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Monday, 18 November 2024
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Turkish Press Review, 98-11-05Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>05.11.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] DUMA CALLS ON YELTSIN TO PROVIDE ASYLUM FOR OCALANRussian Parliament's lower house, the State Duma, yesterday asked President Boris Yeltsin to grant political asylum for Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the PKK terrorist organization. Communist Deputy Yuri Nikiforenko along with 10 other deputies initiated the move to seek asylum for Ocalan. The Duma supported Nikiforenko's proposal by nearly a unanimous vote, 298 deputies voting in favour and one abstaining. The move by the Russian Parliament was reportedly made after Ocalan wrote a letter to the Duma on October 30 asking for political asylum.Following the vote, Turkish President Suleyman Demirel was more cautious as he told reporters in Ankara that Russia's benefits from Turkey were much larger than the benefits it may receive by hiding Ocalan. The Turkish Foreign Ministry yesterday said that it was 'too early' to issue a reaction concerning the Duma's reaction, adding that the decision conflicts with the message brought to the Turkish government last week by Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said he would take into consideration a response from the Russian government only. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit was more critical. "Instead of forging ties with a terrorist organization like the PKK, Russia should maintain good relations with a country like Turkey" Ecevit told reporters in Ankara. Meanwhile, the first Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Alexander Avgeev is visiting Turkey today to have talks with senior Foreign Ministry officials in Ankara. Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan said that Yerevan will not permit Ocalan to take refugee in the country. Oskanyan denied earlier reports that Ocalan was hiding in Armenia. He said that Yerevan did not want to have its relations with Ankara further damaged because of the Ocalan issue. /All papers/ [02] RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR SUMMONED TO TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRYRussian Ambassador to Ankara, Alexander Lebedev was yesterday summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Lebedev was reminded about Moscow's promises to Turkey about Ocalan and the PKK. In the meeting with the Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary M. Ali Irtemcelik, Lebedev said that he harshly criticized Duma regarding its decision and added that the decision would not change Russian government's policy about Ocalan and the PKK. After the meeting Lebedev told the journalists that Russian government did not and would not give Abdullah Ocalan the right of asylum. /All papers/[03] TURCO-BULGARIAN COOPERATIONBulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov, on an official visit to Turkey, had talks yesterday with his Turkish counterpart Mesut Yilmaz, President Suleyman Demirel and Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin. "Turco-Bulgarian relations are enjoying their best period. Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov and Prime Minister Ivan Kostov have made great contributions to this" Demirel said after receiving Kostov.Kostov expressed gratitude for Turkey's support for Bulgaria's NATO membership aspirations. Following the talks, Yilmaz and Kostov signed several cooperation agreements in the realms of economy and culture. Kostov is accompanied by Culture Minister Emma Moskova and the head of the Bulgarian Energy Committee Ivan Shilyashky. Kostov will also go to Istanbul where he will meet the tiny Bulgarian community there, open an exhibition titled "Ataturk's Traces on the Balkans" and meet with Turkish businessmen. /All papers/ [04] TURKEY MAY ASK FOR KAPLAN'S TRIAL IN GERMANYJustice Minister Hasan Denizkurdu said that Turkey may ask Bonn to try the leader of the outlawed Anatolian Federated Islamic State, the self-proclaimed 'caliph' Metin Kaplan, in the German courts should they refuse to extradite him. Denizkurdu made this announcement yesterday in Strasbourg, where he is attending the inauguration of the new judiciary term of the European Court of Human Rights.Meanwhile, according to the German newspaper Bild, German officials will not extradite the fundamentalist terrorist Metin Kaplan to Turkey. The paper quoted the words of Interior Minister of North-Rhein Westphalen Province, Franz Knola saying that although Germany would like to extradite the terrorist to Turkey, it was not possible at the moment because of the death sentence punishment in Turkey. German goverment speaker, Uwe Karsten Heye also said that the German administration had asked the Turkish Foreign Ministry for detailed information which would prove Metin Kaplan's destructive activities in Turkey against the present structure of the Republic of Turkey, and they would take the necessary steps to resolve the issue. /All papers/ [05] GOVERNMENT SATISFIED WITH BARZANI'S EXPLANATIONSMesud Barzani, Chairman of the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP), succeeded in easing Ankara's concerns over the future of northern Iraq in separate meetings with Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit in Ankara yesterday. Talking to reporters after his meeting with Barzani, Yilmaz repeated that Turkey's exclusion from the Washington talks was a diplomatic mistake. "Turkey is the country which is the most sensitive to the developments in northern Iraq. Steps are now being taken to ease misunderstandings. In upcoming days joint statements will be released" Yilmaz said, pointing out that everything is being done within the framework of the Ankara process.Both Yilmaz and Ecevit stressed the importance of security cooperation between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdish groups against the PKK terrorist organization in this post-Syrian crisis period. /All papers/ [06] CELEBI: "TURKEY INCREASES SUPPORT FOR EXPORTERS"Turkey is increasing its support for its exporters by signing free trade agreements with many non-European Union (EU) countries, expanding its export products to overcome the world economic crisis, State Minister Isin Celebi declared yesterday. "We are diversifying our export targets and our products" Celebi told a new conference in Istanbul. Celebi said the number of free zones operating in Turkey had been raised from nine to 14.Celebi noted that Turkey should seek membership in the European Monetary Union (EMU) by the year 2003 and adopt the Euro, a new international currency that will come to being at the end of this year. /All papers/ [07] AN IMPORTANT SYMPOSIUM IN ISTANBULThe Euro, which will become the common currency of 11 EU countries at the end of this year, will be a stronger currency than the German mark, Wiltse Bailey, senior economist of the Banque National de Paris (BNP), declared at a symposium in Istanbul yesterday. Leading European and Turkish bankers discussed the effects the Euro would have on European and Turkish business and banking at the one-day symposium organized by[08] BNP.AK.DRESDNER BANK A.S."Creating a single currency in Europe, the Euro, is nothing less than a revolution" Volker Burghagen, senior general manager of Dresdner Bank A.G. told the meeting. Burghagen said the Euro would have a great impact on Turkey, because a large part of its trade takes place with the EU countries. /Cumhuriyet/[09] FIRST ANIMAL HUSBANDRY CONVENTIONThe First Animal Husbandry Convention began yesterday in Ankara. President Suleyman Demirel gave a speech at the opening ceremony of the convention. He indicated that the animal husbandry sector needs nore concrete projects. Demirel stated that this sector can only develop with under private entrepreneurship and individual initiative.Agriculture Minister Mustafa Tasar said in his opening speech that the Agriculture Ministry has presented Animal Husbandry Development Project, planned to cost $1.3 billion, to the Cabinet on the condition that it is financed by foreign loans. Tasar noted that the ministry has been unable to implement the project because of financial difficulties. This project is planned to be completed in five years and will create jobs for 50,000 workers and TL 160 trillion in income per annum, added Tasar. [10] DRUG OPERATION IN KILISDuring an operation in Kilis, 82.5 kilograms of heroin were seized yesterday. Four people were arrested regarding the incident, the Anatolia news agency reports.[11] BLACK SEA ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY MEETINGA meeting on "Regional Environmental Problems and Common Approaches For Their Solutions: Black Sea Example" will be held in Istanbul tomorrow. During the meeting, the issue of environmental security in Black Sea will be taken up, the Anatolia news agency reports. Turkish Environment Minister Imren Aykut will make an opening speech of the meeting to be attended by many representatives from Turkish and foreign institutions including experts from member countries of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The meeting will last for two days.[12] DENKTAS MEETS WITH HERCUSPresident of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf Denktas met with Cyprus Deputy Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Ann Hercus yesterday. Following the meeting, Hercus made a statement said that she would continue with her shuttle diplomacy. Hercus noted that she would also meet with the Leader of the Greek Cypriot Administration Glafkos Klerides within this week and then she would meet with Denktas again. Denktas made a statement two days ago and said that during the shuttle diplomacy launched by Hercus, the basic aspects of the Cyprus problems were not discussed, and only the confidence-building measures were taken up, the Anatolia news agency reports.[13] ILLEGAL ORGANIZATION OPERATIONMembers of the Department for Struggle Against Terrorism of Ankara Security Office arrested 27 people suggested to be members of an illegal organization yesterday. /Cumhuriyet/[14] EU'S HOPE-INSPIRING REPORT ABOUT TURKEYEuropean Union (EU) Commission declared the number of the candidate countries as 12 including Turkey in its report yesterday in Brussels. The report, which was prepared to be announced at the Vienna Summit next month, praised Turkish economy adding that there had been hopeful developments in human rights issues in Turkey.Meanwhile, Greece showed great reaction to the report and tried to prevent the announcement of it. However, Hans Van den Broek, representative of the EU Foreign Relations, said that it had been clearly displayed with the report that the European strategy for Turkey was full membership. /All papers/ Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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