ARINC, ERDOGAN MOURN LOSS OF FORMER BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINIAN LEADER
Alija Izetbegovic, the former president of Bosnia-Herzegivina, passed away yesterday at the age of 78. Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan both released messages extending condolences to the Bosnian people for the loss of their leader. Erdogan had visited Izetbegovic in Sarajevo only last week en route from Brussels to Ankara. /All Papers/
BARZANI WELCOMES ERDOGAN’S SIGNAL THAT TURKEY MIGHT NOT DEPLOY TROOPS
Iraqi Kurdish Democratic Party (IKPD) leader Massoud Barzani yesterday welcomed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent statements casting a possible Turkish troop deployment in Iraq into doubt. Erdogan said over the weekend in Mallorca that if Turkish troops were wanted in Iraq then they would go, but if unwanted they wouldn’t, adding that no “definite decision” had been made yet. ''The demands of the Iraqi people are very important for us,'' said Erdogan. ''We aren't longing to send soldiers to Iraq. There was a request from the United States and we're evaluating it … The requests of the US are very important us.'' For his part, Barzani reiterated that he opposed any neighboring countries sending troops to Iraq, adding that in his opinion all Iraqis shared this view. “We don’t want any troops from other countries, including Turkey,” he said. “Any such deployment would only hurt the coalition soldiers.” Barzani further added that notwithstanding Turkey and Iraq’s close relationship, Ankara sending troops would be unacceptable. /Milliyet/
TUZMEN: “LIMITING IRAQ CURRENCY OUTFLOW COULD CRIPPLE TRADE”
A decision to limit currency outflow from Iraq to transactions of $10,000 or less could cripple cross-border trade, warned State Minister Kursad Tuzmen yesterday. Speaking in Istanbul from the World Economic Processing Zones Association (WEPZA) summit, Tuzmen charged that this measure was a “mistake … which must be revised and corrected.” He added that each month Turkey exported goods to Iraq worth $120 million, and that even now the United Nations and other bodies were re-examining the measure /Hurriyet/
YTP LEADER CEM CRITICIZES 2004 BUDGET
New Turkey Party (YTP) leader Ismail Cem yesterday criticized the government’s new 2004 budget, saying that it failed to propose solutions to the nation’s most pressing problems. Cem further charged that the budget was “irrational” and would do nothing to create new jobs. /Cumhuriyet/
TUPRAS, TEKEL PRIVATIZATIONS FACE KEY WEEK
In a key week for the government’s ambitious privatization slate, bids for both state oil concern Tupras and tobacco/alcohol monopoly Tekel are due this Wednesday. Tekel was first included in the program by the Supreme Board of Privatization (OYK) in February 2001. Remaining shares in Tupras were originally scheduled to be sold last month, but the sale was postponed due to higher-than-expected demand. All told, the government hopes to raise $2.1 billion through its privatization program. /Sabah/
TURKEY MOVES UP A NOTCH IN WB SURVEY OF LARGEST WORLD ECONOMIES
The World Bank yesterday released its annual report ranking the size of the world’s economies, placing Turkey at number 19 for 2002 with its gross national product (GNP) of $426 billion and per capita income of $6,120. In 2001, Turkey was the world’s 20th largest economy. /Aksam/
ISTANBUL HOSTS EURASIA MARATHON
The 25th Intercontinental Eurasia Marathon was held in Istanbul yesterday. Belay Valesha from Ethiopia came in first in the men’s division, while Ukraine’s Vali Dubomik won in the women’s. In addition, some 100,000 participated in the people’s run division. /Turkiye/