ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on February 28, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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MAIN ISSUE LEFT TO NSC
The government postponed vote on motion on deployment of foreign troops in Turkey and dispatch of Turkish troops abroad after the National Security council (NSC) meeting upon the warning of the Cankaya Presidential Palace. The motion will be voted at the parliament on Saturday. Plans of the government to pass the motion from the parliament on Thursday changed with surprise meeting between President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc the previous day. When Arinc backed the warning of Sezer that ''the motion should be postponed'', voting was delayed to Saturday.
THIS TIME EAGLES
Europe was once more shaken by the victory of a Turkish soccer club. The Eagles are writing a history in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup. Besiktas have reached the quarterfinals.
OPERATION BY-PASSING DENKTAS
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan who considers TRNC President Rauf Denktas an obstacle in front of solution in Cyprus, made a proposal: ''Bring the plan to referendum on March 30'' in order to have Denktas no longer take active part in efforts.
U.S.: ''AID PACKAGE TO TURKEY WILL BE USD 20 BILLION''
Although State Minister Ali Babacan for Treasury announced that the source to come from the United States in return for its cooperation in possible Iraq war would be between 20-30 billion U.S. dollars, the U.S. side says that ''it won't be more than 20 billion U.S. dollars''.
''DON'T WASTE U.S. MONEY''
Two important associations of the private sector warned the government about the source that the United States will lend to Turkey. Union of Turkish Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu and Association of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen (TUSIAD) Chairman Tuncay Ozilhan said, ''don't waste this money on populist expenses but carefully use it in rolling over Turkey's debts.''
MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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DENIAL FROM PRESIDENTIAL PALACE TO PRETEXT
The government which avoided undertaking responsibilities postponed vote on the motion allowing foreign troops in Turkey and sending Turkish troops abroad and threw the ball at the National Security Council (NSC) and the Presidential Palace. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said, ''it was the parliament's duty.'' Sezer did not allow the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), who refrained from undertaking the responsibility of making a historic decision on the motion on its own, to show NSC and him as a pretext. Sezer reminded that ''NSC was an organ which made recommendations to the government within the terms of the Constitution'' and said, ''a recommendatory decision was taken in NSC meeting on January 31.''
PEOPLE SHOULD DECIDE
Here is the proposal of United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan which shocked the leaders in Cyprus: Annan laid down direct referendum of revised Cyprus plan as a condition before Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders yesterday. Annan, who assumed a very tough attitude, wanted response from leaders in 24 hours, a written commitment on March 10 and referendum on March 30. Leaders were shocked by this proposal.
SABAH (LIBERAL)
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HERE ARE TWO PROBLEMS
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) administration cannot digest the decision on deployment of 40 thousand U.S. soldiers in Turkey. The government fears of committing a constitutional crime by submitting the motion on deployment of foreign troops in Turkey and dispatch of Turkish soldiers abroad to parliament when there is not any international legitimacy. There are two serious reasons of postponement of discussions on the motion to Saturday. These are deployment of 40 thousand U.S. soldiers in Turkey for six months and the objection to the motion by saying that it is against Article 92 of the Constitution. An AK Party official said that one of the reasons of obstruction in negotiations with the United States was the place of deployment of U.S. soldiers. The official said, ''same thing happened with the Hammer Force. They had said that they would go when their mission was over. They are in Turkey for almost 12 years. Now, more than 40 thousand U.S. soldiers will be deployed in the southeast for six months. What will we do if the operation lasts longer and the six-month period is extended just like the extension of mandate of Hammer Force?''
LABOR LAW MAY NOT BE READY TILL MARCH 15
Labor and Social Security Minister Murat Basesgioglu said that they had prepared a bill on encouragement of additional employment and that the bill would be submitted to the Council of Ministers. Basesgioglu said, ''it will not be realistic if I guarantee that the Labor Law will be ready till March 15.''
CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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BIOLOGICAL WEAPON FEAR
When the United States has intensified its efforts against biological weapons claimed to be owned by Iraq, there is not any vaccines in Turkey. Ankara Chamber of Physicians Sinan Adiyaman said, ''vaccination efforts should be started as soon as possible against possible biological weapon threat.''
NOBODY CAN IGNORE PEOPLE
Ankara Anti-War Platform held an anti-militarist demonstration in front of the parliament. Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK) Chairman Sami Evren said that approval of the motion on deployment of foreign troops in Turkey and dispatch of Turkish soldiers abroad meant consent to the U.S. occupation. Confederation of Revolutionary Workers' Unions (DISK) Chairman Suleyman Celebi said, ''those who try to pass such a motion from parliament despite the will of people will give an explanation to people.'' Hacettepe University Senate condemned the voting on motion foreseeing active involvement of Turkey in a war.
RADIKAL (LEFT)
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GOVERNMENT-CANKAYA WAR
Tension escalated in Ankara yesterday due to the motion on deployment of foreign troops in Turkey and dispatch of Turkish troops abroad. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's words that ''the parliament was authorized but he had expressed the legitimacy condition to the government'' meant ''complaining about the party'' according to the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). The government postponed the discussions on the motion to Saturday.
MEMORANDUM WAITS TO BE APPROVED
Texts of memorandums of understanding on political, military and economic issues between Turkey and the United States have been written. Expenditures of the U.S. army will be exempted from tax. The drafts have been presented for approval. A high-level source said that the texts had been presented to U.S. and Turkish governments and that they were waiting for political consent. The political consent will be taken by exchange of letters between U.S. President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Abdullah Gul or President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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MOTION DELAYED
Any guarantee for ''prevention of establishment of a Kurdish state'' was not given, the United States did not give any response to economic package, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) parliamentary group was not persuaded, and motion was ''delayed''. It was mentioned that President Ahmet Necdet Sezer who sent a message of ''debate the motion in the parliament after discussing it in today's National Security Council meeting'' to the government through Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc also played role in postponement. Meanwhile, according to an assertion in the backstage, the United States did not give the guarantee for prevention of establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq, and motion became difficult.
''INTERNATIONAL LEGITIMACY SHOULD BE ENSURED''
Holding a press conference yesterday, Presidential Foreign Affairs Chief Advisor Tacan Ildem said, ''the President believes that members of parliament will take a decision on the motion in line with international laws.''
ANNAN GIVES 10 DAYS
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan presented new solution plan to the sides on Cyprus. Annan met with TRNC President Rauf Denktas and new Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos at a U.N. compound in Lefkosa's U.N.-manned buffer zone yesterday. He told the sides he wanted some sort of response to his plan until March 9. And he told the sides, ''don't expect a radical change.''
ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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FOUR REASONS OF POSTPONEMENT
Debate on motion which was expected to be put to vote in the parliament yesterday was surprisingly postponed to Saturday. There are four reasons for this unexpected decision on the motion which will authorize the government with ''sending Turkish troops abroad and allowing 62 thousand U.S. soldiers to station in Turkey''. The first reason is that President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc agree on interpretation of Article 92 of the Constitution and they insist that the motion does not meet Constitution's condition of legitimacy before release of a second U.N. resolution. The second reason is that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) says ''exchange of opinion among its deputies has not finished yet''. The third one is that AK Party and the government want to bring the motion to the agenda of today's meeting of the National Security Council, and they want to have all state organs to share responsibility of this critical decision. Besides, postponement came onto the agenda as several problems in talks with the U.S. side could not be overcome yet.
CALL FOR TURKISH CITIZENS IN IRAQ TO ''RETURN''
Under the latest developments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Turkish citizens living in Iraq to leave this country. Releasing a statement, the ministry said, ''for their safety, we recommend Turkish citizens not to travel to Iraq, and we recommend Turkish citizens living in Iraq to leave this country as soon as possible.
(BRC-MS-AÖ) 28.02.2003