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Turkish Press Review, 98-11-19Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>19.11.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL URGES EU TO ENDORSE TURKEY'S CANDIDACYPresident Suleyman Demirel, on an official visit to Austria, called on the European Union (EU) to clearly endorse Turkey's full membership candidacy at its upcoming summit in Vienna. "Recently we have received some positive signals from the EU. However, in order to achieve concrete results, we expect Turkey to be declared the 12th candidate at the Vienna summit in a way that will remove all hesitations and controversies" Demirel said in a speech at the meeting of the Turco-Austrian Business Council yesterday.The Vienna summit is scheduled to take place on December 11-12. Demirel maintained that Turkey was within the Union in a de facto manner. He cited as an example the 3 million Turks living in Europe and their contributions to the European economy. The Turks in Europe have established more than 60,000 companies and have made investments worth $7 billion, he stressed. /All papers/ [02] YILMAZ TO ITALY: 'DON'T BE ACCOMPLICE TO PKK'S CRIMES'Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz has warned the Italian government that Rome would not only be defaming its own history by not extraditing the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan but would also be 'an accomplice to all murders that have been committed by the PKK'. Yilmaz was addressing deputies in Parliament yesterday. "On behalf of all political parties represented in Parliament, I declare to the whole world that no Turkish government, even those that succeed us, will ever let Italy's mistaken attitude stand without any response, nor will they sit at the same negotiating table with the murderers" Yilmaz told the deputies.Yilmaz said that, if there was any accomplishment in the PKK leader's arrest, 'the pride of that success belongs to the martyrs and veterans' who fought against the separatists. An action by Italy to grant Ocalan political asylum, Yilmaz noted, would not fit with Italy's understanding of justice and the anti-terrorism conventions to which Rome is a party. Yilmaz also said that his government was preparing a proposal for a new 'repentance law' and would present it to Parliament next week. /All papers/ [03] ECEVIT: A TERRORIST STATEDeputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that Italy can be named as a terrorist state. Speaking in his party group yesterday, Ecevit harshly warned Italy because of its current attitude regarding the Ocalan case. "Italy's current position is against the attitude of law. If Italy prevents the trial of Ocalan and gives him the right of political asylum, then it will stand accused of being a terrorist state. I wish Italy would not get itself into such a situation" Ecevit said. /All papers/[04] TURKEY'S DEMAND FOR EXTRADITION OF OCALANItalian Interior Minister Rosa Russo Jervolino said yesterday that they received a note for the extradition of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan from Italy to Turkey. Jervolino noted that the issue would be examined by the commission. /Hurriyet/[05] FRANCE: PKK IS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONThe French Foreign Ministry noted yesterday that the PKK was a terrorist organization and its activities on French territories were prohibited. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Anne-Gazeu Secret said that the PKK carried out violent activities in the past and harshly condemned these activities. The spokesman stated that the problem should be solved through dialogue and respect for Turkey's territorial integrity. Belgian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hubert Cooreman also described the PKK as a terrorist organization. /Sabah/[06] FOREIGN PRESSThe La Libre Belgique newspaper devoted coverage to the words of Belgian Foreign Minister Derycke who said: "We do not want to see the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Belgium. Belgian people had had enough problems with the PKK and MED TV".The Independent pointed out that a great reaction against Italy has occurred in Turkey, and the Juventus football team, which will go to Istanbul next week, wanted extra protection. The Financial Times noted that the Turkish businessmen's boycott frightened Rome. The PKK leader Ocalan is making statements to Italian newspapers every day. La Repubblica devoted wide coverage to Ocalan's answers to the questions of the newspaper. Ocalan claimed that the entry and exits of the hospital were being controlled by his militants. The Noviye Izvestiya has said: "Russia tolerates Kurds, who enter the country by illegal means". The newspaper stated that there were many terrorists among Kurds who came with the support of the Red Cross. /Sabah/ [07] ASSEMBLY DECLARATION: 'DO NOT SHELTER CRIMINALS'Representatives of the political parties in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) issued a joint statement yesterday and protested against the stance of the Italian government towards the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. The statement said to the Italian officials: "To shelter a terrorist means to share his crimes". The statement pointed out that criminals who took the lives of 30,000 people should be tried within the framework of the law. /Sabah/[08] EP DECISION SHOCKS ITALYA draft recommendation decision, which wants to grant political asylum to the leader of the PKK terrorist organization Abdullah Ocalan in Italy and has been prepared on the initiative of Greek and Italian Communist parliamentarians in the European Parliament, was rejected and was not put on the agenda yesterday. Especially, the Socialist Group, which has the highest number of seats in the European Parliament, Liberal Christian Democrat group and Greens Group harshly rejected the demands of the Communist group.Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Fischer stated that they had no initiatives for the extradition of Ocalan. Swedish Security Chief Lars Nylen decided to send the 'Palme Group' to Italy to interrogate Ocalan about the murder of Olof Palme. If Italy gives a green light, a group headed by judge Jan Danielsson will interrogate Ocalan. /Sabah/ [09] US WARNS ITALYThe US administration stated yesterday that the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan should be extradited to Turkey. US State Department Spokesman James Rubin said: "The PKK is a terrorist organization and continues to carry out terrorist activities". Rubin noted that the US described the PKK as an international terrorist organization in 1996 and said that Ocalan and his organization were international terrorists. /Sabah/[10] TURKISH AMBASSADOR VISITS KRANIDOTISTurkish Ambassador to Athens Ali Tuygan, visiting Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Kranidotis yesterday, warned Greece, which does not describe the PKK as a terrorist organization. Kranidotis had earlier said that they did not regard the PKK as a terrorist organization. Meanwhile, 10 deputies from the socialist PASOK party have wanted the issue of Ocalan to be put on the agenda of the Assembly. /Sabah/[11] D'ALEMA: "I CAN MEET YILMAZ"Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema said that, whenever his Turkish counterpart Mesut Yilmaz requested, they could meet to discuss the Abdullah Ocalan issue in a "sincere and friendly" atmosphere. He added, "This is not only a Turco-Italian problem. the Kurdish issue comprises the whole of Europe. Italy is a state of law and we are evaluting the Ocalan issue within these laws. Italy has always had close relations with Turkey and she supports Turkey's EU membership. We would like to continue these friendly relations with Turkey."Meanwhile, the Turkish Ambassador to Rome, Inal Batu said after he met Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema that Italy attached great importance to her relations with Turkey and did not want the Ocalan issue to harm Turco-Italian relations. Batu added that he had handed over some documents to the Italian Prime Minister about Abdullah Ocalan. /Cumhuriyet/Milliyet/ [12] "POLITICAL ASYLUM TO OCALAN WILL LEGALIZE TERRORISM"The US Wall Street Journal newspaper reported that if Abdullah Ocalan were given political asylum, it would be the most dangerous way to legalize terrorism. The article in the paper noted that the head of the terrorist organization gave a veiled threat with demonstrations all around Europe. Stressing that Ocalan was always supported by his European friends, the article recalled that the Italian administration had let the so-called Kurdish parliament-in-exile meet in Italy. /Milliyet/[13] HAKTANIR: "ITALY DOES NOT UNDERSTAND TURKEY'S REACTION"Foreign Ministry Undersecretary, Ambassador Korkmaz Haktanir said yesterday that Italy had not understood Turkey's reaction to the Ocalan issue yet. He added that Italy hosted a bloody murderer within its borders and Italy had not given clear information about the present situation of Abdullah Ocalan. If Italy continued its positive attitude towards Ocalan, it would cost her dearly said Haktanir, adding that Italy should obey international law and evaluate the situation in an objective way. /Milliyet/[14] ALISAN AND ARIKAN JOIN DYPDemocratic Turkey Party (DTP) Samsun Deputy Cemal Alisan and Mardin Deputy Muzaffer Arikan resigned from the DTP yesterday. With the resignation of Arikan and Alisan, the parliamentary strength of the DTP has fallen to 15. Arikan and Alisan joined the True Path Party (DYP). Thus, the number of DYP deputies in the Parliament rose to 99. /Sabah/[15] HUNGARIAN AMBASSADOR VISITS GAPThe Hungarian Ambassador to Ankara Gyorgyrgy Kery will go to Sanliurfa today to observe the recent developments in the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) and to make contacts. According to a statement issued by the Regional Directorate of the GAP Regional Development Administration, Kery and a three-person delegation will pay a three-day visit to the region. Kery will meet officials from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and businessmen in the region. /Sabah/[16] DRUGS SEIZED IN TURKEYRifat Serdaroglu, State Minister, has said that officials seized drugs with a market value of TL 27.3 trillion in the first nine months of 1998. He noted that customs officials also seized smuggled goods worth TL 5.3 trillion in 230 separate incidents in the same period, the Anatolia news agency reports.Meanwhile, the PKK terrorist organization obtains an estimated income of $40 million annually from drug trafficking. Drug trafficking activities by the PKK were proved by evidence discovered during the operations launched in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions and in northern Iraq. [17] HAZELNUT EXPORTSTurkey has obtained $339.248 million from her exports of hazelnuts since September 1 which is the first month of the 1998-1999 export year, the Anatolia news agency reports. Officials at the Black Sea Union of Hazelnut Exporters told the Anatolia news agency correspondent that Turkey exported 83.9 tonnes of hazelnuts and obtained an income of $339.248 million. Turkey exported hazelnuts mainly to the European countries.[18] HANNAY TO VISIT TURKEYSir David Hannay, the British Special representative for Cyprus, is expected to come to Turkey at the weekend, the Anatolia news agency reports. Diplomatic sources told the Anatolia news agency correspondent that issues such as the latest developments on Cyprus, Russian-made S-300 missiles purchased by the Greek Cypriot Administration and the confederation proposal by the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf Denktas will be taken up during Hannay's contacts in Ankara.[19] TURKISH-GREEK TRADE COOPERATIONIn order to develop economic, commercial and cultural relations between the Chambers of Commerce in Turkey and Greece, 'Turkey's Aegean Coasts and Greek Aegean Islands Economic Summit' will be held on 21-22 November in Mytilene. /Cumhuriyet/[20] ILHAM ALIYEV: "WE ARE EXPECTING MUCH FROM TURKEY"Ilham Aliyev, Vice President of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), said that if necessary Azerbaijan would form a new pipeline company to make the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline a reality. However, he explained that to make it a reality is also 'now in Turkey's hands'. Aliyev, the son of Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev, made his remarks in Washington on November 17 during a luncheon at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.In regards to what Azerbaijan is expecting from Turkey, Aliyev indicated, "We are expecting much. For Turkey, the Baku-Ceyhan project is issue number one on the national agenda, so everybody is talking about Baku-Ceyhan" he elaborated. The Black Sea and the Bosphorus are currently carrying a huge amount of oil, Aliyev stated. He explained that current figures show that 56 million tons of oil per year are already being shipped from various ports on the Black Sea. /All papers/ [21] DRAFT BILL READY FOR VOTERS LIVING ABROADPolitical parties have reached an agreement on a draft bill allowing Turks living abroad to cast their votes in the upcoming Turkish elections. According to the proposed regulations, as well as casting votes at points of entry, Turks abroad will also be able to vote by giving written authority to their relatives to vote for them. The Supreme Election Board (YSK) will be given the authority to define the exact methods to be employed in each foreign country. /All papers/[22] ANDICAN STRESSES MULTI-DIMENSIONAL ECONOMIC POLICYTurkey is following a four-dimensional economic policy towards Central Asia and the Caucasus, State Minister Ahad Andican said yesterday. The first dimension is assisting in ensuring that the strategic raw-material resources of the region are freely exported to the world.Andican, who is the minister responsible for Central Asia, was speaking at a two-day conference on "Turkey as a Springboard for Trade" organized by the Adam Smith Institute in Istanbul. /All papers/ [23] A MEDAL FOR TOYODAFor his contributions to Turkey's automotive industry, Shoichiro Toyoda, the owner of the Toyota Motor Corporation, the partner of Toyotasa, the biggest Japanese investment in Turkey, was presented with a medal during a ceremony held yesterday at the Turkish Embassy in Tokyo. Toyoda said in his speech at the ceremony that he was very pleased with the medal. He added: "I believe that this medal is given not to me but to all the Japanese investors, who have made great contributions to the development of Turco-Japanese relations". /Hurriyet/[24] A GREEK FLAGGED SHIP SINKS OFFSHORE AMBARLI PORTA Greek flagged dry-cargo ship namely "As-Rum" which passed across the Istanbul Straits for the Marmara Sea, sank over offshore Ambarli port, the Anatolia news agency reports. The ship was loaded with timber in Romania. No casualties were reported.[25] FIRST TURKISH WORLD CINEMA DAYSThe First Turkish World Cinema Days will begin Istanbul on November 21 with the framework of celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reports. The organization aims at promoting the cinemas of the Turkish societies to each other.[26] TOROS-2_98 MILITARY EXERCISESMilitary sources noted that aircraft belonged to the Turkish Air Forces will fly to Gecitkale Airport in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) within the framework of the Toros-2_98 exercises. It was also reported that the aircraft would be visited by civilians. /Cumhuriyet/[27] 'TURKEY SHOULD BE GIVEN MEMBERSHIP STATUS"German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said that Turkey should be given European Union (EU) membership status. Speaking at the meeting with foreign press members Fischer noted that the EU was not a religious institution but a union of values and advantages. He added: "I hope that a balance will be ensured between Turkey and Greece. Turkey's EU membership status will be strengthened step by step and later it will turn into full membership status." /Cumhuriyet/[28] TURKISH DIAMOND MARKET ATTRACTS FOREIGN INVESTORSThe Turkish diamond market has increased international competition. Representatives of Anvers, one of the leading diamond centres in the world, held a conference yesterday in Istanbul. The Head of the Diamond High Commission, Jan de Kesel said that diamond exports to Turkey had increased for the last 10 months which forced them to keep close relations with Turkey. Kesel added: "We will start to give training courses in Turkey in 1999. Education will increase knowledge and interest in the sector and there will be an IstanbuL-Anvers link. We believe that Turkey will be as important a market as France and England in the year 2000 in the diamond sector." /Hurriyet/[29] FIRST FINANCIAL FAIR IN ISTANBULTurkey's First Finance Fair will be opened today in Istanbul. 47 domestic and foreign banks, leasing institutions, manufactoring firms, consulting companies, rating and finance institutions are participating in the Fair, which will be opened by State Minister Ahad Andican. On the first day of the Fair a seminar, entitled "Privatization in Turkey's Development", will be chaired by the Head of the Privatization Administration, Ugur Bayar. The "Finance Summit", to be held during the second day of the Fair, will be opened by Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. And Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz will make the closing speech to the Summit on 22 November.The General Coordinator of the Fair, Ferda Paksoy said that they wanted Turkey to become a Financial centre in its region and would turn the Fair into a regional activity. /Hurriyet/ Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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