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Turkish Press Review, 02-10-22Turkish 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> <map name="FPMap1"></map> Press & Information Turkish Press Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning22.10.2002FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…CONTENTS
[01] MGK MEETING TODAY TO FOCUS ON IRAQThe National Security Council (MGK) will convene today to discuss a number of important issues. The meeting will reportedly focus on a possible United States operation against Iraq and the cost such an operation might bring to Turkey. The participants will also discuss recent developments in northern Iraq. The current coalition government members will participate in the meeting for the last time before the Nov. 3 general elections, just over 10 days away. /Milliyet/[02] CHIEF OF STAFF OZKOK RECEIVES US GENERALSChief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok yesterday received US Army Gen. Tommy Franks, the head US officer for the Persian Gulf region, and US Air Force Gen. Joseph Ralston, commander of NATO forces in Europe, for talks at General Staff headquarters. Following the military leaders’ two-hour-plus meeting, a General Staff statement said that regional developments had been discussed, adding that Turkish-US cooperation would continue in the future. The two commanders also met other high-level military officials during their one-day visit to Ankara. Before departing, Gen. Franks, who would likely head any US attack on Iraq, told reporters that the US had not requested from Turkey the use of either its airspace or any of its airbases for an Iraqi operation. He added that US President W. George Bush had not made a final decision on an attack on Iraq. /Turkiye/[03] US CONGRESS PASSES BILL PRAISING TURKEY; SUPPORT PACKAGE IN THE WORKSThe US House of Representatives, the lower house of the US Congress, this week passed a bill praising Turkey for its steadfast support in the war against terrorism and its role in liberating and keeping the peace in Afghanistan, as well as its recent economic reforms. The bill said that Turkey, a longtime US ally, shared its goal of preserving global peace and stability and had given unwavering support to the campaign against terrorism. In related news, US Representative Robert Wexler (Democrat of Florida) has presented a bill to Congress supporting Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union. The bill calls on the EU to set a date for Turkey to begin membership talks during its December summit. Meanwhile, the US administration is reportedly preparing a financial support package for Turkey in case of a possible Iraqi operation. Sources said that work on the package is ongoing and that the support, either directly or indirectly, would amount to some $4-6 billion. /Turkiye/[04] YILMAZ MEETS WITH EU COUNTRIES’ AMBASSADORS TO TURKEYDeputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz yesterday met with the European Union member states’ ambassadors to Ankara at a banquet hosted by EU Term President Denmark’s ambassador to Turkey, Christian Hoppe, at the Danish Embassy. Following the meal, Yilmaz told reporters that he had warned the ambassadors that Turkish-EU relations would be seriously damaged if the EU did not set a date for Turkey’s accession talks for as early as 2004. “If the EU sincerely wants Turkey to be a member, it should set a date at December’s Copenhagen summit,” Yilmaz added. “The EU should take an impartial stance towards each candidate country.” /Cumhuriyet/[05] TURKISH NGOs TO URGE EU ON TURKEY’S ACCESSION TALKSRepresentatives from more than 200 Turkish non-governmental organizations (NGO) are getting ready to travel to Brussels this Sunday to confer with their European counterparts on Turkey’s European Union membership bid, NGO spokesman said yesterday. There they will confer with the European groups and lobby for the EU to give Turkey a date at December’s EU summit in Copenhagen for its membership accession talks. /Hurriyet/[06] KUTAN: “I’M THE MOST HONEST LEADER IN TURKEY”Speaking on the campaign trail yesterday, Felicity Party (SP) leader Recai Kutan boasted that he had never been involved in corruption, adding that he believed himself “the most honest leader” in Turkey. Kutan further pledged to stop government corruption after coming to power in next month’s elections. /Milliyet/[07] CILLER: “ERDOGAN IS AVOIDING FACING ME ON TELEVISION”Speaking to rallies in the Black Sea cities of Samsun, Ordu and Giresun yesterday, True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller charged that Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan was avoiding appearing alongside her on television for an open discussion of Turkey’s economic and political problems. Ciller also asked the voters in those cities to support the DYP in polls set for Nov. 3. /Milliyet/[08] JP MORGAN: “TURKEY WILL EXCEED ITS TARGETED ANNUAL GROWTH RATE”Turkey will exceed its own targets for economic growth this year, according to a new report issued by prestigious international brokerage firm JP Morgan. Domestic political uncertainty and high interest rates notwithstanding, says the report, recent economic figures point to Turkey’s year-end 2002 growth hitting higher than 3%, the governments stated target. Sabah_[09] TOBB KICKS OFF “TURKEY’S FUTURE” CAMPAIGNThe Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) is set this week to begin an informational-advocacy campaign entitled “Turkey Wants Its Future.” Under the campaign, the TOBB plans to present its diagnosis of what Turkey’s chief economic and political problems are, and then lay out its proposed cures for these problems. During the campaign, the need for reforms in certain areas and sectors in particular will be stressed. /Milliyet/[10] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…[11] OUTFITTED FOR IRAQ BY MURAT CELIK (STAR)Columnist Murat Celik comments on a possible operation by the US against Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:“‘Gen. Tommy Franks, the US commander for the Persian Gulf region, said that the US didn’t have any requests to Turkey concerning the Iraq issue. Gen. Joseph Ralston, who commands NATO’s forces in Europe, completed his contacts and left Ankara.’ These words belong to yesterday’s Anatolia news agency’s reports. These American leaders’ contacts at Chief of General Staff headquarters in Ankara topped yesterday’s news. Gen. Franks is the commander who will likely lead the ‘Big Broom’ operation in Iraq. In other words, he will be the top-ranking officer for US operation against Iraq. Franks and Ralston didn’t have any concrete requests for Ankara, because Washington itself hasn’t made a final decision yet. As Franks told those he spoke to during the meeting at the General staff, ‘We’re waiting for President Bush’s decision.’ Turkey has two important items on its agenda concerning Iraq. The first is the ‘Big Broom’ operation to be launched by the US in order to overthrow Saddam Hussein and establish a democratic Iraqi Republic. The second is developments in northern Iraq and the future of the de facto nascent state in the region. During the meetings with the US commanders, this second topic didn’t appear on the agenda. Only the first, that is, plans for a US operation against Iraq, were discussed in broad terms. Alternative plans were also brought up. As no political decision has yet been made, the US Army can do nothing but review possible scenarios and battle plans, just as the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have been doing. The operation plans will be given their final shape after Bush gives the order. Bush’s command to the US army will set off a ‘state of war.’ However, this situation won’t mean the actual start of a war. After the state of war begins, the launch of the first bullet, rocket or bomb will still be a long time in coming. Ankara’s impression is that Bush will give the order following US congressional elections in November. Considering the coming holy Muslim month of Ramadan, starting Nov. 6 and ending with December’s ‘Sugar Bayram’ holiday, speculation is running that the war won’t actually begin until early next year. While the US has been preparing for an Iraqi operation, it has taken special measures to guard against the threat of nuclear and biological weapons. I’m talking about some half-a-million special suits to protect against the effects of bio-terrorist attacks. Hidden in this measure, which was put together due to the anthrax scare, is a detail that will affect the timetable of the operation. If these special outfits prepared by Americans were used today during an operation on Iraqi territory, the temperature inside the clothes would reach a boiling 60 degrees Celsius due to the region’s climate. In other words, carrying out an operation today in the region with those clothes would be impossible. Such clothes would be practically wearable only in December, January and February, when the Iraqi deserts will be cold enough to freeze a person. In other words, the US is faced not only with crucial factors such as swaying international opinion and its own elections, but also with a timetable dictated by technical equipment.” [12] A MESSAGE FOR HIS UNCLE BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)Columnist Sami Kohen writes on the expected visit to Ankara this week of Necirvan Barzani, the prime minister of a so-called Kurdish regional government. A summary of his column is as follows:“What will Iraqi opposition leader Necirvan Barzani tell Turkish officials about the future of Iraq during his visit to Ankara this week? He’s the nephew of Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani as well as the prime minister of the Kurdistan regional government. Will he say that he supports the idea of a federal state, or that in fact he wants an independent Kurdish state to be established in northern Iraq, echoing his uncle’s statement last week on CNN Turk? In an interview with US journal ‘Middle East Intelligence,’ Necirvan Barzani recently stated that his aim was to protect Iraq’s sovereignty, ensure the establishment of a federal, democratic and parliamentarian state and sustain peace in the region. He also underlined that the IKDP wanted Iraqi Kurds to take part in the central administration in Baghdad. However, his uncle Massoud last week explicitly voiced his wish to establish an independent Kurdish state in the region. His recent statements might seem quite provocative. However, it’s good to know his true intentions. I suppose Necirvan Barzani won’t make such remarks in Ankara. In fact, other Kurdish opposition leaders have never told Turkish officials about such plans. Is this situation evidence of rifts among the Iraqi opposition leaders on their plans for Iraq’s future, or should we consider it as part of a plan meant to trick everybody, in other words, a hoax? As far as the history of Iraqi Kurds is concerned, it’s easy to see that they’ve always wanted to establish an independent state in northern Iraq. However, there are many obstacles to their wish. First of all, Turkey has often stated that it would consider such a development a ‘casus belli.’ In addition, other countries in the region such as Iran and Syria would neither want nor support Kurdish groups’ attempts to gain their independence. Finally, the United States also knows that such a development would run counter to its national interests. In short, the idea of the establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq might be desirable for the Kurdish opposition groups but it will never be feasible. Massoud Barzani’s recent statement was nothing but hot air which can only cause unnecessary tension between Turkey and the IKDP. Necirvan Barzani would do better to convey this message to his uncle after wrapping up his meetings in Ankara.” 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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