TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review
CONTENTS
[01] CILLER SPEAKS OPENLY TO GREECE
[02] NEW TIES WITH BULGARIA
[03] GURPINAR GOES TO GERMANY
[04] IBCA IS TO COME TO TURKEY
[05] SECOND TOUR FOR THE CONSTITUTION
[06] CILLER GOES TO BAKU
[07] TURKS WANT SECURITY IN THE HAGUE
[08] US INDEPENDENCE DAY
[09] CAPAN RETURNS FROM ARMENIA
[10] FOURTEEN MILITANTS AND THREE SOLDIERS KILLED
[11] YILMAZ TO MEET GERMAN PARLIAMENT MEMBERS
[12] BORDER GATE TO BE OPENED BETWEEN TURKEY AND GEORGIA
[13] OYMEN RETURNS FROM THE TRNC
[14] TURKISH PROSECUTOR IN GERMANY
[15] HISTORICAL MOSQUE DOORS COME TO LIGHT IN LONDON
[16] GERMANS LIVE IN HARMONY WITH THE TURKS
[17] TURKEY: CHEAP HOLIDAY PARADISE
[18] WASHINGTON WARNS ATHENS
[19] ANOTHER CHANCE FOR TERRORISTS
[20] AZERI OIL PROPOSALS UNDER DISCUSSION
WITH THE COMPLIMENT OF
DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
JULY 5, 1995
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish
press this morning.
[01] CILLER SPEAKS OPENLY TO GREECE
In another round of sabre clashing between Turkey and
Greece, Prime Minister Ciller yesterday said very clearly
that Greece should indeed be afraid of Turkish animosity.
Laying her cards on the table, Ciller again denounced Greek
support for the PKK terrorist organization, and drew
attention to the way history had recorded the Turkish
response to those who wished to challenge Turkey.
Issues between Turkey and Greece are increasing and getting
deeper, with tensions running high. Turkey is resisting
Greek efforts to increase its coastal limits in the Aegean
Sea to twelve miles. Then there is the Cyprus issue,
problems in the Balkans and Greek opposition to Turkey's
membership in the European Union.
Deputy Prime Minister Hikmet Cetin also said yesterday that
Turkey has warned right from the beginning that Turkey will
not tolerate the kind of things that Greece is doing now by
supporting the PKK and moves to create division in Turkey.
Prime Minister Ciller's tough response to the Greek
challenge is notable in her comment that dishonour was bad
enough in the individual, but that a dishonourable
government was far worse. Ciller also said that the
blinkered Athens government need to wake up to the realities
the situation. Although Ciller's comments to the Greek
government have been described as "hard", her call to the
Greek people underlined that the people of Greece and Turkey
were of the same mould-enjoying the same things without the
taint of enmity. Ciller noted however that the Greek people
had certain responsibilities they had to meet.
/Hurriyet-Cumhuriyet/
[02] NEW TIES WITH BULGARIA
President Suleyman Demirel is currently making an official
visit to Bulgaria, where he has already met with Bulgarian
President Jelu Jelev. Demirel noted yesterday that the
Turks living in Bulgaria were in effect, a bridge of
friendship between the two countries.
During his three day visit, Demirel wants to improve ties
between Turkey and Bulgaria and replace the former days of
tension with new ties of good intent and good
neighbourliness. /Sabah-Cumhuriyet/
[03] GURPINAR GOES TO GERMANY
Tourism Minister Irfan Gurpinar will go to Germany tomorrow
as the guest of the Turkish Research Centre. Gurpinar will
meet with German deputies, high-level bureaucrats,
Turkish-German toruism representatives, tour operators and
Turkish-German press members in Essen. Gurpinar will return
to Turkey on July 9. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] IBCA IS TO COME TO TURKEY
Following the Duff and Phelps, British rating agency IBCA
officially stated that it would increase Turkey's rating.
An IBCA delegation will arrive in Turkey on July 24. Rating
Director, Christopher Huhne, who came to Turkey before the
IBCA delegation, said: "We consider your economic
performance very high. Therefore, we will increase your
credit note". /Milliyet/
[05] SECOND TOUR FOR THE CONSTITUTION
The second tour of the meetings for the constitutional
changes in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA)
General Council will start today. At the meetings, only
change proposals will be discussed and voted on. Secret
votes will be cast again for all the articles which were
approved or not approved at the first meeting. 270 "yes"
votes are necessary for approval. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] CILLER GOES TO BAKU
Prime Minister Tansu Ciller will go to Azerbaijan on July
10-12. According to a written statement by the Foreign
Ministry, Ciller will meet with Azeri President Haydar
Aliyev and other top level officials. At the meetings,
strengthening of bilateral relations, regional development
and international issues will be taken up. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] TURKS WANT SECURITY IN THE HAGUE
The Turkish public, which wants The Hague to be more secure,
has started a signature campaign. On the first day of the
campaign initiated by the Azeri Culture Association, 5,000
signatures were collected among the Turks. Committee
officials, who noted that the signatures would be presented
to The Hague, recalled that in March 1995, Haydar Aydin and
two weeks ago, a 7 year-old Turkish girl, Kumral Bagci, were
killed by unknown assailants and pointed out that security
measures were insufficient in the city. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] US INDEPENDENCE DAY
In a congratulatory message to US President Bill Clinton on
the 219th anniversary of the US Independence Day, Prime
Minister Tansu Ciller said that the US has led in
"transformation and dynamism" for the last two centuries.
In his message to Clinton, President Suleyman Demirel said:
"Turkey and the US have enjoyed excellent relations for many
years and have confronted important threats to peace and
security together. I believe our relationship, based on
common values and democratic ideals, will continue to
develop and that our common struggle will help peace and
stability reign in our region and beyond. Thus, I extend my
heartfelt wishes to Your Excellency and to the Amarican
nation that your happiness and prosperity may continue".
Meanwhile, the orchestra at a reception held at the
residence of the US Ambassador to Ankara, Marc Grossman was
led by the Turkish Navy Forces' Band. /Cumhuriyet-Hurriyet/
[09] CAPAN RETURNS FROM ARMENIA
Istanbul-Esenyurt Mayor Gurbuz Capan, who went to Armenia as
the guest of the Yerevan Mayor a while ago, said that he
aimed at better ties between the two nations with this
visit. /Sabah/
[10] FOURTEEN MILITANTS AND THREE SOLDIERS KILLED
Three soldiers and fourteen militants of the PKK terrorist
organization were killed in action during military
operations yesterday. Eleven militants were captured and
four surrendered. Nine militants were killed in Hakkari's
Semdinli district; four in Diyarbakir's Silvan district and
one in Mardin's Nusaybin district, officials reported.
Three militants in Sirnak and one in the Bitlis Tatvan
district surrendered to authorities. Eleven militants were
captured in the Mazgirt district of Mus and two automatic
guns and many documents were confiscated. /Sabah/
[11] YILMAZ TO MEET GERMAN PARLIAMENT MEMBERS
Mesut Yilmaz, the chairman of the opposition Motherland
Party (ANAP), received Werner Langen, the chairman of
Turkish-German Friendship Group in the European Parliament,
and his delegation, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Langen said that for the Parliament to change the
Constitution unanimously was a very important step towards
Turkey becoming democratic. He added that they wanted
Turkey to enter the EU but that Turkey still needed time to
make some adjustments. Yilmaz, in reply, said that Turkey
had been given the right to enter Europe as a result of the
treaty it signed 32 years ago and that Europe was
procrastinating because they believed that accepting Turkey
into the EU and customs union would endanger its own
economy.
[12] BORDER GATE TO BE OPENED BETWEEN TURKEY AND GEORGIA
The border gate of Ardahan-Posof Turkozu between Turkey and
Georgia will be opened on July 31, the Anatolia news agency
reported yesterday. Kutluay Oktem, Governor of Ardahan,
said that the opening of the border gate will enhance
economic and cultural relations between Turkey and Georgia.
Oktem added that the second border gate in the Cildir-Aktas
region also will be opened soon, the agency reported.
[13] OYMEN RETURNS FROM THE TRNC
Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Onur Oymen, wrapping up a
three- day visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC), assured the Turkish Cypriots that the realization of
the Turco- European customs union would not affect bilateral
ties. "Turkey's relations with the EU are independent of
the Cyprus issue" Oymen said in a press conference before he
returned to Ankara.
[14] TURKISH PROSECUTOR IN GERMANY
Mehmet Gurcan Daimaguler, one of the five children of the
Daimaguler family that moved to Germany years ago, has
become the first and only Turkish prosecutor in Germany.
Daimaguler, with both Turkish and German citizenship, is
employed also as an Aliens Policy Adviser. He has studied
law in Germany with further studies in Switzerland and the
U.S.
Daimaguler, in Antalya for a working visit together with a
group of German parliamentarians, said that the lifting of
article 8 of the Turkish Constitution was being widely
discussed in Europe, and added that to calm the discussions,
Turkey should make at least some amendments with regard to
this article, if not remove it entirely. /Hurriyet/
[15] HISTORICAL MOSQUE DOORS COME TO LIGHT IN LONDON
The doors of a mosque constructed in Birge Odemis in 1332
were stollen in 1993. These 663 year-old doors came to
light at Christies' auction in London. Turkey has
undertaken legal steps to get the doors back. The police
have established that some officials collaborated with
smugglers to get the doors out of Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/
[16] GERMANS LIVE IN HARMONY WITH THE TURKS
German President Roman Herzog said that the German people
are pleased to live together with the Turks. During the
discussions when Turkish Ambassador to Bonn presented his
credentials to German President Herzog, the president said
that the Turks living in Germany contributed greatly to the
country's economy and the two peoples lived in harmony.
Ambassador Vural, in his turn, said that the Turks living in
Germany worked selflessly, and it was a pleasure to hear the
words of praise from the German President. There was the
mutual will to overcome any problems that could arise from
time to time. /Hurriyet/
[17] TURKEY: CHEAP HOLIDAY PARADISE
The German and British press is full of praise Turkish
tourism and stresses that Turkey is a cheap and safe tourism
country. It has been frequently pointed out that Turkey
provides the cheapest holiday services among the
Mediterranean countries. According to a survey conducted by
the "Thomas Cook" tourism agency, Turkey is much cheaper
than Tunisia, Israel, Spain, Greece, Malta, and France and
has superior quality touristic facilities. The British
"Daily Telegraph" newspaper said that there was a 60 %
increase over 1994 in the number of British tourists
visiting Turkey in 1995. The newspaper also noted Turkey's
determined struggle against terrorism. The German
"Reiseburo Nachricten" tourism magazine stated that Turkey
had left Greece behind in tourism. It pointed out that 1.5
million German tourists were expected to visit Turkey in
1995. Turkey's improvement in environment care and tourism
was also stressed in the magazine. The Netherlands Travel
Agencies' Union (ANVR) disclosed that Dutch tourists prefer
Turkey, Israel, Cyprus and Malta instead of Greece, Spain,
and Tunisia for their holidays. /Milliyet-Sabah/
[18] WASHINGTON WARNS ATHENS
Following Ankara's complaints to Washington about Greek
parliamentarians meeting with Abdullah Ocalan in the Bekaa
Valley, and Yasar Kaya's Athens visit, the US has warned
Greece that recent incidents could increase tension between
the two countries. According to US sources, America did not
approve of the meeting between the Greek parliamentarians
and Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK) which has been declared a terrorist organization by
the US. A source from the US State Department pointed out
that America has been very careful to prevent a new crisis
between Turkey and Greece until the vote of the European
Parliament on Turkey's customs union membership. After
Washington, Turkey will start to pressure Athens through the
European Parliament (EP) member countries. Ankara has sent
photographs of the Greek parliamentarians with Abdullah
Ocalan to EP capitals. Turkey has also sent photographs
that prove "Athens-terrorism" connections not only to
Washington and European Parliament member countries, but
also to Athens. /Hurriyet/
[19] ANOTHER CHANCE FOR TERRORISTS
An extension of the Repentance Law, designed to encourage
PKK and illegal organization militants to surrender to the
Turkish authorities is on the agenda. Work has been started
in order to extend the law beginning from 7 July following
the surrender of 55 PKK, 2 TIKKO and 3 DHKP militants. The
Interior Ministry has applied to the Chief-of-Staff
regarding this issue. The same sources have stressed that
military and police units support the extension. In her
speech yesterday at the True Path Party (DYP) Assembly
Group, Prime Minister Tansu Ciller made another call to PKK
militants to hand themselves over to the authorities.
Stressing that 1,300 young militants had surrendered to
date, Ciller said: "Our aim is to gain these young people."
/Hurriyet/
[20] AZERI OIL PROPOSALS UNDER DISCUSSION
Two new improvements strengthening the possibility of
preferring the Turkey route instead of the Russian proposal
for transporting the first production of Azeri oil are being
discussed in Washington today. These connected improvements
are the Ankara government's moves towards taking on the
financing of the oil pipeline and the decision of the Azeri
government regarding the use of the Baku-Tbilisi natural gas
pipeline in the project. The "oil" delegation including
Professor Emre Gonensay, Chief Adviser to the Prime
Ministry, Necdet Pamir, Turkish Petroleum Company (TPAO)
deputy general director and Aydin Karaors from the Treasury
Undersecretariat, will hold their first meeting with Bill
White, US deputy from the Department of Energy. The
technical and financial advantages of the Baku-Tbilisi-
Ceyhan route will be considered in relation to the first
production pipeline. Oil extraction of between 80,000 and
100,000 barrels by the end of 1997 has been targeted.
Confirming the political determination about this issue
through Prime Minister Tansu Ciller's letter to US President
Clinton and giving an oil purchasing guarantee, the Ankara
government will call for new financing for constructing the
pipelines. The Azeri gesture supporting this decision in
favour of Turkey will be put on the agenda. The Baku
government has since stated that it would permit the use of
the present gas pipeline going through Tbilisi. Previously
Baku did not approve this aspect of the project. Stating
that economic advantages would be discussed more than
political advantages in the US meetings, specialists said
that Turkey would detail the comparative superiority of the
southern route and the cost of the project. Cost is being
estimated according to figures, still unconfirmed, that the
financing, which Turkey was ready to guarantee, would stay
at around $100 million. This figure is being considered as
"a total which could be spent also for regional support" by
Turkish diplomats. The Turkish delegation will make their
second contact with Rita Rodriguez, the Eximbank director.
The delegation will seek support for the financing of the
pipeline especially of the section between Turkey and
Tbilisi both in this meeting and in the meeting which will
be held with the representatives of the US International
Private Investment Company (OPIC). The choice regarding
routes will be announced in October. /Milliyet/
END
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