ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on April 22nd, 2005. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
17 MINERS DIE
HURRIYET- Seventeen coal miners died of methane gas poisoning after an explosion trapped them beneath rubble in a mine in Gediz town of western Turkish city of Kutahya. Two people were earlier found alive, but rescue workers had ruled out any more survivors after finding the bodies of 17 men some 300 meters underground. The cause of the blast at the state-owned mine near the western town of Gediz was not immediately clear.
DOCUMENT OF AGREEMENT
HURRIYET- The U.S. government will disclose its agreement with the Turkish government on opening of the Incirlik Air Base to logistic use. The agreement says that the base would not be used against Syria and Iran.
GREAT HONOR
HURRIYET- Prof. Dr. Gazi Yasargil, world-famous brain surgeon, will be presented with the ''85th Year National Sovereignty Honorary Award'' by the Turkish parliament. Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc said that Prof. Dr. Yasargil won votes of 14 out of 15 members of the Parliament Speaker's Office. Prof. Dr. Yasargil, who was elected ''Man of the Century'' by the American Brain Surgeons' Union in 1999, is a Turkish medical scientist and neurosurgeon born on July 6th, 1925 in Lice town of southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir. He is the founder of micro-neurosurgery. Yasargil developed special instruments to treat epilepsy and brain tumors.
SECRET TALKS WITH YEREVAN
MILLIYET- It was revealed that Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan put into force a secret ten-article package of confidence-building measures in order to encourage a rapprochement between Turkish and Armenian peoples. The two have been holding secret talks in the third countries to sign a protocol to start diplomatic relations between the two countries by putting an end to historical disagreements.
AUSTRALIAN MILITARY OFFICIALS IN TURKEY
MILLIYET- Gen. Peter J. Cosgrove, chief of Australian Defense Force, visited Turkish General Staff Chief Gen. Hilmi Ozkok. Gen. Cosgrove and Australian Naval Forces Commander Admiral Chris Ritchie will attend ceremonies in northwestern Turkish city of Canakkale to mark the 90th anniversary of the Canakkale Battle between April 22nd and 25th.
U.S. FIRMS WITHDRAW FROM TENDERS
MILLIYET- U.S. firms Bell Textron and General Atomics withdrew from tenders of the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defense Industry worth of 1.5-2 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, it was claimed that the Bell Textron was planning to close down its office in Ankara.
UNITED STATES TO DO EVERYTHING IN ITS POWER
SABAH- Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledged to do everything in their power about the Armenian issue. Gul met Rice during informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Vilnius, Lithuania.
''IT IS HEARTBREAKING''
SABAH- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan described situation in Afghanistan as heartbreaking. After paying a two-day state visit to Afghanistan, Prime Minister Erdogan said, ''even the disaster zone in Southern Asia is in a better condition than Afghanistan. I have visited nearly 100 countries so far, but never seen such an heartbreaking situation.'' Erdogan called on the international community to assist Afghanistan in its rebuilding process.
ERDOGAN WARNS
VATAN- In an interview with the French Le Point magazine, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized some circles that have been using Turkey's EU membership process as a tool in their campaign for rejection of a referendum in France on May 29th about the EU Constitution. ''The EU Constitution and Turkey's EU membership process are two different issues,'' he said.
CLEAR MESSAGE FROM EU
CUMHURIYET- The European Union (EU) has given clear messages about the Kurdish issue for the first time. Ambassadors of the EU-member countries met Osman Baydemir, mayor of southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, and gave clear messages about the Kurdish issue, Turkey's territorial integrity and the EU process. The ambassadors underlined that the EU was a project envisaging unification, not separation.
CUBAN AMBASSADOR GOMEZ VISITS KEMALIST THOUGHT ASSOCIATION
CUMHURIYET- Cuban Ambassador to Turkey Ernesto Gomez paid a visit to the Kemalist Thought Association (ADD). Speaking at his meeting with ADD Chairman Ertugrul Kazanci, Gomez said that his visit aimed to get information about thoughts and principles of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern and secular Republic of Turkey. ''There are many affinities between Ataturk and President Fidel Castro of Cuba. Ataturk's personality and thoughts are among topics of history classes at the Cuban universities,'' he said. Gomez proposed that the Cuban Center for European Studies and the ADD could organize a joint symposium in Havana.
WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT GOT TO DO WITH SCIENCE?
RADIKAL- The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been insisting on binding the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) to politics. According to a motion approved by the Parliamentary National Education Commission, TUBITAK Scientific Board will be comprised of 14 members led by a chairman. The Prime Minister will have the authority to choose 7 out of 14 members.
EXPLOSION KILLS 17 MINERS
RADIKAL- A methane gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in western Turkish city of Kutahya, killing 17 miners. The miners were trapped about 300 meters underground. Two injured miners were brought out of the mine earlier. Relatives of the miners waited outside the entrance of the mine for news of their loved ones, and burst into tears after learning that they were dead.
''ARMENIANS SHOULD PROVE THEIR ALLEGATIONS''
TURKIYE- President Vike Freiberga of Latvia said that Armenians should prove their allegations of so-called genocide. She stressed that although Armenians have accused Turkey on every possible occasion, they failed to prove their allegations with historical documents. President Freiberga added that verbal statements were not adequate for historical events.
YASARGIL TO BE PRESENTED WITH 85TH NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AWARD
TURKIYE- Prof. Dr. Gazi Yasargil, world-famous brain surgeon, will be presented with the ''85th Year National Sovereignty Honorary Award'' by the Turkish parliament.
FIVE WARNINGS FROM EU TO BAYDEMIR
ZAMAN- Ambassadors of the EU-member countries gave five historic warnings to Osman Baydemir, mayor of southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir.
1- Do not support Abdullah Ocalan, head of the terrorist organization of PKK;
2- Acts of violence are totally unacceptable;
3- EU is a project of unification, not separation;
4- Warnings about human rights do not cover terrorists;
5- There is a Kurdish issue, but Kurds are citizens of Turkey.
HIGH TRIBUNAL ADJOURNS TOPCU CASE
YENI SAFAK- The High Tribunal listened to ten witnesses in the case of Yasar Topcu, former public works and housing minister who has been tried on charges of abusing powers. Later, the High Tribunal adjourned the hearing to May 26th. Topcu is accused of alleged irregularities and abusing powers by implementing wrong and illegal policies that caused the state to lose money. Topcu may face 10 years in prison if convicted.