ANKARA (A.A) - 07.05.2002 - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on June 7, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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SEZER NOT TO PERMIT LEADERS TO DISCUSS COALITION GOVERNMENT
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer won't permit leaders to discuss the health of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and the coalition government at the ''EU Summit'' that will be held at 11.00 local time in Presidential Residence. All leaders will speak for 20 minutes each in the first round. President Sezer said that the agenda of the summit is membership of Turkey to the EU. Sezer is expected to tell the coalition and opposition leaders in the meeting that time is getting less for Turkey to get a full membership negotiation date from the EU. Thus, he will also give the message to the parliament that it has to fulfil the membership criteria as soon as possible and do what is necessary.
LUXURIOUS CONSUMPTION TAX ADOPTED IN PARLIAMENT
The parliament adopted yesterday the bill on luxurious consumption tax. The law covers 207 various products and consumer goods. Under the law, goods are grouped under four categories. In the first category, there are fuel oil, natural gas, mineral oil and solvent derivatives. The second category includes automobiles, motorbikes, planes, helicopters, yachts and cutters. The third category includes alcoholic drinks, cigarette, tobacco and products and soft drinks. The law which will go into force as of August 1, 2002 unites 16 different taxes under one tax.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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SUIT FILED AGAINST AK PARTY LEADER
Ankara Deputy Chief Prosecutor Bekir Selcuk filed a suit against AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing him of ''unjust enrichment'' worth of 256 billion Turkish liras between the years 1998-2001. The prosecutor also requested imprisonment term of five years and 10 months. If Erdogan is convicted, he will pay that amount (256 billion Turkish liras), he won't be a member of his own party and he will not be permitted to work in the public sector.
TAYYIP SEEMS CAUTIOUS
AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan who was invited to the Presidential Palace for the first time said that he would not bring the elections and the health of prime minister to agenda of the meeting. Erdogan said that it is not ethically right to discuss the health of Prime Minister Ecevit and early elections in the meeting as he was informed by the Presidential Secretariat that membership to the EU, abolishment of death sentence, Cyprus issue, education and broadcasting in mother tongue will only be discussed in the meeting.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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GOOD NEWS FOR ECEVIT
Prof. Dr. Yasargil who is a prominent Turkish brain surgeon who works in the U.S. said that ''the doctors of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit didn't consult with me about the medical condition of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. Thus, I don't have full information about his recent condition.'' However, he gave also good news for Ecevit telling that the Parkinson's disease can be treated by operation.
ZILELI TO DECIDE ABOUT ECEVIT'S PARTICIPATION IN EU SUMMIT
The political leaders will come together in the Presidential Residence under the leadership of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and make clear the approach of Turkey about EU. Prof. Dr. Turgut Zileli, one of the doctors of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will decide about Ecevit's participation in the meeting today. If the doctors permit Ecevit to attend the meeting, Zileli and Prof. Dr. Nur Altýnors will also go to the Presidential Palace and stay there during the meeting. An ambulance will also be kept for emergency.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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RAHSAN ECEVIT:''ECEVIT TO QUIT WHEN THE RIGHT TIME COMES''
A group of Democratic Left Party (DSP) deputies paid a courtesy visit to Rahsan Ecevit, the wife of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday. When the calls of certain circles to Ecevit to quit his office came to agenda in the meeting, Rahsan Ecevit said that ''like everybody else, when the right time comes, Bulent will also quit his office, but it is not the right time now.''
SERIOUS ACCUSATION OF TURKEY
A report prepared by the U.S. Department of State claimed that Turkey didn't launch serious efforts to stop the human smuggling. The report stressed that 700,000 persons including children in the world were victims of prostitution, working under severe conditions and by force and smuggling. Foreign Ministry said that the part of the report on Turkey have errors pertaining to facts and defective information.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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AK PARTY APPROVES DEATH PENALTY TO BE LIFTED
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy leader Abdullah Gul said that they would support the death penalty to be lifted. AK Party gave support to the death penalty to be transformed to heavy life imprisonment which was not supported by National Movement Party (MHP), True Path Party (DYP) and Felicity Party (SP). Gul said that he discussed this issue with AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and added that they would give full support to that issue. Gul who stated that Turkey should not miss the European Union (EU) chance said that they were not opposed to the broadcast and education in Kurdish language.
CRITICAL SUMMIT
The summit meeting on the European Union (EU) to which President Ahmet Necdet Sezer invited the leaders of six political parties at the parliament will begin on Friday at 11.00 a.m. Extraordinary health measures were taken for Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit in Cankaya district of Ankara. President Sezer had earlier sent invitation to the leaders in which he announced the time of the meeting as 9.30 a.m. As Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit requested a change in the time of the meeting due to his regular morning health examination, the meeting was postponed to 11.00 a.m.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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WE CANNOT BREAK OFF TIES WITH EU
The Association of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen (TUSIAD) Executive Board Chairman Tuncay Ozilhan said during the meeting with columnists that Turkey's breaking off the ties with the European Union (EU) would affect economical growth negatively and added that this would cause a very high cost. Prof. Asaf Savas Akat made a presentation entitled, ''Turkey's membership to the EU, Foreign Investments and Economical Growth''. Akat who analyzed the effects of Turkey's membership to the EU to its economy said that full membership to the union would increase foreign investments.
TURKEY NEEDS EU TO REACH ITS DESIRES
Economical Development Foundation (IKV) Chairman Meral Gezgin Eris said that Turkey needed the European Union (EU) to reach its desires and the EU also needed Turkey to be a world power. The civil society platform formed by 175 organizations under the coordination of IKV convened in Istanbul to give the message, ''Turkey should take its deserved place in the European Union (EU). We do not have any time to waste.'' Eris said that they held the meeting to warn the politicians. She stated that Turkey approached to its target to be a full member of the union and added that the determination of political will was more needed than ever before to reach Turkey's target.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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TURKEY AND GREECE COMPETE FOR BULGARIAN TELECOM
Turk Telecom-Koc Holding partnership will attend the privatization auction of Bulgarian Telecom (BTK) which is one of the biggest privatization projects in Bulgaria. The partnership whose 65 percent of share belongs to Koc Holding and 35 percent of share belongs to Turk Telecom applied officially to the auction opened for the privatization of Bulgarian Telecom. The important firms from Macedonia, Greece, Russia, Germany and France will compete in the privatization auction worth of 600 million U.S. dollars.
FOREIGN BANKS DON'T SIGN ISTANBUL APPROACH
A total of 24 banks and 13 financial institutions signed Istanbul Approach which aims to save the firms which have economical difficulties. No foreign capital banks signed the Istanbul Approach which some Turkish capital banks did not sign either. The Banks' Association of Turkey (TBB) announced the financial institutions which signed the Financial Restructuring Frame Agreement which was publicly known as Istanbul Approach. The statement said that 24 banks, 13 financial institutions and the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (SDIF) and the Emlakbank which was transferred to the SDIF, also signed the agreement. Banks with foreign capital did not take place among these financial institutions.