Anadolu Agency: News in English, 01-03-19

Anadolu Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Anadolu Agency Home Page at <http://www.anadoluajansi.com.tr/>

ANADOLU AGENCY

NEWS

19 MARCH

2001 Monday

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

BODY OF KAMBAL, KILLED IN OPERATION ON HI-JACKED PLANE, IN HOMELAND
The body of Gursel Kambal, a Turkish citizen who was killed in the operation on the hi-jacked Russian plane, was sent to northern Ordu province. The body of Kambal, who was 27 years old, was taken from the morgue of Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute by his relatives and sent to northern Samsun province by a plane of the Turkish Airlines (THY). Kambal's body which was sent from Samsun to Ordu by highway, will be laid to rest on Monday.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

NATIONAL INCOME PER CAPITA TO DECREASE TO 2500 U.S. DOLLARS
National income per capita, which was expected to be around 3 thousand 242 U.S. dollars in 2001, will decrease to 2.500 U.S. dollars after the implementation of the floating exchange rate regime. According to the former economic program, the exchange rate of one U.S. dollar was expected to be around 714,000 Turkish liras (TL). However, one U.S. dollar is around one million TL at the moment. Economists say the national income per capita will decrease to 2,503 U.S. dollars due to the increase in the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

IMPORTANT DAY FOR MARKETS
The messages that State Minister Kemal Dervis will give to revive the markets are high on Turkey's agenda today. Dervis will give messages related with the monetary policies that will be followed. Dervis is expected to make statements about domestic borrowing, banks and foreign support and also about the frame agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

INDICTMENT READY
The indictment about Nizamettin Gokce, a member of the terrorist Hezbollah organization who surrendered to the security forces, has been completed. The indictment said that Gokce joined the terrorist Hezbollah organization in 1989 and that he was involved in the killings of three people in southeastern Diyarbakir province.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

OSD TO SUBMIT REPORT TO DERVIS REGARDING
PROBLEMS OF AUTOMATIVE SECTOR
The Association of Automative Industry (OSD) will submit a report to State Minister Kemal Dervis this week regarding the problems of the automative sector. Ali Ihsan Ilkbahar, the chairman of the executive board of the OSD, said five billion U.S. dollars were spent on importing automobiles last year, adding that this import was one of the main causes of the recent crisis. Ilkbahar recalled that the share of the imported automobiles in the Turkish market was around 62 percent. They believe that Dervis will be successful in implementing the economic measures, added Ilkbahar.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

OUR COASTS PROTECTED
Turkey's coasts and the Straits are protected by the coast guard teams. The coast guard teams did not permit smuggling, illegal immigration, illegal fishery and diving in the coasts which are surrounding the three parts of Turkey last year. Legal procedure was launched into 3,917 ships and the crew of these boats. Twenty-three ships were fined almost 342 billion Turkish liras (TL) for polluting the sea.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

DELIBERATIONS ON CIVIL CODE TO CONTINUE
The deliberations on the draft Civil Code will continue at the Parliamentary Justice Commission this week. Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk had opposed to the initiative of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) which asked for the amendment to 202 of the Civil Code that regulated the property regime.

-KAMBAL'S BODY SENT TO SAMSUN
ISTANBUL - The body of Gursel Kambal, the passenger who was killed in the operation staged by Saudi special forces on the hijacked plane, was sent to northern Samsun province late on Sunday.

Kambal will be laid to rest in northern Ordu province.

A Russian plane en route from Istanbul to Moscow was hijacked after took off from Ataturk Airport on Thursday. The Russian plane was diverted to Medina, Saudi Arabia by the hijackers. Three persons were killed in the operation carried out by Saudi teams against the hijackers.

-ERDAL INONU SAYS HE WILL RESIGN FROM DEPUTY
CHAIRMANSHIP OF SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL
DORTMUND - Professor Erdal Inonu said on Sunday that he would resign from the deputy chairmanship of the Socialist International.

Attending a meeting held in Dortmund Turkish Education Center held by the Dortmund Kemalist Thought Association, Inonu said that he resigned from the Republican People's Party (CHP).

Inonu noted that he will also resign from his office as the deputy chairman of the Socialist International.

His resignation petition is ready, Inonu said, adding that he will present it to the concerned authorities when he returns to Turkey.

Inonu later attended the reception hosted in his honour by the Turkish Consulate General in Essen.

Erdal Inonu is expected to proceed to Berlin on Monday.

-STATE MINISTER DERVIS HOLDS MEETING WITH DEPPLER, IMF'S
EUROPE I DIRECTOR AND AMBASSADORS OF G-7 COUNTRIES' TO TURKEY
ANKARA - State Minister Kemal Dervis came together with Michael Deppler, the European I Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the ambassadors of the G-7 countries' to Turkey on Sunday.

The meeting, which was closed to press, lasted for almost one and half hour.

Ajay Chhibber, the representative of World Bank in Turkey; Karen Fogg, the European Union Commission 's representative to Turkey; the ambassadors of the U.S., Germany, Britain, Canada and Italy in Ankara attended the meeting.

The ambassador of Japan to Turkey didn't attend the meeting.

No statements were made following the meeting.

-MUGLA'S CONTRIBUTION TO TOURISM AROUND 2.5 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS
MUGLA - Mugla Governor Lutfi Yigenoglu said on Monday that the contributions of Mugla province to tourism is around 2.5 billion U.S. dollars.

Yigenoglu told A.A correspondent that Marmaris, Bodrum and Fethiye townships of Mugla meet one-fourth of all the tourism revenues of Turkey.

A total of 572 million 300 thousand U.S. dollars were changed in the banks, the postal offices and customs gates of Mugla last year, Yigenoglu said.

Yigenoglu noted that this figure reached 2.5 billion U.S. dollars when the foreign currency income of the carpet factories, jewellers, handicraft and souvenir shops were added.

They hope two million tourists will visit Mugla and its vicinity this year, Yigenoglu said, adding that thus, Mugla's contribution to Turkey's economy can increase to 3 billion U.S. dollars.

The hotels and touristic facilities in Mugla and its vicinity provide 191 thousand beds to tourists.

-STATE MINISTER DERVIS:
-''I HOPE WE CAN ANNOUNCE ALL THE DETAILS OF ECONOMIC
PROGRAM IN FIRST HALF OF APRIL''
ANKARA - State Minister Kemal Dervis said on Monday that he hopes they can announce all the details of the economic program in the first half of April.

Dervis told a press conference that the letter of intent regarding the economic program can be discussed at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board in the second half of April.

They have reached consensus with the IMF on the general frame of the program which covers the financial and monetary policies, Dervis said.

Dervis noted that he is very pleased to work in Turkey upon the invitation of Premier Bulent Ecevit.

Turkey is facing a serious monetary problem, said Dervis, but, they reached a very serious stage for the time being.

Dervis said, ''I hope we will experience a good week.''

Recalling that they announced the urgent legal measures that should be taken within the framework of the economic program last week, Dervis said those measures were a prerequisite for the program to be successful.

Dervis said the urgent measures package, which was prepared with the support of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and the deputy prime ministers, would be implemented soon.

Noting that they reached consensus with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding the frame of the program on fiscal and monetary policies, Dervis said all the details of the program would be announced by the end of April after receiving the views of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Dervis said they would exert efforts to listen to the proposals of Turkish people regarding the economic program, adding that they would also hold intense contacts with the international circles.

Dervis said he hoped that the letter of intent regarding the economic program will be taken up by the IMF executive board in the second half of April.

-STATE MINISTER DERVIS:
-''ECONOMIC PROGRAM HAS BEEN PREPARED
IN HARMONY WITH NATIONAL PROGRAM''
ANKARA - State Minister Kemal Dervis said on Monday that the new economic program has been prepared in harmony with the National Program, which will be discussed at the Council of Ministers the same day.

Dervis told a press conference that the preparation process of the economic program continues and that the urgent measures will continue to be implemented to overcome the instability in the financial markets.

The main strategies are to overcome the short term effects of the financial crisis on growth, inflation and foreign support, Dervis emphasized.

Dervis said that within this framework, the structural reforms, particularly the reforms in the banking sector, will be rapidly fulfilled.

They will particularly take into consideration the situation of the people who are negatively affected by the crisis the most when all these initiatives are being carried out, Dervis noted.

Dervis stated that the social support programs which will be prepared for these people, will be strengthened by the sources provided from the international organizations.

The monetary crisis have a risk of pushing the society into a chaos and to harm the social solidarity, Dervis said, noting that this delays the sustainable growth.

Dervis said, ''to this end, ensuring the social solidarity and providing the confidence and support of the society in the program are the preconditions of the accomplishment. Within this framework, we are determined to maintain dialogue which will help solidarity.''

Emphasizing that the crisis stemmed from the problems in the banking sector, Dervis said that to this end, the most urgent structural measure is the reconstruction of the banking sector.

Dervis noted that the funding of the losses of the public banks is threatening the system, adding, ''the rapid solution of this problem is the most important element which will remove the uncertainity in the financial and monetary markets.''

The Treasury will undertake this burden, Dervis said.

Dervis stated that thus, the debt stock which has reached high levels, can be efficiently directed and that this will enable the finance of the overall public debt stock by a lower cost.

The balance sheets of the public banks will be restructured, Dervis said, and went on saying, ''thus, an important element which abates the efficiency of the economic policies and prevents the public transparency, will be removed. To prevent the public banks from being a problem in the financial sector and to accomplish the operation, an efficient management which will not be politically intervened, will be ensured.''

Dervis continued, ''a joint executive board will be set up for the three public banks. To this end, the Treasury Undersecretariat has called for the general assembly meetings of Emlak and Halk banks at the end of March. The Ziraat Bank general assembly meeting will be held at the beginning of next week. The executive board which will be chosen in the general assembly meeting of the Ziraat Bankasi, will work as a joint executive board of the three public banks. Also, this board will be charged to reconstruct these banks for privatization.''

Emphasizing that the monetary crisis also affected the banking sector, Dervis said, ''the banking system can be harmed in every part of the world if it faces such a big interest and currency shock. This does not indicate that the banks are not strong.''

Dervis said that the banking sector will be strengthen as the stability is ensured.

''This sector, whose main function is to support exportation and production, will be under civilized regulation. This regulation wasn't carried out seriously in the past. We are determined to prevent any kind of irresponsible attitudes. I am sure that the Banking Regulatory and Supervisory Board (BRSB) would act rapidly if any problem occures,'' Dervis said.

''Also, both the BRSB and the government will support the banking transactions targeting at exportation and production. Meanwhile, source will be allocated to enable the efficient assistance of the Turkish Eximbank. Also, all the liabilities of the banks are under full guarantee as the government had announced in December,'' Dervis added.

-COUNCIL OF MINISTERS APPROVES NPAA FOR FULL MEMBERSHIP TO EU
ANKARA - The Council of Ministers approved on Monday the National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis (NPAA) for full membership to European Union (EU).

State Minister and Government Spokesman Rustu Kazım Yucelen issued a statement the same day about the first part of the Council of Ministers meeting.

''We have taken the necessary measures to speed up the membership process to the EU following the Helsinki summit. The Accession Partnership Document and frame report which covers financial cooperation and which constituted the two basic factors of the pre-accession strategy were approved by the EU on March 8, 2001. Our national programme which has been prepared in return to these documents and in order to complete the pre-accession strategy, draws the framework of the path to the EU full membership. The national programme which was adopted by the cabinet today aims at further improving and strengethening our pluralist democratic structure based on human rights and supremacy of law, at effectively implementing the economic programme which will make Turkey abide rapidly with Copenhagen economic criteria and the other criteria reached by EU member countries in all fields. The National Programme foresees changes in the political, economic, social and institutional structure of Turkey and they have the character of reform. By making this transformation, Turkey will both reach its goal of full membership to the EU and also have a stronger and more effective status in the international platform. The national programme foresees a very intensive legislative activity and work to abide by the EU not only with its political, but also with its economic, social and institutional content. This process also includes the goal of improving our citizens' standarts of living and overcoming the regional unbalances. Our government has the will to take the necessary measures and to implement the laws to abide by the EU laws rapidly in order to reach these goals. While approving the NPAA, the Council of Ministers also took a decision which determines the principles and methods related to the implementation and supervision of this programme. We wish the national programme, which opens a new period in our relations with the EU, to be beneficial for our nation.''

-SYMPOSIUM ON ''TURKISH-ARMENIAN RELATIONS THROUGHOUT HISTORY'' HELD
IZMIR - Prof. Dr. Abdurrahman Cayci, a member of Ataturk Research Center, said on Monday that allegations on so-called genocide on Armenians were totaly baseless.

Speaking at a symposium organized by the Ege University on ''Turkish- Armenian Relations Throughout History'', Prof. Dr. Cayci stressed, ''historical documents revealed that allegations saying that Armenians were exposed to Turkish people's atrocity, were baseless. Armenian people lived in peace and security under the administration of Ottoman Empire. They lived as loyal citizens till 1878. Following the nationalism movements, their relations with Turkish people damaged.''

Referring to allegations saying that Armenians were exposed to genocide in 1915 by Turks, Prof. Dr. Cayci said ''these allegations are baseless. Armenians were not the local residents of Eastern Anatolia Region. They came to the region later. When Turks came to Anatolia in 1071, there was not an independent Armenian state in the region. They always lived in peace and security under the rule of Turks. They set up terrorist committees as a result of nationalist movements and encouragement of foreign countries, and these committees massacred a number of Turks.''

''The Ottoman Empire was in an atmophere of warfare in 1915. Armenian terrorist committees started uprisings in Eastern Anatolia Region. The Ottoman Empire decided to send Armenians to other regions. Atmosphere of warfare entailed the Ottoman Empire to take such a decision. Armenians were forced to migrate to Diyarbakir and Syria. Situation of roads and geographical conditions caused death of many Armenians. But Armenians were never exposed to genocide by Turks,'' he emphasized.

Prof. Dr. Cayci stressed, ''we should explain to the whole world that allegations on genocide on Armenians are totaly baseless. We should translate historical documents denying such allegations into foreign languages.''

-WORLD WATER COUNCIL'S MEETINGS IN ISTANBUL CONTINUE
ISTANBUL - The meetings of the World Water Council (WWC), which is a think thank organization that forms the world's water policies continue in Istanbul.

WWC committees came together on the second day of the meetings held in The Marmara Hotel on Monday.

Ceylan Orhun, one of the two women members of WWC Governors Delegation, said about the meeting which were close to the press that women deal with water issues in daily life and some of them bring water from places which are kilometers away from their houses. Orhun said that women have to be present in the decision-making mechanism in water policies.

The other woman member of the delegation Mona Al Kady, the chairperson of the Egyptian National Water Studies Institute explained water and women problems in her country.

Noting that her country is poor in water, Kady said that the amount of water consumption per person is annualy 1000 cubic meters. She stressed that if water is not consumed reasonably, this amount will decrease to 600 cubic meters in 2017 in Egypt.

The annual water consumption per person is 1,750 cubic meters in Turkey. This amount is very close to the list of countries which are poor in water. Turkey has 26 water basins and Fırat (Euphrates) and Dicle (Tigris) basins come the first as water sources.

-COUNCIL OF MINISTERS' MEETING ENDS (2)
ANKARA - The Council of Ministers decided on Monday to extend the duration of the Authority Law adopted to correct the wage unbalances among public employees and which will end on March 21, for another three months.

The cabinet approved the law decree on extending the duration of the Authority law and submitted it to the parliament.

The increase foreseen in civil servants' wages didn't come to agenda in the council of ministers meeting as the increase will be arranged due to the inflation rate that will be announced.

Meanwhile, State Minister Kemal Dervis, who took oath in the parliament last week, participated in the cabinet meeting for the first time.

State Minister Dervis informed the cabinet about the general economic situation in the country and the studies undertaken for the economic programme in the second part of the cabinet meeting.

Kemal Dervis told the cabinet meeting that the economy has started to recover itself, adding that they were hopeful in finding external credit. Dervis added that the economic situation was well and he controlled the situation.

The National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis (NPAA), which was submitted to the cabinet by State Minister Mesut Yılmaz was also approved during the cabinet's meeting. The text in Turkish will be taken as the basis and the plan prepared in Turkish will be submitted to EU.

Information was also given about collective bargaining at the meeting.

-U.S. AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY PEARSON SAYS TURKEY IS AN IMPORTANT
U.S. ALLY
ANKARA - U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Robert Pearson has said that Turkey was a valuable ally of the United States and added that his government's interests intersected with Turkey's.

Speaking at an energy meeting organized by the Strategic Technic and Economic Research Center, Pearson briefed the audience about his country's view of the Turkish energy sector.

Pearson said the experts are expecting a 8-10 percent increase every ten years in Turkey's energy demand. He indicated that the average energy consumption per every Turkish citizen would rapidly increase as technology develops throughout the country. Turkey will need many resources including energy power plants to meet this demand, he noted.

The Turkish government took a decision to liberalize its energy sector in 1998 which was a revolution, Pearson said and stated that the liberalization of the energy sector would help the Turkish companies to produce local, regional and national solutions. The liberalization of this sector would also make the consumers benefit from more than one alternative, creating a variety of energy sources, he added.

The Turkish energy sector has to complete the ongoing activities in order to overcome certain problems faced regarding the new energy system, Pearson said and added that he believed Turkey will achieve this result. He also emphasized that the energy sector was important for Turkey's long term success.

''Our interests coincide with Turkey's. A more powerful Turkey is a more powerful ally for the United States and energy is a key element for long term success,'' Pearson said.

''Turkey could reach its goals by working together with international organizations such as the IMF, World Bank and the EU as well as the United States, Canada and Japan. The United States is ready to help Turkey overcome its difficulties at every stage,'' he concluded.

Anadolu Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article