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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (October 10, 1995)
From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)
Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (October 10, 1995)
CONTENTS
[01] AZERI OIL CONSORTIUM SETTLES EXPORT ROUTE DISPUTE
[02] ESTONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S CONTACTS IN ANKARA
[03] TURKEY URGES AMSTERDAM TO CURB PKK ACTIVITY ON NETHERLANDS SOIL
[04] ANKARA SAYS OPERATION INTO N.IRAQ WAS 'LIMITED'
[05] ECO COUNTRIES GATHER FOR COOPERATION IN HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
[06] GAP -ONE OF WORLD'S GREATEST PROJECTS
[07] TURKISH POLICEMEN IN BIHAC
[08] GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME IN THE TGNA
[09] ANKARA ACCUSES GREECE
[10] STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER TANSU CILLER
WITH THE COMPLIMENT OF
DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
OCTOBER 10, 1995
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish
press this morning
[01] AZERI OIL CONSORTIUM SETTLES EXPORT ROUTE DISPUTE
An international consortium decided yesterday to use two
pipelines to export Azerbaijan's offshore oil to the West.
"The consortium decided that there will be two routes (for
exporting early Azeri oil) --through Russia and Georgia" Ilham
Aliyev, Vice-President of the Azeri State Oil Company SOCAR,
told reporters. Aliyev, son of Azeri President Haydar Aliyev,
said the oil from three Capsian Sea oilbeds would be pumped
through both countries simultaneously. Prime Minister Tansu
Ciller described the decision as a step toward a historic
development. "The decision (by Azerbaijan and the consortium)
is an indication of imminent trade possibilities in our region
which can be expressed in terms of billions of dollars" she
told reporters in Ankara. "The way for the Baku-Ceyhan
pipeline has been opened; this pipeline will carry not only
the Azeri oil but also the Kazakh petrol in the future".
Ciller said: "I would like to express my gratitude to
Presidents Bill Clinton, Haydar Aliyev and Eduard Shevardnadze
for their support for the Turkish thesis". Consortium
officials said that exactly how the early Azeri oil would be
shared between the two pipelines -one from Baku to the Russian
Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and the other from the Azeri
capital to Georgia's Soupsa port on the Black Sea- would be
decided at a later date. They said agreements would be signed
with Russia and Georgia in November to finalize the early oil
deal. "Adoption of the Georgian route means the establishment
of the first system to pump the region's oil to the Western
markets without depending on Russian pipelines" Turkish
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel told reporters in
Ankara. /Milliyet-Hurriyet-Sabah/
[02] ESTONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S CONTACTS IN ANKARA
Turkey and Estonia yesterday discussed the security risks in
their regions posed by Russia's push for changes in the
Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, which would allow
Russia to deploy more conventional weapons on its flanks. "A
modification of the map of the CFE is going on; but we are
looking for a solution that would not change the level of
conventional arms near our borders" Estonian Foreign Minister
Riivo Sinijarv told a news conference after meeting his
Turkish counterpart, Coskun Kirca. Thanking Turkey for its
support in principle for future NATO membership of Estonia,
Sinijarv said: "Whatever steps are taken on NATO's
enlargement or regarding the CFE, it should be absolutely
clear that there should be no 'grey zones', zones of different
security levels in Europe". Both Kirca and Sinijarv said that
the positions of their countries were very close to each other
in general and even coincided on some points. "We have very
good relations with Estonia" Kirca said. "Our ties are
unclouded" Sinijarv added. The two countries signed
agreements yesterday pledging cooperation on tourism and land
transport. Sinijarv also was received by President Suleyman
Demirel yesterday.
[03] TURKEY URGES AMSTERDAM TO CURB PKK ACTIVITY ON
NETHERLANDS SOIL
Turkey has urged the Netherlands to extend its cooperation in
the prevention of terrorist activity and drug trafficking by
the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Dev-Sol, an
ultra- left urban terrorist group. Turkish Interior Minister
Nahit Mentese, who met with his Dutch counterpart, Hans
F.Dijkstaal, yesterday, said that Turkey wanted the
finalization of a Security Cooperation Agreement between the
two countries. The accord was presented to Amsterdam by
Ankara in 1993. "It is impossible for nations to fight alone
against organized crimes such as terrorism and against its
financial source, drug trafficking" Mentese told Dijkstaal.
"The need for international cooperation against such crimes is
very clear" he said. Mentese cited the PKK, Dev-Sol and
various ultra-rightist groups as the centres of organized
crime. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] ANKARA SAYS OPERATION INTO N.IRAQ WAS 'LIMITED'
Ankara said yesterday that the weekend cross-border operation
into northern Iraq was over. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer
Akbel confirmed that an incursion into northern Iraq had
indeed taken place. "The operation to prevent a group of
terrorists from infiltrating into Turkish territory to stage
attacks against Turkish targets was very limited in scope. As
far as I know, it is now over" Akbel said. Akbel denied that
any civilians had been killed, wounded or suffered material
damage during the operation. /Hurriyet/
[05] ECO COUNTRIES GATHER FOR COOPERATION IN HEALTH AND
ENVIRONMENT
The second meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization's
(ECO) Committee for Cooperation in Environment and Health
began in Ankara yesterday. At the opening ceremony, Health
Minister Dogan Baran said that the ECO had been created by
Iran, Pakistan and Turkey in 1985 and has 10 members today,
including Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan,
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Baran added that a
country cannot develop without a healthy society. The meeting
will finish today and a final report on cooperation in
environment and health will be prepared.
[06] GAP -ONE OF WORLD'S GREATEST PROJECTS
The Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) is one of the greatest
agricultural and energy projects in the world. The Conference
on Global Super Projects organized every year by the World
Development Council will include GAP on the agenda of the
conference next year, and will provide detailed information
about the project. /Milliyet/
[07] TURKISH POLICEMEN IN BIHAC
Turkish and Croatian policemen will assist the 20,000 Bosnian
refugees, who have taken shelter in Croatia, to return to
their homes in Bosnia. Upon a request by the Bosnian
government, Turkey will send 50 or 100 Turkish policemen to
Bihac to ensure order and security for the return of the
refugees. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME IN THE TGNA
The Consultative Committee of the Turkish Grand National
Assembly (TGNA) has established the schedule of the new
government's programme. Today the programme will be read at
the General Council of the Grand National Assembly. According
to the Constitution, two days after the presentation of the
programme to the Assembly, it will be opened to debates on 13
October. A day after the debates on the programme, a vote of
confidence will be held in Parliament on 15 October. /Sabah/
[09] ANKARA ACCUSES GREECE
The Turkish Foreign Ministry pointed out that Greece's
attempts to pass a special law in education is against the
Lausanne Treaty. In a written statetement of the ministry it
was said that Greece aimed to integrate minorities with the
Greek nation. /Cumhuriyet/
[10] STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER TANSU CILLER
9.X.1995
NEWS NOTE
THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT DAY FOR TURKEY. THE DECISION BY THE AIOC
AND THE AZERI GOVERMENT IN FAVOR OF TWO PIPELINES TO THE
NORTH
AND TO THE WEST TO EXPORT AZERI EARLY OIL WILL ALLOW TURKEY
TO
PLAY A PROMINENT ROLE IN TRANSPORTING CASPIAN SEA OIL AND IN
LINKING THIS IMPORTANT REGION TO THE WEST. NEXT YEAR WE HOPE
FOR
THE ADOPTION OF THE MAIN EXPORT PIPELINE ACROSS TURKEY TO
CEYHAN.
THIS WILL PROVIDE A VERY IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TO TURKEY'S
ECONOMY.
WE ARE GRATEFUL TO PRESIDENT ALIYEV FOR HIS APPROVAL, TO
PRESIDENT SHEVARDNAZE FOR JOINING US IN THIS PROJECT, AND TO
OUR
PARTNERS IN THE AIOC FOR THEIR CONFIDENCE. PRESIDENT CLINTON
AND
THE U.S GOVERNMENT HAVE PROVIDED SUSTAINED AND FORCEFUL
SUPPORT
FOR WHICH I AM DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE.
THE TURKISH TEAM LED BY PIPELINE COORDINATOR EMRE GVNENSAY
HAS
WORKED TIRELESSLY AND SKILLFULLY. I AM GRATEFUL TO THEM
AND THE
MANY OTHERS WHO HELPED OUR EFFORT, FIRST AND FOREMOST TO
PRESIDENT DEMIREL.
THIS DECISION IS AN IMPORTANT BEGINNING, WE LOOK FORWARD TO
WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR NEIGHBOURS, OUR AIOC PARTNERS,
AND
RUSSIA IN A COOPERATIVE REGIONAL EFFORT THAT CAN HELP BRING
PEACE, STABILITY AND PROSPERITY TO ALL THE PARTICIPATING
NATIONS.
END
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