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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (January 2, 1996)From: "Demetrios E. Paneras" <dep@bu.edu>Turkish News DirectoryCONTENTS[01] TURKEY DECREES NEW LEGISLATION TO MATCH EU CUSTOMS PACT[02] DEMIREL: "DON'T WORRY ABOUT 1996"[03] BAYKAL AND CILLER AGREE ON SOME POINTS[04] TENTATIVE MOVES TOWARDS REFAH-ANAP COALITION[05] FOREIGN PRESS SEES ERBAKAN AS 'DIFFERENT'[06] TURKISH RESTAURANT BOMBED IN SOFIA[07] FIS LEADER HADDAM: "WE HAVE AN AGENDA SIMILAR TO RP"[08] TURCO-SYRIAN RELATIONS GET TENSE OVER WATER[09] KARS-TBILISI RAILWAY OPENING IN APRIL[10] NEW BLOW AGAINST PKK[11] TURKS IN GERMANY LEAVE BEHIND A BUSY YEARTURKISH PRESS REVIEWTUESDAY JANUARY 2, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] TURKEY DECREES NEW LEGISLATION TO MATCH EU CUSTOMS PACTTurkey enacted on the last day of 1995 new legislation to harmonize foreign trade rules with those of the 15 nations of the EU as part of a historic customs alliance which took effect on 1 January, 1996. A Cabinet decree published in the Official Gazette at the weekend formally harmonized foreign trade policies. The decree said Turkey had adopted the EU's common external trade policy. The new customs tariffs and duties, equivalent with those of the EU, became effective yesterday.The new import regime, a document of 828 pages lowers the average customs protection against industrial imports from third countries from 10.97 % to 5.8 %. Turkey has promised to have fully aligned itself after five years with the EU's policy on trade pereferences. Another decree, published subsequently, removed all customs taxes and tariffs imposed on imports of industrial goods from the EU and the European Free Trade Area (EFTA). These average 14 %, but peak in certain sectors at between 20 and 40 %. Ankara also revised its foreign trade rules concerning the agriculture sector in line with its commitments to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). To complete the customs union agreement, Turkey has undertaken to abide by the EU's textile policy in its entirety. It has promised to maintain customs tariffs on cars with engines larger than 3 litres above those prevailing in the EU's Common Customs Tariff. It has also agreed to cooperate in devising a statistical monitoring system for imports of Japanese cars, and where necessary, those produced in Turkey. Turkey has also promised to bring its copyright laws and patents into line with rules in the EU, and specifically to accelerate implementation of the Uruguay Round rules on patents for pharmaceutical processes and products to January 1, 1999 down from the years 2000 and 2005 respectively. Ankara has agreed to align its laws fully with EU legislation and to set up an independent enforcement agency. Similarly, Turkey has agreed to open negotiations on free trade in products coming under the auspices of the European Coal and Steel Community. /Sabah-Milliyet/
[02] DEMIREL: "DON'T WORRY ABOUT 1996"President Suleyman Demirel received a group of journalists on New Year's Eve. After wishing the assembled journalists a prosperous 1996, Demirel offered some comments on political developments. "It is not the first time that a government is being formed in Turkey" he said, adding: "Up to now, many governments have been formed in Turkey. There is no crisis. Don't get agitated".Demirel said the new parliament would hold its first meeting on 8 or 9 January during which it will elect a new speaker. After the swearing-in ceremony for the new deputies, he said, the process of forming a new government will start. Reminding his guests that none of the parties had won an outright majority on their own in the December 24 elections, Demirel said that the Constitutional regulation was to nominate the leader of the party capable of forming a government most likely to pass a vote of confidence, -not simply the leader of the party with the most seats in Parliament. Demirel concluded his remarks by saying: "The normal procedures will work. Everybody should be sure that it will be democratic, in accordance with Constitutional principles". /Hurriyet/
[03] BAYKAL AND CILLER AGREE ON SOME POINTSChairman of the CHP party Deniz Baykal and DYP leader Tansu Ciller, agree at least on some major points of future policy should the two parties achieve a coalition government.Now that the new year celebrations are over, the parties are once again moving into action, seeking a solution to the current political crisis. Baykal and Ciller say that they agree on points involving the immunity of parliamentarians, bringing inflation down, government reforms, new revisions in the legal and educational systems, steps towards further democratization and full partnership with the European Union (EU). Although the two party leaders agree on these seven basic principles, Baykal said over the weekend that the question of who would be the next prime minister was best left open for the time being. /Sabah/
[04] TENTATIVE MOVES TOWARDS REFAH-ANAP COALITIONLow level initiatives towards setting up a Refah Party- Motherland Party coalition have set the cat among the pigeons as far as other party leaders are concerned. The centre right DYP Party led by Tansu Ciller is especially concerned about these new developments, and party spokesmen have again confirmed that the DYP wants to be top party in the next government.DYP leader Ciller remains outspokenly against any kind of coalition involving the pro-Islam Refah Party however, and said yesterday that coalition with the Refah would be a betrayal of Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] FOREIGN PRESS SEES ERBAKAN AS 'DIFFERENT'The influential New York Times says that Refah Party leader Necmettin Erbakan "is a different kind of political leader" -and that his form of Islamic fundamentalism is quite the opposite of the aggressive stance of the Islamic fundamentalists in some African countries and the Middle East.Foreign press reports comment on the peaceful approach to regional issues that the Refah Party purports to follow. The report by Stephen Kinzer in the New York Times notes however, that Refah wants to free Turkey from its ties to the west. His report also mentions that the military in Turkey "is opposed to all forms of fanaticism and radicalism" -quoting General Ismail Karadayi. Both the New York Times and the Arabic El Wasat magazine also quote Erbakan as saying that if his party does come to power, one of the things they will do is lift the border between Turkey and Syria. Although the Reuter news agency also ran the news, there have been some denials from the Refah Party. Spokesmen say that "something has been lost in the translation." /Cumhuriyet-Milliyet/
[06] TURKISH RESTAURANT BOMBED IN SOFIASecurity officials in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia have reported that the Turkish "Istanbul Rastaurant" was bombed late Saturday night by persons unknown.Damage was extensive and a Russian waitress was badly injured. Officials are continuing with investigations. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] FIS LEADER HADDAM: "WE HAVE AN AGENDA SIMILAR TO RP"The Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), barred from power by the military in Algeria, welcomes the recent election victory of the Welfare Party (RP) in Turkey. But, in contrast to the RP leadership's hostility to the West, the FIS thinks a democratically-elected Islamist government in Turkey should integrate with Europe as an "envoy" for the world's Muslims. Talking to the Turkish Daily News (TDN) in an exclusive interview, Anwar N.Haddam, president of the FIS Parliamentary Delegation Abroad, also had less faith in the immediate applicability of such plans, promoted by RP leader Necmettin Erbakan, as a common Islamic market, an Islamic rival to NATO or a joint Islamic currency. He likewise took an oblique view of the Turkish Islamists' belief that political sovereignty belongs to God, siding with the secularist counter-proposition that it belongs to the people. But he supported the Islamists' claim to be more "secular" than the secularists, in that they are against any interference with the people's will. One problem barring the way to early Islamic unity was the rarity of democratically-elected governments in the Muslim world, Haddam pointed out, saying the RP's election success was important in that respect. /Hurriyet/
[08] TURCO-SYRIAN RELATIONS GET TENSE OVER WATERThe tensions between Turkey and Syria over the water question was carried into the new year as Foreign Minister Deniz Baykal accused Syria of wanting to wash the blood on their hands with more water. Baykal, in a press conference which aimed at summing up the foreign policy issues of 1995, urged Syria to adopt a new attitude in its relations with Turkey. "There has never been any problem between Turkey and Syria regarding the water question" said Baykal. "Turkey has always solved the problem by providing extra water for Syria". A demarche was issued to Syria on Sunday which said that earlier Syrian claims of pollution of the Euphrates' water flowing down-stream to Syria were unfounded."The Turkish projects aim at a steady and regular flow of the Euphrates, which will benefit Syria" a statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. Ankara also reaffirmed its readiness to discuss a three-stage plan which would aim to allocate and determine the use of the Euphrates waters among neighbouring countries. The ministry statement also urged Syria to come to the table to discuss the plan which Turkey first proposed in 1984. /All papers/
[09] KARS-TBILISI RAILWAY OPENING IN APRILSpeaking at a press conference in Tbilisi, Akaki Ckheidze, director of the Georgian Railways' Administration, said that a railway which will connect Turkey and Georgia will be opened in April. The railway will connect Kars and Tbilisi, and Turkey is financing its construction, which will cost $300 million. /All papers/
[10] NEW BLOW AGAINST PKKThe Bavarian Municipality Assembly in Germany has closed down Kurdish cultural associations in the province on the grounds that in November, 1995 they undertook activities supporting the PKK terrorist organization. "It is clear that the PKK is using these associations as a cover for its outlawed activities. Within this framework, our decision can be evaluated as a success in the struggle against the PKK, and as a guarantee for the security of the peace-loving Kurdish people living here," Bavarian Interior Minister Dr.G.Beckstein noted. According to Dr.Beckstein, the associations represented a danger to German domestic security. Everybody should be made aware of the fact that the PKK organization is making use of various "harmless" associations to operate among the Kurdish people, Beckstein further stressed. /Sabah/
[11] TURKS IN GERMANY LEAVE BEHIND A BUSY YEARTurks living in Germany have left behind a year marked by a number of nice as well as bitter events. In 1995, a judgement regarding the Solingen case was rendered, and the four German racists found guilty of the deaths of five Turks were imprisoned. Mevlude Genc, who lost five members of her family in the Solingen tragedy, was chosen "Woman of the year" by the TV programme "Tagesthemen", broadcast by the most popular German TV channel ARD.With the appointment of Onur Oymen, former Bonn Ambassador, as Foreign Ministry Undersecretary, Ambassador Volkan Vural was accredited to the Turkish Embassy in Bonn. Right after his appointment, Ambassador Vural held a press conference and criticized biased broadcasts and publications directed against Turkey and the Turks. Last year, Turks established their first political party in Germany, the German Democratic Party. Prof.Dr. Onur Gunturkun was presented the 1995 Incentives Award of the Alfried Krupp Foundation. The foundation extended DM 850,000 to finance Prof.Dr. Gunturkun's research into brain functions. Cemalettin Kaplan, who declared himself Caliph, or God's representative on earth, died in 1995. During the first half of the year, the outlawed PKK terrorist organization attacked many Turkish establishments and work places in Germany, causing heavy material damage. In a fire in Schopfheim, four people, all members of the Gercek family, lost their lives. /Cumhuriyet/ |
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