Anadolu Agency: News in English, 00-10-14

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ANADOLU AGENCY

NEWS

14 OCTOBER 2000

Saturday

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

[02] INTERIOR MINISTER TANTAN SAYS SOME COUNTRIES PROTECT

[03] FOREIGN MINISTER CEM EXPRESSES PESSIMISM REGARDING

[04] ONE MORE TURKISH PLANE LANDS IN BAGHDAD

[05] JUSTICE MINISTER TURK'S INTENSIVE SCHEDULE IN STRASBOURG

[06] TRANSPORTATION MINISTER WILL BE HANDED OVER TURKSAT 2-A IN CANNES

[07] CEM-PAPANDREOU MEETING POSTPONED

[08] ALBRIGHT AND COHEN WRITE LETTER TO HASTERT ASKING HIM NOT TO

[09] NATIONAL EDUCATION MINISTER BOSTANCIOGLU

[10] ENERGY MINISTER ERSUMER SPEAKS AT SYMPOSIUM ON WIND ENERGY(1)

[11] ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES MINISTER ERSUMER:

[12] AMERICANS WHO VISIT WEB SITE OF CULTURE MINISTRY

[13] MANY BELGIANS PREFER TURKEY TO SPEND THEIR VACATIONS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

8.2 TRILLION LIRAS OF SECRET ACCOUNT
One day before the seizure of Egebank by the state, the two brothers who put 8.2 trillion liras in the off-shore account of the bank, disappeared. Bulent and Keramettin Bahadır brothers put 12.1 million dollars in the off- shore account on December 21, 1999. The police investigates now whether the money put in the bank was earned through illegal ways or not.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

358 YEARS IMPRISONMENT WANTED FOR CAKICI
An imprisonment of 358 years was wanted for Alaattin Cakıcı, a notorious mafia boss who incited his men to attack Karagumruk Sports Club and kill 15 people. Cakıcı told the court that he didn't have control on his ''bif family.''

SABAH (LIBERAL)

GAY INTEREST IN TURKISH WRESTLING
Turkish wrestlers who went to France to promote oil wrestling drew a lot of attention from the audience which were mostly formed by gays. Famous designer Jean-Paul Galtier and Turkish Ambassador in Paris Sonmez Koksal were also in the audience. After the performance, gays competed with each other to get a signature from the wrestlers. Regarding the performance, the Parisien newspaper wrote ''this is not a gay entertainment, this is an historical performance.''

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

FIRST MEETING IN THE AEGEAN
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will meet his Greek counterpart Papandreou in Marmaris on Sunday. The two ministers, during their meetings in Marmaris and later Rhodes, will discuss the latest point reached in Turkish-Greek relations. Cem and Papandreou will also seek ways to strengthen cooperation between Turkey and Greece especially in economy and tourism fields.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

A BAG FULL OF MONEY
Businessman Mete Has said that he, not Rauf Tamer -a journalist-, took the bag full of money sent by Yahya Murat Demirel, the former owner of Egebank who is in prison now.

YENI BINYIL (LIBERAL)

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER CEYHUN PESSIMISTIC ABOUT
TURKEY'S EU MEMBERSHIP PROCESS
European Parliament (EP) Greens members Ozan Ceyhun spoke at a meeting titled the Copenhagen Criteria in Turkey's EU Candidacy and Developments in Human Rights. Ceyhun criticized Turkey's insufficient efforts on its way to the European Union. ''Turkey has only one chance: socialists, social democrats, Greens, and communists. Because these groups, unlike German Prime Minister Schroder, believe that EU should be formed under EU norms, and it should not become a Christian club.''

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

GREAT SUPPORT TO WORKERS
The leaders of the True Path Party (DYP) and the Virtue Party (FP) said that they extend great support to the draft law on the Job Security prepared by the Minister of Social Security and Labour Yasar Okuyan. They also asked the government to bring the issue to the agenda of the parliament.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

[02] INTERIOR MINISTER TANTAN SAYS SOME COUNTRIES PROTECT

Pompidou Group's 12th Ministers Conference ended in Sintra city of Portugal on Friday.

Tantan told reporters that the two day conference was very beneficial. ''Fight against drugs could become more effective if the participating countries make legal regulations as it has been stated during the meetings.''

Noting that Turkish security forces are in close cooperation with security units of other countries, Tantan said the missing parts in the legal systems of some countries cause problems in this cooperation.

Tantan said several drug smugglers are arrested but authorities generally overlook where their money source lies at. ''Who are the forces behind this money source?'' Tantan said.

''Leading drug dealers have the chance to live in some developed countries. This encourages those who make a living out of drug smuggling. For example, Nurettin Guven who is wanted by Turkey from drug smuggling, lives in a deluxe house in Britain. When we ask British authorities to return him, we don't get a reply from them. There are several other examples like this.''

Tantan stressed that continious fight against drug organizations is very important and this should be explained to all countries. He also said that all countries should work together in this field.

[03] FOREIGN MINISTER CEM EXPRESSES PESSIMISM REGARDING

Cem briefed reporters about the meeting at the Prime Ministry regarding the Middle East crisis which lasted two and a half hours.

Noting that Turkey has conveyed its call for peace to both sides, Cem said that government officials are having intensive contacts on the matter.

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit had a positive telephone conversation with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and he is scheduled to speak on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Saturday afternoon, Cem told reporters.

Cem said that he spoke with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on the phone and asked him about his expectations from Turkey. He also conveyed to Annan Turkey's views on some developments in the Middle East.

[04] ONE MORE TURKISH PLANE LANDS IN BAGHDAD

Medical and trade delegations on the plane were welcomed by Iraqi Trade Chambers Federation Deputy Chairman Zuheyr Abdulgafur at the airport.

Since August, 2000, a total of 21 airplanes landed in the International Saddam Airport in Iraq which is under the sanctions of the United Nations.

[05] JUSTICE MINISTER TURK'S INTENSIVE SCHEDULE IN STRASBOURG

In his meeting with the Belgium Interior Minister Antoine Duquesne, Turk brought onto agenda the extradition request of Turkey for the terrorist Fehriye Erdal, one of the suspects of Sabancı killing.

If this is not the case, Erdal should be tried in Belgium for the crimes she committed in Turkey, said Turk and requested the Belgian Minister to give permission to the Turkish prosecutors to interrogate Erdal.

Turk also criticized the attitude of Belgium which didn't consider the crime committed by a gun as a terrorist crime as the gun is not considered as an automatic weapon.

Duquesne said that they consider Fehriye Erdal as a person who threatens the public order in Belgium, adding that her custody period continues and they don't want to give her the right to asylum.

In his meetings with the Italian Justice Minister Pierre Fascino and the U.S. Deputy State Secretary Harold Koh Hangju, Turk explained the uneasiness of Turkey over the resolution on the socalled genocide on Armenians brought to these countries' parliaments.

Italian Justice Minister said that the discussion of the resolution expected to come onto agenda on October 25 has been postponed. The U.S. Deputy State Secretary said in his part that the Clinton administration didn't approve the resolution.

Turk also held bilateral meetings with the COE Secretary General Walter Scwimmer, the European Court of Human Rights Chairman Luzius Wildhaber, COE's Rapporteur to Turkey Andreas Barsony, U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson, Ukranian and Azerbaijani justice ministers the same day.

Turk gave detailed information to the judiciary reform in Turkey in his meetings with the COE officials.

[06] TRANSPORTATION MINISTER WILL BE HANDED OVER TURKSAT 2-A IN CANNES

A ceremony will be held in the French city of Cannes on October

15-17 to deliver Turksat 2-A to Turkey.

Oksuz said that the tests of Turksat 2-A which is Turkey's third satellite would be completed by October 16 and the satellite would be launched from the French Guiana in South America.

Oksuz said after the satellite starts operating, it will provide broadcast to a vast area from London to China and Turkish people living in this area will be able to receive Turkish tv channels. Noting that the satellite cost 300 million U.S. dollars, Oksuz said Turksat 2-A would also be used as an alternative if Turksat 1-C has a technical failure.

Stating that the satellite would be good for Turkey's economy, he said the satellite would also bring together the Turkish world and enable them to watch each other's tv programmes.

Stressing that Turksat 2-A would play an important role in communication, he said the satellite would also help to detect the location of ships or other vehicles on any point on the earth.

[07] CEM-PAPANDREOU MEETING POSTPONED

A Foreign Ministry statement noted on Saturday that the meeting was postponed due to the developments in the Middle East, to a later date that will be determined later.

The Greek side was informed about the possibility of postponening the meeting last Thursday, the statement said adding that the reasons of postponement are ''the continuation of the tension in the Middle East, the escalation of the tension and the heavy schedule of Foreign Minister Ismail Cem related to the tension in the region.''

[08] ALBRIGHT AND COHEN WRITE LETTER TO HASTERT ASKING HIM NOT TO

The letter said that the passage of the resolution would seriously damage United States' security interests in the East Mediterranean, Middle East, Caucasia, and Middle East.

Albright and Cohen also reminded Hastert who is a supporter of the resolution that Turkey's Incirlik base has a very important role in the inspection of the no-fly zone in Northern Iraq. The letter said the Incirlik base played a vital role in last year's Kosovo operation.

Turkey's cooperation is indispensable, the letter said, to ease the tension in Cyprus and the Aegean. Turkey currently has more than 2,000 peace force soldiers in Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia, the letter stated. In the lettter, Albright and Cohen also underlined that Turkey plays a very critical role in providing prosperity in Central Asian republics, and varify the United States' energy resources including the pipelines in the Caspian region.

Legislation's interference to a subject which concerns only history would only have a very destructive effect on Turkey-Armenia relations, the letter said. Noting that the resolution would also damage the United States' security and trade interests in the region, Albright and Cohen strongly requested Hastert not to pass the resolution.

[09] NATIONAL EDUCATION MINISTER BOSTANCIOGLU

The subject of the conference is education policies for democratic citizenship and for social harmonization; targets and strategies for Europe. The conference will be held between 15-17 October in Poland.

Democratic citizenship education, teaching European history in the 20th century, European language education, social harmony, democratic citizenship, education policies for social harmony and the studies undertaken within the scope of the Southeast European Stability Pact will be taken up in the conference.

[10] ENERGY MINISTER ERSUMER SPEAKS AT SYMPOSIUM ON WIND ENERGY(1)

Wind energy is new to Turkey, like it is to all over the world, Ersumer said and added that other countries took big steps in this field.

''Turkey has to think bigger if it wants to be a modern country and develop its industry,'' Ersumer said and he briefed the audience on the legal regulations made in the energy sector and other activities carried out in the energy sector.

Noting that wind energy is both inexpensive and environment friendly, Ersumer said that his ministry is doing everything necessary to start the implementation of these projects as soon as possible.

He also underlined that Turkey has a rich potential for wind energy.

[11] ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES MINISTER ERSUMER:

Responding to questions of journalists after the symposium on wind energy, Ersumer said that there is no new development about the Kirkuk-Yumurtalık oil pipeline.

''Efforts are underway, there is no recent development. We watch the evaluations of both the U.N. and the Foreign Ministry about the issue,'' he said.

[12] AMERICANS WHO VISIT WEB SITE OF CULTURE MINISTRY

A Ministry of Culture statement noted on Saturday that Cindy-Ryan Kimmel and Sherry-Marga Milliken couples, who won the lottery of the web site will be hosted in Turkey between 15-23 October; Marian Lamin and Barbra Williams will be hosted in Turkey between 27 October-November 4.

The historical places and natural beauties of Turkey will be shown to the American guests in Istanbul, Ankara and Nevsehir.

The first lucky couple Sherry-John Fish visİted Turkey between 11-18 September.

[13] MANY BELGIANS PREFER TURKEY TO SPEND THEIR VACATIONS

Turkish and foreign sources are saying that the number of tourists who visited Turkey will reach 10 million by the end of this year, the

figure which was targeted by Turkey in the beginning of the year.

According to a survey carried out by Belgian Tour Operators Association and a survey institution named Wes, after Spain and France, Belgian tourists are preferring to spend their vacations in Turkey. Turkey achieved the sharpest increase among all countries in the sales of package tour organizations with a rise of 93,9 percent in 2000.

A total of 210,312 Belgians visited Turkey between January and September in 2000 which shows an increase of 63,5 percent compared to last year.

According to the information obtained by the Tourism Ministry, a total of 8, 217,525 tourists visited Turkey in the first nine months of the year. Most authorities are expecting this number to exceed 10,000,000 by the end of 2000.

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