TDN's Editorial by Ilnur CevikForeign wire services have to be more careful These are critical days when all eyes are on Turkey and accurate reporting becomes vital The Turkish Daily News has consistently criticized the poor quality of journalism displayed by mass circulation newspapers and private TV channels for quite some time. We have enviouslyread the top quality reporting in newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. These last two newspapers have also

Officials once more slam neighbors for backing the terrorist groupMETEHAN DEMIR Diyarbakir, Sirnak - Turkish Daily News Turkish military officials have repeated their calls to the international community to outlaw the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and have once again accused Turkey's neighbors -- Russia, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Greece, and the Greek administration in southern Cyprus -- of deliberately aiding the activities of the illegal organization. "Germany and France have banned the

Unemployment appears to be a problem occupying a greater place in the minds of the citizens living in southeastern Anatolia than a probable gulf war, which experts say would be most harmful for that very region Ankara - Turkish Daily News As the crisis between Iraq and the United Nations continues, daily life in southeastern Anatolia, the region where, according to experts, the greatest impacts of a probable gulf war would be observed, goes on as normal, with the leading problem remaining that of

Turkey's Dogu Holding will invest $50 million in a joint venture food plant to support economic and social development in Turkey's poverty-stricken southeastern regionTULIN AYGUNES Istanbul-Reuters Turkey's Dogu Holding will invest $50 million in a joint venture food plant to support economic and social development in Turkey's poverty-stricken southeastern region, its chairman Mehmet Yildirim said on Monday. "We brought the first foreign capital to the region," Yildirim told Reuters in an

TOBB Chairman Miras argues that the fact that Demirtas has declared his candidacy was simply causing confusion Turkish Daily News Ankara - The competition for the chairmanship of the Turkish Chambers and Commodity Exchange Union (TOBB) has started earlier than expected. The vote for the new chairman is scheduled to take place at the TOBB congress to be held in May 1998. Ekrem Demirtas, the chairman of the Izmir Trade Chamber (IZTO), declared his candidacy three months prior to the congress whilst

What will happen to Turkomans? From a Feb. 15 article by Hurriyet's Ferai Tinc: The only solution which would improve the lot of the Turkomans in Iraq would be creation of a security zone including Mosul and Kirkuk. This is what the Turkomans want. They say, "And we do not want this to be temporary. We will not give up Iraq's territorial integrity. Let there be a protective shield over us too until Saddam departs." Gulf crisis through the eyes of Ilter Turkmen From a Feb. 15 article by

The DGM indictment also accused the banned Welfare Party of politicizing Islam and creating a boom in the Islamist influence over public life Turkish Daily News Ankara - The State Security Court (DGM) in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir has filed an indictment against Istanbul Mayor Recep Tayyip Erdogan for provoking hatred and enmity among people. The indictment asks for a one to three year jail sentence for Erdogan. The DGM filed charges against Erdogan for his speech in the southeastern city

Bilican: 'There has been an increase in organized crime' Turkish Daily News Ankara - General Police Chief Necati Bilican gathered together the police chiefs of 16 provinces in Ankara following the release of the Susurluk report, prepared by the Prime Ministry Inspection Council. The police chiefs of Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya, Aydin, Bursa, Balikesir, Diyarbakir, Hakkari, Icel, Kocaeli, Mugla, Sakarya, Samsun and Van attended the meeting. Bilican answered the questions for journalists before the

The generals said that if it is necessary for Turkey's security concerns, the country can enter N. Iraq at any time --but now is not the right time to enter the area, even for reasons of securityBy Metehan Demir / Turkish Daily News Ankara - Turkish senior military sources said on Tuesday that they have no plan to launch an operation in northern Iraq, because Turkey does want to exploit the Iraqi crisis and Baghdad's current situation by entering into their neighboring country's territory. However, the

The U.S. does not have a secret plan From a Feb. 10 article by Milliyet's Sami Kohen: Will the U.S. hit Iraq? Obviously it will unless Saddam agrees at the last minute to meet the conditions set. And that does not seem likely. Why is the Clinton Administration insisting on making Iraq to toe the line with an aerial operation the outcome of which seems hardly certain. Does Washington intend to divide Iraq and set up a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq as Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has claimed? In reply to

According to one of my guide books, there are two noteworthy hans (inns) approximately 20 kilometers northwest of Antalya. Both built in the early 13th century, they formed part of the route linking the capital of the Seljuk Empire at Konya with its important port city of Antalya. Hans were usually built between distances of 30 kilometers, the daily march of a camel caravan. They provided shelter for travelers and their animals Remains from the early proto-Hittite and Hittite civilizations begin the story

The Gulf crisis and Turkey From a Feb. 8 article by Hurriyet's Sedat Ergin: The current crisis between the United States and Iraq is affecting the inner balances of the Turkish government just as the 1991 crisis had done. It is obvious that the differences emerging between Democratic Left Party (DSP) and its two coalition partners, the Motherland Party (ANAP) and the Democratic Turkey Party (DTP), go beyond merely being differences in style. Considering the fact that President Suleyman Demirel has

CPJ protests to Yilmaz over recent jailing of journalist A leading international organization protecting the rights of journalists around the world sent a letter of protest to Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz after Turkish authorities last week jailed a writer and academic because of an article he wrote for a now-defunct pro-Kurdish newspaper. The letter, written by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, called on Yilmaz to "look for possible options" to secure the release of

Incredible figures: A new era in inflation starts for Turkey: three-digit figures. The CPI hit 101.6 percent and The WPI hit 92.5 percent Work twice: With 100 percent inflation, you have to change your financial balances. That means you are going to buy half of your accustomed goods and you are going to receive half of your wages. You have to work twice as much to maintain your old purchasing powerBy Meltem Bagis The 55th government's "freezing public sector prices for six months" in order to

Secessionism top threat: For the past eight years in particular, the threat of secessionist terror created by the PKK has been occupying the top spot on the public agenda as well as being among the state's leading security priorities Historic change: After the historic meeting of the military-dominated National Security Council, which was held on Feb. 28, 1997, a radical change occurred. The reactionary threat took priority over the secessionist threat Population artificial: The artificial population

Seven trillion spent for the census Turkish Daily News Ankara - State Minister Mehmet Batalli announced the final results of the national census that was conducted on Nov. 30, 1997. The Census figures recorded the population of Turkey at 62,610,252, an increase of over 6 million from the 1990 figure of 56,473,035. The population of Istanbul was recorded at 9 million, Ankara's population at 3.6 million and Izmir's at 3 million. According to Batalli, the number of provinces with a population of more

The Education Ministry plans to decrease the number of students per class to 30 by the year 2000. In order to realize this, the ministry will accelerate the construction of schools. By April, all bids regarding school construction will be completed Turkish Daily News Ankara - The Education Ministry has made a study to determine the number of students per classroom in Turkey's provinces. According to their research, the average number of students per classroom was 77 in Istanbul, 63 in Ankara and 65 in

Suggestions to Baghdad From a Feb. 3 article by Milliyet's Sami Kohen: Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will not tell Iraq merely, "Open up the palaces for inspection." He will present a five-article plan aimed at solving the problem. Cem has secured United Nations support for the mission which he calls, "initiative forreconciliation." Asked whether Turkey stands a chance of achieving this when Russia and France have failed, Cem says, "We see this issue as a whole, on a wider plane

Turkish Daily News Ankara - The first term of the eight-year compulsory education system, first considered 24 years ago but only implemented in 1997, is over. The main problem of the first term of the new system was the insufficient number of classes and personnel. However, new regulations have been instigated in order to help the system run more smoothly, the Anatolia news agency reported. The lessons and hours were determined by the Education Ministry. According to the new regulations, students will

Turkish Daily News Washington -- Leyla Zana, the former member of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Labor Party (DEP), has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by U.S. Congressman John Porter, one of the most vocally anti-Turkish members of the U.S. Congress. Porter, who denies being anti-Turkish, has just visited Turkey with his activist wife, Kathryn Porter, and visited Zana in jail. Zana was tried by the Turkish State Security Court and found guilty in December 1994 for her ties with Kurdish Workers'