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Turkish Press Review, 01-05-10
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
10.05.2001
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER ON THE EUROPE DAY
[02] BUSH SENDS LETTER TO ECEVIT
[03] CEM VISITS SKOPJE
[04] TURKEY SENDS NOTE TO GREECE
[05] GREEK NEWSPAPER ON GREEK-CYPRIOTS' FULL EU MEMBERSHIP
[06] PARLIAMENT PREPARES TO CONDEMN FRANCE
[07] BAHCELI OPENED THE ISEDAK MEETING
[08] EUROPE DAY CELEBRATED
[09] PRODI'S MESSAGE ON THE OCCASSION OF THE EUROPE DAY
[10] OKUYAN DEFENDS EMPLOYMENT SECURITY LAW
[11] HUNGER STRIKES AT THE AGENDA OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE
[12] TANTAN IN IRAN
[13] COLLECTIVE BARGAINING CRISIS OVERCOMED
[14] NEW CIVIL CODE
[15] BOSPORUS COAST GUARD STEPS UP ALERT STATE
[16] FIRST AID REACHES FLOOD-STRICKEN ANTAKYA
[17] TELEKOM BILL READY
[18] DERVIS: "WE SHOULD RETRIEVE MONEY FROM MALPRACTISING BANK OWNERS"
[19] COUNTDOWN SPEEDS UP FOR BAKU-CEYHAN
[20] THE NUMBER OF TURKISH ENTREPRENUEURS IN THE EU COUNTRIES INCREASES
[21] FISCHER'S STATEMENT
[22] INVESTMENT IN ARDAHAN
[23] TYD AND TUROB UNITE
[24] TOURIST COME IN INCREASING NUMBERS
[25] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[26] THOUGHTS ON 'EUROPE DAY' BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[01] SEZER ON THE EUROPE DAY
President Sezer gave a banquet to the EU member and candidate
countries' Ambassadors to Ankara at the Cankaya Presidential Palace on
the occassion of the 'Europe Day'. During the banquet, the EU
Commission's representative to Ankara, Karen Fogg, asked Sezer, "One of
the conditions for being a member of the EU is to share the sovereignty
in some issues. How do you consider this sharing out?" Sezer replied,
"The international agreements in Turkey are on the level of law but
below the Constitution. I think we will have to review the 90th article
concerning the sharing of the sovereignty when the time arrives." Sezer
also gave the message that Turkey should make some legal reforms on the
way to the EU and said, "Turkey is determined to make the required
improvements and strengthen all the necessary developments, mostly in
the legal field, in the changing conditions of the world." Meanwhile,
EU's current president, Swedish Ambassador to Ankara, Henrik Liljegren,
also made a speech during the banquet and said, "Turkey belongs to
Europe." /Hurriyet/
[02] BUSH SENDS LETTER TO ECEVIT
US President George W. Bush sent a letter to Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit through US Ambassador to Turkey, Robert Pearson. In the letter,
Bush said, "We strongly support your reform efforts regarding the
Turkish economy." Stressing the government's intense efforts are
encouraging, the US President said, "I understand that reforms such as
privatization of telecommunications and restructuring of banking sector
are not easy and require great political courage." Regarding the recent
raid on the Swiss Hotel in Istanbul, Bush congratulated Turkish
security forces for their success in solving the hostage-taking
incident. /Turkiye/
[03] CEM VISITS SKOPJE
Turkey, who has concerns over the recent developments, is increasing
her diplomatic initiatives in the Balkans. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem
will travel to Skopje today after his visit to Kosovo. He is expected
to convey Turkey's support messages to Skopje. Ankara denounced the
recent attack of the extreme nationalist Sebin groups to the Osman
Pasha Mosque in Trebinye. "Turkey harshly denounces the recent
developments and demands the Serbian Administration catch the
assailants and punish them as soon as possible. Cem will meet with the
officials from the UN mission, Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and KFOR (NATO Kosovo Force) today. He is
also expected to meet with people of Turkish descent and to visit
Turkish Battalion Mission Force in Kosovo. After paying his one day
official visit in Kosovo, Cem will travel to Skopje. Cem, who supported
international initiatives launched after the struggles between
Macedonian majority and Albanian minority have mounted, is expected to
be received by the Macedonian President Boris Traykovski. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] TURKEY SENDS NOTE TO GREECE
Turkey has presented a diplomatic note to Greece over a new spat that
has developed, after Turkey rejected a flight plan for a helicopter
taking Greece's navy chief to a NATO ceremony, because it would have
taken off from the Greek island of Rhodes, which Turkey wants
demilitarized. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Huseyin Dirioz said Wednesday
that the flight plan was unacceptable under a 1947 agreement saying
that Rhodes should be demilitarized.Greek Defense Minister Akis
Cohacopoulos argued that Turkey was wrong in taking such a decision and
said, "Ankara's stance over the issue causes problems concerning
Turkey's cooperation with Greece and strengthens Greece's thesis which
claim there is nothing to be discussed about the Aegean issue. He also
said he would inform NATO about the issue. /Cumhuriyet, Turkish News/
[05] GREEK NEWSPAPER ON GREEK-CYPRIOTS' FULL EU MEMBERSHIP
The US, NATO and the EU are said to initiate effort to persuade Turkey
to accept Greek Cypriot Administration's full EU membership by 2004.
According to the Greek newspaper "Etnos", no matter what the attitude
of Turkish-Cypriots is, western community aims to recruit the
Greek-Cypriot Administration as an EU member. The newspaper said these
three powers propose Turkey to furher develop relations with the EU and
to become a member of the European Security and Cooperation
Identity(ESDI) before being a full member, in return for withdrawing
her objection for the Greek-Cypriot full EU membership. /Milliyet/
[06] PARLIAMENT PREPARES TO CONDEMN FRANCE
The Internal Affairs Commission of Parliament approved the draft law
calling the denouncement of France which issued a law recognizing the
so-called Armenian genocide. The draft law, which is expected to be
debated in the General Assembly soon, says Turkey rejects the claims of
the so-called Armenian genocide which has been neither determined or
accepted by history. It continues to state that France and other
foreign powers provoked the Armenians for their own purposes during
World War I. "We strongly condemn the loss of life and the support and
shelter given to ASALA terror," said the draft. The draft also
underlines France and other European countries' moral responsibility by
keeping silent during the invasion of Azeri land, forcing the people to
migrate, and perpetrating genocide to the people of Bosnia because of
their religion. /Turkish Daily News/
[07] BAHCELI OPENED THE ISEDAK MEETING
Islamic Conference Organization and the Permanent Committee of Economic
and Commercial Cooperation's (ISEDAK) Monitoring Committee's 17th
meeting began at The Marmara Hotel in Istanbul. Deputy Prime Minister
Devlet Bahceli made a speech during the opening session of the meeting
and said that the process of globalization consists of opportunities of
improvement and welfare for the developing countries. Following the
speech of Bahceli, who is also the Chairman of the ISEDAK Monitoring
Committee, messages were read. Secretary General of the Islamic
Conference Organization, Abdulvahid Belkeziz called the international
arena to establish a system of protection for Palestine and to convince
Israel to stop its violent actions. /Sabah/
[08] EUROPE DAY CELEBRATED
The Europe Day, which has been celebrated since 1985 by the European
Union (EU) member countries, is also among the special days in Turkey.
The Association of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen (TUSIAD) led
this initiation in Turkey, which is not a member of the EU yet.
Chairman of TUSIAD, Tuncay Ozilhan, said, "The celebration of this day
is an expression of our desire to share the basic values of the EU. The
Europe Day is celebrated during an activity, jointly organized by the
TUSIAD and the EU Commission, for the first time in Turkey, which has
taken the status of the candidate country during the Helsinki Summit in
1999. /Hurriyet/
[09] PRODI'S MESSAGE ON THE OCCASSION OF THE EUROPE DAY
Chairman of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, sent a visual
message to the Europe Day activities, and suggested Turkey not to lose
her original values while being a European. Prodi said, "If you aim to
be a member of the European Union (EU), adhere to the rules not only on
human rights and democracy, but all of them. Then you will enter a
process of great change. But do not forget that first of all, you are
Turks and do not lose your own characteristics. I am a European but
also an Italian and I do not forget this fact. As the EU, we are born
as six countries, this number has reached 15 and new countries will
join us in 2004. The EU is a market of 500 million people and all the
countries, which will become a member of this market, will win."
/Hurriyet/
[10] OKUYAN DEFENDS EMPLOYMENT SECURITY LAW
Minister of Labour and Social Security Yasar Okuyan said there was no
problem between him and State Minister Kemal Dervis. Recalling there
is a consensus between employees, employers and the government about
the Bill on the Employment Security Law, Okuyan said he hoped there
would not be a problem concerning the bill. /Cumhuriyet/
[11] HUNGER STRIKES AT THE AGENDA OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Belgian Greens Party parliamentarian Leen Laenens declared a report on
the hunger strikes and F-type prisons in Turkey at the meeting held in
the Representatives Assembly Chairmanship. The report will be discussed
tomorrow at the Council of Europe meeting. Stating Turkish officials
were very cooperative and helpful to himself during his Turkey visit to
prepare the report, Laenens said The Committee to Prevent Torture at
the Council of Europe had positive views about the F-type prisons in
Turkey. The report states inmates who lost their consciousness go on
hunger strike again because of the oppression by the terrorist
organisations after taking medical treatment. /Cumhuriyet/
[12] TANTAN IN IRAN
Interior Minister Sadettin Tantan, who is currently in Iran for a 3-day
official visit, met with Secretary of the Iranian National Security
High Council Huccetulislam Hasan Ruhani and President's Primary
Assistant Hasan Habibi. After the meetings, Ryhani said, "Such meetings
condtituted a guarantee for our nations that the borders will always be
protected and respected by the two countries. Meanwhile Tantan stated,
"Iranian and Turkish nations have close relations and have common
interests in the region. We believe the economic and cultural relations
between the two countries should improve." /Cumhuriyet/
[13] COLLECTIVE BARGAINING CRISIS OVERCOMED
Long lasting meetings between Turk-Is, representative of 50 thousand
civil workers, and the government were ended. Following a meeting
yesterday at State Minister Mehmet Kececiler's office, the sides said
they are close to a final agreement and they expect to sign it on
Tuesday. /Turkiye/
[14] NEW CIVIL CODE
Parliament passed on Wednesday all articles of the new Civil Code,
except the one relating to the property regime. The Parliamentary
Justice Commission passed 92 articles of the new civil code. The
members of the governing coalition proposed that the new Civil Code be
enforced as of Jan. 1, 2002, after debating on whether to put the law
into force after a six-month period following its approval by
Parliament. /Turkish News/
[15] BOSPORUS COAST GUARD STEPS UP ALERT STATE
Following the capture of 448 illegal migrants aboard a sand coaster
vessel, the coastguard has stepped up its security measures. /Turkish
Daily News/
[16] FIRST AID REACHES FLOOD-STRICKEN ANTAKYA
Aid has started to arrive at the flood-stricken Southern Anatolian town
of Antakya, paralyzed by torrential rains that began on Tuesday. Mayor
of Antakya, Iris Senturk said the electricity lines were cut due to the
threat of electrocution. Senturk said that settlement near the banks of
the River Asi are still unreachable. Many cattle and sheep are also
reported lost or drowned. Two people drowned and one is reported to be
lost. There is over $10 million in damage. The rain is expected to
continue two more days and move eastward. /Turkish Daily News/
[17] TELEKOM BILL READY
The Telekom crisis was solved yesterday at leaders meeting. Following
the 4.5-hour meeting, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said, "A compromise
was reached on the privatization of the Telekom and the bill will be
sent to the Parliament tomorrow." /Turkiye/
[18] DERVIS: "WE SHOULD RETRIEVE MONEY FROM MALPRACTISING BANK OWNERS"
State Minister responsible for the Economy, Kemal Dervis, said both
Turkish public and international financial circles exert strong
pressure on the government to establish sanctions for individuals, who
are responsible for the deterioration of a bank's finances, by changing
the Banking Law. The new law allows the freezing of assets of bankers,
administrators and their relatives. Dervis also said the Treasury has a
considerable amount of burden of debt repayment in June and July and
the required resources should be obtained before that time. Dervis said
limitless guarantees granted to banking sector through savings accounts
fund should be reduced, because currently the state shoulders all
savings accounts by giving guarantees. /Milliyet/
[19] COUNTDOWN SPEEDS UP FOR BAKU-CEYHAN
The countdown has started for the construction of the Baku-Ceyhan
pipeline project, which was planned to carry Caspian oil to world
markets. Detailed engineering studies, which are the first step before
the construction of the pipeline, will start in June. The final
financing and construction of the project will be certified after the
cmpletion of detailed engineering studies, which will last around 12
months. Then, the tender for construction will be opened. The pipeline
will be 1,037 kilometers long and the $1.3 billion-worth financing will
be provided by company groups to construct the line. The Baku-Ceyhan
oil pipeline is expected to be completed by 2005. The whole cost of the
line will be up to $3 billion. /Turkish Daily News/
[20] THE NUMBER OF TURKISH ENTREPRENUEURS IN THE EU COUNTRIES INCREASES
It was reported the number of Turkish entrepreneurs in the EU countries
will reach 160.000 in 2015. According to data by the Turkish Researches
Center (TAM), 960,000 people from different countries will be employed
in Turkish managements within the next 15 years. TAM Director Prof.
Faruk Sen said Turkish entrepreneurs bridged the EU and Turkey.
/Cumhuriyet/
[21] FISCHER'S STATEMENT
Stanley Fischer announced that he would resign from his duty as the
First Deputy Chairman of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and held
a press conference concerning the issue. During the press conference,
he also pointed to the economic situation in Turkey and said the IMF,
the US and the G-7 countries were fully supporting Turkey in her
efforts to overcome the economic crisis. /Hurriyet/
[22] INVESTMENT IN ARDAHAN
Koc Holding, Dogan Holding and Ata Insaat chairmen of the executive
boards are getting ready to invest in Ardahan. Reportedly, businessmen
and Husnu Yusuf Gokalp, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, will
travel to the region in following days to make observations in the
region. /Turkiye/
[23] TYD AND TUROB UNITE
Turkish Tourism Investors Association (TYD) and the Turkish Association
of Hotel Owners (TUROB) were united under the same roof. The TYD and
TUROB decided to act together by preserving their autonomy and will be
managed with the system of co-chairmanship. They will continue their
works in a single center as of 1 June. /Sabah/
[24] TOURIST COME IN INCREASING NUMBERS
The number of tourists visiting Turkey is significantly increasing.
According to data by the Tourism Ministry, there is a 17.4 % increase
in the number of tourists who visited Turkey during April compared to
the same period last year. Germany, Russian Federation and France are
the three countries who send the greatest numbers of tourists to
Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/
[25] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[26] THOUGHTS ON 'EUROPE DAY' BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen writes on the views concerning Turkey's full EU
membership. A summary of his column is as follows: "Turkish
Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) organized a
ceremony to mark the 'Europe Day'. A distinguished audience attended
the ceremony where President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit,President of the European Commission Romano Prodi, businessmen,
intellectuals, youth representatives, and man-on-the-street expressed
their views on Turco-EU relations. According to foreign diplomats
participating in the ceremony the message which came out from the
'Europe Day' celebrations was that Turkey had to keep the desire to
integrate with the EU alive.. 'Europe Day' is celebrated in the EU
member countries to mark the anniversary of May 9, 1950, when the
foundations of the community were first laid. As Secretary General for
the European Union Affairs, Ambassador Volkan Vural, pointed out in his
speech that 'May 9 Europe Day' was a day to celebrate for Turkey as
well. EU representative to Turkey Karen Fogg expressed her expectation
that 'Europe Day' would raise hopes in the country and be a source of
inspiration for Turkey on the issues she must deal with. One of the
issues attracting our attention during the speeches delivered yesterday
was the difference in the aproaches by the politicians and the civil
society. For example, Prime Minister Ecevit stated Turkey was a
European country but accepted the fact that she had certain
shortcomings in democracy and economy. Is it not the duty of the
politicians to eliminate these shortcomings? The voices heard from the
civil society were more determined and energetic. Particularly the
youth expressed their expectations from the EU and what must be done to
be a member more clearly. One of the students attending the ceremony
said that the EU would broaden the horizon for Turkey and guide her.
However, the transition process will be carried out by Turks
themselves. We would all like Turkey to make this transition by her own
free will. It is a fact that adherence to rules set by the EU is a
driving force and keeps the vision of change alive."
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