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Turkish Press Review, 01-05-04
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
04.05.2001
CONTENTS
[01] ECEVIT IN SPAIN
[02] BILL OF THE PRESS LAW WAITING TO BE DISCUSSED
[03] DERVIS SEEKS SUPPORT FROM OPPOSITION PARTIES
[04] DERVIS' STATEMENT CONCERNING THE TURKISH ARMED FORCES
[05] GREECE URGES RESUMPTION OF CYPRUS TALKS
[06] IMF WAITING FOR THE ENACTMENT OF LAWS
[07] OECD: "REFORMS ARE NECESSARY"
[08] DEMIREL TALKS WITH POWEL
[09] RUSSIAN PLANES AT TURKISH BORDERS
[10] BANKING BILL READY
[11] DEUTSCHE BANK'S REPORT
[12] "CUSTOMS UNION KEY STEP FOR EUROPEAN UNION
MEMBERSHIP"
[13] URKSAT SHUTTLE IS OUT OF PRIVATIZATION
[14] ERBAKAN'S ENGLISH VISITOR
[15] ANSWER TO ARMENIAN ALLEGATIONS BY CDs
[16] PKK THREAT TO BRITISH ENGINEER OF ILISU DAM
[17] DRUG TRAFFICKING UNDER PKK'S CONTROL
[18] MOVES TO PREPARE NEW LEFT WING PARTY
[19] FEHRIYE ERDAL TO BE TRIED IN BELGIAN COURT
[20] VISIT FOR AMERICAN DEFENSE SYSTEM
[21] PROTEST FOR THE GIANT TANKER
[22] TURKISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER BEGINS TO BE PUBLISHED BY
THE GREEK EMBASSY
[23] TURKISH GRAIN MIGHT BE DESTINED FOR EGYPT
[24] JAPANESE PRINCE MIKASA IN TURKISH JANISSARY BAND'S
CONCERT IN TOKYO
[25] TOURISM AND TRAVEL FAIR IN ISTANBUL
[26] YOUTH CAMPS OPEN TO THE WORLD
[27] CLOUDS OF MAY RECEIVES ANOTHER AWARD
[28] AYBULUS' SUCCESS
[29] UCKAN'S PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
[30] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE
COLUMNS...
[31] WHAT KIND OF A 'SHIELD' BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[01] ECEVIT IN SPAIN
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit left for Spain
yesterday to pay a two-day official visit at the invitation of his
Spanish counterpart, Jose Maria Aznar. Following the meetings, two
premiers held a joint press conference. Spanish Premier Aznar said
Spain supports Turkey's EU membership. During his speech Ecevit said
EU membership is Turkey's right. He said, "We have very good
relations with Spain during the course of history. Recent years these
relations have further developed. We also expect to improve the
current commercial relations." Meanwhile, before leaving for
Spain, Ecevit told reporters he welcomes the recent developments in
obtaining foreign loans. He said the IMF pledged to grant a
$13-billion loan and the World Bank around $6-billion loan. /Turkiye/
[02] BILL OF THE PRESS LAW WAITING TO BE DISCUSSED
Responsible Editor of the daily Cumhuriyet, Fikret
Ilkiz, Said there will be radical changes in the press sector if the
bill which contemplates amendments to the press law is accepted.
Reminding the press law was one of the laws that should be changed
within the framework of the Harmonization Laws to the Council of
Europe, Ilkiz said a bill was prepared upon the request of the
Directorate General of Press and Information. He said, "Our aim
was to prepare a new press law in accordance with the international
conventions and convenient to Turkey's structure within the framework
of the freedom of expression. We have examined the international
conventions to which Turkey is a party and prepared a draft
bill." /Cumhuriyet/
[03] DERVIS SEEKS SUPPORT FROM OPPOSITION PARTIES
State Minister for the Economy, Kemal Dervis, met
with the leaders of opposition parties the True Path Party(DYP) and
the Republican People's Party(CHP), in an aim to inform them of the
economic program. Dervis will meet with Recai Kutan, leader of the
Virtue Party(FP) on Friday afternoon. Ciller said she was not in favor
of supporting the program. CHP Chairman Deniz Baykal expressed his
wishes for the success of Kemal Dervis, stating that Dervis had taken
a great responsibility. /Turkish Daily News/
[04] DERVIS' STATEMENT CONCERNING THE TURKISH ARMED FORCES
State Minister Kemal Dervis said that he had met
Second Chief of the General Staff, General Yasar Buyukanit, concerning
the privatization of Telekom and that there was not a single problem
concerning the issue. Dervis added, "We will guarantee every
issue about the defense and security of Turkey through the
"golden shares". Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is the most
sincere supporter of Turkey. There is no disagreement between the
program and the TSK." /Sabah/
[05] GREECE URGES RESUMPTION OF CYPRUS TALKS
Greece called on Thursday for a resumption of talks
between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots and said nothing could be
better for peace in the region than Cyprus' membership of the European
Union(EU). "Cyprus' entry into the EU...gives us the chance to
ensure peace and security in the region," Greek Prime Minister
Costas Simitis told at a news conference after meeting Greek-Cypriot
Leader Glafkos Clerides. Simitis said it was essential for both sides
to restart UN-sponsored talks on the future of the Mediterranean
island. "The dialogue... for solving the Cyprus issue has entered
a dead-end," Simitis said. "We believe this dialogue is
necessary and must continue... from where it stopped last
November." UN-sponsored proximity talks stalled late last year
when Turkish-Cypriot President Rauf Denktas pulled out, saying he
would not attend negotiations unless his demands for the recognition
of separate states were addressed. "We hope the continuation of
this dialogue can lead to solving the political problem," Simitis
said. /Turkish Daily News/
[06] IMF WAITING FOR THE ENACTMENT OF LAWS
It was stated that the Executive Board of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) was expecting the enactment of the
Telekom and Banking Law by the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA)
to approve Turkey's new economic program and the involved finance
package. The IMF sources stated that the date of the meeting of the
Executive Board of the IMF concerning Turkey's program has not been
determined yet. /Hurriyet/
[07] OECD: "REFORMS ARE NECESSARY"
A report issued by the OECD, based in Paris, said,
restructuring in the banking sector is the most urgent reform. The
report pointed out the monetary policy should be supported by
structural reforms. It also stressed that to overcome the crisis,
public expenditures should be decreased and privatization should be
carried out without any delay. /Turkiye/
[08] DEMIREL TALKS WITH POWEL
The former Turkish President, Suleyman Demirel,
currently in New York, talked with the American Secretary of State,
Colin Powel, on the phone. The phone conversation lasted for 15
minutes, during which Demirel said that he had sent the report of the
committee, which was established during the Sarm Al Sahi Summit.
Demirel said that the report included many important suggestions for
the future of the Middle East peace process. Meanwhile, Powel said he
also had read the report and agreed with Demirel. /Sabah/
[09] RUSSIAN PLANES AT TURKISH BORDERS
Armenian Chief of the General Staff, Mikhail
Aruntunyan, said Russian planes will hold reconnaissance flights at
the Iranian and Turkish borders beginning today. He said other
Armenian borders will be controlled by Armenian planes as usual. In
1992, Moscow and Yerevan signed an agreement allowing Russian units to
be deployed at the Armenian borders. /Turkiye/
[10] BANKING BILL READY
Following a meeting headed by State Minister and
Deputy Prime Minister Husamettin Ozkan, the Banking Regulation and
Supervision Board Chairman, Engin Akcakoca, told reporters the work on
the banking bill which foresees an amendment to the current Banking
Law has been completed. /Turkiye/
[11] DEUTSCHE BANK'S REPORT
German Deutsche Bank issued a report analyzing
Turkish economy. The report said, beginning from February, a recovery
has been observed in markets, the Treasury realized a successful
tender and interest rates have begun to fall down. It noted economic
program, prepared by State Minister Kemal Dervis, and its estimations
are realistic. The report also pointed out IMF loans to be granted to
Turkey are the highest when quota rates were taken into consideration.
/Turkiye/
[12] "CUSTOMS UNION KEY STEP FOR EUROPEAN UNION
MEMBERSHIP"
Turkey-Europe Foundation Deputy Chairman Tugrul
Arat said Turkey's entry into the Customs Union was an important step
on Turkey's way to becoming a European Union member. Arat said,
"The Customs Union will enable a free movement of capital, labor
and people between Turkey and the EU once it is fully implemented.
Turkey-EU relations will then enter an irreversible stage."
/Turkish News/
ISTANBUL STOCK EXCHANGE INDEX RISES BY 6.8%
Following Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's statement
that the problem with Turk Telekom can be solved in a couple of days,
the Istanbul Stock Exchange index rose yesterday by 6.8%. The
completion of the draft of the banking law was another reason for the
rise. Since March 29, stock prices increased by 80% in terms of TL and
by 60% in terms of dollars. /Milliyet/
[13] URKSAT SHUTTLE IS OUT OF PRIVATIZATION
State Minister Yuksel Yalova, who is currently
visiting the US to attend meetings with the administrators of the
international financial funds, said in telecommunications sector, more
than 50% of the shares will not be sold to foreign investors. Yalova
said the privatization of Turksat communications shuttle is out of
question. /Milliyet/
GRANSIT TO EXHIBIT ITS PRODUCTS AT 'COVENINGS 2001'
A granite producer company in Eskisehir, Gransit,
will promote its products to the world market at the world's biggest
ceramics fair, Covenings 2001. The fair will be organized on 20-23 May
in New Orleans, USA. Gransit has more than 300 stores in Turkey and
exports 10% of its products to Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada,
England and the US. /Sabah/
[14] ERBAKAN'S ENGLISH VISITOR
Chairman of the Parliamentarians' Assembly of the
Council of Europe, Lord Russel Johnson, will arrive in Turkey on 15
May and visit the former leader of the defunct Welfare Party (RP)
Necmettin Erbakan. /Sabah/
[15] ANSWER TO ARMENIAN ALLEGATIONS BY CDs
The Ministry of Culture is preparing CDs to explain
facts about the Armenian claims. Minister of Culture Istemihan Talay
said Turkey will use technology to express historical realities. The
CDs will be prepared in Turkish, English, French and German and
distributed to all countries. /Turkiye/
[16] PKK THREAT TO BRITISH ENGINEER OF ILISU DAM
The PKK terrorist organization threatened the
British engineer of the Ilisu Dam to be built on the Tigris River. The
dam has been drawing negative reactions since it will cause the region
including Hasankeyf to be inundated by water as a result of the
Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP). It was stated a Kurdish-origin
share -holder of the British firm to build the dam warned the members
of the executive board stating that the PKK might end the cease-fire
if the dam is built. /Cumhuriyet/
[17] DRUG TRAFFICKING UNDER PKK'S CONTROL
German magazine "Stern" said heroin
market in Hamburg was under the control of the terrorist organization
PKK. It said everyday drugs worth around DM 400,000 are sold in
Germany, cocaine market is controlled by Albanians and heroin market
by PKK members. /Turkiye/
[18] MOVES TO PREPARE NEW LEFT WING PARTY
Moves to form a new left-wing party by former
members of the Republican People's Party(CHP) have reached their final
stage. Erdal Inonu will have talks today with his colleagues before
making a decision as to who will be party leader. He is expected to
meet in Istanbul with former members of the CHP and the Social
Democratic People's Party(SHP) and will speak with Murat Karayalcin in
the evening. /Turkish Daily News/
[19] FEHRIYE ERDAL TO BE TRIED IN BELGIAN COURT
The prosecutor and judge in Belgian court stated
that Fehriye Erdal, who is accused of murdering a Turkish businessman
Ozdemir Sabanci, can be tried in Belgian courts for the crimes she
committed in Turkey. At the hearing Sabanci family's lawyer Fernand
Schmitz defended that Erdal should be tried within the framework of
the European Anti-Terror Convention. Schmitz later said, it is a very
positive development that the opinions stated by the prosecutor and
the judge are in parallel with their own thesis. /Milliyet/
[20] VISIT FOR AMERICAN DEFENSE SYSTEM
A high-ranking US delegation will visit Turkey to
have consultative meetings about the plans for establishing a missile
defense system put forward by the US President George W. Bush and
Turkey's integration into this defense system. The system will provide
protection for the NATO member countries. /Milliyet/
[21] PROTEST FOR THE GIANT TANKER
The Peace with Nature Association is preparing to
organize a protest for the Malta-flagged giant oil tanker which is
expected to cross the Bosphorus. The protest is expected to take place
on May 7-8 with the participation of many boats. /Cumhuriyet/
DALLAS MARKS APRIL 23
Dallas Mayor and City Council Chairman Ronald Kirk
stated that Dallas had celebrated Turkish National Sovereignty and
Children's Day as "Turkish Heritage and Children's Day" in
Dallas. He said, in a proclamation which was sent to the Assembly of
Turkish American Association, that Americans of Turkish descent in
Dallas had played a significant role in educational, cultural,
economic and civic development of their community. /Turkish News/
[22] TURKISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER BEGINS TO BE PUBLISHED BY
THE GREEK EMBASSY
The Greek Embassy to Ankara began to publish a
Turkish language monthly newspaper of four pages. The newspaper called
'Greece', the first issue of which was published this month to be sent
to the leading officials in Turkey, includes news about Greece and
articles about the relations between Turkey and Greece. Greek
Ambassador to Ankara, Ioannis Corantis, said, "We wanted to
deliver our messages and issues having priority to many circles
through this newspaper." /Hurriyet/
[23] TURKISH GRAIN MIGHT BE DESTINED FOR EGYPT
Traders participating in a Turkish grain export
tender said on Thursday the grain offered from TMO's stocks might be
destined for Egypt. Turkey's Soil Products Office (TMO) said on
Thursday it had received bids from a total of eight international
traders in its tender to sell up to 285,000 tons of red and 75,000
tons of white milling wheat and 50,000 tons of feed barley. Traders in
the tender said wheat and barley were likely to be destined for Middle
East, in particular Egypt, where traders said on Wednesday the market
was looking to Turkish grain for supplies. /Turkish Daily News/
[24] JAPANESE PRINCE MIKASA IN TURKISH JANISSARY BAND'S
CONCERT IN TOKYO
The Culture Ministry's Mehter Band (janissary band)
gave a concert two days ago in the Tokyo Mosque and Culture Center.
Hundreds of audiences including Japanese Prince Mikasa applauded the
concert enthusiastically. Delivering a speech before the concert,
Turkish Ambassador to Tokyo, Yaman Baskut mentioned the importance of
the janissary band in Turkish history and added it was one of the
oldest bands in the world history. He said, "The music of the
Turkish janissary band have been listened to in the Balkans, Caucasus,
Central Asia, the Middle East and Northern Africa throughout the
centuries." /Cumhuriyet/
[25] TOURISM AND TRAVEL FAIR IN ISTANBUL
The Eastern Mediterranean International Tourism and
Travel Fair will take place in Istanbul between May 23-27. Many
Turkish and foreign firms, institutions, associations, foundations and
certain municipalities will take part in the fair. /Cumhuriyet/
[26] YOUTH CAMPS OPEN TO THE WORLD
The project initiated last year by the Directorate
General of Youth and Sports as a part of the "Youth Project in
the Social Development" will open to the world this year. 1,500
foreign university students are expected to attend the camps to be
opened in 44 cities throughout Turkey this year. Students will have
the chance to meet with different cultures and people with the project
which will reinforce international tolerance, peace and universal ties
of friendship. /Cumhuriyet/
[27] CLOUDS OF MAY RECEIVES ANOTHER AWARD
"Clouds of May" directed by Nuri Bilge
Ceylan received the "Best Director" award at the Buenos
Aires International Film Festival and the "Special Jury
Prize" at the Singapore Film Festival. /Cumhuriyet/
[28] AYBULUS' SUCCESS
19-year old Gokhan Aybulus attracted the attention
of the international music authorities and was accepted by Tchaikovski
Conservatoire in Moscow. He continues to receive his music education
at Tchaikovski Conservatoire thanks to 'Eczacibasi Abroad Music
Scholarship', which is granted to the 'Extraordinarily Talented Young
Turkish Artists' by Dr. Nejat Eczacibasi Foundation. /Turkiye/
[29] UCKAN'S PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
Swedish Ambassador to Ankara, Nil Liljegren, made a
comment about Gurkan Uckan's photography exhibition titled 'Stockholm:
Personal Impressions', which was opened at the Swedish Embassy', and
said, "This exhibition maintains the Swedish Romanticism and
Turkish nature, which greatly affected me." Uckan's photographs
of Stockholm are exhibited with the lines of the Turkish poets.
Journalist, author and photographer Uckan's photography exhibition can
be visited on 4-11 May at the Turco-American Association. /Hurriyet/
[30] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE
COLUMNS...
[31] WHAT KIND OF A 'SHIELD' BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen comments on the recent
proposal of US President George W. Bush. A summary of his column is as
follows: "The world is talking about the bomb US President George
W. Bush dropped the day before yesterday. Certainly, the issue will be
discussed in various capitals of the world stretching from Washington
to Moscow, from Brussels to Beijing. Even though all attention is
focused on economy in Turkey, the subject will be taken up in Ankara
soon. The new bomb of the US President concerns a defense doctrine. It
is officially known as 'National Missile Defense' and is called 'Star
Wars' or 'Missile Shield' among the public...Whatever the name may be,
we must closely follow the discussions on the new strategy announced
by President Bush. Not only Russia and China but also many Western
countries such as France are against this new defense concept. It is
feared that this new policy will lead to shelving the previous
agreements on nuclear defense and result in a new arms race, and
therefore create tension. Turkey is a country gaining importance
within this new strategy. A high-ranking US delegation will come to
Ankara next week to discuss the issue with Turkish officials. The
American experts are considering Turkey to be one of the pillars of
the 'Shield'. Therefore, the location of Turkey is of utmost
importance against threats coming from Iran or Iraq. Can this 'shield'
protect Turkey against a threat which can be carried out by tactical
missiles? To what extent will Turkey's protection take place within
this concept? Turkish officials state that to comment on the issue,
the new strategy foreseen by Bush should be explained more explicitly
and answers should be given to series of questions. Grossman's
contacts in Ankara will help to clarify the proposal."
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