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Turkish Press Review, 02-06-12
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
12.06.2002
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER TO ATTEND SEVILLE SUMMIT
[02] SEZER APPROVES SPECIAL CONSUMPTION LAW
[03] CEM VISITS UKRAINE
[04] YILMAZ: “WE ARE SEARCHING FOR AN AGREEMENT”
[05] BAHCELI CRITICIZES YILMAZ OVER EU STRATEGY
[06] ZORLU ARRIVES IN AFGHANISTAN
[07] DERVIS SPEAKS ON TURKEY’S GROWTH AND INFLATION TARGETS
[08] US CYPRUS ENVOY WESTON MEETS WITH ZIYAL
[09] OPPOSING DSP DEPUTIES GIVE PROPOSAL TO PARLIAMENT
[10] SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION BETWEEN NATO AND TUBITAK
[11] TUSIAD: “THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD PLEDGE PROGRESS IN TURKISH-EU RELATIONS”
[12] VILLAGE HEADMEN COME OUT AGAINST DEATH PENALTY
[13] CAY RESIGNS FROM MHP
[14] RESEARCH TEAM TO TRIGGER MILD ARTIFICIAL EARTHQUAKE
[15] MORE TOURISTS VISITING TURKEY
[16] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[17] TO CONTINUE OR TO DRAG ALONG?
BY MEHMET TEZKAN (MILLIYET)
[18] CAN A CEM-DERVIS TWOSOME WORK?
BY HASAN CEMAL (MILLIYET)
[01] SEZER TO ATTEND SEVILLE SUMMIT
The Presidential Press Office yesterday announced that President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer will attend the European Union’s Seville summit scheduled for
June 21-22. Sezer is to travel to Spain accompanied by Foreign Minister
Ismail Cem. /Turkiye/
[02] SEZER APPROVES SPECIAL CONSUMPTION LAW
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday put his signature on the Special
Consumption Law (OTV). The Presidential Press Office announced that OTV No.
4760 was sent to the Prime Ministry to be published in accordance with the
Constitution’s Article 89, paragraph one and Article 104, paragraph two,
clause (a). As part of the law, a variety of levies totalling 16% collected
at various stages during the delivery and export of goods such as fuel oil,
automobiles and other durable goods will be consolidated into a single tax
collected just once. In addition, taxes will no longer be collected from
the sales of used cars. /Milliyet/
[03] CEM VISITS UKRAINE
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem yesterday arrived at Kiev, the capital of
Ukraine for a one-day official visit. Cem said that this visit would
accelerate relations between Turkey and Ukraine. Cem met with his
counterpart Anatolly Zlenko and Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma.
/Turkiye/
[04] YILMAZ: “WE ARE SEARCHING FOR AN AGREEMENT”
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party
(ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz said that the parties in Parliament were
searching for an agreement on the issues of the death penalty and teaching
and broadcasting in mother tongues. Yilmaz added that no reconciliation
committee had been established yet between the parties in order to resolve
the death penalty abolition issue. In other news, Yilmaz traveled to Spain
yesterday to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. /Turkiye/
[05] BAHCELI CRITICIZES YILMAZ OVER EU STRATEGY
Speaking at the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) group meeting yesterday,
Deputy Prime Minister and MHP Chairman Devlet Bahceli expressed his views
on recent developments concerning relations between Turkey and the European
Union, focusing particularly on the issue of abolishing the death penalty.
Criticizing coalition partner Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party
(ANAP) Chairman Mesut Yilmaz, Bahceli alleged that certain political
circles were misinforming Turkish society by hiding the fact that Turkey’s
negotiation process might not begin earlier than 2010. Arguing that nobody
had the right to raise peoples’ hopes by misinforming them, Bahceli
asserted that scare tactics such as “EU membership or social chaos” would
never help Turkey solve its problems. He added that a membership
negotiation process, which is based on “sound, honorable and sincere
grounds” would be the best solution for Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] ZORLU ARRIVES IN AFGHANISTAN
Maj. Gen. Hilmi Akin Zorlu and 199 Turkish soldiers yesterday arrived in
Kabul, Afghanistan to take over the command of the International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF) from Great Britain. Turkey is expected to assume
the command as of June 20 for six months and will increase the number of
its troops in the country to 1,500. In related news, a $228 million loan
that the US promised Turkey to offset its ISAF expenses has been held up in
the US Congress. /Star/
[07] DERVIS SPEAKS ON TURKEY’S GROWTH AND INFLATION TARGETS
State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis said yesterday that the most
important task of the Central Bank was to reach a year-end inflation target
of 35%. Dervis stated that an annual inflation rate of 35% and growth rate
of 3% were targeted for this year and that both of these targets were of
equal importance for the government’s economic administration. Stating that
the Central Bank was an independent institution in terms of implementing
monetary policies in accordance with the law, Dervis added, “The
independence of the Central Bank is a leading element of confidence for the
markets.” In addition, Dervis had a banquet with the ambassadors of the G-7
countries -- the US, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Japan, Italy and
Germany -- at the German Embassy in Ankara. /Aksam/
[08] US CYPRUS ENVOY WESTON MEETS WITH ZIYAL
United States Special Coordinator for Cyprus Thomas Weston met with Foreign
Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal yesterday in Ankara. Expressing the US
administration’s wish for progress in the ongoing peace talks between the
island’s two leaders, Weston stated that the US also expected Turkey to
assume a constructive role in this process. Stating that he believed the
parties could reach an agreement on certain basic issues by the end of June,
Weston said, “However, this is not the final date. Whatever the results are,
the peace talks should continue.” /Cumhuriyet/
[09] OPPOSING DSP DEPUTIES GIVE PROPOSAL TO PARLIAMENT
To help the cause of death penalty abolition, deputies from the Democratic
Left Party (DSP) yesterday submitted a proposal to Parliament under which
criminals who are sentenced to lifelong heavy imprisonment with no parole
due to crimes of terrorism will not be able to benefit from any conditional
releases or amnesties. If this proposal is accepted by Parliament,
terrorist Abdullah Ocalan’s death penalty will be turned into a lifetime
heavy prison sentence with no chance of parole and no chance of benefiting
from an amnesty. The proposal of deputies Ali Arabaci, Ahmet Arkan, Bayram
Firat Dayanikli, Cengiz Gulec, Uluc Gurkan, Emin Karaa, Sadik Kirbas, Tahir
Kose, Ertugrul Kumcuoglu and Ramis Savas suggests changes to a bill
prepared in parallel to a constitutional amendment abolishing the death
sentence except for “crimes of terror, war and situations of imminent war.”
The related bill is to be discussed together with this proposal in
Parliament next week. /Milliyet/
[10] SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION BETWEEN NATO AND TUBITAK
A “Science for Peace” seminar jointly organized by NATO and the Turkish
Scientific and Research Council (TUBITAK) ended in Istanbul yesterday. The
seminar was held to discuss the issue of improving cooperation between
scientific research and the economic sphere. NATO Deputy Secretary-General
Jean Fournet underlined that Turkey had always been one of NATO’s most
important members. For his part, TUBITAK Chairman Namik Kemal Pak stated
that Turkey had undertaken 8% of the scientific projects which were being
carried out within NATO. “For NATO, Turkey is a very important country with
its geopolitical and strategic position as well as its cultural and social
values,” said Pak. “That’s why we are happy that these meetings have been
held in Istanbul.” /Cumhuriyet/
[11] TUSIAD: “THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD PLEDGE PROGRESS IN TURKISH-EU
RELATIONS”
The Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’ Association (TUSIAD) issued a
statement yesterday evaluating recent economic conditions and the role of
the government. TUSIAD requested that the coalition government provide
society with a guarantee that it would take concrete steps regarding
Turkish-EU relations. TUSIAD Chairman Tuncay Ozilhan stated that Turkey’s
relations with the International Monetary Fund and the European Union were
of great importance for the future of the country. “Any disputes within the
government over these two basic issues could adversely affect the financial
markets,” said Ozilhan. “The government must continue to fulfill its
responsibilities concerning Turkey’s relations with the IMF and the EU.
Turkish society needs a guarantee for the improvement of relations with the
IMF and the EU.” /Hurriyet/
[12] VILLAGE HEADMEN COME OUT AGAINST DEATH PENALTY
Turkish Village Headmen’s Association Deputy Chairman Ramazan Ozunal said
yesterday that the death penalty should be done away with so that Turkey
can take its place in Europe. During a press conference held at the
association’s headquarters, Ozunal said that political parties should put
aside worries about losing votes, consider first and foremost the good of
the country and take steps concerning the EU immediately. Stating that the
history would judge those who play politics with Turkey’s EU bid, Ozunal
added, “The people of this country have gone through very hard times but if
getting rid of the death sentence would be to Turkey’s benefit, then it is
inevitable. A European Turkey should take its place in Europe. Opinions on
this issue should be expressed, but they should never be used as political
weapons. Turkey should win its proud fight on the path to the EU for its
own welfare and future and take its place within Europe.” /Aksam/
[13] CAY RESIGNS FROM MHP
Nationalist Action Party (MHP) Corum Deputy and former State Minister
Abdulhaluk Cay yesterday resigned from the party. As of yet, he has not
announced a new party affiliation. /Star/
[14] RESEARCH TEAM TO TRIGGER MILD ARTIFICIAL EARTHQUAKE
A joint Turkish-Japanese research team will create a brief “artificial
earthquake” on Friday in order to help determine stress along Turkey’s
northern Anatolian faultline. Marmara Research Center’s Earth and Sea
Science Institute and the Japanese Earthquake Institute will trigger the
mild quake on the Adapazari plain, some 150 km from Istanbul, through
exploding dynamite. It should register .37 on the Richter scale, a “micro
earthquake” well below the 2.0 minimum level to be able to be felt by
people. Sakarya Governor Cahit Kirac issued a statement assuring the public
that there was no danger whatsoever and that the experiment could not
possibly trigger a real quake. /Milliyet/
[15] MORE TOURISTS VISITING TURKEY
Some 3.5 million foreign tourists have visited Turkey over the last six
months, the Tourism Ministry announced yesterday. The number of tourists
visiting Turkey between January and May increased by 3.59% compared to the
same period last year. Minister of Tourism Mustafa Tasar stated that
despite the negative effects of last September’s terrorist attacks on world
tourism, Turkish tourism had still significantly improved and was helping
the domestic economy to recover. Tasar added that he expected a total of 13-
14 million tourists to have visited Turkey by year’s end. /Hurriyet/
[16] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[17] TO CONTINUE OR TO DRAG ALONG?
BY MEHMET TEZKAN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Mehmet Tezkan writes on Turkey’s EU membership bid. A summary of
his column is as follows:
“Is it necessary for Turkey to enter the EU? Even if they are not admitting
it frankly, there are many political movements and persons who would say
that the answer is no. In the same vein, we know that many circles in
Europe share the same view. This is not the only point which those who are
against the EU in Turkey and the circles which view the European Union a
kind of ‘Christian values club’ agree on. The second view held jointly is
expressed as ‘Europe cannot give up on Turkey’ by the circles in the
country. Those opposed to the membership of Turkey in the EU share this
view to a great extent. They prefer to keep Turkey by the side of Europe,
not in it. There are many examples showing that the economic cooperation
between the two which reached its peak with the Customs Union can be
continued on international political issues. For the circles within the EU,
Turkey carries an important place as the watchman of borders on the East.
This means a kind of ‘bumper state’ between Iran, other Arab countries and
the West, and therefore has a vital importance. Can Turkey survive without
being a member of the EU? Certainly. Even though this cannot be defined as
surviving but rather dragging along, such a project can be carried out. It
is possible to manage our revenues and live while withdrawing within our
borders. But this may create a host of problems. This means to forsake
growing, or rather accept negative growth. In recent history, there were
countries following such a policy, such as Romania under Ceausescu’s
rule... The revenues of the country were spent on arming and ostentatious
investments...During this period the Romanians lived under difficult
conditions. There are others who choose to live like this today. Countries
like Uzbekistan and Iraq are imprisoning themselves within their borders
and protecting themselves against what they see as possible dangers coming
from abroad. Even though we may not like this lifestyle, we may do that. In
such a case, you can hang anyone you like, imprison others who say things
you would not want to be heard, and get used to living in a continual
crisis atmosphere, and even accept the political-economic gains or losses
according to changes in world circumstances. If we do that, we will see in
no time that the appearance of the country will change. Roughly, Turkey
will grow old, diminish and get poorer before our eyes. Turkey’s location
is such that if we are left alone, it is inevitable for Turkey to arm.
Therefore we will have to allot a greater portion of the budget for
armaments. The budget left for us to manage will never allow us to reach
the standards we are accustomed to but do not care for even today. We shall
either be a nation which keeps on growing, elevating our standards of
living, suffering so as to leave a brighter future for our children or one
which gets smaller every day, with no hope of a future. Mr. Bahceli and
Mrs. Ciller are trying to exploit politics on such a choice.”
[18] CAN A CEM-DERVIS TWOSOME WORK?
BY HASAN CEMAL (MILLIYET)
Columnist Hasan Cemal writes on the possibilities in Turkey’s political
future. A summary of his column is as follows:
“We have to find a way out from the uncertain political atmosphere of
today. Leaving politics on its own natural course can only lead to more
nonsensical behavior. Doing so may even be regarded as acting as an
accomplice to it. Politics are being enlivened with a question. ‘Can a Cem-
Dervis twosome work? Could they cooperate harmoniously?’ Another question
on every mind is, what conditions would allow an Ismail Cem-Kemal Dervis
twosome to work together? There are three scenarios, the first one their
acting together within the framework of the Democratic Left Party (DSP). A
Cem-Dervis twosome can take Husamettin Ozkan with them and the DSP may come
into power. This is only possible if Ecevit gives a green light, or a DSP
Convention where Ecevit doesn’t interfere brings Cem and Dervis to the
frontlines of the party. The second scenario foresees the formation of a
new party by Cem and Dervis with the participation of 20 deputies and their
entering the elections under the banner of this new party. The third one
calls for Cem and Dervis’ participation in the Republican People’s Party
(CHP) and taking sides with Baykal. It must be underlined that scenarios
including Cem-Dervis duo will be an important factor in Turkish political
life in the near future. The carrying out of such a scenario is closely
connected with political stability. During my recent 14-day tour of
Anatolia, I got the impression that a Cem-Dervis scenario could work. There
are other scenarios concerning Kemal Dervis in politics, such as his
cooperation with Mesut Yilmaz or perhaps with Mehmet Ali Bayar. It is a
well-known fact that the Motherland Party (ANAP) leader understands what
Dervis is trying to say and is helping him. Dervis appreciates his help. It
can also be said that Dervis looks warmly on Democratic Turkey Party (DTP)
leader Mehmet Ali Bayar. However, it is also known that Dervis is closer to
the left and therefore there is not a strong probability of him acting with
Yilmaz or Bayar. In Turkey, politics is open to surprises. Therefore, the
possibility of a Cem-Dervis twosome has to be closely followed.”
ARCHIVE
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