SEZER DEPARTS FOR VISIT TO ALBANIA
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer left for Albania yesterday to pay a two-day official visit upon the invitation of Albanian President Recep Meydani. Before his departure, Sezer told reporters that his visit would be the first visit to Albania at the presidential level in over three years. He stated that during the visit he would hold a series of contacts with the Albanian president and other high-level authorities in order to improve bilateral relations and that they would exchange views on regional issues. When asked by a reporter about discussions concerning possible early elections, Sezer answered that the authority to make such decisions belonged to Parliament. Regarding recent developments on Turkey’s EU membership bid, Sezer said that Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit had told him over the phone about the leaders’ meeting on Tuesday. “Ecevit told me that Foreign Ministry officials had briefed leaders on the EU at the meeting. After that the leaders are to make an evaluation. That is what I know.” Sezer also remarked that he wanted to meet soon with coalition leaders and other parties’ leaders in Parliament to discuss developments on Turkey’s EU membership bid. /All Papers/

ECEVIT TELLS SEZER ABOUT LEADERS’ MEETING
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, who is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital, made a phone call to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday. Ecevit reportedly informed the president about the coalition leaders’ meeting on Tuesday and gave his best wishes for Sezer’s Albanian visit. Meanwhile, Ecevit’s doctors said yesterday that Ecevit was responding to his treatment and getting better. /All Papers/

SEZER APPLIES TO CONSTITUTIONAL LAW FOR ANNULMENT OF CONDITIONAL RELEASE LAW
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday applied to the Constitutional Court for the annulment of the recently passed Conditional Release Law. Sezer stated that certain articles of the law did not pass the Parliament with a required majority stipulated by the Constitution, under his interpretation that the law constitutes a “special amnesty.” The Conditional Release Law proposes the release of some 5,000 prisoners. /Cumhuriyet/

KARAKOYUNLU: “RTUK LAW SHOULD BE REVISED”
Speaking to the reporters in Izmir yesterday, State Minister Yilmaz Karakoyunlu said that the law on the Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) should be revised and resubmitted to Parliament with revisions after the summer recess. Meanwhile Nationalist Action Party (MHP) and Democratic Left Party (DSP) deputies said yesterday that they would appeal to the Constitutional Court to have the new law annulled. /Star/

CEM TO VISIT TRNC
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem is scheduled to visit the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) next week. Cem will receive an honorary doctorate at the commencement ceremony of Kyrenia American University. He is also expected to be received by TRNC President Rauf Denktas. Denktas will brief Cem on recent developments concerning the direct peace talks and a proposal he recently presented to Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides. Denktas will reportedly ask Turkey to lobby the international community on behalf of his proposal. /Cumhuriyet/

KADEK GETS SUPPORT AND SHELTER IN IRAN, SYRIA
According to reports from Turkish intelligence units, the terrorist organization PKK-KADEK is receiving support in Turkey’s neighbors Iran and Syria as well as in Armenia. PKK-KADEK recently applied to official Syrian institutions to obtain permission for its activities there. In addition, the terrorist group is preparing to carry out activities in Armenia under the label “the Kurdish-Armenian Friendship Committee.” According to the reports, the PKK-KADEK is also preparing to send some 60 terrorists currently taking shelter in Europe to northern Iraq. Finally, the report says that some PKK-KADEK terrorists are currently being trained within the borders of Iran. /Cumhuriyet/

TURKEY SENDS ADVANCE TEAM TO AFGHANISTAN FOR ISAF TAKEOVER
Turkey is due today to send an advance contingent of troops to Afghanistan as part of its transition in taking command of the peacekeeping force there. Turkey already has some 264 troops in the region, and this number is expected to grow to 1,000 when it officially takes over the International Stabilization Assistance Force (ISAF) there. The Office of the Chief of General Staff yesterday announced that the transfer of other troops would begin as soon as the advance team completed its assessment of the region. /Hurriyet/

CAKAN: “NO ENERGY PROBLEMS UNTIL 2006”
Speaking at the Eighth International Cogeneration Conference and Exhibition (ICCI 2002) yesterday, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Zeki Cakan said that future energy problems would not “leave Turkey in the dark.” Cakan stated that barring unexpected and unlikely developments, there shouldn’t be any energy problems until the year 2006. He added that 60 of Turkey’s 81 provinces would be provided with natural gas by 2004. During the meeting, successful projects using cogeneration, a process whereby facilities use their own waste products to produce energy, were given awards. Turkish firms Altinyildiz Textiles, Isko Sanko Textile Industry and Kastamonu Integrated Tree Industry all won recognition for their outstanding cogeneration programs. /Aksam/

YILMAZ SPEAKS AT EUROPEAN CONVENTION MEETING
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said yesterday that he wanted to end the “confusion of authority” among European Union institutions and requested that the limits of the authority of the EU and its methods of using this authority be clarified. Speaking at a Convention on Europe’s Future meeting in Brussels, Yilmaz gave Turkey’s views on the future of the EU. Yilmaz stated that the democratic legality of EU institutions should be addressed and that the role of the EU’s individual member parliaments should be increased in the Union’s legislation activities. /Aksam/

VURAL GIVES DETAILS ON TURK TELEKOM PRIVATIZATION
Transportation Minister Oktay Vural stated yesterday that the upcoming privatization of state landline monopoly Turk Telekom would see the company separated into six different revisions, adding that its asking price needed to be revised downward in view of market conditions. Vural made the remarks after meeting with Juha Kahkonen, IMF’s Turkey desk chief. He said that he had told Kahkonen that needed changes to the telecom’s privatization legislation would be made in October and that a date for the selloff would also be contained in that law. When asked whether he had discussed possible early elections with the IMF official, Vural said that subject was outside the scope of their meeting. /Milliyet/

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