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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (December 20, 1995)From: "Demetrios E. Paneras" <dep@bu.edu>Turkish News DirectoryCONTENTS[01] NO TITLE GIVEN[02] TURKEY AND US REACTIVATE DEFENCE COMMISSION[03] FREEDOM HOUSE: TURKEY AND ISRAEL WERE THE ONLY DEMOCRACIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST IN 1995[04] UN SAYS TURKEY RECEIVED ITS SHARE IN FOREIGN INVESTMENT[05] TURK EXIMBANK, EBRD SIGN FINANCIAL COOPERATION DEAL[06] LOWER INFLATION IS PREDICTED NEXT YEAR[07] QUOTA ON TEXTILE IMPORTS[08] "1996 WILL BE A CYPRUS YEAR"[09] TURKEY AND PROVIDE COMFORT TO JOINTLY CONTROL NORTHERN IRAQI AIRSPACE[10] TURKISH PROPOSAL TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE[11] FRANCE EXTENDS CREDITS TO TURKEY[12] TURK BECOMES MEMBER OF INTERNET SOCIETYTURKISH PRESS REVIEWWEDNESDAY DECEMBER 20, 1995Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] NO TITLE GIVENPresident Suleyman Demirel said: "The Turkish Republic will live forever protecting its integrity, democracy and secularism" when he visited the Military Academy in Ankara yesterday and addressed the students in a live Harbiye TV broadcast of (the academy's TV channel). The president said that the Turkish Armed Forces were the pride of the Turkish nation and that the officers of the 21st century were being educated at the academy. Demirel was met by Gen.Hikmet Bayar, Commander of Land Forces, and Gen.Yasar Buyukanit, Commander of the Academy. Gen.Ismail Hakki Karadayi, Chief of General Staff and Defence Minister Vefa Tanir were also present during Demirel's visit. Demirel said the Turkish Armed Forces knew that their duties included the protection of the Turkish Republic. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] TURKEY AND US REACTIVATE DEFENCE COMMISSIONTurkey and the US, after working for a revision of the Defence and Economic Cooperation Accord (DECA) for several years, have decided to reactivate the Joint Defence Support Commission. The Turkish side, through the efforts of this commission, will put its defence risks and needs to the US side and Washington, although decreasing its military aid all over the world, will see what it can do to increase Turkey's military capability -such as by equipping and training Turkish forces.In a sharing-out project within NATO, Germany is sending some of its Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridges, used for transfering army personnel to Turkey. The decision was taken at the beginning of December. /All papers/
[03] FREEDOM HOUSE: TURKEY AND ISRAEL WERE THE ONLY DEMOCRACIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST IN 1995Freedom House (FH), an organization that monitors democracy and human rights, cited Turkey and Israel as the "only democratic states" in the Middle East in its annual survey of 191 countries. "Anti-democratic fundamentalist governments -in power in Iran, Sudan and Afghanistan- severely curtailed political and civil rights..Iraq's Saddam Hussein, bolstered by a bogus 99.96 % "re-election" maintains absolute control and abuses of human rights including covert attacks on Kurds in the north" the FH survey said. /All papers/
[04] UN SAYS TURKEY RECEIVED ITS SHARE IN FOREIGN INVESTMENTTurkey was named among the top recipients of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Middle East by a new UN survey, "World Investment Report 1995". The UN study says in 1993, Egypt, Israel and Turkey accounted for about 72 % of total FDI inflows to "West Asia" despite the fact that this region of 205 million inhabitants and a total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $630 billion in 1993 "has attracted only small amounts of inward FDI".Turkey has an accumulated FDI stock of $4.4 billion in 1994, in contrast to $12.7 billion of Egypt. Between 1983 and 1988, an annual average of $142 million in FDI entered Turkey, in contrast to, for example, $1.6 billion to Saudi Arabia, $2.2 billion to Mexico. Turkey ranks third in "West Asia" with $5.4 of FDI for each $1,000 GDP. The same figure is $8.6 for Oman and $8.5 for Israel. /All papers/
[05] TURK EXIMBANK, EBRD SIGN FINANCIAL COOPERATION DEALTurkey's state-run Turk Eximbank has signed a financial cooperation agreement with the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a statement from Eximbank said yesterday. It said the agreement, signed in London, should boost Turkish investment and exports in Central and Eastern European countries as well as in the Turkish-Speaking Republics of Central Asia. The signatories to the deal were Can Yesilada, general manager of Eximbank, and EBRD President Jacques de Larosiere. /All papers/
[06] LOWER INFLATION IS PREDICTED NEXT YEARTight monetary policies may lower Turkey's inflation rate next year, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said yesterday. "Inflation is projected to decline from 90 % in 1995 to 55 % in 1996 and further to 50 % in 1997" the OECD said in its semiannual report. Turkey's GDP is expected to rise by 6.8 % this year after a contraction of 3.2% last year.A customs union with EU which will take effect from January 1 may stimulate foreign investments and support economic activities in the country, the OECD said. "The CU should provide a further incentive for foreign investment and help Turkish industry to become more competitive in international markets" the OECD said. Turkish exports may rise by 12 % next year and by 10 % in 1997, according to the Paris-based organization. /Hurriyet/
[07] QUOTA ON TEXTILE IMPORTSFollowing the CU, Turkey will implement textile and ready-wear quotas on 45 countries upon which the EU has also imposed. At the end of the talks with these countries, Turkey agreed with seven countries whereby quotas will be implemented within the scope of a mutual control system. These seven countries are: Makao, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, the Slovakian Republic, Sri Lanka and Egypt. There will be no quota for handicrafts and folkloric products of these countries. Countries where a unilateral control system will be applied are as follows: Bangladesh, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Morocco (only the Tanjerya region) and Malta. /Sabah/
[08] "1996 WILL BE A CYPRUS YEAR"US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke disclosed that 1996 would be the year for agreement in Cyprus. In his statement in the Washington Post newspaper, Holbrooke said: "We intend to make 1996 a year of agreement in Cyprus. Therefore, I will intensify my efforts for a peace agreement by the end of January".Meanwhile, the UN Security Council yesterday requested a detailed Cyprus report from Secretary-General Boutros Ghali on the decision to revise the peace force. /Sabah/
[09] TURKEY AND PROVIDE COMFORT TO JOINTLY CONTROL NORTHERN IRAQI AIRSPACEAccording to US Deputy Undersecretary of Defence Jan Lodal, a new formula for smooth coordination of the Turkish Air Forces with the Provide Comfort Operation was accepted during a meeting last week in Ankara. A part of the Northern Iraqi airspace will be controled by Provide Comfort, and the other part by the Turkish Air Forces. In this way, the US administration has once again approved of the Turkish military presence in Northern Iraq. Further, some of the responsibilities of the Provide Comfort multinational force have been handed over to Turkey. /Milliyet/
[10] TURKISH PROPOSAL TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPETurkey is exerting efforts to have the issues of the struggle against terrorism and racism included in the new human rights control mechanism, planned to be established within the framework of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe controls the protection of human rights in its member countries through a number of institutions, including the European Human Rights Commission, the European Court of Human Rights and the Committee for Struggle Against Torture. In addition, steps have been initiated for the establishment of a new control mechanism that will allow the Council of Europe General Secretary to request research and reports on national human rights records whenever there is a human rights violation, and submit the results to the Committee of Ministers. /Sabah/
[11] FRANCE EXTENDS CREDITS TO TURKEYFrance has extended to Turkey financial aid worth FF 305 million. According to a statement by the French Embassy in Ankara, Turkey and France signed two financial protocols in Paris on December 18. A FF five million part of the credit, extended in the form of privatization credit, is aimed to finance French technical assistance to public institutions. The other FF 300 million will likely be spent in support of projects oriented towards development of the Turkish economy, and especially for the financing of environmental, health, transportation and educational projects. /Hurriyet/
[12] TURK BECOMES MEMBER OF INTERNET SOCIETYTolga Yurderi, who has devoted years of effort to spreading the Internet in Turkey, has been elected to the supreme electoral board of the US Internet Society, according to SuperOnline Inc. The Internet Society offers planning suggestions for the future of the Internet and is known worldwide as an independent organization made up of researchers who have proved themselves through their contributions to development of the Internet. Yurderi works in the Product Development Department of SuperOnline Inc. He stated that it was an honour to see Turkey's name on an international platform, and said that he was sure that Turkey's name would be frequently mentioned in this field in the future. /All papers/[END] |