TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (July 18, 1995)

From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)

Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (July 18, 1995)

CONTENTS

  • [01] BOUTROS-GHALI POSTPONES HIS TURKEY VISIT

  • [02] TURKEY REITERATES CALL FOR A MILITARY MOVE AGAINST SERBS

  • [03] TANSU CILLER TOURS FLOOD-HIT SENIRKENT AS TOLL CLIMBS TO 60

  • [04] TURKS INJURED IN GERMAN HOUSE FIRE

  • [05] EURO-MP IN ANKARA

  • [06] PM CILLER CALLS ON WOMEN TO PUSH FOR PEACE IN BOSNIA

  • [07] FEISSEL IN ANKARA

  • [08] NEW GREEK CLAIMS AGAINST TURKSY

  • [09] UNKNOWN ASSAILANTS BEAT UP TURKISH JOURNALIST IN AUSTRALIA

  • [10] 14 PKK MILITANTS KILLED

  • [11] IHD IS NINE YEARS OLD

  • [12] HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY COURSES OBLIGATORY IN SCHOOLS

  • [13] CHIRAC SHOCKS THE GREEKS

  • [14] BIG MILITARY INVESTMENT

  • [15] TURKISH UNITS COULD BE WITHDRAWN

  • [16] DEV-SOL HIT SQUAD IN PRISON ESCAPE

  • [17] UKRAINE PLANS TO WRECK TURCO-RUSSIAN TIES

  • [18] COOPERATION WITH GERMANY AGAINST PKK

  • [19] NATO SLAP FOR RUSSIANS

  • [20] HERALD TRIBUNE PRAISES IMKB

  • [21] FRIENDSHIP BANQUET FOR GREEKS

  • [22] FREEDOM OF THOUGHT

    •

    WITH THE COMPLIMENT OF

    DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION

    TURKISH PRESS REVIEW

    JULY 18, 1995

    Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish

    press this morning.

    [01] BOUTROS-GHALI POSTPONES HIS TURKEY VISIT

    U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Ghali has postponed his planned visit to Turkey following political and media reactions to his trip which would have come at a critical time in the Bosnia crisis. The Foreign Ministry declared that the U.N. secretary-general had postponed his visit on the grounds that he would not be able to leave Geneva given the present situation in Bosnia. Foreign Ministry dpeuty spokesman Nurettin Nurkan said on Monday that the visit would go ahead at a later unspecified date, Boutros Ghali was to have met President Suleyman Demirel and Prime Minister Tansu Ciller in Ankara and then spent two days in Istanbul to discuss a planned U.N. conference, HABITAT-II, which aims to discuss human settlement. Despite a wave of protests at the visit, Nurkan explained that the request for a postponement had not come from Ankara. Boutros Ghali's visit to Turkey stirred up massive reaction among the Turkish public. /All Papers/

    [02] TURKEY REITERATES CALL FOR A MILITARY MOVE AGAINST SERBS

    Turkey said on Monday that the international community should take military action against the Bosnian serbs who have occupied one U.N.-designated "safe haven" and are attacking another in eastern Bosnia. "Concrete military steps should be taken against the Serbs who grossly violate human rights; and the U.N. protection force in Bosnia should be strengthened," Nurettin Nurkan, the Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman told reporters. Nurkan also reiterated Turkey's call for an urgent foreign ministerial meeting of NATO-member countries to discuss concrete measures for Bosnia. In previous statements Turkey strongly denounced the Serb occupation of the U.N. "safe haven" of Srebrenica and the killing and rape of Bosnian Muslims by Serb aggressors. Ankara has also urged the protection of Zepa, another U.N. safe haven, which has been under relentless Serbian attack over the last three days.

    [03] TANSU CILLER TOURS FLOOD-HIT SENIRKENT AS TOLL CLIMBS TO 60

    While touring this southern township on Monday Prime Minister Tansu Ciller pledged that every effort would be made to ease the suffering of the vistims of the major flood disaster which struck the town last Thursday night. The death toll from the disaster has climbed to 60, officials said, while over a dozen people are still reported missing. Ciller, accompanied by Hikmet Cetin, the deputy prime minister and the chairman of the coalition-partner Republican People's Party (CHP), as well as the interior and health ministers, promised that all the destroyed and damaged houses would be rebuilt before winter. She said the government would likewise help rebuild damaged shops and other facilities. /All Papers/

    [04] TURKS INJURED IN GERMAN HOUSE FIRE

    Twenty people, mostly Turks, were injured on Monday in a fire at their four-storey block in the western German town of Remscheid, but investigators said an arson attack appeared unlikely. A spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the details of the incident were still unclear, but Ankara periodically cautioned Germany about racist attacks on Turks. "We are watching developments and waiting for details on the case" he said. /All Papers/

    [05] EURO-MP IN ANKARA

    Euro-MP Jean-Claude Pasty, the first visitor in a frenzy of intensified visits between Turkey and the European Parliament (EP), started his official contacts in Ankara on Monday. Pasty, who is the chairman of the third largest party group, Democratic Alliance, said that he aimed to obtain information about the proposed constitutional amendments in Turkey. He said that he hoped the suspended ties between the EP and Turkey would resume in the near future. "Turkey's constitutional amendments will have a positive effect on Turkey's integration with the European Union", Pasty said during his meeting with Parliament Speaker Husamettin Cindoruk. Cindoruk, for his part, stressed that whether or not the European Parliament ratified a customs union accord with Turkey, Turkey would consider itself a European country. Pasty also met with Prime Minister Tansu Ciller on Monday morning. /All Papers/

    [06] PM CILLER CALLS ON WOMEN TO PUSH FOR PEACE IN BOSNIA

    Prime Minister Tansu Ciller on Monday called on women to apply pressure for peace in Bosnia during her speech to the "Eurasian Women's Cooperation Congress" organized by the General Directorate of Women's Status and Problems in cooperation with the Turkish International Cooperation Agency (TIKA), the Anatolia news agency reported. Addressing the congress, PM Ciller said that women of Eurasia had a responsibility to help in achieving peace not only in Bosnia but in other areas of conflict as well. "Everyone in the region should be backing human rights in Bosnia. Women have a special responsibility and we call on them to push for peace in the region" Ciller said. Ciller pointed out that without women's participation in 'decision making' and every other sphere of life, neither democracy nor human rights could be fully realized. Aysel Baykal, the state minister responsible for Women and Family Affairs, said in her speech that women were the main victims of war and poverty all over the world. At the end of the three-day congress a joint resolution will be produced for presentation to the upcoming Beijing Conference. /All Papers/

    [07] FEISSEL IN ANKARA

    Gustav Feissel, U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Ghali's special envoy in Cyprus, arrived in Ankara on Sunday night, the Anatolia news agency reported on Monday. Feissel is expected to discuss the latest developments in Cyprus with Turkish Foreign Ministry officials.

    [08] NEW GREEK CLAIMS AGAINST TURKSY

    Greek President Kostis Stefanopulos said on Monday during his visit to the Dodecanese Islands, which are just off the Turkish coast, that Turkey, Macedonia, and Albania all "disturbed" Greece, the Anatolia news agency reported. Accusing Turkey of violating international law and human rights, the Greek President Said: "Turkey should not strike any blow at Greece's national rights or try to obtain the Greek islands." He said the islands have rights stemming from territorial water limits as well as a continental shelf. President Demirel's recent agreement with Macedonia was actually made against Greece, the Greek daily Katimerini wrote and added that improved Greek-Albanian relations, Serbian military superiority in Bosnia, and the new Socialist government in Bulgaria were all obstacles to Turkish influence in the region.

    [09] UNKNOWN ASSAILANTS BEAT UP TURKISH JOURNALIST IN AUSTRALIA

    The chief editor of the Turkish Report, the highest-circulation newspaper published for the Turkish community in Australia, was severely beaten up in his office in an overnight attack by masked assailants in Melbourne, the Anatolia news agency said. The agency quoted police officials as saying that "organizations opposed to the newspaper" could be responsible for the attack.

    [10] 14 PKK MILITANTS KILLED

    Fourteen militants of the PKK terrorist organization were killed during military operations in the Southeast and seven militants surrendered, the Anatolian news agency reported on Monday. On the other hand, twelve militants of the PKK were captured during security operations in Antalya, the Anatolian news agency said. Security officials said that two of the 12 had been trained in Greece and had entered Turkey illegally.

    [11] IHD IS NINE YEARS OLD

    The Human Rights Association (IHD) celebrated its tenth year with a press conference at IHD headquarters in Istanbul yesterday. The IHD was founded by 98 writers, scientists, lawyers, physicians, engineers, architects, and journalists on July 17, 1986 to fight for human rights regardless of religion, language, race, sex and nationality. The organization has over 151,000 members attached to branch offices throughout the country. /All Papers/

    [12] HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY COURSES OBLIGATORY IN SCHOOLS

    Human Rights Minister Algan Hacaloglu visited TUM-BEL-SEN (Union of Municipal Workers) President Vicdan Baykara to discuss the ministry's human rights educational project. The 1995-2005 decade has been designated by UNESCO as the "Human Rights Decade". Hacaloglu argued that Turkey must restore its human rights to strenghten democracy. "We want to contribute to the process of democratization in Turkey. We have therefore made human rights and democracy courses obligatory in elementary and junior schools. They will be elective in high school." /All Papers/

    [13] CHIRAC SHOCKS THE GREEKS

    French President Jacques Chirac has come out with yet another surprise statement in support of Turkey, one that has more than surprised the Greeks.

    Speaking very openly Chirac said yesterday that the Greek community on Cyprus would not be members of the European Union (EU) before they settled their differences with the Turkish side. Chirac's comments have reportedly "shocked" Cyprus and mainland Greeks.

    The bright future of Turkey in connection with EU membership was again mentioned yesterday by visiting French EU parliamentarian, Jean Claude Pasty, who told Turkish Parliament Speaker Husamettin Cindoruk that France thought Turkey's membership in the EU looked pretty secure. /Hurriyet/

    [14] BIG MILITARY INVESTMENT

    Turkey is continuing with heavy investment in its military forces. Two hundred trillion TL has already been spent on up-dating the military forces, and during the next three years another one hundred trillion will be spent on further modernization.

    Among the the future developments expected to be seen over the next months are delivery of twenty Cougar transport helicopters, more studies on helicopters that can land on the sea, the purchase of rockets and launching equipment, the manufacture of new rifles for the infantry and beefing up the defence sector infrastructure. /Milliyet/

    [15] TURKISH UNITS COULD BE WITHDRAWN

    As the situation in Bosnia worsens, the word is that Turkish forces deployed in the region could also be pulled out. According to government sources, the Turkish logistic units could be withdrawn to "protest" UN failure in Bosnia.

    Government representatives go so far as to say that Turkish units stationed at Zenica are actually being readied now to pull out at a moment's notice. /Milliyet/

    [16] DEV-SOL HIT SQUAD IN PRISON ESCAPE

    Four members of a death squad from the illegal Dev-Sol terrorist group have escaped from Buca high security prison. The four prisoners escaped through the main gate dressed in different clothes and disappeared in the streets around the prison.

    The state prosecutor was pressing for the death sentence for the four Dev-Sol killers who were involved in a number of serious attacks against police officials and other civilian targets.

    Reports add that two other criminals in prison for murder and drug trafficking have escaped from Torbali prison. /Sabah/

    [17] UKRAINE PLANS TO WRECK TURCO-RUSSIAN TIES

    A number of publications in the Crimea have outlined a scenario in which the Ukraine government plans to manipulate Crimean Tartars into a position which could lead to a diplomatic coolness between Turkey and Russia.

    The Kiev government has apparently prepared detailed plans to draw Turkey and Russia into serious disagreement over the future of the Crimean Tartars, thus bringing more division to a region already split by ethnic conflict. /Cumhuriyet/

    [18] COOPERATION WITH GERMANY AGAINST PKK

    It has been decided that Turkey and Germany will intensively cooperate in the struggle against the PKK terrorist organization. According to an accord between German Federal Interior Ministry Undersecretary Prof.Kurt Schelter and Turkish Interior Ministry Undersecretary Bekir Aksoy, Turkish and German police will increase cooperation regarding illegal entries to Germany and the deportation of Turkish citizens who have connection with the PKK. During meetings in Ankara, it has been decided that a top-level joint permanent commission will be set up to take up deportation issues. The commission, which will be headed by Turkish and German Interior Ministry undersecretaries, will gather periodically in Bonn and Ankara. /Hurriyet/

    [19] NATO SLAP FOR RUSSIANS

    The Russians have put forward that articles in the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) agreement cannot be implemented in North Caucasia and now want a part of this region to be excluded from the agreement. Especially Turkish Ambassador to Russia, Turgay Ozceri, and other permanent representatives strongly opposed this. The Russian delegation, who voiced these demands at the NATO Permanent Representatives meeting in Brussels yesterday, stated that they had to have heavy armament in the region because of the Chechnya and other instable regions. On the other hand, the Permanent Representatives recalled that the articles of the CFE ought to be implemented exactly and said that the Russians' proposal for exclusion of one part, which would demolish the integrity of the agreement, could not be accepted. /Hurriyet/

    [20] HERALD TRIBUNE PRAISES IMKB

    The International Herald Tribune wrote about stock exchanges in Middle Eastern countries including Turkey in its monetary report page. The full-page report in the newspaper noted the high performance of Turkish and Israeli stock exchanges in the first half of this year. A separate news item on the Istanbul Stock Exchange said: "The Istanbul Stock Exchange Market (IMKB) is very sensitive". /Hurriyet/

    [21] FRIENDSHIP BANQUET FOR GREEKS

    The Black Sea Foundation gave a friendship banquet the previous night in honour of a 30-person Greek group headed by Abdi Ipekci Award winner-Yorgo Andreadis and made a friendship visit to Black Sea cities. Foundation Chairman Ibrahim Cevahir said: "We have great pleasure in hosting you with whom we have lived for centuries next to each other. We wish that this dinner will be a start to a lasting Turkish-Greek peace". Recalling that President Suleyman Demirel, in his visit to Bulgaria, had proposed that the borders between the two countries should be eliminated, Cevahir noted that it was very saddening that Turkey and Greece, which have been in the same pact for years, were not exerting that kind of effort. Andreadis stated that he had brought a message of brotherhood and peace. He said: "Our ancestors were born in the Black Sea region. We do not describe you as friend or neighbour, but as brothers". /Sabah/

    [22] FREEDOM OF THOUGHT

    During discussions held between Chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP) and Deputy Prime Minister Hikmet Cetin, State Minister Bekir Sami Dace and Chief of the Turkish Desk of the EU, Serge Abou, in Ankara, the subject of amendments in the 8th article of the anti-terror law (TMY) were taken up. In accordance with the guarantee given to the EU, the definition of crimes outlined in the 8th article will be subject to change. A one-time amnesty will be granted to those charged and convicted for expression of political opinions under the 8th article of the TMY. /Cumhuriyet/

    END

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