Selections From Todays Turkish Press

Turkey, the only NATO member among the world's predominantly Islamic countries, has said that it will send special forces to join the US-led war against terrorism in Afghanistan. The Council of Ministers, convened yesterday and decided to meet a request for US military support. The decision means that Turkey is the first Muslim nation to join the US operation against the Taleban and Osama bin Laden. The Turkish government said that Turkey would deploy a 90-man special unit for the mission. The Turkish troops will carry out duties such as fighting terrorists, training the troops of the anti-Taleban Northern Alliance and securing humanitarian aid. The aim of the mission was outlined in a government statement as "conducting surveillance, fighting terrorists, training the Northern Alliance, protecting innocent people, helping to evacuate civilians when necessary and supporting humanitarian aid operations." Turkey's special forces have long experience in fighting against the PKK terrorist organization in southeastern Turkey, a mountainous region similar to Afghanistan. Turkey has already opened its airspace to US aircraft and US transport planes have been using a base at Incirlik, Turkey. Turkey's active participation into the US operation, as the sole Muslim NATO member country, could help the US rebut allegations that Operation "Enduring Freedom" is engaging in a war against Islam. /All Papers/

SEZER APPROVES APPOINTMENTS

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday approved a number of appointments to the Energy Market Higher Council. Prime Ministry Law, and Decisions General Director Yusuf Gunay was appointed as Council Chairman and the energy Ministry deputy undersecretary, and Ali Turkoglu got the nod as the deputy chairman. In addition, Middle East Technical University (METU) Electronic Engineering Department Head Osman Sevaioglu, DTM Undersecretary Cengiz Kral, PETKIM General Director Turgut Bozkurt, State Planning Organization expert Muzaffer Keles and Ayhan Albostan were selected as council members. /Milliyet/

ECEVIT: "IT IS NATURAL FOR TURKEY TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT"

After Turkey announced that it would join the US-led operation in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said, "It is natural for Turkey to be at the forefront of the fight against terrorism. If we decided not to join the war effort, we would have been denying ourselves. We have entered a period where perpetrating terrorist activities is easy but combating terrorism is very difficult and expensive. That's why international cooperation is essential." Remarking that the Taleban regime posed a threat to the Central Asian republics, Ecevit said that Turkey's mission aimed at ensuring Afghani people's freedom. Ecevit said the deployment decision was carefully evaluated both by the military and civilian politicians in line with Turkey's obligations as a NATO member, and added that the operation was in no way one against Islam. "People who allege that the operation is against Islam are in fact contradicting Islamic values, since Islam is a peaceful religion which stands against violence." Ecevit's statement said. /Cumhuriyet/

CEM: WE HAVE SHOWN THAT THIS WAR IS NOT AGAINST ISLAM

Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said yesterday that Turkey's decision to send troops to Afghanistan constituted a message that "this war is not against Islam." Cem asserted on CNN that "terrorism has no religion and no geography" and that the Turkish government's decision was a good message showing that the current conflict is not a war against Islam, and our sending troops just symbolic. Ankara's Foreign Ministry has informed other Islamic countries about Turkey's sending a 90-man team to Afghanistan./Hürriyet/

US PRESIDENT BUSH PRAISES TURKEY

US President George W. Bush sent a congratulatory message to the 22nd Annual Convention of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations. Stating that the idea to form an international coalition against terrorism was inspired by Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Bush's message quoted one of Ataturk's statements, "The fastest and the most efficient way to win a war is to form an international coalition." Bush remarked that Turkey's decision to deploy special troops for the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan refuted allegations that the US-led war was one against Islam. Recalling that Turkish-American cooperation had been initiated during Korean War and had continued with the Gulf War and Kosovo conflict, Bush said, "Today, Turkey and the US are growing closer than ever before as part of our efforts to establish a world order based upon peace." Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Ankara Robert Pearson said that the US was highly appreciative of Turkey's decision to send troops to Afghanistan. /Cumhuriyet/

TALEBAN DENOUNCES TURKEY

Afghanistan's ruling body the Taleban yesterday condemned Turkey, upon the latter's decision to send a special force of 90 soldiers to Afghanistan at the request of the US. The Taleban rule is not internationally recognized. At a press conference, Taleban's Ambassador to Islamabad Abdulselam Zaif answered a question by saying in part, "All the soldiers which come from a Muslim country or any other country to join the US will be our enemies, and they will be treated in the same way. If they attack Afghanistan, we will defend ourselves." /Milliyet/

FISCHER: TURKEY IS VERY IMPORTANT

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said yesterday that Turkey is a very important country for Germany's and Europe's security. Fischer also remarked that "we have all seen during the current crisis how important Turkey is and that this democratic, Islamic country has an important place both in its region and in Europe"./Star/

ARTICLE 86 OF THE CONSTITUTION

A controversial amendment to Constitution Article 86, concerning Parliamentarians' salary was taken up at the Parliament Constitution Commission yesterday. The Commission, headed by Turan Tayan of ANAP, agreed on a new amendment and sent it to Parliament's General Assembly. Previously, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer had called for a national referendum on the article. /Turkiye/

PARLIAMENTARIANS REACT TO DERVIS

State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis's recent statement that certain parliamentarians had asked him to extend bank loans to companies and rescue some others which are in bad situations, caused anger among some parliamentarians. During the Constitutional Commission's yesterday meeting, Dervis's statement was discussed. Turhan Tayan, head of the commission of the Motherland Party (ANAP) said that they regretted what Dervis had said. expressions. Deputies from various parties also criticized Dervis and called on him to disclose the list of deputies who allegedly asked him for his favor. /Turkiye/

PARLIAMENT GIVES OK TO FAMILY LAW

Parliament took a further step on Thursday towards replacing the 76-year-old Turkish Civil Code with a new one, as it approved perhaps the most important part of a new draft Civil Code regulating family law. The part of the new Civil Code approved in Thursday's sessions covers all the articles of the 1,030-draft article from Article 118 to 281. The new family law scraps the phrase "the head of the marriage union is the man," giving women the right to have a say in the decisions concerning the children and the family home. Women would no longer need their husbands consent to get jobs. Either partner could ask his or her spouse not to take a job that would disrupt "peace in the marriage union." It also raises the legal age for marriage from 17 for men and 15 for women to 18 for both. It sets a legal separation period of six months before couples can file for divorce. Husbands will be able to receive benefits as well. They will be able to request alimony from wives who are better off financially./Turkish News/

ARMAMENT TRANSFER TO NORTHERN ALLIANCE

An agreement on transferring US-made armaments and technical know-how to a third country has been put into effect between Turkey and the US. The agreement opens the way to transfer US-made armaments in Turkey to Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan. Turkey has to ensure US permission for each transfer. /Cumhuriyet/

KIZILAY SENDS AID TO AFGHANISTAN

Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) Disaster and Aid Director Omer Tasli stated yesterday that Afghans had helped Turkey during the war of Independence and added that now it was Turkey's turn to help them. Tasli said, "We have been trying to provide all possible humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Some 10 percent of the Afghan population has taken shelter in Iran and other countries. "We will try to help the Afghan people in cooperation with Iran's Red Crescent." Kizilay's aid convoy includes 51 tons of food, 6,000 blankets and a large quality of medicines and is expected to reach the Afghan city of Zabul, near the Iranian border, and will enter the country if they are allowed. /Turkish News/

AGAH OKTAY GUNER RESIGNS FROM ANAP

Motherland Party (ANAP) Agah Oktay Guner Deputy Balikesir resigned from his party yesterday. At a press conference, Guner harsly criticized Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and ANAP leader and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. He added that he would serve as an independent deputy for some time. /Turkiye/

VARYAG PASSES THROUGH THE BOSPHORUS

The Varyag, an unfinished aircraft carrier that was purchased by Ukranie from the People's Republic of China, finally passed through the Bosphorus yesterday and sailed to the Marmara Sea. The carrier, which has no engine or steering and measures 306 meters in length, completed her passage in just under 6 hours. /Turkiye/

DEMIREL: I DO NOT WANT A WAR OF WORDS

Former President Suleyman Demirel yesterday replied to Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Labor and Social Security Minister Yasar Okuyan's criticisms of his complaints about the government. Stressing that he did not want to argue with anybody, Demirel said, "To whom are they calling to account? They should relieve the country from its sorry situation, and if they are unable to, they should go." Recalling that eight government had come to the power since his tenure in office, Demirel said, "Why should I be the responsible one for all the mistakes that were made? If we had done something wrong, the successive governments should have corrected this." /Turkiye/

KUTAN CALLS ON AKP TO MERGE WITH SP

Felicity Party (SP) leader Recai Kutan yesterday said that his party wants to merge with the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Kutan, on a visit to Malatya, said, "The separation of some our friends from the party was the worst blow to our case. We want to merge with the AKP with all our heart. Our door is always open." /Turkiye/

IMF: COMMITTEE ON WAY TO DETERMINE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

IMF External Relations Director Tom Dawson said yesterday that an IMF committee would soon visit Turkey led by Turkey desk chief Juha Kahkonen. Dawson said that the reason for their visit was to fix Turkey's 2002 financing gap. Dawson also stated that additional support may be found other than IMF funds and that they would meet with government representatives in order to find the best way to support Turkey. The IMF committee will later also meet with the Fund administration to give their opinion./Hürriyet/

GALLO: "GOOD OPPORTUNITIES EMERGE IN TURKEY"

Pier Domenico Gallo, Chairman of leading Italian investor bank Meliorbanca, said yesterday, "Good opportunities for investment are emerging in Turkey. There is no longer the fear of Turkey's big financial crises of old. New opportunities have begun to be created. The situation in Turkey is very different from the situation in Argentina or Brazil." Gallo said that Meliorbanca was not so much interested in banks but rather in the medium-size companies and that they had contacts with various banks. /Milliyet/

EXPORTS SHOW INCREASE

According to the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM), exports increased by 14.8% over the last ten months. The total exports in the January-October period amounted to 25.76 billion US dollars. In October, this amount increased by 20.8% when compared to the previous month. According to TIM, exports in the period between last November 1 and November 1, 2001 increased by 11.2% and reached 30.5 billion US dollars. /Sabah/

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY IMPORTANT FOR KEI ECONOMY

Turkish Atomic Energy Board (TAEK) Head Erdener Birol addressed a meeting in Ankara discussing the peaceful use of nuclear technologies, saying that advanced technologies such as nuclear technology would play an important role in the development of the Black Sea region's economies, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Dr. Birol addressed the "Experts Group Meeting" at a meeting of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (KEK) states and said that TAEK acknowledged that cooperation among the Black Sea states was important for the peaceful use of nuclear technologies. /Turkish Daily News/

GERMAN DELEGATION AUDITS DIYARBAKIR MUNICIPALITY

A delegation from Investment Bank of Germany visited Diyarbakir yesterday to audit the Diyarbakir Greater Municipality's Water and Sewage Affairs Directorate (DISKI). DISKI Director Nadir Bingol said that the delegation came to Diyarbakir to audit the Waste Water Refining Facility, Main Collector Pipeline and Pump Station that were built with credits and grants from the bank. He added that the delegation visits Diyarbakir twice a year to audit the directorate's work and, more importantly, to transfer their technical experience and knowledge to the directorate. /Turkish Daily News/

NEW STEPS TAKEN TO REVIVE TOURISM

The Turkish government is taking new steps in order to revive the country's flagging tourism sector. Under one such step, those who deal with the tourism sector as part of their business will be considered as exporters, and they will benefit from the incentive that the exporters receive. Tourism Minister Mustafa Tasar announced the steps taken during the Council of Ministers meeting yesterday. Tasar reported that work will be carried out to remove restrictions on tourists owning real estate; the exemption from a 50 US dollars daily exit fee by the seaways will be extended to the highways as well; red tape will be decreased at harbors; the completion of the roads in touristic regions will be a priority; and a commission of three ministers will be established to handle investments in these regions. In addition, incentives to bolster Turkey's airlines will be announced next Sunday. Final decisions concerning the issue are to be taken during a Higher Planning Council meeting. /Milliyet/

TO DO THE RIGHT THING BY OKAY EKSI (HURRIYET)

Columnist Oktay Eksi commented on yesterday's government decision to send special troops to Afghanistan. A summary of his column is as follows: "The government announced that it had decided to send nearly 90 special troops who have undergone special training to the campaign the US is waging against terrorism in Afghanistan. The decision is correct and it has been taken in line with correct procedures, and we believe that it has the support of the whole Turkish nation excepting a few discordant voices. However there is one condition: this decision should hold as long as an honest cooperation among the allies goes on and as long as we are not left facing a fait accompli which would pull Turkey into a partnership launching an offensive against Iraq. Yesterday, Prime Minister Ecevit said: 'It is hard to determine what our military personnel will have to face there. They may be confronted with unwanted situations. We have entered a process which may produce either very positive or dangerous results.' We hope they do not find themselves in a difficult position but also believe that if such a situation arises, they will surmount all difficulties. They will send an important message to the whole world with their presence in Afghanistan. They will show that the reaction of a secular nation which is predominantly Muslim to terrorism is no different than that of other nations. Therefore, they will be telling Christians who blamed Islam for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 that terrorism is not fostered by Islam but rather by unhealthy social structures. We must not think that the decision taken by the government will be limited to 90 soldiers. As the prime minister stated, Turkey has entered a process which may have dangerous consequences. A country which claimed that the fight against terrorism could only succeed through an international cooperation was ethically obliged to act to back that up. As a NATO member, it was legally obliged to do so. Therefore there is no need to lose time over the question whether there was another solution or not. Certainly, this issue should not be exploited for populist purposes or to scrounge for ways to get the votes of a few fanatics by lowering the level of the national debate."