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Turkish Press Review, 97-12-30
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
CONTENTS
[01] TURKEY, TURKMENISTAN TRY TO PERSUADE US OVER GAS ROUTE
[02] IPUK IS READY TO MEET
[03] TURKEY REASSERTS TURCO-ISRAELI-US EXERCISES AS HUMANITARIAN
[04] OZDEN COMPLETES HIS TERM AS CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
[05] NEW RULES FOR CYPRUS SOLUTION
[06] TURKEY WILL DISCUSS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION WITH ITALY
[07] ANKARA DENIES THAT TURKEY SENT LETTER TO TONY BLAIR
[08] FAMOUS MATHEMATICIAN CAHIT ARF LAID TO REST
[09] FOREIGN MINISTRY: "N. IRAQ OPERATION ENDS"
[10] KINKEL'S SUPPORT FOR TURKEY
[11] TURKISH EXERCISES CAUSE ANXIETY IN GREECE
[12] SPHINX HEAD STOLEN FROM EPHESUS RETURNS HOME
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION,OFFICE OF PRIME MINISTER
30.12.97
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press
this morning
[01] TURKEY, TURKMENISTAN TRY TO PERSUADE US OVER GAS ROUTE
Following a series of prime ministerial contacts with top
Russian, American, Turkmen and Azerbaijani officials over Caspian oil
and natural gas resources, Ankara is preparing for intensive talks
about energy in the first six months of the coming year. One of the
main topics of these talks will be to persuade the US to establish a
route to carry Turkmen natural gas via Iran.
After his meetings with the heads of the Russian Federation and
the US, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz paid a significant visit to two
key Central Asian states, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. During his
visit to Turkmenistan, a trilateral deal was signed between the energy
ministers of Iran, Turkey and Turkmenistan, to let the Shell company
conduct feasibility studies for the natural gas routes. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] IPUK IS READY TO MEET
Officials from the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) have
stated that they are ready to meet with Turkish officials in Ankara.
According to the Iranian Official News Agency (IRNA), the IPUK radio
said in a news report yesterday that an IPUK delegation would go to
Ankara on the second week of January to hold meetings. The report
noted that these meetings would be held also with the participation of
US officials. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] TURKEY REASSERTS TURCO-ISRAELI-US EXERCISES AS HUMANITARIAN
Turkey reiterated yesterday that the planned Turco-Israeli-US
joint naval exercises have thoroughly humanitarian aims and do not
target any particular country. Referring to some countries' and
particularly Iran's harsh attitude towards the planned exercises,
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan stressed that the reactions
were unfounded since the manoeuvres were completely humanitarian.
"The exercises will include only emergency search and rescue
procedures. They do not target any third country" Utkan said at a
press conference. The twice-postponed naval manoeuvres are to be held
on January 5-9 in the eastern Mediterranean off the Israeli coast.
/Sabah/
[04] OZDEN COMPLETES HIS TERM AS CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
On the occasion of the retirement of Yekta Gungor Ozden, chief
justice of the Constitutional Court, a ceremony was held at the court
building. After his biography was read to the guests, Guven Dincer,
deputy head of the Constitutional Court, said that Ozden, who was
elected as a member of the Court in 1979, was going to retire on
December 31 because he had reached the mandatory retirement age. "In
a speech during the ceremony, Ozden stated that he had tried to follow
the path of Ataturk all his life, saying: "It's an honour to follow
the route of Ataturk and his friends, who saved this country".
Indicating how hard it was to make this final speech, Ozden said he
would continue to serve his country even after his retirement.
/Hurriyet/
[05] NEW RULES FOR CYPRUS SOLUTION
Ankara has reaffirmed that new rules apply in the Cyprus conflict
after the Luxembourg summit, now that "there is a drastic change in
the situation due to the EU's actions which are based on the Greek
position". Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan told reporters
during a weekly press conference that both the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Turkey have issued stataments regarding
their political and legal opposition to the Luxembourg decisions.
"We have also announced what counteraction we shall have to take"
Utkan said, repeating that a solution would have to be found on the
basis that there are two states on the island -the TRNC and the Greek
Cypriot state. Utkan added: "We shall consult and coordinate our
position with the TRNC to see if these two states can resolve three
major issues to reach a stage where they can, in the first instance,
peacefully coexist". The spokesman listed these three major issues
as: -The settlement of reciprocal property claims; -Agreement on
mutually satisfactory security arrangements; -Drawing the final
boundary line and agreeing on the territorial arrangement. /All
papers/
[06] TURKEY WILL DISCUSS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION WITH ITALY
Turkey said yesterday it would begin discussions with Italian
officials following the weekend gounding of a Turkish-registered ship
carrying 825 illegal immigrants, mostly Kurds, off the coast of Italy.
"Obviously there will be new contacts, even starting from today"
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan told reporters. When asked
about the Kurdish issue, Utkan said in this case the problem does not
only belong to Turkey. Turkey, with its land border with Greece and
long Mediterranean coastline, has become a springboard for immigrants
from Asia and the Middle East seeking entrance to the wealthier
nations of the EU. /All papers/
[07] ANKARA DENIES THAT TURKEY SENT LETTER TO TONY BLAIR
Ankara denied that Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz sent a letter to
his British counterpart Tony Blair asking for British support for
Turkey's EU bid. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan told
reporters in the weekly press conference, Utkan said no such letter
was sent or telephone conversation was made with EU leaders after the
summit and added the last letter written by Yilmaz was sent before the
summit. /All papers/
[08] FAMOUS MATHEMATICIAN CAHIT ARF LAID TO REST
The discoverer of the "Hasse-Arf Theorem", the famous
mathematician Ordinarius Prof.Dr.Cahit Arf who passed away after a
heart attack has been buried in Istanbul, following a ceremony at
Istanbul University. The Hasse-Arf Theorem showed that synthetic
geometric problems could be solved with the help of a ruler and
compass. /All papers/
[09] FOREIGN MINISTRY: "N. IRAQ OPERATION ENDS"
Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Necati Utkan said in a press
conference yesterday that operations against seperatists tried to be
camped by Turkey-Iraq border ended. Utkan added, "As a result of
authority vacuum in the region, seperatist PKK terorist organization
has activities in northern Iraq and that Turkey has held operations
whenever it is necessary. The spokesman stressed that operations did
not violate the territorial integrity of northern Iraq. /Sabah/
[10] KINKEL'S SUPPORT FOR TURKEY
German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel said that Germany wanted
Turkey to be a part of Europe. Kinkel denied the claims regarding an
"inter-institutional document" had been published which reported that
Turkey's European Union membership would not be possible in near or
close future. In his statement Kinkel added that it was not true that
Germany never wanted Turkey to be excluded from Europe; instead, he
continued, they would like to help Turkey solve its problems.
/Milliyet-Sabah/
[11] TURKISH EXERCISES CAUSE ANXIETY IN GREECE
Greek daily newspapers reported yesterday that Ankara would
started a wide scope naval and aerial military exercises in the Aegean
between 2-25 January, claiming that with these exercises sovereignity
rights of Greece would be violated. Decribing the exercises as
"extraordinarily wide scope and unusually long", the dailies noted
that Turkey had informed Athens on 18 December about the exercises.
They also added that the news caused anxiety in Greece.
Meanwhile Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yorgo Papandreu said in
his statement to Greek daily newspaper, Eksusia that if Turkey invaded
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the way towards Europe would
totally closed for Turkey. He added that with the decision taken at
the end of the Luxembourg summit, Europe determined the framework of
its relations with Turkey. /Milliyet/
[12] SPHINX HEAD STOLEN FROM EPHESUS RETURNS HOME
A "Sphinx" head stolen in 1964 from the Austrian Archaeological
Institute in Ephesus, which has been carrying out excavations for over
one century, has been brought to Turkey. Turkish Culture Minister
Istemihan Talay will hold a press conference today and will promote to
the press a Roman marble copy of the Sphinx sculpture made of bronze
during the classical period. /Cumhuriyet/
END
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