SEZER: “TERRORISM IS A HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION”
In a statement released yesterday to mark Human Rights Day, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer argued that terrorism constituted an obstacle to and a violation of the development of human rights. He reiterated that international cooperation was needed to fight terrorism. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also released a statement marking the occasion, saying that terrorism posed a grave threat to democracy which violated the right to life and furthermore urged fellow countries to cooperate against terrorism. /Aksam/
SEZER SIGNS POLICE CHIEF APPOINTMENTS
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday signed an appointment decree for regional police chiefs. Police commissioners from 28 cities came to Ankara in order to receive their new appointments, and 45 cities got new chiefs. While Deputy Security Director General Feyzullah Aslan was appointed chief for Gaziantep, Mehmet Tokgoz was appointed deputy security director general. /Star/
ERDOGAN TO ATTEND EU SUMMIT IN BRUSSELS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to travel to Brussels today to attend a summit of European Union member and candidate countries’ heads of government and state. The premier, accompanied by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his EU member country counterparts. During the meetings, Erdogan will reiterate Turkey’s determination for EU membership and express Ankara’s expectation to get a date to begin negotiations at the end of 2004. In addition, cooperation in the fight against terrorism will likely be discussed. In related news, next week, on Dec. 18-20, Erdogan is scheduled to pay an official visit to the central Asian republic of Uzbekistan at the invitation of its president, Islam Kerimov. /Turkiye/
GUL TO VISIT JAPAN
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is set to pay a five-day official visit to Japan beginning next Tuesday. Gul is expected to be received by Prince Mikasa, the honorary co-chairman of the year of Turkey, and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. /Turkiye/
TURKEY SIGNS LANDMARK UN ANTI-CORRUPTION PACT
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that Turkey had signed the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, a groundbreaking international pact. Speaking to reporters, Gul said that Turkey had been one of the first countries to sign the accord, which makes misallocating funds an international crime for the first time. Underlining his government’s determination to fight corruption, Gul stated that international cooperation was needed on the matter. Also speaking on recent reforms in Ankara, the foreign minister said that secrecy in the National Security Council (NSC) had been ended, and that work on allowing broadcasts in regional languages had almost been completed. Concerning secrecy in defense spending, Gul said that through the new Public Finance Bill, all defense expenditures would be under Parliament’s supervision. Adding that terrorist activities were the greatest violation of human rights, Gul stated that Turkey would not violate human rights during its fight against terrorism, in contrast to some other countries. /Sabah/
OZKOK MEETS WITH ALBANIAN PRESIDENT MOISIU
Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, who is currently in Albania for an official visit, yesterday met with Albanian President Alfred Moisiu. During their talks, Moisiu thanked Turkey for its support of modernization of the Albanian Armed Forces. For his part, Ozkok said that longtime NATO member Turkey would continue to help Albania reach NATO standards. /Milliyet/
BAYKAL: “DISTORTED RELATIONS BETWEEN RELIGION AND POLITICS IS OUR MOST DIRE PROBLEM”
Speaking at his party’s group meeting yesterday, opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal warned that the distortion of relations between religion and politics posed an even graver threat to Turkey than did terrorism. “Western countries have solved this problem,” he said. “But we haven’t seriously taken up these relations since the foundation of the Turkish Republic.” /Cumhuriyet/
SERDAR DENKTAS: “THE EU AND THE US WANT TO CONTROL OIL RESERVES ON CYPRUS”
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Deputy Prime Minister and Democrat Party (DP) leader Serdar Denktas charged that the European Union and the United States were pushing for the United Nations’ plan for the island to be signed so they could control the rich oil and gas reserves on the island. Denktas, the son of longtime TRNC President Rauf Denktas, spoke just days before weekend general elections in Northern Cyprus. /Aksam/
EDELMAN: “WE WILL STAND BY TURKEY IN ITS FIGHT AGAINST PKK/KADEK”
US Ambassador to Ankara Eric Edelman said yesterday that Washington would stand by Turkey in its fight against the PKK/KADEK terrorist group, adding that the US had been a pioneer in officially recognizing the organization as terrorist. Edelman stated that KADEK remained a terrorist organization even if it had changed its name. He further said that while Turkish-US ties had gone through a difficult period over the last year, recently the nations had entered a period of stable relations. Economic and trade ties between the two countries are very important, said the US diplomat. “We’ve started work in reconstructing Iraq, and Turkey is also a part of this project,” he added. /Aksam/
PARLIAMENT APPROVES PUBLIC FINANCE ADMINISTRATION BILL
During its session yesterday, Parliament approved a bill making new arrangements to public finance administration and supervision. Addressing the assembled deputies, State Minister Ali Babacan said that public finance would be more transparent beginning in 2005. “Next year, the budget will be cover the next three years and in the meantime, six zeros will be dropped from the Turkish lira,” said Babacan. In addition, Parliament yesterday passed another bill proposing arrangements to the National Security Council (NSC) Law in line with European Union harmonization laws, thus abolishing the secrecy rule in NSC regulations. In addition, a once-vetoed bill concerning appointments to vacant positions on the Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Council (TUBITAK) Science Board was also re-approved by the Parliament without any change. /Turkiye/
GREEK PROSECUTORS SEEK LIFE SENTENCE FOR NOVEMBER 17 TERRORISTS
A Greek prosecutor yesterday asked a court to hand down multiple life sentences against the leader, chief gunman and other members of the November 17 terrorist group, which has been implicated in nearly two dozen murders over 27 years. Prosecutors asked for multiple life sentences for 15 members of the group, who are together responsible for 23 assassinations, assassination attempts and bomb attacks, including ones on Turkish diplomats. The group is responsible attacks that killed Turkey's Athens Embassy spokesman Cetin Gorgu in 1991 and Embassy Undersecretary Omer Sipahioglu in 1994. The group’s leader, Alexandros Giotopoulos, and the chief gunman Dimitris Koufodinas were given multiple life sentences. /Sabah/
TURKEY, GREECE SIGN AIR CORRIDOR AGREEMENT
An agreement on international air corridors was signed yesterday between Turkey and pact is also designed to ease air traffic during next year’s Olympic Games in Athens and end disagreements between Ankara and Athens over air corridors. Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis hailed the agreement as making “flights over the Aegean more secure.” /Sabah/
BAHCELI: “CORRUPTION PROBES SHOULD BE FOLLOWED TO THE VERY END”
Regarding Parliament’s current anti-corruption work, Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli yesterday called on ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies to carry out their investigations into alleged corruption to the very end. In a meeting with press representatives in Ankara on Parliament’s decision to set up probes into former Premier Mesut Yilmaz and other four former ministers, Bahceli said, “Nothing should be hidden in Turkey.” Lamenting that of late the MHP had been unable to either establish strong contacts with the press or express itself properly, Bahceli said that this had caused trouble for the party, which currently holds no seats in Parliament. Criticizing the government’s policies, the MHP leader stated the MHP expected better results in next year’s local elections. Concerning on the recent terrorist attacks in Istanbul, Bahceli said, “Terrorism is a crime against humanity … Terrorists can come from any religion, including Islam. The definition ‘Islamic terrorism’ isn’t appropriate.” /Turkiye/