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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (March 13, 1996)From: TRKNWS-L <[email protected]>Turkish Press Review DirectoryCONTENTS[01] NEW TURKISH GOVERNMENT WINS CONFIDENCE VOTE[02] CLINTON SENDS CONGRATULATIONS TO PM YILMAZ[03] PRESIDENT DEMIREL FLIES TO EGYPT[04] DEMIREL VISITS ISRAEL[05] IRAQI KURDS SAY THEY WILL DEFEND IRAQ-TURKEY OIL PIPELINE[06] US THINK-TANK ACCUSES TEHRAN OF SUPPLYING WEAPONS TO PKK[07] TURKEY: THE CHEAPEST HOLIDAY COUNTRYTURKISH PRESS REVIEWWEDNESDAY MARCH 13, 1996Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] NEW TURKISH GOVERNMENT WINS CONFIDENCE VOTEMotherpath coalition government won a vote of confidence in Parliament yesterday. Official results showed that Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's coalition won the vote by 257 to 207. "We thank parliament which has just given us a vote of confidence" Yilmaz said after the result. "We are aware of the great responsibility we have taken on and we will do our utmost to deserve this confidence". Yilmaz was helped past the post by the Democratic Left Party of Bulent Ecevit whose MPs accounted for most of the 80 abstentions. The votes against the government were cast by Welfare Party (RP) and Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies. /Hurriyet/
[02] CLINTON SENDS CONGRATULATIONS TO PM YILMAZArriving in Ankara an hour after Mesut Yilmaz's government received a vote of confidence, a senior US official conveyed to the prime minister a letter of congratulation from President Bill Clinton. "The letter is basically one of congratulation" said Sandy Berger, deputy assistant to the President for national security affairs, adding that it also contained references to "all other aspects of ties". Berger met briefly with Yilmaz at the airport before the new prime minister headed for Paris, where he will attend the 17th meeting of the European Democrats' Union (EDU). Clinton noted in his letter that he would support Yilmaz and Turkey. He also pointed out the importance of the Habitat II conference to be held in Istanbul in June, 1996. German Prime Minister Helmut Kohl phoned Yilmaz and invited him to a working lunch in Germany on 17 May. Kohl said that they would take up all aspects of Turkish-German relations.Mesut Yilmaz's Motherland Party is a member of the EDU, an umbrella organization that brings together Europe's conservative parties. Yilmaz noted that the True Path Party (DYP) had applied for membership in the EDU last year and noted that the DYP could be a member in early 1997. Prime Minister Yilmaz arrived in Paris yesterday evening. Yilmaz, who attended a banquet which French Prime Minister Alain Juppe gave in honour of European Central Right Party Leaders participating in the EDU meeting, was received with great interest by Greek journalists. Following a question, Yilmaz said: "We intend to initiate a dialogue with Greece. We want to start this dialogue without any conditions". After Yilmaz returns to Turkey, he is scheduled to meet a visiting US delegation headed by Strobe Talbott, Deputy Secretary of State, on Friday. Berger, who will go to the Caucasus today but will come back a day later, said that he expected to take up with Yilmaz "all issues of interest, including Operation Provide Comfort". /Hurriyet-Cumhuriyet/
[03] PRESIDENT DEMIREL FLIES TO EGYPTPresident Suleyman Demirel flies on to Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt today to participate in a summit against terrorism where he is expected to press for global cooperation and action against terrorism. The leaders, including US President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Palestinian President Yasser Afarat, King Hussein of Jordan, French President Jacques Chirac, Russian President Boris Yeltsin and several European prime ministers will mostly arrive this morning.While in Israel, Demirel presented Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres with a set of ideas on global measures to combat terrorism. The foreign ministers of Israel and Turkey discussed the issue between themselves during talks yesterday. Among the ideas Demirel presented to Peres was an offer to share information on terrorists. He also said countries should extradite terrorists without creating any political alibis. Demirel also told Peres that terrorists should not be allowed to use the facilities of various countries to make radio and TV broadcasts. Demirel noted that Turkey wanted the international community to impose sanctions against countries known to be supporting terrorists. He said countries which come under terrorist threat should also be given technical support by the international community. Economic and technical cooperation agreements, consisting of a free trade agreement which foresees zero customs by the year 2000 between the two countries, mutual encouragement and protection of investments, and prevention of double taxation, will be signed in a ceremony tomorrow. Foreign Trade Undersecretary Nejat Eren said: "The Free Trade Agreement is expected to go into effect in September. If this is achieved, trade volume which totalled $400 million in 1995 is expected to reach $500 million this year". Apart from these agreements, Eren noted that Isarel wanted to purchase water from Turkey and that Demirel said that Turkey could give 150 million cubic metres of water in two years time. /Sabah/
[04] DEMIREL VISITS ISRAELDuring the second day of his visit to Israel, President Suleyman Demirel accompanied by Israeli President Ezer Weizman and his wife, visited the town of Bat-Yam, where he was warmly welcomed by 30,000 Jewish immigrants from Turkey. With a ceremony, Demirel opened the Ataturk Memorial Park in Bat-Yam. In a speech he noted that peace was the most important issue in the world. "My visit to Israel is not just an ordinary protocol visit. I came here to stress the importance Turkey attaches to peace, and at the terrorism conference in Egypt I will demand heavy sanctions, including economic embargo, against countries supporting terrorism", Demirel said. He condemned the recent terrorist attacks organized by the HAMAS organization.Demirel also visited the Israeli Parliament (Knessset) and met Israeli deputies. In a speech, he drew attention to the fact that both Turkey and Israel were engaged in a struggle against terrorism. "The problem of terrorism will continue as long as there are countries supporting terrorism. Nevertheless, these countries should not forget that one day they also may have to face such terrorist attacks," Demirel noted. The Turkish President also received Israeli Foreign Minister Ehud Barak. /Hurriyet-Cumhuriyet/
[05] IRAQI KURDS SAY THEY WILL DEFEND IRAQ-TURKEY OIL PIPELINEIraqi Kurds were committed to the defence of the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik oil pipeline which will carry the bulk of Iraqi oil exports if the UN and Baghdad agree on the terms of limited sales, an Iraqi Kurdish official said. Safeen Dizayee, Ankara representative for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) controlling the parts of northern Iraq where the 976-kilometre twin pipelines pass through before entering Turkey, said the KDP leadership had formally announced that the protection of the pipeline would be its responsibility. /All papers/
[06] US THINK-TANK ACCUSES TEHRAN OF SUPPLYING WEAPONS TO PKKThe Washington Institute for Near East policy in its latest Policy Watch analysis, penned by Michael Eisenstadt, said that "the PKK receives arms, training, financial and logistical support from Tehran in its fight against Ankara, and about 2,000 PKK militants are based in eight or nine camps in Iran, while Islamic militants in Algeria have, since 1994, received several dozen tons of small arms sent by Iran via the Sudan, according to US officials". According to figures provided by the US State Department, "Iran was involved in 45 terrorist incidents in 1987; 32 in 1988; 24 in 1989; 10 in 1990; five in 1991; 20 in 1992; six in 1994; and an estimated six in 1995" Eisenstadt noted. Iran is also said to be cooperating with Syria to support terrorism. "According to various estimates, Iran provides Hizbullah with about $65 million a year in arms and financial aid" he added. /All papers/
[07] TURKEY: THE CHEAPEST HOLIDAY COUNTRYIt has been reported that Turkey was the most economic country for holidays in the Mediterranean region and became one of the most attractive touristic countries in 1996.Although Morocco, Italy and Crete lowered their prices following a bad tourism season in 1995, Turkey nevertheless became "the cheapest touristic country" despite a 2.8 % rise in prices , according to the figures of "1996 Summertime Holiday Price Analysis" program held in Belgium. /Sabah/
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