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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (April 8, 1996)From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>Turkish Press Review DirectoryCONTENTS[01] PRESIDENT DEMIREL TO BRIEF LEADERS ON OVERSEAS TRIPS[02] IMREN AYKUT TO TRAVEL TO BOSNIA[03] SIMITIS VISITING WASHINGTON[04] BOND SALES IN JAPAN[05] TURKEY, ARAB COUNTRIES TO LINK POWER GRIDS[06] AL-HAYAT: TURKEY FORMS BARRIER TO IRANIAN EXPANSIONISM[07] TURKEY GIVES $300,000 TO INDIANA UNIVERSITY[08] AUTOMOTIVE OUTPUT UP 14 % IN FIRST QUARTER[09] CANADA MINISTER TO LEAD TRADE MISSION TO TURKEY[10] FENER PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEOS MEETS YILMAZ[11] MILITARY ACCORD WITH ISRAEL CHILLS RELATIONS WITH IRAN AND ARABS[12] SCHOOL FOR THE TRAINING OF ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS PERSONNEL IN ROMANIA[13] SIX PKK MILITANTS KILLED[14] GERMANS WANT TO GET OCALAN[15] GERMAN POLICE USE TURKISH MADE WEAPONS[16] MORE IRANIAN COMPANIES IN TURKEYTURKISH PRESS REVIEWMONDAY APRIL 8, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] PRESIDENT DEMIREL TO BRIEF LEADERS ON OVERSEAS TRIPSPresident Suleyman Demirel will meet the leaders of some political parties on April 9 to inform them on his recent visits to Israel and the US, the Presidency press information centre said. Demirel will meet Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, True Path Party (DYP) Chairwoman Tansu Ciller, Welfare Party (RP) Chairman Necmettin Erbakan, Democratic Left Party (DSP) Chairman Bulent Ecevit and Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal separately on Wednesday.Meanwhile, President Demirel called Palestinian Head of State Yasser Arafat to brief him on the results of his US visit, the Anatolia news agency reported on Friday. Demirel gave Arafat details about his meetings with US leaders, especially concerning his discussions of the peace process in the Middle East. President Demirel reaffirmed Turkey's support for its Palestinian brothers. Arafat thanked the Turkish president for his call and said he hoped the good relations between the two countries would continue.
[02] IMREN AYKUT TO TRAVEL TO BOSNIAState Minister Imren Aykut will visit Bosnia to represent Turkey at the minister's meeting of the Islamic Conference Organization Contact Group, to be held on Aoril 9-10. Referring to the horrible four-year war which tore the former Yugoslavia apart, Imren said that the world community should now do its best to safeguard a lasting peace there. "Even if the country looks calm today, the pains of the war are still there". It is a humanitarian duty to provide the people of Bosnia with moral support, where tens of thousands of people have lost their lives and children are orphaned" Aykut stressed. Aykut repeated that it was shameful that the world had silently watched as Bosnia was torn apart by Serbian aggression.
[03] SIMITIS VISITING WASHINGTONGreek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is visiting Washington on the official invitation of US President Bill Clinton. During his meeting with President Clinton, the Greek Prime Minister is expected to submit a proposal for a one-year long moratorium in the Aegean. Simitis is also planning to discuss with Clinton Turco-Greek disputes, the Cyprus and the Macedonia questions and bilateral relations. /Sabah/
[04] BOND SALES IN JAPANState Minister Ufuk Soylemez said that an agreement had been made for the sale of five-year bonds worth $650 millon on the Japanese Samurai market. The minister noted that this was the biggest bond sale realized so far among the countries sharing the same risk group with Turkey, and evaluated this development as an indication of the credibility of Turkey on foreign markets. /Sabah/
[05] TURKEY, ARAB COUNTRIES TO LINK POWER GRIDSThe energy ministers of five Arab countries, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, approved on Wednesday a plan to link electricity networks with Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported. Meeting in Damascus, the five ministers who form the executive council of Arab energy ministers, said that they expected the agreement to be signed in June. They also called on the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development to help pay for the project. Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq agreed on a draft to establish a joint interconnection system in 1993. Work for the connection has already started in the five countries and it is planned to be completed in 2002. It is estimated that the Arab nations will save up to $2 billion a year when the system is complete.
[06] AL-HAYAT: TURKEY FORMS BARRIER TO IRANIAN EXPANSIONISMThe Al-Hayat newspaper, published in London with Saudi Arabian capital, said in an article on Thursday that Turkey formed a barrier to the expansionist plans of Iran, and claimed that the Turkish establishment had started to act against Islamist administration in the country. In a commentary, the newspaper said that Turkey was active in the struggle for balance in the Middle east, adding that Turkey had been attempting to become a part of European-American strategy. It said it was difficult to get a clear picture of the map of the Middle East because of the new alliances, citing the Turco-Israeli alliance as an example, the Anatolia news agency reported.
[07] TURKEY GIVES $300,000 TO INDIANA UNIVERSITYAs the latest in a series of Turkish Studies departments partially funded by the Turkish government in major American universities, the University of Indiana (UI) on Thursday received a matching seed-fund of $300,000 to establish an Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies Chair under the directorship of Professor Ilhan Basgoz, an expert in Turkish folklore. Dr.Henri Glassie, known for his authoritative work on Turkish traditional art, will teach Turkish art and architecture in the department. The university will match Ankara's initial contribution with another $300,00 of its own. The Turkish government has already helped to establish similar departments at Harvard, Chicago, Georgetown and Princeton universities.
[08] AUTOMOTIVE OUTPUT UP 14 % IN FIRST QUARTERTurkish automotive output increased 14 % to 71,812 units in the first quarter of 1996 from the same period of 1995, the Association of Turkish Automotive Industry said. In March alone, the sector's production rose 26 % to 26,780 units, with cars making up 69 % of the total. Car production rose four percent to 49,957 cars in the first quarter of 1996 from the same period a year ago. Bus production increased 236 % to 558 units and truck production rose 55 % to 4,775. Turkey's automotive output rose 20 % in 1995 to 319,502 units, including 233,414 passenger cars, up 10 % from 1994. Last year's imports comprised 34,930 motor vehicles, including 21,652 cars.
[09] CANADA MINISTER TO LEAD TRADE MISSION TO TURKEYInternational Trade Minister Art Eggleton will lead a trade mission to Turkey on April 10 and 11, his office announced on Thursday. He will support private sector bids for contracts in telecommunications, transportation, mining and energy. He will also sign a memorandum of understanding providing for high-level economic and commercial consultations.
[10] FENER PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEOS MEETS YILMAZPrime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said on Friday that he believed that Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos would help to solve some of the religious problems of the Turkish minority living in the Western Thrace region of Greece. Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomeos visited Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz to congratulate him on his taking office. Yilmaz voiced his pleasure over the patriarch's visit by thanking him for the visit, and said that the Patriarchate was a Turkish national institution.Bartholomeos said that he supported Yilmaz's proposal for peace and dialogue to Greece. In his statement to daily Milliyet, Bartholoemos said: "We do not engage in politics as a religious institution, however, we cannot overlook such a peaceful call". "I consider that Yilmaz is determined and sincere about a lasting remedy in Turco-Greek relations" he added. He pointed out that Yilmaz was awaiting a positive response from Greece. /Milliyet/
[11] MILITARY ACCORD WITH ISRAEL CHILLS RELATIONS WITH IRAN AND ARABSReports of a military cooperation and training accord between Turkey and Israel have led to a new chill in perennially sensitive relations between Turkey and Iran, and between Turkey and the Arab states. The deputy undersecretary for the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Ali Tuygan, is to travel to Iran this week for talks with his opposite number and other Iranian officials. A report in the English language Iranian daily Tehran Times referred to this military accord and said the "Zionist regime has come to Iran's door. Risalat, another Iranian daily, accused Turkey of being "a platform of conspiracies" while Cumhuri Islami claimed Turkey had become 'Israel's garden'. The daily Ahbar went further, claiming that Turkey's neighbours reserved the right to respond to these steps by Ankara, while Allame Seyid Muhammed Hussein Fazllulah, a leader of the Lebanon-based radical and pro-Iranian Shiite movement Hezbollah, alleged Turkey "had declared war on Islam". /Cumhuriyet/
[12] SCHOOL FOR THE TRAINING OF ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS PERSONNEL IN ROMANIATurks who are living in Romania will open a school to train Islamic religious personnel. In the school set up by the initiatives of the Turkish Religious Foundation, and expected to be inaugurated by President Suleyman Demirel on 18 April, there will be Theology and Pedagogics departments. In the "Mecidiye Kemal Ataturk Theology and Pedagogics High School" in Constanta, where Moslems are prevalent, there will be a Romanian-Turkish school with minority school status. In the school, where general culture lessons will be given by Romanian teachers according to programs in other high schools in Romania, Turkish and religion lessons will be given by teachers sent from Turkey. /Hurriyet/
[13] SIX PKK MILITANTS KILLEDSix PKK militants have been killed during operations in the rural areas of Siirt. Deputy Governor in Erzurum, Kasim Esen, pointed out that PKK members were preparing to leave their caves in the mountains and go down to the richer pastures, and called upon citizens to be alert. /Hurriyet/
[14] GERMANS WANT TO GET OCALANThe Germans have really got the bit between their teeth when it comes to PKK terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan: The German Federal Courts have sent a "Red Bulletin"- or international arrest warrent for Ocalan. The warrent and explanation of why Germany wants the terrorist leader arrested has been sent to 168 different countries.If the German authorities can get their hands on Ocalan it means that he would have to serve at least ten years in a German prison. Interpol police officials have already noted that Ocalan likely carries a Syrian ID card, and that he has a Syrian diplomatic passport. /Sabah/
[15] GERMAN POLICE USE TURKISH MADE WEAPONSWeapons produced in Turkey by the Machinery and Chemicals Industry Board (MKEK) are finding a bigger place in more foreign markets. German police are using the "MG 3" automatic rifle and "MP 5" automatic pistol.Turkish made weapons are being sold to other police and security forces in Britain, France, Belgium and other European countries. Last year Denmark, Norway, Syria, Italy, Pakistan and Jordan were among the customers lining up for Turkish weapons and ammunition. Total sales last year touched the 17 million dollar level. Based on the figures for the first quarter of this year, MKEK representatives said that sales this year could reach twenty million dollars. /Milliyet/
[16] MORE IRANIAN COMPANIES IN TURKEYThe number of Iranian business companies operating in Turkey is increasing according to the latest reports. Marketing, air and road transport, trading and tourism companies are proliferating. With the latest increases, there are now 226 Iranian companies operating in mainly in Istanbul and Ankara. /Hurriyet/
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