GALATASARAY WINS UEFA CUP

Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup by defeating the British footballl team, Arsenal, yesterday. This is the first time that a Turkish team has received the UEFA Cup. Many Turkish people throughout the world celebrated the event with great enthusiasm. Nearly 500 million people in 185 countries watched the game live on TV. Meanwhile, two acting speakers of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), six ministers and 162 deputies also went to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, yesterday. On a negative note, some British hooligans attacked Turkish fans before the match began and it is reported that Copenhagen police could not manage to prevent the incidents. Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer issued a congratulatory message for Galatasaray's victory yesterday. In his message, Sezer said, "The great achievement of Galatasasary shows that Turkey is determined to compete with the world in every field." Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, Yildirim Akbulut, and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit also sent congratulatory messages to the Head of the Galatasaray Club, Faruk Suren, on the occasion. /All papers/

PRESIDENT'S FIRST DAY

Yesterday, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer held his first receptions. Sezer received the Speaker of the TGNA, Yildirim Akbulut, Premier Bulent Ecevit and the Chief of General Staff, Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu. Today, the Leader of the Virtue Party (FP), Recai Kutan, will visit President Sezer. /All papers/

KUTAN: "OUR DEFINITION FOR SECULARISM IS THE SAME"

The Leader of the Virtue Party (FP), Recai Kutan, praised President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who began his term in office yesterday. Regarding the President Sezer's speech at the TGNA, Kutan asserted that their description of secularism was same as the Sezer's. Virtue Party's Leader said, "This speech pleased us. Our hopes increased." /Sabah/

ECEVIT: "THERE ARE TWO EVIDENCES CONCERNING IRAN"

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit stated that there is concrete evidence showing that Iran supports terrorism in Turkey. Ecevit held a press conference during which he stated, "The support that is given to the Directorate of Security by the government is being used without falling into error with regards to the law. The murders of Mumcu and Kislali were uncovered and some knots will be untied as soon as possible. Iran, which does not display the friendship of a neighbour, has been sheltering terrorists in its land for many years and Turkey is disturbed by Iran's policy. As long as the concrete evidence continues to be revealed, we will evaluate our relations with Iran according to this evidence." /Milliyet/

ECEVIT: "TURKISH GOVERNMENT IS THE MOST REFORMIST ONE"

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit evaluated progress after one year of the government during a press conference held at the Prime Ministry yesterday and stated that the 57th Turkish government is the one that is working in the fastest and most effective way in the world. Ecevit said that the opinion that there is no need for the government to retire was also adopted by the 10th President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and that there will not be any change in the cabinet. Ecevit added, "The 57th government has performed a series of economic and social reforms and the reforms that passed into law. Our government is now recognized as the country that works in the most effective and speedy way in the world. /Milliyet/

WEAPON USED DURING AKSOY'S ASSASINATION FOUND

The weapon used during the assasination of Prof. Muammer Aksoy was seized in Sincan after ten and a half years thanks to the UMUT operation, which has met success in solving the murders of Ugur Mumcu and Ahmet Taner Kislali. As part of this interrogation, through which the murder of the Associate Professor, Bahriye Ucok, was revealed, four more people were detained. Ucok was killed nine months after Aksoy. A high-ranking official said, "We can say that the assasination of Ucok has been uncovered. However, there are some links that could not be revealed. We are considering the other countries that might direct Iran. The murderer of Aksoy could not been captured yet but it is certain that the weapon that was found at an arsenal in Sincan was used during the murder of Aksoy." /Milliyet/

ALBRIGHT: "SEMINARY SCHOOL SHOULD BE OPENED"

American State Secretary Madeleine Albright stated that Heybeliada Seminary School should be opened. Albright gave a dinner for the honour of the Patriarch of the Northern America's Orthodox Church, Dimitrios, during which she stated that the present situation in Cyprus cannot be accepted and that Greece has begun to play the role of the leader in the Balkans. Albright added, "We understand that the fact that the seminary school in Heybeliada continues to be closed, has negative effects on the patriarch. Therefore, we are encouraging Turkey to reopen this seminary school so that your needs concerning your faith can be met and this tradition can be continued respectably." /Turkiye/

TURKEY'S LETTER TO CLINTON

38 representatives from the US Congress sent a letter to President Clinton, calling on the US to deepen its friendship with Turkey after Ahmet Necdet Sezer was elected the 10th President of Turkey. The members of the Republican and Democratic Congress, who want relations between Turkey and the US to be reviewed, stated, "The strategic cooperation between Turkey and the US has continuously been one of the elements of stability in one of the most complicated regions in the world. It is of the utmost importance that the political, economic and cultural ties with Turkey should be protected and strengthened. We are encouraging the government in this direction." /Milliyet/

CYPRUS MEETINS TO BE HELD IN JULY

It was reported that the third tour of the Cyprus proximity talks, which were postponed due to the illness of the leader of the Greek-Cypriot Administration, Glafkos Klerides, would start in the city of Geneva, Sweden on 5 June. The Spokesman of the United Nations (UN), Fred Eckhard, stated that the General Secretary of the UN, Kofi Annan, would start these talks, which were previously planned to take place in New York on 23 May. /Milliyet/

NEW PRESIDENT FOR THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

The election for the President of the Constitutional Court, a seat which was vacated by the Ahmet Necdet Sezer's election as President of Turkey, is expected to be carried out in the last week of this month. Ali Huner, Yalcin Acargun, Fulya Kantarcioglu and Mustafa Bumin are rumoured as possible candidates. /Cumhuriyet/

"TURKEY'S STANCE IS SAME ON AEGEAN"

Ankara sent a note to Athens regarding the Greek authorities' declarations on Aegean. Foreign Ministry officials emphasized that Turkey has kept its basic stance on Aegean and Cyprus issues and asserted that to discuss the issues by means of the press would harm the on-going dialogue. /Cumhuriyet/

LOGOGLU TO VISIT ISRAEL

The Foreign Ministry has issued a statement saying that Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Faruk Logoglu will visit Bangladesh upon the invitation of his Bangladeshi counterpart, Shafi Sami, on May 25-26. The statement said that the two undersecretaries would discuss bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues. It is also reported that Logoglu will visit Israel on July 2 to attend the political consultations between the two countries. The Foreign Ministry confirmed several days ago that Logoglu will attend political discussions to be held over two days in Jerusalem. All aspects of bilateral relations, including the economy, culture, disarmament, European affairs and the Middle East peace process will be discussed. /All papers/

US RECOMMENDS KAZAKHSTAN USE BAKU-CEYHAN

After commencing exploration of a vast new petroleum reserve in the northern Caspian Sea near Kazakhstan, the US State Department has called for the Kazakh government to pump some of its oil through the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline in an attempt to transport the Caspian region's oil to world markets. Reiterating its government's support for Baku-Ceyhan, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher pointed out that if the exploration of the new petroleum reserve confirms its estimated size, it would have an enormously positive impact on that country and others in the region, and particularly on the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. /All papers/

TURKS IN GERMANY AGAINST ISLAMIC COURSES IN GERMAN

A German government project to offer religious courses to Turkish students in Germany in German has drawn adverse reaction from the Turkish population in Germany, the Anatolia News Agency reports. Turks say that the project was prepared without prior consultation with them. A joint statement prepared by representatives of some 300 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) emphasized that the Turkish community in Germany wanted to be integrated with the Germans and live harmoniously with them, but as long as they were refused the right to learn their religion in Turkish such integration would be difficult.

CAKICI EXTRADITION TERMS LITIGATED IN FRANCE

Turkey's application to France asking the latter to loosen its restrictions on the extradition process of Alaattin Cakici will be litigated today in the Aix-En-Provence Court. Reportedly, Jean-Louis Pascal, the court's prosecutor, will support Turkey's position. Cakici is currently in Turkey after having spent 21 months in prison in France after entering it under a fake passport. He was sent to Turkey after the French Justice Ministry approved his extradition. /All papers/

PKK CAMPS HIT BY CHOLERA

Cholera broke out in two PKK terrorist camps on Mt.Kandil on May 2, resulting in 72 people's deaths and 56 others being hospitalized in the Iranian town of Pirenshah, the Anatolia News Agency reports. A 10-man team of Iranian doctors who rushed to the camps said that its squalid living conditions contributed to the disease's spread. The camps have been placed under quarantine to prevent the disease from spreading to other nearby camps and settlements. Some 26 Iranian and Iraqi army officers who had been training the terrorists are also said to have come down with the disease and were evacuated to a hospital in Tehran.

RAMSTORE TO OPEN MALL IN MOSCOW

Ramstore, a joint venture between Turkish conglomerate Koc Holding's chain store Migros and foreign trade subsidiary Ram and contractor Enka, plans to build a thrid mall in Moscow, having encountered great interest from the Russian capital's citizens. Foundations for the third Ramstore located in Kashirsky, in the city's south, will be laid on May 20 at a ceremony to be attended by the Mayor of Moscow, Turkish Ambassador to Moscow Nabi Sensoy, Koc Holding Chairman Rahmi Koc, Enka Chairman Sarik Tara and top officials from both countries, the Anatolia News Agency reports. Migros plans to open additional Ramstores in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Bulgaria this year.

SECOND-PHASE SOCIAL SECURITY BILLS SENT TO PARLIAMENT

The government has sent six out of seven bills to Parliament as part of the second phase social security reform, one of which provides for the introduction of a long-awaited private pension system and the others for restructuring operations in social security institutions. The bills will initially face the Labour Commission and then be debated in Parliament. /All papers/

TUZMEN CALLS E-COMMERCE 'AN URGENT ISSUE'

Fast-developing e-commerce has become an urgent issue in Turkey, said Foreign Trade Undersecretary Kursad Tuzmen in a seminar organized by the Turkish Self-Employed and Small- and Medium-Scale Enterprises Foundation (TOSYOV) on the effect of the Internet and e-commerce on small and medium-scale enterprises (KOBIs) in Ankara yesterday. He added that using the Internet is a great advantage in commerce inasmuch as it allows companies to choose more suitable goods in terms of quality and price and minimize inventory costs. Tuzmen stated that all the legal regulations on e-commerce should be completed in 18 months.

GOVERNMENT PUTS OUT TENDERS FOR QUAKE ZONE HOUSING

The Ministry of Public Works and Housing yesterday announced tenders in the Official Gazette for the construction of 15,490 permanent houses to be built for residents from the quake-stricken cities of Kocaeli, Sakarya, Yalova and Bolu. Contracts will be awarded on a turnkey basis to the best priced bids. Approximately TL 160 trillion in quake donations has been deposited in bank accounts opened specifically to raise money for the earthquake housing project. /All papers/

US PRAISES TURKEY

Dan Burton, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives, has delivered a speech at the House of the Representatives yesterday praising the role which Turkey plays in its region and the reforms it has realized concerning human rights. Burton stated that Turkey's EU candidacy status had been officially recognized and added that Turkey also made great improvements in the economy after signing the IMF's stand-by agreement worth $4 billion. He pointed out that Turkey held great importance from the standpoint of US strategic interests in the region and remarked that the US should continue to support Turkey. /Aksam/

TURKISH ARMY TO DEFEND GREECE

12 Turkish F-16 type planes will go to Greece for the Dynamic Mix manoeuvre, which will start on 20 May at the lands of the three countries of the south wing of NATO, that is, Italy, Greece and Turkey. The Turkish naval infantrymen, who will attend the sea manoeuvres' stage of operations during which the plans to protect Greece from the fictitious invasion of the enemies will be drawn up, will perform an operation on a beach at the Mora Peninsula on the first of June. This manoeuvre, which will be held between 20 May and 10 June in order to present the possibilities and talents of the south region of the NATO, will be attended by 65 vessels, 290 planes and 15,000 personnel from the 14 NATO countries. /Milliyet/

TURKISH DAY PARADE

On Saturday May 20, the traditional "Turkish Day Parade" will be held in New York. A number of artists and politicians from Turkey are expected to participate in the parade. /Sabah/

HOPES LOST FOR TURKISH FAMILY

Hopes were lost for the lifes of the three-person Turkish family from whom no information has been received after the explosion in a rocket factory in Enschede, Holland. Suleyman Sahin, Havva and Mertkan Temel's house was about 40 metres from the rocket factory. It is assumed that during the explosion, the family was at home and burned to death. /Sabah/

GOLD MEN OF YEAR 1999

A competition of "Gold Men of the Turkish Economy", which has been organized for five years by "Para Magazine", has been decided. The Gold men of the year 1999 received their awards in a ceremony held in Isanbul. The readers of the Magazine elected the Chairman of the Central Bank, Gazi Ercel as the Gold Man of the Year in bureaucracy category for the third time. Ercel became the Gold Man for his strategies, which were carried out at the most critical junctures. Guler Sabanci, Ahmet Erelcin, Aydin Cubukcu, Hakan Kodal were elected as the Gold Men in Industry, Stock Exchange, Administration and Finance categories respectively. Ahmet Yurekli and Pinar Kapral shared the award in the enterprise category. /Sabah/

SABANCI LEADS IMKB IN PROFITS AND TAXES

The Sabanci Group announced yesterday that the group is the leader in the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) in the first quarter of this year as regards profits and taxation, the Anatolia News Agency reports. In a statement by the Sabanci Group, it was said that out of 294 companies' TL 732 trillion net profits, 13 Sabanci companies had 18%, TL 131.2 trillion of that. The Sabanci Group is 94% above its closest rival in gross profits. Out of TL 294 trillion allocated by IMKB companies for taxes, 20% belongs to Sabanci companies.

MIRZAOGLU: "WE WILL REACH THE POINT THAT WE DESERVE CONCERNING OUR MARITIME"

State Minister Prof. Ramazan Mirzaoglu stated that the 'UND Akdeniz', which will be launched in the sea on 19 May, would contribute positive developments to the Turkish maritime. The Minister Mirzalioglu added, "The Ro-Ro transportation, which has an important place in naval transportation, the separation of Yugoslavia and the embargo practised by the United Nations on this region have negatively affected the highway transportation between Turkey and Yugoslavia between 1992 and 1993. In addition, the alternative ways through Romania, Hungary and Slovakia were weak in terms of infrastructure and the fact that there were some problems in entering and leaving Romania created hindrances in the highway transporting. The transportation will be able to made more confortably and safely thanks to the Ro-Ro naval transportation with the support of the International Naval Transportation (UND)." Mirzalioglu added that the ship 'UND Akdeniz' was equipped with the latest technology in harmony with the approach of modern and combined transportation. /Turkiye/

90 BLUE FLAG AWARDS

The European Environmental Education Foundation gave the award of Blue Flag, which symbolizes cleaness and security, to 78 beaches and 12 marinas in Turkey. The number of the beaches receiving this award was 64 and the number of the marinas that received this award was 10 last year. Some public beaches such as Konyaalti, Titreyengol, Sorgun, Side, Beldibi, Goynuk, Kiris and Tekirova are among those which received this award. /Milliyet/

SUPPORT FROM THE WORLD BANK

During the meeting, which was held last week under the auspices of the World Bank's Director to Turkey, Ajay Chibber, the representatives of the European Union (EU) and of the United Nations (UN) decided to support Turkey's economic reforms. According to the news that was obtained, during this meeting, which was held in Kizilcahamam and which was also attended by officials from the Japanese Embassy, developments concerning the Turkish economy were discussed. During this meeting, it was stated that the developments in the Turkish economy were moving in a positive direction and a consensus was reached to give financial support for the economic programmes and projects and to work cooperatively with Turkey. The World Bank is planning to give Turkey financial support, which amounts to more than 5 billion dollars. 3 billion dollars of this will be used for the Structural Harmonization Loan and 2 billion, 250 million dollars of this amount will be used as the project loan. /Milliyet/

TELECOM ITALIA'S REQUEST FROM THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS

The proposal amounting to 2 billion 525 million dollars, which was given through a cooperative effort of Telecom Italia and Is Bank for the GSM 1800 licence during the bidding on 12 April, pleased Turkey very much. This pleasure was due to the fact that more than the expected money would be earned by the Turkish State. However, two weeks after this bidding, Turkish Minister of Communications, Enis Oksuz, said, "Some people want to spoil the bidding. The one who won the bidding should appear and bargain with us." Telecom Italia requested three things from the Turkish Ministry of Communication, the conditions being as follows; a new article will be added to the agreement, which guarantees that the price of the next GSM bidding will not be below the price that Telecom Italia offered; the taxes requested by the State are too high; the fixed price, which was received by the previous GSM operators gives an advantage to these operators and, thus, the problem of the fixed price should be solved. /Milliyet/

IS BANK: "OUR 1 BILLION DOLLARS IS READY"

The General Director of Is Bank, Ersin Ozince, said that the down payment of the GSM 1800 bidding, amounting to 1 billion dollars, was ready. Is Bank previously won this bidding with a 2.5 billion dollar bid. Ozince stated that they were being careful to make certain that the agreement will be signed in the most proper manner and that there will not be any legal problems in the future. Ozince added, "The discussions for the agreement took a long time so that the problems such as that of the value added tax and fixed prices will be solved. There are not any hindrances between the Ministry of Communications and us." /Milliyet/

STFA UNDERTAKES TWO PROJECTS IN LIBYA

The STFA Groups of Construction and Energy undertook two projects in Libya a total of which amounts to 70 million dollars. In a statement issued by STFA, the construction group signed the agreement as the ODAC and STFA-AFENCO Joint Initiative for the project of the 2nd Part Infrastructure Network and the Home Links Project. Meanwhile, the energy group undertook the job of energy transportation link, assembly and drawing wire as part of the 'Great Man Maid River Project.' /Turkiye/

FIRST PRIVATE ETHNOGRAPHY MUSEUM

"Tahtakuslar Village Ethnography Galery", known as Turkey's first Private Ethnography Museum, is an institute designed to investigate folk cultures. The Galery, where a number of students from 39 universities in Turkey are applying to research, is the subject of many thesis. /Cumhuriyet/

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

TURKEY ENTERS THE EU VIA SPORTS BY KENAN AKIN (TURKIYE)

Columnist Kenan Akin writes on Galatasaray's victory in the UEFA Cup. A summary of his column is as follows: "We believe that Galatasaray's victory in the UEFA Cup finals in Copenhagen has been an important promotion for Turkey. Turkey has entered the EU through sports. Following this winning approach, we are searching for ways to enter the EU officially. The capital of Denmark had turned into a Turkish city. It is reported that airplanes carried 12,000 football fans from Turkey to Denmark. It is estimated that there were 15 to 20,000 football fans in the stadium. When the television broadcasts of the event in many countries are taken into consideration, the measure of the promotion of the country can be seen. However, the result is not important by itself. Galataray's gameplay in the UEFA cup has been a great success. "

THE PRESIDENT AND THE GOVERNMENT BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)

Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna writes on the new President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. A summary of his column is as follows: "Suleyman Demirel has completed his seven year term in office as President honorably. During his term of office the wisdom and performance he has shown will serve as an example for generations to come. The nation expects greater services from him in the future. We congratulate the tenth president of the Republic of Turkey, Ahmet Necdet Sezer. His achievements will ensure the success of the country. Therefore, all institutions will give him the support he needs including the Turkish Grand National Assembly. In this respect he is luckier than his nine predecessors, including Ataturk. Sezer does not face any real opposition. He does not come from a political party and he was nominated by the joint signatures of the leaders of the five parties in the TGNA. None of his predecessors had such luck. As he does not come from politics he is not accused of any wrong-doing. There is nothing in his past which requires his defence. Prime Minister Ecevit has acted correctly in not offering the resignation of the Government, as a new Government programme and a vote of confidence would take up a few more weeks. We have many important and urgent questions before us. However, it is apparent that in addition to the filling of two ministries, there will be some changes in the Cabinet. We should also mention and congratulate the efforts of Prime Minister Ecevit and the Ministry of the Interior Tantan for solving the murder cases which have been our nightmare for a long time and partially informing us on the subject. We expect their efforts to continue on the issue. Every murder is an inhuman act. To kill a politician, a philosopher, and a writer damages the entire nation." Note: The next Turkish Press Review will be issued on May 22 due to May 19 Youth and Sports Festival.

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