ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on May 25, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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TWO INITIATIVES FOR EU
Ankara has speeded up its studies to get a negotiation date from the European Union (EU) at the end of the year. Turkish government has decided to broadcast in Kurdish from state-run Turkish Radio and Television Agency (TRT) soon. Churches will be opened for foreign people who live in Alanya town of southern province of Antalya. EU Reform Follow-up Group convened on Monday under the chairmanship of Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul with participation of Justice Minister Cemil Cicek and Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu. The meeting focused on whether or not the article which said that ''language of broadcast is Turkish'' in the regulations will cause problem. TRT Executive Board will meet on Tuesday with jurists to discuss this issue.

TUIK INSTEAD OF DIE
Draft law which foresees setting up Turkey's Institute of Statistics (TUIK) instead of the State Institute of Statistics (DIE) and which reconstructs statistics system was submitted to the Turkish parliament on Monday. According to the draft law, official statistics in Turkey will be produced, distributed and issued by the Chairmanship of Turkey's Institute of Statistics. TUIK will be comprised of Council of Statistics and the Chairmanship of Turkey's Institute of Statistics.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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''YOK LAW IS CONTRARY TO SECULARISM''
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is expected to veto the law about the Higher Education Board (YOK) on the ground that the law is contrary to the principle of secularism in the Constitution. The period given to President Sezer to assess the law will end on Friday. Article 174 of the Constitution about ''Preservation of Reform Laws'' says that the valid rules of laws including the Unification of the Educational System, one of the first legal arrangements of the Republic of Turkey to protect the principle of secularism, cannot be contrary to the Constitution. Sources said that President Sezer thought that the YOK Law was against Article 174 of the Constitution in regard to principles of secular education and the Unification of the Educational System.

PRIME MINISTER ERDOGAN TO ADDRESS STUDENTS AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay a visit to Britain. He will attend a meeting to be organized by the Turkish-British Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Later, Prime Minister Erdogan will proceed to Oxford. He will meet with academicians and address students at the Oxford University. Prime Minister Erdogan is also scheduled to meet with directors of the Royal Academy of Arts.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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TURKEY TO HOST FIRST EXPANDED SUMMIT OF NATO
Besides 19 member countries, seven new members including Baltic states, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovenia will attend the NATO summit to be held in Istanbul between June 28 and 29, 2004. Turkey will host the first expanded summit of NATO. With the participation of 20 partner countries, number of countries attending the summit will be 46. Meanwhile, Turkey will also host the Second Students' Summit. The first students' summit was held during NATO Summit in Prague. Five students from each 37 countries will attend the summit.

UNITED STATES PLANS TO ARRANGE DIRECT FLIGHTS TO ERCAN AIRPORT
Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim has said that the United States was positive about arranging direct flights to the Ercan Airport of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman F. Mineta came to Turkey as the official guest of Yildirim. The two ministers discussed the issue at their bilateral meeting.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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BUSINESSMEN RAISE THEIR VOICE
Chambers supported The Union of Turkish Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu who criticized the government's policy on economy. Current deficit, increase in debts, unemployment, fragility in economy and not putting constructive reforms into practice caused concerns in Turkish business world. Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) Chairman Mehmet Yildirim said that it was appeared that the government did not have any original economy policy. Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) Chairman Sinan Aygun noted that if there was not any problem in Turkish economy, why the government still continued to work with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

MINIMUM WAGE FIXING COMMISSION TO CONVENE ON MAY 28
The Minimum Wage Fixing Commission will convene on May 28 to fix minimum wage that will be valid as of July 1, 2004. The current gross minimum wage is 423 million and net minimum wage is 303 million 79 thousand 500 Turkish liras (TL) for workers who are above 16 years.

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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PARLIAMENT TO DISCUSS RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN MIDDLE EAST
Turkish Justice Minister and Government Spokesman Cemil Cicek has said that a general session would be held at the parliament on Tuesday on recent developments both in Iraq and the Middle East. Cicek said, ''significant developments have been occurring in Iraq and in the Middle East. These developments have reached distressing dimensions. They have been disrupting stability and jeopardizing efforts to provide peace in the region. All these developments also affect regional countries including Turkey. Therefore, we decided to hold a special session at the parliament to discuss recent developments both in Iraq and Palestine.''

TRNC TO LAUNCH A NEW INITIATIVE
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) government has decided to start high-level meetings in foreign countries in an effort to lift the international isolation against TRNC. Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat and Foreign Minister Serdar Denktas of TRNC will come to Ankara on Wednesday to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. Turkish and TRNC governments will try to develop a strategy.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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BROADCAST IN KURDISH FROM TRT
Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said that studies on adjustment to the European Union (EU) continued rapidly and stated that they did not want to provide the EU with any excuses. Gul informed reporters about decisions which were taken in the meeting of the EU Reform Follow-up Group. Gul said that there were publications on languages and dialects spoken in Turkey and noted, ''we have also taken some decisions on this issue. We also had a meeting with State Minister Besir Atalay for state-run Turkish Radio and Television Agency (TRT), Turkey's secretary general for EU, the Radio and Television Higher Board (RTUK) chairman and TRT director general on Sunday. We took some measures to speed up this issue. We will make it public soon.'' Noting that TRT Executive Board would convene Monday or Tuesday, Gul said that they believed that a solution on this issue would be found.

DUKE OF YORK PRINCE ANDREW IN ANKARA
Duke of York Prince Andrew came to Ankara on Monday to hold meetings. Prince Andrew is paying a visit to Turkey as ''international trade and investment special representative'' to develop commercial and investment relations between Turkey and Britain. Prince Andrew met with Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul.
Prince Andrew, who will be received by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on Tuesday, will also meet with State Minister Kursad Tuzmen and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler the same day. Prince Andrew will also visit Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Oil Terminal Zone in southern Adana province.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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''WE HAVE BEEN PAYING PRICE OF OUR BETRAYAL TO OTTOMAN EMPIRE''
Turkey-Palestine Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group Chairman Huseyin Tanriverdi has given information about the group's visit to Palestine last week. Recalling that they had also met with Palestinian Minister Salim Tamari, Tanriverdi quoted him as saying, ''we could not evaluate the real worth of the Ottoman Empire. We betrayed it. Now, we have been continuing to pay the price of this betrayal.'' Tanriverdi added, ''bloodshed and acts of violence in Palestine should be put an end immediately. If acts of violence continue, distressing developments will occur not only in Palestine, but in the whole Middle East. Turkey should intervene by preserving its historical and cultural ties and its powerful position.''

(UK-EÖ-AÖ) 25.05.2004