ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on April 20, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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MODERATE QUAKE SHAKES MARMARA
A moderate earthquake shook northwest Turkey on Monday, the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory said. There were no reports of damage or injuries. The quake struck at 6.27 p.m. and had a preliminary magnitude of 4.5. It was centered in the Marmara Sea off the northwestern coastal town of Tekirdag.
Four slight earthquakes also shook western Izmir province on Sunday. There were no reports of damage or injuries in the city.

''TSK SHOULD BE SENSITIVE FOR KARPAZ''
Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit met on Monday with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Following his meeting with Sezer, Ecevit said that President Sezer also had some concerns over Cyprus issue and stated that he got an impression that there was not any difference between Sezer's views and his views. Noting that Karpaz would be given to Greek Cypriots which was mentioned in the booklet entitled ''Cyprus Notes Towards Solution'' distributed by the government, Ecevit said that he expected that Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) would approach this issue with sensitivity, as Karpaz was of great importance for geopolitical location of Turkey.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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PEOPLE PROTEST DENKTAS
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas who has launched a campaign of 'no' to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's plan on Cyprus in referenda which will be held on the island on Saturday was protested. Denktas visited on Sunday Yesilirmak village to carry out his campaign on ''No to Annan Plan'', but he left the village which will be transferred to Greek Cypriot side in accordance with the Annan plan after he was protested by people. People in Yesilirmak chanted slogans, ''Yes to Plan'' and ''peace cannot be prevented in Cyprus.''

''WE WON'T GIVE UP OUR SOVEREIGNTY''
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas responded to Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul who said that TRNC could not export its goods even orange. Denktas said, ''if we are not sovereign, why did you recognize us?'' Stating that Turkey had a big responsibility for TRNC, Denktas said, ''if we are not sovereign, why did Turkey send its ambassador to TRNC? Why had Turkey recognized us for 20 years? We cannot accept this statement. We will not give up our sovereignty. Turkey put pressure on us to say 'yes' to the Annan plan.''

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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FORTUNATE 13 MILLION
20 percent of Turkish population are living under European Union (EU) standards. According to a research of the State Institute of Statistics (DIE), 20 percent of Turkish people annually make expenditures amounting to 72 quadrillion Turkish liras (TL) of 144 quadrillion of consumption expenditures. According to the research, there are 18 million 441 thousand poor people in the country as of 2002. There are 13.6 million rich people in Turkey spending their money on education, health, cultural activities and clothing.

''PEOPLE SHOULD NOT FIND EXCUSE''
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that people should not try to prevent democracy by using some situations peculiar to the government as an excuse. Erdogan who delivered a speech in a symposium which was held to mark the National Sovereignty and Children's Day said that Turkey could not be showed as a country which was far from criteria such as people's participation in administration and basic freedoms during those days when the country was preparing for the European Union (EU).

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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TALAT: ''TAIWAN MODEL IS A DREAM''
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat recalled some news stories which said that if Greek Cypriot side voted 'no' to the Annan plan and Turkish Cypriot side voted 'yes' to the plan in referenda which would be held on the island, Taiwan model could be implemented for TRNC.
Talat said that Taiwan model was a very different model. He noted that the two sides' voting 'yes' to the Annan plan was the ideal solution.

EXPORTS RISE BY 23 PERCENT WHILE IMPORTS CLIMB BY 39 PERCENT
Turkey's exports amounted to 7 billion 966.3 million U.S. dollars and imports amounted to 11 billion 843.4 million U.S. dollars in January-February 2004. The State Institute of Statistics announced provisional foreign trade figures for the period of January-February 2004. Exports rose by 23.6 percent and imports climbed by 39.6 percent in the first two months of 2004 when compared to the same period last year. The foreign trade deficit climbed by 99.9 percent to 2 billion 363.6 million U.S. dollars in February 2004 when compared to the same month of 2003 and foreign trade deficit rose by 90.3 percent to 3 billion 877.2 million U.S. dollars in January-February 2004 when compared to the same period of 2003.

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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PEOPLE IN KARPAZ HAVE CONCERNS
People in villages of Karpaz region to where Greek Cypriots would return, if U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's plan on Cyprus is approved, said that they were along with motherland, but their rights should be protected.
According to the Annan plan, Greek Cypriot inhabitants of four villages of Karpaz will return to their houses two years later without any restriction. They will get back their properties. People who came from Turkey to Karpaz after 1974 have some concerns.

POLEMIC FOR SECULARISM
A symposium was held to mark National Sovereignty Week in the parliament in Ankara. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc and Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal attended the symposium. Erdogan said that ''secular state brings a liberal atmosphere to faith. Republic and democracy do not contradict.''
Baykal in reply said that further improvement of democracy did not mean to give up acquisition of republic.
Parliament Speaker Arinc stressed that Turkish politics should contribute to formation of a new constitution as a social conformity text.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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''WE SHOULD GET RID OF OBSTACLE''
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat said that if Cyprus issue was solved, Turkey would not have any problem. Delivering a speech at the meeting on ''economic side of the Annan plan'' which was held by the Union of Turkish Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), Talat said that a global change program had been focused on plans until today regarding exchange of property issue and added that the plan was negotiated only when two developments in Turkey and TRNC were coincided. He noted that one of those developments was the effort which Turkish Cypriots exerted for solution and the other one was Turkish people's making an important political revolution and electing a government which had the European Union (EU) vision.

MODERATE QUAKE SHAKES MARMARA
A moderate earthquake shook northwest Turkey on Monday. The quake struck at 6.27 p.m. and had a preliminary magnitude of 4.5. There were no reports of damage or injuries. It was centered in the Marmara Sea off the northwestern coastal town of Tekirdag. Quake was also felt in Istanbul.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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ABANT PLATFORM CONVENES IN WASHINGTON
The seventh of Abant Platform which is one of initiatives of leading nongovernmental organizations of Turkey started in Washington on Monday. Famous political scientist Francis Fukuyama who made the opening remarks of the platform said that community's being religious did not contradict democracy and secularism principles. Fukuyama said that the United States was one of communities which were most religious, but this situation did not prevent the administration from being secular and democratic and added that Turkey showed with Justice and Development Party (AK Party) that a country could be both Muslim and democratic.

(EÖ-AY) 20.04.2004