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Turkish Press Review, 02-05-21
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Press
& Information
Turkish
Press
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
21.05.2002
CONTENTS
[01] LEADERS TO MEET WITH ECEVIT AT HOSPITAL
[02] SEZER APPROVES RTUK LAW
[03] SEZER LUNCHES WITH NEW AMBASSADORS
[04] BAHCELI ADDRESSES SPECULATIONS ON FUTURE OF
GOVERNMENT
[05] YILMAZ: “INACTIVITY IS OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM”
[06] DERVIS SEES NO REASON TO FEAR EARLY ELECTIONS
[07] MUMCU RELIEVED OF ANAP POST
[08] PACACI RESIGNS FROM DYP
[09] RALSTON VISITS KIVRIKOGLU
[10] BLAIR SIGNALS “TOUGH APPROACH” ON ILLEGAL
IMMIGRATION FROM TURKEY
[11] KUTAN: “CHANGE OF PRIME MINISTER IS NOT LIKELY”
[12] TOSKAY: “THE IMF DOESN’T WANT EARLY ELECTIONS”
[13] CAPACITY UTILIZATION RATIO AT 74%
[14] PROTOCOL SIGNED TO PROTECT OSMANLI HISTORICAL
ARCHIVES
[15] “ARARAT” SHOWN IN CANNES
[16] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE
COLUMNS…
[17] HEALTH AND FOREIGN POLICY BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[18] WE ARE TRAILING THE EU BY FAR BY IZZET SEDES
(AKSAM)
[01] LEADERS TO MEET WITH ECEVIT AT HOSPITAL
The leaders of the coalition government parties headed by
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit are scheduled to convene today at
Baskent University Hospital at 4:00 p.m. During the meeting,
Ecevit’s health condition and related developments are expected
to be taken up. In addition to Ecevit, present at the meeting
will be Deputy Prime Ministers Devlet Bahceli, Mesut Yilmaz and
Husamettin Ozkan, and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will brief the
group on foreign developments. /All Papers/
[02] SEZER APPROVES RTUK LAW
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday signed into law the
Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) law which he had
previously vetoed. According to a written statement issued from
the Cankaya Presidential Palace, the president approved the law
as it was his duty under the Constitution. /Star/
[03] SEZER LUNCHES WITH NEW AMBASSADORS
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday hosted a luncheon for
ambassadors appointed to new posts by the Foreign Ministry.
Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal, Deputy Undersecretary
Aydemir Arman and new Ambassador to Russia Kurtulus Taskent also
attended the lunch. /Star/
[04] BAHCELI ADDRESSES SPECULATIONS ON FUTURE OF
GOVERNMENT
Since it was announced late last week that Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit’s convalescence period would last longer than
originally expected, political discussions have focused on the
shape of possible future governments should Ecevit elect to
resign. In a speech at the Nationalist Action Party’s (MHP)
Chairmanship Council meeting yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister
and MHP Chairman Devlet Bahceli offered his views on these
future scenarios while refraining from speculations on the issue,
which he characterized as violations of political ethics.
“Ecevit will remain prime minister as long as he wishes,” said
Bahceli. “The MHP will propose assuming leadership of the
government only in case of Ecevit’s resignation.” /Cumhuriyet/
[05] YILMAZ: “INACTIVITY IS OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM”
In a speech at a panel held yesterday to mark the 19th
anniversary of the Motherland Party (ANAP), Deputy Prime
Minister and ANAP Chairman Mesut Yilmaz evaluated recent
developments surrounding Turkish-EU relations. Remarking that
Turkey’s bid for full EU membership was the most important
driving force for the nation’s advancement, Yilmaz said,
“Inactivity is Turkey’s biggest problem. The more inactive a
society is, the lower its productivity and investments rates
become. Such a society is doomed to decline among the ranks of
modern countries as its institutions become outdated,
ineffective and insufficient.” /Cumhuriyet/
[06] DERVIS SEES NO REASON TO FEAR EARLY ELECTIONS
State Minister Kemal Dervis told the Reuters News Agency
yesterday characterized as “overly pessimistic” predictions that
early elections would make Turkey’s economy lose all its gains
and damage it badly. Addressing possible dates for elections,
Dervis commented, “The general expectation of public opinion is
that an early election would be held a bit earlier than 2004, so
it would be much better to formulate an exact date which
everyone can believe.” Dervis underlined his view that Turkey’s
economy would be able to weather elections. “There could be an
election in two years’ time or it could be earlier, but the
newly established system is a system where elections will not
have too much impact on the economic fundamentals.” He cautioned
however that the endless speculations about elections could do
harm. “Constant uncertainty is not a good thing,” Dervis said.
“It is not helpful for the public to be constantly debating
whether there will be an election in three months, or in one or
two years.” /Hurriyet/
[07] MUMCU RELIEVED OF ANAP POST
Erkan Mumcu, who harshly critized Motherland Party (ANAP)
leader Mesut Yilmaz last Monday, yesterday was relieved of his
party post of deputy chairman responsible for political affairs
by Yýlmaz. Mumcu’s new post of deputy chairman responsible for
government and Parliament affairs is a demotion. Speaking of the
news, Yýlmaz told reporters that everybody can express his ideas
in the party, but that he would not allow anyone to harm the
party. On Monday, a meeting was held in Ankara to evaluate the
government’s three years in power as well as ANAP policies,
where Mumcu said, “If you cannot serve as a leader, there are
others who can do it properly.” Mumcu downplayed the
significance of his change of post adding that he could be a
candidate for the party’s leadership in the future. /Turkiye/
[08] PACACI RESIGNS FROM DYP
True Path Party (DYP) Ankara Deputy Mustafa Cihan Pacaci
resigned from his party yesterday in favor of becoming an
independent deputy. Including Pacaci, the number of independents
in the Parliament has now increased to 15, while the number of
DYP deputies has fallen to 85. /Turkiye/
[09] RALSTON VISITS KIVRIKOGLU
NATO Supreme Allied Commander of Forces in Europe Gen. Joseph
W. Ralston visited Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin
Kivrikoglu at his invitation, and was welcomed at the General
Staff Headquarters by Gen. Kivrikoglu with a ceremony. Then the
two commanders held a meeting and discussed Turkish-NATO
relations as well as other recent developments. /Turkiye/
[10] BLAIR SIGNALS “TOUGH APPROACH” ON ILLEGAL
IMMIGRATION FROM TURKEY
In an effort to tighten immigration controls in the wake of
the far right's political success in Europe, British Prime
Minister Tony Blair warned Turkey yesterday that Britain would
cut off aid to the country if the Turkish government fails to
monitor illegal immigrants passing through its borders. Blair
prepared a three-article plan to combat illegal immigration
which includes cutting off aid to countries which act as
gateways to Europe unless they establish a strict monitoring
system on their borders. According to a piece published in
British daily the Guardian on Monday, Blair’s three-article
calls for: “1) Urgent action to strengthen EU borders. Blair
calls for an EU-wide version of an Anglo-Italian initiative in
which their own immigration officials were posted to the Balkans.
This led to a 90% drop in ‘unaccounted arrivals’ in Sarajevo -
one of the main gateways to the EU for immigrants from across
Asia and the Middle East. 2) A tougher approach against the
‘third countries,’ such as Turkey and the former Yugoslavia,
which serve as gateways to the EU. 3) Improving help to
countries at the ‘sharp end,’ such as Greece, to cut the numbers
entering the EU through their borders. This could involve
providing financial help to deploy more immigration officers.” /All
Papers/
[11] KUTAN: “CHANGE OF PRIME MINISTER IS NOT LIKELY”
The Felicity Party (SP) Chairmanship Board chaired by SP
leader Recai Kutan convened yesterday. Kutan predicted that
should the health of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit worsen, the
coalition partners would agree between themselves on a new
formula rather than going to elections. Stressing that he had
gone to the hospital to visit Ecevit, but had only been able to
meet with his wife, Rahsan since Ecevit was not taking visitors,
Kutan told reporters that the doctors were expecting Ecevit to
return to his office in 10 days. Asserting that the government
could not serve the country anymore, the SP leader reiterated
his call for elections to be held at once. Answering a
reporter’s question, Kutan said that he didn’t expect any change
in the post of prime minister. “If the government is to continue
serving as it is, we prefer to see Ecevit as prime minister,”
Kutan added. /Turkiye/
[12] TOSKAY: “THE IMF DOESN’T WANT EARLY ELECTIONS”
Speaking yesterday after his meeting with International
Monetary Fund Turkey Desk Chief Juha Kahkonnen and Turkey
representative Od Per Brekk, State Minister Tunca Toskay said,
“Turkey’s elected officials and politicians believe that early
elections would not be beneficial for Turkey, and the IMF shares
this view.” Toskay also said that Kahkonnen would himself
express his thoughts on the issue with a press conference later
this week. /Hurriyet/
[13] CAPACITY UTILIZATION RATIO AT 74%
The State Institute of Statistics (DIE) announced on Monday
that the capacity utilization ratio in Turkish manufacturing
sector rose to 74% this April, up from 68.5% in the same period
last year. According to results announced in the “Monthly Survey
of Manufacturing Sector Trends” which polled 871 manufacturers,
businesses are not working in full capacity due to inadequacy of
domestic demand (cited by 50% of respondents) and lower external
demands (12.7% of respondents). Other reasons cited were
inadequate raw materials and financial difficulties. /Hurriyet/
[14] PROTOCOL SIGNED TO PROTECT OSMANLI HISTORICAL
ARCHIVES
Garanti Bank and Bogazici University yesterday signed a
protocol of cooperation designed to ensure the protection and
availability for scholars of the Osmanli Bank Archives, which
cover the latter years of the Ottoman Empire all the way to the
Turkish Republic. The protocol lays out how the archives are to
be catalogued, treated and preserved by the Osmanli Bank Archive
and Research Center. In a written statement, Garanti Bank
Director General Ergun Ozen said that the Osmanli Bank Archives
were a rich source of historical, economic and social data and
so preserving them for future generations was of the utmost
importance. /Aksam/
[15] “ARARAT” SHOWN IN CANNES
A film entitled “Ararat” got its world premiere at the 55th
Annual Cannes Film Festival yesterday. The film, directed by
Atom Egoyan, a Canadian citizen born of Armenian parents, has a
“film-within-a-film” structure, being a fictionalized account of
the making of a movie. The movie within “Ararat” depicts alleged
events of the so-called Armenian genocide. At a press conference,
Egoyan, along with actors and producers from the film, claimed
that the film was “true to life.” Egoyan said that this film was
meant “a challenge” for him and that it would not harm Turkish-Armenian
relations. Before the film debuted, Egoyan had also said, “It’s
not a historic movie” and emphasized how it is “stridently
Canadian.” However, Agos daily Managing Director Hrant Dink, a
Turkish journalist of Armenian origin, predicted that the film
would not help the two countries’ relations. /All papers/
[16] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE
COLUMNS…
[17] HEALTH AND FOREIGN POLICY BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen writes on Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit’s
illness and its impact on foreign policy. A summary of his
column is as follows:
“Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit’s illness didn’t draw as much
attention in the busy schedule of the world as one might have
expected. Apart from items appearing in news agency reports the
day he was hospitalized, the foreign press has shown little
interest in the issue. However, circles abroad concerned with
Turkey, and certainly the foreign diplomats in Turkey are
closely following the developments. Western specialists on
Turkey are speculating on what may happen in Turkey in the
future, such as the probability of early elections or a change
in government. At this stage, foreign sources are not too
concerned over Turkey’s political future. In the words of one
analyst, politics has become an institution in Turkey and is
able to overcome such crises. However, there are still those who
believe that Turkey is plunging headlong into uncertainty just
when everything was coming into order. In fact, it is
unfortunate that the prime minister fell ill at a time which is
crucial for Turkey in terms of foreign policy as well as
economics. Ankara’s busy foreign schedule covers issues from
relations with the EU to the Cyprus problem all of which require
dynamic decisions and determination. The illness of the prime
minister, who has ample experience in foreign policy matters,
may prevent him from active participation in politics and may
affect our foreign policy adversely. Even though Ecevit will
carry on his duties from the hospital, his actions may be
limited. For example, he could have directed Turkish foreign
policy more actively at a time when a certain point has been
reached on the Cyprus issue and our relations with the EU. He
could have visited some European capitals and held direct talks
with EU officials. However, he had to postpone his other visits
to foreign countries as well. Independent Istanbul Deputy Mehmet
Ali Irtemcelik believes that the situation in Turkey will lead
to a blurring of Turkey’s strategic aims, lessening of
resistance to pressure in foreign policy matters and eventually
a loss of prestige. In fact, it would be harder for Turkey to
face problems such as the EU, Cyprus and Iraq in this situation.
Therefore, an immediate change in government is necessary.
Irtemcelik believes that the formation of a new government and
calling elections as soon as possible is the only way out.”
[18] WE ARE TRAILING THE EU BY FAR BY IZZET SEDES
(AKSAM)
Columnist Izzet Sedes writes on the recent climate in the EU
countries and its possible effects on Turkey. A summary of his
column is as follows:
“These days when you read European countries’ newspapers, you
see that a great majority concentrates on the US-Al Qaeda
conflict, the US-Russian- NATO rapprochement, upcoming elections
in some European countries, recent resolutions taken by the
European Parliament regarding the implementation of joint
foreign and defense policies, and the desire for a ‘European
Government.’ If these resolutions become certain, the European
Convention chaired by Giscard d’Estaing will be called on to
decide on the issues. Can we fall into step with these policies?
It is impossible for our views and the policy pursued by Ankara
to be compatible with those mentioned above. Therefore, our
hopes would lie in their rejection. Otherwise, our dreams of
becoming an EU member will be dashed. Recently, populism which
is in a way trying to gain the favor of the people, has reached
new heights in Europe. As a result of populist policies, Turks
living in Europe will be affected adversely. In order to appease
the traditional native populations, xenophobia and ‘restriction
of asylum’ ideas are developing everywhere. Parties are
exploiting the issue of foreigners as much as possible, and
leftist parties cannot oppose it and in fact agree with some of
their arguments. In Germany, where 200,000 Turkish citizens live,
Christian Democrat candidate Edmund Stoiber is leading
Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder in the polls, says, ‘40% of the
Turks in our country do not complete school, and there is a
great problem of cultural adaptation. Turkey is an important
NATO ally, but I don’t think it should become an EU member.’ Can
we become an EU member country if this man becomes chancellor?
That is why we are falling behind in our dream of becoming an EU
member.”
ARCHIVE
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