Anadolu Agency: News in English, 98-03-31

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

31 MARCH 1998

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

[02] THY IN ''THE QUALIFLYER GROUP''

[03] THE US: ''THE S-300 MISSILES SHOULDN'T BE DEPLOYED ON CYPRUS''

[04] THE US: ''WE ARE EVALUATING THE DESERTIONS FROM THE PKK'' - ''THE PKK IS STILL AN ACTIVE AND DANGEROUS TERRORIST ORGANIZATION''

[05] STATE MINISTER GUREL: ''NOBODY HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE THE STATUS OF THE TURKISH CYPRIOTS INTO A MINORITY'' - RUSSIA'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO CYPRUS TO ARRIVE IN ANKARA ON WEDNESDAY

[06] TURKEY IN BRIEF - MARCH 31, 1998

[07] TURKEY-PRESS REVIEW (1)

[08] TURKEY-PRESS REVIEW (2)

[09] TURKEY-PRESS REVIEW (3)

[10] CYPRUS BRIEFING FOR THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL - PROPOSALS OF DENKTAS TO BE CONVEYED TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL

[11] LEFTIST PRISONERS TAKE THREE PRISON GUARDS HOSTAGE IN THE ANKARA CENTRAL PRISON

[12] PRIME MINISTER YILMAZ: ''TODAY WE ARE THE COUNTRY WITH THE SECOND HIGHEST INFLATION RATE IN THE WORLD''

[13] TURKEY-TRNC PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL CONVENES - STATE MINISTER GUREL: ''RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND THE TRNC HAVE ACQUIRED AN INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE WITH THE PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL''

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL) HISTORICAL RETALIATION
Brussels: The European Union (EU) started full membership negotiations with the Greek Cypriot side by dividing Cyprus. Ankara: The Turkey-TRNC Federation negotiations will start today in response to the attitude of the EU.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

SABAH (LIBERAL)

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

RADIKAL (LEFT)

YENİ YÜZYIL (LIBERAL)

TÜRKİYE (RIGHT)

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

FİNANSAL FORUM (ECONOMY)

[02] THY IN ''THE QUALIFLYER GROUP''

Cem Kozlu held a press briefing at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul following his return from Zurich.

Kozlu said, ''The Qualiflyer Group, which can be defined as the European Quality Union, constitutes the largest European civil aviation alliance with its fleet of more than 400 airplanes and capacity of 40 million passengers.''

Pointing out that after the establishment of this group, the spots to which the passengers can easily find the opportunity to fly are multipled compared with the THY's direct flights, Cem Kozlu said, ''membership in this group will bring several advantages for the THY, its passengers and Turkey.''

Stressing that the flight schedules of the group member airlines would gradually be in accord, Kozlu said that passengers can easily fly to spots to which the THY does not have flights.

Noting that the group member airlines would reach an agreement on the programme evaluating the flight kilometres set up for passengers who fly very often, Cem Kozlu said that the group members would work altogether for strengthening the technological infrastructure.

Pointing out that passengers can easily fly to Nairobi, some cities in South Africa and Rio de Janeiro, Kozlu stated that the group member airlines can easily have their passengers arrive at Tashkent, Almaty and Baku on the Turkish Airlines.

[03] THE US: ''THE S-300 MISSILES SHOULDN'T BE DEPLOYED ON CYPRUS''

Responding to questions about the deployment of the missiles in Greece rather than on Cyprus, James Rubin, the US State Department Spokesman stated, ''the attitude of the US, concerning the dangers that will erupt by the transfer of these missiles to the island, has not changed.''

Noting that he has not seen the news regarding the deployment of missiles in Greece, Rubin stressed, ''our aim is to prevent the concerned sides from transferring these missiles to Cyprus and to make Cyprus not accept them.''

James Rubin pointed out that the deployment of the S-300 missiles on the island will increase the tension, ''we have clearly told the concerned sides that we do not want an escalation of tension'' he added.

[04] THE US: ''WE ARE EVALUATING THE DESERTIONS FROM THE PKK'' - ''THE PKK IS STILL AN ACTIVE AND DANGEROUS TERRORIST ORGANIZATION''

Responding to the question of reporters ''whether or not he conceives the asylum of Semdin Sakik and Cemil Bayik, the high-level leaders of the PKK, to Mesud Barzani's group in Northern Iraq as dissolution and separation, James Rubin, the Spokesman of the US State Department said, ''we did not observe a level of dissolution. However, we were informed that Semdin Sakik and Cemil Bayik, the terrorist names from chief staff, had deserted the terrorist PKK organization. We are evaluating how these desertions, if they are true, will affect the separatist terrorist PKK organization. Madeleine Albright, the Secretary of State, announced last October in accordance with the Anti-Terrorism Law that the PKK is a foreign terrorist organization. The US still considers the PKK to be an active and dangerous terrorist organization.''

The US President Bill Clinton's Special Consultant Bruce Riedel said last week, ''when you look at its ideology, you can see that there haven't been any Marxist-Leninist terrorist organizations like the PKK in the world.''

Riedel emphasized that the recent developments were the ''serious losses'' in the chief staff of the PKK and said that they wanted the PKK problem to be finished.

Bruce Riedel also emphasized that Turkey has the legitimate right to defend herself so long as there is a threat of PKK terror from Northern Iraq.

The US Administration defines the PKK as a ''wild terrorist organization''. The PKK and the illegal Revolutionary Peoples' Salvation Party-Front (DHKP- C) organization are among the 30 organizations that the US Administration officially announced as ''terrorist'' organizations.

[05] STATE MINISTER GUREL: ''NOBODY HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE THE STATUS OF THE TURKISH CYPRIOTS INTO A MINORITY'' - RUSSIA'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO CYPRUS TO ARRIVE IN ANKARA ON WEDNESDAY

Addressing a statement to the A.A, Sukru Sina Gurel, the Minister of State said that nobody has the power to change the status of the Turkish Cypriots into a minority.

''Pangalos has to learn about the world, the region and Cyprus better,'' said Gurel, adding that the Greek Foreign Minister should also be aware of his status.

Gurel stressed that the status of the TRNC can't be an issue for bargaining.

The Foreign Ministry said that the Partnership Council, which will hold its first meeting in Ankara on Wednesday, will determine the measures aimed at further improving the existing relations between Turkey and the TRNC in the fields of economy, finance, security, defense and foreign policies.

The Council will take up the current situation on Cyprus, evaluation of the joint steps that will be taken concerning the Cyprus question and the common strategy that will be pursued to improve the special relations between the two countries and strengthen the TRNC's economy and also bilateral commercial and economic relations.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Chizov, Russia's Special Representative to Cyprus will arrive in Ankara on Wednesday.

Turkey is expected to convey her uneasiness to the Russian representative about the sale of the S-300 missiles to the Greek Cypriot side.

[06] TURKEY IN BRIEF - MARCH 31, 1998

It was reported that the visit of the Prime Minister to Romania was postponed due to the resignation on Monday of his Romanian counterpart Victor Ciorbea.

ISTANBUL/KADIKOY - Two police vehicles collided on Monday at the entrance to the Bosphorus Bridge, injuring 22 policemen.

A police midibus carrying the Rapid Deployment Force Department policemen crashed into a police bus carrying the policemen from the same department.

The policemen who were slightly injured in the accident were taken for medical treatment at the Police Hospital and the Haydarpasa Numune Hospital.

ROME - The Italian authorities will make a decision within a few months on the return of Mehmet Ali Agca imprisoned after making an attempt to assassinate Pope Jean Paul II.

The officials from the Italian Ministry of Justice told the A.A correspondent that they were implementing a general evaluation for Agca and they would finalize in the next months the issue of whether or not Agca would be returned to Turkey.

ANKARA - The Ministry of the Interior removed three mayors from office because of the inquiries about them, it was reported on Monday.

The officials from the Ministry of the Interior told the A.A correspondent that Mehmet Guran, the Independent Mayor of Yenisehir County of Diyarbakir Province, who is from the closed Welfare Party (RP); Mehmet Sekmen, the Mayor of Kartal County of Istanbul Province, who joined the Virtue Party (FP) after the closure of the RP and Nedim Sayin, the Mayor of Eruh County of Siirt Province, who is from the True Path Party (DYP) were removed from office by the Ministry of the Interior because of the inquiries about them.

ANKARA - Stephen Ip, the Minister of Economics of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, will come to Ankara on Wednesday as the official guest of Necdet Menzir to sign a bilateral air transportation agreement, it was reported on Tuesday.

Stephen Ip and Necdet Menzir will sign the agreement on April 2.

ADANA - The security officials captured on Tuesday four people preparing bomb attacks on the public organizations and facilities in Adana.

The Adana Governor's Office said that the officials from the Provincial Directorate of Security, Anti-Terrorism Department captured Mehmet Babier, the alleged-responsible person for the Cukurova region; Faruk Ozmen, Deniz Suylemez and Kasim Tereci during the operation.

VAN - The Gendarmerie officials seized on Tuesday one kg of hashish in Muradiye County of eastern Van Province.

It was reported that the Gendarmerie officials stopped the minibus on its way from Van to Muradiye. Officials found one kg of hashish in the bag of Necmettin Aslan, a passenger on the minibus. Officials said that Necmettin Aslan was taken into custody and that the market price of the haul seized was 20 billion Turkish Liras.

The investigation related to the incident is underway.

[07] TURKEY-PRESS REVIEW (1)

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

CEM TO VISIT PAKISTAN AND TURKMENISTAN
Ismail Cem, the Turkish Foreign Minister will pay official visits to Pakistan and Turkmenistan between April 1 and 4, it was reported on Monday. The Foreign Ministry said in a written statement that Ismail Cem and the Pakistani officials would exchange views on bilateral and regional issues and discuss opportunities to further strengthen the relations between the two countries during Cem's visit to Pakistan between April 1-2. The statement said that Cem would pay an official visit to Turkmenistan between April 3-4 upon an invitation from Boris Shihmuradov, the Turkmen Foreign Minister.

CEM RETURNS FROM LEFKOSA
Ismail Cem, the Turkish Foreign Minister, in Lefkosa on a working visit, said, ''the acceptance by the EU of the Greek Cypriot administration as being competent to negotiate on behalf of the whole of Cyprus not only constitutes an open violation of international law and a denial of reality, it is the first step towards a dangerous escalation in the eastern Mediterranean.''

''We once again request the EU to evaluate its future steps very carefully before it is too late and before the Greek Cypriot administration paves the way towards another war on the island,'' he added.

Directly addressing the Turkish Cypriot people, Cem emphasized, ''We want you to stay independent. We realize that if you are to establish a federation with the (Greek Cyprus), it can only be realized with your independent and equal political status. If you are left with no other alternative, then you must remember that the possibility of integrating and the decision to integrate with Turkey is always yours.''

''Any provocation or aggression directed against you will be treated as directed towards us and any provocation or aggression against us will likewise be treated as directed towards you,'' Cem stressed. Cem returned to Ankara yesterday afternoon, together with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) delegation due to take part in a Turkey-TRNC Association Council meeting in the capital. /All papers/

IMPORTANT MESSAGES FROM ARMENIA TO ANKARA
Two candidates, who are competing to be the head of state in Armenia, have sent very important messages to Turkey. While Kocaryan has pointed out that a new period will begin in relations with Turkey, Demirciyan has noted that Turkey should immediately open the border gate with Armenia and end the economic embargo. Kocaryan further noted Turkey's importance in Armenia's foreign policy and said, ''let's wait for a few days. After getting elected as the head of state, there will be some changes in Armenian policy regarding Turkey.'' Demirciyan said, ''We are ready to cooperate with Turkey. If Turkey lifts the economic embargo, then it will be an important step in the normalization of bilateral relations.'' /Sabah/

A MILESTONE IN THY'S FUTURE
''The Turkish Airlines (THY) is the fastest growing airline in Europe'' declared the airline's board chairman, Cem Kozlu. ''This agreement is a milestone in the THY's future,'' he said. Kozlu was speaking at a signing ceremony yesterday in Zurich, Switzerland. ''This agreement will bring THY into an alliance which has more than 400 airplanes and flies to nearly 500 destinations in Europe.'' The new agreement has been reached between the THY and Switzerland's Swissair, Belgium's Sabena, Portugal's TAP, France's AOM and Austrian Airlines. The six airlines will be cooperating with each other as ''The Qualiflyer Group.''

Among its many features, the cooperative agreement includes joint flight numbers, exchanging passengers and using tickets issued by one airline on any of the other airlines' flights. /Sabah/

YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE BLACK SEA REGION GATHER IN ISTANBUL
A student exchange programme (AIESEC), which has been active since 1948, will host young people from member countries in Istanbul in order to contribute to the development of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). The opening of the congress to be attended by young people from 12 countries including Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation, will be made on Wednesday by Nihat Gokyigit, the Chairman of the BSEC Business Council. The congress is expected to last until 4 April. /Sabah/

[08] TURKEY-PRESS REVIEW (2)

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

ANNAN CANNOT FIND A SOLUTION TO THE CYPRUS PROBLEM
In a statement to the Le Figaro newspaper, the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan gave details of his meeting in Geneva on Saturday with the Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas. Annan stated that Denktas said during the meeting that the Greek Cypriot demand to be a full EU member would cause difficulties in finding a solution to the Cyprus problem, and added that he wanted equal treatment for both sides. Annan said that the UN was determined to continue with the goodwill mission for seeking a solution to the Cyprus issue. /Sabah/

TURKISH CYPRIOT PLANE HIJACK ATTEMPT FAILS
An attempt to hijack a Turkish Cypriot Airlines plane on a flight from Girne in northern Cyprus to Ankara by a Turkish man who claimed he was carrying a hand grenade ended in failure yesterday when the pilot realized that the attacker was actually unarmed. The man tried to divert the Boeing 727 to Bonn, Germany, shortly after it took off from Ercan Airport in northern Cyprus.

The pilot, realizing the bomb was a fake, said there was not enough fuel to fly to Germany and asked to land at the Esenboga Airport in Ankara, where police teams easily detained the hijacker. /Sabah/

TURKISH AND GREEK STUDENTS ASKING FOR FRIENDSHIP
In a seminar organized by a student group from the Marmara University, students and academics from Turkey and Greece asked for friendship between Greece and Turkey. Speakers stressed that all the problems existing in Turkish-Greek relations stemmed from political ineptitude and that Greek and Turkish people actually had friendly feelings for each other. The speakers also complained about the history books which are used for the history courses in these countries, by saying that they intensified the current unfriendly atmosphere by including exaggrated narratives about the conflicts between the two countries. /Hurriyet/

BOTAS PLANS NEW PIPELINE TO RUSSIA
BOTAS, the official Turkish oil transport company declared yesterday that it was planning to extend the pipeline between Russia and Turkey in order to increase the transport capacity for Russian natural gas. The capacity of natural gas transports will increase to 10.5 billion cubic metres annually with the construction of the new pipelines. /Hurriyet/

GERMAN ''FOCUS'' MAGAZINE NOTES CHEAP LABOUR FORCE IN TURKEY
Focus, a German magazine with a high circulation, included a worldwide labour market survey in its latest issue. Evaluating the results of this survey, it was noted that the Turkish labour force is cheaper than that of many countries and this fact could reduce production expenses. /Milliyet/

KYRGYZSTAN PARLIAMENTARIANS IN TURKEY
A group of Kyrgyzstan parliamentarians, headed by Abdigani Erkebayev, the Kyrgyzstan Speaker of the Parliament, have arrived in Turkey on the official invitation of Hikmet Cetin, the Turkish Speaker of the Parliament. The delegation will also be received by President Suleyman Demirel and Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. /Cumhuriyet/

[09] TURKEY-PRESS REVIEW (3)

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

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY CRITICIZES PANGALOS' ATTITUDE
Ambassador Necati Utkan, the Foreign Ministry Spokesman said yesterday that Theodoros Pangalos, the Greek Foreign Minister had been active in ''blackening, slandering and insulting'' Turkey during his recent U.S. visit.

Utkan also noted that Turkey's calls to Greece for renewed negotiations without any preconditions, have so far been met with no response. /Cumhuriyet-Hurriyet/

''PRIVATIZATION EFFORTS HIT TARGETS''
Ugur Bayar, Chairman of the Privatization Administration (OIB), announced yesterday that although they had targetted 234 million US dollars in income from privatization for the first three months of this year, in fact they have collected 239,8 million US dollars. Evaluating the first quarter of the year, Bayar said that they had reached their targets both in numbers and on the basis of projects. He also added that for the second quarter they have already started the bidding process which is expected to yield 1.5 billion US dollars. /Cumhuriyet/

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE TO VISIT TURKEY
William Cohen, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, will visit Turkey with a Pentagon delegation between 17-18 April. The American delegation will visit the Incirlik base in Adana on the first day of the visit and on the second day they will hold contacts in Ankara.

It is expected that defense issues including Turkey's purchase of F-15 aircraft and three new frigates will be on the agenda at the meetings. /Cumhuriyet-Milliyet/

TURKEY PUTS HER MARK ON THE EU ENLARGEMENT SUMMIT
The official process of the European Union (EU) enlargement programme started yesterday in Brussels. In his opening speech, the EU term chairman British Foreign Minister Robin Cook stressed again that Turkey was European and that Ankara's EU membership would be evaluated on an equal basis with the other candidates.

In his speech, Yorgo Papandreu, the Greek Deputy Foreign Ministry, said that the result of the Luxembourg Summit had been very constructive for Turkey, but that Turkey had misinterpreted it. The President of the EU Commission, Jacques Santer said that the only negative side of the summit in Brussels was the issue of Turkey's membership. /Cumhuriyet/

YUNUS EMRE-EMINESCU LOVE AND PEACE SYMPOSIUM
A Yunus Emre-Eminescu Love and Peace Symposium will be held today by the Eurasia Friendship, Culture, Arts and Tourism Committee. Yunus Emre's and the Moldovian national poet Eminescu's poems on peace and human love will be recited at the meeting. The Turkish Eurasia Committee and the Moldovia and Romania Authors' Union will also sign a protocol during the symposium to ensure peace and friendship in the Balkans. /Cumhuriyet/

[10] CYPRUS BRIEFING FOR THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL - PROPOSALS OF DENKTAS TO BE CONVEYED TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL

It was reported that the proposals which President Denktas had conveyed to Secretary General Annan in Geneva, would also be conveyed to the UN Security Council.

Denktas had told Annan in the meeting that the equality between the TRNC and the Greek-Cypriot side should not only exist at the negotiation table, but also at all times. Denktas had said that the negotiations from now on shouldn't be intercommunal, but that they should be organized between two equal states and to this end, the TRNC should be recognized on the international platform.

It was reported that Diego Cordovez, Kofi Annan's Special Envoy to Cyprus would give a briefing on Tuesday to the UN Security Council to give information about the recent developments on the island.

Meanwhile, the Council will not display a negative attitude against the TRNC President Denktas on grounds that it would create an adverse effect.

The diplomatic sources close to the UN stressed that Greece and the Greek- Cypriot side were putting pressure on Secretary General Annan to take the issue to the Security Council and to ask the Security Council to make a decision on the issue.

Sources said that the prior target of the Council was to urge the TRNC President Rauf Denktas and the Greek-Cypriot side leader Glafcos Clerides to hold a meeting again.

[11] LEFTIST PRISONERS TAKE THREE PRISON GUARDS HOSTAGE IN THE ANKARA CENTRAL PRISON

Ilhan Mesutoglu, the Ankara Chief Prosecutor told the A.A correspondent that the prisoners took three prison guards hostage namely Halis Orhan, Hamdi Acıkgor and Bekir Etyemez.

Mesutoglu, who ordered the taking of broad security measures in front of the prison and surroundings, also sent two senior chief prosecutors to negotiate with the prisoners.

Noting that Enver Erbakan, the prosecutor of the prison has also participated in the negotiations, Mesutoglu added that the negotiations are still underway.

Prisoners in Turkey's prisons are generally kept in open dormitories instead of individual cells. Political groups are normally kept together to avoid violence with rival factions.

[12] PRIME MINISTER YILMAZ: ''TODAY WE ARE THE COUNTRY WITH THE SECOND HIGHEST INFLATION RATE IN THE WORLD''

In a speech, broadcast by most of the Turkish television stations detailing the record of the government, Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz stated, ''we have the responsibility to see the reality as it is and to complete the deficient points. Everyone who carries the responsibility of administering the state must give an account to the people. If this is not the case, then this means that democracy doesn't work.''

''Fortunately our country is more developed than many countries in the region which don't have democracy. Turkey does not have problems like starvation and war. On the contrary we are close to the standards of the most developed countries of the world in many fields. However we have the problems of a high inflation rate, low national income, unbalanced distribution of national income and unemployment,'' he said.

Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz said that the government considers secularism as the indispensable basis of democracy and the legal state, adding, ''our trouble is not with those who have sincere religious beliefs, but with those who manipulate religion in politics. We will not give this opportunity to them.''

''We attribute priority to energy investments. Our government increased the total energy production in Turkey with tenders worth six billion US dollars. The government signed a natural gas agreement with Russia and we have brought 16 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey. Besides, we have made agreements to bring Turkmen natural gas via Erzurum, Sivas- Kayseri to the Mediterranean,'' Yılmaz added.

Pointing out that five new thermal power stations have been tendered by the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, Yılmaz said that when the stations are constructed, Turkey will increase her electric capacity a considerable amount.

Yılmaz added that the number of satellites carrying the Turkish flag in space, will increase to four in 2000.

[13] TURKEY-TRNC PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL CONVENES - STATE MINISTER GUREL: ''RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND THE TRNC HAVE ACQUIRED AN INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE WITH THE PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL''

Addressing the meeting, Sukru Sina Gurel, the Minister of State, said that the relations between the two countries have acquired a continuous institutional structure with the Partnership Council.

Noting that the bilateral relations will strengthen in all fields, Gurel stressed that the decision of the EU to open its doors to the Greek Cypriot side has upset the political equality on the island.

Pointing out that the EU is responsible for division of the island by taking this wrong step, Gurel said that Turkey and the TRNC had earlier stressed many times that they couldn't accept this wrong approach.

Gurel stated that if the Greek Cypriot side gives up considering itself as an extension of the 1960 Partnership Republic and if the TRNC is recognized as a state having equal status, then a lasting peace can be established on the island.

Taner Etkin, the TRNC Foreign Minister said that the first meeting of the Partnership Council is a concrete proof of the fact that the TRNC will remain as a state.

Pointing out that the EU is making an historical mistake, Etkin said ''the Turkish Cypriots are also the owners of the island and they have the right to establish their own state, just as the Greek Cypriots have the right to establish theirs.''

The two countries are expected to issue a joint declaration at the end of the Partnership Council meeting. The members of the Council will also visit with President Suleyman Demirel after the meetings.

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