ERDOGAN: “UNIVERSITY HEADS ARE PRACTICING POLITICS”
Attending opening ceremonies for new firms in the central Anatolian cities of Kastamonu and Cankiri yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan decried what he called a trend in which the heads of Turkish universities have become engaged in politics. Criticizing recent statements of certain university rectors concerning the new Board of Higher Education (YOK) Law, Erdogan said the government was determined to make whatever changes were necessary to the law. The premier also told reporters yesterday that the government had not yet set a date for sending a motion to Parliament on a possible Iraq troop deployment. “The matter may be debated in Parliament in October,” said Erdogan. He further stressed that there was no relation between a recent US deal to loan $8.5 billion to Turkey and the deployment issue. /Hurriyet/

GUL: “PARLIAMENT WILL HAVE THE FINAL SAY ON IRAQ DEPLOYMENT”
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who is currently in New York to attend meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, yesterday continued his contacts there. Speaking to reporters after a breakfast hosted by the Turkish-American Business Forum in his honor, Gul said that the final decision on whether or not to send Turkish troops to Iraq would be made by the Parliament. “If we see that Parliament wouldn’t accept our government’s decision, we won’t try to bring it to a vote,” said Gul. Later speaking to a gathering on Eurasia, Gul said that a failure in both Iraq and the Middle East road map would bring disaster to the region. During a meeting with European Union Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten, Gul reportedly signaled that Ankara expects the EU’s progress report on Turkey out next month to be positive. The report will be the penultimate one before the EU’s December 2004 meeting where is due to decide whether or not to begin Turkey’s accession talks. Gul also met with US Secretary of State Colin Powell. According to the Associated Press, a senior US official said that Gul told Powell a UN resolution would be very helpful with Turkey’s Parliament, but declined to predict which way it would vote. /Turkiye/

POWELL: “WE HOPE TURKEY WILL SEND A DIVISION TO IRAQ”
Turkey is among a handful of countries that the US hopes will send large numbers of troops to Iraq, US Secretary of State Colin Powell told Business Week magazine this month. Speaking in a Sept. 9 interview for the magazine’s Sept. 22 issue, Powell said that though nearly 30 countries could send troops to Iraq, few of them actually had large numbers to contribute to a stabilization force there. “Turkey, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Germany and France [have large number of troops],” said Powell. “These militaries are not as large as ours, with the exception of working with countries like the Turks, Indians, and Pakistanis with a large standing manpower, manpower-intensive forces, meaning lots of infantry. What you need are infantry most and similar ground units, MPs, civil affairs, folks like that.” Speaking about “dividing [Iraq] into zones,” Powell added, “We hope that the Turks will come in with a division if they can pull it off.” /Milliyet, www.state.gov /

BAYKAL: “THE $8.5 BILLION US LOAN IS A BLACK MARK ON TURKEY’S POLICY”
Recent positive developments in the Turkish economy hailed by the current government are actually the result of the previous administration’s policies, charged main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday. Addressing the Istanbul Chamber of Trade (ISO), Baykal claimed that Turkey’s recent $8.5 billion US loan agreement was linked to a political deal. “Up to now, no loan has been has been related to such a deal. This is a black mark on Turkey’s history,” argued Baykal. Commenting on a possible Turkish troop deployment in Iraq, Baykal said that his party was defending Turkey’s interests and further reiterated the need for any such action to be given proper authorization and legitimacy. /Hurriyet/

TRNC TO OPEN MARAS TO SETTLEMENT BEFORE DECEMBER PRESIDENTIAL POLLS
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Foreign and Defense Minister Tahsin Ertugruloglu said yesterday that the TRNC was preparing to reopen its southeastern coast Maras district, also known as Varosha, to settlement before December’s presidential elections. “We are planning to open Maras to settlement with the United Nations’ cooperation,” he said. He added that if the cost of restoring old buildings was too high, then they could be knocked down and new ones put in their place. In related news, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou said that the Cyprus issue would be pivotal in the European Union’s decision at its December 2004 summit whether or not to begin Turkey’s accession talks. /Turkiye/

IMF’S BREKK: “THIS YEAR’S INFLATION AND GROWTH TARGETS ARE ACHIEVABLE”
A delegation from the International Monetary Fund headed by IMF Turkey Desk Chief Riza Moghadam yesterday arrived in Istanbul to begin the sixth review of Turkey’s economic program. In related news, IMF Turkey Representative Per Odd Brekk said yesterday that after completion of the sixth review, the IMF Executive Board could convene at the end of next month to authorize the release of a $500 million credit tranche. Brekk said that the review would focus on this year’s budget figures and next year’s targets and also on structural reforms. Brekk also praised the government’s implementation of the program and said that this year’s 20% inflation and 5% growth targets were both achievable. /Aksam/

BABACAN: “TURKEY COULD BEGIN ACCESSION NEGOTIATIONS IN 2005”
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan predicted that Turkey could begin its European Union accession negotiations in 2005. Speaking on the sidelines of the current International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Dubai, Babacan hailed the reform packages passed in recent months by Ankara, reforms he said would help the country reach its EU goal. The Union is set to review Turkey’s eligibility to begin negotiations at its December 2004 summit. /Aksam/

TURKISH VOLLEYBALL TEAM DEFEATS SLOVAKIA
During an Ankara match last night in the European Women’s Volleyball Championships, the Turkish Women’s scored its fourth victory by defeating Slovakia 3-0. Turkey will play against Germany tonight. If they defeat the Germans, the Turkish team will be at the top of their group. After the match, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated the players. /All Papers/