Anadolu Agency: News in English, 98-06-09

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

09 JUNE 1998

CONTENTS

[01] UN'S MEETING ON STRUGGLE AGAINST DRUGS - BASESGIOGLU, THE INTERIOR MINISTER: ''DRUGS ARE THE MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME FOR THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS''

[02] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES' FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING (1) - JOVANOVIC SAYS THAT THE KOSOVO PROBLEM IS THEIR INTERNAL ISSUE

[03] SEAWOLF-98 NAVAL EXERCISE - GREEK SHIPS WATCH THE EXERCISE

[04] THE S-300 MISSILE CRISIS

[05] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES' FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING (2) - PANGALOS, THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER: ''GREECE HAS ALWAYS SUPPORTED THE EUROPEAN IDENTITY OF TURKEY''

[06] PRESIDENT DEMIREL IN KAZAKHSTAN - DEMIREL VISIT ASTANA, NEW CAPITAL OF KAZAKHSTAN

[07] DRUG OPERATION IN GAZIANTEP - POLICE SEIZE 18 KG OF HEROIN AND 143 LT OF ACID ANHYDRIDE

[08] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES' FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING (3) - TURKEY TRIES TO FIND A FORMULA TO INCLUDE THE KOSOVO PROBLEM IN THE FINAL DECLARATION

[09] GREEK CYPRIOTS OPEN FIRE AT THE TRNC BORDER

[10] 164 TURKISH CITIZENS REACH ADDIS ABABA, THE CAPITAL OF ETHIOPIA ON MONDAY NIGHT

[11] TURKEY IN BRIEF - JUNE 9, 1998

[12] GORDON, THE FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY: ''OUR COOPERATION WITH TURKEY IS JUST A BEGINNING''

[13] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES' FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING (4) - A SECOND FORMULA FOR KOSOVO: ''A JOINT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE SIX BALKAN COUNTRIES EXCLUDING YUGOSLAVIA''

[14] TURKEY-PRESS REVIEW (1)

[15] TURKEY-PRESS REVIEW (2)

[16] TURKEY-PRESS REVIEW (3)

[17] OECD 1998 ECONOMIC REPORT: ''THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT IMPLEMENTS ENCOURAGING ANTI-INFLATIONIST POLICIES''

[18] S-300 MISSILES - TRNC PRESIDENT DENKTAS: ''WE CLOSELY MONITOR THE DEVELOPMENTS AT THE GREEK CYPRIOT SIDE. IF AN ANT WALKS, WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SEE IT''

[19] ALLEGATIONS THAT THE S-300 MISSILES DEPLOYED AT GREEK CYPRIOT SIDE - FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL: ''REALIZATION OF IT IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT TURKEY'S KNOWLEDGE''

[20] TAX TO BE IMPOSED ON SWAP AND FORWARD

[21] EXPORTS OF HAZELNUTS - FOREIGN EXCHANGE INCOME REACHES 879 MILLION US DOLLARS

[22] VISIT OF IMF DELEGATION - HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIAL FROM CENTRAL BANK: - ''THE STATEMENT OF IMF VICE CHAIRMAN FISCHER WAS WELL-PERCEIVED IN THE MARKETS''

[23] SUMMIT OF TURKISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES (1) - PRESIDENT DEMIREL: ''SPARK OF RAPPROCHEMENT AND UNITY IS SET BETWEEN COUNTRIES WHICH FORM THE TURKISH WORLD''

[24] ILO MINISTERS' CONFERENCE STARTS IN GENEVA - CAGAN, MINISTER OF LABOUR: ''ILO SHOULD CLOSELY FOLLOW THE PROBLEMS OF IMMIGRANT WORKERS''

[01] UN'S MEETING ON STRUGGLE AGAINST DRUGS - BASESGIOGLU, THE INTERIOR MINISTER: ''DRUGS ARE THE MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME FOR THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS''

Murat Basesgioglu, the Minister of the Interior, who represents Turkey at the meeting, asked the countries supporting terrorism, to scrutinize their attitudes, stressing that there is a close connection between drug smuggling, organized crimes and international terrorism.

Addressing the meeting of the UN, Basesgioglu emphasized, ''drug smuggling is the main source of income for many terrorist organizations. My country is struggling against such a terrorist group for years.''

Mentioning the threat of the chemical materials that are being used for making heroin from opium, Basesgioglu warned countries to inspect the exports of these materials.

Pointing out, ''the financial sources of drug smuggling, that reached 400 billion US dollars last year, affects negatively the social-economic structures and securities of the countries, Basesgioglu noted, ''the struggle against drugs should be made with the coordination of the UN.''

Meanwhile the US President Bill Clinton who addressed the opening speech of the meeting, requested countries to struggle against drugs and added, ''no country can combat drugs alone, but we can overcome this problem all together.'' He pointed out that the US will do her utmost to set up an information network including 20 countries to prevent the laundering of black money until the end of 2000. Noting the US, which is one of the largest drug consumers, took measures to struggle against it, Clinton emphasized that the drug consumption has decreased 49 percent in the US since 1979.

Murat Basesgioglu will meet on Tuesday with Abdullatif Filali, the Prime Minister of Morocco, and Izzet Rustemov, the Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister. He will also hold talks with his German and Afghan counterparts. Basesgioglu is scheduled to meet with the Israeli Minister of Health on Wednesday.

[02] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES' FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING (1) - JOVANOVIC SAYS THAT THE KOSOVO PROBLEM IS THEIR INTERNAL ISSUE

Zivadin Jovanovic, the Yugoslavian Foreign Minister recalled during the meeting that the representatives of the countries participating gave different views about the Kosovo problem, stressing that they refuse any foreign intervention initiatives in the conflict.

Summing up the Yugoslavian policy about the Kosovo problem under three titles, Jovanovic said that Kosovo is an internal issue of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the conflict can be solved within the territories of Yugoslavia through unconditional dialogue.

Jovanovic said that a solution can only be found within the legal and constitutional system of Yugoslavia and by respecting the European standards.

Meanwhile, Pascal Milo, the Albanian Foreign Minister said in his speech at the opening session of the meeting that they are concerned about the implementation of ethnical cleansing policies in the Balkans.

Recalling that Albania remained silent about the Kosovo problem in the past, Milo pointed out that their silence showed the deep concern about the escalation of violence in Kosovo.

Noting that the Kosovonian Albanians are faced with the threat of genocide, just like what was experienced in Bosnia, Milo pointed out that the governments of the Balkan countries should use their influence concerning the commencement of political dialogue.

Blagoy Handziski, the Macedonian Foreign Minister said that the Kosovo problem is an internal problem of Yugoslavia and if it isn't solved, then this will have a negative effect on the integration of the Balkans with Europe and the establishment of an atmosphere of peace and security in the region.

[03] SEAWOLF-98 NAVAL EXERCISE - GREEK SHIPS WATCH THE EXERCISE

Staff and equipment transfers were realized between the Barbaros and Oruc Reis Frigates within the context of the maneuvers.

Meanwhile Admiral Ilhami Erdil, the Commander of the Naval Forces visited the Barbaros, Trakya, Yavuz and Fatih Frigates and made observations on the ships.

[04] THE S-300 MISSILE CRISIS

The International Affairs (INAF) news agency said that the British Intelligence Service stated that the radar equipment was brought to the Greek Cypriot side and it is being kept in an underground shelter, which had been prepared earlier.

The Sunday Times newspaper, which is published in Britain, had earlier noted that Britain has worked on a plan to return her 250,000 citizens from Cyprus due to a possible clash on the island. The US Embassy on Cyprus has sent letters to her citizens and asked them to inform the Embassy about the number of family members and telephone numbers in case of emergency.

These attitudes of Britain and the US were interpreted as ''the arrival of the missile radar equipment on the island had been known previously.''

Meanwhile, Taner Etkin, the Foreign Minister and Defense Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said the same day that ''we won't hesitate to take counter measures.''

Etkin told the A.A correspondent, ''we had earlier said that we would take all kinds of measures to protect our existence and rights on the island. We are sure of our determination.''

The Press Center of the Rosvoorijeniye, which is an official weapons export firm in Russia denied the Russian newspaper's ''Sevodniya'' news which also claimed that ''the S-300 missiles have been delivered to the Greek Cypriot side.''

''The news isn't correct, the missiles will be sent on the date which had earlier been declared by Yevgeni Ananiyev, the General Director of Rosvoorijeniye,'' stated the firm's press center to the A.A correspondent.

Ananiyev had said, ''the missiles will be delivered by the end of August.''

[05] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES' FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING (2) - PANGALOS, THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER: ''GREECE HAS ALWAYS SUPPORTED THE EUROPEAN IDENTITY OF TURKEY''

Addressing the opening session of the meeting, Pangalos said that Greece strongly extends support to the European identities of the regional countries and extended support to the NATO membership of Romania and Bulgaria and Turkey's membership in the European Union (EU).

''Greece is against the limitation of the EU due to religious and historical traditions,'' said Pangalos, adding that the participation of Turkey in the European Conference can be a first and successful step in this regard.

Noting that the economic relations with Turkey improve, Pangalos pointed out that the businessmen of the two countries are actively cooperating.

Theodoros Pangalos added that Turkey, the term president, should refer to the issues discussed at the meeting within the framework of the Kosovo problem.

Nadezda Mihailova, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister said that they are ready to contribute to the solution of the Kosovo problem.

[06] PRESIDENT DEMIREL IN KAZAKHSTAN - DEMIREL VISIT ASTANA, NEW CAPITAL OF KAZAKHSTAN

The Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaiev welcomed Demirel at the Astana Airport and he gave information about the new airport to Demirel.

The two presidents attended the opening ceremony of the Intercontinental Hotel that was constructed by Okan Holding, a Turkish company.

Addressing the ceremony, Demirel expressed his gladness at being together with the Kazakhs on the day when they prepare to promote their new capital to the world and added, ''Kazakhstan became one of the most important countries in the region and the world under the successful management of Nazarbaiev''. He congratulated Bekir Okan, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Okan Holding for his success.

Nazarbaiev said that the Turkish companies concluded many works in Kazakhstan and praised them for their success. He pointed out that the new hotel consolidates the friendship between the Turkish and Kazakh people. He reminded that the Intercontinental Hotel is the first five-star hotel in Astana.

Demirel visited the new capital of Astana after the ceremony and made observations on the Turkish construction in the capital, including the building of the Ministry of Finance.

Astana will be announced as the new capital of Kazakhstan on Tuesday. The presidents of 13 countries will attend the ceremonies. Meanwhile the new capital will host the ''the 5th Summit of the Presidents of the Turkish Speaking Countries''.

[07] DRUG OPERATION IN GAZIANTEP - POLICE SEIZE 18 KG OF HEROIN AND 143 LT OF ACID ANHYDRIDE

Guner Ozmen, the Governor of Gaziantep Province, told the A.A correspondent that the security forces, acting on a tip-off, captured Mehmet Gazi Izgi, Musa Izgi and Omer Cetin in a cellar which was being used as a heroin workshop.

The investigation concerning the drugs is underway.

[08] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES' FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING (3) - TURKEY TRIES TO FIND A FORMULA TO INCLUDE THE KOSOVO PROBLEM IN THE FINAL DECLARATION

High ranking diplomats said that the insistence of the Yugoslavian officials, who say ''the developments observed in Kosovo are the internal problem of Yugoslavia'' has created difficulty in the adoption of the Final Declaration, which has to be formed unanimously at the end of the meeting.

Zivadin Jovanovic, the Yugoslavian Foreign Minister, who stressed many times, ''the Kosovo problem has to be solved within the framework of the Yugoslavian borders and laws,'' didn't give concessions about this issue in spite of the insistence of the participant countries and he asked the participant countries not to refer to the Kosovo problem in the final declaration.

Turkey warns the regional countries that Kosovo shouldn't become another Bosnia and she also searches for ways to overcome the reservations of Yugoslavia in the final declaration.

The same sources pointed out that the final declaration won't refer to the Kosovo problem, instead of that Turkey, with the title of the term president, will mention the problem by issuing a statement.

The improvement of political cooperation among the regional countries will be discussed and the ''Istanbul Declaration'' will be issued during the meeting the same day.

[09] GREEK CYPRIOTS OPEN FIRE AT THE TRNC BORDER

The TRNC protested the incident which took place at 07:20 a.m. on Monday morning, in spite of this, the same lorry came to the same region at 10:30 a.m. and once again the persons in the lorry opened fire four times.

The Press Office of the TRNC Security Forces said that no one died or was injured in the incident. The TRNC military officials protested the provocative event.

[10] 164 TURKISH CITIZENS REACH ADDIS ABABA, THE CAPITAL OF ETHIOPIA ON MONDAY NIGHT

Murat Ilhan, the Turkish Ambassador to Ethiopia told the A.A correspondent on the phone that the health of Turkish workers are fine and they are staying at three different hotels.

Noting that the Foreign Ministry has been informed about the list of the Turkish citizens in Addis Ababa and the telephone and fax numbers of their hotels, Ilhan stated that the relatives of these people can learn their telephone numbers from the Ministry.

Stressing that the Turkish citizens can return to Turkey this week, Ilhan said that several Turkish citizens are staying voluntarily at the ENKA construction site in Makale province, adding that he can't say how many Turkish citizens are staying on in the city of Makale due to security reasons.

The Turkish Ambassador said that they have regular phone contact with the Turkish persons at the construction site, that the region isn't dangerous at the moment and they are protected by the Ethiopian officials.

Murat Ilhan added that clashes occurred at the border regions on Sunday and Monday, but there were no air attacks.

[11] TURKEY IN BRIEF - JUNE 9, 1998

Officials from the TIKA told the A.A correspondent that the symposium aims to promote the existing business opportunities to the Western investors. Issues such as the role of the international organizations in the field of mining, legal problems of the mining sector, political risks in the field of mining will be discussed at the symposium.

Ministers and the representatives of the companies from Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the Ukraine and Uzbekistan will attend the two- day symposium.

ANKARA - Heavy showers affected life negatively in Ankara and nearly 150 houses and shops remained flooded, it was reported on Monday.

Officials told the A.A correpondent that the sudden rainfall caused traffic jams on the main streets of Ankara.

There weren't any casualties due to the flood.

ISTANBUL - The 26th International Istanbul Music Festival organized by the Istanbul Foundation of Culture and Art, began with a ceremony at the Church of St. Irene on Monday.

The Europa Galante Group, one of the leading representatives of the Baroque music, gave a concert at the opening ceremony of the festival.

Hikmet Cetin, the Speaker of the Parliament, also attended the ceremony.

CORUM - The 18th International Corum Hittite Fair and Festival began on Monday.

Yasin Hatipoglu, the Acting Speaker of the Parliament, some deputies and Atil Uzergun, the Governor of Corum Province, attended the opening ceremony of the festival.

The photographic exhibition of Mehmet Bayhan and the exhibition of the caricatures of Turhan Selcuk, Semih Balcıoglu, Tan Oral and Necmi Riza Ayca were opened in the framework of the festival.

The festival will end on June 14.

ANKARA - The Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade (DTM), which invites large purchaser delegations to Turkey in order to promote Turkey's commercial potential, works on a new promotion model, it was reported on Tuesday.

Officials from the DTM, told the A.A correspondent that the model of using the press for promotion in the fields of tourism and policy, will be applied for the commercial promotion, and the representatives of the economic press of the countries determined as the targeted market, will be invited to Turkey.

TURHAL - Security forces destroyed on Tuesday a warehouse belonging to the terrorist organizations, the PKK and the Turkish Workers and Peasant Liberation Army, during the operation they launched in Turhal county of Tokat Province.

Officials told the A.A correspondent that they found a great deal of food, clothes, medical equipment and organizational documents in the warehouse.

The operations against terrorism continue in the region.

[12] GORDON, THE FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY: ''OUR COOPERATION WITH TURKEY IS JUST A BEGINNING''

Addressing the Washington Institute, Gordon praised the Turkish diplomacy. He noted that Turkey and Israel have many joint points and problematic neighbours, pointing out that Turkey and Israel will benefit from the close relations between the two countries. Stressing that Turkey is an European country, Gordon described the decisions made at the Luxembourg Summit to exclude Turkey as a great disappointment.

Emphasizing that the Turkish and Israeli Foreign Ministers place great importance on the relations between the two countries, Gordon stressed that the Turkish press and public opinion supports the bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel.

Gordon said that a powerful Turkey and a powerful Israel will help to raise the level of stability in the Middle East. He also stressed that the cooperation between Turkey and Israel isn't targeted against anyone, and reminded that they invited Egypt to the humanitarian rescue exercise, but she refused to take part in it.

[13] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES' FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING (4) - A SECOND FORMULA FOR KOSOVO: ''A JOINT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE SIX BALKAN COUNTRIES EXCLUDING YUGOSLAVIA''

Diplomatic sources said that the ''Istanbul Declaration,'' which will be issued at the end of the meetings the same day, probably won't mention the Kosovo problem.

The first formula, which is considered, is the inclusion of the Kosovo problem in the ''Presidential Statement'' which will be issued by Ismail Cem as the Foreign Minister of the Term President.

The same sources stressed that another formula has been developed and according to it, the six Balkan countries, excluding Yugoslavia, will come together independently from the meeting and publish a statement concerning the Kosovo problem.

Diplomatic sources stress that the statement should be thought to be independent from the Balkan Summit, which is held within the framework of the Southeastern European Cooperation.

[14] TURKEY-PRESS REVIEW (1)

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

DEMIREL GOES TO KAZAKHSTAN
President Suleyman Demirel went yesterday to the Kazakh capital of Astana where he will participate at the ''Fifth Summit of Presidents from the Turkish Speaking Countries''. The summit aims to strengthen multilateral cooperation among the Turkish speaking countries including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Prior to his departure, Demirel told the members of the press that he will also attend the ceremonies marking the recognition of Astana as the new capital of Kazakhstan. AhaT Andican, the Minister of State, is accompanying Demirel during the visit./Türkiye/

IMF DOPING IN MARKETS
The positive impressions of Stanley Fischer, the IMF Deputy President, regarding the Turkish economy have boosted domestic markets. Shares in the stock market surged by 2.77 percent yesterday. The Istanbul Stock Exchange- 100 Index increased by 113 points and reached 4,193. But on the other hand, the deposit, bond, repo and interest rates all decreased. /Milliyet/

TURKEY: SHOPPING CENTRE OF EUROPE
A TV channel in the US promoted Turkey as the ''shopping centre of Europe'' in a programme on ''Tourism in Europe''. Rick Stevens, the presenter of the programme, pointed out that Turkey is a very cheap country for American tourists. /Milliyet/

ENERGY CONFERENCE IN TURKEY
A conference on ''Power Projects 2000'', organized jointly by the Global Stock Exchange and the Financial Times was held in Istanbul yesterday. The target of the conference was to develop support for international investments in energy. During the conference, energy investments to be made in Turkey and technical aspects of the investments were discussed. Speakers pointed out that the role of Turkey in the Caspian oil development projects wasn't only a golden commercial opportunity, but also a balancing element in the region. /Milliyet/

37 PKK TERRORISTS KILLED
During operations carried out by the Turkish security forces in Southeastern Anatolia against the PKK terrorist organization, 37 separatists have been killed. One PKK terrorist has been arrested and another PKK terrorist surrendered in Siirt. During the operations, one Turkish soldier died. /Milliyet/

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
The main theme of a current meeting in Istanbul of the Foreign Ministers of theSoutheastern European Countries organized to discuss economic and political cooperation among the Balkan countries, was the future of the region and Kosovo. However, Zivadin Jovanovic, the Yugoslavian Foreign Minister noted that the Kosovo problem was a domestic issue for Yugoslavia alone and rejected the inclusion of the Kosovo problem in the Istanbul declaration to be issued today. Delivering an opening speech, Ismail Cem, the Foreign Minister, said that violence in Kosovo and every form of terrorism should end as soon as possible and added, ''The sincere wish of the Turkish government is to hold meetings for a continuous and effective solution to the problem as soon as possible''. He stated that a joint policy for the future should be decided. During the conference, the foreign ministers of Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia also delivered speeches.

Meanwhile, Theodoros Pangalos, the Greek Foreign Minister visited the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate yesterday morning. During the meeting, the opening of a representative office in Athens for the Fener Patriarchate was taken up. /Milliyet/

[15] TURKEY-PRESS REVIEW (2)

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

US SENDS 300 COMMANDOS TO CYPRUS
The Tharos newspaper published at the Greek Cypriot side reports that the US has sent 300 soldiers to Cyprus. According to the newspaper, soldiers from special units of the US Armed Forces, have been sent to the British Agrotur Base in Limassol. The newspaper also claims that Britain has been preparing various scenarios involving Cyprus, and that London has been seeking support for its proposed policies. /Milliyet/

DEMIREL RECEIVES TRNC PARLIAMENTARIANS
President Suleyman Demirel yesterday received in Ankara members of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Parliamentary Union. At the reception Demirel said that there were two states on the island and that when the western world accepted this reality, then the Cyprus issue would reach a political solution. Demirel noted that the Cyprus issue was the national cause of Turkey and that the TRNC and Turkey must continue to work in unity and cooperation to be a more powerful influence in the region. /Cumhuriyet/

ACADEMICIANS REACT AGAINST SO-CALLED MASSACRE ON ARMENIANS
The Turkish members of the Turco-French Parliamentarians' Friendship Group have begun initiatives in Paris to block approval of a draft bill by the French Senate about the so-called massacre on Armenians.

Academicians of the Dicle University laid yesterday a wreath on the Ataturk Monument in Sivas to condemn the draft bill and asked the French Senate to give the matter rational consideration before voting in order not to harm relations between the two countries. /Cumhuriyet/

RECYCLING CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL
An International Recycling Conference organized by the Ministry of the Environment and the European Institutions started yesterday in Istanbul. In an opening speech, Imren Aykut, the Minister of the Environment, said that garbage should be collected separately according to type so that the recycling process could be facilitated and environmental pollution prevented. Jacques Fonteyne, the European expert, said that the European Union Packing and Waste Disposal Directives as accepted in 1994 should be applied internationally to maintain a clean world. /Cumhuriyet/

9TH TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL MEETING
The 9th Transportation Council meeting was held yesterday in Ankara after a break of 11 years. In the opening speech, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said that communications, transportation and energy investments should be increased in order to promote development. Yilmaz added that the Ankara- Istanbul high-speed train projects would be opened for bidding by the end of this year and that construction of the Kars-Tbilisi railway would be started very soon.

Bulent Ecevit, the Deputy Prime Minister said that Turkey had neglected her railroads since 1930, but now the government was working to establish a long-term railroad project. Necdet Menzir, the Minister of Transportation and Communications, also noted at the conference that they were working on improving railroad systems in Turkey and the Bosphorus tunnel. /Cumhuriyet/Sabah/

[16] TURKEY-PRESS REVIEW (3)

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

TIME MAGAZINE PRAISES TURKISH CONTRACTORS
Time Magazine has published an article in its latest issue praising the success of Turkish contractors in Russia. The article says that Turkish firms, which are hard working and honest, are operating throughout Russia. The article says that 85 percent of the construction in Russia is being undertaken by Turkish firms, which have earned 14 billion US dollars in Russia over the last nine years. /Sabah/

TURCO-IRANIAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION
Rifat Serdaroglu, the Minister of State, went yesterday to the Iranian capital of Teheran to participate at the ''14th Term Joint Economic Commission Meetings'' (JEC). The Turkish and Iranian officials started on Sunday to exchange views on technical issues in advance of the meetings which will last until June 11. Among the issues to be dealt with are mutual investment incentives, prevention of dual taxation, natural gas pipeline projects, the joint fight against environmental pollution and application of maritime agreements which were also on the agenda of the previous JEC meetings.

UN MEETING FOR STRUGGLE AGAINST DRUGS
Speaking at a meeting organized by the United Nations aiming to boost the struggle against drugs, Donna Shala, the US Secretary of Health and Human Services said that Turkey and Mexico had been very successful in their anti- drug campaigns. She also noted that outlawed opium production in countries such as Turkey, Guatemala, Pakistan and Mexico had been mostly halted. /Hurriyet/

TECHNICAL COORDINATION WITH IMF
Commenting on the latest visit by a delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), high-level Turkish bureaucrats said yesterday that Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz had suggested that Turkey and the IMF should sign a technical coordination treaty and that Stanley Fischer, the head of the delegation, would consult about this suggestion with the IMF headquarters. The same bureaucrats said that although Turkey's foreign exchange resources weren't sufficient for a stand-by agreement with the IMF, the proposed agreement would also help Turkey to get loans with suitable terms. /Hurriyet/

BRITISH TRADE DELEGATION IN TURKEY
Headed by Sir Jeremy Hanley, a delegation composed of British businessmen and investors is continuing its visit in Turkey. Hanley said yesterday that they were seeking ways to cooperate with Turkish firms which he says are making profits in Central Asia and the Caucasus. /Hurriyet/

COBRA POISON WORTH 1.5 TRILLION TL SEIZED
Three people who brought cobra poison worth 1.5 trillion TL produced by snake farms in Nakhichevan and used in the medical drug industry and who wanted to pump it into the market for the PKK terrorist organization have been arrested following operations carried out in Istanbul, Kayseri and Adana. /Milliyet/

NEW ACTIVITY IN SIRNAK
Following the opening of the Habur border gate, there is a new liveliness in the economy in Sirnak Province in the Southeastern Anatolia region. A second Habur border gate planned to be constructed on the Habur stream between Uludere and Beytussebap is expected to bring commercial growth especially in animal husbandry. /Milliyet/

SYNDICATION CREDIT FOR TEKSTILBANK
The Tekstilbank has secured a syndication credit worth 30 million US dollars for a one-year term from international markets. The credit comes from a consortium including 14 banks from 10 countries. Pulat Akcin, the General Director said that the credit would mostly be used for small and medium-scale enterprises. /Milliyet/

MED TV FINED BY BRITISH TV COMMISSION
MED TV, which broadcasts in Kurdish and supports the PKK terrorist organization, has been fined 90,000 pounds by the British Independent Television Commission, following an application by the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council. One of the three reasons given for the fine was making PKK propaganda. /Hurriyet/

[17] OECD 1998 ECONOMIC REPORT: ''THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT IMPLEMENTS ENCOURAGING ANTI-INFLATIONIST POLICIES''

The OECD report, namely the ''OECD's Economic Glance in 1998'' says that the Turkish government implements such a monetary policy, which aims to decrease debts and the rate of inflation and in that respect, inflation will continue to decrease this year and next year.

Noting that the Turkish economy has been in a trend of growth for the last three years, the report stressed that the high budget deficit and chronic inflation continue to be the most important economic problems in Turkey during the same period.

The report said that Turkey's deficit in current accounts is at a moderate stage due to the unregistered trade, adding that the deficit in the current accounts shrank due to the increases in exports and tourism revenues.

The OECD pointed out that if the reforms on the social security and taxes are realized, then they will bring an additional income to the economy, which will be more than 1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Stressing that privatization can speed up this year, the report said that the OECD estimates the privatization income to be 4-5 billion US dollars this year, although the Turkish government thinks that it will be 10 billion US dollars.

The report said that the inflation rate in Turkey can decrease to 65 percent by 1999, adding that the early elections, which are foreseen to be held in Turkey next year, will disturb the control over the public expenditures and they have the risk of creating an inflationist pressure on the economy.

Recalling that Turkey hasn't been affected much by the economic crisis in Asia, the report stressed that this stems from the fact that the debts in the short-term aren't much and the banks prefer Treasury bonds rather than going into debt.

The OECD estimates that the unemployment rate, which was 5.7 percent in 1997 will decrease to 5.6 percent in 1998.

The OECD also thinks that ''if the economic trend continues in Turkey, the average economic growth in Turkey between 1999-2003 will be 5 percent, while the inflation rate will gradually decrease to 35.7 percent by 2003.''

[18] S-300 MISSILES - TRNC PRESIDENT DENKTAS: ''WE CLOSELY MONITOR THE DEVELOPMENTS AT THE GREEK CYPRIOT SIDE. IF AN ANT WALKS, WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SEE IT''

Responding to the questions of the A.A correspondent about the S-300 missiles, Denktas pointed out that he hasn't received any information from yesterday's intelligence reports, saying that the S-300 missiles have been delivered to the Greek Cypriot side.

''We are informed about everything. Maybe they wonder about our reaction in such a case. The measures against the S-300 missiles are planned and being taken. Turkey had earlier said that she wouldn't let the deployment of missiles on the island,'' said Denktas.

Noting that the US, Britain and Israel will be uneasy about the developed radars of the missiles if they are deployed on the island, Denktas added ''the US and Britain shouldn't transfer the issue to Turkey. The US promised us that the missiles wouldn't be delivered to the island. Recently, Americans say that 'we told the Greek Cypriot side, but they don't listen to us.' We don't want to listen to the excuses of the US. The US shouldn't permit the disturbance of the Turkish-Greek balance in the region, because it won't be to her advantage.''

[19] ALLEGATIONS THAT THE S-300 MISSILES DEPLOYED AT GREEK CYPRIOT SIDE - FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL: ''REALIZATION OF IT IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT TURKEY'S KNOWLEDGE''

Speaking to the A.A correspondent, the Foreign Ministry official said that realization of such a thing is impossible as they are following it very closely.

A news report issued in the Sevodniya newspaper claimed on Tuesday that the S-300 missiles had been deployed on the island.

The Rosvorijeniye Company, the official weapon exports company in Russia, assigned to deliver the S-300 missiles, also denied the news report of the Sevodniya.

[20] TAX TO BE IMPOSED ON SWAP AND FORWARD

The swap and forward transactions are applied to evade taxes after the repurchasing and interest income were put into the context of the tax return. The General Directorate of Income nearly concluded its studies to prevent such methods.

Following the evaluation with Zekeriya Temizel, the Minister of Finance, the communique will be issued and the arrangements concerning the issue will be announced to the public.

According to the studies of the General Directorate of Income, the swap and forward transactions are included in the securities defined by the existing laws and the concerned organizations are charged with implementing withholding tax to such transactions in accordance with the quality of the transactions.

With the communique, the Ministry of Finance targets to brief the public and the concerned organizations on the taxation of swap and forward transections.

The income stemming from swap and forward transactions will be imposed tax like the other security revenues and will be included in the tax return.

[21] EXPORTS OF HAZELNUTS - FOREIGN EXCHANGE INCOME REACHES 879 MILLION US DOLLARS

The officials from the Black Sea Hazelnut Exporters' Union told the A.A correspondent that they had exported 193 thousand 991 tonnes of hazelnuts and that nearly 178 thousand tonnes of these total exports were realized to the European countries.

Officials said that a total of 168 thousand 164 tonnes of hazelnuts were exported between September 1996 and June 1997 for 646 million US dollars and that they expected the foreign exchange income would reach one billion US dollars on August 31, 1998, the last day of the 1997-1998 export season.

The export prices continue to maintain their stable level in recent months. One cental (100 kg) of the standard hazelnuts is sold for nearly 424 US dollars.

[22] VISIT OF IMF DELEGATION - HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIAL FROM CENTRAL BANK: - ''THE STATEMENT OF IMF VICE CHAIRMAN FISCHER WAS WELL-PERCEIVED IN THE MARKETS''

Evaluating the contacts of the IMF delegation, the high-level official told the A.A correspondent that Fischer and Michael Deppler, the IMF Director for Europe, visited Turkey last weekend and observed the positive developments in the Turkish economy.

The official said that the statement of Fischer about the positive developments in the Turkish economy was well-perceived in the markets, and thus the investors reoriented from foreign exchange to Turkish Liras (TL).

Pointing out that the contacts of the IMF delegation were all held in a positive atmosphere, the official said he belived the international credit- rating organizations would review their evaluations for Turkey in the end by perceiving the positive developments in Turkey.

The official said that the declining trend in inflation would continue, stressing that the Central Bank would take every measure to protect this decrease.

Noting that Turkey and the IMF were working on a ''brand-new'' agreement, but hadn't made a decision on its date yet, the official said an IMF delegation would pay a visit to Turkey to hold contacts for setting up the framework of that agreement.

The Central Bank official added that Turkey and the IMF would put an end to the agreement in July 1998.

[23] SUMMIT OF TURKISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES (1) - PRESIDENT DEMIREL: ''SPARK OF RAPPROCHEMENT AND UNITY IS SET BETWEEN COUNTRIES WHICH FORM THE TURKISH WORLD''

Addressing the fifth Summit of the Heads of States of the Turkish Speaking Countries in the Kazakh capital of Astana, Demirel said ''basically, what brought us here together is the moral partnership of the Turkish world composed of 200 million people living in an area of 11 million kilometers.''

Stressing that the Turkish world contributed a lot to the history of civilization in the area extending from the Adriatic to the Great Wall of China, Demirel that said the masterpieces of this common culture have shown how great these contributions are.

Demirel said, ''I want to mention the importance of a more active contribution to the studies of Turksoy, which is the common culture organization'' adding that the project for the celebration of the ''1450 Anniversary of the Establishment of Turkish Khanate'' will be an important step in searching for our common past.

Demirel stressed that these summits, which became traditional, symbolized the rapprochement of friendly countries sharing the same history and culture after centuries. He said ''our aim isn't to re-write history, it is to know history, to learn it and to promote it better.''

''Nobody should feel uneasy and be afraid of our togetherness'' Demirel said adding, ''our solidarity and cooperation is the unity of action and feelings which will contribute to the peace, stability and welfare in the great geography extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific.''

Demirel said ''as we have mentioned in all the summit documents, relations between us are based on the principles of independence, sovereignty, not intervening with each others' internal affairs and equality and is an example to the world.

Demirel noted that Eurasia, while entering the 21st century, took its place on the stage of history as an indispensable fact and pointed out that the Turkish world was situated at the heart of this.

President Demirel said that the economies of Turkish world have a tendency to grow up rapidly, adding that their energy sources enabled them to look at the future in a more secure manner.

Mentioning Turkey's developing cooperation with these countries, Demirel said that every kind of transportation and communications infrastructure were established today and that social and cultural mechanisms were established.

Demirel said the region was face to face with new threats and risks in the geography, and named them as drug trafficking, organized crime, terrorism, money laundering, human and weapons smuggling. He said ''we should work all together and in a determined way to abolish these problems. We should unite powers to eradicate the image that our region is a transition corridor for drug trafficking.'' Demirel also said he believed in the importance of being in solidarity against fundamentalism, which is one of the most important problems of our era.

[24] ILO MINISTERS' CONFERENCE STARTS IN GENEVA - CAGAN, MINISTER OF LABOUR: ''ILO SHOULD CLOSELY FOLLOW THE PROBLEMS OF IMMIGRANT WORKERS''

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 86th ILO Ministers' Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Cagan said that the immigrant workers are faced with discriminative policies in some countries.

Cagan stressed that the ILO should act more sensitively against the threats of xenophobia and racism which the immigrant workers were contending with in some countries.

Recalling that a total of 3.5 million Turkish people were working abroad, Cagan said that he was feeling concern about the xenophobia and racism against the Turkish people working abroad.

Pointing out that the Turkish Parliament approved the recent ILO accord related to the minimum age of workers, Cagan said that Turkey became a part of the ILO's existing seven agreements after this approval.

Cagan added that the ILO should play an effectiva role in removing the negative social effects of globalization in future.

The most important topic on the agenda of the ILO Ministers' one week meetings will be the ''activities to prevent child-labour in the world.''

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