x0x Turkish news for week ending 02 June 2005

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x0x Turkish news for week ending 02 June 2005

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                 TURKISH CULTURAL PROGRAM
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                      ORIENT EXPRESS
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Ahmet Toprak edited today's news. Your host today is Murat Bozkurt
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NEWS

Edited by Gokce Gokalp

* According to the daily Cumhuriyet, in the wake of the
European Commission adopting a draft framework on
Wednesday for Turkey's European Union accession talks,
debates on Turkeys membership bid have grown fiercer,
with some European Union officials warning that Ankara
will face huge challenges in seeking entry to the bloc.
"It is in Europe's interest to have a stable,
democratic, prosperous Turkey that adopts and
implements all EU values, policies and standards,"
European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn
stated Thursday.  Mr. Rehn stressed that Turkeys talks
must be "open-ended. Opening the negotiations in
October does not mean that they will inevitably lead to
membership for Ankara, he added.
  In related news, French Interior Minister Nicolas
Sarkozy reiterated his call for further European
Union expansion to be put on hold indefinitely on
Thursday.
  In addition, Austrian Prime Minister Wolfgang
Schussel remarked that a new formula other than full
membership should be found for Turkey.
  However, British officials reiterated their support
for Turkeys full membership aspirations. Britain
assumes the six-month EU term presidency today.

* The Turkish daily Turkiye reports that an editorial
in The Financial Times hailed the European Commissions
setting a framework for Turkey's accession talks as a
welcome development. Calling on the European Union to
uphold its commitments to Turkey, the commentary said
that it was hard to deny an air of unreality
surrounding Ankaras membership.
  Remarking that the Union might have difficulty taking
in Turkeys large population, the editorial noted that
current candidate countries, including Turkey and
Balkan countries, have a long period before full
membership. They will be able to complete the needed
reforms in that time, added the piece.  

* In related news, the daily Cumhuriyet reports that
the Truth Path Party leader Mr. Mehmet Agar stated
Thursday that the European Union Framework Document had
created new obligations for Turkey.
  Mr. Agar made the remarks after Ankara Chamber of
Commerce Chairman Sinan Aygun visited him at Truth Path
Party head quarters.  "Turkey is worried about falling
back to where it started," Mr. said Agar.
  Addressing the Cyprus problem, he said that the
European Union is forcing Turkey to recognize Greek
Cyprus. "Turkey was driven into a corner because after
signing the additional protocol [to extend its Customs
Union to 10 new European Union members], its
declaration that is not recognizing Greek Cyprus faces
official rebuttal", added Agar.

* Foreign ministers and senior officials of the 57
states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference
concluded their three-day meeting with a final
statement in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Thursday.
Turkish Cypriots were represented at the meeting as an
observer, and the Organization of the Islamic
Conference called on the international community to
take concrete steps to end the isolation of Turkish
Cyprus.
  In addition, the Organization of the Islamic
Conference also approved a bill recognizing that the
Turkish Muslim minority living in Western Thrace
suffers mistreatment at the hands of the Greek
authorities. The bill called on Greece to respect and
protect the human rights of this minority, reported the
Turkish daily Aksam.

* The daily Hurriyet reported that Turkey's main
opposition Republican Peoples Party leader Deniz Baykal
spoke Thursday at an extraordinary party meeting about
changes to parliamentary rules that reduce
opportunities for opposition parties to contribute. He
decried the situation as a tragedy, and called on
concerted action to prevent the change. "At a time in
which this Parliament is under others control,
obstructing and muzzling deputies is a great threat to
democracy", added Mr. Baykal.
  Citizens should work to head off these efforts and
should not leave this countrys future in their [the
ruling partys] hands, as they dont know how to
administer it. The government will damage Turkeys
interests if they continue like this" Mr. Baykal added.
  Like Mr. Baykal, Parliament Speaker Mr. Bulent Arinc
is also against the changes to parliamentary rules.

* Turkey's Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit
stated Thursday that the rebel Kurdish Workers party
poses a serious threat to the countrys integrity,
adding that this group gets support from some European
countries. He stated that the PKK is drawing strength
from the situation in northern Iraq.
  Some neighboring and European countries are
supporting the Kurdish Workers Party by supplying
them with shelter, arms, campsites, training,
financing, treatment and transportation, charged
General Buyukanit.
  He also said that The Turkish Armed Forces is closely
watching developments and continuing to work to
counter terrorism, reported the daily  Sabah.

* According to the daily Star, a hydroelectric dam
constructed on the Coruh River by Turkey's State
Waterworks Authority in northeastern city of Artvin was
opened Wednesday with a ceremony.
  Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Parliament
Speaker Bulent Arinc, Energy and Natural Resources
Minister Hilmi Guler and other officials were all in
attendance in the ceremony.
  Addressing the gathering, Erdogan said that Turkey
would continue to carry out investments to meet
Turkeys energy needs. DSI General Director Veysel
Eroglu stated that the river was the most suitable one
for constructing a hydroelectric dam and that it was
the first dam on the river.

* According to Employment Outlook 2005 report of the
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development,
Turkey has the fifth-highest unemployment rate among
OECD member states with 10.2%, after the top four,
namely Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Greece.
  The OECD predicts that the Turkish economy will
develop at a rate of 6.3% this year and continue
developing with a ratio of 6.15% in the coming year but
that unemployment will also continue to rise and reach
10.4% this year and 10.5% the next.
  The report adds that Turkey has the lowest rate of
employment compared to its adult population which is
able to work. Turkeys employment rate last year was
45.5%, but it has been falling since 1999, when it was
54.5% reported the daily Cumhuriyet.

* Extreme nationalist Bulgarian Attack coalition leader
Volen Siderov, whose bloc got 8% of the vote and won
seats ýn the Bulgarian parliament in last weekends
elections, said in a radio interview on Monday that he
favored changing the names of ethnic Turks living in
Bulgaria.
  Mr. Siderov called for Turkish broadcasts on
Bulgarian National Television to cease and said that
Turkish people should carry the Bulgarian suffixes ov
or ova in their lastnames.
  These views of Siderov, who seeks to imitate the
assimilation campaign carried out by former dictator
Todor Jivkov in the 1980s, has led to concern among the
countrys democrats as reported by the daily Milliyet,
and the daily Sabah.

* British daily The Observer praised Turkey as an
attractive holiday destination over the weekend. "You
get your moneys worth in Turkey more than any other
European country," wrote reporter Rebecca Seal.
  "Before leaving our hotel we also went to a
restaurant and played a good knife and fork. In
addition to the advisable prices of the hotels, the
foods are also sold at a good price," she added.

ARTS AND CULTURE

* As this year's prolific International Istanbul Music
Festival draws to a close, the Istanbul Foundation for
Culture and Arts has one more treat in store for us.
World-acclaimed director and choreographer
Jean-Christophe Maillot heads the Monte Carlo Ballet,
who will stage the magical tale of "Cinderella" at
Istanbul's Atatürk Culture Center Saturday.

* Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has selected
20 pieces of literature, within the scope of the
Turkish Cultural, Artistic and Literary Works in
Foreign Languages  Translation Support Project, that
have been found to be of particular significance and
relevance to Turkish culture for translation into
foreign languages and publication abroad.  According to
a written statement released by the ministry, as part
of the initiative coordinated by the Library and
Publishing General Directorate, has been working on the
details of the Translation Support Project for more
than a year. The idea behind this program is to make
Turkish literary works deemed of particular interest by
the ministry available to foreign readers, that they
might gain a better understanding of Turks, Turkish
culture and Turkey.

* As a result of excavations led jointly by American
and German archeologists, evidence of the lost
Christian sect of Montanism, believed to have been
based in the ancient city of Pepuza, has been
discovered. Research will commence on Aug.  15,
reported the Anatolia news agency.
  Pepuza is situated in what is now the modern-day
village of Karayakuplu in Uþak province's Karahallý
district in Turkey.
  According to the Uþak Culture and Tourism
Directorate, a team led by Professor William Tabberne
of the United States and Professor Peter Lampe of
Germany will conduct excavations in and around the
ancient city of Pepuza.  This year, a team of 30 people
led by Lampe will conduct digs until Sept. 15 that will
reach as far as the Ulubey canyon. Results of the
research and excavation carried out by the group will
be turned over to the Culture and Tourism Provincial
Directorate.

* The ongoing 44th International Bursa Culture and Arts
Festival, organized by the Bursa Culture, Art and
Tourism Foundation, featured the Istanbul State Opera
and Ballet's modern-dance show "Güldestan" on Monday.
  Güldestan is a production portraying migration and
its spiritual concept.  Beyhan Murphy is the
chorographer and director, Arkýn Ilýcalý, also known as
"Mercan Dede," is the music director, Ýsmail Dede the
costume designer and Michael Odam is the light designer
for the show, which is set to go on tour this summer.
  The Mercan Dede Ensemble accompanied the dance show
performance with their music and added a separate
mini-concert.
  Mercan Dede held a press conference with Beyhan
Murphy before the show and said that the mModern
dance show to promote Turkey abroad.

*Dam construction in Turkey's Southeast has attracted
several archaeological rescue projects in an effort to
protect the rich historical heritage of the area, part
of what was once known as Mesopotamia.
  The Tilbes Salvage Project in Þanlýurfa's Birecik Dam
area is one such undertaking. Salvage operations are
being conducted at a location in the vicinity of the
Seleucia-Zeugma archaeological site by an international
team led by the Spanish Archaeological Mission in
Turkey.
  The Tilbes tumulus is the main focus of the project,
which aims to recover the remains of five adjoining
sites on the Þanlýurfa bank of the Euphrates River
north of Birecik. Three of these sites -- Tilbes,
Tilmusa and Tilbour -- were flooded in 2000. The other
two -- outside of the resulting lake but in peril of
being lost --- are the Tilbes tumulus and Sürtepe.
  A burned building, thought to be a shrine, from the
mid Early Bronze Age (2600 B.C.) was uncovered at the
Tilbes tumulus. Fuensanta emphasizes that this is the
most unusual finding in the Tilbes and Euphrates
region. The burned building had two remaining rooms
connected by a narrow passageway. The main room was
surrounded by various niches. A few clay horns and some
animal horns were found.  A clay pillar and a very
small door separated the two rooms. This building
shares similarities with EB III "temples" at Denizli's
Beycesultan.
  The oldest existing inscription in the Birecik area
also appeared at the Tilbes tumulus. It was written
on a cylindrical seal made of hematite, larger than
usual finds from the Middle Bronze period (early second
millennium B.C.) and contains a double cuneiform
inscription in the Semitic Old Babylonian language.
  Remains of the Achaemenid Empire (sixth to fourth
centuries B.C.), prior to Alexander the Great's
conquest and the glorious days of Hellenistic
Zeugma-Seleucia/Apamea, have been found at the Tilbes
tumulus and Sürtepe.  * Associate Professor Mustafa
Bayram from Gaziantep University's department of food
engineering has discovered an alternative to Wadell's
Sphericity Factor equation that he calls the MBayram-1
Equation and which is used to determine the roundness
of objects.
  Bayram told the Anatolia news agency it was very
important for scientists and engineers to be able to
accurately determine the roundness of an object in
certain critical situations. "The Wadell equation,
discovered in 1932, is used to calculate how close an
object is to being round. However, this equation,
mentioned in science textbooks, is not the same as
equations for objects with specific shapes like cubes
or cylinders. In other words, it is extremely difficult
to use the Wadell equation, which sometimes does not
yield accurate results, said Bayram.  * Scientists have
determined that a pool in western Turkish region of
Pamukkale's ancient city of Hierapolis has beneficial
effects on various physical ailments, attracting nearly
2,000 health-seeking tourists daily, reported the
Anatolia news agency.
  Pamukkale is included on UNESCO's World Cultural and
Natural Heritage List.  The pool, which was built by
King Eumenes II in 200 B.C. and severely damaged in an
earthquake in A.D. 60, is situated where water sources
feed the area's famous travertine and has been used as
a heath spa for thousands of years.

* The first International Galata Festival (Galata-Fest)
will be held from July 1-10, sponsored by the
Shehristanbul Association.
  The organizing committee of the festival released a
statement, in which it said that Istanbul's Galata
Quarter, which boasts one of the more unique
architectural styles in the city, is a historic place
that many different cultures, including Ottoman,
Genoese, Greek, Levantine, Armenian and Hebrew, played
a part in influencing.
  The statement also noted that the Þehristanbul
Association is planning to hold the festival to
promote the Galata Quarter and foster knowledge of this
region of the city, in the hopes of preserving and
protecting the rich cultural heritage of Galata.

SPORTS

Edited by Mark Nowak

* Fatih Terim became coach of Turkish national soccer
team after resignation of Ersun Yanal.  Terim said that
Mufit Erkasap would be his assistant.  Terim stated
that Oguz Cetin and Mehmet Ozdilek would serve as the
other coaches of the Turkish national soccer team.

* French champions Lyon signed Norwegian international
striker John Carew from Turkish first division side
Besiktas on a four-year contract worth 7.65 million
euros.


* Mediterranean Games: Turkey won 7 gold, 7 silver and
3 bronze weightlifting medals to finish first in the
team standings.


EXCHANGE RATE

EXCHANGE RATE for the U.S. dollar in New Turkish Liras:  1.33

WEATHER

High and Low Temperatures in Degrees F, Weather

Ankara  63...84 Partly Cloudy           
Antalya 73...97 Partly Cloudy           
Istanbul        72...88 Partly Cloudy           
Izmir   62...82 Fair            
Sivas   47...62 Partly Cloudy                           
Trabzon 57...61 Fair

Seawater temperatures

  Black Sea measured at Trabzon         70
  Marmara Sea measured at Tekirdag      76
  Aegean Sea measured at Marmaris         76
  Mediterranean Sea measured at Alanya  78


ANNOUNCEMENTS

*** The Alaturka restaurant underwrote today's program,
    where gourmet Turkish cooking is an art:

        869 Geary St, (cross street Larkin)
        in San Francisco

        For reservations: (415) 345-1011

        http://www.chowbaby.com/Alaturka/
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{A$agidaki duyuru haberlerden SONRA yayinlanacak}

*** Turkish American Association of California has partially
    underwritten today's program. TAAC is a non-profit
    charitable organization established to promote better
    understanding between Americans and Turks.

    If you have any questions about Turks and Turkey,
    give them a call:  1-415-646-0946

    or e-mail them at taac@xxxxxxxxx

      http://www.taaca.org

*** Turkish-American Association of California is having a picnic 
Sunday in
Pleasant Hill.  You all are all invited. The association will 
provide barbecued
food, and is asking the attendees to bring some food to share.
  E-mail the TAAC at taac@xxxxxxxxx for directions and hours.

*** Planning to go to Turkey? Take a look at our Web pages 
    that is full of articles and information furnished by 
    travelers like yourselves:

      http://travel.to/sunholiday

*** For more music from Turkey and the Middle East tune to 
    International Cultural Program. 

    San Francisco World TV Channel 29  
    Sundays at 9-10 A.M.

      Also can be viewed in other cities in California, Chicago, 
      New York, Russia, and Georgia. 
      Consult with 415-564-7778 timing and stations.  

*** Yayinlarimiz siz dinleyicilerimizin katkilari ile 
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    ogrenebilirsiniz.

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trh@xxxxxxxxxxxx

    A service of the TURKISH RADIO HOUR On the airways since 
1982.

*** NORTH BAY TURKISH CLASSICAL MUSIC ENSEMBLE 

    North May Turkish Classical Music Ensemble is looking for 
players
    traditional Turkish classical instruments such as oud, ney,
    tanbur, kanun or kemence, bendir or kudum; or even western 
    instruments that easily adapt to Turkish music, such as 
cello. 

    The ensemble is also looking for people who can sing in 
Turkish,
    or are interested in learning. 

    The group is open to anyone with a sincere interest in 
Turkish 
    music.

    For details call Hank Levin at 415 492-0728, or email:
        turkmusic@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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