IRTEMCELIK'S DEMOCRATIC RECIPE

The State Minister responsible for Human Rights, Mehmet Ali Irtemcelik, has prepared a recipe for democratization including proposals unique in Republican history. In forming an 11-article 'short term targets` programme, Irtemcelik is also being supported by the President Demirel. Some of the articles in his programme are as follows; * Emergency Rule will be abolished completely and a return to the villages will be ensured. * The Judge's and Prosecutors' Supreme Board will be made independent from the government. * The Criminal Trial Procedure Law will be valid also for the State Security Court's suspects. * A Compensation Law will be enacted for the people who suffered during the fight against terrorism. * The UN's Civil Rights and Social Rights agreements will be signed. * Complaints related to non-Muslim citizens will be ended. It has been disclosed that the government, which has initiated radical reforms under the influence of the EU candidacy period, is planning to pass the programme through Parliament and enact it before May. Meanwhile, in relation to the Ocalan case, Irtemcelik stated that the addressee of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is the government and in the case that Ocalan's file is submitted to the consideration of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, it would be commented that the government has remained uninfluenced by the ECHR's call. /Sabah/

SUMMIT ON OCALAN

President Suleyman Demirel received Parliament Speaker Yildirim Akbulut, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Chief of General Staff Gen.Huseyin Kivrikoglu yesterday at the Presidential Palace. Demirel also received Chairman of the Virtue Party (FP), Recai Kutan, State Minister Mehmet Ali Irtemcelik, member of the Constitutional Court Tulay Tugcu, the Turkish Ambassador to Prague, Hatay Savasci, the Turkish Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna. Ambassador Yasar Yakis, Chairman of the Turkish Parliamentary Representatives' Union Zeki Celiker, Chairman of the Turkish Red Crescent Ertan Gonen and General Director Fatih Evren yesterday. During the meeting between Demirel and Kutan, the issue of the death penalty passed on the head of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan, was discussed. Demirel has previously stated that the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Ocalan's execution should be awaited, and added that any position assumed in opposition to this would hamper Turkey. /Hurriyet/

COTTARELLI IN ANKARA

The Head of the IMF-Turkey Desk, Carlo Cottarelli, who arrived in Istanbul yesterday to attend a meeting of the Turkish Banks' Union, later proceeded to Ankara. Cottarrelli will meet Finance Minister Sumer Oral and State Ministers Tunca Toskay and Recep Onal today. However, he described his visit not as an official one but as a courtesy one. Carlo Cottarelli will leave Ankara on Saturday, the Anatolia News Agency reports. It is also reported that the IMF will open an office in Turkey to observe developments and changes in the economy.

TURCO-DUTCH RELATIONS IMPROVING

A new social security agreement was signed between Turkey and Holland yesterday. During a ceremony organized for the occasion in Ankara, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Yasar Okuyan said that Turkey had ratified such accords with 18 other countries; the first with Holland was signed in 1966 and renewed in 1981 and 1983. Okuyan pointed out that there was no disagreement between the two countries under the guidelines of the social security pact. The Dutch Ambassador to Ankara, Sjored Izaak Hendrik Gosses, was also present at the signing, said that the document would be especially beneficial for workers living in Holland, the Anatolia News Agency reports.

FIVE TERRORISTS CAPTURED

During raids carried out in Diyarbakir and Mardin, five members of the PKK terrorist organization were seized. Officials said that such raids in the region were continuing unabated, the Anatolia News Agency reports.

DEATHS IN BRUSSELS

In Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, three Turks have been found dead. Schaerbeek's Mayor Francois Durieux declared that the reason for the deaths of Cemal Cekic (20), Tahir Cuna (20) and Erdal Cinar (19) has not yet been made clear. /Turkiye/

FOREIGN DEBT PAYMENT

Turkey paid off 12,556.89 million dollars of her foreign debt in 1999. According to Central Bank data, $10,718.26 million of the repayment came from the Treasury, $455.50 million from the Central Bank and $908.11 million from other public sectors. The IMF repayments totalled $414.80 million and the Turkish Defence Fund payments were $60.22 million. During the first days of the year 2000, $169 million of foreign repayment have been made. /Turkiye/

FOREIGN EXPERTS CAUTIOUS

Foreign investment experts remain cautious over the government's IMF-supported anti-inflation policies. Despite the enthusiasm of the markets, experts are stressing that it is necessary to be careful and the first six months of the year will be decisive. The CSBF's London analysist James Daniel said, "So far, so good. However, the real text will be seen in the next three to six months." He also pointed out that the developments to privatize TUPRAS and POAS were being awaited curiously abroad. /Sabah/

TURKS SHOW INTEREST IN MICROSOFT SUMMIT

The "Microsoft Executive Summit" will be held in London between January 31 and February 1, 2000. Nearly 80 top managers from the companies in Turkey will attend the Summit. The opening speech at the gathering will be delivered by the Regional Director of Microsoft for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Emre Berkin. The Summit will be on "Microsoft's Solutions For the Digital Economy". /Aksam/

EU DELEGATION IN DISASTER REGION

The EU Ambassador to Turkey, Karen Fogg, has gone on a tour of inspection of Duzce, during which she said that they would help the municipalities rebuild their infrastructure. Duzce is a city seriously affected by the November 12 earthquake last year. Second Secretary Oscar Benedit Band an official from the Greek non-governmental organization European Perspective, Alan Camero, also accompanied Fogg. /Aksam/

DHKP-C MEMBER TO BE RELEASED

A decision has been ratifiedd by Ghent Court in Belgium to release Hasan Ekinci, who was tried together with the members of the illegal DHKP-C organization, Musa Asaoglu and Kaya Saz, and Fehriye Erdal, imprisoned in Belgium for killing Turkish businessman Ozdemir Sabanci. Meanwhile, Turkey has made an official demand for the extradition of Fehriye Erdal. The extradition files arrived at the Belgian Justice Ministry four days ago and a decision will be given following their perusal. /Aksam/

50 KILOS OF COCAINE SEIZED

Fifty kilos of cocaine have been confiscated from a vessel which arrived in the US from Peru. A team involved in this international drug smuggling operation was also captured in Mersin, Turkey: fourteen smugglers, including 10 Turks, were taken into custody. /Hurriyet/

FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES UP

Central Bank foreign exchange reserves increased by 17.8 % last year. According to Central Bank data, foreign exchange reserves, which were $19.721 billion on December 31, 1998, increased by $3.514 billion, rising to $23.235 billion on December 30, 1999. /Hurriyet/

TECHNOLOGICAL FREE ZONE

The first "Technological Free Zone" in Turkey will be established in the Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Institution's (TUBITAK) Marmara Research Centre's 'Technocity`. It is reported that the zone will be set up in order to make the Turkish economy more competitive and overcome inadequacies with particular reference to technological infrastructure. /Cumhuriyet/

SCHENKER: "TURKEY SHOULD BE COMPENSATED OVER WATER"

Respected US expert on the Middle East David Schenker has said that Turkey should be compensated if called upon during the current round of Israeli-Syrian talks being held in Washington to concede to Syria on the amount of water that country is to receive from the Euphrates, the Anatolia News Agency reports. He claimed that both sides involved in the current talks want to drag Turkey into negotiations over the issue of water, but he added, "We do not yet know the details of any possible proposals that may be put to Turkey".

THE WASHINGTON TIMES: "TURKEY'S MEMBERSHIP IS A TURNING POINT"

An article in 'The Washington Times' said that the approval of Turkey's EU candidacy will become a 'true turning point' if US support for her continues and equal treatment is given to Turkey in the areas of human rights, democratization and foreign policy issues. The article was written by Bruce Fein who stated that Turkey's EU membership would help both the EU and American national security to be laid down on a stronger footing. /Cumhuriyet/

ASLITURK TO TESTIFY TODAY

The former Mayor of Sisli, Gulay Asliturk, is expected to testify before Britain's Bow Street Magistrates' Court today. Asliturk has been accused of irregularities and embezzlement during her term as Mayor and was arrested in Britain by Interpol. /All papers/

KORKMAZ TO ARRIVE IN TURKEY

A Turkish criminal figure, Ayvaz Korkmaz, who was captured in Kiev in the Ukraine last month, will be brought to Turkey. A two-person Interpol team will go to Kiev on Monday to accompany Korkmaz to Turkey. /Milliyet/

BILL GATES INVITES TURKISH BUSINESSMAN

Bill Gates, the Chairman of Microsoft's Executive Committee who is renowed as the world's richest man, has invited Endustri Holding Executive Committee Chairman Mustafa Ertekin to attend a two-day meeting in London, starting on January 31, to debate the digital economy. /All papers/

TURKEY TO BENEFIT FROM EU MEMBERSHIP

Turkey will benefit from becoming a member of the EU, said Prof.Faruk Sen, Director of the Centre for Research on Turkey. According to Sen, if Turkey had become a EU member in 1998, it would have received 3.57 Euros for every 1 Euro it spent in that year. "If Turkey had been accepted into the EU, it would have sent 2.885 billion Euros to fill the EU's coffers, but would have received 10,309 billion Euros in return", he added. /Turkish Daily News/

FROM THE COLUMNS ... FROM THE COLUMNS ... FROM THE COLUMNS

PRECAUTIONS FOR ISTANBUL BY SEDAT ERGIN (HURRIYET)

Columnist Sedat Ergin writes on the accidents in the Bosphorus. A summary of his column is as follows: "The greatest environmental disaster in recent years, the spilling of 800 tons of petrol along the coast of Florya on the eve of the New Year has revealed the threat awaiting Turkey's shores from the proximity of maritime traffic. In the wake of the incident, seeing that Turkey has no organization, specialized personnel or equipment to deal with such a situation, has drawn a picture of helplessness. The fuel spilt in the sea off the coast of Ambarli amounted to 800 tons. In a worst-case scenario, where the tanker in question is a gigantic 15-thousand ton one and the accident leads to a fire, it is not very hard to imagine that it could have turned into a nightmare situation for the people living in the city. Therefore, a great responsibility falls on the shoulders of the State's Ministry for Maritime Affairs to prepare rescue plans for the worst of scenarios. The State Minister responsible for Maritime Affairs Ramazan Mirzaoğlu said that a series of plans had been enforced concerning this issue and certain decisions regarding the problem had been taken. As part of the policy regarding safety in the Straits, concrete recommendations were made concerning such probabilities and a great number of these had been put into effect. According to information supplied by the Minister, during such an accident the first thing to do would be to prevent the spillage of oil into the sea. To accomplish this two kilometres of barriers have been ordered which would soon be delivered. The Minister has revealed a second measure: the absorption of the oil from the sea's surface by specialized ships which are also called 'sea-sweepers'and orders for four such ships had also been placed. Mirzaoglu added that it was not enough to syphon the spillage from the sea as the oil needed to be stored; therefore, four floating tanks were also ordered. In addition to them, six boats were ordered to take part in rescue activities. Certainly, equipment by itself is not enough and trained personnel are also essential. The Minstry has sent a request to the Prime Minister's Office to permit new vacancies. Minister Mirzaoglu expressed his hope that the Prime Ministry would look favourably upon their requests. Mirzaoglu added that the shores of Turkey would not be abandoned in a situation of helplessness as they were taking all precautions necessary."

A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY BY GUNGOR MENGI (HURRIYET)

Columnist Gungor Mengi comments on the golden opportunity Turkey has seized to become a democratic, prosperous state. A summary of his column is as follows: "Turkey had previously never seized such a golden opportunity to carry out her dreams of becoming a democratic and prosperous state. The chance which started with the return of Ocalan to Turkey, has created a momentum which has been followed by the acceptance of the country's EU candidacy, and the support the anti-inflationary policy has received both at home and abroad. In the Western press, Turkey is shown as the star of the rising markets. The Chairman of the World Bank, in a letter to the Government, stated courageous reforms would unlock the incredible economic potential of Turkey, and added that they were working on additional support amounting to $ 3 billion for Turkey. Turkey will find the finances which will ensure an economic boom. For the coalition parties this means that if they can carry out their promises, they will get the support of the people. The only threat to this reformist Government comes from the Ocalan issue. The Government can crash into an obstacle only through blindness as commonsense says that to carry out Ocalan's sentence would be to sacrifice the salvation promised by the future for Turkey. Would not this mean to let Ocalan, with his death, to reach the goal which he could not accomplish in his lifetime?" NOTE: The Turkish Press Review will not be published until Jan. 11, 2000, due to the Ramadan Feast.

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