TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (July 3, 1995)

CONTENTS

  • [01] DEMIREL: "OUR NEIGHBOUR SHOULD TAKE CARE"

  • [02] FOUR MILITANTS TURN THEMSELVES IN

  • [03] MINISTER RETURNS FROM HELSINKI

  • [04] SECURITY AGREEMENT BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARGENTINA GOES INTO EFFECT

  • [05] TURKISH ENVOY STARTS DUTIES AS PRESIDENT OF UNIDO BOARD

  • [06] TRNC LICKS ITS WOUNDS

  • [07] TURKEY TO BROADCAST TO BOSNIA

  • [08] OYMEN IN TRNC

  • [09] GREEK CONFESSION

  • [10] ALIYEV: "RUSSIA EXERTING PRESSURE"

  • [11] CHIRAC SAYS NO DEAL WITH CYPRUS

  • [12] EUROPE NEEDS TURKEY

  • [13] CUSTOMS UNION PROCEDURES SPEEDED UP

  • [14] MILITARY PROMISES NATIONAL UNITY

  • [15] GONENSAY GOES TO US FOR CASPIAN OIL PIPELINE

  • [16] CAMPAIGN AGANST GREECE

  • [17] GUARANTEE FROM IRAN

  • [18] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT ANTALYA

  • [19] TURKEY IS RIGHT IN HER DECISION ABOUT THE DEP

  • [20] 1399 SEEK AMNESTY

  • [21] TURKISH DIPLOMACY FOR AZERI-ARMENIAN PEACE

    •

    WITH THE COMPLIMENT OF

    DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION

    TURKISH PRESS REVIEW

    JULY 3, 1995

    Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish

    press this morning.

    [01] DEMIREL: "OUR NEIGHBOUR SHOULD TAKE CARE"

    Making a speech in Edirne, President Demirel said: "I think Greece is a very bad example of good neighbourliness by contributing to matters which could disturb Turkey". Stating that Greece should avoid controversies and particularly terrorism which could disturb Turkey, Demirel said that Greece should be more careful. Answering a question about the PKK's cooperation with Greece, Demirel said: "When Turkey complains about this issue to them they ignore us. Sending a letter to Karamanlis before he left the Presidency, I noted that the PKK terrorist organization was a criminal organization, shedding blood, and that all the Western countries, the United Nations, NATO member countries and the countries of the European Security Conference were condemning terrorism and joining in the struggle against it, and that Greece, which was one of these countries, should also do so. I added that supporting a criminal organization was a crime against humanity, and Karamanlis stated that Greece had never supported such an organization, but now we are again complaining about the same issue. Of course, there is no connection with humanitarian issues when a neighbour country by supporting terrorism gives damage to the other. It is possible for two neighbour countries to go their separate ways in peace and solidarity in spite of the problems between them. The Presidents of the two countries sat at the same table at a recent meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). /Milliyet/

    [02] FOUR MILITANTS TURN THEMSELVES IN

    Four militants from the PKK terrorist organization turned themselves over last week to the Turkish Security Forces, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. The militants were qouted as saying that the PKK was in difficult condition financially and that morale was low among its militants. Meanwhile, three security officials were killed by PKK terrrorists in Tunceli yesterday. Interior Minister Nahit Mentese stated that 30 terrorists and two security officials had died during clashes in Sirnak, Siirt and Van.

    [03] MINISTER RETURNS FROM HELSINKI

    Aysel Baykal, State Minister responsible for women and the family, returned Sunday from Helsinki, where she attended a conference of Council of Europe ministers responsible for family issues, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. In a written statement, Baykal said the conference addressed issues including "fatherhood and the family culture", "fatherhood and working life" and "families with absent fathers". Baykal noted that it was a father's "right" and "duty" to contribute to looking after his children in the new family structure.

    [04] SECURITY AGREEMENT BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARGENTINA GOES INTO EFFECT

    A security agremeent signed between Turkey and Argentina went into effect yesterday with its publication in the Official Gazette. The agreement calls for the parties to cooperate and consult each other in their struggle against drug trafficking, international terrorism and organized crime.

    [05] TURKISH ENVOY STARTS DUTIES AS PRESIDENT OF UNIDO BOARD

    Fugen Ok, one of Turkey's three female ambassadors, has taken up her post as the president of the Industrial Development Board of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) this week. Ok was elected by consensus from the Western Group as its only candidate for the presidency, and she will continue in the job for one year. In her post, Ambassador Ok will preside over informal consultations in preparation for the general conference of UNIDO to be held in December 1996. A UNIDO Centre is being established in Istanbul to promote investment flows from Turkey to other developing countries and from other developing countries to Turkey.

    [06] TRNC LICKS ITS WOUNDS

    The government and citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have started reparation works after assessing the damage incurred by last week's forest fire, namely the destruction of 11 villages and 6,500 hectares of forest area, at a cost of TL 3 trillion. The fire was completely brought under control by around noon on Friday, the Anatolia news agency reported. As a result of information given, 11 people have been taken into custody on suspicion of sabotage.

    [07] TURKEY TO BROADCAST TO BOSNIA

    Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) has decided to broadcast to war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina through its Voice of Turkey (VOT) radio station upon the request of the Muslim community, the Anatolia news agency reported on Friday. Quoting the chairman of TRT Foreign Broadcasts Department, Savas Kiratli, the agency said the broadcasts would be in Bosnian and include news bulletins of interest to the Bosnians. Noting that the TRT already had broadcasts in Serbian and Croatian, Kiratli said that their broadcasts would reveal the interest Turks have in the problems of the Bosnians.

    [08] OYMEN IN TRNC

    Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Onur Oymen visited the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) yesterday. Expressing his sorrow for the fire in a speech at Ercan Airport, Oymen stated that work would be initiated for the re-afforestation of this region as in Canakkale. Noting that efforts exerted for the solution of the Cyprus problem were on the right raod, Oymen said: "Reaching peace is sometimes harder than war". He concluded: "Cyprus' security is under the guarantee of Turkey". /Cumhuriyet/

    [09] GREEK CONFESSION

    Greek Parliament Speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis has said that he accepted the Greek governments "injust attitude" towards the Turkish minority in Thrace. Kaklamanis, who is the first Greek parliament speaker to visit the Western Thrace, said: "All of us should accept that the Greek state and church have divided the people of the region in two". /Sabah/

    [10] ALIYEV: "RUSSIA EXERTING PRESSURE"

    Azeri President Haydar Aliyev has requested assistance from President Suleyman Demirel stating that Russia was exerting serious military and economic pressure. During the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) meeting in Bucharest, Aliyev had a close to 2.5 hours discussion with Demirel. Aliyev desired that Demirel include the US in the picture. Aliyev complained that Russia once again wished to establish military bases in Azerbaijan, and a joint navy for the two countries. Russia also desired that the borders established within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) be preserved. Russia also wanted the status of the oil in the Caspian Sea to be re-established so as to preserve Russia's rights. Russia had already made similar agreements with Georgia and Armenia. In his comments, President Demirel said that what was important was the division of Caspian Sea oil. Prior to the disintegration of the Soviet Union the Caspian Sea has been divided among the republics that had a coastline on the sea. Azerbaijan had her stand in the matter. On the subject of the constitution of Azerbaijan, Demirel suggested the following: -Keep the constitution short. Include basic rights and freedoms in the constitution. -On other subjects, utilize the US system. The Turkish Constitution is too lengthy which in turn creates problems. /Cumhuriyet/

    [11] CHIRAC SAYS NO DEAL WITH CYPRUS

    French President Jaques Chirac has apparently assured Prime Minister Ciller that there will be no European Union (EU) deal with Cyprus until both sides are united.

    During their recent talks in Paris, Chirac reportedly assured Ciller that the Greek Cypriot side would get into the EC on its own. "While the island remains divided, there is no chance at all that Cyprus could be accepted as an EU member" said Chirac. /Hurriyet/

    [12] EUROPE NEEDS TURKEY

    Following in the wake of the Vatican's declaration on Turkey's position regarding membership in the EU, Bartolomeus, Patriarch of the Orthodox Fener Patriarchate, said over the weekend that Europe cannot develop without Turkey.

    Commenting on developments, the Patriarch said that these included Turkey's membership in the EU. Bartolomeus added that many problems would be solved once Turkey was admitted as a full member into the EU.

    Patriarch Bartolomeus noted too that should an invitation be extended by Ankara, he would be pleased to hold talks with Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu. /Milliyet/

    [13] CUSTOMS UNION PROCEDURES SPEEDED UP

    With the date for a final decision getting closer, parliament has started to work a bit harder on getting the groundwork done for customs union with the EU.

    Turkey has to get certain procedures in line with standard EU practice in connection with customs and other regulations. The government has also to push through other vital changes in connection with domestic policy and laws, all of which has been hanging fire for some months. Now however, time has suddenly got a lot shorter, and parliament still has a long way to go. /Hurriyet/

    [14] MILITARY PROMISES NATIONAL UNITY

    Military representatives say that Turkey is one country, with one language, one flag, secular and democratic.

    Speaking over the weekend, a statement from the Chief-of-Staff said that the state would continue to exert every effort to eliminate divisive elements, despite the political activities of the PKK in Europe. Military officials said that Turkish security forces had made real progress in the fight against terrorism. Nevertheless, there were still sacrifices to be made to preserve the nation's unity. /Cumhuriyet/

    [15] GONENSAY GOES TO US FOR CASPIAN OIL PIPELINE

    Prime Ministry Chief Adviser Emre Gonensay will visit Washington on 5-6 July to lead support to Turkish proposals concerning the Caspian oil pipeline project. A Turkish commission chaired by Emre Gonensay will hold consultations with US State Department Deputy Secretary responsible for relations with Europe and Canada Richard Holbrooke, National Security Council and Eximbank officials, and the representatives of petroleum companies included in the consortium. The route that the Caspian oil pipeline will follow is a matter of discussion between Turkey, the US and Russia. Turkey proposes going through Subsa harbour in Georgia or through Baku to transfer oil to Western markets and guarantees its offer. Turkey also demands that the main oil pipeline should follow the Azerbaijan, Armenia and Ceyhan route. Russia however, wants to transfer oil through the old Russian pipeline built some years ago. The view of the US about which pipeline route is best has not been clearly determined. /Hurriyet/

    [16] CAMPAIGN AGANST GREECE

    Interior Minister Nahit Mentese said that there was evidence that Greece entertained unfavourable motives against Turkey. He added that evidence of this had already been sent to "friendly" countries like the US, Britain, France, and Germany. Mentese claimed that the terrorists who sabotaged forests recently had been trained in Greece. Criticizing Greece severely, Mentese said that Greece was trying to disturb Turkey by cooperating with Syria. Mentese said: "Greek-Syrian cooperation is proved by evidence. We have already started our contacts and we will initiate extensive anti-Greek propoganda throughout Europe." Interior Minister Nahit Mentese pointed out that Greek relations with Syria and its support for the PKK could not be evaluated within the framework of neighbourly or friendly ties. Greece, which has signed international agreements within the framework of NATO and Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that call for cooperation in the struggle against terrorism, gives support to ASALA, DEV-SOL and the PKK all of which have carried out terrorist activities against Turkey. State Minister Ayvaz Gokdemir also stated that these groups wanted to block Turkey's development. He said: "Turkey is becoming a leader country in its region. Some circles are jealous of Turkey's power which streches from the Balkans to the Middle East and the Caucasus. And they are trying to provoke domestic upheavel. However, Turkey is powerful enough to struggle against these damaging strategies." /Milliyet/

    [17] GUARANTEE FROM IRAN

    Iranian Interior Minister Besareti and Deputy Foreign Minister Brocerdi have declared that Iran sees the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as an enemy, and that PKK activities were not permitted in Iraqi territories. Interior Minister Besareti, who has the final word about domestic security and the PKK, said that the Turco-Iranian border was secure and Irani security forces had absolute control in the region. This is the first time that Iranian authorities have issued a clear statetement regarding the PKK issue. Besareti pointed out that Turkey was very important for Iran so they would not allow any activities that could cause unstability in Turkey. Officials announced that military cooperation had been agreed upon, following closer intelligence cooperation between Turkey and Iran. Deputy Interior Minister Brujerdi also stated that Turkey could trust in Iran and added that Turco-Iranian relations were at their healthiest ever level. Following these assurances, Turkish representatives expressed their pleasure regarding Iran's attitude towards the PKK. /Sabah/

    [18] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT ANTALYA

    Members of the Turkish Friendship Group at the European Parliament have this week been holding discussions in Antalya on the subject of Turkey's proposed entry into customs union with the EU. The parliamentarians are visiting Turkey at the invitation of the European-Turkish Businessmen's Association (ATIAD).

    [19] TURKEY IS RIGHT IN HER DECISION ABOUT THE DEP

    Marlene Lenz, Head of the Human Rights Commission of the European Parliament (EP) said that she has learnt that the Democracy Party deputies were in an organic relation with the PKK terrorist organization. Attending the Antalya Programme of the EP Turkish Friendship Group, Lenz stated that they had noticed of late that the PKK and the DEP were working jointly and said that if this partnership was still working, Turkey was right to lift the immunity of the DEP deputies and arrest them. But these people should not have been excluded from the Turkish parliament by force. Everybody accepts that the PKK is a terrorist organization." Stressing that there were claims mainly about torture by the police, imprisonment of the DEP deputies and restrictions against freedom of thought in the Human Rights Commission files regarding Turkey, Lenz said: "There is a noticeable decrease in claims of police brutality. We are not receiving such claims from the big cities, but in towns and small cities people are still claiming that police torture exists. The Turkish government also does not permit torture and bad treatment. /Milliyet/

    [20] 1399 SEEK AMNESTY

    The fourth extension of the "Repentance Law" will end on 7 July. The number of terrorists taking advantage of this law by escaping from the PKK terrorist organization in spite of every pressure has reached 1399 to date. The number of terrorists with positions of command in the PKK who are taking advantage of the repentance provision, is also increasing. Interior Ministry officials have stated that besides changing the physical aspects of those seeking rehabilitation and providing them with new identities, help was also given for them to find jobs and they were also protected from PKK retaliation. /Sabah/

    [21] TURKISH DIPLOMACY FOR AZERI-ARMENIAN PEACE

    At a press conference in Bucharest, Romania, where the Black Sea Economic Cooperation summit was held, President Suleyman Demirel said that Turkish diplomacy was trying to find a solution to the problem between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He added that if the 1.2 million Azeri refugees returned to their homes, the problem could be solved by diplomatic means. Demirel also noted that as a reaction to the Armenian occupation of Azeri territories, Turkey had imposed an economic blockade against Armenia despite the fact that Armenia played an important part in Turkish interests in Central Asia. /Cumhuriyet/

    END

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