ECEVIT: “IN TWO YEARS’ TIME, TURKEY COULD OUTGROW ITS NEED FOR IMF HELP”
Speaking on CNN Turk yesterday, Prime Minister and Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit said that Turkey had to continue cooperating with the International Monetary Fund for a while longer to overcome a number of significant problems. “But,” he continued, “if we can achieve our economic and political targets within two years, we won’t need to work with the IMF any longer. There is very short time left to raise our nation’s living standards.” Asked about the Iraq issue, Ecevit stated that a possible US operation against Iraq would affect Turkey adversely. “We hope our friend and ally the United States will solve its differences with the Iraqi government through peaceful means, not war,” he said. Ecevit added that Turkish nation deserved to become a member of the European Union and that he hoped the EU member states wouldn’t try to hold back Turkey’s bid. Also appearing on the same program were DSP economy officials Zekeriya Temizel, Hikmet Ulugbay, Nami Cagan and Masum Turker. /Milliyet/
CILLER TO KICK OFF ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN MUGLA
True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller is due to start her party’s election campaign in Mugla on Sept. 24. This year Ciller is for the first time a candidate from the southwestern coastal province of Mugla, rather than Istanbul. Following campaign rallies in the towns of Milas and Fethiye in Mugla, Ciller will proceed to Denizli, Manisa and then, on Sept. 28, is to attend a meeting in Sanliurfa, a southeastern province. In related news, the DYP leader will travel to Kayseri today accompanied by former Enlightened Turkey Party (ATP) leader Tugrul Turkes, who is running as a DYP candidate from that province. She is expected to declare her parties’ candidates in a ceremony. /Turkiye/
BAYKAL: “WE WILL SEE FATEFUL ELECTIONS THIS NOVEMBER”
Speaking at a ceremony yesterday to present the Republican People’s Party deputy candidates for Istanbul, CHP leader Deniz Baykal said that elections set for Nov. 3 would surely be held on their scheduled date. “Now it’s time for us to win the elections,” he stated. “November’s elections will be fateful ones, for they will signal the end of an old era and the ushering in of a new one.” Baykal also said that CHP’s 512 candidates hadn’t worked in Parliament before and that this year, for first time, the number of candidates who were professional engineers candidates exceeded the number of professional lawyer candidates. Of the candidates introduced at the ceremony, former Economy Minister Kemal Dervis and Zulfu Livaneli, famous musician and writer, received the most enthusiastic applause. /Milliyet/
CEM CRITICIZES PUBLIC OPINION POLLS
New Turkey Party (YTP) leader Ismail Cem yesterday spoke to citizens in the Kucukcekmece district of Istanbul. Criticizing recent public opinion polls, Cem asked citizens not to pay them any mind. “Certain circles are trying to confuse you with rumors, don’t believe them,” he added. Some recent polls have shown the YTP in danger of falling below the 10% threshold needed for representation in Parliament. /Turkiye/
GUREL: “IRAQ HAS DONE ALL THAT IT CAN”
Speaking at a press conference yesterday in Washington, Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel said that Iraq had done all that it could to prevent a war but that the United States administration did not seem satisfied with its efforts. Following his Wednesday meetings with US Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Gurel stated that that Turkey was determined to wait for the return of UN weapon inspectors to Iraq, a move Iraq has pledged to allow, before taking any further steps. Gurel also spoke on recent developments regarding Cyprus and the European Union, stating that Turkey would annex the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) if the Greek side of the island were admitted into the EU, and adding that this annexation would be a direct consequence of Greek Cypriot membership as the sole representative of the island. Commenting on Turkey’s relations with the EU, Gurel stated that Turkey had fulfilled all the accession criteria and that the US supported Turkey’s EU membership bid. /Cumhuriyet/
SP PROPOSES LOWERING ELECTION THRESHOLD
Felicity Party (SP) Deputy Chairman Mehmet Bekaroglu yesterday submitted to the Parliament Speaker’s Office a bill under which the current 10% election threshold would be lowered 5%. The bill would further bring a preferential voting system to the general elections, under which voters would be given the opportunity to express their preferences among candidates on the candidate lists. /Sabah/
APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS DGM RULING ON ERBAKAN
On the heels of its recent ruling refusing to clear the criminal record of Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Tayyip Erdogan, the High Court of Appeals yesterday upheld a decision of Diyarbakir’s State Security Court (DGM) No. 1, thus leaving intact the record of Necmettin Erbakan, ex-leader of the banned Welfare Party (RP). /Turkiye/
YSK DECISION ON ERDOGAN DUE TODAY
The Supreme Election Board (YSK) is expected today to reach a decision on whether Justice and Development Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be eligible or not to run in November’s elections. YSK Chairman Tufan Algan told reporters yesterday that every candidate has a different situation and that no one ruling could be the sole criterion for all candidates. Algan said that the YSK would take into account the changes made to Turkish Penal Code (TCK) Article 312, which was reorganized and rewritten as a part of the EU harmonization laws passed by Parliament this summer. /Aksam/
DENKTAS: “THE EU ERRED GREATLY IN INTERFERING ON CYPRUS”
Speaking to reporters before meeting yesterday with Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides in Cyprus’ buffer zone, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas criticized Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis’ speech earlier this week saying that Cyprus’ European Union membership was a national issue for Greece. Denktas added that since Cyprus was not currently a united island, there was no united Cyprus to apply for European Union membership. “It is only the Greek Cypriots who have applied for EU membership,” stated Denktas. Denktas remarked that if the EU had ceased interfering in the Cyprus issue, the negotiations process would now be in far different shape. The EU’s interference was a great mistake, he added. /Cumhuriyet/
EU TO HOLD MINI-SUMMIT FOR CANDIDATE COUNTRIES
European Union term President Denmark will reportedly invite the EU candidate countries, Turkey included, to a mini-summit on Oct. 28 to brief them about EU membership criteria. /Turkiye/
US REASSURES IRAQI OPPOSITION GROUPS
United States Assistant Secretary of State Marc Grossman told Iraqi opposition group representatives during their meeting in New York earlier this week that the US was determined to overthrow Saddam Hussein, reports said yesterday. Grossman, a former US ambassador to Turkey, reportedly stated that the US aimed not only to destroy Iraq’s chemical and biological weapons but also to completely disarm the nation. Iraq’s ethnic Turkmens were also represented at the meeting, and Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) representative Orhan Ketene said that his fellow Turkmens would also have a say in what happened in Iraq. He also confirmed Grossman’s statement on the US determination to effect regime change in Baghdad. /Cumhuriyet/
DE CLERCQ: “TURKEY CAN JUSTIFIABLY BAN DANGEROUS POLITICAL PARTIES”
Willy De Clercq, Belgium’s deputy prime minister and honorary member of the European Parliaments Liberal group, yesterday commented on the possibility of Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan being declared ineligible to run for Parliament in Turkey’s November elections, and on the fate in general of extremist parties in democratic countries. De Clercq stated that political parties posing a threat to democratic freedoms could be justifiably banned from participating in elections, adding that Belgium itself had taken similar action with domestic extreme right-wing parties. He warned, however, that blocking Erdogan’s candidacy could have the unintended effect of increased support for both the AKP and Erdogan himself. /Cumhuriyet/
IMF’S KOEHLER: “ELECTIONS WILL END TURKEY’S UNCERTAINTY”
Speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington yesterday, IMF Managing Director Horst Koehler said that Turkey’s elections set to be held on Nov. 3 would create further clarity of the course of the nation. “I expect that this election will also serve to endorse the continuation of the economic program which has worked successfully up to now,” he added. Koehler stated that Turkey had made a remarkable, steady progress in the space of just one to two years. “Inflation has been brought down more than the program envisioned. Exchange rates now are stable, and growth is recovering,” said the IMF head. “I am looking forward to further progress in Turkey.” /Star/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION