|
|
Turkish Press Review, 98-03-09
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
09.03.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] FM CEM CONVEYS DEMIREL'S MESSAGE TO MILOSEVIC
[02] BULGARIA AND TURKEY CALL FOR PEACEFUL SOLUTIONS
[03] WORLD WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATED
[04] GREECE WANTS TO PURCHASE S-300 MISSILES
[05] TURKEY-GERMANY CRISIS
[06] POSSIBLE PKK WITHDRAWAL FROM NORTHERN IRAQ
[07] GERMAN PKK TERRORIST KILLED
[08] OECD ADVICE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY INSTITUTIONS
[09] TL 340.6 TRILLIONS WORTH OF INCENTIVES IN JANUARY
[10] FEDERATION NOT REALISTIC
[01] FM CEM CONVEYS DEMIREL'S MESSAGE TO MILOSEVIC
Visiting Belgrade in search of a peaceful solution to the Kosovo
problem, Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem was received yesterday by
Yugoslavia Federation President Slobodan Milosevic. During the one-hour
meeting, Cem conveyed a message from President Suleyman Demirel to
Milosevic which included proposals to prevent further bloodshed in
Kosovo.
Asked by reporters on Saturday about the content of the message to
Milosevic, Demirel said that he had warned his Yugoslav counterpart that
nothing similar to the terrible strife in Bosnia between 1992-95 should
be permitted to happen again. Turkish Ambassador in Belgrade, Alev
Kilic, told Turkish reporters that the presidential message had
expressed Turkey's concerns about the recent developments in Kosovo.
Kilic said that Cem also voiced Ankara's concern about the possible
spread of the conflict into other Balkan countries. Meanwhile, it was
also reported that Yugoslavia has invited all the ambassadors in
Belgrade to visit Kosovo in order to soften international reaction.
Following his meeting with Milosevic, Cem attended a meeting between the
Turkish and Yugoslav missions headed by the two foreign ministers of the
two sides.
Meanwhile, following his arrival at Ankara's Esenboga Airport Cem
held a press conference during which British Foreign Minister Robin Cook
telephoned him. It is reported that Cook, who will head the London
Contact Group to be held in London today, wanted to learn about the
impressions he had in Kosovo. /Sabah/
[02] BULGARIA AND TURKEY CALL FOR PEACEFUL SOLUTIONS
Bulgaria and Turkey on Saturday urged Serbia and ethnic Albanians
to avoid violence and seek a peaceful solution to the Kosovo crisis.
Speaking after talks with his Turkish counterpart Mesut Yilmaz,
Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov said that the Kosovo crisis should
be solved "within the boundaries of Yugoslavia", making clear that
Bulgaria rejects the struggle of ethnic Albanians for more independence.
"We do not accept any kind of violence, no matter against whom it is
directed" he added.
Yilmaz urged all the Balkan states to support a Bulgarian proposal
for Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Turkey to sign a joint declaration
that the Kosovo crisis be solved peacefully and without any change of
borders. Meanwhile, about 6,000 Turks, mainly of Albanian origin,
protested in Istanbul yesterday calling for an end to ethnic violence in
Kosovo. /All papers/
[03] WORLD WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATED
March 8 World Women's Day was celebrated throughout Turkey
yesterday. While President Suleyman Demirel and party leaders attended
celebrations in Ankara, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz participated in
celebrations in Istanbul. Delivering a speech, Demirel said: "It is
not the issue of women's rights but the issue of human rights.
Actually, there should be no discrimination between women and men".
/Sabah/
[04] GREECE WANTS TO PURCHASE S-300 MISSILES
Greece has initiated official moves for the purchase of
Russian-made S-300 missiles. Within the framework of a new armament
policy, Greek Defense Ministry officials will chose between US-made
Patriots and Russian-made S-300s. Greek officials said over the
weekendthat they will purchase 20 missiles. (Milliyet)
[05] TURKEY-GERMANY CRISIS
Karl Lamers, Spokesman of the Christian Democratic Party on power
in Germany, said that Turkish chances for joining the European Union
were waning. Tensions between Turkey and Germany escalated when in a
statement to the Financial Times daily newspaper, Turkish Prime Minister
Mesut Yilmaz noted that Germany was blocking Turkey's integration with
Europe. Yilmaz said that Germany was especially interested in expanding
the EU into central and eastern Europe' seen by Bonn as Germany's
backyard. Germany voiced strong reactions to the statement of Prime
Minister Mesut Yilmaz saying that the wording of Yilmaz implied that he
was comparing the present German administration to Hitler's rule in the
1930s and 40s.
Ankara stressed on Sunday that the statement of Yilmaz has been
misinterpreted and that he had no intention of drawing parallels between
Hitler and the present German government. (Milliyet, Hürriyet)
[06] POSSIBLE PKK WITHDRAWAL FROM NORTHERN IRAQ
In a statement to Med TV, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan said that the
Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) led by Mesut Barzani has asked
him to withdraw from Northern Iraq and refrain from interfering in the
internal affairs of the region. Ocalan indicated that they were ready
to accept a conditional withdrawal from Northern Iraq. /Milliyet/
[07] GERMAN PKK TERRORIST KILLED
"Focus", a weekly magazine published in Germany said that a German
fighting for the PKK terrorist organization has been killed in clashes
with security forces in southeastern Turkey. The magazine also said
that another German, Eva Juhnke, was arrested last October in Turkey for
supporting the PKK terrorist organization. The magazine says that
Juhnke will face trial on March 19, and that the prosecutor is expected
to demand 24 years imprisonment. /Milliyet/
[08] OECD ADVICE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY INSTITUTIONS
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
has advised Turkish social security institutions to establish pension
fund management units and invest their assets in the stock exchange in
order to improve their financial position. OECD officials have told the
Social Security Council (SSK), the Retirement Fund, and the fund for
self-employed workers (Bag-Kur) that they need to restructure their
organizations and change the current system if they are to improve their
financial status and prosper.
The OECD made the following proposals: The three institutions
should convert their assets to cash. They should then establish fund
management units and invest in stocks, bonds and other financial
arrangements. The OECD could provide $400,000 in financial aid and
expertise to help establish the necessary infrastructure. /Sabah/
[09] TL 340.6 TRILLIONS WORTH OF INCENTIVES IN JANUARY
The Treasury Undersecretariat undersigned incentives for 450 new
investments totalling TL 340.6 trillion in January, according to an
official notice issued in the Official Gazette. /Milliyet/
[10] FEDERATION NOT REALISTIC
Turkey and the TRNC are trying to improve policies that they will
apply during the coming months, according to the Foreign Ministry
sources. Following a joint meeting , Turkey and the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have concluded that the aim of a bi-communal
federation is not realistic, stating that "even if an agreement was
reached on federation, Turkish Cypriots would not be able to defend
themselves in political and economic terms because of being a member of
European Union which does not include Turkey." It was also noted that
the TRNC will not participate in the upcoming meetings concerning the
full- membership of Cyprus in the EU, unless the TRNC is given a status
equal to that of the Greek Cypriot administration. /Cumhuriyet/
|