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Turkish Press Review, 97-11-19
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
CONTENTS
[01] UZBEKISTAN SEEKS TO INCREASE TRADE WITH TURKEY
[02] KANDEMIR: SYRIA AND IRAN HAVE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
[03] PARLIAMENTARY IMMUNITY DEBATE TODAY
[04] TURKEY EXCLUDED FROM LIST OF EU CANDIDATES
[05] TANER: WE AGREE WITH IMF
[06] TURKISH REPRESENTATIVE IN EU AGRICULTURE PROJECT
[07] KINKEL: TURKEY IS OUR FRIEND
[08] GREEK CYPRIOT SOLDIERS ATTACK TURKISH SIDE
[09] TURCO-RUSSIAN RELATIONS DISCUSSED IN ISTANBUL
[10] FOREIGN MINISTRY RESTRUCTURES
[11] TURKEY SIGNS BIOETHICS AGREEMENT
[12] US WARNS ARMENIA
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION,OFFICE OF PRIME MINISTER
19.11.97
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press
this morning.
[01] UZBEKISTAN SEEKS TO INCREASE TRADE WITH TURKEY
Uzbekistan's President Islam Kerimov met with his Turkish
counterpart Suleyman Demirel on Tuesday during his three-day official
visit to Turkey to boost bilateral relations, the Anatolia news agency
reported. Both presidents headed their country's delegations. The
large number of ministers in both delegations was due to the fact that
Uzbekistan and Turkey signed four agreements, on issues ranging from
health to tourism and customs agreements.
The Uzbek delegation is scheduled to meet represenatatives from
small and medium-scale Turkish enterprises that have made investments
in Uzbekistan, and aims to attract more large-scale enterprises to
invest in their country.
[02] KANDEMIR: SYRIA AND IRAN HAVE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Turkey's ambassador to Washington, Nuzhet Kandemir, said in an
interview on CNN television, "It's not only Iraq that has weapons of
mass destruction in the region, Iran and Syria also have them," the
Anatolia news agency reported. Speaking in a programme about the
Iraqi crisis, Kandemir underlined that Turkey is one of the countries
that paid the greatest cost in the Gulf crisis and noted that Turkey's
economic losses so far amount to $ 30 billion. The Turkish ambassador
also emphasized that apart from economic loss, Turkey suffers from
terrorist attacks due to the power vacuum in the northern part of Iraq
which resulted from the Golf War.
[03] PARLIAMENTARY IMMUNITY DEBATE TODAY
Today the Turkish Grand National assembly will debate a
constitutional amendment proposal envisaging limitations to
parliamentary immunities. All political parties represented in
Parliament are expected to back the proposal. The amendment will
allow for the trial of deputies for offences not related to their
legislative duties. To be paased by Parliament and enter into effect,
the proposal needs the support of 367 deputies.
According to a public opinion poll carried out by the Piar-Gallup
group on the eve of this historical vote in Parliament, 82 percent of
the Turkish people want to see parliamentary immunities limited. /All
papers/
[04] TURKEY EXCLUDED FROM LIST OF EU CANDIDATES
The European Parliament Foreign Relations Commission accepted
yesterday a report on EU expansion. In the report it is pointed out
that the EU should start full membership discussions with all Eastern
European candidates except Slovakia. Turkey, in turn, was not given
full membership prospects. The commission only agrees on developing
special ties with Turkey. The commission has also agreed to invite
Turkey to the European Conference meeting that will be held early next
year. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] TANER: WE AGREE WITH IMF
Following his meeting with IMF Executive Director, Michelle
Camdessus on Monday, Gunes Taner, State Minister responsible for the
economy, said that the agreement in question was not a stand-by in the
classic sense of of the word, but a new arrangement in 'duration,
scope, quantity and quality', which could serve as a 'new model' to
provide similar loans for all the other developing countries of the
world. /All papers/
[06] TURKISH REPRESENTATIVE IN EU AGRICULTURE PROJECT
Prof. Erkan Ture, lecturer in the Industry Engineering
Department of Marmara University, has been selected to contribute to
an important EU agriculture project. The project, "HARMA", is a
scientific and technical survey and training project. It will start
in 1998 and last three years. 23 scientists from Norway, Iceland,
Turkey and the EU member countries will share in the project.
/Milliyet/
[07] KINKEL: TURKEY IS OUR FRIEND
German Defense Minsiter Vocker Ruhe and Foreign Minister Klaus
Kinkel gave a dinner to their counterparts and their delegations of
the Western European Union (WEU) members in Kazsersaal. Speaking with
Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Sezgin, German Foreign Minister Kinkel
said that Turkey was an important country for Germany. Sezgin said in
reply that Turkey-Germany relations were at a "good level". In a
final communique at the end of the meeting WEU agreed to discuss the
establishment of a new military commission to be formed in
1998./Milliyet/Sabah_
[08] GREEK CYPRIOT SOLDIERS ATTACK TURKISH SIDE
Greek Cyprus continues its provocative actions against Turkish
Cyprus. According to the Police Press Center of the Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus, (TRNC), Greek Cypriot soldiers attacked by
throwing stones over into the Turkish side. No casualties were
reported, said the same sources. TRNC officials protested about the
incidents encouraged by the UN Peace Force stationed along the buffer
zone between the two communities. /Milliyet/
[09] TURCO-RUSSIAN RELATIONS DISCUSSED IN ISTANBUL
Turkish and Russian academicians and businessmen met at a
conference on "Yesterday, Today and the Future of Turco-Russian
Relations" in Istanbul yesterday and discussed details about a
communications network project to contribute to the improvement of
economic and political relations between the two countries.
/Cumhuriyet/
[10] FOREIGN MINISTRY RESTRUCTURES
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem has announced that the organizational
structure of the Foreign Ministry will be revised. Within the
framework of this move, the uses and costs of foreign offices will be
reviewed, and those which cannot justify their usefulness will be shut
down. This is not all there will be to the restructuring in the
Foreign Ministry. Accordingly, the Ministry ýs quitting the "desk"
system, which was formed two years ago to monitor and manage all
dimensions of bilateral relations from one centre. It is believed
that the new method will enable further utilization of the expertise
of units and personnel. In the context of restructuring, all economic
affairs will be assigned to to the General Directorate of Economic
Affairs, whilst all cultural affiars will come under the
responsibility of the Directorate General of Cultural Affairs.
Moreover, deputy undersecretaries will be charged appointed to new
geographical groupings. /All papers/
[11] TURKEY SIGNS BIOETHICS AGREEMENT
Turkey has signed the European Human Rights Bioethics Agreement.
At a seminar jointly organized by the Mugla Chamber of Medical Workers
and September 9 University, doctors discussed measures for improving
the existing health system that should be undertaken to facilitate the
implementation of the agreement. /Hurriyet/
[12] US WARNS ARMENIA
The US State Department has warned Armenia that the Metzamor
nuclear power plant located close to the Turkish border poses a great
threay to the safety of the region. US State Department Nuclear
Plants Safety Coordinator, Carol Kessler, said that Armenia should
exert efforts to improve the safety of the Metzamor plant. /Hurriyet/
END
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