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Turkish Press Review 96-05-29Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWWEDNESDAY MAY 29, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] YILMAZ HOLDS A PRESS CONFERENCEPrime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz held a press conference yesterday and said that he would not resign unless an alternative government was formed. He urged the True Path Party (DYP) and the Welfare Party (RP) to issue a joint statement forming a coalition government. He said if that happened he would immediately resign because he would not be the one who had dragged the country into instability. Yilmaz promised to stay in office until a new government model was found. Yilmaz refuted press reports that he had notified Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), that there was a planned attempt on his life. The prime minister said that he intended to sue the newspaper, Aksam, which made the allegation.Yilmaz said he would meet with President Suleyman Demirel and that among other issues, they would also assess Operation Provide Comfort. /All papers/ [02] TURKISH AND GREEK OFFFICIALS TO MEET IN GENEVASenior officials from Turkey and Greece are due to meet in Geneva today to try and prepare the groundwork for a get-together planned for June between the foreign ministers of the two countries. But as the officials were preparing to travel to Switzerland, Turkish and Greek patrol boats maneuvering near the disputed Aegean islets of Kardak were reportedly involved in a scrape, thus demonstrating the continuing tension between the two capitals.According to a statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the Greek boat involved in the incident not only violated Turkish territorial waters and acted aggressively but has also acted contrary to international law. The statement said that Turkey had protested the incident by calling in the Greek Ambassador to Ankara. The Turkish Ambassador in Athens is also said to have lodged a protest. Turkish Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay and his Greek counterpart Theodoros Pangalos are due to meet on the sideliness of a NATO session in Berlin on June 3. Deputy undersecretaries at the Foreign Ministry, Inal Batu and Gunduz Aktan, will represent the Turkish side at the preparatory talks in Geneva. /Milliyet-Sabah/ [03] TURKEY AND CROATIA PONDER MILITARY COOPERATION ACCORDTurkey and Croatia want to sign a defence cooperation accord. The accord, which was discussed in bilateral talks between the Turkish and Croat foreign ministers yesterday, will be further discussed during the upcoming visit of Croat Defence Minister Goyko Sushak. Foreign Minister Mate Granic, in a statement after the joint press conference with his Turkish and Bosnian counterparts, signalled his country's desire to have an accord with Turkey which would entail military training and cooperation. /All papers/[04] 43 MILITANTS KILLED IN CLASHESTurkish security forces killed 43 militants of the PKK terrorist organization during clashes in the southeast over the last week, the emergency rule governor's office said yesterday. In a statement the office said 27 terrorists were killed in Hakkari province near the border with Iraq. A further 16 militants died in separate clashes in the Mardin, Bingol, Tunceli, Bitlis and Elazig provinces, it said. Another seven militants were captured and five surrendered to Turkish forces during the clashes, the statement said. /All papers/[05] TURKISH TEAM IN IRAQ TO INSPECT OIL PIPELINEA Turkish delegation left Baghdad for Kirkuk in northern Iraq yesterday to inspect a pipeline to be used for oil exports under Iraq's oil-for-food plan with the UN, an Iraqi oil official said. The official noted that the delegation would travel along the section of the pipeline inside Iraq to check if it was ready to resume pumping oil to a Turkish Mediterranean export terminal after a nearly six-year -old shutdown.The Turkish delegation, from the state pipeline company Botas, met Iraqi Oil Minister Amir Muhammad Rasheed after arriving in Baghdad on Monday. The Turkish delegation is due to stay in Iraq until Sunday. /All papers/ [06] HABITAT II COUNTDOWNFigures for attendance at the civil forums which will accompany the Habitat II conference meeting in June have been put at 2,002. In addition, 1,521 journalists have been accredited by the UN which is sponsoring the occasion. Of the 188 civilian groups which have been accredited from Turkey, most are women's groups including the Women's Solidarity Association, the Morcati Women's Refugee Foundation, the Turkish-Pakistani Women's Friendship Association and many more. Habitat II General Secretary Wally N'Dow has stated that work is speedily progressing on preparations for the conference. He also expressed great satisfaction with the cooperation which the UN has received from Turkey and stressed that there was no problem between them. /All papers/[07] BANKS TO BE OPEN ON SATURDAYSBanks will be open also on Saturdays. At a meeting of the Executive Board of the Bank Union the previous day, it was decided that every bank could open a limited number of branch offices also on Saturdays. /Hurriyet/[08] COUNCIL OF EUROPE'S PARLIAMENTARIANS ASSEMBLY MEETINGAs meetings of the Parliamentarians' Assembly of the Council of Europe started the previous day in Thessalonica, Western Thrace Turks complained about Athens to European parliamentarians. Turkish leaders from Western Thrace met Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, British parliamentarians and a rapporteur of the European Commission. Turkish minority leaders told EU parliamentarians that Greece was pursuing undemocratic policies especially in education in Western Thrace. /Cumhuriyet/[09] NO END TO HEALTH SECTOR INVESTMENT INCENTIVESSince 1982 until now, successive governments have poured out billions of TL in incentives for domestic investment in the health sector. During the past decade or so, 393 different companies have gobbled up four billion dollars in government incentives.Health sector investment however has not been equally spread around the country -much of the incentive has been directed towards the Marmara regions of the country, with the percentages falling off the further east one looks. Most of the new hospitals now being set up are privately owned and run, and are small in comparison. /Sabah/ [10] MALTA INVESTING IN TURKISH TOURISMBusinessman from Malta, Paul Pisani, likes the look of Turkish tourism and has invested in the sector. He has just set up his fourth hotel in Turkey, even though his own country is an established tourism centre. He already has hotels in places like Side and this time around has invested in Antalya. His fourth hotel, the Art Corinthia is just outside Kemer.By the end of this year Pisani will have developed two more projects in Turkey. Commenting on the situation, Pisani said that it was possible to find everything in Turkey, and that there was plenty of room for development. /Sabah/ [11] TURKEY IN AUSTRALIAN WOOL UNIONTurkey's top quality Altinyildiz cloth producer has been accepted as a member of Australia's prestigious Wool Union which only accepts the very best producers as members. Turkey is now ranking among the world's best when it comes to super high quality wool products. /Hurriyet/[12] GREEK CYPRUS LIKE AN ARSENALThe Greek Cypriot community has converted itself into a highly armed fortress. And the passion for arms continues with an order to the Russian Federation for tanks and missiles worth 26 trillion TL. Greece too, has put in an order for 50 AMX-30 tanks.Ankara is watching these developments with concern. The Greek Cypriots now have large numbers of armoured vehicles on their side of the island. The whole exercise is taking on the appearance of some kind of mobilization. The Greek Cypriots say that it is only a matter of self-defence as they point to the Turkish military units stationed in northern Cyprus. /Hurriyet/ [13] THY TO START BODRUM-ZURICH FLIGHTSTurkish Airlines (THY) will start direct flights between Bodrum-Zurich-Bodrum from 1 June to 7 September, 1996. /Hurriyet/[14] TURCO-US SUMMITToday there will be a Turco-US summit at the Pentagon. Turco-US defence relations have been chilly for some time now that the US has delayed delivering "Super Cobra" helicopters to Turkey.Defence Minister Oltan Sungurlu and his US counterpart William Perry will discuss the Provide Comfort Operation, bilateral relations and other issues regarding defence. /Hurriyet/ [15] METU FOREST TAKEN UNDER PROTECTIONThe Middle East Technical University (METU) Forest, which started to be afforested 30 years ago, has been designated as a natural and archeological site area.Suha Sevuk, METU Dean, said that it was difficult for the university to protect the 20,000 hectares of forest, which won the Agahan Award in 1995. /Hurriyet/ [16] AWARD FOR RAHMI KOCFamous businessman Rahmi Koc has been presented with the European Council 1996 Personal Museum Award. According to a statement made by the European Council, Rahmi Koc was awarded for his contributions to the Industry Museum established in Istanbul. /Cumhuriyet/[17] HALK BANK EXTENDED SYNDICATE CREDITHalk Bank has been extended a two-year syndicated credit worth $150 million. The credit agreement was signed yesterday in London by Halk Bank General Director Yenal Aksen and Bankers' Trust International Deputy Chairman John F.H.Ong. In a speech at the signing ceremony, Aksen noted that in 1995, the Turkish economy grew by eight percent, and added that Halk Bank was among the first three banks in the Turkish banking system. He gave some details about the speedy development of the bank, pointing out that the goals set by the bank for the current year had been already accomplished by April 1996. /Sabah/[18] THRACE FREE TRADE ZONE TO BE ESTABLISHEDWith a protocol signed between Sahinler Holding Chairman Kemal Sahin and Free Zones General Director Kursat Tuzmen, Sahinler Holding has undertaken the establishment and operation of a Thrace Free Trade Zone planned to be set up in Corlu, Tekirdag. Noting that the private sector had undertaken the management of free trade zones, Tuzmen noted that in the Thrace zone investments worth $150 million would be realized and that employment opportunities for 15,000 people would be created. /Sabah/Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |