TRKNWS-L Turkish Daily News (April 18, 1996)

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

Turkish News Directory

CONTENTS

TURKISH DAILY NEWS / 18 April 1996

[01] Demirel calls for polio to be eradicated in Turkey by 2000

Turkish Daily News

ANKARA- President Suleyman Demirel said on Wednesday that Turkey has to eradicate polio before the year 2000 and called on parents not to neglect their children's vaccination in order to achieve this goal.

Demirel was talking during a ceremony in Ankara kicking of a national campaign for polio immunization in which 60 percent of the vaccines are being provided by Rotary International.

"It is your duty (to vaccinate your children). All that is involved after all is swallowing two drops," Demirel told assembled parents, warning them that neglecting this duty would make them feel remorse in the future.

Health Minister Yildirim Aktuna, who was also present at the ceremony, told those assembled that the most basic right of human beings was the right to life and promised that there would not be one child left in Turkey who has not been immunized against polio.

"While many developed countries have eradicated polio, the rate of occurrence of this disease in Turkey is almost the same as those in underdeveloped countries," Aktuna said.

Ankara Governor Erdogan Sahinoglu, who also attended the ceremony, said in his address that 333,715 children would be vaccinated in the capital alone within the framework of the present campaign.

The first stage of the national vaccination campaign, also being participated in by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), will last until April 23. The second stage of the campaign in which nearly 7 million children up to five years old are to be inoculated will be held May 18-24.

The 14,430,000 vaccines supplied by Rotary International were given to UNICEF to be supplied to the Ministry of Health.

A press statement from Rotary on Wednesday indicated that the value of the vaccines supplied was TL 100 billion ($130,000) and that this money had been provided entirely by Rotary International.

The statement said Rotary International provided this assistance following a request from the 157 Rotary Clubs in Turkey and added that 6,500 Rotarians were also cooperating voluntarily with the Ministry of Health throughout the campaign.

[02] International telecommunications conference ends in Istanbul

Turkish Daily News

ISTANBUL- A three day international conference on telecommunications, organized by Bogazici University, ended yesterday at the Marmara Hotel. The conference provided a platform for cutting edge ideas, technologies, and policies in telecommunications, particularly for newly emerging countries and economies.

A range of subjects and technical issues were covered at the seminar including general descriptions of telecommunications policies and how they are emerging, speech processing and mobile communications, and new advances in software to help communications systems. The free interchange of ideas was a element of the conference which pleased participants.

It was evident that the chairman of the conference, Professor Bulent Sankur who heads of the Department of Electronic Engineering from Bogazici University, had worked hard to bring the 320 participants from 36 countries, 120 universities, 50 companies, and nations of Eastern Europe such as Bulgaria and Romania who are not normally seen at such international conferences, as well as countries of the Middle East such as Jordan, Israel, Syria, and Iran together. Other participants came from Belarus, Russia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. Participants were also impressed with this unique turnout and the diversity of countries that were represented.

Speeches were given by respected authorities in the field such as Robert Gray from Stanford University, Lawrence Rabiner from AT&T Bell Laboratories, and William Wilde, a member of the board of multinational communications firm ALCATEL. It was announced that the next conference will be held in Melbourne, Australia in 1997. Generous assistance was provided for some participants to enable them to attend this conference, such as from the Turkish National Research Council, TUBITAK and companies as Siemans, NETAS, TURKCELL, and ALCATEL.

The global telecommunications revolution has not left Turkey untouched. About 15 years ago Turkey began making its mark on fiberoptic history, and today there are numerous Turkish producers of fiber optic cable such as Turk Siemens, Hesfibel, IZKA, Turk Kablo, and KAVEL. Previously Turkey only sold its products on the domestic market, however, Turkish producers are now exporting their fiber optic cable products worldwide, including to the Far East. The most important elements of fiberoptic cables are strength members and the optic fiber itself. Some of these components are provided to Turkish producers by leading US companies such as NEPTCO and SPECTRAN.

One of the participants at the conference, John Kessler, president of the Newport- based US firm KMI Corporation which is involved in fiberoptics market research states that because competition in telecommunications among the major members of the EU will officially begin 1 January 1998, carriers and telecom equipment suppliers worldwide will be affected. The de-monopolization of the PTT's operations is the spur for the formation of new communications systems alliances and consortiums and the reason for the development of advanced communications systems, particularly fiberoptics. Although global alliances of communications carriers are being formed, the focus of activity is Europe.

KMI Corporation offers a wealth of information on fiberoptics markets, produces reports as well as a newsletter on markets twice a month. It has organized another telecommunications conference in Munich between 24- 26 April, where participants will continue to discuss market opportunities, government policies, technology and applications.

[03] Turkey names new Central Bank chief

ANKARA- President Suleyman Demirel reportedly endorsed a Cabinet decree appointing prominent banker Gazi Ercel as new Central Bank governor.

The semi-official Anatolia news agency said on Wednesday that the decree would take effect today after being published in the Official Gazette.

Earlier in the week, there were reports that Ercel, general manager of the private Tutunbank, would be appointed top monetary authority.

The Central Bank has been governed by its acting chief since its former head, Yaman Toruner, resigned on Dec. 1, 1995 to stand for elections on Dec. 24.

Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Tansu Ciller, chairman of the coalition partner True Path Party, were at odds over the appointment to the Bank.

Ercel, a former government bureaucrat, was chief executive at Tutunbank from 1994.