PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

The second round of the presidential election was held yesterday at the TGNA. The strongest candidate Ahmet Necdet Sezer's votes reached 314. There is no doubt that Sezer will be able to get 276 votes during the third round of voting which will be carried out on Friday, May 5. The votes for the other candidates were as follows: Yildirim Akbulut, 88; Nevzat Yalcintas, 66; Sadi Somuncuoglu, 32; Dogan Gures, 22; Rasim Zaimoglu, 3 and Mail Buyukerman, 2 votes. /Hurriyet/

CEM AND PAPANDREOU RECEIVE STATESMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou will receive the Statesman of the Year award from the East-West Institute in New York today. When he is in New York, Cem is also expected to hold a meeting with the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and sign the "Open Skies Agreement", which will allow direct flights from Turkey to 10 more cities in the US. Cem, Papandreou and Albright are also expected to come together in a meeting. Cem will deliver a speech on the new geopolitics of southeastern Europe during the seminar held by the East-West Institute. A gala night is to be held on the occasion of the presentation of the Statesman of the Year award at a New York hotel. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, EU Foreign Policy and Defence High Commissioner Javier Solana and Madeleine Albright are expected to attend. /All papers/

DEMIREL SPEAKS AT DSI MEETING

President Suleyman Demirel gave an opening address at the State Waterworks Authority (DSI) Regional Directors Year 2000 Meeting yesterday, the Anatolia News Agency reports. In his speech, Demirel said that one of the biggest problems facing the DSI was the ever-decreasing budget, which he said harmed not only the DSI, but the country as a whole. He called upon the government to act courageously and accelerate energy projects in Turkey, telling delegates that there were many osbtacles to developing energy projects that he wanted to see lifted. Speaking on the positive effects of globalization, Demirel stated that Turkey no longer faced the problem of finding its own funding for energy and other projects, it could now look abroad for such funding. He added that there was some $400 billion in funding available in the world, but Turkey only got up to $600 million of this, whereas Poland, for example, got $8 billion and has received over $50 billion in the last eight years. Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Cumhur Ersumer, also spoke at the meeting and pointed out amendments to arbitration laws and other legal changes to facilitate energy projects.

US STATE DEPARTMENT'S REPORT ON TERRORISM

In the report entitled 'Global Terrorism,' prepared by the US State Department every year, it was once more pointed out that the PKK was a terrorist organization and that Turkey struck hard against the PKK in 1999. In this report it was also stated that high-ranking officials from the Greek government provided terrorist Ocalan with shelter and support and that some European countries did not bring Ocalan to trial, violating the international agreements that they had signed. In the report's general evaluation concerning Europe, it was explained that PKK and DHKP-C terrorist organizations' actions decreased when compared to the previous year thanks to the strong security and intelligence precautions in 1999. /Turkiye/

NATO'S GREATEST MANOEUVRES

Linked Seas-2000 Sea Manoeuvres, which is planned by the NATO's South Atlantic Command (CINCSOUTHANT) and which are the biggest NATO manoeuvres in the Eastern Atlantic, will begin today. In a statement issued by the General Secretary of the General Staff, these manoeuvres will be made in the Biscay Coast in France, west of Portugal, and in the region of islands in Madeira. Turkey will participate in these manoeuvres with its TCG Mediterranean Frigate whereas Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, England, Holland, Belgium and Germany will participate with various ships and planes. Atlantic Standing Navy Forces (STANAVFORANT) and the European Multinational Sea Forces (EUROMARFOR) also will be present in these manoeuvres. In addition, Austria, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia will participate in these manoeuvres with their personnel. /Turkiye/

TURGUTREIS FRIGATE TO VISIT JAPAN

TCG Turgutreis Frigate, one of the most modern ships of the Turkish Naval Forces, will participate in the commemorative ceremonies in Japan that will be organized due to the 110th anniversary of the disaster of the Ertugrul Frigate on 3 June. TCG Turgutreis Frigate will leave Golcuk on 25 May and go to Portsaid Harbour in Egypt and pass the Suez Channel and Red Sea and reach Cibuti. The TCG Turgutreis Frigate will then arrive in the Madras Harbour in India, then proceed to the Singapur Harbour and finally reach Kure/Hiroshima Harbour in Japan. TCG Turgutreis Frigate will anchor in the place where the ship 'Ertugrul' sank. It is expected to go back to Turkey on 20 July. /Turkiye/

ALTINOK IS IN PURSUIT OF FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN TURKEY AND KAZAKHSTAN

The directors of the Turkish schools, who successfully provide education in Kazakhstan as well as in the other countries, and the parents of the students visited the Mayor of Kecioren, Turgut Altinok. The Chairman of the delegation, comprising the directors of the Turkish high schools in the district of Jambil and the parents of the Kazakh students, gave their traditional cloth to Altinok as a present. Altinok stated that they had a very close relationship with Kazakhstan just like the other Turkish-speaking Republics and added, "We implemented a joint programme with Kecioren Municipality and the Kazakh Embassy. In addition, we gave the two important Kazakh poets' names, Avezov and Abay, to the two parks that we established in Kecioren. We also established the monument of Mogcan Cumabayev. Beyond this, we announced Jedisu, which is the metropolitan region of Almata, and Kecioren as twin-cities." /Turkiye/

BRITISH PARTNER FOR TENTUR

Tentur, which leads list of the most profitable travel agencies, will be the partner of the British tour operator, First Chois. Chairman of the Executive Board of Tentur, Cankut Bagana, who is also the owner of Onur Airlines, stated that their cooperation was inevitable and that they had signed the agreement of good-will for the partnership with the First Chois. Bagana said, "Our discussions with First Chois are continuing but a cooperation has not been established yet. We are thinking of merging through an exchange of shares." /Milliyet/

TURKEY ON THE LIST OF THE FAVORITE MARKETS

General Director of Alfa Movable, Aziz Karadeniz, stated that Turkey would be able to take its place among the favorite developing markets thanks to the financial, economic, political and social reforms that it implemented on becoming a candidate to the European Union (EU) and the success of the programme of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Karadeniz stated that the depth of the capital market will be increased thanks to the growing interest in Turkey and to a successful privatization programme. Karadeniz added that the profit of the Alfa Movable in the first three months of the year had increased when compared to the same period of last year. /Milliyet/

TURK TELEKOM'S BIDDING ANNOUNCEMENT TO BE MADE IN 10 DAYS

Chairman of the Privatization Administration Board (OIB), Ugur Bayar, stated that the block sale bidding announcement of the Turk Telekom's public share with a rate of 20% will be given in ten days. Bayar stated that the Office of the Chairman of the Turk Telekom's Bidding Commission was being directed by the OIB and added that they had worked with the bidding commission during the last weekend. Bayar added, "We worked on the documentation of the bidding and the contract of the bidding. However, we are still working on the last preparation of the bidding. Its last shape will be given after meeting lawyers both from Turkey and abroad." Bayar concluded that after the bidding is given its final shape, then the involved ministries will make the announcements of the bidding both in Turkey and abroad in 10 days. /Milliyet/

ANKARA'S REQUEST FROM TEHRAN

Turkey made a request to Tehran that 13 Jewish people should be judged lawfully. It was revealed that the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who distanced itself from Tehran's action, was delivered to Tehran by the Office of the Chairman of the Religious Affairs. Chairman of the Religious Affairs, Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz, confirmed that they were requesting the lawful judgement of 13 Jewish people. Before the trial of 13 Jewish people, who were arrested together with eight Muslim people with the claim that they worked as spies in May 1999, Israel had no diplomatic relationship with Iran. However, after this incident, Israel began a large campaign to influence countries that can be mediators. Ankara participated in this campaign by bringing in the Office of the Chairman of Religious Affairs. /Milliyet/

OIC SUPPORTS TURKEY

It was stated that Turkey, whish was nominated to the General Secretary of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), was being supported by the countries outside of its group as well. There are also other two groups in the OIC, Arab and African, except for the Asian group, in which Turkey takes part. The most powerful support from the Arab group came from Oman. After the State Minister Mehmet Kececiler's visit, Umman officialy stated with the instruction of Sultan Kabus to the General Secretery of OIC that they were supporting Turkey's candidacy. Chad's President Idris Deby also stated that they were supporting Turkey's candidacy and that Sudan also promised to give its support. In addition, it was stated that Georgia, Tunisia and Egypt were favoring Ankara's candidacy. /Milliyet/

COUGAR HELICOPTER DELIVERED

The first helicopter out of 28 jointly being produced by the French Eurocopter and the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI) in order to meet the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) demand for search and rescue helicopters was delivered during a ceremony yesterday. The Chief of General Staff, Gen.Huseyin Kivrikoglu, said that Turkey was subject to many threats and risks in one of the most strategic regions in the world. He added that Turkey was contributing to the establishment of regional peace through its powerful armed forces. /Cumhuriyet/

PIERER: "GUARANTEE SHOULD BE GIVEN BY THE GOVERNMENT FOR AKKUYU"

The Head of the Executive Board of the Siemens, Heinrich Pierer, stated that the government's guarantee was essential for the Akkuyu nuclear power station, the proposal assessment process of which has been postponed for three more months. Pierer said, "The establishment of the nuclear power station was a political decision. Therefore, if a decision is given, the government's guarantee is essential." The Siemens Company is a partner in the French-German consortium which has made a proposal for the Akkuyu nuclear power station. At a meeeting held in Toulouse, France, Pierer, stated that they interested in the investments in Turkey such as construction of the new GSM network's infrastructure and nuclear energy facilities. Stressing that he visited Turkey 24 times in a period of 14 months, to negotiate for the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, Pierer said that investing conditions in Turkey were getting better. /Sabah-Cumhuriyet/

NEW MEASURES FOR THE ECONOMY

The government stated that it was ready to take new measures concerning the economy with an additional letter of intent presented to the IMF. The IMF wants additional measures, especially measures concentrated on reducing the inflation rate and decreasing public expenses. The World Bank wishes the Turkish Electricity Company (TEAS), which is in a financial bottleneck, would increase electricity sale prices. /Cumhuriyet/

WORLD RADIOCOMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN ISTANBUL

The radiocommunications general council organized by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) within the framework of the "World Radiocommunications Conference 2000", has decided to start its work on restructuring the world telecommunications industry with a conference to be held in Istanbul on May 8. Minister of Transport Enis Oksuz stated in announcing the conference that they were proud to host it in Istanbul and said, "In recent years, parallel to world developments in the area of telecommunications, there have also been important developments in Turkey". ITU General-Secretary Yoshio Utsumi highlighted the Turkish government's generous and helpful attitude and stated that they were glad that the conference was being held in Istanbul this year, a city that has been an intercontinental bridge for centuries. The radiocommunications general council will discuss plans for the telecommunications industry, including changes to the "Radio Arrangement Agreement" and world mobile telecommunication services, to be conducted by the World Radiocommunications Union in the next four years. /All papers/

US REITEREATES SUPPORT FOR TURKEY'S INVOLVEMENT IN ESDI

At the High Level Defence Meeting in Washington, DC, last week, the US reiterated its support for Turkey's desire not to be excluded from the formation process of the European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI), the Anatolia News Agency reports. ESDI is intended to act as a European defence mechanism. The meeting was held over April 27-28. At the meeting, the Turkish delegation said that ESDI would not be complete if Turkey is not allowed to participate.

IMF DELEGATION COMES TO TURKEY

IMF Turkey-Desk experts will come to Ankara one or two days before IMF Turkish-Desk Chief Carlo Cottarelli arrives on May 18. The team of experts will examine economic developments between December 1999 and May 2000, the Anatolia News Agency reports. Cottarelli will meet officials from the Treasury Undersecretariat, the State Planning Organization (DPT), the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance and the Privatization Administration Board (OIB).

AKBANK GIVES MANDATE FOR SYNDICATED LOAN

Turkish conglomerate Sabanci's lending subsidiary Akbank has given mandate to a number of international banks for a one-year, $250 million syndicated loan, the bank announced yesterday. The loan will be used to finance exports and will roll over a $150 million syndicated loan sealed on June 24, 1999. /All papers/

POPE TO RECEIVE TURKISH BUSINESSMEN

Pope John Paul II will receive a European business delegation, including three Turkish representatives; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) Chairman Erkut Yucaoglu, Deputy Chairman Aldo Kaslowski and TUSIAD European Union representative Bahadir Kaleagasi. European Industrialists' and Businessmen's Union Chairman Georges Jacobs will head the delegation of prominent business figures in Europe. The union has its head office in Brussels. In a press release, TUSIAD's office in Brussels said that the fact that Turkey was included in a delegation of businessmen from Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Holland and Sweden was a sign that the Turkish business community is a part of the greater European business community. /All papers/

TUPRAS ANNOUNCES ITS PROFITS FOR THE FIRST THREE MONTHS

During the first three months of the year, the net profit of TUPRAS increased by 8.834 trillion TL when compared to the same period last year. According to a table of income sent by the TUPRAS to the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB), TUPRAS has gained a total of 38.101 trillion TL during the first quarter of this year. Last year's figure during the same period was 29.266 trillion TL. /Star/

INVESTMENTS BY TURKISH BUSINESSMEN

The Head of the European Turkish Businessmen's Association (ATIAD), Esref Unsal, said that the savings of Turkish citizens living in foreign countries amounted to nearly 20-25 billion DM. Unsal stated that they launched initiatives to transfer these figures to investments in Turkey in order to contribute to the development of the Turkish economy. /Star/

FORESTS DESTROYED IN APRIL

According to the Forestry Ministry, the 84 forest fires that broke out this April destroyed over 7,000 hectares of land, the Anatolia News Agency reports. It is expected that reforesting the burned areas will cost up to 7 trillion TL. The fires took place on April 5 in Balikesir, Izmir, Bolu, Giresun, Zonguldak, Kutahya, Trabzon, Eskisehir and Istanbul.

NEW BODRUM-KOS FERRY SERVICE OFFERED

The improvement of relations between Turkey and Greece is making a contribution to tourism. As of yesterday, ferry and sea-bus service has commenced between Turkey's Bodrum and Greece's Kos islands. The company organizing the service announced that trips will run every day during the summer and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the winter. /Turkish Daily News/

OIL PRODUCTION AT 2.9 MILLION BARRELS

The Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TAPO) and private companies produced a total of 2.9 million barrels of oil in the first four months of the year, the Anatolia News Agency reports. TPAO accounted for 90.1 % of oil production during that period. Of the total output, 47.5 % was extracted from 18 fields in Adiyaman, Sanliurfa and Kilis.

GSM TENDER

The second section of the GSM 1800 network tender, which will be made avaible through the Ministry of Transport, will be held today. The auction will start with a price of 2.525 billion dollars. Four consortiums are expected to participate in the bidding. /Hurriyet/

1 MAY CELEBRATED

In sharp contrast to the rest of the world, 1 May celebrated throughout Turkey in peace. Thousands of people attended meetings which were organized by Turk-Is, Hak-Is, DISK, KESK, certain political parties and non-governmental organizations. The positive stance of the security forces prevented any incident. /Hurriyet/

ANTI-INFLATION PROGRAMME

A report "The effects of the Anti-Inflation Programme on Banking System", prepared by Emre Alpan Inan, a member of the Turkish Banks' Union's Banking Research Group, said that serious changes were expected in Banking Sector in Turkey. By taking into consideration Latin American countries, Inan examined possible changes in Turkey. Accordingly, after the implementation of the programme, high inflation and revenues obtained from the interest rates start to decrease. Then, credits which finance increased consumption will make up the difference, and they will be financed by foreign sources. This will also cause development in the financial system and the introduction of foreign banks will increase competition. Currently, Turkey is experiencing the first stage of this process. /Sabah/

12 MILLION-DOLLAR LOSSES

A gain in the value of US Dollar against the Special Drawing Right (SDR), caused about 12 million-dollar decrease in the amount of money which is expected to be granted to Turkey by the IMF. During its meeting on Friday, the IMF's Executive Board decided to grant Turkey 221.7 million SDR as the second slice, it equals 293 million US dollars while Turkey took 305 million dollars in January for the same amount of money in SDR. /Aksam/

LIMIT INCREASE IN KOBI CREDITS

The General Director of Halk Bank, Yenal Ansen, declared that the upper limit for industrial credits increased to 400 billion TL from 250 million TL for the Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (KOBIs). Aksam/

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

NOTES FROM EUROPE BY VEYSEL GANI (TURKIYE)

Columnist Veysel Gani writes on the impressions he received during a European visit. A summary of his column is as follows: "Europe is not only interested in the Presidential Election in Turkey but also in many socio-economic problems of the country. Although it is called the European Union, Europe is not made up of just one country or nation. They have differences among them. However, despite these differences the problems of Turkish presence in Europe is almost the same in every country. Turks in Europe have integrated in Europe to a great extent but the teaching of the Turkish language and religion are the common problems of Turks living in Europe. Turkish society in Europe is faced with a dilemma. The first generation did not face problems concerning Turkish. The most important problem was knowing a second language. The problem of a second language has been solved for the next generation. However, today, the third generation is faced with an important problem such as learning their own native language, Turkish in addition to learning a foreign one. In many German states the exclusion of Turkish from the programme is being considered. The right to learn their native language is a human rights issue. The restriction of such a right is not theoretically possible. It is clear that that such demands will be turned down by the European judiciary. This is a legal fact valid not only for Germany, but for the whole of Europe...Even though this statement may seem subjective, it should be listened to. The banning of teaching a native language is not possible with regards to the European legal system. The integration of foreigners into Europe is of great importance. However, we have to state that integration and assimilation are two different things."

ATHENS GUIDING ANKARA BY YALCIN DOGAN (MILLIYET)

Columnist Yalcin Dogan comments on the Greek advice to Turkey on what the country can do to enter the EU. A summary of his column is as follows: "Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou received a group of Turkish officials in Athens. The European Union officials from both countries met. The purpose of the visit had great significance and that was Athens' contribution to Turkish EU process. During this meeting Athens related the problems and difficulties Greece faced in the course of the EU process. Those attending the meeting came not only from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but also from the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank, State Planning Organization, Undersecretariat of the Treasury and Ministry of the Environment. However, the meeting was not limited to listing the problems faced and explaining how they were overcome. There is a center called "European Economy Law" in Salonica. Turkey sent four officials from the Ministriy of Finance to this center for a seminar. In return, there are plans for Greek officials to work at the EU Implementation and Research Center in Ankara University. As a result of these initiatives there is an important ceremony in New York today. During the last 10 years, 'East-West Institute' has been presenting the 'Statesman of the Year' award. Among those who have received this award are the Macedonian President, Finnish President, and the Georgian Head of State. The award is presented to those who have contributed to peace. This year's recipients of the award are two Foreign Ministers: Ismail Cem and George Papandreou. "

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