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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (February 9, 1996)From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>Turkish Press Review DirectoryCONTENTS[01] EU WORKING FOR PEACE IN THE AEGEAN[02] GREECE-SYRIA-PKK TRIANGLE[03] NO AGREEMENT BETWEEN CILLER AND YILMAZ AFTER LAST MEETING[04] BOSNIA SUMMIT IN ANKARA[05] TURKEY BARGAINS ON FIVE GUARANTEES FOR FINANCING AZERI-GEORGIAN ROUTE[06] SECURITY OPERATIONS IN SOUTHEAST[07] ISTANBUL BOURSE PLANS INTERNATIONAL MARKETTURKISH PRESS REVIEWTHURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] EU WORKING FOR PEACE IN THE AEGEANMilliyet - The European Union (EU) said it was working to reduce tensions in the Aegean, where last week Turkey and Greece came near an armed conflict. EU stressed that Grece and Turkey should preserve their friendly neighborly relations and urged them to find lasting solutions to the problems at the judicial level. European Commission officials expressed their support for Greece, an EU member-country. This news made the Greek press rejoice. Greek newspapers declared that finally "Europe gave Greece a breather" and that "Europe was in solidarity with Greece". Political observers evaluated this step of the Commission as a move to calm down the Greek government, complaining over the fact that EU did not support it during the crisis. Nevertheless, the European Council, having the final word in EU decision making, remains silent on the issue.
[02] GREECE-SYRIA-PKK TRIANGLECumhuriyet - According to some military sources, the recent water crisis brought to the agenda by Syria and increased tension in the Aegean, caused by Greece sending soldiers and flying its flag on the Kardak rocks, are not merely coincidence, but a part of the Greek strategy for encircling Turkey with problems. The same sources noticed the statement of a PKK terrorist during a press conference last week in Athens, that in case of a war between Turkey and Greece, the PKK organization would initiate attacks against Turkey from Iran, Iraq and Syria. Evaluating the factors that led to the military crisis between Turkey and Greece last week, the role of close Greek relations with Syria and the PKK separatist organization should not be underestimated, the same military sources said.
[03] NO AGREEMENT BETWEEN CILLER AND YILMAZ AFTER LAST MEETINGMilliyet - Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz yesterday declared a final end to his quest for a partnership with the True Path Party(DYP) after caretaker Prime Minister Tansu Ciller turned down all seven models he proposed for a government alliance. The key meeting collapsed over the refusal of the leaders to back down from their stances about the leadership of the centre-right coalition quested by the establishment to bar the way to powerfor ascendant Islamists after the inconclusive election last December. After the refusal of his written proposals, Yilmaz madeclear that he considered himself free to enter coalition talks with the Welfare Party (RP), saying nobody can blame him now for that. Today, Yilmaz will meet with RP leader Necmettin Erbakan to discuss conditions for a coalition government.
[04] BOSNIA SUMMIT IN ANKARAHurriyet - Cumhuriyet - Bosnian special representative James Pardaw and former Foreign Minister Muhammed Sakirbey came to Ankara yesterday and discussed with Turkish officials about Turkey's contributions regarding the establishment of the Bosnian army. At the meeting, issues such as training, finance and transportation were taken up. Sakirbey noted that Turkey, a NATO ally, would play an important role to bring the Bosnian army up to the NATO standards. After meetingwith Foreign Minister Deniz Baykal and Turkish and US military officials, Sakirbey returned to his country.Meanwhile, the US stated that Iran would not be invited to the meeting which will be hosted by Turkey and held for the establishment of an army by the Bosnian Federation consisting of Croatians and Bosnians. A US official said in a statement yesterday to Turkish reporters that before the establishment of an army for the federation, Muslim fighters and Iranian powers should be absolutely eradicated. Ankara will organize an international conference in Turkey which will bring volunteer countries and institutions together for the contribution to the Bosnian army.
[05] TURKEY BARGAINS ON FIVE GUARANTEES FOR FINANCING AZERI-GEORGIAN ROUTECumhuriyet - Turkey, which has diverted the route of Azeri early oil by promising to finance the Azeri-Georgian route, urges five guarantees before the finalization of an agreement by the end of this month between Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and the Azeri oil consortium. A working group which is made up of the four is working on a mutually satisfactory wording for the agreement which will be signed on February 27. The four will meet on February 22 to put the finishing touches to the accord that is scheduled to be signed.Turkey insists that there are five basic guarantees that must be satisfied for the Turkish financing of a $250 million project for a pipeline that would carry Azeri early oil to Supsa, a temporarily-installed port of the Black Sea coast of Georgia. The issues are as follows: *As a matter of domestic legislation, the project which includes building part of the pipeline from scratch and reforming part of an already existing one through Azerbajian, must either be carried out by a Turkish company or a consortium dominated by Turkish companies. *The Turkish move for the financing of the project is a means to the end of building a pipeline that would carry Caspian oil to the Mediterranean via a pipeline that would go through Turkey and end at Ceyhan port. Therefore, there should be explicit reference to that aim in the accord. *The pipeline, which is planned for transporting early oil, should not have a capacity of more than 6 million tons of oil. *It should be made clear in the agreement that Turkey will get the oil from the pipeline -which will be the return for the financing provided by Turkey. *Consequently, what is technically known as "through-put guarantee", namely an assurance that there would be a steady flow of oil in the pipeline for at least eight years, must be given to Turkey.
[06] SECURITY OPERATIONS IN SOUTHEASTCumhuriyet - Security operations continued yesterday in southeastern Turkey. Officials of the Diyarbakir-based emergency rule region in the Southeast said that three militants of the PKK terrorist organization were captured in the southeastern provinces of Elazig and Mardin, two militants surrendered with their arms in Mermer township of Diyarbakir and 58 were arrested after their capture in several provinces of the emergency rule region. Meanwhile, three militants of the Hizbullah terrorist organization were killed, one injured and five caught in Pirinclik township of Diyarbakir, and ten automatic rifles were confiscated. Officials said that operations in the region were continuing.
[07] ISTANBUL BOURSE PLANS INTERNATIONAL MARKETTPR - The Istanbul bourse plans to open an international market by end-year that would list companies from countries around Turkey, its vice chairman Abdullah Akyuz said. "We expect companies of countries in the region to be listed and traded here, including the Middle East, the former Soviet countries" Akyuz told a world bourse forum. "We hope to open before the end of this year" he said. The automated dollar-trade market would be tax-free andbased on dollar-denominated depository receipts. "We want firms to benefit from the Istanbul Stock Exchange's infrastructure and we want this to be a meeting place for companies and investors" Akyuz said. Also in the pipeline for the Istanbul bourse is a derivatives market mainly for financial instruments, he said.
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