TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (May 4, 1995)

From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)

Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (May 4, 1995)

CONTENTS

  • [01] INONU FLIES TO BAKU OVER ARMENIA

  • [02] GERMAN DELEGATION LOOKING AT ECONOMIC SITUATION

  • [03] PETROL DEAL WITH IRAN

  • [04] PRIME MINISTER CILLER MEETS WITH BALFE

  • [05] PRIME MINISTER CILLER AND ERMAN SAHIN FLYING TO MOSCOW

  • [06] CINDORUK IN VIENNA

  • [07] KDP SAYS IT WILL NOT ALLOW ATTACKS AGAINST TURKEY

  • [08] NATO COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF IN ANKARA

  • [09] AKTUNA IN WESTERN THRACE

  • [10] HOLBROOKE: "TURKEY MUST BE SUPPORTED"

  • [11] TURKEY: MOST PROMISING MARKET FOR THE 2000S

    •

    WITH THE COMPLIMENT OF

    DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION

    TURKISH PRESS REVIEW

    MAY 4, 1995

    Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish

    press this morning

    [01] INONU FLIES TO BAKU OVER ARMENIA

    Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu flew to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan yesterday in a move to show support for Azeri determination not to let Russian troops into the region.

    Azerbaijan is the only former Soviet satellite country to remain free of a Russian military pre- sence and the Azeri government wants to keep it that way. Invited to Baku as the guest of Azeri Foreign Minister Hasan Hasanov, Inonu conveyed a message to him that encouraged the Azeri government to stand firm in the face of Russian pressure to deploy a military force in Azerbaijan.

    In what could be described as a landmark event, Inonu flew directly from Ankara to Baku using the H-50 air corridor over Armenia, which has been closed to Turkish air traffic since 1993. /All papers/

    [02] GERMAN DELEGATION LOOKING AT ECONOMIC SITUATION

    A German delegation presently in Turkey wants to look at economic ties between the European Union (EU) and Turkey -with a view to finding ways to develop them within the framework of current EU-Turkey dialogue.

    The delegation, from the German Social Democrat Party economic working committee in the Baden-Wurthemburg province, and led by Otto Hauser, wants to find ways of ensuring Turkey's customs union with the EU. "We support this development" said Hauser yesterday. /Sabah/

    [03] PETROL DEAL WITH IRAN

    Turkey is working on a new petrol deal with Iran, despite US moves to bring economic sanctions against Iran. State Minister Aykon Dogan said yesterday that it was Turkey's intention to deepen still further traditional and cultural ties with that country.

    Yesterday in Ankara State Minister Dogan had more talks with Iranian Minister for Petrol, Gulamriza Agazade, about coordinating a new petrol deal. Agazade later said that there were no problems at all between Iran and Turkey, and that Iran could even help to alleviate some of Turkey's natural gas supply problems. /Cumhuriyet/

    [04] PRIME MINISTER CILLER MEETS WITH BALFE

    Receiving Richard Balfe, member of the European Parliament Socialist Group at the Turkish Grand National Assembly, the Prime Minister held talks with him for nearly one hour. The talks were closed to the press. Richard Balfe is in Turkey to attend a conference on "Turkey and Europe-A Challenge to the Near Future" to be held by the Turkish Democracy Foundation at 18.30 today. /Cumhuriyet/

    [05] PRIME MINISTER CILLER AND ERMAN SAHIN FLYING TO MOSCOW

    Prime Minister Tansu Ciller will attend the international ceremonies to be held in Moscow for the 50th anniversary of the ending of the second World War, in place of President Suleyman Demirel. Many other leading political figures will attend the Moscow ceremonies including US President Bill Clinton.

    Ciller will fly to Russia from France on 8 May in order to ease the tension between Turkey and Russia and to improve opportunities for renewed dialogue. Minister of Public Works Erman Sahin was to have participated alone in the ceremonies following the decision of President Demirel not to attend, but considering the need for high level representation it was later decided that Prime Minister Ciller should also participate. Previous developments in Caucasia and the attitude of Russia regarding the European Conventional Arms Reduction Agreement have also motivated Ciller's participation. /Hurriyet/

    [06] CINDORUK IN VIENNA

    Parliament Speaker Husamettin Cindoruk, on his second day in Austria, visited his Austrian counterpart Heinz Fischer. Cindoruk told him that the "only representative of the Turkish people is the Turkish Grand National Assembly. We cannot share our rights of sovereignty with anyone else. We will sever relations with any country which permits the establishment of a supposed "parliament- in-exile". Terrorism may introduce itself among us after having gone through plastic surgery, transforming itself into some kind of a parliament or association. There is, however, no room for violence in a democracy". Fischer replied that there was no question of Austrian recognition of a supposed Kurdish Parliament. Cindoruk also criticized the Council of Europe's decision concerning Turkey, saying that it should not treat Turkey, which is a unitary state, as a federal one. Speaking of the Turkish cross-border operation in northern Iraq, he said that the military units would be out of the area by the end of May, although this could be delayed by a couple of days. He added: "However, all civilized countries must think of new precautions to take in order to fill the vacuum of authority in the area. Otherwise, peace in the Middle East may not last. Northern Iraq must also be included in the search for solutions". Cindoruk claimed that the punishment destined for Saddam had ended up hurting Iraqi children. He concluded that "If we cannot create an Iraq with guaranteed territorial integrity, a Cuba-like state will appear before our eyes". Cindoruk, who also met with Austrian President Thomas Klestil, is expected to return to Turkey today. /All papers/

    [07] KDP SAYS IT WILL NOT ALLOW ATTACKS AGAINST TURKEY

    A northern Iraqi delegation, which arrived in Ankara today, assured Turkey that it would not allow terrorists to attack Turkey by using their territory. Necirvan Barzani, who heads the delegation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said KDP forces were in control of the region. "We are responsible for the security of the region and we respect international law" Barzani said. Following the first round of talks in the Turkish Foreign Ministry, both Turkish diplomats and the KDP delegation merely said that "the talks were going well". However, Barzani hinted at his displeasure over the slowness of repair of several Kurdish villages at the Turco-Iraqi border. The villages were destroyed by an Iraqi attack four years ago. The KDP delegations maintain that if Turkey could rebuild those villages, Iraqi Kurds could resettle there and provide monitoring against infiltration of PKK terrorists. Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ozdem Sanberk, who held a meeting with the delegation before they started official talks with Turkish diplomats, said that the talks were "positive". President Suleyman Demirel stated in report on "The recent developments in foreign policy" distributed to journalists at a meeting at the Cankaya Palace that a strong and functional cooperation should be established with the local administration in northern Iraq to secure the Turkish-Iraqi border. /Cumhuriyet/

    [08] NATO COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF IN ANKARA

    George Joulwan, Commander-in-Chief of the NATO European Allied Forces, said in Ankara that Turkey was an important member of NATO because of its strategic location, and thanked the Turkish nation for its huge contributions to global and regional peace. Joulwan said that he had to come to Ankara to exchange views on the situation in the region and also about the Partnership for Peace.

    /Cumhuriyet/

    [09] AKTUNA IN WESTERN THRACE

    The visit to Western Thrace of Turkish State Minister and Government Spokesman Yildirim Aktuna provoked violent reactions from the Greek press and government officials yesterday. Aktuna, who earlier announced his wish to have a "peaceful" trip to meet with ethnic Turks, was "greeted" by an ultra-nationalist Greek bomb threat on Tuesday evening during a Turkish Youth Association Dinner and open insults by the Greek press the following morning. Following visits to Iskece and Gumulcine, Aktuna went to Salonika yesterday evening to visit the house of Ataturk. Aktuna and his accompanying delegation were attacked by a 500-person group of fanatics including PKK terrorist organization members when they arrived at the Turkish Consulate General. /Milliyet/

    [10] HOLBROOKE: "TURKEY MUST BE SUPPORTED"

    In an exclusive interview with the Washington Times, Richard Holbrooke, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, has criticized the proposed cuts in the foreign aid budget. On Cyprus, he recalled the administration's policy to lobby "for Cyprus to be invited to EU membership". Since the island could only join the EU as a federation of the separated Turkish and Greek sides, membership would serve as a lever toward reuniting the Mediterranean island nation, the Washington Times noted. Commenting on Turkey's own application for EU customs union, Holbrooke said the US did not support moves "to drive the Turks east to the fundamentalists which would be a catastrophe".

    The US, unable to find the support it expected from its allies for an international embargo against Iran, has accelerated backing for Turkey, describing Turkey as the US government "New European Front". Holbrooke stressed that the US supported Turkey's military operation in northern Iraq and said: "Turkey is replacing Germany as the cutting-edge of Europe". Meanwhile, "support in the struggle against terrorism" call from Prime Minister Tansu Ciller to her Western allies received a positive answer from Washington. The US administration stated that all NATO allies should support Turkey in its just struggle. Washington also noted that Turkey did not suggest any changes to the Turkish-Iraqi border. US State Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns said: "We very much agree with the Turkish government that it is in the interests of the two main Kurdish factions in northern Iraq to provide security there so that the problem of PKK terrorism, which emanates from inside Turkey, can be eliminated. And that concern about PKK terrorism is something that we share very deeply with the Turkish government". /Sabah-Hurriyet/

    [11] TURKEY: MOST PROMISING MARKET FOR THE 2000S

    Bulent Senver, president of the Turkish-American Businessmen's Association, said that the US considers Turkey as a "promising" market for the 2000s. US President Bill Clinton emphasized the importance of increasing exports for long term economic development. The US officials have also included Turkey among the ten "most promising" markets of the future that would constitute 40 % of total imports for the next two decades. /All papers

    END

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