TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (July 7, 1995)

CONTENTS

  • [01] AZIZ NESIN DIES

  • [02] DEMIREL RETURNS HOME

  • [03] DM 175 MILLION CREDIT FROM BONN

  • [04] THIRTY-FOUR PKK MILITANTS KILLED

  • [05] FRENCH DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY IN ANKARA

  • [06] GEORGIAN DEPUTY MINISTER IN TURKEY

  • [07] REPENTANCE LAW EXPIRES TODAY

  • [08] US TO NEGOTIATE IN NORTHERN IRAQ

  • [09] GREECE AND THE PKK

  • [10] PKK BANK RESERVES IN ATHENS

  • [11] DEV-SOL OFFICE IN HOLLAND

  • [12] PETROL MESSAGE FROM US

  • [13] TURKEY SENDS COMPLAINTS TO NATO AND UN

  • [14] NORTHERN IRAQ OPERATION

  • [15] ATHENS ANGRY WITH FENER ORTHODOX PATRIARCH

  • [16] TURKS IN GERMANY THREATENED AGAIN

  • [17] TOURISM MINISTER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 1995

  • [18] CENTRAL BANK CLAIMS MONETARY VICTORY IN FIRST HALF OF YEAR

  • [19] MINISTER KANTHER CALLS ON KURDS IN GERMANY

  • [20] NASREDDIN HODJA FESTIVAL UNDERWAY

    •

    WITH THE COMPLIMENT OF

    DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION

    TURKISH PRESS REVIEW

    JULY 7, 1995

    Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish

    press this morning.

    [01] AZIZ NESIN DIES

    Aziz Nesin, one of Turkey's greatest writers and a prominent satirist, died late on Wednesday night literally on the job. Nesin died shortly after midnight at the age of 80 in the resort of Cesme where he had been invited to autograph his books for his countless admirers, young and old. A household name for generations of Turks, Nesin wrote at least 70 books many of them satirizing various aspects of Turkey and Turkish life. In his lifetime, Aziz Nesin received countless Turkish and foreign literary awards for his works which have been translated into many languages. /Sabah/

    [02] DEMIREL RETURNS HOME

    President Suleyman Demirel wrapped up a state visit to Bulgaria with an effort to soothe Bulgarian concerns about the existence of a large ethnic Turkish minority while making clear the importance Ankara attaches to their well-being. Before returning home, Demirel paid a visit to the Turkish-dominated village of Kokluce to address a cheering crowd and visited a mosque at nearby Shoumen, northeastern Bulgaria. To cater to Sofia's sensitivities, Demirel thanked Bulgarian President Jelu Jelev and Prime Minister Jan Videnov for the Turks' security and said the official talks had centered on "the mutual trust of the Bulgarian and Turkish peoples and their resolve to live in peace and cooperation". /Cumhuriyet/

    [03] DM 175 MILLION CREDIT FROM BONN

    A DM 175 million-credit agreement has been signed between Turkey and Germany. Within the framework of the Financial Cooperation Agreement, which continues between the two countries, a DM 135 million-credit has been provided for various projects from the budget of the Federal Economic Cooperation and Development Ministry. Meanwhile, besides DM 25 million from previous years, an agreement has been signed for a DM 10 million-credit including Technical Cooperation. /Hurriyet/

    [04] THIRTY-FOUR PKK MILITANTS KILLED

    Thirty-four militants of the PKK terrorist organization have been killed in military operations in the Southeast. The Governorship of the State of Emergency region said that clashes took place between the PKK and security forces in the provinces of Diyarbakir, Hakkari, Bitlis and Sirnak. Three soldiers died in the clashes, two PKK members were captured and two surrendered. /Hurriyet/

    [05] FRENCH DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY IN ANKARA

    Claude Marten, the French Foreign Ministry deputy undersecretary for European affairs, has arrived in Ankara for consultations with Turkish officials, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said yesterday. Akbel said that talks would concentrate on structural relations between Turkey and the EU and bilateral relations between Paris and Ankara. /All papers/

    [06] GEORGIAN DEPUTY MINISTER IN TURKEY

    Demuri Mikadze, deputy Georgian Interior Minister, visited Police General Director Mehmet Agar at his office yesterday, the Anatolia news agency reported. "The two countries' greatest concern in terrorism" Mikadze said, adding that they would cooperate in information sharing and the collection of goods in order to beat this evil. Agar, whom Mikadze invited to Georgia for an official visit, said that one of Turkey's greatest desires was for Georgia to gain more strength in the international arena. He added that Turkey had been quite successful in attempts to eradicate terrorism and that the economic benefits to be gained by this would help both Turkey and its neighbours.

    [07] REPENTANCE LAW EXPIRES TODAY

    The time limit for the Repentance Law ends today. Some 457 terrorists surrendered to authorities this past year to take advantage of the law, which gives immunity from prosecution to those terrorists who give up their weapons and give information to the authorities. A militant named Mustafa, who recently took advantage of the law, called on others to do likewise, "We have been fooled by our leaders, who told us Kurdistan would be established by the end of 1994. Thousands of our friends have died. We were hungry, thirsty and cold. We ate grass for days. Finally, I ran away to the state, which treated me very well. I advise everyone to do the same thing". Meanwhile, a draft bill extending the Repentance Law for two more months has been put forward. /Sabah/

    [08] US TO NEGOTIATE IN NORTHERN IRAQ

    The Washington administration is seeking a way to negotiate a settlement between the Kurdish factions in northern Iraq. The US wants to find a way to end the bickering which often flares up into serious clashes.

    US State Department Head of the Gulf Region Desk, Robert Deutsch yesterday began contacts in Ankara as a prelude to mediating between Kurdish leaders Celal Talabani and Mesud Barzani. Turkey supports the development as a way of making the border between Turkey and Iraq secure.

    A special group is evaluating developments and planning accordingly. The US hopes that continuing dialogue and compromise will lead to a solution. /All papers/

    [09] GREECE AND THE PKK

    Greece has been warned again by the US about its ties with the terrorist PKK organization. Sending a message to the Athens government via its ambassador in Athens, Thomas Niles, the US administration has warned the Greeks that ties with the PKK will only lead to more problems.

    Greece is now caught in two lines of fire: on the one side the US is increasing pressure against Greece -warning Athens of the consequences if the PKK targets US facilities in Greece; and on the other side, the PKK itself has warned Greece of repercussions should Athens abandon its PKK connection. The PKK has extended its thanks to Athens for support so far shown, but has also threatened dire results should Athens try to back off under US and other pressure.

    Greek government officials still claim that the issue is being exaggerated, and that US and claims from other countries contrary to Greek foreign policy. In fact, officials deny that Kurdish parliament-in-exile head Yasar Kaya ever spoke with top level Greek officials in Athens. /All papers/

    [10] PKK BANK RESERVES IN ATHENS

    Although Greek officials claim that the issue of ties with the PKK is being blown up out of proportion, Turkish secret services say that they have proved that the PKK has bank accounts in Athens. Turkish undercover groups have again confirmed that the PKK has been using the Lavrion Camp, just 70 kms to the south of Athens.

    According to the statements of PKK suspects, Greece has been involved in some aspects of PKK activity, and has certainly provided training expertise.

    Greek involvement with the PKK has led to a report on the situation in the latest Amnesty International review of world terror and human rights abuses in countries around the world. /All papers/

    [11] DEV-SOL OFFICE IN HOLLAND

    Only a short time ago, relations between Turkey and Holland were more than chilly over issues stemming from the opening of the Kurdish parliament-in-exile in the Hague with Dutch government permission.

    Now the political arm of the extremist Dev-Sol group has opened an information office in Amsterdam. The official opening will be on this coming Sunday. An unamed Dev-sol representative spoke recently on Dutch TV.

    Turkey has already initiated moves to increase diplomatic pressure against the Dutch government to have the Dev-Sol blocked. Turkish officials warn too, that tension between Turkey and Holland could arise again if the Dev-Sol is allowed to go ahead. /Milliyet/

    [12] PETROL MESSAGE FROM US

    The US has been sending out messages to Ankara about the Azeri petrol project in which Ankara is seeking to secure a significent share.

    Although the US has not sided completely with Turkish suggestions on the route that petrol pipelines should take, there has been a shift towards more support. Russia wants a share in the pipeline routing, but the US is tending more towards Turkey's ideas in some vital areas. /Milliyet/

    [13] TURKEY SENDS COMPLAINTS TO NATO AND UN

    Ankara has begun to increase pressure against Athens and its connections with the PKK terror organization by sending details of the Greek connection to the UN and NATO.

    Ankara has prepared a comprehensive dossier on the Greek-PKK affiliation that proves beyond doubt that Greece has ties with the PKK despite its claims to the contrary. Other international organizations will also be informed about Greek dabbling in terrorism. /Cumhuriyet/

    [14] NORTHERN IRAQ OPERATION

    The Turkish Armed Forces have carried out another operation in northern Iraq to prevent Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attacks. A special team started operations in northern Iraq on 4 July immediately after five Turkish soldiers were killed by terrorists.

    According to statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, operations in northern Iraq will continue unless the political parties in the region meet their responsibilities. Military officials have also stressed that the utmost care has been taken to prevent harm to civilians. /Cumhuriyet-Hurriyet/

    [15] ATHENS ANGRY WITH FENER ORTHODOX PATRIARCH

    Athens is angry with the Fener Orthodox Patriarch because of his three-day visit to the Vatican, with positive initiatives for Turkey's European Union membership. During his Vatican visit, the Patriarch gave speeches with the message that Europe could not be without Turkey. His speeches have been criticized by Greek parliamentarians. The Patriarch has been accussed of ignoring human rights violations in Turkey and Cyprus by Greek PASOK parliamentarians. /Hurriyet/

    [16] TURKS IN GERMANY THREATENED AGAIN

    A Turkish grocery in Berlin and the Turkish Association offices in Hessen were attacked yesterday. According to the Berlin police, one person was seen in front of the grocery carrying a can of petrol and soon after the shop was in flames. In the other incident, two Molotov cocktails were thrown into the Turkish Association building. They did not explode and the only damage was a broken window. No one has been arrested in connection with the attacks. /Cumhuriyet/

    [17] TOURISM MINISTER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 1995

    Irfan Gurpinar, Tourism Minister, flew to the German city of Frankfurt on a four-day official visit, the Anatolia news agency reported. At a press conference before his departure, Gurpinar said that the number of tourists to visit Turkey in 1995 had already exceeded estimates, and added that because of efficient security measures taken, good news was arriving from touristic regions throughout the country. Gurpinar noted that meetings with tourism operators, travel agencies and other related associations had been organized. He concluded by mentioning that the 1995 Congress of World Travel Agencies Unions would be held in Turkey, which will draw more attention and interest towards Turkey.

    [18] CENTRAL BANK CLAIMS MONETARY VICTORY IN FIRST HALF OF YEAR

    The Central Bank (CB) yesterday claimed absolute victory in monetary management in the first half of the current year. It said in a detailed half-year report that all monetary targets specified in a letter of intent to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had been achieved. The bank said its foreign currency reserves and gold reserves on June 30 were $13.458 billion and $1.452 billion respectively. Foreign currency reserves almost doubled from $7.109 billion at the end of 1994, it emphasized. Short-term advances to the Treasury stood at TL 41 trillion, below the original program target of TL 49.5 trillion for all of 1995. But monetary experts said the bank was unlikely to achieve the annual target. The bank made foreign debt repayments worth $4.796 billion during the first half. It reported outstanding reserve repo transactions of TL 113.5 trillion in the January-June period. It also authorized 12 brokers to arrange open market operations. /Milliyet/

    [19] MINISTER KANTHER CALLS ON KURDS IN GERMANY

    German Interior Minister Manfred Kanther called on ethnic Kurds in Germany to stay away from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which he called a violent terrorist organization. Kanther was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as saying that more than 500,000 ethnic Kurds lived in Germany. He said that the PKK destroyed peace and stability in Germany.

    [20] NASREDDIN HODJA FESTIVAL UNDERWAY

    The 36th Nasreddin Hodja Festival, which has been an international event for 22 years, is continuing in Konya's Aksehir district, the Anatolia news agency reported. There are exhibitions of photographs and caricatures from previous competitions and performers from Ankara's Ekin Theater are to stage plays. The festival will end on July 10.

    END

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