Anadolu Agency: News in English, 00-01-25

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From: The Anadolu Agency Home Page at <http://www.anadoluajansi.gov.tr/>

[01] AA News

25 January 2000 Tuesday

[02] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

MAGNIFICENT COMMEMORATION OF UGUR MUMCU
Ugur Mumcu, the journalist-writer who was assassinated seven years ago, was not only commemorated in the road where he was killed and in Ankara but also throughout Turkey. The participants of the commemoration shouted slogans as saying, ''the Ugurs never die.''

KOC BECOMES THE GIANT SHOPPING CENTER IN CYBER WORLD
The Koc Group which became the giant retail shopping center, also became the giant shopping center in the cyber world. The 'Kangurum' which is the giant cyber shopping center of Turkey, started to serve the internet users as of yesterday. A total of 20 famous shops are serving in the web-site titled, ''Kangurum.com.tr.''

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

SNOW PARALYZES DAILY LIFE
It snowed in Istanbul yesterday. The snowfall which started yesterday evening, paralyzed the daily life in this big city in a very short time. Many people waited in the vehicles en route to their houses. The cruises could also not be held in Istanbul. Many traffic accidents happened and the traffic was paralyzed. The schools were recessed for one day in Ankara, Istanbul and Kahramanmaras.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

365-DAY OPEN CYBER FAIR
The Turkish Industry Fair (TIF), Turkey's first internet fair, will give the opportunity to the companies to exhibit their products 24 hours a day in a year. The TIF aims at ensuring the companies to enter into the electronic trade and to gain economic power in the Eurasia. Ulgun Alpagut, the Director General of Tifas, said that many companies working in the sectors of data processing, packing, medical devices, and hotel management are the participants of TIF.

HEZBOLLAH IS INCLUDED IN NSC AGENDA
The illegal terrorist Hezbollah organization is included in the agenda of the National Security Council (NSC). The illegal Hezbollah organization will be discussed in the NSC meeting which will be held on January 31, 2000. The Office of General Staff, the General Directorate of Security, the Interior Ministry and the National Intelligence Organization will give information about the illegal terrorist Hezbollah organization. The developments regarding Northern Iraq, Chechnya, the relations with the European Union (EU) are the other issues that are planned to be discussed in the meeting.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

400 PEOPLE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
The operation against Hezbollah continues in 18 provinces including Mardin, Batman, Diyarbakir, Elazig and Konya. The number of people taken into custody in operations reached 400.

TWO MORE BODIES
Two more bodies were recovered in Adana and Tarsus. Police recovered one body in Adana, three bodies in Ankara, ten bodies in Istanbul, twelve bodies in Konya and seven others in Tarsus, and the total number reached 33.

PLANE CRASH
A Beech-Kraft 9 type plane of the Top Air which took off from Ankara Esenboga Airport for Istanbul crashed into Sorgun plateau near Gudul township of Ankara. Four people including Top Air General Director Irfan Yildiran aboard the plane were killed in the crash.

UGUR MUMCU COMMEMORATED
Famous journalist writer Ugur Mumcu who was killed seven years ago in a car bomb attack was commemorated with several activities and ceremonies. People who attended the activities and cerremonies chanted the slogans, ''let's stand shoulder to shoulder against fascism'', ''Down with Hezbollah'' and ''murderer of Mumcu is fascist dictatorship.''

RADIKAL (LEFT)

BAKU-CEYHAN READY IN PRINCIPLE
No final decisions were taken in the technical meetings which were held in Ankara for the Baku-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline Project. The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry said that Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and the U.S. representatives have reached a compromise in principle during the meetings held in Ankara. The representatives also decided that the Georgian and Azerbaijani working groups should meet each other in February to finalize the articles on which they had a compromise in principle.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

WHO IS THE REAL LEADER?
While the nationwide operations against illegal Hezbollah organization continue, a new dimension has been added into the investigation when it was claimed that there is a leading ''imam'' who is the boss of Hezbollah's head Huseyin Velioglu who was killed in an operation in Istanbul. When one Hezbollah terrorist confessed that the Hezbollah was headed by an eight- member committee, other five people and ''imam'' are now wanted by police.

SCHOLLS RECESSED
The primary and junior high schools in Ankara and Istanbul were recessed for one day due to heavy snow. The heavy snow which started early on Monday paralyzed daily life in Istanbul.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

IT IS AN ILLOGICAL AND SERIOUS SLANDER
The General Staff and Jandarmerie, which responded to the claim that Hezbollah was shielded as ''it struggled with the PKK'', said that the attempt to set up connection between the Turkish Armed Forces and the terrorist Hezbollah organization was a serious and illogical slander.

[03] HAZELNUT EXPORTS - 456 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS OF HAZELNUTS EXPORTED IN FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS

Officials at the Black Sea Union of Hazelnut Exporters told the A.A correspondent on Tuesday that Turkey exported 131 thousand 909 tonnes of hazelnuts, and obtained an income of 456 million U.S. dollars.

Turkey exports hazelnuts mainly to the European countries.

In the same period of last year, Turkey had exported the same amount of hazelnuts. Turkey obtained an income of 456 million 860 thousand U.S. dollars last year. However, Turkey obtained the same amount of income by exporting nearly 20 thousand 500 tons more hazelnuts this year.

The Union said one cental of standard natural hazelnuts is being exported for 318 U.S. dollars at the moment. One cental of standard natural hazelnuts was being exported for 424 U.S. dollars last year.

[04] TURKISH WAR SHIPS IN MEDITERRANEAN - OGUTCU, NATO'S PERMANENT NAVAL FORCE COMMANDER: ''TURKISH WAR SHIPS ALSO CARRY OUT THE MISSION OF BEING TURKISH TOURISM ENVOYS''

The two Turkish war ships met each other Napoli port of Italy.

Stanavformed was founded on April 30, 1992 by the participation of eight countries, namely Britain, the U.S., Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, and Turkey to show the existence of NATO and to perform military exercises in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. For the first time, a Turkish admiral commands the Stanavformed.

Commander Ogutcu told A.A that ''it is my mission to improve the training level of NATO naval force during my term in office as the being the commander of Stanavformed. Turkish war ships will also carry out the mission of being Turkish tourism envoys.''

Ogutcu told reporters in Napoli that Stanvaformed is the biggest armed element of NATO in the Mediterranean, recalling that it also carried out its mission during Kosovo war.

NATO Permanent Naval Force started its second term training on January 20 in Napoli port of Italy and it will visit Istanbul port between 7-10 July, 2000.

Ogutcu's term in office will end on September 15 and he will turn over his mission to Italian commander in a ceremony that will be held in La Spezia port of Italy.

[05] SHUTTLE TRADE BETWEEN TURKEY AND BULGARIA TO BE TAKEN UNDER CONTROL

Pavlov pointed out that diplomatic efforts continue to prepare the agreement, adding the aim of the agreement is to limit the shuttle trade and to register it officially.

Claiming that the shuttle trade which continues for years between Turkey and Bulgaria causes unjust competition for certain sectors, said Pavlov and added that the volume of the goods which are taken to the country illegally will decrease by signing this treaty.

-ADDITIONAL PIPELINE FOR RUSSIAN NATURAL GAS
SOFIA, Jan 25 (A.A) - Constraction of 90-km part of new pipeline which was planned to increase the amount of Russian natural gas to Turkey, is expected to be finalized in Bulgaria till the end of 2000.

Officials of Bulgarian Gazstroymontaj Company which has undertaken the construction of the pipeline, said on Tuesday that the new pipeline would be constructed parallel with the old one.

Petar Goshev, the Marketing Director of Gazstroymontaj Company, noted that the necessary aggreement was signed with the Bulgargaz Holding.

When the new pipeline will become operational, the amount of natural gas transported from Russia to Turkey, will increase up to 18-20 billion cubic metres in 2003.

[06] STATE MINISTER GUREL LEAVES FOR SWEDEN: ''TURKEY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A COUNTRY WHICH EMBRACED GROUPS OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER DIFFICULT CONDITIONS OR THREAT OF GENOCIDE''

Speaking before his departure in Ataturk Airport, State Minister Gurel said that prime ministers and ministers of 45 countries will participate in the meeting that will be held in Stockholm.

Turkey had been accused in relation to the gold and properties seized by Nazi Germany, said Gurel and added that the 55th government was able to prove that Turkey was innocent by a comprehensive study it carried out. Such claims saying that ''Turkey got the Jewish gold which were seized by Nazi Germany'' were not true.

This issue will come to the agenda during this meeting, said Gurel and added that they will have the opportunity to show all the data about the issue in the international field.

''Turkey has always been a country which embraced groups of people who live under difficult conditions or threat of genocide irrespective of their religion and race,'' said Gurel and added that Turkey has a honourable past.

Responding to questions of journalists about the operations carried out against the terrorist organization Hezbollah, Gurel said that ''we hope that the issue will be clarified from all of its aspects soon.''

[07] EU COMMISSION CHAIRMAN PRODI: ''TURKEY HAS TO ABIDE BY COPENHAGEN CRITERIA''

Speaking in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (COEPA) meeting, Prodi said responding to a question of a Turkish parliamentarian that ''Turkey is officially a candidate country of the EU and it will be subject to the same treatment together with other candidate countries. We have a general strategy about candidate countries and this is valid for all candidate countries.''

Prodi said that the European project of EU is a stability project before everything and added that EU does not want rich countries in one side and poor countries in the other side in the same continent.

[08] SECOND TOUR OF PROXIMITY TALKS - TRNC DELEGATION, LEAD BY DENKTAS, TO DEPART THE ISLAND ON SATURDAY

The TRNC delegation, which will pass Saturday night in Istanbul, and leave for Geneva on Sunday.

Mustafa Akinci, TRNC Minister of State and Deputy Prime Minister, Tahsin Ertugruloglu, Foreign and Defense Minister, Ergun Olgun, Presidency Undersecretary, Mustafa Evral, Presidential Political Affairs Director, Osman Ertug, TRNC Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministry Undersecretary, and the consultants Mumtaz Soysal and Taner Etkin will accompany Denktas in Geneva talks.

Geneva talks will be held under the supervision of Kofi Annan, the U.N. Secretary General. Annan will later hand over his post to Alvaro De Soto, Cyprus Special Representative. The talks, which are expected to last for 10 days, will take place in the same framework with the first round held in New York.

The U.N. General Secretariat, which aim at forming a base for the comprehensive negotiations leading to final solution, will continue to listen the sides on all issues.

The U.N. General Secretariat is not expected to bring a proposal or package into the negotiation table.

TRNC President Denktas, following the proximity talks in Geneva, will proceed to Germany on February 10 to hold official contacts.

Denktas is expected to meet with Joschka Fisher, German Foreign Minister, on February 11.

[09] JOINT PROMOTION PROGRAM FROM TURKEY AND ISRAEL FOR ''BELIEF TOURISM''

Mumcu said a joint 2 million U.S. dollars advertising campaign had recently begun in the United States.

''Our campaign is aimed particularly at transatlantic visitors,'' Mumcu said. ''Once they've come all this way, it makes sense to offer them a joint package''.

''There are many sites in Turkey which are important in the Bible, but unfortunately Ephesus is the only one which is really well-known,'' said Mumcu.

Mumcu said St John is said to have visited Ephesus, on Turkey's western coast, at the end of his life with the Virgin Mary, and to have to have written his gospel there. St Paul also visited the site and wrote his letters of spiritual advice to the Ephesians.

A.A

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