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Turkish Press Review, 98-09-16Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>16.09.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] SWITZERLAND SUGGESTS LAUSANNE FOR CELEBRATIONSSwiss Ambassador to Ankara, Andre Faivet said yesterday that Turkey could celebrate the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic in the historical Rumine Palace in Lausanne. Faivet also said that the disapproval of Turkish request for organizing a celebration in June was for security reasons.[02] CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF IN DENMARKChief of the General Staff, Huseyin Kivrikoglu, who is in the Danish capital of Copenhagen for a NATO meeting, watched a military exercise of the Danish Army in Slagelse yesterday. During a ceremony following the exercise, Kivrikoglu delivered a speech as the head of the NATO High Committee, and presented a plaque to Danish General Jesper Helso. The Danish General also presented a plaque to Kivrikoglu. /Hurriyet/[03] COMMENT BY NEW REPRESENTATIVE OF EUROPEAN UNIONThe European Union has appointed a British bureaucrat, Karen Fogg, as the head of its representative office in Ankara. In a commentary she wrote for Hurriyet newspaper, she stressed the necessity of a careful observation by the EU of changes and improvements in Turkey. "My duty is to contribute to develop a mutual understanding,"she stated. /Hurriyet/[04] WORLD ENERGY CONGRESSIn a determination to realize the east-west energy corridor, Washington has rolled up its sleeves to clear all obstacles in the way of this major project. The newly-appointed US Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson expressed strong commitment to solve the Caspian dispute between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on Monday in separate meetings with Turkish Energy Minister Cumhur Ersumer and Turkmenistan Deputy Prime Minister Batirbey Serciyev, which took place in the margins of the 17th World Energy Congress in Houston.Richardson also reiterated the strong American support for the construction of oil and natural gas pipelines that will run via Turkey to the Mediterranean. Turkey rallies for the construction of an oil pipeline from Azerbaijan's capital of Baku to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. /All papers/ [05] TURKEY AND BRITAIN SIGN DEFENSE COOPERATION DEALTurkish and British officials yesterday signed a defense industry cooperation agreement. The agreement coincides with the arrival of the British Defense Secretary George Robertson for two-day official talks. Receiving his British counterpart, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ismet Sezgin said that Turkey and Britain, both NATO allies, have always had friendly bilateral ties.Robertson said that Britain views Turkey as the most valuable NATO ally. Apart from Sezgin, Robertson is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. /All papers/ [06] TURKISH-ISRAELI JOURNALISTS MEETThe Turkish Journalists' Association has organized a meeting between Turkish and Israeli journalists and intellectuals. The two-day meeting which started yesterday in Istanbul covers geopolitical and historical matters involving Turkey, Israel and the Middle East. /Sabah/[07] AMB.BRILL: "PROPOSAL FOR CONFEDERATION IS POSITIVE"US Ambassador to Nicosia Kenneth Brill commented yesterday the proposal of Turkish Cypirot President Rauf Denktas for the establishment of a Cyprus Confederation as a permanent solution in Cyprus. "It is a political and not a military proposal. That is why it is useful and positive" Ambassador Brill was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency.Ambassador Brill was speaking after a meeting with Greek Cypriot Leader Glafkos Klerides, which took place prior to the upcoming UN General Assembly session where the Cyprus issue is expected to be high on the agenda. In a related development, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf Denktas received yesterday a delegation of British deputies, headed by Peter Amery, a member of the parliamentary foreign relations committee. [08] GUREL RENEWS CRITICISM OF EUState Minister Sukru Sina Gurel, responsible for relations with the European Union (EU) and Cyprus affairs, lashed out at the EU yesterday criticizing it for not taking any action to fulfil its commitments to Turkey. In an opening speech at a meeting of the EU Coordination Council, Gurel accused the Union of being "negligent" with respect to its promises to release EU financial aid to Turkey, which was supposed to be released in 1995 but has been blocked by Greece since then.Gurel also complained that Turkey was not associated enough to Union works on the proper implementation of the customs union between the EU and Turkey. He stressed that Turkey was expanding efforts to fulfill its obligations towards the Union, but noted that the EU stance continued to be vague. /Cumhuriyet/ [09] DENKTAS TO MEET WITH HOLBROOKERauf Denktas, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), will meet with Richard Holbrooke, US President Bill Clinton's former Special Representative to Cyprus, during his visit to the US to start on September 29, the Anatolia news agency reports. President Denktas earlier announced that during his visit to New York, he will meet with Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the UN, to brief him on the confederation proposal and the latest situation on Cyprus.[10] HASHISH SEIZED IN SIVEREKIn the Siverek district of Sanliurfa, 1.5 kilograms of hashish were seized by security forces yesterday. One person was taken into custody regarding the incident, the Anatolia news agency reported.[11] SLOVENIAN PRIME MINISTER IN TURKEYSlovenian Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek arrived in Turkey yesterday as the official guest of Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. Drnovsek was welcomed by State Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen and other officials at Ankara's Esenboga Airport. A bilateral protocol on cooperation between the Turkish and Slovenian foreign ministries was signed. Drnovsek is scheduled to meet with Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin today. /All papers/[12] CAPITAL MARKETS AND INVESTMENT IN TURKEYA meeting on "Capital Markets and Investment in Turkey" will be held on September 18 in London. During the meeting organized by the Turkish-British Business Council, investment opportunities in Turkey will explained to British and American investors, the Anatolia news agency reported. State Minister Gunes Taner, Undersecretariat of Transportation Ministry Sureyya Yucel Ozden, Head of Central Bank Gazi Ercel, Deputy Undersecretariat of Treasury Cuneyt Sel, Head of the Privatization Administration Ugur Bayar, Head of the Istanbul Stock Exchanges Osman Birsen and Turkish Ambassador to London Ozdem Sanberk will participate in the meeting.[13] SYMPOSIUM IN ISTANBULA symposium on "Problems created by the Oil Transportation in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Regions" jointly organized by the Bogazici University and Manchester University started yesterday in Istanbul. During an opening ceremony, Dr.J.T.Turner from the Manchester University presented a plaque to Dean of the Bogazici University, Prof.Ustun Erguder. /Cumhuriyet/[14] CIVILIZATIONS SYMPOSIUMA symposium on "Dialogue among civilizations" will be held in Diyarbakir on September 18-20. The symposium organized by the Diyarbakir Municipality will be attended by 27 scientists from Turkey, the US, Belgium, France, Britain, Egypt, Iran and Pakistan. /Cumhuriyet/[15] FIRES IN ISTANBULThe fires which began at 27 separate places over five days and burned 200 hectares of land have been gotten under control. All the fire brigade teams in Istanbul including reinforcements from the neighbouring province and districts worked without a break. The crisis desk has been created under the chairmanship of Forestry Minister Ersin Taranoglu. /All papers/[16] TOURISM SECTORThe number of tourists who visited Turkey in the first eight months of 1998 increased by 2.29 % compared to the same period last year. The number of tourists from Romania, France, Britain, the US, Holland and Bulgaria increased by 75.38 %, 34.69 %, 8.84 %, 21.79 %, 25.29 % and 32.31 % respectively, according to a press release issued by the Turkish Hotel Association. /All papers/[17] CLEAN START FOR UNRECORDED REVENUES HOLDERS OFFEREDA financial circular took effect yesterday when it was published in the Official Gazette. The circular aims at broadening the tax base and registering unrecorded revenues before September 30. If previously unrecorded revenues are deposited in banks on September 30 and kept in the bank for one full day, the depositors will be given "tax amnesty". Funds over TL 3.5 billion that are deposited in the bank on this date will be subject to investigation as of January 1, 1999. /All papers/[18] "NO AUTONOMOUS KURDISTAN STATE IN N.IRAQ"Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader, Celal Talabani said that Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos misinformed the world public opinion. Talabani noted that they had not negotiated with Greece to establish an autonomous Kurdistan state in northern Iraq including a region of Turkey. Accusing Pangalos of giving misinformation to the world public opinion, Talabani refused the claims about the efforts to establish a new 'Cyprus' in northern Iraq. /Sabah/[19] PKK OPERATIONSOperations conducted by Turkish security forces in Farasin region of Sirnak have been continuing since September 11. During the last 24 hours eight terrorists were killed and the number of terrorists killed since the beginning of the operation has risen to 24. Military officials announced that operations would continue. /Sabah/[20] YILMAZ, CEM AND CILLER TO USTurkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will attend the new term opening session of the United Nations General Council (UN) in New York. Ismail Cem will go to New York on 19 September whereas Mesut Yilmaz will go on 22 September. Yilmaz will give a speech at the Council on 24 September. Both Yilmaz and Cem will hold bilateral meetings with prime ministers and ministers of the countries attending the opening session of the Council. In his speech Yilmaz will express Turkey's foreign policy, Cyprus issue and S-300 missiles besides other issues.On the other hand, the True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller will attend academic conferences organized by Boston University and Princeton University in the US. /Milliyet/ [21] "NO VISA APPLICATION FOR TURKEY"The European Parliament Green Party requested the abolition of EU some visa requirements for Turkish citizens in Europe. The European Parliament will discuss today the request which asks new arrangements to ease travelling of Turkish families living in EU countries when they travel in EU borders. The request also comprises Turkish businessmen trading with EU countries. /Milliyet/[22] BERISHA: "TURKEY AND THE U.S. SHOULD HELP US"Former President of Albania, Sali Berisha wanted Turkey and the U.S to help them to re-establish peace in their country. Claiming that the current government dealt with drug smuggling which was giving harm not only to youth in Albania but also in Europe, Berisha said, "Turkey, the US and other friendly countries should examine the violence incidents in Albania and help us to stabilize the negative situation in our country." /Milliyet/Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |