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Turkish Press Review, 02-06-03
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
03.06.2002
CONTENTS
[01] TURKEY AND MONGOLIA SIGN TRANSPORTATION
AGREEMENT
[02] ECEVIT MEETS WITH DSP MEMBERS
[03] YILMAZ BRIEFS PARLIAMENTARIANS ON DEATH PENALTY
IN THE EU
[04] BAHCELI RETURNS FROM CHINESE VISIT
[05] NATIONALIST PARTIES HOLD CONGRESSES
[06] KUTAN: “TURKEY IS SUFFERING FROM A POWER VACUUM”
[07] NEW IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO ANKARA CALLS FOR
IMPROVED RELATIONS
[08] GREEK POLICE INVITE TURKISH COUNTERPARTS FOR
CONFERENCE
[09] TOBB: “THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST NEED AN ECONOMIC
PLAN”
[10] ENVIRONMENTALISTS PROTEST HAZARDOUS STRAITS
TRAFFIC
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE
COLUMNS
[12] NATO AMBASSADORS PUTIN AND SEZER BY FERAI TINC
(HURRIYET)
[13] CRITICAL WEEK FOR THE EU BY GUNGOR MENGI
(SABAH)
[01] TURKEY AND MONGOLIA SIGN TRANSPORTATION
AGREEMENT
During his official visit to Mongolia yesterday, Prime
Minister Ahmet Necdet Sezer had a one-on-one meeting with his
Mongolian counterpart Natsagiin Bagabandi. Following separate
meetings between Sezer’s delegation and Mongolian officials,
Turkish State Minister Resat Dogu and Ayurzayn Tsanjid,
Mongolia’s education, culture and science minister and Turkish-Mongolian
Joint Economic Commission (KEK) chairman, signed a land
transportation agreement on behalf of their countries. Then the
two presidents held a joint press conference. President Sezer
told reporters that he and Bagabandi had agreed that commercial
and economic relations between the two countries needed
improvement. “Unfortunately, the geographical distance between
Turkey and Mongolia has hindered our enjoying relations at the
level that that the opportunity actually exists for,” Sezer said.
“And that is our major reason for putting together this
agreement on land transportation.” Sezer also expressed his
gratitude for Bagabandi’s support to a project to protect and
restore ancient Turkic monuments in Mongolia. Bagabandi, for his
part, said that he was very much satisfied with their bilateral
cooperation on security matters, and added that both sides were
willing to further improve relations in those areas where ties
were relatively underdeveloped, such as transportation and the
economy. After completing his contacts in this country, Sezer is
scheduled to proceed to Kazakhstan this afternoon. /All Papers/
[02] ECEVIT MEETS WITH DSP MEMBERS
Prime Minister and Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent
Ecevit, who declared on Saturday that he was fine and in charge,
yesterday received at his office in Oran DSP parliamentary group
acting Chairman Emrehan Halici and Treasurer Mecit Sekercioglu.
A team of eight doctors headed by Professor Turgut Zileli from
Baskent University Hospital also conducted a daily medical
checkup with Ecevit. Meanwhile, a group of workers from the Meat
and Fish Association visited Ecevit’s wife and DSP deputy
chairwoman, Rahsan Ecevit, in order to send their best wishes to
the prime minister as well as submit a file to be delivered to
him. The file included a briefing on the problems of workers in
the sector. /Turkiye/
[03] YILMAZ BRIEFS PARLIAMENTARIANS ON DEATH PENALTY
IN THE EU
Responding to a censure motion submitted by Justice and
Development Party (AKP) Deputy Ramazan Toprak over the weekend,
Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) Chairman Mesut
Yilmaz briefed parliamentarians on the current situation
concerning the death penalty in European Union member countries.
Stating that no EU country had retained the death penalty,
Yilmaz said that under the sixth protocol of the European
Convention of Human Rights, the EU countries had abolished
capital punishment except in cases of war or the risk of
imminent war. “In addition, the 13th protocol, which will be
opened for signing at the EU Council’s Balkans summit slated for
Vilnius next year,” said Yilmaz, “proposes abolishing the death
penalty in all circumstances including during times of war or
imminent war.” /Cumhuriyet/
[04] BAHCELI RETURNS FROM CHINESE VISIT
Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP)
leader Devlet Bahceli yesterday returned to Turkey from China,
where for the last week he has been on an official visit.
Speaking to reporters, Bahceli said that Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit was doing his job and that no “power vacuum” existed. “It
is wrong to call on him to resign as long as he continues to
carry out his duty of coordinating the government,” Bahceli
added. Bahceli also said that it was Ecevit’s decision whether
to resign or not, and that trying to pressure him from outside
was improper. Speaking on the issue of carrying out the death
sentence on terrorist PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, Bahceli stated
that the government coalition partners had decided that once a
decision on Ocalan’s appeal to the European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR) comes through, then Parliament should proceed to a
vote on the matter. /Hurriyet/
[05] NATIONALIST PARTIES HOLD CONGRESSES
Two nationalist-oriented political parties, the Great Union
Party (BBP) and the Enlightened Turkey Party (ATP), separately
held their congresses yesterday in Ankara. In his opening speech
at the BBP Congress, party leader Muhsin Yazicioglu criticized
the current government and called on it to hold elections as
soon as possible. Yazicioglu was also re-elected to his post at
the meeting. In his keynote address to the ATP Congress, party
leader Tugrul Turkes called the ATP a party whose roots lie in
the past but which was still squarely facing the future. /Star /
[06] KUTAN: “TURKEY IS SUFFERING FROM A POWER VACUUM”
Speaking at a Felicity Party (SP) provincial chairmen’s
meeting yesterday in Ankara, SP leader Recai Kutan laid out his
views of the performance of the 57th government over the last
three years. Criticizing the coalition’s performance, Kutan said
that a “power vacuum” exists due to Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit’s health problems and that early elections were the only
way to address the problem. /Turkiye/
[07] NEW IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO ANKARA CALLS FOR
IMPROVED RELATIONS
Speaking to Iranian official news agency IRNA over the
weekend, Iran’s new Ambassador to Ankara Firuz Devletabadi
called for the improvement of cultural, economic and commercial
relations between Turkey and Iran. Devletabadi also expressed
his satisfaction with the recent rapprochement between the two
countries and requested that officials of the two countries
endeavor to take further positive steps. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] GREEK POLICE INVITE TURKISH COUNTERPARTS FOR
CONFERENCE
Greek police yesterday invited their Turkish counterparts to
visit Greece to attend the International Police Union (IPA)
meeting starting this Wednesday, a gathering which last year was
held in Istanbul. The Greek police also said that they would
like to entertain their Turkish counterparts in their country.
/Aksam/
[09] TOBB: “THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST NEED AN ECONOMIC
PLAN”
Speaking yesterday during the midst of a one-day swing tour
of Elazig, Tunceli and Bingol, cities in Turkey’s east, Turkish
Association of Industrialists and Businessmen (TOBB) Chairman
Rifat Hisarciklioglu said, “Perhaps an economic State of
Emergency [OHAL] should be declared for eastern and southeastern
Anatolia. We need to create employment here.” Last week’s
National Security Council (MGK) meeting announced that the
current OHAL, which was created to protect the region from
terrorism, would be phased out. Speaking along with the TOBB
Executive Board members, Hisarciklioglu said that the group had
divided Turkey into nine regions with corresponding
representative board positions. The TOBB wants to turn each
region into a region of development, he said. Weighing in on
current issues in the spotlight, Hisarciklioglu said that Prime
Minister Bulent Ecevit’s illness was not an obstacle to Turkey’s
European Union accession process. /Milliyet/
[10] ENVIRONMENTALISTS PROTEST HAZARDOUS STRAITS
TRAFFIC
Environmentalists yesterday staged a one-day protest in
Istanbul highlighting the dangers of ships carrying hazardous
materials through the Turkish Straits. Zafer Murat Cetintas,
leader of environmental group National Warriors, said that the
large number of vessels carrying such materials posed a grave
risk to humans, animals, and the environment. “If any of the
petroleum tankers in the Straits exploded for some reason,
Istanbul’s historical structure would be utterly destroyed,”
said Zafer. “The passage of tankers carrying hazardous materials,
especially liquid petroleum gas [LPG] should be banned. A
solution needs to be found on the international stage for ships
passing through the Straits. We call on responsible officials to
take measures to tackle this vital issue.” /Sabah/
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE
COLUMNS
[12] NATO AMBASSADORS PUTIN AND SEZER BY FERAI TINC
(HURRIYET)
Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on Turkey and Russia working as
partners in Asia. A summary of her column is as follows:
“Following the NATO summit in Rome, Prime Minister Berlusconi
told a press conference that they were sending Putin and Sezer
as their ambassadors to Central Asia. This statement heralded a
change in mentality. NATO, trying to turn into a global security
organization, charged Russia and Turkey with solving the
escalating crisis between India and Pakistan. The decision was
taken at a working dinner. NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson
began his speech by addressing the most important security risk
on the agenda. The tension between India and Pakistan which
carries the threat of a nuclear clash was discussed during the
banquet. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that he had
dispatched his foreign minister to the region. Putin, speaking
after him, said that he would try to bring the leaders of the
two countries to the Cooperation and Confidence Building
Measures Summit Conference in Asia to begin today. President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer, speaking at this stage, said that he would
also attend the meeting and meet with both leaders. He added
that Pakistani head of state Musharraf must be seen as an
encouraging example in the fight he is waging against terrorism,
and India should be called on act with moderation. Following
these talks, the leaders of NATO countries asked Sezer and Putin
to convey NATO’s view to the Asian Security Summit to begin in
Almaty. However, Sezer and Putin’s jobs won’t be that easy.
India is accusing Pakistan of sheltering militants belonging to
Al Qaida in Kashmir and declaring that it won’t enter into a
dialogue with Pakistan unless it stops supporting the terrorists.
The tension between the two neighboring countries, which have
fought thrice over Kashmir since getting their independence from
Britain in 1947, reached its peak with an attack on a military
camp in a region under Indian control on May 14. The tension
between the two countries which both have nuclear weapons
carries the danger of causing great destruction in the region.
Even though Pakistani head of state Musharraf says that no one
could act so irresponsibly as to use nuclear weapons, the West
is following the developments with concern. With a million
troops are deployed on the Indian-Pakistani border, the US, the
UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Korea
called their citizens back to return to their countries. Japan,
Belgium and France also followed suit. The day before yesterday,
the UN decided to evacuate its representatives working there.
The tension is escalating. The leaders of both countries state
that they do not believe the events will lead to a nuclear war,
but observers who are closely following the situation predict
that the situation may well get out of control. We must recall
the 1962 missile crisis. Neither the US, nor the Soviet Union
had thought that the circumstances would quickly bring them to
the brink of a nuclear war. Today, the danger of miscalculation
leading Asia to face a nuclear war cannot be dismissed. Asian
security is concerning NATO more now than ever before. Turkey
and Russia are opening up to Asia as partners.”
[13] CRITICAL WEEK FOR THE EU BY GUNGOR MENGI
(SABAH)
Columnist Gungor Mengi writes on Turkey’sEU membership bid. A
summary of his column is as follows:
“The US has presented itself as a prosperous free country to
people coming from various cultures worldwide on the condition
that they leave their reasons for conflict behind them. People
coming from diverse races and cultures healed their wounds in
this pluralist climate and, uniting their fate with their free
will became a nation. The experience of the US has demonstrated
that the best guarantee for preserving freedoms and diversities
is not division but integration. It also showed that when their
diversity and free expression are respected, different cultures
can be the basis for loyalty and integrity. Turkey is not a
country built upon a race. Different cultures which lived on
this land for centuries have created a strong nation. The only
exception to this is the Kurdish problem, which grew with the
exploitation of the feudal structure in southeastern Anatolia by
foreign powers and resulted in feeding the separatist
nationalist current due to oppressive measures for security
reasons. With the capture of Ocalan and the defeat of terrorism,
the threat before Kurdish citizens using their free will for
national unity has been eradicated. The abolition of State of
Emergency Rule (OHAL) demonstrates the confidence the state has
in itself and its citizens. With the guarantees Turkey will gain
by becoming an EU member, our nation will turn this problem into
nothing but a bitter memory. Capital punishment, which has not
been implemented for 15 years, should be turned into life
imprisonment with no parole. The abolition of a ban on TV and
radio broadcasts in languages other than Turkish and permission
for learning languages to put cultural rights under guarantee
are some of the steps which should be taken to pave the way for
EU membership. In Turkey, entering the EU is regarded as if we
were beating the EU. This is a completely incorrect approach.
What we will achieve is a free, peaceful and prosperous future.
With the military overcoming its qualms, Turkey has caught a
golden opportunity. The June 7 summit called by the president
may be a new beginning for our future. These steps won’t be a
concession to Europe, but rather important investments for our
own future.”
ARCHIVE
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