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Turkish Press Review, 98-06-24
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
24.06.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] 'TURKEY NOT EXCLUDED FROM EU'
[02] DEMIREL RECEIVES ASHRAWI
[03] PANGALOS PROMOTES CONTENTION
[04] CYPRUS CONFERENCE IN VIENNA
[05] TURKEY CRITICIZES ARMENIAN THREAT
[06] STATE MINISTER CELEBI TO LONDON
[07] IMF: "AGREEMENT WILL BENEFIT TURKEY"
[08] LIMITATION ON IRAQI OIL IN JUNE
[09] FINANCIAL TIMES: "TURKEY LOOKING GOOD"
[10] TURKEY ASKS ANNAN TO INTERVENE IN CYPRUS
[11] ANKARA OBJECTS TO ISRAEL'S EXPANSION PLAN
[12] ANKARA HOPES FOR COMMONSENSE ON KURDISH REPORT
[13] TURKEY REITERATES ITS SUPPORT FOR BULGARIA
[14] ERSUMER VISITS EGYPT
[15] TURKISH-JAPANESE COOPERATION IN MINING
[16] BALKANS INTERNATIONAL PEACE FORCE MEETING
[17] NEW ASTRONOMY AND AVIATION COUNCIL
[18] DENKTAS COMMENTS ON LATEST EVENTS IN CYPRUS
[19] TURKEY RAISING STRAITS ISSUE IN EXPO'98
[01] 'TURKEY NOT EXCLUDED FROM EU'
Charge d'Affaires of the Turkish Representation of the EU
Commission Jorg Ketelsen said: "Turkey has already entered the Customs
Union with the EU. Turkey is absolutely not excluded from the full EU
membership process. For full EU membership, Turkey should carry out all
its obligations and abide by all the necessary conditions".
Ketelsen delivered a speech at a seminar during which EU-Turkish
relations were discussed yesterday in Istanbul. He noted that Turkey
had covered a great distance on the path to full EU membership and added
that the recent Cardiff summit was an example of this. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] DEMIREL RECEIVES ASHRAWI
Palestinian Minister for Higher Education Hanan Ashrawi said that
Palestinian Head of State Yasser Arafat would visit Turkey in the
shortest possible time. President Suleyman Demirel received Ashrawi
yesterday. According to a statement issued by the Presidential Press
Centre yesterday, Ashrawi noted during the meeting that they were sure
that Turkey would continue to exert effort to overcome the bottleneck in
the Middle East peace process. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] PANGALOS PROMOTES CONTENTION
Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ambassador Necati Utkan noted
that Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos displayed his complexes
about Turkey at every opportunity. Utkan said during a press conference
yesterday that Pangalos used an 'insolently and venturesome' style in
the statements he gave to journalists during his visits to the Gulf
countries. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] CYPRUS CONFERENCE IN VIENNA
Honorary representative of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC) and Chairman of the Europe-Cyprus Turkish Associations' Council
Lutfi Seydali noted that if a hot conflict occurs in Cyprus, which both
sides regard as a 'national cause', the southern wing of NATO could
collapse and this situation would satisfy Russia, which has always
wanted a hold in the Mediterranean. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] TURKEY CRITICIZES ARMENIAN THREAT
Turkey condemns Armenia's threat to annex Azerbaijan's
Nagorno-Karabakh region, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced
yesterday. "This announcement by Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan reveals once again the real intentions and uncompromising
attitudes of the Armenian government towards the peace negotiations
carried out by the OSCE Minsk Group" Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati
Utkan told a weekly press conference. "The fundamental fault in the
unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is Armenia" Turkey's announcement
declared, noting Armenia's rejection of the Minsk group's peace
proposals for the troubled region. The Turkish statement ended by
expressing a desire for the international community to make an
appropriate response to the Armenian threat concerning Karabakh.
/Cumhuriyet/
[06] STATE MINISTER CELEBI TO LONDON
State Minister Isin Celebi will go to London today as the official
guest of British Trade Minister Lord Clinton Davies and the British
Industrialists' Confederation (CBI). Celebi will meet today with Trade
Minister Davies. Tomorrow he will attend a conference on "Turkey"
during which Turkish businessmen and Chairman of the Turkish Economy
Bank, Yavuz Canevi will give speeches. Celebi will try to convince
British businessmen to invest in Turkey. /Sabah/
[07] IMF: "AGREEMENT WILL BENEFIT TURKEY"
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chairman Michel Camdessus said
that the "Close Monitoring Agreement" to be signed between Turkey and
IMF will be to the benefit of Turkey. He added that the Turkish
government had been applying a determined programme to decrease
inflation. Camdessus also noted that they were in close dialogue with
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, State Minister responsible for economy,
Isin Celebi and other economy officials to watch developments in the
Turkish economy more closely.
Chief of the Turkish desk of the IMF, Martin Hardy said he believed
that the staff monitoring programme would help the government in its
struggle againt inflation.
Regarding the agreement Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said in a
speech Parliament yesterday that the IMF gave support to the
government's economy programme and it was not a stand-by agreement. He
added that the agreement would meet their expectations.
/Milliyet/Sabah/
[08] LIMITATION ON IRAQI OIL IN JUNE
The Turkish government has decided to apply new regulations in July
to bring under control Iraqi oil and border trade in order to prevent an
economic crisis. Officials announced that the application would be
realised step by step and the revenue earned during the application
would be saved in a fund to be used in investment in border townships.
Within this framework the annual oil need of regions will be determined
in October and surplus oil supplies will be taken under control. It was
also reported that liquid fuel consumption tax would be increased.
/Milliyet/
[09] FINANCIAL TIMES: "TURKEY LOOKING GOOD"
The British Financial Times, one of the leading world economy
newspapers, reported yesterday that although Turkey had a coalition
government, it had been successful in realizing important reforms, and
in bringing the budget deficit and inflation under control. The report,
by John Barham, noted that the Turkish economy had gained a new
liveliness. /Milliyet/
[10] TURKEY ASKS ANNAN TO INTERVENE IN CYPRUS
Turkey hasevaluated the landing of Greek war planes at the Baf
Airbase in southern Cyprus "very provocative" and has asked the General
Secretary of the United Nations (UN) Kofi Annan to prevent the Greek
Cypriot Administration's efforts to sabotage peace and security in the
region. Turkey has sent a letter to Kofi Annan and the Chairman of the
UN Security Council, Antonio Monteiro by Turkey's permanent
representative to the UN, Ambassador Volkan Vural, saying that
Russian-made S-300 missiles would bring the sides on the island to the
edge of a crisis. /Milliyet/
[11] ANKARA OBJECTS TO ISRAEL'S EXPANSION PLAN
Turkey yesterday expressed discontent with Israel's recent plan to
expand Jerusalem's territories to the West Bank. "The Israeli decision
to expand the boundaries of Jerusalem will not contribute to stability
and peace in the Middle East, although it is claimed that the plan is
based on just reasons" a Foreign Ministry statement said yesterday.
/All papers/
[12] ANKARA HOPES FOR COMMONSENSE ON KURDISH REPORT
Turkey expressed its hopes yesterday that a controversial Council
of Europe report about the Kurdish issue would be rebuffed in the
General Assembly discussions this Thursday. Foreign Ministry Spokesman
Ambassador Necati Utkan said in a weekly press conference that during
the handling of the report, which states that the PKK is fighting for
the liberation of the Kurdish people" the rapporteurs received letters
of support from the PKK. Utkan added that the report contains unfounded
facts and figures. /All papers/
[13] TURKEY REITERATES ITS SUPPORT FOR BULGARIA
Turkish Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin on a visit to Bulgaria
yesterday gave assurances that Turkey supported Bulgaria's bid for NATO
membership and praised the current state of bilateral relations. Cetin
met with Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov. Cetin and Stoyanov agreed
that economic cooperation between the two countries from now on would
concentrate on the fields of energy, infrastructure and joint
investments. Cetin stated that bilateral economic relations will reach
a higher level with the signing of a free trade area agreement between
Turkey and Bulgaria, which they plan to institute by the end of 1998,
the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.
[14] ERSUMER VISITS EGYPT
Turkey and Egypt signed on Monday a memorandum of understanding
concerning the pipeline which will transport natural gas from Egypt to
Turkey. Cumhur Ersumer, who is currently in Egypt as an official guest
of Hamdi Al-Banbi, Egyptian Minister of Oil, continues to hold contacts
in Egypt, reports the Anatolia news agency.
[15] TURKISH-JAPANESE COOPERATION IN MINING
The third course of a Training Programme for the Third Countries on
"Research and Evaluation of Underground Resources" which was organized
together with the General Directorate of Mineral Exploration and
Research (MTA) and by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA),
will be concluded on June 29, the Anatolia news agency reported
yesterday.
[16] BALKANS INTERNATIONAL PEACE FORCE MEETING
A Balkans International Peace Force meeting started on Monday in
the Greek capital of Athens with the participation of military experts
from seven Balkan countries, and representatives from the US and
Slovenia as observers. The structure of the peace force, the place of
the headquarters and financial issues will be discussed at the meeting
which will last until June 26, reports the Anatolia news agency. Turkey
is being represented by a military delegation led by General Koksal
Karabay.
[17] NEW ASTRONOMY AND AVIATION COUNCIL
Responding to a question on new Turkish Science and Technology
Institute (TUBITAK) projects, Rustu Kazim Yucelen, State Minister
responsible for the institute, said in a Parliamentary session yesterday
that a rough draft law concerning the setting up of a "national
astronomy and aviation council" would be submitted to the Council of
Ministers. The council will coordinate astrology education programmes,
participate in international astrology projects and carry out researches
on satellite and spacecraft technology. /Hurriyet/
[18] DENKTAS COMMENTS ON LATEST EVENTS IN CYPRUS
Before leaving for Vienna where he will participate in a conference
on "Cyprus" organized by the Diplomatic Academy of the Austrian Foreign
Ministry, Rauf Denktas, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC) commented yesterday on the problems created by the
deployment of Greek fighter planes by the Greek Cypriot administration.
Answering a question put by a journalist about what he thought about the
Greek President's claim that he had not been informed of the deployment,
Denktas said that he might be pretending to be unaware because Greece
had completely failed in its plans. He also noted that Greece's
aggressive policy threatens not only Cyprus but the whole of the region.
/Hurriyet/
[19] TURKEY RAISING STRAITS ISSUE IN EXPO'98
As a participant in EXPO'98, a maritime fair organized in Lisbon,
Portugal, Turkey will try to promote interest in the dangerous situation
involving the Turkish straits, that is, the Bosphorus and the
Dardanelles. Turkish officials will stress that the straits are being
threatened by Russian and Ukrainian vessels transporting oil or other
explosive substances through the narrow but vital straits. /Hurriyet/
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