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Turkish Press Review, 01-05-08
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
08.05.2001
CONTENTS
[01] CEM RECEIVES MORATINOS
[02] ANKARA CONCERNED OVER THE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BALKANS
[03] DERVIS ATTENDS THE LEADERS' SUMMIT
[04] THE PRECONDITION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IS TRANSPARENCY
[05] GREEK COUNCIL OF STATE APPROVES MUFTI APPOINTMENTS
[06] TANTAN IN IRAN
[07] BARZANI IN ANKARA
[08] WILDHABER VISITS TURK
[09] EUROPEAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATS' CONGRESS IN BERLIN
[10] ECEVIT'S POEMS TO BE TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH
[11] CILLER'S MEETINGS IN THE US
[12] DISASTER MANAGEMENT TRAINING AGREEMENT SIGNED
[13] EARTHQUAKE PRECAUTIONS IN ISTANBUL
[14] BANKING LAW PRESENTED TO THE PARLIAMENT
[15] KOHLER: "TURKEY CAN OVERCOME THIS STORM"
[16] ECO-MANAGEMENT WEEK STARTS
[17] TURKEY BORROWS FROM GERMAN BANKS
[18] GARANTI BANK ELECTED AS THE BEST BANK BY 'EMERGING MARKETS INVESTOR'
MAGAZINE
[19] IRAQ ASKS TURKEY FOR EFFORTS TO LIFT SANCTIONS
[20] ROTARY CLUB CHAIRMAN DEVLYN SUPPORTS MINISTER DERVIS
[21] TURKISH TOURISM BOOMS
[22] FOREIGN TOURISTS RUSH TO TURKEY
[23] GRAPHIC DESIGN DAYS IN ISTANBUL
[24] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[25] TANTAN'S VISIT TO TEHRAN BY OZGEN ACAR (CUMHURIYET)
[01] CEM RECEIVES MORATINOS
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, received the European Union's
(EU) Special Representative to the Middle East Peace Process, Miguel
Moratinos. Cem made an explanation during the meeting and said, "The EU
is closely interested in the problem of the Middle East. This region
affects not only Turkey and Europe, but also a broader geography. Ways
to contribute to the peace process are the common concern of the EU and
Turkey. We are very sensitive about this issue. We are among the few
countries, which have the confidence of both of the parties. Turkey has
made positive contributions to the EU's policy concerning the Middle
East but this contribution should be much more. The report, prepared by
the Fact-finding Commission was delivered to both parties. I believe
some of the findings will be helpful for us as well. Turkey and the EU
should further cooperate concerning the issue." Meanwhile, Moratinos
said the process in the Middle East was very sensitive and that Turkey,
which has the confidence of both of the parties, was playing a very
important role in this process. /Turkiye/
[02] ANKARA CONCERNED OVER THE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BALKANS
Macedonian President Boris Traykovski postponed his visit to Turkey
which was expected to take place today. Traykovski phoned President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer and stated since the recent conditions in Macedonia
were very critical and might cause a war, he could not leave his
country for the time being. Meanwhile, Sezer said that Turkey was
following the developments with great concern and supported a peaceful
solution respectful for Macedonia's territorial unity. While Sezer
brought the attacks against Muslim Macedonians of Turkish and Albanian
descent onto the agenda, Traykovski said they took all necessary
measures to prevent possible attacks. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] DERVIS ATTENDS THE LEADERS' SUMMIT
State Minister for the economy, Kemal Dervis, attended the meeting,
which brings together the leaders of the coalition parties. Democratic
Left Party (DSP) leader and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Nationalist
Action Party (MHP) leader, State Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister
Devlet Bahceli, Motherland Party (ANAP) leader, State Minister and the
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, and the State Minister and the
Deputy Prime Minister Husamettin Ozkan and the State Minister Kemal
Dervis attended the meeting at the Prime Ministry, which lasted for an
hour. An explanation concerning the meeting has not been made.
/Turkiye/
[04] THE PRECONDITION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IS TRANSPARENCY
Noting that reforms geared to increasing transparency and productivity
in public administration had upgraded New Zealand's welfare level,
former minister Maurice McTigue said, "No matter how bad the condition
of a country, there is hope to increase the welfare level through
reforms." Mctigue, who will be the guest speaker at the symposium
"Development of Public Administration" organized by the Turkey Quality
Association due to take place in Ankara on May 10, attended a
preliminary meeting in Istanbul. Recalling that openness, productivity
and transparency were necessary in public administration, McTigue says,
"Public institutions should first of all watch for the public benefit
in whatever they do, and should give up projects which are neither for
the public welfare nor productive." Reminding that the reduction of
unemployment should also have priority , McTigue commented that the
Turkish economy could develop through public reforms. /Turkish Daily
News/
[05] GREEK COUNCIL OF STATE APPROVES MUFTI APPOINTMENTS
The Greek Council of State has ruled that the Greek government does
have the legal right to appoint Muftis to Western Thrace. The ruling
came after former member of parliament for Iskece (Xanthi) Ahmet
Faikoglu appealed to the Greek Council of State claiming the Greek
government had no right to appoint Muftis for Iskece. The Athens News
Agency reported that the Council of State had found Faikoglu's
justifications "groundless" and that the Greek government was allowed
within the Constitution to make such appointments. /Turkish Daily News/
[06] TANTAN IN IRAN
Minister of the Interior, Sadettin Tantan, made an explanation about
his visit to Iran and said, "Joint initiatives should be carried out in
the struggle to prevent the cross-border crimes. This is the aim of our
visit to Iran." While answering the question of a journalist if he was
going to Iran due to the reasons concerning security, Tantan said,
"Turkey and Iran are powerful states in the region. Our mutual
relations are continuing for the solution of the security problems in
line with the good neighbourly relations between the two countries. We
are developing common methods with the neighboring countries for the
struggle against crimes and acts threatening Turkey. We desire to
develop our relations with Iran within the framework of this working
method." /Turkiye/
[07] BARZANI IN ANKARA
Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Mesut Barzani, currently
in Ankara to maintain contacts, said it was necessary to exchange views
with the Turkish officials. Barzani arrived Esenboga Airport where he
was welcomed by the General Director of the Ministry of Foreign Foreign
Affairs' Middle East Department, Ambassador Turkekul Kurttekin,
Motherland Party (ANAP) deputy of Diyarbakir, Hasim Hasimi, defunct
Democratic Mass Party (DKP) leader Serafettin Elci, the former Justice
Party (AP) deputy Giyasettin Emre and IKDP representative to Ankara,
Sefin Dizayi. Barzani said he had come to Ankara upon the invitation of
the Turkish government and that he would visit Prime Minister, Bulent
Ecevit, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem. He added, "I
am hopeful that this visit will be successful as the previous ones."
/Turkiye/
[08] WILDHABER VISITS TURK
Chairman of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Luzius
Wildhaber, visited Turkish Minister of Justice, Hikmet Sami Turk.
Following the meeting attended by the Turkish judge at the ECHR, Riza
Turmen, and other ECHR judges, Turk made an explanation to the
journalists and said he had given information about the situation of
the prisons in Turkey and the current hunger strikes. He added, "I also
gave information on the amendments to the 16th Article of the
Anti-terror law, the draft laws on the agenda of the Turkish Grand
National Assembly (TGNA) and the draft law initatives concerning human
rights." Turk added that the meeting was effective." Meanwhile,
Wildhaber said he hoped the hunger strikes would end as soon as
possible. /Turkiye/
[09] EUROPEAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATS' CONGRESS IN BERLIN
European Socialists and Social Democrat Parties Congress began
yesterday in Berlin, Germany. Delivering the opening speech of the
congress, German Prime Minister Gerhard Schroder said Europe was seen
as the symbol of peace and freedom in the world and added European
countries should maintain their loyalty to democracy and human rights.
Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Inal Batu and Central
Executive Council members, Yakup Kepenek and Ali Riza Gulcicek are in
Berlin to attend the congress. /Cumhuriyet/
[10] ECEVIT'S POEMS TO BE TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH
It was decided to translate Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's poems into
Spanish upon the proposal of the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria
Aznar. Aznar is expected to visit Turkey in September to open the
Istanbul branch of the Cervantes Institute which aims at promoting
Spanish language and culture. /Hurriyet/
[11] CILLER'S MEETINGS IN THE US
Leader of the True Path Party (DYP) Tansu Ciller will meet with the US
Secretary responsible for Economic Affairs, Alan Larson, and leader of
the Jewish community in Washington today. She is expected to meet with
President's Special Assistant Dan Freid on May 9 and former President
George Bush on May 15. /Sabah/
[12] DISASTER MANAGEMENT TRAINING AGREEMENT SIGNED
'Disaster Management Training agreement was signed between the Strategy
Center of the Ministry of the Interior and Disaster Management Center
of Istanbul Technical University (ITU). Minister of the Interior,
Sadettin Tantan, made a speech at the signing ceremony at ITU Suleyman
Demirel Cultural Center and said, "Although the risk of natural
disaster is high in Turkey, this issue had not been seriously taken
into consideration before." /Turkiye/
[13] EARTHQUAKE PRECAUTIONS IN ISTANBUL
54th Turkey Geology Assembly, was held in Ankara by the Chamber of
Turkish Geology Engineers. State Minister Edip Safter Gaydali made a
speech at the opening of the Assembly at the Directorate General of
Mineral Research and Exploration Institute's (MTA) Cultural Site and
said, "The data obtained through the surveys carried out jointly by the
Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), Istanbul
Technical University and Ankara University in the Marmara and Aegean
Seas on the MTA'S research vessel called Seismic-1, was evaluated. As
part of efforts concerning earthquakes, various projects are underway
particularly in Istanbul and its surroundings." /Turkiye/
[14] BANKING LAW PRESENTED TO THE PARLIAMENT
The Bill on Banking Law, prepared by the Banking Regulation and
Supervision Board to ease seizing the assets of the people who caused
the bankruptcy of certain banks, was presented to the Office of the
Speaker of the Parliament yesterday. The Commission consisting of State
Ministers Recep Onal, Yuksel Yalova and Faruk Bal completed their works
on the bill after the Council of Ministers meeting yesterday.
/Cumhuriyet/
[15] KOHLER: "TURKEY CAN OVERCOME THIS STORM"
Chairman of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Horst Kohler,
recalled his support for Turkey's new economic program and said, "I am
sure Turkey will be able to overcome this storm." Kohler participated
in a meeting titled 'Improving Stability and Welfare in the Globalizing
World' in Washington, attended by the countries in the American
continent, and evaluated the world economies and the economic situation
in Turkey and Argentina. Kohler said, "I am sure Turkey and Argentina
will be able to overcome this crisis. Both of these countries attached
great importance to the solution of their problems and adopted the
methods of the market. State Minister Dervis also pointed out that it
will be of the utmost importance to improve the banking sector, which
is one of the basic reasons of the problems in Turkey. These approaches
deserve a strong support. The IMF is ready to help the countries, which
are willing to adopt proper policies." /Turkiye/
[16] ECO-MANAGEMENT WEEK STARTS
The Delta Eco-Management Week will be held in Gebze from May 7-11, the
Chamber of Environmental Engineers (CEE) reported yesterday. This forum
on environmental management in companies is organized by the CEE, the
TUBITAK-Marmara Research Center, CEMASA (Spain), and Sustainable
Business Associates (SBA, Switzerland). Eco-Management Week will
provide Turkish managers with the opportunity to learn more about the
environmental impact of industrial activities, and will show them that
an environmental commitment can result in a win-win situation for their
company. Eco-Management Week is supported by the European Commission.
/Turkish News/
[17] TURKEY BORROWS FROM GERMAN BANKS
The Bank for International Settlements-BIS said it was the German banks
which extended credits to Turkey the most in the financial crisis
period. In the September-November period the amount of the credits
which German banks gave to Turkey reached $13.1 billion. /Hurriyet/
[18] GARANTI BANK ELECTED AS THE BEST BANK BY 'EMERGING MARKETS
INVESTOR' MAGAZINE
Garanti Bank was elected as the 'best bank' by the 'Best Domestic
Banks-Roll of Honour 2001' evaluation made by the 'Emerging Markets
Investor' magazine, which is published monthly in New York. Garanti
Bank stated that the magazine's April 2001 issue stated that Garanti
Bank was elected as the best bank by the analysts in spite of the
current economic crisis in Turkey. Meanwhile, General Director of
Garanti Bank, Ergun Ozen, said, "The high liquidity and its firm and
active structure provided the bank with a perfect performance."
/Turkiye/
[19] IRAQ ASKS TURKEY FOR EFFORTS TO LIFT SANCTIONS
The third Baghdad Turkish Export Fair opened yesterday with the
participation of Iraqi Trade Minister Muhammed Mehdi Salih and Turkey's
Foreign Trade Undersecretary Kursat Tuzmen. At least 157 Turkish firms
are taking part in the fair including those working in textile,
cosmetic, furniture, food, plastic products and automotive. The fair
will end on May 11. /Turkish Daily News/
[20] ROTARY CLUB CHAIRMAN DEVLYN SUPPORTS MINISTER DERVIS
International Rotary Club Chairman Frank J. Devlyn arrived in Turkey
yesterday. Visiting Istanbul Governor Erol Cakir and House of the
Virgin Mary in Selcuk, Devlyn said, "We support State Minister Kemal
Dervis and new economic program." /Sabah/
[21] TURKISH TOURISM BOOMS
German economy magazine, 'Manager', wrote that there was a great boom
in Turkish tourism. The magazine published an interview made with the
Chairman of the Executive Board of Oger Tours, Vural Oger, one of the
leading tour operators of the tourism sector. 'Manager' stated that
not only Turkish tourism, but also Oger Tours was in a process of great
development. The six pages article in the 'Manager' also wrote that
Oger Tours was carrying out 80% of its business volume with Turkey and
that it was the leader in the Turkish market. /Turkiye/
[22] FOREIGN TOURISTS RUSH TO TURKEY
The foreign tourist rush to Turkey is continuing. 52,000 tourists
visited Antalya in the last three days. Antalya Governor Ertugrul
Dokuzoglu said "Antalya became a well-known touristic city with its
history, nature, sun and sea." Tourism authorities in Antalya are
expecting $7 million in tourism revenues this year. /Sabah/
[23] GRAPHIC DESIGN DAYS IN ISTANBUL
"Istanbul International Graphic Design Days" will take place between
May 7-11. Graphic designers from France, Japan, Switzerland, Greece,
Russia and Germany will attend the organization. Additionally, Turkish
designer Izzetin Calislar will organize a workshop. /Cumhuriyet/
[24] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[25] TANTAN'S VISIT TO TEHRAN BY OZGEN ACAR (CUMHURIYET)
Columnist Ozgen Acar writes on Tantan's visit to Tehran. A summary of
his column is as follows: "Minister of the Interior Sadettin Tantan
will begin his talks in Tehran on security issues today. The visit of
the Minister comes at an interesting time. Deputy Undersecretary Rasih
Ozbek signed a 'minutes of accord' last week in Tehran prior to the
visit of the Interior Minister. Among the issues taken up in the accord
were the prevention of smuggling and creating an atmosphere of mutual
trust. In addition, the withdrawal of support given by the Iranian
administration for Hizbullah and PKK terrorist organisations, and not
giving shelter to People's Mujahideen Organisation by the Turkish
authorities, facilitating the procedures for Iranian pilgrims at the
border gates were also mentioned in the document. Tantan will meet with
the Iranian President, the Speaker of the Parliament, members of the
Foreign Affairs and Defence Commissions and Security Council Secretary
in an atmosphere prepared by Ozbek. On June 8 Presidential Election
will be held in Iran. The election process takes place in stages.
First, the candidates for the President are eliminated by the National
Guards. In the previous election, the candidacy of only four, including
that of the present President Mohammed Hathemi was accepted among a
hundred candidates. Some of the 817 candidates who have put up their
candidacies until Sunday, the deadline for application, will be
eliminated until May 11. The names of the final candidates will be
announced on 12 May. If Hathemi is elected, certain significant steps
such as opening up to the world, democratization in the country are
expected to be taken. However, what is more important is that the time
limit for economic sanctions implemented by the US will be up in
August. Reportedly, Dick Cheney who became the US Vice President while
he was heading a pro-Iranian lobby is expected to make some important
changes in the policy followed towards Iran. Washington implements two
kinds of sanctions against Iran. The first is limiting the investments
of foreign countries in Iran, and the second is banning the investments
of US companies in Iran with a decree. While the sanctions provided the
European companies a certain opportunity to do business with Iran, the
American entrepreneurs were totally left out from this market. Cheney
aims to eliminate this imbalance in competition. He also aims to
provide support for reformist candidate Hathemi to take Iran out of the
list of countries supporting terrorism. He wants American capital to
enter Iran who needs foreign investments and modern sophisticated
technology for the oil industry. Therefore, Tantan's visit which aims
to eliminate the inconfidence between two neighboring states is of
utmost importance. If Ankara and Tehran overcome their mutual problems
of security, close economic and commercial relations will be
established. That is why Ankara has to follow the developments in
Tehran in the next 100 days very closely."
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