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Turkish Press Review, 98-04-17
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
17.04.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] CHP LEADER SUPPORTS POLLS IN MARCH '99
[02] BALKAN LEADERS AGREE TO FIGHT CRIME
[03] MULTINATIONAL PEACE FORCE IN THE BALKANS
[04] COHEN IN ANKARA
[05] SEZGIN GOING TO ROMANIA AND AUSTRIA
[06] MILITARY OPERATIONS CONTINUE IN SOUTHEAST
[07] US: PKK STATEMENTS ARE UNFOUNDED
[08] GREECE APOLOGIZES TO TURKEY
[09] THIRD BRIDGE WORTH TL 200 TRILLION FOR ISTANBUL
[10] PARLIAMENT CLEARS WAY FOR CILLER'S TRIAL
[11] FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES INCREASE
[12] EU THREATENS TURKEY
[13] POLICE PURSUE DRUG SMUGGLERS
[14] OPENING CEREMONY OF MAUSOLEUM FOR TURGUT OZAL
[15] TURKEY, GEORGIA SIGN DEFENCE MEMORANDUM
[16] "ATATURK INTERNATIONAL PEACE AWARD" PRESENTED TO AMERICAN HISTORIAN
[17] CINEMA FESTIVAL IN ISTANBUL
[01] CHP LEADER SUPPORTS POLLS IN MARCH '99
Motherland Party (ANAP) leader and Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz met
yesterday with Deniz Baykal, whose Republican People's Party (CHP) has
been keeping the minority government in power with its outside support.
Following the meeting, Baykal indicated that an early general election
may be held in March 1999 at the same time as the nationwide local
elections. The meeting at Baykal's office in Parliament lasted for 90
minutes. /All papers/
[02] BALKAN LEADERS AGREE TO FIGHT CRIME
Balkan neighbours Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria signed an agreement
yesterday for jointly combatting terrorism, organized crime, money
laundering, drug trafficking and human and arms smuggling, as well as
other major crimes. The agreement was signed by the presidents of the
three countries after a meeting in Turkey's Mediterranean port of
Antalya, in which each side's foreign and interior ministers also
participated. The general content of the agreement includes intensive
judicial and technical cooperation between the police organizations of
the signatory countries. Diplomats participating in the meeting said
that the agreement was a major blow to the PKK terrorist organization,
which has recently been expending efforts to establish itself in
Bulgaria and Romania.
In another significant move, the three parties agreed to establish
a free trade zone between themselves. Turkey and Romania have already
established such an area. With the completion of a bilateral free trade
agreement with Bulgaria, the trilateral free trade zone is expected to
be realized in the years between 2000-2005, and negotiations on the
issue are expected to begin before the end of 1998. /All papers/
[03] MULTINATIONAL PEACE FORCE IN THE BALKANS
Civilian and military specialists from Turkey, Romania, Greece,
Albania, Bulgaria and Macedonia met in the Romanian capital of Bucharest
to discuss details related to the establishment of a multinational peace
force in the Balkans. Turkey is pressing for basing the force in
Edirne. General Koksal Karabay who represented Turkey at the Bucharest
meeting, said that Turkey was ready to provide within a month all the
logistic support necessary for the establishment of the force if its
proposal for basing the force in Edirne is accepted. During the
meeting, the Balkan representatives decided to change the name of the
force, initially agreed upon as the "Urgent Intervention Force" into the
"Multinational Force for Peace". The force will act not only in the
Balkans but all over the world under UN command. /Sabah/
[04] COHEN IN ANKARA
U.S. Secretary of Defence, William Cohen will come to Ankara today
for official contacts. According to the Turkish Defence Ministry,
during the visit Cohen will discuss the modernization of the Turkish
Armed Forces, Turkey-Greece relations and the Aegean and Cyprus issues.
It is reported that Cohen will meet with his Turkish counterpart Ismet
Sezgin, Deputy Chief of General Staff, Cevik Bir and Foreign Minister
Ismail Cem. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] SEZGIN GOING TO ROMANIA AND AUSTRIA
Deputy Prime Minister and National Defence Minister Ismet Sezgin
will pay official visits to Romania and Austria. Sezgin will fly to
Vienna on 20 April and met with Austrian Defence Minister Werner
Easslahend. Later, on 22 April he will go to Romania and return home on
25 April. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] MILITARY OPERATIONS CONTINUE IN SOUTHEAST
Military operations continued yesterday against the PKK terrorist
organization in the mountanious region wedged between the southeastern
province of Van, Sirnak and Siirt and the border areas near Iraq.
Military sources reported that the operations had been launched
following intelligence reports which indicated that the PKK was planning
attacks with the coming of spring. It is reported that the total number
of terrorists killed during operations over the last week has reached
81.
Meanwhile, Turkey has presented the United Nations Human Rights
Commission in Geneva with a proposal condemning terrorism. The proposal
will be discussed on Friday and Turkey is expected to emphasize the
supression of terrorism during the commission's meeting which will take
place next year. /Hurriyet/
[07] US: PKK STATEMENTS ARE UNFOUNDED
US State Department Spokesman James Rubin has said that no one or
no state should be tolerant towards the PKK terrorist organization.
Upon a question of a US journalist, who asked: "The PKK made a peace
call to Turkey. What is the US point of view regarding this issue?",
Rubin said: "The statements made by the PKK are unfounded. The PKK
continues with its merciless terrorist activities. The US regards the
PKK as a terrorist and separatist organization". Following questions
regarding Syrian support for the PKK, Rubin said: "For a long time, we
have been pointing out that Syria is supporting various terrorist groups
in its Bekaa valley and we believe that PKK members are being trained in
this region". /Hurriyet/
[08] GREECE APOLOGIZES TO TURKEY
Greece apologized to Turkey over incidents involving three Turkish
businessmen and their families, who were attacked by fanatical Greek
people on the island of Kos, while they were cruising in the Aegean Sea.
Representing the Greek Consulate in Izmir, Andreas Fryganas, telephoned
the chairman of the Aegean Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association
(ESIAD), Tufan Unal, and expressed his sorrow over the incident and
promised that there would be no further incidents of this kind.
Fryganas added that the Greek Foreign Ministry had launched an enquiry
into the incident. /Hurriyet/
[09] THIRD BRIDGE WORTH TL 200 TRILLION FOR ISTANBUL
The General Directorate of Turkish Highways has started work to
determine the site for a third bridge over the Bosphorus. The bridge,
the construction of which will be completed in four years, will cost TL
200 trillion and will likely be located 500 metres south of the first
bridge. /Hurriyet/
[10] PARLIAMENT CLEARS WAY FOR CILLER'S TRIAL
Parliament yesterday passed a motion calling for the launching of
an investigation into the controversial assets of True Path Party (DYP)
leader and former Prime Minister Tansu Ciller. Thus the first step in
the process which could lead to a trial against her in the
Constitutional Court on corruption charges has been taken. /All papers/
[11] FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES INCREASE
Central Bank foreign exchange reserves have increased to a record
level of $22.1 billion. In the week preceding the Feast of Sacrifice,
foreign exchange reserves jumped by $922 million. Turkish foreign
exchange reserves have increased by $3.4 billion since the end of 1997.
/Sabah/
[12] EU THREATENS TURKEY
Representative of the European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs
Committee, Hans Van Den Broek, said in Washington that there was no
doubt that Turkey was a vital and strategic partner. He added that
Turkey would convince Turkish Cyprus to attend EU membership talks,
participating in the same delegation with Greek Cyprus. /Cumhuriyet/
[13] POLICE PURSUE DRUG SMUGGLERS
Narcotics Department police officers seized 102 kilos of heroin in
Van's Baskale district, and a kilo of drugs in Istanbul during a
nation-wide operation. According to the Istanbul Narcotics Bureau,
three people were arrested in the operation and a kilo of drugs valued
at an estimated TL 650 million was confiscated. The officials said that
operations would continue in Istanbul. /Cumhuriyet/
[14] OPENING CEREMONY OF MAUSOLEUM FOR TURGUT OZAL
Founder of the Motherland Party (ANAP) and the eighth President of
the Turkish Republic Turgut Ozal will be commemorated today. A
mausoleum constructed for President Ozal, who died five years ago, will
be opened by Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. /All papers/
[15] TURKEY, GEORGIA SIGN DEFENCE MEMORANDUM
Turkey and Georgia yesterday decided to share in joint military
manoeuvres aiming to improve cooperation in this field. Having
completed his contacts in Azerbaijan, Chief of the General Staff, Ismail
Hakki Karadayi proceeded on to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi where he
met with Georgian Defence Minister Vardiko Nadibaidze. The two
officials signed a joint memorandum including the implementation of a
joint manoeuvre and the training of Georgian officers in Turkey.
Signing the memorandum, Karadayi noted that this cooperation, the first
to be made by an ex-Soviet republic, does not target any third parties
referring to Russia. The Georgian Minister told a press conference held
after the signing ceremony, that Turkey would help Georgia to "arrange
peace forces" which would serve in countries oppressed by confrontations
occur. /Milliyet/
[16] "ATATURK INTERNATIONAL PEACE AWARD" PRESENTED TO AMERICAN HISTORIAN
The Ataturk International Peace Award Committee chaired by Prime
Minister Mesut Yilmaz yesterday decided to present American historian
Bernard Lewis with this year's award. The committee considered him
worthy of this award because of historical research proving claims of
massacre by Turkish forces at the time of the First World War are
totally wrong. / Milliyet/
[17] CINEMA FESTIVAL IN ISTANBUL
The 17th Istanbul International Film Festival is opening in Emek
Cinema, Beyoglu with the screening of "Brassed Off" directed by Mark
Herman which has already been presented with the Cesar best foreign film
award. 151 films from five continents will be shown during the
festival. /Milliyet/
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