SEZER MOVES TO HEAD OFF POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday reportedly sent a directive to the Prime Ministry in a bid to block political appointments by the coalition government parties in their remaining months in power. The directive moved that so-called “triple decrees” -- ones signed by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli, and the relevant minister -- should not be sent to Sezer for approval. However, the directive added that appointments originating from the Cabinet could be forwarded for his signature. /Milliyet/

SEZER APPROVES SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET LAW
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday approved a supplementary budget law involving the transfer of TL 150 trillion to the Finance Ministry. Under this law, Finance Ministry resources will be available for the use of the Supreme Elections Board (YSK) for this November’s early elections and also for political parties participating in the elections. /Cumhuriyet/

YILMAZ: “ANAP WILL NOT MAKE ALLIANCES WITH OTHER PARTIES”
Motherland Party (ANAP) leader and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz yesterday announced that ANAP would not make alliances with any other political party. Last week Yilmaz had visited a number of parties’ leaders with an eye towards making alliances and changing the elections system. But some leaders rejected this offer, and others disagreed with him on how to best change the system. Addressing the evident lack of success in his efforts, Yilmaz said, “We did our best to cooperate in November’s early elections with other modern, democratic parties which support Turkey’s European Union membership bid, but they didn’t accept our offer. Thus we will start to draw up our own candidates’ lists.” /Sabah/

DERVIS BRIEFS BAYAR ON MEETING WITH ECEVIT
In his meeting with Democratic Turkey Party (DTP) leader Mehmet Ali Bayar on Sunday, former Economy Minister Kemal Dervis reportedly briefed Bayar on his recent meeting with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and explained why he favored alliances for November’s elections. “My meeting with Ecevit was quite difficult,” he reportedly told Bayar. “Our relations go deep, so I couldn’t resign before or just after meeting him.” Dervis met with Ecevit last Friday and left the economy minister post the next day. Speaking to reporters after talking with Bayar, he stated, “I see the DTP as one of the most important formations in Turkish political life and I would like to work with it.” Dervis is also expected to meet with Ecevit and Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal this week. /Sabah/

CEM: “WE ARE ORGANIZING NEW TURKEY VOLUNTEERS”
Former Foreign Minister and New Turkey (YT) leader Ismail Cem stated yesterday that besides setting up the YT’s provincial and district organizations of women and young people, his party had started to organize volunteers for the YT. Cem also said that the YT’s volunteer ranks would be formed by thousands of people who had applied to the party personally or through letter or e-mail. “These volunteer groups will carry the YT’s messages back to their own circles,” added Cem. /Cumhuriyet/

BAHCELI TO DISCUSS OCALAN WITH ECEVIT, YILMAZ
Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli has reportedly called on his government coalition partners, Prime Minister and Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz, to meet with him to discuss the situation of terrorist organization PKK head Abdullah Ocalan. Sources say that Bahceli will, rather uncharacteristically, suggest that Ocalan be interred in an F-type prison rather than continue to be housed in isolation as the sole inmate on Imrali Island. During the debates over death penalty abolition, Bahceli had continually argued that Ocalan deserved execution for his crimes. Nevertheless, if Ecevit and Yilmaz reject Bahceli’s F-type prison proposal, he will reportedly try to use this issue against them in campaigns for elections this fall. /Aksam/

TURKER BEGINS DUTIES AS ECONOMY MINISTER
Turkey’s new State Minister for the Economy Masum Turker yesterday officially took over the post from his predecessor Kemal Dervis. Speaking to reporters after meeting with Turker, Dervis said that Turkey was going through an election process, but that this should not affect the markets negatively. On the contrary, Turkey will navigate this transitional period through by democratic means, he added. Dervis also stated that Turkey was lucky to have Turker at the post. Dervis also thanked Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit for calling him to service in Turkey last year. For his part, Turker stated that Dervis and he shared common ground on a number of economic issues. /Hurriyet/

DEPUTY JOINS CHP, PARTY REPRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT
Mustafa Yilmaz, independent deputy from Gaziantep, yesterday joined the Republican People’s Party (CHP). With his action, the CHP became the 10th political party represented in Parliament, while the number of independent deputies fell to 16. /Turkiye/

TOBB TO LOBBY FOR EU MEMBERSHIP
Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchange (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu said yesterday that Turkey should intensify its lobbying efforts to obtain a date for EU membership negotiations. Criticizing politicians for concentrating on election campaigns rather than Turkey’s EU bid, Hisarciklioglu said that the TOBB would initiate lobbying efforts on the matter both at home and abroad in September and October. Turkey’s businessmen want amendments to the Political Parties and Elections Law, said Hisarciklioglu, since unfortunately holding elections without any amendments might cause a complicated situation which could lead to new elections. He added that the TOBB was opposed to the idea of an operation in Iraq. /Turkiye/

ATAA WORKING FOR “TURKISH DAY” DECLARATION IN THE US
The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) has begun initiatives to have Oct. 29 declared as “Day of the Republic of Turkey” in the United States by sending letters to all the governors in all 50 US states. Stressing that they had begun to get positive replies to their request, ATAA officials said that they were also planning to organize “Turkish Days” in Indianapolis in August in the honor of the Turkish Basketball Team, which will attend this year’s World Basketball Championship there. /Turkiye/

TURKISH FOLK DANCE GROUP TAKES SECOND IN POLISH COMPETITION
The Ankara-based Authentic Folk Dance Youth Association took second prize in this week’s 39th Beskid Culture Week Folk Dance Contest held in Poland, the association announced yesterday. Other participating countries included Angola, Russia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Italy and Denmark, and Slovakia placed first. In addition, the Turkish group was awarded the Special Jury Prize. /Aksam/

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