ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on March 1, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
------------------
DIYARBAKIR DISRUPTS PKK
A dispute over nomination of mayor in southeastern province of Diyarbakir in local elections on March 28 disrupted the higher board of the terrorist PKK/KADEK which has gotten the name of Kongra-Gel. The Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) presented Osman Baydemir as the candidate while DEHAP member and Diyarbakir Mayor Feridun Celik who is claimed to have been supported by Abdullah Ocalan, has affirmed his independent candidacy. In a statement, 19 leading persons of the organization including Abdullah Ocalan's brother Osman Ocalan who all support Celik severely rebuked the ''Left Alliance'' in which also DEHAP is involved while the so-called chairmanship council of the organization announced that those 19 persons were deprived of all their authorities, accusing them of showing ''defeatist'' manner.
KIEV'S HIGH SOCIETY RUSHES TO BUY TURKISH DETACHED HOUSES
All of the 64 luxurious detached houses that Turkish construction company Energy Yapi A.S. built in Ukrainian capital Kiev were sold. Each of them was sold for 1.5 million euros. There is also a traditional Turkish bath decorated with unique Turkish marble and wine cellar in those 650 square meter houses that lie on the bank of the River Dnieper in Kiev.
WE PAY 10 PERCENT LESS TAX FOR MEDICINE
Rate of value added tax (VAT) on the medicine and medical equipment is decreased from 18 to 8 percent beginning on March 1. So prices of medicine go 10 percent down in price as of today. The decision of the Council of Ministers on such a decrease in VAT was published in yesterday's Official Gazette. Under it, VAT will be 8 percent for medicine and medical equipment which are permitted by the Health Ministry.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
------------------
GREEK CANDIDATES SEEK TO WIN TURKISH VOTES
Old taboos were broken in Western Thrace. Greek candidates, who aim to win votes from Turkish people, visit villages and hand out promoting booklets. Some people say ''there is nothing we gain, these are investments in elections'' but Turkish politicians can talk on Turkish rights at public places. Greek candidates can receive thousands of votes from Turkish people and go to Athens.
TALAT WANTS MONEY
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat asked for financial help of Ankara to increase salaries of civil servants before the referendum which will be held in April in Cyprus. Talat, who spoke with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan by phone last week, wanted Turkey to revise its decision on making 13 percent of deduction from the money it would send to TRNC.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
---------------
CONGRATULATIONS TO ERDOGAN AND ANNAN
New York Times Newspaper stressed that two names became influential in Cyprus talks: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. The newspaper said that Erdogan ended the difficulty created by Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and added that peace in Cyprus would affect Turkey's European Union (EU) membership.
KRISTAL-IS SENDS STRIKE LETTER TO VERHEUGEN
Turkey Glass, Cement, Ceramic and Soil Industries Workers' Union (Kristal-Is) carried the decision of Council of Ministers to postpone the strikes in Turkish Glass Bottle Factories (Sisecam) to the European Union (EU). Kristal-Is sent a letter to EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen and informed him about the postponement of strikes. Verheugen replied Kristal-Is Chairman Mustafa Bagceci and said that the right of strike took place in national constitutions of EU member countries and also it was considered as a basic right in various international agreements.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
-----------------
WEEK OF GUESTS IN ANKARA
European Parliament President Pat Cox will be in Ankara today. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas and Thomas Weston, the special coordinator of the U.S. State Department for Cyprus, are expected to come to Ankara on Wednesday. U.S. State Department Undersecretary Marc Grossman who started a ''Greater Middle East Initiative'' project tour will hold meetings in Ankara on Thursday. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will also come to Istanbul.
SUPPORT TO STRIKE
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government's not permitting the strike of Turkish Glass Bottle Factories (Sisecam) by postponing it two times is carried to the agenda of the European Union (EU). Turkey Glass, Cement, Ceramic and Soil Industries Workers' Union (Kristal-Is) wrote a letter to EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen and informed him about the postponement of strike. Members of Kristal-Is went on a strike on January 30 at factories of Sisecam, but Council of Ministers had postponed the strike for a second time on February 14, 2004. The strike of Kristal-Is was comprising of five thousand workers. Verheugen said in his reply to the letter that the right of strike took place in national constitutions of EU member countries and also it was considered as a basic right in various international agreements and added that EU candidate countries should also respect cultural and social rights.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
--------------
UZAN CLUTCHES UP CUKUROVA FORMULA
Uzan's family presented first repayment plan to the Savings Deposits Insurance Fund (SDIF) of which acceptance is too difficult. They wanted a similar agreement which the state had made with the Cukurova Holding. According to it, companies which the state confiscated will be given back to the Uzan's family and repayments of debts will be completed in nine or fifteen years. However, acceptance of this offer is not seen possible as SDIF Chairman Ahmet Erturk earlier told Uzan's representatives, ''don't come to me by saying 'give our companies back to us and we earn money and repay our debts'.'' This offer is unacceptable as those companies are not open to the public and there are not statistics about their financial structure of which accuracy has not been affirmed. Meanwhile, it is claimed that Cem Uzan wanted to make peace with the state while his father Kemal Uzan was opposed to it.
GREEK CYPRIOT SIDE CONFUSED
Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos has been having tough days. Leaders of political parties to whom Papadopoulos give information on Cyprus negotiations only for one day a week revolted at the Greek Cypriot National Council while Papadopoulos did not accept to give information for more than one day by claiming that some party leaders were telling foreign diplomats about the information he gave. Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's Special Envoy to Cyprus Alvaro De Soto complains about both TRNC President Rauf Denktas and Papadopoulos: ''advantages of the plan are not explained to peoples.''
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
---------------
NOTICE THE STRAITS!
Death of hundreds of people in explosion of a train laden with chemicals in Iran proved how much a possible tanker disaster in our Straits give damage to Istanbul. ''Vessels of Death'' laden with thousands tons of hazardous substances pass the Istanbul Strait each day 400 meters from the city center where millions of people live. September 11 attacks showed the whole world how 'planes' can turn into bombs. Experts stress that the damage that a tanker carrying 50 thousand tons of oil could give to Istanbul might be as much as a probable major earthquake in the city despite all measures. The Straits which is accepted as one of the most risky water ways in the world has become a veritable oil pipeline in recent years. Nearly 1.7 million barrels of oil is carried each day from the Novorossiysk port of Russia via the Straits. Experts say that amount of oil would increase by three times in ten years, 4.5 million barrels each day, together with the Kazakh and Azerbaijani oil. This figure is equal to half of the daily oil production in Saudi Arabia. According to statistics, 63 million tons of hazardous substances were carried through the Straits in 1997 and it increased over to 135 million tons in 2003 while 2,871 oil tankers crossed the Straits in 1995 and the number increased to 8,097 in 2003.
ARINC: ''LAST WORD IS PARLIAMENT'S''
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc said they considered efforts for a solution to Cyprus issue important and they wanted them to reach a successful conclusion. ''However, only the parliament makes decisions that determine the destiny of the Turkish people. We know that also Mr. Prime Minister and other institutions show the same attention. So it is the parliament that will say the last word about the Cyprus issue.'' Arinc added that EU membership was not the sole target of Turkey.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
--------------------
GREEK SCHOOLS WITHOUT STUDENTS UNDER PROTECTION OF STATE
Turkey assigns directors to the schools in Istanbul which belong to Greek society but do not have students for years. Schools seem open on paper by the directors who were appointed in line with the Lausanne Treaty. Old and poor Greek families were staying in some of these schools.
CYPRUS DIPLOMACY SPEEDS UP AGAIN
While Cyprus talks are continuing today, Cyprus traffic speeds up again. Thomas Weston, the special coordinator of the U.S. State Department for Cyprus, who came to Cyprus yesterday night will have meetings in Ankara on Wednesday after Athens. Weston said that if a consensus was reached, Washington administration would be generous to meet the cost of this. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas is expected to evaluate the recent situation with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials on Wednesday.
(GC-MS-AÖ) 01.03.2004