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Turkish Press Review, 01-04-30
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
30.04.2001
CONTENTS
[01] DSP CONVENTION HELD
[02] LEADERS EMPHASIZE VITAL NATURE OF BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINE PROJECT
[03] ECEVIT TO VISIT SPAIN
[04] PARLIAMENT WAITS FOR NEW BILLS
[05] DERVIS' CONTACTS IN THE US
[06] RAPPROCHEMENT BETWEEN TURKEY AND GREECE CONTINUES
[07] YILMAZ THANKS GREECE
[08] NEW UN FORMULA FOR CYPRUS
[09] CEM RETURNS FROM BSEC MEETING IN MOSCOW
[10] MINISTER GOKALP VISITS LITHUANIA
[11] DERVIS IN TALKS WITH ECONOMY BUREAUCRATS OF DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
[12] PARRIS: " ERSUMER'S RESIGNATION IS A GOOD MOVE"
[13] A CHINESE DELEGATION VISITS ISTANBUL
[14] BUSINESSMEN TO MEET
[15] SABANCI: "DERVIS IS CAPABLE"
[16] WEEK OF FOREIGN DEBT PAYMENTS
[17] SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS WITH ISRAEL
[18] $2.5 MILLION TURKISH GRANT TO GEORGIA
[19] DUTCH DELEGATION TO INTRODUCE PRE-ACCESSION PROGRAMS
[20] TCDD TO HOLD TOUR TO SOUTHEAST
[21] FOUR TURKS GIVEN ROYAL HONOR IN THE NETHERLANDS
[22] LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE STARTS FOR TURKS IN US
[23] CIVIL AVIATION SUMMIT IN MAY
[24] TURKEY-AUSTRIA "AUTOBERTH" TRAIN JOURNEYS TO START
[25] ONE BILLION DOLLAR FROM HEALTH AND BEAUTY TOURISM
[26] BBC: "ISTANBUL IS THE SAFEST CITY"
[27] WORLD DANCE DAY ACTIVITIES
[28] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[29] TOWARDS THE END OF A CRISIS BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)
[01] DSP CONVENTION HELD
The Democratic Left Party (DSP) Fifth Ordinary Great Convention was
held in Ankara yesterday. Bulent Ecevit was re-elected to the
leadership of the Party. During the convention 1,084 delegates attended
the voting. Bulent Ecevit obtained 963 of the current votes, while the
other Party Leadership candidate, Sema Piskinsut, a representative from
Aydin, obtained 86 votes. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Speaker of
the Parliament, Omer Izgi, congratulated Bulent Ecevit on his
re-election to the DSP leadership. /Turkiye/
[02] LEADERS EMPHASIZE VITAL NATURE OF BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINE PROJECT
Emphasizing that the wealth and potential of Eurasia should be used in
an effective manner to contribute to the economic and social
development of the region, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer underlined that
Turkey, as well as the Turkic Republics of Central Asia and the
Caucasus, continued to attach great importance to an oil pipeline
project that would carry Azeri and Kazakh oil to Western markets
through Turkey. He was speaking after the conclusion of a two-day
summit meeting bringing together the heads of state from six
Turkic-speaking countries. The so-called Baku-Ceyhan project is set to
transfer Azeri petroleum to western markets through Turkey's
Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as
Georgia, the transit country, have already concluded agreements and
started engineering work on the project. Efforts are underway to
convince Kazakhstan to take part in the project. The summit meeting,
the seventh of its kind since 1992, was meant to explore ways of
enhancing regional cooperation. The final declaration of the summit was
signed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Azerbaijan President Haydar
Aliyev, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kyrgyz President
Askar Akayev, Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Niyazov and Uzbekistan
Parliament Speaker Erkin Halilov, attending the summit on behalf of
Uzbek President Islam Kerimov. /Turkish News/
[03] ECEVIT TO VISIT SPAIN
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will leave for Spain on May 3, to pay an
official visit at the invitation of Spain Premier Jose Maria Aznar.
During the two-day visit, Mr. Ecevit will be accompanied by Foreign
Minister Ismail Cem and a delegation. He is also scheduled to meet with
Spanish Parliament Speaker, Luisa Fernanda Rudi, and King Juan Carlos.
/Turkiye/
[04] PARLIAMENT WAITS FOR NEW BILLS
The Parliament, debating seven of the 15 priority bills presented by
the government previously, is waiting for the other eight bills to be
presented. There are no new bills submitted by the government to
Parliament currently awaiting approval. Parliament will probably be
debating the Banking Bill, the Bill on Duty Losses of Banks and the
Turk Telekom Privatization Bill this week. /Turkiye/
[05] DERVIS' CONTACTS IN THE US
The Minister of State Responsible for Economy Kemal Dervis, currently
in the US, is continuing his contacts with the Ministers of Finance
from the seven richest country of the world who are in the US to attend
the World Bank_IMF spring term meetings. Dervis met with French
Finance Minister, Laurent Fabius and US Undersecretary of State, Alan
Larsson yesterday. He is expected to travel to New York today. He will
hold a meeting with Wall Street experts and finance circles to explain
the new economic program of Turkey. Tomorrow he will attend a meeting
to be held by the Turkish American Society. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] RAPPROCHEMENT BETWEEN TURKEY AND GREECE CONTINUES
Economic and commercial relations between Greece and Turkey are
continuing to improve rapidly. The decision to establish a "Turco-Greek
Trade Chamber" was made at the Turco-Greek Business Council meeting
held in Istanbul between April 26-27. A reception was held to celebrate
the decision on Greek flagged ship, Olympic Countess. Co-chairmen of
the Turco-Greek Business Council, Panayotis Kutsikos and Sarik Tara,
Greek Minister of Culture Evangelos Venizelos and Greek Consul General
Panos Kalogeropulos were among the figures attending the reception.
Kalogeropulos voiced his contentment with the recent commercial
rapprochement between the the two countries. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] YILMAZ THANKS GREECE
Minister of State and Deputy Prime Minister, Mesut Yilmaz, met with
German Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Walter Riester and Greek
Minister of Culture, Evangelos Venizelos. Turkish Secretary General of
the European Union, Volkan Vural and German Ambassador Rudolph Schmidt
also attended the Yilmaz-Riester meeting. Issues related to Turkey's
accession period to the EU were discussed during the meeting. After his
meeting with the German Minister, Yilmaz received the Greek delegation
chaired by Greek Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos, currently in
Istanbul as the guest of the Turco-Greek Business Council. Stating
rapprochement between the two countries was continuing, not just in
economic sphere, but also in culture and sports, Yilmaz said, "We, as
the Turkish Government, thank Greece for her productive stance about
Turkey's full EU membership." /Cumhuriyet/
[08] NEW UN FORMULA FOR CYPRUS
It was claimed that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's Special Envoy to
Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, prepared a draft for a new formula to begin the
proximity talks again. According to Greek radio, the formula was
presented to Britain, the US, Brussels and Moscow and it was accepted.
Meanwhile, it was reported that any reduction in Greek military
purchases would not affect the Greek Cypriot Administration's armament
policy. The radio claimed Greek Chief of General Staff, General Manusos
Parayudakis, who recently visited the Greek Cypriot Administration,
gave a guarantee on the issue. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] CEM RETURNS FROM BSEC MEETING IN MOSCOW
The Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization's(BSEC) fourth Foreign
Ministerial Council meeting was held in Moscow on Friday. Turkish
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem took over the six-month presidency from his
Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov. However, a key point on the agenda
was the strained Turkish-Russian relations due to the seizure of a
luxury hotel in Istanbul by Chechen sympathizers; Minister Cem held a
bilateral meeting with Ivanov aimed at reducing the recent tension
between the two countries. Following the terrorist action, Russia
reacted toughly and Ivanov said that Turkish-Russian relations would
have deteriorated had Turkey not taken the necessary precautions to
prevent terrorist actions after that. After the meeting Cem told the
reporters the meeting with Ivanov had been very productive. Cem said
during the meeting that Turkey sees unacceptable any terrorist action
and joint cooperation is very important in combatting terrorism.
/Turkish Daily News/
[10] MINISTER GOKALP VISITS LITHUANIA
Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Husnu Yusuf Gokalp went to
Lithuania for an official visit. Gokalp will attend a symposium called
"The Effects of the EU Enlargement on the Agriculture Sector of the
Candidate Countries." Gokalp will also meet with Lithuanian Agriculture
Minister Kostutis Kristinatis in Vilnius. /Turkish Daily News/
[11] DERVIS IN TALKS WITH ECONOMY BUREAUCRATS OF DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
Following the $10 billion loan to be received from the IMF, State
Minister for the Economy, Kemal Dervis will try to obtain private
financial support. Dervis met with Finance and Treasury Ministers of
the US, Britain, Germany, Japan, Italy and France in Washington. Dervis
requested these Ministers to encourage foreign investments in Turkey.
Dervis will visit G-7 countries in the company of the IMF officials.
Meanwhile, the statement of Finance Ministers of G-7 said, "The G-7 is
content with the economic reform program, which is the base of Turkish
agreement with the IMF. This program deserves the support of both
public and private sectors of the international community." The
statement said all precautions should be taken in implementing this
program. The IMF director Horst Koehler said the new program entails
strong elements which will prevent further ensuing economic crises.
Koehler said,"We have full support for the program. But, the program is
Turkish and the sole responsibility is with Turkey." /Milliyet/
[12] PARRIS: " ERSUMER'S RESIGNATION IS A GOOD MOVE"
Former US Ambassador to Turkey, Mark Parris, said the fight against
corruption in Turkey is carefully observed by the international
community and the resignation of the Energy and Natural Resources
Minister, Cumhur Ersumer, is the right decision at the moment.
Responding to the questions of reporters, Parris said, "The world had
to see a step taken for the fight against corruption in Turkey, persons
and names are unimportant. This will lead foreign capital to come to
Turkey." Parris has no official post related to Turkey, but works as a
foreign relations advisor with an American Law Firm. /Milliyet/
[13] A CHINESE DELEGATION VISITS ISTANBUL
A Chinese delegation chaired by Chairman of the Chinese People's
Political Consultative Conference, Li Ruihuan, visited Istanbul's
historical and touristic sites. Turkish Parliament Speaker, Omer Izgi,
had invited the delegation. /Cumhuriyet/
[14] BUSINESSMEN TO MEET
Leading names of the Turkish business world are meeting in Istanbul
today to discuss the recent economic situation. The meeting , to be
hosted by Mehmet Emin Karaahmet, will be attended by TUSIAD Chairman,
Tuncay Ozilhan, Rahmi Koc, Sakip Sabanci, ISO Chairman, Husamettin Kavi
and TISK Chairman, Refik Baydur, and others. The businessmen
previously met both in February and March. /Turkiye/
[15] SABANCI: "DERVIS IS CAPABLE"
Businessmen Sakip Sabanci supported State Minister for Economics Kemal
Dervis's efforts to put the econmy on track. Referring to Dervis as
the captain of the economy, Sabanci said, "The captain knows his duty
well. He gained support of both Turkish people and foreigners."
Stressing he thinks about the future 5-10 years in advance as an
industralist, Sabanci said it is not enough to save the day only. He
added, "That's why I support his plans over structural changes for long
term." /Turkiye/
[16] WEEK OF FOREIGN DEBT PAYMENTS
On the first week of May, the Treasury will repay $230 million in
debts. The Treasury will have paid $3.3 billion starting from the
beginning of the year. /Milliyet/
[17] SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS WITH ISRAEL
Beside the "Reliable Mermaid" humanitarian search and rescue operation
held annually since 1998 with the participation of the US and Israeli
forces, Turkish and Israeli forces organized another dual search and
rescue operation this year. The operations started yesterday and will
continue until May 4. /Milliyet/
[18] $2.5 MILLION TURKISH GRANT TO GEORGIA
The Turkish Defense Ministry will grant its Georgian counterpart $2.5
million to cover operating expenses and some of their costs of
peacekeeping , officials from the two countries announced in Tbilisi.
/Turkish Daily News/
[19] DUTCH DELEGATION TO INTRODUCE PRE-ACCESSION PROGRAMS
A Netherlands delegation will arrive Ankara to introduce the Matra and
PSO Pre-accession Programmes for Turkey for the years 2001 and 2002,
the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Ankara said in a written statement.
The visit will be a follow-up to the signing of the Memorandum of
Understanding by Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Dick Benshop, State
Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands on October 30, 2000,
during the official visit of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Wim
Kok, to Turkey. The PSO Pre-Accession Programme aims to support Turkey
enabling it to comply with the economic criteria for the membership of
the EU, while the Matra Programme will focus on the creation of the
necessary conditions for the implementation of the 'acquis
communautaire'. /Turkish Daily News/
[20] TCDD TO HOLD TOUR TO SOUTHEAST
Turkish State Railways (TCDD) Director Orhan Yildirim announced on
Friday that the TCDD would organize a Southeastern Anatolia Project
(GAP) tour on June 1-7. Yildirim said the train would depart from Izmir
and would visit Afyon, Konya, Adana, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Mardin.
/Turkish News/
[21] FOUR TURKS GIVEN ROYAL HONOR IN THE NETHERLANDS
Four Turkish citizens have been awarded a royal honor in the
Netherlands for their extraordinary services to the community. Dutch
Turkish Workers' Association Chairman Mustafa Ayranci and Turkish Islam
Culture Association Chairman Mustafa Dokudur in Amsterdam, Nilgun
Tatoglu from Zwijndrecht and banker Bulent Turker were given their
awards at a ceremony on Friday. /Turkish News/
[22] LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE STARTS FOR TURKS IN US
The Turkish American Association Federation (TADF) and the American
Turkish Association Assembly (ATAA) cooperated in a conference on the
subject of "leadership" that was held at the Turkish House in New York.
TADF Chairman Egemen Bagis and ATAA Chairman Orhan Kaymakcalan said
that the conference aimed to train leaders for the Turkish community in
the US and to draw attention to the problems of Turks overseas.
/Turkish News/
[23] CIVIL AVIATION SUMMIT IN MAY
Turkey's first Civil Aviation Symposium will be held in Istanbul on May
23-24 to discuss civil aviation issues in Turkey. Civil Avation General
Director, Topa Bilgetin Toker, said that at the symposium several
topics would be discussed such as , aviation's effect on tourism, new
guidelines regarding flight safety, the current state of Turkish civil
aviation and governmental support for those airline companies that have
services in Turkey. /Turkish News/
[24] TURKEY-AUSTRIA "AUTOBERTH" TRAIN JOURNEYS TO START
Turkish State Railways (TCDD) will commence autoberth journeys so as to
allow passengers to travel by train with their cars from May 2. This
service will feature five departures and five arrivals per day between
the Austrian city of Villach and the Turkish city of Edirne. /Turkish
News/
[25] ONE BILLION DOLLAR FROM HEALTH AND BEAUTY TOURISM
Europe Thermal Springs Union Executive Board member Huseyin Baraner
said that Turkey was not sufficiently benefitting from Europe's 70
billion Deutche mark health and beauty tourism. He said that new
investments were made in Turkey to target health and beauty tourism,
and that Turkey aimed at achieving $1 billion in income from this
sector over the next five years. He stated that first such projects
would be carried out in Balikesir Gonen, Pamukkale, Cesme and Afyon.
Many of these resorts will feature 4,000 bed capacity. /Turkish News/
[26] BBC: "ISTANBUL IS THE SAFEST CITY"
An article by the BBC reporter Chris Morris, appeared on the website of
the channel, relaying his impressions about Istanbul. Morris said,
"This is one of the safest big cities I have Iived in so far." Morris
gave information about daily life and cultural endowments in Istanbul.
/Milliyet/
[27] WORLD DANCE DAY ACTIVITIES
The Culture Ministry State Dance Group displayed examples from world
dances on the occasion of the April 29 "World Dance Day." During the
two-hour performance, Russian, Mexican, Chinese, Egyptian and Irish, as
well as Turkish dances were staged. /Turkiye/
[28] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[29] TOWARDS THE END OF A CRISIS BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)
It has become obvious that we will overcome this crisis so long as we
do not stumble or deliberately err on the way to recovery. The balance
sheet of the crisis will be discussed later. In fact, the real balance
sheet will be evaluated by historians looking back on the events.
However, it is not enough just to overcome the crisis without damaging
the system, in other words without getting away from liberalism or
democracy for the long or even medium term. We may be vulnerable to a
new crisis. In fact, economic crises can erupt even in rich countries
and they affect poor countries more severely. The reason that lies
behind the crisis is our inability to carry out a State Reform. This
reform should have been carried out 200 hundred years ago. What is a
State Reform? It is the arrangement of the conditions prevalent in a
society the State represents according to the most advanced conditions
of the times. As the conditions in the world are changing constantly,
administrations and nations who fail to follow these high standards and
who are not able to foresee what the future will bring, or simply do
not heed these factors, are bound to be left behind and cannot catch up
with the times. Therefore, behind every political, social or economic
crisis lie the incapabilities and mistakes of the administration,
internal policies and those who lead these policies. The US, who has
taken on the role of extending the credit stated that Turkey will not
be able to borrow any money from anywhere if she spends this loan
carelessly. Wise men have felt the offending harshness of the warning.
However, those who have led Turkey into such a situation should be the
ones embarrassed by these remarks. This responsibility lies on the
shoulders of those who do not believe in a State Reform, lack courage
and initiative or are narrow minded. These people are entering the
week with the belief that they have saved their skin this time too and
should enjoy themselves. They will brag about saving the day and will
not think about the future."
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