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Turkish Press Review, 02-01-03

Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>

<LINK href="http://www.byegm.gov.tr_yayinlarimiz_chr_pics_css/tpr.css" rel=STYLESHEET type=text/css> <map name="FPMap1"> <_map> Press &amp; Information Turkish Press Turkish Press Review &gt;&gt; Foreign Press Guide Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning

03.01.2002


CONTENTS

  • [01] PROGRAM SET FOR ECEVIT'S US VISIT
  • [02] TURKEY TO COMMAND AFGHAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN THREE MONTHS
  • [03] TURK CRITICISIZES EU FOR APPLYING DOUBLE STANDARDS
  • [04] YILMAZ: "2001 HAS PAVED THE WAY FOR RADICAL CHANGES"
  • [05] TURKEY TO SIGN AGREEMENT WITH AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA
  • [06] TURKEY'S POPULATION TOPS 67 MILLION
  • [07] WORLD BANK LOAN PLANNED TO CUSHION TURKEY'S NEEDIEST
  • [08] CENTRAL BANK ISSUES REPORT ON TURKISH ECONOMY
  • [09] 2001 EXPORTS INCREASE BY 14.2%
  • [10] BAD WEATHER WREAKS NATIONWIDE HAVOC
  • [11] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
  • [12] CAUGHT RED-HANDED BY SEMIH IDIZ (STAR)
  • [13] WAS THE EU DECEIVED? BY IZZET SEDES (AKSAM)

  • [01] PROGRAM SET FOR ECEVIT'S US VISIT

    The official program for Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's upcoming visit to the US was released yesterday. During the visit to be held on Jan. 14-19, Ecevit is scheduled to meet with US President George W. Bush as well as the chairmen of both the World Bank and the IMF. Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis along with a delegation of Turkish businessmen will accompany Ecevit. The Turkish premier will stay in the Blair House, which is part of the official White House. /Turkiye/

    [02] TURKEY TO COMMAND AFGHAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN THREE MONTHS

    French Defense Minister Alain Richard said yesterday that the command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), would pass to Turkey after a period of three months. While on an official visit to Pakistan, Richard stated that the ISAF would made up of British, Turkish, German and French troops and that Britain would hand over the command of the force to Turkey after three months. Additionally, the number of soldiers in the ISAF is expected to reach 4,500 by end of this month. /Turkiye/

    [03] TURK CRITICISIZES EU FOR APPLYING DOUBLE STANDARDS

    In a press conference yesterday, Turkish Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk briefed reporters on the Finance Ministry's schedule of activities for 2002. Turk noted that since the attention had now turned to the effective implementation of recent constitutional amendments adopted by the Turkish Parliament, enacting harmonization laws in accordance with these amendments would be the Finance Ministry's main target for the coming year. Remarking that the devastating attacks in the United States and their aftermath had proven the urgent need for redefining the concept of terrorism, Turk criticized the European Union for applying double standards in its fight against the terror menace. "EU countries fail to see organizations which commit acts of terrorism outside Europe to be real terrorists. This policy is both mistaken and unjust," said Turk. "No matter which country it targets, any illegal organization carrying out acts of terrorism must be labeled as terrorist. The EU shouldn't turn a blind eye to the fact that these organizations are real terrorists who are responsible for killing countless innocents merely because the groups aren't active in EU countries. The members of these organizations are terrorists, and they must be punished." /Cumhuriyet/

    [04] YILMAZ: "2001 HAS PAVED THE WAY FOR RADICAL CHANGES"

    Speaking to Turkish daily Milliyet yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party leader (ANAP) Mesut Yilmaz said that 2001 had paved the way for radical changes for Turkey. "This year will be a turning point for Turkey preparations for its negotiation process with the European Union. Turkey's target should be to start this negotiation process, otherwise its relations with the EU will suffer," Yilmaz stated. He further remarked that recent developments concerning the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) and the Cyprus issue had effectively wiped away problems between the EU and Turkey. Turkey should follow its economic and National Program as planned over the curse of the year, and to be successful in these programs the nation needs the support both the Parliament and the coalition government, Yilmaz added. /Milliyet/

    [05] TURKEY TO SIGN AGREEMENT WITH AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA

    Turkey will soon sign a security agreement with Azerbaijan and Georgia in the interests of maintaining its military influence in the Caucasus region. The Prime News agency reported yesterday. Turkish Ambassador to Baku Unal Cevikoz reportedly said that this trilateral agreement would establish a coalition to fight against international terrorism and drug smuggling. Cevikoz stated that the agreement would be signed later this year, but added that the date was not yet fixed. Cevikoz also said that Turkey could undertake the construction of a military airport in Georgia just as it did in Azerbaijan. /Milliyet/

    [06] TURKEY'S POPULATION TOPS 67 MILLION

    State Minister Tunca Toskay released yesterday the results of the state census conducted in October 2000, revealing for the first time that Turkey's population had topped 67.8 million. According to the census, the 1990-2000 period saw Turkey's population increase 1.83%, with the largest increase taking place in Marmara region with the lowest in the Black Sea region. Istanbul's population in 2000 exceeded 10 million while Ankara's was over 4 million. Toskay also disclosed that the census had cost the state some TL 30 trillion. /Turkiye/

    [07] WORLD BANK LOAN PLANNED TO CUSHION TURKEY'S NEEDIEST

    Meetings concerning a $6-9 billion World Bank loan to Turkey under the bank's Country Aid Strategy (CAS) will reportedly begin this year, WB officials said yesterday. The officials were quoted as saying that Turkey had begun to successfully implement its economic program in 2001 and that the loans would be targeted to protect society's neediest from being damaged by the program. If the WB approves the CAS funds, the loan will be disbursed over a period of three years, from 2003-2005. /Aksam/

    [08] CENTRAL BANK ISSUES REPORT ON TURKISH ECONOMY

    The Central Bank released its official monetary policy for 2002 yesterday, the first working day of the new year. The CB's report entitled "Monetary and Foreign Currency Policy and Possible Developments in 2002" reported that the system of floating foreign currency would continue this year and that a policy focusing on next quarter's inflation would be pursued. The report further stated that all the targets towards ensuring financial discipline and reconstruction would be met. The report went on to emphasize that the political and economic chaos seen in Argentina had occurred because that country failed to implement necessary economic reforms, and stated that Turkish markets were now in a better situation thanks to contacts held with the IMF and the reforms enacted at the end of last year. /Sabah/

    [09] 2001 EXPORTS INCREASE BY 14.2%

    Exports last year increased by 14.2% when compared to 2000, to reach an annual total of $31.63 billion annually, the Turkish Exporters' Union announced yesterday. The industrial sector made $25.6 billion in exports last year, and the agricultural sector made $4.8 billion, the union added. /Sabah/

    [10] BAD WEATHER WREAKS NATIONWIDE HAVOC

    Turkey has been suffering from heavy snowfall and bad weather conditions since the early days of the new year. Life came to a standstill over the last two days in most cities and villages throughout the country. Schools were closed in Istanbul and Ankara yesterday and remained closed today. Bad weather caused hitches in transportation and traffic, even while government crews worked hard to keep main roads open. /All Papers/

    [11] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...

    [12] CAUGHT RED-HANDED BY SEMIH IDIZ (STAR)

    Columnist Semih Idiz writes on stance of the EU in releasing a list of terrorist groups, which fails to include the PKK or the DHKP-C. A summary of his column is as follows: "Nationalist Action Party (MHP) deputy Chairman Seket Bulent Yahnici is right in crying out that the exclusion of the PKK and DHKP-C from the new terrorist organizations list prepared by the EU is scandalous. The four EU ambassadors I have spoken to on the issue were unable to supply any clear answer to my questions. Their main argument was that the decisions were arrived at by a consensus process in the EU and that if even one of the countries was opposed to it, no agreement could be reached on the subject. It doesn't take to be a genius to guess who has opposed defining the PKK as a terrorist organization. First of all, Greece can be cited as the main proponent of this view. However, the Greek stance must be viewed as a result of the eternal rivalry between our two countries. For example, sympathy for the Kosovo Liberation Force in Europe cannot be seen in Greece, which feels closer to that region's Serbs. Therefore, they can at least be regarded as honest in expressing their enmities. On the other hand, other countries can be classified under a group falling prey to their historical prejudices. Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium can be put at the top of this list. None of the officials or for that matter members of civil society in these countries I have spoken to are ready define the PKK as a terrorist organization. For them, this murderous organization is an "inevitable" phenomenon which emerged as a result of the desperate situation of the Kurdish people. In fact, they pronounce these opinions on the issue through a conditioned reflex. When they feel to be cornered, they say that these organizations are not committing any crimes on their territory. When asked, is not the IRA a phenomenon emerging from the desperate situation of the Northern Irish Catholics, they struggle to give answers through every means possible without realizing the hypocrisy they are showing. The DHKP-C came into the spotlight with the prison hunger-strikes and its members immediately became people to be 'protected' from the Turks. In short, these countries have been caught red-handed. They have surrendered to their prejudices on issues which they cannot explain reasonably. What should Turkey do in view of these developments? I believe that those who excluded the PKK and DHKP-C from the list of terrorist organizations are trying to force Turkey to act illogically and thereby find an excuse for their own unreasonable behavior. However, this stance cannot be accepted by all EU member states, as there are countries, which have banned the activities of the PKK and DHKP-C on their own territory. They are distressed right now not because of Turkey, but because they believe that the global war on terror led by the US will be weakened and could backfire due to these double standards. Washington is angry at the vacillatating stance of the EU as it has excluded certain people and organizations defined as terrorists by the US. There is not a solid bloc against Turkey. There are countries like Britain, Germany and Spain which understand the situation Turkey is in. Therefore I believe that at every possible opportunity, Turkey should resolutely declare to the offending countries how wrongheaded their behavior is. This should be accomplished with the support of friendly, like-minded countries as well as constant pressure through diplomatic channels. Reason and ethics are the sources of our strength."

    [13] WAS THE EU DECEIVED? BY IZZET SEDES (AKSAM)

    Columnist Izzet Sedes writes on the recently released EU list of terrorist organizations which excluded the PKK and the DHKP-C. A summary of his column is as follows: "The exclusion of the PKK, which wants to establish a Kurdish state on our territory, and the religious reactionary DHKP-C, which would like Turkey to turn into a fundamentalist Islamist state, from the list prepared by the EU has given rise to reaction in our country. Sometimes the Europeans can be very naive. Occasionally they believe in causes which are far from the truth, and it is very hard to shake their belief. The PKK and the DHKP-C can viewed within this perspective. There are more than 3 million Turks living in Europe. In order to be granted asylum by the country they are living in, they have to say that they have been subject to abuse or torture in their own country. Turks are giving petitions to foreign lawyers specialized in these issues and signing documents in a language without really knowing what is written, just so that they can be granted asylum. Furthermore, there are many Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin or fundamentalists living in the EU countries who are deliberately repeating certain arguments, slandering Turkey to the politicians and everyone else. However, Turkish politicians and statesmen are not giving sufficient information on the issue to their counterparts when they meet. They expect the ambassadors to deal with the matter but the ambassadors cannot see the ministers or other politicians in the country they are serving as easily as can those in Turkey. That is why Foreign Minister Ismail Cem must inform his colleagues either by phone or in face-to-face meetings in detail regarding the issues and try to convince them also by seeking the help of friendly countries. It would be wrong to depend solely on the US to convince them. The Europeans don't like intervention by the US or other parties into their affairs. We must learn the cause lying behind their exclusion of these terrorist organizations from the list, and then act accordingly."

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