COUNCIL OF EUROPE OKS TURKISH TROOPS ENTERING NORTHERN IRAQ TO DELIVER HUMANITARIAN AID OR FOR SELF-DEFENSE ONLY
The Parliamentarian Assembly of the Council of Europe yesterday weighed in on the northern Iraq issue, saying that Turkey had the right to send forces into the region, but only under certain conditions. Intervention in northern Iraq could be justified on the basis of delivering humanitarian aid or Turkey acting in self-defense against attack, the COE said. Turkish leaders have repeatedly reiterated in recent weeks that the nation would only intervene in the region due to humanitarian concerns or for defense against threats such as resurgent terrorism. /Hurriyet/

GUL: “MISLEADING STATEMENTS COULD HURT TURKEY’S ECONOMY”
Speaking at a NATO Council meeting in Brussels yesterday, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that European Union and NATO member countries should watch their words, since with the war in Iraq still continuing, misleading statements carried the danger of damaging Turkey’s economy. “Our tourism sector could especially be hurt,” he warned, adding that there was a great injustice toward Turkey concerning the northern Iraq issue. “Some EU countries speak as if Turkey is on the verge of entering the region, words which show their prejudice,” he explained. Talking to reporters at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport after returning from Brussels, Gul said that Turkey’s relations and cooperation with the US were being carried out under authority granted by Parliament. Vehicles proceeding to Iraq across Turkish soil are non-military in nature and unarmed, he stated, in apparent reference to Ankara’s agreement on Tuesday to let the US resupply its military in northern Iraq with food and fuel via Turkey. Our nation is one which cooperates with its allies, he added, but it is “not at war, because Parliament did not give its authority” for such a position. /Milliyet/

FOREIGN PRESS ON POWELL’S RECENT VISIT TO TURKEY
In an unsigned editorial on US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s recent visit to Turkey, the Washington Post stated yesterday that the top US diplomat had failed to resolve the volatile question of whether Turkish troops would enter northern Iraq. “After a day of meetings with senior Turkish leaders, Powell said the two sides agreed to establish a ‘coordination committee’ to monitor northern Iraq to determine if a Turkish deployment is necessary,” added the influential US daily. “But he was unable to break a deadlock in negotiations about who should sit on the committee and how it would operate. He said both sides would try to settle the dispute within a week.” In addition, British daily The Independent stated that it would take more than Powell's visit to mend the “fractured” Turkish-US alliance. The agreements announced by Powell after his “belated” trip to Ankara yesterday were the minimum that Washington needed – but also the maximum that Turkey could give, at least publicly, said the paper. “Washington's final miscalculation was the desperate financial blandishment it offered,” added the Independent, referring to an offer of financial aid in return for US troop deployment which Turkey rejected last month. “Rather than welcoming the money, Turkey saw it as a humiliating bribe, designed to keep the country beholden to the US and to policies that might not reflect its interests. The ‘no’ from Ankara was definitive.” /Hurriyet/

GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER REJECTS DENKTAS’S PROPOSALS ON CYPRUS
Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos yesterday rejected Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas’s new proposals for a settlement on the island. In a letter to Denktas, Papadopoulos said that he would negotiate with the Turkish Cypriot leader only within the framework of the United Nations, calling UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s plan “the best hope for us to proceed toward a comprehensive settlement." He added, moreover, that accepting Denktas’s proposals would amount to an official recognition of the TRNC, something which he opposes. Papadopoulos also accused Denktas of being responsible for the lack of a settlement on the island. /Aksam/

PARLIAMENT RE-APPROVES BILL LOWERING CIVIL SERVICE RETIREMENT AGE
Parliament yesterday approved for a second time a bill dealing with state worker’s retirement which last month was vetoed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and sent back to the legislature. The bill, which was passed without change, proposes lowering the mandatory retirement age for civil servants from 65 to 61. Under the Constitution, the president has to approve the bill within 15 days, or else apply to the Constitutional Court to have it annulled. /Turkiye/

IRANIAN FM KHARRAZI TO VISIT TURKEY
Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi is set to visit Ankara on Sunday. Kharrazi is expected to exchange views with Turkish officials on the Iraq issue. /All Papers/

IMF: “WE EXPECT TURKEY’S NEW LETTER OF INTENT WITHIN A WEEK”
Tom Dawson, external affairs director for the International Monetary Fund, said yesterday that the IMF expected Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) government to sign the nation’s new letter of intent (LOI) within a week. “The IMF will make its decision on providing Turkey with $1.6 billion after its meeting later this month,” he said. “However, the meeting’s date has yet to be set.” Asked about the possible effects of a proposed $1 billion US loan on Turkey’s economic program, Dawson said that the AKP government should continue to determinedly implement the program. /Sabah/

ENERGY MINISTER GULER: “HYDROELECTRIC DAMS WILL PROVIDE OUR NATION WITH BOTH POWER AND REVENUE”
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler yesterday arrived in Izmir to attend the opening ceremony of the Ninth International Marble Fair 2003. During a visit to the Izmir governorship,, Guler said that Turkey was operating some 30 hydroelectric dams throughout the country. “Through selling their shares to the public, our government aims to create financial resources for the nation,” added the minister. Guler stated that the stock offerings would probably begin with the Karakaya Dam. /Turkiye/

MARCH INFLATION FIGURES RELEASED
The State Institute of Statistics (DIE) yesterday released month-on-month inflation figures for March. Inflation last month was 3.2% on the wholesale price index (WPI) and 3.1% on the consumer price index (CPI). The figures pushed year-to-year WPI inflation to 39.4% and CPI inflation to 35.5%. /All Papers/

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION