ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on October 19, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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FIRST STEP FOR INTEGRATION
Turkey has given its first signal for an integration with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in case the Greek Cypriot administration is accepted as a European Union (EU) full member. Possibilities, provided for TRNC citizens during the Turkey-TRNC Partnership Council in September in order to intimidate the European Union (EU) at the Copenhagen Summit with the consent of the Council of Ministers, will be put into practice. The Interior Ministry sent a circular to the relevant departments and asked them to make all facilitations to TRNC citizens in line with the decisions taken at the council meeting. Thus, TRNC citizens gained rights granted to Turkish Republic citizens except political rights with the ''Ankara Agreement' which ensured integration of Turkey and TRNC in interior and justice affairs and working life.
AK PARTY: ''HEADSCARF IS OUR PROMISE''
The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) which cannot resist to competition in the election areas with the Felicity Party (SP) changed its discourse about the headscarf issue. AK Party used to say that headscarf ''was not their prior problem.'' AK Party Group Chairman Bulent Arinc said, ''injustice, oppression'' when talking about the headscarf ban and noted, ''we have to solve this issue. It is our promise.'' Then, AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked people to ''be patient'' about the headscarf issue.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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HE WINS VOTES BY TOUCHING
Kemal Dervis, a candidate deputy from the Republican People's Party (CHP), takes into consideration the fact that Turkish people attribute importance to ''touching'' and ''dialogue.'' To this end, he attributes importance to direct dialogue with people during his election campaign. He is shaking hands of 4,000 people a day and reaches 40 thousand people in ten days.
THIS SUFFERING WILL NEVER END
State hospitals do not accept patients who are members of the Social Security Agency (SSK) and do not give them medicine free of charge. Former Labour and Social Security Minister Yasar Okuyan and Health Minister Osman Durmus signed a protocol on July 4. Under that protocol, people who are members of SSK can receive treatment in state hospitals and get medicine from these hospitals. Milliyet reporter went to a state hospital, spent a whole day there, she received treatment but she could not get medicines.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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OPERATION INTIMIDATION
Turkey has pushed the button for a cross-border operation eight years later: 4,000 soldiers went to Northern Iraq. Turkish Armed Forces is staging the biggest cross-border operation for the first time since 1994. A new unit of 4,000 soldiers was added to our military units that passed the border in Northern Iraq on Friday. The first aim of the new operation is to prevent terrorist organization PKK from getting powerful. PKK has announced that it formed autonomous regions in the region. PKK currently has 4,500 militants in the regions under control of Talabani and Barzani. The second aim of the operation is to force the Kurdish parliament that convened in Irbil to narrow its political targets and to warn Barzani and Talabani, getting prepared to found a federal Kurdish state, to ''stay there.'' When these developments are occuring in the region, Abdullah Ocalan, the head of the terrorist organization PKK, warned the Kurdish parliament about a federal Kurdish state. Ocalan said, ''federal state is wrong. Kurds needs democracy instead of a state.''
WOMAN'S INTERVENTION IN CYPRUS QUESTION
Katie Clerides, the daughter of Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides who joined a meeting in Istanbul, said that women undertake significant duties in solution of the Cyprus question. Woman parliamentarians Clerides and Nurten Hudaverdioglu of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) who met in Istanbul, gave the message that they would bring peace to the island.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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SOLDIERS IN NORTHERN IRAQ
Recent initiatives of the Kurdish groups increased military activity in Northern Iraq. Around 12,000 Turkish soldiers entered Northern Iraq on Friday night from Sirnak border. The soldiers after advancing 10 kilometers, united with two brigades which were earlier deployed in the region.
Turkey, which takes steps to set up a ''buffer zone'' in Northern Iraq, made the most serious warning to Barzani and Talabani who created uneasiness with their statements.
LAWYERS OF OCALAN APPLY TO SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS
Lawyers of Abdullah Ocalan, the head of the terrorist organization PKK, applied to the Supreme Court of Appeals after their client's death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment within the scope of the European Union (EU) adjustment laws.
Ankara State Security Court (DGM) no: 2 notified lawyers of Ocalan on its decision to commute Ocalan's death sentence to life imprisonment after death sentence was lifted.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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ACCORDING TO SECURITY DEPARTMENT, 68 PEOPLE DIED UNDER CUSTODY IN EIGHT YEARS
Security Department said 68 people died in eight years when they were under custody. According to this, 37 people committed suicide, 20 died because of health reasons, eight people were murdered, and one died as a result of blows. One person was found dead after escaping, and another died because of an unknown reason.
A total 23 of those 37 who committed suicide hanged themselves, eight of them jumped down from a high place, two killed themselves, two killed themselves during re-enactment, one knived himself, and another one shot himself to death.
MILITARY TAKES CONTROL
When steps of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) were intensified, the Turkish Armed Forces put into practice its plan to increase military power in Northern Iraq. Around 5,000-10,000 soldiers were sent to the region.
Turkey thus aims to intimidate the Kurdish groups and initiates preparations to meet a probable influx of refugees in Iraqi territories. The Turkish Armed Forces is expected to stay in Northern Iraq till things get calm down.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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NO CHANGE ALSO IN 2003
Finance Minister Sumer Oral said that the 2003 fiscal year budget is 143.2 quadrillion Turkish liras (TL).
Oral held a press conference on the occasion of submission of the 2003 year draft budget law to the parliament.
According to the macro figures announced by Oral, the growth target in 2003 is 5 percent, gross national product (GNP) deflator is 26.2 percent, wholesale prices index (WPI) target in the end of the year is 16.2 percent, consumer prices index (CPI) target in the end of the year is 20 percent, GNP target is 364.3 quadrillion TL, total exports target is 38.4 billion U.S. dollars and total imports target is 51.6 billion U.S. dollars.
DIONYSOS STATUE TO BE GIVEN BACK TO TURKEY
Turkey won the legal fight for bringing the bronze Dionysos Statue back in. In a case in Britain, the judge decided on giving the bronze statue of God Dionysos belonging to 200 B.C. Hellenistic era, back to Turkey.
The bronze statue which is currently under protection in the British Museum will be brought back to its motherland through a diplomatic courier at the end of this month with company of a technical delegation from the Culture Ministry.
Sources said in the case heard in British capital London, it was proved that the statue had been smuggled from Turkey and the judge decided on October 16 that the bronze statue should be brought back to Turkey.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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ADANA AIRPORT ALSO TO BE USED AGAINST IRAQ
As scenerios regarded with possible operation of the United States against Iraq are being discussed, British The Independent daily claimed that Adana Sakirpasa Airport would be used in the operation as a sub-installation.
Sakirpasa Airport Chief Director Cengiz Asikli denied the claims of the British newspaper. Asikli said usage of a civilian airport for military purposes was out of question.
AGAR TO SET UP PARTY AFTER ELECTIONS
Elazig Independent Parliamentarian and a candidate for deputyship Mehmet Agar said he would set up his party till the first month of next year.
Agar said Turkey will set sail to a new horizon after November 3, defending that politicians who could not administer Turkey would be eliminated after this date. Agar said he would set up his party according to the new needs, noting that people from now on wanted change of idea, political cadre and change of mentality.
Agar said, ''we will set up our party till the first month of next year. We will include in our party some names known by public, and some names who are not known.''