hubert Vedrine had decided to hold bilateral meetings at the Turkey-EU Partnership Council meeting held two days ago, in Luxembourg. Bilateral relations will be on the top of the agenda of their meetings as well as the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). The French delegation is expected to meet with Minister of State Kemal Dervis. /Cumhuriyet/[10] NATO WARNS ATHENS ABOUT THE AEGEANIt was stated that Greece would identify Turkish planes not as "enemies", but as "allies" in the Aegean upon the warnings of NATO. According to the Greek daily paper, To Vima, the Greek Office of the Chief of the General Staff formed a committee to end their policies towards naming the Turkish planes flying in the Aegean Sea as enemies. The committee was established with NATO's demand. /Cumhuriyet/[11] THE MEETING OF THE EU CANDIDATES' MINISTERS OF ENVIRONMENT IN ISTANBULThe second informal meeting of the EU candidate countries' Ministers of Environment began yesterday in Istanbul. The ministers emphasized in the meeting that the transportation of the hazardous waste materials via the Straits would constitute a great risk for both people and environment, and demanded the ensuring of secure transportation. Among the issues to be discussed at the meeting are climate changes, the sustainable usage of natural resources and the enlargement period of the EU. Delivering the opening speech of the meeting, European Commission Turkey Representative, Karen Fogg, said transportation of hazardous material via the Straits was a big problem for Turkey. She called on Turkey to join the Regional Research Center in Budapest. Minister of Environment, Fevzi Aytekin, recalled that the sea accidents which took place in the last years resulted in considerable amount of environmental pollution. He added, the discussions on the "The Law on Environment" which was prepared in line with the EU Environmental Regulation completed in the parliamentary sub-commissions. /Cumhuriyet/[12] THE INDIAN MINISTER OF INTERIOR ADVANI MEETS YUCELENThe Turkish Minister of the Interior Rustu Kazim Yucelen, said that the trade volume between Turkey and India is low, and high-level contacts between the countries will strengthen the economic and political ties, Anatolia news agency reported on Thursday. The Indian Minister of the Interior Lal Krishna Advani visited Turkey upon the official invitation of Yucelen. In the meeting with Advani, Yucelen noted that this visit was planned for January, but due to an earthquake in India, this meeting was postponed to a later date. Yucelen pointed out that the Security Cooperation Agreement, signed between India and Turkey, will also play an important role in increasing commercial and economic ties. /Turkish News/[13] GERMAN INTELLIGENCE: FP IS A DANGEROUS FUNDAMENTALIST ORGANIZATIONIt was stated that the German intelligence units regard the Virtue Party (FP) which was closed by the Constitutional Court, as a dangerous fundamentalist organization. A report prepared by the German Organization for Protecting the Federal Constitution mentioned the activities of the FP and the Islamic Community National View which is considered to be affiliated with the FP in detail. The report stated that the National View rejects Western democratic values and ideas and bases its ideas on a religious ideology charged with anti-Semitism. It also argues that FP defends the ideology implicitly which is defended by the National View explicitly. /Hurriyet/[14] VERHEUGEN: "SOLUTION IS POSSIBLE IN CYPRUS ISSUE"The EU Commissioner responsible for Enlargement, Gunther Verheugen, said he was more optimistic about the Cyprus issue after his meeting with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ismail Cem this week. He said, "I believe a solution can be reached on the Cyprus issue." /Hurriyet/[15] DEFENSE MINISTER TO GO TO TBILISIIt has been announced that the Minister of National Defense Sabahattin Cakmakoglu is to go to Tbilisi for a three-day official visit on July 3. According to a statement issued by the Georgian Defense Ministry, the Turkish Defense Minister will meet President Eduard Shevardnadze and Defense Minister David Tevsadze. They are reportedly going to discuss defense cooperation matters. /Turkish Daily News/[16] TURKS WARNED OFF VISITING PHILIPPINESThe Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that Turkish citizens planning to travel to the Philippines should postpone their plans. According to the announcement by the ministry, kidnapping incidents, including tourists from Western countries, continued this year. It was also emphasized in the statement that the kidnapping incidents were not restricted to the Abu Sayyaf group on Mindanao. British, Singaporean and Taiwanese tourists were also being kidnapped for ransom, and it was also stated, "Our citizens planning to travel to the Philippines should act prudently or postpone their travel plans due to the current kidnapping incidents in the Philippines." /Turkish News/[17] TURKISH SOLDIERS' MISSION IN THE BALKANSTurkey has accepted to send soldiers to Macedonia if NATO takes such a decision. Turkey has conveyed to NATO that she allocated a quota of 450 soldiers for Macedonia if needed after the ensuring of a cease-fire. The basic mission of the Turkish soldiers will be patrolling and disarmament of the region. /Hurriyet/[18] TURKISH LAND FORCES ANNIVERSARYThe Turkish Land Forces's Foundation Anniversary was celebrated with a ceremony held at the Land Forces Headquarters. In his message, the Commander of the Land Forces, Gen. Hilmi Ozkok said the Turkish Army is determined to save the Republic of Turkey's secular regime. The President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi, the Premier Bulent Ecevit, the Minister of National Defense Sabahattin Cakmakoglu and True Path Party leader Tansu Ciller also issued congratulatory messages. /Turkiye/[19] "SECURITY AND COOPERATION CONFERENCE "The "Security and Cooperation in Europe in the 21st Century" conference began yesterday in Istanbul. During a speech he delivered in the conference, Turkish NATO Permanent Representative Ambassador Onur Oymen said Turkey is an important factor in the European Union's security. Stressing Turkey having one of the most powerful military force in the NATO, Oymen said, "Turkey should have equal rights with other countries in the European security." /Turkiye/[20] "DO NOT TRAVEL TO MACEDONIA"Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised citizens not to travel to Macedonia if they are not obliged to do so. The announcement said the recent development in Macedonia is too risky for foreigners. /Turkiye/[21] A BILL FOR CYPRUSA bill presented to the US House of Representatives by Republican Michael Bilirakis from Florida, a member of the Greek- Greek Cypriot lobby, asserted that the security, prosperity and agreement on Cyprus would be obtained within the framework of the EU membership. The bill supported by 44 representatives, said, "The EU membership of Cyprus will accelerate the settlement of the Cyprus issue. We strongly support the Cyprus EU membership." /Turkiye/[22] YILDIRIM JOINS MHPIndependent parliamentarian Yener Yildirim for "Ordu" joined the Nationalist Action Party (MHP). Yildirim had resigned from the True Path Party on April 26, 2001. /Cumhuriyet/[23] TURKEY REJOINS UN COMMAND IN SOUTH KOREATurkey has rejoined the American-led United Nations Command based in South Korea, command officials said Thursday. Turkey, which fought on South Korea's side during the 1950-1953 Korean War, withdrew its representatives from the UN Command in Seoul in 1975. Turkey's Ambassador notified the UNC's American commander, Gen. Thomas A. Schwartz, on Monday that a colonel will soon assume his liaison duties to the UNC, the command said in a news statement. /Turkish Daily News/[24] TURKEY PLANS PRIVATIZATION BLITZ FROM JULYTurkey's Privatization Minister Yilmaz Karakoyunlu said on Thursday work would begin in earnest in July to implement a raft of small-scale privatizations aimed at raising TL 800-1,000 trillion ($640-800 million) this year. "After the parliament breaks up for the summer recess on July 1, my whole work time will be devoted to privatizations," Karakoyunlu said. He said there were many state interests to be sold, in fields ranging from agriculture to tourism, from electronics to spirits. /Turkish Daily News/[25] DEFENSE MINISTER TO GO TO TBILISIIt has been announced that the Minister of National Defense Sabahattin Cakmakoglu is to go to Tbilisi for a three-day official visit on July 3. According to a statement issued by the Georgian Defense Ministry, the Turkish Defense Minister will meet President Eduard Shevardnadze and Defense Minister David Tevsadze. They are reportedly going to discuss defense cooperation matters. /Turkish Daily News/[26] TWO FOREIGN PARTNERS FOR DARDANEL FOOD COMPANYChairman of the Executive Board of Dardanel Food Company, Niyazi Onen, announced that they have found two foreign partners, one Japanese and the other American. Onen said, "We will establish tuna fish growing facilities in Alanya with the Japanese Tohto Suisan Company. In addition, an American fund will be the partner of 28% of Dardanel Food Company and will give us a loan amounting to 40 million US dollars. /Milliyet/[27] RUSSIANS PRAISE TURKISH TOURISMA group of Russian journalists of 12 people, who came to Antalya as the guests of Antalya's Chamber of Commerce and Industry and toured the region for one week, have wrote articles and news praising Turkey. The Russian journalists stated that the Russian people were happy with spending their holiday in Antalya and wrote, "Our second address is Antalya." /Milliyet/[28] KOC-BAT PARTNERSHIP IN TOBACCOThe International tobacco group, British American Tobacco (BAT) signed a partnership agreement with Duzey Marketing and Sunel Tobacco to invest in Turkey. The BAT aims to implement an $200-million investment and produce international tobacco brands in Turkey. /Turkiye/[29] ISTANBUL CITY TRANSPORT SYMPOSIUM KICKS OFFGeneral Police Director Deputy Nihat Kurtic stated that proper solutions could be found for the problem of transport, provided that the media cooperates in all traffic related meetings, which would result in drawing the public's attention, Anatolia news agency reported on Thursday. The "Istanbul City Transport Symposýum," which was organized by the Istanbul Provincial Coordination Board of the Association of Turkish Architects and Engineers (TMMOB), started on Thursday at the Ataturk Culture Center. In his inaguguration speech, Kurtic said that the traffic problem in Turkey, as well as Istanbul, was an important issue. However, solutions could be found easily, and he added that rational solutions had been previously presented by concerned university departments, experts and by foreing experts. /Turkish News/[30] WINNERS OF NOVARTIS AWARDS ANNOUNCEDThe winners of the Novartis Research Awards (distributed by the one of the most prominent companies investing in Research and Development) has been announced. The awards were presented to its winners with a ceremony in Ankara Hilton Hotel. /Hurriyet/[31] TURKISH FASHION IN RUSSIAThe Turkel Fair Company will hold its second fashion show in Moscow on July 4-6. 65 Turkish firms will join the fair and exhibit Turkish textile products. /Turkiye/[32] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[33] TURKEY PUSHING FOR 'SCREENING PROCESS'BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)Columnist Sami Kohen comments on Turkish-EU relations. A summary of his column is as follows:"Recent Turkish initiative to force the EU over the full-membership issue seems to have met with some obstacles. The aim of this new initiative is to begin the 'screening process', which will open the ways for the membership negotiations. Minister of Foreign Affairs Ismail Cem officially expressed Turkey's desire on the issue at the Partnership Council meeting which took place this week. However, the impressions received from various EU circles, point to the fact that there is a dim possibility for the acceptance of this initiative. In the EU jargon 'screening' means the procedure determining to what extent the country is complying with all the decisions of the EU, that is 'acquis communataire', when sitting down at the negotiation table for membership. The EU officials and bureaucrats examine if the existing or new laws and their implementations comply with the EU regulations and norms and accordingly decide whether the candidate country is ready for membership or not. Turkish officials led by Ismail Cem are saying that the negotiations with the EU must begin in 2002 at the latest, as the last chance to be a full-member may be lost due to EU's own problems and reasons stemming from its expansionist policies. However, the EU does not want to sit at the negotiation table with Turkey in the near future. It believes that Turkey is still far from adhering to the Copenhagen criteria and general standards. That is why; Ankara wants the 'screening process', which it believes to be the first step before the negotiations, to begin as soon as possible. Thus, Turkey will have one foot on the threshold of the door the EU has left half open. The EU current term president Sweden has sent a letter giving information on the 'screening process' to member countries. In this letter it is stated that the 'screening process' is customarily started with the negotiations and there cannot be a separate or privileged implementation. The official reaction of Commission or various member countries to the letter has not been received as yet. However, the first evaluations among the European diplomats in Turkey and in EU capitals reveal that Ankara's initiative is not warmly welcomed. Next week Belgium will sit on the term presidency chair. Observers believe that this development will not change the EU stance one the issue. Under these circumstances, the possibility of the process to lead the way for Turkey's full EU membership seems to be weak. In the words of a Turkish diplomat, if Turkey is determined to press the EU on the membership issue, the only thing, which has to be done, is to carry out the reforms and works foreseen in the National Program as soon as possible. " [34] TURKISH -GREEK RELATIONS BY EROL MANISALI (CUMHURIYET)Columnist Erol Manisali comments on what is seen on the foreground and behind the scenes in Turkish-Greek relations. A summary of his column is as follows:"What is displayed on the foreground and is taking place behind the scenes in Turkish-Greek relations are in complete contrast with each other. A warm atmosphere can be seen at first sight in these relations. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries are tired of posing together with smiling faces, and the Greeks have given countless numbers of awards to our Minister of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, the scholarships given to Turkish students have certain conditions. If you cannot find a subject on the Turkish-Greek friendship you cannot get a scholarship. A university lecturer who would like to obtain a scholarship from the US institutions cannot deal in any other subject. If you have favorable opinions on Greece, you may get the money. They are taking Turkish journalists to Greece and on return they are ready to praise our neighbor. However, there's more to it than meets the eye and there is a totally different Greece behind the scenes. She has never changed her policy against Turkey in essence and is continuing the war of attrition against Turkey in all fronts. First, Athens's veto over the EU financial assistance to Turkey is continuing. Second, on the ESDI issue, Athens said in June 2001 that no concessions should be made to Turkey otherwise she would veto the decision. This was presented as a note to Brussels. Athens, in no way wants a decision in favor of Turkey. Third, the Armenian Bill was passed in the EU due to the extraordinary efforts of the Greek parliamentarians in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly in the year 2000 and she supported Armenia's all hostile efforts against Turkey. Can this be called friendship? Finally, she has not made any changes in her policies over Cyprus or the Aegean, and instead asked for more. If Greece wanted to be friends with Turkey, she should have said that both Cyprus and the Aegean are common spaces where Turkey and Greece have common interests and therefore they must reach a compromise. However, Athens wants to get what she wants on Cyprus by using the EU, and solve the Aegean problem at the International Court of Justice at The Hague. In other words, Athens does not want to talk with Turkey over Cyprus or the Aegean but would like it to be solved by EU through pressure and blackmail. When considered in this context, the actions of Papandreou can be understood. However, if the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs continues to be concerned only with the 'image' part of the relations, he would be doing what the Greeks want him to do. Athens has never changed her anti-Turkish policy. To convince the Turks that Greece has changed would be deceiving the public. Friendship is all very well but only if what is said and done are in conformity." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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