ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on April 14th, 2006. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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DIFFERENT KHUTBAH FOR EVERY CITY
State Minister Mehmet Aydin stated that the content of khutbahs (sermon preached by an imam in a mosque at the time of the Friday noon prayer) would be determined according to existing problems of a city. Aydin said, ''for instance, khutbah regarding tourism sector can be given in (southern city) Antalya, fight against terrorism or honor killings in (southeastern city) Diyarbakir and a khutbah on prevention of prostitution may be preached in Istanbul.
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TO BE ASKED IN BANKS
Turkish parliament approved a draft law that brings together social security organizations under a single roof. According to the new law, the Pension Fund for Civil Servants (Emekli Sandigi), Fund for Self-Employed (Bag-Kur) and Social Security Agency (SSK) will come together under one roof titled Social Security Organization. Labor & Social Security Minister Murat Basesgioglu informed reporters on the law, underlining that social security number would be asked from citizens when they were paying their bills, investing or making some other transactions in banks.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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ZIA IN ANKARA
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh, who is currently in Ankara on a state visit, met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. During the meeting, Zia eulogized Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern and secular Republic of Turkey, and gave Bangladeshi poet Kazi Nazrul Islam's book ''Kemal Pasha'' as a gift to Erdogan.
''THOSE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE WILL BE FIRED''
''Municipality may be responsible for pollution in Gebze and toxic waste barrels near Orhanli hamlet in Tuzla. We will find out those who are responsible for these and fire them,'' Turkish Environment & Forestry Minister Osman Pepe said. The barrels were found in a field in Tuzla town of Istanbul a few days ago.
PUOICM RECOGNIZES TRNC AS TURKISH CYPRIOT STATE
The Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Conference Member States (PUOICM) decided to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) as the Turkish Cypriot state. Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc made public the final statement of the 4th conference of the PUOICM in Istanbul. Arinc said that PUOICM unanimously decided to recognize TRNC as the Turkish Cypriot state.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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PENTAGON WITHDRAWS TWO U.S. COMPANIES FROM TENDER IN TURKEY
The Pentagon has withdrawn two U.S. companies from a Turkish tender as Turkey put conditions of strategic cooperation and technology transfer in its defense tenders. Boeing and Bell Textron did not bid for the tender on 91 attack helicopters worth 2.5 billion USD on the ground that ''there are hard conditions in the tender''. Conditions are as follows:
1- Companies should submit their bids after they receive approval from the U.S. Congress (as a precaution against political crises).
2- The right on unlimited usage of technology should be given (there can be cooperation with other countries).
3- Companies should continue delivery (of helicopters) even if there is a problem or crisis.
SHADOW OF BARRELS ON NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
Turkey should pass an important test regarding construction of nuclear power plant because nuclear energy will cause the problem of waste. A decision has been made for construction of a nuclear power plant in northern city of Sinop. A power plant produces waste of 60 cubic meter a year. The annual cost of burying waste is 38 million euros.
VATAN (INDEPENDENT)
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14-MONTH IMPRISONMENT FOR THROWING EGGS AT PRIME MINISTER
A person who threw eggs at Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a ceremony in the northern city of Trabzon on June 24th, 2005 was sentenced to 14 months in prison. The court later suspended the punishment. Meanwhile, a second defendant was acquitted.
CONFESSIONS FROM A PKK TERRORIST
Kemal Huseyin, an Iraqi member of the terrorist organization PKK said that nearly 1 thousand people escaped from PKK in the last one year. Huseyin was detained during a clash with Turkish security forces near Dargecit town of southeastern city of Mardin in 2005. Acting on tip-off given by Huseyin, security forces found out 5 kg of C-4 type explosives and many ammunitions in a shelter.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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ENACTED FOR IMF
The draft envisaging establishment of the Turkish Institute of Social Security was enacted at a session at the Turkish parliament in which the Republican People's Party (CHP) MPs were absent. Meanwhile, non-governmental organizations are getting ready to take the streets to protest the government.
ONE MORE STEP FOR TRNC
The Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Conference Member States (PUOICM) decided to change the name of the Cyprus Turkish Muslim Community as the Turkish Cypriot state. The decision made at the 4th conference of the PUOICM in Istanbul, does not include recognition of the Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). But, it was described an important development by Turkish authorities.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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SAHIN: ''PRESIDENT SEZER SHOULD SEND A LIST''
State Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin replied to the statement of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer who said, ''reactionaries are trying to infiltrate politics, education and the state.'' Sahin stated, ''if President Sezer sends us the list of reactionaries, we can do what is necessary.''
SINGLE ROOF FOR SOCIAL SECURITY
The Turkish parliament approved a draft law that combines social security organizations under a single roof. According to the new law, the Pension Fund for Civil Servants (Emekli Sandigi), Fund for Self-Employed (Bag-Kur) and Social Security Agency (SSK) will come together under one roof titled Social Security Organization.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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TURKEY NEEDS NUCLEAR ENERGY
Turkey's dependency on foreign countries to meet its energy requirement reached 70 percent in 2005. This rate is expected to become 90 percent in 2015. Therefore, the Turkish government has taken action to establish nuclear power plants in Turkey.
ARMENIAN ISSUE HIGH ON AGENDA OF GUL-MELLER MEETING
During his meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Stefan Meller, Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul expressed his regret over a decision approved by the Polish parliament last year to recognize events in 1915 as genocide. Meanwhile, Meller proposed Gul to undertake a good-will mission and bring together Turkish, Armenian and Polish historians.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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IS FEHRIYE IN JORDAN?
Turkish Security Department has reached an information that Fehriye Erdal, a member of the illegal Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) and one of suspects of killing of Ozdemir Sabanci in 1996, had been in Jordan. However, Jordan said that there was not any information about Erdal's entering Jordan, but pledged to cooperate with Turkey.
YENI SAFAK (CONSERVATIVE)
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PICNIC ON POISON
Spring festival is held every year on the field where poisonous barrels were buried in Tuzla town of Istanbul. Last year 20,000 people had picnic there. Yesterday water and soil samples were taken from the area where gendarmerie cordoned off.
OIC GIVES TRNC STATUS OF STATE
The participants of the Fourth Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Conference Member States (PUOICM) in Istanbul unanimously voted to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) as ''Cyprus Turkish State'' in its future activities.