These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on February 18, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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BUSH EULOGIZES TURKEY AND GREECE
U.S. President George W. Bush sent messages to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and President Kostis Stephanopoulos of Greece to mark the 50th anniversary of NATO membership of Turkey and Greece. In his message, President Bush said, ''fifty years ago NATO welcomed Turkey and Greece into its ranks in an effort to consolidate democratic countries in a Western alliance against a growing communist threat. There can be no doubt that the role your countries played throughout the Cold War was critical to eliminating that danger. Our Alliance now faces new, diverse, and global threats. The United States is prepared to counter those security challenges knowing we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with allies. Your countries' support in NATO's invocation of Article 5 immediately after the tragic events of September 11 is indivative of the friendship and cooperation that has characterized the Alliance for over 50 years.''

OLYMPIAD TORCH TO BE LIT WITH TURKISH GAS
Cooperation between Turkey and Greece in energy has turned into concrete steps. High-level officials from Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) and Greece's natural gas company DEPA will come together in Istanbul on Tuesday. Cooperation between Turkey and Greece in natural gas was consolidated during the meeting of BOTAS and DEPA in Athens in January with the slogan saying, ''Olympiad torch will be lit with Turkish gas''.

EXPLOSION IN KAGITHANE CAUSES EXTREME DAMAGE
Damage assessment works after Saturday's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank explosion in a factory manufacturing carburetors were concluded. It was revealed that the explosion had affected a 1.5 kilometers square area. 790 houses and 508 business places suffered damage in the explosion while a nearby school became uninhabitable. Total damage is expected to reach 5 trillion Turkish lira.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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HOLIDAY RESORT TO BE OPENED IN ANTALYA FOR DISABLED PEOPLE
The world's first holiday resort for the disabled people will be opened in Manavgat township of southern province of Antalya. The holiday resort will cost 50 million U.S. dollars. It is expected to be finalized in 2003.

USD 129 MILLION SURPLUS IN FOREIGN TRADE
According to the Customs Undersecretariat data, imports reduced by 50.6 percent and exports decreased by 2.9 percent in January of 2002. Imports from foreign countries to Turkey decreased 50.6 percent to 2 billion 50 million U.S. dollars in January of 2002. In January 2001, Turkey imported goods of 4 billion 152 million U.S. dollars. Exports from Turkey to foreign countries dropped by 2.9 percent from 2 billion 244 million U.S. dollars to 2 billion 180 million U.S. dollars. As a result, the rate of exports meeting imports increased to 106.3 percent. While the foreign trade deficit had been 1 billion 908 million U.S. dollars in January of 2001, there was a 129 million U.S. dollars surplus in foreign trade in January of 2002.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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KIVRIKOGLU: ''EUROPE FEARS PKK''
General Huseyin Kivrikoglu, the Chief of General Staff, said, ''Europe is negative about including PKK in the list of terrorist organizations due to two reasons.'' He enumerated these reasons saying, ''first of all, supporters of PKK have settled in several European countries. Therefore, these European countries are concerned about possible attacks of the PKK. Secondly, Europe wants ethnic groups in Turkey to have more rights. This is the long-standing policy of Europe.''

DERVIS: ''TWO THOUSAND FIRMS CLOSED DOWN''
State Minister Kemal Dervis for Economy said that more than two thousand firms closed down last year while 29 thousand new firms were opened. Responding to a interrogation motion submitted to the parliament by Kemal Albayrak of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Dervis said, ''according to data of the State Institute of Statistics, more than two thousand firms closed down in 2001 while 29 thousand new firms were opened.''

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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DEATH PENALTY IS A DIFFICULT PROBLEM
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen's statements on the ''death sentence and education in Kurdish '' brought the discussions on the death sentence to the agenda again. National Movement Party (MHP) officials gave the message that they would not lead to uneasiness if an agreement which didn't disturb them was reached, while Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's formula that a solution could be found in the parliament by excluding MHP was prevented with the attitude of True Path Party (DYP). DYP officials said that they did not find to lift the death sentence completely convenient in that level.

JUSTICE MINISTER TURK WANTS CENSOR
Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk claimed that if the existing implementations continue and the media does not have interest in the death fasts and hunger strikes, the hunger strikes will end within six months or one year. Turk said that all kinds of efforts were and are being exerted to end the death fasts. He stated that the death fasts decreased fairly by the measures taken. Turk added that the death fasts and the hunger strikes will end within six months or one year if the press organs does not interest in them.

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED AGAINST PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
The Human Rights Association (IHD) organized a painting and writing contest in southeastern province of Diyarbakir. Children aged between 7 and 12 participated in the contest with 150 paintings and 140 writings. 20 children were awarded on December 15, 2001. The National Education Ministry launched a criminal investigation on February 1, 2002 against award-winning students and their teachers.

ISTANBUL GOVERNOR COMMITS SUICIDE
Istanbul Governor Sukru Ergun Ozakman committed suicide at his house by shooting himself in the head. 53-year-old Ozakman served as governor of Sinop, Karaman and Bitlis provinces.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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TEACHERS FORGET HOLIDAY
Turkish Education Labor Union (Turk Egitim-Sen) said in a report that a teacher should work 117 hours without spending money to have a meal in a luxury restaurant and 33 days to stay ona night in a five-star hotel. 55 percent of the teachers doesn't even know what the summer holiday is. Turk Egitim-Sen Chairman Suayip Ozcan said that 55 percent of the workers in educational field could not go on holiday in the summer or in the feasts. He added that the employees in educational sector were living under Turkish standards and the monthly income of 49 percent of them was between 251 million and 300 million Turkish liras.

TOBB CHAIRMAN HISARCIKLIOGLU: ''WE WILL UNDERSTAND CRISIS 10 YEARS LATER''
Turkey Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu said, ''we cannot realize how big the economic crisis, which we have currently, is now. We will comprehend the level of economic crisis which we have been living deeply when we looked back 10 years later.'' Hisarciklioglu, said that the statement of State Minister Kemal Dervis that the economy came out of a coma was not true, and added, ''another sign that we didn't catch the growth trend, is 681 trillion Turkish liras decrease in the loan stock last week. This shows the shrinking in the economy, not the growth.'' Hisarciklioglu has visited Zonguldak Chamber of Trade and Industry and evaluated Turkish economy. He responded the questions of the reporters and said, ''the obstacles in front of the trade should be lifted. If the trade does not occur, the production does not occur either.''

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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JAPANS TAKE CONTROL IN TURKEY
In Turkey which the process of the EU membership extended further, Japanese firms are gradually taking under control the automotive market. Firms such as Toyota, Nissan and Honda which worked together with their Turkish partners, recently prefer to take under control all their shares and to grow.