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Turkish Press Review, 96-12-16Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWDECEMBER 16, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning.[01] PRESIDENT DEMIREL FLIES TO KAZAKHSTANTurkish President Suleyman Demirel said the improvement of relations between Kazakhstan and Turkey would be discussed during his official visit to Kazakhstan. Demirel noted in a press conference at Ankara Esenboga Airport on Sunday that he was going to Kazakhstan for a working visit and for the celebration of the fifth anniversary of Kazakhstan independence.During his three-day visit Demirel will be accompanied by state ministers Nevzat Ercan, Manik Kemal Zeybek, parliamentarians, businessmen and press members. Namik Kemal Zeybek was presented with the "Peace and Brotherhood Award" yesterday, by President Nur Sultan Nazarbayev, who said that Zeybek was given the award because of his contributions to promote Kazakh culture and art to the world. President Suleyman Demirel and the delegation will return to Turkey on Tuesday./Hürriyet,Sabah/ [02] CILLER:"LEAVING TURKEY OUT OF FOLD WILL CAUSE HARM TO EU"Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller on Sunday said that during the European Union Summit in Dublin, she told EU members that they need to compensate Turkey for the injustice brought against her. Nothing that the EU had not fulfilled its customs union obligations, Ciller told a press conference in Dublin: "A mistake like leaving Turkey out of Europe would be more to Europe's harm than to Turkey's and would be a threat to the European ideal and world peace." She expressed Turkey's decision to take her place in Europe and asked EU members if they were ready to leave Turkey out of the EU and if they had the courage to do it.Meanwhile, French President Jacques Chirac on Saturday said it was not suprising for modern Turkey to want to join the EU "in this way or that way"./Cumhuriyet,Sabah/ [03] IRAQI CRUDE OIL TO BE LOADED AT CEYHAN TODAYTurkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan and Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller will flick the switch on crude oil on Monday in Yumurtalik (Ceyhan) to load the first Iraqi crude oil shipment into oil tankers, the first after more than six years of an all out embargo on Iraq.Among the leading companies with a contract with Iraq for oil sales is the Turkish Oil Refineries Corporation (TUPRAS). Recai Kutanm, the minister of energy and natural resources said about 70 million barrels of oil is estimated to be pumped through the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline, as part of Iraq's total oil exports of $ 2 billion, as permitted by the U.N. He added that Turkey expected to earn between $ 1 billion and $ 1.5 billion from the pumping of the oil but he pointed out that this was a small figure when compared to the $ 25 billion that Turkey has lost since the imposition of a trade embargo on Iraq when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990./Sabah,Cumhuriyet/ [04] FM CILLER SET TO VISIT MOSCOWForeign Minister Tansu Ciller will travel to Russia between December 17-19, on a trip which is expected to focus on all aspects of ties between Russia and Turkey, Anatolia news agency has reported. During the trip, Ciller will express Turkey's displeasure over the offensive missiles Greek Cyprus is planning to purchase from Russia. It is expected that she will bring up Turkey's concern over activities in favor of the unlawful Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Russia. The meetings will also focus on increasing the capacity of the pipeline carrying natural gas from Russia as well constructing a second pipeline.Ciller will be accompanied by Ayfer Yilmaz, state minister responsible for foreign trade, and a group of about 100 businessmen. [05] US TO HELP TURKEY-EGYPT GAS DEALWashington will provide a significant portion of the funding for a natural gas deal between Turkey and Egypt, the Anatolia news agency reported over the weekend. Egyptian Oil Minister Hamdi Al-Banbi said the United States would provide 50 percent of the funds for the $4 billion project, while the financing of the other half of would be shared between Egypt and Italy.[06] TURKEY, PAKISTAN AND IRAN AGREE TO AFGHANISTAN MEETING IN JANUARYPakistan has told Turkey and Iran it is prepared to discuss the future of Afghanistan at a meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries in January, government sources reported over the weekend. The meeting is expected to take place a day after the foreign ministers of the eight Islamic countries meet to form a D-8 organization in Istanbul on January 4./All papers/[07] AZERBAIJAN PREFERS BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINE ROUTEAzerbaijan on Saturday said that it wants the main pipeline for Azerbaijan oil to pass through Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported.Ilgam Aliyev, deputy chairman of SOCAR, the official Azerbaijani oil company, noted that pumping the oil to Ceyhan would be more cost effective and secure. He added that they absolutely opposed routing the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline through Armenia. [08] TRNC PM SLAMS MALCOLM RIFKINDTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu slammed British Foreign Secretary Malcom Rifkind saying that "nothing should be hoped for from the foreign secretary's visit to the TRNC if he considers the TRNC to be an invaded region". Eroglu, speaking to an ethnic-Greek radio station in London, said that Britain was a guarantor state, along with Turkey and Greece, under the 1960 London-Zurich Agreements. "London should encourage the Greek Cypriots to look for peace. This is what we expect from guarantor Britain," said Eroglu. /All Papers/[09] PKK DECLARES END TO VIOLENCE IN GERMANYThe European leadership of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has written to Chancellor Helmut Kohl declaring an end to its campaign of violence in Germany, the news magazine Der Spiegel reported on Sunday. The letter, which came from Brussels, pledges that the "regrettable incidents" of the past few years would not be repeated.Spiegel said the letter also urged Bonn to mediate between the Turkish government and the PKK. The report would appear to tally with recent conciliatory statements attributed to PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. German Press Information Department and Chancellory Press Office authorities said they could not confirm whether or not such a letter had been received./Milliyet/ [10] TURKISH, US MILITARY OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS REPLACEMENT OF OPCTurkish and American military officials will meet on Tuesday to discuss the demise of Operation Provide Comfort (OPC) and the new arrangement to replace it that will allow coalition air forces to monitor Iraqi military buildup and its mass destructive weapons, Turkish government sources reported.The Turkish side will propose that the monitoring force include only aircraft, not ground forces, and that the number of the aircraft involved should be as small as possible, according to a high level Tutkish official. Turkey wants to avoid any potential injuries to civilians on the ground. The Turkish military delegation is expected to be headed by Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen.Cevik Bir./All papers/ [11] NORTHERN IRAQ CAMP CLOSING DOWNThe notorious Atrus camp in northern Iraq is being closed down by the UN Commission for Refugees. UN officials claim that the camp has become a centre for PKK terrorist activity.Commission representatives report that the PKK has tried to block the return of many of the refugees forced to find refuge in the camp. Said one official "we have nothing to hide. The camp is being closed down. That is all."/Sabah/ [12] CYPRUS DRUG REPORTAccording to a new report from the US Foreign Department, the Greek sector on Cyprus has become a main drug centre. The report details drug trafficking operations with European and Middle Eastern countries, and money laundering activity on a large scale.The US report claims that many drug operations are set up in Greek Cyprus, and that large amounts of drugs are stored in the sector prior to shipment to European and Middle Eastern destinations. /Sabah/ [13] CLINTON ISSUES WARNING ON CYPRUSPresident Clinton has responded to a report on the political situation on Cyprus by warning that recent incidents between the two communities have led to increasing tension on the island.Clinton also declared that further violence between the Turkish and Greek sections had only added to the disagreement blocking the way to settlement. Clinton noted that the US wanted to see an end to the disturbance on Cyprus and the start of a lasting peace./Milliyet/ [14] TURKISH BUSINESS DELEGATION VISITS BULGARIAIndustry Minister Yalim Erez accompanied by a delegation of 60 Turkiah businessmen is leaving today for Bulgaria to research opportunities for investment in Bulgaria and for increasing the volume of bilateral trade. The visit will last three days. /Hurriyet/[15] ALIYEV INVITES TURKISH BUSINESSMEN TO AZERBAIJANAzerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev yesterday opened for service the Azerbaijani pocket phone system set up by Turkcell, noting that this was a very important achievement. In a speech at the opening ceremony Aliyev invited Turkish businessmen to invest in Azerbaijan. /Hurriyet/[16] TEKEL EXPORTS TO 38 COUNTRIESTekel General Dırector Mehmet Akbay noted that the establishment was exporting to 38 countries, being especially successful in tobacco exports. In 1996, Tekel exports amounted to $297 million, and its imports to $216 million. /Hurriyet/[17] PKK ENGAGED IN DRUG SALESAccording to US drug specialists, the PKK terrorist organization had been buying weapons with money collected from drug sales. Describing the PKK as "one of the bloodiest terrorist organizations in the world", US specialists say that the PKK had been paid for protecting drug laboratories in eastern Anatolia and probably even been given a part of the laboratories' production.At the same time, the PKK is exerting efforts to set itself up in Europe and the US as a legal establishment. Despite diplomatic pressure from Ankara, the US Senate allowed the PKK to open an exhibition, and the German Parliament called on the terrorist organization to find a political solution to the Kurdish question. The PKK organization is pressing for legal recognition especially in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Italy, Holland and Belgium. Turkey is warning these countries to be aware of the PKK danger. /Hurriyet, Cumhuriyet/ END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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