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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (January 25, 1996)From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>Turkish News DirectoryCONTENTS[01] DEMIREL TO VISIT SWITZERLAND, ISRAEL AND PALESTINE[02] ARMS AND AMMUNITION FOR PKK[03] TURKEY FIRM ON CHINA'S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY[04] OVER 6,000 NEW FIRMS SET UP IN TURKEY IN DECEMBER[05] TURKEY'S TRADE LOSSES THANKS TO IRAQ EMBARGO[06] OPTIMISM INCREASING FOR BAKU-SUPSA PIPELINE[07] SUSPECTED PKK LEADER ARRESTED IN GERMANY[08] ANKARA WARNS TALABANI[09] TURKEY-ISRAEL ECONOMIC AGREEMENT[10] "EUROPE NEEDS TURKEY"[11] "TURKEY IS A PART OF EUROPE"[12] TURKEY TO SELL ELECTRICITY TO KAZAKHSTAN[13] TURK-IS TO SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH BULGARIAN UNION[14] FOREIGN TRADE UNDERSECRETARIAT ON INTERNETTURKISH PRESS REVIEWTHURSDAY JANUARY 25, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] DEMIREL TO VISIT SWITZERLAND, ISRAEL AND PALESTINEPresident Suleyman Demirel's first trip abroad this year will be to Switzerland in February. Demirel is scheduled to leave Turkey on February 14 to participate in "Globalization", a World Economic Forum which will be held in Davos. He will attend the forum on February 5 and 6 and return to Turkey on the sixth. Demirel, whose trips to Palestine and Israel were postponed last year after the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, will visit those countries from March 11 to 14. /Hurriyet/[02] ARMS AND AMMUNITION FOR PKKTurkey accused Syria yesterday of trying to help with the transfer of arms and ammunition to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkish Interior Minister Teoman Unusan, who held a press conference in Sanliurfa where six truckloads of arms and ammunition were shown to a crowded group of press members, said that it was clear that the arms and ammunition were being sent to PKK bases located in areas of Syrian control. "Syrian support for terrorism is displayed once more and in all clearness with the seizure of these six truckloads of ammunition and arms" Unusan said. Although their manifesto said that they were carrying oil and paraffin, the barrels concealed Kalashnikov bullets, TNT, plastic bombs, land mines and six anti-aircraft missiles. The ammunition and explosives were loaded in a plant owned by Iran's Behran Oil Company, located 12 kilometres away from Tehran. The trucks were supposed to go through Syria and unload their cargo in Lebanon. "The address in Lebanon is a false one, which leads us to believe that the cargo would have been unloaded in Syria" Unusan said."What is important is what Syria aimed to do by trying to aid the arming of the PKK and other terrorist organizations. Syria's attitude of extending support to terrorist organizations, with a desire to threaten the domestic security of various countries is nothing new" Unusan said. Turkey asked Syria for information regarding the matter on January 17, but no answer has been received so far. Despite the fact that the trucks were loaded in Iran, Unusan stated that Iranian authorities had assured Turkey that the loading could not have been made "with the knowledge of Iranian authorities". The two countries also have a joint security committee which will take up the issue at length in the next meeting, Unusan said. Unusan also claimed that the arms demonstrated that the PKK was not sincere in its call for a cease-fire and merely wanted "recovery time" to arm itself with more weapons. "We know only too well that the so-called cease-fire does not aim at peace. It is just an attempt of the weakened organization to catch its breath and launch a new attack" he said. /Cumhuriyet-Sabah/ [03] TURKEY FIRM ON CHINA'S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITYForeign Ministry Undersecretary Onur Oymen said that Turkey would continue its "One China" policy of defending China's territorial integrity and sovereignty, during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Chien Chichen in Beijing. Oymen pointed out that Turkey's customs union with the EU would expand trading opportunities between Turkey and China. Chichen said that President Suleyman Demirel's visit to China has strengthened bilateral ties. "China respects the role Turkey plays in its region. Improving the dialogue between the two countries has great importance while major developments are taking place in the international arena during the 1990s" Chichen said. Oymen is expected to return to Turkey at the weekend. /All papers/[04] OVER 6,000 NEW FIRMS SET UP IN TURKEY IN DECEMBERThe State Institute of Statistics (DIE) has announced that a total of 6,084 new firms, with a total registered capital of TL 8.451 trillion, were established during December 1995. DIE statistics revealed that another 2,382 firms registered capital rises to a total value of TL 57.580 trillion during the month, while 17 firms changed their status in the same period. DIE also said that 2,202 of the newly established firms were in the retail and wholesale, motor vehicle, personal goods and home appliances sectors, 2,515 were in the production and construction sector, 273 in real estate, 365 in transport, storage and telecommunications and 100 in the agriculture and forestry sector. A further 144 of the new firms are restaurants and hotels, 187 social services, and 129 provide financial services. Some 89 new firms were in the health sector, 38 were education-related and 20 firms were in the mining sector. /All papers/[05] TURKEY'S TRADE LOSSES THANKS TO IRAQ EMBARGOOfficials from the Treasury Undersecretariat and Foreign Ministry said that Turkey had lost $20 billion due to the Gulf War and the trade embargo placed on Iraq. Officials said that Turkey has received $3.5 billion in aid to compensate for its losses. Among the countries that gave aid are Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the Netherlands, the US, Japan, Belgium and France. Turkey was one of the countries to implement the UN-led embargo on Iraq. Officials said that the effects of the embargo have included a slowdown in trade and a downturn in tourism. In contracting services Turkey has lost $1 billion and income from Turkey's exports are down $3 billion. The officials drew attention to the expenses of looking after Iraqi refugees and production losses which are almost impossible to calculate.Meanwhile, Turkey's state-owned pipeline company announced yesterday that it has readied a pipeline to pump Iraqi oil exports under a UN plan. "All the technical preparations to pump oil from Kirkuk, store it and load it have been completed" Isik Eyuboglu, deputy manager of the pipeline company BOTAS, said. The pipeline, running from Kirkuk in northern Iraq to Yumurtalik on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, was shut down in 1990 after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Iraqi officials announced last week they had agreed to discuss the limited oil sale plan, laid out by the UN Security Council but previously rejected by Baghdad. If Baghdad agrees to the latest UN offer, Iraq could begin selling oil in the second quarter of 1996. Eyuboglu said that BOTAS has periodically carried out maintenance on the part of the pipeline in Turkey, and that its closure had cost them $2.5 billion since the Gulf War. /All papers/ [06] OPTIMISM INCREASING FOR BAKU-SUPSA PIPELINEA leading Turkish oil executive has said that the securing of financing for an oil pipeline between Baku in Azerbaijan and Supsa in Georgia had increased the attractiveness of this route for transporting early oil from the Caspian. Necdet Pamir, Deputy President of the Turkish Petroleum Company (TPAO), who is in Baku, said yesterday that the AIOC, the company set up by the international consortium for processing Caspian oil, had expressed its satisfaction over Turkey's decision to finance this pipeline. Pamir noted that a protocol had been signed in Baku on Monday between representatives of AIOC, the Azeri Petroleum Company, SOCAR, and the Georgian Petroleum Company, GIOC, aimed at speeding up the building of the Baku-Supsa pipeline. Pamir stated that the details of the credits to be extended to Azerbaijan and Georgia would be submitted to representatives of this country at a meeting to be held on February 19.He added that they also welcomed the recent siging of an agreement between Azerbaijan and Russia for the Baku-Novorossysk pipeline, the second route by which early oil from the Caspian is to be transported to world markets. Pamir stressed that the Baku-Supsa line would not only open an alternative route for Azerbaijan to export its oil but would also bring financial advantages to Georgia. /Cumhuriyet/ [07] SUSPECTED PKK LEADER ARRESTED IN GERMANYA Kurd has been arrested on suspicion of ordering a series of arson attacks on Turkish targets in Germany for the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the Federal Prosecutors Office said on Tuesday. German prosecutors described the 43-year-old man, charged with several counts of arson and manslaughter, as a stateless worker of Kurdish origin and identified him only as Ismail. He is believed to be a top official for the PKK terrorist organization. He was detained on Saturday. Prosectors believe he was in charge of a series of arson attacks and killings in Germany dating back to 1993. /All papers/[08] ANKARA WARNS TALABANIAnkara has warned Celal Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), on the issue of border security. Ankara pointed out that Talabani was well aware of the importance Turkey attached to the security of her borders. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ambassador Omer Akbel said in a press conference yesterday that statements by Talabani, to the effect that "We are not the watchmen of Turkey's borders", or "The PKK is not a terrorist organization" were not new, after all. /Cumhuriyet/[09] TURKEY-ISRAEL ECONOMIC AGREEMENTTurkey and Israel yesterday initialled a new cooperation agreement for further development in the areas of science, commerce, trade, industry and various economic sectors. Minister for Trade and Industry Fuat Cay signed for Turkey, and his Israeli counterpart Micha Harish signed on behalf of Israel.President Suleyman Demirel will sign the agreement when he makes an official visit to Israel a few months later. The agreement will include an incentive programme for two way investment and measures to avoid double taxation. Officials said yesterday that the agreement will open the way for trade and economic ties between Turkey and Israel to grow fast. /Sabah/ [10] "EUROPE NEEDS TURKEY"President of the European Council of Parliamentarians, Leni Fischer, said yesterday that the European countries need Turkey. Noting that the European Union (EU) countries attached a lot of importance to their ties with Turkey, Fischer nevertheless added that Turkey still needed to make some serious improvements in its human rights record.Drawing attention to the developments already made in this area, Fischer said that it was the hope of the EU that these improvements would continue to be made. In order to strengthen its position in the European Council and related committees, Turkey also needs to take steps to deepen its participation in these areas of EU activity. /Sabah/ [11] "TURKEY IS A PART OF EUROPE"Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres has told the European Union member countries that "Turkey is a part of Europe." He has also advised them to make Turkey a part of Europe now that Turkey is a member of the customs union.Peres said that Israel was pleased that Turkey was in the customs union, and added that Israel would be just as happy to see the role of Turkey in the Middle East grow in importance, especially in connection with Syria and the water problem. /Cumhuriyet/ [12] TURKEY TO SELL ELECTRICITY TO KAZAKHSTANOnce the Ozluce dam and facilities on the boundaries of the Elazig and Tunceli provinces have been completed, electricity with be sold to the Turkish-Speaking Republics through the Erzurum-based power grid.Kazakhstan is first on the list of customers waiting for Turkish power. But there are problems-the first of which is local security. Nevertheless, Project Director Mustafa Biltekin said yesterday that the dam would be onstream sometime in 1997. "We are working round the clock to finish on schedule, despite tough weather conditions" said Biltekin. /Milliyet/ [13] TURK-IS TO SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH BULGARIAN UNIONA bilateral cooperation agreement will be signed today between the Confederation of Turkish labour Unions (Turk-Is) and Bulgaria's second biggest union POD-KREPA. Turk-Is Chairman Bayram Meral, who is in Sofia as the guest of Podkrepa Chairman, Dr.Konstantin Trencev, said that labour unions played an important role in determining and protecting workers' rights. Yesterday, Meral attended a Podkrepa executive board meeting. /All papers/[14] FOREIGN TRADE UNDERSECRETARIAT ON INTERNETIt is reported that the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat will provide information from the Foreign Trade Information Centre to nearly 35 million-Internet users. According to the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat, information on exports, imports, the EU, free trade zones, Turkish economy, foreign trade and laws, and publications, will be made available to Internet users. /Cumhuriyet/ |
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