ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on July 24, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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DOCUMENT ON LIE
A document with which the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) instructs the train drivers to increase the speed limit to 130 km/h leaked to the newspaper while all officials say, ''the train should have passed the region with a speed of 70-80 km/h.'' The voyage instructions for the train drivers clearly outlines the speeds for each region of the railway between Ankara and Istanbul. According to it, the train must pass the Mekece region where the derailment happened, with a speed of 130 km/h at 19:42 hours. Meanwhile, the train's speed should be dropped to 80 km/h ten kilometers away.
TRAIN DRIVERS ARRESTED
Train drivers Fikret Karabulut and Recep Sonmez and the conductor Koksal Coskun were arrested. Train drivers' lawyer said, ''the speed limit was not exceeded. My clients told that the speed was 105-110 km/h.'' Meanwhile, Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim said, ''although the train should have entered that curve with 80 km/h, it was 118 km/h according to voyage recorder.'' TCDD Director General Suleyman Karaman said, ''the train should have passed the region with 80 km/h.'' Acting Undersecretary and Crisis Management Desk Chairman Muammer Turker said, ''the place is appropriate to normal train speed.'' Meanwhile, it was proven that none of passengers were insured. However, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered officials to pay ''compensation'' to relatives of victims and to those who were injured.
THEY ARE BOTH FELLOW COUNTRYMEN AND FRIENDS
Both Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim and TCDD Director General Suleyman Karaman were born in Refahiye town of eastern province of Erzincan. They know each other since their childhood as they graduated from same school and worked as managers in the Istanbul Municipality while Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was serving as the Istanbul Mayor.
THEY SAID IT IS SAFE
A total of twenty-four people who ignored warnings of scientists signed a report which claims that the ''faster-than-normal'' train was ''safe''. The report which was prepared by those people who are called experts says, ''there is not any technical problem about an increase in speed of this train.'' Meanwhile, the latest numbers: 37 people were killed, 81 others were injured.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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THIS IS TURKEY
Political parties and non-governmental organizations called on those who were responsible for Thursday's train crash in northwestern Turkey to resign. However, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government dismissed calls for resignations. Prime Minister Erdogan scolded journalists who asked whether Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim would resign. The train's conductor and his assistant were detained for questioning after the derailment that left 37 people dead and 81 injured. Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal suggested the men were being made scapegoats.
MINISTERS DISCUSS TRAIN DERAILMENT
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and eleven members of the Council of Ministers conveyed yesterday to discuss details of Thursday's train crash in northwestern Turkey that claimed 37 lives. During their 3.5-hour meeting, the possibility of a sabotage was also taken up. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Erdogan criticized attitude of the press and the opposition.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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FAST CLEANING
Directorate General of Turkish Railways officials cleared away wreckage of the high-speed train which derailed on Thursday night in Pamukova town of northwestern province of Sakarya killing 37 people and injuring 81 others. Also, 150-meter part of the railway in the scene of the crash was replaced with new rails before investigation of the prosecutor. Both scientists and jurists described such fast cleaning as an effort to hide all the evidence.
PRIME MINISTER GETS ANGRY WITH UNUVAR
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan got angry with Ministry of Health Undersecretary Necdet Unuvar who announced the death toll in Thursday's train crash as 139. Unuvar said that the death toll was announced higher because of repeated counts of bodies by local officials.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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IRRESPONSIBILITY
Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim, who held a news conference 20 hours after the carnage of high-speed train claiming 37 lives, said that he would not resign. Noting that authorities were still investigating the cause of the crash, Yildirim said that the train had been traveling over the speed limit of 80 km/h. Yildirim kept conductors of the train responsible for the carnage. In fact, experts had called on the government to modernize the rail infrastructure before allowing the high-speed trains to travel. They also warned that the tracks were not up to standard.
CONSTITUTIONAL COURT RETURNS DECISION ABOUT YILMAZ AND TANER
The Constitutional Court sent back to parliament a general assembly decision asking former Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and former State Minister Gunes Taner to stand trial before the High Court, since it was not conform to judicial procedure. Constitutional Court Deputy Chief Judge Hasim Kilic said, ''there should have been separate voting for Yilmaz and Taner. However, the decision was made as a result of a single vote.''. Turkish Parliamentary General Assembly empowered on July 13th the Supreme Court to prosecute Yilmaz and Taner on charges of wrongdoing in Turkbank tender.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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SOMEBODY DECEIVES US
While Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim claimed, ''although the train should have entered that curve with 80 km/h, it was 118 km/h according to voyage recorder'' and kept conductors of the train responsible for the crash claiming 37 lives, railway labor union officials said that there were instructions for conductors to increase the speed limit to 130 km/h in the region where the crash occurred.
IMF TO DEBATE TURKEY
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board will debate the eighth review under the stand-by deal between Turkey and IMF on July 30. After approving the eighth review, the IMF Board is expected to release another tranche of loan of 670 million U.S. dollars.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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DON'T EXPLOIT ACCIDENT FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded harshly to criticisms: ''don't exploit the accident for political purposes. We can't find the truth as long as we act with ideological idee fixe. Must the government or a minister resign after every accident? More than ten similar accidents have happened since 1950 on the same railway but such resignations did not happen.'' Meanwhile, Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim who received most harsh criticisms after the train accident said, ''several academicians, politicians and civil organizations are misleading the people.''
IT HAPPENS IN EVERY COUNTRY
Although many people, particularly Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal claim, ''such an accident does not happen in another country'', five thousand people have died in last twenty years in similar accidents in the world despite high technology.
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS CONVENES FOR ACCIDENT
The Prime Minister and ministers who are in Ankara convened to assess the train accident. Expressing the uneasiness he felt over the derailment, Prime Minister Erdogan said the state would heal the wounds of the victims and their relatives.
RESURRECTION OF MOSTAR BRIDGE
The historical Mostar Bridge which was built in 1566 upon a firman by Ottoman Sultan Kanuni but bombarded 427 years later by Croatians was re-opened with a splendid ceremony yesterday.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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HIGH SPEED WAS CAUSE OF TRAIN DISASTER BUT THERE ARE NO RESPONSIBLES
It was proven that high speed was the cause of the train derailment, killing 37 people. The preliminary examination of the speed recorder which is called black box proved that train's speed was 118 km/h. However, there are two different claims about the speed limit in the area. Authorities say the train should not exceed speed limit of 80 km/h in the area while according to a sheet which is given to train drivers to instruct them on speed limits, the train can pass the area with a speed up to 130 km/h. Turkish State Railways (TCDD) officials defended themselves by saying, ''whatever the speed limit is, the train should take a curve with a speed below 80 km/h.'' Now, there is a question whether ''the train drivers'' or ''those who prepared the speed sheet'' are responsible.
THOSE WHO WANT ME TO RESIGN ARE MERCILESS
Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim held a press conference yesterday to respond to criticisms. ''It is a serious unfairness to accuse only institutions. Most of the accidents happen due to man mistakes. I am not a person who escapes as he can't stand stress and pressure. I defend and stand behind what I have done. The average speed of this train is 106 km/h. Meanwhile, it is not a speed train it is a faster-than-normal train.''
(UK-MS) 24.07.2004