Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
John Wolf, the US President's Special Envoy to the Caspian Basin,
was received by Turkish President Suleyman Demirel yesterday.
Following the meeting, Demirel reaffirmed, "The final agreement
concerning the Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline Project will be signed during
the OSCE Summit". Demirel paid a visit to Baku on October 18.
During the meeting, the recent situation with reference to the
Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline Project and the Trans-Caspian Natural Gas
Pipeline Project had been discussed and it was decided that the
agreement concerning these projects would be signed during the
OSCE Summit in Istanbul on November 18-19. US officials also say
that the Chechnya issue and the Conventional Forces in Europe
question will be deliberated during the OSCE Summit in Istanbul.
/Hurriyet/
The Treasury achieved an income of 687.6 trillion Turkish lira
for its 23-month bonds. The annual average interest rate is
65.45% and the compound average is 83.34%. The amount bid for the
bonds totalled 2 quadrillion 109 trillion 885 billion. For the
bonds, the annual minimum interest rate is 56.93%, the maximum is
65.67%; the minimum annual compound interest rate is 70.27% and
the maximum is 83.68%. /Turkiye/
A feasibility report was delivered to the Directorate General of
State Water Works on 11th March. The report concerns the set-up
for the transport of water from the Anamur River (Dragon River)
to the TRNC. This consists of a dam, a 10 thousand cubic metres
water tank, and an underwater pipeline on the Turkish side and a
dam, a pumping station and a 3.5 kilometre pipeline on the TRNC
side.The drawings for the dams on the Turkish and the TRNC have
begun. An agreement was signed with a firm from abroad for the 78
kilometre sea-bed pipeline and this firm has now finished its
concept design work and begun its detail design work. /Turkiye/
The Military Exemption Tax Draft Law, which was prepared by the
Government in order to contribute to covering the financial
losses incurred due to the earthquake that occurred in the
Marmara Region on 17th August, became legal in the General
Council of the TGNA. Under this law, those who were born before
1st January 1973 will be able to make use of this new legislation
on condition that they had not already begun their military
service on the date this law went into effect. Those who were
born before 1st January 1973 and who wish to pay the military
exemption tax must apply in the six months after the introduction
of this legislation. They will then pay 15 thousand Deutsche
Marks and complete their basic military training, in the unions
and institutions that are yet to be determined by the Office of
the General Staff, in order to be considered as having completed
their military service.
If they wish, those who are not over 40 years old on 31st
December 1999 will be considered as having completed their
military service without undergoing the basic military training
on condition that they pay 20 thousand Deutsche Marks. Under this
law, this money will be placed into the account that was opened
in the name of the Ministry of Finance's, Court of Auditors
within the Ziraat Bank. Only the Ministry of Finance will have
the authority to use this money and transfer this money to the
budgets of the institutions involved. /Turkiye/
The leader of the Virtue Party, Recai Kutan, stated that the
existance of Israel was accepted by the whole world and that
they, as the Virtue Party, do not have any objection to
cooperation between Israel and Turkey. Kutan, who is in
Washington now, delivered a speech at the Woodrow Wilson
Philosophy Establishment and said, "It is known that Israel
enjoys great technological facilities, particularly in battle
technology. Turkey can work in cooperation with Israel in the
same way as she cooperates with any of the Western countries."
/Turkiye/
The file which concerns the request for the extradition of one of
the men implicated in the murder of Ozdemir Sabanci, that is
Fehriye Erdal who is still under arrest in Belgium, will be
officially delivered today to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It
was revealed that under the agreements existing between Turkey
and Belgium, the extradition request file translated into French
would be delivered to the Turkish Embassy in Belgium today.
Turkish diplomatic officials stated that the file will be
delivered to Belgium offices today as it was an official public
holiday yesterday. /Turkiye/
Minister of Tourism Erkan Mumcu is going to Tunisia today with a
delegation also comprising representatives of the private sector.
Mumcu, who will visit Tunisia as the guest of the Tunisian
Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Slaheddine Maaoui, will
chair the 5th meeting of the Turco-Tunisian Tourism Commission,
during which the cooperetion with Tunisia in tourism will be
discussed with Tunisian officials. In addition, a Tourism
Commission protocol will be signed between the two countries.
Minister Mumcu will come back to Turkey on 6th November.
/Turkiye/
Azerbaijan President Haydar Aliyev visited the `ghazis', soldiers
wounded in fighting, who are receiving treatment at Gulhane
Military Medical Academy (GATA). Aliyev was welcomed by Commander
Prof. Dr. Major General Cetin Harmankaya at GATA, then visited
the `ghazis' who are being treated in the "Special Surgery"
Department. Aliyev, having completed his talks, left Turkey at
18:55 yesterday evening. /Cumhuriyet/
One hundred people wishing to enter or leave Turkey by illegal
means have been captured during raids and checks in various
regions of the country. During searches and controls held by
security officials in Edirne, 2 persons of Afghanistani origin,
who wanted to reach Bulgaria, and a total of 78 people of
Bangladeshi, Iranian and Iraqi origin, have been detained in the
districts of Ipsala and Meric. Security officials have also
captured two people of Iranian origin in Tanyulu in an arable
field belonging to the village of Gunyazi in Semdinli, a district
near Hakkari. /Cumhuriyet/
The "EU and Candidate Countries Millenium Round Ministries'
Conference", during which Turkey was represented by State
Minister Tunca Toskay, was held in the capital of Hungary,
Budapest, reported the Anatolia News Agency. EU Commissioner
Pascal Lamy delivered a speech during the opening ceremony and
said, "The aim of the conference is to be prepared for the World
Trade Organization's meeting that will be held in Seattle, U.S.A.
very shortly." Toskay, who met the EU Commissioner responsible
for trade, Pascal Lamy, later made a statement and said that they
had openly discussed the problems concerning relations between
Turkey and the EU.
Culture Minister Istemihan Talay stated that the protection of
the balance between national identity and cultural differences
was of importance. Talay delivered a speech at a meeting of the
UNESCO General Council and said, "The concept of national
identity which has emerged as a result of ethnic, religious and
local cultures should not be placed under pressure. Harmonization
and a peaceful atmosphere will further develop people's
creativity". Talay, who also met the Culture Ministers of
Azerbaijan, Croatia, Japan, Romania and France during UNESCO's
30th General Council meetings, will return to Turkey today, the
Anatolia News Agency reports.
The Turkish Human Rights Investigation Commission, led by
commission head Selma Piskinsut, is continuing its talks in
Berlin this week. On Monday, the commission delegation visited
Tegel Prison in Berlin, speaking there with Turkish inmates who
comprise 175 of the prison's population of 1,600. Piskinsut said
that the delegation also spoke with prison officials to learn
about the prison officers' training, the work release programme
and educational programmes for inmates.
Afterwards, the delegation met German Justice Senator Ehrhard
Korting for further in-depth discussions on prison systems.
Answering reporters' questions after the meeting, Piskinsut
remarked that while Germany did not implement pardons, it does
have a parole system whereby prisoners who exhibit good behaviour
may be released before they have served their full sentences and
that there are also arrangements to allow early release for
medical reasons. The Turkish delegation later met representatives
from various Turkish organizations at the Turkish Cultural
Centre. The delegation also met the Federal Parliament's Human
Rights and Humanitarian Assistance Commission and Interior
Minister Otto Schilly. /All papers/
A cooperation protocol will be signed between the Forestry
Ministries of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC). The protocol which will be signed by Turkish Forestry
Minister Nami Cagan and the TRNC's Agriculture and Forestry
Minister Irsen Kucuk envisages the planned management of forests,
Turkish support for forests in the TRNC and joint efforts to
extinguish forest fires, the Anatolia News Agency reports.
State Minister Ramazan Mirzaoglu went to the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) yesterday. Mirzaoglu and his accompanying
delegation were welcomed by the TRNC Public Works and Transport
Minister, Salih Miroglu, and other officials at Ercan Airport.
Mirzaoglu will be received by TRNC President Rauf Denktas,
Assembly Speaker Ertugrul Hasipoglu, Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu
and State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Akinci
today. Mirzaoglu will leave the TRNC on Friday, the Anatolia News
Agency reports.
Istanbul's Greek Fener Patriarch Bartholomew I yesterday flew in
a private jet to Tirana to visit the Albanian Otosefal Orthodox
Church, the Anatolia News Agency reports. During his visit to
Albania, Bartholomew will meet Albanian President Meydani,
Parliament Speaker Gjinushi, Prime Minister Maiko and religious
leaders. The Patriarch will be back in Turkey on November 9.
Following the call of the chief of the terrorist organization
PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, eight militants, who had arrived in Turkey
on an Austrian Airlines' plane and surrendered to Turkish
officials at Ataturk Airport four days ago, have been detained.
The guestioning by the Directorate of Anti-Terrorism of the
so-called European representatives of the terrorist organization,
Haydar Ergul, Dilek Kurt, Yusuf Kiyak, Ali Sukran Aktas, Aygul
Bidav, Haci Celik, Imam Canpolat and Aysel Dogan, has been
completed. Under strict security precautions, the eight militants
were sent to Istanbul State Security Court's (DGM) Office of the
Republican Prosecutor General. After questioning by the
Republican Prosecutor, Ayhan Gedikmerdan, the terrorists were
sent to the DGM and then were detained and sent to Kartal and
Gebze prisons. /Aksam/
The Chief of the Turkish General Staff, Gen.Huseyin Kivrikoglu,
went to Diyarbakir yesterday together with force commanders.
Gen.Kivrikoglu said that the withdrawal of PKK terrorists was not
yet at the desired level. He added, "Nearly 600-700 terrorists
have been withdrawn to date. However, it is not sufficient. The
withdrawal should be total. Furthermore, the terrorists should
lay down their weapons and surrender in Turkey. Those who have
withdrawn and gone abroad have the chance to come back".
Meanwhile, a 50-person PKK group is also expected to come to
Turkey from Germany and surrender to Turkish officials. On the
other hand, 11 PKK members who surrendered to officials by taking
advantage of the Repentance Law were released yesterday. Last
month, eight prisoners were also released under this Law.
Applications for the release of 15 more prisoners are also being
processed. /Hurriyet/
The spokesman of the German Interior Ministry, Christian Arns,
declared that Yalcin Ozbey's asylum request had been rejected. He
said that Ozbey might be extradited to Turkey. Christian Arns
also asserted that up to then no call for extradition had been
received from Turkey concerning Yalcin Ozbey, who was accused of
participating in the assassination of Abdi Ipekci in 1979. It was
claimed that Ozbey had been taken into custody in Germany the day
before. /Aksam/
The Koc Conglomerate has decided to merge its five consumer
durable companies to become one of the five largest producers of
consumer goods in Europe. Arcelik, Beko, the Turkish Electricity
Industry, Atilim Marketing and Degisim Marketing have been merged
to form the new company called 'Arcelik-Beko', with a stock value
of nearly 39 trillion TL. Thus the new company has gained power
on a global scale. The Deputy Head of the Executive Board of the
Koc Conglomerate, Hasan Subasi, quoted that the total number of
sales of consumer durables world-wide was almost 200 million, 85
% of which were in Europe, North America and the Asian-Pacific
region. Subasi stated that Turkey was the sixth biggest market in
Europe. /Hurriyet/
The Head of the IMF-Turkey Desk, Carlo Cottarelli, said that the
stand-by agreement between the IMF and Turkey and the IMF loan to
Turkey could be approved by the IMF's Executive Directors'
Council by the end of this year. Cottarelli stated that they were
optimistic concerning the ratification of the stand-by agreement
and added that the amount of financial assistance to be offered
to Turkey has not been determined yet. The IMF delegation, which
will stay in Turkey for 20 days, met Treasury Undersecretary
Selcuk Demiralp yesterday. Demiralp and Cottarelli issued a joint
statement to the press following the three-hour meeting.
Cottarelli said that structural reforms were very significant for
the stand-by agreement. Demiralp pointed out that, with the
stand-by agreement with the IMF in place, a remarkable level of
support would be achieved and this support would be related to
the balance of payments. He added, "With the stand-by agreement,
we will be able to declare the financial discipline of the
Turkish economy to the whole world". /Hurriyet/
The visit being paid by the IMF delegation to Turkey is receiving
a great deal of attention from foreign markets. Experts in London
agree that the possibility of a stand-by agreement being
concluded between Turkey and the IMF is high and say that the
Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) will be the most profitable among
the emerging markets. European experts recommend that
international financial investors should increase the number of
Turkish shares in their portfolios. /Hurriyet/
One of Turkey's important trade partners, Algeria is waiting for
Turkish investors to improve the trade volume between the two
countries further. Algeria's Commercial Counsellor to Turkey
declared the measures which can be taken for this purpose are:
cooperation may be implemented in oil exploration; Turkish
contractors may take part in constructing buildings; small-and
medium-scale enterprises may invest in transport; mining;
primarly for gold, can be conducted jointly. Algeria can ensure
at least half of its cement and iron steel requirements come from
Turkey. Moreover, in medical supplements' production and
marketing, the construction of supermarket chains,
telecommunications, mechanics, chemistry and electronics, new
joint ventures can be organized. /Aksam/
A study conducted on the behalf of the IMF by Prof. Doni Rodrik
from Harvard University, revealed the fact that the 'Monetary
Council` hardly work in Turkey. Prof. Rodrik stated in his work,
namely 'Economic Reforms`, that the 'Monetary Council`,
suggested by the IMF as a radical economic measure, may not be
applied successfully in every country. He emphasized that
hitherto, the Monetary Council system has worked most
successfully in Argentina, however, it does not work properly in
countries such as Turkey, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico. Prof.
Rodrik stressed that in order to accomplish this system, hard and
difficult decisions should be taken, such as a 'freeze on wages
and regular price adjustments'; moreover, a strong banking system
is required. /Aksam/
Prof.Gazi Yasargil, a renowned Turkish brain surgeon, has been
elected 'Man of the Century' during the Annual Meeting of the
Neurological Surgeons' Congress in the US. The Neurological
Surgeons' Congress has more than 4,500 members from within the US
and abroad. /Hurriyet/
Wine produced in the village of Sirince near Izmir will be sold
throughout the world. The winery owned by a Turkish businessman,
Mustafa Ciftci, and his German partner, Helmut Krauss, will begin
production at full capacity in the year 2000. Ciftic said that 60
% of the wine produced would be exported to Germany. /Hurriyet/
An international institution called `Business Initiative
Directions' (BID), based in Geneva, gave its 1999 award for
quality `The International Gold Star Award For Quality' to the
Delta Furniture Company, the one of the top four Turkish office
furniture companies. BID, which has been awarding the most
successful companies in the world every year since 1975,
presented the Delta Furniture Company with this honour due to
their successful initiation into the American and European
markets and the importance they attribute to customer loyalty.
/Turkiye/
Galatasaray will play the Italian team, Milan, today in Istanbul
in the Champions' League. In order to continue on the road to the
UEFA Cup, Galatasaray needs to defeat its rival unequivocally.
/Hurriyet/
Columnist Yalcın Dogan comments on the Amnesty Bill and the
dispute which has arisen among the coalition partners. A summary
of his column is as follows:
"Amnesty for Haluk Kirci, who committed the Bahcelievler murders,
is cracking the harmony which has existed among the coalition
partners up to now. He was sentenced to capital punishment. The
discussion of his benefitting from the Amnesty Bill raises
questions on the break up of the Government.
Nationalist Action Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahceli has burnt
the bridges by saying that they were not eager to hold onto their
seats. He may be considered to be in the right as the Amnesty
Bill was not introduced by the MHP and the Amnesty Bill vetoed by
President Demirel covers Kirci too. However, where he is wrong is
that there has been a massive reaction to the Bill all over
Turkey. No one is happy with the release of murderers. Even the
Prime Minister himself said that he was not happy with the recent
form of the Bill.
Ecevit may be considered to be in the wrong, as he placed the
concept of the Amnesty Bill on the agenda when no one was
thinking of it. On the other hand, how can a social democrat
leader granting amnesty to murderers explain this to the millions
who have elected him? Is it possible to forgive someone who had
killed seven people in cold blood?
The Motherland Party (ANAP) is acting like a mediator between the
two. It is against the Amnesty legislation in principle. The
Virtue Party (FP) is trying to lift the ban on the political
activities of Tayyip Erdogan using this opportunity. The True
Path Party (DYP) is against the Amnesty Law. In short, the TGNA
does not look favourably on it.
The coalition is passing through a crisis. Few think that the
Government will collapse due to this tension. However, it is not
right to insist on passing this law. It may be a virtue
occassionally to take a step back."
Columnist Kenan Akin comments on the key role of Azerbaijan's
President Aliyev in the Caucasus and at the OSCE Summit. A
summary of his column is as follows:
"It should be reasserted that that the President of friendly
Azerbaijan, Haydar Aliyev, is playing a key role in the Caucasus.
Azerbaijan's President Aliyev, having been found worthy of the
Ataturk Peace Prize this year due to his contribution to peace in
the Caucasus, has taken one of his most important decisions.
Turkey should show the utmost consideration to President Aliyev,
who has approved the Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline Project. The
contribution of Baku-Ceyhan to Turkey's future and, therefore,
the establishment of a balance in the Caucasus is beyond
discussion.
A project agreement is expected to be signed this month during
the OSCE Summit in Istanbul. In other words, the OSCE Summit can
be viewed as a turning point for Turkey. Thus, the importance of
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's visit to Russia, which will start
tomorrow, becomes apparent. We hope that Ecevit's negotiations
in Moscow do not cast a negative shadow over our expectations. "
END
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
DEMIREL: "BAKU-CEYHAN TO BE SIGNED IN OSCE SUMMIT"
TREASURY IN DEBT
WATER TO TRNC
TGNA APPROVES MILITARY EXEMPTION TAX
KUTAN WARMLY APPROACHES TO ISRAEL
FEHRIYE'S FILE WILL BE DELIVERED TODAY
MINISTER MUMCU TO VISIT TUNISIA
ALIYEV LEAVES TURKEY
CRACK-DOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
EU AND CANDIDATE COUNTRIES MILLENIUM ROUND MINISTRIES' CONFERENCE
HELD
TALAY SPEAKS AT UNESCO
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION IN GERMANY
TURKISH-TRNC PROTOCOL
STATE MINISTER MIRZAOGLU IN TRNC
BARTHOLOMEW I VISITS TIRANA
EIGHT PKK MILITANTS ARRESTED
GEN.KIVRIKOGLU IN DIYARBAKIR
OZBEY'S REQUEST FOR ASYLUM REJECTED
KOC TO BECOME LEADING COMPANY IN EUROPE
IMF: "STAND-BY AGREEMENT TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THIS YEAR"
IMKB INDEX TO RISE
ALGERIA WAITS FOR TURKISH INVESTORS
IMF: 'MONETARY COUNCIL` WOULD NOT WORK IN TURKEY
PROF.YASARGIL: "MAN OF THE CENTURY"
SIRINCE WINE WORLD-WIDE
AWARD FOR TURKISH FURNITURE
GALATASARAY-MILAN MATCH TODAY
FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
AMNESTY AND THE GOVERNMENT -BY YALCIN DOGAN (MILLIYET)
ATTENTION IS ON ALIYEV..... -BY KENAN AKIN (TURKIYE)