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Turkish Press Review, 00-09-27
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
27.09.00
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] EU HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION DELEGATION VISITS IZMIR GOVERNOR
YUKSEL AND EPHESUS
[02] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[03] PRESIDENT SEZER VETOES THE GOVERNMENT DECREE
[04] TURKS MASSACRED BY ARMENIANS
[05] CAKMAKOGLU'S STATEMENT ON THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
[06] FOURTH TOUR OF CYPRUS PROXIMITY TALKS ENDS
[07] EU HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION DELEGATION VISITS IZMIR GOVERNOR
YUKSEL AND EPHESUS
[08] A NEW PERIOD WITH SYRIA
[09] MILITARY AGREEMENT BETWEEN TURKEY AND MALI
[10] BAYKAL ANNOUNCES HIS CANDIDACY
[11] KUTAN DISAPPOINTED IN BRUSSELS
[12] MINISTER OF HEALTH DURMUS IN CROATIA
[13] STATE MINISTER CAY IN KAZAKHSTAN
[14] KIVRIKOGLU TO LAY THE FOUNDATION OF NEW NAVAL COMMAND
[15] TUSEV'S LETTER CONCERNING FEHRIYE ERDAL'S EXTRADITION
[16] RE-ENACTMENT FOR KISLALI KILLING
[17] KING MIDAS OPERATION
[18] COMPULSORY EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE
[19] TANRIKULU'S STATEMENT ON DOMESTIC PRODUCTS
[20] CENTER OF SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN COOPERATION INITIATIVE OPENS
[21] ANNOUNCEMENT FOR TURKISH AIRLINES BIDDING IS IN NOVEMBER
[22] WORLD BANK CREDITS INCREASE
[23] ENERGY SAVING PROGRAMME
[24] RECEP ONAL: "TURKEY WILL ATTRACT INVESTMENTS"
[25] DARDANEL COMPANY TO BREED FISH WITH JAPAN
[26] LANGUAGE FESTIVAL
[27] AWARD TO TURKISH JOURNALIST FROM GREEK PRESS
[28] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[29] KOCHARIAN IN MOSCOW BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)
[01] EU HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION DELEGATION VISITS IZMIR GOVERNOR
YUKSEL AND EPHESUS
[02] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[03] PRESIDENT SEZER VETOES THE GOVERNMENT DECREE
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer vetoed the government decree
concerning the privatization of three state banks. The decree
with the power of law (KHK), concerning tax exemptions for
transactions related to the state banks' restructuring and stock
sales, was sent to Mr. Sezer last Wednesday and it was a
precondition for World Bank financial sector adjustment loans
(FSAL). It was reported that the President vetoed the KHK since
issues concerning the `tax' can not be regulated through decrees
with the power of law according to the Article 91 of the
Constitution. In addition the President stated that bank
shareholders are not authorized to issue regulations according to
Article 124 of the Constitution. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit
said, "We will take up the issue at the next meeting of the
Council of Ministers." Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Mesut
Yilmaz stated that the KHK was a regulation which the government
attached great importance and said, "Privatization of three state
banks , which was also included in the letter of intention that
we had given to IMF, is an important part of our economic
program. We will discuss the issue in the following days."
/Cumhuriyet/
[04] TURKS MASSACRED BY ARMENIANS
It has been stated that in the archives of the Ottoman and
General Staff Military and Historical Strategic Studies Archives
(ATASE) there are ample evidence which show that the attacks of
Armenian Dr.Hamparsun Boyaciyan and the militia at his command
killed 500.000 Turks in 1916-1917. Historian Cezmi Yurtsever
regarded the approval of the so-called Armenian genocide bill by
the US House of Representatives' International Operations and
Human Rights Committee as a 'distortion of history'. Yurtsever
said, "In fact, Turkish people are the ones who were assassinated
and this truth has been put forward by many historians. Armenians
assassinated Turks not only in Eastern Anatolia, but throughout
the whole of Anatolia." /Aksam/
[05] CAKMAKOGLU'S STATEMENT ON THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
Minister of National Defense Sabahattin Cakmakoglu stated that
the allegations for the so-called Armenian genocide were totally
groundless. Pointing out that there were no historical document
or evidence to confirm the genocide allegations, Mr. Cakmakoglu
said, "If the decision to accept the so-called Armenian genocide
bill in the US House of Representatives is taken, then Turkey
will clarify its policy over the issue. We will give the
necessary response to such kind of attempts." Meanwhile, retired
ambassador Omer Engin Lutem stated that since the US
Administration was against the approval of the bill and tried to
do its utmost to prevent it from being passed, Turkey should not
put pressure on the US Congress, as it would lead to a
misunderstanding. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] FOURTH TOUR OF CYPRUS PROXIMITY TALKS ENDS
The fourth tour of Cyprus proximity talks ended in New York
yesterday. President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC) Rauf Denktas will leave New York today. The fifth tour of
Cyprus proximity talks will be held in Geneva probably in the
second week of November but face-to-face meetings are not on the
agenda again. Denktas evaluated the fourth round of Cyprus talks
in New York and said, "The attitute of the TRNC is being
understood better. These talks contributed to a better
understanding of the situation of the TRNC by the United Nations
(UN) Secretariat and other diplomatic sources. Thus, these two
weeks were not spent in vain." Denktas also assessed the
proposals that were presented to them during these meetings and
said, "They are more complicated than the 1960 Constitution. We
want a confederation with two States. The Greek-Cypriot side
wants to place an international force on the island. We are not
going to give up Turkey's guarantee." /Aksam/
[07] EU HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION DELEGATION VISITS IZMIR GOVERNOR
YUKSEL AND EPHESUS
European Union Human Rights Commission delegation visited Izmir
Governor Alaaddin Yuksel. The General Directorate of Foreign
Affairs of Public Security, office manager Cavit Aydin, said that
there were 13 representatives in the delegation from Germany,
England, France, Switzerland, Finland, Greece and Portugal. The
delegation, which came to Izmir in order to develop relations
between Turkey and the EU, also visited Ephesus and will visit
Ankara, Istanbul, Van and Adana. /Turkish Daily News/
[08] A NEW PERIOD WITH SYRIA
Syrian Minister of the Interior Mohammad Harba and the
accompanying delegation, who arrived in Turkey yesterday as the
official guest of the Turkish Minister of the Interior Sadettin
Tantan, held contacts on issues regarding security that concern
both countries. The Syrian Minister was welcomed by Tantan at
Esenboga Airport, where Tantan said, "We will review the issues
that concern both countries' Ministries of the Interior and the
cooperation in security as a whole. I hope our struggle against
narcotics trafficking, organized crime, terrorism, man smuggling
and other issues will contribute to developing the relations
between the two countries." Then Harba and the accompanying
delegation met at the office of Tantan. After this meeting, the
two Ministers were received by State Minister and Deputy Prime
Minister Devlet Bahceli. The meeting was closed to the press.
/Aksam/
[09] MILITARY AGREEMENT BETWEEN TURKEY AND MALI
An agreement on military training, technical and scientific
cooperation was signed between Mali and Turkey. Chief of the
General Staff, General Huseyin Kivrikoglu, delivered a speech at
the signing ceremony and said that this agreement, which aimed at
developing relations between Mali and Turkey, would form a basis
for future agreements. General Kivrikoglu added, "It is very
pleasing to sign this agreement. I believe that this agreement
will contribute to the improvement of the relations between the
people of the two countries and the manintenance of peace in the
world." Meanwhile, Chief of Mali's Armed Forces and former
Minister of Warriors Doubeye Maiga said, "Although our countries
may be far from each other geographically but they are close in
terms of the common values." /Turkiye/
[10] BAYKAL ANNOUNCES HIS CANDIDACY
Former Chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP) Deniz
Baykal announced yesterday his candidacy for the CHP
Chairmanship. At a press conference organized in Istanbul, Baykal
recalled that he had resigned from the leadership in the wake of
the defeat of the CHP in the election on April 18, 1999. He said:
"I have been far from politics for one and a half year. However,
citizens and party members have called on me to be a candidate
and to lead the CHP again." Mr. Baykal also emphasized that he
had learned his lesson from the past and he will struggle with a
new understanding. /Turkiye/
[11] KUTAN DISAPPOINTED IN BRUSSELS
Chairman of Virtue Party (FP) Recai Kutan, who is currently in
Brussels to discuss the Article 312 of the Constitution with the
European officials, was disappointed since he did not receive the
reactions that he expected. After meeting with the member of
European Parliament Johannes Swoboda, Mr. Kutan stated that the
Article 312 of the Turkish Constitution should be amended as a
pre-condition for Turkey's full EU membership. In response, Mr.
Swoboda said that since their priority for Turkey is the
Copenhagen criteria, they were not interested in the issues
concerning particular figures and details and said, "We want to
Turkey to enter the EU as it is a secular country. We view
fundamentalist actions as gravely dangerous." /Sabah/
[12] MINISTER OF HEALTH DURMUS IN CROATIA
Minister of Health Osman Durmus traveled to Croatia as an
official guest of the Croatian Health Ministry in order to sign a
health agreement between the two countries. /Turkish Daily News/
[13] STATE MINISTER CAY IN KAZAKHSTAN
State Minister Abdulhaluk Cay traveled to Almati in Kazakhstan to
attend to the International El Farabi Congress, organized by the
Kazakhstan Philosophy Institute and sponsored by the Turkish
Cooperation abd Development Agency. /Turkish Daily News/
[14] KIVRIKOGLU TO LAY THE FOUNDATION OF NEW NAVAL COMMAND
The foundation of the Naval Command Headquarters in Yenikale,
Izmir will be laid by Chief of the General Staff, General Huseyin
Kivrikoglu today. In a statement issued by the General Staff's
Secretary General of the Naval Forces, it was stated that within
the framework of the change in the location of the Command after
the earthquake, it was planned that the new Naval Command would
be located in Yenikale, Izmir. /Turkiye/
[15] TUSEV'S LETTER CONCERNING FEHRIYE ERDAL'S EXTRADITION
The Turkish Third Sector Foundation (TUSEV) sent a letter to
Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt stating that the Belgian
government's stance concerning the extradition of Fehriye Erdal
to Turkey caused uneasiness among the non-governmental
organizations in Turkey. In the letter, it was stated that the
attitude of the Belgian government would negatively affect the
economic, commercial and cultural relations between Turkey and
Belgium. /Cumhuriyet/
[16] RE-ENACTMENT FOR KISLALI KILLING
Rustu Aytufan, one of the suspects in the murder of journalist
and intellectual Ahmet Taner Kislali, has carried out a
re-enactment for police. Aytufan, who is a member of the
terrorist organization, Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Warriors, was
captured last Thursday. /Hurriyet/
[17] KING MIDAS OPERATION
As a result of the `King Midas Operation', 285 pieces of
historical works worth TL 3 trillion were seized in 11 cities
over the past four months. Four smugglers were detained in the
operation carried out by gendarmerie forces. The historical works
including statues and gold jewellery belonging to the Byzantine
and Roman periods were given to Afyon Museum. /Star/
[18] COMPULSORY EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE
In the wake of the quakes which hit Turkey last year, the
"Compulsory Earthquake Insurance" is being put into action
beginning from today. With this application, the Treasury is
expected to collect more than one quadrillion TL. The Ministry of
Public Works and Settlement has divided Turkey into five regions
on the basis of Turkey's earthquake regions' map. Citizens will
pay more insurance premium in the regions where the quake risk is
higher. The insurance amount will be determined according to the
type of the construction of the building and the flat's area.
/Turkiye/
[19] TANRIKULU'S STATEMENT ON DOMESTIC PRODUCTS
Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmet Kenan Tanrikulu stated in
the conference organized jointly by Istanbul Chamber of Industry
and Ministry of Trade and Industry, entitled `Domestic Products
and Quality Awareness in Consumption' that the domestic products
should attain therir due place which they deserved in the
national market and added that this could only be achieved by the
high-quality commercials. Emphasizing that the way to overcome
the competition among the companies and the countries is to
increase the dynamics in the domestic market and to motivate the
society, Mr. Tanrikulu said, "Turkish products are produced at a
global quality level. Our aim is to create an industry which is
capable of competing in the international arena." /Cumhuriyet/
[20] CENTER OF SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN COOPERATION INITIATIVE OPENS
The Business Development Center of the Southeast European
Cooperation Initiative (SECI) was opened yesterday in Istanbul.
SECI was established to promote regional cooperation and
stability among southeastern European states. The Chairman of the
Executive Board of Koc Holding Rahmi Koc and Greek Businessman
Costa Carras are the co-chairmen of the Advisory Board of the
Association. SECI is known for its activities including the
promotion of border trade and prevention of smuggling along the
borders of the member countries Albania, Croatia, Hungary,
Moldovo, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Greece and Turkey. At the
opening night, co-chairman Costa Carras said, "Turkey and Greece
have become closer after the earthquakes, but our cooperation
dates back to SECI, which is the most important cooperation
initiative in this region. Our aim is to ensure the economic and
political stability in the region." Mr. Carras added that they
were working in harmony with Turkey. /Hurriyet/
[21] ANNOUNCEMENT FOR TURKISH AIRLINES BIDDING IS IN NOVEMBER
The Head of the Privatization Administration Board (OIB) Ugur
Bayar said that the announcement for the bidding of the block
sale of the Turkish Airlines (THY) will be made in the first week
of November. It was expected that 51 percent of the stocks will
be transferred in the block sale. /Hurriyet/
[22] WORLD BANK CREDITS INCREASE
World Bank Europe and the Middle East Chief Economist Marcello
Selowwsky said that they strongly supported the implementation of
the stability program and the reforms. Mr. Selowwsky said, "The
credits given so far are the proof for this. We doubled the
credits given last year. We will increase the credits up to $5
billion in 2001. We will support Turkey until the end of the
economic program and with the success of the program, Turkey will
enter the group of countries which have a high rate of growth
potential. Stressing on the difficulties for carrying out the
reforms, Mr. Selowwsky said, "It is rather difficult to carry out
reforms on social security and to decrease subsidy for
agricultural products all around the world and Turkey has
accomplished these reforms. Turkey gets only $1 billion from the
total influx of foreign capital and this is too low when compared
with other countries. Turkey has to overcome this difficulty. "
/Sabah/
[23] ENERGY SAVING PROGRAMME
Turkey is preparing to take strict measures to save energy. A
series of measures proposed by the Ministry of Energy will be put
into implementaion on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2000 after its approval by
the Council of Ministers at the meeting which will be held on
Thursday. The programme planned to be applied between October
2000 and March 2001, envisages measures such as higher
electricity prices for a consumption over 150 kwh in dwellings,
restrictions on the street lighting and prohibition of the
decoration illumination and a change in the working hours in the
public institutions. /Turkiye/
[24] RECEP ONAL: "TURKEY WILL ATTRACT INVESTMENTS"
State Minister Recep Onal delivered a speech at the panel
entitled "New Face of Turkey", which was organized within the
framework of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World
Bank meetings, and said, "We will turn Turkey into a country
which can be invested in. We expect a breakthrough in foreign
investments in terms of energy, agriculture and industry."
Meanwhile, Treasury Undersecretary Selcuk Demiralp also delivered
a speech at the panel and said that Turkey would save 20 billion
US dollars from the interest in the year 2001. /Aksam/
[25] DARDANEL COMPANY TO BREED FISH WITH JAPAN
Dardanel Company will breed tuna fish at the facilities that will
be jointly established with the Japanese. In a statement issued
by Dardanel Company, it was stated that as part of the agreement
signed between the Japanese S and T Company and Dardanel Company,
tuna fish will be bred for six months at the fish farm to be
established in a convenient place in the Mediterranean. /Aksam/
[26] LANGUAGE FESTIVAL
The 68th anniversary of the "Language Festival" was celebrated
yesterday. In the scope of the festival, headed by Prof. Olcay
Onertoy, the members of the Association of Language visited the
Ataturk's Mausoleum and laid a wreath. President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer, the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA)
Yildirim Akbulut, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, the True Path
Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller and the Republican People's Party
(CHP) leader Altan Oymen issued messages to mark the festival.
Stressing that a language spoken in a country reflects its
people's national identity and personality, President Sezer said:
"With the Language Reform, Ataturk envisaged Turkish to be a
language of culture upholding modern standards based on its own
values. To overcome the difficulties in the Turkish language,
every kind of support should be given and legal arrangements
should be made when necessary." /Turkiye/
[27] AWARD TO TURKISH JOURNALIST FROM GREEK PRESS
"The Konstantinos Kalligas and European Orientation" award of the
Greek Press will be presented to the correspondent of Hurriyet in
Brussels, Zeynel Lule. Mr. Lule is the first Turkish journalist
taking this award. Zeynel Lule was elected for this award by the
Greek section of the Association of European Journalists.
/Hurriyet/
[28] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[29] KOCHARIAN IN MOSCOW BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)
Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna writes on Armenian President Robert
Kocharian's visit to Moscow and the reason behind it. A summary
of his column is as follows:
"Dashnak party, is a terrorist committee formed by the Armenians
with the encouragement of Russians in 1889. It was later
supported by France and Britain. Its aim was to kill as much
Turks and Kurds as possible and proclaim an autonomous Armenian
State. The President of Armenian Republic Robert Kocharian is one
of the leaders of the Dashnak party. The party which was closed
in Armenia in 1994, was re-opened when Mr. Kocharian came to
power.
Mr. Kocharian is on a three-day visit to Russia. President
Putin, who is said to be a modern day tsar, most probably
encouraged him and his policies against Turks and Azerbaijanis.
Is not this a deja vu of the incidents witnessed in 1890s, 1915,
and 1920? What if a new version of it is brought before us in
2000? In the end, the Western countries will state that now is
the time for peace and the Armenians have to reach an agreement
with the Turks. How can a nation as intelligent, industrious,
mastercraftsmen as Armenians who have lived together with the
Turks for centuries believe these? Meanwhile the ruthless
terrorism waged by Dashnak and Hunchak committees against their
own kinsmen should not be forgotten. The bloodshed, a few months
ago, during the raid on the parliamentary building in Yerevan is
an example for this.
What will Turkey do if the Armenian argument is accepted at the
US House of Representatives before 15 October? It will most
probably close the air corridor to Yerevan and Armenia will fall
into the hands of Russia and Iran.
If Iran increases its support to Armenia which occupies a quarter
of the Azerbaijani territory, it will offend Azerbaijani citizens
of Turkish origin. Iranians are intelligent people well-versed in
history and they know what Turks do when they are greatly upset.
Tomorrow, the US deputies will cast their votes in Washington.
The next day, National Security Council will meet in Ankara to
evaluate the results of the voting. We are certain that it will
make correct assessments. We shall not damage our ties with the
US in a manner pleasing to the Armenians. We shall not forget
that the Armenian question is not as important as our main
objective which is to enter the EU. However, we should be able to
explain to everyone that we have not perpetrated a genocide but
have been subjected to one."
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