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Turkish Press Review, 01-08-08Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning08.08.2001CONTENTS
[01] SEZER RECEIVES DERVISThe Minister of State responsible for economy Kemal Dervis briefed the President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday about the recent economic situations. It was stated that Sezer was also expecting to receive the commission consisting of Dervis, Ministers of State Yilmaz Karakoyunlu and Tunca Toskay to be briefed on the Tobacco Law and recent economic conditions. /Hurriyet/[02] THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF RESPONDS TO YILMAZThe Office of the Chief of the General Staff responded to Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Motherland Party (ANAP) Mesut Yilmaz's recent statement on the what he preferred to call "national security syndrome". Yilmaz had argued that the national security had constituted an obstacle against the democratization process in Turkey. The Office of the Chief of the General Staff criticized Yilmaz's this statement by claiming that it was impossible to consider what Yilmaz did as a respectable attitude since he preferred to complain about certain issues instead of discussing them in legal platforms. The Office accused Yilmaz of not bearing the responsibility of his office by attacking the others. The Office added that as a politician who is a part of the government today must have acted more responsively. The Office added that nobody can blame the national security for the negative conditions which resulted in the recent economic and democratization crises. /Cumhuriyet/[03] DERVIS' STATEMENT ON THE CNNThe Minister of State responsible for Economy Kemal Dervis spoke to the CNN reporters in the evening yesterday. Stating that Turkey had taken important steps in fighting against the crisis, Dervis said a relative stability was maintained in the markets. He added that they would set a target for the inflation rate in the Fall. Stating that the inflation rate began to fall, Dervis pointed out that the economic crises could not be overcome in a few weeks. Arguing that the floating foreign exchange rates is the best for Turkey, Dervis said that the floating exchange rates did not mean unstable rates. He added, "To decrease the inflation rate through a sustainable method is very important. An independent Central Bank is essential for such an aim. Central Bank's being independent from the government is a guarantee for us. The government is determined to decrease the inflation rate." /Hurriyet/[04] CILLER'S STATEMENTConcerning the discussions over the national security, the True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller said, "Everything can be discussed in Turkey. However, this is a very delicate issue. This issue can be discussed at the National Security Council and in some platforms, in which the Constitutional changes are examined." /Sabah/[05] TURKEY TO RECEIVE US HARPOON MISSILESThe United States is reportedly planning to sell the surface skimming, pop-up anti-ship missile Harpoon to its allies in the Middle East starting with Turkey and Egypt. According to the Defense and Strategy news on the Middle East News line website, the Harpoon purchase is part of a 24 million US dollars project planned to be enacted between Washington and its allies. The website reports that Turkey and Egypt will benefit most from the Harpoon system. Both countries will reportedly purchase four systems each. The McDonnel Douglas company has been given the tender by the Defense Department. The missile can fly in all weather conditions, has a range of 124 kilometers and pops up from its surface skimming flight at the last minute to dive on its target thus defeating anti-missile systems and enabling it to break the back of the ship it is attacking. /Turkish Daily News/[06] PALESTINE'S REQUEST FROM TURKEYWhile it was expected that the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's contacts in Ankara today would focus on the Middle East Peace Process, the Palestinian administration has sent a message to Turkey and wanted her to use her effectiveness on Israel. In the written message that reached the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, the information on the situation in the region was given and it was requested to suggest to the Israeli Prime Minister to "Stop the use of excessive force, to implement the Mitchell Report's advices, to send an international observer delegation to the region." Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs say that the messages to be delivered to Sharon will focus on these three basic requests and that it might also be pointed out that the domination of violence in the Middle East will negatively influence the relations between Turkey and Israel. /Milliyet/GREEK PAPER: TURKEY TO SELL F-16s The Greek paper Elephterotiphia argued that Turkey suspended a part of her armament programs until 2007. According to Elephterotiphia, Turkey stopped the training of pilots for F-16 military planes and is planning to sell a significant amount of F-16s to Eastern Europe countries. The paper claimed that Turkey was in contact with Austria who is preparing to purchase F-16s from Lockheed-Martin. /Cumhuriyet/ [07] NATURAL GAS PURCHASE FROM IRANThe Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Zeki Cakan met with Iranian Ambassador to Ankara, Muhammed Huseyin Lavasani. It was stated that Cakan expressed that they were waiting for the works in the Bazergan metering station to be completed. Cakan added that Turkey was ready to purchase gas from Iran. /Cumhuriyet/[08] CONFERENCE ON FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTIONA working group consisting of representatives from the Prime Ministry Inspection Council, the Ministries of Justice, Internal Affairs, Finance and Treasury Undersecretary has decided the conference on the "Administration and Fight Against Corruption" to be held on September. The conference which is expected to be attended by many high-level administrators from the World Bank, Development Bank, International Transparency Organization and the EU, will last for two days. Presentations will be made during the conference on the necessary legal and administrative regulations to prevent corruption. /Cumhuriyet/[09] WATER NEGOTIATIONS WITH ISRAELOne of the main issues of the negotiations to be made with the Israeli Prime Minister Arial Sharon will be the "water bargaining." It is defended that in the water bargaining to be made with Sharon today, Turkey should determine the conditions, price and the issues concerning the price and transportation by taking the middle and long-term policies into consideration. Concerning the transportation of the water of 50 million cubic meters, officials said, "Israel wants to transport the water herself. She also wants to make the transportation bidding. Israel's insistence on opening the transportation bidding and Turkey's accepting it are wrong." /Milliyet/[10] NEW FORESTRY BILL PREPAREDThe Ministry of Forestry has prepared a new bill contemplating changes in forestry laws. According to the bill, The Ministry of Forestry 's authorization for the assignment of forests for tourism purposes will be removed and other kinds of "superior public benefit" will be sought. Ministry officials said that the bill would change Forestry Law No. 6831. The bill removes "red trees" from the definition of forest trees to increase the income of forest villagers. When the bill becomes a law, then citizens may raise, cut and benefit from those trees on their titled lands, even in forests or nearby forests. The bill also foresees increase fines for forestry law violations to provide effective deterrents. /Turkish News/[11] INFLATION TARGET TO BE SETTLED IN AUTUMNMinister of State for Economy Kemal Dervis and Minister of Finance Sumer Oral met yesterday to discuss the budget for the year 2002. Following the meeting, Oral said they made an evaluation on the topics related to the Ministry of Finance and Undersecretariat of Treasury. Stressing that real sector can not be neglected, Dervis said, "The inflation began to decrease. We are working on setting an inflation target." /Turkiye/[12] BINAY: "TARGET FOR INFLATION RATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN OCTOBER"The Deputy Governor of the Central Bank Sukru Binay said that a clear social agreement is an essential condition for a successful guess on the target for inflation rate. Binay said, "We have to announce the target set for the inflation rate on September as the government will present the budgetary aims to the Parliament in the same month." Binay said studies had to begin as soon as possible to be carried out jointly by the Central Bank, Ministry of Finance, State Planning organization, Treasury Undersecretary and Banking Supervision and Regulation Board. /Hurriyet/[13] CHINA CALLS FOR TURKISH CONSTRUCTION SECTORThe Foreign Trade Deputy Undersecretary E. Haluk Ayhan met with Chinese Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Deputy Minister Ming An yesterday. Ming An said the Olympic Games to be held in Bejing in 2008 may be an opportunity for the Turkish businessmen to export construction materials and added that they support export from Turkey. /Turkiye/[14] WORLD BANK DELEGATION IN TURKEYA World bank delegation headed by Ira Lieberman arrived in Ankara to hold a series of meetings with economy bureacrats to discuss the restructuring of the real sector. The delegation will stay in Turkey for a week and present a report to the World Bank administartion about the required finance source for the restructuring. /Turkiye/[15] TUSIAD'S STATEMENTThe Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) stated that the Deputy Chairman, Aldo Kaslowski's evaluations during the meeting in which the Italian Minister of Production Affairs, Antonio Marzano, was welcomed, were not the current ones. TUSIAD has issued a statement upon Kaslowski's statement, who said, "The Economic Programme has foes in the government" and TUSIAD stated, "The exchange of information during the meeting has caused a series of misunderstanding and it also caused the evaluations about the past to seem to be the current evaluations." /Milliyet/FOREIGNERS' INVESTMENT AMOUNTS TO 310 MILLION US DOLLARS The Chairman of the Istanbul Stock Exchanges (IMKB), Osman Birsen, said the foreign investors have made an additional investment of 310 million US dollars to the Turkish shares, which shows the increase of the investments. Birsen said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was supporting the Futures Stock Exchanges Based on Foreign Currency, which is planned to be carried out on August 15th. Birsen added that the Stock Exchanges' period of transactions would be extended as from Monday. /Sabah/ [16] IMF LOAN TO BE RECEIVED TODAYThe slice of loan amounting to 1.5 million US dollars, which would be released after the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) ninth review, will be put into the account of Treasury today. Some portion of the loan will be used in the reserve, some other portion will be used in the Budget financing. The Executive Board of the IMF has discussed Turkey's Additional Letter of Intent, consisting of 26 articles, on August 3rd and approved the ninth review of the Economic Program. The Fund will release the other slices amounting to 3 billion US dollars after September 20th and November 15th. /Sabah/[17] INVESTMENT CONDITIONS TO BE IMPROVEDIt was stated that the administrative obstacles against the investors decreases Turkey's competition power. According to the "Reform for Improving Investment Conditions Report" prepared by the Treasury Undersecretary, the investors in Turkey spent 20 % of their time for the administrative regulations necessitated by the public institutions. The report stated that a study on the issue was initiated to be carried out jointly by the Treasury Undersecretary and Foreign Investment Advisory (FIA) Service which is affiliated with the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC). A meeting will be held between September 10-11, 2001 at the Treasury Undersecretary with the participation of FIAS and IFC. /Cumhuriyet/[18] SUPPORT FOR KOBIsTurkish Technology Advancement Foundation (TTGV) is preparing a cooperation network with the NGOs to increase the competitive power of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (KOBIs). TTGV is planning to provide KOBIs with project support to help them overcome the negative conditions of the crisis. The fund which was allocated as support for KOBIs is $ 3 million. /Cumhuriyet/[19] RETURN TO VILLAGE PROJECT ON TRACKEmergency Rule (OHAL) Governor Gokhan Aydiner speaking at a ceremony in Diyarbakir noted that the Interior Ministry had allocated TL 3.2 trillion to the Return to the Village Project, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. The ceremony, arranged with the cooperation of the Seventh Corps Command and the Diyarbakir Police Department, as part of the Return to Village and Support Activities for Social Development schemes took part at the Saklat village in the Kocakoy district of Diyarbakir. Governor Aydin spoke of the way Saklat village had seen the full damages of the degrading effects of terrorism. He said the economy, capital, agriculture, health and education had all been degraded by terrorism. He said they would make up the losses by working hand in hand and noted that 5,853 accommodation blocks had been built in various settlements so that those villagers who had fled the terrorism could return. /Turkish Daily News/[20] GAP INTERNATIONAL USA : "KEEP YOUR POSITION IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS"GAP International USA's Turkey Director General Gunsan Cetin said that while Turkey was trying to overcome the crisis, her international rivalries were adapting themselves to the changing world conditions. Cetin said, "Turkey should not ignore the changing world conditions. Otherwise, she will have no opportunity to catch up with her rivalries. Turkey should try to keep her position in the international markets." /Hurriyet/[21] SOROS' ADVISOR: GARANTI INVESTMENTGaranti Investment is now the advisor of the Southeastern Europe Investment Bank to Turkey, which amounts to 150 million US dollars and which was jointly established by the Soros Private Fund and an American state institution, the Overseas Private Investment Company (OPIC). According to the statement issued by the Garanti Investment, the fund was established to make private capital investment for the companies, which are active in Turkey and the Southeastern countries. 45 million US dollars of the fund will be used to support the investments in Turkey. Garanti Investment and the administrators from the Soros Private Fund will determine the opportunities of investment in Turkey. /Milliyet/[22] DEMIRBANK ROMANIA TO BE SOLDThe two European financial groups are interested in Demirbank Romania, which was opened to sale by Demirbank last weekend. According to the news published in the "Ziarul Financial" daily by depending on the sources of the banking circles, the Italian financial group UniCredito and the Bank Austria Creditanstalt Romania's owner, Hypo Vereinsbank, are planning to purchase Demirbank Romania. /Milliyet/[23] AYCELL TO BE ACTIVE IN AUGUSTAycell, which is one of the four GSM operators in Turkey, will be active technically and commercially in August. First, Aycell will give service in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Adana, Bursa, Antalya and Mugla with ten base stations. Aycell is planning to cover all of Turkey in five months. Meanwhile, it was stated that the meetings concerning the roaming agreements, which will be made by Aycell to use the infrastructure of Turkcell, Telsim and Aria, are continuing. /Milliyet/[24] RED CRESCENT PRESIDENT IN BULGARIAPresident of the Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) Doc. Ertan Gonenc has gone to Bulgaria as the invited guest of the Bulgarian Red Cross. Gonenc said they want to restart first aid projects that had been prepared earlier and added, "There will be cooperation between Turkey and Bulgaria over the stockpiling of equipment for natural disasters." He said he was going to talk with the Bulgarian authorities on this matter and added it would be beneficial for both countries if they could act together in the event of a natural disaster. Noting the very productive cooperation seen to date between the Bulgarian Red Cross and Kizilay, Gonenc said they were working for stronger solidarity among all the Balkan countries. /Turkish Daily News/MTA-SEISMIC-1 IN MARMARA The MTA Seismic-1 research ship arrived in Gemlik for a new study. The ship is carrying out researches for the possible earthquakes that might indicate places in the future in the Marmara region. The ship will place satellite-linked seismic equipment in the lines of fault. /Cumhuriyet/ [25] TOURISTS' INTENSE INTEREST TO ANTALYAReportedly, 2,470 million tourists have arrived in Antalya via sea and air in the last seven months. German tourists have the majority among the ones travelling by air while Israeli and Eyptian tourists are arriving by sea. /Turkiye/[26] TOPKAPI CITY PARK PROJECT TO GO AHEADAS the former location of intercity bus terminals and a historic flea market, Topkapi City Park has been earmarked for a redevelopment scheme.The Istanbul Municipality Projects Department Directorate has prepared a project for the Topkapý district, an important place in Istanbul's history. The project will be implemented in a 354,000-square -meter area, which includes the old Thracian and Anatolian intercity bus stations and neighbors and Byzantine city walls in the south. The park is expected to be completed by the end of 2002. /Turkish News/Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |