Selections From Todays Turkish Press

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer left for Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, yesterday for a two-day official visit. After a meeting, President Sezer and Pakistan Head of State Pervez Muserref organized a joint press conference. Stressing that Turkey favored a broad-based government which includes all ethnic groups, Sezer said, "Terrorism has no religion and nationality. Islam cannot be equated with terrorism. The Sept. 11 attacks targeted the common values of humanity." Responding to a question on the formation of an Islamic Peace Force in Afghanistan under the auspies of the UN, Sezer remarked, " The decision on this matter will be made by the UN. In light of that decision, we will evaluate the situation and make our own decision." Muserref stated that they had decided to cooperate in finding a just and permanent solution to the Afghanistan issue. Pointing to his desire for a short and limited operation in Afghanistan, Muserref emphasized his concern that civilian lives not be jeopardized. Sezer and the accompanying delegation are expected to return Turkey today following their contacts in Lahor. /Turkiye/

LAMASSOURE REPORT APPROVED

The European Parliament (EP) approved the Turkey report prepared by French Christian-Democrat parliamentarian Alain Lamassaure at its Plenary Session. Stating that being a candidate to the EU was a stimulus for Turkey to pursue reform programs and activate its political life, the report said that despite certain opposition, the reform program received wide support and had a strong political will behind it. Meanwhile, the exclusion of a section concerning the so-called Armenian genocide was defined as an important step in Ankara. The report asks Turkey to prepare a concrete timetable for the Copenhagen Criteria. /Cumhuriyet/

CEM: EP'S DECISION IS A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said that the rejection of a amendment proposal concerning for the so-called Armenian genocide in Turkey Report, debated in the European Parliament yesterday, was a positive development. He said that the struggles against Turkey by its foes would come to naught. On the other hand, the approval of the Turkey's report in the EP Plenary Session, prepared by French Christian Democrat Alain Lamassoure, was evaluated as a positive development in Ankara. However, Turkish authorities stated that they were not in agreement with the all articles of the report. /Turkiye/

MEETING FOR ESDP IN ANKARA

While there was no final decision put forward at the 10-hour European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) meeting in Ankara, the US reportedly conveyed the message that Turkey should reach an agreement with the EU on the issue as soon as possible. Speaking to the press after the meeting, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal said, "We have accomplished very comprehensive and serious work. We weren't expecting to reach a final decision at the meeting. Therefore, we'll keep working." The US delegation stated that they were well aware of Turkey's concern on certain security issues and that they were always ready to help Turkey. Stating that if no agreement was reached between NATO and the EU on the ESDP, Brussels might prefer to develop a military structure totally independent from NATO, the US delegation warned the Turkish side that such a development would be more disadvantageous for Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/

VERHEUGEN: "TURKEY IS VERY IMPORTANT"

EU Commissioner for Enlargement Gunther Verheugen remarked that Turkey was a very important country not only for its geo-strategic conditions but also for its cultural, historical and political functions. Speaking during the discussion on Turkey at the European Parliament Plenary Session, Verheugen said that recent constitutional amendments in Turkey were a significant development which were supported by most of the Turkish people. Stating that Turco-EU relations had been developing since the Helsinki Summit, Verheugen drew attentions to the positive developments in the relations between Turkey and Greece. He commented that in particular efforts by Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and his Greek counterpart George Papandreou had contributed greatly to the emergence of a positive atmosphere between the two nations. He said they expected Turkey to assume a more moderate attitude on the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). /Cumhuriyet/

ECEVIT: LET'S NOT WASTE OUR TIME

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that Turkey does not have the time to waste on a referendum the result of which was already known. Addressing the Democratic Left Party (DSP) Parliamentarians in the party's group meeting, Ecevit remarked that the amendments to 34 articles of the Constitution obtaining a compromise with all parties were welcomed by the EU and the European press, and it was accepted as a milestone in Turkish democracy. Stressing that Turkey did not have four months to waste on such a referendum, Ecevit said, "We have much more important issues to deal with." Responding to a statement made by True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller saying, "Ecevit owes to us," Ecevit said, "We have no debt to pay to anybody or any party. We came to power with our own power not, with the support of others." /Turkiye/

PRODI: GREEK CYPRIOTS WILL ENTER EU

European Union Commission Chairman Romano Prodi stated that the Greek Cypriot Administration was among the first candidate countries to become an EU member. Speaking at the Greek Cypriot Parliament, Prodi said, "The process has begun. Greek Cypriots will enter the EU." Prodi criticized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas for his refusal of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's proposal to resume proximity talks. Meanwhile, the US has launched new initiatives to overcome the problems concerning the Cyprus issue. The US wants to initiate a new dialogue period between Denktas and Greek Cypriot leader Glafkos Clerides. /Cumhuriyet/

TURKEY TO BUILD SHELTERS IN AFGHANISTAN

Turkey will cooperate with the French non governmental organisation AKTED in to build 10,000 shelters in Afghanistan, especially in the areas of Tajiks and Uzbeks which are under the control of the Northern Alliance. /Hurriyet/

THE TURKISH RED CRESCENT TO RELEASE BROCHURES ON ANTHRAX

The Turkish Red Crescent Nevsehir Kazım Kucuk Medical Center will distribute some 8,000 brochures to improve public awarness of the anthrax bacteria, it announced today. The center's Chief Doctor Faramarz Cevatzade said that anthrax did not represent a major threat to Turkey. The anthrax virus infects humans by way of animal products, but in Turkey agricultural anthrax is its only form,he added. He also indicated that citizens should not be afraid since the risk of infection is very low./Turkish News/

AFGHAN SUMMIT IN ANKARA

Anti-Taleban leaders in Afghanistan are to convene in Ankara this weekend. Former Afghani Head of State Burhaneddin Rabbani's Spokesman and Northern Alliance Delegation Chairman Muhammed Yunus Kanuni and Saudi Arabian lecturer Settar Siret are expected to attend the meeting. The meeting had been announced to be held in Istanbul. According to diplomatic sources, the meeting place was changed due to security concerns. /Cumhuriyet/

MACEDONIAN DELEGATION MAKES ANKARA CONTACTS

The Macedonian Parliament Foreign Policy Commission has visited the Turkey-Macedonia Friendship Group. Friendship Group Chairman Kemal Vatan delivered a speech saying that he was very pleased to see the Macedonian delegation in Turkey. He stated that Turkey had always respected Macedonia's independence and territorial integrity. He complained, however, that the Macedonian government was preventing its Turkish citizens from becoming deputies and also allowed crosses to be hung on some old Ottoman buildings. Macedonian Parliament Foreign Policy Commission Chairman Jordan Boskov emphasized that Turkey was seen as a friendly country by Macedonia, and that its Turkish citizens were not prevented from becoming deputies. He also pointed out that hanging crosses on Ottoman clock towers amounted vandalism and that these crosses would be removed at once./Turkish News/

TURKISH TEACHING MEETING STARTS

Education Minister Metin Bostancıoglu has said, "Supporting the cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe, respecting the importance of language learning and teaching, and developing a qualified and effective way of language teaching both in and out of schools are among our main objectives". In the symposium "Turkish language teaching in Europe" he said that the symposium would contribute to development of methods and techniques for teaching Turkish as a second language in Europe. According to from UNICEF, Turkish is the world's sixth most widely spoken language after Chinese, Hindi, English, Spanish and Russian. More than 200 million people speak Turkish all over the world, Bostancıoglu added./Turkish News/

SECURITY MEETING IN KAZAKHSTAN

The Asian countries will discuss the newly emerging international balances in the wake of September 11 attacks in an international conference to be held in Kazakhstan. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will represent Turkey in the conference entitled "Cooperation in Asia and Confidence-Increasing Measures" on November 8-10 in Almati. Sezer is expected to visit Tajikistan prior to the conference. /Cumhuriyet/

IRAQ-TURKEY ECONOMIC RELATIONS

Iraqi Deputy State Minister Taha Yasin Ramazan said that Iraq wants to further develop its economic relations with Turkey. Ramazan yesterday received Turkish businessmen who are visiting Iraq. Ramazan said they are pleased to see the developing relations between the two countries and also added that they had requested further developments in economic relations, especially in the transportation sector. /Turkish Daily News/

CINGILLIOGLU AND HAS' CONTRIBUTION TO ERCIYES UNIVERSITY

Two educational facilities built by famous businessmen brothers Halit and Ali Cingillioglu along with Kadir Has have been dedicated in a ceremony attended by former Turkish President Suleyman Demirel. The Nuri Cingillioglu Science Faculty was built using a 10 million US dollar donation by Halit Cingillioglu, and it carries his deceased father's name, and the Kadir Has Library was built using Has' contribution. Demirel cut the ribbon on the facilities and presented these businessmen with the golden medal of Erciyes University. /Sabah/

DERVIS IN ITALY

State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis who is in Sorrento, Italy to attend the European Investment Bank's Mediterreanen Cooperation Meeting, met with various high-level authorities including the French and Belgian ministers of finance, Laurrent Fabius and Didier Reynders respectively. Dervis stated that the meetings were fruitful and that he was hopeful of billions of dollars in new loan. Meanwhile, Dervis and Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti will attend the G-20's annual meetings to be held on Nov. 15-18 in Ottowa, Canada. During these meetings, Dervis will continue his contacts with the aim of foreign financial sources. /Turkiye/

EUROPEAN MINISTERS URGE IMF ON FUNDS FOR TURKEY

Turkey has convinced the European finance ministers encourage IMF to forward it additional funds. Both the Belgian and French finance ministers accepted after talks with Turkish State Minister for Economy Kemal Dervis that the IMF should decide as soon as possible whether to give money or not to Turkey. Dervis also stated that following the Sept. 11 attacks, the world's order had changed and would never return to the 1960's or 70's./Hurriyet/

ORAL ON LOWERING TAXES

Finance Ministry work in response to demands for a tax decrease has come on to the agenda in order to revive the economy and to reactivate the manufacturing industry. Finance Minister Sumer Oral said taxes should be sensitive to the economy and that demands for a decrease in tax rates could be considered unless such demands would disturb the budget balances and the program targets. State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis told members of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Stock Exchanges (TOBB), who favor a decrease in Value Added Tax rates, that Turkey should predict and evaluate its results and ask for the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) view on the issue. /Sabah/

AKBANK'S SUCCESS

Akbank has become the first bank in all the developing markets to receive a credit rating above the rating of its country. International rating company Fitch has increased Turkey's long-term Turkish Lira rating from B(-) to B and converted its situation to "positive". Before now, Fitch's Turkish Lira rating given to an institution could not have surpassed the country's rating. Akbank General Director Zafer Kurtul said that the bank was proud of this rating and added, "Consequently, the higher our rating is, the more we can contribute to the Turkish economy." /Sabah/

COOPERATION IN TRANSPORTATION

During the First International Transportation Forum, the "International Black Sea Land Transportation Cooperation Project" (BSEC-URTA), which aims to ensure uniform transportation in 11 countries, Transportation Minister Oktay Vural gave a speech during a panel attended by the International Road Union (IRU) and representatives from Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and Greece. Vural said that the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (KEI) was a good opportunity for increasing the neighboring countries' power of competition. Vural added, "The problems among the Black Sea countries concerning transportation will be solved thanks to this union. In addition, the monopoly in the Telecom sector will be eliminated in 2003." Meanwhile, UND Chairman Cetin Nuhoglu was elected as BSEC-URTA term chairman. He said that logistic cooperation had increased on the international platform and that international land transportation would increase by 38% over the next decade. /Milliyet/

DEVELOPMENT IN TURKISH SHARES

A new research report released by investment Bank CA-IB stated that Turkey's weight had been increased from "neutral" to "overweight" in the model developing European share portfolio. CA-IB strategist Roger Monson said that following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Turkish shares had developed a great deal. Monson said, "We think that a development of 29% in terms of US dollars is not the end of the story because the confidence-increasing reforms spear headed by State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis are about to reach a critical level." /Milliyet/

WALL STREET JOURNAL PRAISES TURKEY

Highly respected US business daily Wall Street Journal has published an article praising Turkey and encouraging it to play a greater role in its region. WSJ article by Melik Kaylan entitled "The Turkish model" points out that Turkey is ringed by Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria and that urges it to emerge from its shell to play a role that will shape the course of history concerning the Afghanistan issue. The article states: "We should be grateful to Turkey for the things it has done through many decades for the benefits of the West and the US. It is also time for Turkey to displace the Russian influence in the region. Turkey and its Kemalist system have been an alternative against the Saudi fundamentalism which depends on a religious educational system, and the West should support Turkey in making this model widespread in the Islamic world." /Milliyet/

SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK

Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday, Oc.28, at: 2.00 a.m. Clocks will be set back an hour earlier.

SHABBY CAR IN A DANGEROUS TURN BY TAHA AKYOL (MILLIYET)

Columnist Taha Akyol writes on the report prepared by Alain Lamassoure and accepted by the European Parliament on Turkey. A summary of his column is as follows: "The European Parliament (EP) accepted two resolutions-one in 1986, the other last year- on the allegations regarding the so-called Armenian genocide. This year it has rejected a similar draft. French Democrat Deputy Alain Lamassoure's report which occasionally used moderate and positive expressions concerning Turkey was accepted by the EP. It is reported that the 'Progress Report' which will be released on November 13 will be penned in a way which will not be unsettling for Turkey. These are believed to be indications of the care shown in Europe to refrain from a clash of civilizations while Afghan war and the Sept.11 syndrome are still very much in effect in addition to the significance of Turkey. On the other hand, at the EU Summit held in Belgium on Oct. 19, signals were issued to the effect that Turkey will not be invited to the 'Convention for European Future'. Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz reacted to this approach by saying, 'Europe who excludes Turkey will proceed with firm steps towards the Dark Ages as a Christian Club.' As Yilmaz is criticizing Europe by leading up to a clash among civilizations, he wants Turkey to use its potential function stemming from its location, history and living culture in order to establish harmony among civilizations. This is a correct approach. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem proposed that a meeting should be held between the Organization for the Islamic Conference and the European Union in Istanbul on the theme of 'establishing harmony between civilizations'. This proposal was accepted. In an age of globalization, cultures are becoming powers with political functions. However, this is not enough. Unless Turkey improves its economy and becomes an economic power in the region and unless it becomes a democratic state ruled by law envied by others in the region, it cannot enter the EU merely on the basis of its historic heritage or survive on foreign aid given for its geo-political importance. The year 2002 is crucial... Turkey did not begin full membership negotiations with the EU and it is the only candidate country which has not done so. The Greek Cypriot Administration has completed 23 of the 29 criteria which are to be discussed. When the Greek Cypriot Administration becomes a full member, Turkey will meet with new obstacles on the way to the EU and it will be harder for the Cyprus problem to be solved as we prefer. Therefore, there has to be a dynamic and influential government in charge for the next crucial period of three or four years. This dangerous turn cannot be taken by old coalition cars." The next issue of the Turkish Press Review will appear on October 30, 2001 due to Republican Day.