Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
President Suleyman Demirel said yesterday that the April 18
parliamentary and local elections will be held on schedule and
that the two-tier election system will not be implemented.
Demirel added: "The system can be changed in time for the next
elections". He noted that he wants the two-tier system in all
elections. He said that even the President should be elected
through a two-tier system. Demirel pointed out the fact that
there are so many parties in Turkey, 21 of which are
participating in the elections, and this means there are serious
'divisions' within the political spectrum.
Demirel stated that in recent years, Turkey's foreign
counterparts have come to terms with the fact that Turkey faces a
terrorism threat. "So now they are saying we understand the
terrorism threat but now you also have to find a political
solution to the issue. They say this but they never spell out
what they mean by a political solution" Demirel complained. /All
papers/
The Economic and Social Council, which met on Monday, decided to
maintain their budget discipline and stabilization policies to be
implemented as three-month programmes in 1999. In addition, a
consensus was reached to preserve the implementation of the
principle of the Social State, not to allow pre-election spending
sprees and to diminish the public sector's borrowing requirement.
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit announced the results of the Council
meeting in Ankara yesterday at a press meeting. The council
decided that the search for funds to be transferred to Eximbank
to finance exports should be accelerated, and that loans granted
by Halk Bank to tradesmen, artisans and small to medium-scale
enterprises would be increased to stimulate production. Ecevit
said that the Council is a step towards participatory democracy.
He noted that the meeting was very fruitful, that almost all of
the economic and social problems of Turkey were assessed and that
it was agreed that employers, employees and the State should find
solutions to these problems, the Anatolia news agency reports.
The US Administration has declared that Iraq should cease
threatening Turkey and other neighbouring countries and stated
that if not, it will use force. The US State Department's
Spokesman, James Rubin, said: "If Iraq continues to threaten its
neighbours, it will be a grave mistake". /Milliyet/
It was reported that the agreement concerning the use of Incirlik
Airbase in Adana would be changed. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit
said that Turkey had reported to the US that it had been
negatively effected due to the procedures carried aout from the
airbase and Turkey had already convinced the US administration
about there was a need to rearrange the terms of the agreement.
Ecevit added that the certain rules and regulations would be
applied, such that Iraqi activity the region would be monitored
and the US would not use the airbase during a probable operation
against Iraq. /Aksam/
The Kurdish Parliament-in-exile is now in Spain after leaving
Italy. The Local Assembly of the Basque region in Spain has
allowed the so-called Parliament to set a date for a meeting in
July. Turkey reacted strongly to the Spanish decision, which has
itself been struggling against its own terrorism problem for
years. Turkey decided to critize Spain. Meanwhile, the Speaker of
the Basque Parliament, Juan Maria Atutxa, said that deputies were
free to allow or prohibit the meeting in the Parliament. Members
of the People's Party, which is in power in Spain, in the Basque
Parliament voiced their anxieties concerning future economic
relations between Turkey and Spain. Also, the main Opposition
party, the Spainish Socialist Workers' Party, evaluated the
decision as "unsuitable".
Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit criticized the decision
saying that it would be contrary to both friendship and
partnership to allow the so-called Parliament to meet in the
Basque region. He believed that the people of the Basque region
would not support the decision and the Spanish government was
against the meeting.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry noted that the plan by
separatists to hold a meeting in a European Parliament building
would have as its aim the encouragement of terrorist activities.
The report added that Turkey believed that the European
Parliament would not allow a meeting which would aim to increase
every type of terrorist activity. The meeting also wished to to
deceive Parliament and manipulate it for its own interests.
/Aksam/
A previously unknown group supporting the PKK leader, Abdullah
Ocalan, has claimed responsibility for a bomb explosion late on
Monday near the Turkish Consulate in the Greek city of Komotini
(Gumulcine). An anonymous telephone call to the local state radio
station claimed to represent a group called 'Support for Ocalan-
the Hawks of Thrace'. Turkish Consul-General Sakir Ozkan Torunlar
said that there was no damage to the Consulate building, adding
that he had visited the injured bomb disposal expert in the
hospital.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry yesterday issued a statement
condemning the incident and implied that it was a result of
Greece's hostile policies towards Turkey. On the other hand, the
Greek Government yesterday condemned the bomb attack against the
Turkish Consulate. /Turkiye/
A group of Greek MPs yesterday asked the government to grant
political asylum to Abdullah Ocalan, a demand which Greece has
said it will not even consider. Ocalan, the PKK leader, "has
suffered unacceptable treatment from the world, in particular
from Europe", said Costas Bandouvas, a deputy with the governing
Socialist Party. The deputies, including former socialist Public
Order Minister Stelios Papathemelis, said they will soon submit a
50,000-signature petition to Parliament calling on Europe and the
Greek government to grant Ocalan asylum. But the Greek government
is reluctant to increase tension in her already strained
relations with Turkey. /All papers/
The Supreme Court of Italy, which accepted Turkey's application
for extradition of Ocalan, has begun a thorough investigation
concerning all government officials related to the arrival of
Ocalan in Italy and his subsequent release without trial. The
Chairman of the Supreme Court, Bruno Fasanelli, launched an
investigation following the application of Augusto Sinagra, the
lawyer on behalf of Turkey, and decided to re-institute the
inquiries against Ocalan. Furthermore, the Supreme Court also
demanded that the Court of Appeals continue its incomplete
investigation concerning Oliviero Diliberto, the Minister of
Justice, who was charged with a breach of duty. /Hurriyet/
While there are allegations that the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan,
has returned to Russia, intelligence units reported that the PKK
terrorist organization has purchased a village in Russia. A
report submitted to high-level state officials noted that Ocalan
was trying to settle in 'Biyeduhable' village between the
districts of Krasnodar and Maykop. It is also reported that there
were PKK flags and Ocalan's posters hung on some houses in this
village.
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit stated yesterday
that there was no definite information about Ocalan's location,
while replying to allegations that Ocalan might be in Germany.
Ecevit added: "But the reality will become evident sooner or
later". On the other hand, according to the German DPA news
agency, German Interior Ministry officials rejected the
allegations claiming that Ocalan was in Germany. /Milliyet/
Nine PKK members were under arrest yesterday in Istanbul.
Officials said that PKK members had been preparing to organize
attacks on the party buildings and security headquarters in
Istanbul. Also, they added, arms, bombs and outlawed documents
were seized by the close of the operations. /Cumhuriyet/
The Emergency Rule in place in Diyarbakir, Hakkari, Siirt,
Sırnak, Tunceli and Van is being extende for four more months
from March 30 1999 following the acceptance of a memo from the
Prime Ministry at the plenary session of the Turkish Grand
National Assembly. /Sabah/
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, said that there was
no correlation between European Union (EU) membership and the
protection of the democratic and secular status of Turkey. Cem
added, "Turkey has the necessary political distance. And we are
struggling to solve some other problems. There is only one
country which is against Turkey's EU membership. It is not
Turkey's problem that Greece vetos our EU membership, because
Turkey would not be able to protect her democratic and secular
identity if she entered to the EU". /Cumhuriyet/
The Leader of the Virtue Party (FP), Recai Kutan, has said: "The
elections will not be between those who are for and those who are
against the regime, as was speculated. They will be held between
those who are for democracy and those who are not". Kutan,
speaking after a group meeting, complained about the early
elections and then stated that the FP will do its best to guide
Turkey into a fair, honest election period. /All papers/
The last European Security and Cooperation Organization (ESCO)
Summit of the century will be held in Istanbul in November. The
most prominent Presidents and Prime Ministers in the world will
come to Istanbul in order to attend this summit. The first sign
of the meeting came from the US President Bill Clinton, who
addresed a letter to President Demirel and expressed his pleasure
at the gathering of the Summit in Istanbul. Moreover, the French
President Chirac also noted that he will attend the summit.
/Hurriyet/
Two people from the World Bank arrived in Ankara yesterday to
investigate the allocation of a World Bank $200 million loan
aimed at helping the crisis-hit non-financial sector. The
delegation will meet officials from the Treasury and the Foreign
Trade Undersecretariat, Eximbank, the Turkish Development Bank,
Halkbank and some private banks.
The loans will be granted within the guidelines of the Country
Assistance Strategy (CAS). Sub-sectors which need financial
assistance will be determined and reported on to the World Bank.
Economic authorities will give a detailed presentation to the
delegation on the use of the loans. Meanwhile, the World Bank
Director of Turkey, Ajay Chhibber, said that agricultural reforms
were one of the most important issues to be tackled today and in
the future by Turkish politicians. /All papers/
The IMF delegation which has completed its visit to Turkey, the
previous day, made promising statements concerning an agreement
which would relieve the pressure on the economy. However intense
activity took place behind the scenes. During the 12 day visit
which the IMF delegation paid in order to evaluate the Turkish
economy, the persuasive position of the Finance Minister Zekeriya
Temizel, State Economic Minister Hikmet Ulugbay, and the Turkish
Industrialists and Businessmen Association (TUSIAD) was
instrumental in achieving a positive report. During the
negotiations Temizel and Ulugbay insisted on a realistic
evaluation of the year 1998, emphasizing Turkey's determination
in implementing the programme despite the global crisis and
political problems and stating the positive results which had
been achieved. /Sabah/
An evaluation meeting was held with the participation of both
public and private sector representatives, in order to review
trade relations between Turkey and Russia and improve cooperation
opportunities between the two countries. Deputy Undersecretary of
the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Mithat Balkan, speaking at the
meeting stated that it was very hard for Russia to overcome the
economic crisis. He added, "However hard it may be , it is in
Turkey's interests that Russia overcome this crisis." Balkan also
noted that relations should gain momentum in a very short time.
The Turkish Ambassador to Moscow, Nabi Sensoy, said that the two
countries which were economic partners had to expand their
fields of partnership. /Sabah/
Treasury officials will be on a 'Road Show' next week in order to
inform investors about Euro-bond exports which will be the second
sale of the year abroad. As part of the 'Road Show', which is
expected to last for nearly one week, Treasury officials will
organize various seminars. Meanwhile, according to officials from
Deutsche Bank, the positive view of the IMF delegation towards
the Turkish economy will increase Turkish foreign borrowing
opportunities. /Milliyet/
The price of share certificate on the Istanbul Stock Exchange has
been rising in line with the positive atmosphere in the market.
The compound index has attained its greatest level since last
August. The Compound Indext increased to 2,924 points with a 109
point increase and share certificates have gained an average of
3.8 percent in the last six months. Financial expert expects that
the positive atmosphere will continue following the fruitful
meetings between the representatives of the government and the
IMF. /Aksam/
Akbank, one of the sponsors of the Euromoney International Bonds
Congress, held a session concerning the Turkish bond market
yesterday. Speaking in the session titled `Investment Strategies
and Opportunities in the Turkish Bond Market', Cuneyt Sel, the
Deputy Undersecretary of the Turkish Treasury, mentioned the
improvements in the current balance of payments and noted that
the ratio of domestic debts to the GNP in Turkey is lower than
those in other developing countries like Brazil. Meanwhile, Resit
Toygar, Deputy General Director of Akbank, reflected on the
privileged position of the Turkish market. Toygar said, "Our
market, providing high returns, is flexible and liquid. In 1998,
the average return on the basis of the US dollar was realized as
24%." /Hurriyet/
It was revealed that in 1996, the Board of Capital Markets (SPK)
had sent a `warning report' to the Treasury with regard to an a
special offer on cars organized by the Islamic corporation
Jet-Pa, drawing attention to the fact that this offer relied upon
a fraudulent system in which loans were paid back by further
borrowing in turn. Accordingly, "it is observed that Jet-Pa has
to borrow increasing amounts in order to meet the obligations it
has already entered into. Therefore, we think that this situation
poses a great danger to those citizens who participated in the
campaign." /Hurriyet/
It has been declared that Kutlu Aktas, the former the Minister of
the Interior and the former Governor of Izmir, will run as a
candidate for Izmir Metropolitan Mayorship on behalf of the
Motherland Party (ANAP). Aktas said, "I had to accept. The people
of Izmir expressed their intense desire for me to stand. I know
that this is a very arduous duty. I will take part in democratic
contest." Meanwhile it is reported that the famous Turkish woman
writer, Adalet Agaoglu, declared her Parliamentary candidacy
standing for the socialist Freedom and Solidarity Party (ODP).
/Hurriyet/
$2 million has been allocated for the celebrations of the 700th
anniversary of the establishment of the Ottoman Empire. Planned
within the celebrations is a culture week which will be organized
at the French Versailles Palace. In order to promote Ottoman and
Turkish cultures, many exhibitions will be held in a variety of
noted museums world-wide, especially in France and Austria.
Various examples of tile-ware from Topkapi Palace will be
exhibited in the People's Republic of China. /Milliyet/
The 'Second Annual Turkish Energy Summit' will be held today and
tomorrow in Istanbul. The meeting is sponsored by the
Turco-British Chamber of Commerce, the Taba-Amcham Department of
Trade and Industry's Bureau in Turkey, Istanbul Chamber of
Industry, the Menas Partnership, the Energy Intelligence Group
and Financial Times Energy. Many foreign and Turkish
representatives from the energy sector are expected to attend the
Summit. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Prof.Ziya Aktas
will deliver an opening speech at the summit. /Turkiye/
Harmonization within the guidelines of the commitments concerning
processed foodstuffs outlined in the Customs Union Agreement has
been achieved with the European Union (EU). The industrial quota
of processed foodstuffs, including imported biscuits and pizza,
has been lifted for the EU and EFTA. In the imports of these
foodstuffs from the EU, only limits on agricultural shares will
be implemented. With the CU agreement between Turkey and the EU,
processed agricultural products were drawn up in three separate
lists. According to the agreement, the industrial import duty on
processed foodstuffs should become zero for the EU. /Turkiye/
Growing environmental awareness in Turkey has created new sectors
in the economy, the Anatolia news agency reports. The 'waste
market' is seen as an important vehicle by which industrial and
other wastes may contribute to the economy. The waste market has
been established under the Union of Turkish Chamber and Commodity
Exchanges (TOBB).
Turkey continues with her achievements in the field of tourism
promotion. Turkey received the silver medal in the 'International
HSMAI Adrian Commercials Awards Competition' held in the US in
1998. During another advertising campaign two years ago, Turkey
received the bronze medal. As a result of commercials last year,
the increase in the number of tourists which was foreseen as 12%,
rose to 21% due to Turkey's success in promoting herself.
Officials are very pleased with the results. /Milliyet/
Turkish soloist and pianist Muhiddin Durruoglu Demiriz from the
Belgian Royal Great Philharmonic Orchestra has been representing
Turkey abroad for many years. Demiriz, who held a concert at
Antalya Culture Centre yesterday, said: "I have become a lecturer
at the Royal Conservatoire. It was not easy to enter this
orchestra as a Turk. However, music is universal". /Milliyet/
The 49th Berlin Film Festival will start today. The festival is
of great importance for Turkey this year, as four Turkish films
will participate in the Festival. Officials noted that during the
Festival they hope Turkish films will receive a lot of attention.
One of the Turkish films will be nomimated for the International
Competition Section. /Milliyet/
Murat Demirag, a Turk born in New York, is in both the film and
commercials sector in Hollywood. Demirag has taken roles in TV
advertisements, plays and films on Broadway and in Los Angeles.
/Aksam/
One of the leading magazines in Germany, the "Focus", reported
that Turkish pop singers, Tarkan, Tugce San and Rafet El Roman,
were the new hopes in the German music sector. Calling Tarkan the
new "Mick Jagger of Europe" the magazine noted that the German
Motor Music Company had reached an agreement with the famous
Turkish pop singer. It was reported that Tugce San is still
performaning with the US pop singer Janet Jackson in Germany. At
the end of the article, it was claimed that Turkish pop songs
were very popular in Germany. /Aksam/
(SABAH)
Columnist Tayfun Devecioglu looks at the economic situation after
the issuing of the IMF report. A summary of his column is as
follows:
Economic officials describe some of the sentences in the
statement issued by IMF Turkish-Desk Chairman Martin Hardy as a
'miracle'. Such as, " We would like to enter into closer
cooperation with Turkey so as to implement a more comprehensive
and enthusiastic anti-inflation programme after the elections.
Such a programme could be supported by the sources from the
Fund."....Hardy in his statement expresses the IMF's desire for a
plan with Turkey to lend money to the country. In other words, it
means to say that Turkey is a country with which they can enter
into an agreement, therefore Turkish officials should go to
Washington with this aim in mind before the elections...However,
both the IMF and the officials are making their calculations
bearing in mind the probability of a coalition with the
Motherland Party (ANAP)and Democratic Left Party (DSP) govennment
in power...In the report it is stated that the Staff Monitoring
Agrement begun during the Yilmaz government is being meticulously
implemented by the Ecevit government. It has been observed that
the IMF is pleased with this development...The only law Ecevit
wants the Parliament to pass is the Banking Law before the
elections.... The Treasury seems highly relieved by the IMF
statement. /Sabah/
DEMIREL: "ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD ON APRIL 18"
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL SUPPORTS GOVERNMENT MEASURES
WASHINGTON REASSURES ANKARA
INCIRLIK AIRBASE TO BE REARRANGED
KURDISH PARLIAMENT-IN-EXILE IN SPAIN
PRO-PKK GROUP CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY
GREEK MPs ASK ATHENS TO GRANT OCALAN POLITICAL ASYLUM
SUPREME COURT INVESTIGATES THE ITALIAN OFFICIALS DUE TO OCALAN
PKK PURCHASES A VILLAGE IN RUSSIA
PKK OPERATION IN ISTANBUL
EMERGENCY RULE LENGTHENED FOR FOUR MORE MONTHS
CEM: "DEMOCRACY IS IMPORTANT"
KUTAN: "PUBLIC WILL DETERMINE DEMOCRACY"
PROMISE TO TURKEY
WORLD BANK DELEGATION ARRIVES TO SUPPORT LOANS
IMF IS PERSUADED IN 18 HOURS
AID TO RUSSIA IN TURKEY'S INTERESTS
TREASURY ON ROAD SHOW
IMKB AT ITS HIGHEST LEVEL FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS
"TURKEY IS THE MOST ATTRACTIVE COUNTRY FOR INVESTMENT"
`JET-PA CHAIN' REPORT FROM SPK
KUTLU AKTAS WILL RUN FOR ANAP IN IZMIR
$2 MILLION FOR THE 700TH ANNIVERSARY
ENERGY GIANTS MEET FOR THE SECOND TIME
FULL COMPETITION IN FOOD SECTOR
TOBB TO ESTABLISH 'WASTE MARKET'
GREAT AWARD FOR TOURISM
A TURK IN DYNASTY
TURKISH FILMS IN BERLIN
TURKISH ACTOR IN HOLLYWOOD
TURKISH WIND IN GERMANY
FROM THE COLUMNS ... FROM THE COLUMNS ... FROM THE COLUMNS
TREASURY GOES TO IMF BEFORE THE ELECTIONS - BY TAYFUN DEVECIOGLU