Anadolu Agency: News in English, 01-04-05

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ANADOLU AGENCY

NEWS

05 APRİL 2001 Thursday

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

[02] GEMICI: ''WORLD BANK WILL PROVIDE05.04.2001 17:58:11 FINANCIAL AID TO TURKEY

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

WORKERS AND TRADESMEN IN STREETS
The economic crisis led the workers and tradesmen to rush into streets. The labour and tradesmen confederations protested the government in the illegal demonstrations held throughout Turkey, particullarly in Ankara and Istanbul on Wednesday. Hundreds of policemen and eight police vehicles hardly stopped 5,000 people who wanted to walk to the Prime Ministry by shouting slogans. The demonstrators called on the government to resign.

DERVIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY
Former U.S. President George Bush, who came to Istanbul on Wednesday, supported State Minister Kemal Dervis. Bush, who attended the dinner hosted by businessman Rahmi Koc, said that Turkey will overcome this crisis and that Dervis, Turkey's opportunity, is exerting efforts for Turkey.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

ONE PETROL CAP FILLED IN RETURN FOR 50 MILLION TL
The petrol prices increased approximately 41 percent after the floating exchange rate regime started to be implemented on February 21. A gas cap of an automobile is filled in return for 50 million Turkish liras (TL) for the time-being. Before the floating exchange regime, the oil prices were increased on 4th of each month in accordance with the monthly inflation rate. However, the oil prices were increased five times in last 42 days.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

Dervis said, ''everybody should make their accounts according to this,'' and noted that, ''the figure beyond this is a crisis and a great risk.''

MINE GESTURE TO ATHENS
Foreign minister Ismail Cem said mines in Meric region will be cleared reciprocally in Turkish-Greek border. Cem said, ''this is an important development. Its symbolic importance is great.''

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

WIM KOK WISHES TURKEY TO BE LIKE GALATASARAY
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who is currently in the Netherlands, met with Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok. Touching on the successes of Galatasaray in the European leagues, Kok said that as Galatasaray is one of the successful teams in the European Champions League, Turkey might become one of important players of the European Union (EU) in the future.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

ANKARA WAS INDIFFERENT
Turkey was indifferent to the message of Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou who called on to demilitarize Cyprus, to decrease military spendings and to increase economic investments. Huseyin Dirioz, the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, said that they think the proposals are positive but Turkey's situation is different from that of Greece. Dirioz said, ''the main reason for Turkey's defense expenditures is not Greece, but its (Turkey's) regional position.'' Upon the proposals for Cyprus, Dirioz said that it was early to mention this issue.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

ECEVIT: ''THE ACCIDENT WILL BE REPAIRED''
Prime minister Bulent Ecevit said economy had an accident, noting that, ''this is not an accident that can not be repaired. I believe that we will be able to overcome the problems. We will succeed because we are obliged to succeed.''

CHHIBBER: ''BE LIKE GALATASARAY''
Ajay Chhibber, the World Bank Turkey Director, said the problems will end in short period noting that Galatasaray soccer team gave its response. Chhibber said GS was beaten 2-0, however, it did not give up and scored three goals by acting altogether. He said, ''let us altogether score three goals and win.''

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

SUB-INDUSTRY PROJECT OF OPEL
Opel, which stopped production in Izmir Torbali factory according to a decision taken by General Motors a few months ago, works on a different mission in Turkey. Opel, which is insistent on keeping the company headquarters in Izmir, now developes projects to increase sub industry exportation made by Turkey to General Motors. Opel invited to high ranking officials of General Motors to Izmir last week in this respect.

-WORLD BANK PROVIDES 68.5 MILLION U.S. DOLLAR LOAN TO COAL AUTHORITY
ZONGULDAK - World Bank provided 68 million 500 thousand U.S. dollar loan to the Turkish Coal Authority (TTK).

Omer Yenel, the TTK General Director, told A.A correspondent on Thursday that 68.5 million U.S. dollar loan was obtained from the World Bank to be used for investments in Karadon, Kozlu, Armutcuk, Amasra and Uzelmez coal production regions.

Yenel said that the loan which was provided in 1990 was used in mines.

-U.S. DOLLAR LOSES VALUE
ISTANBUL - One U.S. dollar lost 5 thousand Turkish liras (TL) value in Istanbul free market on Thursday.

One U.S. dollar is sold around 1 million 225-230 thousand TL in the Covered Bazaar while it is sold at 1 million 215 thousand TL among the citizens.

The selling price of one German mark increased 5 thousand TL to 580-585 thousand TL in the Covered Bazaar and is around 565-570 TL among citizens.

Some banks announced the effective selling price of one U.S. dollar as 1 million 250 thousand TL and that of one German mark as 579 thousand TL.

-STATE MINISTER DERVIS MEETS WITH BANKERS
ISTANBUL - State minister Kemal Dervis met with bankers in Istanbul on Thursday. The meeting started at 10:30 local time.

Sureyya Serdengecti, the central bank governor; Halil Ergun, the general director of Kocbank; Ersin Ozince, the general director of Is Bankasi; Naci Sigin, the general director of Yapi Kredi; Faik Acikalin, the general director of Disbank; Zafer Kurtul, the general director of Akbank; and Kubilay Cinemre, the general director of Garanti Bankasi, attended the meeting.

It was reported that the bank administrators will later meet with other bank representatives and evaluate the meeting.

Dervis is expected to make a statement following the meeting.

-ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION INCREASES 3.78
PERCENT BETWEEN OCTOBER AND DECEMBER 2000
ANKARA - Electricity production increased 3.78 percent between October and December 2000 when compared with the same period in 1999.

In accordance with the results of the electricity production and distribution survey of the State Statistics Institute (DIE), 49.45 percent of the electricity produced in the fourth three-month period of 2000 was consumed in industrial sector and the rest was consumed by the dwellings.

The rate of the industrial sector in the electricity consumption was 48.23 percent and 22.63 percent in dwellings in the same period in 1999.

The share of Turkish Electricity Inc. (TEAS) in electricity production which was 63.98 percent in October-December 1999 decreased to 56.63 percent in the same period in 2000.

A total of 26 billion 252.2 kilowatts per hour (kwh) of the electricity was produced by thermic power plants and 5 billion 746.7 kwh of it by hydraulic power plants in October-December 2000.

A total of 21 billion 991.2 kwh electricity was produced by thermic power plants and 8 billion 832.3 kwh electricity was produced by the hydraulic power plants in the same period in 1999.

Thermic electricity production increased 19.25 percent while the hydraulic electricity production decreased 34.94 percent in October-December 2000 when compared with the same period in 1999.

-MACEDONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS TURKISH MACEDONIANS
WILL RETURN THEIR HOME SOON
ROME - Macedonian Foreign Minister Sircan Kerim has said that the Macedonian Turks would return their homes in Macedonia and that the Macedonian government would guarantee their security.

Kerim who is having contacts with Italian officials in the Italian capital of Rome had two separate meetings with Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini and Pope Jean Paul II.

Responding to reporters' questions at the Foreign Press Center in Rome, Kerim said ''people who were worried about the present situation in Macedonia went to stay with their relatives and friends in Turkey. A total of 22,000 Macedonians left their homes so far, but they will return very soon.''

Pointing to 78,000 people with Turkish origin living in Macedonia, Kerim said these people never acted against the Macedonian government in their past and they were an important factor to protect the good relations between Macedonia and Turkey.

[02] GEMICI: ''WORLD BANK WILL PROVIDE05.04.2001 17:58:11 FINANCIAL AID TO TURKEY

World Bank Vice President Johannes Linn and World Bank Turkey Representative Ajay Chhibber visited State Minister Gemici at Prime Ministry Headquarters on Thursday.

After a one hour meeting, Gemici told reporters that the social aspects of the economic crisis was the main topic of conversation during the meeting.

''Our social problems have increased and the World Bank will provide us with resources to solve these problems,'' he continued. ''We're planning to use this money in projects aiming to help especially women and children through the Solidarity Fund and the Association to Protect Children. Women and children are those who are affected worst from the economic crisis since this could delay their education and cause problems in health services. This might be interpreted as the weakening of the human capital of Turkey which has a very young population.''

Gemici indicated that the aid would be a significant amount although the exact figure hasn't yet been announced. Turkey will receive the aid in two or three months.

Gemici remarked that World Bank representatives looked optimistic about Turkey's efforts to overcome the financial crisis.

-PARLIAMENT SPEAKER IZGI'S CONTACTS IN TURKMENISTAN CONTINUE
ASHKABAT - Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi, who concluded his official contacts in Turkmenistan on Wednesday, visited a market on Thrusday.

Izgi was hosted in a very friendly way in Turkmenistan, which was the last country he visited in his 13-day visit to the Turkish Republics which covered Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.

Izgi and the accompanying parliamentary delegation will return to Turkey on Friday.

Izgi is expected to stage a press briefing when he arrives in Ankara about his visit.

-PRISONS SUB-COMMISSION MEMBERS TO START INSPECTING
F-TYPE PRISONS TOMORROW
ANKARA - Prisons Sub-Commission of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission will start visiting F-type prions starting tomorrow, it was reported on Thursday.

Commission Chairman Huseyin Akgul told reporters that the visit they made to Australia on March 23-30 was very beneficial. ''Human rights in this country became institutionalized,'' he said.

Australia which has 180 different ethnic groups, 82 languages and 72 religious beliefs, is ruled by a different system and there is a big respect for human rights, Akgul explained. He said that the prisons were privatized and thus run by private companies and that the state only did the inspection of prisons.

Briefing the commission's activities, Akgul said they received complaints about the drinking water given to inmates at Tekirdag prions and informed the Justice Ministry about the situation.

The sub-commission members will carry out inspections at all F-type prisons starting tomorrow and also work to convince inmates to end death fasts. He remarked that the sub-commission will also prepare a report after watching the video footages and autopsy reports of the major operation security forces carried in a number of prisons in December.

-DENKTAS TO VISIT TURKEY
LEFKOSA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas will visit Ankara on April 12, Thursday as the guest of Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission, it was reported on Thursday.

Denktas will deliver a speech on the same day at the commission on the Cyprus issue.

A meeting is slated between Denktas and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit.

Denktas will leave the TRNC on Friday after speaking at a conference at Hacettepe University on the same day.

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