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Turkish Press Review, 98-05-28
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
28.05.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] CETIN OFF TO ITALY
[02] CAGAN IN GERMANY
[03] S-300 MISSILES CAUSE ANXIETY
[04] ISTANBUL GLOBALIZATION CONFERENCE
[05] SIX PKK TERRORISTS KILLED
[06] US SUPPORT FOR TURKEY
[07] $200 MILLION IN CREDIT FOR GARANTI BANK
[08] BIR CONTINUES WITH CONTACTS IN ISRAEL
[09] ARMENIAN REALITY FOR EUROPE
[10] AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT ACCEPTS ALLEGED MASSACRE
[11] AUSTRIA: NEW EU-TERM PRESIDENT IN JULY
[12] AID FOR VICTIMS OF FLOOD DISASTER
[13] ADMIRAL DERVISOGLU IN ALBANIA
[14] US PRAISES TURKEY
[15] NO PKK IN KURDISH CONFERENCE IN EGYPT
[16] EU BAN ON TURKISH SEA PRODUCTS
[17] TURCO-GREEK SUMMIT TO BE HELD IN YALTA
[18] HELICOPTER CRASH: ONE SOLDIER DEAD
[01] CETIN OFF TO ITALY
Hikmet Cetin, Parliament Speaker, will go to Italy on 30 May to
attend Conference of Parliament Speakers from the Mediterranean
countries and the European Parliament (EP). At the conference, which
will start on 1 June, the role of the Mediterranean countries in
Europe-Mediterranean partnership, cooperation in trade and finance,
support to economic reforms and cooperation in socio-cultural activities
and human rights will be discussed. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] CAGAN IN GERMANY
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Nami Cagan, who is in
Germany as the official guest of Federal Labour Minister Norbert Blum,
visited yesterday the Turkey Research Centre, where Cagan listened to
the problems of Turkish workers living in Germany. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] S-300 MISSILES CAUSE ANXIETY
US President Bill Clinton has given a report on Cyprus covering the
February-March period to the US Congress. In the report Clinton
expresses his anxieties about Russian-made S-300 missiles to be deployed
in the southern region of the island by the Greek Cypriot
Administration. Clinton claims that the missiles could prevent finding
a solution to the Cyprus issue. Clinton stresses that the US supports
the establishment of a federation of the two communities on the island.
/Cumhuriyet/
[04] ISTANBUL GLOBALIZATION CONFERENCE
With the cooperation of the International Globalization Society and
the Middle East Technical University, a conference on Globalization will
start today in Istanbul. During the two-day conference more than 100
lecturers from all over the world and Turkey will discuss reports on
globalization which will be presented to the conference. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] SIX PKK TERRORISTS KILLED
At the end the clashes during operations in the
Tunceli-Bingol-Elazig region six PKK terrorists have been killed. Two
terrorists yielded to the security forces. Military sources announced
yesterday that operations will continue in the area. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] US SUPPORT FOR TURKEY
Delivering a speech at a "At the crossroads of the world"
conference organized by the US Trade and Development Organization, US
Energy Secretary Federico F.Pena said yesterday that the Baku-Ceyhan
pipeline was the most rational alternative. Noting that they were
jointly working with Turkey to make the project more attractive, Pena
stated that conditions would be more positive by the autumn. Turkish
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Cumhur Ersumer, said for his
part that problems regarding the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, which will carry
Azeri, Turkmen and Kazakh oil in addition to Turkmen natural gas, had
been resolved. /Sabah/
[07] $200 MILLION IN CREDIT FOR GARANTI BANK
The Garanti Bank has been provided with credit worth $200 million
from international markets. A one-year term export finance credit
agreement headed by Barclays Capital, Dresdner Bank, Luxembourg S.A.,
Ing Bank N.V., Natwest Capital Markets and The Sanwa Bank Limited will
be signed on May 29. /Sabah/
[08] BIR CONTINUES WITH CONTACTS IN ISRAEL
Deputy Chief of General Staff Cevik Bir, who is holding official
contacts in Israel, said yesterday that Turkey was determined to further
develop Turkish-Israeli relations. Delivering a speech at a reception
given in his honour by Turkish Ambassador to Israel Barlas Ozener, Cevik
Bir said: "Turkey and Israel are two democratic states in the region.
We want to show the advantages of democracy to the other regional
countries". Recalling that Turkish-Israeli relations were not aimed at
any third country, Bir added: "Countries which want to contribute to
regional peace can participate in our cooperation". /Sabah/
[09] ARMENIAN REALITY FOR EUROPE
Turkey has intensified its initiatives prior to the voting to be
held in France on Friday for a draft law, which claims Armenian genocide
by Turks. It is reported that Turkey, which has begun diplomatic
initiatives through Turkish Ambassador to France Sonmez Koksal, will
prepare a report on the "Armenian reality" and distribute it to related
countries. The letters, sent by Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and
Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin to French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin
and Parliament Speaker Laurent Fabius, have created new concerns in
France. Turkey has previously announced that the result of the voting
will adversely affect Turkish-French relations. /Sabah/
[10] AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT ACCEPTS ALLEGED MASSACRE
Even as the French Parliamentarians have been arguing about an
alleged turn of the century Armenian massacre by Turks, the parliament
of the biggest state in Australia, New South Wales, has officially
accepted the so-called Armenian massacre that has been repeatedly
claimed by the Armenian lobbies. The decision was taken in a recent
private session of the parliament which also announced "April 24" as the
day of commemoration of the so-called genocide. Turks in Australia are
outraged and have protested against the decision of the parliament.
/Hurriyet/
[11] AUSTRIA: NEW EU-TERM PRESIDENT IN JULY
Austrian Prime Minister Victor Klima, who will take over the EU
Term-Presidency on July 1, is not moderate regarding the membership of
new countries. On Turkey's membership in the EU, Klima said: "We have
to give open signals to Turkey. We will try to extend financial aid to
Turkey despite the Greek veto. We will assume the same stance regarding
the Cyprus problem. However Turkey's EU membership is not possible. On
the other hand, we are giving encouraging signals to Ankara. We want
Turkey to select the European vision. Turkey should not choose
Islamism". /Sabah/
[12] AID FOR VICTIMS OF FLOOD DISASTER
The Council of Ministers, which convened yesterday under the
chairmanship of Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, discussed the results of
the flood disaster, which happened last week in the western Black Sea
region. During the meeting, seven separate decrees in the power of law
were signed to help the victims of the disaster. State Minister Gunes
Taner said that $100 million in credit would be provided from the World
Bank initially. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said for his part
that Japan had proposed extending aid in the form of technical personnel
and equipment for the reconstruction of the disaster region. /Sabah/
[13] ADMIRAL DERVISOGLU IN ALBANIA
Admiral Salim Dervisoglu, Naval Forces Commander, went yesterday to
Albania to deliver Turkish aid materials and to make observations.
Meeting with the Albanian Chief of General Staff and the Defense
Minister, Dervisoglu noted that although Turkey had no common border
with Albania, Turkey had ties of friendship with Albania dating back for
years. /Sabah/
[14] US PRAISES TURKEY
US State Department Spokesman Jamie Rubin said in a statement
yesterday that the US was pleased with the arrest of the assailants who
attacked chairman of the Turkish Human Rights Association, Akin Birdal.
He said: "As far as we understand, these assailants are
ultra-nationalists". /Sabah/
[15] NO PKK IN KURDISH CONFERENCE IN EGYPT
A "Kurdish Conference" started yesterday in Egypt. The conference,
headed by leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Celal
Talabani, and attended by five Kurdish groups in northern Iraq has not
permitted representatives of the PKK terrorist organization to attend.
Prior to the conference, Ankara earlier warned leader of the Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP) Mesut Barzani and PUK leader Talabani regarding
PKK participation in the conference. It is reported that Barzani and
Talabani took a common decision not to allow the PKK to attend the
conference, which will end today with a joint declaration. /Milliyet/
[16] EU BAN ON TURKISH SEA PRODUCTS
The EU Ankara Representative Office has declared that an EU ban on
Turkish sea products will soon be put into effect. The office of the EU
Representative in a statement to clarify the matter, said that a
proposal made by the EU Commission on bringing an embargo to Turkish sea
products had been adopted by the Veterinary commission, and added that
this was a 'technical' measure following the studies of a supervisory
delegation. It was also stated that this measure could be reviewed if
Turkey gave the necessary guarantees. /Hurriyet/
[17] TURCO-GREEK SUMMIT TO BE HELD IN YALTA
Although no advance preparation has been made, a Turco-Greek
summit, might be held in Yalta where a Black Sea Economic Cooperation
Conference will be held between 4-5 June, diplomatic sources have
predicted. The same sources have also noted that despite the lack of
preparation it might be a useful meeting between President Suleyman
Demirel of Turkey and Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis who will be
the highest representatives of their countries at the conference. After
the conference in Yalta, Turkish and Greek foreign ministers will come
together in Istanbul on June 8-9 for a conference of Balkan foreign
ministers. No bilateral meeting between the two ministers is foreseen.
However, should a peaceful atmosphere be created in Yalta, it could be
possible, noted diplomatic sources. /Hurriyet/
[18] HELICOPTER CRASH: ONE SOLDIER DEAD
Carrying supplies for Turkish security forces carrying out
operations against the PKK terrorist organization in and around the Cudi
Mountain area in Southeastern Anatolia the previous morning, a U-1 type
military helicopter crashed because of engine failure, killing one
soldier, and injuring three officers out of the crew and passangers on
board. /Hurriyet/
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