Anadolu News Agency: News in English, 00-05-14

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

14 May Monday

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

[02] TREMOR IN BALIKESIR

[03] SWISS AID TO QUAKE AREA

[04] CAGAN, MINISTER OF FORESTRY: ''YERKOPRU FALLS WILL BE TURNED INTO A NATURE PARK''

[05] EARTHQUAKE IN OSMANIYE

[06] DURMUS, MINISTER OF HEALTH, LEAVES FOR SWITZERLAND

[07] SEZER, PRESIDENT-ELECT, TO TAKE OATH ON TUESDAY AS 10TH PRESIDENT OF TURKEY

[08] ERSUMER, MINISTER OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES:

[09] ANAP LEADER YILMAZ: ''DALAMAN IS MUGLA'S GATE OPENING OUT TO THE WORLD''

[10] EUROVISION SONG CONTEST ENDS

[11] FIRST MULTI-PURPOSE HELICOPTER TO BE DELIVERED

[12] ECONOMIC LOSSES CAUSED BY EARTHQUAKES

[13] PRESIDENT DEMIREL TO STAGE NEWS CONFERENCE ON MONDAY

[14] FIRST REGULAR MEETING OF VIRTUE PARTY STARTS IN ANKARA

[15] AZERI PRESIDENT ALIYEV RESPONDS PRESIDENT DEMIREL'S LETTER DATED MAY 5

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

IRAN FEEDS 1800 PKK TERRORISTS
Official documents continue to disprove Iran's claims that it does not give support to terrorism. Documents prepared by intelligence officials prove that Iran is protecting 1800 PKK terrorists and 53 Hezbollah terrorists within its borders. According to the intelligence officials' reports, Iran is providing also financial support to the terrorists.

CUBAN DELEGATION VISITS 'CUBA MINOR'
A Cuban Parliamentary delegation, led by Ramon Pez Ferro, Foreign Affairs Commissioner of the Cuban National Assembly, paid a visit to Gurbuz Capan, Mayor of Esenyurt. Capan and the visiting delegation paid a visit to the Havana Park, a park in Esenkent, built in a gesture of friendship between Cuba and Turkey. Following a brief ceremony and a minute's observing of silence in memory of Ataturk and Jose Marti, the delegation attended a luncheon held on their honor by Capan.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

HEZBOLLAH INDICTMENT READY
The Chief Prosecutorship of Istanbul State Security Court (DGM) completed its Hezbollah indictment. In the indictment it was said that the terrorist organisation, born in Vahdet bookstore in Diyarbakir, aims at establishing an Islamic Kurdish State based on the Islamic laws. The indictment, prepared by Prosecutor Adnan Vehbi Gunes, gives detailed information about the structure, activities, targets, and aims of the outlawed organisation.

TREASURE HUNT IN SUBMERGING CITY
One ancient treasure is being discovered after the other in the antique city of Zeugma observes its countdown before submerging under the waters of the Birecik Dam in South East Anatolia. Mosaics, frescoes, a 1,5 meter bronze statue of Mars, the God of War, columns, and ornaments belonging to the Roman times were found during a construction excavation. One bag, full of Roman guineas were also discovered. S ix pieces of mosaic, found accidentally in the site, have been put on exhibit at Gaziantep Museum. The rest are waiting on the line.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

INCREASE IN TAX INCOME
Finance Minister Sumer Oralsaid there is an increase by 142 percent in tax incomes of the first five months of the year 2000 as compared to the same period of the previous year. He added that there was an increase by 100 to 140 percent in the value-added tax, that the rate of inflationz was gradually decreasing, and that a greater decrease in the rate of inflation would pave the way for better and more extensive utilisation of the country's resources.

TWO GIANT INSTALLATIONS BY YIMPAS
Yimpas Group opened Yimteks Confection Factory and an eight storey Culture and Business Center in Yozgat with ceremonies. The factory, whose construction had started in 1999, will provide employment opportunities to 400 workers. The inauguration ceremonies were attended by the executives of the Yimpas Group, and locals.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

CAKICI'S LAWYER IN TURKEY
Luc Febbraro, French Lawyer of Alaatin Cakici, notorious mafia boss, met with his client on Saturday. Cakici is currently kept in Kartal Prison.

Turkey's application, which was made to the Aix-En Provence Court, in order to broaden the scope of extradition to interrogate Cakici apart from the cases he is under trial in Turkey, will be discussed by the court on May 18.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

POLICE FINDS ARSENAL OF GUNS
Police found many explosive devices, 39 hand grenades, and 18 weapons in Sincan township of Ankara. Police, acting on a tip off, found the arsenal in a field, and they focus on the possibility that the arsenal may be belonging to terrorist Hezbollah organization. They think that Hezbollah terrorists, who were afraid that operations pertaining to the assasination of Ugur Mumcu, will be broadened, left the arsenal of guns in the field.

YENI BINYIL (LIBERAL)

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

The families were delivered to Turkish officials by UN officials, and were settled, to stay for a temmporary period, in tents.

Officials said there were about 3 thousand more Turkish families in Northern Iraqi camps, and that 1,799 people, or 489 families, had returned home.

TREMOR SHAKES POTURGE
A minor quake shook Poturge township of southeastern Malatya province early on Saturday.

Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory Quake Research Center said minor earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.6 shook Poturge township at 04:34 local time.

The epicenter of the quake was Poturge.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

ANKARA GENDARMERY DISCOVERS EXPLOSIVES
Ankara's Gendarmery units discovered substantial amounts of C-4, and TNT explosives, 39 hand grenades, 18 machine guns, and 1670 bullets of various sizes left on a field in Sincan, a subsurb of the capital Ankara. The arms and ammunition were taken to the Criminal Department of the Gendarmery Command Headquarters for examination.

[02] TREMOR IN BALIKESIR

Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory and Quake Research Center said an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.0 shook Balikesir at 03:03 local time.

Meanwhile, an aftershock measuring 2.9 on the Richter scale occurred at 02:22 local time in Adapazari-Geyve, and another one measuring 3.0 was recorded in Izmit-Karamursel at 02:46 local time

[03] SWISS AID TO QUAKE AREA

Chairman of the Foundation, Felix Bollmann, who paid a visit on Saturday to the Disaster Area Coordinator's office to have talks with Governor Kutluay Oktem, said that the remaining 4 million francs were used to meet the immediate needs of the quake survivors.

''We are planning to use the 13 million franc portion of the aid for investments in the fields of education and health services, and in creating employment opportunities. This is why we wanted to get information from the Governor on the needs and demands of the region,'' Bollmann said.

Governor Kutluay Oktem expressed his gratitude to the Foundation executives, and said, ''These aids will help us heal our wounds in a shorted period of time.''

[04] CAGAN, MINISTER OF FORESTRY: ''YERKOPRU FALLS WILL BE TURNED INTO A NATURE PARK''

Cagan, who participated in a groundbreaking ceremony in Hadim, said in the speech he delivered there, that the falls had the qualities that a ''nature park'' would require, and said the area would be taken under protection in line with the ''National Parks Law'', and added, ''We will gain the area a new face with trekking paths and certain facilities, that would be harmonious with the beauty of nature, and which would not spoil the general outlook of the area. We will concentrate our efforts on protecting the natural beauties.''

[05] EARTHQUAKE IN OSMANIYE

Governor Umit Karahan said he had received phone calls from the prime minister and various deputies, and furnished them with information on the results of the damage assessment report.

''The quake struck Osmaniye by surprise. The 4,8 strong tremor wrought damage on 21 houses, and 6 mosque minarets. Luckily, the conditions of the 12 people wounded in the quake are quite good at the moment,'' Karahan said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Memili Kırıkkanat said that about a thousand unlicensed constructions in various parts of the city had been sealed to be pulled down, and that there was going to be even stricter measures to prevent the construction of unlicensed buildings.

[06] DURMUS, MINISTER OF HEALTH, LEAVES FOR SWITZERLAND

Speaking at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport before his departure, Durmus said World Health Organization, which is one of the biggest organizations of the U.N. related with health, convenes regularly once a year in May in Geneva city of Switzerland.

Durmus said health ministers or high level officials of 191 countries related with health will attend the meeting that will take place between May 15 and 20. Durmus said the title of the meeting was: ''Health Systems: Performance Development.''

Health Minister Durmus said he will hold bilateral meetings with the health ministers of various countries during the meeting, adding that he will sign ''Medium Term Cooperation Program,'' with Mark Danzon, Regional Director of World Health Organization. He said the program arranges relations with the World Health Organization European Region in the years 2000-2001.

Durmus said he will later proceed to Denmark and Germany to meet with the officials of Turkish associations and federations.

Health Minister Durmus is expected to return to Turkey on May 21.

[07] SEZER, PRESIDENT-ELECT, TO TAKE OATH ON TUESDAY AS 10TH PRESIDENT OF TURKEY

The parliament is expected to have a relatively quiet week due to the absence of many of the deputies, who are to fly to Copenhagen, Denmark, to watch the UEFA Cup final between Galatasaray soccer team and Arsenal on May 17.

Ruling groups will not prepare a special agenda for the pleanery session, in anticipation of very little participation in the session due to the absence of many of the deputies.

[08] ERSUMER, MINISTER OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES:

Ersumer, who inaugurated a hydroelectricity power station built by Bereket Enerji Inc. in Dalaman, said in the speech he delivered there, that Turkey was a rapidly developing country with a continuously increasing population, and a continuously increasing demand for prosperity, and added,''The government is unceasingly working and trying its best to meet the people's demand for prosperity and comfort.''

Noting that the energy sector in the past decades had entered a bottleneck due to lack of enough electricity production plants, Ersumer said that the 55th government had mobilised all its means and all sections of the society for new projects in this field.

Ceyhan Saldanli, Head of the Bereket Enerji Inc. Executive Board, said that the environment friendly power station was the masterpiece of the workers who put all their efforts to this project.

The official inauguration of the power station was made by Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz. State Minister Mehmet Kececiler, Finance Minister Sumer Oral, and Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu were also present at the ceremony.

[09] ANAP LEADER YILMAZ: ''DALAMAN IS MUGLA'S GATE OPENING OUT TO THE WORLD''

Yilmaz, who attended on Saturday, the inauguration of the Purification Plant of the Dalaman Municipality, said that he had attended a number of inauguration and groundbreaking ceremonies in Dalaman earlier in the day, and pointed out that these ceremonies, in a way, were the celebration of efforts to make Mugla, Turkey's showcase, a better and a more modern province.

Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu, in his speech, drew attention to the increasing number of tourists visiting Turkey, and the high growth rate of the tourism sector. Noting that the number of tourists visiting Turkey had already reached 10 million this year, Mumcu said that this was a record, and that there were many other records that Turkey had broken in the field of tourism.

Governor of Dalaman Lutfi Yigenoglu said that the installations were going to meet an important part of the region's demand for eergy, and thanked all those, who had worked in the completion of the project.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Cumhur Ersumer, State Minister Mehmet Kececiler, and Finance Minister Sumer Oral attended the ceremony.

[10] EUROVISION SONG CONTEST ENDS

Denmark came first with 195 points with the song "Fly on the Wings of Love" by the Olsen Brothers, beating Russian Alsou, who sang a song called ''Solo'' and received 155 points, into second place.

Latvia came third with 136 points, with the song ''My Star'' by the band Brain Storm.

Turkey's representatives, Pinar Ayhan and The S.O.S obtained 59 points with the song ''Yorgunum Anla'', and placed 10th.

[11] FIRST MULTI-PURPOSE HELICOPTER TO BE DELIVERED

TAI officials, speaking to A.A correspondent, said first cougar helicopters will be delivered to Air Forces Commandership on May 31, 2000 with a ceremony.

The second helicopter is expected to be delivered to Air Forces Commandership within a month.

AS 532 Cougar Al type combat search and rescue helicopter produced by Eurocopter Firm of France, was earlier handed over to Turkey.

The helicopter production project, foreseeing production of 30 helicopters by TAI and Eurocopter, will be completed within five years.

[12] ECONOMIC LOSSES CAUSED BY EARTHQUAKES

According to the information and data compiled by the A.A correspondent from the artisans and tradesmen of the region, the loss in daily production is around 56 million 150 thousand U.Sdollars; 97,5 percent of the region's industries have reached a 75 per cent capacity in 6 months. However, small scale 15 establishments, damaged seriously in the quake have recovered only to a 40 percent capacity in this same period. The loss suffered in Kocaeli, which is estimated to be around 3,5 billion U.S dollars, constitutes a great part of the total damage, which is estimated to be around 4 billion U.S dollars.

Over in Sakarya, the damage caused by the earthquake is around 380 million U.Sdollars.

In Bolu, the total loss is believed to have reached, maybe even topped 22 U.S million dollars.

In Duzce, officials said, the situation is as bad. The loss is estimated to be around 60 million U.S dollars.

The economic loss in Yalova is about 5 million U.S dolars, however, as a center of tourism, the unrecorded loss is even greater, due to the substantial decrease in the rate of tourist influx.

The material loss in the quake stricken region, on the other hand, is believed to be around 2 billion 570 million U.S dollars.

[13] PRESIDENT DEMIREL TO STAGE NEWS CONFERENCE ON MONDAY

President Suleyman Demirel will stage a news conference on Monday and evaluate the seven years of his term of office.

The news conference will start at 10:00 local time.

President Demirel will visit Anitkabir, Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Founder of Modern Turkish Republic and will lay a wreath.

President Demirel will hand over the office on May 16, at around 16:00 local time.

Ahmet Necdet Sezer, President-elect, will pay a visit to Anitkabir after taking oath, and will proceed to Cankaya Palace to take the office.

President Demirel will welcome Sezer and they will hold a tete-a-tete meeting, which is expected to last half an hour.

Demirel and Sezer will later attend the ceremony and deliver a speech at the ceremony.

Demirel will later leave for his house in Guniz Street.

Sezer will host a reception for those who attended the ceremony.

[14] FIRST REGULAR MEETING OF VIRTUE PARTY STARTS IN ANKARA

The attendants started being taken into the Aski Sports Hall in Ankara from 09.00 local time. Men and women were taken in from seperate doors, and were seated in seperate lines.

Invitations were sent to 11 thousand people. A total of 1236 delegates are attending the congress.

The first minutes of the congress were observed with slogans praising the Virtue Party, and its leader Recai Kutan.

Strict security measures were taken in and around the sports hall hosting the congress. About 2 thousand policemen are functioning in and around the building.

Over 500 journalists took their seats at the hall. Many television channels were ready from the early morning hours to broadcast the congress live from the hall.

Ambulances and fire brigaders are ready outside the building.

[15] AZERI PRESIDENT ALIYEV RESPONDS PRESIDENT DEMIREL'S LETTER DATED MAY 5

A written statement issued by Azerbaijan's Embassy in Ankara said Aliyev sent a letter to President Demirel. The statement said Aliyev in the letter thanked to Demirel's letter and expressed his gratitude.

''The letter noted that realization of Stability Pact in the Caucasus may play an important role in providing of security and peace in the region. Inorder to have real and long term relations, and a lasting peace in the region, military conflicts in Southern Caucasia, especially Azeri-Armenian Karabakh conflict, should be overcome in the region,'' the statement said.

It said in the letter Aliyev pointed out that friendship between Turkey and Azerbaijan was lasting.

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