ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on May 3, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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SIXTY U.S. SECRET AGENTS IN TURKEY
Preparations for ensuring security during NATO summit to be held in Istanbul in June have started. U.S. President George Bush will also attend the summit. Sixty U.S. secret agents came to Turkey as a part of these preparations while 270 more agents will come to Turkey in coming days. Flights of all planes flying over 30 kilometers of altitude will be banned over the area where Lutfi Kirdar Congress Hall is situated as of June 27. Aircrafts which seem to be suspicious by officials will be forced to obligatory landing.
FRANCE TO EXTRADITE SUPPORTER OF KAPLAN
France is keeping Mihdat Guler, a 45-year-old Turkish citizen, under detention near Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris in order to extradite him on charges of being a supporter of Kaplan and making propaganda for establishing shariah regime in Turkey. Guler, who will be extradited to Turkey, is the chairman of the Islam Association in France. Metin Kaplan is the son of Cemalettin Kaplan, known as ''Black voice'' in Turkey, the head of the Union of Islamic Communities and Societies that was banned in Germany.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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AIRBUS FORMULA TO OVERCOME FRANCE OBSTACLE
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is planning to convince France, which isn't so positive towards Turkey's European Union (EU) membership, by preferring buying Airbus produced by German-French partnership in order to meet aircraft need of Turkish Airlines (THY). Erdogan hinted that Turkey could buy Airbus aircrafts in Irish capital Dublin, where he attended the ceremony held upon the accession of ten new countries to the EU.
RESOLUTION FORESEEING ''END OF EMBARGO ON NORTH OF CYPRUS''
A resolution calling on the U.S. government and the European Union (EU) to take measures to end isolation of Turkish Cypriots was presented to the U.S. House of Representatives. Republican parliamentarian Ed Whitfield from Kentucky presented the resolution. The resolution was supported by Nebraska parliamentarian Doug Bereuter, Democrat Party parliamentarian from Florida Robert Wexler and North Carolina parliamentarian David Price.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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NEW PROPOSAL FROM YOK: ''LET'S SHELVE DRAFT YOK LAW TILL NEXT YEAR''
Turkish rectors had an extraordinary meeting and discussed the draft Higher Election Board (YOK) law which will be submitted to the Turkish parliament this week. YOK Chairman Tezic announced that rectors agreed that the arrangement related with vocational high schools would cause many problems this year and therefore, should be solved in the following school year. Tezic will lay down this proposal of the rectors during his meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
HEAVY LAWSUIT ON ''HONEY MONEY''
Finansbank lodged a complaint about Halit Cingillioglu, former owner of Demirbank, on charges of embezzling 43 million U.S. dollars from the bank. The complaint about Cingillioglu, who was famous for his yacht named Honey Money and interest in treasury bonds, was lodged in Sisli Prosecutor's Office. Halit, Ali and Sema Cingillioglu were accused of ''qualified embezzlement'' and ''emptying bank's coffers.''
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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TALAT HAS FOUR DEMANDS FROM UNITED STATES
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat, who will go to the United States today upon invitation of U.S. State Secretary Colin Powell, will meet with United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York and Powell in Washington. Talat will demand that TRNC citizens should be granted the right to travel with TRNC passport, flying ban should be lifted, exports and imports from Magosa port should be permitted, and embargo on sports events should be lifted.
''ERDOGAN'S MENTALITY: WE SHOULDN'T RECOGNIZE TRNC''
Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Onur Oymen criticized words of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the entire world recognized the Greek Cypriot side and said, ''according to prime minister's mentality, we shouldn't recognize TRNC because the entire world doesn't recognize it. Is it sensible?'' Diplomats state that if the Greek Cypriots assume a constructive attitude in the European Union (EU), Turkey may recognize the Greek Cypriot administration ''with its own territory.''
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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EQUALITY IN PRACTICE, NOT ON PAPER
Woman parliamentarians from Republican People's Party (CHP) who say that women and men are equal before laws want the state to take measures to ''ensure'' this equality. The constitutional amendment package from which the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has excluded positive discrimination in favor of women, will be on parliament's agenda tomorrow. CHP will submit a motion to re-include the article, which foresees that the state should take measures for women-men equality, in the package. Oya Arasli of CHP says that women-men equality is in fact stressed in the Constitution. ''But, this doesn't solve problems of women. We are not after equality of rights. We are facing problems in using our rights actually.''
GOOD SIGNAL FROM EU
Balkenende, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands which will become European Union (EU) Term President at EU summit to be held in December 2004, said that their message was clear. Balkenende noted that Turkey was considered as a candidate to the Union and it was the reality.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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HUNDRED THOUSAND TURKS WILL MARCH IN UNITED STATES
Activities to be held in the United States as a part of ''traditional Turkish month'' will start soon. Turkish Day Parade will be held in New York on May 15 as a part of the activities also including several symposiums, festivals and exhibitions. 100 thousand people will join the Turkish Day Parade. Ata Erim, the President of Federation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA), said that they were promoting Turkish culture in the United States in the best way. Erim called on all Turks to join the parade which would take place in Manhattan on May 15.
BIG INCENTIVE FOR INVESTORS
In accordance with the new tax package, businessmen who make investments worth of 100-150 million U.S. dollars will be exempted from tax for five years. Those who make investment worth of 250-500 million U.S. dollars will not pay tax for seven years while period of tax exemption for those who invest more than 500 million U.S. dollars will be ten years.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION JOIN FORCES FOR EU
The constitutional amendment package comprised of ten articles prepared as a part of European Union (EU) adjustment works will be on parliament's agenda tomorrow. Opposition parties including Republican People's Party (CHP) and True Path Party (DYP), which have given up their insistence on lifting of political immunity, will extend full support to the package. The package includes changes like abolition of State Security Courts (DGMs) and total exclusion of death penalty from the Constitution.
WORLD PRESS TO RUSH IN TURKEY FOR EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
Turkish State Minister Besir Atalay said that 1,500 Turkish and foreign journalists would cover the Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Istanbul on May 15. Seven hundred contestants from 36 countries and 5,500 guests will play an efficient role in promotion of Turkey.
(BRC-AÖ) 03.05.2004