ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on December 20, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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ERDOGAN: I SHOULD TALK WITH DENKTAS
A tension arose between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and TRNC President Rauf Denktas regarding the advisers of TRNC President Denktas. Denktas reacted to the message of Erdogan who told in Tashkent that ''Denktas should change his consultants.''

ANKARA HIDES ITS PLAN FROM U.S.
Ankara didn't give information to the U.S. about the plan it worked by taking Annan plan as the reference. U.S. special envoy for Cyprus Thomas Weston who met with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal asked Turkey to increase its pressure on Denktas. But Weston could not any information about the plan on which Ankara worked.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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WESTON: I GOT CONFUSED ABOUT CYPRUS
U.S. State Department's Special Coordinator for Cyprus Thomas Weston met with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal in Ankara after his meetings in Athens and Cyprus. Weston said that he completed this tour with a confusion regarding what would happen in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

I HAD BREAKFAST WITH LADIN
Adnan Ersoz, one of the four people who launched bomb attacks in Istanbul, said that he had a breakfast with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan two years ago. Ersoz said that he took the order of attacks from mediators of Laden, not directly from him.

THREE GREAT CIVILIZATIONS IN JAPAN
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul proceeded from Tokyo to Osaka during his official visit to Japan and attended inauguration of the exhibition entitled ''Exhibition of Three Great Civilizations in Turkey: The Hittites, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires''. The exhibition was opened by Mikasa Prince Tomohito. The exhibition featured 207 works from 14 museums and included Topkapi dagger.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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CONSULTANT IN TARGET
Mumtaz Soysal, one of the consultants of TRNC didn't take into consideration the words of Prime Minister Erdogan who said that ''Denktas had to review his consultants.'' Mumtaz Soysal noted that ''I don't think that Prime Minister Erdogan hinted me in his words.'' Denktas replied to the words of Erdogan saying that ''he could tell me the name of a negotiator he wants and I can appoint him/her.''

SEZER TO HOLD SUMMIT FOR CYPRUS
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will hold a meeting with Turkish officials about Cyprus issue. The adviser of Sezer, Sermet Atacanlý said that Denktas was also expected to be invited to that summit after the foundation of the government in Cyprus.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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PROMISES THAT CAN'T BE FULFILLED GIVEN TO IMF
The government sent the new letter of intent to IMF yesterday. In the letter, the government gave promises which could not be fulfilled. In the letter the government promised to increase the privatization income to 2.1 billion dollars, to adopt the law on civil servants ethics until the end of December, and to privatize Pamukbank until the end of December.

ERSOZ CONFESSES
Adnan Ersoz, who was taken into custody while entering Turkey from Iran told police that he met with Osama Bin Ladin in breakfast and he got the order of the bomb attacks in Istanbul from Al Misiri, a top member of Al Qaida. Ersoz confessed that they financed the bomb attacks with the money they took from Al Qaida.

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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DENKTAS HAS TO TAKE ANNAN PLAN AS REFERENCE
Following the wish of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who asked TRNC President Rauf Denktas to change its consultants, a high ranking government official said that ''Denktas should certainly abide by the policy of Ankara about Cyprus.'' The official added that Annan plan could be amended in a way to be accepted by both sides in Cyprus.

IMF WARNS
IMF officials both praised and warned Turkey in its economic policy saying that ''your economy is fine, but weaknesses continue. ''The effectivity of the Banking Regulatory and Supervisory Agency (BRSA) and Saving Deposit Insurance Fund (SDIF) should be boosted by the last amendments made in the banking law,'' they said.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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ERDOGAN: LET'S BE MARKET OF CENTRAL ASIA
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed businessmen during meal of Turkish-Uzbek Business Council held at Intercontinental Hotel and said that Uzbekistan could be a center of production and distribution for the Turkish entrepreneurs in Central Asian markets and also Uzbek products could be opened to world markets through Turkey.

JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER: WE ENVY TURKEY
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said that they envied the growth rate of Turkey. She said that what Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul had told her was very pleasing, adding that it was important for Turkey to fulfill economic reforms to become member of the European Union (EU).

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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BABACAN: WE DO NOT WANT NEW LOAN FROM IMF
State Minister Ali Babacan said that International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Directors Board had positive view after their studies and Turkey did not want to take new loans anymore. Noting that Turkey would reach its target of 6.5 percent of non-interest surplus, Babacan said that Turkey did not want to demand new loan, adding that relations with IMF would be certain in the middle of the year after 2004.

REGRETFUL ERSOZ HAD BREAKFAST WITH LADEN
Adnan Ersoz, who was captured regarding the bomb attacks in Istanbul and claimed to be the theoretician of Al Qaida in Turkey, surrendered to police. Noting that the attacks were against the principles of Al Qaida, Ersoz said during his interrogation that the attacks affected Turkey very badly and most of the dead people were Muslims, adding that he regretted what he had done and thus he decided to surrender.

(GC-ÖÞ) 20.12.2003