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Turkish Press Review, 02-08-09
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
09.08.2002
FIRST SIGNS FROM DERVIS
BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER APPROVES EU HARMONIZATION LAW PACKAGE
[02] PARLIAMENT PASSES SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET MEASURES
[03] GENERAL STAFF GIVES REPORT ON IRAQ TO ECEVIT
[04] FOREIGN MINISTRY: "TURKEY EXPECTS A DATE FROM THE EU FOR NEGOTIATIONS"
[05] CEM AND BAYAR AGREE TO ACT TOGETHER
[06] BEFORE AND AFTER ELECTIONS
[07] US GENERAL VISITS GEN.ZORLU IN AFGHANISTAN
[08] TALABANI: "DEMOCRATIC TURKEY IS OUR MODEL"
[09] KOEHLER: "TURKEY SHOULD CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT THE ECONOMIC PROGRAM IN 2003"
[10] TRT OPENS BUREAU IN WASHINGTON
[11] INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT RISES IN JUNE
[12] ISTANBUL TO HOST MODERN ART SHOWS
[13] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[14] FROM THE COLUMNS...
[15] PKK LOOKING TO CARVE
[16] AUTONOMOUS REGION IN NORTHERN IRAQ
[17] BY MUSTAFA BALBAY (CUMHURIYET)
[18] FIRST SIGNS FROM DERVIS
[19] BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
[01] SEZER APPROVES EU HARMONIZATION LAW PACKAGE
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday approved the historic European Union
harmonization law package passed by Parliament last week. A statement
issued by the Presidential Press Center said that President Sezer believes
the EU will display the properly sensitive attitude and show necessary
attention and appreciation for the substantial steps forward taken by
Turkey in its EU membership bid. /All Papers/
[02] PARLIAMENT PASSES SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET MEASURES
Parliament yesterday passed a number of supplementary budget measures
during an extraordinary session. Under the measures, Finance Ministry
resources will be available for the use of the Supreme Election Board for
this November's early elections. The distribution of Treasury aid to
political parties is as follows: the Democratic Left Party (DSP) will get
TL 19 trillion, the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) will get TL 15 trillion,
and the Motherland Party (ANAP) will get TL 11 trillion. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] GENERAL STAFF GIVES REPORT ON IRAQ TO ECEVIT
The Office of the General Staff reportedly presented yesterday a detailed
report on the Iraq issue to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. In light of an
evident lack of success of Foreign Ministry efforts to persuade Iraq to
comply with United Nations resolutions, the General Staff decided to
prepare the report for the prime minister. The document reportedly lays out
details and scenarios of a possible operation in Iraq. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] FOREIGN MINISTRY: "TURKEY EXPECTS A DATE FROM THE EU FOR NEGOTIATIONS"
Speaking yesterday on Turkey's European Union membership bid, Foreign
Ministry spokesman Yusuf Buluc said that Turkey had enacted required
regulations to fulfill the EU's political criteria. "Now it's the EU's turn
to give us a date at this December's Copenhagen summit to start membership
negotiations," he added. He also remarked that implementing the reforms was
important but that it shouldn't stand in the way of Turkey's EU bid. In a
related development, Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi said yesterday that the
EU reforms just signed by the president, in particular those on mother
tongue languages, had not been enacted solely for Turkey's ethnic Kurds.
Some 35 ethnic groups live within Turkey's borders, he pointed out.
/Cumhuriyet/
[05] CEM AND BAYAR AGREE TO ACT TOGETHER
[06] BEFORE AND AFTER ELECTIONS
Former Foreign Minister and New Turkey (YT) leader Ismail Cem and
Democratic Turkey Party (DTP) leader Mehmet Ali Bayar agreed yesterday to
act cooperatively both before and after this November's elections. After
Cem visited Bayar at the DTP's Ankara headquarters, Cem and Bayar held a
joint press conference. Cem said that the two parties would seek ways to
act in concert, adding that both parties shared the common political goal
of renewing Turkey. For his part, Bayar stated that the talks between the
two parties had come to a new stage, commenting that they had agreed to
search for projects leading the way into Turkey's future. /All Papers/
[07] US GENERAL VISITS GEN.ZORLU IN AFGHANISTAN
US Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff,
yesterday visited International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF)
Commander Gen. Hilmi Akin Zorlu at his post in Afghanistan. Speaking to
reporters after meeting with Pace, Zorlu stated that his visit demonstrated
the United States' support for the ISAF under Turkey's leadership. Zorlu
also said that the two generals had discussed the latest situation in
Kabul. For his part, Pace thanked the Turkish government for its
contributions to humanitarian aid and the fight against terrorism.
/Turkiye/
[08] TALABANI: "DEMOCRATIC TURKEY IS OUR MODEL"
Before leaving Turkey to attend today's Iraqi opposition leaders meeting in
Washington, Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) leader Jalal Talabani
told reporters that he wanted to build a united, democratic Iraq, not a
divided one. "We don't want Turkey and Iran to intervene in northern Iraq
in case of a US military attack," he added. Talabani also stated that there
was no need for a war to form a democratic Iraq and that holding elections
would be the best way to achieve this goal and create a democratic
environment in the region. "We are taking Muslim, democratic Turkey as our
model," he said. /Sabah/
[09] KOEHLER: "TURKEY SHOULD CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT THE ECONOMIC PROGRAM IN
2003"
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Horst Koehler yesterday spoke
to journalists after the IMF released a third loan tranche to Turkey
totalling $1.1 billion. "Turkey has implemented the economic program
successfully up to today, and it should continue to do so seriously in 2003,
" he said. "The government's support for the current economic program is
praiseworthy and the positive affects of this stance have been felt in the
economy. Inflation and interest rates have both started to fall as a result
of this." He added that Turkey still needed to cut unnecessary expenses and
restructure its public institutions. /Hurriyet/
[10] TRT OPENS BUREAU IN WASHINGTON
The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) officially opened its
Washington bureau yesterday in a ceremony presided over by State Minister
Yilmaz Karakoyunlu. Speaking at the opening at the National Press Building,
Karakoyunlu said, "It is quite important for essential institutions such as
TRT to open bureaus in foreign countries." /Cumhuriyet/
[11] INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT RISES IN JUNE
The State Institute of Statistics (DIE) yesterday released a report giving
Turkey's industrial output for this June. The report stated that industrial
output had risen 6.6% as compared to the same period in 2001. After a
prolonged slump since the onset of the economic crisis in February 2001,
industrial production began to rise for the first time this March and this
trend continued in June. /Star/
[12] ISTANBUL TO HOST MODERN ART SHOWS
Hundreds of works of art from Istanbul's Sabanci Museum and Modern Art
Museum as well as from 80 galleries from over a half-dozen countries are
set to be shown at the "Art Istanbul 2002-Istanbul International Modern Art
Gala" on Sept. 24-29. Art Gallery Owners' Association head Dogan Paksoy
stated yesterday that nearly 2,000 original paintings would be exhibited in
this event to be held at Istanbul's Lutfi Kirdar Congress and Exhibition
Hall on an area of 1,000 square meters. "At a time when Turkey is taking
committed steps forward in its European Union membership bid, this event
has added importance," said Paksoy. "In putting together this art gala, our
sights are set on turning Turkey into one of Europe's major art centers."
/Aksam/
[13] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[14] FROM THE COLUMNS...
[15] PKK LOOKING TO CARVE
[16] AUTONOMOUS REGION IN NORTHERN IRAQ
[17] BY MUSTAFA BALBAY (CUMHURIYET)
Columnist Mustafa Balbay writes about the current conditions in northern
Iraq and analyses the approaches of countries in the region towards a
likely US operation in Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:
"The number of people looking to benefit from developments in northern Iraq
seem to be on the rise. Firstly, the terrorist PKK, now called KADEK, is
trying to answer the following question: Will we get an autonomous region
in northern Iraq during the reconstruction of Iraq? Following the Gulf War,
the PKK acquired some land in northern Iraq. However nobody came and
settled on this land. This time, it would like to obtain an autonomous
region where people do actually live. If they succeed in carving out such
an autonomous region, they will have two objectives. Their first would be
to deepen their links with the West, and the second they have their eye on
is to gather approximately 4,000 terrorists and give them training. The
second group with an interest in northern Iraq is the northern Iraqi Kurds.
The Kurdish tribe leaders in northern Iraq, Mesud Barzani and Jalal
Talabani, are both busy calculating how they can emerge from a war in Iraq
as more powerful leaders. The latest reports indicate that the two Kurdish
groups, which in the past have had perennially rocky relations, have now
agreed to establish a joint parliament. In addition, if there are no last-
minute hitches, Iraqi opposition group leaders will be holding a meeting in
Washington today. Their meeting will focus on this topic: What kind of
government can be formed after Saddam Hussein is ousted? It would not be a
surprise if each group leader was also making plans to somehow try and gain
power by himself. King Abdullah of Jordan went to the US earlier this week
to meet with US President Bush. Abdullah declared that Jordan didn't want
an operation in Iraq, or at least that's what the international community
was told. However, it's possible that privately Abdullah explained to Bush
that he was concerned that publicly supporting such an operation could
cause the collapse of his monarchy, considering the fact that Palestinians
make up 45 percent of the Jordanian population. Moreover, there are also
Iraqis living in Jordan. So it is possible that Jordan promised the US
'discrete' support in an operation launched against Saddam. As for the US
plans, it's widely believed that, due to seasonal weather conditions, the
US won't be launching an operation during the next few months. However,
preparations are already underway for an operation. According to recent
reports from the US weapons industry, the US has developed new weapons and
military techniques to use in a sudden strike. Iraq seems to present the
best opportunity to try them out."
[18] FIRST SIGNS FROM DERVIS
[19] BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
Columnist Fikret Bila comments on possible paths to be taken by Economy
Minister Kemal Dervis. A summary of his column is as follows:
"Mr. Dervis's schedule of contacts was very busy yesterday again. Forestry
Minister Nami Cagan, State Minister Fikret Unlu, and former State Minister
Ercan Karakas all saw Dervis yesterday. In such a sensitive atmosphere,
created by the job security bill, Turkish Confederation of Employers'
Unions (TISK) Chairman Refik Baydur's meeting with Mr. Dervis was cancelled
due to his busy schedule. The first signal about Mr. Dervis's plans came
from his advisor Oya Unlu yesterday. Unlu resigned from her duty as an
advisor, which was a government job. Yesterday was the deadline for public
officials who will become candidates for Parliament to resign. Unlu's
resignation was seen as the first sign that Dervis would go into politics.
However, during a conversation with Unlu, we asked her if she would go into
the politics. 'I will act together with Mr. Dervis,' she replied. 'I might
be a candidate or not. I might also continue to work as Mr. Dervis's
advisor. However, I had to resign in order to be a candidate for deputy and
to be able to continue my duty as a deputy after the elections as well.
Sept. 11 is the deadline to register a candidate. Up to that time, I will
continue to work with Mr. Dervis.' This approach of Unlu's gives an idea
about Mr. Dervis's possible path in the near future. The opinion of the
politicians who met with Dervis yesterday can be summarized as follows:
'Mr. Dervis hasn't yet made up his mind. However, the resignation of his
closest advisor shows that Dervis is leaning towards going into politics.
Dervis might resign from his duty as a minister. However, he might also
make efforts for the establishment of alliances until Sept. 11, a goal
which he desires much more than participating in a party. It shouldn't be
expected from him to become associated with a party just after he resigns.
He might even go back to his university duties if he's unable to find the
conditions he wants. However, it is certain that even if he resigns, he
will continue to put forth efforts for the establishment of an alliance.'
When we asked circles close to Dervis whether the decision of New Turkey
(YT) and the Democratic Turkey Party (DTP) to act together would make it
easier for him to participate in the YT, they said, 'Dervis has been
pleased by these kinds of moves towards alliances. The Motherland Party
(ANAP) might also participate in a cooperation between the YT and the DTP.
Yilmaz, who is searching for an alliance, might announce that he would act
together with Cem and Bayar. Thus, a common platform from the left and the
liberal right would emerge. This situation might affect Dervis's decision.'
If we examine this atmosphere, created by the circles close to Dervis and
the politicians who met with him, we can say that no certain decision
exists yet. Clearly, however, Dervis will continue to make his efforts for
an alliance."
ARCHIVE
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