ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on January 5, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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GULER OF CHP HAS AN ACCIDENT
Huseyin Guler, a deputy of the Republican People's Party (CHP) had an accident in southern province of Mersin. His wife Zahide Guler, 38, and his mother-in-law Aliye Cenbolat, 55, lost their lives in the accident. Guler's seven-year-old son Berdan and six-year-old daughter Bersu were seriously injured. Doctors said that Guler was in good condition.
RESONANT BOMB GOES OFF IN FRONT OF AK PARTY OFFICE
A resonant bomb which was placed in front of an office of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Umraniye district of Istanbul, went off at about 10.30 local time on Sunday. Serafettin Karabulut, 60, was slightly injured in the blast. The bomb also caused some minor damage in nearby buildings.
''YOU HAVE NOT COME TO POLITICAL POWER TO INSULT ATATURK''
True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar has criticized harshly Husrev Kutlu of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) who expressed his personal uneasiness over the picture of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Great Leader of modern and secular Republic of Turkey. Agar said that the AK Party had not come to the political power to insult Ataturk.
ERDOGAN TO TAKE THE LAST DECISION ABOUT KUTLU
Husrev Kutlu, a deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the chairman of Parliamentary Political Immunity Inquiry Commission who has received harsh criticisms from military and political circles after he claimed that the picture of Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk should be lifted, will be transferred to the Disciplinary Board of the AK Party on Monday. An investigation has been launched against Kutlu upon directives of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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GUL: ''WE WANT PRESIDENT DENKTAS TO CARRY OUT NEGOTIATIONS''
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul has said, ''we want President Rauf Denktas of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to carry out negotiations after the new government is formed.'' Speaking at a program on the private CNN-Turk TV Channel on Sunday, Gul said, ''President Denktas has become a symbol in TRNC. We want him to carry out negotiations after the new government is formed in TRNC as the leader of Turkish Cypriot people. We are trying to reach an agreement protecting the existence, future, rights and interest of Turkish Cypriot people. We believe that negotiation process is necessary to this end.''
PRESIDENT AL-ASAD OF SYRIA DUE IN TURKEY
President Bashar Al-Asad of Syria will pay an official visit to Turkey this week. He will be the first Syrian president paying an official visit to Turkey. In an interview with the Milliyet, President Al-Asad said that the problems in the past stemmed from lack of dialogue between the two countries. President Al-Asad noted that President Ahmet Necdet Sezer who came to Syria in 2000 to attend the funeral of his father, made significant contributions to further improvement of bilateral relations between Turkey and Syria.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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TURKEY EXPORTS VEHICLES TO 173 COUNTRIES
Exports from automotive sector increased 49.8 percent to 7 billion 191 million thousand U.S. dollars in 2003. In 2002, exports from automotive sector had been 4 billion 798 million U.S. dollars. Uludag Exporters' Associations (UIB) said that exports of by-industry products increased 25.7 percent to 2 billion 390 million 142 thousand U.S. dollars while exports of automobiles increased to 2 billion 249 million 215 thousand U.S. dollars. The sector exported its products to 14 free zones and 173 countries and autonomous regions in 2003. Germany is ranked first with 1 billion 187 million 117 thousand U.S. dollars among the countries to which automotive exports were made. France, Italy, Spain and Britain followed Germany.
PRESIDENT AL-ASAD OF SYRIA: ''WE ARE OPPOSED TO KURDISH STATE IN IRAQ''
President Bashar Al-Asad of Syria, who will pay an official visit to Turkey this week, said that they were opposed to formation of a Kurdish state in Iraq. ''We are also opposed to any attempts targeting to disturb political unity and territorial integrity of Iraq,'' he stressed. Referring to bilateral relations between Turkey and Syria, President Al-Asad said that there were not any problem in the relations, and added that they were determined to further improve their bilateral relations with Turkey.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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RESERVATIONS OF TSK
It was revealed that the plans of the General Staff and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the Cyprus question have contradicted with each other. While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the plan of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan could be accepted after making some certain changes, the General Staff defends, ''the current shape of the Annan Plan cannot lead the sides in Cyprus to a lasting and sustainable solution. The plan envisages withdrawal of Turkey from the island.''
SECURITY FORCES RAID A MEETING OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY
A total of 16 people including Muslum Gunduz, the leader of Aczmendi, one of the religious communities in Turkey, were detained when security forces raided the house in which the illegal meeting of the community took place. Previously, Gunduz was sentenced to imprisonment on charges of inciting people to hatred against the others and forming an illegal organization in order to change the secular order of the Republic of Turkey.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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''WE HAVE A SUPER COOPERATION WITH TURKEY''
Speaking on CNN-Turk television channel, Syrian President Bashar al-Asad said that problematic days became the things of the past as his visit to Turkey was a proof of the level of relations between Turkey and Syria. Noting that the two countries currently had a super cooperation, al-Asad said that those relations would improve. Stressing that PKK organization currently did not exist and have any activity in Syria, the Syrian President said that neither the Syrian state nor the Syrian people do not have any water problem with Turkey. ''Our border with Turkey is a border of peace. As two friendly countries, we will absolutely find a solution to the map problem when we sit at the table. It is not today's problem. It will be solved in the future,'' he said. Stressing that they were opposed to not only a Kurdish state, but also all states which targeted Iraq's territorial integrity, al-Asad said that it should be the red line of all countries in the region. Noting that Turkey's EU membership would benefit also Syria, al-Asad assumed that an EU member Turkey might change the outlook of the West on Islam.
ANKARA READY TO HOST AL-ASAD
Ankara is going to host a Syrian President for the first time. Bashar al-Asad's visit which was expected for three years will start tomorrow. The latest gesture of Damascus was the extradition of suspects of the Istanbul bombings. Turkey is going to open a new page with Syria which it threatened to wage war due to its support to Abdullah Ocalan. Ankara which is going to host a Syrian President for the first time attaches great importance to three-day visit of Bashar al-Asad. Turkey which will give the message of 'fight with us against terrorism' will at the same time act as a mediator for Israel.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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A NEW ERA TO BEGIN BETWEEN TURKEY AND SYRIA
A Syrian President will pay an official visit to Turkey for the first time in history. President Bashar Al-Asad of Syria will come to Turkey tomorrow as the official guest of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. During the visit of President Al-Asad, several agreements will be signed between the two countries. Issues such as the peace map for the Middle East and recent developments in Iraq are expected to top the agenda of President Al-Asad's meetings with Turkish officials.
TURKISH DELEGATION DUE TO SYRIA
While President Bashar Al-Asad of Syria will come to Ankara tomorrow on an official visit, a Turkish delegation headed by Foreign Trade Undersecretary Tuncer Kayalar will leave for Syria to attend inauguration of the Second Machinery Fair in Damascus.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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GUL: ''RAUF DENKTAS SHOULD CONTINUE CARRYING OUT CYPRUS TALKS''
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President Rauf Denktas should continue carrying out meetings under Cyprus talks. Speaking on CNN-Turk television channel, Gul said, ''Denktas is the leader of the Turkish Cypriot people. Undoubtedly, he acts calmly for his people. He consents to acceptable things at the negotiation table.'' Recalling that the Greek Cypriot side was going to join the EU in May, Gul noted that Turkey should expend 'sincere efforts' until that day. About the EU summit in December, Gul defended that relations would reach a very different point if a date was not set for opening accession talks with Turkey. Stressing that it would not be the 'end of the world' if the EU would not set a date, Gul said, ''in that case, Turkey seeks and finds the best option under conditions of those days.''
TURKEY ON ITALIAN RAI TOGETHER WITH 12 EU CANDIDATES
Together with the EU candidate countries, Turkey is introduced to the EU countries with a documentary. The documentary which was shot under a project that was jointly prepared by the Italian European Commission and Italian RAI television channel began to be shown in Italy. Kemal Ozturk who shot the documentary said that promotion of Turkey through an influential channel in Italy would contribute to Turkey's EU process and tourism. He said, ''the EU Commission finds it very important to treat Turkey equally as other candidate countries. While many countries do not consider Turkey's membership, the EU Commission treats Turkey equally.''
(UK-MS-AÖ) 05.01.2004