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Turkish Press Review, 98-04-22Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>22.04.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] DEMIREL RECEIVES MACEDONIAN DELEGATION AT CANKAYA PALACEPresident Suleyman Demirel yesterday received Macedonian Foreign Minister, Blagoy Handzinski and the delegation accompanying him at Cankaya Palace. At the reception Demirel stressed that the Kosovo issue should be solved through dialogue and called on the Macedonian administration to use its influence on Belgrade.Blagoy Handzinski and the delegation with him was also received yesterday by Speaker of Parliament, Hikmet Cetin. /Cumhuriyet/ [02] GUREL WARNS EU REGARDING CYPRUSState Minister Sukru Sina Gurel pointed out yesterday that there was no compromise to be made by Turkey regarding the Cyprus issue and said: "We once again warn the European Union (EU). Turkey's relations with the EU cannot be related to Cyprus. This stance will not contribute to a solution of the Cyprus problem". A meeting on the Cyprus issue was held at the Turkish Parliament's General Council yesterday. Noting that Greece was trying to carry the Cyprus problem to the EU, Gurel stated that if the Greek Cypriot Administration's full EU membership was accepted, Greece would make the Cyprus problem a problem of the EU. /Milliyet/[03] ATHENS: "NO CONFERENCE ON CYPRUS"Greek Government Spokesman Dimitri Reppas yesterday denied news claiming that a quadripartite conference would be held following initiatives by the United States for a solution to the Cyprus problem. Reppas held a press conference yesterday and pointed out that Athens would support initiatives regarding Cyprus made within the framework of the decisions of the United Nations. /Milliyet/[04] 'THERE WILL BE NO EUROPE WITHOUT TURKEY'Austrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schussel said that there could not be a Europe without Turkey, and added that Austria was ready to extend every support to Turkey to take her place, which she rightly deserved, in Europe. During an official meeting between Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ismet Sezgin, Schussel talked about his impressions of Cyprus and stated that during his contacts made towards finding a peaceful solution to the Cyprus problem, he listened to positive views from both leaders of the two communities.Turkish Defense Minister Sezgin said in a statement to journalists following the meeting that they had exchanged views with the Austrian Foreign Minister on European security and thanked the Austrian Minister for his efforts to prevent PKK terrorist activities. Sezgin also noted that the Austrian Foreign Minister had said that Austria was ready to cooperate in the struggle against terrorism. Completing his official contacts in Austria, Sezgin will proceed on to Romania for an official visit today. /Milliyet/ [05] CELEBI ARRIVES IN BEIJINGState Minister Isin Celebi and a delegation accompanying him arrived yesterday in the Chinese capital of Beijing where they will participate in joint economic commission meeetings. After meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Isin Celebi made a statement in which he noted that Turkey was aiming to enlarge the trade capacity between Turkey and China. Celebi also said that one of the issues that must be tackled was the imbalance between imports and exports shown by Turkey's latest trade figures related to China. /Hurriyet/[06] US CLAIMS PKK TERRORIST ORGANIZATION IS COLLAPSINGThe US administration claims that the PKK terrorist organization is collapsing in Turkey and that Turkish security forces maintain control in the region. Stressing that the PKK is a violent terrorist organization, US officials sat that it should not be supported by other countries. Officials also reported that Washington always supported Turkey in its struggle against terrorism. However, the same sources pointed out that the PKK was continuing with maintaining its political presence in Europe. /Sabah/[07] PKK SETS FIRE TO A RESTAURANT IN ANTALYAIntending to discourage tourists from coming to Turkey, the PKK terrorist organization set fire to a restaurant in Antalya yesterday evening. The terrorists also robbed the people in the restaurant. /Hurriyet/[08] PKK CAMPAIGN AGAINST TURKISH TOURISMThe Kurdish federation (KOMKUR) embodying more than 100 Kurdish organizations and associations has started a campaign against Turkey aiming to make tourists, who intend to have their summer holidays in Turkey, change their minds. They have printed posters in five languages in order to propagate their campaign. /Hurriyet/[09] PKK OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTHEASTDuring the operations conducted in the Sirnak-Siirt-Bitlis triangle 90 PKK terrorists were killed during the past week. Military sources reported yesterday that the main part of the Mehmet Isikkal operation had been completed and that PKK shelters had been hit by Turkish air force planes. /Cumhuriyet/[10] LUXEMBOURG PM RESPONDS TO YILMAZIn a statement to the German "Stern" magazine, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker answered a claim made by Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz that Juncker himself, as the term president, had been preventing Turkey's membership in the European Union. He noted that it was an unreasonable claim. He also reacted to Yilmaz's suggestion that he was strictly obedient to German Chancellor Helmut Kohl as if he were his "superior officer" by saying that Yilmaz's expression did not fit to the standards that a prime minister should actually care about. /Hurriyet/[11] ERSUMER IN BAKUMinister of Energy and Natural Resources Cumhur Ersumer is continuing his contacts in Baku. Ersumer met yesterday with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade and said that cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan in building electricty distribution systems and oil pipeline projects would be very successful. At end of the meeting Ersumer and Rasizade decided to form a working group to conduct meetings on main oil pipeline projects.Ersumer was also received yesterday by Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev. At the meeting Aliyev declared that he hoped the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline project would be accelerated and quickly brought into action. He noted that the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipe line was important not only to transfer Azerbaijani oil but also to tying-in the pipelines to transfer Kazakh and Turkmen oil. /Cumhuriyet/ [12] TURKISH F-16 AIRCRAFT IN ISRAILIt was reported yesterday that Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter planes would soon be making training flights in Israel. According to one of the leading Israeli newspapers, "Haaretz", Turkish F-16 aircraft would be in Israel on 24 April. The paper added that the training programme was going to be held three times a year within the framework of the military cooperation agreement between Israel and Turkey in 1996. /Cumhuriyet/[13] MILLER IN ANKARAUS Special Envoy to Cyprus Thomas Miller came to Ankara yesterday, where he met with Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. It was later announced that Miller will meet with State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel, responsible for Cyprus affairs, and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. Meanwhile, it is expected that President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Rauf Denktas will come to Istanbul today. /Cumhuriyet/[14] THY TO BE SOLDAt the end of a Privatization High Board meeting yesterday it was announced that shares in Turkish Airlines (THY), the national air carrier, will be sold off to the public. After the meeting Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said that the privatization of three subsidiaries belonging to Sumer Holding and Konya Chrome Works had been approved. He added also that shares in Turkish Airlines would soon be available to the public. /Cumhuriyet/[15] MAYOR GETS 10 MONTH-SENTENCE FOR SPEECHThe State Security Court (DGM) in Diyarbakir has sentenced Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mayor of Istanbul and a member of the Virtue Party (FP), to 10 months in jail and a heavy fine for an Islamist speech he made last year in the southeastern province of Siirt. The court also convicted Erdogan of "inciting hatred" in an address to Islamist supporters last month in Siirt.Erdogan did not appear at the hearing on Tuesday and is not expected to be sent to jail immediately. The case must now go through an appeals court which may approve the court decision. If the Court of Appeals upholds that decision, Erdogan will be sent to jail and removed from office, losing the chance to run for election. /All papers/ [16] TURKEY-EU JPC MEETINGThe general assembly of the Turkey-European Union (EU) Joint Parliamentary Commission (JPC) met yesterday in an atmosphere of tension, as the EU side asked to discuss political issues, including Cyprus, while the Turkish side refused to engage in any discussions apart from economic ones, sticking to a previous government decision to cut all political dialogue with the Union. Co-chairman Piet Dankert insisted yesterday that the meeting's agenda should also include political discussions, in spite of the Turkish deputies' insistence on a restricted agenda consisting mainly of Turkey's Customs Union (CU) agreement.Addressing the JPC on Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said: "We cannot get stuck in the past. Both sides have to work out a new understanding to improve ties". However, Cem added, the EU had discriminated against Turkey in Luxembourg and employed double standards. Cem said that it was acknowledged by some EU representatives even in Luxembourg that the EU has failed to realize its responsibilities deriving from the CU agreement. British Ambassador and JPC Term-President David Logan addressed the group and said that the EU foresees the accession of Cyprus as a whole and that Turkish-Greek disputes have to be overcome. /All papers/ [17] YILMAZ WELCOMES CHILDREN OF THE WORLDPrime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said yesterday that the Children's Day which Ataturk established would be a bridge of love, peace and fellowship leading towards the world of the future. The prime minister received more than 900 children from 43 countries in the Prime Ministry building yesterday. Yilmaz said that Children's Day was a celebration which assured that humanity would live in love, fellowship and peace forever.Yilmaz gave presents to the children, who gave him gifts from their own countries in return. Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) General Director Yucel Yener and State Minister Cavit Kavak were also present at the gathering. /Milliyet/ [18] EU GIVES 100 THOUSAND ECU CREDIT TO MANYAS BIRD PARADISEThe European Union (EU) has given financial support to the "Manyas Bird Paradise Administration and Ecological Risk Analysis" joint project being conducted by Ankara University's Agriculture Faculty and the Environment Ministry's General Directorate of National Parks and Protection of Wildlife, with credit worth 100 thousand ECU, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.[19] KOC HOLDING PROVIDES EDUCATION FUNDINGThe Koc group of companies yesterday donated funds to the Ministry of Education for 15 schools in 11 cities by means of the Vehbi Koc Foundation in support of eight-year basic education. Health Minister Hikmet Ulugbay and Koc Chairman Rahmi Koc signed the protocol for this support at the ministry. The protocol focuses on the construction of 15 schools costing an estimated $15 million, which will be carried out according to a special World Bank project designed for the Education Ministry. /Milliyet-Cumhuriyet/[20] PETKIM TO IMPORT 14,000 TONNES OF CHEMICALSTurkey's petrochemicals producer Petkim announced a tender yesterday to import 14,000 tonnes of chemicals in two equal cargoes for its Aliaga PVC plant, the Official Gazette said. The tender will close on April 24.Note: The Turkish Press Review will not be published on April 23 on the occasion of the Children's Day Festival. Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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