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Turkish Press Review, 97-02-27
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
CONTENTS
[01] KARADAYI VISITS ISRAEL
[02] GUL: "THE GOVERNMENT IS COMMITTED TO A BALANCED BUDGET"
[03] COALITION PLANNING 3-YEAR ANTI-INFLATION PROGRAMME
[04] AZERBAIJAN OFFICIALS MEET KUTAN
[05] TURKISH F-4 FIGHTER CRASHES, TWO PILOTS DEAD
[06] PKK EXTORTS TL 3 TRILLION ANNUALLY
[07] VAKIFBANK CREDIT AGREEMENT
[08] SUMERBANK IN LONDON
[09] TURKISH TELECOM TAKE-OVER
[10] TURCO-RUSSIA JOINT PRODUCTION
[11] KINKEL, "TURKEY, GERMANY HAVE ALWAYS HAD FRIENDLY RELATIONS"
[12] TURKISH HISTORIC WORKS OF ART IN DENMARK
[13] TURKEY HAPPY WITH EU DECISION
[14] NO NEW PLAN FOR CYPRUS
[15] MORE PROBLEMS WITH IRANIAN OFFICIALS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1997
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this
morning.
[01] KARADAYI VISITS ISRAEL
Chief of the General Staff General Ismail Hakki Karadayi, in Israel
for a three-day visit, said on Wednesday that Turkey and Israel shared
a long association and a sound basis for good relations. Karadayi
noted that the relationship between Turkey and Israel had developed
during the last two-and-a-half years, and underlined that the best way
to improve communication was face-to-face meetings. General Shahak,
Israeli Chief of Staff, drew attention to the increasing ties between
the two countries, and said: "We have many common aims, one of which
is to bring stability and lasting peace in the region." /Milliyet/
[02] GUL: "THE GOVERNMENT IS COMMITTED TO A BALANCED BUDGET"
State Minister Abdullah Gul assured the US rating agency Standard and
Poors that the government was committed to its "balanced budget"
target. Gul, visiting Standard and Poors' headquarters, stressed that
the government will make further cuts in the budget if privatization
revenues fall short of anticipted levels. A team of Standard and
Poors officials will visit Turkey in May for an assessment of the
status of the Turkish economy. /Hurriyet/
[03] COALITION PLANNING 3-YEAR ANTI-INFLATION PROGRAMME
The Turkish government is preparing a programme which aims to pull
down annual inflation rates to single digits within three years, Ufuk
Soylemez, state minister in charge of privatization said. A team of
technocrats from the Central Bank, the Treasury and other economic
agencies of the state were working on the programme, Soylemez
announced. /All papers/
[04] AZERBAIJAN OFFICIALS MEET KUTAN
A delegation of officials from Azerbaijan is visiting Turkey for a
two-day meeting of the Turkish-Azerbaijani Joint Economic Commission.
Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sherifov and Energy Minister
Muslim Imanov met yesterday with Turkish Energy Minister Recai Kutan.
In a statement to journalists, Minister Kutan noted that there was a
consortiun set up to carry Azeri oil to international markets and that
Turkey's share in the consortium was 6.75 percent. Kutan referred to
the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline as the most economic option for transporting
crude oil and said that a related agreement was expected to be reached
in the next three-five months.
[05] TURKISH F-4 FIGHTER CRASHES, TWO PILOTS DEAD
An F-4 jet fighter jet crashed on Tuesday night near the central
Anatolian city of Konya. Two pilots died in the crash. According to
a written statement by General Staff headquarters, the reason for the
crash - technical failure or pilot error - is not clear. The bodies
of the pilots have been found. The area is now sealed off for further
investigation. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] PKK EXTORTS TL 3 TRILLION ANNUALLY
State Minister Salim Ensarioglu said yesterday that the PKK terrorist
organization extorts money from Kurdish-origin citizens abroad.
Ensarioglu said: "Special research shows that PKK militants extort
money from 40,000 people in Germany yearly. It collects DM 1,000 per
capita annually". He noted that the annual income of the PKK, which
it collected by using illegal methods, in Germany reached nearly TL 3
trillion (DM 40 million). /Hurriyet/
[07] VAKIFBANK CREDIT AGREEMENT
The Turkish Vakifbank has signed a credit agreement worth $15 million
with the PT Bank of Indonesia. The agreement, regarding a credit to
be utilized in financing imports and exports was signed by Vakifbank
General Director Fehmi Gultekin, who is in Indonesia with a delegation
headed by State Minister Sabri Tekir, and PT Bank official Dagang
Negara. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] SUMERBANK IN LONDON
It is reported that an application made recently by Sumerbank to open
a representative office in London has been accepted by the British
Central Bank. Resat Duren will head the operation in London.
/Cumhuriyet/
[09] TURKISH TELECOM TAKE-OVER
Turkish Telecom will purchase Kazakh Telecom. Turkish Telecom has
officially applied to the Kazakh government and Kazakh Telecom and
declared that it wanted to purchase its shares. It is reported that a
49 % share in Kazakh Telecom amounted to DM 500 million. Half of this
total will be paid in cash and the other will be paid in two
installments. A top-level representative of Turkish Telecom said:
"Kazakh Telecom will provide a wonderful opportunity for us to open up
to Central Asia". /Sabah/
[10] TURCO-RUSSIA JOINT PRODUCTION
Russian Ambassador to Ankara, Vadim Igorevic Kuznetsov, said in a
press conference at the Russian Embassy that they would like to
cooperate with Turkey in defense industry. "If Turkey asks, we will
sell helicopters, weapons and other military equipment. We can also
share in joint production with Turkey," he said. Commenting on the
Cyprus issue, Kuznetsov said that Russia wanted to play an active role
in Cyprus issue. He added that the island should be disarmed and that
arms trading to the island should end. Kuznetsov pointed out that
they were against a multi-national force on the island but that
istead, the period of the mission of the United Nations Peace Force
would be prolonged./Cumhuriyet/
[11] KINKEL, "TURKEY, GERMANY HAVE ALWAYS HAD FRIENDLY RELATIONS"
German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel said in his speech at the
Turco-German Club that Germany was always on the side of Turkey.
Noting that there have always been friendly relations between the two
countries, Kinkel recalled that Turkey should take her place in
Europe. He added that Europe could not meet its promises in line with
customs union agreement because of the Greek veto./Hurriyet/
[12] TURKISH HISTORIC WORKS OF ART IN DENMARK
Turkey's Culture Attache at Copenhegan, Cevdet Kocaman, has found four
historic Turkish works of art in Denmark Islam Works of Art Museum.
Kocaman said that there were pages of the holy Kura'n, stolen from the
Istanbul Nurisomaniye Library, door handles stolen from Cizre Ulu
Mosque, a chest that belonged to Aksehir Seydi M. Hayrani mausoleum
and a double-headed sphinx stolen from Diyarbalir Museum in
1997./Sabah/
[13] TURKEY HAPPY WITH EU DECISION
Ankara government officials have declared themselves satisfied with
the European Union (EU) decision that Cyprus should not be represented
by the Greek Cypriot community alone. Commenting on the situation,
Foreign Ministry spokesman Omer Akbel said yesterday that this was the
right approach to the matter of Cyprus becoming a member of the EU.
/Cumhuriyet/
[14] NO NEW PLAN FOR CYPRUS
British Embassy officials in Ankara said yesterday that Britain's
special representative for Cyprus, Sir David Hannay, offered no new
plans for a solution to the Cyprus issue when he officially visited
Ankara this week. They also noted that Hannay turned down a
Dayton-style deal to end Greek-Turkish hostility. /Cumhuriyet/
[15] MORE PROBLEMS WITH IRANIAN OFFICIALS
Following in the steps of Iranian ambassador Bagheri who less than a
month ago shared in a controversial religious meeting in a town near
Ankara, Iranian Erzurum Consul Said Zare has come out with
ill-intentioned remarks about General Cevik Bir.
Iranian Consul Zare yesterday made reference to the recent Sincan
incident when tanks rolled through the town after a religious meeting,
and then made derogatory comments about General Bir-opening the way
for yet another crisis involving Iranian officials. /Hurriyet/
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