SEZER: “THE IRAQ ISSUE SHOULD BE RESOLVED THROUGH PEACEFUL MEANS”
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said yesterday that the Iraq issue should be resolved through peaceful means based on the relevant United Nations resolutions. In his speech at the opening of an Organization of the Islamic Conference Economy and Trade Cooperation Permanent Committee (ISEDAK) meeting in Istanbul, Sezer stated that Turkey stood firmly in favor of Iraq’s territorial integrity. “We hope that the suffering of the Iraqi people comes to an end and that as a nation they can be reintegrated with the international community,” said Sezer. Regarding the ongoing violence in the Middle East, the president said, “Bloodshed in the region has claimed many lives. This must cease immediately so that the peace process can be put back on track.” Pointing to the importance of economic and trade cooperation among Islamic nations, Sezer said, “We should pursue initiatives to boost the quality and variety of our products, and regional trade and investments should be encouraged as well.” /Turkiye/
ECEVIT: “AN IRAQ OPERATION WOULD HAVE POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS FOR TURKEY”
Speaking on television yesterday, Prime Minister and Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit said that a possible United States operation against Iraq would have implications for Turkey in the political, social, and economic realms. Due to the harm it would do to our economy, Ecevit remarked, I would rather Turkey not be involved in such an operation. He added that recent developments seemed to indicate that the United States was backing away from its push for military action, though he called this trend unclear. /Cumhuriyet/
TURKEY DENOUNCES CHECHEN TERRORIST ATTACK
Turkey yesterday denounced the action of some 50 armed Chechen terrorists who stormed a crowded Moscow theater on Wednesday night, took hundreds of theatergoers hostage and threatened to shoot their captives and blow up the building unless Russia withdraws its troops from Chechnya. The Chechen terrorists took some 700 people as captives, including at least three Turkish citizens. The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement yesterday condemning the terrorists’ action and stressing that Turkey always stood opposed to any and all terrorist attacks. The statement added that Turkey hoped the Chechen terrorists would agree to release the hostages as soon as possible without causing any further damage. Meanwhile, Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok yesterday called on world leaders to unite and cooperate against international terrorism, underlining that terrorism should not be considered a crime committed against one country but rather against humanity itself. /Cumhuriyet/
EU LEADERS DISCUSS ENLARGEMENT IN BRUSSELS
The leaders of the European Union member states met yesterday in Brussels to discuss the Union’s enlargement process. The draft text of the two-day meeting’s final declaration, which is expected to be issued by EU Term President Denmark at the end of the gathering, welcomes Turkey's recent efforts to improve its democracy such as abolishing the death penalty and extending certain cultural rights to minorities, but adds that the country still falls short of meeting the political criteria for EU entry. On the one hand, the text praises Turkey for its successful moves to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria, but it also stresses that the EU wants to see the implementation of the reforms in practice. EU officials characterized the text, which underlines points similar to those in the recent EU Commission Progress Report, as encouraging and positive. /Cumhuriyet/
GUREL: “GERMANY SHOULD SUPPORT TURKEY AT THE EU’S COPENHAGEN SUMMIT”
During his visit to Berlin earlier this week, Turkish Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel met with his German counterpart Joschka Fischer to convey Turkey’s views and expectations on Turkish-EU relations. In their meetings, Gurel stated that the Turkish government had recently taken significant steps towards fulfilling the Union’s political criteria and so expected the EU to set a date at its December Copenghagen summit for the beginning of Turkey’s accessions negotiations. Gurel also remarked that Turkey would never accept any further “conditions” to be stipulated by the EU to begin its accession talks. “For Turkey, there are two possible outcomes from the summit,” Gurel reportedly told Fischer. “The EU sets a date for Turkey’s accession talks, or it declines to do so. There is no third way. The EU setting forth any other conditions to begin accession negotiations is unacceptable.” Meanwhile, Fischer reportedly stated that he believed that Turkey deserved an encouraging response from the EU in return for its recent successful efforts. Gurel also expressed his wish that Germany should support Turkey at the Copenhagen summit as a close ally and friend. /Cumhuriyet/
PRODI: “I DON’T SEE TURKEY GETTING A DATE THIS DECEMBER FOR ITS ACCESSION TALKS”
EU Commission Chairman Romano Prodi said yesterday that he didn’t expect the commission would offer a date at December’s Copenhagen summit for Turkey to begin its accession negotiations. Speaking to reporters in Brussels at the beginning of a two-day EU summit focusing on enlargement, Prodi stressed that recent steps taken by Turkey to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria had shown great progress. “However, we still need to see practical implementation of these [legislative] reforms,” he added. Meanwhile, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the prime minister of EU Term President Denmark, said that the final decision on Turkey’s membership bid would be made at the December summit. “Turkey will be treated just like the other candidate countries,” said the Danish premier. “As soon as it fully implements the Copenhagen criteria, we will begin its negotiations.” /Turkiye/
US STATE DEPARTMENT: “WE STAND AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A KURDISH STATE”
Speaking at a daily press briefing yesterday, US State Department spokesman Philip Reeker reiterated that the US did not favor the establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq. “The US wants to protect Iraq’s territorial integrity,” said Reeker. “The Bush administration is holding continual consultations with Turkish officials on this issue.” Pointing out how several US officials had paid recent visits to Turkey, Reeker underlined that Turkey and the US were close allies who cooperated on many issues, including the Iraq problem. During those visits, the US officials stressed that there were no disputes between the two countries, since they shared common interests in the region and had developed similar policies on the issues. /Cumhuriyet/
NECIRVAN BARZANI MEETS WITH TURKISH OFFICIALS
Necirvan Barzani, nephew of Iraqi Kurdish Democracy Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani and prime minister of the so-called regional Kurdish government, and Hoshyar Zebari, the IKDP’s foreign policy chief, yesterday met with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal. Speaking after the meeting, Barzani said, “Our talks with Mr. Ziyal were very fruitful, and we exchanged views on the latest developments in the region.” He added that there was no need for Turkey to be concerned about recent developments in northern Iraq. /Turkiye/
CILLER: “I KNOW THE ECONOMY BETTER THAN THE OTHER PARTY LEADERS”
True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller yesterday declared that she knew the economy better than Turkey’s other political party leaders, adding that this expertise set the DYP apart from competing parties. Ciller also said that Turkey needed to see a rise in consumer expending in order to encourage a boost in production. “In achieving this aim we can also address the nation’s most pressing problem, unemployment,” she stated. /Milliyet/
IMF: “TURKEY WILL NEED $35.1 BILLION NEXT YEAR”
International Monetary Fund officials yesterday forecast that Turkey would need $35.1 billion in financial aid next year and $36.3 billion in 2004. In an IMF report released yesterday, it stated that Turkey’s export revenues would increase to $39.6 billion next year and to $42.8 billion in 2004. The IMF report also predicted that inflation would fall to 8% in the upcoming year and drop to 5% by 2006. /Milliyet/
OECD: “TURKEY’S ECONOMIC PROGRAM IS GOING WELL”
Turkey’s economic program is currently on track and going well, defying a number of persistent problems, said the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) annual economic survey on Turkey released yesterday. The recovery from last year’s economic crisis began during the summer of 2001 and has been taking hold and continuing apace, the survey added. But, it warned, political and economic instability and high interest rates remain dangers. Yet Turkey’s economic program has also made quick and impressive progress in pursuing banking reforms, meant to address distortions in the sector, the survey argued. For the future, it concluded, political stability was a must for the continued success of the economic program, adding that the process of Turkey’s EU accession bid was aiding the economy and could serve as an anchor for long-term structural reform. /Hurriyet/
AYGUL: “TURKEY’S LOSSES IN AN IRAQ OPERATION COULD TOTAL $150 BILLION”
Turco-Iraq Business Council Chairman Bilgin Aygul said yesterday that Turkey would be the biggest economic loser in a possible Iraqi operation. Recalling that Turkey had suffered the greatest economic impact of any country from 1991’s Gulf War, Aygul said the promises made to Turkey at the time had been forgotten. Stressing that an Iraqi operation would be a further blow to an economy already in crisis, he stated, “Our total losses would be around $150 billion.” /Turkiye/
TURKISH FIRMS TO SHOW WARES AT BAGHDAD PRODUCTS FAIR
Nearly 100 Turkish firms are expected to attend the International Commerce and Industrial Products Fair in Baghdad, Iraq starting next Friday, Nov. 1. This year, about 1,500 firms from 48 countries are to participate in the 10-day fair. Turkish firms will display their products in various fields such as construction, automotive goods, electronics, computers, machine equipment and health care. /Turkiye/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION