SEZER TO VISIT RUSSIA
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will go to Russia on Wednesday as the official guest of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. It will be the first presidential visit since the establishment of the Russian Federation. During the meetings, the state of the two countries' relations and ways to strengthen areas of cooperation will be discussed. /Hurriyet/
ERDOGAN: "ISTANBUL IS THE HEART OF TURKEY"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended a groundbreaking ceremony for 21 intersections built by the Istanbul Greater City Municipality. Speaking at the gathering, Erdogan said that Istanbul was the heart of Turkey and they were trying to make it a world-class city with the transportation infrastructure, environment and modern urbanization which the city deserves. /Sabah/
GUL: "THE OIC SUPPORTS THE TURKISH SIDE'S CYPRUS CAUSE"
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that during the 33rd Organization for the Islamic Conference's Foreign Ministers' meeting, Turkey's Cyprus and Western Thrace causes had gotten support. Gul stated that in its final declaration, the OIC had strongly backed the Cyprus and Western Thrace causes, adding that this development had pleased Ankara greatly. Stressing that the Turkish side had done its best on Cyprus, he urged the European Union to keep its promises on the matter. The Turkish foreign minister said that Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Tourism and Economy Minister Dervis Kemal Deniz had held bilateral meetings as part of the gathering. After completing his contacts in Baku, Azerbaijan, Gul returned to Ankara. /Turkiye/
CICEK: "FIRST WE MUST DESCRIBE REACTIONARY MOVEMENTS"
Responding to criticisms of the proposed new Anti-Terror Law, which could exclude unarmed groups from being defined as terrorists and include sanctions on reactionary organizations, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said yesterday that first reactionary movements need to be described clearly. Speaking at Parliament's Justice Commission, Cicek stated that there was no clear definition of terror, adding that if a sound definition is made, this could also help fight terrorism. Cicek added that there were reactionary movements in the past and there are still ones today, and there could be more in the future. /Milliyet/
IN VIENNA, BUSH BACKS TURKEY'S EU MEMBERSHIP
During a European Union-United States meeting in Vienna hosted by EU Term President Austria, US President George W. Bush urged the EU states not to block Turkey's EU membership. Stressing that the US had always lent support to Turkey's EU membership, Bush said that Turkey should join the club. Furthermore, the US president reportedly also called on the EU to make more efforts to end the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' (TRNC) international isolation, adding that efforts should continue for a settlement on the island in line with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Cyprus plan. /Turkiye/
TRNC PAYS COMPENSATION TO GREEK CYPRIOTS
The Turkish Cypriot Compensation Commission, established in order to deal with the property issue, one of the key points of the Cyprus problem, yesterday finalized the applications of three Greek Cypriots. The goal of the Compensation Commission is, through establishing domestic law, to prevent Greek Cypriots from taking their cases against Turkish Cypriots and Turks straight to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The commission agreed to return the property of two Greek Cypriots and pay compensation for damages to a third. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul praised the Compensation Commission's first decision yesterday and expressed hope that these efforts will contribute to finding a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem. /Cumhuriyet/
US COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: "CYPRUS IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR AILING RELATIONS"
A new report by the Council on Foreign Relations, a prominent US foreign policy think-tank, says that the Turkish-US relations have been deteriorating for the last three years and should be improved. The report entitled "Generating Momentum for a New Era in US-Turkey Relations" says that the two countries, both facing elections over the next year-and-a-half, would face problems on issues such as Iraq, Iran, the Middle East and Cyprus. The report identifies the Cyprus issue as a concrete opportunity for cooperation and proposes that action be taken on the Kurdish problem in Iraq, Cyprus and the European Union in the short term. /Cumhuriyet/
CB HEAD TO ADDRESS CONFERENCE IN LONDON
Central Bank Governor Durmus Yilmaz is due to address a conference entitled "Monetary Policies in Turkey and Investment Opportunities," organized by Ak Investment in London. An Ak Investment statement stressed that at the conference Yilmaz would address officials of leading world finance institutions. /Aksam/
SABANCI: "RECENT NEGATIVE ECONOMIC NEWS IS MAKING MANY PEOPLE WONDER"
Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) head Omer Sabanci yesterday commented on recent negative economic developments, saying that these had created question marks in the minds of many people. Saying that recent fluctuations in the markets were due to international developments, Sabanci stated that the US Federal Reserve signaling that it would continue to raise interest rates had led investors to pull out of especially developing countries. He added that Turkey needed to take monetary measures in order to counter negative effects due to fluctuations, which are expected to last for a while. "We should strengthen our economy," added Sabanci. /Aksam/