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Turkish Press Review, 01-05-25
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
25.05.2001
CONTENTS
[01] ECEVIT: "TURKEY IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK"
[02] YILMAZ: "STRUCTURAL REFORMS SHOULD BE SPEEDED
UP"
[03] IMF DELEGATION TO ARRIVE IN TURKEY EARLIER THAN
EXPECTED
[04] MGK TO CONVENE ON TUESDAY
[05] ANKARA'S CONCERNS OVER OIC MEETING
[06] JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER EL HATIP IN ANKARA
[07] CRITICAL DAYS FOR AGRICULTURAL REFORM
IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT
[08] IRAQ TO INCREASE ITS OIL EXPORTING CAPACITY THROUGH
TURKEY
[09] WEAPONRY PURCHASES POSTPONED
[10] GREEK REPORT ON CLERIDES' VISIT TO ATHENS
[11] NO PERMISSION FOR TURKS IN GREEK-CYPRIOT ELECTIONS
[12] CHANGE OF THE US SENATE CHAIRMAN
[13] METU-TURKISH ARMED FORCES COOPERATION
[14] MANAVGAT WATER
[15] INTERNATIONAL ARMS FAIR TO BE HELD IN ANKARA
[16] LEATHER INDUSTRY FINDS NEW EXPORT MARKETS
[17] INTERNATIONAL CO-GENERATION AND ENVIRONMENT
CONFERENCE BEGINS
[18] BANKS TO SEEK ADVICE FROM LAZARD ON DEBT SWAP
[19] ISTANBUL STOCK EXCHANGES' SUCCESS
[20] SMITH BARNEY: "BUY TURKISH SHARES"
[21] EXCAVATIONS TO BE STARTED IN HASANKEYF
[22] TURKEY POPULAR FOR TOURISM
[01] ECEVIT: "TURKEY IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK"
Addressing the Democratic Left Party (DSP) group
meeting, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit evaluated the coalition
government's two years in power. Recalling May 28 is the
government's second anniversary, Ecevit said the 57th government is
the most successful, the long lasting and most harmonious coalition
government up to now. Stressing Turkey is very dynamic, Ecevit said,
"That's why we are not interesting in artificial problems. We
try to meet Turkey's expectations. The Turkish Grand National
Assembly (TGNA) is also working hard." Regarding the recent
economic crisis, Ecevit noted, "Our government had a great
success in overcoming the crisis. If the IMF and World Bank's
support is used properly, the economy will be put on the
track." /Turkiye/
[02] YILMAZ: "STRUCTURAL REFORMS SHOULD BE SPEEDED
UP"
Motherland Party (ANAP) leader, State Minister
and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said emergency precautions
and structural reforms which help surmounting the economic crisis,
must be brought into life soon. Addressing the Association of the
International Transportation Agencies' summit, Yilmaz said,
"Turkey comes first in Europe in the international highway
transportation. However, this sector has had serious problems in
last 10 years." Yilmaz noted the government is working hard to
bring into life the structural reforms as soon as possible.
/Turkiye/
[03] IMF DELEGATION TO ARRIVE IN TURKEY EARLIER THAN
EXPECTED
It was reported that the IMF delegation, which
was expected to come to Turkey on June 8, will arrive in Turkey on
May 31 for its eight review visit. The visit is expected to last for
ten days. The delegation will examine whether the performance
criteria have been met. If the delegation is satisfied with the
current situation it will release the second portion of the loan
after June 25. /Cumhuriyet/
IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTICLE 16 UNDERWAY
After making amendments to Article 16 of the
Anti-terrorism law, which allows inmates in high-security F-type
prisons to meet in recreation areas, the Justice Ministry has now
set up the conditions for implementing the law. According to
information received from the Anatolia news agency on Thursday,
Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk has sent a circular to the
administers of Turkey's 11 F-type prisons. The Anti-terrorism Law
previously banned inmates convicted of terrorist activities from
participating in joint activities. One of the conditions that death
fasts had demanded from the government was the lifting of this
isolation. /Turkish Daily News/
17 FUNDS TO BE LIQUIDATED
The bill on the liquidation of 17 state funds was
sent to the Prime Ministry. Two of the 17 funds were out of the
scope of the budget. Support and price stability fund will be the
only fund left within the budget. /Milliyet/
[04] MGK TO CONVENE ON TUESDAY
The National Security Council (MGK) is to convene
at the Presidential Mansion chaired by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
on Tuesday May 29. The meeting will start at 09:00 and discuss the
latest domestic and foreign developments. /Turkish Daily News/
[05] ANKARA'S CONCERNS OVER OIC MEETING
Turkey is concerned over being left alone at the
Organization for Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting to be held to
denounce the Israeli Administration for the mounting violence in the
Middle East. OIC members are expected to take harsh decisions which
might even mean cutting all relations with Israel at the meeting to
be attended by Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. To date, Turkey has
preferred to be neutral and moderate between the Palestinian and
Israeli sides. Meanwhile, Islamic countries prefer to sever their
relations with Israel after Ariel Sharon took office in the
government. An official from the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated
that Turkey's position is more influential than it was in the past
among the OIC members and therefore she would not be alone
concerning the Middle East issue. The official added there might be
certain divergence of opinions among the members. Meanwhile common
points between the Mitchell report prepared by Middle East
Investigation Commission including former Turkish President Suleyman
Demirel and Turkey's proposals have been drawn attention. Both the
report and Turkey state the cease-fire should be maintained in the
region and peace should be sustained again. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER EL HATIP IN ANKARA
Turkey and Jordan are holding consultations on
the draft for smart sanctions over Iraq which were prepared by
Britain and the US who are members of the UN Security Council.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdulhalil El Hatip was received by
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and met with Foreign Minister Ismail
Cem yesterday in Ankara. The new regime foresees, on one hand, a
wider space for trade with Iraq, on the other hand, a stricter
control of the border trade with Iraq. Additionally, both countries'
concern over the increasing violence in the Middle East was
discussed during the meetings. Stating the recent incidents might
negatively affect the situation in the region, Cem said both parties
should try to end the violence in the region. It was stated El Habib
accuses Israel of the incidents. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] CRITICAL DAYS FOR AGRICULTURAL REFORM
IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT
Final debates over the Agricultural Reform
Implementation Project to be held with the support of the World Bank
will begin on May 28 in Ankara. World Bank expert John Nache will
arrive in Turkey on June 1 for the negotiations of the project
through which $600 million will be received. The project is expected
to be presented to the World Bank by the end of June if a consensus
can be reached during the negotiations. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] IRAQ TO INCREASE ITS OIL EXPORTING CAPACITY THROUGH
TURKEY
Iraq will be able to reach its full oil exporting
capacity by the end of 2001 through rehabilitation of the
Iraqi-Turkish pipeline, reported the Iraqi News Agency Thursday.
Rafid Abdul-Halim, general director of Iraq's Northern Oil Company,
told the agency Thursday that, "Iraq has received equipment
including the electric pumps and pressers needed for rehabilitating
the second oil pumping station of the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline."
The UN oil-for-food program allows Iraq to sell oil to buy food,
medicines and other humanitarian needs for its people. The United
Nations has enforced sanctions on Baghdad since its 1990 invasion of
Kuwait. /Turkish Daily News/
[09] WEAPONRY PURCHASES POSTPONED
Within the framework of her armament program of
2000-2005, Athens decided to extend her weaponry purchases by the
year 2008 and to decrease her armament expenses by 2.7 billion US
dollars. The government spokesman Dimitri Reppas spoke on the issue
in line with the decisions taken by the Defense and Foreign Affairs
Commission. Reppas said, "The armament program of the year 2001
will be carried out as planned but there will be a deduction of 2.7
billion US dollars as from the year 2002." During the meeting,
the Greek Armed Forces' restructure, defense infrastructure and the
changes concerning the professional and obligatory military service
were discussed. /Sabah/
[10] GREEK REPORT ON CLERIDES' VISIT TO ATHENS
Greek Foreign Ministry prepared a report about
Greek-Cypriot Administration leader Glafcos Clerides' visit to
Athens. The report said the announcement of Turkey to annex the
northern part of the island if the Greek Cypriot Administration
enters the EU should be seriously considered. According to the
report, the Foreign and Defense Ministers of Greece and the
Greek-Cypriot Administration will go over all possible scenarios,
taking the possibility of a clash in Cyprus and the Aegean into
consideration. The report said Clerides has put forward the
possibility of Turkey's annexation of the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus. But, in official announcements, Clerides seems to
give no importance to this issue. /Milliyet/
[11] NO PERMISSION FOR TURKS IN GREEK-CYPRIOT ELECTIONS
An action taken by Ibrahim Aziz, a Turk living in
Southern Cyprus, to vote in the parliamentary election on May 27 was
rejected by Greek Supreme Court. Aziz' s lawyer, Sotiris Drakos said
after the examination of the decision, they will appeal to the
European Court of Human Rights. /Turkiye/
[12] CHANGE OF THE US SENATE CHAIRMAN
Turkish diplomats claim that the new majority of
democrats in the US Senate may have negative effects on Turkey.
Liberal senator Joe Biden became the new chairman of the US Senate.
Biden had a serious debate with Foreign Minister Ismail Cem over the
Cyprus and Aegean issues in the past. Following the resignation of
senator James Jeffords from the Republican Party , republicans lost
majority at the Senate and this will negatively affect the Bush
administration's decisions on judiciary, diplomacy and bureaucracy.
/Milliyet/
FIRST A310 DELIVERED TO IRAN
The first Airbus A310-200 airplane, which is
modernized in the fleets of the Turkish Airlines (THY) and which was
sold to Iran, was delivered to Tehran. Meanwhile, the second will be
taken by the Iranian pilots today. The remaining four planes will be
sent to Iran in two months. THY has previously sold each of these
planes for 12 million US dollars and signed an agreement totaling 90
million US dollars for six planes, subsidiary materials and engines.
/Hurriyet/
[13] METU-TURKISH ARMED FORCES COOPERATION
A "Middle East Technical University (METU)-
Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) Modeling and Simulation Research and
Implementation Center" was established. The center which was
established jointly by the Office of the Chief of the General Staff
and Defense Ministry Undersecretary, will develop basic and
practical research and development projects to meet the demands of
the TSK within the framework of modeling and simulation. It will
encourage scientific research concerning the methods and
technologies used in those spheres. /Cumhuriyet/
[14] MANAVGAT WATER
A delegation from Israel started the meetings in
Ankara yesterday concerning the purchase of Manavgat water.
Following the bargains, an agreement was not reached. It was
revealed that the officials from both of the parties could not have
reached a consensus on the price of the water. The officials added
that the meetings would continue and that the Turkish delegation
would go to Israel. Officials from the Ministry of Energy and
Natural Resources, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Directorate
General of State Water Works were present in the Turkish delegation.
If an agreement is reached during the second meeting in July, then
Israel will buy 50 million cubic meters of water each year for a
period of 5-10 years. /Sabah/
TURKEY INTERNATIONAL AIR DISPLAY-2001 IN IZMIR
Turkey International Air Display-2001 (TIAD-2001)
will be held in Izmir on May 30-June 2 as part of the Turkish Air
Force's 90th Foundation Anniversary. Air forces from the following
15 countries are expected to attend the air show: Germany, Belgium,
France, United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Denmark,
Austria, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Romania, Spain, Ukraine and Greece
- Greece's participation is not certain yet. These 15 countries will
participate in the air show with 55 planes such as the Mirage-2000,
Jaguar, SAAB Draken, Tornado, F-4, MIG-29, MIG-21, IAR-330 Socat,
B-1 bomber is to be exhibited for the first time at this show.
/Turkish Daily News/
[15] INTERNATIONAL ARMS FAIR TO BE HELD IN ANKARA
The International Defense Industry, Aviation and
Maritime Fair (IDEF) is to be held at the Turkish Air Force's base
at Etimesgut in Ankara over July 27-30. According to an announcement
made by CNR International Fairs, this year's fair bearing the slogan
"Peace is our business" will host countries that want to
organize their armed forces according to contemporary needs and
those that want to display their own products and technology.
Turkey's geopolitical situation and its potential for commerce in
the field of defense is being stressed in the fair. /Turkish Daily
News/
[16] LEATHER INDUSTRY FINDS NEW EXPORT MARKETS
Germany and Russia continue to be the biggest
markets of Turkish leather products, despite a vigorous search for
alternative markets following the Russian financial crisis in 1998.
A report completed by the Aegean Leather Exporters Union made an
evaluation of the leather industry's export moves. According to the
report, Germany and Russia have 24 percent and 16 percent shares in
total Turkish exports respectively. /Turkish News/
[17] INTERNATIONAL CO-GENERATION AND ENVIRONMENT
CONFERENCE BEGINS
Delivering a speech at the 7th International
Co-Generation and Environment Conference in Istanbul, Minister of
Energy and Natural Resources Zeki Cakan said they attached great
importance to the investments in the projects that would produce
electricity at lower costs and by safer methods. During the
conference, experts stated the co-generation system which provides
safer and more inexpensive production of electricity and energy does
not harm the environment. They demanded the co-generation system be
supported and invested in. /Cumhuriyet/
EMITT 2001-VACATION FAIR IN ISTANBUL
The atmosphere at the Emitt 2001-Vacation Fair in
Istanbul which was opened with a ceremony attended by Tourism
Minister Erkan Mumcu is full of enthusiasm and interest by the
people living in Istanbul and different regions of Anatolia. Various
travel agencies, tour operators and airline agencies are attending
the fair. The fair exhibits a wide range of products from Anatolian
handicrafts to the computer-based promotions. /Cumhuriyet/
[18] BANKS TO SEEK ADVICE FROM LAZARD ON DEBT SWAP
The Turkish Bankers Association (TBA) is expected
to sign a contract with investment bank Lazard this week for
advisory services on a voluntary domestic debt swap deal with
Turkey's Treasury, which is seen taking shape in June, banking
sources said. The swap deal as outlined would help banks by giving
them foreign exchange-based papers to cover open forex positions and
would aid the Treasury by extending the maturity of its debt. But
many details, particularly the rate at which lira-based paper would
be converted to dollars, remain to be settled. /Turkish Daily News/
[19] ISTANBUL STOCK EXCHANGES' SUCCESS
Chairman of Istanbul Stock Exchanges (IMKB),
Osman Birsen, made a speech during the ordinary general council
meeting and said, "Considering the indicators except the index,
last year the IMKB experienced a good year. 35 openings to public
that were made in the year 2000 can be considered as a record. The
IMKB is the most unproblematic institution of Turkey in spite of the
two latest economic crises. /Hurriyet/
[20] SMITH BARNEY: "BUY TURKISH SHARES"
A delegation from Investment Bank, Schroder
Salomon Smith Barney, held meetings with Central Bank Governor,
Sureyya Serdengecti, and the Banking Regulation and Supervision
Board Chairman, Engin Akcakoca. The report issued following the
visit, praised the economic program and the efforts of the
bureaucrats. The Bank also suggested to increase the investments in
Turkish shares. /Turkiye/
[21] EXCAVATIONS TO BE STARTED IN HASANKEYF
Archeological excavations in Hasankeyf township
will be started on June 15 before the area is inundated by waters of
the Ilisu Dam. Ankara University's Language, History and Geography
Faculty Professor Olus Arik will lead the excavation team. /Turkish
News/
[22] TURKEY POPULAR FOR TOURISM
Turkish tourism boomed this year and one million
tourists visited Antalya to date. German TV channel SAT-1 announced
that Turkey is very popular among German tourists, since Turkish
lira became cheaper than before. /Milliyet/
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