TRKNWS-L Turkish Radio Hour News

kurdeng at aps.nl kurdeng at aps.nl
Mon Jun 26 23:20:43 BST 1995


From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl
Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Radio Hour News
Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl

                  
HOLBROOKE AND HAAS DEFEND TURKEY VIGOROUSLY
    06/23/95, MILLIYET--A Western European Union (WEU)
seminar on "European Security" organized by the
Atlantic Council in Turkey on Wednesday, displayed once
again the contrasting perspectives that the US and some
European allies have adopted in their approaches to
Turkey's EU membership.  Joergen Kosmo, Defence
Minister of Norway, said during the panel discussion that
Turkey has "many political, economic and cultural
problems" and that it would not be proper for Turkey "to
bring such problems to the EU".  "It is my belief that EU
membership will be open for Turkey in the future" Kosmo
said, "if Turkey is growing in the right direction" that is,
if she solves such problems first.  He emphasized that they
expected Turkey to solve those problems because "Turkey is a
European country".  Speaking after Kosmo, Richard Haas of
the Council of Foreign Relations and Carnegie Endowment
launched a strong defence of Turkey and attacked the EU's
reluctance to admit Turkey as a full member with words like
"shame" and "strategic shortsightedness".  He said the EU
was ignoring many areas in which Turkey has contributed to
allied causes such as in the Gulf War, or Turkey's positon
vis-a-vis Russia.  "Obstracizing Turkey won't help" Haas
said.  He criticized the "unfortunate double standards" the
EU was employing in stalling Turkey's application.  "In the
long run it is bad for the EU, it is bad for Turkey" he
said.  Richard Holbrooke, US Assistant Secretary of State
for European and Canadian Affairs, followed Haas with his
characteristic support for Turkey as a "front-line state"
which "replaced Germany".  "Turkey is a part of Europe" he
emphasized.  He repeated his well-known views that Turkey is
situated in a very rough neighbourhood, surrounded by tough
adversaries.  He recalled that "since Ataturk, Turkey has
been a secular Western-oriented democracy".  Reiterating the
importance of Greece's withdrawal of its objection to
Turkey's customs union membership, "the customs union must
be approved by the European Parliament in Strasbourg" he
said.  He said that Turkey's customs union membership would
constitute a "good step for the next terrian" that is,
Cyprus' EU membership.  He said a "federated Cyprus" with
"both communities" should be a member of the EU.  Turkey's
joining the customs union will help solve the Cyprus issue
too" he said.


CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES GOING SLOWLY
    06/23/95, MILLIYET--For over a week now, parliament has
been agonizing over a number of vital constitutional
changes that are part of the process that Turkey has to
accept as the cost of moving into customs union with the
European Union countries.  So far only seven articles have
been reviewed.  Of these, only four have been accepted,
three have been rejected.
    Even the simplist amendments are having a rough
passage through parliament.  The easiest change of all,
reducing the voting age to eighteen only got a passing vote
of 280 votes after a long uphill struggle.  According
to the experts, this alone indicates that the amendments
package will fail to cross the threshold of 300 votes
without a referendum.

TURKEY'S DIPLOMATIC SUCCESS
    06/23/95, HURRIYET--An "ultimatum" decision by
the European Council Parliamentarians Assembly (ECPA)
calling for a suspension in the Turkey-EU membership process
in case democratic reforms are not realized by 26 June, as
handed down by the European Council Ministers Committee has
been disputed.  Giving an answer to the ECPA, a
committee representing the Foreign Ministers of 34
countries, stressed the importance of Turkey in the
European Council by sending "friendly" messages, and stating
that the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) was fully
able to make its own decisions, sent a message to the ECPA
requesting that the ECPA should avoid interfering in the
work of other assemblies.


TEHRAN ASSURES ANKARA ON FIGHT AGAINST PKK TERROR
    06/22/95, TPR--Concerned about escalating attacks by
the PKK terrorist organization from Iranian territory,
Turkey has launched a series of diplomatic initiatives aimed
at Tehran and has received a positive response.  Iran
has assured Ankara that it has the political will to fight
against PKK terrorist acitivities, Turkish Foreign
Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said yesterday.  Akbel told
reporters that Mohammed Reza Bagheri, Iranian Ambassador
in Ankara, had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry and had
met with Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu on June 17, one day
after two terrorist attacks hit Turkish troops on the Iran-
Turkey border.

TURKEY PLANS TO SEND AMBASSADOR BACK TO THE HAGUE
    06/22/95, TRH--Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel
hinted that Ankara would soon send its ambassador back to
The Hague, after being recalled home earlier in April over
the convening of so-called "Kurdish Parliament-in-Exile"
there.
    A Dutch delegation, which later came to Ankara,
agreed to take concrete measures for fighting against
terrorism, according to Akbel.

BULGARIA PROMISES TO SUPPORT TURKEY AGAINST PKK
    06/22/95, CUMHURIYET--Bekir Aksoy, Interior Ministry
Undersecretary, said the Bulgarian government had
promised to support Turkey against the PKK terrorist
organization.  Aksoy led the Turkish delegation in
Sofia at a third meeting of the permanent joint
commission established within the framework of the
cooperation agreement on the "struggle against drug
smuggling, terrorism and organized crimes" signed between
Bulgaria and Turkey.
     Aksoy continued by saying that the PKK had made
millions of dollars from drug smuggling acitivities in
Europe, adding that the terrorist organization will pose a
potential danger in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian government
should certainly struggle against the PKK.

JUPPE CALLS UPON TURKEY TO PARDON THE DEP DEPUTIES
    06/22/95, TRH--It is reported that most of the questions
asked Ciller while she was in Paris for a meeting of the
Western European Union were about the situation of the
former DEP [pro-Kurdish separatist party] deputies in
prison. It is stated that French Prime Minister Alain
Juppe requested Ciller to pardon the DEP deputies.  In
response, Ciller said that this issue was relevant to the
independent judiciary and that constitutional reforms were
on the way.

CILLER DEFENDS TURKEY AGAINST EURO CRITICISM
    06/21/95, CUMHURIYET-- Prime Minister Tansu Ciller
yesterday defended Ankara's stance in the face of European
criticism regarding the human rights situation and the
Kurdish issue, admitting that Turkey lacks some elements
of a true democracy, but pledging to remove several anti-
democratic legislative articles. Addressing a Western
European Union (WEU) assembly meeting in the French capital,
Ciller urged Europeans to show no sympathy to the PKK,
which she said was a violent terrorist organization.
    In a press statement, Ciller also reiterated
Turkey's demand to become a full member of the WEU, saying
this issue could be finalized during the process of a
European review conference scheduled to begin in 1996.
    While in Paris for a meeting of the Western European
Union (WEU), in her talks with French Prime Minister Alain
Juppe, Prime Minister Ciller called upon the French
government to lend more support to Turkey's efforts to
join the European Union (EU).
    Noting that both Turkey and Europe were in fact part
and parcel of the same democratic union, and always would
be, Ciller drew attention to the unique role that Turkey
played in the region as a stable, secular moslem country.
    During a two-hour dinner, Ciller and Juppe spoke
about Turkey and democratization developments as they
affected ties with Europe and the process of customs union
with the EU.


TURKEY, PALESTINE DISCUSS ECONOMIC AID, PEACE PROCESS
    06/20/95, TPR--Palestinian President Yasser Arafat
arrived in Ankara yesterday to pay his second
official visit following the start of the Middle East peace
process.  Welcomed by Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu at
Esenboga Airport, Arafat first visited Ataturk's
mausoleum.  He was welcomed with an official ceremony
by President Demirel at the Cankaya Presidential
Palace.  Arafat and Demirel held a one-hour meeting and
then meetings between delegations were held. Arafat and
Turkish officials discussed ways to expedite an economic
aid package Ankara had earlier pledged to extend to the
Palestinian state to support several development
projects in the newly autonomous areas.  Arafat also briefed
President Suleyman Demirel and other Turkish officials he
met in Ankara on developments in the Middle East peace
process and in particular the Palestinian-Israeli talks.  At
official talks following Arafat's arrival in Ankara
yesterday morning, the Palestinian delegation also asked the
Ankara government to encourage the Turkish private sector to
do business in Palestine.  "The Palestinian people have not
forgotten and will not forget Turkey's assistance.  They now
need Turkey's help more than ever" Arafat said in a meeting
with Demirel.  Demirel said at a dinner he gave in Arafat's
honour that Turkey would continue to do what it could to
contribute to the economic and social development of the
Palestinian people.  Explaining the political and practical
difficulties the Palestine administration faces, Arafat
asked for Turkey's political support.  He also requested
observers from Turkey for the Gaza and Jericho elections and
Turkish soldiers to participate in the international police
force to be established.

GERMAN CITIZENS OF TURKISH ORIGIN TO SET UP PARTY
    06/20/95, AA--A group of German citizens of Turkish
origin held their first meeting in Frankfurt to
establish a new political party, the Democrat Party.  A
total of 45 people participated in the meeting.  Sedat
Sezgin, chairman of the party's committee, said their
aim was to gain equal rights for foreigners in the country
and to enter the German Parliament in three or four years
time.

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



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