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Turkish Press Review, 97-10-27Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWDIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION,OFFICE OF PRIME MINISTER27.10.97Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] COORDINATOR-GOVERNORS ON THE AGENDAThe new administrative system for both the Black Sea region and the southeast will be a kind of "coordinator governorship", said senior officials in the southeast city of Diyarbakir. Aydin Arslan, the governor of the Emergency Rule Region (OHAL), said that the PKK terrorist organization, loosing influence in the Southeast, is attempting now to gain a foothold in the Black Sea region.The governors of the Black Sea cities gathered in Giresun during the weekend to prepare a report about terrorist activities observed recently in the region. The report will be presented to the government. Sources said that the new administration to be set up in the region will call for the appointment of one or two coordinator-governors. They added that the officials to be appointed in the area should not only be acquainted with the peculiarities of the region, but also be well-informed about the Alawite citizens living in the area./All papers/ [02] U-TURN BY GERMANYToday's papers concentrate on decisions that emerged from a EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Luxemburg over the wekend. At a press conference after the meeting, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jacques Poos said that no consensus could be reached on the enlargement of the Union and that the biggest problem was their inability to agree on Turkey's membership.German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel said Turkey could hardly expect to be invited to talks on accession as it had not settled problems in southeastern Anatolia and improved its human rights record. He said Germany was "sceptical" as to whether Ankara should be invited to a pan-European conference embracing all nations seeking EU membership. A large number of EU states favoured the general idea of a "European conference", which could help prepare countries including Turkey for membership through increased cooperation. France and others favour Turkey's inclusion, while Germany, Denmark and Greece are in opposition. Poos said the EU would send three different missions to Turkey in the coming month to carry the discussions further. /All papers/ [03] PM YILMAZ'S ECONOMIC TARGETSIn a move to improve the economic situation in the country, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz has announced a number of ambitious steps. The prime minister is determined to improve the economic situation in the country by the year 2000, and adds that the government is planning to carry out wide-scale structural reforms to accomplish this goal. Retirement age will be lifted to 58 years for women and 60 years for men. Health and retirement insurances will be separated from each other. Hospitals onwed by the State Security Institution (SSK) will be restructured.Observers have criticized the government saying that inflation cannot be pulled down as long as the cabinet continues to launch giant investment projects. Commenting on the issue, Prime Minister Yilmaz said that inflation is stimulated not simply by new investment, but by budget gaps emerging in result of such investments. He stressed that the government was planning to overcome the investment-inflation problem by utilizing non-budget resources in the financement of new projects. The prime minister vowed to establish an extensive natural gas pipeline network all over the country in the eve of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish republic, and vowed to press for review of legal provisions regulating freedom of thought and expression. /Hurriyet/ [04] CLASHES CONTINUE IN NORTHERN IRAQHeavy fighting broke out in northern Iraq on Friday between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) after the six-day old US-brokered cease-fire collapsed on Thursday. PUK announced in Washington and in Ankara that the cease-fire had been effectively terminated after Turkish jets raided its positions in northern Iraq.Turkish officials confirmed Turkish air raids in northern Iraq but denied these were against the PUK. A foreign ministry announcement said the raids were against four PKK terrorist bases in the region. Meanwhile, the United States announced that Turkey hit not PUK, but PKK positionsin northern Iraq during the recent air raids. "We have had a long standing policy that we support Turkey's right to protect itself against terrorism. The PKK is a terrorist organization, and Turkish actions against the PKK are consistent with that policy. At the same time, we support the territorial integrity and unity of Iraq," said Lee McClenny, acting spokesman for the US State Department. /All papers/ [05] YILMAZ AND SIMITIS WILL MEET TETE-A-TETEIn a meeting with Turkish businessmen Rahmi Koc and Sarik Tara, Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis voiced his desire to hold a tete-a-tete meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mesut Yilmaz. Prime Minister Yilmaz welcomed the proposal. The meeting will be held on November 3 in Crete within the framework of a summit meeting of heads of state and governments from Southeastern European countries. /Hurriyet/[06] NATO: TURKEY IS RIGHTNATO reports said that tensions between Turkey and Greece escalated as a result of the harassment of a Turkish submarine by a Greek mine-sweeping submarine in the Aegean Sea last week. The report added that although Turkey had announced on 24 September that it military exercise will be held in the region, the Greek vessel harassed the Turkish submarine. /Hurriyet/[07] INVITATION FOR DEMIREL FROM ARMENIAArmenian Foreign Minister Aleksander Arzumanyan said that still no solution has been found to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Arzumyan noted that summit in April 1998 a summit will be held in Erivan within the framework of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization and invited President Suleyman Demirel to the summit. /Sabah/[08] VAN MIERLO: " DO NOT PLAY WITH FIRE"Dutch Foreign Minister Hans Van Mierlo said that it would be better not to play with fire as far as Turkey's European Union membership issue is concerned. Pointing out that a consensus had not been reached on Turkey, Mierlo said: "Before sending negative signals to Turkey, we should think twice. Negative signals will cause uneasiness in the solution of the Cyprus problem. Relations with Turkey play importance in protecting Western values." /Sabah/[09] STATE MINISTER CELEBI IN THE USState Minister Isin Celebi started today an official visit in the US on the invitation of US Commerce Secretary William Daley and Washington Institute for Near Eastern Policies. Minister Celebi is scheduled to meet high level US officials to discuss opportunities for enhancing bilateral economic and commercial cooperation. /Milliyet/[10] ENVIRONMENT MINISTER IN CANADAEnvironment Minister Imren Aykut went on Friday to Canada on the invitation of Quebecian Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Landry. Minister Aykut had meetings with high level Canadian officials to discuss various environmental issues. /Anatolia news agency/[11] TURKISH COACH-TANKER COLLISIONS KILLS 48Forty-eight people burned to death in a collision between a tanker lorry and a coach in southern Turkey overnight. 48 coach passengers were killed when their vehicle crashed into the tanker and burst into flames, as they were travelling on a main road between the towns of Kayseri and Konya. /All papers/[12] OZAL COMMEMORATED IN WASHINGTONThe 8th President of the Turkish Republic, Turgut Ozal is going to be commemorated in Washington. During a ceremony to be held in Washington University today, Ozal's ideas will be debated. It will be the first time a commemoration ceremony is organized for a foreign stateman in the US.Turgut Ozal's wife Semra Ozal will be the honor guest at the ceremony. State Minister Isin Celebi and the chairman of the Love and Idea Education Foundation (SE-VAK), founded by Turgut Ozal, Muharrem Eskiyapan will accompany Semra Ozal. /Sabah/ [13] US SUPPORT FOR COMBATTING MONEY LAUNDERINGUS officials said that they were ready to share their experiences in combatting money laundering with Turkey. Meanwhile, the the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) pledged to support a computer project launched by the Board for Investigating Financial Crimes at the Finance Ministry initiated within the framework of the struggle against money laundering. /Hurriyet/[14] VAKIFBANK SUPPORTS EDUCATION REFORMSVakifbank General Director Hasan Kilavuz vowed to construct ten primary education schools in support of the education reforms recently launched by the government. The bank will spend TL 500 billion for the construction of the schools. Vakifbank had previously donated another TL 111 billion in support of the reforms. /Cumhuriyet/END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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