Anadolu Agency: News in English, 01-12-18

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

18 December 2001

Tuesday

-TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on December 18, 2001. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

Tens of thousands of families who have been suffering from unemployment and inflation, have plunged into darkness. Electricity given to one million subscribers has been cut after they had failed to pay their bills. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Zeki Cakan said, ''an average of four people live in each house. It means that four million people, 6.6 percent of our population, have been living in darkness.''

TURKEY TO TRAIN AFGHAN DIPLOMATS

Foreign Minister Ismail Cem attended reopening of the Turkish Embassy in Afghan capital Kabul. Holding a press conference at the embassy, Cem said that a group of young Afghan diplomats would receive training programmes in Turkey. Cem stressed that Turkey would assist Afghanistan in modernizing its armed forces and police department. Later, Cem proceeded to Mazar-i Sharif, and met with General Dostum.

BUSH TO MEET WITH ECEVIT

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will pay a visit to the United States as the guest of U.S. President George W. Bush between January 14 and 15, 2002. A few days before Ecevit's visit to the United States, Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis will also pay a visit to Washington D.C. Ecevit said that his meeting with President Bush would focus on international fight against terrorism.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

Foreign Minister Ismail Cem became the first foreign statesman paying a visit to Afghanistan following the war. Even U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell hesitated to go to Afghan capital Kabul. But, Cem attended reopening ceremony of the Turkish Embassy in Kabul. Cem also visited the Ataturk Child Hospital and handed over tonnes of medical equipment to hospital officials.

SPAIN: WE WILL START MEMBERSHIP NEGOTIATIONS WITH TURKEY

Relations between Turkey and the European Union (EU) have begun to further improve after an agreement was reached on the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit was invited to Laeken Summit Meeting as leader of a candidate country. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Josep Pique of Spain that will take over the EU Term Presidency from Belgium, said that they would expend efforts for beginning of full membership negotiations with Turkey, a country of strategical and political importance.

FLOOD WATERS CLAIM SIX LIVES

Southern province of Antalya and western province of Izmir experienced flood disaster after southern province of Mersin. An automobile carrying five people, was dragged by flood waters triggered by torrential rains in Manavgat township of Antalya. Dead bodies of two of these people were recovered. Efforts are under way to find other three. Meanwhile, a young woman lost her life after she was taken away by flood waters in Izmir.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

The government has submitted a reconstruction plan to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and pledged to put into practice this plan by the end of 2002. According to this plan, the prime minister will undertake functions of a coordinator. Number of state ministries will be decreased to six. Tourism, environment, culture and forestry ministries will be combined. Economy units will be united under a single frame. Only one minister will be in charge of finance, the State Planning Organization (DPT), treasury, foreign trade, customs, Eximbank and the State Institute of Statistics (DIE).

YILMAZ: ''NUMBER OF MINISTERS SHOULD BE DECREASED''

State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, the leader of the Motherland Party (ANAP), said, ''if we do not want to experience new economic crises, we should narrow the state. We cannot continue to rule the state with 37 ministers. This number should be halved.''

TURKEY SPENDS USD 138.1 BILLION ON DEBT INTEREST PAYMENTS

Turkey spent 138.1 billion U.S. dollars of the 215.9 billion U.S. dollars of tax income on debt interest payments between 1994-2000. The total tax incomes will reach 279.3 billion U.S. dollars and total debt interest payments will reach 194.9 billion U.S. dollars in the 1994-2002 period if tax incomes and payments in 2001 and 2002 years are added. According to the 2002 Year Programme statistics, Turkey's national income was 1 trillion 276.9 billion U.S. dollars between 1994-2000. In this period, the state which got a 270.1 billion U.S. dollars income including 215.9 billion U.S. dollars of tax income, spent 371.1 billion U.S. dollars including 138.1 billion U.S. dollars of debt interest payments. This means that the state spent 64 percent of total revenues on interest payments.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said they would not allow repeat of attempt of genocide against Turkish Cypriots on Crete years ago also on Cyprus. Ecevit said that there had been de facto two states on Cyprus since 1974 and this facts had started to be seen by western countries, particulary the United States. ''Possibility of a new fight and a new genocide can emerge on Cyprus, if Greek Cypriots' and EU's demand is accepted,'' Ecevit said. Stressing that there were attitudes like ''give it and get rid of it'', Ecevit said, ''they suppose that the problems is the problem of a handful Turkish Cypriots. No, the problem is also linked to Turkey's security. Today, any person who looks at the Eastern Mediterranean map can easily see how much northern part of Cyprus is vitally important for Turkey's security.''

''WE WILL BROADEN TURKEY'S EU HORIZON''

Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique announced programme of Spain's EU Term Presidency which will start as of January 1, 2002. He said that they would bring a new wind to Turkey's full membership and they would broaden Turkey's EU horizon. Meanwhile, EU Term President Belgium's Prime Minister Verhofstadt stressed that Turkey's perspective was enlargening.

TURKEY IN KABUL

Foreign Minister Ismail Cem who attended reopening of Turkish Embassy in Kabul, said that Turkey's experiences would be a model to Afghanistan. Stressing that Turkey was ready to contribute to reconstruction of Afghanistan in every field, Cem said Turkish-Afghan friendship was heritage of Ataturk. Noting that Turkey was planning to cooperate with a medical faculty in Afghanistan, Cem said Turkey would support reorganization of armed forces, adding that training of police forces would be another field of cooperation.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

The New York Times, one of the leading dailies in the United States, gave broad place to teenage girls who were forced to mary in Acarlar village in western province of Aydin. The newspaper said, ''it's a familiar sight in Acarlar, a small, close-knit town in western Turkey surrounded by olive groves and cotton fields where many of the girls are married off by the age of 14, some as early as 10. Anyone, boy or girl, still single by the age of 16 or 18 is considered to be left on the shelf. Townsman Burhan Pilar, 51, says that he took his wife at age 15 when she was 13.'' Another townsman Ayhan Burak told the New York Times, ''officials came to our weddings, they drank our raki, they even danced with us. If it is illegal, they shouldn't have been there.''

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

The ambulance carrying Nuriye Cimen who went into labor in Adapazari was stranded in snow near Buyukyanik village on its way to hospital. Cimen gave birth to twins in the ambulance when the emergency ambulance was also stranded in snow. However, one minute after their birth, the twins could not survive due to freezing temparature and they froze to death. Meanwhile, an old woman was taken away by flood waters in Izmir and died. In Manavgat, five people including a child got lost in the flood waters together with the car they were in. Bodies of only two of them have been found.

WE ARE IN KABUL

Foreign Minister Ismail Cem who visited Afghan capital Kabul met with new Afghan government officials after opening the Turkish Embassy in Kabul. Cem who also visited an hospital to which Turkey sends aid said that also Turkey would play a role in new period in Afghanistan.

GOOD OFFER

Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) Chairman Mehmet Yildirim said, ''we should give up hanging posters on walls. Let's have the Hollywood shoot films for us, and let's construct 50 detached houses in Antalya and give them to world-wide famous people like Bill Clinton, Madonna and Queen Elizabeth II for nothing. It will suffice us if they come to Turkey once a year to celebrate their birthdays.'' Yildirim had earlier invited Madonna to Turkey to hold a wedding ceremony.

SADBERK HANIM'S COLLECTION IN JAPAN

A total of 621 pieces works of art to be chosen from the Sadberk Hanim Museum will be displayed in four separate museums in Japan between February 9 and October 20, 2002, under the title of ''Selected Works of Art from Cultural Treasures of Turkey''. Turkish-Islam works of art will be displayed in four different museums.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

Tight and strict searches of Gendarmerie in Bayrampasa Prison in Istanbul sickened organized crime gangs' heads staying in the prison. Mafia members who lost their dominance and control over the inmates and prison are having themselves transferred to other prisons. The number of prisoners in Bayrampasa Prison decreased from 3,343 to 2,903 between August 15 and December 6, 2001.

TOFAS MOLD TO ALFA ROMEO

Fiat Group which came onto the agenda last week with its plan to narrow itself gave preparation of molds to two new car models to Bursa. Tofas Automobile Factory's mold development department is still preparing molds for new cars of Alfa Romeo and Lancia which are under structure of Fiat Group.

-CONTACTS OF FOREIGN MINISTER CEM IN AFGHANISTAN

ISLAMABAD - Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said that Turkey was ready to assist Afghanistan in every field during his official visit to Kabul.

Cem and accompanying delegation met with former President Burhanuddin Rabbani of Afghanistan, Defense Minister Mohammad Fahim and Interior Minister Yunis Qanuni of the Afghan interim government.

During the meetings, Cem gave the message that Turkey was ready to make all kinds of contribution to rebuilding of Afghanistan.

Cem said that Turkey could also assist Afghanistan in military field.

Sources told the A.A correspondent that Afghanistan would need a national and unified army after forming its permanent administration.

They said that the Turkish Armed Forces could contribute to training of new Afghan army.

A six-member special force team guarded Cem and accompanying delegation due to clashes in northern Afghanistan and general atmosphere of instability.

Cem went to Afghanistan by a C-130-type cargo plane carrying four tonnes of humanitarian aid. The aid also included equipment donated by the Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) to the Afghan Television.

Cem became the first foreign minister holding contacts with the interim government formed after the agreement reached in Bonn, Germany.

If U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had not visited Afghanistan, Cem would have been the first highest-level official paying a visit to this country.

Cem also paid a visit to Mazar-i Sharif, and met with General Abdul Rashid Dostum.

Diplomatic sources added that Cem had been the first Turkish statesman visiting Afghanistan since ex-President Cevdet Sunay's visit to this country in 1969.

After wrapping up his contacts in the region, Cem left Pakistan for Turkey on Tuesday morning.

-NATIONAL DEFENSE MINISTER CAKMAKOGLU IN BRUSSELS

BRUSSELS - National Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu arrived late on Monday in Brussels to attend NATO meetings that will start on Tuesday.

Defense ministers of 19 NATO allies will focus on fight against terrorism and discuss what the NATO can do in this field during the two-day meetings.

Ministers will take up Afghanistan, Balkans and Middle East issues and several defense plans and review 2001. Besides, NATO-Russia relations will be another topic.

Cakmakoglu will attend a ceremony on Tuesday on occasion of signing of contracts for purchase of ''Airbus A400M'' military cargo planes by 8 European countries.

Defense ministers of Turkey, Germany, Belgium, Britian, Spain, France, Luxembourg and Portugal will sign contracts with Airbus company for purchase of 196 military planes.

Germany is expected to order 73 planes, France 50 planes, Spain 27 planes, Britain 25 planes, Turkey 10 planes, Belgium 7 planes, Portugal 3 planes and Luxembourg is expected to order 1 A400M plane.

Cakmakoglu will return to Turkey on Wednesday.

-SPAIN SAYS IT WILL BROADEN TURKEY'S EU HORIZON

BRUSSELS - Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique held a press conference on Monday and announced Madrid's Term Presidency programme for the first half of 2002.

Pique said that they would bring a new wind to Turkey's full membership and broaden Turkey's European Union (EU) horizon.

Noting that their first priority would be joint fight against terrorism, Pique said that second priority would be single European currency euro.

Stating that EU enlargement would be one of the important factors of their programme, Pique said that they would also attribute importance to foreign relations.

Noting that they would expend efforts to have the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) ''receive respect'', Pique said that there was a compromise with Turkey but there were problems with EU member Greece, adding that they would do their best to overcome this obstacle.

Stating that they would finalize full membership negotiations in 2002 and ten candidates should work hard, Pique said that Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey should not feel themselves discriminated.

Pique said they would bring a new wind to full membership negotiations and broaden Turkey's EU horizon.

-BOUCHER SAYS THERE ARE MANY ISSUES TO BE DISCUSSED WITH TURKEY

WASHINGTON D.C. - Comprehensive talks on many issues especially Afghanistan and Iraq are expected to be held during Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's visit to the United States in January.

Holding a press conference, U.S. State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said that there were tens of matters to be discussed with their ally Turkey, as a response to a question which asked whether or not Iraq would be the top issue of the agenda of Ecevit's visit to the United States in mid- January.

Boucher said that as it had been seen during U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to Turkey, there were many issues between Turkey and the United States but Afghanistan would be the basic and important matter on the agenda.

Noting that there were some issues on which they were working together with the Turkish government regarding the Middle East and Prime Minister Ecevit was personally interested in this matter, Boucher said that in addition to regional issues, also comprehensive matters like NATO were expected to be taken up during Ecevit's visit.

Responding a question about the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), Boucher said, ''we extended support to participation of non-EU member NATO allies like Turkey in this process. A formula was prepared while Powell was in Turkey. Now, the ball is in the EU's court. We expect something to hear from them.''

-DEFENSE MINISTERS OF SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TO CONVENE IN ANTALYA

ANKARA - Defense ministers of Southeast European countries will convene in southern province of Antalya between December 19 and 20.

Releasing a statement, the National Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that Southeast European Defense Ministers' Meeting would be held in Antalya between December 19 and 20.

Defense ministers of Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania and Ukraine, and deputy defense ministers of the United States, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia will be in attendance at the meeting to be hosted by Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu.

The meeting is expected to focus on issues such as fight against terrorism with the aim of developing peace and stability in Southeastern Europe, border security, efforts to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, annual activities of Southeast European Multinational Peace Force, and some other projects.

-REGIONAL COMMUNICATION COOPERATION MEETING STARTS IN MOSCOW

MOSCOW - The 26th meeting of the Regional Communication Cooperation Organization started in Russian capital Moscow on Tuesday.

A delegation headed by Transportation Minister Oktay Vural is representing Turkey at the meeting.

Transportation and communication ministers of Turkey and 12 members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are participating in the meeting.

The Regional Communication Cooperation Organization was founded in 1991 by member countries to the CIS. Turkey joined the organization later.

Issues such as modernization of legal rules among member countries, continuation of cooperation in increasing quality of communication and information services, competition in electronic communication, use of new information technologies and cooperation with other international organizations will be taken up at the meeting.

Meanwhile, seven countries are attending the meeting as observer.

Communication Director General Hasan Tufekci and Turkish Telekom Deputy Director General Celalettin Dincer are accompanying Vural.

-HEAVY SNOWFALL BLOCKS 572 VILLAGE ROADS IN NORTHWESTERN TURKEY

EDIRNE/KIRKLARELI/TEKIRDAG - Heavy snowfall and stormy winds severed access to 572 villages in northwestern provinces of Edirne, Tekirdag and Kirklareli on Tuesday.

Primary and secondary schools in the region have been recessed for two days as of December 19, Wednesday.

Meanwhile, gendarmerie units have taken action to rescue four people who have been stranded in an automobile near Sultankoy village in Ipsala township of Edirne.

A few kilometers away, gendarmerie units rescued 30 workers including 15 women who have stranded in rural area near Havsa township for six hours.

Mayor Cengiz Varnatopu of Edirne said, ''we have been living through the most severe winter of the last 20 years. Even public buses could not serve due to icy roads. If snow drifts melt rapidly, we may face with threat of flood.''

Teams working to re-open the village road in Saray township of Tekirdag, have also been stranded for nine hours. They set up communication with their headquarters through radio, and said that they were about to freeze to death and could not breath due to stormy winds. Efforts are under way to rescue them.

Many settlement units could not be given electricity as stormy weather also damaged energy lines in the region.

-TURKEY RANKED FIRST AMONG NATO ALLIES WITH BUDGET SHARE ALLOCATED TO MILITARY EQUIPMENT

BRUSSELS - Turkey allocates 40 percent of defense budget to personnel, 36.7 percent to equipment and 5.7 percent to infrastructure according to the statistics announced during NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels.

Spendings of equipment in Turkey, Britain and the United States, the three allies in which budget share allocated to military personnel is low, is higher than those in other allies.

According to the NATO statistics, the Alliance has 4,445,000 soldiers as of end of 2001. The number of soldiers is 1,482,000 in the United States, 795, 000 in Turkey, 374,000 in Italy, 367,000 in France, 307,000 in Germany, 219, 000 in Britain, 211,000 in Greece, 178,000 in Poland, 134,000 in Spain, 70, 000 in Portugal and below 50,000 in other allies.

The army in Luxembourg contains 1,000 soldiers while Iceland does not have an armed forces.

Among the NATO allies, Turkey which allocates 5 percent of gross national product (GNP) to defense expenditures is followed by Greece with 4.8 percent.

-TURKEY THANKS U.S. AND WARNS EU

BRUSSELS - National Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu thanked the United States which supported Turkey's fight against terrorism while he warned the European Union (EU).

Speaking at the first meeting of European allies, Cakmakoglu who focused on ''apparent support'' of the United States to the joint fight against terrorism, showed the list of terrorist organizations prepared by Washington and said he expected the European allies to adopt the same attitude.

At the Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) meetings, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld gave technical information.

At the Defense Planning Committee (DPC) meeting in which France that does not take part in the NATO's military flank did not participate, the alliance's defense plans and military capabilities were reviewed.

At this meeting, Cakmakoglu said that Turkey continues investing in defense capabilities in line with the decision taken at the Washington summit despite economic problems.

Terrorism became the top issue on the agenda of the North Atlantic Council (CAN) meeting in which France participated.

At this meeting, Rumsfeld warned allies by saying that fight against terrorism was different from other wars as it had a multi-dimensional and complicated structure, adding that the NATO should get prepared.

Rumsfeld said that those who supported terrorists and those who were not joining the fight against terrorism would be held responsible as well as those who staged terrorist acts.

Speaking at the CAN meeting, Cakmakoglu said, ''terrorism does not have religious belief, language and culture. All terrorist acts have one common charateristic, and that is to terrorize innocent people by resorting to violence.''

Stressing that fight against terrorism entailed a unity of understanding, Cakmakoglu said that those supporting terrorism were also responsible, and added, ''some terrorist organizations acting under the guise of democratic non-governmental organization, can mislead public opinion. Turkey has been warning European countries against these terrorist organizations. Although it could not receive any support, Turkey has succeeded in its fight against terrorism.''

Cakmakoglu thanked the United States for supporting Turkey's fight against terrorism, and expressed Turkey's pleasure with inclusion of organizations staging terrorist acts against Turkey, in the United States' list of terrorist organizations. He called on member countries to the EU to act with the same sensitivity.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said, ''statement of Mr. Cakmakoglu about terrorism is of great importance. Other allied countries should support Cakmakoglu's statement.''

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