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Turkish Press Review, 02-01-03
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Press
& Information
Turkish
Press
Turkish
Press Review >>
Foreign
Press Guide
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
03.01.2002
CONTENTS
[01] PROGRAM SET FOR ECEVIT'S US VISIT
[02] TURKEY TO COMMAND AFGHAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN THREE
MONTHS
[03] TURK CRITICISIZES EU FOR APPLYING DOUBLE STANDARDS
[04] YILMAZ: "2001 HAS PAVED THE WAY FOR RADICAL
CHANGES"
[05] TURKEY TO SIGN AGREEMENT WITH AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA
[06] TURKEY'S POPULATION TOPS 67 MILLION
[07] WORLD BANK LOAN PLANNED TO CUSHION TURKEY'S NEEDIEST
[08] CENTRAL BANK ISSUES REPORT ON TURKISH ECONOMY
[09] 2001 EXPORTS INCREASE BY 14.2%
[10] BAD WEATHER WREAKS NATIONWIDE HAVOC
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE
COLUMNS...
[12] CAUGHT RED-HANDED BY SEMIH IDIZ (STAR)
[13] WAS THE EU DECEIVED? BY IZZET SEDES (AKSAM)
[01] PROGRAM SET FOR ECEVIT'S US VISIT
The official program for Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit's upcoming visit to the US was released yesterday. During the
visit to be held on Jan. 14-19, Ecevit is scheduled to meet with US
President George W. Bush as well as the chairmen of both the World
Bank and the IMF. Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and State
Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis along with a delegation of
Turkish businessmen will accompany Ecevit. The Turkish premier will
stay in the Blair House, which is part of the official White House.
/Turkiye/
[02] TURKEY TO COMMAND AFGHAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN THREE
MONTHS
French Defense Minister Alain Richard said
yesterday that the command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan,
the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), would pass to
Turkey after a period of three months. While on an official visit to
Pakistan, Richard stated that the ISAF would made up of British,
Turkish, German and French troops and that Britain would hand over the
command of the force to Turkey after three months. Additionally, the
number of soldiers in the ISAF is expected to reach 4,500 by end of
this month. /Turkiye/
[03] TURK CRITICISIZES EU FOR APPLYING DOUBLE STANDARDS
In a press conference yesterday, Turkish Justice
Minister Hikmet Sami Turk briefed reporters on the Finance Ministry's
schedule of activities for 2002. Turk noted that since the attention
had now turned to the effective implementation of recent
constitutional amendments adopted by the Turkish Parliament, enacting
harmonization laws in accordance with these amendments would be the
Finance Ministry's main target for the coming year. Remarking that the
devastating attacks in the United States and their aftermath had
proven the urgent need for redefining the concept of terrorism, Turk
criticized the European Union for applying double standards in its
fight against the terror menace. "EU countries fail to see
organizations which commit acts of terrorism outside Europe to be real
terrorists. This policy is both mistaken and unjust," said Turk.
"No matter which country it targets, any illegal organization
carrying out acts of terrorism must be labeled as terrorist. The EU
shouldn't turn a blind eye to the fact that these organizations are
real terrorists who are responsible for killing countless innocents
merely because the groups aren't active in EU countries. The members
of these organizations are terrorists, and they must be
punished." /Cumhuriyet/
[04] YILMAZ: "2001 HAS PAVED THE WAY FOR RADICAL
CHANGES"
Speaking to Turkish daily Milliyet yesterday,
Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party leader (ANAP) Mesut Yilmaz
said that 2001 had paved the way for radical changes for Turkey.
"This year will be a turning point for Turkey preparations for
its negotiation process with the European Union. Turkey's target
should be to start this negotiation process, otherwise its relations
with the EU will suffer," Yilmaz stated. He further remarked that
recent developments concerning the European Security and Defense
Policy (ESDP) and the Cyprus issue had effectively wiped away problems
between the EU and Turkey. Turkey should follow its economic and
National Program as planned over the curse of the year, and to be
successful in these programs the nation needs the support both the
Parliament and the coalition government, Yilmaz added. /Milliyet/
[05] TURKEY TO SIGN AGREEMENT WITH AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA
Turkey will soon sign a security agreement with
Azerbaijan and Georgia in the interests of maintaining its military
influence in the Caucasus region. The Prime News agency reported
yesterday. Turkish Ambassador to Baku Unal Cevikoz reportedly said
that this trilateral agreement would establish a coalition to fight
against international terrorism and drug smuggling. Cevikoz stated
that the agreement would be signed later this year, but added that the
date was not yet fixed. Cevikoz also said that Turkey could undertake
the construction of a military airport in Georgia just as it did in
Azerbaijan. /Milliyet/
[06] TURKEY'S POPULATION TOPS 67 MILLION
State Minister Tunca Toskay released yesterday the
results of the state census conducted in October 2000, revealing for
the first time that Turkey's population had topped 67.8 million.
According to the census, the 1990-2000 period saw Turkey's population
increase 1.83%, with the largest increase taking place in Marmara
region with the lowest in the Black Sea region. Istanbul's population
in 2000 exceeded 10 million while Ankara's was over 4 million. Toskay
also disclosed that the census had cost the state some TL 30 trillion.
/Turkiye/
[07] WORLD BANK LOAN PLANNED TO CUSHION TURKEY'S NEEDIEST
Meetings concerning a $6-9 billion World Bank loan
to Turkey under the bank's Country Aid Strategy (CAS) will reportedly
begin this year, WB officials said yesterday. The officials were
quoted as saying that Turkey had begun to successfully implement its
economic program in 2001 and that the loans would be targeted to
protect society's neediest from being damaged by the program. If the
WB approves the CAS funds, the loan will be disbursed over a period of
three years, from 2003-2005. /Aksam/
[08] CENTRAL BANK ISSUES REPORT ON TURKISH ECONOMY
The Central Bank released its official monetary
policy for 2002 yesterday, the first working day of the new year. The
CB's report entitled "Monetary and Foreign Currency Policy and
Possible Developments in 2002" reported that the system of
floating foreign currency would continue this year and that a policy
focusing on next quarter's inflation would be pursued. The report
further stated that all the targets towards ensuring financial
discipline and reconstruction would be met. The report went on to
emphasize that the political and economic chaos seen in Argentina had
occurred because that country failed to implement necessary economic
reforms, and stated that Turkish markets were now in a better
situation thanks to contacts held with the IMF and the reforms enacted
at the end of last year. /Sabah/
[09] 2001 EXPORTS INCREASE BY 14.2%
Exports last year increased by 14.2% when compared
to 2000, to reach an annual total of $31.63 billion annually, the
Turkish Exporters' Union announced yesterday. The industrial sector
made $25.6 billion in exports last year, and the agricultural sector
made $4.8 billion, the union added. /Sabah/
[10] BAD WEATHER WREAKS NATIONWIDE HAVOC
Turkey has been suffering from heavy snowfall and
bad weather conditions since the early days of the new year. Life came
to a standstill over the last two days in most cities and villages
throughout the country. Schools were closed in Istanbul and Ankara
yesterday and remained closed today. Bad weather caused hitches in
transportation and traffic, even while government crews worked hard to
keep main roads open. /All Papers/
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE
COLUMNS...
[12] CAUGHT RED-HANDED BY SEMIH IDIZ (STAR)
Columnist Semih Idiz writes on stance of the EU in
releasing a list of terrorist groups, which fails to include the PKK
or the DHKP-C. A summary of his column is as follows:
"Nationalist Action Party (MHP) deputy Chairman Seket Bulent
Yahnici is right in crying out that the exclusion of the PKK and
DHKP-C from the new terrorist organizations list prepared by the EU is
scandalous. The four EU ambassadors I have spoken to on the issue were
unable to supply any clear answer to my questions. Their main argument
was that the decisions were arrived at by a consensus process in the
EU and that if even one of the countries was opposed to it, no
agreement could be reached on the subject. It doesn't take to be a
genius to guess who has opposed defining the PKK as a terrorist
organization. First of all, Greece can be cited as the main proponent
of this view. However, the Greek stance must be viewed as a result of
the eternal rivalry between our two countries. For example, sympathy
for the Kosovo Liberation Force in Europe cannot be seen in Greece,
which feels closer to that region's Serbs. Therefore, they can at
least be regarded as honest in expressing their enmities. On the other
hand, other countries can be classified under a group falling prey to
their historical prejudices. Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and
Belgium can be put at the top of this list. None of the officials or
for that matter members of civil society in these countries I have
spoken to are ready define the PKK as a terrorist organization. For
them, this murderous organization is an "inevitable"
phenomenon which emerged as a result of the desperate situation of the
Kurdish people. In fact, they pronounce these opinions on the issue
through a conditioned reflex. When they feel to be cornered, they say
that these organizations are not committing any crimes on their
territory. When asked, is not the IRA a phenomenon emerging from the
desperate situation of the Northern Irish Catholics, they struggle to
give answers through every means possible without realizing the
hypocrisy they are showing. The DHKP-C came into the spotlight with
the prison hunger-strikes and its members immediately became people to
be 'protected' from the Turks. In short, these countries have been
caught red-handed. They have surrendered to their prejudices on issues
which they cannot explain reasonably. What should Turkey do in view of
these developments? I believe that those who excluded the PKK and
DHKP-C from the list of terrorist organizations are trying to force
Turkey to act illogically and thereby find an excuse for their own
unreasonable behavior. However, this stance cannot be accepted by all
EU member states, as there are countries, which have banned the
activities of the PKK and DHKP-C on their own territory. They are
distressed right now not because of Turkey, but because they believe
that the global war on terror led by the US will be weakened and could
backfire due to these double standards. Washington is angry at the
vacillatating stance of the EU as it has excluded certain people and
organizations defined as terrorists by the US. There is not a solid
bloc against Turkey. There are countries like Britain, Germany and
Spain which understand the situation Turkey is in. Therefore I believe
that at every possible opportunity, Turkey should resolutely declare
to the offending countries how wrongheaded their behavior is. This
should be accomplished with the support of friendly, like-minded
countries as well as constant pressure through diplomatic channels.
Reason and ethics are the sources of our strength."
[13] WAS THE EU DECEIVED? BY IZZET SEDES (AKSAM)
Columnist Izzet Sedes writes on the recently
released EU list of terrorist organizations which excluded the PKK and
the DHKP-C. A summary of his column is as follows: "The exclusion
of the PKK, which wants to establish a Kurdish state on our territory,
and the religious reactionary DHKP-C, which would like Turkey to turn
into a fundamentalist Islamist state, from the list prepared by the EU
has given rise to reaction in our country. Sometimes the Europeans can
be very naive. Occasionally they believe in causes which are far from
the truth, and it is very hard to shake their belief. The PKK and the
DHKP-C can viewed within this perspective. There are more than 3
million Turks living in Europe. In order to be granted asylum by the
country they are living in, they have to say that they have been
subject to abuse or torture in their own country. Turks are giving
petitions to foreign lawyers specialized in these issues and signing
documents in a language without really knowing what is written, just
so that they can be granted asylum. Furthermore, there are many
Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin or fundamentalists living in the EU
countries who are deliberately repeating certain arguments, slandering
Turkey to the politicians and everyone else. However, Turkish
politicians and statesmen are not giving sufficient information on the
issue to their counterparts when they meet. They expect the
ambassadors to deal with the matter but the ambassadors cannot see the
ministers or other politicians in the country they are serving as
easily as can those in Turkey. That is why Foreign Minister Ismail Cem
must inform his colleagues either by phone or in face-to-face meetings
in detail regarding the issues and try to convince them also by
seeking the help of friendly countries. It would be wrong to depend
solely on the US to convince them. The Europeans don't like
intervention by the US or other parties into their affairs. We must
learn the cause lying behind their exclusion of these terrorist
organizations from the list, and then act accordingly."
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