Anadolu Agency: News in English, 00-10-10

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ANADOLU AGENCY

NEWS

10 OCTOBER 2000

Tuesday

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

[02] RESOLUTION ON SO-CALLED GENOCIDE ON ARMENIANS

[03] TREASURY UNDERSECRETARY DEMIRALP:

[04] STATE MINISTER ONAL:

[05] VACLAV HAVEL, PRESIDENT OF CZECH REPUBLIC ARRIVES IN ANKARA

[06] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TAKES A STEP BACK ON GENOCIDE CLAIMS

[07] NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS PROTEST RESOLUTION

[08] TOTAL OF 18 PKK MEMBERS CAUGHT IN ISTANBUL

[09] NEW BORDER GATE WITH IRAQ

[10] SOUTH KOREAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER JANG DUE IN TURKEY

[11] PROFILE OF EXPORTS FROM GAP REGION

[12] MHP GROUP MEETING (1)

[13] ISTANBUL DGM ARRESTS FIVE OF NINE PKK MEMBERS WHO ILLEGALLY

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

RETALIATION TO U.S.
Turkey is getting prepared to open a second border gate with Iraq after the U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee approved a resolution on so-called genocide on Armenians last week. According to a secret project, the second border gate will take place in the region between Habur Border gate and border with Syria. The gate will reach Turcomen region and restrict Barzani's influence in Northern Iraq.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

ERSUMER:''ENERGY TENDERS WILL BE AFFECTED BY RESOLUTION''
Cumhur Ersumer, the Energy and Natural Resources Minister, received Robert Pearson, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. Ersumer said that Pearson and he had reviewed the investments of the U.S. companies in Turkey and evaluated the Caspian basin projects. Responding to a question about the resolution on so-called genocide on Armenians, Ersumer said that the energy tenders would be affected if the U.S. House of Representatives approved the resolution.

FOUR MINE WORKERS COULD NOT BE REACHED
Rescue teams could not reach four workers who were stranded in an illegal mine pit in Gelik region in northern Zonguldak province after an underground explosion. Senol Goklu, 27, Naci Saracoglu, 58, Huseyin Koca, 47 and Ersin Koca (22) had been stranded in the mine pit for three days. Hopes are fading away to rescue alive four workers.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

COTTARELLI DUE IN TURKEY
A delegation headed by Carlo Cottarelli, the Chief of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Turkey Desk, will come to Turkey in the coming days. The 2001 draft budget will be submitted to the parliament till October 17. Cottarelli and the accompanying delegation will review the budget figures.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

HAVEL DUE IN TURKEY
President Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic will come to Turkey today. President Havel's scheduled visit to Turkey was delayed two times due to his illness. President Havel will meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit.

ISRAELI BUSINESS DELEGATION DUE IN TURKEY
A business delegation from Israel will come to southern Adana province on October 24. The delegation will meet with Turkish businessmen and industrialists within the framework of a panel discussion on ''Agricultural Cooperation in Cukurova''.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

DRUG TRAFFICKERS' ROUTE CHANGED
Turan Genc, the Director General of Security Department, said that Turkey was not a safe route anymore for drug traffickers, adding that the recent operations made the drug trafficking to shift to other routes. Genc reminded that Turkey was a passage way between East and West and said the smugglers were using this route for trafficking drugs. ''We have achieved success in the Balkan route of the drug trafficking in the last two years, and confiscated huge amounts of drugs in this route,'' he added.

HIGHER PLANNING COUNCIL TO DEBATE 2001 BUDGET
The Higher Planning Council (YPK) will debate 2001 budget and program on Wednesday. At the meeting which will be presided by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, the Higher Planning Organization will give the final form to budget figures.

YENI BINYIL (LIBERAL)

CEM HOLDS CONTACTS WITH HIS COUNTERPARTS
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem held a series of telephone conversations within the framework of efforts aiming at defusing a growing crisis in the Middle East. Cem held telephone conversations with President Yasser Arafat of Palestine, his Syrian counterpart Faruq Al-Shara, his Jordanian counterpart Abdullah Al-Hatib and with Ben Ami, the Israeli Acting Foreign Minister.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

21 TURKS ELECTED IN BELGIUM
The Turkish people living in Belgium reached a great success in the local elections. A total of 21 Turks were elected as the members of some municipalities in the country.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

[02] RESOLUTION ON SO-CALLED GENOCIDE ON ARMENIANS

''But this is an age when politics can be local and global at the same time. Thus Rogan has sided with Armenians in an 85-year-old historical dispute that threatens to disrupt U.S. relations with Turkey, one of America's most staunch allies and a moderate, democratic bulwark against Islamic extremism,'' it said.

The article noted, ''Rogan's district in Southern California happens to be home to the largest concentration of Armenian Americans in the United States. Locked in a tight race for reelection, Rogan has been courting this voting block with help from House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, who agreed in August to push a resolution labeling as 'genocide' the massacres of Armenians that took place under the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923. That resolution was passed by the House International Relations Committee last week and may come to a vote on the floor this week. But what began as a nod to a local constituency has turned into an international incident, and the latest example of the role Congress often plays when it seizes on one narrow facet of foreign policy.''

It stressed, ''Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer called President Clinton last Monday to express 'grave reservations' about the resolution. U.S. corporate lobbyists fear that it could endanger billions of dollars in defense contracts. And U.S. diplomats fret that Ankara might limit U.S. use of Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey for patrolling the 'no-fly' zone over northern Iraq. A letter signed by 13 former U.S. Cabinet members and military commanders said adoption of the resolution 'would deliver a severe blow to U.S. interests in the region.''

The article quoted a Russian diplomat as saying last week that tensions over the House resolution have revived Moscow's hope that Turkey might choose instead a Russian helicopter equipped with Israeli avionics.

''The flap is a case study of the clout wielded by members of Congress who latch on to a single dimension of U.S. foreign policy with little regard to broader national interests. Often these members are motivated by a constituency, contributor or personal passion. Such parochial interests are not new. But with the end of the Cold War, the breakdown of the congressional foreign policy establishment, and an administration that has been unable to forge a new foreign policy consensus, these lawmakers have stepped into a vacuum and acquired tremendous influence,'' it noted.

The article quoted former representative Lee H. Hamilton from Indiana as saying, ''the old adage that politics stops at the water's edge has long since gone by the boards. Too many people place constituent interests above national interests. They don't see much difference between lobbying for highway funds and slanting foreign policy toward a particular interest group.''

It said, ''one former U.S. diplomat joked last week that politics still stops at the water's edge, only now it's the waters of the Bosporus.''

''A former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Chas. W. Freeman Jr., laments what he calls 'the franchising of foreign policy,' with various interest groups dictating areas of policy. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, influences policy toward Israel. The Congressional Black Caucus often sways Haiti policy. Non-proliferation crusaders rule on North Korea. Farmers bend trade policy. Christian groups dominate discussion of Sudan, whose Muslim-dominated government is waging war on the largely Christian south. Cuban Americans resist any easing of sanctions on Havana,'' it said.

The article stressed, ''as a result, individuals can drive policy—even, as in Rogan's case, when they are junior lawmakers and do not sit on the foreign affairs committees. 'What we've lost in Congress are the statesmen, ' said William A. Reinsch, who has grappled with Congress as undersecretary of commerce for export administration. 'People who tended to look at the bigger picture, who understood the broader range of U.S. interests and how at any given moment one would be more important than another, and who understood that presidents need flexibility.''

It said, ''though Hastert's support for Rogan was a catalyst, the resolution is also the product of years of political lobbying by Armenian Americans, who founded the Armenian Assembly of America as a grass-roots organization in 1972. The Armenian Assembly has also made allies with Greek Americans and human rights groups, longtime critics of Turkey. The organization has chalked up a string of victories. Armenia, with just 3.4 million people, receives 102.4 million U.S. dollars in aid from the U.S. Moreover, Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act bars U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan, a strategically located oil producing country that has a long- running dispute with Armenia over the territory of Upper Karabakh.''

''After the International Relations Committee passed the resolution by a vote of 24 to 11, Turkey announced that it would send an ambassador back to Baghdad for the first time since Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, but it did not link the move to the resolution. Separately, the leaders of Turkey's five major parties said they would bear in mind the resolution when Turkey's parliament decides whether to renew the U.S. mandate to use a Turkish base for flights over northern Iraq. The mandate expires on December 30,'' it said.

The article quoted Baki Ilkin, the Turkish Ambassador to the U.S., as saying in an interview, ''what is most important for us is that the resolution should be stopped before it can overshadow the strategic partnership we have. Armenia needs Turkey more than Turkey needs Armenia. The fabric of our relations with the U.S. would inevitably be affected.''

The article added, ''that, however, would be a matter for the next administration, and Congress, to deal with.''

[03] TREASURY UNDERSECRETARY DEMIRALP:

Demiralp pointed out that nobody can say today that the inflation rate didn't decrease, adding that the things realized till today in the last nine months are success for them.

Responding to questions of journalists, Demiralp said that the measures taken don't only cover the consolidated budget, but the measures taken in State Economic Enterprises (KITs) are also important.

Demiralp pointed out that if decisions regarding these measures are taken, both the credibility of the programme will increase and also the decrease in the inflation will be more.

Demiralp stressed that September is a critical month for inflation, noting that there is a decrease in the inflation, but it is not at the expected ratio.

Noting that a three-year economic programme is being implemented, Demiralp said that they target to reach 20-25 percent of inflation in wholesale and consumer prices index this year and 10-12 percent in 2001.

Demiralp also underlined the fact that the visit of the IMF to Turkey and the preparation of the budget should not be connected to each other.

''The budget belongs to the government. The budget that is prepared will be discussed by the technicians with the IMF,'' he said.

Demiralp pointed out that he will particiate in the G-20 meeting that will be held in Canada together with the Finance Minister and he will return home on October 26 or 27.

[04] STATE MINISTER ONAL:

Responding to questions of the A.A correspondent, Onal said, ''foreign investors' interest in Turkey increased recently, but we should accelerate our promotion activities to attract more attention.''

He said, ''economic program is going well in Turkey. I think it will result in an increase in flow of foreign capital into Turkey. We attribute great importance to foreign capital.''

''An increase in Turkish people's prosperity depends on three factors. The first of these factors is production of high-quality goods. Then we can sell more products and increase our export. Second of them is tourism. We have a great potential in tourism. And the third factor is foreign capital, '' Onal added.

[05] VACLAV HAVEL, PRESIDENT OF CZECH REPUBLIC ARRIVES IN ANKARA

Havel accompanied by Jan Fencl, the Czech Agriculture Minister, and a crowded delegation, were welcomed by Tunca Toskay, the State Minister, and other officials at Esenboga Airport.

Havel will meet with the President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Bilateral relations between the Czech and Turkish republics, and regional and

international issues concerning the two countries, are expected to be discussed during the meeting.

President Havel will also receive Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, and will be decorated with the honorary doctorate by the Bilkent University.

Three agreements regarding the customs relations between the countries, veterinary facilities, and plant preservation and quarantine facilities, are expected to be signed during the visit of Havel.

Havel, and the accompanying delegation will proceed to Aegean Izmir province, at the noon hours of Wednesday, after wrapping up their contacts in Ankara.

Havel will also visit Istanbul.

-ENERGY MINISTER ERSUMER SAYS U.S. ENERGY PROJECTS IN TURKEY
WOULD BE AFFECTED NEGATIVELY IF RESOLUTION IS PASSED AT
U.S. HOUSE
ANKARA - The cost of energy projects in Turkey in which U.S. companies are interested in is over 11 billion U.S. dollars and these companies will be the first to be affected if the resolution on the so-called Armenian genocide is approved at the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry stated that the biggest project package of the U.S. companies, which has a cost of 7.9 billion U.S. dollars, is for thermic power plants.

Several consortia including U.S. firms are interested in 18 thermic power plant projects. The total established power of these power plants is 11,090 megawatts and its investment cost is 7 billion 905 million U.S. dollars.

As a part of the bilateral agreements, the established power of the nine hydroelectric projects which will be realized by U.S. firms totals up to 1, 555 megawatts and its investment cost is 1 billion 856 million U.S. dollars.

U.S. companies are also interested in four hydroelectric power plant projects which will be built by built-operate-transfer (YID) method, three wind power plants, one garbage disposal facility and the management of one electric distribution region.

Marmara Ereglisi LNG and Esenyurt Natural Gas power plants which are run by Enron and Mission Energy respectively are among power plants built by YID model by U.S. firms.

Efforts are also underway to realize Alpaslan II, Durak, Eric, Gursogut, Hakkari, Kargi, Konaktepe I-II, Mut and Pervari dams and hydro electric power plants projects. An agreement was signed with Morrison Knudsen International firm regarding the two projects, Akkoy I and Akkoy II.

Feasibility activities of another wind power project are also continuing. The power plant will be built in Kocadag by Princeton Development Corp and Sterling Energy Service.

Meanwhile Energy and Natural Resources Minister Cumhur Ersumer had a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Robert Pearson on Monday. Responding to a question, Ersumer told reporters that the U.S. energy projects would definitely be affected if the resolution is approved at the U.S. House.

Noting that U.S. makes big amounts of investments in the energy field in Turkey, Pearson said they want to start long term energy investments in the country.

[06] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TAKES A STEP BACK ON GENOCIDE CLAIMS

The parliamentarians have started taking back their proposals which targeted to include the Armenian genocide allegations in the report. Rapparteur Morillion, during a speech said they don't have to follow the mistake of the U.S.

''We don't have the right to talk about a genocide. Take the Armenian Patriarch's statements into consideration,'' he said.

French Daniel Marc Cohn-Bendit from the Greens who earlier submitted a proposal to include the genocide claims in the report said he received phone calls from the Turkish Foreign Ministry and some members of the EU Commission warning him about the matter.

Noting that opening the Turkish archieve to international study would be beneficial, Cohn-Bendit said ''I made a mistake. First the Turkish society should discuss the issue. I am ready to withdraw my proposal.'' He said including the genocide claims in the report would not be right.

Other parliamentarians who spoke at the meeting criticized the prejudiced and ignorant attitude of the U.S. House of Representatives and argued that it would be a big mistake to include the claims in the report. They also said that they have to respect the genocide definition of the United Nations.

Discussions are continuing at the Committee on the Foreign Affairs over the Turkey report. The voting on proposals will be held on Tuesday afternoon.

Many Turkish authorities including Turkish Parliament-EP Joint Parliament Commission co-chairman Kursat Eser have intensified their lobbying activities and they are warning European parliamentarians over the matter.

[07] NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS PROTEST RESOLUTION

National Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (USIAD) Chairman Kemal Ozden who spoke during the protest said ''the resolution aims to revive the Sevres Treaty.'' ''We regard the resolution as an action taken against Turkey's unity and also against the Lausanne Treaty.''

Ozden called on the government to suspend relations with U.S. firms, take new initiatives regarding the Incirlik base and asked people not to buy U.S. goods.

Non-Governmental Organizations Union term spokesman Gokhan Ecevit also read out a press statement. Ecevit said ''Turkish and Armenian people who lived together for centuries are being provoked by emperialist powers.''

The group later dispersed peacefully.

-SECOND TURKISH PLANE TO LAND IN BAGHDAD ON WEDNESDAY
BAGHDAD - The flight of the second Turkish plane from Turkey to Baghdad was postponed to Wednesday. The Iraqi Press Center quoted on Tuesday the officials at the Iraqi Embassy in Ankara as saying that the flight had been postponed to Wednesday due to technical reasons, and that the plane would arrive in Baghdad at about 11:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

Sources said that the plane would carry five doctors and medical supplies sent by the Turkish Koc Foundation.

Meanwhile, Lutfi Akdogan, a former member of parliament, is expected to be received by Iraqi Vice President Taha Yasin Ramazan.

[08] TOTAL OF 18 PKK MEMBERS CAUGHT IN ISTANBUL

Istanbul Anti-Terrorism Directorate said on Tuesday that inmates failed to bring in cell phones into the prison illegally when the security system went off. The nine PKK members who took instructions from other organization members in the prison rented a shop close to the Bayrampasa Prison and set up a telephone network using fake identity cards.

It was stated that PKK members staying in the prison use the ten lines with no charge, and they were charging 500,000 TL per phone call from other prisoners. Inmates of foreign origin had to pay 1 million TL to use the phone service. The money collected from the phone service was transferred to the terrorist organization as financial support.

The incident caused a loss of 350 billion TL to the Turk Telekom.

During a second operation, security teams caught another nine people who were in contact with the PKK members in a neighbouring country.

The statement said the suspects organized the young people who are active in People's Democracy Party's (HADEP) Youth Commissions and they send them to the PKK camps outside Turkey. They also gave political training to those who were going to fight in Turkey's rural areas.

Operations related to the suspects are continuing.

[09] NEW BORDER GATE WITH IRAQ

Foreign Ministry sources said on Tuesday that Turkey evaluates the relations with Iraq on a comprehensive and long-term perspective as a neighbouring country.

Sources pointed out that the trade between Turkey and Iraq can revive by the normalization of the situation in Iraq, adding that some measures are thought to be taken to ease the operation of the trade btween the two countries.

''If an agreement is reached to open a new border gate between the two countries, the things that are necessary will be done. But for the moment we are not in a situation to confirm such an agreement,'' they said.

Sources added that it is not correct to connect the issue of opening a new border gate between the two countries with the discussion of the resolution on the socalled genocide on Armenians in the U.S. House of Representatives.

[10] SOUTH KOREAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER JANG DUE IN TURKEY

The Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Jang and an accompanying delegation would hold political consultations in Turkey.

It said that Turkish and South Korean Foreign Ministry delegations would discuss bilateral relations and regional and international issues concerning Turkey and South Korea, and exchange opinion on those issues.

[11] PROFILE OF EXPORTS FROM GAP REGION

In the same period last year, the region exported 352 million 303 thousand U.S. dollars of agricultural, animal and industrial products to 96 countries and 5 free trade areas.

Officials at the Southeastern Anatolia Exporters' Union, told the A.A correspondent on Tuesday that in the first eight months of the year, they exported 204 million 436 thousand U.S. dollars in textiles; 64 million 100 thousand U.S. dollars in fresh fruits and vegetables; 57 million 326 thousand U.S. dollars in grain-cereals; 27 million 404 thousand U.S. dollars in dried fruits, and 1 million 333 thousand U.S. dollars in livestock.

The majority of the goods were exported to Iraq, Syria and Italy and the Turkish goods in greatest demand were carpets, synthetic thread and textiles.

Turkey realized 125.01 million U.S. dollars to Europe in exports; 89.3 million U.S. dollars in exports to the Middle East; 24.3 million U.S. dollars in exports to the Turkish Republics; 5.2 million U.S. dollars in exports to the Commonwealth of Independent States; 8.2 million U.S. dollars to Africa; 19 million U.S. dollars to the American continent; 3.2 million U.S. dollars to Asia and 80.1 million U.S. dollars in exports to other countries in the first eight months of 2000.

[12] MHP GROUP MEETING (1)

[13] ISTANBUL DGM ARRESTS FIVE OF NINE PKK MEMBERS WHO ILLEGALLY

The nine suspects were interrogated by Prosecutor Hadi Salihoglu. Salihoglu sent five PKK members to the alternate court to be arrested and released the other four suspects.

Yesim Ormanci, one of the arrested suspects, was working at the Turk Telekom.

-NAME OF POPE JEAN RONCALLI XXIII GIVEN TO THE STREET WHERE HE LIVED
DURING HIS POST IN TURKEY
ISTANBUL- The municipality assembly of Sisli decided on Tuesday, to give the name of Pope Jean Roncalli XXIII to the street where he lived during his post in Istanbul as a representative of Vatican between 1935-1944. Addressing the meeting, Mustafa Sarıgul, the mayor of Sisli said that Roncalli exerted efforts to learn Turkish while he was in Turkey and encouraged his religious community to learn Turkish as well.

Sarıgul reminded that the term in office of Roncalli coincides with the implementations of the revolutions of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, and said although Roncalli had a religious post, he supported secularism and other reforms of Ataturk wholeheartedly.

''When Roncalli became the Pope XXIII, he continued his close relations with Turkey, and symbolized the tolerance among the religions. Pope Jean Roncalli XXIII was a modern religious man who talked on the holiness of Islam'' said Sarıgul.

Sarıgul emphasized that naming of the street had nothing to do with the resolution on the socalled genocide on Armenians adding that when they submitted the proposal to the Municipality Assembly, the resolution wasn't on the agenda of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, Louis Pelatre, the Turkish Latin Catholic Community Spiritual Leader who participated in the meeting said this initiative was important not only for the Catholics but also for other religious communities.

Bayram Erdogan, the Acting Mufti of Istanbul; Kirkor Damatyan, the representative of the Armenian Patriarchate; Rifat Saban, the head of Turkish Jewish Community; Georgy P. Kostandov, the representative of Bulgarian Orthodox Church; Henry Oyalva, the representative of Jewish 500. Year Foundation; and Imren Aykut, a former minister attended the meeting.

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