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Turkish Press Review, 99-10-20Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>20.10.99Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[02] RECONCILATION ON AMNESTY BILLThe partners of the coalition government have at last reached an agreement on the Amnesty Bill. Gangs, torture, exploiting official duty, threats, escape from and encouraging uprisings in prisons, as well as the payment of fines and bail money, remain outside the coverage of the Amnesty Bill. The Commission formed by the partners of the coalition in order to give the final shape to the Amnesty Bill met in the Ministry of Justice yesterday. During the meeting, problems arising between the partners were solved and the final shape was given to the Bill. The Law will be discussed by the relevant TGNA committees immediately and then transferred to the General Council for consideration. /Aksam/[03] MILITARY EXEMPTION TAX TO GO INTO EARTHQUAKE FUND ACCOUNTThe Minister of National Defence stated that the money received from the military exemption tax will be placed not in the Treasury, but in the special earthquake fund account. It was stated that the military exemption tax, which was determined as between 15 and 20 thousand Deutsche Marks, is planned to be collected in four instalments.The military exemption tax draft law, which was brought onto the agenda of the TGNA in an attempt to ease the problems of financing the repair of the earthquake damage, was accepted by the TGNA's Planning and Budget Commission. According to this draft, the money will be deposited in the account opened at the Ziraat Bank in the name of the Ministry of Finance's Central Accountancy Directorate. The Ministry of Finance will have the authority to use the funds collected in this account and to transfer this to the budgets of the relevant institutions. /Milliyet/ [04] KOFI ANNAN COMING TO TURKEYThe UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, will come to Turkey next month. The Secretary-General, who will stay in Istanbul between 17th and 22nd November will visit Japan and China before arriving in Turkey. Annan will attend the OSCE Summit and meet President Suleyman Demirel, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem. Diplomatic sources close to the UN consider that Annan will touch on some very important subjects during these meetings, and that some developments might occur in certain areas, including the issue of Cyprus. /Aksam/[05] RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN BAKU-CEYHANThe British Petroleum (BP)-Amoco Group, which owns the largest share in the consortium established to transport Azerbaijani oil to Western markets, has lifted its opposition and stated its support for Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline venture.In a statement, the company said that it supported the construction of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. The negative position formerly taken by the BP-AMOCO petroleum company was the biggest obstacle to carrying out the project. The most important issue before Turkey concerning the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline is the request that Turkey undertake the responsibility of "third country risk", that is to say the risk involving Azerbaijan and Georgia, the Anatolia News Agency said. [06] CYPRUS ON THE AGENDAThe American President's special representative to Cyprus, Alfred Moses, went to the island to convince the parties to meet. Moses met the TRNC's President, Rauf Denktas, last nigt. The American State Department's Special Coordinator to Cyprus, Thomas Westor and U.S.A's Ambassador to Nicosia, Richard Butler also attended the meeting. Before the meeting, which was watched by a group of members of the press from Turkey, 33 non-governmental organizations and 3 law faculty deans presented letters to Denktas, in which it was stated that they were supporting the policy of Cyprus.Then Moses and Denktas made statements to the press. Denktas thanked Moses for his visit and added that meetings would continue during lunch. Denktas also said that he was waiting for Moses' next visit and that they had come to some agreements as far as the problem of Cyprus is concerned. Special representative Moses said that they had not come to make suggestions for the solution of the problem, but they had undertaken the duty of mediator. Moses said, "We are trying to get the two leaders together. We believe that if the societies come together, it would be useful for both of the countries." Moses will also meet the leader of the Greek-Cypriots, Glafkos Klerides. /Turkiye/ [07] GERMAN MISSION IN ANKARAA German parliamentary delegation has paid a number of visits within Ankara so as to develop a clear picture of the human rights situation in Turkey. Cem Ozdemir, a politician of Turkish origin, is among the visiting members of the German Parliament. The delegation was also scheduled to be received by Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk, the State Minister responsible for human rights and EU affairs, Mehmet Ali Irtemcelik, and Interior Minister Saadettin Tantan before travelling on to Diyarbakir to observe the situation in the Southeast. /All Papers/[08] ROBIN COOK: "TURKEY IS A CANDIDATE FOR THE EU"British Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robin Cook, said that his country recognized Turkey as a candidate for the EU. Cook further added, "However, it is the first step on the way to join the Union." During the press conference that he organized with the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yorgo Papandreu, Cook said, "The decision that Turkey was recognized as a candidate for the EU does not mean that it is the last step. This is just the first decision on a long road." Cook stated that this process was dependent on Turkey's attitude towards the Cyprus issue and her human rights report.During the meeting, Papandreu said that they had discussed the sensitivity of Greece as far as Turkey's membership to the EU is concerned. In addition, there is a new and positive atmosphere in relations between Greece and Turkey. /Milliyet/ [09] D'ALEMA GAVE UP TO VISIT TURKEYItalian Prime Minister, Massimo D'Alema, has given up his visit to Turkey which was expected to be held on Oct. 25th. It is now expected that he will meet with Ecevit during the OSCE Summit in Istanbul. Meanwhile, the Turkish Industrilist and Busineesmen (TUSIAD)'s committee, paying visits to various countries in Europe before the Helsinki Summit, wasn't able to meet with D'Alema although they had an appointment. The Prime Minister sent the Minister of Foreign Trade to the meeting, under the pretext of the government crisis. /Cumhuriyet/[10] THE FILE OF MERVE KAVAKCIState Security Court Prosecutor Nuh Mete Yuksel's attempt to take Merve Kavakcy in custody, the day before yesterday, received harsh reactions. Merve Kavakcy, who was elected as a deputy but due to her acceptance of American citizenship during the propaganda period for the Election, had her Turkish citizenship revoked. State Security Court Prosecutor Nuh Mete Yuksel went to her house to take her into custody at a very late hour for interrogation. This provoked criticism from the President, the Prime Minister , ministers, coalition and the opposition parties. Justice Ministry began an investigation of Prosecutor Yuksel concerning the issue. On the other hand, Prosecutor Yuksel stated that he took the decision for interrogation upon the decision prounounced by the Speaker of the TGNA tha she was not a representative. In all newspapers, regardless of their tendencies, there was criticism concerning the style of the Prosecutor./All papers/[11] JAPANESE HOUSES IN ISTANBULThree Japanese vessels carrying the 500 prefabricated houses that were sent from Japan to Turkey have arrived in Haydarpasha Harbour. A welcome ceremony was held in Haydarpasha Harbour for the JDS Osumi, the mine-sweeper JDS Bungo,and the JDS Tokiwa, all belonging to the Japanese Navy. It was also stated that the Japanese Government had decided to send a loan, in yen, amounting to 200 million dollars. /Milliyet/[12] GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS ON BOSPHORUS BRIDGEInsufficient security on Turkish bridges has been revealed thanks to the activities of the 9 members of the Greenpeace team on the Bosphorus Bridge for three hours. The activists team, comprising two Germans, three Dutch persons, two Danes and two Turks went unnoticed by the police. The team, intending to protest against the construction of nuclear power stations in Turkey, held up placards stating 'Stop Akkuyu', and signs saying 'radiation' and 'no entry'. The team were detained by police and then were freed. /Aksam/[13] IMF: 'SHOCK DECISIONS SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN`During an interview with CNN TURK correspondent Mehmet Ali Birand, the Deputy Chairman of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Stanley Fischer, said, "Turkey has reached the end of the road. She cannot go any further with this economy. It is essential that drastic decisions be taken to enable Turkey to attain a better position. Evaluating the economic indicators concerning Turkey, Fischer commented on Turkey's state as 'being unwell'. He also defended the stand-by agreements which are always a matter for discussion. Fischer said, "You don't become a captive or a slave by signing such agreements. We only propose programmes which direct international markets and private sectors. The policies applied are not the IMF's, but your government's." /Hurriyet/[14] UNCONDITIONAL IMF AIDIt has been determined that there is no official criterion or condition attached to the use of the IMF's Emergency Loan (EL) of 500 million dollars. It was stated that countries who receive an EL from the IMF can use this financial aid in arranging the payments balance and public finance structure. According to the IMF's criterion for the use of financial aid packages, as far as the EL is concerned, in the use of the EL, which was started by the Fund in 1962 in order to help those countries facing natural disasters, the IMF does not impose any official criterion or condition. However, preferably the loan should be used in relation to the economic adaptation plans that are implemented in conjunction with the IMF. /Aksam/[15] DCR TURKEY APPEALS TO GOVERNMENTThe Vice President of the Ibar_Duff and Phelps Credit Rating Co.(DCR TURKEY), Prof. Selcuk Abac, stated that Turkey was the candidate in the best situation to benefit from the World Bank guarantees, and added that she should seize this opportunity as soon as possible.Abac said, "As a partner of the World Bank and the only international rating company established in Turkey, we believe it is our duty to warn the government for a second time. DCR played an important role in bond exports of Argentina and can also play the same role in Turkey. She should take advantage of the World Bank's support until the effects of the global crisis are over.", the Anatolia News Agency reported. [16] WORLD'S RICHEST MEN IN TURKEYRockefeller, one of the richest men in the world, and an accompanying delegation have arrived in Istanbul for an exchange of information. For the first time in Turkey, a very important group of "advisors", 15 people in all, is in Istanbul. The businessman Selahattin Beyazit welcomed the group, who have visited many countries and facilitated mutual business opportunities, at his waterside residence on Monday evening. Additionally, Rockefeller met Rahmi Koc, who is one of the richest businessmen in the world, and also visited the cultural and tourist sights of Istanbul. The famous businessman, who donated 25,000 dollars to aid the earthquake victims, will go to Kocaeli and Golcuk if his schedule permits. /Sabah/[17] EUROPEAN QUALITY CONGRESSEuropean Quality Congress will be organized in Turkey in the year 2000. 2,000 guests, 1,000 of which are from Europe, are expected to come to Turkey. Furthermore, the European Quality Forum will be held in Turkey in the year 2001. The 8th International Quality Congress, which is the world's second biggest and Turkey's and Europe's biggest quality congress, will be organized in Istanbul on 3th and 4th November, 2000. The main theme of the Congress will be `The years 2000 and Total Quality Management'. /Sabah/[18] AWARD OF PACKAGE TO ERDEMIREregli Iron and Steel Factories Turkish Corperation has won an award in a package competition that was held in Argentina. In a statement by Erdemir's Directorate of Public Relations, the factory was awarded with the `Cold Rolled Export Roller' in the World Star 1999 World's Package Competition. /Turkiye/[19] TURCO-SWEDISH FRIENDSHIP EVENINGIn honour of Sweden, who has removed the danger of her blocking Turkey on the path the EU, a friendship evening is being organized in Ankara. The evening, hosted by the Chairmen of the Swedish Culture and Friendship Association, Ahmet Erol, and the Turco-Swedish Friendship Union, Olle Soderman, with contributions from the Ministry of Culture, will begin tonight in the Kent Hotel at 19:00. /Aksam/[20] EGYPTIAN PLANE HIJACKEDAn Egyptian plane with 57 passengers on board, after taking off from Istanbul for Cairo, was hijacked by a person who threathened the crew with a knife. The hijacker, who wished to land the plane in London, was seized by security forces at Hamburg Airport where the plane had landed to refuel. The identity of the air hijacker was not made public. /Cumhuriyet/[21] ST. NICHOLAS GOES ON WORLD TOURA long vehicle is destined to travel around the world throughout the year in order to advertise Turkey world-wide. Setting out from the Demre district of Antalya, where St. Nicholas lived, it has received the support of various religious leaders in Turkey. The Chairman of the Foundation of St. Nicholas, Muammer Karabulut, said, "Our lorry will travel around the world, for a year, visiting 36 countries on five continents, and will advertise both Turkey and Demre. It will also attend the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics." TIR will first travel to Athens on Dec. 8th. /Hurriyet/[22] RIFAT ILGAZ'S HOME BECOMES MUSEUMThe house of famous author Rifat Ilgaz, the writer of the "Hababam Class", will be turned into a museum. Ilgaz's house which is in Cide, Kastamonu was bought by the Kemalist Ideals Association and will be restored through the joint efforts of the Culture Ministry, Cide Municipality and voluntary contributions from the public. The Mayor of Cide, Ramazan Calim, said that the house of Rifat Ilgaz would be transformed into a museum and that it was hoped to open it to the public next year, the Anatolia News Agency reported.[23] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[24] TWO DREAMS TO COME TRUE - BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)Columnist Sami Kohen comments on the recent developments concerning Turkey's two dreams; The Baku-Ceyhan pipeline and the candidacy for EU membership. A summary of his column is as follows:"Turkey's two dreams which will make it one of the leading countries of the world in the 21st century are coming true. One is the integration of Turkey with Europe, and the other concerns the transport of Caspian oil to Ceyhan. The latest news on both issues are promising. It seems likely that Turkey's candidacy to the EU will be ratified at the Helsinki Summit in December. The agreement concerning the Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline will be signed during the OSCE Summit in Istanbul. However, both developments are only opening the path to our goals. In other words, we have to work hard to achieve these aims. The latest news regarding Turkey's candidacy to the EU reveal that if no accident happens, Turkey will take her place in the European family on the eve of a new century. However, we have to understand what the candidacy or the membership of EU entails. We have to know what benefits they will bring to Turkey and what obligations the country has to undertake. There are very few people excluding the high-ranking officials and bureaucrats who know what we have to do, even among the politicians, deputies, businessmen, journalists and others on the road to the EU. Certainly, we cannot expect everyone to know the the technical details of the issue but the staff who will organize the preparations for candidacy, and later for the participation process, will have to work hard. Moreover, we need a change of mentality to harmonize our values with the EU standards. The agreement which will be signed regarding the Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline will include four accords. 1) Intergovernmental (Turkey-Azerbaijan-Georgia) agreement.2) Host country and transport agreement.3)Turn-key agreement. 4) Guarantee agreement. Some of these agreements also cover foreign companies. Thus, the most important step in carrying out the giant project will be taken. In other words, there will be no return from this. During the time left until the signing of the agreement the last studies on the issue, particularly bargaining with the companies, will be concluded. Just as in the case of the EU candidacy, the issue is not over with the signing of the agreement on the construction of the pipeline. Hard work begins after the agreement is signed and the greater share of responsibility falls on Turkey. We have to work hard to achieve these two aims which will carry Turkey into the 21st century. Our success will be as great as the desire and efforts shown by us." [25] FAIRNESS IN SELF-SACRIFICE - BY DOGAN HEPER (MILLIYET)Columnist Dogan Heper analyzes the goals of the Budget drafted for the year 2000. A summary of his column is as follows:"The goals of the Budget for the year 2000 have been announced. Civil servants and families on low income will be most affected by the Budget deficit of 14 quadrillion Turkish Liras. The authorities stated that the Budget was prepared taking the economic conditions of the country into consideration. This may be true, but what about the conditions poorer families live in? The Government has stated that the wage rise for civil servants in the year 2000 would be set at the rate of 25%. However, it was also added that if the wholesale price index rose over 15%, the civil servants' salaries would be increased by two points above the rate of inflation. Citizens do not believe the rates of inflation as announced by the Government. They also believe that fairness should rule over all policies. If there is fairness in self-sacrifice, no one will complain about their situation. Therefore, the measures taken by Ankara should be just and convincing. They have to be open and induce confidence. Everyone knows that with the rate of inflation in Turkey today nothing can be achieved. Certainly, measures to ensure stability have to be taken, but fairness should be observed there also. " Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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