ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on February 1, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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''WE CAN CEDE TERRITORY IF AN AGREEMENT IS REACHED''
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned to Turkey after completing his visit to the United States yesterday. He held a press conference at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport after his arrival. Upon a question about the Cyprus issue, Prime Minister Erdogan said, ''we can cede a certain amount of territory if an agreement is reached in Cyprus. This is not a new issue. President Rauf Denktas of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus made a similar statement in the past. As I said before, finding a fair and lasting solution to the Cyprus issue is much more important.''

TURKEY EXPORTS 1 MILLION OF MOTOR VEHICLES LAST FIVE YEARS
Automotive sector exported 1 million of motor vehicles between 1999 and 2003. According to data of the State Institute of Statistics (DIE) and the Association of Automotive Industry (OSD), the sector exported 1 million 883 motor vehicles in the last five years. Companies including Oyak Renault, Tofas, Ford Otosan, Toyota, Hyundai Assan, Mercedes Benz Turk put into practice rapidly their projects, and these projects increased exports from the sector.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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NOBODY INFORMS DENKTAS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that they had accepted conditions of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, and that they were ready to sit at the negotiation table. However, President Rauf Denktas of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) did not have any information about all these developments. Sources said that President Denktas' participating in negotiation process under current conditions was quite difficult.

GOOD DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORTS
Exports from Turkey increased 36.9 percent to 4 billion 726.2 million U.S. dollars in January of 2004 over to the same period last year. Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM) announced that exports of industrial products rose 44.2 percent to 3 billion 268.4 million U.S. dollars. Turkey exported textiles of 1 billion 227.3 million U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, exports increased to 49 billion 165.3 million U.S. dollars in 2003.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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ARMENIAN PATRIARCH MUTAFYAN INJURED IN A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT
A minibus carrying Armenian Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan turned over near southern province of Antalya. Mutafyan and 11 other people were slightly injured in the accident. The injured people were rushed to nearby hospitals. Doctors said that Mutafyan was in good condition.

EUROPEAN CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS INVITE ERDOGAN AND GUL
European Christian Democrats will host a congress in Brussels between February 4 and 5, 2004 with the participation of leaders of 64 European political parties. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul was invited to the congress as honorary guests.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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IPEKCI COMMEMORATED
Abdi Ipekci, the former editor-in-chief of Milliyet Daily who was killed in an armed attack in 1979, was commemorated on the 25th anniversary of his assassination. Turkish Journalists' Society (TGC) Chairman Orhan Erinc said at the commemoration ceremony that Ipekci was not one of masters of journalism who had launched an initiative to determine principles of press ethics and implementation of professional principles in Turkey.

TURKEY TO PLAY A KEY ROLE
During the meeting between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, the U.S. side informed the Turkish side on its ''Great Middle East Project''. U.S. President George W. Bush said that Turkey would be given a key role in the project. The project envisages to reshape Middle Eastern countries in line with the vision of the United States in order to settle peace and democracy in the region.

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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TURKEY TO BE INCLUDED IN GIANT PROJECT OF NATO
Necessary steps will be taken soon about the Surface Monitoring Project worth of 3.5 billion euro which will increase capabilities of NATO. Many Turkish firms including Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) will be included in the project.

TUZMEN: ''EXPORTS INCREASES BY 38 PERCENT IN JANUARY OF 2004''
State Minister Kursad Tuzmen has said that the exports from Turkey increased by 38 percent in January of 2004. Tuzmen said, ''according to data of Turkish Exporters' Association, exports from Turkey increased 38 percent to 4 billion 162 million U.S. dollars between January 1 and 29, 2004 over to the same period last year. If we can maintain this increase in exports, our exports will reach to 55 billion U.S. dollars at the end of the year.'' He added that they were planning to pay visits to some countries in order to market Turkish goods.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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ISLAM WORLD CRYING
Muslim countries were shaken by four incidents yesterday. 254 hadjis lost their lives in Mecca while nearly 100 people were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. 254 hadjis were killed and nearly 300 others were injured in a crush during a devil-stoning ritual in Saudi Arabia. As a result of extraordinary measures taken by the Religious Affairs, there were no Turkish hadjis among the dead or injured Muslims. Explosions in offices of Patriotic Union of Iraqi Kurdistan and Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party in Irbil city in north of Iraq killed 56 people and wounded almost 200 others. Iraqis who attempted to loot an ammunition dump in Karbala, Iraq caused a disaster. Six Iraqis were killed when the arsenal exploded. A mayor, his three sons and four bodyguards were killed in a bomb attack in Afghanistan.

''IT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING''
After he arrived in Istanbul from the United States, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, ''operations against the PKK terrorist organization while we were in the United States were not just coincidence. It is the first step of the positive works and joint fight against international terrorism. The first blow on the organization is the proof of our cooperation with the United States in fight against terrorism.''

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS' MEASURE SAVES TURKS
A stampede happened during a devil-stoning ritual in Mena, Saudi Arabia claimed lives also this year: 244 Muslims lost their lives in annual hajj pilgrimage. Turkish Muslims stayed out of the disaster when the Turkish Religious Affairs advised them to perform the devil-stoning ritual after the afternoon prayer.

''ALSO DENKTAS TALKED ABOUT SOIL CONCESSION''
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that embargo imposed on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will be lifted if the Turkish side fulfils its responsibilities in Cyprus and if Greece and the Greek Cypriot side take action. Erdogan stated that ceding territory if necessary depends on the attitude of the other side. Noting that also TRNC President Rauf Denktas earlier mentioned the territory issue, Erdogan said, ''also with its statements in the past, the TRNC has mentioned it to display its good will. All that is needed is a solution.''

(UK-MS-AÖ) 02.02.2004