ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on July 16, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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HOW DID YOU GET TO KNOW ME?
Underworld boss Alaattin Cakici who fled to Europe and changed his guise asked police how they got to know him when he was captured near Graz city of Austria. Austrian anti-terror teams called Eco-Cobra together with Turkish police officers stopped an automobile on southern motorway outside Graz and asked the Turkish police officers if they sought the man inside the car. Turkish police officers hesitated as they were at first not sure about him who weighs 110 kilograms, dyed his hair and wore a baseball hat and sun-glasses. So the Austrian police allowed Cakici to go. However, teams got suspicious after the car entered the wrong way. Eco-Cobra teams who wanted to stop the car opened warning fire in the air when Cakici attempted to flee. When he was taken outside the car, Cakici told Turkish police officers, ''congratulations, you busted me again. How did you get to know me?'' Cakici had a ''green passport'' bearing the name Faik Meral. Police suspect that Faik Meral might have been a retired member of the Turkish Intelligence Organization (MIT). After his first flee abroad, Cakici traveled in Europe with a ''red passport'' he obtained from MIT's former director Yavuz Atac.
IMF TO CONVENE ON JULY 30
International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Foreign Relations Director Tom Dawson said that the IMF Executive Directors Board was planning to discuss Turkey's economic situation in a meeting on July 4 under Article 4 consultations. He said they hoped the meeting on eighth review of stand-by deal would be held the same day. The letter of intent under the eighth review was sent to the IMF yesterday. After the IMF Executive Directors Board approves the eighth review, nearly 670 million U.S. dollars tranche of loan will be lent to Turkey.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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ALCOHOLIC DRINKS ARE DIFFERENT
''Alcoholic drinks contradict the public area,'' said the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) parliamentarians as a support to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who wants ''freedom to Islamic-style headscarf'' and ''ban on alcoholic drinks'' in public areas. Erdogan who banned alcoholic drinks at municipal facilities while he was serving as the Istanbul Mayor and wants freedom to Islamic-style headscarf today, got support of AK Party deputies. Opinions of AK Party deputies: Avni Dogan (from Kahramanmaras): Alcohol is a different thing. It is an hazardous habit. It contradicts the public areas which should be the areas where freedoms exist the much. If a place offers social services, it should fulfill requirements of social service. In municipalities, you can't force people not to have alcoholic drinks. Nusret Bayraktar (from Istanbul): People should be free as long as they don't disturb others in public areas. Eyup Sanay (from Ankara): Today public means the society and all places that are used in common. Streets are public areas. There was not a ban on alcoholic drinks in public areas. Cavit Torun (from Diyarbakir): There are not specific rules about what things are done and are not done in public areas. People should freely use their rights and freedoms in an environment where they don't hurt others. It is said that 'headscarf is banned here, but it is not banned there'. It is the same for alcoholic drinks. There is not any rule which bans headscarf in the Presidential Palace.
GUL MEETS EU ENERGY COMMISSIONER
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul met EU Commission Vice-President and Energy and Transportation Commissioner Loyola de Palacio in Ankara. Gul said he hoped Turkey's efforts for adjustments under fulfillment of EU criteria would be reflected objectively in the Progress Report that would be released in October. Expressing concerns over possibility of orientating the Ukraine-Europe energy route towards the Turkish Straits, Gul said such a decision would cause serious increase in number of tankers crossing the straits. And Palacio said Turkey is an important and strategic country for the EU.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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MINISTER CELIK: I DIDN'T MEDIATE FOR BAYRAM
Former parliamentarian Mustafa Bayram's son was caught red-handed by Malatya police in an operation against illicit drug smuggling. But he was taken away from traffic police building in eastern province of Van by armed men, and this event is called ''Second Susurluk Scandal''. National Education Minister Huseyin Celik accepted that he talked to Mustafa Bayram on the phone but denied that he mediated with police for his son. ''We were returning to Van after we laid foundation of several schools in Ercis and Caldiran towns of Van on July 7. Van Governor Mr. Hikmet Tan was together with me inside the same car. I was informed that Van's Edremit town Mayor Hecer Bayram was insistently calling me. I dialed the number that was given to me. I understood that it was former Van parliamentarian Mustafa Bayram whom I telephoned. Bayram told me that his son was kidnapped by gangs and they wanted ransom. And I told him that I would inform the governor and police chief on the event. He told me that the police chief already knew about it. Later, I called Van Police Chief Mr. Tacettin Kurt and he briefed me on the event.''
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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EU GIVES NEW LIST
EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen gave Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul a ''list of deficiencies'' for a ''smooth'' progress report. The list includes new legal arrangements about judicial independence, basic freedoms, army's role in politics, situation in southeast and cultural rights. About implementation, it requests Turkey to take steps in many fields like consolidation of freedom of expression and freedoms of religious minorities. EU diplomats say that a ''watered down'' date or a date ''on condition'' would appear if Turkey fails to complete those deficiencies.
OLMERT NOT HEEDS GUL
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave Ankara the message that they won't change Palestinian territories. Evaluating Turkey's mediation proposals which Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul brought onto the agenda again, Olmert said that at the moment, neither Turkey nor the United States can do something more.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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IT IS NOT EUROPE BUT ANKARA, NOT ECHR BUT SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS The Criminal Department no:8 of the Supreme Court of Appeals overruled a punishment given for ''crime of thought'', on the reason that ''also the thoughts which anger the majority of people benefit freedom of thought. This helps social development.'' The decision of the department which was taken unanimously and in light of ECHR Convention said, ''individuals define themselves, perceive others and make their life meaningful thanks to freedom of expression. Varity of thoughts boosts national development and democracy. However, expressions which spread hatred, incite violence and cause use of violence are outside this freedom as they pose concrete threat against public order.''
OLMERT: THERE IS NO DIALOGUE WITH PALESTINE
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert responded to recommendation for peace: ''There is not a dialogue with Palestine. Peace with Syria is not a priority. Turkey can play role only in the future.''
THERE IS NO PUBLIC AREA IN CONSTITUTION
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc was involved in debates on public areas: ''Nobody can't impose a concept which is not defined in the Constitution and laws, with his own thoughts.''
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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SCARY REPORT
According to a survey by Health Ministry and United Nations, one out of every ten high-school students smoke cigarettes or use illicit drugs. Almost half of those students who are 16 years of age are smokers and drink alcohol. Most of them are drug addicts.
INSOLENT BRITON
A BBC reporter revealed a scandal with a hidden camera. He attended a secret meeting of Nationalist Party leader Nick Griffin. In the meeting, Griffin insulted Islam. He defined Islam as a ''devilish religion and spread hatred by saying, ''stand up and stop Muslims.'' Nick Griffin is known with his attacks especially on Islam and Muslims. Meanwhile, Steve Barkham, a party member, said during that meeting, ''I beat a Muslim in such a way that he could not even identify me.''
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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TURKISH SOLDIERS GO TO ANY PLACE THEY WANT IN AFGHANISTAN
Turkey's insistence on not sending a provincial reconstruction team to any place outside Takhar region in Afghanistan gave result. The United States shed green light to dispatch of Turkish troops to this region. It was mentioned that the U.S. administration which earlier opposed to deployment of Turkish troops in Takhar region as it was previously included in German zone made an apology to Turkey and changed its mind. Ankara prefers Takhar region as it has Uzbek, Turkmen and Tajik origin population. Third Army Corps of the Turkish Armed Forces will take over command of ISAF in February 2005.
(MS-AÖ) 16.07.2004