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Turkish Press Review 96-05-31Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWFRIDAY MAY 31, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] TURKISH PRIME MINISTER WILL GO TO BRUSSELSPrime Minister Mesut Yilmaz will go to Brussels between 3-8 June for talks with European Parliament and European Union officials as well as his Belgium counterpart. Prime Minister Yilmaz will meet President of the European Parliament, Klaus Haensch, on June 4 in Brussels. Yilmaz will also hold talks with Jacques Santer, the Head of the European Union Commission during his visit. /Hurriyet/[02] IRAQ STARTS FILLING TURKEY PIPELINEIraq has started filling its pipeline via Turkey with crude as part of preparations to export limited amounts of oil under a deal it signed with the United Nations (UN) last week, Oil Minister Amir Muhammed Rasheed said."Loading of the pipelines from the Turkish-Iraqi borders to the (Turkish terminal) Ceyhan has begun today to make sure it is suitable for operation," Rasheed told a news conference. Rasheed said the section of the pipeline in Iraqi territory was already loaded and ready to go on stream. The filling of the pipeline in Turkey will take three days, he said adding that the section in Turkey was leaking in several areas and Iraq hoped to be able to resume oil exports by mid-June. Iraq will export about 450,000 bpd through Turkey. Rasheed also said Iraq was conducting talks with Turkey for the construction of a pipeline to carry Iraqi gas to Western Europe via Turkish terminals on the Mediterranean. "Our Turkish friends have welcomed this proposal in order to supply Turkey and Europe with natural gas,"he said. /All Papers/ [03] CABINET CONSIDERS BILL TO EASE POLICE MILITARY SERVICEA bill permitting policemen who have not done their military service to complete it wherever that are serving, after four months of preliminary education, has been put forward for signature in the Cabinet.After a two-hour Cabinet meeting, Minister of State Ayfer Yilmaz told journalists that local administration reforms, changes to the traffic law and the continuation of the repentance law had been discussed. She added that a bill unifying certain social security organisations had also been put forward for signature. Interior Minister Ulku Guney said that changes to the laws regarding local administrations would greatly facilitate the central government's task, as many responsibilities would be transferred to local administrations. /All Papers/ [04] FLAGS RAISED ABOVE HABITAT VALLEYSecurity for what has become known as the "Habitat Valley" was turned over officially to the United Nations (UN) on Thursday. At a ceremony held in front of the Lutfi Kirdar Congress Center, the UN and Turkish flags were hoisted in the presence of Dr.Wally N'Dow, the general secretary of Habitat II, Turkish police, journalists and UN officials responsible for organizing the area.N'Dow, in his adress, said how happy he was to be in Turkey and how Habitat II would offer ideas about the environment and the perspectives for the future. The Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary declared that Habitat II had officially begun. Also, the Habitat Trade Fair isto take place in Istanbul. Nearly 1,000 companies from 40 countries are slated to take part in the Habitat II International Trade Fair in Istanbul next week, organizers of the fair said Thursday. Some 400 companies from Turkey will exhibit their goods at the June 3-10 fair at the World Trade Center near Ataturk International Airport. Several countries, including the US, Spain, Brazil, Norway, France, England, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Finland, Australia and the Philippines, will have their own pavilions./All Papers/ [05] 15 TERRORISTS, 4 SOLDIERS KILLED IN SOUTHEASTSecurity forces have killed 15 Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists clashes in southeastern Turkey, the Anatolian news agency reported. Four members of the security forces were also killed. Nine terrorists were killed near the Iraqi border, four in S rnak, and two in the countryside around Sirnak, where three terrorists also surrendered. In separate operations, two terrorists at Sason in Batman and one at Tunceli surrendered with their guns, and 23 PKK members were captured in Batman, Bingol, Bitlis, Diyarbakir, Siirt, Sirnak, Tunceli and Van.//[06] LOCAL ELECTIONS ON JUNE 2The countdown for the June 2 local elections has entered its final phase. On Sunday, 647,665 constituents will cast votes to select mayors in 42 districts. /All Papers/[07] US COMMITTEE TO GIVE $25 MILLIONThe US House Appropriations Foreign Operations Committee has approved $25 million as Economic Support Fund (ESF) for Turkey in fiscal year '97. Originally the Clinton administration asked for $ 60 Million in ESF but was slashed by $25 million in line with the suggestion of Republican Rep. John Edward Porter of Illinois.The pro-Turkish members of the subcommittee agreed to the cut on the condition that no anti-Turkish language be included in the bill. /All Papers/ [08] FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES TOTAL $15 BILLIONForeign exchange reserves in the Central Bank increased by $116 million between 17-24 May and surpassed $15 billion. According to the Central Bank, foreign exchange reserves which amounted to $14.9 billion on 17 May, reached $15.036 billion on May 24. /Milliyet/[09] DENKTAS AND GHALI TO MEET ON JUNE 5 IN ISTANBULUN Cyprus Special Envoy Gustave Feissel said on Tuesday that President Rauf Denktas of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali will meet in Istanbul on June 5. Earlier, the meeting was announced to take place on June 11 but it was later decided June 5 would be better as Ghali is scheduled to attend the Habitat II conference. Feissel said Ghali's meeting with Greek Cypriot leader Glafkos Klerides will take place on 11 June in Geneva. /All papers/[10] TURKISH BANK IN MACEDONIAChairman of the Chamber of Istanbul Trade (ITO) Mehmet Yildirim expressed his pleasure that Ziraat Bank's initiatives to establish a bank in Macedonia had ended positively. Yildirim noted that the Turkish bank would contribute to the further strengthening of economic and political relations. /Sabah/[11] UN SECRETARY GENERAL GHALI IN TURKEYUN Secretary General Boutros Ghali arrived in Istanbul yesterday for official visits. Secretary General Ghali will also attend the Habitat II Conference during his visit. Boutros Ghali later flew to Ankara in Turkish President Suleyman Demirel's private plane. Ghali, on his arrival, said that Turkey had given important military and non-military support to the UN for 50 years, and added that he appreciated Turkey for the valuable support given./Sabah/[12] TURKEY AND ROMANIA TO LIFT CUSTOMS BARRIERThe first round of a Free Trade Agreement planned to be signed between Turkey and Romania has been completed in Ankara in a bid to adjust to European Union common trade policies.Under the agreement, the custom barriers between the two countries will be dropped to zero after the year 2001. Officials have said that the volume of trade between the two countries was about 700 million dollars, and stated that they expected that trade volume would reach one billion dollars in the near future. The Free Trade Agreement is expected to be signed in 1997. /Sabah/ [13] TURKSAT 1-C TO BE LAUNCHED SOONThe construction of the Turksat 1-C satellite, produced by the French Aerospatiale Company to replace Turksat 1-A which exploded after its launching in 1994 and fell into the ocean, has been completed. With the launching of the new satellite, scheduled for July 5, 1996, Turkey will become a leading aerospace force in the region from the Atlantic Ocean to Asia.The losses from the explosion of the $315 million Turksat 1-A, have been met by insurance, and a new satellite, Turksat 1-C, has been constructed instead. The new satellite, also costing $315 million, was constructed according to new technologies, and is able to operate over a larger area than its predecessor. Many Turkish TV companies have signed contracts for broadcasting via Turksat 1-C. Noting this initial success of the satellite, both Aerospatiale and Turk Telekom have established a joint investment company and started preparations for the construction of another satellite. /Hurriyet/ [14] NEW NAVAL CARGO TRANSPORTATION REGULATIONSTurkey has issued a new circular on regulating naval cargo transportation. Commenting on the new circular, Naval Undersecretary Prof.Dr.Resat Ozkan noted that the new regulations had been prepared in harmony with international law of the sea provisions and were aimed at ensuring transportation according to internationally accepted rules. /Hurriyet/[15] PROVIDE COMFORT STATUTE ON THE AGENDANational Defence Minister Oltan Sungurlu, presently in the US on an official visit, has asked US officials to review the statute of the Provide Comfort force and to submit a proposal by June 15, for the withdrawal of a Provide Comfort command point presently stationed in the Zaho region to a new position within Turkish borders. Sungurlu also pointed out that if the Turkish public was satisfied with the new proposals, authority to extend the period of stay of the force could well be delivered from parliament to the Council of Ministers. On the other hand, a US delegation is expected to arrive in Ankara next week to discuss the feasibility of an electronic control system along the borders between Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. /Milliyet/Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |