ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on September 19, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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DREAM COMES TRUE
Foundation of Baku-Ceyhan pipeline project, which will make Turkey a distribution center of Eurasian oil, was laid by the presidents of Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. One million barrels of oil can flow through the pipelines a day as the pipeline becomes operational in 2005. Turkey will obtain 200 million U.S. dollars of income from the pipeline which will cost 2.9 billion U.S. dollars. Turkey has not undertaken any financial liability for the project. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer laid the foundation of the pipeline which was under discussion for ten years and for the implementation of which politicians like former presidents Turgut Ozal and Suleyman Demirel, True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz had exerted great efforts. Sezer said, ''Baku-Ceyhan is not a legend anymore but a reality'' while President Haydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan defined the project as the ''contract of the century.''
SUPER GALA FROM THE LIONS
Galatasaray soccer club of Turkey, coached by Fatih Terim, gained three points in their Champions League group H opening match. ''Cimbom'', which is the first Turkish team playing group matches without playing pre-qualifying matches, beat Lokomotiv Moscow 2-0 in away match. The lions achieved to defeat a Russian team for the first time with the goals of Sarr and Arif. Thus, Galatasaray became the leader in its group.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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75+25 MILLION TO CIVIL SERVANTS
The coalition leaders put an end to collective bargaining talks between the government and civil servant unions. The leaders decided to increase salaries of civil servants by gross 100 million Turkish liras (TL) to be valid as of October. A total of 75 million TL will be paid to civil servants till the end of the year not to imbalance the budget while the rest 25 million will be given as a whole in January.
NATIONAL DAY OF ''NATIONAL VISION''
Destinies of banned Welfare Party (RP) leader Necmettin Erbakan and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be announced today. If the Higher Electoral Board (YSK) returns their application for candidate deputyship, political lives of those who are sentenced on charges of article 312 of Turkish Penal Code (TCK) will end.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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''THANKS TO YOU, MY COMMISSIONER!''
When European Union (EU) Commissioner for enlargement Guenter Verheugen warned that ''Turkey was getting late'', a regulation in line with the laws was made regarding ''detention.'' After the regulation on teaching of Kurdish was issued, the regulation on detention was also amended. Now, the criminals will be read their rights when they are captured just like in the United States. If the detainee wants, he/she can use his/her right to remain silent. Relatives of detainees will be informed about the detention. Thus, people will not get lost when they are under detention.
HEAVY PUNISHMENT TO TAYYIP
One more bad news to Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan came from Istanbul Heavy Criminal Court No.4. Istanbul Heavy Criminal Court No.4 decided to join the case of Albayrak brothers who are tried on charges of formation of gangs and corruption in tenders of Istanbul Municipality with the cases regarding Erdogan and Istanbul Mayor Ali Mufit Gurtuna. Erdogan and Gurtuna, against whom lawsuit had earlier been filed in basic criminal court, will be tried by Heavy Criminal Court after the completion of procedures. The indictment asks for imprisonment terms up to nine years for Erdogan and up to 30 years for Gurtuna.
CEM: ''WE HAVE BEEN A VICTIM OF GOOD WILL''
New Turkey Party (YTP) leader Ismail Cem, who made a statement after the central executive board meeting of his party, said that they totally gave up their efforts to amend the Election Law. Stressing that they were the victims of their good will and they were exploited, Cem said that they decided to end their efforts to amend the Election Law after the Motherland Party (ANAP) had changed its attitude.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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ADJUSTMENT IN MOTHER TONGUE AND DETENTION
Under the laws on adjustment with the European Union (EU) the ''Regulations for Capture, Detention and Interrogation'' and regulations for ''education in mother tongue'' were revised. The detention period was shortened and the condition of informing family and relatives of the person who is captured and detained was included in the relevant regulations. Meanwhile, National Education Minister Necdet Tekin said that courses which would teach different languages and dialects would not have any difference then the existing courses. Children who are below 18 years of age can attend such courses only on parental consent. Those who want to open such courses should be Turkish citizens.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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EU IS ONE THING, TORTURE IS ANOTHER
Regulations are issued with a day and night work in order to implement European Union (EU) reforms. However, the torture case in western province of Manisa is going towards lapse of time. As the government continues initiatives targeting at EU membership, the seven-year case related with torture made on young people in Manisa is on the brink of lapse of time. The letter signed by one of the unjustly treated person namely Munure Apaydin saying that ''police did not torture them'' was revealed to be false. In yesterday's session also followed by a representative of Amnesty International, the court delegation adjourned the hearing till October 16 to give time to suspects for a final defense. The case which is expected to be concluded in October will be lost if a decision is not made till June 2003.
''IT IS EARLY FOR SETTING DATE''
Eneko Landaburu, one of the European Union (EU) commissioners for enlargement, said that it was not possible for them to propose a full membership negotiation date for Turkey in the near future.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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''LEGEND'' BECOMES REAL
The ''millennium project'' started and the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline's foundation was laid. Foundation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline which is very important for Azerbaijan and Georgia and considered a door opening to the West via Turkey was celebrated with great enthusiasm in sister country Azerbaijan. Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said that the project was no longer a legend. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev said that they realized this project despite all obstacles, adding, ''this oil should be put up for sale in world market. We started to walk on this path together with Turkey and Georgia. We faced political threats and pressure but we continued on this path. And we made our dream real.''
EU: ''NO DATE''
European Union (EU) Commission Director General Eneko Landaburu for Enlargement said that the date for opening of accession negotiations would not be given to Turkey probably in near future. ''There are considerably important uncertainties in the current political administration in Turkey. Turkey can't win a date as long as it does not abide by democratic rules,'' he said.
DECISION DAY
The Higher Electoral Board (YSK) will announce its decision on whether or not Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, outlawed Welfare Party (RP) leader Necmettin Erbakan, Human Rights Association (IHD) former chairman Akin Birdal and People's Democracy Party (HADEP) former leader Murat Bozlak can run for elections.
GALATASARAY SMASH RUSSIANS
''European Lions'' Galatasaray started the Champions League group H with a 2-0 victory in away game and with three golden points. Galatasaray beat Lokomotiv Moscow with goals scored in the second half by Senegalese defender Adama Sarr and Arif Erdem. Galatasaray's Colombia goalkeeper Ali Mondragon kept the Russian side out while Arif Erdem and Ergun Penbe were denied by the post in the first half.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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''AK PARTY IS NOT OBLIGED TO BE UNDER MY LEADERSHIP''
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he would travel Anatolia's roads to ask people to vote for his party if his deputyship and party leadership were prevented. Noting that AK Party worked as a team, Erdogan said that his party did not have a mentality which was obliged to be under a single person's leadership but it has a collective understanding. ''Whatever the conditions...I will travel Anatolia's roads to ask the people to vote for the AK Party. I'm waiting for people to make the real decision. The decision on November 3 will be very meaningful for me,'' he said.
TURKS' VOTES TO BE DETERMINING FACTOR IN ELECTIONS IN GERMANY
Early elections will be held in Germany on Sunday. There is a serious competition between the Social Democrat Party (SDP) and conservative Christian Democrat Party (CDP). According to public surveys, both parties are going to win 38 percent of votes and this made votes of 480 thousand people of Turkish origin more valuable. There are 900 thousand voters of foreign origin in Germany and 480 thousand of them are Turkish. And 530 thousand of foreign origin voters are Muslim. It is claimed that Turkish voters would vote for the SPD.