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Turkish Press Review, 98-03-02
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
02.03.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this
morning
CONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL TO VISIT SPAIN
[02] PIPELINE SUMMIT IN ISTANBUL
[03] GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS MEET BANK REPRESENTATIVES
[04] INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT
[05] SUMMER TIME ADJUSTMENT ON MARCH 29
[06] UK PROPOSES 'EQUAL POLITICAL ROLE' FOR TRNC
[07] ERSUMER RETURNS TO TURKEY
[08] BURNS: "APPLY TO THE HAGUE FOR AEGEAN"
[09] ATTACK BY NEO-NAZIs
[10] 155 PKK TERRORISTS KILLED FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS
[11] IRANIAN AMBASSADOR IN ANKARA
[12] "FUNDAMENTALISTS BASED IN GERMANY"
[13] S-300 CONDITION BY GREEK CYPRIOTS
[14] TURKISH CONTRACTORS TO BUILD "BLUE STREAM" PIPELINE
[01] DEMIREL TO VISIT SPAIN
President Suleyman Demirel will go to Spain tomorrow for a three-day
official visit. Demirel will be accompanied by Foreign Minister
Ismail Cem, Tourism Minister Ibrahim Gurdal and State Minister Isin
Celebi. The talks there are expected to focus on Turkey's relations
with the European Union (EU). In an interview with the leading
Spanish paper El Pais, Demirel said that he was waiting for "friendly
nations (such as Spain) to correct the mistake they made against
Turkey". Demirel will meet King Juan Carlos, Prime Minister Jose
Maria Aznar and leading Spanish officials to boost bilateral, regional
and international relations. /Sabah/
[02] PIPELINE SUMMIT IN ISTANBUL
A meeting of the oil-producing countries of the Caspian Sea started
yesterday with cautious support for a pipeline through Turkey. Turkey
brought together Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to see
whether it could win political commitment to its pipeline proposal.
Georgia joined the meeting as another transit route candidate. In
their opening remarks, foreign ministers talks of varying levels of
support for the Turkish proposal, bringing oil and gas from
Azerbaijan's capital on the Caspian, Baku, to the Turkish
Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. "I believe a unified approach will be
secured at this meeting on delivering Caspian oil and natural gas by
pipelines to international markets" Turkish President Suleyman Demirel
said in a statement read out at the meeting. It is expected that the
meeting will end today with a joint declaration of political
commitment to the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. /All papers/
[03] GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS MEET BANK REPRESENTATIVES
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, State Minister Gunes Taner and Finance
Minister Zekeriya Temizel met Saturday with representatives of the
banking sector to discuss the impacts of the tax reform launched by
the government. During the meeting, bankers' fears that new tax
regulations will imposed too heavy burdens on banks were taken in
hand. In a statement after the meeting, Minister Taner said that
bankers have voiced full support for the reforms. /Hurriyet/
[04] INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT
The cabinet has approved the project on "national dialogue on the
strategies for struggling against poverty in Turkey ", which was
signed by the Turkish Government and the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP). Within the framework of the project, Turkish
Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), in cooperation with
the UNDP, will research the problems of poverty and unemployment in
Turkey and their impact on social development. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] SUMMER TIME ADJUSTMENT ON MARCH 29
This year's summer time adjustment, aiming to provide more use of
daylight hours, thereby saving energy, will be made on March 29.
According to information received by the Anatolia news agency from the
Energy and Natural Resources Ministry, clocks should be placed one
hour ahead at 1.00 a.m. on March 29.
[06] UK PROPOSES 'EQUAL POLITICAL ROLE' FOR TRNC
As diplomatic efforts accelerate to persuade the Turkish Cypriots to
take part in the Greek Cypriot delegation which is due to start
accession talks with the European Union (EU) in late March, Britain
has proposed that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) be
granted an "equal political role". In a message sent to Greek Cypriot
Leader Glafkos Klerides last week, British Prime Minister Tony Blair
has suggested that the "Turkish Cypriots be invited to participate in
the talks and be given an equal political role", the Anatolia news
agency reported.
British Cyprus envoy David Hannay, who was in Ankara last week,
discussed the suggestion with Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz who
welcomed this new proposal, Anatolia said. Yilmaz and his TRNC
counterpart, Dervis Eroglu, who is on an official visit to Turkey,
reportedly also discussed the British suggestion. No other details
were available.
[07] ERSUMER RETURNS TO TURKEY
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Cumhur Ersumer has stated
that they received full support in the US, where they promoted the
feasibility report of the Baku-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline. Noting that an
agreement was signed with US Secretary of Commerce William Daley,
Ersumer said: "With this agreement, for the first time, US firms in
Turkey will construct hydro-electric power plants with their own
credits". /Milliyet/
[08] BURNS: "APPLY TO THE HAGUE FOR AEGEAN"
Nicholas Burns, US Ambassador in Athens, has noted that the problems
of continental shelf and Kardak islet should be brought to the Court
of Justice in The Hague. In a statement to the Kathimerini newspaper,
Burns said that the US government supported the solutions to the
problems at the international court and that Turkey should accept
this. Noting that the US was against armament in the Aegean Sea,
Burns called upon Turkey and Greece to find a solution to their
problems. Burns said that international efforts were continuing to
resolve the Cyprus problem and he added: "The Cyprus problem plays a
critical role in Turco-Greek relations". /Milliyet/
[09] ATTACK BY NEO-NAZIs
It is reported that neo-Nazis attacked a Turkish and a Iraqi person
two days ago in the Magdeburg district of Germany. Magdeburg police
noted that five out of six attackers have been detained. /Milliyet/
[10] 155 PKK TERRORISTS KILLED FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS
Security forces are continuing their operations in the Southeast
region to make inactive the PKK separatist terrorist organization.
During the clashes 155 terrorists have been killed, 24 have been
detained alive and nine of them have surrendered. Within the same
period 14 soldiers have been killed and three village guards wounded.
Military sources said that operations would continue until the
separatist terrorists would be swept out of the region. /Sabah/
[11] IRANIAN AMBASSADOR IN ANKARA
Iranian new Ambassador to Ankara Levasani is expected to take office
within this week. According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Turkey's
Ambassador to Tehran Sencar Ozsoy will also be on his duty at the same
time with his Iranian counterpart. /Sabah/
[12] "FUNDAMENTALISTS BASED IN GERMANY"
According to German weekly magazine, "Focus", fundamentalist Turkish
organizations tried to base in Germany. The magazine reported that
the organizations were financially supported by the National View
Organization. The report noted that German security officials would
take the necessary measures to prevent the activities of the
fundamentalist organizations, activities of which had been limited in
Turkey by the closure of the Welfare Party (RP).
Bremen Senator Ralf Borttscheller said that the National View
Organization would be banned in Germany because of its fundamentalist
activities. /Sabah/
[13] S-300 CONDITION BY GREEK CYPRIOTS
The new Defense Minister of the Greek Cypriot Administration Yannakis
Omiru repeated Greek Cpriot opinions that in case agreeing on
disarming and demilitarizing the whole island, S-300 missiles would
not be brought to Cyprus. In his first message to the press as
defense minister, Yannakis Omiru claimed that it was the sovereign
right of the Greek Cypriot Adiminstration to enhance its defense.
Calling on the US and the EU to use their influence on Turkey, Omiru
blamed Turkey for destabilizing the region and said, "Pressure must be
applied on Turkey." /Cumhuriyet/
[14] TURKISH CONTRACTORS TO BUILD "BLUE STREAM" PIPELINE
The Turkish companies Haznedaroglu and Oztas together with the Russian
Stray Transgaz company have established a consortium for the
construction of a part of the "Blue Stream" pipeline to carry Russian
natural gas to Turkey. The consortium will materialize the
construction of the Black Sea part of the pipeline to be built at the
depth of 2,000 meters, and the Samsun-Ankara part of the project.
/Hurriyet/
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