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Turkish Press Review, 98-12-02Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>02.12.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] FROM THE WORLD PRESS-DIE PRESSE[02] WHY DOUBLE STANDARDS?[03] DEMIREL TO VISIT ROMANIAPresident Suleyman Demirel will pay an official visit to Romania tomorrow. During his visit, relations between Turkey and Romania will be discussed. /Milliyet/[04] POLICE PUT ON HIGH ALERT FOR GALATASARAY-JUVENTUS MATCHAuthorities have called more than 20,000 police officers to duty for the European Champions' League Group B match today between Turkish champion Galatasaray and Juventus of Italy at Istanbul's Ali Sami Yen Stadium. "We will do our best to start and finish the game without any incidents" Interior Minister Kutlu Aktas told reporters yesterday. "Everyone should know that this is a sports competition" he added. /All papers/[05] ITALY WANTS TO COOL DOWN ROWItaly reportedly wants to negotiate the current diplomatic row with Turkey concerning the extradition of the leader of the PKK terrorist organization Abdullah Ocalan. Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini yesterday telephoned his Turkish counterpart, Ismail Cem, and told him that he wanted to end the diplomatic scuffle between the two countries through face-to-face talks. Cem was in Paris to take part in a regular session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Western European Union (WEU). Dini informed him that he would not be able to go to Oslo where a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will be held.Cem explained to Dini Turkey's reaction towards the recent decision agreed on by the prime ministers of Italy and Germany concerning the trial of Ocalan in a European court. Cem emphasized to Dini that the Ocalan issue should not be taken out of the legal context. Cem stressed that Ankara wants Italy to extradite Ocalan so that he may be brought to trial in Turkey. Cem rejected a European initiative to eventually bring Ocalan before an international court outside Turkey. Cem called on the countries concerned to abide by international law, the conventions which they have signed and their commitments to combatting terrorism. /All papers/ [06] PKK TO TURN ITALY INTO BLOODBATHThe Chairman of the Italian Parliament's Control Committee of Secret Services, Franco Frattini, claimed that if the leader of the PKK terrorist organization Abdullah Ocalan is not extradited, the PKK will turn Italy into a bloodbath. Frattini made a statement to a leading Italian newspaper, La Stampa, yesterday and said that Russian Prime Minister Primakov had admitted Ocalan into Russia in order to help Syria. However, following Turkish pressure, Russia had had to organize Ocalan's Rome visit. Frattini noted that Russia aimed to weaken Italy and Turkey, which are two NATO allies. /Milliyet/[07] SANBERK CRITICIZES EUThe Turkish Ambassador to London, Ozdem Sanberk, delivered a speech at the House of Commons in London yesterday and harshly criticized Italy, blamed her for showing hospitality to a terrorist leader. Sanberk, who had been invited to the British Parliament's Inter-party Foreign Affairs Joint Committee on Cyprus, also devoted coverage to the Ocalan issue and said that Italy should attach more importance to international law than to its political concerns. Sanberk also criticized EU Commissioner Jacques Santer, who had reacted against Turkish protests against Italy.Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Aegean Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (ESIAD), Tufan Unal, said that they had sent a letter to EU Commissioner Jacques Santer complaining about the Italian government's stance on the Ocalan issue. /Milliyet-Turkiye/ [08] D'ALEMA: "OCALAN IS A TERRORIST"Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema, speaking in a radio interview yesterday, said that Rome will not be left with any other choice but to deport the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan if it fails to find a country willing to try Ocalan. D'Alema also admitted that he considered Ocalan a terrorist.Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz criticized both Italy and Germany, noting that both Rome and Bonn were being slammed by their own people, and accused the two countries of violating the rule of law. Yilmaz was speaking in front of the parliamentary group of his Motherland Party (ANAP) yesterday. He called on the Bonn government to "either try or extradite" Ocalan if Italy hands him over to Germany. Yilmaz also called on the fans of Galatasaray soccer team to remain calm during Galatasaray's game with the Italian team Juventus on Wednesday evening in Istanbul. /All papers/ [09] CHIRAC: "OCALAN ISSUE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN EU"French President Jacques Chirac said that the Ocalan issue should be considered with the EU framework. Speaking in the German city of Potsdam, Chirac noted that the issue concerned primarily Germany and Britain.Meanwhile, EU Justice Ministers will discuss the future of Ocalan at a meeting in Brussels next week, German Justice Minister Herta Daeubler-Gmelin said yesterday. The French have reacted with interest to a proposal from Italy and Germany to set up an international tribunal for Ocalan during discussions with French Justice Minister Elisabeth Guigou at the two-day French-German summit, Daeubler-Gmelin said. /All papers/ [10] US: "A BIG STEP"The US said that the capture of the PKK leader was a 'big step' in the struggle against international terrorism. These remarks were made by White House Spokesman John Lockhart. On the other hand, Washington has been expending efforts to prevent Italy from granting Ocalan political asylum and to have him extradited to Turkey and tried there. /Milliyet/[11] FROM THE WORLD PRESS-DIE PRESSE[12] WHY DOUBLE STANDARDS?It seems wrong to shy away from trying Ocalan, fearing possible disruption, while half of Europe wants to see the former Chilean dictator Pinochet stand trial. It is noteworthy to see that the fear of possible terrorist reprisals influence the working of the law. Will other terrorists live in comfort from now on with the presumption that they will be able to take revenge? It would be a scandal to search a reason for this stand by implying that Ocalan had only given instructions for a few murders and arson. This is nowhere near the level of other crimes attributed to him. Ocalan has already left his future behind him. /Turkiye/[13] PKK: SUB-CONTRACTOR FOR ASALAA report prepared by the Directorate General of Security concerning the activities of the Armenian terrorist organizations brings some striking facts into the open. In the report it is stated that 198 Armenian terrorist organizations are actively operating against Turkey. 18 of these organizations are involved in armed operations, while 93 of them are engaged in education and propaganda campaigns. The remaining 87 organizations are working legally. In the report the ploys of Armenian terrorists over Turkey are discussed.The report which states that the two most important organizations of them all are the PKK and ASALA, gives wide coverage to the relations between the PKK terrorist organization and the Armenians. It is also pointed out that the start of the PKK's terrorist activities coincide with the retreat of ASALA from the terror scene. /Turkiye/ [14] MEETING IN FOREIGN MINISTRYThe Foreign Ministry will invite the leading representatives of some institutions to the Ministry today to discuss the recent developments in Turco-Italian relations. Some of the institutions to attend the meeting are; the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchange, the Turkish Agriculture Chambers Union, the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association, the Foreign Economic Relations Council, the Economic Development Foundation, the Turkish Employers' Confederation, Turk-Is, Ankara Trade Chamber, Istanbul Trade Chamber, The Aegean Region Trade Chamber and the Turkish Importers' Assembly. /Aksam/[15] OCALAN ASKS ITALY FOR ASYLUMAbdullah Ocalan, who has been in Rome for 20 days, yesterday asked Italy for asylum status. The official application by Ocalan was handed over to the Italian Justice Ministry by his advocates Saraceni and Pisapia, who are also deputies of the Greens Party. /Aksam/[16] GREEK SUPPORT FOR OCALANThe Speaker of the Greek government, Dimitri Reppas, held a press conference on the Ocalan issue saying that Greece would support Italy's possible granting of asylum to Abdullah Ocalan. Reppas claimed that Ocalan and the PKK was not a Turco-Greek issue. He continued the issue was directly related to the European Union (EU). Reppas noted that they welcomed Italy's policy concerning Ocalan. /Aksam/[17] "TWO FACED EUROPE"One of the leading newspapers in the US, the Wall Street Journal, said that Europe was acting in a two-faced manner concerning the Ocalan issue and treated him as a statesman. Michael Ledeen, an expert of the American Enterprise Institutions, said in his article in the paper that Ocalan, who was the one of the bloodiest terrorists in the world and the chief of the terrorist organization which had murdered thousands of people, was staying in a NATO-member country and was treated as a statesman by Europe. /Aksam/[18] TURKEY SIGNS AN AGREEMENT ON TERRORISM WITH ITALYAn agreement signed between Turkey and Italy on September 22 1998, on "Terrorism, Organized Crimes, the Laundering of Illegal Profits, Coooperation in Combatting Drug Trafficking, and the Smuggling of Humans" was ratified by the Council of Ministers. The agreement which was published in the Official Gazette yesterday, stated that both countries are aware that the above-mentioned factors and other crimes influence the two countries and endanger the comfort of the citizens in addition to their security. /Turkiye/[19] ITALIAN COMMUNIST LEADER MEETS OCALANThe Italian Reconstruction Communist Party leader, Fausto Bertinotti met Abdullah Ocalan yesterday. After the meeting Bertinotti said that Ocalan wanted Italian and foreign press members to understand the reasons for his arrival in Italy. Bertinotti noted that the deportation of Ocalan would not contribute to the solution of the Kurdish issue. /Sabah/[20] DOCUMENTS ARE INCOMPLETEThe Italian Minister of Interior, R.Russo Jervelino, stated that the documents involved in Ocalan's appeal for political asylum were incomplete and the data had not been presented in accordance with official procedures. This statement by Jervelino was interpreted as indicative of Italy's reluctance to grant asylum to Ocalan. In the same way, the Italian Minister of Defense, Carlo Scognamiglio, reiterated that Ocalan must immediately be deported. /Hurriyet/[21] LETTER FROM CONGRESS TO CLINTON: "EXTRADITE OCALAN TO TURKEY"In a letter to President Clinton, 6 members of the US Congress reminded the President of US obligations concerning the struggle against terrorism and asked him what kind of steps he had taken for the extradition of Ocalan to Turkey. In the letter by three Democrat and three Republican members of the House of Representatives it was said that they believed the Clinton administration would make all possible efforts for the extradition of Ocalan, conforming to the government's devotion to the struggle against international terrorism. /Hurriyet/[22] OPERATIONS ON IRAQI BORDERThe Turkish Armed Forces continue their operations on the northern Iraqi border. At Cukurca, Semdinli and Yuksekova townships in Hakkari, land operations supported by air forces are continuing. In another operation in the mountainous Daglica district of Hakkari, where 16 security members were killed last weekend, aircrafts are bombing the terrorists' shelters. /Sabah/[23] ONE KILLED, 14 INJURED IN EXPLOSIONA young woman was killed and 14 other people injured in an explosion yesterday in the southeastern Anatolian city of Diyarbakir. The explosion occurred shortly after an unidentified woman, carrying a package, arrived at a supermarket in Diyarbakir's Lice district in the morning. The injured, one of whom was a soldier, were taken to hospital for treatment. Officials said that they suspected the blast to be a suicide bomb attack by the PKK terrorist organization. /All papers/[24] ANKARA STATE THEATRE TO AZERBAIJANThe Ankara State Theatre (ADT) will go to Azerbaijan on 5-13 December. The group will give performances in Sumqayit, Gence and Baku within the framework of a bilateral cultural agreement between Turkey and Azerbaijan. /Aksam/[25] MILITARY COOPERATION WITH SENEGALA protocol which envisages the training of Senegal's gendarmery staff was signed between Turkey and Senegal yesterday. During a ceremony at the General Command of Gendarmery, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Cetin Haspisiren and Senegal's Deputy General Commander in Chief of the Gendarmery, Colonel Badara Niang, signed the protocol. Haspisiren said in a speech that the protocol would make important contributions to the establishment and development of beneficial relations between the two organizations and to regional and global security. Colonel Niang said for his part that friendship between the two countries would further develop. Meanwhile, the Minister of Senegal's Armed Forces, Cheikh Hamidou Kane, who headed the delegation, visited the Turkish General Commander in Chief of the Gendarmery Rasim Betir yesterday, the Anatolia news agency reports.[26] BOND EXPORTSBond exports on the Euromark market made by the Treasury Undersecretariat increased by DM 200 million yesterday and reached DM 800 million. The Treasury exported bonds worth DM 600 million on the Euromark market on November 10, 1998. The total amount of bond exports on international capital markets made by the Treasury Undersecretariat in 1998 reached nearly $2.4 billion. /Milliyet/[27] ENERGY COUNCIL TO CONVENEThe first Energy Council in the history of the Republic of Turkey will be held in Istanbul on December 7-9 to discuss Turkey's energy profile in the next century. In a written statement yesterday, the Energy Minister said that the aim of the gathering will be to outline a sustainable energy policy based on Turkey's expected production and consumption and to discuss the restructuring and privatization of Turkey's energy sector. /All papers/[28] GASOLINE PRICES FALL IN ANKARA AND IZMIRGasoline prices dropped in Ankara and Izmir as the result both of a fall in prices on international markets and the accumulation of stocks by the state-owned oil company Tupras. This is the first reduction in gasoline prices since the adoption of the automatic price mechanism on July 1. /All papers/[29] WORLD AIDS DAYA meeting was held yesterday on the occasion of December 1, World Aids Day, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, the Istanbul governor's office, the Istanbul Health Foundation and the Fight Against Aids Foundation. President Suleyman Demirel conveyed a message on World Aids Day in which he stated that the most important step towards fighting Aids in Turkey was to create awareness in the public mind and to educate society, since many people were not familiar with what the disease was all about. Demirel said the fight against Aids would gain a voice not only trhough the state's efforts but also through the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Turkey. /All papers/[30] TURKEY TO PURCHASE NEW MISSILESIt is reported that Turkey plans to purchase Harpoon missiles from the US Boeing firm. The countries which will purchase Harpoon missiles are as follows: Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Taiwan and South Korea. Harpoon missiles are used by 22 countries throughout the world. /Aksam/[31] TURKEY SEEKS TO DEFEND ITS WW II RECORDTurkey is seeking to have its position on the Nazi gold controvesry endorsed at a four-day international conference that opened on Monday night in Washington D.C., the goal of which is determining the fate of art and property looted by the Nazis during the World War II. In the two reports prepared on the issue by Stuart Eizenstat, US undersecretary of state and organizer of the meeting, in May and June, Turkey was accused of buying looted gold from the Nazis and indirectly helping them by selling them chromium during the war. Turkey denies the claims. A committee established to investigate the allegations under the chairmanship of State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel, has proved them wrong. Officials from the Foreign Ministry, state ministries and the Central Bank along with a delegation of Turkish Jews are representing Turkey at the conference. /All papers/[32] CEM: "S-300 CANNOT BE DEPLOYED IN CRETE"Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem stated that the deployment of Russian-made S-300 missiles on the island of Crete is unacceptable. At the Western European Union (WEU) meeting, Cem said: "Our stand is clear. We cannot accept the deployment of the missiles in the Aegean region. This is their problem. If a mistake is made, serious consequences will ensue. After his meeting with the French Foreign Minister Vedrine in Paris the previous day, Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos stated that it was possible to deploy S-300 missiles on the island of Crete. /Turkiye/[33] SERDAROGLU AND KOC IN ANAPIzmir independent deputy Rifat Serdaroglu and Ordu independent deputy Mujdat Koc entered the Motherland Party (ANAP). ANAP Secretary General Rustu Kazim Yucelen stated that Serdaroglu and Koc had asked to be registered in ANAP. Yucelen said that the ceremony for their registration would be enacted at a date to be determined by the Chairmanship. /Turkiye/[34] SPANISH INDUSTRIALISTS AT GAPA delegation of nine Spanish industrialists, arrived in Sanliurfa to carry out observations and make contacts for investments in the GAP region. The officials said that guest businessmen would inspect the Ataturk Dam following a briefing to be given by the GAP Regional Development Administration Directorate. /Cumhuriyet/[35] SUPERVISION OF PRIVATE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONSThe authority to supervise the transactions and accounts of private financial institutions were also given to the Undersecretariat of the Treasury while it was controlled solely by the Central Bank. The Council of Ministers resolution on "the amendment of the decision on the establishment of private financial institutions" was published in the Official Gazette. /Cumhuriyet/[36] FRENCH COURT TO DECIDE ON CAKICI'S EXTRADITIONTomorrow, Aix-En-Provence Court of Appeals in France will decide on the extradition of Alaattin Cakici, concerning whom there are nine different arrest warrants in Turkey. During the court session on 5 November, the judge asked for the extradition of Cakici to Turkey because of the crimes that he had committed in Turkey. /Sabah/[37] INCREASING DANGER IN BOSPHORUSOne of the biggest science museums in the world, the Smithsonian Institute, issued an article in their magazine, published by the museum under the same name, "Smithsonian", about the increasing danger in the Straits. The article, titled "Bosphorus...Waiting for Disaster", drew attention to the fearful accidents caused by increasing oil tanker traffic in the Straits. Claiming that Istanbul people come face to face with danger every 10 minutes, the article aimed to inform foreign businessmen about the traffic through the Bosphorus. "There have been 150 serious accidents in the Straits. The beautiful historical villas on either side of the Bosphorus are also under great threat. The tanker traffic in the Bosphorus is three times more than the traffic in the Suez Canal. If Caspian oil is transported through the Straits, this will add 50 million tons of additional freight to the traffic. And the 12 million-strong population of Istanbul have the right to want the Baku-Ceyhan oil route. According to the Montreux Treaty a ship from anywhere in the world can pass through the Bosphorous day and night. However, at the time the agreement was signed there were only four or five ships passing through the Bosphorus in a day whereas today the number is up to 150 tankers in a day. The agreement should be changed because not only the Bosphorus but also the whole of Istanbul is in great danger," said the article. /Sabah/[38] FIRST INTERNATIONAL CINEMA-HISTORY-FILM FESTIVAL IN ISTANBULThe First International Cinema-History-Film Festival by Tursak and the History Foundation starts today in Istanbul. A documentary, shown in 26 countries in the world, about the political events ended with the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, will be on show today in Bilgi University. On 4 November there was a panel of speakers; Can Dundar and Bulent Capli spoke on a "View of the History of the Republic: the Inonu Documentary". /Sabah/[39] "HOMAGE TO ATATURK EXHIBITION" IN NEW YORKThe "Homage to Ataturk Exhibition", opened at Gallery X in New York due to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, had received a lot of interest from Turkish and American art-lovers. Gulsun Erbil, the manager of the gallery, noted that the exhibition reflected most of the fundamental aesthetic and technical features of Turkish painting and displayed the traditional values of Turkish art by combining folkloric elements with the facilities of oil painting. /Hurriyet/[40] MONTHLY INFLATION IS BELOW 4.3%The inflation rate for November will be under 4.3%. Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz declared that,in line with the gradual deceleration of inflation, the annual inflation rate for November would become at most 59.9%, receding below 60% for the first time. Last year, the inflation rate for November was 5.6% and that corresponded to an annual total rate of 88.4%. /Hurriyet/[41] "TURKISH DEFENSE STRATEGY HAS CHANGED"It was argued that the recent possibilities of battle with its neighbours had resulted in a change in Turkey's strategy of defense. According to Defense News, this change took place in the purchasing of new weapons and defense equipment. It was reported that Turkish military leaders were beginning to prefer `direct purchase' rather than joint production in Turkey since the former enabled very quick transfers of military equipment.In an interview with Defense News, retired General Kemal Yavuz said: "The recent tensions with Syria and Greece are regarded as prominent elements in Turkey's desire to enlarge its helicopter fleet". Yavuz noted that it was a prevalent view in Ankara that it was already too late for the issue of helicopters. That seemed to be the basic rationale behind cancelling the joint production project of 50 Black Hawk helicopters and purchasing them directly instead-a strategic change which shortened the transfer time by four years. Relying upon the statements of Turkish officials, it was reported in the news that Turkish Armed Forces were giving great priority to the rapid modernization of the army and that also compelled the Ministry of Defense to prefer the "direct purchase" alternative. 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