NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES DISCUSS IRAQ SITUATION

The foreign ministers of Iraq’s seven neighbors including host country Syria as well as Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan met in Damascus over the weekend to discuss the Iraq issue and how they can best support this nation. In their final declaration, the countries pointed to the importance of Iraq’s territorial integrity as well as its political unity. The declaration called on Iraq’s Governing Council to cooperate with its neighbors in the fight against terrorism. Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, however, did not attend the meetings in Damascus. He is expected to be present at the next such meeting in Kuwait. After representing Turkey at the meeting, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul returned to Ankara last night. At Esenboga Airport, he told reporters that terrorist groups taking shelter in Iraq were threatening the security of regional countries. /All Papers/

PARLIAMENT FACES BUSY SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Parliament is scheduled to face a busy work schedule this week. Parliament’s Planning and Budget Commission will continue to hold hearings on the 2004 budget. A 1,200-page report by Parliament’s Special Anti-Corruption Commission will also be debated in the General Assembly tomorrow. Following its four-month investigation of corruption, the commission had proposed parliamentary inquiries into 25 former government ministers, including former premiers Bulent Ecevit and Mesut Yilmaz. On Wednesday, bills on international agreements are set to be debated by the full Parliament. In addition, the next day amendments to the Forest Law that earlier this year were vetoed by the president and sent back to Parliament will be taken up. /Turkiye/

DENKTAS: “FOREIGNERS ARE TRYING TO INTERFERE IN UPCOMING TRNC ELECTIONS”

At Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport yesterday, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas told reporters that foreigners were trying to interfere in next month’s TRNC general elections. “Yet those who are interfering in our elections are also telling Turkey, ‘hands off’,” charged Denktas. /Cumhuriyet/

ARINC’S MOTHER PASSES AWAY

Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc’s mother died on Saturday in Bursa. Sevdiye Arinc was 84. She was laid to rest in Manisa yesterday in a funeral attended by a large crowd, including a number of government ministers and scores of parliamentary deputies. /Sabah/

PKK SHELL KILLS FOUR CHILDREN

An unexploded shell left by the terrorist group PKK/KADEK in a southeastern village went off yesterday, killing four children. Eleven children had found the explosive device in the village of Andac near Sirnak and were examining it when it detonated. In addition to the four deaths, the shell also caused injuries in the seven other children, all of whom are now being treated at a military hospital. /Hurriyet/

OZDEMIR: “THE BUDGET SHOWS NEXT YEAR WILL BE DIFFICULT”

Speaking at the Ankara provincial congress of his party yesterday, Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Ali Talip Ozdemir said that one of Turkey’s most pressing problems was security. Also touching on next year’s budget, Ozdemir argued that the draft budget proved that it would be a difficult year. /Cumhuriyet/

DISASTER RISK MAP PLANNED

The Directorate General of Disaster Preparedness will draw up a map of possible disaster-prone areas in Turkey, it announced over the weekend. The map, studies for which began this May, will try to identify high-risk areas. The map is expected to help lessen the damage caused by disasters and in planning city development as well as tunnels and dams. /Turkiye/

MONTHLY EXPORTS SOAR TO A RECORD $4.9 BILLION

The Turkish Exporters’ Association (TIM) yesterday announced that this October the nation’s exports had soared to $4.9 billion, the highest figure in the history of the Turkish Republic. Last year in the same period, exports were $3.6 billion. TIM Chairman Oguz Satici said, however, that Turkey needed to further boost its exports. In related news, Foreign Trade Undersecretary Tuncer Kayalar said that exchange rates would continue to help Turkey’s trade balance. /Milliyet/

TOBB COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: “THERE’S NO NEED TO ERASE ZEROS FROM THE LIRA”

Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) Council Chairman Kemal Colak said yesterday that there was no need to erase zeros from the Turkish lira. “This is a sensitive issue which should be weighed very carefully,” he said. “Such a move would cost a great deal.” Last week, amid reports of falling inflation, the government announced plans to remove six zeros from the lira in early 2005. /Aksam/