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Turkish Press Review, 97-03-13Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWMARCH 13, 1997Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning.[01] MAYSTADT: "BELGIUM SUPPORTS TURKEY'S EU DRIVEBelgium will back Turkey's bid to become a member of the European Union (EU). "I would like to reiterate Belgium's support of Turkey in its efforts to integrate with the European Union," visiting Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Philippe Maystadt told the Turkish-Belgian Business Council. "The Belgian position is in favor of fair and equitable treatment for Turkey," Maystadt, in Turkey as part of a six-day official visit to the country by Belgian Crown Prince Philippe, said. "We would like to see Turkey as a member."A 140-member Belgian business delegation headed by the two men attended the daylong meeting organized by Turkey's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK). In his speech at the DEIK Philippe said that the meeting would contribute to strengthening relations between the two countries. He added that Turkish companies had great dynamism and that they believed in the power of the Turkish economy./Cumhuriyet/Sabah_ [02] OPTIC PHONE CABLE TO LINK BULGARIA, TURKEYBulgaria and Turkey will officially open an optic telephone link on Friday as part of a planned telecommunications route connecting Western Europe with the Middle East, an official said on Tuesday. Post and Communications Committee (PCC) spokesman Valentin Kolev said an optic telephone link between the Bulgarian town of Odrin and points in Turkey would start operating on Friday. "This stretch is a part of the international Trans-Balkan route from Brindisi in Italy through Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Istanbul in Turkey. It ensures a digital link between East Europe and Asia," Kolev said. /All papers/[03] TURKISH TRAVEL AGENCY ESTABLISHED IN PRAGUEThe Dedeman group, which operates five-star hotels in Turkey, said on Wednesday that it had established a travel agency in Prague to attract as many as 7,500 Czech tourists to Turkey every year. It said in a written statment that Detur Prag A.S. would operate flights three times a week from Prague to Izmir and Antalya and arrange special tours to Istanbul, the Dardanelles, Konya, Bursa and other cities, starting in May./All papers/[04] EUROPEAN ENVOYS SATISFIED WITH HUMAN RIGHTS TRENDSAndreas Barsony and Walter Schwimmer, rapportuers ftom the Council of Europe Parliamentarian Assembly, said they found that the biggest problem facing Turkey was the Kurdish issue. Speaking to the press after their meeting with Justice Minister Sevket Kazan, Barsony and Schwimmer expressed their satisfaction with the positive trends in human rights and democratization in Turkey. The envoys will prepare a report on their findings here to be presented to Council of Europe. /Cumhuriyet/[05] NEW DETENTION LAW IN OFFICIAL GAZETTEThe new law limiting the authority of the State Security Court (DGM) and shortening the detention time of suspect was published on Wednesday in the Official Gazette, the Anatolia news agency reported. According to the law, a person who is apprehended must be brought before a judge within 24 hours, excluding the time needed to transfer the subject from the site of the crime to the court./Cumhuriyet/[06] KARADAYI POSITIVE ON TURCO-AUSTRIAN LINKSChief of General Staff General Ismail Hakki Karadayi said that the new atmosphere of dialogue which he felt during his visit to Austria would help to solve problems between the two countries and provide a platform for further understanding. Speaking to journalists at Ankara's Esenboga Airport on his return on Wednesday, General Karadayi said the Turkish and Austrian delegations had discussed security issues and had sought ways to cooperate in the fight against terrorism. He pointed out that Austrian President Thomas Cresti's visit to Turkey last year had initiated a new period of understanding between the two countries./ All papers/[07] US STEPS UP PRO-TURKEY CAMPAIGNThe United States has stepped up its campaign to persuade its European allies to keep Western institutions open to Ankara for membership, the State Department said on Tuesday. Spokesman Nicholas Burns hailed Turkey's recent adoption of a human rights reform package and said Europe should give Ankara "high marks" for this efforts. "We strongly believe the European Union should allow for the possibility of Turkish membership in the future. Turkey is a European country. Turkey has its roots in Europe. Turkey's security is based in Europe. And Turkey's future, we believe, ought to be grounded in Europe," he added./Sabah/[08] TURKEY MAY DITCH CUSTOMS UNION SAYS ENVOY TO EUTurkey's permanent representative to the European Union (EU), Ambassador Uluc Ozulker, said on Wednesday that customs union cannot be continued if Turkey is left out of the EU expansion process. Speaking on the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the agreement which established the forerunner to the EU, Ozulker said that Turkey's relations with the EU would deteriorate if Turkey was kept isolated. Ozulker pointed out that the meaning and goal of the customs union would be betrayed if Turkey was not accepted for full EU membership. The ambassador said that the attitude of the Christian Democrats should not be considered as the policy of the whole of Europe and that this group based its criteria of civilization on religion./Sabah/Milliyet_[09] ROTH: "EU MEMBERSHIP IS A RIGHT OF TURKEY"Chairman of the Greens Parliamentary Group of the European Union, Claudia Roth said: "Turkey is the oldest applicant and within this framework has more right to become a member than new applicant countries." She added: "Turkey could only compensate for one-sided economic losses rooted in the customs union by becoming a full member of the European Union."/Hurriyet/[10] TURKEY AND UKRAINE TO OPEN JOINT RESEARCH LABORATORYTurkey and Ukraine have signed an agreement to establish a Joint Research Laboratory at the Marmara Research Center in Gebze. The president of the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), Prof.Tosun Terzioglu, said that Ukrainian Science and Technology Minister Vladimir P. Seminozhenko and a delegation from his ministry had visited Turkey last month and signed two important agreements on February 16, 1997. Terzioglu said the laboratory was scheduled to open this summer./All papers/[11] TURKEY HOPES THE ANKARA PEACE PROCESS WILL CONTINUETurkish Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Sermet Atacanli at a weekly press conference on Wednesday said Turkey hoped the Ankara peace process would continue. Atacanli said the assassination of a leading Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) figure was a sad incident. The U.S. co-chairman of the talks, Robert Deutch, visited the foreign ministry and told reporters they were investigating the assasination and that the Ankara peace process would continue./Sabah/[12] TURCO-NORTH CYPRIOT ECONOMIC COOPERATIONA protocol for economic cooperation signed between Turkey and North Cyprus on January 3, 1997, has been approved by the Council of Ministers and brought into effect. According to the protocol Turkey will extend to the island republic financial aid amounting to $250 million. Both countries have agreed to cooperate in economic and financial issues. /Cumhuriyet/IRAQI OIL Iraqi oil is being pumped to Turkey via the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline within the framework of the oil-for-food agreement between Iraq and the UN. Since December 14, 1996, when the pipeline was reopened for operation, nearly 4 million tons of crude oil have been pumped through. /Cumhuriyet/ [13] RESIDENCE PERMIT FOR BULGARIAN IMMIGRANTSMinister of Interior Meral Aksener announced yesterday that immigrants from Bulgaria were no threat to national security. Bulgarian immigrants can now apply for one-year long residence permits. /Cumhuriyet/[14] TURKEY ON THE EU AGENDADevelopments in and around Turkey will be on the agenda when European Union (EU) Foreign Ministers meet in Holland over the weekend. During the talks, which are not official, Aegean developments, relations between Turkey and Greece and the Cyprus issue will be discussed. Turkey has sent a communication to the meeting outlining Turkey's views on the matters to be discussed. /Sabah/[15] "HAMMER" FORCES DUTIES UNDER DEBATEFormerly known as the multinational "Hammer" strike force, based at Incirlik near Adana, now called the Northern Observation Force, is again the subject of debate in connection with its brief regarding duties affecting northern Iraq.Turkey has taken up the issue with the US and General Cevik Bir has spoken with the US Air Forces Commander, Michael Ryan about armed observation flights over northern Iraq. /Cumhuriyet/ [16] FISHING CLASH KILLS ONETurkish fishing boats were caught up in a clash with Russian Federation vessels when they strayed into Georgian waters off the Sarp border regions. When shots were fired one Turkish fisherman was killed, and 23 others were arrested. /Cumhuriyet/[17] PARLIAMENT SPEAKER KALEMLI ADDRESSES TURKMEN PARLIAMENTParliament Speaker Mustafa Kalemli currently in Turkmenistan, the first leg of his tour to Turkish Republics covering Kazakhstan, Kyrgzstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan said on Tuesday that cooperation, rapproachment, peace and friendship between Turkey and Turkmenistan were important for stability, reported the Anatolia news agency. "This cooperation and rapproachment does not have any objectives directed to a third country," he added.Addressing the Turkmen Parliament after meeting with his Turkmen counterpart Sahat Muradov, Kalemli said the two country relations improved rapidly and there were still many things to be done. He also said Turkey supported Turkmenistan's impartiality status from the begining. Kalemli added that Turkey was ready to extend any necessary aid to Turkmenistan. Noting that Turkey attributed a special importance to Turkmen natural gas, Kalemli said it would be for the benefit of the two countries if the project is completed soon. Kalemli also invited Turkmen Parliament Speaker Muradov to Turkey. Parliament speaker Mustafa Kalemli met Turkmen President Sapharmurat Turkmenbasi Niyazov and presented a letter of President Suleyman Demirel to him. [18] DEMIREL: "TURKEY IS A SECULAR COUNTRY"President Suleyman Demirel said yesterday that: "Turkey is a democratic and secular country". Haluk Camuscuoglu, Head of the Executive Board of the Epsilon Companies Group, which received a UN "award for excellence" among 100 companies, presented the award to President Demirel yesterday. Demirel received Camuscuoglu and Epsilon International Projects Coordinator Sedat Ozkol at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. Demirel noted that he attached great importance to the award which the UN had presented to the Epsilon Companies Group and said: "I would like to say that this success belongs to the Turkish nation and the state. This is an indication of the contemporary value of Turkey". /Sabah/[19] FIRST ART OLYMPICS TO BE HELD IN ISTANBUL IN 1999It has been decided at a meeting of the executive board of the International Art Olympics Council based in Paris that the First Art Olympics will be held in Istanbul in 1999. 80 countries are represented in the International Art Olympics Council. /Milliyet/END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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