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Turkish Press Review, 98-11-03
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
03.11.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL URGES IMPROVEMENTS IN TURKISH AVIATION SAFETY
[02] YILMAZ VISITS TRNC
[03] POLICE ARREST ISLAMIST TERRORISTS
[04] TURKEY CRITICIZES ECHR
[05] TUSIAD RENEWS PLEA FOR TURKEY'S FULL EU MEMBERSHIP
[06] FAFT TO LOOK AT MONEY LAUNDERING
[07] ANKARA RING ROAD OPENS
[08] FOREIGN DEBT PAYMENTS
[09] TPAO PRODUCES 9.5 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL
[10] EREZ IN CUBA
[11] INTENSE TRAFFIC IN FOREIGN TRADE
[12] TURCO-GERMAN RELATIONS
[13] OPERATION IN TUNCELI
[14] TWO IMPORTANT MESSAGES FOR TURKEY
[15] AZERI MINISTER MERDANOV TO VISIT TURKEY
[16] INTERNATIONAL PRINTING AND PAPER INDUSTRY FAIR IN ISTANBUL
[17] "TURKISH BANKS WILL OVERCOME ECONOMIC CRISIS"
[18] INVESTMENTS IN KAZAKHSTAN
[19] AMERICAN BUSINESSMEN TO GAP REGION
[20] INONU IN BAKU
[21] NEW PLANES TO THY
[01] DEMIREL URGES IMPROVEMENTS IN TURKISH AVIATION SAFETY
President Suleyman Demirel yesterday urged the Turkish government
to improve aviation safety in Turkish airspace. Inaugurating the
First Turkish Aviation Council meeting in Istanbul, Demirel
proposed that the government establish a more effective
regulatory agency to monitor aircraft safety as well as prevent
private radio and television braodcasts from interfering with
aviation communication. During the three-day meeting, civilian
and military aviation authorities and executives of private
airline companies will discuss administration and planning in the
Turkish aviation sector, human resources, flight safety,
international relations and infrastructure. One area of focus
will be the planned privatization of Turkish Airlines (THY)
sometime next year. /All papers/
[02] YILMAZ VISITS TRNC
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz pays a one-day working visit to the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) today for
consultations, a Foreign Ministry statement said yesterday.
Yilmaz, accompanied by Sukru Sina Gurel, state minister
responsible for relations with the EU and Cyprus affairs, will
have talks with TRNC President Rauf Denktas and members of the
TRNC Cabinet. During the talks, the two sides are expected to
outline additional political and economic measures to enforce
their relationship. /All papers/
[03] POLICE ARREST ISLAMIST TERRORISTS
Istanbul Governor Erol Cakir said at a press conference yesterday
that 23 members of the illegal Anatolian Federated Islamic State
(AFID) organization had been captured. AFID had planned a suicide
attack on Anitkabir, Ataturk's Mausoleum in Ankara, on October
29. Governor Cakir said that the police organized one of the
biggest operations in its history and 23 terrorists were caught.
Metin Kaplan, the leader of the organization, has been accused of
directing the operations from Cologne, Germany. Cakir added that
the legal process for the extradition of Metin Kaplan had
started. /Milliyet/
[04] TURKEY CRITICIZES ECHR
Justice Minister Hasan Denizkurdu has expressed discontent with
recent rulings of the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR) and has warned that Turks were losing faith in the
court due to its politically-loaded and biased, anti-Turkey
decisions. Denizkurdu, who is in Strasbourg for the inauguration
of the restructured ECHR, the judicial body of the Council of
Europe, met yesterday with the ECHR's new chief judge, Luzius
Wildhaber. /All papers/
[05] TUSIAD RENEWS PLEA FOR TURKEY'S FULL EU MEMBERSHIP
Two days before the EU Executive Commission is scheduled to
present a 'progress report' on Turkey, the Turkish
Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) renewed
their plea for deepening of ties between Turkey and the EU. The
TUSIAD said yesterday that the Turco-EU Customs Union, launched
three years ago, should be expanded and that Turkey should
gradually become a full member. One the eve of the progress
report for Turkey, TUSIAD warned against discrimination: "The EU
treatment of the other candidate countries, both in terms of
financial package and access to cooperation programmes,
constitutes another dimension of comparison which points out the
shortcomings of the EU policy toward Turkey". /Milliyet/
[06] FAFT TO LOOK AT MONEY LAUNDERING
Patrick Moulette, an official of the Financial Action Task Force
(FAFT), is coming to Turkey with an accompanying delegation today
to examine developments in Turkey concerning its struggle against
dirty money. Moulette told the Anatolia news agency that the FAFT
delegation would have talks with officials of the Finance
Ministry's Financial Crime Examination Board, Police Department
officials and representatives of the banking sector.
[07] ANKARA RING ROAD OPENS
The Ankara ring road was opened by Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz
yesterday. At the opening, he said that transport is an
indispensable part of development and added that, no matter how
successful a country is in other sectors, it cannot reach its aim
of becoming a developed country unless it develops a
well-functioning transportation system.
Giving a speech at the opening ceremony of the 114-kilometer-long
ring road, Yilmaz noted that Turkey had huge targets for the 21st
century and to achieve them its government has to provide the
country with the most modern infrastructure. The Ankara ring road
will enable vehicles to pass through Ankara without entering the
city centre.
[08] FOREIGN DEBT PAYMENTS
Turkey has repaid a total of $9.996 billion in foreign debts
since the beginning of this year, the Anatolia news agency
reports. The Central Bank data shows that the Treasury paid
$8.315 billion, the Central Bank repaid $303.4 million, the
Ministry of National Defense and the Defense Industry paid $1.202
billion and the Defense Fund paid $175.8 million in foreign debts
between January 1 and October 30, 1998. Meanwhile, a total of
$393.2 million in foreign debts was repaid in October.
[09] TPAO PRODUCES 9.5 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL
The Turkish Petroleum Corp. (TPAO) produced 9 million 474
thousand barrels of crude oil in southeastern Adiyaman province,
which has the highest known oil reserves in Turkey, the Anatolia
news agency reports. The TPAO, which aims to increase the
production with the methods for drilling the whole oil, carries
out test-production activities in Kilis and Sanliurfa provinces
and exploration activities in Gaziantep and Hatay.
[10] EREZ IN CUBA
Yalim Erez, Minister of Industry and Trade, who has gone to
Havana, the capital of Cuba, for the opening of the Havana Fair,
has started his contacts there. Noting that Cuba is an important
market for Turkish goods and this country needs consumption
goods, Erez pointed out that Turkish goods can be exported to
Latin American countries by the exportation that will be realized
to the region. Erez stated that the dimensions of trade can
increase by providing sufficient financial opportunity by
Eximbank, the Anatolia news agency reports.
[11] INTENSE TRAFFIC IN FOREIGN TRADE
Ozkan Aydin, Chairman of the Promotion and Fairs Department of
Directorate General of Exports of the Foreign Trade
Undersecretariat, has said that a total of 20 different foreign
trade visits were organized since 1995. Stressing that Turkey
will participate in 71 different fairs next year, Aydin said that
the total export-links, which were established by the visits
abroad since 1995, reached $350 million as of the end of 1998,
the Anatolia news agency reports.
[12] TURCO-GERMAN RELATIONS
The fifth meeting of the Turco-German Cooperation Council, which
aims to develop economic relations between Turkey and Germany,
will be held in Germany on November 5-6, the Anatolia news agency
reported yesterday. According to a statement issued by the
Foreign Ministry, representatives from official and private
institutions will participate in the meeting of the council
established in 1993. Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary
Ambassador Korkmaz Haktanir and German Foreign Ministry State
Secretary Hans Friedrich will be the co-chairmen of the meeting.
[13] OPERATION IN TUNCELI
A military vehicle hit a mine in Tunceli and three security
officials have been wounded. Following the incident, operations
have started and 10 members of the PKK terrorist organization
have been killed. Officials noted that operations in the region
were continuing. /Milliyet/
[14] TWO IMPORTANT MESSAGES FOR TURKEY
German Prime Minister Gerhard Schroeder has given a message that
there is no obstacle for Turkey's full EU membership. Schroeder,
who made his first official visit to Britain, met with British
Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday. Schroeder said: "Religion is
not an obstacle for European Union (EU) membership. The EU door
is open for Turkey". Blair said for his part that Turkey should
exert efforts to become a full EU member. /Milliyet/
[15] AZERI MINISTER MERDANOV TO VISIT TURKEY
Azerbaijani National Education Minister Misir Merdanov will visit
Turkey. Merdanov, who will meet with Turkish National Education
Minister Hikmet Ulugbay, will receive information about education
system in Turkey. Ulugbay noted that they would evaluate
education potential between the two countries. /Milliyet/
[16] INTERNATIONAL PRINTING AND PAPER INDUSTRY FAIR IN ISTANBUL
The Eighth International Printing and Paper Industry Fair opened
yesterday in Istanbul. 850 domestic and foreign firms are
attending the fair. Organizers of the fair reported that Middle
Eastern and Turkish-Speaking countries were highly represented in
the fair besides the first three biggest firms in printing
industry in the world, Heidelberg, Iberica and Muller. /Sabah/
[17] "TURKISH BANKS WILL OVERCOME ECONOMIC CRISIS"
A report prepared by the rating institution Standard and Poor's
said that private Turkish banks would overcome the present global
crisis despite the economic chaos going on in international
markets. The report added that Turkish banks which had experience
in tackling with inflation and working in taugh situations were
powerful enough to overcome the present global economic crisis.
/Sabah/
[18] INVESTMENTS IN KAZAKHSTAN
Investments of Turkish businessmen in Kazakhstan have been
increasing. Director of the Kazakhstan State Investment
Committee, Anuar Saydenov said that Turkish businessmen had made
$65 million investment in Kazakhstan last year whereas the total
investment for the first six months in 1998 was $ 65.6 million.
Saydenov added that Turkey and Canada were the two countries
making direct investments in Kazakhstan. /Sabah/
[19] AMERICAN BUSINESSMEN TO GAP REGION
A group of American businessmen will come to Turkey to make
investments in Ataturk Dam, Koruklu Research Centre and Sanliurfa
Organized Site. State Ministry responsible for the Southeastern
Anatolia Project (GAP) announced that American businessmen will
come to Turkey on 10 November with the organization of Economy
Undersecretariat of Turkish Embassy in Washington and lobby firms
conducted Turkey's promotion in the US. The aim of the trip is to
determine the profitable investment areas in the region, added
the announcement. /Sabah/
[20] INONU IN BAKU
Former Deputy Prime Minister Prof. Erdal Inonu went to Baku,
Azerbaijan upon an invitation of the Baku Sciences Faculty
yesterday. In his speech at the Faculty Inonu said that there is
democracy and multi-party system in Turkey adding that Turkey was
going on the way which Ataturk showed 75 years ago. Inonu noted
that Turkey would like to improve its relations with Azerbaijan
in scientific, economic and cultural areas. /Sabah/
[21] NEW PLANES TO THY
Six of the 26 Boeing type airplanes were handed over yesterday to
Turkish Airlines (THY). At the end of the ceremony to be held
tomorrow with the participation of Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz
and other high ranking officials, new planes will make
demonstration flights over Istanbul. /Hurriyet/
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