usamettin CINDORUK]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Turkish Confederation of Labor
or Turk-Is [Bayram MERAL]; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers
Unions or DISK [Ridvan BUDAK]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is
[Salim USLU]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or
TUSIAD [Muharrem KAYHAN]; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and
Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [Fuat MIRAS]; Turkish Confederation of
Employers' Unions or TISK [Refik BAYDUR]; Independent Industrialists
and Businessmen's Association or MUSIAD [Erol YARAR]

International organization participation: AsDB, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE,
CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, NATO, NEA,
OECD, OIC, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNRWA, UPU, WEU (associate), WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nuzhet KANDEMIR
chancery : 1714 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 659-8200
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marc GROSSMAN
embassy : 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Ankara
mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823
telephone: [90] (312) 468-6110
FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019
consulate(s) general: Istanbul
consulate(s): Adana

Flag description: red with a vertical white crescent (the closed
portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered
just outside the crescent opening

Economy

Economy - overview: Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of
modern industry and commerce along with traditional village
agriculture and crafts. The economy has a strong and rapidly growing
private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic
industry, banking, transport, and communication. The current economic
situation is marked by strong growth coupled with worsening
imbalances. Real GDP expanded by about 7% in 1996 but inflation rose
to 80%, the current account deficit reached about 3% of GDP, and the
public sector fiscal deficit probably topped 10% of GDP, leading to
speculation that the country could be headed toward a repeat of its
1994 financial crisis. To some extent, Ankara is caught in a vicious
circle because half of all central