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Turkish Press Review, 99-06-15Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>15.06.99Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[02] SPECIAL KOSOVO[03] THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD TOWARDS PEACE IN KOSOVO -BY HASAN CEMAL (MILLIYET)[04] DEMIREL TO VISIT MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIESPresident Suleyman Demirel will visit Middle Eastern countries, initially Israel and Palestine on July 14-15. Demirel will also visit Egypt on July 28 and will hold meetings which will further increase Turkey's contribution to the Middle East peace process. /Hurriyet/[05] ECEVIT TO MEET CLINTON IN SEPTEMBERPrime Minister Bulent Ecevit will visit the US as the official guest of US President Bill Clinton in the second half of September. Ecevit will also send a letter of thanks to Clinton for his invitation. Ecevit received members of the Turco-American Association yesterday; during the meeting, Ecevit announced his visit to the US in September. /Hurriyet/[06] MINISTER OF DEFENCE TO VISIT FRANCEThe Minister of Defence, Sabahattin Cakmakoglu, will go to France today to attend the 'Space and Aviation Fair' in Paris. Cakmakoglu will also meet the French Minister of Defence, Alain Richard, on June 16. It is expected that during the official meetings, defence industrial projects between Turkey and France, Turkey's concerns over the European Security and Defence Identity and the Kosovo issue will be discussed. Cakmakoglu will return to Turkey on June 17, the Anatolia News Agency reports. Meanwhile, great interest is being shown by the visitors in the products of the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI) which is taking part in the Fair.[07] MINISTER OF HEALTH TO LONDONA conference to be attended by 51 European countries, members of the World Health Organization, will be held in London on June 16-18. Health Minister Fevzi Aytekin will represent Turkey at the Conference, the Anatolia News Agency reports.[08] MUMCU: "TOURISM IN TURKEY HAS DEVELOPED"Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu said that tourism in Turkey has developed over the last decade despite terrorism and economic stagnation. Mumcu stated that some groups were disseminating anti-Turkish propaganda abroad and added: "The promotion of Turkey to tourists will contribute to Turkey's international relations from every standpoint". /Hurriyet/[09] "WE WANT TO SEE TURKEY IN EU"Chairman of the Turco-German Foundation Vural Oger met German Interior Minister Otto Schiller yesterday in Bonn. During the Oger-Schiller meeting Turco-German and Turco-European Union (EU) relations were discussed. Stressing that Turkey is the only contemporary, secular, democratic Islamic country, Vural Oger remarked that, with its dynamic economic potential and young population, Turkey wanted to enter to the EU. Concerning the Greek attitude towards Turkey Oger pointed out that Europe should overcome the Greek stumbling block otherwise Turkey would be unable to enter to EU community for thousands of years. German Interior Minister Otto Schiller said for his part that he believed that Turkey should become a member of the EU. He added that Turkey would be an important door for European countries onto to the Middle Eastern and Central Asian regions. /Aksam/[10] A LETTER FROM THE U.S.A reader's letter printed in the "Washington Post" newspaper has praised Turkey and the Turks. American citizen Lyle Vaugh said in her letter that she had left Turkey with some very beautiful memories and urged U.S. citizens to visit Turkey. She added, "I was anchanted with the beauty of the Istanbul and Aegean coasts. Istanbul, especially, should be seen. I have never met such hospitable people as the Turks in my life. I want to stress that whoever wants to enjoy the perfect holiday should go to Turkey. Go and have the best holiday of your life, returning home with the best of memories." Sabah_[11] TRAINING FOR JORDANIAN PILOTSTurkey will train pilots from the Jordanian Air Forces. Turkey has been training Jordanian officers on F-16 aircraft for a while and now has started to give flight training on transport planes to a group of Jordanian pilots. Jordan is also sending its officers to the Turkish Military Academy. /Hurriyet/[12] HIZBULLAH ARCHIVES FOUNDFollowing an investigation into the Hizbullah archives seized at a house in Mardin by security officials, a large-scale search has begun in the region. After 1,000 people had been detained and interrogated, 250 of them were arrested by the Court. Meanwhile, 17 people, including 13 students from some schools in Diyarbakir, supporting the illegal fundamentalist Hizbullah organization were also detained. /Cumhuriyet/[13] OCALAN EQUALS DEFEAT FOR SIMITISThe Socialist Greek PASOK Party has been defeated. At the end of the elections, the party lost its 10 members in Parliament due to a decrease of 32.9 % in its votes. The opposition parties had conducted a campaign against PASOK leader Kostas Simitis accusing him of handing over Abdullah Ocalan to Turkey, giving up 12 miles in the Aegean, removing the Greek flag from the Kardak Islets, preventing the S-300 missiles' deployment on Southern Cyprus and approving the NATO airstrikes in Kosovo.Meanwhile, it has been announced that the letter written by the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, to his Greek counterpart, Yeorgos Papandreu, will be replied to next week. It is expected that the reply would be positive and agree to cooperate the struggle against terrorism. /Sabah/ [14] OPERATIONS AGAINST PKKOperations by security officials began against the PKK terrorist organization in the Bestler-Dereler region of Sirnak yesterday morning. During the operations aimed at rendering those PKK terrorists coming from Northern Iraq ineffective, four PKK terrorists surrendered to security officials. Officials stated that operations would continue in the region. Meanwhile, 11 people supporting the PKK terrorist organization were seized in Erzurum, two of whom were arrested by the State Security Court in Erzurum. /Cumhuriyet/[15] PKK DEMONSTRATORS ARRESTED IN KONYASix members of the terrorist PKK organization have been arrested in Konya. The PKK members wanted to demonstrate against Abdullah Ocalan's forced entry into Turkey and they set four cars on fire. According to officials, there were no wounded or dead at the end of the demonstrations. /Aksam/[16] DEMORALIZATION WITHIN PKKThe Intelligence Service has issued a report concerning the recent situation of the PKK. The report said that competition in the organization for the leadership has been on the increase. "The effect of the European wing has decreased since Ocalan's capture. Most of the PKK members are staying in Iraq, Iran and Syria. The organization has experienced its worst period during recent years and there is a great demoralization within the PKK," said the report claiming that foreign support for the PKK had slumped due to Ocalan's captivity. /Sabah/[17] DGM LAW PASSED THROUGH THE COMMISSIONThe proposal to amend the Constitution with regard to putting the State Security Courts (DGM) under civilian control was accepted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly's (TGNA) Constitution Commission yesterday. 367 votes 'for' are required to carry out an amendment to the Constitution. The Minister of Justice announced yesterday that if there were not enough votes in Parliament to change the Law then a public referendum would be called . /Aksam/[18] INDIAN HEMP SEIZEDIn the Hilvan district of Sanliurfa, 200,000 roots of Indian hemp were seized by the gendarmerie yesterday. One person was taken into custody regarding the incident, the Anatolia News Agency reports.[19] SO-CALLED KURDISH PARLIAMENT-IN-EXILEThe so-called Kurdish Parliament-in-exile is planning to convene in Brussels on June 19. Turkey has initiated preventative tactics to cancel the meeting. It is reported that no response has been received from Belgian officials yet. The so-called Kurdish Parliament-in-exile had previously convened in Holland despite protests by the Turkish Foreign Ministry. /Cumhuriyet/[20] 8 HIZBULLAH MILITANTS TAKEN INTO CUSTODYDuring the military operations in Kavancilar, near Elazig, 8 members of the Hizbullah Organization's "Science Group" were seized. During their interregation they admitted that they had educated the children of the town in favour of their organization at 5 different mosques. / Star/[21] SUPRISE INVESTMENT BY AMERICAThe declaration of the foreign investment figures for the first three months of 1999 displays an interesting picture. Being in complete harmony on international issues, especially in the last period, US investment was showered abundantly on Turkey. In spite of the recession US investments in Turkey broke previous records with 178 million dollars in the first three months of this year. In 1994 158 million dollars, in 1996 176 million dollars and in 1997 174 million dollars in capital investment had come from the US. /Star/[22] STANDARD AND POOR'S WINKS TO TURKEYAnalyst to Turkey Marie Cavanaugh from the Standard and Poor's (S & P), one of the leading credit evaluation establishments in the world, said that in the case of an agreement being reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and if the necessary precautions were taken to cover the financial deficit of the State Economic Enterprises, the situation of Turkey and its credit rating could be re-evaluated. Cavanaugh, during her evaluation of the new government and the Turkish economy, said that high inflation was the most important issue in Turkey which originated from the financial deficit of the State Economic Enterprises; once this was rectified inflation would decline. She stated that an agreement which will be signed with the IMF would have a positive effect on Turkey's credit rating and the main concern of the Turkish economy was to ensure public financial equilibrium. She also added that implementing the Banking Law would be a positive step forward. /Star/[23] ENERGY CONFERENCEAn international conference on 'The Story of Three Seas: the Caspian, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean' organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Council (DEIK), the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Business Council and the Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) will be held in Istanbul on June 21-23. In addition to the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Egypt, Prime Ministers from regional countries, Energy Ministers and high-level bureaucrats will also attend the Conference. /Cumhuriyet/[24] CAKICI TO APPLY TO HAND OVER TO TURKEYAlaattin Cakici, who is under arrest in Baumet prison in Marseilles, will officially request through his French and Turkish lawyers the Court extradite him to Turkey. According to his lawyers' written statement, the request of their client signed by himself would be passed on to the Court today and it would be also announced to the press in front of the prison. /Turkiye/[25] GREEK-CYPRIOTS' FEARThe Leader of the Greek-Cypriot Socialist EDEK Party , Vassos Lissarides, said: "A confederation is on its way for Cyprus". Lissarides said in a statement to the Simerini newspaper that he did not think that there would be any measures suggested which would please Greek-Cypriots in the near future. He added: "External pressure concerning the Cyprus issue is channelling us towards a confederation". /Cumhuriyet/[26] NEW TRAP AGAINST CYPRUSAfter the United Nations' (UN) Secretary-General, Kofi Annan's report regarding Cyprus, the G-8 countries' call for a meeting concerning on Cyprus 'without preconditions' has once more revealed Western countries' biased attitude towards the Greek-Cypriots. In his report Annan mentioned the Greek-Cypriot side as the official Cypriot government. Also at the end of the G-8 meeting, it was announced that they would watch the developments in Cyprus more closely. Recent developments concerning Cyprus were welcomed by the Greek administration and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yannakis Kasulides, said that the coming Brussels meeting would be very important for their EU membership.Meanwhile, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' (TRNC) Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Tahsin Eroglu, said that the G-8 countries' call for a meeting "without preconditions" would only make the problem more difficult but it would not contribute to the solution the issue. He added, "There are two states on the Island. This should be accepted and later these two independent states will sit around the negotiating table in order to reach an agreement on the issue". /Aksam/ [27] TURKISH MINING CONGRESSThe 'Turkish Mining Congress' will begin today in Ankara. Nearly 750 Turkish and 100 foreign delegates will attend the Congress during which the recent developments in mining technology, problems in mining and the importance of the mining sector in the development of Turkey will be discussed. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Cumhur Ersumer, State Ministers Edip Safder Gaydali and Sukru Sina Gurel will attend the opening ceremony of the Congress. /Cumhuriyet/[28] RICCIARDIONE MEETS TURKISH OFFICIALSFrank Ricciardione, the US diplomat delegated to organize Iraqi opposition to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, recently held talks with Turkish Foreign Ministry officials in Ankara on the future of Iraq. Ricciardione met Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Faruk Logoglu over the weekend and officials from the Foreign Ministry's Middle East Department yesterday.During his meetings in Ankara, Ricciardione reportedly briefed Turkish officials on recent developments in Northern Iraq, including a meeting between Iraqi opposition representatives and high-level US officials in Washington. He said that Wsahington was determined to preserve the territorial integrity of Iraq. /All papers/ [29] OYK MEETS TO SPEED UP PRIVATIZATIONPrime Minister Bulent Ecevit delivered a speech at the beginning of the Supreme Board of Privatization's (OYK) meeting in which he remarked that this was the first OYK meeting during the 57th government's term in office. The government will try to speed up the privatization drive, said Ecevit, adding that many progressive steps towards privatization had been taken during the tenure of the 55th and 56th governments concerning privatization. "The transparency of privatization procedures has been achieved to a high degree, and it has been decided that State Economic Enterprises land should be privatized separately from other enterprises, dcelared Ecevit.The State Minister responsible for privatization, Yuksel Yalova, said that privatization practices will be accelerated. Yalova stated after the OYK meeting that legal and constitutional amendment drafts will be placed on the Cabinet's agenda as soon as possible. /All papers/ [30] TURCO-FRENCH BUSINESS COUNCILThe Turco-French Business Council met yesterday to discuss further ways of increasing their joint investments and projects. The Chairman of the French wing, Francois Perigot, stated that companies in his country which had not yet benefitted from the opportunities provided by Turkey ought to do so. Emphasizing that French companies had great faith in Turkey's future, Perigot pledged that they would do whatever they could to help Turkey's integration into the EU.Aldo Kaslowski, who heads the Turkish side of the Business Council, declared that Turkey and France were two important partners and although their links had reached a high level, they could go even higher. /All papers/ [31] TREASURY TO OPEN BIDDINGThe Treasury today will open two tenders, one of 434 days and the other of 140 days. According to the 1999 April-June Term Tender Programme, the starting day for the interest on the 434-day tender will be 16 June 1999 and the starting day for the repayment of the interest will be on 23 August 2000. The 140-day interest will start on 3 November 1999. The Treasury aims to make two quadrillion TL in revenue at the end of the tenders. /Turkiye/[32] IMF TEAM COMING TO TURKEYAn IMF delegation headed by Turkey-Desk Chief Carlo Cotterelli is to arrive in Turkey today for the fourth round of provisional regular consultation talks. The delegation will hold discussions with representatives of the Istanbul Industrial Chamber (ISO), the Union of Banks, Turkey's private sector and financial circles in Istanbul on June 15-16. The delegation will later proceed to Ankara. /All papers/[33] DR.LINDLEY-FRENCH: "TURKEY SHOULD BE WELCOMED INTO EU"A defence expert from London University, Dr.Julian Lindley-French, said that Turco-European Union (EU) relations were not good last year. He added: "In particular some EU member countries have given the impression that Turkey's requirement for Western Europe was greater than vice versa. This is right from some standpoints, particularly from the economic point of view. However, Turkey in a Europe surrounded by weapons and missiles of mass annihilation is of great significance for the security of Europe. It is time to understand this fact.Western European politicians should give up their overwise stance towards Turkish politicians and should approve Turkey's greatness, geographical location and economic and military strength. In the shortest possible time, a special relationship should established between Turkey and the EU and Turkey's EU membership should be achieved during the first years of the next century". /Milliyet/ [34] WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL ON 19 JUNEThe World Music Festival will be organized in the French Culture Centre on 19 June in Turkey. The Festival which was started by former French Prime Minister Jacques Lang, aims to allow ake everybody to listen to music during the longest day of the year. /Aksam/[35] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[36] WARMING UP THE CYPRUS PROBLEM -BY SEDAT ERGIN (HURRIYET)Columnist Sedat Ergin comments on the recent developments concerning the Cyprus problem. A summary of his column is as follows:"The Cyprus problem seems to be the first serious test of its foreign policy the new coalition government will face. As the new coalition received a vote of confidence from the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), a decision was taken at the meeting of G-8 Foreign Ministers in Cologne concerning the Cyprus problem. The G-8 countries called on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to invite both parties to a comprehensive meeting with no conditions attached. This decision was signed by Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the US. The same call will be repeated during the G-8 Summit meeting to be held this weekend. The proposal made to both Ankara and Lefkose calls for the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Rauf Denktas, and the Greek Cypriot Administration leader, Glafkos Klerides, to go to New York for a meeting under the sponsorship the UN Secretary-General with an open agenda. With the revival of the Cyprus problem on the G-8 agenda, the United States and England, reported to have prepared a draft constitution as a solution, lead the way. The US seems to believe that in the autumn great progress can be achieved; the US also makes it known that a solution to the Cyprus problem would make it easier for President Clinton to attend the high level Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meeting to be held in Istanbul. As a result we can say that in the autumn the Cyprus problem will be high on the agenda of international politics. On the other hand, it is known that TRNC President Rauf Denktas does not favour such soundings out of everyone's intentions. Denktas has to take into consideration the fact that he will run for the Presidency in the year 2000. The occupation of the Prime Ministry by Dervis Eroglu who is known for his conservative views should also be noted. In Ankara, Prime Minister Ecevit's recent statement that the TRNC was one of Turkey's achievements and was settling down with every passing day should not be ignored. Ecevit's statement shows the sincere belief of a politician who prefers the presence of the TRNC to a solution based on concessions. And it is not hard to guess that his coalition partner, the Nationalist Action Party, would not want to start office by giving concessions. Moreover, we are passing through a period when the EU is losing its influence over Ankara by excluding it once more from the organization at the Cologne Summit. When adding all these factors together it does not seem easy for the the political conjuncture in Turkey to meet the US impatience over Cyprus." [37] SPECIAL KOSOVO[38] NATO FORCES UNDER FIREPatrolling cautiously to avoid sniper fire and the ire of ethnic Serbs, thousands of NATO troops spread out across Kosovo yesterday and began to uncover evidence of the atrocities which had been committed. Serb soldiers retreated and Serb civilians fled the province even as NATO turned back refugees trying to return to Kosovo. German and British NATO patrols returned fire and killed two people; additionally, three journalists from a German magazine were found dead. NATO officers, meanwhile, continued to negotiate with Russian peacekeepers occupying the airport of Kosovo's provincial capital, Pristina.In the southern Kosovo town of Kacanik, British soldiers yesterday counted 81 graves believed to hold bodies of massacre victims. Residents in the area said the graves had recently been dug for bodies that initially had been dumped in a mass grave. UN refugee officials want Kosovo Albanians to remain in the camps in Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro until NATO peacekeepers have restored order, cleared minefields and established the conditions needed for an orderly return. About 860,000 Kosovo Albanians fled the province during a massive crackdown that began after NATO launched its bombing campaign on March 24. /All papers/ [39] 12 TRUCKS OF FOOD FOR KOSOVOThe Humanitarian Aid Foundation has sent 12 trucks full of food to Kosovar refugees; a ceremony was held in Istanbul yesterday. The Spokesman of the Foundation, Osman Atalay, who delivered a speech at the ceremony, said that the Humanitarian Aid Foundation has sent a total of 134 trucks full of food and clothes to Kosovar refugees since the beginning of the NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia. /Cumhuriyet/[40] TURKEY TRIES TO ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF NATOIt is disclosed that Turkey has drawn NATO's attention to the Russian units about to enter Kosovo. Turkish units stationed in Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, obtained the information that Russian units in Bosnia-Herzegovina were in a state of preperation and the Turkish Permanent Representative to NATO, Ambassador Onur Oymen, conveyed this information to NATO officials, pointing out the possibility of Russia's entering in Kosovo. However, NATO officials replied, saying that they had already reached an agreement with Russia and that such an action was out of the question. Immediately after the NATO Council meeting Russian units entered Kosovo. /Aksam/[41] THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD TOWARDS PEACE IN KOSOVO -BY HASAN CEMAL (MILLIYET)Columnist Hasan Cemal writes on the situation in Kosovo. A summary of his column is as follows:"The acceptance of defeat by Slobodan Milosevic who has committed crimes against humanity by perpetrating a campaign of ethnic cleansing and massacres no doubt is a victory for NATO. However, this is only the beginning. At present an atmosphere of chaos can be felt on the long and winding road towards peace. Those who said that air strikes would not be enough were proven wrong. Certainly, to state that no ground troops would be used at the beginning of the operation was a mistake. However, the Belgrade Administration yielded to these air strikes. Their aim was the withdrawal of Serbian forces and this has started. The entrance of NATO forces was another condition and at the moment 14,000 NATO troops are in Kosovo. On the other hand, the return of the refugees is taking some time. First of all, the problem of safety has to be solved. There is another problem and that is homelessness. During the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo the houses of tens of thousands of Albanians were burnt or destroyed. To provide new shelter for many refugees before the winter is another problem. It will not be easy for a million people to return to their homes and live in peace and tranquility. However, there is another significant problem and that is the situation of Russia; the Russian unit of 200 men which took control of Pristina airport has surprised everyone. Russia had promised that she would not send troops to Kosovo, but reneged on this. Then she said that this was a misunderstanding and she would withdraw her troops, but she has failed to keep her promise. Some say that this is due to the multi-headed leadership in Moscow. It seems that Russia wants a special part for herself in Kosovo but NATO is against the idea. Particularly the US and the UK believe that such a development would lead to a partition in Kosovo. They do not want to backdown from holding control in one hand and are saying that if Russia accepts this condition she is welcome to do so. Whatever both parties say, there is talk about secret diplomacy and new scenarios have begun to be prepared. One of those is the partition of Kosovo, that is, to gather Kosovar Serbians together in the north of Kosovo at the Serbian frontier and then leave it to Russian control. Can this be implemented? Some recall Bosnia. The Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina consists of three ethnic parts: Bosnians, Croatians and Serbians. The Serbians' part is called the Serbian Republic. More than 1_3 of the whole of Bosnia belongs to the Serbs and, if not officially, Belgrade in fact is dominant over this area. Can the same scenario be repeated in Kosovo? Will a new partition lead the Balkans into new chaos? To achieve a lasting peace in the Balkans, Milosevic has to go and an administration based on democracy and the rule of law should be established in Belgrade. There are many problems facing Kosovo." END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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