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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (September 7, 1995)From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)Turkish News DirectoryCONTENTS[01] DEMIREL TO VISIT TAJIKISTAN, MONGOLIA[02] ANKARA WELCOMES NATO BOMBING[03] RIFKIND IN ANKARA[04] TURKISH CONTRACTORS ENKA AND GAMA SIGN DEALS TO REBUILD CHECHEN CAPITAL[05] TURKEY SOFT ON FRENCH NUCLEAR TESTING[06] DOHUK GOVERNOR ASKS TURKEY TO HIT TERRORISTS[07] GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER DEFENDS DECISION ON PKK[08] TEN MILITANTS KILLED, THREE SURRENDER IN SOUTHEAST[09] NUMBER OF GERMAN TOURISTS INCREASES BY 65 PERCENT[10] JAPAN FUNDING PROJECT TO IMPROVE COAL MINE SAFETY[11] TURKISH-AMERICAN BUSINESSMEN VISIT NORTHERN CYPRUS[12] NATO EXERCISES TO BEGIN SEPTEMBER 10[13] LAST MOVES TO WIN PETROL RIGHTS[14] RELIGIOUS LEADER ACCUSES GREECE[15] SECOND DUBLIN MEETING[16] INONU SEEKS TIGHTER SECURITY FROM GERMANS[17] LEGAL SYSTEM PROTECTS SECULARISM[18] DOUBLE SUMMIT FOR NORTHERN IRAQ[19] NETHERLANDS BANS PKK MEETINGS[20] INITIATIVES FOR PEACE IN BOSNIA[21] TURCO-TAJIK BUSINESS COOPERATION[22] EXPORT INCREASES CONTINUETURKISH PRESS REVIEWTHURSDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 1995Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] DEMIREL TO VISIT TAJIKISTAN, MONGOLIAPresident Suleyman Demirel is due to visit the former Soviet Republic of Tajikistan on 10-11 September and Mongolia on 11-13 September in the first trip by a top Turkish official to the two Central Asian states, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday. Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel told reporters that ways to develop political, economic and trade ties between Turkey and the two countries would be sought during the trip. Demirel will be the official guest of Presidents Imamali Rakhmanov of Tajikistan and Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat of Mongolia. Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu, State Minister responsible for Transcaucasia and Central Asia affairs, Ayvaz Gokdemir, and several businessmen will attend the tour. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] ANKARA WELCOMES NATO BOMBINGTurkey expressed support yesterday for the resumed NATO bombing of the Serbian heavy artillery around Sarajevo. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said in his weekly press briefing that Turkey had stressed since 1992 that the aggressors should have been deterred through the use of force. "However, our view was not agreed upon by the international community. We can only be happy today that the West in particular and world public opinion in general have accepted our views, although late" Akbel said. Akbel, commenting on the visits of Bosnian President Aliya Izzetbegovic and US envoy Richard Holbrooke, said that the visits showed the pivotal role of Turkey in the Bosnian crisis.
[03] RIFKIND IN ANKARABritish Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind, who traveled to Turkey from Moscow, said that if there were changes to be made on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE), this should be through an agreement with all other countries involved. This was a direct response to rising Turkish concerns about the attempts of Russia to increase its arms ceilings in the Caucasus. Rifkind maintained that Turkey's concerns were as legitimate as those of Russia and he had made that point clear to Moscow. "Turkey and Britain have no political problems" Inonu said in the joint press conference. He added that they had discussed the Bosnian question in depth and both sides hoped that the Bosnian Serbs would understand the message given to them by NATO and the UN. "We sincerely prefer the establishment of peace and a solution at the negotiation table, rather than on the battle-ground" Inonu said. Regarding MED-TV, a pro-separatist Kurdish TV channel based in Britain, Inonu said: "I believe if our British allies look closely, they will see that this TV channel is provocative and encourages violence. I am hopeful that they will see that" he told reporters after a joint press conference with Rifkind. Later, Rifkind held a conference "Britain and Turkey: Regional Cooperation". Rifkind has held talks with President Suleyman Demirel, Prime Minister Tansu Ciller, Motherland Party (ANAP) Chairman Mesut Yilmaz and Chairman of the Privatization Administration Ufuk Soylemez. The minister, who had breakfast with Soylemez and his aides, was accompanied by British businessmen. The British businessmen were interested in the privatization of the Turkish Postal Authority. /Milliyet-Cumhuriyet-Sabah/
[04] TURKISH CONTRACTORS ENKA AND GAMA SIGN DEALS TO REBUILD CHECHEN CAPITALTwo of Turkey's big-scale contracting firms have reportedly signed agreements to rebuild the war-weary capital of Chechnya. Both ENKA and GAMA have signed contracts worth $479 million with the Chechen government, unilaterally set up by the Russian Federation. Both companies have already begun preliminary studies to undertake massive reconstruction work in Grozny. They said that the construction might start within a month. The Russian administration will make advance payments of $15 million to each company, according to the contracts. "When those funds are transferred into the firms' accounts, Russia will have given the final go-ahead to the reconstruction project" said one company official. Both GAMA and ENKA currently employ 100 personnel in Grozny. /Milliyet/
[05] TURKEY SOFT ON FRENCH NUCLEAR TESTINGAnkara, which has maintained a pronounced silence on French testing, finally said yesterday that it "understood" the international reaction to the decision of France, a pivotal state for Turkey's European drive. It is our hope that the French will finish the testing as quickly as possible, with maximum care for human health and environmental concerns" Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said in his weekly press conference. "Turkey also wants an end to nuclear armament... but obviously, this will take time. In the meantime, certain international balances have to be maintained" Akbel said.
[06] DOHUK GOVERNOR ASKS TURKEY TO HIT TERRORISTSAbdulaziz Tayyip, governor of northern Iraq's Dohuk province, on Tuesday called for Turkish authorities to hit separatist terrorists while clashes continue between Kurdish Democratic Party Peshmergas and the separatist terrorists in northern Iraq. Speaking to a Anatolia news agency reporter, Tayyip said the terrorists had massacred innocent civilians in northern Iraq, adding that the separatist organization had devastated his people's belongings. Turkish troops should chase PKK terrorists out of Dohuk Tayyip said, adding "This is why we want to see Turkish soldiers here. Let us fight together with Turkish soldiers against the PKK...".
[07] GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER DEFENDS DECISION ON PKKGerman Interior Minister Manfred Kanther stated that the decision of the German government to ban Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) activities in Germany was the right decision. Kanther told the daily Berlin Morgenpost, which is the leading newspaper in Germany's Berlin-Brandenburg district, that no democratic country would allow the activities of an outlawed organization. Kanther harshly criticized the statements of some people that banning the organization, which has engaged in terrorism, had backfired. Commenting on this, Kanther pointed out that this was "silliness", saying that it had been right, both from a security and a political perspective, to ban the PKK.
[08] TEN MILITANTS KILLED, THREE SURRENDER IN SOUTHEASTTen militants of the PKK terrorist organization were killed during military operations and three surrendered in Tunceli, Sirnak and Van in the Southeast. Officials from the emergency rule region said that seven PKK militants had been killed in Hakkari-Isiklar and Cukurca districts and three in Bitlis- Agacdere district. Meanwhile, ten militants have been arrested in Batman, Mus and Sirnak.
[09] NUMBER OF GERMAN TOURISTS INCREASES BY 65 PERCENTTourism Minister Irfan Gurpinar said that Germans form the majority of tourists coming to Turkey, with a total of 800,000, an increase of 65 % during the first seven months of 1995 over the same period last year. Turkey's popularity is attributable to its weather, natural beauty, historic sites, hospitality and location. German magazines, "Focus" and "Journal Fur Die Frau", wrote that the advertisements, articles and photos about Turkey which have appeared in the German media have done a good job of promoting Turkey. Nizamettin Sen, head of the board of the Antalya branch of the Turkish Travel Agencies Union said that the total number of tourists, 1,400,000, who visited Antalya in the first seven months of this year showed an increase of 40 % over the same period last year. He pointed out that hotel occupancy rates in Antalya will be approximately 90 % until mid-October. Director of tourism in Antalya, Adnan Koseoglu, said that Germans make up the majority of tourists in Antalya, followed by Russians and Israelis.
[10] JAPAN FUNDING PROJECT TO IMPROVE COAL MINE SAFETYCoal mines belonging to the Turkish Coal Mines Association (TTK) will be modernized with the newest safety equipment by the Japanese government. The chairman of the TTK Hayrettin Soytas said during a press conference that the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will start the work in November. Soytas stated that an agreement concerning the project, scheduled for completion by the year 2000, will be signed on September 8 at the headquarters of TTK. The project will cost $10-12 million and the equipment needed by JICA will be brought duty-free from Japan, Soytas added.
[11] TURKISH-AMERICAN BUSINESSMEN VISIT NORTHERN CYPRUSA committee of members of the Turkish-American Businessmen's Association (TABA) has visited the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to examine that country's economy. The committee met with TRNC President Rauf Denktas and Prime Minister Hakki Atun. Atun described the political situation in the TRNC and stressed the necessity for closer cooperation with Turkey and the outside world which would be profitable and durable. He also emphasized that the Greek Cypriot part of Cyprus as well as the rest of the world would have to accept the reality of the two peoples living side by side and two governments.
[12] NATO EXERCISES TO BEGIN SEPTEMBER 10NATO's "Cooperative Determination 2/95" military exercises will be formally begun in the Romanian city of Sibiu on September 10. The office of the Turkish chief of general staff said that the exercise was being held to develop international military cooperation. Turkey, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the US, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria will participate. The exercises will end on September 15. Meanwhile, Chief of General Staff Gen.Ismail Hakki Karadayi went to France to attend the 21st military committee of NATO's chiefs of general staff, officials from the chief office of general staff said. /Cumhuriyet/
[13] LAST MOVES TO WIN PETROL RIGHTSTurkey is moving into the last stages of the game to gain a share in the transportation of Azeri early petrol. Although reports have constantly suggested that Turkey virtually had the overland petrol pipeline project designed to carry Azeri petrol to Turkish port facilities signed and delivered, the situation really is that Turkey is having to make a final effort to win both London and Washington over to its side.Top advisor to the Prime Ministry, Emre Gonensay, will set up new meetings in London and Washington to re-state Turkey's position and try to swing more support in Turkey's direction. Russia is still very much in the picture, and with barely two weeks left before final decisions are made, competition has grown fierce. At the moment, the major groups involved in the Azeri petrol project are tending to favour the Russian route, but with a fresh round of meetings Turkey hopes to swing the deal at the last moment. /All papers/
[14] RELIGIOUS LEADER ACCUSES GREECEVoted in as the mufti for Iskece in Thrace, Memet Emin Aga is now making a series of official visits to party leaders and other officials in Ankara.During his visits, Aga has spoken out strongly against Greek attitudes in Thrace and about the problems of the Turkish communities there. Aga said that Greek authorities were trampling on religious rights, freedom of conscience and were unjust in their dealings with the Turkish muslems. Aga stressed that Greek attitudes towards the Turks in Thrace did not agree with Greek claims that it was a European country with democratic support for human rights. /All papers/
[15] SECOND DUBLIN MEETINGThe second round of Dublin talks will begin on September 12, when leaders of the northern Iraq factions will come together to try and thrash out solutions to the fighting there.Even now intense initiatives involving Kurdish leaders Mesut Barzani and Celal Talabani are carrying on behind the scenes. Reports from Dublin say that Turkey will also participate again. US sources say that this time around, the sides want to achieve concrete results. Meanwhile the fighting continues in northern Iraq with reports of bomb explosions in Erbil and clashes between the leading factions. /All papers/
[16] INONU SEEKS TIGHTER SECURITY FROM GERMANSForeign Minister Erdal Inonu has requested his German counterpart, Klaus Kinkel, to provide better security for Turks living and working in Germany. Turks are the target of radical groups who for months have been fire bombing Turkish property, houses and workplaces.In the most recent incident of violence against Turks, two people died and nineteen others were injured, some seriously in a fire. Klaus Kinkel on the other hand, has again declared his full support for EU customs union with Turkey. During budget debates in the German parliament, Kinkel said that despite a number of controversial issues in Turkey that still needed a solution, he was sure that Turkey would do what had to be done and win its place in the European Union. /All papers/
[17] LEGAL SYSTEM PROTECTS SECULARISMSpeaking at the Turkish Union of Bars, President of the Supreme Court, Mufit Utku said that the legal system was the guardian of Turkey's secular democracy.President of the Turkish Union of Bars Atilla Sav noted that political use of religion was to be condemned. /Sabah/
[18] DOUBLE SUMMIT FOR NORTHERN IRAQToday, there is a northern Iraq summit in Tehran, Iraqi, Turkish, Iranian and Syrian Foreign Ministers Erdal Inonu, Ali Ekber Velayeti and Faruk El-Sara will evaluate recent regional developments. Erdal Inonu will inform his counterparts about the Dublin peace process and get information about PKK attacks in northern Iraq. On 12 September, representatives of Kurdish leaders Barzani and Talabani will attend a meeting in Dublin, in which Turkey will also participate. /Hurriyet/
[19] NETHERLANDS BANS PKK MEETINGSThe Netherlands, which permitted the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to establish a "parliament-in-exile", is now displaying a harsh attitude against the PKK. Bram Peper, Rotterdam Mayor, has not given permission to Kurds living in Holland who wants to organize a festival at the De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam. /Hurriyet/
[20] INITIATIVES FOR PEACE IN BOSNIASpeaking at a weekly press conference, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said that the working visits of Bosnian President Alia Izzetbegovic and US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke to Ankara have given positive results. Holbrooke and Izzetbegovic had contacts with President Suleyman Demirel and Prime Minister Ciller and exchanged views for bringing an end to the war in Bosnia and establishing peace in the region.During the visits of British Foreign Minister Malcolm Rifkind and Romanian Foreign Minister Theodor Melescanu, Bosnia was again the most important issue on the agenda. Turkey and Romania agreed to exert two-sided pressure on the parties involved in the Bosnian conflict for bringing an end to the tragic war in the Balkans. After contacts of Turkish top level officials with Bosnian President Alia Izzetbegovic, Romania will try to persuade the Serbs to undertake steps towards the establishment of peace. In the meantime, during his visit to Ankara Romanian Foreign Minister Melescanu invited Turkish businessmen to undertake large scale investments in Romania and to benefit from the privatization programme initiated in Romania for buying out companies that presently belong to the public sector. /Hurriyet-Sabah-Cumhuriyet/
[21] TURCO-TAJIK BUSINESS COOPERATIONYalim Erez, Chairman of the Turkish Union of Chambers (TOBB), who is visiting Tajikistan with an accompanying delegation, said that bilateral economic ties should be developed. He noted that under the leadership of President Imamali Rahmanov, political and economic stability had been established in Tajikistan, and added that businessmen could contribute a lot to the further improvement of cooperation between the two countries. /Sabah/
[22] EXPORT INCREASES CONTINUEDuring the first eight months of the year exports increased by 26 percent despite the problems of high rates of exchange and difficulties in obtaining payments. Total exports amounted to $14.1 billion. Greatest increase was noted in olives and olive oil exports (761 percent), transport vehicles (66) and ready-to-wear exports (49 percent). /Sabah/END |
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