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Turkish Press Review, 02-05-02
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Press
& Information
Turkish
Press
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
02.05.2002
CONTENTS
[01] CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION DECIDES THAT BILL WAS NOT
AMNESTY LAW
[02] FOREIGN MINISTRY: “EU TERRORIST LIST IS NOT OFFICIAL
YET”
[03] DENKTAS: “TURKISH CYPRIOTS ARE NOT A MINORITY”
[04] TSK HOLDS MANEUVERS TODAY TO UNDERLINE NORTHERN CYPRUS’
SOVEREIGNTY
[05] US DIPLOMATIC REPORTS: “TURKEY IS A TARGET FOR
TERRORISTS”
[06] MAY DAY CELEBRATED
[07] YUCELEN SIGNS SECURITY PROTOCOL WITH AZERBAIJANI
COUNTERPART
[08] BAHCELI TO VISIT AZERBAIJAN
[09] CHIBBER PRAISES VILLAGE-CITY PROJECTS
[10] OCAK: “STATE-OWNED BANKS ARE NOW RECOVERING”
[11] ANKARA TO HOST MEDITERRANEAN FESTIVAL
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[13] KIVRIKOGLU’S PREPARATIONS TO VISIT AFGHANISTAN BY
MURAT CELIK (STAR)
[14] DEMOCRATIC TERROR TALKS BY MUSTAFA BALBAY (CUMHURIYET)
[01] CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION DECIDES THAT BILL WAS NOT
AMNESTY LAW
The bill on conditional release vetoed by President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer last week was taken up by Parliament’s Constitutional Commission
yesterday, with the body deciding that the bill was not an “amnesty
regulation.” Sezer vetoed the bill and sent it back to the Parliament to
be debated again, citing his judgement that it was a kind of amnesty law
and that it therefore requires the votes of 330 parliamentarians, or a
three-fifths majority, to pass. The bill is expected to be debated in
the full Parliament next week. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Hikmet Sami
Turk said yesterday that since last Saturday a total of 1,070 inmates
had been conditionally released. /Turkiye/
[02] FOREIGN MINISTRY: “EU TERRORIST LIST IS NOT OFFICIAL
YET”
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Huseyin Dirioz said yesterday that Turkey
had made initiatives towards the Belgium government regarding the
terrorist group DHKP-C’s activities and its waving its so-called flag in
that country. During the ministry’s weekly press conference, Dirioz said
that the question of whether or not the PKK and the DHKP-C would be
added to the EU list of terrorist groups was not yet clear and that the
list had not officially been released yet. “The PKK’s self-proclaimed
new label shouldn’t make any difference in declaring it a terrorist
organization,” Dirioz added, referring to the terrorist group’s recent
effort to re-label itself. /Turkiye/
[03] DENKTAS: “TURKISH CYPRIOTS ARE NOT A MINORITY”
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas
arrived in Bursa yesterday to receive an honorable doctorate bestowed
upon him by Uludag University. At the doctoral ceremony, Denktas
declared, “Greek Cypriots want us to be a minority dependent upon them.
We can never accept such a situation.” Denktas reiterated that Turkish
Cypriots were asking for equality on the island. /Turkiye/
[04] TSK HOLDS MANEUVERS TODAY TO UNDERLINE NORTHERN CYPRUS’
SOVEREIGNTY
Even as the leaders of the two nations on Cyprus are engaged in talks
to reach a settlement on the island, today will see the Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot administration content for
sovereignty in the skies and on the waves. The Turkish Armed Forces
(TSK) are due to begin air and sea maneuvers approximately 15 miles off
the coastal town of Erenkoy in the TRNC. The maneuvers are designed
specifically to counter a fait accompli decision by the Southern
Cypriots to take over search and rescue services from British forces
stationed in Lefkosha. This decision was in violation of a 1960 accord
made with the approval of all parties giving responsibility for search
and rescue in Cyprus’ air and sea zones to the British forces. The
British took on the duties because the Cyprus Republic, established
jointly by Turkish and Greek Cypriots, lacked the technical expertise.
But the Greek Cypriot decision announced this Feb. 7 to take over the
services as of March 1 attempted to take advantage of their recognition
as the “Cyprus Republic” to violate the 1960 agreement. /Hurriyet/
[05] US DIPLOMATIC REPORTS: “TURKEY IS A TARGET FOR
TERRORISTS”
Prominent US daily the Washington Times yesterday published an
article entitled “Turkey Target for Terrorists” based on analyses of
recent US diplomatic reports on terrorism. The piece argued that Turkey
had been listed as a “high priority target” for terrorist attacks by
operatives trained in Iranian camps. “The objective of the reported
Iranian plan is to destabilize Turkey,” said the article. “The reports
of plans targeting Turkey are largely based on information from Iranians
applying for visas for travel to the United States at the US Embassy in
[Southern] Cyprus.” According to the Times, activities against Turkey
are planned by the "Third Corps" of the "Qods Force," a group which
handles "external operations," a code word for efforts to export
terrorism to selected countries. “The specific task of the Third Corps
is to interfere in Turkish affairs and establish contact with Kurdish
groups opposed to the Turkish government,” said the article. /All Papers/
[06] MAY DAY CELEBRATED
May Day was celebrated yesterday throughout Turkey with great
enthusiasm. Some 5,000 participants in Ankara gathered in Tandogan
Square, despite a heavy rain. For the first time, Felicity Party (SP)
leader Recai Kutan was present during the May Day celebrations.
Meanwhile, security forces banned celebrations in certain cities,
particularly in southeastern Anatolia in order to prevent illegal
disturbances of public order. /All Papers/
[07] YUCELEN SIGNS SECURITY PROTOCOL WITH AZERBAIJANI
COUNTERPART
Interior Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen and his Azerbaijani counterpart
Ramil Usubov yesterday signed a protocol to improve mutual cooperation
in the fight against international terrorism, money laundering and human
trafficking. Yucelen stated that Turkey and Azerbaijan had reached an
agreement to improve their cooperation in combating a wide range of
organized crime. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] BAHCELI TO VISIT AZERBAIJAN
Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) Chairman
Devlet Bahceli is scheduled to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan on
May 6-8 upon the invitation of Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev.
Bahceli is expected to meet with Aliyev, National Assembly Chairman
Murtuz Aleskerov, Prime Minister Artur Rasizade as well as
representatives of domestic political parties. Defense Minister
Sabahattin Cakmakoglu and Health Minister Osman Durmus are also to
accompany Bahceli. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] CHIBBER PRAISES VILLAGE-CITY PROJECTS
World Bank Turkey representative Ajay Chibber met yesterday with
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit to be briefed on how Turkey would use a
$300 million WB loan and on the government’s village-city projects.
During the meeting, which was also attended by State Minister Mustafa
Yilmaz, Prime Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Selcuk Polat and relevant
bureaucrats, Chibber said that the World Bank viewed the village-city
projects with admiration and that it pointed to such projects as a model
for other developing countries to aid rural areas. /Hurriyet/
[10] OCAK: “STATE-OWNED BANKS ARE NOW RECOVERING”
One of the top officials in Turkey’s state-owned banks yesterday
predicted a rosier future in sight for the system. Safa Ocak, head of
the State-Owned Banks Joint Executive Board, told reporters in Ankara
that Turkey had gone through a “dark period” but that good economic news
had begun to arrive due to the burgeoning recovery. Speaking to the
Association of Economic Reporters, Ocak said that the state-owned banks
had reached a point where problems of the real sector could be dealt
with. The first good news in this approach, he continued, is Halkbank’s
decision this week to allocate TL 1.5 quadrillion for artisans,
craftsmen, and small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs (SMEs). Ocak added
that state-owned banks’ balance sheets were in much healthier shape and
that days of profits lay ahead. /Hurriyet/
[11] ANKARA TO HOST MEDITERRANEAN FESTIVAL
Ankara is to host a festival to be attended by Mediterranean
countries, according to a recent decision made at the Mediterranean
Capitals Summit held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Ankara Greater Municipality
Mayor Melih Gokcek stated that the festival, which is expected to be
held in the last of week of August, would bring together cultural and
artistic groups from a host of Mediterranean countries. /Aksam/
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[13] KIVRIKOGLU’S PREPARATIONS TO VISIT AFGHANISTAN BY
MURAT CELIK (STAR)
Columnist Murat Celik comments on Gen. Kivrikoglu’s preparations for
a visit to Afghanistan. A summary of his column is as follows:
“Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu is expected to visit
Afghanistan at the end of July. No official statement was supplied by
the General Staff headquarters, but preparations for this visit have
already started. Today, Turkey has 267 military personnel in Afghanistan.
This number is to more than double to 500-plus after it takes the
control of the peacekeeping force (ISAF) in June. Reports conveyed to
Ankara from the region shows that the number of military troops should
be increased day by day. The needs of the region are more than what was
initially expected. The Turkish Armed Force (TSK) update their plans
almost every day. Turkish troops will start to inherit the Afghanistan
command by the end of this month. Preparations will made, order will be
established and Maj. Gen. Akin Zorlu will visit the region on June
20-30. After meeting with his British counterpart, Zorlu will take
command of the ISAF. Soon thereafter, the Turkish force is planning to
receive an important guest from Ankara. Kivrikoglu should be in Kabul by
the end of July. The General Staff chief will visit Afghanistan barring
any major security problems. According to preliminary plans, Kivrikoglu
is expected to visit the region with commanders-in-chief of the armed
forces. This visit is expected to be the most important visit of
Kivrikoglu before his mission comes to an end on August 30. Now
everybody is waiting for Turkey and Zorlu to take the command of the
ISAF and give a fixed date for Kivrikoglu’s visit to the region.”
[14] DEMOCRATIC TERROR TALKS BY MUSTAFA BALBAY (CUMHURIYET)
Columnist Mustafa Balbay comments on democratic terror talks. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“The European Union’s blindness and squinting regarding terrorism
have led to a case of double vision. An accurate headline for recent
events would read: Democratic terror talks! The EU institutions and on
the one side Turkey, and on the other terrorist groups, are all trying
to protect their own interests. We can expect this scenario to be played
out repeatedly over the next eight months through 2003. This January a
delegation from the Belgium Parliament visited northern Iraq. At the
parliamentarians’ behest, the terrorist PKK agreed to change its name.
In February the PKK held its so-called eight congress. The congress’
decisions were announced on April 4 in Brussels. The PKK representatives
in Europe announced that they had changed their name to KADEK. Then at
the end of April news arrived that the PKK would be added to the
terrorist list! Then a statement came from Osman Ocalan in northern Iraq,
‘If the PKK is added to the list we will make you feel sorry, we will be
forced to war. The PKK has completed its historic mission and changed
its name and became democratized.’ Turkey has to analyze well the
current situation. Let’s underline a very important point: Turkey fought
terrorism for 15 years, but never permitted terrorism to become an
ethnic war. Turkey is the winner. But sometimes the success gained at
the battlefront could be lost at the negotiating table. What we have
listed above are examples of this. Europe describes terrorism as:
‘Everything which disturbs my public safety is terrorism, whatever
happens outside my borders doesn’t interest me.’ But we have seen
clearly after last September’s terrorist attacks that terrorism has no
geography and religion. A day could come when Europe feels the effects
of terrorism, but that day could come very late for it. The statement
made by Osman Ocalan shows the blindness and ungratefulness of terrorism.
Leaving aside Europe’s history of technological progress, it seems that
the continent is not as clever as it once seemed.”
ARCHIVE
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