MEDIUM TERM GOALS DOMINATE PROGRAM BY ILNUR CEVIK
(TURKISH DAILY NEWS)
The Turkish government approved the National
Program (NP) during the meeting of the Council of Ministers yesterday.
It was stated that compromise was made from the disagreements before
due to the economic profits that Turkey will have if she becomes a
member of the European Union (EU). During the meeting, in which there
was no disagreement, the program was decided to be presented to the EU
because of the problems that might occur during the translation. The
NP was announced by the Deputy Prime Minister Responsible for the
relations with the EU, Mesut Yilmaz. Yilmaz said, "The
announcement of this program proves the government's determination
concerning Turkey's membership in the EU. /All papers/
In the program, it was stated that the efforts will
be made to solve the problems through dialogue. The following was
written concerning the problem of Aegean and Cyprus: "Within the
framework of her peaceful foreign policy, Turkey will continue her
initiatives to solve her problems with Greece through dialogue. Turkey
will continue to support the efforts of the United Nations (UN) so
that a new cooperation will be established within the context of a
solution that is acceptable and dependent upon the truths about the
island and the sovereign equality of the parties in Cyprus. In the
program, it was also stated that the 'Constitution and the Other
Concerned Laws' would be changed within the framework of the
harmonization with the EU. It was further stated that the issue of the
structure and the function of the National Security Council (NSC)
would be reviewed in the middle term. In the chapter titled 'Custody
Before the Trial' under the title of the 'Political Criteria', the
following precautions are expected to be taken: "Reviewing
Article 19/6 of the Constitution", "Enacting the New
Criminal Trial Procedure Law", "Changing the State Security
Court Law'. In the National Program's 'Political Criteria' chapter,
under the subtitle of the 'Removal of the Capital Punishment', it is
pointed out that according to the Constitution, it is within the
exclusive authority of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) to
decide whether to carry out death sentences that were given in the
past. The issue of Kurdish language education did not take place in
the National Program openly. /Aksam/
In his evaluation speech on the declaration of the
National Program, which is a milestone of Turkey's accession period to
the EU, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said "Everything depends on
us by now. Our aim is to begin holding negotiations in 2003." Cem
added, "The National Program is a detailed work since it includes
many issues regulating social life in Turkey. The Foreign Ministry
will explain the details of the program to the EU countries this week.
It does not matter if the EU finds the program sufficient or not. It's
very important that we have a set target. There are certain sensitive
issues such as the abolition of capital punishment, the NSC (National
Security Council), and the Kurdish issue. There are ongoing legal
works about the abolishment of capital punishment. As far as the NSC
is concerned, I believe the increase in the numbers of the civilians
in the NSC will be a change in the vision of Turkey because the
political structure should be first strengthened in Turkey. The
official language of the Republic of Turkey is Turkish, so there is
not any statement in the National Program concerning the Kurdish
issue. Additionally, the Cyprus issue should be handled separately.
From now on, everything is in our hands. We will decide what to do and
how to do. The point is to complete our preparations before
2003." /Cumhuriyet/
Spokesman of the European Union (EU) Commission,
Christophe Flori, said they were pleased the National Program was
accepted. Flori said, "We have not received the document, but we
expect the document to be sent to the Commission officially by the
Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, next week. The
Commission will examine the National Program comparatively. It will be
compared with the Accession Partnership Document, which was presented
by the EU, and then a detailed explanation will be made concerning the
issue". /Sabah/
Ministers of Finance of the developed G-7
countries, declared they welcome the approval of the National Program
by the Turkish Government. A statement issued said, "G-7
countries welcomed the declaration of the National program which
includes powerful economic reforms for the revival of the Turkish
economy. To regain the trust and cooperation with private sector is
important. We continue to support those kinds of efforts."
/Turkiye/
Secretary General for the European Union, Volkan
Vural, said Turkey needed Euro 15 billion to be able to implement the
reforms which were foreseen in the National Program. Vural said the EU
will give financial support amounting Euro 4.5 billion to Turkey.
According to the information from the Secretariat General of the
European Union, Euro 1 billion 403 million will be granted to and a
credit amounting Euro 170 million will be given to Turkey between
2001-2006. Turkey will also receive Euro 890 million within the
framework of the MEDA 2 and be granted Euro 150 million within the
special cooperation. /Cumhuriyet/
The government is planning to enact five draft laws
within the 'Urgent Precautions Package'. Some of the changes to be
made are as follows: Turk Telekom, 33.5% of which was planning to be
privatized previously, is now planning to be privatized with the
average of 51%. Turkish Airlines (THY) will be professional with the
change that will made in the Civilian Aviation Law. THY will determine
the prices of its tickets. The Treasury will have a healthy structure.
The Central Bank Law will be harmonized with the European Union (EU).
The changes to be made in the Banking Law include strict control
decisions. The new control mechanisms will be implemented concerning
the use of loans and off-shore banks. /Sabah/
The clashes between the Albanian guerillas and the
Macedonian security forces has caused some civilians to immigrate to
other countries, including Turkey. Bulgarian border authorities stated
approximately 2,000 Macedonian women and children are on their way to
Turkey. /Milliyet/
A 10 member committee formed by the representatives
of various women's associations visited Parliamentary Justice
Commission members yesterday in an effort to convince them of the need
for an equal share of the assets made during marriage in case of a
divorce. Union of Turkish Women Chairwoman Sema Kendirci said only 8.5
percent of Turkish women have assets of their own and the rights of
women should be carefully protected. She said 90 % of Turkish women
cannot protect their own rights and they will apply a vote boycott to
female deputies who do not defend women's rights in the Parliament.
/Turkish Daily News/
The Chief of the General Staff, Huseyin Kivrikoglu
began a six-day South East Asian tour. Yesterday Kivrikoglu visited
the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. Hasina reiterated
strong admiration for the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk. Kivrikoglu also met with the Commander of the
Bangladesh Land Forces, Harun-Ur Reshid. /Milliyet/
Turkish Minister of the Interior, Sadettin Tantan,
and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Rusaylo, had a phone
conversation yesterday concerning the Russian plane that was hijacked.
The two Ministers sent their condolences to one other for those who
died during the action and decided to cooperate with each other so
that the hijack will be investigated and a similar incident will not
occur again. /Sabah/
Romanian Air Force Commander, Lieutenant General
Gheorghe Bucse, in Turkey to pay an official visit, met with Air Force
Commander General Ergin Celasin. Following the meeting, Gen. Celasin
said Turkey has been cooperating with the Romanian Air Force Command
since 1992. Stressing that they want to improve mutual cooperation
with Turkey, Gen. Busce said, "We desire to be a NATO member and
want to benefit from Turkey's experience." /Turkiye/
Turkish Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary
Yigit Alpogan who has been in China on an official visit, asked
Chinese officials to support Turkey's policy on Cyprus. The visit is
being carried out within the scope of the Turkish-Chinese Action Plan
signed between the two countries during Chinese Foreign Minister Jang
Jiaxuan's visit to Turkey last year. Diplomatic sources in Beijing
said the meeting was very efficient and they had taken information
about Cyprus. /Turkish Daily News/
A Virtue Party deputy and also a member of the
"Council of European Parliamentarians Assembly's Middle East
Committee", Abdullah Gul, left for Israel to hold meetings
related to the Mideast Peace Negotiations. /Turkiye/
Prof. Erdal Inonu, currently in Dortmund, Germany,
traveled to Berlin as a guest of the Berlin Kemalist Thought
Association. Inonu stated in his speech to reporters that he did not
want to take part in a newly emerging party. He added, "They want
me to lead this new political initiative. However, I simply want to
write my thoughts. I will not take part in a new political
party." /Cumhuriyet/
The Strategic Technic Economic Research Center
organized an "Energy Arena" meeting in Ankara yesterday.
Delivering a speech in the meeting, former President Suleyman Demirel
said Turkey has no other alternative but to participate in world
markets. He added, "Since EU countries applications are better
than ours, we have to adopt ourselves to them." Minister of
Energy and Natural Resources Cumhur Ersumer said not fighting, but
peace should be dominant in the energy sector. European Union
representative for Turkey, Ambassador Karen Fogg, also attended the
meeting. /Turkiye/
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Cumhur
Ersumer said that peace and cooperation were essential to solving
Turkey's energy problems. A discussion forum was held by the Strategic
Technical Economic Research Center (STEAM) at the Ankara Hilton
yesterday, at which Ersumer stressed that war and fighting had
dominated the search for energy in the 20th century, but that this
would give way to cooperation and peace in the 21st. The minister went
on to say that Turkey's new role is to be a bridge to deliver Caspian
and Middle Eastern oil and natural gas to western markets. Important
steps have been taken to transport Egyptian natural gas through the
Lebanon, Jordan and Syria to Turkey under a recent agreement with
Syria, he added. /Turkish News/
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze evaluated
the Sahdeniz natural gas agreement signed between Turkey and
Azerbaijan as a "great victory". In a statement,
Shevardnadze said the agreement which foresees Azeri natural gas
transport through Georgia has a strategic importance for his country.
Stressing that the natural gas exported to Turkey will be a remedy for
Georgia's energy shortage, Shevardnadze added, "The project in
question will be as useful as the Baku-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline
Project." /Turkiye/
The State Minister responsible for the economy,
Kemal Dervis, gave detailed information on the new economic program
and said, "The urgent legal measures are the conditions needed so
the economic program can be succesful. The urgent precautions package
will be implemented immediately by the Prime Minister and the Deputy
Prime Ministers. The situation of the social group, which is affected
by the crisis most, will be particularly examined and the social
support programs, which will be established for this group, will be
supported by international resources. The problems of the banking
sector do not show that all the banks have an unhealthy structure. The
banks were not well controled in the past. We are determined that
another gap does not occur. The inflation rate will be high during the
following months. However, we will defeat inflation, which has been
making the economy worse. The inflation rate will decrease to 2%
monthly at the end of this year. We are also determined to decrease
the inflation rate under 20%. It is estimated that the economy will
grow again at the end of summer. This U turn was observed in countries
such as Brazil, Mexico and South Korea that experienced a similar
crisis. The price policy in the public sector will be determined
without causing employment loss. In addition, privatization is among
our prioritized targets. Our preparations concerning the arrangements
in the urgent precautions package continue. Some of them will be ready
to be presented to the Turkish Grand National Assembly next
week". /Sabah/
Turkey and the IMF came to terms with the
conditions of the framework agreement for the release of $6.2 billion
IMF credit. According to the agreement, the banking sector will be
strengthened and urgent measures will be taken for the restructuring
of the state-owned banks. Inflation will rise temporarily, but will be
decreased monthly to 2 % by the end of the year. Gross National Income
minus interests will be kept at 4 % and for the public sector it will
be 3.6%. The economy will shrink 2 % in 2001. Legal bases will be
concluded for the privatization. If market conditions are suitable,
the majority share of Telekom will be prepared for the sale. Turkey
will receive the $6.2 billion portion of the existing stand-by credit
which has not yet been drawn. IMF European Director Michael Deppler,
suggested the credit be used to support the budget. /Milliyet/
World Bank Deputy Director and Chief Economist,
Nicholas Stern said they give full support to the economic program
prepared by State Minister for the Economy, Kemal Dervis. Stern said,
"We believe this program facilitates the recovery from the
crisis. The World Bank will give strong support." /Milliyet/
Treasury has decided to borrow in the range of TL
2.5-3.5 quadrillion through three-month bills today ahead of a TL 3.3
quadrillion redemption on Wednesday. The Treasury said it would hold
the auction on the basis of a single pricing system where eligible
bidders will buy the bills at the highest interest rate quotation
accepted by the Treasury, regardless of the interest rate they offer.
Markets have viewed today's borrowing as critical. Market participants
commented favorably about the term of the auction and the single
pricing system, although that would mean the Treasury tolerating a
relatively expensive rollover. /Turkish Daily News/
A Turkish trade delegation which visited Baghdad
and Jordan returned to Turkey yesterday. Foreign Trade Undersecretary
Kursad Tuzmen said that he thought Turkey was on the verge of signing
a $50-$60 million trade agreement with Jordan. The visit, which was
organized by the Uludag Exporters' Association and the foreign trade
undersecretary, ended with good results, according to Tuzmen. He
stated that Turkey and Jordan had negotiated on such topics as
industrial policy, trade, agriculture, water and transportation.
Undersecretary Tuzmen said that there were opportunities for Turkey in
the construction business and that Jordan's current condition reminded
him of Turkey in the 1980s. /Turkish News/
The representatives of the private sector, the
heads of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association
(TUSIAD), the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) and the Turkish
Employers' Union Confederation (TISK) came together and agreed to
continue their support for the economic program. They also requested
the government and opposition political parties fully and openly
support the program. /Milliyet/
Minister of Tourism, Erkan Mumcu, visited Prime
Minister Bulent Ecevit and gave him information on the new projects.
Mumcu said an income of 40 billion US dollars was targeted to be
reached with four new projects. Meanwhile, Ecevit said he would bring
this issue to the agenda during the leaders' summit. /Sabah/
The Chairmanship for Administration of Development
of and Support to Small and Medium Scale Industries (KOSGEB),
Gaziantep Director Sedat Karsli, said KOSGEB would organize a tour to
Greece within the framework of its tours abroad. Karsli stated KOSGEB
would support half of the costs of the Small and Medium-scale
enterprises (KOBIs) which will attend the tour. /Cumhuriyet/
Istanbul is preparing for a very important test to
host the 2008 Olympic Games. A delegation of 17 people will evaluate
the city on 20-25 March to examine the report presented to the
International Olympics Committee by Istanbul. Numerous preparations
have been made so the delegation can work comfortably. The commission
will be welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. Yilmaz will be
accompanied by Fikret Unlu, Governor of Istanbul, Erol Cakir and the
Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Ali Mufit Gurtuna.
/Sabah/
Nevruz, the oldest-known festival in the world,
observed for more than 5,000 years at the beginning of every spring,
will be observed this year again on March 21 by all the Turkish and
Turkish speaking communities living throughout the world. As part of
the festivities, a group of students, on invitation from the Culture
Ministry, visited Ataturk's Mausoleum (Anitkabir) in Ankara on Monday.
The 30 students from 15 provinces throughout the country said that it
was their first visit to the Mausoleum. The students arrived in Ankara
on Sunday and will be taken to various plays, concerts and be shown
around Ankara by Culture Ministry officials. /Turkish News/
The long waited National Program is out and Turkey
has set a vague course towards achieving democratic standards that
exist in other civilized countries... Most of the democratic norms
that are enjoyed by European Union citizens are to be achieved in the
medium term according to the program. This is the only normal view of
the social, economic and political complications we are facing in our
country as the forces of progress and change struggle with those who
want to main the status quo. The fact that those who want to maintain
the status quo are firmly entrenched in the state apparatus forces
those who want speedy progress to be cautious. Deputy Prime Minister
Mesut Yilmaz has said medium term means five years. Many of the real
reforms seem to be spread over the years and are rather vague. If this
had been a democratization program prepared by Turkey not for EU
membership but simply because the country wanted to democratize to
catch up with the civilized world the national program announced on
Monday would have been more meaningful. But even in this state that
fact Turkey acknowledges it has defects and that it wants to improve
this situation is significant.
