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Turkish Press Review, 98-02-19
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
19.02.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL RECEIVES MEMBERS OF DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION
[02] YILMAZ VISITS HACI BEKTAS VELI FOUNDATION
[03] TURKEY'S RESPONSE TO CLINTON
[04] US: WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN TURKEY
[05] ANKARA RENEWS PEACE CALL TO GREECE
[06] EU-CYPRUS TOPS HANNAY'S AGENDA
[07] SHATTUCK MONITORS HUMAN RIGHTS IN MARDIN
[08] CATTAUI'S CONTACTS IN ISTANBUL
[09] ARCELIK RANKS FOURTH IN EUROPE
[10] 1.2 TONS OF HASHISH SEIZED IN GAZIANTEP
[11] THIRD TURKISH SATELLITE
[12] ALAATTIN CAKICI CAUGHT
[13] TUSIAD DELEGATION IN NORTHERN CYPRUS
[14] TURKISH FABRIC DESIGNS ON THE WAY TO THE US
[15] ITALIAN AWARD FOR GUNES
[01] DEMIREL RECEIVES MEMBERS OF DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION
President Suleyman Demirel received members of the Diplomatic
Correspondents' Association yesterday and commented on the ongoing
crisis in Iraq. After a possible strike against Iraq, Demirel noted
that chaos could break out, inflicting serious damage on Turkey.
"I sent a message to Saddam Hussein and requested him to implement
all the UN resolutions. If he is not opening the palaces for inspection
in order to protect his prestige, he could have done that by expressing
everything openly in front of his people. But he did not do so" the
president stated. /All papers/
[02] YILMAZ VISITS HACI BEKTAS VELI FOUNDATION
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said yesterday that Turkey's greatest
treasure was the coexistence and agreement between its various cultures.
Yilmaz made his remarks while visiting the future site of the
headquarters of the Haci Bektas Veli Anatolia Cultural Foundation in the
Dikmen District of Ankara. The prime minister stressed that the state
gives equal status to every sect in Turkey, and pointed to the variety
of cultures and religious sects in Turkey. Haci Bektas Veli was a holy
man of the Alawite sect. /Sabah/
[03] TURKEY'S RESPONSE TO CLINTON
Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Necati Utkan, said yesterday that US
President Bill Clinton could well have in mind merely a US military
exploratory operation from the north, and added that Turkey, although
making no promise of military support in general could support this kind
of operation. Utkan also expressed Turkey's pleasure at UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan's attempts to find a peaceful solution to the Gulf
crisis by visiting Baghdad. Although it is noted in an official
government statement that "We hope this last chance will not be wasted"
it is also stressed that Turkey will not support the US in case it
launches a military attack against Iraq. Meanwhile, President Suleyman
Demirel is continuing with his "telephone diplomacy" aiming to ease the
tension in the region. Yesterday morning Demirel spoke with Kuwaiti
Emir, El Sabah. In a later statement released by the Presidency, it was
declared that Demirel had expressed his opinion that military action
against Iraq was not a necessity and that Turkey had a responsibility
for the maintenance of peace in the region. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] US: WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN TURKEY
The US Government has declared that they have "absolute confidence"
in Turkey, referring to Turkey's military support for the US should it
launch a military attack against Iraq. Responding to questions in a
television interview, White House National Security Counsellor, Sandy
Berger, said that "Turkey and Saudi Arabia are well aware of the menace
arising from Iraq. We do not have any doubt about their support in a
probable Gulf War." /Cumhuriyet/
[05] ANKARA RENEWS PEACE CALL TO GREECE
Turkey yesterday renewed its call to Greece for a peaceful
settlement of the disputes between the two countries over the Aegean,
despite an earlier categorical refusal from the Greek Foreign Minister.
"We hope that our proposal will be considered and that the answer will
be a positive one" Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan told
reporters. He also added that Turkey expected an "official and serious"
response, in apparent dissatisfaction with the statements of Greek
officials in the press. /All papers/
[06] EU-CYPRUS TOPS HANNAY'S AGENDA
Turco-European Union (EU) relations, the Iraq crisis and the Cyprus
question will be among the issues discussed when Sir David Hannay visits
Turkey at the beginning of next week as British Prime Minister Tony
Blair's special envoy to Turkey, according to the British Foreign
Office. Sir David will discuss bilateral relations between Turkey and
Britain and is expected to give a message to Turkey regarding its EU
status. Meanwhile, EU Commissioner Responsible for Foreign Affairs Hans
van der Broek will visit Greek Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on 5 March. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] SHATTUCK MONITORS HUMAN RIGHTS IN MARDIN
John Shattuck, US assistant secretary, visited the southeastern
Turkish city of Mardin yesterday and held talks with the provincial
governor. Speaking after the meeting, Shattuck said that his goal was
to directly observe human rights developments in Turkey, as it is a
prominent ally of the US.
Mardin Governor Vali Guven, for his part, said that the Turkish
government was very sensitive and consistent regarding its projects to
improve human rights in Turkey, stressing that Turkey had not created
the problems in the Southeast. /Cumhuriyet/
[08] CATTAUI'S CONTACTS IN ISTANBUL
Turkey is among the five countries in the world recording the
fastest growth in foreign trade, the Secretary-General of the
Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICOC), declared when
speaking at a dinner Monday night in Istanbul. ICOC Secretary-General
Maria Livanos Cattaui noted that Turkey was one of the five countries
-all of which are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development- which recorded the greatest increase in foreign trade
between 1990 and 1996.
Cattaui said that Turkey's development was an indication that the
emerging economies of the world would continue to be more efficient than
the industrialized countries, despite the Asian financial crisis.
Turkey's youthful population and aggressive entrepreneurship were
helping drive growth forward, she said. /All papers/
[09] ARCELIK RANKS FOURTH IN EUROPE
Arcelik, which is the biggest private sector company in Turkey,
ranks fourth from the standpoint of the market share of durable goods in
Western Europe. With the sales worth $626 million in 1996, Arcelik
ranked ninth in the European market according to Appliance Magazine, a
monthly trade magazine published in the US. /Sabah/
[10] 1.2 TONS OF HASHISH SEIZED IN GAZIANTEP
During an operation carried out in Golhuyuk village in the Nurdagi
district of Gaziantep, 1.250 tons of hashish were seized. Officials
noted that the hashish, worth TL 1 trillion, was about to be sent
abroad. /Sabah/
[11] THIRD TURKISH SATELLITE
Turkish Communications and Transportation Minister Necdet Menzir
yesterday signed in Monaco an agreement for the construction of a third
Turkih satellite, Turksat 2A. The $260 million satellite project will
be materialized by the Euroasiasat company jointly established by Turk
Telekom and the French aeronautics company Aerespatiale. Turksat-2A is
the first 10KW satellite to be launched into space. It is expected that
Turkey will earn $800 million from this lucrative project. /Milliyet/
[12] ALAATTIN CAKICI CAUGHT
Shadowy Turkish underground figure, Alaattin Cakici, a leading
suspect in a number of murder cases and other criminal activity, has
been apprehended by the French police at the southern French border.
Ankara will demand the extradition of Cakici to Turkey. /Sabah/
[13] TUSIAD DELEGATION IN NORTHERN CYPRUS
Representatives of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's
Association (TUSIAD) will tomorrow pay a visit to the Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on the official invitation of Turkish Cypriot
President Rauf Denktas. The TUSIAD delegation, headed by association
chairman Muharrem Kayhan, will hold meetings with President Denktas,
government officials and Turkish Cypriot businessmen. /Cumhuriyet/
[14] TURKISH FABRIC DESIGNS ON THE WAY TO THE US
The Kefeli group, which displayed shirts with fabric designs by the
Bossa, Anteks and Soktas firms at the Interjens Fair in Cologne,
Germany, will now show these same designs to the US market. The firm
will promote the shirts made from Turkish fabrics at the Magic World
Fair to be held in Las Vegas. /Hurriyet/
[15] ITALIAN AWARD FOR GUNES
The University of La Spienza has decided to award its most
important traditional Feyer Des Artistes gold medal to former Turkish
Interior Minister Hasan Fehmi Gunes. It was learned that this decision
was taken because Gunes, a staunch defender of human rights, took it
upon himself to protect justice during his period in office. The gold
medal will be awarded to Gunes by the Rector of the University,
Prof.Marie Morelli. /Hurriyet/
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