Anadolu Agency: News in English, 00-02-06

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[01] AA News

06 February 2000 Sunday

[02] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

WARNING FOR AUSTRIA
President Suleyman Demirel said that ''we will closely monitor the policies that will be pursued by Austria. It is not possible to understand the views saying that 'the reaction of the EU to racism, xenophobia and discrimination in respect of religion is interference in internal affairs' or not accepting one people's right to democratic election.'' Meanwhile Premier Bulent Ecevit said that the racism in Europe is a serious threat and the situation in Austria carries vital importance for Turkey. ''I hope the new government in Austria will be very careful and their relations with Turkey won't effect negatively,'' Ecevit added.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

HOSTILITY AGAINST TURKS OVER
Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou answered to questions of the paper. He said that the rapproachment process effected all the politicians. Particularly the government of PASOK won't behave in a way which will overshadow the process and the hostility against Turks is over in Greece, Papandreou said.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

BAHCELI:''VIRTUE PARTY COULD BE BANNED''
Leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Bahceli said Virtue Party (FP) could be outlawed and closed because of its comments about Hezbollah. ''FP's policies are inconsistent. They speak differently tomorrow than they do today. It wasn't right to talk against the Chief of General Staff. FP could be closed and there could be 105 vacancies in the Parliament. There could be an early elections,'' he said.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

OPPOSITION SAYS GOVERNMENT'S FORMULA NOT ACCEPTABLE
Despite the coalition government which forms the majority of the seats in the Parliament, the opposition insists on the constitutional change that will allow the election of the president by people. Especially, the main opposition party FP are working together with the True Path Party (DYP) to present the constitutional change proposal to Parliament's Constitutional Commission. If the Commission rejects the proposal, FP is planning to submit the proposal to the General Council. DYP's approach on this matter will become clear after the issue is discussed at the Commission.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

IMF APPRECIATES TURKEY
Stanley Fischer, the Deputy Chairman of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said that Turkey and Colombia are each implementing a model economic program. Fischer noted that Turkey and Colombia are implementing clear policies. Although the IMF did not grant high amount of financial support to Turkey, Turkey committed that she is determined and ready to solve her long-term economic problems; Fischer added.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

FISCHER:''TURKEY IS DETERMINED ON ITS ECONOMIC PROGRAMME''
IMF Deputy Chairman Stanley Fischer said Turkey and Colombia were implementing an example economic programme. He noted that both countries were following a transparent policies. Although the IMF did not provide a very high financial assistance to Turkey, Turkey is committed it to solve its long term fiancial problems, he said.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

DGM:FUNDAMENTALISM IS A LIVING DANGER
The State Security Court (DGM) of Malatya said that fundamentalism is a living danger in its reasoned verdict which foresaw the imprisonment of Abdurrahman Dilipak and Ahmet Tasgetiren. The decision noted that the state can limit the freedom of individuals.

[03] MAJORITY OF TOURISTS WERE FROM GERMANY, BRITAIN AND ROMANIA LAST YEAR

According to the figures of State Statistics Institute (DIE), 1 million 388, 766 German tourists, 814,989 British tourists and 483,164 Romanian tourists visited Turkey last year.

Russian Federation, the U.S., Iran, France, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and Israel followed Germany, Britain and Romania.

Antalya Airport hosted the highest number of tourists who entered Turkey. More than 1 million 733,000 tourists entered the country from Antalya Airport. Istanbul's Ataturk Airport followed Antalya Airport with 1 million 584,000 tourists.

[04] DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS: ''PROCEEDINGS STARTED TO DISMISS 73 IMAMS WHO HAD CONNECTIONS WITH HEZBOLLAH''

Yılmaz said that they informed the officials about the imams who had connections with Hezbollah.

''Terrorists can either be religious or atheist; moslem or Christian. This issue shouldn't be confused with religion. Killling a person is a very big sin in Islam,'' he added.

[05] THE ECONOMIST: ''ISMAIL CEM, A TURKISH STRATEGIST''

''A Turkish Strategist: Ismail Cem'' is the title of the article which listed the success of Cem who is the foreign minister for 2,5 years, as persuading EU to accept Turkey, persuading Rauf Denktas, the President of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to participate in the negotiations held under the auspices of the U.N. and putting Turkey among the favourite countries of the U.S. in the region.

The Economist referred to the words of Cem who said that ''west and Europe are different things. Joining Europe means adapting a system of values. Respect to democracy, religious tolerance, man-woman equality and cultural pluralism are included in that system.'' The article said Cem pointed out to the fact that Turkey is European for 75 years in that respect.

The article stressed that the last struggle of Cem is to prevent the spreading of the chaos in the Caucasus and Chechnia to the east and south, adding although Cem said ''Chechnia is an internal issue of Russia'' during his visit to Russia last year, Turkey proposed the formation of a Caucasus Stability Pact last month. The article defended the view that the pact which was signed among Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia is a covert warning to Russia.

Referring to the the Cyprus question, The Economist noted that this issue is not among Cem's list of priorities. The article ended by asking the question ''will Ismail Cem be able to urge Rauf Denktas, whom no politician attempted to challange till today, to give concessions?''

[06] GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER SCHARPING:''TURKEY'S NEARING TO EUROPE IS IMPORTANT''

Scharping later conversed with Turkish Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu, Parliament Foreign Affairs Commission Chairman Kamran Inan and Turkish Ambassaador to Germany Tugay Ulucevik.

Scharping said the German government wanted to further develop its relations with Turkey and added that they supported Turkey's moving closer to Europe. He also noted that high level German statesmen will visit Turkey in the coming days.

The 36th Munich Security Conference ended on Sunday. Cakmakoglu, after meeting with Turkish attachees in the Munich Consulate will return home in the evening.

[07] HEZBOLLAH OPERATION IN GAZIANTEP - SUSPECT BALCA:''I KILLED HEP'S PROVINCIAL HEADQUARTERS CHAIRMAN SAKIK''

Fuat Balca, one of the suspects who are known as the top-members of the Hezbollah, told the police that he killed Sakık himself and later hided in a mosque.

The suspects were then taken to Duztepe district where an imam was stabbed. Another suspect Faysal Bozkır told the police that a person called Nurettin ordered him to stab the imam who didn't let the Hezbollah militants to use the mosque for training purposes.

The suspects were later brought to security directorate again.

[08] SOCALLED CALIPH METIN KAPLAN TO STAND TRIAL IN GERMANY ON TUESDAY

The case will be heard at Dusseldorf State Court. Together with arrested Kaplan, two other persons who work in the same fundamentalist association will also be tried.

The hearing is expected to end on March 22.

Kaplan was arrested in March 1999 due to the suit filed against him by German Federal Prosecution for inciting people to murder and causing chaos in the country.

A clash had erupted between German police and the supporters of Kaplan when the latter was arrested by the police. Three constables were injured in the clash.

Kaplan who declared himself as the socalled ''Caliph of Federated Islam State'' after the death of his father, is accused of ordering the killing of Yusuf Sofu who opposed him.

[09] TURKISH AND GREEK POLICE STAGE JOINT OPERATION AGAINST DRUG - 4,25 KILOS OF HEROIN SEIZED

Istanbul Narcotic officials said that due to the cooperation with the Greek narcotic officials, it was determined that a drug gang in Greece was involved in drug trafficking between Turkey and Greece by using couriers.

A joint operation plan against the drug smugglers was prepared. Greek narcotic officials sent a fax to Istanbul saying that the Nigerian drug traders would send an Austrian courier to Istanbul and this person would bring heroin in his return to Athens.

Narcotic teams followed the Austrian courier when he arrived at Ataturk Airport of Istanbul and later captured him who had 4,25 kilos of heroin on him and three Nigerians who helped the Austrian courier.

Three more Nigerians, who were the bosses of the drug gang, were captured in Athens upon the information obtained from the Austrian courier by Turkish police.

Together with the drug, 2 fake U.S. passports, 3 fake British passports, one fake Dannish passport, one fake Senegalese passport, one fake South African passport, three Nigerian passports and equipment used in making fake passports were also found during the Turkish-Greek joint operation.

The drug traders told the police that they used different methods to make the international drug trafficking safer. The Nigerian drug gang in based in Greece urged the citizens of the former Soviet Union to become couriers after making them drug addicts.

The Nigerian gang transferred cocaines to Turkey from the routes of South America-West Europe-Greece by couriers and transfer heroin from the east to the west by the route of Iran-Turkey-Greece-West Europe and the U.S.

A.A

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