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Turkish Press Review, 99-10-27Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>27.10.99Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL MEETS TUNCELI'S GOVERNORPresident Suleyman Demirel met Tunceli's Governor Mehmet Ali Turker accompanied by the mayors from the district's towns yesterday. Governor Turker, who explained the problems of the province during the meeting held in Cankaya Presidential Palace, said, "Tunceli has been experiencing problems due to the PKK for ten years. However, a point has been reached thanks to the work of our State and aid from our nation, where there is now a certain easing of the issue." /Cumhuriyet/[02] ECEVIT: "SAVAS TO BE WELL-PROTECTED"Ecevit, returning from Bulgaria after completing his visit there responded to questions put to him by journalists at Esenboga Airport. Ecevit replying to a question about the Chief Prosecuter's statement, that "The TGNA cannot implement any law amendment", said "The TGNA did a lot of things in the three months before the summer recess. Hitherto, the Assembly has worked at an incredible speed and will continue to do so. I must say there is also complete conformity among the coalition partners". Prime Minister Ecevit also stressed that security for the Chief Prosecutor, Vural Savas, would be tightened as needed. /Milliyet/[03] CHIEF PROSECUTOR: "PROTECT THE REPUBLIC"The Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Court, Vural Savas, called on the Turkish nation and the organs of the State to rally together to protect the Republic against terrorism at a press conference Tuesday morning. Speaking as a "common citizen of Turkey who is worried about the safety of his own life", rather than in his role as Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Court, Savas warned, "If you leave this job undone until tomorrow, believe me, it will be too late". The Chief Prosecutor claimed that Parliament could not take any measures against terrorism and religious fundamentalism with its present structure. The declarations of the Chief Prosecutor created an uproar in Ankara's political circles; the leader of the Virtue Party (FP), Recai Kutan, has called for his resignation. /Milliyet/[04] AWARD FOR CEVIK BIRRetired General, Cevik Bir, has received the "International Leadership" award from the Jews; two thousand guests attended the reception in Washington. Before the award ceremony, Bir delivered a speech during which he said, "Although the actions of the PKK have been curtailed, terrorism is still on Turkey's agenda. The PKK is the equal first with Islamic terrorism in terms of our security priorities; there is no difference between these two dangers. Therefore, because of her neighbours, Turkey needs to have a strong Army."During the award ceremony at the Hilton Hotel, he also delivered a speech in which said, "The U.S.A. has understood correctly the significance of Turkey, a country which has grown in importance since the Cold War. This award has been presented before Turkey." /Sabah/ [05] MURDERER FEHRIYE ERDAL CAPTUREDFehriye Erdal, one of three people who killed the Chairman of the Sabanci Holding Company's Automotive Group, Ozdemir Sabanci, the General Director Toyota in Turkey, Haluk Gorgun and his secretary Nilgun Hasefe at the Sabanci Centre on 9th January 1996, was captured in Belgium. It has been understood that the person detained on 26th September 1999 in Bruges, Belgium, carrying a passport in the name of "Nese Yildirim", a member of the illegal DHKP-C organization, was none other than Fehriye Erdal. Bruges Criminal Court extended the period of imprisionment for four of the members of the terrorist organization, of which Fehriye Erdal is also a member.Fehriye Erdal, together with Musa Asaoglu, Kaya Saz and Hasan Ekici, who are known to work as carriers for Dursun Karatas, has been sent to Bruge's prison. Officials from Interpol reported that the woman carrying a passport in the name of "Nese Yildirim" was Fehrriye Erdal, who was identified from her fingerprints. In a statement by the Ministry of Justice, Turkey will demand the extradition of Fehriye Erdal as part of the European Council Agreement on Extradition. /Turkiye/ [06] CLINTON'S VISITS DECIDEDWhite House Spokesman, Joe Lockhart officially stated that the American President, Bill Clinton, would visit Turkey and Greece next month and that President Clinton would be directly interested in the solution of the Cyprus issue during his visit. During the press conference that was held by Lockhart, he also officially announced that Clinton would attend the OSCE Summit that will be held in Istanbul on 17th November. Lockhart said, "Before this date, Clinton will pay "official State visits" to Greece between 13th and 15th November and to Turkey between 15th and 17th November. Then, after attending the OSCE Summit, Clinton will leave for Florence, Italy. Following this visit, Clinton will arrive in Bulgaria on 21st November on the last leg of his Southeastern European tour. /Turkiye/[07] PAPANDREU DENIES REPORTSGreek Prime Minister George Papandreu denied the reports which appeared in the Turkish press to the effect that Greece supports Turkish membership to the EU with no conditions attached. During the "Turco-Greek Forum" attended by former Ambassadors and some Turkish journalists, it was stated that Mr. Papandreu had said there would be no pre-conditions imposed by Greece on Turkey's membership ofthe EU. The Foreign Minister denied these reports, broadcast by a TV channel and then reported by the newspapers, and described the rumorus as a mere dream. Turkish officials noted there had been no information supplied to them on a change to official Greek policy and a clear stand was not expected from Greece before the Helsinki Summit. /Cumhuriyet/[08] KONSTANTOPULOS VISITS `CUMHURIYET' NEWSPAPERThe leader of the Greek left-wing Alliance Party, Nikos Konstantopulos, and a delegation with him visited the representative of `Cumhuriyet' newspaper, Mustafa Balkay, as part of their round of talks in Ankara. Nikos Konstantopulos said, `Cumhuriyet' newspaper's Prof. Dr. Ahmet Taner Kislali is a martyr for democracy. These sort of murders will not reverse the flow of the rivers. When I saw the photographs of martyrs for democracy on the walls of `Cumhuriyet' newspaper's offices, I was deeply saddened. However, this situation confers great honour on the newspaper and its workers." /Cumhuriyet/[09] HISTORY IS BEING RE-WRITTENThe Athens leg of the third round of meetings between Turkey and Greece came to an end yesterday. During the meetings of the two countries' foreign affairs delegations, the issue of culture was discussed and it was decided that "nationalistic and chauvinistic" expressions should be ommitted from history books. Councils will be set up by Turkey and Greece to examine the books, which are being studied in primary and secondary schools, on history, geography and environment one by one and the Councils will establish which expressions encourage enmity. /Cumhuriyet/[10] AKUT FOR AIR FORCEThe Turkish Air Force has decided to set up a search and rescue team to help with possible air crashes and other undesirable situations. In addition to the normal search and rescue (SAR) duties, these teams will also be engaged in combat search and rescue (CSAR) duties. Air Force Headquarters has established a Search and Rescue Command Base within its structure and 20 Cougar helicopters will be ordered and bought to supply this need from the Turkish Aviation Industry (TAI). /Hurriyet/[11] EYES ON NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCILThe National Security Council is going to convene today at Cankaya Presidential Pavillion. In addition to the murder of Ahmet Taner Kislali and other subjects, the declarations of the Chief Prosecutor, Vural Savas, will also be taken up during the meeting. A declaration similar to the one on Feb. 24 is expected to be issued. /Turkiye/[12] TURCO-BULGARIAN POWER COOPERATIONA Turkish company, Ceylan Holding Company, will construct three dams and hydro-electric power stations in Bulgaria. The foundations of the dams and hydro-electric facilities were laid by Premier Bulent Ecevit and his Bulgarian counterpart Ivan Kostov. The project, named 'Gorna Arda' and its total cost will be about 220 million dollars. The dams will be constructed on the Arda River in the Kırcaali region, to be completed in 2006. Meanwhile, the Ceylan Holding Company also undertook the construction of 114 kilometres of the Trans-Europe highway passing through Bulgaria. The cost of the construction is expected to be about 300 million dollars. /Milliyet/[13] "TURKEY'S PLACE IS BY THE SIDE OF THE U.S.A"The Chairman of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD), Erkut Yucaoglu, said, "It is time to set new goals and dream new dreams for Turkey, while she is on the threshold of EU candidacy." Yucaoglu, who delivered the opening speech of the meeting on "Globalization, Development and State", further added, "During the summit meeting of the European Council's Heads of State and of Government that will be held in Helsinki on 11th December, Turkey's full candidacy is likeley to be admitted."The Secretary General of the OECD's Economic and Industrial Consultation Committee, Douglas C. Worth, stated that if Turkey and the U.S.A. act in cooperation, they will enjoy significant competitive power which they could exercise against other countries, and suggested Turkish businessmen ought to be directed towards the U.S.A. Worth said, "Turkey and the U.S.A. can be in close cooperation. I wish I could read in the `New York Times' or in the `Economy' that Turkish and American firms had merged." Also the World Bank's Advisor, Yusuf Shahid, who attended the first session of the globalization seminar, evaluated the World Bank's report on Turkey. Shahid said, "As a developing country, Turkey will show a great improvement during the 21st century. The financial systems of developing countries, such as Turkey, should be made firm. In order to strengthen the financial structure, the Central Bank and the Banking Organization and Supervision Council should be freed from political influence and should be independent." /Aksam/ [14] EU WILL APPROVE OF EARTHQUAKE AID PACKAGE TOMORROWThe EU's meetings concerning the year 2000 Budget started yesterday. The aid package for Turkey due to the earthquake is on the agenda of the EU's year 2000 Budget, in the "Priorities" section. As part of this Budget section, a donation of 50 million Euros to Turkey is envisaged. Furthermore, 45 million Euros, the first instalment of the donation of 135 million Euros that was decided to be given to Turkey as part of the rapprochement strategy with Europe, is on the agenda of the EU's draft Budget. The European Parliament will put the draft Budget to the vote. A loan of 600 million Euros, which is planned to be given by the European Investment Bank, will be discussed on 15th November. /Aksam/[15] TEN MILLION TL BANKNOTE ON THE WAYAt the beginning of November, we will encounter the new ten million TL banknote after the introduction of the five million TL banknote two years ago. The Chairman of the Central Bank, Gazi Ercel, said, "I hope this becomes the last banknote to have a lot of zeros on it." /Hurriyet/[16] PRAISES FOR OUR HOTELSTen hotels from Turkey are among the "Best 100 Hotels in the World", a list which was determined according to the results of a questionnaire organized by tour operator Tui, who has worked with more than 10 thousand hotels from the Bahamas to Spain, from Greece to Caribbean Islands. In the report drawn up according to the clients' responses, some of the most important criteria are the quality of the food, entertainment, service, staff and the environment. In one of the leading American magazines, "Newsweek", it was written, "After the earthquake that occurred in Turkey on 17th August, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism, Turkey had a tourism income deficit of 30%. Istanbul alone has a deficit of 100 million dollars. However, due to the discounts offered by travel agencies, Turkey became very appealing to tourists. In addition, the political structure in Turkey plays an important role in tourists' decision not to come Turkey. The Government has started a publicity campaign costing 40 million dollars and covering 32 countries in order to attract tourists to Turkey. To aid this, hotels and tourist institutions have made a discount of 40%. /Turkiye/[17] PINK PAVILLION OPENED TO VISITORSThe house of the second President of the Turkish Republic, Ismet Inonu, 'Pink Pavillion' in Cankaya, this year has been opened to visitors as part of the Turco-Greek friendship initiatives. Every year, it is opened to visitors to mark Republic Day. This year, it will enlighten Turco-Greek relations, which have improved since the earthquake, with some historic documents. /Hurriyet/[18] NIGHT OF GALATASARAY'S PRIDELast night, Galatasaray beat Hertha Berlin in Berlin with a score of 4-1 in the European Champions' League, thanks to goals from Hakan Sukur (2), Tugay and Okan. Cimbom will be able to take part in the UEFA Cup as the third in his group, in the case that, it beats Milan in Istanbul next week. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, a fan of Galatasaray watched the match with his German colleague, Joschka Fischer, at tribune. The management of H.Berlin Football Club handed over a cheque for 75,000 thousand DM to the management of Galatasaray F.C. before the match for the victims of the earthquake. /Hurriyet/[19] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[20] NEXT 50 DAYS - BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on the candidacy to the EU and its requirements. A summary of his column is as follows:"Should there be no accidents, Turkey is an official candidate for EU membership. Thus, Turkey's definition as a European, Moslem country or the doubts over her democracy will not be mentioned. Turkey is also a candidate to the G-20. She is among the eight states who will be added to the G-8. This means that her economy will recover, and she will rise to the status of developed countries. Turkey's full-membership to the European Security and Defence Identity, an organization established apart from NATO, will be formalized. In such a situation Turkey's contacts with the IMF, the World Bank and other international financial organizations will be facilitated and the desired results have every possibility of being obtained. With the EU membership candidacy, the enactment of all kinds of harmonization laws will become vital and urgent. Turkey will make those reforms which she has been unable to do until now. Turkish citizens are worthy of these laws and they do not deserve to live as a second class community. Turkey will attain the modern standards which were shown to her as an ideal by her leader Ataturk. All that is to be envied in advanced countries will come to Turkey too. All states can survive as long as they show their will to work hard. There is no state on earth which survives due to the tolerance shown by the opposition. New incidents may occur in the next 50 days to obstruct Turkey's path. We have to be vigilant and go forward without taking into consideration those situations we are unable to prevent. If the Government can find out the murderers of Kislali it will regain its credibility . Just as there are those who have announced that only their members are Moslem, there are those who want to monopolize Atatürk, as if he were not the leader of the whole nation. This nation cannot be divided into two and set against each other. An artificial, not a social atmosphere has been created but we shall enter the next millenium overcoming this obstacle." [21] MEMORANDUM FROM THE CHIEF PROSECUTOR - BY ORHAN BIRGIT (CUMHURIYET)Columnist Orhan Birgit comments on the press conference of the Chief Prosecutor, Vural Savas. A summary of his column is as follows:"Did Chief Prosecutor Vural Savas decide to hold his press conference, which sounded like the ringing of alarm bells, upon the murder of Ahmet Taner Kislali? Or, did he feel it necessary to share the experiences he has accumulated in the course of his duty on the eve of the 76th anniversary of the Republic? Another possibility is that the Chief Prosecutor would like his admonitions, which sounded like a memorandum, to be discussed at the National Security Council meeting being held today. Whatever the reason, we cannot dismiss the statements of the Chief Prosecutor with the careless attitude of the main opposition party leader, Chairman of the Virtue Party Recai Kutan, who declared, "everyone finds in himself the right to talk". We should not dismiss these words but discuss them coolheadedly in all walks of life. Even though we do not share all the views of Vural Savas, we believe his warning that "if no measures are taken, tomorrow may be too late" should be taken seriously. If the Republic is in danger, it is natural for an official who has been determinedly defending her throughout his life to be affected by the threats. On the Internet list of the extreme radical Islamic organization which threatens Vural Savas, President Demirel and Prime Minister Ecevit are shown as number 1 and 2 targets. The gangleaders of this organization are announcing from prison, through the Internet, that they are holding seminars in defiance of the law with the other members of the organization. They can meet visitors with whom they are not related and register new members during these meetings. What kind of legal amendments are required to prevent some of these occurences? It is interesting that the Chief Prosecutor points to regulations from EU countries such as the UK, Germany and Greece for the legal amendments he suggests to protect the achievements of the Republic. Therefore, instead of dismissing his words, they should be discussed. However, as everyone from all walks of life agrees, the only way to protect States is through respect to human rights." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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