ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on June 3, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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KADEK ACCUSATION FROM OZKOK TO EUROPE
Chief of General Staff Hilmi Ozkok said that non-inclusion of KADEK in the European Union's (EU) list of terrorist organizations meant support for the continuing terrorist activities. Ozkok, who spoke in the ''Silk Road-2003 Flag Officers Seminar'' said, ''after continuous efforts by Turkey, the EU included PKK in its list of terrorist organizations. However KADEK, whose emblem, cadre including its administrators, armed militants with their camps, its extensions on the legal platform and the media being used remained the same with those of PKK, is not included in this list of terrorist organization. This is a revealing indicator of the level of common understanding of terrorism attained at the international field.'' Ozkok noted, ''since it is perceived as a kind of support for their continuing terrorist activities, this understanding has encouraged KADEK terrorist organization, which maintains some five thousand armed militants as an element of threat. I would like to reiterate, once again, that abandonment of such approaches, which offer no solution for the international struggle against terrorism, is of vital importance for Turkey.''
CURRENT DEFICIT TO BE AROUND 6.1 BILLION USD WITH ''VALUABLE TL''
State Minister Ali Babacan said that the year-end current deficit which was estimated as 3.7 billion U.S. dollars for 2003 was revised as 6.1 billion U.S. dollars. Babacan noted that export, import and tourism revenues were also revised according to the change in the current deficit target. In that context, export target was increased from 39.4 to 40.6 billion and import target rose from 53.8 to 55.4 billion U.S. dollars was tourism revenues target was decreased from 8.5 to 7.9 billion U.S. dollars, Babacan stated.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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LIVE BROADCASTING OF CORRUPTION
Turkish parliamentarians who went to Poland were very surprised when they learned that the corruption investigation was broadcast in the television channel. Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Yuksel Corbacioglu, a member of the Parliamentary Commission for Corruption Investigation, and Human Rights Commission Chairman Mehmet Elkatmis went to Poland. Two parliamentarians learned that 400-people hall was allocated for the corruption investigation on the agenda of Poland when visiting the parliament building in Warsaw. The investigation regarding the bank corruption in which the Polish prime minister was claimed to be involved, is being made open to the public and broadcast live in the television channel. Corbacioglu, who was surprised, said, ''we can't even reach the documents in the hands of the bureaucrats by saying that it is a 'commercial secret, and state secret.' Let's take Poland as an example.''
SDIF IS ALSO HOPELESS: ''REGULATION OBSTRUCTS COLLECTION''
Savings Deposits Insurance Fund (SDIF) stressed that it could not reach the desired level in collection of money from the sunken banks in its report for 2002. SDIF showed legal proceedings and regulations and insufficient number of personnel as a pretext of that. The loss of the institution increased 511.9 trillion Turkish liras (TL) in the mentioned period when compared with the previous year.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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OZKOK: EU SUPPORTS TERRORISM
Chief of General Staff Hilmi Ozkok criticized the European Union (EU) for not taking KADEK to terrorist organizations list and said that EU encouraged KADEK. Ozkok, who made the opening remark of Silk Road-2003 Flag Officers Seminar in which many generals and admirals from various countries attended, emphasized that Turkey was left alone in fight against terrorism and said that they could not see a realistic support, in spite of all decisions taken regarding fight against terrorism.
JUNE INSISTENCE IN ADJUSTMENT PACKAGE
Council of Ministers, on the contrary to decisions taken in National Security Council (NSC), decided to accept adjustment package prepared within the scope of the European Union (EU) criteria until the middle of June. Although NSC decided to take up the Sixth Adjustment Package with a special agenda in its meeting to be held at the end of June, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who released a speech in Council of Ministers meeting yesterday, said that they should adopt the law until EU Salonica Summit on June 21.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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GERMANS WANT TURKISH INVESTORS
Harald Wolf, Economics Labour and Women's Issues Minister of Berlin, said that they wanted to bring important Turkish investors to Berlin. Noting that Turkish companies had a big potential in Berlin, Wolf said that it was necessary to develop relations with Turkish companies and to learn the requests of Turkish investors.
EXPORT RECORD WITH LOW RATE OF EXCHANGE
Turkey Exporters' Assembly (TIM) Chairman Oguz Satici said that high increase in export was continuing in spite of uncertainty and decrease in exchange rates. According to figures of TIM, export increased 30.7 percent and reached three billion 916 million U.S. dollars in May. Annual export rate increased 28 percent and reached 40 billion 679 million dollars.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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''ADJUSTMENT'' AWAITS GOVERNMENT
The government decided to give priority to the National Program expected to be announced on June 15 since it feared that the European Union (EU) package which was intervened by four institutions could not be passed. When the sixth adjustment package is delayed to July, there will also be a delay in the seventh one. The General Staff sent a secret note regarding the sixth EU adjustment package which was ranked among the last items of the agenda after the National Security Council (NSC) meeting: ''Article Eight of the Anti-Terrorism Law should not be excluded. Broadcasting in Kurdish should be made by state-run TRT channel. And, no places of worship should be opened in the apartment buildings.'' The last article seen to be added to the package by the Interior Ministry was excluded from the bill. NSC Secretariat General had two more objections besides the amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Law made in the bill: ''Foreign observer in the elections is against independence. Principles listed in the first articles of the Constitutions should be referred in the Censorship Law.'' The last demand of NSC was taken into consideration.
INTEREST ARGUMENT BECOMES FIERCE
''Low foreign exchange-high interest rate'' argument continues. Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) says that exports from Turkey will totally end while Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) says that pressure on Central Bank is a very wrong move. TIM Chairman Oguz Satici said, ''exports from Turkey around 30.7 percent in the first five months don't reflect the future. Producers and manufacturers can't receive any orders. The monetary authority is unaware from the developments and interest-exchange rate balance should be established.'' Industry and Trade Minister Ali Coskun said, ''the Central Bank is an autonomous organization. Therefore, as the government, we don't want to make any intervention at the moment.'' TUSIAD Chairman Tuncay Ozilhan said, ''the Central Bank is right. We have tried hard to make the Central Bank independent for years. Now, there shouldn't be any pressure on the bank. The Central Bank would want decrease in interest and inflation rate more than us. It will take action when the time comes.''
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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BOMB ALARM
Security measures in and around the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) headquarters have been tightened. All packages, parcels and boxes sent to the AK Party headquarters will be accepted after control. The personnel will take a taxi 50 metres away the AK Party headquarters.
SKK-STATE DISTINCTION TO END
People bound to the Health Ministry and Social Security Agency (SSK) can reciprocally use the hospitals under the umbrella of the two authorities as of July 1. The system which will start to be used in some pilot cities on July 1 opens health institutions belonging to the Health Ministry and Labor and Social Security Ministry to joint use.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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IMPORTANT NAMES OF FASHION ARE COMING TO ISTANBUL
The Congress of International Apparel Federation (IAF), which will be held between June 24 and 25 in Istanbul, will bring the important names of design and ready-made clothing sector together. The congress will be hosted by Turkish Ready-to-wear Industrialists' Association (TGSD). Umut Oran, chairman of TGSD and IAF, said that their target was to make Istanbul a center of fashion, adding that congress of IAF was the first step for this.
TOURISM OFFICIALS ARE HOPEFUL FROM JULY AND AUGUST
Tourism officials, who said that the number of tourists visiting Turkey decreased 30-50 percent in May when compared with the same period of last year, said that they could not reach their target in June as well. Tourism officials who were hopeful with the ending of Iraq war rapidly, said that they were expecting that hotels would be full over 40 percent in June.
(GC-BRC) 03.06.2003