POYRAZOGLU'S NEW PLAY ON AUSTRALIA TOUR
As the Urgent Precautions Package has been
announced, it is time to announce the technical infrastructure and
details of the package and to determine the framework of the National
Program. Within this context, the macroeconomic figures will become
clear, and details of the program will be announced. State Minister
Kemal Dervis will go to the US March 24. Meanwhile, the Executive
Boards of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank
will meet March 28, during which Turkey's letter of intent will be
discussed and the amount of resource for Turkey will be determined. In
addition, the block sale of 51% of Telekom, the legal changes
concerning the autonomization of the World Bank, budget changes and
additional budget laws will be discussed as priority issues. The 2001
Budget will be brought in line with the new macroeconomic targets.
/Aksam/
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said non-urgent public
investments will be delayed for a period of time. However, foreign
invesment institutions will be welcome to invest in Turkey on a
"build-operate-transfer" basis. Ecevit said, "If the
floating exchange rate is used for the purpose of increasing exports
and touristic services, the economy will gain momentum. The increase
in exports will stimulate domestic production and the unemployment
rate will decline." /Milliyet/
The Head of Istanbul's Chamber of Trade (ITO),
Mehmet Yildirim said the urgent economic measures package are not the
measures needed to mobilize the real sector, nevertheless the ITO will
lend support and assess the results at the end of the first three
months. Yildirim said the announced measures are in fact long-term in
nature. "Short term priorities should be to decrease interest
rates and to transfer $5 billion to Eximbank for export credits."
said Yildirim. /Milliyet/
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz left for
Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, on a one-day official visit at the
invitation of his Slovakian counterpart. Before leaving, Mr. Yilmaz
said Turkey and Slovakia are supporting each other during their EU
membership process and added that Turkey supports Slovakia's desire to
become a NATO member. /Turkiye/
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Cumhur
Ersumer, travelled to the Syrian capital, Damascus, upon the
invitation of his Syrian counterpart Munib Saem el-Dahr, and returned
to Turkey yesterday. During his visit Ersumer participated in the
opening ceremony for a Syrian-Jordanian electricity grid link up. He
also held bilateral meetings with Syrian officials. /Turkish Daily
news/
The "Annual Conference" of the
Turco-American Business Council, attached to the Foreign Economic
Relations Committee, and of the American-Turkish Council will be held
March 25-28 in the capital, Washington. State Minister Kemal Dervis
and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ismail Cem will attend the conference
to discuss the issue of 'Direct Investment in Turkey and the US'. The
conferences will discuss how Turkey can increase US investments and
foreign capital as well as increasing Turkish investments in the US.
The conference will include sessions on energy, defence,
telecommunication, finance, agriculture and food products, textiles
and ready-made clothing, investments in Turkey and in the US, and the
Southeast Anatolian Project (GAP). /Aksam/
The Secretary General for the EU, Ambassador,
Volkan Vural has finished drafting Turkey's National Program for EU
membership. Thursday Vural visited the Turkish Parliament Foreign
Policy Committee and relayed information about the program's final
draft. The program will be discussed by the Cabinet and made public at
a press conference by Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. Vural gave
some details on sensitive issues, such as issues, such as education in
Kurdish and the abolition of capital punishment. /Turkish News/
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer signed the decree
appointing Banking Regulation and Supervision Board (BDDK) Deputy
Chairman, Faik Oztrak, as Treasury Undersecretary. /Cumhuriyet/
European Co-Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary
Committee (JPC), Daniel Cohn-Bendit, which serves as the bridge
between the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) and the European
Parliament (EP), said the JPC wants to hold its meeting in Diyarbakir.
Cohn-Bendit added, "If Turkey does not accept this suggestion,
then a delegation from the EP will want to visit Diyarbakir. Mayor of
Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality, Feridun Celik, currently in
Strasbourg as Cohn-Bendit's guest, attended the meeting of the JPC's
European wing yesterday. /Aksam/
A bill denouncing the massacres and violence
perpetrated by France in Algeria and all other places, is being
debated in the TGNA Interior Affairs Commission. The bill was prepared
after France's approval of the so-called Armenian genocide. The
Commission sent the bill to a sub-committee. /Cumhuriyet/
British Researcher Andrew Mango and American
historian Prof. Justin McCharty attended a meeting organized by the
Democratic Principles Foundation in Istanbul, to discuss
Turco-Armenian relations. Before the meeting, Mango and McCharty spoke
with journalists, saying the Armenians, engaged in a smear campaign,
will be disappointed by Turkey's professional efforts to make clear
the historical realities and to explain them to the world. /Turkiye/
A Russian plane was hijacked yesterday by two
Chechen terrorists soon after its departure from Ataturk Airport in
Istanbul. The plane is carrying 162 passengers, 59 of whom are Turks,
and a crew of 12. The terrorists carried knives and claimed to have a
bomb. Women, children and a wounded person were released by the
terrorists late last night. The plane initially headed out of Turkish
airspace towards Cairo, but Egyptian air traffic control said the
plane had turned in the direction of Medina. The plane landed at an
airport in the Muslim holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia, according
to Qatar's al-Jazeera TV channel and Saudi Arabian civil aviation
authorities. Demanding an end to war in Chechnya, the terrorists
demanded to go to Afghanistan. After the hijacking, the Russian
Federation sent a note to Turkey. The letter stated they had warned
Ankara before about possible Chechen terrorist activities that might
take place in Turkey. Russia demanded extra security measures for
Russian citizens and institutions. The Foreign Ministry conveyed
Ankara's worry over the incident. Meanwhile, Saudi officials said they
had formed a special desk to deal with the hijacking adding that they
hoped a solution would be found. /Cumhuriyet-Turkish News/
Turkey has not changed its policy of blocking
European Union access to NATO military facilities in future peace
keeping operations. The EU wants access to NATO facilities as a part
of its European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI). The issue was an
item during a meeting in Brussels between NATO's North-Atlantic
Council (NAC) and the EU's Political and Security Committee. The
committee is designed as an advisory body for common foreign and
security policy activities within the EU. Turkey's permanent NATO
representative, Ambassador Onur Oymen, said the issue was discussed
briefly, but no significant change was recorded. The main topic of the
Brussels meeting was the tension along the Macedonia border. /Turkish
News/
Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev is reprotedly
trying to gain the support of the Turkish government in an effort to
settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Aliyev has proposed working
together with Turkish officials in convincing the US government to
support a plan being drawn up by the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk group. The new plan specifies the
withdrawal of Armenian troops froma section of the
"occupied" territories of Azerbaijan, the opening of a
corridor between Azerbaijan and Nakhechevan, and the deployment of
international peacekeeping forces on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border.
/Turkish News/
The British Parliament has approved a new bill in
the fight against terrorism by prohibiting the activities of 21
terrorist organizations including the PKK and DHKP-C. The bill was
prepared by Interior Secretary Jack Straw to reinforce the new
Anti-Terror Law enacted in February. British political circles stated
the bill was going to be discussed at the House of Lords. The bill
foresees heavy punishments including expulsion for the members of
these organizations, as well as for people aiding to these
organizations and sympathizers who carry their emblems or flags.
/Cumhuriyet/
Nine PKK terrorists were killed in operations by
security forces in Sirnak. Officials said that operations in the
region were continuing. /Milliyet/
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ismail Cem presented a
shield to former Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Foreign
and Defense Minister Necati Munir Ertegun for his service in the TRNC.
Cem and Undersecretary Faruk Logoglu emphasized Ertegun's
contributions to the TRNC in the speeches they delivered at the
ceremony. /Cumhuriyet/
It is reported that Greek Foreign Minister George
Papandreou will come to Ankara April 6 for one day visit. /Milliyet/
Moscow has stepped back from it's harsh stance
regarding Kazakhstan's signature on the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline protocol.
During a visit to Astana, Russian Head of State Vladimir Putin's
Special Advisor for the Caspian Region, Viktor Kalyujni, claimed that
Russia did not oppose any feasible project, including the Baku-Ceyhan
pipeline project. /Turkiye/
General Director of BOTAS, Gokhan Yardim, stated,
"A pipeline of 980 km, extending from Azerbaijan to
Erzurum-Horasan, will be constructed as a part of the project
transporting Azerbaijani natural gas to Turkey. The Azerbaijani
natural gas pipeline will connect with the Iranian natural gas
pipeline in Erzurum. In addition, it will connect with the Blue Stream
pipeline 50 km east of Ankara. /Aksam/
The Fehriye Erdal hearing was postponed at the
request of defense attorneys until May 3. The case against Erdal was
brought by the Sabanci family for crimes she committed in Turkey. The
lawyer for the Sabanci family, Fernard Schmitz, stated Belgium, which
refused to extradite Erdal, had to try her. /Sabah/
The meeting of the Coalition to Fight Against
Bribery in Transitional Economies, organized by the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will be held in Istanbul
March 20-22 this year. The main aim of the meeting is to determine
effective precautions which can be taken to avoid bribery in
transitional economies. /Sabah/
As foot and mouth disease has become widespread in
England, Belgium and Germany, Turkey has taken increased precautions.
Turkey has decided not to import animal products such as milk, cheese,
yoghurt, angora wool and spring-shorn wool. Meanwhile, the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated the foot and
mouth disease has become a global threat and that no country is safe
in terms of this disease. /Aksam/
Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli said Turkey
could overcome the crisis by taking further steps based on sound
decisions and a determination to implement those decisions without
making concessions. Stating everbody should do his utmost to
accomplish his duties, Bahceli said, "On the one hand, we should
try to sustain a more stable atmosphere, on the other hand, we should
not be late in taking the necessary steps for Turkey to continue her
progress." /Cumhuriyet/
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is satisfied
with government's decision to accelerate banking reform. IMF circles
strongly stress the burden of the banking sector on the economy which
resulted in the fiscal crisis and the collapse of the former program.
/Milliyet/
With the Treasury's internal debt payment due next
week, the economic administration is looking for new formulas to make
these payments easily. Alternative solutions, formulated through the
works conducted by the State Minister Kemal Dervis, will be discussed
by the officials from the World Bank and the Union of Banks and the
Economic Supreme Administration. /Aksam/
The Treasury will sell bonds to finance debt
repayments on March 21. A three-month bond will be offered to banks.
/Milliyet/
The Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's
Association (TUSIAD) suggested the Central Bank intervene in the
financial markets by selling foreign exchange thereby removing the
financial system`s deadlock. The Head of the TUSIAD, Tuncay Ozilhan,
said the important thing was to secure the financial base of the
economic program. "Currently, the interbank , bond and TL markets
are not functioning. The Central bank has enough exchange money at
hand to regulate the financial markets. If the bank sells the foreign
currency in a controlled manner, the foreign currency will not be
pulled out of the markets. Otherwise, the crisis will deepen,"
said Ozilhan. /Milliyet/
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Deputy Prime
Ministers Devlet Bahceli, Mesut Yilmaz and Husamettin Ozkan and State
Minister for the Economy, Kemal Dervis will participate in the
enlarged meeting of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity
Exchanges (TOBB). The Head of the TOBB, Fuat Miras said 350
representatives will meet with Dervis and will have a say regarding
the new economic program. /Milliyet/
The foundation for a mobile power station was laid
yesterday in the Hacilar town of Kirikkale. The power station will be
jointly constructed by GAMA and BARMEK on 30 acres. The planned
completion date is nine months from now. 5,694,000,000 kw hours of
electricity produced by the plant in five years will be purchased by
TEAS. /Turkiye/
The Banking Regulation and Supervision Board (BDDK)
bailed out Iktisat Bank yesterday. The BDDK said Iktisat Bank had
placed its operation in danger by transferring its resources to firms
owned by shareholders. "The bank's losses exceeded its equity
capital. The bank's financial weakness has reached a point where it
cannot meet its obligations. Iktisat Bank's continued operation in its
present situation imperils the rights of depositors and the financial
system's security and stability.", the BDDK stated. Iktisat
Bank's management was transferred to the Savings Deposit Insurance
Fund. The decision was published in the Official Gazette. /Cumhuriyet/
The Transport Ministry has prepared a bill for the
privatization of Turk Telekom to domestic and international investors.
The Cabinet will determine the number of company shares to be sold
off. The bill consists of four articles. and says Turk Telekom is
required to be sold off to a consortium of foreign and Turkish firms
with a strategic majority shareholder. Turk Telekom will be removed
from the regulation supervising State Economic Enterprises (SEEs) by
the bill. The measure is being taken to prevent a would-be
cancellation of the Turk Telekom sell-off by the Council of State.
/Turkish News/
The New York Times said Sabanci University in
Istanbul represents a new model for education in Turkey with its
international academic team. The production of interactive information
and interdisciplinary studies are the main features of this new
education model. /Hurriyet/
Minister of Tourism, Erkan Mumcu, stated Turkey's
2001 promotion campaign would be implemented in eight countries by
five advertisement agencies. He added, "State biddings will be
carried out with the participation of the civilian sector, which is a
first in Turkey". Meanwhile, Turkey is going through many
important developments in spite of the economic crisis; according to
the State Instute of Statistics (SIS) data, 2,984 companies and 1,512
firms were established in Turkey. In addition, American Cotton
Incorporated's European and Asian Marketing Director, Dean Pelezar,
said the Turkish textile sector could undergo an export boom.
/Turkiye/
Implemention of daylight saving time will begin on
25 March at 01:00 a.m. A statement issued by the Ministry of Energy
and National Resources outlined the reasons for implementing daylight
savings. The one hour charge will save energy, ensure Turkey is insync
with European time, and decrease the evening energy demand. /Aksam/
After the success of his highly acclaimed play
Kobay (Guinea Pig), Ali Poyrazoglu will perform his new play
"Borrowed lifes" in Australia and Singapour. Poyrazoglu
adapted the new play from his book published last year. /Hurriyet/
