Anadolu Agency: News in English, 99-04-21

Anadolu Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

AA Daily

21 April 1999 Wednesday

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

[02] FM CEM TO HOLD BILATERAL MEETING WITH ALBRIGHT, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE

[03] KARAHAN, FM DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY, IN TRNC - DENKTAS, TRNC PRESIDENT: ''WE CANNOT LET THE GUARANTEE SYSTEM ON CYPRUS BECOME A MATTER OF BARGAIN''

[04] ECONOMY MEETING IN THE PRIME MINISTRY - ULUGBAY, DEPUTY PM: ''WE DISCUSSED THE LATEST SITUATION PRIOR TO THE MEETINGS WITH THE WORLD BANK AND THE IMF''

[05] BELGIAN EMBASSY IN ANKARA TO HOLD ''BELGIUM WEEK'' IN ANKARA

[06] TOURISM WEEK IN TURKEY - SERIM, TOURISM MINISTRY DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY: - ''SUCCESS IN TOURISM IS ACHIEVED IN COORDINATION WITH THE EDUCATED HUMAN SOURCE''

[07] OFFICIALS SAY THEY WILL NOT PERMIT ANY ILLEGAL DEMONSTRATIONS IN ISTANBUL DURING MAY 1 CELEBRATIONS

[08] TAN, MINISTER OF TOURISM, IN NEW YORK: - ''SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES PURPOSELY OR UNINTENTIONALLY SUPPORT THE TERRORIST PKK ORGANIZATION''

[09] PRESIDENT DEMIREL IN PITTSBURGH, U.S: ''TURKEY IS IN A GREAT PROGRESS WHILE ENTERING 2000S''

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL) LEADERS DON'T QUIT
Four leaders who are under the pressure of the public opinion due to their defeat in the elections held on Sunday, gave the message that they will continue to be leaders of their parties and deal with politics. Mesut Yılmaz, leader of the Motherland Party (ANAP) said ''I don't resign when one says me to resign.'' Tansu Ciller, the leader of the True Path Party (DYP) said that ''there is no reason for me to resign.'' Deniz Baykal, the leader of the Republican Peoples' Party, whose party couldn't even pass the 10 percent national barrier, said ''why do think that I will resign?'' Lastly Recai Kutan, the leader of the Virtue Party (FP) said that ''we are not unsuccessful, so why should I resign?''

BAHCELI:RELATIONS WITH EU TO BE REVISED
Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) said that the relations with the European Union (EU) has to be revised and discussed from all aspects. ''Nationalists are uneasy about transfer of national sovereignty to the EU,'' he added.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

GOKCEK WINS
Melih Gokcek, from the Virtue Party (FP) won the local election in Ankara and became the mayor by getting 541,000 votes. Murat Karayalcın, the candidate of the Republican Peoples' Party (CHP) opposed to the results.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

TUSIAD SUGGESTS LEADERS TO RESIGN
TUSIAD, the Association of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen gave the message to the party leaders who were defeated in the elections on Sunday suggesting them to open the democratic channels within their parties and permitting new formations to come out.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

PROSECUTORS REQUEST DEATH SENTENCE FOR OCALAN
Ankara State Security Court (DGM) completed its interrogation on Tuesday about Abdullah Ocalan, the terrorist chief, which it started after he was captured in Kenya and brought to Turkey. Ocalan is held responsible for all activities of the terrorist PKK organization and the prosecutors are asking for capital punishment in accordance with the 125th article of the Turkish Criminal Code concerning the crimes against the country and sovereignty of the state and of treason. In the hearing which will be held on 30 April, the Ankara DGM no 2 will decide to combine the case which it is dealing with the case opened by the supplementary indictment.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

The party organizations and the disgruntled MPs started initiatives for alliance.

ANAP and DYP started working for ''alliance at the center-right''. Mesut Yilmaz and Tansu Ciller are preparing themselves for putting into the agenda the issue of proposal for alliance at center-right at their party board meetings. The two leaders, who don't think of withdrawing at the moment, have the intention of solving the leadership problem at their extraordinary meetings.

HE COULDN'T MANAGE EVEN TO RESIGN
The final decision at the Republican People's Party (CHP) which failed to pass the ten percent barrier, will be given at the extraordinary meeting. Deniz Baykal, the leader of the CHP, responded to the news mentioning that he would leave politics by saying, ''I don't think of withdrawing. We have responsibilities towards people.''

It was mentioned that the CHP extraordinary convention will take place in March while Baykal would lose the leadership.

YENİ YÜZYIL (LIBERAL)

It is seen that these two possible partners of the 57th government are mostly opposite to each other on basic decisions when their economic programmes are considered. The most important problem is at the struggle against chronic inflation.

The MHP defends the method of closing the public deficit while the DSP is in favor of restricting the demands of people and implementing several acrid recipes.

ANKARA WITH VIRTUE
The competition for the mayorship in capital Ankara lasted late on Tuesday. Melih Gokcek, the candidate of the Virtue Party (FP), became the Ankara Mayor for the second time.

Gokcek took 33.791 percent of total votes while the Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Murat Karayalcin received 31.955 percent of total votes.

Gokcek claimed that 100 thousand votes for him were stolen.

TÜRKİYE (RIGHT)

YILMAZ: ''RESIGNATION MEANS ESCAPE''
Mesut Yilmaz of the Motherland Party (ANAP) said, ''resignation means escape'', mentioning that others can't make a decision or prediction about the ANAP.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

[02] FM CEM TO HOLD BILATERAL MEETING WITH ALBRIGHT, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE

Ismail Cem will hold a bilateral meeting with Madeleine Albright, the U.S. Secretary of State on Sunday in which they will discuss the issues on which they are concerned about.

Cem will also meet with Boris Sıhmuradov, the Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan, within the framework of his bilateral contacts.

Cem and Turk will participate in many meetings within the framework of NATO summit.

[03] KARAHAN, FM DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY, IN TRNC - DENKTAS, TRNC PRESIDENT: ''WE CANNOT LET THE GUARANTEE SYSTEM ON CYPRUS BECOME A MATTER OF BARGAIN''

Denktas received the Turkish delegation headed by Aydan Karahan, Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary.

Denktas noted that nobody should play with the guarantee system and that nobody should put forward multi-national power tricks.

Stating that they are insistent on the condition of ''negotiating with state to state'' and that the whole world started to understand the reason of this, Denktas said, ''we lived the Kosovar tragedy many years ago. Our nation has been effected by it and they felt as if they were living those days again. We have launched aid campaigns with excitement.''

''If there were not the Turkish guarantee on Cyprus, the Greek Cypriots would not leave a Turk on the island. So, nobody should play with the guarantee system. We are determined not to make any of these a matter of bargain,'' Denktas added.

Karahan pointed out that Turkey has come out of elections two days ago and that a new parliament will be set up, adding that he expects good things out of this.

Underlining that the determined stance of Turkey on Cyprus will not change, Karahan stated that whole world starts to realize, understand and evaluate the determined stance of Turkey.

Karahan stressed that they came to TRNC to give information to Denktas about the issues concerning Cyprus which occur in the region.

The Turkish delegation will depart from TRNC on April 22, 1999.

[04] ECONOMY MEETING IN THE PRIME MINISTRY - ULUGBAY, DEPUTY PM: ''WE DISCUSSED THE LATEST SITUATION PRIOR TO THE MEETINGS WITH THE WORLD BANK AND THE IMF''

Responding to the questions of the journalists after the meeting, Ulugbay noted that he will depart for the U.S. to join the meetings of the Development Committee of the World Bank and the IMF at the weekend.

Responding to another question, Ulugbay stated that the meetings with the IMF will be the continuation of the meetings which had earlier been held in Ankara and Washington D.C.

[05] BELGIAN EMBASSY IN ANKARA TO HOLD ''BELGIUM WEEK'' IN ANKARA

Alexis Brouhns, the Belgian Ambassador to Turkey, gave information about the activities which will be held within the framework of the ''Belgian Week'' in a press conference.

Stating that Turkey and Belgium have ties which go back to old times and that many Turkish people live in Belgium, Brouhns said that they will celebrate ''Belgium Week'' by taking into consideration these facts.

Brouhns noted that a Belgian economy delegation including the representatives of 25 companies will come to Turkey and visit Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir.

Noting that one of the traditions of Belgium is comics, Brouhns stressed that they will open an exibition named ''Belgian Comic Strips as an Art'' in Ankara to reflect the life culture of Belgium.

Stressing that they will hold a ''Belgian Food Festival'' in Ankara Hilton Hotel to introduce the Belgian food, Brouhns added that ''The Pierre Lognay Trio'', a Belgian jazz trio, will give a concert in Middle East Technical University (METU), on April 30, 1999.

[06] TOURISM WEEK IN TURKEY - SERIM, TOURISM MINISTRY DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY: - ''SUCCESS IN TOURISM IS ACHIEVED IN COORDINATION WITH THE EDUCATED HUMAN SOURCE''

Addressing a speech in the opening ceremony of the panel discussion titled ''Education, Problems and Solutions in Tourism'' which is held within the framework of the activities of the Tourism Week, Serim noted that tourism has significant effects in economy by its contributions to the balance of payments and national income.

Pointing out to the importance of having qualified personnel in tourism sector, Serim stated that the success in tourism is achieved in coordination with the educated human source.

[07] OFFICIALS SAY THEY WILL NOT PERMIT ANY ILLEGAL DEMONSTRATIONS IN ISTANBUL DURING MAY 1 CELEBRATIONS

Istanbul Police Organization started to take some measures after it was informed that some illegal terrorist organizations will participate in the May 1 celebrations.

It is revealed that Istanbul Governorship will not give permission to any persons or institutions that applied to their authority to get permission for celebrating May 1 in open areas.

The officials said that the security forces will interfere with anybody who want to stage an illegal demonstration on May 1.

[08] TAN, MINISTER OF TOURISM, IN NEW YORK: - ''SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES PURPOSELY OR UNINTENTIONALLY SUPPORT THE TERRORIST PKK ORGANIZATION''

Staging a press conference at the Turkish House, Ahmet Tan, who is in New York to attend the meeting of the U.N. Tourism and Environment Ministers, said the mass media of some countries caused reservation cancellations before the tourism season by spreading the news claiming that ''the PKK announced some touristic regions in Turkey as the battlefields,'' Tan said that this tactic has been applied since the Gulf War.

Pointing out that there is a parallelism between tourism and the bourse, Ahmet Tan said that the prices for the tourism season are fixed in February and March, stressing that the rumors about terrorism and terrorist threats are always put forward during this period.

Emphasizing that Turkey, which has been struggling against terrorism for 17- 18 years, broke records in tourism despite those rumors, Tan said, ''this proves that Turkey is a safe country.''

''In last five years, a total of 100 million tourists visited Turkey, and even 100 of them spent their holiday and left Turkey without being hurt,'' Ahmet Tan stressed.

Noting that a covert tourism blockade is tried to be concocted against Turkey with the pretext of the process of trial of the chief terrorist, Tourism Minister Tan said, ''some European countries purposely or unintentionally support the terrorist PKK organization.''

[09] PRESIDENT DEMIREL IN PITTSBURGH, U.S: ''TURKEY IS IN A GREAT PROGRESS WHILE ENTERING 2000S''

Addressing to Turks living in various parts of the U.S. in a reception hosted by the Turkish Consul General in New York, President Demirel stated that elections were held in peace in Turkey.

''Our parliament will re-convene after we get the final results. Later a new government will be set up,'' said President Demirel, adding ''there is peace in our country, but as

Anadolu Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article