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Turkish Press Review, 02-05-09Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr><LINK href="http://www.byegm.gov.tr_yayinlarimiz_chr_pics_css/tpr.css" rel=STYLESHEET type=text/css> <map name="FPMap1"> <_map> Press & Information Turkish Press Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning09.05.2002CONTENTS
[01] SEZER VISITS ECEVIT, WISHES HIM “GET WELL”President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday visited Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit at his home. When leaving Ecevit’s house, Sezer told reporters that he had given get-well wishes to the PM, who was treated in the hospital last weekend for an intestinal infection, and had met with him as part of their weekly ordinary meeting. “The prime minister is quite well and I suggested that he take a few more days for rest,” Sezer said. /All Papers/[02] UN PASSES RESOLUTION DENOUNCING ISRAELI ATTACKS; TURKEY VOTES IN FAVORThe United Nations passed a draft resolution yesterday condemning Israel for its attacks against the Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp and other occupied Palestinian territories. The resolution was approved by a vote of 74-4, with 54 members abstaining. Turkey voted in favor of the resolution, with Israel and the United States voting against it. Addressing the UN General Assembly, Turkey’s Deputy UN Permanent Representative Altay Cengizer said that acts of violence and terrorism could not be tolerated and that all measures should be taken to prevent future ones. Emphasizing that the events during Israel’s incursion into the Jenin camp should be investigated, Cengizer said that Turkish government was ready to do whatever it could to help revive the Middle East peace process. /Turkiye/[03] TURKEY PROTESTS MAP DISPLAYED IN PARISThe Office of the Chief of General Staff and the Foreign Ministry both reacted harshly yesterday to the inclusion of Turkey and a photo of its Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu on a map purporting to show countries where freedom of the press is suppressed, with photos of the leaders allegedly responsible for this supposed lack of freedom. The map in question had been prepared by private press organization Reporters Sans Frontiers, or Reporters Without Borders, but is displayed in a Paris Metro station, which is government-owned property. Following disclosure of the map, Turkey’s Office of the Chief of General Staff and Foreign Ministry began initiatives to protest it to both the French government and French military authorities. French Ambassador to Turkey Bernard Garcia was also summoned to the Foreign Ministry and Turkey’s protest was conveyed to him. /All Papers/[04] DENTAS’S BUSY SCHEDULE IN LEADUP TO ANNAN’S VISITNew diplomatic contacts and negotiations are underway in both Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Greek Cypriot administration in the leadup to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s visit to the island scheduled for May 14. Calling the TRNC Parliament for an extraordinary session, Denktas yesterday briefed the parliamentarians on recent developments and the written proposal which he recently presented to Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides. Denktas also called on all Turkish Cypriot officials not to make any concessions from their right to have an equal status and sovereignty with their Greek Cypriot counterparts. Today in Ankara, he is expected to take part in three conferences on Cyprus. Denktas is also scheduled to meet with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer today and with Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem on Saturday. /Cumhuriyet/[05] ARAFAT REQUESTS THAT TURKEY HOST A MIDDLE EAST CONFERENCEAll parties involved in the Middle East conflict are supporting Turkey’s proposal that it host of an international conference where common problems and issues will be discussed. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat yesterday made a phone call to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit telling the Turkish leader that he would be highly pleased with Turkey’s hosting such a peace conference with Israel. Arafat also briefed Ecevit on the current situation in the Middle East. Stating that he expected Turkey to help end the ongoing violence in the region, Arafat said that Turkey should also be a participant in the conference, not just the host. For his part, Ecevit stated that the Turkish nation would be very happy to host such an initiative aimed at peace. /Milliyet/[06] ISRAELI PRESIDENT KATSAV THANKS TURKEY FOR ITS SUPPORTIn an interview with Turkish daily Hurriyet today, Israeli President Moshe Katsav expressed the nation of Israel’s satisfaction with Turkey’s support and efforts aimed at establishing peace and stability in the Middle East. Remarking that Israel was grateful for Turkey’s cooperation and support, Katsav stated that Turkey was very important for the region since it had close and friendly relations with Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab countries as well. “That’s why we trust Turkey’s initiatives,” said Katsav. “I believe that Turkey wants there to be peace in the region as much as we do.” /Hurriyet/[07] DERVIS: “WE ARE BACK TO GROWTH”State Minister Kemal Dervis said yesterday that Turkey’s industrial output in March had more than exceeded expectations, calling this a promising development. “The most important thing,” said Dervis, “is that after excluding seasonal factors, industrial production rose by 10.2% and manufacturing output rose by 10.4% this January-March compared to the same period last year.” Dervis added that the current state of the economy indicates that Turkey is “returning to conditions of growth.” However, he continued, to see the longer-term results of this rise we need to wait to see the growth figures for this year’s upcoming quarters. Some analysts, however, argue that the rapid increase in industrial and manufacturing outputs cannot be linked to real economic growth. This is because, they say, over the last year-and-a-half industrial firms have sold off a huge amount of accumulated inventory and lowered their production capacity to minimum levels. Moreover, recent downward trends in inflation and interest rates have sparked optimism in business circles, thus spurring them to replace depleted stocks in the hope that better days lie ahead. /Hurriyet/[08] SWEDISH FOREIGN MINISTER: “THE PKK IS A ‘TEXTBOOK’ TERRORIST GROUP”Swedish daily Aftonbladet yesterday quoted Foreign Minister Anna Lindh giving the views of the Swedish government on the terrorist organization PKK’s recent inclusion onto the EU’s revised list of such groups. Stating that there was no doubt that the PKK was responsible for a campaign of many terrorist acts, Lindh remarked that the PKK closely fitted the EU’s description of a terrorist organization. /Cumhuriyet/[09] DEPUTY CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF TO VISIT THE US NEXT WEEKDeputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit will reportedly travel to the United States next week to meet with US military officials. Buyukanit’s visit will be made as part of the annual regular military contacts between Turkey and the US. Buyukanit will reportedly visit New York as well as Washington. /Star/[10] CILLER: “THIS GOVERNMENT CANNOT SERVE TURKEY”True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller yesterday charged that the government lacked the ability to serve the country and so it should resign. Speaking at her party’s parliament group meeting, Ciller said, “Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit should leave his post as soon as possible without wasting a moment.” Claiming that the coalition partners were griping with each other due to fear they might fall below the representation threshold in the next elections, Ciller called upon the government to make way for a new elected government and reiterated the need for elections. /Turkiye/[11] TUSIAD DELEGATION VISITS KAZAKHSTANA Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’ Association (TUSIAD) delegation is currently visiting Kazakhstan to help improve bilateral economic relations. The delegation yesterday met with a Kazakh group to discuss possible areas of cooperation and joint projects to be carried out by the private sectors of the two countries in the future. Lutfi Yenel, leader of the delegation as well as a TUSIAD executive board member, stated that the meeting was of great importance to discuss a number of significant issues such as transfers of technology as well as Turkey’s and Kazakhstan’s strategies for the Caspian Sea. /Cumhuriyet/[12] JAPANESE LOAN AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED THIS MONTHPublic Works and Housing Minister Abdulkadir Akcan said yesterday that the core agreement for a special loan totaling 12 billion Japanese yens was expected to be signed this month. Speaking at a meeting on earthquake preparedness at Istanbul Technical University’s Geology Department, Akcan said that some see earthquakes as a problem involving only Istanbul and the surrounding area, but that the problem actually affects the whole of Turkey. He added that mandatory earthquake insurance should become a reality nationwide. /Milliyet/[13] INTERNET CAMPAIGN STARTED TO SUPPORT TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP BIDA new Turkish nongovernmental organization (NGO) has started an Internet petition campaign to show the public’s desire for Turkey to join the European Union. The “European Movement 2002” group has established a website under the banner, “Turkey’s Place Is the EU… I Say Yes” to collect names in support of EU accession. To date many famous Turkish figures have signed the petition, including journalist-writers Cetin Altan, Ahmet Altan, Mehmet Altan, Murat Belge, Oral Calislar, businessman Ishak Alaton, Gaziantep Mayor Celal Dogan, novelist Orhan Pamuk, movie director Atif Yilmaz and actor Ugur Polat. The website states that during the accession process, no single factor is more important than public opinion, especially on today, May 9, European Day. “Turkey has been moving in the direction of Europe for centuries,” the website says. “EU membership will not diminish Turkey but rather expand its horizons and possibilities. Membership would mean Turkish citizens’ playing on an equal field with Europeans in the future. Europe means investments, jobs and profits as well as science and technology. Let’s join forces to push Turkey’s membership process forward.” Those who want to support the campaign can visit: www.avrupahareketi.org. /Milliyet/[14] TALAY ANNOUNCES 10 POPULAR MUSEUMS WILL BE OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEKCulture Minister Istemihan Talay said yesterday that 10 state museums which enjoy great popularity, especially during high tourist season, would this year be open seven days a week all summer through early fall. Talay said that from May 8 to Oct. 31 this year, the following museums would be open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.: Topkapi Palace Museum and St. Sophia (Ayasofya) Museum (Istanbul), Ephesus Museum, Antalya Museum, Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (Ankara), Underwater Archeology Museum (Bodrum), Goreme Open Air Museum, Ruins of Troy Museum, Aphrodisias Museum and Hierapolice Museum. /Sabah/[15] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…[16] KIVRIKOGLU INCIDENT BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the Kivrikoglu map incident. A summary of his column is as follows:“The map issued by private press organization Rapporteurs Sans Frontiers (Reporters Without Borders) shows photos of the international leaders they hold most responsible for violating the freedom of the press. Our Chief of Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu was included among these photos. Ankara made a strong reaction to this situation. It is clear that Reporters Without Borders do not know Kivrikoglu, or simply ignored the facts. To show Turkey in the same league as Iran, Iraq and Syria or to picture Kivrikoglu alongside Saddam and Khatami clearly demonstrates their bad intentions. The Turkish General Staff has decided to freeze its relations with its French counterpart. Until the French authorities correct this mistake, our bilateral military and defense ties are frozen. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit was briefed by Foreign Minister Ismail Cem over the telephone and Ecevit told him to not let up on the issue. After Ecevit and Cem talked, French Ambassador to Ankara Bernard Garcia was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal told the ambassador that Ankara strongly objected to the current situation and was requesting that France remove Kivrikoglu’s picture from the map. The shame in Paris has also been discussed between Cem and Kivrikoglu, and Cem told him that the Foreign Ministry was following the issue closely. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Huseyin Dirioz said yesterday that there had been no delay on reacting to the issue and that from the beginning the Foreign Ministry had worked together with the General Staff. The outcome of the contacts between Ecevit, Kivrikoglu and Cem leads us to the conclusion that Turco-French relations will be very strained if this shame is not corrected. Let’s see what Paris will do: Will it consider its relations with Turkey or with Reporters Without Borders more important?” [17] WHAT IF AYDINLIK DID THE SAME THING TO CHIRAC? BY ERTUGRUL OZKOK (HURRIYET)Columnist Ertugrul Ozkok comments on the Reporters Without Borders map issue. A summary of his column is as follows:“My first reaction after finding out about the Reporters Without Borders map was this: Why are we taking these people so seriously? This is an organization made up of unemployed reporters. Since it utterly lacks professionalism, to compensate it tries to fill up this void with tendentious ideology. To make a comparison, France’s Reporters Without Borders is as ineffectual and irrelevant internationally as Turkey’s Human Rights Association (IHD) is domestically. Was the reaction made by the Turkish Chief of General Staff really necessary, not to mention publicly airing this reaction? My second reaction was: I’m glad that the government reacted. But then I began to think about the other side of the situation. Yesterday I called Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and asked him why they hadn’t made a reaction more quickly. He responded like so: ‘What if the Aydinlik Gazette in Turkey had done the same thing to Chirac, How would the French government have reacted?’ That’s why I say that even if the government didn’t take the issue seriously, I think it’s good for the military to speak up and do something.” ARCHIVE <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js"> </script> Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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