Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said yesterday that no country could
turn a blind eye to Ocalan since he is the leader of a terrorist
organization which has committed very serious crimes in the past.
He added that the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the
National Intelligence Service (MIT) have been working together to
trace Ocalan.
Meanwhile, Turkey continued requesting that countries refuse
Ocalan entry. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was
crowded with high level diplomats and Ambassadors from the Greek,
Yugoslav, Belgian, Swiss, Norwegian and Danish Embassies in
Ankara.
Regarding the Ocalan issue, the US State Department Spokesman,
James Rubin, said that Washington believed that Ocalan should be
brought to justice for the terrorist crimes of which he is
accused. Rubin cautioned any country that may consider accepting
Ocalan and said, "In addition to denying terrorists, such as
Ocalan, a safe haven, refuge or asylum, countries should take
steps consistent with their national legal systems to assist
Turkey's efforts in bringing Ocalan to justice."
The British Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Robin Cook, said for
his part that they wanted to see a political solution to the
Kurdish problem. He added that they were in favour of an
international tribunal to try Ocalan. Meanwhile, the British
press described Ocalan's situation as "the end of the road". The
Independent newspaper wrote that even countries where Ocalan
would be welcomed did not want to be troubled with his case. The
Guardian also claimed that no European country would accept
Ocalan "beacuse they do not want to become involved in legal
proceedings with Turkey." /All papers/
An Italian court will reportedly discuss Turkey's request for
Ocalan's extradition on February 23, more than a month after he
was allowed by the Italian government to leave the country.
Meanwhile, Turkey's Italian lawyer Augusto Sinagra arrived in
Ankara on Tuesday to consult with Turkish officials on the legal
aspects of the Ocalan case. Sinagra will hold talks with the
Minister of Justice, Selcuk Oztek, and other senior officials
from the Ministry of Justice today. /Sabah/
The Yugoslav Ambassador to Ankara, Darko Tanaskovic, contradicted
claims that the PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, would go to Serbia,
saying: "We have enough trouble of our own and we do not want to
court any more trouble. These speculations are unfounded". The
Norwegian Ambassador to Ankara, Finn K.Fostervoll, said: "I hope
that Ocalan does not want to come to Norway". The Belgian
Ambassador to Ankara, Alexis Brouhns, remarked that Ocalan was
unwelcome in Belgium as well. /Turkiye/
The US Ambassador to Ankara, Marc Parris, said that the PKK
leader, Abdullah Ocalan, should be put on trial. Parris,
accompanied by a delegation consisting of the US Consul-General
in Adana, Stuart Jones, officials from the US Embassy and US
officials from the US textile sector, attended a meeting
organized by the Gaziantep Chamber of Industry yesterday. Parris
replied to questions posed by journalists and said: "Ocalan is a
terrorist. Ocalan and his organization should be tried because of
their terrorist activities. The US extends its full support to
Turkey". /Turkiye/
According to a reliable source of the Anatolian new agency (AA)
it is reported that the terrorist Ocalan is in Russia for the
third time. However, his whereabouts are unknown and no
information could be gleaned as to the date of his arrival in
Russia. The Anatolian new agency drew attention to Foreign
Ministry Undersecretary Korkmaz Haktanir's statement that 'the
terrorist may have gone back to where he came from, adding that
the Undersecretary's statement was correct and Ocalan had
returned to Russia. /Sabah/
In an interview with the `Hurriyet' daily, Senkal Atasagun, the
National Intelligence Service (MIT) Undersecretary,expressed the
main purposes and achievements of the Turkish Intelligence
service during the Ocalan issue. Atasagun said,
"Ocalan wanted to be another Mandela. However, all doors have
been shut in his face. Now it is obvious that he can take shelter
neither in Italy nor in Greece. We have trapped the PKK leader in
Russia.
Our primary purpose was to remove Ocalan from Syria. That goal
has been achieved. The second aim was to make it impossible for
him to settle in Europe. This has also been achieved. Europe has
perceived the real face of the PKK and Ocalan.
No intelligence service can be perfect. Yet our organization has
satisfactorily demonstrated its competence on this question. We
have learned the majority of Ocalan's critical moves in advance
and informed the government about them." /Hurriyet/
The German daily `Die Welt' argued that the PKK leader Ocalan has
never flown to Rotterdam, and the news concerning the Dutch
government's refusal of his demand to land is "just a scenario".
In the news in Die Welt, which relies on the government circles
in the Hague, it was asserted that the anecdotes concerning
Ocalan's attempt to land at Rotterdam airport are mere "hot air"
designed to be deliberately misleading. The paper wrote, "The aim
of this attempt to misinform the public was to observe what would
happen if Ocalan really came to the Netherlands." /Hurriyet/
It is reported that Parliament Speaker, Hikmet Cetin's recent
visit to Iran was very fruitful. Diplomatic circles reported that
Iran assured Cetin that the establishment of a Kurdish state in
Northern Iraq could not be allowed. The results of the first
high-level diplomatic visit between Tuırkey and Iran for a long
time are welcomed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomatic
circles noted that Iran considered that the establishment of a
Kurdish state in Northern Iraq would not bring stability to the
region; Iran supports Turkey's evaluations on the issue. It was
also reported that Iran did not have any ties with any terrorist
organization and it was ready to cooperate with Turkey in the
struggle against terrorism. /Cumhuriyet/
Virtue Party (FP) leader Recai Kutan said that the two-tier
elections were planned to prevent the rise of the FP. "The
unstoppable rise of the FP was causing panic in some circles. But
the nation has decided and the FP will come into power alone,"
said Kutan. In a meeting of the FP group in Parliament, Kutan
stated that instead of discussing Turkey's real problems, people
were forced to show interest in artificial issues. He claimed
that the only reason behind the demands for two-tier elections
was to avoid the rise of their party. /Turkiye/
While discussions regarding the implementation of two-tier
elections are continuing, the Leader of the True Path Party
(DYP), Tansu Ciller, said that such an alteration in the upcoming
elections would be against the Constitution. Ciller added: "If
local elections are held in two stages, it will not abide by the
Constitution". Ciller noted that without an amendment to the
Constitution, the two-tier elections would mean the elections
would be cancelled". /Turkiye/
Propounding that it is impossible to establish an alliance
between the True Path Party (DYP) and the Virtue Party (FP) in
the forthcoming elections, DYP leader Tansu Ciller said, "Our
cooperation with the FP in the Opposition does not mean that we
will enter into an alliance with that mentality in the elections.
We can neither accept such an alliance, nor can we be in it.
There can be no alliance between the DYP and the FP; this is
totally impossible." /Hurriyet/
Hikmet Ulugbay, Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister
responsible for the Economy, noted that the Turkish economy
comprises both very strong structural and institutional elements
as well as a very dynamic labor force. He said, "While speaking
of Turkey's problems, the priority is always in Turkey's own
interests. If we interpret these problems from the viewpoint of
foreign organizations, we will be belittling ourselves."
Noting that the social security reform and the Banking Law should
be immediately enacted due to the interests of the Turkish
people, Ulugbay said, "How can we leave the banking mechanism,
which depends on mutual trust, without the necessary legal
regulations? If we reflect these as the demands of foreign
organizations, we will have undermined our national policy
requisites." Ulugbay also claimed that there is still time for
the enactment of the Budget Law, since Turkey has a legitimate
preliminary budget which will be in effect until the end of June.
/Hurriyet/
During the 371-day state bonds bid yesterday, the Treasury
achieved record sales of TL 1.4 quadrillion with a compound
interest rate of 130.32%. The compound interest rate of these
state bonds, which have a tax advantage since their due date
exceeds 365 days, decreased by 12.77% compared to the last bid.
Meanwhile, it is reported that the domestic debt stock of Turkey
had reached TL 11.6 quadrillion by the end of 1998. /Hurriyet/
Algeria is giving new hope to the luggage trade from Istanbul,
which has been seriously shaken by the economic crisis in Russia
in recent months. It is reported that the improvement in
political ties between Algeria and Turkey is also reflected in
commercial relations. Due to the boom in the demand for Turkish
textile goods, exports from Turkey to Algeria reached a total
value of $500 million in 1998. Some officials from Algerian
Airways noted that they are frequently compelled to leave part of
the baggage in Istanbul due to overloading. Meanwhile, Turkish
producers and exporters in Istanbul express the view that they
often have difficulty in keeping up with the recent increase in
demand. /Hurriyet/
Spekon, a Turkish firm owned by the Yegin Group, won the greatest
share of the tender put out by the German Army for military
clothes. Receiving an order of more than 300,000 pieces of
jackets, trousers and shirts, Spekon took 35% of the
30-million-dollar bid. /Hurriyet/
An advisory delegation annexed to the Dutch Foreign Ministry,
which is in Turkey to engage in observations, visited State
Minister Sukru Sina Gurel yesterday. The former Dutch Prime
Minister Ruud Lubbers who heads the delegation made a statement
following the meeting and said that they had discussed Turkish-EU
relations. The delegation, which will prepare a report on
Turkish-EU relations, met the Foreign Ministry Deputy
Undersecretary, Ambassador Uluc Ozulker, two days ago. The
delegation also visited Turkish Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin
yesterday, the Anatolia news agency reports.
The Blue Stream Project holds an important place in meeting
Turkey's energy requirements. The $2.5 billion lion's share of
'Blue Stream', which will cost $3 billion, will be met by the
Gazprom company. The remaining portion will be met by the Turkish
OHS company. OHS General Coordinator Arslan Kaya furnished
information to the general public about the project which will be
completed within the guidelines of the 'Natural Gas Agreement'
signed between Turkey and Russia, he stated that the project had
been approved by both the Turkish and Russian Parliaments
unanimously. He added: "The project will further strengthen
economic relations between Turkey and Russia and constitute a
bond of friendship between the two countries". /Turkiye/
Officials of Commerzbank stated that the sale of bonds in
Euro-DM, of the amount of 750 million DM due in four years time,
was going well. They added that another bond sale in Euro-DM
could be held before the elections. Regarding Turkey's sale of
bonds, the representatives of Commerzbank said that Euro-DM bonds
were in high demand and this amount could be increased to one
billion DM if the markets allowed. /Sabah/
The Governor of the Emergency Rule Region, Aydin Arslan, noted
that the PKK terrorist organization was about to collapse. Arslan
said that the PKK has caused a great deal of trouble to regional
people and recalled that the people have been living in an
atmosphere of brutality. He called on the terrorists to surrender
to the Turkish security forces. /Turkiye/
An operation begun in the rural sector of Hozat, Tunceli, against
the PKK terrorist organization is in progress. In the last 24
hours, three more terrorists have been killed. On the first day
of the operations four security officials were killed, fired on
by the terrorists. The officials stated that many shelters where
food, arms, and other materials were found have been destroyed.
/Sabah/
A report prepared by the 'Minority Rights Group' based in Britain
pointed out that the Turkish population living in the Balkans was
under pressure. The report written by Dr.Hough Poulton, an expert
on Turkey and the Balkans, stated that the Turkish minority in
Western Thrace was seen as a Muslim minority. The report, which
examines the violations of minority rights throughout the world,
pointed out that with the collapse of the 'nation' system of the
Ottoman Empire, the Muslim minority was squashed among the new
states which have emerged in the Balkans and said that the
minority was not defined according to ethnic origin but to
religion. /Turkiye/
President Suleyman Demirel has been informed by the Energy and
Natural Resources Ministry and Foreign Ministry officials on
developments in the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline project. The
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Ziya Aktas, and Foreign
Minister Ismail Cem also attended the meeting. It is reported
that the US Special Envoy to the Caspian Basin, Richard
Morningstar, will visit Turkey on Thursday. /Aksam/
Syrian citizens living in Turkey will be able to cast their votes
during a referendum to be held to decide whether or not to extend
the duration in office of Syrian Head of State Hafiz Esad. The
Syrian Embassy in Ankara noted that they would have a ballot box
in order to enable Syrian citizens living in Turkey to cast their
votes at either the Syrian Embassy in Ankara or the Syrian
Consulate-General in Istanbul. The referendum will be held on
February 8. /Aksam/
The Naval Forces Commander, Gen.Ilhan Kilic, visited Incirlik Air
Base yesterday. After making his rounds of the Base, Gen.Kilic
visited Adana Governor Oguz Kagan Koksal. Yesterday, two American
F-15 aircraft which departed from Incirlik Base bombed defence
facilities in the no-fly zone in Iraq. /Aksam/
It is reported that the Japanese Overseas Investment and Finance
Institution (OECF) delegation will come to Ankara in February
following the tenders put out to bid by Prime Minister Bulent
Ecevit's government concerning infrastructure, in particular
railway transportation. The delegation will arrive in Ankara on
February 13. OECF, which had earlier proposed their outlines for
the Istanbul tunnel project and Marmarail, is now willing to
finance the Istanbul-Ankara double track high-speed train
project. /Milliyet/
Yavuz Ege, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary, and his delegation
met Arthur Resizade, Azerbaijani Prime Minister; Abid Serifov,
Deputy Prime Minister; and Natik Aliev, the Director of
Azerbaijani State Oil Company (SOCAR) yesterday. Ege and his
delegation are expected to return to Turkey today, the Anatolia
news agency reports.
Famous historian Cemal Kutay was granted the title of "Honorary
Doctor of History" by Istanbul University (IU) on Tuesday. The
title was awarded for his high moral virtues, his academic
studies and his discipline. IU Rector Prof. Kemal Alemdaroglu
praised Kutay characterizing him as living history, a person who
knew Ataturk and some one who relayed information about the
latter and his thoughts to the Turkish public and to the West.
/CUmhuriyet/
Mardin Mayor Fikret Guven said that needlework from Mardin would
be exported to Britain. He stated, "These crocheted articles
demonstrate the determination and patience the Turkish women. We
aim to improve Turkish handicrafts and help Turkish women gain
their economic independency." /Cumhuriyet/
World Education Environment and Health Foundation will promote
'Northern Cyprus World Peace and Memory Forest' project to the
public on February 4-5 with two activities staged in Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), the Anatolia news agency
reports.
President Suleyman Demirel ratified a decision of the Council of
Ministers about the credit agreement for the Adana drinking water
network project, the Anatolia news agency reports. The statement
issued by the Presidential Press Centre said that Demirel
approved the agreement at an amount of DM 80 million allocated
with the framework of financial cooperation protocols signed
between Turkey and Germany.
Kudsi Erguner, a leading Turkish ney (a musical wind instrument)
player and a master in mystic Turkish music, will give a concert
at the Royal Festival Hall in London on February 6, as the guest
of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Anatolia news agency
reports.
(MILLIYET)
The EU Term-President, Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka
Fischer, was interviewed by Sahin Alpay and Nilufer Kuyas from
the daily 'Milliyet' newspaper yesterday. Question: You have
mentioned that you regard Turkey as a part of Europe. How are you
proposing to draw Turkey closer to the European Union (EU)?
Answer: First of all, I have to say that we view Turkey as one of
our most important partners in the region. Not only from the
geopolitical standpoint but also because of the large Turkish
population living in Germany. With the new Citizenship Law, we
want to further speed up the integration process of Turks. We
believe that Turkey is an EU candidate. Modern Turkey has been
established in line with Western values. We support Turkey's
democratization process and the development of her free market
economy. The Turkish economy is very successful in certain areas;
however in some sectors, further measures should be taken.
Question: If Ocalan arrives in Germany, what will you do? Answer:
He will be arrested immediately, tried and imprisoned. However, I
do not know what the verdict of the court will be. The judiciary
is free in Germany. I can understand Turkey's concerns; however
the problem is neither Germany's nor the EU's. As a friend, I
would like to say that Turkey should achieve peace within the
country however it supports its territorial integrity. Question:
Will you visit Turkey? Answer: Of course, we want to visit
Turkey; however, this visit should be a success. Initially, we
have to establish a productive atmosphere of discussion. So, it
will be beneficial to pay a visit after the General Elections in
Turkey. Replying to a question on the Cyprus issue, Fischer said
that the Cyprus problem was very complex. He noted that the
Americans were trying hard to find a solution to the problem. He
added that they were very pleased with the solution of the S-300
missile problem. /Milliyet/
Last week the recital by violinist Cihat Askin and pianist Julia
Kerimova at Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall (CRR) was deemed
excellent. They were in perfect harmony while playing the
compositions of various composers. Askin is a musician whose
artistic development, and rise to success we have closely
followed. He plans to arrange an album of Turkish violin
compositions. If he can find a sponsor he will go ahead with this
project on which he has worked for some time. Julia Kerimova is
known for her concerts at the CRR. In another development harpist
Sirin Pancaroglu, who has proved to be one of the talents in the
music world, is conducting her concerts in Turkey and studies in
the US at the same time. This young harpist who attaches great
importance to the works of modern composers tries to play at
least one of their works in her concerts or recitals.
/Cumhuriyet/
TURKEY CONTINUES ITS DETERMINED POLICY AGAINST OCALAN
ITALIAN COURT TO DISCUSS REQUEST FOR EXTRADITION OF OCALAN
OCALAN IS BEING KICKED OUT EVERYWHERE
PARRIS: "OCALAN SHOULD BE TRIED"
OCALAN IN RUSSIA
MIT UNDERSECRETARY: "WE HAVE TRAPPED OCALAN IN RUSSIA"
DIE WELT: "OCALAN'S DUTCH FLIGHT IS A SCENARIO"
"A KURDISH STATE CANNOT BE ESTABLISHED"
FP AGAINST TWO-TIER ELECTIONS
CILLER: TWO-TIER ELECTIONS ARE AGAINST CONSTITUTION
CILLER: "NO ALLIANCES WITH THE FP MENTALITY"
ULUGBAY: "WE SHOULD NOT BELITTLE OURSELVES"
TAX-FREE BOND SELLS 1.4 QUADRILLION TL
ALGERIA GIVES A NEW HOPE TO LUGGAGE TRADE
TURKISH FIRM WINS GERMAN MILITARY BID
DUTCH DELEGATION IN TURKEY
BLUE STREAM PROJECT: BOND OF FRIENDSHIP
FOREIGN DEBT IN EURO
ARSLAN CALLS ON PKK MEMBERS TO SURRENDER
OPERATION AGAINST TERRORISTS IN HOZAT
HISTORICAL REPLY TO GREECE
BAKU-CEYHAN SUMMIT IN CANKAYA
SYRIAN CITIZENS TO VOTE FOR ESAD
GEN.KILIC IN INCIRLIK
JAPANESE DELEGATION TO VISIT TURKEY
EGE IN BAKU
CEMAL KUTAY AWARDED HONORARY DOCTORATE
HANDICRAFT EXPORT TO BRITAIN
WORLD PEACE AND MEMORY FOREST PROJECT TO TRNC
DEMIREL RATIFIES CREDIT AGREEMENT
KUDSI ERGUNER TO GIVE A CONCERT IN LONDON
FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS....FROM THE COLUMNS....
FISCHER: "TURKEY IS A CANDIDATE" -BY SAHIN ALPAY, NILUFER KUYAS
SUCCESS OF ASKIN AND KERIMOVA -BY EVIN ILYASOGLU (CUMHURIYET)