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Turkish Press Review, 01-01-24Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
[01] 24.01.2001Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[02] ALIYEV SUPPORTS TURKEY CONCERNING THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL[03] ARMENIAN REPRESENTAIVES IN THE CEREMONY OF HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION DAY[04] CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PACKAGE TO BE SUSPENDED UNTIL FP CASE ENDS[05] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[06] THE SANCTION BY THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENCEThe sanctions against France were enacted to protest the passage of the so-called Armenian genocide bill by the French National Assembly. Minister of National Defence, Sabahattin Kivrikoglu, stated the bidding for the intelligence satellite project, amounting to 149 US dollars, won by the French Alcatel Company, was cancelled. Cakmakoglu in a statement to journalists at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) said, the vote taken by the French Assembly on the so-called genocide bill, is the basis for the sanctions. Cakmakoglu added, "However, this will damage the relations between Turkey and France, which have a long history. There is the possibility for cooperation between the two countries concerning the defence industry and weapon projects, but the latest decision will seriously affect these relations seriously." /Turkiye/[07] CEM'S STATEMENTTurkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ismail Cem said Turkey would use her right to defend herself against the decision by the French Assembly concerning claims about the Armenian genocide. Cem said, "We do not and will not make the French nation a target." Cem mentioned initiatives Turkey would take in response to the French Assembly's Armenian claims at the Plenary Session of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA). Cem said, "Such developments, which have been occurring in France for a long time, gained momentum in the last two years. This mistaken situation was mentioned during official contacts at the Presidential, Prime Ministerial and the Ministerial levels. Turkey said all that could be said on the issue. Of course, we will not leave the most important elements of our economic growth and our communication systems to the hands of those who act in a hostile manner, who do not prevent this hostility and whose acts in the future cannot be predicted. Naturally we will use our right to self defence until this issue ends." /Turkiye/[08] MORILLON: "PARIS LOOKS FOR ADVENTURE"Member of the Christian Democrat Group of the European Parliament and the Reporter for Turkey, French General Philippe Morillon, said Europe's involvement in the current escapades would only bring new problems, and he considered the so-called Armenian genocide bill meaningless and unneccessary. Morillon added, "The Armenian issue should be examined not by the politicians, but by the historians. This issue cannot be an additional condition in Turkey's relations with the European Union (EU). Placing this issue on the agenda would be a mistake." Morillon recalled that he was against adding the Armenian issue to the Turkish report, and that the action would increase tension and not be good for anyone as the European continent needed stability, cooperation and peace. Morillon added, "There are those who want to sabotage Turkey's EU membership process. This law does not mean anything, because Turkey needs the EU and the EU needs Turkey." /Turkiye/[09] ALIYEV SUPPORTS TURKEY CONCERNING THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILLAzerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev, in Paris as the official guest of French President Jacques Chirac, said they stand-by Turkey against the so-called Armenian genocide bill until the very end. Aliyev in a statement to the press at Bine Airport in Baku said, "Chirac does not support this bill. Turkey is a big state, a member of the Council of Europe and NATO. What can Azerbaijan do beside support the sanctions Turkey will put in place against France? Azerbaijan is a state that looks like a district of Turkey." Aliyev added they were against the so-called Armenian genocide bill and would give their support to Turkey till the end. /Turkiye/[10] ARMENIAN DAILY AVAROT ON THE SO-CALLED ARNENIAN GENOCIDEThe Armenian daily Avarot, stated the issue of so-called Armenian genocide was being used by circles who opposed Turkey's entrance into the EU. Avarot stated, "It was France's interests which the French National Assembly took into consideration when deciding to approve the so-called Armenian genocide bill. There is a strong opposition group in France who do not want Turkey to enter the EU. Other European countries who also do not want Turkey in the EU might follow France." /Hurriyet/[11] ARMENIAN REPRESENTAIVES IN THE CEREMONY OF HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION DAYThe British Interior Ministry announced that Armenian representatives would also attend the January 28 Holocaust Commemoration Day ceremony. Interior Minister Jack Straw said, "The Jews were not the only victims of the Nazi terror. Therefore, we will allow all ethnic groups to take part in the ceremony." Meanwhile, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) citizens, who are exposed to torture by Greeks, will protest the decision as they were not allowed to attend the ceremony. /Aksam/[12] ONGER DEFENDS TURKEY IN FRANCEThe manager of the Anatolian Culture Center Francoise Onger in Paris said, "France has shown that she still lives in the Middle Ages and in the Crusades period by approving the so-called Armenian genocide bill." Onger previously sent e-mails to all French parliamentarians to prevent them from approving the bill. He asked in his e-mails, "Does France, known as a colonizing country, have the right to bring such an issue into the agenda? Doesn't everbody know what France did in Maras, Turkey during the World War I?" /Aksam/[13] FP DEPUTY GOKSU'S BILL ON ALGERIAN GENOCIDE BY FRANCEVirtue Party (FP) Deputy Mahmut Goksu proposed a bill whereby Turkey would recognize the Algerian genocide by France. The bill contains the following statement: "Turkey clearly recognizes the Algerian genocide carried out by France." The reason for the bill was explained as follows: "France occuppied and exploited Algeria for 150 years and carried out a genocide there." It is high time for France to face the crimes against humanity she committed in her colonies." /Aksam/[14] ITO PROTESTS APPROVAL OF THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILLChairman of the Istanbul Trade Chamber, Mehmet Yildirim, sent letters to the Paris, Nice, Lion and Marseilles Trade Chambers protesting the approval of the so-called Armenian genocide bill by the French National Assembly. In his letter, he demanded they try and correct the mistake. /Hurriyet/[15] CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PACKAGE TO BE SUSPENDED UNTIL FP CASE ENDSIt was reported that Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Deputy Prime Ministers Devlet Bahceli and Mesut Yilmaz, who met the day before yesterday, decided to suspend and not to rush the constitutional amendment package. They agreed to wait for the Virtue Party (FP) case to end in the Constitutional Court. /Hurriyet/[16] CENSURE MOTION AGAINST ERSUMER REJECTEDThe censure motion presented by the True Path Party (DYP) against Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Cumhur Ersumer was rejected by 312 votes. The issue was discussed among Nationalist Action Party (MHP), Virtue Party (FP) and Motherland Party (ANAP) groups before the meeting. Stating that they were against using the monitoring function of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) as a means for political abuse and manipulation, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of Nationalist Action Party Devlet Bahceli said, "Everybody should know that we would not hesitate to judge anybody, a minister or a deputy, here." /Cumhuriyet/[17] PEARSON'S SPEECH DURING THE RECEPTIONPrime Minister Bulent Ecevit attended the reception given by the US Ambassador to Ankara, Robert Pearson, on the occassion of George Bush's swearing in as the American President. During the reception, Ecevit spoke with Pearson in a private room. After Ecevit's atttendence at the reception, Pearson thanked those who attended the reception and added, "We are now celebrating not only a new leader beginning his term, but also the peaceful transfer of the US Administration. This transfer has always been an historic issue, but this latest transfer is special because this time the son of a former President is the newly elected President. The Bush Administration promises that cooperation between Turkey and the US will increase." /Turkiye/[18] GURKAN ELECTED AS DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF PACEThe Democratic Left Party (DSP) deputy Uluc Gurkan was appointed as the Deputy Chairman of the Parliamanterian Assembly to the Council of Europe (PACE). Meanwhile, DSP deputy to Adana, Tayyibe Gulek, was elected as the Deputy Chairman of Legal Affairs. Turkey's report, which will be discussed in April at the PACE Chairmanship Council held in Turkey 21-23 May. /Turkiye/[19] LINDH'S STATEMENTThe Foreign Minister of Sweden and the European Union's (EU) current chairman, Anna Lindh, said the EU's intervention in negotiations concerning the Cyprus issue would be a mistake. Lindh, made a speech before the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission (APFAC) and answering questions on the Cyprus issue, said, "If the European Union (EU) shows any reaction concerning the issue, it will be a mistake. The negotiations to find a solution to the Cyprus issue continue within the United Nations (UN) framework, and Denktas' leaving the table is a temporary situation. We should not make any proposals. Instead, we should watch the developments and wait for Turkey to keep her promises." Meanhile, the General Council meeting of the APFAC will be held in February. The Accession Partnership Document is expected to be approved during this meeting. /Turkiye/[20] BUSH THANKS BAGISAmerican President George Bush thanked Egemen Bagis, the society leader of the Turkish people living in New York and its environs, for their support during his election campaigns. Bush sent a message to the Chairman of the Turco-American Associations' Federation (TAAF), Egemen Bagis, saying, "Dick Cheney (the Vice-President) and I thank you for all that you have done. The leadership role that you played and the energy and time you expended played a vital role in the success of our campaign." Bush added that he was honored by Bagis' support for him. /Turkiye/[21] ITALIAN MINISTER MEETS WITH TANTANItalian Interior Minister, Enzo Bianco, in Turkey as the official guest of the Turkish Interior Minister Saadettin Tantan, started his contacts in Ankara yesterday. Firstly, Bianco met with Tantan at his office. Then, Bianco and the accompanying delegation went to the Directorate General of Security with Tantan. The guest Minister was welcomed with a ceremony and met with the General Director of Security, Turan Genc, at his office. After this meeting, the inter-delegational contacts started. The first hour of these meetings were co-chaired by Tantan and Bianco. The guest Minister, who also visited the Turkish Anti-Drug Trafficking and Organized Crimes Academy and at Police Criminal Laboratory, left Ankara. /Turkiye/[22] TURK'S STATEMENT ON THE AMNESTY LAWMinister of Justice Hikmet Sami Turk said 23,314 prisoners and immates were included in the amnesty law which provides parole and reduction of punishment. He added, if the ongoing hunger strikes and death fasts ended in the prisons, they would open the F-type issue for discussion by inviting foreign observers. /Cumhuriyet/[23] ENERGY COOPERATION WITH ATHENSA memorandum related to the INNOGATE Project, designed to transfer Central Asian natural resources to Europe via Turkey and Greece, was signed between the Turkish company, BOTAS, and the Greek natural gas company DEPA. According to the Foreign Ministry statement, Turco-Greek economic cooperation will significantly improve with this project, which will also accelarate the development in the region. /Cumhuriyet/[24] ISTANBUL'S NEW SISTER CITY: PLOVDIVThe agreement to accept Plovdiv as Istanbul's sister city was signed between Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor, Ali Mufit Gurtuna, and Plovdiv Mayor Ivan Chamakov. Plovdiv is Istanbul's 27th sister city. /Cumhuriyet/[25] TURCO-SYRIAN RELATIONSRelations between Turkey and Syria are developing in every area. The political rapprochement between the two countries has led to an improvement of both countries' Offices of the Chiefs of the General Staff. Syrian Chairman of the Political Administration Department at the Office of the Chief of the General Staff, General Mahmut Ammar and an accompanying delegation, are continuing their contacts in Turkey. Meanwhile, it was stated Gendarmarie General Commander General Aytac Yalman would travel to Syria. /Cumhuriyet/[26] TREASURY BORROWS BY 57.3 %The Treasury borrows by 57.88 totalling TL 388 trillion in the bond with 3-month term bidding. During the bidding the interest rates decreased 10 points compared to last year. /Cumhuriyet/[27] TOFAS'S TURNOVER TARGET: $ 1.2 BILLIONTOFAS's Chief Executive Officer, Jan Nahum, said TOFAS's turnover target in 2001 is $ 1.2 billion with a production of 170 thousand cars. /Hurriyet/[28] HOME TEXTILE FAIRThe Istanbul Home Textile Fair, the fourth biggest home textile fair in Europe, will be open May 23-27 with the joint participation of Home Textile Industrialists Association and Home Textile Association. The aim of the fair is to gather the home textile industry together under one roof. /Hurriyet/[29] AMERICAN PARTNER TO GAZIANTEP CARPET WEAVINGGaziantep carpet weaving company, Net-Desen established a partnership with the American Covtex firm. The Deputy Chairman of the newly established Covtex-Feizy Carpet Industry and Trade Joint Stock Company, Asim Balat, said the partnership would help solve the problems in the carpet weaving industry. /Aksam/[30] ENGLAND INTERESTED IN TURK TELECOMIt was revealed that big investment advisory institutions, as well as Deutsche Telecom were interested in the block sale of 35% of Turk Telecommunications. It was stated that the investment advisory institutions in England were not only interested in Turk Telecom on behalf of the telecommunication operators, which are active on the international platform, but they also wanted to receive detailed information on the issue. Within the framework of Turk Telecom's advisory institution, Merrill Lynch's organizations, officials from the Turkish Privatization Board (OIB) might go to England following their visit to Germany. The OIB officials will go to Germany upon the invitation of Deutsche Telecom this weekend or next week. /Turkiye/[31] DEMIRALP'S STATEMENTTreasury Undersecretary Selcuk Demiralp stated the three-year economic stability program signed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was being implemented as planned and that the whole team was working day and night to this end. Demiralp, saying the problems occurring in the financial sector were impossible to solve immediately, added, "We need some time. I guess the balance will be ensured in the first three months. There will be an important decrease in the inflation rate and we will be able to reach the targeted figure." /Turkiye/[32] STING IN INTERNATIONAL IZMIR FESTIVALThe International Izmir Festival will take place between June 10 and July 16. Chairman of the Izmir Culture, Art and Education Foundation (IKSEV) Filiz Eczacibasi Sarper said, "Paco de Lucia, the twin-sister pianists Guher-Suher Pekinel and the Vienna Child Chorus will give concerts at the festival this year. The biggest surprise of all is Sting. He will give a concert at the Antique Ephesus Theatre." /Hurriyet/[33] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[34] LOOKING AT TURKEY FROM FRANCE BY EROL MANISALI (CUMHURIYET)Columnist Erol Manisali writes on the recent developments in France and how Turkey is viewed by France. A summary of his column is as follows:"The passage of the bill by the French National Assembly is not just a simple case of balloting. In a way, it is an indication of how France views Turkey and, as a result displays the weaknesses and inabilities of the country. For years, Turkey through either her governments or other institutions, felt herself inferior to Europe. Following the 1990s, Turkey began to be viewed unfavorably in Europe. This is a result of the emergance of new balances and developments in Europe and the world. - Following 1990, the idea and culture of a 'Europe for Europeans' began to take hold. This point was first penned by the French. - In many European countries conservative parties against foreigners increased their votes during election periods. - During the past 12 years, the Church has increased its influence in European countries. As a consequence, the following developments were noticed in the policies of the EU towards Turkey: First, the EU Parliament and the Council Of Europe have adopted decisions previously unimaginable favoring Kurds and Armenians. They acted as if Turkey was an enemy. Secondly, the PKK has been supported by many European countries and this support is still ongoing. Thirdly, on the questions between Greece and Turkey, the European Union, particularly after 1993, took Greece'side against Turkey. Even on individual issues like the Ozdemir Sabanci case, they held a biased stance unfavorable to Turkey. During the last 5-7 years, there has been an increase in the number of racial attacks against the Turks in Europe. Even the Vatican, took a stance on the issue supporting the Armenian Patriarch. Therefore, Yerevan has raised the bar and leaving its old line, launched a frontal attack on Turkey. The Armenian President Robert Kocharian, in his address tothe United Nations, attacked Turkey. He then went to Athens and signed an agreement with Greece against Turkey. Recently, he gave open support to French National Assembly decision. Meanwhile, new US President Bush has taken some radical conservatives hostile to Turkey into his circle and given them important positions. When all these are added up, it can be seen that the decision passed in France is not temporary or accidental. On the other hand, Turkey opened the door herself to such attacks by signing an agreement binding the country unilaterally six years ago in Brussels. In December 1999, we accepted the conditional candidacy for EU even though we did not like the wording of the agreement. This was a candidacy not to admit Turkey into the Union but to apply pressure on her. We did not want to see that for what it was. In the year 2000, we first rejected the impositions of the Accession Partnership Document, but later changed our minds. Viewing all these developments, will the French not think, 'How much can Turkey, who accepted everything up till now, oppose the passage of a bill on the so-called Armenian genocide.' The decision adopted in France is but a small part of a whole picture. We have to leave momentary reactions aside and think hard over new policies. Turkey cannot stop the operation against herself by accepting all the decisions of the EU. " Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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