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Turkish Press Review, 96-08-28Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWWEDNESDAY AUGUST 28, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] BOSNIAN PRIME MINISTER IN ANKARABosnia-Herzegovinian Prime Minister Hasan Muratovic arrived in Turkey yesterday for a working visit. It is expected that Muratovic, who will meet Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan and Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller, will ask for economic aid for his country's reconstruction. Turkey will extend $20 million of the $80 million worth of aid to Bosnia by the end of this year. /Cumhuriyet-Sabah-Milliyet/[02] POST EMERGENCY RULE LEGISLATION BECOMES APPARENTThe legal amendments necessary for the removal of the emergency rule have become definite. A government package calling for changes in some laws such as those governing anti-terrorism, administration of provinces and firearms has been sent to Parliament. The amendments will reportedly be carried out in accordance with the decision of the National Security Council dated October 26, 1995, regarding the measures which will be deemed necessary in the event of narrowing of the emergency rule or its removal in stages.Some of the proposed changes are as follows: *The provinces where the paid village guard system will be applied will be determined by the government. *Village guards who will return the weapons in their possession to competent local authorities within 45 days will not be subject to any action. *Village guards against whom lawsuits have been filed or who have been convicted of having arms in possession without permission will be pardoned. *Armed forces may be tasked in internal operations in such provinces. *A competent local authority assigned by the governors will be present at civilian airports, seaports and border gates. *Governors may ask for help from military units to intervene in security incidents in their respective regions. *The Interior Ministry may appoint a coordinator governor in the incidents which may cover more than one province. *Provided that they obtain permission from the government for crossborder hot pursuit, governors may organize operations. /Milliyet-Cumhuriyet/ [03] NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL MEETINGYesterday, Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan relayed information to the members of the National Security Council (MGK) on his recent 10-day tour to five countries.The MGK meeting was held at Cankaya Palace under the chairmanship of President Suleyman Demirel. Chief of the General Staff, Com. Ismail Hakki Karadayi, commanders-in-chief of armed forces, General-Secretary of the MGK and the Undersecretary of the National Intelligence Service attended the meeting. At the meeting, it was decided to continue the struggle against every source that constitude a threat to the territorial integrity and unity of the Turkish Republic. PKK terrorism, Cyprus events, Greece and recent development in prisons were some of the topics on the agenda of the meeting. /Sabah/ [04] PARLIAMENT HOLDS EMERGENCY SESSIONFollowing a joint application by the Welfare Party (RP)-True Path Party (DYP) coalition government, Parliament held an emergency session yesterday to debate a draft law putting an end to 2 % deductions from wages under a compulsory savings scheme. Labour and Social Security Minister Necati Celik stressed that the government's move to put an end to compulsory savings deductions was an important step which should not be diluted or delayed. At a press conference in Parliament, Celik said that wage earners would soon be given good news regarding the repayments of the money deducted along with the interest accrued so far. /All papers/[05] ERBAKAN PRAISES LIBYAPrime Minister Necmettin Erbakan noted that there was great commercial potential between Turkey and Libya and said: "We will do our best to activiate this potential". Erbakan received Chairman of the Turkish Contractors' Union Abroad, Kadir Sever, and Executive Board members yesterday and gleaned information on their problems especially in Libya. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Recai Kutan was also present at the meeting. Erbakan said in his speech that Turkey and Libya were two brotherly countries and there was great contractual work in progress between the two countries. /Sabah/[06] TURKEY TO SIGN NATURAL GAS PIPELINE DEAL WITH RUSSIAState pipeline concern Botas said yesterday it would sign an agreement with Russia in September for a $1.1 billion natural gas pipeline from Russia through Turkey's eastern border. Botas said in a statement that the pipeline would be 1,160 km long and be able to carry up to 16 billion cubic metres of gas a year. "The two sides will come together in September and the agreement will be signed by the end of September" the statement quoted Botas General Manager Mustafa Murathan as saying.Murathan, who visited Russia last week, said Turkey, which gets six billion cubic metres of Russian gas annually through a pipeline passing through Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria and with a capacity of seven billion cubic metres, would receive up to 30 billion cubic metres from Russia by the year 2010. He said the existing pipeline from Russia would be upgraded through a loop and compressor system, which energy officials said was currently being built in Pendik, to the east of Istanbul, under a $40 million project. He also added that Botas had agreed with Turkish Petroleum Board (TPAO) to have it build an underground gas storage in western Marmara region with a capacity of 2.5 billion cubic metres. /Cumhuriyet/ [07] TURKISH-MACEDONIAN JEC MEETINGTurkish-Macedonian Joint Economic Commission first term meetings started in Ankara on Monday. Foreign Trade Undersecretariat told a statement that the meetings would continue in Izmir after Ankara. State Minister Ayfer Yilmaz will head the Turkish delegation while Deputy Premier and Econmy Minister Bekir Juta heads the Macedonian delegation. Juta is also scheduled to meet Trade and Industry Minister Yalim Erez. During JEC meetings, West-East Corridor between the two countries, cooperation carried out in Trans Balkan Link projects will be discussed as well as services in field of iron-steel, agriculture, foodstuff, chemistry, construction and banking. Macedonian deputy premier and the accompanying delegation will depart Turkey on August 30. /All papers/[08] EUROPEAN COMMITTEE GETS FAVOURABLE IMPRESSIONA commission from Council of Europe's Prevention of Torture Committee has completed its investigations in Eskisehir Prison, where the prisoners went on a hunger strike last month. The results of the inquiry will be sent to the Turkish government in the form of a report. The committee said in its statement that it got a positive impression in general about the conditions at the prison. After its visit to the Eskisehir Prison, the committee described the news of the Turkish press about the prison as 'imaginative'. The committee also visited Justice Minister Sevket Kazan and lawyer Esber Yagmurdereli, who were present for the negotiations made to end the hunger strikes. They also made a tour of the prison in Istanbul's Maltepe district, which is still being built. The committee came to Turkey at the invitation of the Turkish government and stayed four days. /All papers/[09] GIANTS COMPETE FOR AZERI OILRussian, Japanese and US oil companies compete fiercely for agreements relating to new oil basins in the Caspian Sea. According to officials of the Azerbaijan State Oil Company, agreements are expected to be signed for the operation of four new basins by the end of this year and 10 new basins by the end of 1997. Recalling that following the "Mega Project" and Sahdeniz agreements, long-term projects are on the agenda, officials said that meetings are continuing for basins which belong to Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea.The Turkish Petroleum Board (TPAO) had previously told Azeri officials that it was also interested in the projects. The TPAO is expected to participate in these projects with a share of 10%. /Cumhuriyet/ [10] SECOND TURCO-ISRAELI AGREEMENTAn Israeli delegation headed by the Assistant of the Defence Ministry, David Ivy, is coming Ankara today to sign a second defence agreement. The agreement will lay the ground for necessary legal arrangements relevant to the agreement foreseen in respect to the modernization of the Turkish F-16 jet-fighters by Israel. The agreement also envisage the transfer of knowledge in defence matters between the two countries, mutual training of technical personnel, cooperation between the Israeli Aviation Industry and the Undersecretariat of the Turkish Defence Industry and mutual visits to defence industry facilities. /Hurriyet/[11] WESTERN THRACE ASKS OBSERVERThe Western Thrace ethnic-Turk minority, which was attacked by fanatical Greeks after the recent Cyprus events, was asked Turkey to take the necessary initiative to send international observers to the region. Yesterday, members of the Association of the Cooperation of the Western Thrace Turks visited Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller and asked Turkey to undertake the necessary steps. /Hurriyet/[12] MERCEDES-BENZ TURK DELIVERS BUSES TO RUSSIAMercedes-Benz Turk started to deliver the ordered 744 buses to Russia. The total value of the tender is DM 180 million. Buses will be used for public transportation. /Hurriyet/[13] "U.S. NEVER INTERFERES IN THE DOMESTIC ISSUES OF ANY COUNTRY"The U.S. Press Attache in Ankara, Margarete Schmidt claims of American pressure on Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan before his visit to Iran. Schmidt added that America never asked any prime minister of an independent country not to go to Iran.During her visit to Cukurova Journalists' Association, Schmidt said: "America has problems with Iran, which is not a reliable country. However, Turco-Iranian relations are none of our business. We cannot intervene in the foreign policies of any country." /Milliyet/ END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |