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Turkish Press Review, 01-05-11Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning11.05.2001CONTENTS
[01] ECEVIT IS HOPEFUL ABOUT NEW ECONOMIC PROGRAMStating that Turkey has entered into a promising phase concerning financial matters since $16 billion in financial aid would be received, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said he hoped there would be no obstacles against Turkey in the future. He said, "US President Bush's letter is a proof that Turkey has entered into a promising phase. Mr. Bush emphasises the US will be a vanguard in supporting Turkey in the international arena. We must appreciate the US, IMF and World Bank's confidence in Turkey. Without this confidence we could not have reached such a positive phase." Praising the works of the Turkish Parliament, Ecevit recalled that a series of measures were taken for the regulation of the state banks. He added, the bill on the privatization of the Turk Telekom was sent to the Parliament. He said, "I absolutely believe that Turkey will overcome the crisis with the implementation of the new economic program" /Cumhuriyet/[02] CEM: "TURKEY WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ALONE"Foreign Minister Ismail Cem travelled to Kosovo yesterday. Cem conveyed the message that Turkey would not leave Kosovar Turks alone. He also met with certain Turkish and foreign authorities including Kosovo Democratic Union Chairman Ybrahim Rugova, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Kosovo Mission Chief Daan Everts and UN Kosovo Mission Chief Hans Haekkerup. Cem conveyed his views on the ways of sustaining stable peace in Kosovo and maintain the position of Turkish language in the previous Constitution while preparing the new Constitution. Cem then travelled to Skopje and met with the Macedonian President and the Prime Minister. Cem relayed the message that Turkey was in favor of establishing a national unity government immediately as NATO and the EU were. Cem returned to Turkey after completing his meetings in Skopje. /Cumhuriyet/[03] SEZER CALLS FOR MORE RECOGNITION FOR THE DISABLEDA message by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on the occasion of "Disabled Persons' Week" states that Turkey should create solutions to the problems faced by disabled people in line with the principles of any social state, and should provide them with the means to live normal daily lives. Sezer said the ability for all individuals within society to benefit equally from all rights and freedoms was a sign of the level of development in that country. Sezer said, "We should make disabled people productive and independent. Education is important in this regard." /Turkish Daily News/[04] GROSSMAN VISITS TURKEYFormer US Ambassador to Turkey, Marc Grossman, is currently visiting Turkey to explain US President George Bush's plan on establishing a new anti-missile defense system instead of the Antiballistic Missile Agreement. Turkish side will seek an answer to the question of what effects this new system will have on current NATO defense system at negotiations. Turkey is believes that until present the Antiballistic Missile Agreement has established an international strategic balance. However, Ankara at the same time does not oppose to the establishment of individual country's defense systems. Washington wants to develop a defense system to protect itself from the threat of countries, such as Iraq and North Korea. Among the allies of the US, Turkey is the most vulnerable country to missile attacks and may benefit from this kind of defense system. /Milliyet/[05] PERSSON'S LETTER TO ECEVITFollowing the US President George W. Bush's letter, another letter of support was received by Turkey from the European Union (EU). The Prime Minister of Sweden, the Eu Term-President, Goran Persson, sent a letter to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, in which he wrote, "I believe your government's undertaking to implement a firmer economic program deserves an exceptional foreign financial aid." In his letter, Persson also wrote that Turkey's carrying out her national program would create the conditions necessary for establishing close relations with the EU. Persson added that he supported the efforts to overcome the economic crisis in Turkey. /Hurriyet/[06] BARZANI: "TURKEY'S CONCERNS ARE GROUNDLESS"The leader of Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party Mesud Barzani, who will leave Turkey today, evaluated his contacts with the Turkish officials yesterday in a press conference. Barzani said Turkey's concerns over the territorial unity of Iraq were unnecessary. Barzani also refuted the allegations claiming they supported a group who left the PKK terrorist organization. He said, "One of Turkey's concerns is the territorial unity of Iraq. We said during the meetings that we do not constitute a threat for Iraq and support Iraq's territorial unity. Other critical issue was the Turkmens. We have no problem with our Turkmen brothers." /Cumhuriyet/[07] CHINESE GENERAL STAFF TO VISIT TURKEYPeople's Republic of China Deputy Chief of General Staff, General Shugen Quian, will visit Turkey on May 11-17 as the official guest of Turkish Land Forces Commander, General Hilmi Ozkok, Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. According to a statement from the Land Forces Command, General Quian will visit the Aegean Army commander, the second chief of General Staff, National Defense Ministry Undersecretary and Air Force Training commander while in Turkey. The guest commander will also carry out some studies in several military establishments. He will visit Land Forces Commander, General Hilmi Ozkok, at the command, after touring Ataturk's Mausoleum on May 15. He will depart Turkey on May 17. /Turkish News/[08] JUSTICE MINISTER TURK: "EVERYBODY IS EQUAL BEFORE LAW"Minister of Justice Hikmet Sami Turk presented their certificates to the 20 members of the Court of Appeals, who were newly elected by the Supreme Council for Judges and Prosecutors. Delivering a speech at the ceremony, Turk said independence of judiciary was one of the preliminary principles of the rule of law which is indispensable for the Republic of Turkey. Stating no person or organ could be influential upon the decisions of the judiciary, Turk said, "Everybody is equal before law. This is a general principle relevant for all state institutions. Therefore, judiciary never discriminates people in terms of their political ideas. No political idea can affect judiciary." /Cumhuriyet/[09] ALAN: "INDEPENDENCE OF JUDICIARY IS A MUST"Speaking on the 133rd anniversary of the establishment of the Council of State, Chief Justice Nuri Alan said that society saw the Council of State as a constitutional body they could trust. However, Alan criticized the executive and the legislative bodies for not having any trust in the institution and seeing it instead as an obstacle.Alan said this attitude had to change at once and that the executive had to protect the Council of State and hold it in high esteem. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi and Virtue Party (FP) leader Recai Kutan also attended the ceremony. /Turkish Daily News/[10] AMBASSADOR KOKSAL RETURNS TO FRANCEForeign Ministry issued a statement saying that Turkey's Ambassador to France, Sonmez Koksal will return to France to resume his post. The statement said, "The return of Ambassador Sonmez Koksal, summoned to Turkey for having consultations following the approval of the resolution by the French Parliament on the so-called Armenian genocide, was considered to be appropriate. The relations with France continue in a framework determined by the government and announced to the public." /Milliyet/[11] IRAQ-TURKEY RAIL SERVICES TO RESUMETurkey and Iraq agreed to start scheduling railway services after a suspension of 19 years, official statements from both sides said. "The two parties have agreed in broad terms to operate a train between Turkey and Iraq via the Syrian borders," the head of the Turkish rail department, TCDD, Cahit Soyler said. He said Turkish, Iraqi and Syrian railway officials will meet in Istanbul on June 2. Trains from Iraq take 12 hours to reach the Turkish city of Mardin. /Turkish Daily News/[12] PROF. ERDAL INONU: "TURKEY IS EUROPEAN"Delivering a speech at the conference held by the Turkey-Europe Foundation due to the "Europe Day", Prof. Erdal Inonu said Turkish nation chose to be a part of the Western world with the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. He added Turkey's strategic importance stems not just from geographic conditions but also from the man power and the power of Turkish military. Inonu demanded Turkey find ways for cooperation and agreement with the EU. He said, "We are European but not Western European, we are from Southeastern Europe. There are significant differences between the two regions of Europe. Turkey is known as a bridge between Europe and Asia. However we should not forget since one cannot live on the bridge, Turkey has to choose where to live. Turkey has chosen the Western side with the principles of Ataturk." /Cumhuriyet/[13] FOREIGN AMBASSADORS ON A VISIT TO VANThe ambassadors of Australia, South Africa and Switzerland arrived in Van on an informal visit, Anatolia reported yesterday. Australian Ambassador Ian Kenneth Forsyth, South African Ambassador Thomas F. Wheeler, Swiss Ambassador Kurt O. Wyss, met with Van Governor Durmus Koc at his office and the meeting was closed to the press. They said to reporters, when leaving, that they had visited Van as part of a tour of the region. The ambassadors also visited Mayor Sahabettin Ozaslaner. Ozaslaner said to the ambassadors that migration was the biggest problem for Van and the current infrastructure was sufficient for the city. /Turkish News/[14] RESCUE MANOEUVRE IN THE AEGEAN SEAThe Sea-Lion 01 Search and Rescue Manoeuvres held with the cooperation of the civilian and military units within the Turkish search and rescue institution began yesterday in the international waters of the Aegean Sea. One general and nine officers from the US, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Israel, Tunisia, Russian Federation and Jordan were observers in the manoeuvres. /Cumhuriyet/[15] ANKARA: "ECHR DECISION IS WRONG AND UNACCEPTABLE"European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found Turkey guilty of violating human rights. The decision was taken upon the Greek Cypriot Administration's fourth application as a state. Evaluating the ECHR decision as wrong and unacceptable, Ankara said the decision would not affect Turkey's views on the Cyprus issue. Ankara said the addressee was not Turkey for the Cyprus case but the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). A high-level official from the Foreign Ministry said , "This is a totally wrong decision which we can never accept. The decision should be examined by the TRNC authorities." /Cumhuriyet/[16] BILL ON TELEKOM IN PARLIAMENTThe bill on the privatization of entire shares of Turk Telekom was submitted to Parliament yesterday. The bill will be debated on Tuesday at the plenary session of Parliament. The bill foresees that shares owned by foreigners will not surpass 45% of the total shares. Foreign investors will not have the majority in administration and supervision. In order to protect national security, the state will have a privileged share. Satellite system owned by Turk Telekom will be excluded from the privatization. /Milliyet/[17] TREASURY STARTS WORK ON ECONOMIC FISCAL UPDATEThe government is considering whether to issue an economic fiscal update in addition to the annual program within the framework of a public sector spending reform drive. Anatolia news agency reported that the Treasury Undersecretariat was working to revise the budget, and enlarge its scope so as to include guaranteed foreign debts and institutions with revolving funds. Officials from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Finance Ministry, the State Planning Organization (DPT) and the Central Bank are helping Treasury officials in their efforts to revise the budget. /Turkish News/[18] NUMBER OF TURKISH ENTREPRENEURS UP IN EUThe Germany-based Center for Studies on Turkey (TAM) estimated that the number of Turkish entrepreneurs in the European Union would rise to 160,000 in 2015, with 120,000 alone in Germany. According to previous research as by TAM completed in April last year, there were 73,200 Turkish entrepreneurs in the EU in 1999, with 55,200 in Germany, and their businesses employ 366,000 people from various nationalities. /Turkish News/[19] TELEKOM LAW EASES FINANCIAL MARKETSThe agreement on the privatization of Telekom bill by the coalition leaders led to a decline in the state bond interest rates. The compound interest rates receded to 87%. $14.3 billion in assistance, expected to be received following the approval of Turk Telekom and Banking Laws at Parliament, will also have positive influence on financial markets. /Milliyet/330% INCREASE IN PETROLEUM COMPANY'S PROFITS The director general of "Petrol Ofisi", which was privatized two years ago, Ertugrul Tuncer said they increased their market share from 26% to 32% after privatization. Tuncer said in the first quarter of the year the company's profit increased by 330% reaching $40.6 million. /Milliyet/ [20] TURKEY TO BECOME THE PRINTING CENTER OF EUROPEChairman of the Executive Board of Metro Agency Joint Company, Baskurt Okaygun, said Turkish printing has made a great deal of technological investments in the last ten years. He said, "According to the independent research companies, Turkey will be one of the biggest printing centers and will render services to a broader geography. The 9th Printing and Paper Industry Fair, which will be opened between May 11 and 17 in Istanbul, was not affected by the economic crisis due to the dynamism of the Turkish printing sector. /Hurriyet/[21] MEETINGS OF LAW IN ISTANBULIstanbul will host two big international meetings of law at the beginning of June. International Bar Associations (IBA) will organize meetings, which will be hosted by the Turkish Bar Associations. One of them is called 'IBA International Law Conference' and will be held on 30 May and 1 June. IBA will hold the meeting of the Executive Board for the first time after 22 years on 2 June, which will be attended by the representatives of 183 countries' bars. /Hurriyet/[22] KOC IN SANLIURFAChairman of the Executive Board of Koc Holding Company, Rahmi Koc, went to Sanliurfa yesterday to make observations at the Koc-Ata Battery-farm and Trakmak. Rahmi Koc visited Governor Muzaffer Dilek and Mayor Ahmet Bahcivan and said his aim was to observe the Koc-Ata Battery-farm and Trakmak and that he would make a detailed explanation following the visit. Bahcivan said, "Sanliurfa is considered to be the center of the Southeastern Anatolian Project (GAP). Koc Holding Company led Turkish industry in many areas. We wish the continuation of the investments." /Hurriyet/VAT RAISE EFFECTIVE FROM MAY 15 A one percentage point increase in value added tax (VAT) rates will take effect from May 15, according to a Cabinet resolution published in yesterday's Official Gazette. The resolution raises the overall VAT rate from 17 to 18 percent and the VAT on luxury goods from 25 to 26 percent. Cabinet has powers to boost VAT rates up to 40 percent. The Finance Ministry expects TL 400 trillion additional revenue through the most recent VAT raise, the Anatolia news agency reported. /Turkish Daily News/ [23] ISEDAK MEETING ENDSThe 17th meeting of the Organization for Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Permanent Committee of Commercial Cooperation (ISEDAK) ended yesterday. State Planning Organization Undersecretary, Akin Izmirlioglu, made a speech at the meeting and said, "The efforts should be increased so the private sector participates much more in the economic cooperation activities among the member countries." /Hurriyet/[24] MIGROS TURK'S NEW INVESTMENTSMigros Turk is continuing its Ramstore investments abroad. Ramstore Belyaeva Mall foundation will be laid today in Moscow. Chairman of the Ramstore Executive Board and Migros Director General, Oktay Irsidar said the facility will cost $18 million. Additionally, following Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in the east, on May 18 Ramstore Sofya, the first one in the west, will be opened in Bulgaria. /Turkiye/TURKEY IN TOP 20 IN TOURISM Turkey was included among 20 countries, attracting a greatest number of tourists in the world last year with 9.6 million. She also came 14th regarding tourism incomes with a 1.6% share in the world. According to the Association of Turkish Tourism Investors, number of tourists in the world in 2000 was 698.3 million and tourism incomes were $475.8 billion. /Turkiye/ [25] MERILL LYNCH: "IMKB IS DOING WELL"Investment bank Merill Lynch said positive expectations for the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) are prevailing. Recalling that foreign exchange currency risk decreased, Merrill Lynch pointed out that this situation decreased the probability of a decline in the IMKB. The bank also suggested its investors to increase their investments in Turkish shares. /Turkiye/[26] IMF LOAN TO BE GRANTED NEXT WEEKIMF Foreign Affairs Director, Tom Dawson, said Turkey deserved an strong international support and received it. He pointed out Turkey prepared a detailed economic program and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) welcomed it. Turkey's economic program will taken up by the IMF Executive Directors Board's next Tuesday meeting and it will most probably be approved. Then, the first installment of the IMF loan is assumed to arrive in Turkey next week. State Minister for Economics, Kemal Dervis, previously said $3.9 billion is expected in May. /Turkiye/[27] TURKEY RECEIVES BLUE FLAG AWARDThe European Jury established within the framework of the European Environmental Education Foundation declared the countries that will receive Blue Flag Awards this year. 99 beaches and 11 marinas from Turkey will be presented the award. /Cumhuriyet/[28] YAZICIOGLU'S SUCCESSA lecturer from Ankara University, Dentistry Faculty, Prof. A. Nuri Yazicioglu, was elected Chairman of the 6th Balkan Stomatological Society unanimously, which was organized in the capital of Romania, Bucharest. For the first time a Turkish dentist was elected as the chairman of a professional organization in the Balkans, during the General Council, attended by the lecturers and dentists from the Balkan countries. /Hurriyet/[29] ARIF MARDIN NAMED 'MAN OF THE YEAR'Arif Mardin has been named "Man of the Year" by the Nordoff-Robbins Music Foundation, a charitable organization involved in providing therapy for autistic and other seriously disabled children. The award ceremony will take place at New York's one of the most prominent hotels, Essex House. /Cumhuriyet/[30] AWARD TO IZZET KERIBARThe award ceremony of the 9th Fujifilm 2000 European Press Photography Contest took place in Copenhagen yesterday. Izzet Keribar received an award at the ceremony. /Cumhuriyet/[31] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[32] THE BALKANS IN THE PROCESS OF BALKANIZATION AND TURKEY BY ALI SIRMEN (CUMHURIYET)Columnist Ali Sirmen writes on the recent developments in the Balkans and its impact on Turkey. A summary of his column is as follows:"'Balkanization' is a Western expression and explains the situation of communities which find themselves in intransigent conflicts due to ethnic, religious or political reasons after living in harmony together for long years. The Balkans reentered this process following the disintegration of Yugoslavia's, in other words Tito's utopia in 1990-1991. Great efforts were exerted to calm down this chaos, but before a stability could be achieved, the clashes between the Albanian militia in Macedonia and the government forces drew the attention of everyone to the region. Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem has paid an important visit to Macedonia and Kosovo in such a complex atmosphere. The proposal to form a national unity government in Albania to overcome the situation was faced with difficulties when the Albanian parties put forth the declaration of a cease-fire with the rebellious Albanians as a pre-condition. At present everyone is afraid that the fragile situation in Macedonia will further deteriorate. The number of Albanians crossing over to Kosovo has reached 10,000 during these clashes where 42,500 troops from 39 countries were not able to heal the wounds of the past as yet. In the region the tension is ready to explode any minute. When these facts are taken into consideration it will be clearly seen that the danger of spreading out of a minute crisis all over is great. On the other hand, the situation reached with the Dayton agreement in Bosnia-Herzegovina is also fragile. While the Bosnians tended towards moderate parties, the Serbs and Croatians favoured the radicals in the elections. This is an indication of danger for the future. Finally, in Montenegro although those favoring independence have received 40% of the votes, they have not abandoned their quest for independence. The only positive factor in this picture is the promise by moderate Serbian leader Kusturica for more democracy. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem's visit to Macedonia, in addition to Kosovo has conveyed Turkey's message concerning the Balkans which have reentered the Balkanization process. Ankara wants to be an ally who is consulted more and to have more political and diplomatic say as a member of NATO and regional country with Greece towards the path to establishing peace and the shaping up of the region instead of increasing her contribution. This is in line with both Turkish and Balkan interests." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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