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Turkish Press Review, 02-08-28Turkish 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> <map name="FPMap1"></map> Press & Information Turkish Press Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning28.08.2002FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… IS FATE ONCE AGAIN CALLING ECEVIT TO CHANGE CYPRUS’ FUTURE? BY OKTAY EKSI (HURRIYET)CONTENTS
[01] HANDOVER CEREMONIES HELD FOR ARMY POSTSIn a ceremony held yesterday in Ankara, Gendarmerie Commander-in-Chief Gen. Aytac Yalman handed over his office to Land Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Sener Eruygur, while in another, Aytac took over the duties of the Land Forces Commandership from Gen. Hilmi Ozkok. Besides President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi and many other high-level officials were present at the ceremonies. /All Papers/[02] KIVRIKOGLU: “ELECTIONS SHOULDN’T BE POSTPONED”Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu, whose term in office is due to end on Friday, yesterday continued his tour of farewell visits. While visiting Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi, Kivrikoglu thanked Parliament for its contributions to the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). For his part, Izgi remarked on Kivrikoglu’s great success during his term of duty. Speaking to reporters, Kivrikoglu said that he had no intention of running as a candidate from any party in the Nov. 3 elections. Regarding efforts to postpone these elections, he stated, “This is a political matter. However, Parliament has decided to hold elections on Nov. 3, and it would be the most proper thing for that decision to be carried out.” /Turkiye/[03] DENKTAS EXPRESSES SKEPTICISM ON FUTURE OF TALKSThe sixth round of direct talks between Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas and Greek Cypriot administration leader Glafcos Clerides, which are aimed at finding a solution to the Cyprus issue, began yesterday. After meeting with Clerides for one-and-a-half hours in the Cyprus Buffer Zone, with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and UN Cyprus Envoy Alvaro de Soto also present as observers, Denktas expressed skepticism that the current talks would bear any fruit. Denktas told reporters the Greek Cypriot side had stated that a “Cyprus Republic” already existed and would continue to do so and that the talks should proceed on this basis. Such a stance allows for little hope, remarked Denktas. The TRNC president also denied that a solution proposal would be brought to a Paris summit scheduled for Sept. 6. Commenting on reports that a team led by Britain’s Cyprus Representative David Hannay was working on constitutional issues, Denktas said, “Lord Hannay is trying to be helpful in carrying out his own work on such matters. However, this situation cannot affect us and won’t bring any surprises either.” /Cumhuriyet/[04] GUREL TO VISIT IRANForeign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sukru Sina Gurel is set to travel to Iran this weekend. Reportedly, Gurel will pay a one-day visit to the country on Sunday upon the invitation of Iranian Foreign Minister Kemal Harrazi. Gurel and Harrazi will discuss relations between the two nations, the Iraq issue and recent regional developments. /Cumhuriyet/[05] MUMCU RESIGNS FROM ANAPMotherland Party (ANAP) Isparta Deputy Erkan Mumcu resigned from his party yesterday. Speaking at a press conference in Parliament after his resignation, Mumcu said that there was no longer any room for him to practice politics in ANAP with the values he believed in. “I don’t think that politics should be a career struggle, so I decided to resign from ANAP despite bright career prospects there,” he said. “My resignation from ANAP doesn’t mean that I’m leaving politics. I will make a political choice after taking some time to think and then continue my political career.” Mumcu, onetime tourism minister and ANAP deputy chairman, had openly clashed with the party leadership, but was widely believed to have been offered a future ANAP chairmanship in return for staying with the party. ANAP Malatya Deputy Mirac Akdogan also resigned from the party yesterday. With these two resignations, the number of ANAP deputies in Parliament fell to 72. Mumcu and Akdogan are reportedly expected to join the Justice and Development Party (AKP). /Turkiye/[06] ERDOGAN: “MUMCU’S RESIGNATION WAS NO SURPRISE”Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said that Erkan Mumcu’s resignation from the Motherland Party (ANAP) was an expected development and hence no surprise. Speaking to reporters, Erdogan stated that he would be pleased to see anyone who adopted the AKP’s principles in his party’s ranks. Mumcu is expected to join the AKP. /Turkiye/[07] TURKEY INCLUDED IN US MISSILE SHIELD PROPOSAL FOR NATOThe Bush administration has proposed establishing a common air defense shield to protect its NATO allies countries in Europe, including Turkey, against missile attacks. A delegation from the US Defense Department held a series of meetings in NATO capitals in Europe last week to brief officials on the proposal. The same delegation visited Ankara in late July. The offer was appreciated by Turkey, and reports say that the Turkish defense industry would also contribute to the project. Technical and financial details of the project are not yet available. /Aksam/[08] ZIYAL MEETS WITH POWELL, US DEFENSE OFFICIALSForeign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal and an accompanying delegation are continuing a series of high-level diplomatic and defense meetings in Washington this week. During his visit to the US, which began on Monday, Ziyal has so far met with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, and Deputy Secretary of State Marc Grossman, the latter a former US ambassador to Turkey. The Turkish delegation reportedly reiterated its sensitivities on the Iraq issue. /Aksam/[09] KECECILER: “CIVIL SERVANT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING CAN WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR”State Minister Mehmet Kececiler yesterday told reporters that civil servant trade unions had proposed to him that the collective bargaining process on raises be postponed to next year, to be addressed by the new government after this November’s elections. Kececiler is expected to present this proposal to the Cabinet today. /Hurriyet/[10] DERVIS: “ELECTIONS SHOULD BE HELD TO DISPEL UNCERTAINTY”Former Economy Minister Kemal Dervis yesterday met with Onder Sav, secretary-general of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the party which Dervis joined last week. Speaking after the meeting, Dervis said that postponing general elections scheduled for November wouldn’t be good for Turkey’s economy. “The elections should be held so as to dispel the political uncertainty,” he added. /Sabah/[11] AYGUN: “THE PARTIES SHOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR ELECTIONS DECISION”Commenting on initiatives to postpone the elections set for Nov. 3, Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) Chairman Sinan Aygun said yesterday that the president should take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that the elections are held on their scheduled date. In a written statement, Aygun called on the political parties to stand behind their decision regarding the elections. “Those who want to postpone the Nov. 3 elections should make their intentions clear,” said Aygun. Stressing that Turkey’s current conditions require it to hold elections on time, he remarked that it was impossible to escape from the nation’s will. /Turkiye/[12] ISTANBUL TO HOST FIATA WORLD CONGRESS NEXT MONTHThe International Transportation and Logistic Service Producers’ Association (UTIKAD) will host delegates from 81 countries at the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Association (FIATA) 2002 World Congress to be held in Istanbul on Sept. 8-12. UTIKAD Deputy Chairman Ayse Nur Esin said that her aim was to show foreign investors that Turkey can be a gateway to reach a market of 400 million people. /Cumhuriyet/[13] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…[14] TURKEY’S IRAQ POLICY BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI (STAR)Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli writes on the reasons why Turkey can’t afford to say ‘no’ to a US operation in Iraq. A summary of her column is as follows:“The US is trying to win international support for a US operation in Iraq and the ousting of Saddam Hussein’s regime. But the only support it has managed to drum up, so far, is Britain’s. All of Iraq’s neighbors as well as countries in the region are opposed to such an operation. In fact the European countries are also against the idea of US intervention. The only exception is Turkey. Actually, Turkey doesn’t want an operation either. Now that the PKK terror is over, for Turkey, the ‘de facto’ situation in northern Iraq is acceptable. By contrast, no one knows what the overthrow of the Iraqi regime would lead to. That’s why Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel spends most of his time working on a solution to the Iraqi problem. Last week he went to Jordan to speak with an Iraqi state minister and then flew to Iran, another country dead set against a US operation. Again last week Iraq’s trade minister visited Turkey to talk about increasing economic cooperation. In addition, Syrian Prime Minister Miro is also expected to come to Turkey to hold talks on the same issue. So if all the countries in the region are against a US operation, why isn’t Turkey raising its voice to the US in opposition? The answer is simple: Turkey has no room for political maneuvering due to the struggle with its financial crisis. All the agreements with the IMF and World Bank were concluded with US Treasury approval. If Turkey doesn’t get out of this financial crisis, again, the country to save Turkey will be the US. That explains why it is difficult for Turkey to openly oppose a US operation. I have to point out here that even Syria, which is even less developed than Turkey, has a clearer attitude on the issue. They can say ‘no’ because they have no economic relations with either the IMF or the World Bank.” [15] IS FATE ONCE AGAIN CALLING ECEVIT TO CHANGE CYPRUS’ FUTURE? BY OKTAY EKSI (HURRIYET)Columnist Oktay Eksi writes on the recent situation on Cyprus and peace talks between Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas and Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides. A summary of his column is as follows:“All parties involved in the Cyprus issue along with the international community have recently displayed their resolve to reach a permanent settlement on the island. Not only both sides’ efforts but also the dissatisfaction on the part of both nations on the island with the pace of the years-long talks have paved the way for this recent positive atmosphere of discussions concerning the island. Although significant progress has been made during the Denktas-Clerides direct meetings which have been going on since the beginning of this year, the main problem persist, namely that the two sides have failed to reach a settlement recognizing the existence of two separate states on the island. The Turkish Cypriots are understandably insisting on ‘equal sovereignty.’ In addition, we all know that other interested circles previously presented their solution proposals to both sides. For example, British Special Representative Lord David Hannay made significant statements on the issue during an interview with Turkish journalist Mehmed Ali Birand back in June: ‘Let’s forget about the current structure on the island. Let’s establish two separate states which will voluntarily relinquish some of their authority to a joint ‘partnership state.’ These two states should either be constituent or component states. They will be masters of their own houses. Both the Turkish and Greek Cypriots will be represented in Brussels.’ In addition, Denktas and Clerides have reportedly come to see eye-to-eye on a number of pivotal security issues. For example, they agreed that no armed forces would be deployed on the island, with the exception of security forces. These views are also shared by circles close to UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan. Even the international community is more hopeful than ever before. Although the two leaders haven’t as yet reached a settlement on such sensitive issues as the concept of ‘equal sovereignty,’ or ‘demands of rights for immovable assets,’ we can’t deny that the status quo on the island is full of new hopes and promises for the Turkish side. I wonder if Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, who altered the fate of the Turkish Cypriots in 1974 with a Peace Operation, could take advantage of these conditions to change the island’s future one more time and moreover improve Turkey’s relations with the EU.” 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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