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Turkish Press Review, 02-05-24
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Press
& Information
Turkish
Press
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
24.05.2002
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER DEPARTS FOR VISIT TO ALBANIA
[02] ECEVIT TELLS SEZER ABOUT LEADERS’ MEETING
[03] SEZER APPLIES TO CONSTITUTIONAL LAW FOR ANNULMENT OF CONDITIONAL RELEASE LAW
[04] KARAKOYUNLU: “RTUK LAW SHOULD BE REVISED”
[05] CEM TO VISIT TRNC
[06] KADEK GETS SUPPORT AND SHELTER IN IRAN, SYRIA
[07] TURKEY SENDS ADVANCE TEAM TO AFGHANISTAN FOR ISAF TAKEOVER
[08] CAKAN: “NO ENERGY PROBLEMS UNTIL 2006”
[09] YILMAZ SPEAKS AT EUROPEAN CONVENTION MEETING
[10] VURAL GIVES DETAILS ON TURK TELEKOM PRIVATIZATION
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[12] THE EU KNOT BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
[13] IS HARMONY AMONG LEADERS ENOUGH? BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[01] SEZER DEPARTS FOR VISIT TO ALBANIA
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer left for Albania yesterday to pay a two-day
official visit upon the invitation of Albanian President Recep Meydani.
Before his departure, Sezer told reporters that his visit would be the
first visit to Albania at the presidential level in over three years. He
stated that during the visit he would hold a series of contacts with the
Albanian president and other high-level authorities in order to improve
bilateral relations and that they would exchange views on regional issues.
When asked by a reporter about discussions concerning possible early
elections, Sezer answered that the authority to make such decisions
belonged to Parliament. Regarding recent developments on Turkey’s EU
membership bid, Sezer said that Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit had told him
over the phone about the leaders’ meeting on Tuesday. “Ecevit told me that
Foreign Ministry officials had briefed leaders on the EU at the meeting.
After that the leaders are to make an evaluation. That is what I know.”
Sezer also remarked that he wanted to meet soon with coalition leaders and
other parties’ leaders in Parliament to discuss developments on Turkey’s EU
membership bid. /All Papers/
[02] ECEVIT TELLS SEZER ABOUT LEADERS’ MEETING
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, who is currently undergoing treatment at the
hospital, made a phone call to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday.
Ecevit reportedly informed the president about the coalition leaders’
meeting on Tuesday and gave his best wishes for Sezer’s Albanian visit.
Meanwhile, Ecevit’s doctors said yesterday that Ecevit was responding to
his treatment and getting better. /All Papers/
[03] SEZER APPLIES TO CONSTITUTIONAL LAW FOR ANNULMENT OF CONDITIONAL
RELEASE LAW
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday applied to the Constitutional Court
for the annulment of the recently passed Conditional Release Law. Sezer
stated that certain articles of the law did not pass the Parliament with a
required majority stipulated by the Constitution, under his interpretation
that the law constitutes a “special amnesty.” The Conditional Release Law
proposes the release of some 5,000 prisoners. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] KARAKOYUNLU: “RTUK LAW SHOULD BE REVISED”
Speaking to the reporters in Izmir yesterday, State Minister Yilmaz
Karakoyunlu said that the law on the Supreme Board of Radio and Television
(RTUK) should be revised and resubmitted to Parliament with revisions after
the summer recess. Meanwhile Nationalist Action Party (MHP) and Democratic
Left Party (DSP) deputies said yesterday that they would appeal to the
Constitutional Court to have the new law annulled. /Star/
[05] CEM TO VISIT TRNC
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem is scheduled to visit the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) next week. Cem will receive an honorary doctorate at
the commencement ceremony of Kyrenia American University. He is also
expected to be received by TRNC President Rauf Denktas. Denktas will brief
Cem on recent developments concerning the direct peace talks and a proposal
he recently presented to Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides. Denktas
will reportedly ask Turkey to lobby the international community on behalf
of his proposal. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] KADEK GETS SUPPORT AND SHELTER IN IRAN, SYRIA
According to reports from Turkish intelligence units, the terrorist
organization PKK-KADEK is receiving support in Turkey’s neighbors Iran and
Syria as well as in Armenia. PKK-KADEK recently applied to official Syrian
institutions to obtain permission for its activities there. In addition,
the terrorist group is preparing to carry out activities in Armenia under
the label “the Kurdish-Armenian Friendship Committee.” According to the
reports, the PKK-KADEK is also preparing to send some 60 terrorists
currently taking shelter in Europe to northern Iraq. Finally, the report
says that some PKK-KADEK terrorists are currently being trained within the
borders of Iran. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] TURKEY SENDS ADVANCE TEAM TO AFGHANISTAN FOR ISAF TAKEOVER
Turkey is due today to send an advance contingent of troops to Afghanistan
as part of its transition in taking command of the peacekeeping force
there. Turkey already has some 264 troops in the region, and this number is
expected to grow to 1,000 when it officially takes over the International
Stabilization Assistance Force (ISAF) there. The Office of the Chief of
General Staff yesterday announced that the transfer of other troops would
begin as soon as the advance team completed its assessment of the region.
/Hurriyet/
[08] CAKAN: “NO ENERGY PROBLEMS UNTIL 2006”
Speaking at the Eighth International Cogeneration Conference and Exhibition
(ICCI 2002) yesterday, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Zeki Cakan
said that future energy problems would not “leave Turkey in the dark.”
Cakan stated that barring unexpected and unlikely developments, there
shouldn’t be any energy problems until the year 2006. He added that 60 of
Turkey’s 81 provinces would be provided with natural gas by 2004. During
the meeting, successful projects using cogeneration, a process whereby
facilities use their own waste products to produce energy, were given
awards. Turkish firms Altinyildiz Textiles, Isko Sanko Textile Industry and
Kastamonu Integrated Tree Industry all won recognition for their
outstanding cogeneration programs. /Aksam/
[09] YILMAZ SPEAKS AT EUROPEAN CONVENTION MEETING
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said yesterday that he wanted to end the
“confusion of authority” among European Union institutions and requested
that the limits of the authority of the EU and its methods of using this
authority be clarified. Speaking at a Convention on Europe’s Future meeting
in Brussels, Yilmaz gave Turkey’s views on the future of the EU. Yilmaz
stated that the democratic legality of EU institutions should be addressed
and that the role of the EU’s individual member parliaments should be
increased in the Union’s legislation activities. /Aksam/
[10] VURAL GIVES DETAILS ON TURK TELEKOM PRIVATIZATION
Transportation Minister Oktay Vural stated yesterday that the upcoming
privatization of state landline monopoly Turk Telekom would see the company
separated into six different revisions, adding that its asking price needed
to be revised downward in view of market conditions. Vural made the remarks
after meeting with Juha Kahkonen, IMF’s Turkey desk chief. He said that he
had told Kahkonen that needed changes to the telecom’s privatization
legislation would be made in October and that a date for the selloff would
also be contained in that law. When asked whether he had discussed possible
early elections with the IMF official, Vural said that subject was outside
the scope of their meeting. /Milliyet/
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[12] THE EU KNOT BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
Columnist Fikret Bila writes on the decision of President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer to convene a meeting on the EU process with the coalition and
Parliament leaders. A summary of his column is as follows:
“No concrete decisions came out from the leaders’ summit regarding the
steps to be taken for our EU accession process. Can the recommendations
jointly prepared by the Prime Ministry, Secretariat General for EU Affairs,
and the Foreign Ministry and presented to the leaders regarding abolition
of the death penalty, lifting of Emergency Rule (OHAL) and Kurdish
television broadcasts be carried out? It is indeed difficult to answer this
question in the affirmative. Prime Minister Ecevit’s favoured approach to
the issue was to begin taking the necessary steps immediately. Reportedly,
Prime Minister Ecevit reminded his partners that the EU had taken positive
steps regarding anti-Turkey the terrorist organizations. He stated briefly
that in the ensuing climate it would be beneficial for us to take some
steps and that if we did not do so, we would be missing an opportunity.
Those attending the summit stated that this aproach was supported by
Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz, whereas Nationalist Action
Party (MHP) leader Bahceli was not in favour of it. Bahceli particularly
was insistent on not acting ‘in haste’ in abolishing capital punishment. It
was stressed that Bahceli was unenthusiastic about the recommendations
package and was against the lifting the death penalty if Abdullah Ocalan
was to benefit from it. President Sezer’s decision to meet with the leaders
may have been triggered by this climate and the MHP’s reluctance. Sezer
announced his decision after a telephone conversation with Prime Minister
Ecevit. It may well be that Prime Minister Ecevit asked the president to
intervene after seeing the unwillingness of the MHP and Bahceli. It seems
that official circles believe the president’s intervention will help
matters in convincing Bahceli and the MHP regarding the EU process. It is
not yet certain if Prime Minister Ecevit will attend the National Security
Council (NSC) meeting on May 30. The MHP leader will be visiting China at
that date. Official circles concerned with the EU believe that
recommendations regarding the EU should be discussed in a NSC meeting where
both leaders are present.”
[13] IS HARMONY AMONG LEADERS ENOUGH? BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen writes on Turkey’s relations with the EU and President
Sezer’s decision to meet with the political party leaders on the issue. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“President Ahmet Necdet Sezer’s decision to convene a meeting with the
leaders of all political party leaders regarding the EU process is a
promising development coming after the uncertainty and concern created by
the recent leaders’ summit. In fact, the president using his consitutional
powers is the best way to clear this impasse. This initiative demonstrates
the significance the president attaches to the lifting of certain obstacles,
such as abolishing capital punishment and broadcasting in Kurdish, which
stand in our way of beginning accession negotiations with the EU. The
illness of the prime minister, Deputy Prime Minister Bahceli’s visit to
China, rumors regarding early general elections, and the summer recess of
Parliament, which needs to pass certain amendments, all generate the risk
of our falling behind the EU calendar. However, Turkey has no time to lose.
Next month the Seville summit will take place. If we don’t consider it to
be the last stop, in October the progress report concerning Turkey will be
published. Then will come the Copenhagen summit. Legal changes have to be
made on the above-mentioned issues before then. This is not possible unless
there is harmony among the political parties, and especially among the
coalition partners. Therefore, the timing of the president’s decision to
intervene is correct. It came out after the recent leaders’ summit that
some politicians still believe Turkey is not well understood in the EU. It
is being claimed that Turkey’s sensitivities regarding capital punishment
and broadcasting in Kurdish should be better expressed to the EU and that
these issues should be ‘negotiated’ with the EU. But, in fact, there can be
no negotiation or bargaining with the EU regarding political criteria. All
conditions are applied to all candidates without any discrimination.
Moreover, accession negotiations with all the other candidates started
after it was established that they had complied with certain criteria. It
cannot be expected that the EU should relinquish some of its demands due to
the ‘special circumstances’ in the applicant country. However the candidate
country has to fulfill what is expected from it. Therefore, the dispute
among the coalition partners regarding the above-mentioned reforms should
be solved by taking the EU standards into consideration. The important
thing is being in harmony with the EU, not harmony among our politicians.
Another point which should be taken into account is that the EU is
evaluating other factors in addition to the constitutional changes on these
subjects. There is no guarantee that accession negotiations will begin even
if these issues are solved. The EU officials are taking the implementations
into consideration as well. It will examine whether the new laws passed are
in harmony with the EU criteria. Therefore, it is wrong to index the issue
of harmony with the EU to only three or four subjects. The political
reforms which should be implemented in line with the National Programme
should be taken as a whole.”
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