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Turkish Press Review, 02-05-06
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
06.05.2002
CONTENTS
[01] ECEVIT, “FEELING BETTER,” LEAVES HOSPITAL
[02] BAHCELI TRAVELS TO AZERBAIJAN
[03] YILMAZ: “KADEK SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE EU’S TERRORIST GROUP LIST”
[04] KECECILER: “TURKEY WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AFGHAN GOVERNMENT”
[05] INDUSTRIALISTS TO VISIT SEZER
[06] CITING TURKEY, US OFFICIAL CALLS FOR BETTER TIES WITH MODERATE MUSLIM WORLD
[07] SHARON SUPPORTS TURKEY TO HOST OF MIDEAST PEACE CONFERENCE
[08] AERONAUTICAL ASSOCIATION TURNS 67
[09] TASAR VOWS TO CUT TOURISM RED TAPE
[10] MERCEDES REAFFIRMS INVESTMENTS IN TURKEY
[11] COMPULSORY RETIREMENT PLANNED TO CUT STATE OVERSTAFFING
[12] TOBB CHAIR HISARCIKLIOGLU EASILY REELECTED
[13] GOKALP: “GLOBAL CRISES BEGAN IN 1979”
[14] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS
[15] IF WE MISS THE LAST TRAIN BY TUFAN TURENC (HURRIYET)
[16] CYPRUS AND THE EU? OR… BY EROL MANISALI (CUMHURIYET)
[01] ECEVIT, “FEELING BETTER,” LEAVES HOSPITAL
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit who was hospitalized on Saturday with severe
stomach and back pains, was discharged from the hospital yesterday after an
overnight stay for observation. On his way home he told reporters that he
had had an intestinal infection but that now he was feeling better. Ecevit
(76), a national political leader for the last 40 years, has been charting
a centrist course for Turkey for three years during his most recent turn as
prime minister. /All Papers/
[02] BAHCELI TRAVELS TO AZERBAIJAN
Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet
Bahceli will travel to Baku, Azerbaijan today to pay an official visit upon
the invitation of President Haydar Aliyev. Bahceli is scheduled to meet
with Aliyev, Azeri Parliament Speaker Murtuz Aleskerov, Prime Minister
Artur Rasizade and representatives of domestic political parties. During
the meetings, international and regional issues as well as bilateral
political, economic and cultural relations will be taken up. Bahceli is to
be accompanied by State Minister Resat Dogru, Defense Minister Sabahattin
Cakmakoglu and Health Minister Osman Durmus. Bahceli will return to Turkey
on Wednesday. /Turkiye/
[03] YILMAZ: “KADEK SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE EU’S TERRORIST GROUP LIST”
Speaking to reporters after returning from a visit to Germany, Deputy Prime
Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz said yesterday
that KADEK was clearly a continuation of the terrorist PKK, and that
therefore it should be added to the European Union’s list of terrorist
groups. “Otherwise the EU will have been deceived,” Yilmaz stressed. Yilmaz
also said that the PKK and the terrorist DHKP-C had been added to the list
due to Turkey’s initiative and that in doing so, the EU had rectified a
mistake, referring to the previous list which failed to include those
groups. Speaking on Turkey’s full EU membership process, Yilmaz stated that
it was up to Turkey to fulfill the criteria in order to get its
negotiations process started. /Sabah/
[04] KECECILER: “TURKEY WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AFGHAN GOVERNMENT”
State Minister Mehmet Kececiler said yesterday that Turkey believed that
the Afghan government would overcome all the difficulties it now faces. On
the second day of his visit to Afghanistan, Kececiler met with its Cabinet
ministers and other officials. At the meetings, Kececiler remarked that
Turkey had given all kinds of support to the Afghan government for the
nation’s benefit and would continue to do so. Pointing out that the Turkish-
Afghan Business Council had begun its work, Kececiler said, “Turkish
businessmen are ready to invest in Afghanistan, to help construct
infrastructure and to share their technical expertise to aid in the
country’s development.” /Turkiye/
[05] INDUSTRIALISTS TO VISIT SEZER
Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) Chairman Tanil Kucuk and ISO Assembly
head Husamettin Kavi are scheduled to visit President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
today. The ISO is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and will
invite Sezer to ceremonies to honor this landmark. /Star/
[06] CITING TURKEY, US OFFICIAL CALLS FOR BETTER TIES WITH MODERATE MUSLIM
WORLD
US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz made a speech at a World Affairs
Council meeting in California on Friday calling for more cooperation with
moderate Muslim countries. Remarking that moderate Muslim countries
including Turkey had taken many risks in order to protect their relations
with the Western world, Wolfowitz stated that the US must support these
countries. He stressed that since the huge gap between the Western world
and some Islamic countries might lead to serious problems and crises, the
US had to improve its relations with moderate Muslim countries. This March,
Wolfowitz, also stated, “It is the great fortune of the United States to
have in Turkey a friend and ally that has stood with us through war and
peace.” /Cumhuriyet/
[07] SHARON SUPPORTS TURKEY TO HOST OF MIDEAST PEACE CONFERENCE
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday stated that he supported the
idea of Turkey hosting a Middle East peace conference which would bring
together all the involved parties to end the current conflict in the
region. “I appreciate the US’ attempts to encourage Turkey hosting a
meeting to help bring peace and stability to the Middle East,” said Sharon.
No decision on where and when the meeting will be held has been made yet.
This issue is expected to be discussed during Sharon’s meeting with US
President George W. Bush starting tomorrow. /Hurriyet/
[08] AERONAUTICAL ASSOCIATION TURNS 67
The Turkish Aeronautical Association yesterday celebrated the 67th
anniversary of its foundation with an elaborate ceremony in Etimesgut,
Ankara. Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu, State Minister Sukru Sina
Gurel and many high-level commanders attended the ceremony. An air stunt
show by the Turkkusu pilots’group entertained the crowd. Turkish
Aeronautical Association Chairman and Air Marshall Erdogan Karakus said
that Republic Founder Ataturk had established the association in order to
bring Turkish aviation into the modern world. /Turkiye/
[09] TASAR VOWS TO CUT TOURISM RED TAPE
Tourism Minister Mustafa Tasar vowed this weekend to cut out red tape and
simplify procedures in the tourism sector, adding that his ministry had
drafted a circular for this purpose. Tasar said that his goal was a
ministry that implements projects quickly and officially. /Turkiye/
[10] MERCEDES REAFFIRMS INVESTMENTS IN TURKEY
Mercedes Benz Turk Director Cetin Atsur stated over the weekend that
Mercedes had recently made a decision to continue its investments in Turkey,
remarking that the company was optimistic about the Turkish market. Atsur
stated that Mercedes was planning to export 85% of the cars it produces in
Turkey. /Hurriyet/
[11] COMPULSORY RETIREMENT PLANNED TO CUT STATE OVERSTAFFING
State workers who have 30 or more years of service are slated for
compulsory retirement to reduce public sector overstaffing under a new
Treasury and Finance Ministry plan, sources said yesterday. The World Bank
recently told the Turkish government that the number of people it employs
is both excessive and unaffordable in the long run. The number of redundant
employees was put at 130,000. Echoing the WB, the International Monetary
Fund also warned Turkey that it should not employ more than 1.7 million
civil servants. /Hurriyet/
[12] TOBB CHAIR HISARCIKLIOGLU EASILY REELECTED
Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges Chairman Rifat
Hisarciklioglu this weekend easily won a second term at his post in
elections at the TOBB’S General Assembly in Ankara. Delegates voted
overwhelmingly, 113-8, for Hisarciklioglu’s slate for the TOBB Executive
Board. /Hurriyet/
[13] GOKALP: “GLOBAL CRISES BEGAN IN 1979”
Agriculture Minister Husnu Yusuf Gokalp told a baker’s group yesterday that
the economic crises that hit countries such as Japan, Brazil, Russia and
Turkey in recent years began after 1979 when international conglomerates
made a series of moves to manipulate the public agenda worldwide. Speaking
to Turkey’s Chamber of Bakers, Gokalp said that these moves began in the
United States and Great Britain and that “Reaganomics” in the ‘80s was a
symptom of this. He added that if during those years the basis of economic
production had been attended to, the crises would not have occurred.
/Aksam/
[14] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS
[15] IF WE MISS THE LAST TRAIN BY TUFAN TURENC (HURRIYET)
Columnist Tufan Turenc comments on Turkey’s path to EU membership. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“The next seven months will be the most important period for Turkey’s
history. The future of the Turkish nation will be determined at the end of
this critical period. Turkey will be either a European country, or the
battle that has been carried out for 40 years towards this goal will have
ended unsuccessfully. ‘Reaching the level of contemporary civilizations or
not’: this is the sharp line that will be drawn. At the end of December we
will either take a huge step on the path to become part of the civilized
world, or we will be left out of that world. At this point, we all must be
reasonable. Until the December EU meeting, we should work to meet these
conditions: abolishing the death penalty, removing the legal obstacles to
education on native tongues and ensuring progress towards a solution to the
Cyprus issue. We shouldn’t have ignored the Mesut Yilmaz and Ismail Cem’s
warnings. However, we failed in this regard as we were at loggerheads and
some people were incapable of grasping this historical moment. However, the
opportunity hadn’t been missed yet. We have a lot of time, that is, seven
months.
If Turkey comes to its senses and the conspiracy theories and groundless
fears in some people’s minds can be left behind, these conditions can be
met. Then do you know what would happen? The EU would be shaken by a strong
earthquake, those who are against Turkey’s EU membership would be shocked
and Turkey would have the necessary date for membership negotiations
announced. Then a much easier process would start because once the full
membership negotiations begin, there can be no turning back for either
side. Therefore the December meeting is of the utmost importance for
Turkey. What would happen if Turkey doesn’t meet these conditions? Then
relations between Turkey and the EU would lead to a serious ambiguity and
nobody would be able to know when the necessary date for membership
negotiations would be given. Thus, Turkey might seek new avenues and
alliances.
The latest decision made by the EU disturbed some of the naysayers in
Turkey because one of the excuses they can never stop talking about was
snatched away. Those who are against the EU were saying, ‘Why don’t they
include the PKK and DHKP-C in their list of terrorist organizations?
Clearly, they have bad intentions.’ In some respect these reactions became
useful because they awakened the EU from its inattentive slumber towards
Turkey. However, at this point the work done by Mesut Yilmaz and Ismail Cem
on behalf of Turkey has been very useful. In conclusion, everybody
understands the importance of Turkey for the EU. Anyway, the matter was
settled amicably. I hope we can meet the necessary conditions and get a
date for starting full membership negotiations.”
[16] CYPRUS AND THE EU? OR… BY EROL MANISALI (CUMHURIYET)
Columnist Erol Manisali comments on Turkey’s relations with the EU. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“In November 1995, the EU Commission presented a report on Turkey to the
European Parliament because the March ‘95 document was due to be voted on.
The report read, ‘Approve the Customs Union, or it will be very hard for us
to solve the Cyprus issue.’ By ‘solve,’ they meant accepting the Greek
Cypriot administration as representing the whole island and having Ankara
accept this ‘solution.’ In a speech last April, retired Foreign Ministry
Deputy Undersecretary Inal Batu said, ‘In 1999, the EU made Turkey a
candidate country in order to easily win the concessions it wanted.’ Thus,
he explained one of the reasons why the EU accepted Turkey as a candidate
country merely for show. In November 1994 at the end of the Essen Summit,
it was decided that Slovenia would become an EU member. At that time, the
Slovenian government was an unelected one and this country was in a worse
situation than Turkey in every area, including socially and economically.
However, the EU said that Slovenia would be part of its future ‘United
States of Europe’ because the EU’s decision represented a ‘political
preference.’ Meanwhile, Turkey would become dependent on the EU; it would
be kept outside the EU and ‘in reserve.’ For this purpose a one-sided
Customs Union agreement was arranged, and the for-show-only candidacy was
arranged by certain Turkish officials who traveled to the European capitals
in 1999. Then the for-show-only candidacy with conditions concerning Cyprus
and the Aegean which Ecevit uneasily signed onto appeared. In December 2000,
certain people used various tricks to the Cyprus and Aegean conditions in
our EU Accession Partnership Document. Who were they? Which politicians
they were? As with the Karen Fogg e-mail scandal, the facts about these
events will eventually be uncovered and nothing will be secret anymore. The
disagreement on the Cyprus issue might not be a problem in Turkish-EU
relations, but a ‘reason for including Turkey in the EU.’ The EU might have
said that by including Turkey, we can solve the Cyprus and Aegean problems;
but it doesn’t and can’t say so because it will not make Turkey an EU
member, this is the main problem. However, the important thing here is ‘the
silent blow from the centers of power who want Turkey linked to the EU in a
one-sided way.’ As they are afraid that this silent blow might not connect,
they are worried about the Cyprus issue. They began to paint a rosy picture
of EU issue so the storm that will break out at the end of the year can be
welcomed. The main problem between Turkey and the EU is that the EU will
never make Turkey an EU member. If the EU is to accept Turkey as a member,
there would have not been the Cyprus and Aegean problems, the Armenian and
southeastern issues would have been discussed and there would not be deep
worries about the nature of the Turkish Armed Force (TSK) and the European
Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). No matter what Turkey does, it will not
be able to become an EU member because the reasons for it being rejected do
not depend on Ýzmir, Cyprus or Diyarbakir, as Mesut Yilmaz says. Those who
wants to paint it this way must have ulterior motives.”
ARCHIVE
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