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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (March 20, 1996)From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>Turkish Press Review DirectoryCONTENTS[01] DEMIREL MEETS WITH MUBARAK[02] KOHL VOWS TO DEPORT PKK MILITANTS[03] YILMAZ NOT INTIMIDATED BY OCALAN'S THREAT[04] GERMANY CLAMPING DOWN ON PKK[05] GREEK "NEVRUZ SUPPORT" FOR PKK[06] ECEVIT TO GIVE A BRIEFING IN JERUSALEM[07] PROVIDE COMFORT STATUS WILL BE DISCUSSED[08] US TRYING TO SOLVE WATER PROBLEM[09] T-SHIRTS FROM EASTERN ANATOLIA[10] TURKEY JOINS RUSSIAN SATELLITE PROGRAM[11] FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT[12] SIX PKK SUPPORTERS CAPTURED IN GAZIANTEP[13] CUSTOMS UNION ON COURSE, SAYS EU REP.[14] TURKISH COMPANY IN PAKISTAN TRANSIT DEALTURKISH PRESS REVIEWWEDNESDAY MARCH 20, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] DEMIREL MEETS WITH MUBARAKEgypt and Turkey promised yesterday to work together for Middle East peace. Turkish President Suleyman Demirel said after talks with his Egyptian counterpart Husnu Mubarak that both countries stood by the declaration of last week's "Summit of Peacemakers" opposing violence and seeking to promote regional peace. "We are two big countries and we feel responsible for peace in the region" Demirel told a news conference after the meeting in Aswan. "The Sharm el-Sheikh summit showed the solidarity of the international community against all terrorism no matter where it takes place" Demirel said.Asked if he was going to seek Egyptian support in the area of Syria's dispute with Ankara over the waters of the Euphrates River, Demirel merely indicated that "Turkey is not seeking support from anyone". Demirel also denied that Syria was being adversely effected as a result of Turkey's project to dam the Euphrates. "What do they mean by raising this issue? Does it mean their agricultural lands have dried up?" Demirel asked, going on to maintain that Syria wanted "ten times the water it needs". During his joint press conference with Demirel after their talks, the Egyptian president also stressed that the results of the Sharm el-Sheikh summit should be actively implemented. After his meeting with Mubarak, President Demirel paid a visit to the Aswan high dam. Demirel, who returned to Turkey yesterday evening, held a press conference at Ankara Esenboga Airport. He said: "We have a consensus of opinion regarding a joint struggle against terrorism. I talked about PKK terror in every respect. Mubarak fully backs us. I explained that Syria supports the PKK. We had no request from Egypt to mediate on the water issue. Turkey is a democratic country". /Sabah-Hurriyet-Milliyet/
[02] KOHL VOWS TO DEPORT PKK MILITANTSGerman Chancellor Helmut Kohl has indicated that supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) who went on a rampage over the weekend in Dortmund, brutally attacking members of the police force, would be deported from Germany. German President Roman Herzog on Monday condemned Kurdish militants for political violence over the weekend and warned that foreigners involved in rioting forfeited their right to live in Germany and would be made to leave. More than 300 people were injured in pitched battles as German police tried to stop thousands of Kurds from attending a banned protest in Dortmund organized by the PKK.Addressing a press conference yesterday in Bonn, Kohl said that the activities of the PKK, which is banned in Turkey and Germany, had "become intolerable". "Our government condemns in the strongest possible terms the activities of Kurdish extremists" Kohl said in his opening remarks at the press conference. "The time has come to show that the statement 'no PKK member will be able to engage in terror anymore in Germany' is not merely words" Kohl said. Kohl went on to indicate that those who abuse their residence permits in Germany with such acts of violence should be tried quickly and deported. He added that the coalition partners in Germany had agreed on the need to toughen the law on deportation of foreigners and indicated that speedy deportation of those breaking the law of the land was on the agenda. The Chancellor added that the Cabinet would be meeting next Tuesday and Wednesday to debate and ratify the changes to this article. He also said that important responsibilities befell state governments in Germany to act swiftly too, and do what was necessary in such cases. /Hurriyet-Sabah/
[03] YILMAZ NOT INTIMIDATED BY OCALAN'S THREATThe Turkish General Staff yesterday briefed Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and key Cabinet ministers on the security issues and threats facing the country as the separatist Kurdish militants threatened an escalated campaign and the situation remained volatile in the Aegean. Emerging from the meeting, Yilmaz said the briefing focused on domestic security and external threat assessments. The briefing came gainst a backdrop of threats from the separatist Kurds to end a unilateral cease-fire they declared in December and renew attacks.Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said yesterday that the government would not be intimidated by threats of renewed violence made by leader of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan. Yilmaz was responding to a statement from Ocalan warning the government of violence. "This kind of method was tried in the past as well. In Turkey no government is intimidated by such threats" Yilmaz told reporters. Yilmaz said that he had not received any letter from Ocalan. /All papers/
[04] GERMANY CLAMPING DOWN ON PKKAccording to German Secret Service reports, the PKK terror organization is the most dangerous of all the organized terrorist groups in Germany. Reports on the PKK situation in Germany show that terrorism in that country has grown by 36 % over the past three years.Now that the PKK has become a serious problem in Germany-just as Turkey has long warned that it would- the German government is belatedly starting to take a hard line against the PKK. Although immediate security precautions have been tightened up, long term measures have also been reviewed with the additional proviso that PKK activists and supporters will be expelled. Security has also been increased for tomorrow when the spring Nevruz festival will be celebrated. German authorities, just like those in other countries, are aware that Nevruz could well be the excuse that the PKK is looking for to stage more violent demonstrations. In response, the PKK has announced that it will defy any action limiting its freedoms, and that it will increase terrorist incidents if the German government clamps down on the PKK. /All papers/
[05] GREEK "NEVRUZ SUPPORT" FOR PKKThe Greek government has given permission for the PKK to hold traditional Nevruz spring celebrations in Greece. Greek parliamentarians have again affirmed their support for the PKK during Nevruz rallies in Athens, and have promised both political and diplomatic support.There are further reports in the Greek press that certain departments in the Greek Secret services and military forces are employing members of the PKK terrorist organization. However, along with these reports are warnings that Greece could suffer serious consequences by bringing PKK members into close cooperation with Greek security and other forces. In the meantime, Greek politicians continue to flirt with the PKK in an effort to score against Turkey. But even the Greek press describes these developments as a "dangerous game" that could stir up Turkish animosity. Greek support for seasonal Nevruz celebrations is nevertheless designed to do just that. /All papers/
[06] ECEVIT TO GIVE A BRIEFING IN JERUSALEMDemocratic Left Party (DSP) Chairman Bulent Ecevit will deliver a speech at an annual general council meeting of the International Press Institute in Jerusalem. Following opening speeches of the council on Monday, Ecevit will hold the first conference on "The Middle East and Mediterranean". /Milliyet/
[07] PROVIDE COMFORT STATUS WILL BE DISCUSSEDThe National Security Council will meet on March 22 under the chairmanship of President Suleyman Demirel. The status of the multinational "Provide Comfort" force will be one of the issues on the agenda of the meeting. The National Security Council will discuss measures for giving Turkey a more active role in the command control of the multinational force. One issue within this framework is the application of Turkish jurisdiction over US soldiers, as well as British and French members of the force in case of a fault or crime. Another proposal foresees that flights over Northern Iraq are carried out according to Turkish rules. Furthermore, the Council will take in hand the proposal to transfer to the Council of Ministers the responsibility of determining the period of stay of the Provide Comfort Force. /Milliyet/
[08] US TRYING TO SOLVE WATER PROBLEMAccording to one of the leading Israel newspapers "The Jerusalem Report", US Middle East Coordinator, Dennis Ross, will visit Turkey to discuss the water problem with Turkish officials. This problem is one of the most important issues on the agenda of the Israel-Syria peace talks now going on in Washington. Syria evaluates Ankara's attitude towards the water question as an important obstacle to establishing peace in the region.During discussions with Syria at the beginning of the year, Israel openly refused to share the waters of the Jordan River with Syria. Syria in turn agreed to withhold demands for water from Israel if a solution to her water dispute with Turkey could be found. Israel did not miss the opportunity, and even persuaded the US to mediate between Turkey and Syria on the issue. Ross will ask Turkey to increase water supplies for Syria in return for Syria ending support for PKK terrorism. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] T-SHIRTS FROM EASTERN ANATOLIAT-shirts, which are produced in a plant set up jointly by Aegean businessmen and a businessman from Diyarbakir, will be sold to Germany. An official from the plant, Ozden Bavatekin, said that production has started on 80,000 T-shirts, ordered by the German Karstadt Company. They will be sent to Germany on April 15, 1996 by sea. /Sabah/
[10] TURKEY JOINS RUSSIAN SATELLITE PROGRAMTurkey will take part in space exploration for the first time by joining an international satellite project. Turkey will participate in the X-Ray Gamma Spectrum satellite project to be put into orbit by Russia at the end of 1997, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Prof.Ali Alpar, chairman of the high energy astrophysics research unit of TUBITAK (the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey), said that the US, Britain, Italy, Denmark, Israel, Finland, Switzerland, Hungary, Germany and Turkey would participate in the project which has a total budget of $700 million. Alpar said that the satellite would observe black holes, neutron stars and distant galaxies. Turkish scientists will be entitled to 100 observation hours using the satellite.Alpar said that Turkey had decided to participate in the project in 1993, and that the government had signed a protocol. The research will be directed by TUBITAK.
[11] FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENTTurkish Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Nurettin Nurkan yesterday said that Ankara understood Tehran's concerns over allegations of an Iranian connection with the assassinations of journalist Cetin Emec and writer Turhan Dursun, and repeated that it would be wrong to make a statement until concrete results were achieved, the Anatolia news agency reported. Speaking on the capture and arrest of Irfan Cagirici, one of the leaders of the Islamic Movement Organization, which allegedly is connected with Iran, on charges of murdering Emec, Nurkan criticized newspapers and televisions channels for making serious claims before the Iranian link was proved or disproved. Nurkan added however that the ministry's attitude might later be changed after completion of the investigation into the issue.
[12] SIX PKK SUPPORTERS CAPTURED IN GAZIANTEPSix supporters of the PKK terrorist organization, including Hasan Saran, deputy candidate of the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) for Kilis in the December 24 election, were arrested by Gaziantep anti-terror teams on charges of murder in the southeastern province of Gaziantep yesterday, the Anatolia news agency reported. Police officials said they were looking for two more PKK supporters. Huseyin Capkin, chief of police in Gaziantep, said that a PKK bomb-manufacturing cell had been located and explosives, two pistols, 50 bullets and many outlawed documents had been confiscated from the house.
[13] CUSTOMS UNION ON COURSE, SAYS EU REP.Michael Lake, head of the EU representation in Turkey, said that the mechanisms of the Turkey-EU customs union were up and running and expressed confidence that the remaining problems in the trade deal would soon be solved. Lake was speaking in the southeastern city of Gaziantep at the opening of an information center, an EU press release said. "The EU-Turkey customs union Joint Committee met for the first time, on February 19" Lake said, "and will meet again on March 28". The committee, he said, was dealing with issues that arose and was "functioning normally". /All papers/
[14] TURKISH COMPANY IN PAKISTAN TRANSIT DEALThe Turkish STFA group has landed a big public transport project in Karachi. The 590 million dollar public mass transport project is expected to be finished by 2000, but will be handed over to the Karachi authorities thirty years later. /Hurriyet/
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