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Turkish Press Review, 97-12-25
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
CONTENTS
[01] YILMAZ TO VISIT TURKMENISTAN
[02] ISMET INONU COMMEMORATED
[03] REPORTS OF GREEK AND IRANIAN SUPPORT FOR PKK
[04] TURKISH-ISRAELI MILITARY COOPERATION
[05] ANKARA'S METRO OPENS ON SUNDAY
[06] NORTHERN WATCH MANDATE TO BE EXTENDED FOR SIX MONTHS
[07] 'SCHENGEN FORMULA FOR TURKS' TO BE HANDLED AT JAN.15 EU MEETING
[08] EXIMBANK PLANS 500 MLN MARK BOND ISSUE IN 1998
[09] "WE HAVE NEVER WITNESSED SUCH LOVE"
[10] EGYPT AND JORDAN INVITED TO "RELIANT MERMAID" MANEUVRES
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION,OFFICE OF PRIME MINISTER
25.12.97
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this
morning
[01] YILMAZ TO VISIT TURKMENISTAN
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz will visit Turkmenistan, the second
largest natural gas producer in the world, between January 26 and 28,
with a large delegation including key cabinet ministers and
businessmen, on the invitation of Turkmen President Saparmurad
Turkmenbasi, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday.
Turkey and US companies are working together in the natural gas fields
in Turkmenistan, as in the case of the joint study being carried out
by the American firm Unocal and the state-owned Turkish Petroleum
Corporation (TPAO). /Milliyet/
[02] ISMET INONU COMMEMORATED
The second president and former prime minister of the Turkish
Republic, Ismet Inonu, will be commemorated today at the 25th
anniversary of his death. Inonu was born in Izmir in 1884. He has
also been chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP) for 33
years. /Milliyet/
[03] REPORTS OF GREEK AND IRANIAN SUPPORT FOR PKK
Reports of Greek support for the PKK terrorist organization continue
to irk Ankara. Asked about the reported arrest of a PKK bomber who
had been trained in Greece, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ambassador
Necati Utkan told journalists during a weekly press briefing that this
incident once more verified Greek support for the PKK.
In a story published on Wednesday by the daily Hurriyet, it was
reported that Esref Kilic, a PKK bomber, was abducted by Turkish
intelligence agents from Tehran, where he was being employed by SAVAMA
(Iranian intelligence) officers. Kilic later confessed that officials
from the Greek Secret Service gave him training in Greece in the use
of explosives, according to the Hurriyet report.
An operation similar to the one reported in Hurriyet, was performed by
Turkish Intelligence last year to bring Mustafa Duyar, one of the
suspected executioners of Ozdemir Sabanci, back to Turkey. A
conflicting report from the Anatolia news agency said that Kilic had
surrendered to the Turkish General Consulate in the city of Urumiye in
Iran. /All papers/
[04] TURKISH-ISRAELI MILITARY COOPERATION
Turkey is seriously planning to buy at least ten unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAV) from Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). The sides
discussed the issue during Defense Ministry Undersecretary
Lt.Gen.Ilhan Kilic's visit to Tel Aviv this week. The strategic talks
had a very broad perspective -from evaluating threats against both
countries, in an effort to prepare for and initiate joint measures in
the event of future instability in the Middle East, to join defense
industry venture opportunities. Turkish and Israeli officials also
agreed in principle to jointly produce, for defense purposes,
500-kilometer-range Arrow missiles, while Ankara decided to increase
its Popeye missile order from 100 to 200. /Milliyet/
[05] ANKARA'S METRO OPENS ON SUNDAY
Ankara's Metro, operating between Kizilay and Batikent, will open this
Sunday, December 28. Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek said that all
technical problems have been resolved with the final testing of the
Metro, and a provisional acceptance contract has been signed between
the city and the Metro's construction consortium. According to the
contract, Ankara's Metro will start service on December 28.
/Hurriyet/
[06] NORTHERN WATCH MANDATE TO BE EXTENDED FOR SIX MONTHS
The mandate of Northern Watch, a multinational force consisting of US,
British and Turkish air force units operating over northern Iraq, is
to be extended for another six months. The government has urged
Parliament to debate its proposal to this effect today following the
vote on the budget bill. /All papers/
[07] 'SCHENGEN FORMULA FOR TURKS' TO BE HANDLED AT JAN.15 EU MEETING
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ambassador Necati Utkan said yesterday that
the formula for Turks regarding the Schengen visa will be negotiated
during a meeting scheduled to take place on January 15 between the
interior ministers of the European Union (EU) members states. /All
papers/
[08] EXIMBANK PLANS 500 MLN MARK BOND ISSUE IN 1998
Turkey's Export-Import Bank (Eximbank) is planning to issue 500
million marks ($280 million) of bonds in early 1998 to finance its
export credits, State Minister Isin Celebi said yesterday. Celebi
told a news conference that Eximbank would raise its lending limit to
1,000 trillion lira in 1998 from 450 trillion lira this year to
support exporters.
[09] "WE HAVE NEVER WITNESSED SUCH LOVE"
Walter Isaacson, Time Magazine Editor in Chief, commented in a
programme broadcast on US third-largest channel ABC, on a survey
carried out by the Time magazine to find out the 100 most prominent
figures of the 20th century. "We have seen what Ataturk means to
Turks. We have never witnessed such love," Isaakson said. Votes in
support of Ataturk have neared 2.5 million. /Hurriyet/
[10] EGYPT AND JORDAN INVITED TO "RELIANT MERMAID" MANEUVRES
Egypt and Jordan have been invited to participate as observers in the
"Reliant Mermaid" joint military maneuvres to be staged by Turkey, the
US and Israel on January 5-9. The invitation aims to ease Arab
anxiety about the maneuvres. /Milliyet/
END
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