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Saturday, 21 December 2024
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Turkish Press Review, 00-12-01Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>01.12.00Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS[02] ACCESSION PARTNERSHIP DOCUMENT DISCUSSED AT THE COREPER MEETINGThe meeting of the Committee of Permenant Representatives of the Member States at the European Union (COREPER) is taking up Turkey's Accession Partnership Document (APD). Term President France is opposing the inclusion of the Aegean issue in the mid-term targets section. EU countries, other than Greece, say the issue is not a cause for the EU, but rather, should be solved by the two countries themselves. Sweden, which takes the term presidency from France next month, also believes including the statement related to the Cyprus issue was enough. Stating the inclusion of the Aegean issue in the APD leads to inequality, EU countries emphasized that border disputes are in the scope of bilateral relations. /Turkiye/[03] ALBRIGHT'S CONTACTS FOR TURKEY'S ACCESSION PERIOD TO EUAs the US Administration emphasizes its support for Turkey's accession period, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is backing Turkey. US State Department Speaker, Richard Boucher, said the US Administration is in contact with European countries for Turkey's full EU membership. He added, "We support Turkey's full EU membership and we always will. Ms. Albright discussed this issue with both Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou in Vienna. She has also discussed Turkey's status and its accession period with other European Foreign Ministers." /Cumhuriyet/[04] PAPANDREOU MEETS WITH LOGOGLUGreek Foreign Minister George Papandreou met with Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Faruk Logoglu. After his meeting with UN Special Representative to Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, Mr. Papandreu said Mr. Logoglu conveyed Turkey's views on Turco-EU relations. Stating he had discussed the issue with Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem in Vienna, Mr. Papandreou said, "I've repeated to them that Turkey's accession partnership document should consist of the Helsinki decisions." After holding contacts in Athens on the latest developments in the proximity talks, Mr. de Soto will meet with Turkish officials in Ankara today. /Cumhuriyet/[05] ITALIAN SENATOR ALLOWS TERRORIST TO ENTER EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTWhile Foreign Minister Ismail Cem was speaking at the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Commission, two supporters of the terrorist organization DHKP-C disrupted his speech in protest. It was stated the parliamentarian allowing them to enter the parliament building was Italian Luisa Morgantini. After the incident Turkey's EU Representative, Ambassador Nihat Akyol, sent a letter to the President of the European Parliament, Nicole Fontaine, demanding immediate identification of the persons responsible. Morgantini is a member of the radical group "Leftist Union". It was reported the Italian parliamentarian had previous interactions with the PKK terrorist organization. She currently leads the delegation that organizes the relation of the EU with Palestine. Meanwhile, European Parliament is going to apologize for the incident. The letter of apology stressing required precautions will be taken immediately to prevent the reoccurance of similar incidents, will be sent to Turkey after being approved by the President Fontaine. /Milliyet/[06] SAAT IN ANKARAPalestinian Minister of International Cooperation and Planning, Nebil Saat arrived in Turkey yesterday. Mr. Saat will meet with Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. He is also expected to meet with former President Suleyman Demirel, member of the Middle East fact-finding committee. /Cumhuriyet/[07] ARMENIA RE-OPENS MEDZAMOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTArmenia is re-opening the Medzamor Nuclear Power Plant, 11 km. from Turkish border, after four months. The Armenian Atomic Energy Authority said after completing maintenance, repair and re-fueling work, electricity production resumed yesterday. /Turkiye/[08] TELECOM SELL-OFF TENDER BY DECEMBER 15The Council of Ministers discussed the Telecom sell-off tender yesterday. The government will put up a tender to privatize a 33.5 % stake in the state fixed-line monopoly Turk Telecom by December 15. The sell-off decree was signed and then presented to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer for ratification. /Cumhuriyet/[09] CENTRAL BANK: "NO LONGER EXTRA LIQUDITY TO MARKET"The Turkish Central Bank yesterday said that it would no longer provide extra liquidity through repo auctions at a time when a massive cash crunch has shattered Turkish financial markets. It said it would readopt the principles of its monetary program agreed upon with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under a three-year stand-by deal. /Turkish Daily News/[10] TREASURY BIDThe Treasury Undersecretariat envisions organizing a single bid in December and borrow 100 trillion TL. In the Treasury's statement, the only December bid which is also the last bid of the year, will be organized on 19 December. In addition, the Treasury will make a repayment of internal debt, the total of which amounts to 201 trillion 937.3 billion TL. The highest repayment amount will be on 20 December with 101.7 trillion TL. The foreign debt amounting to $ 918.40 million US will be also repaid by the Treasury in December. /Sabah/[11] GROWTH RATE IS 6.9 % IN THREE MONTH PERIODThe growth rate reached 6.9 % in the third quarter thanks to the increase in industrial production in addition to the increase in commerce and imports. The State Statistical Institute (DIE) announced the growth rate in Turkey for nine months was 5.4 %. The growth rate in 1999 was 6.1 %. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increasing by 7.4 % in the third quarter for a total of 6.5 % for the nine month period. The industrial growth slowed last year due to the earthquake, but this year industrial output was 9.8 %. /Milliyet/[12] 150 MILLION EUROS FROM EUThe European Union Commission stated they would give Turkey a loan amounting to 150 million euros 'with the purpose of supporting economic and social reforms'. In a written statement by the Commission, the loan's aim reportedly was to 'prevent the decrease in the prices, to put economy onto the path of continuous growth, to bring the distribution of income to a more equitable level and to enable harmonization with the EU law. /Aksam/[13] TEXTILE EXPORTERS IN BRUSSELSThe problems occurring with the Customs Union concerning the export of ready to wear clothes to European Union (EU) member countries will be discussed in Brussels today. A private sector delegation went to Brussels today consisting of Nuri Artok, Suleyman Orakcioglu, Hasan Celebioglu, Altan Yalaz, Tarik Bozbey, Sevki Altinoz, Altan Erenkul, Atilla Bagcuvan, Izzet Ille, Ertug Yasar and Herve Giraud. /Aksam/[14] BUSINESSMEN ESTABLISH TURKISH-GREEK FRIENDSHIPThe first Greek Industry and Commerce Exhibition, organized by Hannover Messe International Nov. 16-19, opened new markets for Turkish and Greek businessmen. Turkey's Bor-Tay company made an agreement with the Greek Kothali Group to become its representative in Turkey. This exhibition marked a new friendship between the two countries. It is expected that Kothali and Bor-Tay will make a joint investment in Turkey in 2001. /Turkish Daily News/[15] TENDER FOR IZMIT BAY HIGHWAYThe results of the tender related to the highway crossing the Izmit Bay was announced yesterday. Vinsan-Bouygues SA gave the best offer. The group will construct the passage and the road and operate it for a fifteen-year period. /Star/[16] DELEGATION FROM MEF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN TRNCA delegation from MEF Educational Institutions chaired by Ibrahim Arikan held some contacts in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The delegation went at the invitation of the TRNC's Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports and was the basis for the Brother Student Bridge. The MEF delegation visited President Rauf Denktas, Speaker of the Parliament Ertugrul Hasipoglu, Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu, Minister of Youth and Sports Tansel Doratli and the Minister of Education and Culture, Mehmet Altinay. They also held some contacts at Girne (Kyrenia) American University and Lefke University. Arikan stated that Girne American University and MEF schools were twin schools. Arikan added, "We will try to make the practice of twin schools more widespread and will try to promote the universites in the TRNC. /Aksam/[17] THE LATEST STAR OF SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY IN TURKEYCukurova_INTA Space Systems, America's Lockheed Martin and Space Imaging Companies will work together to meet the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) need for satellite imagery. According to information received by the Cukurova/INTA Company, within the framework of this strategic cooperation, Cukurova/INTA Company will still invest in a base station which will provide satellite images to Ankara. In a statement by the Cukurova_INTA Company, it was pointed out that this was a national investment and added, "Today we can provide the IKONOS satellite images only through the Space Imaging's base station in the US. Our base station, which will be in direct contact with the satellite, will be operational by the beginning of 2001. According to this plan, the TSK will be able to receive satellite images from the base station in Denver more securely and rapidly thanks to the base station." /Sabah/[18] EUROPEAN YOUTH FESTIVAL BEGINSThe European Youth Festival, organized by the Youth Services Center (GSM) under sponsorship of the European Union, will begin tomorrow in Ankara. The festival aims at providing contact between Turkish and European youth organizations to establish cultural rapport. European Commission Turkey Representative, Karen Fogg said, "The European Youth Festival is very important in the sense that it acts as a meeting point for different cultures." Minister of Culture Istemihan Talay stated that Turkey was ready to join Europe through its youth, culture and art. Among the festival's activities are short film workshops, concerts, exhibitions, an information fair, theatre, music and dance shows. /Cumhuriyet/[19] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS[20] DENKTAS' REPLY BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)Columnist Ferai Tinc writes on the Cyprus issue. A summary of her column is as follows:"In my column of 27 November titled 'The interests in Cyprus can be saved by money', I had criticized the TRNC President Denktas's decision to withdraw from the UN sponsored talks. I had said national interests could only be saved by staying at the table and continuing the hard bargaining. I had added that the decision emerging from the state summit in Ankara stating Turkey would not abandon Cyprus in return for admittance into the EU was a deterrant to badly needed foreign capital. It could be defined as an indication of instability in a country which was not ready to solve its problems. TRNC President Denktas has sent a reply to my article. ''I read your article titled 'Interests in Cyprus can be saved by money' Certainly the economy is of great importance. However, I felt the need to say the following on the issue of bargaining for the rights on Cyprus through negotiations. Bargaining should be done on an equal footing. The proximity talks began preparing an equal balance without any attached conditions. During the fifth round of proximity talks we waited for the background preparation for comprehensive talks and submitted close to 100 documents. However, we were imprisoned in a circle, envisioned by others, under the name of backgrond preparation. We were left to face a blow dealt to the balance between Turkey's guarantorship and the Greek-Cypriot-Greek request for the restitution of Greek property and the right to return to their own lands. We were invited to comprehensive negotiations only if we accepted these conditions beforehand. It is our right to withdraw from the talks under these conditions. We can only return to the talks if we believe that a new and valid phase is being opened. Experienced writers such as yourself should not accept the tying of a solution of the problem with admittance to the EU. It is an issue created by the Greeks and the Greek-Cypriots 37 years ago, who want to maintain the status quo as the legal government." The negotiations for solutions which has gone on for many years, were not able impose anything on the two parties." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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