ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on June 16, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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ISLAMIC-STYLE HEADSCARF NOT ALLOWED
The university entrance exam (OSS) was held yesterday. A total of 1,502,564 students had this exam. As it happened in previous exams, girls wearing Islamic-style headscarf were not again allowed to take the exam. Some of them removed their headscarf while some others preferred to wear wig before the exam.
STORM OF TREMORS IN SINDIRGI
A total of sixteen earthquakes happened in Bigadic and Sindirgi towns of Balikesir province in Marmara region in last two days. Residents of these two towns are scared of entering their houses due to quakes while the Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory and Seismology Institute officials said that there had been a ''storm of tremors'' in the region. Explaining that a total of sixteen earthquakes ranging between 2.9 and 3.8 on the Richter scale had happened in Sindirgi and Bigadic in last two days, officials said the storm would end after continuing for a few days more.
REPROACH ABOUT ECEVIT
After wrapping up his meetings in Malaysia, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan proceeded to Pakistan to recover bilateral relations which have regressed for the last two years. Yesterday, Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali conveyed their uneasiness felt over Bulent Ecevit's visit to India while he was serving as the prime minister of Turkey to Erdogan. Meanwhile, Jamali extended support to Turkey about the Cyprus issue.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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''ANY INTERVENTION WAS OUT OF QUESTION''
Energy Market Regulatory Agency (EPDK) Chairman Yusuf Gunay clarified the operation against electricity generation and distribution companies CEAS and Kepez: ''any intervention by any person or organ in this decision of our agency was out of question. We only implemented the laws.''
5 PERCENT INCREASE TO CIVIL SERVANTS
According to the Finance Ministry officials who are working on the rate of increase in salaries of civil servants in second half of the year, there can only be a five percent increase.
''SOLUTION OF ISLAMIC-STYLE HEADSCARF SHOULDN'T BE LEFT TO ECHR'' Riza Turmen, the Turkish judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), said, ''solution of the Islamic-style headscarf should not be left to the ECHR''. He explained the reason of this remark as saying, ''the ECHR studies individual applications and takes decision in terms of the convention. The decision is limited with that individual application. And the court does not take into consideration the social and political consequences.''
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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VERHOFSTADT: ''YOUR EU FATE IS UNDER YOUR CONTROL''
Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said that the European Union (EU) was not including only Christian and Jewish societies and added that receiving a date was up to Turkey, not Brussels. Verhofstadt, who had said that he supported Ankara prior to Copenhagen Summit that was the most important turning point in Turkey's EU process, recalled that there were certain criteria for being member of EU. He said that everybody had to accept a country which fulfilled those criteria and added that Turkey itself would determine the date for being full member to EU.
WHEELED OIL PIPELINE FROM IRAQ
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said that the oil, which would be brought from Iraq to Turkey with four thousand trucks in one month, would be sent back to Iraq after processing it. Gul said that Turkey would start to buy crude oil from Iraq and the oil would be sold to Iraq again as gasoline after its processing. Gul said in a press conference that the agreement regarding the issue was signed. .
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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FINI: ''THERE IS NO EUROPE WITHOUT TURKEY''
Gianfranco Fini, Deputy Prime Minister of Italy which will take over the European Union (EU) Term Presidency from Greece next month said, ''complete reforms until 2004 December. We will do what is necessary.'' Fini said that European Turkey would be an example. Emphasizing that Italy would continue to support Turkey's membership, Fini said, ''there is no Europe without Turkey. Turkey, which complies with European norms, will further develop and be an example country.''
EU AND U.S. ARE ON SCENE FOR CYPRUS
Diplomatic initiatives of the European Union (EU) and the United States, which wanted direct talks to restart for solution of Cyprus issue, gained speed. Special Coordinator of the U.S. State Department for Cyprus Thomas Weston, who earlier met with Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos, will meet with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas today. Weston will also meet with representatives of political parties and non-governmental organizations in Cyprus after his meeting with Denktas.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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TRT DECEIVES US
It was understood that the Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) which had been always saying that it was 'working on Kurdish broadcast', had 'secretly' filed a lawsuit at the Council of State four months ago by saying, ''such a mission can't be given to TRT''. It was revealed that TRT's former director general Yucel Yener who always said, ''our works are under way'' after the regulations on 'broadcast in mother tongue' took effect, applied to the Council of State on February 17, 2003; the reason: ''it is against TRT's autonomous structure. the Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) can't give such a mission''.
''A POLICY WANTED''
The Association of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen (TUSIAD) Representative in the United States Abdullah Akyuz said that recent problems with the Washington D.C. should be solved. He said that the United States was curious about Turkey's Middle East policy because Turkey did not have a specific Middle East policy. Meanwhile, U.S. officials had told TUSIAD, ''Iran and Syria will be on our agenda soon. Don't hesitate and waver as you did about Iraq when we come to you to request something tomorrow.''
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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TURKISH HISTORY WITH PHOTOGRAPHS
National Geographic Turkey is explaining Turkey's 100-year-old history with 100 photographs in its first special issue which is prepared with the sponsorship of Garanti Bank. The photographs, which were selected among a century old photograph treasure of National Geographic, are taking the reader to a long ''Turkey Tour'' between 1909 and 2003.
PASS 2004 AND GET THE MONEY!
Didier Bouteiller, European Union (EU) Commission Economic and Financial Affairs Unit's official, said while evaluating Turkey's full membership to EU, ''2004 December is a very critical date for Turkey's EU membership. Turkey should firstly prepare for this date and pass this test.'' Bouteiller said that there were very important developments in reforms but this acceleration should certainly be carried on. Noting that necessary financial assistance would be made to Turkey, Bouteiller said that the financial assistance of the union to Turkey would increase 2-3 times in 2004-2006 period. He added that Turkey was an important country in economic, social and geographical aspects.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO ATHENS: ''LET'S MAKE AEGEAN A SEA OF PEACE''
Ankara which deployed a cautious attitude towards the recent harsh messages of Athens regarding allegations of violation over Aegean, seems to be determined to continue its calm position. Responding to the Greek Defense Minister's statement two days ago, Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said their target was to make Aegean a sea of peace, giving the message that he did not make polemics with his Greek interlocutors through newspapers. When reminded of Greek National Defense Minister Yiannos Papandoniou's statement saying, ''Greece vetoes Turkey's EU membership as long as it continues airspace violations over Aegean'', Gul said that they were expending efforts to make Aegean a sea of peace. He stressed that it was beneficial to both Turkey and Greece to solve their issues at table. Noting that also Greece should support Turkey's efforts with this objective, Gul said, ''we should not solve these in pages of newspapers but we have to sit at table to discuss and solve these. Clash, debate and crisis are not beneficial to anybody.''
(GC-MS-AÖ) 16.06.2003