Turkish Daily News, 96-05-23

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From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>

TURKISH DAILY NEWS
23 May 1996

CONTENTS

[01] Ciller to Yilmaz: Resign

[02] Turkey seeks US-style legislation to stop Russian tankers in straits

[03] Eurocopter sees $500 million Turkish contract soon

[04] ANAP: RP and DYP are laying the foundations for their coalition

[05] Ankara denies it is unhappy with Israeli military accord

[06] Moldova and Turkey to enhance relations

[07] Gonensay tries to calm Arab fears on Turkish-Israeli agreement

[08] German intelligence names PKK 'no. 1 terror problem' in Germany

[01] Ciller to Yilmaz: Resign

Erez: Says that the government has lost its legitimacy. Referring to the Constitutional Court ruling canceling confidence vote in government, Erez says that Yilmaz should return mandate

TDN Parliament Bureau

ANKARA- True Path Party (DYP) Chairwoman Tansu Ciller on Wednesday levelled harsh accusations against Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and urged him to resign immediately.

"The nation will bring down this sleazeball," Ciller lambasted while addressing her colleagues at a DYP parliamentary group meeting.

Ciller stressed that Yilmaz's actions to destroy the DYP are all based on his dream of becoming the leader of a unified and Ciller- less right wing. Regarding the allegations that she allegedly misspent TL 500 billion from the Prime Ministry slush fund, Ciller said she would very soon respond to the claims in a manner which would give relief to the public's concerns. She didn't give any details as to how she will achieve this however.

Ciller claimed that the government had done nothing in its first three months except to produce conflict and sleaze.

She emphasized that she would not allow Yilmaz to destroy the DYP just so he could take over the right wing. She said that Yilmaz had launched his plans with the TEDAS, and later, the TOFAS probes, hoping to send before the Constitutional Court and thus preventing her from becoming prime minister.

Parliament backed two motions introduced by the main opposition Welfare Party (RP) for an investigation into alleged illegalities in Ciller's actions concerning the sale of the state automotive concern, TOFAS, and the state electricity distributor, TEDAS. The passage of these motions led to a crisis of confidence between the coalition partners.

Ciller continued that from the political standpoint, Yilmaz could hinder her gaining office once again, with help from the RP, but that he could not eradicate the nation's the admiration for her. She said that her rivals were trying to destroy her reputation in the country by sledging her and raising doubts about her actions in regards to the slush fund.

While the deputies listened to Ciller's speech in silence, female DYP supporters applauded her and chanted slogans of support.

Repeating her earlier statement that disclosing the way the funds were spent would amount to disclosing state secrets, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison under the Turkish Penal Code, Ciller said she wanted to give information to President Suleyman Demirel in regard to the issue but that he clearly stated that he was not the person to speak to on the issue and that she should resolve the matter with the prime minister.

Ciller said that she had mentioned the issue to Yilmaz shortly after the formation of the coalition government. She mentioned to him that a newspaper had possession of a leaked document concerning the spending and that she advised Yilmaz not to reveal state secrets. Accusing Yilmaz of having bad intentions at the time, she said that he could have easily asked her the questions he is now asking in public. She said that if Yilmaz has proof of her wrong doing he should lay the evidence on the table for all to see. She accused Yilmaz of being a slanderer and liar.

Ciller said that Yilmaz was preparing to run away from the government once again. She said that those who created doubts should put up, because otherwise the nation would bring down the government within three months.

Ciller said that the Constitutional Court's cancellation of the vote of confidence in the minority Motherpath government had caused the post of Yilmaz to become subject of controversy. "If he is honest, if he does not want to maintain his controversial post, he should return his assignment," Ciller said.

During the section of the DYP group meeting which was closed to the press, DYP deputies discussed not only their leader's situation but also whether or not to withdraw from the government.

Ciller said she and her colleagues would continue to work in the coalition and that if ANAP wanted to destroy the government, it could do so.

Bekir Aksoy, a pro Ciller deputy, said no revelations could be made in regard to spendings from the slush fund. When Aksoy said that the government had failed to do anything, State Minister Ayvaz Gokdemir stood up and said that his colleagues should not criticize a government of which they were members. If they did, they should withdraw from the government, Gokdemir said.

Mustafa Zeydan took the rostrum and said that Ciller had made three mistakes, one of them being her statement that she would bring her assets abroad to Turkey, one being that she would not make any revelations about the slush fund, and the third being that her party was still in the coalition although she had levelled very harsh accusations against it.

Sedat Aloglu also criticized Ciller for harshly criticizing another right-wing party, ANAP, while she was trying to unify the right under the DYP banner.

Health Minister Yildirim Aktuna said that he was a doctor and that he believed that any revelations concerning the slush fund was not right from a psychological standpoint.

Ciller took the rostrum again and said it would be a wrong move if she and her colleagues withdrew from the government. She added that she would not make any revelations in regard to the slush fund because it would be wrong from the legal view point.

Justice Minister Mehmet Agar denied the allegations that five DYP ministers had reached an agreement to withdraw from the government. Agar said that if the crisis was not surmounted, other formulas might come on to the agenda. He said the view that a majority government should be formed had gained support recently.

Industry and Trade Minister Yalim Erez said that the government had lost its legitimacy. Erez referred to the Constitutional Court ruling which canceled the vote of confidence in the government. Therefore, Erez said, Yilmaz should return his mandate.

Ministers resign

State ministers Ayvaz Gokdemir and Unal Erkan, who presented their resignations to Ciller to be submitted to Yilmaz, gave the latest developments as an excuse for their resignations. Responding to questions, Gokdemir said even the most optimistic people believed that the government had been formed for the two parties to fight each other. "If we are to continue in this manner, we should withdraw from the government," Gokdemir said.

Erkan said he had resigned because the government had failed to meet the people's expectations, Deputy Prime Minister Nahit Mentese, responding to reporters' questions, said that the two ministers' resignations were "individual cases," noting that the DYP had not made a decision regarding its withdrawal from the government. He said the decision to stay in or withdraw from the government would be taken at the party's General Administration Board.

(TDN, 23.05.1996, page 1)

[02] Turkey seeks US-style legislation to stop Russian tankers in straits

ANKARA- Turkey, which has hinted that it would take new measures to protect its straits from becoming the most abused international route for transport of oil, now eyes up American-style legislation that would enforce tight environment-protection standards on ships that enter Turkish territorial waters.

The United States has passed a legislation called the Oil Pollution Act, which says that vessels carrying oil and other hazardous substances should have a safety standard that would prevent leaks and minimize the risk of collision.

For example, this urges the tankers to have double walling in storing their cargo, or they are considered high-risk and would require high insurance, or be simply prevented from entering territorial waters.

This would enable Turkey to regulate the cargo of the ships as soon as they enter its territorial waters, rather than reduce the problem to the safety of the straits, as has been the Turkish argument since 1992.

"If you try to do anything with the straits, you stumble upon the wall built by Montreux Convention," a Turkish diplomat said.

Montreux Convention prevents Turkey from doing anything that would create an obstacle to perfect freedom of passage through the straits linking the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.

Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, commercial ships have perfect freedom of transit, regardless of their cargo. Neither can they be forced to take pilotage nor have high security insurance imposed on them.

But there is a complete vacuum in Montreux on bringing safety standards to the ships.

The idea of passing national legislation has been the brainchild of Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay, who has dealt with the question of pipelines since his days as a Prime Ministry adviser.

But Foreign Ministry technocrats say that passing such legislation now would be considered a very hostile move by Russia who would see it as a means to prevent large oil tankers from using the straits.

"If we do this now, Russia or any other Black Sea country would take it to the International Maritime Organization," a diplomat said. "So we think what Turkey should do now is to sign the international accords on transportation of hazardous substances."

The diplomat said that it would be difficult to defend a national "oil pollution act" in international platforms, given Turkey has not even signed standard international accords, such as the Limitation of Liability for Maritime Safety.

The accords, less than half a dozen, cover a variety of areas on who is accountable in cases of collisions, or who will pay for damage to the environment. The Limitation of Liability agreement, for example, has been accepted by Turkey but has not yet been ratified by Parliament. But, some of those agreements may also be objected to by Turkish shipowners, who carry some of hazardous substances, such as phosphate.

(TDN, 23.05.1996, page 1)

[03] Eurocopter sees $500 million Turkish contract soon

By Burak Bekdil
Turkish Daily News

MARIGNANE, France- The world's second largest helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter SA is expecting to conclude year-long discussions with Turkish authorities for the co-production of 30 SAR/CSAR utility Cougar helicopters, the company's officials said in its main manufacturing unit in southern France.

The said talks with Turkey's Defense Industry Undersecretariat (SSM), the procurement agency, were progressing well and anagreement was in sight for the nearly $500 million protect.

"The discussions have been tense, I should say. However, I am confident that a deal will be reached in the weeks to come," said Luc Barriere, Eurocopter's vice president for Europe.

Eurocopter, which has been negotiating with Turkey for a batch of 30 Cougars since June 1995, delivered today the last pair of 20 Cougars as part of an earlier deal signed on Oct. 8, 1993. The program, which was direct purchase, cost Turkey $253 million. A Turkish delegation, chaired by the SSM's acting undersecretary, Veysel Yayan, was in Marignane on Monday for the delivery ceremony.

Eurocopter officials are confident of winning the second contract despite controversy. There were reports that the talks between the SSM and Eurocopter were close to failure because of heavy political pressure during the premiership of Tansu Ciller, who allegedly gave instructions to the Turkish bureaucrats for the direct purchase of the 30. Talks reportedly returned to normal after Eurocopter agreed on co-production after the Dec. 24 election in Turkey.

Turkey and Eurocopter have not yet agreed on the share of Turkish participation in the proposed co-production program.

"We are continuing talks to finalize the details, such as delivery schedule etc. We have not yet come to a conclusion as to the share of local content," explains Didier Renaux, deputy director for industrial projects and offset programs.

There were reports that Eurocopter had already agreed on nearly 20 percent Turkish participation but the SSM was pressing for larger local content.

"In fact what matters is not the quantity of the local content only, but also its quality. And our offer contains a high-quality profile of Turkish participation in terms of technology transfer and other elements," said Renaux.

Eurocopters's proposal for the co-production sees the Ankara-based Aerospace Industries Inc. (TAI), which manufactures F-16 fighter planes, as prime-sub-contractor for the airframe from development phase to delivery. Engine parts manufactureassembly and test will be carried out by the TEI, the engine producer. Other Turkish companies including the military electronics producer Aselsan and privately-owned companies Hema and communications equipment manufacturer Netas will be involved in main equipment manufacture, assembly and tests.

The proposal offer offset commitments of 50 percent of the imported part, mainly based on the industrialization and production of future attack helicopter Tiger. Direct economic benefits for the Turkish defense industry are estimated at 5,500 men/years according to Eurocopter officials. The helicopter manufacturer is pledging to establish the Turkish helicopterindustry through local production of additional Cougars; maintenance and upgrade of Turkey's Cougar fleet; and participation in production of new Eurocopter products such as Tiger.

Would Eurocopter withdraw from negotiations if Turkey insists on larger local content?

No, replied Jean-Pierre Dubreuil, director of the board's executive cabinet. "We shall not give up. We believe that we have to get as close as possible to Turkish industry. I am sure there is going to be an agreement at some stage," he said.

Defense industry experts say Turkey has become a lucrative market for the world's helicopter manufacturers, who are suffering from a contraction in market. World demand for helicopters, civilian and military, is hovering around 600 to 700 at the moment and is declining. "This is why we are fighting to win new contracts," said Dubreuil.

Eurocopter, a partnership between France's state-run Aerospatiale and German DASA, did not report any profits last year. Its consolidated turnover was around $1.76 billion, half of which came from exports. Eurocopter has so far sold 10,825 helicopters to customers in 127 countries.

Turkey has 50 Eurocopter platforms in its fleet.

(TDN, 23.05.1996, page 2)

[04] ANAP: RP and DYP are laying the foundations for their coalition

TDN Parliamentary Bureau

ANKARA- True Path Party (DYP) Chairwoman Tansu Ciller's call on her ruling partner Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz to resign has been interpreted by Yilmaz's Motherland Party (ANAP) as another sign of coalition preparation between the DYP and the Welfare Party (RP).

ANAP's parliamentary group acting Chairman Cumhur Ersumer, talking to reporters following Ciller's address to her parliamentary group, stressed the fact that the RP and the DYP were already in cooperation, having declared a truce of motions until the June 2 local elections.

With reference to Ciller's branding Yilmaz a "sleazeball," Ersumer responded that ugly accusations belonged to those who uttered them.

The DYP and the RP first tried to postpone debate of an RP motion against Ciller in Parliament, he said, and later took a joint step to get Parliament closed immediately. "I wonder why the RP, which itself initiated the corruption charges against Ciller, is now trying to protect her prior to the local elections."

Noting that the RP and the DYP together had the necessary majority on the commissions of inquiry into the corruption charges, Ersumer said that the two party could have the eight motions they introduced against each other turned down, if they wanted to do so.

Ersumer also underlined that if the two parties went on with their joint moves it would leave only the two DYP motions against Mesut Yilmaz under the spotlight.

Referring to a recent statement by RP Chairman Necmettin Erbakan, in which he said that the RP would be in power within 10 days, Ersumer said "Apparently they have laid the foundations of their coalition."

Ersumer underlined that the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court that the DYP-ANAP coalition had not in fact passed its vote of confidence did not mean that Yilmaz should resign. "Asking for a new vote of confidence is another option for Yilmaz," Ersumer said.

Ersumer said that Ciller was now urging Yilmaz to resign because she was planning to form a coalition with the RP.

"If these are her plans she should withdraw from government or have the government collapse by means of supporting a general questioning issued by the RP," Ersumer argued.

Tansu Ciller, cornered by a barrage of corruption charges, lashed out at Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz with a call for him to step down after two months as head of their shaky government.

In a rousing speech greeted with bursts of applause, Ciller told her party she would account for the money in the coming days and said Yilmaz was a "sleazeball."

"Yilmaz has made countless mistakes," she said, calling him "a two-bit prime minister who has done nothing in office."

(TDN, 23.05.1996, page 3)

[05] Ankara denies it is unhappy with Israeli military accord

ANKARA- Turkey on Wednesday denied reported remarks by Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz that a recently concluded military accord with Israel could be reviewed and said there were no problems concerning this accord.

The Foreign Ministry made this announcement in a statement following reports in Wednesday's press that said Yilmaz had told his parliamentary group the day before that the accord had "brought more harm than good."

The accord has been strongly criticized by traditionally anti-Israeli Islamist groups in Turkey and by a host of Arab countries.

The military establishment, which negotiated the accord, however, is reported to be firmly behind the arrangement with Israel.

High ranking military officials are said to be assessing the success of the accord by the disturbance it has created in countries such as Syria which Ankara says use underhand methods against Turkey such as supporting separatist Kurdish terrorism.

The Foreign Ministry statements said that the prime minister had not uttered the words attributed to him in the press.

Contacted by the Anatolia news agency, Israel's ambassador to Ankara, Zvi Elpeleg, also said that the accord was working well and indicated that they had not received any signs from Ankara to date to suggest that it was unhappy with this arrangement.

Indicating that Turkey "is a mature enough country to know where its interest lie," Elpeleg also said that Ankara was sovereign enough to conduct its own business without interference from the outside.

(TDN, 23.05.1996, page 3)

[06] Moldova and Turkey to enhance relations

ANKARA- President Mircea Snegur of Moldova, who arrived in Ankara Wednesday for an official visit, expressed explicit support for the re-election of President Boris Yeltsin. Snegur has held official talks with President Suleyman Demirel and signed a number of documents that will enhance a previously signed defense and cooperation accord.

The agreements between the two countries include cooperation in the field of tourism, the judiciary, technology and education.

Arriving in Ankara, Snegur described President Suleyman Demirel as "a close personal friend" and said that the dialogue between the two countries, which had been launched during Demirel's visit to Moldova in 1994, would be furthered during his own visit to Turkey.

Demirel, for his part, thanked Snegur for the Moldovan policy on the Gagauz, a Turkic people in Moldova who are Christians.

"Our relations have made speedy progress in the last four years. Now that we have completed the infrastructure, we will look for ways to improve our economic and trade ties," he said.

After their respective statements, the two presidents went on to official talks. Snegur also met with Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz.

(TDN, 23.05.1996, page 4)

[07] Gonensay tries to calm Arab fears on Turkish-Israeli agreement

WASHINGTON- Turkish Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay, speaking to journalists in Washington, allayed Arab fears that the Turkish- Israeli military agreement is an anti-Arab pact. Such fears are "based partly misunderstanding, misinformation and probably some disinformation," Gonensay said.

He said the foreign ministers of Iran and Egypt, Velayati and Amr Moussa, were satisfied when he explained them the nature of the agreement. "I was also in phone conversations with the Lebanese foreign minister (Faris Bouez)," Gonensay said.

"It's not a defense agreement. It is a training agreement, involving visits of ships to each other country's ports, delegations to war academies, using air space of the respective countries for pilot training and cooperative pilot training," Gonensay emphasized. He said that Turkey had similar "blueprint agreements" with 18 other countries, "including many Arab Muslim countries in the region." It is not directed against any other country, he assured.

Syria seems to be one Arab country which is still not satisfied with Gonensay's assurances that the treaty is not aimed at any particular country. Mohammed Khair al-Wadi, director-general of the Syria's state-controlled daily Tishreen, on Tuesday described the deal as "an uncordial action by the Turkish government toward Arabs," according to Reuters. He claimed that it "puts Turkey in confrontation with the whole Arab nation and creates more problems for it with Arab states."

The Anatolia news agency reported that Adm. Guven Erkaya arrived in Israel on Monday to visit a naval base at Haifa and a munitions production center as the guest of his Israeli counterpart, Maj. Gen. Alex Tal. Turkish officials in Washington described the visit as a "regular call" covered by the agreement signed on Feb. 23.

Operation Provide Comfort

On Operation Provide Comfort, Gonensay voiced Turkish concerns that "Turkey is an umbrella which allows the continuation of the vacuum in northern Iraq, which encourages the development of a political entity there in northern Iraq, and which also provides a safe haven for PKK terrorists ... to attack Turkey from that no-man's land vacuum."

Extension of the operation's mandate would depend on giving a satisfactory answer to Turkish public's such concerns, he said."We have to satisfy Parliament for another extension by making changes in the substance of Provide Comfort so that it addresses these concerns and sensitivities of the Turkish Parliament," he said. A joint U.S.-Turkish ad-hoc working group is currently studying in Washington the necessary "substantive changes" that are needed to be made in the Rules of Engagement. The results are expected to be made public soon.

"I want to be optimistic that we will have these changes, we will have some sort of changes that will satisfy the Turkish Parliament," he said. "But we are not at that point yet," he added.

Armenia

Replying to a number of questions posed by Armenian journalists, Gonensay emphasized that Turkish-Armenian relations could only be enhanced by Armenia reciprocating the unilateral Turkish move to open the air corridor between the two countries. As an indication of the economic benefits of better relations, he brought up the prospect of a possible oil pipeline passing through Armenia.

"An oil pipeline passing from Armenia, if that is possible, would probably make Armenia one of the richest countries in the region," he said.Replying a Dashnak question on the "Armenian genocide," Gonensay said, "I think the Armenians in Armenia ... are more interested in peace and economic development than dredging up the past history one way or the other." The best was is "to engage in economic cooperation, economic interdependence, and leave these matters to historians rather than politicians," he said.

(TDN, 23.05.1996, page 5)

[08] German intelligence names PKK 'no. 1 terror problem' in Germany

By Ugur Akinci /Turkish Daily News

WASHINGTON -- A top German intelligence director has pointed a finger at the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as Germany's "number one terror problem." The PKK has recently threatened German sports celebrities, as well as German tourists intending to visit Turkey. However, the German official made clear that the German idea of fighting terrorism -- which includes negotiating with the terrorists -- is very different from the Turkish stand, which rejects talking to terrorists.

Also talking at the same event in Washington, Mehmet Eymur of Turkish intelligence organization MIT pointed out the dangers posed by the support the PKK received from Syria.

"The PKK is financially self-sufficient. It is involved in [drug] smuggling activities not only in Germany but in Australia, Russia, all over Europe, and even South Africa," Eymur said.

Klaus Grunewald, director of the counter-terrorism division of Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), told at a conference on "fighting terror in democracies" that the PKK had 9,000 "activists" in Germany, of which about 500 to 1,000 were "fanatics" who could even burn themselves alive for the PKK's cause. Two Kurdish women did so in Mannheim in 1994. "The PKK is the most dangerous organization in my country," Grunewald said. Like Eymur, Grunewald also confirmed that the PKK has reached a stage where it is largely self-sufficient from a financial point of view.

At the conference, organized by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Grunewald gave three examples of what he thought were positive outcomes of dialogues with terrorists:1) South Africa, where Nelson Mandela was transformed from aterrorist in jail to the president of a new country; 2) Britain, where a dialogue was established with IRA fighters; and 3) the Middle East peace process that witnessed the transformation of Yasser Arafat from terror chief to statesman.

"Terrorism is a symptom not a disease. Killing terrorists is not sufficient. For each one you kill, one or more will replace him," he said. In this context, Grunewald praised Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's declared intention to remove the state of emergency rule in the Southeast and work toward a "political solution" of the PKK problem.

"The German philosophy is, you should always try to pull the other side to your side," he said. "It is more democratic to talk to each other than shoot," he suggested.

Christopher

Talking at the same event, Secretary of State Warren Christopher criticized Germany's "critical dialogue" with Iran and defended the U.S. approach to Syria, another country on the State Department's list of terrorist nations. Syria is different from Iran because "Iran rejects all negotiations for peace" whereas Syria is involved in such negotiations, Christopher said. "Iran will change its behavior if the world makes it pay a sufficiently high price," he said.

Christopher nevertheless stressed U.S. willingness to talk to Iran, if only Iran would respond. The United States is ready "for a dialogue with the authoritative representatives of the Iranian government. But Iran did not pick up on the offer," he said.

Eymur

Mehmet Eymur, director of counter-terrorism at the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), also addressed the Washington Institute conference participants, and said unless there was an international consensus on a common definition of terrorism it was not easy to counter the danger.

Eymur pointed to the historical role played by the Soviet Union in the 1960s to foster the first wave of Marxist-Leninist terror organizations in Turkey. He said early student leaders had received training in PLO camps in Lebanon and Syria.

Today Russia continued to support the PKK, he said, by allowing PKK conferences in Moscow. He read the message sent by PKK leader Ocalan to the Second International Congress of Kurdish Organizations held in Moscow, May 4-8, 1996: "Moscow has started to attach an importance to the PKK which it had never attributed to any other organization before. Start operations for reestablishing the Red Kurdistan that was founded in the territories of Azerbaijan between the years of 1923-1930.Russia is now going to help the establishment of the independent Kurdish state," Ocalan said in his message.

Eymur echoed the declaration of President Demirel at the Sharm el-Sheik anti-terror summit of the need for the establishment "of an internationally acknowledged center which will collect and classify information on terrorist organizations, their supporters, and their operational methods and financial sources, and that will secure multinational coordination."

(TDN, 23.05.1996, page 5)

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