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Turkish Press Review, 00-12-12
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
12.12.00
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[02] ECEVIT MEETS KIVRIKOGLU
[03] CLINTON SENDS A LETTER TO ECEVIT
[04] PROPOSAL FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
[05] TURKEY CONVEYS ITS UNEASINESS TO FRANCE
[06] ATTACK ON POLICE: TWO KILLED
[07] INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION IN THE MIDDLE EAST
[08] TABA DESIRES FRIENDSHIP WITH ARMENIA
[09] TURKEY RETURNS AMDOUNI TO ITALIA
[10] TURK TO VISIT ITALY
[11] SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN HOUSE OF LORDS
[12] LAUNCHING OF TURKSAT 2-A POSTPONED
[13] GOVERNMENT PRESENTS 2001 BUDGET TO PARLIAMENT
[14] EUROPEAN BANKS' SUPPORT TO GOVERNMENT
[15] ADDITIONAL INTENT LETTER READY
[16] PRIVATIZATION TENDERS BEGIN THURSDAY
[17] SECTOR ASSOCIATIONS PLATFORM
[18] GALATASARAY IN WORLD LEAGUE
[19] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[20] AFTER THE NICE SUMMIT BY SEMIH IDIZ (STAR)
[01] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[02] ECEVIT MEETS KIVRIKOGLU
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit met with the Chief of the General
Staff, Huseyin Kivrikoglu yesterday. Mr. Ecevit said he shares
the worries of the General Staff over the politization of the PKK
terrorist organization as certain circles in a number of European
countries are giving support to this organization. Mr. Ecevit
said they spoke about the issue of Kurdish broadcasting.
/Milliyet/
[03] CLINTON SENDS A LETTER TO ECEVIT
Sending a letter via the US Ambassador to Turkey, Robert Pearson,
US President Bill Clinton conveyed his pleasure at the
improvement of Turkey's relations with the EU. Mr. Clinton sent
the letter because of the decision made at the Nice Summit which
holds that the European Security and Defense Identity (ESDI)
cannot be determined without taking NATO into consideration.
Clinton wants Turkey to refrain from vetoing this decision. Mr.
Clinton stated that no country should pursue negative policies
which could cause serious problems for the NATO alliance. Prime
Minister Bulent Ecevit met with Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ismail Cem over Mr. Clinton's letter. It has been learned that
Washington wants Turkey to change its harsh policy over the ESDI
and NATO relations. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] PROPOSAL FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Coalition partners presented a package for a constitutional
amendment to the Office of the TGNA Speaker. The Democratic Left
Party (DSP) Group Acting Chairman, Aydin Tumen, The Nationalist
Action Party (MHP) Group Acting Chairman, Oktay Vural, and the
Motherland Party (ANAP) Group Acting Chairman, Zeki Cakan,
presented the proposal to the TGNA Speaker, Omer Izgi yesterday
morning. The proposal covers certain amendments on closing the
political parties, the retirement of parliamentarians and the
President's term of office. /Aksam/
[05] TURKEY CONVEYS ITS UNEASINESS TO FRANCE
Turkey is uneasy over being not included in the document prepared
at the EU's Nice Summit regarding institutional reforms. It was
stated Turkey conveyed its discontent to the EU term president
France. /Aksam/
[06] ATTACK ON POLICE: TWO KILLED
Last night an armed attack was carried out against police team's
bus in Gaziosmanpasa, Istanbul. Two policemen were killed in the
attack and 12 were wounded. After the incident, three coalition
party leaders held an extraordinary session at TGNA. Deputy Prime
Ministers, Devlet Bahceli, Mesut Yilmaz, Husamettin Ozkan,
Minister of Interior Affairs Sadettin Tantan, Minister of
Justice Hikmet Sami Turk and Minister of Health Osman Durmus
attended the meeting. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said the
investigation would be ongoing. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Former President Suleyman Demirel left for Israel yesterday to
join the international commission aimed at finding a solution to
the recent violence in the Mideast. Before departing, Mr. Demirel
said Turkey was ready for all kind of efforts to reestablish
peace in the region. Meanwhile, commission members met with
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestine Head of State,
Yasser Arafat. The commission is expected to proceed to Egypt and
Jordan to meet Egyptian President, Husnu Mubarek, and Jordanian
King Abdullah. /Turkiye/
[08] TABA DESIRES FRIENDSHIP WITH ARMENIA
Members of the Turkish-American Businessmen Association (TABA)
visited the Virgin Mary Armenian Church and met with the Turkish
Armenian Patriarch, Mesrob Mutafyan. Chairman of the TABA, Zeynel
Abidin Erdem, said, "We know that nothing can be solved through
hostility. The past should be left in the past." He emphasized
that development of good relations between Armenia and Turkey
would greatly contribute to world peace. /Turkiye/
[09] TURKEY RETURNS AMDOUNI TO ITALIA
Turkey will return Tunisian-born Mehrez Amdouni, an aide of
Islamic terrorist Usama Bin Laden, to Italy. Amdouni entered
illegally Turkey for an assassination attempt on Italian Foreign
Minister Lamberto Dini on Sep,9 1999. Turkey evaluated the
extradition requests of both Tunisia and Italy. The court decided
to return the terrorist to Italy. The Council of Ministers
announced the Italian request was accepted. Amdouni will be
extradited this week. Amdouni is a known organizer of Bin Laden's
terrorist activities in western countries. /Milliyet/
[10] TURK TO VISIT ITALY
The conference on "Fighting against International Criminal
Organizations", organized by the United Nations, will begin today
in Palermo, Italy. Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk will
represent Turkey at the conference. /Sabah/
[11] SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN HOUSE OF LORDS
A small group of Armenians gathered at the House of Lords
building to promote a propoganda book which includes the
so-called Armenian genocide claims under the leadership of Lord
Evebury. The group criticized the British government which had
rejected the inclusion of Armenians into the list of groups which
had suffered genocide at the Commemoration Day of World Genocide
Victims. /Sabah/
[12] LAUNCHING OF TURKSAT 2-A POSTPONED
The launching of the third Turkish satellite Turksat 2-A was
postponed due to a technical failure. The satellite will be
launched tonight at the latest. /Milliyet/
[13] GOVERNMENT PRESENTS 2001 BUDGET TO PARLIAMENT
While presenting the 2001 budget bill to Parliament's plenary
session yesterday, Finance Minister Sumer Oral reiterated the
government's determination to stand by the three-year economic
program aimed at reducing inflation to a single digit. Oral
indicated that the government managed to intervene swiftly in the
recent liquidity turbulance in the financial markets and
indicators have begun to normalize. Oral said the government was
aiming to stabilize the economy through growth. Parliament should
adopt by end of the year, the 2001 budget which was cleared by
the Planning and Budget Commission last week. /Turkish Daily
News/
[14] EUROPEAN BANKS' SUPPORT TO GOVERNMENT
The Turkish government received support from 30 European banks at
the bankers' meeting organized by Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt.
Governor of the Central Bank, Gazi Ercel, and Chairman of the
Privatization Board, Ugur Bayar, attended the meeting. Turkey's
economic package with IMF aid was supported by the European
bankers at the meeting. During the meeting attended by
representatives of prominent European banks, IMF officials and
Turkish economy bureaucrats, representatives of European banks
said, "We continue our support of Turkey and view positively
Turkey's structural reform objectives in the banking sector."
Stating he was pleased with the international support to Turkey,
Mr. Ercel said, "This support will help implement structural
reforms in the Turkish economy." /Cumhuriyet/
[15] ADDITIONAL INTENT LETTER READY
The additional letter of intent prepared in the scope of the
Stand-By agreement signed with the IMF, was presented to the
government after being completed. The letter is expected to be
sent to the IMF next week following its ratification by the
government. Following the recent negative developments in the
Turkish economy, Chairman of the IMF European 1st Department,
Michael Deppler, Chairman of the IMF Banking Department, Stephen
Ingves, and Chief of the IMF Turkish Desk, Carlo Cottarelli
arrived in Turkey last week to make observations. With an
additional financial loan of $10.4 billion supplied by the IMF,
the liquidity shortage was overcome and the positive effects of
the loan was immediately reflected in the markets. /Turkiye/
[16] PRIVATIZATION TENDERS BEGIN THURSDAY
The announcements regarding the bloc sale of Turkish Airlines and
Turk Telekom will be issued on Thursday. 33.5% shares of Turk
Telekom and 51% shares of Turkish Airlines will be sold as a part
of the privatization process. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
approved the bloc sale of the two companies. /Milliyet/
[17] SECTOR ASSOCIATIONS PLATFORM
About 25 sector associations amalgamated under the name of
"Sector Associations Platform", are coordinating their activities
for adjustment to the EU together and are strengthening their
cooperation out for adjustment to the EU together and are
strengthening their coooperation with the Turkish Industrialists
and Businessmen Association (TUSIAD). /Cumhuriyet/
[18] GALATASARAY IN WORLD LEAGUE
Galatasaray has a chance to participate in the World Football
Championship. FIFA will decide on Thursday if the Galatasaray
will participate in the Championship. /Aksam/
[19] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[20] AFTER THE NICE SUMMIT BY SEMIH IDIZ (STAR)
Columnist Semih Idiz writes on the EU Nice Summit and its
consequences. A summary of his column is as follows:
"From Turkey's viewpoint, the Nice summit meeting has a sent out
mixed signals. Turkey's inclusion into the 'Family Photo' is a
positive development. This shows that Turkey is in the general
framework of Europe in some way. However, no mention of Turkey's
place within the enlargement process from now until 2010 is a
negative development.
At first sight, this is seen as an injustice towards Turkey. If
EU leaders had given a clear perspective to Ankara, this would
have been encouraging to Turkey. No mention of this perspective
has created an opportunity for those who are against us entering
the EU.
However, we should know that none of the candidates entered the
Union easily. France blocked the candidacy of the UK and,
indirectly, the candidacy of Ireland. Ireland did not abandon its
quest and fought hard until it got what it believed to be its
due. Turkey must to the same today.
However, Ankara did not draw up a perspective for itself since it
received the candidacy. If Turkey had been able to do that, the
result would have been different. At the moment, not only the
people and the press but also the most important institutions of
the state have begun to express contradictory statements. Instead
of waiting for the Europeans to provide us with a perspective, we
should draw up our own perspective."
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