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Turkish Press Review, 98-06-29
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
29.06.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] EARTHQUAKE IN ADANA: 116 DEAD
[02] PKK BLOCKADES ROAD: TWO DEAD
[03] NSC MEETS TODAY
[04] MISSILE CRISIS IN G-8 COUNTRIES
[05] "FRIENDSHIP MESSAGE" FROM GREECE
[06] IRAQ ALLOWS PKK TO OPEN OFFICES IN BAGHDAD
[07] ILLICIT IRAQI OIL LEGALIZED
[08] IMF-TURKEY TALKS CONCLUDED
[09] FIRST TWO COUGAR CHOPPERS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE NEXT YEAR
[10] PFP CENTRE IN ANKARA
[11] A CENTURY-LONGING ENDS
[12] INCREASE IN DOMESTIC NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION
[13] BAYAR: "PRIVATIZATION INCREASES TURKEY'S IMF CREDIBILITY"
[14] CAPITAL: "EUROPE IN BOSPHORUS"
[15] FRENCH HISTORIAN DENIES THROWS LIGHT ON ARMENIAN MASSACRE
[16] KINKEL: "WE ARE READY TO HELP TURKEY"
[17] CLINTON AND WEIZMAN OFFER THEIR CONDOLENCES
[18] TURKEY IS A MODEL IN TOURISM
[01] EARTHQUAKE IN ADANA: 116 DEAD
Scores of people were believed to be still trapped under mountains
of rubble yesterday, a day after a major earthquake struck southern
Turkey, killing at least 116 people and injuring 1,517, officials said.
Among those killed on Saturday were 37 people who lived in the downtown
suburbs of Adana, a city of one million about 400 kilometres south of
the capital, Ankara. The hardest hit areas were slums with poorly
constructed buildings. In the nearby town of Ceyhan, about 48
kilometres east of Adana, rescue workers are using earthmoving machinery
to uncover people buried under rubble.
President Suleyman Demirel toured the area early Sunday morning and
supervised rescue work. He visited local hospitals and met with the
injured. Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Deputy Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit, accompanied by a delegation of state ministers, were also among
those visiting the area. /All papers/
[02] PKK BLOCKADES ROAD: TWO DEAD
Members of the PKK terrorist organization, who blockaded the
highway to Bingol over the weekend, killed one Turkish soldier and a
Turkish Electricity Distribution Company (TEDAS) worker. During the
conflicts in the Emergency Rule Region over the last few days, 10 PKK
terrorists were killed and two security officials died. /Milliyet/
[03] NSC MEETS TODAY
The National Security Council will hold a meeting today during
which Cyprus and the French Armenian draft will mainly be discussed.
President Suleyman Demirel will head the meeting which will also be
attended by State Minister responsible for Cyprus and EU relations Sukru
Sina Gurel. /Milliyet/
[04] MISSILE CRISIS IN G-8 COUNTRIES
Seven members of the highly-developed G-8 countries (the US,
Britain, Japan, Germany, Italy, France, Canada and Russia) have launched
initiatives at ambassadorial level in Moscow and want the Russian
government to cancel the delivery of S-300 missiles to the Greek Cypriot
Administration. Seven ambassadors have stressed decisions taken for the
disarmament of instable regions. On the other hand, Russian officials
have so far rejected the initiatives and claim that the balance in
Cyprus will not be disrupted by the S-300 missiles. Meanwhile, Greek
Cypriot Leader Glafkos Klerides will visit Moscow in July. Klerides is
expected to meet with Russian Head of State Boris Yeltsin on July 13.
/Milliyet/
[05] "FRIENDSHIP MESSAGE" FROM GREECE
Greek President Kostis Stephanopulos has sent a 'friendship and
peace' message to Turkey requesting that efforts be exerted to find a
solution to the Cyprus problem. Completing a four-day visit to the
Greek Cypriot Administration, Stephanopulos made a statement before his
departure and said: "I convey to Turkey a message of friendship and
peace, and I hope that Turkey will accept it". He noted that the Greek
Cypriot Administration wanted Turkish Cypriots to attend negotiations
with the EU and he added: "The future of the island concerns not only
Greek Cypriots but also Turkish Cypriots. The prosperity of one side is
connected to that of the other side". /Cumhuriyet/
[06] IRAQ ALLOWS PKK TO OPEN OFFICES IN BAGHDAD
Iraq has allowed the PKK terrorist organization to open offices in
Baghdad, an Arabic newspaper reported yesterday. The London-based
Al-Hayat, quoting Kurdish sources in northern Iraq, also said that Iraq
has started providing the PKK terrorist organization with weapons and
logistical support. Al-Hayat also said that two other offices of the
PKK have been opened in the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk. Iraq
also urged the two Iraqi Kurdish groups controlling the north of that
country, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP), to allow the PKK to operate in their areas
bordering Turkey. /All papers/
[07] ILLICIT IRAQI OIL LEGALIZED
Companies which import fuel from northern Iraq will form a
joint-stock company and rent depots from the Turkish Petroleum
Corporation (TPAO) for the storing of fuel. New regulations, to be
enforced by the government, are not aiming to stop fuel imports from
northern Iraq, but to bring it under legal control. It is reported that
companies bringing fuel from northern Iraq to Turkey have applied to the
Finance Ministry for the registration and taxation of their business.
The Finance Ministry is still continuing work for the taxing of these
businesses. The companies decided to unite and form a joint-stock
company, with head offices in Sirnak. The company will operate on the
border and take over TPAO reserves located on the border. /All papers/
[08] IMF-TURKEY TALKS CONCLUDED
The Staff Monitoring Programme between Turkey and the IMF was
agreed upon in Washington on June 27. The Programme includes the
Turkish government's economic programme for the next 18 months. "This
is a sound text" said State Minister Gunes Taner, Turkey's
representative in the talks, showing journalists a copy of the accord.
Taner told journalists that after some technical points were agreed
upon, Turkey then presented its letter to the IMF. "The IMF will
publicly explain its position on Monday or Tuesday. Prime Minister
Mesut Yilmaz will hold a press conference at the same time" he added.
/All papers/
[09] FIRST TWO COUGAR CHOPPERS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE NEXT YEAR
The transfer of the first two of Eurocopter's Cougar MK1 military
transport helicopters from France to Turkey will take place in June
1999, the Anatolia news agency reported. Both Eurocopter and Turkish
Aerospace Industries (TAI) signed a contract early this year to jointly
produce 30 Cougars under Eurocopter license.
[10] PFP CENTRE IN ANKARA
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), the second largest army in NATO,
will open a Partnership for Peace (PFP) Centre in Ankara on Monday. The
opening of the centre is a significant step forward in the promotion of
the alliance's concept of a new strategic defense structure. The PFP
Centre is the first military training school of its kind in NATO's
southern flank. It will be opened by Deputy Chief of General Staff
Gen.Cevik Bir. /All papers/
[11] A CENTURY-LONGING ENDS
Six artifacts and a grave stone commemorating the "brave gladiator
Klados" stolen by amateur divers from a ship sunk in 1894 in the English
Channel have been delivered to the Turkish Embassy in London a century
later, following international legal action. Thus, artifacts stolen
during the Ottoman period are being returned to Turkey for the first
time. /Cumhuriyet/
[12] INCREASE IN DOMESTIC NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION
The Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has accelerated its
studies to increase natural gas production to meet the demand of the
domestic market. According to TPAO officials, annual production has
increased from 600 million cubic meters to 1.5 billion. They add that
total natural gas production increased from 3 percent to 10 percent
after the northern Marmara natural gas facilities were cut in.
/Hurriyet/
[13] BAYAR: "PRIVATIZATION INCREASES TURKEY'S IMF CREDIBILITY"
Chairman of the Privatization Administration, Ugur Bayer said that
the recent IMF delegation under the chairmanship of Martin Hardy had
been "very satisfied" with the studies of the Privatization
Administration. He added that the administration had met the targets
determined for the first half of the year. Bayar noted that the IMF
delegation had also proposed new regulations to facilitate the use of
privatization income. /Hurriyet/
[14] CAPITAL: "EUROPE IN BOSPHORUS"
Capital, one of the leading economy magazines of Germany, has
published a report on Turkey with the title, "Europe in Bosphorus". The
report reflected the dynamism of Turkish trade business with private
sector. It discusses the disappointment of Turkish trade and business
sector with the European Union. The magazine also gives portraits of
leading Turkish businessmen, Muharrem Kayhan, Sakip Sabanci, Sarik Tara
and Rahmi Koc and reports on their ideas about and Turkish economy.
/Hurriyet/
[15] FRENCH HISTORIAN DENIES THROWS LIGHT ON ARMENIAN MASSACRE
French historian Prof. Robert Mantran, who has written books on
Ottoman history, said that the meaning of the expression of "massacre"
has been used in a very general sense. Responding to questions from the
weekly Turkish Tempo magazine, Mantran said that Turks had also been
massacred in 1915 and that the Turkish government had to prove with
documents that not only Armenians but also Turks had been massacred.
/Hurriyet/
[16] KINKEL: "WE ARE READY TO HELP TURKEY"
German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel sent a message to his Turkish
counterpart Ismail Cem reflecting his and the German people's sadness
about the earthquake in Adana at the weekend. Kinkel said: "We are
ready to help Turkey to reconstruct the region. /Hurriyet/
[17] CLINTON AND WEIZMAN OFFER THEIR CONDOLENCES
US President Bill Clinton sent a message to President Suleyman
Demirel yesterday offering his condolences about the earthquake in
Adana, saying that they were ready to help in rescue operations. Also,
Israeli President Ezer Weizman called his Turkish counterpart Suleyman
Demirel yesterday to offer his condolences.
[18] TURKEY IS A MODEL IN TOURISM
Egypt and Tunisia take Turks as a model in touristic tour
operations in order to reach their targets in Europe. Both countries
would like to cooperate with Turkey in tour operations in Europe. Last
week, Egyptian tourism investors came to Istanbul to meet with their
Turkish counterparts to discuss cooperation opportunities in Europe and
exchange views. /Sabah/
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