TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review

CONTENTS

  • [01] DEMIREL CALLS FOR PRE-EU INTEGRATION WITH BULGARIA

  • [02] CILLER TO OPEN BANK IN BAKU, SIGN AGREEMENT WITH UZBEKISTAN

  • [03] DEMIREL-CLINTON APPOINTMENT

  • [04] TURKEY PLEASED ABOUT EXTENSION OF CEASE-FIRE IN N.IRAQ

  • [05] PKK-GREEK LINK

  • [06] "CHILDREN OF CHERNOBYL" TO VISIT TURKEY

  • [07] 102.4 KILOGRAMS OF DRUGS SEIZED IN FOUR YEARS

  • [08] TURKEY, GEORGIA DISCUSS COOPERATION TO FIGHT DRUG TRAFFICKING

  • [09] TWENTY-NINE MILITANTS KILLED, EIGHT CAPTURED

  • [10] PRESS AND INFORMATION OFFICE OPENS IN ANTALYA

  • [11] UNDERLYING TURKEY-GREEK FRIENDSHIP

  • [12] EXPORTS REACH TEN BILLION DOLLARS

  • [13] US FEARS A SPLIT WITH THE WEST

  • [14] TURKEY STANDS SURROUNDED

    •

    WITH THE COMPLIMENT OF

    DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION

    TURKISH PRESS REVIEW

    JULY 6, 1995

    Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish

    press this morning.

    [01] DEMIREL CALLS FOR PRE-EU INTEGRATION WITH BULGARIA

    President Suleyman Demirel yesterday formalized his call to Bulgaria to "eliminate the border between the two countries". "Aren't we both going to be members of the European Union?" asked Demirel at a press conference at the Boyana Palace in Sofia yesterday after he issued a call for a free-trade agreement during his address to the Bulgarian Parliament. Demirel said he had also made the proposal involving the free circulation of goods, people, capital and labour at the officials talks he held Tuesday with his Bulgarian counterpart Jelu Jelev.

    On the second day of his current state visit, Demirel also met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Jan Videnov as well as representatives of the Turkish business community in Sofia.

    Demirel told the press conference that Turkey wanted nothing more than to see ethnic Turks enjoying the same rights and privileges as Bulgarians. During his meeting with the Turkish minority representatives, Demirel said that they wanted him to lift visa restrictions, make possible the integration of divided families and increase investments by Turkish businessmen.

    In his address to the Bulgarian parliamentarians, Demirel took up the issues of PKK terrorism, Turkish-origin Bulgarian citizens, regional problems and economic cooperation. Pointing out that Turkey had become a target for separatist terrorism, Demirel expressed his pleasure over Bulgarian cooperation on this issue. Demirel said: "We expect this attitude from all our neighbours. Those who support terrorism for their own interests, should take into consideration that terrorism will crush them one day".

    "There is no problem with Greece that we have caused. If you support a murder squad which disturbs Turkey very much and acts against Turkey in every issue, then it is very natural for us to express our displeasure" he added. Demirel is due to visit a mosque near Shoumen and meet with the people of the town, which is dominated by Turks before returning to Turkey today. /Milliyet-Hurriyet/

    [02] CILLER TO OPEN BANK IN BAKU, SIGN AGREEMENT WITH UZBEKISTAN

    Prime Minister Tansu Ciller will open a joint Azeri-Turkish bank in Baku and sign a draft framework agreement with Uzbekistan when she visits the two former Soviet republics next week, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday. Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel told a weekly press briefing that the Baku-based Azerturk bank will be owned equally by Turkey's Ziraat Bankasi and Azerbaijan's Agrarbank. The joint bank will have an initial capital of $1 billion. Ciller will arrive in Baku next Monday following a two-day visit to Uzbekistan where she will sign a memorandum of understanding with Uzbek President Islam Kerimov. The memorandum, when approved by the parliaments of both countries, will become a framework treaty to form a basis for future agreements.

    [03] DEMIREL-CLINTON APPOINTMENT

    President Suleyman Demirel who will go to New York in October to attend the United Nations general council has also expressed his wish to meet with US President Bill Clinton at the same time. The request has been approved in principle, and a protocol has been signed. The date and time of the visit will be decided soon. Prime Minister Tansu Ciller, who will visit the US in September, has apparently found it more difficult this time to fix an appointment in the White House with Clinton. Recalling that Ciller met with Clinton two months ago at the White House and that the Turkish President would also visit White House, some circles close to the US government said: "Holding talks both with the President and the Prime Minister of the same country within a one month interval is not consistent with the policy of the White House." /Hurriyet/

    [04] TURKEY PLEASED ABOUT EXTENSION OF CEASE-FIRE IN N.IRAQ

    Ankara yesterday voiced its pleasure over the extension of the cease-fire between the two rival Kurdish groups in northern Iraq. "We welcome all positive developemnts which serve to create a secure environment in northern Iraq" Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said at his press conference. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Mesut Barzani, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Jalal Talabani, decided to extend their cease-fire by one more month at the end of talks held in Tehran last weekend. /Milliyet/

    [05] PKK-GREEK LINK

    As Athens rejected Prime Minister Tansu Ciller's remarks that Athens backed the PKK separatist organization, Ankara declared that it would pursue the matter and raise it with various international organizations and governments. "The backing of terrorism by a NATO country is a serious matter. Turkey will continue to pursue it" Foreign Ministry Omer Akbel said at yesterday's weekly conference. Akbel said that Turkey had raised the issue of "Greek support to the outlawed terrorist organization" with various "interested international institutions and governments" but he refrained from naming them. A file, which contained photographs, documents and information on Greek support to the PKK, had been submitted he said. Noting that necessary initiatives have been made also under the auspices of the Greek Embassy in Ankara, Akbel indicated that Greek authorities should make an explanation over this matter. /Hurriyet-Sabah/

    [06] "CHILDREN OF CHERNOBYL" TO VISIT TURKEY

    A group of children, victims of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, will visit Turkey as the guests of the Red Crescent on August 29 to have medical treatment and a holiday in Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.

    [07] 102.4 KILOGRAMS OF DRUGS SEIZED IN FOUR YEARS

    Officials from the Police General Directorate in Ankara said 102.42 kilograms of drugs had been confiscated over the last four years, with hashish accounting for 63.78 kilograms of the total, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Officials added that 32.890 kilograms of cocain, 5.59 kilograms of heroin and 157 kilograms of morphine were part of the total haul confiscated by police forces. Officials added that drug smugglers were supplying raw materials, such as plants, from Eastern countries and chemicals from Western countries, the agency reported.

    [08] TURKEY, GEORGIA DISCUSS COOPERATION TO FIGHT DRUG TRAFFICKING

    Georgian Deputy Interior Minister, Demuri Mikadze, arrived in Ankara yesterday for talks with Turkish security officials on cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking. President Suleyman Demirel and his Georgian counterpart Eduard Shevardnadze agreed during recent talks to boost cooperation against smuggling of goods between the two countries, particularly drug trafficking. Turkish and Georgian security officials will now discuss practical measures in Ankara, the Anatolia news agency reported.

    [09] TWENTY-NINE MILITANTS KILLED, EIGHT CAPTURED

    Security forces have killed 29 militants of the PKK terrorist organization near the Iraqi border and eight militants have been captured in military operations. Officials from the State of Emergency region said that eighteen militants had been killed in Hakkari's Cukurca district -in the Hisar and Guven mountains. One security official died and five wounded during the clashes. Eight militants -one female- were killed in Hakkari's Semdinli district and three in Hakkari's Cukurca district, and weapons were confiscated. Eight militants were captured during military operations in Bitlis, Elazig, Tunceli, Mus and Siirt. Fifteen bazookas, 13 mines, 56 hand grenades and ammunition were confiscated during operations near the Iraqi border in Hakkari. /Hurriyet/

    [10] PRESS AND INFORMATION OFFICE OPENS IN ANTALYA

    Antalya Regional Information Office of the Prime Ministry's Press and Information General Directorate has opened for business. The office, which contains every kind of communications equipment, will, as well as serving local press organizations, deal with all the requests of foreign press representatives visiting Antalya during the summer months. The press office will be headed by Meric Ates, formerly editor-in-chief of Newspot magazine.

    [11] UNDERLYING TURKEY-GREEK FRIENDSHIP

    According to the chairman of the Turkey-Greece Friendship Association, architect Cengiz Bektas, there is no emnity between the peoples of Turkey and Greece.

    Commenting on the current tension between Greece and Turkey, Bektas noted yesterday that Greek phobias about Turkey were mainly in the minds of the political leaders, not the man in the street.

    Bektas said that much of the trouble stemmed from the desire of politicians to collect points and enlarge themselves in the eyes of the public often at the cost of creating massive domestic and foreign problems. Bektas added however, that Greek connections with the PKK terrorist leaders was a real obstacle to improving relations between the two countries. /Cumhuriyet/

    [12] EXPORTS REACH TEN BILLION DOLLARS

    During the first six months of this year, the export sector reached new highs with exports worth ten billion 484 million dollars.

    Foreign Trade Secretary Nejat Eren noted yesterday that this was a thirty percent increase over the same period last year. Looking ahead optimistically, Eren said that next year exports will up at the 20 billion dollar level. /Milliyet/

    [13] US FEARS A SPLIT WITH THE WEST

    Reports from Washington suggest that the US administration fears that Turkey could split away from the west. Noting that if Turkey does not make the changes needed to get into the customs union with the EU, this could lead to severing ties with the western countries.

    US administration officials have expressed the thought that democratic reforms to the extent needed to get into customs union could be beyond Turkey's present capacity. Based on reports from US ambassadors in Europe, officials in Washington are already looking at different situations that could arise stemming from Turkey's inability to cross the threshold into the European Union. /Hurriyet/

    [14] TURKEY STANDS SURROUNDED

    Using the PKK terror card, Iran, Iraq, Greece and Syria are all playing a dangerous game with Turkey which now stands at the centre of a region where new risks and threats appear daily.

    Turkey now stands surrounded by threats from all sides including the Balkans. Threats include terrorism, moves to block Turkey's interests in petrol and natural gas development projects, the Aegean and other areas where Turkey is involved. /Cumhuriyet/

    END

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