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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (April 25, 1996)From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>Turkish Press Review DirectoryCONTENTS[01] TURKISH OFFICIALS MEET WITH IMF[02] IFC RETAINS SUPPORT FOR TURKEY'S PRIVATE FIRMS[03] ATHENS UNDER PRESSURE FROM EU[04] US PRESSING FOR DIALOGUE BETWEEN TURKEY AND GREECE[05] GREECE LOOKING ASKANCE AT TURKEY-ISRAEL AGREEMENT[06] STEPS TOWARDS PEACE IN NORTHERN IRAQ[07] PKK STOCKING UP WITH NEW WEAPONS[08] MORE HEAVY PKK LOSSES[09] WESTERN THRACE MEETING[10] ANTI-TURKISH DEMONSTRATIONS[11] SWITZERLAND - PARADISE FOR REFUGEESTURKISH PRESS REVIEWTHURSDAY APRIL 25, 1996Summary of the economic and political news in the Turkish press this morning[01] TURKISH OFFICIALS MEET WITH IMFOn the second day of his contacts in Washington with International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials, State Minister Ufuk Soylemez, as the IMF's Turkey coordinator, told Turkish journalists that the Turkish delegation was in Washington, not to ask for a new standby arrangement from the IMF, but to participate in the IMF's annual interim committee meetings.In the meanwhile, he chose to make the most of the opportunity by coming together with Stanley Fisher, IMF deputy managing director, to present the new ANAYOL minority coalition government's program as well as express the government's determination to pass a series of new structural reforms (in banking, social security, insurance, privatization, etc.), Soylemez explained. Soylemez also met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Charles Curtis, who will be visiting Turkey in June. "We especially discussed build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects and other energy infrastructural investment projects in Turkey with Mr.Curtis," he added./All Papers/ [02] IFC RETAINS SUPPORT FOR TURKEY'S PRIVATE FIRMSThe International Finance Corporation (IFC) will continue to back the long-term financial needs of Turkey's private sector with new loans and portfolio investments, the executive vice president of the World Bank affiliate declared on Wednesday."We want to demonstrate to others that projects in Turkey are feasible and profitable," IFC Vice President Jannik Lindbaek told a group of reporters in Istanbul. "The whole Turkish market is suffering from lack of long-term financing, a weakness seen in many developing countries," Lindbaek stressed. Lindbaek listed IFC's priorities in Turkey as supporting large export-oriented industries to enable them to compete effectively in the wake of the customs union between Turkey and the European Union; backing Turkish companies in new markets, such as the independent states of the former Soviet Union; financing Turkey's privatization program, particularly dealing with the development of power projects; helping medium and small scale enterprises with loans channeled through Turkish banks, leasing companies and other financial institutions. /All Papers/ [03] ATHENS UNDER PRESSURE FROM EUThe European Union (EU) is getting tired of the endless Greek efforts to exclude Turkey from the EU as a full member. EU commission for foreign relations, chairman Hans Van Den Broek now in Ankara on an official visit has made it clear that the EU does not want any problems with Turkey as a result of Greek manipulation.The EU has in fact, laid into Athens over its attitude towards Turkey which creates nothing more than bickering and delay in EU affairs. Taking the pulse in Ankara, Van Den Broek reiterated yesterday the desire of the EU to develop ties with Turkey by going ahead with customs union leading to full membership in the EU. Noting the current developments in the Turkish economy and the increasing foreign investment, diplomatic sources following the visit of Van Den Broek said yesterday that EU confidence in Turkey is growing. The same sources also noted that the EU wanted to get rid of all the negative trends that Greece is constantly trying to generate against Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/ [04] US PRESSING FOR DIALOGUE BETWEEN TURKEY AND GREECEThere are already indications that the US will press for more talks between Athens and Ankara when Turkish Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay meets with his Greek counterpart at Bucharest. US Foreign Department representative John Kornblum has already spoken with Gonensay about how to make the first contacts a success.Although Kornblum has arrived in Ankara without any prelaid plans for resolving the two main issues dividing Turkey and Greece, he has at least expressed the opinion that the Aegean problem can be resolved amicably. "When it comes to the situation between Turkey and Greece, I am not pessimistic. We are hopeful that the Aegean disagreement will be resolved" commented Kornblum yesterday. /Cumhuriyet/ [05] GREECE LOOKING ASKANCE AT TURKEY-ISRAEL AGREEMENTIn the meantime the Greek press has reported that Athens is considering a three nation military exercise in response to Turkey's new military cooperation agreement with Israel. Reports in the Greek Mahi newspaper suggest that Athens is more than a little uneasy about the Israel-Turkey deal and wants a show of strength involving Greece, the Greek Cypriot administration and Syria in a military exercise. The same paper also reported that Athens was seriously considering making a new deal with Syria for military cooperation in a move to "restore the balance" in the region. /Cumhuriyet/[06] STEPS TOWARDS PEACE IN NORTHERN IRAQFollowing US initiatives to resolve the fighting in northern Iraq, reports from the region indicate that US brokered talks between the Kurdish faction leaders could end up in a settlement. The news is that the two main leaders in the talks, Celal Talabani and Mesud Barzani have declared that major areas of dispute have been resolved.US Foreign Department representative responsible for the Gulf regions, Robert Deutch has been chairing talks to restore stability to the region and appears optimistic that settlement can be achieved. There has already been discussion on how the terrorist PKK organization, currently active in the region, could be contained once stable regional government has been established. /Milliyet/ [07] PKK STOCKING UP WITH NEW WEAPONSReports from Turkish security departments claim that the terrorist PKK organization is tooling up with new weapons in response to the changing conditions it is facing in its battle against Turkey, and in its efforts to dominate the border regions.Security sources say that the PKK last year re-equipped with new kinds of weapons, new ammunition and new equipment. The same sources claim that in order to finance the changes the PKK has attached even more importance to its smuggling operations. The PKK has obtained the weapons through a number of end countries but the majority of the weapons were produced in countries like Belgium, Russia, Spain, Bulgaria and China. /Milliyet/ [08] MORE HEAVY PKK LOSSESThe PKK terrorist organization continues to carry the brunt of heavy losses as Turkish forces hammer the camps and bases of the PKK in the regions around Diyarbakir, Sirnak, Mardin and Kars. Reports say that during the fighting the PKK lost another nineteen men.Operations continue in the Bingol, Hakkari and Kahramanmaras areas of the southeast of Turkey. Turkish forces have secured large amounts of ammunition and a number of weapons. /All papers/ [09] WESTERN THRACE MEETINGThe Helsinki Commission of the American Congress will convene on Friday to discuss the problems of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace. Adem Bekiroglu, a Turkish lawyer from Komotini, and Nesrin Habiboglu, General Secretary of the European Federation of Western Thracian Turks, have also been invited to the meeting.The Helsinki Commission is especially dealing with violations of human rights all over the world. /Cumhuriyet/ [10] ANTI-TURKISH DEMONSTRATIONSProtesting the so-called "Armenian massacre", Armenians in Athens, Thessaloniki, Tehran and Moscow have been organizing demonstrations. Demonstrators, carrying anti-Turkish placards and shouting anti-Turkish slogans, set a Turkish flag on fire in Athens and threw black and red paint at the door of the Turkish Embassy in Tehran. /Sabah/[11] SWITZERLAND - PARADISE FOR REFUGEESEven though Swiss authorities accept that the PKK organization is a terrorist organization, Switzerland provides shelter to almost everybody arriving from Turkey and claiming to be "under pressure because of his or her Kurdish identity". While in general only 14 percent of the applications for political asylum in Switzerland are vetted positively, 49 percent of Turkish citizens seeking political asylum in the country are accepted. 70 percent of those whose applications for asylum are not accepted just disappear in Switzerland, meaning that the Swiss authorities indirectly accept them as refugees and allow them into the country.Turkish Ambassador to Bern, Riza Turmen, noted that the reluctance of the Swiss authorities to cooperate with Turkey has led to failure in determining the real grounds for seeking asylum and has helped terrorist criminals escape punishment. /Cumhuriyet/ |
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