ANKARA (CIHAN) - The Deputy Turkish Prime Minister, Abdüllatif Sener stated on Saturday that nearly one thousand firms seized by the Turkish Savings and Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) had made applications for the repayment of a total of 1 billion 350 million US dollars.
Sener held a press conference in the new prime ministry building in Ankara where he recalled that if firms paid 50 percent of their debts, then the other 50 percent would be canceled. He also declared that if debtors wanted to repay their debts within 24 months, they could repay 20 percent in cash and then a 30 percent discount would be allowed on the debts.
Minister Sener also stated that the opening of the Izmir Stock Exchange could take place in October.
Answering a question concerning the sale of the Star Newspaper which had belonged to the Uzan Group but later was seized by the TMSF, Sener said, "The studies of the TMSF concerning the newspaper are continuing. Previously, there were changes in the announced schedules but that is very normal in these studies being carried out in the framework of the law. We will sell the Star Newspaper to anyone who can give the determined value for the newspaper".
At the beginning of July, the TMSF had called on business people who owe money to banks transferred to the fund to apply within 15 days to repay their debts.
The applications of companies and institutions in debt to banks including Sümerbank (Sümerbank, Bank Kapital, Yaþarbank, Yurtbank, Egebank and Ulusalbank), Birleþik Etibank (Etibank, Interbank and Esbank), Kentbank, Ýktisat Bankasý, EGSBank, SiteBank, Bank Ekspres, Türk Ticaret Bankasý, Bayýndýrbank, Tariþbank, Pamukbank, Toprakbank and Demirbank - all of which have been transferred to the TMSF - will be evaluated up to September 30, 2004. Debtors will have to make their payments in cash before this date.