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Turkish Press Review, 02-05-31
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
31.05.2002
CONTENTS
[01] MGK DISCUSSES THE EU, STATE OF EMERGENCY RULE AND CYPRUS
[02] SEZER MAY ATTEND SEVILLE SUMMIT
[03] YILMAZ: “IMPORTANT STEPS FOR THE EU WERE TAKEN AT THE MGK MEETING”
[04] CEM: “OUR STEPS FORWARD ARE FOR THE SAKE OF TURKEY, NOT THE EU”
[05] CEM AND CAKMAKOGLU COMMEMORATE FOREIGN MINISTRY MARTYRS
[06] CAKAN: ”17 CITIES TO HAVE NATURAL GAS NEXT YEAR”
[07] DENKTAS RECEIVES BELGIAN MINISTER VISITING TRNC
[08] SPAIN PROPOSES NEW ESDP PLAN IN BID TO PERSUADE GREECE
[09] DESPITE “POLITICIZATION,” PKK CONTINUING TO ARM
[10] TOPKAPI MUSEUM RECEIVES KOC FOUNDATION AWARD
[11] FORM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS
[12] THE EU STANCE TOWARDS TURKEY BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
[13] CYPRUS, ON A ROAD OF NO RETURN BY NECATI OZFATURA (TURKIYE)
[01] MGK DISCUSSES THE EU, STATE OF EMERGENCY RULE AND CYPRUS
The National Security Council (MGK) presided over by President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer convened yesterday at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit could not attend the meeting due to his health problems, and
Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli and Internal Affairs Minister Rustu
Kazim Yucelen were also absent, since they are currently paying official
visits to China and Italy, respectively. Following the nearly six-hour
meeting, the MGK Secretariat General issued a statement saying that
domestic and foreign developments and issues had been discussed up at the
gathering. “The council has decided to recommend that the government lift
the current State of Emergency Rule [OHAL] in the Hakkari and Tunceli
provinces by the end of this July, while making a final four-month
extension of OHAL in both Diyarbakir and Sirnak,” said the secretariat. The
statement also said that recent developments in Turkish-European Union
relations had been reviewed, highlighting the importance of a calendar set
by the EU by the end of this year regarding the start of Turkey’s
membership negotiations. It added that Turkey should speed up steps to
implement its commitments specified in the National Programme. “The board
also remarked that Turkey fully supports Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus [TRNC] President Rauf Denktas’s constructive efforts to find a just
settlement to the Cyprus issue and that Turkey will continue to maintain
strong, deep ties with the TRNC,” the statement said. /All Papers/
[02] SEZER MAY ATTEND SEVILLE SUMMIT
Diplomatic sources close to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said yesterday
that Sezer may attend the European Union’s Seville summit, scheduled for
June 21-22, in lieu of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit if he is unable to. “If
Ecevit is unable to make the meeting, Sezer will represent Turkey at
Seville,” one source said. The summit is one of EU member and candidate
countries’ heads of state and government. /Hurriyet/
[03] YILMAZ: “IMPORTANT STEPS FOR THE EU WERE TAKEN AT THE MGK MEETING”
Following yesterday afternoon’s National Security Council (MGK) meeting,
Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz said
that the gathering had taken important steps forward in Turkey’s European
Union harmonization process. Yilmaz is a member of the MGK and was present
at the meeting. Most important, said Yilmaz, were the decisions to lift
State Of Emergency Rule (OHAL) in two southeastern provinces and to effect
one final four-month OHAL extension in two others. “The meeting also
discussed Cyprus, independently of Turkey’s EU membership bid,” Yilmaz
added. /Hurriyet/
[04] CEM: “OUR STEPS FORWARD ARE FOR THE SAKE OF TURKEY, NOT THE EU”
In an interview in the current issue of Turkish magazine Aktuel, Foreign
Minister Ismail Cem offers his views on Turkey’s relations with the
European Union. Criticizing certain domestic political circles who are well
known for their anti-EU ideas, Cem states that democratization, enhancing
human rights and abolition of the death penalty should be considered
positive steps for the development and welfare of Turkey itself rather than
concessions to be made for the sake of EU membership. Cem remarks that
since the Turkish government has already made significant progress on its
path towards the EU, Turkey would never miss the EU train. “The accession
period might drag out longer than expected, which would result in a delay
and loss of current opportunities,” says Cem. “However, such a delay would
never adversely affect Turkey. In other words, contrary to what some
domestic circles insistently claim, our country would neither be in need of
some other countries’ interference to develop nor would it shrink from
democratization. I believe that fulfilling the EU’s Copenhagen criteria
would greatly contribute to Turkey’s economic and social development.”
/Sabah/
[05] CEM AND CAKMAKOGLU COMMEMORATE FOREIGN MINISTRY MARTYRS
A commemoration ceremony was held yesterday at the Foreign Ministry
Memorial in Ankara to honor 34 diplomats and other Foreign Ministry
officials who were slain abroad during their tours of duty. Foreign
Minister Ismail Cem and National Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu
participated in the ceremony, which was accompanied by Turkish prayers led
by an imam. Cem said that unfortunapely the danger that Foreign Ministry
officials faced during the 1970s and ‘80s was continuing up to this day.
/Milliyet/
[06] CAKAN: ”17 CITIES TO HAVE NATURAL GAS NEXT YEAR”
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Zeki Cakan laid the groundwork for
natural gas distribution yesterday at a ceremony in Ankara, saying that the
new lines would transmit natural gas throughout Turkey and to 17 cities by
the beginning of next year. Speaking at the ceremony, Cakan said that when
the distribution lines were completed the cities and their surrounding
areas would be able to enjoy environmentally friendly, economical natural
gas. Cakan also stated that Turkey could begin to distribute gas to
Bulgaria at the end of 2004 and had signed agreements with Bosnia-
Herzegovina and Austria to sell them gas as well. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] DENKTAS RECEIVES BELGIAN MINISTER VISITING TRNC
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas yesterday
received at his official residence Belgian Minister Responsible for
European Affairs Annemie Neyts Uyttebroeck. After a one-hour meeting, the
leaders told reporters that they had a fruitful meeting, discussing recent
developments on the Cyprus issue. /Turkiye/
[08] SPAIN PROPOSES NEW ESDP PLAN IN BID TO PERSUADE GREECE
European Ujion Term President Spain has reportedly prepared a new plan
concerning the European Security and Defense Identity (ESDP), an issue on
which Greece has been at loggerheads with its fellow EU members. The plan
proposes certain changes in the second article if an ESDP accord recently
reached by the United States, Great Britain and Turkey. Under the new plan
which was prepared in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, the EU
would promise not to make any counter-moves against any of NATO member
countries, while the NATO countries would also pledge to respect the EU’s
values, principles and aims. Greece, which opposes the inclusion of NATO
member Turkey into the decision-making mechanism of the ESDP, is currently
waiting for the responses of the US, Britain and Turkey to the new plan.
/Cumhuriyet/
[09] DESPITE “POLITICIZATION,” PKK CONTINUING TO ARM
Terrorist group the PKK, currently acting under a new label KADEK, has
proclaimed loudly in recent forums that it had “politicized” itself and
abandoned its terror campaign and armed attacks. However, Turkish
intelligence sources yesterday put the lie to these claims by revealing
that the PKK has in recent months purchased weapons such as heavy machine
guns, bombs and bullets -- all told, deadly arms worth some $200,000 --
from such countries as Armenia, Iran and Iraq. /Star/
[10] TOPKAPI MUSEUM RECEIVES KOC FOUNDATION AWARD
Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace Museum yesterday received the prestigious Vehbi
Koc Foundation Award, an annual honor given to recognize achievement in the
fields of education, health, and culture. It was given in recognition of
the museum’s successful efforts to promote Turkish history and culture, as
well as its renovations and anti-earthquake measures. The award, which
carries a 100 billion TL cash prize, was handed out by Vehbi Koc Foundation
Chairman Semahat Arsel to Topkapi Museum Director Filiz Cagman at a
ceremony at Istanbul’s Koc University. A plaque was also presented jointly
by Culture Minister Istemihan Talay and Koc Holding Chairman Rahmi Koc.
“Vehbi Koc, who established this award, thought that after his death he
might be forgotten,” said Rahmi Koc. “So in order to preserve his legacy he
established this annual honor in his own name.” /Milliyet/
[11] FORM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS
[12] THE EU STANCE TOWARDS TURKEY BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
Columnist Fikret Bila writes on the EU stance towards Turkey’s admittance
to the Union. A summary of his column is as follows:
“Does Turkey’s admittance to the EU depend on its abolition of the death
penalty? That’s not the only obstacle before Turkey’s entering the EU. It
is only one of the conditions. Furthermore, Turkey has not carried out
death penalty for 18 years now. Lifting capital punishment is not a
decision which can be indexed to the EU. Turkey’s admittance to the EU is
being evaluated only through Turkey’s perspective. Everyone is being asked
if they are in favor of or against the EU, but the problem is not as simple
as that. As being in favor of the EU does not help to solve the problem, we
must consider the other side of the coin. How does the European Union view
Turkey? The conditions it is requiring of Turkey not to take it in as a
member but only to begin negotiations are striking examples of double
standards. Europe is asking that we meet conditions it doesn’t require of
other countries for full membership just so we can begin our accession
negotiations. It is enough to take a glance at the Cyprus and terrorism
issues over which Turkey is sensitive. The European Union has already
announced that it will take the Greek Cypriot administration into the
organization even if a joint solution is not reached on the island.
Following such an announcement, the Greek Cypriot side did not have to
reach an agreement with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). In
fact, the Greek Cypriots are pursing a policy of not reaching an agreement.
On terrorism, the sincerity of the EU in responding to Turkey’s
expectations is another point for discussion. Can the EU be regarded as
meeting Turkey’s expectations by at long last taking the PKK into the
terrorist organizations list only after it changed its name? The EU, which
is continually pressuring Turkey, has to quit applying double standards,
stop asking for conditions it is not requiring of other countries, and
accept that Ankara is exerting great efforts to fulfill her obligations.
The EU’s views regarding Turkey should be discussed as much as Turkey’s
opinions about the EU.”
[13] CYPRUS, ON A ROAD OF NO RETURN BY NECATI OZFATURA (TURKIYE)
Columnist Necati Ozfatura writes about the Cyprus problem. A summary of his
column is as follows:
“Turkey lacks a consensus regarding the Cyprus issue among the government
coalition partners. The problem concerning the island is step by step
taking the same course as the events long ago regarding Crete. If it had
not been for Rauf Denktas’s fight, the island would have been annexed to
Greece long ago. If everyone knows how Crete was lost, Cyprus can be
defended better. In 1821 an uprising began on the Greek Peleponnesus
peninsula, then under Ottoman rule, upon the provocation of Russia, France
and Britain. Russia spread this riot to the island of Crete. At the 1830
London Conference, the independence of Greece was recognized. Greece asked
for Crete during this conference. Crete was not given to it, but it did not
quit pursuing this dream. In 1866, Napoleon III said that everything would
be done for the Christians in Crete and Syria. Upon this show of support,
another uprising began in Crete. In 1878, when the war developed in favor
of the Russians and against the Ottomans, Greek officers went to Crete to
train the rebels. In 1879 a Parliament consisting of 49 Christian and 31
Muslim deputies was established in Crete in accordance with the St.
Stephanos Treaty. A Turco-Greek war erupted when Greece sent 14 warships to
Crete in 1897. Ottoman armies got as far as Athens. Although the armies won
on the battlefield, the issue was lost at the negotiation table. In 1908
Greece annexed Crete. These days, we can see same scenario being repeated
on Cyprus. Rauf Denktas, who is striving not to let Cyprus issue turn into
another Crete, is being accused by the EU, the US, Greece, Greek Cypriots
of being the intransigent party. Certain Turkish politicians, intellectuals
and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan act as if they are lobbying for the
Greek Cypriot side. No progress is reported in the negotiations between the
two sides. The Greek government has recommended that the Greek Cypriots
bide their time, while seeming to be in favor of negotiations, as the EU
doors would be opened for the Greek Cypriot administration in December. It
would seem that the situation will continue as it is.”
ARCHIVE
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