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Turkish Press Review, 98-06-02
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
02.06.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] ECEVIT IN CHINA
[02] CETIN: "FRENCH SENATE SHOULD NOT ENDORSE ARMENIAN BILL"
[03] LUXEMBOURG PM COMMENTS ON EU EXTENSION
[04] PKK ATTACK IN SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA
[05] EUROPEAN COUNCIL REPORT ANNOYS TURKEY
[06] TURKEY LAYS DOWN TWO CONDITIONS
[07] GERMAN DELEGATION IN TURKEY
[08] TURKEY CONDEMNS FRENCH PARLIAMENT'S DECISION
[09] NUSED: "SUSPEND RELATIONS"
[10] TURKEY-TRNC JOINT COMMITTEE
[11] ECONOMIC LOSSES OF TL 300 TRILLION
[12] IMF DEPUTY CHAIRMAN TO ANKARA
[13] BIG BLOW TO INFLATION
[14] SAVAS ELECTED AS RTUK CHAIRMAN
[15] INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR HISTORICAL REMAINDERS IN NIMROD
[16] ENVIRONMENT MEETING IN BONN
[17] 40,000 JAPANESE TOURISTS VISIT CAPPADOCIA
[01] ECEVIT IN CHINA
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit continues with his contacts
in China. During his contacts, Ecevit has discussed Cyprus, the
Aegean islets, membership negotiations between the Greek Cypriots and
the European Union (EU), deployment of Russian-made S-300 missiles in
southern Cyprus and issues involving Iraq with Chinese officials.
Ecevit has met Chinese President Jiang Zemin, State Economic Housing
Reform Deputy President Wan Jiefei and Communist Party Central
Committee Foreign Relations President Dai Bingguo. /Hurriyet/
[02] CETIN: "FRENCH SENATE SHOULD NOT ENDORSE ARMENIAN BILL"
Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin has warned his French
counterpart, Laurent Fabius, and the deputy speaker of the French
Senate, Paul Girod, that Turco-French relations will suffer
significant damage if the country's Senate endorses the "so-called
Armenian genocide" bill, which the French parliament passed last
Friday. He also underlined that the French bill would encourage the
radical and nationalist wings of the new Armenian government and might
open the way for another wave of Armenian terrorists attacks against
Turks.
Cetin met the French parliamentarians on Monday on the sidelines
of a meeting of parliament speakers from Mediterranean countries and
the European Union (EU) in Palermo, on the Italian island of Sicily.
Top issues on the agenda of the upcoming Euro-Med parliament speakers'
conference on 3-4 June are commercial and financial cooperation, the
flow of migration, assistance for economic reforms and cooperation on
human rigts. /Hurriyet-Milliyet/
[03] LUXEMBOURG PM COMMENTS ON EU EXTENSION
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker said yesterday that
the extension process of the European Union (EU) could not be
completed unless all the centre and eastern European countries, Turkey
and Cyprus were included in the EU. Juncker noted that the same
criterion was valid for all the candidates and that Turkey was not an
exception. /Hurriyet/
[04] PKK ATTACK IN SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA
11 village guards died in a clash with the PKK terrorists the
previous night in a village near Sirnak in southeast Anatolia. The
terrorists also stole 700 sheep belonging to the villagers.
/Hurriyet/
[05] EUROPEAN COUNCIL REPORT ANNOYS TURKEY
A report prepared by the European Council's Commission for
Immigrants and Refugees will be argued in the council's meetings
between June 22-26. The report severely criticises Turkey's policy
towards Kurdish villagers in southeast Anatolia and Northern Iraq.
The first appearance of the report in the council dates back to the
Gulf Crisis when a mass exodus of Kurdish people from Iraq to Turkey
occurred. /Sabah/
[06] TURKEY LAYS DOWN TWO CONDITIONS
Turkey will stress two important conditions including the free
movement of workers, which has a key role in the implementation of the
Customs Union, and participation in the decision-making process of the
European Union (EU) during a meeting headed by Prime Minister Mesut
Yilmaz on Friday. Turkey did not attend an Association Council
meeting on May 25 which envisaged taking up issues concerning the CU
on account of the Greek veto on EU financial aid to Turkey and a
series of political conditions imposed by the EU on Turkey.
/Cumhuriyet/
[07] GERMAN DELEGATION IN TURKEY
A delegation from the German Unions' Association is visiting
Turkey. Spokesman of the Association and Chairman of the Hamburg
Region, Erhard Pumm, replying to questions from journalists,
criticized EU policies regarding Turkey and said: "We do not approve
of the EU Luxembourg decisions taken against Turkey, or of German
Prime Minister Kohl's statements regarding Turkey. We want Turkey to
be included in the EU". /Cumhuriyet/
[08] TURKEY CONDEMNS FRENCH PARLIAMENT'S DECISION
Acting Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Hasan Korkmazcan has
declared that it has been decided that a bulletin regarding the draft
law on the so-called Armenian genocide approved in the French National
Assembly will be prepared and that the French decision will be
denounced at the General Council of the Turkish Parliament.
Korkmazcan noted it was also decided that a seminar will be held on
the issue. Many organizations including the Turkish Young
Businessmen's Association have made statements comdemning the decision
taken by the French Parliament. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] NUSED: "SUSPEND RELATIONS"
NUSED, an association supporting peace and environment against
nuclear risk has called on Turkey to cooperate with the world's
democracies to suspend relations with India and Pakistan, which both
recently held nuclear tests. The association has also declared that
Turkey should take a clear stance regarding the prohibition of nuclear
tests. /Cumhuriyet/
[10] TURKEY-TRNC JOINT COMMITTEE
The members of the Joint Economic Committee established by Turkey
and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) at an Association
Council meeting on March 31, 1998, have been determined. A circular
issued by Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz pointed out that the two
countries were passing through a period which foresees partial
integration in security, defense and foreign policy between Turkey and
the TRNC on the basis of partnership. The Committee will be headed by
the Deputy Undersecretary of the Prime Ministry. /Cumhuriyet/
[11] ECONOMIC LOSSES OF TL 300 TRILLION
It is reported that economic losses stemming from the flood
disaster which recently happened in the Western Black Sea region will
total TL 300 trillion. During the flood disaster, stretches of
highway in the region were destroyed, bridges were demolished and
water flooded many houses. /Milliyet/
[12] IMF DEPUTY CHAIRMAN TO ANKARA
A new period is about to start in relations between Ankara and
the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Sandey Fischer, deputy
chairman of the IMF, will come to Ankara on 5 June. Economic circles
suggest visit that Fischer would like to examine recent improvements
in the Turkish economy more closely. It is scheduled that Fischer
will meet with State Minister responsible for the economy, Gunes
Taner, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Prime Minister Mesut
Yilmaz. /Sabah/
[13] BIG BLOW TO INFLATION
The government has taken a new decision to reach its economic
targets by the end of the year, in addition to the great step toward
that it took in February to decrease inflation. In a written
statement the Central Bank has announced that "The Bank pulled down
foreign exchange transfer rates to zero during June and July. That is
to say, the bank does not buy foreign exchange in June and July.
Doing this we acn help to lower inflation by stopping printing new
money. Similarly, devaluation will be decreased."
Economic circles said that because the Central Bank will not pump
new money into the market, inflation will be decreased by limiting
money demand. They added that the effects of increases in the rates
of exchange will decrease as the Central Bank draws back from the
market. /Sabah/
[14] SAVAS ELECTED AS RTUK CHAIRMAN
Kutlu Savas, the chairman of the prime ministry board of
inspectors, has elected head of the Supreme Board of Radio and
Television (RTUK). Savas, one of the candidates nominated by the
senior coalition partner Motherland Party (ANAP), won 145 votes. /All
papers/
[15] INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR HISTORICAL REMAINDERS IN NIMROD
A "Nemrut Foundation" has recently been established by volunteers
led by Maurice Crijins in Netherlands. The foundation aims to
preserve the historical remains in and around the Nimrod Mountain.
Crijins said yesterday that they had submitted a proposal and master
plan to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and the UNESCO Turkey National
Commission, calling for financial support for the foundation. /Sabah/
[16] ENVIRONMENT MEETING IN BONN
A meeting will be held in Bonn, Germany, for the preparation of
the Second Climate Summit to be held in Buenos Aires in November.
Turkey will also attend the meeting in Bonn, which is being held for
the protection of the environment. /Cumhuriyet/
[17] 40,000 JAPANESE TOURISTS VISIT CAPPADOCIA
It is reported that the interest of Japanese tourists in the
Cappadocia region is increasing day by day. Chairman of the
Cappadocia Touristic Companies' Association, Ahmet Bayram, said that
40,000 Japanese tourists visited the region during the first five
months of this year. Bayram stated that a total of 150,000 Japanese
tourists are expected to visit Cappadocia within this year.
/Cumhuriyet/
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