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Turkish Press Review, 98-08-27
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
27.08.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL CELEBRATES MALAZGIRT VICTORY
[02] ECEVIT TO VISIT BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
[03] EXPO-98 FAIR
[04] TURKISH LIRA WILL NOT BE DEVALUED
[05] HEROIN OPERATION
[06] CREDIT FOR UNITED GARANTI
[07] PRIVATIZATION EFFORTS TO INCREASE
[08] RESCUE OPERATIONS FOR GREEK TANKER
[09] ELECTIONS FOR PATRIARCH IN OCTOBER
[10] TURKEY TO MAKE PEACE BETWEEN AFGHAN LEADERS
[11] 19 REPORTED DEAD IN OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTHEAST
[12] "TURKEY HAS UNTIL SEPTEMBER 25 TO DEMAND CAKICI'S EXTRADITION"
[13] MESUT YILMAZ TO VISIT MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES
[14] PRO-PKK OFFICE BANNED IN GERMANY
[15] TURKISH OFFICIALS DISCUSS PKK
[01] DEMIREL CELEBRATES MALAZGIRT VICTORY
President Suleyman Demirel attended the celebrations for the
927th anniversary of the Malazgirt Victory yesterday. Demirel,
who first made a tour of the Alparslan First Dam, construction of
which is underway in Mus, later participated in the celebrations
in Malazgirt. Demirel returned to Istanbul yesterday evening.
/Sabah/
[02] ECEVIT TO VISIT BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will visit Bosnia-Herzegovina
next week. Ecevit, who will go to Sarajevo on 29 August, will
meet with Chairman of the Bosnia-Herzegovinian Presidency
Council, Alia Izzetbegovic. Ecevit will also meet with
co-chairman of the Bosnia-Herzegovinian Council of Ministers
Haris Sladzic and Foreign Minister Jardanko Prlic. /Milliyet/
[03] EXPO-98 FAIR
Berna Yilmaz, the wife of Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz
arrived yesterday in Lisbon with a delegation of 28 to visit the
Expo-98 fair there. State Minister Cavit Kavak, Energy Minister
Cumhur Ersumer, deputy Chairman of the Motherland Party Yasar
Okuyan, and friends and businessmen were among the delegation
visiting Lisbon. After touring Expo-98 the delegation later
visited the museum founded by Nubar Gulbenkian. /Hurriyet/
[04] TURKISH LIRA WILL NOT BE DEVALUED
Visiting Russia at a time when the country has fallen into a deep
monetary crisis, State Minister Gunes Taner said that Turkey was
concerned over the latest developments in Russia, but added that
there was no cause to panic in Turkey. In his statement Taner
said that a devaluation of the Turkish Lira similar to that of
the Russian rouble was not in question. Adding that it is not
coincidental that he was the first minister responsible for the
economy to visit Russia, Taner said that Turkey was a friend of
Russia and that it would do everything in its power to help
Russia in these hard days. He added that Turkey would prove its
friendship by holding higher level contacts in the near future.
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz will visit Moscow in October.
/Hurriyet/
[05] HEROIN OPERATION
During an operation jointly carried out by the Istanbul Narcotics
Department and German Narcotics Department, five kilograms of
heroin were seized in Istanbul yesterday. In connection with the
incident, 15 people, including eight in Germany, were taken into
custody. /Sabah/
[06] CREDIT FOR UNITED GARANTI
The United Garanti Bank International (UGBI) in Holland,
affiliated to the Turkish Garanti Bank, has signed a syndication
credit worth $75 million. According to a statement made by the
UGBI, an agreement regarding the credit was signed in Amsterdam
yesterday. A total of 19 banks participated in the credit.
/Sabah/
[07] PRIVATIZATION EFFORTS TO INCREASE
Head of the Privatization Administration Ugur Bayar said that
80-90 % of their privatization income target, which they
announced earlier as $4.5 billion for 1998, has been achieved.
Bayar noted that the fourth quarter of the year would be full of
privatization initiatives. Bayar made a speech at a meeting of
Ankara Chambers of Industry yesterday and stated that political
stability was essential for the achievement of privatization
targets. /Sabah/
[08] RESCUE OPERATIONS FOR GREEK TANKER
Rescue operations are continuing for a Greek tanker, which went
aground in the Bosphorus Straits due to a technical failure two
days ago. One vessel and five Coastal Security Administration
tugs are participating in the rescue operations. Officials noted
yesterday that the giant tanker is carrying 170,000 tons of crude
oil, 20,000 tons of which will be transhipped to another vessel.
Officials said that traffic through the straits could be affected
during these rescue operations. /Sabah/
[09] ELECTIONS FOR PATRIARCH IN OCTOBER
Deputy Patriarch of Armenians living in Turkey, Sahan Sivaciyan,
visited Istanbul Governor Erol Cakir yesterday. Noting that an
election board had been established for the election of the
Patriarch and that Chairman of the Board Pilo Atan was continuing
his initiatives, Cakir said that Armenians living in Turkey could
elect their patriarch according to their own free will. Sivaciyan
said for his part that the elections would be held in October.
/Sabah/
[10] TURKEY TO MAKE PEACE BETWEEN AFGHAN LEADERS
Afghan leader General Rashid Dostum came to Ankara yesterday
after attending meetings in Iran about establishing an opposition
front against Taleban forces in Afghanistan. It is reported that
Another Afghan leader, Malik Khan came to Ankara 20 days ago.
Turkish officials are trying to establish peace between the two
leaders.
Dostum had meetings with technical level officials in the
National Intelligence Service (MIT) yesterday and later in the
week he is expected to meet with deputy Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and State Minister Ahad
Andican. /Cumhuriyet/
[11] 19 REPORTED DEAD IN OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTHEAST
19 people have been killed in operations conducted by Turkish
security forces against the PKK in southeastern and eastern
Turkey. The regional security centre in Diyarbakir said that 12
members of the PKK and two Turkish soldiers had been killed
during the clashes. Military sources reported that operations
would continue in the region.
Five other PKK militants have been killed in the eastern Anatolia
province of Erzincan. /Cumhuriyet/Sabah/
[12] "TURKEY HAS UNTIL SEPTEMBER 25 TO DEMAND CAKICI'S EXTRADITION"
Turkey has until September 25 to request the extradition of
underground figure Alaattin Cakici, wanted in Turkey on charges
of murder, Foreign Ministry spokesman Necati Utkan said on
Wednesday.
In his weekly press conference Necati Utkan said that the Foreign
Ministry was closely following the current situation of Turkmens
who are under attack from Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP)
forces, adding that Turkey attached great importance to
supporting the Turkmen tribes people. /Sabah/Cumhuriyet/
[13] MESUT YILMAZ TO VISIT MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz will visit Jordan, Israel and the
Palestinian Administration between September 5-8. According to a
statement from the Prime Ministry Press Office, Yilmaz will be in
Jordan on September 5-6 and will have talks in Israel and with
the Palestinian leadership between September 7-8. The prime
minister will be accompanied by businessmen and journalists
during his Mideast tour. /Milliyet/
[14] PRO-PKK OFFICE BANNED IN GERMANY
The Interior Ministry of the German Federal State of Hessen has
banned the actvities of the "International Frankfurt People's
House". In a written statement released by Hessen's Interior
Ministry and quoted by Anatolian news agency on Wednesday, it was
declared that the organization acted as if it were performing all
the functions of the previously closed "Frankfurt Kurdistan
Information Center".
[15] TURKISH OFFICIALS DISCUSS PKK
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, General Hilmi Ozkok, Second
Commander-in Chief of the General Staff and General Secretary of
the National Security Council (MGK) Ergin Celasin, met yesterday
in the Foreign Ministry to discuss PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's
recent plans to seek a political base in Europe. They drafted the
strategy that Turkish Representations will apply against the
PKK's political campaign abroad.
At the meeting, Russia's recent decision to establish a military
facility in southern Cyprus was also discussed. /Cumhuriyet/
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