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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (April 24, 1996)From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>Turkish Press Review DirectoryCONTENTS[01] CHILDREN'S DAY CELEBRATED THROUGHOUT TURKEY[02] GONENSAY DENIES GERMAN ROLE IN TURCO-EU BOTTLENECK[03] UNICEF GETS 1996 ATATURK INTERNATIONAL PEACE AWARD[04] HOST COUNTRY ACCORD FOR HABITAT SIGNED[05] KORNBLUM URGES CYPRUS SOLUTION IN 1996[06] PARLIAMENT PASSES 1996 BUDGET[07] SECURITY FORCES KILL 45 SEPARATISTS IN LICE CLASH[08] AUSTRIAN MINISTER TO BE QUESTIONED ABOUT PKK SUPPORT[09] COOPERATION WITH ISRAEL NOT AGAINST ARABS[10] SUPPORT FOR TURKEY FROM IFC[11] "TURKEY IS AN IMPORTANT COUNTRY"[12] STATE MINISTER SOYLEMEZ ATTENDS ANNUAL MEETINGS OF IMF-WORLD BANK[13] PANGALOS: "GONENSAY'S RECENT STATEMENTS ARE POSITIVE"[14] EU'S VAN DEN BROEK TO VISIT ANKARA[15] TURKISH F-16S FLY TO BOSNIA[16] EUROPEAN TOURISTS PREFER TURKEY[17] TURKISH TOURISM TAKES MAJOR STEPSTURKISH PRESS REVIEWWEDNESDAY APRIL 24, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] CHILDREN'S DAY CELEBRATED THROUGHOUT TURKEYApril 23, Children's Day, which also sees the 76th anniversary of the Turkish Parliament, was celebrated throughout Turkey yesterday. The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) organized the visit of many children from around the world to join in the celebration of youth. The youngsters, from 42 countries, were first received by President Suleyman Demirel, who embraced each one of them and gave them presents. Emphasizing that all of the children of the world are brothers and sisters, the president said: "The concepts of peace and brotherhood should be placed deep in your hearts". Demirel also received a number of children from 15 separate schools on behalf of all Turkish children. The young foreign representatives were later received by Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, who voiced his pleasure at having them visit Turkey.At the May 19 stadium in Ankara, a large ceremony was held involving students from all over Turkey. President of the Constitutional Court, Yekta Gungor Ozden, Deputy Prime Minister Nahit Mentese, State Minister Imren Aykut, Education Minister Turhan Tayan, Ankara Governor Erdogan Sahinoglu and Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek also attended the ceremony. Tayan, who addressed the crowd, referred to the fact that Turkey was the only country which gave its children such a holiday. "This is the best indicator of how much Ataturk trusted the youth of this country" Tayan said. In another celebration, a commemoration meeting was held at the first Parliament building of Turkey. It was on this day in 1920 that the Parliament first met and when Ataturk was elected president of the nation. Parliament Speaker Mustafa Kalemli said that Ataturk had succeeded in an almost impossible task when he had the Parliament first convened. UNICEF General Director Carol Bellamy also praised Turkey for celebrating a special festival for children. /Hurriyet/ [02] GONENSAY DENIES GERMAN ROLE IN TURCO-EU BOTTLENECKTurkish Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay denied the allegations that Germany was in any way responsible for the bottleneck in the implementation of the customs union in particular and Turco-EU relations in general. Gonensay, on an official visit to Bonn, said that the EU should carry out its obligations in the implementation of the customs union. But he ruled out any German role in the present bottleneck. "The responsibility rests with Greece which prevents the EU from carrying out its promises. Germany will help us. In fact, all the other countries are trying to lift the Greek veto" Gonensay said in a press conference in the Turkish Embassy in Bonn. In a statement before leaving Ankara late on Monday, Gonensay said he would discuss the matter of Greece obstructing Turkey's customs union with the EU. He also said he would make clear Turkey's views regarding sovereignty rights in the Aegean Sea and the country's peace initiative towards Greece.German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel yesterday spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay and promised that Germany would work to get the Greek government to drop its veto against Turkey. Kinkel said that a spirit of compromise must prevail among the member countries of the European Union (EU), and that Greece too must get in line with this policy by lifting its veto against Turkey. He added that Germany was obliged to settle the matter and that in this "we will be successful." Kinkel stressed that Germany fully supported peace initiatives between Turkey and Greece. /Milliyet-Cumhuriyet/ [03] UNICEF GETS 1996 ATATURK INTERNATIONAL PEACE AWARDState Minister Ayvaz Gokdemir said that President Suleyman Demirel approved the decision of awarding UNICEF with the "1996 Ataturk International Peace Award". "Giving necessary aid to children all around the world. Their activities in Turkey on issues like health, nutrition and education of children, population control, sanitation and protection of the environment and their improving of international friendship and understanding" were among the reasons why UNICEF was deemed suitable for the award, explained Gokdemir in a written statement. /All papers/[04] HOST COUNTRY ACCORD FOR HABITAT SIGNEDThe Host Country Agreement between the UN and Turkey to hold the Habitat II Human Settlements Conference between June 3-14 was signed in Ankara yesterday. The agreement was signed by Ambassador Huseyin Celem, Turkey's permanent representative at the UN, on behalf of Turkey, and by Wally N'Dow, secretary-general of the conference, on behalf of the UN. In a brief statement after the signing ceremony, N'Dow said that the agreement was satisfactory for both sides. He said that the Turkish government, particularly President Suleyman Demirel, had exerted great efforts for the conference. Celem also thanked everyone who had worked for the staging of the conference. Responding to reporters' questions regarding the freedom of speech of non-governmental organizations in the conference, Celem said that no limitation was involved on that issue, and that all participants were completely free in their activities and statements concerning the conference. The signing of the agreement took place after both sides had reached agreement on a formula similar to that used for the Rio "Earth Summit" conference. /Hurriyet-Sabah/[05] KORNBLUM URGES CYPRUS SOLUTION IN 1996John Kornblum, newly-designated US assistant secretary of state for European and Canadian affairs, said on his first visit to Turkey yesterday that the US believed that 1996 should be the year of a solution on Cyprus. "One of my tasks here is to determine whether a practical basis for a settlement is present" he said at a press conference in Ankara where he was on a familiarization visit. He said this was the desire of President Bill Clinton and added that Washington was cooperating with the EU on this matter. US State Department's South Europe Director responsible for the Turkish-Greek desk, Carey Cavanaugh, also accompanied Kornblum.Kornblum met with Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz at Parliament yesterday. Yilmaz, speaking to reporters before the meeting, said they would discuss bilateral issues and regional developments. Kornblum was later received by True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller. Kornblum held a press conference yesterday after he met with Yilmaz and Ciller. He noted that it was hope-inspiring that the Turkish government had taken positive steps. Kornblum also stated that the US wanted to mediate for the solution of problems between Turkey and Greece. However, both Yilmaz and Ciller told Kornblum that Turkey had no territorial problem with Greece, but that the 12-mile problem was of great importance for Turkey. /Cumhuriyet-Sabah/ [06] PARLIAMENT PASSES 1996 BUDGETThe Turkish Parliament passed on Monday the 1996 fiscal year draft budget presented by the Motherland Party (ANAP)-True Path Party (DYP) coalition during open voting in its Monday session. The budget was passed by 256 to 189 with two invalid votes. /All papers/[07] SECURITY FORCES KILL 45 SEPARATISTS IN LICE CLASHSecurity forces yesterday killed 45 PKK separatists, including 14 women, in a major clash near Lice in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir. One militant was reportedly captured injured while four soldiers and a police commando died in the shootout. The troops, backed by aircraft, surprised a large group of PKK militants in a ravine as they were attempting to cross a stream at its bottom. A military official said that the group was established to be a part of the separatist forces that escaped an assault on their bases at Saggoze in the neighbouring province of Bingol early this month. Tuesday's toll raised PKK losses to 176 killed and six injured since about 3,000 troops and police commandos began "Operation Hawk" against an encircled band of separatists on the snow-covered mountains. Officials said that 11 other militants had surrendered during the course of the operations. /Sabah/[08] AUSTRIAN MINISTER TO BE QUESTIONED ABOUT PKK SUPPORTAustrian Interior Minister, Caspar Einem, stands accused of abusing his power by permitting activities of the ERNK, the military wing of the PKK.The chief public prosecutor in Vienna said that there were claims that Einem ordered that the trial of some ERNK members should be stopped, and that by so doing he thus tolerated the activities of the organization in Austria. The prosecutor said that the claims were being investigated. /Sabah/ [09] COOPERATION WITH ISRAEL NOT AGAINST ARABSSpeaking on his way to a meeting of the Arab League in Cairo, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Onur Oymen said that Turkey's cooperation with Israel was not against the interests of the Arab countries.Oymen noted that Turkey's agreement with Israel for cooperation in military affairs was not damaging to the Arab states because the agreement merely covered areas of benefit in training and military education. Turkey was not opening up bases in Turkey for unrestricted use by Israeli military planes for aggressive purposes. Nevertheless, the Arab countries are not happy with the development, and see the agreement as a threat to their security. Yet another long standing issue that Oymen will be faced with is the so-calle Nuzhet Kandemir, Ankara has warned the US House of Representatives about supporting a bill that will recognize the so-called Armenian massacres at the turn of the century. All the members of the House have been sent a letter which stresses that the bill actually rewards Armenian terrorism and could negatively affect ties between Turkey, the US and Armenia. The bill proposes that April 24 should be a day of national rememberance in the US and Armenia for those killed in what the Armenians claim as massacres during 1915-23. /Cumhuriyet/ [10] SUPPORT FOR TURKEY FROM IFCThe International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank affiliated institution, has extended massive financial support to the Turkish private sector. IFC Chairman Janic Linbaeck, who is visiting Turkey, noted that IFC investments in the country amounted to $500 million and added that Turkey was fifth in the list of countries to be extended credits by the institution.The aim of the IFC is to support the private sector in developing countries. Every year 65 new projects are initiated. The institution started investments in Turkey three years after the IFC was established in 1956, and is presently cooperating with 50 Turkish companies. "We believe that the Turkish private sector has a huge potential for development, and for this reason we support it with aid amounting to $100 million yearly," Linbaeck said. /Sabah/ [11] "TURKEY IS AN IMPORTANT COUNTRY"Prof.Romano Prodi, leader of the "Olive tree" bloc that emerged as the winner of the recent elections in Italy, noted that he had always perceived Turkey as a country of importance in world affairs. In reply to a question from a Greek journalist on his opinion about human rights in Turkey at a press conference, Prodi said: "I have always thought about Turkey as an important country with international prestige. We should not forget the fact that Turkey is one of the most important gates of Europe. We should also take into account the fact that Turkey was forced to assume an important role against the former Soviet Union. The problem of human rights is not peculiar to Turkey, but is a general problem of the world." /Sabah/[12] STATE MINISTER SOYLEMEZ ATTENDS ANNUAL MEETINGS OF IMF-WORLD BANKState Minister responsible for the Treasury, Ufuk Soylemez said that a fresh standby accord with the International Monetary Fund was not a must although Ankara was considering starting a new arrangement after the latest deal expired in February. Soylemez told reporters in Washington that in fact a standby deal could be very useful for Turkey provided that it fitted Turkey's realities, was flexible enough and had a medium-term perspective. "A new standby is not essential in the short-term. In the long-term however, it could gain importance because the IMF is a performance criteria for foreign (lending) institutions" said Soylemez, who attends annual meetings of the IMF-World Bank. He said an IMF mission would most likely visit Turkey next month. Turkey, a member of the IMF since 1947, has so far signed 16 standby agreements with the fund. /All papers/[13] PANGALOS: "GONENSAY'S RECENT STATEMENTS ARE POSITIVE"Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos signalled his eagerness to meet with his Turkish counterpart Emre Gonensay this week in Bucharest. Pangalos, who spoke to jounalists after the EU General Affairs meeting in Luxembourg, said: "Some statements made by Gonensay carry positive elements. Gonensay accepts the agreements made in 1932 and 1947 but says the 1932 agreement is not applicable. But if there is doubt, what Turkey has to do is go to the International Court of Justice in The Hague". Turkey says that two agreements were made between Turkey and Italy in 1932. The first one does not refer to kardak and the second one, which admits the Italian ownership of Kardak, has never been ratified properly. /Cumhuriyet/[14] EU'S VAN DEN BROEK TO VISIT ANKARAAmid the efforts of the EU's Italian term presidency to set a date for the Turco-EU Association Council, EU's Foreign Affairs Commissioner Hans Van den Broek will arrive in Ankara today to urge the Turkish government to be patient. He will hold talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and and be received by President Suleyman Demirel. /All papers/[15] TURKISH F-16S FLY TO BOSNIAA new squadron of Turkish F-16 jets from Diyarbakir air base in southeastern Turkey took off on Monday for Italy, to relieve Turkish jets already serving there as part of a NATO force monitoring peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina. /All papers/[16] EUROPEAN TOURISTS PREFER TURKEYEuropean tourists have come first among the tourists who prefer Turkey for their holiday. State Statistics Institute figures show that European tourists constitute 45% of almost 613,000 tourists who have come to Turkey for tourism, business, health, conference and education purposes between January and February of this year. According to the figures, tourists from the Commonwealth of Independent States (with a 31.2% share) follow the Europeans and the Asian countries come third with a share of 15.1%. /Sabah/[17] TURKISH TOURISM TAKES MAJOR STEPSDanish newspapers write that Turkey is an attractive tourism country. The daily Ekstra Bladet says that Turkish tourism has taken some major steps and that Turkey will be the most visited country in the near future. Stating that Turkish tourism is rising like a rocket, the daily describes Turkey as "The Heaven of Sun and Culture". Meanwhile, the Jydske Vestkysten daily says that Turkey has won a place in the first four countries with the most attractive tourism resorts.It reports that the number of Danish tourists who visited Turkey in 1995 came to about 115,000 and notes that this figure is expected to increase to 160,000 in 1996. /Sabah/ |
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