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Turkish Press Review, 01-10-17
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Press
& Information
Turkish
Press
Foreign
Press in Turkey
Turkish
Press Review >>
Press
Guide
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
17.10.2001
CONTENTS
[01] IZGI: NEW AMENDMENT REMOVES NEED FOR REFERENDUM
[02] PARLIAMENT SEEKS WAYS TO AVOID REFERENDUM
[03] BAYKAL MEETS SEZER
[04] CEM TO ADDRESS UN IN NOVEMBER
[05] CEM: "TURKISH ARMED FORCES MIGHT PARTICIPATE IN THE PEACE FORCE"
[06] "DO NOT ACT WITH DOUBLE STANDARDS IN COMBATING TERRORISM"
[07] ANTI-TALEBAN FORCES' OPINION ON TURKEY
[08] BRITISH MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS TO VISIT ANKARA
[09] AMERICAN ASSURANCE FOR NORTHERN IRAQ
[10] INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM AT THE METU
[11] ILVES IN TURKEY
[12] OIC SECRETARY GENERAL IN ANKARA
[13] PRIMAKOV HOLDS TALKS IN ANKARA ON TERRORISM
[14] YOUTH PROGRAM WITH GERMANY PLEASES YOUTH
[15] 2002 BUDGET DISCUSSED
[16] IMF'S REPORT TO G-7 CONCERNING TURKEY
[17] FINANCIAL TIMES' SUGGESTION TO IMF
[01] IZGI: NEW AMENDMENT REMOVES NEED FOR REFERENDUM
Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi said he was disappointed that President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer had opted to submit the constitutional amendment regarding the
deputies' salaries to referendum. He said that a new amendment could be
made to the Constitution without a referendum. While receiving the members
of the All Party Constitutional Accord Commission yesterday, Izgi said the
referendum decision was "the president's prerogative." He said, in this
situation Parliament would act with common sense. He said that if it came
to a referendum, the cost would be TL 50 trillion. On the other hand,
Justice Minister Prof. Hikmet Sami Turk has also criticized the President's
decision and said he put himself above the Parliament. He added that a
referendum would be a luxury for Turkey in such a situation. /Turkiye/
[02] PARLIAMENT SEEKS WAYS TO AVOID REFERENDUM
Leaders of Turkey's three-party coalition government and parliamentarians
were busy seeking a way to avoid a referendum called by President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer on a controversial constitutional amendment article. The
decision of President Sezer to refer to a national referendum a
controversial amendment in the Constitution's Article 86, that would
increase the deputies' pay substantially, and introduce lucrative pension
benefits, places Parliament and parliamentarians in an awkward situation:
To abide with the decision of the President and go to a referendum-a move
that may trigger an early election-or to override the presidential move by
swiftly making a new constitutional amendment and reverting the
controversial article to its original form- a move that would hurt the
prestige of the Parliament and its deputies. The presidential move, that
comes despite assurances from Parliament that in a new constitutional
amendment package the controversial article would be reverted to its old
form, and a bill, hastily legislated to demonstrate to Sezer the goodwill
of Parliament, to the effect that deputies pay packets would stay as they
are, was widely perceived among the politicians as a "hostile attitude"
aimed at "bringing Parliament and the public into a head-on collision." On
the other hand, the Office of Prime Minister is expected to return the
writing of the President with a reason of "technically incorrect" today.
The issue was also taken up during the Council of Ministers meeting
yesterday. /Turkish Daily News/
[03] BAYKAL MEETS SEZER
Following the shocking decision on referendum, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
gave his first message to the Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz
Baykal. In accordance with the appointment taken before, Baykal went to the
Cankaya Presidential Palace and following his meeting with Sezer, he told
the journalists, "Mr. Sezer is not worried about answering to anybody. He
does not have any doubt about his actions." /Sabah/
[04] CEM TO ADDRESS UN IN NOVEMBER
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem is expected to address the UN General Assembly
on Nov. 12. UN General Assembly session at the leader level were postponed
to November due to the Sept. 11 attacks in the US. The assembly meetings
will be held between Nov. 10 and 16. /Turkish News/
[05] CEM: "TURKISH ARMED FORCES MIGHT PARTICIPATE IN THE PEACE FORCE"
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, met with the Turkish-speaking
Republics' Ambassadors in Ankara and said that Turkey is carrying out a
successful performance during the peace force operations and that the
Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) might participate within the framework of the
United Nations' (BM) mission against Afghanistan. Cem mentioned his view
concerning the ways to shape the future of Afghanistan and brought a
process of three stages on the table. Cem said, "Providing stability in the
region, forming a comprehensive government, holding elections under the
auspices of the government and launching an international aid campaign to
improve the economy are essential." /Milliyet/
[06] "DO NOT ACT WITH DOUBLE STANDARDS IN COMBATING TERRORISM"
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ismail Cem will present a comprehensive file,
which includes evidence on the activities of certain terrorist
organizations taking Turkey as a target in Europe, to his counterparts in
the European Conference in Brussels. Cem will request European countries
not to act with double standards concerning the fight against terrorism.
Cem, who will convey the message that Turkey wants to look at her future
but not the past, will present certain proposals on the ways to fight
against terrorism during the meeting. All the European and Balkan countries,
Russia and Ukraine are expected to attend the European Conference.
/Cumhuriyet/
[07] ANTI-TALEBAN FORCES' OPINION ON TURKEY
The Anti-Taleban forces' Representative to Ankara, Harun Amin, said they
had been holding special meetings with Ankara concerning the inclusion of
the Turkish soldiers into the peace force, which is planned to be deployed
in Afghanistan after Taleban is overthrown. Although Ankara keeps silent
concerning the issue, the Wall Street Journal has written the day before
that it was on the agenda that the Turkish government will command the
peace force to be established by the Islamic countries. /Milliyet/
[08] BRITISH MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS TO VISIT ANKARA
Britain, who participates in the military operation of the US against
Afghanistan, is now seeking to maintain contacts with Turkey. Britain will
play a determining role in shaping the regional policies in the region
following the military operation and the British Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Jack Straw, will pay a working visit to Ankara today. It was
stated that a request for this visit was received by Britain and there will
be an exchange of information concerning the operation against Afghanistan,
as well as the scenarios about the aftermath of the operation. Straw will
come to Ankara this evening and begin to maintain contacts tomorrow. Straw,
who will meet the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, is also
expected to meet with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. Meanwhile, it was
stated that the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Renato Ruggiero, will
come to Turkey to meet Cem next week. According to a statement released by
the office of Ruggiero, he will set on a tour of visits including Lebanon,
Syria, Iran and Turkey on Sunday. /Milliyet/
[09] AMERICAN ASSURANCE FOR NORTHERN IRAQ
US Ambassador to Ankara, Robert Pearson stated American Administration was
aware of Turkey's concern over Iraq's territorial integrity and assured
that no other state would be founded in Iraq. He also added the terrorist
organizations, PKK and DHKP-C will be included into the international
terrorist organizations list. Pearson visited the Parliament yesterday and
informed the members of the Foreign Affairs Commission about the US strike
on Afghanistan. He expressed his pleasure in Turkey's support for the
strike. The Chairman of the Commission, Kamran Inan pointed out Turkey's
support will continue to the US in the scope of the decisions made by NATO.
/Turkiye/
[10] INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM AT THE METU
A symposium, entitled "Political Culture and Civilian Society in the Black
Sea Region" organized by METU Black Sea and Central Asian Countries
Research Center (KORA) will begin tomorrow in METU Culture and Congress
Center. The symposium will continue until Oct. 20 and Turkish and foreign
experts from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Armenia, Belarus, Crimea, Moldova,
Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Russia, the US, Britain, Germany and Greece will
present papers. /Hurriyet/
[11] ILVES IN TURKEY
Estonian Foreign Minister Toomas Hendrik Ilves arrived in Ankara yesterday
to pay an official visit. Ilves is expected to meet with Foreign Minister
Ismail Cem today after his visit to Ataturk's Mausoleum. He will also hold
meetings with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Minister of National Defense
Sabahattin Cakmakoglu and Minister of State Tunca Toskay. /Cumhuriyet/
[12] OIC SECRETARY GENERAL IN ANKARA
The Secretary-General for Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)
Abdulhavid Belkeziz arrived in Ankara as the official guest of Foreign
Minister Ismail Cem. Belkeziz, who will be received by Cem today, will
travel to Istanbul to attend OIC's Economic and Commercial Cooperation
Permanent Committee meeting. /Cumhuriyet/
[13] PRIMAKOV HOLDS TALKS IN ANKARA ON TERRORISM
Former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeni Primakov held a half-hour meeting
with Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli on Tuesday in Ankara. No
statement was issued after the meeting, which was also attended by Russian
Ambassador to Ankara Alexander Lebedev. Primakov was in Turkey to attend a
conference in Istanbul, following which he came to Ankara to hold talks
with government officials. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem told reporters
before meeting Primakov that they would be discussing Turkish-Russian
relations. Cem also said that the Middle East would be discussed, and added
that he was interested in availing himself of the deep experience that
Primakov has in this respect. /Turkish News/
[14] YOUTH PROGRAM WITH GERMANY PLEASES YOUTH
Under the protocol of Cooperation in Politics for Youngsters, which was
signed between Turkey and Germany in 1994, both countries' young people are
visiting each other. Youth and Sports General Director Toksal Basara said
that under the protocol young people were sent to Turkey from Germany and
vice versa every year. "To improve this program we carry out exchange
programs under the coordination of the German Women's, Family and Youth
Ministry," he stated. /Turkish News/
[15] 2002 BUDGET DISCUSSED
The government held many summits yesterday for the year 2002. During the
three meeting which were mostly concerned with the "Resources and Savings",
the investing banks reacted against the allocations that were reserved.
However, the Minister of Finance, Sumer Oral did not make any concessions.
The first meeting during which the Budget of the year 2002 was discussed
was convened with the participation of the leaders. On the second session
of the day, the ministers complained about the insufficiency of investment
budgets. During this meeting, the State Minister responsible for economy
Kemal Dervis avoided answering the criticisms and Oral said the budget was
determined by the State Planning Organization (DPT), the Ministry of
Finance and the investments having priority was given allocation without
ignoring the savings. Following the Council of Ministers, another meeting
was held so that an additional resource will be reserved for the year 2002
and determine the distribution of transfer allocations. During the meeting,
State Minister responsible for Privatization, Yżlmaz Karakoyunlu, suggested
the sale of the Bogazici and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridges with income bond
in order to revive the economy and to create fresh resources. Karakoyunlu
said, "Through this way we might gain an income amounting to 6 billion US
dollars. If this income enters the market through the Small and Medium
Scale Enterprises (KOBIs), the depression in the markets will be removed."
Dervis said they would examine the suggestion and initiate work on the
issue. /Sabah/
[16] IMF'S REPORT TO G-7 CONCERNING TURKEY
It was stated that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) presented a report
to the group of industrialized countries, G-7 concerning the economic
situation in Turkey and the additional financing that might be necessary
for the next year. The international monetary sources in Washington said
the report consisted of the technical information and that it did not
include a suggestion. The IMF has not released an official statement
concerning the issue yet. Meanwhile, Reuters news agency stated that the
members of the Executive Board of the IMF are expected to be briefed by the
IMF officials concerning the economic situation in Turkey. It was stated
that this briefing is expected to take place the Budget of the year 2002
will be presented to the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA). /Sabah/
[17] FINANCIAL TIMES' SUGGESTION TO IMF
The British Financial Times newspaper wrote that after September 11, the
situation of the emerging markets including Turkey was getting worse.
However, the situation in Turkey was better than Argentina due to the
reforms she had implemented, her ability to pay her debts and her strategic
importance. The newspaper wrote that the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
should give a second chance to Turkey. /Hurriyet/
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