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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (September 29, 1995)
From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)
Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (September 29, 1995)
CONTENTS
[01] TURKEY SLAMS US SENATE DECISION ON FOREIGN AID
[02] BOSNIA ASKS SUPPORT FROM TURKEY IN PEACE TALKS
[03] NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES N.IRAQ
[04] STRONG ELECTION WINDS BLOWING
[05] US CALLS PKK VIOLENT TERRORISTS
[06] CYPRUS AGREEMENT BEFORE EU MEMBERSHIP
[07] ANKARA HAPPY ABOUT ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN DEAL
[08] EU DEBATE ON GOVERNMENT CRISIS
[09] SOARES PROMISES FULL SUPPORT
[10] SAUDI COMMITTEE VISITS ITO
[11] KOHL: TURKEY'S STABILITY IS TO OUR BENEFIT
[12] FOREIGN CURRENCY RESERVES SOAR AGAIN
[13] TRADING AT TURKISH FREE ZONES CLIMBS 51 %
[14] PKK KILL 12 CIVILIANS IN NORTHERN IRAQ
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 1995
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
[01] TURKEY SLAMS US SENATE DECISION ON FOREIGN AID
Turkey expressed its uneasiness over a US Senate decision
which imposes conditions on Turkey regarding the use of US
foreign aid. "This is a very unfortunate development while
the two countries' bilateral relations are rapidly improving
in all aspects and in a period when the US and Turkey have
common strategic interests" Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman
Nurettin Nurkan said. Nurkan warned that the attitude of the
US on foreign aid credits would hurt the Turkish people who had
national pride. "Some Congress members, who are acting according
to some lobbies with short-term political concerns, are also
harming US national interests" Nurkan added. He said it had been
expected that the foreign aid draft would be reviewed by the
Conference Committee on Thursday. "We hope that the members of
this committee will act with responsibility and prevent these
amendments from negatively impacting our bilateral relations"
he concluded. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] BOSNIA ASKS SUPPORT FROM TURKEY IN PEACE TALKS
Bosnia-Herzegovina asked support from Turkey while a new
regional map is being drawn up. Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu met
with his Bosnian and Croatian counterparts, Muhammed Sacirbey
and Mate Granic, yesterday morning in New York. Sacirbey said
that Bosnia-Herzegovina needs Turkey's influence on its side
during the peace talks. He also asked Inonu for Turkey's
help in moving Bosnian refugees from Bihac to the township
of Velika Kladusa. The ministers indicated that the next
stage in the process would be to establish a cease-fire and to
redraw territorial boundaries. Bosnia and Croatia also
proposed that Turkey participates in an extended Western
Contact Group. The group was originally formed by the US,
Britain, France, Germany and the Russian Federation.
The foreign ministers also agreed to meet again in
Istanbul late October or early November. Meanwhile, in
his speech to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Inonu
disclosed that Turkey was ready to take part in the
multinational peacekeeping force which is to be deployed
in Bosnia. /Hurriyet/
[03] NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES N.IRAQ
The National Security Council (MGK), Turkey's highest advisory
body, discussed yesterday several domestic and foreign issues
related to the country's security, and particularly the
situation in northern Iraq. An MGK statement released after
the four-hour meeting, chaired by President Suleyman Demirel,
said foreign and domestic developments affecting Turkey's
security were reviewed. Prime Minister-designate Tansu Ciller,
Chief of the General Staff Gen.Ismail Hakki Karadayi, Deputy
Premier Hikmet Cetin, some ministers, commanders of the forces
and other top civilian and military officials attended
Thursday's MGK meeting.
[04] STRONG ELECTION WINDS BLOWING
In another surprise move Prime Minister-designate Tansu Ciller
spoke on the phone yesterday with Chairman of the Supreme
Election Board, Nihat Yavuz. The main point of the conversation
was that Ciller told Yavuz that he should get things ready for
a December election.
Preparations for a general election can be completed within
sixty days, but now the parties have to come up with the cash.
Yavuz has already told Ciller that she will have to cough up 2.8
trillion TL.
The prospect of a December vote has again thrown the political
scene into confusion. Most parties were getting ready for Ciller
to set up a minority government after the DYP-ANAP coalition
debacle. Now the field is wide open, with a whole new target to
reach-3.5 million new young voters. /Hurriyet/
[05] US CALLS PKK VIOLENT TERRORISTS
A top US official, Philip Wilcox said yesterday that the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was nothing more than a violent
terrorist organization. Wilcox also noted that it was a shame
that many people had confused a fight for human rights with
terrorism.
US State Department's coordinator for counter-terrorism,
Wilcox added that the US was concerned about PKK terrorism,
because to some extent the lives of some US citizens were being
jeopardized. Wilcox said that he was convinced that the PKK was
to be severely condemned for its violent acts of terrorism.
/Hurriyet/
[06] CYPRUS AGREEMENT BEFORE EU MEMBERSHIP
President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC),
Rauf Denktas said in a newspaper interview that there could be
no membership deal with the European Union (EU), before
agreement was reached on the island itself. Cyprus is split
between the Turkish and Greek communities on the island, and
until the breach is healed, there could be no talk of further
developments with the EU-something that the Greek side has been
pressing for, commented Denktas.
TRNC President Denktas noted too that integration with the EU
was nonsense while the island was still divided over basic
issues that included the form of government best suited to
conditions on the island. He also accused the the Greek side of
trying to sabotage ties between the TRNC and mainland Turkey.
/Cumhuriyet/
[07] ANKARA HAPPY ABOUT ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN DEAL
Ankara said yesterday that the new agreement signed between
Israel and Palestine was a step towards a new peace and
stability in the region. Government representatives said that
the government was happy about the development, brought to
reality during a ceremony in Washington. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] EU DEBATE ON GOVERNMENT CRISIS
This coming monday, EU foreign ministers will gather to discuss
the government crisis in Turkey. The ministers will ponder ways
to help Turkey out of the current situation, and seek ways of
persuading the European Parliament to vote in favour of customs
union with Turkey.
If everything works out for the best, full customs union between
Turkey and the EU should become a reality on January 1 next
year. /Hurriyet/
[09] SOARES PROMISES FULL SUPPORT
Portuguese President Mario Soares reassured Ankara that he would
do his best to ensure Turkish entry into the customs union.
"I will try to point out the advantages of Turkey's membership
in the customs union for both Turkey and the EU" he told an
audience at a conference "EU: Problems and Perspectives" at
Bilkent University. In his speech, Soares said that Turkey had
to take some steps and give some guarantees, so that those who
support Turkey would have some ground to stand on. Soares
left Ankara yesterday. /Cumhuriyet/
[10] SAUDI COMMITTEE VISITS ITO
Seyh Abdurrahman Al-Jeraisy has called on Turkish businessmen
to take up their share of the trade between Turkey and Saudi
Arabia. Al-Jeraisy, chairman of the Saudi Arabian Chamber of
Commerce's Council took up the issue while visiting the Istanbul
Chamber of Commerce (ITO). He stressed that the meetings which
he has been holding include how to improve bilateral relations,
and what kinds of products might find favour on both sides.
ITO Board Chairman Atalay Sahinoglu said that for the most part
relations between the two countries were warm, so it was all the
more striking that the trade balance between the two was so low.
[11] KOHL: TURKEY'S STABILITY IS TO OUR BENEFIT
German Chancellor Helmut Kohl expressed his hope yesterday
that internal political developments and especially steps
toward the improvement of human rights in Turkey would develop
in such a way as to facilitate the customs union. Kohl was
speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe. "There are very many Turks living in Germany" Kohl
said. "Turkey's problems concerning its southeastern region
affect us as well. Every step toward stability in the country
will be to our benefit too".
[12] FOREIGN CURRENCY RESERVES SOAR AGAIN
Turkey's foreign currency reserves resumed an upward trend
between September 15 and 22, despite the Central Bank's
(CB) bold moves to erode these reserves prior to that week,
official figures disclosed yesterday. The CB said that foreign
currency reserves jumped by $392 million to $15.561 billion
on September 22, the highest ever reserve figure. The CB
announced on Sepptember 26 that it had temporarily stopped
all foreign currency purchases because of excess reserves.
[13] TRADING AT TURKISH FREE ZONES CLIMBS 51 %
Trading at Turkey's six free zones jumped 51 % to $1.748 billion
in the first eight months of the current year, the Foreign Trade
Undersecretariat said yesterday. The office said the Mersin free
zone on the east Mediterranean coast was top market in terms of
trade volume. Total free zone exports to Turkey soared by 33 %
to $584.6 million in the first eight months. Turkey's exports
to free zones in the same period rose by a slower 15 % to
$312.9 million. Free zone exports to Turkey since 1988 totalled
$2.222 billion, and imports from Turkey were %1.396 billion.
There are a total of 806 firms operating at Turkey's six free
zones in Mersin, Antalya, Izmir, Istanbul Airport, Istanbul
(leather) and Trabzon. Of those, 648 are Turkish and 158 are
foreign firms.
[14] PKK KILL 12 CIVILIANS IN NORTHERN IRAQ
Voice of the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) has
claimed that four terrorists have been killed, and sixteen
captured in northern Iraq.
The same sources reported that yesterday terrorists attacked
the Etrus camp near Zaho killing 14 civilians and kidnapping
40 others.
Five terrorists were killed by security forces in a fight near
Hanako, Igdir. Seven more terrorists preparing for training in
a terrorist camp were captured in Istanbul. In another incident
in Kahramanmaras last night, terrorists attacked the Adatepe Dam
site and fled after setting fire to machinery. /Sabah/
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