TURKS DESERVE TO HOST THE OLYMPICS BY ILNUR CEVIK (TURKISH DAILY
NEWS)
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer phoned Macedonian President Boris
Traykovski yesterday to give a message of political support.
Sezer pointed out his desire for a peaceful end to the incidents
along the Kosovo border as soon as possible. He added the
expectations of Macedonia by the international community were
expressed during bilateral contacts and in international
platforms. Traykovski thanked for Sezer's support.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Huseyin Dirioz held
a press conference yesterday and said: "We support Macedonia's
territorial integrity and condemn the acts of violence".
/Cumhuriyet/
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said the National Program, which
includes commitments for full EU membership, is a good move for
the government and that he is ready to assist. EU Secretary
General for the EU Affairs, Ambassador Volkan Vural, presented
the National Program to the President and the Parliamentary
Speaker. Sezer said to Vural, "I am backing the program. I will
do whatever I can do to assist implementing the program. Sezer
said implementation was important at this stage. /Milliyet/
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said the National Program approved
by the government represents the national will rather than
external influence. At the group meeting of DSP in parliament,
Ecevit said, "I have no doubts that the spirit of national
solidarity can overcome all kind of problems. Our economy will
improve and the inflation rate will drop." /Milliyet/
President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf
Denktas said: "In the National Program put forth by the Turkish
government, the Cyprus issue was mentioned and a framework was
drawn up. This framework is valid for us since it mentions two
equal sovereign states". Denktas delivered a speech at a panel at
Bahcesehir University in Istanbul yesterday. /Cumhuriyet/
Turkey has announced a comprehensive and assertive National
Program, according to Rudolf Schmidt, the German Ambassador in
Ankara. In a written statement released late Tuesday, Schmidt
emphasized how Turkey's National Program spells out the way it
will implement the reforms needed for European Union (EU)
membership. Schmidt noted the National Program was ready just two
weeks after the Accession Partnership Document was legally
approved and published in the EU's Official Gazette. "I am
especially glad the Turkish government has adopted a positive and
constructive stance towards the issue," he said. Schmidt also
said the National Program was a step in the right direction. "The
government has shown it won't shy away from confronting its
challenges," he stated. /Turkish Daily News/
The Swedish Ambassador in Ankara, Henrik Liljegren, (Sweden holds
the EU Term-Presidency) stated that the National Program was a
result of compromise. He said: "The Turkish government has shown
its determination concerning EU membership. We are now waiting
for the implementation". He added that the National Program would
be a driving force in overcoming the economic crisis as well, and
the EU attaches great importance to Turkey's economic stability.
/Cumhuriyet/
The European Union (EU) Commission's Directorate General,
responsible for all the Commission's research, will announce all
new developments to the Turkish public through the 'Star' daily.
The Department of Research, a newly established directorate, will
deliver all sorts of news on social developments in the EU,
statistics, the environment, new technologies, and scientific
research, to four Turkish journalists, one of whom is from the
'Star' daily. Chairman of the Research Department, Anna
Avilagarad, said this new program was being implemented so all
member countries could receive a greater amount of information
more rapidly. For this purpose, four institutions were selected
from the media and written press of each member country. Among
the other newspapers selected from the Turkish press are the
Hurriyet, Milliyet and Radikal. /Star/
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will meet with Bush administration
officials next week in Washington. Cem will meet with US Vice
President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza
Rice, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. /Milliyet/
Minister of State and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said,
"We should complete the works to abolish the capital punishment
in five years." Meanwhile, Secretary General for the EU, Volkan
Vural, said the National Program (NP) would fail unless it is
implemented in parallel to the new economic program. Denying
allegations that certain political promises in the NP are not
clearly defined, Vural said the NP was based on country facts,
the goverment's priorities and the Accession Partnership
Document. /Cumhuriyet/
Mark Grossman was appointed as the State Department's
Undersecretary of Political Affairs. Grossman said Cyprus, as a
whole, should become a full EU member rather than just including
the Greek-Cypriot Administration. Grossman said, "A solution to
the Cyprus problem is required for full EU membership. This
membership is in the interest of both Turkey and
Turkish-Cypriots. The future is in full EU membership."
/Milliyet/
On the eve of his visit to Turkey which will start today,
Tunisian President Zeynel Abidin bin Ali, speaking to the
Anatolia news agency, said that his visit would be an opportunity
to start a new term in Turkish-Tunisian relations. "I hope that
my visit will be an opportunity to seek ways to open new terms in
the relations between the two countries" he said. /Turkish Daily
News/
9th Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, a member of the
International Middle East Research Commission, met Israeli
President Simon Peres along with other members. Members of the
Commission will stay in the region until 25 March and continue to
meet with Peres. They had previously visited the region and
received reports from the parties involved. Peres met with the
delegations and said, "I am against the United Nations (UN) Peace
Keeping Force being located in the region. Such a force will not
be effective. I prefer to use money, not for creating an
imaginary force, which will add anger to anger, but for
developing the economy. Commission members then went to Gazze to
visit hospitals. Meanwhile, UN Human Rights Commission stated
that Israeli soldiers were carrying out extreme violence against
Palestinians. /Aksam/
The Directorate General of Security will buy 20 helicopters and
two jet planes from American and English firms during the
biddings to be opened in the following months. The police have an
air fleet of 23 helicopters in Ankara, Istanbul, Diyarbakir and
Adana. A fleet will be established in Samsun, Izmir and Erzincan
thanks to this project amounting to 297 million US dollars. The
fleet in seven provinces will begin operation in 2002. /Star/
Land Forces Commander General Hilmi Ozkok attended the European
Land Forces Conference held in Heildelberg, Germany. Land Forces
Commanders from 30 countries and high ranking officials from
Canada and European countries are participating in the two-day
meeting. /Turkiye/
Chinese Air Forces Commander Liu Shunyao arrived in Ankara
yesterday at the invitation of Turkish Air Forces Commander
General Ergin Celasin. The Commanders told reporters that these
kinds of visits are aimed at improving the current friendship and
relationship between the two countries' air forces. /Turkiye/
Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi will visit Central Asian
Turkish-Speaking countries on his first visit abroad on March
25-April 6. Izgi, together with a parliamentary delegation, will
fly to Uzbekistan at the beginning of next week. /Turkish Daily
News/
The Chief of the General Staff, General Huseyin Kivrikoglu, left
for Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, yesterday. During his
four-day official visit, Gen. Kivrikoglu will hold a series of
meetings with high ranking Pakistani officials. He is scheduled
to meet with military leader Gen. Pervez Muserref and President
Muhammed Refik Tarar. Reportedly, Gen. Kivrikoglu will also
attend the Pakistani National Day celebrations on March 23.
/Turkiye/
Unidentified gunmen attacked a military escort guarding
Gendarmerie Regional Commander, Maj. Gen. Bekir Ugurlu, Wednesday
afternoon. Immediate reports said there were no casualties.
Security forces were reported to have launched an immediate
investigation into the attack under the lead of Maj. Gen. Ugurlu
himself. /Milliyet/
An article in the French "Le Figaro" newspaper said PKK
terrorists escaped to Northern Iraq, occupied 30 villages,
extorted money from villagers and kidnaped young people. It
stated that both Kurdish leaders in the region, Celal Talabani
and Mesut Barzani, complain about PKK activities. /Hurriyet/
Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli will discuss economics today
as part of the preparations for the fourth Economic Congress.
Before the meeting, Bahceli will stress the importance of
economic congresses and will underline the significance of
overcoming the economic crisis. Today's meeting will be the most
expanded form of the Economics Congress. It will be held in Izmir
June 5-8. The meeting will be of crucial importance to the
economy in these extremely difficult times. /Turkish Daily News/
The US, which supports Turkey's economic program, continues to
carry out its good will initiatives. US Ambassador to Turkey,
Pearson, invited Nationalist Action Party (MHP) Group Deputy
Chairman, Oktay Vural, Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA)
National Defence Commission Chairman, Hasan Gulay, TGNA Foreign
Affairs Commission Chairman, Kamran Inan, North Atlantic
Assembly's Chairman to the Turkish Group, Tahir Kose, some
military officials and their wives to his home. American
officials were also present during the unofficial meeting. It was
stated that at the meeting, relations with NATO was the main
topic. Dervis was also on the agenda. American officials
discussed the reform laws. Meanwhile, the US Embassy's Deputy
Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Lawrence R. Silverman, met
with coalition party representatives at the TGNA last week.
Answering a question about Dervis, Pearson said he completely
supported him. /Aksam/
State Minister for Economy, Kemal Dervis, begins his tour to
secure foreign credits. Dervis will first travel to Germany, then
to the US. For state-owned banks and the banks under the funds
control, $27 billion is required. Dervis will meet today with the
German Finance Minister and explain the economic program. Dervis
will try to secure an amount of credit from EU resources. Dervis
will later meet with the US Treasury Secretary, the Chairmen of
IMF and the World Bank. Dervis will tell the officials that the
Turkish government has the political will to take the necessary
steps. The IMF Executive Directors will convene April 28 and
decide on the nature of the credit to be given to Turkey. It is
expected that at least $3 billion of the additional reserve
facility will be released for Turkey's use. /Milliyet/
French Ambassador to Ankara, Bernard Garcie, said France gives
its full support to Kemal Dervis' economic program. Garcie said,
"We fully support the IMF, the World Bank and the G-7." Garcie
said he believes financial assistance will be given by the IMF.
/Milliyet/
It was stated that the IMF is planning to make its policies more
flexible. According to a statement by IMF officers, the
conditions the IMF places on the loans given to countries
demanding IMF aid will be made more flexible and easy. This will
create more room for the countries to act freely in determining
their own national economic program. IMF's new regulations will
be relevant for any new credits to be given, however, old
regulations will be in effect for old debts. /Cumhuriyet/
The TUSIAD (Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's
Association) delegation chaired by Executive Council Chairman
Tuncay Ozilhan represented Turkey at a panel organized by the
French daily Le Monde. The delegation evaluated political,
economic and social issues during the meeting. /Cumhuriyet/
Minister of Transportation Enis Oksuz warned the State Minister
Responsible for the Economy Kemal Dervis over the sale of 51% of
Turk Telekom, saying it was unconstitutional. Minister of State
responsible for Privatization, Yuksel Yalova, rejected the
Ministry of Transportation's proposal to turn over 33.5% of Turk
Telekom to a foreign company. Oksuz stated, "51% of Turk
Telekom's shares can be sold if the Constitution is amended. We
will evaluate what can be done within the Turkish legal system."
/Cumhuriyet/
Businessmen will discuss the rising credit interest rates with
State Minister Husamettin Ozkan. They will submit a plan for loan
repayments on March 30. The plan will involve a reasonable
reduction in the rates. The Heads of the Turkish Chambers and
Commodity Exchanges Association(TOBB), Istanbul Chamber of
Industry(ISO), Aegean Chamber of Industry(EBSO), Izmir Chamber of
Trade(IZTO), Istanbul Chamber of Trade(ITO), Ankara Chamber of
Industry(ASO) and Ankara Chamber of Trade(ATO) will participate
in the meeting with Ozkan. /Milliyet/
The Turkish Employees Unions Confederation (TISK) declared its
support for the government's IMF-backed framework agreement.
Demanding the program focus on the unemployment issue, TISK
suggested flexible employment. TISK said the state must ensure
internal coordination in order to maintain political stability.
The main strategy of the stability program should be to increase
the nation's competitive power. The prerequisites of economic
stability are political stability and social consensus."
/Cumhuriyet/
A delegation from the Turkish Exporters Assembly met with
Minister of Finance, Sumer Oral, and State Minister Tunca Toskay.
The delegation, headed by Okan Oguz, expressed the issues faced
by exporters and their urgent loan requirements from Eximbank.
Oguz said, "Exporters expect $450-million loan in total from
Eximbank. They should grant it soon so exporters can benefit from
the advantages of devaluation." /Turkiye/
The Italian mobile phone company, Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM),
and the Turkish Is Bank partnership, Is-Tim's mobile phone
network, Aria, began operating yesterday. Aria created GSM 1800
networks in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Aria is planning to
incorporate 50% of the Turkish population in the next two years,
and 90% of the population in five years into its coverage area.
The first conversation using the Aria network was between
Minister of Communication, Enis Oksuz, and Prime Minister, Bulent
Ecevit. /Aksam/
For the sale of Demirbank, which is under the control of the
Deposit Insurance Fund (MSF) since November, the offers were made
by Aydin Dogan Consortium, Uni Credit Italiano Spa. and HSBC(Hong
Kong-Sangai Bank). The Banking Regulation and Supervision
Board(BDDK) will negotiate with each group over its offer. The
results will be evaluated within a month-period and the BDDK will
sell the bank to the group which gives the most appropriate
offer. /Milliyet/
Bilkent University has formed Turkey's largest virtual library.
The virtual library allows users to conduct research among its
one hundred thousand books. Users can search Bilkent University
Library Information (BLISS) on the Internet without paying any
fee. /Cumhuriyet/
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), consisting of 16
experts, began to make observations in Istanbul, a candidate city
for the 2008 Olympics. A briefing held yesterday was attended by
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, Istanbul Mayor Ali Mufit
Gurtuna, Istanbul Governor Erol Cakir and the Chairman of the
Turkish National Olympic Committee Sinan Erdem. Later, the IOC
delegation later visited sports facilities. /Cumhuriyet/
"Hosting the 2008 Summer Olympic Games may well be the much
sought catalyst to hasten the speed of our democratization and
reformation drive which will put us among the civilized
parliamentary democracies of our age...
Many feel the prospective membership to the European Union has
been an incentive for the Turks to push for improvement in the
quality of democracy in Turkey as well as improvements in human
rights and respect for basic freedoms. It has also highlighted
the urgency of serious economic, political and social changes.
The Olympics will no doubt have a similar affect on Turks. It
will add to the urgency for serious improvements in Turkey and
thus give help to an important cause.
We all know the Olympics are no longer just sporting events. They
create new prospects for the host countries beyond sports
propaganda. So Turks are ready for the challenge.
We see that our sports facilities are already flourishing. We
have proven our organizational capabilities by hosting important
international events in Istanbul. We are also doing our best to
improve transportation and communications facilities in Istanbul
as well as throughout Turkey...
Turkey is full of innovative and dynamic people who believe in
high ideals which are represented by the Olympics.
The Olympics will be a golden present for all those who want
progress and reformation in Turkey. It will boost the cause of
democracy and the true democrats."
