ERDOGAN MEETS WITH SAUDI KING ABDULLAH
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah over the weekend. Erdogan was accompanied by State Ministers Mehmet Aydin and Ali Babacan. During the meeting, Erdogan and Abdullah reviewed recent regional and international developments as well as economic and commercial relations between the two countries. /Hurriyet/

ARINC: "THERE ARE PEOPLE JEALOUS OF THE PARLIAMENT'S SUCCESS"
Commenting on general elections set for a year from now, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc said that the assembly had completed four successful years but that there were people jealous of this success. "All of us need to guard against these," said Arinc. "We'll do our job. The only thing we have is democracy. We know that the nation can make a different decision this time." /Milliyet/

PARLIAMENT TO VOTE ON LOWERING ELECTION AGE FROM 30 TO 25
Parliament will take up a Constitutional amendment this week to lower the age of eligibility to be elected a deputy from 30 to 25. The measure has the backing of all political parties in Parliament. The first round of voting will be held tomorrow, and the second on Thursday. /Milliyet/

US ANTI-PKK ENVOY TO VISIT TURKEY
The US' special envoy for countering the terrorist PKK is scheduled to visit Turkey this week, according to diplomatic sources. Despite earlier expectations that the first trilateral meeting of the Turkish, US and Iraqi special envoys would be this week, diplomatic sources said on Sunday that such a meeting is still not fixed. /The New Anatolian/

FINLAND'S LIPPONEN: "THERE'S NO TURNING BACK ON THE ROAD TO FULL EU MEMBERSHIP"
Finnish Parliament Speaker Paavo Lipponen yesterday said that Turkeyy was a European Union candidate country, adding, "There's no turning back from here." Lipponen, paying a visit to Izmir as a guest of Izmir Greater Municipality Mayor Aziz Kocaoglu, said that Turkey's path to the EU may be problematic, and added, "You're on the right track. We want to see Turkey in the EU. But this journey requires patience. The goal is full membership." /Star/

GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER URGES TURKEY TO OPEN ITS PORTS TO GREEK CYPRIOTS
Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said yesterday that the coming three months would be a difficult period in Turkish-European Union relations. Speaking to Greek daily Kathimerini, Bakoyanni said that the time for Turkey to implement the Ankara Protocol has almost expired, adding that EU states including Greece would decide on Turkey's membership in the near future. Claiming that Ankara's opening its ports and harbors to Greek Cypriots would be a key factor for a positive decision, Bakoyanni said that that topic could not even be debated. She stated that the EU could not continue its path as if everything is in order when a candidate state hasn't fulfilled its commitments to the bloc. The Greek foreign minister also claimed that the Turkish minority in Greece's Western Thrace region enjoys rights and responsibilities equal to those of ethnic Greeks, despite ample evidence to the contrary. /Turkiye/

SARKOZY SAYS TURKEY "NOT EUROPEAN," SHOULDN'T BE IN EU
Right-wing French Interior Minister and presidential favorite Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday that before deciding on enlargement, the Europe Union should first answer the question of who is a European and who is not, adding that the bloc should restrict its enlargement. In a guest op-ed published in Britain's Sunday Telegraph, Sarkozy called on the bloc to carry out reforms to establish its strategies. He also asserted that a "preferential partnership" should be established with certain countries which he claims are not European, foremost among them Turkey. /Turkiye/

TUZMEN: "THE ANTIDOTE TO THE CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICIT IS EXPORTS"
State Minister Kursat Tuzmen said yesterday that the antidote to Turkey's high current account deficit was exports, adding that within international rules more incentives should be provided for exporters. Tuzmen said that rising imports were a chief factor triggering the current account deficit. Saying that exports should be boosted so the deficit does not become a threat, Tuzmen added that the antidote to the deficit was exports. "There is no way to reduce the deficit without boosting exports," said Tuzmen. "Also, first exchange rates should come to a normal level." /Milliyet/

WB'S VORKINK: "IMF RAISING TURKEY'S VOTING QUOTA SHOWS IT JOINING THE RANKS OF THE ELITE"
World Bank Turkey Director Andrew Vorkink yesterday said that the International Monetary Fund's recent decision to raise the voting quota of Turkey (together with China, South Korea, and Mexico) shows that Turkey is joining the ranks of elite countries. Vorkink stated that the Fund had raised the quota of only four countries, including Turkey. "By doing this, the IMF confirmed that Turkey has become a global power," he said. Vorkink further stressed that Turkey had a stronger economic infrastructure than Romania and Bulgaria, which are both set to join the European Union next year. /Aksam/

IMF DELEGATION ARRIVES IN ISTANBUL
A delegation from the International Monetary Fund headed by Turkey Desk Chief Lorenzo Giorgianni yesterday arrived in Istanbul to review recent developments in the nation's economy as part of the standby agreement between Ankara and the Fund. The delegation will meet with representatives of the banking sector and the business world in Istanbul and listen to their views and proposals about the program. /Sabah/