SEZER MEETS WITH PM ERDOGAN
In their regular weekly meeting, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday received Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Sezer and Erdogan reportedly took up recent developments in Turkish-European Union relations. /Star/

EU LEADERS APPROVE DECISION TO PARTIALLY SUSPEND TURKEY'S TALKS
European Union member states' leaders, at a summit in Brussels yesterday, approved the decision of the EU foreign ministers to suspend eight out of 35 chapters of Turkey's membership talks. Speaking at a press conference, EU Term President Finland's Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said that the leaders had approved the decision of the foreign ministers without any discussion. For his part, European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso stated that they didn't discuss Turkey yesterday since the leaders found the foreign ministers' decision "realistic." In related news, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she believed the EU had acted determinedly and with common sense, adding that it gave a message to Turkey to continue its reforms. /Sabah/

ERDOGAN BOUND FOR ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS MEETING IN NEW YORK
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will travel to New York on Sunday to attend a two-day meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations starting Monday. As part of his contacts, Erdogan is expected to have talks with his Spanish counterpart José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. During the gathering, a 35-page final document will be released. /Turkiye/

CICEK: "FORGET ABOUT EARLY ELECTIONS"
Appearing on TV last evening, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said yesterday that the next general elections would be held next November, as scheduled. Stressing that Turkey has finally reached stability, Cicek said that favorable situation could not be sacrificed just because certain circles want elections, adding that the government has no intention of doing so. Commenting on recent developments in Turkish-European Union relations, the justice minister said that the Turkish Foreign Ministry has pursued a successful policy. /Aksam/

PAPADOPOULOS: "WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO BLOCK EACH CHAPTER IN TURKEY'S TALKS"
Speaking at a press conference at the European Union leaders summit in Brussels yesterday, Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos said that Greek Cyprus reserves its right to block each chapter during Turkey's EU talks. Papadopoulos stated that the EU would send a letter to Turkey to open one of remaining 26 chapters. /Sabah/

BLAIR TO VISIT ANKARA
Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair will travel to Ankara this evening just after the European Union leaders summit in Brussels. Blair, during his brief visit, is expected to meet with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a dinner and to reiterate his country's support for Turkey's EU membership process. /Cumhuriyet/

THE ECONOMIST: "THE EU SHOULDN'T SHUT ITS DOORS TO TURKEY"
The Economist, an influential economy and political newsweekly published in Britain, this week warned that it would be a grave geostrategic failure if the European Union were to close its doors to Turkey. Pointing to the negative atmosphere against Turkey in the bloc, the article said that the real issue wasn't Cyprus, but Europe's doubts over whether or not to let Turkey join the club. Touching on Ankara's recent efforts to catch up to EU norms, it said that the reforms it had implemented were equal or above those of other EU member states. The article added that Turkey was a model country in its region, and that it would be a great failure to send it away. /Turkiye/

IMF'S LIPSKY: "TURKEY'S COMMITMENT TO TIGHT FISCAL POLICIES AND REFORMS DESERVES INTL SUPPORT"
International Monetary Fund First Deputy Managing Director John Lipsky said yesterday that Turkey's commitment to pursue tight fiscal policies and reforms deserved the support of the international community. Saying that the IMF welcomed Turkey's 6.5% primary surplus target for 2007, Lipsky added that the target required controlling expenditures and making health outlays more efficient. /Milliyet/

BABACAN: "LOWER-THAN-EXPECTED GROWTH DOESN'T JEOPARDIZE OUR 5% TARGET"
Speaking to reporters yesterday, State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan said that the nation's growth rate was lower than expectations, but that this didn't jeopardize the 5% target. Stressing that quality of growth was important, Babacan said that Turkey's was sustainable. Commenting on Central Bank Governor Durmus Yilmaz's warning about the real sector's financing deficits, Babacan said that these words should be taken into consideration. /Aksam/

FORMER TOP IMF OFFICIAL: "TURKEY'S ECONOMY HAS SHOWN GREAT PROGRESS SINCE THE 2001 CRISIS"
Speaking at a conference yesterday, former International Deputy Managing Director Stanley Fischer said that owing to the efforts of both the government and the Central Bank, Turkey's economy has shown great progress since the 2001 economic crisis. "The IMF also contributed to this," said Fischer. He stressed that during the 2001 crisis, the IMF had proposed that Turkey found a foreign exchange board, but the had government rejected this. "Now we see that the government's decision was the right one," he added. /Sabah/

LEGENDARY MUSIC MOGUL ERTEGUN DIES
Ahmet Ertegun, 83, the owner of the Atlantic Records and producer of world-famous musical acts, passed away in New York City on Thusday evening. Ertegun died in the hospital after falling down backstage during a Rolling Stones concert in Manhattan on Oct. 29. Ertegun will be laid to rest in Turkey. Moreover, a memorial service is expected to be held in New York next month. /Hurriyet/