SEZER: "TECHNOLOGICAL COOPERATION IS A MUST"
The Third World Telecommunications Development Conference organized by the Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the Turkish Telecommunications Council began yesterday in Istanbul. Government ministers from 30 countries as well as 1,200 delegates are attending the conference, which will run through March 27. In the opening speech of the conference yesterday, Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stressed the necessity to prepare a strategic action plan to narrow the huge gap between the developed and developing countries concerning technological advances. Remarking that technological advances had brought about negative consequences as well as positive developments, Sezer stated that the conference was a great opportunity for both countries and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to discuss their common problems concerning technology. /Cumhuriyet/
SEZER SENDS REAL ESTATE BILL BACK TO PARLIAMENT
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday sent a bill containing changes to real estate tax law back to the Parliament to be debated once more. /All Papers/
BAHCELI VISITS KAZAKHSTAN
Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahceli yesterday traveled to Kazakhstan to pay an official visit. Speaking to the press prior to his departure, Bahceli stated that Turkey wanted to join the European Union regardless of recent disputes over the issue. /Cumhuriyet/
BUSH: "TURKEY IS LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR GROWTH"
In a message sent yesterday to the American-Turkish Council, US President George W. Bush expressed gratitude to Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and to the Turkish people for their support for the fight against terrorism after last September's attacks on the US. Bush also said that Turkey exemplified an alternative to radicalism and religious intolerance. "Turkey has stood with the US for a half-century," Bush added. Bush also praised Turkey's efforts regarding its economy and said that the nation was laying the groundwork for growth. President Sezer also sent a message to the council saying that the friendship between Turkey and the US had been upgraded to that of strategic partnership. Sezer added that this relationship was the work of not just the countries governments but also of private groups as the American-Turkish Council. /Hurriyet/
US VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY VISITS TURKEY
US Vice President Dick Cheney is arriving in Ankara today for the last stop on his 10-day tour of the Middle East region. The main topics expected to be discussed between Cheney and Turkish government officials are the threat of international terrorism, a possible US intervention in Iraq, Israel and the Palestinians, and bilateral topics, including energy projects as well as Turkey's possible command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan. /All Papers/
BULGARIAN VICE PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES FOR COMMUNIST-ERA ASSIMILATION CAMPAIGN
Bulgarian Vice President Angel Marin yesterday apologized to the ethnic Turks living in Bulgaria for an assimilation campaign carried out against them during the communist era. He made the remarks at a gathering held in the village of Barutin in the Rodop Mountains to mark the 30th anniversary of the assimilation campaign. Speaking to the nearly 2,000 people assembled, Marin said, "I feel ashamed that such a cruelty was carried out in my country." He added, "I did not personally participate in the assimilation campaign in an active way. But those who govern the country and those who personally carried out this cruelty aren't the only ones responsible for this unfair treatment of Turks and Muslims living in Bulgaria." /Aksam/
PERLE: "TURKEY WOULD SUPPORT THE US DURING AN OPERATION IN IRAQ"
Pentagon advisor Richard Perle stated yesterday in an address to a conference entitled "Global Effects of Terrorism" that he strongly believed that Turkey would support the US if a military operation was held in Iraq. Perle, who is reportedly close to US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, chairs the Defense Policy Board, a Pentagon advisory panel charged with overseeing military preparedness. The conference was organized as a part of the current American-Turkish Council meeting in Washington. Stating that toppling Saddam Hussein would bring peace and stability to the region, Perle argued that such a development would be beneficial to all countries, including Turkey and the US. "If Saddam administration is toppled, then Turkey's losses due to the current embargo on Iraq might be recovered," said Perle, a former deputy defense secretary under President Reagan. He also added that a free trade agreement must be signed between Turkey and the US to improve bilateral economic relations, stressing the necessity to preserve the current close relations between the two countries. /Cumhuriyet/
IMF'S KAHKONEN: "WE ARE SATISFIED WITH THE TURKISH ECONOMIC PROGRAM"
International Monetary Fund Turkey Desk Chief Juha Kahkonen said yesterday that the departing IMF delegation was satisfied with the first review for this year but that some steps were still needed for the IMF Executive Board to approve additional financing. If all these measures are taken, the Executive Board could meet in early April and approve the $1.1 billion in additional funds for Turkey. /Hurriyet/
KARZAI'S VISIT POSTPONED
Afghan interim government Prime Minister Hamid Karzai's visit to Ankara scheduled for March 21 has been postponed to the end of this month. Afghan Embassy officials that Karzai is to attend the Nevruz celebrations in Mazar-e Sharif on the date originally planned for his visit. /Turkiye/
UZBEK OFFICIALS RECEIVE KIVRIKOGLU
Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu, who is currently touring Central Asian region countries, began his official meetings with Uzbek authorities yesterday. Gen. Kivrikoglu met with Uzbek Defense Minister Kadir Gulamov and they signed a military aid agreement worth some $ 1.2 million. The two leaders expressed their satisfaction with recent developments in bilateral relations. Kivrikoglu also met with Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and was then received by President Islam Kerimov. During their meeting Turkey's possible command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan was discussed, and Kerimov reportedly said, "Balances are very sensitive and delicate in Afghanistan. If Turkey undertakes the force's command, it should proceed very carefully." /Turkiye/
87TH ANNIVERSARY OF GALLIPOLI COMMEMORATED
The 87th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, a victory by Turkish troops defending the Dardanelles during World War I, was commemorated with a number ceremonies yesterday. Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, other government ministers, deputies, military officials and citizens attended ceremonies in Canakkale. Meanwhile, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli and Felicity Party (SP) leader Recai Kutan issued messages to mark the occasion. "Humanity should learn lessons from history and stop fighting. A world full of peace and prosperity should be the main goal of us all," Sezer said in his message. /Turkiye/
OGER TOURS RECOGNIZED FOR SPURRING TURKISH TOURISM
In the current issue of German magazine Focus, Oger Tours Chairman Vural Oger is ranked number six among the 12 top German tour operators. Focus reported that last year for the first time Oger had served over 1 million clients and earned revenues to totaling 574 million euros. It said that Oger's 12,000 beds in the Bosphorus region made it a major force to be reckoned with. Meanwhile, at the current International Tourism Stock Exchange Fair in Berlin, the Turkish stands are receiving great attention. Speaking at the fair to a Turkish Union of Travel Agencies (TURSAB) delegation, Tourism Minister Mustafa Tasar said that Oger Tours' recent Aegean initiative had resulted with an increase in bookings of 40%. /Aksam/
TRAVEL EXECUTIVE: "TURKEY WILL BE AT THE HEAD OF WORLD TOURISM"
World Travel and Tourism Cancel (WTTC) Chairman Jean-Claude Baumgarten estimated yesterday that global tourism could grow by as much as 6% in the year 2003. Stating that growing markets would be the locomotive for growth in the tourism sector, Baumgarten added, "Turkey will be at the head of the world tourism market in the next 10 years, and Turkish tourism will grow more than twofold when compared to the rest of the world." /Turkiye/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION