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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (October 19, 1995)

From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)

Turkish News Directory

Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (October 19, 1995)


CONTENTS

  • [01] PARLIAMENT ELECTS SEZGIN AS NEW SPEAKER

  • [02] BAYKAL RECEIVES SUPPORT FOR CUSTOMS UNION DEAL

  • [03] AMB.KANDEMIR REBUKES NYT FOR EDITORIAL

  • [04] OYMEN VISITS AUSTRIA

  • [05] KIRCA STAYS IN ANKARA

  • [06] MILITANT SAYS HE WAS TRAINED IN ARMENIA

  • [07] TRADING AT FREE ZONES CLIMBS 44 %

  • [08] SIGNS OF HOPE FOR JOURNALISTS

  • [09] THE HEROIC TURKISH NATION

  • [10] TURKISH OIL DEAL VICTORY

  • [11] DUBLIN PEACE PROCESS STAGNATING

  • [12] NEW PLANS FOR BOSNIA PEACE

  • [13] AZERBAIJAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

  • [14] TURKISH BAKERY FIRE-BOMBED IN MUNICH

  • [15] 3RD EUROPEAN DRUG ADDICTION AND AIDS SYMPOSIUM


  • WITH THE COMPLIMENT OF

    DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION

    TURKISH PRESS REVIEW

    OCTOBER 19, 1995

    Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press

    this morning.

    [01] PARLIAMENT ELECTS SEZGIN AS NEW SPEAKER

    Turkish Parliament yesterday elected Ismet Sezgin, a former interior minister from the True Path Party (DYP) as its new speaker. Sezgin, 67, defeated his closest rival Ertekin Duruturk with 230 votes to 158 in the fourth round vote held at the 450-seat legislature. He was elected in a run-off between the two leading candidates after none of the initial five failed to muster the required 300 votes in earlier rounds. The new speaker has succeeded Husamettin Cindoruk. In Turkey, Parliament speakers are traditionally elected from among candidates from the largest party in the legislature. /Milliyet/

    [02] BAYKAL RECEIVES SUPPORT FOR CUSTOMS UNION DEAL

    Deniz Baykal, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), yesterday urged the socialist group in the European Parliament to back Ankara's planned customs union with the EU. "We are expecting to see the socialist group's backing for Turkey's customs union deal and I hope we will get this support" Baykal told a news conference in Brussels where he held talks with EU and European Parliament (EP) officials. Claudia Roth, leader of the Greens' group in the EP, addressing the news conference with Baykal, said she believed the customs union would strengthen democracy in Turkey. Roth urged Turkey to take concrete steps toward more democratization, adding: "Once these are done, the customs union will be a first and important step toward Turkey's full membership in the EU". Pauline Green, leader of the socialist group in the EP, also meeting with Baykal, said the EP was aware that the customs union was of vital importance for Turkey. Catherine Lalumiere, leader of the radical group in the EP, said later after a meeting with Baykal that she hoped efforts by Prime Minister Tansu Ciller to set up a new coalition government with the CHP would be successful. Baykal also met with Chief of the Turkish Desk in the European Commission Hans Van den Broek. Baykal is expected to return to Turkey this afternoon. /Hurriyet-Sabah-Cumhuriyet/

    [03] AMB.KANDEMIR REBUKES NYT FOR EDITORIAL

    Nuzhet Kandemir, Turkish Ambassador to Washington, sent a stiff letter to the New York Times on Tuesday, rebuking the points made in NYT editorial entitled "America Arms Turkey's Repression" published on October 17. A commentator of Turkish American affairs said the editorial, rapping Turkey's usage of US arms against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists, was timed to coincide with President Suleyman Demirel's visit to the US- who was originally expected to be in Washington on October 17. Kandemir, in his reply to the NYT, said there was no "war" as such, and the $320 million in the Foreign Military Financing given to Turkey in financial year '96 is not a handout, but rather a loan issued at current market rates which Turkey will repay in full with interest". Kandemir told the NYT that the PKK was not a "romantic- sounding 'Kurdish guerilla group' -but rather a vicious and ruthless Marxist-Leninist... terror organization". He said the Turkish fight was aimed against the the PKK but never against "our citizens of Kurdish origin" as the NYT alleged. Kandemir said: "There are a lot of deputies of Kurdish origin in the Turkish Parliament. There is no discrimination based on ethnic, religious and cultural background. And we have no intention of Islamic expansion". "I continue to fully hope that the dictates of professionalism and fairness will motivate the New York Times to speak the truth about Turkey in the future" Kandemir concluded. /Hurriyet-Milliyet/

    [04] OYMEN VISITS AUSTRIA

    Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Onur Oymen starts today a two-day visit to Vienna for political consultations with his Austrian counterpart. The talks will focus on bilateral relations and international issues and Oymen will also meet with business circles, the Foreign Ministry said. Vienna was the setting of the last meeting of the so-called Kurdish "Parliament-in- exile", but, unlike the case with the Netherlands, bilateral relations suffered no adverse blow. /All papers/

    [05] KIRCA STAYS IN ANKARA

    Foreign Minister Coskun Kirca will stay in Ankara rather than accompany President Suleyman Demirel on his visit to New York for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the UN. Due to domestic political reasons, Kirca will seek to postpone his visits to Paris and Dublin where he was scheduled to hold talks on the Turco-European Union customs union, the Foreign Ministry (FM) said yesterday.

    Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ambassador Omer Akbel, in a press conference yesterday, said that the Demirel-Clinton meeting would likely be held at the earliest possible time. Demirel is expected to meet with the Azeri and Armenian Presidents in New York. It is reported that Azeri President Haydar Aliyev will come to Istanbul on October 20 and address a press conference at Ataturk Airport. Akbel noted that FM Undersecretary Onur Oymen will accompany President Demirel on his visit to the US. /Cumhuriyet/

    [06] MILITANT SAYS HE WAS TRAINED IN ARMENIA

    Abdulhalit Ralikci, a militant of the PKK terrorist organization who was captured after being wounded on Mount Ararat during a military operation last week, said yesterday that he was trained in Armenia before he entered Turkey. The militant was shown to the press yesterday in Igdir state hospital in eastern Turkey. Ralikci said that after he was injured the other militants escaped and left him alone on the mountain, and that he had been taken to the hospital by the soldiers in the military operation.

    [07] TRADING AT FREE ZONES CLIMBS 44 %

    Trading at Turkey's six free zones jumped 44 % to $2 billion in the January-September period of the current year, the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat said yesterday. The same figures showed that last year's trading volume stood at TL 1.395 billion. The General Directorate for Free Zones, a department at the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat reported that 17 % of the total trade volume came from "exports from Turkey to the free zones", 33 % from "imports from the zones to Turkey", 31 % "imports from abroad to the zones" and 19 % "exports from the zones abroad". In the same period, of the total trade volume, 14 % was with the EU members, 14 % with the CIS, 6 % with OECD members, 50 % with Turkey and 16 % with other countries. In sectoral distribution of the total trade volume industrial products had 73 %, agriculture 25 % and the mining sector 2 % shares. A total of 844 new firms were launched in the free zones in the first nine months, of those 679 were Turkish and 165 were foreign firms. The free zones office also said that the Erzurum-Eastern Anatolia free zone will open soon. /Cumhuriyet/

    [08] SIGNS OF HOPE FOR JOURNALISTS

    There are indications that the two Turkish journalists being held by the Serbs in Bosnia will soon be released. Anatolia news agency reporter Ali Kocak and Hurriyet newspaper journalist Munire Acim have been detained by the Serb forces despite the fact that they were carrying out their proper duties as journalists.

    According to reports, the Serbs will release the two journalists at midday this coming Saturday. The two will likely be handed over to UN peace force representatives. Pressure for their release has been exerted by the Turkish government, US officials, Bosnian representatives and other groups. /All papers/

    [09] THE HEROIC TURKISH NATION

    In a recent editorial, the noted Washington Times said that Turks were a nation of heroes. In the same editorial, writer Amos Perlmutter spoke out against the demeaning attitudes of the powerful Greek and Armenian lobbies, but wrote in support of Turkey's heroic past, and the positive developments seen in Turkey today.

    Writer Perlmutter commented on the way Turkey has shown itself to be a strong ally of the west, in Korea, and in other areas of political and military cooperation-including the recent gulf war. /Cumhuriyet-Milliyet/

    [10] TURKISH OIL DEAL VICTORY

    According to "Time" and "Newsweek" magazines, the decision of the Western-led consortium of 11 oil companies to use two pipelines to carry Azeri offshore crude from the Caspian Sea to Western markets could be evaluated as a plan leading to a break in Russia's stranglehold on the oil wealth of Azerbaijan. Jeological researches indicate that Caspian oil reserves are almost equal to Arabian peninsula oil reserves. The magazines note that the deal of the century annoyed the Russians and resulted in a victory for Turkey and the American oil companies. /Sabah/

    [11] DUBLIN PEACE PROCESS STAGNATING

    After the failure of the second Dublin summit, the US has prepared a new proposal for bringing peace to Northern Iraq. Nevertheless, the new proposal was met with objections from Celal Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Talabani opposed the discussion of Turkish security problems related to the struggle against the PKK terrorist organization during the summit, and demanded a meeting devoted only to peace in Northern Iraq and reestablishment of local administration in the region. On the other hand, Turkey says that the PKK issue definitely must be included in the agenda of the next meeting. /Hurriyet/

    [12] NEW PLANS FOR BOSNIA PEACE

    New plans are afoot to keep the fragile peace in Bosnia. Although agreements have been signed, sides agree that the US brokered peace agreement will have to be strongly policed by a beefed up NATO peace force.

    Top US officials including Warren Christopher have already recommended that a force of at least sixty thousand troops will be needed in Bosnia to maintain a strong peace. There are further indications that Turkey will have a larger role to play in the region if the peace force recommendations go ahead. /Hurriyet/

    [13] AZERBAIJAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

    President Suleyman Demirel sent a celebration message to Azeri President Haydar Aliyev on the occasion of Azerbaijan's Independence Day. According to a statement from the Presidential Palace, Demirel said in his message that Turkey will continue to support the struggle of the Azeri people for independence. /All papers/

    [14] TURKISH BAKERY FIRE-BOMBED IN MUNICH

    A firebomb was thrown at the door of a Turkish bakery in the southern German city of Munich early on Wednesday. No one was injured in the incident although damage caused by the firebomb has been estimated at over DM 20,000, according to officers from Munich's fire department. /All papers/

    [15] 3RD EUROPEAN DRUG ADDICTION AND AIDS SYMPOSIUM

    The 3rd European Drug Addiction and AIDS Symposium organized by the Bakirkoy Psychotic and Neurological Illnesses Hospital's Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment Centre (AMATEM) will take place in Istanbul between October 23-26. The symposium, organized with President Suleyman Demirel's support, will cover different aspects of drug addiction, its treatment and AIDS. The symposium will be attended by Health Minister Dogan Baran, AMATEM founder DYP Istanbul Deputy Yildirim Aktuna, more than 200 foreign scientists and many psychiatrists, psychologists, pharmacologists, infectious illnesses and social help experts, foreign and domestic press members and representatives from voluntary institutions.

    END

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