KING ABDULLAH VISITS TURKEY

King Abdullah of Jordan, accompanied by his wife, Queen Rania El Abdullah, will start his official visit to Turkey today and will address Parliament. King Abdullah and Turkish President Demirel are expected to discuss various issues, including the Middle East peace process, water and trade. /Turkiye/

CEM AT THE MEETING OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, speaking at the 'Customs Union's Effects on Turkey' organized by the Economic Development Foundation (IKV), during which he said that the concept of enemy has changed and that Turkey's enemies were 'unemployement, inequality and unproductivity'. Cem added that this was what we should fight against during this new period. Also State Minister Yuksel Yalova said, "50% of Turkey's export was directed to the European Union (EU) market increased by 6% each year." He also pointed out the importance of the Customs Union and said that the Customs Union had increased Turkey's rivalry power against the third countries." Also the Head of the IKV, Meral Gezgin Eris, said that Turkey's most important aim in the short term was to create a consensus that our democratic standards and operations as a country of law and order is in compliance with the Copenhagen criteria." /Aksam/

KOC GROUP AND TUSIAD SUPPORT THE GOVERNMENT

The businessmen, who support the government's economic programme, continue their support at every opportunity. The Chairman of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD), Erkut Yucaoglu, said that Turkey has reached a point that cannot be turned back from and our support for the economic programme will go on. The Deputy Chairman of the Public Relations and Industry of Koc Holding, Tugrul Kudatgobilik, stated that they fully supported the policies of the government. In addition, Kutadgobilik wrote an article in the last issue of the Koc Group's monthly publication 'News From Us' stating, "We, as Turkey have entered the new millennium with new developments. The government put forward a determined monetary and economic policy and everyone has some responsibilities following these positive developments." /Aksam/

BELGIUM APPROVES EARTHQUAKE LOAN

The Council of Ministers approved the two different loan agreements brought about by the earthquake, signed with Belgium, concerning the financing goods originating from Belgium. As part of these agreements, Belgium gave guarantee to provide Turkey with two loans; one of 52,058 euros and the other of 3,718,400 euros, to be used for buying Belgian goods. The first loan to be repaid in twenty years time and the latter in forthy years. The interest rate for these two loans will be 2% annually. /Aksam/

ANADOLUBANK ENSURED FOREIGN LOAN

The Anadolubank Joint Stock Company obtained middle and long-term loans through the American Eximbank. It was stated that the prefabricated houses to be constructed in the earthquake-hit area would be imported, together with the spare parts, from the Select Homes International Inc. in California. The three-year-term export, which was opened through the agency of the American, PNC Bank of Pittsburgh and the PA, will be met by the US EXIM. /Aksam/

HUGE VIADUCT TO BE OPENED

Gavurdagi part of the highway between Tarsus-Adana-Gaziantep (TAG), which will link the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) region with the rest of the world, will be opened soon. TAG highway, totaling nearly 300 km including crossroads, links and the Ataturk Viaduct which is the largest one in Europe, with a height of 176 metres, will be opened in May. Two billion dollars have been spent on the TAG up to now. /Milliyet/

'TURKEY IS AN ATTRACTIVE COUNTRY'

The General Director of the Ak Investment Stock Exchange, Hakan Karahan, stated that Turkey has become an attractive market for foreign investment funds, thanks to the optimistic expectations concerning financial markets. Karahan said, "It is normal that the managers of the foreign funds aim to receive a share from the deposits account in Turkey amounting to nearly 35 billion dollars. I expect the coming of the foreign investment funds to Turkey to increase." /Milliyet/

BAHCELI: "INFLATION RATE WILL BE DECREASED"

The Chairmen of the Specialization Commissions of the 8th Development Plan for Five Years, were given their certificates during a ceremony organized at the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK). During the ceremony, the State Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, Devlet Bahceli, stated that the inflation rate will start to decrease soon. Bahceli added, "The annual growth rate should be increased in order that the income per capita should be increased to the level of people in developed countries." In addition, the Undersecretary of the State Planning Organization, Akin Izmirlioglu, stated that the national income per capita is expected to be increased to 20 thousand dollars by the year 2003, according to the present programme. /Milliyet/

TURKISH DELEGATION IN SYRIA

The delegation chaired by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ugur Ziyal, have started discussions in Syria. Diplomatic sources stated that the Turkish delegation, who arrived in Damascus the night before, met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Suleyman Haddad. Turkish Deputy Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sermet Atacanli, previously stated that the aim of the meetings in Damascus was to draw a framework concerning how the relations between the two countries will be organized from now on. /Milliyet/

CLINTON SENDS LETTER OF THANKS TO TURKEY

American President Bill Clinton thanked the hotels in which he stayed when he visited Turkey to attend the OSCE Summit. Clinton sent a letter of thanks to the Conrad International and the Plaza Hotel Istanbul and thanked them for their interest and service to him and to those accompanying him. Clinton's letters were considered to be a gentle 'gesture'. /Star/

NETAS WINS TENDER IN BANGLADESH

Netas/Nortel Networks, signed an agreement of transmission amounting to 10 million dollars with the international communication operator of Bangladesh. A fiber optic cable connection will be established between the capital of Bangladesh, Dakka and Bogra, a metropolitan of Bangladesh, thanks to this project that will start in fifteen months. /Star/

HEROIN WAS SEIZED

As a result of a sudden attack on drug smugglers in Mersin yesterday, three trucks were investigated, 638 kg of heroin was seized and six people were taken into custody. The value of the heroin is 15 trillion TL. The police gave information to Interpol and a link with the countries involved was established. /Star/

GERMANY PRAISES OZDEMIR

In 'Max' magazine in Germany, the Turkish Parliamentary representative, Cem Ozdemir, was listed as one of 50 successful people, under 40 years old, who might be very successful in the future as well. It was stated that Cem Ozdemir, the deputy of Birlik 90/Yesiller, represented a new and multicultural Germany and that he was a political exception. /Star/

HELICOPTER TENDER

Two companies have been eliminated from the five companies tendering for the Turkish Armed Forces's 145-attack helicopter purchase. Folowing the meeting of the Defence Industry Executive Committe, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit declared that the French-German concortium Eurocopter and the United States' Boeing were eliminated as they failed to meet the technical specifications. The models of the remaining three companies are as follows; US's Bell Helicopter-Textron (AH-IZ King Cobra), Italy's Agusta (A129-I) and Russia's Kamov competing jointly with Israel's IAI (KA-50/52-Erdogan). It is expected that the new evaluation will be completed by the end of the year. /Turkiye/

GIANT BREAKTHROUGH IN DEFENCE

Defence investment projects are being successfuly carried out by the related companies in order to meet the Turkish Armed Forces' requirements for the 21st century. Turkish Aviation Industry (TAI), which has produced 236 F-16 up to now, launched an attempt to produce 32 more planes. The project will start in two years. On completion, the number of F-16s in Turkey will reach 2,220. TAI's project 'remote control` planes, 'Keklik's and 'Turna's will be delivered later this year. One of six mine-sweeper vessels is being constructed abroad and the other five in Turkey, by Turkish workers. /Turkiye/

SECOND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION SYMPOSIUM

The 'Second International Competition Symposium` organized by the Board of Competition has begun in Istanbul. President Suleyman Demirel sent a message to the symposium, stating borders have been gradually abolished in economics and he pointed out that all institutions should be restructured to comply with global competition. Speaking at the meeting, the Minister of State, Sukru Sina Gurel, emphasized that the establishment of a Board of Competition was a milestone in Turkey's institutional structuring. /Turkiye/

AYDIN DOGAN CARTOON EXHIBITION IN TOKYO

Cartoons selected from the Aydin Dogan International Cartoon Competition are being exhibited at the Tower Plaza in Tokyo, Japan. The exhibition, organized by the Turco-Japanese Friendship Association with the contributions from the Turkish Embassy in Tokyo, will be open until March 18. /Hurriyet/

TURK TELECOM'S TENDER IN JULY

The General Director of Turk Telecom, Fatih Yurdal, said that the tender for the sale of 20 % of the shares of Turk Telecom would be put out in June or July and added, "The money will be received by the Treasury in November or December at the latest". Yurdal held a press conference yesterday and stated that there was nothing unclear concerning the privatization of Turk Telecom and pointed out that the Commission related with the issue was maintaining its initiatives in line with the concerned laws and decisions". /Sabah/

BIRECIK DAM TO BE COMPLETED IN 2001

Following the Keban, Karakaya and Ataturk Dams, the fourth largest dam is being constructed on the Euphrates River and is hope-inspiring for the people living in the Southeastern Anatolia region. The construction of the Birecik Dam, which will meet 2 % of the demand for electricity in Turkey, will be completed by the year 2001. The construction of the Birecik Dam, which is in progress under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, is being carried out by a consortium consisting of the German Philipp Holzman, Austrian Stabag and Turkish Gama firms. The Birecik Dam will produce an annual energy production of 2.5 billion kilowatt/hour. /Sabah/

TANTAN WILL CHAIR THE CONFERENCE

The 12th Conference of Ministers responsible for the Local Administrations of the Council of Europe will be held in Istanbul on April 5-7. The Conference to be chaired by Interior Minister Sadettin Tantan will be attended by Interior Ministers from 41 member countries. Officials said that the conference, which will be the biggest one following the summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), will be important for the promotion of Turkey. /Sabah/

DEBATE ON PACKAGE CONSISTING OF THE THREE ARTICLES

The leaders of the three coalition parties held a meeting yesterday and discussed the package consisting of the three articles in the Constitution. The leaders decided to submit the package to the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), as previously adopted. Deputy Prime Ministers, Husamettin Ozkan and Cumhur Ersumer also attended yesterday's meeting. /Sabah/

15 TERRORISTS CAPTURED

Fifteen members of the illegal so-called 'Islamic Liberation Party' have been captured in Kayseri, Sivas and Elazig. Meanwhile, during raids against the Hizbullah terrorist organization over the last two months in Sanliurfa, a total of 101 people were captured and 67 of them were arrested. Officials said that the raids in search of terrorists were on-going. During another raid carried out by security forces in Tunceli yesterday, six members of the TIKKO terrorist organization were killed. These terrorists had killed six Turkish soldiers on January 9, 2000. /Cumhuriyet/

VERHEUGEN TO VISIT TURKEY

The EU Commissioner responsible for the enlargement, Gunter Verheugen, will pay an official visit to Turkey in the near future. Verheugen claimed that in order to become a full EU member, Turkey should make some improvements on the Kurdish issue. In a statement to the 'Financial Times Deutschland' newspaper, he said that candidate status brings some obligations. /Cumhuriyet/

PAPANDREOU OFFERS BETTER RELATIONS

Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou said that they should take lessons from the history. During a meeting in the Dedeagac city in Western Thrace, Papandreou stated that the Greek nation should not be the slaves of the history but should take lessons from the past for a better future. /Cumhuriyet/

ROBERTSON WILL COME TO TURKEY

The NATO Secretary-General, George Robertson, will pay an official visit to Turkey on March 9-10. Turkish officials will express their concerns over the European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI). During Robertson's visit to Ankara, issues such as the Aegean problem and Turco-Greek relations will also be discussed. /Cumhuriyet/

DENKTAS: "EMBARGO SHOULD BE INITIALLY LIFTED"

The Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, met the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Rauf Denktas and the Leader of the Greek-Cypriot Administration Glafkos Klerides yesterday. A statement issued by the Spokesman of the Greek-Cypriot Administration, Mihalis Papapetru, after the meeting said that a constructive mentality was prepared for the third round of the proximity talks and they wanted the same approach from the other side. He added that they were rejecting the Condeferation while they were loyal to the federation. De Soto later met Denktas. Denktas said prior to the meeting that the Greek-Cypriot Administration should abandon the claim that they are reprenting the whole of Cyprus. He added that the embargo imposed on the TRNC should be lifted. Denktas remarked that entry into the EU should be after a solution of the Cyprus problem and that entry EU before would further strengthen the division on the Island. /Cumhuriyet/

JAPANESE WILL TEACH ENERGY SAVING

Japan will teach how to save energy in Turkey. A protocol for the establishment of an energy saving centre was signed yesterday in Ankara between the governments of Turkey and Japan. The energy saving centre will be set up via Japanese loans. /Cumhuriyet/

ALANYA IN GERMAN PRESS

According to an article in the German 'Bild' newspaper, an increased influx in tourism to Turkey will begin in the spring of this year. The article devoted wide coverage to the beauties along the Mediterranean Sea, especially between the districts of Alanya and Kemer. Officials said that a total of 120,000 German tourists are expected to visit Turkey this year. /Cumhuriyet/

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

EU AND ESDI BY A. REBII TINMAZ (AKSAM)

Columnist A. Rebii Tinmaz coments on the European Security and Defence Identity. A summary of his column is as follows: "As candidacy for European Union and compliance with the European Union law is high on Turkey's agenda, Europe is more concerned with the preparations for its security and defence identity. The EU Defence Ministers discussed the issue of ESDI (European Security and Defence Identity) at an unofficial meeting held in Sintra, Portugal on 28 February 2000. The EU which wants to be able to organize humanitarian aid and crisis management operations by 2003, in accordance with the Helsinki summit decisions, is foreseeing the establishment of a permanent force consisting of 50 to 60 thousand troops. This force, which will be used when NATO does not enter the field, is expected to benefit from NATO's facilities. However, the most important problem here is the exclusion of NATO members, who are not yet EU members from decision-taking mechanisms. A former Turkish general, Cevik Bir. last week stated that the issue was of great importance to Turkey. He said that as WEU became an ineffective organization with the Helsinki Summit, Turkey's gains at the organization would also lose their meaning. As long as Turkey does not benefit from the same rights it has in NATO, in other words is reduced to a marginal state regarding European Security, full-membership in the EU similar to the one in NATO was necessary. Belgian diplomats stress that NATO allies, who are not EU members, make up the soft-belly of the ESDI discussions. Countries such as Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Norway, Iceland and Turkey pointed out that it is time for the EU countries to state their real mililtary capabilities and intentions. The Belgian Defence Minister, Andre Flahaut said that EU countries had to know what they were aiming at and nothing was certain at present. The reactions of allies such as Turkey, who do not accept exclusion from the ESDI decision mechanism will yield results. Some of the EU Defence Ministers stated their concern that the ESDI would be still-born because of this. Prevention of this is in the hands of the EU countries. They cannot make any mistakes. They also have to know that Turkey's security is Europe's security."

MEETING OF THREE MINISTERS BY YALCIN DOGAN (MILLIYET)

Columnist Yalcin Dogan comments on the meeting of three Ministers of Foreign Affairs. A summary of his column is as follows: ""Border trade is a magic concept which brings three border countries in coming closer and forgetting the past. It is the first time that the Foreign Ministers of the three countries, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey have visited each of the three countries all in the same day. There is a serious initiative, which interest all three countries, behind closed doors. Some time ago, a delegation from Edirne visited Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and requested that the gate at Pazarkule border with Greece should be open for 24 hours. Cem who took note of this request, voiced the issue at the trilateral meeting and proposed the improvement of border trade between the three countries. George Papandreou made a more concrete suggestion and asked that a joint committe be formed. This agreement made behind closed doors, in Edirne was immediately conveyed to the ministries of the three countries. Ismail Cem, also added that border cities were living in loneliness at the border. However, the improvement of border trade between Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria would bring these people to the center in an expanding geographical world. It is a noteworthy observation shared by the mayors of all the cities at the border. During the meeting as the three Ministers talked of domestic and foreign policy issues, a journalist asked them if a non-aggression pact would be signed. Ismail Cem reacted to the question by saying that these were all left behind, and EU countries have stotpped implementing this practice. Papandreou added that there was no need for such a thing. In fact, the participation of the people in all of the cities visited shows that there is a climate of friendship between the countries."

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