ANKARA (A.A) - 06.06.2002 - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on June 6, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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MS. MERAL'S EUROPEAN ARMY
Economic Development Foundation (IKV) Chairperson Meral Gezgin Eris set 175 non-governmental organizations which represent 15 million people into action for the European target. Administrators of 175 chambers, associations, universities, press and publication organs and unions who joined the ''non-governmental platform'' pioneered by Eris made a call that ''Turkey should take its place in the European Union (EU). It does not have any time to lose.'' Eris said during the meeting, ''every part of Turkey mosaic takes part in this meeting. Everybody says that Turkey's future is in the EU. We do not want to miss this opportunity.'' Eris added, ''this is the voice of the people. This is the voice of the Turkish people. This is the voice of women, men, young people and the elderly, that is this is the voice of the society. Our politicians have to take into consideration the determined voice of the society.''
ALARM WITH AMBULANCE FOR ECEVIT AT SUMMIT
The Presidential Palace will be alarmed during the leaders' summit on Friday due to the health problems of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. The meeting which was due to start at 9.30 a.m. was postponed to 11.00 a.m. upon the request of Ecevit, who will undergo regular morning examination. Doctors and a fully-equipped ambulance will wait at the Presidential Palace during the summit.
WE APPLY TO FIFA FOR A CHANGE IN REFEREE
The national football team has officially applied to FIFA to change inexperienced referee Coffi Codjia of Benin who will conduct Turkey-Costa Rica match. There is not any football league in Benin.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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CILLER CAN SAY ''RESIGN' AT SUMMIT
True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller, who said at the backgrounds that ''Turkey's real problem was a vacuum in the prime ministry'' and that ''they should firstly take up this issue'', is thought to open to discussion Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's health at the summit on European Union (EU) to be held at the Presidential Palace. If Ciller calls on Ecevit to resign in front of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, a serious tension is expected to occur at the summit.
BAHCELI TO MAINTAIN HIS ATTITUDE AT SUMMIT
At the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) chairmanship council meeting, the participants decided ''not to make concessions'' of capital punishment and education in mother tongue. Besides evaluation of the place of MHP in the coalition, the attitude to be assumed at the leaders' summit was determined in the meeting held under the chairmanship of MHP leader Devlet Bahceli the previous evening. Bahceli said that concessions should not be made of national sensitivities. The attitude of the MHP towards education in mother tongue, abolition of capital punishment and Cyprus question was clear, Bahceli noted. Bahceli said that this attitude should be maintained.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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FIRST LIEUTENANT YENEN DIES IN F-16 CRASH
First Lieutenant Oguz Yenen had sacrificed his life in order to save his F-16 war plane in which a technical failure occurred during the flight. Yenen had tried to land the F-16 plane worth of 17 million U.S. dollars instead of jumping out of the plane with parachute, but failed.
LAST CALL FOR BAHCELI
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit called on State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) who has escalated tension in the coalition government with his statements about the European Union (EU) membership, to compromise for the last time. ''I hope that Mr. Bahceli would overcome the difficulties,'' he said. Prime Minister Ecevit added, ''we can face with problems. We can face with some difficulties among political parties. However, I believe that we can overcome all these problems. Because we have to overcome them. Otherwise, we will have to give up our target of the EU full membership.
''WE WANT EU MEMBERSHIP FOR OUR CHILDREN''
Representatives of more than 180 organizations representing nearly half of Turkey's population, convened in Istanbul, and signed a historical statement. Calling on government officials and politicians to listen to views of the society and to work for the European Union (EU) membership, the statement stressed, ''any delay in Turkey's target of EU membership will mean delay in modernization. We want EU membership for our children and for our future.''
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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EU TENSION
Prior to tomorrow's summit meeting at the Cankaya Presidential Palace in which issues such as annulment of death sentence, broadcast in mother tongue, right of education in mother tongue will be taken up, General Staff released a statement, and denied news stories such as soldiers had developed ''Hess formula'', a full consensus of opinion had been reached on proposals of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) and formulas to lift death sentence were discussed during the meeting of National Security Council (NSC).
THERE IS NO TIME TO LOSE
Representative of more than 180 organizations convened under coordination of the Economic Development Foundation (IKV). At the end of the meeting, a joint statement was released. The statement noted, ''political will should define and assess benefits of Turkey once again having regard to past and present developments in the world in order to reach the target of EU full membership. We expect our deputies to act with common-sense and with the conscious of this historical responsibility. Meanwhile, we expect the EU to act with the same common-sense and conscious. We request the EU to prove its determination to share a joint future with Turkey by setting a date for the beginning of full membership negotiations.''
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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ECEVIT TO MEDIATE IN KASHMIR DISPUTE
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit handled the Kashmir dispute which has almost pushed India and Pakistan into a war. Ecevit sent letters to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and proposed mediation.
YILMAZ SAYS EVERYBODY SHOULD THINK MORE
Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz made a response to the statement of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli who said that ''they should think more on broadcasting in mother tongue.'' Yilmaz said that every politician should refrain from any action or statement that could prevent Turkey from achieving its European Union (EU) membership target. Discussions on EU have increased prior to the leaders' summit. Yilmaz noted that they would do their best to reach a compromise at the summit.
SOLDIERS: ''THERE IS NO CHANGE IN OUR VIEW ABOUT CAPITAL PUNISHMENT''
The General Staff denied the news that they supported the abolition of capital punishment and they thought in parallel with the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD): ''There is not any change in the earlier announced views.''
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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ECEVIT: ''I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND SUMMIT MEETING''
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said, ''I hope that I would be able to attend the summit to be held on June 7 under the chairmanship of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.'' Prime Minister Ecevit gave written answers to written questions of journalists. Responding a question about his health, Prime Minister Ecevit said, ''my health condition has been improving day by day. My doctors has made a great contribution to my health. I have already been maintaining my works without interruption. I believe that I would be able to attend prime ministry works more actively soon.''
ERDOGAN: ''WE ARE IN FAVOR OF EU MEMBERSHIP''
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that they were in favor of Turkey's becoming a full member of the European Union (EU). Stressing that Turkey's EU membership process should be accelerated, Erdogan said that they did not consider the government sincere on the issue of the EU membership.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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SUMMIT MEETING TO BE A TELECONFERENCE
Discussions whether or not Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will attend the summit meeting at the Cankaya Presidential Palace have been continuing. Prime Minister Ecevit who held the meeting with coalition partners at the hospital and could not attend monthly meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) can attend the summit meeting with teleconference system.
DUTCH PRINCE ALEXANDER DUE IN TURKEY
Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, who changes his plans to pay a visit to Turkey as Hakan Karayavuz, the convict of a murder in Turkey, was released under the conditional release law, will come to Turkey in following months. Karayavuz, who was sentenced to life imprisonment twice on charges of raping three Dutch and one Russian tourist and killing two of them in 1995, was released under the law on conditional release on May 23. He was later sent to prison due to an implementation mistake. Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Dirioz said that Crown Prince Willem and his wife Princess Maxima did not cancel their tour to Turkey but that they only postponed it.