TURKISH EMBASSY IN THE NETHERLANDS ATTACKED

The Turkish Embassy to the Netherlands suffered minor damage yesterday after a man attacked it with a Molotov cocktail-type explosive. There were no injuries. Turkish Ambassador to The Hague Tacan Ildem told news channel NTV that the attacker spoke Dutch and was not a Turkish national, and later in the day Dutch police announced that they had taken a 16-year old suspect into custody. /All Papers/

GUL: “THE AKP GOVERNMENT HAS BRIGHTENED TURKEY’S FUTURE”

Speaking at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) Parliamentary Group meeting, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday looked back on his party’s first year in office. Pointing to the AKP’s landslide win in last fall’s elections, Gul said, “Today is the first anniversary of a new era in Turkey under AKP rule.” Arguing that his government had brought Turkey out of the darkness and into the light, Gul stated that under his party the economy had moved off the intensive care list. AKP leader and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was unable to attend the meeting due to illness. /Milliyet/

GONUL: “INCIDENTS THREATENING TURKEY’S SECURITY COULD TRIGGER DEPLOYMENT IN IRAQ”

Speaking before Parliament’s Planning and Budget Commission yesterday, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul warned that if events in Iraq take a turn jeopardizing Turkey’s security, this could trigger a wider Turkish troop deployment. Turkey currently has a limited military presence just across the border into northern Iraq to protect against terrorists. Parliament’s recent resolution authorizing deployment does not mean it will definitely send troops, added Gonul, but Ankara won’t shrink from doing so if the nation’s security requires it. /Cumhuriyet/

LOLOGLU WARNS WASHINGTON OVER NORTHERN IRAQ, SAYS NO TURKISH TROOPS WITHOUT IRAQI INVITATION
Turkey’s Ambassador in Washington Faruk Lologlu yesterday called on the US administration not to be partial to the Iraqi Kurds during the process of setting a course for Iraq’s future. Speaking to military affairs reporters at a breakfast meeting, the ambassador said, “If, for whatever reason, you say we should have a federation in Iraq and that the north of Iraq should belong to the Kurds, that's a recipe for disaster.” Criticizing Washington over a lack of effort to convince Iraq’s Governing Council to support a Turkish troop deployment, Lologlu said that if the Iraqis didn’t issue a clear invitation, Ankara wouldn’t insist on sending troops there. But, he added, contrary to recent new reports, the troop deployment issue "is still alive, very much alive … The option is still there. The offer is still on the table." He added that Turkey also expected concrete steps from the US against the PKK/KADEK terrorist group in northern Iraq. /Turkiye/

VERHEUGEN: “TURKEY MAY JOIN THE EU AFTER IT REACHES UNION STANDARDS THROUGH THE COPENHAGEN CRITERIA”

Guenter Verheugen, European Union commissioner for enlargement, said yesterday that the Union had decided at its 1999 Helsinki summit that Turkey could join the EU after it reaches EU standards through implementing the Copenhagen criteria. “The most pressing problems of the 21st century could be a conflict between Western democracies and the Islamic world, but this could be headed off by Turkey’s EU membership,” he added. /Cumhuriyet/

UNATIKAN: “TURKEY’S ECONOMIC SUCCESS TOOK THE EU BY SURPRISE”

Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan, who is currently in Brussels to attend a meeting of his counterparts from European Union member states, said yesterday that Turkey’s recent positive economic developments had taken the EU by surprise. “Our economic program is on track,” he said. Also touching on the nation’s EU bid, he added that Turkey had the political will to join the EU. /Aksam/

TUSIAD HEAD DISCUSSES TURKEY’S EU BID WITH BELGIAN PM

Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) Chairman Tuncay Ozilhan yesterday met in Istanbul with visiting Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt to discuss Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Speaking afterwards, Verhofstadt said that his country favored positive bilateral relations as well as strengthening current ties with Turkey. “We are ready to do our utmost for Turkey to join the Union,” he said, adding that Ankara’s implementation of EU reforms would be very important for this. /Aksam/

BESIKTAS DEFEATS SPARTA PRAGUE

Last night Turkish football side Besiktas defeated the Czech Republic’s Sparta Prague 1-0 in Istanbul at a UEFA Champions League Group G match. With this win, Besiktas rose to second place within its group. In addition, Galatasary is set to face Olympiakos in Group D tonight in Athens. Galatasaray defeated its Greek rival in Istanbul 1-0 a fortnight ago. /All Papers/