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Turkish Press Review, 97-01-02
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
CONTENTS
[01] HOLLAND WANTS DIALOGUE WITH TURKEY
[02] DEMIREL: "ALIYEV IS A CHANCE FOR AZERBAIJAN"
[03] HISTORICAL MEETING OF D-8 COUNTRIES
[04] OPERATION AGAINST PKK TERRORISTS
[05] BORDER TRADE INCREASING
[06] SECRET CYPRUS PAPERS REVEALED
[07] TURKS ARRESTED FOLLOWING NEW YEAR VIOLENCE
[08] TURKEY TO BE A JICA BASE
[09] LEGISLATION TO SAFEGUARD THE TURKISH LANGUAGE
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
JANUARY 2, 1997, THURSDAY
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning.
[01] HOLLAND WANTS DIALOGUE WITH TURKEY
It is reported that Holland, which took over the EU term-presidency from
Ireland on 1 January, will give priority to the realization of the delayed
1996 Turco-EU Association Council meeting, which could not be held due to
obstacles placed in the way by Greece. Counselor of the Dutch Embassy in
Ankara, Robert Bosscher said: "During our term-presidency, the most
important thing will be to open a Turco-EU dialogue leading to the
realization of the Association Council meeting". Turkish Foreign Minister
and Deputy Prime Minister Tansu Ciller visited Holland last November and
voiced Turkey's expectations from Holland during its EU term-presidency.
/Cumhuriyet/
[02] DEMIREL: "ALIYEV IS A CHANCE FOR AZERBAIJAN"
President Suleyman Demirel noted that Azerbajian held an important place in
Turkey's foreign policy and said: "A just and lasting peace cannot be
attained when Azeri territories are under occupation". Demirel answered the
questions of Ibrahim Nebioglu from Azerbaijan Television during a new year
interview, and pointed out that Turkey always sided with Azerbaijan on
international platforms. Stating that Haydar Aliyev was a "chance" for
Azerbaijan, Demirel said: "Azerbaijan is a stable country". /Cumhuriyet/
[03] HISTORICAL MEETING OF D-8 COUNTRIES
A meeting of the D-8 countries - eight developing Muslim countries - will
be held in Istanbul on 4 January. At the meeting, which will be attended by
foreign ministers, an institutional infrastructure of D-8 countries will be
formed and preparation will be made for a D-8 Heads of State Summit. The
date when the D-8 will be officially set up has been determined as the
first three months of 1997. Within this framework, the meeting to be held
in Istanbul carries great importance. Prime Minister Erbakan will open the
meeting and give a banquet in honour of the foreign ministers at the
Ciragan Palace in Istanbul. /Sabah/
[04] OPERATION AGAINST PKK TERRORISTS
Turkish troops backed by air support, have crossed into Northern Iraq in
pursuit of PKK terrorists, as ground forces continue a cross-border
operation against rebels in the region. A statement issued on Tuesday by
the office of the General Staff said a brigade crossed into the region on
Monday after troops came under fire along the border near Silopi. By
Tuesday at least 43 PKK terrorists had been killed, according to the
statement, and the operation continued with further high caualities for the
PKK. The total number of PKK terrorists killed so far was reported by
military sources on Wednesday as 71. /Sabah/
[05] BORDER TRADE INCREASING
Despite years of fighting against terrorism in the Sirnak-Civre-Silopi
triangle, border trade through the Habur border gate shows a significant
increase.
Habur border gate is situated right in the triangle and is the crossing
into northern Iraq. Despite the problems besetting the region, the
crossing brings something like 2.5 trillion TL to Turkey in trade and duty
charges. Every day two thousand trucks go through the crossing taking basic
foodstuffs and building materials into Iraq. On their return, the trucks
bring back extra supplies of diesel fuel in large tanks built into the
trucks. Figures suggest that total foreign exchange earned by Habur border
crossing comes to ten million dollars per month. /Milliyet/
[06] SECRET CYPRUS PAPERS REVEALED
Newly released secret documents from thirty years ago reveal that at one
time Britain tried to set up a deal whereby Cyprus would be tied to Greece
under a kind of ENOSIS agreement. ENOSIS was a movement at the time that
sought to bring Cyprus under the control of Athens.
British efforts to unite Cyprus and Greece were firmly blocked by the then
Turkish Foreign Minister, Ihsan Caglayangil, who refused all the offers
made by his British counterpart Michael Steward. /Milliyet/
[07] TURKS ARRESTED FOLLOWING NEW YEAR VIOLENCE
A number of Turks were arrested after being involved in new year violence
in a number of cities throughout Germany. Most of the incidents involved
groups of Turks and others from Middle Eastern countries. Despite the cold
weather and the outbreaks of violence, most people welcomed the new year
peacefully. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] TURKEY TO BE A JICA BASE
The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will make the Ankara
office a Regional Office responsible for Central Asian and Balkan
countries. It is reported that "the JICA, which wants to use Turkey as a
base for Central Asian countries, will implement the Third Country Training
Programme via Turkey. The first implementation of the programme will begin
in March, 1997, at the Mining Technical Research Institute. For a better
evaluation of underground resources in the Turkish-Speaking Republics, a
one-month training programme will be conducted with a 20-member group of
experts, who will come from Central Asia. The programme will be financed by
the JICA". /Sabah/
[09] LEGISLATION TO SAFEGUARD THE TURKISH LANGUAGE
The cabinet is taking steps aimed at obliging businessmen to use Turkish
names and encouraging the correct usage of Turkish in the media, the
Anatolia news agency reported. State Minister Isilay Saygin said that a new
draft law prepared by the ministry had been sent to the cabinet for
approval. Saygin said the draft law requires that businessmen use Turkish
names on signs advertising their operations, and if foreign words are
necessary, they must not overshadow the Turkish words. If the law is
approved, an independent board will be set up to monitor the usage of the
language.
END
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