SEZER BRIEFED ON BANKING BILL
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday received State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis and a group of bureaucrats at the Presidential Palace. Dervis reportedly briefed the president about a bill proposing amendments to banking and underlined that the bill was a priority of the IMF's expectations from Turkey. Sezer is expected to examine the bill before Jan. 28 and decide whether to approve or return it to Parliament. /Turkiye/

ECEVIT: "TURKEY WILL BE INFORMED BEFORE ANY DECISION IS MADE ON IRAQ"
Speaking to his Democratic Left Party (DSP) parliamentary group yesterday, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that Turkey's strategic importance was so important that it would be impossible to launch a military operation in the region without Turkey's knowledge or, even more, without its contribution. He underlined that Turkey would have fore knowledge of any military move against Iraq. Ecevit also cautioned Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, "The messages coming from US President George Bush are very important, and I hope that Saddam will take them into consideration. Saddam's continued defiance of the international community is unnecessary." The prime minister also said that Turkey was planning to lead the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan. /Hürriyet/

DERVIS: "WE'RE FACING A CRITICAL TURNING POINT"
State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis yesterday released a statement saying that fiscal discipline to improve public sector balances was one of the most important levers to bolster the credit worthiness of the Turkish economy adding that the current period was a critical turning point for the success of Turkey's economic program to gain steam. Dervis also stated that international financial institutions intend to increase and continue their support for Turkey's economic program. /Hürriyet/

YILMAZ ON VISIT TO GERMANY
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz traveled to Dusseldorf, Germany yesterday on a private plane. Welcoming Yilmaz upon his arrival were Institute of European Affairs Chairman Jurgen Gramke, Turkey's Essen Chief Consul Ahmet Akarcay and Dusseldorf Chief Consul Ates Oktem. During his visit, Yilmaz is scheduled to attend a meeting with representatives of leading German companies who are interested in investing Turkey and who are working with Turkish companies in Essen. /Cumhuriyet/

BAHCELI: "WE ARE NOT BLOCKING THE MINI DEMOCRACY PACKAGE"
Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli yesterday met with US Ambassador to Ankara Robert Pearson at the Prime Ministry. Bahceli told Pearson, "We are not standing in the way of the mini democracy package in Parliament." Meanwhile the Harmonization Bill widely known as the mini democracy package passed the Parliamentary Justice Commission yesterday. /Aksam/

BILL WOULD ADD TO MGK MEMBERSHIP
A bill proposing a number of changes to the structure and decision-making progress of the Turkish Security Council (MGK) was accepted at Parliament's Constitutional Commission yesterday. The bill, which targets changes to both the structure of the MGK and its Secretary-General Law, consists of two articles. One article would revise the MGK's official membership and reads as follows: "The MGK is made up of the prime minister, chief of general staff, deputy prime ministers, the ministers of justice, national defense, the interior and foreign affairs, the land, sea and air forces commanders and gendarmerie general commanders, all under the chairmanship of the president." This revision would make Turkey's deputy prime ministers and justice minister MGK members for the first time. /Cumhuriyet/

JOURNALIST MUMCU COMMEMORATED
Yesterday the assassination nine years ago of Ugur Mumcu, a prominent writer for Turkish daily Cumhuriyet was commemorated through Turkey by thousands of people. Representatives of political parties and democratic mass organizations honored his memory, and ceremonies were held at Cumhuriyet's main office in Cagaloglu, Istanbul, and on a street named after him in Ankara. The slain journalist was commemorated at the Turkish Parliament as well. At the opening of its plenary session yesterday, Deputy Speaker Yuksel Yalova said, "A more democratic country where unidentified assassinations do not occur is both our desire and our responsibility. It gives us hope that the murderer of Ugur Mumcu, who was a defender of the principles of republicanism, democracy, freedom and human rights and a beacon for writers everywhere were at length captured and condemned." Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, CHP Secretary-General Onder Sav, CHP deputy leaders Cevdet Selvi and Esref Erdem and Deputy Secretary-General Mehmet Sevigen visited Mumcu's wife Guldal Mumcu, head of the Ugur Mumcu Foundation for Researcher and Journalists. During a commemoration ceremony, Guldal Mumcu expressed her hope for freedom without terrorism and added, "If we cannot see that destroying another person is the same thing as destroying one's self and just perpetuates a vicious circle, then all humanity is fated to destruction and word 'freedom' will lose all meaning." /Cumhuriyet

TUSIAD GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO CONVENE
The Turkish Industralists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) Ordinary General Assembly meeting will be held today. Treasury Undersecretariat Faik Oztrak, Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti and Banking Regulation and Supervision Board (BDDK) Chairman Engin Akcakoca will address the meeting and brief the participants about economic policies and expectations for the future. /Turkiye/

US OPENS MISSION IN NORTHERN CYPRUS
The United States opened a new mission building yesterday in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). TRNC President Rauf Denktas, Turkey's Ambassador to Lefkosha Hayati Guven, TRNC Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertugruloglu, Education Minister Ilkay Kamil and other high-level officials attended a reception to open the mission. /Hürriyet/

CABINET, PARLIAMENT TO WORK ON PROPERTY TAX ISSUE
Finance Minister Sumer Oral said yesterday that a proposed amendment to a controversial bill concerning property tax would be presented to the Parliament within few days. Oral stated that work on the contentious topic was continuing and that the bill would be taken up at the Cabinet's meeting on Monday. Stressing that the aim of the new arrangement was to bring relief to Turkey's citizens, Oral added that the requirement to make full declarations on properties would be lifted. /Turkiye/

S&P CONTINUES CONTACTS IN ANKARA
Evaluators from Standard & Poor's (S&P), one of the world leading credit rating agencies, continued their contacts in Turkey this week. The S&P delegation met with Treasury Undersecretary Faik Oztrak on Wednesday and were also received by State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis yesterday. The delegation is expected to prepare a report about Turkey's economy, with the emphasis on its solvency. /Turkiye/

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION