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Turkish Press Review, 01-11-15
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
15.11.2001
CONTENTS
[01] PEACEKEEPING DUTY FOR TURKEY
[02] ECEVIT'S STATEMENT ON TURKEY'S ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN
[03] COLIN POWELL'S STATEMENT
[04] HOLBROOKE: "TURKEY IS THE MOST SUITABLE OPTION"
[05] CEM MEETS WITH ALBANIAN FM
[06] ARGHOON: "TURKEY MUST LEAD THE PEACEKEEPING FORCES"
[07] US AFGHAN REPRESENTATIVE DOBBINS IN ANKARA
[08] TURKISH EMBASSY IN KABUL TO BE REOPENED
[09] DERVIS: "MONEY IS ON THE WAY, LET'S NOT SQUANDER IT
[10] SURPRISE IN CYPRUS: NEGOTIATIONS COULD BEGIN
[11] YILMAZ CALLS FOR CHANGES IN COALITION PROTOCOL
[12] RUSSIAN DELEGATION ASKS FOR COOPERATION AGAINST CHECHEN REBELS
[13] US AIRLINERS MAY GET SLOTS AT SABIHA GOKCEN AIRPORT
[14] TURKISH EUROPE FOUNDATION: "ANKARA SHOULD TAKE DETERMINED STEPS"
[15] YILMAZ: "ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF UNITY"
[16] GERMAN, TURKISH PARLIAMENTS TALK
[17] TURKEY FREEZES TERRORIST ACCOUNTS
[18] INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATIONS FOR TURKIC REPUBLICS
[19] AID FROM ANKARA TRADE CHAMBER FOR RAMADAN
[20] RIFKIN: "MARKET YOUR CULTURE"
[21] TURKISH FAIR IN BULGARIA
[22] TUBITAK AWARDS HANDED OUT
[23] GERMANY EXTENDS LOANS AND AID
[24] TURKEY HEADED FOR WORLD CUP
[25] RUSSIAN WAXWORKS IN ISTANBUL
[26] TURKISH ARCHITECT WINS AWARD
[27] QUALITY AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED
[28] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[29] PROGRESS REPORT BY MEHMET ALI IRTEMCELIK (TURKISH DAILY NEWS)
[01] PEACEKEEPING DUTY FOR TURKEY
After Taliban's withdrawal from Kabul, the possibility of peacekeeping
forces being sent to Afghanistan is growing stronger. Reportedly, Turkey
has been shortlisted as one of the most suitable countries for peacekeeping
duty. Addressing the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said
yesterday that Turkey was ready to play a leading role in the
reconstruction of Afghanistan. Cem emphasized that true solution was only
possible through forming a broad-based government. Meanwhile, in the wake
of fast-breaking developments in Afghanistan, Turkish authorities chaired
by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit convened yesterday to evaluate the
situation. /Turkiye/
[02] ECEVIT'S STATEMENT ON TURKEY'S ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN
Speaking after a meeting at the Prime Ministry yesterday, Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit stated that turbulence might emerge in Afghanistan if a new
political and administrative structure was not established as soon as
possible. Ecevit said that although recent developments in the country seem
positive, over-optimism should be guarded against since there was a threat
of disorder. "Turkey might assume a dominant role in the efforts both to
fill the political and administrative vacuum in Afghanistan and to bolster
deliveries of the humanitarian aid. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] COLIN POWELL'S STATEMENT
Speaking this week to the New York Times, US Secretary of State Colin
Powell said that volunteer Muslim countries including Turkey could take
part in forces meant to keep peace in Afghanistan and help to the formation
of its interim government. Powell added that Turkey, Indonesia and
Bangladesh had proposed sending soldiers to the country. He further
remarked that Muslim countries contributing to such a peacekeeping force
would be better than the US doing so'. /Turkiye/
[04] HOLBROOKE: "TURKEY IS THE MOST SUITABLE OPTION"
Richard Holbrooke, the US' permanent UN representative during the Clinton
administration, has said that Turkey is the most suitable country to take
part in any multinational peacekeeping force in Afghanistan. In an opinion
piece written for the Washington Post, Holbrooke said that forming a post-
Taleban UN peacekeeping force in Afghanistan would take a long time, and
that instead of that a better option would be to establish a multinational
force involving Muslim countries, headed by Turkey. /Turkiye/
[05] CEM MEETS WITH ALBANIAN FM
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, who is currently in New York for work with the
UN General Assembly, is now holding bilateral meetings. Yesterday, Cem met
with his Albanian counterpart Arta Dade. During their meeting bilateral
relations, Afghanistan and international terrorism were reportedly
discussed. /Turkiye/
[06] ARGHOON: "TURKEY MUST LEAD THE PEACEKEEPING FORCES"
Afghan government-in-exile Charge d'Affaires in Ankara Elmurad Arghoon said
yesterday, "We expect Turkey to lead the peacekeeping forces in
Afghanistan. The Afghan people will appreciate Turkey greatly if it assumes
such a role." Stating he was pleased with Turkey's decision to open its
embassy in Kabul, Arghoon said, "We hope other countries will follow
Turkey's lead." Arghoon, the representative of Burhaneddin Rabbani's
government in Ankara, remarked that the Afghan people hoped that Turkey
will contribute significantly to efforts to re-build Afghanistan, which has
suffered great losses due to the recent conflict war. "The Afghan people's
best friend and ally is Turkey. The Afghan people believe that Turkey will
always stand by them," said Arghoon. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] US AFGHAN REPRESENTATIVE DOBBINS IN ANKARA
US State Department Afghanistan Coordinator James Dobbins and an
accompanying delegation arrived in Ankara yesterday after their meeting
with former King of Afghanistan Zahir Shah in Rome. Dobbins met with
Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal and Turkey's Afghanistan
Coordinator Aydemir Erman and discussed recent development in the region.
Speaking after the meetings, Dobbins said, "Turkey will definitely be an
indispensable part of future cooperative efforts to help the Afghan
people." /Cumhuriyet/
[08] TURKISH EMBASSY IN KABUL TO BE REOPENED
In the wake of recent dramatic developments in Afghanistan, Turkey has
decided to open its embassy in Kabul as well as its consulate General in
Mazar-i Serif. This decision was announced by the Foreign Ministry. The
Turkish Embassy in Kabul suspended operations on Sept. 26 and the Consulate
General in Mezar-i Serif did the same on May 25. However, a new ambassador
to Kabul has not been named yet. In related news, Foreign Ministry
Spokesman Huseyin Dirioz reported that during US law enforcement operations
held in response to the Sept. 11 attacks, 39 Turks have been arrested on
charges of working and residing without permission in New York and New
Jersey. /Sabah/
[09] DERVIS: "MONEY IS ON THE WAY, LET'S NOT SQUANDER IT
State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis told the Parliamentary Planning
and Budget Commission yesterday that money coming from International
Monetary Fund would not be unconditional. We mustn't squander the moneyin
the pipeline, he stressed He also predicted that Turkey's difficulties
would continue, but with that support it would be able to end the current
crisis./Hürriyet/
[10] SURPRISE IN CYPRUS: NEGOTIATIONS COULD BEGIN
Negotiations in Cyprus could start soon through a surprise decision by Rauf
Denktas and Glafcus
Clerides, the leaders of the divided island. Greek Cypriots leader Clerides
send a letter to Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC) President Denktas saying that face-to- face negotiations could now
begin the first such talks in over 4 years. In the letter, Clerides said
that the two could meet face to face under the auspices of an UN authority.
Denktas then accepted Clerides offer, remarking that " I am ready to meet
with Clerides under UN auspices, and thereby everybody will have the chance
to see what is really happening." Denktas also said that he would suggest
that they meet in Nicosia
(Lefkosa) . On the other hand, Denktas yesterday told a group of Arab
journalists that what EU was doing could cause a war between Turkey and
Greece. The EU is making a big mistake by considering Cyprus membership as
the whole island, this would cause a crisis between Turkey and Greece, he
predicted./Hürriyet/
[11] YILMAZ CALLS FOR CHANGES IN COALITION PROTOCOL
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said yesterday that the current
governmental structure was hampering efforts to find solutions to Turkey's
economic and political problems, and suggested a number of changes in the
coalition protocol and ruling program. Yilmaz, the chairman of the
coalition's junior partner Motherland Party (ANAP), told deputies during a
parliamentary group meeting of his party that he had pursued a number of
political goals through a packace of economic and administrative reform
proposals. The package, prepared by ANAP and presented to the coalition
partners last week, suggested measures in the fields of the economy and
adminisration and called for futher liberalization and a downsizing of the
state./Turkish News/
[12] RUSSIAN DELEGATION ASKS FOR COOPERATION AGAINST CHECHEN REBELS
A Russian delegation visiting Turkey has asked for cooperation against
Chechen militants who, they said, were heading to Afghanistan via Turkey
and Georgia in order to help the Taleban regime. Dimitri Rogozin, head of
the Russian Duma's Foreign Relations Committee, said that the list would be
conveyed to the Turkish authorities so that the necessary measures could be
taken. "These militants could endanger Turkey's security as well. All these
problems should be solved through political dialogue, and we are sure that
there is an understanding between the Turkish and Russian authorities,"
Rogozin said./Turkish News/
[13] US AIRLINERS MAY GET SLOTS AT SABIHA GOKCEN AIRPORT
The Defense Industry Undersecretariat has recently offered US airlines the
use of Sabiha Gökcen Airport in Istanbul as an alternative to Ataturk
International Airport. Following the suggestion, US authorities and the
undersecretariat have held meetings, and susequently a group of US
officials arrived at Sabiha Gokcen for inspections of the facility./Turkish
News/
[14] TURKISH EUROPE FOUNDATION: "ANKARA SHOULD TAKE DETERMINED STEPS"
The Turkish Europe Foundation (TAV) has called on the Turkish government to
take determined steps in compliance with the Copenhagen Criteria, and on
the EU to begin Turkey's negotiation process as soon as possible. The TAV
Executive Council stated that although certain the EU criticisms concerning
the deficiencies of the Turkish political structure might be partially true,
steps the country has recently taken should not be ignored. "Recent
constitutional amendments have proved Turkey's resolve to catch up with the
EU criteria. The EU's Fourth Progress Report is far away from meeting
Turkey's demands." /Cumhuriyet/
[15] YILMAZ: "ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF UNITY"
Religious Affairs Directorate head Nuri Yilmaz said yesterday, "Islam is
an expression of peace not of war, and of unity not division." In a message
to mark the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan on tomorrow, Yilmaz said
that the Koran had been delivered to humanity during this month. He added
that Ramadan had more importance for religious and social life than other
months. Alluding to recent terrorist activities, he said, "Islam is not a
religion of war but of peace." /Turkiye/
[16] GERMAN, TURKISH PARLIAMENTS TALK
The Turkey-Germany Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group has met in Berlin
and held talks with the chairmen and staff of various Turkish associations
in the German capital. The Turkish Parliamentary delegation was briefed on
problems encountered by Turks living in Germany. Leading the delegation,
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Afyon Deputy Mujdat Karayerli called on
"our citizens in Germany" to pay more attention to education. He stressed
that Turks in Germany should learn German well yet not neglect their
Turkish. He also told reporters that the aim of the visit was to remove
obstacles on Turkey's path to the EU, to discuss what kind of contribution
Turkey could make to the fight against terrorism and to find solutions to
educational problems. /Turkish Daily News/
[17] TURKEY FREEZES TERRORIST ACCOUNTS
Steven Cook of Washington-based think tank the Brookings Institute notes in
a new report on "Turkish-US Relations and the Fight Against Terrorism" that
Turkey has frozen several accounts belonging to the Al Qaida terrorist
organization, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. The report
stated that Turkey had given permission for US aid aircraft to refuel at
Incirlik Airbase on their return journey to Germany and that Turkey's
airfields at Malatya, Konya and Izmir as well as its ports at Antalya,
Mersin and Ceyhan had been made available to NATO. Cook also observed that
with increasing Saudi reservations about the use of the country as an
American base of operations, the NATO base at Eskisehir was being seriously
contemplated as an alternative. /Turkish Daily News/
[18] INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATIONS FOR TURKIC REPUBLICS
The Turkic republics celebrated the 10th anniversary of their independence
yesterday at a special night at the Ataturk Cultural Center attended by
Culture Minister Istemihan Talay. At the ceremony, Talay said: "We are
happy to be here all together for such a special occassion. Mustafa Kemal
always said that 'The most important thing for Turks is to be independent'.
And I hope that our independence will continue forever." Azerbaijan's
culture minister said that he was very pleased to be in Turkey on such a
special night as a guest of Talay. Kazakhstan's culture minister recalled
that Turkey was the first country to recognize his country's independence.
He said, "I hope the Turkic Republics can be together for their 20th and
even their 100th anniversary." /Turkish Daily News/
[19] AID FROM ANKARA TRADE CHAMBER FOR RAMADAN
The Ankara Trade Chamber (ATC) is now delivering food aid to 20,000
families in need in honor of Ramadan. Stressing that the group expects
contributions from all businessmen, ATC Chairman Sinan Aygun said the aid
would continue during the whole holy month and that the group hopes to
eventually feed 50,000 families through its project. /Turkiye/
[20] RIFKIN: "MARKET YOUR CULTURE"
US author Jeremy Rifkin, a leading figure in the international arena with
his 14 books translated into 20 languages and his successful leadership of
nongovernmental organizations, said yesterday that Turkey might be the
starting point in a dialogue between world religions. Rifkin gave a speech
to the 10th Annual National Quality Convention, saying that Turkey could
establish a dialogue between the East and West in the best way and added,
"There is a need for dialogue between the Islamic world and the West.
Turkey is the only country that can reach across both Islamic and Western
culture. Turkey is a culturally rich culture and it should make investments
especially in this field. Turkey should market its culture." /Milliyet/
[21] TURKISH FAIR IN BULGARIA
"The Balkan Expo-2001 and 8th Turkish Producers Fair" was opened yesterday
in Sofia. Bulgarian State Minister Necdet Mollov, an ethnic Turk, said
"With this fair, I am calling upon the Turkish companies to invest in our
country." The fair continue through Nov. 17. /Cumhuriyet/
[22] TUBITAK AWARDS HANDED OUT
The Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TUBITAK) 2001
Science Service and Encouragement Awards were handed out yesterday. Turkish
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated for the occasion that Turkey should
produce its own technology in order to fulfill its economic development. In
addition, Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli remarked that investments in
science and technology safeguards to hold off future economic crises.
/Cumhuriyet/
[23] GERMANY EXTENDS LOANS AND AID
The Federal Government of Germany is extending DM 25 million in subsidized
loans and DM 45 million in outright aid to help develop Turkey's
infrastructure. A statement issued by the German Embassy in Ankara said
that Turkish-German economic cooperation talks had been held on Nov. 7-9 in
Ankara with the participation both countries' governments. The talks were
held in a positive, open and friendly environment, the embassy added, at
their conclusion both German and Turkish officials resolved to improve
infrastructure in Turkey." /Turkish News/
[24] TURKEY HEADED FOR WORLD CUP
With its victory yesterday theTurkish National Football Team is now slated
to compete in the World Cup for the first time in 47 years. The National
Team beat Austria last night in Istanbul, trouncing it
5-0./Hürriyet/
[25] RUSSIAN WAXWORKS IN ISTANBUL
An exhibition from the Saint Petersburg Waxwork collection was opened in
Atakoy Galleria yesterday. The statues of famous figures such as Ataturk,
Leonardo da Vinci, Princess Diana, Dostoyevsky, Casanova, Napoleon
Bonaparte, Karl Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mehmet the Conquerer, and the Beatles
are featured at the exhibition. In total more than 200 statues are being
exhibited in this joint venture with the Russian Institute of Ethnology and
Anthropology. /Milliyet/
[26] TURKISH ARCHITECT WINS AWARD
An architect from Denizli, Cengiz Bektas, has won the 2001 International
Aga Han Architecture Award. Bektas was deemed worthy of the award with his
Olbia Social Centre at the campus of Mediterranean University in Antalya
and he received the honor during a ceremony held at Halep Castle in Syria.
Only architectural projects that have been fully completed can qualify for
the biennial award. /Milliyet/
[27] QUALITY AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED
The National Quality Conventions held annually by the Turkish Association
of Industrialists and Businessmen (TUSIAD) and the Quality Association
(KalDer) have become a tradition since their beginnings a decade ago. The
Conventions, during which a spotlight issue is discussed with international
participants each year, have helped the Turkish private sector to
establish a greater consciousness of quality. During the 10th Annual
Quality Convention held this week, the topic of "Nongovernmental
organizations and Good Management" will be discussed and the National
Quality Awards will be handed out this evening /Sabah/
[28] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[29] PROGRESS REPORT BY MEHMET ALI IRTEMCELIK (TURKISH DAILY NEWS)
The "Political Criteria" section of our National Program document, the
final draft of which was approved of by the National Security Council (MGK),
carries special importance for Turkey but suffers from gaps in willpower
that not even the literary acrobats who penned it could hide. Consequently,
it has nothing to do with the rules we have to stick to for EU membership
and will therefore not be considered acceptable by the EU. I had, you will
recall, tried to draw attention to these facts during the spring, when this
document of ours, which contains other inadequacies of secondary importance
and slightly easier to make up for, was being made official. However, I
failed to make an impression on the powers that be. The EU Commission's
Progress Report, which was published the other day--quite apart from the
Cyprus issue, which by virtue of its distinctive characteristics has become
a field of debate in its own right and has been listed in the EU "sins" box
since 1990-- is a full-length mirror set before us in the light of EU norms
and with as much diplomatic courtesy as possible. Mirrors do not talk. You
can't get angry at a mirror. You will never find fault with them. If it
really is your intention, then the smart and sensible thing to do is use
the mirror to make yourself presentable. Consequently, looking at the
report in this light as an "opportunity" and acting with the will to use it
as such would be of great benefit both for our national well-being and our
strategic interests.
Those among us who still fail to understand ought to now understand that
the question before Turkey is not, as some of us are still hung up on,
whether our full conditions for that existed. Neither is the question one
of what we should to do if we cannot become full EU members, as some of us
are worried might be the case. The crucial question, over which we must be
brutally honest and as visionary as possible, is the question of what will
become of us if we fail to achieve in good time EU standards in all fields
that compromise the level of contemporary civilization which Ataturk
envisioned for us.
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