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Turkish Press Review, 96-07-11Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWTHURSDAY JULY 11, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] MUBARAK VISITS TURKEYEgyptian President Hosni Mubarak will come to Turkey today. Relations between Ankara and Cairo, after remaining stable for decades, suffered when Egyptian officials blasted Ankara's military accord with Israel and actively campaigned against it in the Arab world. The agreement allows Israeli jets to train in Turkey. Dismissing protests from alarmed neighbour countries, Turkish officials have defended the accord, saying it enables Turkish pilots to get electronic warfare training in Israel.Mubarak will meet President Suleyman Demirel, Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller. /Milliyet-Cumhuriyet/ [02] FOREIGN MINISTRY NATO GUARANTEEAfter the formation of the new coalition government, stressing that there would be no policy change concerning relations with NATO, Foreign Ministry spokesman, Omer Akbel said that Turkey would be loyal to the accords and strategic agreements to which she is a party. /Hurriyet/[03] BRIEFING CONCERNING TURKISH FOREIGN POLICYAt the outset of the Egyptian President's visit to Ankara, the Foreign Ministry and General Staff gave a briefing concerning Turkish foreign policy to Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan. Relations with Greece, the USA, Syria, and Iraq were among the main topics of the briefing. Responding to Erbakan's questions on the contents of the agreement signed with Israel, General Staff members stressed that this was merely an agreement on military training. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller gave information to Erbakan related to the struggle carried on against the PKK and terrorism. At the end of the briefing it was agreed that Turkey should remain loyal to all the international agreements. /Sabah/[04] FIRST KURDISH TV IN SOUTHEASTA private television channel, CAN TV, has started regular broadcasting in Kurdish, marking a first in the history of the highly Kurdish-populated Southeast region of Turkey. Nevzat Bingol, owner of Diyarbakir-based CAN TV, said that their broadcasting was limited to only several hours daily but they aimed at having 24-hour continuous broadcasting in the future. /Milliyet/[05] IRAQI OIL TO FLOW IN NEAR FUTUREDetails of the agreement signed in May between the UN and Iraq relating to controlled oil sales are about to be finalized and oil will be pumped into the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline in a few weeks' time. German Ambassador Antonius Eitel, chairman of the UN Sanctions Committee, has announced that the committee has agreed on a comprehensive agreement covering the procedure to be followed in oil sales. According to Eitel, the second part of the agreement deals with Turkey's part of the deal. Turkey will receive payment for the use of the pipeline. It is envisaged that more than half of the 700,000 barrels of oil to be exported by Iraq daily will be pumped through the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline. Eitel also said that the sanctions committee would finish examining the agreements by Friday and submit its report to the Security Council.On Tuesday, Turkish businessmen said they hoped to secure deals to provide Iraq with goods when the agreement takes effect. "We are ready to meet all the Iraqis' demands regarding foodstuffs, medical supplies and humanitarian needs" said Turkish Foreign Trade Undersecretary Nejat Eren. /Sabah-Hurriyet/ [06] AMB.ALBRIGHT TO VISIT CYPRUS WITH BEATTIEAmbassador Madeleine K.Albright, the US permanent representative to the UN, announced on Tuesday that she will be visiting Greece, Turkey and Cyprus with Richard Beattie, President Clinton's Special Emissary for Cyprus. Albright, who is also a member of the US National Security Council, will embark on her tour to the region on July 15.Albright will then travel to Ankara on July 18 and 19. She will meet with Turkish officials "to discuss a variety of bilateral and multilateral issues of importance to the US and Turkey, including Cyprus, the Aegean, Iraqi oil issues and Operation Provide Comfort". Amb.Albright will return to the US on July 20. /All papers/ [07] ANKARA ATTACKS OSCE'S KURD RESOLUTIONThe Foreign Ministry yesterday dismissed crticism from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) about its handling of the Kurdish problem and its human rights performance, saying a resolution adopted by the group's parliamentary assembly was "unbalanced and biased". The assembly endorsed the resolution at the end of its meeting in Stockholm held on July 5-9. It also crticized the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting a separatist war in southeastern Turkey.Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said the report aimed to mislead international public opinion. "Before the meeting, a group of foreign parliamentarians, known for their anti-Turkish views, urged the debate of the situation in Turkey, presenting the heavily prejudiced resolution" Akbel said. "While not yielding any benefits for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, such an approach has also seriously limited its chances of cooperating with Turkey" the spokesman added. /All papers/ [08] TURKEY ASSURES IRAN ON BORDER SECURITYInterior Ministry Undersecretary Erol Cakir, in Tehran to hold Turkey-Iran Security Commission meetings, said that Turkey had no intention of violating Iranian borders. Iran has claimed that two Turkish helicopters penetrated Iranian airspace on June 26 and opened fire, causing the deaths of six and wounding 15. The Turkish General Staff has denied the claims.Iranian television prime time news said that Cakir had made his pledge during negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati on Tuesday. Cakir said that such an incident, if it happened at all, had taken place without the authorization of the Turkish government. Iran television also claimed that Cakir promised that the issue would be dealt with at the joint security meeting and that those who were responsible would be punished once the case had been thoroughly examined. /All papers/ [09] GENERAL ASSERTS AIR FORCE ROLE IN SUCCESSFUL FIGHT AGAINST PKKTurkish Air Force pilots have been successful in raids against the PKK terrorist organization, especially since 1991, said Maj.Gen.Cumhur Asparuk, commander of the Second Tactical Air Force. Asparuk was speaking at a medal award ceremony in Diyarbakir where the commander of the Diyarbakir 8th Main Jet Base, Gen.Hasan Aksay, was given a medal of distinction. Asparuk said that Turkish pilots fly in all sorts of weather and have been very successful in fighting the PKK, both within Turkey and outside. Asparuk pointed out the increase in the number of sorties flown by the air force since 1991.He said that with its education and training levels, the Turkish Air Force has the highest performance levels in Europe and is second only to the US. /All papers/ [10] YILMAZ GOES TO AUSTRIAChairman of the Motherland Party (ANAP) Mesut Yilmaz yesterday flew to Austria to have several bilateral meetings. Yilmaz was scheduled to move on to Germany later in the day. Addressing a press conference before his departure, Yilmaz said that he would meet the Austrian foreign minister and the chairman of the European Democratic Union in Vienna. Yilmaz also noted that he would take part in a meeting in Frankfurt jointly organized by Germany's coalition partner the Social Union Party and a private foundation. "I will deliver a speech on Turkey's place in the world and its integration with Europe at this important meeting, which will be attended by four German ministers and a number of parliamentarians" Yilmaz said. /All papers/[11] TURKISH AUTO INDUSTRY EXPORTS CLIMB 32 % IN FIRST HALFTurkey's total automotive industry exports climbed by 32 % in the first half of the year, compared to the corresponding period of 1995, industrial sources have revealed. The Association of Turkish Automotive Industry (OSD) said that overall exports in the first half jumped from last year's $514.3 million to $680.4 million this year. The largest receipts from foreign sales this year came from the component industries, whose exports were $395.202 million, or 58 % of all exports. Exports by component manufacturers went up 13 % from the previous year. /All papers/[12] NEW CLASHES WITH PKKDuring clashes between PKK terrorists and security forces in Batman, three terrorists were killed and three members of the security forces wounded. Trying to escape from the security forces, the terrorists took as hostages five children, ages one to five. In a rescue operation, three PKK terrorists were killed and the children were saved.On the other hand, 34 other PKK terrorists were killed in various operations undertaken in Hakkari, Bitlis and Tunceli. Two terrorists were arrested in Bingol and Elazig. Twenty-four other terrorists, trained in Greece and preparing for terrorist attacks in Turkey were arrested in Sanliurfa, and a large amount of weapons were confiscated. /Cumhuriyet-Hurriyet/ [13] TURCO-ISRAELI TOURISM COOPERATIONTourism Minister Bahattin Yucel met yesterday in the Ciragan Palace with the Israeli Chief Consul in Istanbul Itzhak Shoham, Israeli tour operators, travel agency representatives, and officials from Turkish Airlines (THY) and the Union of Turkish Travel Agencies. Commenting on the impact of the new coalition government on tourism relations with Israel, Yucel noted that all steps needed for the improvement of bilateral relations would be undertaken. The meeting was held because of a four-percent decrease in the number of Israeli tourists visiting Turkey over the few last months. /Hurriyet-Cumhuriyet/[14] INTERNATIONAL MILITARY AID TO BOSNIA ON THE WAYPresident Clinton welcomed yesterday's decision of the Bosnian-Croatian Federation Parliament to establish a united national army and to approve the Defence Law foreseeing the acceptance of US aid for the Bosnian-Croatian army. An agreement related to the training and equipment of the Bosnian army and to the international aid to be extended to the new Balkan federation is expected to be signed early next week in Sarajevo, and the training of the Bosnian army will probably start two or four weeks after the agreement is signed.A part of the aid, worth $140 million, will be financed by Turkey, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, and the other $100 million will be extended by the US. /Cumhuriyet/ END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |