ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on June 14, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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TURKEY TO RESOLVE ''ASSOMPSION'' NOW
Turkey which has resolved many problems in its adjustment to the European Union (EU) will make a decision about right to use a precious land belonged to the ''Assompsion'' (Virgin Mary's ascending to the Heaven) Priests' Society. The relevant decree is expected to be brought onto agenda of the Council of Ministers today. Deed of the land was cancelled in 1993. The Assompsion applied to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 1998, and claimed that the land, which was granted them by the Ottoman sultan 145 years ago. Turkey proposed friendly settlement in 2000.

MIT TO BRING KAPLAN IN
German Die Welt Newspaper claimed that the Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT) could take Metin Kaplan, the head of Cologne-based Association of Islamic Organizations and Communities, to Turkey in an operation. The newspaper noted that Kaplan could become free in Germany on July 27, adding, ''a representative of the Turkish secret service said that they thought the package could be taken to Turkey in July. The package means Kaplan. Kaplan took over leadership of the association on his father's death in 1995. He was sentenced to four-year imprisonment in Germany for incitement to murder his rival Ibrahim Sofu. He was released after serving his imprisonment term. His calls for the violent overthrow of the secular Turkish state and its replacement with an Islamic regime have made him a wanted man in Turkey.''

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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ERDOGAN GETS ANGRY
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a panel discussion in the United States on the issue of ''Middle East''. When Jane Harmon, a member of the U.S. Congress, talked about moderate Islam, Prime Minister Erdogan reacted that Islam could not be moderate. Prime Minister Erdogan also reacted to Prof. Dr. Bernard Lewis who used the expression of ''Islamic terror''. Erdogan said that it was extremely heinous to connect the Islam with terrorism.

''WE CAN WITHDRAW SOLDIERS FOR EU''
During a meeting between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on June 6, measures to be taken for the European Union (EU) membership were taken up in detail. The sides discussed possibility of withdrawing a symbolic number of soldiers from Cyprus to get a date from the EU in December for the opening of accession talks between Turkey and the EU. Sources said that the symbolic number could be 5 thousand.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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TWO TERRORISTS KILLED
In an operation in southeastern province of Bingol, two terrorists were killed. The two came to a gendarmarie facility in Yenisehir neighborhood in Bingol to stage a bomb attack. When gendarme forces warned the terrorists, clash erupted. Terrorists were killed in the clash. Tight security measures were taken in the province.

TREASURY TO HOLD THREE AUCTIONS THIS WEEK
Treasury will hold three auctions to sell bonds and state notes this week. Treasury will hold 91-day Turkish lira (TL) reference bond auction on Monday. The bonds will be issued on June 16, 2004 and repaid on September 15, 2004. Treasury will hold auction on June 15 to sell state notes denominated in Turkish lira (TL) with a coupon interest payment once in three months and 385-day discounted state notes. State notes denominated in TL with a coupon interest payment will be issued on June 16 and repaid on June 14, 2006. 385-day discounted state notes will be issued on June 16 and repaid on June 6, 2005.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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OIC FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING TO START TODAY
Foreign ministers of member countries to the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) will start in Istanbul today. Cyprus, Palestine, Iraq and the Greater Middle East Initiative will be high on agenda of the meeting. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is expected to be defined as ''Turkish Cypriot State'' at the meeting. Meanwhile, the OIC will chose its new secretary general. Turkey will compete with Malaysia and Bangladesh for the position.

MODERATE EARTHQUAKE DAMAGES 100 HOUSES
A moderate earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale in Maden town of eastern province of Elazig on Saturday. More than 100 houses suffered damage in the earthquake. The Turkish Red Crescent sent 100 tents, 500 blankets and foodstuff to the region.

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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ERDOGAN REACTS TO EXPRESSION OF ''MODERATE ISLAM''
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted to the expressions of ''moderate Islam'' and ''Islamic terror''. Prime Minister Erdogan attended a panel discussion in the United States in which the recent developments in the Middle East were taken up. During the panel discussion, Prime Minister Erdogan reacted to Jane Harmon, a member of the U.S. Congress, and Prof. Dr. Bernard Lewis. He stressed, ''we cannot talk about moderate Islam since the Islam already rejects extremism.''
ZANA: ''IT IS TIME FOR PEACE''
Leyla Zana, the former deputy of Democracy Party (DEP) who was released from prison last week, addressed people in southeastern province of Diyarbakir. Calling out to the terrorist organization of PKK, Zana said that cease-fire should be maintained for at least six months. She added that efforts to provide peace should be exerted with friendly Turkish people.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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ARINC: BEING A FULL MEMBER OF EU WAS OUR 40-YEAR OLD TARGET
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, within the scope of his visit to Germany, held his first meeting with chairmen of German Turk associations.
Arinc said, ''Turkey's 40 year of target was to be a full member of the European Union (EU). It is impossible for us to give up this target. All the governments in Turkey progressed toward this goal. Some mistakes were made. If those mistakes had not been done, we could have been a full member of the EU when Greece entered the EU.''

STATE WILL BE TRANSPARENT FROM NOW ON
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy chairman Bulent Gedikli said, ''quality service will be given to the citizens for every tax paid by the citizens. Information will be given to everybody and public while public services are being given. I mean the government will be transparent. We will be in an effort to reduce corruption even if we can not put an end to it.''

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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TURKEY EXPECTS DOUBLE GOOD NEWS FROM OIC
Turkey, which hosts three-day foreign ministers meeting of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) waits for support from the organization on Cyprus and for the office of secretariat general.
A decision is expected to be issued from the OIC at the end of comprehensive talks for TRNC to be called as ''Cyprus Turk State'' in OIC meetings from now on.
Also, it seems as a great possibility for Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu to be elected as secretary general of the OIC.

FROM ERDOGAN TO BERNARD LEWIS: ''YOU CAN NOT SAY 'ISLAMIC TERRORISM'''
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who addressed the ''Middle East'' panel discussion in Academy of Achievement in Chicago, made warnings about ''terrorism and Islam''.
Erdogan in his speech opposed to the descriptions of Middle East expert Bernard Lewis like ''moderate Islam and Islamist terrorism''.
Erdogan said, ''Turkey is not a country where moderate Islam prevails. Before all, moderate Islam definition is wrong. The word Islam is clear. If you say moderate Islam, it will have alternatives. As a Muslim, I can not accept such a concept. Islam rejects extremism. I'm not an extremist Muslim.''

(UK-AY-AÖ) 14.06.2004