ERDOGAN MEETS WITH TOBB REPRESENTATIVES
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday received a delegation from the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) led by Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu. Following their one-and-a-half-hour meeting, Hisarciklioglu told reporters that they had exchanged views on economic developments including energy, industrial policy, unemployment and privatization. Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan and State Minister Kursad Tuzmen were also present at the gathering. /Turkiye/
MERKEL SPEAKS WITH ERDOGAN ON THE TELEPHONE
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday called Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Merkel and Erdogan exchanged views on the UN Security Council's resolution on establishing peace and deploying troops in Lebanon. The two leaders discussed ways to stabilize the cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon, to expand the cease-fire to include Palestine, and to establish a lasting peace in the Middle East. /Cumhuriyet/
SYRIA SUPPORTS TURKISH TROOP DEPLOYMENT IN LEBANON
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday paid a one-day visit to Damascus. Following his meetings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa and his counterpart Walid Moallem, Gul said that his talks with top Syrian officials had been very fruitful and that they had exchanged views on recent developments in Lebanon. Stressing that Turkey had not yet made any decision whether or not to send troops to Lebanon, Gul underlined that Syrian officials stated that they would welcome Turkish troops in the region. Meanwhile, the foreign minister, during his visit to Israel on Sunday, reportedly met with the families of three Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah and Hamas and pledged that he would do his best to get information about the condition of their children. /Aksam/
FIRES CONTINUE TO CLAIM WILDLIFE AREAS
Most of the forest fires throughout the country have been put out by firefighting teams, said the Environment Ministry yesterday. The ministry also said that the latest major fires had burned almost 1,500 hectares which were a haven for wildlife. The fire in the southern Kas district of Antalya has been continuing to burn furiously through the national park famous for its wildlife for four days, as difficult conditions in the area have made it hard for firefighting teams to reach the area to put out the blaze. Officials from Bodrum's Forestry Directorate also said yesterday that they couldn't get the fire under control. The fire has burned down more than 700 hectares in the region so far. A blaze in the southern province of Adana was extinguished yesterday but not before it destroyed almost 100 hectares of forestland, while another that started over the weekend in Antalya's town of Manavgat burned down more than 100 hectares of land. /The New Anatolian/
MHP'S BAHCELI: "TURKEY SHOULD BE AT MT. KANDIL INSTEAD OF LEBANON"
Opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli yesterday urged the government to root out the terrorist PKK at Mt. Kandil in northern Iraq instead of deploying troops to Lebanon. In a written statement, Bahceli said, "The government's intention to send troops to Lebanon is a regrettable example of the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) irresponsible understanding of foreign policy which made its mark on this period." Bahceli said that the ruling AKP government wants to drag Turkey into a dangerous adventure by drawing it into the cross-currents of the Middle East. "It is obvious that Turkey's security requires our presence at Mt. Kandil, not in the clashes in Lebanon," said Bahceli. /Milliyet/
OZKOK TO PAY FAREWELL VISIT TO BAYKAL
Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, who will retire at the end of this month, is set to pay a farewell visit to opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal today in Ankara. /Aksam/
UN'S ANNAN TO VISIT ANKARA IN SEPTEMBER
As part of a Mideast tour including Iran and Syria, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is set to visit Turkey on Sept. 6. Annan last week phoned Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling on Ankara to contribute to the UN forces to be deployed in Lebanon. In addition to Erdogan, Annan will meet with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on the Lebanon issue and recent developments in the Mideast. The Cyprus issue is also expected to be taken up during his talks with Turkish officials. /Sabah/
AMERICAN ADVISOR TO NORTHERN IRAQI KURDS CLAIMS INDEPENDENT STATE INEVITABLE
Peter Galbraith, advisor in the US to Iraqi Kurdish leaders, said yesterday that Turkey can't block the establishment of an independent Kurdish state, adding that this reality is being understood by Turkish authorities. Galbraith also stated that a Kurdish state already exists in northern Iraq, claiming that it will soon formally declare its independence. According to news channel NTV, claiming that the conservative Turkish view that sees the establishment of an independent Kurdish state as a threat to Turkey has been changing, Galbraith said, "The dominant view among the Turks is that Turkey's occupation of northern Iraq wouldn't bring a solution but would rather throw the country out of the European Union and damage relations with the US." /Cumhuriyet/
TURKISH BASKETBALL TEAM DEFEATS BRAZIL
Defeating Brazil 73-71 yesterday in their first-round Group C game, Turkey's "12 Giant Men" advanced to the next round of the tournament at the World Basketball Championship in Japan. The Turkish team, which had already beaten Lithuania and Australia, will play winless Qatar today. /Star/
GOVT OFFERS 4% SALARY HIKES FOR 2007
During the third round of collective bargaining between government officials and representatives from civil servants' unions, State Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin chaired the meetings and offered a 4 percent total salary hike and additional payments for the difference in inflation over the next year. Opposing the government's offer, union representatives stated that it was far from meeting their expectations. The fourth round of the meetings will be hold tomorrow. /Turkiye/