ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on August 31, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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ERDOGAN AND BAYKAL WILL BE IN PARIS TODAY
Sureyya Ayhan will compete in women's 1,500 meters final in the 9th World Athletics Championships. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal go to Paris today to watch Ayhan.

GEN. OZKOK: U.S. OFFICIALS WILL COME, WE WILL START TALKS ON SENDING SOLDIERS TO IRAQ
Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok said NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General James Jones will be in Turkey on September 2.
Gen. Ozkok said they would have the first military contact with the United States delegation on sending soldiers to Iraq in line with the authority they have taken from the government.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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''WE ARE ALSO GUARANTY OF DEMOCRACY''
Land Forces Commander Gen. Aytac Yalman said that if there was democracy in Turkey, it was thanks to the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). Gen. Yalman who replied to questions during the August 30 Victory Day reception said, ''TSK is not only guaranty of the Republic, but also guaranty of democracy.'' Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok said that Turkey and the United States would start technical talks on sending soldiers to Iraq the following week. Ozkok said that if the United States failed in Iraq, Turkey would also be affected negatively.

RUN SUREYYA RUN!
Sureyya Ayhan will compete in women's 1,500 meters final in the 9th World Athletics Championships on Sunday. The race will start at 19.20 local time. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go to Paris to watch Sureyya Ayhan.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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ERDOGAN: UNITED STATES MAKES MISTAKE
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said United States should examine well why the Iraqi people, who had embraced them, show reaction now.
Disclosing why things reached to this point, Erdogan gave a message to the United States: ''there is uneasiness in attitudes toward women in searches which U.S. soldiers carried out in houses''.
When asked whether or not al-Qaida was responsible for the attack in Najaf, Erdogan said, ''we have not received any information. Some organizations said they were responsible for the attack. But it is not definite yet.''

GOVERNMENT BEGINS TO SPEND MONEY FREELY BUT COULD NOT CONVINCE CIVIL SERVANTS
Collective bargaining talks carried out between the government and labor unions of civil servants failed to reach a solution.
Determination of amount of increase that would be made to the salaries will be made by Compromise Commission.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF GIVES CLEAR MESSAGES ON AUGUST 30 VICTORY DAY
Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok said Turkish army had not only defeated the enemy on August 30, but also laid the foundation of young and honorable Turkish Republic.
Gen. Ozkok once again stressed that Turkish Armed Forces would protect secular republican regime. Gen. Ozkok said fundamentalist movements, which accelerated in Turkey again, put new and difficult assignments on Turkish Armed Forces.

50 KG HEROIN SEIZED IN ISTANBUL
Police seized 50 kg heroin in three separate operations in Istanbul.
Narcotics Department officials said acting on a tip off, they confiscated 40 kg heroin in a house in Silivri township. Officials said the heroin was about to be sent to the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation, police confiscated 10 kg heroin hidden in secret parts of a car in Istanbul. The heroin was about to be sent to Serbia.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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COMPROMISE COULD NOT BE REACHED IN COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
Compromise could not be reached in collective bargaining talks carried out between the government and labor unions of civil servants. The talks have been continuing since August 15. The government proposed 160 million Turkish lira as increase in wages of civil servants for the year 2003, but labor unions did not accept this. Confederation of Public Workers Trade Unions (KESK) chairman Sami Evren and Turkish Public Workers Trade Union (Kamu-Sen) chairman Bircan Akyildiz accused the government of submitting to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and left the 5th meeting held in prime ministry under the leadership of State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin. As the sides failed to reach a compromise, a Compromising Committee will be set up and hold studies for five days.

JOY OF AUGUST 30 VICTORY DAY
August 30 Victory Day is celebrated throughout Turkey on Saturday. A ceremony took place at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Founder of modern and secular Republic of Turkey. General Staff Chief General Hilmi Ozkok and forces commanders paid a visit to the mausoleum of Ataturk to mark August 30 Victory Day. Ozkok said that fundamentalist and separatist movements continued and stated that knowledge and moderation were taking the place of blood and smell of gunpowder.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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RAINY WEATHER TO COME
Directorate of Meteorology officials said temperatures will decrease starting as of the first week of September, and that rainy weather will be influential particularly in central parts of the country. Officials said temperatures will start to drop about 7-8 degrees Celsius on September 2 and stated that temperatures will be around 33-38 degrees Celsius in the next two days.

ANKARA TO HAVE A BUSY PERIOD REGARDING EU PROCESS
Foreign Ministry and Turkey's Secretariat General for the European Union (EU) will have a busy period, when little time left for the European Commission's Progress Report about Turkey which is expected to be announced on November 5. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul will start to their visits to the EU countries next week and convey Turkey's progresses on the EU process to their interlocutors. Erdogan and Gul will first visit Austria, Germany and Italy and emphasize the government's determination on the issue. They will also give message that Ankara aims to start membership negotiations as soon as possible.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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SENDING SOLDIERS TO IRAQ SETS ITS SEAL ON AUGUST 30 RECEPTION
Sending soldiers to Iraq constituted the agenda of the reception hosted for August 30 Victory Day. General Staff will have the first official talks with the United States on Tuesday.
Gen Ozkok said, ''our target at this meeting is to obtain the military information which the government needs on things that could be done in Iraq. This is the first stage. Of course the decision which the government will take depends on the decision of the Parliament. We will get military information that is needed but we will not go beyond this. ''

MESSAGE FROM ERDOGAN TO BERLIN: GERMANY SHOULD PLAY LEADING ROLE FOR OUR EU MEMBERSHIP
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who replied to the questions of Suddeutschezeitung, pointed out that they wanted Germany to play the leading role in Turkey's entrance process to the European Union (EU).
Meanwhile German Ambassador in Ankara Born said they believed that Turkey would meet Copenhagen Criteria till the end of 2004, stressing that Turkey would find a very big support.

(EÖ-AY) 31.08.2003