Compact version |
|
Sunday, 17 November 2024 | ||
|
Turkish Press Review, 96-09-09Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWMONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9,1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning. [01] GREEK CYPRIOTS OPEN FIRE, KILL ONE TURKISH SOLDIERGreek Cypriots shot and killed one Turkish soldier and wounded another, the Anatolia news agency reported on Sunday.Rauf Denktas, the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, (TRNC), described the incident as cold-blooded murder. "The blood of Turks has been spilled once again. Has the spilling of this blood satisfied the church and the Greek leadership?" Denktas said. The shooting occured at about 4 a.m. (01:00 GM) at a Turkish Cypriot guard unit in the region of Guvercinlik near Famagusta. Meanwhile, the United Nations Peace Force was called to the scene to participate in an on-the-spot investigation. Gustave Feissel, deputy special envoy of the U.N. secretary general was summoned to the TRNC Foreign and Defence Ministry. Following the incident, British Ambassador to Turkey Kieran Prendergast was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Onur Oymen, Prendergast told reporters that they condemned the murder. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller telephoned Denktas and told him that Turkey was following the issue closely and extended her condolence on behalf of the Turkish people over the killing of the soldier. [02] ANKARA DEMANDS ALLIED PROTECTION FOR TURKOMANSTurkish Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller on Saturday demanded in her latest meeting with the U.S. ambassador over Iraq that Western protection be given to ethnic Turks in northern Iraq."Under Operation Provide Comfort it was envisaged that Kurdish citizens in northern Iraq would be protected. We want the Turkomans to be included within this framework of protection. The Turkomans are being harmed. They are suffering loss of life and loss of property," Ciller told reporters after her meeting with ambassador Marc Grossman./All Papers/ [03] TURKEY'S 'SUMMIT' VIEW OF IRAQTop state, government, military and intelligence chiefs, meeting on Friday to formulate a new policy to adress the crisis in northern Iraq, have concurred on a more active policy for Turkey in northern Iraq. Government sources reported that the participants attending the meeting chaired by President Suleyman Demirel stressed the need to avoid reckless moves, while at the same time ensuring better protection of Turkey's interests through more active involvement. The new policy incorporates efforts towards the lifting of the U.N. trade sanctions against Iraq and efforts to help Iraq's Turkmen community to evolve into a rights-conscious group.[04] COMMENTS ON TURKEY'S N.IRAQ PLANOn Sunday Syria warned Turkey against setting a security zone in northern Iraq, saying this may put Ankara in conflict with Arab states and threaten the stability of the Middle East.Official Syrian newspapers strongly condemned the Turkish plan stating it is similar to the Israeli buffer zone in south Lebanon. Washington was accused of encouraging Turkey to take this course of action. "Insisting on this course of action would undoubtly have negative results on future Arab-Turkish ties because Arabs would be forced to take the needed decision to protect their rights," the ruling party newspaper al-Baath said. Gulf Arab states said they opposed Turkey's plans to create a security zone across the Iraqi border, the official Gulf news agency reported late on Sunday. Turkey's desire to set up a security zone inside Iraqi territories is being met with unacceptance and disapproval if such a zone is created without an official agreement between Iraq and Turkey," the agencies quoted Oman's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Youssef bin Alawi bin Abdullah as saying. Consequently, British Foreign Secretary Malcom Rifkind said on Sunday that London was seeking details from Turkey about its intentions on the Iraqi border./All Papers/ [05] NEW BLOODY PKK ATTACKSThree of the terrorists who killed eight patroling Turkish soldiers on Saturday night were killed yesterday in operations initiated by the security forces. A soldier was killed and three others were injured during a previous PKK attack against a military vehicle in Bingol. Another group of terrorists has stoped a minibus on the Van-Catakdibi Village road and killed four passangers.The perceived threat of a possible cross-border operation by Turkish security forces has caused PKK terrorists to scatter and form small groups over a wide region. The main PKK camps have been reformed into 15 smaller camps. The terrorist organization has withdrawn its heavy weapons, and the terrorists have re-organized in 10-15 member-groups, adopting a new tactic of procrastinating the Turkish security forces. Commenting on the cross border operation, planned by the Turkish security forces, President Demirel said that all state institutions were fuctioning in harmony with each other, and stressed that there were no disagreements on the planned operation. Demirel pointed out that Northern Iraq has become a terrorist base, and added that the aim of Turkey was to ensure its own security, stressing that a final solution concerning the instability in Northern Iraq could be found only by measures initiated on an international level. /All papers/ [06] TURKISH MISSION TO VISIT CHINA TO IMPROVE TRADEA Turkish trade mission headed by State Minister Ayfer Yżlmaz will visit the People's Republic of China on September 22.The one-week visit, organised by the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat (DTM) of the Prime Ministry, is aimed at improving trade relations between the two countries, according to a press release by the DTM. The visit will include a seminar organised by the General Secretariat of the Istanbul Textile and Ready-Wear Exporters' Union (ITKIB) as well as opportunities for businessmen from both countries to meet. Some visits to state organizations in this country have also been scheduled./All Papers/ [07] US EXIMBANK TO EXTEND TURKEY $4.5 BN LOANThe U.S. Eximbank will extend Turkey a $4.5 billion loan for energy projects, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller revealed after the meeting she held with high-level economic bureaucrats over the weekend. She said the Defence and Energy Ministries were making preparations for joint investments to transfer U.S. technologies to small and medium scale enterprises./All Papers/[08] TURKISH CONTRACTORS COMPLETED $12 BN WORTH OF PROJECTS ABROADTurkish contractors have completed almost $12 billion worth of projects abroad, excluding the ex-Soviet Union republics.According to figures supplied by the Turkish Contractors Association (TMB), Turkish contractors, which are members of the TMB and the International Contractors Association, have been awarded a total of 441 contracts worth more than $15 billion in 21 countries. The total cost of the ongoing projects is estimated to be over $3 billion. Most of the projects were carried out in Libya. The total cost of the 257 projects in that country exceeded $8.6 billion, of which $6.8 billion worth have been completed. Saudi Arabia comes second after Libya, with 59 projects totalling over $3 billion of which $2.7 billion represents completed projects./All Papers/ END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |