Turkish Media

Head of the True Path Party (DYP) Tansu Ciller will be received by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer today. Ciller is expected to convey her concerns over the implementations of the government concerning the economy and will express the necessity for an early election. Ciller will also explain her proposals for the solution of the economic problems. (Sabah)

Eu: "No Concessions To Turkey On The Esdp"

The Foreign Minister of Belgium, the EU Term-President, Louis Michel, said that there would be no concessions to Turkey concerning the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). Michel delivered a speech at the General Affairs Council meeting of the Foreign Ministers of 15 EU member countries yesterday. (Hurriyet)

Initiatives Of European Union For Esdi

Belgium, term president of the European Union, is continuing efforts to solve the problems on ESDI between Turkey and the European Union. The Belgian Chief of General Staff, Admiral Willy Herteleer met with Turkish Chief of General Staff Hüseyin Kivrikoğlu to talk on matters such as ESDI, the future of NATO, other bilateral and international developments./Cumhuriyet)

Ecevit: "Technocrat Government Discussions Harm Democracy"

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit warned yesterday that speculation over whether Turkey needed an interim government would harm the country's democracy as it struggles to overcome a financial crisis. Meanwhile. Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Motherland Party (ANAP) Mesut Yilmaz has reacted to calls for a "technocrat government" by calling them "non-sense" and "unsound". Yilmaz replied to journalists' questions as he arrived at ANAP headquarters for a meeting of his party's Central Executive Committee (MKYK) ahead of the party's main congress to be held on August 4-5. (All papers)

Coalition With The Turkish Party In Bulgaria

Former Bulgarian King Simeon II, who was given a mandate to form a government by President Petar Stoyanov, is continuing his efforts to establish a coalition government. The main opposition group, the United Democratic Forces (UDF) rejected to form a coalition government with King Simeon II. Therefore, Simeon II will form a government with the Rights and Freedoms Movement (HOH), members of which are predominantly Turkish. In such a situation, the HOH will be represented in the coalition government by a Deputy Prime Minister and at least two Ministers. (Sabah)

Bumin: "Discussions Will Be Completed This Week"

The President of the Constitutional Court, Mustafa Bumin, said that discussions on the applications concerning the Conditional Release Law would be completed within this week. The Constitutional Court continued to discuss the applications made to the regional courts in order to enlarge the context of the Amnesty Law yesterday, the Anatolia News Agency reports. (All papers)

L-Type Prisons

Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Türk said that the government was definitely decisive to use F-Type prisons for political prisoners, but they'll use L-Type prisons for those who committed other crimes. Hikmet Sami Türk stated in spite of all the criticisms and counter-arguments, political prisoners and arrested persons in the F-Type prisons can make activities such as education and work "together". Minister Turk added that they do not think to build F-Type prisons in the Thrace region and he did not say any word meaning that Turkey would not build F-Type prisons any more. My words were misunderstood./Cumhuriyet)

Cakan In Lebanon

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Zeki Cakan, went to Lebanon yesterday to attend the 8th Ministers' Meeting of the Six-Partite Inter-Connections Project consisting of Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon. The Project was launched in order to connect the electricity systems of these countries. (All papers)

Turkey To Buy Meteorogical Radars

Turkey will buy and operate five Doppler meteorogical air radars to use at the project of emergency aid during the floods and earthquakes. Financing of the radars will be supported by the International Bank For Reconstruction and Development. The firms can ask to the Directorate General of Meteorogical Affairs about the tender until September 19. (Cumhuriyet)

New Energy System To Be Tested

The test process for the Underground Thermal Energy Storing System (UTES), which is being currently carried out in many countries, has started at Cukurova University, Anatolia news agency reported on Monday. Cukurova's Deputy Rector Professor Halime Aksoy said that the shortage of energy in Turkey would be a great problem, and therefore Turkey had to seek alternative energy resources. Coal, fuel oil, natural gas, and similar fossil fuels are forming more than half of Turkey's energy resources, but those fuel forms cause both economic and environmental hazards, she added. "Due to a lack of energy resources, Turkey has become more dependent on foreign countries' energy," she emphasized. (Turkish News)

New Ships To Support Turkish Naval Forces

Some 12 ships, including a frigate and a fast patrol boat, will be delivered to the Turkish navy on July 25, Anatolia news agency reported on Monday. The Naval Forces Command has issued a statement saying that the frigate TCG Gediz will be delivered to the Navy Command, and the fast patrol boat the TCG Bozcaada will be delivered to the Southern Area Command. Also, eight coastguard boats will be given to the Coastguard Command, and the TCG Candarli Oceanography ship will be delivered to the Northern Area Command. Meanwhile a mine-hunter will be donated to Kazakhstan. Also one Gur-class submarine, one Kilic-2 class assault boat, one mine-hunter, and a fast patrol ship belonging to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will be built. Ataturk's old boat "Acar" is being restored by the Istanbul Shipyard Command and will be launched at the same time. (Turkish News)

Kizilay Extends Support For The Victims

The Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) has extended support for the victims of the flood which happened in the Digor district of Kars and the earthquake in Erzurum last week. According to a statement yesterday, Kizilay sent 40 tents and foodstuff to 300 families in Erzurum and home appliances to the citizens who were affected by the flood disaster in Digor, the Anatolia News Agency reports.

Okuyan: "We Will Provide The Highest Quality Health Service"

Labor and Social Security Minister Yaşar Okuyan held a meeting on Monday with the Social Security Authority (SSK) Hospital's staff chiefs. In the speech he delivered there, Okuyan said that SSK hospitals and outpatient clinics were providing a 24-hour health service to 36 million people across Turkey. "The SSK has been badly neglected over the past few years. However, owing to our recent efforts the queues in front of SSK hospitals and clinics are much shorter than they used to be. Within the next one-and-a-half years, we will have eliminated this waiting list altogether," Okuyan said. (Turkish News)

Singer Necla Akben Is A Candidate To Become Anap Chairman

Following the announcements by Vehbi Dincerler, Lutfullah Kayalar and Eyup Asik to become the Chairman of the Motherland Party (ANAP), singer Necla Akben also said that she would be a candidate. (Sabah)

The Culture Ministry To Cooperate In Restoration Of Jewish Synagogue

The Culture Ministry will start restoration work at the Jewish synagogue in Izmir, which was constructed by the Jewish community that migrated from Spain to Izmir, Anatolia news agency reported on Monday. Culture Minister Istemihan Talay said that the Ottoman Empire had welcomed Jewish people who had escaped the Spanish Inquisition in 1492. He also added that Jewish people had been massacred in every European country, and only the Ottomans gave them freedom to worship as they chose. The Bet-Iller Synagogue was constructed by the first Jewish settlers in Izmir, and is included in the holy "Diamond Triangle Project," he indicated. (Turkish News)

German Wants Troy Exhibit To Be Held In Turkey

German archeologist Manfred Korfmann, who is the director of three exhibitions of Troy in Germany, has suggested that Trojan artifacts should be displayed in one museum, which preferably should be constructed near Troy, Anatolia news agency reported on Monday. He said at the opening ceremony of the exhibition called, "Troy-The Truth and The Dream," that all Trojan artifacts should be gathered in one center. Meanwhile German Parliament (Bundestag) Acting Speaker Anke Fuchs supported Korfmann's idea and stated that sending back artifacts from Troy was a part of European peace politics. (Turkish News)

Minister Sees No Revision In Program

State Minister for Privatization Yilmaz Karakoyunlu said on Monday that the economic program would certainly not be revised and that Economy Minister Kemal Dervis was doing his best to put the economy back on track. Karakoyunlu met Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) Chairman Sinan Aygun, who slammed Dervis as an imported minister and a mouthpiece for the International Monetary Fund. Minister Karakoyunlu defended Dervis by saying that he was a very valuable man who was making extraordinary efforts to save the nation's economy by using his wisdom and experience. (Turkish News)

Petroleum Market Draft Law Presented To The Prime Ministry

The Petroleum Market Draft Law, which was undertaken to be prepared by the end of the year in the European Union (EU) Accession Document, was presented to the Prime Ministry. If the draft law is enacted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), the import and export of the fluid fuel will be free from then on. If this draft law is enacted, the petroleum prices will be determined by the conditions of the market. In addition, the petroleum products, which have been imported by TUPRAS and ATAS only, will be able to be imported by other private companies, who have refineries. (Turkiye)

Imf Inspection Started Yesterday

The delegation from the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) ninth review works have started at the Treasury Undersecretariat at 10:00 yesterday. The IMF Chief to the Turkish Desk, Juha Kahkonen, has met the experts from the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank, State Planning Organization (DPT) and the Treasury and evaluated the implementation of the economic program and the program's reflections on the macroeconomic balances all day. The delegation also met the Undersecretary of the Treasury, Faik Oztrak. The delegation, which will stay in Turkey for ten days, will maintain contacts with the organizations and institutions concerning the economy during this period of time and evaluate the latest developments in the economy within the framework of the "Passage to the Strong Economy" program. Following the approval of the ninth review, the loan amounting to nearly 1.5 billion US dollars is expected to be released. (Turkiye)

Loans Worth $1.5 Billion In Turkey

First portion of the IMF loans worth $1.5 billion released following the solution of the problem in Telekom will reach the Treasury's account in Central Bank today. Meanwhile, the loans worth $1.7 billion provided from the World Bank is expected to reach the Treasury's account in Central Bank within this week. (Milliyet)

First Half Primary Budget Surplus At Tl 7.6 Qln

Turkey's consolidated central government budget produced a primary surplus of TL 7.6 quadrillion in the first half of the year, the Finance Ministry announced yesterday. (All papers)

Lindow Optimistic Concerning Turkish Economy

Kristin Lindow, an analyst on Turkey from the Moody's credit rating agency, described the Turkish government's announcement noting that it had the capacity to pay its foreign debts as a positive development. Lindow stated that the Turkish economy had been greatly damaged as a result of the crises in November and February, however, she added that Turkey's performance in the implementation of the reforms would be very significant for the international markets. (All papers)

Foreign Capital Permission

The Treasury Undersecretary has permitted the foreign capital amounting to 174 million US dollars in June 2001. This amount was 1 billion 196 million US dollars in the first half of this year. The Treasury stated that accordance to the distribution of the foreign capital permit, the manufacturing industry comes the first with 54.4% in the six months of this year. In the six-month-permits the services sector holds shares of 41.6%, the agriculture's share at 3.8%, Whereas The Mining Sector Has Shares Of 0.2%. (Turkiye)

Approval For Turkbank's Shutdown

The Council of State yesterday dismissed a case seeking permission that the Turk Ticaret Bankasi (Turkbank) stay open, despite a decision of the Banking Regulation and Supervision Board (BDDK) to withdraw the bank's license. The 10th Chamber of the Council of State turned down a demand filed by the Turkbank Assistance Fund for a stay of action decision on the BDDK decision to shut down the bank. The Turkbank Assistance Fund has rights to appeal the 10th Chamber's ruling. The sale and liquidation of banks controlled by the Turkish Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) is among the government's commitments to the IMF. (Milliyet)

"Focus" Magazine Praises The Turkish Tourism

"Focus", one of the weekly political magazines in Germany, has prepared an article in which the positive developments in the Turkish tourism are written. In the news titled "Balances Sweet As Honey." The magazine has stated that more than 3 million German tourists are expected to visit Turkey. "Focus" recalled that the Turkish Minister of Tourism, Erkan Mumcu, has previously said that 12 million tourists were expected to visit Turkey this year in the International Tourism Stock Exchanges in Berlin in March. In the news, it was added, "Mumcu has made a new explanation in Ankara and said has increased his prediction about the number of tourists to 13 million and estimated to earn a tourism income of 25 billion Deutsche Marks. (Turkiye)

World's Oldest Astrological Device Located At Nemrut Peak

The Lion astrological device at the peak of Mount Nemrut appears to be aligned to July 14, 109 B.C., Anatolia news agency reported. Mount Nemrut is also known as the "eight miracle of the ancient world," and is included on UNESCO's World Culture Heritage List. The lion is said to the oldest astrological device in the world, said archeologists. The body of the lion is covered with 19 stars. Each star has eight pointed rays. Apart from one minor difference, the positions of the 19 stars represent the constellation of Leo as described in the ephemeris of Eratoshenes. (Turkish News)

Submarine Archeology Museum In Bodrum Attracts Tourists

The Submarine Archeology Museum in Bodrum, in which the unique ruins, including the world's oldest sunken ship, Uluburun, and the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti's unique golden seal, and the oldest book, are visited by thousands of tourists every day. The Turkish and foreign tourists, who prefer to visit Bodrum to enjoy the sun and the sea, have the chance to visit the Submarine Archeology Museum in Bodrum for 5 million TL. (Turkiye)