ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on March 31st, 2005. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
ERDOGAN TO SAY LAST WORD
HURRIYET- Only a day is left to put heavy restrictions on freedom of the press, (ruling) Justice & Development Party (AKP) is thinking of delaying the new Turkish Penal Code (TCK). Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is on a tour of Africa, will say the last word.
WORLD, WAIT FOR US!
HURRIYET- They believed in themselves, and lit a victory fire. Our national soccer team defeated Georgia after Albania, and their target is to play in World Cup 2006.
MILLIYET- When Kahramanmaras chief prosecutor Durmus Akif Ozbek criticized the practices of the prosecutors and police, a crisis erupted between Interior Ministry and Justice Ministry. Ozbek published a directive and warned both the prosecutors and police. Interior Ministry expressed its uneasiness over the directive of Ozbek.
NUMBER OF AKP SEATS DECREASES TO 357
MILLIYET- Two deputies Ibrahim Ozdogan and Serpil Yildiz resigned from Justice and Development Party (AKP) yesterday, bringing the number of legislators who have left the party since February 15th to nine. The number of AKP's seats in the parliament decreased to 357. Ozdogan who was not persuaded by AKP deputies not to resign, issued a statement and said: ''we resigned because we wanted to protect ourselves from the rot inside the party.''
BARTHOLOMEW TO APPLY TO ECHR FOR ORPHANAGE
SABAH- The Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, which lost the legal fight against the Turkish Directorate of Foundations regarding the Greek Orthodox Orphanage on Buyukada, Istanbul, decided to apply to the European Court of Human Rights since the domestic legal means are exhausted. The legal process regarding the orphanage started on January 22nd, 1997. The Directorate General of Foundations filed a lawsuit against the Patriarchate on March 16th, 1999, saying that the Greek Orthodox Boys and Girls Orphanage Foundation was not working for philanthropic purposes. After it won the lawsuit, the Directorate General of Foundations included the orphanage among its buildings.
TURKISH PROFESSOR CAN'T BE SHARED
SABAH- Prof. Kamil Ugurbil, the head of the Magnetic Research Center of the Minnesota University in the United States who carried out researches on the secrets of the brain, received an offer from Germany. Ugurbil, who developed MR system which instantly shows images of the brain activities in this center in the United States, will establish a similar center in Germany. Germany has allocated 60 million Euro for this project.
POLITICS SEEMS FRAGMENTED
CUMHURIYET- The Justice and Development Party (AKP) seems to be in a dissolution process due to the surprising resignations from the party. The number of AKP seats in the parliament decreased to 357. The Motherland Party (ANAP) which has six seats in the parliament following the resignations, aims to have 30 deputies in the parliament in June. New resignations from the Republican People's Party (CHP) are also on the way.
EU: PORTS SHOULD BE OPENED
CUMHURIYET- Sources said that Turkey's not opening its ports to Greek Cypriot ships following Turkey's signing of additional protocol with EU can cause a political crisis. A high ranking EU official said that the issue was a very critical one and could cause a political problem in the future. The EU official added that customs union foresaw free movement of goods in EU. If Turkey does not allow Greek Cypriot ships to enter its ports, then some EU countries can think that Turkey does not implement the agreements it signed.
NSC SEARCHED, TURKS ARE FRIENDS OF AMERICANS
RADIKAL- Yigit Alpogan, secretary general of the National Security Council (NSC), corrected the survey carried out by British broadcasting corporation BBC which showed that ''82 percent of Turks are against (U.S. President George) Bush.'' Alpogan said, ''if the question is asked in a different way, I can say that this rate is about 18 percent.'' Alpogan told Radikal, ''if you ask 'do you like Bush?', 82 percent will respond negatively. But, if you ask 'what do you feel about the U.S. people?', only 18 percent will say 'I don't like them'.''
TWO MORE RESIGNATIONS FROM AKP
RADIKAL- Ibrahim Ozdogan and Serpil Yildiz, parliamentarians from the (ruling) Justice & Development Party (AKP), resigned from their party. Yildiz is expected to join the Motherland Party (ANAP), while Ozdogan would join the True Path Party (DYP).
TURKEY'S EFFORTS BEAR FRUIT
TURKIYE- Turkey's determined attitude made the Greek Cypriots take a backward step. Turkey's pressure bore fruit, and the Greek Cypriots consented to sitting at a negotiation table, leaving aside their obstinacy. As Athens supported Ankara, Greek Cypriot foreign minister Georgios Iacovou said, ''UN can resume negotiations in April.''
FREE TRADE PERIOD WITH MOROCCO
TURKIYE- Important agreements were signed during Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Morocco. Turkish-Moroccan Free Trade Agreement was passed from the Moroccan parliament a day before Erdogan's visit. The agreement which foresees mutual investments in areas of agriculture, health and highways, was also signed by Erdogan. Thus, a new period has started between the two countries.
SUB TUNNEL'S CONSTRUCTION TO STOP IF IT IMPEDES MIGRATION OF FISH
ZAMAN- Construction of Istanbul sub-tunnel project, which is one of the most important projects of Turkey, will start next month. However, sources said the construction of the project could stop as it is the season of the fish migration. Scientists said that the diggings in the sea can negatively affect the migration of the fish, recommending postponement of the works until the end of June.
PROSECUTORS ALSO UNEASY ABOUT NEW TCK
ZAMAN- The Turkish judicial system will face difficulties in process of adaptation to the new penal laws which will take effect on April 1st. Sources say that some of the members of the judiciary whose burden will increase significantly, will not bear it and want to resign. The criticisms are not mainly about the incorrectness of the laws, but also from the lack of necessary infrastructure for the new laws and insufficient number of personnel.
INCIRLIK BARGAINING BECOMES FIERCE
YENI SAFAK- It has been claimed that the United States used the so-called Armenian genocide regulation as a trump card in bargaining with Turkey since it wants to use the Incirlik air base (in Turkish southern city of Adana) ''without informing'' Turkey on how many and what type of planes are landing and taking off and what they are carrying.
NEGOTIATIONS TO START IN OCTOBER, NOT SCREENING
YENI SAFAK- Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that the screening process on certain topics would be completed in summer, and noted that Turkey wanted to start actual negotiations with the European Union (EU) on October 3rd, not the screening process. Gul said that the European Commission and Britain which will take over the Union's rotating presidency on October 3rd, had welcomed this demand.