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Turkish Press Review, 01-04-24Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning24.04.2001CONTENTS
[01] CELEBRATIONS OF APRIL 23 NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND CHILDREN'S DAYThe April 23 National Sovereignty and Children's Day was celebrated all over Turkey yesterday. Ceremonies in certain region were delayed due to heavy rain and storms. Among the figures visiting Ataturk's Mausoleum (Anitkabir) were Turkish Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi, Virtue Party Chairman Recai Kutan, Ministers of State and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, Husamettin Ozkan, Devlet Bahceli and parliamentarians. Student groups performed shows during the ceremonies in May 19 Stadium. /Cumhuriyet/[02] CHECHEN TERRORISTS SURRENDERThe Chechen terrorists supporting the Chechen struggle against the Russian army raided the Swisshotel in Istanbul to draw world-wide attention on Sunday. Naming themselves as "Chechen Struggle Group", the terrorists surrended their weapons to the security forces after the incident. The hostage crisis began at 11:00 pm on Sunday. The terrorist group including Muhammet Emin Tokcan, known as one of the organizers of the abduction of Eurasia ferry in 1996, entered the hotel and fired their guns into the air. The 13-person Chechen terrorist group took the guests in the hotel as hostage. The incident ended peacefully after the Chechen terrorists surrendered. /Cumhuriyet/[03] TURKEY HARSHLY DENOUNCES CHECHEN TERRORISTSTurkey harshly denounced the recent Chechen terrorists' raiding of the Swisshotel in Istanbul naming it a "terrorist activity". Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said, "It is impossible for us to let the supporters of Chechen terrorism survive in Turkey. All necessary precautions will be taken immediately." Foreign Ministry Speaker Huseyin Dirioz stated, "We are very sorry because such a hostage crisis caused by 13 armed terrorists, naming themselves as sympathizers of the Chechen struggle against Russia and claiming their aim was to voice their concerns to the world, took place. We are pleased the incident ended peacefully." Remembering Turkey carried out a great struggle against terrorism, Dirioz said, "Turkey is a country claiming no kind of terrorism will be tolerated and we argue the struggle against terrorism requires international cooperation. We harshly denounce all activity that risks people's lives generally, and the Chechen terrorists's recent hostage activity specifically. /Cumhuriyet/[04] DERVIS TO ATTEND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL MEETINGThe National Security Council (MGK) will meet to discuss the recent economic crisis, the new economic program and the social damage caused by the recent economic problems. Economics Minister Kemal Dervis and bureaucrats related to economics will also attend the meeting for the first time to inform the MGK members about the new economic program and its targets. Dervis will inform the Planning and Budgeting Commission members about current economic conditions in a confidential session. Dervis and economy bureaucrats are expected to relay information about the foreign financial aid to be received in the future and austerity measures. It was reported officials will debate the laws enacted recently or the laws expected to be enacted soon since the economic program requires them to do so. /Cumhuriyet/[05] ECEVIT: "ECONOMIC CRISIS IS TEMPORARY"Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit spoke to the New York Post on the weekend and said that even though Turkey had been facing difficulties recently it was temporary, as he believes his Government had been taking necessary precautions with the help of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. He noted that Turkey had transformed from a state-controlled economy to a free-market economy within the last 15 years. "Turkey suffered from chronic inflation for many years. The newly prepared economic program aims to solve the high inflation problem. Even if Turkey has faced certain difficulties in recent times, I believe that it is temporary. The government has been taking the necessary precautions with the help of IMF and the World Bank," he said. /Turkish Daily News/[06] JOSPIN: "WE SUPPORT YOU"France declared she supports Turkey's initiatives to get financial aid from international finance institutions. Reportedly, French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin sent a letter to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and conveyed France's support of Turkey's efforts to overcome the recent crisis. /Turkiye/[07] DERVIS STATEMENTDuring an interview with the French daily, "Liberation",State Minister for Economy, Kemal Dervis, said "Without a good government ruling, we cannot get international support." Stressing the importance of the review of the state's role in economics, Dervis said a comprehensive discussion should be undertaken on the politics-economy relationship. Dervis added, the lower level of society would be the group most affected by the crisis and he pointed out that was not fair. Additionally, Dervis will attend the National Security Council (MGK)'s and Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA)'s Planning and Budget Commission's meeting today to give a comprehensive brief about the economic program. /Turkiye/[08] TURKEY AND GREECE TO MEETNegotations on confidence-building measures will start today between Turkey and Greece. Greek Foreign Ministry Spokesman Panos Beglitis said at a press conference that Greek NATO Permanent Representative Ambassador Vasilis Kaskarelis and Turkey's NATO Permanent Representative Ambassador Onur Oymen would participate in the meeeting to be held at NATO Headqarters in Brussels. At previous negotiations in Brussels, it was decided that both countries should tell each other about their military maneuvers's time and location in the Aegean Sea. /Turkish News/[09] TURKISH, GREEK WOMEN ASK FOR LASTING MILITARY REDUCTIONThe Turkish-Greek Joint Women's Peace Initiative (WINPEACE) asked for the governments of both Turkey and Greece to turn "postponed military cuts" into a lasting reduction. Members of WINPEACE, founded in 1998 jointly by Turkish and Greek women to look for ways for peaceful solutions to disputes between the two countries, met in Istanbul. Margarita Papendreou, Greek Foreign Minister George Papendreou's mother, was the speaker for the Greek side, while journalist Zeynep Oral represented Turkey. After the discussions, a joint declaration was announced on Monday which said the postponed military expenditures of both Greece and Turkey should be turned into a lasting military reduction. The resulting savings should be used in education, health, social security and to eradicate inequality between women and men in both countries. /Turkish Daily News/[10] FOUNTAIN DEMOLISHED TO PREVENT FLOODBaku Executive Board Chairman Hacibala Abutalibov said on Friday that a fountain at Baku's Martyrs' Cemetery was demolished in order to minimize the risk of a flood. He also stated that the Government had requested consultations with Turkey's Baku Ambassador Kadri Ecvet Tezcan, but that their request had gone unanswered. Water and natural gas pipelines pass underneath the fountain, he stressed. /Turkish News/[11] BASEGMEZ RETURNS TO THE VIRTUE PARTYMukadder Basegmez, Virtue Party (FP) Istanbul Deputy who had announced his resignation from the party on Thursday withdrew his resignation on Friday. /Turkish News/[12] PARLIAMENT TO INTENSIFY WORKING HOURSThe Advisory Board of Parliament has been summoned by the coalition political parties to convene today in a bid to complete the debate on two pivotal bills seen as vital for the economic program. The coalition partners will propose at the Advisory Board, an extension of Parliament's working hours until the end of debates on the proposed change in the expropriation law and the law which will enact augmentation of the autonomy of the Central Bank to determine fiscal policies. Coalition partners will also propose that working hours in Parliament increase. /Turkish Daily News/[13] LAST DEFENSE TRIAL OF FPThe Virtue Party(FP) will give its last defense at the Constitutional Court following the deliverance of Chief Public Prosecutor, Sabih Kanadoglu, his final opinion. /Sabah/[14] AKPM CHAIRMAN BLAMES TERRORIST LEADERS FOR DEATH FASTAs the death toll of inmates who starved to death as a result of the death fasts reached 17 on Monday, Council of Europe Parliamentarians Assembly (AKPM) British Deputy Russel Johnson accused leftist terrorist leaders of forcing inmates to go on hunger strikes. He held a press conference on Monday and talked about the reasons behind the death fasts. Drawing attention to the behavior of the inmates, who move according to the strict ideology and hierarchic order of leftist terrorist organizations, Johnson said those people who are striking were forced to do so by the leaders of the terrorist organizations. Stressing that this situation should end, Johnson urged the Turkish government to take the necessary steps to bring the deaths to an end. While Johnson said they supported Turkey's efforts to leave the dormitory-type wards and to transfer new prisons with rooms housing one to three people. He added the inmates being transferred to new prisons should be allowed to be involved in social activities. /Turkish Daily News/[15] SUPPORT FROM GREECEGreek Economics Minister, Yanos Papandoniou, said the IMF and World Bank will give $10 billion to overcome the economic crisis in Turkey. Papandoniou said the decision taken at the EU Economics and Finance Ministers' meeting(ECOFIN) to support Turkey will also be supported by Greece. "Economic and political stability are two mutually interdependent concepts. Therefore, we favor EU assistance to support the efforts of Turkey." /Milliyet/[16] WASHINGTON POST: "BUSH ADMINISTRATION SHOULD SUPPORT TURKEY"An article in the American newspaper Washington Post called on the Bush administration to support Turkey in the IMF and World Bank meetings to further the US interests in the region. The article said the economic crises in Argentina and Indonesia partially resulted from political instabilities. If liberal political groups cannot solve financial problems, reactionary groups may take over the power. /Milliyet/[17] SUMMIT OF TURKISH SPEAKING COUNTRIESThe seventh summit of Turkish speaking countries will be held in Istanbul, April 26-27. The summit will be hosted by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are expected to attend the summit. /Turkish Daily News/[18] LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCILA law defining the legal infrastructure of the Economic and Social Council is published in the Official Gazette. The Council will bring officials, labor and employee unions and bar associations together under its umbrella. /Turkish Daily News/[19] US: SMART SANCTIONS TO HELP IRAQ NEIGHBORSThe Bush Administration's new approach to sanctions against Baghdad would boost the economies of Iraq's neighbors, US Assistant Secretary of State Edward Walker said in a statement sent to Reuters on Saturday. Washington is crafting a new policy, called "smart sanctions", in response to criticism from its allies in the Middle East and Europe, which have said the international embargo unfairly targets Iraqi civilians. Smart sanctions will focus on revenue used for Iraqi military purposes and importing weapons capabilities while lifting restrictions on civilian goods. /Turkish Daily News/[20] TRANSPARENCY AND RELIABILITY IN THE MARKETThe director of the Capital Market Board (SPK), Dogan Cansizlar, said the newly established Union of Brokerage Firms will play an important role in the establishment of professional ethics in the sector. Cansizlar also said the Investors Protection Fund will contribute to the confidence in the capital market. /Milliyet/[21] CENTRAL BANK GENERAL MEETINGThe General Assembly of the Central Bank will convene today in Ankara. During the convention, elections will be held for the new members of the Bank's Assembly and the Supervision Board. According to the December 31, 2000 balance sheet, the Bank gained $827 million profit. Half of the profit will be transferred to the Treasury, the main shareholder of the Bank. /Milliyet/[22] TWO PUBLIC OFFERS FOR STATE BONDSThe Treasury will hold two separate state bond bidding today. A three-month bond in TL210 trillion and a six-month bond in TL500 trillion will be offered. /Milliyet/[23] EUROPEAN BUSINESSMEN TO VISIT SOUTHEASTA group of 200 leading Turkish and European businessmen will visit southeastern Turkey in May as a part of a tour organized by the VIP Tourism company. The trip called "Visit to the Legendary Southeast" will take place on May 23-27 and its aim is to promote southeastern Anatolia abroad and boost tourism in the region. The tour will start in Gaziantep and follow a route passing through Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Mardin, Batman and Adiyaman. Six foreign journalists will also be in the group. /Turkish News/[24] CAMPAIGN IN KHIOS FOR ABOLISHING VISA FOR TURKSA signature campaign for abolishing the visa requirement for Turkish citizens was started on the Aegean island, Khios, close to Izmir. The collected signatures will be presented to Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis on his visit to the island on May 4-5. /Sabah/[25] "WOMAN PLAYS" IN FINLANDDario Fo's "Woman Plays" prepared by the Izmit Greater City Municipality Provincial Theaters will be performed in Finland during the European Woman Theater Festival between June 7-10. There will be some shows, seminars and workshops during the Festival. /Cumhuriyet/[26] TURKISH BUSINESSMEN TO VISIT GHANATurkish businessmen from 100 different companies will visit Ghana to improve commercial relations. A Turkish Products Fair will be organized in Ghana between April 26-29. /Cumhuriyet/[27] BILKENT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA IN BELGIUMThe Bilkent Symphony Orchestra received great appreciation in the "International Musici Artis Festival" in Belgium. The orchestra gave private concerts under the auspices of Valonia Head of Government, Herve Hasquin and Turkish Ambassador to Belgium, Temel Iskit. /Cumhuriyet/[28] TURKISH BALLET DANCER IN FINLANDAlmula Ozen, State Opera and Ballet Artist, was invited to the International Ballet Contest to be organized on May 26 in Helsinki. Ozlem will represent Turkey with her leading performances in ballets such as "Sleeping Beauty", "Canakkale Martyrs" and "Dance with Symphonies". /Cumhuriyet/YAPI 2001 ISTANBUL FAIR BETWEEN MAY 2-6 Yapi 2001 Istanbul Fair will take place between May 2-6 with the participation of 50 Turkish and foreign firms. Various firms from Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Austria, the US, Romania, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Israel and Britain will attend the fair. /Star/ [29] GIANTS TURN TO EXPORTSTurkish economic giants Koc and Sabanci Groups are targeting more than $2.2-billion exports in 2001. The Sabanci Goup expects to increase its exports to $720 million this year. The Group has 19 foreign partnership and 8 foreign investments. Meanwhile, the Koc Group aims at raising its exports from $962 million to $1.5 billion this year. The Koc Group, reaching a number of 41 companies and representatives in 24 countries abroad, will take important steps in exports with companies such as Tofas and Ford Otosan. /Turkiye/[30] POLAND CALLS TURKISH CONTRACTORSLarge Polish infra-structure projects will be promoted to Turkish contractors in two seminars to be held in Istanbul at the beginning of May. With the largest population in Mid-Europe at 38.6 million, Poland has a 1.5-million dwelling shortage. Additionally, modernization will be planned in her 4808 km network of highways. Chairman of the Union of the Turkish Contractors, Kadir Sever, said, "Poland is a very attractive market for Turkish businessmen. If the projects are financed, we can get business from this country." /Turkiye/[31] 'TURKEY A HEAVEN FOR TOURISTS'The London Financial Times said yesterday Turkey has a price advantage compared to other holiday resorts. The paper said especially around Antalya there are best quality hotels with competitive prices. According to the newspaper, the Association of British Travel Agencies(ABTA) named Turkey "best value" for the 2001 holiday season. Devaluation made Turkey an attractive resort for tourists. ABTA announced Turkey as the best country for holiday value. /Sabah/[32] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS[33] RED CARD BY GUNGOR MENGI (SABAH)Columnist Gungor Mengi comments on the recent developments in Turkey. A summary of his column is as follows:"State Minister Kemal Dervis has likened the economy to a football game and said that it sank into one crisis after another due to goals scored against itself and it would score many goals this year. One of the scorers would be tourism. However, our scorer was injured at the beginning of the game because of an unprecedented kick on the limbs. A group of armed gunmen who thought they were serving the cause of Chechnia, raided Istanbul Swissotel and took innocent people including many tourists as hostages. They lived in fear for hours. The event was given as flash news in all the world's media. The aim was to draw the attention of the world to the Chechnian cause. Violence or bloodletting was not the purpose. However, to violate the freedom of people by gun and frightening them is called terrorism and no reason can alleviate the crime. Turkey made a grave mistake by showing weakness in an event when the same group hijacked the Eurasia ferryboat in 1966 for the same reason. Facilitating their escapes from semi-open prisons created the impression that if the cause is important, crimes of terrorism could be forgiven in this country. Even though these terrorists may be regarded as 'freedom fighters' by the public, they should have been punished for terrorism by the State. They were not. That is why they have committed a new crime which has damaged Turkey's image. Turkey is already on the bad news agenda of the world due to the economic crisis, street-demonstrations by masses and hunger strikes in prisons. This incident has topped them all at the beginning of the tourism season. If we are to go on comparing the incidents to a football game, during the Eurasia ferryboat incident, Turkey had shown a yellow-card to these activists. Now it is time to show them the red-card. The same mistake should not be repeated twice. Turkey has to support the Chechen issue within legal boundaries. However, this should not create a weakness for our security and national interests. Turkey should show that she will not allow her territory to be used as the hunting ground for terrorist organizations or a field to be used for their activities by a speedy and fair trial. Meanwhile Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk stated that the bills required to eliminate the reasons for hunger strikes were brought to the Parliament. The issue has begun to be solved. The will of the parties in power has been revealed and only a certain amount of time is needed for the Parliament enact these bills. To persist in hunger strikes has become a matter of suicide for the person and murder for the organization which has given the order to do so. European Council Parliamentary Assembly Chairman, British deputy Russel Johnson yesterday criticized the leaders of the communist organization who issued the order for death fasts. The bills in the TGNA meet the improvement demands in F-type prisons. To what cause will the new deaths serve? No one can expect mercy from these organizations. The recent developments should be told to the prisoners on the verge of death." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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