TURKISH PRESS REVIEW

[kurdeng at aps.nl]

From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl
Subject: TURKISH PRESS REVIEW
Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl


         CILLER:  "TURKISH SOLDIERS GAVE HUMAN RIGHTS LESSON"

         Prime  Minister  Tansu  Ciller  told  her  True  Path   Party's
         parliamentary group that Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq gave
         a lesson in human rights to the  world.   Noting  that  Turkish
         soldiers   aided   the  people  in  northern  Iraq  during  the
         operation, Ciller said:  "The northern Iraqi people are pleased
         with the Turkish soldiers.  Some people were saying there would
         be human rights violations there.   However,  Turkish  soldiers
         gave  a human rights lesson to the world".  Requesting that the
         struggle  against  terrorism  and  democracy  should   not   be
         confused,  Ciller  added:   "No one can say "there aren't human
         rights.  So, terrorism occurs", that is wrong.   Weren't  there
         human  rights  and  democracy  in  Oklahoma  or  at  the  Tokyo
         subway?".  Ciller stated that terrorists were selling drugs and
         buying  weapons  and  that  they were killing young people with
         them.  Ciller said:  "We support democratization.  No  one  can
         see this as a solution to something else".  /Hurriyet/


         NATO COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF IN ANKARA

         The  Commander-in-Chief  of  NATO's  European  Allied   Forces,
         Gen.George   A.Joulwan  arrived  in  Ankara  yesterday  as  the
         official guest of Turkish Chief of General Staff  Gen.   Ismail
         Hakki  Karadayi.   Gen.Joulwan  will  meet  with  Gen.Karadayi,
         Lieutenant Gen.Tamer Akbas and  Major  Gen.Cetin  Dogan  today.
         Joulwan will leave Ankara this afternoon.  /Cumhuriyet/


         FOREIGN AFFAIRS:  "TURKEY IS A STRATEGIC COUNTRY"

         Misha Glenny, in an  article  in  the  New  York-based  Foreign
         Affairs   magazine,   has   argued   that   if   the   war   in
         Bosnia-Herzegovina spreads  to  Macedonia,  there  could  be  a
         series  of  new  clashes in the Balkans.  He says the war could
         spread to the Aegean, and US transportation through the  Middle
         East  might  be cut.  Because the US sees Turkey as a strategic
         country, Glenny writes, and  if  Turkey  goes  war  with  Serbs
         because  of  the  Kosova  problem,  the US administration could
         offer military aid.  Glenny also says that  the  Welfare  Party
         (RP)  can  endanger  US  advantages  in the Aegean.  He says US
         regional concerns are Albanian- Greek relations, the  Macedonia
         problem, Turco-Greek problems in the Aegean and Cyprus.  Glenny
         said American diplomats are trying to lessen the strain between
         Turkey  and  Greece  because  of  Cyprus  and  the Aegean.  The
         article  in  Foreign  Affairs  notes  that   Richard   Beattie,
         President  Bill  Clinton's  private  envoy  on  Cyprus,  is  an
         important figure in these attempts and  that  Clinton  attaches
         importance to the problems between Turkey and Greece.  /Sabah/

         BARZANI DELEGATION IN ANKARA

         A delegation from the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic  Party  (IKDP)
         headed   by  Mesut  Barzani  came  to  Ankara  from  Diyarbakir
         yesterday.  The IKDP delegation will  make  contacts  regarding
         border  security.   A delegation from the Iraqi Patriotic Union
         of Kurdistan (IPUK) headed by Celal  Talabani  is  expected  to
         come   to   Ankara  following  the  Religious  Holiday  (Kurban
         Bayrami).  At the meetings, border security issues against  PKK
         terrorist activities will be taken up.  /Sabah/

         TURKEY REACTS STRONGLY TO EUROPEANS

         Turkish parliamentarians have reacted strongly to the  attitude
         of   visiting  European  parliamentarians  repre-  senting  the
         European Council (EC).  In a statement signed by all the  major
         parties, Turkish parliamentar- ians have condemned the attitude
         of the Europeans as "ill-intentioned and biased."

         Turkish parliamentarians have declared  that  the  visiting  EC
         delegation  has  gone beyond the accepted limits of re- lations
         between countries and the interest countries can  show  in  the
         internal   affairs   of  another  country.   In  the  statement
         published  yesterday,  Turkish   parliamentarians   said   they
         expected   the  EC  delegation  to  show  respect  for  Turkish
         political sovereignty and national unity.  /All papers/


         TGNA CONDEMNS COUNCIL OF EUROPE

         All political parties at the Turkish  Grand  National  Assembly
         (TGNA),   condemned   the  Council  of  Europe's  Parliamentary
         Assembly (CEPA) with a text jointly  prepared  yesterday.   The
         text  says:   "The  Turkish  Group  in  the Council of Europe's
         Parliamentary Assembly has decided not to  cooperate  with  the
         CEPA  and  not  to  participate  in  the  assembly meetings and
         council's  commission  studies  until  the   European   Council
         Ministers' Committee changes its attitude".  /Sabah/


         COST OF MILITARY OPERATION

         The 43-day Turkish military operation in northern Iraq  has  so
         far  cost  the  government 2.8 trillion TL, and the lives of 61
         officers and men along with three missing.

         On the other hand, military spokesmen say that security in  the
         northern  Iraq  region  has  been  restored  and  that  the PKK
         terrorist organization has been dealt a massive blow.  Although
         the  majority  of  units have been withdrawn from the region, a
         number of military units will remain to maintain  control  over
         certain vital areas.  /Sabah/


         US TO PROMOTE INVESTMENT IN TURKEY

         As a follow up to its efforts to embargo Iran and Iraq, the  US
         has  intimated  that  it  will  give more support to US foreign
         investment in Turkey.  US  Under  Secretary  for  International
         Trade  Jeffrey  Garten  is  reported  as saying that in view of
         developments with Iran, US trade relations with Turkey will  be
         increased.  /Sabah/

         AZERI MEASURES AGAINST THE PKK

         Azerbaijan has taken measures against the  possibility  of  PKK
         terrorists  using  Nakhichevan  as a route to infiltrate Turkey
         following the establishment  of  temporary  security  zones  in
         Digor/Kars  and  the  northern regions of the Aras river by the
         Turkish Chief-of-Staff in order  to  prevent  PKK  infiltration
         into  Turkey  through  Armenia.   Stating  that  Azerbaijan had
         increased the number of troops along the Armenian border, Namik
         Hasanov,  head of the Nakhichevan Assembly said:  "We are doing
         what we can to help Turkey get rid of terrorism".  Azeris  have
         deployed  new  units in Sederek village, the Upper Yayli, Ardic
         and Cagazur regions which are along the Armenian  border.   The
         numbers  of  soldiers  protecting  the  "Hasret Bridge" linking
         Turkey and Nakhichevan in the Dilucu region have been increased
         and  controls have been tightened along the border.  Commenting
         on the measures Hasnov said:  "PKK terrorists who were arrested
         when  they were buying weapons have been handed over to Turkish
         officials.  Azerbaijan has increased measures  in  the  regions
         along  the Armenian and Iranian borders in order to prevent the
         infiltration of terrorists into Turkey." /Hurriyet/


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 * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0)