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Turkish Press Review, 97-01-31Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWFRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1997Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning. [01] US PUTS FULL WEIGHT BEHIND TURKEY'S BIDThe United States has weighed in on behalf of Turkey's bid for integration with the European Union, saying it opposes efforts to put new conditions in front of Ankara that could obstruct the path to this integration."It is our position that one needs to look at the full scope of our relationship with Turkey," U.S. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns told reporters on Wednesday. "On balance, there is a strong case to be made by the United States that Turkey should be more fully integrated in Europe," Burns said./Sabah/ [02] "EXCLUDING TURKEY FROM EU WILL BE A HISTORICAL MISTAKE"A six-party meeting has been held with the participation of Turkey, Germany, Britain, Italy, France and Spain, in Rome, Italy.After the meeting, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tansu Ciller said that Turkey was expecting full membership with the European Union (EU), not a special status. Ciller addressed a conference in Rome, at the in International Relations Instituteon titled "Turkish Foreign Policy and Turkish-European relations." She said including Turkey in the EU would boost European dynamism, gathering several cultures together, provide a balance between the south and north and ease tension in the eastern Mediterranean. "Excluding Turkey from the EU would be a historical mistake," she added. On the other hand, Italy on Tuesday clearly reiterated its support for Turkey's participation in the European Union's enlargement process. Turkish Foreign Ministry Tansu Ciller participating in a six-party meeting with several EU member countries, was received by Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. The meeting focused on the EU enlargement process and Turkey's situation. After the meeting Italian Prime Minister Prodi said: "We believe that Turkey is a key country in bringing balance to the Mediterranean." British Foreign Minister Malcome Rifkind also said that Turkey should receive equal treatment with other candidate countries seeking European Union full membership. Addressing a news conference after a six-party meeting attended by five leading EU countries, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey, Rifkind said they had taken up Turkish-EU relations, the Cyprus question and European security within the framework of NATO and added that they attributed importance to dialogue with Turkey. Foreign ministers of the Big Five countries of the European Union emphasized that it was important to have Turkey "anchored to Europe" rather than elsewhere when both sides had made a great deal of progress in ties./Hurriyet/Sabah_ [03] TURKISH-MACEDONIAN DELEGATIONS TO CONVENE IN ANKARAA Turkish-Macedonian second political consultation will take place in Ankara on January 31. Foreign Ministry spokesman Sermet Atacanli told a weekly press meeting that the political consultation will be chaired by Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Ali Tuygan and Macedonian Deputy Foreign Minister Victor Dimocski. Atacanli said that the political consultation will mainly focus on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues./All papers/[04] SECURITY FORCES KILL 39 TERRORISTS IN SOUTHEASTSecurity forces have killed 39 separatists from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in operations in the Southeast. The Emergency Rule region governor's office said that 29 terrorists were killed in the rural areas of the Genc district of Bingol, five were killed in the Arik and Kozluk district of Batman and another five killed on the Gabar mountain in Sirnak.Meanwhile, 10 members of the outlawed Hizbullah organization have been captured. Two of the Hizbullah members reportedly had been involved in murders, and three others in an armed attack on a house that left several wounded. These people had also collected money from people claiming it was for charity in order to finance the organization. The security forces found two handguns, a number of bombs and many documents in the safe-houses identified by the terrorists./Sabah/ [05] BIG DRUG HAULS IN 1996 IN HAKKARITurkish security forces seized large amounts of narcotics during operations in the province of Hakkari last year, the Anatolia news agency reported. In Gendarmerie operations, 443.5 kgs of heroin, 500 grams of base morphine, 385 kgs of hashish and 954 liters of acid anhydrate - used in the production of heroin - were seized. The Security Directorate announced that during 1996, in addition to the amounts seized by the Gendarmeire, they had seized 24.8 grams of pure heroin, 64.2 kgs of opium resin and 118.8 kgs of hashish in Hakkari./Sabah/[06] TURKEY TO OPEN A BID FOR FOUR AWACS IN JULYTurkey is preparing to open a tender in July to buy four "airbone early-warning and control aircraft" generally known as AWACS in a direct procurement under a nearly $800 million program, high level military sources have announced."As of February 1, 1997, requests for information relating to Turkey's needs by the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) will be sent to the firms which are willing to compete in Turkey's $800 million early warning aircraft purchases program. The deadline to receive information from the firms will end on March 15. The official tender for four aircraft is expected to be opened in July," said military sources. /All papers/ [07] BARZANI WARNED ABOUT PKKTurkey has warned Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Mesut Barazani about the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkish officials met high level representatives of the KDP in Silopi on 28 January. At the meeting Turkey warned the KDP saying "Do not cooperate with PKK. The terrorist organization will damage you. Do not supply arms and equipment to the terrorist organization. Give Turkey clear information about PKK camps. More peshmerges have been joining the PKK."/Sabah/[08] TRADE VOLUME WITH RUSSIA INCREASESRussian Trade Consultant Victor Koptevsky said that the trade volume between Turkey and Russia, which was $3.5 billion in 1995, rose to $4 billion in 1996 and would further increase. Koptevsky, who met with Aegean industrialists and businessmen at the Aegean Region Chambers of Industry, pointed out that the business partnership between Turkey and Russia showed a sustainable development. /Cumhuriyet/[09] TEXTILE SECTOR TO INITIATE A NEW DRIVEChairman of the Turkish Exporters' Assembly, Okan Oguz, said that they aimed to increase textile and ready-to-wear exports by 15 % in 1997. Noting that they were working for the establishment of Turkish Trade Centres in Moscow and Kiev and that they aimed at blocking the cross border "suitcase trade" and entering the market with trademarks, Oguz stated that they would also work to have the quota system lifted in the US, and enter the Japanese market. /Cumhuriyet/[10] "THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO COPE WITH TURKEY"One of the leading British newspapers, the Independent, stated that Greece and the Greek Cypriot side were not able to cope with Turkey from the military standpoint. The newspaper said: "Before Greek-supported forces reach Cyprus, the Turkish Army has the power to control the entire island". The newspaper added that Russian missiles brought the Cyprus issue to the international agenda again. It noted that this increased the tension on the island and affected the chance of Cyprus' membership in the EU negatively. /Sabah/[11] VESSEL SINKS IN BLACK SEAA cargo vessel called Ahmet Akdeniz, which was carrying 750 tons of wheat from Samsun to Georgia, sank during a storm yesterday. Although six crew members in the vessel were saved, three people are still missing. /Sabah/[12] TURKISH SOLDIERS IN PALESTINE30 Turkish soldiers will be sent to El Halil in Palstine to support the multinational security force stationed there. Turkey, the only Islamic country represented in the force, will be given a special mission - the protection of the historic Halil Ibrahim mosque.At the same time, five Turkish officers, sent as observers to El-Halil, will begin their duties tomorrow. The number of the Turkish observers will be gradually increased to 20. Along with the Turkish representatives, 150 observers from Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and Italy will help the Palestinian and Israeli communities living together in El-Halil to normalize their relations. /Hurriyet/Milliyet_ [13] SEVEN ARRESTED AT TURCO-GREEK BORDERSeven people have been arrested at the Turco-Greek border, illegally trying to enter into Turkey with false identities. Those arrested are suspected of being members of the PKK terrorist organization. /Cumhuriyet/[14] UN REPRESENTATIVE IN CYPRUSThe UN Secretary General's special Cyprus envoy, Han Sung Joo, began his contacts on the island. Sung Joo who met with Greek Cypriot Administration leader Glafkos Clerides, presented a letter to him from Secretary General Kofi Annan. Greek Cypriot radio later stated that the Secretary General had voiced his interest and concern over the matter and expressed his determination to find a solution to the problem.[15] NEW CYPRUS INITITATIVE BY THE USThe US government is expected to launch new initiatives concerning the Aegean and Cyprus. Washington has intensified its studies on a plan to resolve the problem. It is believed that these studies have been accelerated because concerns over a possibility of an armed conflict between Turkey and Greece have increased in the US Administration.[16] SOLANA: WE WILL NOT INTERVENE IN TURKEY'S INTERNAL AFFAIRSNATO Secretary General Javier Solana said that the Alliance will not pass any judgement on Turkey's internal affairs. Answering a question posed by a parliamentarian from the Council of Europe Parliamentarians Assembly (COE)on how he viewed Turkey's conflict with the PKK, Solana said that Turkey was a loyal member of the Alliance and tried to secure stability in the region. The NATO Secretary General also added that it would not be right to pass judgement or comment on the internal affairs of any country./Cumhuriyet/END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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