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Turkish Press Review, 99-10-22Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>22.10.99Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[02] AHMET TANER KISLALI MURDEREDAhmet Taner Kislali, one of Turkey's leading secularists, a prominent professor of political science and columnist on the daily 'Cumhuriyet', fell victim to terrorism on Thursday. Kislali died in the explosion of a bomb planted on his car. The bomb was in a plastic bag left on the windscreen of the car, parked in front of his home in the Cayyolu suburb of Ankara. According to police sources, the bomb went off when he picked up the bag and attempted to throw it away.A political science professor and columnist for the left-wing daily 'Cumhuriyet', Kislali served as culture Minister in the late 1970s. He was a member of Parliament from 1977 to 1980. /All Papers/ [03] GREAT ANGER THROUGHOUT COUNTRYThe tragic loss of Ahmet Taner Kislali has caused great anger in Turkey. His colleagues, students, readers and admirers have been visiting the hospital, his home and his newspaper 'Cumhuriyet' all day long. President Suleyman Demirel, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Ministers, political leaders and non-govermental organizations have all issued messages of condolence and condemned the murder. Meanwhile, the European Commission also speedly forwarded its deepest condolences for Turkey's loss. The funeral will be held on Saturday. In memory of Kİslali, memorial services will be arranged and held at the TGNA, 'Cumhuriyet' newspaper and at the Culture Ministry. /All papers/[04] 'TARGET IS CUMHURIYET'Six eminent columnists on the 'Cumhuriyet' newspaper have been murdered up to date:Prof. Cahit Orhan Tutengil, on Dec. 7th 1979, was murdered in front of his house; Prof. Muammer Aksoy, on Jan. 31st 1990, was murdered on his way home; Ass. Prof. Bahriye Ucok, on Oct. 6th 1990, was murdered by a letter-bomb; Ugur Mumcu, on Jan. 24th 1993, was murdered by a car bomb; Onat Kutlar, on Dec. 30th 1994, lost his life in an explosion. There are similarities between the murders of the two writers, Ugur Mumcu and Ahmet Taner Kislali. Both of them lost their lives in a car-bomb blast. Although six years have passed since the murder of Ugur Mumcu, the assailants are still at large remain unknown. During this period eight governments have come to power; however, none of them has been able to solve the assassinations. /Cumhuriyet/ [05] KISLALI: "EMERGENCY MEETING AT MINISTRY OF INTERIORAfter the bomb blast in which Prof. Dr. Ahmet Taner Kislali was killed, a meeting was held at the Ministry of the Interior, chaired by the Interior Minister, Saadettin Tantan. The National Intelligence Agency (MIT) and intelligence and anti-terrorism units from the Security and Gendarmerie Headquarters attended the meeting, during which work groups were established.The Head of MIT, Senkal Atasagun, Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior Saim Cotur, Ankara Governor Yahya Gur, the Deputy General Director of Security, Turan Genc, Ankara's Deputy Director of Security, Kemal Iskender, the Provincial Gendarmerie Headquarters' Senior Colonel Kemal Bayalan, the General Gendarmerie Headquarters' Intelligence Chief and the Security Headquarters' Head of Intelligence attended the meeting. /Hurriyet/ [06] APPEALS COURT: OCALAN VERDICT OUT ON NOVEMBER 25Lawyers for the separatist chieftain pressed the court for a new trial of the condemned Ocalan, this time on a lesser charge that does not carry the death penalty. The Supreme Court of Appeals, reviewing the June 29 death sentence handed to separatist Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan by the Ankara State Security Court (DGM), declared on Thursday that it would issue its verdict on the outcome of the case on November 25.Ocalan, the sole inmate on Imrali, the prison island south of Istanbul, did not attend the hearing. As the appeals court hearing got under way, nearly 200 relatives of Turkish soldiers killed in the Kurdish uprising gathered outside the Ankara courthouse and urged the judges to uphold Ocalan's death sentence. His appeal had been scheduled to be launched two weeks ago, but the court had accepted his lawyers' request for more time to prepare their case. The lawyers claimed irregularities in Ocalan's original trial, included restrictions placed on their meetings with the defendant, which took place in the presence of guards wearing ski masks. The lawyers hope to finish stating their case on Thursday. The lawyers also hope the separatist leader's calls for peace will influence the case. /All papers/ [07] OPPONENTS ARE GATHERINGOpposition organizers within the PKK, who became opposed to the internal administration of the terrorist group and faced various attacks after the arrest of separatist terrorist chieftain Abdullah Ocalan, will meet in Cologne between 22th and 24th October. The subject of the meeting is "Where is the PKK headed? A Kurdish dialogue". Nearly 100 people, such as Necdet Buldan, Cemil Gundogan, Sertac Bucak, Hamit Bozarslan and Selim Okcuoglu, now on the PKK's "most wanted" as they have been accused of being untrustworthy, will be present. /Milliyet/[08] ISTEMIHAN TALAY AND MEHMET NURI YILMAZ DUE IN U.SCulture Minister Istemihan Talay and the Director of Religious Affairs, Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz, will go to New York in order to attend the events arranged by the Israeli Government and the Jewish establishments in this country as part of the fund-raising campaigns for the earthquake victims. /Turkiye/[09] TURCO-GREEK DIALOGUEThe first stage meetings in the third round of Turco-Greek talks started yesterday in Ankara, reported the Anatolian News Agency. The Turkish delegation is attending the meetings headed by the Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary, Mithat Balkan, while the Greek delegates were headed by the Greek Foreign Ministry's Political Director, Anastasyos Skopelitis. The Greek Ambassador to Ankara, Yannis Korandis, is also attending the meetings. During yesterday's meetings tourism and environmental issues were discussed. Today, bilateral trade relations and other topics relating to trade will be taken up. In addition to the officials from the Foreign Ministry, officials from the Finance, Energy and Natural Resources, Transport and Communications, Environment and Forestry Ministries are present at the meetings, as are officials, also from the Undersecretariats of Foreign Trade and the Treasury, and the Turkish Electricity Authority. The second stage meetings of the third round of talks will be held on Oct. 25th and 26th.[10] ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT TURKEYIsraeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak will come to Turkey at the beginning of next week following the invitation of Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. Israel's Ambassador to Turkey, Uri Bar-Ner, stated that this visit was of historic importance because except for the Prime Minister of the time, Ben Gurion's secret visit to Turkey in 1958, there has been no visit to Turkey made at this level. During the visit, relations between the two countries and economic issues will be discussed. /Aksam/[11] OSCE PREPARATIONSAustria, Norway and Poland's Foreign Ministers have met in Vienna prior to the OSCE Summit on Nov. 18th-19th in Istanbul. The Ministers are engaged in the final preparations for the Summit. /Turkiye/[12] MOSES: WE FAILED ON CYPRUSThe U.S. Presidential Special Envoy to Cyprus, Alfred Moses, admitted his failure in convincing both sides on Cyprus to draw closer together after two days of shuttle diplomacy talks on Cyprus. Moses met the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Rauf Denktas, three times and the Greek Leader Glafkos Klerides twice. Moses said during a press conference before leaving Larnaka Airport for Washington yesterday, that he had been unable to ensure a rapprochement between the two leaders, however, he was still hopeful. Alfred Moses declared, "Meanwhile, we experienced some encouraging progress; both sides emphasized their desire for a comprehensive solution to the issue." Moses added that the period needed in order to reach a solution would take time. /Cumhuriyet/[13] CHANGE OF POST: UN'S CYPRUS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVEIt is declared that a Peruvian diplomat, Alvaro de Soto, will be assigned to the post of the UN Secretary-General's Cyprus Special Representative. De Soto, 56 years old, has been serving successfully as the political advisor to the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, since 1995 and it is expected that he will carry out his new assignment with flair as part of his career. /Turkiye/[14] MOYNIHAN: "TURKEY IS THE ONLY SECULAR MUSLIM COUNTRY"New York's Democrat Senator, Patrick Moynihan, has presented a draft law envisaging a free trade agreement between Turkey and U.S.A. before Congress. He also delivered a speech during which he complimented Turkey and said, "Reaching an agreement with Turkey is important in making the region stable." If this agreement is signed, obstacles in trade with the U.S.A. will come to an end.Senator Moynihan further added, "Secular Turkey, founded by the legendary Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923 out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, has played a very important role in a place where East and West meet. Following this a democratic Parliamentary Government, dependent on the Turkish Constitution and whose judgement is unfettered was established. Turkey is really the only Muslim country with a secular democracy. The friendship between Turkey and the U.S.A. dates back to the trade agreement in 1830, during the period of Ottoman rule. The rapprochement that began after World War II between the two countries still continues today." Senator Mohnihan added, "Turkey, with her geography, history and economic success, is effective in Central Asia, in which a large Turkish population is situated. /Hurriyet/ [15] EU DISPOSES OF BAN ON SEAFOODThe Minister of Agriculture, Foresty and Rural Affairs, Husnu Yusuf Gokalp, stated that the EU has disposed of the ban that they imposed on the export of seafood last June. Gokalp recalled the fact that the EU had implemented the ban on seafood of Turkish origin on 24th June 1998, due to deficiencies in Turkish technical expertise and hygiene when handling the products, following checks that took place on 6th February 1998.Gokalp further added, "After this, a Seafood Quality Control Action Plan prepared by the Ministry in order to correct the technical and hygienic deficiencies found. After the work engaged in as part of the plan, this ban was disposed of. EU supervisors came to Turkey and took samples for testing between 19th and 23rd July. A report related to this check was discussed by the Veterinary Permanent Committee in Brussels. The removal of the ban will be implemented after this decision is published in the EU's Official Gazette. Probably in the middle of November, the export of these products will begin again." /Hurriyet/ [16] ITALIAN HUGE TRUSTS TURKEYThe Chairman of Fiat, Roberto Testore said that the Fiat Marea and Fiat Brava "made in Turkey" have taken their place in the markets, which symbolizing Fiat's trust in the Turkish economy and the Turkish people. Testore, who arrived in Turkey yesterday, said, "Fiat considers Turkey and the Turkish automotive market to be an inseparable part of its local market. We have produced five new models in only five years in Turkey and put them on the market. This achievement derives from the fact that the factory in Bursa is completely integrated with the Fiat system. In fact, by doing this, we are investing in the country's future and its people both directly and indirectly." /Sabah/[17] ROCKEFELLER: "I AM TOO OLD FOR INVESTMENT"The famous American billionaire, David Rockefeller, continued his tour of Turkey with a visit to Ankara yesterday. David Rockefeller and 21 members of the American Foreign Relations Committee visited Prime Minisiter Bulent Ecevit. Rockefeller said, "We are trying to understand what is happening in Turkey. We are beginning to be better able to understand the economic and political situation here. It was worth coming here to learn this, but I am too old for investments." Rockefeller and Ecevit also discussed Turco-Greek relations, Northern Iraq and Cyprus.Rockefeller and the delegation with him will inspect the earthquake-hit region tomorrow. Then they will go to Diyarbakir on Sunday to attend the opening ceremonies of some establishments there. Rockefeller has also met the leader of the True Path Party (DYP), Tansu Ciller. /Hurriyet/ [18] BELL WILL CONSTRUCT FACTORY IN GAZIANTEPAs part of the drive towards "Improvements in the South East", which was placed on the agenda during Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's visit to the U.S.A., a delegation comprising of American businessmen inspected South Eastern Anatolia Project (GAP).The General Director of the Bell- Texron Helicopter Company, Mike Robbins, said, "We and other companies will begin to invest in the region. We came here because we see a bright future in the region, which will be achieved by a group of big businessmen. The Bell Helicopter Company will take part in the helicopter bid put out to tender Turkey. Next week, we will make an offer. If we win the bid at the beginning of next year, we will construct a factory to produce helicopter spare parts. We will announce the cost of this investment after we have won the bid." /Hurriyet/ [19] PHYSICS CONGRESSThe 18th. 'Physics Congress', traditionally organized by the Turkish Physics Association will be held between Oct. 25th and 28th in Adana; 500 academicians from a number of countries are expected to attend the meeting, reported the Anatolian News Agency.[20] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[21] THE MISSION OF MOSES - BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)Colunist Sami Kohen comments on the mission of President Bill Clinton's Special Cyprus Representative, Alfred Moses. A summary of his column is as follows:"When President Clinton's Cyprus Special Representative, Alfred Moses, started his tours of Ankara, Athens and Nicosia he described his mission as one of being a "facilitator". He hoped that by using such a modest word instead of 'mediator' he would indeed facilitate the start of the Cyprus negotiations. However, it is clear that Moses' hopes were not fulfilled. Moses shuttled between both sectors on Cyprus but was unable to make Denktas and Klerides reach an accord on coming together. However, the two Cypriot leaders may meet with the participation of the Greek and Turkish leaders during the OSCE Summit to be held in Istanbul next month. Even so, it is impossible to guess whether this would be the start of a negotiation process. Last week, Moses sincerely believed that he would be able to find a formula for the start of the negotiations. As a diplomat, he was talking cautiously. He did not come the region with an American plan. However, he brought some ideas which might facilitate a solution, according to Washington. He searched for support in both parts of Cyprus without imposition but by way of suggestion. We can summarize the basic views of Washington thus: 1) Negotiations should start on Cyprus. The time is convenient for the solution of the problem. To leave the matter as it is will not benefit either side. 2) The method for the start of negotiations was adopted by the G-8 and the UN Security Council. However, the US knows that she has to be flexible on the issue. Solutions which can take Denktas's concerns into consideration can be found. 3) All kinds of solutions can be discussed during the negotiations. There is no need to use the labels "federation" or "confederation" beforehand. The US believes that a bizonal status and a Turkish guarantee should continue and Turkey must have the power of veto. Negotiations should also cover the principle of "land for security". Moses related his views to the leaders but is clear that he was unable to succeed in his mission." [22] I DENOUNCE! - BY AHMET TANER KISLALI"I did not know Brigadier General Prof. Yalcın Isımer. First, I saw him on TV, and then read some of his words reflected in the newspapers. I sincerely applauded him.Then came the volley of abuse from fundamentalist and reactionary circles. As I was curious about this, I found the speech he delivered at the opening of the school-year in GATA. I read with care and an increasing enthusiasm. My respect for him grew and I regretted that the entire speech had not been read by millions of people. I particularly wanted to reproach two people I respected, even though I did not share their views - one of them fundamentalist, the other nationalist and conservative, Mr. Recai Kutan and Mr. Avni Ozgurel. Perhaps this was because they had formed an opinion before being informed, or worse, were pretending to be ignorant. Mr. Isımer's speech was based on the linksbetween "Nation, religion and language". This speech reflects the great experience of a Kemalist philosopher who believes in God and sees language as being of great importance. What did the speech say in essence? It stated that those who spoke in the language of another nation will tend to think like that nation... Those who opposed the Turkish language's being freed of Arabic and Persian words had taken up a negative position vis-a-vis towards the War of Independence and the subsequent reforms...It was easier to reach God in our own language... The Caspian Turks had became more like the Jews following their conversion to Judaism and their study of Hebrew...The Caspian Turks in Poland and Hungary also suffered from the Jewish Genocide perpetrated by Hitler, as Arthur Koestler had documented... He adds, "We grew up with Turkish lullabies; our prayers will also be in Turkish... God is omnipresent, omniscient, including Turkish...Men of religion did not permit the Koran to be translated or religion to be practised in Turkish for a thousand years. No other leader but Ataturk was able to formulate the question: why Arabic and not Turkish? Even today, no one is able to ask that. May God prevent individual passions from being placed before the national interest. Amen..." God has gone far beyond the boundaries of Arabia. He is the great Creator of the whole Universe." Mr. Isimer is respectful of both religion and language. In his speech there are examples of praises for the Turkish language by many famous linguists. Max Mulller: "Turkish is the result of the creative power of the Turkish langugae. It is the product of human the intellect's awesome might. There is no other language which can be understood as easily, or enjoyed as much as Turkish." Paul Roux: "Turkish is a mathematical language full of thought and intellect." Moliere: "Turkish is language to be admired; you can express a great deal by a few words." If only Mr. Isimer had given a place to the words of Nazim, in the call of Ferhat to Sirin, "You are as beautiful as Turkish, the language I speak!" He is respectful of language, religion and the nation. Then what is the reason behind the anger of some radical Islamists and "nationalist-conservatives"? There is a saying in Turkish: "He who cannot beat his horse, beats his saddle instead." The saddle found by those who want to impose Arabic culture on Turkey in the name of Islam lies behind these words: "Those who try to announce him as a religious leader because he did not comply with Ataturk's request and translate the Koran into Turkish are now trying to establish a Mehmet Akif University. It should be realized that those graduating from this university will be no different than those graduating from El Ezher University. They will work for the Arabs. We shall not merely turn our backs on them but shall know them all". Oktay Akbal explained the meaning of the verb "to know" in detail in his column. It is clear that Mr. Isimer means to say that we will learn about them all and not forget them and he has used this sentence to warn the people who believe in the Republic. However, some people are insisting on interpreting the word not by what it literally means, but how it is used in slang, as they are used to thinking in Ottoman, not in Turkish. Perhaps they are thinking in slang and they cannot see that in such a high- levelled speech, delivered in perfect Turkish, there can be only one meaning of the word 'to know'. Or they know perfectly well what he means to say, but pretend not to understand as they can give no convincing answer to the accusations the entire speech directs at them. If they have spoken before reading the whole of the speech, they are wrong; if they continued their attacks despite reading it in its entirety, it is worse. "Cumhuriyet" should publish General Isimer's speech entitled "My Ataturk and Turkish". It should publish this speech so that some may become aware of the situation and others should feel ashamed." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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