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Turkish Press Review, 01-11-26
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
26.11.2001
CONTENTS
[01] MGK AND YAS MEETINGS
[02] ECEVIT'S STATEMENTS
[03] CEM: "ARMS EMBARGO MAY BE IMPOSED"
[04] TRT TO AID KABUL TV
[05] KIZILAY SENDS FOOD, BLANKETS TO AFGHANS
[06] IMPORTANT DAY FOR THE ESDP
[07] TURKEY-EU JOINT COMMISSION TO BE HELD IN ISTANBUL
[08] DENKTAS: "GREEK CYPRIOTS ARE DETERMINED"
[09] GUREL GOES TO NETHERLANDS FOR CITIES CONFERENCE
[10] TASAR BOOSTS ANKARA AS TOURISM DESTINATION
[11] HISTORY OF 700 YEARS TO BE EXHIBITED AT TURKISH
JEWISH'S MUSEUM
[12] YOUNG TURKISH BUSINESSMEN HOLD EU CONTACTS IN
BRUSSELS
[13] IFC EXTENDS LOAN TO ASSAN
[14] ANKARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL BEGINS
[15] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE
COLUMNS...
[16] DENKTAS EMERGES AS A PEACEMAKER BY ILNUR CEVIK
(TURKISH DAILY NEWS)
[01] MGK AND YAS MEETINGS
This week two important meetings will be held in
Ankara. The National Security Council (MGK) is scheduled to convene
tomorrow and the other meeting, the Higher Military Council's (YAS),
will convene on Nov. 30. The MGK, headed by President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer, will review the Turkish side's position in the run up to
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas' and
Greek Cypriot Administration leader Glafkos Clerides' first
face-to-face meeting on Dec. 4 in many years. Another major topic will
be recent developments in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem
will brief the MGK on his contacts in New York last week. The
possibility of a strike on Iraq will also be debated at the meeting.
The YAS meeting, headed by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, will convene
with the participation of all generals and admirals from the Turkish
Military Forces. The political-military situation and urgent needs of
the TSK will be taken up at the gathering. /Turkiye/
[02] ECEVIT'S STATEMENTS
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit appeared on TRT's
"Sunday Panorama" over the weekend program and expressed his
views on several topics. Concerning recent developments in Cyprus,
Ecevit said that if a solution along the lines proposed by the Greek
Cypriots and European Union was accepted, a new slaughter against
Turkish Cypriots would be quite likely. Stressing what he called the
West's mistaken view that the matter was Rauf Denktas' only, Ecevit
said, "This is Turkey's case. They are cheating
themselves...There is no difference between sacrificing a piece of
Turkish land and the TRNC. The TRNC is of vital importance not only
for the security of Turkish Cypriots but also for the security of
Turkey." Pointing to Turkish troops' military experiences, Ecevit
stated that they would also be successful in their duty in
Afghanistan. He remarked that an increase in the number of Turkish
troops sent there was possible and that doctors and teachers might
also join the troops. Concerning any possible strike against Iraq,
Ecevit said, "I hope that no strike is carried out near our
borders." /Turkiye-All Papers/
[03] CEM: "ARMS EMBARGO MAY BE IMPOSED"
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said yesterday
that Turkey may face an arms embargo because of its stance concerning
on Cyprus. Answering questions on news channel CNN Turk, Cem stated
that Turkey was ready to face any problems which may arise. He added
that if the Cyprus conflict couldn't be solved then Turkey and the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus would work towards an advanced
integration between the two. Cem stressed also that events on the
island prior to 1974 constituted proof of an attempted genocide.
/Milliyet/
[04] TRT TO AID KABUL TV
The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT)
is set to aid Kabul TV which was closed down by Afghanistan's Taleban
rulers six years ago. TRT Director General Yucel Yener responded to
Kabul TV Director Muhammed Alem Ýzzetyar's recent request for help by
telling him that TRT would do whatever it could. TRT's correspondent
in Kabul will soon meet with post-Taleban Afghan officials.
"Kabul TV has requested technical equipment such as cameras and
videocassettes," Yener said. TRT will provide them with such
equipment as soon as possible." Yener recalled that there had
been mutual cooperation between the two institutions in the years
before the Taleban takeover. /Milliyet/
[05] KIZILAY SENDS FOOD, BLANKETS TO AFGHANS
The Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) has sent 51 tons
of food and 6,000 blankets to some 15,000 Afghani refugees in two
camps. In a press conference in Iran over the weekend, Kizilay
Disaster Aid Program Director Omer Tasli said that Turkish teams had
delivered flour, sugar, rice , oil and blankets to the Makaki and 46th
Mile camps. He stated that the camps had been established in the
desert and that harsh conditions there made life difficult. The
Iranian Red Crescent is also carrying out aid programs in the camps
with Turkey, but the United Nations and other international aid
organizations should also participate in the program, he added.
/Turkish News/
[06] IMPORTANT DAY FOR THE ESDP
Within the framework of the European Security and
Defense Policy (ESDP), importance is attached to the initiatives to
establish a European army. An official from the British Ministry of
Foreign Affairs Peter Ricketss, who will be in Ankara today, will
demand that Turkey will give up its request of the right to veto. An
EU diplomat said, "Turkey is becoming more and more moderate
concerning the ESDP issue. The generals have been in a more positive
manner since May." /Sabah/
[07] TURKEY-EU JOINT COMMISSION TO BE HELD IN ISTANBUL
The 48th meeting of the Turkey-European Union Joint
Parliamentarians will be held in Istanbul today. During the meeting,
the perspectives of both parties on the current situation in
Turkish-EU relations and the post-Sept. 11 international environment
will be evaluated. The meeting, to be inaugurated by a speech from
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, is to last two days. /Turkish
Daily News/
[08] DENKTAS: "GREEK CYPRIOTS ARE DETERMINED"
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
President Rauf Denktas stopped over in Ankara yesterday prior to
flying on to Rome. At Esenboga Airport, Denktas answered questions
concerning his scheduled Dec. 4 summit with Greek Cypriot leader
Glafcos Clerides, saying, "If the news about Clerides I've
received through foreign diplomats is correct, we will evaluate."
Denktas reported that Clerides had accepted the meeting with
conditions and added, "This is because he doesn't want to come
out from behind the aegis of the United Nations, which has been
rescuing him for a long time. We see that they have no way out and
therefore we began to look for a solution. I hope the results will be
positive." Denktas declared that the Turkish Cypriots were even
more determined than they were in the period of 1963-74, prior to the
Turkish peace intervention, and added, "The Turkish Cypriots are
suffering from economic problems and they are trying to find a
solution, but they still want the TRNC's sovereignty, its rights and
Turkey's guarantorship." /Sabah/
[09] GUREL GOES TO NETHERLANDS FOR CITIES CONFERENCE
State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel has gone to the
Netherlands to participate in the International Conference of Cities.
Gurel's official visit to the Netherlands will be on Nov. 26-30 upon
the invitation of the Netherlands Greater Municipality and Minorities
Ministry member Van Boxtel. Gurel will make a speech on immigration
and integration during the conference, and will meet with
representatives of Turkish associations and federations, and lecturers
and students of the Turkology department of the Literature Faculty of
Leiden University. /Turkish News/
[10] TASAR BOOSTS ANKARA AS TOURISM DESTINATION
Tourism Minister Mustafa Tasar has announced an
"Ankara Project" initiative meant to bring more tourists to
Turkey's capital city, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.
Tasar told a press conference that his ministry wanted to present
Ankara's tourism potential to both domestic and foreign tourism
agencies and to breathe life back into Ankara's historical atmosphere.
He said that all institutions should work to support the project in
order to make Ankara a capital city befitting the groundwork laid by
Republic founder Ataturk. /Turkish Daily News/
[11] HISTORY OF 700 YEARS TO BE EXHIBITED AT TURKISH
JEWISH'S MUSEUM
The Seven Centuries Foundation Turkish Jewish
Museum, was opened with a ceremony at Istanbul's Zulfaris Synagogue
over the weekend. Among those attending the ceremony were Deputy Prime
Minister Mesut Yilmaz, First Army Commander Gen. Cetin Dogan, US
Ambassador Robert Pearson, Israeli Ambassador David Sultan, the
British Ambassador David Logan, French Ambassador Bernard Garcia and
representatives from the Jewish community. At the first Jewish museum
to be opened in a predominantly Muslim country, the Jewish people's
history is commemorated. Yilmaz said at the ceremony, "Our mutual
legacy of tolerance, justice and freedom of faith, which symbolizes
the Turks' and the Jews' common history, was hard to achieve but
maintaining it will be even harder." Yilmaz added that such
values were what the world needed most, particularly following the
Sept. 11 attacks. /Hurriyet/
[12] YOUNG TURKISH BUSINESSMEN HOLD EU CONTACTS IN
BRUSSELS
Association of Young Administrators and Businessmen
(GYIAD) deputy chairman Ipek Nur Cem, Cem Pensoy and Idil Mimaroglu
had meetings with EU representatives last week. The young
administrators met with representatives of the European Parliament,
European Commission and several nongovernmental organizations in
Brussels on Nov. 18-21 in order to represent Turkey and at the same
time to listen to EU critics of Turkey. Deputy Chairman Cem said
yesterday that EU representatives hope to establish better relations
with Turkish nongovernmental organizations. /Hurriyet/
[13] IFC EXTENDS LOAN TO ASSAN
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has
extended a loan amounting to 25 million US dollars to the Assan Demir
and Sheet Iron Industrial Ltd. Co. Assan Iron stated this weekend that
the loan would begin to be repaid in three years' time and that it had
a term of eight years. /Hurriyet/
[14] ANKARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL BEGINS
The 13th Ankara International Film Festival is set
to begin today. Directors, actors, movie critics and representatives
from cinema associations will arrive in Ankara on Nov. 30 to attend
the official opening ceremony. The festival will begin with the
National Short Film Contest today. /Cumhuriyet/
[15] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE
COLUMNS...
[16] DENKTAS EMERGES AS A PEACEMAKER BY ILNUR CEVIK
(TURKISH DAILY NEWS)
Ilnur Cevik comments on the Cyprus issue. A summary
of his columns is as follows: "President Rauf Denktas of the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has launched a genuine
peace offensive which may well be a turning point in the Cyprus
impasse. Both Denktas and his Greek Cypriot counterpart Glafcos
Clerides realize that if they do not take the initiative and 'do
something' soon, the problems that have been plaguing the island may
eventually mushroom into a major international crisis that may push
Turkey and Greece into confrontation, and no one wants this. The two
leaders will meet next week face to face in frank discussions for the
future of the island. This time the United Nations representative will
only be a 'guest' at the meeting and allow the two leaders to do the
talking. The two leaders should have done this long ago but it seems
they have realized the storm on the horizon and thus have to say
'better late than never.' Both Denktas and Clerides seem to have
realized that they have a historical responsibility. They do not want
to be the losers. They also do not want to be the men who would be
held responsible for a major conflict. When we look at the bottom
line, the accession of the Greek Cypriots to the European Union may be
regarded as a major victory at first sight, but the complications that
it may lead to may be disastrous. It would definitely lead to a
permanent division of the island, with the Turkish Cypriot side going
its own way and possibly being annexed by Turkey... Clerides does not
want to go down in history as the man who finalized the permanent
division of the island."
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