SEZER APPROVES JOB SECURITY LAW
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday approved a Job Security Law passed last week by Parliament in an extraordinary session. In a separate action, Sezer applied to the Constitutional Court to annul a provision of the recently passed European Union harmonization package entailing fines on radio and TV stations. /Turkiye/

CABINET MINISTERS MEET
The Cabinet ministers chaired by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit convened yesterday. Newly appointed ministers, including State Minister for the Economy Masum Turker, were present at the meeting. Among the topics taken up during the meeting were various economic matters along with measures to repair damage from recent floods in the Black Sea Region and forest fires in Balikesir. /Turkiye/

BAYKAL: “LET’S UNITE UNDER THE CHP’S UMBRELLA”
Appearing on television yesterday, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal made a historic call to former Economy Minister Kemal Dervis and former Foreign Minister and New Turkey (YT) leader Ismail Cem to unite under his party’s umbrella. Baykal stated that his party supported Dervis’s efforts to forge alliances, adding that the CHP was ready to embrace everybody. “It is important, for the sake of Turkey’s future, to bring together people who share common values,” said Baykal. Baykal remarked that Turkey needed an effective administration to get out of its current crisis, adding that the parties he mentioned should establish an administration together. /All Papers/

CEM AND OZKAN MEETS WITH DERVIS
New Turkey (YT) leader Ismail Cem and founding YT member Husamettin Ozkan yesterday met with former Economy Minister Kemal Dervis in order to evaluate Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal’s recent call to unite under the CHP’s umbrella before coming elections. Cem, Ozkan and Dervis told reporters afterwards that Baykal’s call was a very important step. /Sabah/

KEMAL DERVIS MEETS WITH TOBB CHAIRMAN
Former Economy Minister Kemal Dervis visited Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu yesterday reportedly in order to seek his support in early elections. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Hisarciklioglu said that the TOBB wouldn’t endorse any political party in November’s elections. /Milliyet/

DERVIS: “EUROPE SHOULD OPEN ITS DOORS”
Speaking to Italian daily La Republica yesterday, former State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis said that he would like to bring modern, secular Turkey to Europe. Dervis also stated that after Parliament’s recent passage of the European Union harmonization laws, it was incumbent on the EU itself to take a step forward. “Turkey is a bridge between the Islamic world and the Western world,” added Dervis. /Cumhuriyet/

ECONOMY MINISTER TURKER: “THE PROGRAM IS PROCEEDING WELL”
State Minister for the Economy Masum Turker yesterday attended a meeting of the Consultation Board for Production and Finance. Speaking to the press after the meeting alongside a number of economy bureaucrats and private sector representatives, Turker remarked that the meeting was very important to him as it brought together the representatives from both financial and manufacturing sectors. He also stated that the representatives of the two sectors had reached agreement to continue the economic program, displaying their resolve to further improve the Turkish economy. /Aksam/

ANKARA: “NO CONCESSIONS ON THE ISSUE OF NORTHERN IRAQ”
Turkey recently stated that it would never accept the establishment of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq. The Turkish Foreign Ministry yesterday announced that the Iraqi opposition leaders who met last week in Washington to discuss strategies of toppling Saddam Hussein had not taken up the issue of the establishment of an independent Kurdish state in the region. Turkey, a staunch US ally, has previously expressed concern that a US intervention in Iraq could lead to the creation of an independent Kurdish state on its border and encourage terrorist movements within its own territories. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Yusuf Buluc told a press conference yesterday that the main goal of the Washington meeting was to smooth out differences of opinion between the Iraqi opposition leaders, denying recent rumors that the US administration supports the formation of an independent Kurdish state in the region. Meanwhile, Iraqi National Congress (INC) leader Ahmed Celebi, who also attended the meetings with US officials in Washington, yesterday stated that he was also opposed to an independent Kurdish movement in northern Iraq and that the INC wanted to improve its dialogue with Turkey. Celebi also proposed that a conference be held in Turkey to discuss the future of Iraq in a post-Saddam period. /Cumhuriyet/

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT ALIYEV MEETS ARMENIAN COUNTERPART KOCHARYAN
Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev yesterday met with his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharyan in Sederek, a village in Azerbaijan. The two leaders discussed the issue of Upper Karabakh, a region illegally occupied by Armenia, and exchanged views on improving economic relations between their two countries. Speaking to the press before the meeting, Aliyev stated that they would take up once again all the solution proposals which have been previously developed. “Such gatherings are of great importance for the betterment of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” said Aliyev. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Yusuf Buluc told a press conference that Turkey appreciated the efforts of both leaders to normalize bilateral relations, stressing that Armenia should immediately end its occupation of Upper Karabakh. “Turkey wants to secure Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sincerely hopes that the two leaders can reach a settlement towards this end at the conclusion of their meeting,” said Buluc. /Cumhuriyet/

KARAYALCIN: “THE SHP WILL SUPPORT NEW PROJECTS TO FORGE ALLIANCES BETWEEN LEFTIST PARTIES”
Social Democratic People’s Party (SHP) leader Murat Karayalcin said yesterday that his party would support new projects to make alliance between leftist parties before November’s elections. “We think that mutual outreach between leftist parties should continue,” he said. “We hope that Dervis’s efforts to forge alliances between leftist parties meet with success as soon as possible.” /Milliyet/

TWO RESIGNATIONS FROM ANAP, OKSUZ JOINS THE BBP
Two parliamentarians yesterday resigned from the Motherland Party (ANAP) and then joined New Turkey (YT), namely Izmir Deputy Rifat Serdaroglu and Antalya Deputy Ibrahim Gurdal. With their resignations, the number of YT deputies in Parliament reached 63, while those of ANAP fell to 77. Meanwhile, Enis Oksuz, former transportation minister and ex-Nationalist Action Party (MHP) Mersin deputy, yesterday joined the Great Union Party (BBP) in a ceremony held in Parliament. With Oksuz, the number of the BBP’s deputies in Parliament rose to four. /All Papers/

GOVERNMENT, CIVIL SERVANT BARGAINING BEGINS
Civil servants’ unions are set to begin collective bargaining talks with the government this afternoon at the Prime Ministry. Kamu-Sen Chairman Bircan Akyildiz and KESK Chairman Sami Evren will represent the civil servants’ unions at the meetings, which will be chaired by State Minister Mehmet Kececiler. Under the Constitution, the meetings on workers’ salaries and fringe benefits should be concluded within 15 days. Following the government’s approval, the resulting collective bargaining decree will be put into force on Jan. 1, 2003. /Turkiye/

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