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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (February 12, 1996)From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>Turkish Press Review DirectoryCONTENTS[01] TURKMEN PRESIDENT IN ANKARA[02] THE ANAP-RP COALITION DEBATE[03] MORE GAMES IN THE AEGEAN[04] STRONGER ENERGY TIES WITH EUROPE[05] CABINET BACKS UN ANTI-DRUGS CRUSADE[06] SWITZERLAND CLAIMS PKK BASE WAS USED FOR 'SPORTS ACTICITIES'[07] EUROPE'S TURKISH BUSINESSMEN TO MEET[08] TURKEY'S LIQUID STEEL OUTPUT RISES 5.55 %[09] TAYAN REPLACES UCPINARLAR AS GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN[10] TURKEY TO OPEN CONSULATE IN MOSTARFEBRUARY 12, 1996, MONDAYSummary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning.[01] TURKMEN PRESIDENT IN ANKARATurkmen President Saparmurad Turkmenbasi, who is in Turkey, today begins the official part of his visit in Ankara, where he is expected to take up the question of oil and natural gas with his Turkish counterpart Suleyman Demirel. Turkmenistan, rich in both, has pledged to provide natural gas to Turkey. The Turkmen President, while in Istanbul on Sunday after a health check-up, received Turkmen students who are studying in Turkey. /All papers/
[02] THE ANAP-RP COALITION DEBATESeen as a last ditch hope for a coalition government of sorts, the deal between the centre-right Motherland Party (ANAP) and pro-Islam Welfare Party (RP) led by Necmettin Erbakan, still looks very shaky with both sides playing hard to get.The leaders of the two parties planned to meet today, but the meeting has been postponed until Wednesday. The ANAP party is not too happy about the way the RP has praised the regime in Iran, and the RP, aware that in principle a coalition with the ANAP party is the last chance for ANAP, is angling for a better deal. ANAP leader Mesut Yilmaz, hoping for an agreement with B=FClent Ecevit, has yet to respond to a call from Erbakan suggesting that ANAP should forget trying to set up a government with Ecevit and make haste to conclude a deal with the Welfare Party. In the meantime, both parties are stalling, perhaps assessing what could happen should the nation go to the polls again in May. /Hurriyet/
[03] MORE GAMES IN THE AEGEANTurkey too has joined in the naval exercises which are suddenly so popular in the Aegean Sea. Following the recent Kardak rocks incident, when Greece and Turkey almost came to blows over two tiny rocky islets in the Aegean Sea, Greece began naval exercises in the immediate vicinity of the rocky islands which are totally deserted except for seals which sometimes stop by.Now Turkey is also carrying out military and naval exercises near the larger islands of Midilli, Sisam and Istankoy, which military sources say have been planned for some time. Officials said over the weekend that the exercises were more in the way of routine training porgrammes, and had "nothing to do" with the recent dispute over who held sovereignty over the two rocks. Both Greece and Turkey are watching developments in the Aegean region closely. Turkey has more than once called for dialogue to resolve the situation which has lapsed into the usual uneasy truce only just holding off more desperate measures. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] STRONGER ENERGY TIES WITH EUROPEAccording to the Ministry for Energy, steps are being taken to reinforce Turkey's connections to the Eupropean electrical power grid system. With the construction of a new 52 km electric "bridge" that will also cross the Bosphorus straits, the Turkish power system will be brought into a position where it interfaces better with European grid.The project will cost 700 billion TL, and Greece will be involved in the power bridge plan that help both the Europeans and Turkey to benefit from the energy bridge. /Sabah/
[05] CABINET BACKS UN ANTI-DRUGS CRUSADEThe Turkish Cabinet approved the "UN's contract against the smuggling of narcotics". The contract aims to fight against international smuggling of narcotics more effectively and to increase cooperation among states on this issue.Meanwhile, refined and unrefined narcotics, having a street value abroad of TL 1 trillion, were seized at Edirne and Kapikule border gate last year, the Anatolia news agency reported from Edirne yesterday. Officials said that from various operations 23 tons of acetic acid anhydride; 170 kg. of heroin; 21 kg of marijuana and large quantities of the drug marketed under the name of "Captagon" were seized last year. /All papers/
[06] SWITZERLAND CLAIMS PKK BASE WAS USED FOR 'SPORTS ACTICITIES'Switzerland denied that outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants were trained on its soil, claiming their base was used only for sports activities. Riza turken, Turkish Ambassador to Bern, on February 6 asked the Swiss Foreign Ministry for clarification on whether the terrorist organization actually had a base in Mont Soleil, as alleged by newspaper reports. The Swiss Foreign Ministry, replying to Turkmen, revealed that PKK militants attended a seminar in Mont Soeil, but rejected the reports of military training. "The militants did not use any arms and conducted sports training" the Ministry said. /All papers/
[07] EUROPE'S TURKISH BUSINESSMEN TO MEETEuropean Turkish Businessmen's and Industrialists' Association (ATIAD) Chairman Kemal Sahin said the World Turkish Businessmen's Congress that will be held in Istanbul on February 27-28 will provide an opportunity to introduce successful Turkish investors who do a signitficant amount of business abroad. Sahin noted that the aim of the Congress was to integrate this ecomonic activity within the country's economy, saying: "We invite to our congress all investors who are active abroad, and we are ready to contribute to their success". /All papers/
[08] TURKEY'S LIQUID STEEL OUTPUT RISES 5.55 %Turkey's liquid steel output rose by 5.55 % to 12.74 million tons in 1995 from 12.07 million a year ago, the Turkish Iron and Steel Producers' Association said. Liquid steel output in three state-owned or privatized steel mills fell by 3.4 % to 4.24 million tons last year while that in 18 private steel rolling plants increased by 10.7 % to 8.48 million tons. /All papers/
[09] TAYAN REPLACES UCPINARLAR AS GOVERNMENT SPOKESMANEducation Minister Turhan Tayan was appointed as the Government's spokesman on Friday, the Anatolia news agency reported. Hamdi Ucpinarlar , former environment minister who recently resigned, was the previous spokesman. /All papers/
[10] TURKEY TO OPEN CONSULATE IN MOSTARThe last arrangements for opening a Turkish Consulate General in the Bosnian city of Mostar are about to be completed. Murat Adali, who has been appointed consul general, has said that he was ready to depart for Mostar. Speaking at press conference, Muhammed Sacirbey who was in Ankara as speacial envoy of Bosnian President Alija Izzetbegovic, said that they were pleased that the Turkish Consulate would be opened soon in Mostar but that the Turkish consul general would start his post during a toubled time. There is unrest in Mostar due to a plan by the EU's chief administrator there, Hank Koschnick, to reunify Bosnian Croat and Muslim communities. Croat demonstrators who oppose the plan attacked the EU representative's car on Wednesday. /All papers./
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