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Turkish Press Review, 98-12-08Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>08.12.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] CILLER REFUSES ECEVIT'S PROPOSALTrue Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller has refused Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit's proposal of forming a Motherland (ANAP)-DYP-DSP coalition headed by Ecevit. The DSP leader was given the duty of forming a government by President Suleyman Demirel. Ciller said that it was out of the question for the DYP to accept this model. Ciller indicated that they were in favour of a broad-based government that would include the Virtue Party (FP). The Ecevit-Ciller meeting, held in Parliament, lasted for an hour. As the two leaders held their press conferences after the meeting, it was announced that Ciller was going to give an answer to Ecevit after the Tuesday meetings of the DYP general administration council and of the parliamentary group.Ecevit stated that he was going to have another talk with Ciller either on Wednesday or Thursday and that he would then meet ANAP leader Mesut Yilmaz. Ecevit noted that Ciller was not opposed to his being Prime Minister, but rather to the way in which he was nominated for the post. He stated that he was still hopeful, since Ciller has not given an ultimate reply yet. Meanwhile, Ciller said that all parties that are represented in Parliament or parties that have groups in Parliament should join the broad-based government. The DYP leader stated that they were against a government formed under the leadership of an independent deputy. /All papers/ [02] ECEVIT ON ZDFDeputy Prime Minister and Democratic Left Party (DSP) Chairman Bulent Ecevit said: "We can never accept any EU political impositions on Turkey". Replying to questions posed by Stern, one of the leading weekly magazines in Germany, and the second German television channel ZDF, Ecevit noted that the Republic of Turkey could handle its own problems. In response to questions on the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, Ecevit said: "I really regard German stance on this issue as strange. He added that Germany was avoiding trying Ocalan. Ecevit pointed out that the best solution was the extradition of Ocalan to Turkey for trial. He stressed that the death penalty has not been implemented for the past 15 years in Turkey. /Hurriyet/[03] SOLUTION LEFT TO THE COMMONSENSE OF DYPAs most of the columnists are doing, Dogan Heper analyzes the government problem in Turkey. A summary of his column can be seen below:The most critical political meeting concerning Turkey was held yesterday. The meeting yielded no results but it would be wrong to say that no hope is left. It is understood that Ciller did not look favourably upon the ANAP-DYP-DSP government, but did not reject it outright. The second proposal by Ecevit for the formation of an ANAP+DYP government, which his party could support, was also regarded unfavourably by Ciller but again not rejected. The counter proposal made by Ciller was the formation of a government with a wide base. That is to say, a government where all parties in the Parliament would be represented. In fact, before the ANAP-DYP-DSP government formula was presented this choice seemed fair. But instead of a government where there are disparities between the parties, would it not be better to form a government of three parties which can compromise more easily? Today, the main discussion is on forming a wide-based government which will not be able to achieve much or a government of three parties which could do much. The answer to this lies in Ciller's acceptance. /Hurriyet/ [04] ESAD DOES NOT KEEP HIS PROMISEThe Syrian President Hafiz Esad, who had been compelled to cease his support for the PKK and Ocalan due to the enormous campaign by Ankara against Syrian-sponsored terrorism, went back on his word. It was reported that the Damascus administration had not taken any serious steps to fulfill the requirements of the "Adana Agreement" endorsed on October 20, whereas it still sheltered 800 terrorists who should have been extradited to Turkey long before. In this respect, it was noted that Syria sought ways to benefit from the recent shift in the Turkish political agenda and the mitigation of the ever-present crisis. It was also reported that the Syrian administration had gradually slackened her efforts towards decreasing the presence of the separatist terrorists in Syria.Meanwhile, Turkey declared that it would perform the manoeuvre which had been decided at the time but postponed due to the recent developments. Pointing out once again the flaws in the execution of the Adana agreement, military officials urged that this maneouver would also be a warning to the Syrian administration through which Turkey could display its decisiveness once more. /Aksam/ [05] "SEND ME TO IRAN"Terrorist Abdullah Ocalan asked to be sent to Iran if he was going to be deported from Italy. Talking with journalists at the villa where he is detained, Ocalan said that he wanted to be tried by an international court, and threatened Rome that his supporters would regard his trial in Italy as a betrayal. Abdullah Ocalan said: "If you do not grant me political asylum, or do not try me in an international court, send me to Iran." The statement came after the visit of the Iranian Foreign Minister, Kemal Harazzi to Rome. It is believed that the Italian government discussed deportation of Ocalan to Iran with the Iranian Foreign Minister. /Hurriyet/[06] OCALAN SUMMIT AT NATOA meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers to start in Brussels today will be the scene of an "Ocalan Summit", in addition to talks on the expansion of NATO. A meeting between the Turkish and Italian Foreign Ministers is expected to take place today. The US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, is also expected to attend the meeting in Brussels. /Hurriyet/[07] TURK: "EUROPE IS HYPOCRITICAL IN HUMAN RIGHTS"Criticizing the EU with implementing double standards in human rights matters, the State Minister H.Sami Turk said in a conference that Turkey should solve its human rights problem itself, without being directed by any other country or international organization. Speaking during the "Human Rights in Turkey" conference, Turk stressed the significance of international cooperation in the advancement of human rights and said: "Yet the issue of human rights should not become an instrument to intervene in the domestic affairs of other countries. Every country must solve this problem on its own." Turk also noted that the EU strived to convey the inner problems of Turkey at the international level, and added: "The place to solve Turkey's problems is also Turkey. Turkey will not accept this kind of impositions." /Aksam/[08] US REPORT ON PKKThe US Secretary of State prepared an informative note on Abdullah Ocalan and the PKK and sent it to press institutions within the European Union (EU), the Middle East, South Asia countries and Turkey. According to the US Embassy to Ankara, the report tells about the terrorist activities of the PKK organization immediately after it was established by Ocalan. It was also pointed out in the report that the terrorist organization had launched attacks on civilian targets such as children, teachers, the elderly and villagers. /Sabah/Milliyet/[09] CEM IN BRUSSELSMinister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, went to Brussels yesterday to attend the NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs meetings. Before his departure Cem said that he would explain to his counterparts that Turkey is anxious about Italy's becoming a centre for a terrorist organization. He added that Ocalan's settlement in Rome not only damages Turco-Italian relations but also harms ties with NATO. /Milliyet/[10] OCALAN'S VILLA IS SEARCHEDAccording to Italian press agencies, Abdullah Ocalan's villa was searched upon the instruction of French and Italian judges. Agencies reported that French judge Jean F. Ricard and Italian Green's Party deputy, Luigi Siriaco, attended the search during which documents on black-money and drug smuggling events were looked for. It was reported that at the end of the search some documents and phone numbers were seized.Meanwhile, it is reported that French judge Jean F. Ricard questioned Ocalan about the activities of four PKK terrorists. Ricard put questions to Ocalan about the events in which "terrorists killed pro-PKK civilians, entered France with false passports and maintained financial support to Kurds living in France". /Sabah__Milliyet/ [11] GREEK VETO TO EUGreece objected to every paragraph where the words "Turkey" and "candidate" appeared during the European Union (EU) Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting in Brussels and that the meeting was locked on the issue of Turco-EU relations. The EU Foreign Relations Commissioner, Hans van den Broek asked Turkey to be given prospective candidate status in line with the report that he prepared on 4 November regarding candidate countries. The Holland and France also supported Broek's suggestion; whereas, the Greek representatives objected to it. /Milliyet/[12] MILLIYET JOURNALIST DOGAN CRITICIZES ITALIAN MEDIAYalcin Dogan criticized the Italian media in his column in Milliyet newspaper today. Dogan claimed that "The Italian media, which is a human rights and democracy lover, fails". He added, "All Italian newspapers are full of Apo's statements. The Italian media is queueing to interview the bloodiest terrorist of the 20th century. The questions asked in an interview with a criminal cannot be biaised in an effort to prove him right. Ankara officially objected to this view yesterday by the Turkish Ambassador to Rome, Inal Batu. Rome answered that Ocalan cannot go abroad but he is not under arrest. And that he can contact whomever he wants." /Milliyet/[13] UBP VICTORY IN TRNC ELECTIONSThe National Unity Party (UBP), the major partner of the ruling coalition in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), clinched a sweeping victory in Sunday's general election. According to unofficial results, the UBP, led by Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu, grasped 40.3 % of the votes, winning 24 of the 50 seats in the TRNC Parliament. Despite its landslide victory, the UBP is not expected to be able to form the government alone. The most probable coalition is expected again to be one between the UBP and the Democrat Party (DP). /All papers/[14] HOLBROOKE TO COME TO ISTANBULThe US Special Presidential Envoy to Cyprus, Richard Holbrooke, accompanied by the US Special Coordinator for Cyprus, Thomas Miller, is scheduled to arrive in Istanbul on Saturday to participate in a three-day conference aimed at defusing the tension on Cyprus by enhancing contacts between businessmen from Turkey, Greece and the two Cypriot communities. /All papers/[15] SCHROEDER-SIMITIS MEETINGGerman Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder held a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis after the two leaders had met for an hour in Bonn yesterday. In response to questions on possible Turkish admission to the European Union (EU), Schroeder said: "We are not of the opinion that this is a religious community but rather a community of values". Human rights, he said, were one of the EU's core values. "The door to Europe must be open for Turkey and all those who meet these requirements and conditions" he said, adding: "It is up to Turkey itself if it meets these conditions or if it does not".Greek Prime Minister Simitis said that his country will be in favour of the maintenance of close relations between the EU and Turkey, adding that 'all obstacles' on the path should be removed. Simitis also stressed that the membership application of Southern Cyprus should not be linked to the Cyprus issue. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Austrian Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schussel said that EU Foreign Ministers were working on a report on enlargement to be put to the Vienna Summit. /Hurriyet/ [16] ENERGY COUNCILPresident Suleyman Demirel opened a three-day conference in Istanbul where officials and industry executives debated the privatization of hydroelectric dams, power plants and electrical distribution. Addressing the First Energy Council, which was held in order to clarify a national energy policy, both Demirel and Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz urged the necessity of bringing in new regulations to facilitate foreign investment in the energy sector.Demirel declared that measures to solve the problem of international arbitration should be taken as soon as possible. Yilmaz said for his part that such a conference is very important for the definition of a national policy on energy. He noted that Turkey needs to invest $3.5 billion in energy projects to prevent future power cuts. Speaking at the same conference, Energy Minister Cumhur Ersumer said that the global economic crisis had badly mauled the Turkish energy sector. Regarding Turkey's natural gas deal with Tukmenistan, Ersumer stated that May 9, 1999, will be the day when all the procedures of this deal will end. Ersumer pointed out that Turkey is an important country for the transportation of Caspian oil and gas to the West. "Host government and transit country agreements on Baku-Ceyhan will be signed soon" Ersumer said. /All papers/ [17] BALIKESIR AIRPORTPresident Suleyman Demirel and Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz opened the Balikesir Airport yesterday. They both asserted that state services would continue without interruption. Demirel noted that inadequancies in infrastructure, transportation, education and industry would be gradually overcome. Yilmaz said that they aimed to construct airports in every city. /Hurriyet/[18] WORLD BANK: TURKISH ECONOMY IS GOING WELLMick Riordon, an expert from the World Bank who has prepared the recent report on "Global Economic Expectations and Developing Countries", stated that global stagnation affected developing countries. He noted that Turkey was the best country among 36 developing countries and has the best economic situation. Riordon pointed out that Turkey could achieve nearly a 5 % growth rate this year. He added that even though Turkey's growth rate would slow down next year because of the global crisis, it would have a higher growth rate than other countries. /Hurriyet/[19] TURKISH-IRANIAN SECURITY COMMISSIONA Turkish delegation headed by Yahya Gur, Deputy Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry, went to Tehran yesterday to attend the Turkish-Iranian Fifth High Security Commission meeting. According to a statement issued by the Iranian Embassy, Iran helped to ease the tension between Turkey and Syria and Iran proposed to 'mediate' for the recovery of Turkish-EU relations. /Cumhuriyet/[20] GAP COMES TO GAP (SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA PROJECT)American textile giant GAP is preparing to invest in GAP (Southeastern Anatolia Project). The Chairman of GAP Development Administration Olcay Unver stated that the American GAP company had completed its preliminary contacts on textile investment in the region. Unver added that the number of domestic and foreign companies wanting to invest in the region was increasing with every passing day. At the moment half of the electricity consumed in Turkey is produced in the GAP region. /Hurriyet/[21] RUSSIANS ARE DISCOVERING CORLUCorlu, where 200 out of the 500 factories that have been established in recent years are concerned with scale production, is gradually becoming an industrial base. Meanwhile,the considerable increase observed in the traffic with the Russian airliners after the opening of Corlu military airport to civil transportation is interpreted as the introduction of a new dynamic in the "suitcase trade" between Turkey and Russia. /Turkiye/[22] OTTOMAN WORKS OF ART IN EGYPTOttoman works of art in Egypt are fascinating. Very recently, the Egyptian President Husnu Mubarak opened the Abidin Palace which had being restored for a long time to serve as a museum where the most unique examples of Ottoman art would be exhibited as well. It was reported that those works of art from the Ottoman era were being visited by huge masses every day. /Turkiye/[23] NEW SUPPORT FOR FLEETThe 'TCG Erdek', which is the fourth of the five 'Engin' (circle) type mine sweepers purchased from France, was delivered to the Turkish Naval Forces during a ceremony in which the Turkish flag was hoisted on the vessel in Brest, France. TCG Erdek will arrive in Turkey in January 1999 following harbour and naval trainings, the Anatolia news agency reports. The 'TCG Erdemli (M-264)' the last of the five circle type mine sweepers, will be delivered in January 1999.[24] HASHISH OPERATIONDuring operations in the Gerger district of Adiyaman, 20 kilos of hashish were seized by security officials, the Anatolia news agency reports. One person was arrested and three people are being searched for, the officials noted.[25] SECOND EURASIA TURKISH PUBLICATIONS SEMINARThe 'Second Eurasia Turkish Publications Seminar' organized with the contributions of the Foreign Ministry, Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) and Antalya Journalists' Association started yesterday in Antalya. The seminar, which will last until December 10, is being attended by 19 journalists from Macedonia, Yugoslavia, Moldovia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Greece and Holland. The seminar aims to bring journalists and writers from various countries together and to contribute to their cooperation, the Anatolia news agency reports.[26] EXPORTS FROM EDIRNEVia the Edirne Communication Bureau, Istanbul Textile and Ready-to-Wear Exporters' Union made exports worth $25.5 million during the first 11 months of this year. Officials noted that 50 % of these exports were textiles, while 40 % were food and 10 % were other products. Germany, Bulgaria and Hungary are the main countries to which exports are made, the Anatolia news agency reports.[27] HONORARY DOCTORATE FOR ADALET AGAOGLUTurkish writer Adalet Agaoglu has been awarded an honorary doctorate in literature by Ohio State University. The honorary doctorate will be presented to her during a ceremony to be held on December 11. During the two days following the ceremony, symposiums will be held on the books of Agaoglu and social relations. This is the first time that this award has been given to a Turkish writer. /Cumhuriyet/[28] TWO MOSAIC PIECES TO BE RETURNEDTwo mosaic pieces, which were stolen from the Gaziantep Zeugma ruins and sent to the US illegally, will be sent back to Turkey. The pieces are in the US. Minister of Culture Istemihan Talay held a press conference in Ankara with the director of Menil Museum, Paul Winkler. Winkler said that an art piece's cohesion is important and his museum will cooperate with the Turkish government to piece the fragments together and restore it. The pieces show the fairy Tigris and her boyfriend drinking. It is believed that the piece dates from the 4th century, the Anatolia news agency reported.[29] TREASURY TO ARRANGE 224-DAY BOND TENDERThe Treasury Undersecretariat will arrange a 224-day bond tender today, the Anatolia news agency reports. The value date of the auction was specified to be December 9 and the maturity to be July 21, 1999. Meanwhile, the Treasury foresees a net borrowing of TL 250-400 trillion at today's tender.[30] SPANISH BUSINESSMEN TO INVEST IN TURKEYSpanish businessmen under the chairmanship of the head of the Spanish National Basic Investment Goods Producers' Assosiation (SERCOBE), Guillermo Hoepfner, searched for opportunities to invest in water, energy, social infrustructure and agriculture in the Southeast Anatolia region (GAP). Hoepfner noted that the Turkish and Spanish governments signed a $ 400 million mutual agreement in trade and investment, adding that as soon as possible they wanted to take their part in the region. He said that they aimed to increase the trade volume between the two countries to $ 5 billion.Meanwhile, it is announced that "Expotecnia '99 Fair" will be held on 1-6 June in Istanbul. The coordinator of the Fair, Trym Bagger, said that the country in which they would organize a fair should have potential for the Spanish business world, and it had to play a strategic role in its region. He noted Istanbul was in the only country in the world to unite the two continents of Europe and Asia and that since it also reflected the Black Sea countries, it would be the most splendid fair they had ever organized. /Milliyet/ Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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