TURKEY'S DIPLOMATIC TRAFFIC

Turkey has a busy schedule for international politics in January. In addition to the Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan who left Turkey yesterday, Cuban, Hungarian and Polish Foreign Ministers will also visit Turkey in January. Turkey will also host former Chinese Prime Minister Hasimoto and Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze this month. /Cumhuriyet/

TURKEY: "FRANCE WILL PAY THE CONSEQUENCES"

A delegation consisting of Turkish parliamentarians held a press conference yesterday. The delegation is in Paris to lobby against the approval of the so-called Armenia genocide bill which will be discussed by the French National Assembly on January 18. Replying to a question posed by a French journalist, Parliamentarian Bulent Akarcali said that if the bill is approved, France will pay the consequences. /Milliyet/

RESPONSE TO ALLEGATIONS OF SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

The Inonu University and Baskent University have taken a decision on the so-called Armenian genocide bill to be discussed January 18, 2001 in the French Senate. The decision text, prepared by the Inonu University, stated the bill on the so-called Armenian genocide, would be detrimental to international relations, distorted historical facts, and was unjust and untrue. Senate placed blame on the supporters of the Armenian bill. /Cumhuriyet/

BUSH INVITES BAHCELI

President-Elect George Bush has rolled up his sleeves to work on his strategy regarding Turkey. Bush has sent a delegation headed by Lawrence Silverman, Deputy Undersecretary of Political Affairs, at the US Embassy in Ankara to the Nationalist Action Party (MHP). During the meeting, Silverman stated Bush wanted to meet with MHP Leader Devlet Bahceli in the US. /Aksam/

ALIYEV TO VISIT ANKARA

Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev is expected to visit Turkey at the beginning of next month. During the meeting, bilateral relations between Turkey and Azerbajian, the purchase of natural gas from Azerbaijan and the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline project will be discussed. /Milliyet/

COHEN'S SUPPORT ON ESDI

US Secretary of Defense William Cohen stated non-EU member NATO countries must be included in the decision making processes related to the European Security and Defense Identity (ESDI). Cohen criticised the attempts of certain EU countries to exclude Turkey, and of establishing an independent force alternative to NATO in Europe. Cohen said, "Six NATO countries which are not EU members, Turkey, Norway, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Iceland should be full participants, not just observers, in the planning of operations to be carried out by the EU. NATO will experience certain tension between circles demanding an independent security structure and groups in favour of a strong NATO." /Cumhuriyet/

MOSES: "THERE ARE TWO AUTHORITIES ON CYPRUS"

US President Bill Clinton's Special Envoy to Cyprus, Alfred Moses, pointing the two authorities on Cyprus, said: "There is also an authority in northern Cyprus which consists of Turkish-Cypriots. But it is not an officialy recognized government". Moses held a series of contacts in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and in the Greek-Cypriot Administration. During the meeting with Moses, TRNC President Rauf Denktas said proximity talks under the UN were over for him noting that a solution for the Island could be achieved if the two states on Cyprus are recognized. /Aksam/

TURKEY RENEWS ITS AGREEMENT WITH LOBBYISTS

Turkey is planning to renew its agreement in March with the Livingston-Solomon-Solarz lobyying group which successfully defended Turkey last year when the so-called Armenian genocide bill was being dicussed in the US House of Representatives. The agreement is expected to be extended for one-year in the upcoming days. /Aksam/

SEZER'S STATEMENT ON THE TGNA AUTHORITY TO ENACT AMNESTY LAW

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated in the International Constitutional Law Congress that TGNA's authority to enact amnesty law should be abolished. Replying to arguments that the amnesty was useful for assuaging the struggles and contradictions in the society, Mr. Sezer said, "However, we should recall that amnesty is incompatible with justice, and causes a gradual diminishing of confidence in the state within society. Therefore, I believe that it is high time to discuss TGNA's authority to enact the amnesty law. /Hurriyet/

YUSUF BOZKURT OZAL PASSES AWAY

A brother of Turkey's 8th President Turgut Ozal, Yusuf Bozkurt Ozal, died yesterday in Ankara as a result of brain cancer. Yusuf Bozkurt Ozal was a two-term member of parliament and a state minister in his older brother Turgut Ozal's cabinet in late 1980s. /All papers/

LEADERS REACH CONSENSUS FOR AMENDMENTS

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, in response to questions by journalists regarding the leaders summit yesterday, said the 57th coalition government has reached consensus for the constitutional amendments. The proposal envisages the amendment of Article 69 and Article 101 and temporary Article 15 will be discussed in the parliamentary Constitutional Commission today. /All papers/

CAY IN GEORGIA

State Minister Abdulhaluk Cay headed for Georgia Monday night to pay an official visit at a prior invitation of his Goergian counterpart George Arsenishvilli, the Anatolia News Agency reports. Speaking to the reporters in Ankara before his departure, Cay said an exhange of views on economic, political and cultural issues will take place during his visit. /Turkish Daily News/

PROFESSOR BEYAZ'S ASSAILANT CAPTURED

Yesterday in Gaziantep, police captured Prof.Zekeriya Beyaz's assailant Hilal Cihan. /All papers/

MEETING ON AGRICULTURE IN OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

Minister of State and Deputy Prime Minister Husamettin Ozkan, Ministers of State Recep Onal, Rustu Kazim Yucelen, Minister of Finance Sumer Oral, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Husnu Yusuf Gokalp and Minister of Industry and Trade Kenan Tanrikulu met to discuss the regulations on Development Strategy and Implementation of Agricultural Reform related to the World Bank credit. The ministers evaluated projects to be carried out with the financial support of international institutions and discussed the activities related to agricultural reform. /Cumhuriyet/

LAUNCHING OF TURKSAT 2A POSTPONED AGAIN

Launching of the TURKSAT 2A was postponed again due to the bad weather conditions. It was stated, due to the launching delays, Alcatel Space company paid $ 6 million to Euraiasat. /Cumhuriyet/

GERMAN GOVERNMENT GIVES SCHENGEN VISA TO MEMBERS OF TOBB DELEGATION

The German government decided to give a Schengen visa to the members of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) delegation currently in Germany until their passport expires. A businessmen delegation including Minister of State Tunca Toskay and TOBB Chairman Fuat Miras, traveled to Germany yesterday to attend the Heim Textile Fair in Frankfurt. /Hurriyet/

PKK AND HIZBULLAH ARMAMENTS RECOVERED BY SECURITY FORCES

During the operations by security forces, armaments and ammunition belonging to the PKK and Hizbullah terrorist organizations were recovered in Sirnak and Mardin. /Turkiye/

AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT'S FINANCIAL AID TO PKK

One of the supporters of the PKK, Mesopotamian Culture and Sports Association received financial aid totalling $ 5,000 from the Austrian government. It was stated the aid was given to the Association in support of Orthodox Assyrians organizations in Austria. It is well known that the Mesopotamian Culture and Sports Association helps Assyrians organize an international lobby against Turkey in the international arena. /Turkiye/

EUROPEAN FINANCIAL GIANTS TRUST TURKEY

ING Barings Bank, based in Holland, stated the present rate of interest does not coincide with Turkey's risk and would decline in near future. The German Deutsche Bank estimated the inflation rate would be as targeted by the end of 2001. As Deutsche Bank believed inflation would continue to fall, the rate of inflation in the CPI will be 19.6% and 18.2% in the WPI by the end of the year. /Hurriyet/

IMF AID TO TURKEY

The International Monetary Fund will send $1.1 billion this month as the first slice of the aid facility program (SRF) of $7.5 billion, approved during the financial crises Turkey faced last November. The second slice will be made available in February. On the other hand, Chief of Turkey Desk, Carlo Cottarelli, and an accompanying delegation will come to Turkey this week to observe the applications of the Standby Program. Also, the Standby Agreement is expected to be revised during the visit./Turkiye/

WOLRD BANK SUPPORTS TURKEY

World Bank's Turkey Desk representative, Ajay Chibber, said they support Turkey within the Strategy of Aid to a Country base. Through this strategy, he said, The Wolrld will give $5 billion to Turkey in 3 years time. One billion dollars has already been sent and is available for use./Turkiye/

VISIT OF JCR TO TURKEY

The Japanese Credit rating firm, the JCR, will come to Turkey as a part of the yearly observations for Turkey. The analyists and specialists from the firm will also hold talks with Turkish economy officials. These observations are important for Turkey in view of financial resources from the Samurai Securities market. /Turkiye/

EXCHANGE RESERVES OF CENTRAL BANK

It was reported that Central Bank reserves for Turkey are recovering after it dropped to critical lower levels during the financial crises of last November. The Bank foreign reserves reached the 25 billion dollars level again, the highest point reached just before the August crisis in 1999. /Turkiye/

FIRST CREDIT RATING FOR TEB INSURANCE

For the first time, an insurance company in Turkey has been awarded by an international rating institution. Fitch has given an (A) national rating to the TEB Insurance Company. The Head of the Executive Board of the TEB Insurance Company, Akin Akbaygil, said that transparency was very important for the development of the insurance sector. /Sabah/

SABANCI HOLDING-DUPONT CORPORATION

Sabanci Holding has formed a global alliance with French chemical giant, Dupont. As part of the deal, a new company, Dupont Sabanci International LLC, based in Wilmington, Delaware, will produce and market industrial nylon yarn and cord cloth. Guler Sabanci who was appointed president of the DuSa International noted the company was a global institution and a world leader in its industry. /All papers/

YILMABASAR EXHIBITION IN MOSCOW

Moscow will host the exhibition of Jale Yilmabasar, Turkey's first female ceramics professor. The exhibition is expected to promote Turkish culture to Russian people and to help improve cultural ties between the two countries. The exhibition will open on January 18 and run through January 28. Yilmabasar has exhibited her works in Paris, Munich, New York and Zurich. /Hurriyet/

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

SUCH A FRANCE? BY MUMTAZ SOYSAL (HURRIYET)

Columnist Mumtaz Soysal writes on the bill regarding the so-called Armenian Genocide before the France National Assembly. A summary of his column is as follows: "Professor Bernard Lewis, well known in Turkish academic circles was fined as a result of a law-suit in Paris for an article he wrote on the so-called Armenian Genocide. The renowned historian was accused of belittling the importance and intentions behind the Armenian massacres, even though he accepted them in fact, and therefore not taking the common claims of international organizations into consideration. It is not difficult to estimate the severity of such a conviction and its silencing effect on an academician. French laws passed in 1981 and 1990 make it a crime to discuss the viewpoints of the genocide which are contrary to the International Nuremberg Court decisions. When the Paris court sentenced Professor Lewis, it regarded the German Holocaust and the Armenian Massacres as similar, as if they were also proven in fact by the Nuremberg court. Such a decision means French academic circles cannot express views in favour of Turks concerning the incidents which occurred in 1915. Therefore, the bill regarding the so-called Armenian genocide should not be taken lightly. It poses a grave danger. One cannot just say that history will remain unchanged by the acceptance of a bill in the French National Assembly. It is a symbolic act directed at French citizens of Armenian origin. Even if you say it has no importance, there will be others who will claim that while the bill was being enacted, neither the Government opposed it, nor the rights of Turkey were sought in a court of law. Therefore, even though it lacks legal authority it may lead to legal results. This mentality, which fined Professor Lewis, would hamper the efforts of those attempting to discover the facts of the 'Armenian massacres'. It is not hard to guess what will happen throughout the world with France leading in such a case. However, the France of Descartes, Pascal, Voltaire and Braudel, is known as the country of ideological and scientific freedom in Turkey, not where doubts in the minds of the people are quelled by laws with political aims. Nowhere in the world have parties and politicians with local election calculations rewritten history; it should not happen in France. In fact, does it become the great French state to stand by and watch history relatively unknown, be used for local politics? During the first years of the Republic, Turkey has not turned its recent past with France, such as the division of Iraq and Syria after the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the occupation of Cilicia, Antep and Maras by Armenians in French uniforms, into a vestige of hate through enacting laws, but has managed to turn it into Turco-French friendship with the signing of Ankara Agreement in 1921. Certainly, Paris will not find ways to bring Ankara and Yerevan together, with both of which it has good relations, by looking at distant past with the near-sightedness of a small politician."

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