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Turkish Press Review, 01-04-20Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning20.04.2001CONTENTS
[01] SEZER'S INITIATIVE TO GIVE AN END TO DEATH FASTSPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer has become active to end the death fasts in prisons, which reached worrying dimensions and caused the death of 14 convicts. Sezer received the Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) and the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) deputy to Manisa, Huseyin Akgul, and received information on the death fasts. During the meeting that was held at the request of Akgul, it was learned that Sezer said, "The health and lives of the convicts are under the guarantee of the state." It was stated Sezer would support various efforts end the fasts. /Hurriyet/[02] ECEVIT: "LET'S NOT BE PESSIMISTIC"Prime Minister and the Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader, Bulent Ecevit said everything was not rose-colored, but there was no need to be pessimistic. Addressing his party group meeting, Mr. Ecevit evaluated the recent situation in Turkey. He stressed he held a hopeful meeting with Mr. Kohler, Chairman of the IMF, and received a letter from James Wolfensohn, Chairman of the World Bank yesterday. The Premier said Mr. Wolfensohn appreciated the Government's recent work and assured him he will help to solve the economic and social problems. Regarding the bills to be enacted urgently, Mr. Ecevit said, "The parliament is handling the urgent bills one by one. I do not think there is another parliament in the world which works so quickly and efficiently." /Turkiye/[03] GREEK CYPRIOT PRESS COVERS CEM'S SPEECH ON CYPRUS ISSUEThe Greek Cypriot press gave wide coverage to Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem's speech he delivered at a press conference held after completing his 3-day visit in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The Chairman of the Democratic Mobilization Party (DISI), Nikos Anastasiades said Cem's warnings on the Cyprus issue should be taken into account seriously not just by the EU but also by the Greek Government. The Greek press criticized Cem's statement on Turkey's stance on the possible approval of Greek Cypriot Administration's EU membership as "Cem's limitless threats." The Greek press argued that Cem put explosives under the relationship between the two sides on the island. The daily Haravgi argued Cem violated the regulations of international law and 550th UN resolution in his visit to the TRNC and demanded the Greek Cypriot Administration report him to the related authorities. The Communist Party AKEL's Parliamentary Group Speaker, Andreas Hristu claimed Cem destroyed future possibilities about the continuing of proximity talks between the two sides. /Cumhuriyet/[04] ARMENIAN LOBBY ATTEMPTS TO PRESSURE BUSHThe Armenian lobby tried to put the word "genocide" in the text of Bush's message that he will deliver on April 24, which is officially celebrated as "Armenian Commemmoration Day" in the US. 101 of 435 members of the American House of Representatives wrote a letter to President George W.Bush to demand the inclusion of this word in the text. However, Cheney, Rice, Powell and Rumsfeld warned Bush not to use the word "genocide". /Milliyet/[05] 'PARLIAMENTS, ASSOCIATIONS OR INDIVIDUALS HAVE NO RIGHT TO DECIDE ON A GENOCIDE'In the final communiqué of the "Turkey-Armenia Affairs Throughout History" symposium, held in Parliament between April 13-14, it was said that examinations of the issue should possibly be left up to the International Court of Justice to decide on whether there had really been a genocide or not, and that parliaments, associations, organizations or individuals had no right to decide. "If there is any dispute over the interpretation or implementation of the United Nations Convention on Genocide, any of the parties concerned may apply to the International Court of Justice," the final communiqué stated. "Within this context, the French Parliament, or those other parliaments that have passed 'Armenian Genocide' laws, do not have the authority to do so. By passing the law, the French Parliament has violated international law. /Turkish News/[06] FOGG'S STATEMENTEuropean Commission's Representative to Turkey, Karen Fogg, stated that the economic program announced by the State Minister Kemal Dervis, was an opportunity for Turkey to carry out deep structural reforms. During the meeting of the EU-Turkey Joint Consultation Committee, Fogg made a speech and said the month of March was of the utmost importance due to the fact that the National Program and the Accession Partnership Document have been finalized. /Hurriyet/[07] YILMAZ: "NATIONAL PROGRAMME SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN"Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz started a breakthrough for the National Programme. Yilmaz chaired a couple of meetings in order to bring the National Programme into the prioritized issues of the Turkish Grand National Assembly's (TGNA). During the meetings, the establishment of an European Union (EU) Commission within the TGNA was decided. /Star/[08] TURKEY SEEKS SLOVENIA'S SUPPORT FOR EUROPEAN UNION MEMBERSHIPCem was received by Slovenian President Milan Kucan and Speaker of Parliament, Borut Pabor in addition to meeting with his Slovenian counterpart, Dimitrij Rupel. Turkish-EU relations and Slovenia's NATO membership were the main topics discussed during the meetings. Slovenia is among those countries which will become EU members in the first wave. Therefore, Turkey will need Slovenia's support in the upcoming years for membership. However, Slovenia wants to become a NATO member and it needs Turkey's support for this. /Turkish Daily News/[09] CILLER: "FIRST, THE LAW ON STATE BIDS SHOULD BE CHANGED"The Chairman of the True Path Party, Tansu Ciller, demanded the Law on State Bids be changed first within the reforms to be made to overcome the crisis in Turkey. Ciller pointed out future bids will take place after the enactment of the Electricity Market Law and Natural Gas Law. She said, "We think it's compulsory to take up the State Bids Law first." /Cumhuriyet/[10] HONORARY DOCTORATE TO KEMAL BAYTASThe Chairman of the Turkish Promotion Foundation, Kemal Baytas, was presented with an honorary doctorate by Gazi University because of his great contributions to Turkish tourism. Gazi University organized a meeting titled '2001 Expectations in Turkish Tourism' during Tourism Week. Speaking at the meeting, Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu said the capacity of Turkish tourism should be expanded in order to meet the increasing demand. /Cumhuriyet/PROPOSAL FOR AMENDMENT ON ARTICLE 16 OF THE ANTI-TERROR LAW The Justice Ministry sent the amendment proposal for Art.16 of the Anti-Terror Law to the Council of Ministers. According to the draft, the inmates will come together for rehabilitation and education programs. Common space will be used as much as security conditions permit. Inmates will be categorized according to their crimes, behaviors and abilities and will profit from the common spaces accordingly. /Milliyet/ [11] SIX HIZBULLAH MILITANTS CAUGHTSix Hizbullah militants were caught in an operation by the Fight Against Terrorism Branch Directorate teams in Istanbul. It was reported the militants were involved in many murders between 1991-1994. /Cumhuriyet/[12] BASEGMEZ RESIGNES FROM FPVirtue Party (FP) deputy to Istanbul, Mukadder Besegmez, resigned from his party and the FP's number of seats in the Turkish Grand National Assembly decreased to 101. The the number of independent seats increased to 8. /Star/[13] MEDAL FOR GEN. KIVRIKOGLUThe Polish Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant-Gen. Czeslaw Piatas, on a visit to Turkey, decorated Turkish the Chief of the General Staff, Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu with the "Republic of Poland Superior Service Medal" in a ceremony held in the Polish Embassy in Ankara. Both generals expressed their desire to develop bilateral relations in the military. /Turkiye/[14] LAW ON CIVIL AVIATIONThe bill on Turkish Civil Aviation was adopted by the Parliament yesterday. According to the new law, airline companies will freely determine ticket prices. Three days prior to implementation, companies will announce the new price list. New prices will be applied following the approval of the Transportation Ministry. /Milliyet/[15] TURKEY RULES OUT STEPPING BACK IN POLICY ON IRAQAnkara is preparing to welcome US Assistant Secretary of State Edward Walker today to have another round of discussions on Turkey's Iraq policy. Official sources emphasize Turkey will not change its main policy priorities on Iraq. Despite wide expectations that the US will demand Turkey embrace the American approach on Iraq, especially at a time Turkey is in urgent need of US support as a result ongoing economic turmoil, Turkish officials say Ankara does not feel the necessity to take a step back on its policy on Iraq. /Turkish Daily News/[16] JOINT NGO DECLARATION ON BOSPHORUS TRAFFIC418 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) signed a joint declaration demanding to stop the traffic of tankers carrying hazardous materials in the Bosphorous and made a decision to hold demonstrations. Reading the declaration in the press conference held jointly by the representatives of those organizations, The Chairman of the Peace with Nature Association, Yuksel Ustun reminded that sea accidents totalled 500 within the past five years and added all the coastal countries on the Black Sea should be in cooperation with each other on protecting nature from hazardous materials. Stating they would first present their declaration to public and state authorities, Ustun said they were receiving wide international support. /Cumhuriyet/[17] IMPROVEMENT SHOULD GO ON WITH CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURESAs a result of intense Arab reaction against the improving relations between Turkey and Israel, Turkey is trying to find a method to show that there is nothing for the Arab world to fear military partnership between Turkey and Israel. Turkish officers said Turkey can also sign military training agreements with Syria. Also in relations with Syria, improvements should continue through soft confidence building measures. /Turkish Daily News/[18] WORLD BANK'S LETTER TO ECEVITChairman of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, sent a letter to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and emphasized that their support to Turkey would continue. Wolfensohn said, "We will try to accelerate our financial aid for your new economic program." Wolfensohn also pointed out that urgent precautions should be taken concerning the banking sector. He also spoke about the health and education problems and said, "This is an extensive financial program." /Star/TURKEY LOCKED TO APRIL 26 State Minister for Economics Kemal Dervis will travel to European countries and then to the US after April 20. Mr. Dervis will attend the IMF-World Bank meetings in Washington to begin April 26 and ask for urgent financial support. Meanwhile, a new "letter of intent" which is being prepared to be presented to the IMF, will be sent by the IMF delegation currently in Turkey. In the following days G-7 countries will convene in London before the Washington Summit. A positive result in this meeting is expected to affect the decisions to be made in the Washington meetings. /Turkiye/ [19] A HIGH RANKING US OFFICIAL'S STATEMENTA high ranking official from the Bush Administration stated his opinions to the 'Wall Street Journal' and said, "Everybody knows that Turkey is a country of the utmost importance. Of course the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will help Turkey because the US is the biggest fundholder of the IMF. Thus, the IMF's money is also the US' money and the US Adminstration wants to support Turkey. It is out of the question that we will just watch Turkey burning." /Sabah/[20] "TURKEY: LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES"Ralph Hill, Chairman of the Depfa Bank Real Estate Finance Group, who attended the Real Estate-II Summit said, "We believe that Turkey is a land of opportunities and so we decided to come here." Recalling that the Group is carrying out its work on real estate financing in 15 different countries, Mr. Hill said they reached a $20 million business volume in Turkey. He said, "Due to the crisis, the work capacity is limited. However, we are still here and we believe that in a couple of months economic and political life will be better." Mr. Hill added, "This crisis situation may be an opportunity for brave investors." /Turkiye/[21] JBIC OFFICIALS IN TURKEYA delegation from the Japanese Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) came to Ankara to discuss the financial sector loan. It was stated that the JBIC will ensure financial aid after meeting with the World Bank. JBIC is planning to give a loan amounting to a minimum of 750 million US dollars to Turkey, in parallel with the Financial Sector Harmonization Loan, which is planned to be extended by the World Bank. /Star/[22] OKSUZ APPROVES TURK TELEKOM BILLTransport Minister Enis Oksuz has approved the state fixed-line monopoly Turk Telekom privatization bill on the condition that the authority to give licenses should be kept with the Transport Ministry, reports said yesterday. The Turk Telekom privatization bill was prepared by the Treasury and the Privatization Administration (OIB). /Turkish News/[23] TURKISH-UZBEK JEC MEETING BEGINSThe Turkish-Uzbek Joint Economic Commission (JEC) met yesterday in Ankara. State Minister Abdulhaluk Cay heads the Turkish side, and Uzbekistan Foreign Economic Relations Minister Elyar M.Ganiyev manages the Uzbek side. In addition to certain bilateral issues, topics related to banking, transportation and trade are expected to be discussed during the meeting. /Turkish Daily News/[24] TEGV'S INITIATIONThe Foundation of Turkish Education Volunteers (TEGV) started an aid campaign to create educational opportunities for 1 million children between the ages of 7 and 16 in the year 2005. Chairman of the TEGV, Ibrahim Betil, demanded support for the "One Million Children Education Campaign", which aims to collect a resource of 71 million US dollars. Betil recalled that there were 16 million children between the ages of 7 and 16 in Turkey and that 200 US dollars is reserved for the education of every child in Turkey each year. He added this amount was 4,000 US dollars in the OECD countries. /Sabah/[25] A CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM IN MARKETSThe financial and capital markets are relieved after the positive developments concerning the enactment of having priority laws in the Turkish Parliament and World Bank's declaration about an acceleration in the process to give aid to Turkey. In addition, the US Central Bank FED's decrease in the interest rates positively affected to the markets in Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/[26] MARKETS RELIEVEThe US dollar lost 25,000 TL value against the TL and the Istanbul Stock Exchanges index incresed by 378 points because the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) restarted to work hard and the Sugar Law was approved by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and the Natural Gas Law was enacted. In addition, the nightly interest rates of Interbank and the repurchasing agreement, which are the important elements of the finance market, kept their level of 79%. /Hurriyet/[27] FORD OTOSAN'S FACTORY IN KOCAELI OPENEDFord Otosan's factory in Kocaeli was opened by the Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. The factory has a capacity of manufacturing 150,000 automobiles every year and will export nearly 65% of its production. 4,000 people will be provided with employment at the facility. This number is expected to reach 20,000 including the side sector. New light commercial vehicles are planned for production in the factory that will ensure an exports income of 1 billion US dollars as from the first quarter of the next year. /Star/[28] MUSEUM OF WAR OF INDEPENDENCEThe Museum of the War of Independence will be opened today. The Museum was restored by the financial contribution of Philip Morris_Sabanci and Haci Omer Sabanci Foundation under the lead of Culture Ministry General Directorate of Monuments and Museums. The building, which houses the Museum, was used for the National Assembly sessions during the early years of the Republic. /Milliyet/[29] FIVE AWARDS TO TURKEY IN PORCELAIN PAINTINGThe Turkish artists attending the 'Meissen Trophy International Porcelain Painting Art Convention' were presented with five awards in Dresden, Germany. 18 countries with 225 artists attended the contest. /Cumhuriyet/[30] BALLOON TOUR IN CAPADOCCIAThe number of tourists eager to view Capadoccia from the air by hot air balloons is increasing day by day. This season 2,000 tourists are expected to travel by balloon over Capadoccia. /Turkiye/[31] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[32] HOPE AND RISK BY GUNGOR MENGI (SABAH)Columnist Gungor Mengi writes on the recent developments concerning the economic crisis in Turkey. A summary of his column is as follows:"The optimism in Turkey regarding the foreign aid expected to be given to overcome the crisis has begun to be reflected in the foreign press as well. Two newspapers influential in financial sectors 'Wall Street Journal' and 'The Financial Times' gave wide coverage to President Bush's meeting with aides regarding the crisis in Turkey. The statement in the newspapers which reflects the determination of the US Administration is important as it would affect international financial circles positively. A US official said, 'No one expects us to idly stand by and watch the fire in Turkey during the hard days the country is going through.' However, this should not create any hopes or eagerness in the people and particularly in the politicians to return to old practices. The coming of foreign aid depends on the preparation of a realistic economic program and the speedy enactment of reform bills in the Parliament. The newspapers also stressed both conditions. Prime Minister Ecevit expressed the resolve to comply with conditions requiring change at every opportunity. The Nationalist Action Party Chairman, Devlet Bahceli, said that at this point it was apparent Turkey could not hold on to the old structure and had to make reforms. Yesterday Motherland Party Chairman Mesut Yilmaz said, reforms were at the doorstep of Turkey. None of the political parties or parliamentarians have the right to gamble with these facts. The stance of the True Path Party which expressed its approval for the Central Bank Bill should set an example for the Virtue Party. What is more important, the responsibilities of the parliamentarians should be recalled and any unethical behavior should be prevented." Meanwhile, work is going on to stop the hunger strikes in prison. The obstinacy of both parties does not solve the question. The Prime Minister may be right in saying that the State does not bargain with terrorists but this does not frighten the terror organizations. If these organizations cannot kill others, they do not hesitate to kill their own members. When deaths in prisons are stopped, the Government will not have ceded to the demands of the terrorists. To defend the right to live and stop the deaths will be the triumph of the state, not the terrorists!" On the occasion of Children's Day, Turkish Press Review will not be issued on Monday, 23 April 2001. Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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