[01] Demirel to Israel to meet 'Arafat, attend summit on terrorism.

[02] Clinton says he is committed to final settlement in Cyprus.

[03] Denktash's vital functions said normal, no complications.

[04] Ayvaz Gokdemir new Turkish State Minister for Cyprus Affairs.

[05] Psuedostate participates in Berlin Tourism Fair.

[06] Turkish and Italian Rotarians contribute in the reforestation of Pentadaktylos.

NEWS ITEMS

[01] Demirel to Israel to meet 'Arafat, attend summit on terrorism

According to TRT (18:00 hours, 8.3.96) Turkish President Suleyman Demirel will pay an official visit to Israel, from 11 to 13 March. After his three-day visit to Israel, the president will go to Gaza for talks with Palestinian President Yasir Arafat.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement says that the visit - which is the first presidential visit from Turkey to Israel - is expected to add new momentum to Turkish-Israeli relations, which normalized with the start of the Middle East peace process and which have been increasingly developing and diversifying since then. During the president's visit to Israel, the two countries will sign certain agreements on the legal infrastructure of the concrete economic cooperation between them.

Israeli President Ezer Weizman paid an official visit to Turkey in January 1994. President Demirel was scheduled to visit Israel last November but the visit was postponed because of Prime Minister Rabin's assassination.

After ending his visit to Israel on 14 March, President Demirel will go to Gaza and meet with Palestinian President Arafat.

Meanwhile, US President Clinton sent a letter to President Demirel inviting him to a summit meeting on 13 March to discuss ways of protecting peace and fighting terrorism. According to the Foreign Ministry, Demirel will attend the summit during the official visit he will be paying to Israel.

Furthermore accoridng to Anatolia News Agency (15:40 hours, 8.3.96) Israeli Ambassador to Ankara Tzvi Alpeleg said on Friday that Turkey and Israel were "natural allies" adding that close relations between the two countries contributed to the improvement of stability and welfare in the region.

"These two countries are natural allies as they are democratic and secular", Alpeleg said, adding "they are not rival countries but complement their economies."

Alpeleg said Turkey and Israel were geographically close to each other and faced with the problem of terrorism so there were similarities between their defense problems.

Stressing that several countries were concerned over agreements reached between Turkey and Israel, Alpeleg said "we would welcome similar agreements with other countries as it would contribute to the stability of the region."

Alpeleg urged the water problem between Turkey and Syria to be solved through talks, adding that Turkey itself would decide about the usage of water as Saudi Arabia and Libya decide about the usage of their petroleum.

Speaking about terrorism, Alpeleg said every country should solve its terrorism problem but also added that Turkey and Israel could exchange information on the issue.

[02] Clinton says he is committed to final settlement in Cyprus

According to Tukrish Daily News (9.3.96), US President Clinton, in a letter he sent on March 7 to Rep. Newt Gingrich, house speaker, and Sen. Jesse Helms, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said: "We are confident that if the parties to the dispute are prepared to engage seriously and with flexibility, we can move to active negotiations in Cyprus, and to a final settlement, which creates a bizonal, bicommunal federation."

He said the "progress made" by Richard Beattie, Clinton's special emissary to Cyprus, "gives us a basis to pursue our initiative once circumstances in the region are more favourable." Clinton added that the progress Beattie made was "modest".

Clinton again expressed his intention to treat the resolution of the Cyprus issue and Cyprus' application for membership of the European Union as clearly linked developments. Turkey, on the other hand, rejects such a link. "It is becoming increasingly clear that the UN-sponsored settlement process and Cyprus' course toward accession to the European Union (EU) affect each other. For that reason, my administration will strive to ensure the closest possible coordination among efforts by the United Nations, the EU, and ourselves to address the question of Cyprus," Clinton told Gingrich and Helms.

[03] Denktash's vital functions said normal, no complications

According to TRT (13:00 hours, 8.3.96) it was reported that the heart enzymes of Rauf Denktash, who has been hospitalized at the Ibni-Sina Hospital in Ankara, are normal and that all his vital functions are running their normal course.

In a written statement issued by the head of the Faculty of Medicine of Ibni-sina Hospital, Professor Semih Bazkan said that Denktash will undergo a coronary angiography today, 11 March. Bazkan stressed that Denktash has still not developed any complications five days after suffering an acute miocoronary infarction.

[04] Ayvaz Gokdemir new Turkish State Minister for Cyprus Affairs

According to KIBRIS (10.3.96) Turkey's State Minister in the new Coalition Government of Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, Ayvaz Gokdemir, has been appointed as the Minister responsible for Cyprus Affairs.

Ayvaz Gokdemir, who is a True Path Party Deputy, is the man who called three women European Parliamentarians, Mrs Pauline Green, Mrs Catherine Lalumiere and Mrs Claudia Roth, as prostitutes, while serving in Ciller's government. (MY)

[05] Pseudostate participates in Berlin Tourism Fair

According to KIBRIS (10.3.96) the pseudostate takes part in the 30th Berlin Tourism Fair which opened yesterday.

The paper reports that 6100 firms from 146 countries are taking part in the fair. (MY)

[06] Turkish and Italian Rotarians contribute in the reforestation of Pentadaktylos

According to KIBRIS (11.3.96), with the contribution of the Rotary Clubs in Turkey a tractor has been donated to the so-called Forestry Department of the pseudostate for the reforestation work on the occupied Pentadaktylos range which was burned last June.

On this occasion, 82 Rotarians from Turkey and four Rotarians from Italy, who presented a cheque of one million Italian Lire for the reforestation work, have arrived in the occupied area to take part in the tree planting ceremony.

The governor of the 2420 Region in Turkey Turgut Gokyisit presented the key of the tractor to Hakki Atun. (MY)