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Turkish Press Review, 01-04-26
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
26.04.2001
CONTENTS
[01] FOUNDATION OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
[02] TURKEY TO BE BSEC TERM PRESIDENT
[03] ANGRY REACTION TO FRENCH JUDICIARY
[04] ARMENIAN LOBBY'S REACTION TO BUSH
[05] ANKARA'S NO COMMENT REACTION TO US PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH ON ARMENIAN
ISSUE
[06] HEAD OF EU LIBERAL GROUP IN ANKARA
[07] TURKISH LEADERS SUMMIT
[08] FOREIGN MINISTRY DENOUNCES THE RAID
[09] BARZANI'S VISIT POSTPONED UNTIL MAY
[10] CAGLAR TO TURKEY ON SATURDAY
[11] "BAKU-CEYHAN IS OUR PREFERENCE LINE"
[12] ANZACS IN CANAKKALE
[13] ARMY MARTYRS' DAY MARKED
[14] EMPLOYMENT SECURITY BILL TO BE READY ON WEEKEND
[15] ISTANBUL TRAFFIC DISCUSSED
[16] GUREL'S STATEMENT ON THE BANKING LAW
[17] DYP PRESENTS TWO MOTIONS FOR CENSURE OF ERSUMER
[18] TRAFFIC AND ROAD SAFETY CONGRESS STARTS
[19] FIGHT AGAINST FOREST FIRES
[20] EU STREAMLINES FINANCIAL AID TO TURKEY
[21] TELEVISION FREQUENCY TENDER POSTPONED
[22] DERVIS SPEAKS TO GERMAN PRESS
[23] DERVIS IN THE U.S.
[24] NEW LETTER OF INTENT TO BE SUBMITTED IN MAY
[25] BUSINESS WORLD SUPPORTS DERVIS
[26] SSSB: "TURKISH TREASURY'S BIDS ARE SUCCESSFUL"
[27] INCREASE IN EXPORTS
[28] SOFIA RAMSTORE TO BE OPENED
[29] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE
COLUMNS...
[30] NOT TO GET UPSET NEXT YEAR BY SAMI KOHEN (TURKIYE)
[01] FOUNDATION OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
Many top-level officials, including President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer, Turkish Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi, Ministry of
Justice Hikmet Sami Turk, Chairman of the Virtue Party (FP), Recai
Kutan, Chairman of the True Path Party (DYP), Tansu Ciller and Public
Prosecutor in Chief at the High Court of Appeals, Sabih Kanadoglu,
attended the ceremony held on the 39th anniversary of the
establishment of the Constitutional Court yesterday. Delivering a
speech as the President of the Constitutional Court for the first
time, Bumin emphasized primary principles of the rule of law in his
speech. Criticizing constitutional restrictions on the freedom of
expression, Bumin said, "It would be very useful for the future
of liberal democracy to carry out new regulations in parallel with
social, cultural and economic requirements. Political parties should
cooperate in certain vital issues." Bumin also mentioned demands
for the right to have education in languages other than Turkish and
said those demands were against the Constitution. He emphasized the
importance of secularism and stated religious matters should not be
involved in the policies of political parties. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] TURKEY TO BE BSEC TERM PRESIDENT
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, who will travel to
Moscow tomorrow, will assume the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Pact's
(BSEC) Term Presidency from the Russian Federation. Ankara, with its
detailed program, is planning to accelerate the works of the
organization significantly. The fourth BSEC Foreign Ministers Council
meeting will be held in Moscow tomorrow. The Foreign Ministry stated
Turkey's plan aims to revitalize the project of a "Black Sea
Transportation Corridor" which will connect Black Sea countries
via highways, railways and airways. The plan also foresees to
accelerate BSEC's integration with the world, to develop concrete
energy projects, to carry out regulations for improving free trade in
the region, to provide businessmen from member countries with
"fast-track" visa facilities and to improve regional
cooperation among the private sectors in the member countries.
/Cumhuriyet/
EU: "2002 WILL BE BETTER FOR TURKEY"
The European Commission report on Turkey said the
Commission's predictions changed dramatically due to the economic
crisis in Turkey. The report said, Turkey's Gross National
Product(GNP)will shrink by 2% this year, but in 2002 a 3.3% growth
will be achieved. /Milliyet/
[03] ANGRY REACTION TO FRENCH JUDICIARY
Turkish citizens, who were wounded in the bombing
of the Turkish Airlines Bureau at Orly Airport by ASALA terrorist
Varujan Garbisyan, harshly reacted to the Frach judiciary because of
the recent extradition decision. Mehmet Birinci and Mustafa Bakan,
victims of the terrorist attack, said the decision could not be
accepted and added Turkish and French judicial institutions must do
their utmost to correct this grave mistake. Another victim, Selahattin
Talic said he denounced the French judiciary. The Orly Massacre
resulted in 8 deads and 57 injured in 1983. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] ARMENIAN LOBBY'S REACTION TO BUSH
The Armenian lobby reacted negatively to US
President Bush, since Bush did not use the word "genocide"
during the speech he delivered on April 24, Armenian Commemoration
Day. Bush said 1.5 million Armenians were forces to migrate from their
lands. The Armenian National Committee of America(ANCA) called on
Armenian voters to protest to Bush by sending letters. /Milliyet/
[05] ANKARA'S NO COMMENT REACTION TO US PRESIDENT BUSH'S
SPEECH ON ARMENIAN ISSUE
Turkey has stated she noted US President George
Bush's refraining from using the terms "genocide" and
"massacre" during his speech delivered due to the US April
24 Commemoration Day for the Armenian Genocide Victims. Foreign
Ministry Speaker Huseyin Dirioz said they noted all the expressions
Bush used during his speech. Dirioz added they also closely followed
the extradition of ASALA terrorist Varujan Garbisyan to Armenia.
Turkish Parliament Interior Affairs Commission Mehmet Pak said Turkey
should not remain silent in the face of the Armenian lobbies'
anti-Turkey attempts all over the world. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] HEAD OF EU LIBERAL GROUP IN ANKARA
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem received Patrick Cox,
the head of the Liberal Group at the European Parliament. Soon after
the meeting, Cem said the issues of Cyprus and the European Union were
debated. Cox will be received by Deputy Prime Ministers Devlet Bahceli
and Mesut Yilmaz. /Turkish Daily News/
[07] TURKISH LEADERS SUMMIT
The "7th Turkish Speaking Countries
Summit" will begin today in Istanbul with the attandance of
leaders from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Krygztan, Uzbekistan and
Turkmenistan. Azeri President Haydar Aliyev, Kazakh President
Nursultan Nazarbayev, Turkmenistan President Saparmurad Niyazov,
Krygyz President Asker Akayev and Uzbek Parliament Speaker Erkin
Halilov arrived in Turkey yesterday to join the two-day meeting. The
meeting which aims to develop relations between the Turkish Speaking
Countries, will be headed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. /Turkiye/
[08] FOREIGN MINISTRY DENOUNCES THE RAID
Turkey declared that she harsly denounces the
attack to the Swiss Hotel. A Foreign Ministry statement said,
"Turkey has been struggling with terrorism for a long time and
these kind of activities can only be prevented by international
cooperation." It also pointed out that legal procedures against
the raid had begun. /Turkiye/
[09] BARZANI'S VISIT POSTPONED UNTIL MAY
The expected visit of Kurdistan Democratic
Party(KDP) leader Massoud Barzani is postponed until May due to the
busy schedule of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. The visit is expected
to be scheduled on May 6-7. Despite the emphasis put on the threat of
terrorism caused by the illegal Kurdistan Workers' Party(PKK) elements
based in northern Iraq during previous meetings, economic issues will
be raised by the KDP side. /Turkish Daily News/
[10] CAGLAR TO TURKEY ON SATURDAY
The extradition of the former State Minister Cavit
Caglar, detained in the US, was finalized. A three-person security
team will leave for the US today to take Caglar. He is expected to
arrive in Turkey on Saturday. /Hurriyet/
[11] "BAKU-CEYHAN IS OUR PREFERENCE LINE"
Kazakh Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and
Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Shkolnik, on a visit to the US, said,
President Nazarbayev attaches utmost importance to the Baku-Ceyhan
Line and it is Kazakhstan's preferred export line. Delivering an
address at CSIS, a think-thank in Washington, Shkolnik stressed that
Kazakhstan's energy policy mainly depends on the diversity of
pipelines. /Turkiye/
[12] ANZACS IN CANAKKALE
Nearly 10,000 Anzacs from New Zealand and Australia
came to Canakkale for the 86th anniversary of the Canakkale Land Wars
and commemorated their ancestors, who died during the wars. During the
ceremony organized at dawn, a priest said prayers for those who died
during the wars, and wreaths were laid at the Anzacs Monument. The
national anthems of Australia and Turkey were played, a minute of
silence was observed and these countries' Ministers of Foreign Affairs
made speeches. Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander
Downer said "Many people lost their lives at the Gallipoli
Peninsula 86 years ago. The heorism and the bitter incidents that
occurred in 1915 show the dimension of the war. Therefore, Gallipoli
has a special importance for us." /Sabah/
[13] ARMY MARTYRS' DAY MARKED
A ceremony was held to commemorate army martyrs,
which was attended by Land Forces Commander General Hilmi Ozkok at
Cebeci Martyrs' Cemetery, Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.
Also, Land Forces Staff Commander General Sener Eruygur, General Staff
Intelligence Commander General Fevzi Turkeri, other generals,
officers, non-commissioned officers and families of the martyrs
participated in the ceremony. After laying a wreath at the Martyrdom
Monument, messages were read from Chief of General Staff, General
Huseyin Kivrikoglu, Ozkok and Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu.
Kivrikoglu said in his message that martyrs' names were written in
gold letters in the history of the Land Forces. Ozkok stated that all
martyrs were commemorated with thanks and gratitude. Cakmakoglu said
that every Land Forces member who are equipped with the latest
technology are the dauntless guards of the secular and the democratic
Turkish people. /Turkish News/
[14] EMPLOYMENT SECURITY BILL TO BE READY ON WEEKEND
The employment security bill will be completed on
the weekend, said Labor Minister Yasar Okuyan in Ankara yesterday with
labor union leaders. Abandoning the employment security bill is out of
question, the minister assured labor officials. The bill in question
is one of the economic reform bills mentioned in the new economic
program designed by Ecomomy Minister Kemal Dervis. Okuyan said the
employment security bill was included in the National Programme for
European Union admission and that it had become an official commitment
of the Turkish government. For that reason, he stated, there can be no
stepping back from the bill despite harsh objections from employers,
private news channel NTV reported. /Turkish News/
[15] ISTANBUL TRAFFIC DISCUSSED
Istanbul's traffic issue was discussed in a meeting
by the attendence of Istanbul Governor, Erol Cakir, Istanbul
Metropolitan Mayor, Ali Mufit Gurtuna, and representatives from
competent public institutions. Gurtuna said the target is to increase
the rail system from 37 km to 100km in 2-5 years. He added they plan
to integrate the rail system, land and sea transport. Metropolitan
Municipality Head of the Transport Department, Rafet Bozdogan briefed
about the Airrail project and said they met with firms from Japan, the
US, Germany and Austria for the construction. /Hurriyet/
[16] GUREL'S STATEMENT ON THE BANKING LAW
State Minister and the Government Spokesman Sukru
Sina Gurel said the Banking Law was opened to signature at the Council
of Ministers. After being adopted at the Council of Ministers, the Law
will be debated at the Council of the Turkish Grand National Assembly
(TGNA). If it is passed here, it will be sent to the Plenary Session
of the TGNA. The law includes the precautions to be taken for the
banks, which have problems concerning financial structure, before they
are transferred to the Fund. /Sabah/
[17] DYP PRESENTS TWO MOTIONS FOR CENSURE OF ERSUMER
The coalition partners are facing a hard decision
on how to act in the face of a prosecution indictment implicating a
minister in an energy corruption scheme, as the opposition True Path
Party (DYP) submitted two separate censure motions to Parliament. On
Tuesday, the Ankara State Security Court (DGM) Chief Prosecutor's
Office filed charges against 15 people, including former senior
officials of the state power utility TEAS, as well as Energy Minister
Cumhur Ersumer. The charges include causing financial losses to the
state, engaging in wrongdoing in state energy tenders, and abusing
power by endorsing illegal actions and threatening bureaucrats.
/Turkish News/
[18] TRAFFIC AND ROAD SAFETY CONGRESS STARTS
A traffic and road safety congress got underway
yesterday at Gazi University's Mimar Kemalettin Hall with the
cooperation of the university and the Security General Directorate,
Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Ankara Governor Yahya Gur
said at the congress that currently, private driving courses are not
enough to train people. He also stated that cars have been a part of
people's lives for 100 years, and only education can prevent
accidents. Current driving and education programs cannot be undertaken
by every single citizen, said Gur. He emphasized that further highways
had to be constructed to prevent traffic accidents in Turkey. /Turkish
News/
[19] FIGHT AGAINST FOREST FIRES
The Ministry of Forestry has put its "2001
Action Plan Against Forest Fires" into effect. The transportation
issue is emphasized within the action plan. Current equipment will be
restored and new forest, fire security and tower roads will be
established within the framework of the new plan. /Cumhuriyet/
[20] EU STREAMLINES FINANCIAL AID TO TURKEY
The European Union's head office proposed plans
Wednesday to streamline the delivery of more than 1 billion euros,
amounting to 955 million US dollars, in financial aid to help Turkey
prepare for membership. The proposed regulation would regroup three
existing financial aid programs into one, which will concentrate
assistance in areas laid out in a road-map of priorities for Turkey
that was adopted by the EU on March 8. Aid totalling 177 million euros
has been allocated for 2001, with commitments for the same amount
annually through 2006. Project selection, tendering and contracting
will be carried out by Turkey, "but will at least initially be
subject to approval" in Brussels, the European Commission said.
/Turkish News/
[21] TELEVISION FREQUENCY TENDER POSTPONED
Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK)
Chairman Nuri Kayis, stated yesterday that the frequency allocation
tender for national television stations had been postponed due to a
court decision, Anatolia news agency reported. "If the tender had
gone ahead, the government would have a fortune," he said. Kayis
held a news conference after the four-hour board meeting and announced
the postponement of the tender which had been scheduled for today. He
mentioned they had decided to delay the tender because of the
injunction issued by the court. "We respect court orders. But our
country will lose a lot with the postponement," he added.
/Turkish News/
[22] DERVIS SPEAKS TO GERMAN PRESS
Kemal Dervis gave an interview to the German weekly
"Die Zeit". Responding to various questions, Dervis said in
summary, "I returned to Turkey to set the economy in motion.
Turkey needs executives speaking openly and clearly. The party system
in Turkey is rather fragmented, no party receives more than 22% of
votes. A reform is needed in the party system as well. Social
democrats have to unite, also the integration of center-right parties
is inescapable. I haven't decided yet which party I will join. I feel
loyal to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and his party's world view is
close to mine, but I rather prefer a union at the centre-left.
Democracy in Turkey is not perfect, but it functions. There is a need
for young polticians and a renewal of the political system. Turkey is
in need of urgent foreign assistance.It would be a big mistake, if the
West tries to use these conditions to get political concessions. A
negative reaction may arise in Turkey, if economic assistance is
linked to concessions in political issues, such as the Cyprus problem
and the European army, since this may be considered as political
blackmail." /Milliyet/
[23] DERVIS IN THE U.S.
State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis
travelled to the U.S. for meetings to obtain the financial resources
required to overcome the economic crisis in Turkey. Dervis will meet
with the IMF and World Bank authorities to secure a $12-15 billion
loan. /Milliyet/
[24] NEW LETTER OF INTENT TO BE SUBMITTED IN MAY
State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis is
expected to submit the new letter of intent to the IMF next week,
following his negotiations with the IMF officials. Executive Directors
of the IMF will convene in May and decide whether to sign a new
stand-by agreement with Turkey. /Milliyet/
[25] BUSINESS WORLD SUPPORTS DERVIS
The Chairman of the Executive Board of Koc Holding
Company, Rahmi Koc, said he sincerely hopes the State Minister Kemal
Dervis would find foreign financial support. Koc answered the
journalists' questions concerning the latest economic developments,
during the reception organized at Ciragan Palace for the "New
Aphrodisias Museum Project". While answering a question, Koc
said, "Of course we support Dervis. We do not have another
chance. Not only myself, but also everyone should support him."
Meanwhile, General Director of Is Bank, Ersin Ozince, said Turkey
would be able to find domestic and foreign support. /Sabah/
[26] SSSB: "TURKISH TREASURY'S BIDS ARE
SUCCESSFUL"
International Consulting Institution Schroder
Salomon Smith Barney (SSSB) said the Treasury's bids held two days ago
were successful. SSSB said there was great demand for the Treasury
bids and interest rates decreased in Turkey. SSSB pointed out the
decrease in interest rates affected the markets positively.
/Cumhuriyet/
TURKEY SAYS TO CUT CORN IMPORT TAX TO 10 PCT
Agriculture Minister Husnu Yusuf Gokalp said
yesterday a tax on corn imports would be cut to 10 percent from 25
percent in a bid to boost imports to meet demand from the country's
animal feed sector. /Turkish Daily News/
TMO TO EXPORT 410,000 TONS OF GRAIN
The Turkish Grain Board (TMO) will hold a grain
export tender on May 3 to sell a total of 360,000 tons of wheat and
50,000 tons of white feed barley, the TMO office announced yesterday.
/Turkish Daily News/
[27] INCREASE IN EXPORTS
Undersecretary of the Foreign Trade, Kursad Tuzmen
said exports increased 11.2% during Jan.1-April 19 when compared to
the same period last year. Tuzmen said, "This year we target
$30-$32 billion of exports." /Turkiye/
[28] SOFIA RAMSTORE TO BE OPENED
Migros' fourth Ramstore abroad will be opened on 18
May in Bulgaria. Ramstore will give service in the capital of
Bulgaria, Sofia, and aims to open new markets for Turkish goods.
Chairman of the Executive Board of Koc Holding Company, Rahmi Koc, and
General Director of Migros, Oktay Irsidar, will attend the opening
ceremony of the Sofia Ramstore. /Sabah/
[29] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE
COLUMNS...
[30] NOT TO GET UPSET NEXT YEAR BY SAMI KOHEN (TURKIYE)
Columnist Sami Kohen comments on the message
President George W. Bush issued yesterday concerning Armenians. A
summary of his column is as follows: "President George W. Bush
must have given great thought to the letter he has issued on the
Armenian Commemoration Day. Two words which were not mentioned in this
letter drew more attention than the statement itself. One is
'genocide' and the mother is 'massacre'. The Armenians wanted to see
both words spelled out in this statement whereas Turkey was highly
sensitive over the issue. In the messages issued before, for example
in the message issued by Mr.Clinton, genocide was not mentioned but
the word massacre was used. Omitting both words this year has
disappointed the Armenians, as during his candidacy President Bush had
promised to recognize the suffering of the Armenians. Although the
statement contains an expression such as 'the forced exile and
annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians in the closing years of the
Ottoman Empire', it has been a defeat for the Armenians who expected a
great deal more from President Bush. The content of Mr.Bush's message
was a test for the importance he attributes to Turkey and in this
respect the policy of the Bush Administration is pleasing. This policy
can be explained by the importance the US attaches to Turkey as a
strategic partner. The presence of a Democrat or a Republican in the
White House makes no difference. There is a consistency in the
official US policy. However we have to assess the situation correctly.
The omission of these words in President Bush's message does not mean
that he ignores the Armenian tragedy as he mentioned in the same
statement. In fact, commemoration ceremonies were held in many States
in the US and the word 'genocide' has been used in the speeches
delivered there. This is also true for the meetings held in a wide
region stretching from France to Russia, from Iran to Argentina. It is
an undeniable fact that these ceremonies have increased compared to
earlier years. We have to derive the necessary results from these
incidents. First, Turks both in the country and abroad must start
working systematically to have their voice heard on the Armenian
question. Otherwise Armenians will have the field to themselves.
Secondly, Ankara has to launch an international initiative to uncover
the historical facts. It does not suffice to say 'Let us leave the
question in the hands of the historians'. Thirdly, Turkey should take
bold steps to normalize relations with Armenia and establish contacts
with the moderates in the Armenian Diaspora. Finally, great care
should be taken not to let Turkish foreign policy be influenced by the
Armenian factor. We have to roll up our sleeves today and work hard
not to get upset next year."
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