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Turkish Press Review, 98-09-24
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
24.09.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] YILMAZ MEETS US FINANCE, INVESTMENT LEADERS
[02] SEZGIN IN PORTUGAL
[03] 752.5 KG COCAINE SEIZED IN MERSIN
[04] KUWAITI-TURKISH FRIENDSHIP GROUP
[05] SYRIA-PKK CONNECTION
[06] TURKISH-EU RELATIONS
[07] WORLD BANK OFFICIALS IN TURKEY
[08] SENTENCE FOR ERDOGAN
[09] AUSTRIAN CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF IN TURKEY
[10] GOVERNOR OF PUNJAB IN ANKARA
[11] TURKISH EXPORTS TO CIS AND EASTERN EUROPE INCREASE
[12] TURKISH BANK BRANCHES ABROAD
[13] SOUTHERN CYPRUS REJECTS YET ANOTHER PROPOSAL
[14] CETIN MEETS WITH IRISH COUNTERPART
[15] NORWEGIAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION VISITS CETIN
[16] SEDAT SAHIN CAUGHT IN BERLIN
[17] ITALIAN TECHNOLOGY IN DENIZLI AND GAZIANTEP
[18] TURCO-ITALIAN PUBLICATIONS DEAL
[19] CHP DELEGATION TO VISIT GERMANY
[20] CILLER GOES TO US
[21] CARGO VESSEL GOES AGROUND
[01] YILMAZ MEETS US FINANCE, INVESTMENT LEADERS
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, who is attending the 53rd term
meetings of the United Nations General Assembly in New York,
briefed yesterday US finance and investment circles on the
Turkish economy. Yilmaz delivered a speech during a conference on
"Turkey: Emergence of a New Era" jointly organized by the
Turkish-American Society and Global Securities, a leading US
investment institution. Noting that he was aware of US investors'
concerns over the impact of the current global economic crisis on
the Turkish economy, Yilmaz said that the structure of the
Turkish economy was strong enough to resist this crisis and that
the economic programme applied by the Turkish government will
overcome the crisis. /Milliyet/
[02] SEZGIN IN PORTUGAL
Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ismet Sezgin went to
Portugal yesterday to attend an unofficial meeting of NATO
Defense Ministers. Prior his departure from Ankara's Esenboga
Airport, Sezgin noted that this unofficial meeting of NATO
Defense Ministers is held once a year, and pointed out that the
meeting was important, because it sheds light on the later
official meeting of NATO Defense Minister to be held in Brussels.
Sezgin stated that during the meeting, international issues and
NATO's functions would be taken up, the Anatolia news agency
reports. Sezgin, who will proceed on to Macedonia following his
visit to Portugal, will return to Turkey on September 27.
[03] 752.5 KG COCAINE SEIZED IN MERSIN
As a result of operations carried out by members of the Security
Department, 752.5 kilograms of cocaine were seized yesterday in
Mersin. It is reported that the cocaine found in a cargo vessel
flying the Bahamas flag is the largest amount confiscated in
Turkey to date. Fourteen people have been taken into custody in
connection with the incident, the Anatolia news agency reports.
[04] KUWAITI-TURKISH FRIENDSHIP GROUP
Members of the Turkish-Kuwaiti inter-parliamentary friendship
group are meeting in Turkey. Chairman of the Turkish-Kuwaiti
Friendship Group and Deputy Speaker of the Turkish Parliament,
Yasin Hatiboglu, noted during the meeting that relations between
the two countries were further developing and said that
cooperation should also be deepened for the solution of
international problems, the Anatolia news agency reported
yesterday.
[05] SYRIA-PKK CONNECTION
Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Sermet Atacanli said in a
weekly press conference yesterday that Syria has given no reply
to Turkey's security concerns regarding Syrian support for the
PKK terrorist organization. Atacanli noted that they sincerely
wanted to develop Turkish-Syrian relations and added that the
desire and the framework to achieve this goal has been expressed
to Syria for many times, the Anatolia news agency reported
yesterday.
[06] TURKISH-EU RELATIONS
Director of the European Commission to Turkey Fabrizio Barbasso
will arrive in Turkey tomorrow to hold various contacts regarding
the Customs Union (CU) agreement between the European Union (EU)
and Turkey. Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Sermet Atacanli
said in a weekly press conference yesterday that meetings to be
held at technical level with Barbasso aimed to deepen the CU
agreement. Atacanli pointed out that the EU should carry out its
obligations for the extension of financial assistance to Turkey.
He added that obstacles hindering Turkish-EU cooperation should
be removed and no discriminative stance should be assumed by the
EU against Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.
[07] WORLD BANK OFFICIALS IN TURKEY
The World Bank will organize a conference on "the year 2000
syndrome" in Istanbul. During the conference, the effects of the
year 2000 syndrome on important sectors such as communications
and finance will be taken up. In addition to officials from the
World Bank, Undersecretary of State Planning Organization (DPT)
Orhan Guvenen and Foreign Trade Undersecretary Yavuz Ege will
also attend the conference. /Sabah/
[08] SENTENCE FOR ERDOGAN
The Supreme Court of Appeals yesterday upheld a ten-month prison
sentence for Istanbul Mayor Recep Tayyip Erdogan who was found
guilty by the State Security Court in Diyarbakir in April "for
inciting hatred based on religious differences" in a speech at a
political rally. Now the court decision will go to the Interior
Ministry, which will ask the Council of State to end Erdogan's
tenure as mayor. /All papers/
[09] AUSTRIAN CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF IN TURKEY
Austrian Chief of General Staff Karl Majcen, who is in Turkey on
a short visit, visited Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen.Huseyin
Kivrikoglu yesterday. The two high-ranking soldiers exchanged
ideas. /All papers/
[10] GOVERNOR OF PUNJAB IN ANKARA
Shahid Hamid, Governor of Punjab, Pakistan's largest province,
came to Ankara yesterday for a brief visit. During his visit,
Hamid will have talks with Burhan Kara, Minister of State for
Maritime Affairs, on matters of bilateral interest and the
expansion of trade and commercial ties between Turkey and
Pakistan. Hamid is visiting Turkey on the invitation of the
governor of Istanbul. He wll also visit Izmir, before returning
to Pakistan. /All papers/
[11] TURKISH EXPORTS TO CIS AND EASTERN EUROPE INCREASE
Exports of agricultural and animal products from southeastern
Anatolia to the Commonwelath of Independent States (CIS) and
Eastern European countries increased by 45.2 % and 182.3 % in the
first eight months of 1998, respectively. The dollar amounts for
these exports come to $11.84 million and $25.49 million to the
CIS and Eastern European countries, respectively, the Anatolia
news agency reports.
[12] TURKISH BANK BRANCHES ABROAD
Turkish banks altogether have 88 branches or representative
offices abroad. According to information the Anatoplia news
agency obtained from the Treasury Undersecretariat, Ziraat Bank
has the highest number of branches abroad, with 17. Halkbank,
Pamukbank and Akbank are the other three banks with the highest
number of foreign branches. Forty-five of the branches, more than
half, are in Germany.
[13] SOUTHERN CYPRUS REJECTS YET ANOTHER PROPOSAL
The Greek Cypriot Administration rejected yesterday a proposal by
Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas for the establishment of a
joint independent commission to deal with the settlement of
mutual property claims and compensation issues in Cyprus. Greek
Cypriot government spokesman Christos Stylianides, who is in New
York for UN General Assembly sessions, disapproved of the
proposal saying that "Security Council resolutions stipulate that
immigrants should return to their homes" according to the
Anatolia news agency.
In a related development, Greek Cypriot Leader Glafkos Klerides,
who is also in New York, said that the number of guarantor states
should be increased in the event an ultimate settlement is
reached on Cyprus.
[14] CETIN MEETS WITH IRISH COUNTERPART
Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin received yesterday a delegation
of Irish parliamentarians led by Irish Parliament Speaker Seamus
Pattison. Speaking at the meeting, both Cetin and Pattison
expressed hope that Ireland's recent decision to open an embassy
in Ankara would considerably contribute to the improvement of
bilateral relations, the Anatolia news agency reports.
[15] NORWEGIAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION VISITS CETIN
A visiting Norwegian Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission
paid a visit yesterday to Turkish Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin
in Ankara. "We hope that this visit will further develop friendly
and cooperative bilateral relations between Turkey and Norway,
two NATO allies" the Anatolia news agency quoted Cetin as saying.
Later in the day the commission visited Murat Karayalcin,
chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission in the Turkish
Parliament.
[16] SEDAT SAHIN CAUGHT IN BERLIN
Sedat Sahin on the Interpol red bulletin wanted list has been
caught in Berlin, Germany, the Anatolia news agency reports.
Officials from the Police Department in Berlin state that Sahin
was caught in a joint operation with Turkish police. Sahin has
been involved in various armed incidents and is being accused of
ordering the murder of Mehmet Nafi Capan, once involved in an
illegal drug selling operation.
[17] ITALIAN TECHNOLOGY IN DENIZLI AND GAZIANTEP
The Italian Foreign Trade Industry (ICE) and Italian Producers of
Textile Machines Association (ACIMIT) have organized meetings on
"Italian Textile Machines" in Denizli and Gaziantep, the Anatolia
news agency reports. The first meeting was held in Denizli on
September 22 and the other will be held in Gaziantep on September
24. A total of 18 Italian firms are participating in the
meetings.
[18] TURCO-ITALIAN PUBLICATIONS DEAL
A leading company in the Italian publications market, De Agostino
Geography Institute, and Turkish Media Holding have decided to
set up a joint venture in Turkey, the Anatolia news agency
reports. With this deal, Media Holding targets to increase its
sales of books and CDs.
[19] CHP DELEGATION TO VISIT GERMANY
A delegation from the Republican People's Party (CHP) will visit
Germany to observe the German general elections that will be held
on September 27, 1998, and to hold various contacts, the Anatolia
news agency reports. The CHP delegation will hold a press
briefing on September 25 on "Political Developments in Turkey,
CHP policies directed towards Europe and the German general
elections", and will also participate in activities at Cologne
Municipality Palace within the framework of "Intercultural
Dialogue Week" on September 26.
[20] CILLER GOES TO US
True Path Party (DYP) Leader Tansu Ciller went to the US
yesterday. During her visit, Ciller will address academics in
Boston University on September 29 and in Princeton University on
October 1. /All papers/
[21] CARGO VESSEL GOES AGROUND
Navigating the Marmara Sea, a Turkish cargo vessel carrying 1,900
tons of scrap-iron bought from Romania went aground in Bostanci
in Istanbul. /Cumhuriyet/
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