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Turkish Press Review, 98-12-03
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
03.12.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] ECEVIT GETS THE MANDATE
[02] TENSE MATCH ENDED WITH DRAW
[03] DEMIREL SENDS A CONGULATORY MESSAGE TO UAE
[04] DEMIREL TO VISIT GULF COUNTRIES
[05] CEM-DINI TO MEET
[06] ROME BECOMES BORED
[07] BATU CONVEYS EXTRADITION FILE
[08] PROTESTS FROM LONDON AND BUDAPEST
[09] TURKEY CRITICIZES GERMANY
[10] IPA EXPOSES PKK MASSACRES TO THE WORLD
[11] BIDDING FOR HELICOPTER
[12] EUROPEAN INSISTENCE ON THE TREATY OF SEVRES
[13] NATO WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO THE ISSUE
[14] ITALIAN BOSSES: WORKERS WILL LOSE THEIR JOBS
[15] GERMANY: "BAN AGAINST PKK WILL CONTINUE"
[16] "DO NOT GRANT ASYLUM TO OCALAN"
[17] OCALAN SUMMIT IN ISTANBUL
[18] "THERE IS NO OFFICIAL EMBARGO AGAINST ITALY"
[19] EBRD DELEGATION TO VISIT TURKEY
[20] US PLEASURE OVER OSCE SUMMIT IN ISTANBUL
[21] THE GUARDIAN ANALYSIS FOR TURKEY
[22] SEVEN HIZBULLAH MEMBERS ARRESTED
[23] FIVE TERRORISTS KILLED IN ADIYAMAN
[24] TEXTILE EXPORTS ON THE RISE
[25] OIL PRODUCTION IN ADIYAMAN
[26] RUMELIAN TURKISH ASSOCIATIONS FEDERATION
[27] AID TO TURKEY IN EU PARLIAMENT
[28] OTTOMAN ANTIQUES IN NEW YORK
[29] SOPRANO CABELLE IN ISTANBUL
[30] 30-MILLION-DOLLAR SET-BACK FOR HEROIN SMUGGLING
[31] BEKO SUBMITS THE QUALITY AWARD TO DEMIREL
[32] CEYLAN HOLDING TAKES 600-MILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESS IN BULGARIA
[33] 8.5 MILLION TOURISTS VISIT TURKEY IN 10 MONTHS
[34] HOLBROOKE AND MILLER TO VISIT ISTANBUL AND ATHENS
[01] ECEVIT GETS THE MANDATE
President Suleyman Demirel late on Wednesday charged the
Democratic Left Party (DSP) Leader Bulent Ecevit with forming a
new government. After accepting the task from the President,
Ecevit stated that the newly-formed government should not be
merely an election government but one that would handle the
urgent problems in the country. /All papers/
[02] TENSE MATCH ENDED WITH DRAW
The postponed rendezvous of Juventus and Galatasaray ended with a
1-1 draw, leaving the quarter final hopes of three of the four
teams in the European Champions' League group B to the next and
the last week. Amoruso put Juventus ahead 12 minutes before the
end of the match and Suat equalized the score on behalf of
Galatasaray with a header during injury time. With regard to the
political strain between Italy and Turkey due to the Ocalan
crisis, which has been followed by extensive public protest in
Turkey, intensive security measures were taken by the police and
the army. It was reported that more than 20 thousand policemen
guarded Juventus against any danger during the day. /All papers/
[03] DEMIREL SENDS A CONGULATORY MESSAGE TO UAE
President Suleyman Demirel sent a congulatory message to
President Seyh Zayed Bin Sultan El-Nahayan on the occasion of the
National Day of the United Arab Emirates. Demirel said in his
message that he believed that friendship and cooperation between
the two countries would further develop in every field, the
Anatolia news agency reports.
[04] DEMIREL TO VISIT GULF COUNTRIES
President Suleyman Demirel will visit some Gulf countries.
Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Sermet Atacanli held a press
conference yesterday and said that Turkey attached great
importance to relations with other countries and noted that
within this framework, it has been planned that Demirel would pay
routine visits. No detailed information was given regarding the
President's official visits, the Anatolia news agency reports.
[05] CEM-DINI TO MEET
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem and his
Italian counterpart, Lamberto Dini, will meet on 8-9 December in
Brussels during the NATO Foreign Affairs Ministers' meeting.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, who is still in Oslo
to attend the meeting of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), evaluated the message that Italy
would like to start a dialogue process. Cem also met the US
Deputy Secretary of State, Thomas Pickering and exchanged views
on the Ocalan crisis. /Sabah-Milliyet/
[06] ROME BECOMES BORED
When Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema decsribed the PKK
leader Abdullah Ocalan as a terrorist two days ago, an
opportunity for reconciliation between Turkey and Italy occurred.
Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said: "If Italy does not
extradite Ocalan to Turkey, then it can try and punish him within
its legal system". Thus steps to ease the tension between the two
countries have been taken.
Italian Prime Minister D'Alema delivered a speech to the Italian
Assembly yesterday and said: "Italy is discussing a thesis to try
Ocalan in an international court. If it cannot be achieved,
another thesis to send Ocalan to a third country will be
assessed". /Turkiye/
[07] BATU CONVEYS EXTRADITION FILE
The Turkish Ambassador to Rome Inal Batu conveyed a file calling
for the extradition of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to the
Italian Foreign Ministry yesterday. Batu, who went to the Foreign
Ministry with the First Undersecretary of the Turkish Embassy in
Rome, Sinan Toprak, delivered the file to the Italian Foreign
Ministry's General Director of Immigration and Social Works,
Lorenzo Ferrarin. Batu said that Ferrarin had noted that he would
send the file to the Italian Ministry of Justice immediately.
/Turkiye/
[08] PROTESTS FROM LONDON AND BUDAPEST
A march to protest against countries which support the leader of
the PKK terrorist organization Abdullah Ocalan, including Italy,
was held in London yesterday. The march was organized by members
of the Turkish Associations.
Meanwhile, many Turkish citizens in Budapest protested against
Italy's stance regarding the Ocalan issue. A group of people who
gathered in front of the Italian Embassy in Budapest laid a black
wreath. Afterwards, a press statement was read out to announce
the massacres carried out by the PKK leader. Many Hungarian
citizens also participated in the protests. Another march to
protest against the Italian government will also be held in
Hamburg, Germany, on December 5. /Turkiye/
[09] TURKEY CRITICIZES GERMANY
Ankara has harshly reacted against the Italian and German stance
concerning the issue of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Acting
Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel summoned the German Ambassador
to Ankara, Hans Joachim Vergau, to the Turkish Foreign Ministry
yesterday. Gurel made a statement to press members following the
meeting and said: "We told our European friends how the Turkish
government is evaluating efforts to turn the Southeastern problem
into an ethic problem and an international issue". Gurel pointed
out that Turkey would never accept any initiatives to bring the
PKK issue to an international platform and noted that the PKK
problem and the Southeastern problem should not be mixed.
/Turkiye/
[10] IPA EXPOSES PKK MASSACRES TO THE WORLD
The International Police Association (IPA) rolled up its sleeves
to promote the real face of the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, and
his terrorist organization. The Head of the Anti-Terrorism
Department of the Turkish Security Office, and IPA Representative
in Turkey, Ihsan Yilmazturk, said that the brochures and books
prepared in English, French and German, showed only the
realities. He added that in these documents the massacres carried
out by the PKK terrorist organization would be exposed to the
whole world. /Turkiye/
[11] BIDDING FOR HELICOPTER
Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Sermet Atacanli held a press
conference yesterday and said that a decision to withdraw the
German-French consortium, Eurocopter, from a bid put out to
tender by the Turkish Armed Forces for fighter helicopters, worth
$3.5 billion, was not an issue that initially concerned Turkey.
Atacanli noted that all firms were free to attend or not to
attend biddings. /Aksam/
[12] EUROPEAN INSISTENCE ON THE TREATY OF SEVRES
Deputy Prime Minister Ecevit stated that it was intended in some
circles to attempt to re-implement the conditions of the Treaty
of Sevres in Turkey, using Ocalan as an excuse. He added that
these circles and some of Turkey's allies would not succeed in
implementing these designs. Deputy Prime Minister Ecevit said
that Turkey won't allow them to debate the status of Turkey by
bringing Ocalan to the European agenda. The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs stated that an international trial was out of the
question and described the definition of Ocalan as a terrorist as
a positive development. /Cumhuriyet/
[13] NATO WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO THE ISSUE
A NATO official, answering questions posed by Turkish journalists
on the stand of NATO with regard to the "Ocalan crisis", stated
that the Ocalan crisis was a legal problem between Turkey, Italy
and Germany and that NATO will not be a party to the issue. The
official added that the Alliance wanted to see the problem solved
in the shortest possible time, stressed that Ocalan was in
custody in Italy and expressed their belief that the Italian
government was acting with the best of intentions. /Cumhuriyet/
[14] ITALIAN BOSSES: WORKERS WILL LOSE THEIR JOBS
The tension in Turco-Italian relations, following the arrival of
the leader of the PKK terrorists, Ocalan, has resulted in
outcries from Italian bosses. Debating the boycott started on
Italian goods in Turkey Giorgio Fossa, the Chairman of the
Italian Businessmen's Association Confindustria, said: "Thousands
of purchases are in danger. The workers will lose their jobs."
Evaluating the tension started by the arrival of Ocalan in Rome,
Fossa noted that urgent measures should be taken. /Hurriyet/
[15] GERMANY: "BAN AGAINST PKK WILL CONTINUE"
German Ministry of Interior, Otto Schilly turned down the
suggestion "to lift the ban on the activities of the PKK in
Germany" given by the Greens. Schilly said that the PKK
organization acted with violence, so they would not allow such
harmful movements in Germany. /Milliyet/
[16] "DO NOT GRANT ASYLUM TO OCALAN"
The Human Rights Watch organization sent a letter to the Italian
Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema last week. It was reported that
the letter asked the Italian Prime Minister not to grant asylum
to Abdullah Ocalan. The letter, signed by the Europe and Middle
Asia Desk representative of the organization, Holly Cartner,
added that Ocalan was guilty of crimes committed against
humanity, and international law could never give the right of
asylum to such a person. /Milliyet/
[17] OCALAN SUMMIT IN ISTANBUL
The Italian Minister of Foreign Trade, Piero Fassino, and the
Minister of Sports and Culture, Giovenni Melandri came yesterday
to Istanbul to watch the football match between Italy's Juventus
and Turkey's Galatasaray. Before the match, the Italian ministers
met the Turkish Minister of Justice, Hasan Denizkurdu, Minister
of State Yucel Seckiner and diplomatic representatives of Turkey
and Italy to discuss the Abdullah Ocalan crisis. After the
meeting, Hasan Denizkurdu said that they had started a dialogue
process to solve the problem. Piero Fassino said for his part the
meeting was very fruitful and they hoped that this process would
reach a peaceful solution. /Sabah-Milliyet/
[18] "THERE IS NO OFFICIAL EMBARGO AGAINST ITALY"
The Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Ambassador Uluc Ozulker, briefed the members of the press about
the meeting held yesterday in the Ministry with the
representatives of 16 assosiations and unions. Ozulker said that
they exchanged views about the recent Turco-Italian crisis and
officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had explained
Turkey's policy on Abdullah Ocalan. He added that Turkey did not
apply an official embargo against Italy and would never do so. On
the other hand, the Minister of State, Sukru Sina Gurel, said for
his part that there was a strong reaction by the Turkish nation
against Italy. /Sabah/
[19] EBRD DELEGATION TO VISIT TURKEY
A high-level delegation from the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (EBRD) will meet Turkish businessmen in Istanbul
today. During a meeting organized by the Turkish-CIS
(Commonwealth of Independent States) Business Councils working
within the structure of the Foreign Economic Relations Council
(DEIK) and the Treasury Undersecretariat, new financial
opportunities for projects being carried out by Turkish firms
especially in Central Asia and the Balkans will be discussed. The
EBRD has invested a total of $163.4 million in eight projects
carried out by Turkish firms in these countries to date, the
Anatolia news agency reports.
[20] US PLEASURE OVER OSCE SUMMIT IN ISTANBUL
The US administration has stated that it is pleased with the
arrangements for the summit of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to be held in Istanbul in 1999. US
State Department Spokesman James Rubin noted that it was very
pleasing that a proposal to hold the OSCE summit in Istanbul in
1999 had been accepted and said: "The US administration aims to
further improve its relations with Caucasian countries by taking
advantage of this development". A decision to hold the OSEC
summit in Istanbul was approved at the Permanent Council of the
OSCE on November 26, the Anatolia news agency reports.
[21] THE GUARDIAN ANALYSIS FOR TURKEY
An analysis published by The Guardian said that, despite its
geopolitical importance, its role as a bridge between Asia and
Europe and its long NATO membership, Turkey's struggle to be a
full EU member is continuing. The newspaper noted that Turkish-EU
relations, which have deteriorated following the Luxembourg
decisions, would be discussed during a summit of EU heads of
state and government next week in Vienna. The newspaper described
this year as the hardest year for Turkish-EU relations. The
newspaper stated that Turkey was the only democratic Muslim
country in the world and underlined that Turkey's membership
would be of benefit to the EU. /Turkiye/
[22] SEVEN HIZBULLAH MEMBERS ARRESTED
As a result of operations carried out by members of the
Anti-Terrorism Department of Elazig Security office, 19 members
of the illegal fundamentalist Hizbullah organization and many
weapons and documents have been captured in the Palu district of
Elazig. Following an interrogation, seven Hizbullah members were
arrested and 12 were set free. /Turkiye/
[23] FIVE TERRORISTS KILLED IN ADIYAMAN
A group of security forces opened fire while they were exploring
Camyurdu the district of Adiyaman. As a result of the clashes
between the terrorists and security forces, five terrorists of
the separatist PKK organization were killed. At the end of the
same operation a soldier, Mehmet Koclar, was killed. /Sabah/
[24] TEXTILE EXPORTS ON THE RISE
Despite the crisis in the textile sector, exports rose, albeit at
a low rate. According to figures furnished by the Exporters'
Union covering the period between January 1- November 30, textile
and producer goods rose at a rate of 9% when compared to the
figures of the previous year. /Hurriyet/
[25] OIL PRODUCTION IN ADIYAMAN
The Turkish Petroleum Inc. (TPAO) produced 10 million barrels of
crude oil in the first 10 months in Adiyaman, where the biggest
petroleum reserves in Turkey are situated, the Anatolia news
agency reports. The TPAO obtained approximately 26,000 barrels of
high gravity-oil from the 160 wells per day, which accounted for
57 % of Turkey's total production. The TPAO, which aims at
increasing the amount of production through completely drilling
for oil, undertakes oil exploration in Gaziantep and Hatay and
test productions in Kilis and Sanliurfa.
[26] RUMELIAN TURKISH ASSOCIATIONS FEDERATION
Three associations namely the Western Rumelian Turkish Solidarity
Association, the Bosnia-Flag Culture and Aid Association and the
Help for Immigrants Association, with 25,000 members joined
forces under the auspices of the 'Rumelian Turkish Associations
Federation', the Anatolia news agency reports. Taner Mustafaoglu,
Federation Chairman, said in a press conference that the Turks of
Rumelian origin had taken a giant step forward in the efforts to
unify their forces.
[27] AID TO TURKEY IN EU PARLIAMENT
A 150 million ECU package was submitted to the European
Parliament, despite Greek efforts to prolong the process. The
report submitted to Parliament will first be taken up at
Committee level and a rapporteur will be appointed to write a
report on Turkey before the Parliament votes on the item. /All
papers/
[28] OTTOMAN ANTIQUES IN NEW YORK
Antiques belonging to the Ottoman period were sold in an auction
called "The Silk Road Auction" in New York. A box inscribed with
Sultan Abdulmecid's monogram and a golden pocket watch, on one
side of which there is the picture of an Ottoman pasha and on the
other face the emblem of the Ottoman period, were among the
pieces sold at the end of the auction. Rafi Portakal, the
organizer of the auction, said that in three months from now they
would promote Ottoman antiques to American art-lovers. /Sabah/
[29] SOPRANO CABELLE IN ISTANBUL
Soprano Montserrat Cabelle, who is the UN "Honorary Envoy" and
"Primadonna of the Century", gave a concert yesterday at the
Ataturk Culture Centre in Istanbul. The Orchestra of the Istanbul
State Opera and Ballet, conducted by one of the most famous
conductors in the world, Jose Collado, accompanied Cabella in her
performance. /Milliyet/
[30] 30-MILLION-DOLLAR SET-BACK FOR HEROIN SMUGGLING
Unadulterated heroin of a European market price of $30 millions
was seized in Bolu after a three-month investigation by the
police. It was reported that the suspects would be tried before
the State Security Court with establishing an illegal
organization for drug smuggling. /Hurriyet/
[31] BEKO SUBMITS THE QUALITY AWARD TO DEMIREL
Beko submitted the Europe Grand Quality Award it had been granted
last month to President Demirel. Receiving Gunduz Ozdemir, the
General Manager of Beko, and his colleagues, Demirel stated that
this award indicated a major transformation in business
mentality, on which the preconditions for the transition to an
industrialized information society were founded. /Hurriyet/
[32] CEYLAN HOLDING TAKES 600-MILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESS IN BULGARIA
Ceylan Holding, one of the major Turkish construction firms, will
build two infrastructure plants for a total price of $600
million. It was reported that the firm would construct three dams
and a hydroelectric central plant in cooperation with Bulgarian
public corporations and take on the operation of the plant
following the completion of the project. Ceylan Holding will also
construct a highway of 114 kilometres in length from Kapikule to
Orizova. In the statement made by the holding, it was said:
"Turkey undertakes to purchase the electric energy it requires
from Bulgaria within the framework of a programme, and in turn,
Bulgaria approves the construction and management of two
infrastructure projects through the joint enterprise of Turkish
and Bulgarian firms." /Hurriyet/
[33] 8.5 MILLION TOURISTS VISIT TURKEY IN 10 MONTHS
This year, the number of tourists who visited Turkey in October
increased by 9% compared to the same month of the last year.
According to the data provided by the State Institute of
Statistics, 1,034,659 tourists visited Turkey in October 1998,
while it had been estimated as 949,270 for October 1997.
Meanwhile, it was reported that 8,558,000 tourists had preferred
Turkey over other destinations in the last 10 months. /Hurriyet/
[34] HOLBROOKE AND MILLER TO VISIT ISTANBUL AND ATHENS
Richard Holbrooke, the US President Bill Clinton's Special
Representative to Cyprus, and Thomas Miller, the US State
Department Special Coordinator to Cyprus, will pay visits to
Istanbul and Athens in December 1998, the Anatolia news agency
reports.
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