TRKNWS-L Turkish Daily News (March 8, 1996)

From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>

Turkish News Directory

CONTENTS

TURKISH DAILY NEWS / 8 March 1996

[01] Yilmaz presents reform program

TDN Parliament Bureau ANKARA- Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz on Thursday indicated a crash program of rapid privatization and structural reforms for the just-set-up coalition government between his Motherpath Party (ANAP) and True Path Party (DYP) of Tansu Ciller.

Presenting the program of the coalition, popularly dubbed "Motherpath," Yilmaz revealed plans to privatize the state banks and state economic enterprises (SEEs).

After the overnight approval of his 33-person Cabinet by President Suleyman Demirel, Yilmaz on Thursday took over the premiership from DYP leader Tansu Ciller who stepped down as the leader of a right-left partnership with social democrats that lasted over four years.

Under the terms of the protocol for the new coalition that broke the extended political deadlock following the inconclusive Dec. 24 election, Yilmaz will head the center-right partnership until the end of the year. Ciller will then take her turn at premiership for the next two years, handing the post back to Yilmaz in 1999. In the fifth and final year, a deputy from the DYP is to take the partnership into new elections which the sides will enter in continuing alliance.

The partnership set up between ANAP and the DYP has barred the way to power for the Islamists who, for the first time in secular Turkey, emerged winners in the December poll although they fell short of capturing a majority.

Although the Motherpath coalition is 15 short of the absolute majority in the 550-seat legislature, Bulent Ecevit's Democratic Left Party (DSP) has pledged to support it by blocking no-confidence votes.

Beside the contemplated economic measures, the program pledged structural reform in the country and a policy upholding national interests in its external relations. In that respect, it said the Operation Provide Comfort, under which a Western air force based in Turkey provides the Iraqi Kurds, would be reassessed.

The Parliament will debate the government program on Sunday and take the confidence vote on the partnership next Tuesday.

The coalition commands 260 seats in the legislature, while DSP which has pledged its indirect support has 75.

Necmettin Erbakan's 158-strong Islamist Welfare Party (RP) and the former government partner Republican People's Party (CHP) with 49 seats have indicated they would vote against the government.

Despite the clinched partnership and at least temporary guarantees for its survival, there was no joy at the DYP camp when Ciller spoke to an almost empty chamber when she sought support from her party's lawmakers for the government program.

In contrast Yilmaz addressed his own deputies in an atmosphere of joy and jubilation.

Taking over the post from Ciller, Yilmaz said the preservation of the domestic peace and keeping the democracy functioning would be the government's main priorities. He said the government had to succeed for the sake of the country, and for that, he said the harmonious cooperation between the two parties was essential.

Pledging full support, Ciller said "this coalition will function like a single-party government."

[02] Turkey and Iraq hope to put ties back on track

By Yusuf Kanli and Nazlan Ertan

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- In advance of final discussions between the United Nations and Iraq, Turkey and its southeastern neighbor agreed on cooperation on a range of issues from opening the Yumurtalik-Kirkuk pipeline to joint energy projects.

In Turkey amid domestic efforts to form a new government, Iraqi Oil Minister Amir Mohammed Rasheed formulated two memoranda of understanding between Turkey and Iraq.

"The first one is on the pipeline," he said in an exclusive interview with the Turkish Daily News. He was referring to the Yumurtalik-Kirkuk twin pipeline, which is the main outlet of Iraqi oil to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. The pipeline has been closed since 1990, but, under the U.N. resolutions, if Iraq is to have limited oil sales, the major portion of the oil should be transported through this 990-kilometer (615-mile) pipeline.

Having travelled to Turkey through northern Iraq, Rasheed maintained that the pipeline, both the part in Turkish territory and the section in northern Iraq, "appeared to be in good shape." "Of course everything will be clearer once the pipeline is operating, but we do not anticipate major difficulties," he said.

He said that the security of the pipeline, particularly in the Kurdish-populated north, was not a problem.

The memorandum of understanding also marks the conditions of this transport and the transit fees, which Turkey agreed to keep at pre-closure level.

"This is only part of an overall agreement. Basically, we stressed that the old agreement on transit is still valid," Rasheed said.

He also maintained that the Turkish market would be considered foremost for the supply of food for the Iraqi people.

Having made the memorandum with Turkey on the assumption that the United Nations and Iraq would strike a long-awaited deal, Rasheed sounded optimistic on the prospects of a mutually agreed formula.

"You cannot go to an agreement if you do not think that there is a good chance that the sides will agree," he said.

He maintained that both sides had come far and if there were any difficulties at this stage, those would be removed at the political level.

Nonetheless, he refrained from saying that Iraq would accept U.N. resolution 986 as it stands. "But what is important is not the technicalities, but the essence," he said.

The United Nations, on the other hand, wants Iraq to pronounce its acceptance of the resolution.

He recalled that the latest round of talks had started after an exchange of letters between U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and First Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz.

"There are modalities and procedures to be followed," he said.

The Iraqi minister, an engineer by profession, said that the problem on distribution of food was largely settled, as Iraq intended to use the "food rationing system" for all its population.

"The United Nations also realizes by now that this is a just system, where everyone will have exactly the same ratio, from the president to the man in the street," he said.

The second memorandum of understanding includes various energy projects between the two countries, first and foremost on natural gas.

"You want to diversify your suppliers of natural gas," Rasheed said. "We can provide you one-and-a-half times as much as you receive from Russia." However, according to Turkish officials this plan does not seem very viable, at least in the long run.

But Ankara also made clear that it wanted to improve relations with Iraq and hopes to see Iraq back in the international community.

Rasheed who had been the last official guest of outgoing Foreign Minister Deniz Baykal, said that the two neighboring countries had to cooperate with "real, sound and deep-rooted projects." But he also expressed complaints about Operation Provide Comfort, a multilateral force to maintain the no-fly zone in the north of the 36th parallel.

"The people of the north are our people. We would have no problems if there was no foreign intervention," he said.

He also proposed tripartite talks between Turkey, Iraq and Syria at the ministerial level to settle the dispute on the allocation of Euphrates' waters.

"The way for neighbors to solve their problems is through dialogue among themselves," he said, saying that the framework of Arab League a Syrian-pushed proposal was not necessary.

[03] Turkey, Iraq to sign trade pact ahead of UN talks

ANKARA- Turkey and Iraq will sign a memorandum of understanding that could open a new era of trade, provided Baghdad agrees to a U.N. plan on limited oil-for-food sales, a Turkish energy official said on Thursday.

"The memorandum will be signed either today in the afternoon or tomorrow morning," said the official, who asked not to be named. "It covers various aspects of trade including the pipeline, Turkish oil purchases from and food sales to Iraq," he told Reuters. He would not give further details.

The accord will be signed by visiting Iraqi Oil Minister Amir Mohammad Rasheed and new Turkish Energy Minister Husnu Dogan, appointed by Turkey's new conservative coalition Cabinet approved by President Suleyman Demirel on Wednesday night. Dogan is replacing Sinasi Altiner, who represented Turkey this week in the official talks with an Iraqi delegation led by Rasheed.

The accord, whose details are to be hammered out if Iraq agrees to U.N. terms in the second round of oil-for-food talks beginning on March 11, envisages cooperation in trade in oil, food and medical supplies. Rasheed arrived in Turkey on Monday to hold talks on the status of a shut 986-km pipeline from Iraq's Kirkuk oilfields to Ceyhan on Turkey's southern coast. He will leave on Friday.

The twin pipeline exported 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of Iraqi crude or one-third of total Iraqi oil exports to Western markets before Turkey closed it to abide by U.N. sanctions on Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Turkey and Iraq said during the talks that the pipeline, which has a capacity of 70.9 million tons a year, would be technically ready for reopening after flushing. Officials from Botas, Turkey's state pipeline operator, said a special process known as "smart pigging" would be carried out during the flushing to detect any internal damage in the pipeline for remaining unused for nearly six years.

The process could cost Botas about $1 million and take three weeks to three months, depending on the state of trapped oil.

They said the oil inside, about 12 million barrels, might have been degraded by sitting in the pipeline since its closure in 1990. "It can be used to produce asphalt," said one Botas official.

About 7.5 million barrels of the oil is in the Turkish section of the pipeline and the rest on the Iraqi side. Turkey will earn $50 million from transit fees in the six months of the U.N. plan. Rasheed said the pipeline had a capacity of 1.1 million bpd. Iraq can export about 700,000 bpd, or 16 million tons, if it agrees to the U.N. oil-for-food scheme, which envisages Iraqi sales of oil worth $2 billion over six months to buy food and medicine.

The U.N. resolution 986 would also require monitoring the food distribution, the shipping of most oil through the trans-Turkey pipeline and the provision of about $300 million in food to Kurdish northern areas every six months.

[04] Ankara lukewarm towards US human rights report

ANKARA- Turkey, which has traditionally accused U.S. State Department reports of bias, allowed Tuesday that the 1995 report had been "penned with a more balanced attitude than the previous one." A written statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Thursday said that the report reflected the democratization process and human rights steps taken by Turkey.

"The report stressed the importance Turkey placed on human rights while fighting terrorism," the statement said.

Ankara also appeared pleased that the report called the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) a terrorist group and said that the PKK's attitude conflicted with the international rule that no rights could be acquired through violence.

The report also explained that the PKK's violent attacks against security forces, civilians and those who do not support the organization have continued in 1995, the Turkish statement said.

Ankara also welcomed the report's declaration that there was religious freedom and freedom of travel in Turkey.

On the minus side, however, the Turks said that most of the news on human rights violations were based on "reports by some nongovernmental organizations." "It repetitively uses the information spread by the Human Rights Foundation ... and the Human Rights Association. It is known that these organizations receive financial aid from abroad and they spread misleading information in line with their goals," the statement said.

It noted that the administrators of the organizations had demonstrated their bias by "running for office in the 1995 elections, failing to condemn PKK terrorism and offering political solutions" to the Southeast problem.

The information taken from those organizations is not credible, the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry statement also stressed that Turkey did not discriminate against any group. "Neither do we have racism as is the case in many European countries," the statement said.

"Turkey acts with the full responsibility of a lawful state while battling terrorism," it said.

[05] Turkey to be represented at the Office of Human Rights in Bosnia

ANKARA- Professor Rona Aybay has been selected to represent Turkey at the Office of Human Rights which will be established in Bosnia-Herzegovina under the terms of Dayton agreement.

After a close vote in the European Council, Professor Aybay was chosen as one of the fourteen judges in the organization.

The Office of Human Rights will help to support peace in the region, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Under the terms of the Dayton agreement, the Bosnian Serbs will appoint two judges to the group and the Bosnian-Croat Federation will appoint four. The other eight judges, chosen by the European Council from countries outside the war-torn region, have reportedly been approved by both sides.