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Turkish Press Review, 98-03-13
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
13.03.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] PRIME MINISTER YILMAZ IN GEORGIA
[02] EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN DISPUTE OVER CYPRUS
[03] WORDS OF CAUTION FOR ARMENIA
[04] SIMITIS TURNS DOWN SECOND PROPOSAL FROM ANKARA
[05] CENTRAL BANK FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES REACH $19.8 BILLION
[06] TURKEY-TRNC MEETINGS
[07] MILLER MEETS GUREL
[08] YILMAZ'S ATTACKER EXTRADITED TO TURKEY
[09] YILMAZ-MERAL MEETING
[10] TURKEY, FRANCE SIGN JOINT ANTITANK PRODUCTION DEAL
[11] GAZI NEIGHBOURHOOD VIOLENCE PROTESTED
[12] MIDDLE EAST JOURNALISTS IN ANKARA
[13] MINISTER OF CULTURE IN MOSTAR
[14] PKK ATTACK IN OSMANIYE
[15] TURKISH YACHT CONSTRUCTION SECTOR EMERGES AS RISING STAR
[01] PRIME MINISTER YILMAZ IN GEORGIA
During his contacts in Georgia, scheduled to begin today, Prime
Minister Mesut Yilmaz will dwell mainly on energy projects, including
the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline project, dams to be constructed on the Coruh
River and electricity imported to Turkey from Georgia. /Hurriyet/
[02] EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN DISPUTE OVER CYPRUS
The London European Conference has ended in a disagreement over
Cyprus. England and France differed in their opinions about meetings
with the Greek Cypriot Administration, one of the candidates for full
membership in the European Union. France suggested that the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) should also be represented in
meetings for membership, whereas England was close to the Greek thesis
that demands continuation of the membership process whether the TRNC
participates in the meetings or not. British Prime Minister Tony Blair
however sent encouraging messages to Turkey at the end of the
conference, saying that "Turkey knows that the gates of the European
Union are open to Turkey". French President Jacques Chirac told a press
conference that " Turkey misunderstood the results of the Luxembourg
summit. We are in favour of Turkey's presence in Europe." /Cumhuriyet/
77th ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL ANTHEM
Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin yesterday sent out a message
commemorating the 77th anniversary of Turkish national anthem, and said:
"The National anthem is the glorious epic of our nation and a source of
confidence for us. It represents our independence and loyalty to our
country." /Cumhuriyet/
[03] WORDS OF CAUTION FOR ARMENIA
President Suleyman Demirel has cautioned Armenia about the upcoming
elections there. Referring to the March 16 elections, Demirel said
yesterday that they could influence developments in the region for good
or bad and said he hoped that the new administration would approach
regional problems rationally and logically. "Armenia can be sure of
Turkey's support just so long as efforts are made to keep the situation
in the Caucasus under control" noted Demirel. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] SIMITIS TURNS DOWN SECOND PROPOSAL FROM ANKARA
Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis has turned down a second
proposal from Ankara to start direct talks to iron out differences
between Greece and Turkey. "Turkey's proposals are irrelevant regarding
the essence of the problems" Simitis told reporters in London yesterday,
the Anatolia news agency reported. He criticized Ankara for remaining
silent on Greek suggestions for a step-by-step approach, which proposed
that both sides should discuss the problem of the continental shelf as
an initial step, and then bring it before the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
[05] CENTRAL BANK FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES REACH $19.8 BILLION
Central Bank foreign exchange reserves have increased by $440
million and reached $19.862 billion. According to Central Bank data,
foreign exchange reserves stood at $19.422 billion on 27 February.
Turkey paid out $188 million in foreign debts via the Central Bank
between 2-11 March. The total foreign debt paid out since the beginning
of this year amounts to $2.450 billion. /Sabah-Milliyet/
[06] TURKEY-TRNC MEETINGS
During a meeting at the Foreign Ministry yesterday, views were
exchanged yesterday on an "Association Council Agreement" signed on
August 6, 1997, between Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC) by Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and TRNC Foreign
and Defense Minister Taner Etkin. Commenting on the agreement, Cem
said: "The duty of the Association Council is to bring closer the
relations between the two countries". TRNC Minister Etkin said, for his
part, that their doors were open to meetings and negotiations which
would resolve the Cyprus problem through good neigbourly relations based
on equal status between northern and southern Cyprus. /Milliyet/
[07] MILLER MEETS GUREL
US Special Coordinator for Cyprus, Thomas Miller, continued
yesterday with his contacts in Ankara. Miller had talks with State
Minister Sukru Sina Gurel, who is responsible for Europe and Cyprus, and
Foreign Ministry officials. Speaking after his meeting with the US
envoy, Gurel said that it had not been a meeting aimed at concrete
results, but rather had been an exchange of views. "We will continue to
share our views in the future" he said. Miller, for his part, said that
Gurel's approach to the issue had been "very constructive" and he
expressed a readiness to meet Gurel again.
Commenting on the deadlock in Cyprus, Miller stressed that both
sides should be realistic, but was pessimistic about any imminent final
solution. He also said that he had not conveyed any special message
from the US administration. /All papers/
[08] YILMAZ'S ATTACKER EXTRADITED TO TURKEY
Veysel Ozerdem, who attacked Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz in the
Hungarian capital of Budapest, has been brought back to Turkey. Brought
to Turkey by Hungarian policemen, Ozerdem was handed over to officials
of Istanbul's anti-terrorism branch of the Security Department. Ozerdem
refused to reply to journalists' questions. /All papers/
[09] YILMAZ-MERAL MEETING
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said yesterday that it was impossible
to give civil servants the right to strike and the right to collective
bargaining before individual rights were re-evaluated and a
constitutional amendment was formulated. He added that they would not
withdraw a draft bill on the issue, which is currently being discussed
in Parliament, and noted that neither his party no he himself had ever
defended the right to strike of civil servants.
Yilmaz received Chairman of the Confederation of Turkish Labour
Unions (Turk-Is) Bayram Meral, and members of the board of directors of
Turk-Is. Meral said that the aim of their visit was to have their
demands met by the government. /All papers/
[10] TURKEY, FRANCE SIGN JOINT ANTITANK PRODUCTION DEAL
In Ankara yesterday, Turkish Defense Ministry officials signed an
initial deal with the French Aerospatiale company, to jointly produce
short-range ERYX antitank missiles. Undersecretary of the Defense
Ministry Lt.gen.Yuncer Kilinc and Pierre Dubois of Aerospatiale signed
the agreement in the Defense Ministry in Ankara following a short
ceremony. The missile deal is worth $441 million and proposes the joint
production of the antitank missiles in facilities to be built in Turkey.
/Sabah/
[11] GAZI NEIGHBOURHOOD VIOLENCE PROTESTED
A crowd of 10,000 people, chanting anti-government slogans and
carrying huge banners, marched through an Istanbul neighbourhood
yesterday to protest the third anniversary of clashes between police and
Alewite Muslims. /All papers/
[12] MIDDLE EAST JOURNALISTS IN ANKARA
Journalists from a number of Middle Eastern countries including
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Oman
are in Ankara to learn more about Turkey's policies for the region. The
journalists are following developments in relations between Turkey and
the Middle Eastern countries, and have visited Istanbul and been taken
on a tour of the GAP southeastern Turkey development region. The
journalists have been briefed on the current situation by officials at
the Foreign Ministry. /Cumhuriyet/
[13] MINISTER OF CULTURE IN MOSTAR
Minister of Culture, Istemihan Talay, has visited the Mostar bridge
damaged during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bosnian Minister of
Education, Science, Culture and Sports Fahrudin Rizvanbegovic, and
Turkish Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina Mehmet Gorkay accompanied
Istemihan Talay during his visit. Talay said that the Turkish
government had contributed one million dollars for the reconstruction of
the historic bridge. /Sabah/
[14] PKK ATTACK IN OSMANIYE
PKK terrorists, trying to infiltrate into Turkey through northern
Iraq and short of food, have attacked homes in the villages Urun, Zorkun
and Kureci in the Osmaniye region. Osmaniye Mayor Umit Karahan said
that a wide ranging operation had been started to capture the
terrorists.
The "Spring Operation" being carried out in the southeast regions
by the Turkish Armed Forces is continuing to block the infiltration of
PKK terrorists in Turkey. General of the 2nd Command, Rasim Batum, said
that Turkish helicopters were flying over the region throughout the day
to ensure tight control. /Sabah/
[15] TURKISH YACHT CONSTRUCTION SECTOR EMERGES AS RISING STAR
According to Show Boat International, a leading international
yachting magazine, Turkish-made yachts are becoming more and more
popular. Last year demand for yachts produced in Turkey increased by
147 percent. The magazine ranked Turkey seventh in a list of leading
yacht producers. /Hurriyet/
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