SEZER'S FIRST APPOINTMENT TO JUDICIARY

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer carried out his first appointment concerning the jurisdiction by appointing Erol Ocal to the duty of Deputy Republican Chief Public Prosecutor of High Court of Appeals. Ocal, who is a member of the High Court of Appeal's 3rd Department, was appointed to this duty from among five candidates, determined by the General Council of High Council of Appeals. /Cumhuriyet/

IRAN UNDERSTANDS SEZER'S ABSENCE FROM ECO

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Hossein Adeli, who was in Ankara on Monday to invite President Sezer to the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit, said on Thursday in Tehran that President Sezer's absence did not mean that Turkey did not consider it an important organization. Turkey is a founding member of the regional ECO. "During my visit to Turkey, President Sezer told me that he might attend the summit since he had just been elected. The fact that many Turkish senior officials have been in Tehran, and are participating actively in the meeting shows Turkey has been carrying out its responsibilities to the ECO," Adeli told reporters at a press conference. /Turkish Daily News/

KECECILER IN TEHRAN

After President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated that he would not attend the Economic Cooperation Organization's (ECO) Council of Ministers, the State Minister Mehmet Kececiler went to Tehran yesterday and represented Turkey during the summit that began yesterday. /Aksam/

ECEVIT TO VISIT OHAL

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will visit the Southeastern region this weekend. Ecevit will visit Diyarbakir on 11 June and not only attend his party's congress in the region, but also meet the military officials and the civilian people in the region and listen to their problems. /Star/

LATVIA REQUESTS TURKISH SUPPORT FOR NATO MEMBERSHIP

During Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem's visit to Latvia on Thursday, it was reported that Latvian officials requested that Turkey continue its support for the country's NATO membership bid. Cem is said to have confirmed that Turkey would continue its support for the Baltic countries in their bids for NATO membership. On the second day of his visit to a series of Baltic cities, Cem was received by Latvian President Valgan Adamkus, Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius and also met with Foreign Minister Algirdas Saudargas. Before the meeting with Cem, Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius thanked Turkey for its support for Latvia's NATO membership bid adding that Latvia was determined to improve economic and political relations with Turkey. /Turkish Daily News/

BAHCELI EXTENDS AN OLIVE BRANCH TO ANAP

MHP leader Devlet Bahceli extended an olive branch to its coalition partner ANAP with whom they had disagreed on the decision to send the case concerning Yilmaz to the Supreme Court. MHP Chairman Devlet Bahceli who visited Cerkes and received information on the damages due to the earthquake, gave the signals that the problems in politics would be overcome. /Turkiye/

EURASIA DISCUSSED

The conference entitled, "Secure Eurasia in the 21st Century" sponsored by the Ari Group began with the participation of the representatives of many countries. The issues taken up at the Conference which began yesterday were 'The Geopolitical Importance of Eurasia', 'The Future of the Eurasia Corridor' and 'Determining the Fields of Cooperation'. The Conference will end today. /Turkiye/

ALIYEV URGES TGNA TO APPROVE OF BAKU-CEYHAN

Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev said, "We are waiting for Turkey to take the necessary step concerning Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. We should start working immediately. Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) should ratify the agreements that were signed concerning this pipeline as soon as possible." Aliyev received the Turkish Minister of the Interior, Sadettin Tantan, who had contacts in Baku yesterday. During this meeting that was held at the Presidential Palace, Tantan pointed out that the security that will be developed by the cooperation between the countries will reflect positively on economic and cultural areas. /Cumhuriyet/

AL KHALIFA VISITS CAKIR

The Governor of Bahrains capital city, Manama, Abdulaziz Bin Attihatullah Al Khalifa, visited the Governor of Istanbul, Erol Cakir. Cakir thanked the guest governor for his visit and stated that he believed that Al Khalifa would visit the touristic and historical sites of Istanbul and have a good time. Meanwhile, Khalifa stated that Istanbul was of utmost importance for the Arabian and Islamic world. /Turkiye/

BAHCELI VISITS THE EARTHQUAKE-HIT REGION

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli was briefed by the Minister of Public Works and Settlement, Koray Aydin, and by the Sub-Governor of Cankiri's district of Sabanozu, Ilyas Tekin concerning the earthquake that occurred in this region. Tekin stated that 110 new tents were received by the crisis desk of the Governorate and that the Prime Ministry's Fund of Social Welfare and Encouraging Solidarity donated five billion TL for the food. Bahceli also visited the district of Orta with Aydin. He was also briefed by the Governor of Cankiri, Halil Ulusoy, concerning the earthquake. Ulusoy said, the district of Orta received 3000 tents, 2098 of which were distributed to the public. Bahceli stated that all the units of the government was helping the earthquake-hit region and wished that these kinds of disasters would not occur again. /Turkiye/

24 SHIPS AND ONE HELICOPTER DELIVERED

24 ships and one helicopter was delivered to Marmaris' Aksaz Naval Headquarter Command with a ceremony, which was attended by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), Yildirim Akbulut, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Chief of the General Staff, General Huseyin Kivrikoglu, Minister of Finance, Sumer Oral, Minister of Communication, Enis Oksuz, and the Commanders of Forces. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated that this atmosphere was the symbol of the power and honor of the Turkish Armed Forces. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit stated that the problems between Greece and Turkey should be solved not through judicial means but by dialogue between the two friendly countries. /Sabah/

TCG FRIGATE FATIH SAILS TO US

TCG frigate Fatih, one of the Turkish Navy's most modern ships, left today from Marmaris for the United States to attend the 'International Navy Forces march' to be held on July 3-9 in News York and also participate in 'Sail Boston 2000' activities to be held on July 11-16 in Boston. TCG Fatih will leave from Boston on July 16 and complete its almost two-month long voyage when it arrives in Golcuk on 2 August. /Turkish Daily News/

ERSUMER ATTENDS THE FUNERAL OF FORMER JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Cumhur Ersumer, who has been in Japan for three days to attend at 'World Energy Geothermal Congress 2000' held by the World Geothermal Energy Institution, attended at the funeral ceremony of the former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi yesterday. US President Bill Clinton, the presidents of South Korea, Philippines, Indonesia and Micronesia, some members of the Japanese royal family and Japanese parliamentarians also attended the ceremony. /Turkish Daily News/

ILO CONFERENCE

General Chairman of Turk-Is, Bayram Meral, who addressed the General Council of the International Labour Organization's (ILO) 88th Labour Conference, stated that the developments that adversely affected the workers due to globalization were increasing day by day and that the duty to determine standards in accordance with the working life of the ILO was giving more importance day by day. /Cumhuriyet/

IMKB RESTORES VEFA HIGH SCHOOL'S PENSION

State Minister Recep Onal issued a speech during the opening of Vefa High School's student pension, which was damaged by the earthquake and then which was restored by Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB), stated that IMKB had a great contribution to education and that the State was also making use of the resources of the IMKB. Onal said that education could be improved only by the efforts of the State and that the contribution of the charitable citizens was also necessary. /Cumhuriyet/

PETROLEUM FOUND IN ADANA

When petroleum was found in the village of Soysali, in Adana's district of Ceyhan, after the earthquake that occurred in Adana on 27 June 1998, the seismic researches in the region was completed and it was decided that the reserve in the region would be managed. Now the people in the region are preparing to enjoy the benefits of the petroleum and expecting richness and employment opportunities in their village. /Milliyet/

CIMSE-IS SENDS LETTER OF THANKS TO KECECILER

Cimse-Is Trade Union sent a letter of thanks to the State Minister Mehmet Kececiler due to the fact that he decided that the porcelain will be able to exported only by Ankara's Directorate of Customs. In this letter, which was signed by the General Director of Cimse-Is Trade Union, Tamer Eralan, it was stated that the unlawful profit gained by deceiving the customs would be prevented and the production of porcelain would be increased thanks to Kececiler's decision. /Turkiye/

INCREASE IN INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION

The industrial production increased by 2.7% during the first four months of this year when compared to the same period of the last year. After the inactivity that was experienced last year, the industrial production increased by 3.7% during the first four months of this year. In addition, the rate of the increase in production in industry is 2.6% this year. These increases were considered as very positive by the economists. /Sabah/

TURKEY TO RECEIVE 450 MILLION EUROS FROM EU

European Union's Permanent Representative, Ambassador Nihat Akyol, phoned the State Minister Yuksel Yalova yesterday and said that the loan amounting to 450 million euros of 750 million euros, which has not been used by the European Union (EU) since 1995, will be started to be given as from 14 July 2000. This loan amounting to 450 million dollars will be given to Turkey by the end of this year and 375 million of this amount will be given to Turkey as donation. /Sabah/

MEETING OF THE CIBP TO BE HELD IN ANTALYA

The first Central Committee meeting of the Confederation of International Banks of People (CIBP) this year, which the Turkish Halk Bank is an active member of, will begin in Antalya today. The meeting of the CIBP, which will be attended by Turkey, Canada, Argentina, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Austria and Hungary as the active members and Japan and England as observers, will come to an end on 11 June. /Hurriyet/

KOC'S POSITIVE STATEMENT ABOUT THE TURKISH BUSINESSMEN

Chairman of Koc Holding Company's Group of Construction and Mining, Mustafa Koc, stated that the Turkish businessmen had led their Western colleagues creating business links in Eurasia. Koc delivered a speech during the lunch of the conference called 'A Safe Eurasia in the 21st Century', stating that Turkey's situation, as a country extending the two continents, was at the centre of trade. /Hurriyet/

INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF LIQUID PETROLEUM GAS

The price of the retail sale of the liquid petroleum gas (LPG) was redetermined. The distribution companies increased the price of the LPG by a rate between 1% and 1.3% as from yesterday. /Turkiye/

INCREASE IN THE SALARY OF CIVIL SERVANTS

When the inflation rate surpassed 15% during the first half of this year, the work on the additional increase in the salary of the civil servants was completed. Ministry of Finance will send the decision, which states that the raise in the civil servants' salaries was increased from 15% to 19.1%, to the public institutions this weekend. /Turkiye/

FINANSBANK RECEIVES LOAN FROM INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

Finansbank received the loan amounting to 110 million dollars from international markets with the syndication that was also participated by four big Greek banks (Alpha Bank, National Bank of Greece, Commercial Bank of Greece and Praeus Bank). The agreement concerning this loan was signed in Athens yesterday. /Aksam/

TURKISH COMPANIES IN AFRICA

Ladin Fair and Congress Organization Services Joint Stock Company, which aims at providing the Turkish companies to reach new markets, has a new project. Ladin Fair Company, which organizes the Turkish stand's participation in the Southern Africa International Trade Fair SAITEX 2000 between 3 and 7 October in the city of Johannesburg in Southeastern Africa, is targetting at increasing the export volume between Turkey and Southeastern Africa. /Turkiye/

MINISTRY OF CULTURE TO OPEN EXHIBITION IN HUNGARY

Ministry of Culture will open the 'Turkish Clothes, Jewellery and Decoration Exhibition' in Hungary today. This exhibition, in which the works selected from the traditional Turkish decoration and the Turkish clothes and jewellery, will be opened at 14:00 at the Ethnography Museum in Budapest. This exhibition, which was organized within the framework of 'Europe: A Common Heritage' campaign of the Ministry of Culture, Turkish Republic's Embassy in Budapest and the Ethnography Museum in Budapest, will be open until 18 June 2000. /Turkiye/

EXHIBITION AT TOPKAPI PALACE

142 works at the collection of Topkapi Palace and 84 pieces at 32 institutions abroad were collected and the exhibition of the portraits of sultans was formed by the Association of International Historians. This exhibition was opened at Topkapi Palace and for the first time a ceremony was held at Topkapi Palace's garden the night before. The guests, including Neslisah Sultan and her daughter, Princess Ikbal, formed long queues to be able to see these works of art. /Hurriyet/

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

RELATIONS WITH IRAN BY TAHA AKYOL (MILLIYET)

Columnist Taha Akyol writes on the relations with Iran. A summary of his column is as follows: "Will President Sezer's not going to Iran for the ECO meeting create an additional problem in Turco-Iranian relations? Strategist Prof. Umit Ozdag believes that it will not lead to such a problem as the other States attending the ECO meeting in Iran will not be represented at the highest level. As Turkey has not provoked Iran in any way, and where there are serious suspicions concerning Iran, it is quite understandable in diplomacy the reason why President Sezer has not gone to Iran. Hatem Administrationi will show understanding too. There are suspicions that Iran has been involved in the murders of intellectuals such as Mumcu and Turkey could not ignore such a situation. However, as long as there are no concrete evidence on the issue, Turkey will not accuse Iran, and will continue its diplomatic and trade relations. The problem is geopolitical rather than the export of a regime. Prof. Ozdag stated that at the basis of problems between Turkey and Iran lay conflicts of geopolitical interests. 'Even if Iran had a secular regime, geopolitical disputes would continue to create tensions. In fact, an Iran integrated with the West would have a more competitive power.' It is accepted by all that Turkey and Iran are following a mutually realistic policy by not escalating the tensions and continuing their relations. It is true, President Sezer is not going to Iran, but Turco-Iranian relations are going on. Turkey favours the reformists in Iran but is aware that reformists are not against the system, but defend liberal opinions within the system. Therefore, Ankara does not believe it is necessary for Iran to change the system, but rather is for non-intervention. Islamic Revolution has not added anything to the economy in Iran, when Turkey has made great strides with the market economy. As Iran will feel the need to improve its economy, it will find it necessary to develop its real relations with Turkey and to liberalize its economy. Economic and political liberalization will determine the future of the region and the luckiest country in this process is Turkey as it is a candidate of the EU."

COALITION TO CONTINUE BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)

Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on the future of the Coalition Government. A summary of his column is as follows: "Ecevit, Bahceli and Yilmaz are the leaders in the Coalition Government. Excepting Demirel, Ecevit is the most experienced statesman in Turkey. Bahceli has been noted for his seriosity and comprehension. Yilmaz has served as Prime Minister and Minister in the past. It does not seem possible for such politicians to lose their calm, and forgetting the high interests of the country, be overwhelmed by their personal emotions. The danger lies in those surrounding these leaders. The leaders are surrounded by people who want to gain favour or who do not want their leader to be accused of any mistakes. They may say such words which will be hard to restore and may even lead to the breaking up of the Coalition. Naturally, the collapse of the Coalition would be in the interests of the Opposition. They may spend every effort for the fall of the Government. If the Coalition breaks down, it is more possible for the Nationalist Action Party to be left outside the Coalition rather than the Motherland Party. In both cases, the alternative for the Goverment is to take the True Path Party as a partner. It is believed that, whether they be in opposition or in power, the votes of both the True Path Party and the Motherland Party will fall below that of the votes they received in the 1999 Election. If they receive only 20% of the votes who will get the rest? This is the problem. The votes in the centre-right are not gathered in one place. The situation in the centre-left is not any different. The natural candidate for the centre-right is the Nationalist Action Party. This possibility upsets many groups. However, there are certain conditions for the Nationalist Action Party to come into power. The Party has to change its understanding of nationalism in accordance with the requirements of the 21st century. It should not make capital mistakes until the next Election and should not forget that all the balances will be upset if Demirel enters politics. Ideal democracy is a two-party democracy. Multi-party democracy is complicated and needs more attention. In any case, Turkey's interests require the continuance of the present Coalition."

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