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Turkish Press Review, 99-02-03Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>03.02.99Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] TURKEY CONTINUES ITS DETERMINED POLICY AGAINST OCALANPrime Minister Bulent Ecevit said yesterday that no country could turn a blind eye to Ocalan since he is the leader of a terrorist organization which has committed very serious crimes in the past. He added that the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Intelligence Service (MIT) have been working together to trace Ocalan.Meanwhile, Turkey continued requesting that countries refuse Ocalan entry. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was crowded with high level diplomats and Ambassadors from the Greek, Yugoslav, Belgian, Swiss, Norwegian and Danish Embassies in Ankara. Regarding the Ocalan issue, the US State Department Spokesman, James Rubin, said that Washington believed that Ocalan should be brought to justice for the terrorist crimes of which he is accused. Rubin cautioned any country that may consider accepting Ocalan and said, "In addition to denying terrorists, such as Ocalan, a safe haven, refuge or asylum, countries should take steps consistent with their national legal systems to assist Turkey's efforts in bringing Ocalan to justice." The British Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Robin Cook, said for his part that they wanted to see a political solution to the Kurdish problem. He added that they were in favour of an international tribunal to try Ocalan. Meanwhile, the British press described Ocalan's situation as "the end of the road". The Independent newspaper wrote that even countries where Ocalan would be welcomed did not want to be troubled with his case. The Guardian also claimed that no European country would accept Ocalan "beacuse they do not want to become involved in legal proceedings with Turkey." /All papers/ [02] ITALIAN COURT TO DISCUSS REQUEST FOR EXTRADITION OF OCALANAn Italian court will reportedly discuss Turkey's request for Ocalan's extradition on February 23, more than a month after he was allowed by the Italian government to leave the country. Meanwhile, Turkey's Italian lawyer Augusto Sinagra arrived in Ankara on Tuesday to consult with Turkish officials on the legal aspects of the Ocalan case. Sinagra will hold talks with the Minister of Justice, Selcuk Oztek, and other senior officials from the Ministry of Justice today. /Sabah/[03] OCALAN IS BEING KICKED OUT EVERYWHEREThe Yugoslav Ambassador to Ankara, Darko Tanaskovic, contradicted claims that the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, would go to Serbia, saying: "We have enough trouble of our own and we do not want to court any more trouble. These speculations are unfounded". The Norwegian Ambassador to Ankara, Finn K.Fostervoll, said: "I hope that Ocalan does not want to come to Norway". The Belgian Ambassador to Ankara, Alexis Brouhns, remarked that Ocalan was unwelcome in Belgium as well. /Turkiye/[04] PARRIS: "OCALAN SHOULD BE TRIED"The US Ambassador to Ankara, Marc Parris, said that the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, should be put on trial. Parris, accompanied by a delegation consisting of the US Consul-General in Adana, Stuart Jones, officials from the US Embassy and US officials from the US textile sector, attended a meeting organized by the Gaziantep Chamber of Industry yesterday. Parris replied to questions posed by journalists and said: "Ocalan is a terrorist. Ocalan and his organization should be tried because of their terrorist activities. The US extends its full support to Turkey". /Turkiye/[05] OCALAN IN RUSSIAAccording to a reliable source of the Anatolian new agency (AA) it is reported that the terrorist Ocalan is in Russia for the third time. However, his whereabouts are unknown and no information could be gleaned as to the date of his arrival in Russia. The Anatolian new agency drew attention to Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Korkmaz Haktanir's statement that 'the terrorist may have gone back to where he came from, adding that the Undersecretary's statement was correct and Ocalan had returned to Russia. /Sabah/[06] MIT UNDERSECRETARY: "WE HAVE TRAPPED OCALAN IN RUSSIA"In an interview with the `Hurriyet' daily, Senkal Atasagun, the National Intelligence Service (MIT) Undersecretary,expressed the main purposes and achievements of the Turkish Intelligence service during the Ocalan issue. Atasagun said,"Ocalan wanted to be another Mandela. However, all doors have been shut in his face. Now it is obvious that he can take shelter neither in Italy nor in Greece. We have trapped the PKK leader in Russia. Our primary purpose was to remove Ocalan from Syria. That goal has been achieved. The second aim was to make it impossible for him to settle in Europe. This has also been achieved. Europe has perceived the real face of the PKK and Ocalan. No intelligence service can be perfect. Yet our organization has satisfactorily demonstrated its competence on this question. We have learned the majority of Ocalan's critical moves in advance and informed the government about them." /Hurriyet/ [07] DIE WELT: "OCALAN'S DUTCH FLIGHT IS A SCENARIO"The German daily `Die Welt' argued that the PKK leader Ocalan has never flown to Rotterdam, and the news concerning the Dutch government's refusal of his demand to land is "just a scenario". In the news in Die Welt, which relies on the government circles in the Hague, it was asserted that the anecdotes concerning Ocalan's attempt to land at Rotterdam airport are mere "hot air" designed to be deliberately misleading. The paper wrote, "The aim of this attempt to misinform the public was to observe what would happen if Ocalan really came to the Netherlands." /Hurriyet/[08] "A KURDISH STATE CANNOT BE ESTABLISHED"It is reported that Parliament Speaker, Hikmet Cetin's recent visit to Iran was very fruitful. Diplomatic circles reported that Iran assured Cetin that the establishment of a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq could not be allowed. The results of the first high-level diplomatic visit between Tuýrkey and Iran for a long time are welcomed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomatic circles noted that Iran considered that the establishment of a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq would not bring stability to the region; Iran supports Turkey's evaluations on the issue. It was also reported that Iran did not have any ties with any terrorist organization and it was ready to cooperate with Turkey in the struggle against terrorism. /Cumhuriyet/[09] FP AGAINST TWO-TIER ELECTIONSVirtue Party (FP) leader Recai Kutan said that the two-tier elections were planned to prevent the rise of the FP. "The unstoppable rise of the FP was causing panic in some circles. But the nation has decided and the FP will come into power alone," said Kutan. In a meeting of the FP group in Parliament, Kutan stated that instead of discussing Turkey's real problems, people were forced to show interest in artificial issues. He claimed that the only reason behind the demands for two-tier elections was to avoid the rise of their party. /Turkiye/[10] CILLER: TWO-TIER ELECTIONS ARE AGAINST CONSTITUTIONWhile discussions regarding the implementation of two-tier elections are continuing, the Leader of the True Path Party (DYP), Tansu Ciller, said that such an alteration in the upcoming elections would be against the Constitution. Ciller added: "If local elections are held in two stages, it will not abide by the Constitution". Ciller noted that without an amendment to the Constitution, the two-tier elections would mean the elections would be cancelled". /Turkiye/[11] CILLER: "NO ALLIANCES WITH THE FP MENTALITY"Propounding that it is impossible to establish an alliance between the True Path Party (DYP) and the Virtue Party (FP) in the forthcoming elections, DYP leader Tansu Ciller said, "Our cooperation with the FP in the Opposition does not mean that we will enter into an alliance with that mentality in the elections. We can neither accept such an alliance, nor can we be in it. There can be no alliance between the DYP and the FP; this is totally impossible." /Hurriyet/[12] ULUGBAY: "WE SHOULD NOT BELITTLE OURSELVES"Hikmet Ulugbay, Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister responsible for the Economy, noted that the Turkish economy comprises both very strong structural and institutional elements as well as a very dynamic labor force. He said, "While speaking of Turkey's problems, the priority is always in Turkey's own interests. If we interpret these problems from the viewpoint of foreign organizations, we will be belittling ourselves."Noting that the social security reform and the Banking Law should be immediately enacted due to the interests of the Turkish people, Ulugbay said, "How can we leave the banking mechanism, which depends on mutual trust, without the necessary legal regulations? If we reflect these as the demands of foreign organizations, we will have undermined our national policy requisites." Ulugbay also claimed that there is still time for the enactment of the Budget Law, since Turkey has a legitimate preliminary budget which will be in effect until the end of June. /Hurriyet/ [13] TAX-FREE BOND SELLS 1.4 QUADRILLION TLDuring the 371-day state bonds bid yesterday, the Treasury achieved record sales of TL 1.4 quadrillion with a compound interest rate of 130.32%. The compound interest rate of these state bonds, which have a tax advantage since their due date exceeds 365 days, decreased by 12.77% compared to the last bid. Meanwhile, it is reported that the domestic debt stock of Turkey had reached TL 11.6 quadrillion by the end of 1998. /Hurriyet/[14] ALGERIA GIVES A NEW HOPE TO LUGGAGE TRADEAlgeria is giving new hope to the luggage trade from Istanbul, which has been seriously shaken by the economic crisis in Russia in recent months. It is reported that the improvement in political ties between Algeria and Turkey is also reflected in commercial relations. Due to the boom in the demand for Turkish textile goods, exports from Turkey to Algeria reached a total value of $500 million in 1998. Some officials from Algerian Airways noted that they are frequently compelled to leave part of the baggage in Istanbul due to overloading. Meanwhile, Turkish producers and exporters in Istanbul express the view that they often have difficulty in keeping up with the recent increase in demand. /Hurriyet/[15] TURKISH FIRM WINS GERMAN MILITARY BIDSpekon, a Turkish firm owned by the Yegin Group, won the greatest share of the tender put out by the German Army for military clothes. Receiving an order of more than 300,000 pieces of jackets, trousers and shirts, Spekon took 35% of the 30-million-dollar bid. /Hurriyet/[16] DUTCH DELEGATION IN TURKEYAn advisory delegation annexed to the Dutch Foreign Ministry, which is in Turkey to engage in observations, visited State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel yesterday. The former Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers who heads the delegation made a statement following the meeting and said that they had discussed Turkish-EU relations. The delegation, which will prepare a report on Turkish-EU relations, met the Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary, Ambassador Uluc Ozulker, two days ago. The delegation also visited Turkish Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin yesterday, the Anatolia news agency reports.[17] BLUE STREAM PROJECT: BOND OF FRIENDSHIPThe Blue Stream Project holds an important place in meeting Turkey's energy requirements. The $2.5 billion lion's share of 'Blue Stream', which will cost $3 billion, will be met by the Gazprom company. The remaining portion will be met by the Turkish OHS company. OHS General Coordinator Arslan Kaya furnished information to the general public about the project which will be completed within the guidelines of the 'Natural Gas Agreement' signed between Turkey and Russia, he stated that the project had been approved by both the Turkish and Russian Parliaments unanimously. He added: "The project will further strengthen economic relations between Turkey and Russia and constitute a bond of friendship between the two countries". /Turkiye/[18] FOREIGN DEBT IN EUROOfficials of Commerzbank stated that the sale of bonds in Euro-DM, of the amount of 750 million DM due in four years time, was going well. They added that another bond sale in Euro-DM could be held before the elections. Regarding Turkey's sale of bonds, the representatives of Commerzbank said that Euro-DM bonds were in high demand and this amount could be increased to one billion DM if the markets allowed. /Sabah/[19] ARSLAN CALLS ON PKK MEMBERS TO SURRENDERThe Governor of the Emergency Rule Region, Aydin Arslan, noted that the PKK terrorist organization was about to collapse. Arslan said that the PKK has caused a great deal of trouble to regional people and recalled that the people have been living in an atmosphere of brutality. He called on the terrorists to surrender to the Turkish security forces. /Turkiye/[20] OPERATION AGAINST TERRORISTS IN HOZATAn operation begun in the rural sector of Hozat, Tunceli, against the PKK terrorist organization is in progress. In the last 24 hours, three more terrorists have been killed. On the first day of the operations four security officials were killed, fired on by the terrorists. The officials stated that many shelters where food, arms, and other materials were found have been destroyed. /Sabah/[21] HISTORICAL REPLY TO GREECEA report prepared by the 'Minority Rights Group' based in Britain pointed out that the Turkish population living in the Balkans was under pressure. The report written by Dr.Hough Poulton, an expert on Turkey and the Balkans, stated that the Turkish minority in Western Thrace was seen as a Muslim minority. The report, which examines the violations of minority rights throughout the world, pointed out that with the collapse of the 'nation' system of the Ottoman Empire, the Muslim minority was squashed among the new states which have emerged in the Balkans and said that the minority was not defined according to ethnic origin but to religion. /Turkiye/[22] BAKU-CEYHAN SUMMIT IN CANKAYAPresident Suleyman Demirel has been informed by the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry and Foreign Ministry officials on developments in the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline project. The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Ziya Aktas, and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem also attended the meeting. It is reported that the US Special Envoy to the Caspian Basin, Richard Morningstar, will visit Turkey on Thursday. /Aksam/[23] SYRIAN CITIZENS TO VOTE FOR ESADSyrian citizens living in Turkey will be able to cast their votes during a referendum to be held to decide whether or not to extend the duration in office of Syrian Head of State Hafiz Esad. The Syrian Embassy in Ankara noted that they would have a ballot box in order to enable Syrian citizens living in Turkey to cast their votes at either the Syrian Embassy in Ankara or the Syrian Consulate-General in Istanbul. The referendum will be held on February 8. /Aksam/[24] GEN.KILIC IN INCIRLIKThe Naval Forces Commander, Gen.Ilhan Kilic, visited Incirlik Air Base yesterday. After making his rounds of the Base, Gen.Kilic visited Adana Governor Oguz Kagan Koksal. Yesterday, two American F-15 aircraft which departed from Incirlik Base bombed defence facilities in the no-fly zone in Iraq. /Aksam/[25] JAPANESE DELEGATION TO VISIT TURKEYIt is reported that the Japanese Overseas Investment and Finance Institution (OECF) delegation will come to Ankara in February following the tenders put out to bid by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's government concerning infrastructure, in particular railway transportation. The delegation will arrive in Ankara on February 13. OECF, which had earlier proposed their outlines for the Istanbul tunnel project and Marmarail, is now willing to finance the Istanbul-Ankara double track high-speed train project. /Milliyet/[26] EGE IN BAKUYavuz Ege, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary, and his delegation met Arthur Resizade, Azerbaijani Prime Minister; Abid Serifov, Deputy Prime Minister; and Natik Aliev, the Director of Azerbaijani State Oil Company (SOCAR) yesterday. Ege and his delegation are expected to return to Turkey today, the Anatolia news agency reports.[27] CEMAL KUTAY AWARDED HONORARY DOCTORATEFamous historian Cemal Kutay was granted the title of "Honorary Doctor of History" by Istanbul University (IU) on Tuesday. The title was awarded for his high moral virtues, his academic studies and his discipline. IU Rector Prof. Kemal Alemdaroglu praised Kutay characterizing him as living history, a person who knew Ataturk and some one who relayed information about the latter and his thoughts to the Turkish public and to the West. /CUmhuriyet/[28] HANDICRAFT EXPORT TO BRITAINMardin Mayor Fikret Guven said that needlework from Mardin would be exported to Britain. He stated, "These crocheted articles demonstrate the determination and patience the Turkish women. We aim to improve Turkish handicrafts and help Turkish women gain their economic independency." /Cumhuriyet/[29] WORLD PEACE AND MEMORY FOREST PROJECT TO TRNCWorld Education Environment and Health Foundation will promote 'Northern Cyprus World Peace and Memory Forest' project to the public on February 4-5 with two activities staged in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), the Anatolia news agency reports.[30] DEMIREL RATIFIES CREDIT AGREEMENTPresident Suleyman Demirel ratified a decision of the Council of Ministers about the credit agreement for the Adana drinking water network project, the Anatolia news agency reports. The statement issued by the Presidential Press Centre said that Demirel approved the agreement at an amount of DM 80 million allocated with the framework of financial cooperation protocols signed between Turkey and Germany.[31] KUDSI ERGUNER TO GIVE A CONCERT IN LONDONKudsi Erguner, a leading Turkish ney (a musical wind instrument) player and a master in mystic Turkish music, will give a concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London on February 6, as the guest of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Anatolia news agency reports.[32] FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS....[33] FISCHER: "TURKEY IS A CANDIDATE" -BY SAHIN ALPAY, NILUFER KUYAS (MILLIYET)The EU Term-President, Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, was interviewed by Sahin Alpay and Nilufer Kuyas from the daily 'Milliyet' newspaper yesterday. Question: You have mentioned that you regard Turkey as a part of Europe. How are you proposing to draw Turkey closer to the European Union (EU)? Answer: First of all, I have to say that we view Turkey as one of our most important partners in the region. Not only from the geopolitical standpoint but also because of the large Turkish population living in Germany. With the new Citizenship Law, we want to further speed up the integration process of Turks. We believe that Turkey is an EU candidate. Modern Turkey has been established in line with Western values. We support Turkey's democratization process and the development of her free market economy. The Turkish economy is very successful in certain areas; however in some sectors, further measures should be taken.Question: If Ocalan arrives in Germany, what will you do? Answer: He will be arrested immediately, tried and imprisoned. However, I do not know what the verdict of the court will be. The judiciary is free in Germany. I can understand Turkey's concerns; however the problem is neither Germany's nor the EU's. As a friend, I would like to say that Turkey should achieve peace within the country however it supports its territorial integrity. Question: Will you visit Turkey? Answer: Of course, we want to visit Turkey; however, this visit should be a success. Initially, we have to establish a productive atmosphere of discussion. So, it will be beneficial to pay a visit after the General Elections in Turkey. Replying to a question on the Cyprus issue, Fischer said that the Cyprus problem was very complex. He noted that the Americans were trying hard to find a solution to the problem. He added that they were very pleased with the solution of the S-300 missile problem. /Milliyet/ [34] SUCCESS OF ASKIN AND KERIMOVA -BY EVIN ILYASOGLU (CUMHURIYET)Last week the recital by violinist Cihat Askin and pianist Julia Kerimova at Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall (CRR) was deemed excellent. They were in perfect harmony while playing the compositions of various composers. Askin is a musician whose artistic development, and rise to success we have closely followed. He plans to arrange an album of Turkish violin compositions. If he can find a sponsor he will go ahead with this project on which he has worked for some time. Julia Kerimova is known for her concerts at the CRR. In another development harpist Sirin Pancaroglu, who has proved to be one of the talents in the music world, is conducting her concerts in Turkey and studies in the US at the same time. This young harpist who attaches great importance to the works of modern composers tries to play at least one of their works in her concerts or recitals. /Cumhuriyet/Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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