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Turkish Press Review, 96-09-17Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWTUESDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] PERRY VISITS ANKARAUS Defence Secretary William Perry left Ankara yesterday after brief talks with Turkish leaders on Washington's efforts to maintain military and economic pressure against neighbouring Iraq. "They were good consultations" Perry told reporters at the Ankara airport, before boarding a US air force C-17 transport plane.Earlier Perry met Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller for a working breakfast and held talks with the army chief of staff and President Suleyman Demirel. After the meeting, Ciller indicated that there were no requests from the US concerning the use of the Incirlik air base in Adana saying: "It is impossible to comply with such a request. To comply will not be in our country's best interests". Incirlik is home to a US-led Western air force which has been patrolling a no-fly zone north of the 36th parallel to deter an Iraqi attack on the Kurdish enclave. Ciller also expressed Turkey's determination to keep a Western-and-Turkish-staffed Military Cooperation Centre (MCC) at Incirlik following its transfer from Zakho in the Kurdish enclave after the alliance between Mesut Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Baghdad government. Ciller told reporters that Turkey was engaged in talks regarding its initiative to limit the distribution of relief supplies to the civilians in northern Iraq, including the Turkmens, to the Turkish Red Crescent. Ankara has long suspected the Western relief organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) of helping the Turkish Kurdish separatists or encouraging Iraqi Kurds in their bid for an independent state. /All papers/ [02] CILLER POSTPONES VISIT TO JORDANForeign Minister Tansu Ciller postponed a visit to Jordan for a second time amid a crisis over Baghdad's interference in Kurdish fighting in northern Iraq, a foreign ministry statement said yesterday. The statement said Ciller had prefered "not to leave Ankara at this stage, due to new developments taking place in the region". Another date for Ciller's visit has not yet been decided. /All papers/[03] POLISH AIR FORCE SEEKS COOPERATION WITH TUAFPolish Air Force Commander Lt.Gen.Kazimierz Dziok met yesterday with his Turkish counterpart, Gen.Ahmet Corekci, at the Turkish Air Force (TuAF) headquarters. During the visit, Gen.Corekci praised the 300-year-old relationship between the Polish and Turkish people saying that current cooperation between the two countries in the fields of military training and the defence industry is strong. Gen.Corekci added that Polish commanders will visit some military facilities and meet Turkish officers to determine ways that military relations and cooperation can be further developed.Polish Air Force Commancer Gen.Dziok said that his country had been pursuing reforms to adapt itself to NATO standards and they hoped to benefit from Turkey's strong background on this issue. Referring to Turkey's F-16 warplanes, he pointed out that the TuAF has high-tech aircraft on its books and Poland wants to purchase such fighter jets. /All papers/ [04] US 'HUMAN ASSETS' START TO LEAVE TURKEYThe first group of 600 US-employed peshmergas left yesterday for the Pacific island of Guam. Turkey and the US agreed to evacuate approximately 2,500 Iraqi nationals, whose numbers included Kurds, Turkmens and Arabs who were employed in northern Iraq by the US government. Most of these people were drivers and translators but their number also included covert operatives who had been attempting to topple Saddam Hussein.On Sunday, the peshmergas were transferred under tight security from the Hajj shelter facilities in Silopi to Diyarbakir Airport where they were met by US Embassy Councillor Francis Ricciardone. Ricciardone praised all Turkish organizations which aided them in the transfer of the Iraqis. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said at his weekly press conference yesterday that 2,050 people had already arrived in Turkey. "Many of them are expected to leave the country shortly. The rest will be processed as soon as possible and transported out of Turkey. There might be another 500 more people coming to Turkey within the framework of the same operation" Akbel said. /All papers/ [05] ANKARA PLEASED WITH BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA ELECTIONSAnkara welcomed the elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina despite some negative elements, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said at the weekly press conference yesterday. He said that Turkey hopes the elections will lead to the creation of a moderate political atmosphere. /All papers/[06] INODONESIA READY TO COLLABORATE TO IMPROVE TURKISH FORESTRYForestry Minister Halit Dagli predicted that the 11th World Forestry Congress, scheduled to be held in Antalya, Turkey from September 13-22, 1997, would open a whole new horizon in world forestry. Dagli welcomed Indonesian Deputy Forestry Ministers Dr.Toga Silitonga and Dr.Igm Tantra, as well as Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey Soelordo Soebrote, at a recent reception in Ankara. The Turkish minister spoke at the function, underlining the importance of Indonesia in the world forestry spectrum.Dagli also said that it would be an honour to host the World Forestry Congress, a gathering which is held every six years. Dagli stated that his aim was to improve Turkish forestry and to help reach the platform Turkey deserves among the prominent countries in this field. "We consider the World Forestry Congress an important opportunity for this reason" he said. Dagli added that ministers, top officials and technicians from 184 countries have been invited to attend and that, in addition to forestry issues, environmental concerns would also be discussed at the congress. Dr.Toga Silitonga added that the forestry industry was the third biggest sector in his nation's economy behind the oil and textile industries. He stated that forestry provided 20 % of revenues for the Indonesian economy. "We are ready to collaborate to improve Turkey's foresty sector" he said. /All papers/ [07] ARAB LEAGUE ASKS TURKEY TO NEGOTIATE ON WATERThe Arab League has called on Turkey to begin urgent negotiations with Syria and Iraq on this issue of sharing the water of the Euphrates and Tigris. In the final communique published after the Arab League Council meeting ended on Sunday night in Cairo, the council called on Turkey to initiate multilateral negotiations to conclude a final agreement for a just sharing of the water from the Euphrates and Tigris and to guarantee the protection of the rights of all sides. In addition, the council called on the international finance organizations to supply credits and aid to Turkey to finance the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) once an initial agreement on the water issue is signed by the three countries. /Cumhuriyet/[08] GREEK CYPRIOT SOLDIERS OPEN FIREGreek Cypriot soldiers randomly opened fire near Beyazburun. Twenty-five of the Greek Cypriot families living alongside Turks in the village of Pire, which is situated in the buffer zone, left their houses in panic and cossed the border to Southern Cyprus upon hearing the gunshots. Residents in Pile reported that they heard four or five gunshots after midnight, a figure which later increased to 15. Taner Etkin, Foreign and Defence Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), said that they had asked for details about the incident from UN peacekeepers, adding that UN peacekeepers have protested against the Greek Cypriot National Guard opening fire. /Cumhuriyet/[09] GERMAN MINISTER SPRANGER TO VISIT TURKEYGermany's Economic Corporation and Development Minister Carl-Dieter Spranger will visit Turkey from the 17th through the 20th of this month. A statement from the German Embassy in Ankara said that the minister would be received by President Suleyman Demirel, Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan and State Minister Abdullah Gul. Spranger's visit to Turkey will mark the first one for a German minister since the formation of the Welfare Party (RP)-True Path Party (DYP) coalition government. A delegation of 25 people will accompany Spranger, including representatives from German industrial, technical and financial organizations and individuals from several ministries. /All papers/[10] BARZANI TO VISIT ANKARAIt is reported that the Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Mesut Barzani, an ally of Saddam Hussein who cooperated in obtaining the of control in northern Iraq, has ben officially invited to Turkey. Mesut Barzani will discuss security issues with Turkish officials in Silopi on Thursday. It is announced that Barzani will meet top level Turkish officials. /Cumhuriyet/[11] PKK ATTACKS A BUSThe Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists attacked a village bus in the Goksun township of Kahramanmaras. As a result of the attack one person was killed and six were wounded. According to the Kahramanmaras Mayor Saim Cotur the bus which was travelling from Goksun to Buyukcamur village was attacked yesterday at 16:30 local time. He added that the wounded were under treatment in Kahramanmaras state hospital. /Cumhuriyet/[12] TWO SOLDIERS SET FREE BY PKKSeparatist terrorist organization the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), set free two Turkish soldiers who were hostages of the PKK for 15 days. The PKK handed over two soldiers, Mehmet Sikilgan and Ibrahim Basaran, to Red Crescent officials in Dahok yesterday. Two soldiers will be handed over to Turkish officials today. The PKK still has eight hostages. /Sabah/[13] GERMANY GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO PKKIn return for ending the attacks in Germany, the German administration will rescind the ban it imposed on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). On Sunday night, ZDF TV channel broadcasted an interview with the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Within the same programme the Coordinator of the German Intelligence Service Bernd Schmidtbauer made a speech. Ocalan addmited in his interview that the PKK attacks in Germany were wrong and gave his guarantee that the attacks would stop. He stressed that German democracy ensured great opportunities for them and they could not overestimated these opportunities. /Cumhuriyet/[14] TURKEY TO SET UP FIRM IN UKRAINETurkey is to establish a firm within the framework of the Turkish Exporters' Council (TIM) in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev to coordinate the trade relations. The firm will help store and retail commodities imported from Turkey, coordinate trade relations and provide services for Turkish construction work in the country. /All papers/[15] BLACK SEA PROBLEMS DISCUSSED AT NATO ENVIRONMENTAL SEMINARA seminar to discuss the environmental problems of the Blac Sea was held yesterday in Istanbul as part of the North Atlantic Treat Organization (NATO) Science for Stability (SfS) Programme's Black Sea Project. The SfS programme's main objective is to establish scientific collaboration between NATO affiliated countries and the countries of central and eastern Europe. /All papers/END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |