DEMIREL VISITS ALGERIA

President Suleyman Demirel will pay a two-day official visit to Algeria on Monday and Tuesday. Demirel is scheduled to have talks with his Algerian counterpart Liamine Zeroual, the Algerian Prime Minister, Parliament Speaker and members of the Turkish community in Algeria, a statement from the Presidential Palace said yesterday. The statement said that several bilateral agreements will be signed after the talks, but gave no details of their content. Demirel is also scheduled to participate in a gathering of the Turco-Algerian Business Council. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, Head of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee Murat Karayalcin and other high-level officials, as well as academics and journalists will accompany Demirel. /All papers/

ECEVIT URGES US TO DISCUSS IRAQI POLICY

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has called on the US to engage in a dialogue on problems associated with its uncertain policies towards Iraq. Speaking on the private NTV news channel, the Prime Minister said that Turkey was the nation that had suffered the most because of the Iraqi crisis; she needed to have a 'concrete dialogue' with the US government to discuss its attitude towards Iraq. Ecevit underlined the danger of continuous Iraqi armament in that country but urged the Iraqi administration to be more tolerant towards international calls to comply with UN resolutions. Ecevit said that developments concerning the whereabouts of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan were another significant issue occupying the country's agenda. "That has been a puzzle. It is not known where he is, but what is important here is that he is not easily going to be able to find a place in the world in which to hide. The whole world has begun to understand his terrorist crimes", Ecevit said. Speaking about the recently reported Serbian atrocities in Kosovo, an Albanian-populated province of Southern Yugoslavia, Ecevit said Turkey had applied to the UN Security Council to take action over the alleged killings. "NATO will have to take military action unless Serbian President Milosevic abandons his brutal attitude", Ecevit warned. Also speaking about domestic issues, Ecevit said the government's priority following the vote of confidence last week has become the country's crippled economy. The ongoing global crisis has not yet affected the Turkish economy, Ecevit stated, and added: "But it may turn into a crisis here if we don't take any precautions. This is why we have given priority to economic issues. We will be convening the Economic and Social Council in the coming days". Concerning Turkey's relations with the IMF, Ecevit promised that his government would not be relaxing the economic activities because of the upcoming elections. Commenting on domestic politics and the upcoming elections, Ecevit expressed support for President Suleyman Demirel's insistent proposal for two-tier local elections and said that the Democratic Left Party (DSP) would seek to bring the issue onto Parliament's agenda. Ecevit categorically rejected suggestions for the cancellation of the early General Election in April. Asked whether the Virtue Party (FP) could be a threat to Turkey's secularist order, Ecevit said that 'everybody has realized that nothing can be achieved with anti-secularism'. /All papers/

TURKEY VOICES HER CONCERNS OVER IRAQ TO WASHINGTON

The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed its concerns that in the case of Saddam Hussein's overthrowal, the ensuing vacuum of central authority in Iraq would have a negative effect and lead to uncertainty for Turkey. Turkey also drew attention to the fact that there is no seriously credible opposition which could come to power in Iraq following the fall of Saddam, despite the American decision to support Iraqi opposition factions. Ankara is concerned that Baghdad could become a second Damascus in the case that a power vacuum is created. Turkey believes that, for months, the US has built up a great military concentration in the Gulf and attacks on Iraq could therefore be carried out from the South. For this reason, Turkey would not permit the use of Incirlik for offensive purposes. /Hurriyet/

ASSOCIATED PRESS: "TURKEY WILL NOT BE A BASE"

"Turkey will not be the base for activities to try to remove Saddam from power", said the Associated Press (AP), defining Prime Minister Ecevit's Iraqi policy. Citing an interview published in the `Cumhuriyet' daily yesterday, the news agency reported Ecevit's statement; "Frank Ricciardone, the diplomat appointed by the US administration to organize the opposition against Saddam, will not be able to carry out his duties in Ankara." The news continued as follows: "Turkey has reservations about the American efforts to overthrow Saddam. It is disturbed by the possible consequences of this development which may result in the division of Iraq and the formation of a Kurdish state in the region." /Sabah/

KIVRIKOGLU VISITS ALIYEV

General Huseyin Kivrikoglu, the Chief of the General Staff, visited Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev yesterday in GATA hospital, where he has been undergoing treatment since last week. It is reported that Aliyev is improving daily from the bronchitis for which he was invited to GATA by President Demirel. /Aksam/

YALIM EREZ: "NO ALLIANCES"

In the extraordinary Congress of the Democrat Turkey Party (DTP), Yalim Erez and Gokberk Ergenekon will compete for leadership in place to be lef vacant by Husamettin Cindoruk. It is reported that, following the meeting between Erez and Cindoruk, Erez will be registered as a member of the party and immediately declare his candidacy for the leadership. Meanwhile, Erez made a radical statement answering the questions concerning the possibility of alliances between the DTP and other parties in the forthcoming elections in April, and said; "We are already fed up with the 5 kings leading the 5 big parties. I will ally with the undetermined and my people." /Sabah/

ERBAKAN'S LEGAL STATUS MUST BE CLARIFIED

Commenting on speculation that Necmettin Erbakan, the now-defunct Welfare Party's (RP) last Chairman, will be an 'independent candidate on a Virtue Party (FP) ticket' in the April 18 election, FP Leader Recai Kutan said they had no information on that issue. Noting that at the moment the legal aspects of the issue are being debated, Kutan said: "Erbakan's legal status must be clarified". /All papers/

ANKARA WARNS ARMENIA OVER OCALAN

Ankara, which is concerned over allegations that the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan might be in Nagorno-Karabakh, has issued a warning to Armenia. Turkey, dissatisfied with statements made by both Armenian officials and local administrators in Nagorno-Karabakh who point out that Ocalan is not in their territories, decided to warn the Armenians once again. Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit had noted that if a neighbouring country sheltered Ocalan, Turkey would view this as a hostile attitude which would yield grave consequences. Meanwhile, President Suleyman Demirel stated that the allegations that Ocalan is in Karabakh have not been confirmed yet and said: "If such a situation occurs, we will apply to Azerbaijan". Demirel visited Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev, who has been under treatment in the Turkish GATA hospital, yesterday. /Miiliyet/

BILICAN: "OCALAN CANNOT RETURN TO SYRIA"

Necati Bilican, the General Director of the Police, claimed that it is impossible for the PKK leader Ocalan to return to Syria once again. Noting that Ocalan is unwanted throughout the world, Bilican stated that both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Turkish intelligence units have intensified their efforts to determine where Ocalan went after leaving Italy. /Turkiye/

OCALAN IN KUWAIT

The Italian newspaper 'Il Giornale' yesterday stated that all secrets concerning the terrorist Ocalan would come into the open. The newspaper added that one of its sources of information was from the Italian Secret Service and added that Ocalan had been brought to Italy accompanied by Italian Ministers and the government had to confess to that. Januzzi who wrote the article in 'Il Giornale' said that Ocalan was in Kuwait and asked if the Italian government had no idea where Ocalan was, how could it deny that he was in an Arab country? In another development, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit stated that it had become evident that the decision to accept Ocalan would be embarassing. Dissolution in the PKK terrorist organization had already started and even Ocalan voiced his disappointment regarding the organization. /Hurriyet/

TURKEY ON THE AGENDA OF COEPA PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

In its session to be held in Strasbourg today, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (COEPA) will discuss a report concerning democratization in Turkey prepared by Andreas Barsony, the Hungarian parliamentarian and Walter Schimmer, the Austrian parliamentarian. The report presents a detailed analysis of the problematic issues regarding democratization and human rights in Turkey alongside the recent improvements in these areas, which demand, it is argued, further constitutional reforms. /Turkiye/

TURKEY IS SURROUNDED BY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

According to the Monterey Institute's Centre for Weapons of Mass Destruction, such weapons are concentrated in the hands of eight countries in the world, four of which border on Turkey from the north, south and east. The institute warned that approximately a dozen countries are competing for the possession of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, including bacteriological ones, posing a great danger to their neighbours. It is reported that Iraq, Iran, Syria and Russia currently maintain an arsenal of considerable amounts of weapons of mass destruction which pose a direct threat to Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/

DUTCH IN THE LEAD IN CAPITAL INFLOWS

According to data provided by the Undersecretariat of the Treasury, capital inflows from the Netherlands constituted the greatest portion of foreign capital investment in Turkey with $352 million of a total amount of $1.65 billion. The Netherlands is followed by Germany with $330 million and by the US with $297 million. Meanwhile, the amount of foreign capital investment allowances in Turkey reached an approximate total of $24 billion in 1998. /Aksam/

'WE ARE SAILING TO THE PACIFIC'

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is organizing a series of conferences on "Opportunities in the Southern Asia, the Far East and the Pacific", starting today and which will continue till January, 31, to be attended by the Turkish Ambassadors to Australia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and New Zealand. The main purpose of the conferences is to motivate political, economic, commercial, scientific and cultural relations between Turkey and the countries in the region. /Sabah/

THE TURNOVER OF TURKS IN GERMANY DM 41 BILLION

Turkish citizens first emigrated to Germany 37 years ago and today the community's population has reached 2,300,00: their contribution to the German economy has reached an annual 41 billion DM and the employment opportunity they have created has risen to 206 thousand workers. One of the specialists at the Turkish Studies Centre based in Essen, Germany, Yunus Ulusoy, wrote a research paper called "Turks' Contribution to German Economy". In his research, Ulusoy, stated that although Turks were seen as guest workers at first, they will be granted 'dual citizenship rights' in the near future; in addition, that they had inspired the Germans with their entrepreneurial spirit. /Hurriyet/

TURKEY BENEFITTED FROM THE NEW WORLD ORDER

The new world order which emerged following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the rise of the US as the only Super Power, with the aim of bringing down all the economic barriers and perceiving the whole world as one, did not develop to the advantage of poorer countries. However, Turkey has taken its place among those countries which were able to develop their economies during this period of great changes were observed throughout the world. Most of the middle or upper-middle income countries were able to expand their economies during this period, if not at the same rate as the rich countries. /Hurriyet/

TAX CONTROLS WITH 'INTELLIGENT MACHINES'

"Intelligent machines" operating with the OCR system set up by the General Directorate of Revenues, Finance Ministry, in the computer and intelligence centres in Ankara and Istanbul will control tax evaders. Twelve computers interacting with the OCR system, which is described as an intelligent automated reasoning system, and its auxiliary systems began operating in the computer and intelligence centres. /Hurriyet/

TANKER FIRE EXTINGUISHED AFTER 30 HOURS

The fire that erupted on the Turkish oil tanker 'Marmara' in the Marmara Sea on Friday was finally extinguished on Saturday night by fire-fighting vessels belonging to the Coastguard and Salvage Management (KEGKI) part of the Maritime Undersecretariat. On Sunday morning, the ship was towed to a safer spot, the Anatolia news agency reported over the weekend. Meanwhile, helicopters and rescue vessels belonging to the Navy have begun a search for three of the tanker's crew members who disappeared during the blaze.

IMF DELEGATION TO ARRIVE ON WEDNESDAY

Led by Martin Hardy, the Head of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Turkey desk, IMF representatives will arrive in Turkey on January 27 to conduct discussions, the Anatolia news agency reports. The visit by the IMF delegation had reportedly been scheduled to evaluate the progress made during the last quarter of 1998. During its stay in Turkey, which will continue until February 8, the IMF delegation will conduct discussions with representatives of both state-owned enterprises and private sector companies to evaluate the targets established for 1999.

NEW TCDD PROJECTS TO IMPROVE RAIL TRAVEL

The Turkish Republic State Railways (TCDD) has completed its preparations and in 1999 will embark on two new projects aimed at enhancing the railway system in Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reports. The 'Rehabilitation of the Ankara-Istanbul Railway Project', that the TCDD has submitted to the Prime Ministry for approval, is designed to reduce travelling time between the two cities to four-and-a-half hours. Another project to construct a new railway line between Kars and Tbilisi, Georgia, is awaiting approval by the Treasury Undersecretariat.

MUMCU MURDER REMAINS UNSOLVED

The judicial investigation into the murder of Cumhuriyet columnist Ugur Mumcu six years ago is still leading nowhere despite a chain of events following the murder. Thousands of people gathered yesterday in front of Mumcu's Ankara residence where the explosion took place six years ago; people were shouting and calling for the perpetrators to be found and brought to justice. Commemorations also took place in various cities around the country. /All papers/

KYRGYZ CREDIT REPAYMENT POSTPONED

Turkey postponed the repayment of a total of $75 million in credit extended to Kyrgyzstan until the year 2000. According to a statement by the Prime Ministry Press Centre, Kyrgyzstan will begin to repay the credit from the Turkish Eximbank in the year 2000, the Anatolia news agency reports.

KOC CRITICIZES EU

During a special programme called 'The most successful', featuring the family of the Koc Conglomorate and Rahmi Koc, on the German NTV channel, the role of the Koc Conglomorate in the Turkish economy was explained. Rahmi Koc harshly criticized the European Union (EU) during the programme and said: "Turkey has been regarded as a second-class country. We thought initially that this was a game played by the Greeks, however we later found out that it was a ploy by the Germans, Turkey's greatest commercial partner". Rahmi Koc also drew attention to the separation of religious and state affairs in Turkey, which is a Muslim country, and European both its appearance and its Latin alphabet. /Milliyet/

FOREIGN INVESTORS TRUST IN IMKB

Despite the financial crisis throughout the world, foreign investors are continuing to have confidence in the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB). Net sales by foreigners on the IMKB in 1998 amounted to $418.4 million. According to IMKB data, the sales by foreigners, mostly achieved in May, totalled $361.2 million. /Milliyet/

TREASURY BONDS

The Treasury, which will put out a tender for five-month term (147 days) bonds on Tuesday, foresees the achievement of sales totalling TL 550-700 trillion. The bonds will be repaid on June 23, 1999. It is expected that demand for the bonds will be high. /Milliyet/

ECZACIBASI TO INVEST $100 MILLION

The Head of the Executive Board of Eczacibasi Holding, Bulent Eczacibasi, has said that the negative effect of the global crisis is on the decrease and that they aim to invest $100 million this year. Eczacibasi noted that an agreement with the IMF was both possible and essential and added: "An agreement to be made with the IMF will take the pressure off. However, in order to achieve this agreement, some reforms need to be implemented". /Milliyet/

ITALY APPROVES UTKAN'S APPOINTMENT

A request to appoint the Turkish Foreign Ministry's Deputy Undersecretary and Spokesman, Necati Utkan, as the Turkish Ambassador to Rome has been approved by the Italian government. Utkan is expected to arrive in Rome in the first week of February. /Milliyet/

NEW COUNTRIES FOR EXPORTS

In the face of the crisis prevailing in Russia, one of Turkey's biggest export partners, new markets for Turkish exports have emerged. Developments in exports to Egypt, Algeria, Israel and Azerbajian inspired hopes for exports in 1999. It is reported that the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat will attach special importance to China and send a trade delegation there. /Cumhuriyet/

'I AM VERY OPTIMISTIC FOR TURKEY'

A Professor of Turkish origin from Harvard University, Dani Rodrik, who has published a book on Turkey, evaluated Turkey's planned initiatives in the struggle against inflation and Turkey's economic situation to 'Para' magazine, stating: "I am very optimistic for Turkey". Rodrik noted that the dynamism of the Turkish economy originated from the high performance of the private sector. /Sabah/

TURKISH-GREEK SUMMIT PLANNED

American diplomat Richard Holbrooke is launching initiatives to decrease the tension in the Aegean and to hold a summit between Turkey and Greece. It is envisaged that economic representatives from Turkey and Greece, in addition to the Greek Cypriot Administration and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), will attend the meeting to be organized by Holbrooke in Athens in February. It is reported that, during these meetings, new initiatives will be launched to develop confidence-building measures between the two sides. /Sabah/

TURKS PROTEST TO ABC ON INTERNET

The so-called Armenian genocide, which has mostly been brought into the public eye by the Armenian lobby in the US, has been given wide coverage on ABC television channel's Internet site to which Turkish Internet users have strongly reacted. Turkish Internet users in Chicago sent messages and said that history was being distorted. /Sabah/

FENERBAHCE SMASHES DORTMUND: 5-2

In a private match in Istanbul yesterday, Fenerbahce achieved a tremendous victory over the German champion Dortmund with five goals to two. Fenerbahce's goals came from Moldovan (2), Erol (2) and Bolic. Ricken and Chapuisat scored two goals for Dortmund whereas Rustu, the Turkish goalkeeper, saved a penalty taken by Moller. /Aksam/

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

'RECONCILIATION LIES IN EQUALITY' BY SAHIN ALPAY AND NILUFER KUYAS (MILLIYET)

During an interview conducted by Sahin Alpay and Nilufer Kuyas with the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Rauf Denktas, Denktas replied to questions and said that if Brussels decides to hold meetings with the Greek Cypriot Administration and the TRNC, they would ask what the status of the TRNC would be. Denktas noted that if separate meetings between the Greek Cypriot Administration and the TRNC are envisaged, this would be a new beginning and that at least, they should agree that Greek Cypriots do not represent the whole island. "However if Turkey does not become an EU member, the TRNC will not enter the EU" Denktas added. Answering a question which noted: "You made a confederation proposal together with the Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem on August 31, 1998. With this proposal, is it wrong to say that you did not state Turkey's full EU membership as a condition?, Denktas stated that that may be correct. "However, our condition is that: 'Turkey's rights under the 1960 agreements will continue to be valid. And Greece's rights that will stem from the full EU membership of Cyprus will also be beneficial for Turkey" Denktas said. /Milliyet/

A LACK OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES - BY BETUL PARLAK (CUMHURIYET)

Betul Parlak, a specialist in Italian at the Istanbul University, comments on the misunderstanding between Italy and Turkey in an expert's opinion column in the Cumhuriyet daily. She writes: "The question of Ocalan has become a complicated issue for Italy mainly because she is quite external to the problem. Formerly, she regarded the question as a people's struggle for freedom. She was defining her relationship with Turkey as `friendship' and with the Ocalan group as `solidarity'. Underlying the lack of communication between Italy and Turkey was Italy's uncertainty whether Ocalan was a `terrorist' or a `leader fighting for the freedom of his people'. The attitude of Turkey, while informing Italy about the terrorist activities of Ocalan, was perceived by Italy as a threat towards herself; given the solidarity between the Ocalan group and Italy, this `threat' further intensified Italians' emotional reaction. This emotional reaction was strengthened by the colorful and folkloric elements in the street meetings of the PKK proponents. Their hunger strikes, hopeful slogans, folk songs and authentic clothes immediately turned into a gloomy demonstration for the Italians. However, if Italy had known to observe the demonstrators more closely, she would have had the possibility to questioning the meetings. The tragedy of those people who have grown up in Europe and who have been in pursuit of a cultural identity is of course quite impressive for everyone. Yet the Ocalan question is one thing, and the pursuit of cultural identity is another. Those demonstrators who are far from the region where the bulk of the problems are experienced, are far from expressing the extent of the tragedy in Turkey while revealing their self-evident demands. On the other hand, the Italians have been trapped by their lack of knowledge of this specific question."

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