ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on October 11th, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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''IT IS HARD TO EXPLAIN''
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said about verdicts by two different courts, which led to disappearance of Sedat Peker, a notorious organized crime gang boss, ''these verdicts conform to the law, but it is difficult to explain them to our public opinion.'' Earlier, one of the courts decided to arrest Peker while the other released him.
TEN TURKISH WORKERS RELEASED IN IRAQ
Al Jazeera TV announced that 10 Turkish workers, who had been held hostage in Iraq for 40 days, were released by the Iraqi militant group.
TURKISH BUSINESSMEN TO DECORATE HOTELS IN KIEV
Turkish firms, which took part in the Home Textiles and Decoration Fair in Kiev, signed contracts with Ukrainian businessmen on decoration of five-star hotels. 60 Turkish firms displayed their goods at the fair. Turkish firms will decorate famous hotels such as Sheraton, Hilton, Holiday Inn and Marriot in Kiev.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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UNDER EVERY STONE
While police has been searching for Sedat Peker, a notorious organized crime gang boss, security officials have begun revealing his relations with governors, police chiefs, high-ranking military officials and jurists.
''ONE DAY WE WILL BE PLEASED WITH MIGRATION OF TURKS''
In an interview with the German Der Spiegel newspaper, European Union (EU) Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheuguen said that EU-member countries, one day, would need Turkey due to reducing population in Europe.
HEKIMOGLU DIES
Muserref Hekimoglu, an author and longtime journalist who founded and led Turkey's first private news agency, ANKA, died at the age of 82. Hekimoglu died of a heart failure and a liver problem in an Ankara hospital. Born in Istanbul in 1921, Hekimoglu began to write for the weekly Hayat magazine. In 1972, she helped found the Ankara-based ANKA.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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CLOSURE CASE AGAINST SEVEN POLITICAL PARTIES
The Constitutional Court will debate a closure case against seven political parties on October 14th. In the indictment, the Supreme Court of Appeals prosecutor claimed that those political parties including the Turkish Socialist Workers' Party, the Justice Party and the Revolutionary Socialist Workers' Party failed to attend last two general elections.
EU WANTS FREEDOM FOR GYPSIES
The European Commission said in its Progress Report for Turkey that the Gypsies could not use fully their cultural rights. The Commission criticized Turkey for not allowing the Gypsies to enter the country as migrants. As a result, the Prime Ministry Directorate of Human Rights have speeded up its works to improve citizenship and cultural rights of the Gypsies.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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GREECE: TURKEY SHOULD RECOGNIZE SOUTHERN CYPRUS
President Konstandinos Stephanopoulos of Greece said that they would assist Turkey in its European Union (EU) membership process, however, Turkey should recognize southern Cyprus.
VERHEUGEN: ONE DAY WE WANT TURKISH MIGRANTS
European Union (EU) Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said that they, one they, would want Turkish migrants due to reducing rates of birth and decreasing population in Europe. Verheugen said that the EU would play an important role in the world politics by accepting Turkey as one of its members.
KDP LEADER BARZANI ARRIVES IN ANKARA
Iraqi Kurdistan Democrat Party (KDP) leader Massoud Barzani arrived in Ankara. Barzani will hold a series of talks with high-level Turkish officials on Monday. During the talks, Ankara will explain its views about Iraq's future and Kirkuk's status.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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ECHR WARNS TURKEY ON THREE DIFFERENT ISSUES
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) President Luzius Wildhaber met Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Strasbourg last week. During the meeting, Wildhaber eulogized the reform process in Turkey, and underlined importance of three issues. One of those issues is lawsuits filed by Greek Cypriots who are not able to use their properties in northern Cyprus. The second issue is lawsuits filed by Turkish citizens who were forced to leave their villages due to acts of terrorism in the east and southeast of Turkey. And the third issue is the lawsuits filed by minorities in Turkey who were not granted the right to purchase properties.
EURASIA MARATHON RUN IN ISTANBUL
The 26th International Eurasia Marathon was run in Istanbul yesterday. Nearly 100 thousand people ran the marathon. David Kiptaniu of Kenya won the men's marathon while Svetlana Demidenko of Russia came on the first place in women's.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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TURKEY TO BECOME A BRIDGE OF ENERGY
While Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was holding talks with European Union (EU) officials in Strasbourg, an important report was presented to EU leaders. The report prepared by the Independent Turkey Commission, said that Turkey took place in the center of energy resources, which was of great importance in regard to the EU's future.
BARZANI SUMMONED TO TURKEY
Iraqi Kurdistan Democrat Party (KDP) leader Massoud Barzani, who said that Kurds would fight for Kirkuk, was summoned to Ankara. During his talks in Ankara, Barzani will be told, ''if Kirkuk's status is changed, Turkey will intervene.''
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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''OUR MEMBERSHIP WILL PREVENT CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS''
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey's membership to the European Union (EU) would prevent clash of civilizations.
TURKISH HOSTAGES FREED
Al-Jazeera TV said that it received a statement from Iraqi militant group saying that they had freed 10 Turkish hostages. Qatar-based TV channel said that the armed group of Salafist Brigades of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq released 10 workers for Turkish construction company VINSAN who had been under captivity for 40 days.
YENI SAFAK (CONSERVATIVE)
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''WE WILL ELIMINATE CRIMINAL GANGS''
Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said, ''Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and I made a decision about 7-8 months ago to launch large scale operations in Istanbul, Bolu, Balikesir, Bilecik, Trabzon, Konya and Kastamonu against criminal gangs. We are determined to eliminate all of them.''
SUMMER-TIME TO END ON OCTOBER 31ST
The day-light saving implementation will end on October 31st, 2004 as the clocks will be set back by one hour. The summer-time which was adopted together with the European countries, has been continuing since March 28th, 2004. A total of 6.2 billion kilowatt hours of energy has been saved with summer-time application from 1990 to 2003.
(UK-MS) 11.10.2004