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Turkish Press Review, 98-02-27
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
27.02.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] NSC MEETING
[02] JOINT OPERATION PLAN WITH JORDAN
[03] US SUPPORTS BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINE
[04] NO BARGAIN ON STRAITS
[05] TURKEY-TRNC ECONOMIC COOPERATION
[06] HANNAY IN CYPRUS
[07] BRITAIN WANTS SHARE IN TURKISH PRIVATIZATION
[08] GREEK VETO ON FINANCIAL AID TO BE LIFTED
[09] WASHINGTON: AEGEAN REGION IS DANGEROUS
[10] SIMITIS VIEWS GOODWILL AS "CUNNING"
[11] ATHENS BLACKMAILING THE EU
[12] TUPRAS LAUNCHES ENVIRONMENTALIST INVESTMENT
[13] MENZIR SEEKS CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES IN US
[01] NSC MEETING
The National Security Council (NSC) convened yesterday to review
the implementation of recomendations for fighting reactionism presented
to the government one year ago. The Council also decided to extend the
state of emergency in six eastern and southeastern provinces for four
months. (All papers)
[02] JOINT OPERATION PLAN WITH JORDAN
Turkey, which changed its Middle East policy together with the last
change in government and took up a leadership role, has found more
support for this policy in the Arab world. At the end of Foreign
Minister Ismail Cem's visit to Jordan, Turkey and Jordan have agreed to
act together on issues involving the Middle East.
The two countries will announce a joint action plan for
resurrecting the Middle East Peace process, and readmitting Iraq into
the international community with a declaration they will issue today.
The declaration is important with regard to the Middle East policy
Turkey will follow from now on. Taking Jordan's full support into
account,Turkey will strengthen its role as the "determinator country".
/Hurriyet/
[03] US SUPPORTS BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINE
The US Government yesterday declared that it supported the
Baku-Ceyhan pipeline project for the transportation of oil from the
Caspian Sea oil fields.
US Energy Department Deputy Secretary, Robert Gee, in a statement
to the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, said that the Baku-Ceyhan
pipeline was the most suitable option. Gee stressed that the US opposed
an Iranian project eventhough it was the cheapest. /Hurriyet/
[04] NO BARGAIN ON STRAITS
Minister of Energy and National Sources Cumhur Ersumer told White
House National Defence Counsellor Leon Fuerth that Turkey would not
discuss the Canakkale or Istanbul Straits within the framework of the
Baku-Ceyhan project.
Ersumer and Fuerth met yesterday to exchange opinions on
Turkmenistan natural gas and the Caspian Sea oil transportation. Giving
details about the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline project, Ersumer told Fuerth that
the Straits are of great importance not only for security reasons but
also for their cultural and historic value. /Hurriyet/
[05] TURKEY-TRNC ECONOMIC COOPERATION
An economic cooperation agreement to strengthen economic relations
between Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was
signed yesterday. According to the agreement, laws on trade and
economic activities are to be harmonized and trade relations between the
two countries will be developed. TRNC Prime Minister Derviş Eroglu and
the delegation with him are continuing with their contacts in Ankara.
They met yesterday with Chief of General Staff Ismail Hakki Karadayi,
Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin and Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz.
/Cumhuriyet/
[06] HANNAY IN CYPRUS
European Union (EU) Term Chairman Britain's Special Envoy to Cyprus
Sir David Hannay is visiting Cyprus. Arriving at Larnaka Airport Hannay
said that he had two aims, one of which was to continue with efforts to
find a solution to the Cyprus problem. He added that the second one was
to discuss the possibility of forming a Turkish Cypriot and Greek
Cypriot joint representation in EU membership talks. Hannay evaluated
the second issue as "very sensitive and complicated." /Cumhuriyet/
[07] BRITAIN WANTS SHARE IN TURKISH PRIVATIZATION
Britain has started contacts to share in Turkish energy sector
projects in which Turkey plans the biggest privatization and investment
developments. An energy conference held under the leadership of British
Ambassador to Ankara David Logan started yesterday in Ankara. 33
British firms are attending the conference to look for ways to develop
cooperation with Turkish firms in privatization and investment projects
in the energy sector. In his opening speech Logan said: "There are
many British companies which are active in Turkey. Because they are
very satisfied with their positions in Turkey, they are looking for new
Turkish partners to develop new projects." /Cumhuriyet/
[08] GREEK VETO ON FINANCIAL AID TO BE LIFTED
It is reported that there has been a development on the way to
getting the Greek veto on European Union (EU) financial aid to Turkey
lifted. Peter Heinrich Loffelhardt, a German Foreign Ministry official
responsible for Foreign Affairs of EU Mediterranean policy, pointed out
that Germany was not against Turkey's full EU membership. Loffelhardt
further asserted that the Greek veto on ECU 375 million, which the EU is
to extend to meet Turkey's losses following Customs Union (CU), and on a
further ECU 750 million-credit facility will be lifted. Loffelhardt
said: "Because of the Greek veto, Turkey has not yet received the
financial aid which was envisaged to be extended following the CU. We
are about to persuade Greece to lift its veto. Financial aid will be
forthcoming soon". /Milliyet/
[09] WASHINGTON: AEGEAN REGION IS DANGEROUS
While the response of the Greek government to the dialogue proposal
made by Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem is viewed as negative in
Turkey, the US regards it as "encouraging". US Deputy Secretary of
State, Marc Grossman, noted yesterday that Cem's initiative, begun on 12
February, and the Greek reply on 24 February have "encouraged" the US.
Grossman declared that confidence-building measures in the Aegean region
made by the NATO Secretary-General should be made functional as soon as
possible. He added that regarding the Cyprus issue, the US
administration should accelerate its efforts in cooperation with the EU
and the UN.
Grossman, who was presented with an "elite career" award during an
annual conference organized by the American-Turkish Council (ATC),
American Friends of Turkey (AFOT) and Foreign Economic Relations Council
(DEIK) yesterday, listed the foremost issues in Turco-US relations as
Cyprus, the Aegean, EU integration, human rights, democratization and an
alliance against Iraq. Grossman indicated that the US would continue to
support Turkey's full EU membership. /Milliyet/
[10] SIMITIS VIEWS GOODWILL AS "CUNNING"
Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis has described Turkey as an
aggressor and declared that Greece was not afraid of threats.
Delivering a speech at a session on Turco-Greek relations at the Greek
Parliament yesterday, Simitis noted that Athens would continue with its
veto policy against Ankara in the EU. Simitis described Turkish Foreign
Minister Ismail Cem's five-point good-intentioned dialogue proposal as
"cunning" and that Greece would not accept an all-out negotiation
proposal. He said: "Our reply is to apply to the international legal
authorities".
Simitis reaffirmed that Athens was extending full support to Greek
Cypriot's full membership in the EU and said that EU-Greek Cypriot full
membership negotiations would begin on 30 March, and that Greek Cyprus
would attend the European Conference in London on 12 March. Simitis
declared that the problem on the island would not prevent the full EU
membership process of Greek Cyprus. /Milliyet/
[11] ATHENS BLACKMAILING THE EU
Greece has declared that it will veto the acceptance of all
candidate countries to the EU as full-members if the membership of the
Greek Cypriot Administration is blocked. Greek Undersecretary of the
Minister of Foreign Affairs Yannos Kranityotis, has linked the
membership proceesses of the Greek Cypriot Administration and other
candidate countries in the EU. "If problems arise in the membership
process of the Greek Cypriot administration in the EU, the membership
initatives of the countries which are expected to enter the EU will also
have no future" he said./Hürriyet/
[12] TUPRAS LAUNCHES ENVIRONMENTALIST INVESTMENT
Tupras oil refinery has launched a program for replacing fuel oil
used in Turkey with lead-free oil by the year 2003. Tupras President
Ergun Kuran signed an agreement for the construction of the necessary
equipment with the Poster Vheeler Italiana Gama consortium. The $160
million project will be initiated in the year 2000. (Sabah)
[13] MENZIR SEEKS CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES IN US
Minister of Transport and Communications, Necdet Menzir, in the
United States, where he is participating in a conference, organized by
American-Turco Business Council, is looking for financial support for
the Bosphorus underground railway tunnel project. Menzir yesterday
informed foreign investors about the tunnel project planned to be
transportation problems. Menzir also visited General Motors Company
which wants to produce locomotives in Turkey. /Hurriyet/
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