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Turkish Press Review, 01-12-25
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Press
& Information
Turkish
Press
Turkish
Press Review >>
Foreign
Press Guide
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
25.12.2001
CONTENTS
[01] COALITION LEADERS FINALIZE EU HARMONIZATION DRAFTS
[02] YILMAZ: "WE WILL ESTABLISH AN AGENCY FOR THE
EU"
[03] ECEVIT'S VISIT TO THE US
[04] DENKTAS-CLERIDES TO HAVE DINNER
[05] GUREL: "CYPRUS PROBLEM CAN BE SOLVED ONLY BY
TURKISH AND GREEK CYPRIOTS"
[06] YUCELEN TOUTS TURKEY'S HUMAN RIGHTS ACCORD
[07] TURKISH SOLDIERS TO BE IN AFGHANISTAN BY MID-JANUARY
[08] SEZER: "FOUNDATIONS SHOULD SERVE IN ACCORDANCE
WITH THEIR AIMS"
[09] CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM SEZER
[10] ISRAELI UNDERSECRETARY GIL TO VISIT TURKEY
[11] KECECILER: "IRAN IS VERY IMPORTANT TO
TURKEY"
[12] DAMASCUS GOVERNOR VISITS ANKARA
[13] WORKERS' AND EMPLOYERS' REPRESENTATIVES MEET
[14] ATATURK PHOTOS GET DIGITAL TREATMENT
[15] YILMAZ: "THE ROLE OF THE STATE IN ECONOMIC
MARKETS MUST BE LIMITED"
[16] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE
COLUMNS...
[17] LETTING THE STAR OF TURKEY SHINE BY HASAN CEMAL
(MILLIYET)
[18] IRAQ TEST BY SEDAT SERTOGLU (SABAH)
[01] COALITION LEADERS FINALIZE EU HARMONIZATION DRAFTS
The leaders of the coalition government met
yesterday to discuss draft laws to harmonize Turkey's laws to those of
the EU and they finalized those drafts and resolved to send them to
Parliament. During their two-hour meeting, Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit and deputy prime ministers Devlet Bahceli, Mesut Yilmaz and
Husamettin Ozkan also evaluated the results of the recent Laeken
summit and implementation of the National Program. /All Papers/
[02] YILMAZ: "WE WILL ESTABLISH AN AGENCY FOR THE
EU"
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said yesterday
that "we have many things to do besides implementing
harmonization laws." Yilmaz stated that Turkey would establish a
government agency to deal with the EU by Jan. 15. "If we fail to
establish this agency, Turkey would be unable to make use of the EU's
educational programs, because it is a country which needs such
programs" Yilmaz remarked. Yilmaz also said that next year would
be the turning point for Turkey in its relations with the EU and the
EU's enlargement process. "Turkey is the only candidate country
which hasn't started its negotiation process with the EU. Because of
this, Turkey has to continue to implement its National Program,"
Yilmaz stressed. /Hürriyet/
[03] ECEVIT'S VISIT TO THE US
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will travel to
Washington on Jan. 14 to pay a four-day official visit to the US.
During his meetings with the US administration, the fight against
terrorism, Cyprus, Turco-Greek relations, and Iraq will be the main
topics to be discussed. Ecevit will reportedly place a special
emphasis an economic relations and is also expected to meet with World
Bank Chairman James Wolfenson and IMF Chairman Hans Koehler. State
Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis, Energy and Natural Resources
Minister Zeki Cakan and a number of deputies, as well as economy
bureaucrats, will accompany Ecevit. /Turkiye/
[04] DENKTAS-CLERIDES TO HAVE DINNER
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
President Rauf Denktas is set to visit Southern Cyprus for the first
time in 26 years and have a dinner with Greek Cypriot leader Clafcos
Clerides. Denktas has said that he would travel alone to the Greek
dinner on Dec. 29, but United Nations representative Zbigniew
Wlosevize is also scheduled to attend. /Hürriyet/
[05] GUREL: "CYPRUS PROBLEM CAN BE SOLVED ONLY BY
TURKISH AND GREEK CYPRIOTS"
State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel attended a
conference titled "Judicial and Political Dimensions of Cyprus
Problem" yesterday in Istanbul. Gurel remarked that a permanent
solution on Cyprus could only be reached by the common efforts of both
Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Asserting that the European Union and the
United Nations could not contribute to peace efforts without the
support of the people living on the island, Gurel said, "This is
a problem of Turkish-Greek relations. Other countries can't solve this
problem. Labeling the idea that Greek Cypriots are "the real
owners" of the island as "completely wrong and
unjustifiable", Gurel stated that proponents of such ideas wanted
to assimilate the Turkish identity on Cyprus. "The UN has
proposed various solutions for the ethnic struggles in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ireland. However, none of these methods can be
relevant for Cyprus," said Gurel. "There is a secret
coalition between the EU and Greek Cypriots. If the EU admits the
Greek Cypriots into the Union, that would make problems on the island
only escalate." /Cumhuriyet/
[06] YUCELEN TOUTS TURKEY'S HUMAN RIGHTS ACCORD
Interior Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen said
yesterday that contrary to some claims, Turkey's security forces had
successfully made the mark concerning human rights and added,
"They are performing their duties in accordance with the rules of
democratic law and human rights." While speaking at the
"13th Terrorism, Organized Crime and Human Rights" seminar
organized by the Directorate General of Security, Yucelen conceded
that sometimes some individual personnel might make mistakes in
respecting human rights. Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk also spoke
at the seminar, saying that another bill concerning the fight against
organized crime, which was prepared in order to fill a gap until the
implementations of a new Turkish Penal Code (TCK) would be presented
to the Council of Ministers tomorrow. /Milliyet/
[07] TURKISH SOLDIERS TO BE IN AFGHANISTAN BY MID-JANUARY
A Turkish unit that is to participate in the
International Security in Afghanistan Force (ISAF), which is being
established in order to ensure stability in that country under UN
mandate, is scheduled to be in place by the first half of January.
According to the Turkish Office of General Staff, some members of the
unit, which is currently in preparation with Mamak 28th Mechanized
Infantryman Unit, will be sent to Afghanistan early next month. During
a meeting of ISAF contributing countries in London earlier this month,
Turkey had stated that it was ready to send a unit of 600 soldiers.
/Milliyet/
[08] SEZER: "FOUNDATIONS SHOULD SERVE IN ACCORDANCE
WITH THEIR AIMS"
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer issued a message
yesterday to mark Foundations Week. Remarking that foundations were
the best reflection of the Turkish nation's solidarity, unity and
contributions, Sezer said in his message that foundations should serve
in accordance with their aims and that all measures should be taken to
ensure that the state's resources are not wasted. /Turkiye/
[09] CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM SEZER
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer issued a message
yesterday to mark Dec.25, the day that Western Christians celebrate
Christmas. "The importance of the secular and democratic
philosophy that Turkey represents is better understood now than ever
before," Sezer said. /Hürriyet/
[10] ISRAELI UNDERSECRETARY GIL TO VISIT TURKEY
Israeli Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Avi Gil is
scheduled to visit Turkey tomorrow. Gil is expected to meet with his
Turkish counterpart Ugur Ziyal to discuss recent developments in the
Middle East as well as bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel.
/Cumhuriyet/
[11] KECECILER: "IRAN IS VERY IMPORTANT TO
TURKEY"
State Minister Mehmet Kececiler attended a meeting
of the Turkish-Iranian Joint Economic Committee (KEK) yesterday in THE
Iranian capital of Tehran. Iranian daily the Tehran Times quoted him
as saying that since Iran was very important to Turkey, commercial
relations between the two countries should be improved. /Cumhuriyet/
[12] DAMASCUS GOVERNOR VISITS ANKARA
Gassan Lahham, the governor of Damascus, Syria, and
an accompanying delegation came to Ankara yesterday as the official
guest of Ankara Governor Yahya Gur. The delegation first visited
Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Melih Gokcek and told him that
cultural and commercial relations would smooth a rapprochement between
the two countries. "We see that we are in a friendly
country," Lahham stated. "Our two nations are not strangers
to each other. The development of cultural and commercial relations is
an important step for our mutual rapprochement." Then the Syrian
governor and his delegation visited the Center for Child Street
Workers (BELMEK) run by the Ankara Municipality's Education and
Culture Department. During this visit, Education and Culture
Department Chairman Hayati Kirli spoke to the delegation. Then the
delegation took an inspection tour of Ankara's subway system. /Sabah/
[13] WORKERS' AND EMPLOYERS' REPRESENTATIVES MEET
Yesterday, the chairmen of Turk-Is, Hak-Is, the
Revolutionary Workers Union (DISK), the Turkish Confederation of
Employer's Unions (TISK), the Union of Turkish Commodities and Stock
Exchange (TOBB) and the Turkish Traders and Small Businessmen's
Confederation (TESK) convened for a gathering chaired by Labor and
Social Security Minister Yasar Okuyan. During the meeting, which is
expected to last two or three days, topics such as increasing
production and employment and job security bill will be discussed. A
commission, which includes workers, employers and government
representatives, is expected to be established. Meanwhile, Okuyan also
said that a new minimum wage might be announced today. /Turkiye/
[14] ATATURK PHOTOS GET DIGITAL TREATMENT
The Partnek Work Technology and Consultancy Company
has finished transferring Ataturk's photograph collection into digital
form, the company announced yesterday. This work was completed by
transferring some 4,000 photos from the archive at Ataturk's
Mausoleum, 2,100 of which belonged to the republic's founder, onto
CD-ROMs using the Electronic Document Archiving System. The archive
contains Ataturk's photographs taken with the public and children
after 1905 and also photos taken during the construction of Anitkabir,
his Mausoleum. Partnek CEO Ozgur Cakir declared, "The people will
be able to choose and use these valuable photos without touching them
thanks to this digital archive." The photo on the CD-ROM can be
viewed while accompanied by a music score specially composed by Haluk
Cevik, and the pictures can be printed as well. /Milliyet/
[15] YILMAZ: "THE ROLE OF THE STATE IN ECONOMIC
MARKETS MUST BE LIMITED"
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz remarked
yesterday that the role of the state in economic markets should be
limited and added, "The state must completely withdraw from the
economic sphere and must act instead as a monitoring agency."
Declaring that he opposed state intervention in economy, Yilmaz
underlined the necessity for downsizing the "bloated state
structure" which he called an "impediment and burden for the
laissez-faire economy." /Cumhuriyet/
[16] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE
COLUMNS...
[17] LETTING THE STAR OF TURKEY SHINE BY HASAN CEMAL
(MILLIYET)
Columnist Hasan Cemal writes on Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit's upcoming visit to the US. A summary of his column is
as follows: "Visits to Washington are always of great importance.
However, Ecevit's visit to Washington holds great significance on
three points: First, the world is reorganizing itself in the wake of
the Sept. 11 attacks and the main architect in this process is the US.
Second, Turkey has achieved great importance in the eyes of Washington
during the post-Sept. 11 period. Third, the first opportunity has come
up in quite a long time to advance cooperation between the US and
Turkey on convenient grounds. For years the 'Turkish-American
strategic partnership' has been bandied about. However, this
cooperation has never been fully developed, as Greek, Greek-Cypriot
and Armenian lobbies have blocked its fulfillment. In order to achieve
their goals, they have used the Cyprus, Aegean and human rights
problems. These are perennial issues used against Turkey. But Turkey's
coalition government is taking positive steps on these issues and
working hard to translate these measures into support for the nation.
For example, talks have been resumed on Cyprus. The ball is now in
Athens' court on the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). A
mini-democratization package is being discussed following the
enactment of amendments to the Constitution. All signs point to a
tight grip being held on the reins of the economy. Turkey is trying to
break the vicious circle it has been caught in. Its horizons will be
widened greatly if it can accomplish this, and Turkish-American
relations will be improved. Undoubtedly, the Sept. 11 tragedy is a
turning point, a springboard in relations between our two countries.
Turkey has taken an upright stance in the fight against international
terrorism as led by the US. In adopting this stance, Turkey has
demonstrated what it understands about modernism, and acted in line
with its own interests. Following the Sept. 11 tragedy, the US has
better understood the importance of Turkey in the fight against
terrorism, a menace that has been encouraged mainly in Islamic states.
When talking of peace and stability in the Middle East, the Gulf
region and the Caucasus and of modernism in Central Asia, the
importance of Turkey as a role model can be seen more clearly. If
structural changes can be continued through financial discipline,
cohesion laws enacted, steps in democracy advanced and the efforts to
solve the Cyprus issue exerted, 2002 will be a different year. We may
put our house into order, step across the EU accession negotiations
threshold, and make our strategic partnership a fully functioning
reality with the US."
[18] IRAQ TEST BY SEDAT SERTOGLU (SABAH)
Columnist Sedat Sertoglu writes on Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit's visit to the US next month and the problem of Iraq. A
summary of his column is as follows: "It is clear that impending
developments in Iraq will play an important role in the relations
between Turkey and the US, both during 2002 and in the years to
follow. Circles close to the US president say that the most important
issue Prime Minister Ecevit must dwell upon during his official visit
to the US is the elevation of relations between Ankara and Washington
to a 'strategic level' and he must insist upon the issue. Limiting
this visit to only to the loosening of textile quotas should not be
the prime minister's aim, the furthering of political relations
carries a greater significance. The words of prime ministers carry
great importance. Therefore, Prime Minister Ecevit should not seem as
the defender of Saddam during his talks. Circles close to the US
president said that nothing has been asked of Turkey regarding Iraq,
as yet. At this stage the US would like Turkey to keep its silence.
The visit to Washington will be an important test for the Turkish
Foreign Ministry as well. We shall be listening to what they are
saying."
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