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Turkish Press Review, 02-06-13
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
13.06.2002
CONTENTS
[01] ECEVIT: “CILLER IS BLOCKING THE ABOLITION OF
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT”
[02] YILMAZ MEETS SPANISH PRIME MINISTER AZNAR
[03] BAHCELI: “NO NEED FOR PESSIMISM ON THE FUTURE”
[04] CILLER: “LACK OF LEADERSHIP IS HURTING OUR EU
BID”
[05] BAYKAL: “A DSP-ANAP MINORITY GOVERNMENT COULD
BE SET UP”
[06] CEM: “TURKEY WILL NOT MISS THE EU TRAIN”
[07] IZGI SPEAKS ON IMPORTANCE OF IMPROVING
RELATIONS WITH THE US
[08] OZILHAN: “TURKEY CANNOT BEAR ANOTHER ECONOMIC
CRISIS”
[09] 1,500 YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS GATHER IN ISTANBUL
[10] ITO TARGETS INCREASING TRADE VOLUME WITH THE US
[11] SCHOLARS DISCUSS CYPRUS ISSUE, TURKISH-EU
RELATIONS
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE
COLUMNS
[13] KIRKUK PROBLEM BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[14] ALL ROADS LEAD TO A REFERENDUM BY SEMIH IDIZ
(STAR)
[01] ECEVIT: “CILLER IS BLOCKING THE ABOLITION OF
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT”
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said yesterday that True Path
Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller was standing in the way of
Turkey abolishing the death penalty. Communicating through his
spokesman, Ecevit said that Ciller’s attitude was making
Turkey’s European Union’s accession process more difficult.
However, he still expressed hope that an arrangement possibly
involving the Felicity Party (SP) or Justice and Development
Party (AKP) could still bring about the abolition. /Aksam/
[02] YILMAZ MEETS SPANISH PRIME MINISTER AZNAR
Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader
Mesut Yilmaz met with European Union Term President Spain’s
Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar yesterday in Madrid. Speaking to
journalists after the meeting, Yilmaz stated that he had thanked
Aznar for the inclusion of the PKK and DHKP-C onto the EU’s
revised list of terrorist organizations. Relating that he
reminded Aznar that PKK had recently changed its name to “KADEK,”
Yilmaz said, “I said to Mr. Aznar that KADEK should also be
included on the EU list. He promised to convey Turkey’s concerns
on this issue to other EU countries.” Yilmaz also stated that
Aznar believed there would be no obstacles to Turkey concerning
its bid for full EU membership if the Turkish government managed
to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria. Yilmaz also underlined that
the exact date for the beginning of Turkey’s membership
negotiation process should be determined at the EU’s Seville
summit. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] BAHCELI: “NO NEED FOR PESSIMISM ON THE FUTURE”
Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli
yesterday said that there was no need to be pessimistic or
hopeless about the future. Stating that the government was still
continuing its mission, he said that opposition parties and
their circles were trying to force elections and to create a new
economic crisis. He also claimed that some circles wanted to
exploit a crisis atmosphere and make profits through stock
market and foreign currency. Pointing to the intensive work
related to Turkey’s EU bid in the coming days, Bahceli said the
issues on Turkey’s accession to the EU were being discussed
through Parliament and that an agreement would be reached as
soon as possible. He added that the tripartite coalition
government was determined to carry out the economic program and
that inflation had begun to decrease and exports started to rise.
/Aksam/
[04] CILLER: “LACK OF LEADERSHIP IS HURTING OUR EU
BID”
True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller released a
statement yesterday charging that the government’s “lack of a
prime minister at the helm” was making Turkey miss its European
Union membership bid. Responding to Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit’s accusing Ciller of hindering the nation’s EU bid,
Ciller said that Ecevit had also missed a chance to join the EU
during his prime ministry of the early 1970s. Ciller added that
the government seemed unable to take a stance on the critical EU
issue, and that the coalition partners had deep disagreements on
the matter. /Hurriyet/.
[05] BAYKAL: “A DSP-ANAP MINORITY GOVERNMENT COULD
BE SET UP”
Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday
issued a proposal which he said might break the government’s
deadlock over the capital punishment issue, namely the formation
of a Democratic Left Party (DSP)-Motherland Party (ANAP)
minority government. Saying that both the Justice and
Development Party (AKP) and True Path Party (DYP) conditionally
support abolishing capital punishment, Baykal laid out this
scenario: “If the Nationalist Action Party [MHP] withdraws from
the coalition, then the DSP and ANAP could put together a
minority government with the DYP and Felicity Party’s [SP]
outside support. In such a case capital punishment could be
abolished with opposition support, and elections could be held
this year.” /Hurriyet/
[06] CEM: “TURKEY WILL NOT MISS THE EU TRAIN”
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem yesterday attended a ceremony
organized by the Turkish-American Businessmen’s Association
(TABA) to present awards to a number of businessmen for their
contributions to improving Turkish-US commercial relations. Cem
spoke on his views of Turkish-EU relations, criticizing some
domestic circles for developing unrealistic arguments such as
“the EU will absolutely admit Turkey at all costs,” or “The EU
will never admit Turkey no matter how hard the government tries,”
or the like. “Turkey should begin its membership negotiation
process as soon as possible,” said Cem. “I don’t believe that
Turkey will miss the EU train. However, if we don’t speed up our
reforms, we may be delayed in getting on the train.”
/Cumhuriyet/
[07] IZGI SPEAKS ON IMPORTANCE OF IMPROVING
RELATIONS WITH THE US
Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi said yesterday that if Turkey is
unable to achieve European Union accession, it should look to
further develop its relations with the United States. Receiving
Assembly of Turkish-American Associations (ATAA) President Orhan
Kaymakcalan, Izgi said that America had been the superpower of
the world for 50 years. “We shouldn’t forget its power,” he
added. “We need to increase exchanges of information and do
whatever we can by thinking of the effect of our lobbying
activities there. We must do this.” Stating that Turkey had been
experiencing significant problems, Izgi added, “So many things
are said about the EU, but negative aspects concerning EU
accession are taking a prominent place on the agenda. Some
people think that the EU’s requests might offend the Turkish
nation. Therefore we want Turkey to be a member of the EU one
day but if it is unable to do so, then we will have to improve
our relations with the US. Actually Turkey is attaching
importance not only to being an EU member, but also to improving
its relations with the US.” /Turkiye/
[08] OZILHAN: “TURKEY CANNOT BEAR ANOTHER ECONOMIC
CRISIS”
Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen Association’s (TUSIAD)
Chairman Tuncay Ozilhan declared yesterday that in its current
economic situation, Turkey could not bear another economic
crisis. Speaking to a gathering of the Turkish-American
Businessmen’s Association (TABA), Ozilhan stated that Turkey’s
future lay in the European Union. He added that TUSIAD stood in
favor of Turkey’s EU membership in order to ensure the nation’s
prosperity within a structure offering both happiness and peace.
/Aksam/
[09] 1,500 YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS GATHER IN ISTANBUL
Turkey is currently hosting the 40th Junior Chamber
International (JCI or Jaycees) European Conference, which is
held in a different European city each year, the conference
began yesterday in Istanbul’s Lutfi Kirdar Congress and Exhibit
Hall with the participation of nearly 1,500 young businessmen
and administrators between the ages of 18 and 45, who represent
billions of dollars in business on 34 countries. Speaking at the
opening of the JCI meeting, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said
that the European Union represents the future which we desire
for our children. Caling the EU “the organization of the future,”
he pointed out that Turkey has a younger population than any
other European country. Cem added that the EU cannot rest on its
laurels but must look to the future. Also on the first day of
the conference, world famous business psychologist Kerry Johnson
made a presentation to the participants on increasing their
sales and developing their administrative skills. /Turkiye/
[10] ITO TARGETS INCREASING TRADE VOLUME WITH THE US
Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) Executive Board Chairman
Mehmet Yildirim said yesterday that through better cooperation,
the trade volume between Turkey and the US could be increased
from its current level of $6.5 billion to reach $10-12 billion.
Speaking at the “Turkish-American Business Days Meeting” at
which representatives from 200 small-and medium-sized businesses
from 9 states of the US were present, Yildirim said that the US
was Turkey’s most important commercial partner. Stating that the
most important two issues that emerged after Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit’s visit to the US this January were the Qualified
Industrial Zones (QIZs) and textile quotas, Yildirim emphasized
the significance of enhanced rooted cooperation directed to
future. /Turkiye/
[11] SCHOLARS DISCUSS CYPRUS ISSUE, TURKISH-EU
RELATIONS
Scholars of international law and European Union law
yesterday discussed the possible effects of the Greek Cypriot
administration’s admittance to the EU on relations between
Turkey and the European Union. The scholars underlined that
should the Greek Cypriot administration be admitted, this would
plunge Turkish-EU relations into a dead end since the Greek
Cypriots would surely veto Turkey’s full EU membership.
Criticizing the EU for turning a blind eye to such adverse
effects of the admittance of the Greek Cypriots, the scholars
stated that the EU should postpone its decision to let the Greek
administration join the Union. /Cumhuriyet/
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE
COLUMNS
[13] KIRKUK PROBLEM BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen writes on the emerging Kirkuk issue
following a conference held at the American University in
Washington D.C. A summary of his column is as follows:
“A conference held by the American University in Washington
D.C. has clearly demonstrated the place the Iraqi Kurds are
planning for themselves in the political future of the country.
In addition to the representatives of two main groups in
northern Iraq, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and
Kurdistan Patriotic Union (KYB), panelists from the US and the
EU also attended the conference. TESEV Director Ozdem Sanberk
also gave a presentation during the conference. Even though
these unofficial conferences are of a ‘brainstoming’ nature,
they tend to bring forth important tendencies and as a
consequence can be influential on circles orienting policies. At
the conference, Kurdish representatives stated that they foresaw
a federal system in Iraq’s post-Saddam era. Kurdish spokesmen
have been defending the idea of a federal system all along. This
is a desire Kurdish leaders in Iraq have expressed for some
time. However, during this conference the content of this desire
was filled out. The federal structure foreseen is based on
ethnicity. That is to say, an ‘Iraqi Federal Republic’ will be
formed by two sectors, one Kurdish, the other Arab. Turkomans,
Christians and others will protect their status as minorities.
The federal system will bring the condition of decentralization,
in other words the Kurdish sector will have a broad autonomy.
The KDP and KYP, which seemed to agree on these points, are
preparing a draft constitution. Iraqi Kurdish representatives
were not clear on the borders of the Kurdish federal region.
During their presentation, they did not mention what the status
of Kirkuk would be. Therefore, US congressional advisor Alan
Makovsky’s question as to whether they wanted Kirkuk to be
included in the Kurdish region was left unanswered. However,
this notion was applauded by the Kurds following the conference.
A speaker of Kurdish origin stated that in the KDP-KYP project,
Kirkuk was certainly included in the Kirkuk region. Even if this
is not openly expressed, the view on the issue has a long
history. In a supplementary article of the autonomy agreement
reached between the Iraqi government and Kurdish representatives
in 1970, it was stated that the status of Kirkuk would be
determined in the next four years. Later on clashes erupted, and
this agreement was shelved. However, in a decision taken by the
Kurdish assembly in 1992, the Kurds declared that Kirkuk
belonged to them. During the conference this view was brought to
the agenda, even if informally. Those who are most disturbed by
this are the Turkomans and and Turkish officials. It did not
take long for Turkish diplomatic sources in Washington to react
to this, and they stated that oil-rich Kirkuk cannot be left in
the hands of the Kurdish administration. Retired Ambassador
Sanberk, speaking for TESEV, opposed the federalism concept of
Kurdish representatives in general and said that efforts to
divide Iraq into parts based on ethnicity would open a Pandora’s
box. At a time when all attention is drawn to the abolition of
death penalty, or the future of the coalition, are these
developments being followed as closely as they should be?”
[14] ALL ROADS LEAD TO A REFERENDUM BY SEMIH IDIZ
(STAR)
Columnist Semih Idiz writes on the recent discussions over
Turkey’s EU membership bid. A summary of his column is as
follows:
“One benefit of recent developments is that the facts about
the EU are coming out into the open one by one. Today it is
being said that no one should hold high hopes in vain. ‘Our EU
membership lies 20 years in the future. Free circulation will be
postponed for 10 years even if we become a member.’ This is the
new trump card of Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Bahceli.
However, this isn’t a new message. This is an argument those
opposing the EU have been strongly defending for weeks.
Certainly, we may not be a member before 2010. There are
gigantic political and economic hurdles Turkey has to overcome.
However, the lateness of the date has nothing to do with the EU,
rather it lies with us. The postponement of free circulation is
not indexed only to Turkey. Today, Germany is trying to obstruct
the recognition of this right, thinking of the unemployed who
would be flowing into the country from Hungary, Poland and the
Czech Republic, which are closer to membership than us. It seems
that it will succeed in doing this. These countries, even if
they become members, will wait for 10 years for the right of
free circulation to be granted. The basic argument put forth by
the opposition front is, ‘A great majority of the people would
like to be admitted to the EU because they see it as an
opportunity for earning a living. But if they knew the truth,
they would not want to be admitted’. If so, why did the Irish,
Portuguese and Greeks want membership for? Did they just want to
be accepted into an elite club? They wanted to elevate their
standard of living, but did not achieve it by flowing into
Germany or Sweden. The standard of prosperity in these countries
began to rise even without being admitted into the EU. Internal
and foreign investments increased with the membership process.
In other words, the benefits of the EU began to be seen even
during the membership process. If membership means the
strengthening of economic stability, the membership process
means steps taken towards this goal. If we are to use Bahceli’s
metaphor, certainly EU membership is not the key to heaven. The
increase in the rate of prosperity will not come out of nowhere.
On the contrary, Turkey has to work harder than ever to compete
with equals both during the membership process and as a member.
Admittance to the EU is not an end. We have to display an
excellent performance. Bahceli’s words are true in that sense.
This should be clearly explained to the Turkish people. However,
even though he may be right in essence, Mr. Bahceli has other
aims in saying so. He wants to say that Turkey doesn’t have to
take any steps for growth, development or on the road to
civilization, whether we have to enter the EU or not. Some of us
seem to have fallen for the argument that we are not taking
these measures for our people, but for the love of the EU. There
are at least 20 years before our membership to the EU. Free
circulation is nothing but a pipe dream they say. Let us protect
the status quo. True, this leads the country nowhere, but at
least it is our status quo. As the Irish say ‘Better the devil
you know than the devil you don’t.’ The world may advance as
much as it likes. Nobody loves us. Let us stay alone with our
own devil ... Certainly the facts on the issue must be clearly
explained to the public. After the essence of the issue has been
clearly laid out for the public, their opinion should be asked.
The best way to get this is a referendum. This is the only
logical solution. The Social Democratic People’s Party (SHP)
issued a statement on the issue yesterday advocating this
opinion. Many EU countries held referendums before becoming a
member. It is not surprising that the party which is strongly
opposed to a referendum on the issue is the MHP, as it has
doubts regarding the outcome of such referendum in the face of
the polls published on the issue. The MHP doesn’t want a
referendum on the EU because it doesn’t trust the people.
Otherwise, it would have been the first party to call for a
referendum on such a vital issue. However, if a referendum is
not held, the next elections will have the nature of a
referendum for EU membership bid. Anyway the people must be
consulted on the EU issue. The number of those who want the
people to be asked is increasing with each passing day.”
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