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Turkish Press Review, 99-10-01
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
01.10.99
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] FIRST STEP FROM THE U.S.
[02] AVNI AKYOL DIES
[03] FOREIGN DEBTS DECREASE
[04] J.P.MORGAN IN ISTANBUL
[05] ENKA COMPLETES BAKU AIRPORT
[06] JAPANESE LOANS FOR TURKEY
[07] MILITARY COOPERATION WITH LATVIA
[08] MILITARY OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN IRAQ
[09] UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR VISITS DEMIREL
[10] TL 18 TRILLION IS NEEDED FOR REPAIR OF HISTORICAL WORKS
[11] NEW LEGISLATIVE TERM OF PARLIAMENT COMMENCES TODAY
[12] SABANCI FOUNDS READY-TO-WEAR LINE WITH BRITISH COMPANY
[13] HUGO BOSS OPENS FACTORY IN IZMIR
[14] FOREIGN AID FOR EARTHQUAKE ZONE
[15] TRNC GETS CLOSE TO ITALY
[16] CYPRUS ON THE CONGRESS
[17] FIRST TURKISH ADMINISTRATOR OF THE OECD
[18] TURKEY, THE PERFECT COUNTRY
[19] CYPRUS ISSUE ON CNN
[20] TENDERS FROM TREASURY
[21] DATE AMOUNT TERM
[01] FIRST STEP FROM THE U.S.
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, who is continuing with his official
visit to the U.S., stated that he had enjoyed beneficial meetings
with U.S. President Bill Clinton and Congress members and said
that they had decided to strengthen economic and commercial ties
between the two countries. Ecevit pointed out that during the
quota negotiations between Turkey and the U.S., an increase of
$108 million was decided on for the next two years.
Turkey and the U.S. signed a Framework Agreement for Trade and
Investment, which allows further steps in the field of trade to
be taken. According to the agreement, a council will be formed
between the countries where Turkey will be represented by the
Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade. Another deal was signed
between the two countries concerning struggling against drug
smuggling. The U.S. will provide $500,000 for Turkey to help in
her fight against drug smuggling. Meanwhile, Ecevit received
James Wolfensohn, Chairman of the World Bank. Ajay Chhibber, the
head of the Turkish Desk at the World Bank said that the
distribution of $3 billion of World Bank earthquake aid was
discussed. Ecevit also received Michel Camdessus, the head of the
IMF. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] AVNI AKYOL DIES
The Motherland Party's (ANAP) Bolu Deputy, Avni Akyol, suffered a
heart attack yesterday and died. Following the heart attack,
Akyol was taken to Gerede State Hospital. Despite every medical
effort, doctors were unable to save him. ANAP Chairman Mesut
Yilmaz went to Gerede, Bolu yesterday. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] FOREIGN DEBTS DECREASE
Turkey's foreign debts decreased by 3.75 % during the last six
months of this year, when compared to the end of last year, and
dropped to $100.056 billion. Foreign debts totalled $103.956 at
the end of last year. Meanwhile, Turkey's international reserves
increased by $786 million between September 3 and 10, reaching
$36.737 billion. /Cumhuriyet-Hurriyet/
[04] J.P.MORGAN IN ISTANBUL
The international financial company, J.P.Morgan, has opened an
office in Istanbul in order to offer its services to its clients
in Turkey and to its international clients investing in this
country. The office in Istanbul will be run by Andrew Maccormak.
/Hurriyet/
[05] ENKA COMPLETES BAKU AIRPORT
Baku International Airport jointly constructed by Enka and the
Burc Company was opened by Azerbaijani Head of State Haydar
Aliyev. Turkish State Minister Prof.Suayip Usenmez also attended
the opening of the airport whose construction cost $50 million
and took 16 months to complete. Baku Airport is regarded as the
biggest in Central Asia and Caucasia. /Hurriyet/
[06] JAPANESE LOANS FOR TURKEY
Japan will offer $200 million in loans to Turkey to help the
victims of the earthquake. Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko
Komura issued a statement yesterday and said that the loan would
be used for the reconstruction of the disaster region. Meanwhile,
American Federal Highways Administration officials said that
there had been no damage to the Bogazici and Fatih Sultan Mehmet
bridges during the earthquake. /Turkiye/
[07] MILITARY COOPERATION WITH LATVIA
Latvian Defence Minister Girts Valdis Kristovskis, who is
currently in Turkey to attend IDEF '99, visited the Deputy Chief
of General Staff Gen.Edip Baser yesterday. During the meeting, an
agreement which foresees cooperation in military training between
the two countries was signed. /Turkiye/
[08] MILITARY OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN IRAQ
During military operations carried out by security forces in
Northern Iraq, 30 members of the PKK terrorist organization were
killed. Officials said that a crack-down in the region was
on-going. /Sabah/
[09] UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR VISITS DEMIREL
UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy arrived in Turkey on
September 29 to view UNICEF's activities in the quake area and to
talk to the quake survivors and listen to their needs. She is
also here to hold bilateral talks with the senior government
officials in Ankara. Yesterday, Bellamy was received by President
Suleyman Demirel. Demirel said, "Turkey has always been an ardent
supporter of the work of UNICEF. We are determined to continue to
contribute to the noble efforts of your organization". /All
papers/
[10] TL 18 TRILLION IS NEEDED FOR REPAIR OF HISTORICAL WORKS
The August 17 earthquake inflicted damage on a number of Turkey's
historically important sites, including mosques, monuments,
museums and other buildings, the repair of which will require 18
trillion TL, General Director of Foundations, Nurettin Yardimci
said yesterday. Meanwhile, Kutluay Oktem was appointed as
coordinator governor of the disaster region yesterday, the
Anatolia News Agency reports.
[11] NEW LEGISLATIVE TERM OF PARLIAMENT COMMENCES TODAY
Parliament's new legislative term will commence today, with an
inaugural speech to be made by President Suleyman Demirel.
Yildirim Akbulut, the Speaker of Parliament, announced that in
addition to new bills on the agenda, the amendment of
Parliamentary by-laws will also be tackled in the new term so
that Parliament could perform its legislative duties in a more
effective and efficient environment. /All papers/
[12] SABANCI FOUNDS READY-TO-WEAR LINE WITH BRITISH COMPANY
Sabanci Group and Britain's second biggest retail chain Arcadia
Group Plc. decided on the name of their co-owned corporation as
"GIYSA Sabanci Giyim Magazaciligi A.S.". The company will do
business in the ready-to-wear clothing sector. The company's 75 %
share is owned by the Sabanci Group and it already has its share
in capital stock equality $8 million. /All papers/
[13] HUGO BOSS OPENS FACTORY IN IZMIR
German suit manufacturer Hugo Boss has built a giant production
complex in the Aegean Free Trade Zone. The complex is investing
DM 25 million in the project. The complex has already started
production, but the official opening ceremony will be held on
October 5. The factory employs some 500 people. /All papers/
[14] FOREIGN AID FOR EARTHQUAKE ZONE
Holland's Amsterdam municipality will build 48 temporary houses
that will provide shelter for up to 200 people in Izmit, one of
the cities that was damaged in the earthquake in Turkey. Deputy
Mayor Jaap Van Der AA stated that the temporary housing will be
completed within a few weeks and will cost in total 600 thousand
Florins (130 Billion TL). Van Der AA stated that they will
determine what to do in the medium- and long-terms as far as
earthquake aid is concerned depending on the observations of the
committee currently in the earthquake zone and the meetings
carried out by representative of the Turkish Institution in
Amsterdam. The municipality had already donated 1 Million Florin
to the aid fund that was launched immediately after the
earthquake. Moreover, it has been revealed that the total amount
of money in the national earthquake aid fund in Holland has
reached 60 million Florins, the Anatolia News Agency reports. The
death of 6 Turkish citizens who live in Amsterdam and who lost
their lives in the earthquake in the Marmara Region on 17 August,
was confirmed. But there still remain 35 Turkish students missing
who have not returned to their schools. As for the Turkish
citizens who live in Rotterdam the number of deaths recorded is
27.
[15] TRNC GETS CLOSE TO ITALY
Under the leadership of Prof.Augusto Sinagra, the honorary
representative of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in
Rome, and with the involvement of well-known Italian citizens,
the "TRNC-Italian Friendship Association" and the "TRNC-Italian
Trade Office" have been set up. /Aksam/
[16] CYPRUS ON THE CONGRESS
Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, who had listened to various
suggestions concerning the Cyprus issue without being
pressurized, faced a very different style in the American
Congress. Democratic Senator for Delaware Joseph R. Biden Jr.
used the term "ensuring measures of mutual cooperation on
Cyprus", which was avoided during the White House meeting. Biden
said to Ecevit and the members of the TGNA with him, "If you do
not solve the Cyprus problem, then I will not approve the
financial aid package of 5 billion dollars, which you expect from
us, from the Congress."
After Biden's words, tension increased. The meeting continued
with Ecevit, Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem,
the delegation of members of Parliament, who represented all of
the members of the TGNA, Chairman of the Congressional Foreign
Affairs Commission Jesse Helms and members of the Commission
present. During the meeting, more or less the Cyprus issue alone
was discussed and the Senator Biden declared, "Now it is time to
sit at the negotiating table for Cyprus and reach an agreement",
trying to convince the Turkish-Cypriot side.
Ecevit emphasized the Cyprus Turks' worries and rights and
pointed out that they had reached an agreement with President
Clinton that "there will be no going back to the period before
1974 as far as safety and security concerned." After these words,
Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem was permitted by
the President to answer and reminded his listeners how relations
between Turkey and the U.S. depended on a broad spectrum of
cooperation. Cem pointed out that Turkey was on the same side as
the U.S. concerning Kosovo and Iraq and that benefits for the
U.S. involved good relations with Turkey. Biden implied "As far
as we have heard, Turkey needs us socially and financially",
which was answered by Cem with these words: "You are wrong."
Biden, who did not appear convinced, approached Ecevit after the
meeting and said, "I could not get an answer from you to my
question." Turkish Prime Minister Ecevit replied, "There are two
`separate states' in Cyprus". The other person who supported
Biden during the Senate meeting, was Democratic Senator Paul S.
Sarbanaes from Maryland. However, Sarbanes preferred a milder
style. Ecevit and the Turkish members of Parliament also met the
Chairman of the American House of Representatives, Dennis
Hastert. During this meeting, members of the House of
Representatives signalled their support for Turkey concerning its
future membership of the EU. The House of Representatives
Chairman of the International Relations Commission, Benjamin
Gilman, said to Ecevit, "Solve this problem on Cyprus without
wasting time." /Milliyet/
[17] FIRST TURKISH ADMINISTRATOR OF THE OECD
Turkey has been a `founder' member of the OECD for 40 years,
based in Paris, and since that time there never been a Turkish
director of the OECD. Until now, for the first time in the
history of the OECD, when electrical engineer and energy
economist Dr.Fatih Birol (41) was appointed. The director of the
International Energy Agency's Department of Economic Analysis,
Dr. Birol has a `staff' team comprising nine experts, three of
whom are British, the others rest German, Japanese, French,
American, Scottish and Greek. This team is analysing developments
that will derive from the production and consumption of the
different energy types world-wide in the next 20 years.
/Milliyet/
[18] TURKEY, THE PERFECT COUNTRY
Despite the fact that it is not using the capacity of its
production facilities to the full, the world's automotive
industry carries on investing. Turkey is especially desirable for
new investments in this area, due to its geological position and
proximity to potential markets. New motor car investments are
expected to be made mostly by the European and Japanese
companies, while American companies prefer to invest in
commercial vehicles. /Aksam/
[19] CYPRUS ISSUE ON CNN
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit was interviewed by the world-famous
TV channel, CNN, on the Cyprus issue. Ecevit defended the Turkish
point of view; he stressed that the 1974 Peace Operation was
legal and just, according to the 1960 Agreement, and it has
brought peace and freedom to the nations on the Island. He also
pointed out that during his meeting with Clinton, they agreed on
the fact that it would not be possible to return to the situation
in existence prior to 1974 in seeking a solution to the issue.
/Aksam/
[20] TENDERS FROM TREASURY
The Treasuary Undersecretariat will put out five different
tenders in October. Two of them are the bids for bills of
exchange, the others are bids for bonds. According to a statement
issued by the Treasury, the tenders, their dates and the amounts
are as follows:
[21] DATE AMOUNT TERM
Oct. 4th 700-850 trillion TL 2 years
Oct. 5th - 3 years
Oct. 5th 700-800 trillion TL 231 days
Oct. 25th 344 trillion TL 3 months
Oct. 26th 250-350 trillion TL 3 years
/Aksam/
NOTE: Due to technical reasons, our 'Turkish Press Review' has
been shortened today. We apologise for any inconvenience this may
have caused.
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