SEZER PRAISES THE VIRTUES OF MOTHERS
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said yesterday that the love, self-sacrifice and tolerance bestowed by mothers while devoting their lives to their children should set an example for all of humanity. Mother’s Day was celebrated throughout Turkey on Sunday. In his message to mark the holiday, President Sezer stated that motherhood was based on a continuous love and self-sacrifice which are both immeasurable and irreplaceable. In his message for the day, Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi said that the existence of mothers was the strongest guarantee of love, friendship and peace. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said the women were the cornerstone of the family and community life. Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said that the women were still facing discrimination. In addition, Turkish Religion Foundation (TDV) Women’s Branches made prayers for Ataturk’s mother Zubeyde Hanim as well as other mothers. TCV Women’s Branches Chairman Ayse Sucu said, “We need more mothers who can raise children like Ataturk.” /Cumhuriyet/
PARLIAMENT TO DISCUSS RTUK AND AMNESTY BILLS
This week Parliament’s General Assembly is set to discuss the remaining articles of a bill on the Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK), the first eight articles of which it discussed last week. The Parliament will work on the issue from 3:00 to 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. A bill concerning conditional release which was rejected by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and returned for reconsideration is to be discussed again on Wednesday. /Star/
ECEVIT RETURNING TO WORK AT PRIME MINISTRY OFFICE
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will reportedly return to working at his office at the Prime Ministry today. Ecevit was treated in the hospital last weekend for an intestinal infection, and he has been resting at home since then. /All Papers/
ANNAN TO VISIT CYPRUS
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is due to arrive in Cyprus tomorrow. During his contacts on the island, Annan is expected to try to move the two sides towards more momentum in the direct talks to find a settlement to the Cyprus issue. /Milliyet/
DERVIS: “OUR ECONOMY DOESN’T REST ON ANY ONE PERSON’S SHOULDERS”
State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis said yesterday that the Turkish economy no longer depended on any one person. In an interview with Greek daily To Vima, Dervis stated, “I look forward to working again with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, and I hope he gets well soon. However, Turkey’s economic situation doesn’t rest on the shoulders of any particular person or persons.” The economy’s structure has moved beyond that, he suggested. “Turkey’s economy is on a fast track to a better place,” he predicted. “Inflation is slowing, foreign exchange reserves are increasing. The reforms the government has achieved to date are paving the way for a much healthier economic structure in the long run, one independent of politics and the control of any single person.” Stressing that the Turkey’s progression towards the European Union would help its economy greatly, Dervis pointed to the importance of Turco-Greek cooperation in that process. “The greater is the cooperation between Turkey and Greece, the better it will be for both of us,” Dervis remarked. /Milliyet/
ERDOGAN SUBJECT OF GRAFT INQUIRY
Ankara Republican Acting Chief Prosecutor Bekir Selcuk has begun an inquiry on Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Tayyip Erdogan into his personal assets and the sources of money transferred to his party. The charges deal with alleged graft during Erdogan’s term as mayor of the Greater Istanbul Municipality and use of that revenue to establish the AKP. He is expected to be questioned on May 23. /Milliyet/
ANAP COMES FIRST IN ELECTIONS IN ARMUTLU
At city council elections yesterday in the Armutlu district of Kemalpasa, a town in the province of Izmir, the Motherland Party (ANAP) came first in the polls. In the nine- member council, ANAP won four seats while the Republican People’s Party (CHP) got three, and the True Path Party (DYP) two. In elections held in April 1999, the CHP was the top party, while ANAP was second. /Hurriyet/
GREEKS CHORAL GROUP PERFORMS IN CANAKKALE
A visiting women’s choral group from Agios Stefanos, Greece, performed yesterday at Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University (COMU). The 32-member group’s concert at COMU’s Suleyman Demirel Conference Hall was a part of the university’s seventh Spring Festival. The group’s performance included Turkish and Greek folk songs, and afterwards they were treated to a taste of Turkish cuisine. /Cumhuriyet/
TURKISH UNIONS VISIT MIDDLE EAST TO PUSH FOR PEACE
A delegation made up of leaders from five major labor groups in Turkey traveled yesterday to Israel and the Palestinian territories to make a push for peace in the region. The delegation was make up of Confederation of Revolutionary Workers’ Unions (DISK) Chairman Suleyman Celebi, Confederation of Public Workers’ Union (KESK) Chairman Sami Evren, Confederation of Turkish Labor Union (Turk-Is) General Education Secretary Salih Kilinc, Turkish Trade Union Confederation (Hak-Is) Chairman Salim Uslu, and Association of Turkish Chambers of Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) Executive Board Chairman Kaya Guvenc. At a pre-departure press conference, DISK Chairman Celebi laid out some of their visit’s goals. Celebi said that hunger and extreme poverty were growing in Palestine with each passing day, and that employment in Israel was also increasing and that an imminent economy could threaten workers. Celebi said that they were visiting the region because they considered contributing to restarting the process of peace and dialogue in the region a social responsibility. “We will be glad if all parties, and especially labor organizations, will meet together in Turkey in order to contribute to dialogue and peace,” he added. “We hope that our suggestions will be accepted and that a civilian forum will lead to dialogue that opens the door to lasting peace.” The delegation will hold meetings with representatives from various unions and professional chambers in Israel and meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres tomorrow. It will go to Nablus the same day and meet with the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Palestine. The delegation will then visit the Jenin Refugee Camp and be received by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Wednesday in Ramallah, and is due to return to Turkey on Thursday. /Cumhuriyet/
BARTHOLOMEOS VISITS GOKCEADA
Istanbul Greek Patriarch continued his visit yesterday to the Turkish island where he was born, Gokceada, by attending a rite in the Pananiye church in his hometown of Zeytinli. Many tourists were on hand to witness the patriarch’s nostalgic trip. /Star/
YILMAZ: “GAP PROJECT WILL BE COMPLETED IN 2010”
The Southeastern Anatolian Project (GAP) will be completed in 2010 after additional spending of 11.8 quadrillion TL, State Minister Mustafa Yilmaz said yesterday. Yilmaz added that GAP Regional Development Plan had been prepared to complete the project and that the program’s total cost would be 22.5 quadrillion TL in terms of 2002 currency values. /Star/
VURAL SUGGESTS PIECEMEAL PRIVATIZATION FOR TURK TELEKOM
A senior government minister suggested yesterday that the privatiation of government landline monopoly Turk Telekom is soon to be realized, but through a piecemeal rather than all-at-once approach. “A piecemeal approach seems very logical to me since a company as huge as Turk Telekom cannot easily be privatized as a whole,” Transportation Minister Oktay Vural told the daily Aksam. “Moreover, the asking price of 15-20 billion dollars seems a bit much in today’s market. For this reason, selling off separate companies, holdings and services is more rational approach.” Vural added that a prominent consulting firm had endorsed this method of privatization. \Aksam
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION