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Turkish Press Review, 01-11-01
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
01.11.2001
CONTENTS
[01] PENTAGON'S VIEW ON TURKEY'S CONTRIBUTION TO AFGHAN OPERATION
[02] ANKARA'S FEARS ABOUT AFGHAN CONFLICT
[03] BLINKEN: "TURKEY IS A MODEL FOR ISLAMIC COUNTRIES"
[04] TURKISH AND GREEK REPRESENTATIVES MEET IN WASHINGTON
[05] BRITAIN AND TURKEY COOPERATE AGAINST CRIMINALS
[06] GERMANY TO DEPORT KAPLAN AND HIS SUPPORTERS
[07] THIRD ROUND OF ESDP MEETINGS IN LONDON
[08] SCHOETTLER: WE ARE PROUD OF THE DIVERSITY TURKS BRING
[09] ECEVIT ADDRESSES DSP GROUP MEETING
[10] CILLER: OUR COUNTRY NEEDS INTENSIVE CARE
[11] ERDOGAN: WE ARE READY TO UNDERTAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY
[12] FINANCIAL TIMES: "TURKS IN GERMANY ARE UNEASY"
[13] VARYAG'S PASSAGE THROUGH THE STRAITS
[14] OZILHAN: WE ARE IN DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN
[15] US: "TURKEY DESERVES SUPPORT"
[16] ANAP TO PREPARE ECONOMIC PACKAGE
[17] BUSINESS DELEGATION IN BAGHDAD TO BOOST TRADE
[18] TURK TELECOM'S NEW ADVISOR
[19] KONONOV: EVERYTHING IS ON TRACK IN RUSSIA
[20] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[21] CLIMATE RIPE FOR NEW AND DYNAMIC DEVELOPMENTS BY SEMIH IDIZ (STAR)
[22] WAVE OF SURVEYS BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
[01] PENTAGON'S VIEW ON TURKEY'S CONTRIBUTION TO AFGHAN OPERATION
Declining to comment on press reports that Turkey has been asked to
participate in US operations in Afghanistan, Pentagon officials yesterday
nevertheless declined to deny that such a participation had been asked for.
The Pentagon reported that it will determine the dimension and content of
Turkey's support to the operation, just as with other countries. In
addition, it is understood that Turkey is not expected to contribute beyond
a limited participation on the officer and non-commissioned officer level
at this stage. US sources commented that such a decision derives not from
any deficit in fighting power but from the need of experienced soldiers who
will serve in the areas of training, dispatching, and communication behind
the front. According to this, if Turkey accepts to participate in the
operation, the Turkish officers and non-commissioned officers will most
likely contribute to the Northern Alliance forces in terms of training and
command. In addition, it has been reported that Turkish officers and non-
commissioned officers might contribute to humanitarian aid efforts and to
the coordination of delivery of this aid. Meanwhile, officials in
Washington say the participation of overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey in the
operation would send an important political message and that Turkey's
decision would be forthcoming. /Milliyet/
[02] ANKARA'S FEARS ABOUT AFGHAN CONFLICT
The government is working hard on the issue of sending troops to
Afghanistan. Chief of General Staff's deputy head Gen. Yasar Büyükanıt met
yesterday in the Foreign Ministry with Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and
Undersecretary of State Ugur Ziyal reportedly saying that he "doesn't know
anything about the issue of sending troops to Afghanistan". Both Prime
Minister Bulent Ecevit and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer have said that as
yet there has been no decision on sending
troops./Hurriyet/
[03] BLINKEN: "TURKEY IS A MODEL FOR ISLAMIC COUNTRIES"
Tony Blinken, the US National Security Council's former Senior Director for
European Affairs said that Turkey's being a model for other Islamic
countries was much more important than its active participation in the
operation in Afghanistan. In his speech at a panel entitled "Turkey's
Increasing Role in the New War Against Terrorism" in Washington, Blinken
remarked, "How Turkey puts forth itself as a model is very important. There
are three models before us: The religious regime in Iran, the military
regime in Syria and the secular, democratic and modern regime in Turkey.
Which one is we support is important, because this is also a war between
different ideas and understandings." Stating that Turkey had proved itself
as a reliable ally in the aftermath of Sept 11, Blinken added, "The US has
an image as if it were an enemy of Islamic countries. Turkey might help the
US correct this impression." /Cumhuriyet/
[04] TURKISH AND GREEK REPRESENTATIVES MEET IN WASHINGTON
A three-day series of meetings has begun in Washington in order to
contribute to building of sound military relations between Turkey and
Greece. Both countries are presently engaged in an overdue rapprochement
process. The meetings, organized by the Western Policy Center and the
National Defense University, are expected to improve cooperation in the
region. The Western Policy Center declared that four issues will be
unofficially discussed during the meetings: ensuring stability in Kosovo
and Macedonia; the regional fight against terrorism; increased security
measures in the Aegean; and the Cyprus issue. /Turkish News/
[05] BRITAIN AND TURKEY COOPERATE AGAINST CRIMINALS
John Wheeler, the Chairman of Anti-Fugitives and Organized Crime Department
of British National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), has visited Van.
Wheeler stated there, "We have come to Van in order to understand the
current problems of the region. We wanted to see and understand events
here. We will exchange ideas and experience in order to ensure sound
cooperation between Great Britain and Turkey." /Turkish News/
[06] GERMANY TO DEPORT KAPLAN AND HIS SUPPORTERS
Germany wants to deport Metin Kaplan, who is the son of Cemalettin Kaplan
a.k.a. the "Black Voice", and his supporters. Bavyera Governor Edmund
Stoiber said that he wanted Metin Kaplan and his 1,100 supporters to be
deported. Stoiber stated that these people must be deported in order to
reach an agreement on the second security measures package prepared by
German Interior Minister Otto Schilly. Meanwhile, Interior Ministry
Spokesman Rainer Lingenthal said that Kaplan might be deported after he
served his sentence in the prison. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] THIRD ROUND OF ESDP MEETINGS IN LONDON
The third round of European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) meetings
between Turkey and the EU is to be held on Oct 7 in London. Diplomatic
sources said that based upon recent remarks made by certain circles arguing
that Turkey would never change its stance on the ESDP, "The negotiations
are continuing. Final decisions cannot be predicted." The second round of
the meetings was held in Ankara last week. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] SCHOETTLER: WE ARE PROUD OF THE DIVERSITY TURKS BRING
Gabriele Schoettler the head of the Women, Labor and Social Affairs
Department for the state of Berlin, has addressed a meeting held on the
40th anniversary of the first Turkish migrant workers arriving in Germany
she said there that Turks in Germany hade made a huge contribution to the
German economy. Schoettler noted that Turks were now active in all walks of
German life./Turkish Daily News/
[09] ECEVIT ADDRESSES DSP GROUP MEETING
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit evaluated recent developments during
yesterday's Democratic Left Party (DSP) group meeting. Ecevit said, "We are
passing through a period of tricks played against the government. We will
face this period. Turkey will achieve the prosperity with its current
coalition government" Stressing that Turkey has very rich resources in all
areas, Ecevit said, "We will use these resources efficiently in the coming
months, nobody should doubt it." He also criticized certain EU and NATO
member countries saying, "All countries should give up supporting
terrorism. After the Sept. 11 attacks, this has become an international
responsibility." /Turkiye/
[10] CILLER: OUR COUNTRY NEEDS INTENSIVE CARE
Addressing her party group meeting yesterday, True Path Party (DYP) leader
Tansu Ciller said, "Turkish citizens are losing their trust in the state.
Turkey has become a country in need of intensive care." Pointing to what
she calls a worsening situation, she remarked that tradesman and non-
governmental organizations were taking out ads in newspapers and that the
Labor Platform was calling for strikes. /Turkiye/
[11] ERDOGAN: WE ARE READY TO UNDERTAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY
Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a
speech at his party group meeting yesterday. Harshly criticizing the
government's budget for the year 2002, Erdogan said that the budget figures
were only the tip of an iceberg. Claiming that the government had prepared
an "unrecorded budget", Erdogan said, "All the responsibility for belongs
to the government." Remarking that Turkey needs a new guiding will, he said,
"We want to take the responsibility for this awesome duty." /Turkiye/
[12] FINANCIAL TIMES: "TURKS IN GERMANY ARE UNEASY"
Prominent British daily the Financial Times gave coverage this week to the
concerns of Turkish residents in Germany about racist attitudes against
themselves. The paper mentioned the Turkish business community's warnings
about rising racist attitudes in Germany. Pointing out that 2.4 million
Turks were currently living in Germany, the Times listed certain regions
where most of the residents are Turks. /Cumhuriyet/
[13] VARYAG'S PASSAGE THROUGH THE STRAITS
The Varyag, a former aircraft carrier slated to become a Chinese pleasure
craft, will leave the Marmara Sea by exiting the Dardanelle 36 hours after
entering the Istanbul Straits and its passage through the Straits is
expected to start today. The Directorate General of Coastal Security and
Ship Rescue was paid 640,000 US dollars and the Turkish Maritime Management
800,000 US dollars for the expenses of 11 tugboats, 16 boats and a team of
nearly 150 people which will accompany the Varyag during its passage. The
Varyag is expected to pass the Istanbul Straits in 20 hours and the
Dardanelle in 10 hours at a speed of 8 miles a hour. /Sabah/
[14] OZILHAN: WE ARE IN DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN
Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen Association (TUSIAD) Chairman Tuncay
Ozilhan said that the current state order had completely had lost all
effectiveness and compared the current situation to the "darkness before
the dawn." Addressing a conference organized jointly by TUSIAD and the
Middle East Public Administration Institute, Ozilhan said that if sacrifice
and cooperation were practiced, Turkey would take its deserved place on the
world stage. He also visited Hak-Is Chairman Salim Uslu and Turk-Is
Chairman Bayram Meral yesterday. Stressing that TUSIAD would work together
with labor unions, Ozilhan said, "If necessary, we will take part in the
activities to be decided upon." /Hurriyet/
[15] US: "TURKEY DESERVES SUPPORT"
An official from the US Treasury Department said they were working hard on
Turkey's need for financing and that they had welcomed the idea that a
delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be sent to
Ankara. The same official released a statement to the Reuters news agency
saying that the Turkish economy had improved in August and in the beginning
of September, but that the Sept. 11 terrorist attack had adversely affected
the situation. He added, "Intensive work on the full effects of the Sept.
11 attacks on the Turkish economy and the Turkey's financing need are under
way." Another official from the Bush administration said that Turkey
deserves Washington's support because it is working very hard to implement
its economic program. He added, "Uncontrollable developments occurred
within and outside Turkey. The US would not abandon Turkey in such an
atmosphere." /Milliyet/
[16] ANAP TO PREPARE ECONOMIC PACKAGE
The Motherland Party (ANAP) is working on a comprehensive economic package
to present to their partners. ANAP deputies who want especially to solve
the problems of manufacturing sector and revive the markets have proposed
postponement of the implementation of the "Sources of Income and Assets
Law" and limitation on the "tax number" package. Yilmaz said that they
would ask their partners to implement the package soon. He also criticized
former President Suleyman Demirel and True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu
Ciller, who want to form a minority government albeit without naming them,
Yilmaz said, "Nobody should take seriously those people who have no
proposal for the solution of our current problems." /Turkiye/
[17] BUSINESS DELEGATION IN BAGHDAD TO BOOST TRADE
Turkey sent a business delegation to Iraq Tuesday in an effort to
strengthen trade links that are already flourishing despite UN sanctions
against Baghdad. The 148-member Turkish delegation will attend a trade fair
in Baghdad "with the aim of establishing ourselves in the Iraqi market in a
permanent way," said Kürsad
Tuzmen, undersecretary for foreign trade and the delegation's head. Tuzmen
said 112 Turkish firms, including automobile, electronics, chemicals and
textile producers, would attend the trade fair in Baghdad. Turkey is
already one of Iraq's largest trading partners. But trade has fallen
sharply since the sanctions were imposed after the end of the Gulf War in
1991. Turkey says it has lost over 30 billion dollars because of the
sanctions./Turkish Daily News/
[18] TURK TELECOM'S NEW ADVISOR
Arthur Andersen has won a bid to choose a company to serve as advisor for
Turk Telecom's reconstructing. Arthur Andersen Fatih Berk said, "The
presentations of our experts who worked in similar projects abroad
attracted the attention of the management. Some of our experts in Europe
will come to Turkey to serve as advisor to Turk Telecom. We understood that
the Turk Telecom really wants to change. We did not make the cheapest
proposal. However, our trade record for success was considered and thus, we
won the posting." Reportedly, more than 5 million US dollars will be paid
to Arthur Andersen for its advising service for the reconstructing of Turk
Telecom. /Milliyet/
[19] KONONOV: EVERYTHING IS ON TRACK IN RUSSIA
Turkey Desk Head of the Russian Trade Minister Valeri Kononov has told
Turkish investors the time is right for investing in Russia and advised
them not to "miss the train," the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.
Talking to reporters ahead of the ninth meeting of the Turkish-Russian
Business Council, which will be attended by State Minister Yilmaz
Karakoyunlu, Kononov said approximately 120-130 Turkish businessmen will
attend the meeting, which will concentrate specifically on investment,
especially in small and medium-size business concerns, and the spreading of
its investment from the main centers of attraction to the outer regions.
/Turkish Daily News/
[20] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[21] CLIMATE RIPE FOR NEW AND DYNAMIC DEVELOPMENTS
BY SEMIH IDIZ (STAR)
Columnist Semih Idiz comments on the unexpected security meeting held the
day before yesterday. A summary of his column is as follows:
"No information will leak from the unexpected security summit held the
other day. The US has requested it to be so, as Washington has chosen
'secrecy' one of its weapons in the war waged against the Taleban. The US
officials say that they do not intend to inform Osama Bin Laden or the
Taleban through their own newspapers or television channels. In brief, the
US -which has used the media successfully in Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo- does
not want it to be used by the Taleban or Bin Laden. Although the US press
is not pleased with these developments, at the moment it lacks the power to
force the administration. The Bush administration would even like to
silence the Al-Jazeera TV network based in Qatar if it had the power to do
so.
We are getting tidbits of information about what is happening in
Afghanistan only through that channel. Certainly the channel is biased.
Due to the US secrecy policy, Prime Minister Ecevit made a request at the
security meeting that no information be leaked. However, a general picture
has come out anyhow. It is true that the US has requested troops from us.
But this is only one-thirds of the situation, and also no surprise. The
permission to send troops abroad was asked within this context from the
Parliament. It had already been announced that Turkey was ready to do send
troops if the need arose. Therefore the recent security summit was not held
for that reason. There are two other dimensions to the issue. The first is
the potential threats aimed at Turkey's own security. It is believed that
due to the stance Turkey has taken, and its playing host to American forces,
stands as one of the potential primary targets. The second dimension
concerns the short, medium and long-term repercussions on Turkey of the US
operations. This issue is of urgent concern to the circles closely related
to these problems. They do not believe that these operations are based on
a sound plan with well-determined targets. Therefore, a reluctance to being
pulled into an adventure is seen among them. However, Turkey knows that it
cannot stay out in the fight against terrorism. Therefore, it has said
that it will play an active role within this framework. During the
unexpected summit, answers were sought for questions regarding the
possible dangers we may face as Turkey is actively taking part in this
fight and measures which should be taken against them. On the other hand
we understand from Prime Minister Ecevit's words that no certain decision
was taken regarding the issue. The climate is ripe for dynamic new
developments."
[22] WAVE OF SURVEYS BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)
Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the recent wave of surveys and studies
conducted at every level. A summary of his column is as follows:
"Turkey's agenda seems to be locked on two issues: the economy and
Afghanistan. These two issues occupy the minds and programs of both the
public and the government. However, important studies and surveys are being
conducted under the shadow of these two issues and are being opened up for
debate in various summits. At present, Turkey's political and legal
organizations as well as its illegal organizations and the situation of
the political currents surrounding them are being discussed. As the present
political parties and the system is being criticized ruthlessly, the
swelling undercurrents due to the weakness of the present picture are
pointed out to officials. One recently conducted survey found that a
majority of the political parties, including those in power and
opposition, have votes around the 10% threshold. Therefore, it is no secret
that there are views for the dropping of the threshold rate further.
However, within this framework, some stress how we must not ignore the
dimension which political structure based on ethnicity or religions which
have problems with the regime has reached. Public opinion polls conducted
by various organizations show that political currents in conflict with the
regime have increased their share of votes, and among the examples cited
there are public polls concerning HADEP(People's Democratic Party).The
support given to HADEP seems to be hovering between 5% and 8.5%. The figure
regarding religious parties seems to come out greater. One of the
conclusions is that political currents nourished by the opposition to the
regime and Republic are benefiting from the low performance of the
political parties in cohesion with the system and with repercussions of the
economic problems. It is stressed that parties believing in the secular
republic, and the indivisible unity of the state should by no means forget
their responsibility to fight such movements politically. Another point is
that 'relaxing' after the fight against terrorism may create harsher
results, and also pointed out that petty political calculations should not
be entered into either individually or at the party level. Another issue
taken up at the summits was the Afghanistan operations and experience in
the fight against terrorism. A statement and proposal stating that military
measures would not suffice in the fight against terrorism and that
conditions fostering terrorism should be eliminated appeared in a study
prepared on Afghanistan. This study has been conveyed to the Foreign
Ministry as a proposal. This report expresses the need for correcting the
socio-economic situation resulting in the present circumstances in
Afghanistan. The Foreign Ministry will certainly convey this to the US."
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