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ANADOLU AGENCY

NEWS

5 NOVEMBER 2000 Sunday

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

[02] SURVEY REVEALS WHY GERMANS PREFER SPENDING VACATION IN TURKEY

[03] DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER YILMAZ SAYS TERMINATION OF TERRORISM

[04] CULTURE MINISTER TALAY SAYS ELMALI COINS WOULD BE DISPLAYED AT ANTALYA MUSEUM AFTER MUSEUM IS EXPANDED

[05] NUMBER OF TOURISTS INCREASES BY 45 PERCENT COMPARED TO

[06] FOREIGN TRADE UNDERSECRETARY TUZMEN SAYS THEIR TARGET IN EXPORTING TO IRAQ IS TO ENTER AMONG THE FIRST THREE COUNTRIES

[07] PKK HELPS SMUGGLING OF OVINE AND BOVINE ANIMALS TO TURKEY

[08] ITALIAN EARTHQUAKE RESEARCH SHIP COMPLETES ITS STUDIES IN MARMARA

[09] ESTIMATED COST OF RIOT AT USAK PRISON IS 500 BILLION TL

[10] TURKISH PEACE GARDEN ADMIRED BY VISITORS IN MONTREAL

[11] HEAVY FOG PARALYSES TRANSPORTATION IN ISTANBUL

[12] 40 KILOS OF HEROIN SEIZED IN GAZIANTEP

[13] EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK AND TURKEY TO SIGN

[14] OWNER OF CENAJANS GREY ADVERTISING COMPANY, KECILI ARRESTED

[15] ARCHEOLOGY ADVISOR OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE,

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

TURK:STATE DIDN'T BARGAIN WITH GANGS
Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk said that the state didn't bargain with Ergin brothers who are the leaders of the illegal gang known as Karagumruk gang. Turk stated that the brothers had nearly 30 hostages whose lives were in risk and they tried to save the hostages.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

BAHCELI DREAMS OF BEING TURKEY'S SOLE GOVERNOR
The Nationalist Party (MHP) will hold its sixth Great Congress today. During his speech, MHP leader Devlet Bahceli is expected to give messages close to center instead of preaching radical change. Information age, globalization and negative effects of globalization will be major topics of Bahceli's conversation. Bahceli will also stress his intention to come to power on his own.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

DECREASE IN INFLATION IS SLOW
IMF Turkey Desk Chief Carlo Cottarelli said that the decrease in the inflation is slow in Turkey, adding that the reason of this slow decrease has to be found. Further decreasing the inflation depends on adoptation of structural reforms, said Cottarelli and added that not all the Turkish people believe that the inflation will decrease.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

SYRIA'S FEAR OF SHARIA
Syria changed its strategy and policy towards Turkey and decided to base its relations with Turkey on a strong and permanent friendship foundation. The reason of that is the fact that Syria is fearful of the fundamentalist threat that is seen in the region.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

KEY MEN MISSING
Whereabouts of Sukru Karahasanoglu, one of the former Etibank directors wanted by the Istanbul State Security Court (DGM) is not known. He was also the former Director General of Sumerbank, which was transferred to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund. Karahasanoglu will give testimony within the framework of the investigation carried out about Sumerbank and Etibank.

YENI BINYIL (LIBERAL)

TURKEY COMES FIRST IN BRIBERY
In the illegal payments report of the World Bank, Turkey top the list of countries where bribery is very common. Prime Ministry Inspection Council who prepared a report on ''Corruption in Turkey in the World'' upon Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's request stated that the World Bank will carry out a corruption inquiry for Turkey and come up with a ''proposal package'' to bring a solution to this problem.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

PRISON INCIDENTS CAUSE TENSION BETWEEN TANTAN AND TURK
Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk responded harshly to Security officials who said that they had informed the Justice Ministry one and a half month ago about the possibility of an incident at the Usak Prison. ''If there is any minister who are willing to be responsible of prisons, we can give this responsibility to him,'' Turk said and he indicated that his ministry had taken all the necessary measures. Interior Minister Saadettin Tantan appointed two inspectors regarding the incidents who will inquire the lack of responsibility of the gendarmerie forces and the local administration in the riot.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

[02] SURVEY REVEALS WHY GERMANS PREFER SPENDING VACATION IN TURKEY

German Tourism Researches Institution Chairman Armin Viehaber said at a press conference that 72 percent of German people find Turkey's beaches impressive.

The survey also revealed that a German person who comes to Turkey wants to come back in the next three years. Nine percent of those who have never been to Turkey are planning to visit Turkey in the next three years. According to general results, 14 percent of those who were surveyed are considering to spend a vacation in Turkey.

Germans are regarding Turkey as a country rich in history and culture where they can experience western and eastern culture together. Germans also remarked that they are very pleased about the Turkish hospitality. They also think that Turkey has ''extremely reasonable'' prices for a country to spend a vacation.

Those who were surveyed also noted that they did not face any language problems since a majority of personnel employed at tourism facilities speak German.

Germans also had some warnings and recommendations for Turkish tourism. They said that unplanned urbanization is making the beaches look ugly, therefore this should be stopped. Other recommendations are as follows:

-Turkey's historical and cultural assets should be offered to tourists by stressing the western characteristics of these places.

-Turkey should take measures to protect the environment and this should be publicized among German people.

-Turkey should cooperate more with European tour operators which have environmental sensitivity.

-Regions which don't draw many tourists should be made attractive to foreigners through a tourism development plan.

[03] DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER YILMAZ SAYS TERMINATION OF TERRORISM

Yilmaz addressed to people in Hatay's Samandag province. During his speech, Yilmaz said Turkey's 15-year old fight against terrorism cost the country big sufferings and losses, and it also damaged its relations with neighbouring countries. ''But now, we left behind those days and now is the time to heal the wounds,'' Yilmaz said.

''Now it is time to take democratic and economic actions. We have entered a new period with our neighbour Syria and Turkey wants to benefit from this as much as it can.''

''We have more friendship than hostility with Syria in our history and our responsibility is to keep the friendship alive,'' he went on to say. ''Both countries have interests in this. Syrian citizens across the border are our brothers and brothers don't fight. We know that Syrians also want a more prosperous and peaceful future.''

Yilmaz also said that more customs gates can open on the Turkish-Syrian border as the relations improve.

Dwelling on Turkey's EU membership, Yilmaz said ''I would like to note that, our EU membership would not break us apart from the Turkish republics, nor from the Islamic world. On the contrary, Turkey would increase its relations with these countries. It will speak for these countries in Europe.''

''The government's stability programme is very important. We also have to implement the reforms on democracy, human rights and freedoms which are demanded by our people. We have to restructure the state and bring supremacy of law. When all these are done, the whole world will admire Turkey.''

[04] CULTURE MINISTER TALAY SAYS ELMALI COINS WOULD BE DISPLAYED AT ANTALYA MUSEUM AFTER MUSEUM IS EXPANDED

Talay attended the opening of a historic tomb which is believed to belong to 5th or 6th century A.C. Later he surveyed the continuing activities at the Side Ancient Threater, the Apollon Temple, and the Aspendos Ancient Theater.

Responding to a question, Talay said the Antalya Museum is not yet ready for the exhibition of the Elmali coins and added that the coins would be brought from Ankara after the additional building is built to enlarge the museum.

Speaking on the Herakles sculpture which was taken to the United States after it was stolen from Antalya, Talay said there were no developments on this issue although Turkey proved by documents that the sculpture belonged to Antalya. Talay explained that his ministry cannot file a law suit since opening such cases is very expensive in the United States.

Prf. Ulku Izmirligil who is running the restoration works at the Siden Ancient City told Talay that their activities would finish by the tourism season in 2002.

[05] NUMBER OF TOURISTS INCREASES BY 45 PERCENT COMPARED TO

According to the figures of the Tourism Ministry, this shows an increase of 40 percent compared to the same period of 1999.

Germans again topped the list of tourists who visited Turkey in 2000 like in previous years. This year, Turkey hosted 1,051,280 German tourists. 1, 114,000 tourists came from the Commonwealth of Independent States. Britain was the third on the list with its 871,440 tourists.

Other visitors were mostly from the United States, France, the Netherlands and Austria.

Vural Oger, Chairman of Oger Tourism which is a leading tourism agency which organizes tours to Turkey remarked that Turkey had a very good tourism season. Their findings indicated that 2001 will also be a profitable year, he added.

There is a 25 percent increase in hotel bookings for this winter, Oger noted and said they had also started reservations for next year.

Speaking about his expectations from next year, Oger said they are estimating that 3,000,000 German tourists would visit Turkey next year. He said they are expecting about 12,000,000 tourists next year from all around the world.

[06] FOREIGN TRADE UNDERSECRETARY TUZMEN SAYS THEIR TARGET IN EXPORTING TO IRAQ IS TO ENTER AMONG THE FIRST THREE COUNTRIES

Speaking to A.A correspondent about his visit to Iraq together with the State Minister Tunca Toskay, Tuzmen said that they have been late in opening to the Iraqi market, adding recently they have intensified their efforts.

''Our export target to Iraq this year is 500 million dollars within the framework of the Import of Food for Oil as foreseen by the United Nations. We are ranked the seventh country with a 7 percent share in exports to Iraq. The exports will be easy by the opening of the second border gate. The entries and exists will be easier. Turkish firms will be given more shares in the tenders that will be put out in the fields of food and energy in Iraq,'' he said.

Meanwhile sources said that Iraq wants to open to Europe via Turkey in the field of communication. The Iraqi side requested the Turkish side headed by Toskay to sell public phones to Iraq and they also brought onto agenda the issue of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The two sides also decided to increase the trade volume between the two countries.

[07] PKK HELPS SMUGGLING OF OVINE AND BOVINE ANIMALS TO TURKEY

Gendarmarie Commandership Smuggling and Organized Crime Departments stated in a report that the animals which are brought by Iranian and Iraqi merchants are bought by some Turkish citizens and they are brought into the country through the help of the PKK.

The report said every year, 400-500 bovine, and 4 to 5 million of ovine animals are smuggled into Turkey. Iran allows this smuggling to hurt the Turkish economy, the report said and claimed that Iran also bring animals from other countries and send them to Turkey.

It was stressed that the animal smuggling seriously hurts the Turkish economy. The cost of tax loss which is the result of this smuggling is estimated to be between 300 and 350 trillion TL.

The report also said that gendarmerie forces seized 234,685 ovine and 21, 368,000 bovine animals on Turkey's borders with Iran and Iraq.

[08] ITALIAN EARTHQUAKE RESEARCH SHIP COMPLETES ITS STUDIES IN MARMARA

Head of the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) Marmara Research Center Chairman Prof. Naci Gorur told the A.A that they received the results of this research and they would announce them to the public after they review these findings.

A total of 14 scientists from Turkey, Italy and the United States participated in the research during which they viewed the active fault lines using a high resolution imaging sonar.

The aim of the research was to find out which fault line occured as the result of which major earthquakes throughout the history.

The results obtained by this study will be also used on the ship ''Urania'' which will scan the coast of Kucukcekmece and Prenses island in February, 2001.

[09] ESTIMATED COST OF RIOT AT USAK PRISON IS 500 BILLION TL

Usak Republic Head Prosecutor Kursat Kayral told reporters that the incidents in the prison caused a damage of 500 billion TL. Kayral emphasized that there were no other deaths other than the five victims and the number of wounded was 17.

Administrative building and main halls of the prison suffered the biggest damage and all televisions were smashed, Kayral said and added that the documents which contain all the information about inmates were saved.

''There was no bargaining. We made no concessions. The talks were very brief and we started an investigation over the deaths of five people,'' he elaborated.

Kayrak also reminded reporters that 87 prisoners were sent to prisons in near provinces. The Justice Ministry decided where to send the Ergin brothers, he said.

Later Kayrak gave a tour to reporters in the prison. It was stated that the prison directorate, cafeteria, meeting hall, administrative building and main halls leading to the wards were in unusable condition.

During the riot, the prisoners also damaged all computers and the x-ray machine. They also smashed and robbed the safe in which prison personnel and inmates keep their valuables. There were banners saying ''amnesty'' hanging on the walls. All windows were broken and the telephone network is not working.

Reporters, during their tour, were also shown four guns, knives, hammers, handsaws, sticks and glue which drug addicts sniff that were found by security forces during the search.

There were blood stains on the wall under the window through which the rioters threw the bodies of five people they killed. One prisoner who asked to remain anonymous said the Ergin brothers killed five people by torturing and interrogating them in the meeting hall before the riot began.

Kayral said other wards did not suffer any damage and the repair works would start very soon.

[10] TURKISH PEACE GARDEN ADMIRED BY VISITORS IN MONTREAL

The Turkish Peace Garden which is a response of the Turkish society to the monument built in the memory of the socalled genocide on Armenians, covers an area of 2,000 square meters at the entrance of Montreal Botanical Garden.

The Honourary Turkish Consul General to Montreal G. Emin Battika said that the Turkish garden is admired by the one million people who visit the Botanic Garden every year.

Iznik porcelains and tulips, which are the two important elements of the Turkish culture and art are displayed in the Turkish peace garden.

[11] HEAVY FOG PARALYSES TRANSPORTATION IN ISTANBUL

The ferries in all destinations except the ones between Besiktas and Uskudar districts of Istanbul were stopped between 06.00 and 08.50 a.m. Istanbul Strait was also closed to the passages of transit ships at 03.00 a.m.

Meanwhile the plane of the Turkish Airlines which was on the way from Frankfurt to Istanbul and another one which was on the way from Trieste to Istanbul couldn't land at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport due to heavy fog and they went to Ankara.

[12] 40 KILOS OF HEROIN SEIZED IN GAZIANTEP

Narcotic teams, disguised as buyer, agreed to meet with a man and they caught him red-handed during delivery of 30 kilos of heroin. The man had another 10 kilos hidden in a secret compartment in his car.

Police are trying to catch another man who is involved in the incident.

[13] EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK AND TURKEY TO SIGN

Treasury Undersecretary Selcuk Demiralp and Ewald Nowotny, the deputy chairman of the European Investment Bank will sign the agreement in Ankara.

The Treasury Undersecretariat said on Sunday that the European Investment Bank had promised to give a credit worth of 600 million EUROs to Turkey to finance part of the Marmara Quake Urgent Aid and Reconstruction Project.

[14] OWNER OF CENAJANS GREY ADVERTISING COMPANY, KECILI ARRESTED

As a part of the operation against corruption, which is publicly known as the ''Kasirga Operation'', Kecili was interrogated by Ankara DGM Republic Prosecutor Nuh Mete Yuksel and he was sent to the alternating court with a request to arrest him. Hasip Ahmet, Muzaffer Cam, Yilmaz Ozdemir and Husiyet Murat Akan were also interrogated by Alternating Judge Rustem Ciloglu.

Ciloglu, after the interrogation, arrested Kecili and released the other four suspects.

Kecili was sent to the Ankara Maximum Security Prison.

[15] ARCHEOLOGY ADVISOR OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE,

Wright came to the Nemrut Mountain with National Geographic writer John A. Echave and photographer Reza Deghati. Wright said the National Geographic which is published in 16 languages and has a circulation of 12 million, will start being published also in Turkish starting next year in spring.

Stating that cultural assets on the Nemrut Mountain were very valuable, Wright said they printed a picture of the mountain on their magazine cover recently in order to make people aware of this historic treasure.

Wright remarked that the objects located on top of the mountain at an altitude of 2,150 meters, were unique and they had no match around the world. ''However, negligence caused big damage here,'' he said.

Noting that he has seen a group of 200 people picnicking while watching the sunset, Wright said they were saddened to see that this place was not protected against irresponsible visitors.

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