Anadolu Agency: News in English, 98-08-23

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

23 AUG 1998

CONTENTS

[01] TASAR, MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS: - ''THE STUDIES TO CONCORD PRODUCTION AND EXPORT OF HONEY WITH THE EU NORMS, CONTINUE''

[02] SUSSMUTH, SPEAKER OF GERMAN PARLIAMENT: ''I WISH THE TURKISH-GERMAN RELATIONS WILL BE BACK TO NORMAL AGAIN''

[03] TOURIST RUSH INTO KAPUZBASI WATERFALLS

[04] EFFECTS OF RUSSIAN CRISES - TURKEY'S OFFICIAL EXPORT LOSS ESTIMATED TO REACH 700 MILLION DOLLARS

[05] INVESTMENT INCENTIVES

[06] ''GANG'' PROFILE IN TURKEY

[07] SAINT-VINCENT FLAGGED CARGO SHIP RAN AGROUND IN BOSPHORUS

[08] TURKEY EVACUATES HER EMBASSY IN KINSHASA

[09] FOREIGN CAPITAL INVESTMENTS

[10] INVESTMENT FIELDS WHICH DRAW ATTENTION IN GAP

[11] DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER ECEVIT IN BASBAGLAR

[01] TASAR, MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS: - ''THE STUDIES TO CONCORD PRODUCTION AND EXPORT OF HONEY WITH THE EU NORMS, CONTINUE''

Mustafa Tasar said in a written statement that they started to take measures to remove the problems occured during the exports of honey to the EU countries.

Recalling that the EU had asked the third countries to prepare annual monitoring plans, otherwise it won't permit imports of honey from those countries, Tasar said, ''we started to take several measures when we recieved this decision.''

Pointing out that they had prepared a honey residue monitoring plan and submitted it to the European Commission last year but new regulations were published while the observations on that plan was continuing, Tasar said, ''then, we revised the plan by taking into consideration the new elements.''

Noting that they also prepared a Honey Controlling Plan to bring into force the necessary solutions for the problems in the exports of honey, Tasar added that the programme started to be implemented nationwide.

[02] SUSSMUTH, SPEAKER OF GERMAN PARLIAMENT: ''I WISH THE TURKISH-GERMAN RELATIONS WILL BE BACK TO NORMAL AGAIN''

Spaeking to reporters during the election campaign of the Christian Democratic Union Party in Berlin, Sussmuth said that she believed the the German people of Turkish origin will vote for the interest of themselves and for the benefit of Germany by common sense.

Sussmuth said they will modernize the German citizenship law and support the integration of foreigners into Germany if they win the elections.

Susmuth added that she wish Turkey, which constitutes a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, will enter the European Union in the year 2000.

[03] TOURIST RUSH INTO KAPUZBASI WATERFALLS

The foreign tourists discovered the Kapuzbasi waterfalls region, one of the most important nature tourism centers including the Kapuzbasi, Derebag, Yesil, Guney and Elif waterfalls, Zamanti River, Hacer Forests and Yedigoller.

Foreign tourists, who do trekking among the Hacer Forests, Sogukpinar and Yedigoller and live the excitement of rafting on the Zamanti River, spend the nights at the tents near the waterfalls and find the opportunity to be alone with nature for 24 hours a day.

Cuneyt Karapinar, the Operation Manager of the Sobek Tourism Ltd. Co., told the A.A correspondent that they decided to finish the ten-day tours which started from Capadoccia region, in Kapuzbasi as that region is fantastic.

''The tourists, who came from Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and the US define Kapuzbasi as a magnificent region,'' he said.

[04] EFFECTS OF RUSSIAN CRISES - TURKEY'S OFFICIAL EXPORT LOSS ESTIMATED TO REACH 700 MILLION DOLLARS

The loss stemming from the decrease in the shuttle trade is expected to be 1.1 billion US dollars.

Officials said within the framework of recorded foreign trade, the total export volume will decrease and a 700 million US dollars of decline will occur in exports this year due to low-demand and actual devaluation in Russia.

Within the four billion US dollars of recorded foreign trade volume between Turkey and Russia, Turkey realizes 2.1 billion Us dollars in exports to Russia.

Textile and chemical products and foodstuffs share important stake in Turkey's exports to Russia.

Stressing that Turkey's imports from Russia will increase due to actual devaluation in Russia, officials said a 1.1 billion US dollars of decrease will occur in shuttle trade which is expected to be 4.5 billion US dollars in 1998.

Officials emphasized that the devaluation may make Russian exporting goods more advantageous against Turkish products exported to the OECD countries.

[05] INVESTMENT INCENTIVES

The manufacturing sector received the highest stake with 16,435 incentives while it was followed by the services sector with 6,649 incentives and by the agricultural sector with 1,915 incentives.

The Undersecretariat of Treasury data shows that the mining sector got 814 incentives and the energy sector was given only 223 incentives in the same period.

In the same period, a total of 6.7 quadrillion Turkish Liras (TL) of investments were made in the manufacturing sector while the services sector became the second with 2.2 quadrillion TL of investments and the energy sector became the third with 399.6 trillion TL of investments.

The mining and agricultural sectors were the two sectors in which the lowest amounts of investments were realized between 1990 and 1997. A total of 120.3 trillion TL of investments were made in the mining sector while only 83.1 trillion TL of investments were realized in the agricultural sector.

[06] ''GANG'' PROFILE IN TURKEY

The Department of Struggling Against Smuggling and Organized Crimes prepared a report concerning the gangs which came into agenda following the arrest of Kursat Yilmaz in Bulgaria, the arrest of Alaattin Cakici in France and surrender of Sedat Peker. The report includes the organized crimes committed this year, the leaders of organized criminal groups, their activities, their crimes and the weapons they used in those crimes.

According to the report, a total of 108 gang activities occured this year and 669 gang members were captured in relation with those crimes while 365 others are wanted. During the operations, a total of 189 pistols, 2,430 bullets belonging to those pistols, 32 long-range weapons, 5,300 bullets belonging to those weapons, 260 each G-3 bullets, 769 BKC type rockets, 23 shotguns, 2 LAV portable rocket launchers, 5 hand grenades and 10 rockets.

Ten of the gangs including Alaattin Cakici, Kursat Yilmaz, Sedat Peker, Kasim Gencyilmaz, Hadi Ozcan, Ahmet Tekin Baykal and Ahmet Ugur Soylu commit crimes in several provinces while other gangs commit crimes in local areas.

''The ''Green'' code-named Mahmut Yildirim was also listed as a ''gang leader'' in the report. Yildirim is wanted on charges of being the leader of the gang which carried out assasination attempt against Akin Birdal, the Chairman of the Human Rights Association.

[07] SAINT-VINCENT FLAGGED CARGO SHIP RAN AGROUND IN BOSPHORUS

Officials from the Harbour Chairmanship said that 30 dwt cargo ship named ''Asia Teorl'', ran aground off-shore Kurucesme during its transit crossing.

Following its rescue by its own facilities, Asia Teorl casted anchor off- shore Kumkapi.

Officials said the ship ran aground due to a technical failure.

[08] TURKEY EVACUATES HER EMBASSY IN KINSHASA

The officials from the Foreign Ministry said that Deniz Uzmen, the Turkish Ambassador to Kinshasa, and the Embassy personnel left Congo last week together with their families.

Officials said the decision for the evacuation of the Turkish Embassy was made due to chaos in that country.

[09] FOREIGN CAPITAL INVESTMENTS

A total of 180 million 744 thousand US dollars (55.4 trillion Turkish Liras) of investment permit was got with these incentives.

According to the communication ''Sectoral Distribution of Investment Incentives With Foreign Capital in July 1998'', which was published in the Official Gazette the same day, a total of 2,215 people will be employed together with these investments. The foreign exchange requirement for these investments will be 86 million 777 thousand US dollars.

The biggest stake in total incentives was given to the Dutch rooted Carrefour Nederland BV.

The Carrefour Sa-Carrefour Sabanci Trade will make 25 million 495 thousand US dollars of investment in construction of a 16 thousand square meters mall field in Bursa province, a 100 square meters shopping center and a car park having a 2,200 capacity and employ 450 people.

The Trakya Cam Sanayii A.S. (Thracian Glass Industry Corp), is planning to realize an 81 million US dollars of investment for the capacity increase of its factory in Istanbul and employ 130 people while the Havas Havaalanlari Yer Hizmetleri A.S. (Havas Airports Services) targets to make 12 million 715 thousand US dollars of investment to give cargo services for 30 thousand planes annually in Tekirdag through the Swissport Int. Ltd. The Havas will employ 250 people.

[10] INVESTMENT FIELDS WHICH DRAW ATTENTION IN GAP

The number of companies, which invested in the Southeastern Anatolia Region and started production, has reached to 21 and four of these companies make production in the food sector, eight in textile, two in tourism, one in quarry, three in agriculture and three in metal industries.

Thirteen of these investments were made in Sanliurfa, three in Mardin, two in Diyarbakir and two in Gaziantep and one in Sirnak province while the constructions of four facilities continue.

The interest of foreign investors in the GAP is increasing day by day. The Israeli Ozcot company contiues its initiatives for joint production and marketing of cotton with Turkish firms.

The interest of the South Korean Hyundai, Sunkyong and Daewoo companies in automative, electricity production and agricultural production was shelved due to the Asian crisis.

The initiatives of the Rolls Royce-Mardin Energy Initiative Group for energy production; the Turkish-German corporation including the Man for vegetal oil; the Italian Lafer-Has Foreign Trade joint initiative for integrated textile facility; the Turkish-German-French joint initiative for health center and the French Richel company for greenhouse also continue.

Also, the Israeli Tahal Consulting company tries to contact with Turkish investors and the GAP Administration for the construction of an irrigation plant; a consortium including Israeli and American firms for poultry; the Iraqi Mass Jordan Trading company for marketing and the Bulgarian Sanex also for marketing.

The neutral oil production facilities of the Konukoglu-Cover Inc (the US) is the only domestic-foreign joint venture in Gaziantep, which started production in GAP region.

[11] DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER ECEVIT IN BASBAGLAR

Bulent Ecevit attended the ceremony held upon the key delivery of houses constructed in Basbaglar village in Kemaliye county of eastern Erzincan province where separatist terrorists killed 33 innocent people and set fire to 65 houses in 1993.

Addressing the ceremony, Ecevit said it is not easy to completely eradicate the separatist movement in Turkey, adding, ''Turkey is located in the most crucial point of the world. Turkey became the the most important center in the period in which Asia and Europe unites. There are always people who want to divide Turkey. The only way to prevent these people is to unite.''

Stressing that several games were played against Turkey, Ecevit said, ''some external powers were in connection with the murders and attacks in Basbaglar and Sivas. They act behind the scenes and try to divide Turkey. We will unite and prevent these powers.''

Later, Bulent Ecevit proceeded to Balkiri village of Kemaliye to participate in the foundation laying ceremony of 50 houses for the residents of the village whose houses were destroyed and set fire by the separatist terrorists in 1997.

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