ERDOGAN: "WE HAVE SEVERAL PLANS REGARDING THE EU"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said that if the recommendation of the European Union Commission which Turkey considers unacceptable is approved, they have several plans, but they won't reveal them before the Dec. 14 summit where the final decision is due. At Ankara's Esenboga Airport before his one-day visit to Syria, Erdogan said that he had spoken with German Chancellor Angela Merkel before the Weimar summit and that she gave positive messages about Turkey's EU bid. Erdogan also said that he and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will be doing telephone diplomacy and chief EU negotiator Ali Babacan will visit EU countries in the runup to next week's summit. /Star/

PM ERDOGAN VISITS SYRIA
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday went to Syria in the wake of his visits to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iran. Erdogan is also planning to visit Lebanon and Palestine in the following days. He was met at Damascus Airport by his Syrian counterpart Mohammed Naji Otari. During meetings with President Bashar Assad and Otari, bilateral relations, regional problems, energy trade and ways to further develop cultural and tourist ties were discussed. /Hurriyet/

CICEK: "ANTI-CORRUPTION EFFORTS MUST BE SUSTAINED"
Speaking at a conference yesterday entitled "The Fight Against Corruption," Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that efforts against corruption must be sustained, not sporadic. Cicek stated that corruption has three planks, namely politics, bureaucrats, and businessmen. Saying that it was disappointing that Turkey ranks number 64 among world nations in the fight against corruption, Cicek added this standing should be improved. /Turkiye/

BAYKAL MEETS WITH US' WILSON, DISCUSSES TURKEY'S EU BID
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader yesterday met with US Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson to discuss a number of issues, including Turkey's European Union membership bid. Speaking afterwards, Baykal said that it was unacceptable for the EU to try to link the Cyprus issue to Turkey's talks. Baykal further criticized the EU Commission recommendation to partially suspend Turkey's talks due to the Cyprus issue, saying that Turkey wouldn't accept this. "The Turkish nation is losing its confidence in the EU due to these sanctions," added Baykal. "The mistakes of the EU are responsible for this." /Turkiye/

PAMUK SAYS CURRENT STATE OF RELATIONS BETWEEN EU AND TURKEY SADDENS HIM
Nobel Prize in Literature winner author Orhan Pamuk said yesterday that he was "sad" about the current state of relations between the European Union and his native Turkey. Pamuk, who was in Stockholm to collect his 10 million kronor ($1.4 million) award on Sunday, said Turkish membership in the EU would be beneficial to both sides, but added he was pessimistic about the prospects. "It's a subject that makes me sad these days," said Pamuk, whose life and works illustrate the struggle to find a balance between East and West. "And that's the most critical comment I can make these days." /Associated Press/

EC'S MANDELSON: "TURKEY CAN'T BE HELD HOSTAGE OVER CYPRUS"
Saying that Turkey's EU bid can't be held hostage due to the Cyprus issue, European Union Commissioner for Trade Peter Mandelson yesterday called on EU member countries not to impose a timetable on Turkey to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot vessels. Speaking at a press conference, Mendelson said, "It's unacceptable to take Turkey's EU bid hostage for a solution on Cyprus. Especially when we take into consideration that not only Turkey, but everyone should be encouraging a solution." /Hurriyet/

FM SPOKESPERSON TAN: "SUSPENDING TURKEY'S EU PROCESS WOULD BE A MISTAKE"
Speaking yesterday about France and Germany's proposal to reevaluate Ankara's European Union negotiations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Namik Tan said, "It would be a mistake to suspend Turkey's 40-year EU process," adding, "We don't expect such a result following the disagreement. Neither Turkey nor the EU deserves such wrongfulness." Underlining that a significant number of EU members is in fact against the suggestions for a suspension of talks, Tan added: "We do understand that the EU is going through difficult problems and has a difficult period ahead of important decisions on its own future. We believe the current controversy is influenced by this fact. We know the significance of this period and are acting in a responsible way. It is our hope that the EU will see the broader strategic picture and will have a final decision with such a strategic approach." /Cumhuriyet/

NEW US DEFENSE SEC'Y COULD USHER IN NEW ERA WITH TURKEY
US Defense Secretary designate Robert Gates, who was just confirmed by the US Senate as the successor to Donald Rumsfeld, reportedly will be more sensitive to Turkey's regional concerns. Many experts say that Gates, a former CIA director, will usher in a new era on military relations with Turkey. "Gates looks at the world and Turkey in a different way," said one expert. "He understands well that Turkey is one of the key actors in the region and its concerns about Iraq. Clearly Gates will be more sensitive about these issues." /Hurriyet/

BRITISH FM CALLS EU COMMISSION DECISION "TOO HARSH"
British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett yesterday criticized the decision of the European Union Commission recommending partial suspension of Turkey's EU talks, saying that it was too harsh and risked triggering a backlash from Turkey. Acknowledging that Turkey had yet to fulfill its obligations arising from Ankara Protocol, Beckett added that the reaction of the EU should be proportionate. "The decision shouldn't hinder Turkey's talks," she said. In related news, the German foreign minister yesterday telephoned Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, saying that Germany supported Turkey's EU bid. For his part, Gul said that the recommendation of the EU Commission to partially suspend Turkey's talks was unacceptable. /Milliyet/

BABACAN: "PUTTING UNILATERAL PRESSURE ON TURKEY OVER CYPRUS WON'T HELP EFFORTS FOR A RESOLUTION"
Turkey's chief European Union negotiator Ali Babacan, currently in Estonia for an official visit, said yesterday that putting unilateral pressure on Turkey over the Cyprus issue wouldn't help efforts for a resolution on the island. Appearing on television, Babacan said that Turkey's EU process has been going on for years, adding that the Cyprus issue was also an old issue. "The Cyprus issue was imported to the EU with the membership of Greek Cyprus," said Babacan. Reiterating that the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots should be brought to an end, Babacan stated that Turkey wouldn't pose an obstacle to a Cyprus resolution if this isolation is ended. He further stressed that it wasn't proper for the Cyprus issue to hinder Turkey's talks, adding that the Turkish side has always favored a resolution. "The Cyprus issue should be separated from Turkey's EU bid," added Babacan. /Turkiye/