Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
The US President Bill Clinton said that the Kosovo crisis had the
potential of bringing Turkey and Greece, two NATO allies,
face-to-face. Replying to questions posed by journalists, Clinton
noted that the Balkans were a powder keg and said that if ethnic
hatred in the region was not overcome, a wider conflict and a war
could emerge. Clinton added that the Kosovo problem should be
solved, if not, the conflict could spread to Albania and
Macedonia. Meanwhile, US State Secretary Madeleine Albright
stated that if the violence in Kosovo spread to Albania and
Macedonia, this would affect Turkey and Greece. Albright said:
"In this situation, an exodus of immigrants could result and
terrorists will have more opportunity for drug trafficking".
/Hurriyet/
Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis said that an order to
purchase Russian-made S-300 missiles was given by the previous
government of Papandreu. Simitis replied to questions on a
private TV channel two days ago and he defended the decision to
cancel the deployment of S-300 missiles on Southern Cyprus.
/Hurriyet/
The Turkish Armed Forces has signed 97 peace agreements so far
despite the fact that Turkey is located at the centre of the
Balkans, Caucasia and the Middle East crisis triangle. According
to the Office of the Chief of General Staff, the Turkish Armed
Forces has signed Friendship, Cooperation, Military, Education
and Science Agreements with almost 100 countries all around the
world. /Sabah/
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said in his press statement
yesterday in Ankara that he did not have any concerns over the
secular democratic system in Turkey. He added that his government
would take Turkey to the 18 April elections in peace and he
believed that the elections would be held in a democratic
environment. Ecevit stressed that democracy had already been
firmly established in Turkey. /Turkiye/Sabah/
Zekeriye Temizel, Minister of Finance, speaking on the issue of
the Banks Draft Law, said "the Draft Law will be discussed in the
Parliament before it recess", reported tha Anatolia news agency.
Speaking to journalists after the Council of Ministers Meeting,
Temizel said that an agreement had been reached on the issue of
the Banks Law adding that the "agenda of the meeting would be
determined on Thursday. Yet, this law will be taken up in any
case before Parliament breaks up prior to the election campaign
period.
The Leader of the Democrat Turkey Party (DTP), Husamettin
Cindoruk, claimed that the coming 18 April elections would be
harmful to the democratic regime in Turkey. Cindoruk pointed out
that President Suleyman Demirel's calls for the application of
the two-tier election system should be seriously taken into
consideration. He warned that Turkish democracy should not be
bound solely to elections because no election strategies had been
decided yet. He added that the parties should take measures
against anti-democratic, anti-republican circles while competing
against them in the elections unless the regime was damaged.
/Sabah/
Concerning Prime Minister Ecevit's recent decree on reactionary
movements and the possible measures to prevent religious
exploitation of politics, Recai Kutan, the leader of the Virtue
Party (FP), said: "The real reactionaries promulgate decrees".
Kutan argued that the real danger is not the alleged religious
exploitation of politics but rather the incorporation of atheism
into politics. /Aksam/
The PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, will take his revenge on Europe,
which did not grant him political asylum, through drug smuggling.
According to intelligence services, Ocalan has given the order to
its organization to increase its activities in the drug trade in
Europe. /Hurriyet/
Italian Interior Minister Ruso Jervolino said that the PKK
leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was not in Italy and added: "Ocalan's
arrival in Italy is impossible. All border gates are on the
alert".
Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Ksotas Simitis made a statement
on the Ocalan issue yesterday and said that they did not want
him. Simitis added: "If Ocalan arrives in Greece, we would have
played into Turkey's hands because she claims that Greece is
boosting the Kurdish problem".
On the other hand, a Russian newspaper, Izvestia, noted that
Russia has been mentioned as the address of Ocalan since the
beginning. The newspaper said: "The Russian Foreign Ministry and
Intelligence Service have not been able to satisfy Turkey with
their statements. Recently, Savosleyka Military Airport has been
shown as the last leg of Ocalan's journey". /Hurriyet/
In his speech on Kurdistan TV (KTV) broadcasting in Northern
Iraq, the leader of the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP),
Mesut Barzani, said that thousands of people had been forced to
leave their homes or be killed in the region by the PKK. He added
that the PKK was more harmful than Saddam Hussein in so far as
the Kurdish population was concerned.
Meanwhile, the Danish Foreign Affairs Minister, Peterson, said
that they did not want Ocalan in their country. The Belarussian
Ambassador to Ankara, Nikolia Lepesko, refuted the claims that
Ocalan was in their country. After meeting the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary, Faruk Lologlu, Lepesko said that
they assured Turkey that Ocalan cannot be officially settled in
Belarussia. Lepesko noted that the Belarussian administration was
firmly against Ocalan's arriving in Minsk.
Meanwhile, PKK supporters in Europe threatened European
countries, especially Italy, concerning Abdullah Ocalan's future.
According to the Italian L'UNITA newspaper if something bad
happened to Ocalan, Italy would be held partly responsible for
this unwanted incident. Quoting the words of the PKK
representative in Italy, the paper reported that chaos would be
created throughout Europe if something bad happened to Ocalan.
The representative added that they were ready to fight for their
leader, reported the paper. /Sabah/ Turkiye/
The US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, demanded that
every country try Ocalan. It was reported that, speaking before a
special commission in bringing the Senate, Albright said, "We are
asking everybody to cooperate in bringing about the trial of
Ocalan. Germany could not evaluate the recent opportunity to
bring Ocalan before the court, while both Turkey and Italy were
unable to reach a consensus on how to bring him to justice. These
opporunities should have benefitted from decisive decisions, but
they were fritterred away in hesitation and ignorance."
/Hurriyet/
Turkey's new Ambassador to Rome, Necati Utkan, went to Italy.
Before his departure Utkan said at Ankara's Ataturk Airport that
he would make every effort to create an atmosphere conducive to
improving Turco-Italian relations. His main aim is to protect
Turkey's benefits while improving bilateral relations, he added.
/Sabah/
A court in the French town of Aix-en-Provence yesterday refused
the request to free a Turkish mobster submitted by his lawyers.
The infamous mafia boss Alaattin Cakici, who is wanted in Turkey
for instigating a number of murders, including that of his
ex-wife, was caught by the local authorities in the French town
of Nice last summer. /All papers/
The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mohsen Eminzade, said: "The
main aim of my visit was not to repair our mutual ties because we
have already managed to solve our mutual problems. My main
purpose was to convey President Mohammed Khatami's message to
President Suleyman Demirel". Eminzade noted that Khatami's
message concerns the different problems in the region. Eminzade
also said that there is no security problem at the border between
Iran and Turkey. He added that cooperation between Turkey and
Iran has improved the security of the border. /All papers/
Turkey's privatization drive should gain momentum in spite of the
volatility on the international markets, said the IMF Turkey-desk
Chief Martin Hardy. Hardy answered journalists' questions
following a meeting with Privatization Board (OIB) Chairman Ugur
Bayar. Privatization is a very important activity that Turkey
needs to carry out, said Hardy, adding that privatization has
contributed towards the solution of Turkey's economic and
financial problems. The slowdown in the rate of inflation
indicates that last year's economic policies have resulted in an
improvement , and thus these policies should be continued, said
Hardy. /All papers/
A senior US official arrived in Ankara yesterday for
consultations with Turkish officials on a proposed pipeline to
carry Caspian oil to Western markets through Turkey. Richard
Morningstar, President Clinton's special adviser on Caspian
energy, is pressing major oil companies to opt for a pipeline
that would run from Baku in Azerbaijan to Ceyhan on Turkey's
Mediterranean coast. Morningstar was received by Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit and Turkish Energy Minister Ziya Aktas and also met
the Undersecretary of the Turkish Energy Ministry, Yurdakul
Yigitguden. The 11 oil companies involved in a consortium to
extract the oil are expected to make a decision soon on their
preferred route. /All papers/
Clashes in the Southeast between the PKK terrorist organization
and Turkish security forces continue. Fifteen members of the PKK
were killed in operations in Siirt and Tunceli. Regional
officials said that eight members of the security forces died
during the clashes which have been going on in the region for the
last few days. /All papers/
A delegation from the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's
Association (TUSIAD) headed by Erkut Yucaoglu visited Prime
Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday. During the meeting, draft laws
on the economy, such as the Banking and Social Security Bills,
were taken up. /Hurriyet/
Iraq has complained about Turkey, the US and Britain to the UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan and accused these countries of
intervening in its internal affairs and violating its sovereignty
and territorial integrity. The Iraqi Foreign Minister Muhammed
Said El Sahaf sent a letter to Annan and said that this situation
should be brought to a close as soon as possible. /Cumhuriyet/
ICEM, the International Chemistry, Energy, Mining and Workers
Unions' Federation, which has nearly 25 million members from 115
countries including Turkey, carries on with its programme of
international solidarity among workers. Delivering a speech at a
meeting, the Marmara Regional Representative of the Revolutionist
Workers Unions Confederation (DISK), Gunay Onayman, said that
workers had great responsibility in such a period during which
investment has become global. /Cumhuriyet/
The Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) index rose by 4.5 % following
a decrease in the inflation rate and the authorization given by
the Treasury to two foreign banks to implement the sales of
bonds. The index reached 2,792 points. /Cumhuriyet/
The 'Turkish Week' organized by the 'Multi-Cultural Institution'
(MCI) in The Hague, Holland, will start today. As the part of the
week, whose aim is to further promote Turkish culture and draw
the two socities closer together, various cultural and artistic
activities have been planned. Some Turkish artists and authors
will also participate in the activities, the Anatolia news agency
reports.
It is reported that the number of Austrian tourists to visit
Turkey this year will increase by 50 %. An article published in
the 'Travel Industry Professional-TIP', one of the most
influential tourism magazines in Austria, devoted wide coverage
to Turkey. The article noted that 9,750,000 Austrian tourists
visited Turkey last year. The article said that in addition to
the sun and its coastal beauties, Turkey also had golf tourism.
The article added that tourism agencies attached great
significance to the whirling dervishes' ceremonies held in
December to commemorate the death of Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi,
as well as to Aspendos and Istanbul Music Festivals, the Anatolia
news agency reports.
The Turkish language will become compulsory in Bulgaria. The
General Director of the National Rights and Freedoms Movement,
Tahir Guner, said: "The Turkish language will be a compulsory
lesson in the 1999-2000 school year for Turkish minorities. If
Bulgarians want, they will also be able to participate in the
lessons. The draft curriculum is being drawn up on the commission
of the Education Ministry. Thus, a dream will come true after 27
years". He added that there would also be programmes in Turkish
on Bulgarian TV and radio stations. Tahir stated that a law on
the issue had been enacted by Parliament last November.
/Hurriyet/
Turkey paid off $185.62 million of her foreign debts during the
first three days of February. Turkey paid off $432.01 million in
foreign debts in January. Thus, a total of $617.63 million in
foreign debts has been paid off since the beginning of this year.
/Hurriyet/
Central Bank foreign exchange reserves rose to $20.3 billion.
According to Central Bank data, Central Bank foreign exchange
reserves, which amounted to $20.163 billion on January 22,
increased by $104 million and reached $20.267 billion on January
29. As of January 15, gold reserves totalled $1.125 billion and
foreign exchange reserves in commercial banks were $10.997
billion. /Hurriyet/
The Treasury Undersecretariat authorized the Deutsche Bank AG and
Paribas banks to undertake the second bond exports of this year
on the Euro market, according to a statement by the Treasury
Undersecretariat yesterday. /Hurriyet/
According to information released by the Culture Ministry, TL 125
billion has been allocated for the restoration of the Hagia
Sophia mosque, one of the valuable works of art attracting the
interest of many tourists prior to the 2000th anniversary of the
birth of Jesus Christ. /Hurriyet/
Turkish movies participated in 15 festivals in 30 countries
throughout the world last year. The Culture Ministry organized
Turkish Film Days in order to further promote Turkish movies on
international platforms and to contribute to the movie sector in
Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/
The Belgian Royal Philharmonical Orchestra will come to Izmir on
February 9 in order to give a concert at the Ataturk Culture
Centre at the Aegean University. The concert will be financed by
the Culture Ministry. The orchestra will give a concert in
Istanbul today. /Cumhuriyet/
The Istanbul State Security Court (DGM), by a majority of vote,
decided to acquit Eyup Asik, former Minister, saying that the
material and moral aspects of the crime of 'aiding a gang to
commit crime' were not constituted, the Anatolia news agency
reports.
Cappadocia will be promoted in international fairs. The Chairman
of the Cappadocia Tourism Facilities Association (KAPTID), Ahmet
Bayram, said that they would attend Milan's Tourism Fair in
Italy, the Berlin Fair in Germany and the London Fair in England
to promote the rich tourist potential of the region. Bayram noted
that fairs were very effective in the promotion of countries.
/Sabah/
World famous Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet's poems will meet with
American art-lovers in March in Chicago. The expenses will be met
by various art funds of the Chicago Mayorship. The presentation
which will be organized by the "Shaw Chicago" institution will
take place in Claudia Cassidy Theatre in Chicago. /Sabah/
Last night a fire was occured at Maltepe Old People's Home in
Istanbul. Officials announced that nine old people had died and
six of them were wounded. It was reported that the reason for
fire is being investigated by experts. /Sabah/
While the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Greek-Cypriot
Administration, Yannis Kasulides, asserts that the formation of a
multinational peace-keeping force to be provided by NATO, will
lead to the disarmament of the island, this idea has been
considered "meaningless" by the Alliance. Diplomatic circles in
NATO stated that the Greek-Cypriots frequently put forward such
ideas in order to distract the focus of attention of the
international community, reiterating that the question of Cyprus
is not and will never be on NATO's agenda. /Aksam/
It is reported that the Communist International will be held in
Greece in May. According to diplomatic and political circles in
Athens, by means of a rejuvenation of the Communist
International, Greece plans to establish hegemony over Communist
and Labour parties from different countries in order to
manipulate this unity in her own interests. In this respect, it
is reported that the Greek Communist Party (KKE) will invite the
terrorist PKK to this meeting as well. Meanwhile, a Greek
newspaper (Stohos) published a map which shows part of Turkish
lands, including Eastern Thrace and the Aegean region, as
territories to be conquered by Greece. /Aksam/
Gazi Ercel, the Governor of the Central Bank, said that by virtue
of its balance of payments, rate of growth, the operation of the
market mechanism, the dynamism of the private sector and the
robust infrastructure of its banking system, Turkey has been able
to avoid many consequences of the global crisis. Noting that the
impact of the global financial crisis on Turkey will be less than
expected, Ercel said, "The level of globalization of the Turkish
economy is relatively low, which undermines the scrupulous nature
of the crisis." Ercel also claimed that Turkey has a quite
experienced executive staff regarding financial crises, and this
enables the Central Bank to maintain financial liquidity in the
market without challenging the self-confidence of the market.
/Aksam/
Turkcell, the largest GSM operator in the Turkish
telecommunications sector, signed a 520-million-dollar agreement
with Ericsson-Turkey to expand its network capacity and
subscriber volume. /Aksam/
Columnist Yavuz Donat wrote about his discussion with ANAP leader
Mesut Yilmaz concerning the elections to be held on 18 April in
today's article. Donat pointed out that the True Path Party
(DYP), the Virtue Party (FP) and the Republican People's Party
(CHP) would greatly "pressurize" ANAP and Mesut Yilmaz. Donat
asked Yilmaz what he would do to defend himself and his party.
Yilmaz replied that he had already started a race and he only
thought to reach the finish without interesting himself in what
others were doing.
Yilmaz told Donat, "Bulent Ecevit and myself decided not to
participate in any interview or debates on televion because the
voting public do not want polemics." Regarding the Southeast
Yilmaz said that the Southeast was Turkey's concern; if the
region was left undeveloped so would Turkey be.
Donat finished his article with a prediction saying that the
election will be a competition, widely, between the Motherland
Party (ANAP) and the Virtue Party (FP).
Bekir Coskun, a journalist from the daily 'Hurriyet' newspaper,
says the following in his article today: "Ocalan has never
travelled so much until today. It is not certain whether he is on
the plane or on the ground. The intelligence services cannot even
keep pace with Ocalan's flight. While the news is claiming that
Ocalan is in Moscow, he tours over Europe and arrives in Rome.
However in spite of all this, the refusal on the part of any
country to admit Ocalan shows Turkey's influence.
The most serious issue is that Iran has begun to assist the PKK
terrorist organization. That is what Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit
has said. Due to the air-attacks by the aircraft departing from
Incirlik Air Base, Iraq began to support the PKK. Therefore, in
addition to Turkey's economic losses since the Gulf War, Turkey
is also faced with vapid American policies..". /Hurriyet/
CLINTON: "TURKISH-GREEK WAR COULD EMERGE"
SIMITIS: "S-300 WERE ORDERED PREVIOUSLY"
TURKISH ARMY IS A BRIDGE FOR PEACE
ECEVIT: "TURKEY HAS NO REGIME PROBLEM"
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS MEETING
CINDORUK IS AGAINST 18 APRIL ELECTIONS
KUTAN CRITICIZES ECEVIT
OCALAN'S REVENGE THROUGH DRUG SMUGGLING
OCALAN IS NOT IN ITALY
BARZANI: "OCALAN IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN SADDAM"
ALBRIGHT CRITICIZES ITALY AND GERMANY OVER OCALAN
AMBASSADOR UTKAN IN ROME
FRENCH COURT REFUSES TO RELEASE CAKICI
IRANIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER IN TURKEY
IMF EMPHASIZES PRIVATIZATION
MORNINGSTAR IN ANKARA
15 TERRORISTS KILLED
TUSIAD DELEGATION MEETS ECEVIT
BAGHDAD COMPLAINS ABOUT TURKEY
COOPERATION BETWEEN TURKISH AND US WORKERS
IMKB INDEX RISES BY 4.5 %
TURKISH WEEK IN THE HAGUE
TURKISH TOURISM VERY POPULAR
TURKISH COMPULSORY LANGUAGE IN BULGARIA
TURKEY PAYS $185.6 MILLION OF FOREIGN DEBTS
FOREIGN EXCHANGES INCREASE
EUROMARK BOND EXPORTS
TL 125 BILLION FOR HAGIA SOPHIA
TURKISH MOVIE ON WORLD TOUR
BELGIAN ROYAL PHILHARMONICAL ORCHESTRA IN IZMIR
EYUP ASIK ACQUITTED
CAPPADOCIA TO BE OPENED TO THE WORLD
NAZIM HIKMET'S POEMS IN AMERICA
FIRE IN OLD PEOPLE'S HOME IN ISTANBUL
NATO'S REPLY TO GREEK-CYPRIOTS
GREEK EFFORTS TO UNDERMINE TURKEY'S UNITY
ERCEL: "THE CRISIS IS A MERE BLIP"
$520 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM TURKCELL AND ERICSSON
FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS....
"TOWARDS THE ELECTIONS" -BY YAVUZ DONAT (SABAH)
OCALAN ON TRAVEL -BY BEKIR COSKUN (HURRIYET)