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Turkish Press Review, 98-09-04Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>04.09.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL TO VISIT BAKUPresident Suleyman Demirel will arrive in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku on September 7 to participate in the "International Silk Road Conference", the Anatolia news agency reports. Demirel, who will attend the conference's session on September 8, will hold bilateral contacts with the presidents and prime ministers of the participant countries.[02] AUGUST INFLATION RATE SATISFIES TANERThe coalition government of Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz expressed pleasure yesterday with the August price increase indices disclosed by the State Institute of Statistics (DIE) that showed almost 4 % points of decrease in the country's 12-month inflation rate. Gunes Taner, state minister responsible for the economy, declared that the decrease in the monthly inflation rate was a result of the effective and determined application of the government anti-inflationary policies. He predicted that the decline in the inflation rate would continue despite all the natural disasters at home and the financial crises experienced abroad.He emphasized that the government's economic programme would be implemented without deviation, appealing to the private sector to help the government in its fight against inflation. /All papers/ [03] YILMAZ IN SOUTHEAST TOURPrime Minister Mesut Yilmaz started his three-day southeast region tour. In his first leg of his tour, Sanliurfa he laid foundation of the Sanliurfa-Gaziantep highway. At the laying foundation ceremony, Yilmaz said that Turkey had been late to bring such services to the region. He added that they aimed to construct highways throughout Turkey and tie these highways to the border gates. Regarding the Southeastern Anatolian Project (GAP) Yilmaz noted that they planned to finish the GAP projects in 12 years. He stressed that both domestic and foreign capital had already started to flow to the GAP after production started in the region. "We are determined to prepare Turkey to the 21st century," said Yilmaz.Mesut Yilmaz also attended the opening ceremony of Harran 1 and Harran 4 dams saying that with the irrigation of Harran Plain production would increase. /Milliyet/ [04] MILLER TO VISIT ANKARA, LEFKOSE AND ATHENSThe US will launch an initiative in September to accelerate the efforts to solve the Cyprus issue, the Anatolia news agency reports. The US officials are planning to hold contacts and meetings with the Turkish and Greek foreign ministers with Glafkos Klerides, Leader of the Greek Cypriot Administration, during the UN General Assembly in New York.Meanwhile, the initiatives of the US are expected to become concrete following the efforts to be made in September by Thomas Miller, the US State Department's Special Coordinator to Cyprus. It is also reported that Miller will pay official visits to Ankara, Lefkose and Athens in September. [05] DENKTAS' STATEMENTPresident of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf Denktas said yesterday that if Southern Cyprus does not accept his proposal for the stablishment of two-state confederation, the island will remain divided, the Anatolia news agency reports. Denktas said that his proposal for confederation was the most realistic suggestion for the stalled negotiation process on the island. Turkey expressed full support for the idea, while Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration harshly rejected it on grounds that a two-state confederation would mean recognition of the TRNC.Referring to statements by the Greek side dubbing the confederation proposal as "provocative", Denktas said that the actual provocations had been made by Greece and Southern Cyprus in the face of their continuing armament efforts. [06] US FLEXIBLE REGARDING CONFEDERATIONThe US government has stated that the Greek Cypriot Administration and Greece were quick to reject confederation proposal made by Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas. According to news in the Greek press, the US suggested that decisions should be taken in a cool manner and proposals should be better evaluated in the international public. It is reported that during private contacts of US diplomats on the island, officials noted that Denktas' proposals included some positive points. /Cumhuriyet/[07] EXPORTS INCREASE BY 3.2 %According to Turkish Exporters' Assembly, exports increased by 3.2 % in August when compared to the same month last year. Exports increased by 5.8 % during the first eight months of this year and reached $18.144 billion.Meanwhile, automotive exports during the January-August period increased by 14 % and reached $1.126 billion when compared to the same period last year. It is reported that most of the exports were by-industry products. /Cumhuriyet/ [08] THY-SWISS AGREEMENTAccording to a statement made by the Turkish Airlines (THY), a joint marketing company will be established between the THY and Swiss Cargo. The company will be based in Istanbul. /Cumhuriyet/[09] NATO TO HOLD THREE MANEUVERSMember nations of NATO and the Partnership for Peace Programme (PFP) will be taking part in three separate maneuvers within the coming months. One of the maneuvers will be hosted by Turkey. A statement by the Land Forces Headquarters said that 27 NATO and PFP countries will be gathering in Macedonia on September 10-18 for the Cooperative Best Effort-98 exercises. The second exercise called Centrasbat-98 will take place among the US, Russia, Caucasus and Central Asian countries as well as Turkey between September 21-28. The third NATO-PFP exercise will be hosted by Turkey near the city of Istanbul. The exercise will take place between September 29-October 5 and will be called Peaceful Bridge-98. /All papers/[10] BARZANI COMPLAINS ABOUT IRANIAN INTERFERENCEMeeting with foreign diplomats yesterday in Ankara, Mesut Barzani, Leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) complained about the Iranian influence on the region. In his meetings, Barzani expressed his concerns about the ongoing Iranian interference in northern Iraq and in particular Iranian interference on his rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by Celal Talabani. Barzani later went to General Staff headquarters for meetings with Turkish military officials. Barzani will be received by Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin today. Barzani will travel to Washington on Saturday. /All papers/[11] TRIAL OF SAKIKThe trial of Semdin Sakik, who was one of the leading field commanders of the PKK terrorist organization, began yesterday at the Security Court in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir. Asked whether he was responsible for the killing of five security officers in 1985 and of 33 recruits of the Turkish Armed Forces in 1993 in the Southeast, Sakik said he did not give the orders. On the contrary, he asserted that the orders were given by another PKK commander, Celal Barak. He also accused PKK chief Abdullah Ocalan, whom he claimed instructed Barak, of ordering the killings.Sakik said he had disputes within the organization and came at loggerheads with Ocalan. "I wouldn't have quit the organization if I had not had regrets" he added. Sakik's trial will resume on October 14. /All papers/ [12] 'PKK IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN IRA AND ETA'"The anti-terrorism struggle in Turkey is being carried out within the framework of the Constitution and under political, administrative and legal supervision" said Justice Minister Hasan Denizkurdu. He was speaking at the opening of the Council of Europe's (CE) Parliamentarian Assembly's Laws and Human Rights Commission yesterday in Istanbul. The CE parliamentarians' three-day meeting has attracted participants from 40 member countries.Speaking with reporters following his speech to the CE parliamentarians, Denizkurdu said that his ministry had no action over the proposal of an amnesty for prisoners in jail. He pointed out that there was a draft which had been prepared by the Democratic Left Party (DSP), and according to the Turkish Constitution, it was a matter for Parliament to handle. /All papers/ [13] UNDERSECRETARY OF TREASURY: IMF SUPPORTS TURKEYUndersecretary of the Treasury, Yener Dincmen, yesterday stated that the fall in the interest rates showed how appropriate the decisions taken by the government were. Dincmen also noted that no concessions were made from the programme agreed upon with the IMF and that these decisions would be supported by the IMF. Dincmen also gave the first signals of borrowing foreign loans after October. /Sabah/[14] STATEMENT BY TURKISH AMBASSADOR IN ISRAELTurkish Ambassador in Israel, Barlas Ozener, stated that, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was mistaken in his view that Turkish-Israeli military cooperation formed a security framework in the region. Noting that Israel first and foremost had to make peace with its neighbours and then the countries in the region could be called on to join a security network. Ambassador Ozener added that Middle Eastern countries would not enter such a framework without the establishment of peace conditions. /Sabah/[15] STATEMENT BY TURKISH AMBASSADOR IN USTurkey's recently appointed ambassador in Washington, Baki Ilkin stated that Turkey did not intend to sit at the same table with the terror network PKK, responsible for the death of many innocent people. Ilkin also pointed to the contradictory stands displayed by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) which was trying to bring water to the island, and the Greek Cypriot Administration which was trying to deploy missiles on the island. Ilkin noted that, he did not believe Russia would intervene if these missiles were deployed on the island and Turks shot these missiles. /Sabah/[16] CAPITAL TRANSFER FROM TURKEY TO GERMANY INCREASESThe Essen city of Germany based Connection Offices, which have been giving services for the last four years within the structure of the Turkey Research Centre (TAM), continue to make contributions to the North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) state government's efforts to create employment and support the small and medium-scale enterprises, the Anatolia news agency reports.The TAM said in a written statement that the Connection Offices, which carry out orientative and informative studies for foreign entrepreneurs within the context of the full-scale project titled "Enterprise Progress", had given services for hundreds of foreign entrepreneurs up until now. The TAM stated that the capital inflow from Turkey to Germany had increased in the last period. [17] REPRESENTATIVES OF JAPANESE TOURISM SECTORThe Japanese Association of Travel Agencies (JATA) will hold its administrative board meeting in Istanbul on September 17-23, the Anatolia news agency reports. Meanwhile, the Turkish Tourism Ministry has prepared a journey programme for 29 members of the JATA.[18] 896 THOUSAND TOURISTS VISIT CAPPADOCIAOver the past eight months 896 thousand tourists visited Cappadocia, the land of fairy chimneys, underground cities and churches carved out of stone, near Nevsehir in the central Anatolia.The head of the Tourism Directorate in Nevsehir Province said yesterday that a 60-strong mission from JATA, the largest tourism agency of Japan, would arrive in Cappadocia on September 19-20. /Hurriyet/ [19] UN APPROVES SPARE PARTS SALE TO IRAQ BY TEKFENThe United Nations' Sanctions Committee approved the sale of a 8.6 million dollars worth spare parts and other kinds of materials to Iraq by a Turkish firm, Tekfen. The materials will be used for repairing the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline. The approval is in line with a decision by UN Security Council which allows the purchase of a 300 million dollar worth spare parts for repairing Kirkuk-Yumurtalik and Kirkuk-Mina el Bekir. /Hurriyet/[20] EXIMBANK SUSPENDS LOANS TO RUSSIAMembers of the Board of Eximbank, official exports and imports bank of Turkey, said yesterday that they would be more cautious in considering loan demands from Russia, because of economic uncertainty in that country. Out of 350 million dollars planned to be extended to Russia by Eximbank, 50 million dollars has so far been handed over. /Hurriyet/Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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