SEZER VISITS GEORGIA
After arriving in Georgia yesterday to hold two days of official contacts, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer was received by his Georgian counterpart Mihail Saakashvili in a ceremony. Sezer said that Turkey wanted that the problems of South Ossetia and Abkhazia to be solved in line with the country's territorial integrity. Meanwhile, Saakashvili said that he took Ataturk as an inspiration and that Turkey was a great country and an example for his own. Saakashvili added that eliminating visa requirements between the two countries was very important. /Star/

EU LAWS TO BE ENACTED BEFORE SUMMER
The 10th meeting of Turkey's Reform Monitoring Group (RIG), which follows the implementation of reforms in Ankara's European Union membership process, was held yesterday. The three-hour meeting chaired by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul also had as participants chief EU talks negotiator Ali Babacan, State Minister Besir Atalay, Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek and a number of experts. During the meeting, the government's determination to continue with reforms was emphasized, laws before Parliament and international contracts concerning Turkey's EU membership process were discussed, and a consensus was reached to enact the laws before the summer. /Star/

KURDISTAN MAP AT THE US SENATE
Syrian Kurdish groups opposed to the ruling Baath regime held a conference this week in the Senate at the US Capitol building in Washington. Brochures they distributed during the meeting included Trabzon, Ankara and Antalya within the borders of a so-called "Kurdistan." Meanwhile, the flag of the only Kurdish state in history, the Mahabad Kurdish Republic, one used by Kurdish parties in northern Iraq, was displayed on a desk. These Kurdish groups also thanked US President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for their support for democracy and freedom in the Middle East. /Cumhuriyet/

ANKARA FINDS FAULT WITH UN REP FOR CYPRUS
After the European Union ignored the steps taken by Turkey towards a solution to the Cyprus issue, the United Nations became a tool for the games of the Greek Cypriot administration. The UN made certain changes in its Cyprus policies over the last six months and Michael Moller, appointed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as his special representative for Cyprus, had the greatest impact on this negative change. As he's a Greek Cypriot supporter who worked in Athens for many years, Turkey objected to this appointment but couldn't block it. For example, a press statement following a recent meeting held by Annan with Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos in France shocked the Turkish side, because it included certain elements contrary to UN principles. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul conveyed his discomfort to Annan and said that the current situation was not helping to promote a solution. Gul considered these incidents not to be institutional in nature, but a personal mistake and asked that Moller be replaced. Meanwhile, Moller requested AN appointment to discuss the issue with Turkey. However, his request was denied. /Turkiye/

PARLIAMENT REJECTS 3RD CENSURE MOTION AGAINST UNAKITAN
Parliament yesterday turned back a third censure motion submitted by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) against Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan. Speaking on the motion in Parliament, Unakitan said that the claims made by the CHP about him were all lies and false accusations. Stating that the CHP presented a new motion each month about him, Unakytan said that the nation found this stance laughable. /Turkiye/

ISTANBUL HOSTS NATO MANEUVERS
As part of NATO's Peace Support Operations, a multinational maneuver began at the War Academies Command yesterday. NATO's Allied Transformation Commander Gen. Lance L. Smith said that NATO should make innovations in strategic transition by acting together. Speaking on the technical side of the operation, Col. Kathy Shield, the head of NATO's Strategic Transformation Command Headquarters' Operation Transformation Department, said that a total of 800 people from various countries were participating in the maneuvers, including 40 Turkish soldiers. Shield added that Turkey was the maneuvers' center of administration and that they would be carried out in nine other countries as well. Shield said that the aim was to discover new concepts and tools in the maneuvers. He added that the maneuvers were based on a scenario and that they included operations in Afghanistan. /Cumhuriyet/

TUZMEN PROMOTES TRADE, BUSINESS TIES IN SUDAN
State Minister Kursad Tuzmen, in Sudan's capital of Hartum with a delegation of 130 businessmen, yesterday worked to help resolve the problems of Turkish firms in Sudan. During the first day of his visit, Tuzmen held bilateral meetings with Sudan's Foreign Trade Minister George Nyombe and Finance Minister Mohamed Hassan and spoke with them about the concerns of Turkish companies in Sudan. Stating that Sudan would be Turkey's greatest partner for developing commercial and economic relations in Africa, Tuzmen emphasized the trade volume between the two countries. "Our bilateral trade reached $153 million last year," said Tuzmen. "This figure is a rise of 115% since 2003." Tuzmen added that Turkey hoped to sign a free trade agreement with Sudan and that Turkish Airlines (THY) would start flights along the Istanbul-Hartum line next month. /Turkiye/

INVESTMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING IN ISTANBUL SET FOR MAY
The Investment Advisory Council (YDK) will convene for the third time in Istanbul on May 10-11. During the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the government will work to encourage CEOs of large multinational to make more investments in Turkey. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank will participate in the meeting on a high level, as before. Meanwhile, Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu, International Investors Association of Turkey (YASED) head Saban Erdikler and Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) head Oguz Satici will represent non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the meeting. The managers of 19 companies from a dozen sectors participated in last year's meeting, and this number is expected to be exceeded this year. /Turkiye/