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Turkish Press Review, 98-06-09
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
09.06.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL GOES TO KAZAKHSTAN
[02] IMF DOPING IN MARKETS
[03] TURKEY: SHOPPING CENTRE OF EUROPE
[04] ENERGY CONFERENCE IN TURKEY
[05] 37 PKK TERRORISTS KILLED
[06] FOREIGN MINISTERS OF SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
[07] US SENDS 300 COMMANDOS TO CYPRUS
[08] DEMIREL RECEIVES TRNC PARLIAMENTARIANS
[09] ACADEMICIANS REACT AGAINST SO-CALLED ARMENIAN MASSACRE
[10] RECYCLING CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL
[11] 9TH TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL MEETING
[12] TIME MAGAZINE PRAISES TURKISH CONSTRUCTORS
[13] TURCO-IRANIAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION
[14] UN MEETING FOR STRUGGLE AGAINST DRUGS
[15] TECHNICAL COORDINATION WITH IMF
[16] BRITISH TRADE DELEGATION IN TURKEY
[17] COBRA POISON WORTH TL 1.5 TRILLION SEIZED
[18] NEW ACTIVITY IN SIRNAK
[19] SYNDICATION CREDIT FOR TEKSTILBANK
[20] MED TV FINED BY BRITISH TV COMMISSION
[01] DEMIREL GOES TO KAZAKHSTAN
President Suleyman Demirel went yesterday to the Kazakh capital of
Astana where he will participate in the "fifth Summit of Presidents from
Turkish-speaking countries", the Anatolia News Agency reported. The
summit aims to strengthen multilateral cooperation among the Turkish
speaking countries including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
Prior to his departure, Demirel told press members that he will
also attend ceremonies marking recognition Astana as the new capital of
Kazakhstan. State Minister Ahad Andican is accompanying Demirel during
the visit.
[02] IMF DOPING IN MARKETS
The positive impressions of IMF Deputy President Stanley Fischer
regarding the Turkish economy have boosted domestic markets. Shares in
the stock market surged by 2.77 % yesterday. The Istanbul Stock
Exchange-100 Index increased by 113 points and reached 4,193. Yet on
the other hand, deposit, bond, repo and interest rates all decreased.
/Milliyet/
[03] TURKEY: SHOPPING CENTRE OF EUROPE
A TV channel in the US promoted Turkey as the "shopping centre of
Europe" in a programme on "Tourism in Europe". Presenter of the
programme Rick Stevens pointed out that Turkey was a very cheap country
for American tourists. /Milliyet/
[04] ENERGY CONFERENCE IN TURKEY
A conference on "Power projects 2000" organized jointly by Global
Stock Exchange and the Financial Times was held in Istanbul yesterday.
The target of the conference was to develop support for international
investments in energy. During the conference, energy investments to be
made in Turkey and technical aspects of the investments were discussed.
Speakers pointed out that the role of Turkey in Caspian oil development
projects was not only a golden commercial opportunity but also a
balancing element in the region. /Milliyet/
[05] 37 PKK TERRORISTS KILLED
During operations carried out by Turkish security forces in
Southeastern Anatolia against the PKK terrorist organization, 37
separatists have been killed. One PKK terrorist has been arrested and
another PKK terrorist surrendered in Siirt. During the operations, one
Turkish soldier died. /Milliyet/
[06] FOREIGN MINISTERS OF SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
The main theme of a current meeting in Istanbul of Foreign
Ministers of Southeast European Countries organized to discuss economic
and political cooperation among the Balkan countries, was the future of
the region and Kosovo. However Yugoslavian Foreign Minister Zivadin
Jovanovic noted that the Kosovo problem was a domestic issue for
Yugoslavia alone and rejected the inclusion of the Kosovo problem in the
Istanbul declaration to be issued today. Delivering an opening speech,
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said that violence in Kosovo and
every form of terrorism should end as soon as possible and added: "The
sincere wish of the Turkish government is to hold meetings for a
continuous and effective solution to the problem as soon as possible".
He stated that a joint policy for the future should be decided. During
the conference, the foreign ministers of Greece, Albania, Macedonia,
Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia also delivered speeches.
Meanwhile, Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos visited the
Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch yesterday morning. During the meeting,
the opening of a representative office in Athens for the Fener
Patriarchate was taken up. /Milliyet/
[07] US SENDS 300 COMMANDOS TO CYPRUS
The Tharos newspaper published in the Greek Cypriot Administration
reports that the US has sent 300 soldiers to Cyprus. According to the
newspaper, soldiers from special units of the US Armed Forces, have been
sent to the British Agrotur Base in Limassol. The newspaper also claims
that Britain has been preparing various scenarios involving Cyprus, and
that London has been seeking support for its proposed policies.
/Milliyet/
[08] DEMIREL RECEIVES TRNC PARLIAMENTARIANS
President Suleyman Demirel yesterday received in Ankara members of
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Parliamentiary Union. At
the reception Demirel said that there were two states on the island and
that when the western world accepted this reality, the Cyprus issue
would reach a political solution. Demirel noted that the Cyprus issue
was the national cause of Turkey and that the TRNC and Turkey must
continue to work in unity and cooperation to be a more powerful
influence in the region. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] ACADEMICIANS REACT AGAINST SO-CALLED ARMENIAN MASSACRE
Turkish members of the Turco-French Parliamentarians Friendship
Group have begun initiatives in Paris to block approval of a draft bill
by the French Senate about the so-called Armenian massacre.
Academicians of Dicle University laid yesterday a wreath on the
Ataturk Monument in Sivas to condemn the draft bill and asked the French
Senate to give the matter rational consideration before voting in order
not to harm relations between the two countries. /Cumhuriyet/
[10] RECYCLING CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL
An International Recycling Conference organized by the Ministry for
the Environment and the European Institutions started yesterday in
Istanbul. In an opening speech, Environment Minister Imren Aykut said
that garbage should be collected separatly according to type so that the
recycling process could be facilitated and environmental pollution
prevented. European expert, Jacques Fonteyne said for his part that
European Union Packing and Waste Disposal Directives as accepted in 1994
should be applied internationally to maintain a clean world.
/Cumhuriyet/
[11] 9TH TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL MEETING
The 9th Transportation Council meeting was held yesterday in Ankara
after a break of 11 years. In opening speech Prime Minister Mesut
Yilmaz said that communications, transportation and energy investments
should be increased in order to promote development. Yilmaz added that
Ankara-Istanbul high-speed train projects would be opened up to bids by
the end of this year and that construction of the Kars-Tiflis rail-way
would be started very soon.
For his part Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that Turkey
had neglected its railroads since 1930 but now the government was
working to establish a longterm railroad project. Transportation
Minister Necdet Menzir also noted at the conference that they were
working on improving railroad systems in Turkey and the Bosphorus
tunnel. /Cumhuriyet/Sabah/
[12] TIME MAGAZINE PRAISES TURKISH CONSTRUCTORS
Time Magazine has published an article in its latest issue praising
the success of Turkish constructors in Russia. The article says that
Turkish firms, which are hard working and honest, are operating
throughtout Russia. The article says that 85 % of construction in
Russia was being undertaken by Turkish firms, which have earned $ 14
billion in Russia over the last nine years. /Sabah/
[13] TURCO-IRANIAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION
State Minister Rifat Serdaroglu went yesterday to the Iranian
capital of Tehran to participate in the "14th term Joint Economic
Commission Meetings" (JECM), the Anatolia News Agency reported. Turkish
and Iranian officials started on Sunday to exchange views on technical
issues in advance of the meetings which will last until the 11th of
June. Among the issues to be dealt with are mutual investment
incentives, prevention of double taxation, natural gas pipeline
projects, the joint fight against environmental pollution and
application of maritime agreements which were also on the agenda of
previous JECM meetings.
[14] UN MEETING FOR STRUGGLE AGAINST DRUGS
Speaking at a meeting organized by the United Nations aiming to
boost the struggle against drugs, US Health Minister Donna Shala said
Turkey and Mexico had been very successful in their anti-drug campaigns.
She also noted that outlawed opium production in countries such as
Turkey, Guatemala, Pakistan and Mexico had been mostly halted.
/Hurriyet/
[15] TECHNICAL COORDINATION WITH IMF
Commenting on the latest visit by a delegation from the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), high-level Turkish bureaucrats said
yesterday that Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz had suggested that Turkey and
the IMF should sign a technical coordination treaty and that Stanley
Fischer, head of the delegation, would consult about this suggestion
with IMF headquarters. The same bureaucrats said that although Turkey's
foreign exchange resources were not sufficient for a stand-by agreement
with the IMF, the proposed agreement would also help Turkey to get loans
with suitable terms. /Hurriyet/
[16] BRITISH TRADE DELEGATION IN TURKEY
Headed by Sir Jeremy Hanley, a delegation composed of British
businessmen and investors is continuing its visit in Turkey. Hanley
said yesterday that they were seeking ways to cooperate with Turkish
firms which he says were making profits in Central Asia and the
Caucasus. /Hurriyet/
[17] COBRA POISON WORTH TL 1.5 TRILLION SEIZED
Three people who brought cobra poison worth TL 1.5 trillion
produced by snake farms in Nakhichevan and used in the medicine industry
and who wanted to pump it into the market for the PKK terrorist
organization have been arrested following operations carried out in
Istanbul, Kayseri and Adana. /Milliyet/
[18] NEW ACTIVITY IN SIRNAK
Following the opening of the Habur border gate, there is a new
liveliness in the economy in Sirnak province in the Southeast Anatolian
region. A second Habur border gate planned to be constructed on the
Habur stream between Uludere and Beytussebap is expected to bring
commercial growth especially in animal husbandry. /Milliyet/
[19] SYNDICATION CREDIT FOR TEKSTILBANK
Tekstilbank has secured syndication credit worth $30 million for a
one-year term from international markets. The credit comes from a
consortium including 14 banks from 10 countries. General Director Pulat
Akcin said that the credit would mostly be used for small and
medium-scale enterprises. /Milliyet/
[20] MED TV FINED BY BRITISH TV COMMISSION
MED TV, which broadcasts in Kurdish and supports the PKK terrorist
organization , has been fined 90,000 pounds by the British Independent
Television Commission following an application by the Turkish Radio and
Television Supreme Council. One of the three reasons given for the fine
was making PKK propaganda. /Hurriyet/
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