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Turkish Press Review, 97-01-13Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWJANUARY 13, 1997Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] KARADAYI ON ANTI-MISSILE TRIP TO CYPRUSTurkish Chief of General Staff Gen.Ismail Hakki Karadayi will visit the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) today for two-days amid growing tensions over the Greek Cypriot decision to buy Russian-made missiles, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara announced on Saturday. Karadayi's visit is for reviewing the Turkish army in Northern Cyprus. He will be accompanied by a committee of military officials and will hold talks with Rauf Denktas, TRNC President.Meanwhile, Washington has dispatched Carey Cavanaugh, the State Department official for southeastern Europe, to Cyprus to ensure that the heightened tensions do not derail a concerted US-European effort to bring about a Cyprus settlement this year. The US official is expected to arrive in Ankara on Wednesday after talks in Nicosia and Athens. The US official will meet with Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ambassador Onur Oymen and Deputy Undersecretary responsible for Cyprus-Greece affairs Ambassador Inal Batu. The Turkish side will want the US to block the Greek Cypriot side from purchasing S-300 missiles and will point out that these missiles will only increase the tension on the island. General Karadayi's visit is to be followed by one from Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller later in the week. On Friday, Ciller made it clear that if deployed, the long-range missiles -which in theory can hit Turkish warplanes over southern Turkey- would be attacked. On the other hand, Turkish State Minister responsible for Cyprus Affiars Abdullah Gul called upon the Western countries, which reckon they can solve the Cyprus problem, saying: "Come and solve the missile crisis". Stressing that during the last year the Greek Cypriot side had spent $3 million every day on weapons, Gul said that Russia was in a financial crisis and that was why Russia sold missiles to Greek Cyprus. He added: "We cannot let the Greek Cypriot side be a Greek base". /Milliyet-Cumhuriyet-Hurriyet/ [02] CLOSER TIES BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND USThings are looking better between the Welfare Party (RP) government of Necmettin Erbakan and the Clinton administration, and in a move to further strengthen relations, Erbakan's "right hand man" Fehim Adak has gone to the US for a week-long round of talks.A comprehensive array of issues will be taken up- ranging from Turkey's connections with Iran and Iraq to the current Cyprus tensions. During the week of talks, Adak will meet with top US government officials and work to reinforce improving ties with the US. Talking about ties with the US over the weekend, Prime Minister Erbakan came out with another interesting revelation about deals between Turkey and the US. He said that the US was angling for a share of the Turkmenistan natural gas that Turkey was in line to pipe out to Western markets. Noting the improving economic situation in Turkey, Erbakan said that more and more foreign countries- including the US- wanted to increase their investments in Turkey. Thus the US was pressing Turkey for a share in the Turkmenistan-Iran pipeline deal that Turkey is working out as yet another long-term project. /All papers/ [03] ISRAELIS REFIT TURKEY'S AGED PHANTOMS FOR NEXT CENTURYIsrael has finished building the prototype for Turkey's US-supplied F-4 warplanes it is upgrading for the next century, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday quoting Israeli Aircraft Industry (IAI) sources. The "Phantom 2000" will reportedly have radically enhanced firepower, maneuverability, better vision and sport better electronics compared to the older models. The electromechanical computers currently installed in the Vietnam War-vintage fighter-bombers will be replaced by modern Digital Air Data systems which provide the pilot with fast and accurate electronic data.[04] LIBYA STOPS PAYMENTS TO TURKISH CONTRACTORSKadir Sever, chairman of the International Contractors Union (UMB) and the Turkish Contractors Union (TMB), said yesterday that Libya had not taken any further steps to pay off debts to Turkish contractors. Sever noted that although Libya had paid $33.2 million on November 15, the December 1996 payment had not been made. "First we got paid $33.2 million instead of $40 million, and the $4 million owed for December 1996 was not made" Sever said. "If Turkey does not take steps on the issue, Libya is going to stop all payments". /All papers/[05] IRAQI KURDISH GROUPS DUE IN ANKARA FOR MEETING THIS WEEKA third meeting with Iraqi Kurdish groups co-chaired by Turkey and the US and aimed at peace and stability in northern Iraq is expected to be held in Ankara this week. US Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, Robert Pelletreau, is due to arrive in Ankara today for the meeting. The two Iraqi Kurdish factions, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which have fought each other on and off since 1994 and which agreed on a cease-fire recently, met with Pelletreau on Thursday in order to continue discussing the cease-fire issues which they started to negotiate in Ankara in late October.Turkey is represented at the meeting by Ecvet Tezcan of the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Britain will also have diplomats in attendance. The Turkmen Front will also participate in the meeting which is designed to follow up the topics discussed in Washington last week. Meanwhile, it is reported that Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tansu Ciller sent a letter to new UN secretary-general Kofi Annan last month and furnished information regarding Turkey's operations in northern Iraq. The letter recalled that it was out of the question for Turkey to erode Iraq's territorial integrity and sovereignty. /Milliyet/ [06] FORUM COMMEMORATES ANNIVERSARY OF MITTERRAND'S DEATHTop politicians from around the world joined France in paying homage to its former President Francois Mitterrand one year after his death, at a special forum at the Paris bureau of UNESCO, the Anatolia news agency reported. Invited to speak at the Paris gathering, called "Francois Mitterrand, Peace and Development", Erdal Inonu -former leader of the Social Democrat People's Party, one of two parties which merged to form the Republican People's Party -said Mitterrand had made a great contribution to the development of relations between Turkey and France. Recalling the first time he met President Mitterrand during an official visit to Turkey' Inonu said Mitterrand had displayed a positive approach to Turkey's full membership in the European Union and had believed that obstacles to membership could easily be overcome. ENDTurkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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