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Turkish Press Review, 98-11-11
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
11.11.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL VISITS TURKMENISTAN
[02] FOREIGN MINISTER CEM IN CHILE
[03] ANKARA CONCERNS OVER IRAQ-UN CRISIS
[04] NO NEWS ABOUT OCALAN
[05] EU-GREEK CYPRIOT ADIMINISTRATION MEETINGS
[06] 13 TURKISH SOLDIERS AND SIX VILLAGE GUARDS DIE
[07] TREASURY ISSUES BONDS WORTH DM 600 MILLION
[08] CLINTON'S LETTER TO YILMAZ
[09] UNSUCCESSFUL S-300 POLICY OF KLERIDES
[10] HALIL MUTLU RECEIVES THREE GOLDEN MEDALS
[11] TURKEY-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION
[12] DRUG OPERATION IN ISTANBUL
[13] YILMAZ WARNS EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
[14] THE GUARDIAN: "SADDAM PROTECTS PKK"
[15] GREEK CYPRIOTS FIRE ON TURKISH CYPRIOT SENTRY-BOX
[16] 'KOHL BLOCKED TURKEY'S EU MEMBERSHIP'
[17] BACK TO ANKARA PROCESS
[18] WEU MINISTERIAL MEETING NEXT WEEK
[19] YASED MEETING IN ISTANBUL
[20] WASHINGTON TERMS MED TV 'TERRORIST'
[21] ISTANBUL CITY COUNCIL TO ELECT NEW MAYOR
[22] ATATURK COMMEMORATED
[23] BOOK ON ATATURK
[24] GERMAN OFFICIALS WARNED ON TERRORISM
[01] DEMIREL VISITS TURKMENISTAN
President Suleyman Demirel will visit Turkmenistan today as the
official guest of Turkmen Head of State Saparmurat Turkmenbasi.
During the visit, bilateral relations between Turkey and
Turkmenistan will be taken up. The visit aims to further develop
these relations, the Anatolia news agency reports. Demirel will
proceed on to Kyrgyzstan on November 13.
[02] FOREIGN MINISTER CEM IN CHILE
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem was met by a group of students
singing the Turkish National Anthem in Spanish during a visit to
a school he made on the Chile leg of his South American tour. The
previous day Cem had come together with the Chilean Foreign
Minister. During the meeting, an agreement on supporting Turkey's
candidacy for the UN Security Council was reiterated.
/Cumhuriyet/
[03] ANKARA CONCERNS OVER IRAQ-UN CRISIS
Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Sermet Atacanli noted yesterday
that Turkey as a regional country was concerned over the
escalation of the Iraq-UN crisis and Turkey wished that the
problem would be resolved without causing a hot conflict.
Atacanli held a press conference yesterday and said that Iraq
should completely abide by the UN resolutions, the Anatolia news
agency reports.
[04] NO NEWS ABOUT OCALAN
Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Sermet Atacanli said yesterday
that there was no development about the extradition of the PKK
leader Abdullah Ocalan from Russia. Atacanli held a press
conference yesterday and recalled that First Deputy Foreign
Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Avdayev visited
Ankara last week. Atacanli noted that during the meetings, he had
reiterated the commitments made by Russian Foreign Minister Igor
Ivanov to Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and said: "We are
expecting Russia to carry out its commitments", the Anatolia news
agency reports.
[05] EU-GREEK CYPRIOT ADIMINISTRATION MEETINGS
Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Sermet Atacanli said yesterday
that full membership negotiations envisaged to be held between
the European Union (EU) and the Greek Cypriot Administration
would not bring a peaceful solution to the Cyprus problem and
added that the problem would be even more complex. Atacanli held
a press conference yesterday and noted that full membership
negotiations between the EU and the Greek Cypriot Administration
would be illegal and against international rules, the Anatolia
news agency reports.
[06] 13 TURKISH SOLDIERS AND SIX VILLAGE GUARDS DIE
During operations between Turkish security forces and members of
the PKK terrorist organization on the Gabar Mountain near Sirnak,
13 Turkish soldiers and six village guards died, while 11
soldiers and five village guards were wounded. Officials noted
that operations were continuing in search of terrorists.
/Hurriyet/
[07] TREASURY ISSUES BONDS WORTH DM 600 MILLION
State Minister Gunes Taner said yesterday that the Treasury
Undersecretariat started to issue bonds worth DM 600 million via
two international financial institutions. Taner delivered a
speech at the Planning and Budget Commission of the Turkish
Parliament yesterday and stated that Turkish economy was further
developing despite the global crisis. /Hurriyet/
[08] CLINTON'S LETTER TO YILMAZ
US President Bill Clinton has sent a letter to Turkish Prime
Minister Mesut Yilmaz noting that Turkey was a very important
country for the US. The letter said: "Turkey is an indispensable
ally for the US. We cooperate in every issue especially in the
struggle against terrorism. We are very pleased that the Syrian
issue has been solved in a positive way. I believe that Turkey
will further develop also in human rights". /Hurriyet/
[09] UNSUCCESSFUL S-300 POLICY OF KLERIDES
While the news about the deployment of Russian-made S-300
missiles to the Crete instead of Southern Cyprus are getting more
prevalent, the Greek press criticizes Greek Cypriot Leader
Glafkos Klerides. Elefterotipia, one of the leading Greek
newspapers, said in an article yesterday that the S-300 policy of
Klerides failed. The article noted that Klerides would give up
deploying S-300 missiles or would have to resign. The article
recalled that the US and Europe were against S-300 missiles.
/Hurriyet/
[10] HALIL MUTLU RECEIVES THREE GOLDEN MEDALS
Halil Mutlu received three golden medals during the World
Weight-Lifting Championship in Finland yesterday. Mutlu said:
"November 10 is the 60th anniversary of the death of Ataturk, the
founder of the Republic of Turkey. It was a very important day
for me. I managed to convey my feelings with this success to
Ataturk". /Hurriyet/
[11] TURKEY-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION
Magda Aelvoet, who delivered a speech at a meeting of the
Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission which ended yesterday,
said that no solution could be achieved without the contributions
of Turkey. Observers of the European Parliament also noted that
following a declaration issued by France, Holland, Germany and
Italy, which point out that a membership without including the
Turkish side was out of the question, the atmosphere in the
European Parliament would change. /Hurriyet/
[12] DRUG OPERATION IN ISTANBUL
During operations in Istanbul, 35.3 kilogrammes of heroin worth
TL 1 trillion were seized yesterday. Seven people were taken into
custody regarding the incident. In another operation, 6.6
kilogrammes of hashish were confiscated and seven people were
taken into custody. /Milliyet/
[13] YILMAZ WARNS EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz has warned European countries
over the leader of the PKK terrorist organization Abdullah
Ocalan. Yilmaz said: "Our determined stance against Syria is
continuing. This responsibility belongs to every country, which
will shelter the PKK leader". PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who had
to flee from Syria to Russia, is looking for a new country.
Yilmaz delivered a speech at a meeting of the Motherland Party
(ANAP) Group and stated that there were agreements signed under
the structure of the UN and NATO for the struggle against
terrorism. Yilmaz said: "However some European countries do not
abide by the agreements. Some countries have supported the PKK
instead of cooperating with Turkey". He added: "A country which
tolerates and supports the PKK cannot talk about human rights".
/Milliyet/
[14] THE GUARDIAN: "SADDAM PROTECTS PKK"
The Guardian newspaper published in Britain has stated that the
PKK terrorist organization established close relations with the
Iraqi government last year and the PKK opened many offices in the
region controlled by Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi Leader. An article
written by Ankara correspondent of The Guardian, Chris Morris,
pointed out that as a result of operations carried out by Turkish
security forces recently, many PKK members had to escape to
northern Iraq. /Milliyet/
[15] GREEK CYPRIOTS FIRE ON TURKISH CYPRIOT SENTRY-BOX
Greek Cypriots fired on a sentry-box of the Security Forces of
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) at the border of
Pile village under the UN control yesterday. No casualties were
reported. /Milliyet/
[16] 'KOHL BLOCKED TURKEY'S EU MEMBERSHIP'
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said that the former
German Prime Minister Helmut Kohl wanted to block Turkey's full
EU membership and noted that this was a great mistake. Pointing
out that the EU was a union of common values and interests not a
club of religions, Fischer said: "We will not close the door to
Turkey". /Milliyet/
[17] BACK TO ANKARA PROCESS
Turkey's concerns over the Washington Agreement between the two
Iraqi Kurdish factions were eased by the declaration of an
awaited trilateral statement by London, Ankara and Washington and
the assurance given by the two Iraqi Kurdish leaders, Deputy
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said on Tuesday. The joint statement
underlined the territorial integrity of Iraq, the legitimate
security interests of Turkey and the continuation of the
reconciliation between the Iraqi Kurdish parties.
Meanwhile, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader Celal Talabani,
was received by Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit on Tuesday
and gave assurances on fighting against the PKK. After the
meeting, Ecevit said that Turkey should increase monitoring
efforts in northern Iraq. Ecevit emphasized the increased
security cooperation between the Iraqi Kurds and Ankara,
especially following the escape of PKK members to northern Iraq
from Syria-controlled areas. /All papers/
[18] WEU MINISTERIAL MEETING NEXT WEEK
The Foreign Ministry announced that the fall term Ministerial
Council meeting of the Western European Union (WEU), which will
take place on 16-17 November in Rome, will be attended by Defense
Minister Ismet Sezgin and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. The
ministers will head a delegation of representatives from the
Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry and the General Staff. /All
papers/
[19] YASED MEETING IN ISTANBUL
The Foreign Investors' Association of Turkey (YASED) has decided
to revitalize itself following concerns expressed by its members,
potential foreign investors and related government offices.
Turkey's potential for investments was not being realized, said
YASED Board Chairman Christop Urban. He added: "Turkey is listed
among the 10 big emerging markets but the whole list only Turkey
and Poland are in Europe.
One of the issues that YASED is currently lobbying for is the
establishment of a single governmental body in Ankara that would
be empowered to grant permission for foreign investments.
Meanwhile the United Nations (UN) Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) announced the annual World Investment
Report. According to the report Turkey attracted an estimated
$606 million foreign investment. Turkey foreign investment
outflows stood at $ 116 million, the highest among the developing
countries. /Sabah/
[20] WASHINGTON TERMS MED TV 'TERRORIST'
The US State Department has described an independent pro-Kurdish
television channel as the 'voice of terrorists'. State Department
Spokesman James Rubin said on Monday that Washington will not
tolerate MED TV. MED TV is also regarded by Ankara as the
mouthpiece of the outlawed PKK terrorist organization. Rubin told
reporters at a press conference that Washinston had always
considered the PKK to be a terrorist organization. He also made
assurance that no American official would meet any representative
from MED TV.
Washington also called on Moscow to extradite Ocalan to Turkey if
he was hiding in Russia. /Hurriyet/
[21] ISTANBUL CITY COUNCIL TO ELECT NEW MAYOR
The city council will vote today for a successor of ousted mayor
Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey's supreme administrative court last
week removed Istanbul Mayor Recep Tayyip Erdogan from office,
ruling that he no longer meets the qualifications for elective
office because he must serve a 10-month prison sentence.
/Hurriyet/
[22] ATATURK COMMEMORATED
Ceremonies were held throughout the country to commemorate the
founder of the Republic of Turkey on the 60th anniversary of his
death. However in Tarsus and at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul two
fundamentalists shouted slogans to interrupt the moment of
silence observed. /Cumhuriyet/
[23] BOOK ON ATATURK
"Ataturk- The Founder of Modern Turkey in Germany" prepared by
Foreign Ministry Consultant Gursel Demirok in English and German
has been published in Germany. The book aiming to enlighten the
German public opinion and the new generation of Turks living in
Germany which are relatively in the dark on historical relations
between Turkey and Germany is made up of six chapters. The book
where Ataturk's life, the War of Independence, proclamation of
the Republic of Turkey, and reforms implemented are narrated
along with historical pictures, the history of Turkish-German
relations are written in detail. /Cumhuriyet/
[24] GERMAN OFFICIALS WARNED ON TERRORISM
Director General of Security Necati Bilican yesterday stated that
it was impossible for Germany to tolerate or shelter the illegal
organization called the Anatolian Islamic Federated State which
was preparing to massacre hundreds of thousands of people. In a
statement to the press at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport Necati
Bilican said that he was going to Germany to make contacts within
the framework of "Security Cooperation Agreement" signed in 1992
between Turkey and Germany. Bilican added that they had warned
German officials that terrorism would spring forth in any
convenient atmosphere. /Cumhuriyet/
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