Selections From Todays Turkish Press

The U.S. state of Alabama has declared August 30th as an official day of "Commemoration of the tragedy lived by Turks on the way to independence and sovereignty." Alabama governor Don Siegelman made the decision. In his statement Governor Siegelman said that many Turks and Ottoman citizens from different ethnic groups were killed as a result of the Greek occupation in Anatolia. "With its leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Turkish public showed a heroic struggle against occupying forces and than found the Republic of Turkey on September 29th, 1923," Siegelman said, adding that recognizing the tragedy of Turks will be important in preventing human tragedies in the future. /Turkish Daily News/

DENKTAS TO MEET VERHEUGEN AND ANNAN

TRNC President Rauf Denktas will leave Northern Cyprus on Sunday for a three-day trip to Zurich and Salzburg. In Zurich Denktas will meet with Gunter Verheugen, the European Union commissioner for enlargement, and in Austria he will confer with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on how the deadlocked Cyprus talks process could be revived. The Turkish Cypriot President will be accompanied during the three-day trip by his undersecretary Ergun Olgun and Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Osman Ertug. According to the Turkish Cypriot sources, the meeting between Denktas and Verheugen, like the meeting between the Turkish Cypriot President and Annan, was arranged at the request of the EU commissioner. /Turkish Daily News/

TURKEY AND SYRIA SIGN COOPERATION DEAL

Turkey and Syria signed a protocol on cooperation between the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) and its Syrian counterpart GOLD. As a result of the protocol signed between the two countries, GAP and GOLD will cooperate in joint training programs, joint projects and exchange programs. However, despite the fact that the years long rivalry on GAP is beginning to ease, the Turkish side refused to get into a debate on the issue of water, stating that the topic is in the field of the foreign ministries of each side. Olcay Unver, the head of GAP, and Kays al-Assad, general director of GOLD, signed the cooperation deal after a meeting between Syrian Irrigation Minister Taha al-Altrash and State Minister Mustafa Yilmaz. /Turkish Daily News/

TURKEY INFORMS IRANIAN OFFICIALS ON LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

In the wake of increasing of tensions between Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran over the status of the Caspian Sea, Turkey is now concerned that Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu's visit to Baku will be perceived as a "show of strength." Kivrikoglu's visit had been planned some three months ago, according to Foreign Ministry sources. He is to attend the graduation ceremony at the War Academy in Baku. The same sources said that the participation of the Turkish Stars, the Turkish Air Force precision flying and aerobatics team, with its 10 F-5 jets in the graduation ceremony had also been planned three months ago. The Foreign Ministry took action to prevent any misunderstandings by Tehran. The Turkish Diplomatic Mission in Tehran issued a statement addressed to Iranian officials, in which it was stated that reports to the effect that Turkish warplanes would be conducting military exercises in Azerbaijan had no truth in them. /Turkish News/

"WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE TURKS TO HAVE GERMAN CITIZENSHIP"

Berlin Interior Minister Erhart Korting stated that it would encourage Turks to get German citizenship, pointing out that the number of Turks choosing German citizenship is decreasing. Secretary-General of the Turkish Society of Berlin-Brandenburg Kenan Kolat and spokesman Eren Unsal and Safter Clinar paid courtesy calls to Korting. After meeting with members from the Turkish society, Korting stated that they had previously debated the passage of Turkish citizens to German citizenship. Pointing out that there are different views regarding the Immigrants Law prepared by German Interior Minister Otto Schily, Korging said that all the parties in Germany had accepted that their country was a country for immigrants. /Turkish Daily News/

WASHINGTON PERMITS TURKEY TO SELL F-16s TO HUNGARY

The US Administration has permitted Turkey to sell 24 F-16 military planes to Hungary. Turkey had to obtain the permission of the US Administration to sell the F-16s since the F-16s were produced jointly with the US. Washington demanded Hungary to ensure that the F-16s would not be handed over to any other country in the future. Hungary, whose NATO membership was approved, is planning to purchase 24 F-16s within the framework of the efforts to modernize her air forces. /Cumhuriyet/

GENERAL CELASIN'S FAREWELL

General Ergin Celasin handed over the duty of Air Forces Commander to General Cumhur Asparuk in a ceremony held yesterday. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Chief of the General Staff Huseyin Kivrikoglu attended the ceremony. Delivering a farewell speech, Celasin said he was proud of handing over his duty to Gen. Asparuk. /Cumhuriyet/

ERDOGAN SAYS HE CAN LEAD AKP

Leader of the Justice and Progress Party (AKP) Recep Tayyip Erdogan defended himself on Wednesday against prosecutors' move to oust him from the party leadership, saying his chairmanship was perfectly legal. Erdogan said at a press conference on Thursday that he had consulted legal experts before the foundation of the party earlier this month, and was convinced there were no obstacles to his leadership. He said he would wait for the court's decision. /Turkish News/

DISASTER ZONE OPERATION CENTER

The Disaster Operation Center (AFOM), which has been established in cooperation with the U.S. Red Cross is reported to be ready for service. According to information received from the Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) General Chairman Ertan Gonen, work started in the Kizilay Etimesgut Logistics Foundation has been completed. Gonen said: "AFOM will provide support in many areas from disaster planning to improving intervention and from earthquake research to technological transfer. An Earthquake Investigation and Information Center Aimed to Help People (ERICHA) will be part of AFOM." AFOM, which plans to be open with one month, had already spent 6 million US dollars not including the ERICHA section. /Turkish Daily News/

'PUBLIC TENDERS BOARD' TO BE ESTABLISHED

The government is set to form a tenders supervision committee. A tenders bill, jointly prepared by the Finance Ministry and the Public Works and Housing Ministry, is about to be given final shape. The bill was prepared after comprehensive consultations with 50 universities, relevant state institutions, ministries and some 19 professional organizations. The bill overhauls the State Tender Law dated Sept. 1983. According to the draft, state tenders will be carried out by a single center. A supreme board to guide and supervise state tenders, named the State Tenders Board, will be established. /Turkish News/

GEMICI: WORLD BANK TL 185 TRILLION IS LOAN, NOT A DONATION

State Minister Hasan Gemici recently visited Diyarbakir and held a press conference at Emergency Rule (OHAL) Governor Gokhan Aydiner's office. He stated that a support project for an early childhood project had been started for some 3,000 children in four cities in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, and that this year the project had been widen to include 13,000 children in 19 cities. He said, "This year TL 185 trillion loan is being received from the World Bank for such educational aid, but this money is not a donation or charity like the press say, it is loan." /Turkish News/

TURKEY REVISES DOWN WHEAT OUTPUT, NO IMPORT NEED

Turkey has again revised down its wheat output for the 2001-2002 session by one million tons to 15 million after three consecutive years of drought, the agriculture minister said on Thursday. The state grain board (TMO) had earlier predicted 2001/2002 (October-September) wheat output at 16 million tons, down from an earlier estimate of 17 million tons and a harvest of 21 million tons in 2000/2001. "Drought has mainly hit central Anatolian regions. But in Thrace, southeast and eastern Anatolia the output drop will not be very dramatic," Agriculture Minister Husnu Gokalp told a press conference. Despite the major drop in expected wheat output, Gokalp said there was no current need to import. /Turkish Daily News/

CB PREPARES FOR EURO CONVERSION

The Turkish Central Bank has announced its measures for the 12 members of the European Union to adopt the euro as their common currency. The bank said that the those who hold national currencies of these 12 EU members will be able to exchange their holdings or the euro in banks, private finance companies and other authorized institutions under general regulations implemented for such transactions. The bank said that the 12 currencies will be converted into the euro at exchange rates fixed at Dec. 31, 1998. /Turkish News/

EIB TO EXTEND $100 MLN TO TURK REAL SECTOR

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will extend $100 million to small-and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Turkey for rehabilitating Turkey's real economic sector. The loans were agreed by the EIB a part of its 600 million euro loan after the devastating Marmara earthquake in 1999, and EI officials said that the loans would be released in the shortest time possible. Meanwhile, Anatolia said that the World Bank Delegation headed by Ira Lieberman, an analyst on the real sector, submitted its report to the World Bank Administration. The delegation came to Turkey on Aug. 7 for examinations. /Turkish News/

TURKISH-UKRAINIAN TRADE VOLUME TO INCREASE

Foreign Trade Undersecretary Kursat Tuzmen said on Thursday that the Turkish-Ukrainian trade volume would go up in the coming moths. The undersecretary made an assessment of his official visit to Ukraine between Aug. 20-22. He said that the talks with Ukrainian officials were very beneficial, adding that the imbalance in Turkish-Ukrainian trade would be balanced soon. Tuzmen attended the opening of a Turkish fashion fair in Ukraine, from which Turkish firms are expected to win some new contracts. /Turkish News/

STANDARD AND POOR'S ANALYSIS ON TURKEY

The international rating institution, Standard and Poor's, stated Turkey's credit rate could be increased to "stable" and approved if the government could gain the market confidence in a short period of time and if the real interest rates can be decreased. In the analysis of Standard and Poor's, it was stated that some delaying factors in the implementation of the program had created a problem of confidence in the markets, and thus, had caused an increase in the interest rates. /Turkiye/

GARANTI TO SIGN 350 MILLION US DOLLARS SYNDICATED LOAN

Garanti Bank, one of Turkey's leading private banks, will sign a 350 million US dollars syndicated loan in London on Friday, banking sources said. The one-year loan, initially launched for 200 million US dollars, will carry interest for Libor plus 80 basis points. The bank will also pay participation fees of up to 140 basis points. 12 banks including Deutsche, Bayerische Landesbank, Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, Mizuho, Intesabci, Alpha, Bank of New York and Natexis arranged the loan, provided by 52 banks from 26 countries. The deal will refinance the bank's 400 million US dollars loans signed in July 2000. /Turkish Daily News/

TURKSAT SATELLITES TO BE RE-ORGANIZED

Turk Telecom has completed the decree concerning the satellites, which are being organized as State Economic Enterprises (SEEs), and sent it to the Ministry of Communications. According to law that arranges the conditions concerning the privatization of Turk Telecom, which was enacted on May 23rd, Turksat 1B, Turksat 1C, Turksat 2A and Anatolia 1 satellites and the base stations should be kept out of the structure of Turk Telecom before the privatization. It is envisaged that the satellites will be reorganized and called the "Directorate General of Satellite Communications" as another SEE status. /Turkiye/

HARRAN DISCOVERS TOURISM

Sanliurfa's Harran district is developing in the tourism sector. It is reported that the number of foreign and local tourists has increased 150 percent over last year. Harran sub-governor Halil Ibrahim Aksit states that with a long history, special conic domed houses, productive land and being the first city in the region with a university, Harran is a popular place. Adding this to the fact that the citizens of Harran are newly discovering tourism, Aksit continued: "With a peaceful environment in our district, many tourists inside and outside of Turkey have started to visit here. Harran people have started accepting tourism as a second income opportunity. We still have some areas where we are lacking but we will overcome these in time. Here, the Harran citizens have an important duty; they should invest the money they earn from agriculture into the tourism sector." /Turkish Daily News/

CLIMB OF VICTORY

It was stated that the preparations for the "Climb of Victory" are completed today. The "Climb of Victory" will be organized at the Mount Ararat due to the Victory Festival on August 30th with the participation of the Turkish and foreign mountaineers. Agri's Provincial Director of Youth and Sports, Ali Ozdemir, said, "We have completed all the necessary preparations for the climb." The climb, which is organized by the Mountaineering Federation and which will begin on August 25th and end on August 31st, is expected to be attended by 130 sportsmen. /Turkiye/

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL ENDS IN GOLCUK

The International Youth Festival, which was held by the German-Turkish Youth Union in Golcuk, has ended. Some 33 Turkish, German and Polish young people drew memorial pictures of the earthquake on a wall, which was built by Golcuk Municipality at Cyprus Park. /Turkish News/

TURKEY'S FIRST ECOLOGY MUSEUM

It was reported that Turkey's first agriculture and ecology museum would be opened in Selcuk. According to the authorities of the Ministry of Culture, the visitors will be informed about the Aegean "fauna and flora" which can be observed in the region from Ancient Age to today. /Cumhuriyet/