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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (September 5, 1995)From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)Turkish News DirectoryCONTENTS[01] IZZETBEGOVIC IN ANKARA[02] PKK SUPPORTER KILLED IN CLASH WITH TURKS IN GERMANY[03] ROMANIAN FM IN TURKEY[04] TURKEY TO EXTRACT PRECIOUS METALS IN CENTRAL ASIA[05] FOREIGN, CULTURE MINISTERS TO ATTEND US CONFERENCE[06] NEW AMBASSADOR TO BULGARIA[07] COUNCIL OF EUROPE DISCUSSING TURKEY[08] UKRAINIAN CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF IN TURKEY[09] STATE-RUN TURKISH BANK SIGNS $100 MILLION SYNDICATED LOAN[10] TURKEY-FRANCE BANKING DEVELOPMENTS[11] TURKMENS SEEK PLACE IN DUBLIN MEETING[12] PKK ANTI-SEMITICISM[13] EIGHT ADDITIONAL F-16 AIRCRAFT TO BOSNIA[14] CUSTOMS UNION MOVES INTENSIFY[15] PKK FREE ZONE PLAN[16] 20 PKK TERRORISTS KILLEDTURKISH PRESS REVIEWTUESDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 1995Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] IZZETBEGOVIC IN ANKARABosnian President Alia Izzetbegovic yesterday spelled out strong reservations about key aspects of a US peace plan for Bosnia and sought Turkey's support against unsavory political moves they may be pressured to accept. Izzetbegovic met with President Suleyman Demirel and Prime Minister Tansu Ciller in Ankara yesterday. After meeting with President Demirel, Izzetbegovic categorically opposed any arrangement that would facilitate a union between Bosnian Serb held lands and Serbia. The Bosnian president said however that they would give the green light to "broad autonomy" for the Serbs and accept their maintaining a "special relationship" with Serbia. Demirel voiced Turkey's unreserved support for the Bosnian position and said the world had to listen carefully to what President Izzetbegovic was saying. "Any peace settlement must be based on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia-Herzegovina" Demirel said. The proposed US peace plan foresees a "unified Bosnia, but one in which the current Muslim-Croat federation can confederate with Croatia and the Bosnian Serbs confederate with Serbia. US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, who is mediating in the Bosnian conflict, arrived in Ankara later Monday to brief Turkish officials on the progress of his peace initiative and solicit Ankara's support to persuade the Bosnian government to accept the plan. Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Slajdzic said last week they would not accept such a confederal arrangement for the Serbs. Izzetbegovic also underlined that they would never consent to giving up the towns of Srebrenica and Zepa, which were seized recently by the Serbs although they had been declared UN "safe havens". He further called on NATO to fulfill its obligations and indicated that if this was not done they would boycott the upcoming talks in Geneva. Demirel gave a banquet in his honour yesterday.Ciller offered a "Marshall plan" to Izzetbegovic for the re- construction of Bosnia, noting that Turkey, which has connections both with the West and the OIC Contact Group and is a member of NATO, would exert very effort for Bosnia. Ciller said that both the Western and Eastern worlds welcomed this offer. Holbrooke met with Izzetbegovic last night at the US Embassy. He will meet with President Demirel and Prime Minister Ciller today. Holbrooke said that his aim was to maintain peace in the Balkans. /Hurriyet-Milliyet/
[02] PKK SUPPORTER KILLED IN CLASH WITH TURKS IN GERMANYA supporter of the PKK terrorist organization was killed and several were injured overnight in clashes between ethnic Kurds and Turks at Neumuenster in northwest Germany. According to police, the Kurds, armed with knives, axes, and clubs, attacked about 15 Turkish customers in a cafe. Fierce fighting erupted in which a Turk fired a gun. Several Kurds were hit by bullets and one died later in hospital.Chairman of the Union of Turkish Emigrants and Hamburg Parliament Deputy Prof.Dr.Hakki Keskin asked the Turkish people living in Germany not to succumb to provocations. According to a statement of Neumuenster police, two PKK supporters were killed and another two were seriously injured during the incident. /Cumhuriyet-Hurriyet/
[03] ROMANIAN FM IN TURKEYRomanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu arrived in Ankara yesterday for a two-day visit, mainly to discuss the latest developments in the Balkans, and particularly the Bosnia peace plan, with Turkish leaders. Bilateral and Black Sea cooperation will also be high on the agenda of Melescanu's talks with Prime Minister Tansu Ciller and Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu. /All papers/
[04] TURKEY TO EXTRACT PRECIOUS METALS IN CENTRAL ASIATurkey's state-owned mining company Etibank will be involved in projects to extract precious metals in Central Asian countries, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Veysel Atasoy announced yesterday. Etibank has already signed a protocol to take part in a project to extract gold from Mongolia's Bayangol area, Atasoy said at a conference on geology and mining attended by experts from Turkey and five Turkish-speaking republics of the former Soviet Union. The company has also prepared a feasibility report for Mongolia's Asgat silver beds, he said, adding that Etibank was also in contact with authorities from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan for several precious metal projects in the two Central Asian countries. Atasoy said that state-owned Turkish Petroleum was already involved in the development of several oil fields in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. /All papers/
[05] FOREIGN, CULTURE MINISTERS TO ATTEND US CONFERENCEForeign Minister Erdal Inonu, Culture Minister Ismail Cem and a Turkish parliamentary delegation are to participate in the 16th annual conference of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations between September 21-24. The theme of this year's conference is "Turkey: the country of tolerance". Around 500 representatives from Turkish associations in the US are expected to attend the meeting. Bosnian Foreign Minister Muhammed Sakirbey and US Ambassador to Turkey Marc Grossman will also be present. A reception, with the theme of "Solidarity with Bosnia" will be held on the last day of the meetings.
[06] NEW AMBASSADOR TO BULGARIAMehmet Ali Irtemcelik, the new Turkish Ambassador to Bulgaria, has presented his credentials to Bulgarian President Jelu Jelev at a ceremony in Sofia. During the ceremony, the Bulgarian president said that Bulgaria believed in the importance of improving bilateral ties between Bulgaria and Turkey. Irtemcelik said that during his term of duty, he would work to improve those ties.
[07] COUNCIL OF EUROPE DISCUSSING TURKEYThe Political Commission of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly is discussing Turkey's democratization process in a series of meetings that began in Paris yesterday. The Commission is supposed to put Turkey's situation on the agenda of the Parliamentary Assembly's meeting later this month.
[08] UKRAINIAN CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF IN TURKEYChief of the General Staff Gen.Ismail Hakki Karadayi met with his visiting Ukrainian counterpart, Lt.Gen.Anatoly Lopata, in his office in Ankara yesterday. Karadayi said the recently improving cooperation between Turkey and Ukraine would contribute to peace and security in their region. The two countries last year signed a military cooperation agreement.
[09] STATE-RUN TURKISH BANK SIGNS $100 MILLION SYNDICATED LOANTurkey's state-run Halkbank signed a $100 million syndicated loan yesterday. The loan is provided by a consortium of 32 international banks, led by US Citibank and Germany's Westdeutsche Landesbank (WestLB). The interest rate on the loan is LIBOR (London Interbank Offering Rate) plus a spread of 0.90 %. The loan will cost the borrower LIBOR plus 1.35 %, including fees and commissions. Halkbank executives said the cost of the loan was very low.
[10] TURKEY-FRANCE BANKING DEVELOPMENTSThe Turkish Banking Union (TBU) is hosting a special guest from France, Pierre Henri Cassou, Secretary General of the French Central bank. Cassou will stay in Turkey as the guest of TBU chairman Aydin Ayaydin from September 14-20.During his visit, Cassou will talk with bankers, bureaucrats and economists. A number of conferences will also be arranged that will point up Turkey's growing importance in regional and world markets. Another matter that will be given a lot of attention is banking in the European Union (EU). This is a matter of some importance to Turkey as final steps are being taken to complete customs union with the EU, and then full membership in the EU itself. Banking representatives have already mentioned the deepening ties between Turkey and France, and expressed the hope that these will spill over into the banking sector. /Milliyet/
[11] TURKMENS SEEK PLACE IN DUBLIN MEETINGIraqi Turkmens are hoping to have a place in the next round of Dublin talks about northern Iraq, and have put in a request to that effect. Turkmen leaders have applied to both the US Embassy in Ankara and the US State Department.Turkmen representatives also add that Turkey has an important part to play in connection with the economic and strategic growth of the region. /Hurriyet/
[12] PKK ANTI-SEMITICISMThe latest issue of the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel carries an article on new PKK anti-semiticism. According to Der Spiegel, PKK terrorist leader Abdullah "Apo" Ocalan has been quoted as saying that there are evidences of Jewish involvement in areas of Turkish activity, both in the past and today.PKK leader Ocalan has also accused the Jews of secretly supporting Turkey in operations against Iraqi Kurds. /Hurriyet/
[13] EIGHT ADDITIONAL F-16 AIRCRAFT TO BOSNIAFollowing a request from NATO, Turkey has sent eight additional F-16 fighter planes for deployment in the no-flight restricted zone in the Bosnia air corridor. Greece, however, has refused permission to the Turkish fighter planes to fly to Ghedi air base in Italy. According to a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement, Turkish F-16 aircraft reached Italy through a different route and added: "Turkey condemns Greece's attitude against the Turkish aircraft which have been commissioned for duties in the NATO Peace Force". /Hurriyet/
[14] CUSTOMS UNION MOVES INTENSIFYTurkey is taking urgent steps towards customs union with the EU. European Parliament (EP) members have been invited to Turkey so that they can come to better understand the issues involved. Prime Minister Tansu Ciller will soon tour the EU member countries. It has been announced that Ciller will pay her first visit to Brussels on 5 October and then go on to Spain, the current term chairman of the EU. Turkish officials have disclosed that voting for Turkey's customs union membership will be either in November or December and that both Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu and Foreign Ministry Undresecretary Onur Oymen, will pay visits to EU capitals. /Hurriyet/
[15] PKK FREE ZONE PLANAccording to a statement by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the PKK terrorist organization, after having deployed all of its forces in the Hayirsiz Mountains, was planning to establish a "free zone" in the Zaho-Duhok region of northern Iraq. The free zone will be used as a base for the Kurdish Parliament now in exile, high level KDP officials said. It was further reported that during the latest clashes between PKK terrorists and KDP forces in the Mergasor region, the PKK suffered many casualties. /Cumhuriyet/
[16] 20 PKK TERRORISTS KILLEDIn a skirmish between Turkish security forces and PKK terrorists in the Karanlik Mountains to the west of Hakkari, 18 terrorists were killed. In operations in the province of Mus, another two PKK terrorists were killed, and two others surrendered to security forces. /Cumhuriyet/END |