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Turkish Press Review, 00-11-07
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
07.11.00
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[02] RACAN MEETS ECEVIT
[03] PEARSON: "NO CHANGE IS EXPECTED IN TURCO-AMERICAN RELATIONS"
[04] FULL AGENDA CONCERNING THE EUROPEAN UNION
[05] DENKTAS WARNS EU
[06] ANKARA WARNS FRANCE ON THE ARMENIAN BILL
[07] SHEVARDNADZE TO VISIT TURKEY
[08] ESAD TO VISIT TURKEY
[09] YILMAZ: TURKEY AND BULGARIA SHOULD SUPPORT EACH OTHER
[10] TUNISIA WANTS TO IMPROVE TIES WITH TURKEY
[11] GEN. KIVRIKOGLU IN BRUSSELS
[12] THREE STATE BANKS TO BE PRIVATIZED
[13] FOREIGN CAPITAL DRAFT LAW PRESENTED TO THE TGNA
[14] CONFERENCE ON TURKEY-EU COMMUNICATION PLATFORM
[15] AVISO CLASS POSTAL SHIPS IN THE TURKISH NAVY
[16] TURKISH SHIP BURNED ON CRETE
[17] FOUR HIZBULLAH MEMBERS CAPTURED
[18] NORWEGIANS' SUGGESTION
[19] MEETING ON THE PROBLEMS OF TEXTILE AND CERAMICS SECTOR
[20] TURKEY ISSUES BONDS TOTALING 50 BILLION YEN
[21] YAPEX 2000 FAIR
[22] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[23] EXPECTATIONS FROM ACCESSION PARTNERSHIP BY MUSTAFA BALBAY (CUMHURIYET)
[01] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[02] RACAN MEETS ECEVIT
Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan, paying an official visit to
Turkey, met with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday. In the
press conference held after the meeting Mr. Ecevit said bilateral
relations were going well between the two countries. He added,
"However, economic and commercial relations are not at a
satisfactory level. We have to improve them." Thanking Mr.
Racan for informing him on the latest and possible developments
in the Balkans, Mr. Ecevit said Turkey expected Yugoslavian Head
of State Vogislav Kostunica to take further significant steps.
Mr. Racan said the toppling of Milosevic did not necessarily mean
that his policies would also disappear. Mr. Ecevit said, "I share
Mr. Racan's hopes and concerns over Yugoslavia. I hope Mr.
Kostunica will make significant changes to catch up with modern
democratic countries. The first condition for Yugoslavia is to
end ethnic discrimination." Stating that economic relations
between Turkey and Croatia should be improved, Mr. Racan said
Croatian Head of State Stepan Mesic would also visit Turkey. Mr.
Racan invited Mr. Ecevit to Croatia. The Croatian Premier was
also received by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] PEARSON: "NO CHANGE IS EXPECTED IN TURCO-AMERICAN RELATIONS"
US Ambassador to Turkey, Robert Pearson, said the new US
President will also be aware of Turkey's strategic position and,
like the Clinton administration, will continue to attach
importance to Turkey. During his opening speech at a panel
titled, "200 Years in Turco-American Relations" held in Ankara at
the Faculty of Political Sciences, Pearson recalled Clinton's
words that "Turkey will play a critical role in the formation of
the 21st century." Mr. Pearson said he is certain both
presidential candidates, George Bush and Al Gore are aware of
this truth. Stressing that the two countries established
diplomatic relations in 1830, Mr. Pearson said the relations
gained a new dimension after the Second World War. Emphasizing
the great importance the US attaches to Turkey's role in NATO,
The US Ambassador said the relations are not limited to security
and trade topics as cooperation in various areas such as
education and tourism is rapidly increasing. /Turkiye/
[04] FULL AGENDA CONCERNING THE EUROPEAN UNION
Ankara makes an effort to have the Accession Partnership
Document (APD) prepared by the European Commission,
accepted at the Council which convenes on 20 November and 5
December. It will then prepare the National Programme. Foreign
Minister Ismail Cem will be in Strasbourg attending the European
Council's Meeting of Ministers when the APD is announced. Cem
will hold bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of member
countries in Strasbourg before the APD is voted upon at the
European Council. He will try to persuade his counterparts for
acceptance of the Commission's document as a whole. Cem will also
attend the OSCE Summit on 27 and 28 November and is expected to
go to Brussels on 29 November. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister
Mesut Yilmaz will go to France, the current Chairman of the EU,
on 15 November. During his contacts in France, Yilmaz will give
information on the National Programme prepared by the EU
Secretary General and will explain Turkey's short-term and
long-term engagements. In addition, EU Representative Responsible
for Enlargement, Gunter Verheugen will be in Turkey between
November 20 and 22. /Aksam/
[05] DENKTAS WARNS EU
Answering questions of a reporter from Der Spiegel, a German news magazine,
President of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Rauf Denktas,
stated the EU's approval of Greek-Cypriots' membership would be a
cause for war. Mr. Denktas said. "If the EU approves membership
of the Greek side, despite all the unsolved problems, we, as the
Turkish-Cypriots, would do all we can to survive." He also
reminded the press that Greek-Cypriots were trying to solve the
problem by attaining full EU member status without consent from
the Turkish side. Mr. Denktas responded to the statement by EU
Commissioner responsible for Enlargement Gunther Verheugen which
criticized Denktas for being contradictory with the facts.
Stating that German politicians did not want to admit the facts,
Mr. Denktas said, "How is it possible for Greek-Cypriots to
represent the whole island, despite the existence of two separate
nations and democracies? Is this fair?" /Cumhuriyet/
[06] ANKARA WARNS FRANCE ON THE ARMENIAN BILL
The French Senate will vote on the so-called Armenian genocide
bill today. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit and Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu each sent a
letter to their counterparts stating that the bill`s approval
would seriously harm the positively developing relations between
the two countries. It was stressed that the bill is contrary to
mutual strategic interests and approval would prevent the
normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia, having
negative effects on regional stability. The bill is expected to
pass in the Senate unless its approval is prevented by the French
government. A Turkish Parliamentary Delegation went to Paris
yesterday and requested a meeting with the Chairman of the
Senate. The request was turned down due to lack of time, as the
voting will be held today. /Milliyet/
[07] SHEVARDNADZE TO VISIT TURKEY
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze will arrive in Turkey
tomorrow to pay an official visit at President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer's invitation. It was reported the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline and
other transportation projects would be among the subjects to be
discussed during the meetings with Mr. Shevardnadze. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] ESAD TO VISIT TURKEY
It was reported that Syrian Head of State Besir Esad was planning
to visit Turkey. "Syrian President's first deputy Abdulhalim
Haddam's contacts in Ankara were a preparation for President
Esad's future visit." said the Tesrin, the official broadcasting
organ of the Syrian government. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] YILMAZ: TURKEY AND BULGARIA SHOULD SUPPORT EACH OTHER
The 14th term meeting of the Turkey-Bulgaria Economic and
Technical Cooperation Joint Committee began in Ankara. The
Turkish side was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz
and the Bulgarian side by Minister of Regional Development and
Public Works Evgeni Tchatchev. Delivering the opening speech, Mr.
Yilmaz said, "Since Bulgaria is one of the transit countries for
the transfer of Russian natural gas to Turkey, the projects in
Bulgaria should be completed in good time." Stating that
electrical energy constituted an important dimension of
Turco-Bulgarian relations, Mr. Yilmaz said, "After signing the
cooperation agreements and protocols on energy and
infrastructure, Turkey has fullfiled all her responsibilities. I
believe the Bulgarian side will work to improve relations." Mr.
Yilmaz added, "Turkey and Bulgaria, two candidate countries for
the EU, should continue to support each other in their efforts
for full EU membership." /Cumhuriyet/
[10] TUNISIA WANTS TO IMPROVE TIES WITH TURKEY
Tunisia wants to develop its ties with Turkey in every area, said
the Tunisian Ambassador Mohammed Alyasir. Speaking at a press
conference in the Tunisian Embassy over the weekend, the
Ambassador said the infrastructure for trade development between
the two countries already existed. Noting that Tunisia is located
at an important junction of major trade routes, making it a trade
link between Africa and Europe, the Ambassador said Tunisia
offers great opportunities for prospective Turkish investors. He
also drew attention to the fact that labor costs were
comparatively low in Tunusia and that the government provides
incentives for foreign investors. Alyasir claimed that Turkish
companies wanting to invest in Tunisia would have access not only
to Tunisian markets, but also certain African markets. /Turkish
Daily News/
[11] GEN. KIVRIKOGLU IN BRUSSELS
Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu left for Brussels
yesterday to participate in NATO meetings. Gen. Kivrikoglu is
expected to sit in at the 140th Military Committee Chief of
General Staffs Meeting, the Europe-Atlantic Partnership Council,
NATO-Ukraine and NATO-Russian Federation Military Committee Chief
of General Staffs Meeting. /Turkiye/
[12] THREE STATE BANKS TO BE PRIVATIZED
The government summitted a bill to the Turkish Grand National
Assembly (TGNA) which foresees the privatization of the three
state banks after their autonomization in three years.
Previously, the decrees with the power of law for the
privatization of Ziraat Bank, Halk Bank and Emlak Bank were
rejected by the President. /Turkiye/
[13] FOREIGN CAPITAL DRAFT LAW PRESENTED TO THE TGNA
The 'Foreign Capital Draft Law' was presented to the Turkish
Grand National Assembly (TGNA) to guarantee the transfer of
foreign investors' income in order to increase foreign
investments in Turkey. If the draft law is accepted integrally,
then the income transfer will be guaranteed. The transfer of
foreign capital to Turkey will become free as it is elsewhere in
the world and process of prior consent will be removed. As part
of the draft law, companies with foreign capital have the same
rights as companies with local capital. /Aksam/
[14] CONFERENCE ON TURKEY-EU COMMUNICATION PLATFORM
The first conference of the Turkey-EU Communication Platform
organized by the Advertising Foundation, Advertisers Association
and Hurriyet newspaper, was held in Istanbul yesterday. EU
Secretary General of Turkey, Volkan Vural, delivered a speech at
the conference. Mr. Vural said, "We will receive a document from
the EU Commission in 48 hours. This is the Accession Partnership
Document, a road map to begin the negotiation process for
Turkey's full EU membership. The President of the World
Advertisement Givers Federation, Anthony Gortzis, said Turkey
would sell its commodities easily after becoming a full EU
member. Editor in-chief of the Hurriyet, Ertugrul Ozkok said, the
infrastructure of the Turkish media is as strong as that in the
most developed countries. Mr. Ozkok also pointed to the marriages
of the Turkish media with the European media. Dogan Burda Rizzoli
(DBR), CNN Turk and CNBC are the examples of these mergers. He
maintained that cooperation in the media sector with foreign
groups should be increased. /Hurriyet/
[15] AVISO CLASS POSTAL SHIPS IN THE TURKISH NAVY
The Ministry of National Security completed its transfer of six
patrol ships not in use by the French Naval Forces to the Turkish
Naval Forces. The purchase agreement for the ships was signed
between the Ministry of National Defence's Foreign Provision
Department and the French officials. According to the information
obtained, six Aviso class postal ships will be used for
reconnaissance and observation on the Aegean. The cost of the
ships was agreed upon at 60 million US dollars. The ships are
expected to arrive in Turkey during the first six months of 2001.
/Aksam/
[16] TURKISH SHIP BURNED ON CRETE
A fire occurred on the Turkish flagged tanker entitled 'Olcay S'
50 miles south of the Greek Island of Crete. Three sailors were
injured during the fire as a result of an explosion on the
tanker. One of the injured, airlifted by helicopter, could not be
saved at the hospital and died. The Greek Ministry of Naval Trade
reported that two other sailors were being treated on Crete.
/Aksam/
[17] FOUR HIZBULLAH MEMBERS CAPTURED
Four members of the illegal terrorist organization Hizbullah,
including those responsible for the Batman area, were captured in
Istanbul. Four bomb fuses were seized during the raid on the
terrorists' house. /Star/
[18] NORWEGIANS' SUGGESTION
Chairman of the Norwegian Association of Industrialists and
Businessmen (NHO), Leif Frode Onarheim, stated that other
European countries have a tendency to point out the negative
aspects of Turkey, whereas positive issues concerning Turkey were
ignored. He gave suggestions to Turkey. Onarheim, speaking at a
meeting on the 'Economy, Globalization and the Social
Responsibility of Companies' organized by NHO and the Turkish
Association of Industrialists' and Businessmen (TUSIAD) said, "It
is important for people to understand Turkey. European countries
talk about the political instability and the pressure on security
and freedom of speech. If you add the high inflation rate during
the last years, then you can understand why a businessman
excludes Turkey from his list of possible investments. These are
not the truths. You should reflect an accurate picture of your
country." /Aksam/
[19] MEETING ON THE PROBLEMS OF TEXTILE AND CERAMICS SECTOR
Problems in the textile and ceramics industry were discussed
during a meeting chaired by the State Minister and Deputy Prime
Minister Husamettin Ozkan. The meeting was attended by employers
and employee representatives, bureaucrats and some ministers.
Employer and employee representatives presented a report
concerning problems in the industry at a meeting also attended by
the Minister of Finance Sumer Oral, Minister of Industry and
Trade Ahmet Kenan Tanrikulu, Minister of Labor and Social
Security Yasar Okuyan and the State Minister Tunca Toskay. /Star/
[20] TURKEY ISSUES BONDS TOTALING 50 BILLION YEN
The Treasury issued three-year bonds totaling 50 billion yen with
a 3 percent interest rate to be sold in Japanese financial
markets. The related agreement was signed yesterday by Turkish
and Japanase officials in Tokyo. Daiwa and Nomura Security
Companies underwrote the issuing of the bonds. This is the third
time that Turkey has issued bonds in the Japanese markets. The
total Turkish bonds issued in Japan reached 140 billion yen.
/Milliyet/
[21] YAPEX 2000 FAIR
The "Yapex 2000" Construction Fair, the largest construction
elements' fair in Turkey and the Middle East, will be held in
Antalya Expo Center Nov. 9-12. About twenty thousand visitors are
expected at the fair where the latest technological developments
in the construction sector will be exhibited. /Turkiye/
[22] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[23] EXPECTATIONS FROM ACCESSION PARTNERSHIP BY MUSTAFA BALBAY (CUMHURIYET)
Columnist Mustafa Balbay comments on the expectations concerning
the Accession Partnership Document. A summary of his column is
as follows:
"The Accession Partnership Document (APD) which will have a
determining effect on Turkey's full EU membership, will be
announced tomorrow. The last touches to the document have been
made. Words which may be understood both ways have been sprinkled
between the lines. A balance which would not offend Ankara or
frighten Athens has been established. The text will be ratified
at a meeting to be convened on November 20 or on December 5. This
will be the real turning point. Recent surveys prepared by the EU
within its own structure do not show a pleasing picture for
Turkey. In the European Union 47% of the people are against
Turkey's full membership. Among the 13 EU member candidates it is
the most opposed country. Turkey is most supported by Spain and
least supported by Australia in its desire for full EU
membership. 60% of Europeans are against enlargement altogether.
When these results are taken into consideration, the question of
why Turkey wants to enter a community where it is not wanted may
come to mind. The reason for these survey results is that
Europeans are not acting with their hearts but with their brains.
When the survey is viewed as a whole it can be seen that the EU
community is not against Turkey per se but against sharing the
Union's prosperity. If the Turkish economy had been near EU
standards the picture may have been different.
Another question may be, why does the EU want to improve its ties
with Turkey despite the unwillingness of its people. The answer
is clear. There is no better market than Turkey in close
surroundings. 20% of Turks are spending as much as Europeans on
goods and services. This number is more than the total Greek
population. This is one of the trump cards we hold. In Turkey,
percentage of the population wanting to enter the EU is close to
70. Those who are against Turkey's full EU membership claim that
not only do Europeans not want Turkey in the Union, but by
keeping the hope of entrance to the EU alive, they aim to impose
their will on us. Those against EU membership also say Turkey has
to look for other alliances. Certainly, the search for new
alliances should go on. Turkey has to take into consideration not
only the problems in the area, but also the possibilities.
The text of the Accession Partnership Document is made up of
three parts: politics, economics and institutions. From an
institutional point of view Turkey is the only country which has
accepted customs union with other candidate countries. Turkey's
economy is bigger than that of the others. However, there has to
be mutual understanding on political matters. The EU plans to
express its political requests in sentences guaranteed not to
draw the reaction of the Turkish public. For example, instead of
saying 'Kurdish problem' it refers to the same question as
'individual rights' and, despite expressing its close interest in
the Southeast, says that differences between regions should be
eliminated. This may be regarded as EU efforts to consider
Turkey's sensitivities.
Our financial rights are an important aspect ofour relations with
the EU which we refrain from bringing to the foreground. Leaving
the past aside, the total credits we should have received since
the approval of the Customs Union in 1995 amount to one billion
dollars. There seems to be no plans in the APD regarding the
issue.
One of the sides, a party to the bargaining continuing in
Brussels today is Greece. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Greece
is working hard to add articles contrary to Turkish interests in
the text. Following the announcement of APD the ball will be in
Turkey's corner. We have to prepare our plans by the end of the
year."
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