SEZER: "WE ARE AWARE THE WORLD IS NOT MERELY COMPOSED OF EUROPE"

Yesterday President Ahmet Necdet Sezer attended the executive board meeting of the Foreign Economic Relations Council (DEIK) in Istanbul. Mr. Sezer said European efforts to establish a conditional link between Turkey's full EU membership and the Cyprus problem, the so-called Armenian genocide and the Kurdish problem cannot be condoned. Mr. Sezer stated the following points in his speech: 1. The EU has put the Cyprus problem on the short term goals in the Accession Partnership document. This does not reflect our mutual understanding with the EU established in the post-Helsinki period. We cannot accept any efforts to link Turkey's full EU membership with this problem. 2. We cannot take serious, or accept, the European Parliament's decisions on so-called Armenian and Kurdish problems, or the demands for withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus(TRNC). However, we will carry out the requirements for full EU membership, not because EU told us to do so, but because our people deserve the positive developments put forth by the document. 3. We are aware of the fact that the world is not merely composed of Europe. Turkey should give special importance to the Middle East and Gulf region. The African continent and Latin America present new investment and cooperation opportunities for our enterpreuneurs. The time has come to engage in serious commercial relations with China and the Far Eastern countries, having 3 billion population with $2,5 trillion trade volume. We should strengthen our economic and commercial relations with the Russian Federation. Balkan countries, Caucasian and Central Asian republics also bear special importance to our economic and commercial priorities. /Milliyet/

EU DELAYS ITS DECISION ON TURKEY

The Accession Partnership Document, which caused conflict between Turkey and the EU, was taken up yesterday at the EU Council of General Affairs in Brussels. However, the Council left approval of the Document for the Council of Foreign Ministers to be held Dec. 4. Diplomatic circles says that political decision will probably be made on the document in the Leaders Summit on Dec. 7-8 in Nice. Reportedly, Brussel's main aim is to save time, lower tensions, and prevent Turkey from reacting harshly. /Turkiye/

LEADERS MEETING

The leaders of the coalition government parties convened yesterday. In addition to Prime Minister and leader of Democratic Leftist Party (DSP), Bulent Ecevit, State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader, Devlet Bahceli, and State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader, Mesut Yilmaz, State Ministers Husamettin Ozkan, Faruk Bal and Rustu Kazim Yucelen and then, State Minister Recep Onal and Chairman of the Banking Regulation and Supervision Board Zekeriya Temizel participated in the meeting. Following the 4-hour plus meeting, Premier Ecevit said they discussed recent developments in the financial sector. /Turkiye/

TERRORIST OCALAN'S HEARING AT THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Today the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is holding a hearing in Strasbourg for terrorist Abdullah Ocalan. His lawyers have appealed saying Turkey violated 12 articles of the European Human Rights Accord during Ocalan's trial in Turkey. The hearing will be headed by Swedish judge Elizabeth Palm. Both Turkey and terrorist Ocalan will be defended by a large group of lawyers. Additionally, 49 relatives of people who killed during the clashes with terrorist PKK members will take part in the trial as a joint party. /Turkiye/

TURKEY'S DIPLOMATIC REACTION TO THE VATICAN

Turkey is lookig for new measures to prevent allegations of the so-called Armenian genocide from being put into the agenda. Turkey conveyed its diplomatic reaction to Pope John Paul II. who distorted historical facts with his statements while allegations of the so-called genocide were being discussed in the Italian Parliament. /Cumhuriyet/

JAPANESE DEPUTY FINANCE MINISTER VISITS TURKEY

Japanese Deputy Finance Minister, Haruhiko Kuroda will arrive in Turkey today. Mr. Kuroda will discuss with Turkish finance officials the credit to be given by the Japanese government, paralleling the $750 million credit provided by the World Bank for Turkey's financial sector. /Milliyet/

JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION MEETING HELD IN ANTALYA

The 46th Joint Parliamentary Commission meeting is beginning in Antalya today. The meeting between the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) and the European Parliament will discuss Turkey-EU issues, financial cooperation, visa issues and European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI). /Turkiye/

ROTH: "DEATH PENALTY SHOULD BE ABOLISHED"

A EU delegation consisting of the Chairman of Human Rights Subcommitte in German Federal Assembly and Greens Parliamentarian Claudia Roth, members of the Human Rights Commission, Angelika Graf, Monica Brudlewsky, Secretary of the Commission, Wilfried Skupnik and German Consul-general to Istanbul, Herbert Hoffman, visited Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor, Ali Mufit Gurtuna, yesterday in his office. After the meeting, Ms. Roth when reminded of her statement about Abdullah Ocalan said, "It was not statement about Abdullah Ocalan, but about the death penalty. I'm really proud that there is no EU member country with the death penalty. A country wishing to become a full EU member should abolish the death penalty." Ms. Roth stated they were going to visit certain non-governmental organizations and figures until Sunday, then travel to Ankara. Mr. Gurtuna provided information to the delegation on Istanbul's problems such as migration, infrastructure, and the service sector, and he spoke of preparations for a possible earthquake in Istanbul. /Cumhuriyet/

TURCOMAN CONVENTION IN NORTHERN IRAQ

The Iraqi Turcoman Front (ITC), composed of Turcoman political parties active in Northern Iraq, held its second convention. At the opening of the convention, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's telegram was read. The telegram said, "I hope your convention is a success with attention paid to the territorial integrity of Iraq." Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said, "Turcomans are like a bridge between Turkey and Iraq." /Milliyet/

TURKEY WILL NOT SEND SOLDIERS TO A EUROPEAN ARMY

The EU member countries met in Brussels to discuss the establishment of the EU Rapid Reaction Force. Turkey was not asked to send soldiers for the European Army to be composed of 100,000 soldiers. A joint statement issued after the meeting of the Defense Ministers said the Rapid Reaction Force will have 100,000 soldiers, 400 fighter aircrafts and 100 warships. The army will be ready by 2003 to carry out tasks ordered by the EU political and military organs. /Hurriyet/

ADD IN VIENNA

A Kemalist Thought Association (ADD) office was opened in Neunkirchen, Austria. The Neunkirchen office was opened with a panel organized by ADD's Vienna office and authorities from Turkish Embassy to Vienna. At the panel Turks living in Neunkirchen conveyed their pleasure over the opening of the new office. /Cumhuriyet/

DEFENSE INDUSTRY INVESTMENTS TO BE APPROVED

Pending approval by the Undersecretary of Treasury, the Undersecretary of National Industry will complete the first phase the projects entailing the provision of 145 attack helicopters and 1,000 new-generation tanks in 2001. The projects, meant to contribute to the logistics of the Turkish Armed Forces, are expected to cost $10 billion. /Cumhuriyet/

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS DISCUSSED

Experts from the European Union stated that Turkey should attach importance to environment impact reports, should prepare a financing project, and should adapt its environmental laws to current EU laws. Frederich Delport, from EU office of the Turkey representative, attended the EU panel "Environment in the Accession Period" organized by Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen Association (TUSIAD), stated Turkey should maintain the environmental prerequisites, as well as political and economic, in order to enter the EU. Stating theoretical changes in the laws should go hand in hand with the practical implementation, Mr. Delport also added there should be controlling mechanisms to maintain stability. Delivering the panel's opening speech, TUSIAD'S Chairman of Executive Council, Erkut Yucaoglu, said the EU should give financial support to candidate countries as well as member countries. /Cumhuriyet/

CHHIBBER: "WE SUPPORT TURKEY TO THE END"

The World Bank's Turkey Director, Ajay Chhibber, attended the "New Trends in Banking and Capital Markets" meeting. Delivering a speech, he said, "We support Turkey in this period by all means." Mr. Chhibber said that in the next three-year period, half of the World Bank's financial aid to Turkey will be for the financial sector. Stressing that the banking system is going through a difficult period, he said the government has been succesful in implementing new financial regulations. /Aksam/

TURKEY EYES MINIMUM $ 2.4 BILLION IN TELECOM SELL OFF PROCEEDS

Turkey has budgeted $2.4 billion in proceeds from a planned telecom block sale in 2001, a senior government official said yesterday. That is the minimum amount expected from the sale set to be completed in the first half of 2001, Treasury Undersecretary Selcuk Demiralp said at a telecommunication conference in Istanbul. He said the government would announce a sell-off strategy for Turk telecom on December 15 and would hold a tender in March of next year. The sale proceeds will be recorded as revenue in the government's consolidated budget. /Turkish Daily News/

ISBANK LAUNCHES $250 MILLION SYNDICATED LOAN

Turkey's biggest lender, Is Bank, has launched a $250 million syndicated loan for export financing purposes. The loan has a one year maturity and carries an interest of Libor plus 45 basis points, industry sources said. /Turkish Daily News/

TURKEY TO RECEIVE 3 BILLION EURO LOAN FROM EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK

The EU Enlargement Department representative responsible for Turkey, Alain Servantle, at the "Telecommunication Arena" meeting held in Istanbul, said the European Investment Bank will give 3 billion euros loan to Turkey for restructuring the transportation and energy industries between 2000-2006. /Milliyet/

FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS

WHY DO THEY OPPOSE? BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)

Columnist Sami Kohen writes on the EU Accession Partnership Document and what it means in effect. A summary of his column is as follows: "These days whatever we do, wherever we turn, we are met with actions against us. Just as we reach the threshold of the EU and and the APD, negative decisions and barriers are erected one after another. Conditions tying Turkey's membership to the Cyprus and the Aegean issues are put into very the document which will open the EU's doors to Turkey... The European Parliament passed a decision which will, in effect, ratify the argument concerning the so-called Armenian Genocide. The Italian Parliament, following the French Senate took a similar stance...The US House of Representatives suspended the sale of eight helicopters to Turkey tying the issue to the Cyprus condition... Various circles in Europe are trying to bring the Kurdish issue to the agenda in different ways and trying to put pressure on Turkey. What happened suddenly? Why is Turkey the target of accusation, obstruction, and imposition campaigns by various circles? During the Cold War, Turkey was West's the most favoured child. It held a special place in NATO. When the US gave full support to Turkey, Europe showed its understanding of Turkey's problems. Toward the end of that era, the climate began to change. The change in international conjuncture led to the emergence of anti-Turkish elements. In clearer terms, these elements led by human rights activists, Greeks, Greek-Cypriots, and Armenians began to seek opportunities to benefit from this climate. Occasionally, these lobbies and their supporters tried pass decisions in their favour in different platforms. Sometimes they were successful in these efforts. Ankara's integration policy with the EU has created ample opportunity for these circles, which have desires and expectations from Turkey, to wage their campaigns. The latest manoeuvre by Greece, in writing down its wishes from Turkey as a condition in the APD, is an example. The latest performance of the Armenian militants and their supporters in bringing the allegations of genocide into the Turkish report discussed in the European Parliament is another example. Certainly, it cannot be said that Turkey's desire to integrate with the EU brought about these arguments. All these allegations, criticisms, and preventions would have been made individually on a state level, just as it has been done in the US House of Representatives and in various European parliaments. In other words, the relations between Ankara and other countries would have deteriorated. Those responsible for the situation today are those who have waged a campaign against Turkey, using the atmosphere to their advantage, and those who have inadvertently invited these allegations. However, we have to realize that Turkkey's indifference has played an important role for things to reach their current state. Ankara has not been able to to take up the disagreements in a new approach, and has not carried out what it could have done in time. It is not possible not to stay silent for Turkey after being squeezed into a corner. However, Turkey should be able to find rational ways to fight against these campaigns without seeing everyone as a possible enemy."

OLD ISSUES