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Turkish Press Review, 97-11-13
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
CONTENTS
[01] YILMAZ CALLS FOR SUPPORT FOR BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINE
[02] HOLBROOKE'S CONTACTS
[03] TURKEY LOOKING FOR NEW FINANCE IN US
[04] IRAQIS FLOCKING TO HAKKARI
[05] MILITARY PLANE CRASH
[06] 13 PKK TERRORISTS KILLED
[07] REPPAS: "TURKEY BLASTS SOLUTION HOPES"
[08] TAI AND AIRBUS COOPERATE IN AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION
[09] TURKISH ENERGY CONFERENCE
[10] DENKTAS EVALUATES CONTACTS WITH HOLBROOKE
[11] ANKARA DEMANDS EQUAL STATUS
[12] SEMINAR TO BE HELD IN HONOUR OF PAKISTAN GOLDEN JUBILEE
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION,OFFICE OF PRIME MINISTER
13.11.97
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this
morning
[01] YILMAZ CALLS FOR SUPPORT FOR BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINE
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz visiting Baku, said yesterday that one of
the important factors that will shape international policies in the world
in the 21st century will be oil. Yilmaz went to Baku to attend a ceremony
to mark the occasion of the opening of the pipeline from Azerbaijan's
Chirag oil fields under the $8 billion Mega project carried out by an
international consortium. Yilmaz once more voiced Turkey's demand that
the long-debated pipeline project should be designed to pass through
Turkey, saying that the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, that will carry Caspian
crude oil from Azerbaijan to international markets, was the best solution
on a strategic, economic and environmental basis.
Recalling the Armenian-Azeri dispute over the occupation of
Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia, Yilmaz said that stability in the Caucasus
depends on the withdrawal of Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh. Azeri
President Haydar Aliyev and Yilmaz met during the Turkish prime minister's
visit to Baku and Aliyev said that his country fully supports the
Baku-Ceyhan pipeline but the final decision will be made by the
international consortium and related firms. Yilmaz also thanked Haydar
Aliyev for his remarks supporting the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline over the other
alternative for Azeri oil. US Energy Secretary Federico Pena, who
delivered a speech during the ceremony, also supported the Baku-Ceyhan
pipeline and said: "We want oil to flow via Turkey. Yilmaz met Georgian
President Eduard Shevardnadze last night in Baku. /Milliyet-Hurriyet/
[02] HOLBROOKE'S CONTACTS
US President Bill Clinton's Cyprus envoy Richard Holbrooke's last-
minute visit to the Turkish capital ended yesterday. Ankara said
yesterday that no developments were made during the US envoy's visit and
said that it awaits no resolution over the Cyprus problem before the
upcoming elections in Greek Cyprus.
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz noted that the Cyprus
problem was very complex and needed time. He stated that they were
pleased with Holbrooke's contacts, adding that Holbrooke's approach
towards the issue was more realistic than that of the EU. /Hurriyet/
[03] TURKEY LOOKING FOR NEW FINANCE IN US
Members of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association
(TUSIAD), will be meeting the heavyweights of the US finance sector on
November 17 in an effort to find new monetary resources. The TUSIAD
delegation wants to demonstrate to the finance sector in the US the good
intentions of the government in the area of loans and financial
development.
Observing these developments, officials in Ankara declared yesterday
that a visit by state minister Gunes Taner at the same time was "purely
coincidental". Taner himself has also confirmed that following recent
talks with IMF representatives, there will be no new stand-by agreement
between Turkey and the IMF. Turkey, however, does need money to finance
the government's much vaunted eight year education programme, and this is
something that the TUSIAD delegation will also have in mind. /Sabah/
[04] IRAQIS FLOCKING TO HAKKARI
At least four thousand people have fled to Hakkari from northern Iraq
to escape from the fighting there. Most of those now seeking shelter in
Turkey's southeastern township of Hakkari are peshmerge fighters caught up
in the fighting between separate Kurdish political factions. /Sabah/
[05] MILITARY PLANE CRASH
Shortly after take-off from Malatya air-base, a Turkish Air Force F-4
jet plane yesterday crashed into open countryside around the the base.
The two pilots aboard the F-4 parachuted clear and were later picked-up by
helicopter. One of the pilots broke a leg, but the other returned to
Malatya base uninjured. /All papers/
[06] 13 PKK TERRORISTS KILLED
During current operations in Beytulssebap, Sirnak, 13 PKK terrorists
and one security official were killed. Meanwhile, the radio Voice of the
Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) announced that 150 Iraqi Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) peshmerges had been killed in fighting in
northern Iraq and that 500 others had been wounded. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] REPPAS: "TURKEY BLASTS SOLUTION HOPES"
Greek government Spokesman Dimitri Reppas claims that Turkey's Cyprus
policy blasted efforts to solve the problems on the island. Speaking at a
press conference yesterday Reppas critized Turkey's objections to Greek
Cyprus membership in the European Union (EU). He added: "At the moment
it is technically possible that the Turkish side can attend the Cyprus-EU
full membership negotiations. However, they want to exclude themselves
from the negotiations." Reppas stressed that the policy followed by the
Turkish side only harmed themselves. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] TAI AND AIRBUS COOPERATE IN AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION
Turkish Airspace Industries (TAI) and airplane giant Aircraft will
cooperate in the production of big cargo aircraft. The project will be
completed in 2005. The FLA cargo planes to be produced by Aircraft and
TAI are expected to replace cargo planes such as the C-130s and C-160s
that are widely used today. /Hurriyet/
[09] TURKISH ENERGY CONFERENCE
President Demirel delivered a speech at the Turkish Energy Conference
organized by the Economist magazine published in Britain. Demirel
commented on Turkey's energy policy and stressed that the government was
determined to privatize state-owned power plants. The president also
touched on electricity shortages, prospects in the offing, and pointed out
that the construction of a nuclear power plant was a must. /Milliyet/
[10] DENKTAS EVALUATES CONTACTS WITH HOLBROOKE
In a statement to journalists, Northern Cyprus President Rauf Denktas
stressed that efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus issue would bear
fruit only if the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was
recognized as a sovereign state with status eqaul to that of Southern
Cyprus. Denktas described his contacts with US President Bill Clinton's
Special Cyprus Envoy Richard Holbrooke and Greek Cypriot leader Glafkos
Klerides as "beneficial" and said that the parties involved in the issue
will continue to exchange views. He said that it was not realistic to
expect any developments before the results of the general elections in
Southern Cyprus are announced. /Milliyet/
[11] ANKARA DEMANDS EQUAL STATUS
In a press conference yesterday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman
Ambassador Necati Utkan said that all obstacles to Turkey's participation
in the European Conference of EU member and candidate member countries
have been lifted, but added that Turkey was anxious about the content of
the conference. He stressed that Turkey's full membership application
should be evaluated in the same way as the applications of the other
countries in line to join the Union. Ambassador Utkan pointed out that
Ankara was not positive about the "special status" that will put Turkey in
a different category, excluding it from the EU expansion process.
/Milliyet/
[12] SEMINAR TO BE HELD IN HONOUR OF PAKISTAN GOLDEN JUBILEE
A Pakistan seminar is being held in Istanbul today, November 13. The
seminar, which has been organized by the Islamic Conference Organization,
the Islamic History Arts and Culture Research Centre (IRCICA), the
Pakistani Embassy in Ankara and the Pakistani Consulate General in
Istanbul is a part of the celebrations of Pakistan's Golden Jubilee.
Famous scientists, intellectuals and media representatives are to attend
this seminar. /All papers/
END
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