ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on April 29th, 2005. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
PALESTINIAN BUSINESSMEN WANT TOBB TO RESTORE AL-AQSA MOSQUE
HURRIYET- Palestinian businessmen, who met the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and Israeli businessmen in Ankara, wanted TOBB to restore Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is one of the symbols of tension between Palestine and Israel.
This proposal will be discussed during Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Israel and Palestine scheduled to take place between May 1st and 2nd.
It was reported that permission of Israeli authorities is needed for restoration of Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Turkish contractors.
Reconstruction of Gaza Airport, which was destroyed with the Israeli attacks, will be another topic that will be discussed during Erdogan's visit to Israel.
MAYSTADT PRAISES TURKEY
HURRIYET- European Investment Bank President Phillippe Maystadt said, ''Turkey both dropped inflation rate and at the same time recorded growth. You have grown around 10 percent last year. You will reach 500 billion USD income in three years in case this continues.
Phillippe Maystadt pointed to the important opportunities in Turkey for foreign investors, and invited everybody to invest in Turkey.
Maystadt underlined that Turkey attracted foreign investments lower than its potential.
ERDOGAN: POLITICAL RELATIONS CAN BE SET UP WITH YEREVAN
MILLIYET- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a historic opening and said political relations could be set up with Yerevan.
Erdogan gave the message that, ''while on the one side, historians work on Armenian issue, political relations can be carried out on the other side.''
BAYKAL: ''OUR DIASPORA SHOULD BE ACTIVE''
MILLIYET- Deniz Baykal, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), qualified the proposal made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Armenian President Robert Kocharian (to form a joint committee comprised of historians of the two countries to examine the archives) as positive.
Baykal added that Turkish citizens living in Europe should be informed, and take action against the initiatives in these countries aiming at recognizing the so-called Armenian genocide allegations.
GOVERNMENT'S INSTRUCTION ON INCIRLIK
SABAH- The government has given an instruction to the General Staff to enable the use of Incirlik as a logistical transportation centre. The military and foreign ministry delegations of Turkey and the US have been discussing the technical details for few days. The decree on the use of Incirlik base by the US (which has been extended for another term again) authorizes the General Staff to determine the principles and methods in use of the base.
ERDOGAN TRIES TO TAKE INITIATIVE FROM OZKOK
SABAH- Financial Times newspaper wrote an article titled ''response of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the criticisms made on the way to EU'' and commented that Erdogan has openly advocated Turkey's EU policy for the first time after the EU Summit on Dec. 17th. The paper noted that certain diplomats in Turkey believed that Erdogan defended Turkey's EU bid so clearly this time as he didn't want Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok to be powerful in politics with his remarks.
TAX VIOLENCE
VATAN- The tax burden only on automobile sector shows clearly how the tax system turned into a tax violence in Turkey. The best example of that is automobile sector. European people earn four times more than Turkish people, but Europeans pay one fourth of the tax which Turkish people pay when buying a car. Turkish finance system brings taxes equal to the price of the car.
GENOCIDE FILE SHELVED
VATAN- Polish Foreign Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld described the Polish parliamentary decision accepting Armenian genocide claims as an ethical evaluation. Rotfeld said that he discussed the issue with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and said that ''we decided to close the issue, not discuss it anymore.'' Rotfeld claimed that the decision was not against Turkey, but it was just an ethical evaluation of the incidents that took place 90 years ago.
DISPUTED REPORT OF US
CUMHURIYET- US Department of State's report on terrorism said that the aim of the terrorist organization PKK was ''to set up an independent and democratic state.'' The report also didn't mention the fact that Turkey asked the US to take measures against the terrorist organization PKK in Iraq.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH:TORTURE IS STILL SEEN IN TURKEY
CUMHURIYET- One of the leading human rights NGOs in the world Human Rights Watch asserted that torture was still seen in Turkey despite the Turkish policy of 'zero tolerance'. Human Rights Watch also claimed that police and gendarmery didn't take into consideration the newly adopted laws.
RESPONSE TO KOCHARIAN IS MODERATE
RADIKAL- Turkey sent positive signal to Armenian President Robert Kocharian who asked to have, first of all, diplomatic relations with Turkey. Foreign Ministry announced that Kocharian's letter was assessed under a positive point of view. This statement showed that Turkey wouldn't say 'definite no' to the proposal of Yerevan.
BARGAIN FOR INCIRLIK
RADIKAL- Turkey and the US started technical meetings on the use of Incirlik base as a logistics base without waiting for the approval of a cabinet decree by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES TO MEET IN ISTANBUL
TURKIYE- A two-day meeting of the countries neighboring Iraq will start in Istanbul today. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will host the meeting that will take place in Dolmabahce Palace.
OIC, Arab League and UN officials as well as the Middle East countries will attend the meeting which is very important for the future of Iraq.
Ankara will give the following messages to the regional countries during the summit: ''Turkey supports Iraq's political unity and territorial integrity. To this end, all the groups should turn their face to Baghdad government. Kirkuk is still important for Turkey'' .
TENDER ON TUPRAS
TURKIYE- A tender will be called today for the block sale of 51 percent of shares of Turkish Oil Refineries Corp. (TUPRAS).
Companies interested in block sale of Tupras have to apply before June 13th to the Privatization Administration Board for pre-qualification .
Preliminary bids would be received on September 2nd.
ERDOGAN TO EXPLAIN TURKISH THESIS TO POLAND AND RUSSIA
ZAMAN- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Poland and Russia in the second week of May. Turkey has given diplomatic notes to those countries for their support to Armenian allegations as regards the so-called genocide.
Turkish Foreign Ministry last week summoned ambassadors of those two countries to the ministry to convey the uneasiness felt over the issue.
HIDDEN ENCOURAGEMENT TO TERRORISM FROM THE UNITED STATES
YENI SAFAK- The United States which showed PKK in the list of terrorist organizations, stated that target of this organization is to ''set up a democratic state.'' Turkish Foreign Ministry reacted to the report.
In the report, it was stated that PKK launched its operations from Turkey, Iraq, Europe and the Middle East.
Syria, Iraq and Iran were listed among the countries giving foreign support to PKK. The report also said Syria and Iran seemed to be cooperating with Turkey against the PKK. It was also stated that PKK used Europe to collect money for its actions and political propaganda.
CILVEGOZU BORDER GATE TO BE MODERNIZED
YENI SAFAK- Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said they would modernize southern Cilvegozu Border Gate within one year.
Customs Undersecretariat and Union of Chambers & Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) signed a protocol for modernization of Cilvegozu Border Gate which is on Turkish-Syrian border.
State Minister Tuzmen and TOBB Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu signed the protocol.
Addressing the signing ceremony, Tuzmen said that Cilvegozu border pass which would be modernized by TOBB with build-operate-transfer method, would support relations with Syria and revive border trade.