ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on August 26, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
------------------
''YES, THEY OFFERED ME PRIME MINISTRY POST''
Speaking to the newspaper, True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller said, ''we received a concrete offer for postponement of early elections. In this offer, it was mentioned that I could undertake prime ministry post in return for postponement of elections. But I rejected this offer.''
''WE UNDERTAKE THE MISSION, IF ELECTION IS POSTPONED''
Speaking to the private TV8 channel, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said, ''in case of postponement of elections, the President cannot charge another political party with forming the government by ignoring the MHP.''
TASAR INVITES NY MAYOR TO TURKEY
Tourism Minister Mustafa Tasar concentrated his works on the United States in order to draw American citizens to Turkey who applied to tourism information offices to get promotion ads in which world-wide famous pop singer Tarkan played. Sending a letter to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg who announced that he want to spend his holiday in Turkey, Tasar said, ''come to Turkey and let's spend our holiday together.''
IRAQ PROPOSAL FOR USD 40 BILLION OF TRADE
Trade Minister Mohammad Mahdi Salih of Iraq said an agreement similar to the one between Iraq and Russia could be signed between Turkey and Iraq, creating a 40 billion U.S. dollars of trade volume. Salih claimed that Turkey might suffer more than 200 billion U.S. dollars of financial loss in a possible U.S. military attack on Iraq.
ARABS PREFER TURKEY WHEN WEST CALLED THEM ''TERRORISTS''
Arabs who were called ''terrorists'' by the Western countries after the September 11 attacks started to prefer Turkey to spend their holiday. The number of Arab tourists visiting Turkey rose 22 percent in the first half of the year while increase in number of Iranian tourists reached 30 percent when compared to last year.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
------------------
SHE WANTS A BABY INSTEAD OF POLITICS
Oya Unlu who is the daughter of Fikret Unlu who resigned as state minister for sports, is the advisor to Kemal Dervis who resigned as the state minister for economy and she actually does not like politics so much. Dervis said, ''she is the only person who can speak on my behalf.'' However, Oya Unlu said, ''firstly, my husband has the priority over everything and also I want a baby.''
ECEVIT JOINS YTP
Cem Ecevit who is a relative of Prime Minister and Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit made his political preference. Cem Ecevit who said, ''I was offended by the Prime Minister'' joined the New Turkey Party (YTP) together with thirty people including Social Democracy Foundation (SODEV) Chairman Ercan Karakas and artist Halil Ergun.
HYPER-INFLATION WARNING
Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti said, ''I don't even want to think that the economic programme would not be implemented after the elections. This causes hyper-inflation.'' Serdengecti prepared a national compromise document and he will ask all political parties to sign it as a guarantee for continuation of economic programme.
DEBT STOCK INCREASES TO USD 130.6 BILLION
The state's total foreign and domestic debts rose nearly 7 billion U.S. dollars to 130.6 billion U.S. dollars in first 7 months of the year. Meanwhile, Treasury will hold an auction on Monday to sell 2-year state bonds that will have floating interest rates and it will auction 147-day and 252-day bonds on Tuesday. Treasury will repay 3.3 quadrillion Turkish liras in domestic debt and 122.5 million U.S. dollars in external debt this week. And the total foreign debt repayments in first eight months of the year will reach 6.3 billion U.S. dollars.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
---------------
''DEMIREL, WHICH PARTY WILL WE VOTE FOR?''
Like many other Turkish citizens, also Demirel couple has not yet taken a decision on which party they will vote for in November 3 elections. During a breakfast at Demirel couple's house, Nazmiye Demirel asked her husband Suleyman Demirel, ''which party will we vote for in elections? Don't laugh at me, I really want to know. Women who visit me for 5 o'clock tea are insistently asking me this. We should guide people.'' And former president said, ''Nazmiye, we will wait and watch the leaders of parties. This is the period of wait and see.''
SECRET BARGAINING WITH ERBAKAN
Those who want postponement of November 3 elections found a new formula: Bring a series of reforms by making amendments to political parties and elections laws. If these amendments are made, the Higher Board of Elections will announce that preparations can't be completed until November 3 and ask for postponement of elections. The True Path Party (DYP), Motherland Party (ANAP) and New Turkey Party (YTP) which led this plan send DYP Parliamentary Group Deputy Chairman Ercan to Necmettin Erbakan to get support of the Felicity Party (SP). However, Erbakan showed an attitude that he is in favor of elections on November 3.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
-----------------
PROGRESS FROM DSP
Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Bulent Ecevit has accelerated work in his party to prepare for the elections which will be held on November 3, 2002. Ecevit had a meeting with directors of the DSP to complete its election report on Sunday. ''Silent Revolution of Ecevit'' will be the title of the report which includes new projects. The report will have a slogan, ''the name of national left is DSP''.
IMPORTANT DAY FOR STATE EMPLOYEES
The second meeting of collective bargaining talks between the state and public employees will be held at Prime Ministry building on Monday. The representatives of Confederation of Public Laborers Unions (KESK) and Confederation of Turkish Public Employees Unions (KAMU-SEN) will attend the meeting which will be held under the leadership of State Minister Mehmet Kececiler. A compromise document is expected to be signed at the meeting.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
--------------
ALLIANCE NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE
The parties who have threshold risk are searching for the alliance. The negotiations which True Path Party (DYP) launched with Democratic Turkey Party (DTP) and Brilliant Turkey Party (ATP) will end soon. New Turkey Party (YTP) is preparing to begin alliance talks with Social Democrat People's Party (SHP). YTP also accelerated the alliance search after Kemal Dervis joined the Republican People's Party (CHP). YTP leader Ismail Cem exerts effort for the unification in left. Cem is preparing to meet with SHP leader Murat Karayalcin.
INVESTORS DISCOVERS SOUTHEAST ANATOLIAN REGION
The businessmen have begun to invest in Southeastern Anatolian Region after terrorism was eradicated from the region. A total of 885 trillion Turkish lira (TL) investment encouragement certificates was arranged for Southeastern Anatolian Region in the first seven months of this year. The investments in the region increased double in 2002 when compared to the last year.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
---------------
TOBB SAYS EU SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN ITS OWN BUSINESS
The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarcýklýoglu, who came to Canakkale province for council meetings of TOBB Trade Stock Exchanges reacted to the European Union's (EU) demand that Turkey should apply visas for Arab countries. Hisarciklioglu said that EU should not intervene in internal affairs of Turkey and added, ''tourists coming from Arab countries to Turkey have a great effect in the development of Turkish tourism. Are we intervening in the visa issues of EU countries? I cannot understand why they are intervening in our affairs.''
LETTER FROM RETIRED WORKERS TO PRESIDENT SEZER
The Association of Turkish Retired Workers sent a letter to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and wanted retired workers' economic situation to be improved. The letter was also sent to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Deputies Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli and Mesut Yilmaz and some ministers with the signatures of Chairman Kazim Ergun and Secretary General Recep Orhan. The letter said that retired workers had serious problems due to the economic and social difficulties and added that nearly 3,700,000 retired workers wanted state to help them.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
--------------------
AK PARTY TO REVISE IMF PROGRAMME
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) which is the first party according to some surveys conducted by several companies gave the message that it would refrain from the attitudes against International Monetary Fund (IMF). AK Party deputy leader Ali Coskun said that they were not against IMF or its programme and added that however they would want some revisions to be made in the programme when they came to the power.
FIRE IN MILAS CONTINUES
Mugla Governor Huseyin Aksoy said that fire which started after a thunderbolt in Oren hamlet in Milas town of Aegean Mugla province destroyed nearly 150 hectares of forest. Aksoy said that fire was taken under control especially in settlement regions.