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Turkish Press Review, 98-06-30
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
30.06.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] RESCUE OPERATIONS CONTINUE IN EARTHQUAKE ZONE
[02] PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE CENTRE IN ANKARA
[03] US POLITICIANS ARRIVE IN TURKEY
[04] GARANTI BECOMES FCI MEMBER
[05] TURKISH DELEGATION TO VISIT TRNC IN JULY
[06] SYRIA CALLS FOR DIALOGUE
[07] CONDOLENCES FROM ALIYEV
[08] AKMAYA-ORTEKS WINS POAS TENDER
[09] NSC MEETING
[10] DENKTAS: GECITKALE BASE TO BE KEPT OPERATIONAL
[11] SCHUESSEL PROMISES NEW PAGE IN TURCO-EU RELATIONS
[12] RULING UBP VICTORY IN TRNC LOCAL POLLS
[13] YUCELEN IN PORTUGAL
[14] IZZETBEGOVIC IN ISTANBUL
[15] INDIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER IN ANKARA
[16] US-TURKISH TEXTILE MEETING IN ISTANBUL
[17] TANER IN LONDON
[18] RAMSTORE IN KAZAKHSTAN
[19] FOUR PKK MEMBERS ARRESTED IN IZMIR
[01] RESCUE OPERATIONS CONTINUE IN EARTHQUAKE ZONE
Rescue teams from the National Civil Defence Organization,
supported by the members of the Exploration and Evacuation Asociation
(AKUT), have so far been very successful in their operations carried out
in the southern city of Adana, and the Ceyhan district nearly 40
kilometres east of Adana, epicentres of an earthquake which registered
6.3 on the Richter Scale and triggering the destruction of many building
and killing at least 120 people on Saturday. One of the heads of the
National Defence Organization said yesterday that the volunteers from
AKUT, including renowned mountaineer Nasuh Mahruki, have been very
helpful in the rescue operations with their patient labour and knowledge
of techniques. A 45 year-old teacher, Hatice Eker, was rescued alive
from the remains of a huge building in Ceyhan 49 hours after the
earthquake.
People in the quake area are not entering their houses after
warning messages by seismologists that shocks following the quake might
totally destroy houses damaged by the quake. According to the latest
casualty reports, the death toll has risen 120. /Hurriyet/
[02] PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE CENTRE IN ANKARA
A Partnership for Peace (PFP) training centre set up by the Turkish
Armed Forces in NATO's southern flank was opened in Ankara yesterday.
Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen.Cevik Bir delivered a speech at the
opening ceremony and said that the protection of peace was harder than
waging war and added that peace could be achieved through dialogue,
cooperation, openness, mutual respect and goodwill. Commander of the
PFP Training Centre Staff Colonel Cengiz Kurkcu said for his part that
the PFP consisted of 43 countries including 16 NATO member countries.
Kurkcu noted that within the framework of PFP activities, 1,555 military
staff have been trained in Turkey to date and 1,172 military staff were
still being trained. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, Director of the
International Military Headquarters of NATO, Lieutenant General
O.L.Kandborg, Head of the Southern European Allied Forces Major General
Ton Kolsteren and generals from 16 NATO countries and 27 PFP countries
attended the ceremony. /Hurriyet/
[03] US POLITICIANS ARRIVE IN TURKEY
Representatives of the American Council of Young Political Leaders
(ACYPL), an influential institution, which prepares young politicians at
international levels, will arrive in Turkey today. A delegation of nine
people will hold contacts in Ankara and Istanbul and will also visit the
Southeast Anataolian Project (GAP). /Hurriyet/
[04] GARANTI BECOMES FCI MEMBER
The Garanti Bank has become a member of Factors Chain
International, the biggest factoring organization in the world.
According to a statement made by Garanti Bank, Garanti Bank, which began
international factoring services in 1997, is the only Turkish bank which
provides international factoring services. The FCI has 134 members from
48 countries. /Hurriyet/
[05] TURKISH DELEGATION TO VISIT TRNC IN JULY
A delegation headed by President Suleyman Demirel will visit the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on July 20. The delegation
will include Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, National Defense
Minister Ismet Sezgin, State Ministers Husamettin Ozkan, Sukru Sina
Gurel, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, Deputy Chief of General Staff
Gen.Cevik Bir and many other high-level officials. With this visit, a
message will be given that Turkey will always side with the TRNC.
/Hurriyet/
[06] SYRIA CALLS FOR DIALOGUE
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Adnan Omran will visit Ankara
tomorrow to hold contacts with Turkish Foreign Ministry officials.
Omran will pay a two-day visit to Turkey as the official guest of
Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Korkmaz Haktanir. /Hurriyet/
[07] CONDOLENCES FROM ALIYEV
Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev sent a message of condolence to
Turkish President Suleyman Demirel yesterday following the earthquake,
which has so far taken 120 lives in Adana. Aliyev noted that he shared
Turkey's pain and wished recovery for those injured during the
earthquake. /Hurriyet/
[08] AKMAYA-ORTEKS WINS POAS TENDER
A partnership between the Akmaya and Orteks companies has led to a
51 % stake in state petroleum distributor Petrol Ofisi Company (POAS), a
key element in the government's privatization plans. The two companies
made the highest bid of $1.16 billion for a share in the state-owned
company at a live televised bidding session. POAS operates 5,677 out of
more than 8,000 petrol stations across Turkey and has a 51 % market
share in sales terms. /All papers/
[09] NSC MEETING
A National Security Council (NSC) meeting, which convened early
yesterday in Ankara, lasted five hours and mainly focused on foreign
policy issues of major concern, such as the recent tensions with Greece
over Cyprus. The NSC meeting decided that emergency rule should still
apply in six Southeastern provinces: Diyarbakir, Van, Hakkari, Siirt,
Sirnak and Tunceli, and be extended for four months more starting from
July 30, a statement from the NSC secretariat announced.
The statement said that the NSC had also decided that a temporary
village guards system should be implemented, that preparations for the
system be completed and that the Cabinet should be kept informed of its
development. /All papers/
[10] DENKTAS: GECITKALE BASE TO BE KEPT OPERATIONAL
President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf
Denktas said yesterday that all necessary measures were being taken to
keep Gecitkale Airport operational as a military base. "Since a
military air base has been provided for the utilization of Greek
military aircarft in the south, Gecitkale air base will be used as a
permanent military base ready to operate at any second" Denktas was
quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency.
[11] SCHUESSEL PROMISES NEW PAGE IN TURCO-EU RELATIONS
New European Union (EU) term president Austria's Foreign Minister
Wolfgang Schuessel predicted yesterday a 'new page' in troubled
EU-Turkey relations, while giving an outline of his six-month long
portfolio as the new presidency holder. Schuessel noted that the
Cardiff conclusions had been well received in Ankara and that the
Austrian term presidency will attach special importance to holding an
early Association Council meeting between Turkey and the EU, the
Anatolia news agency reported. Underlining that the impasse in
relations should be cleared, the foreign minister said that during its
term, Austria will try to bring the "European Strategy for Turkey" to
life, enhancing Turkey's stability and its Western vocation.
[12] RULING UBP VICTORY IN TRNC LOCAL POLLS
The centre-right National Unity Party (UBP), the major partner of
the ruling coalition in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC),
clinched a major victory in the local elections in the country,
according to unofficial results yesterday. /All papers/
[13] YUCELEN IN PORTUGAL
State Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen went to Lisbon on Sunday to take
over the term presidency of EUREKA on 30 June in the name of Turkey,
reported the Anatolia news agency. Yucelen said that Turkey would be
the new term president of European Universities and Research
Coordination Committee (EUREKA) starting July 1, adding: "Our term
presidency will speed up the transition process of Turkey over to the
European Union (EU)."
[14] IZZETBEGOVIC IN ISTANBUL
Bosnia-Herzegovina President Alia Izzetbegovic arrived yesterday in
Istanbul. Izzetbegovic will be presented today with an honorary
doctorate from Marmara University during a ceremony which President
Suleyman Demirel will also attend. /Cumhuriyet/
[15] INDIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER IN ANKARA
Indian Lower Assembly Parliament speaker, G.M.C Balayogi and an
accompanying delegation arrived in Ankara yesterday as the official
guests of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA). Balayogi visited
his Turkish counterpart Hikmet Cetin. During the visit Balayogi said
that India always supported peace and wanted to improve its relations
with Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/
[16] US-TURKISH TEXTILE MEETING IN ISTANBUL
The Istanbul Textile and Ready-to-Wear Exporters' Union (TIM)
organized a seminar on "US Textile and Ready-to-Wear Market Conditions
and New Opportunities", yesterday in Istanbul. At the seminar ways to
increase textile exports to the US, which is the second biggest export
market of Turkey after the European Union (EU), were discussed.
Chairman of TIM Okan Oguz said that the US was an important export
market for Turkey, and that Turkey was looking for ways to increase its
export rate to that country. Oguz added that Turkey had increased its
exports to the US by 49 percent to the US. /Cumhuriyet/
[17] TANER IN LONDON
Immediately after he returned from America, State Minister Gunes
Taner went yesterday to London. Before his departure Taner said:
"Following the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF),
Turkey is now looking for new sources to finance its economy".
Meanwhile, Member of the Executive Board of the Istanbul Trade
Union, Mehmet Yildirim said that the recent agreement between Turkey and
the IMF was a positive step forward in regard to the Turkish economy.
He added that the agreement would bring relief to the domestic market.
/Sabah/
[18] RAMSTORE IN KAZAKHSTAN
The Turkish Koc Company and its Kazakh partner laid the foundations
yesterday for a culture and trade center in Almati. Turkish Ambassador
to Kazakhstan, Kurtulus Taskent and Almati Mayor Viktor Hrapunov also
attended the ceremony. The project will cost almost $ 26 million and
will be completed in six months. It will be constructed entirely by
Turkish firms. /Sabah/
[19] FOUR PKK MEMBERS ARRESTED IN IZMIR
Four members of the PKK terrorist organization, already involved in
three bomb attacks and who were planning to attack tourists and military
targets, were arrested yesterday together with four other people who
support. The four, trained for bomb attacks in Greece were brought to
Izmir illegally in Greek-owned high speed boats. /Hurriyet/
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