Anadolu Agency: News in English, 00-01-02

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

[01] AA News

02 January 2000 Sunday

[02] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

Demirel stressed, ''independent juristiction declared its verdict about Ocalan. Execution of the capital punishment is dependent on the parliament's approval. The parliament has not been approving any execution of capital punishment for 15 years. But there is a different dimension of Ocalan affair. We have been accepted as a candidate to the European Union (EU). We should integrate with Europe to this end. Although Turkey did not sign the Article to lift the death sentence, she has accepted to agree with the ECHR's decisions. State services require calmness. Hostility and hatred have no place in State's services. We should not made anything that can damage Turkey on the threshold of the 21st century.''

TWIN BOYS BORN IN DIFFERENT CENTURIES
Turkish twin boys born five minutes apart in Berlin, the German capital, saw their first light in two separate millenniums. A spokesman for St. Joseph's Hospital said Milcem was born at 23:56 local time and Mircan was born at 00:01 local time.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

THY'S AIRBUS 340 FORCED TO MAKE EMERGENCY LANDING AT ATATURK AIRPORT
Airbus-340 of the Turkish Airlines (THY) was forced to make an emergency landing right after it took off from Istanbul's Ataturk Airport on Saturday. The plane bound for Cape Town, South Africa, took off at 00:20 local time on Saturday. It hit to a flock of seagulls which damaged two of the plane's engines so the plane was forced to make an emergency landing.

The passangers of the plane were sent to Cape Town on another plane. THY authorities said they were working to repair the damage occured in the engines.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

ECEVIT: ''TURKEY SUCCESSFULLY OVERCAME Y2K PROBLEM''
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that Turkey successfully overcame the possible Y2K problem that was feared to affect computer operated systems.

Ecevit noted that Turkey was not affected by the Y2K problem, and reminded that the Prime Ministry Crisis Center has been working on the problem with the representatives of public and private institutions since May 1999.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

No casualties were reported in the blast, but the bomb-attack caused minor financial damage in the pharmacy. Security forces have launched a full investigation into the attack.

FIRE AT QUAKE TENT CAUSES FINANCIAL DAMAGE
Fire which broke out in an earthquake tent in Istanbul's Sirinevler district caused financial damage. It was reported that a small LPG canister used for cooking caused the fire. The fire spread to five other tents in the area but no casualties were reported in the incident. The fire was put out by people and fire fighters.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

TWO MILD EARTHQUAKES OCCUR IN SEA OF MARMARA
Two mild earthquakes were recorded in the Sea of Marmara on Saturday.

Officials at the Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory Seismology Institute said that two earthquakes measuring 3.5 and 3.3 on the Richter scale, occured in the Sea of Marmara at 09:17 local time and 09:42 local time.

IMKB ON TOP TEN LIST OF THE WORLD
The Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) became one of the most increasing stock exchanges of the world. Michael Marrese, a leading economist from the Chase Manhattan, said that the government's structural reforms and privatization programme gave rise to the increase in the IMKB.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

SPLIT UP TANKER GIVING OUT POISON
The Russian flagged tanker Volgoneft 248 which split apart after running aground in the storm near Kucukcekmece continues to leak fuel oil and pollute the coast. Erkan Arikan, the Deputy General Director of Coast Guard said the ship could be unloaded in one day but this might cause the ship get unbalanced and sink. Therefore the static calculations of the ship must be done by the Istanbul Technical University (ITU). The unloading of ship might last for a week, he noted and also added that the sank part of the ship will be unloaded using a different method.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

[03] PRIME MINISTRY CRISIS MANAGEMENT CENTER ANNOUNCES DEATH TOLL AS 844

A total of 12,939 dwellings and 2,450 business places collapsed or suffered heavy damages in the quake.

A total of 51,676 tents have been distributed to quake survivors while assembly of 622 prefabricated huts have been finalized.

The Red Crescent and the Turkish Armed Forces have dispatched 197 mobile kitchens, 173 mobile baths, 2 mobile bakeries, a number of beds, sleeping bags, blankets, duvets, stoves, and foodstuff to the quake-stricken area.

In the disaster area, 330 doctors, 254 nurses, and 962 health staff are working.

[04] ATATURK AIRPORT'S INTERNATIONAL LINES TERMINAL BUILDING TO BE INAUGURATED ON MONDAY

The 500,000 square meter complex is expected to serve 14 million passengers every year. The terminal building has the biggest multi-storey parking lot of Europe. It also has a purification and waste disposal complex as well as roads and bridges. The system integration of the complex is only found in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Frankurt and Chicago airports.

The international lines complex has a modular growth capacity which enables to increase the number of passenger bridges from 18 to 23 and open more social facilities that are supposed to be found in international transit airports.

President Suleyman Demirel is expected to attend the inauguration of the terminal complex on Monday.

[05] CUSTOMS OFFICIALS CONFISCATE DRUG HAVING MARKET PRICE OF 4.5 TRILLION TURKISH LIRAS AT KAPIKULE BORDER GATE IN 1999

Officials told the A.A correspondent on Sunday that number of incidents decreased in 1999 compared with the figures in 1998.

Customs officials confiscated a total of 400 kg of heroin, 1,200,000 Captagon pills, and 15 tonnes of acid anhydride which is being used in heroin production.

Customs officials also seized 150 thousand bullets and a number of weapons at the Kapikule Border Gate in 1999. In 1999, a total of 110 incidents occured at the Kapikule Border Gate. This figure was 130 in 1998.

[06] FOREIGN MINISTER CEM: - ''THE MOST IMPORTANT MATTER FOR US IN YEAR 2000 IS SOUTHERN CAUCASIA''

Addressing a television programme on the state-run TRT-1 Channel, Cem evaluated the developments in 1999.

Referring to the continuing clashes in Chechnya, Cem said, ''Chechnya problem has affected negatively the neighbouring countries such as Georgia. Turkey will continue to cooperate with Georgia in every field.''

When asked whether or not he had expected President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation to resign, Cem noted, ''actually I did not expect him to resign from his post.''

Recalling that the Greek Cypriot administration had became a candidate to the European Union (EU) five years ago in spite of Turkey's objections,

Cem said that the Cyprus question was brought onto agenda of the EU within this framework.

Cem described announcement of Turkey's candidacy to the EU as the most important development in 1999, adding that Turkey has also succeded in her struggle against terrorism last year.

[07] MUGLA GOVERNORSHIP TO HOST FOREIGN AMBASSADORS AND COLUMNISTS BEFORE SUMMER TO BOOST TOURISM

Stating that Mugla has an important place in Turkish tourism and it provides one fourth of Turkey's tourism income, Yigenoglu said representatives of tourism sector in Mugla will have great responsibilities in the coming months.

Before 2000's summer, Yigenoglu will host columnists who wrote for foreign publications as well as ambassadors of foreign countries to introduce them the natural assets of Mugla region.

[08] UNLOADING EFFORTS ON VOLGONEFT 248 TO START ON MONDAY

Hucum Tulgar, the General Director of Coast Guard and Ship Rescue Managements, said their works were interrupted by the new year holiday.

Administrative and legal procedures regarding unloading the ship will start on Monday. The ship owners and the insurance company are expected to reach an agreement also on the same day.

Tulgar noted that unloading the fuel oil from the ship required some detailed calculations and was not so easy.

According to International Maritime Law, a ship is like an embassy building and considered foreign territory. Therefore, Turkey cannot start working on the ship without Russia's approval unless an emergency occurs like if the ship starts sinking, Tulgar explained.

He also stressed that they surrounded the ship with barriers to prevent a possible danger that might be caused by a leak. The 25 personnel if a rescue ship are currently keeping the situation under control.

[09] A.A

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