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Turkish Press Review, 96-11-08Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWFRIDAY NOVEMBER 8, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] TURKISH LEADERS CONGRATULATE CLINTONPresident Suleyman Demirel, Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan and Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller sent messages of congratulation to US President Bill Clinton after his victory in Tuesday's elections. Demirel said: "I believe that your experience and your able leadership will continue to contribute to global peace, stability and the welfare of humanity. I am sure that under your leadership, the US will continue to play a pioneering role".Prime Minister Erbakan indicated that he hoped to work closely with the newly-reelected US president in order to develop the friendship between the two countries in this new and competitive era. Foreign Minister Ciller pointed out in her message that cooperation would contribute to stability in this region. [02] TURKEY WARNS WEUAnkara has reacted sharply to the exclusion of Turkey in the peace protection programme undertaken in Europe by the Western European Union (WEU). According to the WEU, the peace protection programme means that the Union will be able to intervene on its own in crisis regions to resolve problems using NATO military facilities. Ankara is determined to veto the use of NATO military facilities if the WEU insists on excluding Turkey from the peace programme. /Milliyet/[03] US WILL MEDIATE IN RESOLVING TURCO-GREEK DISPUTESNow that US President Bill Clinton has been reelected for another four-year term, diplomatic sources are discussing possible changes in US foreign policy. Clinton has asked think-tank institutions to research possible solutions to Turco-Greek disagreements and problematic issues in of Turco-American relations. Diplomatic sources note that even though no radical change in Turco-American relations is expected, the US is preparing intensive diplomatic measures for resolving gradually accumulating Turco-Greek problems and the Cyprus question. /Cumhuriyet/[04] TURKISH CYPRIOTS SUSPEND NICOSIA CHECKPOINT CURBSAs a sign of goodwill, the Turkish Cypriot authorities yesterday suspended restrictions imposed a day earlier on "humanitarian contact" between the two sides on the island but warned that if Greek Cypriots continue obstructing tourist crossings into the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) territories over the weekened, the border gate will be closed indefinitely on Monday.The restrictions were imposed on Wednesday as a warning to Greek Cypriot government-supported weekend demonstrations at the Ledra Palace border gate -the only legal crossing point between southern and northern parts of the island- aimed at obstructing tourists from visiting the TRNC. [05] TURKISH MINORITY HAS MANY PROBLEMSGreek officials have agreed that the Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace has "important problems". Xanthi (Iskece) Governor P.Saltouros has written a report to Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and noted that the minority has been living in "isolation, under-development and lack of infrastructure". Meanwhile, Athens has reacted to another report prepared by the "International Committee for the Balkans" about minority issues.Further, many representatives of Western Thracian Turks and Macedonian minority groups have been talking about their complaints about Greece at a conference held by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) which started on Monday. /Milliyet-Cumhuriyet/ [06] SADDAM HUSSEIN INVITES ERBAKAN TO IRAQIraqi Ambassador in Ankara, Rafi Dahham El-Tikriti, has stated that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein will invite Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan to Iraq in December. El-Tikriti recalled that Turkish Education Minister Mehmet Saglam and Justice Minister Sevket Kazan visited Iraq last month and pointed out that State Minister Ufuk Soylemez will go to Baghdad to meet Iraqi officials this month to discuss oil and natural gas pipelines projects.El-Tikriti said: "We have never worked against Turkey. We want to help Turkey in her struggle against terrorism. Officials of the two countries will hold top-level meetings regarding this issue in the near future". He also stressed that Turkey's losses had amounted to $2 billion in six months because of the embargo imposed on Iraq. /Milliyet/ [07] ASSASSINATION TEAM CAPTUREDAn assassination planned against Turkey's seventh president Kenan Evren by the People's Revolutionary Party and Front (DHKPC), was prevented with an operation carried out by the Istanbul Security Office. The assassination was supposed to be carried out on 10 November.The arrest of four people in Marmaris, the Aegean resort town yesterday, has caused widespread speculations that the police had, in fact, nabbed the killers of Ozdemir Sabanci, a leading industrialist who was gunned down in Istanbul in January. Police sources said the four suspects, including a woman, had been arrested in a supermarket by a special police team from Istanbul and had been taken to the nearby provincial centre of Mugla in preparation for transport to Istanbul. /Hurriyet/ [08] PKK ATTACKS A POLICE CARTwo days ago, PKK terrorists fired on a police car near the Refahiye district of Erzincan and killed one policeman, one technician and injured one police official. /Hurriyet/[09] TURKISH INDUSTRY GROWS 5.5 % IN JANUARY-SEPTEMBERTurkey's industrial output rose 5.5 % in the January-September period of this year and increased by 1.9 % in September compared with the same period last year of 8.3 % for the first nine months and 5.9 % for September 1995, the State Institute of Statistics (DIE) said yesterday.The manufacturing industry recorded a 4.7 % growth in the first nine months of 1996, with the mining sector's output increasing by 6 % and the energy sector growing by 10.2 % in the same period. For the first nine months of 1996, the machinary industry as a subsector of the manufacturing industry recorded the largest growth of 20.5 %, followed by the metal industry with 9.6 %, the textile industry by 6.1 %, and the food industry with 2 %. In September, the manufacturing industry grew 0.1 %, the mining industry 23.6 % and energy sector grew by 6.1 %. [10] EXPORTS UP 4 % IN FIRST TEN MONTHSTurkish exports rose 4 % to $19 billion in the first 10 months of the year, the Turkish Exporters' Council (TIM) said in a statement. It said exports in October rose 5 % to $2.3 billion from $2.191 billion a year earlier. October-to-October exports increased by 5.4 % from last year's $21.975 billion to $23.163 billion, it also said.[11] UK'S NATIONAL POWER IN TURKEY POWER PLANT PACTBritish electricity generator National Power Plc said yesterday that it had signed a deal with two partners to finance and build a 480 MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant in Turkey. Under the agreement, National Power would have a one-third stake in the plant worth $42 million, excluding associated costs, and would also operate and maintain it. National Power's partners in the Marmara Ereglisi plant, with one-third share each, include the Japanese trading company Marubeni Corp, and the Luxembourg investment firm Unit Investments SA.[12] TL 4.5 TRILLION FOR SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIADuring yesterday's meeting the Council of Ministers decided to extend financial support worth TL 4.5 trillion to complete investment projects in southestern Anatolia. Credits and incentives will be extended to more than 130 facilities in 22 southeastern provinces. According to State Minister Salim Ensarioglu, facilities where construction is 80-90 percent completed will be opened for service as soon as possible and as a result employment opportunities for more than 6,000 people will be created. /Hurriyet/END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |