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Turkish Press Review, 98-12-10
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
10.12.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] ECEVIT PROPOSES DSP MINORITY GOVERNMENT
[02] BUSINESSMEN SUPPORT ECEVIT
[03] TURKEY DOES NOT GO TO VIENNA
[04] CEM: IDEA FOR INTERNATIONAL TRIAL LOSING SUPPORT
[05] MASKS ARE OFF: GERMANY AND FRANCE OBSTRUCT TURKEY'S CANDIDACY
[06] CEM: "ITALY IS A PKK BASE"
[07] FRENCH MAGISTRATE INTERROGATES OCALAN
[08] EU COUNCIL TO DECIDE ABOUT OCALAN TODAY
[09] "ITALY NOT A STATE OF LAW ANYMORE"
[10] TURKISH-SYRIAN AGREEMENT
[11] SECURITY PROTOCOL BETWEEN TURKEY AND IRAN
[12] TURKEY IN UPPER-MIDDLE INCOME CATEGORY
[13] SPANISH COMPANY WINS $59 MLN TUPRAS TENDER
[14] TURKISH EXPORTS RISE
[15] TEMIZEL: NO DEVALUATION
[16] DEMIREL OPENS SABANCI LYCEES
[17] HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
[18] DENKTAS MEETS PARTY LEADERS
[19] THREE SOLDIERS KILLED
[20] TWO SECURITY OFFICIALS KILLED BY PKK TERRORISTS IN AMASYA
[21] TURKISH FILMS WEEK IN LONDON
[22] "MEVLANA WEEK" STARTS
[23] S-300 MISSILES TO ARRIVE ON CYPRUS IN THE NEW YEAR
[24] ARTICLE 312
[01] ECEVIT PROPOSES DSP MINORITY GOVERNMENT
Prime Minister-Designate Bulent Ecevit asked True Path Party
(DYP) leader Tansu Ciller to support a minority government to be
formed by his own Democratic Left Party (DSP). Ciller told Ecevit
if he secures the support of all the parliamentary groups, then
she would be prepared to extend the backing of the DYP for such a
coalition. The Virtue Party (FP) says that the President should
have never asked Ecevit to form the government in the first
place.
Ciller and Ecevit met at Parliament, where the DYP leader told
the Prime Minister-Designate that her party is against the
formation of a coalition with the DSP and ANAP. She told
reporters at a press conference after the meeting that the DYP
wants a broad-based government where all the parties represented
in Parliament are given Cabinet seats. Ecevit on the other and
said he would now meet the leaders of other political parties and
see if he can obtain support for a minority DSP government. /All
papers/
[02] BUSINESSMEN SUPPORT ECEVIT
The Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association
(TUSIAD) reported that they supported the Democratic Left Party
(DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit's "minority government" suggestion.
They added that Bulent Ecevit was the ideal leader to be Prime
Minister in Turkey at the moment. TUSIAD asked Turkish
politicians to form a new government as soon as possible.
/Hurriyet/
[03] TURKEY DOES NOT GO TO VIENNA
Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Sermet Atacanli asserted
yesterday that Turkey would not accept an invitation to the lunch
during the Vienna summit or any other 'evasive formulae'
regarding Turkey's bid for EU membership. Atacanli said that
Turkey had two expectations from the Union -a legally-binding
approval and acceptance of Turkey's candidacy, and as a natural
result of this, the equal treatment of Turkey along with the
other candidates. He emphasized that no other formula would
satisfy Turkey, and added that the EU had not yet taken a clear
stance.
Atacanli also noted that the conclusions reached at the EU
Foreign Ministers' meeting held on Sunday and Monday in Brussels
did not meet Turkey's expectations. "We hope that before the
summit in Vienna the conclusions regarding Turkey will be
modified. Otherwise, Turkey will not be in a position to change
the attitude it adopted after the Luxembourg summit" Atacanli
said. /All papers/
[04] CEM: IDEA FOR INTERNATIONAL TRIAL LOSING SUPPORT
In Istanbul, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem told a press conference
yesterday that the idea for an international tribunal for the PKK
leader Abdullah Ocalan appeared to be losing support. "Ocalan's
trial in an international court without Turkey's consent will be
nothing other than a commedy" Cem said upon his return from the
NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. Cem noted that
during his meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini
outside the summit, he had emphasized Ankara's determination to
have Ocalan extradited to Turkey and try him according to Turkish
laws. He also criticized Italy for continuing to treat Ocalan as
a guest, and said that he had told Dini that Italy should not
become 'the centre' of a terrorist organization and 'a
trampoline' for terrorism.
Meanwhile, Dini said yesterday that Italy itself might try
Ocalan. Italy could conduct the trial in accordance with a 1972
Council of Europe protocol allowing for the transfer of trials
from one member nation to another, Dini said. In making the
decision, officials would be taking into consideration the
possible risk of terrorist attacks, he added. /All papers/
[05] MASKS ARE OFF: GERMANY AND FRANCE OBSTRUCT TURKEY'S CANDIDACY
With a letter addressed to the EU Term-President Klima in the
wake of the Vienna Summit, Germany and France, who have great
influence on every decision taken by the EU, undermined efforts
to change Turkey's status by granting her a candidate membership.
In a joint letter sent to the EU Term-President and Austrian
Prime Minister, Victor Klima, on December 8, Chancellor
Schroeder, who obtained votes from Turks in Germany by promising
to support Turkey's EU membership, and French President Chirac,
who expresses his alleged friendship with Turks on every
occasion, claimed that there should be no new decisions
concerning candidate countries, including Turkey, during the
Vienna Summit on December 11. Schroeder and Chirac noted that the
EU's process of expansion which involved 11 countries should
proceed in a determined but realistic way, without any departure
from their initial aims. Calling for the equal share of the
financial burden of expansion by every country, the two leaders
preferred to ignore Turkey's candidacy for membership from whom
they extract an annual amount of $12 billion, used to finance the
expansion, via the Customs Union between Turkey and the EU.
/Turkiye/
[06] CEM: "ITALY IS A PKK BASE"
The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, who returned
home from a meeting of the NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs
yesterday, said at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport that he had
reported Turkey's worries concerning Italy's attitude to the PKK
terrorist organization. Cem said: "I stressed Turkey's anxiety on
Italy's becoming a base for a terrorist organization. I and my
Italian counterpart agreed that Italy and Turkey should be
continuously in contact to overcome our mutual problems." /Sabah/
[07] FRENCH MAGISTRATE INTERROGATES OCALAN
A French magistrate yesterday interrogated the PKK leader
Abdullah Ocalan for a second time in the suburban Roman villa
where he is being held. In his two-hour interrogation, prosecutor
Jean Francois Ricard was seeking information on a number of
PKK-related incidents in France, including extortion and other
criminal activities. Ocalan's lawyer Luigi Saraceni and Judge
Serenella Siliacom were also present during the questioning.
Ocalan will also be interrogated by the Italian authorities
concerning the forged passport he was using when he entered
Italy. /All papers/
[08] EU COUNCIL TO DECIDE ABOUT OCALAN TODAY
The Delegates Committee of the European Council will decide about
the lawsuit of Abdullah Ocalan today. It is expected that the
Committee will convene the "Criminal Issues Committee" to take a
decision on the issue. /Hurriyet/
[09] "ITALY NOT A STATE OF LAW ANYMORE"
One of the most famous jurists in Italy, Stephano Rodota, said
that Italy was not a state of law anymore. In his statement in La
Repubblica newspaper Rodota said if Ocalan's extradition was not
possible in line with "The European Convention Against Terrorism"
then he should be tried in the country that he had sheltered in.
Being against the idea of forming a special court to try Ocalan,
Rodota added that the Constitution had become illegal in some
political centres in Italy. /Hurriyet/
[10] TURKISH-SYRIAN AGREEMENT
The Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that the Adana Agreement
signed between Turkey and Syria should function better. In a
weekly press conference yesterday, Foreign Ministry Deputy
Spokesman Sermet Atacanli, replied to questions regarding the
implementation process of the Adana Agreement. Atacanli recalled
that the Turkish President, Suleyman Demirel had noted during
Egyptian President Husnu Mubarak's visit to Ankara, that the
Adana Agreement should function better, and Atacanli pointed out
that contacts with Syrian officials were continuing to that end.
Atacanli also stressed the importance of the agreement, the
Anatolia news agency reports.
[11] SECURITY PROTOCOL BETWEEN TURKEY AND IRAN
At the end of the fifth meeting of the Turkish-Iranian High
Security Commission, a security cooperation protocol was signed
yesterday. The protocol was signed by the Turkish Interior
Ministry Undersecretary, Yahya Gur, and the Security Deputy of
the Iranian Interior Minister, Gulam Hussein Bolandiyan.
Bolandiyan said in a statement following the signing ceremony
that the protocol aimed to prohibit terrorist activities within
each country's territories, the Anatolia news agency reports. Gur
said for his part that the two countries should cooperate in the
struggle against drug smuggling.
[12] TURKEY IN UPPER-MIDDLE INCOME CATEGORY
Turkey has risen from a lower-middle income country to an
upper-middle income country according to the World Bank's latest
study of 1997 economic data. In the bank's latest 'global income
map', a part of a report titled 'Knowledge for Development',
Turkey's per capita income was put at $3,130. Countries are
classified into four main groups by the World Bank, namely,
low-income, lower-middle income, upper-income and high-income
groups. Turkey ranks as the 48th richest country. /All papers/
[13] SPANISH COMPANY WINS $59 MLN TUPRAS TENDER
The Spanish company, Technicas Reunidas, has won the
international bidding for the $59-million Tupras (Turkish
Petroleum Refineries) Izmit Refinery Isomerization Plant
contract, in a consortium formed with Entes Insaat. The contract
was signed at a ceremony yesterday in Izmit between the
consortium and Tupras. The project will be completed in 1999. The
annual rise in the production of gasoline will be 200,000 tons by
the year 2001. The project will recoup its costs in 5.9 years and
will contribute $8.1 million to the national economy. /All
papers/
[14] TURKISH EXPORTS RISE
Turkey's exports rose in some sectors during the first 11 months
of this year. In the period between January and November, export
rates increased by 17.7 % in the electronics sector and 13.6 % in
the auto and auto-parts industry, meanwhile, textiles products
and textile raw material exports rose by 9 % and 6.1 %. Among
exporters' unions, the Union of East Anatolia Exporters showed
the greatest increase for the year to date with exports up 13.9
%. The Aegean Exporters' Union followed East Anatolia with an
11.9 % increase. /Aksam/
[15] TEMIZEL: NO DEVALUATION
There is no need for currency devaluation and the crisis in the
textile sector does not stem from the Value-Added-Tax (VAT) rate,
according to Finance Minister Zekeriya Temizel. Temizel warned
banks not to demand the early repayment of loans over fears of a
crisis that may never materialize and he warned them not to
create risks for others, the Anatolia news agency reports.
Temizel also dismissed calls for the TL to be devalued, in order
to help exporters. "Turkey will maintain the exchange rate
system, which is accepted by all international institutions and
which is the most healthy one".
[16] DEMIREL OPENS SABANCI LYCEES
President Suleyman Demirel officially opened the Beylerbeyi Lycee
which bears the name of Haci Omer Sabanci, a prominent
businessman who died in June of this year. In a brief address,
Demirel stressed that the number of students registered in
classes in primary school in Turkey in 1998 was the same as that
for all of those registered in Germany, Britain and France. He
also thanked the Sabanci family for its contributions to
education. Demirel also opened the Dilek Sabanci Anatolia Trade
Profession Lycee at Kucukbakkalkoy. Earlier in the day, the
President participated in the opening of the Ferit Aysan Modern
Living Primary School which was established by the Modern Living
Support Association (CYDD). He emphasized the importance of
cooperation between the public and private sectors over the
construction of educational facilities. /All papers/
[17] HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
Today is the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. On December 10, 1948, the declaration that begins
with the line, "All humans are born free, dignified and equal in
terms of rights" was approved by a majority in the UN General
Assembly. Many organizations are staging activities on the
occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration.
Apart from the press conference by Hikmet Sami Turk, the majority
of these activities will be held by the Human Rights Association
(IHD), the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TIHV) and Mazlum Der.
/All papers/
[18] DENKTAS MEETS PARTY LEADERS
Rauf Denktas, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC), yesterday received those political party leaders
who had managed to win parliamentary seats in Sunday's general
elections. Denktas is expected to assign Dervis Eroglu, leader of
the National Unity Party (UBP), the task of forming the new
government within the next few days. /Cumhuriyet/
[19] THREE SOLDIERS KILLED
As a result of the clashes between terrorists and security forces
a lieutenant, a policeman and a soldier were killed. Military
sources reported that there were intense clashes between security
forces and terrorists last night in the Erbaa and Tasova
districts of Tokat. It was reported that clashes have been
continuing in the region. /Sabah/
[20] TWO SECURITY OFFICIALS KILLED BY PKK TERRORISTS IN AMASYA
Security forces carrying out an operation in Durucu village, in
Amasya, following a tip-off, entered into armed conflict with
members of the TKP_ML-TIKKO illegal terrorist organization. In
the conflict two of the security forces were killed and two
wounded. Officials noted that operations were going on in the
region while the wounded were taken to hospital. /Aksam/
[21] TURKISH FILMS WEEK IN LONDON
Turkish Films Week was organized in London. The activities of the
week started with a reception in London. Films by Turkish
producers, Umur Turagay, Sunar Aytuna, Yilmaz Arslan are among
the films to be on show in the Rio Cinema in London. /Hurriyet/
[22] "MEVLANA WEEK" STARTS
The ceremonies for the 725th anniversary of the passing away of
Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi, the eminent Turkish Sufi and author of
Mesnevi, one of the most popular works in world history, will be
held between December 10-17 in Konya. During the week, 12
"semah"s will be performed and many other activities will be
presented, including conferences, a book fair, and various
exhibitions on Turkish handicrafts. Mevlana, who lived between
1207-1273, is adored for his philosophy of love and tolerance in
all around the world today. /Turkiye/
[23] S-300 MISSILES TO ARRIVE ON CYPRUS IN THE NEW YEAR
Jane's Defense Weekly published in England, wrote that S-300
missiles purchased from Russia by the Greek Cypriot
Administration would come to the island from the beginning of the
New Year. The news, based on statements by official sources in
the Greek Cypriot Administration, stated that for every month the
missiles stayed in Russia, the Greek Cypriot Administration had
to pay for their storage. It was noted that the Greek Cypriot
Administration leader had no intention of delaying the arrival of
the missiles on the island. /Aksam/
[24] ARTICLE 312
In his column Taha Akyol analyses the government request to bring
onto the agenda the amendment to Article 312 of the Turkish Penal
Code, and says:
"Is there a tacit compromise between the Virtue Party (FP),
Motherland party (ANAP) and Democratic Left Party (DSP)? This
comes to mind because the government asked for the amendment to
Article 312, which would benefit many members of the FP, to be
taken brought onto the agenda. This is of great importance for
the FP, however the Secretary General of FP states that he does
not have any information concerning the matter. He added that
government may have felt the need to take steps towards
democratization. State Minister Hikmet Sami Turk, who is a
respected lawyer and has prepared the democratization package, is
more interested in the content of the package rather than party
interests. He says that they want to change not only the 312th
Article of the Turkish Penal Code, but also the 159th with the
Article concerning torture. He adds that they would also like to
change the Code on the Trial of State Personnel.
This would mean that there will be changes on 'parole conditions'
in favour of the convicts and Esber Yagmurdereli, a journalist
and a writer, will be released. In the new arrangement
constituting a danger to the public will be a condition for
conviction, from 'provoking people by using religion or race' and
this in turn may result in the release of former Istanbul Mayor
Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Crimes of torture and ill-treatment are
re-defined. These are appropriate changes in line with the
principle of expanding freedom of expression". /Milliyet/
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