ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on June 7, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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NEGOTIATION TOUR IN JULY
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit 25 European Union (EU) member countries, especially the old, big and influential ones, before the EU summit in December in which EU countries will decide whether or not to give Turkey a negotiation date. Erdogan, who will meet with EU heads of states and governments in July, will explain the steps which Turkey has taken to meet Copenhagen criteria, legal arrangements and the determination of the government in implementation.

550 MILLION DOLLARS OF BUSINESS IN AFGHANISTAN
The financial amount of projects which Turkish contractors have undertaken in Afghanistan under reconstruction works has reached to 550 million U.S. dollars. Turkish contractors undertook 37 different projects including construction of tunnels, dams, irrigation canals and hotels.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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HUGE ECONOMY IN UNDERGROUND
Ankara Chamber of Commerce's report, titled ''Our Life is Mafia'', showed that the capital city of mafia, which has nearly 100 fields of action, is Istanbul. According to the report, underground economy of Turkey takes 60 billion dollars of share from world organized crime economy worth of one trillion U.S. dollars. This amount is one fourth of Turkish national income worth of 238 billion U.S. dollars and also it exceeds half of the budget of 2004 worth of 100 billion dollars.

CARAMANLIS: YOUR CULTURE BRINGS RICHNESS
Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis responded harshly to those who claim that Turkey does not have a place within the European Union (EU) in the aspect of culture. Caramanlis said that Greek, Turkish and French cultures have their own features, adding that values uniting Turks and Greeks were today more than values separating them.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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2B DOUBLES IMF
Turkish Environment and Forestry Minister Osman Pepe said, ''give me Istanbul, Antalya, Mugla and Mersin, and I will acquire more money than we get from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).'' Pepe claimed that Turkey would gain 5 billion U.S. dollars in the first year if it sold treasury lands which could no more be called as forests. The law which foresaw sale of such treasury lands was vetoed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

HELICOPTERS FROM RUSSIA IN RETURN FOR LOAN
Turkish Environment and Forestry Minister Osman Pepe said that there was need for helicopters to fight against forest fires, and added, ''I will buy helicopters from Russia in return for its Eximbank loan debts.''

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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GOVERNMENT EMPTIES SIS
The bill on Turkish statistics which is prepared in line with European Union (EU) adjustment works is paving the way for Justice and Development Party (AK Party) to appoint its supporters to positions in public sector. If the bill is adopted, 900 people working in the State Institute of Statistics (SIS) headquarters will be sent to the regional offices and AK Party supporters will be appointed to the vacant positions.

U.S. OBSTACLE AT BORDER
Turkey wants to open Ovakoy Border Gate to reduce burden on Habur Border Gate and to put an end to Iraqi Kurdistan Democracy Party's (IKDP) attempts to get fees from Turkish trucks which are passing through the region. But, Turkey can't get a positive response from the United States to open this second border gate due to the pressure of Iraqi Kurds on this country. Washington is trying to put off the issue, by not giving any response to Turkey's application made two months ago to open Ovakoy Border Gate.

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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MESSAGE FROM GREEK PRIME MINISTER TO EU: TURKEY WILL ENRICH EU WITH ITS CULTURE
Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis said that cultural differences were not obstacle but an advantage to provide cooperation among different nations and to create a common European identity. Caramanlis gave a response to those who said that Turkey culturally did not have any place in the European Union (EU). Caramanlis said that they wanted nations to create a ''European identity'' without losing their characteristics. Caramanlis noted that Greek, Turkish and French cultures had their own characteristics and stressed that cultural differences were not obstacle but an advantage to provide cooperation among different nations and to create a common European identity. Reiterating his support to developments in Turkey, Caramanlis said that European Turkey was for everybody's interest.

BARGAINING WITH IMF TO POSTPONE REPAYMENT OF DEBTS
Turkey and International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation will meet on Tuesday to renew the stand-by agreement which will end in 2005. Turkish officials will ask the IMF to delay repayment of its 19.5 million U.S. dollars of debt foreseen to be paid back within two years.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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THANKS FROM TALAT TO ERDOGAN
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat visited Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. Talat said, ''we are pleased with your statements that the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) will recognize TRNC. This is very important. I thank you on behalf of my people for your support and for initiatives of Foreign Minister Gul.''

GREEK CYPRIOT TRICK
Greek Cypriot administration led by Tassos Papadopoulos blocked the paragraph in the European Union (EU) report which commits that promises made to Turkey would be kept and which is expected to be unveiled on June 17, showing Ankara's move to exclude the Greek Cypriot side from the Customs Union. The paragraph said that if Turkey fulfills Copenhagen criteria, the negotiations will start.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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IMF DELEGATION TO START MEETINGS IN ANKARA TOMORROW
International Monetary Fund (IMF) headed by Turkey Desk Chief Reza Moghadam will start meetings in Ankara tomorrow. The delegation, which came to Istanbul on June 2, has been holding meetings with the representatives of business, finance and academy circles, and non-governmental organizations since June 3.

(BRC-GC) 07.06.2004