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TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review (December 15, 1995)From: "Demetrios E. Paneras" <dep@bu.edu>Turkish News DirectoryCONTENTS[01] BOSNIAN PEACE TREATY SIGNED[02] CILLER AT THE EU SUMMIT[03] "SHINING LIKE THE SUN"[04] ELECTRONIC BORDER CONTROL[05] AI DRAWS ATTENTION TO PKK ABDUCTIONS[06] UN COMMITTEE ADOPTS RESOLUTION INITIATED BY TURKEY ON TERRORISM[07] ANKARA RESPONDS ANGRILY TO RUSSIAN ALLEGATIONS[08] BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY HAILS EU PARLIAMENT VOTE[09] PROTESTORS HARASS TURKEY'S AMBASSADOR TO THE US[10] TURKEY DISAPPOINTED OVER UN CYPRUS REPORT[11] SWEDISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDED IN ISTANBULTURKISH PRESS REVIEWFRIDAY DECEMBER 15, 1995Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish pressthis morning[01] BOSNIAN PEACE TREATY SIGNEDTurkish President Suleyman Demirel said yesterday that the Bosnian peace agreement concluded in Dayton, Ohio, would only be lasting if the parties involved showed the necessary spirit of compromise with patience and determination. Issuing a statement on the occasion of the signing of the Peace Treaty in Paris, Demirel said this accord formally ended 'a nightmare that lasted four years'. Turkey was represented at the Paris signing by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Deniz Baykal. "During the nightmare, thousands of people died and many others were displaced. The criminals who are responsible for this inhuman violence should be tried" Demirel said. "This is a legitimate demand of both the sufferers and the international community" he added. He praised the efforts of all parties, especially the US, that contributed to the peace deal.In a press conference following the signing ceremony, Foreign Minister Baykal said the agreement ended Europe's worst conflict since World War II. Recalling Turkey's humanitarian and military contribution to the peace process in Bosnia, Baykal said that Turkish aid to Bosnia would continue. "Turkey had proposed adequate policies that would stop the violence and has been warning international institutions since the conflict started. Finally, an agreement was reached by NATO's decisive policies" he said. Baykal noted that Turkey was invited to the "Bosnia Steering Committee" which will re-develop Bosnia and in which the most developed seven countries of the world (G7) will participate. Baykal attended a dinner as a guest of French President Jacques Chirac after the signing ceremony. Baykal returned to Turkey yesterday. /Hurriyet-Cumhuriyet/
[02] CILLER AT THE EU SUMMITTurkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller will go to Madrid tomorrow to attend the EU summit meeting which will be held at the level of government and heads of state from 15 EU member countries. The invitation of EU Term-President Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzales was relayed by the Spanish Ambassador to Ankara. French President Chirac's spokeswoman, Catherine Colonna said yesterday that Ciller would meet the troika of present, past and future EU presidents- the prime ministers of Spain, France and Italy. Ciller will meet them on Saturday following the European Parliament's approval of a Customs Union (CU) with Turkey. /Milliyet/
[03] "SHINING LIKE THE SUN"During a reception given by European Union (EU) representative Michael Lake yesterday evening, Prime Minister Ciller said that Turkey was a "shining new sun for the West."Although the customs union with the EU member countries is primarily an economic step forward for Turkey, Ciller also expressed the thought that there were political ramifications that were equally important for Turkey. Ciller added that Turkey had important obligations to meet in the region, and that Turkey was walking in the way that founder of the Republic, Ataturk, would have wanted. The Prime Minister also touched on the human rights issue and noted that Turkey was committed to improving its record in this area-not because of the demands of others-but rather because the Turkish people were worthy. Michael Lake made the point that if Ataturk had not opened up the way, it was likely that "none of us would have been here this evening" to celebrate the way forward to union with the European community. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] ELECTRONIC BORDER CONTROLOne of the matters being taken up during the current Ankara meeting of the US-Turkey Defence and Economic Cooperation is electronic surveillance of the borders between Turkey and Iran. The high-tech system could be a severe blow to PKK terrorist movements across the border.The High Level Common Defence Group has reached agreement on the financing and installation of the system reports say, and quote Turkish military authorities as saying that problems of border control "have now been solved." The US developed system will bring PKK infiltrations across the border to a halt. /Cumhuriyet/
[05] AI DRAWS ATTENTION TO PKK ABDUCTIONSAmnesty International (AI), in a press release yesterday, drew attention to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party abductions in the southeast of Turkey. Hakan Guler, a sports teacher aged 24, Kadri Tursun, a teacher, and Koksal Gumus, deputy director of the Lice National Education branch, were abducted from a minibus by armed members of the PKK on the evening of November 21, 1995. The three were traveling in a minibus from Diyarbakir, where they had been shopping, to Lice, a small town about 80 kilometres away. The other passengers, kidnapped at the same time, were released over the following days, but the three teachers remain captive. It was stated in the AI press release that their lives are in danger.AI said that during 1995 alone, armed PKK members killed over 70 civilians and other captives. Most of the victims were Kurdish villagers who participated in the system of government controlled armed village guards and their families, including women and children. AI opposes the killing of any prisoner or captive -an abuse forbidden under Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention (1949), which the PKK has in the past announced it would respect. AI pointed out that Common Article 3 forbids warring parties to harm those who are not taking part in a conflict, in particular civilians and prisoners. /All papers/
[06] UN COMMITTEE ADOPTS RESOLUTION INITIATED BY TURKEY ON TERRORISMA draft resolution, co-presented by Turkey, denouncing terrorism has been adopted by a UN General Council HUman Rights Committee in New York. The draft resolution describes the activities of terrorist groups as violating human rights and democracy and stresses the concern of member countries about terrorism. "Measures against terrorism should meet international standards on human rights" the resolution said. The UN committee denounced "all terrorist activities that are threatening human rights, national security and territorial integrity". The draft resolution suggests that the UN establish a fund for victims of terrorism. The draft resolution was prepared by the Turkish Permanent Representation to the UN and presented by 31 countries including Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Albania, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. /Milliyet/
[07] ANKARA RESPONDS ANGRILY TO RUSSIAN ALLEGATIONSTurkey has accused Russia of misinforming the public about regulations adopted by Ankara to regulate shipping through the Turkish Straits in order to enhance safety. It is reported that Turkish Permanent UN Representative, Huseyin Celem sent a letter to Secretary-General Boutros Ghali on the subject and that this was due to be published as a UN document soon. In his letter, Ambassador Celem reportedly complained that his Russian counterpart at the UN, Sergei Lavrov, had misrepresented the subject in a letter he sent to the Secretary-General. /All papers/
[08] BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY HAILS EU PARLIAMENT VOTEBritish Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind sees Wednesday's Customs Union (CU) decision as strengthening the present relationship between Turkey and the EU. "I warmly welcome the European Parliament's vote of assent to the CU between the EU and Turkey. The CU has been the centre-piece of the EU's developing relationship with Turkey" Rifkind said. He also pointed out that the UK had been at the front of those urging an increase in Turkey's economic, trade and political links with western Europe. "We shall be looking forward to working through this partnership to help sustain the momentum for continuing democratic and human rights reforms in Turkey" he said, expressing the criteria that was the basis of the EP's decision. /All papers/
[09] PROTESTORS HARASS TURKEY'S AMBASSADOR TO THE USNuzhet Kandemir, Turkish Ambassador to Washington, was confronted by Greek, Armenian and Kurdish protestors while attending two conferences in Boston. The protestors tried to interrupt Kandemir's speeches at the Boston International Relations Committee and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. The US State Department denounced the protests in a message sent to the Turkish Embassy in Washington. /Milliyet/
[10] TURKEY DISAPPOINTED OVER UN CYPRUS REPORTCommenting on a UN report on the Cyprus problem, Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Ambassador Inal Batu said that the report, in general, offered a balanced view on the question. Nevertheless, Turkey was disappointed over the fact that the UN report failed to react to the Greek Cypriot armaments campaign that had now reached dangerous dimensions. It was an unpleasant surprise to see the report comment unfavorably on the unilateral measures undertaken by Northern Cyprus to improve the situation of the Greek Cypriots living there, Ambassador Batu said, and added that a look at the pressures under which Turks were living in Southern Cyprus would contribute towards clarifying this point. /Cumhuriyet/
[11] SWEDISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDED IN ISTANBULA select crowd of guests witnessed the formal inauguration of the Istanbul office of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce. The main objective is to encourage trade between Turkey and Sweden, to prepare new areas for trade, initiate joint or individual investment and widen trade between the two countries. Swedish Trade Commissioner Torbjorn Stackling, in Istanbul for the ceremony stated in his opening remarks that the current volume of trade between Turkey and Sweden could be improved easily and rapidly. "We have many areas to develop economic relations, and with the CU, it is the right time for all of us" he said. Swedish Ambassador Michael Sahlin argued in his keynote speech that Sweden was among the five European countries with the oldest historical ties with Turkey. He too, noted that the CU would widen the prospectives of enlarged cooperation between Sweden and Turkey. /All papers/ |
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