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Turkish Press Review, 98-09-23
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
23.09.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] CEM IN NEW YORK
[02] DENKTAS PROPOSES COMMISSION
[03] CELEBRATIONS FOR 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF TURKISH REPUBLIC
[04] ACADEMIC SUPPORT FOR TURCO-GERMAN RELATIONS
[05] TURCO-IRANIAN SECURITY MEETINGS
[06] KURDISH FEDERATION AGREEMENT
[07] NGOs MEET IN PARIS
[08] PKK OPERATION IN ISTANBUL
[09] CYPRUS CONCERN IN EU
[10] ONE YEAR FOR CAKICI
[11] 21 PKK TERRORISTS KILLED
[12] IRAN: SAHAP-3 MISSILES DO NOT TARGET TURKEY
[13] 12 TURKS AMONG 600 LEADING FINANCIAL FIGURES
[14] EUROPEAN COUNCIL AWARDS TURKISH HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION
[15] SYRIA DENOUNCES TURKEY
[16] SHARP INCREASE IN ISTANBUL STOCK EXCHANGE
[17] THREAD AND TEXTILES EXPORTS
[18] HASH OPERATION
[01] CEM IN NEW YORK
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, who is in New York for the 53rd UN
General Assembly, said yesterday that the stance assumed by
Turkey regarding relations with the European Union (EU) following
the Luxembourg summit has yielded positive results. Cem met with
EU Commissioner for Foreign Relations Hans Van Den Broek
yesterday, and during their meeting, a strategy to prepare Turkey
for full EU membership was taken up. Following the meeting, Broek
said: "The EU Commission is working hard on the Cardiff document,
which includes a European strategy for Turkey aiming to bring
Turkey and the EU closer". Broek promised that the EU would exert
efforts for releasing EU financial assistance to Turkey.
Foreign Minister Cem also met with his Spanish counterpart Abel
Matutes. It is reported that during the meeting, the Cyprus issue
was taken up. Matutes gave a message that the European countries
were expecting new proposals instead of the establishment of a
Confederation in Cyprus from Turkish Cypriot President Rauf
Denktas. Cem said for his part that Turkey regarded the proposals
of Denktas as "serious". /Sabah/
[02] DENKTAS PROPOSES COMMISSION
President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf
Denktas proposed yesterday the establishment of a joint
independent commission to deal with the settlement of property
and compensation issues on the divided island. "There is an
independent commission dealing with the issue of missing people.
A similar commission for property and compensation can be set up
on the basis of mutually agreed processes and criteria" Denktas
was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency.
[03] CELEBRATIONS FOR 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF TURKISH REPUBLIC
The 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic
will also be celebrated in the Romanian capital of Bucharest.
According to a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the
Turkish Businessmen's Association (TIAD), which includes 120
Turkish businessmen whose firms are operating in various
industrial sectors in Bucharest, will organize various activities
in Bucharest in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the
Turkish Republic, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.
[04] ACADEMIC SUPPORT FOR TURCO-GERMAN RELATIONS
Fifteen lecturers from Munich University in Germany arrived in
Turkey yesterday to contribute to the further development of
Turkish-German relations. The German lecturers will later proceed
on to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and meet
with TRNC President Rauf Denktas there, the Anatolia news agency
reports.
[05] TURCO-IRANIAN SECURITY MEETINGS
A delegation headed by Hossein Mirzai Mutahhar, Security General
Director of the Iranian Interior Ministry, arrived in Turkey
yesterday. The delegation met with Turkish Deputy Undersecretary
of the Interior Ministry Sami Sonmez. The delegation will hold
meetings on the struggle against smuggling, organized crime and
terrorism. The delegation will leave Turkey on September 25, the
Anatolia news agency reports.
[06] KURDISH FEDERATION AGREEMENT
It is reported that a peace agreement signed in the US between
Mesut Barzani, Chairman of the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party
(IKDP) and Celal Talabani, Chairman of the Iraqi Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan (IPUK) includes some elements which could be used to
establish a Kurdish state. When the Washington administration
sent a copy of the agreement document to Turkey, it was found
that there is a sentence which refers to an "Iraqi Kurdish
Federation" in the document. Ankara has conveyed its concern to
the US administration verbally. The Turkish Foreign Ministry will
hand a note to Britain, which also played an important role in
the preparation of the agreement. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] NGOs MEET IN PARIS
Institutions which are against the Multilateral Agreement for
Investments (MAI), are organizing various activities to inform
world public opinion of their views. "21-29 September
International Action Week Against MAI" has started. Over 700
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from 70 countries, which
constitute the International Coalition Against MAI, will hold
meetings in Paris and outline a "Societies Agreement" prepared as
an alternative for MAI. A Turkish Working Group including
Chairman of the Confederation of Progressive Labour Unions (DISK)
Ridvan Budak will attend the meetings in Paris. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] PKK OPERATION IN ISTANBUL
Members of the Istanbul Department for the Struggle Against
Terrorism arrested 10 members of the PKK terrorist organization
yesterday and seized one pistol and many organizational
documents. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] CYPRUS CONCERN IN EU
While US and UN initiatives are continuing for a solution to the
Cyprus problem, three important members of the European Union
(EU), France, Italy and Spain have given significant messages to
EU Term-President Austria. EU Representatives of these three
countries have noted that if a solution in Cyprus cannot be
achieved in a one year time, they will veto the application of
the Greek Cypriot Administration for full EU membership.
Meanwhile, according to the news in the Greek press, if the
stance assumed by these three countries continues, Greece will
veto the entry of five countries which are currently holding
negotiations for full EU membership. /Cumhuriyet/
[10] ONE YEAR FOR CAKICI
The second hearing of the case opened against Alaaddin Cakici,
head of a large criminal organization in Turkey, and his
bodyguard, Muradi Guler, will be held tomorrow in Nice, Paris. It
is expected that the case will end during this hearing. Cakici is
expected to be sentenced to between three months and one year's
inprisonment for his crimes against French law. /Milliyet/
[11] 21 PKK TERRORISTS KILLED
In a military operation organized by security forces in and
around Hakkari, Mardin, Tunceli and Van against the PKK terrorist
organization, a total of 21 terrorists and two policemen have
died. /Sabah/
[12] IRAN: SAHAP-3 MISSILES DO NOT TARGET TURKEY
Iranian Sahap-3 missiles do not target "friendly and brotherly"
country Turkey, the Iranian Embassy in Ankara asserted in a
written statement yesterday. The statement was issued in response
to claims by Israeli Ambassador in Ankara Uri Bar-Ner, who has
maintained that the Iranian missiles pose a threat to Turkey as
well. /All papers/
[13] 12 TURKS AMONG 600 LEADING FINANCIAL FIGURES
In an article printed in the October issue of Global, a US
finance magazine, entitled "600 Strongest Persons in Financial
World", 12 Turks, including businessmen and economic bureaucrats,
are also mentioned. /Hurriyet/
[14] EUROPEAN COUNCIL AWARDS TURKISH HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION
The Turkish Human Rights Foundation shares the "Human Rights
Award," given by the European Commission once every three years,
with Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolari Movement in Italy,
and the Justice Committee in Ireland. /Milliyet/
[15] SYRIA DENOUNCES TURKEY
Syria denounced Turkey yesterday for deploying troops in Northern
Iraq. It declared that this movement aimed at changing the Arab
identity in the region. Syria claimed that Turkey, in fact, wants
to "occupy" the region. /Milliyet/
[16] SHARP INCREASE IN ISTANBUL STOCK EXCHANGE
Following the announcement by Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz of a
package of measures to restore stsbility in the Istanbul Stock
Exchange (IMKB), and a global upward trend in stock exchange
trading, IMKB surged yesterday by 9.39 percent. The IMKB trade
index increased by 201 points to 2,342. /Milliyet/
[17] THREAD AND TEXTILES EXPORTS
Exports of thread and textiles from the Southeastern Anatolia
Project (GAP) region in the first eight months of the year
increased by 39.5 % to $180.468 million, the Anatolia news agency
reports. Chairman of the Southeastern Anatolia Union of
Exporters, Abdulkadir Cikmaz, said that in the January-August
1998 period, they exported thread and textiles to Kazakhstan,
Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Romania, Azerbaijan, Syria, Saudia
Arabia, the US, Italy, Belgium, Jordan, France, Spain, Lebanon,
Israel, Portugal, Russia, Greece and Algeria.
[18] HASH OPERATION
According to a statement made by the Security Department, during
operations carried out by members of the department in the
struggle against smuggling and organized crimes, 87 kilograms of
hashish were seized yesterday in Malatya. Nine people were taken
into custody in connection with the incident, the Anatolia news
agency reported yesterday.
Meanwhile, during operations in the Cumayeri district of Bolu,
10.5 kilograms of hashish were confiscated. Two people were taken
into custody. The market value of the hashish totals TL 6
billion. Investigations into the incidents are continuing.
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