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Turkish Press Review, 01-11-21
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
21.11.2001
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER ASKS FOR AMENDMENT TO ELECTIONS AND POLITICAL PARTIES LAW
[02] SEZER MARKS THE WORLD CHILDREN'S RIGHTS DAY
[03] TURKEY SETS OUT CONDITION FOR TURKISH TROOPS
[04] BUSH: "TURKEY UNDERSTAND US BETTER"
[05] BAHCELI CRITICIZES EU
[06] PEARSON MEETS KARAKOYUNLU
[07] TASAR: "THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT TURKEY IS SAFE"
[08] SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN EDUCATION MINISTERS MEET
[09] MEETINGS CONVENE ON AFGHANISTAN'S FUTURE
[10] DERVIS: "THE $10 BLN IS A NEW SOURCE"
[11] OECD: "ECONOMIC REVIVAL WILL TAKE TIME AND DEBT"
[12] NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE MEETINGS BEGIN
[13] PKK-ASALA COOPERATE TO TRAIN TERRORISTS
[14] GEN. TURGUT LEAVES FOR TASHKENT
[15] TURKEY SUPPORT BIOWEAPONS TREATY
[16] ROMANIAN LAND FORCES COMMANDER VISITS TURKEY
[17] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[18] LESSONS FROM THE BALKANS BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[19] IS THE WAR OVER IN AFGHANISTAN? BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)
[01] SEZER ASKS FOR AMENDMENT TO ELECTIONS AND POLITICAL PARTIES LAW
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer received a delegation of Turkish Confederation
of Employer Association (TISK) executive board members, headed by Refik
Baydur yesterday. During the meeting, Sezer reportedly said that
comprehensive amendments to the Constitution and Elections and Political
Parties Law (EPPL) were needed. Sezer remarked that early elections would
not be useful to Turkey under current conditions. Meanwhile, True Path
Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller visited Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi
yesterday and asked him to use his authority to push for amendments to the
EPPL soon. Ciller said that the DYP was ready to compromise on all topics,
except that of lowering the 10% threshold for political parties to be
represented in Parliament. /Turkiye/
[02] SEZER MARKS THE WORLD CHILDREN'S RIGHTS DAY
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer issued a message yesterday for the occasion of
the World Children's Rights Day and the Second National Children's Forum.
Receiving a delegation of 81 children at the Cankaya Presidential Palace
yesterday, Sezer said, "Children should be provided with a healthier
atmosphere and their needs should be met in a more modern manner, if Turkey
hopes to reach its targets for the future. They are the hope of our world.
Since they are Turkey's most precious national asset, they should be raised
in a peaceful atmosphere, and any kind of violence or oppression against
them should be eliminated. It's the common responsibility of all nations to
make a world where love, peace and tolerance suffuse the life of children."
/Cumhuriyet/
[03] TURKEY SETS OUT CONDITION FOR TURKISH TROOPS
Turkey has sent the message through its Foreign Minister Ismail Cem that
Turkey's only condition for sending troops to Afghanistan is that they take
part in the in the military decision-making mechanism. Cem who is currently
in New York following this year's delayed UN General Assembly sessions, met
with US and other representatives in the Afghan situation and stressed to
them that "If Turkey sends any troops to Afghanistan, they should have the
vanguard role." According to
Cem, if Turkish troops are given second or third position in Afghanistan
then none will be sent.
/Hürriyet/
[04] BUSH: "TURKEY UNDERSTAND US BETTER"
US President George W. Bush yesterday expressed his gratitude to Turkish
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit by saying that Turkey is one of the countries
which understands us best. Bush said that Turkey's support in the fight
against terrorism was very important for the United States. This is the
third time that Bush has taken the time out to single Turkey out for praise
since the Sept. 11 attacks. Additionally, Bush yesterday gave a dinner for
Muslim ambassadors in Washinghton in honor of Ramadan and Turkish
Ambassador Faruk Logoglu attended the occasion. Addressing the state dinner,
Bush remarked that "terrorist doesn't belong to any religion." Bush also
said that he was very pleased by the support shown by Muslim countries in
the fight against terrorism.
/Hürriyet/
[05] BAHCELI CRITICIZES EU
Deputy Prime Minister and the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) Chairman
Devlet Bahceli evaluated recent developments concerning Turkey's accession
period to the European Union. Charging that the EU was pursuing
hypocritical and biased policies in its relations with Turkey, Bahceli said,
"Countries which apply double standards in the fight against terrorism
shouldn't dare to try to give lessons about democracy or human rights to
Turkey." Criticizing President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's and Deputy Prime
Minister Mesut Yilmaz's recent statements on the EU Progress Report,
Bahceli said, "Supporting the EU's stance or calling it "objective" ignores
the EU's insincerity in its policies towards Turkey." Remarking that Turkey
has yet to receive as much support as it has lent to its Western allies to
date, Bahceli said that Turkey was much more sincere than the EU regarding
the steps it takes and the sacrifices it makes. "Most European countries
continue to persist in embracing terrorists who are the enemies of Turkey.
When these European countries demonstrate their failure to learn any
lessons from the Sept. 11 attacks, this shows just how right is Turkey in
its concerns." /Cumhuriyet/
[06] PEARSON MEETS KARAKOYUNLU
Meeting with State Minister Yilmaz Karakoyunlu yesterday, US Ambassador to
Turkey Robert Pearson asked him what sort of changes were being made
regarding the Bill on Privatization. Pearson stated that the Privatization
Bill was one of the most important elements of Turkey's National Programme.
The bill proposes changes the authority of the Privatization Board and in
certain laws such as the Law on Forestation and the Law on Coasts. Pearson
reportedly argued that the importance of privatization should be explained
to the Turkish people in detail. Karakoyunlu for his part stated that the
bill proposed a more liberal system concerning privatization and bidding
methods. "Foreign institutions will be able to participate in bids
concerning privatization. Such bids will be open to everyone. We are
planning to send the bill to Parliament at the beginning of December."
/Cumhuriyet/
[07] TASAR: "THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT TURKEY IS SAFE"
Tourism Minister Mustafa Tasar said yesterday that there had been no
decrease in the number of American tourists visiting Turkey this year.
After meeting with US Ambassador Robert Pearson, Tasar said that their
meeting had been aimed at enhancing the cooperation between Turkey and the
US. "We should bolster promotional campaigns along with travel agencies to
bring more American tourists to Turkey. We should also organize activities,
conventions, fairs and exhibits between Turkey and the US," he said.
Pearson added that the US would continue to support Turkey in the field of
tourism as in others. "I wish that more American people would visit Turkey.
The US government hasn't issued any warnings about visiting Turkey for
tourism purposes," said Pearson. Upon being asked about Iraq, Pearson
stated, "We haven't talked with the Turkish government about Iraq. We might
need Turkey's help on the issue. The US expects Turkey to play a
significant role in the operations in Afghanistan and in further steps in
fighting terrorism." /Cumhuriyet/
[08] SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN EDUCATION MINISTERS MEET
Education Minister Metin Bostancioglu has stated that more importance
should be paid to getting the facts right in history books. Bostancioglu
gave a speech yesterday on "The future of regional cooperation in education,
" at the European education ministers meeting in Strasbourg. He stated that
important decisions had been taken for cooperation in education. He
indicated that Turkey shared common historical and cultural values with the
Balkan countries, and that great efforts should be made to make the region
a peaceful and stable one. /Turkish News/
[09] MEETINGS CONVENE ON AFGHANISTAN'S FUTURE
A meeting began in Washington yesterday with an initiative of the US and
Japan on the political future of Afghanistan. In addition to Turkey,
representatives from Canada, Germany, Russia, Britain, Italy, France, Saudi
Arabia, the European Union, European Committee, the Organization for the
Islamic Conference, the United Nations, the Asian Development Bank and the
Islamic Development Bank are attending the meetings. /Turkiye/
[10] DERVIS: "THE $10 BLN IS A NEW SOURCE"
State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis said yesterday that $10 billion
in additional financing from International Monetary Fund
(IMF) is a completely new source for Turkey. After meeting with IMF
director Horst Kohler Dervis told reporters that Turkey's economic status
is seen positively in the US, adding Turkey would pay back a $5 billion
Supplementary Reserve Facility to the IMF next year. "This is a positive
development for us, because that $5 billion was expensive, we are getting
rid of these expensive loans, he commented. "This is a new program for us,
and implementing this program is much better than trying to gain something
by delaying repayment of that $5 billion."
/Hürriyet/
[11] OECD: "ECONOMIC REVIVAL WILL TAKE TIME AND DEBT"
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development released its
regular biannual report yesterday. The report stated that the Turkish
coalition government would have to take important measures to counter the
current economic crisis and that the economy's revival would take time as
well as additional debt. It also said that the Sept. 11 attacks would
affect Turkey's tourism sector negatively. Because of this, it added,
upcoming additional financing from the International Monetary Fund would be
very important and useful for the revival of the Turkish economy.
/Hürriyet/
[12] NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE MEETINGS BEGIN
The NATO's Military Committee's 144th ordinary meetings began in Brussels
yesterday. The committee is NATO's highest military decision-making body
and it is comprised of the chiefs of general staffs of NATO's 19 member
countries. During the meeting, Turkey is being represented by a delegation
headed by Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu. Proposed topics
for the meetings are recent developments in the Balkans, and in Afghanistan,
as well as European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) and NATO -Russian
military cooperation. /Turkiye/
[13] PKK-ASALA COOPERATE TO TRAIN TERRORISTS
The terrorist organizations, the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) and ASALA,
have reportedly signed an agreement concerning the training of terrorists
in northern Iraq. Simon Zakarian a leader of the Armenian terrorist ASALA
group,has agreed with the PKK to train 110 of its militants on suicide and
close combat techniques. /Turkiye/
[14] GEN. TURGUT LEAVES FOR TASHKENT
In the wake of Gen. Hasan Kabas' recent visit to Uzbekistan, a delegation
headed by Gen. Resat Turgut left for Tashkent yesterday. The delegation is
scheduled to meet with US authorities as well as Uzbek defense minister and
members of Uzbekistan's National Security Council. The US has asked Turkey
in recent days to help bring Uzbek military facilities up to NATO
standards. /Sabah/
[15] TURKEY SUPPORT BIOWEAPONS TREATY
Turkey fully supports a supplementary protocol to the Biological Weapons
Treaty designed to ensure compliance with developing technology and
strengthen its verification and control mechanisms. Turkey signed the
original treaty in 1972 and ratified it two years later, and is one of 144
ratifying countries represented at a series of meetings which began in
Geneva yesterday. In the wake of the anthrax attacks in the United States,
the Biological Weapons Treaty has been in the spotlight again. The talks
are expected to last for three weeks. /Turkish Daily News/
[16] ROMANIAN LAND FORCES COMMANDER VISITS TURKEY
Romanian Land Forces Commander Gen. Eugene Badalan visited his Turkish
counterpart Gen. Hilmi Ozkok yesterday. Ozkok said that the Turkish Land
Forces were trying to establish a high-level military training process with
Romania. /Turkish Daily News/
[17] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[18] LESSONS FROM THE BALKANS BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen writes on the positive developments in the Balkans,
which until recently were a stage for violence and tension. A summary of
his column is as follows:
"In general, good news don't attract as much attention as bad news.
Therefore the recent positive developments in Macedonia and Kosovo have
gone unnoticed. Only a few months ago the spectacle of these two Balkan
states sinking into chaos was the focus of international attention. That is
why the good news coming from Skopje and Pristina should be welcomed with
pleasure. Amendments to the Constitution in Macedonia and the parliamentary
elections in Kosovo show that it is possible to halt the violence stemming
from ethnic and religious differences, revive the mosaic structure of the
region and re-establish the peace. The lessons to be learnt from the
Balkans should be a source of inspiration for countries where similar
frictions are present. Last week the present Macedonian Constitution was
amended and a measure of autonomy was granted to the Albanians, who form
one-third of the population. A new Constitution which recognized Macedonia
as a republic formed by the Albanian and Macedonian peoples was passed. In
Kosovo, the Democratic Union- a party headed by a moderate politician of
Albanian origin, Ibrahim Rugova- won the parliamentary elections.The
choice of a moderate party over radical nationalist, political groups
shows the desire of the people for peace. In his heart of hearts, Rugova
would like total independence for Kosovo. However, the UN resolution and
the special conditions Kosovo is in now will not permit this for the
moment. Kosovo will remain an autonomous region for three more years
within the Yugoslavian state with its own administration. Probably Rugova
will head a coalition government in Kosovo. These developments concern
Turkey closely. Turkey wants the establishment of peace and stability in
the Balkans. Turkish diplomacy has spent great efforts to this end.
Therefore it is only natural that it is pleased with the results. Another
fact which increases our satisfaction is that both the amendments to the
Constitution in Macedonia and the elections in Kosovo have strengthened the
status of Turks living in these countries. "
[19] IS THE WAR OVER IN AFGHANISTAN? BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)
Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on recent developments in Afghanistan. A
summary of his column is as follows:
"It is being said that the United States has achieved results in
Afghanistan. This idea may be accepted as a fact, as the end of the war
seems certain. The fate of the Taleban is also certain. It will retreat to
the mountains and continue hit-and-run attacks as long as it can endure
hunger. The situation of Al-Qaida is no different, but only in Afghan
territory... Otherwise, it will not abandon its deranged ideology which has
left the Islamic world in a difficult situation. Al-Qaida has spies
scattered worldwide, and they may be engaged in actions in any country at
any time. Meanwhile, a new government will be formed in Afghanistan. United
Nations forces will be deployed in the country. The US will get bases, but
the rest is totally unknown. Ethnic groups will not only fight against each
other but keep on waging armed struggles amongst themselves. There were so
very many casualties during Afghanistan's civil wars, the number of
civilians who died during the US bombardment is nothing compared to them.
There are at least 20 organizations armed to the teeth within the country.
Almost all of them are fundamentalist, a majority are the defenders of the
nationalistic views of some tribes, and some have connections in foreign
countries. It shows us that conditions may change drastically through
history's turn when we see one of the smightiest countries from the 16th
centuries now reduced to a state of a mere confederation of tribes. Turkey
will do everything in its power to bring Afghanistan in step with modern
times, to help it achieve peace and to better utilize its resources."
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