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Turkish Press Review, 97-12-30Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWDIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION,OFFICE OF PRIME MINISTER30.12.97Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning [01] TURKEY, TURKMENISTAN TRY TO PERSUADE US OVER GAS ROUTEFollowing a series of prime ministerial contacts with top Russian, American, Turkmen and Azerbaijani officials over Caspian oil and natural gas resources, Ankara is preparing for intensive talks about energy in the first six months of the coming year. One of the main topics of these talks will be to persuade the US to establish a route to carry Turkmen natural gas via Iran.After his meetings with the heads of the Russian Federation and the US, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz paid a significant visit to two key Central Asian states, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. During his visit to Turkmenistan, a trilateral deal was signed between the energy ministers of Iran, Turkey and Turkmenistan, to let the Shell company conduct feasibility studies for the natural gas routes. /Cumhuriyet/ [02] IPUK IS READY TO MEETOfficials from the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) have stated that they are ready to meet with Turkish officials in Ankara. According to the Iranian Official News Agency (IRNA), the IPUK radio said in a news report yesterday that an IPUK delegation would go to Ankara on the second week of January to hold meetings. The report noted that these meetings would be held also with the participation of US officials. /Cumhuriyet/[03] TURKEY REASSERTS TURCO-ISRAELI-US EXERCISES AS HUMANITARIANTurkey reiterated yesterday that the planned Turco-Israeli-US joint naval exercises have thoroughly humanitarian aims and do not target any particular country. Referring to some countries' and particularly Iran's harsh attitude towards the planned exercises, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan stressed that the reactions were unfounded since the manoeuvres were completely humanitarian. "The exercises will include only emergency search and rescue procedures. They do not target any third country" Utkan said at a press conference. The twice-postponed naval manoeuvres are to be held on January 5-9 in the eastern Mediterranean off the Israeli coast. /Sabah/[04] OZDEN COMPLETES HIS TERM AS CONSTITUTIONAL COURTOn the occasion of the retirement of Yekta Gungor Ozden, chief justice of the Constitutional Court, a ceremony was held at the court building. After his biography was read to the guests, Guven Dincer, deputy head of the Constitutional Court, said that Ozden, who was elected as a member of the Court in 1979, was going to retire on December 31 because he had reached the mandatory retirement age. "In a speech during the ceremony, Ozden stated that he had tried to follow the path of Ataturk all his life, saying: "It's an honour to follow the route of Ataturk and his friends, who saved this country". Indicating how hard it was to make this final speech, Ozden said he would continue to serve his country even after his retirement. /Hurriyet/[05] NEW RULES FOR CYPRUS SOLUTIONAnkara has reaffirmed that new rules apply in the Cyprus conflict after the Luxembourg summit, now that "there is a drastic change in the situation due to the EU's actions which are based on the Greek position". Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan told reporters during a weekly press conference that both the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Turkey have issued stataments regarding their political and legal opposition to the Luxembourg decisions."We have also announced what counteraction we shall have to take" Utkan said, repeating that a solution would have to be found on the basis that there are two states on the island -the TRNC and the Greek Cypriot state. Utkan added: "We shall consult and coordinate our position with the TRNC to see if these two states can resolve three major issues to reach a stage where they can, in the first instance, peacefully coexist". The spokesman listed these three major issues as: -The settlement of reciprocal property claims; -Agreement on mutually satisfactory security arrangements; -Drawing the final boundary line and agreeing on the territorial arrangement. /All papers/ [06] TURKEY WILL DISCUSS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION WITH ITALYTurkey said yesterday it would begin discussions with Italian officials following the weekend gounding of a Turkish-registered ship carrying 825 illegal immigrants, mostly Kurds, off the coast of Italy. "Obviously there will be new contacts, even starting from today" Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan told reporters. When asked about the Kurdish issue, Utkan said in this case the problem does not only belong to Turkey. Turkey, with its land border with Greece and long Mediterranean coastline, has become a springboard for immigrants from Asia and the Middle East seeking entrance to the wealthier nations of the EU. /All papers/[07] ANKARA DENIES THAT TURKEY SENT LETTER TO TONY BLAIRAnkara denied that Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz sent a letter to his British counterpart Tony Blair asking for British support for Turkey's EU bid. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan told reporters in the weekly press conference, Utkan said no such letter was sent or telephone conversation was made with EU leaders after the summit and added the last letter written by Yilmaz was sent before the summit. /All papers/[08] FAMOUS MATHEMATICIAN CAHIT ARF LAID TO RESTThe discoverer of the "Hasse-Arf Theorem", the famous mathematician Ordinarius Prof.Dr.Cahit Arf who passed away after a heart attack has been buried in Istanbul, following a ceremony at Istanbul University. The Hasse-Arf Theorem showed that synthetic geometric problems could be solved with the help of a ruler and compass. /All papers/[09] FOREIGN MINISTRY: "N. IRAQ OPERATION ENDS"Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Necati Utkan said in a press conference yesterday that operations against seperatists tried to be camped by Turkey-Iraq border ended. Utkan added, "As a result of authority vacuum in the region, seperatist PKK terorist organization has activities in northern Iraq and that Turkey has held operations whenever it is necessary. The spokesman stressed that operations did not violate the territorial integrity of northern Iraq. /Sabah/[10] KINKEL'S SUPPORT FOR TURKEYGerman Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel said that Germany wanted Turkey to be a part of Europe. Kinkel denied the claims regarding an "inter-institutional document" had been published which reported that Turkey's European Union membership would not be possible in near or close future. In his statement Kinkel added that it was not true that Germany never wanted Turkey to be excluded from Europe; instead, he continued, they would like to help Turkey solve its problems. /Milliyet-Sabah/[11] TURKISH EXERCISES CAUSE ANXIETY IN GREECEGreek daily newspapers reported yesterday that Ankara would started a wide scope naval and aerial military exercises in the Aegean between 2-25 January, claiming that with these exercises sovereignity rights of Greece would be violated. Decribing the exercises as "extraordinarily wide scope and unusually long", the dailies noted that Turkey had informed Athens on 18 December about the exercises. They also added that the news caused anxiety in Greece.Meanwhile Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yorgo Papandreu said in his statement to Greek daily newspaper, Eksusia that if Turkey invaded the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the way towards Europe would totally closed for Turkey. He added that with the decision taken at the end of the Luxembourg summit, Europe determined the framework of its relations with Turkey. /Milliyet/ [12] SPHINX HEAD STOLEN FROM EPHESUS RETURNS HOMEA "Sphinx" head stolen in 1964 from the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Ephesus, which has been carrying out excavations for over one century, has been brought to Turkey. Turkish Culture Minister Istemihan Talay will hold a press conference today and will promote to the press a Roman marble copy of the Sphinx sculpture made of bronze during the classical period. /Cumhuriyet/END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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