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Turkish Press Review, 02-05-20
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
20.05.02
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this
morning
CONTENTS
[01] TURKEY CELEBRATES MAY 19 YOUTH AND SPORTS DAY
[02] LEADERS TO MEET ECEVIT AT HOSPITAL TOMORROW
[03] BUSY PARLIAMENT SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
[04] BAHCELI VISITS VIENNA
[05] YILMAZ IN EGYPT FOR TERRORISM CONFERENCE
[06] NEW YORK HOSTS TURKISH DAY PARADE
[07] 112 REGIONAL OFFICES SHUT DOORS THIS MONTH
[08] WORLD BANK TEAM TO VISIT TURKEY THIS WEEK
[09] ISTANBUL’S HAGIA EIRENE CHURCH HOSTS MUSIC FESTIVALS
[10] TURKEY CELEBRATES CULTURE WITH FESTIVALS
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[12] KADEK AND ITS AFTERMATH BY COSKUN KIRCA (AKSAM)
[13] TURKEY IN THE BACKYARD BY EROL MANISALI (CUMHURIYET)
[01] TURKEY CELEBRATES MAY 19 YOUTH AND SPORTS DAY
May 19, Youth and Sports Day was marked yesterday throughout Turkey as well
as in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) with great enthusiasm.
The holiday commemorates Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s arrival in Samsun from
Istanbul on May 19, 1919, an event which began the War of Independence.
/All Papers/
[02] LEADERS TO MEET ECEVIT AT HOSPITAL TOMORROW
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit’s health condition is reportedly getting
better and he is ready for a coalition government leaders’ summit to be
held tomorrow at Ankara’s Baskent hospital. A statement made by the
hospital yesterday said that Ecevit’s treatment was continuing as planned.
Ecevit was admitted to the hospital last Friday for the second time this
month due to a broken rib and vein inflammation in his left leg, while all
his vital signs remain normal. /Turkiye/
[03] BUSY PARLIAMENT SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
A busy schedule lies ahead for Parliament this week, with a number of
significant issues in line for discussion. Parliament’s deputies will
tomorrow debate a censure motion put forth by the Felicity Party (SP)
against Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and the members of the government. On
the same day, elections to choose the first chairman of the Supreme Council
of Public Accounts will also be held. The Parliament will discuss on
Wednesday the bill on conditional release which was previously vetoed by
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. In addition, the Planning and Budgetary
Commission will take up a bill which proposes certain amendments to the
Mining Law. A commission established to address problems faced by members
of the media will also hold a meeting on Wednesday. /Turkiye/
[04] BAHCELI VISITS VIENNA
Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet
Bahceli visited a military museum in Vienna over the weekend. During his
visit, Bahceli took special interest in displays of flags, weapons and
armaments which were used by the Ottoman military during the 1683 Siege of
Vienna. In addition, he also attended the third general congress of the
Turkish-Austrian Federation. /All Papers/
[05] YILMAZ IN EGYPT FOR TERRORISM CONFERENCE
Religious Affairs Directorate head Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz flew to Cairo, Egypt
over the weekend to attend a meeting organized by the Egyptian Foundations
Ministry’s Religious Affairs Supreme Assembly each year. Speaking at
Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport before his departure, Yilmaz said that the issue
of “Islam and terrorism” had been publicly highlighted following last
September’s terrorist attacks and that it would be discussed at the
meeting. Saying that “Jihad and Terror” was the theme of this year’s
gathering, Yilmaz added that he would present a paper on the subject.
/Star/
[06] NEW YORK HOSTS TURKISH DAY PARADE
The traditional “Turkish Day Parade” was held in New York City on Saturday
with the participation of thousands of Turco-Americans as well as many non-
Turkish friends of Turkey. State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel, Tourism
Minister Mustafa Tasar, Turkish Ambassador to the US Faruk Logoglu and
Turkey’s UN representative Umit Pamir all marched in the parade. State
Minister Gurel said that he was happy to see so many Turkish people come
out and show their love and support for their country of origin in such a
significant way. /Turkiye/
[07] 112 REGIONAL OFFICES SHUT DOORS THIS MONTH
To reduce state intervention in the economy and increase public savings,
the government has decided to close down 112 regional directorates and
chief managerial offices of state organs by the end of this month. Under a
Cabinet decision appearing in the April 5-6 issues of the Official Gazette,
various public services of a total 185 regional and chief administrative
offices of the state will be closed down and their inventories sold off by
the end of the year at the latest. /Turkiye/
[08] WORLD BANK TEAM TO VISIT TURKEY THIS WEEK
A World Bank agriculture and financial sector team is to visit Turkey this
week as part of preparations to draw up a report. The WB team is to examine
and evaluate the progress of its civil and financial sector adjustment loan
(PFSAL 2) with an eye on the upcoming approval of the second tranche of the
loan totaling $1.3 billion. _Milliyet
[09] ISTANBUL’S HAGIA EIRENE CHURCH HOSTS MUSIC FESTIVALS
The “Mozart Days” musical celebration held at the Greek Orthodox Hagia
Eirene Church in Istanbul began yesterday. Capella Istropolitana and a host
of other groups will perform the famous composer’s works during event,
which is sponsored by the Ulker Company. In addition, the same 1,500 year-
old church will host the 30th Istanbul Classical Music Festival beginning
on June 8. That event will give music lovers the opportunity to hear famous
soprano Kiri Te Kanawa and the Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Musica Group, the
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Ton Koopman, violinist
Vladimir Repin accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, cellist
Steven Isserlis and the Academy of Ancient Music group, violinist Shlomo
Mintz, soloists from Venice, pianist Lars Vogt accompanied by the Camerata
Salzburg Orchestra and finally Les Arts Florissants Orchestra. /Milliyet/
[10] TURKEY CELEBRATES CULTURE WITH FESTIVALS
The 13th International Istanbul Theatre Festival began on Saturday with a
ceremony held at Rumeli Castle. Twenty plays are scheduled to be performed
during the festival. In addition, the fourth International Eskisehir Cinema
Days are set to begin today. /Cumhuriyet/
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...
[12] KADEK AND ITS AFTERMATH BY COSKUN KIRCA (AKSAM)
Retired Ambassador Coskun Kirca writes on the EU’s list of terrorist
organizations. A summary of his column is as follows:
“Finally the European Union included the PKK and the DHKP-C on its
terrorist organizations list. Although the EU was bent on not including
them on the list, what happened to make it decide to do so? The EU decided
on the issue when the PKK announced that it would no longer engage in any
terrorist activities and that it had taken on a political identity. The
DHKP-C is less important when compared to the PKK, and once the PKK was
declared to be a terrorist organization it wouldn’t be worth offending
Turkey by excluding it from this list. The real issue begins now. Will the
EU see KADEK for what it is in fact, that is the continuation of the PKK?
The only reasonable and moral answer to this question would be the EU
declaring KADEK the continuation of the PKK. However, one cannot be quite
certain if the EU organs will choose to act correctly. There was a
widespread belief in the EU countries regarding terrorism, notwithstanding
political or ideological color. The belief that armed organizations
fighting for their independence will win over those with superior military
might had taken root. This belief is nothing but a fixed idea. There are
examples to the contrary and in fact, using communist terminology, those
waging ‘national independence wars’ have not always been successful.
However, both in Turkey and abroad there are those who still use this
argument. These circles are trying to justify their claims through other
means. This is the politicization of the terrorist organization. They
believe that once the terrorist organization has decided to enter politics,
all its former crimes should be forgotten and it should be accepted as a
valid party by the state. This point of view is tantamount to believing
that Turkish citizens are not very bright. However, we see that this
viewpoint is accepted by the governments of the Western European countries.
The terrorist organization intent on separating Northern Ireland from
Britain was taken into the provincial government when it denounced any
engagement in terrorist activities even as terrorism did not end. Similarly,
although there is a party denouncing terrorism while arguing for the
independence of the Basque territory in Spain, the terrorist activities of
the ETA continue. As the Western European countries are falling into an
impasse, announcing an end to terrorist activities seems to become a method
of bargaining. Therefore, the EU may accept KADEK as a valid party, and so
try to force us to negotiate with it. This issue is one of the basic points
in Turkish-EU relations. If the EU does not accept KADEK as a terrorist
organization, a great majority of the Turkish nation will no longer be in
favor of the nation’s full EU membership.”
[13] TURKEY IN THE BACKYARD BY EROL MANISALI (CUMHURIYET)
Columnist Erol Manisali writes on Turkish-EU relations. A summary of his
column is as follows:
“The real issue we are debating today is not the Cyprus problem but, rather
the EU’s policy towards Turkey. Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz is aware
of this fact as much as Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. Then why does he
speak so strangely, knowing full well that solving Cyprus on the EU model
would mean handing the island over to Greece and the EU? The answer to that
is that local politics, his party’s and his own position within the party
require him to do so. How can he say that the aim of the EU is not to solve
the Cyprus problem but as it doesn’t intend to include Turkey within its
own structure, to take our hands off the island, and then deploy the
European army within 3 to 5 years on this strategic locale, just beside the
British and the US bases? If he declares all this, he has to add that a new
process began in 1989 when it was understood that Europe would not take
Turkey within its borders in the aftermath of the Cold War, but just accept
it as its backyard. During those years, Yilmaz argued with then Prime
Minister Ozal in Paris over the Cyprus issue. Those who harshly criticized
him then and now occupy high places on Karen Fogg’s list had blamed Yilmaz
for leaving Turkey face to face with the EU. As Mr. Yilmaz is playing for
the EU today, he is taking sides with Europe. His own personal conditions
require him to do so. How far will Mr. Yilmaz support the EU demands? Will
he be saying what will happen if we hand over the Aegean in 2004, and then
support the Armenian claims? As is well known, Cyprus is the first item on
an agenda of demands. There is a silent plan being carried out to change
Turkey into the backyard of Europe. In fact, why did we tear up the Sevres
Treaty? We could have lived comfortably as the backyard of Europe as their
servants, just like the last Ottomans did!”
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