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Turkish Press Review, 02-03-29
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
29.03.2002
CONTENTS
[01] MGK TO MEET TODAY
[02] BAHCELI: “FOR THE DEATH PENALTY ABOLITION,
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT WOULD BE NEEDED”
[03] US STATE DEBT: “A NEW NAME WON’T HELP THE PKK”
[04] MAJ. TOYTUNC LAID TO REST IN ANTALYA
[05] DE SOTO VISITS ANKARA
[06] ISAF’S TERM OF DUTY EXTENDED, LIMITED TO KABUL
[07] PKK ESTABLISHES PARTY IN NORTHERN IRAQ
[08] TURKEY AND GREECE SIGN GAS PIPELINE DEAL
[09] IMF’S DAWSON: “TURKEY HAS MADE A GOOD START”
[10] PARLIAMENT PASSES BORROWING LAW
[11] OZILHAN: “TURKEY’S ECONOMY IS STILL ON KNIFE’S EDGE”
[12] INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT BIENNIAL SLATED FOR
ISTANBUL THIS OCTOBER
[13] KAZAKH WRITER VISITS TURKEY
[14] ANTALYA HOSTS ARCHAEOLOGY FILM FESTIVAL
[15] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[16] CYPRUS PROBLEM SHOULD BE SOLVED NOT IN THE EU BUT IN
THE UN
[17] THE EU’S OUTLOOK BY MUSTAFA BALBAY (CUMHURIYET)
[18] APO ISN’T WORTH IT BY GUNGOR MENGI (SABAH)
[01] MGK TO MEET TODAY
The National Security Council (MGK) will meet today at the Cankaya
Palace chaired by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Both domestic and
foreign developments are on the meeting’s agenda. /Star/
[02] BAHCELI: “FOR THE DEATH PENALTY ABOLITION,
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT WOULD BE NEEDED”
Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader
Devlet Bahceli yesterday attended the “International Turcology and
Turkish History Research Symposium” and addressed the meeting.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting about the Council of State’s
recent vote saying that amendments to the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) to
abolish the death penalty were possible without having to amend the
Constitution, Bahceli said, “The MHP respects the Council of State’s
decision. However, we believe that a constitutional amendment would be
necessary.” /Turkiye/
[03] US STATE DEBT: “A NEW NAME WON’T HELP THE PKK”
The United States weighed in yesterday on the terrorist
organization PKK’s recent name change, saying that merely changing its
name could not help the separatist group. US State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher said, “Such organizations sometimes take on
new names, but we continue to watch and follow them closely and
determine their ties to terrorism. When we see that such a group has
taken on a new name, we then add it to our list of terrorist
organizations. In other words, we don’t stop following them.” Boucher
added that both the US State Department and Treasury prevent terrorist
organizations from accessing or raising money under new names. “We
have a procedure so that organizations can’t change their names and
evade penalties by such actions,” he said. The terrorist PKK has been
on the US State Department’s list of international terrorist groups
for many years. Groups that are identified as terrorist organizations
by the US can neither be legally active nor open bank accounts, nor
raise money on US soil. /Aksam/
[04] MAJ. TOYTUNC LAID TO REST IN ANTALYA
Maj. Cengiz Toytunc, who was killed in an armed attack on the West
Bank earlier this week, was laid to rest in the southeastern province
of Antalya yesterday. The first ceremony for the slain officer was
held at Ankara’s Kocatepe Mosque. In attendance were President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer, Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi, Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit, Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu, military
officials and citizens as well as Israel’s ambassador and the
Palestinian military attache. Toytunc’s body was later sent to Antalya
and after a funeral, he was interred there. Maj. Toytunc, a member of
the unarmed Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), was
killed in a gun attack by parties unknown on Tuesday. In the same
attack, another Turkish officer, Huseyin Ozarslan, was injured, while
a Swiss observer was also killed. /All Papers/
[05] DE SOTO VISITS ANKARA
United Nations Special Envoy for Cyprus Alvaro de Soto arrived in
Turkey yesterday to brief Turkish officials on recent developments
concerning the direct talks process between Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas and Greek Cypriot leader
Glafcos Clerides. Remarking that he believed a permanent solution
would “absolutely” be reached on the island, de Soto met with Turkish
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal. The UN
envoy stated that the two leaders of the island had made significant
progress in their recent peace talks. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] ISAF’S TERM OF DUTY EXTENDED, LIMITED TO KABUL
Even as plans for Turkey to take over the International Security
and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan were discussed during a
meeting chaired by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday, the UN
Security Council decided to extend the ISAF’s term of duty and confine
its operations to the capital Kabul. Ole Peter Kolby, Norway’s
permanent representative and the council’s current chair, said, “The
ISAF’s term of duty has been extended six months beyond June 20, when
it had been due to expire.” Kolby remarked that the members of the
council had reached a consensus that the ISAF’s area of duty would not
be expanded beyond Kabul. /Aksam/
[07] PKK ESTABLISHES PARTY IN NORTHERN IRAQ
The terrorist organization PKK, which recently changed its name to
the “Peoples’ Freedom Party” at its so-called eighth congress, has
reportedly begun to implement plans to establish new parties around
the region where it is active. Under these plans, a new party named
the “Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party” has been established in
northern Iraq as an alternative to Jalal Talabani’s Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK) and Masoud Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP),
the two parties currently dominant in the area. The PKK is also
expected to establish new parties in Iran and Syria in the near future.
/Turkiye/
[08] TURKEY AND GREECE SIGN GAS PIPELINE DEAL
Turkey and Greece yesterday signed a historic gas pipeline deal
under which 500 million cubic meters of natural gas will flow to
Greece from Turkey by 2005. The deal was signed by BOTAS General
Director Gokhan Bildaci and Arististes Vakilis, the head of Greek
energy concern DEPA. Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister
Zeki Cakan and Greek Development Minister Akis Tsohatsopoulos attended
the signing as witnesses. Of the 285 kilometers of pipeline connecting
Turkey and Greece under the deal, 200 kilometers will be within
Turkey’s borders and 85 kilometers on Greek soil. /Hurriyet/
[09] IMF’S DAWSON: “TURKEY HAS MADE A GOOD START”
International Monetary Fund Foreign Relations Director Tom Dawson
yesterday stated that Turkey had made a good start in implementing its
new economic program. Stating that the IMF was planning to hold a
meeting on Turkey in April, Dawson said that a new loan amounting $1.1
billion was expected to be released to the country at that time.
/Cumhuriyet/
[10] PARLIAMENT PASSES BORROWING LAW
Parliament yesterday passed the Borrowing Law, which is one of the
pre-conditions for the International Monetary Fund to grant $1.1
billion in additional loans to Turkey this April. /Hurriyet/
[11] OZILHAN: “TURKEY’S ECONOMY IS STILL ON KNIFE’S EDGE”
Turkish Businessman’s and Industrialists’ Association President
Turncay Ozilhan said yesterday that despite some improvements,
Turkey’s economy was still on “the knife’s edge.” The business leader
added that in such a situation, just one mistake could put Turkey in
danger of becoming another Argentina. /Star/
[12] INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT BIENNIAL SLATED FOR
ISTANBUL THIS OCTOBER
The International Environment Biennial will take place in Istanbul
this October, the event’s organizers announced this week. The main
theme of the biennial has been decided on as “The Future of Natural
Life.” Journalists, artists and politicians will gather to discuss
environment problems and to attend a number of panels, symposiums,
film festivals and exhibitions at the biennial. /Cumhuriyet/
[13] KAZAKH WRITER VISITS TURKEY
Famous Kazakh writer Abish Keklibayev is currently visiting Turkey
to attend events marking the 10th anniversary of the establishment of
the Turkish-Kazakh diplomatic relations. Keklibayev yesterday received
an award from the Foundation to Serve the Turkish Culture for his
contributions to the relations between Kazakhstan and Turkey.
/Cumhuriyet/
[14] ANTALYA HOSTS ARCHAEOLOGY FILM FESTIVAL
The International Kubaba Archeology Documentary Festival, organized
by the Inan Kirac Research Institute and the Association of
Documentary Filmmakers, will begin today in Antalya. The audience will
enjoy 33 outstanding films from Turkey, France, England, Germany,
Greece, Italy, Spain, Egypt and Iran for free during the festival that
lasts through Sunday. /Aksam/
[15] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[16] CYPRUS PROBLEM SHOULD BE SOLVED NOT IN THE EU BUT IN
THE UN
BY ISMET GIRITLI (TURKIYE)
Columnist Ismet Giritli writes on the Cyprus issue and discussions
over it. A summary of his column is as follows: “We learned from press
reports that EU Commissioner Responsible for Enlargement Guenter
Verheugen criticized Turkey during the ‘EU Enlargement’ meeting held
in Athens and thus decreased the chances of success of the
intercommunal negotiations going on under UN auspices between Clerides
and Denktas, openly backing the Greek Cypriot administration and
threatening Turkey and the TRNC. In fact Verheugen, who is Karen
Fogg’s boss, should know better than anyone else that under
international agreements, Cyprus cannot participate in any
organization that does not also include both Greece and Turkey.
Southern Cyprus is not the Republic of Cyprus established by the 1959
Zurich and London agreements. Southern Cyprus cannot represent the
Republic of Cyprus in compliance with the Constitution of the 1960
Republic of Cyprus. It cannot represent Turks living in the north of
the island as they are represented by Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas. By recognizing the membership
application of the Greek Cypriot administration made in the name of
the so-called Cyprus Republic, the EU has tacitly accepted the
division of the island. As this has been done, not only according to
the Zurich and London Agreements but also in compliance with the
Guarantor Agreement, the Cyprus Republic cannot participate in any
political or economic institution which either Turkey or Greece is
excluded from. This fact is clearly expressed in the accords of the
Guarantor Agreement. Therefore, under certain conditions the road to
the International Court of Justice will be opened for Turkey if the
Greek Cypriot administration is admitted into the EU by itself. In
fact the Republic of Turkey, upon the Greek Cypriot administration’s
membership application to the EU, entered these aspects into EU
accords on July 3, 1990. The EU Commission’s acquiescing to admit the
Greek Cypriot administration in the EU conflicted with the UN
negotiations process conducted by the UN secretary-general and even
aimed at excluding them. In fact, Commissioner Verheugen’s recent
statements and threats are directed at derailing the UN negotiation
process. Therefore, I believe that the EU and Verheugen must take
their hands off Cyprus.”
[17] THE EU’S OUTLOOK BY MUSTAFA BALBAY (CUMHURIYET)
Columnist Mustafa Balbay writes on the discussions over the list of
terrorist organisations released by the EU. A summary of his column is
as follows:
“It seems that discussions over the list of terrorist organizations
will continue for some time. Turkey has examined the sources fostering
ethnic terrorist organization with great scrutiny, and is acting with
great care not to be the target of new waves of terrorism. Following
the Sept. 11 attacks, the EU told the world that a new phase had begun
in the war against terrorism, yet it didn’t include the names of the
terrorist organizations, including the PKK, given by Turkey in the
list it drew up. For a while, it was rumoured that there was a second
‘secret list.’ However, it was soon became clear that this was only a
rumour utterly lacking foundation. While the policy of delaying Turkey
on the issue was continuing ýn the issue, the lines connecting
Brussels with terrorist groups in northern Iraq were running smoothly.
A report in January that a three-person Belgian parliamentary
delegation had gone to northern Iraq to meet with terrorist
organisation officials, in order to convince them to change their name
of the organization and to press the issue of cultural rights was not
denied. In fact, the Belgian ambassador to Ankara was summoned to the
Foreign Ministry and told of Turkey’s displeasure over the incident.
During its recent so-called eighth congress, the PKK accepted
decisions in the direction of the suggestions made to it by the EU
countries. The news that it changed its name was discussed by the
Turkish public at the beginning of the week. Following this news, a
report was published by the EU Commission which says in brief that an
organization of Kurdish origin has entered into illegal activities in
northern Iraq and directed the smuggling of cigarettes. We had said
before while examining the PKK-EU connection that the PKK would change
its name and that immediately afterwards, the EU would accept that it
was a terrorist organisation. But then it would say that no such
organization exists now as there is a new party which calls for
cultural rights. These rights are of vital importance for us. We have
entered into a process where the possibility regarding such
developments has begun. Following the EU Commission report, Greece
also stated that the PKK was a terrorist organisation. Good morning
after supper! The process ongoing in Cyprus is no different. Since the
start of the negotiations between Denktas and Clerides at the end of
last year, every month one or two EU representatives visit the island
and declaim loudly that they will admit the Greek Cypriots into the EU
whether the Cyprus issue is solved or not. In Athens, Verheugen
doesn’t talk of compromise but instead backs the Greek Cypriots. One
of the cards Turkey uses against the EU is to say that it is aware
that it is being delayed by the EU deliberately, but it is also aware
that it is an indispensable country for the EU. Although it may be
right in essence, we have to be careful in using this argument. We
should not use it too often or too loudly. Turkey looks at the world
and sees blocs. However, all the countries in the world do not move
exclusively in blocs but rather have diverse relations. Therefore, we
should not say that we are in such a bloc, but that we feel close to a
certain bloc and have such a plan.”
[18] APO ISN’T WORTH IT BY GUNGOR MENGI (SABAH)
Columnist Gungor Mengi comments on discussions over Turkey’s death
penalty abolition. A summary of his column is as follows:
“The Council of State has concluded its discussion about the death
penalty, which is one of the obstacles to Turkey’s EU membership.
Under the council’s unanimous decision, a constitutional amendment is
not needed for Turkey to completely abolish the death penalty. The
changes to be made to the law would be sufficient to strike the death
penalty from our books. Will the decision of the Council of State
break this deadlock? Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet
Bahceli yesterday uttered some words that can be interpreted in two
different ways. He said, “We respect the decision of the Council of
State, as it is their judgment. But we are of the opinion that a
constitutional change is needed.” The MHP is acting as the spokesman
of a common concern, one which fears the possibility that one day an
amnesty might be implemented. This fear cannot be ignored, but it
cannot be said that those who think this way want Apo (PKK terrorist
Abdullah Ocalan) to be hanged at the cost of damaging Turkey. An
arrangement ensuring that crimes deserving the death penalty will
never be included in any amnesty and that those who commit such crimes
will be sentenced to a hard life sentence would satisfy the
expectations of justice. This is because a hard life in prison, under
which amnesty is impossible, is a punishment worse than death. The
coalition leaders should solve this problem without turning it into an
occasion for bickering. Damaging Turkey’s goal of EU membership for
Apo’s sake would mean giving this accursed man a place that he does
not deserve. It would mean ruining the life of our children to whom we
owe welfare and freedom.”
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