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Turkish Press Review, 99-06-17Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>17.06.99Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS....[02] SPECIAL KOSOVO[03] DEMIREL OPENS TWO FACILITIESPresident Suleyman Demirel opened two new Turkish Bottle and Glass Factories' facilities worth $110 billion yesterday in Eskisehir. Demirel delivered a speech during the opening ceremony and said that with the establishment of the 57th government, a new atmosphere of confidence has been created and added that all problems in Turkey would be overcome. /Hurriyet/[04] ECEVIT: "SUPPORT FOR REFUGEES WILL CONTINUE"Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that plans to ensure the return of Kosovar refugees and the reconstruction of Kosovo would be initiated once the security problems have been solved. Ecevit stressed that the conflict in Kosovo is not entirely at an end and stated that the initial duty of the civilized world was to 'heal the wounds' in Kosovo as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the Turkish Embassy in Belgrade will resume its activities very soon but Ambassador Ahmet Acer would not immediately return, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sermet Atacanli said. He stated that initially the Embassy would be headed by a charge d'affaires.Ecevit, a guest on a TV programme shown on the TGRT channel, also said that PKK terrorism was almost at an end and added: "However, Iran has opened its territories to members of the PKK terrorist organization. We are trying to prevent this. We are of the opinion that the basic source for the PKK terrorist organization is the West". Ecevit also replied to a question concerning the G-8 initiatives to reach a solution to the Cyprus problem saying: "We do not want any other state to be involved in the Cyprus issue". /Turkiye-Star/ [05] ECEVIT INTERVIEWED ON GREEK TV CHANNELPrime Minister Bulent Ecevit has spoken to the private Greek MEGA TV channel after many years. Ecevit said at the begining of his interview that Turkey and Greece would begin to solve their problems by struggling against terrorism. Mentioning the PKK camps in Greece, Ecevit remarked that Turkish and Greek authorities would work together to identify the number and locations of the camps. Ecevit added, "Turkey has known for some time that terrorists are being trained in these camps to organize violence against Turkey. Greece is unfair to Turkey in her claims that the Ocalan trial is not just. The judicial system in Turkey is independent. Disputes regarding the Aegean are very complicated; Turkey has never had desires on Greek territories whereas Greece had desires on Turkish territories. Cyprus would have been a Bosnia-Herzegovina or a Kosovo unless the 1974 Peace Operation had been implemented." /Sabah/[06] BUDGET TO BE DISCUSSED ON 24 JUNEThe General Council of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) has approved the discussion of the Budget for the 1999 Fiscal Year on 24 June. During the first day of the session the government and political parties will evaluate the Budget. The deliberations will end within six consecutive days without a weekend break. Later, it will be voted on in Parliament. /Aksam/[07] AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRAISES TURKEY, CONDEMNS GREECEAmnesty International (AI) stated in its 1998 World Human Rights Report issued yesterday that there had been some improvements in human rights in Turkey. On the other hand, the report condemned Greece for its pressure on Western Thracian Turks. The report distributed in Washington also denounced the murders perpetrated by the PKK terrorist organization and the illegal TIKKO and DHKP-C organizations. /Hurriyet/[08] YILMAZ: "TAXATION LAW WILL CHANGE"Motherland Party (ANAP) Chairman Mesut Yilmaz, who visited the Head of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), Fuat Miras yesterday, said that the economic conditions necessitated some changes in the taxation law and added: "However, these amendments will be made without causing any losses in tax revenue". Finance Minister Sumer Oral and Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu accompanied Yilmaz on his visit to the TOBB. /Hurriyet/[09] SUPREME COUNCIL FOR BANKSThe Banking Law has been discussed during the General Council of the Assembly. The third Article of the Law, which foresees the establishment of a "Banking Organizing and Control Council", was accepted yesterday. The Council will have seven members from the Treasury, Central Bank, Ministry of Finance, Turkish Banks' Union, the State Planning Organization (DTP) Undersecretariat and the Capital Market Council. Members of the Council will be appointed for six years. It will be an independent body with extensive authority to control banking practices.Concerning the Law, State Minister Hikmet Ulugbay said that they aimed to bring an international standard to the Turkish banking sector. /Milliyet/ [10] IMF: "TURKEY'S PRIVATE SECTOR IS VERY DYNAMIC"The Head of the IMF-Turkey Desk, Carlo Cottarelli, said that there were some signals that the economic stagnation in Turkey was being overcome. Cottarelli, who has completed his round of meetings in Istanbul, went to Ankara yesterday. He replied to questions posed by journalists at Ankara's Esenboga Airport, stressing that industrial production was increasing. He said: "There has also been an increase in the capacity utilization rate", adding that his meetings in Istanbul had been very positive. Cottarelli further remarked that the Turkish private sector was very dynamic especially in Istanbul. /Hurriyet/[11] TURKEY AWAITS FOREIGN CAPITALThe General Secretary of the Foreign Capital Association (YASED), Abdurrahman Ariman, said that Turkey had the potential to attract foreign capital investment worth $20 billion every year adding that, however, a mere $1 billion worth of foreign capital was arriving annually in Turkey. /Turkiye/[12] FORESTRY MINISTRY TAKES NEW MEASURESIn order to fight forest fires more effectively the Forestry Ministry is planning to employ the latest technology. As part of a project that is expected to cost 115.6 trillion TL, the Ministry aims to buy 14 helicopters through international bidding, the Anatolia News Agency reports.[13] CAKICI APPLIES FOR EXTRADITION TO TURKEYMafia boss Alaattin Cakici, currently imprisoned in Baumet Prison in Marseilles, France, has officially applied through his Turkish and French attorneys to be extradited to Turkey, the Anatolia News Agency reports. In his application for extradition, Cakici said: "I declare that I will not hold the French government responsible for the guarantee they expect from the Turkish government (that I will not be executed in Turkey). I want to return to my country of my own free will".[14] AYTEKIN PROPOSES GLOBAL COOPERATIONEnvironment Minister Fevzi Aytekin said that in order to prevent harm to Turkey's rich biological diversity and ecological value, in particular to avoid losing the fertility of the country's soil, any measures necessary should immediately be taken to combat erosion, the Anatolia News Agency reports. Aytekin issued a message on 'Fight Against Desertification World-Wide Day' which is being marked today. He stressed that erosion, desertification and drought occur in many countries, not only Turkey, and that this problem needs to be solved through global cooperation.[15] TURKEY WANTS MORE DEFENCE COOPERATION WITH FRANCETurkey has expressed her readiness to accelerate her cooperation with France in the realm of defence, particularly in the defence industry sector. In a meeting with his French counterpart Alain Richard yesterday, Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said that Turkey wished to expand her cooperation with France in the development of the Turkish defence industry. Cakmakoglu stated that Turkey would welcome France's contribution to joint defence industry ventures and Turkey's direct purchase of military equipment from France. /All papers/[16] INCREASE IN CAR PRODUCTIONThe Turkish TOFAS Company and Oyak Renault have increased production. According to the factories' representatives they have not only increased their production but also prepared new models for the market. In both factories workers are working over-time to meet the requirements of the domestic market.Meanwhile, it is announced that the capacity usage rate countyrwide increased to 78 % in May. According to the State Institute of Statistics (DIE), there has been a upward trend in this figure sector since January 1999. /Sabah/ [17] TWO AWARDS FOR TURKISH LABEL IN PRAGUEThe Turkish Irfan Label has received the first prize in marketing and a mention in the appearence catagory in Prague. Chairman of the Irfan Label Packing Industry, Naim Yavuz, said that the World Label Producers' Union (FINAT) organized the 'best label competition' every year and they were happy to receive two awards this year. Yavuz remarked that they were very proud of being so effective in Europe. /Aksam/[18] COOPERATION BETWEEN IMKB AND KAZAKH STOCK EXCHANGEA memorandum of understanding was signed yesterday between the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) and the Kazakh Stock Exchange. The Head of the IMKB, Osman Birsen, who is on a working tour of Central Asian countries, has arrived in Kazakhstan, the second leg of his visit to the region following Kyrgyzstan. Birsen, who is also the Head of the Eurasian Stock Exchanges' Federation, met officials from the Kazakh Stock Exchange in Almati. Birsen stressed that Central Asia was in need of a capital influx. Birsen remarked that the IMKB had become one of the biggest stock exchanges in Europe over the past 14 years and added that IMKB experts could share their experience with countries such as Kazakhstan. The Head of the Kazakh Stock Exchange, Demir Karasayev, for his part, said he believed that the memorandum would increase investments in Kazakhstan, the Anatolia News Agency reports. Birsen and an accompanying delegation proceeded to Uzbekistan yesterday.[19] OPERATIONS IN SOUTHEASTDuring operations carried out by security forces in Mardin, Hakkari and Sirnak, 19 members of the PKK terrorist organization were killed, while four security members died. Officials said that operations are on-going in the region, the Anatolia News Agency reports.[20] TWO TERRORISTS CAPTUREDTwo members of the PKK terrorist organization were captured by security officials in Elazig yesterday. A statement issued by the Elazig Security Office said that these PKK terrorists had been questioned and then arrested. /Star/[21] BAJA TO VISIT TURKEYLauro L.Baja, the Undersecretary of Philippine Foreign Ministry will visit Turkey between June 17-20 to hold political consultations, the Anatolia News Agency reports. Sermet Atacanli, Foreign Ministry Spokesman, told a weekly press briefing yesterday that the political consultations will be held in the interdelegationary meetings that will be headed by Korkmaz Haktanir, the Foreign Ministry Undersecretary and his Philippine counterpart Baja. Baja is also expected to be received by Foreign Minister Ismail Cem.[22] TURCO-RUSSIAN DELEGATIONS MEET IN MOSCOWThe regular political consultations between Turkish and Russian Foreign Ministries will be held in Moscow today and tomorrow, the Anatolia News Agency reports. The meetings will be held between Aydin Sahinbas, the Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary and Victor Posuvalyuk, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister.[23] TURKEY DENIES ALLEGATIONSSermet Atacanli, Foreign Ministry Spokesman, said yesterday that Turkey's support for any movement that threatens the peace in Uzbekistan is out of the question, adding: "It is also not possible for Turkey to allow those who act against Uzbekistan to take shelter in her territory", the Anatolia News Agency reports.[24] DEMIREL TALKS TO NAWAZ SHARIFPresideny Suleyman Demirel talked to Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, on the phone late Tuesday. Issuing a statement, the Presidential Press Centre said Demirel and Sharif discussed mostly the Kashmir issue, the Anatolia News Agency reports.[25] TURCO-SWISS HEALTH COOPERATIONIt is announced that the E_Care Consortium between the Anatolian Holding Company and the Sevgi Hospital chain will run the Swiss Montbrillant Hospital. According to the statement patients will not only be cured but at the same time they will have the chance to have a holiday in Switzerland. /Cumhuriyet/[26] ANKARA WORRIES ON ARMENIAN-AZERI DISPUTEAnkara announced its sadness concerning the Armenian attack on Azerbaijan on 14 June and called on both sides not to damage stability in the region. The Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sermet Atacanli, said that the recent incident between Armenia and Azerbaijan had caused great anxiety in Ankara. He added such a blatant action would be very harmful both to the peace process between the two sides and to the stability of the region. Atacanli called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to avoid an increase in tension in the region.Furthermore, Sermet Atacanli announced that temporary meetings between Turkish and Russian Ministries of Foreign Affairs would be held on 17-18 June in Moscow. During the meetings bilateral relations and regional developments would be evaluated, he said. /Cumhuriyet/ [27] MORNINGSTAR TO VISIT TURKEYRichard Morningstar, the former consultant of US President Bill Clinton, responsible for the energy policies and Central Asia; and John Wolf, the new consultant, will visit Turkey between June 21 and 23, the Anatolia News Agency reports.[28] EUROPEAN STANDARD FOR CHILDREN'S TRIALSTurkey signed the "European Children's Rights Charter" on 9 June. Turkey's permanent Representative to the European Council, Alev Kilic signed the Charter in the name of Turkey. With the Charter, the representation of children in court, their participation in trials and their being given getting information about the trials will be ensured. It also foresees the establishment of a permanent committee formed by representatives of international institutions. /Milliyet/[29] FLITTERMOUSE AWARD FROM BRITAINArpat Ozgul, Rasit Bilgin and Kerem Ali Boyla, students from the Business Administration Department of Bogazici University, have been awarded 'The Category Prize for Endangered Species' by the British oil company BP for their projects to protect the flittermice which live along the Bosphorus Straits and are in danger of extinction. Arpat Ozgul received the prize, given as part of the BP Protection Project "Eurasian Bridge '99", on behalf of his team during a ceremony held in London from the British Environment Minister Hon Michael Meacher. /Hurriyet/[30] WARNING ABOUT AEGEAN SEAThe Commander of the Turkish Military Academy, General Necati Ozgen, delivered a clossing speech at the symposium which has lasted two days at the Military Academy. During his speech he pointed out that the issue of the Aegean was awaiting an urgent solution. Against the future structure of the existing situation in the Aegean, which may lead contrary positions to Turkey we had to use the Maritime Law well and to produce strategies which take as their base the norms of International Law.He also added that to benefit efficiently from Maritime Commercial opportunities on our seas we had to consider it holistically. For that reason new projects should be implemented to improve the connection of inland areas of the country to our harbours by road or by rail which would help to counter the recession, particularly in Eastern Anatolia. /Turkiye/ [31] MUTAFYAN'S VISITArmenian Patriarch Mesrop Mutafyan paid a visit to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and to the Chairman of the Motherland Party, Mesut Yilmaz. Before leaving he declared that on the occasion of this visit they had had the mutual chance of expressing their views on various issues. Later he visited Mesut Yilmaz. /Turkiye/[32] FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS....[33] TGNA AND HUMAN RIGHTS -BY IZZET SEDES (AKSAM)Columnist Izzet Sedes comments on the handing-over of the State Security Courts (DGMs) to total civilian control. A summary of his column is as follows:"The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) has taken an important step in improving Turkey's human rights image in the world. It has approved the draft law prepared by the government to assign a civilian judge in place of the military judge in the DGMs by 359 votes. If 367 votes are cast in favour of this amendment tomorrow it will be enacted. Otherwise, a referendum will be have to be conducted; that is, the people will have to vote on the draft. It would be much better for the TGNA members to solve the issue without going to a referendum. We have to leave aside the complex of not doing anything because Europe wants it so. Turkey is a country who signed the European Human Rights Bill long ago. International Law is superior to the laws of the country. That is to say, if there is a contradiction between the provisions of the European Human Rights Bill (EHRB) and the laws of the country, the courts have to implement the provisions of the aforementioned Bill. The EHRB has been accepted as law in all the EU countries. There are no military judges in any democratic country. There is no rule that military judges are not fair, however today the democratic world desires that judges should not be in any situation where they can take orders from their superiors. Turkey has ratified the EHRB of her own free will and accepted the authority of its Court. Therefore, the decisions of the Court should not be defined as an intervention in our domestic affairs or sovereignty. The European Court of Human Rights has shown its understanding of democracy on various occasions. According to this Court, States should be able to fight effectively against threats to their order without damaging their democratic institutions. The independence of the judicial system is an indispensable part of society based on the rule of law and means that judges should be able to perform their duties without being subjected to any external pressure. In fact, the Ecevit government has understood the need to amend the law on the State Security Courts in line with the EHRB. To install a civilian judge in place of the military judge will improve Turkey's image in the eyes of the world. [34] SPECIAL KOSOVO[35] CEM CRITICIZES NATO FOR DELAYED KOSOVO INTERVENTIONForeign Minister Ismail Cem has criticized NATO for its hesitancy in intervening in Yugoslavia and stressed that last year Ankara had repeatedly warned the Alliance about the looming crisis. "If everything has gone as we advised, the intervention would have started much earlier and the refugees would have suffered less", Cem said. He expressed pessimism over the ongoing turmoil in the region and said that the outcome of the NATO air strikes did not completely satisfy Ankara.Meanwhile, high-level Foreign Ministry officials gathered yesterday to discuss future efforts to rebuild the war-torn province and the return of the 17,000 refugees who have found shelter in Turkey. /All papers/ [36] TURKISH UNIT READY TO GO TO KOSOVOThe Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sermet Atacanli, announced that there was no problem between Turkey and Bulgaria about the Turkish unit to go to Kosovo. Atacanli noted that after negotiations between NATO and Bulgaria have been finalized, Turkey will send her troops to Kosovo. /Aksam/[37] NATO DEFENCE AND FOREIGN MINISTERS TO CONVENE ON FRIDAYThe Defence and Foreign Ministers of 19 NATO member countries will convene in Brussels on Friday to discuss the work of the International Peacekeeping Force in Kosovo (KFOR). National Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem are expected to represent Turkey at the meeting, the Anatolia News Agency reports.[38] UNIVERSITY EDUCATION FOR KOSOVARS IN TURKEYHigher Education Council (YOK) will ensure the opportunity of a university education to young Kosovars who fled their country beacuse of the Serbian massacre and have settled in Turkey. According to the Anatolian News Agency, Kosovar young people will sit the Turkish-speaking Republics' exam on 20 June. According to their exam results, they will be placed in universities in Thrace, the Aegean, Uludag and Istanbul Universities. Students whose Turkish is insufficient to enable them to go to university will be taught Turkish in TOMER Language Centres.[39] LESSONS TO LEARN FROM KOSOVO -BY COSKUN KIRCA (SABAH)Former Ambassador Coskun Kirca analyzes the results of the Kosovo crisis in his column in "Sabah". A summary of his column is as follows:"Yugoslavia has accepted the phased withdrawal of its troops, security forces and para-military forces from Kosovo in 11 days, as a result of the NATO air-strikes. Thus, NATO has achieved a victory. The first lesson to be drawn out from this conflict is that it is not possible to break resistance of similar strength without the use of ground troops or the threat of using ground troops. In fact the main reason convincing Yugoslavia to accept a peace agreement has been President Clinton's statement on the use of troops if necessary... The Serbians living in the northern regions of Kosovo are migrating to Yugoslavia for fear of revenge attacks by Kosovar Albanians. However, there is a strong possibility that some Serbians stripped of their uniforms will be left there to provoke unrest in the society and thus make it more difficult for the NATO soldiers to protect the peace. Kosovo will not be a picnic for NATO troops. It should also be noted that Serbians sincerely believe that they have won a victory against NATO. This shows that the doctrine of religious discrimination which does not recognize human rights has destroyed commonsense. Thereefore, Milosevic still has the support of the majority of the Serbians. The Kosovar Serbians are leaving the region of their own free will afraid of Kosovar Albanians taking revenge just like the Greek-Cypriots who left Northern Cyprus not because of the oppression of the Turkish forces but due to the fact that they believed the Turkish Army would act just like their own gangs. This shows that it is not possible to let the two nationalistic societies live together in Kosovo, as in Cyprus. This is a fact which is not seen in Western Europe, but in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Therefore, both NATO and the EU should know that shaping the new political organization in accordance with their own values, will not solve the problem but will temporarily suspend it. The fact that Russia is no longer a 'super power' and will not be so for some time has been understood with the Kosovo problem. Russia needs the help of the West to pull its economy out of bankruptcy in order to meet the basic needs of its own people and implement a working market economy. It is not possible for Russia to play an important role in world let alone Balkan politics. One of the lessons to be learnt from the Kosovo crisis is that the implementation of EU aspirations to be the police force of Europe is not possible. It is easy to send 35-40 thousand troops to Kosovo to protect the peace but it is another thing to engage in serious fighting. If the US had not contributed to the crisis in Kosovo, Europe was bound to remain inactive. One of the important results of the crisis for Turkey has been that the Orthodox Alliance Greece wanted to achieve in the Balkans has not been successful. Today in the Balkans only a ravagedYugoslavia has been left on the side of Greece. Romania and Bulgaria have closed their airspace to Russian planes which would otherwise carry reinforcements to Russian units." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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