IN BEIRUT, GUL MEETS WITH LEBANESE FM
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who is currently in Lebanon for an official visit, yesterday met with his Lebanese counterpart Fawzi Salloukh. Gul and Salloukh discussed a number of issues, including the recent Israeli offensive. During their meeting, Gul said that Ankara supported the seven-step plan of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, adding that he believed this was the best hope for a permanent peace in the Mideast. Later, Gul met with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. During their meeting, Berri said that Lebanon was pleased with the stance of Ankara during the Israeli campaign. Speaking afterwards, Gul said that he had discussed the issue of sending Turkish soldiers to the UN peacekeeping force. "Our stance on the issue is clear," he said. "This force shouldn't be seen as being against the Lebanese nation. We haven't yet made a decision." /Milliyet/

BAYKAL: "DEVELOPMENTS SHOULD BE EVALUATED IN LIGHT OF RICE SAYING THE MIDEAST WILL BE RESHAPED"
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said yesterday that he was concerned about the possibility of Turkey sending soldiers to the UN peacekeeping force to be deployed in Lebanon, adding that developments in the region should be evaluated in light of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent statement that the map of the Mideast would be reshaped. Baykal further warned the government that Turkey shouldn't take sides in a conflict whose sides aren't even clear yet. "The goal of the UN going to Lebanon isn't yet clear," said Baykal. "We want peace and stability in the region, but getting involved in the issue is very difficult. We should steer clear of religious and ethnic wars." /Aksam/

TURKEY COULD APPOINT COORDINATOR FOR FIGHT AGAINST TERRORIST PKK
Turkey is reportedly preparing to appoint a coordinator in its fight against the terrorist group PKK. Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said that the process would gain momentum after the US appoints a coordinator in the fight against the PKK. Tan stressed that Ankara could also appoint a PKK coordinator. "There is no decision yet," said Tan. "We'll first wait for the appointment of the US. Later, we'll do an evaluation." /Milliyet/

AMERICAN CONSUL IN ADANA VISITS SIRNAK
Eric Green, the United States consul in Adana, yesterday visited Sirnak Mayor Ahmet Ertak. Green said that it was important for him to learn about the situation and problems of the southeastern Anatolian region. He added that he has a professional optimism over the problems of the region and that the Middle East was a perennially difficult area. "My country wants a solution to these problems in line with democracy," said Green. /Cumhuriyet/

US STATE DEPT'S WELCH: "IT'S UP TO TURKEY TO DECIDE ON DEPLOYING TROOPS IN LEBANON"
US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch on Tuesday stated that whether to deploy troops in the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon is a decision that Ankara has to make based on its national interests and own foreign policy guidelines. Speaking at a press conference, Welch also expressed Washington's great confidence in the Turkish military, citing his country's experience in working with Turkey in such peacekeeping operations. Meanwhile, US State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack said that Washington wasn't trying to change the borders of the Middle East, underlining that Washington's policy towards the territorial integrity of both Turkey and Iraq is "forthright and plainspoken." /Aksam/

UNDER NEW PLAN, TRNC PORTS COULD OPEN TO TRADE UNDER THE UN
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' (TRNC) ports could be opened up to international trade under the supervision of the United Nations as parts of efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem, reported Britain's the Independent yesterday. "Under the proposals being discussed," wrote the paper, "the UN could control key Northern Cypriot ports, such as Famagusta. Goods would be shipped with UN paperwork and customs declarations, rather than those of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus -- which are anathema to the official [Greek] Cypriot government in Nicosia. The new arrangements could give Turkey enough of a concession to lift a ban on Greek Cypriot ships and planes... One EU diplomat confirmed that UN control of Turkish Cypriot ports is seen as a potential solution to the looming crisis with Ankara. The issue is coming to a head because Turkey is being threatened with suspension of its EU membership talks in the autumn unless ports are opened to all EU vessels... In Ankara the mood is increasingly hardline and the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has little room for maneuver in the runup to Turkish elections." /Cumhuriyet/