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Turkish Press Review, 00-09-28
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
28.09.00
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] PROBABLE ACTION PLANS AGAINST THE ENACTMENT OF SO-CALLED GENOCIDE
BILL
[02] FRANCE AGAINST THE APPROVAL OF THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
BILL
[03] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[04] VOTE ON THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
[05] PROBABLE ACTION PLANS AGAINST THE ENACTMENT OF SO-CALLED GENOCIDE
BILL
[06] KIVRIKOGLU'S STATEMENT ON THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
[07] FRANCE AGAINST THE APPROVAL OF THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
BILL
[08] ECEVIT: "DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BEGIN WITH RURAL AREAS"
[09] VERHEUGEN: "TURKEY IS ESSENTIAL FOR EUROPE"
[10] SIXTH ROUND OF CYPRUS PROXIMITY TALKS TO BE HELD FACE TO FACE
[11] LETTER OF WARNING FROM TUSIAD MEMBERS
[12] MINUTES OF ACCORD TO BE SIGNED BETWEEN SYRIA AND TURKEY TODAY
[13] CEM TO VISIT UZBEKISTAN
[14] STATE MINISTER GAYDALI IN RUSSIA
[15] STATE MINISTER GUREL IN UKRAINE
[16] HEALTH MINISTER DURMUS IN CROATIA
[17] TURCO-GEORGIAN JOINT MANOEUVRES
[18] SEVEN STARS 2000
[19] ERCEL'S STATEMENT
[20] QUALITY AWARDS TO TURKISH COMPANIES
[21] UNDERGROUND NATURAL GAS DEPOTS FOR PROBABLE ENERGY SHORTAGE
[22] STATE MONOPOLIES (TEKEL) EXPORTS GRAPE JUICE TO FRANCE
[23] HAGIA SOPHIA CANDIDATE FOR SEVEN WONDERS
[24] HAMZA YERLIKAYA WINS GOLD MEDAL
[25] GALATASARAY'S SUCCESS
[26] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[27] A RAY OF HOPE BY GUNGOR MENGI (SABAH)
[01] PROBABLE ACTION PLANS AGAINST THE ENACTMENT OF SO-CALLED GENOCIDE
BILL
[02] FRANCE AGAINST THE APPROVAL OF THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
BILL
[03] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[04] VOTE ON THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
The US House Committee of International Relations will vote today
on the draft of the so-called Armenian Genocide resolution. The draft
has passed in the subcommittee last week despite the reactions
and preventive efforts of the US President and the Turkish
government. The Republican chairman of the International
Relations Committee which has 48 members, Benjamin Gilman told
Turkish Ambassador to Washington, Baki Ilkin, that at this stage
he could not prevent the passing of the resolution. On the other
hand, Ambassador Ilkin presented a letter including a 89 year-old
document to the members of the committee. In the letter, Ilkin
said that the Armenians living in Istanbul and western Anatolia
were not affected by the events taking place between 1915-1923
and currently 70,000s Armenian are living in Turkey and he
defended that these facts make the genocide claims lose its
value. The document he enclosed was a telegram sent by the
British Ambassador to Washington, to the then British Foreign
Minister Lord Curzon, on 19 July 1921. The telegram stated that
the Ambassador went to the US State Department in order to look
for documents regarding the cruelties of Turkish people against
the Armenians, but he could not find any document supproting this
allegation in the US archives. /Milliyet/
[05] PROBABLE ACTION PLANS AGAINST THE ENACTMENT OF SO-CALLED GENOCIDE
BILL
Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that the sanctions that will be
implemented on the US and Armenia will be of a kind that would
not affect the vital interests of Turkey and will be of no use
for the Armenian lobbies. On the other hand, National Security
Council (MGK) will convene tomorrow and discuss the "action plan"
that will be implemented against the US and Armenia. The
following topics will be discussed at the meeting: 1. An
ambassador to Iraq may be appointed. 2. Turkey is a profitable
market for American arms producers and recently American firms
have undertaken the bidding for attack helicopters. New American
firms may be prevented from assuming the sale of tanks worth $7
million. 3. The tension between Turkey and Armenia would harm the
stability in the Caucasus. The transportation process of regional
energy resources to the world markets may be negatively affected.
This would harm both the US and Turkey. 4. Strict measures may be
taken against Armenia including imposing a severe embargo and the
closure of the air corridor that is kept open for humanitarian
reasons. 5. Deterrent measures may be taken against Armenia which
reinforces its military cooperation with Russia. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] KIVRIKOGLU'S STATEMENT ON THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
Chief of the General Staff, General Huseyin Kivrikoglu, harshly
reacted to the US on the approval of the so-called Armenian
genocide bill by the US House of Representatives' Sub-Committee.
General Kivrikoglu said, "Before passing a judgement on others,
countries should scrutinize their own past." General Kivrikoglu,
who came to Izmir to attend the ceremony during which the
foundation of the Naval Command Headquarter was laid, visited
Governor Alaaddin Yuksel and answered a journalist's question on
this opinion and reaction to the approval of the so-called
Armenian genocide bill. General Kivrikoglu said, "These claims
are totally groundless and those deciding in favor did so to get
votes in the upcoming election even though they are aware of the
fact. The countries should first clean their own consciences when
and if their history is full of such indicents. There are so many
things which must be done on the issue. The Government and other
related institutions will evaluate this issue and take the
necessary steps." Meanwhile, the foundation of the Naval Command
Headquarters, which was decided to be moved to Izmir after the
earthquake that occurred in the Marmara Region last year, was
laid down yesterday by General Kivrikoglu. During his speech,
General Kivrikoglu said, "The Naval Command Headquarters opens a
new and meaningful page in history at the beginning of the 21st
century." /Aksam/
[07] FRANCE AGAINST THE APPROVAL OF THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
BILL
French Ambassador to Ankara, Bernard Garcia, made a statement
about the approval of the so-called Armenian genocide bill and
said, "As the French Administration, we are completely against
these types of initiatives. This issue should not be used for
internal politics due to political concerns. The debates on this
so-called genocide should be left to historians as it was said in
Ankara." /Hurriyet/
[08] ECEVIT: "DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BEGIN WITH RURAL AREAS"
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit visited Siirt and Sirnak and
attended some opening ceremonies. Addressing people in Siirt, Mr.
Ecevit explained the Government's initiatives on economy and
fight against inflation. During his speech, members of the
People's Democracy Party (HADEP) chanted slogans asking for
peace. Replying to them, Ecevit said: "The people who want peace,
should lay off their weapons first." In the Basagac village of
Sirnak, Ecevit delivered keys of their new houses to the
villagers who had left their villages because of terrorism. The
houses were constructed in the scope of the "Center village"
project. Recalling that for 15 years the people in eastern and
southeastern Turkey have suffered a lot from terrorism, Ecevit
said: "Now, terrorism is almost over in these regions with the
measures taken by the government." He also stressed that they
believed the development should begin with the rural areas, as
half of the Turkish population earns his living from agriculture.
Mr. Ecevit added: "The eastern part of Turkey will be at the same
level as that of her western part." /Turkiye/
[09] VERHEUGEN: "TURKEY IS ESSENTIAL FOR EUROPE"
European Union (EU) Commission's member responsible for
Enlargement Gunther Verheugen said that Turkey was essential for
the EU. Verheugen said, "Turkey made great strides on the path to
the EU and it is making very important preparations for the
future. Turkey, which is a NATO ally, is not currently ready to
be a member of the EU in terms of human rights. However, an
improvement cannot be ensured by closing the door just like the
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Party has done." /Aksam/
[10] SIXTH ROUND OF CYPRUS PROXIMITY TALKS TO BE HELD FACE TO FACE
It was stated that the fifth tour of Cyprus proximity talks in
Geneva between 1 and 10 October will be the last of the proximity
talks and that during the sixth round of talks, President of the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf Denktas and the
leader of the Greek-Cypriot Administration Glafkos Klerides will
be tried to be convinced to hold a face-to-face meeting in the
US. /Cumhuriyet/
[11] LETTER OF WARNING FROM TUSIAD MEMBERS
Chairman of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businesmen's
Association (TUSIAD) Erkut Yucaoglu sent a letter to the members
of the US Congress' International Relations Committee. In the
letter, it was written, "The approval of this bill will harm the
relations between Turkey and the US. Tragic incidents occurring
during the war were described as a 'genocide' in this bill. In
addition, the claims in this bill are supported with distorted
facts and with the partisan declarations of witnesses." /Aksam/
[12] MINUTES OF ACCORD TO BE SIGNED BETWEEN SYRIA AND TURKEY TODAY
A minutes of accord, which was decided to be signed yesterday
between the Syrian Minister of the Interior Mohammad Habra and
his Turkish counterpart Sadettin Tantan, could not be signed
since the Syrian side insisted on limiting the scope of this
minutes of accord with four articles. However, this problem was
solved and it was decided that the minutes of accord would be
signed today. Among these four articles, a limited importance was
attached to the issue of struggle against terrorism and Syria
wanted that the cooperation should be restricted to the struggle
against the PKK terrorist organization. Then Tantan, Habra and
the General Director of Security Turan Genc met at the
Directorate General of Security and the Syrian side accepted
Turkey's request concerning the issue. In this minutes of accord,
which will be signed today, the issues such as struggle against
organized crime and smuggling, border security and the mutual
training program will take place. /Hurriyet/
[13] CEM TO VISIT UZBEKISTAN
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will visit Uzbekistan on 2 and 3
October. In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry yesterday,
it was revealed that during Cem's visit to Uzbekistan, the issues
of developing and institutionalizing the relations between the
two countries and strengthening peace and stability in the region
will be taken up. /Cumhuriyet/
[14] STATE MINISTER GAYDALI IN RUSSIA
State Minister Edip Safter Gaydali has gone to Moscow as the
official guest of Russian Atomic Energy Minister Yevgeni Adamov.
The two ministers will reportedly discuss cooperation on
bilateral nuclear matters. /Turkish Daily News/
[15] STATE MINISTER GUREL IN UKRAINE
State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel has gone to Ukraine for meetings
on various issues. He will reportedly attend meetings concerning
Turks resident in Ukraine and construction services. /Turkish
Daily News/
[16] HEALTH MINISTER DURMUS IN CROATIA
An agreement envisaging cooperation on health between Turkey and
Croatia has been signed by Health Minister Osman Durmus and his
Croatian counterpart Stavljenic-Rukaniva in Zagreb. The agreement
reportedly covers exchanges of specialists, cooperation in
medical training and education programs and the holding of joint
meetings on health issues. /Turkish Daily News/
[17] TURCO-GEORGIAN JOINT MANOEUVRES
After the approval of the so-called Armenian genocide bill at the
subcommittee at the US House of Representatives, Turkey and
Georgia decided to hold joint "border violation manoeuvres" at
Turkey's Armenian border. According to sources from the Turkish
Land Forces Command, during the manoeuvres, various exercises
regarding the violation of border penetrations will be carried
out. In Caucasia, one of the controversial regions in the world,
Armenia tries to strengthen her ties with Russia while Georgia
prefers to come closer to Turkey to overcome her economic
problems. /Turkiye/
[18] SEVEN STARS 2000
The first field manoeuvre Seven Stars 2000 organized by the
Southeastern European Multinational Peace Force (SEEBRIG), is
continuing in the Haskoy district of Bulgaria. Turkey, Albania,
Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Macedonia and Italia are attending the
manoeuvres with the participation of a total of 1,640 soldiers.
The manouvres will end on Sep. 30. /Turkiye/
[19] ERCEL'S STATEMENT
Governor of the Central Bank Gazi Ercel delivered a speech about
the 'Macro Economic Characteristics and the Future of the Turkish
Economy' during the meeting entitled the 'New Face of Turkey' in
Prague, where the World Bank and the International Monetary
Fund's (IMF) meetings were being held. He said, "The current
accounts deficit that occurred during the first half of the year
can be overcome through the income to be earned in tourism sector
and through the workers' remittances." /Aksam/
[20] QUALITY AWARDS TO TURKISH COMPANIES
Two Quality awards of the European Foundation of Quality
Management (EFQM) were given this year to Turkish companies in
the category of Large scale institutions and Business units.
Arcelik and Eczacibasi Vitra shared the "success award". The
general manager of Arcelik, Nedim Esgin said, "The awards we took
reinforce our belief in perfection and our motivation." The
general manager of Eczacibasi Vitra, Sadi Burat said, " The fact
that Vitra was presented an award is a success not only for the
companies, but also for Turkey." /Milliyet/
[21] UNDERGROUND NATURAL GAS DEPOTS FOR PROBABLE ENERGY SHORTAGE
Underground Depots will be built in the northern part of the
Marmara Region and Degirmenkoy to meet the increasing natural gas
demand in Turkey. The depots will be filled with gas when the
reserves were at a low level to meet the demand. The construction
will be completed in two years. The head of the Executive Board
of Turkish Petroleum Joint Stock Company (TPAO), Osman Demirag
said, " The need for natural gas in Istanbul is as high as 2
billion cubic meters. Therefore, the infrastructural projects
should be immediately implemented. The filling process will start
in 2004." /Cumhuriyet/
[22] STATE MONOPOLIES (TEKEL) EXPORTS GRAPE JUICE TO FRANCE
State Monopolies (Tekel) began to export concentrated grape juice
from Tarsus Suma Factory to France. In a written statement by the
Directorate-General of Tekel, it was reported that 500,000 litres
of grape juice will be exported to France for now, as part of the
agreement concerning the sale of 2 million litres of grape juice
from Tarsus Suma Factory, foundation of which was laid on 24
December 1999 and opened on 17 July 2000. The remaining amount
will be exported in 500,000-kg of consignments until 31 December.
10 million French franks are expected to be earned from this
sale. /Hurriyet/
[23] HAGIA SOPHIA CANDIDATE FOR SEVEN WONDERS
An internet message of Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu was put on
the website of Hacettepe University. In the message, Mr. Mumcu
requested the support for the election of Hagia Sophia in
Istanbul as one of the seven wonders of the world. /Cumhuriyet/
[24] HAMZA YERLIKAYA WINS GOLD MEDAL
Hamza Yerlikaya, Turkish World and Olympics Champion wrestler,
won a gold medal defeating Hungarian Istvan Sandor Bardosi in 85
kg Greco-Roman wrestling final match. Thus, Turkey has won its
third gold medal in the 27th Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. /All
papers/
[25] GALATASARAY'S SUCCESS
Galatasaray defeated Scottish Glasgow Rangers in Champions League in the match
played in Istanbul last night with a score of 3-2. Galatasaray now
places at the top of group D. /All papers/
[26] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[27] A RAY OF HOPE BY GUNGOR MENGI (SABAH)
Columnist Gungor Mengi comments on the recent internal political
developments. A summary of his column is as follows:
"The political atmosphere in Turkey resembles a cloudy autumn
day. Suddenly a ray of sunshine appears in the sky while you are
feeling down as a result of the dark clouds. The sun seems to
say, 'Don't lose hope, I'm still here.'
The case of the Virtue Party pending a decision at the
Constitutional Court is a potential danger which can upset near
future. If the Virtue Party is closed and the deputy status of
the TGNA members coming from the Welfare Party are cancelled,
Election may begin to be discussed. This would be the expiration
of all the hopes in the last chance for the fight against
inflation and would come to mean that the road to the EU is
detonated.
What can happen in by-elections? The seats vacated by the Virtue
Party would be shared among other parties currently in
Parliament. Then, pressure for the renewal of general Election
will grow. Result would lead to instability, failure of all the
efforts in the fight against inflation and entering a new
turbulent era with the new Elections. These are very high prices
to pay.
However, yesterday, suddenly a ray of hope was seen in the skies.
It was stated that the court-reporter at the Constitutional Court
did not believe that there was satisfactory evidence for the
demands to close the Virtue Party. The Virtue Party is accused of
being the focus of anti-secular demonstrations and a continuation
of the closed Welfare Party. However, the reporter has described
some of the actions considered to be crimes as personal
behaviour.
No-one is claiming that the Virtue Party is brand new. However,
it cannot be said those coming from Welfare Party have not learnt
their lesson. Certainly, the members of the closed Welfare Party
entered an organization following a policy akin to their
opinions. The important thing is that they have stopped
committing crimes. A decision ignoring this fact would only
strengthen the hands of the radicals. The Virtue Party has paid
the price of Welfare Party's crimes by losing in the Election.
This experience has taught them the damages of statements
inciting hatred among the public. Today, they are trying to
persuade Europe that they are fighting for a democratic right.
Their seeking refuge in democracy is an inmportant step. In
Turkey, they have not learnt that exploiting religion is not a
democratic right, but will learn it there. The continuation of
this process is both to the benefit of the Virtue Party and the
country. We hope that a decision confirming the reporter's view
will come out of the Constitutional Court."
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