ERDOGAN TOUTS HIS PARTY'S RECORD, CRITICIZES PRE-AKP GOVT
Speaking at the opening ceremony for the Derince Tunnel in Kocaeli over the weekend, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the coalition government which preceded his Justice and Development Party's (AKP) 2002 rise to power. "What did you do for Turkey ?" said Erdogan of the government led by late Premier Bulent Ecevit, adding that they couldn't protect the value of the Turkish lira. "However, we erased six zeroes from our currency," said Erdogan. "Back then the Central Bank had $26 billion in reserves, but now it has $56 billion." He further stressed that Turkey 's debt to the International Monetary Fund was $23.5 billion under that government, but has fallen to $9.7 billion today. "This is our difference," said the premier. Later, Erdogan attended the opening of Seka Park . Addressing the gathering, Erdogan said that Turkey was growing stronger every day in competing with world standards. /Aksam-Turkiye/

STATE MINISTER ATALAY TAKES PART IN NEW DELHI CONFERENCE ON AFGHANISTAN
The Second Regional Economic Conference on Afghanistan is an important step to show that this nation has become a part of regional cooperation, said State Minister Besir Atalay in the Indian capital of New Delhi on Saturday. "Despite the progress made in the reconstruction of Afghanistan , the integration of this country with regional projects is a must," he told the conference. Stressing the importance of regional cooperation to provide sustainable structuring as well as socioeconomic development, Atalay said that the high turnout at the conference showed the international community's determination to boost regional cooperation for the reconstruction of Afghanistan . /The New Anatolian/

BAHCELI REELECTED TO MHP HELM AT WEEKEND CONGRESS
Devlet Bahceli was reelected leader of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) party during its eighth general congress held over the weekend through a unanimous vote. Addressing his party, Bahceli called the gathering a "national unity congress" and criticized the government's policies on the European Union and Cyprus , saying that the MHP placed importance on national unity and territorial integrity and that nothing was more important than these. Bahceli stressed that though the possibility of a cross-border operation in northern Iraq had long been discussed, for now it was out of the question. Commenting on the opposition True Path Party's (DYP) proposal of an amnesty for terrorists, Bahceli predicted a public backlash against the DYP in next year's elections. /Turkiye/

EC PRESIDENT BARROSO: "I'M CONCERNED ABOUT TURKEY NOT MEETING ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER ANKARA PROTOCOL"
In remarks published over the weekend, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that Turkey 's not implementing its obligations coming from the Ankara Protocol would affect all membership negotiations. Speaking to German daily Tagesspiegel, Barroso said, "I am concerned about developments," adding, " Turkey hasn't yet fulfilled its commitments emanating from the Ankara Protocol. The European Union requested this last year. If Turkey doesn't fulfill its commitments, all membership negotiations would be affected." In related news, French daily Le Figaro claimed that there was a conspiracy against Turkey 's EU membership. Writing on "Who's against Turkey 's EU membership?" question Writer Alexandre Adler argued that Turkey 's real enemies lie among the fundamentalist Christians inclined to racism, not Armenians, Greek Cypriots or Greeks. /Star-Cumhuriyet/

US SENATOR BIDEN: "THERE CAN BE NO PEACE IN IRAQ WITHOUT TURKEY "
Democratic Senator Joseph Biden, the incoming chair of the Foreign Relations Committee after the US midterm elections, yesterday argued that a conference should be held for Iraq . In a guest op-ed published in The Washington Post, Biden said, "There can be no sustainable peace in Iraq without the support of its neighbors, including Iran , Syria and Turkey ." /Hurriyet/

TREASURY'S CANAKCI ATTENDS G-20 SUMMIT IN MELBOURNE
Treasury Undersecretary Ibrahim Canakci over the weekend attended the G-20 summit in Melbourne , Australia , where global energy policies, money laundering, and the nuclear armament threat were discussed. Canakci said that G-20 represented two-thirds of the world's population and 85% of the world's gross national product (GNP), adding that it was important for Turkey to be among the G-20 countries. "Global economic and financial outlook were discussed at the summit," said Canakci, adding that Turkey or Russia could host the G-20 meeting due to be held in 2012. /Sabah/