ERDOGAN ADDRESSES "ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS" SEMINAR IN SUDAN
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, currently in Sudan to attend an Arab League summit, yesterday attended a seminar entitled "Alliance of Civilizations." Addressing the gathering, Erdogan said that Turkey's uniting identity had an important role in preventing a clash of civilizations. Commenting on the recent crisis over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed, Erdogan stated that the crisis showed that the world faced a grave threat. "These cartoons can't be considered freedom of expression because freedom of expression doesn't mean violating other people's freedom of expression," he said. "We're opposed to a clash of civilizations, but there are some circles seeking this." The premier stated that the alliance of civilizations aims to widen tolerance, adding that meetings weren't enough for this but concrete steps must be taken. /Turkiye/

US GEN. PACE STRESSES "HIGH-LEVEL MEETINGS TO MINIMIZE MISCOMMUNICATION AMONG FRIENDS"
In a briefing posted on the web yesterday on his recent contacts in Turkey, Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that he had met with high-level officials during his visit and had had the chance to express his views. "It's important to keep high-level meetings going to minimize miscommunication among friends," the general said. Pointing out that relations between all countries have their ups and downs, Pace said that relations can be complicated by cultural and linguistic differences. "I'm really pleased to have the opportunity in each country to be face to face with my counterparts which helps when there's a misunderstanding or misinterpretation," he said, adding that he had tried to solidify the excellent relationship between Turkey and the US. /Star/

DIPLOMATS IN WASHINGTON WORK TO FILL GUL'S SHOES
In the wake of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's grounding due to ear problems, other Foreign Ministry diplomats flew this week to Washington. The high-level diplomats will attend an American-Turkish Business Council (ATC) meeting, hold contacts at the US State Department and meet with representatives of the Jewish lobby. During the meetings, the so-called genocide allegations set to be considered by Congress in the runup to April 24 will be discussed, along with Iraq, the terrorist PKK and the Armenian lobby. /Sabah/

MUSTAFA KOC: "CONCRETE STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN AGAINST THE PKK"
In his opening speech to the 25th US-Turkish Business Council yesterday, Koc Holding Chairman Mustafa Koc said that disagreements between Ankara and Washington on certain issues should be solved through constructive dialogue. Touching on the PKK terrorist group, Koc said that only discussing the issue wasn't enough, but both sides must take concrete steps to counter the group. Commenting on economic developments in Turkey, Koc stated that the political events weren't affecting markets as much as in the past. "However, a return to populist policies would hurt the markets," he said. Koc added that Ankara's European Union accession talks and the economic program supported by the International Monetary Fund staying on track both carry crucial importance. /Milliyet/

IMF'S KELLER: "TURKEY'S ECONOMIC STABILITY IS VERY IMPRESSIVE"
International Monetary Fund Turkey Representative Christian Keller yesterday praised Turkey's "impressive" economic stability. Speaking at a Turkish Structural Capital Markets Summit, Keller stated that the Turkey's economic stability was also positively affecting the capital markets. Keller stated that owing to the single-party government following the fall 2002 elections, political stability had been ensured in the country. Stressing that inflation had fallen to single digits, and interest rates had also dropped considerably, Keller stated that the economic growth was due to private investment, not government spending. /Turkiye/

HISARCIKLIOGLU: "GROWTH IS BEING HAMPERED BY TAXES"
Saying that for the first time Turkey is pursuing a private-sector based growth model, Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu yesterday lamented, "Economic growth isn't being felt since tax receipts rose by 18 percent in a period during which inflation was 8 percent." In a presentation at the Second Economy Summit given over the weekend by TOBB and the Economy Correspondents' Association in Kartepe near Istanbul, Hisarciklioglu said that 28 points of the 32 percent-growth rate achieved in the Turkish economy between 2000 and 2005 originated from the private sector. Stating that this was a success story, Hisarciklioglu said, "During periods when the economy grew with the support of the public, we grew by taking on debt. So this growth rate was sustainable for two or three years. But we experienced a crisis the following year." /The New Anatolian/

WORLD BANK: "EDUCATIONAL REFORM IS A MUST"
Educational reform is necessary and if Turkey doesn't do this, Turks will become Europe's low-paid service sector workers, warns a new report just issued by the World Bank. The bank also says that Turkey's selection examinations are not substantially linked to the secondary school curriculum; they test only a limited range of curriculum content and do not provide a feedback mechanism for schools and teachers to evaluate student progress. The WB suggested that Turkey should increase student educational qualifications, especially secondary education, to meet European Union standards. The bank also proposed that Turkey should align its curriculum, examinations, and teacher-to-student ratios. /Sabah/