MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT VISITS ANKARA
Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski arrived in Ankara yesterday to pay an official visit upon the invitation of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. At a dinner in honor of his Macedonian counterpart, Sezer reiterated Turkey’s support for Macedonia’s territorial integrity and independence. /All Papers/

ECEVIT: “THE ECONOMIC CRISIS HAS EASED”
Before attending a diner hosted by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer in honor of Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski yesterday, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit told reporters that Turkey’s economic crisis had recently eased. /Hurriyet/

BAHCELI: “TURKEY’S EU NEGOTIATIONS SHOULD BEGIN THIS YEAR”
Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli yesterday spoke about Turkey’s EU membership process during his speech at his party’s parliamentary group meeting. Pointing to Turkey’s importance for the EU, Bahceli said, “One of Europe’s biggest political-strategical faultlines passes through Turkey.” Bahceli stressed that Turkey had implemented most of the short-term targets proposed in its National Programme, and added, “Turkey has demonstrated its determination to integrate with the EU. We hope that the EU will begin full membership negotiations with Turkey this year.” /Turkiye/

KARZAI’S VISIT POSTPONED
Afghan interim government Prime Minister Hamid Karzai’s visit to Turkey which was scheduled for today has been postponed due to the earthquake in northern Afghanistan which took place yesterday. Karzai is expected to visit Ankara tomorrow and to leave on Friday. Turkey will send a special plane to transport Karzai. Karzai is scheduled to meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. Major topics on the agenda are recent developments on the question of Turkey’s command of the ISAF peacekeeping force in Afghanistan. /Hurriyet/

EU: “THE PKK IS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION”
A just completed report prepared by the European Union Commission on cigarette smuggling refers to PKK as a “Kurdish terrorist network,” apparently the first time that the EU has recognized this. The report says that the terrorist organization had made large sums of money marketing smuggled US cigarettes funneled by prominent US tobacco companies, and thus that these US companies were financially supporting terrorists and terrorism. The report especially emphasizes that the US government characterizes the PKK as a “terrorist organization,” and also says that the group carries out terrorist activities in Europe. In these respects the report contradicts the EU’s own list of terrorist groups prepared after last September, which notably failed to include the PKK. /Turkiye/

DENKTAS: “SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO MODEL COULD WORK IN CYPRUS”
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said yesterday that the model exemplified by the Balkan states of Serbia and Montenegro could also work in Cyprus. “Montenegro and Serbia’s relationship is close to what we want, recognizing each other while still having a unifying effect,” Denktas added. But this model was rejected by one Greek administration spokesman on the grounds that it lay outside the guidelines set down by the United Nations. /Hurriyet/

SWEDISH PARLIAMENT TURNS BACK GENOCIDE ALLEGATIONS
The Swedish Parliament announced earlier this week that it would be improper for it to make an official determination regarding allegations of a so-called Armenian genocide, stressing that such issues must be evaluated by historians rather than politicians. The Parliament also admitted that it had acted incorrectly by recognizing the allegations two years ago since there was no United Nations resolution covering such matters. Recalling that the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide was not retroactive, the Parliament supported Turkey’s views considering discussions over the allegations. Murad Artin, Swedish Left Party representative and parliamentarian, had previously presented a motion to the Parliament’s Foreign Relations Commission. The motion argued that the Ottoman Empire had committed genocide against the Armenian people at the beginning of the 20th century and that the Parliament must recognize this fact. After analyzing the motion, the commission presented a report to the full Parliament stating that no official decision could be made on the issue and stressing the importance of openness and historical understanding of events which should be investigated by professional historians. /Cumhuriyet/

HARMONIZATION BILL PASSES PARLIAMENT
A key harmonization bill passed the Turkish Parliament yesterday as part of Turkey’s ongoing effort to make its laws match European Union norms. The bill proposes amendments to nine articles in the Constitution and would widen the freedom to establish foundations as well as revise criteria for closing political parties. /Sabah/

TOURISM MINISTER TASAR TRAVELS TO MOSCOW FOR FAIR
Turkish Tourism Minister Mustafa Tasar left the country yesterday to attend the ninth International Moscow Travel and Tourism Fair. Speaking to the press prior to his departure, Tasar stated that the Moscow Fair was very important to Turkey as a significant opportunity to promote Turkish tourism. Tasar stated that he believed tourism would greatly help Turkey surmount its economic problems. /Cumhuriyet/

WORLD BANK CONSIDERING LOAN TO TURKEY
A delegation from the World Bank will come to Turkey next week to hold meetings to look into providing domestic exporters and medium-sized business with loans through Istanbul Approach, a public-private oversight board. The Turkish Treasury Undersecretariat and the World Bank’s Representation in Turkey also stated that a financial and public reform sector loan totaling $1.35 billion was on the WB’s Executive Board agenda. After the loan is approved in April, it is to be given to Turkey in three installments of $450 million apiece. Turkey will use the loan in order to restructure public banks, strengthen the banking sector, fight against corruption and improve its public debt service. /Milliyet/

WEST BANK GUNFIRE TAKES TURKISH CASUALTIES
One Turkish member of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) on the West Bank died last night in gunfire from parties unknown, while another was wounded. Maj. Cengiz Toytunc and Lt. Huseyin Ozarslan were traveling south of Halhoul, near Hebron, in a car belonging to the TIPH unarmed observer force when they came under gunfire. A Swiss observer in the same car, Katrine Brooks, was also killed. Israel Army spokesman blamed Palestinian gunman for the shooting, but Hebron Mayor Mustafa al-Natsheh accused Israeli Army forces. A written statement from the Palestinian Authority expressed condolences to Toytunc’s family. Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu learned about the attack during a reception given in honor of Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski. Stating that the incident was an act of terrorism, Kivrikoglu said that the attackers had opened fire on the international observer force’s car without knowing that there were Turks inside. Turkish Consul General in Damascus Huseyin Avni Bicakci said that an investigation was being launched into the incident. /Aksam/

LIO OIL TO PLANT OLIVE TREE FORESTS
Turkish company Lio Oil, which provides 5% of the olive oil on international markets, announced plans yesterday to establish olive tree forests in the provinces of Mugla and Balikesir. Lio Board of Directors Chairman A. Sevket Aksoy said that they expected the forests to bear fruit in three years’ time. Stating that Lio had increased sales last year to $68 million in spite of difficult economic conditions, Aksoy said, “Some $56 million of this came from our exports to over 30 countries. Our sales and exports will increase with the olive forests project.” /Milliyet/

KOREAN DANCE GROUP PERFORMS IN ISTANBUL
A Korean traditional dance group, Jung Je Man, yesterday staged a performance at the Ataturk Culture Center in Istanbul. Representatives from the Turkish Culture and Foreign ministries as well as Korean Ambassador Young-Ki Kim and Korean War veterans attended the Korean night jointly organized by the Korean and Turkish Culture Ministries. /Cumhuriyet/

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