Anadolu Agency: News in English, 01-09-16

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ANADOLU AGENCY

NEWS

16 SEPTEMBER Sunday

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

Tourism Minister Mustafa Tasar has said that the Turkish tourism, just like in every country, has been slightly negatively affected by the terrorist attacks in the United States, but stressed that there was no reason to panic since this was only temporary.

ONE OF THE TERRORISTS HAVE TURKISH GIRLFRIEND

It was reported that Ziyad Jarrah, one of the terrorists in the plane which came down, had a Turkish girlfriend who lives in Germany. The German police raided the house of the Turkish woman whose lastname is Sengul and found a suitcase full of documents about the airplane.

Jarrah who was living with his girlfriend disappeared without telling her anything.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

The United States, which is getting ready for a retaliation, asked for three military bases from Turkey and Turkey agreed to give bases in Incirlik, Diyarbakir and Malatya. The Air Forces Commandership confirmed the news and said ''We'll fullfil the request of the United States.'' Turkish pilots believe that Diyarbakir and Malatya have vital importance for the United States.

GURKAN:THEY ARE CELEBRATING TERRORISM IN BRUSSELS

European Council Parliamentarians Board Turkish Group Chairman Uluc Gurkan who represented Turkey several times in international platforms said that DHKP-C was celebrating terrorism in Brussels. He said the terrorist organization hung banners which define the terrorists in the planes as heroes. ''We will understand from their attitude towards terrorism in Turkey whether implementing NATO's article 5 is something they are doing only to please the United States or if they really want international cooperation against terrorism,'' he said.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

FBI is looking for a Turkish man named Mehmet Aktas who allegedly knew one of the terrorists. An American newspaper wrote that the police raided an hotel where Aktas was staying. But Aktas cut his hair very short after the attack and disappeared.

RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE:WE SHOULD NOT TURN REACTIONS

INTO A WAR OF RELIGIONS

The Religious Affairs Directorate called on Christian clergymen to take action in order to prevent attacks against the Muslim community and mosques in the United States after the terrorist attack. ''Christian clergymen should prevent this anger to be directed to all Muslims,'' Head of the Religious Affairs Directorate Nuri Yilmaz said.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

The possibility of a U.S. strike against Middle East is increasing. Turkey, which is a Middle Eastern country and also a NATO member, is trying to find a balance. Ankara wantes ''solid evidence'' from the United States that the Baghdad administration contributed to the terrorist attacks in order to help the United States. Turkey wants to be consulted by the United States before any possible strike against Iraq.

INCIRLIK HAS A QUIET DAY

The U.S. base in Incirlik continued to remain on alert but Americans in the base were allowed to leave the base on Saturday. Most of the hangars were closed and no planes took of or landed in morning hours. Other routine services continued at the base.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

The Foreign Ministry, Chief of General Staff and other security units discussed Turkey's contibutions to a possible U.S. strike against Afghanistan and decided that Turkey could offer its intelligence services. It was reported that the U.S. intelligence based on technology was useless in Afghanistan. Turkey could use its relations with General Rasid Dostum who is fighting against Taliban.

DERVIS TO VISIT LONDON ON MONDAY

State Minister Kemal Dervis, who had to postpone his visit to London twice due to last minute developments, will visit the city on Monday. On the first day of his contacts, Dervis will attend a dinner hosted by Foreign Economic Relations Council (DEIK). On Tuesday morning, he will have a meeting with the journalists of the Financial Times which gave wide coverage to Dervis' interviews.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

Ankara Trade Chamber (ATO) Chairman Sinan Aygun has said Turkey cannot switch to a more powerful economy by getting poorer and poorer every day. ''We have to immediately abondon this economic program and adopt a national program which is people oriented,'' Aygun said when he spoke at the CNR International Fair Center in Istanbul.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

OKAY Computer, which was founded by two Turkish entrepreneurs in the German city of Solingen, is selling computers to several countries in Europe including Malta, France, Britain and Greece. Oguz Ozdemir, one of the founders of the company, said that Turks in Germany were mostly working in food and textile field, and there were very few Turks working in computer sector. Ozdemir said they also wanted to be strong in the Turkish market.

CONTENTS

[01] COLIN POWELL THANKS TURKEY FOR ITS SUPPORT

[02] ECEVIT HOLDS MEETING WITH FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIALS

[03] TURK:''NEW PRISONS WILL OFFER SOCIAL ACTIVITIES TO INMATES''

[04] SOUTH EAST OBTAINS EXPORT REVENUES OF 20.1 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS

[05] TURKISH ARMED FORCES DONATE 80 MILITARY VEHICLES TO AZERBAIJAN

[06] CONSTITUTION COURT MEMBERS GO TO PARIS

[07] PRIME MINISTER BULENT ECEVIT GOES TO ISTANBUL

[08] TURKISH COMPANY TRANSBALKAN BUILDS NATURAL GAS COMPRESSOR

[09] FOREIGN MINISTRY REACHES MOST TURKISH CITIZENS IN

[10] TURKEY'S EXPORT TO EU COUNTRIES INCRASES 14 PERCENT

[11] BALKAN AGRICULTURE MINISTERS IN YALOVA

[12] ECEVIT:''WE DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY REQUEST FROM THE U.S.

[01] COLIN POWELL THANKS TURKEY FOR ITS SUPPORT

It was reported that Powell called Foreign Minister Ismail Cem on the phone on Sunday night and thanked the Turkish nation for sharing the grief of Americans and for Turkey's support to the fight given against terrorism.

[02] ECEVIT HOLDS MEETING WITH FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIALS

No statement was made to the press after the meeting which lasted for two hours.

At the meeting, Ecevit and other participants discussed the latest developments in the United States and preparations for Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar who is coming to Turkey on Monday.

[03] TURK:''NEW PRISONS WILL OFFER SOCIAL ACTIVITIES TO INMATES''

''These prisons which will built outside the cities will offer new opportunities to the inmates. Our goal is to help the inmates adjust to the society. We are also working to offer inmates telephone services and this has been also implemented in 50 prisons and their number will increase in the coming years,'' Turk explained.

Turk also accused head of the terrorist organizations for instructing inmates to start hunger and death strikes while they enjoy a comfortable life.

[04] SOUTH EAST OBTAINS EXPORT REVENUES OF 20.1 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS

Last year, the export revenues were 19 million U.S. dollars.

The United States ranked first among the other countries which bought agricultural and industrial products from Turkey worth of 16 million 695, 000 U.S. dollars.

Towels, dried apricots, cotton threat and machine woven rugs were the most commonly exported products.

[05] TURKISH ARMED FORCES DONATE 80 MILITARY VEHICLES TO AZERBAIJAN

The donation was made as part of the military training and scientific cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Necmettin Baykul, Commander of the Mechanized Brigade said that Nahcevan needed more trained militay units due to its geopolitic location.

''The Caucasian region, today, is becoming more important with its rich natural resources and because of the transportation of these sources to the Western markets. This donation is a sign of the importance Turkey attaches to fellow Azerbaijani people.

Nahcevan Parliament Chairman Vasif Talibov said they were always offered help by Turkey in the troubles they faced and added that he believed Turkey would continue to support his nation also in the future.

[06] CONSTITUTION COURT MEMBERS GO TO PARIS

The delegation will proceed to Strasbourg from Paris and will have a number of official contacts in a number of European cities as the guests of European Court of Human Rights Chairman Luzius Wildhaber.

[07] PRIME MINISTER BULENT ECEVIT GOES TO ISTANBUL

Ecevit is being accompanied by his wife Rahsan Ecevit, Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem.

Ecevit will host a dinner for Aznar on Sunday night at Ciragan Palace Kempinksi Hotel.

[08] TURKISH COMPANY TRANSBALKAN BUILDS NATURAL GAS COMPRESSOR

Transbalkan Executive Board Member Umit Ozdemir said that his company did this for the first time without any foreign partners. He indicated that Turutino Compressor Station which is hte first stage of the Gastransit Project would increase economic prosperity in Turkey, Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

He stated that his company did not face too many bureaucratic problems and that they some minor problems that they encountered.

The construction of the station lasted for 12 months and it costed 78 million U.S. dollars. The main task fo the company is to make investments that would increase the natural gas transportation capacity in south-west Ukraine.

The company also built houses for the personnnel who will be working at the compressor station.

[09] FOREIGN MINISTRY REACHES MOST TURKISH CITIZENS IN

The ministry reached 326 out of the 457 Turks whose relatives applied for information. The reason that the ministry have not yet reached others is mostly because the relatives in Turkey have old addresses or old information about them.

Ministry officials stated that those who were not reached were safe and they were not missing, therefore there was no reason to worry about their security.

[10] TURKEY'S EXPORT TO EU COUNTRIES INCRASES 14 PERCENT

Turkey's export to Italy increased 36 percent while its export to France increased 17.2 percent.

Export to Commonwealth of Independent States increased 8 percent to one billion 130 million U.S. dollars.

Turkey's export to the United States, compared to the first eight months of last year, increased 2.3 percent to two billion U.S. dollars.

[11] BALKAN AGRICULTURE MINISTERS IN YALOVA

Agriculture ministers and their wives from Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Greece, Macedonia, Yugoslavia, Albania and Serbia first visited Arberotoum owned by TEMA Foundation Chairman Hayrettin Karaca.

Gokalp told reporters that their goal was to develop agricultural cooperation in Balkan countries and coordinate the production of agricultural products and their marketing.

Karaca said that there were 6,000 kinds of plants which are facing extinction in Arboretoum.

The agriculture ministers later left for Orhan gazi to visit corn processing facilities of the U.S. Cargill company.

[12] ECEVIT:''WE DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY REQUEST FROM THE U.S.

Prior to his departure from Ankara, Ecevit said he would have a meeting with his Spanish counterpart Jose Maria Aznar on Monday and also attend the opening of Cervantes Institute with him. Ecevit later responded to questions of reporters.

Question:There are news stories saying that Turkey accepted the U.S. request to use the airports in Malatya and Diyarbakir as well as Incirlik.

Ecevit:I haven't received such a received. I saw it in the paper today.

Question:Did the Turkish intelligence warn that Usame Bin Ladin might have chemical weapons.

Ecevit:I don't know those details but the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) works very closely with the CIA as well as with the intelligence agencies of many other countries. But we don't receive all the details from them.

Question:Does the United States have any request from Turkey.

Ecevit:Not so far.

Question:What would Turkey's response be if the United States wants to use the airports in Diyarbakir and Malatya.

Ecevit:As I said yesterday, I can't speak much about possibilities.

Question: You had earlier said that you found adding a religion in front of the word terrorism wrong. Are you worried about the attacks to Muslim communities and mosques.

Ecevit:Yes I'm worried about it. It is very wrong to trigger separation while the whole world is trying to unite. Of course people are right now very sensitive and angry. Such acts could result in bad consequences. I'm expecting the U.S. administration and British Prime Minister Blair to react against such behavior.

Question:Are you worried about a possible nuclear war? Also, are Turkey and the United States cooperating in the intelligence field?

Ecevit:May God protect the whole world from a nuclear war. This would be a disaster for the whole world. I don't think anyone is thinking about doing such a thing but we should also take the evidence they might found into consideration. But I don't think that any country could risk to undertake such a big adventure.

We have very closer relations with the United States. We share their grief after the attack. I don't know what the United States will do now. It should make a plan since that it declared war. This plan should be based on serious intelligence. We don't yet know what they are planning.

Question: Will the National Security Council convene? Is there a change in the concept of foreign threats?

Ecevit: Right now there is no reason to convene the National Security COuncil. There will be a scheduled meeting soon. People from the General Staff, Foreign Ministry and MIT are having meetings every day.

Many things could change in the world after the terrorist attack in the United States. Some concepts might need to be changed.

Question: There are news saying that the terrorists might have Turkish relatives? Have you heard anything about this?

Ecevit: I didn't hear anything except for what I read in the papers.

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