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Turkish Press Review, 01-11-20
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
20.11.2001
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER EVALUATES EU PROGRESS REPORT
[02] DENKTAS AND CLERIDES TO MEET
[03] TURKEY INSISTS ON GREATER ESDP ROLE
[04] YILMAZ MEETS MUMCU
[05] TURKISH AIR FORCE PREPARING FOR ROLE IN CENTRAL ASIA
[06] EU CONFERENCE COULD INCLUDE TURKEY
[07] AFGHAN SUMMIT SLATED FOR EUROPE
[08] TURKEY TO ATTEND SUMMIT ON AFGHANISTAN'S FUTURE IN
WASHINGTON
[09] IZGI REPORTS CYPRUS SPAT IN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
[10] STATE MINISTER CAY GOES TO BASHKURDISTAN
[11] DERVIS: "WE'VE PARTIALLY OVERCOME OUR
PROBLEMS"
[12] IMF DELEGATION TO VISIT TURKEY
[13] COAST GUARD BEEFS UP BOSPHORUS SECURITY
[14] OPTIMISM BOOSTS TURKISH MARKETS
[15] ENVIRONMENT MINISTER TELLS OF MED CONFERENCE
[16] WHO FALL MEETING BEGINS IN ISTANBUL
[17] SECOND NATIONAL CHILDREN FORUM BEGINS
[18] SYMPOSIUM TO DISCUSS TURKISH-ARMENIAN RELATIONS
[19] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS.. FROM THE
COLUMNS
[20] UNPRECEDENTED PROBLEMS BY HULKI CEVIZOGLU (SABAH)
[21] THE TURKISH MODEL BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[01] SEZER EVALUATES EU PROGRESS REPORT
Prior to receiving Irish Ambassador to Turkey Sean
Whelan yesterday, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer answered reporters'
questions. Asked whether he was hopeful about the economy, Sezer said,
"Of course I'm optimistic. Turkey will definitely overcome the
current crisis." Commenting on the EU's recent Turkey Progress
Report, Sezer remarked that despite same charges that the report was
prejudiced, he considered it an objectively prepared document.
"However, the EU should not put forth certain conditions which
are peculiar to Turkey. Turkey will do its utmost to comply with the
EU criteria which are supposed to be met by all membership
candidates." /All Papers/
[02] DENKTAS AND CLERIDES TO MEET
Reportedly, Greek Cypriot administration leader
Glafkos Clerides will reply in the affirmative Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas' call for direct talks
with no agenda. An UN representative is also expected to attend the
meeting. Denktas had previously sent three letters to Clerides
proposing that they hold a face-to-face meeting sometime between Dec.
1-10, but Clerides had given him no answer. /Turkiye/
[03] TURKEY INSISTS ON GREATER ESDP ROLE
Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said
yesterday that the role being given to Turkey in the European Security
and Defense Policy (ESDP) mechanism was inadequate. "Turkey is
being flexible in this matter and is trying to reach a solution, but
all European countries should also have the necessary political will
to bring about such a solution," Cakmakoglu told reporters before
his departure for Brussels, where European foreign and defense
ministers are to meet to discuss the proposed European force. Turkey
will attend the meeting to discuss its possible contributions to the
force. Turkey, the second-biggest military power in NATO, says it wouıld
veto the EU's assured access to assets unless it is granted right to
participate in the decision-making of the European force. The EU, on
the other hand, has refused Turkey's demand as it is not an EU member,
and says that Turkey, together with other non-EU, NATO members, could
be granted a consultative right. /Turkish News/
[04] YILMAZ MEETS MUMCU
Motherland Party (ANAP) leader and Deputy Prime
Minister Mesut Yilmaz met yesterday with Erkan Mumcu in Istanbul.
Reportedly, Yilmaz brought up Mumcu's recent controversial public
statements criticizing Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, asking Mumcu to
watch his words carefully and to refrain from making satements which
could hurt the coalition government. Meanwhile, a number of ANAP
deputies said that the statements were Mumcu's alone, not expressions
of ANAP's. /Turkiye/
[05] TURKISH AIR FORCE PREPARING FOR ROLE IN CENTRAL ASIA
Due to its cultural and historical ties in the
region, Turkey is expected to play a major role in the future of
Afghanistan, and for this reason the Turkish Air Force is now
preparing to make itself felt in Central Asia. The Turkish Air Force
has been given the m Due to its cultural and historical ties in the
region, Turkey is expected to play a major ission of bringing
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan's air defense systems, military
bases and air zone up to NATO standards. Air Brigadier Gen. Hasan
Kabas has prepared an initial report after visiting the Central Asian
countries. In the first phase of the project, the report said, Turkey
would send in military personel to outline steps the countries should
take to bring their air military infrastructure up to NATO standards.
Turkey has already played a major role in building Georgia's air
bases. By bringing Central Asian countries air bases up to NATO
standards, Turkey could eclipse the sphere of Russian aviation
influence in the region. /Hürriyet/
[06] EU CONFERENCE COULD INCLUDE TURKEY
Today Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel told
reporters that a final decision on whether or not to include Turkey in
an upcoming conference on the future of the European Union had not yet
been made, but he added that the winds were blowing in Turkey's favor.
Last month Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstad has first said that
no decision had yet been reached on including Turkey in the conference
of EU heads of state. Michel also remarked that there might be
differences of opinion on the subject because Turkey hasn't started
its accession talks, but we want Turkey to be included in this
conference, it should not be seperated from the other candidate
countries, he stressed. Belgium is the current EU Term President.
/Hürriyet/
[07] AFGHAN SUMMIT SLATED FOR EUROPE
It has been decided that a summit to lay the ground
work for a future Afghan government will be held in Europe, rather
than Ankara a site that has been previously mentioned. Under US
pressure, the Afghan Northern Alliance has agreed to such a summit in
order to form a broad- based government. The exact site of the summit
to be held in one week's time, has not yet been decided, but it is
widely expected to be in Germany, Switzerland or Austria. /Hürriyet/
[08] TURKEY TO ATTEND SUMMIT ON AFGHANISTAN'S FUTURE IN
WASHINGTON
Turkey is to attend a summit in Washington where
significant decisions on Afghanistan's future are expected to be
taken. During the summit which is expected to be held today, Turkey
will stress the necessity to establish a broad-based transitional
government for Afghanistan following the removal of the Taleban from
power in Kabul. A delegation chaired by Ambassador Turkekul Kurttekin,
the Turkish Foreign Ministry's Middle East Department
director-general, will represent Turkey at the summit. Turkey is
expected to warn the attendees not to privilege their own private
interests while taking decisions on Afghanistan's future. Among the
attendees are G-7 countries and representatives of the Organization
for the Islamic Conference (OIC). Turkey will stress the following
points: 1) There is a political vacuum which has to be filled as soon
as possible in Afghanistan. 2) Moderate Pashtuns should take part in
this new government. 3) Any UN peacekeeping force should be supported
by all countries. 4) Humanitarian aid must be delivered throughout
Afghanistan and economic aid will be necessary for re-building the
country. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] IZGI REPORTS CYPRUS SPAT IN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi returned to Turkey on
Sunday from a meeting at the European Parliament. "The meeting
was extremely useful," he said, except for a small incident over
the Cyprus issue. Izgi said his meetings with parliamentary speakers
of the participating countries revealed that these countries were in
consensus with Turkey that it should be accepted as an EU member.
/Turkish News/
[10] STATE MINISTER CAY GOES TO BASHKURDISTAN
State Minister Abdulhaluk Mehmet Cay has gone to
Bashkurdistan on an official visit. He told reporters before departing
that bilateral relations would be discussed and impetus added to
existing agreements. He is going as the official guest of Deputy Prime
Minister R.H. Garifullin and will visit the Krasnousolsk Sanatorium
currently under construction. /Turkish Daily News/
[11] DERVIS: "WE'VE PARTIALLY OVERCOME OUR
PROBLEMS"
State Minister for Economy Kemal Dervis said
yesterday that Turkey was nearly recovered from the shock of Sept. 11
and that its economic problems had been mostly overcome. After the
G-20 summit in Ottowa, Dervis told reporters that this year had not
been a good one generally, but that a certain stability was still
reachable. Dervis is expected to meet with international finance and
investment circles today in Washington and to brief them on recent
developments in the Turkish economy. /Turkiye/
[12] IMF DELEGATION TO VISIT TURKEY
Speaking from an international finance meeting in
Ottawa, Canada, Anna Krueger, International Monetary Fund (IMF) First
Deputy Chairman, said that an IMF delegation was scheduled to be sent
to Turkey at the beginning of December to discuss its financial
support. The delegation is expected to hold meetings in Ankara
concerning a new standby agreement and its final review this year.
/Turkiye/
[13] COAST GUARD BEEFS UP BOSPHORUS SECURITY
The Coast Guard Command has now established
"Coast Guard and Security Teams" (SAGET) for the Bosphorus
Straits. The SAGET teams will accompany tankers carrying LNG, LPG and
ammonia during their passage through the Bosphorus and will guard the
foreign military ships. The SAGET teams are expected to begin their
duty today with a ceremony to be attended by Interior Minister Rustu
Kazim Yucelen. /Cumhuriyet/
[14] OPTIMISM BOOSTS TURKISH MARKETS
Turkish financial markets rallied higher yesterday
on the back of optimism created by the prospects of a new IMF rescue.
In the wake of IMF Director Horst Koehler's statement last week that
he would recommend to the board that the Fund cover Turkey's financing
needs for next year, a highly optimistic mood has been dominating the
markets. Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) shares increased by an average
7.85 %. The IMKB national-100 index rose 892 points throughout two
sessions to close the day at 12,263 points amid the strongest trading
volume since February. /All Papers/
[15] ENVIRONMENT MINISTER TELLS OF MED CONFERENCE
Environment Minister Fevzi Aytekin has returned to
Turkey after attending the Mediterranean Action Plan 12th Contract
Signatories Conference in Monaco. Aytekin told reporters upon
returning yesterday that the conference had been attended by the
environment ministers of Mediterranean countries and had discussed
such topics as biological diversity, preservation of plant life,
prevention of sea pollution and the protection of marine mammals. He
said that he had dwelt at length on threats to the Bosphourus and that
a protocol on pollution in the Bosphorus had been agreed upon.
/Turkish Daily News/
[16] WHO FALL MEETING BEGINS IN ISTANBUL
The World Health Organization (WHO) Environment and
Health Committee has started its Fall 2001 Meeting in Istanbul.
Representing Turkey in the opening address yesterday, Health Ministry
Undersecretary Sefer Aycan said the meeting would discuss the National
Environmental Health Action Plan. The meeting will also cover the
"European Tourism, Environment and Health Program" for those
countries for whom tourism is important. /Turkish Daily News/
[17] SECOND NATIONAL CHILDREN FORUM BEGINS
The problems of children in Turkey are being
discussed during the Second National Children Forum which began in
Ankara yesterday. Addressing the meeting, Justice Minister Hikmet Sami
Turk took note of Nov. 20 World Children's Rights Day and said that
legal measures would be taken to halt child abuse. "Children's
problems will not end unless poverty and ignorance are defeated in
Turkey and worldwide," he said. State Minister Hasan Gemici also
noted that the meeting had convened to discuss problems concerning the
problems of implementation of the Children's Rights Contract.
/Turkiye/
[18] SYMPOSIUM TO DISCUSS TURKISH-ARMENIAN RELATIONS
Turkish-Armenian relations throughout history will
be discussed at a symposium in Ankara next week. The symposium
entitled "Turkish-Armenian History and Culture" will be held
at the National Library Auditorium on Nov. 27-28. _Cumhuriyet
[19] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS.. FROM THE
COLUMNS
[20] UNPRECEDENTED PROBLEMS BY HULKI CEVIZOGLU (SABAH)
Columnist Hulki Cevizoglu writes on the Cyprus
problem. A summary of his column is as follows: "As the attention
of the entire wold is turned towards Afghanistan, we should foregt the
important developments in Cyprus. It seems that the issue of Greek
Cypriot administration's EU membership will put the political problems
on the island in a lock. The EU membership of the Greek Cypriot
administration will increase the large gap between the two communties,
which is already high. The most important part of this membership is
implementing an economic embargo on Northern Cyprus which is already
suffering from the present one. In other words, this would amount to
an economic enosis (union with Greece). Turkey and the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cypus (TRNC) are fervently defending their
arguments but have been unable to convince anyone. International law
expert, Prof. Maurice H. Mendelson has prepared a report on the
solution to political problems in Cyprus, explaining the problems
which would be created by granting EU membership to the Greek Cypriot
administration. He stated that that the admittance of Southern Cyprus
to the EU would create serious and unprecedented problems. He states
that EU membership for the Greek Cypriot administration should not be
even mentioned before the island's political problems are solved. The
Greek Cypriots know full well that the present Constitution and the
Guarantee Agreement which keep the peace on the island are closing the
doors of EU membership. But they advance another argument, are
involving the 1955 treaty concerning the foundation of the Austrian
state. The countries which were party to the agreement did not use
their right to veto even though they could have, and they admitted
Austria to the EU. The Greek Cypriots want to use this example and
bypass the prohibiting provisions of the Guarantee Agreement. Prof.
Mendelson, makes other legal points as well. For example, when the
Greek Cypriot administration becomes an EU member, EU law should be
implemented on the island. However, this is not possible as the Greek
Cypriot administration does not have authority over the TRNC. Even if
the Greek Cypriots are admitted to the Union, neither the EU nor the
Greek Cypriot administration can fulfil their obligations towards each
other. Furthermore, the Guarantee Agreement -which is still valid-
forbids the entrance of the Greek Cypriot administration to the Union.
In such a case, the Cypriot Constitution which is guaranteed
internationally would be violated. Therefore the Turkish diplomats
have to work hard not to be faced with unprecedented problems."
[21] THE TURKISH MODEL BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen writes on the feasibility of
imposing the Turkish model on other Islamic countries. A summary of
his column is as follows: "In the West and particularlyi in the
US, both diplomats, and the press began to talk about the Turkish
model. In evaluations made following the Sept. 11 incidents and the
changes in Afghanistan, Turkey is pointed to as an example to Islamic
world. The reason why Turkey has achieved such an importance in the
eyes of the West is its secular state structure. This characteristic
is considered to be an alternative to the Islamic radicalism as
carried to the extremes by theTaleban. This also shows an important
change in US strategy. The US, which durign the Cold War supported
Islam and even Taleban ideology against the Soviets within the
framework of the 'green belt', is today supporting moderate Islam.
Former diplomat Nelson Ledsky, a leader at the National Democracy
Institute, stated that Turkey could be an attractive model for the
Islamic world in the post-Sept. 11 era and that Ankara could use this
as an opportunity and launch an initative to benefit from it. At
present, the US is working on this theme and stressing that there
cannot be a better model than Turkey in the Islamic world. As Ledsky
underlined, the reforms carried out in Turkey and particularly
secularism can be a source of inspiration for other predominantly
Muslim countries. Turkey's democratic evolution and its free market
economy together with initatives for development are among the several
encouraging factors. The only thing Ankara has to do is to explain
this structure better to the Islamic world, and establish closer
contacts with these countries in the fields of education, commerce,
and so on. It certainly is encouraging for Turkey to be accepted as a
role model. However, at the moment, it seems that only the US and the
West desire such a role and support it, more so than the Islamic
countries. We have yet to see articles on the issue in Arab or Islamic
newspapers. In fact, the wish to accept Turkey as a role model should
come from them. Some countries may be ruled by authoritarian regimes,
there may be fundamentalist groups which are loud in expressing their
views, and they may be opposed to the Turkish model. The
intelligentsia who favor democracy and a secular state structure
cannot raise their voices due to oppression. We must remember also
that there are waves in the Turkish system from time to time. These
political, social and economic tremors cast a shadow on the image we
are trying to create. Therefore, first and foremost, the Turkish model
has to be implemented soundly and developed right here, in Turkey
itself."
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