Turkish Daily News, 96-05-27

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

TURKISH DAILY NEWS
27 May 1996

CONTENTS

[01] Yilmaz vows to continue as long as he can

[02] Turkish contractors want share in Bosnian reconstruction

[03] Turkey, Croatia and Bosnia to hold tripartite talks

[04] AIREX '96 reaching for the sky

[05] USD 130 m frigate accessories held up by Stephanopoulos

[06] Denktas: US is hostage to Greek lobby

[01] Yilmaz vows to continue as long as he can

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said Sunday that he was determined to stay in his post until a new government model was found or until consensus for a new government was reached in Parliament.

It was the Motherland Party (ANAP) leader's first public comment on the political crisis since Ciller withdrew the backing of her True Path Party (DYP) from the acrimonious union with Yilmaz's ANAP early on Saturday.

Meanwhile, President Suleyman Demirel said that as long as the government was in place and enjoying the confidence of Parliament, then it was not for him to interfere.

"Suppose the government has resigned. It will continue until the new government is formed," Demirel said.

Demirel said that he did not see any deadlock in government and added that it was meaningless to put a government which had obtained vote of confidence from Parliament two months ago into a position of illegitimacy.

Asked if the government would break up if one of the coalition partners quit, Demirel said that the head of the government was his counterpart and therefore if the prime minister resigned, the government would be broken up.

Yilmaz, who answered reporters' questions before his departure from Sanliurfa, continued that he no longer felt bound by earlier policy agreements with Ciller. "We do not regard ANAP as being tied to the coalition protocol from now on." He listed the three times that he said Ciller had breached the coalition protocol.

On one occasion, Yilmaz said, Ciller had acted against the provision which calls for an inquiry into any corruption allegation. He said that when Ciller found herself the subject of an inquiry, she had broken her commitment made in the coalition protocol.

The second one breach, Yilmaz said, was Ciller's disregard for the provision which says that coalition partners were not to make defamatory statement against one another.

The third way in which Ciller had broken the protocol was by making appointments to the executive boards of state offices without mutual coalition consensus. He gave the two DYP appointments made to the Central Bank as an example of such a violation.

Referring to the recent decision of the DYP General Administrative Board (GIK) to withdraw from government, Yilmaz said his DYP colleagues should either present their resignations to him, move a censure motion to bring down the government or have the opposition Welfare Party (RP) present such a motion. Unless such steps were followed, Yilmaz stressed, he and his colleagues would continue in government.

Yilmaz said that behavior of Ciller and the DYP was against the coalition protocol, political etiquette and parliamentary traditions.

On the recent resignations DYP state ministers Ayvaz Gokdemir and Unal Erkan, Yilmaz said he had received their resignations on Saturday. Rather than making new appointments to the posts, Yilmaz said that the areas of responsibility for remaining state ministers would be rearranged.

Asked whether his party was holding on to power because it did not want to be the one tarred with having ended the government, Yilmaz said that the Constitution clearly provided how government could be ended. He repeated that if the DYP wanted to withdraw, either all its ministers should resign or present a censure motion to bring down the government.

"In any case, the public should know who has broken up the coalition. We will later clearly explain to the nation why the government has come to an end," Yilmaz said.

Asked about the prospects of the government should the DYP neither withdraw all its ministers nor present a censure motion, Yilmaz said: "As I have stated earlier, I will go as far as I can go. I do not intend to display the political maturity I displayed in 1991, because we all saw how much that issue was exploited by Mrs. Ciller. As long as I do not resign, this government will continue."

Yilmaz noted that today he would meet with Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Alparslan Turkes who would relay Ciller's views on the coalition.

Ciller and Yilmaz have argued frequently since their coalition was forged in early March, boosting the status of the main opposition Islamist Welfare Party (RP), the biggest party in parliament, which is waiting in the wings.

Much of the discord is due to the support of Yilmaz's party for a string of corruption charges against Ciller, Turkey's first-ever woman leader.

Political analysts say neither party leader wants to take the blame for breaking up the coalition and letting the Islamist-based RP into power.

The RP is considering a censure motion against Yilmaz as the final nail in the coffin of the center-right alliance.

The success of any censure motion, which could not be heard in Parliament until after June 2 local elections, would depend on Ciller's support.

Coalition in showcase Cabinet meeting

Government ministers held a Cabinet meeting in Turkey's southeastern region on Sunday amid fierce quarreling that has brought the coalition to the brink of collapse.

Yilmaz led Cabinet members from both wings of the alliance at the meeting in Diyarbakir. The meeting was to be a showcase of the government's plans for developing the region, hit by 12 years of separatist conflict, rather than a decision-making session.

Former premier Ciller, no longer a minister, was not at the meeting but several of her aides attended. Industry and Trade Minister Yalim Erez, Education Minister Turhan Tayan, Foreign Affairs Minister Emre Gonensay and Transport Minister Omer Barutcu were not present at the meeting.

Following the meeting, Minister for Culture and government spokesman Agah Oktay Guner told press that the Cabinet had decided to carry out the necessary amendments to some legislation in order to avoid any vacuum which the gradual lifting of emergency rule in the Southeast could cause. Guner said houses would be built for 21,383 families who had suffered natural disasters. He also said some of the investment in the southeastern Anatolia region would be expedited.

[02] Turkish contractors want share in Bosnian reconstruction

ANKARA- Aware of the massive demand for housing for repatriation of refugees returning to Bosnia, Ankara has asked the Bosnian government to give priority to Turkish contractors to do the job.

Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz raised the issue during talks with his Bosnian counterpart Hasan Muratovic, in which it was agreed that part of the $20 million loan Turkey will provide for Bosnia would be used to finance the work of Turkish contractors.

"The loan will be used in consultation with the Turkish Eximbank and various companies... We think part of it will be used for construction of housing for the refugees," Muratovic said in his press conference.

Turkish diplomats said that the U.N. High Commission for Refugees was increasingly worried about a vicious circle as far as the resettlement of refugees was concerned. Some of the refugees and other displaced people returned to Sarajevo only to discover either that their houses had been completely destroyed or that other refugees, who had suffered a similar problem, had been resettled in their homes.

"We want to improve the situation, but all countries who have provided funds for Bosnia want their own contractors to do the work," a Turkish diplomat said.

As a signal of Turkish interest in construction, Sarik Tara, the head of Enka Construction who is known for his work in Russia and Libya, was part of the official delegation. Two senior officials from the Emlakbank, a Turkish bank specializing in housing credits, also accompanied Yilmaz on his one-day trip to Bosnia.

Turkey has pledged a total of $80 million to Bosnia-Herzegovina, but only $6 million has been given. In the course of Yilmaz's visit -- during which the prime minister seemed more preoccupied with the domestic crisis and the statements of True Path Party leader Tansu Ciller from Madrid -- the second slice of the loan was agreed upon.

For the remaining $54 million, the Bosnian government asked for "improved conditions" and Turkey agreed.

A joint statement after the Yilmaz-Muratovic talks said that Turkey would assist the return of the Bosnian refugees who fled to Turkey during the war.

"The prime ministers reviewed the prospects of developing bilateral relations and cooperation to contribute to the international efforts in the implementation of the peace agreement, as well as to assist with the reconstruction and development of its economy and the normalization of life," the statement said.

The statement also drew attention to the need to ensure the return of refugees before elections were held in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Turkey's contribution to IFOR -- the NATO implementation force -- did not go unnoticed on the trip. While Muratovic thanked Turkey for its role, Yilmaz paid a visit to the Turkish troops to be briefed on their activities.

Despite the beautiful spring day in the war-destroyed city where the collapsed buildings were partly covered by the greenery, Yilmaz hardly appeared appreciative of his surroundings. Pointedly ignoring the demands of the accompanying media to discuss domestic developments, he remained quiet through most of his visit.

The interest shown in him by the Bosnians was also moderate. Unlike the visit of Ciller right after the Dayton accord, where a cheering crowd waited for her despite pouring rain, few heads turned to look at Yilmaz and his large entourage when he toured the marketplace.

[03] Turkey, Croatia and Bosnia to hold tripartite talks

ANKARA- The foreign ministers from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Turkey will come together today to assess developments in the Balkans.

The meeting, which will be hosted by Turkish Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay, is part of the periodic consultations between the two countries but gains importance by being the first such meeting since the Dayton peace accord. The last tripartite meeting was last year, in the Bosnian city of Zenica.

Gonensay, along with his Bosnian counterpart Yadranko Prlic and Croat Foreign Minister Mate Granic, are expected to discuss how to overcome the bottlenecks in the Bosnian-Croat federation. Their final statement will express support for the federation.

The sides will also express the need for the reconstruction of Bosnia, and the need to create a federation army.

Although Turkey and the United States took the initiative to equip and train the federation army, the idea of a federation force could not be implemented. There are presently still two forces, one of them is the HVO which belongs to the Croats and the other is the Bosnian army which mainly consists of Muslim Bosnians.

The three ministers will discuss the role Turkey can play in the creation of the army.

After their tripartite meeting, the ministers will be received by Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz.

[04] AIREX '96 reaching for the sky

ISTANBUL- Modern Turkey's founding father, Ataturk, once said that the country's future was in the skies. Well, the future is here today and AIREX '96 is the showcase of that future.

AIREX "96, or to give it its full title, the International Civil Aviation and Airport Equipment Exhibition, is being held, appropriately enough, at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport and will run from 27 to 31 May.

Naturally enough, there will be the more easily recognizable displays of the typical airshow, aircraft, on display but the greatest emphasis of AIREX '96 is on the support mechanisms for the transport of passengers and cargo. There will be everything at the expo needed to establish an airline, keep it in the air, provide for the safety and well being of its passengers and to equip an airport for it to take off from and land at.

Among the exhibits at AIREX '96 there will be displays of flight simulators and training facilities, aircraft handling and servicing, the latest in air traffic control systems, passenger, cargo and baggage handling methods and equipment and aircraft maintainance apparatus. Communications, security and emergency and navigation equipment will also be on display.

One of the stall holders will be the Turkish Daily News itself, bringing to exhibitors and visitors alike the most up to date news at a display of the world's most up to date technology.

The expo is being sponsored by, among others, Turkish Airlines, Istanbul Airlines, Celebi and Havas and is supported by the Turkish State Airports and Air Traffic Control Authority.

Running concurrently with the exhibition will be the Sixth General Assembly of the Airports Council International- Europe, which will bring together representatives from around the continent to discuss new airport technologies and the opportunities and challenges for airports at the end of the 20th century.

Turkey was seen as the ideal venue for such an event due to its location at the crossroads of east and west and north and south. Where once the country was criss crossed by slow moving caravans traversing the Silk Road from China and the east or from Africa and the Arab lands on their way to Europe or returning heavily laden now Turkey's skies are decorated with the con trails of aircraft following the same paths but in a fraction of the time it took their predecessors to make the trip. Surrounded by emerging markets, and being one herself, Turkey was a natural choice for this major aviation exposition.

Turkey is currently in the throes of an aviation revolution, with new private airlines being established and the national carrier, Turkish Airlines, being slated for privatization. There is also a program of upgrading and modernizing of the country's existing airports and of opening up new ones.

With the breaking up of the former Soviet Union and of the breaking down of many of the region's trade and travel barriers the aviation industry in this country is booming. AIREX '96 is a measure of this.

[05] USD 130 m frigate accessories held up by Stephanopoulos

By Ugur Akinci Turkish Daily News

WASHINGTON- The $130 million package of accessories needed for the three frigates that the Turkish Navy has bought from the United States is stalled at the office of George Stephanopoulos, senior advisor to President Bill Clinton, according to the German press agency DPA. The required notification for the Excess Defense Article (EDA) ships has been sent by the State Department to the White House but has not yet been released to Congress, where such purchases must be given the final seal of approval.

A White House senior official told DPA that the White House could have fought for the release of the "package," which includes electronic equipment for the ships as well as ordinance needed for combat capability. But the senior official, who did not want to be named, told DPA that if they supported the notification, "We would have broken an enormous amount of crockery," i.e. spent a lot of political capital. He saidStephanopoulos decided that it was not worth "breaking" so much "crockery" and creating political headaches in this presidential election year.

Stephanopoulos, who is a Greek-American, is known to be sensitive to the demands of the Greek-American community, which did not look positively on the frigate sale. A TDN source suggested that the frigate package could be released after the elections.

An informed Turkish source told the TDN that the frigates would not be worth anything without the "package." The source also suggested that the 700 Turkish sailors who are currently training in Pensacola, Florida and Norfolk, Virginia to take command of the ships may now all be sent home. The 700-strong crew is reportedly costing the Turkish government over $40,000 per day.

Frigates

The notification for the three frigates themselves reached the House International Relations Committee on March 29, right after which Congress went into recess. After Congress reconvened, an "objection period" was allowed between April 15 and May 15. During this 30-day period no motions were introduced to stop the transfer of the ships.

Yet Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations committee and a Greek-American, registered his strong objection to the sale, along with Ben Gilman, New York Republican and chair of the committee, and Lee Hamilton, Indiana Democrat and ranking minority member of the committee.

When Turkish Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay asked in Washington last week why the frigates had still not been released, it was explained to him that as a "courtesy" for the senior senator's objection the frigates were being delayed at Congress.

Greek Cypriot conference

Rep. Gilman and Sen. Sarbanes were present at a recent conference in Washington organized by the "International Coordinating Committee of Justice for Cyprus," together with Stephanopoulos.

In a constructive speech on Greek-Turkish relations, Stephanopoulos said, "We encourage Greece and Turkey to find constructive ways in which to build relations between them which will help the strengthening of NATO, which we hope will help in the cultivation of even better relations with the United States."

"President Clinton has asked both sides to find ways which will help solve their differences and reduce tension in the Aegean and in NATO's southern flank. I believe it is right to not comment publicly on the details of any proposal, apart from saying that we support any measures which will help both sides develop peaceful and constructive relations," Stephanopoulos added, according to the Athens news agency.

[06] Denktas: US is hostage to Greek lobby

Turkish Daily News

NICOSIA- The Cyprus problem can only be solved by the two peoples of the island, and prescriptions from outside will not help achieve a settlement as long as the outsiders are not "diagnosing the illness" impartially and objectively, Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas wrote in an exclusive article for the Turkish Daily News.

The article, "Where we stand," is a response to the latest remarks by U.S. officials indicating that the Clinton administration has changed its traditional approach that searching for a bi-zonal and bi-communal federal solution on Cyprus was a prerequisite for the island's accession to EU membership.

According to a statement by Nicholas Burns, the State Department spokesman, Washington would support the Greek Cypriot EU bid even if a federal solution on Cyprus could not be attained.

"The U.S. administration has been a hostage of the Greek lobby since 1963," Denktas said.

Here is the full text of the article by President Rauf Denktas of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Where we stand

By President Rauf R. Denktas

The Cyprus problem can only be settled by the two peoples of Cyprus. Prescriptions from outside have not cured the "illness" because there has been no diagnosis of it by impartial outsiders. The U.S. administration is a hostage to the Greek lobby and from the beginning of the conflict in December, 1963, the U.S. government has tried to settle the problem to the satisfaction of this lobby.

The attempt to solve the problem without a proper diagnosis has cost Turkish Cypriots 33 years of continuous struggle for the protection of their vested rights as a co-founder partner of the defunct 1960 Republic.

Greek Cypriots who destroyed the "Partnership Republic" in order to convert it into a Greek Cypriot republic are guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but somehow they have been whitewashed by their friends and have come to the point of entering the European Union as a full member. Once <I>that</I> is achieved they will have succeeded in their "national aim," which means the subjugation of Turkish Cypriot people and denial of their vested rights as a political body equal in all respects to the Greek Cypriot community.

We intend to stand by our rights which we have been defending at the cost of lives over two decades.

We stand by the formula of the U.N. secretary-general that Cyprus' accession to the EU will be tackled by the two communities <I>after</I> a settlement and through the separate referendums of the two sides. We do not intend to deviate from the formula of the U.N. secretary- general to the effect that the Treaties of Guarantee and Alliance should continue to be in full effect, and we do not accept any formula which will weaken our security. These agreements are the foundations on which a new experiment in coexistence can be made. Without these guarantees (which saved us from utter destruction) there can be no experiment in coexistence! Greek Cypriots have been trying to get rid of these agreements in order to be free in their drive to clean Cyprus of the Turkish Cypriot population.

All these facts are being conveyed to all diplomats, especially to the representatives of the United States and Britain.

The refusal to understand Greek Cypriot policy is deliberate. The prescription of Mr. Burns is also deliberately prepared not for curing the ills of Cyprus but for keeping the Greek lobby happy until the elections. We reject this prescription and we deplore this approach, which made Greek Cypriot church bells chime until the morning hours.

We expected the United States to have a more balanced approach and not to support the "Serbian policies" of the Greek Cypriot leadership. It was President Clinton who rightly said that he aspired to a world governed under the rule of law. That was at the last election. For four years we expected him to help Cyprus revert to and respect the rule of law, by virtue of which the Greek Cypriot partner cannot be the government of Cyprus and the government of Turkish Cypriots. Under the rule of law, Cyprus cannot be deemed to have made a proper application for EU membership in the absence of Turkish Cypriot participation in that application. Mr. Burns, therefore, is siding with those who have defied the rule of law and are trying to crown their crimes committed against the partnership state of Cyprus and its Turkish Cypriot partner.

Such an unjust approach cannot help Cyprus.

The Cyprus problem cannot be settled without honoring the rule of law and without treating both sides as political equals. This problem cannot be solved if it is forgotten that <I>there is no Cypriot nation </I>and that the 1960 agreements had brought about a bi-communal partnership state protected against the Greek Cypriot drive and historical aspiration for Hellenization of the island by adequate guarantees. Mr. Burns seems utterly unaware of the fact that this drive to Hellenize the island is still continuing, and that to that end Russian guns and armaments with "experts" and black money is being poured into the south, in addition to the attempt by Greece to blackmail Europe into accepting the Greek Cypriot side, under the false title of "government of Cyprus," into the EU, in order to conclude the criminal activities of the 1963-1974 years of hell for my people.

EU membership has blocked the process of inter-communal talks, and if EU membership is not put on ice and the Greek Cypriot leadership told to give priority to inter-communal talks then we shall have to take the only alternative left to us -- and that is full integration with Turkey. We cannot sit and watch Greek Cypriot leaders uniting the island with Greece via the EU while cutting off all the legitimate links and vested rights of Turkey with Cyprus. This Byzantine game must be stopped. No settlement is possible based on injustice and inequality. Thirty-three years of attempts to settle the Cyprus problem in complete disregard of the rule of law should be sufficient proof of this reality.

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