ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on May 23, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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DENKTAS SAYS GREEK CYPRIOTS' EU MEMBERSHIP ON BEHALF OF WHOLE CYPRUS WILL MAKE TURKEY UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said that Greek Cypriots' European Union (EU) membership on behalf of whole Cyprus would make Turkey unable to do anything. Addressing a meeting which was organized by Istanbul Chamber of Trade (ITO) to support Cyprus policy of TRNC in Girne, Denktas said that Annan Plan aimed to bring legitimacy to the illegal application of Greek Cypriots by carrying it to a legal basis. Denktas stated that he was asked to sign Annan Plan on behalf of Turkish Cypriots to make Greek Cypriots' application legitimate and to make Turkey unable to move. He said that Cyprus was a good trump for Turkey now and added that Turkey had the right to say ''you cannot accept Cyprus to a place of which I am not member'' and Cyprus was the most rightful case of Turkey.
RAINY WEATHER COMING
Rainy weather which will come from Central Mediterranean will make itself felt in western regions of Turkey on Friday. State Meteorology officials said that heavy rain is expected to be influential in Marmara, Aegean, west of Mediterranean and west of Central Anatolia regions as of Saturday. The temperatures will decrease by 5-7 degrees in western part of Turkey as of Saturday and in northern and central part of the country as of Sunday.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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POLICEMEN REPORTED TO BE FUNDAMENTALIST PROMOTED
Promotion in police department has turned into a scandal. The commission which did not promote directors who were reported to be fundamentalists in its first meeting on May 8 and 9, convened again without any official note as Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu did not approve the list. In the second meeting, almost 20 directors who are reported to have connection with the fundamentalists were promoted to higher positions.
HAGIA SOPHIA EXCITEMENT
As the decision to open Turkey's doors to the Greek Cypriots entered into force, six buses carrying Greek Cypriots crossed the border. A group of 266 Greek Cypriots underwent severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) control at the border. Nurse Ebantea Georgiou said that they were very excited that they would see Istanbul and Hagia Sophia. The group which will stay in Istanbul for three days will go to Buyukada after visiting the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.
HE USED HOMELESS AS GUINEA PIG
According to indictment on operations in the health sector named Nester operation, Associate Professor Dr. Dokumaci received some money from an Italian company in return to make experiments on the poor and homeless people by the newly-produced medical equipment.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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REDUCTION IN PRICES OF SOME GOODS
The value added tax (VAT) rate in fruited milk and yoghurt, baby food, and fruit and vegetable seeds is reduced to 8 percent. VAT in funeral services, blood and blood products is decreased to 1 percent. The prices should also be decreased at the same rate.
THIS DISASTER OCCURS DUE TO 13 MILLION TL OF NEGLIGENCE
The head workman of a buffet in Istanbul told his boss that there was gas leakage from the LPG canister. The canister exploded one and a half hours later. Two adjacent workshops also collapsed in the blast as if there had been an earthquake. Salih Akilli and Omer Samac, who could not convince their boss to change the hose worth of 13 million Turkish liras (TL), died under the rubble while Serdar Turan died in the hospital.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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NEW PERIOD IN BUSINESS LIFE
The Parliamentary General Assembly approved the Labor Draft Law comprising 128 articles despite intensive opposition of Republican People's Party (CHP). Following the approval of the bill, Labor and Social Security Minister Murat Basesgioglu addressed the parliament and said that scope of the labor security was determined by taking into consideration of facts of the country and stated that a transition period was needed. CHP group deputy chairman Mustafa Ozyurek said, ''when International Monetary Fund (IMF) comes to Turkey to make inspection, anti-IMF attitude is not convincing.''
KAZAKH DEMAND ON BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINE
President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan proposed that Kazakh oil should also be included in Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer wanted preliminary studies on that issue should be completed soon, while Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that they approached positively to the project. Sezer hosted a dinner in honor Nazarbayev at the Presidential Palace in Ankara. Sezer said that they wished that necessary legal and technical preparations for flow of also Kazakh oil from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline would finish as soon as possible.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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MESSAGE TO IMF
State Minister Ali Babacan left for Greek capital Athens to attend the Southeastern Europe meeting of the World Economic Forum. Babacan replied to questions of reporters at Ankara's Esenboga Airport prior to his departure. When asked whether or not there would be some little changes in timetable concerning commitments which were given to International Monetary Fund (IMF), Babacan said that they made commitments on date regarding laws in the letter of intent and stated, but they could not interrupt working process of the parliament. Babacan said, ''what is important is program which we made with IMF. Loan tranches will be about 500 million U.S. dollars from now on.''
EXPLOSION IN ISTANBUL KILLS TWO, INJURES EIGHT
A total of two people died and eight were injured in the explosion which occurred in a snack bar in Harbiye district of Istanbul on Thursday. An explosion had occurred at 10.30 a.m. in Elmas Snack Bar and Mersin Restaurant in Halaskargazi street. Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler said, ''owners of the snack bar told security forces that they felt a strong smell of gas when they arrived. They opened up all windows to ventilate the buffet. The explosion occurred when somebody struck a match.''
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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FIRST STEP! PREPARATIONS FOR QUAKE STARTS FROM ISTANBUL
Unstable buildings will be determined one by one and they will either be repaired or demolished and new buildings will be constructed. Turkey is putting into practice a dream which has been on the agenda for years. According to the project of 10 trillion Turkish liras (TL) approved by the Accounting Bureau, the Municipality will test whether or not 17 thousand buildings in pilot area Zeytinburnu are quake-resistant. The project will start in August.
LABOR LAW IS PASSED
The labor law adopted at the parliament regulates relations between the employee and the employer. The bill comprised of 128 articles to which the government attached great importance was adopted by the General Assembly after long discussions. The bill re-arranges working life and brings new arrangements onto the agenda like lending an employee to another employer and making labor contract for a temporary period.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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LAST CHANCE FOR 5 THOUSAND KADEK MILITANTS FOR REPENTANCE
Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said that they had agreed with the General Staff on the repentance law. Five thousand KADEK militants can benefit from the new arrangement except Abdullah Ocalan and Semdin Sakik, the heads of the terrorist organization. Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) supports the bill while the terrorist organization KADEK opposes.
NAZARBAYEV: ''LET'S EXTEND BAKU-CEYHAN''
During official contacts of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Turkey, long term commercial and economic cooperation agreement which will further improve relations between Turkey and Kazakhstan, agreement on cooperation in banking, agreement on cooperation in customs and mutual administrative assistance agreement were signed. Nazarbayev also reiterated his proposal to extend Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline till Kazakhstan.
(EÖ-BRC-AÖ) 23.05.2003