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Turkish Press Review, 97-11-06Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWDIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION,OFFICE OF PRIME MINISTER06.11.97Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] YILMAZ-CLINTON MEETINGThe White House has announced that Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and American President Bill Clinton will meet on 19 December. According to a written statement, Yilmaz and Clinton will discuss regional issues, bilateral relations and evaluate new cooperation opportunities between the two countries. /Cumhuriyet-Sabah/[02] AUSTRIAN SUPPORT FOR TURKEYNow in Austria after his successes over the weekend at the Crete summit meeting of Balkan country leaders, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz is continuing his talks with leading European figures.Yesterday Yilmaz spoke with Austrian Head of State Thomas Klestil and other top officials who confirmed their support for Turkey's full membership in the European Union (EU). Klestil noted that the EU "should keep an open mind on Turkey's membership." Klestil also said that Austria wanted to see Turkey attend the conference on the future of new candidate countries. But again, Austrian leaders made the point that Turkey has also got to get into position for EU membership by improving its track record in various vital areas. Mesut Yilmaz also stressed that other issues involving the so-called "Kurdish question" would be resolved before the turn of the century. /Milliyet/ [03] DEATH CLOUDS EXERCISE SUCCESSKilled by one stray bullet, the death of Colonel Vural Berkay during the current north Cyprus armed forces exercises yesterday detracted from the success of simulated operations against targets in the Greek Cypriot sector. Although live ammunition has so far been used in the exercises, there are growing doubts that the death of Colonel Berkay was more than just an accident. There are thoughts that in fact his death was the result of an assassination attempt against top Northern Cyprus officials sitting directly behind Berkay, and watching the progress of the exercises.A later statement issued by the General Staff said that despite every made to save the life of Colonel Berkay, he succumbed to the wounds caused by the apparently random shot. /All papers/ [04] ECEVIT MEETS NORWEGIAN FM IN OSLOVisiting Oslo for a series of official talks, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit met with Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek yesterday. "We focused closely on each other's policies on foreign and security issues. We discussed many regional issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Aegean dispute, Cyprus and Russia" Ecevit told reporters. Ecevit said that he had decided to visit Norway and Denmark in order to revitalize ties with the Scandinavian states. Emphasizing Turkey's importance for the security concerns of Europe, Ecevit noted that Turkey had only contributed to the security of Europe through NATO.When asked about the problems in the southeast of Turkey, Ecevit said that the question could not be defined as an "ethnic problem". Replying to another question on Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq, Ecevit affirmed that Turkish soliders should stay in northern Iraq from the standpoint of border security until the Iraqi government takes the region under its control. Ecevit also met Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. /Sabah/ [05] TURKEY PRODUCES PLANES AGAIN AFTER 45 YEARSTurkish Aviation Institution (THK) will produce planes which will be used for crop spraying and fire fighting. The planes will be able to take off and land in a distance of 500 meters, the Anatolia news agency reported. Chairman of THK, Atilla Tacoy, stated that the institution produced planes for seven years between 1945 and 1952, which is a long time ago.Tacoy said that THK had signed an agreement with a British company because only planes produced by the British company have an international "flight" licence. "This company agreed to produce them with us and to stamp them as a "Turkish product". The company will supply us with the production machinery and also with the production certificate" Tacoy added. [06] FRANCE WELCOMES TURCO-GREEK TALKSFrance has said that it welcomed the result of talks between the Turkish and Greek prime ministers, saying that the meeting had boosted political dialogue between the two countries. "We hope that the decision to resume 'the spirit of Madrid' and to continue the efforts of the 'committee of wise men' will allow the opening of a period of lasting normalization of relations between Turkey and Greece, two friendly countries" French Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Yves Dutrioux said on Tuesday.[07] TOROS-2_97 EXERCISE ENDSTurkey's large-scale Toros-2_97 exercise in Cyprus ended yesterday. The exercise, held amid increasing tensions due to massive Greek and Greek Cypriot arms buildups and military exercises, was intended as a show of force in Cyprus and the Aegean Sea and represented a warning rather than a sign of aggression. "This has been a warning once more for those who miscalculated things. The operation was a success" Land Forces Commander Huseyin Kivrikoglu told reporters. It was following the much-disputed joint Greek-Greek Cypriot Nikiforos exercise that Turkey carried out the planned Toros exercise.Currently on and near the island Turkey is continuing with its Kararlilik maneuvers. Kararlilik '97, due to end November 8, includes more than 10 frigates, destroyers, numerous jet fighters, specially trained underwater assault and defense teams, and amphibious forces that will practice landing in Cyprus. /All papers/ [08] IRANIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER TO VISIT ANKARAIranian Deputy Foreign Minister Muhsin Aminzade will come to Ankara on 7 November. Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Sermet Atacanli stated that Aminzade will come to Turkey as the official guest of Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary, Ambassador Murat Sungar. Noting that the visit would be a part of the political meetings process between Iran and Turkey, Atacanli said that Aminzade will bring a message from Iranian President Muhammed Hathemi to Turkish President Suleyman Demirel. /Cumhuriyet/[09] MILITARY PLANE CRASHESAn F-4 training plane crash landed near Asagi Pinarbasi village short after take-off from the third Main Aircraft Base in Konya. Pilots Lieutenant Mustafa Gumus and Second-Lieutenant Tugkan Inan, saved their lives by parachuting from the doomed plane. /Cumhuriyet/Sabah_[10] PKK TERRORIST COMMITTED TO PRISON IN GERMANYA PKK militant, Ahmet Yavuz, was yesterday committed to six years in prison by the Dusseldorf High Court in Germany. Yavuz was found guilty of attacking Turkish institutions in Germany. /Sabah/[11] EXPORTS INCREASE TO $22 BILLIONAccording to the Exporters' Union, within the January-October period, exports increased to $22 billion, an increase of 15 percent over the same period last year. The greatest increase was shown by hazelnut and hazelnut products exports. /Sabah/[12] GULF CRISIS AND INCIRLIK BASEDisagreements between Iraq and the US have led to a new escalation of tensions in the Gulf. Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz told journalists yesterday the US has asked for permission to use Incirlik military base in case military operations are initiated against Iraq. Yilmaz referred to the gravity of the situation and said that Turkey has neither rejected nor accepted the demand. Diplomatic observers are united in the view that Turkey will face a serious dilemma in case the US decides to strike Iraq. "I hope we will not come to this point," Yilmaz said.During the last few days, the US has sent a large number of F-16 jet fighters to Incirlik. Reconnaissance flights over Northern Iraq, banned in connection with recent PKK operations in the region, were resumed yesterday. Growing tensions in the region have forced many people to seek ways to escape from Iraq. Large groups of Iraqi people have gathered at the Turco-Iraqi border, but for the time being they are not being allowed to enter Turkey. /Hurriyet/ [13] SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE CRISIS BETWEEN TURKEY AND GREECEToday's papers focus on Monday's meeting of Turkish and Greek prime ministers held on the sidelines of the summit of Balkan leaders in Crete. A statement by Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz after the meeting that his Greek counterpart Simitis welcomed a proposal to appoint two special representatives to tackle bilateral disagreements has become a subject of controvercy. According to Yilmaz, Simitis has asked for two weeks before giving to give his final response. Simitis, however, denied reports that he had accepted Yilmaz's suggestion. A Greek governmental spokesman yesterday officially announced that the proposal tabled by Yilmaz at the Crete meeting had been rejected by Athens. /All papers/[14] NUMBER OF TOURISTS REACHES 8 MILLIONAccording to a statement made by the State Institute of Statistics (DIE), the number of tourists who came to Turkey during the January-September increased by 15.1 % and reached 7,803,985 when compared to the same period last year. /Hurriyet/[15] VEHBI KOC DEPARTMENT IN HARVARD UNIVERSITYThe "Vehbi Koc Turkish Studies Department" established in commemoration of Vehbi Koc, founder of the Koc Holding Group, will be opened with a ceremony to be held tomorrow. The department will provide opportunities for "international research and education on Turkish history, culture, civilization, and Turkish social and economic developments". During the ceremony, Turkish Ambassador in Washington, Nuzhet Kandemir, will deliver a speech. /Hurriyet-Sabah/END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |