STATUS QUO - NOT GOOD BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Speaking to news channel CNN Turk yesterday, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that Turkey was opposed to any military intervention against Iraq and that it also stood against taking part in any such operation. "Any operation in Iraq would affect Turkey," Ecevit added. Ecevit also remarked that he was not pro-Saddam Hussein and stressed that he had frequently warned the Iraqi president about his mistakes. /Milliyet/
Turkey will reportedly send 350 soldiers to the International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) in Afghanistan. But after Turkey takes command of the ISAF in March this number would be increased to 1,000. Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem met yesterday with Deputy Chief of the General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit and General Staff planning and principles division head Gen. Resat Turgut to discuss the Afghanistan issue and the number of soldiers Turkey would send.
/Hürriyet/
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas and Greek Cypriot Leader Glafcos Clerides may meet again before the negotiation process on the divided island begins officially on Jan. 16, Denktas said yesterday. The TRNC President stated that the two might meet before mid-month to discuss the issue of "missing people," or people lost track of in 1974 and previous years.
/Hürriyet/
Nine prominent US senators are set to visit Turkey today. Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Huseyin Dirioz stated yesterday that a delegation of nine US congressmen chaired by Senator Joseph Lieberman was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem today in Ankara. The senators are expected to discuss the issue of the fight against terrorism as well as recent developments in Afghanistan. After leaving the capital, the delegation is to travel to Istanbul. /Cumhuriyet/
Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka arrived in Istanbul yesterday for several days of meetings with Turkish officials. Among the issues to be discussed during her visit are the restructuring of Afghanistan's social and political fabric and recent developments in the region as well as Turkish-Japanese relations. She is set to meet with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem in Ankara and to leave Turkey on Jan. 6. /Cumhuriyet/
Disappointed by numerous statements in recent weeks from Turkish officials voicing their opposition to US intervention in Iraq, the Bush administration has conveyed its discontent to Turkey via diplomatic circles. The administration had previously stated that Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit should not attempt to act as a mediator between the US and Iraq. For his part, Ecevit has remarked that he hoped the issue of Iraq would not be spotlighted during his US visit. American diplomatic sources are continuing to discuss the issue through the mass media. Graham Fuller, former vice chairman of national intelligence at the CIA, remarked that Iraqi leader Saddam should be removed from power. But, he continued, "I think right now it would be very difficult and undesirable to move against Saddam Hussein directly. Many preparations, diplomatic and political, have to take place long before any action is taken against him. The preparations include rallying the support of Iraq's neighboring countries, especially Turkey, but also Iran and Saudi Arabia." Remarking that Turkey is afraid that toppling Saddam's regime would endanger its own territorial integrity, Fuller said, "Turkey for example, has always opposed efforts to overthrow Saddam because they are afraid that Iraq might break up. This would lead to instability in Iraq and to the creation of a Kurdish independent state, perhaps in the north." Additionally, Professor Edmond Ghareeb, an expert in Kurdish studies at the American University in Washington, said, "I think that Turkish support is very important. Actually, it is going to be very difficult for the United States to move into the area without it. If it wants to bring down the regime, it is going to be impossible without the support of Iraq's neighbors." /Cumhuriyet/
Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader and Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli said yesterday that Turkey would start recovering from its economic crisis in 2002 and that economic growth would speed up by the second half of the year. Addressing MHP deputies at their parliamentary group meeting, Bahceli also criticized the EU's recent terrorist list for excluding the separatist Kurdistan's Workers' Party (PKK) and other anti-Turkish groups such as the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) and the Turkish Hizbullah. Bahceli remarked that it would be difficult to be satisfied with the EU's progress in clarifying its stance against terrorism. /Turkiye/
The State Institute of Statistics (DIE) released yesterday inflation figures for the year 2001. The year-on-year inflation rate for the wholesale price index (WPI) was 88.6% and 68.5% for the consumer price index (CPI). The month-on-month WPI for last December was announced as 4.1 % and 3.2 % for the CPI. /Turkiye/
Twenty-five people, who successfully passed exams to be deputy specialists at the Treasury Undersecretariat, officially took up their duties yesterday during a ceremony attended by State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis and Treasury Undersecretary Faik Oztrak. Dervis spoke during the ceremony held at the Treasury Undersecretariat to celebrate the beginning of the deputy specialists' posting, pointing out that newly trained state officials should have high qualifications and emphasizing the importance of coordination between institutions. /Aksam/
The controversial Tobacco Bill which had been sent back to Parliament by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer for reconsideration was approved in Parliament's yesterday plenary session without any amendment. The bill enables competition in the tobacco market and includes new arrangements for the privatization of TEKEL, the state alcohol and tobacco monopoly. Following the bill's re-approval in Parliament, the president is obliged to sign it into law. However, he still has the right to appeal to the Constitutional Court for nullification of the law. /Turkiye/
Developments in the telecommunications sector will be discussed at the upcoming World Telecommunications Development Conference 2002 (WTDC-02). Reportedly, this conference, the first of which was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1994 and the second in Valetta, Malta in 1998, will be held for the third time in Istanbul's Lutfi Kirdar Congress and Exhibition Hall on March 18-27. The gathering will be sponsored by Vakifbank, Siemens, Ericsson, Tekofaks and Corning. /Aksam/
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Zeki Cakan said at a press conference in Ankara yesterday that natural gas was too expensive in Turkey and accused the municipalities of earning excess profits on the gas. He said, "The expensive gas problem is rooted in the municipalities, not state pipeline company BOTAS." Cakan said that Turkey buys gas from five separate countries at low prices and tries not to be dependent on any one source. He added that he would meet with the mayors of Ankara, Istanbul, Izmit, Eskisehir and Bursa in an effect to reduce gas prices. He said that the government would take additional measures to reduce the prices, if no result came about from the mayoral meeting. /All Papers-Turkish News/
A new 22-floor building for the Dr. Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular Surgery Center was officially opened yesterday during a ceremony attended by Health Minister Osman Durmus yesterday. Durmus said the newly opened building made the center the biggest branch hospital in Turkey, but added that the building contractors had not fully met their obligations and so the hospital was lacking certain equipment. He stated that the legal proceedings had been initiated against the Belgian contractor and that the Health Ministry would make up for the building's deficiencies. /Sabah/
Columnist Oktay Eksi writes on the debates concerning terrorism throughout the world. A summary Of his column is as follows:
"In 1997, I couldn't manage to convince an official in the United States that a person could be defined as terrorist even though he, himself was not involved in a terrorist activity. Today, all countries, including the US are defending this view. Now, let alone being involved in a terrorist act, even standing close to a terrorist is considered to be a crime. An international agreement will come into force asking for an explanation from any person exchanging greetings with a terrorist. The Convention on Preventing Financing of Terrorism no longer considers the actions of persons or entities financing terrorist groups as 'political crimes'. Under the convention, money or properties collected by such groups can be frozen and seized by countries which have suffered harm. The issue of combatting terrorism has been debated on international platforms for over 30-40 years. Many agreements have been made on the subject within the framework of the United Nations. The European Union has passed many conventions and countries have promised to join in the fight to combat terrorism through bilateral or multilateral agreements. However, no action was taken until the US lived through the Sept. 11 tragedy. No one changed his mind from saying that 'one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter.' For example, a hero for a Palestinian is a terrorist for an Israeli. The same applies to all others. When the murder network ASALA was killing Turkish diplomats, France protected the murderers until ASALA exploded a bomb at Orly Airport which led to the deaths of Frenchmen. Germany, Austria, Italy and Sweden were in competition as to who could better protect the PKK terrorists. However, Germany was champion by a wide margin. What is more dangerous than a terrorist is a country which protects terrorists. You cannot wage war against a state protecting terrorists. It is reported that Prime Minister Ecevit will effect passage of the International Convention in the Parliament before going to the US later this month Ecevit is correct in doing so, as Turkey has nothing to be ashamed of regarding these issues."
Columnist Sami Kohen comments on protecting the status quo in Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:
"Turkey's view regarding Iraq as voiced by official circles is that any operation directed against overthrowing Saddam Hussein will upset the balances in the region. This may lead to the division of Iraq and the establishment of a Kurdish state in the north. If there is to be a military intervention, our attempted revival of trade with Iraq will come to a standstill and our losses incurred during recent years will be deepened. The current government policy in a way seems to protect the status quo in Iraq. The officials view the status quo as a lesser of two evils even if it isn't the ideal solution. In fact, how protecting the status quo in Iraq falls in line with Turkey's interests must be evaluated through objective criteria. It is known by everyone that today there is a de facto administrative Kurdish entity in northern Iraq. If the Gulf War had not taken place, this would not be the case. And if Saddam had not invaded Kuwait, there would not have been a Gulf War. If Saddam had formed normal relations with the international community and made peace with people from different origins living in his country, this entity in the north would not have formed. Today Baghdad has no sovereignty over this region. Even though they may be divided amongst themselves, Iraqi Kurds have established an autonomous administration in the region. This has moved the people of the region farther from Iraq each and with every passing day. For example, children in the north who start school today do not learn Arabic. To protect his own seat in Baghdad, Saddam Hussein seems to ignore these developments. At this stage, the status quo has not created a suitable climate for the territorial integrity of Iraq or a national union. The continuance of economic sanctions, which has lead to the suffering of the Iraqi people and inflicted losses on countries like Turkey, stems from Saddam Hussein's obstinacy.
If he had complied with the UN resolutions, these sanctions would have been lifted long ago and he could have formed normal economic relations with Iraq's neighbors and the rest of the world. The main reason why this obstacle can't be overcome is the Iraqi government is refused to allow the international control of its weapons of mass destruction weapons. The US may use this as an excuse to strike Iraq, but if Saddam Hussein is clever enough he won't let such an opportunity fall into his enemy's hands. In short, the continuation of the status quo in Iraq cannot be regarded as being in line with Turkey's economic and strategic interests. In fact, Turkey must prefer a democratic Iraq which is at peace at peace with the world. Possible ways to achieve this should be discussed."
