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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (28 Nov 95)From: [email protected] ([email protected])Turkish News DirectoryCONTENTS[01] CILLER IN BOSNIA[02] CILLER: "CUSTOMS UNION WILL BE A HISTORICAL MILESTONE"[03] LAST DAY AT THE ASSEMBLY[04] 14 PKK TERRORISTS ARRESTED[05] ANKARA WARNS SYRIA[06] ANKARA SAYS HANDS OFF CYPRUS[07] EU-MED MEETING TAKES FIRST STEPS FORWARDS[08] DEPUTY COMMANDER OF US ARMY IN EUROPE VISITS TURKEY[09] BLACK SEA PARLIAMENTARIANS GATHER IN ANKARA[10] ANKARA SAYS GREEK STEP IS INSUFFICIENT[11] GUARANTEE FROM BEDIR BRIGADETURKISH PRESS REVIEWTUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 1995Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish pressthis morning[01] CILLER IN BOSNIAArmed with a group of Turkish businessmen, Prime Minister Tansu Ciller departs on a one-day visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina today. Ciller aims to discuss the peace deal with President Alija Izzetbegovic and to obtain the Bosnian President's assessment of the agreement. "Turkey gives great importance to the reconstruction of Bosnia-Herzegovina" Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said yesterday. "Within this framework, Ciller is going to open the Sarajevo office of the Turkish International Cooperation Agency (TICA)". Turkey will be happy to act, along with the international community, to normalize relations in the whole area, including, of course, Yugoslavia" Akbel said yesterday. /Hurriyet-Cumhuriyet/
[02] CILLER: "CUSTOMS UNION WILL BE A HISTORICAL MILESTONE"Prime Minister Tansu Ciller, in an interview with Belgium's "European Choice" magazine, described Turkey's Customs Union (CU) with the EU as a historic event and said she was much more concerned about the result of the voting in the European Parliament (EP), than in the Turkish general election. Recalling the joint agreement signed in 1968 between the European Community and Turkey, Ciller said: "That is an obligation that the EP should approve. Turkey always stood by her allies, and now it is time for Turkey's friends to show support. We formed an alliance with European countries during the Cold War period. We have always been reliable. We have struggled for freedom and peace for more than half a century. Now it is time for our allies to support us. The real test is the ability to support someone in hard times". She explained that the CU was an important political issue for both Europe and Turkey. She said that the best way to assure the continuity of the democratic process in Turkey was to vote yes. She also said that Turkish markets would be open to EU companies after the CU and that trade would increase since tariffs will be abolished. "Foreign companies will have the opportunity to invest in or export to the Middle East, Black Sea and Central Asian regions via Turkey" Ciller added. /All papers/
[03] LAST DAY AT THE ASSEMBLYWith the approach of the general elections on December 24, the 19th legislative period of the Turkish Grand National Assembly was ended yesterday. The Assembly will convene again on the fifth day after the release of the election results. In a closing speech, Assembly Deputy Chairman Mehmet Mogultay noted that the time for giving account to the Turkish people had drawn near, and added that the elections were an opportunity for the people to make their voice heard. /Hurriyet/
[04] 14 PKK TERRORISTS ARRESTEDFourteen PKK terrorists were arrested yesterday by Istanbul security forces. The terrorists are known to have participated in many bombing incidents and have killed 46 soldiers. The terrorists were preparing for a bomb attack on the Haydarpasha station. /Hurriyet/
[05] ANKARA WARNS SYRIATurkey, which protested last week about Syria's failure to prevent terrorist infiltration, has warned both Bonn and Damascus on their respective policies against terrorism. "The Syrian position on terrorism needs to be improved" Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel told a press conference yesterday. "It is clear that Syria needs to reassess its policy, which is an impediment to improving bilateral relations". Only recently, Syrian Foreign minister Farouk Al-Shara referred to the PKK as a 'resistance movement' during an interview, Akbel said: "Such a reference to a terrorist organization is unacceptable. The German officials have met PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Damascus, which clearly indicates that the head of this terrorist organization is still in Syria". The escalation of coolness in relations continues even as the foreign ministers of the two countries come together at a Euro-Mediterranean conference in Barcelona. "If such a meeting takes place we will, naturally, repeat to Syria our views on terrorism" Akbel said.Akbel noted that Ankara issued high-level demarches to Bonn after being informed of the meeting with Ocalan. "We related to them our displeasure and disapproval" Akbel said, adding that Bonn's 'justification' on the matter 'had not been acceptable to Turkey'. "We have always said that it is not admissible to have talks or contacts with terrorists or to sit at the negotiation table with them". But Akbel said that Ankara had no fear that Germany, which banned the PKK in 1993, was changing its policy. "But we are carefully watching how this policy is being implemented" Akbel said. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] ANKARA SAYS HANDS OFF CYPRUSAnkara has sent a warning to Washington about trying to interfere in Cyprus. Representing the Foreign Ministry, Inal Batu said yesterday that no one should think that the Cyprus problem could be solved in the same way that the Bosnia conflict has been resolved.Batu stressed that the presence of Turkish military units on the island had kept the island free from bloodshed for years, and added that the problems of Bosnia and Cyprus were completely different. Only last week, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Rauf Denktas made a special visit to Ankara for talks with President Demirel about the situation on the island. /Cumhuriyet/
[07] EU-MED MEETING TAKES FIRST STEPS FORWARDSA big meeting of representatives from European Union (EU) and Mediterranean countries gathering in Barcelona, has moved tentatively forward on plans for a huge Mediterranean Union.Foreign Minister Deniz Baykal is representing Turkey at the meeting, and has used the opportunity to advance Turkey's customs union with the EU. While Turkey works to conclude final steps for customs union starting on January 1, next year, twenty-seven regional countries have agreed that by the year 2010, there could be a massive "Mediterranean Free Trade Zone" operating. The idea is that more prosperity will bring stability to a region that has been wracked with increasing acts of radical violence. /Cumhuriyet-Milliyet/
[08] DEPUTY COMMANDER OF US ARMY IN EUROPE VISITS TURKEYGen.James L.Jamerson, Deputy Commander of the US Army Units in Europe visited Gen.Cevik Bir, Deputy Chief of General Staff, in his office in Ankara yesterday. Gen.Jamerson said that he was very happy to visit Turkey. The guest commander will leave Turkey after his visits to Incirlik base in Adana and Diyarbakir. /All papers/
[09] BLACK SEA PARLIAMENTARIANS GATHER IN ANKARAThe Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) organization held a meeting in Ankara yesterday. PABSEC term-president, Armenia's Parliament Speaker Babken Araktsian, in his opening address, said the organization would play an important role in solving the serious problems in the region. He mentioned that Turkey's support was the key to the success of PABSEC. Ismet Sezgin, Turkish Parliament Speaker, explained that the organization had completed all its plans since it held its first convention two-and-a-half years ago. "350 million people are expecting good results from BSEC. We can achieve the best results only through the democratic will of these countries" Sezgin said. /All papers/
[10] ANKARA SAYS GREEK STEP IS INSUFFICIENTTh Greek move to lift the military restrictions in part of Western Thrace was described by Turkey as "insufficient". Greek Defence Minister Gerassimos Arsenis has said that Greece was ending "the era of segregation" which was a remnant of the Cold war, when Greece and Bulgaria belonged to opposite camps. The military restriction zone, which is in the mountainous Greek-Bulgarian border region, is home to 118 Turkish villages, with a collective population of 40,000, who are required to have authorization to enter or leave the region. "Greece's decision to lift the barriers around the Turkish village of Sahin only covers the Iskece (Xanthi) area and will serve only a small percentage of the 40,000 ethnic Turks" Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said. Accusing Greek officials of sentencing Turks to a life of 'ignorance and poverty' by restricting their basic rights, Akbel said: "If Greece ends this practice in the whole area, which has practically become an open prison, then this belated step would mean something". /All papers/
[11] GUARANTEE FROM BEDIR BRIGADEEl Mevla, Turkmen Commander of the Bedir Brigade which was sent to northern Iraq by Iran sent a message to Turkey, noting: "You can be calm on the PKK issue". He said: "We don't want a solution with the PKK. We are ready to carry out our responsibilities over this issue. The PKK is a terrorist, separatist and blood-stained organization. No peace initiative in the region could be brought to life without Turkey's approval. The PKK massacres Turks, Kurds, Turkmens indiscriminately. We view every terrorist activity based in the Middle East towards Turkey as if it were directed to ourselves". /Milliyet/
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