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Turkish Press Review, 98-07-15
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
15.07.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL IN ALBANIA
[02] NEW DEVELOPMENT IN MISSILE CRISIS
[03] COOPERATION WITH ISRAEL
[04] GEORGIAN DELEGATION IN ANKARA
[05] AKIN: "S-300 MISSILES ARE AIMED AT TURKEY"
[06] TURKISH-MADE CORDLESS PHONE IN WORLD MARKETS
[07] TEKEL-R.J. REYNOLDS COOPERATION
[08] 26 SEPARATISTS KILLED IN SOUTHEAST OPERATIONS
[09] JOURNALISTS SENTENCED BY MILITARY COURT
[10] TENDER FOR PILOTLESS PLANES
[11] KURDISH LEADERS GATHER AROUND PEACE TABLE
[12] GERMAN ECONOMIC DELEGATION IN ANKARA
[13] US WANTS MORATORIUM IN CYPRUS
[14] GREEK BULLETIN'S CLAIMS ON TURKISH-ISRAELI MILITARY COOPERATION
[15] SECURITY ADMINISTRATION REPORTS ON PKK
[01] DEMIREL IN ALBANIA
President Suleyman Demirel's two-day visit to Tirana, Albania,
started yesterday. The agenda of the visit will mainly be the
solution of the Kosovo problem through peaceful means and the
development of Turkish-Albanian relations. During an official
meeting with Albanian President Recep Meidani, Demirel said: "We
want a solution that international society will agree upon".
According to a statement made by the Albanian Foreign Ministry,
Meidani stated during the meeting that they wanted Turkey to
assist in the reconstruction of the Albanian Armed Forces.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, Labour and Social Security
Minister Nami Cagan, State Minister Yucel Seckiner and many
businessmen are accompanying Demirel. Following the meeting with
Meidani, Demirel met with Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano.
Demirel held a meeting also with Speaker of the Albanian National
Assembly Iskender Gjinusi. Demirel pointed out during the meeting
that painful incidents experienced in Bosnia-Herzegovina should
not happen again in Kosovo. Demirel will share a working
breakfast with former Albanian President Sali Berisa and later
deliver a speech at the Albanian Parliament today. After signing
joint agreements, Demirel will return to Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] NEW DEVELOPMENT IN MISSILE CRISIS
Greek Cypriot Leader Glafkos Klerides noted yesterday that they
had decided that a Russian-made S-300 missiles system would be
deployed in Southern Cyprus in one stage and that they had
conveyed this to Moscow. Klerides, who is in Moscow for an
official visit, met with Russian Head of State Boris Yeltsin and
Foreign Minister Yevgeni Primakov two days ago. Klerides
yesterday held a press conference regarding his meetings and said
that the missiles would be delivered to the Greek Cypriot
Administration on a certain date but he did not disclose just
when that would be. Klerides stated that cooperation between
Russia and the Greek Cypriot Administration would continue and if
necessary new weapons would be purchased from Russia.
Klerides said: "However if negotiations for a solution to the
Cyprus problem resume and important developments are achieved in
this process, we can review the delivery date. Provided there is
an an agreement for the disarmament of Cyprus, we can cancel the
contract. But even though we cancel the missile contract, we will
certainly carry out our financial obligations towards Russia".
/Cumhuriyet/
[03] COOPERATION WITH ISRAEL
Israeli Ambassador to Ankara, Bar Nar, yesterday visited Turkish
State Minister Ahad Andican regarding cooperation with Israel
related to projects in the Turkish-Speaking Republics. Andican
noted during the meeting that Turkish-Israeli relations were
further developing with each passing day and pointed out Turkey's
importance in Israeli policies directed towards the Central Asian
and Turkish-Speaking Republics. Nar said: "We want to see Caspian
oil transported through Turkey" and added that Israel was closely
interested in the energy issue in Central Asia. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] GEORGIAN DELEGATION IN ANKARA
Turkish Minister of Transportation Necdet Menzir yesterday met
with his Georgian counterpart Merab Adeishvili, Postal
Communications Minister Phiridon Injia, and Chairman of the
Council of Ministers of the Acar Autonomous Republic Avtandil
Gorgiladle, who are currently in Ankara to hold official
contacts, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Menzir
noted that during the meeting, the Kars-Tbilisi railway project
and the Batum airport project were mainly taken up.
[05] AKIN: "S-300 MISSILES ARE AIMED AT TURKEY"
Agriculture and Forestry Minister of the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Kenan Akin said yesterday that
Russian-made S-300 missiles to be deployed in southern Cyprus
were not aimed at the TRNC but at Turkey. Akin stressed that
since the 1950s to 1974, when the Peace Operation was carried
out, a human tragedy has been played out in Cyprus, but after the
operation, peace arrived in the island. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] TURKISH-MADE CORDLESS PHONE IN WORLD MARKETS
The Turkish Basari Electronics Company is going to sell the KAAN
Dect 901 cordless phone which is 109 mgs. to world markets. The
phones called "Developed Cordless Phones" (DECT) can only be
produced in developed countries. The phone was first exhibited at
the CeBIT'98 technology fair in Hannover, Germany. Chairman of
the company, Ferda Yildiz said that they aimed to become a giant
international company producing high technology. /Hurriyet/
[07] TEKEL-R.J. REYNOLDS COOPERATION
State Minister Eyup Asik said that the Reytek company, which was
established last year with the cooperation of Tekel and J.R.
Reynolds to produce American Virginia and Burley tobacco, was
bringing in more foreign exchange. He added that it was planned
to increase the production capacity of Reytek. /Hurriyet/
[08] 26 SEPARATISTS KILLED IN SOUTHEAST OPERATIONS
Twenty-six people have been killed during clashes between
security forces and PKK terrorists in various places in the east
and southeast. In recent operations, security forces killed 13
terrorists in the provinces of Van, Bingol, Tunceli, Hakkari,
Diyarbakir and Sirnak. A security forces member was also killed
in the clashes.
In a separate incident, a group of terrorists raided a village
last night in the eastern province of Erzurum, killing five
civilians, in cluding the village guard. Security forces in Van
found the bodies of four terrorists when they returned to an area
of conflict the night before. Meanwhile a group group of
terrorists unsuccessfully tried to raid a village in Bingol.
Three of them were killed by village guards. /Milliyet-Hurriyet/
[09] JOURNALISTS SENTENCED BY MILITARY COURT
A Military Court has sentenced Yasar Kaplan, writer for the daily
Akit newspaper, and Murat Balibey, editor-in-Chief of the same
newspaper, to 14 months jail each for carrying out activities
detrimental to relations between superior and subordinate
officers and for weakening the respect of subordinates for
superiors. /Milliyet-Sabah/
[10] TENDER FOR PILOTLESS PLANES
To meet the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces a tender for long
and medium range "Pilotless Aircraft " is being put out.
According to the news published by Defense News, a top US defense
sector publication, invitations to bid have been sent to 17 firms
in seven countries. These firms are invited to enter bids for the
$350 million tender with a Turkish firm in a joint venture.
/Milliyet/
[11] KURDISH LEADERS GATHER AROUND PEACE TABLE
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Leader Mesut Barzani and
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Leader Celal Talabani will
again meet around a peace table following initiatives by the US.
In the delegation, which will be headed by US State Department
Middle Eastern Desk deputy chairman David Welsh, British and
Turkish representatives will also be present. The aim of this
meeting is to bring the conflicts between the two regional forces
to an end. /Milliyet/
[12] GERMAN ECONOMIC DELEGATION IN ANKARA
Hans-Olaf Henkel, the chairman of the German Industry
Confederation, said yesterday that he was worried that
Turco-German relations could be damaged because of recent
misunderstandings. During a press briefing about the German
economic mission's contacts with Turkish officials in Ankara and
Istanbul which are starting today, Henkel praised Turkey's
burgeoning economy.
The representatives of the German Confederation will be received
by President Suleyman Demirel, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and
Speaker of Parliament Hikmet Cetin in Ankara; they will also meet
with officials from the Turkish Industrialists' and
Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) and the Turco-German Chambers
of Industry and Trade, to exchange opinions about ways to
intensify economic ties between the two countries. /Milliyet/
[13] US WANTS MORATORIUM IN CYPRUS
The Chief of General Staff Ismail Hakki Karadayi, who is
currently visiting the United States, will be presented with a
merit award by US officials at the Pentagon, the headquarters of
US Defense Department in Washington. Although it is considered a
farewell visit, a lot of political and military issues will be on
the agenda for meetings with Karadayi, US officials noted. US
officials will again suggest that Turkey should initiate a
military moratorium in Cyprus to build a confidence on the
island. The proposal is a part of US efforts to halt the
deployment of Russian-made S-300 missiles by the Greek Cypriot
administration, say the officials noting that a Turkish
initiative for a military moratorium could in return prompt the
Greeks to be more agreeable on political and military issues.
/Milliyet/
[14] GREEK BULLETIN'S CLAIMS ON TURKISH-ISRAELI MILITARY COOPERATION
According to a bulletin published by the Institution of Foreign
Relations at Panteion University in Greece, Israel F-16 warplanes
regularly fly over Greek Cypriot Administration territory for
Turkish military interests. This is part of the intensifying
cooperation between Israeli and Turkish intelligence services,
states the report.
Referring to the March 1998 edition of "Defence News", a US
military magazine, the bulletin claims that the Greek Cypriot
administration and Russia asked Israel not to intervene in the
missiles issue, concerning the deployment of Russian-made
missiles by the Greek Cypriot Administration. /Milliyet/
[15] SECURITY ADMINISTRATION REPORTS ON PKK
The Directorate General of Security Administration has issued a
new report on the PKK terrorist organization. The report notes
that PKK bureaus in the Balkan countries guide PKK activities in
Turkey and that Abdullah "Apo" Ocalan is trying to make the
Caucasus the second coordination centre of the PKK. On the orders
of "Apo", the PKK'S leading members have started contacts with
Russsian and Armenian officials to increase their political
activities in the Caucasus. /Milliyet/
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