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Turkish Press Review, 00-10-25Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>25.10.00Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] GREECE WANTS NEW CONDITIONS FOR THE ACCESSION PARTNERSHIP DOCUMENT[02] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[03] SEZER TO OPEN 16TH MEETING OF ISEDAKThe 16th meeting of the Islamic Conference Organization's (IKT) Economic and Commercial Cooperation Permanent Committee (ISEDAK) will begin in Istanbul today. The opening session will be chaired by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who is also the Chairman of ISEDAK. Turkey will attend the meeting with a delegation chaired by the State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli. /Aksam/[04] PRIME MINISTER ECEVIT TO ATTEND BALKAN SUMMITPrime Minister Bulent Ecevit leaves for Macedonia today to participate in the Southeastern European Countries Cooperation Process' unofficial summit of the head of states and governments. The meeting will be held in Skopje, capital of Macedonia. Also attending the meeting in addition to host country Macedonia are Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Yugoslavia. Premier Ecevit is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski and Romanian Head of State Emil Constantinescu. /Turkiye/[05] GREECE WANTS NEW CONDITIONS FOR THE ACCESSION PARTNERSHIP DOCUMENTThe Greek government is trying to have preconditions included in to the Accession Partnership Document currently being prepared with any requirements necessary for Turkey's full EU membership. Greece wants new conditions regarding the Cyprus and Agean Sea to be incorporated. Greece requests the inclusion of: "Turkey has a great responsibility regarding the Cyprus issue. The island is under occupation. A solution must be found in line with the UN decisions" and "Turkey should resolve the existing disputes over the Aegean with Greece in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice in Hague" as paragraphs into the document. However, the EU Commission does not support the Greek viewpoint. The Commission is aware of the Turkish government's stance against these two conditions as they are outside the framework of the Helsinki Accords. Diplomatic sources drew the attention to the fact that the members of the EU would not allow the Accession Partnership Document to become an "offending" document. They said, "If the EU Commission accepted Turkey as a full member in a short time, they would include those conditions , but it is not the case. We may only face a condition stating that "Turkey should constructively contribute to the solution of the problems". /Milliyet/[06] ISRAEL INFORMS TURKEYIsraeli Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Alon Liel, gave information to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, on the tension between Palestine and Israel and on Sarm El Sehy Summit. Liel stated that if Palestine is announced as a State, then necessary security measures will be taken for Israeli citizens in West Seria and Gaza. He said they were hopeful about bringing the violence to an end. Minister of Foreign Affairs Ismail Cem and the Deputy Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal met Liel, who had come to Turkey. After the meeting, Liel said he had discussed the situation generally with Cem and would further investigate the issues with the Undersecretary of Foreign Ministry, Faruk Logoglu. /Cumhuriyet/[07] MCCARTHY'S STATEMENTA lecturer at the Louisville University in the US, Prof. Justin McCarthy, stated that the US Congress did the right thing concerning the so-called Armenian genocide bill, adding, "However, the US Congress should have rejected the bill not just because of the political reasons, but because it is a lie." /Cumhuriyet/[08] RUSSIAN PRIME MINISTER HOLDS MEETINGSRussian Prime Minister Mihail Kasyanov, in Turkey for an official visit, continued to meet with Turkish authorities yesterday. Mr. Kasyanov met first with Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Cumhur Ersumer. During the meeting, Turkey's electricity and additional natural gas imports from Russia were discussed. State Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen visited Mr. Kasyanov. After the meeting, Minister Yucelen said they agreed on payment of the $98 million-loan, given by Turkish Eximbank to Russia, which had expired. Later, Premier Kasyanov proceeded to Samsun to observe the construction work of the natural gas pipeline being built as a part of the Blue Stream Pipeline Project. He also attended a dinner in Istanbul organized by the Turco-Russian Business Council. Addressing the businessmen, Mr. Kasyanov pointed out they were in Turkey to further Turco-Russian economic relations and said, "Turkish and Russian economies complete each other." /Turkiye/[09] DUTCH PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT TURKEYThe Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok will arrive in Turkey on 30 October to pay an official visit. Kok will be received by the President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and will meet the Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit the same day. During the second day of his visit, Kok will hold investigations in the earthquake-hit region and meet with officials from the Foreign Economic Relations Council (DEIK) and the Turkish Association of Industrialists and Businessmen (TUSIAD). /Cumhuriyet/[10] YUCELEN'S STATEMENTState Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen stated that a human rights council will be established in every province and sub-provinces. Yucelen said, "The citizens will be able to apply to this council directly, which will be attended by all the non-governmental organizations. We have prepared a circular for this purpose and sent a copy of it to the provinces. We will hold a meeting on 10 December and give an end to the regional meetings. New officials will be appointed to the Chairmanship of Human Rights, which was established by decree with the power of law." /Aksam/[11] PEARSON AND FULFORD VISIT ERDILAmerican Ambassador to Ankara, Robert Pearson, and the American Deputy Commander to the European Forces, Carlton Fulford, visited the Turkish Commander of Naval Forces, Admiral Ilhami Erdil. Erdil delivered a speech at the beginning of this visit and said, "The relations between the US and the Turkish naval forces have a long past and these relations have developed very comprehensively since 1946. Today we are strong allies just as we were 50 years ago." /Cumhuriyet/[12] COUGAR HELICOPTER DELIVEREDIn the scope of the Phenix-II programme, the fourth of the Cougar AS-532 general purpose helicopter, produced by cooperation of the French firm Eurcopter, was delivered to the Turkish Air Force Command. The programme foresees production of 30 helicopters. /Cumhuriyet/[13] WORLD WATER CONGRESSGeneral Director of State Water Works (DSI), Dogan Altinbilek, and the Chairman of Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) Administration, Olcay Unver, were elected as officials to the Executive Board of the World Water Congress. During the meeting of the Congress held in Marseilles October 18 and 19, Unver was elected as the Accountant of the Executive Board and Altinbilek was elected as the Chairman of Publishing Board. /Aksam/[14] TURKISH DOCTOR'S SUCCESSA Turkish doctor living in the US, Kutluk Oktay, created a medical miracle by proving that the egg production can continue when the ovary is tranasported to another part of the body. The results of the tests concerning the techniques developed by Oktay, who works for Cornell University Hospital in New York, and by Dr. Roger Gosden, were announced to the world. /Aksam/[15] NEW IDENTITY NUMBERThe Turkish Republic identity numbers will be given from 28 October by the Central Population Administration System. This implementation will make registering property, taxation, safety, elections, education, health, military service, banking, social security and services in other fields quicker, rational and safer. /Hurriyet/[16] DEUTSCHE BANK HOPEFUL ABOUT TURKISH STOCK EXCHANGE'S FUTUREForeign investors observing Istanbul Stock Exchange predict that the stock exchange index will increase in the final months of this year and the first quarter of next year. Deutsche Bank, in its report, said that Moddy's will increase Turkey's credit grade and that the 2001 budget will be approved by the IMF delegation. The report said there were positive signs showing improvement in the Turkish economy. /Milliyet/[17] TURKEY'S PRODUCTION INCREASESThe State Statistics Institute (DIE) announced that the capacity usage rate, which was 68.8% last September, increased to 73.3% for the same period for this year. According to the 'Monthly Production Industry Tendency Questionare' carried out by the DIE, 50.5% of the offices expect an increase in production this year whereas 11.1% of them expect a decrease. /Aksam/[18] THE FIRST 'DERRI' OPENED IN WARSAWThe Leather Industrialists Sector Foreign Trade Company (DSD), established as an enterprise of 139 leather firms, opened its first shop abroad in the capital of Poland. The 1300 square shop opened in the largest shoping center of Warsaw, is the biggest leather shop in Europe. Turkish and Polish tradesmen met at the opening ceremony. The shops named `Derri' is projected to open chain stores in 5 different countries next year. /Hurriyet/[19] USA IS THE BIGGEST MARKET FOR TURKEY'S EXPORTSTurkey's exports to the United States showed the greatest increase to September of this year. In nine months, the exports to the US increased by $442.7 million, reaching a total of $2.19 billion. Exports to the Great Britain increased by $151.9 million and to Iraq by $82.2 million. The exports to Germany, on the other hand, decresed by $174.4 million. /Star/[20] TURKISH FOOD FIRMS IN PARISOne of the world's most prominent food fairs "SIAL 2000" is being held in Paris. 41 Turkish firms are participating in the fair this year. /Cumhuriyet/[21] ISTANBUL MAYOR VISITS NEW YORKIstanbul Metropolitan Mayor, Ali Mufit Gurtuna traveled to New York to attend a meeting organized by the United Nations and the Council of American Businessmen. Mr. Gurtuna said, "I will explain the favourable investment conditions in Istanbul to the financial circles." /Sabah/[22] BOGAZICI UNIVERSITY TO ORGANIZE PROJECT CONTESTThe Bogazici University Engineering Club students will organize an international contest. The aim of the contest by the International Cultural and Academic Meeting of Engineering Students (ICAMES) is to have students from all over the world get to know each other's culture , to produce new projects and to promote Turkey. The organization is to be sponsored by firms. The contest will take place May 12-19, 2001. Invitation letters were sent to 120 countries. /Milliyet/[23] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[24] DO NOT TAKE UP ARMS IMMEDIATELY BY SEMIH IDIZ (STAR)Columnist Semih Idiz writes on Turco-Greek relations. A summary of his column is as follows:"The desire by certain writers in both the Turkish and Greek press for a return to the past can be immediately felt. I believe that those participating in the Turco-Greek Media conference held two weeks ago in Istanbul should adopt a more cautious and more journalistic style and I am not alone in this view. Navy Forces Commander Admiral Ilhami Erdil, who described the events occurring during the NATO manoeuvres as a 'crisis' holds the same opinion. Erdil said, 'As members of the press, you are closely following the issue. However, I believe you have to consider the recent incidents within its context. The issue should neither be exaggerated nor underrated." Thus, Admiral Erdil, who assessed the situation with commonsense, stressed that this crisis could be solved through a dialogue with Greece. He added that no one should think the spring climate has given way to winds of winter, as the countries will reach a joint decision through negotiations... These problems cannot be overcome in a day and should therefore be evaluated calmly. If one of the most authoritative persons can hold this view, it is unnecessary for others to be defenders of the issue. The atmosphere in Athens is also interesting. Despite all that has happened, the statements made by civilians are cautious. Foreign Minister George Papandreou said one manoeuvre could not spoil the rapprochement process which is still improving daily. The Government Spokesman Dimitris Reppas holds the same opinion. Harsh statements come from the military and through Defence Minister Akis Cohacopoulos. Observers believe that this is a result of the controversy the Greek military experienced with NATO in the last manoeuvres. The truth of the matter cannot be guessed at the moment, but there is a difference of style between the civilians and the military in Greece. Everyone is aware that rapprochement between Turkey and Greece, notwithstanding the serious problems did not vanish as the NATO manoeuvre 'Destined Glory' revealed. Once more the points of disagreement unchanged for 20 years, have surfaced. Admiral Erdil pointed out the necessity of providing a convenient atmosphere to discuss the priorities. The recent events have shown that not everyone believes the rapprochement process has failed and mandating a return to the old days. The hawks in both countries are arguing, and it is seen that they are at odds with the important sections in their own countries. In fact, neither Turks nor Greeks favour any more fights. Neither Turkey nor Greece have lost ground from through the rapprochement process in the Aegean or Cyprus. The latest crisis in NATO has led to the surfacing of a situation known by all. Neither side gained anything by it, nor did they lose anything. The situation is rather different regarding the other manoeuvre by Greece and Greek-Cypriot Administration. I believe that this the Achilles' heel in Turco-Greek relations. No side has been able to overcome the psychological barrier which would allow the other side to come near. If the Greek-Cypriot anti-aircraft guns have locked onto Turkish jets as rumoured, this is an effort to increase the tension in the region and even a provocation. The Turkish-Cypriot side's reply should have stated that this was a very dangerous move which not becoming gentleman, instead of responding to it with harsh statements. Turkish and Greek people have shown that they were not born enemies. The politicians, military and diplomats have to respect their feelings and act in accordance with the newly found friendship. If it is desired to take the clock back it can be done overnight. However, no one would be the better for it. In short, the recent problems should be assessed as an indication of what should be done in the future." [25] ROAD MAP FOR TURKEY BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna writes on the document prepared by the European Union for Turkey. A summary of his column is as follows:The European Union presented a 24 page document called 'The Road Map for Turkey' to Ankara October 13. We must accept the document no later than 15 December 2000 in order to begin membership negotiations with the EU. Deputy Prime Minister Yilmaz has had important meetings on the issue in Brussels. The EU's Road Map for Turkey was formulated following lengthy negotiations with us. Offensive expressions were either taken out of the text or softened. The document will be officially announced on November 8. There is nothing in the document which should unnerve us. Certain conditions which are implemented in all democracies, are requested to be accepted. For years, we claim that we must accept these norms and in fact some of it has been adopted. However, our slowness has handicapped us in catching up with the times and has delayed the implementation of many of the conditions. This slowness, indifference, and procrastination has led the country to suffer great damages, and as a result, Turks were left deprived of many benefits in the world. A mistake, made 22 years ago in not entering the Common Market with Greece, Portugal, and Spain has left us behind. We cannot afford a second mistake. The Turkish people will lose all hope in its leaders. People will not vote for those who repeat the same mistake twice. When the Road Map is published on November 8, there will be those who will view it with suspicion. That we know for sure." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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