Anadolu Agency: News in English, 00-09-06

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ANADOLU AGENCY

NEWS

06

SEPTEMBER 2000 Wednesday

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

[02] MANY HOUSES AND BUSINESS PLACES IN ISTANBUL INUNDATED BY TORRENTIAL RAINS

[03] TURSAB CHAIRMAN ULUSOY SAYS TURKISH TOURISM RECOVERED FROM LAST YEAR'S CRISIS QUICKLY

[04] APOLLON TEMPLE DISCOVERED IN DATCA

[05] URBAN POPULATION INCREASES IN GAP REGION

[06] TOBB AND FEDERATION OF CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF YEMEN SIGN A COOPERATION PROTOCOL

[07] VOTING FOR THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD TO START IN THE INTERNET

[08] CAPPADOCIA WAS VISITED BY 708 THOUSAND TOURISTS

[09] FOREST FIRES

[10] ORIENT EXPRESS IN EDIRNE

[11] OECD ISTANBUL CENTER TO BE OPENED ON FRIDAY

[12] U.N. MILLENIUM SUMMIT STARTS

[13] AGROTEC 2000 FAIR STARTS ON WEDNESDAY

[14] AUSTRIANS TO RESTORE ELEVEN SELJUK TURKISH BATHS

[15] ORIENT-EXPRESS ARRIVES IN ISTANBUL

[16] EARTH TREMOR ROCKS YALOVA

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

COTTARELLI:''FINE TUNING SHOULD BE DONE BEFORE SEPTEMBER 12''
IMF Turkey Desk Chairman Carlo Cottarelli said that measures which aim to slow down the growth of current transaction deficit should be taken before September 12. On September 12, Cottarelli will complete his contacts in Ankara and he and Treasury Undersecretary Selcuk Demiralp will go to London. He said Turkey should take these measures before the IMF delegation leaves for London.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

SEZER:''TALEBAN MUST CHANGE''
Sezer, during his visit to New York, had a meeting with Afghan leader in exile Burhaneddin Rabbani. ''Taleban movement must change,'' Sezer said during the meeting. He stated that Taleban created a risk of Islamist fundamentalism and terrorism both in Afghanistan and Turkish Republics.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

PRESIDENT SEZER TO MEET HIS FRENCH AND RUSSIAN COUNTERPARTS
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer who is currently in New York, the U.S., to attend the United Nations Millennium Summit, will hold bilateral contacts with President Jacques Chirac of France and President Vladimir Putin of Russian Federation later on Wednesday. On Thursday, President Sezer will receive German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, and meet with U.S. President Bill Clinton. Sezer's meeting with Putin is expected to focus on issues such as Blue Stream Project, peace in Caucasus, defense tenders, improvement of trade volume between Turkey and Russia, Upper Karabagh dispute and the latest developments in Chechnya.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer who will present Turkey at the summit will have a meeting with U.S. President Bill Clinton. The Armenian draft law, Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, and Turkish-Greek relations will be the major points of discussion between the two leaders.

MOODY'S DELEGATION TO INSPECT TURKEY ON SEPTEMBER 11
A delegation from the international rating institution, Moody's will come to Turkey on September 11 to monitor the new developments in Turkish economy. The delegation headed by Hanan Amin Salem will have meetings with executives of the Treasury Undersecretariat, Central Bank and some private banks. In a recent analysis, Moody's had stated that there could be an increase in Turkey's credit note soon.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

A BLACK LIST OF 6,000 PEOPLE
The list of the civil servants who are involved in Islamist fundamentalist activities has been completed. There are 1,500 teachers, 75 imams, and 40 security officers on the government's black list of 6,000 people who will be dismissed if the decree becomes a law. It was also stated that the Higher Education Council (YOK) is getting ready to start an investigation about 500 university lecturers.

YENİ BİNYIL (LIBERAL)

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

ARMED ATTACK IN SELCUK
Unidentified assailants opened fire on a filling station and restaurant in Belevi hamlet of Selcuk township of western Izmir province. Five people lost their lives in the armed attack.

MOODY'S TO COME TO TURKEY ON SEPTEMBER 11
International rating organization Moody's will come to Turkey on September 11 to observe developments marked in Turkey's economy. The Moody's delegation headed by Moody's Turkey analyst Hanan Amin Salem will hold contacts with the Treasury Undersecretariat, Central Bank, Finance Ministry and private sector. The last Moody's analysis had said that there could be an increase in Turkey's rating in the short term and that criteria required for this increase were observed. Officials of Moody's said that the stability in the economic program that is being implemented and the support given to this program are important. Moody's delegation will take up current transactions, inflation and domestic and foreign borrowing during its contacts in Turkey. Moody's is expected to announce Turkey's new rating by the end of September.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

SEZER AND CLINTON TO DISCUSS DRAFT LAW REGARDED WITH ARMENIANS
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer who is currently in New York, the U.S., to attend the United Nations Millennium Summit, is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Bill Clinton tomorrow. At the meeting, the draft law regarded with Armenians will be high on the agenda.

[02] MANY HOUSES AND BUSINESS PLACES IN ISTANBUL INUNDATED BY TORRENTIAL RAINS

Officials told the A.A correspondent that the torrential rains started this morning and lasted for about one and a half hour.

The torrential rains affected Eyup, Zeytinburnu, Gungoren and Bagcilar districts inundating a number of houses and business places.

The heavy rain paralyzed the daily life and traffic in Istanbul.

Several traffic accidents occurred due to wet roads, killing one person and injuring another one.

Officials at the Regional Directorate of Meteorogly said that the rains were expected to continue till weekend.

[03] TURSAB CHAIRMAN ULUSOY SAYS TURKISH TOURISM RECOVERED FROM LAST YEAR'S CRISIS QUICKLY

Ulusoy told A.A correspondent that a total of 5 million 401,419 tourists visited Turkey in the first seven months of this year which is 35 percent higher than last year's same period. This figure is also 8 percent higher than the same period in 1998.

Turkey obtained 2 billion 568 million U.S. dollars from tourism in the first six months of 2000 which is 43 percent higher than last year. However, this figure is 8 percent lower than the same period in 1998.

''Last year, we had a heavy crisis and we told beginning of this year that we were targeting the figures of 1998,'' Ulusoy said. ''We are hoping to reach 10 million visitors by the end of this year.''

Turkish tourism has always suffered from some problems such as heavy traffic, poor urbanization and environmental infrastructure, Ulusoy said. He also said private airline companies face serious problems due to the insufficient number of seats in air transportation.

Complaining about the high entrance fees at museums, Ulusoy said they have worked very hard to resolve this issue but they faced resistance from authorities.

Conferences and meetings on culture, interests, and religious beliefs should have a bigger share in the tourism market, Ulusoy said. Noting that domestic tourism should not be neglected, he said this is a need for Turkish people and also a big economic activity.

[04] APOLLON TEMPLE DISCOVERED IN DATCA

The temple is the first Apollon altar found in Knidos antique city at Datca.

Prof. Dr. Numan Tuna, the head of the excavation carried out with the cooperation of Middle East Technical University (ODTU) and Hamburg University, said on Wednesday that an inscription belonging to a priest of the temple was also found.

At the location of the temple, worshipping materials, a statue of a man, and statues from soil and limestone dating to 8th century B.C., were discovered.

The foundings, will be sent to Marmaris Archeological Museum for display.

[05] URBAN POPULATION INCREASES IN GAP REGION

According to the data obtained from the GAP Regional Development Administration, the total population in nine cities increased from 47 percent to 64 percent between 1985 and 1997 in the total population in the South East. The rural population declined from 52 to 35 percent.

During the same period, the urban population increased from 55 to 65 throughout Turkey while the rural population dropped from 44 to 34 percent.

Gaziantep holds the highest number of inhabitants among the cities in the South East. In Gaziantep, the urban population increased from 68 to 76 percent between 1985 and 1997. In other words, three fourths of people who live in Gaziantep live in city and townships of Gaziantep.

According to 1997 data, urban population reached 68 percent in Batman, 64 percent in Diyarbakir, 60 percent in Kilis, 60 percent in Siirt, 60 percent in Sanliurfa, 59 percent in Sirnak, 58 percent in Adiyaman and 56 percent in Mardin.

Population in rural areas is decreasing parallel to the increase in urban population. Gaziantep has the lowest rural population, 23 percent, in the South East Anatolia. Batman and Diyarbakir have rural populations of 31 and 35 percent respectively.

During 1985-1997 period, urban population increase in the GAP region was 16 percent and it was 9 percent in throughout Turkey. However, infrastructure services in cities did not increase parallel to the increase in urban population, and thus increased problems for inhabitants of big cities.

[06] TOBB AND FEDERATION OF CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF YEMEN SIGN A COOPERATION PROTOCOL

Rifat Hisarciklioglu, the Acting Chairman of TOBB, and Ahmed Yahya Al- Sabahi, the Chairman of Executive Board of Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Yemen, signed the protocol.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Hisarciklioglu said, ''the trade volume between Turkey and Yemen which is nearly 90 million U.S. dollars, is far away from the desired level.''

Meanwhile, Ali Al-Maktari who delivered a speech at the ceremony on behalf of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Yemen, said that they wanted to develop economic cooperation with friendly countries.

Stressing that they attributed great importance to technological investments, Al-Maktari said that there was an increasing demond for Turkish goods in Yemen.

[07] VOTING FOR THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD TO START IN THE INTERNET

It was announced that for voting,''Hagia Sophia can be one of the Seven Wonders of the World'' banner will be chosen at the main page of Culture Ministry at ''www.kultur.gov.tr''.

The Seven Wonders of the World were, The Egyptian Pyramids, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Colossus of Rhodes, The Statue of Zeus by Phidias at Olympia, and The Lighthouse at Alexandria. The new candidates are as follows:

The Great Wall of China, the Tac Mahal (India), the Palace of Potala (Tibet), the City of Sana, the City of Timbuktu, Hagia Sophia Mosque(Istanbul), the Collosseum (Italy), the Palace of Doces (Italy), the Cathedral of Aachen (Germany), the Eiffel Tower (France), the Statue of Liberty (U.S.), the Alhamra Palace (Spain), the Palace of Versailles and its' Garden (France), the Easter Statues (Chili), the Kremlin Palace and the Red Square (Russia), the Mayan Pyramids (Mexico), La Sagrada Familia Cathedral (Spain), Sydney Opera House (Australia), the Golden Gate Bridge(U.S.), the Empire State Building (U.S.), Macchu Picchu Ruins (Peru) and Angkor Wat Temple (Cambodia).

Istemihan Talay Culture Minister stressed that they are proud of Hagia Sophia being one of the candidates for the Seven Wonders of the World and said this candidacy will be a promotion for Turkey. ''From the web site of our ministry, the candidacy of Hagia Sophia is announced. I invite our citizens to vote for it.'' said Talay.

Hagia Sophia Mosque was built with the order of Byzantine Emperor Justinianus at 532. When Istanbul was conqured at 1453 it was turned into a mosque and in 1934 Hagia Sophia started functioning as a museum.

[08] CAPPADOCIA WAS VISITED BY 708 THOUSAND TOURISTS

Goreme Open Air Museum, Zelve Ruins, Cavusin Church, Gulsehir St.Jean Church, Gulsehir Acıksaray Ruins, Mazi, Tatlarin, Ozkonak, Derinkuyu and Kaymakli underground cities, were visited by a total of 708 thousand 452 tourists between January and August. Foreign visitors consisted 376 thousand 873 of this figure.

Authorities said that the revenue obtained from the ticket sale of museum and ruins was 960 billion 863 million Turkish Liras.

Last year, 655 thousand 729 tourists visited Cappadocia. Foreign visitors consisted 289 thousand 503 of this figure.

[09] FOREST FIRES

The Forestry Ministry said on Wednesday that 21 forest fires broke out in 21 provinces on Tuesday, destroying 11.5 hectares of forest.

It said that all of those forest fires were taken under control.

The Ministry said that 1,649 forest fires had broken out since the beginning of the year, destroying 23,541 hectares of forest.

[10] ORIENT EXPRESS IN EDIRNE

The passengers and personnel of the Orient-Express were welcomed by Edirne Municipality Folk Dances group and Edirne Deputy Governor Necati Senturk.

Senturk expressed his pleasure with the visit of the Orient-Express to Turkey every year to Orient-Express General Director Claude Ginella.

''We are very pleased with hosting you in Turkey every year,'' Senturk told Ginella.

Speaking to the A.A correspondent, Claude Ginella said that they had departed from Paris on September 1 and there were distinguished guests from the U.S., Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Germany, Japan, Chili, Korea and Yugoslavia in the train.

''Our guests told us during the travel that they were very happy to visit Turkey. Most of them will see Turkey for the first time. Turkey is rich of historical and cultural assets,'' he said.

Officials said that the cost of the travel for one person was 80 thousand French francs.

Officials said the train would stay in Istanbul till September 8, and the passengers of the train will leave Turkey with airplanes or ships.

Officials added that the train will carry another 117 passangers from Istanbul to Venice.

[11] OECD ISTANBUL CENTER TO BE OPENED ON FRIDAY

OECD Secretary General Donald Johnston who is expected to arrive in Turkey late on Wednesday will attend inauguration of the OECD Istanbul Center after his contacts in Ankara on Thursday.

State Ministry Press Center said that the OECD Secretary General would be received by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz in Ankara on Thursday.

Johnston will meet with also State Ministers Abdulhaluk Mehmet Cay, Recep Onal and Tunca Toskay.

Johnston who will proceed from Ankara to Istanbul late on Thursday will attend a panel discussion on ''Encouragement of Investments'' in Istanbul prior to the inauguration on Friday.

[12] U.N. MILLENIUM SUMMIT STARTS

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is representing Turkey at the Millenium Summit.

The heads of states and governments who will attend the summit started to come to the building at 08 a.m. and were received by Secretary General Kofi Annan and his wife Nanette Annan at the door of the building.

President Sezer came to the building at about 08:30, and held a brief conversation with Annan.

[13] AGROTEC 2000 FAIR STARTS ON WEDNESDAY

Irsen Kucuk, the Minister of Agriculture of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), delivered a speech at the opening ceremony and said that for agriculture to survive, the price of the inputs should be decreased and the developments in the technology should be followed.

Hamit Ayanoglu, the Undersecretary of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Ministry, said that they aren't responsible for the credits and the interests and that the problems should be solved with the Bank of Agriculture. He said that they are working on the issue of the price of the inputs and after fulfilling the requirements of the agriculture reform, new technologies should be adopted.

Faruk Yücel, the Chairman of Turkish Agriculture Chambers Union said that farmers are in trouble as they couldn't pay their debts. ''We don't seek support from the government. They should deal with the transgression of the foreign producers.''

Cemil Cicek, a deputy from the Virtue Party (FP), criticized the policies of the government on agriculture.

Nail Celebi, a Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputy, said that the problems of the agriculture can't be solved easily and a long lasting solution is a necessity.

The fair has started on Wednesday in Altinpark Ankara. A total of 180 companies are participating in the fair.

[14] AUSTRIANS TO RESTORE ELEVEN SELJUK TURKISH BATHS

The ''Protocol on Excavation, Scientific Research, Restoration and Publication of Historical Works of Turkish Era in Izmir Selcuk'' was signed by Foundations General Director Nurettin Yardimci and Austrian Archeology Institute and Efes Excavations Chairman Prof. Dr. Friedrich Krinzinger with a ceremony at the Foundations Directorate General's Meeting Hall.

Nurettin Yardimci said that the Austrian government would finance the archeological excavations, reseraches and restorations of eleven Turkish baths of Seljuk era in accordance with the protocol.

The restoration will last for ten years and cost almost ten trillion Turkish liras.

[15] ORIENT-EXPRESS ARRIVES IN ISTANBUL

The train which arrived at the Sirkeci Railway Station at 03:35 p.m. will stay in Istanbul till September 8.

The Orient-Express departed from Paris on September 1 with passengers from the U.S., Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Germany, Japan, Chile, Korea, and Yugoslavia.

Orient-Express had arrived in Istanbul firstly on June 5, 1883 during the period of Sultan Abdulhamit II. The next visit of the train was on March 18, 1975 and the train paid its previous visit on September 1, 1998.

[16] EARTH TREMOR ROCKS YALOVA

Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory and Seismology Institute said that an earth tremor measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale rocked Yalova at 05:24 p.m.

The earthquake which was also felt in Istanbul was an aftershock of the devastating earthquakes on August 17 and November 12, 1999, it added.

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