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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (March 26, 1996)From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>Turkish Press Review DirectoryCONTENTS[01] GREECE BRUSHES OFF TURKISH OFFER OF DIALOGUE[02] ALIYEV INVITES YILMAZ[03] GREECE FEARS "TURKISH THREAT"[04] TERRORIST TIE-UP IN THE SOUTHEAST[05] RUSSIA STILL HOLDING TURKISH JOURNALISTS[06] HILLARY CLINTON IN TURKEY[07] TALKS ON PROVIDE COMFORT CONTINUE[08] TURKISH WAR PLANE CRASHES NEAR AFYON[09] ECEVIT IN ISRAEL[10] OYMEN IN MOSCOW[11] TURKISH NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR UNICEF URGES AID FOR CHILDREN[12] GLOBALIZATION AND URBANIZATION MEETING IN MARMARIS[13] TURKEY ATTRACTS AMERICAN TOURISTSTURKISH PRESS REVIEW TUESDAY MARCH 26, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] GREECE BRUSHES OFF TURKISH OFFER OF DIALOGUEPrime Minister Mesut Yilmaz yesterday failed in his gambit to upgrade Turkey's ties with the EU through a peace offensive in the Aegean, with Greece insisting on keeping its veto on financial assistance to Turkey. Frustrating Turkey's hopes for an immediate reward, EU term president Italy announced late Monday night that the Turkey-EU Association Council was postponed because Greece would not lift its veto. The announcement was made by Susanne Agnelli, Foreign Minister of Italy, who said that the meeting, originally scheduled for this morning, would take place at a more suitable time. Referring to Yilmaz's weekend offer of dialogue, Agnelli said that the Turkish position had been a constructive one and she hoped it would be a positive base for the improvement of relations between Turkey and Greece. US State Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns also welcomed Yilmaz's dialogue call. Burns said: "Prime Minister Yilmaz's call pleased us very much. The peace call is very positive and constructive. Turkey and Greece should be at peace with each other. We want the two sides to solve their problems in a way which will satisfy both of them". Yilmaz gave a message also for the solution of the Cyprus problem and said: "We believe that better relations and removal of the tension between Turkey and Greece will also contribute to the solution of the Cyprus problem". Prime Minister Yilmaz received Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Hakki Atun, who came to Turkey for the Fourth Turkish Speaking States Assembly. Pointing out that the Cyprus problem could be solved through the approval of the two communities, Yilmaz said that measures would be taken not to influence Turkish Cypriots by Turkey's customs union implementation. Meanwhile, President Suleyman Demirel will go to Washington tomorrow. At a meeting between Demirel and US President Bill Clinton on 29 March, bilateral and international issues will be taken up. Some of the issues to be discussed are: Terror, Northern Iraq and Provide Comfort, Bosnia and the Balkans, NATO's expansion, new developments regarding Russia and the new republics, the Nagorno-Karabakh problem and the air-corridor issue with Armenia. /Hurriyet/
[02] ALIYEV INVITES YILMAZPrime Minister Mesut Yilmaz had a telephone conversation with Azeri President Haydar Aliyev yesterday. Yilmaz later stated that Aliyev had furnished information regarding the Armenian-Azeri negotiations and that he had sent his special representative. Noting that Aliyev had invited Yilmaz to Azerbaijan prior to the Clinton-Yeltsin summit on 18 April, Yilmaz said: "We will talk about how we can contribute to the Armenian-Azeri reconciliation. We will take up every issue including Caspian oil". Meanwhile, two special representatives of the Azeri and Armenian presidents, Vefa Gulizade and Jirard Libaridyan will come together again today in London. Gulizade came to Ankara before the meeting and met with Yilmaz and conveyed Aliyev's message. /Hurriyet/
[03] GREECE FEARS "TURKISH THREAT"Despite the call for dialogue between Greece and Turkey from coalition Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, Greece is still shouting the odds about the so called "Turkish threat" as seen from the Greek standpoint. During yesterday's celebrations of a Greek national holiday, leading Greek officials referred again and again to the threat from neighbour Turkey. Greek President Kostis Stefanopulos and Prime Minister Kostas Simitis both made reference to the the strength of the Greek military and the determination of the Greek public to resist the threat as perceived by the Greeks. Greek newspapers claim that the offer from Yilmaz was nothing more than yet another example of Turkish provocation. Greek newspapers appear to be determined to fan the flames of distrust and unrest among the Greek public. /Milliyet/
[04] TERRORIST TIE-UP IN THE SOUTHEASTAccording to a report in the German weekly magazine Focus, there is a connection between the recent PKK violence in Germany and the Red Army Faction (RAF). Both terrorist groups are known for their violence. Focus magazine claims that there is a probable connection with the RAF in the southeastern regions of Turkey where the PKK is also very active. Thirty-one year old German Andrea Wolf, who is being sought in connection with recent PKK bomb attacks in Germany, is also known to have spent a lot of time with Kurdish groups. The magazine also suggests that there is a PKK connection with other extremist groups, and even with some German parliamentarians. There are claims by the German intelligence services that the PKK is using secret studios to prepare material for broadcast by the pro-Kurdish MED TV channel that sends out satellite programs from London. /Hurriyet/
[05] RUSSIA STILL HOLDING TURKISH JOURNALISTSThe Association of Turkish Journalists is still pressing the Russian authorities for the release of two Turkish journalists who could face months of legal procrastination in Russia, after trying to file stories on the situation in Chechenya. The Association has applied to the Foreign Ministry to continue to exert pressure for the release of the journalists. Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay has already sent off a letter to the Russian government on the issue. /Hurriyet/
[06] HILLARY CLINTON IN TURKEYUS first lady Hillary Clinton meets with leaders and a group of Turkish women today in a tight schedule that starts with a visit to the Ataturk's Mausoleum. The US first lady, who is accompanied by her 16-year-old daughter Chelsea, arrives in Turkey on a three-day trip where she will visit Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. Her meeting with Tansu Ciller, Chairwoman of the True Path Party (DYP), is to take place in Instanbul. "She will emphasize the significant role of secular/civic society in Turkey through discussions with Turkish women about health, family and economic issues" said a White House news release last week. Her first day in Ankara starts with a visit to the Mausoleum, followed by a luncheon given by President Suleyman Demirel and his wife Nazmiye Demirel. She will then meet with a group of Turkish women in the US ambassador's residence in a "roundtable discussion" that will take two hours. She will also attend a reception given by Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and his wife Berna Yilmaz in their residence. /All papers/
[07] TALKS ON PROVIDE COMFORT CONTINUEThe Turkish Foreign Ministry declared that the talks on revising the mandate of Operation Provide Comfort, a Turkey-based multilateral force to protect Iraqi Kurds from Baghdad's wrath, were continuing. Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said that the debate on technical arrangements required "time and effort" and denied that there was a deadline. The term of the force runs out on March 31. The Turkish Parliament is expected to vote on whether or not to extend it next Thursday although the date is not yet set. /All papers/
[08] TURKISH WAR PLANE CRASHES NEAR AFYONA Turkish Air Force (TuAF) F-4E Phantom plane crashed yesterday near the western Anatolian province of Afyon while carrying out its planned training flight. The pilots' condition is reported to be good. According to a press release from the office of the general staff, the two pilots of the Turkish plane, 1st Lt.Ercan Evren and Lt.Ahmet Karasu ejected safely, but Lt.Karasu, who was injured slightly during the ejection, was rushed to hospital for treatment. An inquiry to determine the reason for the crash was launched immediately by TuAF teams. /All papers/
[09] ECEVIT IN ISRAELDemocratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit has suggested a number of steps for ensuring a stable peace, development and democratization in the Middle East. He told the International Press Institute (IPI) congress in Jerusalem that all countries in the region, including Iran, Syria and Iraq, must be urged to cooperate against terrorism. Ecevit will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in Jerusalem and with Palestinian Head of State Yasser Arafat in Gaza before returning home on Wednesday. /All papers/
[10] OYMEN IN MOSCOWTurkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Onur Oymen met with Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov in Moscow yesterday. Relations between the two countries were taken up at the meeting. Issues such as the Straits, the Chechen war, PKK initiatives in Moscow and the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) agreement were also discussed. /Milliyet-Cumhuriyet/
[11] TURKISH NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR UNICEF URGES AID FOR CHILDRENThe Turkish National Committee for UNICEF has called for action to help children in poverty-stricken countries like Sierra Leone. The committee appealed to people who are sensitive to issues of children's survival, health, education, development and rights in a press release on Friday. The situation in Sierra Leone, one of the poorest countries in the world, with, paradoxically, an immense potential wealth in natural resources, has continued to deteriorate. /All papers/
[12] GLOBALIZATION AND URBANIZATION MEETING IN MARMARISThe UN Development Program is organizing the fourth and last round table meeting of the century, where the issues of globalization and urbanization issues will be discussed. The meeting will be held in the Mediterranean city of Marmaris between April 19-21. A new discussion platform will be introduced at the meeting, where local administrators and residents will be able to discuss their problems. The output of the conference will be presented to the Habitat II conference, due to be held in Istanbul in June. The first round table meeting was held in 1990, the second in 1992 and the third in 1995. /All papers/
[13] TURKEY ATTRACTS AMERICAN TOURISTSIt has been reported that over 300,000 American tourists are expected to visit Turkey this year. Turkish tourism officials in the US have attended almost 30 fairs and they have said that Turkey has increasingly attracted American tourists, and expect that the number of tourists coming to Turkey rom the US could reach 300,000, compared to 290,000 in 1995. According to tourism officials, American tourists who in the past visited Turkey for her historical and cultural richness, now plan to set-off for Turkey to benefit from nature, religious and adventure tourism. Turkey's tourism counsellor in Washington, Mustafa Siyahhan, said that they expected a 6-10 % rise in the Turkey has initiated a promotion campaign in the US, targeting well educated American tourists over 35 years old and with a minimum income of 60,000 dollars. /Hurriyet/
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