|
|
Turkish Press Review, 96-05-10
From: TRKNWS-L <trh@aimnet.com>
CONTENTS
[01] YILMAZ RECEIVES RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS
[02] SOUTH KOREAN PM VISITS TURKEY
[03] TURKEY WILL ASK FOR POLITICAL SUPPORT FROM US
[04] DEMIREL WARNS RUSSIA
[05] JAVIER SOLANA TO VISIT TURKEY
[06] N.IRAQ CROSS-BORDER OPERATION ENDS
[07] TURKEY STRENGTHENS ITS PLACE IN THE WEU
[08] FOOTBALL DIPLOMACY FOR CYPRUS
[09] 'ETERNAL FRIENDSHIP AGREEMENT' GOES INTO EFFECT
[10] AUTOMOTIVE OUTPUT UP 9 % IN APRIL
[11] TURKISH INDUSTRY GREW 11.4 % IN MARCH
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
FRIDAY MAY 10, 1996
[01] YILMAZ RECEIVES RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz received yesterday a group of
Russian journalists visiting Turkey upon the official
invitation of State Minister Ali Talip Ozdemir. Touching
upon Greek and Syrian support for the PKK organization,
Yilmaz expressed his hopes that Russia would join the
countries trying to persuade Syria to abandon its policy of
support for terrorism. "I believe that Turco-Russian
relations will develop further", Yilmaz said and added that
gradually improving friendly relations between Turkey and
the Central Asian republics would have no negative
implications for Russia. The prime minister also commented
on the pipelines to carry Azeri oil and pointed out that
transporting the oil via pipelines was the most suitable
solution. He added that related disagreements could be
resolved at the round table. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] SOUTH KOREAN PM VISITS TURKEY
South Korean Prime Minister Lee Soo-Sung arrived yesterday
in Turkey at the official invitation of Prime Minister Mesut
Yilmaz. Contacts between the two prime ministers will be
directed at improving bilateral economic relations, and
regional and international issues will also be discussed.
Commenting on the visit of the South Korean prime minister,
some sources point out that former South Korean Foreign
Minister Han Sung-Joo was recently appointed UN Cyprus
Special Representative. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] TURKEY WILL ASK FOR POLITICAL SUPPORT FROM US
Turkey declared yesterday that it would look for alternative
ways for transporting Caspian oil via Turkey. "We have not
abandoned the Baku-Supsa pipeline" Foreign Ministry Deputy
Spokesman Nurettin Nurkan said in his weekly press
conference yesterday. "But if there is any delay or
reluctance on the realization of the Baku-Supsa route -which
we consider as an essential component of the Baku-Ceyhan
line- Turkey will use its own initiative to look at other
alternatives". He said that a possible alternative was
having talks with Georgia and Azerbaijan for the transit
rights of Azeri oil.
Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay will make a swift working
visit to Washington on May 19-22, to discuss, along with
Turco-Greek relations and Operation provideComfort, the oil
pipeline issue and ask for Washington's support on the
transportation of oil via Turkey. Gonensay will meet US
Secretary of Defence William Perry and Secretary of State
Warren Christopher.
Ankara has also started issuing strong measures on the
safety of the Bosphorus. "It is very clear that the safety
of the straits and Istanbul cannot be jeopardized" Spokesman
Nurkan said, adding Turkey was ready to make adjustments
regarding the safety of its territorial waters. Nurkan's
remarks indicate a pendingassessment in the Turkish Foreign
Ministry of further measures Turkey can use against the
large oil tankers which pass through the Bosphorus. "Turkey
knows its responsibilities within the framework of the
Montreux Convention" Nurkan assured. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] DEMIREL WARNS RUSSIA
Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, who was in Uzbekistan
for an official visit, said on Wednesday that the Turkish
straits could not be used to transport excessive amounts of
Caspian crude oil to international markets. "The party that
tries to increase the load on the straits excessively will
find its tankers stacking up at the entrance of these
straits" Demirel said. Turkey has been wary of an agreement
between Russia and Kazakhstan that threatens to dangerously
increase the oil tanker traffic in the Turkish straits.
"Turkey is not telling any country that it cannot use the
straits" Demirel said. But he added that the volume of
traffic that these waterways could handle was ultimately
limited. Demirel added that a pipeline running between Baku
in Azerbaijan and Ceyhan on Turkey's Mediterranean coast was
"a must" and said he he believed everyone would comearound
to realizing this eventually. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] JAVIER SOLANA TO VISIT TURKEY
Javier Solana, secretary-general of NATO, will at the end of
this month pay his first visit to Turkey since being
appointed to his position. He is expected to be in Ankara on
May 22. Officials in Ankara reportedly expect Solana to
concentrate on the problems between Turkey and Greece. It is
anticipated that the secretary-general will also refer to
confidence building measures in the Aegean during his
negotiations in Ankara. /All papers/
[06] N.IRAQ CROSS-BORDER OPERATION ENDS
The cross-border operation which Turkish forces launched
during their pursuit of militants of the PKK terrorist
organization ended yesterday morning. Officials said around
1,200 troops participated in the cross-border operation and
thatits targets had been achieved. Defence Minister Otlan
Sungurlu described the operation carried out against the PKK
as a "hot pursuit".
Replying to the reporters' questions during his weekly press
conference, Turkish Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman
Nurettin Nurkan said Turkey was determinedto ensure the
security of its borders. He said the cross-border operation
had been limited in scope, adding that it was out of the
question for Turkey to tolerate the existence of the PKK in
northern Iraq. Pointing out that Turkey's exercising its
right to hot pursuit should be viewed as natural, Nurkan
said the regrouping of terrorists who escape from clashes in
Turkey in border regions in northern Iraq could not be
accepted. He emphasized that the Turkish Armed Forces'
operations were not aimed at civilian targets and refuted
reports that civilians in northern Iraq had suffered losses.
He stressed that there were no settlements in the areas
where the operations were carried out. /Hurriyet/
[07] TURKEY STRENGTHENS ITS PLACE IN THE WEU
Turkish Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay who has been in
London for the Ministerial meeting of the Western European
Union(WEU), said that Turkey would strengthen its place in
the WEU through "Joint Mission Force" between the WEU and
NATO and he added that Turkey would be a de facto full
member of the union. /Hurriyet/
[08] FOOTBALL DIPLOMACY FOR CYPRUS
In an effort to ease tension between the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot communities,
International Football Federation, FIFA, plans to organize
football matches between teams of the two seperate states in
the island.
FIFA officials said that the matches between Turkish and
Greek Cypriots teams would be on a friendly competition
basis. /Milliyet/
[09] 'ETERNAL FRIENDSHIP AGREEMENT' GOES INTO EFFECT
Turkey and Uzbekistan, who signed an Eternal Friendship and
Cooperation Agreement, have promised that they will not let
their territories be used for attacksagainst each other. The
agreement also stated that cooperation between the
twocountries will be developed by multi-lateral support
against threats aimed at their independence, sovereignty and
territorial integrity. It was noted that the agreement was
not against a third party. The agreement foresees the
development and cooperation based on historical and cultural
ties between Turkey and Uzbekistan.
After completing his official contacts in Uzbekistan
yesterday, President Demirel will depart from Turkey on
Sunday for Iran and then Turkmenistan. Foreign Ministry
Deputy Spokesman Nurettin Nurkan said in his weekly press
conference yesterday that Demirel would attend an opening
ceremony of a railway connection in Meshed, Iran on Sunday
and Monday and on Tuesday and Wednesday participate inthe
fourth summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)
in the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashkabad. /Cumhuriyet/
[10] AUTOMOTIVE OUTPUT UP 9 % IN APRIL
Turkey's automotive output rose nine percent last month to
27,900 units from 25,602 in April 1995, the Association of
Turkish Automotive Industry (OSD) said yesterday. OSD said
motor vehicle production reached 100,352 in the first four
months of 1996, up 13 % over the same 1995 period. The four-
month output included 68,602 cars, up three repcent from
January-April 1995, followed by 14,813 tractors, up 48 %
from a year ago. In January-April, production of trucks
increased 57 % to 7,062, pick-ups up 20 % to 4,986 and
minibuses up 38 % to 2,791, compared with the same 1995
period. OSD said bus production surged 231 % to 791
inJanuary-April due to a rise in exports. Turkey's
automotive output rose 20 % in 1995 to 319,498, including
233,414 passenger cars, up 10 % from 1994. Last year's
imports were 34,930 motor vehicles, including 21,652 cars.
/All papers/
[11] TURKISH INDUSTRY GREW 11.4 % IN MARCH
Turkey's industrial output rose 11.4 % in March compared to
a 1.8 % decline inthe same 1995 month, the State Institute
of Statistics said yesterday. It saidthe industrial
production grew 8.5 % in the first quarter after a 4.2 %
fall in the same 1995 period. The manufacturing industry
recorded 10.6 % growth in March and 7.9 % in the first three
months, compared to contractions of 2.6 % and 5.8 % in the
respective periods of 1995. Mining sector output rose by
2.9% and energy sector grew by 19.2 % in March, it said.
/All papers/
|