ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on July 12, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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WEDDING LIKE SUMMIT
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's daughter Esra and Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak columnist Sadik Albayrak's son Erat Albayrak married before a president, a king and two prime ministers. Six statesmen acted as witness at the marriage in the Lutfi Kirdar Center in Istanbul yesterday: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, King Abdullah of Jordan, Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis, Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc and Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. There were also a number of foreign and Turkish guests including ministers, parliamentarians and bureaucrats.
TURKISH-ITALIAN COOPERATION AGAINST CHINA
Turkish and Italian shoe manufacturers are planning to join forces against China which has become nightmare of shoe manufacturers after textile producers. Italy, the leader of shoe sector in the world, has started to show close interest in Turkey which has the second biggest capacity in Europe after itself. Representatives of Turkish shoe sector met Association of Italian Shoe Manufacturers Chairman Antonio Brotini and presented him a cooperation plan. According to the plan under the slogan of ''Italian design and Turkish technology resist against China'', Turkish and Italian manufacturers will hold mutual meetings and seek opportunities of joint production in Turkey.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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I DIDN'T KNOW WHOM I KILLED
Hizbullah trigger man Mehmet Ali Gecer whom the police claimed to have murdered nine people said, ''I got to learn about the people whom I killed from the newspapers the day after.'' During the interrogation at the police headquarters, Gecer was claimed to have said, ''I didn't know whom I shot dead at that moment. I was learning about them from the newspapers the day after.'' Gecer who had been expelled from Germany was detained at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport on July 7, 2004. Sources said that Gecer told the police that he joined Hizbullah as he was a believer. ''My military superiors were showing photos of the people they wanted me to kill. After killing them, I was following the news reports in the press to know about whom I killed.'' Gecer said that Hizbullah had ordered killing of many people who were PKK sympathizers or did not adopt Islamic life in Mardin, Batman and Diyarbakir. Gecer was claimed to have said, ''my acts did not have any link to Islam. I am very regretful.''
POPE DUE TO ISTANBUL
Italian La Repubblica newspaper reported that Pope Jean Paul II was planning to pay a visit to Istanbul to recover relations with the Orthodox world upon invitation of Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew. the newspaper reported, ''Pope looks to the east from his residence in Val d'Aosta. He is thinking about visiting Istanbul in November. By accepting Patriarch Bartholomew's invitation, he has the intention of paying this visit.'' Patriarch Bartholomew invited Pope Jean Paul II to Turkey during his visit to Rome in the first week of the month.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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POLICE ACCUSE POLICE
Shocking words from the Malatya police about the Van scandal: ''Van Police Department told us to bring the suspect to the traffic station. Ten minutes later, the station was raided.'' Secrets of the scandal of taking a suspect away from the police with a tribal raid in eastern province of Van were brought to light. A police officer from the Malatya Police Department that captured former deputy Mustafa Bayram's son Hamit Bayram for illicit drug smuggling summarized the event: ''Van police wanted us to hand over Hamit Bayram to them at the Regional Traffic Station in Van. We were eight men. Our chief went to the Van Police Department. Ten minutes after we arrived there, tens of men in black suit came to the station with jeeps. We thought them they were from the Van Narcotic Branch. Because, they easily got inside although there was sentry and they found us easily.'' Hamit Bayram is still wanted by the police.
JURISDICTION MONITORED BY EU
Ankara is going to host important guests from Brussels tomorrow ahead of Progress Report which determines whether or not the EU will set date for opening of entry talks at December summit. EU commission jurists Kjell Bjonberg and Paul Richmond who criticized judicial system in Turkey still hold meetings at the Justice Ministry. Bjonberg and Richmond visited Turkey in last September and October.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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ISLAMIC HEAD-SCARF UNEASINESS
Basic text of the Progress Report in which the EU Commission focuses on the reforms in Turkey was completed. The report does not mention the issue of Islamic style head-scarf which is not assessed within framework of the religious freedoms. A high level EU diplomat said, ''the government maintains discussions on the Islamic-style head-scarf, which causes criticisms and doubts in the EU circles. It creates negative impression ahead of the decision on Turkey in December.'' In the EU report, harsh criticisms are made against Turkey about ''limitations on freedoms of religious minorities, failure in providing judicial independence, human rights violations and use of excessive force by police''. The report which is going to be released in October will affect EU leaders' decision on Turkey in December.
NAME WHOSE WIFE DOES NOT WEAR ISLAMIC HEAD-SCARF IS SOUGHT
Work behind the scenes has started in the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) for election of the Parliament Speaker in the new period. Vecdi Gonul, Murat Basesgioglu, Koksal Toptan and Mehmet Dulger are the names for the new Parliament Speaker. The point they have in common is that their wives do not wear Islamic-style headscarf.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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UNESCO GIVES TWO YEARS TO ISTANBUL
At its meeting in China the UNESCO Committee for Protection of Cultural Heritage gave Istanbul two years for protection of historical works. The committee will convene again in 2006 and decide to include Istanbul in the ''Endangered World Heritage List'' if Istanbul fails to make progress. Officials said such a development might negatively affect tourism. Meanwhile, according to the World Tourism Organization, Turkey will draw 17.1 million tourists in 2010 and 27 million tourists in 2020. The organization estimates that Turkey's tourism revenues would reach 19.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2020.
IT SUITS AEGEAN
The ''Peace March'' which was written 4500 years ago and found 104 years ago during excavations in Crete was sung for the first time in Greece by a Turkish singer. A 35-member chorus and 15-member orchestra accompanied Birgun Suaric who sang the march that was composed by Zahos Terzakis. Suraic who sang the march during a ceremony to mark return of Olympic torch to Greece said, ''I feel like I am at home.''
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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GOOD NEWS TO ISTANBUL
Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas targets radical solution to traffic problem. Topbas who said before he was elected the mayor, ''our first job will be to solve Istanbul's traffic problem'' is going to put his projects into practice. Topbas is planning to construct subway and trolley routes throughout Istanbul. Those projects which are planned to be completed in 2007 are estimated to cost nearly 3.6 billion U.S. dollars. International tenders will be opened for those projects.
THEIR YEARNING FOR TURKISH ENDS
Teaching of Turkish language courses which were banned during Saddam regime in Iraq resumed in Baghdad. Turkmens showed great interest in the courses opened by the Iraqi Turkmen Front. Turkmen said, ''these days are like a dream to us.''
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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SECURITY GUARD WHO SAVED NATO SUMMIT AWARDED
The security guard working for a private company was awarded as he prevented a serious disaster by founding the bomb that was left in parking lot of the Istanbul's Ataturk Airport before the NATO Summit. He was given prize money by his boss and presented a shirt by Airport Police Chief Ercan Cakmak. Meanwhile, Deputy Governor Murat Yildirim sent a ''certificate of commendation'' to the private security company for their security guard who declined to be identified.
(MS-AÖ) 12.07.2004