|
|
Turkish Press Review, 02-07-22
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
<LINK href="http://www.byegm.gov.tr_yayinlarimiz_chr_pics_css/tpr.css"
rel=STYLESHEET type=text/css>
<map name="FPMap1">
</map>
<map name="FPMap1"></map>
Press
& Information
Turkish
Press
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
22.07.2002
MY MAILBAG: TURKEY, THE US AND IRAQ
BY YASEMIN CONGAR (MILLIYET)
GUREL AND CHANGE IN IRAQ POLICY
BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI (STAR)
DISCUSSION OVER IRAQ
BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
CONTENTS
[01] PARLIAMENT TO CONVENE TODAY
[02] ECEVIT: “IT’S THE GREEKS WHO DIVIDED CYPRUS INTO TWO NATIONS”
[03] ECEVIT: “HADEP AND THE AKP MAY CAUSE TROUBLES IN TURKEY”
[04] BAHCELI INSISTS ON NOV. 3 FOR EARLY ELECTIONS
[05] GOKALP TO ATTEND ECO MEETING IN PAKISTAN
[06] NEW FORMATION TO BECOME ‘NEW TURKEY’ PARTY
[07] IMF DELEGATION TO LEAVE TURKEY TODAY
[08] RESIGNATIONS FROM THE DSP CONTINUE
[09] AKP RESPONDS TO ECEVIT’S CHARGES
[10] IYIMAYA: “WE DON’T CONSIDER HADEP OR THE AKP AS THREATS”
[11] NGOs CRITICIZE US PLANS FOR IRAQ INTERVENTION
[12] YOUNG BUSINESS LEADER ENDORSES TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP BID
[13] TURKEY TO PUSH WASHINGTON FOR INCLUSIVE QIZS
[14] ITALIAN TELECOM CEO: “WE HAVE GREAT EXPECTATIONS FOR TURKEY”
[15] FINAL FAREWELL TO DEAN OF TURKISH JOURNALISTS TOKER
[16] MORE TOURISTS CHOOSING TURKEY
[17] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[18] FROM THE COLUMNS…
[19] MY MAILBAG: TURKEY, THE US AND IRAQ
[20] BY YASEMIN CONGAR (MILLIYET)
[21] GUREL AND CHANGE IN IRAQ POLICY
[22] BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI (STAR)
[23] DISCUSSION OVER IRAQ
BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
[01] PARLIAMENT TO CONVENE TODAY
Parliament will convene today to hold an extraordinary session upon a
proposal submitted by 141 deputies from the True Path Party (DYP) and the
Justice and Development Party (AKP). In order to hold a Parliament session,
a minimum of 184 deputies needs to be in attendance. Government coalition
partners the Nationalist Action Party (MHP), the Motherland Party (ANAP),
and the Democratic Left Party (DSP) as well as the Felicity Party (SP) and
deputies recently resigned from DSP are expected to be absent from the
session. If the quorum of deputies cannot be reached, the session will have
to be cancelled. /All Papers/
[02] ECEVIT: “IT’S THE GREEKS WHO DIVIDED CYPRUS INTO TWO NATIONS”
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit explained his views on the Cyprus issue along
with a number of other important matters facing Turkey on state channel
TRT1 over the weekend. Underlining that it was the Greeks who had divided
the island of Cyprus into two nations, Ecevit stated that the Peace
Operation launched by Turkey under his prime ministership in 1974 had been
a major attempt to solve the problems of the island. “The Cyprus issue has
nothing to do with the European Union,” said the premier. “If the EU admits
the Greek Cypriot administration, then it would have to accept the co-
existence of two separate states on the island.” Stressing that there were
two independent nations and states on Cyprus, Ecevit added that the EU had
no right to attempt to bring these two nations together by force.
/Cumhuriyet/
[03] ECEVIT: “HADEP AND THE AKP MAY CAUSE TROUBLES IN TURKEY”
Appearing on TRT’s Pazar Panorama yesterday, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit
expressed his views on various topics. Regarding predictions that in
upcoming elections the Justice and Development Party (AKP) would win the
most seats and that the People’s Democratic Party (HADEP) would pass the
10% election threshold, Ecevit said, “If those scenarios come true, Turkey
may face a serious regime crisis.” Referring to AKP leader Tayyip Erdogan’s
recent statements indicating that he had changed, Ecevit said that there
was no evidence to back up these claims. “Certain parties are trying to
cooperate with HADEP, which is indeed a representative of separatist
activity and has a close relationship with terrorist organization head
Abdullah Ocalan,” Ecevit said. “All parties should stand against it, rather
than cooperating with it.” He added, “I have never been in favor of a ban
on political parties or individuals. However, their real faces should be
revealed.” Remarking that he preferred elections be held at their normally
scheduled date in April 2004, Ecevit said that although the current
government had lost its majority in Parliament, the government still had
duties to perform. /All Papers/
[04] BAHCELI INSISTS ON NOV. 3 FOR EARLY ELECTIONS
Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet
Bahceli yesterday rejected Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit’s request to
postpone elections. Bahceli said that MHP would continue to insist on Nov.
3 for early elections, adding, “Now we will see if the opposition is
sincere or not on early elections.” Bahceli also charged that the new
political formation headed by former Foreign Minister Ismail Cem did not
respect the people’s will. /Star/
[05] GOKALP TO ATTEND ECO MEETING IN PAKISTAN
Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Yusuf Gokalp is to travel to
Islamabad, Pakistan today to attend an Economic Cooperation Organization
(ECO) meeting. The three-day meeting, which is to last through Thursday, is
expected to focus on a number of important issues, such as improving
cooperation on agricultural matters as well as regional problems and recent
developments in the agricultural sector. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] NEW FORMATION TO BECOME ‘NEW TURKEY’ PARTY
Members of the new political formation led by former Foreign Minister
Ismail Cem and former Deputy Prime Minister Husamettin Ozkan are expected
today to become an official political party under the name, “Yeni Türkiye”
(New Turkey). /Star/
[07] IMF DELEGATION TO LEAVE TURKEY TODAY
International Monetary Fund Turkey Desk Chief Juha Kahkonen and an
accompanying delegation are expected today to leave Turkey after holding a
final press conference. Turkey’s new Letter of Intent (LOI) is to be sent
to the IMF after it is approved and signed by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit
and Deputy Prime Ministers Devlet Bahceli and Mesut Yilmaz, State Minister
for the Economy Kemal Dervis and Central Bank Chariman Sureyya Serdengecti.
/Star/
[08] RESIGNATIONS FROM THE DSP CONTINUE
Resignations from senior coalition partner the Democratic Left Party (DSP)
continued over the weekend when the party’s Kirklareli deputy, Nural
Karagoz, left the DSP. Including this defection, the party now has 64
deputies in Parliament. Meanwhile, the number of deputies in the coalition
parties' government has fallen to 270. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] AKP RESPONDS TO ECEVIT’S CHARGES
Responding yesterday to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit’s statement that his
party constituted a threat, Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy
Group Chairman Salih Kapusuz said, “Ecevit is worried about the AKP since
he thinks that it will receive more votes than Ecevit’s own Democratic Left
Party [DSP].” Kapusuz also charged that Ecevit had proven unable to prevent
his party from falling apart and had lost his deputies’ trust. “Ecevit is
saying these things due to his own frustration,” he added. /Aksam/
[10] IYIMAYA: “WE DON’T CONSIDER HADEP OR THE AKP AS THREATS”
True Path Parpy (DYP) Amasya Deputy Ahmet Iyimaya said yesterday that his
party didn’t consider the People’s Democratic Party (HADEP) or the Justice
and Development Party (AKP) as threats to Turkey. “The Turkish Republic is
very sound,” he said. “Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit is trying to postpone
early elections with these allegations.” Iyimaya also asked why Ecevit was
making these charges now since in his five years as prime minister he had
not addressed the issue. /Aksam/
[11] NGOs CRITICIZE US PLANS FOR IRAQ INTERVENTION
Two non-governmental organizations (NGOs), a trade group and a business
group, over the weekend came out against a possible United States military
operation in Iraq, charging that such an operation would damage the
delicate balances of the Turkish economy and plunge the country in a
permanent economic and social recession. “A US operation in Iraq would ruin
all our economic balances and threaten our country’s territorial integrity,
” said Ankara Chamber of Commerce Chairman Sinan Aygun. In addition, the
Turkish Union of Chambers of Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) issued a
statement contending that a US operation in the region would mean nothing
but destruction and chaos for innocent civilians. /Cumhuriyet/
[12] YOUNG BUSINESS LEADER ENDORSES TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP BID
Muharrem Yilmaz, deputy chairman of the Confederation of European Young
Businessmen’s Associations, said yesterday that Turkey should make its
intentions concerning its European Union membership clear. Speaking in
Athens at the confederation’s meeting on “Business Culture in Europe,”
Yilmaz said, “We should not approach the EU indecisively, but rather we
should draw closer to the EU through understanding that Turkey’s and the
EU’s path are parallel.” /Sabah/
[13] TURKEY TO PUSH WASHINGTON FOR INCLUSIVE QIZS
A group of Turkish industrialists has bounded together to ensure that a
number of Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZs) set to be established in Turkey
will include the nation’s labor-intensive sectors. The US Strategy Work
Group, an umbrella organization bringing together members of Turkish
Assembly of Exporters (TIM), the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities
Exchanges (TOBB) and the Turkish Association of Industrialists and
Businessmen (TUSIAD), is set to meet soon with US Trade Representative
Robert Zoellick and a number of US congressmen. “The US suggested the QIZs
earlier this year but then excluded our labor-intensive sectors,” said
Turkish Textile Industrialists’ Association (TGSD) Chairman Umut Oran.
“This is unfair to Turkey, and we will address it in Washington. In
addition, US policies have done great harm to Turkey’s southeast. The Gulf
War cost us some $80-90 billion, and the loss in border trade has stifled
the region’s development. The QIZs were promised as compensation, and we
deserve them.” In addition, TIM Chairman Oguz Satici said that strategic
cooperation between Turkey and the US should be reflected in their economic
and commercial relations as well. /Hurriyet/
[14] ITALIAN TELECOM CEO: “WE HAVE GREAT EXPECTATIONS FOR TURKEY”
Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera said yesterday
that even as his company was pulling back investments in France, Spain and
Austria to the tune of 3.3 billion euros, it planned to expand in Turkey
and became a leading player in the country’s telecom sector. Speaking to
Turkish journalists during a “Technology days” meeting in Rome, Provera
said that Turkey was an important strategic market very close to Europe.
Provera, who is also the CEO of tiremaker Pirelli, added, “Due to Pirelli’s
years of experience in the Turkish market, I am well acquainted with your
country. Pirelli has a strong presence in Turkey and Turkey has a strong
industrial structure. This situation represents a tremendous opportunity
for mobile phone users. Moreover, we expect the economic crisis in Turkey
to end before too long.” Predicting that Turkey could easily overcome its
crisis, Provera stated, “Turkey is a very strong country both strategically
and potentially. We have great expectations for Turkey in the future, and
we believe that Turkey will satisfy these expectations.” /Hurriyet/
[15] FINAL FAREWELL TO DEAN OF TURKISH JOURNALISTS TOKER
Representatives of the Turkish media and many other prominent figures will
pay their final respects to Metin Toker, the dean of Turkish journalists,
at his funeral today in Ankara. Toker died on Thursday in Ankara after a
long illness. Four separate public memorial services will be held in
Ankara. /All Papers/
[16] MORE TOURISTS CHOOSING TURKEY
Bucking a worldwide slump in tourism, Turkey saw both the number of
tourists visiting its shores and the money they spent rise during the first
quarter of this year. The State Institute of Statistics (DIE) announced
yesterday that 1.4 million tourists had traveled to Turkey this January-
March, up from 1.3 million in the same period last year. In addition, the
amount of revenue earned per tourist also increased by some 11.9%, to reach
a countrywide total of $886 million. /Sabah/
[17] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…
[18] FROM THE COLUMNS…
[19] MY MAILBAG: TURKEY, THE US AND IRAQ
[20] BY YASEMIN CONGAR (MILLIYET)
Columnist Yasemin Congar writes about the possible date of a US operation
in Iraq and what the US could expect from Turkey. A summary of her column
is as follows:
“Being a Turkish journalist in Washington sometimes entails being asked the
same questions over and over again which in turn necessitates giving the
same answers repeatedly. Just last week I received many e-mails asking
about early elections, the European Union and the US plans for an operation
in Iraq, which is why I decided to write this article as a reply to all
those questions. To begin with, when will the US operation in Iraq begin,
and what will the US ask of Turkey? It has now become clear that the US
won’t change its mind about trying to oust Saddam Hussein, but also that
President Bush still hasn’t decided when and how such an operation will be
launched. It is nevertheless predicted that the operation will begin
sometime between this November and next February. Because ground troops
will have to be sent in, the operation is expected to last for at least
three months. The political situation in the US will affect the timing of
the operation. President Bush may want to wait until after the
Congressional elections in November, or he may decide that such an
operation could boost the votes of his Republican Party. In the latter case
he may launch the operation at the end of October before those elections.
Developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the attitude of Arab
countries towards US activity in Iraq will also affect the timing of the
operation. While the US is busy preparing for this attack, Turkey may be
getting ready to hold elections or may be in the middle of trying to form a
government in the post-election period. The US may decide to wait until
such a government is formed or it may assume that our chief of General
Staff will have the final say on the subject. Therefore Bush may not wait
until elections are held. The scope and the form of the operation will
determine what the US will ask of Turkey. Firstly Turkey will be expected
to change its ‘anti-operation’ rhetoric and start acting in an anti-Saddam,
pro-US mode. Secondly the US will want to use Turkish airbases as launch
pads for bombing sorties against Iraq. Also if the US decides on a total
war, which includes fighting on the ground, the use of Turkish soil by US
troops will considerably decrease the cost of the operation while
increasing its chances of success. The US could also ask Turkey to send in
its own troops, but US officials state that they are aware of Turkish
reluctance to do so. What kind of government does the US want in Turkey?
Obviously Bush would prefer a government that would be ready to support the
US war against terrorism and more specifically, its intervention in Iraq.
In addition it would like to see a government committed to IMF reforms as
well as the objective of membership in the EU. Pro-Islamist or nationalist
parties are not considered to be ideal, reliable partners. To sum up, we
can say that the US hopes to have a government committed to political and
economic reforms in addition to cooperation with the US. This explains the
US’ support for Economy Minister Kemal Dervis.”
[21] GUREL AND CHANGE IN IRAQ POLICY
[22] BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI (STAR)
Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli writes on Sukru Sina Gurel’s new Cabinet post as
foreign minister and its repercussions on Turkey’s policy towards Iraq. A
summary of her column is as follows:
“After the recent shakeup and resignations from the Democratic Left Party
(DSP), Prime Minister and DSP leader Bulent Ecevit appointed Sukru Sina
Gurel as foreign minister. As soon as Gurel took the helm of Turkish
foreign policy, he put his stamp on it and the very first signs of this
were evident in Turkey’s Iraq policy. A Kurdish state in northern Iraq has
been on the agenda of the Kurds for quite a long time, but especially with
the intensification of US plans to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s regime, the
Kurds have stepped up their efforts and last June they even put forward the
idea of a federation in Iraq. The idea was simple: Once Saddam Hussein was
brought down, the Arabs in the south of Iraq and the Kurds in the north
would form two federations which would be represented as a single body in
the international arena. Both of them would be free in their internal
affairs but would act in concert in matters of defense and foreign policy.
The Kurdish demands went even beyond that. To be able to sustain its
economy, the so-called ‘Kurdish federation’ would also include within its
borders the Kerkuk region, which is rich in oil resources. Turkey, under
then Foreign Minister Ismail Cem rapidly defined its response to this.
Accordingly, Turkey would not oppose such a federation if the Iraqi people
accepted it, but it would be against Kerkuk, a Turkmen region, being given
to the Kurds. But this line of policy was recently altered with the change
in the Cabinet. In his visit to Turkey last week, US Deputy Defense
Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was told that Turkey would absolutely reject such
a federation system in Iraq. Both plans, a federation or a Kurdish state in
northern Iraq were unacceptable, Turkey made clear. The main concern behind
this policy shift is the high probability that a Kurdish federation formed
after a US military attack on Iraq could, in the future, easily be turned
into an independent state, in future and that Turkey could be forced to
accept a political fait accompli in the region.”
[23] DISCUSSION OVER IRAQ
BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)
Columnist Ferai Tinc writes on the feelings of the people in southeastern
Anatolia regarding a strike on Iraq. A summary of her column is as follows:
“I would like to relate the viewpoint of the people in southeastern
Anatolia regarding a military operation against Iraq. Even though the
messages issued by Washington state that the territorial integrity of Iraq
will be preserved, an operation which could very well lead to the founding
of an independent Kurdish state is not welcomed by the people supporting
HADEP, which is an ethnic political party. The excitement felt in the ‘90s
due to an American military operation against Iraq has given way to a
reaction. People believe that the bombs coming from both Turkey and Iraq
will fall on the Kurds. An operation against Iraq will not be of any use to
either Turkey or to Turks of Kurdish origin. This is what the people in the
region believe. The word ‘war’ is enough to cause unrest among the people.
A society which knows what a war is cannot ask for it. They would like to
put enlightenment in place of war. HADEP Mus (a province in southeast
Anatolia) Youth Organization is launching a cultural program. Their first
aim is to establish libraries in villages, and they are asking for
everyone’s support. They have penned a statement for this aim. ‘Science,
knowledge and all civilizations emerged in Mesopotamia... They flourished
in schools under the ancient Greeks and in Europe during the post-
Renaissance era became universal.’ Where are the Arabic and Islamic or
other civilizations? There are many issues to debate, an enormous wealth to
uncover hand-in-hand. The youth is aware of this and war is not wanted by
anyone, wherever they may be.”
ARCHIVE
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js">
</script>
|