Anadolu Agency: News in English, 00-11-21

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ANADOLU AGENCY

NEWS

21 NOVEMBER 2000 Tuesday

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

10 LAWYERS AND 200 PAGE DEFENSE FROM APO
Abdullah Ocalan, the head of the terrorist organization, prepared a 200- page defense for his hearing that will take place in European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday. A total of ten lawyers, six of them foreigners, will defend Ocalan. Two professors, two lawyers, and 33 relatives of martrys will attend Tuesday's hearing as intervenors.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

PRESIDENT SEZER SAYS THE WORLD IS NOT CONSISTED OF EUROPE
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer reacted harshly against Europe during a speech he gave at the Foreign Economic Relations Council. ''We are aware of the fact that the world is not consisted of only Europe,'' Sezer said and Turkey should focus more on the African continent and China. Balkan countries, Caucasian and Central Asian Republics also hold an important place in Turkey's economic policies, he stated.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

AGREEMENT WITH IMF
Treasury Undersecretary Selcuk Demiralp said that compromise was reached on every issue with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Demiralp said, ''the IMF will release 600 million U.S. dollar loan by the end of the year. The World Bank and other organizations will extend 5 billion U.S. dollar loan.''

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

YILDIRIM GURSES LAID TO REST
Yildirim Gurses, the singer of classical Turkish music, who died of heart attack on Saturday, was laid to rest in Zincirlikuyu cemetery on Monday.

ANKARA TO BE IN AN EFFORT TO CONVINCE THE EU
The European Union (EU) Council postponed its works on the Accession Partnership Accord. Ankara, who expressed caution over the developments, will continue contacts with the EU in every platform. Ankara is in an effort to make the text to be confirmed as ''realistic, and that can be applied.''

RADIKAL (LEFT)

KEY NAME OF BANKS TRANSFERRED TO FUND
Neslihan Demirel, the sister of Murat Demirel who gave testimony regarding Egebank which was transferred to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund, accused Sukru Karahasanoglu who worked in all the five banks which were transferred to the Fund, of being the key name. Neslihan Demirel said that Sukru Karahansanoglu was the person who gave them this idea. Karahasanoglu is wanted by police.

YENİ BİNYIL (LIBERAL)

ECHR TO HEAR OCALAN CASE TODAY
The Swedish judge Elizabeth Palm will direct the court session in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) which will be held upon the application of the head terrorist Ocalan's lawyers. The applicant claims that Turkey violated 12 articles of the European Convention on Human Rights.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

THEY PUT FORWARD NEW OBSTACLES EVERY DAY
Accession Partnership Accord, which brought Turkey and the European Union face to face, was discussed in European Union General Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday. The Council postponed confirmation of the document to the European Union leaders' summit that will take place in December.

SEZER REACTS TO CORRUPTION
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who spoke at the 14th Regular General Assembly of the Foreign Economic Relations Committee (DEIK), said everybody, mainly the administrators, should abide by the principles, and noted that this would overcome uncertainity between the the state and private sector and build up mutual confidence. Sezer said formation of a transparent economic structure was their basic target.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

EU COUNCIL CAN'T GIVE DECISION
The EU Council postponed giving a decision on the Accession Partnership Document prepared by the EU Commission for Turkey upon the reaction of Turkey regarding the Document and the decisions of the European Parliament. The EU Council said that the decision will be given in December.

-GAP REGION'S EXPORTS TO ASIA AND AFRICA INCREASE
GAZIANTEP - The exports from the Southeast Anatolian Region (GAP) to Asian and African countries increased.

GAP region exported agricultural products worth of 10,6 million U.S. dollars to African countries by an increase of 7 percent and products worth of 4,6 million U.S. dollars to Asian countries by an increase of 24.9 percent in the first ten months of this year.

Products worth of 9,9 million U.S. dollars were exported to Africa in the same period last year and products worth of 3,6 million U.S. dollars were exported to Asian countries in the same period last year.

Algeria was ranked the top among African countries with products exported from GAP region with 3,48 million U.S. dollars, Egypt followed that with 1, 99 million U.S. dollars, South African Republic followed that with 1,6 million U.S. dollars. Iran was ranked the top among Asian countries with products exported from GAP region with 2,1 million U.S. dollars.

-DEMIRALP, TREASURY UNDERSECRETARY:
''WE HAVE AGREED WITH THE IMF ON EVERY ISSUE. INTENT
LETTER WILL BE SENT FORMALLY IN DECEMBER THE LATEST''
ISTANBUL - Treasury Undersecretary Selcuk Demiralp said late on Monday that they have agreed with Carlo Cottarelli, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Turkey Desk Chief, on every issue, and noted that they also agreed on a draft intent letter. Demiralp said the intent letter will be submitted formally in December the latest after the approval of the government.

Demiralp attended ''New Tendencies in Turkish Banking and Capital Markets'' conference staged by Finance-Dialogue Conference Delegation. Speaking at the conference, Demiralp recalled that the World Bank will discuss three separate loans in 22-23 December, and the IMF is expected to approve the intent letter in the same month. He added that they hoped to enter in 2001 with the approval of World Bank loans and IMF intent letter.

Pointing out that the IMF assessed 7 percent growth rate in 2000 and that they estimated this figure as 6 percent, Demiralp said they were planning to bring the growth rate to 4-4,5 percent in the year 2001 to be able to take the current deficit under control.

Demiralp said the year 2001 has two general targets, and named them as the inflation and current deficit, adding that a figure above the annual inflation target, could not demoralize them.

Stressing that their main target was to reduce the inflation to single digit figures at the end of the year 2002, Demiralp said this could be permanent only with the structural decisions.

-UKRAINE TO ENSURE SAFE TRANSPORTATION OF
RUSSIAN NATURAL GAS TO TURKEY
MOSCOW - Ukraine will take under guarantee the transportation of the Russian natural gas to Turkey which will pass by a pipeline from Ukraine.

The Ukranian Premier Viktor Yushchenko and the Russian Premier Mihail Kasyanov will sign a memorandum of understanding which brings solutions to the safe transfer of Russian natural gas from Ukraine.

Yushchenko told the national radio channel of Ukraine on Tuesday that the memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed on November 30.

''We reached a full consensus of opinion with Russia on the new mechanism which will ensure the safe transportation of the natural gas,'' said Ukranian Premier Viktor Yushchenko, adding that his most important aim in his visit to Russia was to reach a consensus on this issue.

-GERMAN P&T AND JACOPS FIRMS SIGN PRELIMINARY AGREEMENT

WITH KARDEMIR TO SET UP WIND ENERGY POWER PLANTS IN DUZCE
HAMBURG - German P&T Technology and and Jacops energy firms signed a preliminary agreement with Kardemir Corp. to start wind energy investments in Duzce.

Seyhmuz Ozmen, a businessman from Mardin province who is a share holder in the German P&T firm, helped to expedite activities to set up wind energy power plants in Turkey. P&T and Jacops firms signed a preliminary agreement to build a factory in Duzce. Authorities from P&T and Jacops firms and Kardemir Executive Board Chairman Sencer Imer signed the agreement on behalf of their firms.

According to the agreement, the factory will be built in Duzce Organized Industry region in 2001. Except for the fans, all parts of the machines which will produce wind energy will be manufactured in Kardemir by Karabuk Iron and Steal Corp. and the parts will be installed at the factory.

Duzce Governor Fikret Guven told A.A that this was an important investment for Turkey and it would boost people's morale in Duzce. He also declared that the factory would be environment friendly and would not cause any environmental pollution. The factory will also provide jobs for 200 people.

Sencer Imer indicated that the agreement also includes setting up wind energy power plants in Kardemir. ''We will meet our energy need through these wind power plants; therefore, Turkey will not be spending any cash,'' he explained. ''P&T firm will sell the energy that will be produced and later it will hand over the power plants to us. This agreement is a bridge between Turkey and Germany.''

Jens Peters, one of the share holders of P&T said they were very pleased about the preliminary agreement and stated that they would be interested in making investments in Turkey also in other fields.

Businessman Seyhmuz Ozmen stressed that wind energy was a renewable energy type and would not cause pollution. He also stated that P&T firm wants to save Gokova by solving its pollution problem. He noted that they can clean Gokova in two years.

''Denmark is producing 40 percent and Germany is producing 30 percent of their energy need through wind energy,'' Ozmen went on to say. ''Turkey has the potential to produce all of its energy from wind energy and it can also sell energy. We, as P&T, want to do this. However, we have two requests from Turkey. One is a purchase guarantee from the Energy Ministry and the second is not facing bureaucratic difficulties.''

Ozmen also stated that they received positive results from their measurements in Mardin; therefore, they are planning to set up wind energy power plants in this city.

-FM CEM TO VISIT ISRAEL ON WEDNESDAY
ANKARA - Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will go to Israel on Wednesday upon the invitation of the Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami.

A Foreign Ministry statement said on Tuesday that Cem will exchange views about the developments regarding the Middle East peace process and the recent situation in the region within the scope of the conflict between Israel and Palestinians during his Wednesday's visit.

-ECHR STARTS TO HEAR APPLICATION OF LAWYERS OF OCALAN
-DEFENSE OF TURKISH GOVERNMENT (1)
STRASBOURG - Sukru Alpaslan, the lawyer of the Turkish government, on Tuesday conveyed the views of Turkish government related with the application of lawyers of Abdullah Ocalan, the head of the terrorist organization, during the hearing which started in European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday.

In the defense, Alparslan said, terrorist activities of the separatist terrorist PKK organization were also recorded in the previous decisions taken by the ECHR.

Alpaslan said the application, made by the Dutch lawyers to the court on behalf of Ocalan was made with false signature, and noted that the court should not ignore this.

Pointing out that hearing of Ocalan on Imrali had taken place in a fair way, and that his lawyers were given all the facilities for defense, Alparslan recalled that during the hearings Abdullah Ocalan undertook responsibility regarded with his terrorist activities.

(to be continued)

-TURKEY-EU JPC MEETING STARTS IN ANTALYA
ANTALYA, Nov 21 - Turkey-European Union (EU) Joint Parliamentary Commission (JPC) 46th meeting started in southern Antalya province on Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Ismail Cem; the co-chairmen Kursat Eser, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Aksaray Deputy, and Daniel Marc Cohn-Bendit, the French Parliamentarian, will deliver speeches in today's first session.

Parliamentarians who are members of the Turkey and Europe group of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission; Karen Fogg, the EU Commission Permanent Representative, and Alain Servantie, the Head of Unit Turkey Team of the Commission related with Enlargement.

Following the opening speeches, presentations will be made on behalf of the EU Term Presidency and the EU Commission.

Agenda items will be discussed in the afternoon session. Turkish-EU relations, financial cooperation, benefit of Turkey from the facilities given to candidate countries, and European Security and Defense Identity are the agenda items.

The meeting will end on Wednesday.

-ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES MINISTER ERSUMER:
-''TURKEY IS FACE TO FACE WITH AN ENERGY PROBLEM
WHICH WE CONSIDER AS A TEMPORARY PROBLEM''
ANKARA - Energy and Natural Resources Minister Cumhur Ersumer said on Tuesday that Turkey is face to face with an energy problem which they consider as a temporary problem.

The Parliamentary Planning and Budget Commission started the discussions on 2001 Fiscal Year Budget.

Speaking in the commission meeting, Ersumer said that all measures will be taken to prevent this energy problem being turned into a crisis.

Ersumer noted that their target is providing the energy demand under suitable conditions and making the energy sector the motive of the sustainable development.

The domestic conventional energy resources potential is 246 billion kilowatts per hour, Ersumer stated.

Ersumer said that this potential can only meet the electricity demand of Turkey till 2007.

Turkey's electricity demand will increase 8.9 percent to 129 billion kilowatts per hour by the end of 2000 when compared to 1999, Ersumer noted.

Ersumer stated that 124.4 billion kilowatts per hour of this demand can be met by production and 3.3 billion kilowatts per hour of it by importation, adding that the total amount of electricity demand met in Turkey will be 127.5 billion kilowatts per hour.

The rest of the demand is planned to be met by the savings measures, Ersumer said.

Ersumer noted that the energy demand is expected to increase 8.3 percent to 139.7 billion kilowatts per hour in 2001 when compared to 2000.

Only 136.6 billion of this demand will be met, including 131.3 billion by production and 5.3 billion by importation, Ersumer added.

-ECHR STARTS TO HEAR APPLICATION OF LAWYERS OF OCALAN
-DEFENSE OF TURKISH GOVERNMENT (2)
STRASBOURG - The lawyer of the Turkish government Sukru Alpaslan continued to defend Turkey in the case regarding the application of the head terrorist Abdullah Ocalan heard in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Alpaslan based the defense of the Turkish government on the preliminary responses the Turkish government had earlier sent to the court, the evaluation of the meaning of the word ''terror'', Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code; the accusations on Turkey regarding the violation of the principle of presumption of innocence and the fair trial.

Alpaslan said that he is honoured to defend the Turkish government in such a case, adding that the application, made by the Dutch lawyers to the ECHR on behalf of the head terrorist Ocalan was made with false signature, adding that this was also proven by the forensic medicine reports.

Alpaslan said that Marc Muller who made the application later is the Director of a limited company known as the Kurdistan Human Rights Project which is based in Britain. Alpaslan stressed that it is legally wrong to make an individual application to the ECHR on behalf of the terrorist organization as a director of the company.

Focusing on the meaning of the terrorist activities in his defense, Alpaslan said that the Council of Europe (COE) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regard the PKK as a terrorist organization.

Commenting that the European Convention on Human Rights's article on fight with terrorism expressed concern over the terrorist activities and it requests punishment of those who carry out terrorist acitivities, Alpaslan said that PKK, which stages bomb and rocket attacks, which attacks civilians, which clashes with the armed forces, which abducts persons and which stages attacks on touristic regions is a terrorist organization.

Alpaslan referred to the earlier verdicts of the ECHR which say that ''if terrorist activities threaten the territorial integrity of one country, it is difficult to fight with terrorism under the current laws of that country.''

Alpaslan recounted that the ECHR accepted in 1997 in the case of Mehdi Zana that PKK is a terrorist organization which threatens the territorial integrity of the country.

Alpaslan pointed out to the attacks of the terrorist organization on the European countries and recounted that many countries prohibited the activities of this organization in their territories.

Fransic Szpiner, the other lawyer of the Turkish government explained the views of Turkey regarding the accusations brought against Turkey related to the transfer of the head terrorist to Turkey from Kenya.

-MHP LEADER BAHCELI SAYS ENCOURAGING ETHNIC IDENTIES AND
RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES WOULD NOT HELP SOCIAL SOLIDARITY
AND DEMOCRACY
ANKARA - Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader and Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli said on Tuesday that ''encouraging ethnic identities, and making ethnic and religious differences more obvious never helped the advancement of social solidarity and democracy anywhere in the world.''

Speaking at his party's group meeting, Bahceli said the MHP started an intensive work programme. ''The nationalist movement will start implementing its policies with a new spirit and enthusiasm,'' Bahceli said.

''We believe that even those who are trying to criticize us with their ideologic obsessions and prejudices will start thinking that we are right as they start seeing the realities,'' he went on to say. ''We witnessed this in the past and I hope we will witness it again in the future.''

Bahceli said there are some people who are even bothered when they hear the words ''Turkey's national interest'' and these people, knowingly or not knowingly, are speaking on behalf of some circles and this proves the importance of the nationalist movement.

Bahceli said Turkey had not made much progress in the institutionalization of democracy although there has been a debate over democracy for several years.

''Encouraging ethnic identities, and making ethnic and religious differences more obvious never helped the advancement of social solidarity and democracy anywhere in the world,'' Bahceli said. ''No country in the world managed to preserve a public order by ignoring a national identity and culture. It is every Turkish citizen's duty to be agile and show reaction against these distorted mentalities.''

-ECHR STARTS TO HEAR APPLICATION OF LAWYERS OF OCALAN
-DEFENSE OF TURKISH GOVERNMENT (3)
STRASBOURG - Sukru Alpaslan, the lawyer of the Turkish government said on Wednesday that the head of the terrorist organization PKK Abdullah Ocalan accepted the accusations on him in the court sessions held on Imralı island, Turkey.

Recounting that the Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code covers crimes of treason committed against the indivisible integrity of the country, Alpaslan said that Ocalan confessed in the court hearings that he founded, guided and organized the PKK.

Alpaslan said that the Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code aims at protecting the democratic values of the Turkish Republic, adding that the crimes committed by Ocalan were determined by all the concrete evidences.

Speaking about the claims saying that the principle of presumption of innocence was violated, Alpaslan said that the press is free in Turkey and it only voices the reaction of the public opinion against the activities of the terrorist organization.

Referring to a decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding an application against Germany about the violation of the principle of presumption of innocence, Alpaslan said that ECHR rejected the application of the lawyer of a person who was tried in this country when the German press published news about him saying that he was a bandit and murderer. ECHR found the application of the lawyer inadmissible as the person was dangerous.

Responding to the accusations regarding the violation of the right to fair trial, Alpaslan said State Security Courts (DGMs) in Turkey were independent and impartial courts, and that the trial of Ocalan was took place open to public. He also said right of the lawyers for free defense were also respected.

Referring to the statements of Ocalan, which were made during the hearings that he was not tortured and abused, the lawyer said the report prepared by Andreas Barsony, the Hungarian Parliamentarian, stated that the rights of the defense were fully respected during this hearing and that Ocalan was tried in a fair way.

Recalling that Ocalan's lawyers were given the required time for defense, Alparslan said the accusation about the existence of military judge in the DGM was also not right.

Alpaslan recalled that an alternate judge was present from the beginning of trial, as it happens in all courts in Europe, and noted that a civilian judge, who was present from the very beginning of the hearings was replaced with the military judge following the constitutional amendment to the related issue. He said no problem was experienced in respect of law to this end, adding that this was also mentioned in Barsony's report.

Alparslan also recalled that Ocalan and his lawyers did not have any opposition about the structure of the DGM and the court delegation during the hearings.

-TURKEY-EU JPC MEETING STARTS IN ANTALYA (3)
ANTALYA - Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the Co-President of the Turkey-European Union (EU) Joint Parliamentary Commission (JPC), made on Tuesday an apology to everybody who were hurt by the Morillon Report which was adopted by the European Parliament (EP) last week.

The Turkey-EU JPC 46th Meeting started in southern Antalya province.

Referring to an amendment to so-called Armenian genocide allegations in the Morillon Report, Cohn-Bendit said that it will be a more appropriate choice to leave the decision to the historians.

Cohn-Bendit noted that the JPC meetings are important and that Turkey's EU candidacy became a real process following the Helsinki Summit.

Candidacy does not mean membership, Cohn-Bendit said, adding that this can be a difficult road.

Cohn-Bendit stated that all difficulties can be overcome by rationalist political approaches.

Touching on Cyprus question, Cohn-Bendit said that Cyprus is a political problem regarding enlargement in the EU.

Cohn-Bendit said that Cyprus comes to the agenda like a political connection even if it does not occur as a political condition, adding that if the problem is not solved, the EU will face such a political problem regarding the enlargement between 2003 and 2004.

Cohn-Bendit said that developments should be marked in cultural autonomy, torture and democratic reforms before the full membership negotiations are started.

-JUSTICE MINISTER TURK RECEIVES GERMAN DEPUTY CLAUDIA ROTH
ANKARA - Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk received German Parliament Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid Commission Chairperson Claudia Roth on Tuesday.

After a meeting which lasted for one and a half hour, Roth who is from the Greens Party, said she discussed freedom of expression and press in Turkey during his meeting with Turk. ''Turkey should do all these for the sake of democratization,'' Roth commented.

The amnesty and the hunger strike which is going on at certain prisons were other topics of discussion during the meeting. Roth told reporters that she also discussed with Turk the difficulties encountered by German citizens in work life in Turkey.

Roth also emphasized that she was very pleased that she was allowed to visit Leyla Zana from the outlawed Democracy Party (DEP) in prison.

When asked if she wants head of the terrorist organization Abdullah Ocalan to benefit from the amnesty, Roth said ''Ocalan deserves to receive a fair trial.'' She indicated that they did not discuss the amnesty issue on the basis of individuals. She said that she would discuss this matter further with representatives of human rights organizations in the afternoon.

The Turkish government acted wisely by not sending the execution file of Ocalan to Parliament by considering the hearing in Strasbourg, she commented.

-FOREIGN MINISTER CEM:
''THE EU ADOPTS AN ATTITUDE THAT IT FORGOT THE PRINCIPLE
OF SUPREMACY OF LAW AND THE VIRTUE OF ABIDING BY THE PROMISES''
ANTALYA - Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said on Tuesday that the European Union (EU) adopted an attitude that it forgot the principle of supremacy of law and the virtue of abiding by the promises.

Foreign Minister Cem addressed the opening of the 46th Joint Parliamentary Commission (JPC) held between the Parliament and the European Parliament, on behalf of the government.

FM Cem said the EU adopted attitudes that were contrary to the issues it formally conveyed to Turkey, adding that this lead to an ''breach of confidence,'' in Turkey.

Pointing out that they have consulted with Turkey till the last shape was given to the Accession Partnership Accord, Cem said Turkey was not informed about the recent changes.

''Notwithstanding the facts, through a last minute addition to the Accession Partnership Document which it had earlier submmitted to Turkey for information, the EU Commission repeated the paragraph on Cyprus which was already stated under 'Principles,' in 'Short-term objectives-political criteria'. These developments above all lead to a breach of confidence. The last minute addition by the EU Commission not only prevents the development of Turkey-EU relations, but it has extraordinatry negative repercussions on other subjects of mutual interest to Turkey and the EU.''

Cem said there was a carelessness in the point of view of EP to Turkey, and noted that European parliamentarians did not have sufficient information about Turkey.

Cem said, ''respect is one of the basic elements of the European culture architecture. Some of our friends from the EU, by declaring themselves as the governor of a colony, try to make changes in some situations in Turkey with disrespect.''

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