ECEVIT LAID TO REST IN STATE CEMETERY
Former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit was laid to rest in Ankara on Saturday with a state ceremony. The funeral saw tens of thousands of people bidding farewell to the 81-year old journalist, poet, and statesman Ecevit, a beloved politician in the country for his social political stance and his honesty during a half-century in Turkish political life. The "Conqueror of Cyprus" was buried at the State Cemetery under a new law designed specifically for distinguished former premiers such as Ecevit. /All Papers/

AKP HOLDS SECOND CONGRESS
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) held its second general congress on Saturday in Ankara . Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected to the helm of the party, as expected. Addressing the gathering, Erdogan said that Turkey needed to be a country where all citizens are at peace with each other irrespective of their language, religion, race, beliefs or gender. "This is the force that will eliminate separatist terrorism once and for all," said Erdogan. Stressing that the AKP's conservatism is opposed to extremism and radicalism and is based on people, not religion, Erdogan also warned AKP members not to be easily provoked. "We all need to be patient," added the premier. /All Papers/

SPANISH PM ZAPATERO: "I WILL SUPPORT TURKEY AT NEXT MONTH'S EU SUMMIT "
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, in Turkey in order to attend the Alliance of Civilizations meeting and to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, yesterday said that he would support Turkey at December's European Union leaders summit. After a meeting held at the Prime Ministry office at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul , the two leaders signed a cooperation agreement. Erdogan told a press conference afterwards that he told his Spanish counterpart Ankara 's stance on the Cyprus issue. For his part, Zapatero reiterated his support for Turkey to continue its EU negotiations and stated that Ankara 's political efforts should be taken into consideration. /Cumhuriyet/

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANNAN VISITS TURKEY
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday came to Turkey for the Alliance of Civilizations initiative meeting. Annan met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at his office at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul . Erdogan's meeting with Annan, who will today receive an action plan report prepared by the alliance's high-level group, lasted about an hour. /Star/

GUL: "FUTURE GENERATIONS SHOULD NOT BE RAISED WITH HATRED"
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that the international community should not stay silent in the face of critical developments in the Middle East . Speaking to reporters at Istanbul 's Ataturk Airport , Gul said that the region needed peace. Stressing that future generations should be prevented from being raised with hatred, Gul said that such hatred jeopardized the future of the region. The foreign minister said that he would discuss the Cyprus issue with outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who arrived in Istanbul to attend a meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations. Stating that Ankara wanted to ensure a smooth handover on the Cyprus problem from Annan to his successor, Gul said he would brief him about the recent developments on the island. Commenting on the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) General Congress over the weekend, Gul said that AKP had made sweeping reforms in Turkey, adding that the AKP organization was enjoying that with pride and honor. /Turkiye/

AKSU TO VISIT CHINA
Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu is set to travel to the People's Republic of China tomorrow. Aksu will pay a five-day official visit to the country at the invitation of Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang. /Sabah/

SWEDISH FM BILDT: "THE GREEK CYPRIOTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CYPRUS DEADLOCK"
Amid rising pressure on Turkey to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot vessels, Swedish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Carl Bildt weighed in by saying that the Greek Cypriots are responsible for the deadlock on Cyprus . In a guest column published in The International Herald Tribune last Tuesday, Bildt pointed to Ankara 's strategic importance. On Cyprus as a crisis between Turkey and the European Union, he wrote, "One of the most painful failures of the international community in recent years was the 2004 failure to achieve a solution to the division of Cyprus , and it was obvious from that day that it would complicate the accession process of Turkey . We should not forget that these efforts did not fail because of Turkey , but because key parts of the Greek Cypriot leadership refused to accept a plan by the UN secretary general that had the clear support of the European Union. As the Finnish presidency of the EU tries to overcome the present difficulties, we must neither ignore our long-term strategic interests nor forget where the key responsibility for the 2004 failure lies. To close the door to Turkey , to the western Balkans or to the East is to open the door to instability in Europe itself -- on the very threshold of the European Union. We must understand that if you close one door you risk opening other doors. That's the way history works." /Milliyet/

EDUCATION SUMMIT CONVENES
The 17th Education Summit will start in Ankara today. During the five-day gathering, some 800 education professionals are expected to discuss problems plaguing the system in Turkey . The main topics to be taken up will be university and high school entrance exams and the state of the education system with respect to Turkey 's European Union membership bid. /Sabah/

ANTALYA HOSTS TURKISH-GREEK TOURISM FORUM
A Turkish-Greek Tourism Forum was held in Antalya 's Serik district over the weekend. Speaking at the meeting, Tourism Minister Atilla Koc said that cooperation on tourism would develop friendship between the two countries. Koc then signed a cooperation statement with his Greek counterpart Fanny Palli-Petralia. 7Star/