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Turkish Press Review, 02-03-01
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
01.03.2002
CONTENTS
[01] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RECOGNIZES SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ALLEGATIONS
[02] FOREIGN MINISTRY, YILMAZ CRITICIZE EP DECISIONS
[03] POLITICAL PARTIES IN TURKISH GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (TGNA) RELEASE JOINT STATEMENT CONDEMNING EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT'S SO-CALLED "GENOCIDE"RECOGNITION
[04] EP VOICES SUPPORT FOR HADEP
[05] FUTURE PRESIDENTS TO BE ELECTED FROM WITHIN PARLIAMENT
[06] TURKEY TO COMMAND AFGHAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE
[07] ECEVIT: "INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WANTS US TO LEAD AFGHAN FORCE"
[08] AZNAR LAYS OUT CONDITIONS FOR TURKEY'S EU NEGOTIATIONS
[09] LAW PREPARED TO COUNTER PKK POLITICIZATION DRIVE
[10] MINISTERS SUPPORT MILK CAMPAIGN
[11] CIVILIAN DEFENSE ORGANIZATION'S ESTABLISHMENT COMMEMORATED
[12] SECOND ROUND OF CYPRUS TALKS TO BEGIN TODAY
[13] MARMARA CITIES FEEL EARTHQUAKE
[14] IMF DELEGATION TO VISIT TURKEY IN MARCH
[15] TURKS MAKE FORBES BILLIONAIRES LIST
[16] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[17] THE REAL BARGAINING IS STARTING BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[18] EU'S ACTION DOES NOT BEFIT A FRIEND BY RAHIM ER (TURKIYE)
[01] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RECOGNIZES SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ALLEGATIONS
During its General Assembly meeting yesterday in Brussels, the European
Parliament (EP) passed by a wide majority the Caucasus Report a document
which includes allegations concerning a so-called Armenian genocide. In its
decision, the EP asked Turkey to take steps in line with its desire to
become an EU member. Recalling a previous 1987 EP decision which recognized
the so-called Armenian genocide and called upon Turkey to recognize it as
well, the new decision says that Turkey should take a compromising stance.
The Caucasus Report claims that Turkey is a threat to Armenia since it
supports Azerbaijan and also that Turkey's EU membership process could be
used as an opportunity to apply pressure on this country. /All Papers/
[02] FOREIGN MINISTRY, YILMAZ CRITICIZE EP DECISIONS
The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement yesterday criticizing the
EP's approval of allegations of a so-called Armenian genocide. Stating that
parliaments should refrain from making unilateral and political evaluations
of historical events, the statement declared that history should be left to
the historians. It also said that the decision could only hamper efforts to
improve Turkish-EU relations. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz
said that the EP's decision was both unreasonable and invalid. While in
Brussels to attend the EU Convention meetings, Yilmaz evaluated the two
decisions taken by the EU yesterday regarding the so-called Armenian
allegations and the other a call for Turkey not to investigate or ban
HADEP. "The EP is a forum where Turkey has lacked both representation and a
proper chance to express its views," he said. Turkey has always said that
parliaments are political bodies, which have no place passing judgment on
history. However, the Armenian lobbies are always eager exploit such
bodies." Yilmaz also recalled that two years ago the EP also included such
allegations in Turkey's report, but that proposals in line with those
allegations were purposely excluded from the 2001 report. "Such
contradictory stances and decisions cast a shadow over the EP's credibility
and consistency," he remarked. Regarding the HADEP investigation case,
Yilmaz said that it was an internal judicial matter, which should not be
interfered with. /All Papers/
[03] POLITICAL PARTIES IN TURKISH GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (TGNA) RELEASE
JOINT STATEMENT CONDEMNING EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT'S SO-CALLED "GENOCIDE"RECOGNITION
All the political parties represented in the Turkish Grand National
Assembly (TGNA), or Parliament, released a joint statement on Thursday
condemning a decision taken by the European Parliament concerning the so-
called Armenian genocide. Parliament Deputy Speaker Yuksel Yalova read out
the joint statement in which political parties expressed their regret over
the European Parliament's resolution which included allegations supporting
baseless Armenian claims. The joint statement signed by all the political
parties in TGNA reads as follows: ''The European Parliament composed of
parliamentarians elected from 15
European countries is known as an esteemed institution. Its adopting
baseless Armenian claims by ignoring well-known historical facts and
accepting a resolution harming Turkish history, state and nation will stain
only those taking this decision. This decision does not have any basis, and
unfortunately, it is not the first demonstration of an unfair attitude of
the European Parliament towards Turkey. However, the European Parliament's
taking such a decision at the same date as it opens the European Convention
which was convened to discuss the future of the European Union with the
participation of Turkish parliamentarians, constitutes a clear and
unacceptable intention. If this shameful action against Turkey, which has
been exerting great efforts and making sacrifices with its all institutions,
especially in its Parliament and its public opinion to become a full member
of the EU, is meant to make Turkey abandon its target of full EU
membership, we consider it our duty to declare that you have made a serious
mistake and that you will fail. History cannot be distorted with arbitrary
decisions. The attitude displayed at the European Parliament against Turkey
which for over 40 years since the days of the Cold War has been exerting
great efforts within the scope of joint defense frameworks in order to
protect the freedom and territorial integrity of those taking this unfair
decision against us, is extremely distressing. This decision will not help
them. We hope that archives will be opened to the historians one day, and
historians will reveal facts that will bring shame to those taking this
decision. The TGNA's response to the arbitrary decision of the European
Parliament will be historical facts. The facts are in our favor." The
statement received a standing ovation from the MPs. Meanwhile, Yalova
denied allegation of the European Parliament rapporteur saying that Turkish
Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk recognized the so-called ''Armenian
genocide'' in a speech to TGNA on April 10, 1921. Yalova said, ''the TGNA
convened on April 9 and 11 of that year, but no session was held on April
10. The record proves this.'' Yalova further pointed out that no such
speech had been given on April 9 or 11 either.
[04] EP VOICES SUPPORT FOR HADEP
The European Parliament (EP) passed by a wide margin yesterday a bill on
"Human Rights in Turkey." In the bill, the EP voiced its opposition to
investigations into the Peoples' Democracy Party (HADEP), saying, "HADEP
has struggled for Kurdish civil rights in Turkey and it refuses to be
linked with the PKK and other terrorist organizations." The bill calls upon
Turkey to stop investigations into HADEP. The report underlined that Turkey
could advance in its EU membership process only if it respects basic human
rights and fully implements the Copenhagen criteria. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] FUTURE PRESIDENTS TO BE ELECTED FROM WITHIN PARLIAMENT
The Interparty Reconciliation Commission agreed yesterday to
procedural changes stipulating that future Turkish Republic presidents be
elected from within the ranks of Parliament members and cannot serve more
than one term. The Commission had a three-hour meeting headed by Deputy
Parliament Speaker Yuksel Yalova. Under the Commission's decision, future
presidents could not be elected from outside Parliament. The Interparty
Reconciliation Commission also agreed that the president could only be
elected once, and that his term should probably be reduced from 7 years to
5. On the latter issue, however, no final decision was taken, and it will
be discussed next week. The commission also decided that the president will
no longer have the right to appoint the members of the Constitutional Court,
one-third of the members of the Council of State, the chief prosecutor of
the Court of Cassation and his deputy, the members of the military supreme
court, or the members of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors.
/Star/
[06] TURKEY TO COMMAND AFGHAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE
A difference of opinion between Turkey and Germany on the leadership of the
International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan was
solved yesterday. Under the agreement reached, Turkey will be the General
Commander of the peacekeeping force and Germany will head the ISAF's
Central Operations. /Hurriyet/
[07] ECEVIT: "INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WANTS US TO LEAD AFGHAN FORCE"
Speaking at his party's parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Prime
Minister Bulent Ecevit said that the US, England, France and NATO, all
insisted that Turkey should assume command of the peacekeeping force in
Afghanistan and that British Prime Minister Tony Blair had accepted
Turkey's conditions for doing so. Britain currently heads the force. Ecevit
added, "Obviously, they all find it appropriate that Turkey, a respected
country within the Islamic world which has reconciled Islam with modernity,
will take up this duty. Hamid Karzai, the head of Afghanistan's temporary
administration, also phoned to express his support for our command." Ecevit
further said that Blair told him that US President George W. Bush would
also support Turkey's leadership." /Milliyet/
[08] AZNAR LAYS OUT CONDITIONS FOR TURKEY'S EU NEGOTIATIONS
Jose Maria Aznar, the prime minister of current EU Term President Spain,
said yesterday that the date to start Turkey's full membership negotiations
could not be fixed before the death penalty and education in mother tongue
languages were solved. Aznar also sent a letter to Turkish Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit stating that he was ready to accelerate Turkey's full
membership process until the end of Spain's EU term presidency which runs
through this June. Ecevit is scheduled to attend the EU Summit on March 15-
16 in Barcelona. Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and State Minister for
the Economy Kemal Dervis are also to attend to the summit. /Hurriyet/
[09] LAW PREPARED TO COUNTER PKK POLITICIZATION DRIVE
The Justice and Interior Ministries announced yesterday that they were
preparing a new law to counter the politicization drive of the terrorist
organization PKK. The separatist PKK is expected to work towards this
politicization during its eighth congress later this month. Reportedly the
National Security Council (MGK) also supports this new law, which is known
as the penitence law. Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk sent a draft of the
proposed law to the Interior and Defense Ministries and all judicial
bodies. State Security Court circles also (DGM) agree that the new law is a
significant step towards countering the PKK's aim of politicization. Turk
said that he is set to present the draft to the Cabinet after getting
feedback from the other relevant bodies. The Parliament is expected to
discuss and pass the law in one month's time, and the law should take
effect within one year. /Aksam/
[10] MINISTERS SUPPORT MILK CAMPAIGN
A campaign to promote milk consumption which has recently hosted events in
Istanbul, Izmir and Diyarbakir yesterday held a ceremony in Ankara which
was attended by State Minister Hasan Gemici, Education Minister Metin
Bostancioglu, Agriculture and Village Affairs Minister Yusuf Husnu Gokalp
and Health Minister Osman Durmus. As part of the campaign, one million
Turkish children will be provided drinking milk over a 76-days period. At
the ceremony, Gemici pointed out that society's proper development depended
on healthy future generations, and Gokalp said, "Milk from Turkish cows
promotes health." In addition, Bostancioglu said the children should lead
adults with their example of drinking milk and Durmus touted milk's health
benefits. /Milliyet/
[11] CIVILIAN DEFENSE ORGANIZATION'S ESTABLISHMENT COMMEMORATED
Civilian Defense Day and the 43rd anniversary of the Civilian Defense
Organization were commemorated in a ceremony held at the Civilian Defense
Directorate's Search and Rescue Unit in Ankara. Speaking at the ceremony,
State Minister Edip Safter Gaydali said, "Achieving the desired results in
this field will be possible provided that our nation is educated in the
field of civilian defense." /Cumhuriyet/
[12] SECOND ROUND OF CYPRUS TALKS TO BEGIN TODAY
Special US Coordinator for Cyprus Thomas Weston yesterday arrived in Turkey
in the lead up to the second round of meetings concerning Cyprus. Weston,
who flew to Ankara from Athens, is expected to deliver a message during his
contacts today that the US expects a solution to the Cyprus issue to be
found as soon as possible. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
President Rauf Denktas and Greek Cypriot administration leader Glafcos
Clerides will begin to hold detailed negotiations during the second round
of meetings to begin today. The process of direct talks, which were started
by Denktas' initiative for a solution to the Cyprus issue, has reached a
new stage with the second round. Denktas and Clerides, who put forth their
general opinions concerning issues during the first round, will hold
detailed negotiations on the same issues in the new round. The two leaders
will try to overcome their disagreements on such difficult issues as the
structure of a future government, constitutional arrangements, sovereignty,
land distribution, immigrants and compensation. The second round of
meetings will be held twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays at the Lefkosha
Cultural Center and will also be attended by UN Cyprus Envoy Alvaro De Soto
as an observer. /Cumhuriyet/
[13] MARMARA CITIES FEEL EARTHQUAKE
An earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale was felt in the Marmara
region yesterday, Kandilli Observatory announced. The quake's epicenter was
80 kilometers from Eregli in the Marmara Sea, and tremors were also felt in
Kocaeli. The quake was a comparatively mild one, the observatory said, and
there was no need to panic. /Sabah/
[14] IMF DELEGATION TO VISIT TURKEY IN MARCH
An International Monetary Fund delegation headed by Juha Kahkonen and
Turkey Desk Chief Odd Per Brekk is scheduled to visit Turkey for two weeks
beginning March 5 for its first review this year. According to a statement
released by Brekk, the IMF Board of Directors will meet in the beginning of
April in order to discuss Turkey's $1.1 billion additional aid package.
/Hurriyet/
[15] TURKS MAKE FORBES BILLIONAIRES LIST
Six Turkish businessmen placed on Forbes magazine's annual ranking of the
world's richest billionaires released in its current issue. The prominent
US business weekly announced that Mehmet Emin Karamehmet, Sakip Sabanci,
Ferit Sahenk, Rahmi Koc, Kemal Uzan, Turgay Ciner had made its closely
watched list. For the eight straight year, Microsoft founder Bill Gates
placed number one. /Aksam/
[16] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[17] THE REAL BARGAINING IS STARTING BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen writes on the second round of Cyprus talks to begin
today. A summary of his column is as follows:
"Following a short recess due to Turkey's Sacrifice Holiday, the second
round of face-to-face talks on Cyprus is beginning today. In the first
stage of the negotiation process which began on December 4, both parties
expressed their basic views on the issues, presented papers relating to the
essence of the problem and began to test the grounds. In the new round, the
real bargaining is to begin. It is expected of the parties to find a common
path and establish a base for an agreement. The impressions of both sides
from the first round are not terribly bright. The proposals and views
brought to the table clearly demonstrated that the positions of the parties
were wide apart from each other. Details regarding the negotiations, which
were supposed to remain confidential, are known by all due to leaks to the
press from the Greek Cypriot side. The Turkish Cypriots want a partnership
based on two separate states and a loose central administration. That is,
the Turkish argument requires a restructuring. The Greek Cypriot side would
like a few changes to be made in the present constitutional system based on
federal principles but to retain the unitary system of the state. There are
other disagreements apart from this issue, such as the territories to be
exchanged, their status and the reinstatement of Greek Cypriot refugees
there. However, the basic dispute and the hardest issue to reconcile
concerns basic parameters. In view of these developments, an agreement does
not seem close at hand. In fact officials from neither side are optimistic
about the results. Both Denktas and Clerides had promised to continue the
negotiations until a result was achieved. This means that the sides won't
easily be able to walk away from the negotiation table. There are other
factors which are influencing both sides to reach an agreement on the
issues. The Greek Cypriots are taking their EU membership for granted and,
depending on Europe may want to use their advantage to insist on their
views. However, both the Clerides administration and Athens must understand
that this could create situations which may affect their position
adversely. In this round of talks, the search for a solution should be
focused on what is reasonable and feasible rather than insisting upon the
utmost of what the parties can get."
[18] EU'S ACTION DOES NOT BEFIT A FRIEND BY RAHIM ER (TURKIYE)
Columnist Rahim Er writes on the latest report accepted by the European
Parliament regarding the Armenian allegations. A summary of his column is
as follows:
"Yesterday the European Parliament decided to accept the Armenian
allegations. Furthermore, acting upon the 'Human Rights in Turkey' issue it
suggested that we not shut down the People's Democratic Party (HADEP). Our
judicial organs have the final say on the issue as the rule of law prevails
in Turkey. Turkish intellectuals believe that political parties, which were
not involved in terrorism, whatever their tendency may be, should not be
closed down. In fact, the closure of these parties serves no purpose.
Turkish intellectuals suggested that HADEP should become a political party
instead of a representative for one ethnic group. Intellectuals of Kurdish
origin also accept the correctness of this approach. However, whatever its
purpose, the European Parliament (EP) is applying double standards on the
issue. While representatives belonging to other European parties are being
tried, the EP takes no notice of this. It should not ignore any of them,
but should not intervene either. Politics and the law should not be mixed.
These are Turkey's internal problems. Such considerations lead us to ask
does the EP want anti-EU currents in Turkey to gain strength? Is it the
duty of the EP to dredge up historical events using the groundless
allegations of one side, or rather to act with moderation in supporting
peace? If such a decision does not foster any secret goal for the future,
what purpose will it serve apart from deepening old grudges? When some
Hinchak or Tashnak militants shed blood, fury will rise in Turkey. Almost a
century has passed since the incidents that are alleged. The regimes have
changed. No one approves of genocide, whatever the cause or whoever the
perpetrator. Yesterday Turks did not approve of it, nor do they approve of
it today, nor will they do so tomorrow. When the situation can be
summarized thus, why does the EP use the Kurdish and Armenian cards against
Turkey? Turks in Turkey have no problems with either citizens of Kurdish or
Armenian descent. We have lived on the same territories for centuries and
will continue to do so. There is no need for intervention from abroad.
Furthermore, these actions do not seem to bear goodwill towards Turkey.
This all makes one wonder if the EU wants Turkey as a member or not."
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