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Turkish Press Review, 98-03-16Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>16.03.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] FOREIGN MINISTER IN QATARForeign Minister Ismail Cem has gone to Qatar's capital city Doha to attend Foreign Ministers' Summit meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). In his speech at the summit, Cem said that the Kosovo issue was in no way to be underestimated. Commenting on the fact that Turkey, Egypt and Iran had prepared three different draft proposals for resolving the turmoil in Kosovo, Cem said that these would be unified and a common resolution would be declared shortly.Cem also conducted brief meetings with his counterparts from Iran and Turkmenistan. Along with Cem, the Foreign Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is also participating in the OIC meeting as an observer. /Milliyet/ [02] MILITARY OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTHEASTUsing US military technology, Turkish military units are blasting the areas around Sirnak in the southeast of Turkey in early Spring operations against the PKK terrorist organization. Reports from the region say that during the last ten days, around 100 terrorists have been killed, together with some military losses.The military are reinforcing the secuity presence in the region in readiness for the "Nevruz" new year festival which is celebrated at this time of the year-often with increased terrorist activity. Military representatives said over the weekend that measures had already been taken to guarantee security throughout the whole of the southeast. Sabah/Milliyet/ [03] STRONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATION FOR NEVRUZThe government will be strongly represented in the southeast of the country for the start of Nevruz celebrations on March 21. Leading government leaders including Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Minister for Culture Istemihan Talay and others including Ismet Sezgin, will all go to major cities like Siirt, Diyarbakir, Sirnak and Cizre in a show of governmental interest and support. /Milliyet/[04] TWO PKK HEROIN COURIERS DETAINEDNarcotics Bureau detectives yesterday detained two heroin couriers in Istanbul. The two suspects, carrying 20 kilos of heroin worth TL 29 billion, are alleged to have been working for the head of the so-called "Kurdish Parliament." /Milliyet/[05] OPERATION "HIZBULLAH"Following a series of operations by the police in Mus, 18 members of the illegal H�zbullah organization have been taken into custody. Seven of those arrested have been accused of giving lectures to children aged 7-13 under the guise of teaching them Koranic verses, and have been sent to court. The accused are believed to have been waging a Hizbullah propaganda campaign among children aged 7-14 without the knowledge of the Directorate General of Religious Affairs./Milliyet/[06] TURKEY AT UN HUMAN RIGHTS MEETINGState Minister Hikmet Sami Turk yesterday went to Geneva to participate in the United Nations Human Rights Commission's 54th term meetings. Speaking at the airport before leaving Istanbul, Turk noted that today's meeting had a special importance because it coincides with the 50th anniversary of "the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights". /Cumhuriyet/[07] 'ARMENIA WOULD LIKE TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH TURKEY"Armenian Deputy Head of State and Prime Minister Robert Kocaryan said that Armenian would like to improve relations with Turkey. In a written statement to Turkish daily newspaper Milliyet, Kocaryan said that ensuring good relations with Turkey had priority in the Yerevan administration's foreign policy. He added that there had been a dynamic improvement in economic relations between the two countries although border gates were still closed. Kocaryan noted that political problems between Turkey and Armenia would have to be discussed and that relations in every field should be improved between Turkey and Armenia.A group of Turkish parliamentarians will monitor the presidential elections in Armenia on Monday, as observers for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly. The group of Turkish observers in the OSCEPA monitoring group left for the Armenian capital Yerevan on Friday and met high-ranking Armenian politicians. /Milliyet/ [08] MONGOLIAN PRESIDENT IN ANKARAMogolian President Natsagiy Bagabandi will pay his first visit to Ankara today. Bagabandi said that his visit would be the replay of his Turkish counterpart Suleyman Demirel's visit to his country in 1995. He added that bilateral relations would contribute to improve between Turkey Mongolia. /Milliyet/[09] GEORGIA AND TURKEY ANNOUNCE START OF CRUDE OIL PROJECTGeorgia and Turkey signed an accord on Saturday launching a joint project to transport oil from Azerbaijan's Caspian oil fields across Georgia to Turkey. The deal, which also includes the construction of a Trans-Caucasian pipeline, was signed by Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze and Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, who later flew back to Ankara. On Friday, Georgia and Turkey signed intergovernmental accords on border cooperation in the Black Sea region and for exchange programmes in sport, education, science and culture. /All papers/[10] COMMUNICATIONS AWARD FOR DENKTASA "communications award", set up cooperatively by Istanbul University Faculty of Communications, and "Panatel", was yesterday presented to President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Rauf Denktas. Expressing his appreciation for the award Denktas said that it was necessary to upgrade the TRNC economy to a level equal to that of the Greek Cypriot Adminstration. /Cumhuriyet/[11] EU SHOULD MAKE UP ITS MINDFollowing the London European Union (EU) conference, during which Turkey's non-inclusion and the future membership of Cyprus was discussed, public thinking in Turkey is dwelling on the issues that the EU is currently faced with. Current thought is that the EU needs to make up its mind on these vital issues, before it divides even more over the Cyprus question. Although the EU again called on Turkey to meet the standards of the EU in some important areas, the EU itself needs to make some adjustments and determine a workable policy to resolve questions involving north and south Cyprus, and just where Turkey stands in relation to future full membership in the Union. /Sabah/[12] BRITISH GAMES IN CYPRUSThe British are at it again, playing with words in the kind of diplomacy for which they are famous. In moves to speed up EU membership for Cyprus, Britain has put forward proposals to the UN for the "Cyprus Republic" in an effort win UN support for the inclusion of Cyprus. According to some diplomatic sources, Britain hopes to unite the five permanent members of the UN Security Council around the theory of a superficially united Cyprus, and thus open the way to "take some practical steps forward."Reaction from northern Cyprus remains cool. President Rauf Denktas said that "we have no choice but to continue along the road we have decided to take. While our rights are being ignored, we will stay bound to Turkey." /Milliyet/ [13] TENSION IN TURKEY-GERMANY RELATIONSThe German Der Spiegel magazine was reported that the increasing tension between Turkey and Germany in recent days could harm their "legendary friendship". Quoting the words of German Prime Minister Helmut Kohl, the magazine said that "Germany was a good friend of Turkey". It reported Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel as saying that Germany would like Turkey to join in the European Union (EU).On the other hand, in a statement to the German daily newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Klaus Kinkel said, "The EU door is open to Turkey and it must remain open. However, by giving way to emotion, Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz should not damage Turkey's EU membership opportunities". /Hurriyet/ Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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