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Turkish Press Review, 98-10-06
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
06.10.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] TURKEY: "PEACE NOT WAR"
[02] PKK TRAINED IN DAMASCUS
[03] US WARNS SYRIA
[04] TURKEY'S DIPLOMATIC ATTACK
[05] STATE MINISTER ATTENDS ECONOMIC MEETING
[06] DEMIREL,"DO NOT LEAVE RUSSIA"
[07] YILMAZ OPENS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION MEETING
[08] EU DISCUSSES CYPRUS ISSUE
[09] "DEFENCE" ADVANCES ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF TURKEY
[10] AKTUNA APPOINTED AS STATE MINISTER
[11] GERMAN COMMANDER IN ANKARA
[12] TURKEY JOINS FIGHT AGAINST LAND MINES
[01] TURKEY: "PEACE NOT WAR"
Despite the continuing tension between Turkey and Syria that is
verging on the edge of confrontation, General Ilhan Kilic said
yesterday that although a diplomatic solution to the deepening
crisis had not been found, war was not an alternative. He
stressed that the situation should not be exaggerated and that
the best strategies for dealing with the situation were already
in place.
Nevertheless the whole region is seething with reaction to the
heated threats being exchanged between Turkey and Syria over the
way Syria has supported and sheltered PKK terrorists who for
decades have worked against the regime in Turkey. Although most
of the gulf Arab states are showing more support for Damascus,
and Iraq has called on Turkey to withdraw military units from
northern Iraq, Ankara is standing firm and demanding that Syria
agree to proposals to destroy the PKK terror organization for
good.
Today Egyptian Head of State Husnu Mubarek will have talks with
President Suleyman Demirel, and the Syrian situation will most
certainly head the list of topics under discussion, despite the
fact that the Turkish Foreign Ministry denies that Mubarek is in
Turkey as some kind of mediator. President Demirel is expected to
convey to the Syrians via Mubarek that Syria must solve the PKK
problem because the terrorist organization is the cause of
increasing enmity between the two countries. Demirel will again
stress that if Syrian Head of State Hafiz Esad continues to give
support to the PKK, then the consequences will be severe.
With foreign journals like the "US News and World Report" also
reporting that Syria has been training PKK units to strike
targets in Turkey, the issue has become even more crucial to
Turkey's interests and must be solved. Ankara's calls to PKK
leader Abdullah Ocalan to surrender have long gone unheeded, but
with pressures building up on every side, the next few days might
see a solution. /All papers/
[02] PKK TRAINED IN DAMASCUS
According to the "U.S. News and World Report" magazine issued on
20 April, 1998, Syrian leader Hafiz Esad had decided to blow up
Birecik Dam, one of the most important dams included in Turkey's
giant GAP project, and that Syrian soldiers trained PKK militants
to carry out the plan. According to the report, Hafiz Esad, who
thinks Turkey will dry up the water resource of the River
Euphrates because of the dams and electric power plants being
constructed in the southeast Anatolia region of Turkey, wanted to
take revenge against Turkey by blowing up the dam. /Sabah/
[03] US WARNS SYRIA
U.S. Secretary of State Spokesman James Foley said that the US
wants a diplomatic solution in the Turkey-Syria crisis. Foley
said, "The PKK is a terrorist organization. It is known that
Syria has been supporting this terrorist organization. We call on
Syria to cut this support. It is also known that PKK leaders are
sheltered in Syria. Turkey has the right to carry out operations
in northern Iraq." /Sabah/
[04] TURKEY'S DIPLOMATIC ATTACK
Turkey is starting a diplomatic attack to deal with the Syrian
crisis through the offices of the UN Security Council, the
European Union, the European Council, NATO and the Islamic
Conference Organization. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will send
messages to the member countries of the organizations mentioned
above explaining the strong position of Turkey in relation to the
increasing tension between Turkey and Syria.
Representatives of the Turkish Foreign Ministry abroad will hold
contacts with officials of the countries where they are assigned
to explian Turkey's attitude and very justifiable reasons
regarding the Syrian crisis. /Sabah/
[05] STATE MINISTER ATTENDS ECONOMIC MEETING
State Minister Responsible for Economic Affairs Gunes Taner has
gone to Washington to attend the annual joint meeting of the IMF
and the World Bank. In a meeting with the Turkish press Taner
stated that the target for 1998 inflation was still reachable,
but there could be a slight deviation from the 1999 inflation
target. Taner said that despite all the problems, the ministry
had not prepared an additional budget. Nevertheless, the
government was insistent on the target set for holding down
inflation. He added, "Due to the global economic crisis we may
have to reset the target for 1999 at slightly over 20%." In
answer to a question on the global crisis and Turkey, Taner
replied, "At the moment nothing is clear. At first the bleeding
has to be stopped with aid during and after the elections in
Brazil. Secondly, the Asian countries have to be supported. The
third step to be taken on the matter will be to strengthen the
markets affected by the crisis with the support of the IMF and
the World Bank."
On President Clinton's proposal to aid countries not only
directly affected by the crisis, but also those likely to be
affected later by the crisis, Taner said, "Turkey is not in a
crisis, nor is it a candidate for a crisis. However we have some
worries due to uneasiness in the markets." /Hurriyet/
[06] DEMIREL,"DO NOT LEAVE RUSSIA"
President Suleyman Demirel yesterday stated that the US and
Europe would certainly find a way out of the economic crisis
rocking the whole world, and added that Turkish exporters should
not lose the markets they have gained. Demirel, speaking at the
opening of the First Foreign Trade Week said, 'Globalization is
an ocean where big fish eat little fish. Don't be little fish."
/Hurriyet/
[07] YILMAZ OPENS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION MEETING
A free market economy cannot exist in a country where competition
is banned or limited, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz declared
yesterday in Istanbul. Yilmaz, speaking at the opening of an
international symposium on competition, said that Turkey
supported free market economic policies since 1983, leading to
growth in the nation's trade with 135 countries. Yilmaz noted
that research and development was vital for the future growth of
Turkey. Representatives from 16 European and Asian countries and
several international organizations, are participating in the
two-day conference in Istanbul organized by the Turkish
Competition Board. /Hurriyet/
[08] EU DISCUSSES CYPRUS ISSUE
In a European Union (EU) foreign ministers summit meeting held in
Luxembourg, Greek and French foreign ministers clashed over the
decades-old Cyprus issue. During the meeting, in which the EU
"expansion process" was high on the agenda, French Foreign
Minister Hubert Vedrine opposed the unilateral inclusion of the
Southern Cypriot Administration in the "negotiation process"
talks to be held on November 10, suggesting that political
problems and geographic separation on the island would cause
serious problems. Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos , for
his part, said that discussion of the candidacy of a country
which is recognized by every country except Turkey, was futile.
The reactions of Germany and the Netherlands over the issue were
similar to that of France, though theirs were more moderate.
/Milliyet/
[09] "DEFENCE" ADVANCES ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF TURKEY
In its October issue, "Defence" magazine proposes that nearly 150
islands in the Aegean Sea belong to Turkey. An article entitled
"Turkish Islands Hidden in Aegean", argues that those islands are
an inheritance from the Ottoman Empire and that Greece lays claim
to islands to which it has no right under any agreement.
/Milliyet/
[10] AKTUNA APPOINTED AS STATE MINISTER
Yildirim Aktuna, Istanbul deputy from the Democratic Turkey Party
(DTP), has been appointed to the state ministry post which was
vacated with the resignation of Refaiddin Sahin. The appointment
was confirmed in the Official gazette yesterday. /All papers/
[11] GERMAN COMMANDER IN ANKARA
Land Forces Commander Atilla Ates on Monday received his German
counterpart, Lt. General Helmut Willmann reports the Anatolia
news agency. The visiting commander was greeted by Ates at the
Land Forces headquarters in Ankara. A meeting between the
commanders was closed to the press. General Willmann will leave
Turkey on October 8.
[12] TURKEY JOINS FIGHT AGAINST LAND MINES
Turkey has committed its support to a project signed by nine
European countries that forseeses the eradication of land mines
buried in the ground by utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles and
unmanned land vehicles. In accordance with the project, Turkey
will, with other countries, produce the technology that will be
used in detecting land mines from the air with infrared cameras
and destroying them with unmanned vehicles, reported the Anatolia
news agency yesterday. The project, in which Turkey has an 8
percent participation share, will cost an estimated 34 million
ECU.
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