Selections From Todays Turkish Press

Saying that Turkey's friendship was very important for his nation, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said yesterday, "Today Turkey is Georgia's No. 1 partner, neighbor and friend." Shevardnadze, who had met previously with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer in Tbilisi, said that the two had reached a concensus to do whatever they could together, particularly in the struggle against terrorism. He added, "I thank the Turkish president and his nation for supporting Georgia's territorial integrity and the return of immigrants to Abhazya." Shevardnadze stated that during their meeting, they had exchanged information about Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), the establishment of a Eurasia passage, revival of the Great Silk Road and how to bring Caspian energy resources to world markets./Turkiye/

ECEVIT: TALEBAN WOULD HAVE THREATENED TURKEY TOO

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said yesterday that " if we hadn't taken any precautions, the Taleban would have been a threat to Turkey as well." Speaking to British television network BBC, Ecevit argued that, if no precautions had been taken, the Taleban regime would have gone on to threaten the Central Asia and Caucasus regions and Turkey. Ecevit also stated that Turkish people support the operations in Afghanistan and that they are working on the type of government which would be established after the Taleban regime in Afghanistan. Any government to be formed should include all country's ethnic groups, he stated./Hurriyet/

CEM MEETS UN AFGHAN REPRESENTATIVE BRAHIMI

Turkey has conveyed A request to the United Nations to take part in the newly emerging political processes and platforms regarding Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem met yesterday with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative to Afghanistan Lahdar Brahimi in New York. They reportedly discussed proposals to establish trial administrative units in regions of the country which are under the control of Northern Alliance forces. /Cumhuriyet/

TURKEY SENDS AID TO 5,000 PEOPLE

Turkish Foreign Ministry Afghanistan Coordinator Aydemir Erman stated yesterday that aid has been sent to nearly 5,000 people in northern Afghanistan. Erman, who has been holding contacts in northern Afghanistan since Nov. 3, said 25 tons of wheat had been sent to nearly 5,000 people who had to leave their homes in the Hoca Bahauddin region, and that Turkey had helped in the construction of 1,200 houses. Erman added that Turkey's humanitarian aid was sent in cooperation with French aid institution Acded and that another aid program was planned for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as well. Erman further stated that a primary school would be constructed in the region with Turkey's aid. He added that as part of his contacts in the region, he had met with Afghanistan opposition Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and desert commander Gazi Kebir. /Turkiye/

POWELL THANKS TURKEY

In New York for this weekend's UN General Assembly meeting, US Secretary of State Colin Powell thanked his Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem, who sat next to him during an official luncheon, praising Turkey's recent statement as setting an example to the international community in terms of the struggle against terrorism. During the luncheon given by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in the honor of ministers attending the meeting, Powell sat at the "Afghanistan Table" and besides Cem, he also talked with Annan's Special Representative to Afghanistan Lahdar Brahimi, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Iganov, European Union Term President Belgium's Foreign Minister Louis Michel, Arabian Union Secretary-General Amr Musa, Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Settar and Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique. Powell added that the current operations in Afghanistan would continue in a more comprehensive manner. /Turkiye/

CLERIDES: "TURKEY SHOULDN'T USE THE WORD 'ANNEX'"

Greek Cypriot administration leader Glafkos Clerides said yesterday that Turkish politicians should cease using the word "annex" when speaking about Cyprus. In his address to the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York, Clerides remarked that Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas's refusal to resume proximity talks was a "Turkish-backed" decision. "The Turkish side doesn't support a proposal foreseeing a bi-zonal federation on the island," said Clerides. Arguing that Turkey was occupying Cyprus, Clerides said, "I believe that, in the future, Cyprus will be a federal state and EU member which guarantees human rights for all of its citizens. Turkish leaders should end their threat to annex the northern part of the island." /Cumhuriyet/

YILMAZ: EU SHOULD EXPLAIN TO GREEK CYPRIOTS THAT SOLUTION IS NEEDED FOR EU MEMBERSHIP

Motherland Party (ANAP) leader and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said yesterday that due to tensions over Cyprus, current relations with EU were very bad and that such a state could not continue. The EU is due to make a decision on EU membership for Greek Cypriots, and this decision could cause problems in Turkish-EU relations should the EU admit the government of the southern half of the divided island. Yilmaz said that the EU should explain to the Greek Cypriots that they wan't get EU membership before a solution to the Cyprus problem is reached./Sabah/

CAKMAKOGLU : "NO CONCESSION ON CYPRUS"

Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu gave a speech yesterday at the fifth Ordinary General Council of the Workers' Union at the TES-IS Conference Hall. Cakmakoglu said, "Cyprus will not be conceded by Turkey in order that we become a member of the European Union." He also remarked that success was being achieved in the struggle against corruption but that much more still needed to be done. Cakmakoglu added, "The government and its political mission will continue to transform our negative atmosphere into a positive one. This transition period will be concluded with a minimum of risk." /Turkiye/

TURKEY SCORES TWICE AT UN

Turkey has superheaded diplomatic breakthroughs in two fields during this weekend's United Nations General Assembly leaders' summit, which is taking place in New York and will be continuing through Nov. 16. Reportedly, Ankara is planning to bring together the European Union and Organization for the Islamic Conference (OIC) countries at the "Harmony of Civilizations Conference" to be held at the end of February or at the beginning of March. Sources emphasized that the meeting would gather Western countries and Islamic countries on the ministerial level and on institutional terms. Turkey's second important initiative is to sign a protocol of cooperation that will include Russia and Eurasia. The "Eurasia Cooperation Protocol" that was prepared concerning this issue has been brought to its final stage. If there are no last-minute problems, Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov will sign the protocol on Friday. /Turkiye/

RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT DELEGATION TO VISIT TURKEY

Russian Parliament Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Dimitry Olegovich and an delegation will soon conduct a three-day visit in Turkey, as official guests of Turkish Parliament Foreign Relations Commission Chairman Kamran Inan. The delegation will hold a meeting with members of the Foreign Commission and be received by Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi and state ministers Yilmaz Karakoyunlu, Sükrü Sina Gürel and Edip Safter Gaydali. They will also meet with Turkey-Russia Interparliamentary Friendship Group Chairman Bülent Akarcalı, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal and National Defence Commission Chairman Hasan Gülay. On the third day of their visit the Russian delegation will arrive in Istanbul to participate in a dinner with Turkish-Russia Business Council Chairman Turgut Gür./Turkish News/

LEADERS TO DISCUSS DOWNSIZING

Government coalition partners will meet today to discuss new austerity measures which are planned to be taken with the aim of downsizing the state. Leaders are expected to discuss proposals prepared by undersecretaries from the Finance Ministry, the Treasury and the State Planning Organization. /Milliyet/

OECD: "THE NUMBER OF CIVIL SERVANTS IN TURKEY IS AT A NORMAL LEVEL"

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the number of civil servants in Turkey is not high compared to other countries, bearing in mind the size its population. The recent debate over downsizing the state has centered on the number of civil servants employed by the state but has brought with it many differing evaluations. The Turkish Finance Ministry commented on the report saying, "The real problem in Turkey is not the number of civil servants but their distribution. They get sent predominantly to certain areas. This is a problem that requires urgent attention." The ministry also called for the implementation of a normal-staffing policy, which would regulate the numbers of staff at different locations. /All Papers/

TASAR GOES TO UK FOR TOURISM PRESENTATION

Tourism Minister Mustafa Tasar has flown to Great Britain to participate in the World Tourism Fair in London. Before his departure for London, he held a press conference at Istanbul's Atatürk Airport and spoke about his visit. He said that the fair one was one of the world's most important, and that Turkey had rented 462 square meters of stands. "Our aim is to swooth out weaknesses in the way Turkey markets itself. From this month on we will be starting a new presentation campaign for Turkish tourism. In the past such things used to start in January or February, but this year we are getting in early. We also want to increase Turkey's share of the market for British tourists."/Turkish News/

ATC DELEGATION PRESENTS REPORT TO TURKISH GOVERNMENT

American-Turkish Business Council (ATC) delegation yesterday presented a report to the Turkish government conveying its requests and complaints on the issues of commerce, defense, energy and agriculture. The delegation had just concluded a four-day visit to Turkey including meetings with high-level officials. The report covered significant issues such as the modernization of military tanks, new energy projects, and new commercial models. /Milliyet/

WORLD BANK: "TURKEY IS AN UPPER-MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRY"

The World Bank has raised Turkey's economic classification from middle to upper-middle income. Turkey had earlier been relegated to a middle-income country following its two massive earthquakes in 1999. According to the World Bank's report issued this weekend, restructuring of Turkey's economy and general positive expectations for the future of its economy have played a role in getting the country re-classified. /All Papers/

YOUNG EUROPEAN BUSINESSMEN HAD MEETING IN ISTANBUL

The 11th Annual Forum and General Assembly meeting of the European Young Businessmen's Association Federation (YES for Europe) will be held on Nov. 16-17 in Istanbul. The main theme of the "Yes Forum Istanbul," which is holding its first meeting in Turkey, has been determined as "Beyond the Horizons/ New Models for New Europe Business Environment." The meeting will begin with speeches by Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and YES for Europe Chairman Wolfgan Mainz. /Turkish Daily News/

ERGENC SPEAKS ON A400M PLANE

The Turkish Aviation and Space Industry Corporation (TAI) is preparing to mark an international success. TAI is among the first seven countries to produce the A400M, dubbed the "Transportation Plane of the Future". TAI Director General Kaya Ergenc said yesterday that he had established a joint venture in order to develop the A400M with European countries and that TAI was a partner in this global company with a 9% share. He added, "The final contract concerning the A400M will be signed on Nov. 16. This is a very important stage for Turkey. Turkey is participating in the design of such a successful project. In other words, Turkey is in the every stage of the implementation of this plane." /Turkiye/

AS CEM'S REMARKS CONTINUE TO REVERBERATE BY SEMIH IDIZ (TURKISH NEWS)

Editor Semih Idiz comments on Foreign Minister Ismail Cem's manner on the Cyprus issue. A summary of his column is as follows: "Foreign Minister Ismail Cem's recent remarks, in which he suggested that Turkey was on the brink of a major decision of Cyprus, and would take this even at a cost to itself, are continuing to reverberate, and in doing so are generating different theories as to why he uttered such a thing in the first place. The background to these words was of course the visit by the president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, to southern Cyprus, where he made it clear that Cyprus (meaning the Greek Cypriot administration) was first in line for EU membership in the Union's next stage of enlargement. The fact that Prodi did not bother to meet Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas while on the island appeared merely to enhance the EU's mood of defiance in this regard. The general feeling is that Cem's remarks, uttered during his presentation to the Parliamentary Planning and Budget Commission, reflected a counter defiance and carried a simple message: Namely that Turkey will not be cowed by the EU position and will take a step that will balance the fact that the Greek Cypriots have been admitted as a member to the EU ahead of Turkey, even if this has detrimental effects on Ankara's ties with the Union. The core of this message is believed to contain the notion that Turkey is preparing to annex Northern Cyprus, even if this means that it has to sever ties with the EU. It is natural, therefore, that Cem should have been strongly criticized by supporters of Turkey's eventual membership to the EU, who do not believe that paying the cost for Cyprus in terms of Ankara's EU ties is an appropriate way to progress. Neither do they believe that it is possible to consider this approach as a successful foreign policy administration, designed to bring the best benefit to Turkey and Turkish Cypriots. The feeling of those who hold this view is also that. Cem's remarks, some are calling them an 'outburst', have had the added negative effect of showing Turkey to be the bellicose side which is prepared to do things that are less than rational. Hard-line nationalist elements are of course more than pleased with Cem here, although the curious thing is that he has always been associated with a more liberal outlook, and say that this is the 'best language for those wily Europeans who need to be taught a good lesson about how determined the Turks can be on certain issues.' There is little need to go into and analyze this perspective because it is there for all to behold."