DEBATE ON THREE ARTICLES IN THE CONSTITUTION

A package prepared by the coalition partners for amendments to the Constitution, including the election of the President, will comprise three Articles instead of seven; these are Article 101, Article 86 and Article 69. The Acting Parliamentary Group Chairmen of the Democratic Left Party (DSP), the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) and the Motherland Party (ANAP) wanted the package to be discussed initially by the Turkish Parliament's Reconciliation Commission in order to receive the support of other parties. The Inter-Party Reconciliation Commission has decided to convene today and deliberate the package consisting of these three Articles. /Hurriyet/

CILLER: 'DYP IS READY`

Stressing that they are continuing their support for 5+5 formula for the Presidential election, True Path Party (DYP) Leader Tansu Ciller said, "We are ready to implement any requirements for this." Regarding the rejection of their proposal by the Constitutional Commission for a Constitutional amendment which would refer the election of the President directly to the people, Ciller emphasized that she couldn't understand the logic in escaping from the nation. She also stated that they will support the 5+5 formula; however, they are against a package solution. /Turkiye/

VIRTUE PARTY'S APPROVAL

The Government has obtained the full support of the Virtue Party (FP) for its tri-package, including an amendment to Article 69 in the Constitution. Following his weekly meeting with President Suleyman Demirel, FP Leader Recai Kutan stated that their 'sine qua non` condition for the 5+5 formula was the amendment of Article 69 and expressed that they would support the Presidency of Suleyman Demirel in the case that a revision to the Constitution is made in accordance with their wishes. Kutan said that their major occupation was currently the case being brought to court to close down the FP and so they hadn't particularly been concerned with the personality of the President. According to Article 69 of the Constitution, a party can face closure if it becomes a 'den` of anti-State activity or is a continuation of a previously closed-down party. Ecevit offered to include Article 69 in the package as well in order to obtain the FP's support for the Amendment allowing Demirel a second term in office. /Turkiye/

RESIGNATION FROM FP

The Virtue Party's (FP) parliamentary representative for Igdir, Ali Guner, has resigned from his party. Whereas the number of parliamentary representatives from the FP has fallen to 104, the number of independents has increased to seven. Currently, the breakdown of politicians in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) by political party is as follows: the Democratic Left Party (DSP), 136; the Nationalist Action Party (MHP), 127; the Motherland Party (ANAP), 87; the True Path Party (DYP), 85; and there are four vacancies. /Turkiye/

HUSEYIN VELIOGLU: IRANIAN SPY

It has been ascertained that the leader of the Hizbullah terrorist organization, Huseyin Velioglu, who was recently killed by security forces, was a spy who had received training in Iran. The daily 'Hurriyet' newspaper has found photographs of Velioglu taken during 'Operation Dawn 10' held in Iran. A document written in Persian also proved that Velioglu had an identity card issued by the Iranian Intelligence Service SAVAMA. /Hurriyet/

TURCO-GREEK RELATIONS

Greece's Ambassador to Ankara, Yannis Korantis, stated that the general elections in April in Greece will not alter the warm positive atmosphere which has emerged, particularly since the earthquakes that occurred in Turkey and Greece last year. Korantis said, "There is the same peaceful, friendly atmosphere and a climate in which cooperation is dominant between these two countries. As a result, no matter what the result of this election will be, I believe that Greece's policy concerning Turkey will not change." Korantis stated that this positivity is reflecting on the things both sides with to accomplish and added, "For example, there are nine agreements which have been signed and which we are waiting to implement." /Aksam/

DEBATE ON AKKUYU POWER-STATION

While the Council of Ministers has decided to build a nuclear power-station in Akkuyu, some politicians within the Democratic Left Party (DSP) have displayed their concern over this issue. For example, the DSP's political representative for Istanbul, Zafer Guler, stated that the need for energy can be met by wind power. Guler also enabled experts to meet the Prime Minister, Bulent Ecevit, and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Cumhur Ersumer, to talk about alternative energy sources and the dangers of nuclear power stations. However, he was unable to achieve any satisfactory result from his initiatives. /Cumhuriyet/

JORDANIAN KING TO VISIT TURKEY

It was revealed that King Abdullah of Jordan will pay an official visit to Turkey between 7 and 9 March and will discuss the issues of security and terrorism in the region. In addition, during talks with the King and the top-level delegation accompanying him, military cooperation between the two countries will be discussed. /Cumhuriyet/

CLASH WITH PKK

In crackdowns against the PKK in Mardin and Sirnak, six terrorists were killed and their weapons were seized, and during a clash, three members of the security forces died. President Suleyman Demirel, Speaker of the TGNA Yildirim Akbulut and Premier Bulent Ecevit sent their condolences to Chief of General Staff, Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu. /Turkiye/

SIX IBDA-C MEMBERS RELEASED

Six members of the illegal IBDA-C organization, who were tried by Istanbul's No.1 State Security Court (DGM) yesterday, rejected the accusations against them. The Court decided to release the six IBDA-C members because of insufficient evidence. Meanwhile, 14 members of the illegal DHKP-C organization who had planned to carry out terrorist actions in Istanbul on March 8, World Women's Day, were captured yesterday. /Star/

CENSUS DAY

State Minister Tunca Toskay said that Census Day for the year 2000 will be on October 22 and added that a curfew would be in place on that day. Toskay stated that the population was expected to total 65.3 million this year. /Milliyet/

TURKEY AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

State Minister Recep Onal stated that economic and financial dialogue with the European Union (EU) had officially started and that a Participation and Cooperation Document would be prepared between the two parties. Onal added that this paper would regulate Turkey's relations with the EU until discussions concerning Turkey's participation in the EU begin. Onal published a written explanation in which he summed up his meetings with the EU in Brussels between 28 February and 1 March and with officials from the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg. In his statement he pointed out that during meetings with the EU Commission's Commissioner responsible for Economic and Financial Affairs, Pedro Solbes, a dialogue concerning finance and the economy had been officially started. A delegation from the Commission will visit Turkey on 27 and 28 April, which means that institutional decisions concerning this dialogue will be implemented. In addition, an Economic and Financial Affairs' Sub-Committee will be established. Also during the talks the total grant to be given to Turkey from the EU's budget was determined; it was stated again that a total of 177 million Euros will be given to Turkey over three years. /Aksam/

RENAULT IN TURKEY WITH NISSAN

The French Renault company, which established a huge partnership with the Japanese Nissan company last year, will also carry out joint ventures in Turkey. The Director of the Products and Strategic Planning Department and Deputy Chairman of Renault, George Douin, said during the 70th International Auto Fair in Geneva that they were considering a joint commercial initiative in conjunction with Nissan in Turkey. /Hurriyet/

TREASURY: PERFORMANCE IS HIGH

The Treasury has announced the second 'Stand-By Monthly Report', prepared to track developments in the Turkish economy every month under the stand-by agreement signed between Turkey and the IMF. The Treasury said that performance within the economy was high and added that a letter of intent would be sent to the IMF so as to receive the second part of the IMF loan which was expected to be approved by the IMF Executive Directors' Council in April. /Hurriyet/

VAILLANT-TURKEY RECEIVES THREE AWARDS

The Vaillant, a leading institution in the world heating sector, has announced its targets for the year 2000 during a press conference held in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. The Vaillant company was set up by Johann Vaillant in Germany in 1874; it has six factories in Germany and its products are sold Ain 17 European countries including Turkey. Vaillant-Turkey has received three awards so far: the 'Vaillant Quality Award' in 1997, 'Customer Service Award' in 1998 and the 'Best Team of the Last Five Years Award' in 1999. /Milliyet/

HELICOPTER BID TO BE RESOLVED

The tender costing 3.5 billion dollars launched by the Defence Industry Undersecretariat in order to meet the Turkish Armed Forces' attack and tactical helicopter requirements will be resolved on 6 March. The Executive Board of the Defence Industry, which will convene under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, will make a decision on this matter. During this meeting, a choice will be made from the American Boeing Company's AH-64D Longbow Apache, the American Bell-Textron Compny's AH-IZ King Cobra, the Italian Agusta Company's A-129 International, French-German consortium Eurocopter's Tiger and the Russian-Israeli Kamov-IAI's Ka-50-2. /Aksam/

MEETINGS FOR POAS

The Privatization Administration Board will put the privatization of the Petroleum Office Company (POAS) out to tender using the 'block-sale' system today. The final bargaining meetings concerning this matter will be held today at the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat's Ugur Ercan meeting hall. The following groups will compete with each other during this auction: a joint venture group between the Dogus Holding Company and the Koc Holding Company, a joint group comprising the Turkish Is Bank and the Dogan Group, a joint venture group between the Turkish Vakiflar Bank and the Alarko Holding Company, and a consortium of the Nurol Holding Company, the Cingillioglu Holding Company, the Anadolu International Trade and Transport Company and the Medya Holding Company. /Aksam/

INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING ASSOCIATION'S PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN

The International Advertising Association is continuing its 'Advertising's Advertisement' Promotional Campaign as part of which 500 million dollars were spent on TV broadcasts. The Campaign's tour of Turkey begins in March, the new adaptation of a plan of action that was prepared by the International Advertising Association, the slogan of which is 'Advertising gives you the freedom of selection'. The Chairman of the International Advertising Association, Faruk Atasoy, supplied information on this latest promotional campaign during a press conference at which he said, "Advertising is an indispensable element in those countries which adopt democracy and the free market economy." Also he talked about the results of research into 'Advertising's Image'; this research was carried out by ACNielsen Zet and showed that the Turkish people had a positive approach to advertising. /Sabah/

ERDEM HOLDING COMPANY SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH SUDAN

An agreement was signed between the Erdem Holding Company, which is active in many fields from the distribution of mobile phones to the export of chemical materials, transport and construction, and Sudan's Ministry of Communications. As part of this agreement, Erdem Holding Company will open up tributaries along the River Nile, build ships and establish naval arsenals. The Company or the consortiums in which it will participate will be responsible for repairing and checking over the ships. /Sabah/

SECOND REFORM OF SOCIAL SECURITY

The Minister of Labour, Yasar Okuyan, has given the second social security reform package its final shape. According to the new regulations, health and insurance will be separated from each other and the Social Insurance Institution (SSK) will become an Administration. In addition, the Social Insurance Institution's hospitals will become autonomous. All insured people will be issued special cards on which all sorts of personal information will be displayed and these cards will be able to be used for everything from operations after retirement to treatment at a hospital, the purchase of medicines and the supplying of medical workers' salaries. Those who have run up debts in their premium amounting to 10 billion TL or more will be announced to the public twice a year. /Sabah/

LE FIGARO: "TURKEY IS A POWER IN THE REGION"

'Le Figaro' newspaper's economic supplement published an article in which it was written that Turkey had decided to fight against inflation so as to start negotiations for its entrance to the European Union (EU) as from the year 2002; this article considered Turkey to be the greatest power in the region. According to advisor Cyril Bouyeure, who pointed out that Turkey had implemented the Customs Union Agreement as from 1996, exported 53% of its goods to the European Union (EU) and that it obeyed most of the rules of Europe, 'Turkey is very close to becoming a European country.' According to Credit Lyonnais' Director in Istanbul, Dominique Tissier, 'Turkey boarded the Orient Express, but this time in the direction of Europe.' Tissier also pointed out that Turkey is the only country in the region that is a member of the G-20 group of nations. /Sabah/

CELEBRATIONS OF OTTOMAN EMPIRE'S 700TH ANNIVERSARY IN APRIL

Celebrations of the 700th anniversary of the establishment of the Ottoman Empire which were postponed due to the earthquake disaster in the Marmara Region last year, will be organized for April 17-18 under the auspices of President Suleyman Demirel. Heads of State and Government from 88 countries and representatives of UNESCO and the Council of Europe are invited to the celebrations in Istanbul. /Hurriyet/

GALATASARAY'S GREAT SUCCESS

Galatasaray soccer team has added to its triumphs in Europe. In the UEFA Cup's Fourth Round, Galatasaray beat Borussia Dortmund in Germany, thanks to goals from Hakan Sukur and Hagi. The score was 2-0, a big advantage before the second leg of the match which will be played in Istanbul on March 9. /Hurriyet/

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

POLITICAL IMMUNITY BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)

Columnist Derya Sazak comments over the compromise on the Constitutional Amendments. A summary of his column is as follows: "Reactions from the general public force the political parties in Parliament to reach a compromise on a wider package rather than amending the Constitution for particular persons. That is the correct attitude. It would not have conformed with political ethics to put Article 86, regarding the 'special pension' stipulations and Article 69, concerning the closure of parties, in the same 'bribe and concession' package and present it for the ratification of the TGNA. With this method, the votes of five parties would have been gathered in the same pool and the different preferences of their representatives would not have been reflected in the polls. Furthermore, the principle of secrecy inherent in the Constitution would not have been respected. As these drawbacks were seen, it was decided to include other texts as well. The temporary Article 15 envisaging an inquiry into the "12 September Law" is taken within this context. Another important subject concerns political immunity; Articles 83 and 100 should also have been included in this package. The Republican People's Party Chairman, Altan Oymen, called for the promises made on lifting political immunity to be kept. Those who want a 'clean society' have the opportunity to work for their heart's desire; they have to observe the TGNA closely.

SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: NEW NAME FOR BALKANS BY BULENT AKARCALI (MILLIYET)

ANAP's Istanbul representative Bulent Akarcaly writes on the conference concerning the Balkans. A summary of his column is as follows: An important wide-ranging meeting was held in Salonica on 25-26 February concerning the Balkan countries. Twenty-eight political parties and seven international organizations attended the gathering which had been organized by the main opposition party in Greece, Nea Demokratia, the European People's Parties' Union - consisting of representatives with centre-right and right-wing leanings within the European Parliament - and the European Democratic Union to which Turkey's Motherland Party (ANAP) is a member. The conference entitled "Cooperation for Democracy and Stability in Southeastern Europe" was attended by 12 countries and 20 political parties from the Balkans; Bosnia-Herzegovina was represented by four and Serbia by six parties. These numbers show how sensitive is the political balance in these two countries. There are some important points we have to know about this conference; the European Union is using the term "Southeastern Europe" instead of the Balkans and Greece and Turkey are included under this umbrella term. In the 'Kathimerini' newspaper, a supplement of the 'Herald Tribune' distributed in Salonica in English, articles concerning Turkey are published under the heading "Southeastern Europe". The aim in changing this term is to erase the impression of conflict etched in our minds by the term "the Balkans" in addition to blending together differences in the ethnic identities with name 'Europe'. Certainly, Greece will benefit from this as she can improve her troubled relations with Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia via the European Union. As Salonica is proclaimed to be the capital of the region, through the efforts of various foundations such as the Westminster Foundation (English), the Robert Schumann Foundation (French), the German Hans Seidel Foundation and the Greek Karamanlis Foundation established by the Nea Demokratia Party, cooperation will be widened in scope and depth. While the Greek right-wing party is carrying out some of these studies, the left-wing PASOK Government is allocating $350 million to Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Romania for the years 2001-2004. The European Union is providing the money and Greece is reaping its benefits. In the face of all these developments, Turkey does not have any serious moves to make concerning the issue and remains a spectator, except for the Motherland Party and the Turkish Democracy Foundation. In the Balkans, a part of Turkish history, the Western Governments, as well as foundations, associations and institutions supported by these governments, are swarming. They have settled in the Balkans with the branches they have opened, the seminars, conferences and educational programmes they have organized and the political relations they have formed. The services they are offering are welcomed by the Balkan political parties. Another positive development in the Conference is that W. Martens, the Chairman of the European People's Party Union who in the past had said that Turkey had no place in the EU, stated, "We desire Turkey to be not only within the EU but also within the new European structure which was shaped in Helsinki." In his closing speech to the conference the Chairman of Nea Demokratia also repeated the same message and said that they were in support of Turkey's full-membership. On April 9 the General Election will be held in Greece. It seems that this time Turkey will not be used as election propaganda. Good luck to our neighbour in the election."

WHO IS TO BLAME? BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)

Columnist Sami Kohen comments on the recent developments in the Balkans. A summary of his column is as follows: "In the Balkans, Bosnia-Herzegovina recognized the Greek-Cypriot Administration and then, at the last minute, decided against opening an Embassy in Nicosia, following President Demirel's letter. Macedonia was also preparing to open an Embassy in Nicosia but has postponed it for a while. The Albanians in Kosovo are hostile towards the Turks and even attack them; Prime Minister Ecevit requested the help of Albanian leaders on this issue during his visit to Tirana. Why are all these things happening? Turkey, following an active policy in the Balkans, provided every support to these countries; she helped them financially, loaned money, sent troops, sheltered immigrants on her own soil, stood by them on political platforms and initiated peace and cooperation agreements such as the Balkan Charter. However, although these seemed to have won the appreciation of these countries, they do not hesitate to engage in actions which would offend the Turkish nation. Turkey cannot be hed to blame for these countries acting in such a fashion. The reasons leading these countries'to such moves may stem from historical and cultural friction, conflicts of interest and uncertainties within the situation. As can be seen, the Balkans is a complicated and ever-fluctuating scene which places Turkish policy in difficulty despite her good intentions. Turkey is unfortunate in this respect. Can the same not be said for the Caucasus and the Middle East?"

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