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Turkish Press Review, 02-04-26
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Press
& Information
Turkish
Press
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
26.04.2002
CONTENTS
[01] CEM AND PAPANDREOU BRING AEGEAN SPIRIT OF
RECONCILIATION TO MIDEAST
[02] ECEVIT CRITICIZES AKP, CHP
[03] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY
[04] NSC TO DISCUSS AFGHANISTAN AND MIDDLE EAST TODAY
[05] INTELLIGENCE REPORTS: “GREECE STILL CONDONES PKK’S
ACTIVITIES”
[06] LA CAMARA: “PKK AND DHKP-C WILL BE ADDED TO EU’S
TERRORIST LIST”
[07] DERVIS SIGNS $1.35 BILLION WORLD BANK LOAN
[08] DENKTAS CRITICIZES CYPRUS RAPPORTEUR
[09] WORLD TURKISH BUSINESSMEN’S CONVENTION BEGINS
[10] CENTRAL BANK ANNOUNCES 2001 PROFIT OF TL 7.5 QLN
[11] ARMENIA HINTS AT IMPROVED DIALOGUE WITH TURKEY
[12] AUSTRIAN SCHOLAR: “ARMENIAN ALLEGATIONS ARE BASELESS”
[13] RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS HEAD ON WAY TO VISIT VATICAN
[14] DEMIRKUBUZ’S “CONFESSION” TO BE SCREENED AT CANNES
[15] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[16] TO THOSE WHO MAY UNDERSTAND BY OKTAY EKSI (HURRIYET)
[17] WOULD THEY TRY IT FOR CYPRUS TOO? BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[01] CEM AND PAPANDREOU BRING AEGEAN SPIRIT OF
RECONCILIATION TO MIDEAST
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and his Greek counterpart
George Papandreou met yesterday with Palestinian President Yasser
Arafat in his headquarters in the West Bank of Ramallah, where he is
currently under siege by Israeli forces. After meeting with Arafat,
Cem said, “We made a number of proposals to Arafat, one of which was
to condemn terrorism using very strong language.” Cem and Papandreou
told Arafat as well as the Israeli side that they should convene an
international peace conference and work in coordination with the US on
a proposal to establish a Mideast peacekeeping force. For his part,
Arafat said that until a peace agreement is established in the Holy
Land there would be no peace in the Middle East. Then the two
ministers met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem.
Sharon told them, “We are ready to make difficult concessions,” adding,
“I hope that one day we can visit your countries together with the
Palestinians.” /Hurriyet/
[02] ECEVIT CRITICIZES AKP, CHP
Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting yesterday,
Prime Minister and Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit
said that he could see the emergency of new divisions in the political
spectrum and new initiatives to form parties, adding that an
uncertainty was prevailing over Turkey’s political life. Remarking
that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) was an “heir to a dark
past,” Ecevit said, “They depict themselves as exonerated and expect
to lead other political parties.” Speaking about the Republican
People’s Party (CHP), Ecevit claimed that the party was daring to
cooperate with a separatist party for the sake of gaining votes.
“Turkey’s citizens have common sense and are not inclined to follow
the foolhardy. The DSP will continue its leadership in the political
arena,” Ecevit said. /Turkiye/
[03] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY
A ceremony was held in Ankara yesterday to celebrate the 40th
anniversary of the Constitutional Court. In addition to President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer, present at the meeting were Parliament Speaker
Omer Izgi, Deputy Prime Minister Husamettin Ozkan, True Path Party
(DYP) leader Tansu Ciller, Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other judicial officials. Addressing the
meeting, Constitutional Court Chief Justice Mustafa Bumin said that
the court carries out its duty in a manner which is both neutral and
independent. Stressing that Turkey was criticized abroad in large part
due to its decisions to ban certain political parties, Bumin stated,
“Even if a political party is not fully in line with the values of the
Turkish nation, such a party should not be shut down due to the
thoughts and words of its members, so long as they don’t incite people
to violence. Necessary amendments should be made to the Constitution
as soon as possible.” Pointing to the court’s busy schedule, Bumin
called upon the main opposition political parties to take care when
applying to the court. He also added that no one could give orders to
the judiciary and that all individuals and groups should avoid trying
to influence it. /Turkiye/
[04] NSC TO DISCUSS AFGHANISTAN AND MIDDLE EAST TODAY
The National Security Council (NSC) is scheduled to meet today at
the Cankaya Presidential Palace in Ankara. The Middle East conflict
and recent developments in Afghanistan are expected to be major issues
on the council’s agenda. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Foreign
Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal will brief the council on their
recent visit to the Israeli and Palestinian territories. Cem and Ziyal
are also expected to convey their views on the possible roles Turkey
might assume in the international arena to help end the ongoing
conflict in the region. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] INTELLIGENCE REPORTS: “GREECE STILL CONDONES PKK’S
ACTIVITIES”
A report recently prepared by Turkish intelligence states that
Greece is still continuing to permit and condone activities of the PKK
terrorist organization within its borders. The report listed recent
PKK activities in Greece as follows: 1) PKK supporters held a protest
demonstration in Athens this February 15 to mark the anniversary of
terrorist head Abdullah Ocalan’s capture. 2) PKK militants held
another demonstration on March 1 in Athens to protest Turkey and to
voice their support for Ocalan. 3) The Greek-Kurdish Solidarity
Association distributed written announcements at Salonica University
on March 6. Furthermore, the report contends, PKK militants are still
being trained in a number of refugee camps in Greece. These militants
are sent to Europe or northern Iraq after completing their training.
/Cumhuriyet/
[06] LA CAMARA: “PKK AND DHKP-C WILL BE ADDED TO EU’S
TERRORIST LIST”
Speaking at the fourth World Turkish Businessmen’s Convention in
Istanbul yesterday, European Union Term President Spain’s Ambassador
to Turkey Manuel de la Camara said that the terrorist groups PKK and
DHKP-C would be added to the EU’s list of terrorist organizations.
/Milliyet/
[07] DERVIS SIGNS $1.35 BILLION WORLD BANK LOAN
State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis signed yesterday a
$1.35 billion structural adjustment loan with World Bank Vice
President Johannes Lynn in Washington. Speaking to reporters after the
meeting, Dervis said that domestic political changes or elections
would not greatly affect the economic structure in Turkey. For his
part, Lynn said that Turkey’s current economic program was going well,
adding that the WB supported the social side of the program, namely
programs to help agriculture, health and education. /Hurriyet/
[08] DENKTAS CRITICIZES CYPRUS RAPPORTEUR
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas
yesterday criticized the European Council Parliamentary Assembly’s (ECPA)
Cyprus rapporteur, Swiss parliamentarian Dick Marty. At a press
conference, Denktas spoke on his recent contacts with the European
Council. Denktas said that Marty had prepared a biased report without
examining the Cyprus issue from both sides and that the report needed
to be amended before bringing it for debate at the full ECPA. Denktas
called on the Council to prepare a report detailing the numerous
violations of Cypriot Turks and constitutional rights as well as the
effects of the economic embargo. Recalling that direct bilateral talks
were still continuing in Cyprus, the president stated that the EU was
wrong to apply pressure for a solution within a limited timeframe. He
reiterated that a settlement on the Cyprus problem was only possible
by a partnership founded on the principle of equality for both sides.
/Turkiye/
[09] WORLD TURKISH BUSINESSMEN’S CONVENTION BEGINS
Turkish businessmen active in many parts of the world as well as in
Turkey gathered together in Istanbul yesterday. The theme of the
fourth World Turkish Businessmen’s Convention, “One More Step for
Turkey’s Future,” has a special significance at a time when the nation
is emerging from one of its largest crises ever, one in which many
Turkish businessmen and entrepreneurs moved their investments outside
of the country. Some 2,000 Turkish businessmen converging from
countries worldwide met in Istanbul’s Lutfi Kirdar Congress Hall for
the convention. The gathering, organized jointly by the World Turkish
Businessmen’s Association, Turkish Foreign Trade Foundation, Foreign
Ministry and Foreign Trade Undersecretariat, will last through
tomorrow. Chief sectors of the Turkish economy which have a
potentially significant role in Turkish industrial exports are being
discussed in eight meetings. Additionally, country-specific workshops
are being held to discuss strategies for Iran, Iraq, Syria, Russia,
the United States, Spain, Israel and others. Many Turkish and foreign
firms are expected to participate in the convention. Information
booths will also help visitors with brochures and other publications
from public and private institutions and professional organizations.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer sent a message to the convention saying
that the recent difficult period of economic crises represented an
opportunity to reach the standards of a world class market economy and
modern participatory democracy, both of which Turkey had taken
important steps towards. /Turkiye/
[10] CENTRAL BANK ANNOUNCES 2001 PROFIT OF TL 7.5 QLN
The Turkish Central Bank yesterday announced that in 2001 it had
made profits of TL 7.5 quadrillion, mostly due to the economic crisis
last year that hit the public and private sector alike. The profit
will be used to offset the losses of the public sector and private
banks in the government’s rehabilitation fund. According to 2001
balance sheet figures released by CB Governor Sureyya Serdengecti, the
bank earned 8.2 quadrillion from high interest rates stimulated by the
crisis, but also incurred considerable losses in exchange transactions
when the crisis broke out. These losses decreased following the
implementation of the government’s economic stability programme, which
pushed exchange rates down. The CB’s total net profit in 2000 was TL
992 trillion. /Milliyet/
[11] ARMENIA HINTS AT IMPROVED DIALOGUE WITH TURKEY
Armenia’s government recently conveyed positive messages to Turkey
on improving political dialogue between Ankara and Yerevan at a panel
entitled “Truth, Justice and Reconciliation” recently held in
Stockholm, Sweden. Motherland Party (ANAP) Deputy Bulent Akarcali
represented Turkey at the panel, and Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister
Rouben Shougarian attended the panel as the representative of Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian. During a face-to-face meeting with
Shugaryan, Akarcali stated that he had the impression that Armenian
policy on Turkey was evolving towards a more peaceful understanding of
bilateral relations in favor of improving political dialogue. While
Shougarian stressed the need for political pragmatism and policies
towards regional cooperation, Akarcali underlined Turkey’s efforts to
normalize its relations with Armenia. Akarcali also reiterated
Turkey’s view that history should be judged by historians and scholars
and criticized Armenia for not allowing historians full access to its
state archives. /Cumhuriyet/
[12] AUSTRIAN SCHOLAR: “ARMENIAN ALLEGATIONS ARE BASELESS”
An Austrian scholar yesterday declared at an international
conference that Armenian allegations of a genocide early in the 20th
century were “baseless.” Speaking to the conference held at Gerhard
Mercator University in Duisberg, Germany, Professor Erich Feigl said
that the Armenians were trying to mislead the international community
through unfounded allegations and false documents, especially on the
so-called “genocide commeration day,” April 24. /Aksam/
[13] RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS HEAD ON WAY TO VISIT VATICAN
Religious Affairs Directorate head Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz left for the
Vatican yesterday to sign a “Declaration of Intentions” with Pope John
Paul II. Before his departure, Yilmaz told reporters that he and the
pope would sign the declaration in the interests of promoting human
peace, prosperity and mutual cooperation between people of faith
within the framework of dialogue between religions. /Turkiye/
[14] DEMIRKUBUZ’S “CONFESSION” TO BE SCREENED AT CANNES
Organizers of the 55th annual Cannes Film Festival have announced
the official selection of films for this year. Turkish director Zeki
Demirkubuz’s “Confession” will be screened under the category “Un
Certain Regard.” In addition, “La Mort en Exil,” a film by Turkish
director Ayten Mutlu Saray, will be screened under the category
“Cinefondation” in which more than a dozen short and mini-feature
films from film schools will compete. /Cumhuriyet/
[15] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[16] TO THOSE WHO MAY UNDERSTAND BY OKTAY EKSI (HURRIYET)
Columnist Okay Eksi writes on the message US President George W.
Bush issued on April 24 commemorating the Armenians who died during
World War I. A summary of his column is as follows:
“As discussions continued as to whether US President Bush would
label the incidents during World War I a ‘genocide,’ he issued a
message showing that he didn’t define them that way. We’re not talking
about the word ‘massacre.’ I don’t know if the word ‘annihilation’
used last year was less strong, but from the point of view of
international law, the important word is ‘genocide.’ In line with a
resolution the US Congress adopted, the president has to issue a
message every year on April 24 and commemorate the Armenians who died
while they were being deported to Syria, which at that time was
another province of the Ottoman Empire. For years the Armenian lobby
has been pressuring Washington to say that Turks committed ‘genocide.’
And if they manage to get this done, they are then hoping to get
compensation from Turkey. What interests us are the facts. The
allegations are due to the decision taken by the government to
relocate Armenians by force to another part of the Empire as a result
of the Armenian uprisings against the state in various locales, their
raiding, burning and destroying villages, massacring many civilians,
and enrolling in the Russian and later French armies to fight against
the Ottoman Empire they were a part of. In fact renowned historian and
Middle East expert Professor Bernard Lewis spoke with former Pakistani
Ambassador and journalist Akbar Ahmed earlier this year, and he said
the following: “The point that the massacre of the Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire was the same as what happened to Jews in Nazi Germany
is a downright falsehood. What happened to the Armenians was the
result of a massive Armenian armed rebellion against the Turks, which
began even before the war broke out, and continued on a larger scale.
Great numbers of Armenians, including members of the armed forces,
deserted, crossed the frontier and joined the Russian forces invading
Turkey. There was guerilla warfare all over Anatolia. And it is what
we nowadays call the National Movement of Armenians Against Turkey.
The Turks certainly resorted to very ferocious methods in repelling
it. There is clear evidence of a decision by the Turkish government to
deport the Armenian population from the sensitive areas... not
including the Arab provinces which were then still part of the Ottoman
Empire. There is no evidence of a decision to massacre. On the
contrary, there is considerable evidence of an attempt to prevent it,
which were not very successful. Yes, there were tremendous massacres,
the numbers are very uncertain but a million may well be likely. The
massacres were carried out by irregulars, by local villagers
responding to what has been done to them. But to make this a parallel
with the holocaust in Germany, you would have to assume the Jews of
Germany had been engaged in an armed rebellion against the German
state, collaborating with the allies against Germany... This seems to
me a rather absurd parallel.”
[17] WOULD THEY TRY IT FOR CYPRUS TOO? BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen writes on the Turkish and Greek foreign
ministers’ visit to the Middle East and asks if it would be possible
for them to try the same for Cyprus. A summary of his column is as
follows:
“Maybe it was the last question to ask Arafat, who certainly has
his own concerns... Did the Palestinian leader believe that the joint
Middle East peace initiative by the Turkish and Greek foreign
ministers would have positive effects on relations between the two
countries? In fact this question posed to Arafat is asked in another
way: If Cem and Papandreou are on such good terms and taking on the
responsibility to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, why aren’t
they doing the same for Cyprus? For example why aren’t they
concentrating on launching a joint initiative for Cyprus and taking a
symbolic step? The answer may be that there are great differences
between the Cyprus issue and the Israel-Palestinian conflict. There is
an ongoing dialogue in Cyprus. Denktas is meeting Clerides and both
Ankara and Athens are supporting this dialogue. Furthermore, Cem and
Papandreou, who are launching a joint initiative aimed at easing
tensions in the Middle East, are striking examples in creating an
atmosphere of confidence in Turkish-Greek relations. However,
following the Middle East mission, can’t they make a similar effort
for Cyprus? We know that it isn’t easy, but everyone expects two
ministers such who have shown the will to solve a more complicated
problem to show the same courage for Cyprus. On Cyprus, the
negotiations between Denktas and Clerides are going on their fifth
month. Up to now, improvement has been seen on basic issues. When the
negotiations began, it was hoped that they would be concluded by June.
Now Denktas is complaining of setting such a deadline and of the EU’s
pressures. However, if there are no improvement in the next few weeks,
it will be hard to avoid unpleasant developments in the second half of
the year. This is true both for the TRNC and Turkey, and the Greek
Cypriot administration and Greece. Recently, experienced diplomat
turned politician Mehmet Ali Irtemcelik presented an interesting idea
which attracted great attention both in the press and diplomatic
circles. He said that Turkey and Greece should be actively involved in
a search for the Cyprus problem. This idea should be seriously
discussed in view of the recent developments. The time has come for
Ankara and Athens to play a role towards easing and accelerating a
solution. The first steps in this direction can be taken by Cem and
Papandreou, and then a positive impact of the Middle East mission
would be felt in Cyprus.”
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