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Turkish Press Review, 00-08-11
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
11.08.00
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] KHK TENSION GROWS
[02] GENERAL KIVRIKOGLU WILL ATTEND NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE MEETINGS
[03] BEN-AMI ON MIDDLE EAST PEACE
[04] YILMAZ GIVES FULL SUPPORT TO ECEVIT ON THE DECREE
[05] KUTAN CALLS ON PRESIDENT SEZER: "DO NOT SIGN THE DECREE"
[06] NATO EXERCISE AIR-MEET 2000
[07] BALFE: "TURKEY IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK BUT THE PACE IS SLOW"
[08] MORE ILLEGAL MIGRANTS CAPTURED
[09] NO RIFT BETWEEN DENKTAS AND EROGLU
[10] PKK STEPS UP EFFORTS IN GREECE
[11] 7 HIZBULLAH MEMBERS ARRESTED
[12] US INTEREST IN THE TURKISH ENERGY PROJECTS
[13] BANK DEPOSITS MORE PROFITABLE IN JULY
[14] PRODUCTION BOOM IN DURABLES
[01] KHK TENSION GROWS
The tension between President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and the
government on the decree in the force of law (KHK) concerning the
dismissal of the civil servants who are allegedly involved in
reactionary and separatist actions has increased. After the
cabinet meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that
government decided to send the KHK back to the President without
any changes. Ecevit did not hide his displeasure over the
presidential veto which he described as a breach of presidential
powers. He said, "The President do not have the right to
disapprove a government decree. It is a constitutional obligation
that the President has to sign the government decree. If the
President opts for, he could take the issue to the Constitutional
Court." Ecevit accused President Sezer of exercising a state
power that is not covered by the Constitution and added that the
Presidency should not act like judiciary. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] GENERAL KIVRIKOGLU WILL ATTEND NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE MEETINGS
NATO Military Committee Meetings will be held between September
11-17 in Istanbul and Athens this year. The Chief of General
Staff, Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu will travel to Athens to attend
the meetings. Greek Chief of General Staff Manusos Pragiudakis
will come to Istanbul for the second leg of the meetings. During
the meetings, other than general issues of NATO, the problems
between Turkey and Greece are expected to be discussed
bilaterally. Military sources said those contacts will contribute
to the recent rapprochement between the two contries.
/Cumhuriyet/
[03] BEN-AMI ON MIDDLE EAST PEACE
Israeli Public Order Minister Solomo Ben-Ami paid a one-day visit
to Turkey yesterday. During his visit, Ben-Ami met Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. It was reported
that during the meetings Ben-Ami briefed the Turkish officials on
the results of the Camp David meetings and the latest
developments in the Middle East peace process. Ben-Ami said, "I
think Turkey is also aware that the only country that could
mediate in the Middle East peace process is the United States."
Meanwhile, a US State Department high level official Ned Walker
will visit Turkey on Monday to convey the American views on the
Middle East peace process. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] YILMAZ GIVES FULL SUPPORT TO ECEVIT ON THE DECREE
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz gave full support to Prime
Minister Bulent Ecevit on the decree in the force of love by
saying "some civil servants working at the public offices are
still against the unity of the country, and the basic principles
of the Republic of Turkey. Those people must be fired. Yilmaz
added they would do their best for the civil cervants who abide
by the basic principles of the Republic and that there was no
need to worry about those people./Sabah/
[05] KUTAN CALLS ON PRESIDENT SEZER: "DO NOT SIGN THE DECREE"
Chairman of the Virtue Party Recai Kutan warned both the
goverment and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer who refused to approve
the decree in the force of law on dismissal of civil servants.
Mr. Kutan said: "Sezer's veto was the right decision. If the
government sends the decree second time to the President for
approval, he does not have to sign it if he still thinks that it
is undemocratic." /Hurriyet/
[06] NATO EXERCISE AIR-MEET 2000
NATO's largest air exercise will take place in Turkey between
August 28 and September 8. Various fighter planes such as F-4,
F-15, F-16, F-18, Tornado, Mirage 2000 and Su-22 will
participate in the exercise. In addition, five AWACS (Airbone
Warning and Command System) planes, six tankers and five
electronic warfare planes will take part in the exercise. Turkey
will contribute by six RF-4 reconnaissance planes and 60
personnel. /Turkish Daily News/
[07] BALFE: "TURKEY IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK BUT THE PACE IS SLOW"
Richard Balfe, a member of the European Parliament Socialist
Group from the British Labour Party, visited Antalya Governor
Ertugrul Dokuzoglu during his vacation there. Balfe said that
Turkey was on the right track for European Union membership but
stressed that Ankara's pace was slow. He added Turkey should fill
the gap by working harder and increasing the momentum of reforms.
/Turkish Daily News/
[08] MORE ILLEGAL MIGRANTS CAPTURED
During a police raid on a house in Van some 43 Iraqi nationals,
who had been attempting to cross into Turkey illegally, were
captured. They will be deported, it was reported. /Turkish Daily
News/
[09] NO RIFT BETWEEN DENKTAS AND EROGLU
After meeting with President of the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf Denktas yesterday, TRNC Prime Minister Dervis
Eroglu said that contrary to media reports, there was no rift
between the President and himself. Eroglu said, "We have no
problems with Mr. Denktas and we want dialogue between the
government and the president." Eroglu added that they did not
discuss the issue of a possible resignation of the government.
"Mr. Denktas and I exchanged views on domestic issues and
discussed what we could do to overcome the economic crisis. We
informed the president on the economic stability package," said
Eroglu. /Sabah/
[10] PKK STEPS UP EFFORTS IN GREECE
The PKK terroist organization has stepped up its efforts and
presence in Greece in a bid to undermine the burgeoing
Turkish-Greek rapprochement. The PKK recently spread anti-Turkey
propoganda during the International Culture Festival in Crete,
the Anatolia News Agency reported. Cretan officials invited the
terrorist PKK to the festival. Additionally, the PKK publishes a
magazine in Greece, Foni Ton Kurdistan (The Voice of Kurdistan),
which has a habit of regularly smearing Turkey. Copies of the
magazine have been sold to both Greek tradesmen and members of
the Turkish minority for 500 drachmas on the islands of Crete and
Istankoy. The issue of the magazine have reportedly been sold to
those people forcefully. /Turkish Daily News/
[11] 7 HIZBULLAH MEMBERS ARRESTED
7 members of the terrorist Hizbullah organization, who were taken
into custody previously, were indicted and sent to prison.
/Turkiye/
[12] US INTEREST IN THE TURKISH ENERGY PROJECTS
Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Natural
Resources Mustafa Mendilcioglu traveled to the US with an
accompanying delegation to meet the officials from the US
Departments of Energy and Trade. Mendilcioglu delivered a speech
at the National Press Club in Washington and explained the energy
investments that Turkey is planning to make in the next 25 years.
Mendilcioglu said, "Turkey acts as a bridge in terms of
transporting the Caspian oil, natural gas and the Turkmen gas to
the West." /Turkiye/
[13] BANK DEPOSITS MORE PROFITABLE IN JULY
State Institute of Statistiscs (DIE) announced the bank deposits
produced highest monthly real gain in July.The monthly return of
bank deposits averaged 1.5 percent last month. The US dollar
earned 0.8 percent and the German mark 0.1 percent returns above
inflation last month, while the stock market lost 11.4 percent
and gold bullion 0.1 percent. /Hurriyet/
[14] PRODUCTION BOOM IN DURABLES
The declining interest rates in customer credits paved the way
for an increase in production of durables. Total production in
this sector has increased 27.5 percent in the first half of this
year. TV sets (33.2%), refrigerators (25.1%), washing machines
(14.9%), dishwashers (19.4%) were the main goods produced.
/Hurriyet/
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