RAU WILL VISIT TURKEY

The German President, Johannes Rau, will pay an official visit to Turkey as the guest of Turkish President, Suleyman Demirel, between 5 and 8 April. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Demirel will present the state medal to him. In addition, bilateral relations will be discussed together with an exchange of information concerning both regional and international issues. /Cumhuriyet/

DEMIREL: "THERE IS NO RETIREMENT IN POLITICS"

President Suleyman Demirel has been requested to continue his duties as he has done for the last seven years and Demirel stated, "I consider this request to be a call and do not reject it and added, "There is no retirement in politics". President Demirel attended a live TV programme from a private TV channel last night and answered the questions, put by students from nearly 50 universities in Turkey. Demirel said that it was a great success to be able to reach so many universities and that these are the universities of the Republic. Demirel added, "The Republic is one big revolution. I commemorate the Great Ataturk with gratitude and thankfulness. As long as we understand him well and as long as we follow his directions, there will be no doubt that Turkey will preserve its place within the largest countries in the world." /Milliyet/

CEM'S MESSAGE TO DE SOTO

The UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Cyprus, Alvaro De Soto, engaged in bilateral meetings during his visit to Turkey. In a message, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem told him: "Turkey will not give up its confederation theory". Turkish officials pointed out that there were currently two States in existence on Cyprus and remarked, "We want the continuation of Cyprus as a political entity whether it is called the Confederation or the United States of Cyprus. However, the right of Turks to govern themselves must never be taken away". /Star/

ROBERTSON IN TURKEY

NATO Secretary-General George Robertson is currently paying an official visit to Turkey and was received by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday. No statement was made following the meeting but it is reported that Ecevit has conveyed to Robertson Turkey's concern at not being involved in the decision-making body of the European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI). Ecevit also explained President Suleyman Demirel's proposal concerning the 'Caucasia Pact' to the NATO Secretary-General. During the meeting, the issues of new NATO members, Turco-Greek relations and confidence-building measures in the Aegean were also discussed. /Star/

ECEVIT'S REPROACH FOR EU

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit met with the Southeastern Europe Stability Pact's Special Coordinator, Bodo Hombach. During the meeting, Hombach pointed out that about 2.5 million Turks lived in Germany and strove to solve their problems. Noting that the majority of Turkey's 65-million population consisted of young people, Hombach stressed that it was a great advantage in workpower potential and being powerful and it should be evaluated in good and efficient way. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit also said, "We are aware of the advantages and the difficulties of having a young population. In fact, Europe abstains from including Turkey because of the young population. However, we will continue to work the comply with the EU conditions." /Sabah/

VERHEUGEN MEETS TOSKAY AND YALOVA

The EU Commissioner responsible for EU Enlargement, Gunter Verheugen, met State Ministers Tunca Toskay and Yuksel Yalova yesterday. Verheugen was briefed on Turkey's plans to comply with EU entrance criteria; the Commissioner also said that the EU Commission was in the process of preparing a report on the same topic. /Star/

RAUF DENKTAS AGAIN A CANDIDATE

The President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Rauf Denktas announced yesterday that he would again be in the running for the Presidency. The Presidential Election will be held in the TRNC on April 15. Many other candidates will be standing for the Presidency of the TRNC, including State Minister Mustafa Akinci and the Leader of the National Unity Party, Dervis Eroglu. /Star/

ALI MUFIT GURTUNA TO VISIT PARIS

The Mayor of Istanbul, Ali Mufit Gurtuna, will leave for Paris on Tuesday to attend the World Mayors' Summit between March 16 and 17. A total of 35 Mayors from around the world will exchange their views on city planning during the Summit. /Star/

POLISH PRESIDENT TO VISIT EPHESUS

After the visit to Turkey of the President of the Czech Republic, Vaslav Havel, together with the American President on 23 March, Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski plans to visit Ephesus on 7 April. It was stated that Kwasniewski would arrive in Turkey as the guest of Turkish President Suleyman Demirel and that a delegation from Poland had already arrived in Ephesus to carry out security checks there. It was revealed that State Minister Andrzej Majkowski would chair the Polish delegation, which would tour Ephesus with officials from Izmir's Governor's office. /Turkiye/

11 DAY-HOLIDAY FOR TGNA

It has been decided that the General Council of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) will take an 11-day break until March 21. The TGNA will resume after the Feast of the Sacrifice. /Hurriyet/

HEALTH REGULATIONS

The Ministry of Health has taken private health institutions under its supervision. Accordingly, private health institutions will be compelled to carry out first aid for patients or wounded people arriving in Emergency departments, whether they can afford it or not. So, the 'first money then treatment` period has been ended. The 'Regulations covering Private Health Institutions` for treatment in Outpatient departments have been put into effect with their publication in the Official Gazette. /Aksam/

NO WASTEFUL EXPENDITURE IN PUBLIC SECTOR

The Government has decided to restrict public expenditure in order to hit its targetted inflation rate. Accordingly, offices will not be furnished arbitrarily; luxury vehicles and buildings will not be bought and public institutions will have to share what furniture they have in order to meet their needs. Moreover, the hiring of new staff will also be restricted. /Aksam/

OCALAN DEPOSITED ALL OF HIS MONEY AT BANKS IN SYRIA AND SWITZERLAND

It is reported that the head of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan, has a total of 5.8 trillion TL at the Commercial Bank of Syria andA his brother Osman Ocalan has 1.740 trillion TL at various banks in Europe. Abdullah Ocalan and Osman Ocalan have managed to accumulate this wealth through extortion, drug and arms smuggling and foreign assistance. It is also reported that other PKK members own houses in various cities throughout Europe. /Hurriyet/

NEW PERIOD IN RELATIONS WITH DAMASCUS

Meetings in Damascus on the 'declaration of principles' which will place relations between Turkey and Syria on a brand new footing have started a new process of negotiations by which the problem of water will be solved in the long run. The Turkish delegation, chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Undersecretary, Ambassador Ugur Ziyal, arrived in Damascus last week. They have completed the first round of meetings discussing the 'declaration of principles' and they returned to Turkey yesterday. During these talks, the issue of water was discussed comprehensively and an article containing the basic principles that will shape relations between the two countries was also debated. It was revealed that the article contains some general principles such as being respectful of each others' rights, not treating each other unfavourably, not using territory in such a way as to harm each other, not intervening in each other's domestic affairs, being respectful of the principles of the United Nations and solving the present problems with goodwill. /Milliyet/

REPORT ON PKK

A report jointly prepared by the National Intelligence Service (MIT) and military intelligence sources has stated that the PKK terrorist organization is continuing its armed training courses and propaganda in Greece, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Armenia. The report added, "A meeting was held in Athens to mark the first anniversary of Ocalan's capture. A book written by the Greek author Nikos Hiladakis entitled 'Ocalan: from Damascus to Imrali' has been on sale". /Star/

SWEDEN COMPLIMENTS ISTANBUL

The Swedish 'Expressen' daily newspaper's travel supplement complimented Istanbul stating "Istanbul: Bigger than Turkey', 'You might fall in love with this city' and 'No other cities are as multicultural as Istanbul'. The title of this article, written by Per Svenson, was 'A tour to the New York of the East; Istanbul is the city you might fall in love with'. The article was said: "Istanbul was the capital of the world. After Mehmet the Conqueror conquered Istanbul in 1453, this city continued to be the capital of the world for another 450 years more. No other cities in the world are as multicultural as Istanbul." /Milliyet/

YOUNG EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS TO BE WELCOMED

Naval Forces' Command will host 30 young earthquake survivors for one week in Istanbul. During the trip for youngsters between the ages of 10 and 15 from Adapazari, Bolu and Duzce, the natural beauties and the historic sites of Istanbul will be visited. The children and teenagers will with the families of the naval personnel. /Milliyet/

BREAKTHROUGH FOR EDUCATION

It was stated that the work to establish a Socrates International Agency was continuing and its aim was to prepare Turkey for the European Union (EU) education programmes. A panel on the 'European Union and Our Universities' was organized at Yildiz Teknik University by their lecturers yesterday. European Students General Forum (AEGEE) member, Gulsen Acar, informed officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Planning Organization that the this international agency should be prepared within a democratic structure. /Cumhuriyet/

22 KALASHNIKOVS WERE SEIZED

22 Kalashnikov rifles, one weapon together with a large quantitiy of bullets were seized in a sudden raid organized by the gendarmeries in Sanliurfa. It was thought that these weapons were to be delivered to terrorist organizations. It was disclosed that one of the arms smugglers was a former member of the PKK and had spent 16 years in prison. /Cumhuriyet/

CHP BECOMES A MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN SOCIALISTS PARTY

The Republican People's Party (CHP) attended the European Socialists Party's leaders' meeting, for the first time as the party of a EU-candidate country and lost the title of 'observer' and became a 'common member'. The CHP leader, Altan Oymen, attended the meeting chaired by the German Minister of Defence, Rudolf Sharping, and said, "The CHP now has the right to voice an opinion to European socialists thanks to the title of common member which was unanimously accepted. /Cumhuriyet/

SABANCI'S CALL FOR PARTNERSHIP

Stressing that Turkey has been left behind in economic terms, Chairman of the Executive Board of Sabanci Conglomerate Sakip Sabanci said that the only way to catch the European train was by the coming- together of the Turkish giants. Calling on these companies, the Koc and Dogan Groups in particular, Sabanci stated, "Let's invest together. Amalgamating our strength, let's set up firms which will at least become known in Europe." Sakip Sabanci pointed out that the initial partnerships would be in the tourism and banking sectors. /Sabah/

DEMIRALP: "CREDIT RATING WILL INCREASE AFTER JUNE"

Stating that international credit rating institutions would alter Turkey's credit rating following the publication of economic results for the first half of the year, Treasury Undersecretary Selcuk Demiralp said, "A positive improvement in our credit rating will certainly be obtained by June." Emphasizing that any positive development in Turkey's credit rating would also increase foreign investment, Demiralp noted, "Foreign investors almost bear the ratings of international institutions in mind. Therefore a serious, steady performance, which means we may obtain an increased rating by June, will also positively affect foreign investments." /Sabah/

CONSUMER-PRODUCER RELATIONS SYMPOSIUM

An international symposium on 'Consumer-Producer Relations Towards the EU' organized by the Turkish-EU Joint Consultation Committee and the Association for the Protection of Consumers will be held in Istanbul today. The opening speeches of the symposium will be delivered by the Minister of Industry and Trade, A.Kenan Tanrikulu, Economy Undersecretary of the Turkish Representation of the European Commission Oskar Benedikt and the Head of the Economic Development Foundation Meral Gezgin Eris. /Hurriyet/

FOREIGNERS WERE SELLERS IN FEBRUARY

Foreign investors were mostly sellers last month on the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB). A total of buy-and-sell transactions worth $3.437 billion were realized by foreigners at the Stock Market in February. The amount of sales was $1.941 billion. /Hurriyet/

AUTOMOBILE EXPORTS INCREASE BY 3.4 FOLD

There was a boom in exports from the automobile sector during the past two months of the year. According to data received from the Automotive Industry Association (OSD), automobile exports increased by 342 % during the Janaury-February 2000 period, when compared with the same period last year and reached $138 million. Automobile exports for the same period last year were $31.2 million. /Hurriyet/

MOODY'S: "WE WILL INCREASE YOUR RATING"

The Chairperson of the Department of Banking for one of the leading rating establishments, Moody's, Elizabeth Jackson Moore, has stated that economic developments in Turkey are now more decisive than they have been during recent years. She added, "Our hopes of Turkey are increasing. If political stability continues and the decrease in interest rates and inflation goes on, then we will increase Turkey's rating, and I do not think that this process will take a long time." Moore arrived in Cairo to attend the 3rd Mediterranean Development Forum, saying that the developments in the Turkish economy have been positive and that the Parliament had been of great support to the economy with their decisions. Moore added, "Structural measures have begun to be taken. All the alterations caused by these economic decisions are in complete harmony." /Turkiye/

EGYPT TO PAY COMPENSATION TO TURKEY

The Egyptian government has decided to pay compensation to those Turkish people whose lands were seized after the coup d'etat under the leadership of Cemal Abdul Nasir in 1952. According to the Egyptian news agency, MENA, 137 Turks will receive compensation amounting to a total of 480,000 dollars as well as back-dated interest payments. /Turkiye/

INTERNATIONAL JEWELRY FAIR IN ISTANBUL

The '15th International Jewelry and Watch Fair', organized by Rotaforte Fair, opened at Yesilkoy International Fair Centre in Istanbul yesterday. 500 firms, from 16 countries exhibited displaying accessories, jewelry and watches. /Cumhuriyet/

GALATASARAY IN QUARTER FINALS

Galatasaray managed to be the first Turkish football team to take a place amongst the first eight teams in the UEFA Cup. Galatasaray won the Borussia Dortmund with a score of 2-0 in the first match in Germany. The yesterday's match score, played in Istanbul, was 0-0. Galatasaray will play Spain's Real Mallorca in the quarter-finals on March 16 and March 23. /Hurriyet/

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

NATO-EU AND TURKEY BY MUSTAFA BALBAY (CUMHURIYET)

Columnist Mustafa Balbay comments on the recent diplomatic traffic seen in Ankara. A summary of his column is as follows: "Yesterday there were three foreign guests in Ankara, NATO Secretary-General George Robertson, the EU Commissioner Responsible for the Enlargement, Gunther Verheugen, and the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto. The issue discussed during Robertson's visit was the intention to exclude Turkey from the European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI). Whenever the EU wants to solve a certain problem, it wants to to establish a separate mechanism different from that of NATO. The main function of the ESDI will be to plan building an army of 60,000 troops by the year 2003. NATO Secretary-General made efforts in order to erase Turkey's concerns on the matter. However, it is too soon to tell how successful he has been. We can summarize the situation as follows: Whenever troops are needed, EU countries will call on Turkey, but will keep Turkey away from their decision making mechanisms. Furthermore, the ESDI army will benefit from NATO's infrastructure and there are many NATO installations in Turkey. It is not mpossible for Turkey to accept such a condition. Gunther Verheugen, Commissioner Responsible for the Enlargement of the EU also came to Turkey and took part in a conference at Bogazici University in Istanbul. Recently, foreign guests prefer Bogazici University for their seminars, may be the road to the EU passes through Bogazici University, who knows? In a speech he delivered to the EU, Verheugen stated that Turkey may enter the EU in one or two years time. However, the reasons he gave for this statement did not seem convincing. For example, he stated that full compliance with the Copenhagen criteria was necessary and added that Turkey was not conforming with the political criteria of the Union. Verheugen also said that the EU wanted Turkey to make clear commitments and that it comprehended the Southeast problem as the "Kurdish issue", and considered it to be a question more concerned with social and economic opportunities. Another statement by Verheugen was that the EU wanted to see Cyprus as a member of the EU as one country. In NATO, the opportunities already in Turkey's hands are trying to be taken away and some conditions are listed to admit us into the EU. Turkey has a NATO policy which has been formed over the years. However, the EU and the ESDI attached to this institution are trying to take steps to erode the benefits we have gained within NATO. Turkey can take steps to enhance national interests, in line with a strategy as a powerful state. However, at this stage we do not seem to be putting our demands on the table but trying to reduce those already on the table. UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto yesterday, came on to Ankara from Cyprus. Turkey explained to the Special Representative, once more, the conditions on the Cyprus question. They are, a confederation with two states, the lifting of the embargo on the TRNC, and to admit Turkey and Cyprus simultaneously in the EU. The European representatives are putting forth conditions for admittance into the Union, such as finding a solution in Cyprus and solving the Kurdish problem. There are two States in Cyprus and the EU wants it to be reduced to one. Southeastern Turkey is within the borders of the "National Pact" of 1920, and the EU is insisting that special rights should be granted to this region. The two issues may not have anything to do with each other, but still the attitude of the EU is strange.

EU AND NATO BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)

Columnist Sami Kohen writes on NATO Secretary-General, George Robertsons's visit to Turkey. A summary of his column is as follows: NATO Secretary-General George Robertson's visit has placed the issue of the European Security and Defence Identity onto the agenda of many countries. This issue is being discussed on both sides of the Atlantic and has created unease in Ankara. The speech which will be delivered by Lord Robertson at the 10th International Security and Cooperation Conference of the Turkish-Atlantic Council in Antalya will shed light on NATO's views on the issue. It will also show the degree to which the NATO Secretary-General shares Turkish concerns and wishes. Yesterday, EU Commissioner Gunther Verheugen delivered a speech at Bogazici University in which he stated that the ESDI would not be a rival to NATO but would be an additional power. He also said that countries who are not EU members could cooperate with the ESDI. However, as the role of the ESDI is not certain, these words are somewhat up in the air. The ESDI is the product of efforts to make Europe independent from the US on defence and security issues. The fifteen members of the EU who met two weeks ago in Sintra, Portugal, laid the foundations for the military structure of the EU. Recently, the US has been frequently expressing its concern over the matter. US Secretary of State Madeline Albright cited the exclusion of countries who are not members of the EU as being among the negative aspects of the issue. Turkey's policy concerning the ESDI can be briefly stated thus: the ESDI should not be a rival organization but remain as an additional force, as has been previously stated. Moreover, Turkey should not be excluded from this organization. The EU which had tried to establish the Western European Union, a defence structure, had at first wanted to include Turkey, but in the end gave her a sort of partnership status. Turkey wants to preserve this acquired right in the ESDI. If the fifteen member countries are trying to build an effective European defence system, they have to be more flexible on the principle of admitting only EU-member countries into the organization. If Turkey is not to be included in the decision-making body, no effective contribution should be expected of her. In short, Turkey will contribute to the probable field of operations of this new defence mechanism in proportion to the rate at which she is included in. New formulas can be found for the participation of Turkey in this new mechanism if there is a will to do so." Note: The Turkish Press Review will not be published until March 20 due to the 'Feast of Sacrifice`.

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