SEZER VISITS LATVIA
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer began his five-day official visit of Baltic countries yesterday with a stop in Riga, Latvia. After a meeting with his Latvian counterpart Vaira Vike Freibega, Sezer said that Turkey and Latvia shared a common goal of integration with the European Union and that both countries were taking determined steps to realize it. Sezer pointed out that Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were on track to be EU members before Turkey and added, “Turkey expects their support in its EU membership bid.” Then the two leaders laid a wreath at the nation’s Monument of Freedom. Speaking last evening at a dinner in his honor, Sezer said that Turkey had suffered greatly from terrorism and went on to pledge its continued support in the fight against terrorism. After completing his contacts in Latvia, Sezer is to proceed to its neighbors, Lithuania and Estonia. /Cumhuriyet/
CEM MEETS PAPANDREOU, CONSIDERS MIDEAST VISIT
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, who is currently in Luxembourg to attend the Turkish-EU Partnership Council meeting, met with his Greek counterpart George Papandreou yesterday. Answering reporters’ questions after the meeting, Cem stated that whether or not he and Papandreou would travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories depended on the results of US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s current visit to the region. /Cumhuriyet/
YILMAZ: “THE EU WILL CORRECT ITS TERRORIST LIST MISTAKE”
Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz yesterday traveled to Brussels to participate in the European Union Convention on Europe’s Future. Yilmaz told journalists that the EU would “correct its terrorism mistake” by adding the PKK and DHKP-C onto the EU’s list of terrorist groups. Yilmaz also met with European Commission President Romano Prodi and asked him to set a date for Turkey to start its EU membership negotiations. For his part, Prodi said that fixing such a date would require that all the current EU members reach a consensus on the issue. /Hurriyet/
TURKEY, US TO CONSULT ON NATO ISSUES
Turkey and the United States are to hold consultations this week on the major topics to be addressed at NATO’s Prague summit scheduled for November 21-22. Marc Grossman, US assistant secretary of state for European affairs as well as a former US ambassador in Ankara, will meet with Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal today in Ankara. The US policy on NATO focuses on the elimination of current and possible future threats against the alliance, enlargement of the alliance through taking in newly emerging democracies and improving relations with Russia and Ukraine. Furthermore, another US delegation is to arrive in Ankara today to make contacts with Turkish officials as part of the two-day 17th Turkish-US High-Level Joint Defense Group meeting. The meeting will be co-chaired by Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit and US Assistant Secretary of State Jack D. Crouch. /Cumhuriyet/
CHINESE PRIME MINISTER RONGJI VISITS ANKARA
Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji yesterday arrived in Turkey to pay a three-day official visit. Speaking to the press at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Rongji stated that he would meet with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi to exchange views on bilateral relations and international developments. “I hope my visit will help to reinforce the good relations and friendship between our two nations,” said Rongji. He is the first Chinese prime minister to visit Turkey in over 15 years. /Cumhuriyet/
DERVIS DISCUSSES PLANS FOR TURKISH-GREEK “PEACE TRAIN” AND FERRY
State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis met yesterday with George Pashalidis, Greece’s minister for Macedonia and Thrace, and the two officials discussed plans for a Turkish-Greek “Eastern Express” rail line. The line, already dubbed the “Peace Train,” could begin running this summer, and the ministers also spoke of including an Izmir-Thessalonica ferry line. During the meeting, Dervis stressed the necessity for improving transportation between the two countries as a way to further improve economic ties. /Milliyet/
TERRORIST PKK PLAYS MUSICAL NAMES
Even as the European Union is reportedly taking steps to add the terrorist PKK to its official list of such groups, the terrorist organization has apparently had another change of heart and settled on a new name. While previous reports indicated that the group had decided to re-name itself the “People’s Freedom Party,” it has now reportedly decided to declare itself the “Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress” (KADEK). It plans to announce the new label at its so-called eight congress in Brussels today, but intelligence reports indicate the group has no intention to abandon its armed attacks. The terrorist group also plans to declare the April 4 birthday of its convicted head Abdullah Ocalan as its “foundation day,” and to pursue diplomatic and cultural activities. /Turkiye/
DENKTAS CALLS ON ISLAMIC COUNTRIES TO LEND SUPPORT
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas yesterday called on fellow Islamic countries to support the TRNC in the pursuance of its “just case.” Addressing the Fifth Eurasian Islamic Council Organization meeting held on the island, Denktas asked that decisions made by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) regarding support for the TRNC be implemented. Denktas added that Turkish Cypriots were struggling to protect their sovereignty, a cause for which past generations had given their lives. /Turkiye/
IMF APPROVES $1.1 BILLION IN LOANS
The International Monetary Fund Executive Board met yesterday to discuss its first review of the Turkish economy. The executive board approved a first loan tranche of $1.1 billion to Turkey, since Turkey has met all of the conditions set by the IMF during the review period. The World Bank Executive Board is scheduled to meet today to take up a $1.3 civil and financial sector adjustment law (PFSAL 2). That loan is to be granted to Turkey in three tranches, the first totaling $450 million. /Hurriyet/
CAKAN: “BY 2020, TURKEY MAY IMPORT 80% OF ITS ENERGY”
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Zeki Cakan said yesterday that Turkey’s energy requirements were climbing upward at a rapid pace. In a speech to the Second Energy Summit organized by the Strategic Technical Economic Research Center in Ankara, Cakan predicted, “Turkey will have to import some 80% of its energy demands by the year 2020.” Pointing to the need for urgent investments in energy, Cakan noted that some $4 billion in financial resources were required to establish a new energy network as well as other facilities. Former President Suleyman Demirel also spoke at the meeting, stating that Turkey should decrease its dependence on foreign sources for energy and calling on local and foreign investors to invest in Turkey so that it can use its own resources more effectively. /Turkiye/
ORAL: “RISING TAX RECEIPTS POINT TO ECONOMIC REVIVAL”
The revival in Turkey’s markets and businesses is showing up in its tax receipts, Finance Minister Sumer Oral said yesterday. Oral pointed to a sharp 81% increase in collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) this March when compared to last year as evidence of renewed economic growth. Tax revenues for this January-March shot up 66% as compared to 2001. “Our target was just 53.6%,” said Oral. He also noted a 145% boost in domestic VAT revenues, while taxes from imports rose 123%. Furthermore, Oral added, domestic VAT receipts reached 400 trillion Turkish liras in February and climbed to over 1 quadrillion liras in March. These increases are clearly a great success, remarked Oral. /Cumhuriyet/
MEETING TO DISCUSS TURKISH-US INDUSTRIAL ZONES POSTPONED TO MAY
A meeting scheduled for this month at which the establishment of Turkish-US qualified industrial zones (QIZs) was to be discussed has been postponed to May, it was announced yesterday. Reportedly the postponement of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) meeting arrived at mutually. Sources said the rationale for pushing the gathering back was to ensure that no objections would be raised to the QIZs in the US Congress. Both the sites and schedules from the QIZs as well as the goods to be produced there are on the future meeting’s agenda. Sources said that the current crisis in the Middle East was not posing any problems “for the time being” for the project. /Aksam/
NAZIM HIKMET CELEBRATED IN NEW YORK
The life and work of renowned poet Nazim Hikmet were honored earlier this month in a special one-night celebration held in New York City. Turkish actor Genco Erkal, journalist Zeynep Oral, singer Zulfu Livaneli, journalist Can Dundar, and scholar Dr. Mutlu Konak as well as Stephen Kinzer, former Turkey correspondent for the New York Times, were among the participants. During the event, which was held to mark the late poet’s 100th birthday, readings were done of his poems both in Turkish and English translation. In addition, pianist Ayse Durakoglu debuted a work composed especially for the poet and rare archival footage of his funeral was shown. /Aksam/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION