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Turkish Press Review, 97-09-04Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWDIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION,OFFICE OF PRIME MINISTER04.09.97Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] PRESIDENT DEMIREL IN HUNGARYPresident Suleyman Demirel, who is in Hungary for ceremonies involving the restoration of the tomb of Bektasi Dervish and poet, Gulbaba, presented medals of merit to Hungarian Prof. Dr.Geza Feher, Prof. Gr.Gyozo Gero and Dr. David Geza during a ceremony held at the Turkish Embassy in Budapest.During his visit, a military training agreement will be signed with Hungary, which is one of the three countries in the transition process towards membership in NATO. Turkey would also like to sell Turco-American joint-production F-16 aircraft to Hungary. At a joint press conference, Hungarian President Arpad Goncz recalled Turkey's support for Hungary's full membership in NATO and added that there would be obstacles in the process of NATO's expansion if Turkey was not drawn into European Union (EU) membership. Goncz stressed that Hungary supports Turkey's full membership in the EU because Turkey had the biggest role in the defense of Europe. President Suleyman Demirel, for his part, said that there was important cultural and economic cooperation between the two countries. and Turkey aimed to increase the trade volume between them. /Cumhuriyet/ [02] YILMAZ TO VISIT KAZAKHSTAN ON SEPTEMBER 9-11Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz will pay an official visit to Kazakhstan between September 9- 11. The Prime Ministry Press Centre said that Prime Minister Yilmaz's visit to Turkmenistan was postponed, but that Yilmaz would visit Kazakhstan between September 9-11. /All papers/[03] ANKARA AND WASHINGTON DEFEND WAR GAMES WITH ISRAELAnkara announced yesterday that joint naval maneuvers, planned for mid-November, in which the Turkish, US and Israel navies will participate, are not directed against any other state in the region. The Pentagon also declared that the war games had only search and rescue objectives. "We think the reactions which have emerged are probably based on the fact that the real objectives of the exercise are not well understood" Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sermet Atacanli said at the weekly press briefing. "Any Arab state wanting to join the maneuvers may do so" said Atacanli.Meanwhile, Jordan seemed supportive of the exercise. Jordanian Prime Minister Al Mecali declared yesterday that the joint maneuvers, to be held between Turkey, Israel and the US were not against any Arab states. /Cumhuriyet-Sabah/ [04] MISSILES: TURKEY FORGES INTELLIGENCE ALLIANCEIt was announced yesterday that Turkey would closely monitor all naval transportation in the Bosphorus, and would take the necessary steps regarding issues dealing with Turkey's national security. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sermet Atacanli stated yesterday that Turkey would take every kind of measure to control the straits in the interests of national security. He also reiterated that Turkey was continuing its diplomatic efforts to halt the transfer of missiles.Commenting on Greek Cypriot moves to deploy S-300 missiles in Southern Cyprus, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that instigated by Greece and the EU, the Greek Cypriots may resort to "frantic moves". According to Ecevit, their goal was to set up control over the whole island. "They are amassing arms on the island to prevent Turkey's possible support for Northern Cyprus" Ecevit said. Ecevit recalled that missile parts and launching ramps were found on board an Egyptian vessel passing through the Bosphorus, Ecevit said that the Montreux Convention did not allow stopping the vessel. "However, we are following the vessel and we will see whether or not its cargo will be delivered to the Greek Cypriots. We have learned that three other vessels carrying missile parts will pass through the Bosphorus" Ecevit pointed out. /Milliyet/ [05] CEM IN PARISTurkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem has repeated that Ankara's bid for eventual membership in the European Union remains "a goal" and is not "an obssession". Cem met with his French counterpart Hubert Vedrine and the French minister in charge of EU affairs, Pierre Moskovici in Paris. Cem was in the French capital to shore up support for Turkey's EU bid and to attend a meeting of Turkish ambassadors in European capitals. Addressing a joint press conference after his meeting with Cem, Vedrine said Turkey remained part of the EU's plans for expansion. Vedrine added that his topics of discussion with Cem included Iran, Iraq, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as Turkish-EU ties.Talking to reporters after his meeting with Moskovici, Cem said: "If Western Europe demonstrates a strategic approach and recognizes the greater dimension that Turkey can be a part of; in other words, if it sees where its own interest lies, then new developments can take place. But if not, this is not the end of the world as far as Turkey is concerned" Cem said. Moskovici, for his part, said Paris was interested in seeing Turkey take its place in the idea, promoted by France, for a permanent conference, which will bring together countries in line for EU membership. After meeting with Turkish ambassadors in European capitals, Cem said he had conveyed Ankara's concerns relating to the prospect of the EU's starting accession talks with the Greek Cypriot community which is acting on behalf of the whole island. /Cumhuriyet-Milliyet/ [06] SEZGIN MEETS BRITISH COUNTERPART ROBERTSONDeputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ismet Sezgin met yesterday his British counterpart George Robertson. Sezgin said that the meeting was held in a constructive atmosphere. Cooperation in peace efforts, NATO expansion, S-300 missiles and Turkey's relations with its neighbours were among the issues taken in hand during the discussions. Sezgin stressed that EU attitudes would impede the process of resolving the Cyprus issue, and added that by deploying Russian-made S-300 missiles on the island, the Greek Cypriot administration was threating the security of Turkey. /Milliyet/[07] THE 78TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENTChairman of the Mustafa Kemal Association, Kamran Baran, said that the Turkish nation owned its being to Ataturk who started the independence movement during the Sivas Congress on 4-14 September, 1919. The 78th anniversary of the Independence Movement is being celebrated throughout Turkey. At the end of the Sivas Congress the most important decision taken was that territories where the Turkish army was in command on 30 October, 1918, were indivisible and belonged to Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/[08] KINKEL: FIRST PEACE AND THEN EU MEMBERSHIPGermany Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel, said that Turkish Cypriots should attend European Union (EU) membership negotiations. For the realization of EU membership, however first peace should be ensured in Cyprus.After his meeting with Greek Cypriot administration Foreign Minister Yannis Kasudilis, Kinkel said that Germany would continue its efforts to win a sucess at the end of talks holding being held the auspicies of the UN, and initiatives being made by the special envoy of the UN General Secretary, Diego Cordovez. Kinkel added that he will discuss the issue with Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem who will visit Germany within the next few weeks. /Cumhuriyet/ [09] SPECIAL WEF MEETING ON TURKEYThe World Economic Forum (WEF) based in Geneva, will hold a special meeting on the Turkish economy on 28-29 September in Istanbul. Together with Besides President Suleyman Demirel and Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, high level economy experts and foreign and Turkish economists will attend the meeting /Sabah/[10] EU TO REVISE TURKEY REPORTThe European Parliament Foreign Relations Commission has agreed to revise its report on Turkey prepared during the period when the Welfare-True Path Party coalition government was in power in Turkey. The report, prepared by British deputy Edward McMillan-Scott, was tackled during discussions at the European Parliament yesterday. The deputies noted that the rule of the Welfare-True Path Party coalition was over and that the new government was demonstrating "a very different approach in all issues". McMillan-Scott will now up-date the report in a move to reflect in it the latest developments in Turkey. /Milliyet/[11] GREECE NOT WILLING TO RESPOND TO TURKEY'S GOODWILL INITIATIVESDespite all moves undertaken by Ankara to resolve problems with Greece by peaceful means, Greece is reluctant in responding to the Turkish efforts. Greek Chief of the General Staff, General Coganis, declined the Turkish invitation to attend a 30 August Victory Day reception given by Turkish Ambassador in Athens, Umit Pamir. Even though the Turkish Embassy in Athens extended an invitation to General Coganis, the Greek military official did not attend the reception upon the instructions of Greek Defence Minister Tchohacopulos, who advocates a tough stance in Greece relations with Turkey. Turkish Chief of the General Staff, General Ismail Hakki Karadayi however, attended Greek National Day celebrations at the Greek Embassy in Ankara a few months back and has extended good-will messages to Athens. /Milliyet/[12] POLICE BAN 'PEACE TRAIN' PRESS CONFERENCEA press conference by the organizing committee of the "Musa Anter Peace Train" planned for Wednesday morning was unable to go ahead as police refused to let foreign participants leave their hotel yesterday morning and declared the press conference would constitute an illegal act. Meanwhile, the Turkish participants in the Peace Train were preparing to go ahead with the press conference when Istanbul Deputy Police Chief Mehmet Caglar announced that holding the press conference was illegal. /Cumhuriyet/[13] BARZANI STRIKES AGAINST THE PKKIn clashes between the PKK terrorist organization and forces of the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Masud Barzani, 22 PKK terrorists have been killed. The Voice of KDP radio announced that one peshmerge was killed and two others were wounded in the clashes. /Hurriyet/[14] FOUR PKK TERRORISTS SEIZED IN ISTANBULFour PKK terrorists have been arrested in Istanbul with bombs and equipment used in bomb making. It was reported that the terrorists were responsible for three bombing incidents in Istanbul which killed three people. /Sabah/[15] DEMIREL SENDS MESSAGE TO MUHAMMAD KHATAMIPresident Suleyman Demirel sent a message to his Iranian counterpart, Sayyed Muhammad Khatami, which was delivered on Tuesday by deputy undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry, Ali Tuygan. Foreign Ministry spokesman Sermet Atacanli announced yesterday that Tuygan would also meet with senior Iranian Foreign Ministry officials in Tehran. Tuygan will probably conduct talks as a follow-up to previous discussions concerning the formation of a military mechanism between Ankara and Tehran for preventing PKK terrorist organization infiltration through the Turkish-Iranian border. According to news reports from Tehran, the message Demirel sent to his Iranian counterpart is related to the normalization of Turkish-Iranian relations. /Cumhuriyet/[16] BLACK SEA BEAUTIESThe Tourism Ministry's Black Sea Green Tour started yesterday with a press conference in Istanbul. Tourism Minister Ibrahim Gurdal delivered a speech about the economics of Turkish tourism. He stressed the importance of a tourism policy in keeping with the universal values of the 21st century such as good relations and understanding between nations, increased knowledge of other cultures and peoples, peace, human rights and environmentalism. Gurdal said: "Our goal is to complete the planning and infrastructure of the region as quickly as possible and to introduce the Black Sea as a popular destination in the tourism market". /Hurriyet/[17] AIDS TEST IN HEALTH CLINICSThe Health Ministry has announced that health clinics in 49 cities, especially in tourist areas have been changed into "HIV Checkup and AIDS Information Centres". Ministry officials stated that the most important thing in fighting against AIDS, for which there is no cure, is to know the necessary preventative steps and to be informed about the illness. /Hurriyet/[18] INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION INCREASESIndustrial production for the month of July rose by 11.4 % compared to July 1996, a figure which can only be pleasing for the new government. According to figures released by the State Institute of Statistics (DIE) yesterday, the huge rise in industrial production for July was helped in the main by a 12.0 % rise in manufacturing overall and a 6.8 % increase in the electric, gas and water sectors. The mining industry also chipped in with a 12.9 % increase. The total increase for the first six months of 1997 over the same period of 1996 was 8.1 %, the DIE report said. /Cumhuriyet/[19] SALOMON BROTHERS: TURKEY LOOKING GOOD FOR 1998Turkey is set to be a profitable market for all companies in 1998 according to Salomon Brothers. A recent Salomon Brothers report estimated that trade volume will increase by 10 %, prices of goods will increase by 8-10 % in 1998. Turkish companies will be pleased with the increasing domestic and foreign demand, according to Salomon Brothers. /Hurriyet-Sabah/[20] NUMBER OF TOURISTS INCREASES BY 19.6 % IN JULYThe number of tourists who visited Turkey increased by 19.6 % in July, 1997, compared to the same month last year. While 1,011,137 tourists visited Turkey in July 1996, this number increased to 1,208,997 this year in the same month according to the State Institute of Statistics (DIE). The number of tourists who came to Turkey between January and July is 5,077,356 according to the same report. /All papers/[21] BOOM IN YACHT TOURISMTurkish tax-free imports of diesel oil have attracted a high number of foreign yachts to the Turkish coasts. Turkish officials said that while last year 1,166 foreign yachts visited Turkish ports last year, during the first seven months of this year this figure has already reached 1,350. Foreign yachts sailing in the Mediterranean come to Turkey to buy tax-free diesel oil. /Hurriyet/ ENDTurkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |