TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (July 20, 1995)
Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (July 20, 1995)
CONTENTS
[01] TURKEY SEEKING HELP FOR BOSNIA
[02] PARLIAMENT DEBATES BOSNIA ISSUE
[03] EUROPALIA HOPES LOOKING BRIGHTER
[04] TUSIAD WITH EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS
[05] FOREIGN PRESS ADMIRES TURKEY
[06] GONENSAY VISITING US
[07] DEATH TOLL REACHES 70
[08] KARADAYI IN MACEDONIA
[09] PKK MILITANTS KILL WOMAN, INJURE TWO VILLAGE GUARDS
[10] PASTY'S VISIT SATISFIES ANKARA
[11] HACALOGLU CALLS ON HIS EUROPEAN COLLEAGUES TO MEET ON BOSNIA PROBLEM
[12] TRNC AND TURKEY MARK INTERVENTION ANNIVERSARY
[13] TURKISH SEVENTH MOST SPOKEN LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD
[14] GERMAN GOVERNMENT STATEMENT
[15] JOHN BROWN STUDY: "CEYHAN IS A FEASIBLE TERMINAL FOR KAZAKH OIL"
[16] NEW HORIZONS IN THE TURKISH AIR ZONE
[17] REACTION TO GREEK PRESS REPORTS
[18] GREEK LOBBY ACTIVE AGAINST TURKEY
[19] SIGNALS FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH
WITH THE COMPLIMENT OF
DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
JULY 20, 1995
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish
press this morning.
[01] TURKEY SEEKING HELP FOR BOSNIA
Turkey is exerting every effort to try and find a way out of
the worsening Bosnia crisis. Ankara is bringing pressure to
bear in a number of European and international organizations
including NATO, the United Nations, the European Union (EU)
and the Islamic Conference Organization.
The Ankara government is trying to sway the thinking of the
leading European countries, including Britain, hoping at
least to halt the advance of the Serbs into the so-called
"safe havens". In a move to demonstrate Turkish concern
over the situation, President Demirel will fly to Bosnia
tomorrow. /Sabah/
[02] PARLIAMENT DEBATES BOSNIA ISSUE
Debate over the Bosnia issue continues to dominate Turkish
parliamentary activity. All the leading political parties
are caught up in reviewing Turkish policy and assessing
Turkey's role in the region. During debates, Foreign
Minister Erdal Inonu said that he saw no alternative other
than meeting force with force.
Other leading speakers mostly agreed that forces presently
deployed in the region had to be beefed up quickly if the
situation was to be saved, and that steps had to taken to
have the arms embargo lifted. Speaking for the True Path
Party (DYP), Sait Kemal Mimaroglu said that the conflict in
Bosnia was "a religious war."
Representing the Democratic Left Party (DSP), Bulent Ecevit
stressed that rather than withdrawing Turkish units
stationed in and around Zenica, these should be reinforced
to the extent needed.
In general, the Turkish parliament supports the idea that
UNPROFOR should be strengthened with a tougher mandate to
protect the failing safe areas. As the safe areas fall to
the Serbs, UN credibility as represented in UNPROFOR, is
taking some serious knocks. Foreign Ministry spokesman Omer
Akbel said yesterday that in order to improve the situation
of the UN, the "mission and mandate of the UN had to be
changed." /All papers/
[03] EUROPALIA HOPES LOOKING BRIGHTER
Following two days of talks in Brussels, hopes that the 1996
Europalia Festival will be held in Turkey have brightened.
Festival director for Turkey, Bulent Eczacibasi, said
yesterday that Belgian officials in Brussels had given a
positive response to his proposals.
Although a firm answer will not be given until the end of
this month, Eczacibasi said that he was optimistic about the
outcome of his visit to Brussels. /Milliyet/
[04] TUSIAD WITH EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS
A TUSIAD delegation, including Halis Komili chairman of the
Association of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen
(TUSIAD), Guler Sabanci deputy chairman, Aldo Kaslowski
Foreign Affairs Commission chairman and Bahadir Kaleagasi
TUSIAD representative to Brussels, has met with European
parliamentarians in Brussels. "We believe the customs union
will play an important role in helping Turkey overcome its
difficulties. The customs union will realize the EU's
wishes on the issues of democratization and human rights"
said Komili. However, Europe is expecting concrete steps
from Turkey in order to pass the customs union agreement, he
added. TUSIAD will relay to Turkish Parliament members the
conclusions they drew from their talks in Brussels. As the
customs union is mainly an economic issue, it is meaningless
for the EU to emphasize human rights and democratization so
much at this point, TUSIAD told European officials. "Once
Turkey joins the customs union, it will be able to solve
these problems much more easily, anyway" TUSIAD assured
them. The private sector was optimistic, Komili said and
added that they were doing everything in their power to
ensure Turkey's membership. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] FOREIGN PRESS ADMIRES TURKEY
The weekly women's magazine Alt For Damerne, published in
Denmark, will organize a summer holiday in Mugla's Bodrum
district, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.
Officials from the Tourism Ministry said that the weekly
magazine had expressed admiration for Turkey and its holiday
resorts in one of its articles. Meanwhile, the Israeli
daily Yedioth Ahponoth recommended Turkey as a holiday
destination. Officials added that this was a big boost for
Turkish tourism, the agency reported.
[06] GONENSAY VISITING US
Chief Adviser to the Prime Ministry, Emre Gonensay, will go
to Washington on 25 July in order to give a speech on
Caspian oil at the International Strategic Research
Institution. It is expected that Gonensay will talk about
Turkey's role in the development of energy resources in the
region, the importance of oil pipelines in relation to the
new republics' economic and political independence, and the
security of energy resources. The US and Turkish
governments agree that oil pipelines should pass through
both Turkey and Russia and that both countries should
cooperate. /Hurriyet/
[07] DEATH TOLL REACHES 70
As a result of floods in Senirkent, Isparta, the death toll
has reached 70. Deputy Prime Minister Hikmet Cetin held a
press conference in the Prime Ministry and said that credit
would be extended from the World Bank and the European
Settlement Fund for the reconstruction of the town. He
added that Social Solidarity and Cooperation Fund aid was
continuing to be given to the homeless. /Sabah/
[08] KARADAYI IN MACEDONIA
Chief of the General Staff, Ismail Hakki Karadayi, has gone
to Macedonia. Military sources report that Karadayi has
gone on an official visit as the guest of his Macedonian
counterpart Dragolup Bocinov. /Hurriyet/
[09] PKK MILITANTS KILL WOMAN, INJURE TWO VILLAGE GUARDS
One woman was killed and two village guards were injured by
PKK militants in the Bitlis-Mutki district, the Anatolia
news agency reported yesterday. Military officials said
that militants opened fire on a minibus, killing the woman
and injuring the guards. Officials added that military
operations are still continuing to eliminate PKK militants
in the region.
[10] PASTY'S VISIT SATISFIES ANKARA
Turkey has expressed pleasure over the visit of a key
Euro-MP, who said during his visit that he hoped the frozen
ties between Turkey and the European Parliament would soon
warm-up. Jean-Claude Pasty, who is the chairman of the
56-seat Democratic Alliance for Europe, wrapped up a
three-day visit to Turkey during which he had meetings with
representatives of all sides ranging from the prime minister
to human rights activists. "We thought the visit of Pasty,
an influential figure both in the EP and in France through
his closeness to President Jacques Chirac, was a
constructive one" Foreign Ministry spokesman Omer Akbel said
in his weekly press conference yesterday.
[11] HACALOGLU CALLS ON HIS EUROPEAN COLLEAGUES TO MEET ON BOSNIA PROBLEM
Algan Hacaloglu, state minister responsible for human rights
called on European Human Rights ministers yesterday to hold
a meeting to discuss human rights violations in Bosnia, the
Anatolia news agency reported. Hacaloglu said duing a visit
to the Turkish Medical Practitioners Association (TTB) that
he was going to visit Bosnia-Herzegovina in the near future.
He said that people should be more sensitive to the
violations going on in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
[12] TRNC AND TURKEY MARK INTERVENTION ANNIVERSARY
Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
are marking the 21st anniversary of Ankara's military
intervention with a display of force and political resolve
intended to deter a military adventure by the Greek Cypriot
government engaged in an unprecedented arms buildup. To
show Turkey's full backing to the Turkish Cypriot state in
the event of a military threat, Turkey sent a government
minister to attend the upbeat ceremonies and sent a flotilla
of warships to the port of Kyrenia yesterday. Squadrons of
modern F-16 jets will make fly-bys during the military
parades for the first time.
In a verbal contribution to the material display of resolve,
President Suleyman Demirel assured TRNC President Rauf
Denktas that "Turkey is determined to protect the rights and
interests of the Turkish Cypriot people deriving from
international agreements and will keep to its undertakings
in this respect". Prime Minister Tansu Ciller also sent a
message to Denktas, promising to visit the island "at the
earliest convenient moment". In his message to Denktas,
Demirel stressed that "Turkey, in line with its historical
and contractual commitments, is a guarantee for the
continuation of peace and stability provided by Turkey's
July 20 Peace Operation". In his televised message for the
anniversary, Denktas stressed the Turkish Cypriots'
dependence on Turkey for their security, saying "that
support keeps us standing against those who destroyed the
partnership (of Turkish and Greek Cypriots in the
government) in 1963 and who wanted to turn Cyprus into a
Greek island. He said the Greek Cypriot government was
playing its last trump card, namely its bid for EU
membership, to dominate the Turks, and warned the EU that
such an integration was not supported by the Turkish
Cypriots and would harm the long drawn-out peace process.
He called on the EU to disregard the Greek Cypriot
membership application, which, he said, was null and void
since it was not undersigned by the Turkish Cypriots as
equal partners.
Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Republican
People's Party (CHP) Hikmet Cetin received association
administrators, who came to Turkey due to the 21st
anniversary of the Peace Operation, and said that if there
had been no intervention in Cyprus in 1974, there would be
the same kind of Bosnian brutalities in Cyprus today.
Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu, in his message, said:
"Turkey's basic aim for a solution to the Cyprus problem, is
to protect the Cypriot Turks' legal rights and interests,
the continuation of peace and stability and the acceptance
of equal statutes".
Meanwhile, former US President Jimmy Carter said that
Cypriot Turks and Greeks should come together for the
solution of disagreements. New British Permanent Delegate
to the UN, Ambassador John Weston arrived in Nicosia to meet
with Cypriot Turk and Greek officials. TRNC President Rauf
Denktas received Weston and voiced the TRNC's views on the
Cyprus problem. Weston said that the British government
supported a just solution to the Cyprus problem in the
shortest possible time. /Cumhuriyet-Milliyet/
[13] TURKISH SEVENTH MOST SPOKEN LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD
The importance of the Turkish language -which 300 million
people speak- is not properly recognized, said Dr.Mehmet
Hengirmen of the Turkish Education Centre (TOMER) yesterday
in Gaziantep. "Among the 4,500 languages spoken in the
world, Turkish is in seventh place" the Anatolia news agency
quoted Hengirmen as saying. TOMER wants to present Turkish
to the world, to teach it properly in Turkey and to
establish Turkish cultural centres in other countries.
[14] GERMAN GOVERNMENT STATEMENT
The German government said yesterday that a total of 139
Turkish institutions including mosques, banks, travel
agencies and private foundations, had been attacked in 1995
in Germany, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.
Officials said that 19 of the 139 institutions had been
attacked by PKK militants and 14 by members of the outlawed
DHKC (Revolutionary People's Salvation Front). German
police officials also said that a German had admitted
responsibility for 17 arson attacks against Turkish
institutions. Right-wing violence against foreigners living
in Germany has risen after unification and several Turkish
immigrants have died in arson attacks.
[15] JOHN BROWN STUDY: "CEYHAN IS A FEASIBLE TERMINAL FOR KAZAKH OIL"
A feasibility study prepared by the Houston-based company
John Brown Engineers and Constructions (Trafalgar House)
found that the proposed Baku-Ceyhan pipeline would be
suitable to carry Kazakh oil from the Tengiz fields to the
Mediterranean, according to Platt's Oilgram News daily.
The international consortium set up to extract and market
Azeri petrol reserves has indicated that it inclining more
to accepting the Baku-Ceyhan route for new overland pipeline
transport systems as proposed by Turkey.
Head of the consortium, Terence Adams, has noted however,
that Turkey, Russia and Iran are deeply involved in massive
competition to secure the best deals they can for
themselves. He noted too, the political interest being
stirred up by the Azeri petrol project. /Cumhuriyet/
[16] NEW HORIZONS IN THE TURKISH AIR ZONE
The Turkish Air Force is set for a major capability boost on
Monday, acquiring the first two tanker aircraft from the US
that will extend the range of its warplanes, according to a
statement from the Turkish General Staff. The first two
tanker aircraft will be delivered to the Turkish Air Force
in a ceremony held on July 24 at the 4th Main Jets Base
(Akinci-Ankara) and attended by President Suleyman Demirel.
The two tanker aircraft have been hired for three years at a
cost of $13.5 million. The two tanker aircraft are to
satisfy immediate operational needs for three years until
the delivery of seven tanker aircraft can be made. The next
seven aircraft will cost $292 million. The aircraft
contract contains every kind of logistical support,
technical teaching and on-the-job training over the next
three years. The KC-135R tanker aircraft have higher
standards than other aircraft in the same class. They can
remain operational nearly 50 years. /Hurriyet/
[17] REACTION TO GREEK PRESS REPORTS
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has reacted strongly to reports
in the extreme nationalist Greek press -especially in the
weekly "Stohos" (Target) newspaper. Stohos has again
published pictures and the names and addresses of Turkish
diplomats and others working in Athens.
The newspaper has also tried to stir up problems for
journalists representing Turkish newspapers and has called
on the Athens government to withdraw permission "for people
like these" to stay in Greece. /Milliyet/
[18] GREEK LOBBY ACTIVE AGAINST TURKEY
Upon a request from the Greek lobby in the American
Congress, a special meeting about Turkey was held. At the
meeting, representatives of the Greek lobby renewed their
claims related to the Cyprus question and to violations of
human rights in Turkey and demanded cuts in foreign aid and
credit extended to Turkey. However, in a speech stressing
the strategic importance of Turkey in the region, US Deputy
State Secretary Richard Holbrooke gave a suitable reply to
the false claims of the Greek lobby. Holbrooke pointed out
that soon Turkey will become a member of the European
customs union and stressed that Turkey was an indispensible
part of Europe. /Cumhuriyet/
[19] SIGNALS FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH
According to the Leading Indicators Index prepared by
TUSIAD, the Turkish economy has entered a period of growth.
The current positive trend of constant speedy development
started in January 1995, and on into the next five months.
It was pointed out that this speedy development could
influence the foreign trade balance. It was further
stressed that in contrast to the decrease in expenditures
related to special consumption and investment during the
first three months of the year, in April and May 1995, the
growth in the economy has resulted in an increase in both
production and exports. /Sabah/
END
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