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Turkish Press Review, 02-07-11Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: 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 & Information Turkish Press Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning11.07.2002WHY DO CLINTON AND THE US WANT TURKEY IN THE EU? BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)CONTENTS
[01] SEZER APPROVES NEW APPOINTMENTS FOR VACANT MINISTRY POSITIONSPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday approved new appointments to a number of vacant ministerial positions. Under the decree, Democratic Left Party (DSP) Deputy Necdet Tekin became education minister, while Melda Bayer and Mehmet Kocabatmaz were assigned to be state ministers of the Cabinet. /Turkiye/[02] CABINET MINISTERS MEETThe Cabinet ministers chaired by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit convened yesterday at the Prime Ministry with the attendance of several newly appointed ministers from the Democratic Left Party (DSP). Melda Bayer, who was appointed state minister responsible for family to replace Hasan Gemici, became the first female minister in the current government. At the one-hour- plus meeting, recent political and economic developments were reportedly discussed, while a 5% increase for the second half of the year in civil servants' salaries was also approved. /All Papers/[03] COALITION LEADERS MEETFollowing the Cabinet ministers' yesterday's meeting, the three leaders of the coalition government, Prime Minister and Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit and Deputy Prime Ministers Devlet Bahceli and Mesut Yilmaz, the leaders of the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) and Motherland Party (ANAP) respectively, had a previously unscheduled meeting at the Official Residence of the Prime Ministry. During the meeting, the topic of early elections was taken up. However, reportedly no consensus was reached on a date for elections. /Turkiye/[04] TWO MORE RESIGNATIONS FROM THE DSPResignations from the senior coalition partner Democratic Left Party (DSP) continued yesterday. DSP Deputies Evliya Parlak and Cahit Savas Yazici submitted their resignation petitions to the Bureau of Parliament. With these defections, the number of DSP deputies' resignations from their party officially reached 35, and the number of the party deputies in Parliament fell to 93. /Turkiye/[05] YILMAZ MEETS WITH ANAP OFFICIALSDeputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz yesterday met with his party officials to evaluate current political developments. Yilmaz then met with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit to convey him ANAP's views. Yilmaz and the officials agreed that steps must be taken on Turkey's European Union bid, but if this proves unworkable then the nation should proceed immediately to elections. Yilmaz also said that his party agreed with the opposition contention that Parliament should be recalled. /Hurriyet/[06] CEM EXPECTED TO RESIGN TOMORROWForeign Minister Ismail Cem reportedly decided yesterday to resign from the Democratic Left Party (DSP), according to a number of news organizations. A series of intensive meetings were held between Cem, former Deputy Prime Minister Husamettin Ozkan and State Economy Minister Kemal Dervis yesterday. Cem is expected to announce his resignation tomorrow. /Cumhuriyet/[07] EU KEEPS AN EYE ON CEMDiplomatic sources stated yesterday that European Union Commission Chairman Romano Prodi's and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen's scheduled visits to Turkey for next week might be postponed due to the uncertainty which has recently engulfed Turkish politics. The EU Commission officials stated that they were waiting for the instability to come to an end since the visits of EU officials would be pointless if Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem were to resign. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Ministry officials stressed that Turkey attached great importance to Prodi's visit since the Turkish government believed that it would give impetus to Turkish- EU relations. Prodi is now scheduled to visit Turkey on July 18-19 and to meet with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer as well as Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. /Cumhuriyet/[08] CILLER MEETS WITH DERVISMain opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller yesterday met with State Economy Minister Kemal Dervis in Ankara. At the meeting, Dervis said that state economic officials were working hard to save the economy from being hurt by recent political developments. Ciller and Dervis touched on the issue of Turkey's European Union accession process during their meeting and agreed that Turkey should take urgent steps for its EU membership. Dervis asked Ciller whether the elections could be held next spring and Ciller answered, "If the current political uncertainty continues, this will be a serious problem for the country. A US operation in Iraq is possible, and early elections should be held this fall before such an operation." She added, "Early elections should be held before the end of this year." After the meeting Ciller told reporters that the DYP unconditionally supported Turkey's EU accession process. /Aksam/[09] BAYKAL: "TURKEY SHOULD GO TO ELECTIONS WITH THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT"Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday held separate meetings with Union of Turkish Commodities and Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu and Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) Chairman Tuncay Ozilhan in his office. Baykal stated that there was no need to search for a new government. "Turkey should go to elections under the current government, we are losing time," Baykal added. Baykal also said that Parliament should be recalled for an extraordinary session. /Hurriyet/[10] MHP SUBMITS PARLIAMENT RECALL PROPOSALYesterday, Nationalist Action Party (MHP) group representatives submitted their offer proposing to recall Parliament for an extraordinary session on Sept. 1-3 to make a decision on early elections. Receiving the offer with the signatures of 125 MHP deputies, well above the 103 needed to submit such a proposal, Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi said that he would do what was required. /Turkiye/[11] GUREL: "GOVERNMENT SHOULD CARRY ON"Appearing on news channel NTV yesterday, newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister Sukru Sina Gurel commented on calls in some quarters for government to dissolve in favor of a new formation. "We need to bear in mind the consequences of a possible government change," said Gurel. "Those promoting instability and drawing on the current chaos should remember this, too." He added: "The continuation of this government is vital for the country's interests, which is why it must carry on." /Cumhuriyet/[12] DENKTAS REBUKES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR BIAS OVER CYPRUSTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas yesterday declared that if the international community maintained its biased attitude towards the Cyprus issue the problem would remain unresolved. Denktas was responding to a UN Security Council meeting evaluating the direct talks process between Denktas and Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides. The meeting yesterday accused the Turkish side of failing to support the goal of reaching solutions to the island's basic problems by the end of last month and also of having an "unconstructive" attitude. Denktas responded: "Of course the dilemma will remain at a standstill if the international community does not give up its 40-year-long partiality in favor of the other side of the conflict and persists in calling that government the only legitimate one on the whole island, and if the sole policy of that government is to benefit from this advantage at all costs." Denktas charged that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and UN Envoy Cyprus Alvaro de Soto continued to deny that no solution for the island could be reached before an honest diagnosis is made of the issue. /Cumhuriyet/[13] DENMARK'S TURKEY AMBASSADOR HOPPE EVALUATES TURKISH-EU RELATIONSIn an interview with Turkish daily Cumhuriyet, European Union Term President Denmark's Ambassador to Turkey Christian Hoppe offered his views on a number of significant issues such as the Turkish-EU relations, the Union's enlargement project and the Cyprus issue. Remarking that the Copenhagen summit to be held in December was of great importance for Turkey's EU bid, Hoppe said that Turkey should continue its reforms through October, since its performance would be evaluated in the Progress Report to be prepared by the EU Commission. Hoppe underlined the importance of Copenhagen criteria for Turkey, recalling that each step to be taken by the Turkish government in order to fulfill these criteria would be highly appreciated by the EU. Asked whether KADEK would be included on the EU's list of terrorist organizations, Hoppe said, "The list is being continually revised. Denmark believes that KADEK is a continuation of the PKK terrorist organization. Therefore, we may believe that the EU will add it to its list." In addition, Hoppe also stated that Denmark placed a high premium on the Union's enlargement project, voicing his belief that the two parties on Cyprus would reach a settlement in the following months. Satisfied that Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders had made significant progress in the recent peace talks, Hoppe stated that reaching a permanent solution on the issue would not be a condition for Cyprus' admittance to the EU. /Cumhuriyet/[14] IMF: "THE PROGRAM IS WORKING, BUT POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY IS HURTING"International Monetary Fund Turkey Desk Chief Juha Kahkonen yesterday urged the government to stick to its economic program. Speaking to reporters after meeting with Foreign Capital Association (YASED) officials, Kahkonen said that the current economic program has been improving macroeconomic balances but that persistent political uncertainty was making foreign investors nervous. "The Macroeconomic environment and stability are very important for foreign direct investment," Kahkonen added. /Hurriyet/[15] CHHIBBER: "TURKEY'S ECONOMIC PROGRAM WILL PROGRESS MORE QUICKLY IF THE POLITICAL UNCERTAINITY ENDS"World Bank Turkey Director Ajay Chibber said yesterday that if Turkey's political uncertainty ends, its economic program would go forward at greater speed. "The economic program has started to show results," he stated. "There are three ways to achieve reforms, namely enacting rules and regulations in the public sector, forming a structure to facilitate public participation, and pushing mechanisms to encourage investment." He also added that many measures had been achieved in public expenditure management and institutional reform, but that the reforms needed to continue. /Aksam/[16] FINAL STAGE ACCORD SIGNED ON BAKU-CEYHANA final stage accord was signed yesterday for the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Crude Oil Pipeline Project, which was developed in order to transport crude oil reserves in the Caspian Sea to Ceyhan in Turkey through Azerbaijan and Georgia via pipelines. The parties initialed the pipeline assurance bidding agreement of the BTC Project, which will make Turkey a crossroads of international energy corridors. Turkey's Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) and Noksel Steel Pipes, Mannesmann Pipe Industries and Umran Steel Pipes, which are participating in the Turkish consortium as pump and pipe providers, signed the agreement. The agreement will now be sent to oil producer BP Amoco, which is acting on behalf of Main Export Pipeline Company (MEPCO). /Aksam/[17] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[18] ECEVIT: ELECTIONS COULD BE ON NOV. 3 BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Columnist Fikret Bila writes about the possibility of early elections and the views of various parties."The three coalition party leaders met yesterday for the first time following this week's resignations from the Democratic Left Party (DSP) in order to discuss the prospect of early elections. While agreeing to continue with the coalition government, the three leaders all had different views about going to the polls. I spoke to Mr. Ecevit after the meeting. 'Personally I don't think early elections would be appropriate,' he said 'Mr. Yilmaz is also opposed to the idea. But Mr. Bahceli believes that, under the circumstances, early elections an absolute must. He was insistent on the date of Nov. 3 despite arguments from Mr. Yilmaz that if early elections are going to be held then they should be held in September so there's enough time to pass the necessary European Union accession laws. One thing that the leaders agreed on was to carry on with this government, and it looks likely that the elections will be held under this coalition. This doesn't mean, however, that debate on new government formations will come to an end. The latest possibility being considered is a coalition formed by the Motherland Party (ANAP) and the True Path Party (DYP) along with Husamettin Ozkan and his allies, with parliamentary support from the Justice and Development Party (AKP). But what does the leader of the DYP, Tansu Ciller, think about such a possibility? I asked her yesterday and this is what she said: 'Government scenarios are not our priority at the moment. Our priorities are early elections and the European Union. We believe that the Parliament should convene as soon as possible, before Sept. 1 even, and should pass the necessary laws. I've spoken to both Mr. Ecevit and Mr. Dervis and there are points, such as the Law on Elections, that we agree on.'" [19] THE FIRST TEST OF THE TROIKA BY GUNGOR MENGI (SABAH)Columnist Gungor Mengi writes on the traps waiting the new trio in Turksh politics. A summary of his column is as follows:"Great upsets often lead to great opportunities. The recent crisis in Turkey provides an opportunity to build a new future, if we can but use it. We shall see if the people we have pinned our hopes on will be able to undertake the mission of promoting social welfare without falling into the trap of the unbearable lightness of egotism. Remembering the reasons which led society to despise the institution of politics may result in their finding the discipline they need. The project evolving around Husamettin Ozkan, Ismail Cem and Kemal Dervis didn't just come from nowhere. A political party bent on improving human rights, adopting a liberal economy sensitive towards social needs, and growing and gaining wealth has been the desire of this society for many years. The crisis created by Ecevit has led to a call for the leaders of this movement. The important thing is not to damage this movement by getting stuck on the question 'who will be the leader?' If Dervis, Cem and Ozkan can show the common sense of being able to be a part of a greater entity, they may take Mehmet Ali Bayar (the leader of the Democratic Turkey Party) into their fold in the near future. This in turn may lead to a veritable avalanche in implementing the long- waited desires of the people. The microbial sicknesses of politics, such as the unlimited power of the leaders, egotism and divisions, have led to a dislike towards politics among the people. Twice as many as voters who cast their votes for the leading party in the last elections are now saying that they won't vote for any party. The most dangerous threat to the coming elections is this reaction. Elections not only promise power to a party of ideals but also the honor of salvaging the future of the country. This opportunity should not be sacrificed for a bickering over seats." [20] WHY DO CLINTON AND THE US WANT TURKEY IN THE EU? BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)Columnist Sami Kohen writes on former President Clinton's speech delivered as the guest of the Turkish-American Businessmen's Association (TABA)."Former US President Clinton's speech as the guest of TABA under the heading 'Turkish-EU-US Relations' was meaningful. Instead of speaking only on Turkish- American relations, Clinton chose to give certain messages to Turkey by focusing on mainly on issues of the EU as a friend of Turkey. Clinton told the Turkish people how important Turkey's EU membership was and why the US had worked hard on the issue. The former president's speech conveyed certain important messages to Turkey. His first recommendation concerned the present political crisis. He told us not to despair in the face of these problems, as all countries had gone through similar problems and we would also overcome them. His second message concerned the EU. Clinton said that even if it was a subject of debate, Turkey should try hard to enter the EU. In order to accomplish this, Turkey has to comply with the Copenhagen criteria and before the coming Copenhagen summit. His third suggestion was on Cyprus. Clinton who pointed out that there were many people on both sides who were expecting a solution, said that it was time to leave behind the past and look to the future. A solution to the problem would lead Turkey and Greece to play important roles in the coming period. On attracting foreign investment, he said that if Turkey entered the EU it would come naturally. Why does Clinton or the US want Turkey to be admitted into the EU? In Turkey, certain circles used to say that the US considered the EU as a rival to itself and therefore did not wish Turkey, dependent on itself, to enter into that orbit. Clinton explained the cause of this special interest thusly: 'When Turkey enters the EU, Turkish-US relations will not weaken but grow stronger.' He said that they shared the same ideals. The EU was emerging as an economic power and the US would not go on forever as an economic and military superpower in the world as history's Roman Empire and Ottoman Empire did not last forever. The US shares the same values as Europe. That was why they were working together. The shared values are a reason why the US wants to see Turkey in the EU. There may be differences of opinion between the US and the EU from time to time. But these should not be seen as two rival blocs. In this situation, there is cooperation within competition. Although Clinton didn't say, there are other reasons why the US supports Turkey regarding the EU. In this way, it will provide the Turkish economy an opportunity to get its act together more quickly. Furthermore, Turkey's gaining a place in the Western family will prevent it from sliding to extremes both in internal and foreign politics. These are necessary for US interests." ARCHIVE <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js"> </script> Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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