ERDOGAN: "WE WON'T BOW TO EU BLACKMAIL"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday held a short European Union government summit together with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and chief EU negotiator Ali Babacan at his office at Parliament. While leaving his office, Erdogan commented on EU Term President Finland setting a Dec. 6 deadline for Turkey opening its ports and harbors to Greek Cypriot vessels, saying, "We won't take a different step when unacceptable issues come before us. Our stance has been clear from the beginning." Gul said that the negotiations with the EU continued and he would be going to Finland on Sunday and added, "Turkey did what it had to do. While signing the protocol, Turkey's expectation was that the EU would start free trade with the Turkish Cypriots. We expect the EU to keep its promise," he said. /Star/

REHN: "LET'S TALK ABOUT A WIN-WIN SCENARIO"
European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn said yesterday, "If Turkey doesn't open its ports and harbors to Greek Cypriot vessels, they would take into consideration the counter-declaration of Sept. 21, 2005 which was unanimously issued by member states in their proposal to the EU Council on Dec. 6." Stating that the Turkey issue was longer and more challenging for the EU, he added, "Let's talk about win-win, not blackmail and red lines." Milliyet/

NEW EUROPEAN COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE PIERINI TAKES OFFICE
Newly appointed head of the European Commission Representation in Turkey Marc Pierini yesterday submitted his letter of credentials to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and also presented his wife and secretariat. Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Rafet Akgunay also attended the meeting. /Star/

YOK OPPOSES EDUCATION COUNCIL'S RECOMMENDATION
The Rectors Committee, chaired by Board of Higher Education (YOK) Chairman Erdogan Tezic, yesterday issued a statement opposing the National Education Council's recent recommendation to ease imam hatip clerical school graduates' entrance to universities. Stressing that implementing this recommendation could cause serious damage to the Turkish education system, Tezic said that they would seek judicial recourse if officials try to put the recommendation into force. /Sabah/

CHP WALKS OUT OF EDUCATION MINISTRY BUDGET DEBATE
Parliament's Planning and Budget Commission yesterday took up the Education Ministry's 2007 budget. Debates over secular education dominated the meetings. Opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) representatives left the gathering before the opening speech of Education Minister Huseyin Celik, saying that they could not tolerate the minister's s efforts to undermine the secular, democratic and social state ruled by laws. On the other hand, stating that he didn't need lessons from anybody on secularism, Celik said that he, the government and all bureaucrats were absolutely opposed to developments contrary to secular education. "We see secularism not as matter of division but unification," added the minister. /Sabah-Turkiye/

PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION VISITS US
A group of parliamentarians led by Turkish-American Friendship Group Co-Chairman and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Istanbul Deputy Egemen Bagis paid a visit to the US this week to hold talks with their US counterparts on bilateral relations and other topics, including the Armenian issue. /Turkiye/

ITO REPROACHES FRENCH DEPUTIES OVER ARMENIAN BILL
Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) Executive Board Chairman Murat Yalcintas said yesterday that the French Parliament's recent passage of a bill criminalizing denial of the so-called Armenian genocide was regrettable. The ITO organized a meeting bringing together the heads of French firms in Turkey and members of the chamber with the aim of developing ties between the two countries. French Ambassador Paul Poudade also attended the gathering. Stressing that the recent move had badly affected both political and business relations, Yalcintas condemned France, saying that the country favored daily concerns over deeply rooted historical ties. He added that the French Parliament's decision had disappointed the Turkish people, and called on French allies to stop the bill. The French ambassador, for his part, said that the bill would not go into force. /Turkiye/

TURKEY'S OSCAR NOMINEE AWARDED AT NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL
Turkish director Yuksel Aksu's debut "Dondurmam Gaymak" (Ice Cream, I Scream) one of the contenders for the 2007 foreign film Oscar, had its first international success over the weekend, with two awards at the Fourth Queens International Film Festival, held in New York, where it was also screened as the festival's opening film. The movie, extraordinary in that all but one of its cast members are ordinary people from Mugla, a small Aegean town, will open in movie theaters in Turkey -- along with 80 cinemas around Europe -- this Friday. /Turkish Daily News/