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Turkish Press Review, 98-03-11
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
11.03.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] NEW BOMB ATTACK ON POLICE STATION
[02] CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND ECEVIT DISCUSS TURKISH ECONOMY
[03] ARMENIAN PATRIARCH KAREKIN II DIES
[04] SEZGIN VISITS EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
[05] CYPRUS DEADLOCK
[06] ROTH: "YILMAZ WAS PARTIALLY RIGHT ABOUT GERMANY"
[07] TUSIAD DELEGATION TO VISIT BRUSSELS
[08] ALATON WANTS TO MEET MANDELA
[09] TURCO-GERMAN VISIT CRISIS
[10] 104 IRAQI REFUGEES CAUGHT
[11] EU WAITS LIKE "AN ABANDONED BRIDE"
[12] SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN BURSA
[13] TURKISH-TUNISIAN EIGHTH JEC MEETING
[14] TURKEY-ALBANIA RELATIONS
[15] COOPERATION AGAINST CUSTOMS CRIMES
[16] AMERICAN INTEREST IN TURKISH TELECOM
[17] TURKISH TEXTILES IN MOSCOW
[01] NEW BOMB ATTACK ON POLICE STATION
A bomb exploded in the garden of an empty house next to the
Kucukyali Police Station in Maltepe Tuesday morning about 7:45 a.m. No
one was injured although some of the police station's windows were
broken. As yet no one has been identified with the bomb attack. After
the bombers escaped from the scene, two suspicious packages were
discovered near the police station. Bomb squad experts were called in
to investigate; one package was blown up and the other did not contain
explosives. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND ECEVIT DISCUSS TURKISH ECONOMY
Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister Bulent Ecevit came
together with the representatives of the Ankara Chambers of Commerce
(ATO) yesterday noon at the headquarters of the Prime Ministry. Ecevit
said that he believed that the Turkish people would overcome social and
economic burdens.
ATO Chairman Sinan Aygun and ATO Board Chairman Yuksel Tavsan said
that they apprecaited Ecevit for his balancing role in Turkey's current
political spectrum, as events around Turkey such as in the Balkans, the
Caucasus and Iraq prove the country's importance. In addition to its
political role, they said the city of Ankara is significant in
maintaining an economic balance in central Anatolia and demanded an
increase of investments in Ankara, which would affect the economy of all
of central Anatolia. They also asked for an increase in the authority
of local administrations, an issue which is on the Parliamentary agenda.
/Hurriyet/
[03] ARMENIAN PATRIARCH KAREKIN II DIES
Armenian Church Patriarch Karekin II passed away yesterday
afternoon after a lengthy illness, the Patriarchate said. The
71-year-old patriarch was being treated at the Yedikule Surp Pirgic
Armenian Hospital. The Patriarchate said that funeral services for
Patriarch Karekin will take place at the Patriarchate Church of the
Virgin Mary on Sunday at 10 a.m. and that he will be buried in the
patriarch's section of Sisli Armenian Cemetery. The Patriarchate
announced a period of mourning until April 11. It said elections to
replace the patriarch would begin on April 14, following Easter. /All
papers/
[04] SEZGIN VISITS EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ismet Sezgin will go to
Brussels on March 12 in order to join a North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) headquarters meeting on March 13 and watch the
"Strong Resolve-98" maneuvers to be held in Norway and Portugal with the
participation of 15 NATO countries and 10 countries from the Partnership
For Peace (PFP).
[05] CYPRUS DEADLOCK
President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf
Denktas told a US envoy yesterday that the TRNC must receive official
recognition before talks to reunify the island can restart. "You cannot
get anywhere when you treat only one side as the legal government of the
whole of Cyprus" Denktas told reporters after a two-hour meeting with
Thomas Miller, the US State Department's special coordinator for Cyprus.
Miller is also scheduled to hold talks in Athens and Ankara.
After meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis in Athens,
Greek Cypriot Leader Glafkos Klerides said that they wanted Turkish
Cypriots to participate in the Greek Cypriot delegation that one-sidely
will hold accession talks under the name of the "Cypriot government".
Klerides will leave Athens for London to attend Thursday's European
Conference forming a discussion platform for the EU's enlargement
process. Turkey, although invited, has refused to attend. /All papers/
[06] ROTH: "YILMAZ WAS PARTIALLY RIGHT ABOUT GERMANY"
European Parliament Greens leader Claudia Roth said that Turkish
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz was partially right in his remarks comparing
Bonn's approach to EU expansion with Adolf Hitler's "Lebensraum" plans
for the German settlement of eastern Europe. The German deputy said
that Yilmaz had entertained high expectations from German Chancellor
Helmut Kohl, with whom he shared similar ideals, but was deeply
disappointed when these expectations were not fulfilled by Kohl.
/Milliyet/
[07] TUSIAD DELEGATION TO VISIT BRUSSELS
Members of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Turkish
Businessmen's and Industrialists' Association (TUSIAD) will go to
Brussels today. Commission members will meet with officials of the
European Investment Bank and Mr.Linden, Head of the North Mediterranean
Department of the European Union (EU) Commission and will discuss
matters of financial cooperation with the EU and the Customs Union.
/Sabah/
[08] ALATON WANTS TO MEET MANDELA
Ishak Alaton, recently appointed as South Africa's honorary
consulate to Istanbul, is planning to meet President of South Africa,
Nelson Mandela next month.
Speaking about his upcoming visit to that country, Alaton said that
he was chosen for honorary consulate by the South African Foreign
Ministry out of 40 candidates. He also noted that he has refused two
other countries hoping to appoint him as their honorary consulate
because they demand visa from Turkish citizens. Alaton is waiting for
President Demirel's approval prior to taking up his honorary post.
/Milliyet/
[09] TURCO-GERMAN VISIT CRISIS
Following Labour Minister Nami Cagan's decision to postpone his
visit to Bonn, Germany hs made a statement saying that Minister Cagan
was scheduled to have a lunch with German Labour Minister Norbers Bluem
and then both officials were to have participated in bilateral talks.
German officials said that the programme was drafted in line with the
demands of both ministers and added that Turkish reactions to the
programme were "difficult to understand". Minister Bluem stressed that
he will be pleased to welcome his Turkish counterpart in Bonn next week
and to discuss with him steps for improving bilateral cooperation.
/Sabah/
[10] 104 IRAQI REFUGEES CAUGHT
94 Iraqi refugees who entered Turkey illegally and were to be
smuggled to Italy were apprehended by the security forces yesterday.
Another 10Iraqi asylum-seekers have been caught in the eastern province
of Van. The refugees will be sent back to Iraq. /Sabah/
[11] EU WAITS LIKE "AN ABANDONED BRIDE"
The Independent, a leading British daily newspaper, said that
Turkey's decision not to attend the European Conference beginning
tomorrow in London has destroyed the meaning of the meeting that will
bring together 26 European leaders. The paper compared British Queen
Elizabeth and Prime Minister Tony Blair as waiting in vain for Turkish
representatives to participate in a meeting of "abandoned brides waiting
for their grooms." /Cumhuriyet/
[12] SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN BURSA
The "Sixth General Assembly of the Turkish-Speaking Republics and
Communities" organized for the improvement of friendship, brotherhood
and cooperation among the Turkish-Speaking Republics and Communities,
will take place this year in Bursa on March 20-22, the Anatolia news
agency reported.
[13] TURKISH-TUNISIAN EIGHTH JEC MEETING
Husamettin Ozkan, Minister of State, said that the private sector
and businessmen were also responsible for increasing trade volume
between Turkey and Tunisia, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Addressing the Turkish-Tunisian Eighth Joint Economic Commission (JEC)
Meeting at the Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade, Ozkan said that the
meeting would open a new era for the further improvement of existing
relations.
Said Ben Mustafa, Tunisian Foreign Minister, said that they wanted
to be in accord and were trying to set up more productive cooperation
with Turkey. Mustafa and an accompanying delegation are expected to be
received by President Suleyman Demirel. The JEC meetings started on
Monday between the Turkish and Tunisian delegations ended yesterday with
a protocol.
[14] TURKEY-ALBANIA RELATIONS
Musa Ulgini, Chairman of the Albanian Parliament's Media
Commission, and Wili Minarolli, Deputy Chairman of the Media Commission,
will come to Ankara on March 11 to hold several official contacts, the
Anatolia news agency reported. Musa Ulgini and Wili Minarolli will meet
with Parliamentary deputies who have worked as journalists, and Mikail
Korkmaz, Chairman of the Turkish-Albanian Interparliamentary Friendship
Group and the members of the Group.
Ulgini and Minarolli will be received by Deputy Parliament Speaker
Uluc Gurkan and will be briefed on the activities of Parliament TV.
[15] COOPERATION AGAINST CUSTOMS CRIMES
The customs administrations of Turkey and Turkmenistan will
cooperate for the prevention of customs crimes. An agreement regarding
mutual assistance between the customs administrations of Turkey and
Turkmenistan was published in the Official Gazette yesterday. The two
countries will help each other prevent customs crimes. /Hurriyet/
[16] AMERICAN INTEREST IN TURKISH TELECOM
It is reported that American companies are interested in Turkish
Telecommunications A.S., which is likely to be privatized within this
year. According to information received from Turkish
Telecommunications' representatives, who came together with US
Telecommunications' representatives at the end of February and the
beginning of March, many American companies are interested in Turkish
Telecom developments. /Hurriyet/
[17] TURKISH TEXTILES IN MOSCOW
35 Turkish member companies of the Istanbul Textile Ready-to-Wear
Exporters' Union (ITKIB) will participate in a Russian Fashion Fair to
be held in Moscow on 16-19 March. /Hurriyet/
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