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Turkish Press Review, 02-04-19Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr><LINK href="http://www.byegm.gov.tr_yayinlarimiz_chr_pics_css/tpr.css" rel=STYLESHEET type=text/css> <map name="FPMap1"> <_map> Press & Information Turkish Press Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning19.04.2002CONTENTS
[01] STANDING OVATION FOR SEZER IN LITHUANIAPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday delivered a speech to the Parliament in Lithuania, the second stop on his official Baltic tour, and his remarks were met with a standing ovation from the national assembly. “The rights and freedoms of the people are not bestowed upon them by their governments. On the contrary, such rights are the people’s birthright,” he said. “Governments in the present age must strive to create the conditions necessary to guarantee the people’s rights and their free and unhindered exercise. In Turkey we must raise the level of consciousness of both the people and the government towards this end, and so we can benefit from our rights and freedoms in a better atmosphere, one keeping in line with international standards. The Turkish Parliament’s recent action passing certain constitutional amendments shows Turkey’s determination and resolve to make our rights and freedoms into a shining beacon for all the world.” Addressing the Cyprus situation, Sezer remarked that admitting the Greek Cypriot administration into the EU before establishing a peaceful settlement on the island would only exacerbate efforts to reach a solution. /Milliyet/[02] ECEVIT: “THE ECONOMY IS HEADED UPWARDS”Prime Minister and Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit said yesterday that precluding unexpected developments, the Turkish economy would continue to improve this year. Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting, Ecevit stated that despite pessimistic views from some quarters, very positive progress was being made. Stressing that the government had opened up new horizons in the economic and social realms for Turkey, the prime minister said, “Our DSP deputies have contributed greatly to all the legislative work with their diligence and regular attendance at meetings.” Turning to the situation in the Middle East, Ecevit said that a “humanitarian tragedy” was taking place there. Criticizing the Israeli government for its occupation of Palestinian territories and its “oppressive stance,” Ecevit said, “Turkey has been doing whatever it can to stop this tragedy, and we will continue to do so.” /Sabah/[03] DERVIS: “TURKEY IS A BRIDGE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST”State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis, who is currently in Germany for an official visit, yesterday attended a conference of the Near East and Middle East Association. Speaking to the gathering, Dervis underlined Turkey’s importance for the European Union and the imperative for the Union to admit it. Characterizing Turkey as a bridge between Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Dervis stated that it was in the interests of both Turkey and the EU to improve bilateral relations “The Turkish economy had a very difficult year last year, but now our economic crisis has ended,” Dervis added. /Hurriyet/[04] PARLIAMENT JUSTICE COMMISSION APPROVES BILL ON DEATH PENALTYParliament’s Justice Commission yesterday approved a bill concerning an amendment to the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) on the death penalty. The bill proposes abolishing the death penalty, excepting cases of war crimes, imminent threat of war and terrorist crimes. /Turkiye/[05] TURKEY SIGNS SECURITY AGREEMENT WITH BULGARIABulgarian Interior Minister Georgi Petkanov arrived in Ankara yesterday to make contacts with Turkish officials. Turkish Interior Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen and Petkanov signed a Coast Guard Agreement and Minutes of Accord to improve security cooperation between the two countries. Yucelen said that major issues on the agenda for Petkanov’s meetings would be working to fight terrorism and drug smuggling as well as improving mutual cooperation on other security issues. /Cumhuriyet/[06] UN BEGINS DECOMMISSIONING WEAPONS ON CYPRUSUnited Nations officials have started to decommission weapons in the Greek Cypriot administration as a show of good will to the island’s Turkish Cypriots. UN peacekeeping force units have destroyed some 4,500 weapons to date at the UN headquarters on Cyprus. “We have started the process of weapon decommissioning and we expect to have completed it within two months, ” said a UN spokesman in Lefkosha. /Cumhuriyet/[07] SOUTH KOREAN CHIEF OF STAFF RECEIVES HONOR FROM KIVRIKOGLUSouth Korean Chief of General Staff Gen. Nam-Shin Lee, who is currently on an official visit to Ankara, was yesterday awarded an Order of Merit from his Turkish counterpart Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu. Gen. Nam-Shin Lee accepted the honor with great thanks, calling it a wonderful token of Turkey’s friendship with South Korea and of both countries’ contributions to peace throughout the world. /Star/[08] DEUTCHE BANK ANALYST: “TURKEY’S ECONOMIC PROGRAM IS PERFECT”An official from Deutsche Bank, one of the world’s premier investment banks, yesterday gave his enthusiastic seal of approval to Turkey’s economic program. Deutsche Bank Turkey analyst Marco Anunciata lauded the government’s implementation of its program as “flawless,” adding, “Never before have I seen such an excellent standby program.” Recent weeks have seen a marked increase in interest in investing in Turkey, Annunciata said. Hopes are high for the short-term, he remarked, tempered only by some concern about regional political tensions, especially in the Middle East and Iraq. /Aksam/[09] US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HEAD PLEDGES TO PROMOTE TURKEYThomas Donohoe, the chairman of the US Chamber of Commers, wrapped up a historic two-day visit to Turkey yesterday with a joint press conference held in Istanbul with leaders of the Turkish business community. Donohoe praised the economic opportunities he had seen during his stay and vowed not to let his country or government pass them by. “When I get back home I’m going to talk with the government and with business circles in order to promote Turkey,” he pledged. The business leader also asked Turkey’s business community to do its part to promote economic cooperation, because, he said, “Capital flocks to where it feels welcome and safe.” He added that cutting red tape in Turkey that tends to discourage foreign investment would be a positive step towards attracting a massive foreign capital influx. /Akþam/[10] SLOVENIA TO REPRESENT EU MEMBERSHIP CANDIDATESFormer Slovenian Prime Minister Lojze Peterle was elected as the representative of 13 European Union membership candidates, including Turkey, at the recent European Union Association meeting in Brussels. Peterle stated that Slovenia would support more cooperation between the EU candidate countries as well as the improvement of bilateral relations. /Cumhuriyet/[11] TURKEY CELEBRATES CULTURE WITH INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVALSInternational theatre festivals to be held throughout Turkey this year will contribute a great deal both to strengthening cultural ties between the countries involved and enlivening Turkey’s cultural atmosphere. The “Turkish-Greek Theatres’ Assembly” on May 10-17 in Istanbul will host thespians from both countries switching hats, as Greek actors are set to perform Turkish plays, and Turkish troupes to stage plays by their Aegean neighbors. The current “State Theaters Sabanci International Stage Festival” in Adana, in addition, has attracted groups from as far afield as France, Bulgaria, Russia and Greece to display their talent through April 27. And the Black Sea city of Trabzon is set to host the third “International Black Sea Theatre Assembly” on May 15-23. /Cumhuriyet/[12] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…[13] TURKEY’S ROAD OF NO RETURN BY HASAN CEMAL (MILLIYET)Columnist Hasan Cemal writes on Turkey’s quest for full EU membership. A summary of his column is as follows:“Will Turkey’s road to Europe be one of no return, or will it lose another opportunity like the one missed in 1970s? From that perspective, the year 2002 is as important as any before. Answering the question as to whether Turkey will be able to get a date for accession negotiations from the EU by year’s end is of vital importance. The ball is in our court and time is pressing, but there is no date. We all know that the Ecevit government has homework to do before the end of autumn. Deputy Prime Minister Yilmaz and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem met with EU officials at the beginning of the week. Yilmaz attended the European Convention meetings, and Cem the EU- Turkey Association Council meetings in Luxembourg. The first impressions coming from the negotiations are generally cautious. However there is one common view and that is, before Ankara takes some steps no goal can be reached. The view of the EU officials can be summarized as, everything depends on the performance of the Turkish government. They mention that the reform process is going well but is not satisfactory. There are complaints about the implementations. The Copenhagen criteria are pointed out as the road map. In other words, radio and TV broadcasts in mother tongue and education in mother tongue and the abolition of capital punishment are required. Can the Ecevit government accomplish these? Wouldn’t it be the right policy to abolish capital punishment, which hasn’t even been carried out in years? Doesn’t reason dictate that Kurdish radio and TV be allowed in the age of the Internet? Isn’t it correct policy to lift all the obstacles to teaching Kurdish in a country where selling Kurdish books, magazines, newspapers and cassettes is already free? There is the fear that some will abuse these freedoms, which is an understandable concern. However, as Foreign Minister Cem has said, the correct thing to do is to take whatever measures are necessary to prevent such abuses. Ankara has to stop seeing the Copenhagen criteria as an obstacle on its way to Europe. It can also be said that the climate in the EU is changing. In the past, the mere mention of accession negotiations for Turkey was a taboo. Following the Laeken summit last year, this stance began to change. The psychological barrier was broken. However, we must not forget the Cyprus problem. Even though it may not be a legal obstacle, it stands as political barrier to be lifted on our way to Europe. In brief we can say that Turkey’s hand was strengthened with the Sept. 11 attacks, the situation in Afghanistan and the recent clashes between the Israelis and Palestinians. However, to be complacently satisfied with these and to lazily slack off with regards to the Copenhagen criteria may not bring what we want by the end of this year.” [14] THE TURKISH MODEL BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)Columnist Ferai Tinc writes on the situation in the Middle East and the Turkish model. A summary of her column is as follows:“Developments in the world are getting more complicated with every passing day. Not only in Afghanistan, but also in the Middle East, nothing can be guessed in advance. US President Bush’s initiative in the Mideast proved ineffective. No cease-fire agreement was reached. Sharon stated that he could expand the fight against terrorism towards other Arab countries which shelter terrorists. The Arab world is restless. Before his departure, Powell gave the message to Syria that if it supported terrorism, it would have to bear the consequences. On the other hand, Afghan King Zahir Shah returned to his country in the hope of promoting stability. Old warlords who traffic in narcotics had distributed flyers calling on the people to rebel against the interim government of Hamid Karzai. The Afghan people have no alternative besides growing poppies. One of the old warlords, Hano Gul, told Newsweek magazine said that it was the duty of every Afghan citizen to fight against the US troops and the Karzai government. He added that they would destabilize the country through the trade in narcotics. There is also the news that Al-Qaida is resuming its activities with the advent of spring. As the violence escalates in the Middle East, it is not possible to ensure stability in Afghanistan. Developments indicate that the pressures on Turkey will increase in the coming days. As things get more complicated, the Turkish model’s importance increases. What kind of a model is required and what role can Turkey play? These questions can be discussed at length, but US Ambassador to Ankara Robert Pearson, in a recent article published by the Fletcher School of Law, gave some indications of an answer. Ambassador Pearson said that a powerful Turkey which had implemented its economic reforms, enhanced its political system by carrying out constitutional reforms and was moving with steady steps towards EU full membership would be important as a role model. Furthermore, Turkey would be the guarantor of cooperation between NATO and the proposed European army. If it solved the Cyprus issue within the framework of UN resolutions, Turkey can be an example for the solution of other regional problems. The Ambassador expressed the importance of this model by saying that the increasing influence of Turkey stretching from Central Europe to Central Asia and to the Middle East will constitute a powerful contribution to the efforts of the US. The focal point of US foreign policy is the fight against terrorism and eradicating the terrorist networks. The US successes in the fight against terrorism and the unknown risks of the century before us pass through a strategic partnership with Turkey.” DUE TO NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY DAY AND CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL, THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE TURKISH PRESS REVIEW WILL APPEAR ON 24 APRIL 2002. ARCHIVE <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js"> </script> Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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