Summaries in English
ITMF's Centenary Conference was held in Switzerland
Mr. Halit Narin, the Chairman of our Association, elected as the Vice President of ITMF
Established in Switzerland in 1904, the International Textile Manufacturers Federation's (ITMF) Centenary Conference and celebration ceremony were held in Lucerne, Switzerland between September 26 and 28, 2004. Our Association participated in the Conference with a delegation under the leadership of Mr. Halit Narin, the Chairman of the Board of our Association.
The main theme of the Conference was "Looking back to the future". The situation of the international textile fibers market, developments in the textile industry, expectations of the modern consumers, and challenges and opportunities faced by the world textile industry were interpreted and discussed with a global point of view.
The Managing Committee of the federation elected
the new Honarary officers for the new 2-year working period during the meeting held on September 28, 2004. Mr. Tito Burgi from Italy was elected as the President, while Mr. Walter Si-meoini from the Republic of South Africa and Mr. Halit Narin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of our Association, from Turkey were elected as the Vice-Presi-dent of ITMF.
Mr. Halit Narin invited the committee of management of ITMF to hold ITMF's 2005 Annual Conference in Turkey and the Managing Committee accepted the invitation with pleasure. Consequently, Turkey will host ITMF's Annual Conference in 2005 for the second time. The first one was held in Istanbul 20 years ago, in 1985.
In the Committee of Management of ITMF, in addition to Mr. Halit Narin, Mr. Er-tekin Ashaboglu and Mr. Herve Giraud who are delegates of our Association, Mr.Necmettin Oztemir has been nominated as the fourth member to represent our Association.
Besides, Mr. Ertekin Ashaboglu who is a member of the Board of our Association has been elected to the membership of ITMF Spinners' Committee.
Narin: We want support that will equalize the conditions of competition
 Mr. Halit Narin, the Chairman of our Association, stated that the government should encourage the industrialists to make investments.
Pointing out to the fact that imports from the Far Eastern countries negatively affect mostly the textile industry, Mr. Narin noted that uncontrolled imports prevented investments.
Stating that the inward processing regime exhausted the Turkish textile industry, Mr. Narin further said, 'The government renders decisions that the certificates of the goods imported under the inward processing regime are a right and that such certificates should be used. However, 90 percent of the certificates get lost in Turkey and consequently it
exhausts our textile and apparel industry. That fact discourages us from employing new workers and making new investments."
"I mean, at least, it should be inspected to determine whether the companies importing under the inward processing regime make profit, pay taxes. If we want to save the textile industry, then the reference price application must be applied and inspections must be made."
Requesting the Minister of Finance Ke-mal Unakitan to inspect the taxes imposed on imports, Mr. Narin said, "Please ask yourself how much tax you collect in return for US$ 40-50 billion.of imports. Importers must make a commitment for the income tax. Impose taxes on imports, and inspect the importers through that way. Inspect them, so that the people of this country acquire the
habit of paying taxes and that we develop."
With reference to Chinese threat, Mr. Narin said, "China may not be a democratic country; because, China has a land that is much larger than Europe, with over 1.5 billion people living in it. We cannot understand what China does. On the other hand, the world cannot understand what the Turkish Republic does; because while the USA and Europe restrict their imports and take measures against China, we open our doors wide."
'We do not want a bureaucracy that does not respect the opinions of its nation in the first place. We need a bureaucracy that protects its nation in this international fight" Mr. Narin concluded.
Turkey takes the first curve on the way to the EU;
now is the time for negotiations:
Second stage will be harder 
It is not a dream for Turkey to enter the European Union anymore. The fluctuating relations between Turkey and the EU have finally settled down. Having started with the Ankara Treaty signed in 1964, Turkey's European Union adventure has gained a different dimension as a result of the Progress Report announced on October 6.
Council of Europe has finalized its decision and given "green light" to Turkey. The report has been
finally published after witnessing the hardest negotiations in the history of the Commission.
Following the publication of the Progress Report, December 2004 seems to be a moment of fate for Turkey. Either Turkey's EU dream will come to an end or it will be postponed to a later date.
Hoping to start accession negotiations with the EU in 2005, Turkey will now be faced with economic criteria and issues of harmonization of her legislation. It is predicted that the hardest negotiations that will focus on total of 31 issues will take place with regard to the issues of agriculture, environment, justice, internal affairs, free movement of persons, finance, and budget. It is discussed that, at this stage, Turkey would be faced with three critical points, i.e. effects of Turkey's accession to the budget of the EU, the problem of weighted voting power, and the free movement.
Japanese textile culture's legacy living in Turkey
Saori works wonders!
Saori, the Japanese art of weaving practiced in over 1500 training centers in 40 different countries, has completed its first year in Turkey. Also used as a method of rehabilitation for the disabled, many kinds of products made of natural yarn are woven in Saori workshops.
Notion of equal and accessible life for everyone is the common denominator of all non-governmental organizations. However, this notion has a deeper meaning for the Accessible Life Association (UYD). Founded by a group of volunteers in Duzce by the end of 2000, the association
adopted the name "Accessible Life Association" with the participation of disabled people from the target group in field operations.
With head offices located in Duzce, the Association has a rehabilitation center again in Duzce, an office and a rehabilitation center in Istanbul, and another office in Tunceli. The Association carries out its activities in coordination with the Vocational Training and Rehabilitation Center for the Disabled in Istanbul.
The most striking one of these activities is the Saori. UYD has recently opened a workshop, where the disabled people can practice the
Japanese art of weaving called Saori, at the center of the Vocational Training and Rehabilitation Center for the Disabled located in Atakoy. The special Saori fabrics that can be used for making all kinds of garments and accessories are manufactured in the workshops. The Saori fabrics are woven by disabled people, who have no social security, and whose levels of income and education are low, in the center in Atakoy.
Saori is defined as "reflection of creativity and imagination inside on the fabric with an artistic manner, without any rules and restrictions".
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