Anadolu Agency: News in English, 01-03-15

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ANADOLU AGENCY

NEWS

15 MARCH

2001 Thursday

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

[02] EXCHANGE RATES IN COVERED BAZAAR IN ISTANBUL

[01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

STROKE ON PUBLIC BANKS
State Minister Kemal Dervis announced the package for overcoming the crisis. Three public banks will save the economy by preventing the economy from being a burden. A joint management will be set up for the Ziraat, Halk and Emlak banks to overcome the deficiencies. A total of 16 quadrillion Turkish liras (TL) will be transfered to the public banks, but the banks will not be charged of new missions which will harm the economy. The branches of the banks will be decreased and the retirement will be encouraged. The banks transfered to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund will either be re-organized and sold or closed. The Telekom, Turkish Airlines (THY), the state-run Spirit and Tobacco Administration and the sugar factories will be privatized and the new Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) will be sold.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

RAIN AND COLD WEATHER ON THE WAY
Turkey has been under the influence of a rainy weather as of Wednesday evening. Rain is expected in Black Sea Region, east of Mediterranean Region, south and east of Eastern Anatolia and the Southeastern Anatolia Region. The temperatures will decrease 8-10 degrees Celcius together with the precipitations.

SABAH (LIBERAL)

CONDITIONAL BRAKE TO U.S. DOLLAR
The Turkish lira will continue to float while the Central Bank will intervene in the monetary markets if there are high increases in the exchange rates. The program depends on the continuation of the floating exchange rate regime. But, the Central Bank may intervene in the monetary markets. However, this intervention will not affect the long-term balance.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

DISASTER COULD HAVE OCCURED
The football world is talking about the incidents which occured at the match between Galatasaray soccer club of Turkey and Paris Saint Germain soccer club of France. State Minister Fikret Unlu said that the attack of the French people on the Turkish people was planned.

RADIKAL (LEFT)

RISE IN OIL PRICES
The diesel oil prices were increased 1.3 percent, the oil prices were increased 2.7 percent, the cerosene prices were increased 4.6 percent, and the fuel oil prices were increased 10.2 percent. One liter of unleaded petrol will be sold at 699 thousand 600 Turkish liras (TL), one liter of super petrol at 700 thousand TL and one liter of normal petrol at 670 thousand 900 TL in the European side of Istanbul.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

ERSUMER IN SYRIA FOR INAUGURATION
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Cumhur Ersumer attended a ceremony held for the connection of Syrian, Jordanian and Egyptian networks. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah of Jordan and Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri also attended the ceremony.

[02] EXCHANGE RATES IN COVERED BAZAAR IN ISTANBUL

One German mark was sold at 473 thousand TL.

The purchase price of one U.S. dollar is 984 thousand TL, while the purchase price of one German mark is 454 thousand TL.

The purchase price of one French franc in Covered Bazaar is 126 thousand 500 TL, the purchase price of one British sterling is 1 million 325 thousand TL, and the purchase price of one Swiss franc is 535 thousand TL.

One French franc is sold at 138 thousand 500 TL, one British sterling is sold at 1 million 445 thousand TL, while one Swiss franc is sold at 595 thousand TL in Covered Bazaar.

-FIRST U.S. DOLLAR TRANSACTION HELD AT 1 MILLION
10 THOUSAND TL IN FOREIGN EXCHANGE INTERBANK
ANKARA - The first U.S. dollar transaction was held at 1 million 10 thousand Turkish liras (TL) in the foreign exchange interbank of the Central Bank on Thursday.

The buying price of one U.S. dollar was 999 thousand 788 TL and the selling price was 1 million 4 thousand 610 TL in the foreign exchange interbank of the Central Bank on Wednesday.

-FIVE ADVERTISEMENT COMPANIES TO PROMOTE TURKEY
IN EIGHT COUNTRIES THROUGHOUT 2001
ANKARA - Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu said on Thursday that they reached an agreement with eight companies to promote Turkey in eight countries throughout 2001, adding that Turkey would be promoted with an entirely new perspective.

Mumcu told A.A. correspondent that the bids of the Tourism Ministry in communication field were realized with the participation of the civil sector and added that the civil sector attended the state bids for the first time.

Turkey could be best promoted through a contemporary communication strategy, added Mumcu.

Savas Kuce, the undersecretary of the Tourism Ministry, said they would continue to carry out the promotion campaigns which were launched last year under the same concept, adding that those campaigns stressed the diversity in Turkey.

Recalling that Turkish lira (TL) had lost in value against the U.S. dollar, Kuce said they had to make a deduction in promotion activities other than the media plans which had been signed previously.

The companies which will carry out the 2001 advertisement campaign of Turkey in eight different countries are as follows:

BEST WER-BEAGENTUR

DDF

DDF

BBD ARCY

DDF

GART SHORE

PUBLI GRAPHICS

ZIMMET ICOM

-REFLECTIONS OF ECONOMIC CRISIS IN BANKING SECTOR
ISTANBUL - The monetary crisis which started in the second half of February had negative effects on two banks.

The Ulusal Bank, of which Halit Cingillioglu was the owner, was transfered to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund on February 28 while the Iktisat Bank, which was owned by Erol Aksoy, was transferred to the Fund on March 15 due to the crisis in money markets.

The number of banks transfered to the Fund so far reached 13.

Egebank, Yasarbank, Yurtbank and Bank Kapital which were transferred to the Fund, were united under the umbrella of Sumerbank on February 18.

-980-KILOMETER LONG PIPELINE TO BE INSTALLED FOR PROJECT
WHICH WILL TRANSPORT AZERBAIJANI GAS TO ERZURUM
ANKARA - State-owned Turkish Pipeline Company (BOTAS) General Director Gokhan Yardim has said that a 980-kilometer long pipeline will be installed between Azerbaijan and Erzurum-Horasan as a part of the project that aims to transport Azerbaijani natural gas to Turkey.

The 730-kilometer part of the pipeline will pass from Georgia and Azerbaijan and the remaining 250 kilometer will pass from the Turkish land. Every country will be in charge of the construction of the pipeline which passes from its own land. The Azerbaijani national oil company SOCAR will construct the pipeline in Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Yardim indicated that the natural gas pipeline will join the Iranian natural gas pipeline in Erzurum. The 250-kilometer part between the Georgian border and Erzurum will cost a maximum of 200 million U.S. dollars. The pipeline carrying the Iranian and Azerbaijani natural gas will pass 50 kilometer east of Ankara and it will join the Blue Stream project which transports the Turkmen natural gas, he explained.

Yardim said the project is still in development stage. He indicated that 16 new wells would be drilled and Turkey would start receiving the gas in 2004. According to the project, Turkey will import 2 billion cubic meters of gas in 2004 and this will increase to 6.6 billion cubic meters in 2007.

''The cost of the first stage which is until 2004 is 2.5 billion U.S. dollars. I don't know how long the second stage will take. Turkey has not made a commitment regarding the second stage. We are only committed to buy 6.6 billion cubic meters. They are targeting 20 billlion cubic meters for the project's second stage and the consortium should build additional pipelines to meet the increasing demand,'' he explained.

Yardim said they would open a bid for the construction of the part of the pipeline which will pass from Turkey. The estimated cost of the 250- kilometer part is 200 million U.S. dollars.

BP-Amoco and Statoil have 25.5 percent, Socar, TotalFinaElf, LukAGIp and Iranian company OIEC have 10 percent, the Turkish Petroleum Corporation has nine percent of shares in the Shah Deniz project.

-CONSTITUTIONAL COURT DECIDES TO DISCUSS IN MERITS THE
SUIT FILED FOR ABOLISHMENT OF LAW THAT FORESEES PRIVATIZATION
OF THREE PUBLIC BANKS
ANKARA - The Constitutional Court decided on Thursday to discuss in merits the suit filed for the abolishment of the law that foresees public banks to be made autonomous first and then to be privatized.

The Court made its first examination for the second time on the suit filed by the Virtue Party (FP).

The Court didn't find any deficiency in the file and decided to discuss the application in merits.

The Court had previously returned the file to FP due to the deficiency in the file.

The Court had also examined the suit filed by FP requesting the abolishment of Article 41/b of the budget law No. 4611 on 2001 Financial Year Budget Law. The Court also decided to discuss in merits this application.

-AGRICULTURE MINISTER GOKALP DUE TO SYRIA
ANKARA - Husnu Yusuf Gokalp, the minister of agriculture, will go to Syria on March 25 upon the invitation of Asad Mustafa, the Syrian Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform.

Releasing a written statement, the ministry of agriculture said technical, scientific and cooperation on agriculture agreement will be signed during the official visit of Gokalp which will continue till March 29.

Gokalp will also make visits to official and private institutions related to agriculture during his stay in Syria.

A technical delegation from the Agriculture Ministry and twenty representatives of the private sector will attend the visit to improve the agricultural trade between the two countries.

-TREASURY BUREAUCRATS HOLD MEETINGS
WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF IMF AND WORLD BANK
ANKARA - The bureaucrats of Treasury started to hold meetings with the representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank at 8.30 a.m. on Thursday.

State Minister Kemal Dervis is also attending the meetings from time to time.

Ajay Chhibber, the representative of World Bank to Turkey is also attending the meeting.

-ONE PERSON DIES IN TENSION BETWEEN CITIZENS AND POLICE IN AYDIN
AYDIN - A citizen died in the tension that broke out between police, who wanted to search the houses surrounding Aydın E type prison, and citizens on Thursday.

Aydın police, who regularly searches houses near F type prison in western Aydın province, also wanted to search the house of Resul Aydemir (35), who didn't want to permit that. The tension escalated when the neighbours joined the quarrel. Aydemir who resisted the police who wanted to search one of the rooms in the second floor of the house by pointing a knife at the police and by breaking the windows later fainted and he died as he was taken to a hospital.

The brothers of Aydemir Suleyman and Abdullah Aydemir were also taken into custody.

Aydın Security Director Cemil Demir told A.A that citizens and police are not against each other in Aydın. ''Aydemir resisted our police,'' Demir said. Demir said that houses near the prison are searched by court order, adding yet some citizens resist that.

-HIJACKED RUSSIAN PASSENGER PLANE IS IN EGYPT'S AIRSPACE
ANKARA - The Russian passenger plane which was hijacked soon after its take- off from Ataturk Airport of Istanbul, is in Egypt's airspace for the moment.

Transportation Ministry officials said on Thursday that they wanted the hijackers to come back to Istanbul in the first contact they had with the plane. Plane is apparently hijacked by force. However, the hijacker/s rejected this demand.

Officials said that the plane is in Egypt's airspace for the moment.

-TRANSPORTATION MINISTER OKSUZ SAYS PLANE LOSES 400 METERS OF
ALTITUDE DURING PHYSICAL FIGHT IN COCKPIT
ANKARA - Transportation Minister Enis Oksuz said on Thursday that there has been a physical fight in the cockpit of the Russian passanger airplane while it was hijacked.

Speaking to reporters, Oksuz said that the plane was hijacked by two Chechen persons and the plane lost 400 meters of altitude during the fight.

Oksuz noted that the plane is about to complete its flight over the Mediterranean, adding that the hijackers want to go to an Arab country which is 3,000 kilometers away.

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