INITIATIVE TO POSTPONE ELECTIONS

Parliamentary Constitutional Commission today will discuss the Democratic Turkey Party's (DTP) proposal regarding the postponment of the General Elections, due to take place on April 18. Atilla Sav, the Chairman of the Constitutional Commission, said the Commission was to be convened on Wednesday to discuss this proposal. /All papers/

MAVI CARSI KILLERS APPREHENDED

Necati Bilican, the General Director the Police Department, held a press conference yesterday in Istanbul saying that following intense operations in and around Istanbul three terrorists have been apprehended in connection with an arson attack on the Mavi Carsi shopping centre in Goztepe disrtict of Isatnbul in which 13 people lost their lives. Bilican added that another suspect, alleged to have placed a bomb in front of the Atrium Shopping Centre in Istanbul, was also taken into custody. He remarked that it was understood that terrorists have been trained in guerrilla tactics in Romania before illegally entering Turkey. Bilican said that following Ocalan's arrest, the number of bomb attacks had increased significantly and that stringent precautionary measures have been taken against these attacks. He stressed that the PKK terrorist organization has been in the process of collapse, adding, "Let those caught act as a lesson to the others and show that they will not be able to profit from these attacks." /Sabah/

FIRST TRIAL FOR OCALAN

Abdullah Ocalan, the chief of the terrorist PKK organization, will be tried today `in absentia' before Ankara's 2nd State Security Court (DGM) due to one of his speeches broadcast on Med-TV. Ocalan is charged both with high treason and with committing crimes against the sovereignty of the State. During the session, it will also be decided whether or not he can be tried in Ankara, with regard to problems of security. Meanwhile, Abdullah Sakar, one of Ocalan's lawyers who went to Mudanya in order to meet the defendant, was summoned to Mudanya Court of First Instance due to a previous arrest warrant issued for him. /Cumhuriyet/

GUREL, "MED-TV SHOULD BE CLOSED PERMANENTLY"

Sukru Sina Gurel, State Minister and Government Spokesman, speaking after the Cabinet meeting, said that the British Independent Television Commission's (ITC) decision to suspend the broadcasts of MED-TV, the mouthpiece of a terrorist organization, was good and relieving news. "The ITC will allow MED-TV to appeal. If their defence is found to be insufficient, then MED-TV broadcasts will be stopped permanently," he said and the Anatolian News Agency reported. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit evaluated the suspension of MED-TV as an positive development. Ecevit told reporters, "This shows that the public in the Western world has begun to accept that broadcasts by MED-TV openly incited terrorism and so they have decided to take counter-measures."

BRITISH PRESS: "THE VICTORY OF TURKEY"

The news concerning the suspension of MED-TV broadcasts in England were covered widely by the British media. Pointing out that it was the first time that the ITC had banned a channel's broadcasts, "The Independent" newspaper reported that MED-TV had been temporarily silenced. "The Guardian" daily noted that, because of its pro-violence stances, MED-TV had been closed down for 21 days, adding that the closure of MED-TV was the first action of its kind in the U.K. It was stated that the suspension of Med-TV broadcasts due to its violation of broadcasting principles, through giving covert support to terrorist activities in Turkey, had irritated the leading figures of the terrorist PKK organization. The paper also reported that the British Foreign Office supported the clear position of the independent Television Commission (ITC) in closing down the pro-Kurdish MED-TV channel. The "Financial Times" newspaper placed the news on the front cover headlined, "The recent success of Turkey". The paper claimed that Turkey had achieved an important victory against the PKK. Meanwhile, it was understood that Greece had turned down the application of MED-TV representatives who would like to broadcast via Greece. /Sabah/Hurriyet/

NOW IT IS TIME TO PROHIBIT HAKK-TV

Following her fruitful diplomatic efforts against the pro-PKK Med-TV, Turkey has now launched initiatives in order to ban HAKK-TV broadcasts, a fundamentalist channel based in Cologne. It is reported that the Higher Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) has submitted a comprehensive report to the European Council concerning HAKK-TV broadcasts which call for military action against the Turkish Republic. /Hurriyet/

OPERATION AGAINST HIZBULLAH

During the operations carried out in Sırnak province and its Idil and Silopi districts, 60 members, including leading figures of the fundamentalist Islamic terrorist Hizbullah organization, were taken into custody. It is reported that the cross-examination of the accused militants is still in progress. /Cumhuriyet/

TURKISH EMBASSY IN BELGRADE EVACUATED

Turkey has decided to evacuate her Embassy in Belgrade due to the increasing possibility of a NATO air-strike against Yugoslavia over the Kosovo Question. Ali Ahmet Acet, the Turkish Ambassador to Belgrade, declared that most of the Embassy personnel and the families of Turkish officials in Belgrade left the city for Bulgaria yesterday morning. /Hurriyet/

RUSSIA: "CONFEDERATION IS NOT A SOLUTION FOR CYPRUS"

Vladimir Chizov, the Russian Special Representative for Cyprus, argued that the `confederation model' proposed by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) would not provide a realistic alternative to solve the strains over the Island. Meeting State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel and the Deputy Undersecretary of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Faruk Logoglu, during his visit to Ankara, Chizov said, "The Russian Federation, the US nor the UN are able to resolve the question. That can only be achieved by the Turkish and the Greek-Cypriot administrations on the Island, and the Turkish and Greek governments. We can only try to bring together the two leaders on the Island for talks. Yet we are aware that this is not an easy task." /Cumhuriyet/

DEMIREL TELLS TURKS IN BULGARIA TO STAND UNITED

President Suleyman Demirel, who paid a two-day official visit to Bulgaria, has called on the 800,000-strong Turkish minority there to stand united and be strong. "We want you to be united and strong. Do not become divided in order not to suffer," Demirel said. Demirel also held talks with representatives of the religious leadership of the Turkish minority. He stressed that the well-being of the Turks was a major priority in Turkey's relations with Bulgaria. Demirel and the accompanying Turkish delegation returned home last night. /All papers/

TURCO-SYRIAN TALKS END

Turkey and Syria will carry out a joint study to overcome their transport problems, the Anatolia News Agency reported on Tuesday. The meetings between the Turkish and Syrian officials which continued in Ankara for two days have been concluded. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Minister of State and the Deputy Prime Minister Hikmet Ulugbay said that commercial and economic relations between the two countries had the potential to be significantly improved and they had decided to go ahead with improving these relations. Pointing out that in this respect, the draft agreement on the protection of double taxation and the draft agreement on the protection and encouragment of investments had been mutually exchanged, Ulugbay said the negotiations would be finalized when the studies had been concluded by the relevant institutions.

TURKISH AND THAI MINISTRIES OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SIGN PACT

A mutual understanding pact was signed following the establishment of a regular political consultation mechanism between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Turkey and Thailand, the Anatolia News Agency reported yesterday. Korkmaz Haktanir, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the Thai Deputy Foreign Minister, signed the pact prior to interdelegationary meetings. Turkish and Thai officials exchanged opinions on about bilateral relations and regional issues.

OPERATION DESTINED GLORY-99

Operation "Destined Glory-99", hosted by Turkey, will be held between April 1 and 9 in the Doganbey and Saroz Gulfs of the Aegean Sea, the Anatolian News Agency reported. Stressing that the naval, air and amphibian forces of eight NATO countries - Turkey, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Britain, and the US - will participate in the manoeuvres, the military statement noted that the aim of the manoeuvres is to implement the concept of CAFMED (Combined Amphibious Forces in the Mediterranean) in NATO's Southern region. This will improve the strategy, application opportunities and capabilities of NATO in this respect.

UKRANIAN AIR DEFENCE FORCES COMMANDER IN TURKEY

General Oleksandr Stetsenco, the Ukranian Air Defence Forces Commander, visited General Ilhan Kilic, the Turkish Air Forces Commander, yesterday Anatolia News Agency reported. Giving a speech prior to the meeting, Kilic said that he would exchange views with General Stetsenco concerning cooperation in the field of between the air forces of the two countries and the control of air space over the Black Sea. Stetsenco said on his part that the aim of his visit was to improve military relations between Turkey and the Ukraine.

IMKB TO IMPROVE EURASIAN STOCK EXCHANGES

Representatives of the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) and members of the Stocks Exchanges of the Eurasian Stock Exchange Federation (FEAS) were yesterday in Istanbul to attend the meeting of the working group set up to improve capital markets. Delegations from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakistan, Mongolia, Moldovo, Romania and the Ukraine, OECD experts and independent financial consultants attended the meeting. IMKB Chairman Osman Birsen said that the suggestions presented in the report, to be offered to the relevant governments at the end of the meeting were vital to determine the future of the regional capital markets and economies. /Turkiye/

EFFORTS TO REJUVENATE TOURISM

The Turkish Travel Agencies Union (TURSAB) declared that the developments following the capture of the terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan have negatively affected the sector, but this is a temporary situation. Representatives of Turkish travel agancies suggested to the government and other relevant institutions that they should take serious steps to rejuvenate of the sector. Meanwhile, in a letter sent to the Tourism Ministers of 19 countries, Ahmet Tan, the Minister of Tourism, said, "Turkey is a safe country. During the past five years, tourist have not experienced any serious problems." /Cumhuriyet/

AUSTRIA: "TURKEY IS SAFE"

Austrian tourism agencies met to discuss tourist trips to Turkey. The meeting, held at the invitation of the Austrian Tourism Agencies Union(ORV),was attended by Sander Gurbuz, the Cousellor at the Turkish Embassy in Austria, officials from the Austrian Trade and Labour Chambers and representatives of tourism agencies. In a statement issued by the ORV following the meeting, Gurbuz's message saying that 'the safety of tourists in Turkey would be ensured' was also mentioned. /Milliyet/

THY ADDS EXTRA FLIGHTS FOR HOLIDAY PERIOD

Turkish Airlines (THY) announced on Tuesday that it is adding 260 additional flights to its timetable for the period between March 26 and April 4. Additional flights are being added on routes to Luxor, Paris, Alexandria, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tel Aviv, Hurgada, Budapest, Vienna, Bologna, Venice, Helsinki, Barcelona, Prague, Trieste, Lisbon, Tunus, Madrid and Cairo. /Milliyet/

TURKISH BUSINESSMEN TO VISIT WASHINGTON

Erkut Yucaoglu, the Chairman of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD), and Mehmet Ali Babaoglu, an Executive Board member of the Association, has left for Washington. This trip is being taken in order to attend a meeting which aims to present a report entitled "Turkey's Opportunities: Demographic Transformation and its Projections" to US business, executive and academic circles. /Hurriyet/

DOGAN GROUP OPENS MEDIA COMPANY IN GERMANY

The Turkish Dogan Group has set up a media company in Germany with a capital investment of 500 thousand Euros. The Dogan Yayin Holding Corporation has a 42 % stake in the media company named "Dogan Media International". The partnership decisions taken by the Dogan Publications Corporation and Hurriyet Journalism Executive Boards were sent to the Istanbul Stock Exchange. /Aksam/

SABANCI INVESTS IN BRAZIL

The Chairman of the Sabanci Holding's Administrative Board, Sakip Sabanci, stated that they would open a factory in Brazil, after opening one in England and one in Egypt. Answering questions posed by the reporters following meeting of the Sabanci Holding's General Council, Sabanci said that the building of the Dusa factory will be jointly carried out with the American Chemistry giant Dupont; both partners will hold shares and that they will be able to learn from their partners. He added that he was proud of their investment in Brazil. /Milliyet/

US: TURKEY'S NEW TEXTILE MARKET

Turkey has prepared a new plan to increase its textile exports to the US. Turkey's Trade Undersecretary to Washington reported that Turkey will increase its trade volume in soft furnishing, infant clothing, fabric, suits, coats, socks and bedlinen. Experts said that stagnation has been experienced in the European Union (EU) market and that the US market has gained in importance for Turkish textile exporters. With this in mind, Turkey has prepared a plan concerning textile exports to the US; the promotion of Turkish textile goods will be increased, fairs to be held in the US will be attended and representatives of American firms will be invited to Turkey. In addition, Turkish banks and transport firms will be encouraged to open offices in the US, new agreements which will encourage the US to purchase goods from Turkey, and US textile and ready-to-wear companies will be invited to invest in the Southeastern Anatolia Region (GAP). /Sabah/

"YEAR 2000 CONCORDANCE LICENCE" FOR IMPORT OF ELECTRONIC GOODS

The Ministry of Trade and Industry will not issue an import permit for those electronic goods which do not have a "Year 2000 Concordance Licence", the Anatolian News Agency reported. The General Directorate of the Trade and Industry Ministry announced on Tuesday that they will limit imports of such equipment in order to minimize the loss caused by the predicted failure of computers to recognize the change in the last two digits of the, known as "the Millenium Bug". The Ministry requires a Year 2000 Concordance Licence for all electronical equipment to be imported into Turkey otherwise they will not be allowed through customs.

TURKISH FABRIC IN PARIS

The Turkish Can Textile and Pala Textile Group attended the Texworld Fair in Paris along with other world-famous fabric firms. Mustafa Can, the Chairman of Can Textile, stated that European and US markets had shown great interest in Turkish fabrics. The goods of both Turkish firms were welcomed and received a great deal of interest. /Aksam/

TOPKAPI TREASURY TO BE RENOVATED

The Treasury Division of the Topkapi Palace, which is full of unique jewellery and precious stones, is to be renovated by the Gilan Jewellery Company in celebration of the 700th anniversary of the founding of the Ottoman Empire. The protocol for the project, which will be carried out in cooperation with the Ministery of Culture, was signed yesterday by Minister of Culture Istemihan Talay and Gilan Executive Committee Chairman Muharrem Geylan. The entire project is expected to take until the year 2003 to complete. The renovations will involve bringing the interior decor and lighting, as well as the air-conditioning and security systems, up to current standards. /Sabah/

THE LAST ANKARA MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE CENTURY

The tickets for the "16th International Music Festival", organized by the Sevda-Cenap And Music Foundation, will be submitted for sale on April 1, 1999. The Festival which will start on 28 April will continue until 21 May with 24 activities planned. The Festival will begin with a concert by the Orchestre National de France in which Fazil Say will play Rachmaninov second piano concerto./Milliyet/

PUNK BAND "NEW MODEL ARMY" TO HOLD CONCERT IN TURKEY

British punk band "The New Model Army" will hold two tow concerts in Istanbul and Ankara between March 25-26, the Anatolian News Agency reported. It has been posted on Superonline that the British group will be in concert on March 25 at the Istanbul Ministry Club and at the Ankara Complex Club on Marcj 26.

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

WHY DOES EUROPE ACT LIKE THIS? - BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)

Columnist Sami Kohen of the "Milliyet" daily states his views on the stance of Europe concerning the closure of Med-TV. A summary of his column is as follows: "The English Independent Television Commission (ITC) has suspended MED-TV broadcasts because of its programmes aimed at provoking terror in Turkey. Certainly, intense diplomatic lobbying by Ankara has been instrumental in enabling the ITC to reach this decision. However, officials in Ankara believe that they should not present every positive step as a victory and create new and higher expectations in the general public...Decision taken by the ITC concerning MED-TV is not final. It is not known what the English will do when the decision is appealed against... Even if England and Belgium banned these broadcasts, the PKK would try to broadcast via another channel somewhere else. Then Turkey will have to lobby by these countries or institutions... Following the capture of Ocalan, Turkey asked its Western friends to show their unambigous stand on terrorism and cut all direct or indirect support they had been giving to the PKK; she also requested that they apply pressure on any country(Greece in particular) which did not do so. The general belief in Turkish political and diplomatic circles is that the Western States (with the exception of the US) are unwilling to take such a stand. The reasons for this attitude are manifold. First, they are concerned that if they take a clear stand as expected, Kurds who live in their countries, some of whom support the PKK terror organization may take to the streets and bring terrorism to their doorstep...Secondly,some European States and institutions confuse the Kurdish issue and terrorism...Somehow they try to establish a correlation between terrorism and a political solution; they try to issue the message 'if you do not solve the issue, the violence will continue'. Therefore, they are avoiding taking an unequivocal stand on the matter and tolerate the activities of the PKK and its satellite institutions... Turkey believes that Greece has been caught red handed in its relations with the PKK and therefore has to be pressurized by Europe to abandon this policy. However, Greece is influential in all European institutions, mainly the EU. In the words of a veteran diplomat ,"Greece is acting like the 'spoiled brat' of Europe and is being protected by its allies."

FROM LARA TO ANOTHER REALITY - BY OKTAY EKSI (HURRIYET)

Oktay Eksi, a columnist for the `Hurriyet' daily, reflects on the tragic effects of terrorism in Turkey and the Government's national and international achievements in coping with PKK terrorism. Eksi writes: "Nobody knew Fevziye Sahinoz or her daughter Lara before the terrific terrorist attack against Mavi Carsi in Istanbul. Ms. Sahinoz was one of the 12 victims of this assault, and we are now surprised to observe that little Lara is still tolerant towards those who murdered her mother. She even wrote in her notebook that Abdullah Ocalan, the chief of the terrorist PKK which committed this brutal massacre, should not be sentenced to death. Necati Bilican, the General Director of the Police Department, declared that three of those terrorists who carried out this massacre and other recent ones in Istanbul had been captured by security forces. The Police Department, in particular the Istanbul Police, have performed some very successful operations against those who perpetrate such terrorist crimes. Nearly all of those terrorists who were responsible for several actions in various districts of Istanbul have been captured; they will be brought before the Independent Turkish Courts in the near future. What does this mean? In brief, this means the introduction of a well-operating state in our daily lives. We were used to express our pessimism about our future. However, the Turkish State has proved extremely competent in tackling questions both inside and outside Turkey. At the international level, it prevented the deployment of S-300 missiles in Southern Greece, it unmasked the interconnection between Greece and the terrorist PKK organization, it captured Abdullah Ocalan, the chief of the terrorist movement, and it hindered the pro-PKK Med-TV broadcasts. Regarding internal problems, it impeded the activities of various criminal organizations with an awakened consciousness. Thus it proves that famous Turkish saying: `The horse neighs according to its owner.' "

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