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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (February 26, 1996)
From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>
CONTENTS
[01] SEARCH SWINGS BACK TO 'MOTHERPATH' FORMULA
[02] DEMIREL CALLS ON SYRIA TO STOP SUPPORTING TERRORISM
[03] KOC DIES AGED 95
[04] TURKISH BUSINESSMEN ABROAD TO MEET IN ISTANBUL
[05] ANKARA CALLS IN ATHENS AMBASSADOR
[06] EU DEBATING TURKEY-GREECE PROBLEMS
[07] DENKTAS BLAMES GREECE
[08] SECURITY FORCES KILL SIX PKK TERRORISTS
[09] TOURISM SECTOR JUMPS OFF TO A GOOD START
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
MONDAY FEBRUARY 26, 1996
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
[01] SEARCH SWINGS BACK TO 'MOTHERPATH' FORMULA
Exploratory talks were underway over the weekend between
caretaker Prime Minister Tansu Ciller's True Path Party (DYP) and
the Motherland Party (ANAP) of Mesut Yilmaz for a government
partnership. The talks between the sides continued on Sunday
afternoon. The deputy head of the DYP's parliamentary group Yalim
Erez, his ANAP counterpart Ulku Guney and ANAP deputy for
Gaziantep Mustafa Tasar attended the talks held at Yilmaz's
residence.
Reflecting her conciliatory tone over the weekend,
Ciller expressed her happiness that Welfare Party (RP)-ANAP
coalition had not been formed and said there was still the
possibility for a DYP-ANAP partnership. "The country today is
faced with important problems. What is important in this respect
is the formation of a workable government" Ciller told reporters
on Saturday night. Ciller said that the DYP was ready to do all
that it had to so that the country does not remain without a
government.
Preliminary talks between the DYP and ANAP started
almost immediately after Mesut Yilmaz announced at a press
conference on Saturday afternoon that they had failed to come up
with a formula for establishing a coalition with the RP.
Yilmaz will meet with chairman of the Democratic Left Party (DSP)
Bulent Ecevit today and ask for his support for the "Motherpath
solution" from outside the coalition.
Yilmaz will also meet with President Suleyman Demirel this afternoon. He is
expected to
furnish information to Demirel about talks on the formation of a
coalition between ANAP and DYP. Ciller will go to Rome,Italy,
this evening, meet with Italian Prime Minister Lamberto Dini and
come back tomorrow evening. Then, she will meet with Yilmaz and
sign the preliminary protocol. The list of the Council of
Ministers for the ANAP-DYP coalition government will probably be
submitted to Demirel on Friday.
MOTHERPATH preliminary protocol
*For one year (-1 January 1997) Yilmaz-Prime Minister *For two
years (1 January 1997-1 January 1999) Ciller-PM *For one year (1
January 1999-1 January 2000) Yilmaz-PM *Ciller will not be in the
Cabinet headed by Yilmaz and vice versa. *Eight executive
ministries will be given to ANAP and nine to DYP. *Finance
Ministry to ANAP and Treasury to DYP. *Chairmen of the Central
Bank and the Department of Religious Affairs and General
Directors of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT)
and the Anatolia news agency will be determined by the two
leaders. /Sabah-Hurriyet/
[02] DEMIREL CALLS ON SYRIA TO STOP SUPPORTING TERRORISM
President Suleyman Demirel on Saturday called on Syria to abandon
using terrorism as a foreign policy lever and stop supporting
Turkey's separatist terrorists. The president also urged Damascus
to open talks with Turkey on the long-running dispute over
sharing the water of the River Euphrates. "Syria must give up
using terror as an instrument of foreign policy and seek a
solution to its problems with Turkey in a way fitting to good
neighbourly and brotherly ties" Demirel said in a message to the
heads of state of Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait,
Oman, Saudi Arabia and Egypt explaining Turkey's position.
Demirel recalled that Syria had so far not agreed to Turkey's
repeated calls for dialogue on the issue of sharing water from
the Euphrates and said he believed Syria's recent moves to pull
the Arab world over to its side over the water sharing dispute
stemmed from "a need to hide the great responsibility it took
upon itself with its support of terror". The Turkish president
said he hoped Arab countries would not be party to Syria's
groundless attacks against Turkey. Demirel underlined in his
message to the Gulf leaders and the Egyptian president that
Turkey intended no harm to any of its neighbours over the water
issue and would maintain that policy. /All papers/
[03] KOC DIES AGED 95
Pioneering Turkish industrialist, Vehbi Koc, died at the age of
95 on Sunday, the Turkish press said on Monday. Koc, founder of
the giant Koc Holding, died of a heart attack while on holiday in
the southern city of Antalya, the papers said. The Koc group of
more than 80 firms encompasses the Tofas automobile company,
domestic appliance maker Arcelik and a highly successful chain of
supermarkets. President Suleyman Demirel, Turkish Parliament
Speaker Mustafa Kalemli, Prime Minister Tansu Ciller and ANAP
leader Mesut Yilmaz issued messages of condolence. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] TURKISH BUSINESSMEN ABROAD TO MEET IN ISTANBUL
Turkish businessmen abroad will meet in Istanbul on February 27.
The "World Turkish Businessmen's Meeting" will be the first to
gather Turkish businessmen from throughout the world. Six hundred
and fifty Turkish businessmen from 34 countries will attend the
meeting which will be headed by Sakip Sabanci, Chairman of
Sabanci Holding, which is the second biggest business cooperation
in Turkey. The meeting will be held under the auspices of
President Suleyman Demirel and will host 46 Turkish businessmen
from Germany and many from the US, China, the Republic of South
Africa and Singapore. Also 350 Turkish businessmen from 28
provinces in Turkey, mostly small- and medium-size company (KOBI)
representatives, will join the meeting. The main objective of the
meeting is to gather together Turkish businessmen from abroad and
in Turkey. The topics to be discussed are the customs union with
the EU, foreign investment in Turkey, build-operate-transfer
model applications, privatization, KOBIs and the organization of
Turkish businessmen abroad. /All papers/
[05] ANKARA CALLS IN ATHENS AMBASSADOR
In the wake of the Kardak rocks crisis, the flames of which are
still being fanned by Athens, Ankara has called home Turkish
ambassador to Athens Umit Pamir. Pamir arrived in Ankara
yesterday for talks about the situation-which is also a matter of
debate for the European Parliament (EP).
Pamir stayed for last night's evening meal at the house of
Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Onur Oymen, and enlarged on the
situation with Foreign Minister Deniz Baykal. Today Pamir with
discuss relations with Greece with Foreign Ministry officials.
/All papers/
[06] EU DEBATING TURKEY-GREECE PROBLEMS
Today the issue of worsening Turkey-Greece relations will be
taken up by a meeting of European Union (EU) foreign ministers in
Brussels. Reports suggest however, that Greece will not have
things all its own way.
Reports from Brussels say that the EU is growing weary of endless
Greek ploys to influence EU thinking on Turkey. Greece has
overplayed its hand trying to blackmail the EU into accepting
Greek engineered vetos against Turkey, and could now face EU
opposition to its plans to force Turkey into a corner. Speaking
out against Greek plots, Turkish Permanent Representative to the
EU, Uluc Ozulker said over the weekend that the EU must act at
last against Greece instead of pandering to its every whim.
Noting that Greece continually relies on its Cyprus card, Ozulker
said that this was no longer sufficient reason for the EU to give
way to Greece. Rather, the EU now had to exert economic pressures
against Greece including holding back EU economic aid to Greece.
This and other matters will be taken up today in what could turn
out to be a turning point in Greek domination of the EU. EU
officials resent the way Greece has tried to impose its will, and
this time the meeting could swing round in Turkey's favour. /All
papers/
[07] DENKTAS BLAMES GREECE
Speaking at the airport on his way to Poland for a special visit,
President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Rauf
Denktas said that he blamed Greece for all the dispute over the
situation in Cyprus. He added that hoped Greece would quickly
come to realize the advantages of friendship with Turkey, instead
of seeking always to justify its own profit from the situation.
Denktas stressed that Greece was forever promoting enmity with
Turkey through Cyprus, and that Greece had been spoilt by all the
attention it got from the isssue. /Sabah/
[08] SECURITY FORCES KILL SIX PKK TERRORISTS
Turkish security forces have killed six PKK terrorists in
operations in the eastern city of Bingol, the office of the
Emergency Rule Governor said on Saturday. One soldier was killed
during the operations which went on over the weekend, they said.
Troops surrounded a group of PKK terrorists in a town in Bingol
province and killed six of them, the statement issued by the
office said. Security forces also captured 11 PKK terrorists in
Sirnak, Diyarbakir and Hakkari. /All papers/
[09] TOURISM SECTOR JUMPS OFF TO A GOOD START
During the lengthy Bayram holiday the Turkish tourism sector made
a promising start to the 1996 season. In the Antalya region, for
example, tourist hotels and pensions were all fully booked-up
during the Bayram holiday, drawing foreign tourists as well as
large numbers of Turks. /All papers/
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