GUL RETURNS FROM US TRIP, TALKS POSSIBLE TROOP DEPLOYMENT
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday returned to Turkey from the US, ending his four-day official visit to Washington. Speaking to journalists upon his arrival at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport, Gul said that both nations were fully determined to take joint action in Iraq and that Ankara’s proposals regarding cooperation in the postwar period had been received positively by US officials. Commenting on the prospect of Turkish troop deployments in Iraq, Gul stated, “The question of sending our troops to the country cannot be concluded overnight. The government hasn’t yet discussed the issue.” A Reuters report quoted Gul as saying no decision on troop deployment would come before Parliament adjourns for its summer recess on Aug. 1, which could push the matter back to September. Stressing that the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) views also carried great importance for the government, Gul pledged that every necessary step would be taken in line with Ankara’s interests in the region. “We can’t ignore or deceive ourselves about what’s going on in Iraq,” added Gul. /All Papers/

PARLIAMENT FACES BUSY SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Before a summer recess to begin this Friday Aug. 1, Parliament is set this week face an intense schedule. Expected this week are votes on the historic seventh European Union harmonization package and the sale of state-owned former forestland as well as a law allowing amnesty for repentant militants of the outlawed PKK/KADEK terrorist group. Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group Deputy Chairman Salih Kapusuz has asked Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc to preside over these votes. Meanwhile, the AKP administration has called on all its deputies to attend the sessions in full numbers. /Milliyet/

GREEK PM SIMITIS: “GREECE SUPPORTS TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP EFFORTS”
During an interview with Greek daily Etnos yesterday, Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis said that European Union membership constituted a great opportunity for Turkey. Stressing that Ankara stood at a critical crossroads, Simitis called on the Turkish government to fulfill all the necessary requirements for EU membership. “We’ll support those who say Turkey can’t be left out from developments in Europe, and should instead be admitted to its ranks,” said the Greek premier. Adding that efforts to find a settlement to the Cyprus issue should continue, he warned that “otherwise this matter will remain an open wound.” /Turkiye/

US COMMANDER: TURKISH, AMERICAN FORCES CONDUCTING JOINT TRAINING EXERCISES IN NORTHERN IRAQ
Turkish and US forces have begun holding joint maneuvers in northern Iraq, the Associated Press reported over the weekend. “To improve security, the 101st [Airborne Division] has been conducting regular training exercises with Turkish special forces along the Iraqi-Turkish border,” said the AP, citing an interview with Maj. Gen. David Petreaus, the head of the 101st and the top US commander in northern Iraq. The report added that the exercises’ staging ground had been previously used by the terrorist group PKK/KADEK as a base for attacks on Turkish forces. Turkish officials, both civilian and military, have neither denied nor confirmed the report. The fight against the PKK/KADEK was taken up earlier this month in Ankara during meetings between top Turkish military officials and visiting US Gen. James Jones, the supreme commander of allied forces in Europe, and Gen. John Abizaid, the new head of US Central Command. /Sabah/

WASHINGTON POST’S HOAGLAND: “TURKISH TROOPS COULD BE DEPLOYED TO IRAQI-SYRIAN BORDER”
Troops from Turkey might best be used in postwar Iraq as border patrol forces, well away from Kurdish-dominated areas, wrote The Washington Post’s Jim Hoagland yesterday. “Turkish units might be useful in coming to Iraq as peacekeepers and then deploying to the Iraqi-Syrian border as a buffer force,” wrote Hoagland, a prominent opinion columnist. He further claimed that the US intends to keep Turkish troops out of the “Kurdish heartland” and said that in the wake of the Iraq war, the Kurds were the US’ “new best friends.” /Star/

SYRIAN PREMIER DUE IN ANKARA TOMORROW
Syrian Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa Miro is due to arrive in Ankara tomorrow as the official guest of his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Miro’s trip is of special importance, as he will be the first Syrian prime minister to come to Turkey in 17 years, and as the visit comes amid US pressure on Damascus to cooperate with its aims in the region and on Ankara to help with this. Miro is set to meet with Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and to confer on the postwar situation in Iraq, the stability of the region and the fight against terrorism. Miro is also expected to sign a number of political and economic cooperation agreements between the two countries. /Cumhuriyet/

GONENC NAMED OECD TURKEY DESK CHIEF
For the first time a Turk will serve as head of the Turkey Desk at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the OECD has announced. Turkish economist Rauf Gonenc who has worked for the organization since 1992, was promoted to the position last week. Gonenc will take over the post from his colleague Alexandra Iwanchuk Bibbee. /Milliyet/

OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CHAIR SINAN ERDEM PASSES AWAY
Turkey’s National Olympic Committee (TMOK) Chairman Sinan Erdem passed away in Paris last Thursday at the age of 76. Erdem had been suffering from cancer of the liver for some time, and recently underwent liver surgery in France. On Sunday a funeral held in Istanbul for Erdem was attended by many high-level state officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin. /All papers/