Anadolu Agency: News in English, 97-12-29

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From: The Anadolu Agency Home Page at <http://www.anadoluajansi.gov.tr/>

29 DEC 1997

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

[02] TURKEY-QUAKE - MILD QUAKE SHAKES CANAKKALE

[03] TURKEY-TURKMENISTAN-AZERBAIJAN - YILMAZ RETURNS TO TURKEY

[04] TURKISH PRESS REVIEW

[05] TURKEY-EU-CANDIDATE COUNTRIES - TURKEY'S GNP 371.1 BILLION DOLLAR WHILE POLAND'S GNP 208.4 BILLION DOLLAR - TURKISH ECONOMY 1.8 TIMES BIGGER THAN POLISH ECONOMY, 3.6 TIMES THAN ROMANIAN, 3.8 TIMES THAN CZECH, 5.7 TIMES THAN HUNGARIAN AND 10.4 TIMES BIGGER THAN BULGARIAN ECONOMIES - TURKEY'S GNP PER PERSON OVER THAN 6 COUNTRIES AMONG 11 CANDIDATES

[06] TURKEY-BRITAIN - FOREIGN MINISTRY: ''PRIME MINISTER YILMAZ HAD NOT SENT LETTER TO TONY BLAIR''

[07] TURKEY-ITALY-ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT - TURKEY AND ITALY TO COOPERATE ON REFUGEE ISSUE

[08] TURKEY-US-ISRAEL - TURKISH-US-ISRAELI JOINT MANEUVER

[09] TURKEY-CYPRUS - FOREIGN MINISTER: ''AGREEMENT ON THREE MAJOR ISSUES WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE SOLUTION OF CYPRUS QUESTION''

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HÜRRİYET (LIBERAL)

MURDERERS ARE KNOWN
Interior Minister Basesgioglu said the murderers of the people killed in a bus on TEM highway were known and that they would disclose them soon.

MİLLİYET (LIBERAL) ARMY-CILLER DOCUMENT WAR
General staff, returned a ''support to Welfare Party'' document to True Path Party (DYP) leader Ciller.

IRANIAN THREAT TO TRIPARTITE MANEUVER
Iran threatened and condemned Turkish-US-Israeli joint maneuver that will take place between Jan 5 and 9.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

TURKMEN GAS TO BE IN TURKEY IN THE YEAR 2000
A pre-agreement was signed to transport natural gas to Turkey via Iran.

CUMHURİYET (LEFT)

TÜRKİYE (RIGHT) TWO TRILLION TO POOR PEOPLE.
State is ready for Ramadan. State Minister Hasan Gemici said two trillion source was allocated to aid poor people.

CITIZENS OF ANKARA RELAXED
The first stage of Metro, which will give an important breath to Ankara traffic, was opened to service.

RADİKAL (LEFT) ''MEMORANDUM LEFT IN THE HAND''
The ''memorandum'' which was written by True Path Party (DYP) to support Welfare Party (RP) returned from every door.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

YENİ YÜZYIL (LIBERAL)

SABANCI: ''I WILL NOT EXCUSE MURDERER''
Sabanci reacted to the amnesty of the confessor Duyar who killed his brother.

FİNANSAL FORUM (ECONOMY) TURKMEN GAS TO BE IN TURKEY IN THE YEAR 2000
Turkey may take natural gas via Iran and Azerbaijan-Georgia or from the both lines. Necessary agreements were signed. Technical studies are expected to be concluded within nine months.

''TURKEY IS ON THE EVE OF ECONOMIC CRISIS''
Parliament Planning and Budget Commission Chairman Biltekin Ozdemir said tax and social security reforms should be realized soon.

[02] TURKEY-QUAKE - MILD QUAKE SHAKES CANAKKALE

Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory and Seismology Center officials said the quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.1 struck at 10:46 p.m., adding that the epicenter of the quake was Bayramic township of Canakkale.

There were no reported casualties or damage in the region.

[03] TURKEY-TURKMENISTAN-AZERBAIJAN - YILMAZ RETURNS TO TURKEY

Yilmaz staged a news conference in Ankara's Esenboga Airport concluding his visits to Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.

Yilmaz said Turkmen President Sapharmurad Turkmenbasi and he took up relations between the two countries, exchanged views on regional and international issues and signed several agreements during his 3-day visit to Turkmenistan.

Yilmaz said relations between the two countries are pleasing in every field, adding that they had signed two agreements on necessary feasibility studies to transport Turkmen natural gas to Europe via Turkey.

Stressing that the meeting was very beneficial for new steps to be taken to improve economic relations, Yilmaz said he also had very fruitful meetings with Azeri President Haydar Aliev on bilateral and regional issues.

Yilmaz said ''I believe that this visit will contribute to the transportation of Turkmen natural gas to Europe and transportation of Caspian oil to the Mediterranean via Turkey.''

''I hope that the owners of the oil and natural gas and countries on the routes will sign necessary agreements,'' said Yilmaz, adding that ''1998 will be a very important year for the realization of projects on natural gas and oil issues.''

Yilmaz said bilateral relations with these countries will continue.

[04] TURKISH PRESS REVIEW

(Derived from Newsspot of Turkish Directorate of General Press and Information)

YILMAZ SIGNS NATURAL GAS DEAL
Prime minister Mesut Yilmaz has come back from a visit to Turkmenistan after setting up a new natural gas deal with top officials there. First assessments suggest that the deal, signed with Turkmenistan state minister Saparmurat Turkmenbasi, is an ''important step forward'' in projects to bring Turkmenistan natural resources to world markets through outlets in Turkey.

The agreement, signed on Sunday, means that Turkey will have a large share in the extraction, transportation and sale of Turkmenistan natural gas. The deal also opens the way for Turkey to get hold of a large part of similar projects in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. With new horizons opening up fast in the region, Minister for Energy and Natural Resources, Cumhur Ersumer said after the signing ceremony that in the next century Turkey ''will be an energy bridge.''

Azeri President Haydar Aliyev noted during the visit of Mesut Yilmaz that he shared the same views with Mesut Yilmaz and that talks had gone ahead in an atmosphere of ''brotherly sincerity''. Now that new agreements have been reached, it is expected that natural gas will reach Turkey in the near future, and petrol within a few years. /All papers/

PRESIDENT DEMIREL EVALUATES 1997
President Suleyman Demirel held Saturday a press conference to review his activities and accomplishments during 1997. During the press meeting, traditionally held at the end of every year, Demirel identified democracy as the most important issue facing Turkey, and stressed that Turkey as a constitutional democracy will adhere to the basic principles of ''making its citizens part of a modern state.'' /All papers/

FM CEM: BETTER RELATIONS WITH CHINA
Commenting on targets to be reached in 1998, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said that relations with the EU and Greece along with the Cyprus issue will be high on the agenda in 1998, and added that improving relations with the US was another issue with major priority. Cem noted that Turkey was planning a commercial breakthrough in China. The minister is scheduled to pay a visit to China in the middle of February. /Sabah/

TURKISH TROOPS IN NORTHERN IRAQ
Turkish troops have launched a fresh attack against PKK terrorists in Northern Iraq. Turkish security officials reported Saturday that the Turkish forces were hunting down terrorists in the White Mountain region of Northern Iraq, near the point where the borders of Turkey, Iraq and Syria meet. /Cumhuriyet/

MOB ATTACK AGAINST TURKISH MINORITY IN KOMOTINI
As the result of mob attacks against the Turkish minority in Komotini six civilians have been injured. The injured Turks said that while they were walking along the street, speeding motorbikers came close to them and hit them with metal objects. They claimed too that local police were not treating their complaints seriously. /Milliyet/

YILMAZ SENDS LETTER TO BLAIR
It is reported that Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz has sent a letter to his British counterpart Tony Blair, who will soon take over the term presidency of the European Union (EU), suggesting a three-point plan to normalize Turkish-EU relations.

According to the Greek To Vima daily newspaper, Yilmaz said that three conditions must be realized to improve Turkish-EU relations. He listed these three conditions as follows: the EU should include Turkey as a candidate member country in its official reports; Turkey should be given the same status as Central and East European countries with which EU membership negotiations will begin later; and finally the EU should organize an ''extention process'' meeting but not a ''membership process'' meeting with candidate countries next April and also organize ''strategic determination before membership'' meetings with Turkey. /Milliyet/

KURDS RESCUED
Italian coastguards, police and fishermen mobilised early on Saturday to rescue the illegal immigrants, nearly all of them Kurds from Turkey and Iraq, from the stricken Turkish-registered Ararat motor vessel which hit a sandbank off the southern Calabrian coast. Italy called on Turkey to take action against gangs involved in ferrying illegal immigrants to Europe after nearly 1,000 men, women and children were rescued from the grounded ship off Italy's southern coast.

''The growing arrivals of Kurds, whether they are from Turkey or raq, is becoming a difficult problem not only for Italy but also for several other members of the European Union, Interior Minister Giorgio Napolitano. /Milliyet/

15 PKK TERRORISTS CAPTURED IN ISTANBUL
Police arrested 15 PKK terorrists including İlhan Erden who is reported as being the member of the Marmara Committee of so called ''Dersim Province'' responsible for giving the order for the Umraniye PKK attack on November 28, which ended up with the death of one policeman. The police also confiscated one revolver, six bullets and some documents belonging to the organization. /Sabah/

[05] TURKEY-EU-CANDIDATE COUNTRIES - TURKEY'S GNP 371.1 BILLION DOLLAR WHILE POLAND'S GNP 208.4 BILLION DOLLAR - TURKISH ECONOMY 1.8 TIMES BIGGER THAN POLISH ECONOMY, 3.6 TIMES THAN ROMANIAN, 3.8 TIMES THAN CZECH, 5.7 TIMES THAN HUNGARIAN AND 10.4 TIMES BIGGER THAN BULGARIAN ECONOMIES - TURKEY'S GNP PER PERSON OVER THAN 6 COUNTRIES AMONG 11 CANDIDATES

Turkish economy is 1.8 times bigger than Polish economy; 3.6 times bigger than Romanian economy; 3.8 times bigger than Czech Republic's economy; 5.7 times bigger than Hungarian economy and 10.4 times bigger than Bulgarian economy.

Turkey is world's 18th biggest economy with its purchase power parity according to the statistics of The Economist's last edition.

Poland's purchasing power parity and GNP is 208.4 billion dollar and it is followed by Romania with USD 104.2 billion, Czech Republic with USD 97.6 billion, Hungary with USD 64.7 billion, Slovakia with USD 42.2 billion and Bulgaria with USD 35.6 billion. GNP and purchase power parities of other candidate countries Slovenia, Latvia, Letonia, Greek-Cypriot side and Estonia are in more less levels in parallel with their populations.

Turkey's GNP per person together with its purchase power parity are over than six candidate countries. Turkey's GNP per person was 6,103 dollar while Poland's was 5,400; Romania's was 4,591; Estonia's was 4,431; Latvia's was 4,273, Bulgaria's was 4,190 and Letonia's was 3,484 dollar according to 1996-based statistics.

GNP per person was 11,989 dollar in Greek-Cypriot side; 11,113 dollar in Slovenia and 9,479 dollar in Czech Republic.

Candidate countries', Turkey's and EU's GNP per person, populations and GNP according to 1996-based statistics upon purchase power parity basis are as follows:

. 1996

. GNP 1996
. per 1996 GNP

. person Popula. (Billion

Countries (Dollar) (million) Dollar)

-------------------- ------ --------
1- Poland 5,400 38.6 208.4

2- Czech Republic 9,479 10.3 97.6

3- Hungary 6,410 10.1 64.7

4- Slovenia 11,113 1.9 21.1

5- Greek-Cypriot Side 11,989 0.7 8.4

6- Estonia 4,431 1.5 6.6

1- Romania 4,591 22.7 104.2

2- Slovakia 7,970 5.3 42.2

3- Bulgaria 4,190 8.5 35.6

4- Latvia 4,273 3.7 15.8

5- Letonia 3,484 2.5 8.7

1- Turkey 6,103 60.8 371.1

European Union (1) 19,250 372.5 7,170.6

European Union (2) 17,395 435.6 7,577.4

European Union (3) 16,274 478.3 7,783.9

European Union (4) 15,127 539.1 8,155.0

(1): 15-member EU

(2): EU with six candidate countries having priority

(3): EU with 11 candidate countries

(4): EU with 11 candidate countries and Turkey

[06] TURKEY-BRITAIN - FOREIGN MINISTRY: ''PRIME MINISTER YILMAZ HAD NOT SENT LETTER TO TONY BLAIR''

Responding to a question during a weekly news briefing, Utkan said Yilmaz lately sent a letter on Dec 12 before Luxembourg Summit. ''No letter has been sent to Blair or any other head of government after this summit. No telephone talk had been made also,'' he said.

News report of a Greek weekly newspaper To Vima, appeared in one of today's newspaper. To Vima claimed that Mesut Yilmaz sent a letter to British Prime Minister Tony Blair who would take over European Union (EU) term Presidency on Jan 1. It claimed that Yilmaz, in the letter, called on Turkey not to be excluded from the EU.

It also claimed that Yilmaz called on assurances for Turkey to be included in negotions launched for expansion process together with countries whose candidacies have been adopted.

[07] TURKEY-ITALY-ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT - TURKEY AND ITALY TO COOPERATE ON REFUGEE ISSUE

Speaking during a press conference staged for foreign journalists, Utkan said a ship carrying 825 Turkish and Iraqi Kurdish illegal immigrants was driven ashore two days ago in Catanzaro shores of Italy and recalled that similar incident happened two months ago.

Utkan said Turkey and Italian officials cooperated at that time and decided to prevent the repetition of such incidents. Utkan said ''I think new contacts will be held today. This is a kind of organized crime. We will cooperate with Italian government and other countries to prevent the repetition of such incidents.''

Noting that principles and arrangements in international field provided the return of people to the countries where they came, Utkan said this was an important problem and expressed Turkey's readiness to cooperate to this end and that the issue was seriously taken up.

Turkish flagged ''Ararat'' ship was driven ashore in Catanzaro shores of Italy due to bad weather conditions and the illegal immigrants were rescued by Italian police.

Italian government had called on Ankara to take measures.

[08] TURKEY-US-ISRAEL - TURKISH-US-ISRAELI JOINT MANEUVER

Speaking during a news conference staged for foreign journalists Utkan recalled that in every opportunity they had reiterated that cooperation between Turkey and Israel did not have any objectives forwarded to a third country.

Utkan said the maneuver which will be attended by the US and observer countries this time had rescue aims and that it was not against any country of the region. Briefing about the scenerio drawn within the framework of rescue operation Utkan said:

''A fishing boat is sinking in international waters of the Mediterranean. A humanitarian aim operation, such as the rescue of fishing boat and its crew is in question. This is very normal. These three countries are existent in the international waters and it is very natural to meet such incidents,'' Utkan said.

Utkan said, ''similarly, existing military training agreement between Turkey and Israel is evaluated with such comments.'' He said ''We have many times disclosed that we had signed such kinds of agreements with 28 countries. 19 of them are members of Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC). Turkey's policies which were improved for peaceful aims should not be misunderstood and should not be used against Turkey.''

Utkan said, ''thus, unconfidence atmosphere in the region would be overcomed, understanding of cooperation would be installed and would be served to welfare, stability and a lasting peace.''

Responding to a question, Utkan said they had received information that Jordan would attend the maneuver as observer yet this needed confirmation. He also said Egypt has not yet responded to the invitation.

[09] TURKEY-CYPRUS - FOREIGN MINISTER: ''AGREEMENT ON THREE MAJOR ISSUES WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE SOLUTION OF CYPRUS QUESTION''

Speaking during a news conference staged for foreign journalists, Utkan said Turkey entered a new phase in the Cyprus question after the Luxembourg Summit.

Utkan said, ''we can no longer apply the same parameters. There is a drastic change in the situation because of the European Union (EU) action which is based on the Greek position.''

Utkan said, ''Turkey and TRNC have issued statements on Cyprus to stress our legal and political opposition to the Luxembourg decisions.'' He also said, ''whatever can be done in Cyprus has to be done on the basis of two states, the TRNC and the Greek Cypriot side.''

Utkan said an agreement should be reached on these three major issues to co- exist peacefully.

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