ECEVIT: “CONVENING PARLIAMENT TO CHANGE ELECTIONS SYSTEM WOULD BE DIFFICULT”
Speaking on news channel NTV yesterday, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that it would be difficult to convene Parliament in order to change the elections system. “Parliament has just taken a decision for early elections and it would be improper to convene it again,” Ecevit said. He declined to comment on reports that some deputies from his Democratic Left Party (DSP) wanted Economy Minister Kemal Dervis to resign, stating, “It wouldn’t be proper for me to say anything on this issue.” /Cumhuriyet/
THREE MINISTERS REPLACED DUE TO ELECTIONS
Interior Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen, Transportation Minister Oktay Vural and Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk resigned today, as required by law, five days after a decision for elections was published in the Official Gazette. Independent candidates were assigned to these posts as follows: Professor Aysel Celikel will be the new justice minister, Professor Naci Kinacioglu will be the new transportation minister and Muzaffer Ecemis, former Manisa governor and Interior Ministry undersecretary, has been assigned as the new interior minister. /Star/
HALICI CRITICIZES DERVIS OVER POLITICAL CONTACTS
Democratic Left Party (DSP) group deputy leader Emrehan Halici held a meeting with DSP Secretary General Suleyman Yagiz and Accountant General Mecit Sekercioglu at Parliament yesterday. The meeting was similar to one in which Halici called on then Deputy Prime Minister Husamettin Ozkan to resign. At a press conference after the meeting, Halici told reporters that State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis was participating in tricks against the DSP whether he intended to or not. “Even while those who left the DSP are still seeking to define themselves, Dervis is acting like the leader of a formation made up of them and other circles,” he added. “What’s more, he has suggested to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, who since the day he established the DSP has never heeded calls to ‘unite the left,’ a union which is broader but which lacks principles. Dervis thinks that a union is necessary on the left, but we must ask Mr. Dervis why he stayed silent when the DSP’s group in Parliament was being divided.” Stating that Dervis participating in a political formation was perfectly normal, Halici added, “However, as a member of the government, we will have nothing to do with those who play tricks on our party.” /Aksam/
CAKMAKOGLU: “TURKEY OPPOSES ANY MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ”
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu stated that Turkey was opposed to any military operation being taken against Iraq. Iraq’s territorial integrity should be protected, he added. Cakmakoglu commented that Turkey was continuing to recommend to the Iraqi regime that it fulfill what the US is asking of it, namely letting United Nations inspectors enter the country and carry out their mission. Cakmakoglu remarked that a possible military intervention would not affect Turkey’s election agenda. /Turkiye/
FOREIGN MINISTER GUREL TO VISIT JORDAN
Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel along with an accompanying delegation will travel to Amman, Jordan today to pay an official visit. Jordan’s possible role in a US operation and King Abdullah’s recent talks with the US on the issue make this a key visit in efforts to head off US plans for military intervention. The Turkish delegation will be briefed by Jordan’s officials about recent developments in the Arab world and Baghdad. During the meeting the two sides, which oppose an operation in the region, will search for a peaceful solution to the issue. /Cumhuriyet/
YILMAZ: “NOW IT IS THE EU’S TURN”
Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz yesterday met with ambassadors from the European Union member states at the Secretariat General for European Union Affairs. Yilmaz told the ambassadors that Turkey had done its part for its EU membership bid and that now it was the EU’s turn to respond in kind. /Turkiye/
VURAL: “TURKEY WANTS TO WIN A DATE TO START NEGOTIATIONS FROM THE COPENHAGEN SUMMIT”
Appearing on NTV yesterday, Secretary-General for European Union Affairs Volkan Vural said that Turkey could obtain full EU membership by 2008 if it obtains a date to start negotiations at December’s Copenhagen summit. “We expect to get a date for negotiations during the summit,” added Vural. Vural also said that the Copenhagen summit would be a turning point for Turkey. /Milliyet/
US STATE DEPARTMENT: “THE EU REFORMS AIM TO BOOST TURKEY’S CHANCES OF JOINING THE EU”
US State Department spokesman Phil Reeker yesterday said that the historic steps towards European Union accession that Turkey’s Parliament took on Friday were meant to boost the nation’s chances of joining the European Union. Reeker stressed the United States’ “firm support” for Turkey’s EU membership bid. /Turkiye/
FRANCE PLEASED ABOUT REFORMS IN TURKEY
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero stated yesterday that France had been pleased last week to see the Turkish Parliament adopt a package of European Union harmonization laws. He remarked that the reforms constituted a step towards achieving further democratization in Turkey and that by abolishing the death penalty, Turkey had also fulfilled a requirement of the Council of Europe, a European organization committed to promoting such principles as democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and to which Turkey is a member. /Sabah/
BROK: “TURKEY WAS COURAGEOUS IN ADOPTING EU REFORMS”
European Parliament Foreign Affairs Commission Chairman Elmar Brok, also an EU rapporteur responsible for submitting evaluation reports to the commission, told Hurriyet yesterday that he believed Turkey had been courageous in adopting the harmonization reforms and that the EU would take into account the recent positive developments in its Progress Report this October. However, Mr. Brok also pointed out that the EU Commission would shape its report by taking into consideration the actual implementation of these laws. On the subject of the coming elections in Turkey, Brok emphasized the importance of a government committed to the implementation of the EU laws. “I believe that in the elections, parties who said ‘yes’ to the reforms will enjoy greater public support than those who said ‘no’,” he added. /Hurriyet/
FIORI: “TURKEY’S EU REFORMS ARE A GREAT STEP FORWARD”
European Union Commission spokesman Jean-Christophe Fiori said yesterday that the EU considered the reforms recently adopted by the Turkish Parliament to be a great step forward for the nation. He added that the EU would issue a Progress Report on Oct. 15 containing an initial assessment of the progress of all the candidate countries, including Turkey. However, he continued, if Turkey makes further progress in reforms after October, the EU will take this into consideration before the Copenhagen summit in December. On the issue of giving Turkey a date for the start of accession negotiations, Fiori said that everything depended on how the reforms were implemented and that it was hard to tell at the moment what decision would be made at the summit. Fiori also pointed out that the EU expected Turkey to support the direct talks process in Cyprus, adding however that Turkish-EU relations were a separate matter from the Cyprus issue. /Hurriyet/
DENMARK: ”PASSING HARMONIZATION PACKAGE WILL HELP TURKEY WITH THE EU”
European Union Term President Denmark appreciates Turkey’s passage of a package of EU harmonization laws and believes the action will help it in relations with the EU, said yesterday a high-placed official at the Danish Embassy in Ankara who wished to remain nameless. “After these reforms’ passage, we will encourage Turkey to enact the laws passed by Parliament,” he added. “Our first impression of the reforms is that they will play an important role for Turkey making a strong showing at December’s Copenhagen summit.” /Cumhuriyet/
ROMAN COLOSSEUM ILLUMINATED TO MARK DEATH PENALTY ABOLITION IN TURKEY
Following the decision taken late last week by Turkey’s Parliament to abolish the death penalty from its laws, the ancient Colosseum in Rome was illuminated to mark this historic action. The practice of illuminating the Colosseum was started in 1999 by the Municipality of Rome, the Italian Ministry of Culture and Arts and Amnesty International in an international campaign to encourage all countries worldwide to abolish capital punishment. /Sabah/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION