|
|
|
Turkish Press Review, 00-03-24
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
24.03.00
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this
morning
CONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL TO VISIT TURKMENISTAN
[02] DEMIREL'S CONCERNS
[03] KUTAN: 'NO SUPPORT IF THEY DON'T ACCEPT OUR REQUEST`
[04] TURKISH PROTEST AGAINST THE UKRAINE
[05] VERHEUGEN: "TURKISH-CYPRIOTS SHOULD BE REPRESENTED"
[06] CHIRAC'S VISIT POSTPONED
[07] RECTORS' MEETING
[08] GREEK-CYPRIOTS' ARMAMENT
[09] REGIONAL COOPERATION TO BE TOPIC AT TRIPARTITE SUMMIT
[10] SOKOLOV COMES TO TURKEY
[11] CHINESE-TURKISH RELATIONS ARE IMPROVING
[12] TURKISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES' GENERAL ASSEMBLY
[13] TURKEY SOON TO SIGN TWO HUMAN RIGHTS PACTS
[14] FOREIGNERS' INTEREST IN GAP
[15] GUARANTEE FOR TUPRAS WORKERS
[16] BURDEN OF BAKU-CEYHAN ON ANKARA
[17] TURKEY MAKES THE NEWS IN BALKAN COUNTRIES
[18] MAYOR OF LONDON VISITS GOKCEK
[19] LEONARD VISITS THE MOTHERS OF MARTYRS' ASSOCIATION
[20] PROTEST AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
[21] FOREIGN AID STATISTICS FOR EARTHQUAKE
[22] INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS EXPERTS MEET IN ISTANBUL
[23] FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES UP
[24] SALOMON SMITH BARNEY SEES POSITIVE OUTLOOK
[25] GSM BIDDING
[26] TURKISH AIRLINES' SUCCESS
[27] 67.5 MILLION DOLLARS SPENT ON TECHNOLOGY
[28] GREECE ENJOYS EFES PILSEN
[29] EXPORTS INCREASE BY 7% IN TWO-AND-A-HALF MONTHS
[30] INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR IN BERLIN
[31] GALATASARAY IN UEFA CUP SEMI-FINALS
[32] FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS...
[33] THE CAUCASIAN PACT BY SEDAT ERGIN (HURRIYET)
[34] IT DOES NOT BECOME PRESIDENT CHIRAC BY OKTAY EKSI (HURRIYET)
[01] DEMIREL TO VISIT TURKMENISTAN
President Suleyman Demirel will pay an official visit to Turkmenistan
as the guest of Turkmen President Saparmurad Turkmenbasi on March
28-29. The Foreign Ministry stated that the two Presidents would
discuss improving the brotherhood between the countries and discuss
regional and international issues. According to the Ministry, Demirel's
visit will further improve Turkish-Turkmen relations, which are already
quite warm. /Turkish Daily News/
[02] DEMIREL'S CONCERNS
President Demirel attended the opening ceremony of the 4th Consumer
Council and the 3rd Traditional Consumer Award Ceremony at Cankaya
Presidential Palace. In a speech, he said, "If a country is opened up
to the world market, then that country's consumers will be protected.
If a country turns its back on the world market, then the consumer will
have to pay the price of the difference in conditions between the world
market and that of his_her own country. Welfare is directly
proportional to consumption and it should not mean wasteful
expenditure. One should meet his own needs in the best way possible."
/Sabah/
5+5 FORMULA APPROVED BY THE COMMISSION
Yesterday, the TGNA's Constitutional Commission began debating the
proposals to amend the Constitution put forward by the three ruling
coalition parties, beginning the countdown to President Suleyman
Demirel's second term in office. The Constitutional Commission decided
yesterday to combine the proposals of the coalition parties and the
opposition in a single draft amendment. In this way, the proposed
alterations to Article 69, which regulates the closure of political
parties, Article 86 which regulates salaries and pensions for
parliamentarians, and Article 101 which outlines the procedures to be
followed in the election of the President, have been amalgamated and
approved at the ballot-box by the Constitutional Commission, 17 votes
to four. According to the prescribed schedule, the first vote on the
constitutional amendment will be on March 29. The Constitution requires
that a second ballot be staged in order to enact such an alteration; on
April 4 the second and final vote will take place. However, the
Government will decide whether or not to continue with the process or
withdraw the proposed amendment depending on the results of the initial
vote. /All papers/
[03] KUTAN: 'NO SUPPORT IF THEY DON'T ACCEPT OUR REQUEST`
The Leader of the Virtue Party (FP), Recai Kutan, said that if their
request concerning the amendment of Article 69 was not complied with,
they would not support the 5+5 formula relating to the Presidential
election. Kutan said, "I am declaring clearly that we are not in a
position to support the formula unless alterations are made in
accordance with our views." /Hurriyet/
[04] TURKISH PROTEST AGAINST THE UKRAINE
In the aftermath of Ukrainian coastguard vessels opening fire on
Turkish boats fishing in the Black Sea, killing one fisherman and
wounding another, a diplomatic crisis between the Ukraine and Turkey
has now broken out. The Turkish Foreign Ministry yesterday summoned
Ukraine's Ambassador to Turkey Olexander Motsyk to obtain further
details of the incident. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys
Tarasyuk telephoned his Turkish counterpart, Ismail Cem, proposing an
immediate meeting between the two countries' Foreign Ministers in order
to discuss the recent incident. Conveying his deep sorrow and
condolences to the families whose loved ones were killed by the
Ukrainian Coast Guard boats, Tarasyuk told Cem that any relevant
governmental organization would be welcome to attend the talks.
/Turkish Daily News/
[05] VERHEUGEN: "TURKISH-CYPRIOTS SHOULD BE REPRESENTED"
EU sources have announced that the EU Commissioner for Enlargement,
Gunter Verheugen, has requested that the Turkish-Cypriots be
represented during the on-going EU membership negotiations with the
Greek-Cypriot Administration, the Anatolia News Agency reports. The
two-day long EU-Greek-Cypriot negotiations are scheduled to commence
today. According to information obtained from the same sources,
Verheugen, who is also expected to visit the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to talk to President Rauf Denktas, is prepared
to insist that a delegation from the TRNC should participate in the
negotiations with the Greek-Cypriot Administration.
[06] CHIRAC'S VISIT POSTPONED
Once France's Eurocopter was eliminated from the 4-billion dollar
helicopter tender, President Jacques Chirac suspended his planned visit
to Turkey in protest. Chirac sent a message to President Suleyman
Demirel and said that he would postpone his visit until the relations
between the two countries had returned to normal. Turkish officials
noted that France's attitude to the rejection of its helicopter was
very harsh and they also stated that Turkey was disappointed to see
that relations between the two countries were based on only mutual
benefits. Negotiations are still underway between delegations from both
countries in order to reorganize the visit. /Hurriyet/
[07] RECTORS' MEETING
University rectors will gather at the Presidential Palace on Sunday to
express their views on different problems before President Demirel,
especially on the 'staff issues`, 'headscarf` dispute and
'academicians' salaries`. They will also point out the drawbacks to the
'Staff Register Pardon`, as it will allow those staff who were
dismissed from universities due to the headscarf issue or reactionary
activities to return to their positions. /Hurriyet/
[08] GREEK-CYPRIOTS' ARMAMENT
The Greek-Cypriot Administration, which was previously unable to place
its S-300 missiles on the island due to Turkish pressure, is now trying
to obtain warships from Greece. It is stated that the light warships
that will be donated to the Greek-Cypriot Administration will cause a
crisis in this period when relations between Turkey and Greece have
been improving. While the initiatives to ensure permanent and fair
peace on Cyprus are continuing, the Greek-Cypriot National Escort Army
(RMMO) is trying to expand its military equipment, which situation has
caused many reactions. /Aksam/
[09] REGIONAL COOPERATION TO BE TOPIC AT TRIPARTITE SUMMIT
Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov
and Romanian President Emil Constantinescu will meet in Sofia on April
3-4, the Anatolia News Agency reports. According to the Bulgarian
Presidential Office, the three Presidents will take part in a summit
that has become a tradition every year in one of the three countries.
They will discuss developments in the region starting with Kosovo and
will also evaluate the Southeastern Europe Stability Pact. In addition,
they will consider how to bring important regional infrastructure
ventures to life through tri-partite cooperation. At the end of the
summit, the three Presidents will sign a joint declaration. Last year's
summit was held in Sinaya, Romania.
[10] SOKOLOV COMES TO TURKEY
Bulgarian Speaker of Parliament Yordan Sokolov will come to Turkey as
the guest of Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Yildirim Akbulut on
March 26-29. Sokolov will arrive on Sunday and will visit Ataturk's
Mausoleum, Anitkabir, on Monday. The two Parliament Speakers will meet
at Parliament, after which Sokolov will be received by President
Suleyman Demirel and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. Sokolov will meet
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli
on Tuesday and will move on to Izmir to see historic and tourist sites
on Wednesday.
[11] CHINESE-TURKISH RELATIONS ARE IMPROVING
The Foreign Ministry has announced that relations between the People's
Republic of China and Turkey are improving day by day and said that for
Turkey, there is only one China. According to the Ministry, Turkey has
no political relations with Taiwan, only economic, cultural and trade
relations. Officials further said that following the elections on March
18, they were hopeful that peace and happiness would reign in Taiwan.
/Turkish Daily News/
[12] TURKISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES' GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Preparations for the Eighth General Assembly in celebration of
friendship, fraternity and cooperation among the Turkish-speaking
states and communities have been completed, the Anatolia News Agency
reports. The Secretary-General of the Turkish-Speaking States' and
Communities' Friendship, Fraternity and Cooperation Foundation (TUDEV),
Atilla Simsek, held a press conference to discuss the TUDEV General
Assembly which will be held in Samsun between March 24 and 26; he
stated that over 900 delegates will attend, some 500 of whom will be
from Anatolia. Among the dignitaries will be President Suleyman
Demirel, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Nationalist Action
Party (MHP) Devlet Bahceli as well as seven other Ministers and almost
50 deputies. Representatives from all of the Turkish-Speaking
Republics, the autonomous federal Turkish-Speaking States and
Communities from all over the world will be present at the Assembly.
This year will be the first time that representatives of the Turks in
Tunisia and Mongolia are seen at the General Assembly.
[13] TURKEY SOON TO SIGN TWO HUMAN RIGHTS PACTS
State Minister Mehmet Ali Irtemcelik has said that Turkey will soon be
a member of two international pacts concerned with protecting human
rights, the Anatolia News Agency reports. Participating in the annual
meeting of the Human Rights Commission held in Geneva, Switzerland,
Irtemcelik announced that Turkey would sign the two pacts in the near
future. He stated that the first of the pacts concerned civil and
political rights while the other dealt with socio-economic and cultural
rights. In his statement, in which he recalled the steps Turkey had
taken in the field of human rights, Irtemcelik said, "The process of
improvements in human rights in Turkey cannot be reversed". He also
remarked that EU candidacy had given the government the impetus to
rapidly implement reforms.
[14] FOREIGNERS' INTEREST IN GAP
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources,
Cumhur Ersumer, met with the Dutch Deputy Prime Minister and Minister
for Economy, Annemaria Joritsma. Ersumer, in Holland to attend the
Second World Water Forum and Ministers' Conference, declared that they
had held a very fruitful meeting with the Dutch Minister. He also
stated that Holland had shown an interest in certain projects in the
GAP region; the main topic of the Dutch Joint Economy Commission
meetings in Ankara in May will be the irrigation projects. Meanwhile,
Canadian Ambassador Jean Mare Duval is going to Sanliurfa today to
inspect the work in the region. /Turkiye/
[15] GUARANTEE FOR TUPRAS WORKERS
State Minister Yuksel Yalova, Responsible for Privatization, stated
that there was a great demand from foreign investors and Turkish
citizens for shares in TUPRAS. Underlining the fact that TUPRAS was one
of the biggest companies in Europe, Yalova said, "We guarantee you will
earn a profit from these shares." He also emphasized that no employees
would be dismissed but the hiring off new staff might be possible, as
the company will also make new investments. Meanwhile, Yalova noted
that, so far, the privatization programme was two or three months ahead
of schedule. /Turkiye/
[16] BURDEN OF BAKU-CEYHAN ON ANKARA
Turkey will assume a great burden in the next phase of the Baku-Ceyhan
oil pipeline venture, paying $1.4 billion towards the construction of
the oil pipeline and being responsible for expenditure exceeding $2.4
billion including the cost of interest on foreign loans. Turkey will
also have joint responsibility for repairing any damage likely to occur
to the pipeline laid in Azeri and Georgian territories. Despite all of
this outlay, Turkey will not own the pipeline but will only be able to
obtain transit fees and taxes from it. /Cumhuriyet/
[17] TURKEY MAKES THE NEWS IN BALKAN COUNTRIES
Articles published in Balkan countries concerning Turkey have been
collected and prepared as a report for the 'Balkan Neighbours'
magazine. A few summaries follow: In the Albanian press (July-August
1999): The press welcomes the policy being followed by Turkey, a
'friendly country' to the Balkans. Wide coverage is still being devoted
to the earthquake victims in Turkey. In the Bulgarian press
(July-August 1999): Turkey has a positive image in general, however, it
is not European. It focuses in particular on Turkey's Asian image. It
also points out Turkey's efforts to attain Western standards. In the
Macedonian press (September-October 1999): The main topic concerning
Turkey in the newspapers is that of Turco-EU relations. The newspapers
also covered the murder of journalist Ahmet Taner Kislali saying that
it could have been committed by fundamentalists. In the Greek press
(September-October 1999): The media played an important role in
establishing close relations between Turkey and Greece especially in
the aftermath of the earthquakes. The newspapers also focus on Athens
which should assume an important role in Turco-EU relations.
/Cumhuriyet/
[18] MAYOR OF LONDON VISITS GOKCEK
The Mayor of London, Clive Martin, visited the Mayor of Ankara, Melih
Gokcek, yesterday. The British Ambassador to Ankara, Sir David Logan,
also accompanied Martin who expressed his pleasure at being in Ankara
and said, "We would be pleased to see Turkey as an EU member". Melih
Gokcek briefed his visitor about Ankara, the capital of Turkey, and
remarked that the Municipality of Ankara enjoyed an annual income of
$800 million, which figure rose to almost $1.5-2 billion thanks to both
loans and government support. /Cumhuriyet/
[19] LEONARD VISITS THE MOTHERS OF MARTYRS' ASSOCIATION
Following Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's criticism that foreign
officials never meet the families represented by the martyrs'
associations whereas they meet representatives of human rights
establishments, the European Commission's Representative to Turkey,
Niall Leonard, visited the Terrorist Victims' Social Solidarity
Association yesterday. The families of the dead soldiers and civilians
warmly welcomed Leonard and criticized Europe for its attitude to the
death sentence passed on Abdullah Ocalan. After the two-hour meeting,
officials from the Association presented Leonard with an album of
photographs of PKK terrorist atrocities. /Milliyet/
[20] PROTEST AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
The 'Blue Planet` group organized a demonstration on Bogazici
University's campus to protest against the construction of a nuclear
power plant in Mersin Akkuyu. They chanted slogans such as 'No Power
Plants`, 'Dead People Don't Need Energy` and held up placards stating
'Let's be active today! We don't want to be radioactive tomorrow`. The
demonstrators also handed out oranges to students to emphasize that
Mersin's oranges would become polluted by radiation. /Hurriyet/
[21] FOREIGN AID STATISTICS FOR EARTHQUAKE
It was stated that 52% of aid received by the earthquake-hit region's
Logistic Support Coordination Centre (DBLDKM) in the aftermath of the
earthquake that occurred in the Marmara Region in Turkey came from
abroad. A total of 1,310 out of 2,541 vehicles came from abroad and the
remaining 1,231 from home. From among the 46 countries which helped the
earthquake victims by sending items such as clothes, food and medical
supplies, Germany sent the most aid with 671 vehicle-loads, followed by
Italy which sent 123 vehicle-loads and Sweden with 72 vehicle-loads.
/Milliyet/
[22] INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS EXPERTS MEET IN ISTANBUL
A conference entitled 'New Dimensions of Turkish Foreign Policy in 2000
and Beyond', which will be held on Friday and Saturday in Ankara in
commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Foreign Policy Institute,
will bring together many Turkish and foreign international relations
specialists. The participants will discuss issues such as Turkish-EU
relations, security problems, Cyprus, Greece and the Balkans. /Turkish
Daily News/
[23] FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES UP
The Turkish Central Bank's foreign exchange reserves rose by $546
million to $23.8 billion in the week ending on March 15, the bank
announced yesterday. The bank said its gold reserves remained unchanged
at $1.01 billion. It stated that commercial banks' foreign exchange
reserves stood at $13.8 billion on March 3, according to the most
recent figures available. Meanwhile, nine of 13 foreign investment
funds in Turkey earned modest gains for their investors in January,
Capital Markets Board revealed. /Turkish Daily News/
[24] SALOMON SMITH BARNEY SEES POSITIVE OUTLOOK
Wall Street investment company Salomon Smith Barney (SSB) has, in its
latest report on equity research in Turkey, said that the outlook for
the equity market is positive and is fuelled by privatization momentum
of better liquidity. "After the release of the robust IMF programme
details at the end of 1999 and the strong start of the new foreign
exchange and monetary regimes in 2000, we remain positive on the
near-term outlook for Turkey" stated the report. /Turkish Daily News/
[25] GSM BIDDING
A top-level official from the Ministry of Communications recalled that
the period in which offers could be received for the GSM services
licencing transfer to the private sector would come to an end on 3
April and said, "It is out of the question to extend this period".
Officials further stated that 27 companies had bought the spesification
document for this tender. Meanwhile, State Minister Tunca Toskay stated
that the specifications for the privatization of 20% of Turk Telecom
might be ready to be put out to tender by the end of April. /Sabah/
[26] TURKISH AIRLINES' SUCCESS
Meetings between America and Turkey concerning the 'open skies' issue
have reached a conclusion and it is expected that an agreement will
shortly be initialled. The implementation of the decisions that were
reached during the meetings, chaired by the Deputy Undersecretary of
the Ministry of Communications and attended by officials from Turkish
Airlines (THY) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will take place in
three stages. Under this agreement THY will expand its network from
the three cities in America which it already flies to in the first
year; in the second year this number will increase to four and then
five in the third year. Furthermore, THY will add the capital of
Southern Korea, Seoul, to its routes on 26 March, its 76th
international route. /Sabah/
[27] 67.5 MILLION DOLLARS SPENT ON TECHNOLOGY
Support totalling 67.5 million dollars and covering 179 schemes has
been provided since 1991 through the Turkish Technology Development
Foundation (TTGV). The use of materials harmful to the ozone layer has
been decreased by 33% thanks to the implementation of 22 schemes
supported by a TTGV fund of 20 million dollars. The TTGV has supported
a total of 102 ventures thanks to 43.3 million dollars supplied from
the World Bank. /Sabah/
KAVI: "TURKEY'S GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION SHOULD BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF"
Executive Board Chairman of the Istanbul Chamber of Trade (ITO),
Husamettin Kavi, attended a discussion forum on 'New Dynamics and
Strategies for Competitiveness in International Trade' organized by the
'Globus' magazine. During the discussions he said, "Turkey is in search
of new things and wants to produce and share much more. However, it is
not possible because internal purchasing power is limited. Therefore,
Turkish businesses should be directed to the foreign markets and
Turkey's geographical position should be taken advantage of." /Sabah/
[28] GREECE ENJOYS EFES PILSEN
Efes Pilsen, whose export to more than 30 countries amounted to nearly
10 million dollars, aims to increase this amount to 12 million dollars
in the year 2000. Efes Pilsen also plans to introduce the Turkish beer
to Greece. Efes Pilsen's Export Director Kemal Gursel stated that they
had exported 16 million litres of beer in 1999 and had ensured the
influx of 10 million dollars to Turkey. /Sabah/
[29] EXPORTS INCREASE BY 7% IN TWO-AND-A-HALF MONTHS
State Minister Tunca Toskay stated that according to statistics
supplied by the Exporters' Association, there has been an increase of
7% in exports over the past two-and-a-half months, which is very
promising. Toskay added, "However, we are very cautious on this
subject. Data for 1999 is better than we expected and we were cautious
in 1999 as well. The total income from exports amounted to 588 million
250 thousand dollars in 1999, which was greater than our expectations.
It is a great achievement in spite of low growth rates, the world
economic depression and global markets which are still closed." /Sabah/
[30] INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR IN BERLIN
The world's biggest tourism and travel fair, the International Tourism
Fair-2000 was held in Berlin; Turkey was promoted successfully at the
Fair. In a statement issued by Messe Berlin GMGH's representative to
Turkey, Turkey's stand covering an area of 2,300 square metres and
designed in a new modern way by Forum Fair Organizers was one of the
best three from among 177 countries participating. /Aksam/
[31] GALATASARAY IN UEFA CUP SEMI-FINALS
Galatasaray won against Real Mallorca 2-1 last night in Istanbul, so
going through to the UEFA Cup semi-finals. The score of the first match
between these two Turkish and Spanish football teams was 4-1, again in
favour of Galatasaray. Other UEFA Cup semi-finalists are as follows:
Arsenal (Britain), Leeds United (Britain) and Lens (France).
/Cumhuriyet/
[32] FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS...
[33] THE CAUCASIAN PACT BY SEDAT ERGIN (HURRIYET)
Columnist Sedat Ergin comments on the Caucasian Pact suggested by
President Suleyman Demirel. A summary of his column is as follows:
"The proposal to form a Caucasian Pact which President Suleyman Demirel
made during his visit to Georgia on 14-15 January, is moving slowly but
surely forward. All of the 12 foreign statesmen Demirel has sent a
letter to on the subject have returned official replies in which all of
them expressed the opinion that they were in agreement with the idea in
principle. Among these supporters are French President Jacques Chirac,
US President Bill Clinton, English Prime Minister Tony Blair, German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian Acting President Vladimir
Putin. The letter from Armenian President Robert Kocharian stating that
he looked warmly upon such a proposal is of great significance. All the
leaders support the proposal in principle, however, they hold different
opinions as to the formation of the pact and on which political
conditions the organization of it should be based. The most important
difficulty facing the Pact is the on-going dispute between Armenia and
Azerbaijan over the Karabakh region. Although Armenia and Azerbaijan
were to agree on a framework for a solution, the backwards step taken
by Armenia following the attack on its Parliament has frustrated the
hopes for peace at the moment. Acoording to Demirel, although at this
stage the Karabakh dispute may seem like an obstacle, it will be an
important incentive to overcoming the disagreement. The arrival of a
comprehensive aid package from the West in the area will encourage the
countries in that region to take steps towards the brighter future
which awaits them. President Demirel stated that now that all the
replies had been received, would take one more step forward. That step
will be to unite the ideas expressed in the letters, moving towards the
formation of a mechanism to enable the Pact. Before taking such a step,
President Demirel is waiting for the results of the Presidential
Election in Georgia on April 9. When Turkey had first announced this
proposal in January, the initial idea was to draw the attention of the
international community to the Caucasus and especially to the sensitive
situation in Georgia. The last two months show that success has been
achieved in attaining this goal. Time is needed to put this proposal
into action. "
[34] IT DOES NOT BECOME PRESIDENT CHIRAC BY OKTAY EKSI (HURRIYET)
Columnist Oktay Eksi comments on President Chirac's letter stating the
excuse for the cancellation of his visit to Turkey. A summary of his
column is as follows: "If the signature under the text belonged to
Libyan leader Muammar Khaddafi, we would have said, "What else do you
expect from such a leader? He sees everything from a salesman's
perspective." However, it was the French President who sent the message
to Turkey stating that he had personally worked to hinder the passage
of the Armenian massacre bill through the French Senate, exerted every
effort to ensure Turkey's EU candidacy and played a key role in the
registration of this candidacy in Helsinki. The letter went on to say
that Mr. Chirac was deeply disappointed to see that the French company
had been eliminated from the helicopter tender, and therefore, had
cancelled the visit he was planning to make to Turkey in the spring.
Furthermore, this message was handed to our Ambassador by an ordinary
official. This behaviour is rude if nothing else. This makes us wonder
if the priority of Western values is not to protect the legal interests
of a country through legal means but to sacrifice it for those of
others. This line of thought comes to mean that, even though the
French-German firm entering into the helicopter tender did not meet the
expected specifications, Turkey would have to buy them, thus risking
her own defence. Leaving aside such an important subject as national
defence, what would the French have said if we had told them, "The
refrigerators Germany is producing may be better than ours but you must
buy ours." We all know that President Chirac has worked hard to improve
Turkey's relations with the EU. He has defended the Turkish arguments
on all platforms. Therefore, we are grateful to him. However, it does
not seem proper to destroy the friendly relations between the two
countries due to such a primitive understanding as this. His reaction
may be explained as a reflection of his emotions. However, it should
also be mentioned that, when the French National Assembly accepted a
motion on the "Armenian Genocide" in May 1988, Turkey did not show any
improper reaction. She avoided any action which would humiliate France.
Therefore, President Chirac should behave as becomes his position."
|
