OZKOK CONTINUES FAREWELL VISITS
Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, who is set to retire next week, yesterday continued his farewell visits to top leaders. Ozkok paid visits to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Following their meeting, Arinc praised Ozkok's accomplishments in his term in office, adding that he had greatly contributed to the country during hard times by acting with responsibility and common sense. /Sabah/

BAYKAL: "TURKEY CAN'T SEND TROOPS TO LEBANON FOR THE SAKE OF THE US"
Opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said yesterday that if Turkish troops are sent to Lebanon, nobody can assure that no clashes will occur with Hezbollah. Stressing that up to now Turkey has sent soldiers many times to contribute to UN missions, Baykal said 731 Turkish troops had lost their lives during those missions, adding that Turkey cannot send troops just because the US asks. Speaking at his party's Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting, Baykal criticized the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) policies on the Lebanon issue. He said that no one other than the government favored sending troops to Lebanon. Saying that the UN had assigned the peacekeeping force a main mission of disarming Hezbollah, Baykal said that the UN forces are being asked to take apart Hezbollah, something which neither Israeli nor Lebanese forces have been able to do up to now. "No one can guarantee that Turkish soldiers will not face clashes," added the CHP leader. /Aksam/

MISSION CONCLUDES FOR NATO'S SENIOR CIVILIAN REPRESENTATIVE IN AFGHANISTAN CETIN
NATO's Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan Hikmet Cetin's mission which started in November 2003 has concluded. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer yesterday stated that Cetin's term in office had ended and Dutch Ambassador Daan Everts has been appointed to succeed him. /Cumhuriyet/

HANDOVER CEREMONY HELD AT GENDARMERIE HEADQUARTERS
Gen. Isik Kosaner yesterday took over the Gendarmerie command from outgoing commander Gen. Fevzi Turkeri. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, commanding officers of the army and Cabinet ministers attended the handover ceremony. /Hurriyet/

TURKISH JETS FROM DIYARBAKIR HIT PKK IN NORTHERN IRAQ
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is continuing its operations against the terrorist PKK which is mainly based in northern Iraq. According to reports, Turkish F-16 jets took off from a military air base in Diyarbakir and bombed several PKK targets. In addition, operations continue in the mountainous regions of southeastern Turkey. /Star/

PM'S FOREIGN POLICY ADVISOR BAGIS: "LEBANON ISN'T LESS IMPORTANT THAN SOMALIA"
Istanbul Deputy Egemen Bagis, a foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, yesterday spoke about deploying Turkish troops in Lebanon. "We have a regional and historical responsibility," he said. "Our army gained international prestige in Korea, Kosovo, Bosnia, Somalia, and in Afghanistan. If our Parliament decides to deploy troops in Lebanon, Turkish soldiers will make important contributions to reestablishing peace and stability there. Halting instability in Lebanon before it grows is very important for the region and also Turkey. I believe that our soldiers have the power to achieve this." /Hurriyet/

KESK WITHDRAWS FROM COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS
During the fourth round of talks between the government and civil servants unions, the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK) withdrew from the meetings. Speaking to reporters, Ismail Hakki Tombul, KESK's head, said that they were withdrawing from the negotiations because no positive development had been seen up to now for the benefit of the workers. The fifth round of talks, to be chaired by State Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin, is set to start today with the attendance of representatives from other labor unions, the Turkish Public Workers' Labor Union (Kamu-Sen) and Civil Servants' Trade Union (Memur-Sen). /Turkiye/

THY BUYS ITS 100th PLANE
Turkish Airlines (THY) yesterday took delivery of a new Boeing 737-800 passenger plane in a ceremony at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport. THY's latest purchase brings the number of planes owned by the company to 100. /Turkish Daily News/