HOPE AND RISK BY GUNGOR MENGI (SABAH)
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has become active to end the death
fasts in prisons, which reached worrying dimensions and caused
the death of 14 convicts. Sezer received the Chairman of the
Human Rights Commission of the Turkish Grand National Assembly
(TGNA) and the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) deputy to Manisa,
Huseyin Akgul, and received information on the death fasts.
During the meeting that was held at the request of Akgul, it was
learned that Sezer said, "The health and lives of the convicts
are under the guarantee of the state." It was stated Sezer would
support various efforts end the fasts. /Hurriyet/
Prime Minister and the Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader, Bulent
Ecevit said everything was not rose-colored, but there was no
need to be pessimistic. Addressing his party group meeting, Mr.
Ecevit evaluated the recent situation in Turkey. He stressed he
held a hopeful meeting with Mr. Kohler, Chairman of the IMF, and
received a letter from James Wolfensohn, Chairman of the World
Bank yesterday. The Premier said Mr. Wolfensohn appreciated the
Government's recent work and assured him he will help to solve
the economic and social problems. Regarding the bills to be
enacted urgently, Mr. Ecevit said, "The parliament is handling
the urgent bills one by one. I do not think there is another
parliament in the world which works so quickly and efficiently."
/Turkiye/
The Greek Cypriot press gave wide coverage to Turkish Foreign
Minister Ismail Cem's speech he delivered at a press conference
held after completing his 3-day visit in the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The Chairman of the Democratic
Mobilization Party (DISI), Nikos Anastasiades said Cem's warnings
on the Cyprus issue should be taken into account seriously not
just by the EU but also by the Greek Government. The Greek press
criticized Cem's statement on Turkey's stance on the possible
approval of Greek Cypriot Administration's EU membership as
"Cem's limitless threats." The Greek press argued that Cem put
explosives under the relationship between the two sides on the
island. The daily Haravgi argued Cem violated the regulations of
international law and 550th UN resolution in his visit to the
TRNC and demanded the Greek Cypriot Administration report him to
the related authorities. The Communist Party AKEL's Parliamentary
Group Speaker, Andreas Hristu claimed Cem destroyed future
possibilities about the continuing of proximity talks between the
two sides. /Cumhuriyet/
The Armenian lobby tried to put the word "genocide" in the text
of Bush's message that he will deliver on April 24, which is
officially celebrated as "Armenian Commemmoration Day" in the US.
101 of 435 members of the American House of Representatives wrote
a letter to President George W.Bush to demand the inclusion of
this word in the text. However, Cheney, Rice, Powell and Rumsfeld
warned Bush not to use the word "genocide". /Milliyet/
In the final communiqué of the "Turkey-Armenia Affairs Throughout
History" symposium, held in Parliament between April 13-14, it
was said that examinations of the issue should possibly be left
up to the International Court of Justice to decide on whether
there had really been a genocide or not, and that parliaments,
associations, organizations or individuals had no right to
decide. "If there is any dispute over the interpretation or
implementation of the United Nations Convention on Genocide, any
of the parties concerned may apply to the International Court of
Justice," the final communiqué stated. "Within this context, the
French Parliament, or those other parliaments that have passed
'Armenian Genocide' laws, do not have the authority to do so. By
passing the law, the French Parliament has violated international
law. /Turkish News/
European Commission's Representative to Turkey, Karen Fogg,
stated that the economic program announced by the State Minister
Kemal Dervis, was an opportunity for Turkey to carry out deep
structural reforms. During the meeting of the EU-Turkey Joint
Consultation Committee, Fogg made a speech and said the month of
March was of the utmost importance due to the fact that the
National Program and the Accession Partnership Document have been
finalized. /Hurriyet/
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz started a breakthrough for the
National Programme. Yilmaz chaired a couple of meetings in order
to bring the National Programme into the prioritized issues of
the Turkish Grand National Assembly's (TGNA). During the
meetings, the establishment of an European Union (EU) Commission
within the TGNA was decided. /Star/
Cem was received by Slovenian President Milan Kucan and Speaker
of Parliament, Borut Pabor in addition to meeting with his
Slovenian counterpart, Dimitrij Rupel. Turkish-EU relations and
Slovenia's NATO membership were the main topics discussed during
the meetings. Slovenia is among those countries which will become
EU members in the first wave. Therefore, Turkey will need
Slovenia's support in the upcoming years for membership. However,
Slovenia wants to become a NATO member and it needs Turkey's
support for this. /Turkish Daily News/
The Chairman of the True Path Party, Tansu Ciller, demanded the
Law on State Bids be changed first within the reforms to be made
to overcome the crisis in Turkey. Ciller pointed out future bids
will take place after the enactment of the Electricity Market Law
and Natural Gas Law. She said, "We think it's compulsory to take
up the State Bids Law first." /Cumhuriyet/
The Chairman of the Turkish Promotion Foundation, Kemal Baytas,
was presented with an honorary doctorate by Gazi University
because of his great contributions to Turkish tourism. Gazi
University organized a meeting titled '2001 Expectations in
Turkish Tourism' during Tourism Week. Speaking at the meeting,
Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu said the capacity of Turkish tourism
should be expanded in order to meet the increasing demand.
/Cumhuriyet/
The Justice Ministry sent the amendment proposal for Art.16 of
the Anti-Terror Law to the Council of Ministers. According to the
draft, the inmates will come together for rehabilitation and
education programs. Common space will be used as much as security
conditions permit. Inmates will be categorized according to their
crimes, behaviors and abilities and will profit from the common
spaces accordingly. /Milliyet/
Six Hizbullah militants were caught in an operation by the Fight
Against Terrorism Branch Directorate teams in Istanbul. It was
reported the militants were involved in many murders between
1991-1994. /Cumhuriyet/
Virtue Party (FP) deputy to Istanbul, Mukadder Besegmez, resigned
from his party and the FP's number of seats in the Turkish Grand
National Assembly decreased to 101. The the number of independent
seats increased to 8. /Star/
The Polish Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant-Gen. Czeslaw
Piatas, on a visit to Turkey, decorated Turkish the Chief of the
General Staff, Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu with the "Republic of
Poland Superior Service Medal" in a ceremony held in the Polish
Embassy in Ankara. Both generals expressed their desire to
develop bilateral relations in the military. /Turkiye/
The bill on Turkish Civil Aviation was adopted by the Parliament
yesterday. According to the new law, airline companies will
freely determine ticket prices. Three days prior to
implementation, companies will announce the new price list. New
prices will be applied following the approval of the
Transportation Ministry. /Milliyet/
Ankara is preparing to welcome US Assistant Secretary of State
Edward Walker today to have another round of discussions on
Turkey's Iraq policy. Official sources emphasize Turkey will not
change its main policy priorities on Iraq. Despite wide
expectations that the US will demand Turkey embrace the American
approach on Iraq, especially at a time Turkey is in urgent need
of US support as a result ongoing economic turmoil, Turkish
officials say Ankara does not feel the necessity to take a step
back on its policy on Iraq. /Turkish Daily News/
418 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) signed a joint
declaration demanding to stop the traffic of tankers carrying
hazardous materials in the Bosphorous and made a decision to hold
demonstrations. Reading the declaration in the press conference
held jointly by the representatives of those organizations, The
Chairman of the Peace with Nature Association, Yuksel Ustun
reminded that sea accidents totalled 500 within the past five
years and added all the coastal countries on the Black Sea should
be in cooperation with each other on protecting nature from
hazardous materials. Stating they would first present their
declaration to public and state authorities, Ustun said they were
receiving wide international support. /Cumhuriyet/
As a result of intense Arab reaction against the improving
relations between Turkey and Israel, Turkey is trying to find a
method to show that there is nothing for the Arab world to fear
military partnership between Turkey and Israel. Turkish officers
said Turkey can also sign military training agreements with
Syria. Also in relations with Syria, improvements should continue
through soft confidence building measures. /Turkish Daily News/
Chairman of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, sent a letter to
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and emphasized that their support to
Turkey would continue. Wolfensohn said, "We will try to
accelerate our financial aid for your new economic program."
Wolfensohn also pointed out that urgent precautions should be
taken concerning the banking sector. He also spoke about the
health and education problems and said, "This is an extensive
financial program." /Star/
State Minister for Economics Kemal Dervis will travel to European
countries and then to the US after April 20. Mr. Dervis will
attend the IMF-World Bank meetings in Washington to begin April
26 and ask for urgent financial support. Meanwhile, a new "letter
of intent" which is being prepared to be presented to the IMF,
will be sent by the IMF delegation currently in Turkey. In the
following days G-7 countries will convene in London before the
Washington Summit. A positive result in this meeting is expected
to affect the decisions to be made in the Washington meetings.
/Turkiye/
A high ranking official from the Bush Administration stated his
opinions to the 'Wall Street Journal' and said, "Everybody knows
that Turkey is a country of the utmost importance. Of course the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) will help Turkey because the US
is the biggest fundholder of the IMF. Thus, the IMF's money is
also the US' money and the US Adminstration wants to support
Turkey. It is out of the question that we will just watch Turkey
burning." /Sabah/
Ralph Hill, Chairman of the Depfa Bank Real Estate Finance Group,
who attended the Real Estate-II Summit said, "We believe that
Turkey is a land of opportunities and so we decided to come
here." Recalling that the Group is carrying out its work on real
estate financing in 15 different countries, Mr. Hill said they
reached a $20 million business volume in Turkey. He said, "Due to
the crisis, the work capacity is limited. However, we are still
here and we believe that in a couple of months economic and
political life will be better." Mr. Hill added, "This crisis
situation may be an opportunity for brave investors." /Turkiye/
A delegation from the Japanese Bank of International Cooperation
(JBIC) came to Ankara to discuss the financial sector loan. It
was stated that the JBIC will ensure financial aid after meeting
with the World Bank. JBIC is planning to give a loan amounting to
a minimum of 750 million US dollars to Turkey, in parallel with
the Financial Sector Harmonization Loan, which is planned to be
extended by the World Bank. /Star/
Transport Minister Enis Oksuz has approved the state fixed-line
monopoly Turk Telekom privatization bill on the condition that
the authority to give licenses should be kept with the Transport
Ministry, reports said yesterday. The Turk Telekom privatization
bill was prepared by the Treasury and the Privatization
Administration (OIB). /Turkish News/
The Turkish-Uzbek Joint Economic Commission (JEC) met yesterday
in Ankara. State Minister Abdulhaluk Cay heads the Turkish side,
and Uzbekistan Foreign Economic Relations Minister Elyar
M.Ganiyev manages the Uzbek side. In addition to certain
bilateral issues, topics related to banking, transportation and
trade are expected to be discussed during the meeting. /Turkish
Daily News/
The Foundation of Turkish Education Volunteers (TEGV) started an
aid campaign to create educational opportunities for 1 million
children between the ages of 7 and 16 in the year 2005. Chairman
of the TEGV, Ibrahim Betil, demanded support for the "One Million
Children Education Campaign", which aims to collect a resource of
71 million US dollars. Betil recalled that there were 16 million
children between the ages of 7 and 16 in Turkey and that 200 US
dollars is reserved for the education of every child in Turkey
each year. He added this amount was 4,000 US dollars in the OECD
countries. /Sabah/
The financial and capital markets are relieved after the
positive developments concerning the enactment of having priority
laws in the Turkish Parliament and World Bank's declaration about
an acceleration in the process to give aid to Turkey. In
addition, the US Central Bank FED's decrease in the interest
rates positively affected to the markets in Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/
The US dollar lost 25,000 TL value against the TL and the
Istanbul Stock Exchanges index incresed by 378 points because the
Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) restarted to work hard and
the Sugar Law was approved by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and
the Natural Gas Law was enacted. In addition, the nightly
interest rates of Interbank and the repurchasing agreement, which
are the important elements of the finance market, kept their
level of 79%. /Hurriyet/
Ford Otosan's factory in Kocaeli was opened by the Deputy Prime
Minister Mesut Yilmaz. The factory has a capacity of
manufacturing 150,000 automobiles every year and will export
nearly 65% of its production. 4,000 people will be provided with
employment at the facility. This number is expected to reach
20,000 including the side sector. New light commercial vehicles
are planned for production in the factory that will ensure an
exports income of 1 billion US dollars as from the first quarter
of the next year. /Star/
The Museum of the War of Independence will be opened today. The
Museum was restored by the financial contribution of Philip
Morris/Sabanci and Haci Omer Sabanci Foundation under the lead of
Culture Ministry General Directorate of Monuments and Museums.
The building, which houses the Museum, was used for the National
Assembly sessions during the early years of the Republic.
/Milliyet/
The Turkish artists attending the 'Meissen Trophy International
Porcelain Painting Art Convention' were presented with five
awards in Dresden, Germany. 18 countries with 225 artists
attended the contest. /Cumhuriyet/
The number of tourists eager to view Capadoccia from the air by
hot air balloons is increasing day by day. This season 2,000
tourists are expected to travel by balloon over Capadoccia.
/Turkiye/
Columnist Gungor Mengi writes on the recent developments
concerning the economic crisis in Turkey. A summary of his
column is as follows:
"The optimism in Turkey regarding the foreign aid expected to be
given to overcome the crisis has begun to be reflected in the
foreign press as well. Two newspapers influential in financial
sectors 'Wall Street Journal' and 'The Financial Times' gave wide
coverage to President Bush's meeting with aides regarding the
crisis in Turkey. The statement in the newspapers which reflects
the determination of the US Administration is important as it
would affect international financial circles positively. A US
official said, 'No one expects us to idly stand by and watch the
fire in Turkey during the hard days the country is going
through.' However, this should not create any hopes or eagerness
in the people and particularly in the politicians to return to
old practices.
The coming of foreign aid depends on the preparation of a
realistic economic program and the speedy enactment of reform
bills in the Parliament. The newspapers also stressed both
conditions. Prime Minister Ecevit expressed the resolve to comply
with conditions requiring change at every opportunity. The
Nationalist Action Party Chairman, Devlet Bahceli, said that at
this point it was apparent Turkey could not hold on to the old
structure and had to make reforms. Yesterday Motherland Party
Chairman Mesut Yilmaz said, reforms were at the doorstep of
Turkey. None of the political parties or parliamentarians have
the right to gamble with these facts.
The stance of the True Path Party which expressed its approval
for the Central Bank Bill should set an example for the Virtue
Party. What is more important, the responsibilities of the
parliamentarians should be recalled and any unethical behavior
should be prevented."
Meanwhile, work is going on to stop the hunger strikes in prison.
The obstinacy of both parties does not solve the question. The
Prime Minister may be right in saying that the State does not
bargain with terrorists but this does not frighten the terror
organizations. If these organizations cannot kill others, they do
not hesitate to kill their own members. When deaths in prisons
are stopped, the Government will not have ceded to the demands of
the terrorists. To defend the right to live and stop the deaths
will be the triumph of the state, not the terrorists!"
On the occasion of Children's Day, Turkish Press Review will not
be issued on Monday, 23 April 2001.
