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Turkish Press Review, 98-12-22Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>22.12.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL TO DESIGNATE A SECOND CANDIDATEPresident Suleyman Demirel started his second round of consultations with party leaders after Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit returned the mandate to form Turkey's new government. Virtue Party (FP) leader Recai Kutan said that his conversation with Demirel left him with the impression that the President was leaning towards naming a Parliamentary member who is not a party leader to form the new government. Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal and Democratic Turkey Party (DTP) leader Husamettin Cindoruk said that they would support such a government formula under the leadership of a deputy from Parliament, though the deputy would need to have the support of most of the parties in Parliament. On the other hand, True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller, claiming that she should be in charge of forming a new government that would carry the nation to the upcoming elections, said that if Demirel appoints a deputy from Parliament, her party would not support the resulting government. Meanwhile, Ecevit said that his party would refuse any alliance with the FP. /All papers/[02] FIRST PRIVATE WIND ENERGY PLANT IN TURKEYTurkey's first private wind energy power plant was completed in Cesme, Izmir. Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz yesterday opened the power plant, which belongs to Gucbirligi Corp. and cost $ 8.7 million. In the opening ceremony Yilmaz said that the State's conditions were not enough to meet the energy need of Turkey and that they should attract the attention of more private and foreign capital to invest in energy.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz yesterday also attended a foundation-laying ceremony at Yalova State Hospital. /Aksam/ [03] TURKISH MEDAL TO ITALIAN SINAGRAItalian Augusto Sinagra, Honorary Representative of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), was given the Merit Award of the Republic of Turkey in return for his fruitful efforts for the TRNC. The award was presented to Sinagra by the Turkish Ambassador to Rome, Inal Batu, in the name of President Suleyman Demirel. At the ceremony Batu said that Prof. Sinagra was one of the few people who supported the just cause of Turkish-Cypriots without expecting any advantage for himself. /Aksam/[04] DINI: "OCALAN ISSUE IS BEING SOLVED"The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lamberto Dini, said that the Abdullah Ocalan issue was being solved. Dini noted that if Ocalan was not given political asylum by Italian judicial authorities, he would be immediately expelled. /Turkiye/[05] 'OCALAN SHOULD BE ARRESTED"The Public Prosecutor of the Italian Republic in Rome, Giovanni Malerba, said that there was the risk of Abdullah Ocalan fleeing away and that he should be arrested. He added that Ocalan could be handed over to Turkey depending on the crimes that he had committed in the past. Malerba officially asked the Rome Court of Justice to take the necessary measures due to the possibility of Ocalan's escape. He noted that there were six arrest warrant for Ocalan and some trials in Turkey. Malerba pointed out that Ocalan could be handed over to Turkey depending on three investigations which do not foresee the application of the death penalty. /Aksam-Cumhuriyet/[06] BARGAINING OVER OCALANThe Secretary-General of the Italian Foreign Ministry Umberto Vattani and Turkish Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Ambassador Faruk Logoglu, held a meeting yesterday at the Turkish Embassy in Rome. During the meeting, the extradition of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to a third country and the recent statements by Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema were discussed. The Turkish Ambassador to Rome, Inal Batu, and Minister Counsellor Ahmet Gurkan were also present at the meeting. No detailed information was given about the meeting. /Sabah/[07] YILMAZ: "ITALY MOVES IN ZIGZAGS"Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said that Italy should stop moving in zigzags and should act as a state of law. Yilmaz replied to questions from Italian journalists at Ankara's Esenboga Airport and said that no response to Turkey's demand for the extradition of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has been yet received. Yilmaz pointed out that before receiving an official reply to Turkey's demand, it would be illegal to discuss other alternatives. /Sabah/[08] PISAPIA: "OCALAN IS READY TO LEAVE"Giuliano Pisapia, the lawyer of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, said that Ocalan understood that his presence in Italy was creating problems and therefore if the possibility of the establishment of an international tribunal is not forthcoming, he was ready to leave Italy. Delivering a speech on RAI 3 Radio yesterday morning, Pisapia noted that Ocalan came to Italy to demand political asylum and he was ready to be tried at an international tribunal. /Sabah/[09] BERSANI VISITS TURKEYThe Italian Minister of Industry, Pierluigi Bersani, who visited Ankara yesterday for talks regarding the ongoing commercial crisis between Turkey and Italy, failed to achieve a common understanding for the solution of the crisis. Following his meetings with Turkish Ministers in Ankara, Bersani went to Istanbul for meetings with the representatives of the Italian companies in Istanbul and with the members of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD). Italian ENI company representative Alessandro Guerrera accompanied the Italian Minister.Bersani met the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Cumhur Ersumer, and the Minister of Trade and Industry, Yalim Erez. Ersumer said, following his meeting with the Italian Minister, that Turkey is not willing to cooperate any further with Italy. "Our attitude will not change regardless of the economic risks" Ersumer said, in response to economic concerns voiced by Bersani. Erez made a more moderate statement following his meeting with Bersani. "The Turkish government has made no decision to boycott Italian goods, although we have the right to do so set out in government protocol" Erez said. "On the contrary, we want to boost our economic ties with Italy" he added. Erez said that Bersani assured him that Italy would not grant political asylum to Ocalan and was considering whether to seek his trial in Europe or expel him to a third country. /All papers/ [10] LEGAL COMPLAINT AGAINST OCALAN FROM KURDSTwo Kurdish families in Sweden made a legal complaint against Ocalan and demanded that the members of the "Commission for the Investigation of Olof Palme Assassination" cross-examine Ocalan in Rome. Mahmut (Kurdo) Baksi, a citizen of Sweden and the founder of the Stockholm office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), declared that Lamia Baksi, his nephew, had been murdered on Ocalan's orders while she was working for the PKK. Baksi also claimed that in Sweden alone there are at least 30 families whose relatives had been murdered while working for the PKK. Meanwhile, another family argued that one of their relatives had been killed on Ocalan's orders in Syria in 1990 and a great deal of evidence could be found on this incidence in the media sponsored by the PKK. Jan Daielsson, the Chief Public Prosecutor, said that the decision concerning Ocalan's cross-examination by the members of the Palme Commission would be given in the new year. /Hurriyet/[11] ITALIAN PRESS DAMNS OCALANIl Borghese and L'Expresso, the leading Italian magazines, wrote that Ocalan is an outrageous baby-killer. Displaying the photograph of a shot baby on the cover, Il Borghese asked the Italian government whether they were still considering "giving the right to political asylum to this murderer", whereas L'Expresso noted that it was then publicly known that Ocalan is a baby-killer. /Hurriyet/[12] ANKARA STATE SECURITY COURT AWAITS EXTRADITIONWhile legal attempts are being made to find a third country for the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been released by the Court of Appeals in Rome, Ankara State Security Court (DGM) No 2 is awaiting his extradition. Ocalan is being tried in absentia at Ankara DGM for treachery and crimes against the country and its sovereignty. The judge of the court postponed the hearing yesterday to wait for the conclusion of the procedures regarding the extradition of Ocalan. /Milliyet/[13] TURKISH CONCERN OVER DEATHS IN IRAQTurkey has stated it is pleased that the air operation carried out by the US against Iraq is over and expressed its deep concern over the loss of lives in Iraq during the operation. According to a statement made by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Turkey attached great importance to the territorial integrity and political unity of Iraq. The statement said: "Turkey believes that Iraq will abide by UN Security Council resolutions and thus sanctions against Iraq will end, and Iraq, as an important country in the region, will take its place on the international platform", the Anatolia news agency reports.[14] NO PETROL FROM IRAQ FOR ONE MONTHThere will no trade in petrol from the Habur Border Gate because the Basra Filling Station was bombed during the air strike against Iraq. Silopi District Governor Mustafa Demir recalled that the Habur Border Gate had been closed and said that, following the end of the air strike, no crude oil would enter via the border gate because Iraq does not carry its oil into Northern Iraq. Demir noted that the restoration of the station would take at least one month. He said that if petrol was provided by other cities, the trade in petrol could resume. /Sabah/[15] TURKISH GROWTH RATE 2.9 % IN 1999The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised its 1998 economic growth rate for Turkey and increased it from 3.7 % to 4.4 %. In a report, 'Appearance of the World Economy', published by the IMF yesterday, Turkey's growth rate would be 2.9 % in 1999. The report noted that Turkey was the country most affected by the crisis in Russia since there were close commercial relations between Turkey and this country. The report said that great efforts were on-going in Turkey to reduce the inflation rate. /Milliyet/[16] RUSSIAN CRISIS AND TURKEYThe Regional Coordinator of the Foreign Economic Relations Council (DEIK), Turan Aydin, said that Russia's decision to form a reserve stock of consumption goods such as food, medicine and clothing would be an opportunity for Turkey's export market. Aydin added that the Commomwealth of Independent States (CIS) would pay their natural gas debts to Russia in food, medicine and clothing and that regional countries were applying encouragement policies for the production of these goods. In addition, Turkey's food production and textile machines would be increased, Aydin noted. /Turkiye-Cumhuriyet/[17] 133-DAY BOND EXPORTS FROM TREASURYThe Treasury will export 133-day (nearly 4.5 months) bonds on December 23. The repayment of the bonds will be on May 5, 1999. It is foreseen that net borrowing worth Tl 100-200 trillion will be achieved. /Milliyet/[18] WHO CAN BE? ---BY RAUF TAMER (SABAH)Rauf Tamer, a journalist from the daily Sabah newspaper, says in his article today: "The situation is clear. The duty to form a new government will be given either to one of the leaders or to a deputy. If it is given to a leader, will it be given to Recai Kutan or to Ciller? If traditions are put aside, these two have little chance. Then who can it be? Mesut Yilmaz? No, he has been recently relieved of his duties. Ecevit? No. He tried for 24 days but he could not form the new government. Cindoruk? No. He is not a deputy. Then who can it be? Baykal? This means that the premiership of a leader is hard.Another alternative is a deputy. Any deputy. Who can it be? I am absolutely convinced that the President has a name in his mind. However he does not say. When the time comes, he will call him on, and appoint him. I personally think it will be a surprising name. If 45 days is over, what can be done? Nothing. The Constitution has limited the period with the threat of an election. The election decision has already been taken. Then there is nothing to fear. We are not waiting for miracles from the new government. The anonymous heroes of bureaucracy have already carried the burden. Again they will. Maybe new leaders will be able to emerge. /Sabah/ [19] SUBMERGED SUBMARINE FOUND IN MARMARAThe wreck of AE2, the Australian submarine which had been the first to pass up the Dardanelles during the First World War but was sunk by the gunfire of a Turkish destroyer immediately after her entrance into the Marmara, was found at a depth of 72 meters after 83 years. It is reported that it will cost $600 thousand to take the wreck out of the sea. /Hurriyet/[20] CENTRAL BANK STARTS FOREIGN EXHANGE ACCOUNTS OVER EUROThe Central Bank announced that, for Turkish citizens living abroad, it will begin to open "foreign exchange accounts with a cash letter of credit" (KMDTH) and "super foreign exchange accounts" in terms of Euro as well by the new financial year. The limit for the KMDTH will be 1,000 Euro while it will be 15,000 Euro for super foreign exchange accounts. /Hurriyet/[21] HUGE INVESTMENT BY PETKIMThe Petkim Petro-chemical Corporation will achieve three investments at a cost of TL 354.6 trillion. Petkim will make an TL 6.7 trillion investment in Aliaga to increase calor gas production by 10,000 tons. The firm will also invest in a TL 550 billion completion project and finally a TL 126 billion modernization project with the aim of chemical refining in Aliaga. /Aksam/[22] 120 HADEP MEMBERS ARE UNDER ARREST120 HADEP militants held a demonstration yesterday in Bagcilar, Istanbul to support the chief of the separatist terrorist organization. The police asked them to end the demonstration; however, they started to attack police by throwing stones. At that, the police placed the militants under arrest. /Turkiye/[23] ATATURK PANEL IN SOFIAAs part of the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey and the 60th anniversary of the death of Ataturk, a conference on "Contemporary Turkey and Ataturk" was organized in Sofia. The Turkish Ambassador to Sofia, Tahsin Burcuoglu, gave the opening speech of the conference. In his speech Burcuoglu said that Turkey and Bulgaria were always allied and friendly to each other. /Cumhuriyet/[24] EFFORTS TO ENLIVEN TOURISM IN AEGEANImportant steps are beginning to be taken as part of the efforts in the tourism sector between Greece and Turkey. Turkey and Greece mutually decided to increase their maritime schedules. It is noted that such an increase in schedules would contribute to the shore trade. Representatives of the Greek and Turkish tourism sector said that daily voyages would increase between the islands of the two countries. They added that festivals and youth camps should be organized to increase the tourism potential between Turkey and Greece. /Cumhuriyet/[25] A NEW THERMAL POWER PLANT IN ZONGULDAKThe US CMS firm is seeking an advantageous region in the Catalagzi district of Zonguldak in order to construct a thermal power plant with a capacity of 700 megawatts. The representatives of CMS said that they also wanted to buy shares in CATES within the scope of the privatization. /Cumhuriyet/Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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