ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on September 11, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
------------------
EU GOVERNMENT WITHOUT MHP
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit met with State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz who also acts as leader of the Motherland Party (ANAP). During the meeting, Yilmaz called on Prime Minister Ecevit to withdraw from the government. Prime Minister Ecevit responded to Yilmaz saying that he would not resign. Later, Yilmaz proposed the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) to withdraw from the government. Yilmaz said, ''if the MHP does not withdraw from the government, the current government should be overthrown and a broad-based government should be formed by political parties supporting Turkey's European Union (EU) membership.''
''ECEVIT HAS BEEN ABETTING TO OCALAN''
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Deputy Chairman Sevket Bulent Yahnici accused Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit of abetting to Abdullah Ocalan, the head of the terrorist organization PKK, and denounced him. Yahnici also accused former and current justice ministers and the prosecutor in Imrali Island.
KANADOGLU REQUESTS ANNULMENT OF DECISION OF DIYARBAKIR DGM ABOUT ERDOGAN
Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Sabih Kanadoglu requested annulment of decision taken by the Diyarbakir State Security Court (DGM) no: 3 about clearance of record of convictions of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Kanadoglu submitted a written recommendation to the Supreme Court of Appeals Criminal Department no: 8.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
------------------
SEISMIC EXPERIMENT STARTS IN ADAPAZARI
The Scientific and Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), Earth and Sea Sciences Research Institute and Tokyo Technology Institute started a seismic experiment in Adapazari on Tuesday.
A dynamite that exploded created a shaking with a magnitude of 0.37 on the Richter scale. The shaking lasted for two seconds. A total of 80 equipments, placed 350 meters away from each other, measured the shaking. The experiment is expected to offer detailed information about the situation of the North Anatolian Fault Line's Adapazari part after Aug. 17 earthquake. The second part of the experiment will be conducted on Wednesday night. Similar experiments were made in Turkey's various regions in the past.
YILMAZ PROPOSES ECEVIT TO WITHDRAW FROM GOVERNMENT, ECEVIT REFUSES
Ankara witnessed an interesting political development yesterday. Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz told Ecevit to withdraw from the government and also announced that his party was also withdrawing. He used the Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) application to the Constitutional Court for the cancellation of some of the EU adjustment laws, as a pretext. But Ecevit refused to withdraw and said he was in charge. He also indicated that there was very little time left to the elections and it was difficult to set up an interim government.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
---------------
GROWTH RATE INCREASES
The State Institute of Statistics (DIE) announced that the second quarter growth rate of Gross National Product (GNP) in 2002 compared to the same quarter of 2001 increased 8.8 percent and the growth rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased 8.2 percent. DIE announced the GNP statistics in second quarter of 2002. According to the statement, GNP figure for the second quarter of 2002 is 59 quadrillion 499 trillion 536 billion Turkish liras (TL) in current prices and it is 26 trillion 922 billion TL in real terms. The real growth rate is 8.8 percent while current growth is 55.6 percent.
ANAP AND YTP TO OVERTHROW GOVERNMENT
It was claimed that the Motherland Party (ANAP) and the New Turkey Party (YTP) were planning to overthrow the government by submitting a censure motion. YTP Secretary General Istemihan Talay confirmed these claims, saying, ''we will submit a censure motion against the government. We will provide the necessary majority and overthrow the government.''
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
-----------------
VERHEUGEN BOTH PRAISES AND CRITICIZES
European Union (EU) Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said reforms were approved in Turkey by amazing everybody. Pointing out that Turkey should be given the place which it deserves, Verheugen said same conditions would be carried out for Turkey like the other candidates. He said a government should come to the ruling which would implement those reforms.
Criticizing Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas harshly on Cyprus issue, Verheugen said dialogue was very difficult with the Turkish side, claiming that administration in the North create obstacles. He said they wanted to see Cyprus as an EU member as a whole.
OZTURK IS THE 97TH LOSS OF DEATH FAST
Number of those who died in death fasting reached 97. Death fasting had started for nearly two years ago against F type prisons. Hamide Ozturk, a member of the illegal DHKP/C organization, died in a hospital in Istanbul during a death fast to protest F-type prison.
The 32-year old female inmate was transferred to Sagmalcilar state Hospital when her condition worsened at Bakirkoy Women's and Children's Prison. Ozturk was sentenced to 12 years in prison for being a member of an illegal organization and participating in a number of illegal demonstrations.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
--------------
ECEVIT: ''WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY INITIATIVE TO POSTPONE ELECTIONS''
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit stressed, ''State Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz want to postpone the elections. However, we are determined not to allow any initiative to postpone the elections. The elections will be held on November 3. Turkey has already entered the election period. It is too late to change mind.''
YILMAZ REACTS TO MHP
State Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz reacted to the National Movement Party's (MHP) application to the Constitutional Court about annulment of some articles of the European Union (EU) adjustment package. He stressed, ''MHP is determined to prevent the necessary arrangements about the EU. We cannot remain in the government together with a political party playing with the future of the country.''
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
---------------
ACCUSATION FROM MHP TO ECEVIT
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputy chairman Sevket Bulent Yahnici said he would file a legal complaint against the prime minister, former and new justice ministers and Imrali public prosecutor on grounds that Abdullah Ocalan, the head of the terrorist organization, threaten security of state.
Yahnici said, ''those who make Apo live in this special and secure convict status are the prime minister, former justice minister, new justice minister, and Imrali public chief prosecutor. I file a legal complaint against them to public prosecutors from here. I am calling them to work. They misused their authorities. They neglected their duties. Furthermore, they assisted the guilty with respect to Penal Code.''
Yahnici, while evaluating the statements of the Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz to ''withdraw from government,'' said, ''Mr. Yilmaz is gambling. However, nobody has the right to gamble with the future and fate of the Turkish nation.''. Yahnici said Turkey, from the very beginning, is kept busy with a scenario of postponement of election, stressing that demand of people to hold elections prevented all those efforts.
Yahnici said, ''they used MHP's application to the Constitutional Court as a pretext. In fact, they want to say that they don't want elections. They met True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller, but they were refused. Their attitude is a threat to everybody.''
ECEVIT: WE WILL NOT WITHDRAW
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, who convened his party members following the proposal of the Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz to withdraw from the government, pointed out that, ''we can not accept the responsibility of withdrawing from the government. If there are those who have ideas to set up a new government, they can do what is necessary.''
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
--------------------
POSTPONEMENT POSSIBILITY OF ELECTIONS STIR UP MARKETS
Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz's announcement to withdraw from the government stirred up the markets yesterday. The stock market which dropped 3,06 points in the first session dropped 5,67 points to 8,878. The interest rates climbed and one US dollar reached one million 680,000 TL. The markets started calming down after the statement of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, but the stock market closed the day with a 4,16 percent loss.
PARENTS OF STUDENTS PREFER SECOND HAND BOOKS BEFORE SCHOOLS OPEN
Parents of students have rushed to the places like Istanbul's Beyazit Square and Istanbul's Karanfil Street where second hand books are sold as new books cost dearly. A student going to a vocational school said that the second hand books cost half of the new ones and he added that many of his friends at school also prefer to buy second hand books like him.
Some government offices and municipalities also started a campaign to help students coming from low income families to get their books for free. In a campaign started by the Kartal Municipality of Istanbul, students brought their old books for other students and took the books they needed for this year without paying any money.