SEZER, BAYKAL, OTHER DIGNITARIES ATTEND HACIBEKTAS FESTIVAL
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday attended the annual Hacibektas Veli Commemoration Festival of Culture and Art in the central province of Nevsehir. Also present at the festival were Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, Deputy Parliament Speaker Yilmaz Ates, Culture and Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu, Supreme Court Chief Justice Eraslan Ozkaya, Prime Ministry Undersecretary Fikret Uccan, Presidential Secretary General Kemal Nehrozoglu, and numerous deputies from both the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the opposition CHP. /All papers/

FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF AUG. 17 EARTHQUAKE OBSERVED
The fourth anniversary of the devastating Aug. 17, 1999 earthquake centered in Golcuk in Turkey’s northwest was observed yesterday. At Barbaros Hayreddin High School, balloons were released and there was a candlelight ceremony to honor the spirit of the quake’s victims. At 3:02 a.m., when four years ago the massive 7.4-magnitude quake began, a minute of silence was observed. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer also issued a message to mark the anniversary, urging that Turkey never forget the lessons of the quake, which took some 17,000 lives and left thousands of families homeless. /All papers/

TWO US CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATIONS DUE IN TURKEY THIS WEEK
Two delegations from the United States Senate and House of Representatives are scheduled to pay separate visits to Turkey this week to discuss the issues of eliminating the terrorist PKK/KADEK presence from northern Iraq as well as Turkey’s possibly sending troops to Iraq. The delegations led by Senator Richard Lugar and Representative John Murtha are set to meet with officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice and Defense as well as the General Staff. /Hurriyet/

ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER FRATTINI: “TURKEY’S PLACE IS IN THE EU”
Turkey’s destiny inevitably lies in the European Union, said Franco Frattini, the foreign minister of current EU Term President Italy, over the weekend. Speaking to Greek daily Kathimerini, Frattini said that Turkey’s place in European history was undeniable, adding that religion should be an element leading to greater cooperation, not division. “I believe that Turkey’s will to join the Union is important, and Italy supports it,” he said. “We should encourage the Turkish government, especially since it has recently passed a number of reforms.” He further praised the efforts of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to reach a resolution between the Turkish and Greek states on Cyprus. /All papers/

AGAR: “THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD SHARE INFORMATION ON POSSIBLE TROOP DEPLOYMENT IN IRAQ”
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government should share with Parliament’s other political parties whatever information it has on the prospect of Turkish troop deployment in Iraq, said True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar over the weekend. Stating that Turkey was the most important country in the Middle East, Agar added that Ankara should not allow any political order threatening the nation’s interests to be established in the region. /Cumhuriyet/

POLICE SEEK FIVE UZAN FAMILY MEMBERS IN IMAR BANK CORRUPTION CASE
An Istanbul public prosecutor issued arrest warrants over the weekend for five members of the controversial Uzan family, including family patriarch Kemal Uzan and his son Hakan, plus seven non-related individuals, all on corruption charges concerning Imar Bank. Turkey’s banking authority seized the bank early last month. Cem Uzan, who is active in the family’s business plus a national political figure as leader of the Young Party (GP), is not among those sought by the police. An operation to apprehend the suspects was launched last night but no one has been taken into custody as of yet, said an unnamed police officer. The Uzans, one of Turkey’s wealthiest and most prominent families with a business empire ranging from the media and cell phone networks to the energy sector, have been facing mounting lawsuits and misconduct allegations at home and abroad in recent months. /Cumhuriyet/

CHICAGO TO CELEBRATE FIRST ANNUAL TURKISH FESTIVAL
Chicago, Illinois, the US Midwest’s largest city and home to nearby 15,000 ethnic Turks, will proudly host the first annual Chicago Turkish Festival on September 15-17 at Daley Plaza, the heart of the city’s downtown. The special event will feature exhibits by Turkish-American artists, authentic Anatolian food from doner to baklava, and a fashion show spanning Ottoman times to today’s catwalk. A group of famous whirling dervishes will also perform. Some 300,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which is co-sponsored by the Turkish-American Culture Alliance (TACA) and the Turkish Consulate in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.chicagoturkishfestival.com. /All papers, http://www.tacaonline.org /

LONDON’S TURKISH TEXTILE FAIR TO OPEN TOMORROW
The Second Turkish Textile Products Fair organized by the Istanbul Textile and Raw Fibers Association (ITHIB) is set to open in London tomorrow. Over 60 Turkish companies are expected to participate in the fair. /Anatolia News Agency/