SEZER TO VISIT SLOVAKIA, CZECH REPUBLIC
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is to travel to Slovakia today to pay an official visit, during which he will meet Slovakian President Rudolf Schuster. Tomorrow, Sezer is scheduled to travel to the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, a meeting between Turkish and Slovakian businessmen is also expected to be held during Sezer's visit. /Cumhuriyet/
CEM CALLS ON COALITION PARTNERS TO ACT WITH COMMON SENSE
Appearing on CNN Turk yesterday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem called on his government coalition partners to act with common sense concerning Turkey's bid for EU membership. Stating that Turkey would not benefit from recent disputes over Turkish-EU relations between coalition partners the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) and the Motherland Party (ANAP), Cem offered his evaluations of certain sensitive issues such as abolition of the death penalty and the Cyprus issue. He remarked that it would be untimely for Turkey to discuss now the death penalty. Stating that there were certain circles which were doing away with trying to capitalize on recent disputes over Turkish-EU relations, Cem said that politicians should look at the issue calmly and dispassionately and should act with common sense for Turkey's future. He said that the EU would never dare to try to harm Turkey's territorial integrity, contrary to what certain politicians constantly argue. Continuing on the issue of Cyprus, Cem stated that Turkey hoped that a permanent solution for the island would be found by year's end. /Cumhuriyet/
IMF DELEGATION'S VISIT TO BEGIN TODAY
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation headed by Turkey Desk Chief Juha Kahkonen will arrive in Turkey today for the first review and consultation on the government's economic program. Odd Per Brekk, the IMF's representative in Turkey, will be among the group. The IMF delegation will first visit Istanbul and then Ankara. Brekk yesterday stressed the importance of the financial and real sectors and stated that that was why they were beginning their visit in Istanbul. The delegation will stay in Turkey for two weeks. Brekk said that the Turkish economic program was different from the program implemented in Argentina. Brekk also said that the Turkish economic program had a social aspect. /Milliyet/
KUWAITI CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF VISITS ANKARA
When discussions and speculations of a possible American attack on Iraq make headlines worldwide, the chiefs of general staff of Kuwait and Turkey, two critical countries in the region, met yesterday in Ankara. Kuwaiti Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Ali Muhammed El Mumin, on an official visit to Turkey, held talks with his Turkish counterpart Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu. Defense industry and military education topics were reportedly taken up during the meeting. In related news, Gen. Kivrikoglu is due to begin an eight-day tour of to eight Central Asian countries early next week. /Turkiye/
TALABANI IN ANKARA
Jalal Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), arrived in Ankara yesterday. Talabani will meet with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal and officials from the Office of the Chief of General Staff today. Since Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit was unable to make an appointment with Talabani due to a crowded schedule, Talabani is expected to be received by Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. Among the issues to be discussed during Talabani's meetings are expected developments in the wake of a possible US intervention in Iraq and security in northern Iraq. Ankara will also convey its concerns to Talabani about terrorist PKK's new political activities as well as recent efforts to establish an independent Kurdish state in the region. /Cumhuriyet/
WOMEN DEPUTIES POSTPONE TRIP TO ARMENIA
A delegation of women Turkish deputies announced yesterday that they were postponing a trip to Armenia which had been scheduled for this Friday. They said that the trip, organized by the Turkish-Armenian Women Communication Group, was being delayed due to the recent decision of the European Parliament concerning the so-called Armenian genocide. /Star/
UNIVERSITY RECTORS REPROACH EP'S DECISION
University rectors from the Marmara region yesterday released a declaration reproaching the European Parliament's recent decision concerning Armenian genocide allegations. The declaration from 23 rectors read, "We vigorously reproach the EP and call upon them to reconsider their decision." Istanbul University Rector Kemal Alemdaroglu called the EP's decision crediting the genocide claims a "meaningless and unjustifiable" imposition and said that none of the universities would allow it. He added, "Those who are trying to exclude Turkey from the European Union are capitalizing on this sort of incident." /Aksam/
RAMAZAN CALLS ON TURKEY NOT TO SUPPORT POSSIBLE US ATTACK
Iraqi deputy head of state Taha Yasin Ramazan said yesterday that the US would use the UN inspectors' visit to Iraq as an excuse to attack his country. During a reception of the Turkish trade delegation in Baghdad, Ramazan called upon the Turkish government not to support a possible US attack on Iraq. Meanwhile, a delegation of Turkish businessmen headed by Turkish Foreign Trade Undersecretary Kursat Tuzmen is holding a series of contacts with Iraqi officials to help develop bilateral economic relations with this country. /Turkiye/
TURKISH DEVELOPMENT BANK TO EXTEND INCENTIVE LOANS TO TRNC
State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel said yesterday that a system of incentives was being developed through the selfless efforts of experts from Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to encourage the private sector to encourage to invest in the TRNC. Speaking at the opening of a meeting on "Principles and Processes for Encouraging Production Growth in the TRNC Through Loans," Gurel said that the for the first time the Turkish Development Bank would extend incentive loans for all the investments in the TRNC. During the meeting, Turkish-TRNC Joint Commission Economic Committee Co-Chairman and Prime Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Selcuk Polat briefed the attenders on the system of incitement to be applied to the TRNC's economy. Polat said that the sectors to benefit from the loan would be tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, education and livestock husbandry. /Aksam/
GREEK BUSNESSMEN TO TOUR ANATOLIA
The "Turkish-Greek Businessmen's Anatolia Tour" organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Council began yesterday in Izmir. The Greek delegation, led by Panagiotis Koutsikos, the head of the Greek-Turkish Business Council, took an inspection tour of the Aegean Free Zone. The delegation is expected to visit other provinces in Anatolia to evaluate opportunities for jobs and cooperation with Turkish firms. At the beginning of this summer, a delegation of Turkish businessmen is expected to pay a similar visit to Greece to seek ways of developing trade relations. /Turkiye/
BARTHOLOMEOS LEAVES FOR US VISIT
Istanbul Fener Greek Partriarch Bartholomeos left for the US yesterday at the invitation of President George W. Bush. Bartholomeos is due to meet with Secretary of State Colin Powell and other high-level US administration officials. Before his departure, Bartholomeos said that the basic aim of his visit was to attend ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Orthodox Archbishop in the US. /Turkiye/
NAZIM HIKMET HONORED BY AMERICAN POETRY REVIEW
After UNESCO declared this year the "Year of Nazim Hikmet" on the occasion of what would have been his 100th birthday, the eminent Turkish poet is enjoying worldwide recognition and honors. This month, prominent US poetry journal The American Poetry Review has put Hikmet on its cover. The journal has an important place in the world of American poetry, and so its spotlight on Hikmet is especially notable. The current issue also publishes eleven of Hikmet's poems in translation, courtesy of Randy Blasing and Professor Mutlu Konuk. /Aksam/
RED CRESCENT SUMMIT LAYS OUT EARTHQUAKE PLANS
Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) Chairman Ertan Gonen yesterday hosted Syrian Red Crescent Chairman Abdul Rahman Attar, Syrian Red Crescent Director General Marwan Abdullah and Dutch Red Cross representative Willem Smit at Ankara's Disaster Operation Center. Speaking on the Red Crescent's disaster preparedness plans, Gonen said that estimates are calling for unpredictable earthquakes in the Marmara region in the future years. Stating that 10,000 tents for this contingency had begun to be transported to Istanbul, Gonen said that 5,000 tents would be stocked in the Red Crescent's depots in Maltepe and Trakya's region of Buyukkaristiran. /Aksam/
FESTIVAL TO PROMOTE ISTANBUL AS SHOPPING DESTINATION
Preparations for the Istanbul Shopping Fest 2002, which is due to run March 15-April 15, are nearly completed. The event is being sponsored by the Istanbul Commerce Chamber (ITO), Turkish Travel Agencies Union (TURSAB) and Turkish Hotels Union (TUROB). Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mehmet Yildirim said yesterday that Istanbul Shopping Fest 2002 aim was to make Istanbul a shopping Mecca like Dubai and to attract 10 million tourists to Istanbul by 2010. /Hurriyet/
TURKISH DOCUMENTARY AT THESSALONIKA FILM FESTIVAL
An international documentary festival entitled "Visions of the 21st Century: The Fourth Thessalonika Documentary Festival" began yesterday in Thessalonika. A Turkish documentary titled "Vanished With Water" will be screened at the festival. The documentary tells of the story of the ancient city of Zeugma in the southeastern Anatolia region. /Cumhuriyet/
LAZIRIS: "GREEK FIRMS' INTEREST IN TURKEY IS ON THE RISE"
Turkish-Greek Business Council held a meeting at the Izmir Chamber of Commerce yesterday under the auspices of Foreign Economic Relations Council. Speaking at the meeting Greek Ambassador of Ankara Christodoulos Laziris said that despite the Turkey's economic crisis, the interest of Greek firms in Turkey is set to increase. He mentioned that 40 large Greek firms are currently working in Turkey. He added that Greece's Novabank had recently bought Turkey's Sitebank and that another Greek bank was expected to buy Toprakbank. The ambassador pointed such development as signs of trust in Turkey. /Hurriyet/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION