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Turkish Press Review, 98-03-04
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
04.03.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] PRESIDENT DEMIREL IN SPAIN
[02] SPAIN SEEKING TO SELL ARMS TO TURKEY
[03] "US PUSHING TURKEY'S EU MEMBERSHIP"
[04] TURKISH PARLIAMENT PREPARES "WEST THRACE" REPORT
[05] EU PANEL DISCUSSION
[06] EU COMMISSION DEVELOPS RAPPROACHMENT STRATEGY WITH TURKEY
[07] NEW TIME VOTE
[08] MOSCOW UNEASY OVER OIL MEETING
[09] ANKARA CALLS FOR DIALOGUE
[10] 47 KG HEROIN SEIZED IN VAN
[11] A CRITICIZING MESSAGE FROM SYRIA TO TURKEY
[12] DECREASE IN INFLATION
[13] CILLER TOURS PARTY LEADERS
[14] RIGHTS OF TURKS ABROAD RE-REGULATED
[15] PUBLIC EMPLOYEES QUIT WORK
[01] PRESIDENT DEMIREL IN SPAIN
President Suleyman Demirel, accompanied by a 400-strong delegation of
ministers, bureaucrats, businessmen and journalists, is paying an
official visit to Spain on the invitation of King of Spain, Juan
Carlos. Demirel was given a warm reception in the Spanish capital of
Madrid. Yesterday Demirel held contacts with King Juan Carlos and
Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar to discuss possibilities for improving
bilateral cooperation. Regional developments of mutual importance
were also taken in hand. This is the first visit of a Turkish
president to Spain. /Milliyet/
[02] SPAIN SEEKING TO SELL ARMS TO TURKEY
In the initial stages of President Suleyman Demirel's official visit
to Spain yesterday, Spain reportedly attempted to sell $2 billions
worth of arms to Turkey in an effort to strengthen economic ties and
in exchange for Spanish support for Turkey's efforts to join the
European Union (EU). The country's leading newspaper, El Pais,
reported that Spain is trying to market four frigates, a dozen CN-235
cargo planes and other defense supplies in talks with Turkish
officials and defense experts who are accompanying the president.
The newspaper pointed out that the deal would mean "record sales" for
the Spanish defense industry. The deal was discussed during a
previous visit to Spain by Defense Minister Ismet Sezgin. /Sabah/
[03] "US PUSHING TURKEY'S EU MEMBERSHIP"
The US is holding contacts in Brussels on Turkey's European Union (EU)
membership, which has been declared as being of "strategic importance"
by the US administration. US Assistant Secretary of State and former
Ambassador to Turkey, Marc Grossman and Assistant Secretary of State
responsible for Human Rights, John Shattuck met yesterday with the
Head of the EU Foreign Desk, Hans Van Den Broek. At the meeting
Grossman pointed out that it was not logical to exclude Turkey,
especially when the future of the European continent was considered.
Shattuck for his part said that although there were human rights
problems in Turkey, the government was struggling with determination
against these problems.
Just nine days before the European Conference, the US administration
has put pressure on the EU by sending two diplomats at the level of
assistant secretary of state. Grossman and Shattuck will continue
their contacts in Brussels. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] TURKISH PARLIAMENT PREPARES "WEST THRACE" REPORT
The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) has decided to deal with
the West Thrace problem between Turkey and Greece. The TGNA Human
Rights Commission has prepared a report about the problems of the
Muslim Turkish minority in West Thrace. The report said that Greece
had prepared grounds to divide the minority by describing it as a
mixed society formed by Turks, Pomaks (Bulgarian Muslims) and Gypsies.
The report added: "Greece applies strategies to weaken the Turkish
minority by forcing them to either migrate or assimilate. It tries to
disperse the Turkish minority by weakening its ties with Turkey.
Economic development, social security and cooperation are blocked and
people are forced to immigrate." /Cumhuriyet/
[05] EU PANEL DISCUSSION
The prospect for an ultimate Cypriot membership in the EU is not
realistic as long as a federation is not established on the island,
and as long as participation of Turkish Cypriots in the Greek Cypriot
negotiating team is prevented, the participants in a panel discussion
in Brussels concluded.
Speaking on the panel, organized by the Greens' group in the EU
Parliament, Democratic Left Party (DSP) deputy Mumtaz Soysal said that
the EU's Luxembourg decisions regarding Turkey and Cyprus were unfair
and had a negative impact on efforts to reunite Cyprus. Speaking on a
panel on the Cyprus problem, the co-chairman of the Greens' group,
Magda Aelvoet from Belgium, said that by inviting Greek Cyprus to
start accession talks and keeping Turkey out of the enlargement
process, the EU has negatively affected solution efforts in Cyprus and
has adopted an unfair attitude towards Ankara. /Milliyet/
[06] EU COMMISSION DEVELOPS RAPPROACHMENT STRATEGY WITH TURKEY
The EU Commission has prepared a package of proposals for overcoming
bottlenecks in Turkey-EU relations after the recent Luxembourg Summit
when EU members decided to exclude Turkey from the process of EU
expansion. In a news report the commission stresses that the ultimate
goal of the rapproachement strategy is to pave the way for Turkey's
integration with Europe. The report presses for releasing EU aid
promised to Turkey and for taking steps for developing further the
customs union established between Turkey and the EU in 1996. In
contrast to previous EU initiatives, the report offers a specific
timetable for materializing the proposals. /Milliyet/
[07] NEW TIME VOTE
A survey into "People who stamped their mark on the 20th century"
organized by Time magazine ended. The result of the survey will not
be announced until the end of 1999. Following the end of the five
category survey, a new vote has begun. In the new vote, there will be
only one category which consists of the most important 20 people of
the 20th century. These people can be political leaders as well as
scientists, artists and other leading figures. The same Internet
address: http://www.time.com. will be used in the final vote. Those
who wish to vote for Ataturk, for example, should write his name in
small letters: mustafa kemal ataturk. /Sabah/
[08] MOSCOW UNEASY OVER OIL MEETING
Moscow yesterday declared its displeasure at not having been invited
to an Istanbul meeting where issues involving Caspian oil pipeline
projects were discussed. In response to a question in Tuesday's press
briefing, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Gennadi Tarasov said that
all the related parties including Russia should have been invited to
the meeting where sensitive issues regarding the Caspian region were
taken up. Expressing dissatisfaction and surprise, Tarasov told
reporters that the Russian reaction had been conveyed to Ankara
through suitable channels. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] ANKARA CALLS FOR DIALOGUE
Concerned over the recent wave of violence in Serbia's Kosovo region
and the possibility that the turmoil could spread to the rest of the
volatile Balkans, Ankara yesterday urged the parties to act with
prudence and start a dialogue for a peaceful solution. Referring to
the recent killing of some 20 people in Kosovo, a region populated
mainly by ethnic Muslim Albanians, a Foreign Ministry statement said:
"Turkey regrets that the clashes on February 28 resulted in a loss of
life". It also urged that the parties to the conflict immediately
start a "constructive dialogue and find a peaceful and wise solution
within the framework of Yugoslavia's territorial integrity".
The statement also said that the basic rights and freedoms as well as
the ethnic, religious and cultural identities of all the peoples
living in Kosovo should be guaranteed without discrimination and with
respect for internationally accepted principles of human rights.
/Milliyet/
[10] 47 KG HEROIN SEIZED IN VAN
Security forces have seized 47 kg heroin in the Guzelsu district of
Van. Two heroin smugglers were arrested at the end of the operation
by Gendarmerie forces yesterday. 47 kg heroin with a TL 1.3 trillion
market value, and two guns were seized when the drug dealers were
arrested. /Cumhuriyet/
[11] A CRITICIZING MESSAGE FROM SYRIA TO TURKEY
Syrian Deputy Head of State, Abdul Halim Haddam claims that Turkish
officials should consider the threatening results of cooperation with
Israel. In a statement in the weekly Syrian government "Teshrin"
journal, he claimed that good relations between Turkey and Israel
would only serve for the benefit of Israel. He added: "Turkey's
advantages are dependent on Islam and the Arab countries. We hope
that Turkey will see the threats directed against itself very soon."
/Cumhuriyet/
[12] DECREASE IN INFLATION
Government decisions to freeze prices have began to yield results. In
February, inflation rates decreased by nearly three percent in
comparison to the previous month. Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz
welcomed the reports and evaluated this development as an omen for
greater achievements in efforts to pull down inflation. The prime
minister yesterday told journalists that the government's
anti-inflation programme was not expected to begin to bear positive
results before May, and added that inflation figures revealed
yesterday by the State Statistics Institute showed that yet greater
decreases were ahead. /Milliyet/
[13] CILLER TOURS PARTY LEADERS
Leader of the True Path Party (DYP) Tansu Ciller has begun this week a
tour of political party leaders in a move to raise support for a
package of democratization measures. Yesterday Ciller met DTP leader
Husamettin Cindoruk, YDP leader Hasan Celal Guzel and DEPAR leader
Gokhan Capoglu. Ciller says that the country should head for early
elections which should be held before the Autumn. /Milliyet/
[14] RIGHTS OF TURKS ABROAD RE-REGULATED
Interior Minister Murat Basesgioglu in a written statament yesterday
said that individuals born in Turkey but who had taken up citizenship
in a foreign country, encounter frequent problems over legal
regulations and their rights in Turkey. Basesgioglu stressed that
according to Law 403 of the Turkish Citizenship Law, those who lost
their Turkish citizenship because of becoming citizens of other
countries without receiving the state's permission or because they
were living abroad and did not return to Turkey in order to complete
their military service, would be treated as foreigners.
The Interior Minister added that these people would be only able to
benefit from the rights granted to foreigners on issues such as the
purchase and transfer of immobile assets, inheritance and labour. He
stated that the amendment separates those who gave up Turkish
citizenship by permission and their legal heirs from other foreign
nationals. He added that preservation of the rights of former Turkish
citizens would be available as long as the execution of those rights
did not threaten the national security of the Turkish Republic and
public order.
[15] PUBLIC EMPLOYEES QUIT WORK
The Confederation of Public Employees' Unions (KESK) declared
yesterday that because it was not possible for them to accept the
draft law on "public employees unions" they would start their united
protests today. Confederation chief, Siyami Erdem, told a press
conference that employees in the state postal, railway and medical
services, except for the emergency services, would quit work today in
protest against the draft law by marching into the center of Ankara,
Kizilay. "This draft brings no fresh rights whereas our existing
rights are removed. We will maintain our protest action until it is
withdrawn" said Erdem. /Hurriyet/
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