ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on February 25, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
------------------
GUL: ''YOU SHOULD NOT ACT WITH YOUR FEELINGS, THIS IS BUSINESS OF STATE''
Motion regarding deployment of U.S. soldiers in Turkey was debated at the meeting of Council of Ministers. Most of ministers opposed the motion at the meeting while Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said, ''you should not act with your feelings, this is a business of state. It is related to interests of the country. We should launch the process.'' The meeting of Council of Ministers started at 10.50 a.m. on Monday. Prime Minister Gul who delivered a speech summarized initiatives which were made for peace. Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis informed ministers about negotiations with the United States and the motion at the meeting. National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul made statements supporting Gul and Yakis. Later, motion on stationing of foreign soldiers in Turkey and dispatch of Turkish soldiers abroad was opened to signature of members of the Council of Ministers.
SCHOOLS CLOSED TODAY
Primary, secondary schools and some universities in Istanbul are closed due to heavy snowfall on Tuesday. Maltepe, Isik, Ticaret, Marmara, Fatih, Kadir Has, Yeditepe, Bilgi, Beykent and Sabanci universities in Istanbul were recessed for today. Primary and secondary schools in Erzurum, Mus and Erzincan are closed on Tuesday due to heavy snowfall and snowstorm.
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
------------------
FORCED MOTION
The government combined its requests for authority under a single motion to allow stationing of foreign troops in Turkey and dispatch of Turkish troops abroad, and sent it to the parliament after yesterday's Council of Ministers meeting. Ministers who insisted on not signing the motion were persuaded by Prime Minister Abdullah Gul who said, ''the motion won't be debated at parliament until the United States meets our demands.'' Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis gave the message that the motion would not be debated at the parliament until a deal was reached in talks between Turkey and the United States on military, political and economic issues. The motion will be passed from the parliament on Wednesday according to positive reply that the United States is expected to give today. The motion which was opened for signature of ministers was prepared with the expression which says ''61,500 foreign soldiers together with the personnel that will give logistic support to American soldiers who will fight in northern front will come to Turkey and proceed to Northern Iraq.'' The motion which was earlier prepared for a six-month period was later limited with three-month period.
''THERE WOULD BE TRAGEDY IF THERE WON'T BE SOLUTION IN CYPRUS''
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said he would present the third plan in Cyprus. Annan warned Turkey that its EU process would be endangered if Cyprus issue was not solved, and he warned TRNC President Rauf Denktas that Turkish Cypriots would not be pleased if he rejected the plan. Annan who met with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, explained the third version of the revised Cyprus plan. Annan who will give the plan to Denktas and new Greek Cypriot leader Papadapoulos on the island tomorrow will give March 7 as the deadline for their reply. Speaking to the Turkish CNN, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan recalled that the Greek Cypriot side would be an EU member if a solution was not reached until April 16. Insolubility would be a tragedy, and Turkish Cypriots would not be pleased with such a result, and benefits of the Turkish side from this plan would be decreased considerably, Annan warned and stated that Turkey's accession to the EU and Turkey-Greece relations would be affected negatively if the Turkish side rejected his plan. His visit to the island was last effort, and both leaders should take their decision courageously.
SEZER: ''REAL REACTION WILL BE GIVEN WHEN FIRST LOSSES ARE SENT BACK TO THEIR HOME''
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer who received Federation of Turkish-American Associations Chairman Kayaalp Buyukataman and accompanying delegation wanted to know about attitude of nearly 500 thousand Turkish people living in the United States about a possible military action against Iraq. Buyukataman said, ''Turkish people living in the United States have not assumed a clear attitude yet. Because, they do not have sufficient information. They were waiting for the decisions of the U.S. administration and Turkey like many U.S. citizens.'' Meanwhile, President Sezer said, ''real reactions against war will be given after start of war. When people lose their husbands, wives, friends and beloved ones and when first losses are sent back to their home, they will show their real reaction.''
SABAH (LIBERAL)
---------------
MINUTES OF WAR
Minutes of two closed sessions which were held at the parliament due to Gulf Crisis in 1990 were made public after 13 years. Authorizing the government to declare state of war in case of an attack against Turkey, use Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), dispatch TSK abroad and deploy foreign soldiers in Turkey had been taken up due to crisis which began after Iraq occupied Kuwait and because of Gulf War at the closed session which was held at the parliament on August 12, 1990. Motion authorizing the government to provide peace and stability in the Middle East, provide Turkey to maintain its security against possible dangers, deploy foreign soldiers in Turkey and dispatch TSK abroad to protect interests of Turkey had been debated at the closed sessions which were held at the parliament on September 5, 1990.
LAST HOPE IS THIRD PLAN
United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan presented the third plan on Cyprus to Ankara. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) which gave the first reaction to the plan has ''negative'' view regarding the plan. Annan who came to Ankara on Sunday evening met first with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Annan also had a meeting with Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Annan and Erdogan made a joint statement after the meeting. Annan said that they had a unique opportunity to make a united Cyprus be member of the European Union (EU). Stating that he was trying to remove concerns of the two sides, Annan said that they aimed a lasting peace. Erdogan called both sides to sit at the negotiation table to reach agreement on Cyprus issue.
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
-----------------
INTIMIDATION FROM BUSH
According to the information that the newspaper got, U.S. President George W. Bush told Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis and State Minister Ali Babacan during their meeting in Washington, ''gentlemen, there is nothing for you to do in the United States. Return to your country and pass this motion from your parliament. Any ally has not caused us a lot of tiring effort like you.'' According to information, Bush gave these messages: ''1-We understand Turkey's concerns. And we take this into consideration while we are taking actions. If we don't receive the support we expect from Turkey, we totally act together with groups in Northern Iraq. 2-If we don't cooperate, the IMF, World Bank and World Trade Organization give you the cold-shoulder. And after such a stage, it won't be beneficial for you to come to us or try to correct the situation. 3-You are aware of the place of Armenian bills in the U.S. states. However, submission of one of them to the House of Representatives may be in question. Lobbies are waiting eagerly for this.''
ANKARA: ''LATEST PLAN IS INSUFFICIENT''
During his contacts in Ankara, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan explained ''outlines'' of his Cyprus plan which was revised for the third time, and he requested support. While Annan defended that the new plan was a ''balanced solution'' which attributed importance to interests of all relevant sides, Ankara did not find the latest changes sufficient. Annan was told about the Turkish side's ''sine qua non'' conditions, and he was asked to make further revisions about ''political equality and bi-zonal structure''. U.S. State Department's Envoy to Cyprus Thomas Weston gave Ankara the message that ''you miss a big opportunity if you don't accept this'' while AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued his interesting statements and claimed that the EU path would be closed if the Cyprus issue was not solved.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
--------------
GOVERNMENT AND IMF CANNOT REACH AGREEMENT ON 2003 BUDGET
The government and International Monetary Fund (IMF) cannot reach agreement on 2003 budget. Sources said that the government and IMF had problems regarding non-interest surplus. Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan said that budget could be sent to the parliament at any moment. Treasury Undersecretary Faik Oztrak and Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti continued negotiations on 2003 budget with IMF at the weekend. Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said after the meeting of Council of Ministers that budget could come to the parliament within few days.
COLD WEATHER CONTINUES PARALYZING COUNTRY
Snowy and cold weather continues paralyzing daily life and traffic across the country. Four people froze to death due to cold weather. Roads to nearly 10,000 villages are closed to traffic in the country. Sebahattin Atamer, 65, froze to death in Istanbul while Muzaffer Demirpolat, 69, froze to death in Izmir due to cold weather. Two people also froze to death in central province of Sivas. Primary and secondary schools are recessed in Istanbul, Sakarya, Mus, Erzurum, Erzincan, Yozgat, Zonguldak, Bitlis and Gaziantep for today.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
---------------
DENKTAS SAYS ANNAN SHOULD NOT COME TO THE ISLAND FOR SIGNATURE
When negotiations regarding the new plan which was prepared by taking into consideration objections of Ankara continue, President Rauf Denktas of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said that U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan should not come to the island for ''signature''. Denktas who held an urgent meeting regarding the new plan said that they assessed new shape of Annan plan with TRNC Council of Ministers and added that they informed Turkey on their opinion about revision in Annan's plan.
AWACS ON THE WAY
A NATO mission to help defend Turkey against a potential Iraqi attack with AWACS surveillance planes got underway with the departure of a planeload of equipment and support units from Germany. TCA type plane which departed from NATO's Geilenkirchen air base landed at Turkish air force base in the central city of Konya. The AWACS, airborne warning and control system, planes will be in the country this week.
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
--------------------
MOTION WHICH MINISTERS SIGNED ''UNWILLINGLY'' TO BE BROUGHT TO PARLIAMENT TODAY
The motion on stationing of foreign troops in Turkey and dispatch of Turkish troops abroad was signed at yesterday's Council of Ministers meeting. The motion which drew harsh rejection of some ministers is expected to be sent to the parliament today following the final deal with the United States. The motion was signed after a stormy debate at the Council of Ministers which lasted nearly 6.5 hours. The motion on 61,000 U.S. troops moving through Turkey over a six-month period is expected to be transferred to the parliament today. For the first time, bureaucrats and advisors were dismissed for some time from the meeting. Ministers who reacted to the motion were Deputy Prime Minister Ertugrul Yalcinbayir, Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu, National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, State Minister Mehmet Aydin, Culture Minister Huseyin Celik, Energy Minister Hilmi Guler and Health Minister Recep Akdag. Yalcinbayir, Celik and Aydin made the most harsh criticisms against the United States. They told Prime Minister Abdullah Gul that they would vote against the motion in the parliament. Aydin said, ''I want a written document on a deal with the United States. What was changed?''
Yalcinbayir said, ''motion should seek condition of international legitimacy and for this, U.N. resolution should be waited.'' Culture Minister Celik recalled that the United States had not kept its promises it had given to Pakistan before military action in Afghanistan. Then, Prime Minister Gul said, ''are we in or out of this job? This is the question that should be answered. Cost of involvement in this action is less than being out of it.'' He said that the proposal of the United States was 26 billion U.S. dollars including the assurance.
(EÖ-MS-AÖ) 25.02.2003