ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on March 30, 2003. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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VILLAGERS PROTEST U.S. EXPERTS
Villagers protested U.S. experts, who came to the region to take pieces of a missile which fell near Buyuk Murdesi hamlet in Dagyani village in southeastern province of Sanliurfa. A 10-member U.S. delegation arrived in Buyuk Murdesi hamlet to take four parts of a Tomahawk missile, which fell in a field near the hamlet. Villagers protested the U.S. delegation by throwing eggs and stones at their vehicles. They chanted slogans against the United States and its military action against Iraq. Gendarme forces intervened in villagers and put an end to the protest.
CAULDRON EXPLODES KILLING NINE PEOPLE
A two-storey building that was used as ferment factory collapsed in southern province of Adana due to an explosion in its cauldron. A total of nine people including three children lost their lives in the incident while 11 others were injured.

BUILDING COLLAPSES IN DIYARBAKIR
Recent torrential rains caused some calamities in Southeastern Anatolia Region. A four-storey building collapsed in Diyarbakir yesterday. Residents started evacuating the building after it began jolting. A total of seven people were injured in the incident.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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ERDOGAN: ''GREECE WILL SEND HIJACKER TO TURKEY''
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Greece would send hijacker Ozgur Gencaslan to Turkey after completion of necessary legal procedures. Erdogan said he had talked the hijacker on the phone, and he had persuaded him to set passengers free and later surrender himself to security forces in Athens airport. Prime Minister Erdogan added that Greece would send hijacker Ozgur Gencaslan to Turkey after completion of necessary legal procedures.

SECURITY FORCES INTERVENE IN ANTI-MILITARIST DEMONSTRATION IN ISTANBUL
Security forces used clubs and teargas to disperse a group of demonstrators, who held an illegal anti-militarist demonstration in Istanbul's Taksim Square. A group of 150 people gathered in front of the Galatasaray High School and started marching to Taksim Square by chanting slogans against the United States and its military action against Iraq. Security forces warned the demonstrators to disperse immediately. After the demonstrators did not obey the warnings, security forces used clubs and teargas to disperse them. 13 demonstrators were taken into custody.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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BABACAN: ''SUPPLEMENTARY LETTER OF INTENT IS READY''
State Minister Ali Babacan said that the supplementary letter of intent would be sent to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in coming days. ''A letter will be sent to the IMF and another to the World Bank. Meanwhile, works with the World Bank on project loans have accelerated,'' he added.

TURKEY REQUESTS EXTRADITION OF HIJACKER FROM GREECE
Turkey requested extradition of Ozgur Gencaslan, who hijacked the Turkish Airlines (THY) plane to Greek capital Athens with 196 passengers including two babies and 9 crew members aboard. Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim said that they had been holding contacts with Greek authorities for extradition of the hijacker.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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VILLAGERS PROTEST U.S. EXPERTS
Villagers protested U.S. experts, who came to the region to take pieces of a missile which fell near Buyuk Murdesi hamlet in Dagyani village in southeastern province of Sanliurfa. They protested the U.S. delegation by throwing eggs and stones at their vehicles. Later, U.S. experts took pieces of the missile to the Incirlik Airbase in southern province of Adana. The delegation gave 2 thousand U.S. dollars to owner of the field to compensate his loss. Gendarme forces took tight security measures in the region to prevent any attempt of protest.

NARCOTICS TEAMS IMPOUND 94 KG OF HEROIN IN ISTANBUL
Istanbul Acting Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah said that narcotics teams impounded 94 kg of heroin in two separate operations in Istanbul. Cerrah said, ''acting on a tip-off, narcotics teams launched an operation in Buyukcekmece district of Istanbul. During the operation, 61 kg of heroin was confiscated and two people were detained.'' He added, ''in a second operation in Fatih district of Istanbul, narcotics teams stopped and searched an automobile and seized 33 kg of heroin. Four people were taken into custody in the operation.''

LETTER SENT TO OOSTLANDER
The Marmara Group Foundation sent a letter to Dutch Parliamentarian Arie M. Oostlander and condemned his claims about Kemalism. In his letter, Marmara Group Chairman Dr. Akkan Suver said that Oostlander had prepared a baseless report for the European Parliament.

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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''TURKEY DOES NOT GET DIRECTIVES FROM ANYONE''
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, ''Turkey is an independent state and does not get directives from anyone.'' Erdogan responded to criticisms against the draft law on 2003 year budget, which was debated at the Parliamentary General Assembly yesterday. Prime Minister Erdogan said, ''Turkey has done its utmost to find a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis. Despite all our efforts, the war has begun in Iraq. We have taken a series of steps in line with interests of our state. Turkey does not want to enter northern Iraq to occupy territories of its neighbor. Such an intention cannot be in question. Turkey has been saying that it was in favor of Iraq's territorial integrity since the very beginning. Turkey can respond requests of its allies in the affirmative as long as its sensitivities are protected. Turkey cannot act without coordination with its allies.''

DRIVERS FREE
Nineteen Turkish lorry drivers who could not leave Iraq due to war, returned to Turkey. Turkish drivers who had gone to northern Iraq from Habur Border Gate near Silopi town of southeastern province of Sirnak nearly two weeks ago to carry United Nations aid equipment, were stranded near Kirkuk when Iraq war started. They later proceeded Syria and entered Turkey from Kamisli Border Gate near Nusaybin town of southeastern province of Mardin.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES DRAFT LAW ON 2003 YEAR BUDGET
Parliamentary General Assembly approved the draft law on 2003 year budget. General budget expenditures are envisaged as 146 quadrillion 805 trillion 170 billion Turkish Liras (TL), and incomes as 100 quadrillion 357 trillion TL. There is a deficit of 45.5 quadrillion TL in the budget.

ADANA MOURNS
A building that was used as ferment factory collapsed in southern province of Adana due to an explosion in its cauldron. A total of nine people were killed and 11 others were injured in the incident. Neighboring buildings were also damaged in the explosion.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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U.S. CONGRESS LEADERS OPPOSE TO RESOLUTION ON SO-CALLED GENOCIDE
Bob Livingston, the official lobby activist of Turkey in Washington D.C., said that relations between Turkey and the United States, which were damaged prior to the war in Iraq, could be improved again. Livingston said that the aid package including a donation of 1 billion U.S. dollars to Turkey, could be approved by the U.S. Congress next week. He added that U.S. Congress leaders were opposed to approval of resolution on so-called Armenian genocide.

(UK) 30.03.2003