SEZER ATTENDS BALKAN SUMMIT

Yesterday, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer left for Bulgaria to attend the fourth Balkan Summit. The "Trio Balkan Summit" was held in Plovdiv with Turkish President, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Bulgarian President, Petar Stoyanov and Romanian President, Ion Iliescu, participating. During the meeting, the presidents discussed the international crimes and necessary measures to be taken, regional issues as well as development of the economic and trade relations between the three countries. /Turkiye/

ECEVIT TO FLY TO SKOPJE

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will leave for the capital of Macedonia, Skopje, today to participate in the Southeastern European Countries Cooperation Process Heads of States and Governments Summit. Mr. Ecevit will be accompanied by his wife, Rahsan Ecevit, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and bureaucrats. He is expected to return to Turkey on Friday. /Turkiye/

FRENCH GENOCIDE DEBATE

Yesterday, the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) Commission of Foreign Affairs debated the bills regarding the French genocide proposed by representatives of different parties. The Commission, headed by Kamran Inan, decided to prepare a new text covering topics such as: the role of Western countries in responsibility for events occurring on Ottoman territory, the ASALA terrorist organization, the occupation of the Azerbaijani territory, Upper Karabagh and the Bosnia-Herzegovina issues. During his speech, Mr. Inan said, "The issue has begun turn into Turkish hostility rather than an Armenian issue." /Turkiye/

ILKIN RESPONDS TO ARMENIAN ALLEGATIONS

Turkish Ambassador to Washington, Baki Ilkin, met with members of the Maryland State Congress in the US. During the meeting in Annapolis, the capital of Maryland, Ambassador Ilkin explained the Turkish view and presented certain documents disproving the Armenian allegations. The Maryland Congress is expected to vote on an Armenian bill, backed by the Armenian Lobby's initiatives, in the near future. /Turkiye/

ARAFAT LEAVES TURKEY

After completing his contacts in Ankara, Palestinian Head of State, Yasser Arafat, left Turkey yesterday. During his surprise visit to Ankara, Arafat reiterated his desire for Turkey to be in the circuit of the peace process. He also conveyed his view that Israel should be pressured to abolish the embargo imposed on Palestine. Additionally, an official from Israel is expected to arrive in Ankara next week to meet with Turkish authorities. /Turkiye/

CEM TO ISRAEL : "DO NOT OVERREACT"

Foreign Minister Ismail Cem called on the Israel government not to overreact to the bus incident which left eight dead in Tel Aviv. Cem said, "It is clear the Palestinian government is not responsible for the attack. Therefore, the Israeli government should not overreact. The incident is, of course, unacceptable. We share your grief." /Hurriyet/

ISRAEL IS NOT IN FAVOR OF ESTABLISHING AN OBSERVATORY FORCE

Turkey has proposed an international observatory force be established in Palestine in order to prevent the ongoing violence which is damaging the Middle East Peace Process. Turkey made her proposal during former Prime Minister Ehud Barak's term. Therefore, due to the change in the government, Turkey's proposal has been suspended. However, Israel is concerned over Turkey's mediator role on the issue of an observation force which has been proposed by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat before. Israel's Ambassador to Ankara, Uri Bar-Ner met yesterday with Deputy Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal. Ziyal conveyed Arafat's messages to Bar-Ner. Stating that opening the issue to the international arena is not the answer, an Israeli diplomat said, "Israel does not want the establishment of an international force unless a possible agreement between the two parties foresees such an observatory force." /Cumhuriyet/

NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER JAGLAND IN TURKEY

The meetings concerning the developments in the Middle East are continuing in Ankara. Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorbjon Jagland, a member of the international research committee established to contribute to the Middle East peace process, arrived in Ankara yesterday. Visiting Ankara as the official guest of Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, Jagland is expected to discuss Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's recent visit to Turkey, the latest developments in the Middle East Peace Process, and Turkey's role in the issue with the Turkish officials. Meanwhile Foreign Minister Cem's schedule is rather busy in February. Cem is expected to visit Portugal and Italy for official contacts and to also attend the Balkan Summit in Skopje. After returning to Turkey, Cem will host his Austrian counterpart Benita Ferrero Waldner. He is also expected to accompany President Ahmet Necdet Sezer to the D-8 Summit in Cairo and attend the NATO meeting in Brussels February 27. /Cumhuriyet/

U.S. INTENDS TO CONTINUE EFFORTS ON CYPRUS

The United States said that it would continue to exert efforts to resolve the division of Cyprus. "We fully support the ongoing UN efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement," U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Cassoulides in a letter. The latest UN initiative involving indirect talks between the two sides is at a standstill. The Turkish Cypriot leadership has served notice it will attend further talks only if its demand for a two-state confederal settlement are addressed. UN resolutions call on the island to be united as a single state in a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. The Greek Cypriots, who run the only internationally recognized Cypriot government, refuse to discuss anything less. /Turkish Daily News/

FIFTH LETTER OF INTENT READY

After the sixth International Monetary Fund (IMF) review process, the fifth letter of intent is expected to be given to the IMF this month. After the fifth letter of intent is discussed at the IMF Executive Board, 1.1 billion US dollars of the Supplementary Reserve Facility (SRF), totaling 7.5 billion US dollars, is expected to be released. The fifth letter of intent, will include the progress achieved since the sixth review studies and the work schedule for the next meeting. Meanwhile, a delegation from the international rating company, Moodys' continues its investigations in Istanbul. It was stated that Moodys' had positive views banking sector and the measures taken by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Board, but said the restructuring works should be accelerated. /Aksam/

IMF'S SUPPORT TO TURKEY

In a meeting at the IMF Center in Washington, Tom Dawson, the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Foreign Relations Director, said Turkey was successful in implementing the economic program. Dawson said, "Policies over privatization are more important than the quantity of privatization. Even if Turkey does not reach her target, the program has the capacity to recover itself." /Cumhuriyet/

YILMAZ: "THERE IS NO RETURN FROM THE ECONOMIC PROGRAM"

Motherland Party (ANAP) leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Mesut Yilmaz, responding to his aides' complaints about the economy, said, "I know about all of your difficulties. I experience the same difficulties, but we will be successful. There is no deviation from the economic program. The success of the coalition partners depends upon the economic program. There is no problem of harmonization between the three partners. We take all decisions by consensus, which is of the utmost importance. We have to implement the economic program for at least two years." /Aksam/

G-20 MEETING TO BE HELD IN ISTANBUL

The G-20 meeting scheduled for 18-19 February in Istanbul will be at the Deputy Finance Ministerial and Central Bank Deputy Governor level. 1st Deputy Chairman of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Stanley Fischer, is also expected to attend the meeting as the IMF representative. In addition, Treasury Undersecretary Selcuk Demiralp and Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Sukru Binay are expected to represent Turkey at the meeting. The conference will be attended by seven industrialized countries and 11 developing countries, including Turkey, and representatives from the World Bank, IMF, European Union (EU) and the Central Bank of the EU. /Aksam/

MILO: "KOSOVAR TURKS AND ALBANIANS LIVE PEACEFULLY"

Albanian Foreign Minister Paskal Milo, concluded his two-day visit to Turkey yesterday, said he discussed with Turkish authorities the status of Kosovar Turks. Stressing that Kosovar Turks and Albanians have always had good relations with each other, Milo said, "There is no reason for Turks and Albanians not to live peacefully together. There are some political differences among Kosovar Turks over whom to support, but they are minor problems that could be easily sorted out." /Turkish Daily News/

RUSSIAN INTERIOR MINISTER RUSHALIO VISITS ISTANBUL GOVERNOR CAKIR

Russian Federation Interior Minister Vladimir Borisovic Rushalio met yesterday with Istanbul Governor Erol Cakir. Rushalio said, "Turkey and Russia are neighbors and bilateral relations are very important." Cakir also emphasized the importance of the Turco-Russian relations. /Cumhuriyet/

TURCO-BULGARIAN COOPERATION

Turkish and Bulgarian textile firms met yesterday in Istanbul to hold bilateral commercial contacts. Speaking at the conference organized by the Turkish Bulgarian Business Council, Chairman of the Council, Faruk Erkoc, said textiles were Turkey's biggest business sector and added all textile products were produced in Turkey for export abroad. /Cumhuriyet/

RAHMI KOC'S SUPPORT TO GOVERNMENT

The Chairman of Koc Holding's Executive Council Rahmi Koc believes everyone in Turkey should support the government. Koc said, "We should support the economic program and do our utmost to prevent the program from being delayed. The government knows what it is doing." Koc visited Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ali Mufit Gurtuna . He stated relations with the IMF would be damaged if the economic program was not followed and this would lead to an increase in the inflation rate again. Koc said, "The inflation rate can not be lowered without suffering. Everybody in Turkey should bear his part in the suffering." /Cumhuriyet/

TESEV'S `SEARCH FOR STABILITY IN CAUCASUS' CONFERENCE

The Turkish Economic and Social Studies Association (TESEV) will organize a international conference entitled `Search for Stability in the Caucasus tomorrow. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem is expected to deliver the opening speech. Participating in the conference are Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, France, Germany, Britain, the US and representatives from the EU and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Armenia's participation is one of the interesting aspects of the conference which was organized to revive the Caucasus Stability Pact idea. /Cumhuriyet/

GUREL:"WE KEEP BORAX MINES JUST AS AMERICANS DO"

State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel said borax mines in the United States are under state monopoly. "We have been working for 1,5 years on new policies to effectively operate borax mines and sell the product." Gurel gave reasons why they opposed the privatization of the borax mines in Turkey: To divide the existing mines will result in price reductions. It will cause inefficient use of the mines. Gurel said borax mines are under state monopoly in the United States. US Borax and Eti Holding have a duopoly, which would lead to Turkey's dominance in world markets. /Sabah/

TANTAN GIVES INFORMATION ON ISTANBUL PROJECT

Minister of Interior Affairs Sadettin Tantan will provide information at a public meeting on the results of the project titled "Research on a New Administrative Model for an Istanbul Which Protects Its Universal Values". Tantan will explain why there is a need for a new administration model in Istanbul and will give information on the goals of the project. /Cumhuriyet/

ERCEL: "INFLATION WILL DROP IN THE SUMMER"

The Central Bank Governor, Gazi Ercel, said inflation will continue on a downward trend and by the summer, it will decrease to 1 %. Ercel said the decrease in the aggregate demand and the high interest rates will pave the way for the low level inflation. Ercel said the first condition to end the economic stagnation is for producers to believe that an increase in the price of a product prevents the sale of the product. /Milliyet/

TUZMEN:"THERE IS NO REASON FOR EXPORTERS TO WORRY"

Foreign Trade Undersecretary, Kursat Tuzmen, is visiting the South African Republic with the Turkish Exports delegation. Tuzmen said the exporters will receive $147 million in Value Added Tax (KDV) returns in a short time. Tuzmen said exports are the cheapest fund for obtaining foreign currency. Tuzmen noted free trade areas provide around $11-12 billion in foreign currency. Tuzmen said Turkey can be a important strategic partner of the South African Republic, as this Republic signed an agreement with the United States for selling textile products without quotas for an eight-year period. Tuzmen said banking is the other industry Turkey and South Africa can cooperate in. /Milliyet/

SABANCI APPLIES FOR TRIAL OF ERDAL IN BELGIUM

The Sabanci family applied to the Belgian courts for the trial of Fehriye Erdal, the accused accomplice in the murder of Ozdemir Sabanci. The family's lawyer, Fernand Schmitz, said they brought the case before the court and if approved, Fehriye Erdal will be prosecuted for murder. /Milliyet/

ANNIVERSARY OF OCALAN'S CAPTURE CALM

Security forces took measures throughout Turkey on the second anniversary of Abdullah Ocalan's capture, the leader of the PKK terrorist organization. The country had a rather ordinary day on Feb. 15, anniversary of Ocalan's capture two years ago, although measures had been taken in central areas to prevent possible illegal demonstrations. /Turkish Daily News/

DEVELOPMENT IN TURKISH TOURISM

The Hamburg Tourism Fair, organized in Germany, gave the first signals of a boom in the number of tourists who will visit Turkey this season. The Turkish flag and Turkish logo was present on all of the brochures, booklets and newspaper and magazine advertisements at the tourism Fair because Turkey was announced as the 'Partnerland' to Germany. The Turkish stand, a larger area than that of other countries, attracted a great deal of attention during the fair. It was attended by 960 institutions from 55 countries. Frankfurt's Tourism Attaché Raci Karaca said, "There will be a boom in the Turkish tourism this year. A high-ranking official from one of the biggest tour operators in Germany, TUI, said that there was a great interest in Turkey." Meanwhile, Advisor of the Tourism Ministry, Sabri Bayar, said Turkey was aiming at welcoming 13 million tourists this year. /Aksam/

TURKISH FIRMS TAKE OVER ISRAELI AIRPORT CONTRACT

Turkish Cuhadaroglu and Nurol won the contract from the Israeli Airports Administration (IAA) to build a new terminal building and install the electricity system at the Ben Gurion International Airport. /Turkish Daily News/

TEXTILE RESEARCH COMMISSION OF TGNA IN ADANA

The Textile Research Commission of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) met various industrialists in Adana. Chairman of the Commission, Ertugrul Yalcinbayir, said the Commission's aim (established on 9 January) was to determine industry problems and provide suggestions for solutions. Yalcinbayir added, "Our meetings will continue to be held in various provinces in Turkey. We will not only present our reports to the TGNA, but also to institutions involved. /Aksam/

DIGITAL BROADCASTING TO START

Chairman of the Supreme Radio and Television Board (RTUK), Nuri Kayis, stated that the Digital Broadcasting Regulation will be completed and implemented in one month. Kayis held a press conference with the Deputy Chairman of RTUK, Fatih Karaca, yesterday, and said the 65th and 69th channel would be allocated to digital broadcasting. Kayis added, "The world is moving towards digital broadcasting. It is expected that digital planning will be completed by 2010." /Aksam/

GRAPHICS EXHIBITION

A graphics exhibition by 30 Lithuanian artists commemorating their independence opened at the State Painting and Sculpture Museum's Sedat Simavi Hall. Minister of Culture Istemihan Talay, Lithuanian Ambassador to Ankara, Haline Kobeckaite, the artists who produced the works at the exhibition and other guests participated in the opening of the exhibition. Talay spoke during the opening and said, "Kobeckaite has done a good thing in gathering Ankara's art lovers together in the name of cultural diplomacy." The exhibition will run until 25 February. /Aksam/

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

ARAFAT'S VISIT AND TURKEY'S ROLE BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)

Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on Yasser Arafat's sudden visit to Turkey and Turkey's role in the region. A summary of her column is as follows: " The recent developments in Israel compel Turkey to plan a more active role in the region whether she wants to or not. Until today, Turkey was aiding the communication between Israel and Palestine. Without undertaking the role of a mediator, Turkey occasionally intervened but was careful to stand at an equal distance from both countries. Even this was only done when requested. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem underlined the issue. However, with the advent of Ariel Sharon this period is coming to a close. The surprise visit of Palestine leader Yasser Arafat, shows that expectations from Turkey are on the rise. Israel is returning to her old stance. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an article he published in the French daily Le monde on 13 February said, 'Our nation is based on values which can never be bargaining chips.' He believes Barak has made concessions to the Palestinians on basic issues. According to Netanyahu, the reasons for Barak's defeat include the opening up of Jerusalem's status to discussion, abandoning the Lebanon valley to Palestine and taking the backward steps to return to the 1967 borders. The former Prime Minister believes that Israelis chose Sharon not because they did not want peace, but because they felt their national security was threatened. In fact, as soon as Sharon was elected he spoke of a new peace. He said during the peace processes seen until today, none of the negotiations and bargaining led to anywhere. These included the sharing of Jerusalem, and concessions made to Palestinians. He puts forth a condition to begin negotiations with the Palestinians: put an end to the violence. It is not certain if this tough stance will continue after a coalition with the Labor party. But one thing is certain, the pressure on Arafat will continue. As the Middle East Process has been dealt a harsh blow, the expectations from Turkey are increasing. The requests come from both sides. Arafat's calling for a more active role by Turkey reveals this fact. Additional evidence of this increased expectation is Arafat's request for the international observers, among whom are Turks, to be turned into a peace force and be deployed all over Palestinian lands and the siege by Israel to be lifted. A simultaneous telephone call by the Israeli Foreign Minister requesting Turkey to persuade Arafat to end the violence points again to the increased expectations. At present, both sides expect Turkey to persuade the other party. This has passed neutrality, they are both expecting Turkey to choose sides. The difficulty lies in making the sides listen to what you say without leaning towards any of the parties."