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Turkish Press Review, 02-07-15
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
15.07.2002
WASHINGTON HAS ITS EYES ON ANKARA
BY YASEMIN CONGAR (MILLIYET)
CONTENTS
[01] GUREL: "THE DSP HAS BEEN SABOTAGED"
[02] CEM: "OUR FUNCTION IS NOT TO ACCUSE OR OVERTHROW THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT"
[03] ERDOGAN CRITICIZES CEM'S NEW FORMATION
[04] US DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY WOLFOWITZ VISITS TURKEY
[05] IRAQI OPPOSITION LEADERS DISCUSS TURKEY'S ROLE IN OPERATION AGAINST SADDAM
[06] SLOVAKIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER KADLECHIVOKA TO VISIT TURKEY
[07] CILLER: "PARLIAMENT SHOULD CONVENE ON JULY 22 TO SET A DATE FOR EARLY ELECTIONS"
[08] CAKMAKOGLU: "ONE DOESN'T NEED PERMISSION TO RESIGN"
[09] TOBB DELEGATION TRAVELS TO SPAIN
[10] SPAIN TO PROVIDE TURKEY WITH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
[11] TURKISH EXPORTS TO BRITAIN RISE
[12] NUMBER OF TURKISH WORKERS GOING ABROAD RISES
[13] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[14] DECISION TIME FOR ECEVIT BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)
[15] NEVER WITHOUT THE TURKMENS BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
[16] WASHINGTON HAS ITS EYES ON ANKARA
BY YASEMIN CONGAR (MILLIYET)
[01] GUREL: "THE DSP HAS BEEN SABOTAGED"
Recently appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sukru Sina
Gurel yesterday attended the first Bor Culture and Arts Festival in
Kutahya. Speaking to reporters, Gurel claimed that his Democratic Left
Party (DSP) had been sabotaged by certain circles which have been
frustrated in their attempts to take direct control of Turkey's politics
and government. He predicted that 46 deputies who resigned from the DSP
last week would soon return to the fold of the party, as they had no real
differences with the party's principles. Regarding criticisms of the DSP by
his predecessor Ismail Cem, who left the party last week and announced he
was assembling a new political formation, Gurel said that it was not
ethical to criticize the party after abandoning it "without any apparent
reason." Stating that he had never stood in the way of Turkey's European
Union membership, Gurel said that Turkey deserved that membership. "However,
" he added, "Turkey should never make concessions from its national
interests just to advance along this road." /All Papers/
[02] CEM: "OUR FUNCTION IS NOT TO ACCUSE OR OVERTHROW THE CURRENT
GOVERNMENT"
Appearing on CNN Turk yesterday, Former Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said
that the function of the new political formation that he announced last
week was not to accuse or overthrow the current government. Cem also said
that he found the rhetoric of the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) about
State Minister Kemal Dervis very unsuitable, adding that Dervis would meet
later this week with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Cem stated that his new
formation needed three months to get ready for elections. "November looks
to be the date for elections, September seems to be difficult," Cem added.
Cem yesterday met with former Culture Minister Istemihan Talay in order to
discuss the new formation. /Sabah/
[03] ERDOGAN CRITICIZES CEM'S NEW FORMATION
Speaking at a meeting of his party, Justice and Development Party (AKP)
leader Tayyip Erdogan criticized the new political formation taking shape
under former Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, calling it is an "imaginary
group" lacking any program or politics. Erdogan also said that the current
coalition government had come to the end of its life and that recent
political developments had become a national problem rather than just the
internal problems of a single party. /Aksam/
[04] US DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY WOLFOWITZ VISITS TURKEY
US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said yesterday that neither the
United States nor Turkey would welcome the formation of a Kurdish state in
northern Iraq. Arriving in Istanbul yesterday, accompanied by Gen. Joseph
Ralston, commander of the US European Command, and US State Department
Undersecretary and former US Ambassador to Turkey Mark Grossman, Wolfowitz
was reportedly set to ask for Turkey's views about a possible US military
attack on Iraq. In public addresses and speeches, Wolfowitz has frequently
singled out Turkey's secular government for praise. An official statement
on his visit said that Turkish-US relations, particularly those on defense
and security, would be reviewed and regional and international issues would
be discussed. In a conference in Istanbul, pointing to Turkey's current
political and economic issues, Wolfowitz said that Turkey should continue
its modernization process. Emphasizing the US administration's support for
Turkey's European Union membership bid, he stated that economic progress
would continue if political stability were ensured. Regarding the Iraq
issue, Wolfowitz said that the US was looking for a new administration in
Iraq. "If ethnic and religious leaders come together, territorial integrity
in Iraq would be ensured," he said. "We know that Turkey is not in favor of
the establishment a Kurdish state in northern Iraq. The US administration
also would not support such a development." Meanwhile, Wolfowitz met with
State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis yesterday at a dinner. He is
expected to proceed to Afghanistan today and then return to Turkey to
continue his meetings with Turkish officials. /Turkiye/
[05] IRAQI OPPOSITION LEADERS DISCUSS TURKEY'S ROLE IN OPERATION AGAINST
SADDAM
A group of Iraqi opposition leaders met in London over the weekend to
discuss ways to overthrow Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and how to run the
country in the post-Saddam period. Calling on the United States to help
them in toppling Saddam without causing harm to the Iraqi civilians, the
opposition leaders stressed that Turkey would have to assume an important
role in such a military operation aimed at bringing peace and stability to
the country. The meeting was endorsed by the Iraqi National Congress, the
main opposition umbrella group. Around 90 former Iraqi officers along with
representatives from Kurdish, Arabian and Assyrian groups attended the
gathering. A military council was elected to work towards overthrowing
Saddam and establishing civilian rule. Maj. Gen. Tawfiq al-Yassiri, the
group's spokesman, said the council would ensure that a democratic
government would take control when the current regime was ousted. Maj. Gen.
Najib al-Salhi emphasized that if the US launched a military operation
which could destroy the infrastructure of the country or bring harm to the
Iraqi civilians, neither the Iraqi people nor the international community
would give their support. The Iraqi leaders also underlined that an
operation without Turkey's support would be extremely expensive and carry
the risk of excessive casualties. Subsequently, the leaders agreed on three
main points: an independent Kurdish state could not be established in
northern Iraq, the operation could not be launched without Turkey's support,
and the operation should be designed so as not to hurt Turkey's economy.
/Cumhuriyet/
[06] SLOVAKIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER KADLECHIVOKA TO VISIT TURKEY
Maria Kadlechivoka, Slovakian deputy prime minister for European Union
affairs, is to arrive in Turkey to pay an official visit as the official
guest of Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. Turkish-EU relations
as well as the EU's enlargement process and current situations of the
candidate countries are expected to be taken up during the gathering.
/Cumhuriyet/
[07] CILLER: "PARLIAMENT SHOULD CONVENE ON JULY 22 TO SET A DATE FOR EARLY
ELECTIONS"
Main opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller yesterday issued
a written statement saying that her party had submitted a motion to convene
Parliament at the beginning of next week, on July 22, to set a date for
early elections before December. "Parliament needs to decide on a date to
discuss both the elections law and early elections," she said. Ciller also
added, "If the Motherland Party [ANAP] is honest about the European Union
issue, they should support our motion, otherwise it will be clear that they
are using the EU issue as a political tool." /Milliyet/
[08] CAKMAKOGLU: "ONE DOESN'T NEED PERMISSION TO RESIGN"
Speaking to reporters in Kayseri yesterday, Defense Minister Sabahattin
Cakmakoglu offered his views of recent developments in Turkish politics.
When asked about Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's comment that his coalition
partner the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) opposed his stepping down as a
prime minister, Cakmakoglu, a member of the MHP, remarked, "One doesn't
need permission to step down from the government." Commenting on Ecevit's
meeting with former Interior Minister Saadettin Tantan last Friday,
Cakmakoglu said that Ecevit might have needed to briefed on certain issues
by the former minister. He also suggested that State Economy Minister Kemal
Dervis should resign. /Turkiye/
[09] TOBB DELEGATION TRAVELS TO SPAIN
A delegation from the Turkish Union of Chambers (TOBB) went to Spain
yesterday to attend a Spanish-Turkish Business Council meeting. The Turkish
delegation, made up of 250 businessmen, will discuss issues such as
cooperation with Spain and Spain's support for Turkey's European Union
membership bid. Delegation head TOBB Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu will
attend the meeting today, and the talks are due to end on Wednesday. /Star/
[10] SPAIN TO PROVIDE TURKEY WITH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Spain is to provide Turkey with technical assistance in order to help the
Turkish government improve its relations with the European Union. A
memorandum of accord is to be signed today in Ankara between the two
countries, a document which is aimed at improving the countries' bilateral
cooperation on EU matters. /Cumhuriyet/
[11] TURKISH EXPORTS TO BRITAIN RISE
The Turkish Exporters' Union announced yesterday that in the first six
months of this year Turkey's exports to Great Britain had increased by
$2.61 million to reach a total of $1.3 billion. In the same period, exports
to Russia rose by $97 million to reach $428 million and exports to the
United States, Turkey's third-largest trading partner, saw the largest
boost, some $85 million. /Star/
[12] NUMBER OF TURKISH WORKERS GOING ABROAD RISES
The State's National Employment Organization (Is-Kur) stated yesterday that
in January-May of this year, a total of 12,354 Turkish workers were sent to
a host of different countries, a rise of some 4,000 compared to last year.
Is-Kur added that Turkey had sent the most laborers to Saudi Arabia,
Russian Federation and Germany, whereas it sent the least to Austria,
Switzerland, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg and Ireland. During that period, 5,
000 workers were sent to Saudi Arabia, 3,000 workers to the Russian
Federation, 1,467 to Germany, one apiece to Luxembourg, Ireland and Austria,
and two workmen to Denmark. A total of 8,000 workers were sent to various
countries last January-May, said Is-Kur. /Milliyet/
[13] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
[14] DECISION TIME FOR ECEVIT BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)
Columnist Derya Sazak writes about his interview with Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit and Ecevit's views on the future of the government. A summary of his
column is as follows:
"The number 13 is going to be very important for Ecevit this week because
if there are 13 more resignations from the DSP then Ecevit will have to
resign from his post as prime minister. During my interview with the prime
minister, he described the situation with Dervis as 'unprecedented.' Dervis
is the only minister in the Cabinet who is not a member of Parliament, yet
his resignation was still not accepted. The efforts of President Sezer kept
him in government. The Nationalist Action Party (MHP) does not want Dervis
to remain in government. But what's going to happen if they come right out
and ask Ecevit to dismiss Dervis? In response to this question, Ecevit says
he could resign. He says that he will try and explain to MHP leader Devlet
Bahceli what might happen and how Turkey would be negatively affected if
the implementation of the IMF- and World Bank-backed program were halted
due to a Dervis crisis. He then adds that if he is not successful in
convincing Bahceli, he might resign. If the Dervis crisis is solved, then
he believes that the coalition partners can reach an agreement to hold
elections next April 2003 instead of this November. That way, it will be
possible to work with the opposition parties to pass the necessary EU
adaptation laws. Ecevit looks much better now than he did in the last few
weeks. As an ex-journalist, it seems that he was hurt by the campaign
launched by some of his former colleagues for him to retire. So we ask him
why he is so insistent on not stepping down. He tells us that he wants to
be the leader to take the DSP to elections and that, that is how he wants
to end the Ecevit era."
[15] NEVER WITHOUT THE TURKMENS BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
Columnist Freai Tinc writes on the Iraqi problem and the role of that
country's Turkmens. A summary of her column is as follows:
"News about Iraq reminds me of my visit three months ago to the cities of
Baghdad and Kerkuk,. I remember Iraqis who cannot live any other way but by
molding their own ideas into forms Saddam has shaped and keeping their own
feelings to themselves. There are those who don't have anything besides the
salary the state is giving them. Today decisions are being made regarding
their future and plans are being made for a possible occupation. They are
cut off from the whole world without any television to watch or radio to
listen to. They are waiting the approaching disaster. Religion is the only
refuge for them. At the end of the week, the opposition to Saddam has
decided on a 'Democratic Iraq.' They would prefer Saddam to be overthrown
without resorting to any operation from land or air. Recently, the
opposition movements centered around former officers have grown. Can they
topple Saddam? It is not possible to incite the Iraqi people to rebel
through instructions from abroad. News reaching us says that 33 people were
executed by shooting. They were shot while trying to escape a raid on a
mosque. When rumors about a coup began to circulate, Saddam's intelligence
units and security forces began a 'cleansing' movement in the Gulf area
inhabited by Shiite Arabs. Washington Representative of the Iraqi Turkmen
Front Orhan Ketene was in Turkey for a brief visit. He says that there has
been a rapid growth of opposition movements outside Iraq. But the situation
inside Iraq is rather different. It is unnatural to expect an uprising from
a people living in a country where five different intelligence agencies
affiliated with Saddam and under the supervision of one another operate,
and where two different armed forces such as the army and the Revolutionary
Guard are present. Ketene is claiming that a revolution within Iraq is very
difficult. According to US plans, opposition is necessary for the post-
Saddam era. The strongest of these movements is among the Kurds as they are
armed. Kurds form the opposition group Washington depends on the most.
Regarding Washington's approach towards the Iraqi Turkmens, Ketene said,
'For a very long time they didn't take us into consideration. They were
claiming that our number was too few and that we didn't have the necessary
weapons. We were not invited to meetings Kurds participated in. However,
recently there has been a change as we are making ourselves known and
voicing our demands. They have begun to invite us to meetings and began to
listen to us.' Taking the Iraqui Turkmens into consideration, first brought
forth by the Ankara process and then later forgotten, demonstrates the
significance of the role to be given to Turkey. However, it also shows that
there won't be a true democracy in Iraq without speaking of the Turkmens."
[16] WASHINGTON HAS ITS EYES ON ANKARA
BY YASEMIN CONGAR (MILLIYET)
Columnist Yasemin Congar writes on the Bush administration's perspective on
recent political developments taking place in Turkey. A summary of her
column is as follows.
"Turkey is at a crossroads. The way out of the political confusion and
uncertainty hinges on the path it chooses to pursue. This is how Washington
views the current situation in Turkey. Accordingly the heart of Turkey's
political deadlock is the heated debate turning around the question of
integration with the European Union. The conflict between EU supporters and
those who oppose it is the reason for the dramatic political crisis in
Turkey. In fact the current picture is not terribly promising. US diplomats
and political analysts are of the opinion that the existing government
cannot last much longer. Early elections are inevitable. The Bush
administration is putting the emphasis on the viability of Turkey's EU
membership bid. Lynn Cassell, a US State Department spokeswoman, says that
Turkey's full membership in the EU is as crucial to the strategic interests
of the US as it is to Turkey's. What lies beneath the US's anxiety about
the crisis in Turkey is its possible military attack on Iraq to bring
Saddam Hussein down. What Washington wants is a stable government in Ankara,
because Turkey's active support for such an attack is a must for a military
victory against Saddam. Another major point of US concern is Turkey's
economic situation. Washington thinks that Turkey should stick with the
ongoing economic program and resist deviating from it due to the present
political chaos. Lastly, the US administration is sensitive about early
elections and the new political formation headed by former Foreign Minister
Ismail Cem, in which Kemal Dervis will also take part as a leading figure.
It is known that Washington gave a positive response to this new party
formation. All in all, Washington contends that Turkey will overcome the
political turmoil it is now suffering from, but only if it can fulfill the
EU's Copenhagen criteria and take a major step forward towards EU
membership."
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