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Turkish Press Review, 01-11-23
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
23.11.2001
CONTENTS
[01] NEW CIVIL CODE COULD ALTER GENDER RELATIONS
[02] ECEVIT: "THE FARMERS ARE THE MASTERS OF THE NATION"
[03] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT HOLDS UP GOVERNMENT DECISION ON SENDING TROOPS
[04] CILLER: "EARLY ELECTIONS ARE NEEDED"
[05] TURKEY'S CONCERNS OVER ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN RELATIONS
[06] CYPRUS SUMMIT AT PRIME MINISTRY
[07] CLERIDES: "IT'S TIME FOR BARGAINING"
[08] DEMIREL: "DON'T LOSE EU TARGET"
[09] EU SYMPOSIUM BEGINS
[10] IRAQ ASKS TURKEY TO KEEP ITS ATTITUTE TOWARDS "SMART SANCTIONS"
[11] ENVIRONMENT MINISTER PUSHES FOR CLEAN INVESTMENTS
[12] DOGAN MEETS WITH SAKSKOBURGGOTSKI
[13] EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK: "WE'RE READY TO TAKE A ROLE IN TURKEY"
[14] OYAK MAKES OPERATIONAL REPORT PUBLIC FOR FIRST TIME
[15] OGER: "THIS WAS A GOLDEN YEAR FOR TURKISH TOURISM"
[16] GONEN ELECTED TO KIZILAY AND RED CROSS EXECUTIVE BOARD
[17] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[18] NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH RUSSIA BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[19] SOLUTION IN CYPRUS BY ALI SIRMEN (CUMHURIYET)
[01] NEW CIVIL CODE COULD ALTER GENDER RELATIONS
The Parliament finished the complete overhaul of the civil code on Thursday
and set the stage for a brand new relationship between men and women in
Turkey. The 75-year-old civil code which gave the upper hand to men was
scrapped and women were given equal rights and responsibilities with men.
However, married men still hold the upper hand at least until January 2003
in holding on to the wealth of the family acquired during marriage.
Men married before next year will still hold onto the family assets while
women and men married after January1, 2002, will have equal rights on the
wealth acquired during marriage. Women's associations vehemently oppose
special privileges for men married before 2002 and say either President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer should veto the article or the Constitutional Court
should annul it.
The Civil Code which consists of 1,030 articles was debated in 10 main
sections in Parliament for an entire month. The opposition Felicity Party
(SP) opposed the bill and tried to block it. In the final vote on Thursday,
the SP was the only part to vote against the new civil code.
The most-debated article of the code was its clause on how married couples
would share the wealth of the family. The Nationalist Action Party (MHP) is
a senior coalition partner, and the SP joined forces to secure a one-year
delay in the application of equal sharing of family wealth for couples
married before January 2002. the law bringing equality in sharing family
wealth will be valid for couples married after the new year. Couples
married before 2002 will have a year to decided which form of family wealth-
sharing they will opt for from now on. But the men will still own the
family wealth for any assets required before 2002.
Under the new law, such married couples will be required to opt for one of
four options. They will either agree to share the family wealth or share
the house, the car and the money they earned. The third option will be to
allow the couples to keep assets registered separately in their own names.
The fourth option is to make a premarital contract and specify the
conditions of sharing the family wealth.
Parliament is expected to debate a new law next week consisting of 25
articles on the application of the new civil code. The new law ends the
supremacy of men in several fields. In the new code men are no longer the
masters of the family. Women and men will have equal say and
responsibilities in the family. The old code allowed men to select where
the family would live. Now couples will decide jointly where to reside.
The legal minimum age for marriage will be 18 rather than 17 for men and 15
for women as in the old system. Married woman will be able to use their
maiden surnames along with their new surnames. Men will be able to change
their surnames to the surname of their wish through a court decision.
Couples will be free to take up any jobs or professions they want. However,
they will be required to take into account any job's benefit for the family
and ensure that it does not bring discomfort or complications to either of
the spouses.
Children born out of marriage will have he same rights as children born in
marriages. They will have equal rights regarding inheritance. The right to
adopt a chilled has been expanded. The minimum age for a couple for a
couple adopting a child has been lowered from 35 to 30 and couples who do
not have children will also be allowed to adopt.
Divorce cases will be held behind closed doors when one of the spouses
requested. If couples separate for six months, one of the parties can
automatically apply to the court for a divorce. Man will also be eligible
for alimony. If divorcing couples cannot agree on how to split their wealth
on who will have custody of the children, the judge will make the decision.
Surgical sex changes will be subject to court approval. Those who are over
the age of 18, single, who obtain a special health report, who have
transsexual tendencies and whose reproductive system is deficient may be
allowed to have a sex changed. Even then the approval of a doctor will be
sought. /Turkish Daily News-All Papers/
[02] ECEVIT: "THE FARMERS ARE THE MASTERS OF THE NATION"
Addressing yesterday's Democratic Left Party (DSP) group meeting, Prime
Minister Bulent Ecevit replied to recent criticisms from Motherland Party
(ANAP) Deputy Chairman Erkan Mumcu. Recalling Ataturk's famous saying, "The
farmers are the masters of the nation," Ecevit said, "Some people cannot
understand the true meaning of this remark." Concerning criticisms of the
village-city project, which is a development project proposed for rural
areas, Ecevit pointed to the first example of the project in the Black Sea
district of Mesudiye. He praised what had been achieved in Mesudiye, and
said that as a result of the project is work, the district would go through
a serious transformation within a year. "There are always some people who
try to put obstacles in front of the development of villages and villagers,
" Ecevit remarked. /Turkiye/
[03] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT HOLDS UP GOVERNMENT DECISION ON SENDING TROOPS
Turkey's Constitutional Court yesterday affirmed the government's stance on
sending troops abroad and foreign troops staying on Turkish soil.
Rejecting an appeal made by the Felicity Party ( SP ) representatives, the
court held up a decision taken by the Parliament on sending troops to
other countries to take part in conflicts or peacekeeping missions.
/Hürriyet/
[04] CILLER: "EARLY ELECTIONS ARE NEEDED"
True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller charged yesterday that Turkey's
recent economic crisis in Turkey stemmed from political and administrative
causes rather than economic ones, and added that to overcome this situation,
a new Political Parties and Elections Law should be passed and early
elections should be held soon. Speaking at the Civil Initiative Platform
meeting held by the DYP in Ankara with the attendance of various
nongovernmental organizations' representatives, Ciller compared national
economic data for 1994 and 2001, and pointed out that Turkey is the country
which owes the largest national debt to the International Monetary Fund
(IMF). Ciller claimed that Turkey's biggest problem was inadequate
production, and inconnection with that, inadequate exports. /Turkiye/
[05] TURKEY'S CONCERNS OVER ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN RELATIONS
This week Turkey expressed its concern over continuing struggles between
Israel and the Palestinians and requested that both parties work to reach
an agreement and establish peace in the region as soon as possible. Turkey
has been pleased with US Secretary of State Colin Powell's recent efforts
and stated that it would do its utmost to contribute to such efforts to
peace. Powell said this Monday that peace negotiations could not go forward
so long as the violence in the Middle East continued and announced that he
would send retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni to the region as his special
adviser. "The Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-finding Committee Report and Tenet Plan
are guides underlining all elements necessary for sustaining peace in the
region," said a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement. "Turkey supports the US
efforts and requests that the Palestinians and Israel act as responsible
parties in the interest of both their own peoples and the region. They
should take steps to break the vicious circle created by ongoing violence
and the lack of mutual trust in the Middle East. We call on both parties to
do their best for peace and stability. As in the past, Turkey will continue
to contribute to peace efforts." /Cumhuriyet/
[06] CYPRUS SUMMIT AT PRIME MINISTRY
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, Foreign Ministry
Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal and a number of high-level officials held a
meeting yesterday at the Prime Ministry to evaluate the Cyprus issue. A
meeting to be held between Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
President and Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides on Dec. 4 was discussed
during the meeting. Politicians stressed that Turkey should not make any
concessions on its basic arguments about Cyprus. In related news, President
Rauf Denktas is expected to visit Ankara this weekend to meet with
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer prior to his visit to Rome for a conference.
The Cyprus issue will also be taken up today at a closed parliamentary
session. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] CLERIDES: "IT'S TIME FOR BARGAINING"
Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides said yesterday that he expected his
Turkish Cypriot counterpart Rauf Denktas to abandon his "traditional
approaches," and in lieu of than expressing his views, to put forward some
ideas to bargain for a settlement on the eastern Mediterranean island. In
remarks to leading Turkish Cypriot newspaper "Kibris", Clerides claimed
that up to now Denktas has been attending talks with only one idea in mind:
To explain the Turkish Cypriot position. The Greek Cypriot leader said it
was now high time to open bargaining for a settlement. The United Nations
secretariat has announced that Alvaro de Soto, Secretary-General Kofi
Annan's special envoy, will be traveling to the Cyprus on Dec. 2 to attend
the scheduled Dec. 4 Denktas and Clerides summit meeting. /Turkish Daily
News/
[08] DEMIREL: "DON'T LOSE EU TARGET"
Former Turkish President Suleyman Demirel said yesterday that in order for
Turkey to become a full EU member it should continue to pursue the
membership process "without sulking" and should abide by the Copenhagen
criteria. After attending a meeting of the Balkans Political Club in
Brussels, Demirel briefed reporters at the airport before leaving Belgium.
On the matter of the European Security and Defense Policy ( ESDP ), Demirel
said that Turkey was completely in the right but would have to use
diplomacy and politics well in order to succeed in turning conditions to
its favor. /Turkish News/
[09] EU SYMPOSIUM BEGINS
A symposium on "A Cultural Approach towards The European Union" organized
by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts began in Istanbul
yesterday. State Minister Nejat Arseven remarked at the symposium that
Turkey must join the EU and should show its resolve to the European
countries. "The EU is aware of both the positive steps Turkey has taken and
the shortcomings it still has. The EU's stance should not be considered as
negative," he added. Meanwhile, Turkish Secretary-General for EU Affairs
Volkan Vural said that Turkey should refrain from biased and emotionally
charged discussions since the cultural dimension of Turkish-EU relations is
a sensitive issue. "If we join the EU, we can promote our culture in Europe,
" said Vural. "What the EU expects from the candidate countries is not to
change their religions or languages, but just to comply with the Copenhagen
criteria." /Cumhuriyet/
[10] IRAQ ASKS TURKEY TO KEEP ITS ATTITUTE TOWARDS "SMART SANCTIONS"
Iraq requested yesterday that Turkey continue its current attitudes towards
what the US administration has called "smart sanctions." Iraqi Foreign
Minister Naci Sabri said that the United Nations Security Council would
discuss the 11th term of Iraq's oil-for-food program and that he expected
the same attitude from Turkey toward this project as in previous years.
Sabri said that the "smart sanctions" harm not only Iraq but also its
neigbours, Turkey particular. /Turkish News/
[11] ENVIRONMENT MINISTER PUSHES FOR CLEAN INVESTMENTS
Environment Minsiter Fevzi Aytekin said yesterday that the world had seen
dramatic environmental developments of late, and that therefore all of
Turkey's new investments should be "environmentally friendly" and
incorporate emission control systems. "Unfortunately Turkey becomes more
like a deseert with each passing day. This summer we faced a terrible
drought," he observed. "Imagine a temperature increase of 4.5 degrees
Celsius. All segments of society must work for Turkey's future. From now on
Turkey should prepare comprehensive projects, because the European Union
and UN will give loans for projects which are environmentally friendly.
Companies must prepare environmental impact plans before the main
investment, in order to receive loans." /Turkish News/
[12] DOGAN MEETS WITH SAKSKOBURGGOTSKI
Bulgarian Prime Minister and former Bulgarian King Simeon Sakskburggotski
met yesterday with Dogan Holding Executive Board Chairman Aydin Dogan in
Sofia. Sakskoburggotski issued a call for Turkish businessman to invest in
Bulgaria. He added that Turkey and Bulgaria were on the same path towards
the European Union and that his country would provide facilities for
companies who want to invest in Bulgaria. For his part, Dogan said, "We
are ready to invest, and we're ready to cooperate with Bulgaria in order to
forge stronger financial ties between Turkey and Bulgaria." Additionaly
Dogan remarked that his company wants to invest in the media, tourism and
energy sectors. /Milliyet/
[13] EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK: "WE'RE READY TO TAKE A ROLE IN TURKEY"
European Investment Bank Deputy Chairman Ewald Nowotny said yesterday that
the bank was planning to increase its investments in Turkey and other
Mediterranean countries. We are ready to take a role in Turkey by working
with other European Union-based companies, he declared. Nowotny also
stated that the bank would increase loans to non-EU countries. /Milliyet/
[14] OYAK MAKES OPERATIONAL REPORT PUBLIC FOR FIRST TIME
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) Solidarity Institution, OYAK, has made its
operational report public for the first time ever. OYAK Executive Board
Chairman Y. Selcuk Saka, a retired general, said that making the report
covering the year 2000 public would provide better recognition and
understanding of the institution, and would allow the market to review
information about the institution's performance. OYAK General Director
Serif Coskun Ulusoy said that the goal of his administration was to make it
one of the most modern, efficient and profitable institutions in Turkey.
For that reason, the OYAK management team is continuously following
investments in the finance, telecommunications, energy, housing, and retail
sectors. OYAK reportedly earned TL 287 trillion in gross profits last year
and has a total of TL 643.17 trillion in assets and 12,572 employees.
/Turkiye/
[15] OGER: "THIS WAS A GOLDEN YEAR FOR TURKISH TOURISM"
Oger Tours Chairman Vural Oger yesterday characterized this year as a
"golden era" for Turkish tourism, calling it a "real miracle." Turkey
comes right behind Spain, the leading tourism nation, he added, rivals
Italy and Greece have lagged behind Turkey this year. "Turkey is now in
Europe's tourism champions league," he boasted. "Although the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks in the United States had an impact on tourism throughout
the world, Turkey overcame this crisis with minimal damage" /Turkish News/
[16] GONEN ELECTED TO KIZILAY AND RED CROSS EXECUTIVE BOARD
Turkish Kizilay (Red Crescent) Director General Ertan Gonen was elected to
the International Red Crescent-Red Cross Federation's Executive Board
during the federation's recent plenary session held in Cenevre. He will
hold the post for four years. /Turkiye/
[17] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[18] NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH RUSSIA BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen comments on Turco-Russian relations. A summary of his
column is as follows:
"Last week Foreign Minister Ismail Cem signed an 'action plan' in New York
with his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov. This plan entitled 'From
Bilateral Relations to Multi-dimensional Partnership' is envisaged for
Eurasia. Turkey and Russia will not only sustain bilateral relations but
also work together in Asia. They will raise their present relations to a
'strengthened constructive partnership level'. This accord shows that Turco-
Russian relations have really improved. The action plan has three
dimensions. First of all, the two countries are expected to cooperate in
the political arena in Eurasia. A consultation mechanism will be
established with this aim and it is expected to begin its activities as a
joint committee at the beginning of the year. This aim will be to discuss
various problems regarding Eurasia, determine joint strategies and search
for solutions jointly, and contribute to calm and peace in the region.
Certainly, the developments in Afghanistan have increased the importance of
such cooperation. Secondly, an economic partnership is proposed in Eurasia.
There are many things Turkey and Russia can accomplish in Central Asia in
addition to trade relations. Thirdly, this action plan lays the foundation
for the fight against terrorism. The mutual support and working hand-in-
hand of the two countries carries great importance when fighting
international terrorism has gained such priority. As foreign observers
point out, both Russia and Turkey have great influence in Eurasia. It is in
the benefit of both countries to use this influence harmoniously. It is
also true that Ankara and Russia do not always see eye-to-eye on every
issue. However this is not an obstacle to establishing a new mentality in
the Eurasian platform. Both Ankara and Moscow are aware that even though
they may think differently on certain issues, their interests lie in
solving problems and carrying out projects together."
[19] SOLUTION IN CYPRUS BY ALI SIRMEN (CUMHURIYET)
Columnist Ali Sirmen writes on the Cyprus problems and offers his
suggestions regarding the issue. A summary of his column is as follows:
"Today, Cyprus is not the most difficult problem awaiting a solution in the
international arena. It is clear that a solution to the problem should be
introduced in stages, and that relations could be improved in time as the
feeling of confidence between the two communities grows stronger. It is not
impossible to see the sides on Cyprus wanting to live together. The only
condition is that neither party should try to eliminate the other or to
ignore its presence. Turkish side should look for such a guarantee in any
formula for a solution. Everyone is aware that there can be no 'ethnic
cleansing' at present. The point to stress is that no party should be left
crippleld through economic or financial means. Measures must be taken to
avoid such a situation. Therefore, if the leaders of the two sides in
Cyprus meet around a table there is no reason not to open up a path for
solution. However, it is wrong to assume that the problem will be solved
only through the efforts of the two sides on the island. The same efforts
should be extended on both sides of the Aegean and their effects should be
seen on Cyprus. Unfortunately, the statement of the EU that it will admit
the Greek Cypriot administration it recognizes as the legal government of
the island to the Union has led that administration to ask why they should
make any concessions since de facto solution would be introduced by their
EU admission anyhow. The admittance of the Greek Cypriot administration to
an organization where all of the guarantor powers are not admitted is a
violation of law as it ignores the London and Zurich agreements which are
still valid. While issuing signals to one-side for admittance, the EU is
urging Turkey to solve the Cyprus issue and then ask for membership. It
should not be assumed that if the Cyprus problem is solved Turkey then
would be admitted to the Union. No responsible diplomat or a statesman can
act under such a presumption. However, it is time for Turkey to present new
policies. Even though thiis may not actually be the case, TRNC President
Denktas seems to be the greatest obstacle in the way of a solution.
Denktas must change his image and launch new initiatives which will display
the true intentions of the opposite side, and Ankara should help Denktas in
this process. It should be borne in mind that neither abandoning Cyprus
to the EU nor blocking Turkey's road to EU constitute a solution.."
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