Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
The Turkish Parliament rejected a Constitutional amendment which
would have allowed President Suleyman Demirel for a second term
in office on Wednesday. Parliament voted 303 to 177, well short
of the minimum three-fifths majority of 330 votes needed to
accept the proposal. A two-thirds majority of 367 votes was
necessary to legislate the amendment without having to submit it
to a national referendum.
Although the other two amendment proposals included in the
package earlier yesterday had received Parliament's approval, the
three ruling parties decided to withdraw the package before the
legislature voted on the whole amendment package. /All papers/
Following the ballot on the Constitutional amendment, Premier
Bulent Ecevit said, "We are respectful of the decision of the
Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA)". After meeting with his
partners, Ecevit stated that the Government will continue as it
was. Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli emphasized that the
Government and the voting on the Constitutional amendment were
separate matters and the result of this ballot would not affect
the ruling of the Government. Motherland Party (ANAP) Leader
Mesut Yilmaz also stressed that the True Path Party (DYP) was not
sincere. He said that the result of the ballot showed that the
5+5 formula had not been supported by the TGNA and added, "Let's
not insist on it". /Aksam/
German President Johannes Rau arrived in Ankara on an official
visit yesterday evening. Rau and his wife Christina were welcomed
by State Minister Tunca Toskay at Ankara's Esenboga Airport. An
official ceremony for Rau will take place at the Presidential
Palace this morning. During his meetings with Turkish President
Suleyman Demirel and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Rau is
expected to issue these four messages: * Helmut Kohl was the one
who prevented Turkey's EU candidacy in Luxembourg but the 'Kohl
period' is over now. All of Europe, including Germany, is aware
of Turkey's importance. Germany extended its full support to
Turkey in Helsinki and will continue to support Turkey in its bid
for EU membership to happen as soon as possible. * Human rights
violations and some deficiencies regarding democratization are
causing difficulties in Turco-EU relations. * Germany is making
every effort to ensure harmony between Turks living in Germany
and the German population, and expects support from the Turkish
State on this issue. * Germany is aware of Ankara's concern over
the publication of an Islamic magazine in Berlin by a
pro-National View (Milli Gorus) organization. Letters have been
sent to German President Rau and Chancellor Schroeder on this
matter by Turkish Prime Minister Ecevit. /Hurriyet/
On his first day in Japan, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem stressed
that Japan is one of the leading countries to loan to Turkey and
expected these loans to increase in the near future. "The amount
of loans we have received over the last three years is almost
one-third of what Turkey had been granted over the previous 26. I
believe it will increase even more. The reason for this is
simple; the creditor country wants to earn money. Turkey's
improved economy, its acceptance as a candidate for the EU and
its improved position vis-a-vis debts enable a more conducive
environment to obtain less expensive loans far more easily. That
is why I expect the amount of money loaned from Japan to
increase".
As Cem continues his visit amid the reshuffling of the Japanese
Cabinet following the unexpected stroke of Prime Minister Keizo
Obuchi, some of his schedule has changed. Cem's meeting with
Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono will be held today because
the new Japanese government formed under the leadership of
Yoshiro Mori was sworn in yesterday. After meeting the Speaker of
the Japanese House of Representatives, Soichiro Ito, Cem attended
a lunch hosted in his honour by Toshifumi Takei, President of the
Japanese wing of the Turco-Japanese Business Council. /All
papers/
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski will visit Turkey on
April 14-16. Kwasniewski will participate in an April 16 meeting
in Istanbul organized by the Turco-Polish Work Council, part of
the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK). According to a DEIK
statement, a luncheon will also be organized in honour of
Kwasniewski's visit, and Turkish President Suleyman Demirel is
planning to attend. The statement points out that Poland is
Turkey's most important trade partner in Central Europe. DEIK
also says that representatives of several large Polish companies
will come with the Polish President on his visit. /All papers/
True Path Party (DYP) Leader Tansu Ciller will go to Sarajevo
today as the guest of the President of the Bosnia-Herzegovina
Presidency, Alija Izzetbegovic. Ciller will meet
Bosnia-Herzegovina Federation Prime Minister Edhem Bicakcic as
well as meeting with Izzetbegovic. Ciller will also visit the
Democratic Movement Party building and make a statement at a
party meeting. /Turkish Daily News/
The second big step will be taken by the Ministry of Public Works
and Housing concerning the need for permanent housing after the
earthquake in the Marmara Region on 17 August last year. It was
revealed that the tender specifications concerning the
construction of 32,000 permanent dwellings in the earthquake-hit
region had been completed. Officials stated that the foundations
of these houses will be laid in May and their construction will
be put out to tender to nearly 40 or 50 companies. Essential
financing for the construction of these houses will be provided
by international loan establishments. Most of these houses will
be built in Adapazari, Yalova and Izmit and are planned to be
built at least in one year. /Turkiye/
Two days ago, after taking off from Merzifon Fifth Main Air Base
on a training flight, two F-16 war planes collided in mid-air.
One of the pilots, First Lieutenant Gungor Ozer, was rescued
alive but the other, Captain Murat Ozaydin, was found dead 500
metres away from the wreckage. An investigation into the
collision is underway. In the meantime, Captain Murat Ozaydin has
been buried in Izmir after a funeral ceremony at Merzifon Fifth
Main Air Base. /Star/
The strong wind sometimes blows up storms in the Marmara and
Aegean regions has once again affected life badly; a total of 52
forest fires occurred in the various provinces of Turkey due to
the strong wind yesterday. Firefighters are still trying to bring
the forest fire that occurred near Goktepe, a village in the
district of Organeli near Bursa, under control. The Governor of
Bursa, Ali Fuat Guven, stated that a barricade had been set up to
the East in order to prevent the fire from spreading to Uludag.
Moreover, Bursa is surrounded by fire on all four sides.
Officials from the Directorate General of State Meteorology
stated that the storm will lessen this morning. /Cumhuriyet/
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will take part in the 'Eastern
Mediterranean 2000' manoeuvres on April 12-22 in the
Mediterranean and Aegean seas. The Office of the Chief of General
Staff stated that the main aim of the manoeuvres was to promote
cooperation between Turkey and other countries' naval forces.
Admiral Metin Atac will direct the manoeuvres, which will include
Turkey, the US, France, Italy, Spain and the NATO Standing Naval
Force in the Mediterranean. /Turkish Daily News/
A meeting of the Association Council, the highest judicial organ
between Turkey and the European Union (EU), will be organized for
10 April. It was stated that two important decisions that concern
Turkey will be taken during the Association Council gathering
which had been unable to meet since 1997. It will be decided
whether negotiations concerning the service sectors should be
officially started. Also eight sub-commissions will be
established to manage the work required during the EU membership
process procedures under the second decision. /Turkiye/
Representatives of the Turkish groups in the US have reacted to
US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright's description of the
Greek-Cypriot Administration as a 'color' photograph and the
Turkish-Cypriots as a 'black and white' photograph.
Turco-American Association Chairman Tolga Cubukcu and the
Federation of Turco-American Associations' Chairman Egemen Bagis
sent a letter to Albright expressing their shock at her words
concerning Cyprus. In the letter it was stated that the
Greek-Cypriot Administration has placed an embargo on the
Turkish-Cypriots since 1963. /Turkiye/
The 'Turkish Economy in the EU` report prepared by the Turkish
Research Center (TAM) was announced by TAM Chairman Faruk Sen in
Ankara and by TAM Representative for Turkey, Orhan Kural in
Istanbul. In addition to Faruk Sen, the Chairman of Oger Tourism
Company's Executive Board, Vural Oger, and German Ambassador to
Ankara Rudolf Schmidt also attended the meeting held in Ankara.
According to the report, those Turks who had emigrated to
European countries to earn their their living, many years ago,
especially to Germany, now, employ 366,000 workers, 78,000 of
them German, at their work places numbering 73,000. The Turks in
Europe have also begun to have some clout in the political life
of the countries in which they reside. The number of the German
citizens originating from Turkey is expected to reach 900,000 in
three years, and they will constitute the largest ethnic group
influencing political voting in German. /Aksam/
Dr.Mark Mobius, the Head of Templeton Global Emerging Markets
Fund, said that if Turkey accelerates privatization, foreign
capital influx will begin to occur. Mobius delivered a speech at
the 'Conference on Developing Global Stock Exchanges' in Istanbul
yesterday and indicated that the Fund's investment in the Turkish
market accounted for 3.9 % of Templeton's total investment in
Eastern Europe. He added that Turkish markets will attract
foreign capital like a magnet provided the government's economic
programme continues to be carried out with determination.
/Hurriyet/
During his speech at the opening of the three-day conference
entitled, 'Developing Global Stock Exchanges`, while explaining
the Government's anti-inflation programme, State Minister Recep
Onal stressed that to ensure again permanent development coupled
with a low inflation rate has great importance. He stated that
they had tried to decrease the deficit in the public sector. Onal
also pointed out, "To increae the prosperity of our citizens, our
financial markets should be strengthened by merging with world
markets." /Hurriyet/
A report entitled "The Financing of Global Development 2000",
released by the World Bank, suggests that Turkey, along with
Poland, will have the fastest momentum as far as privatization is
concerned in Eastern Europe between the years 2000 and 2001. The
report predicted that Turkey and Poland will raise a substantial
revenue from sell-offs over the next two years. With sufficient
foreign exchange reserves and a reasonable borrowing capacity,
Turkey is capable of meeting short-term foreign currency debt, it
said. /Hurriyet/
The Treasury stated that arrangements made as part of the
stand-by agreement signed between Turkey and the IMF as well as
current economic developments, have been achieved in line with
the time-schedule previously envisaged. The Treasury published a
monthly report in which was mentioned that a letter of intent,
that looks to the stand-by agreement, was sent to the IMF on
March 10. The report added that the IMF Executive Directors'
Council would convene on April 26. /Hurriyet/
Turkey and Greece are getting ready to strengthen their
friendship also in the field of military. As part of NATO's
'Dynamic Mix' Manoeuvres, Turkish and Greek war planes will land
at each other's military bases on May 20 and the land forces of
each country will engage in joint amphibious operations along
each other's coastlines. /Hurriyet/
A postal order service has been launched between Turkey and Iran,
the Anatolia News Agency reports. According to a statement from
the Postal and Telecommunications General Directorate (PTT), the
money orders will be processed by the PTT and the Iranian Postal
General Directorate, and their highest value will be $1,000.
Gaziantep Governor Muammer Guler stated that the Birecik Dam
reservoir would be filled at the end of April. Guler said that
the dam and its hydroelectric power plant would provide 2% of
Turkey's energy needs. Guler also announced that the dam and its
turbines would be operational by December. He added that water
from the Birecik Dam would contribute to the Southeastern
Anatolia Project (GAP). Currently a mere 7,000 hectares are being
irrigated out of the 187,000 hectares in the region that need
water. Once the dam is finished, 135,000 hectares will be able to
be irrigated. /Turkish Daily News/
An agreement covering the future development of a liquefied
natural gas (LNG) export venture in Egypt has been signed by the
Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC), British Gas
International and Italy's Edison International, and was announced
on April 3. Egypt is currently in negotiations with several LNG
buyers in the Mediterranean region and a major potential customer
is Turkey's state-owned Pipeline Transportation Company, BOTAS.
"The British-Italian venture is hopeful of being called on to
negotiate with BOTAS in the near future" said George Conchar,
British Gas International's General Manager for Turkey. /All
papers/
Netas Northern Electric Telecommunications Joint Stock Company
will transfer its circuit board manufacturing activities to US
electronics producer Solectron Corporation, Netas announced
yesterday. The move is amed at supporting Netas' investment in
new technology along with an expanding product line. The
transaction, which is Solectron's first investment in Turkey, is
scheduled to be completed in three months. /All papers/
The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (KKTB) and the
Industrial Investment Bank (SYB) have signed a loan agreement to
support earthquake-hit companies in Turkey which amounts to 10
million dollars over a six-year term. KKTB Chairman Ersoy Volkan,
the General Director of the SYB, Aymet Aydin, and his Deputy
Yavuz Isbakan put their signatures to the document. Volkan stated
that the above-mentioned loan was the first to be provided to
Turkey by the KKTB. /Turkiye/
The 'International Communication Council' has been established in
Turkey in order to provide the concept of modern communications,
in order to bring the public's right to be informed, their
freedom of thought, expression and communication, to world
standards. In a statement issued by the Turkish Association of
Journalists (TGC), the 'International Communication Council', set
up by a partnership between the TGC, the Advertisers' Association
and the Public Relations' Association, will be introduced to the
public during a conference at the TGC's premises tomorrow.
/Cumhuriyet/
World Bank Director for Turkey Ajay Chibber stated that they were
thinking of releasing a fund of 500 million dollars to Turkey so
that the public banks can be restructured. Chibber spoke at a
press conference yesterday, saying, "We are envisaging a
financial contribution amounting to 2 billion dollars for the
financial sector; 1.56 billion dollars of this sum will be
released as part of the financial sector harmonization loan."
Chibber added that important developments have occurred within
the government and it will be of benefit of Turkey if these
developments continue. /Turkiye/
The American QAD Company, which deals with e-trade practices, has
given the traditional award for 'best sale and service' to QAD
Turkey from among the other countries in Europe. QAD Turkey was
deemed worthy of this award due to the fact that it had increased
its client profile from 22 customers to 46 and had ensured a
growth rate of 100% and due to its successful after-sales
service. /Turkiye/
The General Electricity Illumination Company (GE) will move its
electric bulb production to Hungary, which was elected the
'Perfect Place to Produce Electric Bulbs'. The reason for this
decision is that the GE Company is trying to gather its
production together in the large centres of population which are
equipped with the latest technology as part of its globalization
strategy. From now on the GE Company will import all sorts of
electric bulbs from Hungary for the Turkish market. /Sabah/
Galatasaray defeated German team B. Dortmund and Spanish team R.
Mallorca to reach the Semifinal in the UEFA Cup and is to play
against British team Leeds United today at Ali Sami Yen Stadium
in Istanbul. Cim Bom aims to obtain a good score during the first
round match of the semi-final. The referees at tonight's match,
starting at 21:00, are Helmut Krug, Frank Schumacher and Harry
Ehing from the German Football Federation. /Turkiye/
"Columnist Gungor Mengi comments on the ballot on the
constitutional amendment. A summary of his column is as follows:
"Rejecting the imposition of persons instead of principles is a
success in itself. The formula to amend the Constitution, to
allow for the re-election of Demirel for a second term, would
have created a king. Yesterday, Prime Minister Ecevit acted like
someone who was imposing what he knew to be best on others. He
called on the members of the TGNA to violate the principle of
secrecy during the ballot on the alterations to the Constitution.
If a proposal threatening the regime is voted on in an atmosphere
of such pressure, how will they defend the future of the country?
It would have been a great mistake to open the way to removing
the guarantee of a secret ballot from the TGNA. Yesterday,
Parliament proved that it would not bow to any such pressure, and
has placed the future of the regime under a guarantee. The
challenge to the autocracy of leaders will help the tradition of
compromise to take root in our democracy.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Ecevit stated that they respected the
TGNA's decision and would continue to govern with determination
and in harmony. No-one should be afraid of the surfacing of
instability, as the greatest potential for instability has been
overcome.
The Government should not be the centre of a new conflict. The
aim of all parties should be to carry someone equipped in every
way and respected by everyone to the position of the Presidency."
Columnist Sami Kohen comments on the General Election in Greece.
A summary of his column is as follows:
"Interestingly, both in Greece and Turkey a choice concerning the
future of their respective political establishment is taking
place between the concepts of "change" and "stability". The
General Election in Greece, is based on a race between the
socialist PASOK Party of Kostas Simitis and the right-wing New
Democracy Party of Kostas Karamanlis,a choice between very ideas.
It is not surprising that PASOK is defending stability today.
Simitis won the General Election in September 1996 and went on to
change the policy of the previous government, headed by Andreas
Papandreu, and to follow new policies both within the country and
abroad. Economic reforms were carried out; Greece integrated with
Europe in addition to joining the EMU, played an active role in
the Balkans and improved her relations with Turkey.
The reason why Simitis called for an early election is that he
wants to ride the wave of the results of his policies before
these results fizzle out and continue them. Therefore, PASOK
stressed the theme of stability during its election campaign.
Contrary to this, the New Democracy Party claims that the reins
of power must change hands, as PASOK has been in government since
1981, excluding the period 1989-1993. However, it is not clear
what he means by the term unless he means a change of parties
those in power.
In fact, it is ironic for the left to defend stability while the
right is looking for change. At the beginning of the 1980s, the
situation was reversed. The difference between the past and the
pesent for these parties lie in these areas where they look for
support. Andreas Papandreu was against the US, NATO and the EU.
Simitis altered all of this, carrying out a series of economic
reforms and taking steps towards a new rapprochement with Turkey.
PASOK has gone through a transformation and slided twoards the
centre.
In short, there are huge differences in the choices of parties in
Greek political life as compared to the past."
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
DEMIREL'S TERM IN OFFICE IS OVER
'GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN POWER`
RAU IN TURKEY
CEM EXPECTS INCREASE IN JAPANESE LOANS TO TURKEY
POLISH PRESIDENT TO VISIT TURKEY
CILLER GOES TO SARAJEVO
46,000 PERMANENT HOUSES FOR EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS
PILOT BURIED
FOREST FIRES IN TURKEY
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN 2000 MANOEUVRES BEGIN
TWO IMPORTANT DECISIONS BY THE EUROPEAN UNION
TURKISH PEOPLE REACT AGAINST ALBRIGHT
TURKS IN EUROPE
MOBIUS: "PRIVATIZATION ATTRACTS CAPITAL INFLUX"
ONAL DELIVERS A SPEECH AT A CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL
WB: "TURKEY MAY BECOME A LEADER IN PRIVATIZATION"
FIRST TEST FOR STAND-BY AGREEMENT ON APRIL 26
TURCO-GREEK AMPHIBIOUS OPERATIONS
TURCO-IRANIAN POSTAL ORDER SERVICE BEGINS
BIRECIK DAM CLOSE TO COMPLETION
EGYPT STRIKES DEAL TO DEVELOP LNG EXPORT
NETAS TO SELL CIRCUIT BOARD BUSINESS TO SOLECTRON
EARTHQUAKE LOAN FROM THE KKTB
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION COUNCIL ESTABLISHED IN TURKEY
500 MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE WORLD BANK
QAD TURKEY RECEIVES HUGE AWARD
TEKFEN'S SUCCESS
GALATASARAY IN UEFA SEMIFINALS
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS
PRINCIPLES NOT PERSONS BY GUNGOR MENGI (SABAH)
BETWEEN CHANGE AND STABILITY BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)