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Turkish Press Review, 98-11-04Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>04.11.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] YILMAZ WARNS EU ON THE EVE OF SOUTHERN CYPRUS ACCESSION TALKSWith one week to go before the European Union (EU) begins accession talks with Southern Cyprus, Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz warned the EU about the adverse impacts that Southern Cyprus' membership would produce and stressed that Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) would reinforce their 'integration' in response. Yilmaz paid a one-day working visit to the TRNC yesterday, where he had talks with TRNC President Rauf Denktas, Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu and members of the Cabinet.Yilmaz said: "I want to warn the EU once again that accepting Southern Cyprus as a member before a settlement on Cyprus is reached and before a balance is set up between Turkey and Greece will lead to Cyprus' partition and will constitute an additional problem on EU's agenda". He stressed that Turkey 'will not wait forever for the EU to see the realities on the island'. TRNC President Denktas said for his part that the EU interference in the Cyprus problem had spoiled the Greek Cypriots. He stressed that the Turkish Cypriots would never cave in to pressure to accept Greek Cypriot rule. Referring to Israeli President Ezer Weizman's ongoing visit to Southern Cyprus, Yilmaz said that no initiative could bear fruit unless the Turks and Greeks on the island sit at the table on equal terms. /All papers/ [02] COMCEC MEETING IN ISTANBULThe global economic crisis had adversely affected developing nations more than the industrialized countries of the West, President Suleyman Demirel said yesterday. "The results of surveys conducted have shown that the developing countries, including ours, are the ones most affected by the crisis", President Demirel told economic planners and ministers from 37 Islamic countries meeting in Istanbul. Demirel also warned that world trade is expected to drop. He urged major industrial countries to find ways to prevent global recession.Some 155 economic planners, including 12 ministers, are discussing the impact of the world economic crisis on the Islamic world and ways to increase trade and cooperation. The meeting involves the Permanent Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) countries. Meanwhile, President Suleyman Demirel laid the foundation of Kadir Has University yesterday in Selimpasa, Istanbul. The university will be constructed by Kadir Has Foundation and Turkish Cardiology Foundation. In his speech at the ceremony Demirel said that the most valuable investment in the world is the one made to mankind and thanked businessmen Kadir Has for his contributions to Turkish educational system. The university will start education in 1998-1999 term. /Cumhuriyet/ [03] BARZANI IN ANKARALeader of the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) Mesud Barzani arrived in Ankara yesterday to give a 'true picture of the Washington accord' he signed with Leader of the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) Celal Talabani. Barzani, an ally of Turkey in northern Iraq against the PKK terrorist organization, will meet with Turkish government officials today and possibly get together with military officials on Thursday to discuss the accord.Meanwhile, British and American officials are expected to Ankara in the next few days. Ankara reportedly wants a trilateral assurance from Britain, the US and Turkey that the Washington deal will not lead to the establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq. /All papers/ [04] TUNISIAN MINISTER IN ANKARATurkish Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin noted that they had consensus of opinion with Tunisia regarding common and contemporary values. Cetin, who received Tunisian National Defense Minister Habib Bin Yahya yesterday, said: "There are friendly relations between Turkey and Tunisia dating back long years". Cetin recalled that the Tunisian Parliament Speaker invited him to Tunisia and he would visit this country in the shortest possible time. Habib Bin Yahya said for his part that they wanted to further develop military relations between Turkey and Tunisia in addition to economic relations, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. The Tunisian Defense Minister was also received by Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Sezgin yesterday.[05] HASHISH OPERATION IN SIVASDuring an operation carried out by security forces in the Gurun district of Sivas, 17 kilograms of hashish were seized yesterday. Three people were taken into custody regarding the incident, the Anatolia news agency reports.[06] 1,960 PKK TERRORISTS KILLEDDuring conflicts between Turkish security forces and members of the PKK terrorist organization in the Nusaybin district of Mardin, two PKK terrorists were killed. Officials noted that operations in the region were continuing. Meanwhile, one PKK terrorist was also killed in the Varto district of Mus yesterday.This year the PKK separatist terrorist organization sustained the most significant blow in its 15-year history and was completely devastated by its leader's escape to Russia, the Anatolia news agency reported from Diyarbakir. As a result of sustained operations conducted by security forces to re-establish peace and tranquility in the region, 1,960 terrorists were reportedly killed, wounded, captured or surrendered during the first 10 months of 1998. [07] COHEN TO VISIT TURKEYUS Defense Secretary William Cohen will visit Turkey on Friday within the framework of a tour to European and Gulf countries upon a recent tension between Iraq and the United Nations (UN), a high-level official from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. He gave no detailed information about the visit, the Anatolia news agency reports.[08] SYRIA SUMMIT IN MALATYAA meeting between Turkish and Syrian officials was held in Malatya yesterday. During the meeting, many issues including a telephone line to provide information exchange between the two countries and extradition of 600 members of the PKK terrorist organization were taken up. Turkish Second Army Commander Gen.Aytac Yalman and Syrian Chief of Politicial Security Department Major-General Adnan Badr Al Hassan headed the meeting. /Hurriyet/[09] PERMANENT MEMBER FOR WORLD TRAVEL AGENCIESDuring the 32nd World Congress held in Senegal, Nihat Boytuzun, Member of the Executive Board of the the World Travel Agencies Unions Federation, has been elected Permanent Honorary Member of the Executive Board of the Federation. According to a written statement issued regarding the issue, in 32 years only seven people have been elected honorary members in the Federation which has 280,000 members of travel agencies from 103 countries. /Hurriyet/[10] MORNINGSTAR: "BAKU-CEYHAN ROUTE HAS PRIORITY"US special envoy for Caspian region energy policies, Ambassador Richard Morningstar said yesterday that Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline to transport Caspian oils to the Mediterranean region had been gaining priority during recent weeks. He said he believed that Azerbaijani Oil Consortium, AIOC would decide on Baku-Ceyhan route. Stating that America was ready to take steps to encourage the route, Morningstar added that the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline had gained acceleration after the Ankara Declaration was signed last week in Ankara.Meanwhile, a historical decision regarding a pipeline project for the transportation of Caspian oils to Western markets will be given on December 4, a statement made in Baku said yesterday. /Cumhuriyet-Hurriyet/ [11] GERMAN PRESS PRAISES PAMUKFrankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a leading daily newspaper published in Germany, devoted one-page to Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk two days ago. An article written by Thomas Steinfeld praised the new book of Pamuk 'New Life' (Yeni Hayat). /Hurriyet/[12] BILD CRITICIZES GERMAN STANCEThe Bild newspaper which has a 4.5 million circulation in Germany has criticized German stance towards fundamentalist terrorists who want to demolish the regime in Turkey. The newspaper noted that it was a big shame for the German state to shelter such 'a devilish terrorist' Metin Kaplan, the head of the Germany-based Association of Islamic Groups and Communities. /Hurriyet/[13] TURKISH DEPUTY DEAN FOR LONDON UNIVERSITYDr.Rifat Atun (36) has become deputy dean of the London University, one of the leading educational institutions in Britain. The Turkish doctor who is also known with his reform studies in health sector has also become the head of health reform programmes in the governments of Chile, Mexico and Uzbekistan. /Hurriyet/[14] TURKEY SEARCHES 593 PEOPLE WITH RED BULLETINThe extradition of 593 people searched with red bulletin by Turkey is again on the agenda. It is reported that many criminals captured and arrested while being searched by Turkey abroad with red bulletin have been living in Europe and people who have been engaged in financial crimes have fled to the US. Recently, there has been an important increase in the arrest of these people searched by Turkey abroad with red bulletin. /Milliyet/[15] INFLATION RATE DECREASESAccording to the State Statistics Institute (SSI) reports that there was a 2.6 point decrease in wholesale price index compared with last year and 2.2 points decrease in consumer price. The government achieved its target in its economy programme in the first eight months of 1998. It is also predicted in the report that if the downward trend in the inflation rate continues during the next two months of this year, the government will succeed its economy programme that it announced to the IMF representatives at the beginning of 1998. /Sabah/[16] TURKEY'S THIRD SATELLITE TO BE LAUNCHEDFollowing Turksat 1-B and Turksat 1-C satellites, Turkey will launch its third satellite, Turksat 2-A at the end of 1999. The satellite is being produced by Eurasiasat firm, 51 percent of which belongs to Turkish Telecom and 49 percent belongs to Alcatel in Monaco. The General Director of Eurasiasat, Ilhami Aygun said that the total cost of Turksat 2-A would be $ 300 million and will be 3.6 tons. /Sabah/[17] RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY: "TURKEY IS OUR ALLY"Russian Foreign Ministry announced that "Russia is Turkey's natural ally against terrorism and other threats". In the announcement published yesterday that Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov's recent visit to Turkey was evaluated saying that Ivanov had met with Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Hikmet Cetin, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. It added: "The Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey confirm that they are natural allies in the struggle against terrorism, separatism, ultra-nationalism and fundamentalism". /Sabah/[18] HEAVY LOSSES STEMMING FROM EMBARGOTurkey's economic losses stemming from the United Nations (UN) embargo imposed on Iraq after the Gulf War in 1991 has been dublicating every year. Turkey has still problems in its trade relations with Gulf countries. Chairman of the Southeastern Exporters' Union, Abdullah Cikmaz said that Iraqi government had owed $ 117 million to Turkish textile, cleaning productions and medicine firms. Chairman of the Southeastern Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association, Celal Balik also noted that Turkey's official economic losses because of the UN embargo imposed on Iraq had reached $ 28.3 billion. /Cumhuriyet/Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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