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Turkish Press Review, 02-05-24

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> <map name="FPMap1"></map> Press &amp; 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.”

    ARCHIVE

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