ANKARA (AA) - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on December 29th, 2004. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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NEW MINIMUM WAGE SET
During yesterday's meeting, the Minimum Wage Fixing Commission increased the minimum wage 10.3 percent to 350 million Turkish liras. The new minimum wage will enter into force as of January 1st, 2005.
TWO MILD EARTHQUAKES JOLT MARMARIS
Two mild earthquakes measuring 4.2 and 3.1 on the Richter scale jolted resort town of Marmaris in western city of Mugla overnight. Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory & Seismology Institute centered the quakes in Marmaris. There were not any immediate reports of casualties.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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ABDULLAH GUL ASSURANCE TO ISRAEL
Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul will give the message ''relations are solid'' to Israel after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's accusations ''state terrorism'' caused a confidence crisis.
Gul will pay his visit to Tel Aviv, which was awaited for two years, between January 4th and 5th. At the visit Gul will give the message that relations between the two countries were settled on a solid background.
Gul will meet senior Israeli officials during the visit.
41 TURKS ARE MISSING
There is still no news from 41 Turkish citizens although signals are coming from 3,244 mobile phone subscribers. It was reported that all of them may not be in the quake stricken region.
Number of Turkish citizens, who are reported to be in the quake region was announced as 41 recently.
Foreign Ministry said no news could be obtained from Turkish 18 Turkish citizens in Thailand, 3 in Sri Lanka, 3 in Singapore, 3 in Myanmar, 6 in Malaysia, 2 in the Maldives, 1 in Indonesia, and six in India. It was also reported that two Turkish citizens were treated in hospital in Phuket island in Thailand and they were reported to be in good health condition.
Meanwhile mobile phone operators Turkcell, Telsim and Avea set up special teams for their subscribers who could reach the quake zone and continue their efforts to get information about their condition.
Signals could be get from 3, 244 subscribers however all those people should not be perceived as being stranded in the quake region as the regions where signals could be obtained also include the regions which were not affected by the quake.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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ERBAKAN SAVED FROM PRISON
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer ratified the Criminal Execution Law which approved by the parliament just before the EU Summit on December 17th. The law saved Necmettin Erbakan, the former leader of the outlawed Welfare Party (RP), from prison since it envisages house arrest. If Erbakan, who was sentenced to 2 years and 4 months in prison on charges of ''forgery in documents'' in the case known as ''lost trillion'', pays 1 trillion Turkish lira, he will serve his imprisonment term at his house.
ARCELIK AWARDED BY JAPAN
Japanese Institute of Planned Maintenance presented Arcelik, a leading Turkish durable goods company, with the ''Perfect Factory Award''. Earlier, Arcelik won two other international awards
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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THERE ARE TURKISH CITIZENS AMONG THOSE DIED
New York Times said Sri Lanka government reported that around 200 tourists died during the quake. The newspaper, basing on an official of Thailand, said there were Turkish citizens among those died. The Turkish Airlines (THY) plane, which was sent to the region, came back by bringing 13 passengers including three football players, one fashion model.
NUMBER OF EXPERTS TO BE INCREASED TO 400
Turkey will make a new structuring to carry out the negotiations which will start with the European Union (EU) on October 3rd.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul will determine the new ''chief negotiator''.
Number of experts, currently 60, is planned to be increased to 400.
Turkey, in its negotiation process with the EU, should transfer EU acquisitions, extending from health to education and agriculture to energy, to its national regulations.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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DISCUSSION BETWEEN BAYKAL AND ERDOGAN
The parliamentary session over the budget for the year 2005 turned into a discussion between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who also acts as leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), and Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal. Baykal accused the government of being willing to give up Cyprus. Prime Minister Erdogan, in response, said that Baykal was misinformed about the government's foreign and economy policies.
41 TURKISH CITIZENS STILL MISSING
41 Turkish people have still been missing in the quake-stricken southern Asia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that 18 Turks in Thailand, 6 in Malaysia, 6 in India, 3 in Myanmar, 3 in Sri Lanka, 2 in Maldives, 2 in Singapore, and 1 Turk in Indonesia have been reported missing. Meanwhile, two Turkish citizens have been hospitalized in the resort island of Phuket, Thailand. They were reported in good health.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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CYPRUS CAN NOT BE SACRIFICED
Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul stressed once again that sacrificing Cyprus could not be in question during full membership negotiations.
Speaking at a program in TGRT NEWS TV, Gul said signing of the protocol which would make Customs Union valid also for 10 new partners would not mean recognition of Greek Cypriot side.
Gul said, ''this can not be described as recognition. Recognizing Greek Cypriot side will mean we do not recognize Turkish Cypriots and will mean that Turkey will withdraw Turkish soldiers from the Island and this is impossible.''
NSC TO CONVENE ON THURSDAY
National Security Council (NSC) will convene on Thursday under the chairmanship of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
The regular meeting will start at 13.30 local time and foreign and domestic developments will be assessed.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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ARMITAGE DUE IN TURKEY
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage will come to Turkey on January 2nd, 2005. Armitage is expected to meet Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul on January 3rd. Recent developments in Iraq will be high on agenda of meetings of Armitage with Turkish officials. During the talks, the Turkish party is expected to express its uneasiness about security of Turkish citizens in Iraq in the wake of the terrorist attack on Turkish security guards in Mosul on December 17th, and the failure of the United States to launch a concrete fight against the terrorist organization PKK/KADEK.
YENI SAFAK (CONSERVATIVE)
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POLICE DETAINS DEMONSTRATORS
A group of 40 people came from southeastern city of Sanliurfa to Ankara to protest the ban on Islamic-style headscarves at universities. They launched a campaign at Ankara's Abdi Ipekci Park to collect signatures of people. Yesterday, they wanted to present their petition signed by 100 thousand people to the Parliamentary Human Rights Inquiry Commission. Security forces intervened in the group, and detained 8 of them.
DENKTAS ''I AM NOT AGAINST EU''
President Rauf Denktas of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said that he was not against the EU. ''However, Greece has been using the EU for its own purposes about Cyprus. A solution can be reached in the island only on the basis of recognition of two sovereign states,'' he added.
2004-12-29