FOOTBALL AND THE EUROPEAN UNION BY
YILMAZ OZTUNA
Turkey reached the World Cup semifinals for the first time
in its history. The score of the match between Senegal and
Turkey on June 22 was 1-0. This means that Turkey will face
Brazil in Saitama on June 26 for a place in the World Cup
final. Ilhan Mansýz scored the golden goal that put Turkey
into the World Cup semifinals. “Turkey is the greatest” was
the triumphant message in Turkish newspapers today, revelling
in Turkey’s victory over Senegal. /All papers/
The weekend European Union summit at Seville, Spain failed
to provide a timetable for Turkey’s accession talks and thus
meant the uncertainty surrounding Ankara’s EU prospects will
keep Turkish leaders busy in the months to come. The summit,
held in the midst of the excitement of the World Cup and
Turkey reaching the semifinals, resulted with just a few lines
of encouragement for Turkey to carry on reforms. However,
Turkey was not able to secure a date for starting accession
talks, in accordance with the delays in Ankara in fulfilling
political criteria. In fact, the agenda of the summit was
mainly focused on the issues of immigration and asylum.
Institutional reforms, the European Security and Defense
Policy (ESDP), enlargement, economic issues, sustainable
development and a review of the progress of the Convention on
Europe’s Future were other topics on Seviile’s agenda,
declared by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar in letters
sent to the heads of governments of the EU member and
candidate states. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said
yesterday in an interview on CNN Turk that he had not been
surprised with the statements of the summit concerning Turkey.
As long as Turkey continues in the direction of reforms, it
will be able to get a date, Cem said, drawing attention to the
difficulty of the realization of reforms with the existing
parliamentary structure. Concerning the Cyprus issue, Cem said
that Cyprus was a political factor, but not a precondition. /Turkish
Dailly News/
Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou over the weekend
offered his evaluation of the results of the European Union’s
Seville summit, focusing upon the dispute over the European
Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) and illegal immigration. In
an interview with a Greek newspaper, Papandreou remarked that
Greece was satisfied with the agreement on the ESDP reached by
the EU member countries. “After a series of heated discussions,
we at last reached an agreement on the ESDP which is in line
with Greece’s national interests,” said Papandreou. “However,
Turkey is opposing this policy. The EU will continue its
negotiations with Turkey on the issue.” Arguing that the
issues of Cyprus and Aegean should be considered parts of the
ESDP, Papandreou added, “The parties of the Cyprus issue might
reach a settlement which conforms with their interests.”
Stating that Greece was ready for any possible contingency
that might come up on Cyprus, Papandreou predicted that the
Greek Cypriots would be successful in their bid for full EU
membership. /Cumhuriyet/
Speaking at a festival in Antalya yesterday, Nationalist
Action Party (MHP) leader and Deputy Prime Minister Devlet
Bahceli pledged that the MHP wouldn’t make any concessions on
the issues of Cyprus, teaching and broadcasting in mother
tongues and the abolition of capital punishment. Bahceli added
that the MHP wouldn’t accept the political criteria “forced on
Turkey” by the European Union in order to obtain a date for
the beginning of its accession negotiations. /Turkiye/
True Path Party leader Tansu Ciller (DYP) yesterday
celebrated the 19th anniversary of the establishment of her
party in Istanbul. Ciller said there that Parliament should
skip its summer recess this year, scheduled to begin on July
1, and that the government’s primary problem in terms of its
European Union membership bid was the Cyprus issue. Ciller
also remarked that whoever says that the path to the EU lies
in abolishing the death penalty is mistaken, because the main
problem in front of the EU is the Cyprus issue. We should
discuss these problems in Parliament, she reiterated. “The
language of education cannot be other than Turkish, education
in mother tongues can only be allowed in private and fee-paying
courses,” Ciller added. /Hurriyet/
Speaking to Hurriyet newspaper yesterday, Republican
People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said that the country
needs Economy Minister Kemal Dervis. Baykal also said that
Dervis should also take into consideration that the country
needs him in deciding whether to enter politics or not. Baykal
also voiced support for Dervis on recent discussions and
stated that the economy minister had made sound suggestions
for the country to avoid falling into a new economic crisis,
but the government hadn’t listened to him. /Hurriyet/
A delegation numbering around 200, including members of the
Union of Turkish Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB)
along with Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and State
Minister Tunca Toscay, arrived in Brussels yesterday. Tomorrow,
a conference regarding developments in Turkey’S EU membership
bid will be held. Speaking to reporters, TOBB Chairman Rifat
Hisarciklioglu said that if the Turkish national football team
reaches the finals in the World Cup, a TOBB delegation would
travel to Japan to support it. Expressing his pleasure at
Turkey’s success in the World Cup, Hisarciklioglu said, “Only
inflation and economic growth remain to be defeated.” /Turkiye/
The Cooperative Partner-2002 Sea and Amphibian Maneuvers, a
scheduled NATO exercise, are currently continuing on the Black
Sea. As part of the maneuvers, education about joint action
for earthquake preparedness is also being given. The
Secretariat General of the Turkish Chief of General Staff
yesterday stated that the Cooperative Partner-2002 Sea and
Amphibian Maneuvers had started on last Friday. The maneuvers,
which are being carried out on the Black Sea and at Romania’s
Constanta harbor in with the participation of 40 ships, 20
planes and 5,000 personnel from NATO and Partnership for Peace
(PFP) countries, will end on July 6. Eight NATO countries,
namely, Turkey, the US, Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain,
Italy and Greece, and various forces from five CFP countries
-- Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania and Ukraine -- plus
the NATO Mediterranean Permanent Sea Force (Stanav-formed),
NATO Southern Region Force Against Mines (Mcmforsouth) and
NATO Southern Region Command Headquarters are participating in
the maneuvers. During the exercises, joint training will be
conducted to increase cooperation and coordination among the
multinational forces as part of efforts to provide civilian
populations with post-earthquake aid and relief. /Cumhuriyet/
Former Air Forces Commander Ergin Celasin and former Court
of Cassation Chief Justice Sami Selcuk attended the Fifth
Akoren Festival in Konya yesterday. Answering a journalist’s
question about the death penalty, Celasin said, “Whatever is
required by international standards and the world’s level of
civilization should be done concerning the death penalty. If
Turkey wants to play in the big leagues, it should implement
the standards of big league countries.” /Cumhuriyet/
Felicity Party (SP) leader Recai Kutan said yesterday at a
party luncheon in Eskisehir that there are two governments in
Turkey, one headed by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and the
other headed State Economy Minister Kemal Dervis. He remarked
that Dervis’s mission was carrying out the policies of the
monied foreign interests. Kutan added that these interests
wanted to harm Turkish agriculture, industry and national
banks because they don’t want to see Turkey develop. /Aksam/
Speaking at the Anatolian Young Businessmen’s Association (AGIAD)
in Ankara yesterday, Justice and Development Party (AKP)
leader Tayyip Erdogan said, “If a government doesn’t work
efficiently and cannot do the things which its mission
requires, after three years a referendum should be held since
they need to ask people if they are pleased with the
government or not.” He added, “If people think that the
government isn’t successful, then elections should be held.”
Meanwhile AKP Deputy Chairman Abdullatif Sener charged that
the current government defines “stability” as whatever allows
to stay in power, but that this wasn’t stability at all.
/Sabah/
The Framework Agreement for Financial Restructuring,
popularly known as the Istanbul Approach, is to begin being
implemented today. The agreement will be signed today for the
Isiklar Group. A Council of Arbitrators was jointly
established by the Turkish Union of Banks and the government’s
Banking Supervision and Regulation Agency (BDDK) for
implementation of the agreement. /Sabah/
In the wake of last weekend’s European Union Summit in
Seville, Spain, where Turkey lobbied for its EU membership bid,
World Bank data show that Turkey has some catching up to do
economically to reach the level of some EU newcomers. Turkey’s
per capita income and Gross National Product (GNP) in 2000
lagged behind that of Greece and Spain, who both entered the
EU in the ‘80s, as of 1980. Turkey developed more rapidly than
these two nations over 1980-2000, but its rapid population
growth has held back its economic progress. Over these 20
years, Turkey’s national income grew by 4.55%, but per capita
income stalled because the population grew by 20.8 million
people. /Sabah/
Tourism Minister Mustafa Tasar announced yesterday that a
replica of the biblical Noah’s ark would be constructed in
Agri, near Mt. Ararat where scripture says the ship came to
rest and Lake Kup, in Turkey’s east. The ark complex is set to
include tourist facilities such as a museum, restaurant,
conference hall and library, and will be constructed by the
Igdir Governor’s Office. It will also be able to house
overnight visitors with 500 beds. “A delegation sent to the
Igdir Governor’s Office in January 2001 laid the groundwork
for this project,” Tasar added. /Milliyet/
Works by two Turkish painters, Fikret Mualla and Tahsin,
were up for sale at a recent international art auction in
Paris. One of Tahsin’s paintings, “Yeni Cami” (New Mosque),
was considered the most expensive item on the auction block.
In addition, eight paintings by Mualla were bid on at the art
scale. /Cumhuriyet/
Retired Ambassador Sukru Elekdag writes on Turkish-EU
relations and early elections. A summary of his column is as
follows:
“The success of the Turkish football team in the World Cup
made Turkey rejoice in ecstasy. However, we have been unable
to show the same quality and success we enjoy in playing
soccer in governing the country. The three-party coalition
government is inadequate and incompetent. It cannot focus on
the crucial problems of the country and make correct decisions.
None of the issues it has taken up has been brought to
fruition. Until a short while ago, business circles in
particular claimed that early elections would harm the country
based on two reasons. One of them was that the bill for early
elections would be too heavy for the economy and lead to the
collapse of the economic stability program. However, it is
evident that this reason is no longer valid. Estimates have
shown that the climate of uncertainty seen in the country cost
much more than the bill for early elections. In fact, the
additional burden brought on by the increasing interest rates
and the worsening foreign exchange rates to domestic debt is
estimated to be around $ 9 billion. In financial circles this
is called ‘risk premium’. As the prime minister’s illness is
chronic, there is no hope that he will get better in time.
Therefore the atmosphere of uncertainty will get worse every
day and the risk premium will grow heavier. If this situation
goes on for another five or six months, a new crisis may erupt.
We will fall into a worse situation than Argentina, which last
year announced that it wouldn’t be able to pay its $146
billion debt. The negative growth which will follow as a
result of the crisis may lead to social collapse and eruptions
in Turkey. The second reason against the holding of early
elections was that such an event would work against Turkey’s
obtaining a date for accession negotiations from the EU at the
Copenhagen summit at the end of the year. However,
notwithstanding the positive and encouraging messages coming
from the EU summit in Seville, it is nothing but a dream to
expect the postponing of Parliament’s summer recess, and
passing the reform bills and displaying a united stand in
abolishing the death penalty, and overcoming the obstacles to
teaching and broadcasting in mother tongues. There may be some
hope left in the Parliament, but it is a distant possibility
for it to form a rational majority and defend the nation’s
future. When all these mentioned above are taken into
consideration, it will be clearly seen that it is the
government and the Parliament which are obstructing the
solutions to of problems and leaving the country face to face
with new crises. Therefore, they should be able to see that
the bill footed by their parties would be less if they do not
insist on lengthening the life of the present government.
Circles claiming that a new election and political parties law
is necessary before holding new elections are correct in
essence. However, at present there is no will in the
Parliament regarding the issue. Early elections would be
tantamount to a referendum on the EU and would prepare a
background for the renewal of the country and its pursuing a
stable path.”
Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli writes on the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation (BSEC) summit to be held in Istanbul today. A
summary of her column is as follows:
“It seems as if both politics and the economy have come to
a standstill due to Prime Minister Ecevit’s illness. However,
this is no excuse for relations in foreign policy. We may
accept the prime minister’s illness and expect him to withdraw,
but no foreign country will wait for the prime minister to get
well to continue their relations with Turkey. In foreign
policy, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is filling the gap due to
Prime Minister Ecevit’s illness. Last week he first went to
Iran and then attended the EU summit in Seville. Now, there is
the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) summit. President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who returned from Seville with good news
on Turkey’s EU membership, will host the summit to be held in
the Ciragan Palace, Istanbul today. The most important issue
to be discussed during the summit is how to organize the
relations between the BSEC and the EU. As opposed to the EU,
the BSEC works as just an economic cooperation organization.
It aims to increase cooperation opportunities among its
members, instead of forming joint foreign and security
policies. However, the organization also has an unofficial
political aspect. BSEC Deputy Secretary-General Ambassador
Tansug Bleda summarizes this unofficial political aspect by
saying that an unoffical meeting is held before the beginning
of the summit attended by only the ministers and their
translators. At this meeting, the ministers have the
opportunity to discuss any issue, be it political or economic.
Therefore, although it is an economic organization, it giveb
the opportunity to discuss political problems unofficially.
Turkey, recently giving priority to good-neighbourly relations
in its foreign policy, is preparing to take a new step
availing itself of this opportunity. Launching a new
initiative in Turkish-Armenian relations which are almost at a
stop, is in question. This process, which can be defined as a
historic step in Turkish-Armenian relations, should be
considered as part of the recent developments in the Caucasus.
Sept. 11 changed many balances in the Caucasus. This region,
which was accepted as Russian’s region of interest, was also
entered by the Americans following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Washington has comprehended that in order for the campaign
against terrorism to be successful, stability in the Caucasus
is a must. Priority has been given to enhancing the pro-Western
Shevardnadze regime. Then it was time to solve the Azerbaijani-Armenian
dispute. On this issue, a distance which had proveed
impassable over the last 10 years has been taken in just a few
months. Both countries agreed to give a piece of land to each
other, one that would connect Karabagh to Armenia, and the
other connecting Nakhcevan to Azerbaijan. Following the
progress seen in solving the Armenian-Azerbaijan dispute, eyes
were turned to Turkey and Armenia. The first meeting between
Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers was held in Rejkjavik,
Iceland in December. The second one will be held in Istanbul
as part of the BSEC summit. The symbolic summit organized on
the 10th anniversary of the BSEC may see the start of a
diplomatic reconciliation process between Turkey and Armenia.
If one considers that Turkey is talking about a joint fight
against terrorism with Greece and Syria both of whom it was at
loggerheads with a few years ago, one cannot help but ask the
question, ‘Why not with Armenia?’”
Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna writes on the success of the
Turkish football team in the World Cup and the good news
coming from the EU summit in Seville, Spain. A summary of his
column is as follows:
“We have all rejoiced at the success of our football team
in the World Cup. All the foreign press gave the news in
headlines. In the semifinals, Europe is being represented by
Germany and Turkey. France, Britain, Italy and Spain all were
eliminated. In fact we can achieve success in other fields as
well. Our poverty prevents us from fulfilling our potential.
Therefore, we are against all factors leaving Turkey in
difficult circumstances. If we have learned to use our brains,
we would not have to wait for the Copenhagen summit. We could
have returned from Seville with solid guarantees. However, we
frittered away time in meaningless discussions. In this day
and age, societies which are not aware of the importance of
the concept of time are bound to live in dagner. Infinite time
belongs only to God. All nations, and individuals, are limited
by time. If you cannot make good use of your time you are
bound to lose. The Osaka victory has made us take a forward
step towards the EU, in other words on the road to modern
civilization, as it is built on success. Human rights and
prosperity are two inseparable parts of a whole. These two
factors have formed strong nations and sound states. Those who
evaded them are today faced with problems. We have entered a
hot summer with the joy of success in football. In the fall,
we will have to face problems whiich have increased with the
years. We are capable of solving most of them. It depends on
our will to do so.”
