Anadolu Agency: News in English, 98-12-19

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

19 DEC 1998

CONTENTS

[01] FOREIGN MINISTRY: - ''D'ALEMA'S STATEMENTS ARE UNACCEPTABLE'' - BANDINI, ITALIAN AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY, SUMMONED TO FOREIGN MINISTRY

[02] TURKEY SENDS HUMANITARIAN AID WORTH OF 70 BILLION TURKISH LIRAS, TO BOSNIANS

[03] BATU, TURKISH AMBASSADOR TO ITALY, MEETS WITH FASSINO, ITALIAN FOREIGN TRADE MINISTER

[04] THE EU COMMISSION APPROVES FINANCIAL AID OF 133 MILLION ECUS TO TURKEY

[05] SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL COOPERATION BETWEEN TURKEY AND UKRAINE

[06] SEZGIN, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE, RETURNS TO TURKEY - ''I REMINDED OUR ALLIES THAT DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ DAMAGED TURKEY SERIOUSLY''

[07] PRESIDENT DENKTAS OF THE TRNC APPOINTS EROGLU TO FORM THE NEW GOVERNMENT

[08] PARLIAMENT SPEAKER CETIN: - ''WE SHOULD INFORM WHOLE WORLD ABOUT THE ACTIONS OF THE PKK THAT CLAIMED MANY LIVES'' - ''OUR SO-CALLED FRIENDS SHOULD SCRUTINIZE THEIR EFFORTS AMING AT MAKING PKK POLITICAL''

[09] PRESIDENT SHEVARDNADZE OF GEORGIA: - ''GEORGIA ATTRIBUTES GREAT IMPORTANCE TO TURKEY'' - STATE MINISTER ANDICAN: - ''COMMERCIAL RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND GEORGIA ARE PLEASING''

[01] FOREIGN MINISTRY: - ''D'ALEMA'S STATEMENTS ARE UNACCEPTABLE'' - BANDINI, ITALIAN AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY, SUMMONED TO FOREIGN MINISTRY

Criticizing D'Alema's statement to the La Stampa Newspaper, the Foreign Ministry underlined that such improper statements of the prime minister of an ally country created deep concern in Turkey.

Meanwhile Massimiliano Bandini, the Italian Ambassador to Turkey, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and was conveyed Turkey's protest over the statements of D'Alema.

In his statement to the La Stampa Newspaper, the Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema said, ''Why does Turkey that tolerates the separatist guerillas in Kosovo, but acts harshly to the PKK terrorism which supports independence?''

Complaining the efforts aiming at showing the President Slobodan Milosevich of Yugoslavia as an ''evil'', D'Alema claimed, ''I do not understant that Milosevich is being punished while the Turkish officials are not.''

[02] TURKEY SENDS HUMANITARIAN AID WORTH OF 70 BILLION TURKISH LIRAS, TO BOSNIANS

The Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the General Staff has provided the humanitarian aid for 995 Bosnian families living in difficult conditions in refugee camps.

The humanitaian aid that comprises food, cloths and medicine, is expected to arrive in Bosnia-Hersegovina in 22 December.

[03] BATU, TURKISH AMBASSADOR TO ITALY, MEETS WITH FASSINO, ITALIAN FOREIGN TRADE MINISTER

At the meeting, the economic relations between Turkey and Italy following the capture of Abdullah Ocalan, the chief of the separatist terrorist organization PKK, in Italy, were evaluated.

Responding to the questions of the journalists after the meeting, Batu pointed out that a group of Italian industrialists will visit Turkey in January.

Batu also reminded that Luigi Bersani, the Italian Industry Minister, is scheduled to hold talks in Turkey on Monday.

Stressing the significance of these meetings, Batu called Italian officials to think of the reaction of Turkish people who watch the news every day over the release of Ocalan.

Mentioning the claims of the Rome Courts of Appeal that they did not receive the Turkey's request on the extradition of Ocalan, Batu told the reporters that the Court could not take decision by using such excuses.

Inal Batu also emphasized that Abdullah Ocalan who claimed thousand of lives, was released in despite of the Turkey's request for his extradition.

[04] THE EU COMMISSION APPROVES FINANCIAL AID OF 133 MILLION ECUS TO TURKEY

The financial aid will be allocated to five separate projects.

First of these projects envisages the campaign aiming at informing the Turkish women on the health problems.

The second project worth of 51 million ECUS, will provide support to the professional training programme in the special sector.

Another project foreeseing the constitution of three centers in Gaziantep, Istanbul and Izmir provinces to serve for Turkish and European companies, will be given 17.3 million ECUS. These centers will serve to ease the imports of the small and medium scaled enterprises and to modernize their systems.

The fourth project worth of 7 million ECUS, envisages to improve standards of living in Fener and Balat Districts of Istanbul Province.

The last project will receive 1,8 million ECUS to constitute a center to support research institutions in the fields of machinery, electronic and electricity.

[05] SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL COOPERATION BETWEEN TURKEY AND UKRAINE

The agreement regarded with the constitution of the center within the structure of the Scientific Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)'s Marmara Research Center, will be signed by Rustu Kazim Yucelen, the State Minister, and Stanislav Dovgiy, the Ukranian Science and Technology Minister, in 21 December.

The center will be the second significant step of the scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries after the Joint Research Laboratory established in 1995.

[06] SEZGIN, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE, RETURNS TO TURKEY - ''I REMINDED OUR ALLIES THAT DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ DAMAGED TURKEY SERIOUSLY''

Addressing the journalists at the Esenboga Airport, Sezgin noted that he reminded the ally countries that the developments causing a chronic crisis between Iraq and the United Nations, damaged Turkey seriously.

Sezgin emphasized that developments between Iraq and the United Nations which began with the Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, caused financial damages in Turkey and in the region. He added that Turkey believes that United Nations will lift the sanctions if Iraq fulfils her obligations, stressing that Turkey attributes great importance to the Iraq's territorial integrity and political unity.

Concerning the issue of Abdullah Ocalan, the chief of separatist terrorist organization PKK, Sezgin stressed that he had an impression that Ocalan will not stay in Italy any longer in his meetings with German and Italian representatives.

Sezgin told reporters that he said at the NATO Defense Ministers meeting that Italy has done a big mistake and distorted the international relations and the law by releasing Ocalan.

Responding to a question whether Ocalan will be sent to Albanian or not, Sezgin pointed out that this issue was not brought onto the agenda of the meetings.

Mentioning the air strikes launched by the UN and Britain against Iraq, Sezgin noted that overall NATO countries support the military operation.

[07] PRESIDENT DENKTAS OF THE TRNC APPOINTS EROGLU TO FORM THE NEW GOVERNMENT

Eroglu is expected to meet with the leaders of the Democratic Party (DP) and the Socialist Liberation Party (TKP) on Monday.

The National Unity Party has gained 24 chairs of the 50 chairs at the parliament at the general elections held in 6 December.

[08] PARLIAMENT SPEAKER CETIN: - ''WE SHOULD INFORM WHOLE WORLD ABOUT THE ACTIONS OF THE PKK THAT CLAIMED MANY LIVES'' - ''OUR SO-CALLED FRIENDS SHOULD SCRUTINIZE THEIR EFFORTS AMING AT MAKING PKK POLITICAL''

Cetin stressed that Turkey's so-called friends should scrutinize their efforts to provide a political identity to the terrorist organization that claimed 30 thousand lives.

Cetin visited the soldiers who were injured at the clashes with the separatist terrorists, in GATA Hospital, and thanked the Turkish Armed Forces and security forces for their struggle for Turkey's unity.

[09] PRESIDENT SHEVARDNADZE OF GEORGIA: - ''GEORGIA ATTRIBUTES GREAT IMPORTANCE TO TURKEY'' - STATE MINISTER ANDICAN: - ''COMMERCIAL RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND GEORGIA ARE PLEASING''

Addressing the opening ceremony, Shevardnadze said that Georgia attributes great importance to Turkey. He pointed out that commercial and social relations between the two countries has been improving following the opening of Sarp border gate, adding that the Turkish companies realized significant projects in Georgia.

President Aslan Abashidze of the Autonomous Republic of Acaristan said in his part that most of the construction works in his country are belonged to the Turkish companies.

Ahat Andican, the State Minister, stressed that Turkey attributes great importance to the stability, sovereignty and political unity of Georgia.

Emphasizing that Turkey aims at improving the economic relations with the Black Sea countries, Andican expressed gratification over the commercial relations between Turkey and Georgia.

Andican added, ''we are determined to increase the trade volumes with these countries, and we are ready to sign the projects such as Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline. The Kars-Tbilisi railway is one of these projects.''

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