SEZER URGES IMPROVED HEALTH CARE
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday attended a ceremony at Hacettepe University’s Culture Center, marking Turkey’s March 14 Medical Day. Speaking at the ceremony, Sezer said that Turkey should reach for international standards in health care, address deficiencies in its healthcare system and make health services available to all. Sezer stressed that it was a basic duty of the state to provide the nation with a socio-economic and cultural environment which will help individuals lead healthy, high-quality lives. “It’s very important to raise the standards of living of healthcare workers and to better arrange their working hours to boost their productivity,” added Sezer. In related news, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoga yesterday issued a written statement marking the occasion, saying that the government was working very hard to make sure all citizens benefit equally from healthcare services. /Cumhuriyet/

SEZER’S DAMASCUS VISIT STILL ON TRACK
Despite Washington’s expectations for President Ahmet Necdet Sezer to cancel or postpone his scheduled visit to Damascus, the official visit is still a go. In his visit, Sezer will personally call on Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to withdraw Syria’s troops from Lebanon. Sezer will also urge Damascus to consider US and EU requests. US sources reportedly said that Sezer’s call for Syria to comply with the international community’s wishes would be welcomed. In related news, US Ambassador in Ankara Eric Edelman said yesterday that the international community should be in full consensus on the need to implement UN Resolution 1559. /Hurriyet/

ERDOGAN SIGNS COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT FOR RURAL SERVICES DIRECTORATE
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday signed a collective agreement for workers serving at the Rural Services Directorate General. State Minster Mehmet Ali Sahin and Turkish Trade Unions (TURK-IS) head Salih Kilic attended the signing ceremony. /Star/

IN LONDON, GUL PROMOTES INVESTMENT, MEETS WITH STRAW TO SEEK SUPPORT FOR ANKARA’S EU BID
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, currently in London for a three-day official visit, yesterday attended a meeting at information technology firm Bloomberg. Addressing the gathering, Gul said that Turkey had had difficulty attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and urged British businessmen to invest in Turkey, saying, “Thanks to reduced red tape, now our country is ripe for investment.” Gul stressed that the private sector was the engine of the country’s economy, adding that Ankara had carried out or was carrying out privatization in key sectors, including telecommunications, energy, oil, and air travel. Gul stated that the Turkish government had provided the nation with political, economic, and social standards. “Our standards will rise further with greater stability and peace in the region,” said Gul. He further stressed that Ankara would continue to work with the International Monetary Fund. Touching on Turkey’s European Union membership bid, Gul called the EU setting Oct. 3 as the beginning of Ankara’s accession talks on Oct. 3 a “wise decision.” Later, Gul met with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to discuss a number of issues, including bilateral relations. Speaking afterwards, Straw said that they had discussed Cyprus, the Middle East, and Turkey’s EU membership bid, adding that the EU decision to begin Ankara’s EU talks had been a historic one. “Turkey’s EU membership isn’t important for Turkey alone, but also for the EU and Britain,” he said. He further reiterated Britain’s support for the Ankara’s EU membership bid. For his part, Gul said that he appreciated the British support, adding that relations between the two countries would develop further. /Turkiye/

BUYUKANIT: “THE THREAT OF TERRORISM IS GROWING”
Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit warned yesterday that the threat of terrorism in Turkey is growing, adding that anti-terrorist efforts were a serious matter. “Our nation has forgotten the terror days of the past,” he said, adding that recently the number of terrorists had risen. “The issue is very serious since the number of weapons held by the terrorist PKK/KONGRA-GEL has increased to its 1999 level,” added Buyukanit. /Milliyet/

CICEK: “THE NEW TCK WILL GO INTO FORCE IN APRIL”
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said yesterday that new Turkish Penal Code (TCK) is a well-crafted law and will be put into force at the beginning of next month. Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting, Cicek pointed out that amendments to the TCK have been discussed for 20 years. “This is quite a long time to debate revisions,” said the justice minister. “By now, everybody should have long since weighed in.” Reiterating that the new law would be put into effect on April 1 as scheduled, Cicek said, “Of course there are certain shortcomings, but we will make new arrangements in time.” /Turkiye/

PARLIAMENT HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION ISSUES REPORT
Parliament Human Rights Commission Chairman Mehmet Elkatmis, a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy, yesterday spoke to reporters in Istanbul regarding the commission’s investigation of recent developments. Commenting on police intervention at a March 6 demonstration of women in Istanbul, Elkatmis said, “We watched footage of the events and decided that the police had used excess force on the demonstrators.” He added that such actions were wrong and that those responsible would be punished. On the other hand, remarking that the demonstration was held without permission and that the police were goaded to intervene by “highly provocative” attitudes, Elkatmis pointed to the timing of the demonstration. “It’s telling that it was held during the European Union Troika meeting in Ankara,” he said. In addition, Elkatmis stated that in the commission’s inspections of jails, childcare centers and hospitals, not a single serious human rights violation had been seen. /Turkiye/

ANKARA CRITICIZES HRW REPORT ON TURKEY
The Foreign Ministry yesterday criticized a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on the people displaced in southeastern Anatolia during the fight against the terrorist PKK. The New York-based group’s report entitled “Still Critical: Prospects in 2005 for Internally Displaced Kurds in Turkey” claimed that as many as 2 million people from some 3,000 villages had been forced from their homes to cut off local support for the PKK. The Foreign Ministry said that the report ignored Turkey’s good-faith efforts on the issue and was divorced from reality, adding that the negative attitude and style of the report – despite the fact that Ankara recently provided detailed information on the issue to HRW – indicated that the report had not been written in a constructive spirit. Turkish officials also mentioned that there have been noteworthy improvements over the last decade within the framework of the Return to Villages and Rehabilitation project. /Turkiye/

ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE JOLTS BINGOL
A strong earthquake shook eastern Turkey yesterday, damaging buildings and injuring at least 18 people, just two days after another quake in the region. Yesterday’s quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 and was centered in the rural province of Bingol, 430 miles east of Ankara. It struck at 3:55 am, and damaged about 400 houses in 24 villages, officials said. Authorities reported no deaths, but at least 18 people were injured. /Sabah/

TURKISH TRUCK DRIVER KILLED IN IRAQ
A Turkish truck driver was killed yesterday in Beyci, Iraq in a bomb attack. The truck was carrying supplies to a US base in the country. /Cumhuriyet/

TALABANI: “WE WANT GOOD RELATIONS WITH TURKEY”
We want good relations with Turkey, said Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) leader Jalal Talabani yesterday. “Turkey is also starting to favor a federal Iraq,” added Talabani. “This is an important step.” Talabani also said that Kurds’ negotiations with the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance are continuing. /Sabah/