These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on January 28, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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CALL FROM TURKISH MOTHER TO BUSH
Rabia Kurnaz, the mother of Turkish Taleban member Murat Kurnaz who was captured by the United States in Afghanistan and will be sent to Guantanamo camp in Cuba together with other al Qaeda members, made a call to the United States through the newspaper. Family of Turkish man Murat Kurnaz who was born in Bremen, Germany was shocked. Mother Rabia Kurnaz said, ''he was a cheerful boy who was liked by everybody. He used to go to parties and walk with his dog. Later he started to be interested in body-building. He changed his habitual actions when he entered the Arbergen Sports Club. He grew a beard and went to mosque frequently. When I asked him why he was doing at the mosque, he said, 'mom, I perform namaz and read books. Would it be better if I go to discotheque and wander around?' He kept secret from us that his brain was washed there.'' Rabia Kurnaz said his son had gone to Turkey in July 2001 and married his fiancee. Rabia said, ''we learnt that he had gone to Pakistan together with his two friends on October 3, 2001. Since that time, we could not hear from him. We learnt that he was sent to Afghanistan with a visa given to him by circles of the mosque he was going to. Last Thursday, police told us that our son had been arrested by Americans as a Taliban soldier and he would be sent to Cuba.'' Rabia Kurnaz said, ''we want our son to be brought to Germany for his trial if necessary. They separated the American Taliban soldier from others and I expect the United States to make the same treatment to my son who is a citizen of an allied country. This is my request from U.S. President Bush.''
GOVERNMENT'S TOUGH DAY
Coalition government partners will today try to overcome three important problems. Adjustment Laws which could not be brought to the Parliamentary General Assembly due to dispute between the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Motherland Party (ANAP), the Banking Law's three articles which President Ahmet Necdet Sezer sent back to the parliament by using his ''partial veto'' right and real estate taxes which received reaction from citizens will be taken up at a series of meetings today. The first statement on behalf of the government will be made by State Minister Kemal Dervis for Economy. Dervis will publicly explain the effects of veto of some articles of the law which is publicly known as ''law to rescue bank''. Later, the Council of Ministers will convene and it will focus on real estate taxes. After this meeting, leaders of political parties forming the coalition government will convene. Leaders will discuss adjustment laws which include amendments to articles 312 and 159 of the Turkish Penal Code and articles 7 and 8 of the Anti-Terrorism Law which created problem between MHP and ANAP.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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TRANSPARENCY ERA
It was revealed that the government was silently working on a draft law regarding ''declaration of assests''. High ranking civil servants will declare assets from now on. The Treasury will confiscate the assests which are not declared. This will be valid for three years after retirement. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will also declare his assests. The draft law will include articles which will be in the quality of reform that will provide transparency regarding profits of civil servants. Members of Council of Ministers, high level bureaucrats and many high ranking civil servants will be obliged to declare their assests to separate institutions within two months after the law is legalized. This declaration can be seen through internet. The draft law says declaration of assets should be done three years after retirement.
SECRET ALLIANCE IN THE AEGEAN
Greek National Intelligence Organization (EYP) Chairman Apostolidis, who announced that they would cooperate with the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) against organized crimes and terrorism, spoke cautiously, ''this will not be so easy.'' Speaking to Greek ''Vimagazine'', Apostolidis said, ''this will not be easy because there are problems in Turkish-Greek relations. Thus EYP and MIT carry out works to collect information to learn each others' intention. Cooperation will not be easy, but it is not impossible.''
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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RECORD SALARY OF 7.2 BILLION
State Minister Recep Onal, responding to a question with notice, disclosed the bureaucrats who get the highest salaries in the state. According to this, the record salary belongs to Ziraat Bankasi General Director Niyazi Erdogan and Halkbank General Director Emel Cubukoglu. In fact, the boss of all the banks, Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti gets 5,437 million Turkish liras.
TIME WASTING IN STATE ENDS
''Effective administration in public plan'' which is opened to signature in Council of Ministers brings a new order to the civil servants. According to the plan, every service will have a standard period. The civil servant, who completes this service in the planned period, will get a plus, and those who could not complete the service in time will get a minus. Those grades will enter to the registration of the civil servant.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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FAKE AUCTION
The Istanbul Gas Distribution Joint-Stock Company (IGDAS) which has a 500 trillion Turkish liras (TL) debt arranged a 205 billion TL of picture, poem and essay competition. IGDAS which sickened people of Istanbul with high natural gas prices set the estimated cost of the auction for the organizer of the competition as 205 billion TL. IGDAS decided to invite five companies to the auction. The auction winner company Neomedya was closed down a few months ago.
REPORT ON ECONOMIC COLLAPSE
Here are some main points of the report on ''Restructuring of Turkish Financial Management System'' which was prepared by the Finance Ministry Board of Inspectors: ''the political instabilities which resulted in frequent general, interim and local elections constitutes one of the main causes which remove budget discipline. The years in which domestic borrowing was was made mostly became the years in which elections were held or serious economic crisis or crises were erupted. Although the criteria for appointment of people at the executive boards of the State Economic Enterprises are clear, political appointments are made in contradiction with these criteria. Employment at public institutions and organizations is not mostly based on requirements and personnel is wanted not for services but for persons.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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BUSY WEEK IN ANKARA
Leaders will give final shape to the ''Mini Democracy Package'' today. And the real estate tax will be discussed at the Council of Ministers meeting today. Another topic of the week is the banking law of which three articles were vetoed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Meanwhile, education in Kurdish and Cyprus will be discussed at tomorrow's National Security Council meeting.
GREEK VACCINATIONS WASTED
Greece donated vaccinations but the Health Ministry said that those vaccinations should be tested at first. As such tests are expensive, they couldn't be made and vaccinations were spoiled.
CHAOS IN EDUCATION
People were confused by the claims about the education system which said, ''high schools will be four years and compulsory education will be twelve years'' while the National Education Ministry is still not making a statement.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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CRITICAL DAY
The markets will give the first serious reaction to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's veto on Banking Law. State Minister Kemal Dervis will make a speech at 9:15 local time to calm down the markets. The government got panicked over the possibility of the postponement of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting on February 4 where it will release loan worth of 16 billion U.S. dollars. Besides the concern of the economy bureaucrats that a new crisis could erupt, there is the fear that ''a negative reaction'' may come from the markets. None of the bureaucrats, including State Minister Kemal Dervis, did not speak not to influence the markets. Dervis is expected to make a statement today at 9:15 before the markets begin transactions. Dervis is expected to give the message that, ''there is no need for panic. IMF will not postpone the meeting.''
REAL ESTATE TAX AT CABINET
Eyes turned to the Council of Ministers regarding the real estate tax as the cabinet will give the final shape to the tax. Council of Ministers, which will convene today, is expected to take up the arrangement pertaining to real estate tax.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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TURKEY ASKS EU TO INCLUDE 10 ORGANIZATIONS IN LIST OF TERRORISM
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit sent a letter to European Union (EU) Commission Chairman Romano Prodi and officially asked the EU to include ten illegal organizations including PKK and DHKP-C in its list of terrorist organizations. There are eight more organizations which are defined as ''fundementalist'' and ''extreme leftist'' and carry out activities against Turkey. The EU did not include these ten organizations in the joint list of terrorist organizations it announced on December 27. Names of organizations which Turkey wants the EU to include in the list are as follows: ''I-Separatist organizations: 1– PKK, 2– ERNK. II. Fundamentalist organizations:
1– IBDA–C, 2– Turkish Hezbollah, 3– Anatolia Federal Islamic State (IFAD),
4– Islamic Movement Organization (IHO), 5– Salutation (Unification) Group. III. Extreme leftist organizations: 1– DHKP–C, 2– TKP/ML, 3– TIKKO.''
RUSSIA HESITANT TOWARDS BAKU-CEYHAN
Russia has not yet taken a decision on its participation in the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan oil pipeline project. Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Nikolai Ryabov told RIA–Novosti news agency that Russia was not persuaded on economical continuation of the project, adding that they did not reject any project but first of all, they wanted the project to be profitable.