ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on October 12, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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283 THOUSAND GREEKS COME TO TURKEY
Izmir Trade Chamber (IZTO) Executive Board Chairman Ekrem Demirtas said that the number of Greek tourists visiting Turkey increased due to developing relations between Turkey and Greece. He added that the number of Greek tourists who came to Turkey increased 43 percent as of end of September, 2003 when compared with same period of last year.
TCDD: TRANSFER OF TANKS ARE NORMAL
Directorate General of Turkish State Railways Administration (TCDD) denied some news stories claiming that Turkish soldiers were dispatched to Iraq by railway. Releasing a statement, TCDD said that the transfer of tanks from Kirikkale Station were made within routine transportation of Turkish Armed Forces in Thrace region.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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UNKNOWN RICH PEOPLE OF TURKEY
Banking Regulatory and Supervisory Agency (BRSA) announced the wealthy population of the country. There are totally 3,890 persons who have bank accounts which are worth of more than 1 trillion liras. Totally 401 of these wealthy people live abroad. These unknown rich people keep their money as savings, rather than making investment.
TURKEY:0 ENGLAND 0
Turkish national soccer team played very well against England last night, but we could not score any goal. England needed only a draw to win Group 7. Turkey needed a victory in the final regular qualifying game. Turkish national team now must win a two-legged playoff Nov. 15 and 19 to qualify.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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U.S. TAKES A BREAK FOR CONVINCING COUNCIL
Negotiations between Turkey and the United States on sending soldiers are postponed. Washington sent a message to Foreign Ministry and wanted time for convincing Iraqi Governing Council.
LIRAS SHALL GO, EUROS SHALL COME
According to a survey of Eurobarometre, 56 percent of Turkish people wanted to use common currency of the European Union (EU) when Turkey's membership was approved. The survey was made in 13 candidate countries and questions regarding the union, common policies and the United States were asked to 12 thousand people. 86 percent of Turkish people think that the union should give priority to the solution of unemployment.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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ANKARA TO SEARCH FOR SUPPORT
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul are expected to explain to Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) countries the reasons of Turkey's sending soldiers to Iraq. OIC summit will be held in Malaysia between 16-18 October. Gul and Sezer are expected to have many bilateral contacts during the summit.
ANTI-WAR PROTESTS
While a group of people who are members of the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ODP) sent identity tag to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and Izmir yesterday, a group of students opened a banner on Galata Tower to protest Turkey's sending soldiers to Iraq. Coordination of No to War in Iraq on the other hand came together in front of Hurriyet newspaper and protested the newspaper' policy about Iraqi war.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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AKP CONGRESS TO BE HELD TODAY
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) which will hold its first congress today gambles in foreign policy. While AK Party focuses on Iraq on the one hand, it also tries not to lose votes of the people prior to the local elections.
THIS SHAME SHOULD BE LIFTED
Canakkale Heavy Criminal Court applied to Constitutional Court asking the cancellation of the law that foresaw commute in punishment if a mother leaves her new born baby in order to save her honour. The Constitutional Court will hear the case on October 15 and hopefully cancel this law.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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TWO U.S. SENATORS ARE NEGATIVE TOWARDS TURKISH SOLDIERS
Two U.S. senators from Democrat Party defended that Iraqi Governing Council and Iraqi Kurds were against Turkey's sending soldiers to Iraq and criticized U.S. President Bush's decision on accepting Turkey as the first Muslim country which sends soldiers to Iraq.
69 ILLEGAL FOREIGNERS IN TWO ROOMS
Security forces captured in two rooms of a house in Istanbul 69 foreigners who entered Turkey illegally. Foreigners will be deported following their interrogation.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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DISCUSSIONS ON DISPATCH OF SOLDIERS TO IRAQ ON MALAYSIAN SUMMIT
Members of Iraqi Governing Council give the message that they did not want neighbor countries to send soldiers during the preliminary meetings for the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). OIC Secretary General Abdelouahed Belkeziz said that foreign forces should leave Iraq rapidly and wanted activities of reconstruction to be transferred to the United Nations.
FOUR PKK MEMBERS KILLED IN FIRST CLASH AFTER MOTION
Four PKK/KADEK terrorist organization members were killed by special teams of Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) during the clashes in eastern Elazig, Bingol and Tunceli provinces after the motion on sending Turkish soldiers to Iraq was approved at parliament.
(GC-ÖŞ) 12.10.2003