ISTANBUL TRUCK CRASH CAUSES DEATH, CHAOS
Nine people were killed and 22 others injured yesterday in Istanbul when a tanker truck carrying diesel fuel rammed into more than 20 vehicles on a crowded street of the metropolis. According to officials, the truck’s brakes failed, causing it to lose control and hit the other vehicles. Several vehicles burst into flames before their occupants could escape. Fire brigades used foam to prevent gas and diesel leaking from the tanker and cars from igniting. /All Papers/
ERDOGAN, SCHROEDER ATTEND OPENING CEREMONY OF POWER PLANT IN ADANA
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder yesterday attended the opening ceremony of a power plant in the southern province of Adana. The Sugozu plant, built with German funds of 1.5 billion euros, is currently the largest German investment in Turkey. “When we consider that in 1980-2002 the total sum of German investments in Turkey was $4.3 billion, we can better understand the significance of this new plant,” Erdogan told the ceremony. The premier stated that the plant would meet 7 percent of Turkey’s annual energy needs. “You are welcome to make use of German technology in setting up new power plants,” said Erdogan. For his part, Schroeder said that Turkey was an attractive country for investment, adding that he appreciated Ankara’s support in setting up the plant. /Milliyet/
GUL MEETS WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN
During his current official visit to Moscow, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Putin said that since Turkey’s ruling party formed a government in late 2002, Turkish-Russian relations had grown stronger. “Annual trade volume between our two countries recently rose 15-20%,” said the Russian president. “Including the suitcase trade and tourism, it has reached some $12 billion.” Pointing to Turkey’s sensitivity to terrorism, Gul praised its serious anti-terror efforts and urged its neighbors to trust and support Turkey in these. Gul afterwards met with Federation Council Speaker Sergey Mironov and then Moscow Mayor Yuri Lujkov. /All Papers/
ERDOGAN URGES MEDIA RESTRAINT IN CYPRUS TALKS COVERAGE
Appearing on television yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the media to show voluntary restraint in its coverage of the current Cyprus negotiations. “The media should censor itself, since it could damage the negotiating process,” said Erdogan, adding, “Our government wants a resolution on the island by May,” referring to the scheduled accession date of Greek Cyprus. He further stated that if the sides fail to reach an agreement, then Ankara and Athens would intercede in the talks. “If agreement still proves elusive, then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will make a final decision,” the premier added. /Aksam/
CYPRUS TALKS TENSIONS MOUNT
According to diplomatic sources, tension between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot representatives at the current peace talks mounted yesterday when the two sides came to loggerheads on certain key issues. Both sides refused to accept the timetable presented by UN Envoy Alvaro de Soto and asked the UN not to put pressure on them. The atmosphere of the talks grew especially tense after the Turkish side asked about Greek Cypriot plans to buy long-range missiles, to which Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos reportedly responded, “How can you ask this while you keep 25,000–30,000 Turkish soldiers on the island?” Papadopoulos left the negotiating hall before the other participants and without shaking hands. /Cumhuriyet/
ISRAEL’S PERES VISITS TURKEY
Former Israeli Prime Minister and current opposition leader Simon Peres yesterday arrived in Ankara at the invitation of Deniz Baykal, Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader. Upon his arrival at Esenboga Airport, Peres told reporters that during his contacts, he would exchange views with Turkish officials on various issues. Perez pointed out that Turkey’s modern structure was an unparalleled achievement among Muslim countries of the Middle East. He added that Turkey would serve as a bridge between the Middle East and the European Union when it becomes an EU member and would also play an active role in the Union. /Turkiye/
VERHEUGEN: “I BELIEVE TURKEY WILL FULFILL THE CRITERIA BY YEAR’S-END, BUT THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES”
European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said yesterday that he supported German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s recently reiterated positive stance towards Turkey’s EU membership bid. “The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the US served to raise Turkey’s strategic importance for Europe,” he said. “Turkey, as an EU member, might play an important role in Europe’s future political and economic security.” Verheugen further stated that he believed Ankara would fulfill the Copenhagen criteria by the end of this year, but cautioned that no one could guarantee full membership at the end of this process. /Milliyet/
FRENCH SENATORS PLEDGE SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP
A delegation from the French Senate’s European Union Commission yesterday visited Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission. During their meeting, the senators stressed that France had supported Turkey’s EU bid since 1963, adding that during this December’s EU summit they would strive to ensure that Ankara gets a date to begin talks with the Union. Commenting on German opposition party leader Angela Merkel’s recent proposal of “a special partnership” with Turkey in lieu of membership, one senator said, “We don’t want Turkey to get a special status, but rather a date for negotiations.” /Turkiye/
CIA HEAD TENET: “THE DHKP-C IS A THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES”
In an annual public report on security threats to the United States, CIA Director George Tenet yesterday told the Senate Intelligence Committee that although radical Islamist terrorist groups still posed the greatest threat to the US, it would be a mistake to ignore leftist terrorist organizations, ones active particularly in Turkey, Latin America and Europe. Tenet cited the DHKP-C among the leftist terrorist groups which should not be forgotten, recalling that it was responsible for the killing of two Americans in Turkey. He also argued that despite recent successes in attacking al Qaeda's leadership, the network is still capable of “conducting an attack on the scale of Sept. 11, 2001” using its links to dozens of smaller extremist organizations in countries such as Iraq, Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. /Cumhuriyet/
BAYKAL ANNOUNCES CHP MAYORAL CANDIDATES FOR LOCAL ELECTIONS
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal announced his party’s mayoral candidates for local elections scheduled for March 28: Yilmaz Ates for Ankara, Sefa Sirmen for Istanbul and Ahmet Pristina for Izmir. Some party members who disagreed with the candidate choices held protests outside the press conference. /Aksam/