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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (October 27, 1995)
From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)
Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (October 27, 1995)
CONTENTS
[01] NEW ELECTORAL LAW
[02] SETTLEMENT IS REACHED OVER WAGE DISPUTE
[03] NSC RECOMMENDS SHORTER MANDATE FOR PROVIDE COMFORT
[04] COURT UPHOLDS DEP CONVICTIONS
[05] TURKEY AND HUNGARY SIGN FIRST MILITARY AGREEMENT
[06] TURKEY TO UNDERTAKE OIL EXPLORATION IN IRAQ
[07] KINKEL: "TURKEY IS A PART OF EUROPE"
[08] ANKARA AND MACEDONIA SIGN FRIENDSHIP AGREEMENT
[09] TURKEY EXPORTS 672,279 TONS BARLEY
[10] 65TH INTERPOL MEETING TO BE HELD IN TURKEY
[11] 11TH MEETING OF OIC COMCEC TO TAKE PLACE IN ISTANBUL
[12] SEMINAR ON "ATATURK THROUGH THE EYES OF FOREIGN HISTORIANS"
WITH THE COMPLIMENT OF
DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
OCTOBER 27, 1995
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press
this morning.
[01] NEW ELECTORAL LAW
A draft bill on changing the electoral law was accepted at the
General Assembly of Parliament yesterday. According to the
temporary clause of the law, the 20th term general elections
will be held on December 24 and the following will be held in
October, 2000.
According to the new law some of the changes are as follows:
the voting age is lowered to 18, number of seats in parliament
is increased to 550, and Turkish citizens living abroad will
vote at border gates. /Milliyet-Sabah-Hurriyet/
[02] SETTLEMENT IS REACHED OVER WAGE DISPUTE
The long running wage dispute was resolved yesterday when the
government and the Confederation of Turkish Labour Unions
(Turk-Is) reached an agreement. After a 15-minute negotiation
with Prime Minister Tansu Ciller, Turk-Is Chairman Bayram Meral
said an agreement was reached helped by the prime minister's
positive efforts. The latest round of collective bargaining
negotiations was held between Ciller and Labour Minister Ates
Amiklioglu and Turk-Is board members. The wage deal offers a
retroactive 16 % pay hike for both the first and second halves
of 1995. The workers will receive an 18 % pay raise for the
first six months and 20 % for the following six months in the
following year. In the agreement, all salaries will increase to
a minimum level of TL 12 million. The 1995 increase will cost
the government TL 65 trillion ($1.3 billion). The collective
bargaining contract includes 540,000 public sector workers.
/Hurriyet/
[03] NSC RECOMMENDS SHORTER MANDATE FOR PROVIDE COMFORT
The National Security Council (NSC) yesterday advised the
extension of the mandate of an allied strike force stationed in
Turkey to protect Iraqi Kurds but shortened the term from six
months to three. A statement was issued after the monthly
meeting of the council chaired by President Suleyman Demirel and
attended by Prime Minister Tansu Ciller, Chief of the General
Staff, Gen.Ismail Hakki Karadayi, council member ministers,
force commanders, NSC Secretary-General Gen.Ilhan Kilic,
Interior Minister Nahit Mentese on behalf of Defence Minister
Vefa Tanir, and Justice and Transport Ministers. The statement
said the Operation Provide Comfort should continue to be based
in Turkey for three months from 1 January, 1996. The decision
coincides with a visit by Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Saad
Abdel-Majid El-Faissal, who met Foreign Minister Coskun Kirca.
The NSC also recommended that the State of Emergency be extended
in 10 southeastern provinces. It agreed emergency rule should
be extended for four months from November 19. Parliament will
have the final say when it votes on both issues this month or
early next month. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] COURT UPHOLDS DEP CONVICTIONS
The Court of Appeals yesterday revised an initial conviction of
eight former Democracy Party (DEP) deputies, upholding the
prison sentences passed on four and ordering the retrial of the
other four. The court upheld judgements against Leyle Zana,
Orhan Dogan, Hatip Dicle and Selim Sadak, who were sentenced to
15-year prison terms by the State Security Court (DGM) last
December. These four former deputies will be released in 2005.
The DGM's sentences against Ahmet Turk and Sedat Yurttas were
upheld, but the court ordered their release since they have
served the required minimum of their sentences under Turkey's
liberal parole bill. The appeals ordered their retrial under
the Anti-Terrorism Law. The Court of Appeals also decided that
the fines of TL 70 million imposed on Sirri Sakik and Mahmut
Alinak, both also sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison,
were too lenient. Sakik and Alinak will be retried in the
coming days. The decision of the appeals court were announced
by judge Demirel Tavil. Former deputies Zana, Dogan, Dicle and
Sadak were originally charged under the Anti-Terrorism Law with
being members of an outlawed armed organization and following
their conviction applied to the appeals court.
/Cumhuriyet-Milliyet-Sabah/
[05] TURKEY AND HUNGARY SIGN FIRST MILITARY AGREEMENT
Turkey and Hungary signed an agreement yesterday on military
cooperation for the first time. The agreement was signed by
Turkish Defence Minister Vefa Tanir, who has been in Budapest
for an official visit, and Hungarian Defence Minister Gyorgy
Keleti. Tanir said at the signing ceremony that Turkey would
like to deepen the friendship between the two countries and
added that they would like to do this through military training
and mutual defence. Keleti said that Turkey and Hungary have
similar military installations and that it would be useful for
both countries to cooperate. Tanir said that Turkey, a NATO
member, supported Hungary's desire to participate in the NATO.
/Hurriyet/
[06] TURKEY TO UNDERTAKE OIL EXPLORATION IN IRAQ
While the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline between Turkey and Iraq
remains closed because of the UN embargo, Turco-Iraqi
discussions for cooperation on oil exploration in Iraq continue.
During the visit of Iraqi Foreign Minister Abdulmecit El Faysal
to Ankara, this issue was also taken in hand.
Iraq has invited companies from various countries to initiate
researches in the Western Desert Region, with oil reserves
supposedly comparable to those in Saudi Arabia. Within this
framework, the Turkish Petroleum Board is planning to establish
a bureau to assist research in the region. Nevertheless,
agreements with the Iraqi government for oil exploration would
go into force only after the UN embargo imposed against Iraq is
lifted. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] KINKEL: "TURKEY IS A PART OF EUROPE"
In discussions with Turkish journalists, German Foreign Minister
Klaus Kinkel said that Turkey was a part of Europe and noted
that he would do his best to ensure that the Customs Union
agreement is realized. On November 22, upon the invitation of
Kinkel, the foreign ministers of Germany, Britain, France,
Italy, Spain and Turkey will come together in Bonn to discuss
various regional problems such as human rights and the Kurdish
problem in Turkey. Commenting on Turco-German relations, Kinkel
touched upon the friendship and cooperation between the two
countries and said that Germany was Turkey's most important
economic partner. Kinkel also expressed his views ragarding the
PKK terrorist organization. He pointed out that brutal PKK
attacks in Germany have helped him realize the true nature of
the organization. Nevertheless, the PKK problem should be
solved by political means, Kinkel stressed. /Hurriyet/
[08] ANKARA AND MACEDONIA SIGN FRIENDSHIP AGREEMENT
A new step has been taken between Macedonia and Turkey.
Macedonia's capital city Skopje, and Turkey's Ankara have become
sister cities. The friendship agreement was signed by Ankara
Metropolitan Mayor Melih Gokcek and Skopje Mayor Jove
Kekonovski, who has been visiting Turkey as the guest of Gokcek.
Gokcek said at the signing ceremony of the agreement to increase
cooperation on cultural activities and education, that it would
be a beginning for other cooperative activities. /All papers/
[09] TURKEY EXPORTS 672,279 TONS BARLEY
Turkey exported 672,279 tons of barley in the January-July
period of this year for $46.08 million, according to a statement
by the Export Development Centre (IGEME). It said Turkey
imported 43,499 tons of barley, all from France, worth $6.1
million in the same period. /All papers/
[10] 65TH INTERPOL MEETING TO BE HELD IN TURKEY
The 65th meeting of Interpol, which investigates international
crimes, will be held in Antalya in October 1996, with police
chiefs of 176 countries participating. Officials say that the
meeting will be a very important opportunity to promote Turkey
and its tourism potential, demonstrating that Turkey is a safe
and secure country.
[11] 11TH MEETING OF OIC COMCEC TO TAKE PLACE IN ISTANBUL
Eleventh meeting of the Organization for Islamic Conference
(OIC) Commercial and Economic Cooperation Permanent Committee
(COMCEC) will take place in Istanbul between November 5 and 8.
The meeting will be headed by President Suleyman Demirel. 51
countries, including Bosnia, Macedonia, Uzbekistan and
Kazakhstan are invited to the meeting which will last for four
days. An election will be held to renew COMCEC bureau members
during the meeting. The attending countries will discuss
economic aid to several Islam countries.
[12] SEMINAR ON "ATATURK THROUGH THE EYES OF FOREIGN
HISTORIANS"
A seminar on "Ataturk through the eyes of foreign historians"
organised jointly by Vakifbank, ODTU, Inonu Foundation, UNESCO
National Commission and A.U.Communication Faculty started in
Ankara. Prof.Bernard Lewis, who could not attend the seminar,
sent a message outlining his views. Dr.Silvia Tellenbach from
the German Criminal Law Institution, former Argentinian
Ambassador Prof.Dr.Jeorge G.Blanco Villalta, chairman of the
French Scientific Research Institution Prof.Francois Georgen,
Dr.Yovan Donef from the Macedonian National History Institution
and Turkey's Ambassador to the Netherlands Zeki Celikkol
attended as speakers yesterday's session of the seminar.
/Hurriyet/
END
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