ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on July 3, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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REVOLUTION OF SEVENTH ADJUSTMENT PACKAGE
The government has still been working on the 31-page seventh European Union (EU) adjustment package. Under the package, imprisonment sentences of those who are convicted of corruption will not be turned into fine. The package envisages amendment to articles 159 and 312 of the Turkish Penal Code to broaden scope of freedom of expression. An arrangement was made in Article 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Law in parallel with decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The expression 'incitement of violence' was included in the article. Under the package, those who aid and abet members of the terrorist organization and those who make propaganda of the terrorist organization in order to incite violence will be sentenced to imprisonment between 1 and 5 years.
PORTUGAL: ''RELY ON US ABOUT 2004''
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who paid an official visit to Portugal, met with Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Barroso. During the bilateral meeting, Portuguese Prime Minister Barroso said that they had been monitoring reform process in Turkey. ''Turkey can rely on Portugal about 2004. Turkey's membership will be very beneficial to the European Union (EU). Turkey's membership will constitute a great model for the unity of the Islam and the western world. We appreciated your reform process. We will continue to support Turkey,'' Barroso stressed.
''IF YOU WELL EXPLAIN TERRORISM WHY DOES NOT EU UNDERSTAND IT?''
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer was upset by reactions to his decision to veto annulment of Article 8 of the Anti-Terrorism Law in the sixth European Union (EU) adjustment package. ''Do the EU countries allow propaganda to incite terrorism in their countries? If we can well explain it, no one can ignore Turkey's concerns about its security,'' President Sezer noted.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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SAD COMMEMORATION IN MADIMAK HOTEL
A total of 37 intellectuals, who were burnt to dead in Madimak Hotel in central province of Sivas 10 years ago, were commemorated. A group of nearly one thousand people came to Sivas from the other provinces. They marched to Madimak Hotel by chanting slogans. They laid carnations in front of the hotel out of respect to those who lost their lives in the arson.
ERDOGAN: ''ARMY IS NOT OPPOSED TO EU''
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who paid an official visit to Portugal, said, ''the parliament takes the final decision in Turkey. However, we listen to views of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) while taking important steps. The TSK is not opposed to Turkey's European Union (EU) membership.''
TURKISH PROFESSOR APPOINTED AS RAPPORTEUR OF UNITED NATIONS
Prof. Dr. Yakin Erturk has been appointed as ''Special Rapporteur for Violence Against Women'', one of the inspection mechanisms of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Commission elected Prof. DR. Erturk among candidates of 13 countries.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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SOLUTION FOUND FOR ARTICLE 8
The government has been trying to solve the problem, which emerged after President Ahmet Necdet Sezer vetoed some parts of the sixth European Union (EU) adjustment package without escalating tension. The government plans to submit Article 8 of the Anti-Terrorism Law in the sixth EU adjustment package without making any changes. However, some changes will be made in the seventh EU adjustment package by taking into consideration reasons of President Sezer to veto the package.
GOVERNMENT PLANS TO RESTRICT POLITICAL IMMUNITY
The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government has finalized its preparatory works for a constitutional amendment restricting political immunity. In order to restrict political immunity, articles 83 and 84 of the Constitution will be amended. Under the draft, deputies will not be held responsible for their votes and words at the parliamentary works and for their thoughts they express at the parliament. Deputies will not have political immunity against all crimes which are not included in the scope of freedom of thought and expression.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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THEY ARE NOT FORGOTTEN
Thousands of people commemorated the intellectuals who lost their lives in Sivas massacre ten years ago, with carnations and folk songs, and they wanted those who were responsible for the arson attack to be brought to court. Political parties representatives, democratic mass organizations, unionists and relatives of those intellectuals once again condemned the massacre in Sivas. Nurettin Sozen, a Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy, said that the state should organize a commemoration ceremony. He said, ''July 2 should not be forgotten. Because our people should take lesson. They have to protect the secular republic.'' Pir Sultan Abdal Association Chairman Murtaza Demir said, ''the lives we lost were martyred for the sake of contemporary Turkey which was pointed by Ataturk not, for the sake of religion and sect.'' The association's secretary general Ibrahim Karakaya defined July 2 as 'the day of fight against racist and fundamentalist powers'. The thirty-five intellectuals who were massacred were commemorated also in Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul. In the ceremony in Istanbul, it was stressed that it was an upsetting event that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to the power alone ten years after the massacre. Meanwhile, it was claimed that those who attended ceremony in Izmir would be investigated as any permit had not been taken from the Governor's Office. Meanwhile, Selami Uzun, a deputy from the AK Party, wanted to have the suspects of the massacre benefit from the reassociation law. Criticizing the commemoration ceremonies about the massacre, Uzun said, ''events can't be accepted by any resident of Sivas. As residents of Sivas, our feelings are hurt on every July 2. Old wounds should not be opened up'.''
GOVERNMENT TO RESCUE FUNDAMENTALISTS
By not making the limits of reassociation law definite, AK Party allows murderers of Ugur Mumcu and Prof. Dr. Ahmet Taner Kislali, the symbols of secularism and democracy, to benefit from the reassociation law. Besides, Hizbullah terrorists and Sivas massacre convicts will be ''forgiven'' when the bill is passed.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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AK PARTY'S BLOW ON YOK
The draft law about the Higher Education Board (YOK) will end duties of a number of rectors. The draft, which was given its final shape, is expected to be opened to signature at next week's meeting of the Council of Ministers. Under the draft, chairman and General Assembly members of the YOK will be elected for a four-year period. They cannot be elected for the second time.
BERLUSCONI: ''WE SUPPORT TURKEY'S REFORM EFFORTS''
While Italy is taking over European Union (EU) term presidency from Greece, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy stressed that they had been supporting Turkey's reform efforts. Prime Minister Berlusconi presented Italy's presidency term program to the European Parliament. While enumerating their priorities, Prime Minister Berlusconi stressed that they had been actively supporting Turkey's reform efforts. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini of Italy said that they would continue to encourage Turkey to maintain its reform process under fulfillment of the Copenhagen criteria. He added that Turkey deserved the EU's assistance.
BOTH ADJUSTMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION FOR EU MEMBERSHIP
The government, which wants to submit the National Program to the European Union within ten days, will establish a follow-up commission with the participation of officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Justice. The commission will monitor implementations of the EU criteria.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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CICEK: ''WE DON'T HAVE THE CHANCE OF PUTTING FORWARD CONDITIONS''
Justice Minister and government spokesman Cemil Cicek said, ''criteria of the European Union (EU) are clear. We do not have the chance of putting forward any conditions in front of the EU. In fact, our Constitution is not harmonious with the EU. We have begun to change our constitution partially. It should be amended from the beginning to the end.'' ''We should not allow allegations saying that the Turkish Armed Forces are opposed to EU membership. There are not substitutes of two institutions in Turkey. One of them is the army and the other is the jurisdiction,'' he stressed.
''WE WILL PUT AN END TO TERRORISM''
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said draft law on re-association included all terrorist organizations. ''The draft aims at eradicating terrorist organizations. Members of the terrorist organizations, who have not been involved in terrorist actions, will be rescued from these organizations,'' he said. Holding a press conference prior to his departure for Britain, Gul said that the draft was taken up in detail during the monthly meeting of the National Security Council (NSC).
''COME TO TURKEY''
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who paid an official visit to Portuguese capital Lisbon, met with foreign businessmen, and he invited them to invest in Turkey. State Minister Ali Babacan, State Minister Kursad Tuzmen and a number of Turkish businessmen were also in attendance at the meeting. Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Erdogan stressed that they had removed all obstacles in front of foreign investors.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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ANKARA TO WORK TOGETHER WITH UNITED STATES AND IRAN
Turkey has begun holding meetings with Iranian, U.S. and British officials to eradicate terrorist organization PKK-KADEK, which is based in northern Iraq. Besides the United States, which has decided to fight against terrorist organizations in the region following the war in Iraq, Iran has begun fighting against KADEK militants upon request of Turkey.
DRAFT SEVENTH ADJUSTMENT PACKAGE SENT TO GENERAL STAFF
The draft of the seventh European Union (EU) adjustment package aiming at fulfilling the Copenhagan criteria, has been finalized. Turkey's Secretariat General for the EU sent the draft package to relevant institutions including the General Staff. These institutions will review the package and explain their views.
(MS-AÖ) 03.07.2003