[01] Mehmet Talat comments after election as party leader.

[02] Turkish Cypriots deny Chechen forces being trained in the north.

[03] Turkish current account balance shows $70-million deficit.

[04] Turkey denies allegations it has made concessions in Cyprus against Customs Union.

[05] Denktash meets with Turkish Cypriot party leaders.

[06] Denktash meets European Union Ambassador.

[07] Turkish Union of Aegean Municipalities to hold meeting in the occupied area

[08] Turkey-IMF stand-by agreement reportedly withdrawn.

[09] Apostolides' car auctioned.

NEWS ITEMS

[01] Mehmet Talat comments after election as party leader

Talat, in turn, said that the real winner in the congress was the RTP and added that he will work hard to carry on the work undertaken by Ozgur.

In a statement he issued to illegal BRT (Bayrak Radio-Television) during a live telephone conversation held immediately after the election results were announced, Talat pointed out that the change in party leadership is only a change of duties. Stressing that there will be no changes in RTP's stands, Talat said that the party will continue to struggle for peace, democracy, and a federal solution.

[02] Turkish Cypriots deny Chechen forces being trained in the north

Claiming that it is clear that such allegations are being made with ulterior motives, the "Ministry" said that the pseudostate "is an esteemed democratic state of law that cannot be weakened through such preposterous allegations."

[03] Turkish current account balance shows $70-million deficit

Turkey's current account balance had rised to a $2..628 billion surplus in 1994 from a $6.43 billion deficit in 1993. The Central Bank statistics showed that the current account balance also dived to a provisional $66 million deficit in October from a revised $203 million surplus in September, and compared with a $339 million surplus in October 1994. The bank said exports soared 21.4 percent from $14.143 billion in the first 10 months of 1994 to $17.470 billion in the same period last year. Imports increased by a faster 35.4 percent to $27.591 billion in January-October 1995, from $17.844 billion in 1994.

Turkish statistics reported $4.516 billion tourism receipts last year, up from $3.842 billion the previous year. Central Bank officials said September 1995 tourism revenues were revised up to $734 million from a provisional $727 million.

[04] Turkey denies allegations it has made concessions in Cyprus against Customs Union

Asked to comment on press reports that Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller made concessions in the Cyprus problem against Turkey's entry into Customs Union with the EU during her meeting with British Labour Party leader Tony Blair, Ambassador Oymen said that Mr. Blair himself sent a note to the English daily that published this report and denied it. Oymen said that the minutes of the Blair-Ciller meeting were in their possession.

He went on and said: "Views and claims that the Greek Cypriots can become an EU member prior to a settlement, made the Greek Cypriots not behave in a flexible manner as regards the Cyprus problem. Quite the opposite. It made them an intransigent side. All government officials in the Western European countries have told us during our meetings that south Cyprus alone will not be accepted as a full member to the EU prior to the settlement of the Cyprus issue.

Despite this fact, unfortunately such claims and unfounded, unrealistic expressions continue to be published in the West."

When reminded that the Greek Cypriot press quoted Euro-MP Socialist Group's leader Pauline Green, Oymen said: "I was present and not Mrs Pauline Green at the Ciller-Blair meeting."

KIBRIS further reports that Mrs Pauline Green in a statement to Turkey's semi-official Anatolia Agency (AA) denied the claims and said that during the negotiations prior to the Customs Union agreement, the Cyprus problem had been raised, however the views put forward by the Turkish side could not be taken as meaning that Turkey was giving guarantees regarding the Cyprus problem. She said that during the negotiations Turkey "wanted the solution of the Cyprus problem and will work to this end".

Pauline Green also opposed the idea of establishing a relation between the Cyprus problem and the Customs Union agreement. (MY)

[05] Denktash meets with Turkish Cypriot party leaders

After the meeting, which lasted 90 minutes, Denktash said that these meetings will continue, and that after ten days he will again call the leaders for a meeting.

Denktash said that during the meeting important ideas were put forward and that they discussed how a federation could be established. (MY)

[06] Denktash meets European Union Ambassador

The paper reports that the meeting was a routine one. (MY)

[07] Turkish Union of Aegean Municipalities to hold meeting in the occupied area

The Union will hold its annual executive committee meeting. (MY)

[08] Turkey-IMF stand-by agreement reportedly withdrawn

Replying to MILLIYET's questions in Washington, IMF officials said that they have no plans to hold talks with Turkey. An official who closely follows developments in Turkey said: "The stand-by agreement included certain monetary and financial targets that Turkey agreed to meet. The credit of $610 million would have been released in several sections. However, our economic situation gradually worsened. None of the targets were met, so the agreement was withdrawn. The final credit installment totalled nearly $223 million. However, Turkey will not be able to use that amount, because it has been suspended. It would be wrong to blame the elections. This is your problem. Elections are held in every country. Do countries hold elections to disrupt their economy?"

The withdrawl of the agreement has not been "officially" disclosed, the paper says. The Turkish government decided not to "disclose" the matter when it was informed of the situation. It has been reported that it was worried that it might affect the elections. High-ranking Treasury officials said: "We warned the government, but we wre unsuccessful. Meeting the targets was impossible because of the funds that were allocated for the elections."

[09] Apostolides' car auctioned

The auction will take place between 11:00-1200 o'clock tomorrow. (MY)