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Turkish Press Review, 99-02-02Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>02.02.99Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] CAN A ONE-HUNDRED-HEADED MONSTER BE TRAINED? - BY OSMAN ULAGAY (MILLIYET)[02] OCALAN IS KNOCKING ON EVERY DOORThe leader of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan, yesterday was desperate to find a country in Europe, that would provide him with shelter and protect him from Turkish prosecution. Late in the evening, the Italian ANSA news agency announced that Ocalan was in Milan, Italy. According to Greece's governing Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), Ocalan had been wating aboard a private jetliner at Athens airport since that morning. He is said to have arrived there from the Netherlands, whose authorities had not permitted his entrance into the country. It is widely believed that he might have arrived there from Athens.Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Korkmaz Haktanir confirmed the latest reports concerning Ocalan's presence in Athens. "We know that Ocalan is at Athens airport, he is barred from leaving the plane and is awaiting a decision by the Greek authorities" Haktanir said. The Greek Ambassador to Turkey, Dimitrios Nezeritis, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry twice yesterday. There he spoke to Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Faruk Logoglu. After leaving the first meeting with Logoglu, Nezeritis said that Athens had earlier assured Ankara that Ocalan's entry into Greece would not be allowed. Dutch authorities refused Ocalan permission to enter the Netherlands early on Monday, saying he was on an unauthorized flight which had not obtained permission to land. Ocalan, whose landing in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, was prevented, allegedly wanted to be admitted into the the country to make an application to the Court of Justice in The Hague. The Dutch Justice Ministry Spokesman, Victor Holters, said: "Ocalan is an unwanted person. If he illegally arrives in the country, he will be arrested". Speaking to a press conference earlier in the day, before Haktanir announced that Ocalan was in Athens, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit stressed that those who shelter the terrorist leader would be considered accomplices to his violent crimes. /All papers/ [03] US: TURKEY SHOULD BE SUPPORTED ON THE OCALAN ISSUEThe US Spokesman for the Secretary of State, James Rubin, said that the world should support Turkey's efforts in bringing the chief of an outlawed organization to court. Rubin added that no country in the world would give shelter to Abdullah Ocalan.Meanwhile, the US Wall Street Journal's European issue claimed that the US President Bill Clinton had not put enough pressure on Italy regarding the Ocalan issue. The article issued on 26 January by George Melloan said that the US administration had not given enough support to Turkey although Ocalan figured on the hit-list of names of world terrorists. On the other hand, it was reported yesterday that the Swiss government would not let the chief of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, enter Switzerland. The Spokesman for the Ministry of Justice, Viktor Schlumpf, said that they had not granted the permission to the plane carrying Ocalan to land in Switzerland. He added that they did not know where Ocalan was but they would never permit him to enter their country. Moreover, the spokesman of ERNK, the political wing of the PKK, Erhan Yarar, said to the Italian La Republica newspaper that Ocalan was no longer significant to them and the organization was looking for a new leader. He added that the organization was undergoing a period of disintegration. /Hurriyet/Turkiye/ [04] GERMANY: "IF OCALAN COMES, WE WILL ARREST HIM"The German Interior Ministry Spokesman has recalled that a national decision has been taken to arrest the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, because of the crimes attributed to him and stated: "If Ocalan arrives in Germany, he will certainly be arrested".Meanwhile, the Turkish Ambassador to Denmark, Turan Morali, noted that Ocalan's entry to Denmark would be near impossible and said: "Nobody here is encouraging him to come to Denmark even though there has been some support for the PKK in certain circles". The Danish government also assured Turkey that Ocalan would not be permitted to arrive in that country. /Sabah/ [05] ERNK DENOUNCES EUROPEThe political wing of the PKK, ERNK, published a written statement denouncing European democracy which has been tested due to the Abdullah Ocalan issue. The statement said that Kurds were being targetted in the name of Ocalan by Turkey, the US and Israel. It accused Europe of being cautious concerning the recent developments in the Ocalan issue. The statement claimed that Ocalan was for peace and dialogue but Europe had failed in facing up to a democracy movement. /Hurriyet/[06] ECEVIT WAITS FOR CILLER FOR TWO-TIER ELECTIONSPrime Minister Bulent Ecevit is waiting for the True Path Party (DYP) leader Ciller's arrival in Ankara for the final resolution of the ongoing debates over two-tier elections; thiscame to be the burning issue of the day following the warnings of President Demirel and its discussion in the National Security Council (NSC). In his declaration yesterday, Ecevit stated that the lawyers agree with the view that "Article 67 of the Constitution does not impede a two-tier election system". Noting that a balloting may still be held in a single stage on the fixed date for the elections even if such law is annuled by the Constitutional Court, Ecevit said that they have not received a concrete answer from Ciller yet. Meanwhile, Turhan Guven, the Vice President of the DYP Parliament Group, said that they are not against the two-tier system in local elections in general, but they have some reservations against its implementation in the April 18 elections for specific purposes. /Milliyet/[07] LAWYERS: "TWO-TIER SYSTEM WILL NOT RESULT IN ANNULMENT"Lawyers agree with the idea that a possible codification of the two-tier election system may not be annulled by the Constitutional Court even if it contradicts the Constitution. Yekta Gungor Ozden, the former Chairman of the Constitutional Court, noted that a codification without necessary constitutional amendments (especially of Article 127) will result in the prolonging of the debates, whereas Prof.Orhan Aldikacti, the architect of the 1982 Constitution, proposed that there are no constitutional obstacles to two-tier elections either in the 67th or in the 127th Articles. Similarly, Prof. Mumtaz Soysal also noted that there are no constitutional barriers to a two-tier election in April, but he still argued that the maintenance of the 127th Article may generate problems. /Milliyet/[08] ECEVIT-BUYUKANIT MEETINGThe Head of General Staff Operations and the Military Adviser to the Prime Ministry, Lieutenant General Yasar Buyukanit, held a meeting with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday. During the meeting, the recent developments in Northern Iraq and regional security issues were discussed. The recent situation concerning the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was also debated during the meeting. /Sabah/[09] ULUGBAY-PARRIS MEETINGThe US Ambassador to Ankara, Mark Parris met Minister of State Responsible for the Economy, Hikmet Ulugbay yesterday in Ankara. At the meeting Turco-US economic relations were discussed. After the meeting Parris said that the US was ready to give financial support to Turkey but Turkey should first complete its economic reforms. He added that the budget deficit should be eliminated and the draft bill regarding the structural improvement of banks should be debated in the Parliament as soon as possible. Diplomatic circles announced that energy projects were also on the agenda of the Ulugbay-Parris meeting. /Hurriyet/[10] YILMAZ: "TURKEY WILL BE THE LEADER OF THE 21ST CENTURY"At the meeting held by his party, Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz said that Turkey was ready to become the leader of the 21st century with her young, hard-working population and rich potential. Pointing out that the 18 April elections would be very important for the future of Turkey, Yilmaz said that the elections would be a chance to open the door to a bright and prosperous future. /Turkiye/[11] MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER IN TURKEYMalaysian Prime Minister Mahatir Mohamad and his son arrived in Istanbul yesterday to hold talks on investment opportunities in the automobile and electronics sectors. Mohamad came to Turkey as the guest of Jet-Pa Holding. He made a short speech at Ataturk Airport, saying that the largest Proton automobile centre is in Turkey and that the aim of his visit is to develop this centre even more, the Anatolia news agency reports.[12] THE SPEAKER OF THE TURKISH GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY RETURNSThe Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), Hikmet Cetin, returned home after completing his official visit to Iran. In a statement at the airport Cetin said that he had met the Speaker of the Iranian Mejlis,Natęk Nuri, President Mohammed Hatemi, the Chairman of the Compromise Council and former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, and the first Vice-President Hasan Habibi. Cetin noted that in his meeting with his counterparts, he had the opportunity to express clearly Turkey's stance on bilateral political, economic and commercial relations in addition to Turkish views on terrorism, developments in Iraq and Northern Iraq, and the situation in the Caucasus. He added that Iranian officials were ready to cooperate closely on all matters and that they would not allow the leader of the terrorists on their land./Cumhuriyet/[13] IRANIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER TO VISIT TURKEYThe Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Muhammed Riza Asefi, said that Turkish Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin's visit to Iran had been very 'positive'. According to the IRNA news agency, Asefi made a statement to journalists yesterday and said: "Recently, there have been developments in Turkish-Iranian relations and we wish that further steps will be taken to strengthen these bilateral relations".Meanwhile, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Muhsin Eminzade is due to arrive in Ankara today for a two-day visit. Eminzade will engage in talks within the guidelines of a mechanism that exists between the Turkish and Iranian Foreign Ministries for conducting political consultations, the Anatolia news agency reports. [14] COMMANDER ATES IN HUNGARYThe Commander of the Land Forces, Lith. Atilla Ates went to Budapest for a two-day visit following the official invitation of his Hungarian counterpart. Ates will visit the Turkish Martyrdom in Budapest and will hold intense meetings with his counterparts concerning Turco-Hungarian military relations. /Turkiye/[15] TURKISH PARTY IN SOFIAThe second Turkish party in Bulgaria the National Rights and Freedoms Movement, in Bulgaria has been developing. The party has already established branches in 22 of the 28 provinces in Bulgaria. The Chairman of the party, Guner Tahir, said that before the local elections in 2001, they aimed to join the two Turkish parties in Bulgaria. /Hurriyet/[16] TURCO-ISRAEL MEETINGIn line with the joint military training and defence cooperation agreement in the Middle East signed in 1996, Turkey and Israel will commence a number of strategic meetings in Ankara. The meetings will be chaired by the Deputy Undersecretary responsible for Strategic Relations in the Israeli Ministry of Defence, David Ivy, and the Deputy Chief of General Staff, Hilmi Ozkok. Strategic and military issues, joint projects, the new administration in Jordan, and Turkish F-4 and F-5 aircrafts will be on the table at the meeting. /Hurriyet/[17] SOUTHERN CYPRUS, GREECE TO SIGN AGREEMENT ON S-300 HANDOVERNext week, Greece and Southern Cyprus will sign an agreement authorizing Greece to take over the S-300 missiles that Southern Cyprus had ordered from Russia, but was unable to deploy on the island due to strong international pressure. The agreement is expected to be signed next Monday by the two countries' Defence Ministers, the Anatolia news agency reports.[18] IMF DELEGATION IN THE TREASURYThe IMF delegation chaired by Martin Hardy met Turkish economy officials at the Treasury Undersecretary yesterday in Ankara. During the meeting, macro-economic developments and the 1999 economic programme were discussed. The meetings between the IMF delegation and Turkish economy officials will continue until the end of the week. /Turkiye/[19] "WE OVERCAME THE MOST CRITICAL STAGE OF THE CRISIS"Emin Dedeoglu, the General Director of Public Finance in the Turkish Treasury, argued that Turkey had overcome the most critical stage of the financial crisis and she was highly unlikely to face a serious trouble within the next three or four months. Answering the questions of a magazine, Dedeoglu said, "The most important moment of a crisis is the one when you begin to feel the crisis. Then you take the steps needed and strive to stand against unfavorable conditions. We faced the crash in August, just after the crisis in Russia. Yet we were able to remain standing. That had a very positive impact on those expectations of our capability to remain unshaken from then on. I guess the real interest rates will continue to drop in the following months and the Turkish economy will not face serious trouble in terms of public finance." /Milliyet/[20] A BRIGHT OUTLOOK FOR THE TURKISH ECONOMY IN 2025If Turkey can maintain its past performance, it will be a leading country in the 21st century. According to calculations made using World Bank and UN Population Fund data, taking into consideration Turkey's growth rates between 1980-1997, Turkey's per capita income with purchasing power parity will be $19,224 in 2025, at 1997 prices. According to the calculations, if their current growth rates continue, the per capita incomes of Greece, Sweden and Portugal will increase to $20,652, $26,068 and $26,811 respectively. In other words, if growth rates remain the same, by the year 2025, Turkey will catch up with some of the countries in the European Union (EU), to which Turkey hopes to enter. /All papers/[21] SPK INVESTIGATES JET-PAMuhsin Menguturk, the Chairman of the Board of Capital Markets (SPK), declared that they had begun mounting an investigation into Jet-Pa, a leading corporation of Islamic capital in Turkey. Meanwhile, the SPK also applied to the Republic's Attorney concerning 6 other Islamic-funded firms, namely Kombassan, Ittifak, Sayha, KEDAS, Yimpas and Industry Holdings, charging them with violating the Code of Capital Markets. According to the statement made by the Board, the so-called Islamic capital corporations are carrying out de facto public share offerings, collecting money from the people without the permission of the SPK. It was also noted in the statement that the Jet-Pa investigation is proceeding in cooperation with other public bodies. /Milliyet/[22] EGE IN AZERBAIJANForeign Trade Undersecretary, Yavuz Ege, accompanying a Turkish delegation went to Baku, Azerbaijan yesterday. As for the schedule of the visit, Ege met Azerbaijan Deputy Foreign Minister Halef Halefoglu and attended the banquet given by Turkish businessmen in Azerbaijan. It is reported that Ege and the Turkish delegation will be received by the Azerbaijani Minister of Trade, Ferhat Aliyev. After concluding their meetings in Azerbaijan, Yavuz Ege and the delegation will return home tomorrow. /Hurriyet/Aksam/[23] INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITYTurkish and American tire workers will meet today in Bursa as part of the "International Class Solidarity" conference initiated by the Chemical, Mining and General Trade Unions Federation (ICEM) which has branches in 115 countries. Two workers representing those fired due to their active membership of trade unions at the plant owned by the multilateral tire company 'Continental' are visiting their counterparts in Bursa. Trade unions are trying to organize global solidarity of the labour force against the pressures brought to bear on them by global capital. ICEM has initiated a campaign to organize international solidarity among workers working in the same sector, and to fight together against multilational conglomerates on a global scale. /Cumhuriyet/[24] WOMEN PREFER CHPIt is reported that, among the parties participating the April 18 elections, the Republican People's Party (CHP) is the leader in terms of women candidates both for Parliament and the Mayorships. Accordingly, approximately 500 women applied to the CHP to become candidacy, which makes 11% of the total of CHP candidates. /Milliyet/[25] EXTRADITION OF KURSAT YILMAZThe Varna Court of Appeals has decided to extradite a Turkish criminal, Kursat Yilmaz, who escaped from Burdur Prison and was later detained in Bulgaria, to Turkey. Justice and Foreign Ministry officials, who denied the news claiming that Turkey's demand for Yilmaz's extradition had been rejected, said that during a session on January 29, it was decided that Yilmaz would be extradited to Turkey because of two crimes he had committed. /Sabah/[26] FRENCH DELEGATION IN TURKEYA delegation of the Domestic Security Supreme Survey Institution from the French Ministry of Interior Affairs came to Ankara. The delegation will continue meeting their contacts at the end of the week. After the first meeting with Turkish and French delegations, the head of Ankara Police, Necati Bilican, said that they had discussed the problems of Turkish police, terrorist activities in the Eastern and Southeastern regions of Turkey and the success of the Turkish police againt drug smuggling. The Head of the French delegation, Pascal Mcysounave, said for his part that during their visit they would hold talks on improving cooperation between Turkish and French police institutions. /Turkiye/[27] PKK ATTACK POLICE HEADQUARTER IN MARDINA group of PKK members launched a rocket attack on the Police [BHeadquarters in Omerli, Mardin late last night. Police officials reported no dead or wounded, merely financial casualties. It was reported that operations have been conducted in and around the region to seize the attackers. /Turkiye/[28] 24 SEPARATISTS CAPTUREDDuring two separate operations in Istanbul, 24 members of the PKK terrorist organization were captured by the members of Istanbul Security Office's Anti-Terrorism Department. These PKK members have been involved in many terrorist activities, bombings and murders.Meanwhile, during operations carried out by Turkish security forces, six PKK terrorists were killed in the Balli Deresi Region of Tunceli yesterday. During the conflict, four security officials died. /Sabah-Cumhuriyet/ [29] 100 GRAMMES OF URANIUM IN BURSAThe Intelligence Unit of the Edirne Gendarmery Regiment Command followed a team who had smuggled uranium from Azerbaijan to Turkey. The unit carried out a raid in Bursa and captured 100 grammes of uranium worth TL 2 trillion. During the operation, four people were taken into custody. Officials noted that investigations into the incident were in progress. /Sabah/[30] TOPKAPI PIECES IN THE USMany Turkish and Ottoman works of art, enjoyed by millions of local and foreign tourists every year in Istanbul, will be on display in the US during the years 2000 and 2001. "The Palace Age: Topkapi and its Times" exhibition, which will be organized by the US's Palace Arts Foundation, will open in Washington, California and Florida.The Former US Ambassador to Turkey, Richard Barkley, and the Turkish Minister of Culture, Istemihan Talay, have signed a protocol agreement regarding the exhibition, which is expected to attract a lot of attention to Ottoman art in the US. /All papers/ [31] TURKISH FILM RECEIVES AN AWARDA Turkish film, 'Town' produced by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, has received the jury's Special Award during the Angers Film Festival traditionally held in France. The film also received $4,000 in prize money. /Sabah/[32] TURKISH ARTIST IN NEW YORKThe play written by Nikolai Gogol titled "The Diary of a Lunatic" is performed by a Turkish artist in New York on Monday, reported the Anatolia news agency. Turkar Coker was very successful and got the appreciation of the audience in the play which was performed in Turkish within the framework of the cultural activities of the American Turkish Women's Solidarity Association. The same play was before performed again by Coker in English in Canada Festival last summer and received positive criticisms.[33] EXAMPLARY EXPERIENCE - BY GUNGOR MENGI (SABAH)Gungor Mengi, a columnist from the daily 'Sabah' newspaper, says the following in his article today:"The butcher of people is trying to create a 'fait accompli' by flying from one country to another like a hijacker. Ocalan's first port of call was the Netherlands yesterday. However when he was not accepted, he wanted to go to Athens. Greece knows that if it accepts Ocalan, it will be an indirect declaration of war, because there will be no difference between the approval of Ocalan and bombing Izmir. The murderer of children is playing his last trump cards. The Italian experience taught everyone that Ocalan would only bring bad luck. European countries know that they should not accept Ocalan, however they do not abide by their commitment to cooperate in the struggle against terrorism. However this will be sufficient to enable Ocalan to go only to an isolated African country. It is an examplary story for those who are inclined towards terrorism. Mountains of Baris: this song, which has been the accompaniment to my zest for life for the last 25 years, is now accompanied by my tears. Yesterday, we lost Baris Manco, who was a unique person with an understanding of art which was full of love for people and his country. May God bless him." [34] TWO-TIERED BUT....- BY HADI ULUENGIN (HURRIYET)Columnist Hadi Uluengin reflects on the subject of two-tiered elections. A summary of his column is as follows:"I believe in two tier-elections. Furthermore I would like to see not only the local elections, but also General Elections and the voting for the Presidential Elections to be held in the same way. I also believe that the narrow constituency system and two-tier balloting, as seen in the Anglo-Saxon method or in France, which results in two main parties, are necessary...Although this system may have some faults, it injects stability into democracies, which have certain weaknesses caused by freedom, when compared to authoritarian regimes... However, the imposition of such a system just before the elections or bringing it up in such a way as to create the impression of enforcement should be carefully considered...Commencing a lawsuit against HADEP (the People's Democracy Party) and the claims that two tier-election system is aimed at removing the Virtue Party from the scene casts a shadow over a democratic method which is neeeded for the country....Narrow constituencies and two-tier elections are not mechanisms established to get rid of other parties. In fact, through natural alliances and diminution, minority tendencies can also be represented within such a structure." [35] CAN A ONE-HUNDRED-HEADED MONSTER BE TRAINED? - BY OSMAN ULAGAY (MILLIYET)Osman Ulagay, a columnist from the `Milliyet' daily, reflects on the latest World Economic Forum summit in Davos last weekend. Ulagay writes:"The main theme of this conference was globalization and its recent effects on world economic development. The Eyptian President Mubarek noted that there is a direct correlation between increasing poverty and the spread of globalization. He further pointed out that the problems raised by globalization are quite complicated, which impedes easy solutions to them. Emphasizing the same question, Henry Kissinger gave one of the best speeches during the conference and paid attention to the unfavorable situation the political leaders find themselves in as they attempt to fulfil the requirements of the global economy. Accordingly, there grows an antagonism between the requirements of globalization and the prevailing national policy requirements in many countries. The US Treasury Secretary, Robert Rubin, also noted that the predominant question is not economic but political. Reporting that the world is facing the most serious problem of the last 50 years, Rubin claimed that what is of greatest significance to most countries is to establish the necessary political will to implement correct policies. Indeed, those experts coming from countries like South Korea, Indonesia, Russia and Brazil, which are currently subject to the most serious side-effects of global capital flows, were the ones who knew the impossibility of implementing those solutions provided by outsiders. David Konzevik, a former consultant to the Argentinian President, claims that the officials from the advanced capitalist countries fail to understand the real situation faced by developing countries. He says, `The so-called process of `globalization' is indeed a one-thousand-headed monster, and until now we are only able to perceive two or three of its heads Immense shocks await us in the next10 years.' The main theme of the Davos summit this year is that globalization leads the world into an impass. However, as yet nobody knows properly how to train globalization" Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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