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Tuesday, 19 November 2024 | ||
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Turkish Press Review, 98-03-26Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>26.03.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] AIR FORCE TRAINING PLANE CRASHES, TWO PILOTS DEADA Turkish Air Force training aircraft crashed on Wednesday killing the two pilots on board, said a statement yesterday from General Staff headquarters.A SF-260 training aircraft from Izmir's Cigli Military Base crashed near Menemen, Izmir, shortly after takeoff. First Lt. Yildiray Erdogdu and Lt. Yavuz Eracar lost their lives in the disaster. /Cumhuriyet/Sabah [02] COMMANDERS TO MEET WITH CHIEF OF STAFFPrime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Chief of Staff Gen. Ismial Hakki Karadayi will meet today on how to combat religious extremism.The Yilmaz-Karadayi meeting will be followed by a meeting of the military-dominated National Security Council (MGK) on Friday when campaigns against religious extremism will again be taken up between the government and the military leadership. /Hurriyet/Cumhuriyet_ [03] SAFETY SYSTEMS FOR TURKISH STRAITS READY IN 2000Senior prime ministerial adviser and former Naval Forces commander Guven Erkaya, who is in charge of preparations for new safety systems for vessels navigating the Turkish Straits said on Wednesday that all the systems would be ready to function in 2000. Speaking at a conference in Istanbul, Erkaya said that six groups had been established under his chairmanship at the request of Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz in order to carry out comprehensive work for outlining measures to secure safety of passage through the straits.Erkaya pointed out that the technical work would be ready before the end of April and reports submitted to the government, which would subsequently open a bidding process for the carrying out of the projects. "Projects will be handed over to the state, ready to function on January 1, 2000," Erkaya stressed, adding that international standards had been taken into account during the preparatory work. /Cumhuriyet/ [04] BSEC, BALKAN CONFERENCE ON SMALL ENTERPRISESA international conference on small and medium sized enterprises in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) and Balkan countries opened in Istanbul on Wednesday. Representatives of the 11-member BSEC countries and Egypt are attending the two-day meeting, reported the Anatolia news agency.The Conference is being sponsored by the Istanbul-based BSEC, the Small and Medium Industries Development Organization of Turkey (KOSGEB), and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Specialists from the United Nations European Economic Commission are also participating. During the conference, domestic entrepreneurs will also urge the Turkish government to back small industries by helping with market research, management expertise, reduced taxation and low cost electricity. [05] ITALIAN FAIR IN ANKARAAn Italian Trade and Industrial Products Fair, which will be held in Ankara for the first time, will open at World Trade Center on March 27, 1998. According to a press release from the organizers, 76 firms will participate in the fair which will continue for two days. In the press release it says that an Italian delegation under the chairmanship of Industry and Trade Minister Gualtiero Gualtieri will also participate. Firms active in industrial and agricultural machines, textiles, ready-made clothes, food, wine, furniture, leather and other sectors will be exhibiting, according to the Anatolia news agency.[06] TURKISH-AUSTRIAN BUSINESS COUNCIL MEETSThe Turkish-Austrian Business Council met Wednesday in Istanbul, the Anatolia news agency reported. Among the topics considered were the Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP), energy, railroads and waste-water systems. The Turkish-Austrian Business Council is part of the Foreign Economic Relations Council.[07] BIRECIK TO PRODUCE ENERGY IN 2001Birecik will be one of the most important energy production centres of Turkey in the 2000s. The Birecik Dam, the construction of which began in 1996 on the Euphrates River within the framework of the Southeast Anatolian Project (GAP), will be completed in 2001. The dam, which will be the fourth biggest dam following the Keban, Karakaya and Ataturk dams, will produce nearly 2.5 billion kilowatt/hr of energy annually. /Hurriyet_[08] GESTURE TO GREECEDeputy Chief of the Turkish General Staff Gen.Cevik Bir attended Greek National Day celebrations yesterday. Greek Ambassador to Ankara Dimitrios Nezeritis gave a reception yesterday evening on the occasion of Greek National Day. Gen.Bir attended the reception on behalf of Chief of General Staff Gen.Ismail Hakki Karadayi, who is currently abroad. Gen.Bir said: "We support dialogue with Greece". /Hurriyet/[09] GOVERNORS TO DISCUSS FUNDAMENTALISMGovernors and security officials will convene in Ankara to discuss fundamentalism. President Suleyman Demirel, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Interior Minister Murat Basesgioglu will participate in the meeting, which will be held on Monday. It is expected that important directives will be given to governors regarding the struggle against fundamentalism.Meanwhile, eight draft laws, which constitute the 'package for struggle against fundamentalism' as approved by the Council of Ministers were sent to the Head Office of the Turkish Parliament yesterday. /Hurriyet/ [10] ITALY WANTS PROTESTOR RELEASEDItaly has called for the release of Damiano Frisullo, an Italian citizen arrested during the Newroz celebrations in Turkey. A diplomat from the Turkish Embassy in Rome was summoned yesterday to the Italian Foreign Ministry, where he was given a demand calling for the repatriation of Damiano Frisullo, a member of the Italian Peace Association. /Cumhuriyet/[11] 'DAY FOR DIALOGUE'Head of the Economic Development Foundation (IKV), Meral Gezgin Eris, held a press conference yesterday and evaluated Turkey-EU relations. Eris noted that the European Union (EU) was exerting efforts to remedy Turkey-EU relations, which deteriorated following the Luxembourg summit and added that Turkey should evaluate these steps. Eris said: "It is time to set up a dialogue". Eris noted that the EU Commission has presented a package of proposals entitled "European Strategy for Turkey" to the Council. /Cumhuriyet/[12] PKK LEADER IN DAMASCUSMilliyet daily newspaper gives details about a meeting between PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and an American researcher, Prof. Michael Gunter in the Syrian capital of Damascus. According to Prof. Gunter, Syria has provided not only shelter, but also training facilities to the PKK leader. Ocalan is said to be coordinating PKK activities from his headquarters located 10 km away from the Syrian capital. /Milliyet/[13] PARLIAMENT BRIEFED ABOUT TURCO-RUSSIAN RELATIONSNabi Sensoy, newly appointed Turkish Ambassador to Moscow, yesterday briefed the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission about Turco-Russian relations. Sensoy stressed that Turkey has long been disturbed by Russian policies involving the PKK terrorist organization and the Cyprus issue. Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission Chairman Murat Karayalcin seems to be initiating a new tradition by having newly appointed ambassadors brief the Parliament about the countries to which they have been appointed. /Milliyet/[14] TURKEY RETALIATES AGAINST EUIn retaliation to an EU decision to begin full membership discussions with Cyprus on 31 March, representatives of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will meet on the same day in Ankara for an Association Council meeting. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan said that during the meeting measures for enhancing economic and political cooperation will be discussed. /Cumhuriyet/[15] US READY TO BACK TURKISH ENERGY PROJECTSCumhuriyet daily newspaper reports that the US administration is ready to extend to Turkey unlimited Eximbank credits to support the materialization of various energy projects, including pipeline projects for the transportation of oil and natural gas from Central Asia to world markets. This issue was discussed on Tuesday during a meeting between Energy Minister Cumhur Ersumer and US Ambassador to Ankara Marc Parris. /Cumhuriyet/[16] TWO NEW AIRPORTS PLANNEDThe State Airports Administration announced yesterday that work will soon begin on two new airpots . Construction of the GAP International Airports will start on May 9, and work on the Denizli-Cardak Airport will begin on March 30. Antalya Ataturk Airport will soon have a new international terminal, the opening ceremony of which will be held on April 1. / Sabah/[17] MILITARY CEMETERY IMPROVEMENTSDuring a meeting in Ankara yesterday, Minister of Culture Istemihan Talay, and Nazif Gunal, president of MNG Holding, declared that they wanted to make arrangements to improve the military cemetery in Cairo where 4830 Turkish soldiers were buried following the Sinai Desert battle in World War I. /Sabah/[18] CEM MEETS GROSSMANA Balkan countries Foreign Ministers' meeting started in Bonn on Wednesday, reported the Anatolia news agency. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem is representing Turkey at the meeting headed by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nadelda Mihailov. The Foreign Ministers or Deputy Foreign Ministers from Greece, Romania, Macedonia and Slovenia are partcipating in the meeting.Cem met with US Assistant Secretary of State Marc Grossman. Grossman earlier met with Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yorgo Papandreu. Grossman said during his meetings with Cem and Papandreu that he got the views of both of them regarding the Kosovo question, and futher information about relations between the two countries. [19] NECATI UTKAN'S WEEKLY NEWS CONFERENCEForeign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan said on Wednesday that it was "pleasing" that existing agreements related to the education rights of Kosovian Albanians had begun to be implemented, reported the Anatolia news agency. Addressing a weekly news conference, Utkan mentioned recent developments in Kosovo, the Serb Administration, and the implementation of education agreements which further increased Ankara's pleasure.Responding to questions on the issue, Utkan said that a formula should be found to bring equal status to the two sides 'only after they start negotiations". Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |