FREEDOM OF THE PRESS BY OKTAY EKSI (HURRIYET)
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit is traveling to Spain
today as the official guest of his Spanish counterpart Jose Maria
Aznar. On Ecevit's agenda will be Turkey's accession process to the
EU, reforms in human rights and democracy and bilateral economic
relations with Spain. It was stated Spain, who allows education and
publication in different languages, is expected to convey her
proposals and expectations on the issue of minorities' "right to
use their own mother tongue in education and publications" to
Turkey. Ecevit, who will visit Spain with a delegation consisting of
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and top-level economy bureaucrats, will
request support for the new economic program. He will also invite
Spanish investors to Turkey. Meanwhile, economy bureaucrats will
inform Spanish officials about the economic program and new
opportunities for foreign investors at the Turkey-Spain Business
Council meetings. Ecevit will meet Aznar today and will be received by
Spanish King Juan Carlos. /Cumhuriyet/
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will visit Sweden to be
present at the working lunch of the informal meeting of the European
Union Foreign Ministers to be held on May 5-6. Foreign Ministry
sources said on Wednesday that Cem will go to the city of Nykoping in
Sweden at the invitation of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, the
current term-president of the EU. At the meeting, which is to hold
debates over the future of Europe at the level of foreign ministers,
the foreign ministers of member and candidate states are to present
their views according to the realities of their states. Foreign
Minister Ismail Cem will present his views at the working lunch of the
informal meeting. /Turkish Daily News/
State Minister for the Economy, Kemal Dervis, said
he is hopeful that foreign private financial institutions will support
Turkey, but everybody wonders whether there is a political support
behind the economic program. Dervis said, "The interest rates are
declining. The current condition is not satisfactory, but we aim to
decrease the inflation to single digit figures in 2003 and remove all
kinds of depression in Turkey. It is of great importance that both
internal and foreign investors be active in Turkey and create
employment. The biggest problem in Turkey is unemployment."
Responding to a reporter asking how do the German businessmen view the
economic program, Dervis said, "Everybody is happy with the
program. I am also happy that a definite amount of financial
assistance will be given by an official institution(IMF)and this will
ease the markets. Private sector always wants to get profit. We expect
foreign investors to come into both financial area and real sector.
But, everybody asks whether the program will be implemented on time
and properly. We try to assure them that the program will be
implemented successfully." /Milliyet/
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
President Rauf Denktas said EU Commissioner responsible for
Enlargement, Gunther Verheugen's speech stating while the UN was
responsible for the current situation on Cyprus, EU's responsibility
was to carry Cyprus to full EU membership was a great contradiction.
Denktas said the path towards the EU meant the colonization of Turkish
Cypriots by the Greeks. /Cumhuriyet/
Greece reaffirmed yesterday it will veto the
expansion of the European Union if the Greek Cypriot administration is
excluded, a stand that could put Greece at odds with EU partners wary
of accepting the divided island. "This is the steady Greek
stand," Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos said the following
meetings with the visiting Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides.
Turkey does not approve Greek Cyprus' EU membership before the Cyprus
issue is resolved. /Turkish News/
The Minister of the Interior, Sadettin Tantan's
visit to Iran, which kept on being postponed due to the operations
against the terrorist Hizbullah organization, which will take place
next week. Tantan will maintain contacts concerning the organized
crime and his visit will last for four days. /Sabah/
True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller will
visit Washington and New York on 7-9 May. She is expected to arrive in
Washington on 7 May and will make a speech at the Washington
Institute. /Sabah/
Representatives of the US President George W. Bush
will start a tour to European and Asian countries including Turkey to
brief about a new missile defense system which is planned to be
established by the US. The US Deputy Secretary State, Richard
Armitage, National Security Deputy Advisor, Stephen Hadley, and Deputy
Secretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz, will visit the countries
including Turkey, Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, Australia,
India, Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands,
Canada and NATO Headquarters in Brussels to explain the US views on
the new missile defense system and ask support for it. /Turkiye/
IMF Foreign Affairs Director Tom Dawson sent a
letter to the US daily The Washington Times in a reply to a criticism
naming the IMF (International Monetary Fund) as "International
Misery Fund". Dawson said IMF programs were approved by an
international society including US President George Bush himself.
Emphasizing many countries in Asia, Latin America and Europe benefited
greatly from their cooperation with the IMF, Dawson said the success
of the economic program in a country was totally dependent on the
determination of that country. Stating reforms in Turkey did not slow
down as the Washington Times argued, Dawson said, "On the
contrary, reforms have accelerated as in the case of the restructuring
of the banking sector." He added President Bush supported
Turkey's efforts to overcome the crisis. /Cumhuriyet/
The Turkey-Europe Foundation sent messages of
congratulations to the associations constituting Labor Platform on the
May 1 Labor Day. The Foundation said social conditions and democratic
structure in the EU countries must be a target for Turkey. Emphasizing
the minimum social standards foreseen by the EU are very important,
the Foundation argued the improvement of Turkish people's social
standards depends upon developing the organizations on the issue at a
global level. "The principles of Maastricht Treaty
institutionalizing the social dialogue culture in Europe should be
implemented by the parties of social life and the government in
Turkey. Improving social standards of the labor is very important for
an advanced democracy and is also a guarantee for social peace."
said the statement by the Turkey-Europe Foundation. /Cumhuriyet/
Turkey and Ukraine signed an agreement which
foresees cooperation between the two countries on early warning
systems for nuclear incidents, and know-how transfer for nuclear power
plants. According to the agreement, which was published on the
Official Gazette yesterday, each country will immediately warn the
other in the event of a nuclear incident. In addition, should Turkey
or Ukraine find that levels of radioactivity within their countries is
higher than average, they will inform each other according to the
agreement. /Turkish News/
Polish-Turkish Interparliamentary Friendship Group
President Tadeusz Iwinski and the Polish delegation arrived in Ankara
yesterday, and in the evening a reception was held at the Polish
Embassy for them. Iwinski will meet Bekir Ongun, his Turkish
counterpart, at the Turkish Parliament building today, after which he
will have a meeting with Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Kamran
Inan. Later in the day, Iwinski and his group are scheduled to visit
the Anatolian Civilizations Museum in Ankara. He will hold another
important meeting during the day with the chairman of the
Polish-Turkish Joint Commission, State Minister Hasan Gemici. In the
evening, the group will be on route to Nevsehir to visit ancient
cities. Iwinski and other members of the Polish-Turkish
Interparliamentary Friendship Group will arrive in Istanbul and depart
for Poland on Saturday evening. /Turkish Daily News/
Completing his term of duty, 'The New York Times'
correspondent in Turkey, Stephen Kinzer, has gone back to the US.
However, the successful writer cannot break his ties with Turkey.
Kinzer, who is currently writing for the culture and art department of
the journal, wrote an article titled 'Turkey's Art and Culture
Kaleidoscope', including Turkey's richness of historical artifacts.
The article wrote, "During the time I spent in Turkey, people
kept on asking my opinion about the museums to be visited. I had an
answer for this question, that is, a list of the collections to be
visited as an introduction. However, I have experienced some
difficulties while making suggestions. Because Turkey itself is a
museum. No country in the world has hosted such a variety of
civilizations during such periods of time." /Sabah/
It was uncovered that France had been in
cooperation with the Armenians during the World War I. The facts were
proven by documents showing that France provided military training to
the Armenians against Turks during the military maneuvers in Egypt,
Syria, Cyprus, Iskenderun and Adana during the World War I. The
documents in the archives of the times prove how France used the
Armenians, who lived as the Ottoman citizens, against Turks. /Turkiye/
Parliament in its plenary session has approved the
first two chapters of the Lawyers Bill, which will bring radical
reforms to the profession, the Anatolia news agency reported
yesterday. The bill requires that prospective lawyers complete an
internship and then pass an exam in order to be lawyers and that these
exams are to be conducted by the Student Selection and Placement
Center (OSYM). Only lawyers starting their internships after the law
goes into effect will have to take the exam. The exam will be held
twice a year and should the applicant fail six exams she/he will not
be allowed to apply again. Loans will be given to interns by the Union
of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB). /Turkish Daily News/
As a follow-up to the ongoing talks between Turkish
and Syrian military officials, Syrian General Adnan Bedr Al-Hassan
will visit Ankara in June for talks with his Turkish counterpart
Gendarmerie Forces Commander Aytac Yalman, diplomatic sources told the
Turkish Daily News. Yalman and Bedr Al-Hassan will debate within the
context and as a follow-up to the Adana agreement, which was signed
between the two officials in 1998. The agreement paved the way for the
opening of a new page in relations between the two countries, after
the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan left Damascus. /Turkish Daily News/
The IMF executive directors will evaluate Turkey's
letter of intent on May 8. The $8 billion loan which will be extended
by the IMF is expected to be approved at that date. The letter of
intent includes performance criteria, such as net internal assets and
budget. The IMF directors meeting may be postponed if the Banking Law
and the Law on Privatization of Turk Telekom are not ratified until
May 8. /Milliyet/
One of the assassins in the Ozdemir Sabanci murder,
terrorist Fehriye Erdal, will be on court today in Brussels for the
second hearing of a case appealed by the Sabanci family demanding her
trial for her crimes committed in Turkey. The Belgian government
insists on her trial for her crimes committed in Belgium such as
carrying weapon, joining the activities of an criminal organization
and bearing a false identity card, not for the crimes committed in
Turkey. /Turkiye/
Supports came from other parties for Nationalist
Action Party leader (MHP) and Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli's
declarations on the "necessity for the limitation of deputies'
immunity." In their statements, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit,
Deputy Prime Minister and the Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut
Yilmaz, Virtue Party (FP) leader, Recai Kutan, and True Path Party
(DYP) leader, Tansu Ciller, all expressed their desires for the
restriction of the deputies' immunity. /Turkiye/
The IMF Belgium Representative, Willy Kiekens, said
the global economy will benefit from the support given to Turkey.
Speaking to the Belgian newspaper "La Libre Belgique",
Kiekens said, "$10 billion credit that we decided to extend to
Turkey last week will be added to the $10 billion credit that was
previously given. This the highest amount that the IMF has extended to
a country following the case in Korea." Kiekens said this credit
will be useful for the balance of the global economy. /Milliyet/
The Natural Gas Market Law, one of the 15 reform
laws of the government, was enacted yesterday and went into effect
after its promulgation on the Official Gazette. Accordingly, an Energy
Marketing Regulation Institution will be formed, municipalities can
cooperate with distribution firms and firms which violate the law will
have to pay a fine of TL 500 billion. /Turkiye/
State Minister Kemal Dervis had a phone call with
Second Chief of the General Staff, Gen.Yasar Buyukanit regarding the
"security" reservation of the Office of the General Staff on
the privatization of Telekom. After the talk, Dervis said, "The
problem is not that big and can be solved by retaining the golden
share of Telekom to the state. With holding the golden share, Turkey's
all kinds of security concerns can be eliminated. Privatization, if
implemented in an honest manner and taking into account the
transparency principle, will strengthen the economic position of
Turkey." /Milliyet/
Chairman of the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB),
Osman Birsen said, "Foreigners' share in the IMKB rose to 37%-38%
in the last ten days." Stressing that foreign investors were in
the IMKB even in the worst days, Birsen said, "The IMKB is an
inexpensive stock exchange. Due to the losses in index and
devaluation, it becomes cheaper in foreign currency. This is an
opportunity not to be missed." /Turkiye/
According to the US economic sources, the US, Japan
and Germany will grant Eximbank loans to Turkey this year under very
convenient conditions to be used in financing Turkey's foreign trade.
Reportedly, the total amount of loan will be over $2 billion.
Meanwhile, this year, Turkey's exports are expected to go beyond the
level of $30 billion. /Turkiye/
The "Construction 2001 Istanbul Fair" was
opened by Minister of Public Works and Housing, Koray Aydin,
yesterday. Replying to a question posed by a journalist regarding the
new tender bill, Minister Aydin said, "Preparation of the bill is
completed. We will convey it to the EU Secretariat General to be
examined by the EU and then we will present it to the Parliament.
Everybody agreed on the bill and I expect it will pass through the
Parliament rapidly." /Turkiye/
Exports in April increased by 17% compared to the
same month last year. In four months, the exports increased by 11.8%.
/Milliyet/
The automotive exports increased by 93% in April
compared to the same month last year. Tofas and Oyak Renault export
almost all of their production. In four months, automobiles worth
$350.9 million were exported. /Milliyet/
The German MAN Company decided to enlarge its
factory in Ankara. MAN Company's second biggest investment is in
Turkey following Germany. The Company now produces 500 buses in the
facilities in Turkey and this number is expected to reach 2,000 with
the new investments. Group Director of MANAS Marketing, Tuncay
Bekiroglu, said, "All sorts of instability and economic crisis
cause a question mark but the Germans think that Turkey can overcome
these problems immediately. We predict that the situation of the
business world will be better during the last quarter of the year.
However, the conditions are harder when compared to those in 1994. If
the determination in the economic program continues and the political
stability is maintained, then the year 2002 will be much better."
/Sabah/
The amount of tourists to visit Antalya is expected
to reach 1 million by the end of May of this year. The governor of
Antalya, Ertugrul Dokuzoglu, said this year Antalya will host around
4.5 million tourists. /Milliyet/
The Belgian bank Fortis' Istanbul branch manager,
Jacques Laloux, evaluated the economic crisis in Turkey to the Belgian
newspaper and said it is the right time to invest in Turkey. In the
economy section of the newspaper, tourism is considered to be an
important asset for Turkey and said that around 350,000 Belgians will
come to Turkey this year. /Milliyet/
The 5,000 year of city of Aizanoi in the
Cavdarhisar district of Kutahya and which boasts the only undamaged
'social complex' in Anatolia still standing, is expecting more
attention, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Mayor of
Cavdarhisar Ismail Tanriverdi said that Aizanoi, which contains works
dating back to 3,000 BC, had not been promoted well enough and was
unknown to tourists. /Turkish Daily News/
The second Painting Exhibition to be organized with
the participation of the German, Austrian, Swiss and Turkish painters
will be opened at the European College on 4 May. The painting
exhibition was organized by Die Brucke (The Bridge) Association,
established by the Turkish people living in Germany, and the works of
18 painters will be exhibited. The exhibition will be open on 5-6 May
between 10:00 and 17:00. /Hurriyet/
In spite of the economic crisis, the wind of
festival keeps on blowing in Ankara. Following the 18th Ankara Music
Festival, the 4th Flying Broom Women's Films Festival and the 7th
International Ankara Cartoon Festival will begin as well. Fourth
Flying Broom Women's Films Festival will be opened tonight. The
festival will bring together women film producers from 27 countries in
six continents and will end on 10 May. The 7th International Ankara
Cartoon Festival will be organized by the Cartoonists Association with
the participation of cartoonists, academicians and artists on 4-8 May.
/Hurriyet/
The panel titled 'Chechnia' was organized by the
student organizations of Bilkent University, Faculty of Fine Arts,
during which the Chechen war and some incidents that occurred
concerning the Chechen people in Turkey were discussed. A lecturer at
Bilkent University, Associate Professor Hakan Kirimli made a speech at
the Conference Hall of Bilkent University and said, "The Chechen
war has been one of the most successful wars of independence in the
course of history." /Turkiye/
In the 10th International Discovery 2001 Music
Competition held in Bulgaria in April, famous Turkish composer Selmi
Andak and singer Nur Yoldas were presented with awards. In order to
promote this international success, a press conference was organized
yesterday at Istanbul's Ataturk Culture Center. /Turkish News/
Columnist Oktay Eksi writes on the recent
developments concerning the World Press Freedom Day. A summary of his
column is as follows: "The intellectuals in civilized countries
or those considering themselves to be civilized, wonder how their
country is graded on the World Press Freedom Day. Every year, on May 3
countries where there is no freedom of press are being exhibited.
Turkey constantly appears on these lists for years. Sometimes the
criticism is well deserved and sometimes it is unjust. However, we are
not able to get our name off these lists. On the World Press Freedom
Day, the news that journalists are prevented from entering the lobbies
of the Parliament will attract your attention. You cannot expect a
Parliament afraid of journalists to tolerate freedom of the press. In
Turkey there are many disagreeable facts but the number of those who
are distorting these facts to treat Turkey unfairly is more. For
example there is an organization called 'Reporters Sans Frontiers'
based in Paris. This organization while listing some of the bitter
realities of Turkey exaggerates others as much as possible, as if
multiplying them by five. The Director of this organization Robert
Menard, in a conference in Berlin on 30 March 2001 said that there
were 60 journalists in prison. Etching the number 60 in the minds of
the listeners he added that it was not known how many were in prison
due to their profession. The same organization, in a report it
published on 3 May World Press Freedom Day said 13 journalists were
imprisoned in Turkey and then changed this into '13 journalists were
detained'. However, it could not give more than five names. As it is
the trend to discredit Turkey, Committee to Protect Journalists(CPJ)
in its report claimed that 14 journalists were in prison in Turkey.
World Association of Newspapers took the same number and said that the
number of journalists in prison in Turkey were 14. However, the figure
given by the CPJ covered journalists who were imprisoned for crimes in
no way related to journalism. The search conducted by Turkish Press
council revealed that there was no one in prison except Kemal Evcimen
as of January 1, 2001. In fact, International Press Institute (IPI)
taking this study into consideration did not say that there were
journalists in prison in Turkey. However, neither the efforts of those
acting with good intentions nor the pressures of those bearing malice
helped to correct the situation in Turkey."
