ANKARA (A.A) - 24.04.2002 - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on April 24, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
------------------
FROM POWELL TO CEM: A HISTORICAL MISSION
The U.S. State Secretary Colin Powell called Foreign Minister Ismail Cem on the phone and said, ''you have undertaken a historial mission. Our hearts are with you.''
Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will start a visit to Israel and Palestine today.
During the telephone conversation between Cem and Powell, the historical visit of the two foreign ministers to the Middle East is taken up.

WE WILL OPEN WAYS FOR NEW COALITION
Devlet Bahceli, the State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister harshly critized Mesut Yilmaz, the State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, who said they would seek for support from the opposition in the Parliament to lift capital punishment.
Hinting that Yilmaz get used to have support from the opposition, Bahceli said, ''searching for a basis of compromise apart from the partners may pave ways for searches for a new coaliton.''

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
------------------
CUT THE FUEL OF PKK
Secret report from General Staff to Prime Ministry: PKK will obtain 330 trillion from illegal oil. Oil transportation from Iraqi border should be stopped.
The secret report, bearing the signature of Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, was sent to prime ministry and the concerned units. The report briefed about the illegal oil tranportation. The report stressed that 120,000 tonnes of illegal oil entered from the Iraqi border in 2001. It was reported that this figure will increase to 200,000 tonnes in 2002 and that this would cause 330 trillion loss for the state.
General Staff called on transportation of crude oil and diesel oil from Iraq to be stopped immediately to prevent smuggling.

LAST WEEK FOR TRANSPARENCY
Action plan which will remove corruption in state is again interrupted by bureaucracy.
The government, which had given promise to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), that commitee and bureaucrats commission would be set up by the end of April, could not determine names yet. This committee is expected to activate transparency plans.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
---------------
A NORMAL PERSON CAN NOT SPEAK LIKE THIS
Ghief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu harshly critized the speech of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan which had been made 10 years ago.
Gen. Kivrikoglu said, ''those are not the statements of a normal person. Those statements are all pertaining to the feelings.''
Gen. Kivrikoglu said nothing changed in ideas of Ereogan, stressing that their statements that February 28 process would continue for a thousand years were not in vain.

THERE IS NO MEMBERSHIP, LET ALONE LEADERSHIP
The reasoned verdict of the decision of the Constitutional Court which gave warning for AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan's exclusion from the founder membership, includes a suprise detail which will put an end to Erdogan's political life.
The reasoned verdict said Erdogan's crime was not within the scope of the law on Conditional Release and Suspension of Punishments.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
-----------------
KIVRIKOGLU HARSHLY CRITICIZES ERDOGAN
Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu harshly criticized Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan's speech also against Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) during a meeting which was held 10 years ago. Gen. Kivrikoglu said, ''those are not the statements of a normal person. Those statements are all pertaining to the feelings.''

312 FORMULA IN DEATH PENALTY
Democratic Left Party (DSP) and Motherland Party (ANAP) are preparing to bring ''the solution without National Movement Party (MHP)'' formula, which is implemented in Article 312 of Turkish Penal Code for lifting the death penalty completely, to the agenda. Officials said that Deputy Prime Minister Husamettin Ozkan would discuss the issue with opposition parties. ANAP Leader Mesut Yilmaz said, ''if there is no agreement in this period, we want to bring a regulation which will lift the death penalty completely till October.'' Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said, ''we have been opposed to death penalty since 1970s. We are discussing this issue with our partners.''

RADIKAL (LEFT)
--------------
TWO MINISTERS TO GO TO MIDDLE EAST
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou who came together at European Union (EU)-Mediterranean countries (EUROMED) meeting which started in Valencia city of Spain will go to the Middle East together to meet with Palestinian and Israeli sides. The ministers will meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Thursday and then come together with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

APRIL 23 JOY
April 23, the National Sovereignty and Children's Day was celebrated across Turkey. The students's show at the stadium was extremely colorful. The ceremonies in Ankara and Istanbul were watched with great interest. April 23 celebrations which started with laying a wreath on Taksim Republic Monument in Istanbul continued in Ali Sami Yen Stadium. The teachers and students from across the country visited Anitkabir with the leadership of National Education Minister Metin Bostancioglu.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
---------------
PRESIDENT SEZER: ''DEATH SENTENCE SHOULD BE LIFTED''
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said that he sided with lifting the death sentence. Sezer responded reporters' questions at the reception which was hosted by the Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi for 82nd anniversary of the opening of the Parliament. Sezer said, ''I think the death penalty should be lifted.'' He who stated that there was no need to put a rule in Constitution to lift death penalty, said, ''it could be lifted with legal regulation.''

DERVIS: ''I WILL INVOLVE IN POLITICS''
State Minister Kemal Dervis for economy, who is currently in the United States to attend the spring meetings of International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, gave sign that he will involve in the politics in the future and said that he could not carry on his post without having a connection with a political party till the end. Dervis said, ''of course, there will be a different development at that point.'' Upon a reporters' question that whether or not he would involve in politics, Dervis said that an independent minister's doing this job without any connection with a political party could not countinue till the very end.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
--------------------
TURKS ARE BOTH BEST ENTREPRENEURS AND ALSO WHO BANKRUPT FIRMS
According to a survey which Dutch Labour Ministry conducted, Turkish people became the best entrepreneur minority in the Netherlands. However, another important result of the survey is that most of the firms which Turks established were closed within a year. Turkish entrepreneurs establish about 500 firms in the Netherlands in a year and 300 of them closed without filling a year.