Anadolu Agency: News in English, 98-08-16

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From: The Anadolu Agency Home Page at <http://www.anadoluajansi.gov.tr/>

16 AUG 1998

CONTENTS

[01] AKAR, DIRECTOR OF ZIRRAT BANK'S BRANCH IN SOFIA: - ''LET'S TAKE PART IN COMMERCIAL LIFE IN BULGARIA''

[02] PRIME MINISTER YILMAZ IN IZMIR - YILMAZ: ''PEACE AND STABILITY HAVE PREVAILED IN TURKEY FOR THE LAST 13 MONTHS''

[03] FIVE TERRORISTS KILLED IN PERVARI

[04] INDEPENDENCE DAY OF GAZIMAGUSA CELEBRATED

[05] TURKISH MEDICINE AND MEDICAL EQUIPMENT EXHIBITION OPENED IN BAGHDAD

[06] ISIN CELEBI, MINISTER OF STATE: ''WE WILL INCREASE OUR EXPORTS TO 50 BILLION DOLLARS IN THE YEAR 2000''

[07] INVESTMENTS IN GAP REGION IN FIELD OF EDUCATION

[08] NAME OF OLDEST CAFE IN BELGIUM IS ''TURK''

[09] EXPERTS FROM TREASURY: ''THE CENTRAL BANK COULDN'T FIND OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE INDEPENDENT AND STRICT MONETARY POLICIES BETWEEN 1991-1997''

[10] SEA TRANSPORT TO BE PRIVATIZED - PRIVATIZATION PROCESS TO START ON MONDAY

[11] 30 THOUSAND CUBIC METERS OF WATER TRANSPORTED TO TRNC

[12] CONTRIBUTION OF FREE ZONES TO TURKEY'S FOREIGN TRADE

[13] GREEK CYPRIOTS HOLD CEREMONY IN TRNC

[14] TURKISH-GREEK FRIENDSHIP ON GOKCEADA

[15] TREASURY TO SELL ONE-YEAR TERM BONDS IN TENDER ON 18 AUGUST

[16] CROP-DUSTER CRASHES IN SOUTHERN ANTALYA PROVINCE - PILOT SLIGHTLY INJURED

[17] TWO VILLAGE GUARDS KILLED WHO STEPPED ON LAND MINES

[01] AKAR, DIRECTOR OF ZIRRAT BANK'S BRANCH IN SOFIA: - ''LET'S TAKE PART IN COMMERCIAL LIFE IN BULGARIA''

Addressing a meeting at the Edirne Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Caner Akar called that the businessmen in Thracian region to trade with their Bulgarian counterparts.

''We also give counseling services to Turkish and Bulgarian businessmen. The Bulgarian businessmen want us to find partners in Turkey. They want to set up commercial relations. They expect the Turkish businessmen to respond to their demands. The Thracian region, with its location and potential, is the most appropriate region for these relations,'' he said.

Recalling that Turkey and Bulgaria signed a Free Trade Agreement, Akar said that two countries will start to implement the agreement by next year.

Nearly 30 businessmen and the representatives of the Ziraat Bank's branches in Edirne, Kirklareli, Tekirdag and Canakkale attended the meeting.

[02] PRIME MINISTER YILMAZ IN IZMIR - YILMAZ: ''PEACE AND STABILITY HAVE PREVAILED IN TURKEY FOR THE LAST 13 MONTHS''

Addressing the ceremony held upon the opening of Turkey's biggest glossy paper factory, the Alkim Facilities, established in Kemalpasa county of Izmir, Prime Minister Yilmaz said that a great economic race continues in the world and in Turkey on the eve of the 21st century.

Pointing out that everybody has several responsibilities in this race, Yilmaz said, ''but the administrators have the main responsibility. The thing we, as the administrators, should do is to trust the public, to trust their power to realize initiatives, to trust their creativity and ability, if we want to rank in the first places in this race.''

''Our duty is to remove the obstacles in front of the public. We, as the 55th government, have been making efforts for the last 13 months to this end. Our duty is to withdraw the state from the economy, to accelerate the privatization of the state enterprises, and to support the initiatives of entrepreneurs,'' Prime Minister Yilmaz added.

[03] FIVE TERRORISTS KILLED IN PERVARI

The Emergency Rule Governor's Office said that security forces, during an operation launched in the region, clashed with a group of terrorists in Tastepe region in Dogan village, killing five separatist terrorists.

The operations are underway in the region.

[04] INDEPENDENCE DAY OF GAZIMAGUSA CELEBRATED

Addressing the ceremony held in Gazimagusa, which gained its freedom during the Second Cyprus Peace Operation, Hakký Atun, the Speaker of the TRNC Parliament, said that the Greek-Greek Cypriot racism does not refrain from brutality and even genocide in every opportunity, stressing that the Turkish Cypriots will never forget the years before 1974.

Emphasizing that the Greek-Greek Cypriot side didn't give up its ''idee- fixe'' for the last 24 years, Atun said, ''that fixed idea is knotted at the vital point of not showing respect for the existence and rights of Turkish Cypriots.''

[05] TURKISH MEDICINE AND MEDICAL EQUIPMENT EXHIBITION OPENED IN BAGHDAD

A total of 30 Turkish medicine companies participate in the three-day fair, which was opened by Umit Mithat Mubarek, the Minister of Health of Iraq.

Salih Zeki Kilimci, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, told the A.A correspondent that the aim of their participation in the fair was to promote the Turkish medical products.

Addressing the opening of the fair, Mubarek said that hundreds of people had died due to the UN sanctions on Iraq.

Pointing out that Turkey concerns about the embargo imposed on Iraq, Kilimli said, ''Turkey is ready to deliver medicine to Iraq within the framework of the food-for-oil agreement.''

Meanwhile, some of the Turkish doctors, who attend the exhibition, will address medical conferences.

[06] ISIN CELEBI, MINISTER OF STATE: ''WE WILL INCREASE OUR EXPORTS TO 50 BILLION DOLLARS IN THE YEAR 2000''

Addressing the ceremony held upon the laying the foundation of the second part of the Purification Plant in the Leather Organized Free Zone in Menemen, Celebi said that more than one billion US dollars of leather had been exported from Menemen since 1997.

Pointing out that declining trend in the inflation continues, Celebi said that both the government and the exporters were making necessary efforts to increase the exports.

Noting that the exports this year reached 28-29 billion Us dollars, Celebi said, ''we targetted 50 billion US dollars of exports in the year 2000. We increased the capital of the Eximbank. A series of measures were taken to support exports.''

[07] INVESTMENTS IN GAP REGION IN FIELD OF EDUCATION

The Higher Education Credits and Dormitories Institution is constructing two dormitories having 1,000 beds in Siirt and Batman provinces with the estimated cost of 470 billion TL.

The Ministry of National Education data shows that the constructions of 2, 236 classrooms continue in the GAP Region which has a total of 6,376 kindergardens, primary schools, and high schools.

The Ministry of National Education spent 5 trillion 49 billion TL as of the end of 1997 and allocated 11 trillion 67.5 billion TL this year for its projects of which total cost price was 19 trilyon 854.5 billion TL.

The Higher Education Credits and Dormitories Institution is constructing nine dormitories having 5,973 beds in Diyarbakir, Batman, Bingol, Mardin, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Kilis. The Institution allocated a total of 325 billion TL for these dormitories this year and provided nearly 50 percent realization.

[08] NAME OF OLDEST CAFE IN BELGIUM IS ''TURK''

Bart Deploey, the owner of the cafe, the historical building, which was built in 1228, was opened in 1340 as a cafe with the name ''Den Turk''.

Speaking to the A.A correspondent, Deploey said that the Turks, who came to one of the oldest port city of Europe, Gent, with ships in the 14th century, sold several goods like herbs, spices and coffee at that cafe, and that the residents of Gent gave the name of ''Den Turk'' to that cafe as they found the Turks very honest and likable.

Pointing out that the building had been a place where the knights were billeted before it was changed into a cafe in 1340, Deploey said, ''we feel proud of our cafe's having the name Den Turk.''

Gent city is located in Flaman region in Belgium. A total of 225 thousand people including eight thousand Turks are living in this touristic city.

[09] EXPERTS FROM TREASURY: ''THE CENTRAL BANK COULDN'T FIND OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE INDEPENDENT AND STRICT MONETARY POLICIES BETWEEN 1991-1997''

According to the research on ''Balance Sheet of the Central Bank Concerning Monetary Policies Implementations'' prepared together by Ferhat Emil, the Deputy Undersecretary of Treasury, and by Defne Ata, Deputy Expert of Treasury, the year 1990 was evaluated as the year in which the Central Bank's balance sheet was taken under control and as the year which didn't create monetary enlargening.

Stressing that the Central Bank failed to continue to pursue strict monetary policies after 1990, the research said that the controlling of the balance sheet became difficult and the created money oriented to the financing of internel assets instead of external assets in the 1991-1992 period.

In the 1992-1993 period, the control over the balance sheet was almost weaken while the balance sheet amounts were again taken under control following the 1994 crisis till the first quarter of 1995 due to the effect of monetary policies pursued during this period.

Pointing out that the increase in the balance sheet amounts entered into a declining trend in 1996, the research said that the monetary supplies showed an increase over the Gross National Product per capita the same year.

The research said that the monetary expansion decreased in 1997 compared to previous year when the Central Bank's balance sheet was taken under control and the increases in monetary supplies reduced under the GNP per capita increases and entered into a positive trend from the second half of 1997.

[10] SEA TRANSPORT TO BE PRIVATIZED - PRIVATIZATION PROCESS TO START ON MONDAY

The company, which was established in 1955, has 29 ships and the constructions of its four ships continue.

Nevzat Bilican, the General Director of the company, told the A.A correspondent that they arrange weekly direct-voyages to Valencia, Barcelona, Marseille, La Spesia, Piraeus and Tunisia from Istanbul and Izmir; in every ten days to Beirut and Alexandria from Istanbul and Izmir and in evry ten-fifteen days to Antwerp, Hamburg, Bremen and other North Europeans ports from Istanbul, Izmir, Derince, Eregli and other ports in Turkey.

Bilican said that they transport cargo to the US Western beach, ports in Gulf of Mexico, New York, Baltimore, Charleston and Norfolk while they arrange voyages to Kobe, Yokohoma in Japan and Pusan in South Korea in every two months.

The Ro-Ro ships carry cargo to Constantsa from Derince two times a week and realize weekly voyages to Trieste Port in Italy from Istanbul and Cesme.

Meanwhile, the process for the privatization of a 99.99 percent public share in the company, which was put into the scope of privatization in 1993, will start on Monday.

The deadline for submitting bids for the block-sale tender was specified to be 14 September 1998.

[11] 30 THOUSAND CUBIC METERS OF WATER TRANSPORTED TO TRNC

Altinbilek said that the water transport, which was carried out once a week now, will be made in every three days after 24 August.

Dogan Altinbilek told the A.A correspondent, ''but we couldn't reach a level to fully meet the total demand in Gazimagusa and Lefkosa. We will be able to meet the total demand when we start water transport with three balloons.''

Pointing out that they planned to transport three million cubic meters of water to the TRNC in first year and increase that amount to seven million cubic meters in following years, Altinbilek said, ''our plan is to increase the capacity of balloons. We are planning to transport water with three balloons having 20 thousand cubic meters of capacity.''

[12] CONTRIBUTION OF FREE ZONES TO TURKEY'S FOREIGN TRADE

The officials from the Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade told the A.A correspondent that the trade volume of free zones in 1988, the first year in which the free area implementations started, was 153 million US dollars while it increased to 2.9 billion US dollars in 1995 and inclined to 3.6 billion US dollars in 1996 and reached 5.5 billion US dollars last year.

This amount is expected to increase to 8.5 billion US dollars at the end of the year while it was targetted to reach ten percent of Turkey's total foreign trade volume.

The biggest trade volume in 1997 was realized in the Mersin Free Zone with 1.8 billion US dollars and it was followed by the Aegean Free Area with 1.4 billion US dollars.

The trade volumes in the six of eight free zones in Turkey increased in 1997. The names of the free zones where the trade volumes were decreased were the Trabzon and East Anatolian Free Areas.

The trade volume of the Trabzon Free Area decreased by 19 percent and the trade volume of the East Anatolian Free Area declined by 67 percent last year compared to 1996.

The free zones, in 1997, realized 21 percent of the total trade with the European Union countries; 6.6 percent with the Commonwealth of Independent States; eight percent with the OECD countries; 50 percent with Turkey and 14.4 percent with other countries.

The agricultural goods had 19.3 percent stake in the total trade in the free zones in 1997 while mineral and quarry products had 0.6 percent stake and the industrial products shared 80.1 percent in the total trade volume.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,684 companies including 1,395 domestic and 289 foreign companies engaged in trade while nearly 8,750 people were employed in these eight free zones in Turkey.

[13] GREEK CYPRIOTS HOLD CEREMONY IN TRNC

The Greek-Cypriots started to enter the TRNC on 14 August to hold a ceremony at the Apostopolos Andreas on Sunday upon the 15 August Christian religious holiday, the date when Virgin Mary passed away.

A total of 252 Maronite Christians and 41 Greek-Cypriots entered the TRNC on August 14 while 72 Maronites and 66 Greek-Cypriots came to the TRNC on 15 August and spent the night near their relatives living in Dipkarpaz.

The TRNC authorities said ten more Maronite Christians entered the TRNC on Sunday and that they provided every facility and comfort for the Greek- Cypriots and the Maronites in their travel to Dipkarpaz.

[14] TURKISH-GREEK FRIENDSHIP ON GOKCEADA

The festival, which is organized in Gokceada every year between 15-18 August, started with a ceremony performed at the Tepekoy church by Dimitri Fotia, the Metropolitan of Gokceada.

The Turks and Greeks danced with Turkish and Greek musics and gave friendship messages to the world.

[15] TREASURY TO SELL ONE-YEAR TERM BONDS IN TENDER ON 18 AUGUST

The Treasury will put one-year term state bonds up for sale on Tuesday, August 18.

The issue date was determined to be 19 August while the repayment of the state bonds will be made on 18 August 1999.

Meanwhile, the Treasury will realize 573 trillion 918.6 billion Turkish Liras in domestic borrowing repayment on 19 August; 35 trillion 977 TL in domestic borrowing repayment on 26 August and 2 trillion 180.9 billion TL in domestic borrowing repayment on 31 August.

[16] CROP-DUSTER CRASHES IN SOUTHERN ANTALYA PROVINCE - PILOT SLIGHTLY INJURED

The crop duster belonging to the ANTBIRLIK crashed into the ground when it hit the high-voltage line near the radio-transmit station of the Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) on the Antalya-Serik motorway.

Iskar was taken to a hospital in Antalya. Doctors said that he was not in critical situation.

[17] TWO VILLAGE GUARDS KILLED WHO STEPPED ON LAND MINES

The Agri Governorship said that a five-member village guard team started a land mine sweeping operation on the road to Gumuslu village but Selahattin Kaya, 28, died when he stepped on a mine planted by the separatist terrorists.

Meanwhile, two village guards, who were carrying out land mine sweeping operation together with security forces in Kopki border region near Gulyazi village in Uludere county of southeastern Sirnak province, were badly injured when they hit a mine planted by separatist terrorists.

The temporary village guards Sahin Encu and Abdulaziz Encu were immediately taken at the Military Hospital in Sirnak but Sahin Encu died in the hospital.

Security forces launched operations in both region.

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