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Turkish Press Review, 98-07-09
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
09.07.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] CEM-ARAFAT MEETING
[02] KARADAYI TO VISIT TRNC
[03] STANDARD AND POOR CONTINUES CONTACTS IN TURKEY
[04] HUGE POWER PLANT IN CAN
[05] TURKEY WILL SEARCH FOR OIL IN TRNC WATERS
[06] PKK MASSACRE
[07] GREECE BLASTS US AND ISRAEL FOR SELLING ARMS TO TURKEY
[08] DYP GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO ITS FORMER DEPUTIES
[09] INJURED POLITICIANS, JOURNALIST BROUGHT TO ISTANBUL
[10] TIGHTER CONTROLS ON IRAQI OIL
[11] WTO SEMINAR FOR BSEC MEMBERS
[12] MERRILL LYNCH BOOSTS MORALE
[13] 10 PKK TERRORISTS DEAD
[14] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTRY WELCOMES US SUGGESTION
[15] HOLBROOKE'S COMMENTS ON KOSOVO INVOLVE TURKEY
[01] CEM-ARAFAT MEETING
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem met with Palestinian President Yasser
Arafat in Ramallah yesterday. After the meeting, Cem said that Turkey
was in a unique position to play a positive role in the Mideast conflict
because of its good relations with Israel and the Palestinians.
Meanwhile Cem, who also met President Ezer Weizman on Wednesday,
talked about the dominant military influence in Turkey's relations with
Israel. /All papers/
[02] KARADAYI TO VISIT TRNC
Chief of General Staff General Ismail Hakki Karadayi will pay a
visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Friday, a
statement from the General Staff said on Wednesday. Karadayi's visit to
the TRNC will precede a visit by President Suleyman Demirel, who is
expected to arrive on the island on July 20 or July 21. /Hurriyet/
[03] STANDARD AND POOR CONTINUES CONTACTS IN TURKEY
Representatives of Standard and Poor's (S and P), one of the
leading US rating organizations, will meet with representatives of the
private sector tomorrow. Members of the S and P delegation, who met
with officials of the Treasury Undersecretariat yesterday, were given
information about recent macro-economic developments. The S and P
delegation also met with representatives of the State Planning
Organization and Privatization Administration.
The delegation will meet with representatives from the Central Bank
and Finance Ministry today. The S and P officials, who will go to
Istanbul and meet with representatives of the private sector, will leave
Turkey on Saturday. /Sabah/
[04] HUGE POWER PLANT IN CAN
A contract worth TL 350 trillion has been signed for the Can
Thermic Power Plant, which will overcome energy problems in the
Canakkale province. A consortium consisting of the French Gec Alsthom
and Turkish Teknotes companies has won the tender put out by the Turkish
Electricity Company (TEAS) in January 1998. The first stage of the
power plant will be completed in 34 months, while the second part of the
plant will be finalized in 36 months. /Sabah/
[05] TURKEY WILL SEARCH FOR OIL IN TRNC WATERS
Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will
jointly search for oil in the territorial waters of the TRNC. Foreign
Ministry officials said that searching for oil in TRNC waters was of
great importance from the standpoint of political and economic relations
between Turkey and the TRNC. The officials noted that the TRNC was a
sovereign state and that it was natural to search for oil in its own
territorial waters. Officials pointed out that the search for oil in
TRNC waters will be carried out in line with a decision taken within the
framework of the Association Council established between Turkey and the
TRNC. /Sabah/
[06] PKK MASSACRE
Nine members of the PKK terrorist organization, who blockaded the
Ordu-Tokat highway two days ago, massacred the second director of a
prison in the Unye district of Ordu, Mustafa Eryilmaz, his wife and his
daughter. The terrorists also set a bus on fire. /Sabah/
[07] GREECE BLASTS US AND ISRAEL FOR SELLING ARMS TO TURKEY
Greek Defense Minister Akis Chacopulos has criticized the United
States and Israel for supplying Turkey with weapons. Chacopulos, who is
on an official visit to the United States, claimed on Tuesday that
Turkey was increasing its military build-up in the TRNC. "90 percent of
Turkish weapons in the TRNC are American made. The problem is that
these weapons can be used again," he was quoted as saying by the
Anatolia news agency. The Greek defense minister also lashed out at
Israel, saying that this country provided Turkey with arms that the US
did not supply to Greece and Turkey. He also harsly criticized
flourishing Turco-Israeli relations.
[08] DYP GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO ITS FORMER DEPUTIES
In a ceremony yesterday, independent Kilis Deputy Dogan Gures
joined the True Path Party (DYP). The executive board of the DYP
decided on Tuesday to give the green light for the return of former DYP
deputies who were either dismissed by the party or left on their own
accord. /All papers/
[09] INJURED POLITICIANS, JOURNALIST BROUGHT TO ISTANBUL
The members of the Turkish committee who were involved in an
automobile accident on the Skopje-Manastir highway in Macedonia and were
seriously injured, were rushed to Istanbul in a special ambulance
airplane late Tuesday night. State Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen and
Motherland Party (ANAP) Parliamentarian Sinasi Altiner were reported
yesterday to be improving. Milliyet newspaper's Ankara representative
Fikret Bila was the worst hurt and his situation continues to remain
serious. /All papers/
[10] TIGHTER CONTROLS ON IRAQI OIL
The Turkish Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that its
labelling practice does not aim to prevent oil importation from Iraq but
to regulate it. The ministry sent a circular concerning the oil
industry to all governors of the country. Labelling requires that the
origin of gasoline and other compulsory information be stated on gas
pumps at retail fuel sites. In other words, gas stations will mark on
their pumps when oil comes from Iraq. /All papers/
[11] WTO SEMINAR FOR BSEC MEMBERS
A regional seminar on the World Trade Organization and the
Multilateral Trading System is being held in Istanbul for members of the
Black Sea Economic cooperation (BSEC), the BSEC announced yesterday.
During the three-day seminar, which began on Tuesday, trade officials
will provide information on the WTO and the multlateral trading system,
including agreements on agriculture, sanitary measures, textiles and
clothing. /All papers/
[12] MERRILL LYNCH BOOSTS MORALE
One of the consultants of Turk Telekom, Merrill Lynch stated
yesterday that inflation had begun a downward trend in Turkey, and what
was more important was that inflationist expectations were also
beginning to be shattered for the first time. Merril Lynch said that
the "staff monitoring agreement" reached with the IMF would contribute
greatly to the macro-economic future of Turkey. /Hurriyet/
[13] 10 PKK TERRORISTS DEAD
10 PKK terrorists were killed yesterday, eight of them near Sirnak,
one in Bingol, and one in Siirt. One member of the security forces was
killed by terrorists. Two terrorists were captured alive near Bingol
and Van. /Hurriyet/
[14] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTRY WELCOMES US SUGGESTION
Responding to a question from a Reuters news agency correspondent
about what he thought about a US suggestion to stop all military flights
over Cyprus, Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Theodoros Theodoru said
that it was a positive proposal, and that the problem was how the
Turkish side would react to the suggestion. The suggestion was made
yesterday by US Secretary of Defense William Cohen when he and his Greek
counterpart Akis Chacopulos held a joint press conference at the
Pentagon, Washington. /Cumhuriyet/
[15] HOLBROOKE'S COMMENTS ON KOSOVO INVOLVE TURKEY
When he appeared on a CNN news programme yesterday , Richard
Holbrooke, nominated by US President Bill Clinton as the new US
permanent representative in the United Nations, said that the Kosovo
problem could lead to a Greece-Turkey confrontation. Noting that if
Kosovo is separated from the new Yugoslavia Federation, embodying Serbia
and Montenegro, border disputes could arise, Holbrooke said "a very
dangerous situation would arise and two NATO allies, Greece and Turkey
could come to the verge of a confrontation" , stressing the issue's
large-scale effects. /Cumhuriyet/
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