ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on August 22, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
------------------
NSC TO CONVENE
After Turkey shed green light to dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq at the summit meeting held at the Cankaya Presidential Palace on August 12, the National Security Council (NSC) will hold a critical meeting today. During the meeting, the United States' response to Turkey's set of questions will be taken up in detail. The meeting will start under the chairmanship of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer at 1.30 p.m.
KESK WITHDRAWS FROM COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
Confederation of Public Workers Trade Unions (KESK) Chairman Sami Evren said that they had withdrawn from the collective bargaining with the government since it was useless. State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin met for the second time with directors of Turkish Public Workers Trade Union (Kamu-Sen) and KESK. Evren said after the meeting, ''we expected the government to put forward a proposal about our request. However, we could not receive a satisfactory response. As KESK, we have come to a conclusion that it was useless and wrongful to continue the collective bargaining with the government. Therefore, we have withdrawn from the collective bargaining.''
F1 TO BECOME ISTANBUL'S NATIONAL PARK
Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) Chairman Mehmet Yildirim said that they had reached the final stage for Formula 1 to be held in Istanbul in 2005. ''We will lay foundation on September 10. Formula 1 track will be ready for the contest on March 31, 2005. The area will become a national park.''
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
------------------
''OUR INTERESTS CANNOT BE RESTRICTED WITH ANATOLIA''
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul pointed out that Turkey's strategic interests could not be restricted with Anatolia. He said, ''we are concerned about developments in Iraq. Iraq is one of our neighbors. We are in favor of settlement of stability in Iraq as soon as possible. We have been defending territorial integrity of Iraq from the very beginning. We took lessons from our history. Turkey will take an important part in rebuilding process of Iraq and gets its right in Iraqi oil.''
''REACTION OF COMMANDERS IS A DUTY OF CITIZENSHIP''
Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Group Chairman Mustafa Ozyurek said, ''there are different points of views in the Turkish Armed Forces about dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq. Some commanders' reaction to dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq to die instead of U.S. soldiers, is their duty as a citizen. Dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq is an issue that should be assessed carefully. Turkish soldiers can be deployed abroad not to satisfy the United States and Britain, but to protect our national security and to fulfill our international commitments.''
SABAH (LIBERAL)
---------------
VOTE POSTPONED
As a result of opposition of some members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) against dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq, the government has taken a step back. The government was planning to bring the motion about dispatch of soldiers onto parliamentary agenda during the debates about constitutional change on areas which lost their characteristics of being forest. Meanwhile, number of AK Party deputies opposing dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq increased following this week's attack on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad.
AN INVITATION FROM IRAQ
Muhammad Al Kureysi, the leader of Sunni community in the triangle of Fallujah-Tikrit-Baqubah in which Turkish soldiers are expected to be deployed, came to Ankara. During the meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kureysi said that they would delivered sermons at mosques to stress that Turkish Armed Forces was friend of Iraqi people.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
-----------------
AN INVITATION FROM KARAYALCIN
Social Democrat People's Party (SHP) leader Murat Karayalcin said that they were ready to cooperate with New Turkey Party (YTP) led by Ismail Cem during the local elections. ''I am positive about Mr. Cem's call for unity among leftist political parties,'' he said.
TREASURY DELEGATION RETURNS FROM UNITED STATES
The delegation which completed technical talks on giving of 1 billion U.S. dollars in donation or 8.5 billion U.S. dollars in loan to Turkey by the United States, returned to Turkey. The three-member delegation headed by Foreign Economic Relations Deputy Director General Merih Nemli held very positive technical talks with U.S. officials.
CHINESE TRADE DELEGATION IN TURKEY
Turkish-Chinese Business Council Chairman Yavuz Onay said that agreements would be signed on Tuesday after bilateral meetings of the Chinese trade delegation, adding that those agreements might be around 40-50 million U.S. dollars. The 62-member Chinese trade delegation comprising Chinese Ministry of Commerce officials and representatives of purchase, investment and contracting companies was given a briefing at Association of Istanbul Mining and Metal Exporters. Onay said that the delegation were carrying out preliminary studies, and Chinese Minister of Commerce Fuyuan Lu would come to Turkey on Monday, and he would sing agreement with State Minister Kursad Tuzmen on Tuesday after their meetings.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
--------------
DEADLOCK OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
Any progress could not be recorded during the second round of collective bargaining between the government and labor unions of civil servants. State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said that they could not make a statement before budget figures of 2004 came certain. Later, Confederation of Public Workers Trade Unions (KESK) Chairman Sami Evren announced that they had withdrawn from the collective bargaining with the government since it was useless. Evren said, ''we expected the government to put forward a proposal about our request. However, we could not receive a satisfactory response.'' He added that tens of thousands of public workers would convene in Ankara on August 23, and that the government should well-understand this rightful reaction of them.
DEHAP WANTS NEW LAWS
A total of 39 mayors, who are members of the Democratic People's Party (DEHAP), said that the Re-association Law could not yield desired results. They called on the government to adopt social and democratic laws to serve disarmament of KADEK and to solve the Kurdish problem.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
---------------
THEY WAIT FOR TURKISH SOLDIERS
The United States' failure to settle security in Iraq after Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was overthrown, increased request of Iraqi people for Turkish soldiers. Dr. Abdurrahman Munsit Al Afi, the leader of one of the three biggest tribes in Fallujah region, said, ''Turkey knows our traditions, and we have good relations with Turkey. U.S. and British forces have been displaying an extremely immoral attitude. On the contrary, Turkish soldiers are tolerant. Therefore, Turkish soldiers are the only force to settle peace in Iraq.''
FIRST OTTOMAN EXCAVATION STARTS
Turkish History of Science Institution Chairman Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that the first comprehensive archaeological excavations about Ottoman era started in Demirkoy town of northern province of Kirklareli under the control of Prof. Dr. Osman Uysal from Canakkale 18 Mart University. Foundries in which artillery pieces and cannonballs were made during the conquest of Istanbul will be unearthed during the excavations. The findings will be displayed in an open air museum.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
--------------------
RATE OF CAPACITY UTILIZATION RISES TO HIGHEST LEVEL OF LAST 33 MONTHS
The rate of capacity utilization, one of the most important signs of economic revival, increased to 80.9 percent in July of 2003, the highest level since October of 2000. In the same period last year, the rate of capacity utilization was 77.5 percent.
JCR: ''POSITIVE FACTORS ARE MORE THAN NEGATIVE FACTORS''
Japanese Credit Rating Agency (JCR) said that positive factors were more than negative factors in Turkish economy. Yoshihiko Tamura, the Turkey analyst of JCR, said that they could put Turkey into positive monitoring this month by excluding it from negative monitoring due to positive developments in Turkish economy.
(UK-AÖ) 22.08.2003