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Turkish Press Review, 97-04-17
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
CONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL SENDS CONDOLENCES
[02] TURKEY-EU JOINT COMMISSION MEETING
[03] TURKEY MAY REVIEW EURO-MED PROCESS
[04] WARM WINDS BLOW BETWEEN TURKEY AND GREECE
[05] TURKEY REPEATS CALL FOR DIALOGUE WITH GREECE
[06] GENERAL KARADAYI MEETS GREEK COUNTERPART
[07] US CRITICISES GREEK INVITATION FOR PKK LEADER
[08] KANDEMIR CRITICIZES WEST
[09] GEN.COREKCI TO VISIT US
[10] TERRORISTS RENDERED INEFFECTIVE
[11] APPOINTMENT WITH IMF IN SIX MONTHS
[12] NEW BRITISH AMBASSADOR RECEIVED BY DEMIREL
[13] TURKEY CLOSES EMBASSY IN ZAIRE
[14] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT ALIYEV TO VISIT TURKEY IN MAY
[15] MESSAGE TO EU FROM TUSIAD
[16] RUSSIAN ENERGY GIANTS TO MEET IN ISTANBUL
[17] TURKEY RECOVERS STATE ARCHIVES FROM BULGARIA
[18] NEW TRAFFIC LAW REDUCES ACCIDENTS
[19] INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT PROJECT OLYMPIAD ON MAY 3
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
APRIL 17, 1997
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this
morning.
[01] DEMIREL SENDS CONDOLENCES
President Demirel sent messages of condolence to Bangladesh, Pakýstan
and India because citizens of these countries were victims of
Tuesday's fire in a tent city for pilgrims near the holy city of
Mecca. Over 200 pilgrims perished in the blaze and the ensuing
stampede, and more than 1,000 were injured. Demirel also sent a
message to Saudi Arabia's King Faht expressing his deep sorrow over
the tragedy. /Sabah/
[02] TURKEY-EU JOINT COMMISSION MEETING
The Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission's 40th meeting ended
yesterday with the approval of two draft proposals. One of the
proposals is that Turkey "be evaluated equally to other candidate
countries" in the process of EU enlargement, and the other draft
suggests abolishing visa requirements for businessmen and children
under 16 crossing into EU countries. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] TURKEY MAY REVIEW EURO-MED PROCESS
State Minister Ufuk Soylemez who is representing Turkey in Malta said
if discrimination continues over the Mediterranean Development Fund
(MEDA), Turkey would review its whole participation in the Euro-Med
process. "Turkey has fulfilled its obligations under the customs
union, but for reasons unrelated to the customs union or the Euro-Med
processes, it cannot utilize them despite promises. This is clearly
discrimination," Soylemez said. He added that Turkey supported the
establishment of a free trade area between Europe and the
Mediterranean by the year 2010. /Sabah/
[04] WARM WINDS BLOW BETWEEN TURKEY AND GREECE
During talks in Malta, Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Onur
Oymen and Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yorgo Papandreu prospects for
bilateral discussions on Turco-Greek diagreements between specialists
from the two countries were taken in hand. Following his meeting with
the Greek official, Oymen gave details about the meeting to Dutch
Foreign Minister Hans Van Mierlo, who is at the same time EU Term
President. Later, in a speech at the Mediterranean Conference Van
Mierlo said that the Oymen-Papandreu meeting was an important move
towards solving Turco-Greek disagreements.
In the same connection, Greek Foreign Minister Thodoros Pangalos
announced yesterday that Greece will lift its objections to the sale
of Turkish agricultural goods on the EU market and invited Greek
businessmen to cooperate with Turkish entrepreneurs. /Sabah,
Milliyet/
[05] TURKEY REPEATS CALL FOR DIALOGUE WITH GREECE
Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel on Wednesday said Turkey
was pleased that Greece had lifted its veto on Turkey's participation
in the WEU decision-making process. "We hope all the vetoes in
international organizations in which Turkey and Greece are members
will be lifted and that a dialogue begins between Turkey and Greece,"
Akbel said.
[06] GENERAL KARADAYI MEETS GREEK COUNTERPART
As Greece continues to lift the obstacles it had placed before Turkey
at the EU, high level contacts between the two countries are also
intensifying. Chief of the General Staff, General Ismail Hakki
Karadayi, will come together with his Greek counterpart Tzoganiz
during a visit to Brussel on April 27-28. Observers view this meeting
as a milestone in the rapprochement of the two countries. /Sabah/
[07] US CRITICISES GREEK INVITATION FOR PKK LEADER
Referring to attempts by Greek deputies to invite PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan to Athens, US Spokesman Nicholas Burns said that such
initiatives to legalize outlawed terrorist organizations were
unacceptable. According to observers in Washington, nationalist
groups in Athens, uneasy about the improvements in Turco-Greek
relations, are using the PKK trump to abort the fragile raprochment
process that strarted between the two neighbour Balkan countries.
/Sabah/
[08] KANDEMIR CRITICIZES WEST
Turkish Ambassador to Washington, Nuzhet Kandemir, delivered a speech
at the "National Committee on American Foreign Policy" Institute in
New York two days ago and criticized Europe's silence regarding arson
attacks against Turkish families in Germany. Kandemir said that since
Germany has been pressing second generation Turkish children to become
German citizens, this was a violation of human rights.
Also criticizing US policy towards Turkey, Ambassador Kandemir stated
that it was a great mistake to permit the activities of pro-PKK
terrorist organizations such as AKIN and the Kurdish Institute.
Kandemir further criticized Washington for not sending frigates to
Turkey as promised. /Sabah/
[09] GEN.COREKCI TO VISIT US
Air Forces Commander Gen.Ahmet Corekci will go to the US next week to
attend a meeting of NATO Air Forces Commanders. A statement issued by
the Turkish Air Forces Office yesterday said that Gen.Corekci will
visit the US between 21-30 April as the official guest of US Air
Forces Commander Gen.Ronald Fogleman and will participate in the 50th
foundation anniversary ceremonies of the US Air Forces and also in a
conference of World Air Forces Commanders. /Milliyet/
[10] TERRORISTS RENDERED INEFFECTIVE
It is reported that during operations carried out by the Turkish Armed
Forces on 14-15 April 1997 in the rural area of Tunceli, 47 militants
who were about to carry out terrorist activities before and during the
Feast of Sacrifice have been rendered ineffective. According to the
General Secretariat of the General Staff, operations launched against
the PKK terrorist organization by security forces in April were
continuing despite the cold weather. These operations have been
especially intensified in the provinces of Tunceli, Bingol and Sirnak.
/Sabah/
[11] APPOINTMENT WITH IMF IN SIX MONTHS
Sabah daily newspaper reports that a possibility has emerged for the
visiting IMF delegation to return to Ankara in six months to sound out
conditions for a financial accord if the government shows the
necessary political will. Political aspects have been added to a
report on Turkey prepared by the IMF. Economic details from the
report were revealed during a recent meeting of the delegation with
Ciller. The report will be taken up by the IMF Board of Directors.
[12] NEW BRITISH AMBASSADOR RECEIVED BY DEMIREL
Britain's newly appointed ambassador to Ankara, David Logan, presented
his letter of credentials to President Suleyman Demirel on Wednesday.
At the presentation Logan told Demirel in Turkish "It is an honour for
me to visit Turkey" and said that he would exert efforts to improve
liaisons. Demirel congratulated Logan on his new post. /All papers/
[13] TURKEY CLOSES EMBASSY IN ZAIRE
Turkey has decided to close temporarily its embassy in Zaire because
of turmoil in the capital Kinshasa, Turkish Foreign Ministry Spoksman
Omer Akbel said on Wednesday at a weekly press conference. The
families of Turkish personnel in Zaire have already returned home, and
the remainder of the staff will arrive on April 20. /Cumhuriyet/
[14] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT ALIYEV TO VISIT TURKEY IN MAY
Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev's postponed visit to Turkey will
now take place on May 5-8, Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer
Akbel said on Wednesday at a weekly press conference. Aliyev's visit
was originlly scheduled for April, but postponed due to the death of
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Alparslan Turkes. /All
papers/
[15] MESSAGE TO EU FROM TUSIAD
The Association of Turkish Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSIAD) has
sent a message to the European Union (EU) proposing that the EU should
look to the years ahead, and plan for more cooperation with Turkey.
A TUSIAD delegation headed by Muharrem Kayhan has been in contact with
the EU Foreign Relations Commission and declared that both sides
should plan ahead for tomorrow rather than be restricted to the
problems of today. /Hurriyet/
[16] RUSSIAN ENERGY GIANTS TO MEET IN ISTANBUL
A Black Sea Business Conference organized by the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation (BSEC) and Foreign Economic Relations Council (DEIK) will
be held in Istanbul on 28-30 April. Chairman of the Lukoil firm, the
biggest oil producer of Russia, Vahit Alekperov, Chairman of Gazprom,
a gas firm, Rem Vyakhirev, will participate in the conference.
Georgian Head of State Eduard Shevardnadze is also expected to attend
the conference during which Caspian oil and Turkmen natural gas will
be discussed. /Hurriyet/
[17] TURKEY RECOVERS STATE ARCHIVES FROM BULGARIA
Turkey has recovered 70 percent of roughly two-and-a-half million
17-19th century Ottoman period archives from Bulgaria, the Anatolia
news agency reported. The Ottoman documents were sold to Bulgaria in
the early years of the Turkish Republic to a paper factory in Bulgaria
as scrap paper.
[18] NEW TRAFFIC LAW REDUCES ACCIDENTS
The new traffic law has been effective in reducing the number of
accidents following its implementation on January 1, 1997, Traffic
Department officials said. Statistics showed that there was a 19
percent decrease in traffic accidents and a 33 percent decrease in
injuries in the first three months of 1997, compared to the same
period in 1996. /Anatolia news agency/
[19] INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT PROJECT OLYMPIAD ON MAY 3
The Fifth Environmental Project Olympiade will take place in Istanbul
on May 3 and 4. High school and secondary school students from 20
counries will compete at the Olympiade with scientific, economic and
contemporary projects. /All papers/
NOTE: Because of the religious festival of sacrifice, the Turkish
Press Review will not be published again until Thursday, April 24.
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