ANKARA (A.A) - 31.03.2002 - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on March 31, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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PRIME MINISTER ECEVIT REACHES ARAFAT ON PHONE
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit held a telephone conversation with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. During the conversation, Ecevit asked Arafat about his condition, proposals and wishes. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Ecevit released a statement about clashes between Israel and Palestine. In the statement, Prime Minister Ecevit expressed his sorrow that he could not reach Arafat on the phone. He also warned Israeli administration to withdraw from territories it occupied. At about 03:00 p.m., Prime Minister Ecevit reached President Arafat on the phone. President Arafat thanked Prime Minister Ecevit for his interest. President Arafat said that latest resolution approved by the United Nations Security Council, Mitchell Report and Tenet Plan should be put into practice, a cease-fire should be declared immediately, and that Israel should withdraw from the territories it occupied. Prime Minister Ecevit told him that Turkey would launch necessary initiativies.

250 THOUSAND LIRAS COINED
250 thousand Turkish liras (TL) was coined. According to the Treasury Undersecretariat's notice published in Saturday's Official Gazette, the Mint and Seal Printing Office Directorate General coined 250 thousand TL. The new coins will be put into circulation on April 4, 2002. The new 250 thousand TL coin which is 6.4 grams in weight and 2 milimeters in thickness is composed of 65 percent of copper, 18 percent of nickel and 17 percent of zinc.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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EXPORTS INCREASE BY 9.3 PERCENT
Turkey exported 2 billion 444 million U.S. dollars and imported 3 billion 135 million U.S. dollars of goods in January of 2002. The exports increased by 9.3 percent compared to same period last year while the decrease in imports reached 23 percent. The State Institute of Statistics (DIE) announced on Saturday that the foreign trade deficit dropped 62.3 percent from 1 Billion 835.1 million U.S. dollars to 690.9 million U.S. dollars, and the rate of exports meeting imports increased from 54.9 percent to 78 percent.

TURKISH REPRESENTATIVE: ''IT IS NOT THE TIME OF MARTYRDOM''
Turkish Representative Altay Cengizer who spoke at the meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the Middle East crisis, said, ''terrorist acts targeting innocent civilians cannot be justified. There is any more important problem except for putting an end to acts of violence. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's leadership is more important now than ever. Arafat is the legal leader of Palestinians, and the only interlocutor of Israel in its efforts to find a political solution. Everyone should be aware of the fact that Middle East problem could not be solved through military methods. We were struck with terror and felt concern when we saw President Arafat saying that he was ready to be martyred. If Arafat is martyred, this will serve nothing. On the contrary, he should be given the opportunity of acting as the leader of his people.'' Cengizer, the undersecretary of Turkish Permanent Representation at the United States, also referred to killing of Turkish Major Cengiz Toytunc in an armed attack in Hebron on Tuesday night, and said, ''we will follow it continuously till responsibles of this shameful attack are brought to justice.''

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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ATV CORRESPONDENT ERSEMIZ: ''WE HAD WAITED FOR DEATH FOR SEVEN HOURS''
Israeli security forces launched an operation in Palestinian Media Center in Ramallah. Four Turkish journalists Burak Ersemiz, Talip Alpogan, Mete Cubukcu and Mustafa Sap were in the building when the operation began. Ersemiz said, ''Israeli forces used bombs to open the doors. We shouted that we were unarmed journalists. They told us to put our hands on the wall. They performed body-search. We had waited for being killed in that room for seven hours. When were were leaving the building after seven hours, we saw bodies of five Palestinian policemen who were shot dead by Israeli security forces.''

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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ARAFAT AS THOUGH CAPTIVE
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is now completely isolated in his administration compound to which electricity and water have been cut. While Israeli soldiers are pounding at the door of his private room, Arafat called on world leaders to ''stop Israel's attack on his people''. The Palestinian International Cooperation Minister claimed that Israel was getting prepared to occupy Palestine completely. Meanwhile, hundreds of people were detained in Ramallah.

JOURNALISTS IN DIFFICULT SITUATION
Israeli forces keep Star TV correspondent Mete Cubukcu and cameraman Mustafa Sap, ATV correspondent Burak Ersemiz and cameraman Talip Alpogan under detention in Ramallah together with three Palestinian journalists who arrived in the area of clash to cover the events. The Association of Modern Journalists harshly reacted to detention of four Turkish journalists.

GOLD EXPLORATION PERMISSION CANCELLED
The Health Ministry annulled the ''temporary permission'' it had given for exploration of gold in Bergama township of Izmir. Operation of mine in Bergama stopped when the ministry conveyed this decision to Normandy company.

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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PRICELESS WORKS OF ARTS UNDER RUBBLE
Mimar Sinan University Fine Arts Museum has got too old and shabby. Only 168 out of more than 4 thousand paintings and statues can be displayed in the museum. Paintings have been kept in dusty rooms. 150-year-old building of the museum was affected negatively in the massive earthquake disaster on August 17, 1999.

BALKANS READY FOR NATO
Rapprochement between Turkey and Greece has also affected the Balkans positively. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi and Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana who came together in Istanbul in February of 2002 for the first time, held a meeting in Athens. During the meeting an action plan was prepared for Turkey and Greece to support NATO membership of Bulgaria and Romania.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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ECEVIT BOOSTS ARAFAT'S MORALE
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit held a telephone conversation at 3 p.m. yesterday with Yasser Arafat who is under Israeli bombardment. Ecevit said that he had asked Arafat whether or not he wanted something and explained Turkey's initiatives.

NO INCREASE IN NATURAL GAS PRICE
The Turkish Oil Pipeline Transportation Corporation (BOTAS) withdrew the 1 percent increase in natural gas price it was planning to make on April 1. Meanwhile, electricity price will be increased by 1 percent.

250 THOUSAND LIRA COINED
The coins of 250,000 Turkish lira which is the smallest banknote in Turkey will be put into circulation on April 4.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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ECEVIT WARNS ISRAEL: ''WAR MAY SPREAD''
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that personal safety of Yasser Arafat was in danger which threatened the region. He stressed that the United States should warn Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for implementation of the U.N. decision. Ecevit said that the clash between Israel and Palestine had turned into a war which threatened whole Middle East.

USD 14 BILLION OUTFLOWS DUE TO CRISIS
It was revealed that the capital which had outflowed from Turkey last year reached 14 billion U.S. dollars. When the 9.6 billion U.S. dollars of outflow in 2000 is taken into consideration, this amount means a 23.5 billion U.S. dollars of fluctuation and shock.