ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on November 3, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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10 MONTHS EXPORTS FIGURE IS MORE THAN 39 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS
Turkey broke a record in October when it celebrated 80th anniversary of the Republic. 10 months exports figure of 2003 became more than 39 billion U.S. dollars.
Turkey's monthly exports became 4.9 billion U.S. dollars. Turkey, which could only make 4.7 billion U.S. dollars exports in 1981, became an economic power that can fulfill this figure in one month.
According to the data of Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM), exports in October increased 36.1 percent when compared with last years same period and became 4.955 billion U.S. dollars.
Olive and olive oil exports increased 301.8 percent when compared with figures of 2002, forest products exports increased 60.8 percent, fresh fruit and vegetables exports increased 57.3 percent. Meanwhile, exports of tobacco decreased 11.9 percent.
TIM Chairman Oguz Satici made a written statement and said he was proud to announce that Turkey's exports continued to increase also in October.

LAND MINE PLANTED BY PKK KILLS FOUR CHILDREN
Four children died and seven others were wounded as land mine planted by terrorist PKK/KADEK in Andac Village in Uludere Township in southeastern Sirnak province exploded.
Children, who were playing in an area which is 600 meters away from primary school in Andac village, found an explosive device thought to be a land mine. The device exploded as the children played with it.
Four children died and seven others, who were wounded after the explosion, were hospitalized.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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IS IT TURKEY?
The Sunday Times, one of the dailies in Britain, claimed that British defensive security intelligence agency MI5 placed bugs in London embassy of one of Britain's key allies in the war on terror. Some certain clues in the news story led people to think that the country in question was actually Turkey. These clues are as follows:
1 - According to the news story, the embassy of the country was restored in 2001. Residence of the Turkish Embassy in London was restored in 2001 while restoration works started at the embassy building in February of 2003.
2- The news story said that leader of the country in question paid a visit to British Prime Minister Tony Blair a short time ago. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Prime Minister Erdogan in November of 2002 as leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
3- The daily added that the country was the key ally of both Britain and the United States.

TALIBAN CALLS OFF TWO-DAY PERIOD FOR RELEASE OF TURKISH ENGINEER
Taliban fighters who kidnapped Hasan Onal, a Turkish engineer working on a U.S.-funded road project in Afghanistan, have called off the two-day period for his release. Onal and his Afghan driver were abducted at gunpoint last week while travelling in the Shah Joy district of Zabul province on the main highway linking the capital Kabul with the southern province of Kandahar. The driver was released on Friday and given a letter to the authorities threatening to kill Onal unless their six friends were released.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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I AM ASHAMED OF MY DAYS WHEN I SUPPORTED NATIONALIST VIEW
Mehmet Elkatmis, Chairman of Human Rights Commission, and a parliamentarian from Justice and Development Party (AK Party) made a self criticism and said he was ashamed of some of his ideas in the past.
Elkatmis said his previous ideas changed as he saw the world.
Elkatmis said cases what were opened against Turkey in European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) reached a very dangerous point because of obligatory migration in the southeast.
Elkatmis said he had been against European Union (EU) in the past, stressing that he began to understand that his previous views were wrong.
Elkatmis said, ''requirement of founding a new party stemmed from this. Statements of the Prime Minister 'we changed' are true. I am ashamed of the statements which I had made in the past. Conditions of the world changed. I gave up my previous ideas. I had not gone abroad in those days, I did not know the world.''

FROM NEIGHBORS TO IRAQ: FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
A joint statement was adopted at a meeting which foreign ministers of countries neighboring Iraq held in Damascus. A call was made to Iraqi administration to make cooperation to fight against terrorist groups.
The 7th article, which was put to the statements with Turkey's initiatives, pointed to the concerns felt over existence of terrorist and other armed groups in Iraq.
The article, which called on Iraq to make cooperation with its neighbors to fight against terrorist groups, stressed that those terrorist groups constituted a threat for neighboring countries and that cooperation on the issue would prevent border violations.
The statement said those countries were in full solidarity with Iraqi people who go through difficult days with respect to security, economy and living standards.
Pointing out the importance of Iraq's territorial integrity and political unity, the ministers said measures that may lead to splitting up of Iraq could not be accepted.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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FIASCO AT DAMASCUS SUMMIT
Although he was officially invited, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari did not attend the meeting of foreign ministers of neighboring countries with Iraq held in Syrian capital Damascus between November 1 and 2, 2003. His decision created uneasiness among neighboring countries. Turkey insisted on adding a paragraph to the final statement of the meeting to invite the Iraqi Governing Council to the next meeting. Meanwhile, another article was added to the statement as a result of initiatives of Turkey and approval of the other participating countries in which the neighboring countries with Iraq expressed their concerns about presence of terrorist and other armed groups in Iraq.

DOCTORS TO GO ON STRIKE ON NOVEMBER 5
Turkish Doctors' Association (TTB) Chairperson Fusun Sayek called on the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government to be more sensitive about health problems. Sayek recalled that doctors would go on strike on November 5 in order to fulfill their moral responsibilities to both themselves and the people. She stressed, ''doctors' continuing to serve people in an insufficient health system is the biggest wrong against our people.''

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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MINISTRY OF JUSTICE WANTS CONFIDENTIALITY
The Ministry of Justice and the National Security Council (NSC) wanted the new regulations of the NSC Secretariat General to be confidential. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Turkey's Secretariat General for the European Union (EU) defended that there was not any logical reason to keep duties and authorities of the NSC confidential following approval of the Seventh Adjustment Package.

TURKEY BREAKS RECORD IN EXPORTS
Foreign Trade Undersecretary Tuncer Kayalar said that exports reached 4 billion 955 million U.S. dollars in October of 2003. In a statement, Kayalar noted, ''according to the Exporters' Association, our exports increased 35.7 percent to 4 billion 955 million U.S. dollars reaching the highest level in the history of the Republic. In the January-October period of 2003, exports rose 33.3 percent to 39 billion U.S. dollars compared to figures of the same period last year.''

FOUR CHILDREN DIE IN SIRNAK
Eleven children found a ''metal object'' left by members of the terrorist organization PKK/KADEK in Andac village in Uludere town of southeastern province of Sirnak. The metal object exploded when they were playing with it. Four of them died instantly while the remaining seven were injured.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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TURKISH RED CRESCENT STARTS TO DISTRIBUTE AID IN KIRKUK
Red Crescent convoy started to distribute aid in Kirkuk. Red Crescent, which had sent aid to Baghdad last week, this time sent aid to Kirkuk.
Some of the aid was delivered to Tukmeneli Foundation, and some to Iraqi Red Crescent.

''SPECIAL WARNING'' FROM UNAKITAN
Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan made a warning and said, ''interest rates will decrease more, private sector should be careful''.
Unakitan said Turkey would start 2005 by omitting six zeros from Turkish Lira.
Pointing to the betterment in Turkish economy, Unakitan said, ''foreign investors started to knock Turkey's door.'' Unakitan said privatization started, stressing that, ''one million Turkish lira will be one lira in 2005. You should make your accounts very well. Turkey changes, be ready for new changes.''

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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PARLIAMENT TO START DEBATING CORRUPTION REPORTS
The Parliamentary General Assembly which could not convene last week due to the 30th Regular Congress of the Republican People's Party (CHP), will have an intense agenda this week. Reports of Parliamentary Corruption Inquiry Commission will top this week's parliamentary agenda. After debating the 1,200-page report, the parliament will decide whether or not launch an investigation against former politicians. As a result of its four-month efforts, the Parliamentary Corruption Inquiry Commission proposed to launch an investigation against 25 politicians including former prime ministers Bulent Ecevit and Mesut Yilmaz.

(UK-AY-AÖ) 03.11.2003