ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on September 16, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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WE COULD STAY IN THE FIRST 20 DESPITE CRISIS
According to figures of the World Bank, Turkey could stay among the first 25 countries in regard to purchasing parity and gross national product (GNP) in 2001. Despite the economic crisis, Turkey was ranked the 18th in the list.

''I DO NOT TRUST SURVEYS''
Koc Holding Executive Board President Rahmi Koc said, ''making surveys requires technique. I think the percentage of the indecisive people in the surveys is wrong.'' Noting that Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz was ''working hard'' for the European Union (EU) membership, Koc said, ''Yilmaz is exerting all his efforts for this aim. And, we have to back him.''

SCHOOL YEAR STARTS WITH RAIN
A total of 16 million students will start new education year today. Meteorology officials alarmed for heavy rain. School administrations were warned about torrential rains in north of Aegean and Marmara regions.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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LESSON OF ETHICS
The Prime Minister, who opposed to postponement of elections, also objected to the efforts to decrease the electoral threshold to 5 percent by saying that ''it would not be ethical.'' Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit is giving lesson of political ethics to leaders of political parties which are doing everything by being feared of staying under the electoral threshold. The prime minister had earlier returned the proposals for postponement of the elections by saying that there would be no return from the elections. He opposed to postponement of elections although he saw that there was a decrease in the votes in favour of Democratic Left Party (DSP). Now, Ecevit finds wrong the efforts of New Turkey Party (YTP), Motherland Party (ANAP) and Felicity Party (SP) for reducing the electoral threshold to 5 percent.

HERE IS THE LAST SCENARIO
The government will be toppled. Members of the New Turkey Party (YTP) will join the Motherland Party (ANAP). President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will designate Mesut Yilmaz for forming the new government. Members of ANAP and YTP, who have tried everything to postpone the elections, prepared a new plan upon the message of Sezer that ''he would designate Devlet Bahceli, who had the highest number of seats at the parliament, for forming the new government if the present government was toppled.'' According to the new plan, members of YTP except Cem and Ozkan will join ANAP after the government is toppled with a censure motion by the disgruntled deputies. Thus, Sezer will have to designate Yilmaz to form the government.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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TEN-YEAR SECRET
After the Northern Iraq operation in 1992, American jets harassed the Sikorsky helicopter on which General Esref Bitlis was aboard. The helicopter was almost crashing into the ground. It was revealed that Gendarme General Commander Esref Bitlis, who died in a suspicious plane accident in January 1993, was almost dying in Northern Iraq a month before this accident. Necati Ozgen, then Gendarme Security Commander, explained the secret for the first time. ''Bitlis and I were going to Northern Iraq to meet with Barzani and Talabani. After we passed Zaho, two American jets plunged into our helicopter twice. The engine of the helicopter almost stopped. We quickly went down and we almost crashed into the ground.''

BOMB LIST
Three key suspects of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) case were ranked the third, fourth and fifth in candidate lists of Devlet Bahceli from Balikesir. Caylan and Ciftci, who were placed at the top of the candidate lists by the branches, were vetoed by Bahceli while Kamil Gonenli, Sitki Seremetli and Mehmet Agar, who were tried after the September 12 military intervention and for whom death sentence was requested, achieved to be candidates for parliament from Balikesir. In the indictment of the case, it was noted that Gonenli, Seremetli and Agar prepared or placed bombs in several places in Balikesir. The suspects were tried for a long time and then, the case was abated.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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GREEN LIGHT TO THRESHOLD
Disgruntled deputies give up their efforts to postpone the elections. They are getting prepared to bring onto the agenda the possibility of holding November 3 elections with an arrangement which enables alliances by reducing the electoral threshold. New Turkey Party (YTP) Secretary General Istemihan Talay claimed that their aim was ''to reduce electoral threshold and pave the way for alliances instead of postponing the elections'' and defended that this change would not affect the date of the elections.

EYES OF CIVIL SERVANTS ON GOVERNMENT
The rise in salaries of civil servants and its validity date will be taken up at this week's Council of Ministers meeting. Gross 100 million Turkish liras (TL) rise in salaries of civil servants was adopted in the talks. But, its validity date was not decided at the talks.

CULTURE DAYS IN ISTANBUL
The Third United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Third Round Table Meeting of Ministers of Culture will begin in Istanbul on Monday. A total of 105 countries will attend the meeting which will end on September 17. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will participate in the opening session of the meeting.

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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DON'T FORGET QUAKE
2002 World Natural Disaster Report: If Turkey had complied with the construction regulations, there would not have been so many casualties. This prevention requires political will. According to the report, one third of over 900,000 buildings has the risk of collapsing in Istanbul.

TURKEY'S CULTURE IMPROVES
The meeting of the Third UNESCO Round Table of Ministers of Culture will begin in Ankara on Monday. ''Intangible Cultural Heritage, a Mirror of Cultural Diversity'' will be taken up at the meeting. Culture ministers of over 80 countries will participate in the meeting which will open with the speeches of Culture Minister Suat Caglayan, UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura, former United Nations Secretary General and World Culture and Development Commission Chairman Javier Perez de Cuellar and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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KOC SAYS THERE WILL BE SUPRISE AFTER ELECTIONS
Koc Holding Executive Board Chairman Rahmi Koc said that he did not believe in the surveys and stated that there would be unexpected surprises after the elections which would be held on November 3. Koc said that they would be disappointed if the elections were not held. He said that he did not trust in the surveys and added that everything would become definite about 10 days before the elections. Koc stated that everyone wanted the elections to be held and said that President Ahmet Necdet Sezer explained his thought on that issue clearly.

DERVIS SAYS HE DOES NOT GIVE CHANCE TO ECEVIT AND ERDOGAN
Former State Minister Kemal Dervis who became Istanbul deputy candidate from Republican People's Party (CHP) said that he did not give chance to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Dervis who attended the second Gaziantep Foods Festival responded to the reporters' questions. Dervis said that no one had the chance to win the elections excluding CHP.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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CILLER: ''I WILL NOT ALLOW ELECTIONS TO BE DELAYED''
True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller said that they would not be involved in a project which could postpone the elections to be held on November 3, 2002. Ciller came together with the deputy candidates of her party at Bilkent Hotel. Mehmet Ali Bayar and Tugrul Turkes who became the deputy candidates from DYP lists also attended the meeting. Ciller said that they also opposed to decreasing 10 percent threshold today like in past. Tansu Ciller also reacted to the new government models.

ECEVIT: ''WE BROUGHT DERVIS FOR ECONOMY, BUT HE BECAME A POLITICIAN''
Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that the elections would be held on November 3 in spite of all initiatives to postpone the elections. Ecevit said that they brought Kemal Dervis for economy but he became a politician and added that Dervis had an effect in dividing DSP.