- Turkey: Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Sener has announced resumption of the privatisation programme. While Turkey has brought into its coffers a total of $8 billion over the past seventeen years thanks to this kind of transaction, the ambitious aim is to make at least half this during the year 2003. The government thus intends to sell 51% of the capital of the petrochemical group PETKIM from the first quarter on, shares in the capital of the TUPRAS refinery and the TEKEL alcohol and tobacco monopoly in the second half of the year. Part of TURKISH AIRLINES will also be marketed while at least partial sale of the public telecommunications operator, TURK TELECOM, is also envisaged. Several other companies including the Istanbul Stock Exchange, sugar refineries, the gold market, the national lottery and bridges over the Bosphorus are also on the list.