TURKEY AND MONGOLIA SIGN TRANSPORTATION AGREEMENT
During his official visit to Mongolia yesterday, Prime Minister Ahmet Necdet Sezer had a one-on-one meeting with his Mongolian counterpart Natsagiin Bagabandi. Following separate meetings between Sezer’s delegation and Mongolian officials, Turkish State Minister Resat Dogu and Ayurzayn Tsanjid, Mongolia’s education, culture and science minister and Turkish-Mongolian Joint Economic Commission (KEK) chairman, signed a land transportation agreement on behalf of their countries. Then the two presidents held a joint press conference. President Sezer told reporters that he and Bagabandi had agreed that commercial and economic relations between the two countries needed improvement. “Unfortunately, the geographical distance between Turkey and Mongolia has hindered our enjoying relations at the level that that the opportunity actually exists for,” Sezer said. “And that is our major reason for putting together this agreement on land transportation.” Sezer also expressed his gratitude for Bagabandi’s support to a project to protect and restore ancient Turkic monuments in Mongolia. Bagabandi, for his part, said that he was very much satisfied with their bilateral cooperation on security matters, and added that both sides were willing to further improve relations in those areas where ties were relatively underdeveloped, such as transportation and the economy. After completing his contacts in this country, Sezer is scheduled to proceed to Kazakhstan this afternoon. /All Papers/
ECEVIT MEETS WITH DSP MEMBERS
Prime Minister and Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit, who declared on Saturday that he was fine and in charge, yesterday received at his office in Oran DSP parliamentary group acting Chairman Emrehan Halici and Treasurer Mecit Sekercioglu. A team of eight doctors headed by Professor Turgut Zileli from Baskent University Hospital also conducted a daily medical checkup with Ecevit. Meanwhile, a group of workers from the Meat and Fish Association visited Ecevit’s wife and DSP deputy chairwoman, Rahsan Ecevit, in order to send their best wishes to the prime minister as well as submit a file to be delivered to him. The file included a briefing on the problems of workers in the sector. /Turkiye/
YILMAZ BRIEFS PARLIAMENTARIANS ON DEATH PENALTY IN THE EU
Responding to a censure motion submitted by Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Ramazan Toprak over the weekend, Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) Chairman Mesut Yilmaz briefed parliamentarians on the current situation concerning the death penalty in European Union member countries. Stating that no EU country had retained the death penalty, Yilmaz said that under the sixth protocol of the European Convention of Human Rights, the EU countries had abolished capital punishment except in cases of war or the risk of imminent war. “In addition, the 13th protocol, which will be opened for signing at the EU Council’s Balkans summit slated for Vilnius next year,” said Yilmaz, “proposes abolishing the death penalty in all circumstances including during times of war or imminent war.” /Cumhuriyet/
BAHCELI RETURNS FROM CHINESE VISIT
Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli yesterday returned to Turkey from China, where for the last week he has been on an official visit. Speaking to reporters, Bahceli said that Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit was doing his job and that no “power vacuum” existed. “It is wrong to call on him to resign as long as he continues to carry out his duty of coordinating the government,” Bahceli added. Bahceli also said that it was Ecevit’s decision whether to resign or not, and that trying to pressure him from outside was improper. Speaking on the issue of carrying out the death sentence on terrorist PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, Bahceli stated that the government coalition partners had decided that once a decision on Ocalan’s appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) comes through, then Parliament should proceed to a vote on the matter. /Hurriyet/
NATIONALIST PARTIES HOLD CONGRESSES
Two nationalist-oriented political parties, the Great Union Party (BBP) and the Enlightened Turkey Party (ATP), separately held their congresses yesterday in Ankara. In his opening speech at the BBP Congress, party leader Muhsin Yazicioglu criticized the current government and called on it to hold elections as soon as possible. Yazicioglu was also re-elected to his post at the meeting. In his keynote address to the ATP Congress, party leader Tugrul Turkes called the ATP a party whose roots lie in the past but which was still squarely facing the future. /Star /
KUTAN: “TURKEY IS SUFFERING FROM A POWER VACUUM”
Speaking at a Felicity Party (SP) provincial chairmen’s meeting yesterday in Ankara, SP leader Recai Kutan laid out his views of the performance of the 57th government over the last three years. Criticizing the coalition’s performance, Kutan said that a “power vacuum” exists due to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit’s health problems and that early elections were the only way to address the problem. /Turkiye/
NEW IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO ANKARA CALLS FOR IMPROVED RELATIONS
Speaking to Iranian official news agency IRNA over the weekend, Iran’s new Ambassador to Ankara Firuz Devletabadi called for the improvement of cultural, economic and commercial relations between Turkey and Iran. Devletabadi also expressed his satisfaction with the recent rapprochement between the two countries and requested that officials of the two countries endeavor to take further positive steps. /Cumhuriyet/
GREEK POLICE INVITE TURKISH COUNTERPARTS FOR CONFERENCE
Greek police yesterday invited their Turkish counterparts to visit Greece to attend the International Police Union (IPA) meeting starting this Wednesday, a gathering which last year was held in Istanbul. The Greek police also said that they would like to entertain their Turkish counterparts in their country. /Aksam/
TOBB: “THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST NEED AN ECONOMIC PLAN”
Speaking yesterday during the midst of a one-day swing tour of Elazig, Tunceli and Bingol, cities in Turkey’s east, Turkish Association of Industrialists and Businessmen (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu said, “Perhaps an economic State of Emergency [OHAL] should be declared for eastern and southeastern Anatolia. We need to create employment here.” Last week’s National Security Council (MGK) meeting announced that the current OHAL, which was created to protect the region from terrorism, would be phased out. Speaking along with the TOBB Executive Board members, Hisarciklioglu said that the group had divided Turkey into nine regions with corresponding representative board positions. The TOBB wants to turn each region into a region of development, he said. Weighing in on current issues in the spotlight, Hisarciklioglu said that Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit’s illness was not an obstacle to Turkey’s European Union accession process. /Milliyet/
ENVIRONMENTALISTS PROTEST HAZARDOUS STRAITS TRAFFIC
Environmentalists yesterday staged a one-day protest in Istanbul highlighting the dangers of ships carrying hazardous materials through the Turkish Straits. Zafer Murat Cetintas, leader of environmental group National Warriors, said that the large number of vessels carrying such materials posed a grave risk to humans, animals, and the environment. “If any of the petroleum tankers in the Straits exploded for some reason, Istanbul’s historical structure would be utterly destroyed,” said Zafer. “The passage of tankers carrying hazardous materials, especially liquid petroleum gas [LPG] should be banned. A solution needs to be found on the international stage for ships passing through the Straits. We call on responsible officials to take measures to tackle this vital issue.” /Sabah/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION