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Turkish Press Review, 98-04-03Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>03.04.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] NO NEED FOR AN URGENT GENERAL ELECTIONAfter a government coalition leaders summit in Ankara yesterday, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz told a news conference that the coalition partners had agreed to suggest to Parliament that an early general election should be held in 1999. Yilmaz said that Turkey was in no urgent need of an election. "The government's impression is that the majority of our people do not want an early election" he said.Yilmaz said that the government had tackled major domestic problems for nine months and had submitted many draft reforms to Parliament with the outside support of the Republican People's Party (CHP), for which he said he was grateful. Yilmaz added that if an election date was announced as autumn 1999, many economic targets could well have been reached by then. /All papers/ [02] FOREIGN MINISTER COMPLETES PAKISTAN VISITForeign Minister Ismail Cem yesterday completed his two-day official visit to Pakistan. Cem was received by Prime Minister Navaz Sherif, met with Foreign Minister Ishak Dar and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Cafer Ikbal. After the meetings Cem said that there were no problems in relations between Pakistan and Turkey. Regarding the visit, Cem said that Turkey had proposed to Pakistan that direct sea and air links between the two countries should be established in order to improve trade between the two countries.Deputy Speaker of the Pakistan Parliament Ikbal, said for his part they welcomed the support that Turkey gave to Pakistan especially in connection with the Kashmir problem and other issues, adding that the visit had reinforced the cooperation and support between the two countries. /Sabah/ [03] IMF DELEGATION TO TURKEYYener Dincmen, Undersecretary of the Treasury said that they had reached concensus on many aspects of the 1998 financial programme at the end of meetings with IMF. He added: "The basic problem is that some reforms have to be realised. These reforms are preconditions to an agreement with the IMF. Without tax and social security reforms there can be no agreement with the IMF." Dincmen said that there will be a meeting on 14 April in Washington and that an IMF delegation will come to Turkey on 24 April to hold a consultation meeting with Turkish representatives. /Hurriyet/[04] "S-300 MISSILES OBSTACLES TO PEACE"US President Bill Clinton said that the S-300 missiles which Greek Cyprus is buying from Russia will be "serious obstacles" to a solution on the island. In a report on Cyprus, covering the December 1997 to January 1998 period, Clinton also said that the result of the Luxembourg Summit regarding Turkey had been a "step backward" within the framework of European Union integration targets. /Hurriyet/[05] RISK OF CYPRUS CONFLICTBritain's "The Guardian" newspaper has pointed out that if Turkish-EU relations do not recover, conflict could break out in Cyprus. The newspaper said that war would not benefit anyone and added: "Some of the problems between Turkey and the EU stem from some countries like Germany, which have fears about the results of Turkey's future full membership in the EU". /Milliyet/[06] HOLBROOKE IN CYPRUSUS President Bill Clinton's Special Cyprus Representative, Richard Holbrooke, who will visit Cyprus today, is expected to discuss the issue of Russian-made S-300 missiles to be deployed by the Greek Cypriot Community. Holbrooke will meet also with President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf Denktas. Denktas is expected to tell Holbrooke that negotiations regarding Cyprus will have to be at inter-governmental levels from now on, and that he wants the US to contribute to new negotiations held within the framework of political equality. Holbrooke wants EU financial aid promised to Turkey to be released and proposed Confidence Building Measures to be approved by the two sides on the island.Denktas also received a Turkish delegation headed by Turkish Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin yesterday. Denktas noted that the Turkish government's support for the TRNC further strengthened the TRNC's position on international platforms. /Milliyet/ [07] DEMIREL WARNS YEREVANParticipating in 80th anniversary ceremonies marking the liberation of Van, a city in the southeast of Turkey, President Suleyman Demirel spoke out harshly against the aggressive policy assumed by the newly elected President of Armenia, Robert Kocarian. Demirel also sent a warning message to Kocarian calling for the immediate withdrawal of Armenian troops from occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Demirel again stressed that Turkey will never allow any country to disrupt regional stability. /Cumhuriyet/[08] UN-TURKEY ALLIANCE AGAINST POVERTYPreparations have been completed for a project on "national dialogue for strategies in the struggle against poverty in Turkey", to be carried out jointly by Turkey and the United Nations Improvement Programme. The General Director of the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), responsible for the maintenance of the project, Dr.Mehmet Kabasakal, pointed out the necessity of joint action by the state, local governments and the private sector. This project, aiming to find fundamental solutions for poverty in Turkey, is determined to give priority to the cities of Ankara and Diyarbakir. /Cumhuriyet/[09] FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES UP $836 MILLIONCentral Bank foreign exchange reserves continue to increase. Foreign exchange reserves, which totalled $20.339 billion on 20 March, increased by $836 million and reached $21.175 billion on 27 March, with international reserves showing a total of $29.853 billion. /Milliyet-Sabah/[10] ELECTRONIC STORM COMINGMinister of Communications, Necdet Menzir, speaking at a meeting of the Marmara Group's Strategic Studies Fund, said: "An electronic storm is coming, and if we are late in preparing for it, it will not be unlike the arrival of the printing machine in the country 300 years after its discovery".Menzir added that a grave mistake had been made in Turkey by not developing the railways. Therefore the Communications Ministry was carrying out studies for 2000 kms of new tracks. The Minister also stated that a tunnel under the Bosphorus Straits would not constitute an alternative to a third bridge and should be built. /Cumhuriyet/ [11] TURKISH SCIENTIST AWARDEDDr.Ali Erdemir from Chicago University and a research specialist at the Argon National Laboratory attached to the Department of Energy, has been presented with a $ 2 million research award for discoveries leading to reducing the friction factor to zero. For his research into friction technology Erdemir has been honoured with the Edmond E. Bisson Award by the Engineers' Union. /Milliyet-Hurriyet/[12] PKK OPERATIONSThe Turkish Armed Forces have started wide ranging of operations in the Ballikaya region in the Silopi-Ulupinar-Sirnak triangle. Aircraft from Diyarbakir military base have been making observation flights over the region. Military sources have reported that operations will continue in the region and that there were clashes going on between terrorist groups and the security forces. No information about the number of wounded or dead, however, has been released. /Sabah/Note: Because of the Feast of Sacrifice, the Turkish Press Review will not be published again until Monday 13 April. Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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