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Turkish Press Review, 98-04-28Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>28.04.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] CETIN TO RECEIVE HONORARY DOCTORATESpeaker of the Turkish Parliament Hikmet Cetin will go to the US today. Cetin will receive the title of honorary doctorate from Florida Atlantic University in Washington on May 5. Cetin will return to Turkey on May 9. /Hurriyet/[02] BOEING BRIEFS TURKISH AIR FORCEThe American Boeing firm will give a briefing to Chief of the Turkish Air Force, General Ilhan Kilic and other high level commanders about F-15 Eagle fighter bombers, produced by Boeing, which Turkey intends to purchase. Greece had also made a bid to purchase F-15 fighter-bombers; one of the reasons why Turkey moved to buy them. US Defense Secretary William Cohen, who promised to persuade the US congress not to prevent arms sales to Turkey in his recent visit to Ankara, wants to persuade Turkey spend its defense expenditures in the US, and gave a permission to Boeing to give a demonstration of its products in Turkey. /Milliyet/[03] GOVERNMENT SUMMIT TOMORROWDemocratic Turkey Party Chairman Husamettin Cindoruk yesterday declared that the leaders of the parties constituting the coalition government will convene tomorrow to evaluate the latest discussions over the suggestion of an early election. /Milliyet/[04] ADMIRAL CROWE RECEIVES ATATURK AWARDThe American Ataturk Association has decided to give the "Ataturk Peace and Democracy Award" to former US Chief of General Staff Admiral William Crowe. Since its founding, the association has given this award to US Senator Robert Byrd, US Cyprus Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke and Turkish Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen.Cevik Bir. Admiral William Crowe will receive his award during a ceremony to be held in May. /Hurriyet/[05] SALOMON CALLS FOR INVESTMENTS IN TURKEYThe Salomon Smith Barney Investment Bank has called on investors to make further investments in countries such as Turkey, Russia and Poland, which have attractive developing markets. Officials from Salomon Smith Barney have noted that there are positive expectations for huge growth rates in Turkey for 1998. /Hurriyet/[06] CELEBI ATTENDS OECD MEETINGState Minister Isin Celebi yesterday attended a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Replying to questions from Turkish journalists during a press conference, Celebi said: "Turkey should not move into an election economy because its economy is now picking up. Budgetary discipline should be complied with and the programme now being implemented should also continue in 1999".On the second day of the OECD meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, who is also attending the meeting, will deliver a speech. /Hurriyet-Cumhuriyet/ [07] GREECE SAYS: "NO"A meeting of Foreign Ministers from the 15 countries of European Union (EU) was held yesterday. During the meeting, Greece noted that it would not remove its veto on financial aid to be extended to Turkey and refused the demands of the EU countries to that effect. Greece came to the meeting with a 13-page document on "Turkish provocation against Athens for 25 years" and repeated its usual claims. Greek officials also stated that due to Turkish provocation in the Aegean, problems between the two countries could not be solved. /Hurriyet/[08] SAKIK DEMANDS "REPENTANCE PARDON"It is reported that a high-level leader from the PKK terrorist organization, Semdin Sakik, who was caught during an operation in northern Iraq and later brought to Diyarbakir, has declared that he wants to take advantage of the Repentance Law. It is also reported that Sakik has given 400 pages of testimony during 10 days of questioning. /Hurriyet/[09] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CELEBRATES 36 YEARSDuring a meeting held yesterday on the occasion of the 36th anniversary of the founding of the Constitutional Court, President of the Court, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, delivered a speech and noted that there was no alternative for anti-secular parties other than closing them down. He said: "The state and society cannot be governed with the rules of religion. And without secularism, we cannot speak of freedom and democracy". Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, National Education Minister Hikmet Ulugbay, Defense Minister Ismet Sezgin and many military and high-level judicial members attended the meeting. /Hurriyet-Sabah/[10] HENRY FORD AWARD FOR TURKISH ASS.PROF.Ass.Prof.Levent Yilmaz, a lecturer from Istanbul Technical University, has been given the "Henry Ford Conservation Award" jointly by the Henry Ford Foundation and the Council of Europe. Yilmaz received his award for his "International Mediterranean Project". /Hurriyet/[11] NEW AMBASSADOR OF BURKINA FASOBeatrice Damiba, Ambassador of Burkina Faso, presented her letter of credentials to Turkish President Suleyman Demirel yesterday. Ambassador Damiba was welcomed with an official ceremony at the Presidential Palace. /Sabah/[12] NO GREEK PARTICIPATION IN NATO MANEUVERSSpokesman for the Greece General Staff, Commander Yannis Papatheodosiu announced yesterday that the Greek army would not take part in the NATO "Distant Thunder 98" exercices planned to be carried out in the Aegean Sea and East Mediterranean between May 4-14. He noted that this decision has been taken for reasons already stated. /Milliyet/[13] TURKISH WOMAN JOINS ELECTIONS IN NETHERLANDSA young Turkish woman living in the Netherlands, Nebahat Albayrak (29) will be one of the candidates running for the ruling party of Netherlands, Workers' Party (PvdA), in the parliamentary elections to be held on May 6. Albayrak, well educated and experienced in public affairs is both favoured and praised by Prime Minister Wim Kok who says "she will be the representative of the Turkish people living in the Netherlands in the 'multi-coloured' Dutch democracy. /Milliyet/[14] RIZE FREE TRADE ZONE OPENSPrime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said on Sunday that the free trade zones were important within the framework of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), adding: "We will increase the number of free zones". Addressing the ceremony held upon the opening of the Rize Free Zone, Yilmaz stated that another free zone would be opened in Samsun. /All papers/[15] NUMBER OF HIZBULLAH TERRORISTS DETAINED REACHES 130The number of members of the illegal Hizbullah organization, who were detained in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir reached 130, the Anatolia news agency reported. During the operations launched against the illegal Hizbullah organization, 130 out of the 1,000 wanted members were captured and 45 of these people were arrested.[16] TENDER FOR SILKWAYThe bids for the international tender opened for the construction of the Kars-Tbilisi railway defined as the "Silkway" will be given today, the Anatolia news agency reported. Meanwhile, the railway was decided to be brought to Trabzon by expanding the construction between Kars and Tbilisi within the framework of an agreement between the Turkish and Georgian governments. The railway, which is planned to be financed with 100 % foreign credit, is expected to be constructed within 30 months.[17] MEZARCI IMPRISONED FOR ONE YEARThe Ankara Penal Court sentenced yesterday Hasan Mezarci, former Welfare Party (RP) deputy to one year imprisonment for insulting the memory of Ataturk, the founder of the modern and secular Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported.[18] GAP WORKSHOP IN UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONThe Southeastern Anatolian Project (GAP) Regional Development Administration is holding a "workshop" within the context of the sixth term meeting of the United Nations Sustainable Development Commission, reported the Anatolia news agency. The Office of the GAP Administration Chairmanship says that workshop will be held on April 29 within the context of the UN Sustainable Development Commission meetings that will take place between April 20 and May 1. The workshop will examine the importance GAP attributes to sustainable humanitarian development in the GAP region.Meanwhile, it is reported that during the sixth term meeting the views of Turkey on "Water and Industry" issues will be discussed in detail. [19] PKK OPERATION IN ANTALYADuring operations conducted in and around Antalya, four terrorists have been killed and four others arrested. According to the Governor of Antalya, a considerable quantity of ammunition, documents and weapons have also been seized. It has also been also reported that two civilians who were backing the terrorists have been arrested. /Cumhuriyet/Hurriyet_[20] TURKEY INVITES OMAN TO SHARE IN PRIVATIZATIONINTurkey has invited Oman to share in privatization in the energy and oil sectors. Speaking at a First Joint Economic Committee meeting, State Minister Metin Gurdere said that Oman was be interested in a $ 9 billion privatization project in the oil sector, adding that BOTAS was ready to sign long term agreements. Gurdere noted that the Istanbul Stock Exchange was making project facilities available to foreign investors. /Cumhuriyet/[21] GREEK PROVOCATION IN THE AEGEANTurkey has begun initiatives to prevent Greek efforts to include the islets in the Aegean Sea in the European Union (EU) Environment Protection Project. Briefing the EU Commission and the EU member countries, Turkey claimed that Greece aimed to challenge Turkey and the EU. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sermet Atacanli said in his weekly press meeting that "Turkey wants this issue, like other Aegean issues, to be solved through negotiations. Turkey rejects every kind of unilateral step that Greece take within this region." /Cumhuriyet/[22] US GRANT TO TURKEYTurkey and the US have signed four agreements regarding a $848,000 grant for Turkey. According to the agreements, the grant will be used for feasibility studies for a Water Control Project for Diyarbakir Municipality, communications and energy projects, and in feasibility studies for the construction of a cement factory. /Cumhuriyet/[23] IMF DELEGATION COMING TO TURKEYAn International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation is coming to Turkey today. The delegation, which will meet with a Turkish delegation headed by State Minister Gunes Taner and carry out studies in Turkey for almost two weeks, will start contacts in Istanbul to discuss the Turkish economy with financial circles. The IMF delegation will visit to Ankara on 30 April to meet with officials responsible for the economy. /Cumhuriyet/Hurriyet/Milliyet/[24] THY BUYS TWO AIRBUSESTurkish Airlines (THY) has agreed with Airbus Industrie to buy two A340-300 airbuses which will be delivered in April 1999 and April 2000. It is reported that Turkey will pay $ 100 million each for the airbuses. /Cumhuriyet/[25] WORLD BANK SUPPORTS TURKISH AGRICULTUREThe World Bank has prepared a report which envisages direct income support for farmers. According to the report, farmers and their crops will be registered to calculate annual income and farmers will be encouraged to stop over production. World Bank representatives said that Turkish tea producers will be the first to be affected by the new subsidary project. They added that with the application "indirect subsidies" will be lifted and that farmers will be paid directly in cash. /Sabah/[26] NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TALKS TO TURKISH JOURNALISTSNorwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaekg, preparing to host his Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem in Oslo next week, sais to Turkish journalists yesterday that his government considers Turkey as a "country with an important role to play in Europe". He said that he will discuss human rights and Kurdish issues with Cem, but added that his government has no intention of playing the role of mediator. Vollebaekg said he welcomed the Turkish government's efforts to improve the Turkish economy. /All papers/[27] US DETERMINES TO UNTIE CYPRUS KNOTThe US is determined to solve the Cyprus issue with special presidential envoy for Cyprus, Richard Holbrooke. High level diplomatic sources have announced that Holbrooke will go to the island on Friday with the intention of not leaving until a breakthrough has been reached. Holbrooke's assistant Thomas Miller, the US State Department's special envoy for Cyprus, recently said that Holbrooke's mission was very important and would not have any "artificial time constraints."In Ankara, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sermet Atacanli said yesterday that Turkey favoured an urgent solution, but emphasized that no solution could be reached unless the existence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was recognized. /Cumhuriyet/Hurriyet_ [28] YUSUF BOZKURT OZAL LEAVES POLITICS FOR HEALTH REASONSDemocratic Party (DP) Deputy Chairman Yusuf Bozkurt Ozal has resigned from his party and quit politics. Ozal, speaking to the press at the Ayas Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital, said that he has been suffering from health problems for some time and received treatment in the hospital. He said that his doctors had advised him to leave politics in order to recuperate fully. /All papers/[29] TURKEY INVITES SEVEN ADVISERS FOR TELEKOM SELL-OFFTurkey has sent letters of invitation to seven international companies to tender for services as adviser for the sale of Turk Telekom, privatization officials said on Monday.Hakki Surel, head of the Telekom privatization unit at the Privatization Administration, said letters had been sent to Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Rothschild, ABN Amro and Salomon Brothers. He added, "They will send us their offers by May 26 and then the tender commission will chose the company to act adviser by the first week of June." /Sabah/ Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |