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Turkish Press Review, 00-11-17
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
17.11.00
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] PRESIDENT SEZER COMPLETES HIS VISIT TO JORDAN
[02] ANGER GROWS
[03] TURKISH ARMENIANS: "EUROPE IS EXPLOITER"
[04] TOBB ACCUSES EU OF HYPOCRACY
[05] IKV PROTESTS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
[06] PKK CAMP IN ARMENIA
[07] ARMENIAN-GREEK COOPERATION
[08] TURKEY TO ATTEND TURKEY-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARIAN COMMISSION
[09] GEN.CELASIN: "EVERY MEASURE SHOULD BE TAKEN FOR TRNC"
[10] BELGIAN JURISTS QUESTION OCALAN
[11] TURCO-AZERBAIJANI FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION'S CONFERENCE
[12] OIL AND NATURAL GAS CONGRESS BEGINS
[13] CEM IN MARSEILLES
[14] LINDH TO ARRIVE IN TURKEY TODAY
[15] SALE OF SIKORSKY CH-53E HELICOPTERS
[16] TURKEY-FRANCE STRATEGIC COOPERATION MEETING HELD IN PARIS
[17] TEMIZEL'S STATEMENT FOR THE SALE OF 10 BANKS
[18] FACTORIES' CAPACITY USAGE RATE INCREASES
[19] DISBANK OPENS EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONAL BRANCH
[20] LOAN TO BE RECEIVED FROM THE IMF AND THE WORLD BANK
[21] ARCELIK SELLS THE MOST IN TUNISIA
[22] TOROS MANEUVRES TO BE ORGANIZED
[23] 'CAN' IN NEW YORK
[01] PRESIDENT SEZER COMPLETES HIS VISIT TO JORDAN
After completing his three-day visit to Jordan, President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer, returned to Ankara yesterday. During his visit, Mr.
Sezer discussed bilateral economic ties, military cooperation, as
well as ways to end the Palestinian-Israeli clashes with King
Abdullah. A large Turkish business delegation accompanied Sezer
to Jordan to talks with their Jordanian counterparts on seeking
ways to increase joint trade with Iraq. /Turkish Daily News/
[02] ANGER GROWS
Following the addition of the Cyprus issue into the Accession
Partnership Document, the approval of the Armenian bill in the
European Parliament created tension between Ankara and Europe.
Turkish authorities expressed their reactions in various
statements. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said the resolution
could damage relations with the EU, while Deputy Prime Minister
Mesut Yilmaz viewed the resolution as invalid and unreasonable.
Opposition leader Recai Kutan, of the Virtue Party (FP), and
leader of the True Path Party (DYP), Tansu Ciller, emphasized
that politicians had no right to judge history. They also called
on the Government to react harshly to the developments. The Ninth
President Suleyman Demirel blamed the EU Parliament for the
resolution. /Turkiye/
[03] TURKISH ARMENIANS: "EUROPE IS EXPLOITER"
Turkish Armenians convened yesterday in Istanbul to evaluate the
approval of the Armenian resolution in the EU Parliament. About
60 representatives of the Armenian Orthodox, Catholic and
Protestant churches issued a statement, saying, "Turkish
Armenians find the statements contained in the bill approved by
the EU Parliament, regarding the Turkish Armenians, strange, as
Turkish Armenians haven't made any of these demands. We don't
approve of our problems being taken up by third parties using
them as an obstacle to prevent our country from unifying with the
EU." /Turkiye/
[04] TOBB ACCUSES EU OF HYPOCRACY
The Union of Turkish Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB)
condemned France and the European Union for approving the
so-called Armenian genocide. The president of TOBB, Fuat Miras,
at the closing of the Union's meeting held in Diyarbakir, said
the EU pretends to be interested in the problems of the
Southeastern Anatolia. Mr. Miras criticised the postponement of
the financial aid to be granted to Turkey as a part of Turkey's
membership to the European Customs Union. The following remarks
related to the EU were stressed at the closing declaration of the
TOBB's Southeastern meeting: 1. The precondition of Accession
Partnership Document linking Turkey's full EU membership to a
solution of the Cyprus problem would not be accepted. We protest
the EU's attempt to impose proposals which disregards Turkey's
national interests on the island as a solution. 2. According to
the London and Zurich agreements, Turkey is a guarantor state on
the island. We protest the EU calling Turkey an invader country
on the island. 3. We condemn the European Parliament and French
Senate's approval of the so-called Armenian genocide bill.
/Aksam/
[05] IKV PROTESTS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
The Foundation of Economic Development (IKV) condemned harshly
the European Parliament's (EP) decision on the so-called Armenian
genocide bill. A statement by IKV said, "Turkey-EU relations
entered a new phase with the Accession Partnership Document.
However, it is clear that the EP is aimed at hindering the reform
process in Turkey with this decision." Continuing, the statement
said, "We condemn the EP's adoption of these baseless claims put
forth by circles trying to exclude Turkey from the EU. We call on
the members of the European Council and the European Commission
to come to their senses and act accordingly when voting on this
baseless proposal." /Aksam/
[06] PKK CAMP IN ARMENIA
Armenia, stating officially that it aims "to have good relations
with Turkey", reportedly allowed the PKK terrorist organization
to establish training camps in the Nagorno-Karabakh which has
been under Armenian occupation for years. Reportedly the camps
plan to offer shelter to about 250 PKK militants. Armenian Armed
Forces will supply technical aid for the construction of
necessary facilities. /Turkiye/
[07] ARMENIAN-GREEK COOPERATION
Greece and Armenia, founding their local and foreign policies on
hatred against Turkey, are having a series of meetings. Members
of Armenian Tashnak Party, the Greek PASOK Party and the Greek
Foreign Minister met last week in Athens. During the meetings, in
addition to topics such as regional and bilateral relations'
development, gaining international support for the so-called
Armenian genocide allegations were also discussed. After, the
Tashnak Party issued a statement emphasizing their happiness with
the French Senate's approval of the Armenian bill. /Turkiye/
[08] TURKEY TO ATTEND TURKEY-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARIAN COMMISSION
The co-chairman of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentarian
Commission, Kursat Eser said they decided to attend the meeting
of the Commission, which will take place Nov.21-22 in Antalya.
This decision eased European Parliament. The co-chairman Daniel
Cohn Bendit said they are pleased with this decision. /Aksam/
[09] GEN.CELASIN: "EVERY MEASURE SHOULD BE TAKEN FOR TRNC"
The Commander of the Turkish Air Forces, General Ergin Celasin
said Turkish Armed Forces took every measures to protect the
independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Mr. Celasin attended the 17th anniversary activities of the
establishment of the TRNC. /Aksam/
[10] BELGIAN JURISTS QUESTION OCALAN
A group of jurists from Belgium questioned Abdullah Ocalan, the
head of the PKK terrorist organization, on the Imrali island
Nov.14 as part of the "Operation Sputnik" investigation. The
Justice Ministry released an announcement about the visit because
new stories claimed a delegation from the European Court of Human
Rights had paid a visit to Ocalan. Ministry officials said these
allegations were false and the foreign delegation which visited
Imrali were the Belgian jurists. "Operation Sputnik" was launched
after the Belgian government received information that the "Roj"
company, which owns the Brussel-based MED-TV, is laundering
money. Ocalan gave testimony to the Belgium jurists who are
investigating the allegation. /Turkish Daily News/
[11] TURCO-AZERBAIJANI FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION'S CONFERENCE
The Turco-Azerbaijani Friendship Association is organizing a
conference titled, "Massacres and the so-called Armenian
Genocide". The conference will be held Nov. 26 in Ankara.
/Turkiye/
[12] OIL AND NATURAL GAS CONGRESS BEGINS
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Cumhur Ersumer, said
the EU should give up its hypocritical behaviors. Mr. Ersumer
said the oil and natural gas of Caspian region will be delivered
through Turkey to Europe. Mr. Ersumer gave a speech at the
opening ceremony of the International Oil and Natural Gas
Congress. Mr. Ersumer said, "We hope that Turkey will continue in
its position as a bridge between this region and Europe. Special
advisor to US President Clinton, John Wolf, said the US will
continue its active support for the establishment of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil Pipeline. Mr. Wolf said the US gives
special importance to the East-West energy corridor. Mr. Wolf
said, "Carrying oil with ships through the straits can lead to an
environmental disaster, therefore, the Bosphorus cannot be a
transportation route for Caspian oil." /Aksam/
[13] CEM IN MARSEILLES
The 'Middle East Special Peace Plan', kept secret by Turkey for a
long period of time, was discussed by Turkish Foreign Minister
Ismail Cem and his Israeli counterpart Shlomo Ben Ami, during a
secret meeting in Marseilles. Cem, currently in Marseilles to
attend the Euro-Med meeting, also met the Palestinian Minister of
Planning and International Cooperation, Nebil Shath, yesterday
morning. According to the plan titled, 'Sliced Sovereignity',
Turkey brought a very special suggestion to Israel and Palestine
concerning the most problematic regions, Kubbet-ul Sahra and
Mescid-i Aksa. Within this framework, the two holy regions will
have divided ownership and responsibility. Ownership of Kubbet-ul
Sahra and Mescid-i Aksa will be given to Israel and all the
responsibility and living arrangement rights will be given to
Palestine. /Hurriyet/
[14] LINDH TO ARRIVE IN TURKEY TODAY
Sweden will undertake the term-presidency of the European Union
(EU) in January. Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Anna Lindh
arrives in Turkey today. Lindh will tour the candidate countries
for a short period of time and during her four hour visit to
Ankara, will meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Deputy Prime
Minister Mesut Yilmaz and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ismail
Cem. /Milliyet/
[15] SALE OF SIKORSKY CH-53E HELICOPTERS
The sale of 8 Sikorsky CH-53E type helicopters, equalling 350
million US dollars which Turkey planned to purchase from the US,
was hindered in the State by the Cyprus problem. The Democratic
Senator from Delaware, Joseph Biden, explained the reason for
declining the sale of these helicopters saying, "During Turkish
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's visit to Washington in October
1999, I asked him when the Cyprus problem would be solved. He
replied that this problem was solved in 1974. Then I told him
that as long as Turkey continues in this manner concerning the
issue, I will not support Turkey." The agreement of the
helicopter sale between Turkey and Sikorsky Company, was signed
in June. The helicopters to be produced by the company were
expected to be delivered to Turkey in 2003. Now Senator Biden's
objection to the sale of this helicopter has caused a
postponement in the export licence. /Milliyet/
[16] TURKEY-FRANCE STRATEGIC COOPERATION MEETING HELD IN PARIS
The meeting on 'Turkey-France Strategic Cooperation' attended by
a group of Turkish politicians and experts was held in Paris
yesterday. The French bureacrats' 'abashed' and moderate manner
concerning the so-called Armenian bill passed in the Senate was
also interesting. The French Senator responsible for Controlling
the process of Turkey's membership to the European Union (EU),
Robert Del Picchia, said, "I voted against approving this bill in
the Senate because I am not a historian and only the historians
should be interested in this issue." The meeting was also
attended by Uluc Gurkan, Bulent Akarcali, Sema Piskinsut,
Associate Proffessor Bilgin Tiryakioglu, Gunduz Aktan, Prof. Nur
Vergin and Bulent Tanla from Turkey. /Milliyet/
[17] TEMIZEL'S STATEMENT FOR THE SALE OF 10 BANKS
Chairman of the Banking Regulation and Supervision Board,
Zekeriya Temizel, announced the action plan for the sale of 10
banks within the Saving Deposit Insurance Fund. The announcement
stated an important stage of the action plan concerning the
shares of the banks within the fund was enacted yesterday. The
Board's report stated, "Resources needed for strengthening the
financial structure of the fund banks before they are sold was
loaned to the Saving Deposit Insurance Fund by the Teasury. This
loan will be paid back to the Treasury in 10 years beginning
December 2002. The announcement also stated the Board will begin
to accept investor applications showing they meet the necessary
conditions for owning a bank after 20 November." /Hurriyet/
[18] FACTORIES' CAPACITY USAGE RATE INCREASES
The capacity usage rate in the manufacturing industry increased
by more than 10 points when compared with the same period last
year. According to the announcement made by the State Institute
of Statistics, the capacity usage rate in the manufacturing
industry was 81.9%, which is the highest figure recently. If this
increase continues, then the capacity usage rate will reach its
highest point ever since the beginning of the Republic in the
following months. /Hurriyet/
[19] DISBANK OPENS EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONAL BRANCH
Disbank, reconstructing itself to serve its customers through
special branches, opened its European Institutional branch.
Deputy General Director of Disbank, Faik Acikalin, said,
"Disbank, which has been very pretentious since it was
established concerning the institutional banking, has now added
personal and commercial banking to its areas of service. For this
purpose, we not only strengthened the technological
infrastructure, but also rearranged the organizational
structure." /Milliyet/
[20] LOAN TO BE RECEIVED FROM THE IMF AND THE WORLD BANK
The International Monetery Fund (IMF) and the World Bank reached
a conclusion and, thus, a loan of 600 million US dollars, as the
third and fourth slice, is expected to be received by the IMF.
390 US dollars will most likely be taken from the World Bank
within the framework of the financial sector harmonization loan.
The additional letter of intent is expected to be sent to
Washington by the end of November. It also envisages that the IMF
will release the loan, amounting to nearly 600 million US
dollars, before Christmas. The World Bank Director for Turkey,
Ajay Chibber, said the loan planned for Turkey will be discussed
by the Executive Board of the World Bank by the end of this year.
Chibber said, "We congratulate the Turkish Parliament on the very
important step it took in reforming public banks." /Milliyet/
[21] ARCELIK SELLS THE MOST IN TUNISIA
The Tunusdan Company established by Koc Holding, producing
Arcelik durable consumer goods, showed the largest amount of
revenue in Tunisia. The company has the second biggest market
share in the country. /Aksam/
[22] TOROS MANEUVRES TO BE ORGANIZED
Chief of the General Staff announced that Turkish F-16 planes
will be sent to the Gecitkale Airport in the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) for the Toros 2000 manoeuvres to be held
21 and 23 November. The announcement stated, "The Barbaros-Toros
manoeuvres, which were organized twice yearly in the past, are
now being held once a year due to the meetings of friendship with
Greece. Turkey has not transferred any battle planes to the
island since November 1998. However, Greece transferred its
battle planes to Baf Airport during the Nikiforos manoeuvres.
Therefore our battle planes will be transferred to Gecitkale
Airport during the Toros manoeuvres." /Milliyet/
[23] 'CAN' IN NEW YORK
The play entitled 'Can', staged by Genco Erkal and based on the
poems and life of Can Yucel, will be performed in New York on 19
November. The play, which will be staged at 19:30 at the Kaye
Playhouse and Hunter College on 19 November, won the 'Honorary
Award' during the International Istanbul Theatre Festival last
year and the 'Most Succesful Actor' Award of Afife Jale, Muhsin
Ertugrul and Sadri Alisik. The set was designed by Can Yucel's
daughter Su Yucel. /Cumhuriyet/
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