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Turkish Press Review, 98-03-09Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>09.03.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] FM CEM CONVEYS DEMIREL'S MESSAGE TO MILOSEVICVisiting Belgrade in search of a peaceful solution to the Kosovo problem, Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem was received yesterday by Yugoslavia Federation President Slobodan Milosevic. During the one-hour meeting, Cem conveyed a message from President Suleyman Demirel to Milosevic which included proposals to prevent further bloodshed in Kosovo.Asked by reporters on Saturday about the content of the message to Milosevic, Demirel said that he had warned his Yugoslav counterpart that nothing similar to the terrible strife in Bosnia between 1992-95 should be permitted to happen again. Turkish Ambassador in Belgrade, Alev Kilic, told Turkish reporters that the presidential message had expressed Turkey's concerns about the recent developments in Kosovo. Kilic said that Cem also voiced Ankara's concern about the possible spread of the conflict into other Balkan countries. Meanwhile, it was also reported that Yugoslavia has invited all the ambassadors in Belgrade to visit Kosovo in order to soften international reaction. Following his meeting with Milosevic, Cem attended a meeting between the Turkish and Yugoslav missions headed by the two foreign ministers of the two sides. Meanwhile, following his arrival at Ankara's Esenboga Airport Cem held a press conference during which British Foreign Minister Robin Cook telephoned him. It is reported that Cook, who will head the London Contact Group to be held in London today, wanted to learn about the impressions he had in Kosovo. /Sabah/ [02] BULGARIA AND TURKEY CALL FOR PEACEFUL SOLUTIONSBulgaria and Turkey on Saturday urged Serbia and ethnic Albanians to avoid violence and seek a peaceful solution to the Kosovo crisis. Speaking after talks with his Turkish counterpart Mesut Yilmaz, Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov said that the Kosovo crisis should be solved "within the boundaries of Yugoslavia", making clear that Bulgaria rejects the struggle of ethnic Albanians for more independence. "We do not accept any kind of violence, no matter against whom it is directed" he added.Yilmaz urged all the Balkan states to support a Bulgarian proposal for Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Turkey to sign a joint declaration that the Kosovo crisis be solved peacefully and without any change of borders. Meanwhile, about 6,000 Turks, mainly of Albanian origin, protested in Istanbul yesterday calling for an end to ethnic violence in Kosovo. /All papers/ [03] WORLD WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATEDMarch 8 World Women's Day was celebrated throughout Turkey yesterday. While President Suleyman Demirel and party leaders attended celebrations in Ankara, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz participated in celebrations in Istanbul. Delivering a speech, Demirel said: "It is not the issue of women's rights but the issue of human rights. Actually, there should be no discrimination between women and men". /Sabah/[04] GREECE WANTS TO PURCHASE S-300 MISSILESGreece has initiated official moves for the purchase of Russian-made S-300 missiles. Within the framework of a new armament policy, Greek Defense Ministry officials will chose between US-made Patriots and Russian-made S-300s. Greek officials said over the weekendthat they will purchase 20 missiles. (Milliyet)[05] TURKEY-GERMANY CRISISKarl Lamers, Spokesman of the Christian Democratic Party on power in Germany, said that Turkish chances for joining the European Union were waning. Tensions between Turkey and Germany escalated when in a statement to the Financial Times daily newspaper, Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz noted that Germany was blocking Turkey's integration with Europe. Yilmaz said that Germany was especially interested in expanding the EU into central and eastern Europe' seen by Bonn as Germany's backyard. Germany voiced strong reactions to the statement of Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz saying that the wording of Yilmaz implied that he was comparing the present German administration to Hitler's rule in the 1930s and 40s.Ankara stressed on Sunday that the statement of Yilmaz has been misinterpreted and that he had no intention of drawing parallels between Hitler and the present German government. (Milliyet, Hürriyet) [06] POSSIBLE PKK WITHDRAWAL FROM NORTHERN IRAQIn a statement to Med TV, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan said that the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) led by Mesut Barzani has asked him to withdraw from Northern Iraq and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of the region. Ocalan indicated that they were ready to accept a conditional withdrawal from Northern Iraq. /Milliyet/[07] GERMAN PKK TERRORIST KILLED"Focus", a weekly magazine published in Germany said that a German fighting for the PKK terrorist organization has been killed in clashes with security forces in southeastern Turkey. The magazine also said that another German, Eva Juhnke, was arrested last October in Turkey for supporting the PKK terrorist organization. The magazine says that Juhnke will face trial on March 19, and that the prosecutor is expected to demand 24 years imprisonment. /Milliyet/[08] OECD ADVICE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY INSTITUTIONSThe Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has advised Turkish social security institutions to establish pension fund management units and invest their assets in the stock exchange in order to improve their financial position. OECD officials have told the Social Security Council (SSK), the Retirement Fund, and the fund for self-employed workers (Bag-Kur) that they need to restructure their organizations and change the current system if they are to improve their financial status and prosper.The OECD made the following proposals: The three institutions should convert their assets to cash. They should then establish fund management units and invest in stocks, bonds and other financial arrangements. The OECD could provide $400,000 in financial aid and expertise to help establish the necessary infrastructure. /Sabah/ [09] TL 340.6 TRILLIONS WORTH OF INCENTIVES IN JANUARYThe Treasury Undersecretariat undersigned incentives for 450 new investments totalling TL 340.6 trillion in January, according to an official notice issued in the Official Gazette. /Milliyet/[10] FEDERATION NOT REALISTICTurkey and the TRNC are trying to improve policies that they will apply during the coming months, according to the Foreign Ministry sources. Following a joint meeting , Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have concluded that the aim of a bi-communal federation is not realistic, stating that "even if an agreement was reached on federation, Turkish Cypriots would not be able to defend themselves in political and economic terms because of being a member of European Union which does not include Turkey." It was also noted that the TRNC will not participate in the upcoming meetings concerning the full- membership of Cyprus in the EU, unless the TRNC is given a status equal to that of the Greek Cypriot administration. /Cumhuriyet/Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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