MEET DAN BARISH Turkey Wants Israeli Arms Deal Jerusalem (JPFS) — Turkey wants Israeli cooperation in Ankara's large-scale defense pro- grams in tanks and gunboats to offset European and American objections to arms sales, a senior Turkish official said. Gen. (ret.) Sitki Orun, techni- cal adviser to the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation, said Turkey needs Israeli contractors to ful- fill its $150 billion plan over the next 25 years to modernize the military. This includes produc- ing new battle tanks, helicopters, jets and ships. "This year, most of the coun- tries are decreasing military bud- gets," Gen. Orun said, "but not Turkey. It has increased its mil- itary budget by 2-3 percent, from 9 percent to 11 percent of the gov- ernment budget." Gen. Orun will be conducting meetings in his effort to recruit Israeli companies to participate in Turkey's defense industry and civil aviation fair, called IDEF, in September. The fair is spon- sored by the government defense holding company Turkish Armed Forces Foundation. The Turkish general said his government will examine the Merkava tank as part of its pro- gram to produce 800 battle tanks in a deal estimated at $3.2 bil- lion. The Turks plan to begin co- production of a new tank after the year 2000, preferring this to outright acquisition. Other countries that will be approached as a potential con- tractor include the United States, South Korea, Germany, Britain and France. Elscint Wins Jordan Contract Jerusalem (JPFS) — Elscint Ltd. has won a contract to sell a $1.5 million magnetic resonance imaging system to the Jordan- ian government, becoming the first Israeli company to sell a ma- jor piece of high-tech equipment there, the firm announced. The MRI system will be in- stalled in Amman's Al-Basheer Hospital. The Haifa-based company, which develops and manufac- tures a host of nuclear medicine imaging, ultrasound, mammog- raphy and computerized tomog- raphy systems, beat out Toshiba, Philips, Siemens and GE for the tender. While Jordan's MRI market is considered by experts to be rela- tively small, company represen- tatives said that the ramifications of winning the bid extend beyond financial consid- erations. "There are two aspects to the deal," said Yuval Yanai, Elscint's CFO. "There's the commercial one for Elscint. And since we are all Zionists there is also the hope that this will help other Israeli companies to sell in Jordan, which has never before pur- chased a significant piece of high- tech equipment from Israel." Mr. Yanai also said that the sale of the company's top-of-the- line Prestige MRI system, which has research and development applications as well as clinical ones, also could lead to greater collaboration between Israeli and Jordanian doctors and hospitals. Mr. Yanai said that Elscint's sales for 1996 are expected to to- tal $310 million, while projec- tions for 1997 indicate a decrease in profitability margins due to in- creased international competi- tion. Elscint has been growing at an annual rate of 10-20 percent. Israeli Hotel Profits Are Down Jerusalem (JPFS) — According to figures the Israel Hotel Asso- ciation released recently, prof- itability dropped 10-15 percent in 1996, compared to the previ- ous year, a drop that has contin- ued for the past three years. There has been an overall three-year decrease since 1993 of about 35 percent. Tourism from abroad dropped sharply during the course of 1996, with up to 20 percent few- er tourist stays during the later part of the year, and a yearly de- crease of 6 percent compared to 1995. Hotel Association director Avi Rosental said that last year ho- tels showed a $1.2 billion turnover, with $600 million of that coming from incoming tourism. He pointed to the sharp increase in the number of nights spent by Israelis in local hotels, which jumped by 12 percent in comparison with the previous year. Despite the slump, which he attributed to "a combination of geopolitical factors," about 20,000 hotel rooms were either in the planning or building stage, bring- ing the Israeli total up to about 50,000. The optimism, he said, was based on the Middle East peace process and expectations for waves of incoming tourists to mark Israel's 50th anniversary in 1998 and the jubilee of Chris- tianity in 2000. Publicity Deadlines The normal deadline for local news and publicity items is noon Thurs- day, eight days prioi to issue date. The deadline for out-of-town obit- uaries is 10 a.m. Tuesday, three days prior to issue date. Dan can help you prepare for a secure retirement with investments in such products as The BEST of AMERICA® variable annuities. The BEST of AMERICA allows you to choose from among 10 of America's top names in money management, including: Dan Barish Vice President Fidelity Investments® NATIONWIDE reyfus ADVISORY SERVICES, INC. • Nationwide is on your side Nationwide Advisory Services. Inc. The Dreyfus Corporation Mellon Equity Associates Fidelity Management & Reasearch Company TCI Portfolios. Investors Research Corporation Dan and his associates at Comerica Securities are available to meet with you, at your convenience. For more information on The BEST of AMERICA variable annuities, including charges and expenses, please obtain a prospectus by calling Dan at (810) 948-2902. Please read it carefully before you invest or send money. NOT FDIC INSURED Before investing, please understand that annuities are not insured by the FDIC, NCUSIF, or any other government agency, are not deposits or obligation of, or guaranteed by Comerica Bank or any of its affiliates, and involve risk, including possible loss of principal. May lose value No bank guarantee The BEST of AMERICA variable annuities are underwritten by Nationwide Life Insurance Company, Columbus, Ohio. Variable annuities are offered by Comerica Insurance Services, Inc., an insurance agency and subsidiary of Comerica Bank, and are made available through Comerica Securities, a broker-dealer member NASD/SIPC and an affiliate of Comerica Bank. Nationwide' and The BEST of AMERICA' are federal service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. Copyright 1997, Nationwide Life Insurance Company. * eBEST Th * OF AMERICA® * * Comerica Securities Member NASD/SIPC EARN HIGHER YIELDS! 4.75%, MONEY MARKET* VISIT ONE OF OUR LOCATIONS NEAR YOU! Sterling DRUNK DRIVING DOESN'T JUST KILL DRUNK DRIVERS. ,4/oHzu brake. killcd V171.'0 al 10..5.1pm ott Robbia• led.. Next time your friend insists on driving drunk, do whatever it takes to stop him. Because if he kills innocent people, how will you live with yourself? FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS DRIVE DRUNK. BERKLEY • (810) 546-2590 BIRMINGHAM • (810) 646-8787 CLAWSON • (810) 435-2840 ROCHESTER • (810) 656-5760 bank &trust SOUTHFIELD • (810) 948-8799 W. BLOOMFIELD • (810) 855-6644 "We create solutions."e N- CD ti ›- CC CC CO LU U- ANNUAL PERCENTAGE YIELD EFFECTIVE AS OF 11/15/96. RATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WTI-four NOTICE. 'MONEY MARKET: $2.500 MINIMUM BALANCE REQUIRED. STATEMENT FEES MAY REDUCE EARNINGS IF MINIMUM BALANCE IS NOT MAINTAINED. 07