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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (January 15, 1996)
CONTENTS
[01] YILMAZ KEEPS DOOR OPEN FOR A PARTNERSHIP WITH WELFARE
[02] DENKTAS URGES EU TO LIFT EMBARGO ON TRNC
[03] TRNC SENDS OUT A WARNING
[04] TURKISH OBSERVERS TO MONITOR PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS
[05] NEGOTIATIONS HELD FOR NEW BORDER GATE
[06] BOSNIAN ARMY EXPECTS MILITARY AID FROM TURKEY SAYS TIME MAGAZINE
[07] ENERGY MINISTER TO SIGN DEAL WITH IRAN
[08] CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF VISITING INDIA
[09] TURKISH BONDS GIVEN BB+ RATING
[10] SECURITY FORCES KILL EIGHT KURDISH MILITANTS
[11] SYRIA WASTING WATER
[12] GREEK REPORT ON PKK DRUG SMUGGLING
[13] HUMAN RESOURCES: THE BIGGEST WEALTH FOR TURKEY
[14] TOURISM MINISTRY PLANS TO HIGHLIGHT CAPPADOCIA
TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
MONDAY JANUARY 15, 1996
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
[01] YILMAZ KEEPS DOOR OPEN FOR A PARTNERSHIP WITH WELFARE
Motherland Party (ANAP) Chairman Mesut Yilmaz after meeting with
Welfare Party (RP) Chairman Necmettin Erbakan for "exploratory"
talks on the formation of a coalition government did not rule out
a coalition with Refah but nevertheless openly declared the rank
and file of his party prefered a coalition with the True Path
Party (DYP) and the Democratic Left Party (DSP). Yilmaz, emerging
from two-hours of talks with Erbakan, said the ANAP and Refah do
not see eye to eye on some very critical issues like Turkey's
entry into the EU and the role of the state in the economy but
stressed the talks were not make or break discussions for a
coalition. It is reported that if steps are not taken on the
Mother-path (ANAYOL) issue within a few days, Erbakan and Yilmaz
could reach an agreement in the second half of the week.
In a later press conference Erbakan thanked Yilmaz for his
goodwill and sincerity and said he expected the ANAP and DYP to
negotiate the possibility of forming a coalition and reaching a
conclusion within the next two or three days. "I feel such a
coalition cannot be set up. Even if it is then we will see that
it won't function". Erbakan said that he was hopeful that his
party could set up a partnership with ANAP.
Erbakan will visit Democratic Left Party leader Bulent Ecevit
today and Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal
tomorrow. Ecevit has said before that his party could not accept
a coalition government which included the RP. Meanwhile, the
Parliament will meet on Thursday to choose a new speaker for the
new term. The 45-days legal period for forming a government will
start after the choosing of the new parliament speaker and
subcommittees. Yilmaz will hold a meeting with Ecevit today and
give information about his contacts with Erbakan and the recent
developments. /Cumhuriyet/
[02] DENKTAS URGES EU TO LIFT EMBARGO ON TRNC
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas
has urged the EU to lift the embargo imposed on the TRNC. Denktas
also criticized the EU's decision to negotiate the Greek Cypriot
side's unilateral application for full membership. "Instead of
negotiating this application the EU should spend efforts on
lifting the economic, cultural and sporting embargoes that were
imposed 32 years ago, when the island was divided" Denktas said.
Recalling the Greek application for negotiation of the Cyprus
issue before the Political Committee of the European Commission,
Denktas said: "Before the approval of any decision on the Cyprus
issue, we want them act equally to each of the parties". He asked
the European bodies not to take decisions on unilateral
negotiations. Denktas warned that such decisions could affect
communal negotiations in Cyprus. /Cumhuriyet/
[03] TRNC SENDS OUT A WARNING
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Foreign and Defence
Minister, Atay Ahmet Rasit, sent out a warning over the weekend
about the ways the Greek community was blocking the way to a
settlement by disrupting the fragile balance on the island.
Minister Rasit said that the Greek-Cypriot arranged meeting of
the European Security and Cooperation Organization in the Greek
side on 15-16 January, was in contravention of legal and
political realities on the island. Rasit's message also said that
countries attending the meeting would not be helping the
situation. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] TURKISH OBSERVERS TO MONITOR PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS
Four Turkish observers will monitor Palestine's first general
elections, which will be held on January 20. Earlier, Palestine
Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat had asked President
Suleyman Demirel to send Turkish observers; four Turkish faculty
members from different universities will be sent to Palestine.
The UN, the EU and the Arab League will also send representatives
to monitor the elections. In the country's first election, 700
candidates will compete to win seats in the 88-seat Palestine
Autonomous Council. On the same day, Arafat and Semiha Halil will
compete for the presidency of Palestine. /All papers/
[05] NEGOTIATIONS HELD FOR NEW BORDER GATE
Turkish and Bulgarian officials will meet in Edirne and Bulgaria
on January 25 and 26 to discuss the opening of the Hamzabeyli
border gate, on the border between Turkey and Bulgaria as soon as
possible. Edirne Governor Koru Engin has said that the Hamzabeyli
border gate, which will be established on the borders of Edirne's
Lalapasa neighbourhood and will increase ease of passage between
Bulgaria and Turkey, will be the fifth border gate under Edirne's
Customs General Directorate. Technical committees from the two
sides will convene on January 25 in Edirne and on January 26 in
Bulgaria. Engin stated that the new border gate would be
established within two years if there was no budget shortage,
adding that the complexes would cost about TL 250 billion. /All
papers/
[06] BOSNIAN ARMY EXPECTS MILITARY AID FROM TURKEY SAYS TIME MAGAZINE
Time magazine said that the Bosnian army expects military aid and
training assistance from Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan. The magazine
listed the amount of arms the Bosnia and Croat armies need in
order to be equal in strength with the Serbian army. It also said
that the US will give military aid, to the value of $3 million,
to the three groups in Bosnia. /All papers/
[07] ENERGY MINISTER TO SIGN DEAL WITH IRAN
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Sinasi Altiner flew to Iran
on Saturday to sign an agreement regarding the purchase of
natural gas. Officials from the ministry said the previous
minister, Veysel Atasoy, had signed a protocol regarding the
issue and Altiner would sign the final agreement. The agreement
includes price and technical details of the purchase from Iran.
According to the agreement, by 1998 Turkey will buy 2 billion
cubic-meters of natural gas that year from Iran, which will
increase annually. Additionally, the agreement calls for the
construction of a pipeline that will transport natural gas from
Iran to Turkey. Altiner will return to Turkey today. /All papers/
[08] CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF VISITING INDIA
Chief of General Staff Ismail Hakki Karadayi is on an official
visit to India, where he was received by Indian Prime Minister
Narasimho Rao and Foreign Minister Paranab Mukherjee. According
to the Indian Embassy in Ankara, Karadayi and his hosts
discusssed the positive state of bilateral ties and evaluated
recent developments and problems that are being dealt with in the
two countries. Karadayi told his hosts that Turkey was determined
to adhere to the principles of democracy and secularism. /All
papers/
[09] TURKISH BONDS GIVEN BB+ RATING
The Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) said on 12 January that it
had assigned its BB+ rating to Turkey's 10 billion yens worth of
7.2 % Euroyen bonds due on February 16, 2002. The JCR said that
the socio-political framework of the nation would not change
after an Islamist party won the most seats in a general election
on December 24, 1995. The JCR also said no change substantial
enough to influence the rating of the country had taken place
since its last debt rating revision in November. /All papers/
[10] SECURITY FORCES KILL EIGHT KURDISH MILITANTS
Turkish security forces have killed eight militants of the PKK
terrorist organization in operations in Hakkari's Cukurca
province. During further operations in the eastern cities of
Diyarbakir and Tunceli, four PKK militants surrendered to the
security forces. /Milliyet/
[11] SYRIA WASTING WATER
American specialist Dr.Joyce Starr, known for his articles on
water problems, has published a new article on "Covenant Over
Middle Eastern Waters" giving details about Syrian irrigation
systems. Dr.Starr noted that the evaporation rate at the Esad Dam
was very high, and added that the primitive irrigation systems
further complicated the situation by facilitating dam salting.
Furthermore, low drinking water charges opened the way for an
unreasonable waste of water, the specialist said.
Meanwhile, the Worldwatch Research Institute noted in its yearly
report that Syria, despite a Turco-Syrian protocol signed in
1987, was insisting on "more water". With this protocol, Turkey
had guaranteed its southern neighbour 500 cubic meters of water
per second. Worldwatch report also quotes the words of the then
Turkish Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel: "We do not attempt to
share their oil reserves. In the same way, they should not insist
on a share in our water reserves." /Cumhuriyet/
[12] GREEK REPORT ON PKK DRUG SMUGGLING
The Greek Ministry for Public Order has prepared a secret report
on PKK drug smuggling activities. The report is especially
important in the light of the fact that Greece for years has
tried to refute Turkish claims that the PKK organization is
engaged in drug smuggling.
The report notes that PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and Syrian Head
of State Hafiz Esat's brother, Rifat Esat, were cooperating in
drug smuggling. According to the report, consignments of drugs
are sent to Europe by sea from the Libyan El Abde Mina Harbour,
controlled by Syria, and another drug smuugling route goes
through Turkey. The report claims that the PKK organization gains
$300-400 million yearly from drug smuggling. /Sabah/
[13] HUMAN RESOURCES: THE BIGGEST WEALTH FOR TURKEY
72% of Turkish wealth comes from human resources according to a
report, "Wealth of Nations", released by the World Bank. In terms
of purchasing power, Turkey has a $4.9 trillion in "national
wealth" and $3.6 trillion of that amount comes from human
resources, $747 billion for produced resources and $647 billion
from natural resources.
The figures account for the wealth of nations based on 1993 data
on purchasing power, and show that 72% of Turkish national wealth
is based on human resources. The ratio of produced resources is
%15 and %13 for natural resources.
Human resources is determined by educational levels and the
contribution of youth to employment in addition to institutional
activity. Production resources the show level of capital
investment and natural resources refer to natural wealth.
/Milliyet/
[14] TOURISM MINISTRY PLANS TO HIGHLIGHT CAPPADOCIA
The Tourism Ministry will promote Cappadocia to journalists who
will come to Turkey on the occasion of the Habitat II conference.
According to project coordinator, Nazif Ekzen, undersecretary of
the Tourism Ministry, 2,500 people have been invited to Habitat
II, most of whom are journalists. Ekzen said that the reason for
promoting Cappadocia, one of Turkey's most beautiful places, was
to increase tourism there. /All papers/
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