TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (June 7, 1995)
Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (June 7, 1995)
CONTENTS
[01] SLOVENE PRESIDENT IN TURKEY
[02] TURKEY STALLS GREEK ACCESS TO BLACK SEA ASSEMBLY
[03] AKYOL URGES RESUMPTION OF ECONOMIC RELATIONS WITH IRAQ
[04] FM INONU IN BRUSSELS
[05] TURKEY INFORMS UN OF INTENT TO JOIN BOSNIA FORCE
[06] TURKEY, ALBANIA START NAVAL EXERCISE
[07] NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL CONVENES ON JUNE 9
[08] US CYPRUS COORDINATOR ON THE MOVE IN EUROPE
[09] TURKISH-IRAQI BORDER SECURITY
[10] FIFTEEN MILITANTS KILLED
[11] PRESS AND INFORMATION DIRECTORATE CELEBRATES ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY
[12] TURKEY'S AUTO INDUSTRY INVESTMENTS SOARED 39.8 % LAST YEAR
[13] THE US CAUTIONS TURKEY ON TERRORISM
[14] HOPE OF CONCILIATION IN CYPRUS, ACCORDING TO THE UN
[15] $500 MILLION FINANCING FOR THE BAKU-YUMURTALIK OIL PIPELINE
[16] ATHENS OBSESSION WITH TURKEY
[17] CILLER GOES TO THE WESTERN EUROPEAN UNION (WEU) MEETING
[18] BULGARIAN RACISTS RAZE TURKISH DWELLINGS
[19] GERMANY AT LAST REALIZES THE TRUTH
WITH THE COMPLIMENT OF
DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
JUNE 7, 1995
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish
press this morning.
[01] SLOVENE PRESIDENT IN TURKEY
Slovene President Milan Kucan was welcomed with an official
ceremony at the Cankaya Presidential Palace by President
Suleyman Demirel yesterday. Turkish Parliament Speaker
Husamettin Cindoruk, President of the Constitutional Court
Yekta Gungor Ozden and state ministers Onur Kumbaracibasi
and Sukru Erdem were also present. Pointing out that both
countries had the political will to strengthen bilateral
relations and cooperate on regional issues, Demirel said:
"Our two countries can play a major role in the
reestablishment of peace and stability in the region and
actively contribute to international efforts to bring peace
and stability to the former Yugoslavia. Turkey and Slovenia
have a similar approach toward peace and stability".
Recalling that Turkey was the first country which recognized
Slovenia, Demirel stated that the last stage had been
reached for the agreements on protection and encouragement
of the investments, prevention of double taxation, and
friendship and trade between the two countries. Noting that
Slovenia shared the same views with Turkey on the Bosnia-
Herzegovina issue, Kucan said: "The events in
Bosnia-Herzegovina prove that there is no effective security
mechanism in Europe". At the meeting with Kucan, Cindoruk
stressed that as Slovenia was located in this "disturbed"
region, Kucan was better placed to talk about the problems
of the region. Later, Kucan met with Prime Minister Tansu
Ciller. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] TURKEY STALLS GREEK ACCESS TO BLACK SEA ASSEMBLY
Turkey yesterday stalled Greece's request to become a member
of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly
(BSECPA) by vetoing it at the permanent committee level. A
decision for Greek accession failed to pass in the permanent
committee, which had met in Moscow to determine the agenda
of the 5th BSECPA general meeting, when Turkey, backed by
Azerbaijan, rejected Greece's participation. Any decision
in the permanent committee requires a permanent consensus.
Even though Greece is a member of the BSEC, it is not
represented at the BSECPA. If Greece fails to overcome
Turkey's veto, it will have to attend the BSECPA meeting as
an observer. Ibrahim Artvinli, the head of the Turkish
delegation, said that Turkey could not understand the Greek
motive to apply suddenly to the BSECPA, when it had rejected
Turkish invitations twice before. "What we are asking for
is simply sometime to enlighten the situation" Atrvinli
said. Stating that the BSECPA desired peace and stability
in the region, Artvinli expressed Turkey's reaction against
the Chechen war. Recalling that many civilians had been
killed during the war, he added that Turkey supported a
peaceful solution to the problem, and called upon BSECPA
members to evince sensitivity on the matter.
/Hurriyet-Milliyet/
[03] AKYOL URGES RESUMPTION OF ECONOMIC RELATIONS WITH IRAQ
Industry Minister Hasan Akyol said yesterday that Turkey
should resume economic, industrial and commercial ties with
its southeastern neighbour Iraq. Meeting a visiting
parliamentary delegation from Iraq, Akyol said Turkey had
lost over $20 billion during the past five years because of
the stoppage of trade with Baghdad. Safaa al-Omar, head of
the Iraqi Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission, said he
hoped his visit would contribute to the improvement of
Turkish- Iraqi relations. Turkish officials said the case
of a dormant Iraqi-Turkish pipeline, which once carried oil
from the Kirkuk oil centre in Iraq to Turkey's Mediterranean
port of Yumurtalik, was discussed at the meeting. Ankara
now says the oil trapped in the pipeline in must be flushed
in order to avoid corrosion. To date, Iraq has rejected UN
proposals to export a limited amount of oil through the
Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline, calling for a complete lifting
of the economic embargo.
[04] FM INONU IN BRUSSELS
Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu arrived in Brussels yesterday.
"The democratic reform will be considered in Parliament
shortly and I will speak in Brussels of the positive results
soon to be expected from this activity" Inonu told
journalists before his departure. However, he added that
democratization was "a process" that would take some time.
"We are taking steps to democratize regardless of who wants
it and who does not want it because our own people and
electorate want to see it happen" Inonu said. On the eve of
his planned meetings with leaders of the European
Parliament, Inonu refrained from hard criticism of the body,
which is to vote on the Turco-EU customs union. "Turkey has
to maintain good ties with the EP, which is one of the most
important institutions of the EU. The EP is committed to
democracy" he said. He added that it was important for
Turkey to explain its own commitment to democracy to the EP.
Inonu met with former Belgian Prime Minister and European
Christian Democrat Group Chairman Wilfried Martens and the
member responsible for the EU Commission's foreign affairs,
Hans Van Den Broek. Inonu said: "At both meetings, I
talked about our efforts to enter the customs union at the
specified time. I also learned their expectations. Now,
here we are at a hopeful point. We are waiting for a
positive decision in the EP following the agreements on
March 6". /Cumhuriyet/
[05] TURKEY INFORMS UN OF INTENT TO JOIN BOSNIA FORCE
Turkey has officially informed the UN of its intention to
contribute troops and equipment to an international rapid
reaction force designed to be deployed in Bosnia. Turkish
Ambassador to the UN, Inal Batu, told a meeting on Bosnia at
the UN headquarters that Turkey was ready to take part in
the air and ground elements of the force. However, the
NATO-planned rapid reaction force's establishment is at
stake as UN Security Council member Russia threatens to veto
a resolution for the force's mandate. In his speech, Batu
also criticized current UN policies on Bosnia, saying the
UN, in line with a hypothetical pretext of impartiality, was
approaching the Serb aggressors and the Bosnian victims as
if there was no difference between them. Unal also said
that heavy weaponry of the Serbs collected by the UN should
be destroyed. /Hurriyet/
[06] TURKEY, ALBANIA START NAVAL EXERCISE
Turkish and Albanian warships yesterday started a joint
exercise in the Adriatic, Turkish General Staff Headquarters
announced. Turkish Frigate TCG Ege will participate
alongside two corvettes, two patrol boats and four
mine-sweepers from the Albanian navy in the four-day
exercise Marex-1/95 to be conducted off the port of Durres,
the headquarters said in a press release. The drills will
include naval warfare as well as fire fighting and damage
control, according to the annoucement. Turkish Navy
Commander Adm.Vural Beyazit and the Albanian Chief of
General Staff will reportedly observe the exercise.
[07] NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL CONVENES ON JUNE 9
The National Security Council will convene on June 9 to
discuss the extension of the mandate of the Operation
Provide Comfort and the duration of emergency rule. The
Council is expected to recommend the extension of the
mandate of Operation Provide Comfort for a further six
months starting from June 30.
[08] US CYPRUS COORDINATOR ON THE MOVE IN EUROPE
James Williams, the US coordinator for Cyprus, headed for
Europe to take part in meetings in Paris, Bonn and Brussles
on the Cyprus issue. Williams is expected to return to
Washington D.C. by the weekend. /Cumhuriyet/
[09] TURKISH-IRAQI BORDER SECURITY
Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) aims to secure the
Turkish-Iraqi border region by region. IKDP resources gave
information to the Anatolia news agency stating that
attaining full security in some parts of the border was
impossible at this level as the present villages were fully
vacated and also due to the natural terrain of the region.
/Cumhuriyet/
[10] FIFTEEN MILITANTS KILLED
Fifteen militants of the PKK terrorist organization and a
security official were killed in clashes in the Southeast.
Officials from the State of Emergency said that the fifteen
militants were killed in Hakkari's Cukurca district. In
addition, five automatic guns, one bazooka, 12 hand
grenades, five mines and a stock of bullets were confiscated
during the military operations in the region, officials
said, adding that a total of 33 militants had been killed
there in the last seven days. /Sabah/
[11] PRESS AND INFORMATION DIRECTORATE CELEBRATES ITS 75TH
ANNIVERSARY
The Press and Information Directorate of Prime Ministry
celebrates the 75th anniversary of its foundation. In a
message, given on the occasion, State Minister Baki Atac
said the directorate, which was established on the orders of
Ataturk, had played a pivotal role in publishing and
broadcasting spheres in Turkey. He said there was much
pride in the Press and Information Directorate's many years
of service for the benefit of the Turkish public. /All
papers/
[12] TURKEY'S AUTO INDUSTRY INVESTMENTS SOARED 39.8 % LAST YEAR
Total investment in the Turkish automotive industry
increased to $706 million last year, a significant rise of
39.8 % from $505 million in 1993. The Automotive
Industrialists' Association (OSD) said in a comprehensive
report that the most important change in the sector were
increased investments in capacity and modernization. /All
papers/
[13] THE US CAUTIONS TURKEY ON TERRORISM
The US Global Terrorism report has for the first time given
space to fundamentalist movements in Turkey. The report
states that extremist Islamic groups organize attacks on
secular state institutions. As an example, it cites the
Islamic Movement Organization and the IBDA-C which were
implicated in the assasination of writer columnist Ugur
Mumcu. The report goes on to state that the PKK also poses
a threat to US interests. The terrorist organization in its
campaign to set up a state resort to international
terrorism. The Revolutionary Left too is a threat to US
interests in Turkey. The connections between terrorist
organizations, drug trafficking and weapons smuggling is one
that is causing great concern in the world. During 12
international conferences covering security in the period
1992-1995, it has been pointed out that the PKK was engaged
in drug trafficking. In an operation undertaken in
Bahcelievler, Istanbul, a PKK courier was caught with 35
klgs of raw morphine in his possession. The drugs were for
sale to secure financial support for the PKK. Five persons
were apprehended in connection with the morphine. Th report
also refers to the presence of ERNK, the political wing of
the PKK in Europe, which is being supported by some
countries on the continent. /Cumhuriyet/
[14] HOPE OF CONCILIATION IN CYPRUS, ACCORDING TO THE UN
Joe Clark, Special Envoy of UN Secretary-General Boutros
Ghali for Cyprus said that there was a hope for conciliation
on the island based on the Greek sectors membership to the
EU in return for recognition of the sovereignty of the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He added that for this
to materialize, the EU should hold contacts with the Turkish
side. The formula of "sovereignty against EU membership"
was claimed to be the agenda of the secret consultations
held in London last month. In his briefing given to the
Security Council members on Cyprus, Clark stated that he
thought that direct negotiations between the leaders of the
two communities would be beneficial and he noted that TRNC
President Rauf Denktas and Greek Cypriot leader Glafkos
Klerides had put forward interesting ideas during their
meeting in October. Clark said that despite the declaration
of the Greek Cypriot leader to the effect that they would
accept the sovereignty right of the TRNC in return for EU
membership, Turks were worried on the subject of Greek EU
membership. Clark said: "But these are not problems which
cannot be overcome. The EU should hold contacts with the
Turkish government on Cyprus and should try to find a
solution." The US Administration has also taken initiatives
to have Denktas and Klerides come together again.
/Hurriyet/
[15] $500 MILLION FINANCING FOR THE BAKU-YUMURTALIK OIL PIPELINE
The first serious initiative has been undertaken in regard
to the envisaged oil pipeline that is planning to transit
Azeri petroleum to international markets via Turkey and the
respective financing agreement for the pipeline has been
signed in New York. The agreement has been signed between
the Oil Capital Inc. which has its headquarters in New
York, and the Austrian Steyr Daimler Punch and the Siemens
concern. The 500 million dollars made available by the
financing agreement will be used in purchasing the necessary
construction materials for the oil pipeline that will extend
from the Caspian Sea to Mediterrannean. An official from
the American company reported that the oil pipeline will
have a pumping capacity of 700,000 barrels per day and it
will be the first serious alternative to the Russian
pipeline system which is inefficient with its limited tanker
capacity in the Black Sea. On the other hand, the
consortium that consists of Russia, Bulgaria and Greece
plans to carry oil from the Novorrossisk harbour in the
Black Sea to the Burgaz harbour of Bulgaria with tankers and
to bring the oil to the Mediterranean through Greece.
/Sabah/
[16] ATHENS OBSESSION WITH TURKEY
The US State Department has reported that Greece's Balkans
policy has been mainly formed on the basis of "traditional
fear of Turks". The report goes on to state that Greece
considers herself in a more dangeraous situation following
the end of the cold war. Further information as follows was
also included in the report. "According to Greece
fundamentalist Islamic movements are on the increase.
Athens believes that Moslem countries and particularly
Turkey are trying to increase their influence in the region
by taking advantage of the disturbances in the Balkans.
Greek policy in the region is mostly based on their
historical and religious ties with primarily Russia and
Serbia and other Orthodox countries and also on their
traditional fear of Turkey. This situation is also
reflected in the anxiety of Greek public opinion and the
Greek government relevant to Western concern regarding
former Yugoslavian policies. Greece believes that the West
has found the Serbs mainly responsible. /Cumhuriyet/
[17] CILLER GOES TO THE WESTERN EUROPEAN UNION (WEU) MEETING
Prime Minister Tansu Ciller will participate in the Western
European Union Assembly (WEU) which had prepared a report
directing hard criticism against Turkey. Prior to this
announcement, speculations were prevalent to the effect that
the Prime Minister would not participate in the Assembly in
Paris on June 19 as the report had contained references on
autonomy for the Kurds in Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/
[18] BULGARIAN RACISTS RAZE TURKISH DWELLINGS
Three Moslem families' houses were set on fire in Beznitza
town located in the region of Gotze Delchev, Bulgaria by
unidentified persons. As a result 40 people were left
homeless and damages amounting to TL 9.6 billion were
incurred. An investigation has been launched into the
event. /Sabah/
[19] GERMANY AT LAST REALIZES THE TRUTH
German officials have personelly witnessed the fact that
Turkish citizens extradited to Turkey have not been badly
treated and the claims of torture were unfounded. They were
not taken into custody entering the country. It was pointed
out that extradition would henceforth be expedited. /Sabah/
END
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