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Anadolu Agency: News in English, 00-09-12Anadolu Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Anadolu Agency Home Page at <http://www.anadoluajansi.com.tr/>Anadolu AgencyANADOLU AGENCY NEWS 12 SEPTEMBER 2000 Tuesday CONTENTS
[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCANThese are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on September 12, 2000. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.HURRIYET (LIBERAL)ECEVIT TELEPHONES SEZER AT PRESIDENTIAL PALACE THAWING RELATIONSEcevit took a step on Monday to thaw relations with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer after the crisis which caused by the decree regarding the dismissal of civil servants. Ecevit telephoned to Sezer at the Presidential Palace to congratulate him for his performance at the U.N. summit in New York. ''And he thanked me. We did not speak about any other issues. We will discuss other things during the weekly meeting.'' When asked if this could be interpreted as ''breaking of ice'' between them, Ecevit said ''there was no ice. We only had a difference of opinion.'' ARMENIAN DRAFT LAW AT U.S. CONGRESS MILLIYET (LIBERAL)MERLONI:''TURKEY GROWS FASTER THAN WE DO''Vittorio Merloni, the Chairman of Merloni Elettrodomestici which is Europe's third biggest producer of big household appliances said, ''We are growing, but Turkey is growing faster than we do.'' Noting that he supports Turkey's EU membership, Merloni said the rapid drop in the inflation offers a great opportunity for Turkey. ''There is a tough competition in big household appliances in Turkey because there are some old and powerful brands. Turkish market is a real school,'' he added. The company has a current turnover of 125 million U.S. dollars in Turkey and it targets to raise this to 145 million U.S. dollars by the end of this year. ECEVIT ANGRY, BUT CONTINUES Cottarelli, responding to questions regarding Ecevit's statements, said ''no comment.'' He added that he would answer all questions at a press briefing on Tuesday. SABAH (LIBERAL)ECZACIBASI FORM GIANT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE U.S. FIRMEczacibasi Group formed a fifty-fifty partnership with the U.S. The Corridor Group. Through the partnership, Eczacibasi will provide health services to patients at their homes. In a written statement, it was said that Eczacibasi will have agreements with private hospitals and doctors and provide rehabilitation and health care for patients who need continious care. Eczacibasi will also provide medicine and other necessary medical equipment for its customers. BAYRAM MERAL:''WE WILL SOLVE IT ON OUR OWN'' CUMHURIYET (LEFT)''DECISION IS TAKEN BY US''Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit defended that it was natural for international organizations like the IMF to express their opinion on the economy but the national policies were determined by the state and several social groups. Ecevit stressed that any foreign organization did not have the right to put themselves on the state's shoes. IMF's Turkey Desk Chief Carlo Cottarelli's statement about a ''fine tuning'' drew the warning of the Prime Minister. ''Foreign organizations should not attempt to dictate our salary and income policies. We want to solve these policies with a social compromise between the workers and employers. Foreign organizations from which we expect assistance should be contented with protecting macro economic balances on which we reached an agreement instead of insisting on policies and solution, '' Ecevit said. ''INVADER TURKISH SOLDIERS'' ITS TRACES STILL IN CONSTITUTION RADIKAL (LEFT)ECEVIT:''WE WILL DECIDE''Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said it is natural to get recommendations from the IMF but stressed that Turkish people and the government would decide on economic and social policies of the country. ''No foreign institution has the right to act like the Turkish government or people. Foreigners cannot dictate us what policies we should follow regarding wages and incomes,'' Ecevit said. 185,000 PEOPLE VISIT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FAIR IN ISTANBUL YENI BINYIL (LIBERAL)WHY DID ECEVIT GET ANGRY?Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit rose against the impression that ''the government does not know what it should do. The IMF dictates them,'' which occurred with the arrival of IMF's Turkey Desk Chief Cottarelli. The Prime Minister said that the government had been discussing the ''dosage'' of the measures for two months and none of them were the insistence of the IMF. The Prime Minister remained silent till yesterday. However, Cottarelli's starting to debate with the labor unions on the salary of workers angered Ecevit. Because, Cottarelli's warning on ''increase of workers' salaries according to the targeted inflation rate'' dealt a blow to Ecevit's plan for a compromise with labor unions. Responding to the question that said: ''You reproached Cottarelli. Wasn't your style a little bit harsh?'' Ecevit said, ''Cottarelli should pay attention to the style. His opinions do not bind us, of course. But he should refrain from attempting to reflect his opinions as a pressure.'' Speaking to the private ATV television channel, Ecevit said, ''there is not a tension but a problem of style in question. However, the government is determined to continue the economic stability program till the end.'' CLERIDES CALLS ON DENKTAS TO HOLD FACE-TO-FACE TALKS TURKIYE (RIGHT)GENERAL KIVRIKOGLU RECEIVES GREAT INTEREST IN ATHENSChief of General Staff Gen. Kivrikoglu was welcomed by Gen. Chirakis of the Greek Air Forces in Athens. Gen. Kivrikoglu went to Athens to attend the NATO meeting. The Greek press gave broad place to visit of Gen. Kivrikoglu. Greek newspapers believe that Kivrikoglu's visit would make considerable contribution to the bilateral relations. TOUGH ROUND FOR CYPRUS GO CIMBOM HERE COTTARELLI'S DEMANDS THAT ANGERED ECEVIT ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)ORGANIZATION PARANOIAThe civil organizations which are the indispensable factors of the searches for the organized society in the democracies constitute a serious offense in Turkey. Civil organizations are evaluated synonymously with ''setting up organization'' and exposed to accusation of being gangs. Here are some of the Turkish style democracy's organizations: residents of Bergama village who are against excavation of gold with cyanide, relatives of people reported missing after detention, civil groups who rushed to help quake survivors, and terrorism accusation against Fethullah Gulen who built up tolerance and dialogue. PUNISHMENT OF ''INFECTING AIDS VIRUS'' IS TWO YEARS IN PRISON [02] CEM STRESSES TURKEY'S SENSITIVITY OVER CYPRUS DURING TALKS WITH DE SOTONEW YORK - Foreign Minister Ismail Cem stressed Turkey's sensitivity over the Cyprus issue during his meeting with Alvaro de Soto, the Cyprus Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan on Monday.Cem and De Soto's meeting lasted for 50 minutes. De Soto who told reporters that the meeting was ''beneficial'' also reminded them of the news black out and declined to give any details. Diplomatic sources said De Soto, during Monday's proximity talks, listened to the Turkish side and stated that he hoped progress is made in the negotiations. For the Turkish side, the proximity talks aim to prepare grounds for face- to-face talks and to secure the recognition of political equality and sovereignty of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Press speaker of Annan, Fred Eckhard said Annan was ''optimistic'' about the fourth round of talks. He also noted that it would not be realistic to expect reaching a result in a short time when the situation's complexity is considered. [03] MILITARY TROOP OF 17 TURKISH AND 14 AZERBAIJANI SOLDIERS LEAVES FOR ROMANIA TO ATTEND COOPERATIVE BEST EFFORT-2000 NATO-PFP MANEOUVREANKARA - A military unit comprised of 17 Turkish and 14 Azerbaijani soldiers went to Romania on Tuesday to attend the Cooperative Best Effort- 2000 (CBE-00) NATO-Partnership for Peace (PfP) maneouvre.A military ceremony was held at Ankara's Etimesgut Military Airport before the troup's departure. Brigadier Cihangir Dumanli said growing regional conflicts make military maneouvres more important. Dumanli stated that the Turkish soldiers participate in the maneouvre in order to support multi national peace. After the ceremony, the soldiers left for Romania by a Turkish Air Forces plane. Eight NATO members,Turkey, the United States, Austria, the Netherlands, Britain, Canada, Poland and Greece; and eight PfP members, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldovia, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine will participate in the maneouvre. The maneouvre which aims to develop cooperation and a common understanding between NATO and PfP countries will be performed in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca on September 12-22. [04] TURKEY OBTAINS 6.7 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS FROM HAZELNUT EXPORTS IN LAST TEN EXPORT SEASONSTRABZON - The Union of Black Sea Hazelnut Exporters (KFMIB) said on Tuesday that Turkey obtained 6 billion 692 million 66 thousand 801 dollars from the exports of hazelnuts in the last ten export seasons.A total of 1 million 959 thousand 183 tonnes of hazelnuts had been exported since 1990-1991, it said. KFMIB said that a total of 6 billion 692 million 66 thousand 801 dollars of income had been gained from the exports, and 95 percent of this income had been obtained from the exports to the European countries. Turkey exports hazelnuts to 80 countries and holds the biggest share in hazelnut production and exports in the world. The hazelnut export figures of Turkey in the last ten export seasons is as follows: SEASON EXPORT(TONNES) INCOME (U.S. dollar) --------- ------------ -------------- [05] BED CAPACITY IN GAP HOSPITALS INCREASE 40 PERCENT IN ONE DECADEGAZIANTEP - The bed capacity in hospitals which are in the South East Anatolia Project (GAP) region increased by 40.2 percent between 1990 and 2000.According to the information compiled from GAP Regional Development Administration, there were only 53 hospitals in the region in 1990. In 2000, this number rose to 73. The number of health clinics which were 276 ten years ago, increased to 409 and tuberculosis clinics increased from 10 to 22. In the same period, the bed capacity at hospitals increased from 5,988 to 8,398. In the last ten years, the number of beds for 10,000 people increased from 11.6 to 13 people in GAP, and from 32.3 to 23 throughout Turkey. Ten percent of the hospitals in the GAP region is owned by the private sector while 63 percent are state's hospitals. GAP Regional Development Administration authorities said people of the region are going to hospitals in big cities because they they don't know much about the health services provided in GAP. Another reason is that the existing hospitals and health care centers still fall short on qualified medical personnel and equipment, it was stated. [06] MEETING ON BAKU-CEYHAN OIL PIPELINE PROJECT IN U.S.WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. President Bill Clinton's Caspian basin energy projects advisor John Wolf said on Tuesday that the policies of the Washington for those energy projects wouldn't change after the presidential election in the U.S. on November 7.A conference on ''Azerbaijan: Door to Eurasia'' in which the regional energy projects including the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline and relations with Azerbaijan were discussed was held in Washington D.C. also with the participation of Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev. Making the opening remarks, Aliyev said that the Armenians' occupation in the Upper Karabakh should end and stability should be settled in the region in order to utilize the energy resources in the Caspian basin. John Wolf said that the Baku-Ceyhan project was going well, and the basic engineering and later detailed engineering works would start in near future. Wolf said that both the Democrat Party and the Republican Party supported the Caspian projects so there wouldn't be a change in those policies also after the presidential election. Noting that the Baku-Ceyhan project was important politically and economically, and Turkey made an important contribution to the project, Wolf said, ''I believe that the Baku-Ceyhan will be successful.'' John Wolf said that alternative projects were risky for the Turkish Straits. Wolf added that they wished Turkmenistan would join the natural gas sale project to Turkey, adding that Turkmenistan wouldn't participate in the project, there were alternatives like Ajerbaijani natural gas. [07] WEAPON COMPANIES IN U.S. START LOBBYING IN FAVOR OF TURKEYWASHINGTON D.C. - Powerful weapon producer companies in the United States started to launch intense lobbying in favor of Turkey in order to prevent the House of Representatives' approval of the draft law on so-called genocide on Armenians.Lincoln McCurdy, the Chairman of the American-Turkish Council (ATC) to which more than 150 Turkish and American companies have membership, sent a letter to the House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert, stressing that Turkey-U.S. relations would receive a heavy blow in case of acceptance of the draft law in question. Noting that Turkey had repeatedly proved that it was a reliable ally of the United States, McCurdy said that American companies operating in Turkey would suffer serious damage in case of approval of the draft law. McCurdy said that the cost of the giant defense projects of Turkey in near future reached 20 billion U.S. dollars, and the 5 billion U.S. dollars energy programs could be added into this amount. McCurdy stressed that the Turkish market would be left to the European and Asian companies if Turkey-U.S. relations worsened due to the draft law. There are many American companies which operate in Turkey or have the expectation to operate in Turkey like Boeing, Bell-Textron, Sikorsky Aircraft, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Dynamics, General Electric and United Defense all of which are ATC members. [08] FROM CEM TO ALBRIGHT:''ARMENIAN DRAFT LAW WOULD POISON RELATIONS BETWEEN U.S. AND TURKEY''NEW YORK - Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Tuesday, will explain to her that the draft law regarding the so-called Armenian genocide which was presented to the Congress, if approved, would ''poison'' relations between the two countries.The law draft will be discussed at the Foreign Relations Commission of the House of Representatives on Thursday. Cem and Albright are expected to discuss Cyprus issue, Turkey-Greece relations, Washington,D.C. support to Turkey's EU membership, European Defense and Security Identity (EDSI) and the Middle East on Tuesday. Albright is likely to focus on Cyprus and Turkey-Greece relations. The U.S. sources said Albright might ask Cem to pressure Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas to make a concession on Cyprus. In return, Cem will stress that ''first a common ground should be formed'' for further negotiations. The Turkish side had earlier stated that the precondition for face-to-face talks between Denktas and Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides is political equality between the TRNC and the Greek Cypriot side and the recognition of the TRNC's sovereignty. During Tuesday's meeting, Cem will also ask Albright's support for Turkey's full membership to the EU. On this matter, Albright is expected to ask Turkey to improve its human rights situation and ''do its share'' in this field. Turkey's exclusion from EDSI is also likely to be a topic of discussion during Cem-Albright meeting. Turkey does not want to be excluded from Europe's defense mechanism and security in which it has always played an active role. Diplomatic sources also noted that Albright might ask Turkey not to raise its representation status from Charge d'Affaires to an embassy in Baghdad. Albright will brief Cem about the recent developments on the Middle Eastern peace process and ask Turkey to continue its present Middle Eastern policy. In the afternoon, Cem will come together with British Foreign Minister Robin Cook and Dutch Foreign Minister Jozias van Aartsen. During the meetings, Cem will express Turkey's concerns over its exclusion from EDSI. Cem will also have contacts with his counterparts from Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Libya and Pakistan on the same day. [09] ATTACK HELICOPTER PROJECT -NEGOTIATIONS WITH AMERICAN BELL TO START IN ANKARA ON SEPTEMBER 18ANKARA - The official meetings on selection of the licencor company for the joint production of 145 attack helicopters to meet the requirement of the Turkish Armed Forces in the 21st century will start next week.Sources said on Tuesday that the negotiations with the American Bell Textron company which had ranked first in selection of the licencor company on July 21, 2000 would start on September 18 in Ankara. Bell company, Defense Industry Undersecretariat and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) officials will attend the meetings at which the rate of Turkish domestic industry's contribution to the project will become� clear. In case of a failure in reaching a positive result from the meetings, the bid of the Russian-Israeli consortium which ranked second in the licensor company selection will be evaluated. The production of the attack helicopters will be carried out in three stages. Each of the first and second stage cover production of 50 helicopters, and the remaining 45 helicopters will be produced in the last stage. The first helicopter was foreseen to be delivered in November 2001, and the 145th helicopter was foreseen to be handed over in January 2011 to the Turkish Armed Forces. The project is expected to cost 4-5 billion U.S. dollars. [10] STATE MINISTER ONAL MEETS WITH BRITISH MINISTER RAYNSFORDANKARA - State Minister Recep Onal met on Tuesday with Nick Raynsford, the British Minister of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.Following the meeting, Onal told reporters that they discussed a project regarding the quake zone in the meeting. Onal said that the British Minister gave information about a new urbanization which is equipped with new technologies and an environmental city project with its developed infrastructure. Besides the cooperation with Britain in the following term and the improvement of trade, they discussed the investments that will be undertaken in the third countries and the inflow of British capital for privatization and investments in Turkey, Onal noted. Onal quoted Raynsford as saying that they will contribute to Turkey's integration with the European Union (EU) in the following term. Responding to a question, Onal said that Raynsford told him that finance of the city project in the quake zone will be met by support provided from the British Eximbank and a package composed of several resources. Raynford said that they had a constructive meeting. When asked about the loan that will be released for Ilisu Dam, Raynford said that they guarantee an export loan worth of 215 million British Pounds but this loan depends on conditions of human rights and environment.
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