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Turkish Press Review, 97-10-23Turkish 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 MINISTER23.10.97Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] ECEVIT DEMANDS US RECONSIDER ITS N.IRAQ POLICYDeputy Chief of the US Armed Forces Joseph W.Ralston stated that they were concerned over an intention of the Greek Cyprus administration for the deployment of S-300 missiles on the island. Ralston met with Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff Gen.Cevik Bir, Air Forces Commander Gen.Ilhan Kilic and Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday.Officials noted that exercises to be held jointly by Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in November did not aim at increasing the tension in the region and these exercises have been previously planned. During the meetings between Ralston and the Turkish military officials, the Turco-Israeli-US joint exercise to be held in January or February was also taken up. Deputy Prime Minister Ecevit, in the meeting with Ralston, told him to convey the message to the US administration that it should reconsider its northern Iraq policy. Ecevit informed the Democratic Left Party (DSP) parliamentary group yesterday about the meeting with Ralston. Ecevit told his group that he brought up the northern Iraq issue in the meeting saying that Turkey was being heavily damaged by developments in northern Iraq. /Milliyet/ [02] POLICE PREVENT PKK MASSACRE IN ELAZIGElazig Governor Lutfullah Bilgin said that security forces arrested a militant from the PKK terrorist organization who tried to place a bomb at Elazig Bus Station yesterday, the Anatolia news agency reported. Elazig Police Chief Engin Aksan said the bomb was so effective that if had exploded it would have been a major massacre.The terrorist, Ali Kemal Ercan, admitted that he provided clothes, phones, satellite equipment and mobile phones to terrorists situated in the provinces of Mersin and Kayseri. It was reported that Ercan was a worker in Tunceli's Postal Authority. Meanwhile, a terrorism summit will be held in Giresun on Saturday with the participation of governors, police chiefs and gendarmerie commanders of 10 Black Sea cities to find solutions to the PKK activities which have recently intensified in the region. /Sabah/ [03] TURCO-GREEK MEETING IN CRETEGreek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas at a press conference yesterday said they did not hold much hope for the success of the Turkish-Greek meetings which will be held in Crete during the Balkan summit in November. Reppas said that Athens was against a policy promoting crises and a change in the status quo.On the other hand, Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yannis Kranidiotis, who met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem at the Black Sea Economic Foreign Ministers meeting in Kiev, expressed their uneasiness about Toros joint military exercises between Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Kranidiotis said that although the meeting to be held in Crete between Turkey and Greece to discuss bilateral problems and the Toros military exercise would be on the same date, Greece was very hopeful about the meeting. Kranidiotis added that they would be very pleased to see Turkish representatives in Crete. /Hurriyet/ [04] TURKEY WARNS US OVER NEW INITIATIVE BY ARMENIAN LOBBYTurkish Ambassador Nuzhet Kandemir has warned US Congressman James Rogan that the resolution he is attempting to get passed by the US House of Representatives concerning the "Armenian massacre" will lead to pro-foundly negative repercussions on relations between the two countries, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.Kandemir, in his letter to Rogan, said that the resolution was composed of false claims against an allied country and had created deep concern and anger among the Turkish population in the US. Kandemir said that the massacre claims were one of the worst accusations that could be brought against a nation and charged that these accusations were lies spread by Armenian groups. He reminded Rogan that between 1970 and 1980 Armenian terrorists had killed 73 Turkish diplomats and their family members in various countries. [05] STATE DEPT. 'QUALIFIES' REPLY ON TURKISH JETSUS State Department, as if trying to compensate for any misunderstandings that could have been caused by what the spokesman said on Monday regarding alleged reports of Turkish jets harassing the Greek defense minister's plane, issued a new statement on the matter. The new statement, unlike the previous one which made it very clear that the plane of the Greek Defense Minister was violating the US-brokered flight moratorium over Cyprus, has a few words in it for Turkey was well."We have no independent confirmation of these reported incidents" the State Department said in the statement released on Monday evening. "The accounts we have seen are disturbing. If Turkish aircraft flew provocatively close to the Greek Defense Minister's aircraft, such action would not be consistent with Turkey's stated desire to reduce tension with Greece" the State Department said. "We would hope that all sides would appreciate the benefits of reinstituting a complete and open-ended moratorium on military overflights of Cyprus at the earliest possible time" the statement read. /Cumhuriyet-Sabah/ [06] FOUR-PARTY MEETING IN ATHENSTurkish, Greek, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot businessmen will meet today in Athens. Reminding that the first round of the four-party meeting had been held in Istanbul, Turkish businessman Selim Egeli said that although they were at the beginning of the cooperation process, some important steps had already been taken. Pointing out that young Greek businessmen had started business relations with their Turkish counterparts, Egeli said that they were determined to continue this positive atmosphere.Sarik Tara, Meral Gezgin Eris, Selim Egeli, Aldo Kazlowski and Asaf Guneri attend the Turkish delegation headed by noted businessman Rahmi Koc. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus delegation is headed by Salih Boyaci. /Hurriyet/ [07] BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINEAzerbaijani Foreign Minister Hasan Hasanov said that Azeri early oil will be transported to world markets via the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. Hasanov added that at a ceremony held in the middle of November Turkish President Suleyman Demirel and Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev will officially announce the decision. Heads of states of the countries represented in the early oil consortium will be invited to attend the ceremony. /Sabah/[08] BSEC MINISTERS OF INTERIOR MEET IN ISTANBULThe Second Meeting of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Ministers of the Interior was held in Istanbul. At the end of the meeting, BSEC member-countries representatives agreed to cooperate in the struggle against terrorism and drug trafficking. Officials from Turkey, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldovia, Romania, Russia and Ukraine attended the meeting. Italy, Israel, Slovakia and Tunisia were represented by observers. /Cumhuriyet/[09] EU FREEZES FINANCIAL AID FOR TURKEYToday the European Parliament will begin discussions on EU 1998 draft budget. The draft suggests to freeze a financial aid of ECU 53 million that was to be extended to Turkey in 1998 within the framework of an "EU special action plan". Human rights violations in Turkey, raising tensions over Cyprus, the Southeastern Anatolian issue and Turkey's attitudes towards the customs union set up with the EU are used by the EU as a pretext for freezing the aid. The European Commission also presses for limiting aid to be extended to Turkey within the framework of the MEDA Fund. /Cumhuriyet/[10] TURKEY TO SEND FORESTRY TEAM TO AZERBAIJANAs the 11th World Forestry Congress drew towards its close in Antalya, details were announced of an agreement between Turkey and Azerbaijan. A large part of the value of the Congress has been in forging mutual understanding between nations, and this agreement (along with several others reached between Turkey and the Turkish-Speaking Republics) is one instance of this development of ties.The Forestry Ministers of Turkey and Azerbaijan met at the invitation of UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Turkey Representative Maharaj Muthoo and Erkan Ispirli, Head of the International and EC Coordination Department. It is expected that a Turkish mission of experts will go immediately to Azerbaijan for assistance in Forest Management Planning and follow-up programmes will be organized for an exchange of expertise. Meanwhile at a press conference, the Assistant Director General of the FAO's Forestry Department, congratulated Turkey on the organization of the Congress. /All papers/ END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |