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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (August 7, 1995)From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)CONTENTS[01] TURKISH AND GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTERS EXCHANGE LETTERS[02] CENTRAL BANK GOLD SALES REACH $8.5 BILLION IN SIX YEARS[03] MORE ATTACKS ON TURKISH TARGETS IN GERMANY[04] US PAPER CRITICIZES GERMANY'S PKK POLICY[05] PKK KILLS EIGHT IN ROCKET ATTACK[06] PKK CHURCH DEMONSTRATION[07] ECEVIT: "TURKEY SHOULD WARN SYRIA ON PKK ISSUE"[08] INONU VISITS BELARUS[09] FOREIGN MINISTRY "CRISIS TABLE"[10] BACK TO THE CANAL BOATS[11] TURKEY'S ROLE IN BOSNIA[12] MORE SUPPORT FOR THE SOUTHEAST[13] CLAES: "TURKEY IS A KEY COUNTRY FOR NATO"[14] THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE PRAISES CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES[15] GREEK CYPRIOT BIKERS THUMP POLICE, RIDE IN BUFFER ZONETURKISH PRESS REVIEWMONDAY AUGUST 7, 1995Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] TURKISH AND GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTERS EXCHANGE LETTERSLetters exchanged between Interior Minister Nahit Mentese and his German counterpart, Manfred Kanter, regarding the extradition of criminals who have committed terrorist-linked offenses, have been made public. In his letter to Kanter on March 10, Mentese, referring to earlier talks in Bonn regarding the extradition of members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and other such terrorist organizations whose members commit crimes in Germany, stressed that Turkey was ready to receive such criminals. Noting that Germany was concerned with the treatment of foreign national criminals in their native countries after they were extradited, Mentese said that before the deportation of such offenders from Germany, officials of both countries would provide information to each other about these criminals. In his letter, Mentese stressed that if the charges against the extradited person required prosecution by legal authorities, Turkish officials would then provide necessary information about the charges and where the trial would take place. He also noted that the person charged would be provided an attorney at every phase of prosecution or litigation. Minister Mentese wrote that all extradited Turkish nationals would be handled with humane treatment within the rules of the constitution and Convention on Protection of Human Rights and Basic Freedoms to which Turkey is a signatory. In his letter of reply, carrying the same date, Kanter said he agreed with the content of Mentese's letter. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] CENTRAL BANK GOLD SALES REACH $8.5 BILLION IN SIX YEARSThe Central Bank (CB), which had sole authority over gold sales until the opening of the Istanbul Gold Exchange on July 27 this year, sold 725.7 tons of gold worth $8.5 billion in the past six years, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. In this period, a total of 41 banks -40.6 % of the total transactions- banks and 31 authorized institutions- 59.4 % of the total transactions- carried out gold dealings through the CB.
[03] MORE ATTACKS ON TURKISH TARGETS IN GERMANYArsonists firebombed a grocery store in Essen and a community centre in Siegen overnight in the latest of a series of attacks on Turkish property in Germany. No one was injured in the attacks, which police said could have been the work of Kurd extremists. Police estimated damage to the Essen food store at about DM 50,000. /Hurriyet/
[04] US PAPER CRITICIZES GERMANY'S PKK POLICYThe European edition of the Wall Street Journal criticized the German government for its policy on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). In its main article it asked how a group that was defined as a terrorist organization two years ago could undertake so many terror activities in Germany. The article urged Turkey and Germany to collaborate so as to halt the activities of the PKK. The paper added that in the past year in Germany 140 different Turkish owned properties were attacked, and last week in six cities Turkish properties were again firebombed. The paper said: "The PKK carries out the most developed propaganda campaign among the terrorist organizations in Europe. They have no money problem". "It massacres not only the Turks but the Kurds who oppose it" the paper added. /Milliyet/
[05] PKK KILLS EIGHT IN ROCKET ATTACKSeparatist Kurds from the PKK terrorist organization killed eight civilians, including two children under 10, in an overnight rocket attack on a village in southern Turkey near Syria, the Anatolia news agency reported on Saturday. Six of the dead were from the same family. Four others were injured in the attack in Hatay province. "This is a massacre" said Utku Acun, governor of Hatay, which stands on Turkey's easternmost border with Syria.The PKK terrorists penetrating from Syria into Turkey have killed 29 civilians in recent months. Five terrorists were killed during attacks in the last two months. Three terrorists surrendered and 58 have been captured. /Milliyet/
[06] PKK CHURCH DEMONSTRATIONMembers of the illegal PKK terrorist organization created a disturbance at the Istanbul Harbiye Latin Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit. The sixty people involved in the demonstration wanted to send a note to the Vatican Embassy just nearby.The demonstrators invaded the gardens of the French Girls' School where the church is also located. The PKK supporters shouted slogans about democracy and war. The police arrested a number of demonstrators. /Milliyet/
[07] ECEVIT: "TURKEY SHOULD WARN SYRIA ON PKK ISSUE"Democratic Left Party (DSP) Chairman Bulent Ecevit said yesterday that the increase in terrorism in Hatay had renewed the strong possibility of links between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Syria. Ecevit said Turkey should not remain silent in this regard and must firmly express its concerns. Ecevit was speaking at a press conference on recent incidents in Hatay.
[08] INONU VISITS BELARUSForeign Minister Erdal Inonu will fly to Belarus today for a two-day official visit. Inonu, who will be his Belarussian counterpart Uldazimir Syanko's guest, is due to meet with Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko. Inonu's visit to Minsk will be the first trip of a Turkish foreign minister to the former Soviet Republic of Belarus, which became independent in late 1991. Syanko visited Ankara last year. /Milliyet/
[09] FOREIGN MINISTRY "CRISIS TABLE"In view of the developments currently taking place in Bosnia, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has set up a crisis table to deal with unforeseen situations involving the Croats and Serbs.The startling advances of the Croats has created massive reaction in Ankara, with Foreign Ministry officials noting that the "war can now go in any direction, soon we will know how the Serbs are going to react." /Hurriyet/
[10] BACK TO THE CANAL BOATSAs Turkey develops fruit and vegetable exports to the CIS independent states, new methods of getting the perishable goods there more quickly are under consideration. Now a not so new way is being seriously considered: reviving the old canal barges that can carry a lot quickly through the rivers and canals of the region. Officials note that the old rivers routes are a lot quicker than sending fruit and vegetables by sea. /Hurriyet/
[11] TURKEY'S ROLE IN BOSNIATurkey foresees a larger role in the diplomatic moves to establish concord between the leading national groups in Bosnia. Further, a number of foreign sources also suggest that Turkey could do much to help alleviate the position. This especially so as the Croats are now exerting themselves and creating new dimensions to the war in Bosnia.This is in line with the policy already being followed by Turkey. President Demirel has already had talks with leading figures in Bosnia and enjoyed success in certain areas. Sources from Bosnia suggest that both of the sides now in conflict seem to want to appear to have Turkish support for what they are doing. This underscores that Turkey is recognized as a force that must be included in regional developments. /Milliyet/
[12] MORE SUPPORT FOR THE SOUTHEASTAlthough some reports say that the southeast of Turkey is a deprived region, the UN coordinator for Turkey, Edmund Cain, says in his latest evaluation that Ankara is seriously setting up new projects to develop the region.Noting the earlier importance given to the richer western areas of the country, Cain draws attention to the efforts now being made to remove any suggestion that the southeast was deprived in any way. The Cain report notes too that much of the importance and favour shown the western areas of Turkey is now being transferred to the southeast. The report also touches on domestic and foreign migration as it effects Turkey and underlines the way that Turkey is giving more attention to birth control in line with contemporary world trends. /Cumhuriyet/
[13] CLAES: "TURKEY IS A KEY COUNTRY FOR NATO"NATO Secretary-General Willy Claes said that Turkey has strategic importance for NATO, as it is located at the juncture of Asia and Europe. "Turkey's role, within the framework of the Balkans, Caucasia, the Middle East and Central Asia is more important today. Turkey is the only country in the alliance in which the majority of the population is Muslim. Turkey has always played a key role in NATO" he said. Claes noted that the importance of Turkey's role was seen by its contributions to Deny Flight and Sharp Guard operations in Yugoslavia. The Ankara government's stance toward the Chechnya crisis and its role in the expansion of NATO also reflect Turkey's key position, Claes said.
[14] THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE PRAISES CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGESThe Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a well-known think-tank in Washington, has released a Policy Watch statement on the recent passage of constitutional changes by the Turkish Parliament. The anlysis penned by senior fellow Alan Makovsky praised the move and noted that the package "boosted Turkey's prospects for greater European integration, stabilized the Ciller government, raised hopes for longer-term secularist cooperation to isolate fundamentalism, and paved the way for widened political participation".
[15] GREEK CYPRIOT BIKERS THUMP POLICE, RIDE IN BUFFER ZONEGreek Cypriot police used tear gas and clubs yesterday to disperse hundreds of Greek Cypriot motorcyclists protesting the 21-year division of Cyprus between Greeks and Turks. At Nicosia's Ledra Palace checkpoint, 500 bikers hurled stones and bottles towards the Turkish side as police battled to control the demonstrators. Six hundred policemen and 200 Argentine soldiers from the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus proved little match for the bikers as they rode into the UN-controlled buffer zone with little resistance, and at one point came within meters of the Turkish Cypriot side. /Hurriyet/END |
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