TRKNWS-L Turkish Daily News (April 2, 1996)

From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>

Turkish News Directory

CONTENTS

TURKISH DAILY NEWS / 2 April 1996

[01] Defense ministers discuss Balkan security

TDN With Dispatches

ANKARA- U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry on Monday praised Turkey's and Italy's contributions to international military cooperation at a meeting of defense ministers in Tirana, Albania. Perry was addressing a one-day meeting of the ministers of Turkey, Italy, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and the United States. He said that both Turkey and Italy had important experience in IFOR (the NATO-led peace Implementation Force) in Bosnia, and in Somalia.

Turkey was represented at the meeting by Defense Minister Oltan Sungurlu. Departing from Ankara's Esenbogu airport on Sunday, Sungurlu told reporters that Turkey would bring peace to the Balkans, and would convince Greece of the need for peace despite not having received a satisfactory answer to Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's recent offers of negotiation.

The minister said that Greece had also been invited to the meeting, which focused on military cooperation in quelling conflicts without the use of arms, but had chosen not to participate.

"Unfortunately, Turkey has been receiving unsatisfactory answers from Greece despite the requests of our Prime Minister to talk. Despite everything, we will force peace in Balkans, especially with Greece, and hopefully we will persuade Greece for peace in the Balkans," said Sungurlu.

Although Greece signed a friendship treaty with Albania two weeks ago Athens declined Albania's invitation to send its defence minister to Monday's meeting.

Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos told reporters last month that the meeting should not be limited to the southern Balkans area.

Sungurlu met Defense Secretary Perry for breakfast on Monday to discuss relations between Turkey and the United States, recent regional developments, and the restructuring of the ex-Yugoslavia after the Dayton agreement.

Sungurlu said the breakfast meeting had been successful and positive, adding that the countries agreed on the problems of the region.

Opening the meeting proper, Albanian Defense Minister Saffet Zhulali said the risk of war still plagued the region despite the Dayton agreement and efforts to develop relations between countries must increase.

In his speech to the meeting, Sungurlu said that early and effective crisis management was the most important factor in Balkan security. The defense minister said that the mechanisms for peace were in place but what was required was a lasting solution that must be reached by the region's countries to ensure stability.

Concluding his remarks, Sungurlu called for a similar military force to IFOR to enforce a peace in the troubled Caucasus.

Perry, on the third leg of a trip to the Balkans and Egypt, told the meeting that joint peacekeeping exercises and other confidence-building measures should be increased with cooperation from the United States and NATO.

"You chose the path of political and economic reform, to reform your defense establishments under democratic control and to build constructive relations with your neighbors," he said.

Democratic Albania, the poorest nation in Europe, has approached capitalism under President Sali Berisha with a zeal unimagined as the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union collapsed.

"As President Berisha said (in welcoming remarks on Sunday night), we all have something to learn from each other," said Perry, who promised continued support from the United States for reforms in the region.

"This is an area where good neighborliness not only increases confidence and trust it also saves lives," he added.

Albanian Defense Minister Saffet Zhulali told the opening session of Monday's "South Balkan Ministerial" meeting that the term did not represent a new division of the region, "but a form in which we can initiate constructive dialogues aimed at addressing issues which are common to us all."

Representatives of the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) also attended Monday's meeting, and Perry proposed a possible regional exercise designed to deal with natural disasters such as earthquakes.

He praised Albania and Bulgaria for hosting a series of regional peacekeeping and other military exercises and urged Balkan countries to increase participation in NATO's "Partnership for Peace", designed to draw former Cold War foes closer to the West.

Italian Defense Minister Dominico Corcioni said that NATO should be expanded to include Balkan states and those states which had signed the Partnership for Peace plan. NATO, he said, was the ideal security system for the Balkans.

Perry stressed the importance of Russia in the Balkans. He said Russia had been an important security factor for over 300 years in Europe, and would continue to be so.

[02] Shevardnadze to visit Turkey amid financing delay for oil pipeline

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze is to pay a visit to Turkey on Wednesday amid rumors that Turkish financing of a Baku-Supsa oil pipeline was in jeopardy.

On the same day that the visit of Shevardnadze was announced, Azerbaijan's Sark news agency said that the financing agreement for the pipeline that would transport Azeri oil to Georgia's Supsa port was "delayed until May." Turkey has said in the past that it would finance the construction of an oil pipeline that would carry early Azeri oil to the Georgian Black Sea port of Supsa, but wanted some conditions put in the financing accord. The Turkish conditions included that the capacity of the pipeline should be limited and that the agreement contain wording to the effect that the ultimate aim was to carry Caspian oil to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. But the delay in the signing of the financing agreement has led to speculation that Turkey's conditions were not fully accepted by the pipeline consortium.

The Azeri agency, quoting an official from Azerbaijan's State Oil Company SOCAR, said that there could be alternate financing arrangements, such asking as the International Oil Consortium to finance it, or seeking credits from international finance institutions.

"None of the present proposals, including the Turkish one is commercially advantageous," the official said.

Turkish diplomats say that Supsa-Baku line is the first step of the Baku-Ceyhan line.

"The Supsa-Ceyhan line will be among the topics discussed in the talks between Presidents Suleyman Demirel and Eduard Shevardnadze," Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Nurettin Nurkan said. "We attach great importance to the realization of this pipeline." He added that other bilateral and regional developments would be assessed.

Shevardnadze has recently suggested that the Caucasian countries, including Turkey and Russia, should come together for a regional summit. This proposal has gained importance as the rapprochement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have been locked in a longstanding conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, has gained momentum.

The visit of Shevardnadze is the second high-level visit between Turkey and Georgia in less than two weeks. Last week, Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagarishvili paid a visit to Turkey.

[03] World Cancer Week begins

By Niki Gamm

Turkish Daily News

ISTANBUL- Turkey began to observe World Cancer Week yesterday with meetings and a message from President Suleyman Demirel which stressed that the country was on the same level with other countries when it came to the fight against cancer.

Demirel pointed out that there were now hospitals and other health organizations and on-going research throughout Turkey and the most up-to-date equipment and techniques were readily available. Noting that it was one of the major problems affecting the whole world, he also expressed his hope that recent developments would lead to a cure. Moreover as soon as such a cure were discovered, Turkish medicine would make it available to sick people here immediately.

Turkish Cancer Society Chairman, Professor Ergun Goney, has said that the way to be saved from cancer in Turkey is through early diagnosis and treatment because the country has yet to set up centers which can deal with advanced cancer, unlike in the West.

According to data supplied by the World Health Organization (WHO), the total number of people who have cancer world wide today is around 14 million. Of these 67 per cent of men die and 60 per cent of women, in other words, only some 40 per cent of all victims are expected to survive. Cancer related deaths around the world total some five million annually. When compared with total number of deaths around the world, eight per cent of these are from cancer; however in Europe, cancer accounts for 22 per cent of deaths. The same source reports that there are five million more people with cancer around the world every year.

The WHO's goal within its "Health for Everyone" program is to have reduced the number of deaths from cancer in people under 65 by 15 per cent in the year 2005. Emphasis is to be given to early breast, cervical and skin cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The organization plans to encourage the establishment of centers which would be integrated with government hospitals.

Goney emphasized in a press conference yesterday that in Turkey 200,000 people are estimated to have developed cancer each year. According to Ministry of Health figures, victims living in the Marmara region of Turkey, or 53 per cent of the country's total population, have a better chance of advanced treatment in comparison with the rest of the country. However, again according to the figures, those living on or near the Marmara also have a far higher propensity for developing cancer.

Of the total number of people suffering from cancer, 50,000 will die annually. The total is seven to eight times greater in comparison with the numbers of deaths caused by traffic accidents in Turkey. The number of people who are at risk of developing cancer is estimated at more than two million.

Stressing that the principal cause of cancer is cigarette smoking, Goney said that he would like to see their sale forbidden. However, failing that some of the precautions taken in western countries would help. These would include no smoking in enclosed areas and prohibitions on public transport vehicles.

Eighty to ninety percent cases of lung cancer are attributable to cigarette smoking, not to mention that it also adversely effects the pancreas, bladder, kidney and uterus.

Remedies and treatments

Finding out that one has cancer is no longer the 'end of the line' as it once was thought to be and encouraging treatments and gene discoveries suggest that the long years of research may eventually pay off. Research in the West has emphasized the possibility of finding a vaccine which could be used either in cancer treatment or in preventing its onset.

The earlier a cancer is caught the more likely the chances of survival are. As more than one doctor has put it, if you wait until you are in pain, it's already too late. But treatment is still long, costly and usually uncomfortable to put it mildly.

All doctors and health authorities suggest regular examinations for the more common kinds of cancer and prompt medical attention to any unusual symptoms such as intestinal bleeding, wounds which don't heal and irregular, out-of-cycle bleeding in women.

For men the most likely type of cancers are lung, large intestine and prostate while in women the cancer most frequently met is breast cancer.

Research has shown that in the big cities air pollution has had a major effect on cancers of the respiratory system while others are caused or seriously effected by working in unhealthy atmospheres. This includes being exposed to asbestos fibers (now outlawed in most countries) and coal dust particles. Imbibing of excessive alcohol has been shown to have a carcinogenic effect on the drinker's liver, esophagus and stomach. The groundwork for demonstrating that the effects of poor living conditions, low income and traffic problems on speeding up the growth of cancers is also being prepared.

The Turkish Cancer Society

The Turkish Cancer Society was established in 1964 and gradually broadened the types of services which it could offer.

Both chemotherapy and radiotherapy are available. Since its founding, the Society has provided early diagnosis for 350,000 people. The organization is governed by university faculty members and a voluntary social committee.

For World Cancer Week, the Society is offering free diagnoses at its center in Sishane to people who are concerned that they might have cancer. It is also planning to set up cancer diagnosis centres in a pilot program in the Kirklareli region and in cooperation with the Zeytinburnu municipality in Istanbul.

Cancer types Percentage of total

Breast		25
Leukemia	20
Lung		20
Liver		10
Intestines	10
Thyroid		 5
Skin		 1
Other		 3

Distribution by region (per 100,000)*

Marmara			67
Aegean			38
Black Sea		26
Central Anatolia	24
Eastern Anatolia	13.5
Mediterranean		13
Southeast Anatolia	 8

Percentage of male and female cancer rates by region*

			Female		Male
Marmara			51.3		43.9
Aegean			13.1		17.6
Central Anatolia	14.1		13.1
Black Sea		11.2		12.8
Mediterranean		 5.5		 5.3
Eastern Anatolia	 2.6		 4.5
Southeast Anatolia	 2.2		 2.8

** Statistics based on Health Ministry figures.

[04] Turkey strikes heavy blow against illegal drug trade

TDN with wire dispatches

ANKARA- In another heavy blow against drug trafficking in Turkey, police seized 54 kg (118 lbs) of heroin hidden on a truck in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, security officials said on Monday.

The heroin haul has a market value of around TL 700 billion ($10 million), the officials were quoted by the Anatolia news agency as saying.

The police have detained the truck driver for questioning and are seeking four brothers in connection with the haul.

Security officials lauded Turkey's success in combatting the illicit traffic in drugs, calling the drug trade a crime against humanity. Turkey, once a major transit country, has achieved this at a time when the trade is becoming an ever more serious problem worldwide.

The amount of heroin seized by Turkish security forces rose sharply in 1995 to 3.4 tons, more than a fifth of all the heroin captured worldwide, and up from a Turkish haul of 1.6 tons in 1994, Reuters said.

European countries last year seized 7,288 kg of heroin and 231,645 kg of hashish out of a worldwide total of 15,681 kg and 784,621 kg respectively.

Most drugs from Turkey find their way to Western Europe either overland through Greece and then by sea or directly on ships from Istanbul, Reuters reported.

Iranian citizens appear to lead drug trafficking in Turkey. Of the 238 foreigners arrested for smuggling drugs, 62 were Iranians (26 percent), and Nigerians came second with 25 arrests (10.5 percent).

International cooperation

Turkey has continued to work with many other countries in the worldwide struggle against illegal drugs. To this end, Turkey has signed protocols and agreements with more than 36 countries, and works with international organizations such as Interpol.

Turkey belongs to the 25-member Pompidou Group which was been established by the European Council. The group fights the illegal drug trade and drug addiction.

Turkey also participates in the work of HONLEA (an association of European chiefs of anti-drug departments) and encourages the Pompidou Group and HONLEA to work together.

Turkey, along with the UNDCP (United Nations Drug Control Program), helped to set up the U.N. committee against drug smuggling and related issues. UNDCP monitors illegal drug smuggling cases around the world and informs member countries about anti-drug measures.

In 1992, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan formed an anti-drug committee within the structure of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). These three were joined later by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is an observer member of the committee.

These cooperative measures have led to the seizure of 48 kg of heroin and 6.5 kilograms of cocaine in the Aegean city of Izmir, 68.8 kilograms of heroin in Kocaeli, and 20 kilograms of heroin in Germany.