TRKNWS-L Turkish Radio Hour News

[newsdesk_aps_nl at apsf.aps.nl]

From: newsdesk_aps_nl at apsf.aps.nl (newsdesk at aps.nl)
Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Radio Hour News


PRIME MINISTER TANSU CILLER DEFENDED HERSELF: "1995 WILL BE
GOOD, 1996 WILL BE BETTER"
    1/20/95, CUMHURIYET--Prime Minister Ciller answered the
criticism aired on the TV program "Calling to Nation"
concerning the recent increase in the inflation rate to 150
percent. She indicated the following in the beginning of her
speech, "I know. Everybody is confused.  The inflation rate
is 150 percent.  Some are asking where we are going.  You
are right."
    Inflation: "Today's inflation is the result of mistakes
[in the economy] in past years. However, the inflation has
started to decrease.  We will soon leave three digit
inflation behind us."
    Important surgery: "The Turkish economy just had a very
important surgery.  It is like after an appendectomy.  If
you give water to the patient right after the surgery, you
would hurt the patient. We should not be in the position of
taking back with a ladle what we gave with a spoon".
    Turkey is big: "1995 will be good and '96 will be
better. The next years will be even better and better.
Limiting Turkey will be impossible. Turkey is big and will
grow gradually.  Turkey will be an example to the world".
    Yesterday,  Ciller met with President Demirel and
informed him [about the state of affairs].  Later she
accepted the "Star of the Year" award  from Intermedia Group
for the "decisiveness she showed in economical politics".
Ciller said "I am accepting this award in the name of
Turkish citizens who sacrifice much."

287 SIGNATURES FOR CONSTITUTION
    01/20/95, SABAH--[First paragraph was difficult to
translate.]
    A bill to change the 21 articles of the [Turkish]
constitution is forwarded to the chairmanship of the
parliament with 287 signatures [of the MPs]. In addition to
the 21-article [change] package, [agreement on] a compromise
[bill] that is being considered is left to January 28. This
bill is proposed by the [religious fundamentalist] Welfare
Party, and is to bring freedom of religion, remove  articles
14 and 24 that bans certain things.
    "We did not find the republic on the streets":  The
President of the Grand Assembly, Cindoruk, in response to a
journalist's comment, "You are not looking at MLP's
[Motherland Party] and Welfare Party's motion about the 24th
law of the constitution, stated: "We did not find the
Republic on the streets."

YILMAZ: THE WORST PERIOD IN SEVENTY YEARS
    01/20/95, CUMHURIYET--MLP [Motherland Party] General
President Mesut Yilmaz said that 1994, which the coalition
leader [Prime Minister Ciller] evaluated as a successful
period, had been the worst period in the seventy year
history of the republic.
    Yilmaz said that citizens who earned a fixed income
deserve an  award, not the businessmen.  He added, "Fixed
income citizens finance Turkey. Turkey is not any more
stable than it was on April 5th.  It means that something is
wrong."  Yilmaz stated that the solution to the
stabilization is not in the coalition government's politics.

A LESSON TO GREEK JOURNALISTS FROM ECEVIT
    01/20/95, MEYDAN--Democratic Left Party President Bulent
Ecevit asked to a Greek journalist, "Do you know that Ocalan
wrote his orders in Turkish?".  Ecevit added that even if
Kurds would be given political autonomy, the KWP [Kurdish
Worker's Party] would not end the war.  He held former
President Turgut Ozal responsible for the Kurdish problem.

U.N. GENERAL SECRETARY GHALI PRESENTING THE REPORT ON ARMS
DECLARED BY FORTY COUNTRIES
    Ankara and Athens are purchasing the most arms
    01/20/94, CUMHURIYET--According to the U.S. Congress
U.S. sold 3.3 billion dollars worth of arms to Turkey.
Ranking 7th among the countries that purchased the most
arms, Turkey is giving primary concern to air and ground
artillery for the southeast.
    Greece purchased 2.8 billion dollars worth of arms
between 1990 and 1993 for the U.S..  Greece, the 8th largest
arms purchaser after Turkey, is giving primary concern to
ground and navy artillery and missiles.

THREE CONDITIONS FOR POLITICAL SOLUTION
    01/20/95, MILLIYET--ATIB [Association of Turkish
Industrialists and Businessman] President Halis Komili
proposed three conditions for a political solution.  1)
Change the constitution.  2) A new election law.  3)
Parliament agreement on economical/social consul.
    Loss of dignity: [ATIB] Supreme Consultative Council
President Rahmi Koc asked both the right and left-wing
parties to collaborate immediately.  He compared [today's]
Turkey with the one while he was president [of ATIB].

YOUR NEIGHBORS ARE SUPPORTING KWP [KURDISH WORKERS PARTY]
   01/19/95, MILLIYET--Marc Grossman, U.S. Ambassador to
Ankara, said that the KWP had been receiving support from
some of Turkey's neighbors and the U.S. government had
warned those countries at the top level.
    Ambassador Grossman said that the human rights issue had
been both in the U.S. and Turkey's programs.  That is
because both countries are giving a special consideration to
human rights issue.  He stated, "We are advocating democracy
in Turkey.  Protection of human rights is the central belief
of a democratic system".

CILLER: "NINETY PERCENT OF THE PUBLIC IS AGAINST
DEMOCRATIZATION"
    01/21/95, HURRIYET--Prime Minister [Tansu] Ciller, in a
European Custums Union summit  organized yesterday, stressed
that "ninety percent of society is against democratization."
    Ciller, in response to the question "[Turkey's entry]
into the European Customs Union was postponed because no
advances have been made towards democratization.  Will any
progress be made on this issue?" responded by saying, "We
are currently preparing changes to the constitution.  But
ninety percent of our society is against more
democratization.  It does not look favorably on a number of
questions regarding freedom of expression.  It is necessary
to enlighten the public.  Public opinion is not behind this
and for this reason the Parliament is not behind it."

FOREIGN ORGANIZATIONS ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE KWP
    01/21/95, MILLIYET--Unal Erkan, the extraordinary
governor of the Hal province, stated that human rights
organizations have remained witness to the massacres
committed by the KWP in the south-east [of Turkey].  He
said, "These [organizations] are on the side of the [KWP]."

WHILE THE DIFFERENCES IN OPINION CONTINUE ON OTHER ISSUES,
POLITICAL PARTIES COME TOGETHER ON THE ISSUE OF THE EUROPEAN
CUSTOMS UNION
    01/21/95, CUMHURIYET--National unity for the Customs
Union.  [Turkish] Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister
Murat Karayalcin stated that Turkey is ready for the Customs
Union and said that those who claim otherwise do not know
Turkey.
    Karayalcin, who spoke at a meeting organized by the
Economic Development Endowment on the subject of "legal
organization on the road to the Customs Union," said, "I do
not subscribe to the point of view that one should be thrown
in the sea in order to learn how to swim.  Turkey has been
swimming for 22 years.  Today it is at the level to compete
with Europe."
    Karayalcin, who estimated number of Turks living in
Europe, stated that Turkey was literally in Europe and that
the thing to do is decide to make it legal.  Karayalcin said
"Turkey's entry into the customs Union should not be linked
to the Cyprus problem.  Karayalcin, stating that there had
been conciliatory proposals on the side of Denktas, the
Prime Minister of Cyprus, that could bring peace, said, if
the EU would not give signals to the opposing side, a
solution to the Cyprus problems could be reached in a short
amount of time."

    BOYNER TREATED LIKE A HEAD OF THE GOVERNMENT

In his speech in Diyarbakir, the NDM [New Democracy
Movement] leader stated that the parties have not been able
to address the issues in an adequate manner.

     01/22/95, CUMHURIYET--Cem Boyner, the NDM leader, was
well received in Diyarbakir and was treated as though he is
the head of the government.  Boyner accused the existing
political parties to be like the "political tradesmen" and
being inadequate in addressing the issues of Turkey.  He
further made the statement that "Turkey's problems are
interdependent and that the primary reason behind these
problems turning into crises is the Kurdish issue.  We did
not come this far to put a bendade on the issue.  If the
government truly represented the people, there would not
have been so many people killed, so many bullets fired, and
so many people burried without proper funerals."

MOSCOW: "KURDISH/KURDISTAN WORKERS PARTY (KWP) IS LEGAL."

     01/23/95, MILLIYET--The Russian Interier Minister
commented that the the KWP is a lawful organization,
therefore, their operations should not be outlawed in
Turkey.

     MENTESE IN MOSCOW: During his travel to Russia, the
Interier Minister Mentese answered the news media's
questions on the plane by stating that "the comparison
between Chechnya as being Russia's internal problem and
Kurds are Turkey's cannot be made."

     "Chechens are autonomous.  A country called 'Chechnya'
does exist.  On the other hand, a country called 'Kurdistan'
does not exist and has never existed during the history.
However, the Russians have accepted Chechnya as an
autonomous state."  Mentese further elaborated that "it is
impossible to positively accept the 'Kurdish Home' [in
Moscow]."  When                                      asked
"Do you think that Russia is playing the Kurdish card,"
Mentese replied by saying "I don't think so. Our
interactions with Russia is currently going well. Our
objective is not intefere with each others internal
problems."