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Turkish Press Review, 98-12-01Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>01.12.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] ITALY SEEKS A WAY OUT OF THE OCALAN ISSUEItalian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema met his British counterpart Tony Blair to discuss the extradition of Ocalan. However, D'Alema could not find enough support from England. D'Alema explained Italy's official policy concerning the chief of the terrorist organization to Blair and asked for his support. After the meeting, it was announced by the British Prime Ministr's office that Ocalan was the "domestic issue" of Italy, so England could not comment on the issue.Meanwhile, the Italian Foreign Minister, Laberto Dini, met with his Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov, and Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov in Moscow on Monday. After the meeting with Ivanov, Dini said that they had exchanged information on the Ocalan question. On the other hand, Italian Justice Minister Jervolino said that Italy did not intend to interfere in Turkey's domestic affairs but wanted to help Turkey find a solution to the Kurdish issue. Although the minister said that the Italian government knew that the PKK was responsible for 'very grave incidents', she refrained from making a clear statement concerning the recent PKK attack on a Turkish Armed Forces helicopter which killed 15 soldiers. /All papers/ [02] "OCALAN MUST BE EXPELLED"Italian Defense Minister Carlo Scognamiglio said that the chief of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan must be immediately expelled. In remarks to the Italian daily La Republica, Scognamiglio expressed pessimism over the suggestions for an international tribunal, saying that this was a long process.Meanwhile, the Head of the Legal Affairs Department of the Council of Europe in Strazbourg, Candido Cunha, said that the approval of all 40 members was needed if a special court to try to Ocalan were to be established within the organization. Cunha added that the establishment of such a tribunal would need a common political will. Diplomatic sources said that the issue of how Ocalan should be brought to justice will be on the agenda of a meeting of the Council of Europe Representatives Committee on December 8. /Sabah/ [03] TURKEY CONDEMNS GREECE OVER SUPPORT FOR PKKOn Monday, Turkey condemned Greece over the remarks made by Prime Minister Costas Simitis which confirmed Athens' support for the PKK. "We condemn this attitude which is incompatible with contemporary principles of human rights, law and justice. Greece has to follow the attitude adopted by the world against international terrorism," a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. /Sabah/[04] COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONDEMNS ITALYThe Political Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe stated that it harshly condemned the terrorist activities of the PKK separatist organization. During a meeting of the Political Commission in Budapest, Hungary, yesterday, the recent situation concerning relations between Turkey and Italy were discussed. A declaration issued following the meeting noted that Italy and Turkey, which are members of the Council of Europe, should solve their problems through dialogue. The declaration pointed out that the draft law to remove the death penalty in Turkey should be enacted by the Turkish Parliament as soon as possible.The Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Daniel Tarchys said that if the member countries extended their support, he would be ready to launch initiatives facilitating meetings towards the solution of the problems regarding the leader of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan, the Anatolia news agency reports. [05] EL MUNDO: 'OCALAN CAN COME TO SPAIN'A leading newspaper published in Spain, El Mundo, claimed that there were three alternatives for the Italian government regarding the issue of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. One of the alternatives, which was to grant political asylum, has little chance of success, the newspaper noted. The second alternative, which was to try the PKK leader in an international court, did not receive positive support from most of the EU member countries. The strongest alternative was to send Ocalan to a third country such as Russia, Austria or Spain. /Cumhuriyet/[06] CEM DENOUNCES ITALYForeign Minister Ismail Cem stated yesterday that Italy, which had allowed the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to enter the country, had planted a bomb within its own territories. Cem reaffirmed that Turkey was a powerful, prosperous country and would continue to pursue its just cause forever. He added that the leader of the PKK terrorist organization Ocalan should be tried in Turkey. He pointed out that Turkey would not allow some Western European countries, which want to deviate from the humanitarian and legal issue to a political one, to do so. Cem said that a murderer who had caused the deaths of 30,000 people could not be defended. /Cumhuriyet/[07] IRANIAN, RUSSIAN AND ARMENIAN SUPPORT FOR PKKIt is claimed that the support extended by Iran, Russia and Armenia to the PKK terrorist organization is increasing. According to a news broadcast by the 'Free Iraq Radio', PKK terrorists who are expelled from Syria following initiatives by the Turkish Armed Forces settle in Iran. It is reported that there are currently 16 PKK camps in Iran. It is also claimed that a group of PKK members settled at Russian military bases in Armenia. Some PKK members wanted to enter Georgia, however this country did not give such permission to these terrorists, the radio reported. /Cumhuriyet/[08] DEMIREL: "TERRORISM IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY"President Suleyman Demirel pointed out that the most dangerous international problem was terrorism, which was a crime against humanity. Demirel said that states could only confront these activities through solidarity. A promotion meeting of the International Crisis Group (ICG) was held yesterday with the participation of Turkish Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin, State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel and the Chairman of the Virtue Party, (FP) Recai Kutan. President Demirel could not attend the meeting because of the National Security Council (NSC) meeting yesterday. Demirel sent a message to the ICG meeting and noted that Turkey was an exemplary country in such a troubled region. /Cumhuriyet/[09] ITALIANS WANT TO EXTRADITE OCALANAs a result of a survey carried out in Italy, 61.5 % of Italians want the extradition of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. A survey, which was posted on the Internet, was completed by 1,240 people; it indicated that only 11 % of these people want political asylum to be granted to the PKK leader. /Hurriyet/[10] FOREIGN PRESSWide coverage has been devoted in the foreign media to the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. De Telegraaf (Holland) stated that an international court is meaningless. Germany put forth an absurd idea to try Ocalan in Europe with the support of Italy. Actually, the two countries are trying to export this problem.Mitteldeutsche Zeitung (Germany): Which court? An international court. It is a really wonderful idea for the terrorist Ocalan. However which court will try him? Le Libre Belgique (Belgium): Germany and Italy proposed that the PKK leader should be tried at an international court. Following a harsh reaction from Ankara, Ocalan's chance of being granted political asylum in Italy has weakened. /Hurriyet/ [11] THE NETHERLANDS: "OCALAN CANNOT BE TRIED BEFORE THE HAGUE"Jozias Van Aartsen, the Dutch Foreign Minister, fiercely criticized the demands to try Ocalan before an international court and implied that since Ocalan was a terrorist criminal, he could not be tried before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Stating that efforts should be made to extradite Ocalan to Turkey, Minister Aartsen said: "Italy and Germany are flawed in their views concerning the trial. The court at issue (The Hague) does not try terrorist criminals. The functions and duties of the Court of Justice are completely distinct. The case of Ocalan does not fall within the category of war criminals." /Milliyet/[12] NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS IN ANKARAThe National Security Council (NSC) met under the chairmanship of President Suleyman Demirel yesterday in Ankara. The PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, MED-TV broadcasts and foreign relations were some of the topics on the agenda of the NSC. Interior Minister Kutlu Aktas gave information about the steps taken in the struggle against organized crimes and gangs. Meanwhile Justice Minister Hasan Denizkurdu, who was invited to the NSC meeting to discuss the legal problems concerning the PKK chief Ocalan's extradition from Italy. It was announced that the anti-government Islamic militant movements based in Germany, led by outlawed chief Fatih Kaplan had also been discussed.At the end of the meeting it was decided to continue efforts to prevent illegal activities antagonistic to the unity of the Republic of Turkey. Also, Syria would be closely watched to ascertain whether she continued to support Ocalan and PKK. Finally, MED-TV and other destructive broadcasts and radio stations were evaluated during the meeting. /Sabah/ [13] DENKTAS MEETS HERCUSThe President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Rauf Denktas, met the Deputy Special Envoy to Cyprus of the UN Secretary-General, Ann Hercus, yesterday in Lefkose. No statement was made regarding the meeting initiated within the framework of contacts between the two sides on the island, the Anatolia news agency reports.[14] TURKISH DELEGATION IN TASKENTA Turkish delegation of agriculturalists arrived in Taskent, Uzbekistan, yesterday to seek opportunities for joint investments and cooperation in agriculture between Turkey and the Central Asian Turkish-Speaking Republics, this would be within the framework of a programme of industry and cooperation initiated by State Minister Ahad Andican, the Anatolia news agency reports.[15] SWEDISH INVESTMENT IN TURKEYApolla Tourism, which is based in Sweden and brings hundreds of thousands of tourists from Scandinavian countries to various Mediterranean countries every year, has decided to invest in Turkey in 1999. To this end, the company will establish an office called "Holidays" in Turkey. The General Director of the company, Bo Ostenius, said that their aim was to increase the number of Swedish tourists visiting Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/[16] GROWTH RATE: 4.4 %The State Statistics Institute (DIE) announced that the growth rate was 1.9 % in the third quarter of this year, with fixed prices. The growth rate during the first nine months was 4.4 %, the DIE reported. The Gross National Product (GNP) was TL 17.5 quadrillion with current prices in the third quarter of this year. The growth rate with current prices in the third quarter was 76.8 %. The growth rate with current prices during the first nine months of this year was 84.4 %. /Hurriyet/[17] "PROVISIONAL BUDGET WOULD NOT GENERATE CRISIS"Speaking at a meeting of the Turkish Parliament Planning and Budget Commission, Zekeriya Temizel, the Minister of Finance, stated that Turkey would never face a crisis due to the existence of a provisional budget. With regard to the deputies' questions concerning the reasons for the withdrawal of the 1999 financial budget, Temizel noted that it would be fallacious to restrain the scope of the imminent government by means of such inescapable legal impositions. He pointed out that the 1999 budget could be made up through increases in line with the 1998 budget, and said: "Therefore Turkey will never face a crisis situation due to there being a provisional budget, nor will any of its institutions run the risk of a crisis situation for that reason. Above all, there are no significant contradictions between the principles of the 1998 budget and those for the year 1999, for they are more or less the same principles." Temizel also pressed for the urgent enactment of the Banking Code, describing it as being even more urgent than the Tax Reform codified a few months ago. /Milliyet/[18] TREASURY TO ARRANGE 10-MONTH BOND TENDERThe Treasury Undersecretariat will arrange a 308-day (10-month) bond tender today, the Anatolia news agency reports. The bonds will be issued on Decmber 2 while the repayment of bonds will be realized on October 6, 1999.[19] HEROIN PRODUCTION IN A FARM HOUSEThe police found that heroin was being produced in a farm house in Catalca district of Istanbul and two people in the production site were detained, the Anatolia news agency reports.[20] $50 MILLION LOAN TO TEBThe Turkish Economy Bank (TEB) obtained a $50 million syndicated loan from the international markets, the Anatolia news agency reports. TEB issued a written statement saying that the loan was granted after the activities of the consortium led by The Dal-Ichl Kangyo Bank and Natexis Banque.[21] DHKP-C OPERATIONS IN DENIZLIAt the end of the "Whip Operation", carried out by the security forces against the out-lawed DHKP-C organization in and around Denizli, three terrorists and one soldier were killed and a sergeant was wounded. Military sources announced that operations would continue to search out and detain two terrorists who fled during the clashes. /Sabah/[22] VICTIMS OF PKK TERRORISTS ARE BURIEDBurial ceremonies have been held for the victims of the Black Hawk helicopter shot down on Friday by the PKK on the Turkish side of the mountainous Iraqi border. The rescue team recovered 15 victims from the crash, including soldiers and officers. One person survived and another is still missing. Nearly half of the charred corpses have yet to be identified.One of the victims, the pilot, First Lt. Oguz Kilic, was buried on Monday in Ankara; the service was attended by Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu. Meanwhile, Second Lit. Gokhan Kosem was buried in Istanbul and Private Tugay Elve was buried in Adana. /All papers/ [23] OPERATIONS CONTINUE IN SOUTHEASTThere have been violent clashes in the Southeast and in northern Iraq recently in an effort to wipe out the terrorists, who roam about wander in small groups. The separatist organization has lost most of its strength, and many of the terrorists are currently based near the Iraqi border in northern Iraq. A total of seven terrorists have been killed in the past few days by the security forces in Diyarbakir and Mardin.Meanwhile several Turkish Kurds who took refuge in Northern Iraq in order to flee the clashes in the Southeast have requested the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)'s help to send them back to Turkey. /All papers/ [24] MOODY'S TO ANNOUNCE NEW RATING FOR TURKEY IN DECEMBERMoody's, a leading financial rating institution, is planning to announce Turkey's new rating in December. Moody's Turkey analyst Hanan Amin-Salem spoke about the latest developments in the Turkish economy saying that the government had taken major economic measures in 1998 and that the Turkish economy should be able to withstand the global financial crisis. /Cumhuriyet/Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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