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Turkish Press Review, 98-01-08Turkish 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 MINISTER08.01.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] TOP SECURITY OFFICIALS' MEETINGWestern European countries are due to hold an emergency meeting in Rome today to discuss fears that a stream of Kurdish immigrants into Italy will derail their open-borders policy. Head of the Security Department, Necati Bilican as well as Turkey's Interpol chief are attending the meetings, to clarify Turkey's position and its security measures. Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, speaking to the Italian daily, La Stampa, said thay are willing to negotiate with the Schengen countries concerning the refugee issue. "We will try and do all we can to agree on things" Yilmaz stated, noting that most of the immigrants are people fleeing from northern Iraq due to the ongoing clashes. /Hurriyet-Sabah/[02] TURKEY-BRITAIN CRISIS ESCALATESBritish Ambassador to Ankara David Logan yesterday dismissed claims that the Foreign Ministry had sent to him a note as "groundless", and said that he himself had paid a visit to the Foreign Ministry to discuss various issues.Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan, however, confirmed reports that Ambassador Logan had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry and given a warning with respect to British Foreign Minister Robin Cook's "unappropriate" comments about Turkey. According to Utkan, Turkish Ambassador to London Ozden Sanberk went yesterday to the British Foreign Ministry to convey Turkish disappointment over Cook's statement. In contrast with Ambassador Logan's claims that the problem stemmed from a mere misunderstanding, Utkan said that the Foreign Ministry had the tape of Cook's controversial statement made on January 4 on a BBC TV channel. /Hurriyet/ [03] TURKISH POLICE APPREHEND 294 MORE REFUGEESIn operations carried out all over Turkey, the police have apprehended 294 foreign illegal entrants making preparations to seek asylum in Europe. 235 asylum-seekers were caught in Ipsala, 41 in Istanbul, 14 in Van and four in Mugla. Four Turks suspected of smuggling the Asian and Far East refugees through the borders were also arrested. /Sabah/[04] IRAQI PETROL IN YUMURTALIKFollowing U.N. agreements allowing Iraq to sell a limited quantity of oil for food, oil is again pumping through from the Kirkuk region to the Botas Yumurtalik port facilities. Kerim Unal, a Botas official, said that starting from yesterday, 70 million barrels of Iraqi oil would be pumped through and that Turkey would earn 100 million dollars. /Hurriyet/[05] TURKISH CONSULATE IN NAPOLI TO BE CLOSEDThe Foreign Ministry has decided to close some diplomatic missions, abroad aiming to save on expenditures. Within this framework Turkey's consulate in Napoli, Italy, will be closed in 1998. /Hurriyet/[06] FM: FOREIGNERS NOT TO BE ACCEPTED IN TURKEYIn his weekly press conference yesterday Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan said that illegal immigrants who went to Italy through Turkey would not henceforth be allowed into Turkey. Adding that Turkish citizens could return whenever they wanted, Utkan said that Italy had not sent a list to Turkey which defined the identities of the immigrants.Utkan noted that these people were being encouraged by the statements of some European countries on political asylum. He noted that Turkey had offered more cooperation against illegal immigration to Italy in November, but had received no answer from the Italian administration. Utkan pointed out that not only was the PKK involved in the movement of immigrants, but there was also another similar organization in Italy. He stressed that international cooperation was essential to success in the struggle against such activities. /Cumhuriyet/ [07] TURCO-ISRAELI-US EXERCISES CONTINUEThe most essential phase of the joint Turco-Israeli-US naval exercise in the Mediterranean -a search and rescue drill- was successfully completed yesterday, amid continuing criticism from Arab states, Iran and Russia blasting the cooperation between the three nations. The 12-hour maneuvers, in international waters off Israel's port of Hafia, involved five vessels- the Turkish frigates Yavuz and Zafer, the US Sixth Fleet destroyer John Rodgers, the Israeli missile boats Lahav and Nitzahon, as well as helicopters and an Israeli maritime patrol aircraft. A Jordanian senior military officer participated as an observer.Each country conducted its own version of an identical search-and-rescue operation for the survivors of a mock sinking of a fishing vessel, supposed to have been en route from Cyprus to Israel. Israeli yachts stood in for the fighting boats, and dummies were thrown overboad as "survivors". All the three nations taking part in the exercise, named "Reliant Mermaid", have repeatedly rejected allegations that the maneuvers threatened to undermine stability in the region, emphasizing that they had purely humanitarian aims and did not target any country. No shots were fired during the maneuvers. /All papers/ [08] INTENSIVE DIPLOMATIC CONTACTS IN JANUARYAnkara will host a number of diplomatic guests in January. Following the visit of French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine to Ankara, there will also be talks held with Spanish, Japanese, American, German, Ukrainian and Bosnian high-level officials, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Necati Utkan said yesterday. In addition, a meeting of Turkish consulates with Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will be held in Bonn on January 26. /All papers/[09] EXPLOSION IN COAL MINE NEAR KUTAHYAAn explosion in a labourers' hut in the Altintas coal mine area of Kutahya killed five people. The reason for the explosion has not yet been determined. Nuri Ozder, from the local authority in Altintas, stated that the explosion occurred around 11.00 p.m. on Tuesday night and they started to carry out an investigation on Wednesday morning. /Sabah/[10] NEW REGULATION ON STRAITS TO BE READY SOONA new regulation aiming to reduce the risk of navigating the Turkish Straits to a minimum will be issued in a few days, Burhan Kara, state minister responsible for maritime affairs, said yesterday. Kara said that the deficiencies of the 1994 regulation, which is currently in force, had been determined, and a new regulation dealing with these shortcomings would be prepared, the Anatolia news agency reported. He also said that the regulation had been revised by a commission, coordinated by his ministry and comprising experts from the Naval Forces Command, and the foreign and transport ministries.On Tuesday, Guven Erkaya, a senior adviser to the prime minister and former commander of the naval forces, said that a Special Project Group had been established in order to complete structural reforms in the management of the straits until Janaury 1, 2000, upon Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's directions. [11] ANKARA REACTS TO GREEK EFFORTS TO EXPAND ITS AIRSPACEGreek efforts to increase its airspace to 10 miles over the Aegean Sea cannot be accepted, Necati Utkan, Foreign Ministry Spokesman said yesterday. "By the October 8, 1937, agreement, the Greek territorial waters were declared to be six sea miles. Athens, however, is continuing to implement an airspace of 10 miles, which is a violation of the international legislation. As is known, international law limits the national airspace to the extent of the territorial waters. Neither Turkey nor any other country recognizes that implementation of this Greek act" Utkan said.Meanwhile, in answer to a question, Utkan said that Greece is violating international law with its plans related to the uninhabited rocks and islets in the Aegean Sea, which are not part of Greece by international acts. "Greece cannot claim rights to these rocks and islets" Utkan said, adding that the actual steps proposed by Athens are unacceptable according to the geographic positions of the islets in the Aegean Sea which are not part of Greece. /Cumhuriyet/ [12] DENKTAS: "WE'LL NOT DISCUSS ANY UN DOCUMENTS ON CYPRUS"Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas dismissed yesterday reports that the UN special Cyprus adviser, Diego Cordovez, would visit the island in March with a set of documents, saying that the UN was not authorized to prepare any such papers.Denktas held talks with UN Cyprus envoy Gustave Feissel in Nicosia yesterday, and speaking after the meeting, said: "If Cordovez comes here in March, we will talk with him, but we will not discuss any documents" the Anatolia news agency reported. Denktas was apparently referring to claims that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is preparing a "set of documents" for the resumption of the intercommunal talks on Cyprus in March. The documents are said to include a draft constitution text, an outline of the borders of the Greek and Turkish territories and solution proposals on an array of other problems. [13] TURKEY 97 EXPORTS $27.1 BLN, UP 14 PCTTurkey's exports rose 14 percent in 1997 to $27.15 billion from $23.73 billion a year earlier, the Turkish Exporters' Association (TIM) said. TIM targets exports of $32 billion in 1998, the group's chairman Okan Oguz was quoted as saying in a statement.Turkey's leading export sector, readywear clothing, grew 14 percent in 1997 to $7.229 billion and represented 26.6 percent of total exports. Metal exports rose 17 percent to $3.385 billion, textile exports were up 10.5 percent to $2.851 billion and electric and electronic exports went up 16 percent to $2.232 billion. Hazelnut exports showed the strongest growth in 1997, jumping 51 percent to $928.4 million, followed by fresh fruit and vegetables, which leapt 46 percent to $608.1 million. /Sabah/ END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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